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fagtainsparklez · 3 months

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psst you got any more creepypasta fic recs? 👀

i have quite a few!!

putting them all below the cut to save space, and i cannot stress enough that if you want to read most of these you Need to read all the tags. some of these are very light and sweet, others do not play about with the genre. i’ll be giving overall synopses + warnings (somewhat) but do read the tags for further details!!

in loco parentis by nymm_at_night is. well. you’ve all heard me praise it before. you say “more” so i assume you’ve already read it, but i legally can’t make a fic rec list without it. it centers around jeff, jack, and ben + tim/brian, and is where i’ve taken So much inspiration from. if any of you who like creepypasta have not read it yet please do. tim/brian (in a divorced way), all the chapters have their own disclaimers but the overall biggest overarching ones i can think of are semi-heavy descriptions of death and gore.

visual arts by killer_cat is a very good, short one shot! it centers around helen and jack and i absolutely love the author’s characterizations/interpretations of everyone. gen and mentions of blood/typically creepypasta-typical killings, but overall nothing too major

KISS ME WHEN YOU KILL ME by notaccessible is unfinished with only two chapters, but i really like where they’re going with things! they’ve retold both jeff and jack’s origins in pretty compelling ways. jeff/jack, but there’s no actual ship content as of yet. there are a few heavy scenes, largely dealing with abuse, murder, and suicide, largely in jeff’s chapter.

undone drawings by sleeplywritings (pancakebluess) is a very sweet, cute one-shot about sally and jeff. some of the formatting is wonky at times when it comes to the dialogue, but it’s not too bad, and overall understandable. plus the overall mansion dynamics are fun and silly (AND they’re normal about tim 🔥🔥). gen + no real warnings

water bearer (paint me red) by xfreesomebodyx is a one-shot centered around jeff and jack. it goes into extreme detail about jeff the killing people, so do tread carefully, but i REALLY enjoy their jeff characterization. i like it when authors latch onto his whole being beautiful bit. i’m ambivalent towards their jack at best, but GOD is jeff well-done in this. heads up so you don’t get confused like i did there IS a formatting error in it where a section seems to have been pasted twice (as of writing this). tagged as jeff/jack but there’s nothing explicitly romantic, largely just subtext/undertones.

a house full of serial killers VS the barbie movie starring margot robbie and ryan gosling by salty_sam is a one-shot chatfic but you guys know they’re my guilty pleasure so i can’t not add it. it’s largely just the author messing around with character dynamics and mansion relationships which is what i am here for always. tim and brian are off (brian especially) but everyone else is super fun and consistently entertaining. gen, no real warnings outside of mentioned drug use

handling rejection by sunsh1ne_sweethe4rt has wonky formatting BUT if you can get past it it’s just a cute one-shot, if not a little simplistic in terms of writing. it’s just about tim trying to help nina get over her crush on jeff. i’m a bit biased bc anything with tim written normally makes me instantly herald it like a miracle but i really just think it’s cute and funny :] gen (with the exception of nina’s crush on jeff) and no real warnings i can think of

déjà vu by nightstar1888 is a bit hit or miss for me due to their tim/masky characterization, but i REALLY enjoy the stuff they did with ben. it’s a one-shot about toby helping jeff dye his hair, nothing too special, but i like the parallels they drew between then two. it’s tagged as jeff/toby but nothing romantic really happens outside of a few lines of semi-flirting, no real warnings outside of mentions of toby + jeff’s backstories and all they entail

the collar incident by honeycirrus is. well i’m hesitant to fully recommend it. there are certain parts of it i really enjoy, especially with the dynamics between the mansion cast, but that’s pretty much it, and those are kind of few and far between. i’d recommend the first four chapters ish? they do some fun stuff with BEN that i might honestly steal for myself, but i spent way too long wondering if they actually meant BEN or didn’t get the 2020 lore update. ben/toby, one semi-intense self-mutilation scene.

#muse talk #anon #creepyposting #i have. only recently gotten back into things #which is why all of these are very recent works #usually in fandoms im very picky with formatting but here i am So So desperate and it shows orz

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anthonycrowley · 3 months

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same anon w the braime fic - IM SO GLAD i also did the classic tv show > ao3 > actual asoiaf source text order of consumption lol i wasn’t sure if you were abstaining from fic till u read the books or smth idk but anyway. if u did a fic rec i would totally eat that up

braime dynamic is so far up my street u are so right about horny subtext + slow reveal emotional vulnerability, plus a side of enemies to lovers or like. prisoner/captor to reluctant allies to lovers. man i haven’t thought about them in so long… are there any other pairings in the show/books that u enjoy?

naaaah fuck that noise, no offense but i needed to be in the right mindset to read multiple thousand plus page books and i like fanfic. sorry. i guess. i’m here now. anyway.

i could talk about them but. god. clenches fist. i’ll go insane. and people will stop listening to my commentary. i think you got it except metatextually they are destiel. like what happened to destiel happened to them. two nickels. absolutely bonkers.

aaaaaand as far as other pairings. hm. i think largely i tend to gravitate towards character’s plotlines rather than ships - i find arya fascinating but not don’t really care all that much about gendarya, although i don’t mind it. - braime being the exception. or if i do find pairings interesting they’re usually more because of platonic reasons more than romantic. if i had to pick. hm. and before i say these we are going to remember this is the problematic ship book and i am not necessarily saying they are morally good just very fun to explore. jokes aside stavos has some hilson energy going on. what do you want from me. i think samgilly is cute (this is helped because sam is one of my faves). is it weird if i say robbjeyne is cute. jaimecersei i actually do enjoy in a these two are toxically codependent in a fun way and i wish people could explore it in a way that’s not incredibly black and white because there’s A Lot there. sansatyrion but i think that one might get me shot (and once she’s older preferably). robbtheon i get the appeal of and makes me insane to think about but i don’t like read fic for them. sansamargaery because sansa deserves nice things and i think they’d be good for each other. my hottest take i think is that jon and sam should explore each other’s bodies and i do feel this wholeheartedly and unironically. that’s all i can think of off the top of my head there’s so many fucking characters in this book. why are most of my ships straight. feels wrong. or maybe that’s just what happens when the female characters are good. idk.

#the only pairing i don’t really get is j*nsa but i also don’t really get j*ndany. so.#text #my post #mobi #asoiaf tag

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newtrekcriticisms · 2 years

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This is going to be a bit long, and I apologise for that.

I’m seeing lots of people saying they’re tired of people calling SNW Spock “straight”. Consequentially, I am tired of people acting like there is no valid criticism to be made about SNW Spock’s bizarre hypersexualised relationships with women. But let’s focus on the former complaint for a moment.

Mostly, I’m seeing the position that those who are unhappy with how Spock’s relationships with women are being depicted are being biphobic; the implication being that Spock has demonstrated attraction to both women and men, and that him liking women should not erase his attraction to men, and that Spock should be allowed to love whomever he loves. And that would be a very valid and important criticism, something which I myself would stand by. Except for the fact that nowhere in all of Star Trek has Spock actually been depicted as being attracted to men.

I realise that what I just said could be equally provoking to both sides of this ongoing debate, so let me make some things very clear. I need all of us to admit that we understand that Spock, in any iteration, was never actually gay. He has never actually been, at any point, canonically attracted to men. I know we believe that he is. I know Spock’s sexuality—not his orientation, but his relationship to romance and sex as whole—has been depicted rather vaguely since TOS, and I know we as LGBT people therefore feel, some of us very strongly, that he is even coded as gay. We’ve seen all the iconic moments: we all saw the Search for Spock and the one with the whales. And we should all understand that interpreting Spock’s relationship with Kirk through a romantic lens is a thoroughly valid reading of their relationship. But we also need to understand that mlm Spock is only true in our heads, in our stories and art. Yes, people have been exploring the relationship between Kirk and Spock in a romantic way since the 1960s, as was the dawn of fandom culture. No, that does not make it anymore real. To the writers of Star Trek, from the 60s to now, the iconic character of Spock is, has been, and always will be understood to be heterosexual. I need everyone to take a step back, be objective, and really recognise that. We can argue day and night about intentions and subtext and implications but when it comes down to it Spock is not actually an LGBT character. He just isn’t. Anyone who says otherwise is living in Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Understanding that, we can understand, then, that Spock has only ever been canonically depicted as being attracted to women. In TOS, these moments were sparse, light, one-off romance plots and usually came down to either Spock’s utter indifference or his duty to the Enterprise coming before personal relationships. In SNW, it is a whole new breed of animal. But my point is, there exists no logical grounds upon which to claim that Spock is canonically bisexual. He has only exhibited canonical attraction to women, and his attraction to men only exists in the popular conception of one specific group of Star Trek fans. The size and passion and hopes of this group is irrelevant. Spock is not canonically mlm. Spock is not canonically bisexual. A belief, no matter how strongly held, is not reality.

