#“just because we're divorced doesn't mean we have to move on???”

[peppermintquartz]

A potentially (even more) angsty prompt:

A couple month after the breakup (and Buck moping around), the 118 is called to a crashed Harbor helicopter.

Or alternatively, Buck is not on shift and Chim calls Buck that Tommy is in the hospital via a helicopter crash (the rest of the 118 rescued him). A la Chim's Henren matchmaking.

Whatever level of injury you wish for either is good!

(for the purposes of this ficlet, their breakup is NOT the 8x06 version, just one where Tommy is like "we're moving too fast, I need some time" and they agree to give it a pause, and it still sucks but they're not exes)

---

"So... Have you two patched up yet?" Eddie broaches the subject cautiously. It's a fifty-fifty chance that Buck will be willing to share or snap his head off.

"I asked him out for a drink," Buck says, eyes on his book (Slow Productivity, which seems kinda strange for a guy working as a firefighter). "He said he'll take a raincheck." He sounds emotionless, which means he's sort of upset but not overly so.

Which makes sense, since Tommy and Buck did have a Not-A-Date brunch to catch up two weeks ago. Eddie was there, too, desperate wishing he had an excuse not to be, so that the two yearning idiots would just get back together.

Eddie's about to say more when the alarm goes and Bobby hustles everyone onto their engines. Curiously, Bobby sits in the back, telling Hen to take his usual seat.

"What do we got, Cap?" Chimney asks, snapping his gum. It's a new habit - the man is stressed about a second child. The sirens scream to life and they're off.

Bobby puts a hand on Buck's shoulder. "Airlift gone wrong. A chopper went down while delivering a heart to First Presbyterian."

Eddie sees the younger man go still. Buck won't ask, so Eddie bites the bullet. "It's Tommy?"

Before he answers, Bobby tightens his grip on Buck. "It's Tommy."

--

The good news is that the chopper hadn't gained much altitude when it crashed. The better news is that its cargo, a heart ready for transplant, is still intact, so it's quickly rushed off to the hospital in an ambulance.

The bad news is, it was Tommy piloting.

The worst news is, he needs blood. A lot of blood. Hen and Chimney are packing the wounds and stabilizing what they can and Bobby is calling Dispatch to relay messages for a transfusion.

"Blood type, B-pos, no known allergies," Buck rattles off to Bobby and Hen, helping to lift Tommy, collared and strapped on a backboard, onto the gurney. His jaw is tight and his hands are steady. "His emergency contact is..."

He falters as Tommy is wheeled into the ambulance.

Eddie shoves him. "Get in there." When Buck turns to look at him, eyes wide, Eddie pushes him again. "Get in there. You're his emergency contact as far as we know, so go. Tommy won't survive your delay."

That spurs Buck into moving with alacrity. The ambulance pulls out, sirens screaming, and Eddie feels his heart pounding in his mouth.

Then he feels Bobby standing beside him. "They haven't patched up?"

"They're idiots," Eddie says with heartfelt vehemence.

Bobby sighs.

--

Eddie goes to the hospital three hours later, after the shift. Buck is still in his uniform, so Eddie passes him his duffel and shoos him off to change.

"What news?" Eddie asks when Buck joins him again.

"They've stopped the bleeding," Buck says, closing his eyes. "Now they need to work on the impalement."

Eddie sits next to his best friend. He doesn't speak.

"I'm done," Buck says suddenly, sounding like he's gargled gravel. "I'm done. When he wakes up, I'm gonna... I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I am not doing this stupid 'pause button' shit any longer."

Oh thank God. Eddie can stop feeling like he's a child caught between divorced parents.

Then, because he is and always has been a realist, he asks, "What if he doesn't wanna press the play button?"

Buck looks a little sick. He clenches his jaw and shakes his head. "Then we want different things out of this. And I'd rather it hurt all at once now than later." His eyes look shockingly blue against the paleness of his face.

Eddie pats his friend's knee, and leans back to grab some shut-eye.

--

Eddie takes on the bulk of Buck-sitting duties for the next four days, spelled by Bobby. (Buck takes time off. No one begrudges it.) Maddie manages to get Buck to go home to shower but she can't make him sleep in his own bed.

Convenient that Tommy crashed just before our off days, Eddie thinks, a little bitchily, the day he comes back after a shift.

Man broke Buck's heart. Eddie figures he's due a little bitchiness.

It takes five false alarms before Tommy is truly awake and alert enough to register Buck and Eddie are there.

The heart rate monitor beeps a little more urgently.

"I'm here, honey," Buck murmurs, taking Tommy's hand immediately and squeezing it. "Relax, okay? Docs and nurses gonna look at you for a bit first."

Tommy blinks, and on his horribly pale and scruffy face is a ghost of a relieved smile. He can't talk, but his mouth forms something that sounds suspiciously like "eh en", or "Evan", and Buck smiles so brightly that he probably powered the machines with its intensity.

Eddie feels the ground under his feet right itself as the doctor and nurses take over. Yeah, that pause button is going away. He sends a message to the group chat.

Hen replies, Bets on when they move in together. $5 min.

[ceilidho]

All the ex-husband Price content was top tier! I hope there's more soon because I've just been soaking it all up like a sponge, I wonder what he'll do when he realizes his ex-wife has a male friend who's a little too close to comfort, a neighbor or a coworker and he tires to convince her to completely move on from Price and instead be with him because he's around more often and if Price overhears the conversion 👀 say Price was dropping the kids of and she was coming in with the groceries so he goes to the door about to open it and he hears THAT over the top friendly neighbor on the other side trying to convince her and asks her out on a date.....

haha thank you so much!! i love complicated relationships and the twists and turns of love.

i actually think it would be so so funny if you were just as weird as price but in your own way. your bachelor neighbour stops by one day to give you a package that had been put on his doorstep by accident and you get to talking and he tries to convince you to go on a date with him, you know, start moving on. he sees price come by all the time and he's just concerned.

meanwhile you're just standing there, white knuckling the doorframe and getting progressively more annoyed with this dude. who the hell is he getting involved in your relationships? you can fuck your ex-husband if you want. who is this absolute stranger to lecture you about getting over your ex? you're about ten seconds from slamming the door in this guy's face when john pulls up and you melt a little when you see the stone cold look on his face.

[bigskydreaming]

The Vampire Daniel Molloy, when Louis asks what he's looking forward to most about the next stage of his newly immortal life:

Hmm. With how much my maker already complains about me ruining his life and how every day I give him a new reason to regret ever siring me, if I had to pick just one thing, I'd say the thing I'm most looking forward to is when I hit vampire puberty.

Louis: ....

Daniel: Vampire puberty's when the really wild superpowers kick in, right?

Louis: I suppose technically that's not....inaccurate.

Daniel: Hey, what are the chances of me getting the 'set shit on fire with my brain' thing you've got? Can you even imagine how much that would piss him off? His disappointment of a fledgling having the same gifts as the ex who dumped his ass....oh, man. C'mon now. I bet I could do some real damage with that.

Louis: Actually, while we're near the subject: would you please stop introducing yourself as 'the reason your vampire parents got divorced?'

Daniel: No, Louis, Louis! You're not getting it, see....the thing that makes it funny is its true.

Louis: You've really decided to lean into the whole 'second childhood' angle, huh.

Daniel: Mmmm. And just think. If you'd turned me fifty years ago when I first asked, I'd be well past this stage by now. And also still twenty. And hot.

Louis: Ahh. Its like that, then, is it.

Daniel: Oh, only a little bit. Really though, its like, every day I discover a new way to make Armand rue my very existence all over again, and maybe I'm just a simple man with simple needs, because that's just....very fun for me. I mean, there's just something extra validating in knowing the guy you're all "fuck that guy, I hate him, he sucks" about hates you waaaay more than you can be bothered to hate him. Because then its like you win the feud, right? You still get to hate that guy, which is great, because fuck that guy, he sucks, but you also get to know your very existence drives him way crazier than his ever makes you, and I mean, let's be real. Who doesn't like winning things?

Louis: Well I'm so glad you've found something that gives you a sense of purpose at least. Its very -

Daniel: Yeah, yeah, immortal blood drinkers need hobbies other than mass murder, it keeps the body count low and is good for the environment. Relax. I know. I literally wrote the book on it. You were there.

Louis: That's what you got out of it?

Daniel: Why, did you want me to fixate on your sex scenes instead? That seems weird. A little narcissistic even. And at the risk of self-awareness, when I'm the one -

Louis: Right. Well. I just wanted to make sure you had something to focus your energies on. It can all be a bit overwhelming at first and with your level of public attention at the moment, its very crit -

Daniel: Nope, all good here. Got myself a steady supply of Deadbeat Dad jokes that make my maker's eye twitch - apparently base word play is "gauche" or some shit - ugh, my god, its like nothing I do is ever good enough for him, and I only ate one of the editors on my shitlist to test drive my shiny new murder skills. He had this thing about Oxford commas, used to bug the crap out of me. Its like we get it, you hate them. They're literally dots on a page, they can't hurt you, can we please move on....

