#[ and of course...more showings for my house. so. i'm not particularly having a great time. ]

[cregansdingdong]

imagine cregan and y/n breaking the bed one night just because of his sheer strength and muscle whilst pounding her, ik the conversation with the winterfell wood crafter would be awks as hell afterwards whilst asking for it to be repaired 😇😇

IM HAVING A PROPHETIC VISION, ANON.

At this point, Cregan and his boo thang are just going to have to become familiar with the man. There is no other option, because your choices are either to have this embarrassing conversation a multitude of times with multiple woodcrafters or just one. Because if y'all think this is a one-time thing, you are terribly mistaken.

Cregan is a very passionate person in bed, regardless if he's on top or not. He wants to make sure the two of you are satiated—that does mean the bed will snap like a twig under a boot i dont make the rules i just work here. Personally, I find the actual deliverance of the bedframe to be the most mortifying. Firstly, that big ass broken bed has to be dismantled and removed, if it's not fixable, which takes manpower, and then the new one brought into the Great Keep and put together. Otherwise, the woodcrafter is going to have to make a house call and show up with his tools and planks, walking toward your marital chambers which is embarrassing too :)

ɴᴏᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. (thoughts ver.)

NSFW stuff under the cut. 18+ only. I'm not responsible for the content you choose to consume. ty.

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

That familiar groan under his weight should've been the first warning sign, but Cregan was too distracted to notice. He was lapping at her pretty cunt, tongue delving as deep as he could go and as thorough as he could be without the motions being too unsteady. Alright maybe he did notice initially, but the thought was very quickly shoved to the back of his mind—especially when his pretty wife was trying to rock herself onto his nose, letting out the most quiet of whimpers muffled by their sheets. His ears were focused on her and her only.

With her pearl rubbing against his bridge and his cock feeling so strained in his trousers, no one could really blame him for forgetting about the delicate state of the bed in an instant. Last time they’d gotten particularly frantic in their lovemaking, there had been a low snap somewhere beneath the mattress, a taunt that he was probably too hefty to be moving so much. But winter was coming, a man’s gotta eat…in more ways than one.

By the time he’d recalled they should begin to take it easy on the bed, he was already balls deep behind her, hands gripping the flesh of her ass like a lifeline. He was suffocating in the best way, cock nestled inside, fogging his brain with nothing but instinct. And then she started begging. By then, well, he decided they needed a new bed anyway—six moons wasn’t too bad. Lasted longer than the previous replacement. Three harsh, unrelenting spanks bloom red on her backside as she squeezes around him, sending his blood pumping to the beat of an imaginary war drum. It would be a miracle from the Gods if she wasn’t pregnant by mid-summer. Cregan just couldn’t help himself.

Rutting against her like a man starved, the right side of the bed almost completely collapses, caving in and nearly throwing him off balance. His wife gasped, pleasure momentarily halted as she looked back at him. “Again? Seriously? I told you to write to him last time, did you?” The answer was no, no he did not. “It might have…slipped…my mind.” He murmured, trying to ignore the throbbing in his full balls. They had a silent conversation of glares and a sheepish grin. Then she concedes. “...We might as well finish then. I doubt it can get any worse.”

It could, actually. And it did. He came hard some twenty minutes later, pounding their hips together with a steady desperation. The dip of the broken side was a little annoying, but manageable. Without the support, the right beams of the canopy end up falling right down. No one was harmed, of course. It was only drapes. Cregan found it almost comical but his wife did not. It was going to be a long letter.

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[queenshelby]

Daughter Dearest (Part 11)

Pairing: Cillian Murphy (47) x Step! Daughter (21)

Warning: Infidelity, Smut, Dysfunctional Family

Tag List will be updated soon! Please comment and engage!

The following few days passed like a blur. Cillian was in London, working and attending some meetings for another movie while you finally got rid of your ankle monitor, gaining some freedom.

You applied for a few jobs in the hope to save enough money to move out again, even before you were scheduled to relocate to New York to attend your photography course, while your mother was busy shopping for Award Season dresses with your sister who was keen to be a third wheel at the Golden Globes and Oscars that year.

"Why do you even want to go to these award shows with them? I mean, don't you feel weird about it?" you questioned your twin-sister Cliona one evening, as the two of you sat together in the kitchen, eating leftover pizza and chatting, while your mother was putting Sadie to bed. 

"Because it is fantastic for networking," she replied, chewing on a slice of pizza. "You never know who might be there and, besides, these events are great opportunities to show off," she added smugly, throwing a smug smile at you.

You couldn't help but roll your eyes and ignore her comment, allowing her to talk some more. Cliona had always been more interested in your stepfather's status than you had and, although you sometimes wished that you didn't care about her attitude towards his fame, it bothered you a lot lately.

In recent days, you had become particularly moody and being in a house with her and your mother, often alone, didn't help your nerves, despite the fact that you did love them.

On top of that, you had tried to push Cillian out of your head, telling yourself that what had happened between you two was a mistake and nothing more, but try as you might, you couldn't forget it.

You couldn't forget the way he had touched you, made love to you, or even just looked at you. You had never felt so desired in your life and although it scared you, it also excited you beyond belief.

It was a push-pull experience that made you yearn for his presence while, at the same time, you wanted things to go back to the way there were before, when you didn't have these feelings of guilt and shame constantly lingering over you when your mother and twin-sister were around.

"So you aren't coming to any of the awards then?" Cliona repeated her previous question with a pout, which mad you realise that, this entire time, when you were thinking about Cillian, she had been talking to you.

"W-what?" you said, snapping out of your daze. "Um, no, I won't be attending any of the awards shows with you guys. It's not for me and I have too much on my plate at the moment," you lied, even though you had no job and not much to do, other than wait for your course to start.

Cliona shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, as if implying that you were missing out on a great opportunity, before finishing off her slice of pizza and standing up from her chair.

"Well, I'm heading to bed. See you tomorrow," she added, before walking out of the kitchen and leaving you alone in your thoughts.

You sighed and leaned back in your chair, staring out the window just as your phone  beeped, signaling a new text message. 

"You've got the job!" was the message written in big bold letters on the screen from the nice bartender at a local establishment to which a friend had introduced you to the day before. 

Excitement bubbled inside of you, and your troubles seemed to vanish at the sight of the single message. You were absolutely broke , so this opportunity couldn't have come at a better time. You would be able to start working within the next few days, which provided a sense of financial security and a diversion from the drama you had created with Cillian.

Cillian, himself, arrived back home later that week just as you were about to head out for your first shift at the bar.

You were dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans, a fitted grey shirt and your hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.

"Hey," you greeted Cillian as he walked through the door, looking exhausted but happy to see you, his eyes lighting up as they met yours.

"Hey," he replied, retaining his distance which, in your opinion, made this encounter somewhat awkward.

Luckily for you though, you were an expert in the art of small talk and, even though you hadn't mastered it, your tone sounded light and casual.

"How was your flight?" you asked, as he placed his luggage down and unzipped his jacket.

"Long," Cillian replied with a weary sigh before his eyes met yours again.

The connection was undeniable, burning with a passion that refused to quell. But he had his integrity, and perhaps that was something he would never compromise. Not even for you.

"Where are you off to?"  Cillian inquired, his gaze falling on your outfit while you were fidgeting with the house keys.

"Oh, I've got a job now ," you informed him cheerfully, attempting to keep your tone light while trying to overcome the fluttering feelings in your chest.

"Where at?" Cillian asked, raising an eyebrow, and you wanted to smile at his enthusiasm, but you held back, taking a deep breath instead.

"Just a bar, in town. It's called O'Rielly's and is really nothing special," you lied, trying to downplay the significance of this job, but Cillian could see right through it.

"That's great though," he said with a warm smile, making your heart flutter uncontrollably. "Well done," he told you, knowing how you wanted to pay your own way. 

"Thanks. I really needed this. I was starting to feel like a burden around here," you muttered, not meaning to make the conversation heavy.

Cillian narrowed his gaze upon hearing that, sensing there was something more to your statement.

"You're not a burden, Y/N, and you never have been," he asserted, closing the distance between you, his hands resting on your upper arms reassuringly.

"Oh, I am sure my mother would disagree with you right now," you chuckled, not wanting to tell him about the many fights you had with her in recent days, all because you felt like a leech living in her house. "But listen, I really have to go. My shift starts at six," you said, zipping your jacket closed and slinging your bag over your shoulder.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Cillian offered, breaking through your thoughts.

For a brief moment, you imagined what it would be like to spend a few more minutes alone with him in the car. But you quickly shook off that dangerous thought.

"Thanks, but I can take the bus," you said, smiling weakly. "Despite, you just got off a six-hour flight,"  you added.

Cillian opened his mouth to protest, but you cut him off. "No, really. I've got this," you insisted, already moving towards the door.

Cillian sighed, looking like he wanted to say more, but he seemed to think better of it. "Alright, but call me when you get off work. I will pick you up. You shouldn't take the bus that late," he said, his voice firm.

You paused and looked back at him. "You worry too much,"  you said, but there was a small smile on your faces as you said it since you found his concern heartwarming.

"Only because I care," he replied with a warm smile before he allowed you to leave.

When you arrived at the bar for your shift, you found it bustling with people, eager to escape their daily routine. You took a deep breath to steady your nerves and walked behind the bar, where the manager was waiting for you.

"Ah, Y/N! It's good to see you. Here, put this on," she said, handing you a shirt. "I'll show you the ropes."

The first few hours flew by quickly, with you learning the ins and outs of the bar, how to make drinks, take orders, and keep the customers happy.

The pace was fast but exciting, and you found yourself enjoying the buzz around you, serving drinks, laughing with the patrons and relishing in the anonymity and the freedom that came with working at a separate place of employment.

When things started to slow down, you checked the time on your phone and saw it was already after midnight. There was no way Cillian would still be up, you thought to yourself, as you dried your hands on your apron and walked towards the front of the bar but, just as you were about to bring up the bus schedule again, your phone buzzed with a new message.

"I'm still picking you up," it read, causing your heart to skip a beat.