Therefore, objecting to valid criticisms of SNW Spock’s repeated ooc sexual and physical encounters with T’Pring and Chapel on the basis of biphobia is invalid. There is no actual bisexuality being erased here. I need people to understand that.

To be clear, I do think some people objecting to SNW Spock’s relationships with women are not doing so in good faith. I do believe that some of these people are objecting because they are misogynistic, or think Spock needs to be seen as a “gold star” gay, and are ultimately only objecting because they feel their “ship” is threatened by T’Pring or Chapel merely existing and playing out the scripts that were written for them. I have even seen this fearmongering extend to Uhura in some particularly vile instances of misogynoir. To these people, the “sanctity” of their gay ship is their only concern. I would like to state that I do not align myself with these people, and rather condemn them for their blatant fetishisation and intolerance. Those displaying this sort of behaviour are not allowed to use this post as a shield.

But I digress. My point is that someone taking issue with SNW Spock’s bizarre ooc hypersexual relationships with women on account of them being bizarre, ooc, and hypersexual is not biphobia. Calling SNW Spock “straight” is not biphobia, either. As we have established, Spock is not canonically bisexual. SNW Spock is, very much, being depicted as straight. And in a overwhelming, almost disturbing way.

Now if somewhere down the line Strange New Worlds decided to make Spock canonically attracted to men, i.e. bisexual, I need it to be understood that I would absolutely lose my mind. I cannot think of anything the show could do that would make me happier than that. And I have seen some poor souls who are excited for Kirk to appear in season 2, because they believe something resembling Spirk is going to happen. But in our second reality check for this essay, we need to understand that the chances of that happening—that is, the chances of Spock being depicted as LGBT in any way—is, put gently, extremely, extremely unlikely. Put harshly, it is never going to happen, ever.

And there is a reason why it is never going to happen, ever. The reason is homophobia. I’ve stated a few times before that Spock, even more so than Kirk, is the Star Trek franchise’s golden boy. He is the iconic character to end all iconic characters. There is absolutely no way in hell that the powers that be at Star Trek will ever allow Spock to be depicted as LGBT in any way, shape, or form. They would upset and alienate cishet viewers, which is important to them, and they could possibly lose money, which is even more important to them. In short, the powers that be at Star Trek will never allow Spock to be depicted as LGBT because they are homophobic. They don’t believe in gay Spock. They have no reason to. They don’t subscribe to the interpretation and it therefore doesn’t matter to them. I would venture to say that some if not most of them would react to the idea of gay Spock with confusion at best and disgust at worst. It’s important to recognise that outside of the Spirk circle, nobody knows, or let alone cares, about Spirk.

And, to be clear, “Spock” was only dragged back onto the silver screen in the first place to be paraded in front of the camera so that everyone would say, “Omg Spock!!!!” and thus attract masses of fans who otherwise might not have cared or bothered to watch some mediocre sci-fi show, but now will because, as I said, “Omg Spock!!!!” They chose him as a safe option to draw in viewers. They are not going to let him be gay.

And by god, if anything supports this claim, it is the very specific and intentional way in which Spock’s relationships with women are being depicted. I’ll reiterate that attraction to and sex with women does not in any way preclude Spock from also being attracted to men, but as we’ve established, they are not going to let him be attracted to men canonically. And as I’ve stated in previous posts, there are no good, inclusive intentions here with the way Spock’s relationship with T’Pring is being portrayed. SNW Spock’s heterosexuality—and yes, it is heterosexuality—is intimately portrayed, aggressively asserted, and dominates the character’s entire arc. Not one single character in the show deals with the topic or action of sex more than Spock. Not only that, but the writers went out of their way to deliberately and knowingly transgress established TOS canon specifically to bring T’Pring into the picture. Specifically so that they could depict her and Spock having sex and kissing and being in a very overt, central, and very sexual relationship. SNW Spock’s relationship with T’Pring is, in a word, purposeful. The writers are communicating something to us through the constant fucking. They are reminding us what Spock is. Spock is straight.

Again, these writers do not value or care about LGBT readings of Star Trek. They don’t care what Spock means to the LGBT community. They’re not even altogether concerned with keeping Spock in character for these recurring sexual and romantic escapades. To them, it doesn’t matter how out of character it is for Spock of all fucking people to be smashing puss every other night. The writers are demonstrably doing everything in their power to assert that Spock is a heterosexual. Not secretly bi, not secretly gay. Not questioning, not closeted. They are not leaving room for any interpretation here, and they are doing so deliberately. The whole thing reeks of desperation in a really weird way.

Of course, I have no evidence that can conclusively say that yes, the reason they’re making Spock have so much straight sex on screen is to dissuade people from seeing him as gay. This is just an opinion piece, not a peer-reviewed investigation, and I am just an armchair critic. But speaking from my armchair, I simply cannot come up with any other explanation for why, out of the blue and wildly out of character, Spock is being depicted in this way. I don’t know why Spock’s storylines would revolve around sex in the extremely obtrusive way that it does. I don’t know why this is what they decided to do with this legacy character, who previously had next to nothing to do with sex with the sole exception of Amok Time, which was a once every 7 years thing. As I’ve indicated, this is Spock we’re talking about. The iconic character to end all iconic characters. Star Trek’s golden boy. And this is what they decide to do with him? Of all the things they could have possibly done? It’s borderline inexplicable. What is presented in the paragraphs above is only my best attempt at an explanation. It’s one that I think makes sense, but only the writers of Strange New Worlds truly know what their intentions are with Spock.

In summary, Spock’s hypersexualised relationships with women on Strange New Worlds is a valid cause for criticism. It is not biphobic to be confused, disappointed, or upset about Spock’s depiction on SNW, as Spock is not and was never canonically mlm, and the writers very clearly would like us to remember that. Of course, I say fuck them. I’ll continue to enjoy Nimoy’s Spock as preserved in TOS, and I’ll continue interpreting him as gay because it’s what I personally believe. You too can continue to have whatever headcanons or theories you have about Spock’s sexuality, even on SNW, and what his future on that show might entail. You can even continue rooting for SNW Spirk in season 2 if you want (although I would ask you if you really think Ethan Peck and Paul Wesley can really give you anything half as heartfelt and touching as Spock and Jim’s interactions in the TOS movies, and if it’s really worth caring about, but that’s just me).

Ultimately Spock’s portrayal in SNW is divisive, and people are probably never going to agree whether his sexually charged plotlines are right or wrong, in character or out of character. But I hope we can at least understand after all these paragraphs that slinging accusations of biphobia against those attempting to address this issue is uncalled for. The issue lies not in the possibility that Spock could be bisexual rather than gay, but in the fact that the writers would clearly have us understand he is neither. That’s what I’m upset about.

#star trek #spock #excellent additional commentary from other users in the notes and tags btw!

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oneinathousand · 1 year

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Once Disney’s well of older movies they can remake runs dry and they have to scrap the bottom of the barrel, I would like to humbly suggest my own idea for a hyper-realistic CGI “live-action remake” of The Three Caballeros (that also remakes Saludos Amigos as well to kill two birds with one stone). To keep the story more cohesive, this would take out most of the characters in the anthologies except for the Caballeros themselves:

The setting is like the original movies, happening during WWII, except this one focuses on the harsh realities happening during the time to tell a gut-wrenching story about the immediate and long-term after-effects of war, the bigotry of not just the U.S. but other places in the 1940′s, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that will discard you once they see you as useless to society.

The story begins with Donald Duck being discharged from the Navy following a breakdown caused by the horrors he endured while fighting the Japanese, the final straw being when he learned that his pilot sister, Della, went MIA in the Pacific Theater and is presumed dead (but little does her family know that she crash-landed on a remote island and spends her days struggling to survive against everything from bad weather to spider crabs).

Back home, Donald’s PTSD creates outbursts of anger and paranoia that causes his relationship with Daisy to end, but he won’t go to an asylum because he wants to help take care of his nephews, which is a struggle since he now has trouble holding down a job, and his Uncle Scrooge refuses to help him out because of his behavior.

He throws himself into a lifestyle of drinking and gambling, but eventually finds himself massively in debt and in deep trouble over angering some gangsters in his area. Not wanting his family to get involved, Donald decides to flee south and start a new life, going to Mexico and Brazil.

First, he meets Jose Carioca, a malandro who carries a razor blade on his person and knows capoeira. At first, Jose was hoping to get some money out of someone he thought was just an American tourist, but once he learns of Donald’s predicament, he takes pity on him and the two become friends.

Meanwhile, the gangsters are now out for Donald’s blood, and so they send out enforcers to catch up with him and kill him. Donald and Jose head back up north to Mexico, where they meet Panchito.

As a child, Panchito’s family was slaughtered during the Mexican Revolution, and so like Donald, he is very traumatized, but he hides it beneath a facade of bravado and travels around the country to protect those who cannot protect themselves, through violent means if necessary. Panchito is a nickname, because people compare him to Pancho Villa.

The three decide to team up and rob from the rich so that they can each fix their financial troubles, but all three have gotten in trouble in their home countries, so not only are the American gangsters after them, but so are police and various other criminals whom Jose and Panchito have gone up against in the past.