Louis: ....

Daniel: Louis, I'm kidding. Look, you don't have to worry about me. I already decided I find emotional evisceration way more satisfying than the physical version. Less clean up and it lasts longer anyway. I'm not going to get myself into trouble by cosplaying as Jack the Ripper where paparazzi can catch me red-fanged, and even if I do, I hereby absolve you of all responsibility. You can stop mother-henning me, you didn't turn me, you literally said no when I begged you to, its the whole reason I have eternal wrinkles instead of youthful tautness.

Louis: Not gonna let that one go, are you.

Daniel: Gimme a few centuries and ask me again. I'll let you know then.

Louis: Mmhmm. So this was....memorable and we definitely won't be doing it again. But you do seem to have things figured out so I'll leave you to it, then.

Daniel: Wait, Louis, don't go! Don't you want to hear my five-century life plan for annoying Armand into an early retirement mausoleum? I made visual aids!

Louis: Goodbye, Daniel.

Daniel: Fine, leave then! I don't care! You're not my real dad anyway! Et cetera, et cetera!

[unabashednightmarepizza]

𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 3

A/N: I'm so damn happy, adding that It's Ben' bday, that I'll share two parts of this and an oneshot

Tagging: @bloody-mf-bsc, @augustwithquills

Liked by benbarnes, jessie_mei_li, blakelively, jennaortega and 7,453,241 others

Y/N Y/L/N: There they are, my beautiful girls!🥹💞

My offer is still on, btw 🤭

View 675,132 comments

User2: The Devil works hard, but no one works harder than Y/N in trying to woo her girlfriends

Jessie_mei_li: She really doesn't have to, we're all very happy to oblige... And so do everyone else, like have you seen her? 🫦😏

freddycarter1: benbarnes, I think you are loosing your woman here...😳🫢

Kittheyounger: I don't want to be a child of divorce! 😭

User6: WHY ARE THEY SO DRAMATIC DJSJDJ

User6: Now I wanna know what her offer is...

User4: Ben Barnes is being attacked from every corner possible and we are all watching, him loose this Great War.

User1: He still is very much so in love and ready to fight tooth and nail for her... Even though he is usually a dork 🤣

User8: That one time when Y/N ate what Ben made for her on her birthday, though she had allergies for that one food but didn't tell hım about it, and she had to go to hospital with a terrified Ben on her tail?

User5: OMG I feel bad for laughing! Poor Ben and Y/N... I remember hım saying that he was so scared for her and thought he killed her accidently 🥹😭

User4: And when she was asked why she did it, she just casually said: "What do you mean why? He did it, thinking that I'd like it. I'd drink fucking posion if my man came to me with such thing!"

User3: And Ben Barnes, who is usually so cool, got teary eyed and hugged her thightly and apologized? On live? Even though he doesn't like talking about his life? That's who we stan.

User1: It's almost like we are their children, reminiscing about their past... But I'm jealous because I don't have someone like her in my life

User4: My life would surely be different if I had her in my life, not even as a partner. She just is so effortlessly kind...

Y/N's.dimple: Ben Barnes is living the life we want... We're just little gremlins watching them

Liked by benbarnes, shadowandbone, chrishemsworth, matthewsturniolo and 7,999,987 others

Y/N Y/L/N: Stop making my heart stop with that smile and being cute. Bitch. Who gave you the right? This goes straight to be my New lockscreen.

View 786,988 comments

User4: Y/N is just our inner voice coming out on social media

User3: Her love is agressive confessions of love, if you aren't gonna put a ring on her finger benbarnes, I will. And I'll do it gladly.

Y/N Y/L/N: Look at hım... So cute, so squeashy, so adorable. He is my handsome babygirl 🥰🤭 (No, I'm not giggling and kicking my feet, the scene would be ruined if I moved the came- Ah, look at that! Suddenly I'm on hım??) Liked by benbarnes

User4: Aight my life didn't matter anyways *dies of cuteness*

User5: I love the way they love each other and show it without caring for anyone, and also how we simp for them 🥹😍❤️

amita_suman: @ user5, you guys aren't alone. We also feel the same way🥹

User7: Ben Barnes is finally being pampered on social media! He finally had his dream come true!

benbarnes.fans: The way she is so soft with others but absolutely a menace with Ben just shows that they are comfortable with each other so much...

User5: And the way he looks at her as she acts like who she really is? All comfortable with him?? I'm crying 🥹😭

User6: You know what's even best? If not for Y/N, we wouldn't have Ben, Amita, Jessie and others.

User3: I swear they all forget their passwords

User2: What's even funnier is that they really do forget their passwords and one time asked her... Y/N literally takes note their passwords and has absolute control over their accounts lol

User3: She wasn't called "the Mommy" for no reason🤣

Y/N Y/L/N: They are all children stuck in grown-up's bodies...It's hard you know? Taking care of them as a single mom😔

Liked by jessie_mei_li, benbarnes, amita_suman and 9,867,566 others

Y/N Y/L/N: Another appreciation post!

1.Here is my lovely harem!

2. Just so you know, she was looking at me! And big applause for dear @ ambercrombachmua for all those amazing makeups! You guys are amazing!

3. That was the last day of shooting... Did they cry? Yes. Did we cry? Also yes. Did I hide in my caravan because I didn't want to see them all cry? Also yes.🥹

View 997,645 comments

User11: She is so precious, just like a cinnamon roll❤️

User7: love how she didn't forget to include the makeup department. Everyone needs to take a moment and appreciate them.

Y/N Y/L/N: We need to take SEVERAL minutes just to applaud them 👏

User6: Is she the one who did that amazing bloody, unhinged Kaz makeup? Because if so, I hope they are having an amazing day @ Y/N Y/L/N

Y/N Y/L/N: Yes, she was! And what a masterpiece it was...

Hater1: another cheating post!

User3: the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you here again? Go and cry at the corner.

Hater1: I just know that she banged at least one person there behind Ben's back. She doesn't deserve hım.

User3: THAT'S IT! HOW DARE YOU BRING THEM DOWN INTO THIS AND BLAME THEM WITH SUCH THING?! ALL OF THEM SHOWED NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR BOTH OF THEM, AND EVERYONE AND I MEAN EVERYONE WHO HAD EVER MET THEM HOW IN LOVE THEY LOOKED! THEY ARE SUCH SWEET PEOPLE THAT THEY DON'T DESERVE RHIS SHIT! JUST BECAUSE Y/N SHOWS HER LOVE THROUGH SARCASM DOESN'T MEAN SHE DOESN'T LOVE HIM! IF SHE DIDN'T, SHE WOULDN'T HAVE FLIGHT TO THE OTHER PART OF THE PLANET WHEN BEN WAS SICK! GET YOUR SICK BRAIN AND GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THEM AND DON'T RUIN THEIR HAPPINESS!

User7: Sis, here is your crown, you dropped it 〈⁠(⁠•⁠ˇ⁠‿⁠ˇ⁠•⁠)⁠-⁠→👑

benbarnes: and who do I deserve more than her? You?

User5: our dad hit the nail so nice! Well-said dad, hand them their ass! FANS ASSEMBLE TOGETHER!

benbarnes: I didn't say anything because my girlfriend wanted me to not do anything harsh, but now I'm happy to tell you that by disrespecting my love and me like that, you signed your doom. Enjoy your new hell.

User6: You know It's dead-ass serious when her man gets involved... I wanna see that hater cry.

User9: there is just something with the way Ben defended Y/N that... I can't just get out of my head.

User6: This is what a Man is, girls. Take notes and don't settle down for any less!

User7: The way she just doesn't share the others in the second one... Girl, do you hate the men of the cast?😂

User4: I heard that she actually loves them all so much *whispers slowly*

Y/N: Ahh, here is my secret out in the wild... there is another fanpage dedicated to them, they just don't know it

Kittheyounger: I knew you liked others than Luke! This is the best day of my life! Guys, you don't know how it feels like to be bullied and slapped by your own director😭 Someone who is supposed to love you and care for you, be there when you need and help you...

Y/N Y/L/N: Kit, your inner Jesper is showing itself again and I aint your mama

kittheyounger: what language is that?!

Y/N Y/L/N: American English, you Brit! Not that you would understand... and don't you dare spit your venom at my precious Luke and David...

User8: DOES THAT MEAN HE COMES BACK?! PLEASE I NEED IT!

User8: Y/N, THE PRETTIEST MOST SUCCESFULL WOMAN? I AM ON MY KNEES PLEASE WHERE ARE YOU?!

User2: Bro is desperate lol @ user8

User5: This further proves that, yes Jessie is the favourite one

User3: but look at her and that little scrunch if her nose! How could she not be?🤭🥰

Y/N Y/L/N: another one who understands my point... One day, everyone will ✊🥹

Liked by benbarnes, blakelively, nickiminaj and 6,789,885 others

Y/N Y/L/N: Same, sis, same...✊🥹

View 897,994 comments

benbarnes: One day, love... Just one day of you not sharing any "memes" about me.

