#Love the relationship he has with mel mostly because I COULD GIVE HER ALL THAT AND FUCKINGGGG MORE !!!!GRGRGRAAAAAA!!!

[vintageghoststories]

:(

[nylloth]

My opinion about Arcane s2 (mostly Viktor)

I'm trying to be neutral on this, but I'm upset with what they did to Viktor.

I was wrong about their relationship with Sky (but I had hope), you can see he never really cared for her and the animators put their all into conveying that. Plus, let's say Sky represents Viktor's humanity and Viktor himself gives up on her. And it's a lot easier for him to give her up than it is for Jayce, who he's trying to show this new “world” to.

They have a lot of gay moments with Jayce, I don't know why the writers call it “family”. It's really hard to see family in that. It seems like at some point they decided to change the plot, because at the end Jayce and Viktor just disappear and no one just doesn't care what Jayce has with Mel.

The thing I didn't like the most was how they changed Ryze, that now Ryze is Viktor, the all-powerful mage. We know from the documentary that it was Ryze at one point. That would make more sense than Viktor traveling through time and constantly dooming himself to a series of miseries. But then again, they added the “all for Jayce” aspect to it.

You can see it's supposed to be a different character, right?

I really didn't like how they treated Sky because obviously she wasn't an evil manipulative core. Viktor killed her twice for his own purposes. Once by accident, the second time on purpose. Look, you add a girl who is IN LOVE with a man, make her die twice for him, and show WHY he doesn't care. It's a dirty act. Amanda said she was “proud to write Sky”, I don't know what there is to be proud of. As a woman, it was painful for me to watch. You didn't have to do that. Did you mean to say the character is gay? You don't have to humiliate women to do that.

I always hoped Viktor wouldn't have any romantic innuendos because feelings, for Herald, are a weakness. But the fact that they're indulging JayVik fans makes it look NOTHING like that. Like, I'm not a fan of this ship, but even I don't consider what they showed as brotherly feelings. Especially from Viktor's side. He is literally too concerned with Jayce's opinion.

I also think that the writers largely emphasized the clips and fights, but didn't add to the story itself. I mean Silco's deep thoughts in the first season on political topics and the theme of family in general was shown much better.

Herald is essentially non-existent. It's a character for the last two episodes who is immediately killed off because of a few words from Jayce. Viktor returns and they vaporize somewhere. I take it this is starting a recurring time loop.

They kind of tried to put in Viktor's “here he's come to the realization on his own that humanity is bad”, but they did it SO FAST and literally because of one event that it looked bad. Yeah, it's not about hexcore. VIKTOR SUPPOSEDLY CAME TO THIS ON HIS OWN. Why? Because Jayce shot him, and then Jayce helped him realize otherwise. No, really, what was that?

I also didn't like the redesign. I was hoping the mask would look different, but it looks HORRIBLE.

It's supposed to give the impression that Viktor “shut down and withdrew into himself”, they also tried to make him a “deity”, but since it only lasted 20 minutes before he went back to his normal state, it didn't make any sense… Anyway… I sympathize with everyone who loved Viktor specifically, outside jayvik ship (happy for you guys). I know they are excited, but this is not Viktor's story. You see, Viktor doesn't have his own personal story now, he's too connected to Jayce. You could say he did everything and nothing at the same time. Because he keeps running this time loop, but he's running it because of Jayce's influence.

Waiting for his updated lore to read….. idk I'll read it and forget it like a bad dream.

[grape-jucie-dog]

Hey, I like you! -tells you about all of my personal Melissa headcanons-

I love Melissa with all my heart, she's my favorite background character ever. However (to me personally, don't come at me with the black dagger), I don't count "Hey Melissa!" canon in my personal universe. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a murderous woman with a blazer, but I don't like the idea of Melissa being a murderer in EVERY universe 😭 breaks my heart. SO. HERE ARE ALL OF MY MELISSA HEADCANONS!

Name: Melissa Riley-Faith

Pronouns: She/Her

Gender: Cisgender female

Sexuality: Unlabeled

Mental illness: Depression

Family: Shitty mom she doesn't talk to named Alison, and her cat Cassie

Height: 5'6

Age: 31

- Melissa loves doing photography, mostly of nature

- She's been best friends with Charlotte for 15 long years, because I refuse to think they aren't close friends

- She has a lot of candles. I can just see it-

- Melissa doesn't drive, so she walks to work with Charlotte. Even when she's not going to work, she mostly walks everywhere. She loves going for walks

- Passive Aggressive Mel my beloved

- As a little nod to "Hey Melissa!", She makes a lot of dark jokes, just has a dark sense of humor

- She isn't exactly a light weight, but don't give her too much to drink either unless you wanna deal with either a very emotional Melissa or a very energetic Melissa

- She has two different colored eyes, mostly because when I first saw her I couldn't tell if her eyes were green or brown. SO SHE HAS BOTH (you can see it in my artwork actually)

- 100% listens to Lady Gaga, prove me wrong I dare you

(TW for the next few HCs, talking about depression, abuse, and self harm)

- Melissa has self harm scars from her past, and she isn't afraid to show them off

- Her father died when she was 14, and because of this she was mentally abused by her mother. She moved out when she was almost 20 years old, and hasn't really spoken with her mom since

- Melissa tends to go through depressive episodes, having times where she can't even get out of bed. Charlotte has known about this for a long time, and is always looking out for her

- She used to be friends with Sam, but after seeing how he treats Charlotte, she despises him

- Call me crazy for this, but I can see her and Mr. Davidson having a father daughter relationship. It's the same with Bill and Mel, but it's more commonly seen with Mr. Davidson

- She used to have a crush on Paul (much like in canon), but when she learned that he loved Emma, she eventually lost feelings, and now they're all friends

- Melissa, Emma, Charlotte, Piper (OC), Alexa (OC),Harper (OC), and Sawyer (OC) are all a girl group because it's funny to me and my bestie

- She doesn't have a strong opinion on coffee, but she normally has a lot of milk in it

- While she isn't BIG on musicals, one of her favorites is RENT

- Melissa is pretty expressive, like if you tell her the most out of pocket shit you can tell she's shocked

- She loves talking to her cat, Cassie, as if she were an actual person. She does this with all of Charlotte's cats too (Charlotte has cats. If you disagree, fight me [I'm kidding please don't.])

- She has a lot of videos saved on her phone, and most of them is just chaos happening around the office

- While we don't see her on screen long enough to see how she got infected in TGWDLM, I do have an idea: She was originally going to escape with Charlotte, Bill, and Ted, but she was found by Mr. Davidson before she could get away

- Shocked I haven't mentioned this one, but she has an upsidedown heart shaped birthmark on her thigh

- Melissa is 100% ambidextrous, and I refuse to think otherwise

[librathefangirl]

You said this was after Mel broke the curse and killed his father. When the Supreme deity got revived, she mocked the sins, especially her daughter, how they were unable to save Mel and how pathetic and ironic it is that Mel got killed by the person he loves the most.

Ohhh~ I want Tristan (maybe with the event of 4koa?) to add on the pile. When Tristan was born, everyone was protective of him because he reminded them of Mel and mostly because he was the last piece of Mel.

Tristan grew up hearing Mel's adventures with the remaining sins, but no one told him how he died because the kingdom thinks if they told him that his mother killed his father, he would grew to despise her.

Zeldris tries to visit Tristan as much as possible because his brother's son needs to know he has an uncle, and like everyone else, he was the last piece of Mel. He didn't like Eli at all, he avoids or hiss at her everytime he sees her. He still holds a grudge of her for killing his brother despite Tristan's confusion of his uncle and mother's relationship. Zeldris didn't like talking about his brother and tired to avoid the topic everytime Tristan asked because he never got to hang out nor get to know him.

I leave the rest to you because I love how you rambled with ideas, and I love them!!!

You know what even more sadder in this au?

Is that Mel never got peace after the curse broke after killing his father, he never got to live in peace with Eli and his family :(((

saharthings asked: Gowther would be giving Tristan the story of the seven deadly sins, mainly his parents. He would see how much suffering his parents have went through especially his father. Although, it never shown his death because like everyone else, Gowther doesn't want Tristan to hate his mother.

(In reference to/continuation of this and this post)

Oh, you want rambling? Well then, let's see what I can do.

First of, yes, this is after the breaking of the curse and the death of the Demon King. That is, in a way, what creates the whole heartbreak of it all - the curse being broken means Meliodas is really dead-dead with no resurrection.

(Oh damn. When I think about it, it would be interesting to explore an AU to this AU, I guess you could call it, where the events in My Love, It Burns (bad ending) happens BEFORE the curse is broken. This would present a whole different kind of angst, because we all know Meliodas would brush it off because it's not like he can actually die and they've got a curse to break, but Elizabeth would be completely wrecked with the guilt and - Yeah, I might actually write this some day. Maybe?)

Okay, I got a little sidetracked. But! The curse is broken, Meliodas is dead. This would of course change everything about the fight against the Supreme Deity. There are so many things in Cursed by Light that depend on Meliodas and his relationships. He and Elizabeth are out on their honeymoon trip when they meet Zeldris and Gelda, he "convinces" Zeldris to let them come along to the Demon Realm, they all fight together against Dahlia and Dubs and thereby learn about the Supreme Deity's involvement, then they get back to Liones in time for Meliodas and Zeldris to kill her. This story would look completely different without Meliodas. Elizabeth would have no reason to go on the trip and wouldn't run into Zeldris and Gelda, her relationship with Zeldris would be even worse off than Meliodas' is in canon, Zeldris and Gelda would be forced to face Dahlia and Dubs alone, and Zeldris and Gelda's roles in the actual fight with the Supreme Deity would look different as they would in that case come there to face her alone without any involvement from Meliodas.

It's interesting to think about (and now I kinda wanna make a fic out of that too - but I would have to figure out how to write actual fight scenes first lol). I can definitely see the Supreme Deity being absolutely cruel against the remaining Sins and even more against Elizabeth. After everything Elizabeth did, after going against the Supreme Deity and the goddesses' principles, after choosing Meliodas time and time again, she was the one to kill him. The Supreme Deity would no doubt appreciate the irony of it. And then the Seven Deadly Sins? The famed order of knights, responsible for defeating the demon threat, kill the Demon King himself and end the war, well, they couldn't even keep their own captain alive. Oh... I think her gloating about Meliodas' demise would be the cause of her own fall. Because like the Sins and Elizabeth, yeah they might accept her talking shit about themselves - hello guilt and self-blame - but not each other and absolutely not Meliodas. Elizabeth would make good of that threat she gives in canon, that if the Supreme Deity doesn't stop hurting her family and friends, she will fight her. And fight her she does! Alongside Zeldris, who came after there to confront her after everything that happened in the Demon Realm.

That would be what determined Elizabeth and Zeldris' relationship going forward. But before we step further into the future, there's one more character I wanna talk about: Gelda.

Gelda's place in this AU and the whole ordeal with Meliodas' death is another intriguing thing to think about. Because on one side, she sees firsthand the utter devastation Meliodas' death at the Elizabeth's hands causes Zeldris. On the other side, Meliodas and Elizabeth were the ones who freed her from her second seal and then saved Zeldris from the Demon King, not just when he possessed Zeldris body but also by killing the Demon King and releasing Zeldris from his influence and control. I also think she and Elizabeth have a deeper understanding for each other - she knows that Elizabeth would of course never willingly harm Meliodas, if she did that it was either an accident or because it was literally the only option she had. Gelda would be able to view the situation more objectively and not let her emotions cloud her ability to see it from Elizabeth or the Sins' perspective. I think she would push Zeldris to maintain a relationship with Elizabeth after Meliodas' death and especially after the news about baby Tristan.

Of course, Zeldris doesn't need much convincing to be a part of Tristan's life - but more about that later. First, let's talk a little about Tristan himself.

I don't know which alternative is worse: Elizabeth finding out she's pregnant with Meliodas' child after her magic kills him, or Elizabeth and Meliodas both already knowing she's pregnant when the attack happens. Ugh, so much angst, I love it. Or, third option, Bartra knew Elizabeth was pregnant because of his Vision but hadn't said anything yet because he wanted them to find out on their own and then Elizabeth had to find out alone because Meliodas' died before he could even find out he was going to be a father. So, so much angst potential in this AU.

Okay, but what about Tristan then? No matter how anyone finds out, Tristan is born and suddenly there's this last piece of Meliodas, completely free of all the pain and horror, in the world. So, Tristan grows up fiercely protected. Just like in canon, Tristan will constantly hear how much like his mother he looks. From outsiders. But when it comes to his family and even more his parents' family and friends, they look at him and they see Meliodas - which is not good for the guilt that none of them seem able to shake, and definitely makes their protectiveness of Tristan worse.

Tristan might never have gotten the chance to meet his father, but everyone around him certainly makes him feel alive. Tristan grows up surrounded by stories about his father; of how he saved the kingdom and the entirety of Britannia, of how he saved his family and friends in big and small ways, of how he was a demon and he was good, of how despite everything he went through he would always smile, of how his cooking could make even an immortal fear for his life. Tristan heard stories about the big things and the small things, the amazing things and the silly things. He heard stories about everything except how his father died. It was the one thing nobody would ever speak to him about - he was a hero, he died protecting this kingdom; never a how and never a who. Even when Gowther gifted him the story of his parents, that part was still missing.

As the years pass, Tristan gets even more stuck on that one missing story. Some might even say it turns into an obsession. But Tristan can't let it go; it's that one even that kept him from ever meeting his father. And he just doesn't get it. Why won't anyone tell him? There was definitely some horrible things that Gowther still showed him, so why not his father's death? Tristan is not stupid, with every avoided story, he realized that there's something more to it, there's something about how his father died that everyone is trying to keep from him.

(Okay, now I want to write THAT story too. Tristan's search for the truth about his father's death over the years, with a lot of focus on Zeldris' relationships with Tristan and Meliodas too. Because if anyone is going to stop treating him like a child it's Zeldris, if anyone is going to understand what it's like to never get to have a real relationship with Meliodas, it's Zeldris).

Now, about Zeldris. Like I said earlier, he doesn't need much convincing once the news about Tristan reaches them. He doesn't really want to be around Elizabeth (even if she did help him kill her own mother) or the remaining Seven Deadly Sins, but Tristan's his family. He's Meliodas' son. To Zeldris, as well, he's the last piece of Meliodas still alive in this world. And Zeldris needs him to know that he has an uncle, that his father had a family too. He wants Tristan to know about demons and see the beauty in those powers too. Most of all, he doesn't want Tristan to be ashed of his father's genes, he wants him to have the childhood and the family that both he and Meliodas were robbed of. That's what Meliodas would have wanted to. Zeldris might never have gotten to make up with his brother, to forgive him or even talk about everything they said or didn't say - he never got to have a relationship with his brother, but he can have one with his nephew. Zeldris visits Tristan as often as his own duties allow. As he grows older, Tristan sometimes visits him in the Demon Realm too. When Zeldris is in Liones he tries his best to avoid Elizabeth and anyone else of Meliodas' friends. Their relationship is still bad, but they all do their best to keep the bad blood hidden from Tristan - he still notices things. They all just want to make right by Meliodas.

At first, Zeldris is one of the only people who won't talk about Meliodas with Tristan. He will tell him about the Demon Realm and about demons, but never about Meliodas. Not even when Tristan asks him about him. It doesn't last. As Tristan grows older, the questions increases. Zeldris still tries to avoid the topic, even gets into arguments with Tristan about it, until eventually... Eventually Zeldris can't avoid it anymore. He's forced to confront his own relationship with Meliodas. Because Tristan actually thinks Zeldris hates how big brother, that he doesn't miss him. Zeldris has missed Meliodas since long before he actually died. After that, Zeldris starts telling Tristan about Meliodas as well. Not about his death and not about the Meliodas that Britannia knew. He tells him about the Meliodas before all that, about growing up in the Demon Realm together, about going dragon hunting. He tells him about the few moments they actually got to have as brothers, about the Meliodas that Zeldris grew up looking up to and admiring.