Panchito falls in love with Jose, but because it’s the 1940′s and he’s very Catholic, he’s very conflicted about his feelings.

Uhhhh... there’s a game of loteria involved somewhere...

Can The Three Caballeros get themselves out of their disenfranchisement and become heroes? Will Donald be able to find a new purpose in life? Will Della get off that island? Will the romantic subplot between Panchito and Jose be reduced to subtext so obfuscating that few people will realize what’s going on? Disney, call me.

#this was meant to be as ridiculous as possible but now I'm slightly invested #disney #the three caballeros #donald duck #josé carioca #panchito pistoles #panjose #duckverse

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ladymorghul · 11 months

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Aegon was drunk when he raped Dyana and considering the "except sometimes when he's drunk" part from Helaena I really think the writers tried to make the point, that he's truly uncontrollable when drinking too much and yes, forces himself on women (and no, being drunk does NOT excuse his sexual crimes at all), including Helaena when he's in their chambers and not out there in Flea Bottom or with some unfortunate maid in the castle. Although I think he does the same to other women when he's sober, but in that case he mostly ignores Helaena considering his comments about her before the marriage. I doubt he had a change of heart about her in the meantime and is now having romantic feelings about his wife.

Back to that line, honestly what woman would want to have sex with their drunk husband? To allow allow a drunk husband to force himself on them? No one and I don't get the people who think the toast was the way she tried to express her disappointment in him ignoring her or similar interpretations. The subtext is way too obvious IMHO: he neglects her when sober and has sex with her (or rather, forces himself) when drunk, but maybe it's like you said and nothing bad happens. Other than that I don't think there's been any other indication of potential abuse in their relationship, like physical abuse. And by the way, Viserys wasn't physically abusive towards Alicent either but this doesn't change the fact it was marital rape (judging by our standards since marital rape is not a thing in Westeros) which we should call out and condemn, that Alicent was obviously unwilling to sleep and have children with him so from this point of view I think some Greens are intentionally pretending not to see the fact Helaena and Aegon's marriage is pretty much the same like most arranged marriages in Westeros and not some loving thing where both spouses love each other and want to make love with each other: no, they both have to do their duty and have sex against their will to produce heirs and have no choice but to do so and accept it (well obv Aegon, unlike her, has the privilege of being a male and is choosing to cheat with several other women but this is different matter).

hmmm

viserys and aegon are not in the same position considering that viserys consciously chose alicent hightower, his daughter's 14 year old best friend whom he knew since she was a child (and who was still a child at that time), to wed and bed her vs aegon who was betrothed to helaena when he was 13.

like yes aegon sleeping with an unwilling helaena is marital rape but ultimately, like you said, this is probably like at least half of the forced marriages.

and while we don't have helaena's pov on aegon pre feast, i too don't think the writers' goal were to imply helaena wants aegon's attention. i could be wrong tho.

but yeah, aegon, as a man, does have privilage over her and they are judged differently by their society.

i'm trying to keep some hope alive that what transpired or hasn't between them goes as far as aegon attempting in his drunken state to sleep with helaena and helaena being like fuck off.

in any case im currently beating aegon behind a denny's just for good measure. whether my hope ir real or not. im just thinking that it would be horrible for helaena to endure this on top of everything headed her way. and i want her magically safe from it. but im not denying that aegon is a pos w women especially.

to me the reaction in the room was a little weird ngl. no shot directly on otto or aemond or even hell, rhaenyra, for some negative reaction. daemon giggles. alicent looks confused, otto cheers on helaena at the end, viserys is like myeah whatever, music please?

#asks

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witchofvalyria · 2 years

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i need more daemyra family moments bc right now, i'm disappointed. i need to buy show!daemon caring about luke to do the B&C incident. also im so mad they cut that hug scene from 1x6. the way the show treated harwin and laena made me so upset. like we dont even get a romantic scene with rhaewin and i do like the two scenes we got, i needed more. laena just got screwed over, they cut her entire courtship (he killed that guy to marry her!) and dont even reference it in dialogue. like that one is so abrupt. i needed more buildup to rhaewin and daemon/laena (i love both ships in the books). random sidenote but they missed out on confirming the rhaenyra/daemon/laena subtext in the book. rhaenyra was with her during her labor. just the erasure of nyra and laena's friendship makes me upset because i know they did it so they could focus on their made-up alicent/nyra friendship. sorry for the rant

the only hightargs i support are helaena and her babies (they were innocent and did nothing wrong). the rest can go fuck off (except maybe daeron, he's on thin ice as his brothers drown)

I sincerely apologize for the late reply...I don't know if you watched it yet, but yesterday episode ten wad leaked....and Oh my God, they ruined the show, even Collen Hoover would have made a better adaptation to fire and blood....There are so many show writers with different opinions that nothing makes sense anymore...

They ruined Laena/Daemon and Rhaenyra/Harwin for Daemyra in hotd, and they just made them lose it in the finale??

[Episode 10 of Hotd spoilers ahead]

Sara Hess was actually warning us about #that scene..Domestical violence is a serious topic, why use it for a couple who loved eachothers...Daemon would never lay a hand on his family, and Book!Rhaenyra would never have allowed him to touch her, and for a prophecy no less??

They didn't give us that scene where daemon hugged Rhaenyra after she just gave birth to Visenya, whom they haven't even named in the show, they made her call out for him while she's giving birth and he ignores her?? And in the end, when he tells her about Luke's death...they hold hands...???

And then they robbed Aemond stanies of his 'it girl moment' and made Vhagar disobey his command and kills Luke by 'accident'....

There are two main reasons as to why the dance happened:

1. The greens usurped Rhaenyra's crown.

2. Aemond killing Luke while he went in peace.

They made one a misunderstanding and the other an accident...they're just screwing everything over...

It's definitely "house of misunderstandings and accidents" now...

And how they're making Alicent and Rhaenyra have no agency whatsoever?? Book Rgaenyra was willing to go for ear for her throne, Daemon was willing to try for peace, not the opposite.

Alicent sat at the head of the green council, they made her an innocent woman whom the men around her are plotting against her back...

JUST LET WOMEN BE EVIL, SELFISH AND GREEDY??!?

Daemon is a grey charachter, he was both bad and good, but he liked his family most of all, they made him an uncaring father and husband...

Sara Hess cut that hug scene and is the one responsible for the larys foot frtish thing too, ans she renewed her contract for season two just a few days ago...

And yes, Helaena and her children were the only innocent ones in the dance

#hotdcentral #hotd season 1 #hotd spoilers #hotd #hotd s1 #house of dragons #house of the dragon #targaryensource #hbo house of the dragon #rhaneyra targaryen #queen rhaenyra #daemon targaryen #olivia cooke #old valyria #emma darcy #aemond one eye #lucerys velaryon

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honeybadger-the-pop-witch · 1 year

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Hear Me Out Here — A Theory for “National Treasure: Edge of History”

Spoiler warning for Episode 3: “Graceland Gambit”

And so my craziness begins… Bard and I were replaying one scene in our heads for the past two-ish hours. This scene, mind you, seems quite mundane on the surface level. We have a boy, in Graceland, singing one of Elvis Presley’s most well known songs (and one of my favorite Elvis songs) in order to help our lovely leading lady sneak into a secret room to find the clue to the next puzzle box so they can prove that their parents didn’t die for nothing. And, as the group of tourists sing along, our dynamic duo just barely manage to sneak out—but not after the performance comes to an end while simultaneously heavily making the insinuation that these two are end game as a romantic couple.

So why does it loop in both the minds of my dæmon and I?

Well because of what the ending hints at and the added layer it gives both the dynamic and song chosen.

youtube

You guessed it! Not-That-Pretty boy Liam played “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis! This song is very clear in what it’s about, two people love each other but cannot trust each other. Now, how does the ending of the episode give this scene more depth other than famous Elvis song to play at Graceland? Well, popular songs—if done right—usually have some layer of meaning to the narrative they’re used in. Movies like Shrek 2 and Mama Mia are built around the songs in their narrative, and shows like the Umbrella Academy have them integral to the writing process. With the exception of Suicide Squad from 2016, popular music usually helped highlight whatever subtext of a scene along with directing choices.

Throughout the scene where Liam performs “Suspicious Minds”, we mostly see him surrounded by the other tourists. They first start away from him, but draw closer and closer as they join in singing along. It’s his vote of confidence in his dream that he was lacking the first two episodes. People wanted to hear him sing. But we never get a close up of his face to see what he’s thinking or feeling—not until Jess emerges from the secret room with a recording of the message containing a clue and the relief is palpable in his face. And then we get a semi-close up of Jess who can’t believe what she’s seeing. Then the tension shifts and he’s singing right at her. For her.

Is it love? Certainly not yet, but the tiny hints of attraction that we are getting in the first two episodes begin to grow subtly from this point on.

