#he is a completely unhinged character I’m obsessed

[undertheorangetree]

La Petite Mort (Ptolemaea)

Summary- Aemond has waited generations for this moment and he will not let it slip through his fingers.

Warnings- MDNI 18+ DDDNE. DUBCON. NSFW. Female reader. Dark Aemond. Blood. Gore. Kidnapping. Obsessive behaviour. Vampire mind control? Reincarnation. Biting. Vampire venom makes you horny. Fingering. Cunnilingus. P in V sex. Overstimulation. Technically character death. This is unhinged.

Author’s Note- It’s a spooky season special and I’m so nervous about this one besties. I know that vampire Aemond is a whole thing but it’s a thing for a reason that’s just his vibe. This is darker than usual so plz read the warnings and read at your own risk. Also special thanks to @aegonx for beta-ing for me ilysm🫶🏼The rest is on AO3 link belowww

dividers by me lmao

She knows she's screwed when her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, but her phone battery dying all but confirms it.

Throwing it into the passenger seat with a guttural sigh, she drops her head into her hands and fights the urge to start crying in frustration. She knew that traveling at night was a bad idea but she had managed to talk herself out of her worries, convincing herself that she would be able to make good time with so few cars on the road. She regrets it now, stranded on the shoulder of some half abandoned backroad, no other people or cars in sight. The rain is coming down in buckets, heavy enough that she's surprised that it hasn't yet flooded the street, raindrops pounding on the roof of her car like a drum.

There isn't so much as a porch light back here. Nothing but heavy forest that makes her feel as if she is lost in time and she is sure the longer she is alone, the more likely her mind is to play tricks on her.

She flicks on her hazard lights as she tries to decide what best to do. Staying in her car seems unsafe somehow, stuck on the shoulder of the road beside a corner. Though the street is empty now, another car will show up at some point and she can already see the inevitable car crash in her mind's eye. But leaving the safety of her car seems just as bad.

She doesn't know what's in the surrounding woods and with visibility as bad as it is now, with the rain coming down and the moon just barely able to provide some semblance of light, there is no truly safe option.

There are no nearby homes. No other cars. No payphones or a way to charge her own phone. She is completely and hopelessly stuck.

Though she knows it's pointless, she still reaches for her phone, holding down on the power button in vain. The empty battery graphic flashes up at her, the charging cable beneath it feeling almost mocking now and grunts angrily, throwing it to the side again. But just as she is about to resign herself to a night of sleeping in her car until morning, there is a flash of headlights in her rearview mirror. She pokes her head up, eyebrows furrowed as she turns and watches a car slow until their window is equal to hers, the glass rolling down.

A man's face greets her, one that seems to be about her age. His face is contorted with vague concern as he looks at her, an eyepatch concealing a third of his face. He has a kind of air about him, regal and almost ethereal to the point where it's almost unsettling. It's nearly otherworldly in a way that almost feels... wrong.

Looking at him, she feels a primal lurch in her stomach, as if the man before her isn't quite right. It's no wonder she feels that way, with his near flawless skin and silver hair that must cost a fortune to dye. That's likely no problem, with how expensive his car looks. She thinks it must cost at least four times her own but she's thankful for just how ancient her car is now, rolling the manual crank until there is a large enough crack for her to speak, the rain immediately splattering inside and wetting both her door and face.

"Car trouble?" he asks and she forces a polite smile despite her irritation at her predicament.

"Unfortunately. Do you know if there's a gas station nearby?"

She had already been to a gas station this evening, less than an hour ago. Though her car had shown no signs of betrayal when she had been filling her gas tank, she thinks that it may be too far to walk to now.

The concern on his face morphs into sympathy. "None that will be open so late. Do you know what's wrong with it?"

She gives a frustrated shake of her head. "No idea. It was completely fine and then it just started sputtering and crapped out."

"Have you called a tow truck yet?"

The question makes her pause. As polite as this man has been thus far, she has no interest in informing him that her phone is dead. And though he has given her no reason to think otherwise, his line of questioning is beginning to border on a few too many to be seen as simple concern for a stranger. She wants to believe that is all it is but he's looking at her a little too earnestly for her to ignore, his eyes following her every move as if the rain threatens to shield his view.

"Not yet. I was going to try some friends first, try to save some money. They don't live far from here so I shouldn't have to wait long."

That’s a boldfaced lie but he doesn’t need to know that.

"I wouldn't leave your car here for long if I were you," he warns, turning to look over his shoulder toward the corner. "It would be best to call a tow truck to really save yourself some money. You'll have a couple thousand in damages if you leave it here."

Read the rest here

#Aemond targaryen x reader #Aemond x reader #Aemond targaryen x you #aemond x you #aemond targaryen x fem!reader #aemond x fem!reader #vampire!aemond #aemond targaryen #aemond smut #aemond targaryen smut #hotd #hotd fanfic #hotd x reader #hotd smut #house of the dragon

[nwheregirl]

My content is usually for Keanu Reeves and his characters, but @gea-chan96 requested some Mads Mikkelsen’s characters as yanderes and, being one of my favourite actors, I couldn’t say no! So…

P.s. I apologise for the delay, but my personal life kept me away from tumblr. For this reason, I will close requests and just write whenever I feel like it.

YANDERE MADS MIKKELSEN CHARACTERS (DARK CONTENT, ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE, MAYBE TYPOS!):

-Would marry you, then show you their yandere side:

I imagine them being very elegant, old-fashioned men. Yes, they are still violent but they would never show that side to their lovely wife. Being rich, and having everything always ready for them, they would probably court you and take you to dates until you naturally fall in love with them. After your marriage, they would start to show how possessive and jealous they can be. They would probably make you move into an isolated house, with all the luxury of course… kept away from the outside world, like a bunny in a cage. They would spoil you like a princess and if you dare to show sadness towards this lifestyle, they would make you feel guilty. The only time they give away their true nature, is in the bedroom.

A little bonus: with Le Chiffre, 007 would notice the toxicity of your marriage… it’s up to you to decide to stay with your husband, or run away with James Bond.

-Would kidnap you:

These two are both very carnal and violent man: the only difference is that, while Nigel is completely unhinged, do to being a street mob boss, Hannibal has to keep a certain type of composure. The cannibal who take the whole kidnapping process very slow: making you trust him, becoming your therapist, even. And only then, he would tie you up in his cell… keeping a close to the meat… just to scare you even more.

Nigel doesn’t need all of that: he stalks you, tries to understand your routine for a few weeks and then, when you’re finally walking home alone…it’s over, baby.

-Would use black magic on you to make you fall in love, be completely obsessed with him, adore and serve him:

I mean… I’m not sure if in the universe of Dr Strange doing this type of magic is possible… let’s just pretend it is. He’s a sorcerer, right? And a villain, so an evil one. He doesn’t need anything but his Book of Shadows and his hands to make you fall in love with him. And that’s exactly what happens: you were supposed to be Dr Strange’s apprentice… but for some reason, you betrayed him and teamed up with Kaecilius. When Stephen understood why, and what had happened… it was too late, you had already made a blood path with your “lover”.

#mads mikkelsen #mads mikkelsen characters #kaecilius #le chiffre #nigel #hannibal #duncan vizla #jürgen voller #yandere #nwheregirl made this #x reader #reader insert

[adobe-outdesign]

DHMIS Series Liveblog/Initial Thoughts

Episode 1:

The trio can harmonize surprisingly well

Hearing Red shout was the most jarring part of the episode

It’s interesting how there are parallels to the main series. Red’s connection to phones, the two aging (like at the end of 2), Bird’s eye getting gouged out (that’s like the third time), and, of course, Bird being vored at least once

Someone call the phone numbers. I’d do it but they’re British

I love that briefcase. might be my new favorite teacher

Much like the main series, there’s some great symbolism/meaning to the insanity. I love “you can be anything you want to do” in particular, as well as how Red’s laziness is rewarded while Bird’s efforts are ignored

Episode 2:

Bird/Duck calling himself a crow-like thing is probably a nod to the early fandom days, where he was often mistaken as a crow and it was also used as his nickname for a bit

Think this goes without saying but Bird being dead and having his organs removed parallels ep. 5

I made a joke about the David thing and what that means so I won’t do it again

Always headcanoned Red’s mouth as being terrifying, glad to see that’s been validated