Yeah, Meliodas never getting the peace with Elizabeth is the most cruel part about this AU, and what I kinda wanted to focus on with the bad ending. "After all these years, their parents had won." Because that's what happened. All Meliodas ever wanted was to live in peace with Elizabeth, but he died and he wasn't coming back, and thereby it was a reality he never got. But not only that, with Tristan added to it all, it makes it worse. Because Meliodas never got to see the family he left behind and Tristan never got to meet him. Even if Tristan tried to get into the Necropolis/City of the Dead he couldn't, because he has no shared memories with Meliodas.

And with that I'm gonna shut up before I'm hit with even more fic ideas (I already have sooo many - I mean I love it, I love writing them, but also ahhh)

[dontbotherwiththepronunciation]

Hehehe (¬‿¬)

Robb/Jeyne W

Ramsay/Theon/Jeyne P

Mel/Selyse

Beric/Thoros

And a single unproblematic one:

Grenn/Pyp

Hi Tânia...

R0ßß x Jeyne (W)

I really liked your interpretation of them + a few other authors, but what attracts me the most of it is the mystery in the relationship and since fandom has decided to hold a very (almost insultingly in my opinion) idealistic view of R0ßß it has lost some of it's appeal for me. Weirdly enough I still love them a lot, because they embody some aspects of Germanicus & Agrippina, a couple that I really love. And I overall really like Jeyne and how courageous she is. So yeah, my problem comes mostly from the R0ßß's characterisation always being that of a selfless saint who sacrifices himself for her honour (or worse, gets roofied).

Theon x Ramsay x Jeyne (P)

“oh my god, we have the same abusive boyfriend”

hellish polycule. I hate it. I genuinely hate Ramsay so much. People keep making Theon the whump protagonist in fanwork by having him suffer, but I want Ramsay to be my whump protagonist. I can't stand that motherfucker. I hope he has the least climactic death in the story because he is simply not worth it. I don't want neither Theon nor Jeyne to ever come near him again because him dying while thinking that they are gone and safe is my favourite fantasy. It would be a huge slight for him.

On the other hand, this is kind of canon and I enjoy all the canon. I love the canon ships for what they are which, in this case, is plain horror. I want to gorge my eyes out whenever I think of it. They make me want to scream. The dynamic in fanwork is less interesting to me because most of the time it just ends up being gratuitous smut or Theon being in love with Jeyne during their captivity which is a huge no for me. (No hate to anyone who enjoys either of those things, they are just boundaries) but if written as in canon (that is implicitly and as horror), then yeah, I'd read a fic.

But viewed through a less serious lens Ramsay CANONICALLY and simultaneously acts as the matchmaker, the third wheel, and the sicko lurking on the window I can't-

Melisandre x Selyse

I read it as one-sided canon. It's probably not intended by GRRM, but I do. I know for many people this is a mostly comedic ship not to be taken too seriously or the one they use to write $tav0s without having to fully disregard the women, but... Repressed sapphic who is head over heels for a religious extremist who wouldn't hesitate at burning her alive if her god demanded it...oh how relatable. + there is the entire topic of faith

Beric x Thoros

I really love the themes of reborn faith at the sight of someone who is a living miracle. I know it's not a healthy thing in real life, but I love exploring the idea of someone finding a purpose and a cause in the world because of one (1) single person who reignites long-forsaken hope in another. Especially if that person dies later on. + a bit of borderline necrophilia meets Robin Hood. @/mylestoye described them once as:

"this is my lover I’ve pulled him from the arms of death six times & though every time he’s a bit more faded & a bit more lost I feel I can’t let him go, he is a symbol of my religion he reawakened my belief & faith, I will follow him & care for him for as long as I can"

Grenn x Pypar

"If Pyp wanted to call me aurochs, though, he could. Or you, or Jon." - Sam II, ASOS

I know it's completely insignificant and GRRM didn't think anything while writing it, but I loved that division. Two sentences. Not one. He had to add it as an afterthought. I remember there was someone on AO3 who wrote exclusively for them in English and Spanish and I used to compare the translations trying to analyse the text. Need to revisit those. They just give me warm happy feelings

[arcane-ish]

(Relation-) Ship Scorecard

Vi/Cait: I struggled with this one. Like I feel like I should upgrade them higher because imo the pathos was well done and I enjoyed the pacing. Downside that it was more emotional angst and less flirty/sexy stuff. I have some issue with the Cait/Vi/Jinx “triangle” as a concept, but I do think the fanservice of Vi meeting Cait’s parents, them going to the council together and of course Vi being forced to choose by Jinx was god tier level. However, my personal feeling is that the writing for Caitlyn in Act 3 was a bit bland. It’s like they stuck her iinto a very standard idealistic good girl role and didn’t make a ton of use of her unique personality and “voice”. So personally would like to leave them at B+. I like them a lot, the fan service is still excellent. Might have been higher if they had found a way to slip a believable kiss in or found a better balance against Vi/Jinx. 

Vi/Jinx: The highs were insanely high (ie Vi telling Jinx they should run away together, Jinx despite all differences attacking Silco to protect Vi, Vi opening up about prison), but I have some quibbles. Imo Jinx’s fear that Vi doesn’t accept the new her was very believable and well done. However, I wasn’t so keen on Jinx’s jealousy of Caitlyn. Mostly because I feel like previously Powder’s abandonment issues seemed to be more about her screwing up and being worthless, not about not wanting Vi to spend time with other people. Nor did they bother to work out that Powder has a specific hate for enforcers. So it felt a bit contrieved for the sake of creating drama. Vi backing away as Silco takes off with the heavily injured/potentially dead Jinx also felt off. They are still insanely cool and the story about sisters who love each other but who might have grown apart is very cool in concept and again the conflict of whether Vi and and how much should accept Jinx was set up in a very interesting way. So I would say B+ for Act 3. 

Mel/Jayce: Act 3 fleshed out Mel’s backstory and clarified that she does feel some loyalty to Piltover. That said, even though they didn’t break up, continued their relationship and clarified that no, Mel is not just all about manipulation or self interest and Mel and Jayce are arguably more on the same page than ever, both having gained more depth (particularly Jayce with his trip to the Shimmer production plant), Act 3 didn’t really give them a ton of moments together that I consider emo (yes even when they are shown in bed together or when Mel is flirty with a shirtless Jayce), imo outside that smile right at the very end. I would say for them Act 3 was about both of them being a bit misguided and being reminded by others, most notably Viktor of you know, morals. I guess Mel’s mom had potential mom in law from hell energy. One could say they have an interesting foundation now, both seem to have every intention to stick with each other for now and no obvious points of conflict are there (well except for Mel’s mom’s meddling), so let’s see what season 2 plans for them. Overall, I would say they were a C in Act 3 due to lack of pathos. (I should probably note that this is written under the assumption that I don’t believe that Mel is dead [neither are Jayce or Viktor naturally])

Viktor/Jayce: I thought they fared considerably better in Act 3, once of course of course with the callbacks to Act 1. Viktor I think also worked as a conscience of the topside characters and imo he did it more effectively, with more emotional oomph than Cait. Relationshipwise what struck me as noticable is that Viktor is very secretive, has a lot of his adventures on his own and doesn’t share most of it with Jayce. Structurally imo it’s still  problem that Jayce gets to fan out so much more compared to Viktor, getting to interact with a variety of characters in all kinds of ways (Mel’s mom, Vi, Silco). I do think Jayce’s concern and wanting to balance things did come through (even if he was distracted by various things earlier in Act 3) as did elements of VIktor’s trust in Jayce. Over all, I would give it a B. 

Silco/Jinx: They were given considerable screentime and attention, lots of pathos, most notably on Silco’s side and of course reached their culmination in a way. Overall I think it was decently done. I think one could argue that Silco’s villain journey (in regards to his revolution and relatinoship with the underworld) petered out a bit, but I can be won over to the idea that that might have been intentional and their way of doing a complex character. Relationshipwise, I think Act 3 showed that as fairly one sided/slanted to Silco’s side, which probably is slightly more healthy than if Jinx cared more (basically I think it showed off in a variety of ways how Jinx cares less, but not as far as Jinx doesn’t care at all). Overall I would say ... I dunno A- within the context that it is supposed to be unhealthy and dramatic (and it’s good that it wasn’t dragged out too much)? 

Jinx/Ekko: Yes! They did something with them! Got a cool fight scene! Ekko got believably introduced as the sane thrid path of how society could be run! Considering how barely present they were as a dedicated dynamic in the other Acts literally anything is an upgrade. On a “shippy” side, it irked me that Ekko was that pessimistic about Jinx, yes even though it makes a ton of sense, consdiering she killed one of his crew in front of him in the beginning of Act 2. And yes even though of course we know he’s just talking a big game but then in the end can’t actually bring himself to kill her. Still, his pessmism is still bothersome and both characters seemed to shuffle off into their own conflicts fairly quickly with little mention of each other. (for example, in a more “shippy” version of Act 3 one coudl imagine for example Silco rather than his chembaron plot instead having a plot where he wants to hunt down Ekko for “killing” Jinx or Ekko being a presence at Jinx’s ghastly dinner). So, grade C, still underdeveloped, which is still up from the D they had before. Maybe other seasons could build from this if the writers are so inclined and build a more positive relationship (especiallly with how Ekko smybolizes hope in a lot of ways), but right now there isn’t that much there yet. 

Viktor/Sky: So that was a thing ... kind of? Personally I liked my headcanon about her being associated with the Firelights or the revolution more. I fele like I should compliment them for wringing a minimum of genuine pathos and sadness of something that was pretty much a nothing storyline (so, Viktor gonna tell Jayce and her family that Sky died in an unfortunate lab accident?), a minimum of depth was injected in them revealing Sky had been working on a project and Viktor cared at least enough to to grieve a little bit. Still, the truth is that it was barely developed and Sky essentially became a fridged women (I read a lot of commentary with compliments in how the show handled Mel and that she isn’t just a plot point but is giving he rown agency and motivation => well the same didn’t hold true for Sky) So overall grade D (minimum amoutn of pathos for essentially fridged side character story, I guess she did a good job of showing off Viktor’s caring side).  

(not grading Mama Medarda X anybody yet because it’s still too unclear)

Previous grades: 

Vi/Cait: B+ JayVik: C JayMel: C Jilco: ??? going on B Vi/Jinx: A

[ectora]

So, after the post of season 2, I decided to continue with season 3. I wanted to do Until episode 9 cause that’s the strict half but I knew there was along break after episode 10 so I was like let’s do until ten. For the second part, I might do it for every episode separately in some sorte of episode review or whatever, or just wait for the end of the season and do a global season 3 post. We’ll see I guess, I’m an indecisive so I hate taking decisions lmao. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Screen time

Macy : 3h03m10s (10/10)

Mel : 2h47m12s (10/10)

Maggie : 2h40m57s (10/10)

Harry : 2h09m34s (10/10) (+Jimmie 7m37s)

Abigael : 47m40s (5/10)

Jordan : 1h02m24s (9/10)

Again, those numbers are not to the second but scene wise. The only time I would separate the screen time in the scene itself was if the focus was completely on one character (vision + sound) and we know another character is there but we don’t really see them).

As before, here a graph of the screen time per episode for each character.

*harry and jimmie’s screen time are mixed for the graph but again, Jimmie’s is like 7 minutes.

And here a graph of all the characters screen time by episode so it’s more easily comparable.

Now, again, the screen time is pretty obvious on the fact the sisters are and stay the focus of the show. But far. Though I’m Ngl, I was really surprised to see Maggie being the last of the three sisters. She had way more screen time in season 2 but idk in season 3 it also felt like she was also a bit ahead. At least of Mel. But I think that’s a question of how they handle the story. I think Maggie is actually the one with the best treatment out of the three sisters, with the more consistent development. So maybe that’s why she feels more present. Because she’s actually getting development. Mel, imo, can’t really say the same. She doesn’t have that much more screen time than Maggie and yet, to me, she feels a lot more less developed. Macy had her story focused around men last seasons. And if this season hasn’t fixed that issue when it comes to Hacy imo, I do feel she gets a bit more personal development. But still, Maggie feels the most developed to me.

Jordan is more present in the story so that’s good. I love him and I hope they can find him a good place in the story as a human because he’s a sweetheart. To be honest however, he could have a bit more screen time Ngl. Same can be said for Abigael. I personally have the feeling that the story she has now wasn’t necessarily planned if I’m being honest, which is why it feels so detached. And obviously she needs to have her story more liked to the main storyline and TCO so her presence can be more natural and cohesive. However when you think about it, half the episode when we’re half way through the season, for a regular/main character, it’s a bit weird. I hope going forward, they’ll fix both these issues. Have her be in more episode and linking her to the main story.

Detailed screen time

As I did last time, here are the tables with their detailed screen time with each other main characters.

* group means 2+ characters of the core six that doesn’t involve all three sisters.

To be honest, these tables brought light on issues we - I think- were already aware of. Mel/Macy for example is basically inexistant. It’s really sad to see them barely share scenes just the two of them. Like Mel and Maggie have really nice scenes together where we can see them talk and bond. Macy has that sometimes with Maggie too. But Mel and Macy ? We barely even know what their relationship is if I’m being honest. Like it feels like Maggie and Mel have each other and they make Macy have Harry. He is her one to go, the one they develop her relationship with the most which, imo opinion, shouldn’t be the case.

It brings me to my next point. I know it’s only half season but TCO purely together isn’t even the biggest screen time anymore. Hacy actually is. Love them or not, that’s not the topic, I think there is the need of a discussion about how they slowly shifted the focus of these two characters toward each other. The pairing isn’t an issue, the way it’s handled kinda is. Because at the end of the day it’s also a disservice to both of them. I know COVID is to be taken into account and that they’re limited in the interaction and that Harry is the most integrated of the three main supportive characters but it is still an issue. Even in the story, Harry is all about his relationship and sometimes forgets his duties. Macy’s first thought is basically Harry. They could have used some of this time to develop further the sisters between themselves. Like Maggie and Mel don’t feel as centred on their romance while Macy definitely feels like it’s the major characteristic of her character right now. Same with Harry.

In a general manner however, they’ve been doing better with the sisters sharing scenes that aren’t all about fighting but there is still some serious work to be done. As said, Mel and Maggie for example have some nice scenes where it’s a bit more domestic. They talk about their actual lives more. Maggie has that a bit with Macy too but it’s mostly Mel/Maggie. While Macy talks to Harry.

When it comes to their personal time, by that I mean without the core six, they have around the same time so that’s good. Tho again, as I said before, they have around the same time but it feels like some character just have better written development.

I’m also glad to see Jordan and Abigael share screen with a bit more characters but also would like to have more mix between the mains. It’s almost odd at this point to see Jordan interact with anyone else than Maggie and Harry. I loved his episode with Macy but it almost felt random because he shared 90% of his time with Maggie. Abby it’s a little bit less the case because I feel like in season 2 she had the opportunity to share scenes with all of them (and I want more cause I love it) but now I would like to see her interact with others more too.

PAIRINGS

Hacy : 53m11s

Joggie : 18m18s

Abimel : 12m37s

Melby : 5m58s

That’s probably one of the things that annoy me the most in the show so bare with me.

