#I propose that pope be the one to kill him

[areesvt]

I hope luke would be back next season just for him to be killed in the most gruesome way possible. That would improve the show a 100%

[cameronspecial]

Can i request a Rafe x pogue! Reader of reader probably ignoring all his calls and texts and he shows uo at her house and ahe gets nervous because everyone can see his truck parked outside her house and she's rushing him inside the house

I Want To Be With You

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Pogue!Reader

Warnings: Underage Marijuana Use

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 0.7K

Rafe is probably the most surprised that he is dating a Pogue, but how could he not fall for Y/N when she is the only one who could see the full potential in him? He also never thought he would be needy for her either. “Come on, Baby. Why aren’t you answering your phone?” he groans into his phone as he is sent to voicemail again. His fingers go back to sending texts asking what she wants to do tonight. They all go unanswered. 

———

Y/N’s knee bounces as she stares at the buzzing phone on her coffee table. Thankfully, Kie, JJ, John B and Sarah are all too high to notice and Pope is too focused on his book to notice either. She really wishes she could get high with them to help ease the stress of keeping her relationship a secret, but she knows Rafe would get jealous of her using someone else’s stash. She couldn’t answer his calls because she wouldn’t be able to hide her excitement from them and it would warrant questions. Any attempt at getting them to leave has not worked. “You guys, my parents are going to be here any moment and they would kill us if they find you high,” she tries to scare them. 

However, their attention is focused on something outside the window. Sarah’s eyes narrow at the car, “Is that my brother’s car?” Y/N scrambles off of the couch and joins them. Of course, it is his truck. He’s about three hours too early, yet, it really doesn’t surprise her that he is. He always gets worried when she doesn’t answer and when he is worried, he gets clingy. “Uhh, no. That’s my neighbour’s truck. They have very similar license plates. I actually need to put the garbage out, so I’m going to go do that. I made brownies. Go eat them in the kitchen,” she excuses, running outside and sneaking to the passenger side of Rafe’s truck. 

She pops up from her crouched position, knocking on the glass to ask him to roll it down. “You haven’t been answering my calls, Baby,”  he pouts. He moves himself over the centre console so he is sitting in the passenger seat. He gives her a kiss on the lips. She shakes her head, “Because I’m currently hanging out with your sister and all of our friends.” “You spend all your time with them. What about me?” he whines, placing his head on her neck.

“I’m supposed to hang out with you at seven, Rafey. You are about three hours early.”

“Well, like I said, you weren’t answering my call. I thought you were hurt so I HAD to be early, so let me just turn my engine off and we can go inside to cuddle.”

“You know you can’t. Everyone is still inside. Why don’t you go get some snacks for tonight and come back?” 

The childish frown he gives her makes her sigh. She knows he is going to throw a tantrum if he isn’t in her warm embrace any time soon. “Okay, you can come in, but through my window. Let me go inside and distract everyone then I’ll open the window for you,” she proposes. His mouth turns into a massive grin, “My second favourite way to get into your house. You promise to cuddle once we are inside?” “Yes, you just have to wait until I chase the others out.” Y/N makes her way back inside to the kitchen. The empty tray of brownies disappoints her when she remembers that she could convince Rafe to make some with her. Maybe they could bake it into an edible. “Oh, no. All the brownies are gone, guess you have to go now. Remember, let Pope drive and don’t talk to your parents,” she chases her friends out of the kitchen and house. 

Once the door is locked up, she heads to her bedroom window. However, she is surprised to find Rafe already in her room on her bed. “How did you get in?” she pounders, kicking her shoes off to lie down beside him. His arms quickly engulf her in a hug, “When it comes to being with you, a locked window isn’t going to get in my way. I couldn’t wait to be with you.”

“God, you are so clingy. You couldn't even wait five minutes to be with me.”

“I am. And proud of it. You are the only person I ever want to be with.”

[drewsephrry]

i spend the whole day watching part 2 and i...am shocked?

spoilers from here on now...

so for anyone that hasn't finished it yet, maybe scroll..

okay so i was honestly expecting larissa to be alive (not the hollis theory) but then i saw the dead body and was like oh, maybe not then!

jj deserved better parents, either way. i wanted to beat groff's ass throughout all of this

rafe's proposal was....i was screaming, crying, throwing up!! i wanted to be sofia so badly in that moment...

and then the writers had to fuck them up! i mean, it doesn't make sense, making her one of the main cast this season just for this to happen? very upset, calling my lawyers!!

topper and ruthie and even kelce can suck a d i c k!!

sarah being pregnant, honestly i expected that from the first part and we had all heard the rumors, seen the theories

rafe and sarah making up!!!!!!! again, cried so fucking much, especially when they hugged

rafe teaming up with the pogues was very unexpected but he had his arc redemption for sure now. kind of worried when they get back to obx and shoupe possibly arrests him for the murder of peterkin and god knows what else

jj's death, again i expected it after rudy posted the thank you stories and if i am being honest i don't think the writers decided to kill one of their most loved characters, but it was rudy who made that decision. we can't know for sure, of course, but that's just my guess. he didn't seem very into it in the interviews or the premiere or while filming..idk that just might be me

and okay, i thought that he would die, but i didn't expect groff to be the one to kill him. like yeah, he was a bad guy, murdered his wife, but killing jj too, after he gave him the crown?

and my poor baby kiara, madison portrayed her feelings so fucking well. give that girl a raise!!!

cleo and pope!!!! that's it. love them

sarah and john b were the fucking cutest! madelyn and chase are so professional, because if i did all those scenes with my ex......

AND WE GOT BARRY BACK. I MISSED HIS LITTLE ACCENT!!!

i am so sad that s5 won't have jj and his iconic one-liners. i am extremely sad s5 is the last season too, but i completely get it from everyone's perspective, the writers', the actors', netflix's. i cannot wait to see what they will make for us and we still get about 2 years with our cast that has now become a family

okay that's all. tomorrow i will probably rewatch just for funsies. hope you had a good time hearing my rant, watch s4 pt2 and you can send me anything you'd wanna talk about it!!! love you all, p4l -jo 🤍

[enemiestolovershoe]

JJ Maybank and reader/Y/N/you where he proposes right after high school would be so cute and the fluff is killing me rn

Forever Starts Tonight

JJ Maybank x fem!reader

Summary: Y/N and JJ Maybank are high school sweethearts, inseparable and completely in love. Graduation night brings a beautiful surprise that changes everything.

Words: 1k

Warnings: none

You’d always known JJ Maybank had a charm about him, one that made heads turn and hearts flutter. He was the kind of guy everyone noticed. With his wild blond hair, mischievous blue eyes, and that grin that was equal parts trouble and delight, it was hard not to get swept up in his energy. But you? You had the one thing others didn’t. You had his heart.

It all started sophomore year, on a day that could only be described as chaotic. It was your first beach bonfire, and you’d gone with a few friends, excitement bubbling in your chest. The Pogues were already there—laughing, joking, and having the time of their lives. You’d known of them, but hadn’t really known them. JJ, though, had always stood out. He was loud and unapologetically himself, something you admired from afar.

Somehow, that night, you ended up beside him by the fire, his laughter infectious as he told a story about him and Pope getting chased by a goat on a fishing trip.

“So, you’re telling me the goat just…attacked?” you’d laughed, trying to keep a straight face.

JJ raised his hands in surrender, his grin wide. “I swear! That thing had it out for me. Pope just left me to fend for myself!”

You’d ended up spending the rest of the night with him, talking until the fire was nothing but embers. By the time the sun started to rise, he’d slipped his jacket around your shoulders and walked you home. After that night, JJ was in your life constantly—texting you funny stories, showing up at your door unannounced, even inviting you to hang out with the Pogues. Eventually, somewhere between late-night talks and shared laughs, friendship turned into something more. JJ Maybank wasn’t just the life of the party—he was your best friend, your rock, and the boy who made your heart race.

