#I think I'm gonna take a lovely break altogether for my mental health

[sun-undone]

shocker i'm thinking about jj maybank again

moving into season 3 which is apparently gonna focus more on mental health for all the pogues, but definitely for JJ as he tries to navigate Kie having feelings for him, i'm just thinking a lot about how he receives and shows love throughout the show so far.

he loves the pogues so fucking much and he shows it often and in a couple different ways. he expresses a lot of it through touches (which fucking breaks my heart considering the abuse that he's suffered), and a bit less so through words of affirmation (i will never forget the time that he told John B that he loved him in 1x10 and then John B didn't say it back), but the love language i'm most interested in is acts of service.

JJ is always throwing himself in the line of fire and coming up with plans and jumping into the fray and doing risky shit to try to help the pogues, even if they don't see it as being very helpful sometimes.

he pulls the gun on Topper in 1x01, he steps up and kills the rooster (rip) to protect the pogues' hiding spot in 1x02, he saves Pope from the dog in 1x03, he takes the fall for Pope in 1x04, he takes the money from Barry in 1x07 partially to act as reparations for him traumatizing the pogues by holding them at gunpoint, he gets the Phantom for John B in 1x10 despite having to suffer through another Luke encounter, he's ready to get into a shootout with the cops in 2x04 to protect John B, literally the entirety of 2x05, he consistently places himself between various pogues and people that are trying to hurt them (Barry, Rafe, Renfield, Eberhimi), do i need to go on????

he clearly shows a lot of his love through action, and i can't stop thinking about how it feels like maybe he's so outward with that expression because he's constantly trying to prove his worth to the pogues. not because they ever make him feel like he needs to, but because he genuinely cannot understand why anyone would love him unconditionally. he has to feel like he's earned it somehow. so he's always the first to put himself in danger for them, he's always got a plan at the ready, he's so depressingly willing to ruin his life or even throw it away altogether to keep them safe.

there's a moment in 2x10 when John B and Pope are trying to get JJ to stay in the container with Kie while they go out onto the ship and scout for the cross and try to get weapons from the armory. and JJ is so fucking offended and annoyed, he even rips his arm away from John B as he's pulling him away from the window. and yes, maybe you can just say that it's because he's hot-headed and eager for action, which are both definitely true, but why is he so eager for this action in particular? because it's another way for him to prove his usefulness in the group, to prove that he deserves their love, and John B is taking it away from him. it was JJ's plan to begin with, too, which just makes it sting even more now that he's not gonna be able to execute it. it's definitely a blow to his ego and his flimsy self-worth that relies so heavily on performing these acts of service for this friends.

there's an even smaller moment just before that one when Kie initially finds the window and suggests it as their way out of the container, and JJ makes a point to say "what was that about a Swiss army knife not coming in handy?" he had failed to find a way out for his friends, so he overcompensates by making sure that they know that he's still useful because he has the tool to actually get the panel off of the window and allow them to use it as an escape route.

so what does all this mean for season 3??? it means i'm gonna die it means that i'm gonna need to see Kie using acts of service as at least one of the methods of expressing her affection for him. physical touch and words of affirmation, too, but i really think that those actions are gonna hit JJ the hardest because he's so used to doing them for other people. and he will absolutely spiral if Kie's suddenly doing them for him cause he'll know exactly what it means. she'll be speaking his language. and it'll just freak him out all the more cause it'll reinforce that she really does know him so well, just like how well he knows her.

[jasmancer]

since I can't sleep here's my review of fleabag after watching it in one night last week:

obviously it's a well done portrayal of isolation and loneliness that's really common today particularly when it comes to mentally ill women. The use of the fourth wall is well done and a great establisher of intimacy between fleabag and the audience. I think the choice to make her suck but still be sympathetic was a good one.

I'm sure it's also no news to anyone what an overwhelmingly white show it is. the few characters of color are all peripheral to white drama, and the two black men featured are both shallow sexual objects to Fleabag. Those being Boo's love interest who cheats on her, and Hot Misogynist. The white men she treats as sexual objects are at least allowed some depth and redeeming qualities despite being altogether pretty annoying as people, but the black men are not given the same luxury by the writers. I'm gonna say it could be worse bc yeah it could be but the black men in this show in particular are sexually objectified in a way that the white ones are not.