This show is fucking hysterical, they keep getting me when I least expect it

“ew claymation“ JFLKADJS;

the claymation is gorgeous. in fact the whole series is gorgeous

Can I adopt Stain they’re adorable

the Bird that died had maggots so that was Actual Bird. there’s negative continuity here though so that might not matter

glad to see the lamp finally sobered up

Bird’s obsession with the military references ep 2 of the OG series. there’s a black and white photo of him in the military in the BG

the thing with the coffin was hysterical. annoyed the teacher into submission

Episode 3

the ending fucking GOT ME aljdfskl; could they have cut that more perfectly

rare instance of Bird being the straightman instead of Red

confirmed, Bird is the dad and Red and Yellow are siblings. makes perfect sense

once again, phones are bad news

I love how skanked up those human puppets are with the janky eyes

probably the creepiest episode so far in terms of setting

unexpected Roy cameo

this series is impeccably paced. I feel like I’ve been watching for hours but it’s only been and hour and a half

Episode 4

HOW IS THIS SHOW SO FUCKING FUNNY two minutes in and I’m in hysterics already

“keep an eye on grease fire” alkdsjf. also Bird’s window thing was a nod to the second episode when Yellow was remembering him yelling at it for not respecting him

the name bit klakfdjflsa

let Red say fuck

let Bird say dick

weird seeing Colin not killing people

love how the worm eagle is not malicious so much as a fucking simp

Bird is both completely unhinged and also the funniest character in this show

weird wholesome Colin moment

if there’s a worm in your brain, pro tip: go to sleep or shower

Episode 5

I just realized that there are at least three episodes in this show where the teacher fucking dies

Red’s interview on It’s Nice That stated that he loved extreme sports so this isn’t surprising

the guy in the train costume is having a great time

the Clayhill reference fajlkds. this is nothing but in jokes and I love it

“they’re not here” “aw what” AJDFKSL;A; THE SHOW CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH BEING THIS FUNNY

padlock canon and their kid is whatever the fuck that is. sure why the fuck not

Bird rests his head on Yellow’s shoulder to sleep and that’s adorable

Red just chucks Roy out the window. the correct response

the simulation thing is probably a nod to the main series, which literally took place in a TV

what the fuck was that ending. I sense plotish stuff

Episode 6

I think this is an AU that parallels the original series. so like the original series was a TV show, this is another fabrication. it doesn’t seem to be by Roy this time but that clown thing

love the design of this teacher a lot

this kind of parallels Red’s awareness in ep 6. of the original shorts

once again, the teachers get fucking dunked on. refreshing

oh I noticed the train teacher’s license plate said Lesley earlier. I just assumed that was the teacher’s name

I SUPER do not like the meat teacher running by like that

I also SUPER do not like Lesley outbursts, this is def the most eerie episode

Okay, shitpost thoughts aside, that was incredible (though that’s not surprising; I expect nothing less than Becky and Joe). The animation, puppetry, and sets? Impeccable. The humor? Probably the funniest thing I’ve seen all year. The surreal horror? On point. I am so, so glad we got this series on top of the already perfect original series.

Compared to the original series, this series is a lot funnier and probably less scary as a whole, though it does have its moments. It does an excellent job of expanding upon the original characters personalities and makes them pretty darn endearing. The plot does seem looser (which I’ll talk about below), but they may have planned for a potential second season. I would say that as a whole the original series is better (creepier, hits harder, more satisfying plot and resolution), but A) that was a goddamn masterpiece and I’d be impressed if anything topped it and B) this is still incredible in its own right.

I’ll need to chew on the plot more, but my initial guess is that this is an AU (the wall calendar says June 20 but the characters are their original colors, the teachers are nicer, and Roy is creepy but doesn’t appear to be controlling everything, nor does everything seem to take place in a TV like the original series).

Rather, I think this is telling a similar story to the original series, but in a different way. I noted some of the parallels above, such as Bird’s death, the world being fabricated, and the whole last episode is similar to 6, but with Yellow being the one who “woke up” in place of Red and Lesley replacing Roy. The teachers also don’t appear to be virtual simulations like in the original series.

So in this series, this Lesley character controls everything. She may just be a stand-in for Becky herself, or she may be a new character with her own backstory and reasons for doing this; we’ll probably have to wait and see (the book that was shredded probably would’ve explained this). Just like the original series, the world the puppets live in is fake, sort of a meta commentary on the show itself. It’s worth noting that unlike Roy, Lesley doesn’t seem to be killing the puppets and has a fondness for them to some extent. Make of that what you will.

#don't hug me i'm scared #dhmis #dont hug me im scared #dhmis series #liveblog #outdesign posts things #dhmis spoilers #greatest hits

[saintsenara]

I’m obsessed with your unhinged ship opinions! They’ve really gotten me thinking about interesting combinations which is such a fun activity for the subway

My submissions:

- Narcissa Malfoy/Petunia Dursley

- Voldemort/Molly Weasley

- Nagini/Crookshanks

- Walburga Black/Barty Crouch Sr.

ahhh, thank you so much @epigaea-repens - light of my life and producer of the finest piece of fan art i've ever seen - i'm genuinely delighted to discover that somebody other than me gets something out of doing these.

narcissa malfoy/petunia dursley

i'm oddly partial to a bit of draco/dudley - entirely because the idea of vernon trying to out-pompous lucius is funny to me, as is the fact that they'd clearly both think harry would care and harry's actual response would be 'who's draco?' - and i have to confess myself partial to this too.

narcissa's narrative mirror is molly weasley - both of these women share a certain fierceness [and, especially, a fierceness and strength one might not expect of them at first glance], but they also share a certain disconnection from the rest of their family, and an undercurrent of loneliness can be detected in their characterisation.

this is present in the way petunia is written too - the implication of canon is both that she's married "up" in terms of social class and that vernon is quite a bit older than her.

[and her fandom reception is a victim, i think, of the aging up of the adult cast of the films - petunia is, at most, twenty-four when lily dies. like her sister, she marries and has children young, even by the social standards of 1970s/1980s britain, and having to take on harry changes the trajectory of her life when it's only just started - i am absolutely wedded to the idea, for example, that harry being placed in her care means that she gives up a plan to have a second biological child.]

she is, of course, also confined in a prison which is directly of her own making - the bland domesticity of her perfect little house, all of which is an artifice constructed so she doesn't have to admit how deeply she once longed to be magic. narcissa experiences the same - i always read her as someone who leans heavily on the gendered conventions of the wizarding world as a way of coping with how utterly both of her sisters defied them, and as being someone who is very concerned with keeping up appearances [hence why her wildness and desperation when she goes to see snape in half-blood prince is so shocking]. i think you can imagine that she runs malfoy manor to have the same nothing-wrong-here vibe as number four privet drive, and i think you can do something very interesting indeed with the idea of two women who live behind masks being forced to drop them when they find each other.

lord voldemort/molly weasley

does, in fact, exist, in the form of a story i will recommend to everyone - come slowly, eden by paimpont - which, like all the best rare-pair fics, takes two implausible characters and creates a genuinely meaningful love story between them, through a lovely character study of molly and her ability to notice when people [and, especially, when people who are very much in want of a mother] are hungry.

nagini/crookshanks

i had to look up crookshanks' gender for this - which is a wild thing to say on a weekday afternoon - so that i could confirm... flopping. nagini's a lesbian, crookshanks misunderstood when she said she liked pussy.

it's fine in the end, though. nagini's got something happening with one of the malfoys' peahens, and crookshanks can go back either to the enemies-to-lovers thing he's got going on with mrs norris or to the soulmates thing he's got going on with sirius.

walburga black/barty crouch sr.

i am completely obsessed with this concept, i don't even think it can be considered a crack ship, and i would like to see it written immediately.

debilitating grief at the son you thought you knew disappearing - whether literally or metaphorically? delicious.