Y/N: But... But they are cute 👉👈 And you are so... Hot. And mine.

benbarnes: the real thing is sitting next to you and you are giggling at your phone??

Y/N Y/L/N: But... But I have to look at your younger pictures. You aged like fine wine and I'm this 🤏 close to just jump on you and...you know what I mean.

benbarnes: Okay, that's enough internet for you today 😑😳🫠

User9: Y/N just realized how hot her man is and now she uses every chance to tease hım and I'm living for it

User6: Like we always say: Live, laugh and love Y/N and her sense of humor

Y/N Y/L/N: It's the same as Gen-Z humour really. There are young people working for me, and they tell me the most bizarre stories ever like... how are you all still alive??

User8: Ben is just so done yet also in love with her that he just can't say no to her 🥹❤️

User9: Her captions are just killing me 🤣 By the way is that hater fine? If not, I can just... talk to her like a civil person🔪

User5: I heard user3 handed that person their ass from DMs so bad that they erased their account lol

User9: Good for her! That shit never gave up on picking on our parents, someone had to show them our power

User12: The way Ben defended her tho😳 I bet my ass dad is planning homicide and I'd gladly help. FOR OUR MOTHER!

user7: by the way they had been all over each other in stories and post... They are probably having a hot session or something 👐

User3: Thank you all for your support! I was just so angry at them for saying such things about probably the nicest people on this Planet! They saved me, and many others, without even knowing, Y/N is the sweetest soul ever with how she supports and is there for everyone who wants her help and she ABSOLUTELY doesn't deserve to get hate!

Y/N Y/L/N: I can actually cry, I'm so grateful to have fans like you 🥹

Y/N.Fanpage: PLEASE DON'T CRY I CAN'T BEAR IT-

User12: Girlie pop Y/N also had a crush on Caspian, best Info I had today 😌

User5: The way Y/N just knows her man and how he aged is so mood

User3: Considering she also tried to jump on his bones... Also a mood

User2: girl, did something happen today? @ Y/N Y/L/N Usually she isn't that mushy... Not that I have a complaint.

amita_suman: @ user2 no, except one of the workers we absolutely loathe flirting with him shamelessly in front of her 😒

freddycarter1: and her absolutely roasting her so bad that she quit... And us planning our revenge 🤭

archierenaux3: No one messes with our parents!😡

Y/N Y/L/N: I apologize for the inconvenient shit I'll be right now but... Did the FUCKING Nicki Minaj just... Like my post?

User5: Opps, we lost her again...

benbarnes: Indeed we did... She is blasting her songs inside the house right now.

[rottenpumpkin13]

(giggles in H E H E)

*Zack's mother is in town to visit her son and have a bit of fun.*

"Still, I can't believe you and dad are getting divorced!" Zack said a bit upset, but overall happy to have his mother around.

"Oh, please, things were never perfect between me and your father. Besides, now that you're a big boy, with a big boy job and big boy responsibilities, I feel like we can move our separate ways. We raised you well, you're a good person that is entirely capable of doing plenty of stuff on your own. I know it hurts, but things will be alright, okay?" She said with a confident smile.

He grumbled. "Fine, I guess..." He looked away. "Just... Why?" He asked confused.

"Oh, Zackie... You always knew, didn't you? We talked over it so many times..."

"Yeah, but I thought things would change between you two!" He said nervously.

"Just because me and your father are not a couple anymore, doesn't mean we hate each other, honey. We're just doing what's best for both of us." She said with a smile while gently caressing her son's cheek. "We still love you lots, little hedgehog."

Zack chuckled. "I'm not little anymore." He scratched his head.

"You sure? With that head down I had my doubts." She playfully said as she put on some nice earrings.

"You're going out?"

"Yes, actually. I met someone online and—"

"MET SOMEONE?!"

"Oh, please, Zackary, I'm a grown woman AND your mother. I am divorced, I have the right to go on dates if I want to. You go out on dates with Aerith, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"No but. My life doesn't stop, hedgehog and I'm sorry, I know it's sudden, but trust me. He's a good guy and you'll see." She said with a bright smile he haven't seen in a decade.

Although he didn't like the idea, he decided that, for his mother sake, might as well be at least polite to him. If anything, he might scare the guy, he was still in his uniform, the guy must know what SOLDIER is, so he'll be sure his mother will be treated like the lady she is.

"Hi! I just want to introduce you to my son!" She said while pulling the mystery date inside her hotel room. "Angeal, I'd like to introduce you to Zackary, my son!"

An hour passed in Sephiroth's office, the atmosphere calm as he diligently tackled his work. Genesis sat in an armchair in the corner of the room halfway through a riveting novel while occasionally looking up to comment on the story's pacing to Sephiroth.

The phone rang shrilly, startling Genesis and tearing away Sephiroth's attention from the stack of papers. He answered, being met with Lazard's frantic voice on the other line.

"Director? What's going on?" Sephiroth inquired, a hint of concern in his voice.

Sephiroth exchanged a glance with Genesis that made the redhead instantly bookmark his novel and put it down.

Sephiroth sighed. "We're on our way," he replied dutifully, hanging up the phone.

Genesis stood up. "What happened?"

Sephiroth followed suit, pushing his chair back as he rose to his feet. "It appears Angeal and Zack are having a physical confrontation. We need to go break it up."

Genesis hummed, amused. "Why are they fighting?"

"Lazard didn't say," Sephiroth shrugged, making his way towards the door. "I suppose we'll be finding that out soon."

Another hour later, Infantryman Cloud Strife laid in his bunk. He was exhausted after a hard day's work and just wanted some rest, peace and quiet—

The shrill ring of his PHS in his pocket made him groan. He grabbed the device, seeing Lazard's name flashing on the screen. He flicked an eyebrow, amused, before answering him.

"Cloud speaking."

"..."

"They WHAT?"

"..."

"What do you mean Angeal is going out with Zack's mother? Zack kicked him where? Aw, man, that's gotta hurt. Did they manage to break up the fight, at least?"

"..."

Cloud's eyes widened. He gripped the PHS hard and leapt out of bed.

"YOU'RE TELLING ME SEPHIROTH SAW HER, BECAME INFATUATED, AND THEN VOWED TO FIGHT ANGEAL FOR HER AFFECTION? AND ZACK PUNCHED HIM, GENESIS GOT MAD AND NOW ZACK AND GENESIS ARE GOING AT IT?"

[panickingpansexuality]

The End?

Elliott x GN Farmer

Mentions of divorce, fear of loss, self loathing.

Elliott and you have been fighting and you worry divorce is on the horizon.

(gif not mine)

You don't really know how it started, but for the last two weeks you and Elliott have been at each other's throats. The littlest things set you off and then it sets him off, thankfully you're both able to not fight in front of your two year old son Charles.

Finally it got to point to where you two hardly spoke and that part made it feel like it was worse. That when you weren't fighting that your relationship was coming to a close, so he'd pick out little things to fight about with you just to hear you talk.

Of course you two have tried to talk to each other like adults but it just seemed like nothing was working. You spent more hours away from home, he spent nights away from home.

Your home that was once filled with laughter now filled with tension that even your son could sense.

That night after you two had out your son to bed he looked at you both very sadly and said:

"Are you still mad at daddy?"

Elliott sent you a concerned look and you returned it before looking at your son.

"Sometimes," you say softly. "Your Daddy and I fight because we don't always agree with each other, but it doesn't mean we don't love you or that we're mad at you."

"Precisely." Elliott said, "You have nothing to worry about Charlie."

"Ok." Charlie said before laying back into bed. "Story time?"

"We just had story time." You say with a smile

"I was't listen so you have to dood it again."

Charlie fell asleep midway through the story, neither you or Elliott moved away from him though. The story was about a witch who made friends with a turtle who wouldn't come out of his shell and at the end the witch kissed the turtle who became a prince and they got married.

Neither of you really knew what to say when the story was over so you went to bed early. The hours grew in the long silence with nothing but the wind in the trees.

Neither you or Elliott could sleep, the fight from earlier still staining your heart. Silently you gather your pillow and a spare blanket on the bed, trying to slip out of the room. You go to get off the bed when a gentle hand clasps your wrist.

"(y/n)," Elliott says softly, his words cracking like he's going to cry, "Please don't go. Please stay."

You crawl back into bed unable to deny his broken voice, once you're under the covers again, he pulls you close to him and you finally drift to sleep.

The next morning after you finished your chores on the sunny Tuesday, you go try and talk to the other married couples in town, Elliott went out with Charles to Willy's, not leaving a note as he suspected he would be home tonight before you.

"I just feel like we're gonna be over." You said in a small voice to Jodi, Robin, and Kent.

"I don't know what to do, if we're not fighting then we're not talking and that's what hurts the most."