The portrayal of fleabag's sexuality also feels kind of rocky to me. From the way things are written, it seems to me that Fleabag was quite obviously in love with Boo. My interpretation is that her choice to sleep with Boo's boyfriend as soon as Boo told her that she loved him was a subconscious impulse to make sure that he couldn't take Boo from her, but it just resulted in her losing Boo in the worst way imaginable. Every flashback of their friendship has a palpable romantic undertone.

When Fleabag flirts with the business woman at the bar, however, it's shown more as a result of her unhealthy need for sexual validation rather than any genuine attraction. the interaction quite literally starts with the business woman asking Fleabag if she's a lesbian, which she responds to kind of vaguely before kissing her. this is in season 2 where she's established as trying to curb her habit of compulsively sleeping with people for her own mental health, as well as be a better person in general, and the kiss is shown as a sign that she's slipping. There's a lot of wasted potential with the lack if exploration of the attraction to women she obviously has, it's sort of brushed off while also weirdly being a driving factor of the plot.

Her and Hot Priest are cute, and I appreciate the use of him noticing and even participating in the fourth wall breaks as a way to portray that he genuinely cares about her and listens to her in a way that nobody else does. They obviously are very similar people, which is well portrayed even though we don't get near as much backstory about the priest as we do fleabag. The heartbreak of their relationship not being meant to be is all the more effective because of the fact that fleabag is a better person now, she's made progress and has other people looking out for her, but they can't make up for this loss. it's almost akin to losing Boo. She finds and loses two soul mates, one entirely her fault, the other completely beyond her control.

overall, strong show, but the weird choices around the black characters are a pretty significant detractor.

[ghoulluck]

🍄

[lunarbun-ships]

What do you suppose one would do if their starting to think that self-shipping with a character is becoming more obsession than anything else? I don't want to stop all together cause it does bring me comfort and joy still, and I wouldn't say it's hurting my personal life/jobs/relationships or anything, but sometimes it feels like....it's not the same anymore. Like it used to be fun (still is), and I still love him but now I'm wondering if it's more obsession than anything else. It's been making me sad to think about 'breaking up with him' (which I don't wanna do at all) and leaving him and the self-ship community, but idk what exactly is bothering me. Sorry this is so long!

hi anon! this actually happened to me with bj last summer during a really bad mental low for me!! i find that there can be a fine line between loving your f/os and completely obsessing over them and its hard to find where one ends and another begins, and thats something im still learning myself!!

honestly my opinion is that making the realization is the first step! and the fact youre being honest about it means youre already starting the process! imo you dont have to stop shipping with them, but i find that taking a step back and stepping away from the f/o or selfship altogether for a while is good way to combat it!

when the thought of “oh no this is no longer fun in a healthy way” occurred to me, i took a step back and gave some of my other f/os a bit more attention and once i felt ready to return to focusing on beej, things felt healthy and normal again because i could then assess as to why it started and how i could avoid getting to an unhealthy level in the future, and personally i found that certain life factors and poor mental health is what caused it for me personally and so i actually took a bit of a long break from selfship altogether and focused on south park for a while!!

and anon, it is okay to take a break from shipping, i know its gonna suck but sometimes too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad thing :( i dont want to see you put yourself into an unhealthy position with something thats supposed to help you cope, ive been there and its hard, but the quicker you assess the issue, the better itll be for you!

im rooting for you anon!! please be easy on yourself and take things slowly and please dont be afraid to message us if you need to talk about it more!

[razrbladekiss]

Tyrants | Chapter Three - Presage

WORD COUNT: 2.4k

WARNINGS: Brief mentions of Wendy’s drug use. Nothing explicitly *bad* goes on here, just some of the usual SOA shit is hinted at. :) Tig <3

MASTERLIST

Ninety degrees was horrendous. Ninety-six degrees saw Isla spiraling toward a fully-fledged mental breakdown, desperate to climb out of her own fucking flesh and melt into the parking lot outside of St. Thomas.

Seeing the Sons sporting leathers, hoodies, and long-sleeved shirts underneath their cuts made her skin crawl, too.