Let’s start with the small things. I’m Ngl, I’m a bit confused about Maggie. Jordan is pretty obviously supposed to be her love interest I think we can all agree on that. I don’t know if they’re trying to throw some love triangle drama or fake drama with Antonio but well. In any case, I think they’re just a bit more slow burn. And I do think they’re actually the best written romance in the show since the beginning. Maggie never feels centred around Jordan. And tho Jordan does majorly gravitates around Maggie, he also gets a story and development. And yet their love connexion is obvious. Don’t know why they can’t do that with others.

I think I made my issue with Hacy rather clear. Not the ship itself but the way the show does it. I mean their time is clearly superior to everyone else (and i know it’s because Harry is technically the fourth character in terms of importance and is integrated in the story but still, I think there are still things to be fixed about this) and I think the way the show tend t have these two continuously gravitate around each other first is a disservice and just too much at this point. Like in ten episodes they have had more than the entirety of season 2. I’m pretty sure it means something.

Which leads me to my last point. And the most annoying one. Mel. It’s a whole other level. The show has a serious issue on their hands. Mel is the only sister that isn’t straight. And her relationship are not even remotely treated the same as her sisters. Season 2 was one thing. But season 3 makes it so painfully obvious. And it’s not ok. She has two potential ships. And yet, the screen time of these two combined is barely above Maggie’s with Jordan. And not even half Hacy’s. And that’s a genuine issue. I need the show to start treating their lgbt relationship the same way they do the straights. I’m tired of ghosts. I’m tired of unseen. I’m tired of two dimensional. Of the lack of development. Or the unbalance with her sisters. It’s enough.

Talking about her potentiality, the show definitely has me confused with the whole Abimel/Melby situation. They’re hinting hard on the first one while keeping the second in the background. Which is entirely confusing. And low key a problem too. Because yes I ship Abimel but I do think Melby deserves better. And if the show is just keeping melby while they can develop Abimel then that’s just weird too.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Melby just doesn’t feel like a relationship the show has any interest of putting effort in. Ngl, when Mel said at ClexaCon that the writers didn’t really give them backgrounds or anything, it didn’t sound like freedom, it sounded like they just didn’t care enough to develop it. Sometimes, it almost feels like they just kept it around because of the Abigael backlash, so have a sapphic relationship while they can develop something else on the side. Ruby has a charming actress so she has that working for her, but her character is very superficially developed, they didn’t bother to give her depth and it doesn’t feel like it was meant to last with the whole not wanting to be involved in magic thing. I’m not trying to bash anyone or any ship, but that relationship does feel very superficial in terms of writing. And honestly if they’re just keeping it around while building something else, it’s in itself annoying due to the nature of the relationship. Like at that point it’s not even the bare minimum.

Abimel seems more build up already. They’ve been hinting at it since season 2, poring them all the time. The lines. The tensions the chemistry. The connexion. It genuinely feels like that’s were they were going toward. Because it just makes sense. It also makes sense in terms of pairing. All three sisters have their love interest in the main cast. Enemies to lovers trope. As said, it makes sense. But also who actually knows. Because let’s be honest, the show has an history with not treated sapphics the same way as straights. Which is even more obvious in this first part of the season and looking at the numbers. Again I understand Ruby is not a regular (which reinforce my previous points). But likes. That’s what brings me to say again and again that at this point, the show needs to either actually commit to that relationship and make Ruby an actual part of the show or let it go. Because what we have right now ? Not ok. Because they give us zero energy. And I’m pretty sure that if they wanted to actually do more, they definitely could have. Right now, the show is under a pretty bad light when it comes to lgbt characters and their treatment. It’s a bit ridiculous and it’s just not right.

Anyway, I think this concludes my rant. I’m sorry it’s very, very long and for WHAT 😭 I have too much time on my hands I’m telling you. Anyway, if you read all of that I hope you’re enjoyed but also you probably, too, have too much time.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Thoughts on Taskmaster s04e05, written as I re-watch it:

- Love the “cutest thing” prize task for season four. Every contestant could have just brought in a picture of themselves.

- Love that the first contestant to share their prize, Lolly, actually did that:

- I would argue that Hugh has been unfairly marked down in some of the prize tasks. But for this one, Greg is absolutely right to call it the antithesis of cute. I really want to know the thought process that went into bringing this in for that category. Whether he was going for the genuinely cutest thing or an ironic joke, either way I have trouble imagining what made him decide to do this.

The noise it makes is sort of cute, though. He should have gotten credit for that.

- I would argue that the peas should have beaten the googly eyes, as a plate of googly eyes by itself, which is what Noel brought in, is not quite and in fact looks mildly creepy. I certainly think it’s ridiculous that Greg said it almost beat Joe’s adorable little dog. But I still think they’d have done better if they’d all just gone the Lolly route and brought in pictures of themselves. Baby pictures, school-age pictures, or pictures that they all took the day they brought it in. It doesn’t matter.

- Joe’s attempt at the sliding task looks really bad compared to the three people who did the task well, but I can understand it. Sometimes, when you’re on a time limit, you just don’t think of alternative ways to look at things. And I can certainly see how easy it would be to just look at the instructions, see that Route One is to cover oneself in slippery stuff and throw oneself across a slippery surface, and do that.

This does not excuse Lolly’s attempt, because even if it’s reasonable to not think of any idea beyond that initial one, I don’t how someone would decide to throw themselves across concrete when there’s grass right next to it.

- Love the steady confidence Hugh has while setting up his idea, compared to the lack of dignity in how executing it actually looked.

- I could make some arguments about how if you’re going to let Noel have unlimited “practice attempts” - but you still record the length of the practice attempt and it will count if it’s good enough - then there’s no point in limiting it to one attempt.

But I’m more interested in pointing out the athletic skill involved in staying balanced on that board while moving it forward across uneven ground, and wearing those heels:

- I love that Mel had the foresight to give herself a cushion to lay on while being pulled around the yard. Even if I’d thought of her sleeping back idea (which I probably wouldn’t have, it was very creative), I doubt I’d thought of a cushion so I’d have ended up hurting my back and having to stop. But Mel thought of everything. She was born for this task.

- Greg was absolutely right to say that Mel being pulled around in that sleeping back was cuter than the peas she brought in for her prize task. To be fair, Mel Giedroyc doing anything at all is cuter than the peas she brought it. But Mel getting pulled around the yard was incredibly cute, even for her. What really made the difference was her running commentary, the constant exclamations about how well it was going.

“Oh, this feels excellent. This feels absolutely marvelous. Keep it going, team. Use the hill! Now we’re back on grass. Keep going, round the corner if you can. And back! Back up the hill! Oh my God. Guys. This is, you’re doing amazing work. Stay on the grass. You are incredible. Oh. My. God. I think that’s the most fun I’ve had, sliding.”

- Greg: Do you think the next task might do something to rekindle our relationship with Europe?

Me: All right, Fred the fucking Swede! Let’s fucking go!!

- Love the differences (split mostly, but not completely, along generational lines) in how the different contestants reacted to walking into a room and seeing someone on video chat.

Hugh: Is that an actual person?

Noel, with a big grin and no hesitation: Hello.

Mel: [steps out of view of the webcam, points it with trepidation, and mouths a question at the camera operators like she doesn’t want to offend the computer by letting it know about her concern but she does want to know what is going on with it]

Joe: [nervously pokes his head into the view of the webcam]

Lolly: [smiles and says hello like a normal person, weirdly joining Noel as the two most normal people in this situation]

- It was way too recent when I found out that Fred the Swede was not just some guy in the Taskmaster crew who got roped into those tasks; he used to be a drummer in The Horne Section. This is the first time I’ve watched this episode since learning that fact, and I enjoy picking up on a little thing I didn’t before, when he tells Joe that when does for a living is “a painter/decorator, and a musician”.

Weirdly, that also means we know from Taskmaster s02e01 that he does the same job as his father.

- It took me a while to work out why I kept thinking Fred the Swede reminds me of someone, especially because I’ve never thought that about him before. Until I realized this is also the first time I’ve seen this episode since watching The Last Leg, which featured Paralympian Jonnie Peacock a lot. Fred’s face and mannerisms remind me a lot of Jonnie Peacock. The sort of awkward smiling and going along with what the comedians are doing but looking like he doesn’t really feel in his element. That isn’t a particularly interesting observation or anything, but it is a thought I’m having while watching the episode so I’m recording it here.

- I love how flustered Mel got by the entire concept of talking over a webcam. It seemed to be genuine when she said she was looking for her zip, and then looked mortified and immediately clarified that she was trying to do it up.

It’s quite a contrast, because after that it immediately cuts to Joe saying, “I like you, are you single?” And then smiled and fluttered his eyelashes at the guy in a way that Greg described as “genuinely flirting”:

- I love Joe’s line when imitating his own attempt at “small talk” in this task: “What’s your favourite yoghurt? How do you feel about death?” If I lived in Britain, I would go into every dating app conversation with that as the opening line and keep trying until someone got the reference, and then that person would become my wife, but it’s my understanding that that’s how relationships works.

- Fucking love some of the quotes from Hugh’s conversation with Fred the Swede. “I’m maintaining eye contact with you.” “Do you go to IKEA a lot?” “I am wearing this now, so...”

- Another good potential entry for the “cutest thing” prize task:

- I’ve thought a few times during this season that Noel got scored too highly, but I disagree with disqualifying him from the wetsuit task. The wording as “put on the wetsuit, flippers, mask, and snorkel.” He did that. It was lateral thinking that absolutely followed the letter of the law.

- Okay. So in August 2020, just after I first started this blog, I made four posts about the four panel shows I’d watched in their entirety at the time. Each post was dedicated to my favourite episode of each show: WILTY, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Catsdown, and Taskmaster. For Taskmaster, I had trouble choosing a favourite episode because within a season, all the episodes sort of run together and I think of the show as being split up by tasks. So instead of choosing a favourite episode, I chose a favourite task. I chose: the bath-based team task from s04e05.

I wrote a long post at the time about why I considered this my favourite task in Taskmaster history, and here is that post. What I’m going to do now is reread that post (probably cringe a little at something I wrote nearly a year ago, but I’m going to avoid editing it and will leave it as a record of my thoughts from when I first started this blog) before I watch the task. Then, as I watch the task, I’ll write down thoughts I have that were not recorded in the original post. If you want to know my extended thoughts on this task, additional material is in that post from last August.

- I just re-read my post from last August, and I didn’t cringe all that much at the post itself but I don’t know why my list of honorable mentions at the end included so little from season 9. There should have been much more season 9 on there, and also I would now think of season 9 as up there with seasons 4 and 7 in vying for my favourite. But not becoming my very favourite. This re-watch during the podcast has made me remember why nothing beats season 4.

- When you watch the way Mel and Hugh looked at each other from across the yard at the beginning of this task, I need you to remember what Mel said on last week’s Taskmaster podcast. That while they were filming this, Hugh was helping her plan a bike trip and going over maps in the dressing room during breaks. This is the sweetest thing in the world.

Get you a friend who will break his usual grumpiness to indulge your relentless positivity by smiling at you across a yard, help you plan a bike trip, and help you cover a bath in Saran Wrap.

- I love the, “Oh no, Hugh, no, no!” out of Mel so much. Because it means she saw Hugh throwing Alex’s shoes into the bath tub, and instead of assuming that meant he had different instructions than she did (which should be fairly obvious, given that they both just had to whisper them to Alex), she just thought Hugh was really bad at covering a bath in Saran Wrap.

- This task has so many amazing adorable moments and so many amazing comedic moments that if you blink you can miss them. Like how fucking hilarious it was to see Hugh toss a bunch of balls out of a bin and into the tub, start to run off with the bin, then think twice and throw the bin into the tub as well.

- To be fair, Mel might have assumed Hugh was really bad at covering a bath in Saran Wrap because Mel is really bad at covering a bath in Saran Wrap. She fell apart in most of that task, I’m not sure she’d have accomplished it even if it had been an individual task and she’d just had to cover an empty bathtub with no one and nothing getting in the way.

- Luckily, Hugh came in to save the day. What an absolute, as Mel said on the podcast last week, good egg. And Hugh taking over the bath tub covering left Mel free to cover Alex’s feet. I love Hugh’s bemusement at what she was doing and Mel’s explanation of, “His feet are cold.” Why don’t these two have a sitcom together?

- Fucking love the looks exchanged by Joe, Lolly, and Noel when Greg said he was impressed with Mel and Hugh’s teamwork.

- Alex: Everyone ready? Noel: Um... are we all working together? Alex: [blows his whistle] All three younger contestants: [absolutely lose their fucking minds for three minutes straight]

- I just. I can’t describe how fucking funny those next few minutes are. It’s one of the funniest fucking things I’ve ever seen on television. It opens with Noel running for the hose and Joe throwing a table into the tub and then Lolly immediately grabbing it and taking it out:

From there, I lose the ability to form coherent thoughts and just laugh hysterically until they’re done.

- Okay. I’m going to try to grab a few of the funniest seconds of the time that followed the previous gif, and put them into another gif. It’s not going to come close to doing this task justice. You need to watch a video of the whole thing.

- “I think I got the easiest part of this task.” - Noel Fielding

“Fucking cling film!” - Joe Lycett

“Thanks, guys. Great teamwork.” - Alex Horne

“We should have told each other our tasks.” - Joe Lycett, as they walked away afterward

- This is incidental to the comedy, but Joe is much better than Mel at covering a bath tub with Saran Wrap. If he hadn’t had Lolly getting in his way, he could have completed his task very well.

- “I thought the table would stop the cling film from ruining my journey.” - Lolly Adefope

- Ed Gamble has expressed a belief on the Taskmaster podcast that Noel Fielding is not competitive, and in response to that I would like to share this screenshot of the moment Alex announced that the table had dislodged the bath tub’s plug and therefore most of the water Noel put in came back out again and his efforts were for nothing:

- It’s well known that every season at least one contestant tries to go up on the roof of the Taskmaster house, and they’re not allowed to because of health and safety. Hugh Denis is probably one contestant who asked multiple times and was upset about his request being denied. I feel like he chose to put that toaster on the roof and throw toast into it in protest of this. As a way to get the roof somehow involved in his performance.

- Again, Noel displays genuine athleticism in catching that ball on the tennis racket. Most people would not have the coordination to do that. And then he got so excited that he succeeded that he forgot he also had to be careful about actually getting it into the bucket.

- I’m really enjoying Greg and Alex’s roleplay as meat exporters.

- Joe definitely got screwed over in this task. Throwing that nut into that little hole was difficult and impressive. It didn’t look impressive, but that wasn’t the task. It just had to be impressive.

- In the studio task, Mel took off her blindfold and then immediately asked if it had messed up her mascara. Noel replied that it looked “a bit Alice Cooper”. I mean, pot kettle.

- Lolly Adefope, before being asked to make a long continuous noise: I have asthma. Alex Horne: Me too. Ready?

- I love how Lolly’s noise was 1) funny, 2) loud and overpowering, and 3) very good at fulfilling the task’s mandate of being a long continuous noise. I think she’s the only person on that stage who’s actually trained in acting, and I feel like her wail from deep within her soul is probably an acting exercise of some sort.

- I love how Joe’s attempt at the studio task goes from the cute little moment of Alex kissing him on the cheek, to the genuinely nice bunch of moments of Joe hitting a note (I don’t know if he’s trained as a singer or anything and I don’t know nearly enough about singing to know what was going on there, but it sounded very pretty), to Joe breaking into gurgling and sputtering.

- Hugh’s determination to keep rotating his belt for as long as possible reminds me of how hard he worked in an episode of Duck Quacks Don’t Echo when he had to test his own strength by holding up columns. I feel like Hugh doesn’t have the competitiveness that a lot of contestants do in terms of caring whether he wins Taskmaster points. But he does seem to get really into just challenging himself to do physically and mentally difficult things. And he does them well. He was impressive with that belt.

- I think the point I just made was proved again in Hugh’s approach to the tiebreaker task. No hesitation with those peas.