"What about couples therapy?" Robin suggested. "Have you two looked in on it?"

You nod, your eyes swelling with tears again:

"I haven't called yet but I'm terrified that it isn't going to fix us."

Kent and Jodi looked over at each other before he sighed and pulled out an old notebook.

"I made this a few years ago." He said handing it to you.

"Jodi and I...We weren't doing so great but this is a list of everything that worked for us. Until you can get into therapy, try it."

You nod and give the older man a hug.

"Ok ladies!" Caroline says coming into the living room, you turn your heads and see the cardio group come in for their weekly session.

You thank the others before you leave to go home and Kent leaves to talk to Pierre.

You feel lighter as you walk past the bus station, passing Pam as she heads home for the day.

"Hey kid," she says, "Saw Elliott leaving earlier, not sure if he's back yet."

Your heart plummets in your chest, you take a breath in an effort to control your voice to remain even.

"Did he say where he was going?" You ask

Pam shakes her head:

"Nah, but he had a lot of stuff with him."

You run back to your house and find it completely empty, your pet perks up from their place in the couch then sinks back down to rest.

Panic swirls in your chest.

"Elliott?!" You call out, "Charlie?"

No answer, you head upstairs and can't find any of the suitcases, and Charlie's favorite toy is gone the only thing left on his big boy bed is his baby blanket your dad made.

He's left you.

The realization hits you like a truck, he's left you and taken your son.

You knew he couldn't have left the valley, Pam at least would've told you that but there was no denying it now. It was over between you two.

Maybe you deserved to be left, maybe you were that bad of a parent, maybe you were too broken but you warned him what you were too broken to be loved and he still took a chance on you and you blew it.

Mutely you grab your sons' blanket and press it to your nose, tears dropping down from your eyes as you walk back to your shared bedroom, you slunk down to the floor on his side of the bed and start to sob.

Sobs that ring through your chest and crush your heart, some of them don't even have a sound and eventually it turns into a screaming cry.

Elliott is walking back from Willy's without Charlie, he left his son with his adopted grandfather wanting to truly try and fix things tonight. As he came up on the steps of the house he heard your cries through the door and fear gripped his soul.

"(y)n)?!" Elliott yelled bursting open the door, he ran up the stairs past your still unbothered pet straight into your room.

"(y/n)!?" He said kneeling beside you.

You launched yourself into Elliot clinging to him.

"Where's our baby?" You said between cries.

"Willy's." Elliott says cradling your body against his.

"I wanted to spend time with just us tonight."

That calms you down, you slow your breathing until your left with nothing but snivles.

"My heart what happened?" Elliott said carefully loosening his hold.

"I-I thought you left me." You sniffle out.

Elliott's eyes full with tears as he pulls you back in.

"No." He says, "I could never (y/n), never."

"I don't want to lose you." You sob into his shoulder.

"I know we've been fighting but I can't do it Elliott, I've loved you since you showed me your pocket crab and I knew I'd love you in every life after this, you're everything to me, my soul, my heart, I can hardly stand being away from you and Charlie for so long."

Elliott pulls you away and presses kisses against the left side of your face until all of the tears have been either picked up from his lips or dried against your skin.

"I refuse to love anyone else as intensely as I do you, I am empty without you, I need you feel the blood in my veins, to feel truly alive. When we die I will be buried beside you, I'd have our ashes mixed and buried beneath a pomegranate tree. If you feel as intensely as I do for us, for our story then I will fight for us until the very end. You are my partner, and I will choose you no matter how broken you claim to be. I love every single piece of you. Oh (y/n)," Elliott says the tears falling freely from his cheeks.

"I can never express how horrible I feel my actions have been."

"it's not just you." You tell him. "I haven't been helping the situation."

"We're going to couples counseling." You state, "Kent gave me a book him and Jodi made when they were in a rough patch and we're trying everything in it until we're horribly in love again."

Elliott nods and kisses your lips, the kiss is gentle but needy, like he's begging you to stay longer in the moment, stay with you for just a little longer.

You both will look over the book in the morning but that night is spent showing each other how you remember each crevice, each stretch mark and each sensitive part of your skins.

In the morning, you get up first and make both of you some breakfast, then once it's done you take it up to your still sleeping husband and wake him wip soft kisses pressed against his jawline.

"My muse." He grumbles out, his voice still laced with sleep. "I wish for our son to come home tonight but your spoiling is making it hard to not call his grandfather and request another night."

"We have all day." You whisper against his ear. "By then we'll be ready to have him home."

You call the Couples therapist and get an appointment for next month, you look through Kent's notebook with Elliott, he writes down his own suggestions while you both make a copy in case anything should happen to the original.

The rest of the day is spent doing most of the intimate activities and chores. By the time it hits sundown and Willy comes to your home with Charlie you're both ready for him.

The toddler is set down on the porch by his grandfather, he sees his malewife daddy first and runs to him, your husband picks him up and swings him around the sound of their laughter filling you with happiness but also a fighting spirit.

You're going to fight with everything you have to save this.

[m3r1m4r5u333]

"Look, you hid in a place you knew, where you could feel safe... I understand the motivation."

Buddie fans... Sometimes I just feel tired to navigate this fandom, okay. Feels like it's always;

"Gay Eddie, gay Eddie, gay Eddie.... Oh no! They're now writing him like he really loved Shannon, I don't like this because then he's straight and buddie cannot happen!!"

Yeah umm... And why would Eddie's love for Shannon be any kind of threat to buddie?

Haven't we already worked on this equation before, guys...?

Ahem.

✨Bisexuality does exist!✨

There is no reason why Eddie can't have loved, can't still love them both:

Shannon and Buck.

Sure, might sound odd with how rocky the marriage was but let's remember that we never got to see the beginning of Eddie's and Shannon's romance, the magical era before their naïve, immature highschool sweetheart romance was hit on the head with adulthood problems.

Really, Shannon isn't a threat to buddie. Buck obviously loved Abby, too, and eventually moved on.

The thing is, it was maybe just a bit easier for Buck, to move on, since what Abby didn't do was know Buck for like half his life, have a child with him, suddenly abandon Buck and his child for umm years, then return and beg for forgiveness, then once she was forgiven... reject Buck's proposal and ask for a divorce, and then promptly die in front of Buck. As a nice juicy cherry on top of this already very well baked "bye bye mental health"-cake.

All of this might, you know, kinda traumatise someone and make the grieving process extra hard, and make regaining trust in people and love kinda tricky, and overall, make moving on a fairly slow, complicated uphill battle.

Doesn't mean it's impossible!

And yes I know, obviously Eddie romanticizes Shannon. That's what people who are grieving tend to do!

That doesn't mean he never loved her. Flaws and conflicts can co-exist with love, you know. I mean, I don't know about you guys but everyone I've ever loved has been flawed, and all of my deepest human relationships have sailed through some rocky terrain.

The love has been the most persistent passenger on all of those rides. I think some rocks I've sailed through with people have even made our love deeper. Because sometimes conflicts make the relationships more intense, make you get to know the other person a bit better, conflicts can pull you closer to each other. So yes, even if you happen to get close because you just really need to yell at their face... Well, what you're feeling in that moment is hardly indifference, is it.

And also, with the way Eddie has also been throwing heart-eyes at Buck, for years...? Before Shannon returned and asked for forgiveness, even.

Clinging to this concept of a magical romance with Shannon might just be Eddie's safe place to hide, his avoidance tactic, the way he hides most of his (seemingly) unrequited feelings for Buck from himself, and others.

Maybe Eddie thinks he cannot really love Buck that much... if Shannon is the greatest love of his life. To Eddie it might feel like it's just not safe to love Buck because loving Buck would likely just lead to more pain.

So that may be one reason why Eddie has been clinging to this idea of a perfect, magical romance with Shannon, one reason why we're hearing all this

"Shannon, oh Shannon, you are the love of my life, the only person I've ever loved."

Maybe it's because to Eddie, that must be true. It's how he protects himself from pain.

And it's also how he cherishes the memory of her. Because confronting her humanity, the reality of how troubled their relationship was... might mean letting go of her, and moving on from her, and that's hard because Eddie loved her, and he doesn't really want to confront the truth.

And the truth is that the fairytale is over, that she was in fact very much a human, just a person, just another mortal like the rest of us... Flawed.

And that means that she wasn't untouchable, that death really took her and she's truly gone.

[catoslvt]

Tate Langdon x Reader

extremely short.

Unsupportive dad, so there's some angst.

Tw, smoking, family arguments.

As tate and I sit on my bed, we share the cigarette between ourselves as some random show on my TV plays, it's well past midnight and tate was due home hours ago but we always end up getting caught up in laughing fits.

That's what I love about being with tate. He brings out a side of me that nobody has in years, not even Violet.

"We need to shut up." I say through laughs as I press my fingers to his lips, only making us laugh more, but when I hear my dad coming upstairs I quickly put the cigarette out on my jumper and whisper to tate to hide under my bed, which he does, and I begin to spray my perfume to hide the reek of cigarette smoke only meer seconds before my dad barges in.