You smiled to yourself, thankful for his concern and hit 'Reply,' typing out a quick thanks and an estimated time for the end of your shift. You knew that there was still some cleaning up to do, which would take about thirty minutes or more.

You put your phone back into your apron’s pocket and got to work, finishing up as quickly as possible and the friendly bar manager, Jeremy, offered you a drink on the house after you finished lifting up all the chairs.

"You did extremely well today," he praised, touching your shoulder. "And thanks for taking the shift last minute, you really saved me," he smiled, noting that you weren't actually meant to start until the week after. 

"I am glad I could help," you responded before noticing him flirting a little with you.

"I enjoyed working with you tonight Y/N. I am serious," Jeremy added with a wink, making you blush slightly and laugh off his compliment. "And you can have as many shifts as you want," he went on to say, which caught you off-guard, since most places usually put new hires on a light schedule.

"Oh, really?" you asked, trying to hide your surprise. "I mean, that sounds good," you added hastily, before taking another sip of your drink.

"Absolutely. I would love to have you on the team, you are a star already," Jeremy complimented you again, causing your face to flush with heat.

You chuckled nervously and glanced down at your phone, checking the time, and saw a message from Cillian: "I will be there in a minute," it read, making you plan your exit. 

"I, uhm, I gotta go now if that's okay?" you  said shyly, biting your lip as you met Jeremy's gaze. His eyes lingered on your lips for a moment longer than necessary before he looked away, just as Cillian reluctantly pushed open the door to the bar, looking straight at the two of you.

"We are closed," Jeremy announced, trying to sound imposing, but you interrupted him.

"It's okay. He is just...uhm...picking me up," you stammered, shuffling your feet nervously as you broke eye contact with Jeremy. "He won't let me take the bus and now this is all really awkward," you then blurted out, causing Cillian to raise an eyebrow.

"I am Cillian. Y/N's..." Cillian paused before saying the word. "Stepfather," he clarified hesitantly, offering a polite smile and his hand to Jeremy for a handshake. There was a slight tension in the air as Jeremy hesitantly shook Cillian's hand, eyeing him carefully, before finally giving you a nod. 

"Oh, right. Of course," Jeremy said, seeming to understand that there was nothing more to this interaction, which made you feel more at ease. 

"I'll just...uhm...go and get my things from the back then," you muttered nervously before quickly scurrying towards the back room to collect your belongings.

You could feel both Cillian's and Jeremy's eyes on you as you gathered your coat and bag, your heart hammering away in your chest.

You had never been very good at hiding your emotions, and it seemed that both men had picked up on you feeling somewhat out of place right now. 

"Okay, I'm ready," you eventually said, brushing a lock of hair out of your face as you walked back out to the front of the bar and, after Jeremy thanked you for your hard work, you followed Cillian out of the door, your heart still racing.

"You know you really didn't have to stay up for me," you said as Cillian opened the car door for you.

"I know. But I wanted to make sure you got home safely. Besides, I was still up anyway," he replied, his tone serious.

As you sat next to him in his car, you couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about Jeremy and how he had been looking at you throughout the night and, it was also something that Cillian had picked upon. 

"Everything okay?" Cillian asked, seeming to sense your discomfort.

"Yeah, everything's fine," you lied, forcing a smile.

"I can see the bar manager has already taken a liking in you," Cillian said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah, I think, maybe, he has," you confirmed, looking out of the window of the car as Cillian expertly drove through the quiet streets of the city.

"Then again, he works in a bar. I am sure he has taken a liking to many women who have worked there," Cillian replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

You remained silent for a moment, trying to decipher his intent, but you chose not to press further at that moment.

"Are you jealous?"  you blurted out, immediately regretting the words as soon as they left your lips. It was the last thing you wanted to imply, given the circumstances.

Cillian glanced at you and raised an eyebrow, causing you to quickly backtrack.

"I mean, not that you have any reason to be, of course. I am just your stepdaughter after all," you added hastily, your cheeks flushed as you watched Cillian's expression soften.

"No, I'm not jealous," he replied softly. "I am just concerned about you, that's all. I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"Sure, we will leave at that," you nodded, understanding his concern, and looked away, embarrassed that you had even brought it up.

The rest of the car ride was quiet, with neither of you speaking. But, despite the silence, the tension between you two was palpable. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks, and your heartbeat quickened as you tried to ignore the thoughts and images that swirled in your mind.

The memories of the connection you shared, the intimacy you both had experienced, and the desire that still lingered, seemed to be clouding your judgement, and you couldn't help but long for that closeness again.

The car pulled up outside the house, and Cillian turned off the engine, allowing the silence to envelop you. He shifted in his seat as he glanced at you, his gaze piercing through the darkness. You could sense that he was trying to read your thoughts, but you couldn't find the words to explain what was going on in your head.

Your mind was a whirlwind of emotions, conflicting desires, and unspoken truths that clashed together, creating turbulence you were struggling to navigate.

"We should go inside and get some rest. It's late," you  said softly, your eyes meeting Cillian's. There was a lingering tension between you both, as if his gaze could combust the emotions resparking within you.

"Yeah," Cillian  replied after a moment, his voice almost a whisper. He let out a long breath before he opened his car door, stepping out on the pavement.

Only after he had fully closed the car door did you realize that you had been holding your breath. It was then that you released it in a sigh, feeling strangely disappointed that the night had ended like this, with awkwardness and silence and no connection between you both, except the remembered one.

You quickly exited his car, feeling embarrassed at how much your feelings for him had control over you at times, now that he was ignoring them too.

"Goodnight, Y/N," Cillian muttered, almost under his breath after you both stepped inside, as if he was too afraid to say it any louder.

You turned to him, your eyes wide with surprised and confusion, before you replied with a hoarse "Goodnight" and walking up the stairs, leaving Cillian to stand alone in the hallway. 

Tags:

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[aurumacadicus]

You know what would be funny lmao

--

Tony hadn't been entirely enthused when Steve had showed up after a run with puppy eyes and said, "Just until his owners contact us? He's part husky, someone must be looking for him." He wasn't a dog-person. He was barely a person-person. But he'd conceded, since the dog was staying a finite amount of time, and Steve had promised to bathe it before letting it roam the apartment, and the dog turned out to be house trained already. He even got JARVIS scanning local social media to find its owners. It wouldn't be for long.

And then JARVIS had found a picture and gently informed them that 'Dodger's family had been among the casualties during the alien invasion and while he kept getting adopted, he also kept getting returned, because he kept running away.

"Oh," Steve had said, choked up, and Tony had miserably ordered a dog bed and monogrammed dishes. (He'd reached out to the owners' families, first, of course, but they'd admitted they didn't have the time or space for an escape artist dog that liked to run for hours.)

Dodger wasn't really so bad, though, Tony thought. Steve kept him very well exercised, and Dodger was a great running buddy because Steve never had to worry about tiring him out. He didn't get on the furniture unless they called for him. And sure, he was loud, but Tony found himself talking back to him as if he was a person, and Steve was apparently smitten about it, if Natasha was to be believed.

And, Tony couldn't help but think smugly, Dodger liked cuddling with him better. It was probably because Tony was around more (Steve still went on missions that could last for weeks, but he'd set up an account with a dog-walking service so Tony didn't have to worry about that either). When Steve was there, Tony tried to stay hands off, but when he was gone, he and Dodger got to sulk about it together, and it was a very uniting endeavor. So most nights Steve was gone, they'd lounge together on the couch, Tony watching old movies that didn't require too much attention and Dodger with his nose buried someplace a wet nose was particularly annoying, like on his stomach or the back of his neck.

"I'm home," Steve called, and then, "Really? Neither of you are coming to greet me?"

"You were supposed to be home three days ago," Tony grumped, not looking away from the TV. He'd told Dodger that he was giving Steve the cold shoulder yesterday, and Dodger had yelped back something sounding like 'woo woove woo,' which Tony had decided meant he agreed with him. He knew he'd break eventually, but he decided Steve had to work for it this time, especially because he hadn't wanted him to go undercover for a month anyway.

"Hydra was literally chasing me all over Sweden," Steve said, flabbergasted, as he finally came over to the couch. He frowned at Dodger. "This is no way to treat your main owner."

Dodger lifted his head, mouth opened in a grin, and let out a 'wowyow!'

"I'll remember this when you want to go out for a run with me tomorrow," Steve groused, then scowled at Tony. "And you too. I'm gonna leave him in while I run so he can just bother you."

"I'll cuddle him instead," Tony told him flatly.

Steve let out a wounded noise, then couldn't swallow back an amused huff, leaning over the couch. "Yeah, well, we'll see about that." He waited a beat to see if Tony would take the bait, but he'd been stewing over his safety for three days, so he got nothing. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and sat up a little, reaching out to lay a smack to Tony's ass, because he knew that, at least, would get a reaction.

Tony barely had time to jump in surprise before Dodger was up, barking at him. "Oh my god????"

"Dodger oh my fuck," Steve spluttered, rearing back with his hands up.

Dodger hunched over Tony's body protectively, still barking, loud, assertive noises that left them both absolutely gobsmacked. Finally, though, Tony came out of his shock and turned, wrapping his arms around Dodger in an effort to soothe him. "It's okay, sweetheart, Daddy was just trying to rile me up."

"It's not like he hasn't seen me smack your ass before," Steve exclaimed defensively.

"Maybe if you'd spanked me three days ago, he wouldn't be barking," Tony scoffed.

"Unbelievable. I didn't want to lead Hydra directly to my boyfriend and you're scolding me," Steve said in disbelief. Then he rolled his eyes and sighed, turning to head for the bedroom. "I'm going to shower. Maybe we'll both cool off."

"I'm fine," Tony said sternly.

Steve tossed an unamused frown over his shoulder. "I meant me and Dodger."

"You're both very anxious dogs," Tony agreed sympathetically, then squealed when Dodger shoved his cold nose against his throat, covering Steve's gleeful 'you deserve that!'