#asks answered #asenora's opinions on ships #unhinged and deranged ships #but only a bit

[myanmardoesnotexist]

Kang Ok from Vigilante is my favorite character (aside from Jiyong of course) cause he’s just so baby girl. He’s obsessed with Jiyong (relatable) and absolutly unhinged and unwavering in his support. I kind of though when he first was introduced there would be conflict between his ways if justice and Jiyong’s, but no he’s like ‘oh I’m doing it wrong? Well, you’re the boss babe’ and just completely does whatever Jiyong tells him. I also thought there would be conflict when Jiyong started to work with Jo Heon (beacause Kang Ok clearly does not like him) but nope, instead he was like ‘oh we trust him now? Well I know I said I’d kill him for you but since you said he’s good now I’ll do whatever you say!’ And I just love that energy. Unhinged and hopelessly devoted is my favorite kind of character

#vigilante kdrama #kim jiyong #kang ok #gang ok #jo heon #unhinged #babygirl #Jiyong x Kang Ok #Jiyong x Gang Ok #vigilante #kdrama

[bohemian-nights]

I’d like to in advance apologize for ranting it just seems to me that you may be one of the few people who actually like Nettles 😊. So I’m not gonna lie I was expecting more from the trailer(s). I mean I knew I wasn’t gonna get to see Nettles (I genuinely am obsessed with the idea of her being the only non-Valyrian dragonrider, I’m equally obsessed with stories in general when people (especially women) live in a society that usually counts them out or that they’re very low in the food chain in to becoming powerful + gaining agency and respect, and it heals my inner black girl when I see black women in fantasy) (anything to be honest because it seems as though we’re always done wrong either by narrative or fandom) (I’m also not opposed to her being a “witch” because if done properly it could be done in an interesting thing and tie into the magic that was used in the beginning to tie dragons to people) (though knowing this fandom they’d probably start coming up with their special “takes” about how she tricked/ r/ped Daemon into being with her 🙄 and will block you if you point out that’s the same thing they praise Alys Rivers for allegedly doing (I say allegedly because that’s awful and truly horrific and I hope neither Nettles or Alys are shown doing this) (speaking of Nettles and Daemon….🫠 lol I don’t really like Daemon (I’m 50/50 on book!Daemon mostly because I don’t get to know what he’s thinking which created a disconnect and I don’t like show!Daemon at all. He did a lot for a little in my opinion, and because I don’t know his thought process he just kinda comes off as a bit of a c*nt just to be one because it makes him “edgy” and a “bad boy” and while I don’t find Matt Smith unattractive he’s not exactly what I consider to be such a panty dropper that I can like Daemon) the age gap and power dynamic also raised both my eye brows but at the end of the day it’s fantasy, so different rules apply, and most importantly despite the discourse over certain (platonic, romantic, or sexual) aspects of their relationship it’s very clear that the two cared/loved one another) (anyway 🤞🏾 we’ll get her next season) but it seemed as though for the Team Green and Team Black trailers they just showed the same scenes in different order. And while there’s a lot more dragon action going on, it doesn’t feel like dialogue from different scenes forming a compelling trailer it feels as though multiple characters are just narrating I don’t know maybe I’m reaching. And personally I’m neither Team Green or Team Black but I still liked Team Green’s trailer more especially when Aegon (looking completely unhinged) said “to war then.” I don’t know I just remember thinking “he looks crazy as shit” lol. In general I’m kinda 50/50 with HOTD. I watched the first season because I like fantasy shows and at that point I had just finished up GOT and was getting started on the books. So having no prior knowledge to how it was gonna go it was entertaining enough. Then I read Fire and Blood (which interestingly enough I didn’t know was a history book….🫠) and was really invested in how they were going to adapt the actual Dance and I feel like I’m just getting into the ASOIAF fandom (steered clear of it back in the day because it seemed too unhinged) but it seems completely unhinged, misogynistic, racist, and really odd when it comes to the subject of blood purity.

Aww thank you and I don’t mind the ranting.

The Nettles fandom is extremely small, and I'm off in my little corner of said fandom because I think I’m the only Nettles fan who genuinely loves Daemon(which is fun).

He is a lot though and their relationship is somewhat problematic, but yeah you have to keep in mind that this is all just fantasy. And you can’t forget that Daemon does care for her and he is the one who saves her. The good ultimately outweighs the bad in their relationship.

That being said, Nettles is a fantastic character in her own right and deserves all of her props. And yeah it’s nice to see a Black girl in the medieval fantasy genre, but irregardless of race, she falls into my favorite category of characters for women.

Been through a lot, people doubt them, and yet they still overcome and get their happily ever after, sign me up 🙌🏽

As far as the witch thing goes, it could be interesting, but I find it cliché and ultimately demeaning and limiting. Not only because of the situation with Daemon(turning her into some Jezebel is a no-go), but it also takes away from her claiming of Sheepstealer. Instead of her wit she has to have used magic because there is no way someone like her could claim a dragon.

That would ruin the essence of a character that is supposed to show that it’s not our blood or some supernatural superpower that makes us, it’s us.

Honestly, I don’t think that the show will go this way with her character since they’ve already faced backlash for what they did with Laena, Rhaena, and Baela back in season 1. Playing into another trope with a Black-ish woman(voodoo mama Jezebel) will only make them look all the more like the racist jackasses they are.

Now for the trailer and upcoming season, It doesn’t spark any excitement within me. The show as a whole is just kinda meh(and the lack of Nettles isn’t helping).

HOTD is a far cry from the early days of GOT(which followed much more closely to the books). There is the issue that the show is based on historical text, but not everything in that was a lie like the show is trying to claim.

I don’t like the blatant whitewashing being done and then claiming they’re championing diversity and female empowerment while treating all their Black, particularly the Black-ish female characters, like shit.

Lastly there is the fandom. While racism and misogynoir are not limited to the HOTD fandom these fans really do act batshit insane.

I can’t take anybody who claims that a Black character should be cut because there are already enough Black people on the show then starts crying when they get called out for their racism and claiming they are being wrongly accused seriously.

And of course, we can’t forget the ones trying to save Nettles from the evil white man—while completely ignoring the one who tries to turn her into a hate crime statistic for the sake of the sisterhood…

(That is all I can say without being metaphorically stoned for not pushing Nettles under the bus for a racist white woman who tried to kill her so I'll leave it there, feminism am I right).

As I have said before, if I wasn’t already here I’d take one look at this hellhole, and a running I’d go, but alas. I am unfortunately invested in this circus so here I am 🤷🏽‍♀️

#bnasks #bnask #nettles #house of the dragon #anti hotd #yes I’m still bitching about this but until Nettles is on my screen I will continue to bitch about things🤷🏽‍♀️ #dettles #daemon targaryen x nettles

[lurkingshan]

10 Characters and 10 Fandoms

Rules: name 10 of your favourite characters from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people to do the same. Tagged by @negrowhat.

Thanks for the tag, Eboni! I decided to 1) keep this to Asian drama characters only because that is the focus of this blog and also the list gets way too long if include western shows too; 2) force myself to choose only one character for each show which you should know truly pained me in some instances.

So, in no particular order:

Lan Wangji - MDZS/The Untamed

If you can see my icon, this one can’t be a surprise. I’m a total sucker for an emotionally repressed but utterly loyal and devoted character, and bonus points if their communication style is so subtle that a tiny facial twitch can send me into conniptions. Lan Wangji was created in a lab for me, basically.

Kakei Shiro - Kinou nani tabeta

New favorite coming in hot! But see what I said above about emotional repression mixed with devotion? Yeah. YEAH. I am obsessed with the way this man draws mental boundaries to self-regulate his emotions and protect himself. And the moments when his depth of feeling breaks through are just *chefs kiss*. I lost my shit every time he let one of these smiles loose.

Teh - I Told Sunset About You

And now for something completely different! Teh has never repressed an emotion in his life and I love that for him. This is one of the messiest characters I have ever loved with my whole entire heart. He loves deeply and obsessively, he is passionate and mercurial in the extreme, and he is just as likely to crush you as he is to make your heart soar. In the category of emotional intensity he is unbeatable.

Yoon Sae Bom - Happiness

I LOVE THIS WOMAN. She is just as likely to patiently listen and give you devastatingly accurate life advice as she is to get frustrated and push you off a building. She’ll keep you guessing but she always has your back. She cares for children, the elderly, and gentle weirdos but she has no patience for assholes engaging in tomfoolery. And if anyone needs a good ass kicking she is always ready and willing.

Xiao Qi - Monarch Industry

Now that we’re talking about ass kicking, I would be remiss not to mention this man. An absolute king of Getting Shit Done. He is walking competence porn. He commands entire armies on his strength of character alone, and at the same time he is thoroughly kind and patient with his loved ones. His moral clarity never wavers. He is loyal to the core and if you’re one of his people he will protect you and give you so many chances to do the right thing. And if you’re in a bind you can bet he’s gonna show up at exactly the right moment to help. I want to be him when I grow up.

