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better-angels-tempered-sins · 4 years

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Hacy Ramblings

Even though Macy and Harry’s relationship (friendship and otherwise) has spiraled this season (and I hate to see it), the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me.

Harry and Macy have so much in common but they’re at different parts in their lives. Macy, though a bad-ass scientist with a brilliant mind, her accomplishments in academia, her career, her role as the eldest Charmed One, doesn’t mean that she has everything figured out when it comes to love.

This is someone who didn’t have a real relationship until she was in her late twenties; someone, who for most of her life, felt extremely lonely and doesn’t do well when the people she loves leaves her, either through their own volition or through death.

The show would’ve benefited a great deal by delving deeper into Macy’s life before she met Mel and Maggie but, even without knowing a lot about where she comes from, everything that has happened to her throughout the first season, especially, gives us insight into why she isn’t opening up to Harry about the way she feels.

For one, her relationship with Galvin was a disaster. Not only did he tell her that he was afraid of her and wasn’t the most patient with her (because, as we know, Macy is the type of person who thinks before she leaps), but he made the decision to sacrifice himself for the greater good. A noble thing to do on his part but in Macy’s mind, Galvin became yet another person in her life willing to leave her.

A lot of people’s complaints about the writing this season in regards to Macy’s character it doesn’t portray her as the strong person that she is and...while I am all for strong female characters, I do believe that it is important to not put women in a box. Strong women are not strong all the time. This doesn’t mean that they are weak every other time but...it does mean that they don’t always have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

And it seems that, even before Macy found out she was a witch, a Charmed One, an older sister, she has always felt like she had to be the one to save the world. I mean, come on? Who becomes a scientist, if not someone who thinks that they find the Next Big Thing that will help or advance humankind in some way? Macy has not gotten a chance to exist outside of that narrative, so to see her be vulnerable in her own way, and experience romance and heartbreak, is important.

As frustrating as the romance and heartbreak is, I like that Macy is getting a chance to have experiences that she didn’t get to have when she was younger.

This leads me to my next thought...

Macy is pushing 30 years old, so a lot of people are saying that she’s an adult and should be more open about her feelings and let me just say...that age does not dictate when someone is ready to be honest with themselves and other people about what’s in their heart. I’m almost 26 and I would rather run away from a guy than talk to him about how I feel. Call it immature but so many people are afraid to put their hearts on the line, regardless of age.

That said, Macy has gone through a lot. She found out that she died at birth, the true reason her mother had to give her up, found out that she had demon blood in her, and lost Galvin because of it. Macy has had to make so many decisions in such a short period of time about the person she wants to be, and a lot of that decision-making centered around what it means to be good and evil, a witch and a demon.

No one knew what she was going through and just like everything else, she had to deal with the changes alone. While she has reconciled both the light and dark parts of herself, the people that she loves and are closest to her, have not.

At least that’s part of what’s going through her head when she’s the Source. For a long time I couldn’t understand why all of the realities Macy made did not star Galvin. She didn’t even interact with him after she brought him back to life. And then it clicked.

Macy cared about Galvin. She didn’t want him to die saving the world and she didn’t want him to leave her BUT as the Source, love wasn’t enough to placate her. Because love, in her experience, eventually leaves. And she hates being abandoned. So I think the true motivation behind her bringing him back was because she didn’t want him to be able to make the decision to leave her.

The Source is just raw power. It’s not rational. It’s all instinct and impulse, all things that Macy isn’t. Source Macy wanted Galvin alive simply because she had the power to make it happen. I think, more than anything, her time as the Source made Macy realize what love is and isn’t. Love is being able to accept all of who someone is without question and Maggie and Mel, even if her relationship with Macy was rocky, do.

The writers could’ve given Galvin a better send off but...I understand the purpose he served in Macy’s life. He taught her that she deserved to be desired, respected, and understood by the person she chooses to be in a relationship with. When Macy didn’t make a move or kept brushing him off, Galvin’s first instinct was to get in a relationship with someone else. He didn’t push Macy or pursue her. And I think, deep down, that’s what she wants.

This is a woman who has spent her entire life making decisions and thinking long and hard before she leaps. For once, she just wants someone else to take the wheels, so to speak. And be open to pursuing her (which is why I think she was drawn to Jimmy and Julian, but more on this later).

It feels wrong to use Galvin as a plot device but how many people can honestly say that their first relationship didn’t teach them anything about who they are and what they want?

Speaking of wants and desires...Macy is the type of person who still keeps a journal. This means that she is a private person, not just with other people, but with herself. She is not used to voicing what she wants and the one time she went after what she wanted as the Source (i.e. her mom), everything blew up in her face.

Macy is still learning how to talk to people about how she feels and though at the end of season one she told her sisters that she would try to be more open with them, that is easier said than done.

Every time Macy wants something, something goes wrong and just as the Source. She wanted to use her demon powers for good, but that resulted in her hurting Mel. In the first episode of Season 2, she wanted Harry to come back to her, which resulted in her knocking her defenses down and leaving her even more vulnerable to Jimmy’s mind invasion. In the episode where Abigael was introduced, Macy was so excited about meeting someone like her (half-demon, half-witch) that she didn’t realize the snake she let slither into the command center.

There are other instances big or small that we can think of where things didn’t go right for Macy. Needless to say, I get why she doesn’t just go to Harry and tell her how she feels about him. The first time she meets Jimmy, she thinks it is Harry. Full disclaimer, I do not ship Jimmy/Macy (that’s a post for another day) and I don’t understand why people think Macy likes Jimmy for who he is as a person. For one, Macy doesn’t know who or what Jimmy is. Like I said, she thinks he’s Harry. The “you seem different, Harry” scene, is Macy thinking that she’s seeing another side of her Whitelighter and liking it. She likes the idea of Harry being bold and seductive with her.

She wants him to desire her and Jimmy gives her access to the part of Harry that she wants. Even the scene where Harry asks Macy if she had feelings for his Darklighter, Macy admits that she did because Jimmy was apart of him. But of course Harry is too distracted by not feeling whole to think about what Macy was saying.

Macy is very smart but I could imagine trying to reconcile the fact that Jimmy is a different person and yet apart of Harry has to be mind-boggling. Macy is a scientist. She likes being able to understand things and even if she can’t at first, she works at it, until she has a breakthrough. Whitelighters and Darklighters are things she can’t explain. Though Jimmy looks like Harry, she knows it’s not him, and yet, there is something about him that reminds her of Harry (which is why I think it was easy for him to kidnap her in the first place even with the safe word).

Macy loves shows like Heaven’s Vice. She spent years thinking of ways she wanted the show to end which leads me to believe that Macy is no stranger to fan fiction. Regardless of whether she writes or reads it, Macy loves having something to escape in, a forum to express the way she wants things to play out. Having dinner and dancing with Jimmy allowed her to play out her fantasies. Because, let’s be honest, Macy could’ve come up with another excuse to get out that didn’t involve changing into a red dress.

She could’ve tried going out the patio doors. She could’ve climbed out a window. She could’ve went to her room and tried escaping without changing her clothes. But part of her...wanted to stay and live out her fantasies. The rational part of her wouldn’t let her do that.

People complain about how Charmed doesn’t revolve around the sisters as much as it should and I would argue that even with scenes where they’re not all together, this show is always going to be about their love for each other. Macy put what she wanted on hold, to get back to her family.

Seducing Jimmy was the only way she could gain his trust and get her powers back. But...Macy isn’t a spy. She might be good at it, but that doesn’t mean she leaves her heart in the door at the process. Imagine trying to seduce the twin of the guy you like who doesn’t give you the time of day. That could get really confusing, don’t you agree?

Macy does not want Jimmy. She wants what he represents. When she admitted that she was drawing him, she said she was intrigued by him. Intrigued means to be curious or fascinated by something or someone. That doesn’t sound like romance does it?

No, this sounds like Macy recognizes Jimmy for what he is: a piece of Harry. And she’s fascinated about this side of Harry that she doesn’t get to see. But not enough to risk it all to be with him, because if that were the case she would’ve stopped Harry from killing him.

Jimmy is not whole in Macy’s eyes but Harry is. She doesn’t know how to express that to him though but I am sure, in her mind, she thinks that she is. And Harry is having this internal struggle, thinking that he’s not whole, and that he’ll never be enough for Macy, when really, he is.

These two are so afraid of how the other will react to each other’s feelings it is literally keeping them apart and making them run into the arms of people that say all the right things, but are all wrong for them.

I don’t have anything against Julian and recognize that he makes Macy smile and they’re able to talk about science and other things that Macy is interested in BUT...he was ready to drop his aunt to be with her. Sure his aunt was rude to Macy and that is unacceptable but that woman raised him. Macy would never let a guy get in-between her and her family. It’s why she was able to drop Julian in a heartbeat.

Macy doesn’t realize what Julian just did because she’s never had anyone pursue her the way Julian has/is and right now it’s what she wants. It might not be from the man she wants but she’ll take it from anywhere she can get it. And Harry is the same way with Abigael.

And another thing...Harry telling Macy that she knows how he feels about her isn’t enough. Galvin told her he loved her and still left her, still couldn’t accept all of her. Macy’s mom loved her but still left her (and yeah she knows the reasons why but it still hurts). Harry told her in so many words that he loved her and then he walked away. So, as I much as it frustrates me, I can see why she went to Aspen. And why Hacy is in the mess that they’re currently in.

This long post really could’ve been condensed to this one line: Harry and Macy are not together right now because they are still hurting from their pasts, have sucky communication skills, and are afraid of taking a leap without knowing where they are going to land first.

#charmed reboot #hacy #ramblings #macy vaughn #harry greenwood

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inappropriatefangirlneeds · 4 years

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Gotham s5ep11 “They Did What?” Personal Review & Rambling

I DID IT .... I WATCHED THE GOTHAM FINALE

“We need to make it a bomb again.” Absolutely no warning cause that’s all no spoiler anymore for a long time

So I´m not sure if it´s good thing I´m watching this ages late, partly I guess I could be more emotional, partly not. It´s sweet to see how everyone and their aunt is teaming up for the city. “Well, this is gonna make one hell of a bedtime story some day.” With Nyssa al Ghul holding the baby I briefly totally forgot the plot and wondered where did that child come from again? And my brain went back to the (godawful) “Ra´s present for Barbara is a child” theory, and then I remembered oh no it was Jim ..and I was like .. eh, magic baby would have been the better plot. So that´s how we started this but at least Jim and Barbara were quite sweet, even with the child (I usually just cringe and crumble in sheer terror of what kind of responsibility a child is whenever one of those appears but they made it sweet) BARBARA KEAN & JIM GORDON were such a great team! Also Barbara just looks so damn fine, they really did good with that. And just bless the FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHERS of the Show , handcuffed Barbara taking out the guy with her legs > Jim later handcuffing Nyssa to keep her close to not get shot at < Good Stuff! * ~ 24:05 even up to the Steps of SELINA KYLE , Just the way she walked before fighting Bane was such a neat detail ”My father made his name destroying empires.” NYSSA AL GHUL I guess with more time she´s got potential but rushed like that her character is just boring.

“Can we really be so cavalier about the destruction of Gotham?” Oh OSWALD COBBLEPOT that´s part of why I fell in love with you. So he and EDWARD NYGMA go over the whole “listening to your heart never did you any good Oswald” spiel, and “I´ll miss you”, or “not so much”, Ed kind of is saying “don´t go” , but just not quite, the usual, you know, I can´t bring myself to care much but damn do I like watching their pretty selves talk through it. * Edward later follows Oswald, claiming it´s about the city, says the submarine can only operated by two people, and actual people, dog didn´t work. The usual. * Holy Shit, JIM GORDON ´s so gorgeous. It´s not like I had forgotten how pretty he is but damn that episode hit me hard again with Jim feels. Him over that map, going through their strategy. Daaaamn daaaaaaaaamn. * JIM GORDON & OSWALD COBBLEPOT in something that might as well be just fanfiction: “Oswald, come in.” / “Still have those eyes in the back of your head, Jim.” / “No. You just have a remarkably recognizable odor. Part dandy, part snake. After all these years, it hasn't changed. Drink?” / “No, thank you. Dulls the senses.” / “That's what I was going for. Surprised you're still here. Figured you'd be long gone by now. That storm you've warned me about for so long, it's finally here.” / “Sure, I could escape... with money, I might add... but then what? Stand on the shores of the mainland and watch the army burn it to the ground? Then watch tasteless industrialists and vapid politicians rebuild it? No. My life is etched on the walls of every alley and dirty warehouse here. My blood lives in its broken concrete. I'm staying to fight. For my legacy.” * LESLIE THOMPKINS caring about the people of the Narrows was great, I don´t know, if I like that she “abandoned” them in order to stand next to Jim but I can let it pass because of the way she did: She respected and trusted BARBARA KEAN to get them out. I can accept a plot that doesn´t pit those two women against each other (anymore). It was equally great that Lee just told Jim to “yes, go to your child”, and not to forget the scene where Barbara is thanking Lee for what she did, and “Barbara Lee Gordon” * Lucius is full on providing gadgets for Bruce, including that Bat Beacon that slowed down Bane. Nice but eh. Also they rehash Jeremiah´s plan to turn the city in a labyrinth to slow down the army. “We need to make it a bomb again.” Battery goes Bomb again, but eh, kind of fell flat for me

* HARVEY BULLOCK pointing out they are fighting SOLDIERS that are just following orders was a good touch. And it makes sense that JIM could brush that aside, he knows what they signed up for. That´s what you do, that´s what you accept. * Also I can stan a good story that rejects and is a slap in the face of the "NUREMBERG DEFENSE" so props to that! Just the execution fell so remarkably flat for me. I felt nothing then the people came back with Barbara, nothing when the soldiers pointed their guns at Bane. BRUCE WAYNE & SELINA KYLE Just Selina checking in with a “Bruce?” to make sure he actually wants to do that bomb thing was so precious. Also her recognizing that he is and accepting his choice. [Rant Below] Them later sitting on the stairs and talking was sweet too, except for what they talked about. SELINA KYLE MRs. & MR WAYNE So apparently they paralleled those in this episode 1. Selina´s shadow is just right under the painting of Mrs & Mr Wayne and Bruce just plants the bomb right in the middle of her shadow ~19:40) 2. Selina telling Bruce on the stairs she will be there whenever he needs her and Bruce replying that this is what his parents used to tell him. Which is a good setup for the kind of conclusion Bruce draws out of all of this but also I´m gonna rant about it below but first: 3. Bruce says his parents would have and did sacrifice everything for the city. He´s making the same choice but apparently can´t see that Selina has as much a choice to do so as he and Mrs & Mr Wayne have . So in the end I´m getting overly emotional, angry, hurt, let down to be precise: How dare BRUCE WAYNE leave SELINA KYLE behind like this?! Given the backstory that´s bound to be so much more painful than whatever Jeremiah or Bane ever could do. Selina has been through this after Jeremiah and she made a choice. She stayed, she thought and she was (not that that matters but let´s not forget it) damn good at it. I know Bruce thinks he´s making a “sacrifice” but how dare he take away this choice from her. How dare he hurt her like that.

