#I've blown through season one already lol

[enderblogs-25]

I gave Bluey a try today. Y'all were right.

I love these dogs and I've cried many times.

[ca-suffit]

No offense to Sam but the way he's been talking about Lestat lately is ... troubling, to say the least. He did an interview with Screenrant and he legit said that Lestat's abuse of Louis was "probably not as violent an act as Louis made it out to be in season 1." That's a direct quote, by the way. I understand that a lot of Lestat fans have their rose-colored glasses on and they're not the only ones, sure. However, when you have the actor saying things like this, are we really surprised Lestat fans are just as willing to turn a blind eye and act as if he's this innocent beacon of sunshine whose word is the gospel truth? I can't include links but you can search up Sam Reid and Screenrant on Google and the article should pop up.

ya, I've seen that quote (article and text at the bottom of this post).

if this fandom was full of critical thinkers the way ppl always luv to claim, we'd be able to discuss these things and even say maybe these actors say dumb, harmful shit sometimes. assigning sam reid the new role of anne rice stand in, coming from ppl who already have an unhealthy relationship with her, usually going back decades, is why trying to do anything here is p useless.

this fandom will never know peace bcuz instead of focusing on the fact harm was done, racist fandom has to keep digging and victim blaming black characters bcuz how could the white character do this, it's ooc, it's bad writing, it's not what anne rice would have done (except she did lol but there's always an excuse for why that doesn't count).

there's a lot of things the fandom could be talking about but instead it's gonna be tossing this quote up forever as "the truth" and it's gonna be like 50 year olds in the fandom doing it too. embarrassing tbh.

One of my favorite moments in the episode is Lestat apologizing over the cloud gift move from last season. It's powerful and moving, and yet so frustrating because the trial carries on like nothing after. Can you talk about playing that scene with Jacob?

Sam Reid: Yeah, I think we kind of had to make sure it [landed]. I don't want it to be like, "Yeah, but actually, it's not such a big deal. He apologized, and it's over now," which is what Claudia said. It's probably not as violent an act as Louis made it out to be in season 1, but I think the fact that Lestat did something to him that is so out of his nature was driven by the extent to which they love each other.

Lestat was driven to the point that he didn't fully even recognize himself, and he saw from his own hands an action that was unforgivable. You've physically hurt the person that you love so much that you no longer feel like you deserve to be with them. He knew that, and I think the thing is that he realized that as soon as he's done that, he also has to die.

In terms of working on that scene with Jacob, I think it's important for us to acknowledge that this is not the end. Do you know what I mean? This is not the finality of that beat. Louis doesn't forgive him at that moment, and Lestat sees that. He can't look at him that much during the trial, but there's another moment when Lestat looks at him and all he sees is pure hate in Louis' gaze. "He's never going to forgive me." But he doesn't flip back to just doing the trial — he still wants to save him, you know what I mean? He's got to just hurry the proceedings up, get through the f--king thing, and stick to his script.

That definitely is also when I feel like we get into that silhouetted, mirage version of the trial. I think that's when we're in full-blown POV bulls--t of how it actually went.

[probablyin-bed]

the bear spoilers ???? kinda????? read at ur own risk I guess

can we talk about how this season of the bear ended bc I have so many things to say. sydney having a full blown panic attack. carmy is turning her into him. he unfortunately turned himself into chef fields. and we alllllll see how he feels about that fuck head, so.

aside from that tho, I absolutely loved their little kick back and syd's place. seeing all these chefs who take everything so seriously be loose and have fun and just fuck around with the faks & richie and just have fun it was very nice to see that. I - loved - seeing chef terry going through syd's fridge and finding the frozen pizza and going "chef terry loves this shit". olivia Colman is a treasure!!!!! also peep richie and jess . hmmmmm

ALSO ! I think carmy needs to be alone LOL like he does not need to have any romantic relationships. poor claire dude. yes, she is indeed the peace so leave her tf alone lol. and keep sydney farrrrrrr away from that relationship too. I absolutely hate that ship bc my girl doesn't need anymore stress from carmy. my boy needs to heal a hell of a lot more. but I did pick up on her little flirtations w luca and I am so incredibly down for that ! (but maybe im reading into that wrong idk)

sugar. nat. I love you. you are top 3 characters for me in this show and you're not 3 ! the whole ice chips episode. ugh. pete is also such a himbo sweetheart. he loves his wife and is just so good.

richie breaks my heart. love him so dearly. that is a girl dad if i've ever seen one. he's trying so hard. he's just too too too good.

fucking john cena as sammy fak? he doesn't look like a fak but god did he fit so well. the 3 of them bouncing off of each other comically was incredible. it worked so well.

i'm sure I have more to say but I need to do a rewatch already so

[polyhexian]

I woke up today with pain and took some Percocet and so I'm sitting here dizzy on drugs when BAM nezha trailer drops out of fucking nowhere and I'm so excited I feel like I'm going to throw up. I can't believe it. It's happening. It's fucking happening. Are they going to rerelease the toys that already made it to market? Are there new toys? Will I be able to get them? Will I be able to get the wind blade stuff I've tried so hard to track down? Will it be GOOD? It looks good. The visuals are amazing. I'm blown away by some of the shot comp. It's so funny that the transformers are the side characters. So is nezha apparently. That's so iconic. And God the fucking aesthetic is PEAK. Fully hyped up ancient Chinese armour combined with sci Fi cartoon space robots. Hoooooly shit. We are FULLY rule of cool here. A twelve year old just threw Megatron into a rock. Voicework is really good, Chinese cartoons audio/dubbing is hit or miss, it was insane to turn on TV and hear actual mic peaking. The other new robots aren't in the new trailer! Are they supposed to be a surprise? They were in the other trailer! Oh my god the phoenix looks so cool that is MY fucking aesthetic. We got autobots and decepticons working together to fight a shared enemy. Will we follow through on that story wise? Are we gonna actually get time with the robot characters to really feel the ramifications of that? I know wind blade is in it and big enough to get merch but I don't think I saw her in the trailer. I saw a pretty limited cast actually I think just season 1 characters. could we get others? Rodimus? Cheetor? Slipstream is in episode one, could she be there? Shadow striker? WHIRL? there's no whirl lol I know there's no whirl. BUT TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE OTHER NEW GUYS FROM THE FIRST TRAILER!!! I got my hands on their toys, tell me more!!! I want to see them!!! Okay I know I took two years of mandarin AND lived in Beijing for a year but I don't speak Mandarin for shit and didn't catch anything but I do think the protags name is Shujiao? It's very clearly what nezha yells when diving in front of him and that IS a name. AHHHHHHHH

[bourbonificould]

If you have a RDR OC, how would they fair in the TWDG world?