- I love that Hugh won an episode. I don’t think he really deserves his place on the list of disaster contestants, since he got under-scored a lot in this season. I’m glad he’s not on that list of contestants who’ve never won an episode.

[appleciders]

I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on Martha’s siblings if you have any

Ooh okay! Turns out I had a lot, so I’ll stick em under the cut

I’d guess Martha is the second oldest of four. We know the first time she doesn’t have to share a room with her sisters is when her brother moves out, so we know he’s older, and then I would guess that they were like “okay second oldest gets their own room.” That’s not like for sure (one of my friends is the oldest of four and shares a room, while the second oldest gets his own room), but that just reads like the most likely scenario to me. And I don’t think there’s more than four of them, because I think in that case her brother would have had to share a room.

Something that struck me watching Martha’s flashbacks (that was chatted about on the most recent Out in the Wilds podcast!) was that we hear about her siblings in passing (or read about them, in the case of her brother), but we never see them. Not at any of the pow wow scenes, not playing in the backyard with Martha, not in the living room scene crammed next to Toni and watching TV. It feels almost like they were added after lmao. Could totally be a casting decision, but still a bit wack. We know really nothing about them.

So veering out of the domain of actual interpretation and into baseless conjecture, I have a couple headcanons that I’m ready to have proven completely wrong! Like I said in the tags of that other post, I like the name Brian/Bryan for her big brother (shoutout to my childhood classmate Bryan Mendoza for having deodorant so memorable that this jumped out in my head lol). For her sisters, I like some pairing of Mel, Jocelyn, or Louise/Louisa.

I think Martha’s brother played a sport in high school—maybe hockey (they could’ve watched hockey on TV together, cue “we can pass him around like the Stanley Cup!”) or lacrosse (shoutout Jenna Clause!). He was protective of Martha but like, from a distance. I can imagine him and baby Toni kind of having an ongoing joke about that—“I don’t need to look after her, Toni’ll get there first!” Speaking of Toni, I like to think the two of them have a one-on-one basketball game they always swear they’re gonna duke out but have never made good on. He also has a bit of Spencer from iCarly going on: “Hi Martha, hi Martha’s friend who’s never at her own home.” He definitely teases Martha and makes her roll her eyes a lot.

I think Martha’s sisters are a few years younger, and closer in age to each other than to Martha. Maybe three and four-ish years younger, respectively? Enough that Martha ends up mostly running a pretty different schedule than them, with a different school. I think Bernice is one of those moms that has a good relationship with each of her kids, each bonding over different things (though I could also see it if she had a bit of a strained relationship with Martha’s big brother, for some reason?). So whereas with Martha she takes her to dance and bonds with her over caring for all their pets, I like think with one of Martha’s little sisters she bonds over gardening and plants.

More thoughts on the sisters: I think one or both of them have louder personalities than Martha. I kind of read Martha as the sweetheart kid you don’t think you have to worry about (until you do). That’s not to say she’s a pushover—I think they definitely get into a normal amount of fights (“when my sisters and I fight, it’s to the death”) because the three of them shared a room and that’s a lot of kids stacked on top of each other, and Martha gives as good as she gets. But I do think the younger girls push buttons and maybe boundaries a bit more. One of them might also be really into sports, kind of inspired by that almost hero worship you see in younger kids with cool older siblings, and might look up to Toni in that respect too. One of them might also be artsy, and maybe did some of the art we see hanging on Martha’s walls (maybe the same one who’s into plants?).

Anyway, tl;dr: we really know nothing about them! But it was very fun to make shit up about, so thank you <33

[grimsonchin]

My Take on The Last of Us Part II: (SPOILERS)

If you were just like me who just finished the game and are unsure about the outcome and story plz take the time to read this:

If I’m being honest af right now, playing The Last of Us Part 2 for the first time made me low key filled with anger and sadness. I really enjoyed playing as Ellie in Seattle with Dina and Jessie. After switching off to Abby for a few hours, I wanted to just speed run through her arc because I hated for what she did to Joel. I was starting to miss Ellie. However, after Day 1 and I started Day 2, for some reason, that hate was replaced with being intrigued with the story progression to Abby meeting Yara and Lev (I was still mad at Abby at this point, but not as much). I was glad that I stopped speed running through her story and I actually got to be in Abby’s shoes about her relationships with others and being a caring individual towards Lev and Yara. It just shows that ND is trying to make you see another point of view of Abby’s revenge being similar to Ellie’s revenge: both are in an endless cycle of vengeance that must be broken. They might try to make you sympathize with Abby, but it’s okay if you don’t. It’s okay to hate her for what she has done. However, ND wanted to show you her story and where she comes from the end of the stick does matter. Both characters have experienced loss; Ellie losing Joel, Jessie, and nearly Dina. Abby loses her father and her friends (Manny, Owen, Mel, Nora, Yara and others). So I see from both sides that they want to avenge those they have lost.

Even though TLOU is mainly focused on Ellie and Joel, you don’t realize that the TLOU universe has no heroes/villians. It’s mostly just human beings out her trying to survive an apocalypse; even if it’s defending yourself from other people who want to hurt you or murdering others in order to survive and gather supplies for others. The first game had Marlene, Tess, Sarah, Riley, David, Sam, and Henry; characters that impacted the first story for both characters, good or bad. For the second game, there’s WLFs, people of Jackson, and Scars/Seraphites. Different groups with different purposes in order to strive into the apocalyptic world.

After the depressing ending we got, I literally crumbled. A game like that has NEVER made me feel things that I had to take a pause from it and recollect my thoughts. That’s some extraordinary work. However, the ending was so impactful to me that I couldn’t process what just happened. So I thought that the game was good but not that great.

That’s when I started to replay it again with a collective mind and paid more attention to detail. (Still cried every time over losing Joel). That’s when my mind started to change about the overall message and tone about the game. Naughty Dog even stated that the first game was about LOVE and the second game was aimed towards HATE. They wanted to make the player feel uncomfortable and feel a rollercoaster of emotions as a human being (anger, sadness, and happiness). This was a game about consequences from both sides of characters: the people of Jackson and the WLF. Both sides had human beings murdered in order to survive (as well as the Seraphites).

My favorite gut-wrenching part about the game (besides gameplay and character arcs) is that it honors the first game with foreshadowing. In the first game, Sam asks Ellie what she was afraid of. Ellie says that she was afraid of being alone. Revenge has unfortunately blinded Ellie and she suffered that consequence: she was all alone in the end. She lost Joel, Dina, her son were no longer home (the farmhouse they built their love and long lasting relationship together), and she lost her two fingers and couldn’t play the guitar anymore to bring her peace (the two fingers were referenced near the end of the first game when Ellie confronts Joel about the Fireflys). As Ellie leaves the guitar behind, it symbolizes that she has let go of Joel (not completely as she still loves Joel but her anger towards his death has been replaced with peace as she realizes that killing more people in order to avenge him won’t bring him back).

After witnessing the ending for a second time, I started to realize that instead of my past self wanting Abby to be killed by Ellie, this present me was glad that Ellie spared Abby. Before Ellie threatened Abby, she had a flashback of bloody Joel, suffering. This caused Ellie to feel the need to “finish what she started” in order to avenge Joel and to fulfill her quest. However, after attempting to drown Abby, she slowly started to get a flashback of Joel; not bloody Joel, but Joel playing the guitar, happy to see Ellie on the night of the dance. Ellie at that point started to realize that she needed to start forgiving herself. Not Abby or anyone else. Herself. It wouldn’t bring back Joel, but she thought to herself that it wasn’t right. She needed to save herself in order to break the cycle of violence (Lev would’ve gone after Ellie if Abby was killed). If it weren’t for Ellie finding closure, Abby and Lev would’ve died on the pillars and never make it to Catalina Island.

I praise Naughty Dog for this type of direction they were going with. They’ve warned people might not like it and it’s understandable. However, that does not mean that it gives people an excuse to make it look bad for others and sending death threats/ harsh comments to others. Part II WAS something I was not expecting at all. But I’d say that if you understand the messages in the game and take the time to understand the story and characters, it makes the gaming experience phenomenal.

I know that the biggest problem people have about the second game was Joel’s death being unexpected and too early. I agree; it was too soon. However, I felt that the story with flashbacks made that up for the most part. Also, it occurred to me (my own opinion) that Joel did not put much of a fight with the WLF because I felt that he knew deep down that the people who want to hurt him were somehow connected to the Fireflys from the hospital where he killed many people in order to save Ellie. He just didn’t have enough fight in him no longer after his confrontation with Ellie the night of the dance. He probably had to live with that guilt for all those years, even though Ellie would offer to try to forgive him for making her life actually matter. We have to keep in mind that Joel is a bad person (not to us the player, but to someone else). We love Joel, I love Joel dearly, but again, there are no heroes in this story.

Overall, I really really enjoyed Part 2. Lil bit more than the first one, even tho the first game has room in my heart. I’ll be honest; there are just a few few flaws it may have for story wise but overall was an amazing experience. I wish I could experience it again. Everything from gameplay, to story progression, to amazing acting. Congrats to Naughty Dog for an amazing masterpiece :D

*** Also, we all know that Ellie does go back to Jackson to be with Dina and their son and y’all can’t tell me otherwise :) ***

[bellamyblake]

I love your thoughts on stuff especially when you post funny things or metas. I was wondering if you had any toughts on Bellamy's love choices apart from Clarke?

aw, thank you, that’s so sweet! i think im horrible at meta, my brain just won’t order my thoughts the right way.

it’s funny you’re asking me that cause the other day when i was rewatching the scene with mel, bellamy, murphy, finn, monroe and sterling i remembered kimsh*um saying how mel was supposed to be a love interest for bellamy but the actress wasn’t available if i remember correctly.

and that made me think about his love interestest apart from clarke and gina who we saw briefly.

now i think gina would’ve been great to see in terms of bellamy because they met i believe, in our headcanon land, while he was trying to kind of drown his sorrows in the arkadia bar where we see her serving later on briefly, again in season 3 and though i know it wasn’t a deep relationship, it wasn’t a bad one.

 it was one produced out of the circumstances that probably (though we know nothing about her) they both felt like shit but kind of found something within each other that they liked/perhaps enjoyed. maybe gina was a good listener, maybe she let him pour his heart out about all of the mount weather horrors.

maybe, and i am reaching here, but she was the only one who knew about all of it-his torture coming in the mountain, his responsibility for his people and the guilt for those they killed inside. maybe bellamy even shared some stuff of his childhood with her because gina seems like the kind of person who is a good and understanding listener and she wouldn’t offer judgement but she’d get him, you know?

i think that’s why i loved gina out of them all (apart from clarke, like we’re putting bellarke aside in this whole debate) because she was a good kind yet smart and persistent person-a nice match for a hurt, confused guilt-ridden bellamy who felt all alone after season 2 and who had all this anger and helplessness inside him. we can see her worry about his leg after he went out to look for clarke and she worries sending him out there beyond arkadian walls-

basically something i’ve always wished for, for bellamy-someone to give a crap for him ( i exclude e/xho s7 narrative cause it makes zero sense and we didn’t see it in any depth)

so apart from gina we have what? e/cho right? and what makes it interesting for me here when our favorite racist kimsh*m talked about mel possibly being a love interest for bell is that i feel like they wanted to instill this...idea for a bellamy love interest where he falls in love for someone that he ultimately-

saves.

maybe that is also the case with clarke too but it was never explored as we know because they refused to for a variety of reasons, the last one being out of spite, the previous being c/lexa-we’re speaking honestly here and that’s how it was.

so they wanted bellamy to fall for someone he *saves*

which i don’t think is a good like treatment of his character at all. i believe jroth in his stupid brain makes sense from the fact that because bellamy always took care of octavia, his entire life, those were the circumstaces he grew up in, then it’s only logically (and psychologically, yes it is), that he falls for someone that he *saves*, like he saved his sister and raised her from a baby to a grown adult.

so mel was someone he saved and she would’ve been a nice fill was she of age (not sure she was) and was the actress available.

but then came ta/sya and her nepotism, aka her being on the show cause she has connections to jroth and since bellamy so perfectly saved her from the cages in season 2 suddenly mel was easily replaced with-

e/cho. 

of course they played around it for a bit and i assume they didn’t do it before season 5 for two big reasons-

one was that bob who frankly was absolutely right in that, didn’t want a love interest in season 1, didn’t want bellarke to happen in season 1 and thank god IT didn’t cause it would’ve been absolultely nothing left of it by season 3, and the other was 

e/chos betrayal which needed time to simmer into a forgivness and what better way than trapping them on a ring in space for 6 years, right? who would you pair him with other than-oh well it could’ve been raven which frankly, much better choice or it could be e/cho which again-

first to spite the fandom (and i believe we played a big role in jason choosing her and not raven because he saw how panicked we were in season 4 about it especially after 4x13 all everyone talked about was how yep it’d be becco in season 5 and he just said ha-ILL SPITE YOU YOU STUPID FANGIRLS you don’t want it-HA BUT YOU GOT IT and I am sure to this day had we talked more about not wanting bellamy and raven the more we would’ve gotten that instead of becco)

and second cause again of nepotism-here’s this actress who can absolutely not act and has zero chemistry with the main lead-yep, only seems logical we put her as his love interest.

and mind you I wanna reiterate here that bob has chemistry with everyone else including male actors like richard and chuku way more than he ever did with ta/sya so jroth’s logic here that oh yeah beliza were always kind of maybe in love that’s why that worked-LACKS and is beyond offensive

so yes, i believe the idea was always to portray his love interest as a continuation of the cirmustances of his childhood-so he falls in love with someone who he saves like he saved his sister, that being mel (that fell through) and eggo and...ultimately also clarke though with her is much more complicated but think about that

how many more times had he saved her than she him? right?

when is he the saved one?

if we count season 2 when clarke supposedly lets the bomb drop on TonDC to save him though again-grey area, she mostly listens to L/exa who doesn’t want her people to turn on her and then you have season 7 when again Eggo supposedly goes on this journey for him and ends up killing people but not because OF bellamy but because she simply has been hiding the beast inside her for six years and she cannot keep it at bay anymore.

so apart from gina and ...well debatable here but clarke too, he’s never had a love interest that he didn’t save. also we don’t know how exactly he did come by to know gina-did he know her from before? did he maybe save her too? did he just randomly started talking to her?

so that is it on this particular subject and whilst it may be psychologically correct if there is such a term i find it too weak of an excuse for a character like bellamy because when he loves he loves dearly and it is clear that yes he carries the big baggage that is octavia but i dont believe that should attach to his love life and his romance. 

[abbystanaccount]

This is a different writer anon. I know Abby x Owen fanfic is rare but I was wondering what you would like to read in a fanfic? I want to try to write one for our small but spirited fandom. I have no ideas tho. Be specific. Of course you don’t want any you could tell me that too. I love your blog. Have an awesome day/night

omg, my day has come and our ship has finally borne fruit!!!

Basically all I have to write is short stuff, one shots, my brain cannot comprehend making long ones except for that one time. But fics that'd I'd love to happen but physically cannot would probably be AU's with like some progression and development and drama lolll.

Specifically a college AU maybe? Jackson crew could also be there but I think it'd center around the Salt Lake Crew, as for plot I suppose it'd be Abby going through the school year and navigating her relationships and being part of a sports team, soccer or lacrosse maybe. She starts out a bit shy, maybe it's her freshman or sophomore year, she hasn't made friends yet or is maybe only friends with one of them. She joins the "Fireflies" club for one reason or another and that's how she meets the crew. The club itself I guess it's mostly a social and like fundraising club where they try and help the planet, maybe it's kind of a legacy club like if your parents were in itt you can join too. You can also give some of them fun jobs like working a Ruston Coffee or the library. Also I always headcanoned that a college Owen would be like a year older but he's a year behind because he switched his major to art, his parents didn't want him to but he didn't like whatever boring major they wanted him to do 😥. Omg you could fit in a Owen drawing Abby in a figure drawing class 😲 Also there's many opportunities for college parties, party games, Mel not realizing Abby likes Owen so she kind of goes for him, drunk confessions, jealousy, all sorts of stuff lol!