[charmwasjess]

My tiny mountain town is a blue dot swallowed up in a sea of red. Our statistically-irrelevant town went for Harris. The larger counties around us all went for Trump. Here’s what this election looked like in the southeastern Appalachian on the front lines of that cultural divide: 

Outright unprosecuted voter intimidation: in the few blocks walk from my house to downtown, I can see a prop skeleton dressed as a Harris supporter hanging from a noose, and Harris yard signs slashed with a knife, others just ripped down to the cardboard.

Gerrymandering - years ago, these little-known poorer districts were redrawn around population centers in ways that give likely Republican strongholds more weight, particularly in rural areas like mine. Republican lawmakers literally have opened prisons in rural counties in my state to artificially inflate population numbers with people who can’t vote due to their felon status to tip the scales.  

Of course, the Electoral college, where US votes are decided by weight of a state’s respective collective population and importance rather than just the counted individuals votes

I’m not making excuses. I echo the rest of the world’s collective disgust and horror about the outcome. I am literally sick with my country. People will die because of this. People who don’t live here, people who didn’t get a choice or stake in the US elections, and who probably wish they’d never heard of the place. And people in my own community. 

Yet it is so easy to picture this election as the ultimate triumph of laziness and inattention, particularly in “ignorant hillbilly” places like where I live, which generally go for Trump without any fight - at least not one that shows up on an election night map. But the Republican right has been working for decades to put the legal, economic, and societal pressures that lead to this in place here. 

We fought hard. Grassroots campaigners, our organizers of LGBTQIA+ groups, leaders in our communities who showed up despite the fact that it put a target on their backs if shit went bad. Teachers fighting Republican-led mandates of ignorance and racism to choke out any thinking that might interfere with their political goals for their ideal voter base. Librarians who get death threats for having kid’s books dealing with gender or queerness in the public libraries. 

These are not imagined examples, these are things that happen to real people I know in my tiny blue community. And the violent, right-wing party, the party that promised to make this second Trump term one of revenge and retribution, knows who those people are too. 

The Charlottesville “Ignite the Right” attack happened in my backyard. I had friends on that street when a self-described neo nazi drove into a crowd and killed Heather Heyer and injured 35 others. Trump was president when it happened; he called the alt-right who invaded Charlottesville with guns and armor and torches that day “good people.” 

I have no faith in my party now. It feels like we’re still trying to play a game we lost years ago, while the other side is busy winning a new game, one where they get to make up all the rules. 

I realize that there are greater global trends at play - incumbents being ousted, a swing to the right, post-pandemic economic scrambles - larger issues than the difficulties of voter suppression in my rural American communities. I'm not in a great mindset to consider them this week. I've been politically active since I was old enough to vote, and it feels like we always build so much momentum and then slam facefirst into this fucking invisible wall.

Honestly? I’m so tired and depressed and anxious, I feel like I can barely function right now. At the same time, I’m disgusted by my own despair and whining. What gives me the right to stop trying now, when so many people across the globe are facing the same anger and exhaustion? When so many people are in more active danger, with less options than I have?

Anyway, I wanted to write something out about the election, maybe just to let go of the words and get them out of me. I'm a queer politically active liberal in a Republican-dominated rural space. Next week, I'll read all the posts about hard work and hope and building support networks. This week, I just need a fucking minute on the floor.

[mahuhumaling]

JATP Season 2 Wishlist

that i wrote in my notes app back in:

and realized i never posted it here? tbf i'm rarely on tumblr. but because i really miss them rn i want to share my ✨ brainrot ✨ that i had back when i thought they were getting a renewal.

Carrie Wilson

she was my biggest flaw in Season 1. I wish her "redemption arc" is fleshed out more in Season 2; give her either more context & backstory to validate her reason for unnecessarily antagonizing Julie, or screentime to properly address how she's just projecting an emotion completely different into bitterness and anger into Julie's recovery

show particularly her earlier dynamic w/ Flynn and Julie? Maybe as Flynn calls her out, we'd get flashback glimpses prior to Rose's death (maybe even Double Trouble temporarily being Triple Threat 👉🏽👈🏽)

for some reason i'm picturing a scene where she's in her dance studio (she has one in their mansion, of course) practicing some of her Dirty Candy routine when she keeps messing up and not in the right mindset to keep dancing. i feel like the best (maybe easiest but whatever) way to guide the audience into her artist mind is to make her be a perfectionist. in frustration, she blows up for a minute before slumping onto the ground and reminisces her fun times with Julie & Flynn

also when you have her develop, please don't make her lose her femininity and the bubblegum pop music, it's great

Old Songs Resurfacing

it'll prove how detailed & thorough you are as a screenwriter if you pay off the songs mentioned in Season 1 in passing to be actual songs in Season 2

Unreleased: Get Lost, Long Weekend, Crooked Teeth, My Name is Luke, and if that riff from the scene in EP. 5 that spurred on the Bobby reveal isn't from one of these songs, add that too

Demo Album: Late Last Night, Lakeside Reflection, In Your Starlight

Willex

imagine your queer couple gets to have their first kiss first than your het main couple, not only will that settle Madi & Charlie's statements about being uncomfortable in doing a kissing scene and maintaining the priority of Juke's emotional over physical relationship, it would also make an powerful statement

Reggie's Character Arc

i know that he initially had an arc that involved a romance with Flynn but because of the ages of who they casted, they scrapped it and didn't have time to rewrite the scripts for him as filming neared, so they have time to adapt to how jeremy portrayed him for season 2: a lovable dork who craves familial love

since there's a possibility that lifers can now see the boys, maybe some found family trope for Reggie and Ray Molina?

he has pretty much formed a parasocial relationship with him at this point

so why not instead of a love interest, Reggie can have his character arc develop & we see his family before thru flashbacks and paralleling those in the current times because he sees Ray as a father figure

picture this: it's raining, Bobby opens the garage door to the sound of knocking, the boys find Reggie soaking wet and out of breath when he tries to say he doesn't know where else to go then the boys immediately figure out another fight in the Peters household happened. Reggie tries to talk again when Alex (because even though they're the airhead-sarcastic duo, they know they love each other) runs up to hug him and tells the other he doesn't have to say anything

cut to a freshly showered Reggie, quietly watching tv with Bobby, Luke, and Alex in the garage, eating whatever

also a solo acoustic country song, pls. just to make him happy

The Aftermath of the Deaths

for both the boys and Rose

we get parallels about how Bobby dealt with trauma and grief to Julie

like, the reason why the clothes are still in there (are to have costume changes for the boys) is because Bobby immediately moved out of the house (therefore also the garage) and left the clothes there because he couldn't bear to burn it, or visit the boys' houses to break the news to their families and return the clothes, or donate it somewhere so he just...left it. it would make for a more solid reason (for costume changes) and an emotional context as to how Bobby really tried to forget them because it was "easier."

it would also make sense why Carrie and Julie ended up friends. Rose probably was there for Bobby when they discovered what happened at the alleyway, so they stayed friends over the years and had their respective families but still kept in touch, (bonus points if absolutely nothing romantic happened between them! yay to normalizing platonic male-female relationships) and why Rose would immediately think of Bobby's three late bandmates to send for Julie when she was on her deathbed

Bobby never really "moved on" (because grief is a really complex thing). it's showed that he has a therapist and everything, and this could definitely have some aftereffects on his daughter. Carrie growing up seeing her father be this amazing rockstar but a negligent father and only showing love in ways she doesn't need (like riches and fame and connections to the music industry) because he's actually a really lonely man on the inside and no one can see that except for Bobby's spouse and Carrie. it'd explain why Carrie is spoiled, and other negative character traits that Carrie has on the surface

it's even why Bobby changed his name to Trevor: 1) Bobby is so closely associated to Sunset Curve and it's an absolute pain to be reminded of that every day, 2) it's a stage name and artists really do get that

More Worldbuilding

they already had some pretty creative concepts/ideas in the first season, so why not expand/expound on them a bit more

the instruments are attached to their souls that's why the boys at first can only touch them, like how Willie's skateboard and helmet are attached to him

which is why when they attach themselves to the world of the present, they gather up energy and focus on touching tangible things like the picture frame

this may follow the logic toward the end where they are finally able to touch Julie because she has become attached to their souls. emotionally.

More Creative Collaboration

i believe in the principle that when a story is finally released/published/told to the world, the world shares it. this is also visible in film/tv where when the scripts are finished and actors receive them, the story becomes part of theirs to work on. which means that they have some sort of autonomy over their characters' motivations, a chance to be heard of their ideas and pitches, and why some certain scenes wouldn't work, etc etc. it doesn't just become the director's story nor the screenwriters'.

the actors' ideas such as Perfect Harmony and their solos from Nothing to Lose are great because they let them in. they took risks, and it paid off incredibly well. more of that please. have them be a part of the writing process, (also the story), but never forget what made the music production great in the first place. be coherent and don't be like others that let too many hands work on one piece—it will lose its sound, its identity.

Julie Knowing

that Nick is possessed by Caleb. ohmygOD. hear me out.

the same S1 ending will play somewhere in 2x01, but it will be revealed that Julie was watching through the window the entire time and when she opens the door to receive the flowers, that last look she gives him is actually her scheming.

determined to get Nick back, imagine The Promised Neverland's level of mindgames Julie could play with Caleb because we already know our girl's smart

Free Willie Willie's Freedom

since the boys feel indebted to Willie's help, they insist on helping him too with getting rid of Caleb's stamp

maybe through his connection with Alex? or maybe Willie's family or friends who are still lifers (which is unlikely but either way). he needs to be saved !!

Song Sequences Ideas

juke counter melody duet like Rini's "Even When/The Best Part," Shane & Mitchie's "Wouldn't Change a Thing," or dodie & Jon Cozart's "a love song/a non love song"

emotional carrie ballad paired with lyrical hiphop choreo

willex song - i absolutely have no idea where this could go directionally but maybe alex on an acoustic guitar with a really soft sweet tune

reprises of S1 songs but in the complete opposite of their original style (the fandom's lonelier All Eyes on Me version, i see u)

nick guitar solo - just because Sacha actually plays, idk how it'd fit in to the plot yet but hey

Nothing to Lose (Reprise) - back in the '90s, a producer manipulates Bobby to sign a record deal to become a star but on one condition: disassociate himself with Sunset Curve, to which he first declines until he slowly gets persuaded. (sort of like Todrick Hall's So Lucky to Be You meets Lyn Lapid's Producer Man)

"So how about it, Bobby Shaw? Do we have a deal?"