She'd thrown on the flounciest summer dress she owned, thin and wispy, and she was still roasting to death underneath the Californian sunshine.

It felt like they were living in the fucking ass-crack of hell.

Though, with their current state and Charming's infestation of ATF and other federal agents, hell wasn't too far off the mark.

"Thanks for the ride." Isla expressed her gratitude as she slid off of the back of Tig's bike, pulling the helmet away from loose blonde curls.

"No problem, baby--you good to get home, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm meeting Gem here, so she'll take me back to T M in time to pick my car up," she confirmed, readjusting herself.

She couldn't risk Tig Trager getting an eyeful of her asscheeks today. Not again, anyway.

"Perfect. See 'ya later, beautiful." Isla leaned in for him to peck her cheek--which was habitual for the pair--and she did the same.

Her smile was wide. She was beaming. "Bye, Tiggy. I love you."

"Love you too, kid." He reciprocated the smile, squeezing her hand as she broke away and padded toward the steps, brushing her fingers through wind-tousled strands.

Things were, for the first time in about a week, finally looking up. Resuming a sense of normality, perhaps.

She and Trager had been on precarious terms since that day, and had been avoiding one another altogether. Which, for them, was strange.

Days went by without even so much as a word being uttered between the pair, no backhanded comments, or even sideways glances.

Usually, they'd be bickering like kids, arguing nonsensically until Clay or Chibs broke them apart--but it was all just their little bit of fun. Because they bounced off of one another.

They lauded the relationship they shared because, really, it was one of the strongest.

He'd been her official favorite since the very day that they met--he and Bobby were the two she liked to talk to whenever she felt that she couldn't confide in her father.

But the last few days were so fucking hard. She was struggling with the weight of all that she did, coupled with the stress of not being able to discern Tig's current feelings on her.

And after she'd lashed out, had bitched at him for no fucking reason, she was pretty certain that Tiggy didn't want to know anymore.

That was thrown out of the window this morning, however, when Isla's clutch blew out, and she needed a ride from the garage to the hospital to see Abel.

Of course Tig was there for her. He always would be.

"Hey." Isla spoke softly as she held the little blue bear close to her chest. "I stopped by the gift shop on the way up here--Jax said he's already got bears and balloons comin' outta his ass, so I thought what's one more?"

Gemma couldn't help but smile, gesturing for the blonde to sit with her opposite Abel's isolette.

"He'll love you for it," she joked, though she knew that she was appreciative. For her company more so the stuffed animal.

With their commitment to the club and the current battle against the ATF, Jax and Clay weren't as hands on as what they usually would've liked.

Of course, Teller was at that baby's side whenever he got the chance to break away from SAMCRO, but he wanted more. He wanted the satisfaction of knowing that his little boy was being provided with the best possible care at St. Thomas.

And he was. He absolutely was. But he needed to know--for his own peace of mind, he needed to see that. So, his mother was there every waking fucking moment, giving him that love he could only get from his Grandma.

"How's he doing?" Her query was braided around a whisper, worried she'd disturb Abel's peaceful rest. "Jax said he should be coming home soon."

Gemma simply affirmed with a nod, gazing affectionately at her grandson.

It was heartwarming to see so much love, so much adoration from a woman who had a reputation for being a fucking cunt--thus proving that Gemma's main priority was her family, and their health and happiness.

That, somehow, made Isla love her even more than what she already did.

It also made her a tad jealous of Jax and the fact that he still had his mother in his life.

"He's gettin' stronger and stronger everyday. Tara said he'll be set to leave Friday--"

"Tara?" Her brow lifted as she put the bear amongst the pile of gifts. "I thought she was a doctor, I didn't think she had anything to do with the babies?"

Gemma's smile faltered a little. "She's a pediatric surgeon. Been takin' care of Abel since the start."

"Oh."

Now, she would've known that if she'd taken the time to visit her best friend's kid since he was born. But she hadn't--she hadn't even considered taking a trip over to St. Thomas to check in on Jax's baby.

And it was for the simple fucking reason that she couldn't bear the thought of facing Wendy and having to be nice to her. Especially after what she fucking did to that poor little boy.

She subsequently landed her own flesh and blood in the hospital after shooting heroin while pregnant? And she wanted Jax to pardon her for it?