* Most importantly though ALFRED PENNYWORTH in that COAT at the end looked so damn dashing. I´m in love. But I don´t like that they made a point of benching his character like that. He added plenty to the fight, he´s been in hospital before, he can add still contribute like he always did. Don´t let it end like this. Yeah I do need at least three seasons to magically happen before the 5th. OSWALY COBBLEPOT & EDWARD NYGMA Round #2 * Edward apologizes for freezing because of the grenade, Oswald understands. Edward gags when seeing Oswald´s hurt eye but claims it is just a scratch. * Back in a remarkable awesome looking place they lick their wounds: > Oswald feels not appreciated he wants “credit for our loyalty, our selfless bravery?” aka Love. > Edward however feels better than everyone else. He used to be “Shy awkward, pathetic Ed”. Not anymore. He´s better! “I don't want their thanks. Or their respect. You know what I felt, standing shoulder to shoulder with those people out there? Nothing. I... feel... absolutely nothing for those drab... boring people.” Never again. I've shown this city who I truly am once before, and I will do it again. They will bow to the Riddler, and they won't get up until I permit them to.” >> The notion of the “Thankless Job” is there too with Ed but Ed get his kicks out of separating himself from the people, he´s different and above them he doesn´t care about their opinion and has no real stakes in their well being. Oswald however obviously still want´s the recognition of said people, and he wants the good and nice kind, so it´s important that they aren´t miserable. However “Yes. You're right. Our accomplishments have been erased, our brilliant minds underrated. If they had let me run this city the way I wanted to, it would not be in ruins now. I had the men, the money, - the guns... “ 1. Oswald falls in line with Ed´s reasoning, appeals to his brilliance spleen but tweaks it for his need. Edward says he has to rule and they have to bow to him. Os says Ed is right, follows in line with Ed in reassuming a strife for leadership but adds his twist that this is necessary not so much because he (just as Ed thinks he is) is superior but because his leadership is “good” for the people. He´ll do good for them so they´ll like him. >>> Oswald wants to rule to not have the city in ruins and get praised for that >>> Edward wants to rule because he´s better and deserves so regardless of other imbeciles thoughts or needs. 2. Divide et Imperare Edward is quick to make sure to point a finger to an enemy and separate Oswald from Jim “Gordon took them.” Oswald just might as well try to go back to old methods and try build alliances with Jim and the law again, Edward recently saw Oswald and Jim kind of teaming up again and he just can´t have that. Just like Mr. Penn was in the way. Jim is a threat. One to be undermined at all costs: “Gordon took them. Why? Because he still sees you as Fish Mooney's umbrella boy, and he always will.”

3. One Ring to bind them. Edward starts with a selfish reason but is quick to put Oswald back into the plan. First there´s “I” suddenly he talks about a “We”: “I only came back to help him save this city so that I could take it for myself. We would be stronger together. No one could stop us.” 4. Do they believe each other?! Apparently they don´t because the both go in the hug with a drawn knife but are relieved when they don´t feel one in their own back. Which was really nice and fitting imagery. I can live with that “conclusion” but I have so much open questions. I really got to look for post that worked through all of this. > Oswald obviously must be weary of Edward because (I just have to believe) that he sees through the manipulating words of Edward. (as listed above) [[[ Especially the scene with Jim: They had a rather respectful, familiar interaction. I can´t quite believe that he follows Edward´s claim that JIM only thinks of him as that umbrella boy. I do think Oswald gets that Jim takes him serious, just well considers all his crime stuff to be wrong, and that´s quite a different thing than what Ed claims.]]] > What is Edward´s angle there? Yeah he might not have been able to operate the submarine alone but granted his speech it sounded like he would think that he is capable of taking the city for and by himself. Why is he appealing to Oswald to form a “we”? Just to get him in the hug situation and test him, asses a possible future threat to his claims? The only other proper motivation for that would be …. he likes Oswald. 5. “Brothers” Hahahah * Okay, but Oswald´s face when Edward and his mirror self do their thing …Damn …. * 8:26 Are the “Captain Jim Gordon” letters on his door window colour ??! * Jankey Piss Whiskey, what is Jim drinking? * Oh no, not the General

#gotham #gotham meta #mine Gotham full episode reviews #nygmobblepot #gotham s5ep11 They Did What?#bruce wayne

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nightcoremoon · 4 years

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goys are getting way too comfy being antisemitic when shitting on ginsberg

I'm not jewish but like. jews don't owe you being unproblematic. even people like ben shapiro, piece of shit he is, deserves to have his cultural, ethnic, and religious heritage respected. if you only award the gold star of not being discriminated against to the select few who think speak act and behave exactly the way you want them to, congratulations! you are a bigoted piece of shit! adam sandler and seth rogen and all the other jewish people y'all hate are just as deserving of being respected as paul rudd and andy samberg and danny avidan and all the jewish people y'all love, regardless of if you think they're racist or sexist or homophobic or anti whatever. it doesn't fucking matter if you think ginsberg voted /morally wrong/ or what have you, every single time you are antisemitic to a jew, or racist to a black person, or homophobic to a queer person, or transphobic to a trans person, islamophobic to a muslim, whatever, bigoted attacks on the individual are attacks on the collective. it's really not difficult AT ALL to not attack people based on the demographics they belong to.

jews don't have to earn the right to be respected by assimilating to the discourse. they earned the right to be respected already through centuries of everyone else trying to kill them. and even if you were gonna base the value of a human's life off the accomplishments of the individual like some kind of fascist, she made enough leaps and bounds in women's rights in america to at the VERY FUCKING LEAST not be thrown to the nazi wolves.

y'all are ugly. let the dead rest. alav hashalom.

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dansenfans · 4 years

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From Dansen fans admin.

This is a collaborative reaction to some (not all as we would be here forever and a day trying to write it down) of our problems with the current storylines on Supergirl. Before we get into that, a word on who helps run the account. We are a varied set of users, but all recognize the importance of Dansen, but also Brainia as representation that not only helps other LGBTQ people - it undoubtedly has saved a life somewhere simply because someone sees themselves represented onscreen. Do not think for a second this is an exaggeration or untrue. The representation is that important and needed. LGBTQ representation is far more than just having a character on TV. It gives those who are marginalized a voice. It gives that child growing up in a hostile environment simply for being LGBTQ hope that their life can be okay. That they aren't a freak. Or they have sinned.

We are from within the LGBTQ community, white, POC and from the heterosexual community (as an ally). So these comments are from a diverse set of people. We all love different characters and even multi-ship in some cases. What we all have in common is a love of Dansen.

What we all also have in common is our absolute horror in not only how the current LGBTQ characters are being used, but how relationships are suffering for it.

Even away from Dansen we are finding the current overall arc of the story extremely difficult, because there is now such a disconnect from characters and friendships.

Let's tackle the LGBTQ and Dansen problem first.

William has as much presence as a tree stump. There is something called the potted plant test, and that basically means, if a character can be replaced by a potted plant in scenes and not be missed, they don't need to be there. William is that plotted plant. So many of his scenes could easily have been done by Nia (who is a journalist after all) or Kelly (who we still don't know if she knows Kara is Supergirl, which under the circumstances is utterly laughable).

There is also something in the screenwriting industry that is writing 101, and by all accounts (according to a screenwriter a couple of us know, and no they aren't in the Supergirl fandom, SM or watch Supergirl), “Show us, don’t tell us why this relationship or friendship should work," is what you should have at the forefront of anything you write.

In other words, if fans are being told, or characters get continually told by those around them why they should be in a relationship, it isn't working.

The premise is pretty simple. You outline you want your character to have a love interest. You indicate who that LI might be. You get casting sorted, have chemistry reads. Consider the way in how they get together to fit the bigger narrative. What you don't do is tie it down that this is the way you have to go, regardless of what the story calls for. If after a few episodes, the chemistry onscreen between a character and someone completely different to the LI you had in mind is so obvious, so powerful, you adjust. You don't try to force the original LI into that scenario. If you then have to justify that LI (in Supergirl's case by having those around continually tell her she should go for a date with William, when she looks nothing but awkward and the chemistry is flat), then you fail on this basic writing point. If you ignore what a lot of fans, media and casual observers see elsewhere, you fail at the job of being a good storyteller.

Supergirl has done both.

Ah but now we head into that territory of Supercorp. Look, we don't ask that people like Supercorp. This truly isn't about that. We aren't a Supercorp account. What it is about is the groundswell of fans who have increasingly seen a crackling connection between Kara and Lena, who had either of these characters been male, would've had them together by now. There are so many direct parallels to other couples, not just on Supergirl but elsewhere (particularly Clois, which fans have plenty of examples about if you look).

But this season, Supergirl took it a step further. The romantic coding that went on in 5a, that had direct parallels to the canon couple (Dansen) on the show to bait fans into watching (and yes it was queerbaiting if they didn't intend to make it romantic because that is exactly what queerbaiting is, and Supergirl has queerbaited now in the worst ways possible) is inexcusable. When you have media outlets, blogs, even non Supergirl fans see this and talk about it (each of us here has someone who isn't a Supergirl fan, but knowing there is a lesbian couple on the show assume Kara and Lena are that couple if they've caught sight of clips) then you have a problem, even if you don't acknowledge it.

The latest hypocrisy of all this is how some fans have tripped over themselves to say how lovely, how romantic it was of William to remember Kara's coffee order, yet scream down other fans who said the same thing as Kara not only got Lena her favourite coffee and food - she flew across the world to achieve that, at a time Kara fully believed the friendship was fixed. To have fans called delusional for it is preposterous. You cannot do that. You simply can't, and this is a prime reason so many fans get angry and upset.

Aside from that, the overtones of why William did the coffee run, it was actually more on the creepy side than friendship side. He even acknowledged his behaviour, with the coffee, the texts and the compliments was overstepping and not respecting Kara by his actions. Some say that's self awareness and bravo. We all argue it is borderline abusive. If your self awareness is such you know your behavior is wrong, and you do nothing to stop or correct that behavior and carry on, then those are nothing more than platitudes. There are examples of people who have been triggered by 5.14 and Williams' actions, and citing why that has occurred as IPV survivors. Melissa is a IPV survivor and if others have been affected by this, we truly worry Melissa has been too, although we sincerely hope that isn't the case. Is that what you want as a fan, even if it is only a possibility with Melissa? Because we definitely don't. No fan should have been triggered from a character like that.

The 100th episode basically turned around and told Kara that she and Lena's destiny was so entwined, that they couldn't live without each other, or they would die for the other. Platonic or not, that is soulmate status. As for best friends? Those of us who are married are all married to our best friend. So many people, whether gay, straight, everywhere in between, say a spouse is their best friend. For anyone saying a best friend doesn't mean they're in love with that person is the worst take, as most of the time the best friend is the partner or spouse. William has barely been in the friend zone, let alone best friend zone.

As for how William is impacting on the LGBTQ and current cast, there is no doubt he is in an extremely negative way. To the degree that Dansen has suffered significantly. Sure we had an emotional scene in 5.07, but we are now at 5.14, so a further 7 episodes in, and we barely have minutes worth of Dansen onscreen time. Last episode was less than a full minute total Dansen time and that's the best it's been in weeks.

Less than a minute! It was approximately 45 seconds for the first scene. 7 seconds (yes you read that correctly 7 seconds) on the second scene.

So this means that while we got nice character development beginning in S4, and to some degree early in 5a, we have had nothing on any note in regards Dansen all season, or Kelly throughout the entire season so far.

This means that we got invested in these characters, we were promised it would develop as S5 went on, to have this thrown at us as the best they can do? Any intimacy has been pretty much nonexistent, (we had more from Sanvers), and we get told that what they have given us we should be grateful for. No-one deserves that sort of disdain as fans. Yet we get told by others that Kara deserves a relationship with William? Save us the hypocrisy.

No-one here is saying Kara doesn't deserve a relationship, but at the expense of others? Lead of the show or not, that is an awful take. Particularly when we have a fundamental relationship with her and Lena, even if it isn't romantic.

If you cannot find balance as a writer to incorporate all of these things, then you aren't doing a good job of it at all. Azie in particular has been given the shittest end of the stick possible. Chyler hasn't faired much better. It is making Dansen now appear forced and lacking depth, and that's even allowing for the build up they gave us in S4. Kelly is a Black Lesbian, is highly educated, has (by all accounts) a loving solid relationship with another woman. All aspects we should be highlighting and applauding. Instead, here we are having to write at length some of what is so wrong for us.

Moving on to another area that was problematic. To have Alex discuss technical details as Kelly arrived in regard her work at Obsidian North, but to hear Kara say to Kelly, "She has never said words like that."

Now this line could have been in jest, but it didn't feel like that, and considering Alex has a PhD in bioengineering, Alex is also an expert in alien physiology, and has used this knowledge in multiple D.E.O. operations. Alex was able to successfully create Blue Kryptonite to incapacitate Bizarro and working with Maxwell Lord, synthesized a cure for Red Kryptonite. She is also an accomplished neuroscientist and xenobiologist. Alex herself stated she could've had a promising medical career as a researcher had she not decided to work at the D.E.O. instead - and now you are saying Alex would never use that kind of language? Come on! That's so unrealistic it would be laughable if it wasn't so awful.

If you are a show who claims to be at the forefront of LGBTQ representation, who claim to be about female empowerment, you are giving us neither of those things. Someone else wrote this (taken with permission from Buddha in disguise on Tumblr).