The whole school noticed when you two got together. JJ Maybank and you, the girl who’d somehow managed to calm his wild spirit. You became the “it” couple. Whether it was cheering him on at soccer games or sitting on the beach together under the stars, you two were inseparable. JJ was a handful—reckless, stubborn, and impulsive—but he loved you fiercely, with a loyalty that was unwavering.

As graduation approached, things felt surreal. You and JJ would often talk about the future, but he’d get this nervous look whenever the subject of life after high school came up. You knew he had his struggles—life hadn’t always been kind to him. But no matter what, you were determined to face it together.

Then, on the night of graduation, JJ surprised you.

After the ceremony, you were standing on the beach, watching the waves crash under the moonlight. JJ had pulled you away from the others, his arm draped over your shoulder as you walked.

“Can you believe we’re done with high school?” you asked, smiling at him.

He shrugged, though there was something different in his eyes. “Kinda crazy, huh? We survived.”

You laughed. “Yeah, and that’s a big deal for you.”

He held his hands up defensively. “Hey, I managed to graduate! With only, like, a few close calls. Don’t I deserve some credit?”

“Fine, fine. You’re basically a genius, Maybank,” you teased, nudging him playfully.

JJ’s face softened as he took your hand, his fingers entwining with yours. “I’m serious, though. I couldn’t have done it without you. I mean, I wouldn’t have even shown up to half of my classes if it wasn’t for you dragging me there.”

“Someone had to keep you out of trouble,” you said, grinning up at him.

JJ took a deep breath, suddenly looking nervous, his gaze fixed on the sand as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“JJ? Are you okay?”

He looked up at you, his eyes filled with something you couldn’t quite place. “You know… I never thought I’d get this far. And I know I mess up a lot, and maybe I’m not the guy you deserve. But you…you make me better, you know? You’re my everything.”

Your heart raced as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box.

“JJ…” you whispered, covering your mouth with your hands as tears pricked at your eyes.

He got down on one knee, his gaze never leaving yours. “I don’t have a lot, and I can’t promise you an easy life. But I can promise you all of me, forever. Will you marry me?”

You couldn’t help the tears that slipped down your cheeks as you nodded, your voice breaking. “Yes, JJ. Yes!”

He grinned, relief and joy written all over his face as he slipped the ring onto your finger. The two of you barely noticed the cheers erupting from your friends, who had been watching from a distance. JJ pulled you into his arms, spinning you around as you laughed.

“You’re stuck with me now, Maybank,” you whispered as he set you down, pressing his forehead to yours.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he murmured, his eyes shining with love.

The night passed in a blur of laughter, tears, and promises of a future filled with love and adventure. And as you stood there, hand in hand with JJ, you knew you’d found your forever.

[memories-of-ancients]

The Restoration of the Roman Republic ... in the Middle Ages? The Forgotten Commune of Rome

Today it seems men often have Rome on their minds with Tik Toks and polls indicating that men often think about Rome on a daily basis. I'm assuming that most of these thoughts revolve around the Roman Empire, lesser so the Roman republic, some the Eastern Roman (Byzantine Empire), and few think about the Roman monarchy. However I guarantee that almost no one thinks about the medieval Roman Republic known as the Commune of Rome.

In the 12th century central Italy was directly ruled by the Pope through the Papal States. One of the hot topic political issues of the day was the "investiture controversy", which was debate over who had the power to install bishops and other important clergy; the Pope or secular authorities. This evolved into a debate on who would have ultimate governing authority, the Pope, or the secular government, most notably the Holy Roman Empire. At the time, many cities in Italy were growing disgruntled with the rule of the Pope and the rule of nobles who supported the Pope. This resulted in popular uprisings in which cities overthrew the Papal government and declared themselves independent, thus forming various city states and communes in Italy.

In 1143 a wealthy Italian banker named Geordano Pierlione led a revolt against Papal authority, kicking the Pope out of Rome and declaring an independent Commune of Rome. The next year a monk and priest named Arnold of Brescia arrived in the city, becoming the intellectual leader of the movement and establishing the new Roman Republic. Arnold was a controversial reformer who railed against abuses of Church and Papal authority, decried Church corruption, and advocated a thorough reformation of the Church. Among his ideas he believed that clergy needed to return to apostolic poverty, renouncing all wealth and ownership of property, and also renouncing secular political power. Here's a statue of him in Brescia, Italy today.

With Arnold at it's head a new Roman government was formed and modeled after the ancient Roman Republic, with 56 senators who were not of noble class, 4 from each of Rome's medieval districts, and executive authority invested in a "patrician". The new republic refused to use the title "consul" as it had become an inherited noble title after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Nobles and aristocrats above the rank of knight were not allowed and thus most noble titles were abolished.

Of course the Pope, then Lucius II, was not going to tolerate such a rebellion and attempted to take back the city. In 1145 he formed an army and laid siege to the city. Amazingly the Romans drove away the invaders, with Pope Lucius II being killed in the battle after being bonked in the head with a rock.

The new republic flourished; drafting news laws, reforming medieval Roman society, making alliances with other Italian city states and war with others, setting up courts, and minting coins.

The Roman army was reformed, and a new capital building was constructed on the Capitoline Hill known as the Palazzo Senatorio (the Senate Palace), which still stands today but is much different after being heavily renovated by Michelangelo in the 1530's.

Originally the new Roman Republic swore fealty to the Holy Roman Emperor. However Rome and the Empire had a falling out. In 1149 the Roman Senate invited the German king Conrad III to the city to be coronated Roman Emperor. Rome's enemies were growing, so the Roman Senate offered Conrad this title in return for protection. Conrad had already been elected as Holy Roman Emperor and was due to be coronated, but the Roman Senate was proposing that he be THE Roman Emperor, as in like, a real Roman Emperor whose authority is defined by the Roman Senate, and not a Holy Roman Emperor whose authority was defined by the Pope and a loose confederation of high ranking German, Italian, Austrian, and Czech nobles. In the Holy Roman Empire the emperor is elected by the highest ranking nobles of the land. The Roman Senate was claiming that it had the authority to choose Roman emperors as the senate did during the ancient Roman Empire. Well, lets just say that Conrad probably didn't take too kindly to the Roman Senate attempting to usurp the governing structure of the Holy Roman Empire. In the middle ages a group of lower class burghers and knights cosplaying as Roman senators was not a good basis for a Europe spanning universal imperial monarchy. When Conrad died he was already cutting a deal with the Pope to snuff out the republic.

Conrad died in 1152 but his successor, Frederick Barbarossa continued the deal with the Pope to end the Roman Republic. It was one of the few times Frederick and the Pope agreed on anything. In 1155 a combined Papal/Imperial army invaded Rome. The city quickly fell and Arnold of Brescia was captured and burned at the stake. His ashes were scattered into the Tiber River.

Amazingly the Roman Republic lived on. Frederick Barbarossa was coronated by Pope Adrian IV as Holy Roman Emperor, an act which led to a new revolt among the Romans. Frederick put down this revolt, killing 1,000 Romans in the process, but afterwards he simply left the city and never returned after becoming bogged down in the complex politics of Italy. The Pope also left Rome, having to deal with a papal schism, resulting in no one being left in charge of the city and thus another restoration of the Roman Republic.

In 1167 Rome made war on the neighboring city of Tusculum, a long time rival of Rome who had supported the Pope and became a papal capital after the foundation of the republic. The Count of Tusculum appealed for help to the Holy Roman Empire, and Frederick I sent a small army of 1600 men. The Romans had an army of 10,000 made up of peasant militia who were poorly armed and poorly trained. While heavily outnumbered the Imperial army consisted of well armed and trained knights and professional soldiers. The Imperial army easily defeated the Romans at the Battle of Monte Porizio on May 29th, 1167, a battle which would later be called, "the Cannae of the Middle Ages". The Imperial army would continue to march on Rome, but by a stroke of luck for the Romans would be struck with the plague and forced to turn back. The Romans got their revenge against Tusculum in 1183 when they conquered and burned the city to the ground Carthage style.