"Where is he?" My dad booms as he practically takes the door off of its hinges.

"Who?" I ask with a small laugh, motioning to my extremely empty room.

"I heard you both laughing y/n! I'm not stupid. Where is tate!?" He yells, and I just blink at him a few times.

"Dad, I don't know what you're talking about, Tate isn't here, I was laughing at the TV show. There's a laughing track on it. You must've just heard that." I argue and he shakes his head.

"I do not want you seeing tate ever! If I find out you're talking at school no matter what the situation is, I will move you y/n, he's dangerous. He will hurt you." My dad states, and I just stare at him with pure hurt.

"You can't do that. You can't just be mean about tate just because we're in a happy relationship whilst you and mom are inching closer and closer to a divorce each day!" I yell, and he walks closer to my bed pointing a stern finger in my direction.

"Do not talk to me like that! I am your father, and you'll do as I say. I hate that boy, y/n! And if I catch you with him or even have a suspicion that you two are together in any way, shape, or form, I'll storm over to his moms' house and tell her to keep her freak son away from my perfect daughter!" He screams before he walks out, slamming my door behind him, and I feel his footsteps boom down the stairs before I hear his office door slam shut. He doesn't approve of our relationship, but yet he has to sleep in his office?

"Tate, you can come out now." I whisper, and as tate climbs onto my bed, his face is now red from tears and he's sniffing slightly.

"Your dad hates me that much?" He asks as I grab his face and stare at him.

"Tate, no, it's not your fault. He thinks all of his patients are bad." I tell him as I gently stroke his face and he stares at me and shakes his head.

"He thinks I'm going to hurt you y/n, I'd never do anything to hurt you or anyone you love, you do know that, don't you?" He asks, his tears spilling more and more, and I wipe each and every one away with my fingers.

"My dad's just a prick tate. You already know this, and I know you'll never hurt me." I tell him, pressing a small kiss to the tip of your nose.

"I love you so much, y/n, you changed me." Tate promises, and I kiss him on the lips over and over until we're both laughing and smiling again, tates tears now nowhere to be seen.

"I love you too tate." I say.

[destiny-in-the-universe]

The Meta-Analysis on Howard and Randy [1/?]

Okay, so this is happening apparently-

This is less about the ship Weinerham and more about the canon technically, but either way- they'll probably still be connected because that's just how we roll, baby; also fair warning: this might get a bit long so you might want to buckle in and just be along for the ride

So honestly, I wanted to start Howard because there's so much for this kid and keep in mind, this is my interpretation- you don't have to agree with me but be nice in the comments, yeah? Anyway!

Right off the bat, Howard is shown to be Randy's direct opposite- where Randy is energetic and impulsive, Howard has a mean streak, he debuts as a character that honestly feels a bit unlikable because it took me a bit to warm up with his character. Howard is shown to be a bit selfish, but then again so is Randy- this is equally true for both of them; that being said, Howard is shown to put his interests above others and is one of the reasons he would not make a good Ninja (although he did it well when Randy, in his dumbassery, wiped his own memory-)

though moving back to the topic at hand, Howard is openly meaner and doesn't seem to realize how his actions would affect others; now I am in no way saying that either of the boys are in the right or wrong at the moment, but Howard doesn't seem to take Randy into consideration at first. He focuses more on his own plight, but then again- Randy did sort of leave his friend in the dust more than once because of his Ninja'ing. Now granted, this isn't done intentionally but again we're starting with Howard!

Howard is canonically an extrovert- he hates being alone and this isn't fully addressed, you're left wandering why he apparently takes such an issue with not having others around him. On one hand, neither he nor Randy have a large friend circle- they mostly depend on each other which has brought on a sense of codependency. What we see is two best friends with practically no one suddenly being thrust into heroics- we have them now facing danger and probably the last thing on their minds is acknowledging how they treat each other

Let's also add onto the fact both of their families seem to constantly be busy enough to leave them unattended- between Heidi as the older sister who has her own ShoobTube channel and likely has more work on her hand, and the fact that Mort clearly is busy a lot of the time, then that literally means there's no one to supervise them. They get away with a lot; with Howard, he's dependent on Randy for a lot of things which in a realistic lens means his family struggles with money- (also complete side note, where is his mother? She's referenced in a single episode but is never directly breached- are his parents divorced, or is she just also a workaholic?)

Though it seems I'm getting sidetracked again, but Howard and Randy used to practically do everything together- and now they're seemingly being torn apart because Randy's now the Ninja and the protection of Norrisville isn't something that can just be ignored out of nowhere. Let me reiterate: they are teenagers.

The Sorcerer is one thing- but McFist and Viceroy? We don't know their exact ages, but they are literally actively trying to destroy the Ninja- and on top of that, flat out kidnapped the boys before but going back on Howard's dependency on Randy and the fact he hates being alone-

This is crucial honestly, because Howard has something along the lines of a literal phobia- which unfortunately Randy dismisses, but even with this: could this also just be a product of him just not having enough of a support group? It's also an added thing to mention that Howard is the youngest sibling and Randy's an only child- they're bound to have been painfully close, and now Howard feels like he's losing him (also the added notion they're bullied, but are they being affected by this? It doesn't seem like they are- because they just continue doing as they want, but even then-)

Howard is fourteen.

What we're given is that due to Howard's blatant as day immaturity, he just focuses on himself- but we also see the fact that he deeply cares for Randy; and this has been proven over and over again to be canon and true. I am not going to hunt down the episodes right now, but Howard covers for his friend on more than one occasion- also I cannot stress enough the look on his face when Randy threw himself into the portal when he was fighting the Sorceress, like he was worried sick- Howard is a good friend, but he's also extremely bad at regulating himself which, guess what?

That's a neurodivergent symptom! Who would've guessed!

I also literally recall the season two finale when Howard was very stressed over Randy having to move away- (i need to rewatch the series for... science, duh, and i'll cover episode stuff later heh)

but I do see Howard as being neurodivergent, more specifically he's autistic- like, are you seeing what I'm seeing? The special interest on video games, the niche understanding on chess (like that kid is a prodigy-), certain safe foods that are brought up in some of the episodes. His seeming apparent dismissal of Randy's emotions- also are we not going to address the distaste he has toward his schedule being changed? He likes routine- and somehow this leads to a second issue,

Howard is openly shown to have frustrations over Randy being the Ninja, but is still willing to defend him-? Like, this has got to be talked about (i obviously am not the only one- i looked through the rc9gn hesdcanon tag and found stuff that aligned-) we do once again have the codependency shenanigans, but there's still the added fact that- I like to think that Howard reacts the way he does toward the Nomicon and Randy's double life because of the fact a; Randy has literally complained about being the Ninja before- that's not to say he doesn't love it because he does but he does have quite the weight on his shoulders and b; literally the fact that, on more than one occasion, we have Howard covering for Randy- he's seen Randy get hurt repeatedly and to make matters worse, the connection with the Tengu which is a topic for another day (i will rant about this, just not right now-)

I am going to bite people istg, but Howard and Randy are such idiots- granted, they are teenagers, though you have Howard knowing full well the life Randy leads and he wants to keep him safe, hell he wants him to be happy and comfortable, and because Howard's still a freshman- his ability to express this is not that great

Howard's not adequate to be the Ninja but even then- we see that their dynamic is literally influenced by one another; they don't exactly have role models (although i will incorporate mentor finja into some of my stories until the day i cease to exist-)

but okay, this is not going to be completed in one part because this is standalone to Howard and not the full depth of their relationship just yet- Randy's analysis has to happen, also the fact that I want to cover Weinerham and Randy's literal jealous and possessiveness from the canon-

I apologize if not all of this makes sense, but this is what you're getting. I'll see you soon!

~ Mod Danny (They/Them)

[destinyc1020]

Lol, these antics have been shouting a break up since NWH was out. Aren't they tired. Are they happy wishing the worst to a comitted couple for many years now. I assume they are the people that go to weddings and wish the bride and groom, they will divorce soon 😲.

Tom and Z broke up in 2019 and all of us, kept wishing the best for them. I didn't like JE tbh, the guy always gave me a bad vibe plus the overlaping girlfriends (facts). When Tom was with Nadia, We were happy, she looked like a nice girl.

When they got back together was like a fever dream, It was like the stars were aligned for them going back together. They have been creating a life together since then, something JE or Kaia/Austin haven't done, stop comparing them.

And yes, as you said, they could break up again tomorrow, They will still be successful inviduals. Emma and Andrew broke up and are still great friends. Life is not 1+1=2. Tom and Z will be perfectly find together or separate. Let us enjoyed their beautiful relationship from this small place of the internet.

Thank you Anon!! 🥰❤️

I agree with this 100%!!