"It seems we shouldn't ask for justification as to why William is on the show, but when we say the LGBTQ characters are being sidelined, that it doesn't matter one jot how diverse a cast can be; if said cast are not being given credible storylines or screentime, and if we say as much, we have to continually justify why that is the case. We get told to take what we are given. To insist on better, is oppressing the straight characters on the show, often said by CIS men (in some cases CIS women have argued the same). This isn't oppressing anyone, but asking that if we get given relationships, given characters we want to invest in, they get the storylines to accomplish that. Supergirl is failing the LGBTQ audience so badly at the moment. So many have the same complaints it is ludicrous to suggest this is just one section of a fandom or trolls."

The show is floundering. Winn got a more complete arc and closure in two episodes than anyone else so far on the show this season. We might have had 3 or 4 great episodes out of 14 of the 20 so far this season. The rest have been mediocre at best, with no obvious cohesive plot or storytelling.

It is crazy that a Superhero show, that effectively has the freedom to pull in ideas from multiple sources with unique interesting takes that allows, has made it so boring, so full of drudgery that people are starting to turn off in droves. A fandom boycott isn't enough for such poor ratings on some episodes. Having moments in an episode that are good, possibly great, when the rest around it is so poor is destined to fail. 5.14 was another example of that. The moments that were good were enjoyable but the rest was so bad, it is harder to enjoy those good points. To even remember them.

Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow have both done this far better of late (even if Legends have been a bit problematic with Zari), and the POC and the LGBTQ side of the stories have primarily been handled well. Batwoman in particular has just done an amazing storyline with Sophie Moore. The interesting thing is, a lot of people found Sophie hard to like to begin with. Many thought Kate Kane was better off without her. What changed all that was they gave Sophie an in depth, credible backstory and the chemistry between them grew organically. Fans could see the connection and increasingly yearned for it. They have also just tackled homophobia in families, particularly for POC. All without taking away from other essential elements of the storytelling. Supergirl take note; this is how you write a show that is integrated without hurting either the POC & LGBTQ characters or CIS straight characters.

Now let's just broach the disconnect with characters and friendships.

Because of the fracturing of friendships and relationships has been so extreme (virtually every one has lost all or most of what we had in previous seasons), we have lost core elements of the show. Of course the most obvious is Kara and Lena, but it extends far beyond that.

Alex and Brainy. Brainy and Lena. Brainy and Nia (Brainia is groundbreaking representation for transgender people to show they too can have relationships, but no, we can't even have that). Kelly and Kara (early S5 suggested Kara and Kelly were close enough friends now to talk about presents for Alex). Alex and Lena.

Alex, Lena and Kara, which in the last two seasons have been the powerhouse behind them defeating whatever was going on around them as a team, but still allowing Kara to shine as the Superhero.

All these intricate relationships have gone. Instead we are faced with pairings that feel uncomfortable and awkward as a viewer, so the crux of what made Supergirl work has been lost. We are suddenly expected to be able to feel emphatic and understand completely unheard of pairings when we know nothing about them under those circumstances. Strangely enough, the one new pairing they have achieved this with is Andrea and Lena, because we got a fully fleshed out background, that also helped explain some of Lena's behavior today. The rest feels chaotic, and so far into the season that feeling of chaos should be going the other way. Instead it's increasing.

As we wrote this, the latest media outlet to highlight some of the problems the last episode faced came out.

It might not be a big article or have any real depth, but when The Radio Times wades in, you are beginning to lose serious credibility in media circles. The Radio Times is not some 2 bit media blog that you can laugh off or blame a fandom for.

5.15 promises to have better LGBTQ content, and is tackling a subject that Nicole herself became involved in with the writers. This gives us higher hope it is a better episode overall. We also know Kelly and Alex work together with J'onn, and while it would be great to see them partner up onscreen, we would actually really like just softer Dansen at home moments. We hope it incorporates both, but honestly the way this season has gone we aren't holding out much hope on that.

Last of all. We have seen several people tout that the plot twist is William in fact becomes a villain. None of us like the idea that another POC becomes a villain, but if by seasons end it occurred and so explained his presence (as a tool or high up member for Leviathan for example,) then at least that would give us something solid. But again, to do all this at the expense of all other characters is not what you want to see. Nor do any of us wish to see another POC get killed off if this happens as is being suggested. We would all rather William just disappears back to London to The Times.

The last thing any of us wanted was to be writing this, but collectively our patience has run out. Our disappointment is acute.

While we try to avoid mistakes and edit this, none of us are writers so please forgive any glaring errors you find.

#azie tesfai #chyler leigh #dansen #lgbtq #supergirl #alex danvers #kelly olsen #nia nal #supercorp #Melissa Benoist #kara danvers #katie mcgrath #lena luthor #nicole maines #jesse rath #Brainy #brainiac5

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divine-daenerys · 5 years

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I’m Raging - Daenerys Deserves So Much Better.

I’ve been watching Game of Thrones for years, and what drew me to it more than the politicking, more than the battles and mythical creatures, was the character building.

I’ve loved Daenerys Targaryen from the moment we first saw her on screen. I’ve watched her grow from a scared young girl, nothing but a pawn for her brother, into a strong queen. Throughout that whole journey, one of the things that never changed was her compassion.

She always, always, fought for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. From standing up for the women who were raped by Drogo’s men and taking them into her service to save them, to postponing her goal of sailing to Westeros in order to spend seasons working towards freeing slaves, she was never willing to watch innocents get hurt.

She has proven, time and time again, that she is kind. That she is loving, caring. That she can be a strong queen and do what was necessary, no matter how hard, without losing her good heart.

And now they’re shitting all over her character arc, they’re shitting all over her accomplishments, her suffering, her hard work. They’re disregarding everything we’ve ever known her to be, causing her blow after blow, so they can justify a Mad Queen development that’s a mockery, an insult, to everything she went through, to everything she’s done, to everything she is. And why? To clear the way for Jon to get the throne? So he can be the savior, so he can get everything she worked for without getting his hands dirty?

She has fought so hard, and lost so much.

She grew up on the run, constantly scared for her life.

She was sold as a broodmare in exchange for an army.

She was raped.

She watched her brother, who regardless of his cruelty was the last of her family, the only family she ever really knew, die.

She lost her child and the ability to ever have more children. To ever have a family of her own.

She lost her husband.

And yet she picked herself back up, walked into the raging fire of her husband’s funeral pyre with three stone eggs and walked out, unharmed, with three baby dragons. With creatures that haven’t been seen in over a hundred years.

She was constantly underestimated and belittled.

And yet she got her Unsullied and gained a close advisor and friend with nothing but her own wit. She continued her journey to end slavery and punish slavers even when she was offered all she needed to go home.

She was forced to lock away her dragons, her children, because she couldn’t stand having another child’s burnt bones laid at her feet.

She found out the one person who’s been with her through it all had betrayed her.

She lost Ser Barristan, her closest connection to her family.

She got kidnapped by the Dothraki, first to be enslaved and raped, then to be locked away to rot with the other widows.

Yet she killed all the Khals who seeked to do that to her herself, she walked out of yet another raging fire and gained the respect and loyalty of yet another army.

She lost all of her allies in Westeros, each of them getting picked off one by one.

She lost Viserion, one of her precious children, to save Jon& co. from beyond The Wall.

She postponed her own war for the throne, the goal she’s been working towards for years, to help save humanity from the White Walkers. Only to arrive at Winterfell and be disrespected by the very people she’s come to save.

She lost the birthright she thought she’d been working towards all these years, and lost it to the man she loves of all people.

She lost the majority of her armies, the armies she’s worked so hard to get, practically all of her Dothraki and most of her Unsullied, in a single battle.

She lost her fiercest protector, the man who has been with her since day one, the man whose betrayal she’d forgiven, the man who always believed in her.

She had to watch Jon get admiration and praise for something she’s done since season 5, for riding a dragon when she birthed them. When his “incredible” feat wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for her.

She had her own advisors conspiring against her, questioning her sanity and her rule, the moment a male contender for the throne was discovered.

She lost Rhaegal, another one of her precious children, her miracles.

And then she lost Missandei. She lost her closest friend, her most trusted advisor, and one of the two people left whose loyalty to her was unquestionable.

Daenerys Targaryen was a character who gave me hope. She was someone who had to fight for everything she had. She was someone who took every bad thing life threw at her and made it into something good.

She suffered more than any of our other main characters, because at the very least they always had memories of a loving childhood to fall back on, of a family that loved them (aside from Catelyn and Sansa, even Jon had this). She never did. And yet she was kind, she was good, she wanted to make a better world.

And I’m so angry. I’m so angry that her righteous anger, her grief, her justified insecurity, are being used as an excuse to make her into this mad queen while every other character’s is acknowledged and understood.

I’m so unbelievably angry that they’re taking everything away from her, even her personality. I’m so angry that they’ve taken the character who gives me hope, who makes me happy, and twisted her into something she’s not. And I’m so angry that they did so in such a terrible way.

This is a show I waited two years for the next season of, two years where I was excited, hopeful. Now as I wait for the next episode I’m angry, I’m bitter, I’m anxious and I’m so fucking disappointed.

#daenerys targaryen #pro daenerys #pro dany #game of thrones #dany defense squad #daenerys defense squad #dany deserves better #daenerys targaryen defense squad

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sidekickjoey · 5 years

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Fireworks & First Times

Rating: M Word Count: 10,207 Summary: On the night of their wedding, Eugene knows he and Rapunzel have a duty to carry out for the whole of Corona. However, when nerves get in the way, he has to rely on trust in his beautiful new bride to venture forth and conquer this new territory together. A/N: This has been in my drafts for MONTHS because I wanted it to be absolutely perfect. I had such a blast writing it and loving it, and I hope you all enjoy it as well. Let me know what you think if you like it :) Eugene has known this day would come.

Fitted in his wedding best, he sits watching lords and ladies dancing inside the castle, his newly adorned wedding ring clinking against his ale to the beat. The day has been a success – well, despite some minor setbacks that led to their moving inside for the reception. Gotta love the horse and the frog, the scamps. Regardless, everyone cheered for their princess and new prince consort, and the kingdom jumped right into celebrating as if nothing strange had ever happened – as they were accustomed to. As for Rapunzel? Well, Eugene has never seen her happier.

He wishes he could say the same for himself.

He is happy, do not get him wrong! Finally being married to the girl of his dreams, his new dream, after years of asking and asking is no small feat to him. He loves referring to her as “Mrs. Fitzherbert,” and seeing that sparkling ring on her finger as she dances holds a special place in the depths of his heart.

However, a small voice in the back of his head is reminding him, very poignantly every few minutes, that he has a very important duty to uphold after the guests leave – one that he has silently been watching the clock in fear of.

He has to consummate the marriage.

Again, it is not that he does not want to consummate the marriage. Hell, respecting the King and Queen’s wishes for their daughter to remain pure until her wedding night is one of the hardest things Eugene has ever accomplished. He wishes he could have that on posters across the kingdom rather than his mugshot. It would be more impressive.

Rapunzel is gorgeous. She might not realize it, but he sees her body as perfect in all the right ways. Not to mention, her brunette locks really do do something for him. He wants to run his hand through them when her head is thrown back in pure bliss, tugging gently through his own release as she whimpers out his name. He wants to hold her and really feel her beneath him, knowing they really, truly are one. He has wanted that for so achingly long. What he does not want, however, is to hurt her.

And he is so scared he will.

The fact is, his new, delightful, gorgeous wife is tiny. A mere five-foot-two, give or take a few. She is light sans the seventy-five feet of golden hair, and while she is strong, Eugene does not doubt that he could accidentally squish her if he was not careful.

He, on the other hand, is a well-built man, with muscles passed down from his father and years of climbing architecture. Additionally, he’s also not too badly endowed down below. At all. It is embarrassing for him to admit, but if he manages to not crush the poor girl on their wedding night, Eugene is terrified he might just not fit.

Flynn Rider never had these worries. There were some days where he slept with women far smaller than Rapunzel without a care in the world. He was rough and tough and tossed all about with them. It was what was expected from Corona’s master thief, and he learned to play the part well over the years.

The issue with Rapunzel is that she is now married to Eugene Fitzherbert, not Flynn Rider. Eugene Fitzherbert is expected to be a perfect gentleman with the restraint of a saint and the tenderness of a lamb, because he is softer than Flynn and held to a much higher standard by the crown. However, Eugene only has the rough-and-tough Flynn knowledge to go off of. He is terrified that that knowledge will accidentally take him too far too fast and frighten her. That is why he is dreading his wedding night. That is why he has been face-deep in ale.

Eugene Fitzherbert is scared.

“Eugene!”

He jumps at the call of his name. However, as soon as his little ball of sunshine bounds forward and beckons his attention, his body falls at ease. It knows her presence well.

Rapunzel is truly radiant – even more so than usual on this day. Flowers weave through her hair, most likely from her giving in and letting the kingdom girls have their way with her. Her makeup is subtle, yet he notices her lashes pop a bit more and her cheeks appear rosier. She is a figure of a dream – his dream. His dream he hardly deserves. He tugs her into his side with a tired smile and kisses the top of her head as her happiness blossoms before him. She melts into him, giggling at the closeness of her groom.

“Hello, princess.”

“Hello, husband,” she sings, and the song is wonderful.

“What have you been up to?”

“Well, I just spoke to my parents,” she replies, “and Father said that we have an entire room of wedding gifts in the castle waiting for us. Can you believe that? We are going to have so much to look through tomorrow before we leave!”

Eugene nods, grabbing his ale for a quick sip. Ah, yes. Tomorrow. The honeymoon. The crown had gifted the newlyweds with a weeklong trip to a remote Corona-owned private island. He has been looking forward to it ever since Rapunzel blessed him with the news a few weeks prior, despite the nerves and all. There was a rumor the staff there made great mimosas.

“Of course I can believe it, sweetheart. The kingdom loves you. Why wouldn’t they spoil you on one of the biggest days of your life?”

Rapunzel tuts and prods his vest. “They love you too, Eugene. The gifts are for both of us.”

“Mmm.”

“I also spoke to Mother for a bit,” she continues, fidgeting with her newly placed wedding ring. “I’m actually glad I ran into you, because she told me a few things that left me confused. I wanted to ask you about them.”