"Trevor."

"I'm sorry?"

"Call me Trevor Wilson."

i'm pretty sure someone made an animatic with this idea too but i cannot for the life of me find it !!

7. Season 2 starts the same way as Season 1 does before the opening song plays

Black screen that reads a text "Hollywood 1995"

a pan down to the Orpheum's overhead sign that reads "SUNSET CURVE SOLD OUT"

cut to the interior with Rose finishing up her cleaning when a stage manager calls out: "Sunset Curve!" to which Bobby abruptly stops his pacing back and forth to look up. he and Rose look at each other. music swells until...

cut to him running onto the alleyway, "are they still not finished eating? those gluttons are dead to me i swear—" he cuts off his own words when he sees the boys getting dragged onto stretchers. but we, the audience, don't see it. just a close up of bobby as the ambulance lights reflects his face. rose comes up behind him, still clutching their t-shirt.

[i honestly have no idea if Bobby should get on stage because it just proves Luke's theory of The Orpheum's opening bands eventually becoming big & successful so it'll explain the Trevor Wilson fame even though at first he only did it for the boys, or if he shouldn't because according to the article Julie googled he ran away immediately after they were pronounced in the scene] but either way, this is how the opening starts.

then it progresses to Rose and Bobby respectively having children so they could parallel each other blah blah

8. Julie plays a simple song on the piano while the guys watch her in awe

Storytelling through Props

let's dive deep into Rose's luggage/suitcase and use the props to head for Julie's emotional attachment with them

they already did it with the wardrobe: Rose wears the black leather vest in the pilot while Julie wears the same thing in EP 6

add depth to the characters' relationships like us finding out Julie's multilayered necklace is actually a gift from Carrie or something

SOYON ANN YOU'RE A GIFT FROM GOD. Bobby's necklace is present in both young and old!him

**Rose in flashback scenes should be wearing clothes we've already seen Julie in Season 1 just for greater effect.

The Bobby Conflict

definitely needs to be brought up again by Season 2; they only discarded somewhere in the middle because more pressing matters like the boys' existence blipping away was pushed to the forefront of the story

however, The Bobby Conflict changes. it'll be cleared up that he was offered a record deal as a solo artist by a manipulative producer. and given that the poor boy is only 17 (too, maybe), he agrees. what he doesn't know is the contract's fine print: giving up Sunset Curve's royalties

that information clears it up to the audience and the band, so the conflict becomes this: Bobby's Survivor's Guilt. god wouldn't that be so good tackling that in a kids'/family show.

[addictedtostorytelling]

I'm having a good old CSI rewatch and just want to say im loving your meta posts!! I have a small question re 1x07 blood drops. Why do you think grissom assigns Sara to the girl? As Sara says, Catherine is the natural choice. It was good to see her out of her comfort zone and led to one of my favourite joke lines - about Sara leaving the car windows cracked.

hi, anon!

thank you for your kind words! i'm glad you're enjoying my metas.

re: your question:

ultimately, i think grissom's choice is about 98% an emotional, kneejerk reaction and 2% logistical.

on the emotional side of things: as i talk about in this post, i believe grissom's choice to put sara in charge of brenda is mostly instinctive on his part—something he does largely without thinking, just based on how sara makes him feel and his high esteem for her character:

i think it’s very telling that in episode 01x07 “blood drops,” grissom chooses sara to look after brenda collins, even though catherine, warrick, and nick (who are all known to be great with kids) would to most people be the more obvious choices for the job. while sara at least initially views the assignment as a slight, i honestly believe coming from grissom, it’s a compliment. i doubt the decision is even really a conscious one on his part. rather, i think he just has this innate sense, like, “okay, this kid is clearly traumatized and needs someone to comfort her and make her feel safe and at ease. who do i know who would be best suited to that task? sara. she always comforts me and makes me feel safe and at ease when i’m upset. i know she’ll know what to do to take care of brenda. she’s the one i want to drive this little girl to pd. she’s the person i most trust as a caretaker.”

—and, to me, something really interesting about this impulse is how unique it is to him, particularly during this early era of the show.

lest we forget, episode 01x07 "blood drops" takes place, within the universe of the show, only about a month after sara first moves to vegas, and, in her short tenure working at the las vegas crime lab so far, she hasn't exactly put herself in the running for the "miss congeniality" award.

while i wouldn't go so far as to say the rest of team graveyard outside of grissom hates sara, at this early date, they do, to varying degrees, still find her annoying/abrasive.

though eventually they'll come to love and accept her as part of their team family and realize she is actually very much a bleeding heart, at the time when the episode is taking place, if asked, the words they might use to describe her would probably run somewhere along the lines of brusque, aggressive, awkward, competitive, self-righteous, standoffish, etc.

so the fact grissom, by contrast, thinks of her as someone trustworthy, kindhearted, compassionate, soothing, warm, etc. is a big deal—and speaks to the depth of his and sara's relationship before she moves to vegas.

by the time the events of episode 01x07 "blood drops" are taking place, though sara remains aloof from everyone else, he is already intimately familiar with her core character. he knows she is, more than anything, genuinely kind to other people and goodhearted, a paladin by nature, eager to reduce the suffering in the world. already, she, as he will say years later, "restores [his] faith in the human being" (see episode 16x02 "immortality" pt. ii). already, he positively associates her with care, comfort, and support.

that's just who she is to him—even if no one else on their team yet sees her that way.

so even though his decision may not make sense to anyone looking in from an outside perspective, he chooses sara for this important task, automatically and without question.

of course, on the logistical side of things: there is also an element of "process of elimination" involved in his decision, as well, as catherine, who is the team's resident expert blood spatter analyst and second most senior criminalist, is needed inside the house, and is therefore unavailable to deal with brenda herself.

hence the "2% logistical" aspect to his choice.

still.

even with catherine otherwise occupied, grissom could have placed either nick or warrick on childcare detail instead of sara—and certainly i think most characters within the universe of the show, including sara herself, would likely agree either one of them would have been a more obvious choice for the job than she.

nick comes from a big family and has likely been babysitting his nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. since he was a teenager. and, as stated, warrick has a naturally fabulous rapport with children, which we see in action many times throughout the show as he interacts with the likes of lindsey willows, various kid victims and witnesses of crimes, etc.

the fact grissom doesn't put nick or warrick in charge of brenda, to me, just further supports the idea grissom's choice is, for the most part, an emotional (and even unconscious) one for him.

who does grissom trust to take care of his precious things? sara.

who does he view as being a soft, gentle, soothing, protective presence in his life? sara.

who gets him to come out of his shell and talk, even at times when he wants to retreat inside of himself? sara.

if something traumatic had happened to him, who would he want by his side? sara.

sure, catherine is a mom, and nick and warrick might have better childcare résumés, but when it's time to divvy up tasks at the crime scene, he doesn't even take more than a half-second to consider them as options, because, ultimately, sara just feels right to him for the job.

he almost certainly couldn't articulate his reasons for making such a choice if asked to—and would probably even get flustered if pressed on the matter—but, really, i think that's what his choice comes down to: he puts himself in brenda's shoes and thinks, "if i were her, who is the one person i'd most want in my corner after the trauma i'd been through?" and the answer which comes to him, sure as he knows his own name, is sara.

and, not to say catherine, nick, and/or warrick couldn't also have provided brenda with excellent care, had they been the ones to watch over her, but, ultimately, sara really is the right choice for the job. despite her initial apprehensions, she rises to the occasion beautifully and advocates so fiercely for brenda just when brenda needs her most—totally vindicating grissom's read on her in the process.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

and enjoy your rewatch! 💙

[complikatedd]

OC Wardrobe

Okay, so I have done my best to give a couple of examples of Zita's wardrobe in the images above. It's my best approximation along with the massive text post. It's not great but I'm just tired of looking at it honestly? And if I keep doing it, I'll find more reasons to hate it rip. I've made little notes about pre & post banishment. Thanks @basedonconjecture (Allie) for tagging me. Buckle up for the word vomit.

The most important note is this: post-banishment from the Crows, Zita no longer wears leathers. She doesn’t care that her leathers are likely (read: they are) better than the armor she acquires after abandoning them, she won’t wear them. Your girl is Big Mad™ at Viago for banishing her. She felt betrayed, abandoned, and honestly just thrown under the bus for doing what she thought was right. And sure, while she has since learned that her actions have (supposedly) upset bigger plans that the Talons had, she did not know of that at the time, and she stands by the fact that she made the best decision that she could with the information she had. This…difference of opinion has left wounds on her relationship with Viago but also with her views on the Crows as a whole. These wounds have scabbed over but not healed, even post the events of the VG. She doesn’t believe Vi's explanation of how he did it for her safety and/or planned on reinstating her as soon as she returned from her mission with Varric. It stinks to her. It's too convenient and allows him too much credit for her “heroics" in the following Dread Wolf saga and even though her showing up for Treviso him showing up in the Wetlands with those ballistae helped, they aren’t healed. She's hurt and he doesn’t communicate, what can I say?

ANYWAY, all of this to say, she doesn’t wear leathers, tbh won’t mention she’s a Crow at all (she isn’t one currently) unless pressed or someone else mentions it. She abandons her name entirely, and if it were up to her, no one would have known it at all. Zita is dead and Rook is in her place. Of course, this can’t happen, because she had to return to Treviso and liberate Lucanis from the Ossuary. Neither he, nor Teia and Viago, will allow Zita to be dead and eventually she and the mask that Rook has become reconcile, but it takes for fucking ever and is absolutely chalk full of twists and turns.