Interesting you ask. A fic writer's lending me one of his OCs for the next Red Walking Dead season, in Ava Gale. Read Marsh & Morgan if you haven't!

Ava is a young ethnic reporter, very snarky, kinda fearless, resourceful and is fond for teaching Clem stuff as they're in the same age range. She may take that Gabe love interest role, but we shall see ;). I think she'll do well though, a solid shot and keeps herself in the mix a lot. I've only just started the planning for season 3, and she'll definitely be making her debut here. If she doesn't do well, I'm a bad man and I will retire lol.

Personally though, I have 2 main sort of finished concepts for RDR OCs:

One is a member of the Van der Linde gang, in Symere. Symere would be the 2nd youngest member of the gang at 21, but he's easily the most active and live member compared to others. Any chance to get something for the group and he's already planning, but he doesn't like Dutch trying to rework the plan he lays out. He's much smarter logically than the rest of the group as he was in school until his house in Blackwater was blown up, leaving him orphaned, but found by Hosea one day trying to steal some peaches from his wagon. He's very good at knowing things that no one else does, think like a Trelawny but he's actually around to help, and he will happily fight Micah even tho he’s like half his size muscle-wise. In the TWDG universe, he'd most likely be one of those outsiders who gets tons of word from people in and out of settlements, but he isn't the biggest fan of "leaders". He can get you through places no one would wanna be in, which would be a valuable asset against walkers. If he finds a good group, he'll definitely stick around to see it out.

The second is just this batshit crazy woman who's old friends with Sadie Adler. It's fitting that they're friends, because 26 year old Lianna Shabazz is NUTS, but she's generally on the good side of things and is a sucker for a good family dynamic, which is why she'd love when Sadie tells her about Jack. Coming from a household of scrappers and bad father figures, she had to learn to fight early on. As a result, she's really good with weapons, firearms or an odd piece of wood, but sometimes gets ahead of herself and is kinda foul mouthed and bitchy. She’s wanted in like half of the east but somehow works her way around and stays pretty much unsniffed. In the TWDG universe, I think she'd be a person you want on your team in a fight, very stocked up and can make anything into a weapon, but her biggest flaw is her mouth, if you cross the wrong person, expect a shootout with her around. Bodies will drop, and you can bet it won't be hers.

I don't have art or concept on them, but that can change the more I indulge into them lol. I would add Isabella but she's like base in twdg universe, but shes my cutie and Arthur will never lose her.

[marsdetective]

10, 11, 17, 20 & 25 for the books ask!!!

thank you sophie!!

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

Ooohhh this is so hard! I think mayhaps Babel by RF Kuang? Literally RF Kuang is queen of examining colonialism and history through a fascinating fantasy lens and also ripping your heart out at the same time. 10/10.

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

Okay I thought this one would also be hard but then I realized that there is an obvious answer for me and it's Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler. Believe it or not, I've never read a book by her before and now she's already one of my favorite writers. Like, god. it was so heavy to read but I flew through it. She did a great job of balancing the dystopia aspects with hope and resiliency. the development of the world and characters was so good, and the "god is change" stuff was genuinely really cool to think of.

Like, I was a teenager in 2010-2013 and I never thought I'd willingly read a dystopia again bc of that Experience.... but here I am, thinking this is probably in my top 10 books of the year.

Also, shout out to Beloved by Toni Morrison, Mythology by Edith Hamilton, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker and Uprooted by Naomi Novik - other backlist books that I really, really loved.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

I read a middle grade horror book called Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker and it was reeeeally good. i will never look at beatrix potter the same way again skskfjfjjskdfkf iykyk.

Another book I was surprised by was Far Sector by NK Jemisin and Jamal Campbell. well. surprised is the wrong word since I picked it up bc NK Jemisin wrote it and it won a Hugo for best graphic novel. But after checking it out I realized it was a green lantern comic, which I could not care less about lol. BUT. It was actually really good once I gave it a shot - it's a stand alone space mystery political adventure! very fun!

And one more I was blown away by was An Invitation from a Crab by panpanya. It's a indie manga that my coworker lent me and it's incredibly surreal and dreamlike and weird, but I kinda am obsessed with it.

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

For some reason I like to wait till that like, 1 week period between Christmas and New Years to fully define my reading goals, but I have thought about it a little! I always read at least 2 classics I never got to in high school/college, so I was thinking maybe Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston, since I own both of those. I'd also like to read a Russian classic too since I've never tried one of those.

I've never read any true crime and I think it'd be fun to branch out and read a couple from that genre next year!

This isn't a goal per se, but I'd also love to read all of Samantha Shannon's The Bone Season series next year, bc I love her writing a ton!

[madraleen]

Bungo Stray Dogs - Season 2 A highly unconvincing "I like the anime a ~normal~ amount" commentary.

-i'm about to start s2 and i'm giggling like a schoolgirl about to meet her crush. i'm all "I MISSED YOU, DAZAI!" i finished s1 yesterday. THERE WAS NO TIME TO MISS NO DAZAI! and yet.

-i already thought we were on the saddest ep so far, with dazai saying he loses everything he wants, but then the kids got blown off and... yeah. we're in the dark timeline. i came out here to have fun and...

-ranpo?? bumping into oda?? i was not expecting that.

-aha aha ha, bungo stray dogs, so whimsical, then why am i crying...

-and then dazai fulfilled his "i want to help people" goal and found friends :'). so lil bb has been with the agency two-ish years. okay. okay. i love dazai. okay.

-i'm glad the ending titles are keeping the theme of dazai tenderly touching his people

-i can't believe i'm saying this, but i feel bad for akutagawa. he needs help. like in life.

-this is the most intensely i've binge-watched something in a long time. and i don't binge-watch, i need breathers. but no. it's dazai et al or nothing.

-lol the agency in the opening: more or less normal. kenji-kun: holding a street sign. as you do.

-MY MAN DAZAI JUST BITCH-SLAPPED ATSUSHI

-"stop pitying yourself. pity yourself, and life becomes an endless nightmare." hi i love dazai

-i love that atsushi's emotional growth isn't a straight line. he thought himself worthless and useless. then he found strength. then he backpedaled when he got rattled. then dazai slapped him and he sort of regained his composure. and so on. it's very realistic, feels intentional, and not inconsistent at all, because there's always something triggering the back and forth

-HEEEEELP IT'S ANGO!