Confused. Yup, that sends a bad feeling to Eugene’s stomach. A mother discusses only a handful of topics with her daughter the day of her wedding, and the odds of their conversation surrounding the topic at the front of his anxious mind are…way too high. Eugene isn’t prepared to answer questions about that in the middle of a very public wedding reception, thank you very much. At least, not when he is fairly sober.

He swallows hard.

“What’s on your mind, Blondie?”

“Well, she just was so vague.” Rapunzel ditches her ring to better watch where she walks as she paces. Each step she takes makes Eugene’s heart quicken. “I mean, she told me I would be in for an interesting night with you once the reception ends. What does she mean by that? And how can things get interesting when we are leaving the reception? Isn’t the party over then? It makes no sense!”

Eugene stares back at his wife, expression as blank as a slab of concrete.

Okay, so he definitely needs to have a conversation with his new mother-in-law about how to phrase things to her daughter when they return from the island. Also, a talk about honesty could do her some dire good.

Interesting?? Interesting does not even remotely cover what is planned! Not to mention, it does not prepare her for what is to come at all. Queen Arianna could have given her the PG birds-and-bees talk he got when he went through puberty at the orphanage and it would have caused less trouble. Eugene grimaces.

“Eugene? Are…you okay?”

Shit, she’s still here.

Eugene flounders upon snapping back to reality, and in his floundering, his hand instinctively reaches for his ale. The bitter taste hits him hard with the strong gulps he takes on impulse, but he does not flinch. He continues sipping until he can slam the mug down empty and laugh a little too wildly at his wife, hoping to everything she won’t point out just how ridiculous he suddenly is being.

Lucky for Eugene, Rapunzel is no stranger to his mid possible-panic states, and she knows not to interrupt them with questioning no matter how confused it makes her. A panicked Eugene is an irrational Eugene incapable of answering his name if asked. However, as he seems to touch back with reality a few moments later, she dares to let a sliver of her concern show.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine, sunshine,” he sputters with a wipe of his chin on his sleeve. “Sorry, I um…I was not expecting to be asked all of…that.”

“Is there something you need to tell me?”

“As a matter of fact?” He sighs, pressing his palm to his forehead. “Yes. Yes, we need to talk so I can try to clarify things, but not here.”

As much as he would love to give in to the puppy-dog eyes she is giving him, Eugene knows speaking about such private matters with Rapunzel could prove deadly in front of royal courtiers. Royal “privacy” and all. The grand ballroom was no place for such conversation.

“Okay. Where then?”

“In our bedroom, after everything is over,” he instructs, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders. “I’ll let you know what is on my mind, and you can ask as many questions as you want. Honestly. Right now though, I need you to go about the reception like you normally would. Woo guests, smooth talk snobby courtiers, kiss babies-”

“The usual,” she snickers. Eugene cannot help but smile.

“The usual,” he agrees. “I’ll come find you when everything settles down, I promise.”

With a kiss to his cheek, Rapunzel leaves his side and goes off to do as instructed. She is a natural at easing into conversation, Eugene notices, and it takes her only seconds away from him before that blinding smile and bubbly personality of hers brings a group of courtiers into a delightful exchange. It makes his heart swell with pride.

But, that all shrivels away the moment he realizes what is awaiting him at her return.

He is going to have to talk with her.

Talk-talk.

About sex.

He previously figured he would not have to have this conversation with anyone other than perhaps his and Rapunzel’s future children. Even then, he figured he would only need to talk to the sons of the family. Rapunzel is a marvelous teacher and, with some experience, he knows she could give one heck of a rendition of “the talk” with their metaphorical daughters – one far better than anything he could come up with. It is this same line of thought that makes him worry about teaching Rapunzel the ropes. He can come up with something on the fly and educational for his sons. He is not entirely sure he can do the same for his wife.

The thought plagues Eugene the rest of the night. He wars with himself between refills of ale and vaguely familiar courtiers congratulating him over just how to break the subject to her. Honesty seems like the best way to go, but what if he oversteps and says too much too fast? If he sugar coats the truth, he runs the risk of losing her trust completely. Such a dilemma can hardly be solved in the span of a night on a hazy head and frazzled set of nerves.

And yet, he has no choice, for guests are leaving and it is readily approaching when he must snag Rapunzel away from the action to fulfill their duties. A quick scan of the room finds her nearby the buffet, chatting happily with a few ladies. Their wide eyes are soaking in an elaborate story about Pascal, and Eugene can tell Rapunzel is having a blast telling it. He almost hates himself for having to break it up. But, he knows they have business to attend to.

Serious business.

So, in one fair swoop, he waltzes forward, excuses them both, and kindly thanks the girls for coming while extracting his wife away. The girls thank them for inviting them and for the story, and Eugene watches as Rapunzel sadly tells them goodbye over her shoulder as she follows him into the hall.

“Is it already time to go? I was just having so much fun!”

“It is,” he confirms, placing his hand on her shoulder. “For us, anyway. Don’t worry though, the night is still young. C’mon, follow me and I’ll show you.”

It feels weird for Eugene to heard toward their new room. Months and months of heading off into their separate corners of the castle had become so commonplace that doing otherwise felt wrong. Yet, Eugene did not want to be right. No matter how frayed his nerves were, he was glad to have a space he could finally call their own with Rapunzel. A private space where they could simply exist.

He lets her go into the room before him, the gentleman he is. She twirls around the room in a way only Rapunzel can, obsessing over the details with a merry voice – the large dresser, the crackling fireplace, the grand King-sized bed. She reacts kid in a candy store, and it makes Eugene smile as bright as the sun. He takes special care to lock the door behind them as she goes to observe the bedding, gushing over how smooth it looks as her hands run along its raised, quilted patterns. Her enthusiasm subsides slightly, however, as she hears the click of the lock.

She does not know why, but something about seeing Eugene stoic at the door and hearing the silence between them makes her feel like she is about to be lectured. It is a harsh contrast from the fun night, and it confuses her. Eugene had not mentioned anything about lecturing. He only mentioned fun. She awkwardly smiles at him, unsure of really what to do with herself in preparation for what might be coming her way. After a few seconds of deliberating, she settles for sitting on the bed. Eugene folds his arms across his chest with a slow, unsteady sigh as she does.

“I love you. You know that, right?”

“Yes,” she nods, eyeing him cautiously from her new spot. “Yes, of course Eugene. You’ve never given me any reason not to. Why?”

“I…I’m about to tell you a lot, and we’re going to end up doing some stuff you might be nervous about, but no matter what is said or done, I want you to know that you can trust me.” Rapunzel’s suspicion does not erase itself from her face, but she nevertheless gives him permission to continue. “You also can tell me if…if at any time, you are concerned or uncomfortable or not enjoying what is happening. I promise – no, I swear to you, I will listen without judgement. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she says softly, “but I’ve got to say, you saying all of this is making me actually nervous.”

“It’s alright to feel that way.” It will all be okay soon enough, he tells himself. “I’m nervous, too. But everything will turn out well. I promise.”

“Are we about to go on an adventure, Eugene?”

Well, that was unexpected.

Chuckling, Eugene shakes his head. “No, Blondie. What makes you think that?”

“You sound like you are giving a pep talk for an adventure,” she shrugs, peering up at him from beneath her lashes. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I suppose in some sense, this will be an adventure.” Eugene leaves the doorframe and joins Rapunzel on the bed. He sits a respectable distance from her, giving her space and the ability to easily observe his face if she wants. It is a good call, for she seems to enjoy the view, taking his hand into hers. He gives hers a reassuring squeeze and tries to enjoy his own view for a moment before launching into the dreaded talk.

“Have…have you ever heard or read anything about sex, Rapunzel?”

Corona’s princess pauses to think.

She assumes the word in question has something to do with couples – otherwise they would not be together in such a private setting to discuss it. Her tutors told her private conversations were saved for matters of state or relational concerns, and she was fairly certain all of her royal duties were on hold until after the honeymoon. However, out of all of the couple-related books she has ever read, not one mentioned the word. It even feels foreign to mouth out with her lips – a sight Eugene takes in with a blush and zero air into his lungs. Mind thoroughly searched, she rubs her thumb against the slightly calloused skin of his hand and shakes her head.

“Is it bad I haven’t?”

“No,” he assures, “it is not. And sex isn’t bad, either. It’s something that’s supposed to be beautiful, I-I think. At least,” he pauses, flashes of past raunchy encounters assaulting his mind, “I’ve read it that way.”

This peaks Rapunzel’s interest. Inching a bit closer to him, she rests her head on her free hand and gazes up at him, beckoning for him to say more. It reminds him of a time long ago, a younger time, when she gave him that same kind of glance after healing his hand. He felt warm knowing she still held that inquisitive innocence after all this time, when the years packed on knowledge and wisdom.

“Really?”

Nodding, he tilts his head to the side and watches her. “You know how, some nights, you sneak into my chamber and we spend the night together?”

Rapunzel blushes scarlet. She loves hiding from the guards and sneaking inside, surprising Eugene midway through his nightly routine with a kiss and giggle. Falling asleep beside him and being carried back to her room before they get caught is one of the most wonderful certainties of her new palace life. Confident, she nods. “Yes. Those nights are my favorite.”

“They’re mine, too,” he smiles. “What is your favorite part about them, sunshine?”

Again, she pauses to think. “When you hold me in your arms.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I feel protected when you hold me,” she says, innocently grinning. It is true, after all. She never feels safer than when wrapped up by him. Not even a million guards outside her bedchamber could make her feel as protected and cherished as finding a home in Eugene’s arms did. Her grin softens. “I also like how I get to kiss you without anyone getting mad or awkward.”

“Oh,” he asks, a corner of his mouth turning up, “you do?”

Nodding, her bashfulness brings her face away from his. “Your lips are kinda really soft, Eugene.”

“Good to know that expensive lip balm I buy in town is paying off.”

Rapunzel snorts. “You’re so silly.”

“But you love it,” Eugene smiles.

“Mmm.”

“In case you were wondering, I asked you about you sneaking into my room for a reason,” he says, bringing Rapunzel back to attention. “You actually provided me with two great answers. You see, sex? It involves a lot of kissing and being close like you mentioned. It’s just more intense and, well, warm.”

“Warm?”

“Like you captured the energy of the Sun and fit it into a single moment of your existence.”

Rapunzel looks at him with a been there, done that kind of stare, and it makes Eugene laugh. Of course she knows what it feels like to have the Sun in you. It literally had been in her, for years.

“Alright, perhaps I could have phrased that better,” he chuckles, shaking the thought away. “How about this. You know when the kingdom shoots off fireworks to celebrate the new year?”

Oh, the fireworks. How could Rapunzel not? Only a few months before, the fireworks had rocked her world. She had stood hand-in-hand with Eugene on her balcony for hours watching the bright colors explode in the air. one by one. They held such splendor and grandeur and thrill. The mere thought of this so-called “sex” containing that thrill makes her feel as adrenaline-pumped as she had been on that day.

“It’s like fireworks?”

He smiles. “At the end, yes. Up until then, it’s warm and like…like little sparks. Little sparks that spread out and grow more elaborate and intense until the grand finale where they bring out the real big guns! If you trust me, I think it would be easier for me to show you.”

For a moment, he loses her. Not even the promise of fireworks can soothe a head full of suspicions, and even though he is going painfully slow with her and explaining things in ways she can understand, he knows she has a lot to still be nervous of. Mother Gothel had filled her head with loads of wrong and terrifying tales about the consequences of trusting men intimately. Not to mention, she can obviously tell he is withholding information from her. Both thoughts swirling through her mind give ample reason to fear handing over her most intimate self, even to someone who she loves more than the world.

But, through the anxiety that is causing her to slightly shake, she sees love staring back at her. Eugene loves her. Adores her. He would never hurt her the way Mother Gothel said he would. And, whatever information he is holding back, he probably will disclose when the right time comes. He does that a lot in normal conversation, anyway. She has every right to believe he will do the same here.

So, she nods and allows Eugene to do what he needs to do.

With his newfound permission, he moves to cup her cheek and guides her into a slow, sensual kiss. The initial apprehension wears off after a minute or two as her body begins to respond naturally. Uncertain breaths are replaced with little sounds, ones that before gave Eugene goosebumps in his bed and now give him a flood of warmth to his lower abdomen in their shared abode.

Every sound leaves him wanting and needing more. Eugene finds his mind shifting further from his Prince Consort persona to his old Flynn Rider one with as each moan slowly chips at his control. They just sound so lovely to his ear. So raw. He wants to make them louder, to really blow her mind. He wants to elicit the same squeals and nails-down-his-back pleasure in her that he got from the girls he swooned and shagged at pubs years before. Before he can fight it, his emotions make him get carried away.

All he does is deepen their kiss with a slip of the tongue and a swift grasping of the back of Rapunzel’s hair, but it is a lot for her to handle. Eugene was never forceful when they kissed. Passionate, yes, but not rough. This tug to her hair is forceful, and it stirs up a bit of hesitation inside Rapunzel. Before she can stop herself, a small yelp escapes. Eugene pulls back with a look of horror and guilt.

No, you idiot, stop being so…roguish!

He cannot believe himself as he gives Rapunzel a moment to breathe. They are not even undressed and already, he is screwing things up. Scaring her. Moving too fast. Can he not relax himself long enough to do this right?

But, though he would so very much love to at the moment, he is not going to toss himself off the side of the tower in self-punishment. Instead, he swears to himself that he is going to make his wrongs right. After a deep breath in and out, Eugene gently eases Rapunzel into a softer version of their previous kiss. A redo. He continues to use tongue, but there is less ferocity involved this time. It is more tender and loving, and it calms Rapunzel in no time. After a few minutes, she is moving her lips against his like she had back in his bedchamber: playfully confident. The little noises resume, and Eugene takes that as an opportunity to let his lips venture from hers to her jawline and neck.

It is a new and foreign feeling for her, but Eugene is a pro. He knows to let her noises guide him. His lips stray where she sounds the happiest – a place right near her pulse point, he learns – and make sure to leave as many kisses as he can.

And my, do they ever feel wonderful to place.

Her skin is incredibly soft. If Rapunzel thinks his lips are soft, it is surely because she has never taken the time to feel how soft her skin is. It is Eugene’s utmost pleasure to nip and kiss at it, staining it with little marks he will probably have to explain to someone royal later, if not also Rapunzel. He loves the taste and the feel, and the way each mark reminds him that she is his wife and forever will be until the end of their days.