Isla wasn't a hateful person, she didn't care about what people did in their spare time because that was their time.

But the moment an innocent person was harmed due to the carelessness of others...That was when she felt a scathing animosity.

"She's good with him." Gemma stated bitterly, snapping Isla from her ire-fueled daydream. "Kills me to say it, but she's a gem. A real fuckin' star."

"I'd bet. She was always good with kids."

"Yeah?" Suddenly interested, the older woman crossed over her arms. "Who's kids?"

Finally, Isla took a seat beside her on top of plush blue leather.

"A few of the girls we were in high school with had kids pretty young and Tara was usually super keen to hold them, or just hang out at their places whenever we weren't at school. Or it could've just been the wannabe doctor in her, now that I think about it."

"She's pretty maternal," Isla hummed in agreement, "but I'm glad she and Jax never had kids when you were teenagers--I don't know how that would've looked for him."

Suddenly, she was staring at Gemma like she had two fucking heads.

"I don't trust her." She elaborated, drawing another confused glance from Isla. "She and Jax would have been a fucking disaster had she stayed--"

"And things worked out so much better with Wendy?" A little more vehemently than intended, the blonde asked.

Now Gemma was the one shooting dirty looks.

"Look, Gem, I'm just saying. Jax and Tara are history now, yeah? You don't have to trust her. Just thank her for what she's doing for your grandson because when he's outta this place, you won't need to worry about her."

"And you're so sure about that, huh?" Skeptically, she asked. Arms folded over. "You know what they're like--like two fucking magnets or something. They always find a way back to one another."

That line gutted her.

It hurt her--it was agonizing--but she wasn't sure why she was so beaten by it. Because it was the truth, wasn't it?

Tara and Jax were, at one point, the strongest couple she'd ever known, and when it fizzled out he was fucking broken. She hadn't seen him so downtrodden since JT had passed, and he was suddenly left without the strength and guidance of his father.

She was his everything. Isla was a fool to think he'd be able to see her back in Charming and not feel something for her. His first love.

"I think we should throw Abel a homecoming party on Friday--if he's coming home then, that is." Gemma shifted the topic of conversation, getting to her feet.

"Absolutely. I'll help."

"Yeah?" She asked a little doubtingly, reaching over to pick Abel up. "You don't have to--I know you work Friday's."

Isla waved her off, standing beside the brunette. "I do, but it's no bother. If everyone's gonna be there, then I wanna show my face too. Offer a helping hand of some sort."

"Alright, perfect," Gem stated softly, holding the baby close to her chest. "When we get back to T M, we can figure out what we need to get."

"Sounds like a plan--" Isla was cut off by a soft knocking at the door, irritating her a little bit because she'd only just gotten there and hated the idea of having to leave already.

She made a mental note to stop by a little earlier tomorrow.

"Hey, sorry to bother you--" Tara stopped herself when she needed her estranged friend, almost dropping the clipboard she was holding against her chest.

Isla Telford was the last fucking person she expected to see today.

"Hey," with a fake smile, she greeted.

The tension was palpable.

Gemma felt the irritation washing over her favorite of the duo, urging her to turn her attention back toward her grandson before she said anything to worsen the situation.

Because she would've.

"Uh, I've gotta run a few tests on Abel before we determine that he'll be ready to leave this week, if that's alright?" Tara gestured to Gemma, ignoring Isla's presence.

That stung a little bit.

"Yeah. It's fine." The response was blunt. Terse, to a point.

"Great."

Isla realized that she wasn't wanted in that space any longer. She grabbed her purse, turning toward the door. "I'll meet you outside."

"Yeah, alright," Gemma put the baby back into his crib, smiling at Isla. "You want my keys?"

"I'll wait on the steps--I'm gonna smoke--"

"Before you go," Tara cut in. She cleared her throat, trying to smile--but she just couldn't.

Telford sensed where it was going, however. There wasn't a reason for her to stop Isla in her tracks, in front of Gemma no less.

She wondered how long it'd take for it to be brought up.

"Thanks."

Gratitude genuinely swept over the doctor, letting Isla know she was truthful in her acknowledgment--or, was it more like a form of praise? Because Jax definitely told Tara what they both did for her, and she was astounded that the woman would even float the idea of helping out.