The beginning of the end of the republic came in 1188 when Pope Clement III made a power sharing deal with the senate in which the people would elect senators but the Pope would have to approve the senators. The senate agreed to this in order to secure the protection of the Pope as the Holy Roman Empire was still a threat. Over the coming decades popes would reduce the number of senators until by the early 13th century, there was just one. Soon that single senate post was directly chosen by the Pope, and eventually it became a hereditary position. Before you knew it, French and Spanish nobles were becoming Roman senators and Roman senators ruled as autocrats at the behest of the Pope. By the end of the 13th century, the Roman Republic was dead.

[blues-valentine]

I think it’s insane people are going with the "they've ruined JJ’s character on season 3" because his attitude this season is mostly a natural reaction to the abuse he has suffered. JJ being self destructive and impulsive isn’t an uncommon trait, the only new thing about him is being a lot more softer and vulnerable.

The shift in JJ when they got back to OBX was pretty natural for him. He was the most attached to the idea of living in the island. The island allowed him to forget who he really is, or any of them are. The island was paradise, a way to disguise reality. They were together, he didn’t need anything else. No one was trying to kill them or divide them. In the island, he felt like he was at equal footing with everyone.

Then, he is back at OBX with an eviction notice on the door. No job. No prospects. No parents while John B had gotten his dad back. The only one just as bad as him was Sarah but while she is allowed to go back to her kook life because they welcomed her — he has nothing else. He is reminded once again he is just a thief and will always be one. JJ has been abused by his dad and called worthless for all of his life.

He knows there was a shift in his relationship with Kie after the events on the boat. We get some clues from Cleo that everyone noticed the different vibe between them. For JJ, it was easier to fantasize with the idea of it out in a deserted island where he can’t think about the future or when the idea of her liking him back was not tangible. Now, they’re back at reality. They’re back at danger. And he has to face the fact that Kiara has a comfortable life. If he accepts that she loves him then her future will be tie to him and he’ll be asking if she regrets it.

That’s why Kie’s answer to if she preferred to stay in the island rather than go back to her parents house was so important for JJ to hear.

It’s easier for JJ to believe things aren’t possible for him but then there’s Kiara basically telling him she feels all of those things for him. It's not a fantasy now. JJ resisting what he feels for her and trying to be self destructive is pretty much JJ when he feels desperate. Mike didn’t make it any easier for him by telling him what he already feels so stealing from Mike was just to give Kie a reason to not love him, prove that they were right, he will never be good or at her level. Kie refusing to go with them to South America and JJ being like "that’s all I needed to hear" is him still trying to convince himself that Kiara would eventually regret being with him.

Kie wasn’t mad at him because he stole from her parents but because he is giving up and being self destructive. He did that on propose.

The thing is that she does not back off and I don’t think he was expecting that. He is used to people giving up or not caring enough but she does and that throws him off balance. It makes him desperate and reckless. JJ has been self destructive multiple times because he does not think his life has value. Kie was fighting for him but at the same time respecting the fact he is not used to this type of intimacy. It was well written in character perspective for both.

The writers just dropped the ball at not diving deeper into this. They should’ve had JJ discuss this with someone else (John B or Pope). Had Kie talk to Sarah about it. It was good thing but needed more execution in my opinion and they also needed more of the pogues just bonding.

[rafeslittlevixen]

OBX SEASON 4 RANT

SPOILERS AHEAD

This is just my opinion on how this played out, so lets get into it

Rafe and Sofia: I love both of them (Drew and Fiona) but, the storyline is straight up a fanfic, they took the most common fanfic of Rafe and said "yeah, lets do that his redemption arc". I do think Sofia is great for him, does he deserves her? absolutely no. He was so far beyond redemption the only way he could´ve had it was by going to jail or dying, just like Ward did. They were adorable, don´t get me wrong, that version of Rafe was amazing and I know he was trying to change for her and be a better man, and have what Ward had. But I don´t think he actually loved her, he cares about her, she was what he thought was perfect for him, what Ward would want, but then again, Rafe does not know what love actually is, he cares about her in a way he has never cared about anyone, but I do think it was just for the looks and what would people say. As for Sofia, she cares about him, I would say she is really close to loving him, but if she truly loved him she would have never sold him out to Hollis and Groff. If she had truly loved him she would´ve told him about it when he proposed, I know she kinda didn´t let her, but come on, she had to know it was gonna come back to bite her in the ass. So idk, do I think they made a cute couple? yes, but it was bound to happen.

Pope and Cleo: That was the dumbest decision he has ever made, I get that he wanted to protect JJ cause that´s his brother, but come one everyone know you don´t attack a cop. I think its a bit unrealistic that he got away by enlisting, but also I think if that was the only option it is gonna be great for him. I do think Pope has let go a little through the seasons and I love it, but I think that was out of character for him. Cleo, my baby; she IS a though cookie, she´s been kinda on her own her whole life, I do think she would have figured it out but she did not have too. Pope is, in my opinion, the stable thing she needs. Also, him killing the guy who killed Terrance was also out of character but it made sense and also the reaction he had. Do i think it´s gonna haunt him for life? yes. OH AND THE NO GOODBYES CLUB???? adorable, i love them and their little clubs, they ate this season.

Sarah and John B: I knew she was gonna be pregnant, but the fact that the Pates didn´t let her mention she had a choice, does not sit well with me. John B being terrified of becoming his dad was so good, it gave him a complexity and that makes you see a character growth. Also John B being so protective of Sarah was so adorable, the way he looked at her when they were looking for that apple for her to eat in Morocco was adorable. ALSO SARAH BEING BABY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO MARRY HIM WHEN SHE WANTED WAS SO CUTE, I LOVED IT. I also wanna thank Cline and Chase, because they do care about this characters and their relationship. Jarah would have sufferd so much if they had not remain professionals.

Pogues and Rafe: The way he safe them???? I get it he wanted his 400k back but also so out of character for him? I loved it but also i know they dont trust him and thats completely fair, but also, after that scene, you guys know which one, thats not the way to make him part of the core.

Sarah and Rafe: my babies, the whole season both of them have been wanting to talk about everything or at least they wanted each other back. I do think both of them would work together to get back Wheezie cause wtf is that that she´s with Rose??? I never actually thought she adopted them. Rafe just wants his family back, or whatever he´s got left from it. I think that after finding out what a backstabbing bitch Sofia is, (Fiona yo te amo hermana, pero Sofia si está bien wey) he was terrified of also trusting the Pogues and thats why he acted the way he did after Sarah saved him, but also finally listening to Sarah and what actually happened in El Dorado and what she told him about being the only family they have left? I do think he is gonna be better and he is gonna be protective of Sarah now, because he knows its only the three of them and he does not wanna lose any more people. Drew and Cline carrying the show yet again.

JJ and Kie: what a fucking mess this two are, the body dobles while being just sitting down near each other in Morocco? The handshake when he was leaving with Groff? They had a great chemistry during season one, the slow burn they were building and how he was pinning after her and he had to watch her be with John B and Pope? He slowly opening up to her? He going crazy when she was kidnapped in Barbados? The reunion after she escaped with Rafe? Saving her from Kitty Oaks? I don´t know what went wrong, but the fact that in most of their scenes they looked fucking uncomfortable makes me sad. She knows she loved him, she was trying to distract herself from him because he was so tough at the beginning, it just makes me fucking sad the way it all ended. Also, no shame to Bailey but I cried more during that scene than she did.