Her body is so wonderful as well. They are nowhere near in the best position for bodily contact – a fact Eugene makes a mental note to rectify that in the upcoming minutes – but he is able to place a hand on the small of her back and keep her close. He loves the way he can feel her moving, especially when he tries to leave a mark and she arches her spine to accommodate the sensation. It’s breathtaking. He never imagined the little things like these would drive him wild.

When Eugene feels a soft tug at his hair, he realizes he is not the only one losing themself to the moment’s feelings. Rapunzel’s fingers have found a home in his chocolate brown locks, her nails scratching his scalp, and she is living. Upon inspection, her eyes are fluttered shut, and for the first time that night, Eugene sees a glimpse of total trust. Trust in him. His own heart swells, and he thanks her silently for it by adding a firm mark to her favorite spot. As an extra gift, he moans back at her.

He can hear Rapunzel’s heart beat faster in response.

With her now more in tune with her body, Eugene decides it is okay to take things a bit further in the touch department. With the hand not already on her back, he begins to trail lower and lower from its original home on her jaw until he finally lays his full palm upon her breast.

Her reaction to this went better in his head.

Rapunzel gasps at the foreign touch. She is slightly alarmed and very suspicious of it, because why would he ever touch there, but her curiosity urges her to remain still and not retract. Eugene, very nearly reconsidering the jumping off the balcony idea, catches the hint of present curiosity and stops his own retraction in its motion. Instead, he briefly recaptures her lips and follows his eyes down to where his hand remained. He raises his brow.

“Is this okay?”

Rapunzel is not sure what to say.

Is it okay? It’s not like it hurts. In fact, in her heightened state of awareness, it feels pretty nice to have his firm hand on her. But, no one had ever indicated it was okay to touch her there. The seamstresses who measured her even tried to avoid it in their work, so why was it suddenly okay for him?

Though her mind said one thing, her heart said another. Eugene had asked her to trust him. He promised sparks leading up to brilliant fireworks, and after seeing the sincerity in his eyes as he asked if it was okay, she decides this must be one of the sparks he was telling her about. Something wild and exciting and slightly alarming. She does not need to fear the sparks. She just needs to welcome them like any other new occurrence in her life, with determination and courage to learn. A delicate blush dusts her cheeks as she finally musters enough courage to give Eugene a nod. He meets her with a smolder of a smile and a reassuring kiss.

Just feel.

Eugene waits patiently for Rapunzel to get back into the mood before daring to move his hand. He listens for her sounds again, and when they resurface, he begins kneading her breast, fingers just barely grazing over her nipple. It is a delicate touch, and to his delight, Rapunzel seems to love it. She arches into him even more, and it encourages Eugene to kiss her neck even more feverishly.

That’s my girl.

They stay like that for a while, kissing and touching and feeling. Eugene could stay like that forever, truthfully. Rapunzel would not protest one bit either with everything feeling so good. However, as fun as it is to grope and make out, Eugene eventually decides he cannot keep his wife ignorant to the rest of their night forever. He has to move things along if they are ever going to effectively “consummate the marriage,” as is expected of them.

Pulling his lips and hands from her, he leans back and assesses his beautiful girl. Cheeks red, eyes hooded, she looks like a masterpiece. A glorious, albeit slightly tired and disheveled, masterpiece. He gives her a dopey, lovesick grin and proceeds to stand up, holding out his hand to her. She looks at it sheepishly before taking it and allowing him to pull her up to her feet.

“What are we doing now?”

“Well,” Eugene replies, starting to unfasten the buttons to his suit, “not that I want to ruin the moment or anything, because that moment was, let me tell ya, great, but typically when moving forward toward erm, sex,” he gulps, “you go without clothing. It’s more comfortable that way. Besides, I think it’s time we get out of these monkey suits anyway, yeah? I think mine was starting to chafe.”

Rapunzel does not know what to say to that. They only ever kissed clothed back at his bedchamber. What if she did not like being naked in front of him? What if he dislikes what he sees? What if he takes advantage of her, even though she doubts he will? She feels herself begin to shake under the pressure, those questions dawning on her like little bullets to her resolve. As Eugene is about to shed himself of his suit jacket, she remembers something he said before they began and decides it is exactly within her right to bring it up.

“I-I’m uncomfortable.”

She barely squeaks out the words, and upon seeing Eugene stop and turn his head, her own falls. That was it. She spoke too much. She let her worries get to her and now, there is surely no way she will ever get to feel the metaphorical fireworks. It is all her fault. She stays there, anxious, wanting to cry, until she feels his hands on either side of her and sees Eugene’s loving, concerned eyes staring back at her.

“Hey, talk to me,” he whispers, his voice low and worried. “What is making you uncomfortable?”

She chews at her lip, a sniffle breaking through her hardened exterior. “I…I’m scared. I’ve never been…exposed before.”

Eugene brings her in for a deep hug. He lets her take purchase into those safe arms of his and bury, hidden and protected, because he gets it. Of course she would be nervous about getting naked. It is not as if she has ever been naked in front of a man before. Heck, he has even seen through her partition that she gets nervous with maids seeing her that way. Vulnerability is scary. For a girl who was locked up for all but a year and a half of her life, it has to be utterly terrifying, and here he is asking her to simply shrug off such a traumatic event like it is nothing. Eugene mentally slaps himself.

“Blondie, you know I love you,” he soothes, petting the back of her head as nervous tears spill onto his chest. “I know it can be scary, and it’s okay to feel scared. But you need to know that I would never judge you for how you look. I personally think you are the most gorgeous girl I have ever laid eyes on, but even if not, I would never judge. I love you for you. That means all of you. Every nook and cranny and scar and bump. I mean that. Okay?”

Feeling her still gently sobbing against him and hearing no response, Eugene frowns. And then, an idea floats into mind. “Would…would it make you feel better if I stripped down first? It might make it less awkward for you.”

This brings her slightly out from his chest, just enough for her to consider his words.

“You would do that?” Rapunzel asks, blinking back at him through tears.

“Of course,” he affirms, rubbing her back and capturing her lips. “You can even help, if you want.”

Now, this is an idea. It is a good one actually, Rapunzel thinks, because she would feel a lot less worried if she was not the only bare one in the room. Plus, undressing Eugene herself would give her a lot of control over the situation. Control is a good thing. An empowering thing. A comforting feeling that Eugene somehow realized she needed without her even saying anything because he loves her that much.

Releasing herself from his grasp, Rapunzel carefully outstretches her hand to undo the last button on his suit jacket. It pops open easily, and it is barely any trouble for Eugene to shrug off and let her discard to the side. When it comes to a rest after fluttering to the floor, she shifts focus to the next item: his undershirt.

It is a long sleeve, thin white shirt that she had admired him wearing on a riding trip last winter. It has a habit of clinging to his body beautifully, revealing his muscles when he flexes in the most attractive of ways. Admittedly, it has popped up into more than a few of her dreams, though she will never tell. That would be too embarrassing.

That does not mean she will not take pleasure in taking it off. Tentatively, her cheeks flaming as she goes, she inches the famous shirt up from the hem of Eugene’s waistline until it is bunching at his arms. He helps her scoot each arm out of its sleeve and watches her patiently as she pulls it over his head. The sight he is met with as it is discarded makes him smirk.

Rapunzel is staring.

Eugene’s bare chest is stunning. She knew he was fit, and their time spent on that island with Lance and Cassandra had proven in glimpses that it was a sight to behold, but actually observing him up close in person makes her heart race. He just looks so good. So fit and taught and good. She figures he is any and every girl’s dream, and briefly, she considers that perhaps at one time, he was the dream of other women. But, that thought fades away when she catches sight of the scar resting near his liver. Gothel’s scar. The scar that proves with its sheer presence that he would do anything for her – even die. It is then she realizes that he could have slept with millions of girls before her and it would not matter. He may have been their dream, but she is his, forever and always.

Rapunzel curiously places her palm over his heart and lets it run down to where his abs gently protrude from his skin. She lets her thumb graze the edge of the scar as she returns his smirk with a small one of her own.

“Don’t be too prideful, Eugene.”

“Oh I’m not, just admiring your work,” he replies, though she so knows he most definitely is absolutely glowing with pride. He does not throw those smirks around for no reason. Eugene truthfully is just happy to see her somewhat smiling again.

He tries his best to remain calm and maintain his smile as she ventures her hand even lower. He does not wish to alarm her, but his lack of knowledge about her lack of knowledge of the male anatomy is about to stare her in the eye the moment she is done unbuckling his belt, and even though King Frederic assured him she is a smart girl who will learn and adapt, he is painfully worried such a new finding may send her reeling.

Sure enough, as she lets his grey trousers descend to the floor, she gets her first glimpse of him and meets it with wide eyes. His undergarments conceal him still, but she is not unaware of the fact there is a bulge in them she does not have. It is foreign and odd and slightly creepy, but to Eugene’s pride and relief, she does not panic. Instead, her natural curiosity takes autopilot.

“Is…is it okay if I-”

“Go ahead,” he encourages, his voice much lower than before. “You can touch.”

Permission granted, she reaches out and palms his mysterious bulge. It feels warm, and somewhat firm, and it twitches slightly at her touch in a way that sends a thrill through her. Whatever it is, she immediately decides it is one of the more fascinating things she has seen. It becomes even more fascinating when touching it elicits a low moan from Eugene.

She likes that noise a lot.

Bending down, she helps rid Eugene of his boots. Once they are set aside, she dares herself to lace a finger beneath the hem of his undergarments and tug down. Eugene watches with hooded, highly amused eyes as she makes quick work in discarding them in preference of touching and inspecting the bump they had concealed. The way her eyes widen and her hand instinctively reaches out to touch once more sends his mind spiraling.

Her boldness earns her another moan, to her childish delight.

It drives Eugene wild when she touches this foreign body part of his, she learns. He nearly doubles over and gasps when she brings her thumb across and around the underside of the tip, and the sight is mind-blowingly empowering to her. She loves that she can bring her big, strong husband to his knees with something so simple as a touch. It makes her grin. It makes Eugene, on the other hand, terrified.

If she is this good at driving him wild right now, he fears the day she knows how to really push his buttons by heart.

“R-Rapunzel.”

The noise comes out more as a strangled rasp than a gentle call, but Rapunzel gets the message anyway. She looks up and drops him mercifully from her grasp, giving Eugene a chance to finally breathe. When he recovers, he braces himself on the bedpost and pants.

“Did I do something wrong?”

He has to laugh. “No, no you were perfect, believe me. But, I want to make sure we both are comfortable before we do any more exploring, and that requires you to join me, clothingly speaking.” Dropping to a more serious tone, Eugene takes Rapunzel’s hand into his. “Is that okay?”

Rapunzel bites her lip. She’s still nervous beyond belief, but it’s Eugene. It’s her husband who stripped down for her, and they promised earlier to be a team. It is her turn to hold up her end of the bargain, so to speak. She nods, swallowing her fear.

“Okay.”

Eugene smiles. “I promise Blondie, you’ll be a lot happier without this tight thing on you. Here, turn around for me.”

It is far from a fun task to undo a corset-bound dress, and Rapunzel does not envy her husband as he moves to begin the work of taking it off. Her maids had struggled on the garment, and they are skilled experts in clothing. She notes that Eugene, putting up his own fight with the white stripes of fabric, is not. If the mumbled curses are any indication, he is most likely worse.

Okay, so maybe he spends a full ten minutes trying to figure out how to undo the damn thing.

You try and undo one.

Needless to say, once her dress is gone, Eugene feels like a new man. He tosses it well across the room, and had Rapunzel not been distracted by his hand running along her back, she would have laughed at how far his disdain for the thing managed to send it. It nearly flew out the window.

“You must be happy to not have that thing sucking the life out of you, huh Blondie?”

Rapunzel nods, still trained on his roaming hand. “I never realized how brutal it was until it was gone.”

“Well, good news for you,” he says, gripping her hip, voice silky sweet like honey, “you never have to wear that one again. Now, may I help you with this little slip of yours?”

Giggling, Rapunzel nods. “If you can manage.”

Eugene puts his hand to his heart in mock hurt. His face scrunches up, his old sexy act dropped, and turns him into more of a cartoon character than charming prince consort. It makes Rapunzel giggle mercilessly. It is exactly the distraction she needs, because as Eugene lifts away her final barrier to him, she is less focused on how revealed she is and more focused on how her sides hurt, and on how big of a nerd her husband is. He playfully grins, dropping the expression, and shakes his head.

And then, he stares.

He drinks in the sight of her like a parched man stuck in the dessert. Her skin is milky white and smooth, so so smooth. Every curve of her body is perfect, from the slopes of her breasts to her slim hips. Eugene practically feels his body urging him to explore for himself, ready to conquer her like a new adventure. He wonders, licking his lips, how he ever got so lucky to behold someone as perfect all for himself.

“Beautiful.”

Blushing, Rapunzel cocks her head to the side. “Really?”

“Oh yes sunshine,” he affirms, his arms snaking around her waist and bringing her closer. “So beautiful. So perfect.”

“Perfect?”

Nodding, he kisses her tenderly. “Magnificent. And I’m going to make sure you remember it.”

Eugene intends to make good on that promise. Before she can say a word more, he is sweeping her off of her feet and bringing her back to the bedside. Lying her down, he crawls over her. Her senses heighten at the new proximity. It does not help that the way his eyes get lost on her sends her skin aflame. She could choose to panic at this new development, or at the way he starts to move his hips against hers, but she instead goes with it. Mindless delight, she decides, is far better than mindful worrying when with her husband.

Even when he slides down her and inches her legs apart.

Every little touch he places along her legs and inner thigh, every glance sent her way, is accompanied with love that assures Rapunzel it is okay. He makes sure that, when his fingers find their way to her center, she is comfortable and understanding that all is well, this is normal, this is to be expected. It takes a few moments and some handiwork from him, but eventually, she starts to give in and melt into his work.

The little noises make their grand return, and this time, each one is accompanied with its own spark.

Eugene decides to have a little fun. Intoxicated by the sight of his wife and the sound of her moans, he knows this is the one thing he cannot really mess up. It is solely based on Rapunzel’s pleasure, and he feels little anxiety in letting his old Flynn experience take over for a while. Wrapping his arms around her legs, Eugene inches Rapunzel ever so closer to him and, with a deep breath, replaces his fingers with his mouth.