There could be more drama like the Jackson crew could be from a rival school and maybe there's old beef between Joel and Jerry lol. 🤔 Or if that's too much, you can just do parts of that. Just like a nice Abby/Owen AU would feed me so good 😖

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LXVI

It was a love story from the very beginning.

You are the one in my heart (Part II)

(11x13)

Hello! I bring to you another meta from this collection – the second part! We will keep talking about broken hearts and how in love Dean is with Castiel. I know you love this topic. And I just decided this will have a third part because I have so many things to say...

First of all, I want to say thank you to @destielle , she's the beta reader of this mess. Thank you for making my meta look so pretty 😘💕💕

Cheating and love triangles

Episode 11x13 is titled 'Love Hurts' and it fits perfectly because, remember how Dean felt so hurt when Casifer tried to use him as bait? Okay. We all agree he suffered a heart break then, and that’s why the Banshee could get to him. Now, this episode talks about broken hearts, too… but also about a cursed kiss: Amara's kiss.

The episode opens with a husband cheating on his wife with their babysitter. It’s a love triangle functioning as a Destiel mirror, but they add in some spicy confusion to the subtext: Melissa (the depressed wife) is the Cas mirror, we have Stacey, the babysitter, for Amara and Dan as Dean.

So when we have Stacey saying: "Ew, I can taste her mom lipstick…you’re telling her tonight, right?" we get the mirrored thoughts of Amara after kissing Dean, who is, too, already taken, compromised – bonded with Castiel. 

And when Dan says: "I told you it’s not that simple. Mel and I…we’ve been together since we were your age. We have a house, a baby…we have a whole life together." He's talking about marriage, a serious commitment, which works as the perfect parallel to Dean and Castiel’s long-term relationship.

So when the Qareen appears in the form of Dan and rips Stacy's heart out from her chest (and vice versa a little further into the episode), we are still talking about broken hearts. But we get confused because Dan admits his love for the babysitter, and therefore could never hurt her. Because you don't hurt the one you love (obviously if Dean had listened a little closer to Dan, he surely would have recalled that nefarious chat with Casifer where he proposed to put Dean in danger).

So, going with the assigned roles, let’s say if Dan is Dean and Stacy is Amara, does that mean when Dan is saying he loves Stacy, not his wife, that Dean loves Amara, and not Cas? No. Not at all. Because the upcoming scenes and what Dean says by the end of the episode will clarify: THE KISS AMARA GAVE HIM IS A CURSE AND HE IS NOT IN LOVE WITH HER.

Now, I want to share with you my beta's clarifying thought, that calmed my shipping heart...

"Hi, destielle here, rudely taking advantage of beta’ing to add a thought: I think the babysitter merely posed as a temptation, something Dan tried out because it’s kind of forbidden and dangerous and therefore exciting, plus conquering a girl stimulates his self-worth but - breaking up with his wife never really was a heartfelt intention. Because getting it on with the babysitter is not only a clichée, but also only fun for a little while, because everything, in the end, will lose its newness and therefore allurement and so I suspect he knew that sticking to what he has, a long-term thing that lasts, is the better road to go by far. Plus there’s a difference between true love and excitement induced infatuation. The ladder will fade, love will last and grow stronger bc it’s built upon a solid foundation."

This is so true, and couldn't be more agreed! Thank you Hannah! 😚💕

The Cursed Kiss

This was a very blatantly straight forward episode, because first it was opened with a recall to AMARA's kiss to Dean. And then they showed us how the Qareen’s curse jumped from one to the next victim via kiss. So, you have a deadly kiss, a cursed kiss… The mark of Cain’s kiss, darkness’s kiss, AMARA's kiss… that wasn't love, that wasn't good. AMARA's kiss is dark, bad, cursed and deadly.

AMARA's kiss poop? 🤣

Who's in Dean's heart?

We already know the answer, but let's dig into it anyway…

The first scene with the Winchester brothers takes place in the Bunker's kitchen the morning after Valentine's day and Dean is having a hard time trying to restore himself… he's walking funny on his way to the fridge… if you know what I mean. But mostly we wonder why that is. He's not the guy for a one-night-only-girl anymore, so what was the matter? And immediately after that question we asked ourselves Dean says this to his brother…

Sam: Is that a hickey? (Dean spits out his food)

Gif set credit @spnwhenever

Dean: And? It was valentine’s day. I can’t help it if I’m a hopeless romantic.

Sam: You got half of that right.

Dean: Just doing my civic duty. Helping all the single ladies. You know the best thing about February 14th. You don’t have to be Mr. Right. Just Mr. Right Now

Sam: That’s classy

Is this the old Dean talking? Nope, definitely not. It’s Mr Dean ‘Broken-hearted’ Winchester talking. And we get it now… Saint Valentine's day, he wasn't with his Mr. Right (Cas)... He just took what was right in that moment. It’s very very sad. But Dean needs to frame it more classy, to make it more cool.

Now, I want to talk a little about Melissa. When she realizes she maybe went too far with her spell, she turns to Dean and Sam, and she says this…

Melissa: yes. A return to love spell. All I had to do was chant it and seal it with a kiss. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I swear. I just wanted my husband back.

This is sad too, and gives us, if we take that as a feeling mirrored from Cas, a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why he said ‘Yes’ to Lucifer in the cage. And again it’s the motive of the CURSED KISS, one with dark intentions… we already learned AMARA's kiss is bad and not good, but now we get even more confirmation of this when Dean kisses Melissa, taking the curse on him that way. WE GET IT WRITERS!

Gif credit @clairvoyantsam

Sam: So the curse is transmittable?

Just like Cain's mark, the curse, the kiss, the love spell, all of them are transmittable.

Sam: Apparently not in him. The person who holds the Qareen’s heart is the one who commands it.

Sam is giving us a lot of clues here: Who has AMARA's heart? Dean. But who has Dean's heart? Castiel. So Dean can direct his own will to reject AMARA's offer. And this is the secret why DEAN CAN RESIST HER.

So, with this statement in our heads, let's analyze the Qareen’s and Dean’s encounter…

The Qareen takes the form of people’s darkest desires. So… he took AMARA's shape.

The Qareen sensed Dean's longing in his heart, but it failed in personifying it. Because Dean's darkest desire is not dark, it’s full of light, but is hidden, because it’s so repressed. His deepest is a secret, it’s his love for Castiel.

Amara: Who I am doesn’t matter. The real question is who are you?

Dean: What do you mean who am I?

She can't read him, Dean Winchester is a mystery, she can't get to his true feelings, she can't reach them. Dean has them sealed away very, very deep down in his soul. Like a treasure.

Amara: You’re a mystery. I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel. Except it’s cloaked in shame. When it comes to this, you can’t help yourself, so why fight it. Just give in.

When she says Dean Winchester is a mystery it’s because she really can't read the truth in him, but she knows it’s somewhere in there. She feels it, but can't quite grasp it. And she says 'it's clocked in shame.' Because it is, because Dean Winchester is ashamed of his feelings for Castiel. He knows he shouldn't feel how he feels for his best friend, for a ‘man’, for an angel. He thinks he doesn't deserve him. So, when the Qareen touches herself saying 'when it comes to this, you can't help yourself, so why fight it. Just give in.' It’s simple when it’s about women, when it’s about a curse, a love spell, the attraction is there, the curse is there, he knows it, but they're not Mr. Right. They're just there… the girls on Saint Valentine's Day are available and Amara is almost irresistible because of the curse. But Dean Winchester doesn't give in to that because he loves Castiel.

And then, Qareen!Amara can’t rip Dean's heart from his chest. Because she is not the one in his heart.

We need more evidence? What about this last dialogue between Sam and Dean…

Dean: It was Amara

Sam: That surprise you?

Dean: That doesn’t surprise you?

Sam: Honestly?

Dean: Honestly? You seriously think the sister of God is my deepest darkest desire?

Sam: She isn’t?

Dean: No! She can’t be!

Gif credit @samwinchesterlesbian 👇

Dean puts all his fierceness into these words, BECAUSE HE IS SURE! HE KNOWS POSITIVELY IT CAN'T BE, BECAUSE HE LOVES CASTIEL.

Sam: Why not?

Dean: Why? Because if she is that means that I’m…

Sam: Means you’re what? Complicit? Weak? Evil?

Dean: For starters, yeah

Dean is afraid of the power Amara has over him, that’s it.

Dean: Standing here right now, every bone in my body wants to run her through. Send her back to that hole she crawled out of. But when I’m near her, I don’t know. Something happens and I can’t explain it, but to call it desire or love…it’s not that. I’m screwed man. We wanna kill the darkness. We need to kill the darkness. And I don’t think I can. I’m sorry to do that to you, ya know, but when it comes right down to it…

The most important thing here is that Dean is aware of the curse, of the power, he knows what Amara does to him, and he is sure that it is NOT LOVE. How can he be sure that it’s not love? BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHAT LOVE IS, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMEONE IN HIS HEART ALREADY, AND THAT'S CASTIEL.

To Conclude: 

If the episode with Mildred showed us Dean was pining for someone, telling us Dean is in love with someone, then this one is yelling in our faces that person isn't Amara. And if it’s not Amara plus ‘cloaked in shame’, and Dean has gotten his heart broken recently by someone we know, we are talking about the same person: Castiel.

So it’s logical! And we made the equation just like the writers wanted us to solve it: DEAN WINCHESTER IS IN LOVE WITH CASTIEL, BUT HE'S ASHAMED OF THIS FEELING. AND AMARA HAS A DARK POWER OVER HIM THROUGH A TRANSMITTABLE CURSE: CAIN'S MARK. CANONICAL FACTS! But yeah, I'm not discovering a new world here...

I hope you liked this mess. See you in the next one!

Tagging @metafest @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weirddorkylittlediana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @foxyroxe-art @authorsararayne @anonymoustitans @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @wildligia @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-is--endgame @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @tenshilover20 @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@imjustkipping @destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels

If you want to be added or removed from this list, just let me know.

If you want to read the previous metas From s11, here you have the links: Vol. LXII, LXIII, LXIV, LXV.

Buenos Aires, June 16th 2020 18:45 PM

[mustlovemustypages]

Yuletide 2020 Letter

Dear potential writer,

I truly hope all is well with you and yours. No matter what state you find yourself in, my wish is that Yuletide boosts your spirits and gives you the extra jolt we all could use to usher in the new year. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and thank you in advance if you decide to write anything for me!

Below are my desired fandoms and pairings along with story ideas that I would love to see written. Please don’t feel stifled by my prompts; I’ve also listed my general likes and dislikes at the very bottom of this letter if you decide to go a different route.

Little Women (2019):

Characters: Amy March and Theodore “Laurie” Laurence”

The main reason I adore this adaptation is because it made me see why Amy and Laurie ended up together. They had very similar worldviews and fit so well what the other needed. Both deserved to be with someone that valued them for who they are. With Laurie, Amy was not just financially secure but with someone who encouraged her to express herself creatively, politically, or however she chose. With Amy, while she grounded Laurie in reality and challenged him to be the best version of himself, he didn't have to fundamentally change to make her happy.

Story ideas:

These quotes really show how Amy's perspective on life was different than her sister's: "You are your family's hope." (Aunt March) "I’ve always known I would marry rich." (Amy March) That's a lot of pressure on someone so young. We heard some of Laurie's thoughts, mostly that he didn't think Amy should feel ashamed for wanting that. How would some of that pressure continue even after she got married, and what would Laurie say to make her realize they were in life together as a team and she didn’t have to suffer the weight of the world alone?

The conversation between Amy and Laurie in the painting studio showed just how level-headed and intelligent she was. Laurie, while not wholly agreeing, was respectful and didn't discount her thoughts. It would be interesting to see the impact on their story if Vaughn hadn't arrived, and this had played out more. Would the proposal have happened earlier and/or how would later scenes be altered as a result of further conversation?

What did the other characters think of Amy and Laurie's relationship, and how did it change after seeing them interact more as a couple? It would be interesting to read about Meg, Marmee, John, or some of the other characters realizing they were genuinely a good match for each other.

Post-canon, I'd love to get a glimpse of what kinds of conversations they had. Did Amy encourage Laurie to pursue a career and find what he was passionate about (music perhaps as Laurie mentioned writing an opera)? And similarly, did Laurie encourage Amy to pursue her art? Did they continue to have in-depth conversations about societal pressures and expectations of gender in certain economic classes?

Tenet:

Characters: The Protagonist, Kat, and Neil

Tenet is the first movie I've seen in theaters since Star Wars IX. There have been some mixed reviews, but my love for Christopher Nolan sci-fi films combined with the experience of stepping foot in a theater again made it a wonderful experience for me. Sure, the plot could be confusing at times, but it was fun trying to fit certain puzzle pieces together and oh so thrilling when things just clicked into place in the most satisfying ways.

I adored the dynamic between Neil and the Protagonist. The easy friendship, the banter, the suits... everything. I also loved the relationship between the Protagonist and Kat. It started off as each using the other but transformed into one of genuine care on both sides. Ever the romantic, I definitely saw something more than just friendship between the two and was slightly disappointed the movie didn't explore that aspect more.  

For pairings, I’m interested in friendships between all of the characters. I’d be interested in seeing a romantic relationship between Kat and the Protagonist if you’re up for that, but not between Neil and Kat, nor Neil and the Protagonist. If you really want to give a romantic partner to Neil, I'd be fine with Laura (or an original female character if she’s not the focus of the story), but please, no slash. While I’d be ecstatic to see all three characters together, if you can only find a way to fit in two, that’s wonderful as well!

Story ideas:

Even though Andrei Sator is gone, there are still other players in the game, some like Priya, who want to eliminate Kat or even abduct her with the delusional idea she can continue her husband's work. The Protagonist (and Neil, if you so choose) ensures no harm comes to her, and he realizes that keeping her at a distance may not have been the best idea.

I personally don't buy into the fan theory that Neil is Kat's son Max; however, I do find the idea intriguing and would be up for reading about how that worked. The Protagonist breaks his rule and sees Kat, helping to raise her son Max/Neil and eventually teaching him about inversion.

The Protagonist doesn't have to wait quite as long as he'd thought to see Neil again. It can be the Neil who had already met him and knows about Tenet or the Neil who knows nothing about inversion.

What conversations did Neil and Kat have while the Protagonist was asleep after almost freezing to death? Maybe Neil explained the finer workings of Tenet and inversion more in-depth. Perhaps they discussed the Protagonist. 

Clueless:

Characters: Cher Horowitz and Josh Lucas

This movie set the bar high for teen romantic comedies. How can anyone ever beat 90s Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd? Plus, the relationship between their two characters is fantastic. Josh and Cher just bring out the best in each other. Cher shows Josh that he doesn't need to be so serious all of the time and that people are more than their outer appearances. Josh makes Cher want to be a better person, and he believes that she's not just a pretty face. Their banter and playful moments always make me smile.

Story ideas:

Knowing Josh and Cher end up together, this brings a heightened awareness to rewatches. They have so many casual touches and exchanged glances (when did Paul Rudd's eyes get so blue?) that it's hard to miss their natural chemistry. It may take quite some time for Cher's dad to notice anything has changed because they don't act all that different from before. Is there something that makes him finally take notice? How does he react?