JJ and his parents: where do I begin? He deserves so much better, he deserved a happy ending. I think they also ran with the theory of JJ not being a pogue, but just because they took Rafe´s fanfic they thought that it would be too obvious if they made him a Cameron. He had such a rough life, if this had not happened he would still be JJ, he was so out of character the second part, and I get it. They tried to make us hate him for the way he was acting, but just as he and Kie knew they would not do what Groff was telling them, we know JJ. But also, he was a loved baby, Larissa loved him so much and he had a family. I know everything would be so different if she wasn´t murdered, but if she was able to leave fucking Groff and being with Luke, I do think JJ would´ve found his way to John B and Pope eventually. He would also probably already been friends with Kie and Sarah, and maybe the just maybe he would not have been an ass to the pogues. I do think Luke cared about him, but the resentment toward Groff and taking care of a child who was not even his made Luke that way; but also he probably only cared about him because he liked Larissa, so he felt that he needed to care about JJ for Larissa to care. Fucking Groff, he made Ward and Big John look like parents of the year. I know he only probably had JJ to keep up with appearances but the fact that he played him like a fucking violin??? I know there are a shit ton of mess up things in this show, but that one takes the cake. HE COULD´VE WALKED AWAY WITH THE DAMN CROWN, JJ GAVE IT TO HIM TO SAFE THE FUCKING LOVE OF HIS LIFE AND HE STABBED THE SHIT OUT OF HIM JUST BECAUSE??? no, that´s fucked up.

Idk, if JJ died because someone did not wanted to be in the show anymore I think that speaks volumes in terms of how the set works. The fact that they had to kill the fucking glue of the group and both of the actors involved on the onscreen couple could not act professional to keep it going is crazy to me. If you were on the whole Nina and Ian debacle back in the day, you know how bad this things can get, but the fact that we have a real ex couple remaining professional after a public break up and having their onscreen couple getting married and having a kid speaks on the level of professionalism those two had. I´m more pissed for how JJ was handle than Rudy leaving the show, we all saw it coming, and I do think we all went into the season with the feeling JJ was gonna die but we also had hope of being wrong. I´m so sorry JJ, you deserved so much better that what was written for you, and how the actor who played you handle things.

[tudorgirl]

Leather Jacket

a/n: Okay this is my first fanfic on here like this. This is my first JJ/reader fic. I tried really hard on this, so please be kind

warning: Some curse words, mentions of Luke Maybank, JJ being JJ, angst fluff ending. Loosely inspired by the song “Leather Jacket” by The Arkells

word count: 1 k

pairing: JJ/ girlfriend/ex reader

The rain was blurring your vision, you could barely make out bright reflecting halos that were speeding past you on the road.

Your short dress wasn’t your brightest idea, and your boots were soaked with the puddles you could not avoid to get here.

Teeth chattering from the cold breeze along with what felt like a tsunami to you.

Where was your ride? And where was your phone for that matter?

Just then a car pulled up beside you, next to the pay phone you used to call.

You opened the door to the old car, and you hurried into it shivering.

“Here” JJ Maybank said handing you the leather jacket with a smile

He had been asleep when his phone rang that early morning. He had been crashing at the Chateau since the breakup. JJ was surprisingly sober, but he wasn’t in a peaceful dream either. He was replaying your last conversation.

“I can’t do this anymore JJ”

“Do what Y/N?

“We have been dating for three years. Do you even love me?

“The hell kind of question is that. Of course I love you Y/N.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like it. John B and Sarah are married. Pope is thinking of proposing to Cleo… we are still here crashing in my apartment pretending to live together like we did three years ago” you had said tears forming in your blue eyes JJ loved so much.

“Y/N come on… don’t cry. I hate seeing my angel cry” he said trying to wrap his arms around you.

“I need stability JJ. I want a life with you as your wife “you said hiccupping from sobbing.

“You want to get married?” JJ asked dumbfounded scratching his head.

         That had been in, the last straw for you. Of course, JJ loved you. He had never loved anything more in his existence. He dreamed of a life with you, but he was a pogue. You were a kook. It shouldn’t matter to him. You had proven status didn’t matter to you.  You moved out of your parents figure eight mansion and into a one-bedroom apartment near the cut to be closer to him.  The money wasn’t gone though. Your parents still gave you everything. They even accepted your relationship with a Maybank.

         JJ was still Luke Maybank’s son though. He thought you deserved better. He knew it. You still stayed and that’s why he couldn’t propose.

        You had left the Chateau a week ago. He had broken your heart and it killed him. He was doing the right thing. You would move on to some kook prince and get the life you were worthy of, not the shit hole of a life he could provide for you.

         He was relieving all this when his phone rang and when he looked at the glowing screen it was no caller I.D. He answered anyway, still hopful

“Y/n? he asked sitting up in bed.

“JJ…I lost my phone at the bar, and I need a ride. Can you pick me up?”

“Are you at “the Gater”?” he asked putting his shoes on.

“Yes.. j its raining and I’m cold” you said sounding miserable.

“Be right there sweetheart “He got his keys and got his jacket and was off to the bar you two had made so many memories together.

You took the leather jacket that still smelled like tobacco and bergamot, the aroma engulfed your senses. It might have been his father’s jacket but it reminded you of the man that you still adored.

You remembered everything from three years of dating. The fast-food dates where you would share milkshakes with the cute blonde boy. The dance at your school that he thought he didn’t belong, but you proudly held his hand and guided him to the dance floor. To wrapping your new puppy in the garment as you brought it to your apartment.

A leather jacket that was home just like the man in the drivers seat was.

 He put the car in gear and started driving in silence. Neither of you knew what to say at first. The heat was making your tired bones comfortable and soon you had fallen asleep.

JJ looked over at you and chuckled to himself. He only woke you when he stopped at your apartment building.

“Y/N… hey were home—er I mean were at your place” he corrected himself but felt his cheeks go crimson.

You opened your eyes and looked around and nodded understanding JJ. You unbuckled your seatbelt and were about to get out when JJ reached to gently take your hand.

“Why’d you call me?” JJ asked softly.

“You were the first person I thought of.” You said honestly meeting his gaze.

        You were walking to the entrance of the complex when you heard the familiar voice behind you.

“Y/N I cant give you what you grew up with” he screamed over the pouring rain.

“I grew up with loving parents that accepted me for everything I was. You cant give me that Maybank?” you asked walking toward him getting soaked again.

“I will love you with everything I got” he said as you reached him cupping his drenched face in your hands.

“What are you saying then?” you asked softly.

“You have my heart, my jacket, why not my last name?

You jumped in his arms and kissed him deeply.

He returned the kiss then took your hands in his and with the fear of becoming his father subsiding in his gut he asked the girl he loved to marry him.

“Yes JJ Maybank I will marry you” you said giggling then took his hand as you both ran inside from the storm.

As the door closed you noticed the tears in his eyes mixed with rain-stained cheeks. “I love you J”

“Y/N I love you too. Before we plan our wedding though. I have one more very important question for you”

“What would my fiancée like to know?” you asked giggling at the word “fiancée”

“Who the fuck uses a pay phone?”

The sounds of your laughter replaced the rain outside, and you both knew the sun would pierce through the sky again.

tagging @mvybanks(for help and inspiration) @moremaybank(for inspiration) and @maybankslover( inspiration)

[isleofdarkness]

"Mister Constantine!" Adam Constantine rolled his eyes but got to his feet as Fairy Godmother stormed over. "I have told you a million times, you are not to use magic-"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Adam drawled, "Would you rather I let the Unsleeping use one of your faculty as a puppet to murder a student? I've been hearing them whispering about this for weeks, Faye, they want this kid bad." His gold eyes cut over to Riah. "The question is why?"

"What on Earth are you on about?" Fairy Godmother snapped.