Lee Ik Jun - Hospital Playlist

Swoon. A talented surgeon, a loving father, a devoted friend, a patient lover, an all star vocalist, an actual comedian. What a man. #1 on the if I ever entertained the idea of marrying a man list.

Choi Yuna - Semantic Error

Still swooning over here. #1 on the if only I was into women list. She just oozes cool in every direction. She is a loyal friend but she will absolutely mock you when you deserve it. She clearly has her shit together and knows how to fix yours, too.

Choi Taek - Reply 1988

Taekie is all about the contradictions. He’s a loner genius but also a devoted friend and loving son. A total sweetheart with seemingly zero social skills who will suddenly shock you by being a bold closer when it comes to romance. A deeply wounded lost little boy but also A Man when and where it counts. PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS.

Tian - Khun Chai

He’s just so good, y’all. One of the kindest characters I have ever encountered in fiction. Truly a cinnamon roll, too good and too pure for this world. Wants nothing more from life than to stay in the country with his boyfriend and adopted children reading and writing and occasionally visiting with his fam.

Goo Se Ra - Into the Ring

Listen this woman is absolutely unhinged. Ran for office for the money. Couldn’t care less about your dumb little power struggles but will absolutely blow shit up if it helps her get ahead. All the fervor of Leslie Knope with none of the competence. I’m obsessed with her.

I am cutting myself off at 10 but I could keep going all day (Shi De, Pat, Frame, Alan, Shin Woo you are still my beloveds!!!) Tagging @troubled-mind @skamskada @lanwuxianfromlotuspier @midnight-sun16 @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist @gillianthecat @respectthepetty @chicademartinica @dangermousie if you want to play! Just ignore if you don’t. :)

#tag game #favorite characters #the untamed #what did you eat yesterday #i told sunset about you #happiness #monarch industry #hospital playlist #semantic error #reply 1988 #khun chai #into the ring #shan shouts into the void

[pepperonitowerask]

Hi I’m completely obsessed with how the story’s going so far it’s got me acting unhinged fr, like this Au is just super interesting and I’m so hype for every update. I’ve got a question bc the brainrot is strong and if I don’t I will spontaneously combust. Take your time ofc!!

So say if someone (totally not me) wanted to make an alternate to their own oc, do you have any rules of thumb? IE, does the alternate have to be the exact opposite to the original? Like Vigilante and Outlaw for example. Or could an alternate be similar but different? Like a clown’s alt would be a jester or some other form of comedy centric entertainer? Or does it matter how Peppino *sees* that person as well? Also designing, do you have any rules for yourself?

Thank you for taking the time to answer. :) I can’t wait to be destroyed emotionally next update! 🥳🥰

((OUGH HELL YES OF COURSE!! I would be honoured to help you out dude hell yes!

((It does generally matter how Peppino saw them, since they’re half formed from what he *remembers* of them, but there’s no hard and fast rule that they Must be the opposite to a character! What’s generally a rule of thumb that I’ve stuck to though is they have to be an *exaggerated* version of a character; ie, Vigilante upholding the law vs Outlaw being downright obsessed with justice!!

((General rules while designing is that they have to at least be able to be connected back to the original!! Just making a brand new guy to fight would be decently confusing, given how the rest of this story is going!! Also they gotta be pizza somehow so jot that down/lh

((All in all the most important thing is to have fun with em :-) they are funny guys to me and i love them dearly !!!!

#mod talks #long post

[guillemelgat]

Hey hello I made a thing! As perhaps a few of you know, I have spent the last half a year being completely unhinged about Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin books, and I’ve always been particularly interested in the character Stephen Maturin and his relationship to Catalonia. I saw that there was a lack of stuff about this part of his identity, and, being me, I felt the need to fill it in the only way I could: compiling music and yelling about it for thirty pages. Hence this playlist.

You really don’t need to know anything about these books to listen to this playlist. You also don’t need to know anything about Catalan (I hope). Catalonia and the Catalan Countries in general (including Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and parts of southern France, Aragon, and Sardinia) have a really interesting musical and literary tradition, and I wanted to make that more accessible, so I put together a few songs I liked, translated them, and wrote a bit about each of their significance, including the most important cultural tidbits I could. Some things don’t translate super well, and I hope my Catalan followers will forgive me for trying to adapt them more for English-speaking audiences than perhaps would be preferable; I usually don’t choose to do that, but in this case I wanted to open the door, and not to intimidate people.

Now that that’s out of the way, here is a link to the PDF of the liner notes (graphic design is my passion, as they say): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MUpRM84W8aypznEIrt0eA1jG5OxaRZvz/view?usp=sharing

Under the cut I’ve included the ephimera and unnecessary commentary that you know and love, feel free to read or ignore it as you will

These roughly follow the order of the songs and are varying levels of seriousness

If you like "Sant Joan, feu-lo ben gran" then I'd highly recommend listening to the whole Tornaveus album. I almost included the “Stabat Mater de Sudanell” and the “Goigs de Sant Julià de Lòria”, which are both from western Catalonia, and they also have more cançons de pandero, in perhaps a slightly more traditional style. A lot of the other songs have interesting cultural commentary in them, especially on feminist topics, and they’re very well-researched because literally one of the members of the group is basically the ethnomusicologist of Catalan music at the moment. Anyways, if people would like the liner notes perhaps next time I’m home I’ll scan them, they’re in Catalan and English and very well-written. Also note the legendary Lluís Llach song which has been turned into a polyphonic piece lol (and I did not include the “Goigs de la Nostra Senyora de la Llibertat” but tbh that might have been a mistake on my part) (Blorbo side note that I think this fits Stephen’s childhood very well which is mostly why I chose it)

“L’Hereu Riera” is one of my favorite Catalan folk songs I love it so much and if you want to hear the Catalan version (as opposed to the Valencian one included here) and see the dance and also see a cobla, I am including a link to this version by Germà Negre which is tragically not on Spotify. I chose the Valencian one because (1) Al Tall and (2) I think it fits The Blorbo better (specifically I was thinking of his fiancée who dies before Book One who idk if anyone ever remembers shdjfhskf). That being said, Stephen would probably know the Catalan one (and almost certainly not the Valencian one). Also, on a memey-er note, Hereu Riera bisexual king and literal icon <3 love how he has to remind his girlfriend on her deathbed that actually he'd technically be interested in both her sisters AND her brothers if he wasn't so into her that he never wanted to marry anyone else

I literally did put in Roger Mas just so there would be at least one person with a Lleidan accent, #diversity win

Many points about the “Cançó de pandero de l’Urgell” and “Jo no canto per la veu” so here we go:

I put these two songs in mostly because I got very obsessed with the cançó de pandero from Alcarràs (which is a great movie that came out last year about a farming family in a village near Lleida that is winning all the awards atm). Anyways, since Carla Simón has been too busy winning things to put up the gotdam soundtrack, I did a bit of digging and it turns out that it was written for the movie?? By her brother??? It's excellent and very anticapitalist and you can listen to it here and see the trailer for Alcarràs all in one! (Includes English subtitles)

The original “Canto per un amic meu que per mi daria la vida” is probably from a Valencian cant de batre, although I could not get any confirmation on that. But regardless everyone should listen to Pep Botifarra's version of it, which I would literally marry if it had a physical form it’s so so good. (I posted it here back in ye olden days but it's been long enough I think I can post it again)

Valencian music side note because I can’t stop myself: the second pair of verses in the "Cançó de pandero de l'Urgell" (starting with “vos esteu ben acotxada…”) are sung by Miquel Gil, who is a very famous Valencian traditional singer, anyways you should listen to this version of him singing “Del Sud” by Obrint Pas (you want to go down a Valencian music rabbit hole so so bad)

I firmly believe that Stephen would canonically be obsessed with Ausiàs March, and the fact that he has not yet recited any of his poems is Patrick O’Brian’s biggest failing in my eyes. Anyways I have more thoughts but I’m saving them for other posts shdfjsd

If you read this before listening to the playlist please just listen to "El testament d'Amèlia" and follow along with the lyrics in real time before reading the blurb, it's such a good experience to let that song hit you as it comes. I won't say more than that but you'll get it when you get it. (Also obligatory listen to Marala they're so good <3)

From the Càntut album, I also quite like the songs "El pomeró" and "El divino vull cantar", and Càntut in general is an incredible resource, it's a database of folk song field recordings from northeastern Catalonia.