When Liam does some editing to the audio file so they can hear the clue properly, he waits until Jess is with him to flip it and hear Elvis’s recording. Then the next thing we know, Billy has the clue distilled and flipped on her cellphone—there’s a turncoat in Jess’s crew.

Now, what’s the theory?

Well it’s quite simple, “Suspicious Minds” literally outlines the rest of Jess and Liam’s AND Jess and Ethan’s interactions for the rest of the season.

Wait—when did Ethan get involved?

Liam is the most likely suspect for being turn coat. He barely knows Jess and didn’t even know Jess had DACA until episode 3 after their stunt in Graceland… when Ethan told him.

Listen, I love Ethan. He’s the level headed friend of the group that, before Liam came along, was the only person that was on Jess’s wavelength. He loves her both romantically and platonically, but she refused to go out with him over fear of destroying a friendship. All he has ever done is look out for her and wore his heart on his sleeve—something Billy can manipulate, as seen in the first episode where she kidnapped Oren and bartered his safe return for the obsidian puzzle box. He was against the hunt to begin with out of fear of Jess getting deported, so perhaps sabotaging it from the inside is the only way he can think of to keep her safe… especially if Billy somehow got to him off screen.

It might be why he let it slip that Jess is undocumented. Because it’s hinted at that no one ever tells anyone about Jess without Jess’s permission, especially Ethan.

Now, don’t get me wrong Liam is sketchy too since he’s the only one we know can work audio software like that. His dad died on this quest and he has some serious granddaddy issues. It’s quite possible he’s helping Billy to get back at his grandfather for his part in Liam’s dad’s death. But the fact of the matter stands that once Jess knows Billy has the same clue, Liam and Jess’s relationship will be much rockier than it has been—but are they…

Caught in a trap? And [they] can’t walk out because [they] love [each other] too much baby?

Bard seems to want to withhold judgement until we get more information. But I think I’m right with this. Thoughts? After all, Jess can’t achieve her dreams with suspicious minds.

#national treasure #sequel series #elvis presley #theory #Jess x Liam (?)#dæmonism #Youtube

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bledyn · 6 months

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[excerpt from my diary]

[...]

first of all let's start with labels: they/she for me, just accepted that I'm trans and probably demigirl (I'm a woman but not always and often I just want to be as androgynous as possible), I'm asexual and maybe on the aro spectrum cause non platonic relationship are not really for me but I would love to be part of a qpr, my libido fluctuates and is usually non-existent except when it hits me like a freight train and I just wish someone would fuck me till I scream, I'm a lesbian or at least omoromantic, polyamorous and monogamous, I'm attracted (as much as what I feel could be considered attraction) mostly to women, butch more than femme but it depends, cis man are a total no go, but I could easily find myself attracted to a non binary or trans person (it wouldn't matter whether they had a cock or a pussy), no idea why tho.

Probably too many labels but it comforts me having this proof of belonging to a community of people with similiar experiences and feeling to mine, it validates me in a way that makes it impossible to feel like I'm exaggerating and maybe what I feel is not real.

[...]

I'm not attracted to other people in a "normal" way, but I'm not sex adverse; sex just means something different to me and it's just another way to show care and affection [...] the thought of pleasing someone that way, making them feel good and showing them how much I care about them? that does it for me, not sex.

[...]

Said that, sex for me is just part of intimacy and nothing, nothing at all that I do is a sexual innuendo or done with that goal in mind. I could sit naked on someone's lap and that would probably have no sexual subtext behind it at all. i don't actually want to be in a relationship, they're not for me, i just want to be surrounded by friends that I can trust, I'm comfortable with, which I have totally platonic relationships with, and even if we love each other there is no romantic feeling at all and we are all aware of that. i want friends with which I can cuddle on the couch, giving each other chast kisses or petting each other or just holding each other; i want to be able to ask them if they could please come to the bathroom with me and wash my hair cause I want to feel taken care of. i want friends that feel like they could come up to me and just ask me to take care of them please, even if this means sex, and know that at the end of things this is still all platonic; i want to have sex with them and just cuddle after and talk about things like friends do, with no romantic feelings hovering over us.

fuck i want to have people like that in my life

i want to have a bunch of qprs, with or w/o sex in the middle, and know i am loved.

i want to be loved so much, i want to be held and caressed, i want to be kissed on the forehead, have their fingers card through my hair; my head on someone's lap and my legs on someone else's, live with so many people and sleep - just sleep - with all of them, and just feel loved and taken care of and know that the other will feel the same feelings I do and nothing more, and just be a family.

this knowledge sometimes destroys me tho; i want this, i want this so much, i desire it with all myself, and it seems so fucking impossible to find someone like this, and certainly not a whole bunch of people.

and i hurt, because i know that if I tried and the other person ended up seeing my actions as not platonic, this would totally kill me.

and I don't know how to go on now, how to find my people, or ask for this kind of stuff, and this steals my breath away

fuck

why is it so fucking difficult to live like I wish to? why is it so fucking hard being loved like I want to, in the platonic way i long for?

i feel like someone split my ribs open and is crushing my heart and my lungs

it hurts so fucking much god

[while carving my soul on paper I listened to "the other side of paradise" and "poplar st" by glass animals]

#being asexual sometimes is fucking hard #asexuality #asexual #aro spectrum #queer platonic relationship #wishing for something impossible #the mortifying ordeal of being loved #longing for love #platonic #platonic love #opening yourself up and letting others observe your bloody beating heart

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tehuti88-art · 1 year

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4/21/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Lance Corporal Lyndsey Skye: Sans cap/hair down (top drawing), sans cap/hair up (second drawing), with cap/hair down (third drawing), with cap/hair up (bottom drawing). She's technically the only female Trench Rat (still alive, at least) even though she's British, and she helps out in the medical ward. There'll be more about her later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

TUMBLR EDIT: Okey-doke. I don't know a whole lot about Skye's background...in fact, you know what, I don't know about it at all. :/ She hasn't been forthcoming just yet. I don't think she has a load of drama like everyone else, however.

I've never come up with a good explanation why a British military nurse comes to literally join the American Trench Rats--not just an honorary member, but actually join, as she's granted access to Headquarters, which is done only with members (the lone exception being Papillon). Especially considering that this must have occurred following Corporal Anna Julian's betrayal--BUT, the Rats don't know Julian is the traitor at the time, so I guess that wouldn't be a factor, rather the factor that there was a breach of info at all would make them more suspicious. Skye must do something that makes her exceptionally trusted or indispensable to the Rats. Likely assisting Burgundy with injured soldiers--or perhaps he's the one who assists her, on the British side. I can easily imagine Burgundy being impressed by Skye's medical skills and cool head under pressure and requesting her assistance, and that eventually turning into an official appointment.

A long-running subtext in the story is the romantic tension between these two. (It was also implied that Sgt. Black Rat was interested in her, though he never mentioned it, she never noticed it, and once he saw her interest in Burgundy he let this go. Given more recent developments regarding Black's character, I don't know that this still stands.) I made it wayyyyy too blatant when I referred to it in the circa-2000 reboot. Here's the relevant excerpt from Burgundy's POV (ignore the obvious plot changes, such as Skye not actually being a Trench Rat):

"What in heaven's name is going on in here?" a new voice exclaimed. Gold turned to the curtain dividing this section from the Trench Rat area. He smiled as Lance-Corporal Lyndsey Skye entered, looking around in bafflement at the mess before her. So far she was the only female the others considered a "Trench Rat," although technically she wasn't; the title itself was good enough, and Gold made sure to point this out to her almost every time they met. She saw him first, with his gun slung over his shoulder, then Burgundy with his cut arm, scrabbling on the floor for a roll of bandages, then the three patients staring at the fourth one, the German, who lay in bed with a bloody gash in the side of his head. "What is all this?" she asked, stunned.

"Hi, LC," Gold greeted. "Busy tonight?"

Burgundy's eyes shot up immediately. His face reddened and he stood up, so abruptly that he nearly knocked the table over again. He reached out to steady it as it tilted to the side, spilling its instruments again, and cursed under his breath.

"Lieutenant? Corporal? What's going on? You woke up one of our own, and he's absolutely demanding to know the cause of all this--"

"Just a little scuffle, that's all," Gold replied, sidling up to her and casually taking her arm. He smiled charmingly. "Seems one of our patients isn't so happy about the wonderful treatment he's getting from Lieutenant Burgundy. Isn't that right, Doc?"

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Burgundy snapped in return. He came forward, still holding his arm, the blood squeezing between his fingers. He shot a look at both of them in turn, though his look at Skye seemed to be more guarded than the one aimed at Gold, which was just plain pissed. "Like go in there and let him know everything's all right?"

"Yeah, sure," Gold said, faking a sullen attitude. He smiled at Skye again as he went for the curtain. "Hope you like rice soup, LC. They're serving it in Mess tonight. If you don't mind, I could join you." He disappeared, and a moment later the two could hear him and the other Rat talking.