It was a strange notion. To know what she did--when she looked and acted like that--was fucking weird. And nobody would've believed her if she said that Isla helped to dispose of a dead body, which did make her laugh a little.

She knew how to hold, load, and fire a pistol, but she wasn't capable of committing the unspeakable the same way that Jax, or Chibs, or Clay were capable of it.

But she was slowly earning her title as 'Daughter of Sgt. At Arms/ Man of Mayhem.' And she wasn't sure how she liked that.

"You're welcome," she spoke plainly. "Hope everything is alright now, Tara."

"It is."

"Good." Her retort was immediate, laced with that same genuineness the other woman expressed. "You free this coming friday?"

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"If all goes to plan--and Abel is good to come home--we're gonna throw a little party for the boy," Gemma confirmed with a nod. "You wanna swing by? Everyone'll be there--Donna, Ope, their kids, Wendy, the rest of the Sons. You should come. It'll be nice for everyone to see 'ya again."

Wendy's name falling from those pink lips, in such a positive light, maimed Isla. She and Jax were starting to get along a little bit better now, but she was still wary of that woman.

"Yeah. It'll be great," the older woman added.

Tara felt cornered. She knew that she wasn't really wanted, and she also knew that was a way for Isla and her menopausal best friend--old enough to be her fuckin' mom--to keep the doctor as close as possible without explicitly saying that they wanted to keep an eye on her.

"Sure. I'll stop by."

"Brilliant." Gemma conceded, slipping past the pair. "Address hasn't changed, sweetheart."

It was passive aggressive, sickly-sweet, and it was Gemma to a fucking T. The woman was loathing every second she had to spend with Tara Knowles and she wasn't even trying to hide it.

But it didn't have to be for very long, she thought.

"What was that all about? Why'd she thank you?" Gem queried as they got outside, passing the lighter to her left.

"For not breaking her fucking neck when I had the chance to all those years ago, probably."

Isla sparked her cigarette, pacing alongside her as they headed toward the car.

"That's bullshit."

"How so?"

"Just is." She could read Chibs's little girl like a fucking book. "But I won't press--if it's something between you and Tara, I don't care to hear. Just lemme know if it goes south. I can put a bullet in her for you, baby."

Isla would've laughed had she not known that Gemma was deadly fucking serious about blowing Tara's brains out.

But it was a relief. For her to give it up just like that--uncharacteristically so--was a kind of relief that she never thought she'd feel from Gemma Teller.

She was used to being protected. Used to being viewed as the one that needed to be shielded from the horrors that shrouded the Sons. But Isla wasn't innocent, nor was she fucking stupid.

The security was appreciated, however. Because, lately, things just didn't seem to be going too great for her.

And, if she'd learned anything, they'd only worsen from here on out.

"You don't have to go full mama bear mode, Gem. I'm a big girl."

She laughed, turning to face Isla.

"I know," smoke blew from her nose, "but you've gotta protect the ones you wanna keep close, y'know? The ones you love."

The tip of Gemma's boot pulverized her cigarette into the sidewalk as she fished for the car keys, avoiding eye contact all together.

"I haven't been able to protect everyone I've wanted to from the shit that goes on in this town, honey, but I'm really tryin'. And I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you or my boy."

[willymywonkers]

Pure Imagination

Summary: We get introduced into the world of Maude Figgle, and how one of her students, Charlie Bucket, reunites her with an old friend.

A/N: This too longer than I'd like to admit lmaoooo. This is my first time writing a willy wonka fic, so constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!!

The chocolate factory at the edge of town was always a mystery to people. Its large tunnels stood tall casing a shadow over people. All of Willy Wonka's delectable goods were protected behind hundreds of walls of steel and black bricks that were absolutely impenetrable.

Maude had seen the factory about a dozen times, and each time, she wondered what would it be like to go inside. She had always admired the elusive chocolatier from a far, but she was so nervous to actually talk with him.

Maude had remembered a time when Willy Wonka wasn't famous, and was just a boy that lived two blocks down from her. Of all people, Will was the nicest boy she'd ever met. When they were younger, Maude would enjoy spending her time with Will, encouraging him to take risks, and be a little impulsive. Will knew she was a bit wild, but that's what he liked about her. Someone who wasn't afraid of any consequences and just went with the heart told them.