Sort of related to the last prompt, there's a moment where Josh decides to go to the dance to keep an eye on Cher and Christian, and you can tell by Mel Horowitz’s smirk he realizes Josh has a crush on Cher. Does he do anything to push it along or play matchmaker just like his daughter?

I've always been curious about whether or not Josh believes Cher's story about being assaulted in the car by Elton and then held at gunpoint. We skip over Josh pulling up to the phone booth and go straight to Cher already being in the car. How did Josh react when she reiterated the story, and does he instantly believe her, or does it take some convincing? I'd like to see if he comforts her and if they both go together to tell Cher's dad what happened.

Cher is obviously very intelligent socially, if not always so much academically. When it comes time to apply for college, what does she major in? And how is Josh a positive influence in Cher's life, encouraging her to be ambitious and not letting negative comments from guidance counselors or teachers dissuade her?

Things I don’t like:

Alternate Universes – For the specific fandoms that I picked, I really like the universes as they are. I’m definitely okay with deviations from canon, but please don’t make Little Women into a supernatural werewolf story or have Tenet take place in a mundane coffee shop setting. (I don’t mind Soulmate AUs or something similar because those can be incorporated into canon with little change to worldbuilding).

Non-Con/Rape/BDSM/Sexual Violence/Graphic Sex – I like my characters to be happy and everything within ships to be 100% consensual, no question about it (mentions of non-con if it occurred in canon is fine). I also prefer plot over porn, especially with one-shots.

OT3s – Two people per romantic relationship, please. Any more than that makes me uncomfortable.

Character Bashing - Unless a character is a bad guy in canon, I don’t want to read hundreds of words about how awful they are, especially if they are one of the characters that I requested. Don’t take it out on the characters. If you hate my pairings, just write gen.

Things I love:

Hurt/Comfort – There is nothing I love more than one character comforting another. The hurt can be physical, psychological, or both.  

Happy Endings – I’m all for the realistic endings… but if they could be plausible AND at least happy-ish, that would be amazing.

Expanded Scenes/Contorting Canon – Feel free to expand scenes and change up the canon to your heart’s content as long as it makes logical sense.

Humor/Banter/Snark – I thrive on this stuff.

Bonding/Building Relationships – Whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, I adore reading about two people growing closer together. When characters know each other so well that they can have conversations with just their eyes or anticipate the person’s next move (especially if it’s to the surprise/confusion of everyone around them), my shipper heart is thrilled.

Dark to Light – Seeing a character come out of a bad mindset or situation and get better is so satisfying.

Happy writing and I hope you get the Yuletide gift of your dreams!

- Maddy @mustlovemustypages (on Tumblr, Ao3, and FF.net)

[mercurysnitch]

Mother Mercury Part 4: So Take A Chance With Me, Let Me Romance With You

Summary: Important steps are taken in multiple relationships. More of Eve and Mel’s family life is revealed.

A/N: Yes, this fic is still alive! (Just...) After a very long hiatus during which I got a job, lived through one lockdown only to be plunged into a second one which still isn’t over nearly four months later, and utterly lost all inspiration for a while, I’ve finally finished this part (and persuaded myself to stop editing it). Yet again I’ve had to extend the part count, this part was supposed to run to the end of filming but I realised it was getting quite long enough as it was, so I split it into two. The next part’s maybe halfway done, so lord knows when that’ll be published, but hopefully soonish.

I’m not entirely sure about a couple of sections of this, but if I don’t publish it now I never will, and I really want to get to writing part 6 as soon as possible, so here you go. I’m also quite excited about finally sharing a couple of bits of Eve’s backstory that I haven’t been able to talk about yet because they were spoilers for this chapter.

A quick reminder if you’ve forgotten since the last chapter: this fic is based on the idea of Freddie having had a biological daughter via accidentally knocking up a woman while under the influence at a party. (If you’re just joining us, it’s mostly explained in part 3). If you don’t like that idea, move along now. Also, shoutout to @i-lay-my-life-before-queen, whose various Freddie fics were a big inspiration for this story.

Warnings: Discussion of age gap relationships, kids, Eve and her fam are meant to have cats but I forgot to write them in so they might have other pets next part, I have no idea what the word count is but it ain’t short

*******************************************************************************************The secret knowledge that there was a Mercury grandchild in their midst seemed to give the Bo Rhap cast a lift over the following weeks. This proved surprisingly useful, as those weeks were marked by a deterioration in working conditions on the set. The director, who'd seemed frequently out of sorts almost from the start of shooting, kept disappearing for longer and longer stretches, and when he was around the atmosphere was increasingly tense. Everyone tried to get on with their jobs, but the tension was utterly pervasive. 

Mel had even noticed a growing nervousness in the relative isolation of the costume department. Her boss Barbara tried to reassure her, but even she was worried. "We can't keep on like this, the ADs can't do it all themselves. Apparently Singer says he's been taking care of his mother, but I don't think anyone believes him." "Surely he has to be sacked?" Mel suggested. "I hope so" Barbara agreed. "Hopefully the producers can make the studio see sense and replace him before too long. I don't think anyone can take much more of this."

Privately Mel wondered whether Roger and Brian might be able to help. They were executive producers after all. Then again, would the studio listen if they raised concerns about the director? Mel suspected not, in normal circumstances. But she got the feeling plenty of people on the set would be voicing similar complaints before long. Perhaps Roger and Brian leading the charge would be enough to convince the studio take action. Mel only hoped something would be done sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, Mel and Ben could at least take comfort in each other. They’d quickly reached the point of spending nearly every night together, and now, after only a little over a month, Ben was wondering whether it was too soon for the ‘relationship’ conversation. He didn’t think it was, really, and he very much wanted to take the next step with Mel, small though it might be, but he was still plagued by nagging doubt about the age gap between them.

Ben tried very hard to keep his mind on work while he was on set, but the combination of a light day and an impending date that would be a very good opportunity for that important conversation had left him very preoccupied. He managed to get through the few takes he had to shoot without incident, but he knew the rest of the band could tell something was up even before he took the first possible opportunity to escape to his trailer during the break. He was hoping to be able to brood in peace, but that idea went out the window when he bumped into Roger en route. Normally this would have been a welcome coincidence, but today Ben was not in the mood. Not that Roger noticed.

“Ben! Just the man I was looking for. Just wanted to see how you’re going with the preparation for that next performance scene coming up. It’s a pretty straightforward song, but there’s a couple of…” The older man trailed off when he noticed his portrayer wasn’t listening. “Earth to Ben? You still here?” Ben started at the sound of his name. ‘Wha-? Oh, sorry, spaced out for a minute there.” Roger chuckled. “Yeah, just a bit.” There was silence as Ben realised they’d arrived at his trailer. “D’you wanna come in, chat in the warmth?” he offered. “Thanks” Roger replied, following through the door. The second Ben closed it Roger rounded on him.

“Right, what’s going on?” “What?” Ben was confused. “Something’s bothering you” Roger explained. Suddenly he softened slightly. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but talking about it might help.” Ben hesitated. He did want to spill his guts about his dilemma, but he wasn’t sure Roger was the best choice of confidant. So he stalled. “How can you tell?” “That you’re worrying? You were obviously miles away before, you weren’t actually hiding it” Roger explained. Ben was suddenly ashamed. “Sorry.” “It’s fine” Roger assured him. “So, what’s on your mind? Is it that prick of a director? I can talk to-” “No, no, it’s not work” Ben said unthinkingly. His eyes widened when he realised what he’d just said. “Oh shit.” He’d really done it now: Roger suddenly looked very interested, and perhaps a touch… was that really concern in his eyes?

“Not work…” Roger echoed wonderingly. “Love life then?” He smiled as he saw a flicker of alarm cross Ben’s face. “Ah, definitely love life.” “If… if I tell you will you keep it secret?” Ben asked nervously, eyes wide with worry. “Of course” Roger assured him. “Now, spill. It’ll help, truly.” Ben sighed. “Well, alright then.”

“The thing is, well, me and Mel are… going out, I suppose” he explained. Roger smiled triumphantly. “I knew it, I knew there was something-”“It’s been a month now” Ben went on, ignoring Roger’s crowing. “And I want to be official, but I just… I’m not sure.” Roger was puzzled. “Why not?” “Because of the age gap” Ben clarified. “I’m worried it’s too much. She’s only 21, and I’m… nearly 27 really, and I just… I don’t know.”

Roger stared at him. “That’s not actually much of a gap, you know.” “Well it feels like one” Ben countered grumpily. “I’m sure it does” Roger soothed. “But why does it bother you so much?” Ben looked at Roger as if he was mystified at the older man’s lack of understanding.“An older man with a younger woman’s supposed to be bad, isn’t it?” “You’re asking the wrong bloke, mate” Roger chuckled. Ben suddenly looked horrified. “Oh lord, I forgot, I didn’t mean-” “It’s fine, I know what you meant” Roger assured him. “I used to hear it a lot, when I started seeing Debbie. She was only 25, you know, and I was nearly 40.” “That… 21 and 27 seems like nothing next to that” Ben mused. “It’s not nothing” Roger assured him. “But it seems like more of a gap because she’s so young.” “More of a gap?” Ben questioned. Roger nodded. “Look, if you heard about a 27-year-old woman and her 33-year-old boyfriend the age difference would hardly register, would it?” “I s’pose not” Ben agreed.

“But you know why people get worked up about young women and older men? They worry the men are taking advantage of their younger immature partners who won't fight them because they don't know any better.” Suddenly Roger peered seriously at Ben. “Now, does Mel seem like a girl who’s easily led into doing things?” “No” Ben declared. “I’m not sure anyone could ever force her to do something if she didn’t want to do it.” Roger grinned. “Thought so.” “I’d never try to, either” Ben added defiantly. “Of course not” Roger agreed. “So, you know there’s no… unhealthy power dynamic, shall we say, and she's not overly immature, is she?” Ben grinned. “Definitely not. She’s a lot more mature than I was at 21. Maybe even more than I am now…” “Women mature earlier” Roger replied, nodding sagely. “Anyway, there’s clearly nothing wrong there, so why not take things further?” “But people might say-” Ben protested. “Oh, bugger that” Roger interrupted. “People say a lot of things, most of them absolute rubbish, there’s no point listening to any of them.” Ben knew, in his heart, Roger spoke the truth.

“Look Ben, you’re not wrong to think about these things, but I know you’re not the sort of man to try and push a woman around” Roger pointed out. “And I’ve seen you and Mel together, you…” Suddenly his voice softened, and he looked at Ben fondly. “You’ve got something special there. I think. If I were you, I wouldn't want to give that up so easily” Ben smiled, significantly reassured. “Thanks Roger.”

That very evening Ben and Mel had dinner at his flat, and a very important conversation. Mel was absolutely thrilled to officially be Ben’s girlfriend, and shared almost none of his concerns about the age gap. Much to Ben’s relief, she was happy to take things slowly from hereon in, though she was a little surprised at his request.

“It’s not you” he assured her. “I just… my last relationship I was with her for nine years, and we only broke up at the start of this year, I wasn’t looking for this to happen again so soon. But…” “I know” Mel said softly. “Neither was I.” There was a slightly awkward pause as they reflected on the unexpected events of the last few months. 

“Can I- Can I ask what happened?” Mel asked hesitantly. “I mean, nine years…” “It’s ok” Ben reassured her. “We were teenagers when we got together” he explained. “Kids really. It was good for a while, but we just sort of… grew in different directions. Too different, in the end.” 

“Well that’s…” Mel wasn’t quite sure what to say. She almost felt bad for even asking, but Ben assured her it was only human to be curious about these things. Even so, a distinct awkwardness had settled in the air, but fortunately Mel was soon able to change the subject.

“As we’re… official… now, how would you feel about meeting my family?” Ben was surprised. “Isn’t it a bit soon for that?” “Maybe,” Mel shrugged. “But we’ve got the Thanksgiving break coming up, and we always have a big family supper then, it’d be nice if you were there.” Ben was still uncertain. “As long as you think I won’t be intruding, or anything…” “You won’t” Mel assured him. “Besides, you’ve already met my mum, it’s not like you’re a total stranger.” “I s’pose not” Ben agreed, grinning.

He paused, suddenly thoughtful. “Why do you mark Thanksgiving, though? It’s not a British holiday.” “No” Mel agreed. “Have you heard of a guy called Joe Fanelli?” she asked. Ben nodded. “He was one of the ones who lived with Freddie, wasn’t he? The… chef, or something.” “Well, he was American” Mel explained. “He introduced the others to the tradition, and then Jim and my mum sort of kept it up.” Mel’s expression rapidly grew sad. “Joe died of AIDS too, only months after Freddie” she said softly. “The first year they decided to do a dinner to commemorate him… it was around Freddie’s anniversary too, it was always a time they wanted to be together.”

“I’d forgotten about that anniversary” Ben commented. “It’s Gwil’s birthday too, we might be busy that day…” “Poor Gwil” Mel joked. “Mum should be alright though, Vi’ll make sure she’s with her.” “Vi?” Ben echoed. “Mum’s wife” Mel explained. Ben looked shocked. “Wife?” Mel smiled mischievously. “Did you really expect Freddie Mercury to produce a straight child?” she quipped. Ben couldn’t help grinning; she had a point. His smile vanished when he noticed how Mel was looking at him, almost pleading with her eyes.

“Will you come then?” she asked softly. “To Thanksgiving supper?” “Of course” Ben told her, smiling reassuringly. Suddenly his expression shifted to a look of near-panic. Mel was instantly concerned. “What’s wrong?” “You’re not expecting to meet my family any time soon, are you?” he questioned. Mel shrugged. “Not if you don’t want me to. I mean, of course I want to, but I’m happy to wait if you’re not ready.” Ben exhaled in relief. “Oh good.” Mel suddenly glared at him. “I do want to introduce you to them at some point” he hurriedly clarified. “But I'm not ready to just yet, and I don't think they are either." "You don't think they're ready to meet me yet?" Mel questioned. "Why?" Ben sighed.

“It’s just… my ex, I was with her for so long, they all thought I was gonna marry her” he explained. “They really wanted me to marry her, actually. My parents absolutely loved her, I think they're still getting over the fact that she's not going to be their daughter-in-law.” “So you think they might not be entirely ready to hear you’ve found someone new” Mel suggested. Ben nodded. “I actually haven’t even told them about you yet.”

Mel grinned. "Should I be worried?" Ben shook his head. "No, no, they'll be fine" he assured her. "I just… this is still pretty new, y'know, I don't want my mum getting overexcited about us too early." Mel nodded. "That's understandable. I mean, I hope this lasts, but it has only been a month. And I know you've just agreed to meet my family, but I think Mum's planning to get you all round for tea at some point, so you'd be meeting them sooner or later anyway.” "I suppose.” Ben agreed. Suddenly he smiled softly. “By the way, I hope this lasts too."

Later, having finished dinner with much less serious chatter, Ben and Mel agreed that, happy though they were, it would be best to continue keeping their relationship quiet for the time being. This was exactly the kind of news that would travel extremely fast on the set, and Mel had absolutely no desire to find out what her bosses would say if they knew she was in a relationship with one of the stars of the movie. Ben was almost certain it wouldn't actually be an issue, but he knew if word did get out he wouldn't be the one bearing the brunt of any consequences. And he wouldn't put it past Singer to be an asshole about normally inconsequential things like on-set relationships.

Both Ben and Mel wondered whether their buoyant moods and satisfied smiles would give them away at work the next day. Fortunately, the attention of the rest of the band was diverted by the twin distractions of yet more unpleasantness from the director, and another set visitor.

Rami had assured Eve she would be welcome to stop by any time, but since her first fateful visit a month ago she simply hadn’t been able to find the time for another, until now. Naturally, Rami was thrilled to see her. “Eve! You made it!” She could see his grin from a mile away as she approached the wardrobe van. She trotted over eagerly, but when she got close enough to see his outfit she stopped in her tracks.