Skye watched him go--his comments didn't bother her in the least as she knew they were all a part of his routine--then turned back to Burgundy, who had since gone back to cleaning up the floor. "Lieutenant? What happened here?"

"Just what he said. It's nothing. I'll get this cleaned up in a minute."

She stepped forward, noticing him picking up a roll of gauze and hissing softly as he looked at his arm. Her eyes widened as she saw what was wrong.

"Lieutenant! Your arm! Where'd you get that?" Immediately she was pulling him to his feet, pulling the roll from his hands and walking across the room for a needle and some sutures.

"It's nothing," he protested. "I can take care of it myself."

"Nonsense. Not unless you've suddenly turned lefthanded, which I know you haven't. Now hold out your arm and quit this holier-than-thou routine. I too know how to stitch up a wound, Lieutenant."

Burgundy sullenly did as she asked while she daubed the cut clean and proceeded to sew it up. He found it embarrassing to have her stitching up his arm--he was, after all, the doctor here--but it was true that he wouldn't have been able to do it on his own. Nevertheless, he'd have preferred someone else--Gold even--to do it, rather than Skye. He turned his head to glare at the German patient so that he didn't have to watch her, the look of concentration on her face, as she finished her job and wrapped it up with gauze for good measure. "There! That should take care of it. I won't trouble you any further by asking you how you got this, but if you two keep this up there's going to be a shortage of nurses around here, I can tell you that! Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to work."

"Fine," he replied, voice sharper than he'd intended, not bothering to add anything else. He cringed inwardly at the annoyed-bordering-on-disgusted look she gave him, though he knew why she gave it--he never seemed happy whenever she ended up doing something useful, not unless he was in charge somehow--and she turned away and went back to tend to the Nazi, who was finally just starting to stir.

Burgundy peered over his shoulder at her, rubbing his arm. Well, that was it; she was thinking exactly what he knew she would. With a frustrated sigh that he prayed she didn't hear, he turned away and finished sorting out the scattered instruments.

Eeuurrrrgghhh...just hit you over the head with the obviousness. Anyway. The tension between these two is still an important plot point in the current story, though it's much more of a slow burn, and much more subtle. When I originally posted Burgundy's entry here, I was in a poor mood, so never shared his story. I REALLY do not want to get all longwinded like usual, but I may as well cover the generalities here.

I've mentioned before that Burgundy has some obvious issues with women, though it's not chauvinism or misogyny. Yes, he wants to be the one in charge of the medical ward, but that's only because he's most confident in his own abilities; he'd be just as disdainful toward a guy if his skills were subpar. Burgundy is one of the few characters who's actually gender blind when it comes to such things, as is shown when the Rats go to the partisan camp of Didrika, the female Romani resistance leader. Didrika is widely despised by the Germans, not just because of her race, but because she's a woman, basically playing the role of a man: She's a wartime leader of a large group of men, she's a skilled sniper, and she's unabashedly promiscuous. This latter point leads to an odd moment of conflict between her and Skye when the Rats arrive to reunite with Silver, who's recently escaped Nazi custody and is recovering from his injuries. Didrika is known for her habit of testing the men she comes into contact with by trying to seduce them; Skye, knowing of this, warns Didrika ahead of time not to pull this stunt on Burgundy. Didrika responds sarcastically with something like, "What, have you stamped your claim on him already?" She's just joking--but Skye's answer is to smack her across the face, hard. EVERYONE within earshot--even Boris, Didrika's big imposing Russian lover--gawks wordlessly. Didrika can't believe it, either--she glares at Skye, dumbfounded and speechless that she would even dare--yet Skye stares her down. Didrika ends up simply turning and stalking back through the camp--Skye wins the confrontation, and when Burgundy arrives shortly after (having no idea about anything that just occurred), Didrika automatically treats him as an equal, without trying to seduce him. The two haggle over taking custody of Silver and exchanging goods, with Didrika's people getting penicillin and medical supplies, and the Rats getting a nice supply of fresh oranges. Burgundy also treats the various injuries and health complaints of Didrika's men.

By this point in the story, Skye has somehow reached the correct conclusion regarding Burgundy's often uppity attitude toward women: It isn't the belief that they're inferior. When he knows women are capable, such as Didrika, he treats them with respect. In fact, he only has a poor attitude toward a particular type of woman...outspoken, domineering ones. Skye knows this, and she knows Didrika's reputation to try to dominate the men she meets, so she heads it off before it can happen. Result, Didrika doesn't get to use her unique form of test on Burgundy, yet the two get off on the right foot. Crisis averted.

I'm not sure how Skye picks up on this trait of Burgundy's, maybe from observation; it's not something that happens often, but when Burgundy does encounter domineering women, he tends to shut up and back off, avoiding confrontation, obviously anxious and uncomfortable. Such women intimidate him, and he'd rather just keep away than get involved. For someone who's otherwise so insistent on taking charge, it's an odd reaction. Skye may understand this but she doesn't know the cause. Burgundy has a history of bad interactions with aggressive women, mainly, his estranged wife, and before her, his mother. His wife had gotten exasperated with his long hours and started an affair--with Burgundy's brother, as it turned out. Burgundy and his brother already had a contentious relationship, so this just added insult to injury. Burgundy had returned home early one day, hearing them talking together--both of them privately ridiculing him--before deciding to simply leave without letting them know he'd been there; shortly after, he accepted Camo Rat's invitation to join the Trench Rats (he was so eager to cut ties he accepted a subordinate position despite having the highest rank), and that was the last they all saw of each other. Burgundy's wife ends up having to get the marriage terminated in his absence, as he never establishes any sort of contact with her or his brother again.

Burgundy's nonconfrontational response in this case was largely due to his childhood experiences. When he was young, he was close to his father, who was a kind man but easily intimidated by his wife, Burgundy's mother, who was incredibly emotionally abusive and volatile (she likely suffered some sort of mental instability of her own). Burgundy's father shielded his sons from this treatment, bearing the brunt of it himself, but it ended up being too much for him to take; young Burgundy came into the house and stepped into his father's study one day to find him in a pool of his own blood, having committed suicide. When Burgundy's mother arrived, she became histrionic, shrieking and blaming Burgundy--she even went as far as forcing him to sit in his father's blood until authorities could arrive to take away the body. (This is the reason that, despite being a surgeon, Burgundy has a phobia of large amounts of spurting blood--he works his way through it, but is always a little panicky at first.) Following this, his mother doted on his brother, while taking out her anger and spite on Burgundy; she wasn't physically abusive, but she constantly tore him down and blamed him for everything, making a point of convincing him he was weak and cowardly just like his father. Burgundy IS just like his father--in being kind, empathic, and sensitive to slights. He learns these are undesirable traits to women like his mother, and then his wife, and so his reaction is much like his father's--to retreat and avoid. He just chooses to physically leave, rather than take his own life. He makes a point of avoiding such women every chance he gets; luckily for him, Skye heads off Didrika before she can become another one of those women.

It's something that happens gradually, but Burgundy and Skye develop mutual romantic feelings during the time they work together. I think Skye starts to feel this way first; Burgundy takes a lot longer, partly because he's so fixated on his work, but also because he's so cautious with his feelings (although brusque and ill humored, it's rare for him to truly lose his temper--which is why when he punches Dr. Kammler late in the story, it means he's REALLY pissed off), plus he figures Skye doesn't feel the same. Although he tends to pause and take stock of his intended reactions to things rather than just react, he likely still suffers some ill effects from the constant psychological abuse he experienced as a child, including feelings of worthlessness and inferiority. He tries not to dwell on such feelings, seeing them as irrational, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. The main thing that strikes him about Skye, aside from her competence in assisting him, is that she's confident and assertive, yet not aggressive or overbearing. She hits the perfect middle ground of not being a doormat or a harridan; she's emotionally well balanced. For somebody who went through what Burgundy did, that's a pretty admirable quality, especially in such stressful circumstances as the Trench Rats are working in.

Despite his admiration, however, he doesn't express any outward interest in Skye, and in fact is always restrained and aloof around her. Skye acts friendly and open toward him at first (she's not the overtly flirty type), though it seems to have no effect, so she concludes Burgundy isn't interested in her, either. They spend most of the story like this, although there are subtle hints now and then that there's something more beneath the surface. Neither one of them is willing enough to be the one to act first--Burgundy out of the fear of humiliating himself, Skye out of concern for humiliating him--until Lance Corporal Teal Rat's suicide.