However, things began to get rough for Maude. She wasn't the little girl that pushed the boundaries anymore. She was Will's partner, and she was the main It happened when Maude met her ex husband, Ronald. Ron was extremely jealous of Will. It was apparent that Will liked Maude more than anyone else. Will didn't like touching other workers. That was the main reason he wore gloves.

However, he acted differently around Maude. He seemed to be more comfortable with touching her, and letting her touch him. Ron caught sight of this. He deemed that Maude belonged to him.

Eventually, Ron made Maude cut all contact from Will. This happened when Willy was going through a sharp decrease in candy sales. With people all over the world after his secrets, Will didn't really have anybody he could trust. Other than Maude.

Maude didn't want to quit working with Will, but Ron didn't give her much of a choice. Ron had gotten more and more controlling towards her, thus affecting her mental health greatly.

Then, she snapped at Ron, telling him that this was wrong. Ron slapped her across the face. The next day, Maude resigned.

The news crushed Willy, causing him to close the factory for good.

Years later, Maude divorced Ron, taking her own independence back. Maude often would walk by the factory, but it was a painful reminder to her, and how she treated her best friend.

Maude became a chemistry teacher, so that she could be close with children, and help their young minds grow. Of course, there were students that would barely pay attention, and would ignore what she said altogether. However, there was one student in her class that she was very fond of. A young boy named Charlie Bucket.

He was quite clever for his age, and he would always be interested whatever experiments she was conducting.

"Good morning, Ms. Figgle," Charlie said, walking into the classroom.

Maude smiled at the boy. Her glasses hung from the bridge of her nose. "Good morning, Charlie. Did you enjoy winter break?"

He nodded. "But, I didn't get anything this year."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." Maude knew about Charlie's financial situation. She always tried to make things a little more lenient on him, unlike his other teachers.

"It's alright. Christmas is about spending time with your family, anyways."

Maude nodded. "Well, I've got a present for you, Charlie."

She got out a medium sized box wrapped in newspaper, and handed it to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You're just gonna have to open it to find out."

It was a brown sweater with a black stripe in the front.

Charlie smiled at the present, though he seemed taken aback by the gesture.

"I can't accept this." Charlie said, putting the sweater back in the box.

"But, it's frigid out there. You'll need it." Maude handed Charlie back the sweater.

He smiled up at Maude. "You're right. I really appreciate it, Ms. Figgle."

The kids all plied into the class at once. Excitement from being back from break made all the kids rambley and quite loud.

"Have you heard about the golden tickets?"

"I'm gonna get the first one."

All the kids seemed to be chattering all about these golden tickets. Maude hadn't a clue about what they were.

"Golden tickets?" Maude asked, looking slightly confused.

"There was an announcement about it last night. Mr. Wonka is going to be opening up his factory for 5 children all over the world." Charlie said, clearing up her confusion.

Maude's eyes lit up. "Really? That's incredible!"

Charlie agreed.

This fact made Maude's heart jump. She really wanted to see Will again, but she knew she barely had a chance. 5 golden tickets in the whole world, and there was only one of her. She tossed her excitement aside in hopes that a kid truly worthy of the ticket takes it.

A few weeks go by and the first ticket is found. Maude was sitting in front of her television when it was announced. She wasn't surprised that the first ticket was found by some kid who ate chocolate all the time, but it was how quickly he found it.

After that, each kid was worst than the last. It really pained her to see such rotten kids get all the spotlight, when kids like, Charlie, were barely making ends meet.

Maude found herself back at the factory, wondering what was going on inside.

"Hello, Ms. Figgle!" Charlie called from behind.

Maude turned around, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?"

"Why are you always staring at the factory?" Charlie countered.

Maude gulped. "Well, you see, a long time ago, I actually knew Mr. Wonka."

"You did? I think my grandpa told me about it."

"Right, but I didn't just work for him. I was his partner in it all. I did all the experiments. I created new kinds of candy every day."

Maude and Charlie began walking down the snowy street, as Maude told Charlie the many adventures her and Mr. Wonka shared.

"Were you ever in love with Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked, jokingly.