Yes, just enjoy the ride! ❤️

Great example of Andrew and Emma. 👍🏾 Yes, Tom and Z will be just fine even if they were to break up tomorrow. Sometimes, that's just life! 🤷🏾‍♀️ It doesn't mean they are horrible people. Sometimes, couples just don't last, for whatever reason. But the years they spent with each other were sweet. 🥰

In the end, we would just continue to wish them the best! 😊 We're actually fortunate because we as Tomdaya fans have been through their breakup before, and have even endured watching them date other people, even when it was clear to see that there was still smthg there feelings-wise for each other. We've been through all of that! So, nothing would surprise us anymore lol. 🤷🏾‍♀️

In the meantime, we are enjoying watching them unite their lives together. ❤️ Who knew that Zendaya would move to a whole new continent?? Who predicted that? Not me! 😂

If that doesn't spell committed, idk what does. 😊

We're just here to enjoy the Tomdaya content, come what may.🥰 And even if they were to break up tomorrow, I'd STILL be fans of BOTH of them. 😊

I hate when celeb couples break up, and then some fans try to drag one into the mud and try to make one person into being the "villain" of the relationship, when not all relationships end because someone was "bad". 🥴 Especially not with a couple that has been in love and together with each other for 7+ years. That's a very immature, and cookie-cutter black/white way of looking at relationships imo.

[frazzledsoul]

Probably preaching to the choir here, but I find the constant revisionism regarding Christopher Hayden's sporadic attempts at fatherhood rather frustrating.

I often see his fans argue that Lorelai "kept Rory away from him and refused to let him participate" and that "she made it uncomfortable for him." But did she? She declined his marriage proposal because he was uninterested in Rory from the beginning. She left home and moved thirty minutes away, worked her way up to a middle-class life, and made it clear he was free to do whatever the fuck he wanted. We're told he calls Rory every week (I find this unconvincing, but whatever), he sees her on holidays, he knows how to find Rory and Lorelai when he finally visits them 14-15 years after they move there. It sure doesn't sound like Lorelai hid her away and didn't tell Christopher where they lived or refused to allow him to visit her. Not to mention that we are explicitly told in season 1 that she's "always held the door open to her, you just never wanted to use it" and he agrees.

The other thing she tells Rory in that S1 episode is that "he's going to come and go as he pleases, hon, you know that." Contrary to the belief that she kept Rory away from him, she actually is super accommodating any time he wants to show up and contribute and she never rebukes him for all the times he didn't feel like it. She doesn't appear to ever ask him for money or criticize him for being a bad dad and of course, she keeps sleeping with him any time he does anything half-decent. She's raised Rory to think that it's inevitable he's going to treat them like crap and only show up when it's convenient for him and that they can never be mad at him or hold it against him because she didn't marry him when he offered so long ago. The idea that he had a responsibility to Rory regardless of whether Lorelai was willing to be in a relationship with him is not a reality in their world. It doesn't help that both sets of grandparents seem to blame the entire situation on Lorelai and don't expect Christopher to contribute in any way.

And of course, Christopher doesn't really care about Rory. He's mostly eager to act like a dad when there are cracks in Lorelai's relationship with Luke and he senses an opportunity to get in her pants (he usually succeeds at this). Once that opportunity goes away, he disappears. He drops out of Rory's life once Gigi is born. He doesn't appear to be in contact with her after he and Lorelai divorce until it's time for her graduation. After Lorelai stops talking to him once she reconciles with Luke in the post-OS period, he stops talking to Rory, too. Even the offer to pay for the second half of Rory's college education only comes when he inherits a bunch of money he didn't earn and offers to buy *Lorelai* anything she wants until Rory reorients his offer towards something practical. Rory is a means to get to Lorelai and not much more. And of course, we know from AYITL that he sends Gigi away to her mother eventually as well, giving up on her too.

This is not to say that Lorelai always behaves perfectly. She avoids telling Rory about Christopher requesting to make holiday plans with her for a few days and she does a lot to poison Rory against Christopher/Sherry in S3 because SHE'S mad at him for rejecting her and Rory feels she has to take her side. Still, I don't feel this is equal to all of Christopher's neglect and at any rate Rory is a big girl now, a legal adult, and can develop a relationship with her dad beyond her mom if she wants. Christopher doesn't appear to be terribly interested.

(Oh, and the aforementioned S2/S3 behavior is why you shouldn't be best friends with your daughter, as it's inevitable that your hurt feelings will get in the way of what's best for her and her relationship, however frayed, with her other parent. That is another topic, though).

In the end, all this does have a profound effect on Rory. She's often submissive in her relationships (especially with Dean) and lets problems fester instead of dealing with them because that's what's been modeled for her. She also regularly cheats with old boyfriends because her parents taught her that you always have a claim on your first love and that overrides whatever commitment you're currently making. And of course, in the AYITL era she seems to have copied his life patterns a bit too much, as she's got no real incentive to change at this point.

Lorelai wasn't too hard on him. She was way too easy on him and put up with too much of his shit over the years, and that had its own reverberations. Both Lorelai and Rory should have been allowed to be angry at him for his neglect. It never happened.

[dashielldeveron]

okay i just gotta talk about bnha's ending

and what i thought was gonna happen based on the way the narrative had been setting things up.

some light bnha meta. spoilers obviously.

i will preface with i am not concerned with ships. i would be fine with whatever, really, because ultimately, i am my favourite characters' girlfriend (and you are your fave's significant other, etc.). moving on.

1) the first major red flag for me, as a writer, was when we barely spent any time at all at shigaraki's childhood home with dark!deku. it signalled that midoriya wasn't going to fully understand what was going on with shigaraki and therefore lose some nuance/meaning to [what i thought was going to be] shigaraki's redemption. by only having the audience understand shig's tragedy but not midoriya, midoriya is not making a fully informed decision and therefore his choices weigh a bit less.

1a) additionally, with dark!deku, it sets us up to have a thorough examination of shig/deku mirroring each other. doesn't really happen. and midoriya's getting his arms back within one chapter takes away from the overarching motif of taking someone's hand to finally accept help. like captain kirk once said, the three most beautiful words in the universe are "please help me." this could've been a chance for deku to ask for help from shig or the vestiges and further blur the line between villains and heroes.

2) when nana shimura holds shigaraki--this is probably the most confusing narrative decision from my perspective, because i figured we were about to go into OFA with both shig and deku, have some sort of glorious discussion over a fight about what a hero is and saving yourself and accepting help and friendship and stuff, but we just...don't. we don't go see all the vestiges with shigaraki. i thought that was what we were building up to, this ultimate scene with all the OFA users and shig all in the same place, accepting shig as someone who was used/abused and could still move on. i fully thought this would happen and that some unfamilar, bodily form of tenko would be spat out after the discussion, a tenko who's shoved off all shreds of AFO and can begin as solely himself.

instead we get that weird-as-fuck evaporation scene where shigaraki still wanted to fight. which is weird to me, because i haven't read shigaraki as wanting to fight for a long, long time. i've been reading him as wanting to rest.

3) i didn't want toga to die, but i could feel it coming bc "bury your gays" pervades pop media. but holy shit. not even on screen? the last scene seems to set uraraka and toga up to sacrifice each other for the other, and i figured they'd survive, though both severely injured. toga's death (and other villain deaths/putting away in a box) feels contradictory to the story's themes of saving people, that anyone can change to be anything they want. killing/punishing the villains seems to be saying that villains will always be villains, and even if they showed some remorse, they have to die, because they did bad stuff once.

4) touya is more of that "punishing bc he's a villain" stuff. uh. okay. narratively, he seems to be alive to show endeavor's regret. okay. a better way of showing this would be to have touya medically healing and have endeavor supporting him every step of the recuperation. (not that i would personally want this, bc i don't think endeavor's shown enough growth to do this.) and like. how it is now, with endeavor saying that no one has to talk to him, but he's gonna come visit touya and how the others are going to visit touya as well--it feels like they're arguing over who gets touya in the divorce lol (well, it would be lol, except they're dehumanising/objectifying touya again).

4a) why set up the soba eating with touya/shouto if we're not going to see it. why do that, hori. why would you

5) the timeskip to the hospital was jarring. we spend over a year in this one battle, and then we don't see it wrap up. we're left with questions about characters that could've been answered here, in this moment, in the transitional period of getting everyone medical help.

6) okay this is me being very selfish, but as someone with a focus in disability studies, i'd like to know more about everyone's recuperation. mostly, you'd FUCKING THINK that once they're at the hospital, they'd be able to get a whole-ass edgeshot out of bakugou. that's unfair to both of them. edgeshot was taking the place of medical equipment on the battlefield, so why not replace him with actual medical equipment now that bakugou is safe? we also spend a bit talking about bakugou's damaged arm, so why don't we see him working with it?

7) weird amount of focus on new students. i understand some focus, because setting up the new generation, and all, but since hero society appears to be exactly the same, it means significantly less to set them up to be better than the mistakes this generation made. since society/worldbuilding isn't changing in a major way, the audience desire is primarily to see what's happening with the characters we care about. so this feels unsatisfying.