I've already gone over this event in the previous portrait entry. Teal has been in Nazi custody for years, wrongly blamed for betraying the Rats, and extensively tortured--in fact, he dealt with a lot of the same sort of negative psychological conditioning Burgundy went through, just on a harsher level. By the time he's rescued, he's hopelessly messed up. He stabs his chief tormentor, Dr. Kammler, to death, before being brought to the medical ward to be treated for his own injuries as well as for his obvious emotional trauma. Burgundy is the one to see to him while Skye is busy treating Corporal Drake Rat, also newly rescued from the Nazis, also traumatized by Kammler. (It was just prior to Teal's rescue that Burgundy had his confrontation with Kammler--Kammler made the mistake of attempting to appeal to Burgundy as a "fellow doctor," at which Burgundy, who had seen Kammler's "work," punched him twice--with both fists--and snapped, "We are NOT alike!" before leaving to assist in the rescue of Drake. Result, he missed the stabbing.) Teal has Burgundy confirm that Kammler is in fact dead, reiterates that he didn't betray the Rats, asks Burgundy to apologize to Silver Rat--whom he did betray--on his behalf, then grabs a scalpel from the bedside table and stabs himself in the neck. Skye and Drake witness the event while Burgundy attempts to prevent him from removing the blade--the effort fails, and Teal bleeds out before Burgundy can save him.

The suicide severely affects everyone involved; when Drake afterward goes into the washroom to shower, he calls out to Burgundy, standing just outside, "It's all right. I'm not going to try anything." Even Drake, who's holding on by a thread and was badly rattled by what happened in the bed right beside him, can see how guilty and anxious Burgundy is about possibly losing another patient, and reassures him he has no plans to do the same. Compounding all this is the fact that the Rats have just lost Indigo, who was Burgundy's chief assistant, so the medical ward is now short staffed as well. It's a lot to happen all at once, and it takes its toll on Burgundy, who's always kept his feelings to himself. This is just about all he can handle, however. At the end of an incredibly long day after everyone else has gone, he cleans up, leaves the medical ward, and starts to head for his private quarters, yet finds himself heading in another direction instead. He ends up at LC Skye's door. She seems surprised to see him, but hesitates only briefly before letting him in; she can see the devastated look in his eyes and knows it's best if he's not alone.

Given how awkward their professional relationship has been, with Burgundy's typical stiff, standoffish attitude toward Skye, she rather expects the aftermath to be just as awkward, if not more so; however, Burgundy doesn't appear to be embarrassed or regretful of his decision. The two of them still act professional on the job, and keep their relationship discreet, but they don't take pains to conceal it, plus Burgundy's attitude toward Skye shifts; he's more comfortable and less stiff interacting with her. They made a good, effective pair previously; now they're an excellent one, understanding and anticipating each other's actions enough that they often don't even have to speak. Gold, who'd previously flirted with Skye in a joking way, notices the change and comments that the two of them are working with one brain. It's not too far from the truth. Burgundy's finally found someone with whom he feels he can be himself, with no risk of ridicule or rejection; she's been there all along, it just took an awful event to jar him out of his reservations to let him see it and take a chance.

Skye and Burgundy work and act in lockstep throughout the remainder of the series, and both of them remain in Germany following the war to assist in efforts to reunite separated loved ones and other victims of the Nazis; they also offer medical care to people freed from the camps or otherwise affected by Nazi captivity. Skye stays behind with radio contact when Burgundy accompanies a group of the remaining Rats, plus Ratdog, Wolfstein, Himmel, and a Soviet ally (this guy isn't entirely new but he hasn't been named yet, I'm leaning toward him being a Ukrainian named Volodymyr, and yeah, for obvious reasons he's likely to be complicated), to the Alpine Fortress to investigate rumors of a continuation of Project Doomsday, which was believed ended with the raid of project headquarters and the death of Dr. Kammler. They're stunned to find that not only has the project resumed as Project Ultima Thule, and the SS officer in charge of funding it, Major Ludolf Jäger, is alive and well and keeping it running in anticipation of the rise of a Fourth Reich, but Indigo is alive as well, and he's apparently working for Jäger. Obviously, this is a bizarre development, and science-minded Burgundy is mystified about how to explain it; Jäger himself is the one to relate the details to former comrade Himmel. Indigo is a successful test subject of Project Ultima Thule. As an effect of the serum, he's unable to act autonomously or to recognize his fellow Rats at first, and he attacks them blindly--it's an alarming situation given Indigo's enhanced strength and stamina (he's a big imposing guy and was pretty intimidating even before now), and the Allies are barely able to fight him off. They at last get word of an antiserum which can counteract some of the effects, so Burgundy assists in obtaining this and administering it to Indigo. It works: Indigo is temporarily incapacitated, yet regains his senses, then recognizes his old companions. Of course, he's greatly confused, given that his last clear memory was of getting hit by shrapnel protecting another Trench Rat just after the raid on project headquarters. (The presence of Ratdog and Himmel, former enemies, is especially perplexing.) The group works toward disbanding and terminating the project, and finally succeeds; Jäger is killed in a rock collapse, though the group is jarred to find the rest of his family, his wife and all their children, dead by suicide/murder on their way back out of the Alpine Fortress. They escape in time to avoid being caught in the destruction of the Fortress themselves.

I believe Skye and Burgundy remain in Germany for a while, though they might eventually head to either the UK (Skye's home) or the US (Burgundy's home). One thing they never do, though, is reestablish any sort of contact with Burgundy's family. He cut them out of his life, and he has Skye now; he doesn't need anybody else.

[Lyndsey Skye 2023 [‎Friday, ‎April ‎21, ‎2023, ‏‎4:00:11 AM]]

[Lyndsey Skye 2023 2 [‎Friday, ‎April ‎21, ‎2023, ‏‎4:00:21 AM]]

[Lyndsey Skye 2023 3 [‎Friday, ‎April ‎21, ‎2023, ‏‎4:00:32 AM]]

[Lyndsey Skye 2023 4 [‎Friday, ‎April ‎21, ‎2023, ‏‎4:00:45 AM]]

#artists on tumblr #ibisPaint x #SketchDaily #original characters

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jillianallen14 · 3 years

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Spirk fanfic rec

Some amazing Spirk fanfic to bless your dash because I’m falling in love with this shit all over again (this is like the 10th time this has happened lol):

Entering Orbit: Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch; rated m; 30,957 words

Papers in the Roadside: Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control; rated e; 49,637 words

Take Refuge in What You Know: AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma; rated e; 120,334 words

Listen, this is not only my favorite Star Trek fic of all time, it’s also one of my favorite fanfics in general. It’s right up there with Text Talk and The Shoebox Project from the HP fandom, which if you’ve read, you know are incredible and frankly life-changing. And this fanfic changed my life. The description the author gives doesn’t do the beauty of this fic justice. I suffer from agoraphobia and Spock’s depiction as an agoraphobic man was probably the most well-researched, sympathetic, empathetic, caring, realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be agoraphobic that I’ve ever witnessed in fiction. It made me cry like a child because I had never felt so seen and understood. This writer is incredible, and this fic is incredible. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an AU, which I’m usually pretty wary about, but it barely even feels like an AU. It just feels like Jim and Spock. The author’s understanding of both of their characters’ is perfect, like just a spot-on portrayal of who they are. This fic genuinely helped me accept who I am and helped me understand that I am capable of & deserving of love. If you don’t read any other Star Trek fics (and you def should read more Star Trek fics because they’re amazing), then let this one be the one you read. I dare you not to read it three times in a row like I did.

Observations: First Officer Spock comments on life aboard the Enterprise and his service under Captain James T. Kirk; rated m; 500,000+ words.

So the author of this fic actually did a thing where they made this fic into two books (similar to what The Shoebox Project authors did many years ago in the HP fandom). They don’t get any money from people buying the books; the cost is just to go towards producing the books. This fic is the equivalent of two LARGE novels. We’re talking 600 pages & up. It’s a huge fic. Now, that being said, I read it in one day. ONE DAY. It’s that good. This is another one of my all-time favorite fics, though not quite as dear to my heart as the one I listed above. It’s focused on AOS, and tbh, I forget that what happens in this book isn’t actually canon. Like it’s so well-told, it just feels like it’s now part of the timeless story of Kirk & Spock. The “professional” Star Trek writers would never be brave enough to do what this author does with Kirk and Spock, though. This fic will make you angry, will make you laugh, will make you cry. It has such a good grasp on every single character. It also shows the love between the crew of the Enterprise, which is always a treat, and it’s beautifully done in this fic. It has a sorta-enemies-to-lovers arc between Spirk and an enemies-to-close-friends arc between Spock and McCoy that is beautifully done and fleshed out. This fic is definitely a journey to go through, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s extremely slow burn, and you will want to slap both Kirk and Spock (and McCoy) upside the head at certain points lol.

Of Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves: The progression of a relationship, through Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves. Basically, it’s an AU where Kirk works at a coffee shop to pay his way through school, and Spock visits often. rated t; 16,429 words

Love, love, love, this fic. It’s cute, it’s in character. They have kind of a rocky start together, so it’s got a little bit of that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy i-hated-you-but-now-i-love-you-marry-me vibes to it. I’m a sucker for that, if you haven’t figured that out by now lol. It’s really good, and a really enjoyable read. And it’s not too long, if you’re in the mood for something on the shorter end of things.