Brief pause to scream about the fact that Maria Arnal and Marcel Bagés WERE ON NPR??? AND NO ONE TOLD ME???? Anyways link in the sources section, also they're great and you should listen to their whole discography

As the #1 Roba Estesa stan blog on Tumblr, listen to Roba Estesa. And Ebri Knight. And El Diluvi.

I chose this version of "La presó de Lleida" because I like it but here's a more traditional one sung by Joan Manel Serrat, another Catalan legend. Here's another one in Catalan rumba style with Sílvia Pérez Cruz singing, the sound is a bit wonky but it's also one of my favorites. The Valencian version of this song is called "La presó de Tibi" and El Diluvi have done a very explicitly anti-monarchical rendition of it (the Balearic one is "La presó de Nàpols").

I'm sorry for never putting the Sílvia Pérez Cruz version of "Corrandes d'exili" but if you want it here it is. Also note that the statue of the Virgin in the poem is a reference to the Virgin of Montserrat, it literally all goes back to her shfjkshdf (also apologies for being very bad at Christianity and Catholicism, if I mistranslated things let me know)

HOO BOY SARDANA TIME

Okay so I have a whole essay to deliver on this that I've been holding inside for the past like two months or so, I apologize in advance for my excessive pedantry on the topic.

In Master and Commander, Stephen delivers this speech:

"‘Then I must tell you that on Sunday mornings it is the custom, in that country, for people of all ages and conditions to dance, on coming out of church: so I was dancing with Ramon Mateu i Cadafalch in the square before the cathedral church of Tarragona, where I had gone to hear the Palestrina Missa Brevis. The dance is a particular dance, a round called the sardana.’"

I hate to be a hater but it is very, very unlikely that anyone would have been dancing a sardana as far south as Tarragona in this time period. The sardana as the symbol of equality and brotherhood emerged in the Renaixença and would not yet have been a thing; Stephen could well have heard sardanas in Ullastret, but they would have been a more typical folk dance, and not anything like the way they're described in the book. It's very ironic, then, that they've become THE Catalan music style for Aubreyad readers, but hopefully this playlist can change that a bit :)

(also sorry for being a sardana-hater on main, someone bring me to dance a sardana and maybe I'll feel better)

Songs that didn't make the cut: La cançó del lladre, Rossinyol que vas a França, La balanguera, La gavina - I'm always happy for more recs!

Originally, this list was also going to include songs in Irish; I quickly realized that I was in over my head with that one, but the working list of songs is here (may be subject to changes so save songs elsewhere if you like them!). Also I would add "Fé Bhláth" by Imelda May and Kíla if it was on Spotify but alas it is not; and "Amhrán na Leabhar" which I have not had time to add but was kindly recommended by someone. I'd love it if someone was interested in actually doing a proper playlist for Irish though—it's a gap in my knowledge that I'd love to start filling.

Aaaaaaand that's a wrap. I hope. Final comment to say thank you to everyone who voted in the cover image poll, turns out you all won :) (Pirineus did win and take the cover of the liner notes though)

#my masterpiece is done i have peaked i'm retiring now #jkjk but i've been working on this since like. november #so it is kind of insane that's it's finally done #please notify me of any mistakes or corrections <3 #and hopefully this is enjoyable for you all! #it's a little funky at times but i think it works??? #it's not really a playlist. it's more like one of those weird compilation albums that i definitely didn't consume too many of as a child #did kind of want this to show up in the aubreyad tag but i wanted links more so rip :// anyways here goes nothing #aubreyad #catalan #catalan:general #catalan:music #catalan:reference #catalan:culture #general:music #general:reference #general:culture #there'd better not be any typos or i'm fighting someone

[halfblood-princes-crown]

I’m genuinely trying to figure out why ppl hate Snape…and I’m not talking about disliking the character, not every character is loved by everyone, but why do people go out of their way to “daily reminder that Severus Snape wasn’t a good person” or “fuck Snape and anyone who likes him”…it’s confusing.

It can’t be because he bullied children because there’s a lot of that going on in the hp series. The Marauders bullied people, Draco bullied people, Minerva traumatized and humiliated Neville, Sirius choked Harry and broke Ron’s leg, and as much as Duds was a lil shit, Hagrid mutated Dudley, a child, when Uncle Vernon insulted Harry's parents and Dumbledore…Hagrid retaliated on Dudley with the pig's-tail jinx. Hagrid later told Harry the spell was a mistake - he actually meant to turn Dudley completely into a pig…tf

Then I thought: Is it because he joined the DE’s? Noooo it can’t be because the vast majority of Snape haters like Regulus Black (canonically obsessed with Voldemort, and was a DE), and the vast majority of the hp fandom makes hella excuses for Draco (who was actually blood prejudice)

Then I was like: it’s because he’s ugly…but nowhere does it say he’s ugly. There’s nothing wrong with having a big nose, and greasy hair can be from a NUMBER of things, not just poor hygiene.

Is it because people don’t like that he isn’t a perfect victim? Naaaahhh, people usually like those unhinged characters who’s trauma haunts them

Is it because of that dumb headcanon that he’s obsessed with Lily? Cause if I’m being honest, Snape wasn’t the one who told her he’d stop torturing her friend if and only if she went out with him…and he isn’t the one who wrote her initials on a snitch as if she’s an object to catch…HES not the one who “made a fool of himself whenever she was around”…

Is it because he called her Mudblood? It better not be, cause pure blood fan-favorite Draco loved that word more than him…and didn’t Kreacher hurl that word around a lot? As if he’s used to using it or used to his owners using it? Interesting…Didnt Snape actually stop someone from saying Mudblood?

“And now Snape stood again in the headmaster's study as Phineas Nigellus came hurrying into his portrait. "Headmaster! They are camping in the Forest of Dean! The Mudblood - " "Do not use that word!"

Thought so…

So what is it?

#Severus Snape #pro severus snape #snape fandom #anti snaters #hp fandom

[rebelrebelwrites]

I’ve decided to resurrect…

Fic Friday! ❤️ Weekly Fic Recs

Years ago, I did this back in the Reylo fandom, but I’m bringing it back for the Saurondriel/Haladriel fandom because: A) I’m still obscenely obsessed B) I’m all about supporting creators and C) Since I’m not currently writing for this fandom, I want to contribute how I can. 😊

Let’s do it!

This week’s recs are…

As always, please mind the tags on any recommended story for your own personal reading preferences.

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The Classic You’ve Heard Of But Somehow Haven’t Read Yet: Across That Fine Line by @myrsinemezzo

What you need to know going in:

A post-S1 that’s got hype for great reason. After stealing the mithril and Fëanor’s hammer, Sauron spirits away to Mordor with Gal hot on his heels. Once they reunite, things get spicy — we’re talking banter, manipulation (on both sides), a devious and devoted Sauron who’s also terrified of falling too far in love (too late, bro), and a Gal who’s rightfully wary but wants to believe that there’s a way to thread the needle with him. As their journey progresses, so does the depth of their dynamic. Plus! Some awesome inclusions/characters from Tolkien lore. All in all, an absolute must-read.

WIP, Rated Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr and on AO3.

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The AU You Need to Immerse Yourself In Because, Well, Wow: our souls were made from the stars by SilverWing12

What you need to know going in:

Oh gosh, where to even begin??? This lush, brilliant, meticulously measured slow burn of an AU is something I bask in every update. This story sees Mairon delayed in joining Melkor, and instead, he meets Galadriel in Valinor while she's still a child. Hundreds of years pass in which their friendship grows and grows, building to a point of mutual attraction and affection that is stifling in how well-realized and precarious it feels. The world-building, intentionality, pacing, characterization, and mounting pressure in this fic as Mairon falls deeper into darkness and Galadriel grows more suspicious (though both are clearly in love with each other) is simply luxurious.

WIP, Mature

Read the story.

Follow the author on AO3.

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The Complete But Never Forgotten Masterpiece: Queen of the Southlands by @formerlyir

What you need to know going in:

Gal doesn’t find out about Sauron’s deception for years, and as a result, she becomes his Queen. The post-S1 ensuing romance, angst, delicious tension and SCORCHING smut is sublime. Get ready for a delightfully unhinged, very devoted Sauron and a Gal who’s rightfully sharp, incredibly brave, and demands what she’s owed. This fic more than sticks the landing at the conclusion �� it shreds it. In the absolute best way. I cheered, folks. Cheered.

Complete, Rated Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Twitter, Instagram, on AO3.