While she won’t concede it, she was one of Vi's pet Crows, slated to (perhaps) succeed him should he advance from his post as head of house. And as such, there were certain expectations on her wardrobe. Crows are, generally speaking, interested in fashion at least in passing, and she felt all the pressures of being a known favorite of Viago’s. It might have been nice for him to provide a stipend for her clothes, alas, he did not. Still, she did her best to not embarrass him, at least in this area.

Formal wear: Zita has never felt especially beautiful or feminine, finding herself to be too stocky, short, and having a distinctive lack of curves to be traditionally appealing—this is a lie she tells herself. She finds the trappings of formal occasions to be confusing and just generally boring—unless they devolve into infighting or she finds some particularly juicy gossip—despite this however, she rarely is possessed of a good enough excuse for Viago to not insist (read: demand on pain of an unknown penalty accompanied with another lecture) on her presence at said formal occasions. When forced into a gown, she prefers those with slimmer silhouettes, feeling like she drowns (or suffocates) in too much fabric. In all honesty, if the situation allows or if left to her own devices, she’d choose she’d prefer fitted trousers, a blouse, and a cape/jacket, as pictured above. She cites that it is easier to transition from socializing to battle-ready but the truth is she's just more comfortable in them. While she might prefer the shape of her trousers or skirts to be close to her body, she is a fan of a dramatique sleeve in her blouses, jackets, and/or capes. Also if she can avoid a heel…she will << Color wise, she is a fan of blacks, grays, creams, and darker blues.

Post banishment: Ha. You. Wish. I'm mostly joking, but up until the events post-game, you couldn’t find this girl anywhere near anything “formal". After the game, it’s slightly different of course, since she now has ties to the First Talon not to mention all that “hero" business. Lucanis doesn’t require her attendance, thankfully, and she has no interest of being touted around as any hero, but he does occasionally attempt (and succeed) to bribe her into attending. For the most part, her preferences in attire haven’t changed, though the color palate has. She’s much more likely to coordinate with Lucanis and is much more open to wearing things that present a more feminine silhouette. Open backs and strategic cutouts also make more of an appearance as she’s found that she quite likes the ability to feel his hands on her skin. It's as anchoring as it is exciting.

Casual Wear: It's more of the same, really? It is slightly toned down, and she tends to pick pieces that she'll wear for a significant portion of time verses a for-the-job set. She tends to still stay in those colors mentioned above, but might add in a wine or a deep green for flavor~. High waisted trousers, vests (or a corseted belt on occasion), more of those billowing blouses. For sleeping, it is usually just a shapeless tunic-type nightgown. She’s had it for years, it's worn but comfortable. There's an equally worn cardigan that she'll throw on if she has to leave the confines of her room. Not that exciting, but it’s comforting and quite likely is covered in cat hair :)

There isn’t much of a change post-banishment? I guess you could say she'd be more apt to sleep in something of Lucanis’ once they’ve committed to each other.

Work Wear: The leathers themselves are pretty standard issue crow leathers. Armor that has been cared for lovingly over the years it fits like a glove and is flexible and silent. It isn’t ostentatious or ornate, like some of her fellows, but she prefers stealth over fashion while working. A hooded cloak is her choice of concealment and its clasp is a silver serpent over the standard crow’s head. Her bow and the short swords have filigreed winged serpents on them—on the shaft(?) of the bow and on the blade of the swords—and though they’re far from new, her hands would know their feel anywhere and their aim is still true. Fun fact, she fully threw one of the swords at Viago the night she was banished. It was sheathed, but now she only has one of the two. The first thing she “liberated" (read: stole) on the road with Varric was a new bow.

Post Banishment: It's silly, perhaps, to commit so fully to erasing anything that ties her to her old life as a Crow, but that’s exactly what she has done. Partially because of that Big Mad™ but also because she left Treviso with whatever she had on her at the time. Still, it wasn’t like she couldn’t have had someone at the Diamond send her things once she was settled in the Lighthouse, but she didn’t. Didn’t answer any letters (especially Vi's) and would have preferred to not return to Treviso at all, had they not needed another assassin. As such, for “work wear" her philosophy currently is anything that fits that isn’t tied to the Crows…at all. She does still carry her lock picks, boots, and cloak, simply because she couldn’t justify getting rid of them, but that’s all of her “Crow Kit" that she still uses. Her distinctive bow and sword are stuffed in the closet for the majority of VG.

Accessories: Lots. Of. Snakes. She’s a fan of the rumored but genuinely accepted DeRiva motif. She tends to pick one statement piece and leave it at that versus some of my other ocs who are more of the more is more mindset. She will usually wear the serpent ear cuff and two rings on the daily, one filled with poison (she is Viago's creature, it’s usually on her dominant hand), and another with a fairly common anti-venom on her opposite hand. She also never goes anywhere without her lock picks, some kind of gloves, and her hooded cloak. She also tends to keep any makeup she wears fairly minimal and pretty close to the same thing each time (she's perfected it and doesn’t have to think about it anymore) and her hair is always braided. The braid might get more complex should the occasion call for it, but it’s always braided in some way, mostly to keep it out of her way.

Post Banishment: Good luck finding a snake on this girl at all (save for the tattooed one <<). Honestly, though, most of her shit was left at the Diamond. And she doesn’t feel all that inclined to replace it, it's frivolous and unnecessary. She does however still wear the poison ring, not for any love of Viago (so she says) but because its useful.

[seeyouonsaturn]

Post about why Prowl is special to me.... except I have chronic yapping disease and far too many Thoughts and Feelings™ about him, so it just turned into a whole essay. I've been doing Not Great and I'm having so many feelings about him again. My beloved on my mind. 🧡

you taught me the courage of stars;

and i'm not gonna lose you now

I've been trying for ages to make a post on why Prowl is particularly special (as opposed to my millions of selfships that I do have and cherish) but I haven't even been able to find a way to put it into words. I mean, I'm very much a chronic selfshipper, I'm kissing all my blorbos with abandon, but Prowl isn't like the others. There's a reason I've never cared about sharing before, but with him I just can't stand it.

It's like... all the others are just fictional characters I like, and sometimes imagine myself being with. Some are more intense than others, some I genuinely feel deep emotions for (most if not all of them, really). Most of the time I just ship them with OCs, even if I imagine myself with them in my mind, I never talk about that. A few special ones get self insert OCs, but even those are technically separate characters from myself that are merely based off me. And all of those characters, if someone else loves them too that's great, hell yeah, same taste!

But Prowl is different, and the only one I actually, genuinely consider to be my true f/o. He's mine. He's just home.

I mean, I obviously know he's a fictional character, I'm not stupid. I understand the concept of fiction. And also that this is a cartoon alien robot ninja that turns into a motorcycle. But he's just real to me, at least in a way. Not real in the sense that I could touch him, but real enough that I can feel him. Plus, there's uh.. there's this. And I joke about it, but the feelings are real. The pain is real.

And not only have I felt this love for him since I was 13 years old – which is a damn long time to love someone, half of my entire life – he's also had a fundamental impact on how I turned out. I am who I am today because of Prowl. He's changed the way I look at the world so fundamentally that, even when I fell out of the fandom and – for a while – no longer thought of him at all, he still remained an integral part of me. I've always loved animals, but he taught me how to truly look at the world, how to appreciate it, all of nature. He showed me how truly, deeply beautiful it is. And that has never left me.

I remember being 13, going out with two friends into a foresty area behind one of their houses, because we'd dressed up and wanted to take pretty aesthetic pictures (they were 13 year old girls, and I let them put makeup on me and got dragged along). I forgot about this for so long, over a decade, but I very distinctly remember now, that they were taking photos, and I just had this one sudden moment when i stopped and looked at a tree. And of course I'd seen trees a million trees in my life, but for the first time, I really stopped and looked. And it was beautiful. I just stood there with one hand on the bark, feeling it under my fingers, utterly mesmerized that such a thing can just exist. I am that way with everything now, all of nature, all of earth - but it started because I was a kid, hperfixated on this cartoon I found on youtube that I didn't even understand half of (I barely understood english back then), and Prowl, my favorite, taught me to pay attention to the wonders all around me.

I like to think he'd like me, if he saw how I turned out. I like to think he'd be proud. It feels so silly when I write it down like this, but I cannot overstate how important and special this was to me. I was an undiagnosed autistic kid with no friends (even those aforementioned two ditched me soon enough because just associating with me was social suicide) and an abusive home, no support system, nothing at all, and this one robot man from a silly little cartoon saw me. He would've thought I was beautiful too, if he'd seen me, just for the way that I am – he'd have thought that about any human, but still. I counted. I would have liked to sit quietly and look at animals together. I feel his presence when I do.

I had nothing, and then he appeared, and it's been 13 years and he's in everything I do. This isn't just a fictional character I like. This is deeper. Yesterday I finally bought myself a ring in his colors so I can have a physical reminder of belonging, because I think after 13 years that feels appropriate enough, even if people will definitely judge me for it lol. I don't really care. It makes me happy. If my happiness offends you in any way, you can just leave. But this is what feels right for me. He may be gone - he may have never been real at all, again, I understand the concept of fiction - but he's in my heart, and he's in everything I do, and this is right for me. I'm fully aroace anyway, I have zero interest in a real human person. I am very content with just my cat and my memory.

I'm planning a tattoo or two too, only I hate social interaction and that makes finding a tattoo artist quite difficult, because I only have a vague vision and I need someone to design that thing. Hmu if you think you might be able to ig. Because god I need it on my skin. Anyway.

This was an endless rant and I still don't feel like I've even remotely captured what Prowl means to me. It cannot be put into words. He's everything to me, he's special, and the connection I have with him could never be broken. He's real to me in the ways that matter. If he's real enough to change my life, he's real enough for me to love him.

And as for being non-sharing – I respect other Prowl enjoyers, because I could never fault anyone for having superior taste, but ship content (selfship or canon) just scratches my feelies, you know? It's not personal, but that's my beloved late husband of 13 years, excuse you. I try to be silly about it because I'm fully aware that this is a me-problem, but it just genuinely gets me, unfortunately. I usually just politely block people or filter tags (and there are a few exceptions, you know who you are) but even then it's not easy sometimes. I'd never be mean about it. Putting someone else down will never make me happier. And in the end, this is a fictional character, I don't own him, you can do whatever you want. But I'm gonna have to kindly remove myself because it's making my brain unhappy.