8) also. attached to point 2 about shigaraki being redeemed. hero society should be changed. there should be a new status quo about what being a hero means and how the whole system works in light of this knowledge. shigaraki, touya, spinner, and toga should be alive and out there doing other stuff, showing that you can grow past what you've gone through. deku should still be out there doing "hero stuff" regardless of quirk/power, because of his character and fortitude.

why the hell is the ending message that anyone with power can be a hero instead of the obvious (and more moral) moral of anyone with courage/determination/"my body moved on its own" to help others, as deku did, can be a hero, regardless of birth or status. it was right there!!!! how was this sidestepped!!!

9) no bookend to spinner? no spinner? babe. i'm not even the greatest fan of spinner, and it feels like we left him unfinished.

10) scratch that. it all feels unfinished. rushed. did something happen to end it this way?

anyway. thanks for reading. i'm confused about the writing choices.

TL;DR: recent narrative decisions make no sense based on what the manga has set up for us, particularly the evaporation/death of shigaraki bc it contradicts the message that anyone can be a hero, regardless of your past, and that it's okay to ask for help.

[monmelia]

I just read your monmelia thoughts and completely agree. But I’m also hesitant because I don’t see Natalie Morales sticking around long term and this show doesn’t seem to have any real end in sight lol. Like if they’re setting them up to be a slow burn then all the hints (except for Winston I hate that plot and find it unnecessary and a little snakey on his part ngl) are great building blocks. The fact that Monica has come around and is seeing Amelia as fully competent and comforting is wonderful as is the fact that Amelia isn’t letting herself get caught up in the drama of it all and is behaving so maturely about all of this. I feel like her oast relationship made me really take stock. But as of now I also can’t help but think that if they don’t make things clear on Monica’s side that she’s actually into Amelia and just being careful or something then there’s going to be all this buildup for nothing to really come out of it…

Ugh I hope they keep Natalie around long term , but I see what you mean. However I'm not sure Grey's will be around much longer, and I could hopefully see Natalie being around if it's just a couple more seasons. I guess we'll see, but it definitely could be a spanner in the works.

But then I also can't see them setting Amelia up for another mid-game relationship at this stage in the show. Like if they give her another failed relationship again I'm going to lose it because I just want her to be happy, and all the slow burn and build up makes no sense if they're just going to make nothing of it.

But I do agree they need to move forward a little more than they are doing already because as much I love a slow burn, it's burning a little too slow at this point. I will say though that I think it's pretty obvious that Monica likes Amelia. Maybe it's just me looking into it too deeply but the fact she's always been invested in Amelia, she flirted with her right from the start, and then the last episode with her making it clear to Amelia twice that Winston was just casual.

I agree in a way about the Winston thing being unnecessary (and snakey) but I also think he's purely a plot device for Monmelia. Everything about Winston comes back to Monmelia, even the lingerie scene is about Amelia finding out rather than anything between Monica and Winston. I think his purpose is solely to make the audience question why Monica is hooking up with Winston, when Amelia is right there.

IMO I think we the viewers are supposed to assume that Monica only has the bandwidth for casual connections right now (i.e. Winston), which points to the fact she doesn't see Amelia as casual. Or why wouldn't she pursue Amelia? It's not like Amelia asked her to be her girlfriend, she just asked her to go out, which means Monica must have come to the conclusion in her own head that it has potential to be serious, a conclusion that she must be basing off of her own feelings.

I actually think Monica likes Amelia a lot, maybe to the point that it scares her, and it's just too serious for her right now since she's going through a divorce. It's possible she only realised this when Amelia asked her out, but as many point out, she didn't actually reject her. I don't believe that it's just Monica not being interested because of their previous interactions that led to Amelia asking her on a date in the first place, and the fact she didn't actually say no to her. Plus again the fact she went out of her way twice to tell Amelia it was just casual with Winston has to count for something.

But I do hope we see more obvious signs of them liking each other soon. Because right now we're seeing on the surface that Monica is hooking up with Winston, and Amelia is "okay" with Monica doing and "not jealous at all", but I think reading between the lines they both like each other. For Monica the timing isn't right and she's scared, and for Amelia she's already put herself out there once and she perceives Monica's response as a rejection (it wasn't girl!), so she's going to pretend like she's not bothered because she doesn't really feel like she has the right to say otherwise. But I hope they start to make it more obvious soon how they both feel. I love the will they/won't they element, and I love analysing and reading between the lines, but not for too long or I'll start to worry that I truly am just delusional.

[miyaagis]

I stumbled across your cheater kuroo fic and I do have to say -that thing stings where it hurts and I am frustrated with yn, especially because I see my sister in her, because what hell do you mean she knows and she's not going to do anything, plus she's going to let him see his side dish. I really don't understand why anyone would have such low self respect and dignity, staying in relationships/ marriages where they're being disrespected and cheated on when leaving is an option😭. This one was a bit personal because my sister was the exact same way, sometimes going as far as to invest herself in a multiple month long situationship that's not going anywhere. Women should just learn to prioritise themselves and it's what my sister did. She stopped putting up with her boyfriends bullshit and became the best version of herself when she started emotionally detaching herself from toxic relationships and putting herself first. Now she's always investing in herself and her needs and she's the happiest she's been in a while -and honestly I wish the same for yn. I want to see her grow as a person and detach herself from kuroo and put herself first. I'd also like to get to know yn more as a character, like what's she's like, why does she let kuroo do as he please, doesn't she have standers?, is she generally used to being disrespected by her partners?. Or is she the shell of the woman she once was after marrying kuroo and putting him first?. In terms of revenge, I don't really know if cheating back would be the best course because if she's cheating because he's cheating it would make her relasionship with the other man centered around him, around getting back at him and that's the worst thing. You just need to focus on yourself, everything you do, do it for you not because of the person who hurt you. Detach, move on, be your own bitch. That's literally the best revenge. If there is another man it would maybe be better if they got together because of mutual love and shared fondness. Or if she will fix things with Kuroo he has to be worthy of the new her, not a weak cheating bastard that strays from his marriage and disrespects his wife. If a woman who truly values herself gets with a man he needs to be worthy of, he needs to meet the standards, I think that's why I'm always happy in my relationships. I set the standards if he can't meet them I let him know he shouldn't bother wasting my time

Also I've noticed that his relationship with Yuko is mostly centered around lust and excitement but it was so hilarious when he boxed her once his wife arrived at the office, he just pushed her aside like an old piece of chewing gum (and she still let's him come back when he's horny😭)his when his wife was present and I almost felt sorry for her until I remembered she doesn't really have the integrity and mortality to resist spreading her legs for a married man -who's just as guilty and shitty as her. But I like how realistic you made it cause most of the time men olny use the side chick for a good time, hiding them in public and not really having any sort of meaningful connections with them except for a good fuck.

But I really like your writing and your story ❤️, I'd just like to know more about yn as a character. She seems sweet and seems to carry a homely, light feminine charm to her.

omg nonnie, first of all, I'm so sorry ur sister had to go through that. but I'm glad she's doing so much better now ♡

as for y/n, i wanted to approach kuroo's infidelity in an unconventional way. the logical thing to do is confront him about it, leave, divorce him, etc. but the 'problem' here is that she finds it oddly arousing. so we're seeing it from a perspective of being a voyeur rather than cheated on. of course she's not happy about it, there's a lot of conflict and turmoil in her mind because she should not feel turned on at the thought of his husband having an affair.

there's still so much plot in the works. we still haven't seen how yuko and kuroo came to this arrangement, or what happens now that y/n knows...

[sapphire-weapon]

So. I gotta say some shit.

I think we all have a tendency to be more gracious to Ada's character than she rightfully deserves. I'm guilty of this, too. We all want to give her the benefit of the doubt and insist that her character serves a purpose and is worth talking about because she's A. such a huge part of Leon's character and B. the only non-white member of the cast, but like.

There's nothing there.

I noticed this when I rewatched Separate Ways recently (because fuck ever playing that shit again holy fuck Separate Ways sucks to play).

After RE2, Ada isn't a character anymore. She has absolutely no arc; her character never develops or goes anywhere. She's not tied to anyone or anything in the plot in a way that matters -- even her relationship with Wesker doesn't fucking matter, because there's no fallout or consequence as a result of anything she does to/with/for him, whether it's beneficial to him or against him. She has only one facet to her personality: snarky and mysterious. We never see her emote or speak in a context removed from either of those two qualifiers. Ever.

She has some softer moments here and there, but they last for like a single line of dialogue or two and then the scene just completely moves on without them -- so, those softer moments never actually matter anyway.

She doesn't enhance or enrich Leon's character in any way; the only thing her character serves to do is isolate him from the main cast, which gives his character nowhere else to go other than horrible, spiraling depression because every action he takes in his life turns out to be completely meaningless -- because it's not allowed to mean anything, because he's become so far divorced from the central plot of the series.