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The WIP That Will Wreck You (In the Best Way): Litost by @demonscantgothere

What you need to know going in:

It’s no secret that this story, as with every other story I’ve read by Helholden, is wonderful — expect to see their work on this list a few times at least. That being said, I think Litost might be my favorite. It’s post-S1, but by many years, starting with Galadriel being captured and brought back to Numenor as a prisoner of Ar-Pharazôn and his new High Priest of the Cult of Melkor… wonder who that could be? 👀🙃 You guessed it, everyone’s favorite Dark Lord! The resulting twists and turns in this fic continue to surprise, and the angst and longing (on both sides) simmers. The dialogue between these two, when they really communicate, is stellar at getting at the heart of their every conflict. It will pierce you — and you’ll love it.

WIP, Rated Mature

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr or AO3.

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The Can't Stop Consuming No Matter What Time It Is Fic: Instruments of Salvation by @scriberated

What you need to know going in:

It's Gal who gets hurt when Orodruin erupts, and as a result, Sauron must save her the only way he can — by forging a bond, all while she still believes he's Halbrand, rightful king of the Southlands. As with all of Scriberated's works, the writing is impeccable, the smut is steamy as all hell, and the characterization is 🤌🤌🤌. As Gal and Hal/Sauron's bond grows in strength, so does the pace at which you'll consume this tantalizing treat of a fic. Stop reading because it's bedtime? Doubtful.

WIP, Rated Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr or AO3.

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🤩🤩🤩

Me at all these fics:

Don't see your story on this list yet? Keyword: yet. Please don't fret! I can only recommend so many each week, but I am always looking for more stuff to read, share, and generally shower with love, so please feel free to reply with your own fics or your personal faves. I have plenty more to recommend... ❤️

Until next week!

#saurondriel #haladriel #sauron x galadriel #galadriel x sauron #galadriel x halbrand #halbrand x galadriel #sauriel #fanfic #fic recs #saurondriel fanfic #haladriel fanfic

[yeetlegay]

Why Kinn’s voice fucks me up: a silly little analysis

I’ve been obsessing over this for a solid month now but haven’t seen anybody really talk about it in depth so I’m taking it upon myself to write this meta. Dw my brand as Unhinged Shit-Stirrer in the tag remains intact. 🤙🏻

This post is kind of hard to do without audio clips (and I’m way too lazy to do all that lol) but hopefully screenshots will still give you a sense of what I’m talking about.

First things first, let’s talk about Mile’s voice. Especially next to Apo, he comes across as a lot quieter, more reserved, and even when he’s excited his voice tends to be softer, not really high per se but lighter. My guess is he’d be a tenor if he sang, mayyybe a baritone with a more limited lower range.

In real life, interviews, BTS clips, etc, his voice makes him sound gentler, more mature, more approachable, even a little shy. His voice projects kindness and gives you the sense that he’s the sort of person you’d like automatically if you met him.

It would make sense then, in his role as Kinn, if he altered his voice, spoke lower or louder, affected a different timbre and tone, all to add to his appearance as someone dangerous and maybe even violent. It’s an obvious choice to make, given not just Kinn’s personality on the page but also the world he lives in, a world dominated by men and toxic masculinity where he’s already dealing with derision and snide comments for being openly gay. It would be completely reasonable for someone like Kinn to use every tool he can to protect and enhance his image and especially his masculinity, which would include his voice.

But Kinn doesn’t do that. Mile doesn’t do that. His voice stays more or less the same in the series as it does in real life, obviously with a little more dramatic tension involved. Kinn speaks softly, calmly, even when he’s at his angriest. Sure, he can go a bit louder in certain scenes, like when he’s running from those gunmen in ep1 or when that hot assassin is beating the shit out of him with her baton (ma’am I am begging u for literally just one date, pls), but there’s always a softer undertone to his voice despite the occasional need to yell.

So how exactly does the exact same voice manage to convey two totally different personalities and general energies? How does Mile totally embody this character who’s extremely dangerous, possessive, ruthless, and often violent, with that soft, gentle voice?

Because in the context of the story, that voice tells us something about Kinn. It’s intentional on Mile’s part, an interpretation of who Kinn is and how he interacts with the world, and it immediately breaks him out of the mold of this archetype that viewers will want to instinctively place him in.

In the first episode alone, that voice tells us three things.

1) Kinn is comfortable and confident in his skin. Does he have issues? Fuck yes. But he doesn’t give a shit about trying to appear threatening or dangerous. He expects that everyone already knows this. His quiet voice in moments like that first scene with the Italian mob show that he doesn’t need to appear anything. He knows he’s in control, and he’s confident everyone else knows it too. His reputation precedes him, and he doesn’t bother with projecting power through his voice when he already sees the power as his. (Another indication of this is his clothing. His suits could present as a kind of armor, and they do in a way, but he’s just as comfortable, emits the same level of charisma, when he’s in casual clothes or even matching silk pajamas. I won’t talk more about the silk pajamas because the things I want to say would all get god’s lightning bolt on me w a quickness.)

2) He’s a strategic thinker. He’s learned to keep his outward cool in almost every situation, and moderates his voice accordingly. Even when he yells, it’s well-controlled and only to make himself heard, not to show strength or aggression. In fact, his voice tends to pitch higher when he speaks louder, maintaining that softer undertone. It shows that he’s not reactive, that he’s working to manage his emotions and think ahead while he’s talking. All of that is external though; he’s still a freak and certified gay disaster on the inside.

3) He’s not cruel. He may look like it, may even want people to think he is, but his voice gives him away. His scene with Yok in the bar is staged to threaten Porsche, to make him nervous, but the way he speaks to her, even though it’s partly for effect, is still courteous and kind. He wants Porsche to feel the threat of that interaction, but he doesn’t make anyone else feel that threat unnecessarily. Yok may understand more than she lets on about what’s happening, but there’s no sign she’s overly nervous or uncomfortable around Kinn despite that. (As an aside, the low-class mafia comment and the way he says it is hot, but it also ties back to the first point. He has no need to force artificial authority or strength or power into his voice. His confidence and charisma speak for themselves, and he’s so self-assured that the people around him don’t need any reminders of who he is or what he’s capable of.)

There are a few scenes from eps 2 and 3 that stick out in my mind too where Kinn’s voice is especially important to setting the tone for the scene.

The coffee scene:

Kinn adds a bit of bluster to his voice in this scene, inflecting more and speaking just a little louder overall than he usually does in ordinary conversation. His body language and facial movements are also interesting here, along with the blocking, with him seated and looking up at Porsche, but that’s another post lol. Essentially he’s projecting his voice more, which he doesn’t do much with Porsche, and directing it upward to meet Porsche’s eyes. It adds such a subtle vibe to the scene that I didn’t even notice it on a first watch, but after seeing it a few times it’s obvious what his voice is indicating here: he feels bad. We know (from how he talks but also just the hints we’ve gotten so far) that he’s not cruel by nature or needlessly violent. He did what he did in the previous scene to protect Porsche, but he didn’t like doing it. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it real guilt. He’s practical enough to know he made the right call and he’s not close enough to Porsche to truly care about him yet. But I really think in this scene he’s working a little too hard to meet Porsche’s eyes, to act like himself. His voice is a little louder and more...provocative isn’t the word, but something like it, to give no room in the scene for any appearance that he does feel bad for what he did. This is one instance where he does raise his voice to project an image of strength and maybe even defiance, and all so Porsche doesn’t have any reason to wonder if he regrets hurting him. Babie behavior imo but go off king

The wound tending scene:

Kinn does this really fun thing where when he’s being possessive or reasserting his dominance (jfc Kinn are u gonna pee on him next, like ffs), he softens his voice, makes it a teensy bit slower, and enunciates very clearly. When he does this, it’s to make you lean in to listen, to make you pay extra attention. It’s a power play, and it’s interesting that he uses it so often on Porsche. He wants Porsche to lean in, to pay extra attention to him, and even if he thinks it’s solely to put an employee in his place, it’s obvious to the viewer that there’s something else going on.

The pier scene:

This is pretty much the first scene where we see Kinn really let down his guard and be emotionally intimate with Porsche, even if it’s only because he’s drunk and his inhibitions are lowered, as seen earlier when he was shaking his tiddies at Porsche like it was a Lizzo concert. It’s not just that he’s looser and smiles more easily and talks more freely; it’s also that his voice is lower, which lends a sense of intimacy to the scene despite the open space around them. He’s talking to Porsche, focusing his eyes and his voice on him, rather than at him. There’s also something about his tone that feels...idk receptive, like he’s speaking to Porsche on equal footing for the first time. It makes me wonder what he’ll sound like when he’s being genuinely affectionate and loving toward Porsche, because his voice here sounds like a taster of that even though they’re nowhere near that point yet.