It is a sensation Rapunzel will never forget.

The sensory overload electrifies her. She does not exactly understand why he is doing what he is doing, because why on Earth would someone ever put their mouth there, but she quickly learns she loves it and never wants him to stop. Lucky for her, Eugene never wants to stop. At least, not until she experiences those fireworks he promised.

So, as she mewls and writhes under his grasp, he holds her tight and continues, relentless, eating her out and sending her over the moon. She starts to gasp his name – a lovely sound – and her hands claw at the bedsheets frantically. He really knows he has hit the jackpot when he hears her start to giggle between gasps. That signals she is having fun and enjoying herself, and that is everything he could have hoped for. It spurs him on to be more intense, more unrelenting, more passionate. He hums against her, and she is as good as gone when he accompanies it with his finger rubbing at her most sensitive spot.

The fireworks catch her by surprise.

All at once, her eyes shut and the pressure between her legs snaps. Wave after wave of pleasure hits her, and her voice cracks as she no longer can hold back vocally. Her climax takes Eugene a bit by surprise, too. But, he does not let that stop him. He knows she will be happier if he continues on, and sure enough, as she starts to come down from her high, the feeling of his tongue against her becomes glorious. Even when it tapers away and he moves to kiss her back into reality, the pleasure remains like a phantom. It’s enticing. Glorious.

She wonders how the fireworks could ever grow more bright.

Eugene is determined to show her.

He lets his hands guide down her lean figure as he inches back down her until they once more rest at her thighs. A finger trails along her, letting the fruits of his previous work help prepare it to enter. She may be blissed out, but he did not want to take any chances with slight discomfort. Not yet, at least. He moves it gently inside, his eyes not leaving her face as he does so.

Rapunzel does not seem alarmed. In fact, in her post-orgasmic bliss, she acts rather pleased and even shifts to make his digit go deeper inside. Eugene wonders if she even realizes she is doing this, or if her instincts have put her back on autopilot. Nevertheless, he gives her what she wants.

He continues to work his finger it in and out as she responds, letting her get used to the feeling. Before long, the time comes to add another. This other finger’s friction brings Rapunzel slightly out of her haze, and she displays a twinge of discomfort. Knowing that is not want he wants to see, Eugene stills and rubs her thigh.

“You okay?”

Rapunzel chews at her lip “That um…that doesn’t feel as nice as what you did before.”

Nodding, he leans down and presses a kiss to her abdomen. “I’m sorry. It might feel a little, er, tight at first, but trust me, it’ll feel better in time. Just breathe, Blondie.”

Breathing. Okay, Rapunzel can do that. She listens and tries to focus on her breathing as he reenters. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Truthfully, it does help. It gives her something else to think about whenever that non-pleasant feeling comes along. A distraction.

The non-pleasant feeling thankfully goes away for a while, replaced with whatever wonderful sensation Eugene creates by curling his fingers just so. Rapunzel cannot help but gasp at the electricity it brings her. She grows so caught up in the feeling that she barely even notices when he adds a third.

Everything comes to a halt, however, when Eugene decides the time has finally come to replace those fingers with something more substantial.

“Sunshine,” he calls, pulling his fingers away from her to the tune of a small whimper, “I have a question for you.”

“What is it, Eugene?”

“Do you…do you want kids any time soon?”

Rapunzel blinks, confused. “Kids? I…I suppose not soon soon. Maybe after a year or so. Why? What does this have to do with sex?”

Oh, his sweet, innocent wife.

“Because,” he explains, kissing her knee, “after tonight, if we don’t want them, there’s a special herbal tea that you’re going to have to ask your mom to teach you to make tomorrow morning.”

“Why?”

“Sex is how babies are made, Rapunzel. Drinking the tea will prevent that.”

“Oh.”

That says it all.

Upon seeing her face, Eugene moves forward to kiss Rapunzel. This more passionate kiss clouds over all thoughts of babies and any fear associated with them. They stay like that for a few minutes, just kissing and feeling each other, until Eugene pulls away and nudges Rapunzel’s legs open again. His heart races as her eyes meet his, but he knows he cannot put off this moment any longer. This is it, Fitzherbert. Don’t fuck it up.

“Rapunzel, sweetheart,” he beckons, clearing his throat, “I need you to trust me here. I don’t want to hurt you, but…but I need you to understand that I might.”

“Eugene, what do you mean? You’re scaring me.”

There you go, fucking it up.

“I’m going to try to enter you now, and that can hurt,” he says softly, pausing to wipe her hair out of her eyes and let her process the thought. She does not look too enthused, but she encourages him to go on. Eugene figures she might just want to get it over with. He does not blame her. “Just breathe like I taught you if you feel any pain, and don’t be afraid to tell me to stop. I promise I’ll make it feel better. Okay?”

Agreeing feels like selling her soul, but Eugene has made good on all of his other promises. Why would he suddenly decide not to with this one? Sure, whatever he is going to do might hurt, but he also said he will turn that pain into something better. What if that leads to fireworks again? She has to at least try and see.

With a nod, she places her heart and body in his hands.

Eugene breathes deeply in and out before adjusting where they lay. Rapunzel’s legs situated on either side of him, he grabs himself with a shaky hand and positions himself at her entrance. She looks so vulnerable like this. He almost feels bad for stealing her virginity, gazing down at her. The thing is though, he isn’t stealing it. She is allowing him to take it as a token of her love, and that makes it all okay. That is what will make it okay when he enters. It will be okay, he tells himself. Placing a hand on her hip, he moves forward and does so.

He does not miss the sharp intake of air from Rapunzel. She does not exactly look in pain, but she hardly looks comfortable at his entrance. He has half a mind to stop and ask if she is okay, but he can see right before she shuts her eyes that she wants this feeling to be over quick. He knows if he delays the inevitable, she might feel worse. So, he goes in until he cannot go further. Only then does he stop to assess his princess.

On the bright side, she is not in agony. Her brows are knit together and her teeth look gritted, but she is not experiencing the pain he feared. She just looks uncomfortable. Unsure. Wondering if this is meant to be, or if she should be telling him something is wrong. Bringing her hand into his, he gently squeezes it and watches her face for any change. It is not much, but she at least relaxes her jaw.

“Remember what I said, sunshine,” he soothes, voice barely above a whisper. “Breathe. When you are ready for me to move, let me know.”

Rapunzel tries to remember what it feels like to breathe. Eugene’s thing is causing an intense pressure that won’t go away, and any breath she takes feels like the final straw that turns that pressure into pain. It is a struggle to breathe. But, this is Eugene, and he would not willingly hurt or lie to her. If he says breathing will help that pressure ease itself, then she is going to try her best to breathe.

A few minutes of breathing and kisses pressed to her skin pass, and it seems like they will never stop. But, eventually, Rapunzel shifts to bring Eugene in deeper. It hurts a bit more, but the pressure is more dull and manageable. She can do this, she realizes. It might take a bit, but she can do this.

Eugene watches her with wonder as she spreads her legs a bit further and reaches to bring him closer. He can only comply, because his mind, like hers had earlier, switched to autopilot the moment he felt himself even deeper inside. Who does he even thank for that kind of gift? She’s such a blessing sometimes, even when she does not know it. After an intense kiss that leaves Eugene’s head swimming, Rapunzel whispers for him to move. Hesitantly yet obediently, he grants her plea.

Both of them moan on his first thrust.

For Rapunzel, she moans because of the tiny pinch that remains and the sudden pleasure the friction builds in her stomach. For Eugene, he moans because of how tight and warm and amazing Rapunzel feels. God, how good it feels to be inside her. He had fantasized about this feeling for months, but actually feeling her around him and seeing her feel the first few inklings of pleasure? It is beyond his wildest dreams. He wastes little time in thrusting again, and again, and even more once Rapunzel starts to adjust. Before long, they fall into a rhythm all their own.

Between the kisses and the movements, Eugene and Rapunzel start to shift their focus on each other. Rapunzel finds her mind lost to the way Eugene’s muscles flex in the moonlight and how intense he looks when he is taken off guard by his own pleasure. She revels in the way his hair falls in his face and his breaths every now and then blossom into haughty moans. Her body focuses on how every one of his thrusts is like a brilliant gasp of light, taking her mind elsewhere and revealing to her what true passion and sensation really feel like. If this is what he had been whining about having to restrain himself from for all these months, she finally understands just why he had been so distraught. She could not fathom depriving him of such happiness and contentment if given a second chance. It would be borderline cruel, she thinks.

Eugene, on the other hand, finds himself thinking about more sexual topics. His mind lingers on past positions he had tried with other women and if Rapunzel, in her beautifully languid and eager state, would mind him if he dared to have them try one. He notices her hair falling in her face and wonders if now is a better time to try to weave his hand through the locks and tug to show her his intense feelings for her. He hears her gasping and moaning and wonders if he could make them louder and more sharp if he quickened or shifted just so. They are all carnal thoughts, but Eugene has been waiting too long for this to not enjoy the fruits of his uninhibited night. His nightmares did not come true, and frankly? He deserved to celebrate by rocking his new wife’s world.

Rapunzel’s hand caressed his cheek.

“I-I love you.”

“I love you so much, Blondie,” he gasps, not even caring about asking as he wraps his arm around her thigh and raises it for better access. Rapunzel gasps, but it is a good gasp. A how-did-this-get-even-better gasp. Eugene moans back his approval.

“D-Don’t stop.”

“I have no intentions to.”

“Good,” Rapunzel gasps back. Her heart races as she sees Eugene throw his head back, exposing his strong neck to her. She can practically see his pulse and the fierceness of his body, and it thrills her. She does not know what takes over her, but she decides right then and there that the next time she gets a chance, she is going to ravish that neck in the same way Eugene had ravished hers.

Conversational silence takes over once more as the two focus on their senses. Rapunzel lets go of all intentions of staying quiet, which spurns her to moan and squeal much to the delight of Eugene. He takes her vocality and thrusts harder against her, months of pent-up emotion and need finally being satisfied. He thinks about her in her wedding dress and about how she is his forever more, and his heart swells enough to make him choke out a sob. Rapunzel does not catch it, too caught up in her own feelings, but it nevertheless shifts Eugene’s focus to her. He shifts to lean down closer to her and captures her lips into his. His movements begin again slow, but soon, an almost animalistic feeling possesses him and makes him chase his climax. Rapunzel grazes her fingers across his back and holds on for the ride.

Eugene knows from the fire in his abdomen that he can only continue on like this a little more. He finds comfort in the fact that he now has free rein to do this whenever he wants with Rapunzel, but he gets a little sad to know their first time is coming to an end. That sadness, he figures, is what he needs to motivate him to have this first time end on a high note – not only for him, but also for Rapunzel. Especially for Rapunzel.

His hand leaves her and trails down instead below her waistline. He wastes no time in rubbing her, causing Rapunzel to squeal and gasp. It is a sensory overload, but by the way she starts to shake a bit around him, he knows it is the overload she needed to get to where he was. A necessary evil, if you will. Biting his lip hard, he quickens his pace ever faster and growls. The noise sounds so animalistic, it sends a shiver through Rapunzel. She recaptures his lips and moans into them her own version of the noise. It is sweet music to his ears, and it also brings Eugene to his breaking point.

Moaning loudly, Eugene gives a few more thrusts before he can do no more. His eyes squeeze shut and his heart thumps loudly in his ears as his body releases and sends shockwaves throughout his every limb. It takes only a few seconds more of his hand on her for Rapunzel to join Eugene in bliss, her body shaking around him as moans of her own fill the air. She cannot help but say his name like a prayer as she comes down from her high, and he feels like a God at the sound. Chuckling, he wipes her hair from her face.

“God, I love you.”

Rapunzel, still blissed out, can only muster a small thumbs up back at him, and that makes Eugene’s laugh even merrier. Rolling so he can be on top of her, he gives one more languid thrust into her before pulling out and wrapping her into his arms. He kisses her nose, forever amazed by his beautiful bride.

“I have a secret for you, Mrs. Fitzherbert,” he whispers, reaching around to nip at her ear. “We get to do that as many times as we want now. As hard as we want. Do you like that?”

She releases some sort of mixture between a breathless sigh and a moan. “’m lucky. So lucky.”

Eugene kisses her sweetly. “Yes you are. As am I. As we will be, from now on. Don’t you forget that.”

“Never.”

Smiling, he pulls out of her and falls to the side. Her eyes are falling shut, and though he knows he has to get up and clean himself up along with her, he cannot bring himself to leave her bedside or force her to move. All he can do is watch and admire his wife’s content little face as she falls deep into a hopefully wonderful new dream, satisfied and aware of how much she is loved. It is in that moment he wonders just why he had been dreading this night so feverishly earlier. With a girl like Rapunzel at his side, he never has anything to worry about. No fear is a match for her strength and tenderness.

Nuzzling his head on top of hers, Eugene sighs and lets his own eyes flutter shut.

“Goodnight, my darling. And thank you.”

#tangled #Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure #tangled fanfic #tangled fanfiction #New Dream #fanfiction #fanfic #disney fanfic #tangled the series #eugene fitzherbert #Rapunzel

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mst3kproject · 5 years

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802: The Leech Woman – Part II

So now that we’ve established that The Leech Woman is a shitty movie full of shitty people saying and doing shitty things, we have to ask if there’s a point to all this. After all, movies about terrible people backstabbing each other can still say something, even if it’s just a nihilistic statement about how horrible human beings are. What is The Leech Woman trying to tell us?

As far as I can tell, it’s ugly women should just accept that they’ll never be loved, and go wither away somewhere so we don’t have to look at them.

At the beginning of the film, we’re supposed to feel sorry for June – she’s older than her husband, and he does not love or respect her. We want her to get out of this terrible situation, and the movie offers her two ways of doing so: she can leave him, or she can alter herself to fit his standards. The latter choice is one movies present to women over and over – if that guy doesn’t like you, just change everything about yourself in order to earn him! But where the standard ‘makeover movie’ offers this as a happy ending, in The Leech Woman it destroys not only June but everyone around her.

One might argue that to change oneself in this way is necessarily to destroy oneself, but in The Leech Woman it’s quite literal. Most obviously, one of the ingredients in the Cure for Old is a secretion from the pineal gland, which apparently must come from a live victim. To use it, June has to kill somebody. No other option, such as obtaining the hormone from an animal, or extracting it in some non-lethal fashion, is ever entertained. By having the police investigate the murder of the criminal, the movie points out that even those we might see as unimportant or even deserving are human beings, and their deaths will matter to somebody.