The only functional purpose that Ada Wong actually has is as a plot contrivance to explain how a bad guy did a thing. Other than that, she exists solely as a pair of legs and tits for Leon to chase after.

We all hold out hope that Remake is going to change this and turn her into a real person with autonomous motivations and goals, and there might be some merit to that, but like

She's not there yet. She's just not. There is no there there, when we talk about Ada's character.

And this tiptoeing around that we all do to try to make it seem like we're supportive of her character just

strikes me as silly a lot of the time, man.

I understand wanting to give credit where it's due, but it's not due for Ada's character. And I understand the desire to not be seen as misogynistically bashing her, but I feel like supporting her character as it currently exists is what's actually misogynistic. Because her portrayal in canon is misogynistic.

And I also understand the desire to not be seen as being a ship war fuckhead, but like. It's not about the ships, man. It's about Ada. Specifically Ada. She just sucks, dude.

And this is coming from the person who has probably written more meta about Ada Wong in an attempt to justify her character than basically anyone else in the fucking fandom.

idk I've just been thinking about this lately while perusing EagleOne fics. It feels like everyone in this ship feels obligated to address The Ada Problem before they can start to justify a relationship between Leon and Ashley, and it's like

No, you don't. Especially in Remake canon, you absolutely do not have to bring up Ada at all. Because Remake seems very self-aware of the fact that the problem with Leon's character has always been Ada, which is why they seem to be actively writing her out of his overall arc.

Like. Let's just call it for what it is. Ada is the worst part of Leon's character. The relationship is poorly written and poorly executed and doesn't make any fucking sense for who both characters are actually meant to be. They actively hold each other back -- not as people, but as characters who are meant to meaningfully contribute to the storyline.

And idk I'm just tired. I'm just tired of always having to do the hand-wringy "oh no no, Ada's really cool and great and I'm not trying to diss on her, and her relationship with Leon actually matters" shit, man.

Because she's not cool or great and her relationship with Leon doesn't actually matter -- and if it does matter at all, it's due to the negative impact that her presence brings -- not just to him, but to the entire fucking plot of the series.

She's the worst recurring element in the entire series, and there's not even a close second.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

Hi, Hello, Welcome! The conceit of these posts is pretty self-explanatory. I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time at age 17, in the middle of my parent's divorce (it was messy, we're not going into any details). Needless to say, I remember pretty much nothing about that read, and I would like to give the books a fair shake of a re-read. That's what this is, and there will be spoilers throughout!

I usually do full-book reviews, but if ever I was going to do a chapter-by-chapter re-read, it would be for LotR. The rules are that I'm going in as blind as I possibly can (I have watched the movies and have absorbed like...a reasonable amount of lore from existing on the internet as a millennial) and I'm not doing any research beyond like, defining words for myself as I read. So here we go, and I hope you enjoy rereading with me! Let's talk "The Shadow of the Past."

Good LORD JRR Tolkien can lore dump when he wants to. This chapter was mainly lore dump, which is fine because it was at least interesting lore dump. I'm not a lore girly though, I'm a character girly, so let's go with "we got the One Ring's backstory, now let me talk about other characters because the Ring isn't one just yet."

This is going to sound initially harsh, but it is said with affection: Gandalf is 1000% the pedantic asshole professor who is way too into the Socratic method who you absolutely detest in undergrad but somehow his classes still end up sticking with you more than any other. You then get to understand this prof better as a master's student, and deeply love this prof as a PhD. That's literally the vibe I'm getting from his lecture to Frodo about finding some goddamn pity and compassion for the tragedy that is Smeagol and Gollum. Because it is VERY easy to judge and be critical in the abstract, which Frodo very much is, having never encountered Gollum, and Gandalf has spent time and effort tracking down Gollum with way more background knowledge with which to contextualize the layers of tragedy that Gollum personifies and affects. It's a big ask, to get people to abstract compassion (and do not come in here and argue with me about this, I live in 20-goddam-24, I know what I'm talking about), but Gandalf kind of doesn't let it go with Frodo until Frodo at least softens his position and is open to, if not at, compassion. I've been a student and I've been a teacher, and these conversations are hard from both directions, so kudos to Gandalf for sticking with it, and to Frodo for getting to a place where he was truly listening.

Especially after Gandalf just CASUALLY DROPS that Gollum literally ATE BABIES. I'm not even kidding, he just casually, in the midst of an infodump on Gollum's time tracking Bilbo after losing the Ring, says,

The woodsmen said that there was some new terror abroad, a ghost that drank blood. It climbed trees to find nests, it crept into holes to find young, it slipped through windows to find cradles.

AND THEN WE JUST CASUALLY MOVE ON LIKE BABY EATING ISN'T SOMETHING WE NEED TO ADDRESS HERE. I would like to address the baby eating, Gandalf!!!

Despite not addressing the baby eating though, there was some interesting new information in the Gollum infodump that I understand why it got cut from the movies, but I was low-key fascinated. Smeagol was specifically noted to be interested in roots. Gandalf framed that like literal tree and mountain roots, but this is Tolkien we're talking about. Roots have a metric ton of metaphorical meanings too, and the fact that Smeagol was interested in the origins of things, in where they came from, in what made them as they are, is both deeply ironic and deeply interesting. I kind of hope we do more with that, since becoming Gollum is like ouroborosing roots; Smeagol's interest in Gollum is deeply self-reflexive, which might also be how we end up with that bifurcated personality thing. I dunno, but that would be really cool to follow up on.

I also deeply appreciated Frodo's "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK" reaction to realizing that Gandalf had let him keep the One Ring for so long. Notably, Gandalf kind of doesn't explicitly apologize for putting Frodo at risk, but he does acknowledge that yes, yes he made a choice, took a risk, and put Frodo in some level of danger. I suppose we'll take it, even as we acknowledge that yes, Gandalf was working with imperfect, incomplete information. We do the best we can with what we know at the time, or something. And if it took 20-odd years to figure all of this out (which makes sense for the kind of field and archival work required here), then y'know what, better late than never.

That said, Gandalf also kind of...LIGHTLY SKATES OVER the fact that even just possessing the Ring and doing nothing with it for 20 years has affected Frodo. He's not aging. He can't cast it away. He's already caught. Right at the beginning, in CHAPTER TWO of this massive trilogy, it's not a matter of preventing Frodo from being caught by the ring. It's a matter of how long Frodo can resist. He was doomed before anyone knew, concretely, that there was a problem. And jaysus, if that isn't how you tee up a tragedy, I don't even know how you do that. Maybe there wasn't a good reason for Gandalf to say that to Frodo, maybe it would have hurt more than it helped, but I do kind of think PERHAPS YOU MIGHT POINT THIS OUT???

I get the sense that I'm going to be very back-and-forth on book Gandalf...this is going to be an interesting thing to watch develop as I keep reading.

In addition to Gandalf's "Backstory Via The Socratic Method 101" course, we also get some additional Samwise Gamgee in this chapter. Saying "I adore this hobbit and he should be protected at all costs" is not new or even interesting, so let's take a different tack. In the films, Sam's excitement for going to see the elves is...ungrounded. It's a thing about him that we just accept. I deeply relate to and adore the sense we get of why and how the elves thing comes about in the book:

He believed he had once seen and Elf in the woods, and still hoped to see more one day. Of all the legends that he had heard in his early years such fragments of tales and half-remembered stories about the Elves as the hobbits knew, had always moved him most deeply.

This might seem ungrounded, but it's deeply aware of how stories work. Sam knows that the hobbits don't have the extent of Elven lore that exists, but he knows that there is a magic and a power in even the fragments they have, and that captured his imagination to such an extent that a yearning to see, to understand, to know that magic, was born in his heart. That grounds Sam in stories just as much as Frodo is grounded in stories, and more than that, Sam WANTS the magic to be real in a way that Frodo, primed on all the tragedy by Gandalf, I don't actually think does. Frodo is "I wish it need not have happened in my time," but Sam is "Me go and see the Elves and all."

That "and all" at the end is particularly poignant, because if Sam knows some of the stories of the elves, I have to imagine a few tragic tales survived along with the magical ones, so Sam isn't going starry-eyed into this as a bumblefuck gardener from nowhere. There's an acceptance there of the magic that encompasses all that magic offers, both good and bad. Yeah, I'm probably over-reading into this, but I support it at least a little with the fact that at the beginning of the chapter, we're with Sam when the hobbits down the pub are talking about strange beings and creatures and *foreshadowing the ents*. Sam knows that the stories tell of more than just elves, but for him, that wonder is enough to warrant everything else. No, I am not taking criticism (constructive or otherwise) at this time.

Other than a wee shoutout to the legendary "Mad Baggins"--and let's be real, if history must become myth and myth must become legend, I want Mad Baggins to stay alive and not be forgotten--that's about all I have for this chapter. Professor Gandalf shows up to school Frodo and kick his ass out the door, and Sam gets to go see the elves. We'll pick up again next time with chapter 3.