In general, Porsche makes Kinn’s voice do things it doesn’t usually do. Kinn is actually a little less well-modulated with Porsche, given how much he gets under his skin, and it shows. His voice has more variety in it when he talks to Porsche; he swings from a soft murmur to a more brash, loud tone in the span of a few seconds. It’s like Porsche’s chaos is rubbing off on him a little, messing with his control. He feels more human because of it, more dynamic, which I think is a good indicator of how Porsche will change him more generally as a person.

Other posts in this series:

Kinn’s voice in episode 4: basically my man is losing it

Kinn’s voice in episode 5: Kinn, respectfully, go to therapy

Kinn’s voice in episode 6: aka Kinn’s Camp Rock “this is real, this is me” era

Kinn’s voice in episode 7: heart boners everywhere

#kinnporsche #meta #now back to my regularly scheduled shitposting

[theweeklydiscourse]

Aaron Warner: A Defanged Romantic Lead

Don’t get me wrong, I actually love Aaron Warner’s characterization in Shatter Me. I like his unhinged attitude and how at times he comes off as a little delusional with his fantasies of a fucked up future together with Juliette. He’s like an obsessed scientist who caught a mermaid and is both in love with her while also being fascinated with her supernatural qualities and wanting to exploit her for them…BUT.

There’s this trope I’ve noticed that I’ve thought about for a while, but I’ve never actually written about it. Have you ever noticed that in certain stories involving fantasy or dystopian elements, the story will begin with a dangerous and edgy male lead with dubious morals but as soon as the author considers them as a romantic interest for the female lead they are completely and utterly defanged?

What I’m referring to is the tendency to characterize a male lead as an unhinged individual who engages in violent and dangerous behaviours in the first book only to completely backtrack on that characteristic in the second book. These male leads are often extremely well-liked by readers and are involved in equally well-liked romantic sub plots in their respective series. However, there is a certain dissonance to these types of characters that I believe cannot be ignored and I have an unconfirmed hypothesis on why this trope has become so popular. Aaron Warner is a perfect example of this trope (among many) and to illustrate my point, I’ll use examples from Shatter Me and Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi.

To make things clear, I do enjoy romances with darker themes, But, I absolutely cannot stand the lack of nerve in both of these narratives and their refusal to truly lean into the subjects they raise and how they cower at the implications of what they’ve written.

Anyways, here’s a page from my physical copy of Ignite Me from a few years ago.

I hate how Aaron’s explanation for his actions in Ignite Me amount to him getting huffy with Juliette for expressing her grievances with the way he handled things in Shatter Me. It’s just one justification after the other in rapid succession. Some of it it plausible, like his efforts to establish Juliette as an intimidating force in the Sector by making a public display of her abilities (albeit against her will) as well as belief that he was lifting her out of a poor situation. But, this is all marred by the final line: "I had no idea you hated me so much. That everything I tried to do to help you had come under such harsh scrutiny.” Because…really? You had no idea that Juliette harboured any negative feelings towards you after what you did? That your actions would come under “harsh scrutiny”?

Let’s go back to Shatter Me, shall we?

“We will always be enemies.” My voice is cracked into chips of ice. The words melt on my tongue. “I will never be what you want me to be.” (Shatter Me, Chapter 13)

I push him hard, slamming his back up against the door. “You disgust me.” I stare hard into his crystal-cold eyes. “You disgust me—” (Shatter Me, Chapter 18)

I meet Warner’s gaze. “If you ever put me in a position like that again, I will kill you. And I will enjoy it.” (Shatter Me, Chapter 25)

“You’re insane.” My hands are shaking but I hold the gun up to his face again. I need to get him out of my head. I need to remember what he’s done to me. “You want me to be a monster for you—” (Shatter Me, Chapter 27)

All of these lines are preceded or followed by Aaron insisting that he is helping Juliette or that she should appreciate the work he’s done to make her flourish. So it seems ridiculous that Aaron suddenly shocked and appalled that Juliette thinks of him as a bad person. While I do think that some of Aaron’s actions were justified given the circumstances, it is still laughable that the narrative expects me to buy into Aaron’s argument here. I imagine that this conversation is meant to recontextualise his actions and give him a chance to explain things from his side, but all it does is give him full permission to go on a self-righteous tangent.

This scene encapsulates my point about Aaron being defanged. It exists to portray him as a well-meaning but unaware benefactor to Juliette (unbeknownst to her) and seems to let him avoid taking responsibility for his actions. His claims that he was unaware of Juliette’s initial disgust and hatred towards him even though evidence suggests the complete opposite. How could you “have no idea” that Juliette felt that way about you when she was throwing it in your face in all of your interactions? The answer is that Mafi wanted to do the whole “I was hurting you to protect you” deal but muddles her continuity due to her need to make Aaron a “good” person at all costs. It’s an especially baffling character decision especially when Aaron claims to have an intimate knowledge of Juliette’s true feelings several times.

But that’s not the only thing. Aaron’s shock about Juliette thinking he was an unhinged creep suddenly frames Juliette in a negative light. Suddenly, she is at fault for being too judgmental and jumping to conclusions about his motives when he had deliberately misled her.

“Was that all a part of your plan, too? No wait, don’t tell me”—I hold up a hand—“that was just a simulation, right?”

Warner goes rigid.

He sits back; his jaw twitches. He looks at me with a mixture of sadness and rage in his eyes. “No,” he finally says, deathly soft. “That was not a simulation.”

“So you have no problem with that?” I ask him. “You have no regrets over killing a man for stealing a little extra food? For trying to survive, just like you?”

Warner bites down on his bottom lip for half a second. Clasps his hands in his lap. “Wow,” he says. “How quickly you jump to his defense.”

“He was an innocent man,” I tell him. “He didn’t deserve to die. Not for that. Not like that.”

“Seamus Fletcher,” Warner says calmly, staring into his open palms, “was a drunken bastard who was beating his wife and children. He hadn’t fed them in two weeks. He’d punched his nine-year-old daughter in the mouth, breaking her two front teeth and fracturing her jaw. He beat his pregnant wife so hard she lost the child. He had two other children, too,” he says. “A seven-year-old boy and a five- year-old girl.” A pause. “He broke both their arms.”

Judge me,” he says, “all you like. But I have no tolerance,” he says sharply, “for a man who beats his wife. No tolerance,” he says, “for a man who beats his children.” He’s breathing hard now. “Seamus Fletcher was murdering his family,” he says to me. “And you can call it whatever the hell you want to call it, but I will never regret killing a man who would bash his wife’s face into a wall. I will never regret killing a man who would punch his nine-year-old daughter in the mouth. I am not sorry,” he says. “And I will not apologize.” (Ignite Me, Chapter 7)

What a sick joke.

“GOD Juliette! I can’t believe that you’d view me as the kind of person who would kill an innocent man in cold blood! It’s not like I deliberately misled you and lied about my motives for killing him. It’s not as if I manufactured a scenario where I came off as a dangerous and cold-blooded psychopath and did nothing to make you think otherwise. Wow can’t believe that you’d be so judgmental.”

You know? It’s not lost on me that Aaron doesn’t even address the fact that Juliette was fed false information about Fletcher and gets so indignant about her assessments of him. I hate this part even more than the last. Take a look at the scene from Shatter Me they’re referring to and you’ll see what I mean.

I’m sorry but this is just stupid beyond words. It irritates me to my core that the narrative cannot commit to Aaron’s previous characterization and follow-through on it. It cheapens his development later on and it almost borders on gaslighting with how it tries to cast judgment on Juliette for questioning Aaron’s morality in the first place. And for what? All to make Aaron into a technical good guy who has all the aesthetics of a dark romantic lead, but none of the edge to match. He is dulled by this contradictory scene and made into this schlub who was just doing his best to help while implicitly accusing Juliette of jumping to conclusions and being too “harsh”.