Well, that's all. I am entirely unable to phrase this better, but at least I finally got it out of my system. Yay!

Hope you all find love like I did, in whichever form it presents itself to you. Love that feels like home. I may have a bazillion dearest blorbos, but Prowl is who I come home to every time.

divider credit

[girderednerve]

history details from vampire show i am thinking about

they changed louis' family business from indigo to sugar; i assume this is because synthetic indigo was available from the 1880s on, so the market for natural indigo crashed badly, but they wanted to preserve both louis' affluence & his family connection to the cash crops of the louisiana plantation. they could've gone with rice, i guess? but that doesn't have the same evocativeness, i think. like everyone heard that line ("capital accrued from plantations of sugar and the blood of men who looked like my great grandfather but did not have his standing") & had an instant image, right? rice doesn't have the same legacy, although it could've been interesting (started as a more incidental crop, then became a major commercial product in the latter 19th c.; actually, rice became a commercial crop after railroad construction in 1882, the same year indigo dye was synthesized)

i have probably said this before but i like that louis works in, loosely, the vice business; it leaves him with some interesting moral problems, i think. i hate the way that he talks about the enslaved people in his household (& elsewhere) in the books; i hate the terrible line in the '94 movie where he's burning down the plantation house & telling the group of enslaved people gathered at the doors that they're free (oh! will that do anything! well! no worries as long as you & by extension we don't have to feel bad about it!); but there are parts of that relationship to other people, as a business proprietor with immense control over their working conditions, that have to do with the compromises he ends up making about his own capacity for violence & predation. mostly this bullet point is about how much i hate that line in the movie, though

the shot on the street in front of his paris apartment with armand, where they kiss for the first time & there's a sign behind them for 'le dakar.' i have googled around for this & turned up nothing, so it is at least probably not a famous landmark? i might be stupid? but dakar is the capital of senegal, & one of its districts is the île de gorée, one of the most famous departure ports for the middle passage (this legacy was plausibly exaggerated for tourism reasons, per wikipedia? apparently sparked after the tv show roots, so probably familiar to american audiences? there is an internationally famous memorial to the victims of slavery there). there's a resonance there about journeys, departures, agency, memory; it's a lovely, well-lit scene. i'm not making a claim in particular & of course there are lots of other things that happened & are happening in dakar, i just thought about it

delighted by louis' delight in the modern, particularly photography. still gnawing on this one. but if we want to be nice, it's something he might share with lestat ("siri pause" lol) or something that armand enjoys (being rooted in the present, right). it's also a neat little reflection on artistic arguments about truth; probably there's something going on with the style of theater in the théâtre too? i don't know anything about postwar french theater but that sounds like it might be true? but anyway here we are, is a photograph art, is a photograph true; is this interview an admitted performance, is this interview true. especially after louis got caught in a lie in romania because of his albumen photograph. layers, we love them

[aimlesspixel]

Isat Scintillation - Side Stories V1

I more so wrote these as a way to practice getting a feel for how the different character's think and act but since they are events in my fic I figured I may as well put them out there! Please make sure to read Chapters 1 and 2 first before biting into these.

Mirabelle

Mmph, Siffrin still looks like their pushing themselves a bit to keep up this pace. Don't they know how important rest is for recovery? He doesn't want any of us to worry i bet. I know we're going to reunite Bonnie and Nile but that doesn't mean that we can't slow down.

I wonder what Bambouch is like I know it's close to the sea but not much more than that. I'll ask Bonnie sometime.

Still I can't believe we managed to save Vauguard. We really do owe Siffrin I overheard her talking to them back when we just finished discussing our plans and if she's right we really didn't have any chance at victory without them. I'm so glad that we managed to save them from the time loop.

"Mirabelle is something wrong?"

"Oh madame! No nothings wrong, just lost in thought i suppose." "Alright well I'll leave it at that then I'm not particularly good with feelings. Besides that though i was curious if you'd like to discuss books?"

"Oooh would you really?! I have so many to recommend! Like the cursing of chateaux castle! And-"

"Slow down, yes I'd love to and please don't shout in my ear."

"Oh• sorry Madame."

"You were excited, in my endless magnanimity i shall find it in my heart to forgive you this time."

"Of course Madame I thank you graciously for your forgiveness (with a giggle)."

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

Odile

Working too hard huh? Siffrin definitely worked too hard back in the house especially with the almost ending the world business... It's been bothering me a while, how come Siffrin and the king both knew wish craft? I mean they did start the loops (according to that star looking fellow named loop and our conversation with them) with wish craft they accidentally did so how did they know about it?

My best guess is with the last thing the king said about his country. If they're from the same place that may explain it.

Actually that explains a few other things too like why Siffrin said they can't go home and their poor memory I mean the whole thing with the king was no one could remember his country right? I can't imagine how that would affect someone who grew up there and moved to live elsewhere before everyone couldn't remember.

"We know you're all excited to see us but we need to find an inn so we can rent a room for the night." The kids apologize and run off. Honestly I'm glad we have the time to talk with the locals and such, not having the stress of Vaugaurds imminent doom looming over is a great change of pace.

We've come through here once already but we were collecting orbs then so I'll just ask the defenders around here.

"Welcome! Welcome! Are you looking for a room today?"

It's a bit impressive how fast Vaugaurde is able to continue regular operation after such a large scale emergency. "Yes what kinds of rooms do you have?"

"We have single, double, and triple bed rooms available"

No reason to change tradition "The three bed room please."

"Of course here's the key I'll show you to the room"

The room is pretty spacious for a three bed inn room. Maybe they're treating us since we just saved Vauguard. That's probably it honestly. Well i wont deny a little special treatment as long as we're still paying properly

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

The Next Side Stories collection will feature Isabeau and Bonnie btw so hopefully you're looking forward to it!

[fern-again]

I Saw One of the Most Incredible Bands of Our Time Live...

And it was (mostly) amazing.

This weekend, me and my partner ventured to Lodnon's Crystal Palace Park to see two of my most favourite bands, Weezer and Deftones.

As the headliner, I had big expectations for Deftones, but I was worried that they wouldn't even perform since they had cancelled their Glastonbury set the night before. The news of the cancellation dulled my expectations somewhat as I didn't want to get my hopes up. That was until I arrived at Crystal Palace, and the excitement began to grow again. By the time Weezer was getting on stage, my excitement was through the roof. Stood somewhere in the centre of the crowd, I felt that the atmosphere wasn't as lively as I had expected for the penultimate act, but goven the uncomfortable 30+ temperature of the day, I could let it slide. As my partner and I managed to sneak forward, the crowd seemed to be more enthusiastic anyway. Weezer's performance was perfect, playing all their biggest hits, including one of my personal favourites, El Scorcho. Weezer brought good energy and cheer to their performance, exactly what you need before a headlining act.

As the Weezer fans started to leave the crowd, we continued in our march forward until we were comfortable between the speaker towers. It seemed like the perfect spot for us: not too close to the front as my partner isn't much of a mosher, but close enough for some liveliness and a good view. Finally, after 45 minutes of waiting between sets, Deftones began to play the iconic riff to Be Queit and Drive. The problem was, I couldn't see the band, nor could I really hear them. Although there was a large screen on either side of the stage to show the crowd a close up of the on-stage action, the sheer volume of visuals and filters meant that you just couldn't see the band. Something also appeared to be off with either the sound or Chino's vocals as I could hardly make out the lyrics, which put me off singing along. I determined that this must be related to the cancelled Glastonbury set, so I tried my best to look past it. Ultimately, my first impressions weren't great.

Fortunately, as the show went on, I had more opportunities to see Chino and his band on stage, and the sound quality improved. The crowd was buzzing as the energy amped up. I finally had the energy to sing and shout along to these classic tracks. The set list was solid too; they played 2-4 songs from each album, focusing on the biggest hits from each one. The most notable performances for me came from White Pony and my personal favourite album, Diamond Eyes. Feiticeira got the crowd moving while Diamond Eyes got the crowd singing. Of course, the most impressive performance was of Change (In the House of Flies), which did both with ease. The visuals for the performance didn't overshadow the band while still fitting the mood of the song.

Deftones performing Change (In the House of Flies):

Deftones finished the night with some of their most explosive songs coming from their debut album Adrenaline. Hyping up the crowd for the grand finale, they played Bored, followed by Words. I personally flet that Bored would have been better suited as an opeing teack, but then maybe that's been overdone. The final songs were still a great choice to excite the crowd and pay homage to the bands earliest release.

Overall, I would be lying if I didn't say that the performance had flaws, particularly surrounding the singing itself. Given the circumstances, I don't blame the band, and I'm not going to act like it was a terrible time. I got to see an iconic band play live, singing along with Chino and the crowd, feeling the thump of the music right through me. I'm so glad to have this experience, and I hope to see Deftones again in the future.

The setlist:

[litsnobconfessions]

A Year of Animation Day 139-140: Craig of the Creek S3E21-30

Date: May 19-20, 2025

Day: 139-140

Content Watched: Craig of the Creek, Season 3, Episodes 21-30

Year: 2017-2025

Rating: TV-Y7

Run Time: 110 minutes

As always, these episodes of Creek use animation to enhance the character and world building. I particularly like the way each of the stump kids reacts differently to drinking hot cocoa in "Snow Place Like Home," and the trivia zone animation in "Fan or Foe." And, of course, I love the stills that are done in a different art style at the end of "The Sunflower." But my favorite bit of animation is probably the ad for the Trading Tree in "Winter Creeklympics." This episode isn't the first time Creek has used a TV show format, so it was a great way to add to that tradition. Also, this episode inverts the Olympic rings and changes the color to avoid copyright infringement. (Some other fun details include the kids' legs sticking out of the trees after the slide explodes in "Craig World," and Craig's closet containing nothing but yellow shirts and white shoes in "Snow Place Like Home.")