-MOBY DICK AHAHAHA nice

-oh gosh the plan to destroy the city is terrible and also so smart

-YES! YES! AN AGENCY-PORT MAFIA ALLIANCE YES! YES PLEASE LISTEN TO ATSUSHI'S BRILLIANT IDEA YES

-for the record, since i talked about weak plot in s1, i am enjoying the s2 plot, i'm yelling at the screen and everything

-DAZAI AND CHUUYA ALLIANCE AAAHHH

-DAMN YOU, THE WAY CHUUYA YELLS DAZAI'S NAME WHEN HE'S HIT BY THE TENTACLES! SCREW YOU! i am soft

-AND THEN HE RUNS TO HIM?? TO CHECK IF HE'S ALRIGHT?? AND TELLS HIM HE'S HURT PRETTy BAD?!?! this is too much for me

-wdym the tentacles aren't an ability. also i love dazai

-"let's just give up and die" errr... my fictional husbands, all two of them, seem to have a pattern… (see: “give up on your dream and die,” aot, vol x, page y, panel z)

-DAZAI CALLED CHUUYA PARTNER I CANNOT I LOVE THEM TOGETHER

-i kinda love how ranpo's biggest obstacle is himself and his inability to accept that he isn't an ability user. if he could do that, they'd be out of the book in a second

-oh. oh atsushi and akutagawa in the same solo infiltration. that's gonna go well.

-i'm so genuinely excited to resume rewatching every time

-akutagawa, my man, do you really think THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO KILL ATSUSHI? yeah, "yare yare" indeed, dazai, control your children!

-i know he's our villain, but damn, dazai, show an ounce of attention to akutagawa, i feel sorry for him

-akutagawa and atsushi accidentally finding release and relief through each other shut up i love them :"). be careful, little ones

-the city is about to be destroyed and dazai is playing therapist to kyouka, i love this show

-the little baby strays working together :') (*atsushi and akutagawa)

-akutagawa keeps saving atsushi, lmao

-KYOUKA-CHANNN :")))

-YOU JUST DEFEATED THE HEAD OF THE GUILD, AKUTAGAWA, DO YOU GET THAT

-yesss, dazai praised akutagawa :")))

-he wanted to be sure for the real disaster, he says. s2: an elaborate real-life training arc from dazai to his baby strays. But, my man dazai, what was the fail-safe?! what if the baby strays failed?! i understand it’s all about belief and trust, but, MY MAN, the entire city was at stake!

-ABILITY: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT AKSFJNJKSSG I AM EXCITED (also the fact that dostoyevsky's va is ayato and luocha's va, does not compute)

-I LOVE SEASON 2 SO MUCH :"))) It’s just proof of how a story can be serious and violent and dark and still have a fundamentally feel-good vibe. misleadingly feel-good that is, ‘cause once you take a moment to take in what’s happening, it’s more like, “DERANGED! EVERYONE IS DERANGED!” but in a feel-good way.

-i really like that people stay in the story. that they're not one-off antagonists/allies.

-I wish wish wish i were familiar with more of the actual authors. i don’t think it takes away from the enjoyment if you don’t know them, but when you do know them, the references are like easter eggs and it’s delightful.

[mermims]

LOL I'm actually gonna complain about this more because even tho I don't really care it occurs to me that some ppl are weirdly invested in Nathan not getting a happy ending and might think him coming back to Richmond is the "cost" to which I was referring. It's not.

I'm talking about an ethos that's honestly been there throughout the show—I binged the first two-and-a-half seasons so it didn't really rankle, but it was out in full force this episode. It's hard to describe, but going back to the scene that prompts Beard to approach Nathan I think it's kind of exemplified by the rancid self-satisfaction oozing from every pore in Ted's body during his holier-than-thou speech about "judgment" and second chances. This could also be seen in the second season when they discover that Nate is the one who tore the "believe" sign and Beard and Roy decide to show the team the footage. I read someone's (excellent) analysis pointing out that at that point Ted was sort of checked out on the whole coaching thing and didn't offer any alternative solutions, he WALKED OUT, he didn't do his job, he didn't do anything except sit smugly on his high horse when the other two coaches tried to do their jobs and it went sideways. So yeah, Ted's characterization has kind of been at its worst through Nathan's entire arc.

I'm disappointed by the backstory they've given Beard canonically now as well, because this whole time I've thought of Beard and Ted as childhood friends who grew up in the same tiny Kansas town and have known each other since forever, not from college football. Also, wouldn't everyone know he was an ex-con? Season One the media would have found out the other coach Rebecca hired has a felony conviction and it would have blown up in her face!

I don't tend to nitpick things not making sense as much if the story is compelling, and the drama is hitting all the right emotional beats, but that just hasn't been the case here.

Case in point; Roy and Jamie in the boot-room. I was spoiled about Jamie's breakdown before I got around to watching the ep because I saw someone say they wished it "hadn't been played for laughs," and that raised an eyebrow immediately because I see this show get praised to the heavens for not perpetuating toxic masculinity, but you're telling me they wrote a man having an emotional breakdown, and then decided to make it a bit? And, uh, yeah, that's what they did.

Then to have that same young man say he would thank his father—a man this show has only ever portrayed as violently abusive. Thank him for what? (the audience is left to wonder.) This is all so Ted can give another terrible speech, this time about "forgiveness." Which is a message already so prevalent in our society: that if you don't "forgive" someone you're just a petulant child holding a grudge, or that you'll only be hurting yourself somehow. Jamie talks about how he feels like everything he does/is is in reaction to how his father treated him, which is crushingly relatable to anyone who has survived an abusive parent, and instead of saying you don't need that guy and you never did, you can let go and move on and discover/create the person you want to be with the people you want, they say "forgive him." Ignore your instincts, don't look after yourself, don't listen to your body, play while injured. (I appreciated Beard calling Roy out about how sports injuries become chronic disabilities if you "power through" and keep playing, because that's an extremely toxic attitude; but of course that's exactly what Jamie then did.) Sure you can tack on a "do it for yourself," you're not forgiving him for his sake, you're doing it for you, but you know that when they say "forgive him" what they mean, in practice, is: keep him in your life. No matter what he's done or how much he's hurt you, just power through. Jamie's mother says that his father will never change. They showed when it comes to dads Jamie even has another option! And he seems great (whether his mom remarried and this guy is Jamie's actual stepdad or not)! Family is not biological. The narrative could have been about learning to let go, that you don't have any obligation to forgive someone or allow them in your life no matter how they are related to you. Last scene could have been Jamie deleting his dad's number.

But we don't get to have nice things.