Maude chuckled. "Of course not."

Of course, she was lying to herself. She couldn't see herself standing beside him. Maude felt that Willy deserved someone better, especially when all she did was burn him.

Maude's smile faltered. She felt an ache in her heart.

"Ms. Figgle, are you alright?"

Maude turned her head towards Charlie. "Huh?"

"I was asking if you were alright."

"Oh yeah. I'm fine."

The two continued walking down the street, passing by a candy shop.

"Do you think I could ever win a golden ticket?" Charlie seemed a bit down. "I only get one wonka bar a year for my birthday, and my grandpa spend his last shilling."

"Let me tell you this, Charlie, you're a bright young man." Maude kneeled down to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you. You are worthy of a golden ticket. All those other kids don't have the kindness you share with others. And, as someone who's personally worked for Wonka, I'd save the best for last."

Charlie's spirits picked up. He smiled brightly, thanking Maude before heading home.

The next day, rumors speculated that some kid in Russia had found the last ticket, but it was later proven to be false. This rose to more anticipation to who would be the last ticket holder.

While reading through the newspaper, Maude found out that Charlie had found the very last golden ticket. Maude smiled widely. One of her students found the last golden ticket. She couldn't be more proud of him.

She stood amongst the crowd outside. She couldn't stay for long, but she wanted just a glimpse of Wonka, however, there was too many people in her way.

A few weeks later, it seemed that more and more people were curious about the factory. Charlie had told her some of the things that happened during his trip. Things that were completely outlandish, and weird. A girl turning into a blueberry? And, a boy nearly drowning into a chocolate river?

"You know, Mr. Wonka wasn't as nice as I thought he was." Charlie said.

"What do you mean?" Maude asked.

"Well, he was nice at first. He was going to offer me his entire factory. On the condition that I wouldn't ever see my family again."

Maude sighed. "Right."

This was quite like Will. Family wasn't at the forefront of his mind. Trusting people was also a big issue with him, considering in the past most of his workers turned against him.

"Have you ever thought about seeing Mr. Wonka again?" Charlie asked.

Maude looked at Charlie, with a wishful smile on her face. "All the time."

Another few weeks ago by, and Maude hadn't seen much of Charlie. She began to worry about him.

One day, she heard a knock on her door.

"Hello?" She answered.

Charlie was standing at the door, smiling up at her. "Good morning, Ms. Figgle."

"It's quite early, Charlie." She chuckled. "What is it?"

"I wanted you to meet someone."

Maude opened the door to see a man in a top hat, smiling nervously at her.

"Will?" Maude said, as tears were pricking from her eyes. Her heart was jumping out of her chest.

"Hey Maude." Willy smiled.

She pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Will was taken aback by the hug, but awkwardly caved in. He could hear soft sobbing coming from her, but he didn't mind.

Charlie smiled at the two.

In this one moment, Maude truly felt the pure happiness and joy as she felt when she was a child.

[stevenstamkos]

I've been offline for two days and been crying for a day. I'm so fucking upset about the pens, I don't even know what to do anymore. I even feel I should just delete my account and quit liking hockey altogether. I hate this. Sorry I invade your inbox like this, I have no one to talk to about this.

Hey, I don’t want to tell you how to deal with this bc everyone deals in a different way. But maybe for now, take some time away from hockey? Watch some movies or shows you really love, get away from anything that reminds you of hockey? Or if it’s more your thing, speak up and make your voice heard. But it’s also okay if you want to just cry and take a break instead; your mental health is more important atm

I do think it’s possible to like players and teams while remaining critical of them and their failures as people and organizations though. (Bc lbr if we’re gonna be dropping every team and player who wants to stay “apolitical” or isn’t a Woke Bae, then that’s…….practically everyone.) Be mad at them! Don’t defend them! In fact, I think fans of the team and the player should be the most critical about their faves

At the end of the day, I’m not gonna quit liking hockey, because I really do love watching it and I’ve met some wonderful people through this site, and I’m not gonna let that be taken from me by a bunch of crusty white men who can’t see past their privilege. If you choose to delete your account and stop watching, that’s certainly up to you, but that’s my take on it?

But again, there’s nothing wrong with avoiding hockey for now