Adam bent down, grabbing the dagger Anxelin had nearly stabbed Riah with. "This. I've never seen anything like it, it's too powerful to be in my normal wheelhouse. If I had to guess, this thing is a godkiller, and even my father hesitated to fuck with magick like this. I mean, based on the power I can feel, this kind of shit is meant for Zeus or Odin at a minimum. There's no coming back from a wound from this. So whatever the Unsleeping want with this kid, they want it bad.

"What could they possibly want with him?" The derision was a bit uncalled for. They'd tried to kill Riah, not her, so she could stop acting like he was the threat here.

Adam shrugged. "I can't say for certain. But, if I had to guess, I'd say it has something to do with Hades and that amulet around his neck. What King Adam did opened the door for this kind of shit, complications like none of us have ever seen before.

"Look, I don't wanna alarm anyone," He continued, raising his voice so everyone could hear him, "But from what I've heard, this kind of thing is unprecedented, even the Stranger's never seen anything like this because Hades is damn good at his job and doesn't let spirits linger in the Veil for this long. We could be looking at a movement as powerful as the Awakening if this isn't resolved."

"If they want Riah, why not let them have him?" He wasn't sure who said that, but it sent shivers down his spine.

"Absolutely the fuck not, are you out of your godsdamn mind?" Adam snapped, fist tightening in agitation. "We have no idea what's going on here, this is completely uncharted territory. I mean, spoken like someone who's never encountered a malicious spirit. You think they leave peacefully when they get what they want? No, you wanker, they just want more. Besides, with how major of an event this is, how powerful the kid is, and the kind of magick they're wielding to try and get what they want, we can't afford to do anything stupid! For all you know, this kid dying could make reality collapse in on itself or start the apocalypse. Honestly, use your godsdamn brain. We have no idea what we're looking at."

"Well, what would you propose we do?" Fairy Godmother asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "We can't have an exorcism in the cafeteria every week, Mister Constantine."

"Unless you know where my father is, we're going to have to until I can find a solution! You think demonologist training covers this? This kind of stuff is well above the pay grade of even the fucking Pope! We're getting into theoretical magick and to compare that to science, that's theoretical neuroscience. People need decades of training to even come close to scratching the surface of theoretical magick, let alone the more dangerous areas like whatever it is we're looking at. There's not even the beginnings of a theory on something like this. You asking me how to fix this is like me asking a caveman how to stabilize a collapsing star trillions of lightyears away to keep it from becoming a black hole. I don't fucking know, Faye. This entire situation is unprecedented. You know how many spells are created to protect multi-breeds, especially cambions, from ghosts and demons? Let me check." He pulled a grimoire out of his bag, flipping through the pages sarcastically. "Wow! Zero spells to protect multi-breeds from ghosts and demons! Maybe, MAYBE, my father has something in the Wheelhouse..." He paused, his palm cracking against his forehead with enough force to punch out a horse. "The Wheelhouse! Of course!"

He whipped to look at Riah, still on the floor after Jay had tackled him. "I'm going to see if my father left anything useful in the Wheelhouse. Do you have somewhere safe to stay until I can tell? It could be weeks."

"He can't miss that much school!" Fairy Godmother snapped.

"Faye, I swear to the fucking gods-" Adam turned on his heel, glaring daggers. "If you don't want me to constantly perform exorcisms in the cafeteria then he needs to be somewhere safe, so do his friends with how easily the Unsleeping can use them to kill him. Get it through your thick skull! The safest thing for everyone involved, including the rest of the students, is to get these six to some kind of stronghold. Like maybe the Vat- wait, part demon, Vatican won't work, can't even step into the city." He frowned, thinking. "Maybe the Tower of Fate, or the House of Secrets? The House of Secrets has good wifi. Most of his assignments are online anyway. I'll talk to the other teachers, the House might be the best option."

"You can't just bring students into the Dreaming, Mister Constantine."

Adam blew out a long breath. He knew what he was going to do. "Look, Faye, as the resident expert in the paranormal and one of the few beings who's allowed to perform exorcisms without getting permission from the Pope, I have authority here. This is my wheelhouse and what I say goes. So, I'm taking these kids wherever they need to go to be safe. If that includes the Dreaming, so be it. Fight the Pope if you wish."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mal demanded, looking between Fairy Godmother, who looked pissed but seemed unable to argue, and Adam Constantine, who looked pretty smug. "What's going on?"

"Until I can figure out the answer to that second question," Adam turned again to face them, clapping his hands together. "You kids are going somewhere safe, where the dead can't get you. Pack your bags. I'm taking you to the House of Secrets, effective immediately."

[besidesitstoowarm]

"The Vampires of Venice" thoughts

i'd blown this one off as a total filler waste and i was so wrong. i had so much fun rewatching this

so, salladhor saan is here. also the milf from peaky blinders according to my boyfriend but i didn't watch that show. her fit is fire tho. he's giving his daughter up for boarding school and she gets bit by the most weirdo man i've seen in a MINUTE

anyway this is an amy/rory episode. but it's early days so it just kind of makes you think they should have broken up a long time ago? i know where their arc is going obvs so i actually love rewatching their beginning, her abandonment issues crash headlong into his "i can't believe i landed such a gorgeous girl" thing and it SHOULD be ass but they actually love each other so much behind the disfunction it makes me nauseous. imagine mickey but well-written. sorry russell but rory is infinitely better than mickey in every way

he's at his stag do and leaves her a goofy-ass voicemail about how much he loves her. god i love him. there's supposed to be a stripper in a cake but the doctor jumps out instead and says there's a girl outside in her underwear so would someone bring her in and give her a sweater. eleven is so asexual EXCEPT when he talks to river and it kills me. rory has been reading up on science!! he understands the tardis!! the doctor wanting to send them on a date is super well-intentioned, he thinks "well this experience is so based that you need to both embark on it so y'all can Get It" i think he's right

that said we can't fully avoid rory-getting-shit-on. psychic paper says the doctor is the pope, amy is a viscountess, and rory is... her eunuch?? that's so fucked up doctor. he produces his library card and it has william hartnell i just want to point out. that's my sweet baby boy right there. anyway amy wants to ruse her way into the evil vampire school and proposes the doctor pretends to be her fiance, and then when that seems improbable, she says rory should pretend to be... her brother. it's literally so busted. but it's very on-brand for amy, and i really love that aspect. she's nasty but she's real

a lot of animosity between the doctor and rory. "she'll be fine" "you can promise me that, can you?" yeah literally good point. flashlights come out "yours is bigger than mine" "let's not get into that" frankly i think rory is girthy but i have no evidence. his entire bit about "you make them want to impress you" is FIRE. it's true!! dead to rights!!

so the milf is a fish. it's fine. she says "we ran from the silence" and i get the whole "silence and the end of all things" but i don't think it's a coincidence that the major villain of early s6 is "The Silence" like let's be so for real it's gotta be connected. love the doctor completely rejecting an alliance because "you didn't know isabella's name" cause that is his whole thing. acknowledge their humanity

salladhor saan dies. rip. he esploded. it's fine. the milf keeps being like "are you okay facilitating the end of a species??" sorry this is lowkey just tuesday for him. been here before. rip fish milf. i like this episode a lot. next one is going to make me insane i think

[thekillingvote]

🦞SAVE LARRY, KILL LARRY🦞

The 1988 poll to kill Batman's child sidekick, Robin, was inspired by an early example of interactive television: a 1982 Saturday Night Live stunt starring Eddie Murphy and a live lobster.

The April 10, 1982 Saturday Night Live show opened with a chef grabbing a live lobster from its tank, making it dance while humming the Star Wars theme, and then laughing while lowering it into a pot of boiling water. Just before the lobster was placed into the pot, Eddie Murphy appeared, grabbed the lobster out from the way of certain death, and turned to address the audience.