We got more Beard backstory but at what cost

[stevethehairington]

I watched stranger things s1 way back when it aired and thought it was pretty good but then couldn’t be bothered to keep watching when s2 came out and haven’t paid it any thought since and yet now after seeing gif after gif of Eddie fucking Munson and reading headcanons and ficlets about steddie on tumblr I’m suddenly in a position where I’ve read at least 300k worth of steddie ao3 fics and I can tell I’m not about to stop any time soon. I still haven’t watched any more of the show. What is this strange power Steve and Eddie hold

omggg i feel this in my BONES. only difference is i have watched all of it (some seasons multiple times hskgsd) BUT. i totally get what you mean. like there is just SOMETHING about eddie goddamn munson. like, they put fucking CRACK in that boy or something lol.

i was a VERY casual fan before s4, like i watched s1 when it first aired too and i really liked it! but it was definitely one of those this is really cool i really dig it but i'm not like obsessed kind of likes. and i got excited about the other seasons too and i binged them all when they came out, but again, super casual!! like once i watched that would be it. i wouldn't really think about it all that much after. i didn't seek out any fan spaces for it, didn't really discuss the plots or analyze it or anything outside of like very general predictions with family and friends who watched too, and i certainly didn't create or write for it at all.

but then season god damn 4. season goddamn 4 and eddie goddamn munson!!!! i fell in LOVE. i got SUCKED IN. i was pulled DEEP. the obsession set innnnn, that funky little dude sunk his claws in deep and dragged me headfirst into a full on stranger things fixation - dedicating my blog to it, reading a million fics, writing a million fics, joining discords, signing up for zines - and i am STILL hooked, 4? 5? months later?

there's just something SO good about eddie and something SO good about steddie!!! steve and eddie just FIT so goddamn WELL it's insane, truly, how complimentary they are to one another. i reblogged a post about it earlier, where it pointed out how steve and eddie so clearly want the same things, how they have plans for the future but those plans are not set in stone, they're flexible, and all that really matters is if they're together and are able to get and give the support they need to. also i feel like they're both SO easy to put into any sort of situation - ESPECIALLY eddie. because like as much as the show gives him plenty of interests and traits and all, he is still SUCH a malleable character, still SO easy to project onto and relate to and to shape into what you want him to be. and that makes for a WONDERFUL canvas to work from.

and honestly, i am SO glad that this did happen, because like i've met so many incredible people through this fandom already and i've had such a good time, and also steddie has sort of like reignited my love for writing too? like, i didn't not love writing before steddie, but i felt like i was sort of in a writing slump for a very long time. like i wrote for other fandoms and pairings but i would never make it past 10 fics (barely even made it past 5 for some!!) and it just wouldn't stick, and i just wasn't coming up with ideas or getting that spark of inspiration. but with steddie ohhh my god!!! it's been FANTASTIC!! i've been writing more the past couple of months than i have the last like 2 years. i've broken the under 10 fics curse with them haha and i have sooo many ideas still. and the response to the fics i have posted has been insane!!! like so good! and i am blown away!!

so yeah, basically i owe eddie munson my goddamn LIFE sjfdhksf

(also, i totally do recommend you watch the rest!! like the show has it's issues and some rocky narrative choices, like all shows do, but overall it is a very enjoyable show and there's a lot of good stuff that comes out of the other seasons too!! ESP season 3, my beloved. scoops steve?? YES. scoops troop team up?? YESS. robin buckley introduction!!! YESSS!!)

[mariproducer]

Talking abt mp100 in relation to mlb

(Spoilers for the first 2 seasons of mp100 under the cut)

Oooookay so last night I finished mp100 and wow was I blown away by how much of a feel-good show it is. It's emphasis on choice, on enjoying life, on being a kid, on having a support system. I cried a few times bc it made me that emotional seeing Mob's journey and how he interacts with the world.

While I really hate having to draw comparisons btwn things (says the guy whos constantly drawing comparisons btwn things), since mlb was the last "new" thing I watched prior to mp100, obviously I had mlb's presentation and execution in mind. And man... watching mp100 really drove home how bad mlb is with representing and showing its ideas.

I already talked abt how the lessons in s4 started caving in on each other bc mlb has no sense of consistency. Contrast that to mp100 where Mob repeatedly tells himself things, like to not harm someone with his powers or that he's just like any other person, doesn't matter if he has psychic powers or not. Ideas that were internalized into him by Reigen, who saw a kid lost in the world and didn't want to see him get eaten alive by its harshness. Mob learns things that stick, that help him thru situations, that he can teach to the ppl he meets. And mlb's lessons? They're usually for Marinette. No other character gets to grow or have their views challenged or get a new perspective; when other characters are given the chance to change, the writing immediately backtracks and keeps them on the same path they were on before. And even Marinette herself isn't immune to having her lessons walked back on.

And then there's that huge emphasis on choice. A lot of things that happen in mp100 are through someone's conscious choice. Whether it's adult espers misusing their powers or Mob using his own powers to protect those he cares for, every single character has the ability to choose for themselves, whether right or wrong. And it really shines thru when former adversaries in mp100 come back to help. Theyre shown that there's another way to live, but they chose for themselves to become better people, to use their powers for good instead of bad. It's not just for fighting either: Reigen tells Mob that it's ok to run away, to give up, he says that it's not Mob's duty to save the day with his powers. Mob still proceeds to do that anyway, but being offered that choice to begin with, to know it's an option... its really powerful. On the other hand, Marinette ... doesn't really have a choice: she's forced to attempt confessions when she's not ready or comfortable or the role of the guardian is forced onto her. The only time Marinette really got to choose was when she decided to become Ladybug once more to save Alya. We don't get to see Marinette feel like she's growing into her role or embracing it or making it her own or just getting the option to choose. The show goes out of its way to push and pull her around, to take away any semblance of choice or agency from her.

Like ugh I'm still just baffled at how ppl say mlb is good or smth or that it's well written because I can't see it at all. Watching mp100, looking back on medias I consumed in the past like haikyuu, it's like. I've seen good shows I've seen well-written shows. They may not be for everyone (e.g. I know haikyuu can be a snooze fest if u can't sit thru sports anime or ur like me and play volleyball lol) but like. There's good media out there that can get ur brain pumping tryna interpret and understand but mlb is just. Not one of those types of medias. It just isn't.

[purplehoodiesimon]

Pink and yellow please, sweets.

Yellow: Tell us about something that makes you nervous or feel cautious. Why do you think that is? 

Shuffling through all my anxieties like they're tarot cards to decide which one to talk about lol. I guess uh, the one I've mentioned the most recently here is agoraphobia so I'll talk about that one.