Because this passage from Shatter Me proves that Juliette isn’t just pulling these accusations out of thin air, she has a legitimate reason to believe that Aaron is morally bankrupt, but the narrative doesn’t let her dwell in those conflicting emotions. Instead, it goes out of its way to make Aaron as noble and misunderstood as possible while shaming Juliette for buying into the LIES THAT HE HIMSELF TOLD HER!! The cherry on top of this scene is that she apologizes to him as he storms off in a huff.

It’s such an emotional cop out and it tries way too hard to soften Aaron’s actions to make him more digestible as a romantic lead.

#aaron warner #tbh the same can be said about ACOTAR and ACOMAF #shatter me #ignite me #ya fiction #tahereh mafi #warnette #juliette ferrars #bookish #booktok #bookblr #acomaf

[ddarker-dreams]

Ahhhh what’s piece. I would say it is one of my favorites but I think that every time you write.

Chrollo if lancery is what you find confortable, why don’t you give it a try for the rest of the ride?

As alway I love how you give personality to darling. It makes me understand better the Yandere obsession.

AA thank you so much 💖💖 i felt for a story like this, darling being more audacious would work best. there's also something funny to me about the dynamic of a feral darling and chrollo trying to keep them somewhat under wraps, while still enjoying their unhinged nature. he's just radiating amusement. he takes so much with a grain of salt. some yanderes have a zero nonsense policy but not chrollo. some nonsense is allowed (and even encouraged).

LMAOOOO if you were curious about the thought process behind this question that seemingly came out of left field, i was thinking that chrollo wanted to completely throw darling for a loop. hit her with something she wasn't expecting in the slightest. that way, he'd get the most bang for his buck (heheh) because darling would be bound to ramble away, due to how unexpected the question was. so there's that conniving part but also . yeah he's down bad for darling. don't be fooled. he might be quoting the odyssey or whatever like it's what he does for a living, but he's still a man who goes brrr darling hot brrr

currently sweating bullets because this actually didn’t occur to me when i was writing the story... but it’d seem so cool if it was intentional ... so i’m gonna. say that it was. i’ll roll with it. i really love that observation though!!! at the time, i was thinking about eros/storge/agape, so this does actually line up in a way??? i love that... thank you for sharing this thought <333 

IT’S ALWAYS ON THE BACK BURNER OF HIS MIND ... 

personally, i think chrollo is the type to hold a grudge over a long period of time, he might not do anything in the immediate aftermath but the bitterness lingers. it’s likely to come back and bite her months later. hell, he’ll even bring it up years later if he’s so inclined. he waits for the most opportune moment to get his payback tenfold. it’d probably be more of a reaction to something reader does or says, he’ll bring up her exact wording from the interaction and challenge her with it. he likes to provoke with a calm smile. 

and thank you so much for enjoying the story <333

i feel chrollo has the capacity to experience hurt! we see him genuinely emote in the manga/anime when there was nothing for him to gain by acting manipulative. he undoubtedly has super thick skin, but depending on the situation, some of what darling says or does can penetrate that. he wouldn’t be obvious about it though. he’ll either write it off by acting sulky to hide how truly upset he is, or just cover it up completely. you’d have to have a hawk’s eye to realize the extent of it. 

AAA thank you so much for giving it a shot!! chrollo is my favorite character of all time, across everything i’ve ever watched/read, so i’ve made it my personal mission to introduce him to more people. i can never recommend hxh enough to anyone who might be the slightest bit interested. there’s literally nothing like it. i would give anything to experience the series again for the first time. it’s a masterpiece. 

#not sfw #sweet asks #answered #cecii22me #Anonymous

[childotkw]

Alright so I already left a comment on ao3 but I’ve been thinking about it obsessively all day as I try to study for my finals, so here you go. The chapter was amazing! A great start for an even greater story, I’m sure. Reading Aemond’s thoughts was a delight, his guilt eating him up whole despite his efforts to appear like his actions haven’t left a hole carved in his heart. Beautiful.

I don’t want to repeat what I commented already, but I have to come back to Aegon and Halaena’s reaction! It shows how much they know their brother in their own ways, since they are the only ones that seem to even begin to understand Aemond’s feelings. Everyone else is just speaking of the consequences for their side, while his siblings are thinking of how this will affect Aemond. Of course they approach it differently, since they are completely different in character. Aegon in particular is delightful to me, because he is like Aemond’s demon, goading him, making him feel even worse about his actions. I honestly can’t wait to see how he spirals even deeper before it is announced that Lucerys is alive, and how that revelation will change him too.

Of course, we can’t forget Lucerys, our sweet boy who is about to undergo some heavycharacter development in the form of ✨trauma✨. He is in for a rough time I’m sure, and his own spiral into madness and unhinged behavior will be a delight to read, especially when Cannibal makes his entrance.

I did see your comment! It was so good to read, thank you 🥰🥰

I’m super glad Aemond came across well! I’m trying to be conscious of his relatively young age, lack of experience, and trauma from his childhood - and then the added emotional upheaval of thinking he murdered his nephew. He’s a bundle of conflicting emotions and it can be hard to get into his head 😂 but I think it went well!

And I love that you’ve pointed out the similarities and differences in how Helaena and Aegon reacted! You’re right, they know their brother too well to not know how this is really affecting him - only whether Helaena is distraught and disappointed in him, Aegon uses it against him with underhanded and cruel taunting.

I’ve got one really good ‘spiralling’ scene for Aemond that’ll hopefully be in chapter two, so we’ll be getting all the juicy emotional trauma as well!

And Lucerys. Oh Lucerys. I felt bad for him at the end of chapter one but I was also like “just you wait kiddo, I’m about to become your worst nightmare” 😂

He’s not getting off lightly, though the trade off is that I give him a big badass dragon, so who’s really winning here?

#patolemus #HOTD #ruination au #lucerys velaryon #aemond targaryen #I actually really really liked how Aegon came across in that scene #lucemond

[welcometololaland]

Because I suck at originality, I’m going to ask you your top 5 Disney movies in exchange for you making me suffer and pick books! You’re lucky ily 💜💜

oh no i'm sorry for causing you pain lmao! love you!! thanks for the ask!

so i don't watch disney that often, and i need to caveat this by saying i have not yet seen the new little mermaid and i desperately want to! so i'm going to answer this ask with my favourite 5 disney movies from childhood (because it's more unhinged). also, i haven't seen so many of the new disney movies incl. moana, frozen, encanto etc. i know i'm behind! i hope you don't mind!

1. the lion king 2: simba's pride (1998) - it's no coincidence that my favourite animal is a lion, and it wasn't until the lion king sequel that my obsession with big cats became fully realised. now, i hear you ask: 'lola? why would your favourite movie be a direct to video sequel?' WELL. my parents didn't watch a lot of tv when i was young, and we didn't get a vcr player until dvd's were just about to make them obsolete. but the one vcr i had was lion king 2 and i used to take it to my grandparents house like once a week and watch it. i watched it so many times the tape went funny. i could literally recite this movie, and i haven't watched it in YEARS. ALSO it doesn't have an elton john slapper but it does have: he lives in you, not one of us and that zira's lullaby which i can't get out of my head now. certified bangers. don't knock it 'til you try it.

2. the lion king (1994) - i don't know if i even have to explain this. the first seventeen times (approx.) i watched this movie i had to hide in the scary parts because it's so good but also i was probably like 4 and didn't understand that movies are the same every time you watch them. kickstarted the obsession with lions. scar's be prepared song is liked on my spotify.

[interlude for a controversial opinion: i don't like toy story. don't come for me.]

3. lady and the tramp (1955) - a classic movie for a dog lover (not JUST a cat lover, turns out i just love animals). i used to be completely obsessed with how cute lady was and i wanted a dog called lady SO BAD. the spaghetti scene is so iconic. lady's sidekicks are so funny. the pound puppies make me cry SOMEONE ADOPT THEM!!! this movie made my parents regret ever letting me borrow something from the video store because i wouldn't stop harassing them for a dog.

4. the incredibles (2004) - still fucking pissing myself at this movie like why did they make the mom have such a dump truck booty??? the dad is hilarious. the kids are lowkey annoying but i do like them. frozone is my favourite character: 'HONEY, WHERE IS MY SUPERSUIT??!'

5. the parent trap (1998) - lindsay fucking lohan made me want to get my ears pierced so bad and i only chickened out like five times before i finally got them done. this movie made me wanna be a twin. i kept giving my sister sideways looks and questioning whether we could pull it off (spoiler: we couldn't).

thanks for the ask, this was fun!!!

#nice ask day #lola answers #disney movies