We also see June herself destroyed in two different ways. First of all physically, as the side-effects of the potion make her older and older every time it wears off. Second, morally, as she becomes more and more blasé about murder. Her asshole husband could be seen as deserving it, as could David when he rejects her. But then later she picks up a complete stranger with every intention of killing him, and while this man is a criminal, there is nothing to indicate that was a necessary qualifier. June would have committed the murder whether he’d tried to rob her or not.

I must spare a few words here for The Leech Woman’s terrible makeup. Actress Colleen Gray was thirty-eight when The Leech Woman was made (the age I am now, in fact), and as far as I can tell making her look older was accomplished simply by not having her wear any makeup. Even so, she doesn’t look like she’s out of her thirties, she just looks like she didn’t sleep very well the previous night. Then, to make her look younger, they cake the makeup on so thickly, she looks like she’s made of plastic. Finally, when she’s ‘really old’ I think they just smeared Elmer’s glue all over her and let it dry. None of the three ages of June are convincing as what they’re supposed to be.

Anyway, one might suggest that the movie is saying June should have left Paul and gone to live her own life, rather than trying to make herself conform to his standards, but I don’t think it is. The reason why not is that The Leech Woman has no concept of women as people who can exist separately from men. It outright says as much in Malla’s speech before her own rejuvenation.

This little monologue is jaw-dropping. She states that old age among men is a time of dignity and respect, but old women are worthless. For one thing, this completely at odds with the type of culture the Nando are supposed to represent. In traditional societies all over the world, old people tend to be revered regardless of gender, because having lived a long time has allowed them to learn more, remember more, and contribute more than anyone else. The idea that an old woman has no value, that she deserves only ‘pity, contempt, and neglect’ because she is no longer attractive, is very much a modern, western one.

Second, this is what the movie tells us will happen to June if she leaves Paul. She doesn’t seem to have any family or friends (because women don’t exist outside of their relationships with men), so she’ll just go waste away somewhere with nobody caring about her. But since using the Cure for Old is explicitly an evil thing to do, within the world of The Leech Woman this is what June should have done! Rather than try to get what she wants, she should have just accepted that she’s ugly and gross and nobody wants her, and gone off to crochet in a rocking chair somewhere so that pretty people can live their lives! And this applies only to women. The idea of using the Cure for Old on men never comes up, except when Malla says they don’t need it. Wow, fuck you, movie.

Another idea in Malla’s speech is the reiteration that women are defined by their value to men. She never mentions the idea of an older woman doing anything with herself – she just sits around and wishes she were still cute so she could ‘know the worship of men’. They’re not supposed to want anything else. June certainly doesn’t. She doesn’t treat her rejuvenation as a chance to start her life over, she just tempts boring-ass Neil to cheat on his fiancée. She doesn’t even want to marry him herself, just to sleep with him.

Here the movie’s morals get a bit confusing. You’d think that by the standards of the late 50’s and early 60’s Sally, who wants to marry Neil and settle down with him, would be the good girl of The Leech Woman. Yet Sally is clearly supposed to be nagging and clingy, as if we ought to want Neil to leave her. It’s as if the movie is trying to say that women are just terrible in general, and love and relationships are essential for them but traps for men. The title The Leech Woman, as if she’s some kind of parasite, just seems to reinforce this.

Having given this some thought, I think where it comes from is that a woman’s attractiveness gives her power over a man, and the writers of The Leech Woman see this as a bad thing. At the beginning of the movie, June is a powerless victim. The first time she takes the Cure for Old, she gets a shot of power in the process – she’s allowed to choose a sacrifice, and she takes the opportunity to punish her abuser. A few days later, David attempts to assert power over her by denying her the bag of youth pollen. Again, she is given power over him when he falls into the quicksand, and she uses it to dispatch another person who has done her wrong.

From there on, June’s on an all-out power trip. She can see that Neil is immediately attracted to her, and she loves it. When she keeps him at her house by making a series of quick minor requests, like ‘pour me a drink’ or ‘take my bags upstairs’, she is testing this power, seeing how far it’ll go, and she’s very pleased with the results. Later she plays with the criminal, stringing him along with her ‘nice old lady’ act until finally killing him. It’s an addiction of sorts – now that she’s had a taste of this, all she wants is more, more, more. I wonder if the pollen itself isn’t supposed to represent a drug. When Sally’s pineal juice doesn’t work and June laments that she’s killed her for nothing, that just shows that it was power, rather than Neil, that June wanted. Sally can’t stand between Neil and June when she’s dead… but if she cannot also be a source of power, her murder served no purpose.

At the end, June loses everything. Like many real-world serial killers, she has come to think she’s untouchable, and that has made her sloppy – she fails to take back the card her victim took from her, and that leads the police to her door. When she realizes she can’t get rid of them herself, she asks Neil to make them leave, and he can’t. The only weapon she has left is her beauty, so she seeks to regain it, but the youth pollen only works when the pineal hormone is a man’s. Trying to use Sally’s just makes June even older. With absolutely nothing left, she commits suicide.

Naturally, all this also tells us that women are each other’s natural enemies. All they want is men and those are in limited supply. Sally and ‘Terri’ despise each other at first sight, each instantly recognizing that the other is competition. When they cannot intimidate each other, both resort to violence. Even at the ‘twist’ ending when Sally’s pineal gland proves to be no use to June, this might be seen as a metaphor for women tearing each other down, as Sally has her revenge from beyond the grave. Or at least, beyond the coat closet.

I said at the beginning of last week’s review that this movie hates everybody, and it really does, doesn’t it? It hates women, but based on the assholetude of the various male characters, it hates men, too. It hates white people, who are avaricious and power-hungry, but it also hates black people… and I haven’t even had space to discuss that yet! I could also spend some time on how much it evidently hates its audience. That’s right, you guessed it. Stay tuned, because next week we’re in for The Leech Woman, Part IIII!

#mst3k #reviews #the leech woman #tw: suicide #boy are we in africa!#60s

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doctorlaelia-ffxiv · 4 years

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felix.

Six years ago today, I might have been a mother.

I was a newly appointed neurochirugeon, the youngest Garlemald had seen in decades. Everyone wanted to know my name. Everyone wanted to know my face. Whispers about me were on the lips of all in the capital, a flurry of gossip and excitement.

Laelia lux Caelius, the eldest daughter of the well-respected and lofty Caelius family, making a name for herself while her younger sister took the theater by storm and while her “adopted” sister began to show the makings of a fine soldier.

I didn’t care for the rumors or the gossip or for the praise. I wanted quiet, to be left to my work, to research and learn as much as I could and then, maybe one day, share my skills and knowledge with the entire star. Maybe one day, if Garlemald could get its act together. And if not, I knew I would someday leave my home. I knew I’d be a traitor to my homeland and her people since I was a small girl, I think.

Regardless of my traitorous intent, though, I was good at keeping my head low. No one questioned my loyalty, and the façade was easy enough to keep up. My loyalty to the Populares painted a target on my back but my hard work and what I contributed was too valuable to pull any sort of trigger. And it was valuable enough to draw the attentions of the great doctors and scientists of Garlemald. There were only a few that caught my interest, too— wise men and women full of knowledge.

And a handsome man in his early forties with salt and pepper hair, a widower with no children, researching abnormalities in the brain. Our circles connected. I did not ever come to love him, and he most certainly never loved me, but it was easy enough to lust after each other, to spend late nights at the hospital behind locked doors with hurried trysts in between surgeries and patients and appointments.

He was a clever man. I believed he was a widower up until his wife, with an insatiable wanderlust, turned up to the hospital one day with their young daughter by the hand, both of them beaming from ear to ear at the sight of their good doctor.

I didn’t tell him. Not then. I supposed I would have to, I told myself, as I stood in front of my mirror and pressed my hands against my belly. It was starting to harden, to become round and swollen, but still easily covered up by loose clothing. Despite my better judgement... I had no intention of not having the child, nor any intention of giving it up for adoption once it was born.

From the first moment I knew I was pregnant, I was enamored with the life growing inside me.

I never got the good fortune of knowing whether or not the baby would be a boy or a girl. At sixteen weeks, I woke in the most exquisite pain that I’d ever been in. No one knew that I was with child. It was by mostly myself that I went through the agony, to watch the blood stain my sheets and mattress, calling only a single nurse that I trusted to my apartment to help me.

She stripped the sheets from my bed while I sat, sweating and pale and sick to my stomach, on the bathroom floor. She did not tell me what happened to me. She didn’t need to.

Two weeks more, and I’d have been able to properly give the baby a name. A part of me, though, was entirely certain it was a boy.

A little boy, who I’d have named and who I’d been calling Felix. I didn’t care for his father, but part of me hoped he’d have his dark hair and my pale eyes. At twenty one, I had accomplished much. It was a foolish decision, maybe, to think I could keep my baby and to pursue the dreams I had, but... I wanted it. I wanted it so badly. Before, even as a young girl, I’d never thought much of becoming a mother. And then when the opportunity was presented to me... it was all I wanted. His father would never have to see him if he didn’t want to, lying bastard though he was. His wife was kind. He had a little girl of his own. He didn’t deserve his family, when he was using their vacation time to knock up another woman, but I didn’t want to tear apart their family.

I was prepared to raise Felix all on my own.

Maybe it was my hubris that made whatever powers that be take him away from me.

As I sit in Coerthas, homesick not for Garlemald but for La Noscea, my hand moves idly until I realize what it’s doing. Though I’m far and away from an artist, I look down to my notebook to see a sketch of a baby’s face with big, big eyes and round cheeks. There is a sharp pang in my chest, and I exhale, closing my eyes and nearly savoring the whip of chill that ran through the camp full of people wracked with disease.

I want familiar arms, I think to myself. And if there are gods... I want to ask them why. I know, in the deepest part of me, that miscarriages are not the fault of anyone but one’s own body malfunctioning. The pain has gone from razor sharp to a dull ache that grows worse come winter. It does not burn but it does persist, gnawing at me. No one knows my secret. No one but the nurse I left behind in Garlemald. She was my friend. I know she would take my tale to the grave. She was the one to burn the blood soaked sheets for me.

No. The loss of my baby was no one’s fault at all. And that, somehow, makes it all that much harder to reconcile.

#cw miscarriage #cw blood #writing #ffxiv rp #garlean #ffxiv

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strxga · 5 years

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Stop stoking the fires. Just stop. Please.

I genuinely can’t believe I have to write this post, it’s honestly genuinely surprising how the FNDM hasn’t changed at all from the past years and I’m just so tired of it. So tired of all the drama, the character hate, the toxicity, please just, stop this, stop this already!

Ever since Seeing Red the FNDM has been on a constant back-and-forth between shitting on certain characters while also elevating others to the highest praise, and while usually this wouldn’t be such a huge deal, it is because this has gone way past the point of tolerable but to the point of harassment and blatantly fake accusations. Obviously I’m referring to the whole Adam vs. Bumblebee fiasco that’s been stirring on the pot for far too long, and trust me, this has been going on for far too long and starting to get EXTREMELY out of hand.

Each and every single day I go to the Adam Taurus tag I see nothing but hatred and venom being spewed at Adam’s fans, calling them abusers, misogynists, scum of the Earth, abuse apologists and other far worse things, and the worst part is that NONE of the Adam fans I have spoken with have EVER excused his character. In fact they’ve all agreed he was an asshole who got what he deserved. Some agree the narrative did a good job of handling it while others disagree, and that’s good and all! We all have our different opinions, but when we as a community bundle together to single this specific group of fans who particularly enjoyed Adam’s character for whatever reason and proceed to harassment and take over the character’s tag and just fill it to the brim with hatred? Then we, as a FNDM, are doing something WRONG!

Bumblebee and Blacksun shippers are CONSTANTLY asking their tags to be kept nice and sweet with no hatred in it, so why is it so hard to ask for the same for the Adam fans? They know their character isn’t the most universally well-liked, but when you lunge all these fake accusations and branding and labeling them as something they aren’t? Things are being taken to the extreme and being taken way too far! Especially when these bullies CELEBRATE Adam’s death and shove it in their faces. Imagine if someone did the same to you, if someone went ahead and made FUN of you when your favorite character in not just RWBY but in any medium died. Would you like that? Would it feel good to be on the receiving end of that?

Adam wasn’t the best character or person. He had the POTENTIAL TO BE MORE but he wasn’t - Kerry and Miles settled on writing him that way and they did, but that excuses NO ONE to harass these FANS for believing and wanting their favorite character to be more than just the yandere ex-boyfriend trope. There are soooo many unconfirmed or just plainly false headcanons about Adam being spread about him in the tag or lies being told to new fans that just make him even far more despicable than he already was in canon: A few examples of this is I’ve seen people present their headcanons of Adam sexually assaulting Blake, stabbing her before or even that she discovered her Semblance after he physically assaulted her while they were together on the White Fang WHEN THERE’S NOT EVEN A PROPER BASIS FOR THAT!