The further I get away from perceived safe spaces, the more nervous and anxious I get. The main safe space is my house, and when I'm away from it, I get anxious, period. Full stop. If I'm not at my house, I am experiencing some level of anxiety. When I'm away from my house, my safe space is either my transportation or the location I'm traveling to. For instance, right now as I type this I'm hanging out the parking lot where my dad works downtown. I've got a good handle on my anxiety, because I'm in my dad's car. If I got out and walked to the other end of the parking lot though, my anxiety would spike more and more the further I got away from the car. When my friend comes to pick me up in like 40 minutes though, my safe space will become their car. I'm pretty okay in town now, I don't really get anxious in town unless I'm walking or have to deal with other anxiety on top of it, and the radius of how far I can travel from my house without breaking down is about 2 hours/100 miles. And the reason for why on all this is a fun combination of already having server anxiety for a few years that laid the groundwork for agoraphobia (home being the safe space I would escape from school to when having panic attacks), and then the pandemic just kicked it into gear. My therapist says most people experienced some minor feelings of it when the pandemic started, the whole "outside world not safe" thing, and I just already had so much anxiety that it just turned into full blown agoraphobia for me. So yea, fun insight into my psyche for y'all.

Pink: You’re gay/queer? (come on all of my followers are right?!) How did you know? What helps you feel seen, supported, and validated in your gender and sexual identities? Share with us.

Oh god I have the funniest queer realization story. Sadly it was not POTC that made me realize I'm bi, though it definitely helped the crisis. It was Voltron for me. Spoilers for Voltron s1 I guess? Though it's been like 6 years. Basically back when it came out, my friend watched it and got obsessed, so she made me watch it and I got obsessed and immediately right off the bat ep1 I texted her like, "Bro I have a crush on Pidge, he's so cute." And um. About 4 episodes later I think it is? This character Pidge is revealed to be a girl disguised as a boy. I will say the whole gender thing is a bit nonbinary coded about Pidge and I've generally used they/them for this character in the past because it's common in the fandom and they're barely referred to with pronouns at all in canon despite this show dragging on for 8 seasons. But yea basically anyways I had a total panic because I was like, gone for Pidge. Little 13 year old me saw a cute boy with fluffy hair and glasses and said 'i want that one' and then I had no idea how to handle it when said cute boy with fluffy hair and glasses turned out to not be a boy. 4-6 months of crisis later, I'd found the term bisexual and was like "that's me." And then I was pansexual. And then back to bi. And then queer. And now I just kinda use all 3 interchangeably, as well as just using the general gay. Because after having the nonbinary crisis and realization, I had to reevaluate like everything and eventually was just like "fuck it I'm gay for girls and guys. It's queer no matter what when you date me so I'm just gay for everyone."

As for what makes me feel seen, other queer people in general, honestly. On TV, irl, wherever. Just existing and seeing other queer people makes me feel seen.

Squiggy made a rainbow asks game and I think it's fun

[retro-rezz-the-est]

omfg dude... i've got two eps left of lucifer s6. but so far i am already absolutely blown away at the writing?? maze and eve's relationship stuff and ella dealing with finally realising the truth?? RORY— can't wait to see how that plot line ends. amenadiel dealing with institutional racism as a cop is the most impactful arc to me rn, it's kinda strange that it took them this long to examine the issue again, but i'm glad that they pointed out so many levels to the issue when they finally did, and in such simple ways. those episodes were so good on their own didn't even feel like it was 'lucifer' necessarily? had me on the edge of my seat with the stomach sickening suspense of reiben fucking shit up ugh

tbh you're so damn right??????

this entire season was literally so goddamn satisfying in every sense of the word. like shows rarely go this all out for their final seasons and have it all be satisfying nd completely go with the flow of the show all in one go, and the Lucifer team managed to do it in spades.

amenadiel experiencing racial bias - especially within the police force where nobody really likes to bring it up - and the lady who was working with him? the lady cop? hearing her talk about how kids feared her and what she does just because of the uniform she wears because "the uniform took their mother away, or it took their brother away"........that all broke me ngl.

and honestly, i was wondering why they were keeping ella out of the loop for so damn long because she is an integral part and member of lucifer's entire story, and then they have her find out all the major plot points through reading linda's fanfiction first draft of her book 😂😂 it's fucking amazing. and of course they would bring her into everything now during probably the most unexpected arc of the show's whole run, which i find really cool.

and every single fucking character gets their own happy ending/gets what they want in the end.

lucifer finally realizes that he can actually, definitively help people but not by doing what everyone else says that he should do.....but by doing it in his own way.

amenadiel gets to ascend to god's throne like he said he wanted to back in season four/five (i believe???? i know he said he wanted to, i just forgot where lol)

linda and charlie are happier than ever and charlie's wings came in!!!!

maze and eve worked through their relationship and trust issues to finally see the other as they truly were, and are now kicking ass and taking names together.

ella gets to help other girls go into STEM fields and become just like her - an inspiration to their communities - and she's getting closer to dan's friend in the process.

speaking of dan, he finally gets to be in heaven - AS HE FUCKIN SHOULD - and finally, finally gets to be with charlotte.

rory finally understands why lucifer was gone for her whole life, and relinquishes the hatred that she had for him.

and for chloe......despite the hardship that's gonna come with raising rory without telling her why lucifer had left them, she knows that it's for the best cause in this life and the next. and when she finally passes, she gets to be with him for the rest of however long, solving problems as the partners they were born to be.

i've never been this satisfied with a show's series finale because it's just so damn good. everything gets resolved, everyone gets what they want, everyone's satisfied.

this show is a goddamn masterpiece.