My favorite episode has to got be "Body Swap." Basically, this episode takes all my favorite facets of Bluey and Creek and smashes them together. I absolutely love that Nicole called Neil and Laura and the three of them decided to play along with the body swap. And I'm not trying to say that this is the best decision every time, but the three of them know each other and know the kids, so they can make an educated guess about the outcome. Additionally, this episode is further proof that these kids all have healthy, supportive homes, despite the differences and that those homes extend beyond their houses (i.e. there are adults they don't live with who are looking out for them and who they can depend on.) I've known a couple of families whose kids have grown up in these sort of communal situations--where both parents and children know there is a community adults looking out for the kids, and therefore said kids can have a bit more free rein. In my experience, that environment always turns out really cool kids.

"Snow Place Like Home" also shows us how Craig's family in particular both commits to the bit and supports their extended found family that includes Kelsey and JP. When the stump kids arrive at Craig's house and Jojo makes them hot chocolate, JP and Kelsey thank her and refer to her as Grandma Jojo. She is enough of a force in their lives that she is, in a sense, their grandma as well as Craig's (which is great--everybody needs a Grandma Jojo.) Then, when Nicole pretends not to see Craig and his friends in the closet, and they determine they're invisible, both Jojo and Duane play along. I really can't articulate what it is I love so much about this. It just seems like a really healthy family dynamic and a great environment in which to be a kid. You can tell all three of these kids are going to turn into really cool adults because of what the really cool adults in their lives modeled. 

What I love most is that it's the same thing that we see in Bluey, even though the families are different in many ways. The Williams family might not have dance mode or fairy attacks, and the Heelers might not be so keen on letting their kids swap bodies. But they nevertheless base their child-rearing on the same principles. For example, Bandit gives horsey rides and pretends to eat his children. Duane does style-checks with Jessica and tells Craig he's a secret agent. The outcomes look different, but the underlying ideas are the same. I feel like I could spend the rest of the day writing about this and never quite get to the point. I guess I'm just really happy to see multiple kids shows that are good for parents as well as kids. And it's nice to see a wide range of families engaging in healthy dynamics. As we see in both "Snow Place Like Home" and "Body Swap," when you develop those dynamics, you create an environment kids want to return to. (Also, Nicole used to skateboard, and I hope she teaches one of the kids in the future!)

"The New Jersey" is actually another episode that gives us some insight into child-rearing. I mentioned in my last post that adults and children tend to talk past each other. In this episode, JP's mother is concerned with the fact that her son needs a shirt. But she's able to listen past what might seem like childish complaining and understand that this particular jersey is important to him because it connects him to dad who lives in Canada (I assume JP's parents are divorced. And based on the phone conversation, sounds like they have a civil relationship with one another.) His dad also realizes he's not quite listening to his son. Though I do kind of wish this episode had just been titled "New Jersey" and the jersey had come from New Jersey or something like that. I just like a punny title.

But speaking of punny titles, I really enjoyed "Breaking the Ice." What I liked about it was that, like the conflict between Stacks and Kelsey, we get to see both sides of the conflict between Craig and Wildernessa. I do think it was important for Wildernessa to hear how her words were harmful. But I really liked the moment where she said she prefers animals because they're easier to understand. It's clear she's been hurt by her peers and the only way she has to express her romantic feels for Craig (oh, I completely forgot the moment where Craig is drawn differently because of this!) is by doing a mating dance. I hope we get to see this relationship developing further.

And finally, I really liked that Bobby was Team Candy and that the horse girls got a silver medal in "curling." 

I'll see you tomorrow at the creek!

[starlightshadowsworld]

So I see you’ve watched Sk8 the infinity! I’m glad you seem to enjoy it! I know you really love Lange and Reki, but is it alright if I ask you about your thoughts on the other characters? Like Cherry, Joe, Shadow, Miya, Adam, Snake, etc?

I remember watching that show when ep 11 came out and I had a brain rot about that show for MONTHS! So glad Season 2 has been announced!

Season 2's been announced?

Damn I be making great timing lol.

Sure of course it's alright to ask.

Ima just get this out the way, I hate Adam. I hate him. I can sympathise with his back story. And I find his past with Joe and Cherry intresting.

But man everytime he's on he's onscreen I am uncomfortable.

I'm glad he regained his love for skating but dear god stay away from these kids.

Snake, I don't particularly like him. But I find him and his motivations intresting. The insight he has into Adam and who he is, the fact he's his mentor in a way.

His entrance into S was amazing. I like how his conversation with Reki helped Reki realise his passion for skateboarding.... Really wish he hadn't taken him into a love hotel for that conversation though.

Cherry is great. I may have geeked over Carla a wee bit, I think Carla as a concept is so cool.

I love how Cherry tries to exude this image of refinement and prestigue... That gets immediately destroyed when Joe shows up.

I love the bond they have, I'd like to know more about their past. I absolutely get why Cherry wanted to race Adam and holyshit that race.

Joe is great. I love how both of them are mentors to the kids, but especially Joe. Seeing him reach out to Reki when he was at his lowest, because he understands is great.

Because as much as they try to paint Joe as a "simple minded gorilla" he's got a ton of heart and he's very smart. And I like that Cherry knows that, I just love seeing them interact and bicker.

May be starting to ship Joe and Cherry.

I love Miya. Miya is definitely one of my favourite characters. He's such a little nerd. I love seeing him with everyone else because you know he's having fun.

There's something to be said that Adam could've become Miya if he regained or never lost Joe and Cherry.

Miya is everyone's snarky little brother, seeing him open up and have friends is just great. When he convinced those women that Joe was his dad and Cherry was his mum 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.

Absolutely broke my heart when he told Reki he was breaking his promise to him.

Because it shows how much Reki and the others mean to him, he's afraid of losing them. I don't blame Miya or Shadow for their involvement in that.

Was it mean? Yes, but I think they'd have stopped if they knew how much it was affecting Reki.

Because they've made jokes like this at each other constantly and everyone was okay with it. I think they'd regret it if they knew.

I absolutely love Shadow. Shadow went from the enemy to stressed out single parent and we love to see it.

He didn't adopt these kids, they signed the papers and showed up at his house.

He's a great rep for alt people, looks scary but is soft on the inside. His crush on his co-worker is adorable, I love that his day job is as a florist it's sweet.

I love that for all he says he truly cares about them.

And not on the list but Manager Oka, love him. I love how he's always keeping an eye on Reki and Langa. His talk with Reki after the fight, I like him he's good.

Apologises this was quite long 😅.

[johanna-swann]

Ship neutral post about the season 9 renewal (minor spoilers ahead):

Season 8 so far has been... not great. Especially 8a left a lot of people disappointed, it was lacking in all kinds of regards. (See this post.) The last 3 episodes were pretty decent again* and felt more like the good'ol' 911 days which gives me personally hope, but in general 911 is not a very flexible show.

[* 8x11 and 12 were great, in 8x13 it felt a little off that the 118 collectively forgot Hen's birthday, but it was low-stakes silly drama that affected and involved all the characters as a family and even some side characters. I'm not gonna complain about that.]

Anyway, flexibility. All the main characters have been here for at least 6.5 seasons, the only main character who ever left was Abby way back in season 1. The main couples have all been together since season 2 or longer. Nobody, not a single person has progressed in their career at all. The side characters we've been missing in 8a are slowly coming back, but they still either get very (and I mean very) little screen time or they aren't relevant to the plot and are just there. (I was happy to see Hen's mother again for example, but why was she there? Everybody forgot Hen's birthday, we know that without having Toni sit in the living room when Hen gets home.) Even in their personal lives most characters have stagnated.

Bobby and Athena are still married and them rebuilding their house would be exciting if it happened to an irl friend of mine, but I don't really care what kitchen countertops two characters choose on tv?

Eddie is still struggling with the single dad thing (when to be firm, when to let go) and still isn't over Shannon. He finally stood up to his parents, but not in a way that significantly differed from back when he put his foot down and moved to LA imo and it wasn't a core issue anyway? It's an issue that developed as a consequence of Christopher moving, but that only happened in the first place because Eddie fucked up with the Kim/Shannon/Marisol drama which hasn't even been mentioned in season8.

Madney went through all the typical couple steps. They got married, a house, a daughter and a second kid on the way. And it was nice to see them grow as a family, but it's not particularly exciting. It's cute, but kinda basic. There were of course times when things didn't go perfectly, but even season 5 was so long ago at this point.

Hen had her med-school arc, but that didn't go anywhere and she has a second kid now, permanently, but all in all her life is the exact same as it was in season 1.

Buck had the bisexual awakening story line, but that was all about Tommy and not about Buck's actual sexuality. There was no "Oh, I am part of this community now", no peptalk with Hen, no "Oh that's what my weird obsession with X/Y/Z was about", no label, nothing. At first I thought they'd come back to it later, but later is here and still nothing. He's still the guy who impulsively goes all in too soon and ends up alone so he can restart the cycle [that reminds me I need to do laundry.]

911 is going into season 9 this year and something needs to change. Idc if they write one of the characters out of the show, if they add a new main, if they finally let someone do something with their career, if they let Buck get a (new) love interest who he finally gets to keep (could be Tommy, could be Eddie, for the sake of the show as a whole I do not care anymore although I do have a personal preference). They need to do something or the show is going to die a slow and agonising death.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

In my opinion, there were plot holes in the season that are really off-putting. But I also think the writers were just really unwise about their narrative time. With 2 episodes less than the first season, they did not balance their characters and storylines well.

I’m flabbergasted about the amount of time that was spent on the love triangle (I refuse to waste anymore brain power complaining about.. all of that). We could have had less of that in favor of:

- Giving Mouse a real storyline > making Ash more prominent, giving her grandmother an actual purpose or just cutting the character all together.

- Showing us the character development that they only tell us Greg has gone through.

- Follow through with Imogen’s mental health, hallucinations scares, and concerns for her child’s safety that were only relevant in the first half of the season.