Rather than being boiled alive without protest, Larry the Lobster's fate was submitted to the arena of popular opinion and disposable money. The show's audience was presented with two premium-rate "900" phone numbers"—one for those who wanted to spare Larry, and another for those who wanted to see it boiled alive. Each call cost $0.50, and each caller could call multiple times.

The lobster's televised ordeal can be seen below in a compilation video. (Warning for human cruelty toward an animal.)

Updates on the vote count were given by other cast members throughout the live broadcast; by the end of the show, viewers had made over 400,000 calls. Ultimately the "Save Larry" supporters managed a narrow win against the "Kill Larry" supporters.

To kill a Robin

The SNL stunt stuck with DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, and he proposed to fellow editor Jenette Kahn that they could reserve a similar stunt for killing off a high-profile DC Comics character. By the time of 1988, Batman's colorful child sidekick Robin had been considered a divisive character among the creative forces behind Batman and among Batman fans. After Batman writer Jim Starlin's unsuccessful campaign to kill off Robin in a HIV/AIDS storyline, O'Neil decided the problematic Robin was the perfect candidate for a "Larry the Lobster" stunt. Sales manager John Pope began calling AT&T to secure the two 900 numbers on October 1, 1987; it took him until March 1988 to reserve them.

Like in Larry's case, the voting results were extremely close. Unlike Larry, the outcome supported Robin's death over his survival.

Fun facts!

Larry the Lobster predates Jason Todd's existence. "Larry the Lobster" aired on 10 April 1982. Jason Todd first appeared in the Batman comic in 1983, and he made his first appearance as Robin several months later. This might add credence to the idea that the idea for a DC Comics death poll wasn't specifically conceived with Robin in mind.

Within a span of a single SNL show, a total of 466,548 premium-rate calls were made to decide Larry's fate.

Within a span of 35 hours, a total of

At a cost of $0.50 per call, callers spent a total of $233,274.00 on Larry's poll. (After adjusting for inflation since 1982, this amount would be about $751,420.05 in 2023 dollars.)

At a cost of $0.50 per call, callers spent a total of $5,307 on Robin's poll. (After adjusting for inflation since 1988, this amount would be about $13,541.75 in 2023 dollars.)

Larry was spared by a margin of 11,644 votes. These votes cost a total of $5,822.00.

Robin was condemned to death by a margin of 72 votes. These votes cost a total of $36.00.

Both polls were decided by a margin of less than 1%.

A lobster's probable end

In the aftermath of the sketch, Murphy received letters protesting Larry's treatment. One letter made a racist jab at Murphy: "that man is sick, and I thought those people didn't like seafood."

To spite this racist comment, Murphy ensured that Larry's stay of execution was only temporary.

Credits

Thanks to the Internet Archive @internetarchive for access to old SNL episodes. https://archive.org/details/saturday-night-live-s-07-e-16-daniel-j-travanti-john-cougar-mellencamp

"Larry the Lobster" on Wikipedia

"A Death in the Family" (comics) on Wikipedia

CPI Inflation Calculator https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

[girlactionfigure]

 Brave Young Yugoslavian

A forbidden love

Born in Vrbas, Yugoslavia in 1927, Ivan “Ivica’ Vranetic was raised in a Catholic family of Croatian descent that prioritized acts of kindness and respect for one’s fellow. During his childhood, most of Ivica’s neighbors supported the Ustaše, a fascist organization closely linked to the Nazis. During the 1930’s, xenophobic ultra-nationalism was the prevailing ideology in Vrbas, resulting in intense persecution of the local Jewish community. At only seventeen years old, Ivica witnessed a Jewish doctor being viciously harassed by Croatian soldiers, and the youth immediately jumped into the fray to help. The soldiers turned their attention from the Jew to the brave teenager, beating Ivica so badly that he permanently lost hearing in his left ear. 

This traumatic episode only served to strengthen Ivica’s resolve to stand up against Jew hatred and fascism. Still living with his parents, Ivica reached out to terrified local Jews and helped them find hiding places with sympathetic Yugoslavians. Some of those he helped were children and elderly people, and Ivica carried them on his back. He continued to help those in hiding, bringing them food and medicine. For the next few years, as the persecution of local Jews increased, the young man kept putting his own safety at risk by helping them.

One of the Jews he helped, in the early 1940’s, was Arna Montilio, whose husband had recently been deported and killed in the Jasenovac concentration camp, leaving her the single mother of a toddler who was also caring for her elderly mother. Ivica settled all three in a secure hiding place. Arna later said, “I could have never survived with an old mother and a little girl without his help.”

The Germans entered Vrbas in 1943, and Yugoslav partisans fought Nazis in the streets. Ivica gathered information from the partisans and warned Jews when Germans were approaching. Sometimes he had to find new hiding places and transport them there, usually in the dead of night. 

Seemingly unconcerned for his own safety while helping others – most of them strangers to him – young Ivica risked his life repeatedly. It is unknown exactly how many Jews he saved, but he considered each one of them a friend for life, and kept in touch with them after the war ended. He had especially tender feelings for Arna, and proposed to her after the war, but both of their mothers were opposed to their marriage due to their differing religious heritages. 

Arna moved to Israel, where she re-married and had two more children. She and Ivica continued a frequent correspondence by mail, and twenty years after her immigration, he came to Israel to visit. Arna’s second marriage had ended, and the two were free to marry, which they did. A loving husband and stepfather, Ivica remained in Israel for the rest of his life.

In 1970, Ivica was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem. He stayed involved with Yad Vashem, and was elected chairman of the Righteous in 1986. In that role he helped locate and honor other Holocaust heroes. Ivica and six Jewish survivors met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 when he visited Israel. Ivica died the next year in his adopted homeland at age 84.

For protecting and saving persecuted Croatian Jews over several years, we honor Ivan “Ivica’ Vranetic as this week’s Thursday Hero. 

[flatmingo]

Finished! Click for better quality see end for character notes! :)

Zane and Nana/Kawaii-Chan do not belong to me! They belong to Jessica (Aphmau). This is simply my rewrite for them.

Nana was born poor in Tu'la. Her mother brought money home by doing sex work, she too grew up into a prostitute known as "Kawaii-Chan."

When she was a child, she learned how to bring life into inanimate objects. She used this power to make friends.

Eventually, word got around about the mefiwa who could bring life to the not living. The people swore her and her family to be tested in a witch trial.

Running away, she runs into an old man who happened to be searching for her 'miracles'. He wanted her to bring his daughter back from the grave, who had plunged a dagger in her heart after hearing of the marriage she would have been forced into.

He offered her a place to stay in his village and keep her power a secret, Scaleswind if she could grant his wish. Even though she was still inexperienced, she agreed immediately.

As soon as Nana began the ritual, she already knew she coud not use the dead body as a vessel. She asked the man to give her 3 days to bring his daughter back.

Working hard, she learned how to transfer essense into another vessel and she made a doll that could eat, breathe, and grow just as well as anyone else could. She had revived a living human, albeit she still looked like a doll. Nana could live safely in Scaleswind as she took a new name, Kawaii-Chan.

In order to keep herself safe from being burned for her witchcraft abilities, she created the story of being a traveling prostitute, and she adorned a bell to signify. As she traveled, her sex work managed to get her into dangerously powerful places. She almost became a lord's wife, but when the lord she was having an affair with got caught, she was accused of using magic to seduce him and they came to Scaleswind to chase her out of her home with flames. She only managed to save one doll to keep her company, to which she names Beatrice.

Beatrice is the only surviving doll from a terrible accident brought to life by Nana, who quickly adopted her as her own. They built a new home together, far enough away from any village to be safe.

But having only each other to keep themselves company, Nana soon became lonely, and Beatrice being new to the world, never got an opportunity to play with other children.

This leads to Kawaii-Chan bringing more dolls to life and starting a secret magic-users-only café. It is rare that anyone stops by, so she still travels as a prostitute sometimes to earn more money or offers her work to any willing trader who passes by.