[fonulyn]

ok, I've seen Infinite Darkness twice already and do I understand this correctly: Claire achieved the same results as three government operatives (four? Should I take Patrick into account? I'll go back to him in a second) just by reading articles on the internet? Also, did Claire accuse Wilson based on her assumptions and then he abducted her and by that he gave her a solid proof that he was in fact behind some bad stuff.. the big brain Wilson could've just ignored her 🤣 about Patrick: such a sweetheart ❤��� criminally underrated ❤️ I thought he was going to be The Dick. He got sidelined pretty quick, though. In one scene Wilson tells Graham they should send Jason and his team to Shanghai to investigate and I thought that meant four agents because of what Patrick said before: 'there's supposed to be four of us.' And then there's the scene when Claire meets Leon and Patrick is walking beside Leon: and I thought they were going together to some kind of a meeting point but then Patrick just freaking disappears and the next time we see him is in episode 4, lol 🤣

I don't really know what you mean by "achieved the same results"? so idk if i'm responding to this correctly at all, apologies if i misunderstood something.

but like. of course I can't be exactly certain about this but I do think she did more than just google stuff. plus like, she did look for patterns where other people wouldn't look for them? the first assumption from anyone wouldn't be that oh wow the government is making BOWs and using them for their own purposes, so idek, someone else would've probably been able to find out what she did too but they just had no reason to dig. she did.

also she didn't only sit at the computer but she did go see that one soldier's home and found them with their head blown off. now to anyone else it might not mean that much but Claire lived through Raccoon City, she knows to draw the connection between zombies and headshots, so it'd definitely be more suspicious to her because of what she's gone through than it would be to some random person.

and i do think you're correct when you say she accused Wilson based on her assumptions instead of cold hard proof lol. she is the type that needs to do stuff, she needs to act, she needs to raise hell when she thinks there's something that needs to be fixed! so she went and confronted Wilson, probably in hopes of making him say something incriminating.

which is perfectly in line with how she wanted to go public with the chip. it absolutely makes sense, characterization-wise. and it also shows how she might not think everything through before acting because acting to fix problems is her first instinct. like, publicly confronting someone as dangerous as Wilson is? probably not the best move. as is shown as she gets nabbed for it.

i don't mean to criticize her, i think that it's absolutely a wonderful quality to want to change things for the better as passionately as she does! there's a lot of merit in what she's trying and doing. but she is impulsive, and looking further ahead is not her greatest strength. and i think it shows in all of her actions in ID.

lmao but yeah Wilson could've just been all "I dunno what you mean smh" and not given her the actual definite proof. or then he should've just killed her outright and not just tied her up to slap her around a bit.

haha Patrick has a ton of fans it seems tho, so maybe not that underrated. but yeah he did get sidelined quickly and i do hope that if we get a season two he'll be in it, too. because it'd be a shame if they establish a character and then only use him so little. I already think it was wasteful to kill both Jason and Shen May off so quickly tbh. there was so much more potential there.

but like, I don't think Patrick was ever a part of Jason's team. I don't even think Leon was supposed to be a part of the team but since the president trusts him so highly he was kinda tacked along so Jason needed to try to convince him to join them. in the submarine it seems they were willing to let Leon die there so I don't think it was the plan all along, it was just something that needed to be done as circumstances changed.

could be i'm misremembering something, but yeah. the team of four agents, to my understanding, was called in to the white house and then they made further plans and i feel it kind of does make sense to leave at least one man behind with the president tbh.

idek if i'm even answering to anything you said lol this is kind of a ramble :'D

[a-girl-made-of-stardust]

academic break (which ended pretty soon to my utter disappointment)

for almost 5 days, i had a break which my uni "generously" announced since it was a holiday. anyways, i did what i always do: stay in and binge watch and read as much as i can

this is just basically a diary post or some shit sorry

-> "The moment his lips met mine, the connection between us opened and I felt his power flood through me. I could feel how much he wanted me—but behind that desire, I could feel something else, something that felt like anger." - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

i finally watched shadow and bone. i had such low expectations for the show (sue me) but damn, the show was GREAT. the effects, the actors, EVERYTHING. i like the way they portray the powers though. Kaz's entrance was just *chef's kiss* and of course, i've never ship alina with mal even when i read the books because DARKLINA SUPREMACY reigns over us all (ben barnes is just fine wine omg)

-> "The funnies call it the syndicate. The goons and hustlers call it the Outfit. You call it the organization. I hope you people have fun with your words. But I don't care if you call yourselves the Red Cross, you owe me forty-five thousand dollars and you'll pay me back whether you like it or not." - The Hunter by Richard Stark

Parker: a man of few words. this book is just so violent and just so direct. (and it has 23 more books? wtf)

-> "Fate may deal its hand, try encouraging our path or intervene, but we are ultimately free to choose our own destiny. Never doubt that." - Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco

this book just made a complete 360 from YA to new adult. it didn't disappoint because the smut is explicit and I AM ALL FOR IT BECAUSE WRATH IS JUST (my mind just blown over how fucking hot he is) but emilia is still the same, she kinda pisses me off but also at the same time cheering for her to just find the clues already because this book is like 90% romance and 10% lore. it's grating on my nerves because she constantly has this monologue of her hating wrath and all that "my enemy" bullshit but she is also constantly horny for him? (i mean i get it but i want some plot, girl) 3/5 because i am curious enough to read the next book even though this one is just meh for me

-> just also watched the Ep 7 of Helluva Boss and mygahd A FUCKING EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER and i understand Blitzo. Stolas is just so awkward but just goes to show he has feelings for blitz. Moxxie and Millie is just ADORABLE & RELATIONSHIP GOALS. i need more Loona screen time though. i want more appearances of the seven demon rulers of hell though, esp after that very great performance of asmodeus. i can't wait for the last episode for this season (just grateful for vivziepop for telling the story of these characters)

-> i am currently reading Steelstriker by Marie Lu because i need to complete that 2021 reading challenge so badly (i am pressuring myself lol)

so there, i watched SAB and read 2 books but i can't wait for christmas break so i can finally relax with all this school shit and life and basically adulting. long post.

[doodlelolly0910]

Once Upon a Christmas Eve

A/N: Merry Christmas @princesswan I was your Secret Santa this year! I hope you like this little piece I've put together for you and I hope it posts correctly (I've never queued anything before lol). Thanks to @cssecretsanta2k18 for putting together such an awesome event!

*This is unbeta'd and any mistakes are my own*

“It started with a kiss.

Well, to be most accurate, it started a bit before that, as many fairytales do.

Let's just start from the beginning, shall we?

Once upon a time, there was a boy. A man, really. And the man, while devilishly handsome, was very lonely.

Now, the man was very fortunate and he had many friends. He had a job he loved working on a great ship, an older brother who he was very close with, but something was missing. Let's call the man Killian.

It was the start of the Christmas season, not so very long ago, and Killian was feeling especially low. He had just broken off his engagement with a woman who he thought he was very much in love with and, in complete honesty, he was feeling quite sorry for himself. So he decided to meet his friend at the local… tavern. Killian had been waiting for his friend to show up for almost an hour that cold winter’s night and he was beginning to get impatient. He had already drank far too much, er, eggnog that night and he was in a mood of sorts. Killian was sure his friend, the idiot Will Scarlett, had blown him off completely. So he sat alone and drank his eggnog in relative peace.