Please Don’t Touch the Vulcans: The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it. Jim is chipper about having time off for the holidays. He asks everyone if they want to spend time together but sadly, everyone ditches Jim over the holidays because they have plans. McCoy visits his daughter, Nyota visits her family, and everyone splits. Not knowing Spock has feelings for him, Jim doesn't even bother asking if he wants to spend time together figuring he has something to do. Something cute, romantic with the boys spending time with one another and confessions; rated m; 17,690 words

Super cute and has lots of Sarek, which idk about y’all, but I’m always a fan of. Sarek and Jim kind of get to know each other a bit, and it’s cute. Sarek knows about they’re in love before Spock & Kirk know lol. If I remember correctly, there’s also some appearances from everyone’s favorite: Old!Spock! You also get a little bit of jealous and protective Young!Spock. So you’re in for a real treat with this one.

The Ren shat’var Trilogy: A split-second decision changes Jim's life forever, as he enters into a bond with Spock in the face of certain torture. Enemies to the Federation emerge from unlikely places, and the command team must contend with unexpected threats, as well as challenges within their own intense relationship. In this three-part series, the Enterprise races across the galaxy to confront the unknown, and Jim and Spock discover the true significance of their unprecedented connection; rated e; 184,411 words

Textual Attraction: Valentine’s Day does not bring up pleasant memories for Cadet Kirk. But the serendipitous switch-up of his cell phone with a particular Vulcan professor’s will make his day far more interesting –and romantic. Perhaps some new memories can be made! 15,900 words

SO GOOD. Just SO good

Spaceman: Academy AU. Five times Spock realizes he's attracted to a barista at the academy spaceport, and one time he decides to do something about it. rated t; 3728 words

Short, sweet, funny. You’ll love it.

Subtext: Texting your Vulcan first officer in the middle of the night is never a good idea. Especially when you have an obsessive crush on said Vulcan.The holidays are approaching and Jim is left entirely Spockless aboard the Enterprise when his First takes shore leave on New Vulcan. After some midnight pining, Jim sends a text he instantly regrets. That is, until Spock responds and willingly continues their textual communications to an inevitable conclusion; rated t; 13,032 words

Cute, sweet, funny. It’s a texting fic. I think you’ve probably figured out I love those. This one makes me laugh so fucking hard. Like actually laugh-out-loud-omg-did-i-just-snort kind of funny. Spock is great in this one

All Spock Wants For Christmas: While Jim is away on a delegation mission, he panics about what to give Spock for Christmas. With help from Bones and Uhura, and in between some spam texting with Spock, Jim realizes he already has the perfect gift. And all it needs is wrapping paper and a bow; rated t; 11,966 words

And here we have another cute, sweet, funny texting fic. Sue me lol

The Morning After: Jim convinces Spock to take shore leave with him on Risa, hoping the time together will help re-solidify their bond of friendship after some recent tension. Meanwhile, Spock convinces himself he's on Risa for one reason and one reason only, to prevent his wayward captain from getting into trouble. After a passionately illogical night of Romulan Ale and chocolate infused liquor, everything changes when Jim wakes with something other than a hangover filling his head. Something he's sure neither he nor Spock can handle. Because if Jim knows anything for sure, it's that his messed up thoughts belong nowhere near Spock's clean, ordered mind; rated m; 50,381 words

HAHA. This fic fucking cracks me up. You’ve got drunk boys pining over each other & not realizing it. You’ve got accidental marriage. You’ve got bed sharing. It’s great, it’s cute, it’s funny.

Take This Sinking Boat (And Point It Home): In which Spock pines, Jim isn’t stupid (except he kind of is), and Christopher Pike has had enough of this bullshit; 6698 words

Pike is great in this one, and it’s super, super funny.

Extracurricular Activities: Spock returns to the Academy from a tour of duty to find an intriguing cadet captures his attention; rated e; 15,433 words

Veritas: Basically, Kirk and Spock are on trial because the Federation thinks they are emotionally compromised by each other, which is putting the lives of their crew in danger. They have to convince a court they’re not actually in love with each other. They think the claims are bullshit. They think it will be easy to prove that they aren’t in love or emotionally compromised, damn it. It isn’t; rated m; 186,80 words

This one is so, so good. A real gem off of Fanfic.net. I remember it was actually one of the first Spirk fanfics I ever read, and it blew me away. The progression of their relationship is really well-done and interesting. It has star-crossed lovers vibes and has some really emotionally intense moments in it, especially for Spock.

A Habitual Affection: Living in 1930s New York with the Vulcan you're secretly in love with is no simple thing. But Jim never liked anything simple. And then, the big snowstorm hit...; rated t; 7998 words

A beautiful TOS fic about one of the gayest episodes of Star Trek. Love this one.

Atlas: Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning; rated t; 135,529 words

A beaut. Really great characterization, and the progression of Jim and Spock’s relationship is really well-done.

#spirk #spock #kirk #james t kirk #spock/kirk #kirk/spock #star trek #star trek tos #star trek aos #space husbands #spirk fanfic recs #spirk fanfic

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thegirlwhowrites642 · 2 years

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Can you tell us YOUR TOP 3 favorite harry potter couples and why?

This is such a nice question, I love it.

#1 Harry and Ginny

I mean guys are you really surprised here? 98% of my posts will tell you why I love them to death. But I'll give you a little summary.

First, some technical reasons for why I love them. They are just so well crafted into the story. One perfect example of a soulmate's dynamic and it merges together so surprisingly well with Rowling's scientific writing style. I love the way it relies without reservations on subtext, symbolism, and callbacks to famous love stories in literature. I love that they don't really fit into just one specific trope. I love how the fact that their story is from Harry's point of view was used to build them subtly, like this mystery that Harry's brain finally solved in HBP.

Now, about the characters specifically. Harry and Ginny have these two very chaotic lives and personalities and I'm absolutely in love with how they find this peace, this strong sense of belonging in one another. I love that they are equals, I love how gracefully they treat each other. And also how fun they are together.

Harry and Ginny are two people who went through a lot and they are a tad fucked up because of that, so it would have been reasonable for them to have a fucked up relationship. Instead, they give us hands down one of the healthiest portrayals of a romantic relationship that you'll find out there. They love each other so selflessly and there's just this deep acceptance of the other at their complete worst. They are amazing and so criminally underrated.

#2 James and Lily

I've already mentioned this a couple of times... until a few years ago I was really deep into the marauders' fandom so, well the thing is... I have basically the entirety of James and Lily's story (and the rest of the marauders) written in my head.

There's just something about James and Lily that always pulled me in. I mean, come on, the arrogant guy who also happens to have a heart of gold, is super smart, but also an athlete, has charisma to sell, is extremely privileged, and yet fights for who isn't? Paired up with a girl who takes no bullshit but is also incredibly kind? And they are both academically driven? This is so much my jam.

James being desperately in love with her but Lily hating him because she doesn't really know him? But also being pulled to him anyway and refusing to admit it? Come on! Gold, pure gold.

[I really have to do an analysis of Snape's worst memory one of this days]

Plus the symbolism here too. The stag and the doe. They are the parents of the guy who saves the world with the power of love.

I do feel like my characterization of them is different from the one of the current marauders' fandom because I do this very rare thing called "respecting canon".

#3 Ron and Hermione

I have mixed feelings about Hermione and there are some things about this couple that are questionable, like the canaries episode that I will never really forgive Hermione for and the fact that, while Ron's insecurities were his problem, in seven years of friendship Hermione never managed to make him feel secure enough to get over at least his insecurities about her.

But I like reading about them while I read the books, I think it would be very difficult to like this saga without rooting for them. It's undeniable that they love spending time with each other. Hermione spends more time at the Burrow than Harry, with the exception of Christmas of '96. They are best friends, which is a thing that people forget a lot. If we actually look carefully, Ron is closer to Hermione than Harry in friendship terms. I like how Hermione takes notice of Ron's insecurities regarding his family, and how maybe he opened up about them to her. I like how Ron pays attention to what goes on with her and worries about her like in PoA. I love when they co-parent Harry and that they trust each other's opinions on important matters. And even if all their bickering would be exhausting to me, they clearly enjoy it and wouldn't want it in any other way.

I believe there's a rough honesty to them. One that probably wasn't meant to be there, otherwise there would have been some strong acknowledgment of Hermione's flaws from the narrative and not just from Harry and it would've been followed by a deep growth like with Ron. But what I mean to say is that they are very normal. They really are just two best friends in love with each other, who have been in the other one's life for nearly a decade and shaped each other into who they are at the end of the books. And judging by the epilogue they made it work. They are not done with the material appropriate for the main characters of an epic story but they would fit quite nicely as the main characters of one of those books that have the goal of talking about normal people and relationships, without talking about great unbelievable loves (you know like love at first sight, those kinds of things).

I've never had the need to read fanfictions about them though. In a way I already know enough about what happens with them, in another, I don't know enough for my imagination to be stimulated. And the fanfictions that I tried reading were honestly terrible, they are never in character, especially Hermione.