As far as we KNOW, he only took advantage of her emotionally, which is bad enough as it is. But Adam is by far NOT the only character with these traits yet he’s the only character I see being demonized further by the FNDM. You want a long list of other characters who are abusive and very much as real as Adam is yet get absolutely no hatred for their actions? Some of which are on Chibi as well: -Cinder Fall -Roman Torchwick -Neopolitan -Hazel Rainart -Tyrian Callows -Raven Branwen -Jacques Schnee -Corsac Albain -Fennec Albain -Ilia Amitola

I could even list a few more but these are the first examples that come to that. Let’s take a look at the similarities between Adam and the other listed characters:

-Adam is the leader of a terrorist organization, the White Fang -Cinder is a member of the biggest criminal and terrorism organization EVER. -Adam killed multiple Humans and Faunus alike. -Raven is the leader of a group of bandits that casually assaults and murders settlements outside of the Kingdoms for supplies to survive. -Jacques leads the S.D.C. and is single-handedly responsible for Faunus abuse and oppression and operating outside the law for his own selfish interests. -Roman is a thief and murderer who cares only about himself and is willing to take as many lives as necessary if it means to survive. -Cinder orchestrated the Fall of Beacon which led to multiple lives from ALL the Kingdoms to end prematurely. -Adam supposedly took advantage of Blake emotionally while they were both in the White Fang and used manipulation to keep her by his side. -Cinder emotionally AND physically has assaulted, threatened and manipulated Emerald. -Raven is emotionally manipulative and tried to take advantage of Yang and make her feel inferior to her so she could maintain the illusion of power. -Adam was on a quest of obtaining power to accomplish his goals. -Cinder desired power so obsessively that she not only joined Salem but allowed herself to be turned into a Human-Grimm hybrid. -Raven’s whole shtick is about being powerful enough to lead her tribe! -Adam has an unhealthy obsession with killing Blake for betraying him. -Cinder has an even unhealthier fixation on Ruby and torturing her, wishing to see her burn to ashes in front of her, even to the point she’s still obsessed with her. -Hazel holds Ozpin accountable for something out of his power and is obsessed with murdering him over and over for his own satisfaction. -Tyrian is just straight-up psychopathic and a mass murderer who delights in killing! -Neopolitan expressed a twisted and wicked delight at the idea of extinguishing Yang’s life. -Adam stabbed and hurt Blake and cut Yang’s arm as a display of power. -Cinder killed Pyrrha and left a nasty scar on Weiss too after piercing her with a spear. -Adam groomed a young Blake into serving by his side as a soldier despite him being much older while Ghira was still part of the White Fang. -Ilia, if we’re going by the Adam Trailer, was around Adam’s same grown age while Blake was, at the oldest, 12. So even if she didn’t groom her, she still felt attraction for a minor, which is pretty bad! -Adam lied to all the Faunus and claimed he cared for them. -Fennec and Corsac did the same to the entirety of Menagerie. -Adam has tried to kill Blake multiple times. -So did Corsac, Ilia and Fennec.

All these fucking characters are based on reality! People like Tyrian are mass murderers that are still frequent! People like Hazel who form a grudge and never let go until the target of their hatred’s life is beyond miserable, people like Neopolitan who take a sick satisfaction in hurting those who are down and enjoys inflicting pain on others. Criminals like Roman who kill and steal as long as it’s for their self-interests, people like Raven and Jacques who form negligent and abusive parents that only hurt their children, people like Adam who are abusive and crave to be seen as a savior in order to retain power. People like Cinder who are not satisfied with obtaining power and using it to crush others but who won’t stop until the people they oppress cannot dare even lift a finger against them like a megalomaniac tyrant! All these characters, not just Adam have real-life counterparts that are just as frightening!

Oh and let’s not forget when Yang was about to be killed by Neopolitan was there outrage for her character? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, most of the FNDM loved it so much they started SHIPPING these two characters together! Why?! Hell if I know! Because they’re both women I suppose and for some reason the FNDM excused Neopolitan’s behavior, but when it’s a male character the one doing the hurting then he gets demonized to all hell and back. I’ve seen absolutely zero arguments in the FNDM when it comes to women-on-women violence though. But I guess it’s because it’s empowering for the fans for some reason? I don’t know. I just know one thing.

All these fucking characters are real, and they’re terrifying! Yet they’re still in Chibi. All these female villains are dark beyond belief yet they get excused! Why, because they’re women? Because they’re pretty?! Regardless they’re all just as bad as Adam fucking Taurus yet no one says fucking anything! Why are still only the males that get demonized? Why are the fans still so toxic to others? Why has this FNDM not fucking changed since 2014?! I’m sick and tired of it. I didn’t want to write this post yet here I am doing so because this hot garbage mess of a FNDM can’t go at least a fucking day without being wild.

Respect other people. Stop accusing them of shit they’re not guilty of. Just stop. Stop stoking the fires of drama. Just get along with each other! Let people like the characters they want to like and for the love of God stop harassing each other and just be at peace!

#rwby #adam taurus #blake belladonna #cinder fall #yang xiao long #fndm

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ladynonsense · 5 years

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A Royal Disgrace: Part 1 (TRR/PM Crossover)

OK guys! Let’s do this! This is part 1 of what I expect to be a pretty short little series about King Liam, Riley, and Damien Nazario. Will be NSFW in future chapters but this one is mainly place-setting tbh. I just want you to know that this is not going to be good clean family fun moving forward 😅

Main pairing (for now): Liam x Riley

Rating: PG-13? Nothing too crazy here, just some flirting with sexy older women

Summary: Damien is hired to keep an eye on a visiting royal whose fidelity is in question, and is stunned to see a familiar face.

Tagging @brightpinkpeppercorn @annekebbphotography @choiceslife aaaand wishing I had sorted out a proper tag list at some point but I HAVEN’T. So if anyone else wants to be tagged moving forward let me know!

The duchess looked remarkably relaxed and at home in Damien’s office, despite the stark contrast of her beautiful, designer clothing and the cheap decor. He watched her anxiously, not sure what to make of her. He had expected someone stuffy and snobby, and thought she must have made a terrible mistake by reaching out to him rather than one of the fancy firms who usually took on this kind of work. But she looked perfectly happy with her selection, lounging in the cheap upholstered chair across from him with a warm grin on her face.

“Everything OK, Mr. Nazario?” She fiddled with her long blond waves, and he fought back a smile. Get it together, Damien. She’s almost old enough to be your mother.

“Of course, Duchess Krona. Just gathering my thoughts before we begin.”

She leaned in conspiratorily. “Please, call me Adelaide. We’re friends now, right?”

He resisted the urge to loosen his collar under her gaze. “Of course, Adelaide. Do you mind if I ask who referred you to me?”

“A friend,” she answered cryptically. “I’m told you’re both gifted and discreet. Is that correct, Mr. Nazario?”

“Of course,” he answered confidently. “I’m very discreet.” Why did that sound like an innuendo all of the sudden? Seriously, pull it together.

Adelaide let out a small, sharp laugh. “If only my daughter’s fiancé could say the same! This should be an easy task for you, I’m afraid. The poor dear never expected fidelity from him, but his boldness and complete lack of discretion is proving to be quite embarrassing.”

Damien tapped his pen against his teeth, nodding. Royal intrigue had never been his thing, but at its core this was just one more infidelity case. “What do you hope to accomplish from hiring me, Adelaide?”

She sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap. “I haven’t entirely figured that out yet. What I know for sure is that this must be handled quietly, out of the eyes of the press and the court, so as to spare my own family from embarrassment.”

“Is it your intention to blackmail the king?” Damien asked plainly, trying to keep his tone neutral.

“Oh, heavens no! Despite everything, he’s a fine man and I wouldn’t want to undermine him as a ruler or make an enemy of him. But perhaps if I’m the one to present him with evidence of his inappropriate relationship, he’ll see how easily he could be put in a compromising position and end it.”

Damien nodded, satisfied. “OK. I’ll take your case. But I’d like to keep this arrangement private, and I have some papers for you to sign to that effect.” Making enemies of a powerful royal family was not something he was comfortable with.

“Of course.”

“Did you bring the photographs I requested?”

“Yes, of course.” She pulled a small stack of photos out of her handbag. “This is King Liam,” she said, placing a photograph of a handsome man in regal attire on his desk. Damien was surprised at his appearance; he wasn’t expecting an actual king to be younger than himself. Adelaide laid another photograph down on top of it, showing a beautiful young blond. “This is my daughter, Madeleine. And this...” she added one more photograph to the small pile, “...is Lady Riley, whose company the king is rather...fond of.”

Damien’s breath caught in the back of his throat. Riley. No fucking way. “I’m sorry...Lady Riley?” He tried to cover his own disbelief. “That’s an unusual name for a Cordonian noble, isn’t it?”

Adelaide rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yes, it would be. Lady Riley is an American commoner, but she was sponsored by a prominent noble family to win the king’s hand. It seems she was...partially successful.” Adelaide frowned, her face marked by worry. “She was expected to be chosen before a scandal arose. I was thrilled when Madeleine was chosen in her place, but I suspect there is much more to this story.”

Damien gave her a sad smile. “There usually is.”

----------------------------------

Once he’d seen the duchess back to her car, Damien sank into his worn office chair with a sigh, lifting a photograph off his desk. Fucking Riley.

He supposed he shouldn’t even be surprised. She had always been destined to woo her way into fame and fortune. He figured he’d been a practice run for her.

He’d been obsessed with her when he met her. As much as he tried to be a gentleman and not a creep, there was no denying the nature of his feelings: pure obsession. She’d been the only person to take his mind off of Kai in years, and while they were together, he’d practically forgotten Kai’s name. From the night she flirted with him as she waited his table, he was hopelessly hooked.

He’d tried to fight his own feelings. But she was dogged and persistent in a way that made him think she could’ve been a great cop. She’d attached herself to him and refused to listen to his doubts and objections. When Riley declared you as hers, there was nothing to do but try your best to please her.

The doubts only got worse during the time they spent together. He wasn’t stupid; he knew he was attractive and could keep her satisfied in bed. She was so young, though. 22-year-old Riley might be OK with a low-rent P.I. who made her laugh and made her scream when it counted, but he knew that eventually she’d realize she was slumming it.

And so he left her before it could come to that.

Her fury was a force of nature. They’d screamed at each other until they were both hoarse. He’d had to change his phone number to stop her from sending him bitter tirades and, worse, heartbroken pleas for him to reconsider. He resisted the urge to look her up for the next year and a half, but he thought about doing it at least once a week, still.

Now, it was time to do it.

Almost. After exercising restraint for so long, it felt wrong to dive in. So he started with the king. Never hurts detective work when your subject has a Wikipedia page...

He wanted to hate King Liam, but it was hard not to root for him as he read about his life. His face didn’t match Damien’s idea of a European royal, for starters. He wanted him to be a doughy balding middle-aged white guy, not a younger Daniel Henney. He didn’t want to get sucked in to the tale of his mother’s tragic and mysterious death, or his older brother’s surprise abdication that led to him unexpectedly being handed the crown only a couple of years later. Or the fact that his people adored and respected him. He just wanted him to be another rich prick, but in reality he was either perfect or extraordinarily skilled at PR. Or both.

Except for this one thing.

Riley Brooks.

He hadn’t expected her to have her own entry. But she did, although the translation into English was spotty in places. Clearly she’d made an impact on Cordonia, becoming a popular public figure with her Cinderella love story, until she’d been publicly exposed and humiliated for an affair with a lesser nobleman.

Damien winced as he pulled up the news story from just six weeks prior. The photos were intrusive and cruel. Riley may have been a bit wild, and it was entirely possible that she did indeed get involved with two men at once, but she didn’t deserve this, regardless. His heart ached for her with an unexpected intensity.

He had to dig deeper for the conspiracy theories. And there were plenty of them.

For instance, that Madeleine, Adelaide’s daughter, had orchestrated the whole thing in order to claim the king for herself.

Or that the King Father had set it up, in order to control his son’s choice of queen.

And an overwhelming number of sources were certain that the king and the mysterious American were still romantically entangled. There were dozens of dark, blurry cell phone photos, not clear or convincing enough to hit major publications, claiming to show King Liam and Riley together in compromising situations. If they were genuine, then the king was shockingly indiscreet and borderline fetishistic about hooking up outdoors, in public.

Damien glanced at his camera. This might be too easy. But he would never forgive himself if he was the photographer behind the next round of humiliating photos to damage Riley’s reputation.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number of the hotel that Adelaide had told him about. She hadn’t even bothered to give the front desk a fake name.

“Hello?” Her voice was chipper but somewhat confused when she answered the call. His mouth suddenly went dry when he heard her voice on the other end of the line.

“Riley,” he croaked awkwardly, “It’s uh...it’s Damien...Nazario. Can we meet?”

----------------------------------

Riley kept to the sidelines at the UN ball, praying for the night to end already. Her friends were off dancing...well, except for Drake, who was just off drinking. But Liam was still busy circulating the room, charming everyone he came across in that easy manner he had. She tried not to be too obvious about staring at him, but he just kept drawing her eye. He was irresistible.

She pulled herself away with a sigh, realizing she was staring again, and snuck up to the roof to pull out her phone. Damien had texted her his new number -- I can’t believe that son of a bitch actually changed his number to escape me in the first place -- and she was itching to find out what was so important that he had tracked her down after all this time. She wanted so badly to say something, anything, but couldn’t come up with any words that didn’t seem desperate and depressing.

“Ah, I’d hoped I would find you out here.” She jumped at the voice behind her, but grinned as she turned to see Liam, suddenly right behind her with a huge grin on his face.

“You snuck up on me,” she scolded, turning around and wrapping her arms loosely over his shoulders. “I thought you were busy.”

“Never too busy for you,” he said softly, kissing her forehead. She pulled away and shot him a glare that made him wince. “OK, sometimes too busy for you, but I always make time eventually. Right?”

“That’s true,” she sighed, rising to her toes to kiss him properly on the lips.

“You said earlier that we needed to talk...is everything OK?”

“I’m not sure,” she answered, frowning and biting her lip. “An old boyfriend reached out to me today.”

“Oh? Should I be worried?” Liam smirked, a little bit of genuine nervousness showing through his confident facade.

“Well...maybe? He said he had to talk to me...about you.”

Liam frowned. “Why would a stranger know anything about me that you don’t already know?”

She hugged him then, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m sure it’s not like that, OK? But he’s a detective, and a pretty good one. He might have important information. Or it might be something he thinks is important that we already know...I have no idea. But he wants to meet me later tonight.”

“OK,” Liam said, pulling away and nodding thoughtfully. “OK, that’s good. I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t do that. You’re busy with the court. Plus Bastien would never let you go out alone, and I don’t know if I trust him yet.”

“I’m sorry Riley but I have to insist. I can lose Bastien. How can we be sure this man doesn’t pose a threat to you?”

“I trust him,” she insisted. “Things got bad between us, but he’s a good person.”

“I trusted my father,” Liam stated simply, a slight edge of bitterness to his voice. “I trusted Bastien. You trusted Penelope. Even good people can be turned against you.”

Riley pondered that for a moment, unable to give a good response. He was right. Damien was a good person, but that didn’t mean he was on her side. Especially after everything they’d been through.

“OK. He’s going to be pissed when I don’t show up alone, though.”

Liam smiled, giving her one last quick kiss before heading back inside. “Let him be.”

#choices fan fic #king liam #liam x mc #damien x mc #damien nazario #perfect match #trr

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