Killian was sure he was broadcasting his ill aura to all around him, souring the Christmas spirit in the air with his grinchiness, but, as it turned out, he was mistaken. He heard a voice from behind him.

‘Buy you another?’ it said and when Killian turned around, there was a beautiful blonde woman standing behind him. Now, Killian was no shy lad, but remember, he was intent on wallowing in his sorrows this particular evening and he was very much not interested in company. Unless, of course, Will bloody Scarlett had deigned to grace the tavern with his presence so Killian could give him a piece of his mind.

So he told the woman, ‘No, thank you, lass. I'm waiting on someone.’ But the woman was persistent, intent on getting Killian's attention.

‘You have an accent! English?’ she asked in her own accent, Australian, perhaps, but that's inconsequential. Killian was trying to be polite, but he had little patience for anyone that evening. Nevertheless, he was a gentleman, and a gentleman mustn't be rude to a fair lady if he can avoid it.

‘Aye,’ he told her, because he had come from England with his brother, Liam, Scarlett, and his former fiancée about ten years before because the ship of his dreams had gone up for sale in a city called Boston, but he didn't have the money to buy the ship and have it brought to England. So he came to it instead.

‘You're cute,’ the woman told him shamelessly, placing her hand on his arm. ‘Are you sure you don't want another drink?’

Killian looked at the woman again. He could feel how fake his smile was but he just couldn't bring himself to be any friendlier to the poor girl in his sorry state.

‘I'm quite sure, love, thank you,’ he said. ‘I'm still working on this one and, as I said, I'm waiting for someone.’

The woman looked undeterred, perhaps having had too much eggnog herself that evening, and she moved closer to him. ‘You've been alone all night, I don't think she's coming,’ she told him and Killian was beginning to get very uncomfortable. He began looking around the tavern for exits he could possibly make his escape through when a hand landed on his opposite arm.

‘There you are,’ a new melodic voice said and when Killian turned, he found himself stunned into speechlessness, for surely he was now in the presence of an angel.

There before him stood the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered. Her long blonde hair fell in golden curls over her shoulders, hiding the buttons of the form fitting red sweater she wore. She had green eyes, the kind that sparkled with mischief, but were also deep and soulful, like she'd lived a much harder life than most but came out a stronger person on the other side. She was cool and confident, exuding a radiant inner beauty that was only matched by her breathtaking external features. Killian had never in his life seen a more lovely lass than she.

‘I've been looking all over for you,’ she said, her hand wandering up Killian's shoulder as she tucked herself into his side. He was absolutely gobsmacked, be it from her presence or the ru- er, eggnog he'd been drinking, he'd never know, but that didn't stop him from racking his fuzzy brain trying to remember why she might have sought him out. ‘Who's this?’ she asked, nodding her dimpled chin to his other side and suddenly Killian remembered the other woman.

She was a pretty, spritely thing, but she couldn't hold a candle to the angel. The first woman, Killian had noticed, was now upset, but refusing to relinquish her hold on his arm, despite the angel's clear claim being staked.

‘I'm the one who kept him company while he was sitting up here all by himself,’ the woman said, quite nastily. The angel was unperturbed, her hand finding the back of his neck, and he was unashamed to say the simple touch gave him goosebumps.

‘Well, thanks for keeping my boyfriend company, I appreciate it. Can we buy you a drink?’ the angel asked and put her arms around Killian's shoulder, clearly staking her claim. He shrugged and played along with his savior. He allowed himself to touch her for the first time and slipped his own arm around her waist. It felt right, having her in his arms. Like she just fit there.

‘He never mentioned a girlfriend,’ the other woman said.

‘Well, here I am,’ the angel replied. ‘And we are going to go find a table, if you didn't need anything else.’ She grasped the hand Killian had on her waist in her own and began to pull him away. The other woman tugged on his other arm and held him in place. The look that came over his savior’s face, one of challenge and dark amusement, was one he would never forget.

Before Killian even knew what was happening, the blonde avenger had seized Killian by the collar of his jacket and her lips met his. He felt like he'd come alive again, months of heartache melting away as she kissed him. He couldn't help but to kiss her back, completely giving in to the spark that had ignited between them. Beneath the kiss itself, which was earth shaking enough as it was, a glimmer of hope rekindled in his soul.

Killian didn't notice, being too enraptured by his savior angel and their kiss, but the other woman had left without another word. The angel pulled away from him and gave him a beautiful smile, then patted him on the shoulder.

‘You looked really uncomfortable,’ she told him. ‘Sorry if I overstepped.’

Killian was surprised by her apology, having thought his gratefulness had been written all over his face. He needed to let the angel know he appreciated her.

So he told her, ‘Not at all. I wasn't amenable to company this evening and she wasn't getting the hint, clearly. I'm just fortunate that you came along to save me.’

She smiled at Killian again, a dazzling smile that lit up her gorgeous green eyes from within. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was and he thought for a moment the eggnog might have had him hallucinating.

‘You're welcome, then,’ the angel replied. ‘I better get back to my friends, but it was nice to meet you…’

‘Killian,’ he filled in for her. ‘Killian Jones.’

She nodded, that lustrous curtain of golden curls moving with her.

‘Well, Killian Jones, I hope you have a good rest of your night.’ And with that, she turned to walk away. Killian wasn't quite ready for her to go yet. In complete honesty, he wouldn't have minded if she never left his side, which was a silly thought to have about someone you've just met, but he couldn't help himself. So he called out to her.

‘Am I worthy to know the name of my savior?’ he asked. The angel looked over her shoulder as she walked away and said but two simple words that would change his life forever.

‘Emma Swan.’

Killian was sure he was grinning like a fool at just the sound of her lovely name as he cashed out his tab with the bar keep, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

That night, he was absently thumbing through his Facebook app when a friend request came through from a name he didn't recognize. Someone called Ruby Lucas. As one should always be wary of these kinds of things, he didn't accept right away. Instead, he went to do some investigating to try and figure out who this strange woman was that sent him a request.

He went to her page and looked at her profile picture to see if he recognized the lass, but he didn't. She was very pretty, long brown hair, a little too much makeup, but Killian couldn't place her. So he swiped through a few more of her pictures. When he got to about the third or fourth picture, he was shocked to see a face he did recognize staring back at him.

There, in the middle of a group picture that seemed to have taken place at some sort of hen party, was Emma, the angel. He could hardly believe his luck. He scrolled back up and selected the accept button on the friend request, and he absolutely did not drop his phone in his haste. Killian Jones is a calm, collected, rational man.