- Make redemption house even more sinister and/or show characters like Kelly, Henry, or Greg noticing everyone around them becoming obsessed with Spooky Spaghetti. It would’ve been so easy to permanently write out Henry by making him one of Wes’/BR’s followers but of course they didn’t do that.

- Show at least a little bit of conflict between Mrs Langsberry and Tabby’s mom - opposing mothers defending the reputation of their children. Although I will say, this might have made it too obvious.

- Maybe even including more conflict by not waiting until the last episode to finally accuse each others partners.

Just some thoughts :P

I agree! I think the biggest issue with this season was the reduced runtime (I don't know if that was at all due to the writer's strike, but I hope they get an absolute minimum of 10 episodes if they do a third season), and the mismanagement of the time that they did have.

To address some of your points specifically- I also felt Mouse was super sidelined this season (yes, she is technically the person most intent on solving the mystery, but she's basically just around to info-dump at everyone else, not have any personal growth), and Ash was barely present. I was particularly disappointed by this, because I knew the actor's billing had been upgraded, so I thought we'd get noticeably more Ash.

Greg's redemption arc, if you can really call it that, since it seemed to skip the crucial "oh, he's questioning his ways and changing" part felt super rushed (as did Kelly's turn from 2x06-2x08). I think they did film more of it (since we know of some cut stuff), but since it didn't make it to the screen, it felt very strange that Faran suddenly liked Greg (I'm not saying they played it like she's in love with him or anything, but I feel like they skipped the middle bit between "he annoys the hell out of her and she really dislikes him" to "he's apologized and now they're hooking up,"). It was just too fast.

I definitely expected Imogen's mental health to ultimately play a bigger role than it did, considering how much time they spent on it.

It is hard to believe Mrs. Beasley, Pastor Malachi, Kelly, Greg, (and presumably Henry, since they never reveal him as an antagonist) didn't notice that there was an entire additional cult in their cult.

The scene where all the girls started bickering about their SOs was one of my favorites from the finale. It felt so realistic that they wouldn't all just be on board with these new people they don't know at all (and most of them didn't interact with the new love interests that weren't their own almost at all) and assume they're all great. It was refreshing to see the girls disagree and take a few jabs at each other, because while I love them supporting each other, those moments of coming together feel like they mean less when they're all just always on the same page.

As a writer and creator myself, I understand that it is much easier to criticize than it is to create, but one of the big advantages of collaboration is that theoretically you have a lot of people looking at your work with a critical and constructive eye and shaping the story into the best version of itself. This season felt like it really could have used some editing and refining (in the writing process, before you even get to the film editing) to streamline the storylines and not get too bogged down in areas that don't pay off.

To leave things on a high note- I really did have fun watching the show this season & trying to puzzle things out. I just feel there were some pretty glaring flaws, as well.

[juniaships]

My idea for Frozen 3

Which surprisingly acknowledges the second movie! Even though I dislike it, I'm not going to pretend it doesn't exist. Well, think of it as a Frozen 2.5 as it's more of a spin-off movie. Rhe story takes the magic mirror elements from the Snow Queen tale. Tw for Flashing Images

Ominous green fire not included

The movie starts with Hans is still on punishment for his actions in the first movie. He's sick of shoveling horse crap and resents his station in life. One day his father offers him a deal: find a magic mirror and bring it back and he will reverse all charges. Maybe even upgrade his rank. Seeing it as a chance to finally prove his worth and get back at the people who wronged him, Hans eagerly accepts the deal.

He boards a ship set coursed to Westleton as a starting point. But one evening it gets caught in a cyclone and Hans is thrown overboard. Miraculously he lands on a deserted island. Turns out the island is inhabited by a beautiful woman named Kirsten. Her only companions is a female reindeer named Anders and a artic fox kit named Sian (pronounced shee-anne).

To Hans's surprise Kirsten has the mirror he's looking for. So he puts on the charismatic Prince Charming act to try to trick her. But Kirsten is no Anna: she sees right through it and shuts him down! She already knows about Hans as she heard about what he did from the villagers she often stayed with. She decides to take him as her hostage.

Kirsten says she got the magic mirror from one of her great grandparents. Her family were far from royalty and couldn't make ends meet. One of her relatives stole a precious item from a powerful mage to exchange it for food. As a result they got the entire town cursed, which ultimately led her family's exile. She believes that by returning the mirror back to original place, she can end the curse. She could give it to Hans and pass the curse on to him but that would be taking the easy way out.

While on the Island Hans and Kirsten try to get along. He's bitter over losing another chance to be a king and she is upset that she's pretty much stuck with the worse guy on Earth. Doesn't help they have to face obstacles such as like giant bugs; a river of lava that can only be crossed via a wonky bridge; and questionable berries.

Gradually the duo starts to get along particularly after Hans saves Kirsten's life. The journey also forces Hans to rely on strengths other than his manipulation.

During a heart to heart, Hans admit the reason why he's so obsessed with getting the mirror is to show up his family; as he was the youngest they blame him for the death of the Queen (who had died giving birth to him). Kirsten replies while that doesn't excuse taking it out on Arendelle, he was still a innocent baby who did not deserve to be treated that way. The honest talk pushes Hans to consider if it's actually worth it.

In Arendelle Hans brothers' are there, not really caring about the possibility of their brother dying. Anna and Kristoff are uneasy working with them but knows that Hans is a potential threat, unaware that he is changing for the better.

After getting to the other end of the island they make it to a coastal village and stowaway to Arendelle (how ironic). Hans is terrified so Kirsten disguises him as a sailor. By luck they arrived during a time of a festival so Kirsten decides to take a breather. Hans teaches her how to dance and Anders and Sian push for them to be a couple much to Kirtsen's amusement.

After a day of jest Hans and Kirsten resume their quest and make it to the trolls. Grandfather Troll tell them about the hall of mirrors. The others trolls know that Hans is bullshitting with the disguise but Grandfather Troll senses that this is a necessary journey for Hans so they can't interfere.

The quartest go to an abandoned Cave (the mountains Elsa were in the first movie) which turns out to be the entrance to the Mage's house. That's where the ultimate test begins. Hans sees a reflection of himself at various points in his life, and the events that culminated in the monster he was in F1. Realizing he doesn't like what he sees Hans resolves to finally change his life and plans on telling his father the mirror is lost. Kirsten undergoes her own test as her "loner" mentality made her miserable and time with Hans made her regain her sense of trust and joy.

Confronting their past selves they pass the test. But Just as Kirsten is about to return the mirror, Hans' brothers show up (having tracked them down) and take Sian and Anders hostage. To save Kirsten's life he takes the mirror and asks his brother to put her under house arrest. Kirsten is upset and tells him off, which hurts Hans.

Back in the Southern Isles Hans gives his father the mirror. With the item now in his possession the king starts making plans to invade the other nations in the fjord. Hans is given a new rank but cannot enjoy it as he's guilty for lying to Kirsten even if it was to save her life. Knowing his family's true intentions Hans decides to go to the last person to ask for help; Queen Anna.

Hans surrenders himself to the Arendelle authorities and is brought before Anna. She's still angry over his actions. Hans pleads that this isn't about that anymore and he is ready to accept full responsibility. But his father is plotting to take over the entire realms, he has one of hus friends locked up, and he needs her and Elsa's help. Anna senses that the desperation is genuine and reluctantly helps him. She learns about Hans's special friend and skeptical over it.

Together with Honeymaren's tribe the heroes go to the Isles and confront the King. Hans sneaks to the tower and frees Kirsten. She punches him and about to do it again when Hans catches her and confesses he only said that to save her life. He has seen what kind of monster his father really is and no longer wants to put up with him. But first they need to stop him before he brings about a world war. Kirsten is relieved that Hans isn't lying, but she makes her grumpiness clear. During the fight they're arguing and accidentally let slip they like each other.

The heroes end up playing keep away with the mirror but the king gets it and about to turn Kirsten to stone. In an intentional callback to the scene in F1, Hans jumps in the way and gets turned to stone. The king is unsympathetic that he turned one of his own kids to stone. Suddenly Sian bites him causing the mirror to fly out of his hands. Kirsten catches it and smashes it.

The effects of the mirror ends. But Hans remains frozen. Heh. Touched by his sacrifice Kirsten weeps over his body. Then the ghost of the OG mage arrives, having witnessed Hans' sacrifice. Even though Kirsten's family stole the mirror, her determination to set things right and sacrificing her only chance at breaking the curse, made the Mage so impressed he takes pity on them. That, and Hans finally putting his life towards what's actually important.

Hans is restored and he and Kirsten embrace. Much to the shock of his family, Hans renounces his royal title and leaves for good. After the battle the nations in the region decide to cut the Southern Isles and arrest the King. The twelve brothers fight over the throne which eventually leads to the monarchy getting dissolved. Being replaced by a kinder more just Prime Minister.

While Anna and Hans' don't become friends they do become allies. Hans and Kirsten travels the world a bit more, focusing on helping people and Hans working to repair his reputation. Even meets her family (who live with Honeymaren's village). Shortly afterwards, Hans is working as an ice harvester and Kirsten is a writer and publishes stories based on her adventures.

An alternative version of the final battle is the king almost turns Hans into stone to punish him for his betrayal but Kirsten takes the blow instead. Hans realizes this is exactly what Elsa felt when Anna turned to stone. He fights his dad and gets the mirror and smashes it. He cries over Kirsten's, the act of true love cures her and the original owner of the mirror takes pity and heals her blah blah blah blah blah Yes it is cheesy. It's a fuckin disney princess movie let me have fun dammit!!

And later when Elsa sends a message that requires Arendelle, Hans and Kirsten decides to go as he wants to make it up to Elsa too.

The story essentially is removing the metaphorical shard in Hans' eye and leading him to experience the world on his own terms and not just what his family expects. You don't have to help the people who ruined your life and doesn't care about you; but also redemption takes a lot of time and work. You might not always be forgiven but the results are truly worth it. Also learn to consider someone else's need and help people without expecting a reward all the time.