Rami was wearing the moustache today, and a short wig. For a moment, Eve thought she was seeing things. She’d known there was a resemblance, of course, but this was like looking into a time warp. “Are you alright?” Rami’s concerned voice cut through her reverie, breaking the spell. Eve suddenly realised she was getting teary. “I’m fine, I just… I never realised how much you look like him, with the moustache and all” she said, rather awed. Rami was confused. “But… you’ve seen me in costume before?” he questioned. “The glam rock days were before my time though” Eve explained. “But the 80s look… that’s the Papa I knew.” Understanding suddenly dawned on Rami’s face. “Oh of course. I, uh… Sorry?” “Don’t be” Eve assured him. “You’re doing nothing wrong.” Rami’s expression suddenly grew more thoughtful. “I just hope I can do him proud.” Eve smiled. “Oh, you will.”

Eve was quickly sent back to Rami’s trailer to see the rest of the band. She wasn’t terribly surprised to see her daughter there too, sitting apparently very comfortably on Ben’s lap. Mel was of course pleased to see her mother, though she couldn’t quite shake the feeling she and Ben were on the brink of being revealed to the rest of the band. Perhaps she shouldn’t have sat in his lap, but then nobody else had batted an eyelid at their apparent cosiness. At any rate her mother had shot her a wry glance when she noticed where her daughter was sitting, but said nothing. Maybe we'll get away with it this time, Mel thought to herself.

The band all greeted Eve warmly when she arrived, and they were soon chatting happily about all the happenings she’d missed on-set, good and bad. Mel wasn’t surprised to see her mother grow incensed at the way the director had been behaving in recent weeks. “All that and they still haven’t sacked him?” she exclaimed. “He’s on thin ice now” Rami assured her. “One more disappearance’ll probably get him fired.” “We live in hope” Joe quipped. “This is a good movie, but boy am I glad it’s nearly Thanksgiving, I am so ready for a break.” Eve smiled. “Looking forward to the holiday, then?” Joe nodded. "So much."

Still smiling, she turned to her daughter. “The little ones are so excited about the big dinner this weekend, they’ve been missing their big sister.” “I’ve been missing them too” Mel told her. “I’ve just been so busy lately… it’s been too long since I’ve been home.” Suddenly Mel noticed the rest of the group eyeing her curiously, apparently unsure whether to speak. Eventually, Ben cleared his throat, breaking the sudden silence.  

“Ah, the little ones?” he asked casually, not wanting to sound too interested in Mel’s personal life in front of the others. “My other kids” Eve explained. “They’re a lot younger than her, so she’s always been the big one and they’re the little ones.” There was a sudden outbreak of nods of understanding, before Rami spoke up. “So, how old are they?” “Well, my son just turned eight and my other daughter is three” Eve told him, her face alight with affection.

“That is little” Gwilym commented sympathetically. “Yeah, but she’s very sweet” Mel assured him. “Most of the time” Eve quipped. Meanwhile, Joe was smiling slightly. “Eight’s a cool age though, I bet your son’s getting into sports and stuff now” he said, half-questioningly. “Yeah, he’s becoming a big football fan lately” Eve agreed, grinning though she sounded almost regretful. "I’ve never been that interested in it, actually, but my wife’s football-mad, so she’s pretty happy."

A slight ripple of shock went through the group at Eve’s reference to a wife, apart from Ben, who desperately hoped his lack of surprise at this revelation wasn’t too conspicuous. Eve herself was simply amused at the effect of her words. “You know, I honestly forgot that you lot didn’t know about Vi” she commented. “It’s fine” Gwilym assured her. “We just weren’t expecting it is all.” Eve grinned. “Given who my father was it shouldn’t have been that surprising” she quipped, to general murmurs of agreement. “But never mind that now.”

She paused, turning towards Rami. “I’m guessing all the Americans are going home for Thanksgiving?” Rami nodded. “Yeah, why?” Eve smiled. “I was going to say that if anyone was feeling lonely over the break, they’d be most welcome to spend it with us” she said kindly. “But I suppose everyone’s accounted for already.” “Pretty much” Rami confirmed. “Ah well, I’ll have to have you all round for tea some other time” Eve declared ruefully. Mel surreptitiously flashed Ben a look that quite clearly said 'I told you so.' The others merely smiled. “That’s very kind of you” Gwilym commented. “Perhaps we could make it a celebration, when the film wraps.” The others nodded, murmuring enthusiastically. “Good idea” Eve agreed.

“In the meantime, if any of you have any questions or anything, do feel free to ask” she added. “I have one” Joe said, rather uncertainly. “Do you know John Deacon at all?” 

Both Eve and Mel instantly cracked near-identical knowing grins. Joe stared at them suspiciously. “What?” “We know him very well” Mel told him calmly, evidently enjoying Joe’s confusion. 

“He and Veronica are practically my other parents” Eve explained. “When Papa died he sort of entrusted me to them. Well, to John, mostly.” “Entrusted?” Joe questioned. “He knew I needed a father figure, and he gave John the job” Eve clarified. “John and Veronica raised me just as much as Mum and Papa.”

Suddenly Eve smiled mischievously. “And then I repaid them by having a baby at 16 who they also practically raised.”

Joe grinned as understanding finally dawned. “That’s how Luke knows you, isn’t it?” he asked Mel, who smiled fondly. “Yeah, I sort of grew up with him and Cameron” she explained. Joe nodded as he turned back to Eve, uncharacteristically nervous.“Could I… could we, I mean…?” “Talk about Uncle John?” Eve suggested. “Of course. Let’s have lunch some time so we can chat properly, it could be a very long conversation.” Joe grinned with relief he hadn’t been shot down. “Thank you” he said simply, before his jaw suddenly dropped as the full details of Eve's response finally registered. 

“Wait, ‘Uncle John’?” “I told you, we’re very close” Eve explained, with a slight laugh at Joe’s surprised expression. “Now, does anyone else have any other questions while I’m here?”

There was a pause while the rest of the cast considered the offer, before Lucy cautiously spoke up. “D’you have anything to do with Mary Austin, ever?” “Not anymore” Eve said darkly. 

“So you did once?” Lucy questioned. “She used to visit a lot, when I was a kid” Eve clarified. “Looking back I think Papa probably wanted us to be close, but I’m not sure she ever did.” Lucy was surprised. "She wasn't… did you get on with her, at least?" "Oh, she was perfectly nice to me when Papa was around" Eve said airily. "And, I mean, I was a child, I took everything at face value then. But after Papa died, and I got a bit older, I started to realise a bit more about what she'd been up to, even back then." 

"What she'd been up to?" Lucy echoed. "I think she always sort of resented me" Eve explained. "Obviously she knew none of this was my fault, but I think I still reminded her of all the things she would never have with Papa, …everything she'd thought they'd have together, before he realised the truth."

Lucy was taken aback. “That’s… actually quite sad, really” she said thoughtfully. “I just wonder, you know, I’ve heard such different things… some people say she was just very devoted to Freddie, but then often she’s painted as quite selfish, happily using the connection to her own advantage.” 

Eve nodded. “Oh yes, she’s definitely not the devoted angel some people seem to portray her as.” Lucy merely nodded, but Rami was honestly a bit shocked. “She’s not?” he questioned. “But I always thought they loved each other very deeply?” “Oh they did, very much” Eve confirmed. “But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t capable of getting nasty to other people.” 

“Can I ask how nasty?” Lucy said gently. “I’m sorry if that’s a bit forward of me, it’s just I’ve heard a few rumours about things she did after Freddie died, but no-one seems to know exactly what went on…” “It’s fine dear, I don’t mind” Eve reassured her. “Don’t share this around, but she tried very hard to challenge Papa’s will.” 

The others were baffled. “Why would she do that, though?” Gwilym asked. “Because Papa left a lot of his estate to me” Eve said simply. “And she felt she was owed a bigger share than she was given.” “Owed?” Lucy echoed. “For everything she’d lived through with him” Eve clarified. “This is just my opinion, of course, but in hindsight I think some part of her always blamed Papa for things not working out between them. Even so, she was happy enough being the most important woman in his life, until I came along and knocked her down a spot. So in her view he owed it to her to give her something to make up for her suffering.” Eve’s voice was laced with contempt. 

Lucy’s curiosity, meanwhile, was thoroughly piqued. “When you say she felt owed something…was she after something in particular?” she asked Eve. “She wanted the house” Eve revealed. “I was only eleven, so I couldn’t actually own it for several years, but Papa and Miami had set up a trust to hold everything until I came of age. At any rate Papa’s wishes were very clear, but Mary claimed that Papa had told her she would get the house and I would get the money, or something.” 

Eve suddenly smirked. “Needless to say, Miami knew it was utter rubbish” she explained. “So then she tried to say he’d wanted her to live in the house until I inherited it, because she had a 'proper family' or something but that didn’t work either.” Suddenly Eve sighed. “Eventually she started threatening to challenge the will in court” she said sadly. “My mum never liked Mary much, actually, but I don't think I fully understood why until she did that.” 

“So what happened?” Lucy asked, utterly intrigued. “It never went to court” Eve revealed. “Mary had absolutely no proof of anything being wrong with the will, no lawyer would touch it." "And the house?" Rami asked. Eve grinned. "Is mine to this day."

The band, Allen, and Lucy exchanged amazed looks. Meanwhile, Mel cracked a Cheshire Cat grin, knowing what they were all thinking. “So that means… you're the mysterious 'Lady of Garden Lodge' Rami marvelled. 

Eve looked so baffled at this he immediately felt the need to explain. "I read a bunch of articles for research, some of the more recent ones talk about the situation with the house now, the bits they've heard at least." Eve nodded in understanding. "I know dear, I'm just surprised you'd heard any of that stuff." 

Rami shrugged. “Oh, you know, I wanted to read all I could, it’s all useful.” Eve snorted. “I doubt the bits from the tabloids were terribly helpful.” “Not so much” Rami conceded. “But it’s still… I don’t know, I found it interesting seeing how they tended to present him, how it changed over the years.” At that Eve smiled mischievously. “Yes, I know. What fascinates me is the fact none of them have ever quite managed to put all the pieces together and guess who I actually am.”

“Surely that’s a good thing though, if you can stay anonymous and live a normal life” Gwilym pointed out. “It is” Eve agreed. “But it means I’m always wondering whether today’s the day someone gets a photo of me, or sees something, and works it all out. And any time I see Papa in the tabloids again I have to look, just to see if they’ve finally got the real story this time.” The others were rather taken aback at this. They’d never really considered what it would be like to live with a secret like Eve’s.

“I hate to say this,” Rami said, sounding distinctly uncomfortable, “but if this movie does as well as they’re hoping, it might mean…” He trailed off, unsure how to word what he wanted to say. “It might mean what?” Eve asked urgently. “It might mean more interest in Freddie, from the public” Rami explained. “Which would also mean-” “More interest from the tabloids” Eve completed. “I realise that’s a possibility” she assured him. “And I’ve got contingency plans set up if need be. If the secret does get out, I’ll be alright.”

Rami was reassured, but he also realised he’d never really considered the broader implications of making a movie to put Queen back in the public consciousness. Of course, the movie could still flop, it wasn’t even finished shooting yet, but deep down he really did think it could do well once it was completed. And he was beginning to wonder, if it was a hit, just how much it would affect everyone’s lives.

The next day marked the final day of shooting before the break. That evening, Ben stayed over at Mel’s to celebrate. But she had some slightly unexpected news. 

“Mum told me to tell you Luke and Cameron Deacon are coming to supper tomorrow” she announced over dinner. “Okay” Ben replied uncertainly. “Should I be worried?” he joked. “No, no, they just want to get to know you” Mel assured him. Ben smiled gratefully before growing thoughtful. 

“So it’s just your family and them tomorrow, no other guests I should know about?” Mel nodded. “Yeah, just them. All the Deacons have a standing invitation, but the rest of the kids are all busy, and Uncle John’s never in a social mood in late November…” Ben hoped he didn’t look too relieved at this news. “Oh, of course not.” Suddenly Mel smiled knowingly. “You will get to meet him eventually” she told Ben. “But I don’t think we’re at that point just yet.” “There’s no rush” Ben assured her.

The following day was largely spent relaxing at Mel's place, both Ben and Mel luxuriating in not needing to be anywhere for a change. Ben rather liked Mel’s house. He always enjoyed coming downstairs of a morning, padding into the kitchen, and being able to look out into the garden over his first coffee of the day, and that morning was no exception. 

He'd gotten as far as sitting at the dining table with his cereal, looking over the living room and trying to ignore the fluffy white cat staring at him from the next chair, when Mel joined him. She smiled when she spotted the cat.

"I see you've got company already." "I think Mab'd rather I wasn't here, honestly" Ben commented. "No, no, she likes you a lot" Mel assured him. "She's just… trying to work you out." Ben smiled slightly. "Does she like me as much as her human does?" he joked. Mel grinned. "Almost" she quipped. "But I think her human likes you juuust a bit more."

Their banter was suddenly interrupted by loud purring emanating from beneath the table. Strangely, Mab hadn't moved from her prime perch. Mel, totally unphased, reached under the table to pat the sleek black cat rubbing himself on her legs. "Morning Jupiter" she said cheerfully. But Jupiter withdrew from her hand almost immediately, leaping onto the chair at the end of the table, directly opposite Ben. "Not in a parting mood today" Mel commented. Ben smiled. "Ah well, at least he's happy to look at me now." "He's come a long way" Mel agreed.

Jupiter had taken a while to warm up to Ben. The first time the blond stayed over he'd taken one look at the strange new person and fled upstairs, remaining in his bed in the study on the top floor of the house until Ben finally left the next morning. It had taken another two visits before he would finally choose to stay in the lounge room while Ben and Mel were watching the telly together. Even now he tended to keep his distance, though he would happily greet the couple if they arrived home together.

After breakfast the day wandered on in a lazy, unhurried sort of way. However, as the afternoon drew on Ben was increasingly aware of the time, keen to make a good impression by not being late to supper. Mel, though, wasn't phased. "We don't have far to go, it's only round the corner" she reassured Ben. “I know” he told her. “I’m just being nervous and paranoid, I’ll be fine.” 

As he started to busy himself getting ready for the evening a thought occurred to him. "Say, why are you so close to your mum's? Is that just coincidence or-?" "It's not coincidence" Mel told him. "This used to be my gran's house, she left it to me when she died." "Your gran’s house?” Ben echoed. 

Mel nodded. “She and Mum lived with Freddie for a few years, but after he got sick and the paparazzi started hanging around, they had to move out” she explained. “But Freddie wanted them close by so it would be easy for him to see Mum as much as possible in the time he had left, so he bought this place for them.” Ben’s jaw dropped. 

“I knew he was generous, but a house?” he marvelled. Mel grinned. “Yeah. But he and Miami arranged it so it was his money, but the house was in Gran’s name.” Ben looked baffled. “Less conspicuous that way” Mel added hurriedly. “Wouldn’t raise as many awkward questions if people found out.” Ben nodded, considering the recent revelations.

“She renovated it a bit, later on” Mel reminisced. Ben nodded. “I noticed.” The first time he visited he'd realised the open plan kitchen and living room must have been the product of a later redesign of the old row house.

“I think once Mum took over the big house, after I came along, she realised she wanted her own space, set up the way she wanted” Mel mused. “She was always happy to have me round though.” She smiled. “I just about moved in when I did my A-levels. Lavender was born that year, I was a bit desperate for some peace and quiet.” "So the spare room used to be yours, then?" Ben asked. "No, I had the room up the top" Mel explained. "So I could stay separate from the other goings-on in the house while I was studying."