No sooner had he accepted the request did a message come through, an eloquent ‘hey there’’ blinking at him from the screen. He replied with a ‘hello’ of his own. Ruby asked him if he'd been in the tavern that evening and Killian confirmed he had been. Ruby then replied with just one more thing and promptly logged off. The message said: ‘Rabbit Hole, 12/24, 7:00 PM. Emma will be there. You should come.’

Killian was completely taken aback by this turn of events, but he could only jump at the chance to see the angel again, so he made sure his schedule was clear. He wasn't due at his brothers until Christmas Day, fortunately and that left him wide open for whatever it was that Ruby had requested him for.

The night of the Christmas Eve came and Killian was very nervous. He had changed clothes at least a dozen times and checked the clock at least a dozen more. After he was finally satisfied that he had stalled enough, he made it to the tavern in record time. As not to seem too eager, he decided to sit in the car until 7:00 rolled around.

Now, Killian could definitely say he knew his way around a woman, but Emma had thrown him off so completely that he started having doubts about himself, not that he would let her or anyone know that. When Emma kissed him, it had thrown his world off kilter, but what if she didn't feel the same? What if it was just a kiss to her? What if she was upset that he was there again? As he sat contemplating the situation in his car, a soft tap sounded at the window. Killian looked up and was rendered immediately speechless, a novelty for him, to be certain. There staring at him through the thin separation of the window glass, a gorgeous, albeit laughing, smile on her lips, was Emma.

Killian smiled back, opening the car door and getting out of it immediately. He didn't know what to do or say, but that didn't stop an outlandishly flirtatious ‘hello, love’ falling from his lips. From across the car park, a woman that Killian recognized from her Facebook picture as none other than Ruby Lucas called out some slightly inappropriate encouragement to her friend.

‘So, you're the surprise,’ Emma told him and it took Killian a minute longer than he would have liked to admit to catch her meaning. It wasn't his fault that the second he turned back to look at Emma he was lost in her sparkling, jade colored eyes. It was an eventuality that he’d lose his head around her at some point during the evening.

‘I suppose I am,’ he replied when he had gotten his train of thought back on track. ‘It is lovely to see you again, Emma.’

‘It's nice to see you, too, Killian Jones.’

Killian had a very vivid memory of the night he met her, and he may or may not have looked at the pictures on Ruby's page a time or two in the days since her friend request, but Killian was still struck by Emma's beauty. Snow had begun to fall around them, and with the backdrop of the street lights behind her, she truly looked every inch the angel he initially had thought her to be.

‘You look stunning, love,’ he told her.

‘Thanks,’ she replied in her simplistic way. ‘You look…’

‘I know,’ he said cheekily when she fumbled for a compliment of her own. Her eyes narrowed at him but the corner of her mouth was lifted in amusement. Killian took that as a good sign. ‘Did you want to go inside?’ he asked, not wanting her to stand out in the cold longer than necessary. She agreed and they walked in together.

Once they made it through the door, Emma was greeted by a large group of people. The tavern was decorated in reds and greens, twinkling lights strung all around in the festive spirit of the upcoming holiday. Emma quickly introduced Killian to her friends and her brother, who was only just a tad overprotective of her. Killian has grown on him quite a bit since then, but that's another story for another time.

Killian didn't feel out of place once during the whole evening thanks to Emma. She was guarded, to be certain, but there was an underlying level of comfort amongst her friends that extended to Killian as well. He could tell right away that this was not a courtesy that was extended to many, and it made his heart swell with gratitude and he was just that much more enamored of her.

The activity in the tavern had dwindled down close to midnight and Emma's very merry brother, David, should have been cut off several… eggnogs before he was. But that didn't stop him from threatening Killian as his lovely wife tried to wrestle him out the door.

‘She likes you, Jones,’ he said. ‘And I'll admit you've grown on me, too. But if you hurt her I'm gonna have to declare a duel for her honor, sir. Don't you forget it.’ Killian would have been infinitely amused by the man's threats if he wasn't so elated at his revelation. Emma liked him. And it was all he could have wished for. He spotted Emma from across the floor as she stood bidding farewell to the infamous Ruby Lucas. Their eyes locked from across the room and Killian knew he was done for.

She smiled. He smiled back. Ruby laughed out loud and said something to Emma that made her turn several different shades of red. Killian's feet began to carry him across the room of their own volition. He had tunnel vision on Emma, his angel savior, and he vaguely heard something along the lines of ‘go get ‘er, tiger,’ as Ruby walked past. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of her again.

‘Hi,’ she said.

‘Hello, love,’ he said back.

Emma looked up towards the ceiling and Killian followed her gaze. There hanging from an exposed beam was a sprig of mistletoe. Now, if grown men got butterflies, Killian may have had a swarm of them in his stomach, but he would liken what he felt in that moment closer to a school of particularly violent fish swimming in his belly.

‘Merry Christmas, Killian,’ she whispered, her green eyes bright and so full of hope.

‘Merry Christmas, Emma,’ he replied, and took full advantage of the mistletoe tradition. This kiss was much gentler than the first, but no less life changing. The world began and ended with Emma in that moment and he knew that he needed to know her better, wanted her to stay in his life as long as he could keep her. When they broke away from one another, Emma's beautiful eyes fluttered open and Killian couldn't help the smile that was surely plastered all over his face.

‘Do you want to go get some coffee sometime?’ Emma asked. Killian couldn't agree fast enough. Little did either of them know when they walked into the Rabbit Hole that evening that they would be taking the first step towards their happy ever after.”

A soft gurgle and a coo sounded from the small bundle wrapped in Killian's arms. He smiled, his heart full to bursting, and he ran a knuckle over his newborn daughter's ruddy cheek. The babe yawned and squirmed before settling once more.

“A fairytale, huh?” a voice said from behind him. Killian turned to look at his wife with a grin. Emma was propped up on a mountain of pillows in the hospital bed where she lay, tired but happier than he'd ever seen her. Her hair was knotted in a messy bun on top of her head, her body clad in the standard green hospital gown, tubes sticking out of both arms, and she had never looked more radiant. His love for her had seemed to grow unendingly throughout the entire day, and this moment was no exception.

“Aye, love. My favorite fairytale and my second favorite Christmas Eve. I think this one tops it easily, but that day is a very close second,” Killian agreed. Emma hummed a sigh, her eyes fluttering closed once more and a soft smile on her lips.

“‘Snot the 24th anymore, though,” she said on a yawn. Killian glanced at the clock and saw it was after 1:00 in the morning. He chuckled and walked gingerly to her bedside so as not to jostle the infant in his arms and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

“Happy Christmas, my darling. I love you both so very much.”