Eventually she meets Aphmau who comes to her cafe for shelter and she is welcome to the village anytime. They don't live there...yet, but they di help out with reviving Phoenix Drop (and building an army lol but we won't talk about that yet!)

Zane Ro'meave is a corrupt priest. As head of the church of Saint Irene in Ro'Isle, (there is no pope), he has the power of the church and an undercover Jury of Nine by his side.

He recrutes people onto the jury by invading their lives and forcing them on his side if they refuse his first offer. (An example of this scenario is Katelyn the mermaid *cough* I mean Firefist. More on her story in the future *wink wonk*)

He is defeated by Janus when he tries to recruit him and left for dead. Beatrice finds him nearly dead on the ground and Nana helps him recover. After spending some time together, Zane is not grateful at all and debates killing them, but decides not to "for some reason." He is weary of them, but intrigued. Later, he proposed a deal to Janus and he is recruited! Yaay!

A few years later, after exiting the Irene dimension, Zane is left in critical condition once more and this time he does die. Nana finds him once more and brings his carcass to her home. She repeats the ritual she used for the lord of Metelli's daughter on Zane. Because his soul had not yet left his body, he does not get transferred to a doll, he stays in his own. During his recovery, he finally grows to be fond of the two. Nana and Zane start a platonic-romantic relationship. But Zane is still evil tho D: but they don't know he's evil, oohh but Aphmau and Garroth are onto him again! Oooh what's gonna happen???

- Outfits -

While Nana's and Beatrice's dresses are meant to be more doll-like rather than accurate, Zane's dress is the most accurate to the era, but is still very much stylized. It is made with expensive fabrics such as velvet for his mask and botice, and he wears gold jewelry. The dress is also made of a silk cotton skirt, feathers lining his color, and a see through silk shawl. The dress is styled similar to Irene's and has 6 inch heels that make him 5'11.

That's all I have for right now!

[zaenight]

WANHEDA // COMMANDER OF DEATH ACT3 CH2

“So , is Wells single?” Kirby asked a smirking Cordelia.

"Very single , Im glad to have another girl around , gets a bit annoying , place full of guys." Cordelia said as Kirby chuckled.

"I really hope we don't have to kill you." She finished.

"That got dark fast." Kirby stated.

"Any family?" Cordelia asked.

"My Father Hershal , Twin sister Maggie , And My little sister Beth , she's around 18 now , Ray of sunshine that one , amazing singing voice , Maggie , last I remember she fell for one of the boys from Raul and Half-life's orignial group , Those two were pretty close with this redneck , then This guy shane happened , some of our family got killed , shane got killed , The farm burned , it was all bad , got seperated , ran into those two , been like this ever since , You? , You have any family , and You and Carver seem like an Interesting match?" Kirby said to her.

"An Older sister , Leah , got seperated around 9 months ago , With my Nephew matthew , and our dog viola , The horde wrecked our old base , Me and Carver met in a foster home , he proposed at Sixteen , got married , lost our baby a few months before the apocolypse , Stuff happend , now we're here." Cordelia said to her , as Kirby's eyes softened at the mention of the baby.

"But enough of that , a little birdy told me about You and Raul , shacking up." Cordelia laughed as Kirby went red , the two reacing the boys .

"What's got you so red in the face." Half-life Asked .

"Shut it ." Kirby said in a grumble.

"Any family?" Cordelia asked.

"A Sister , died a year before the apocolypse , she was real sick , glad she didn't see what the world became." Half -life said.

"Sorry for your loss , You Raul?" Cordelia asked.

"Nah , Just Half-life and Me , Had a fiancé , but we broke it off." Raul said.

"Look were here!" Cordelia said.

"Open the gate!" Carver yelled up to a masked Bossie.

"Creepy." Kirby said.

"You get used to it , if you pass the test , You might get a mask of your own." Wells winked.

"Well I would like that very much." Kirby said stroking his arm.

Raul looked towards the opening gate , clenching his jaw.

Half-life elbowed him raising a brow.

The reapers gathered around.

"Welcome to the Reapers , This is our main group , Ancheta , Austin , Bossie , who will walk in on you at the worst times , Jenson , Deaver , Boone , Ira Washington , Fisher , Nicholls , Michael Turner , Montanio , Mancea , and Marcus Powell , And the man that has fury on his face currently stomping over to us is Pope , our leader." Cordelia said , The men wary.

"Cordelia what is this." Pope demanded.

"It was just them , we made sure we weren't followed , and they would be amazing assets." Cordelia said , her tone strong and commanding.

"You! , you served?" Pope said , noticing Half-life's dog tags.

"12 years as a sniper." Half-life said with a nod and slight glare.

Pope nodded at Cordelia and Then to Wells and Carver who went with him.

"Should we be worried?" Raul questioned.

"Yes , very worried , watch your Backs." Cordelia said as Bossie walked over.

"Doc there's a rash on my-" He started untill she cut him off.

"No I will not look at the rash on your ass Bossie , now shoo ." She said waving him away , the man glared at the three outsiders , before Pouting at Cordelia walking away.

"They listen to you." Half-life stated.

"Pope may lead , but I reign." Cordelia stated.

---------

The four were getting food ready for the fire , Cordelia let out a scream as She was pulled out of the small shack , Kirby trying to reach for her , but was too late.

Carver and Wells stood , Carver holding his wife gently , Letting her know it was just him.

"Jesus! , Brandon you gave me a heart attack." Cordelia said slapping his chest.

"The test is happening , Pope was gonna have you stay inside , But I wasn't gonna risk it , If you got hurt , I would kill sombody." He said as Cordelia kissed his hand , Wells pouring gasoline on the shack , lighting a match.

---------

"I hope they pass , They would be great assets , Raul is great with his bow , Half-life is a professional sniper , And Kirby Knows alot about Plants and Natural Medicine." Cordelia whispered to Carver , who had his arms around her.

"I know baby." He whispered kissing her head.

Glass from a window shattered , Half-life crashing through , Reaching back in he pulled out a coughing Kirby , Who got back on her feet and helping Half-life pull out Raul.

The three staring at the reapers .

"Fortitudo Saludis!" The Reapers exclaimed.

(Strength of Salvation!")

"Im glad your alive." Cordelia said rushing over to Kirby , Handing the three water bottles.

"Glad we Survived." Kirby said resting her head on Raul's shoulder , Who tensed , rolling his eyes at Half-life's smirk.

"Welcome to the reapers." Cordelia said.

"segadores rebeldes , rogue reapers , or los segadores se rebelan , the reapers rebels , has a good tone to it." Raul said .

"Your right i does , now lets eat." Cordelia said grabbing Kirby's hand , the two laughing as they left behind the boys , Passing Carver , who smiled at his wife's happiness.