#hinny #ginny weasley #harry potter #jily #james potter #lily evans #romione #ron weasley #hermione granger

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everyonewasabird · 2 years

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Brickclub 4.8.6 “Marius Becomes so Real as to Give Cosette His Address“

Fucking hell. FUCK MARIUS.

We get an explicit description of how incredibly possessive he’s being; I think Hugo repeats the word “possession” multiple times over the course of it. And there’s *some* shade of an idea of it being reciprocal--Cosette is his “despot” even as he’s hers, but that’s clearly bullshit. He thinks he owns her, the same way Valjean thinks he owns her, and it’s hard to say how much is the mores of the day, how much is a Hugo Thing, and how much is the fact that Marius and Valjean have a lot of their worst traits in common.

I super hate it though.

It’s not like love without possessiveness isn’t a thing this book knows about--but also, I don’t think the book’s particularly patriarchal figures ever show much capacity for it? Women are capable of selfless love, and there are men who don’t engage with romantic or familial relationships and so are capable of selfless love--but when men love, for the most part, it means ownership.

....Except Grantaire. You know, I really didn’t see “Grantaire is one of the most psychologically healthy people in this book” being one of my takeaways, but I’m increasingly sold on it.

God, Marius SUCKS.

Like, fine, I get that at some level we’re seeing the fallout of his not having actually recovered from his depression. He just replaced his dark fog with a sunny fog and he has no ability to cope with anything that threatens that.

But all his dialogue in this chapter is solid red flags, like “GIRL, fucking RUN” level red flags.

1) In asking her whether she’s going with her father, he doesn’t persuade or offer her any argument as to alternatives. He’s demanding her absolute submissive loyalty to him over her father, instantly, no questions asked, no logistics sorted, no promises made on his part. Her job is to obey him, why has she not gotten that through her head yet?

Reminder that they haven’t spoken about the logistics or particulars of ANYTHING yet, they barely remembered to tell each other their names.

2) When she can’t give up her only family--and any social station she has as a non-”fallen” woman--on the spot, he says he’ll go “elsewhere”--that is, he’s threatening suicide to get her to comply.

3) While doing this, he uses the same out-of-nowhere coldness he used on Eponine yesterday, which we know was upsetting enough to stop Eponine in her tracks. I sense a Gillenormand tactic, and he’s a master of it.

4) Wait I’m not done with the suicide threat thing. That dialogue goes:

“Very well," said Marius. "Then I shall go elsewhere."

Cosette felt the meaning of this word still more than she understood it. She turned so pale that her face became white in the darkness. She stammered:

"What do you mean?"

Marius looked at her, then slowly raised his eyes towards heaven and answered:

"Nothing.”

That “nothing” is vicious. He’s specifically floating scary implications to make her afraid, but pretending he doesn’t know what she’s reacting to, even as he gazes significantly at the sky lest she have missed his meaning. She’s forced to listen to clues and guess at subtext to make sure he doesn’t DIE, while he acts cold and angry and wounded like she’s the one to blame.

5) Because, of course, in his mind she IS to blame, and he’s not capable of seeing this situation in any way that isn’t her fault. He feels bad, therefore she inflicted it on him maliciously.

6) Cosette’s plan to have him join them in England is..... perfectly feasible, actually? It’s not feasible TODAY, he needs to get his finances in order, but, like, if he was going to marry her in that society, he needed to do that one way or another anyway? He’s not actually without resources--if she left for England tomorrow, even without borrowing I bet he could get his life in order enough to buy a ticket six months from now.

But no, for him one day apart = She Has Left Him To Die (And Must Be Punished Until She Sees The Error Of Her Ways).

7) He ignores her while she sobs next to him for TWO HOURS. I’m going to commute this one slightly on the grounds of Marius Brain Weirdness, but she’s still sitting there while he ignores her for TWO HOURS.

8) He asks if she loves him--she sobs, “I adore you.” Which is the normal answer from a non-manipulative sad person in love who’s asked that question! She asks the same thing back and instead of that, she gets “I give you my word of honor if you leave I will die.” That’s not a fucking YES, that’s manipulative bullshit is what it is.

It honestly feels like part of that possessiveness double standard I mentioned before: he doesn’t owe her any of the consideration--or obedience!--he’s decided she owes him.

9) this exchange:

“He is a man who changes none of his habits, and he has never received anybody till evening."

"What man are you speaking of?" inquired Cosette.

"Me? I said nothing.”

God I’d forgotten the gaslighting starts this fucking early.

9) And, of course, when she begs him to tell her his plan, explaining very clearly that being helpless and not even able to leave the house feels horrible, he refuses several times over to explain the plan.

10) Cosette takes direction very well from the manipulative pressure the men in her life put on her. She starts calling him her master in response to all this--which I doubt she was doing before--because she knows it’s the thing he wants to hear and which will placate him.

11) They have their second-ever kiss on the strength of the relief of her having submitted correctly into the role he terrorized her into.

FUCK THIS FUCKING GUY.

#brickclub #lm 4.8.6 #this may be becoming a marius hate blog

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tsugarubecker · 3 years

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As I was rewatching an ep in ST S1 with a friend, I was of course leading them through all the subtext (“hear that? Listen to this line. Look at that object in the background!” etc etc). We got to the “love makes you crazy and stupid” line and I was like pay attention to this omg. Then I noticed Dustin being like “she’s our friend and she’s crazy!” and of course nudged my friend. (Why? Because as we all know, @kaypeace21 famously called attention to the fact that Flo’s line here functions as The Duffers giving us a “key” to the “map” that is Stranger Things. Her line helps us make sense of so much other dialogue going forward.)

And then I realized (has this been noticed already? prolly): when Flo says to Nancy that “you better tell that guy that he’s not your bf if he isn’t, because clearly he’s assuming that he is - because only love makes you that crazy & stupid” Nancy takes her comment to mean that Jonathan likes her romantically. She didn’t notice! She didn’t realize! Jonathan was not defending her! Jonathan was utterly willing to walk away from the situation until Steve started insulting every single member of his family!!

Maybe Jonathan liked Nancy romantically at that point - maybe he didn’t - but he “acted crazy” because of his love for his family. Not out of love for Nancy.

So, several things happening here.

1) The show is showing us the grey areas between different kinds of love. Romantic. Platonic. Familial. We are being given a thesis of “it can be hard to tell which one we’re feeling, or which one other people are feeling - sometimes we assume which one they’re feeling and it turns out we are wrong.” (Think about Steve and Robin! And how their dynamic reiterates this same message! I beg you!!!!)

2) The Duffers are riffing - as they do every day of the damn week - off the audience’s presumptions of heteronormativity! We as the audience unquestioningly internalize this assumption of Flo’s as god-given truth - that it was Nancy that Jonathan was defending, and that he was defending her bc he likes her romantically. We are guided to ignore & gloss over the fact that he was more moved to act by the love he has for his family. (And it’s only easy to guide us to ignore that because heteronormativity exists and we are mostly all little sheep that will accept heteronormative ideas without question. We’ve been taught to!) (Seriously this plot point of “we are all assuming heteronormativity when in fact, various forms of love are at play - queer love, familial love, platonic love” keeps coming up. Over and over in this show)

3) We are seeing another of the Wheeler siblings have the idea put in their head - in the course of the same season - that their dynamic with someone must be romantic in nature, simply because it’s one boy and one girl. Nancy accepts this assumption as “must be true” as quickly as Mike does when the same assumption is made of him and Eleven. (And this is to say absolutely nothing of Steve seeing Nancy and Jonathan sitting in Nancy’s room as Jonathan comforts her post-first demogorgon contact and making all the same heteronormative assumptions! He assumes they’re sleeping together - and he is shown to be wrong! He’s shown to be wrong, people!How can I say this louder?! The Duffers literally said assuming heteronormativity - or even just assuming romantic love - is sometimes completely wrong, and here is an example! I’m shrieking) (Like they seriously said “sometimes we look at a situation and think two people are romantically involved - or should be - when we have no reason to believe that except for the fact that they are one boy and one girl, aka heteronormativity. And sometimes when we assume two people are romantically involved or would be interested in each other based on nothing other than heteronormativity, we’re wrong.” This is a massive thesis statement of the show. Ughughugh brb screaming crying throwing up)

Ohhhh my god and now I’m thinking of Murray in S2 putting the idea further into Nancy & Jonathan’s heads that they like each other, based - yet again - on nothing more than the fact that “one boy and one girl”. I’m losing my mind. These two literally let other people tell them that their care for each other must be romantic in nature because they are one boy and one girl - exactly, EXACTLY to a T what happened to Mike and El as well. Jfc I’m dying over here

Ok I’m done beating a dead horse but like. Please somebody vibe with me over this. Every time I watch ST I feel like the underlying messages of the show become more clear to me and it’s really exciting

#each of the wheelers - mike nancy and karen - have separate but related battles to fight against heteronormativity #i’m right. don’t even try to argue lol #stranger things #stranger things analysis #stranger things theory #stranger things prediction #stranger things season one #byler #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler

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