-------

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.12

538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Catholic Church. He is best known for initiating the Crusades. 1158 – German city Munich (München) is first mentioned as forum apud Munichen in the Augsburg arbitration by Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I. 1579 – Start of the Siege of Maastricht, part of the Eighty Years' War. 1622 – Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus, are canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. 1689 – James II of England landed at Kinsale, starting the Williamite War in Ireland. 1811 – Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha. 1912 – The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States. 1913 – The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra. 1918 – Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for most of the period since 1713. 1920 – The Kapp Putsch begins when the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt is ordered to march on Berlin. 1928 – In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill 431 people. 1930 – Mahatma Gandhi begins the Salt March, a 200-mile (320 km) march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt in India. 1933 – Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his "fireside chats". 1938 – Anschluss: German troops occupy and absorb Austria. 1940 – Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. 1940 – The most destructive train accident in Finnish history kills 39 and injures 69 people in Turenki, Janakkala. 1942 – The Battle of Java ends with the surrender of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command to the Japanese Empire in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies. 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism. 1950 – The Llandow air disaster kills 80 people when the aircraft they are travelling in crashes near Sigingstone, Wales. At the time this was the world's deadliest air disaster. 1967 – Suharto takes power from Sukarno when the People's Consultative Assembly inaugurate him as Acting President of Indonesia. 1968 – Mauritius gains independence from the United Kingdom. 1971 – The 1971 Turkish military memorandum is sent to the Süleyman Demirel government of Turkey and the government resigns. 1989 – Sir Tim Berners-Lee submits his proposal to CERN for an information management system, which subsequently develops into the World Wide Web. 1992 – Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 1993 – Several bombs explode in Mumbai, India, killing about 300 people and injuring hundreds more. 1993 – North Korea announces that it will withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites. 1999 – Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO. 2003 – Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, is assassinated in Belgrade. 2003 – The World Health Organization officially release a global warning of outbreaks of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). 2004 – The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly: the first such impeachment in the nation's history. 2009 – Financier Bernie Madoff pleads guilty to one of the largest frauds in Wall Street's history. 2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. 2014 – A gas explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills eight and injures 70 others. 2020 – The United States suspends travel from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Ok I'm gonna fight with you here, I haven't seen the original post but I think that maybe all of us are just talking out our ass on codependency. I think, and I know you guys are gonna accuse me of being an apologist here again, that Ed's mom, Jack, and Stede are actually the healthy relationships here. I do think Ed is co-dependant, just not on those people. I'm just gonna pop these definitions in here real quick, not because I think your don't know just because I think it's useful to all be on the same page. I understand its more complicated than this but for the purposes of Blorbo dissection:

Now Ed's mom: we don't see a lot of what Ed and his mom's relationship was like, but I think loving your mother even if she gave you some harmful lessons is pretty normal for a teenager especially a teenager in Ed's situation. Parents can become good cop and bad cop really easily even if one of them isn't physically abusive. I think we can assume that killing his dad is something Ed Had To Do to protect himself and her, because who the fuck is going to care about them. We can make all kinds of guesses about why we never see her again and all of them are really tragic but I don't think any of them are examples of codependency on Ed's behalf. It's normal for a child to be a bit dependent on their mother.

As for Jack, I have a PhD in their relationship, again I dont think Ed enables Jack's bullshit outside of what's normal for what their relationship is. They're not willing to label it as friends because pirates have hang ups but I think it's fair to say knowing what we do about their sexual relationship and the way they behave around each other that Jack was one of the least shitty people to Ed in a bad situation. A bitchy buddy who sometimes crosses a line as opposed to actively hostile. Ed doesn't enable him or lie down and take his bullshit more than is normal for conflict mediation between two friends who are fighting. Think about how you act when you have two friends who don't communicate the same way who you want to get along. We know Jack was being mean on purpose, but Ed doesn't, Ed does know that Jack is often mean as a joke. Why wouldn't he diffuse the tension and try to laugh things off? Pretty much everything else, the rowdy fun Jack proposes, is stuff Ed also used to do for fun and that he more or less likes. The one moment I can possibly think where Ed does anything to enable Jack (with the exception of leaving with him which was WAYYYY more about Stede saying he doesn't like who Ed was and Ed looking for any opportunity to break it off because he knows he's down bad and thinks that Stede is too good for him and will figure that out eventually than it is anything to do with Jack) is maybe the "audience with the Pope" moment. Which seems like a pretty small thing to enable in the context of OFMD. Ed ends the episode by setting a pretty firm boundary with him. Don't fuck with Stede in a way that could actually hurt him.

I'm not gonna do a breakdown of Ed and Stede's relationship because if I went on for that long about Ed's relationship with a cameo character you'd better believe that I can fill a book about them, but you get the picture. David Jenkins said that they're like teenagers in their relationship. I think that they are somewhat tied at the hip in a way that's deeply abnormal and they can't live without each other, if you want to describe it as codependent you can I think it's a label that would be as applicable to Stede as it is to Ed in that context.

Now all of that being said: Ed is co-dependant, with Izzy. And probably Hornigold. And was trying to project that shit onto Poppop for a second but thankfully that man doesn't take bullshit.

Now I don't mean this in the way that canyon people mean it. Ed's not in a romantic doom spiral with Izzy. Ed can live without Izzy and Izzy being gone didn't really fuck him up. BUT you can't say he's not kind of addicted to that sort of relationship, the approval seaking, the enabling of Izzy lording power over Ed's crew, allowing Izzy to continue treating him the way he does and keeping him close when he at least from a theoretical stand point has the option not to, it's all there, and then when Izzy decided to get less shitty (but no less creepy) and told Ed to be himself, Ed went out of his way to try to procure a new Izzy. There's no reason for it other than Ed being a mean daddy addict. Definitely Ed is a person with low self esteem and desire for approval who at least subconsciously intentionally attaches himself to controlling and manipulative men. Text book.

The thing is. Not gonna put this on fox’s post bc it’s a tangent. Anyway the thing is Ed and Stede are kinda codependent? What they are, though, is a) two animals who have pair bonded and b) ed seems to have more of an actual clinical depiction of codependency.

The big thing about codependency is that it’s not actually “one partner keeps the other partner good and pure and keeps them from being Mean and Bad.🥺” Codependency’s whole thing is control. It’s a saviour complex. And THE THING IS? It doesn’t work. You cannot “save” a person from being themself, from engaging in their addiction, from hurting themself. They need to make the executive decision to change, the codependent person cannot do that for them. Thus it becomes a cycle. Try to save -> see that they’re not doing what you want -> get angry/upset/punish yourself for not succeeding/sink with them -> rinse and repeat.

Izzy? Now HE is codependent on Ed. You can be codependent on someone who is perfectly fine. He tries to control Ed’s every move, doesn’t succeed, and inevitably gets angry. If you pick up an on god actual textbook, or like any Melody Beattie book, you will see that he is the very definition of codependency.

Cycling back to Ed, though. I do think he’s codependent. You don’t kill your alcoholic father to protect your mother. We don’t mysteriously never see his mother again and know that he went to sea at a young age for no reason. He tried to save her, it backfired. A woman telling her child that they’ll never have better because god decided they’d be miserable is not ready to be saved, is not ready to get out of an abusive situation.

Then, of course, there’s Jack. Jack is eternally getting Ed to do shit for him. To help him because he’s so helpless uwu or whatever. A douchebag who can’t seem to take care of himself and is on the hunt for someone to cater to him??? Mmm yummy! A codependent’s dream! In the episode, he caters to Jack’s every whim, makes excuses for him, and finally does the “sinking with him” thing when he inevitably pushes too far. This is partly because of Jack’s manipulation, partly because that’s what Ed’s family situation had been.

Now that we’ve established all of that, back to my original point: you don’t stop being codependent just because you get into a healthy relationship. I’m certain that a small part of the breakup era sads was that yet again he’d done something huge, sacrificed something big, and his efforts had gone wholly unwanted, just like what he’d done for his mom. And then there’s that fear. Ed knows the power that people he loves have over him. He knows how he acts in love! He knows how much it hurt when Stede left him! It makes sense, then, that he would run away when he sees Stede doing something he’s not too keen on (going full pirate party animal when Ed doesn’t want to be a pirate anymore). It’s fantastic that he’s running away though! He’s not doing shit he doesn’t want to do to humor Stede like he did with Jack. He’s not trying to force Stede to change directions. He’s not trying to control the situation! He’s seeing that he’s freaking out and he’s removing himself. Albeit poorly, but this is a step closer to being able to actually communicate things. He realizes he’s the variable he can change in dynamics.

So to close up, yeah the relationship is maybe a little codependent but not in the way people seem like to say? It’s codependent in that Ed has codependency issues and those will inevitably crop up in any deeply intimate relationship you’re in. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be in a relationship. It doesn’t mean that the relationship is bad or unhealthy. It just means you’re a human person with shit to work on.