By the time they were ready to go Ben had managed to calm most of his nerves. But as they began the short walk to Eve’s house a worrying thought occurred to him. “Hey love, I’m about to meet your family but you’ve said nothing about your dad all week” he pointed out, trying to sound casual. Mel looked him over curiously. “My father,” she said pointedly, "won’t be there tonight, if that’s what you’re wondering." 

Ben was slightly surprised at this. Though he'd never asked, he got the impression Eve had split up with Mel's father many years ago. However, he knew so little about Mel's family that he wasn't at all clear on the kind of relationship she and Eve might have with her father.

“He won’t?” he asked curiously. “He’s not in our lives any more” Mel clarified. “He left Mum when I was only a baby which could've been fine, but then he fucked off to New York when I was eight and I’ve hardly seen him since.” “That’s really shit” Ben sympathised. Mel shrugged. “True, but he was barely around even before he left, I mean, he left for uni when I was only a year old” she explained. “It didn’t make much difference to me, really.” 

Ben was still considering the implications of this when Mel’s irritated voice cut through his thoughts. “Look, can we talk about something else, I really don't want to think about my father tonight." Ben smiled apologetically. "Of course. I'm sorry I brought him up now." Mel smiled reassuringly. "It's okay" she told Ben. "You couldn't have known what you were wading into." 

At this point Ben was mildly surprised to find they were almost at the threshold of Garden Lodge. “It’ll be fine, you’ll be a hit” Mel said encouragingly, spotting his nervous expression. Ben wasn’t so sure, but there was nothing to be done about that now. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Eve beamed when she let the happy couple in. “Welcome to the manor” she joked. Mel immediately started asking about her younger siblings, but Ben stared around, trying not to be too overawed by the period splendour surrounding him. It was… well, it was definitely fancy, but still stylish, rather than ostentatious. 

He was shaken from his reverie by a nudge from his smirking girlfriend. “Nice, isn’t it?” “Yeah, it’s… I was expecting it to be a bit, you know… but it’s very, um, elegant” he agreed. Eve smiled. “Thank you, dear.”

She led the guests through the house to the main sitting room, where the rest of the family was waiting. Ben had barely registered the three figures standing by an antique sofa when a little girl with long sandy hair came barrelling towards Mel. 

“Mellie!” she cried happily, only to stop short when she noticed Ben. “Who’s dat?” she asked, suddenly uncertain. Mel immediately swooped down to pick her up. “Lavvie, darling, it’s alright, this is my friend Ben” she explained, settling the child against her chest. “This is Lavender” she added quietly to Ben. “She’s a bit shy with new people.” “Hello Lavender” Ben said gently. Lavender smiled shyly at him, but quickly turned away, burying her head in Mel’s shoulder.

Meanwhile Ben’s attention was quickly drawn by Eve clearing her throat. He looked up to find her standing next to a tallish woman with a friendly face and fine golden-brown hair cropped short, who was accompanied by a dark-haired boy who was evidently at the awkward in-between 'older kid' stage, not quite on the threshold of adolescence just yet, but clearly no longer a little kid either.

“This is my wife, Violet, and our son, Jamie” Eve introduced. Ben smiled as he shook Violet’s hand. “Pleasure.” “It’s lovely to finally meet you” Violet said warmly. “I’ve heard plenty about you.” “All good things” Mel assured him, noting his worried expression. “I’m glad” Ben joked, moving over to shake Jamie's hand. 

Jamie shook politely while regarding Ben with curiosity. "D'you like football?" he asked. "I do" Ben told him. Jamie smiled. "Who's your team, then?" "West Ham" Ben replied. "Oh, they're rubbish" Jamie declared, clearly dissatisfied with Ben's answer. Mel smiled apologetically at her boyfriend, who merely gave her hand a quick squeeze to assure her he was fine as he continued the conversation. 

He did feel slightly out of place, not having much experience with kids, but Jamie was quite chatty, and clearly enjoying the attention. At any rate the time passed very quickly, and it wasn't long before the doorbell rang again and Eve was leading the two youngest Deacon children into the sitting room.

Ben was slightly nervous when they were introduced, knowing Mel considered them both her big brothers. He'd already met Luke, of course, albeit briefly, and he wasn't sure he'd made a particularly good first impression that day. Luke, though, greeted him warmly, and it was soon clear that Cameron was just as friendly and welcoming. Nonetheless, Ben couldn't quite shake the impression they were here in large part to scrutinise the new boyfriend, though they were evidently quite happy to socialise with the rest of the family too.

It wasn't long before Violet ducked off to check on the food, which was Eve's cue to start leading everyone to the dining room. Luke took the opportunity to chat to Ben alone while the others were preoccupied. 

"You know, I was a bit surprised when I heard you'd be here" he said casually. "You were?" Ben questioned. "Didn't think you two were that serious" Luke clarified. "I asked Joe about you and Mel, actually, that day I saw him, and he didn't even think you were a thing… yet." Ben raised an eyebrow. "Yet?" 

"Joe's words, not mine" Luke told him, shrugging. "Well, he wasn't wrong" Ben commented. "We went on our first date the night before you visited." Luke grinned. "Did Joe know about that?" Ben shook his head. "No, and he still doesn't, actually." "Well don't worry, I wouldn't dream of exposing you both like that" Luke assured him.

Luke took a breath. "Look, I'm not here to do the whole overprotective big brother bit, you know." "You're not?" Ben echoed, surprised. "No" Luke confirmed. "Mel's a big girl, she can handle herself. And you must know she's quite capable of destroying you all by herself if you are stupid enough to hurt her." "I… suppose I do know that" Ben said thoughtfully. 

Luke smiled slightly. "I think you're smarter than that, though" he said. "So I just wanted to say, it seems like Mel sees a proper future with you, a-" "So do I" Ben admitted, cutting Luke off. "We haven't been together long, I know, but I can already see it." Luke's smile grew at Ben's confession. "Good. I hope it works out, truly."  

Ben was relieved that Luke seemed to like him, but he didn't have time to dwell on their conversation as he was soon finding his place at the enormous mahogany dining table. Naturally he went to sit next to Mel, which meant he found himself down one end, next to Violet at the head of the table. Luke was sitting opposite, a move Ben was quite sure wasn't a coincidence, with Cameron next to him. Ben felt slightly awkward sitting opposite the Deacons, but fortunately the conversation flowed easily.

Cameron was very curious about film-making in general, and Ben’s career in particular. “So, what else’ve you done? Anything I might have seen?” he asked cheerfully. “You do look a bit familiar, actually.” Ben suppressed a groan at the inevitable appearance of his least favourite question, knowing Cameron meant no harm. 

“Um, I was in X-men Apocalypse?” he suggested. Cameron shook his head. “Haven’t got around to watching it yet” he explained. Ben smiled reassuringly. “Well, I’ve been in a few things, but that was the biggest, so if you haven’t seen it…” “There’s one thing he probably has seen” Mel piped up, smiling mischievously. Ben wasn’t quite following. “Yeah?” 

“He was on EastEnders for a while” she told Cameron and Luke. “Omigod, really?” Cameron gabbled exicitedly. Ben let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah, I was… I played Peter Beale.” Cameron was very excited at this revelation, which served only to make Ben feel even more disappointed. 

Mel patted his hand reassuringly. “He means well, darling” she murmured. “I know” Ben sighed. “I just wish that bloody soap wasn’t the only thing people knew me from, it just makes them think of me as 'the hot one'.” “Everyone who matters knows you're much more than that, darling" Mel assured him. "Besides, with a bit of luck they’ll all know you as Roger soon."

Fortunately the others soon started chatting about their own work, and the rest of the dinner passed quite enjoyably. The grownups were all very welcoming to Ben, and Jamie chattered away about football, school and all his other current interests, clearly enjoying having a few big boys around for a change. Lavender too had warmed up in the presence of more familiar adults, gabbling happily to whoever would listen.

In seemingly almost no time at all, the dessert dishes were being cleared away and the adults were apparently gearing up to leave the table. "What's going on?" Ben whispered to Mel. "Next tradition" she explained. "The littlies need to get to bed soon, but they want to join in with this first." Ben suddenly realised everyone else was leaving the room. "Where are we-?" "The music room" Mel told him. "Just… follow my lead, yeah?"

Ben nodded his assent as she led him away from the dining room to one of the smaller rooms towards the back of the house. Its' main feature was a gleaming, full-sized grand piano. "Was that… his?" Ben asked, in an undertone. "Yep, it was Papa's" Mel confirmed cheerfully. "He taught Mum on it, and then she taught me, when I was little." “Wow” Ben marvelled. His reverie was soon interrupted by Eve coming to stand by the piano stool, just as Mel led him to sit on cushions on the floor, next to Luke.

Eve smiled at the assembled company. “Alright Jamie, Lavender, it’s nearly bedtime, but you’ve got time for one song each. Which ones do you want today?” “One, doo, free, four!” Lavender cried, clapping her hands with glee. Eve agreed easily, but Ben was utterly baffled at what was going on until Mel retrieved a guitar from a corner behind the piano, and handed it to Luke, who tuned it up and began picking out the cords to ‘All Together Now’ from Yellow Submarine. And then Mel started to sing, and Ben was utterly amazed.

She sounded a fair bit like Freddie, undoubtedly, but she clearly had her own sound too. Ben couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard a better singer. She looked at him once she finished, and he absolutely beamed at her.

“We started her on the Beatles recently” Mel explained quietly. “She’s been obsessed with that song ever since.” “You didn’t tell me you could sing!” Ben marvelled. Mel smiled. “You never asked, darling.” Mel started to explain that singing together was something she’d always done with her mum, and it was their little tradition to sing together at Thanksgiving in Freddie’s memory, but she was called up to the piano before she could finish.

Jamie had asked for something called ‘Leeroy Brown’, a title Ben thought sounded vaguely familiar, though he didn’t think he knew the song. Violet got up too, to sit with Eve at the piano, and when Eve started to play Ben was shocked to hear the couple harmonising in the choruses behind Mel’s wonderful voice. He didn’t recognise the song, as it turned out, but it was a fun honky-tonk sort of song, and he picked up the singalong chorus quickly enough. Though he did feel slightly embarrassed at his lack of prowess in the midst of so many excellent musicians. 

When the song finished he had to resist the impulse to applaud. But all too soon all eyes were on him. “Ben, you’re the newbie” Eve said kindly. “Any requests, before the junior choir has to retire for the evening?” Ben blushed slightly. 

“Uhh… could you play something by Queen?” “Most of the back catalogue, actually” Eve quipped, smiling. “But let’s see, what sounds good with just the piano… ooh, I know. You ready?” she asked Mel. “When you are” Mel confirmed. “Alright. Ben, I think you might know this one actually” Eve told him.

There was a slight pause before she started plunking out a very familiar repeating note. Ben smiled in recognition just as Mel came in with “She keeps her Moet et Chandon,…” Again, Eve and Violet harmonised on backing vocals when appropriate. Ben found himself fighting the urge to bounce his leg in time with the beat, one he’d been playing quite a lot recently. And he couldn't quite stop himself singing along with the chorus.

When he wasn't joining in, he was watching Mel intently, and very much enjoying himself. She seemed very comfortable in front of an audience, and Ben was struck by how much her stage manner, as it were, reminded him of the videos he'd been watching of Freddie performing in the early glam rock days. Not in a deliberate way, there was just something about the way she moved, the cheeky faces she made while singing, that very distinctly resembled Freddie's particular brand of showmanship. 

All too soon, the song was over. Mel returned to a grinning Ben as Violet declared it was bedtime for the children. Jamie immediately protested that he should be allowed to stay awake longer as he was so much older than Lavender.

"That was amazing!" Ben gushed. Mel smiled bashfully."Oh, thanks darling." "No, really, you're amazing" Ben insisted. "And your whole family is… Well, your mum I sort of expected I suppose, but Violet can sing too?" He was deeply impressed, but Mel seemed unfazed. "That's actually how they met" she said quietly. "Mum joined a choir, and when she went to rehearsal Violet was there, and, well… you know." "That's quite cute, actually" Ben commented. "So d'you perform ever? Outside the music room, I mean."

"I want to be in musical theatre" Mel revealed. "But I haven't gotten any of the auditions I've had since I finished drama school." Ben's jaw dropped. "Drama school? I thought you did costume design." Mel grinned. "Oh, I did a couple of electives, that was enough for the assistant job, apparently."

"Clearly" Ben quipped. "But anyway, that's really awesome you've been to drama school, why didn't I know that?" "We've never really talked about school and stuff" Mel pointed out, shrugging. "No, I s'pose we haven't" Ben agreed.

Their conversation was interrupted by Violet's announcement that Lavender was going to bed, Jamie's protest having successfully won him one more hour with the grown-ups. Mel soon ducked off to help tuck in her little sister while the others drifted back to the dining room for hot drinks and biscuits. Ben felt rather uncertain without Mel next to him, but the Deacons and Jamie kept him chatting until she reappeared, grinning.

"I think Lavender likes you" she told him. "She asked when we'd be coming round again, if it'd be soon." Ben smiled. "Well, that's two down" he joked. "Oh, I think you're pretty popular with the brother" Luke observed. "He loves having the big boys around, I think he feels a little bit outnumbered as the only boy sometimes" Mel explained. "And you like football, so you're definitely alright in his book." Ben grinned. "Perhaps we'd better come back soon, then."

"We might not have time for the next few weeks, there's some big shooting days coming up" Mel mused. "And a big night, don't forget you'll need time for that" Luke chimed in. Ben was utterly confused, but Mel just smiled. 

"Oh yeah, the Christmas party." Luke nodded. "Yeah, you're both 'very welcome' apparently, which means Mum's definitely expecting you to turn up." He rolled his eyes, though he was smiling slightly. "I think Dad's actually hoping to meet you, too" he told Ben, who was rather taken aback. "John Deacon wants to meet me?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. He was always a little bit curious about all of you blokes playing Queen, actually, but he's especially interested now that he knows his beloved Mel's been shagging the one playing Roger." He smirked at Mel, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

"Very delicately put, Luke, if you're not careful you'll get the guest blushing." Indeed, Ben was now stood next to Mel looking extremely sheepish. Luke simply grinned. "Me? Indelicate? Never" he teased. "You're never living that one down, you know." 

Turning to Ben, he let his teasing expression drop. "Seriously though, we'd love to have you to the party, if you're not busy" he said kindly. "I'll do my best" Ben assured him.

The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly, and by the time the guests started to leave, having seen Jamie to bed and toasted Freddie several times, Ben felt as though he'd been very much welcomed into the fold. At the very least he'd made a good first impression with all the ones he hadn't met before. Later on, snuggled up in Mel's bed, he reflected on the events of the night. "Well, I think that went quite well" he declared. "They loved you" Mel assured him. Ben smiled. "I liked them too, you know." "I thought you would" Mel told him happily.

"One thing though, love" Ben said, content but still slightly curious. "What's this Christmas party we're invited to?" "Oh, it's just the Deacon family party" Mel explained. "Auntie Veronica and Uncle John have all the kids round for drinks and finger food a couple of weekends before Christmas, and we're always invited too." 

Ben was confused. "Why do they get together before Christmas though? Don't they all go home for Christmas dinner?" "Not every year" Mel explained. "I mean, Luke and Cam do, but the rest have partners and kids. In-laws to visit and all that. Having the party means they can all get together and see each other every Christmas even if fitting in a visit home on Christmas Day turns out to be too much of a faff." "Makes sense" Ben mused.

"So, should I go to this party with you?" Mel nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely, dear. John and Veronica are lovely, they'll be so pleased to meet you." Ben smiled. "I'll put it in my calendar then."

That night, Ben had a few things on his mind. The Queen movie wasn't even finished and it was already changing his life. It had brought him to his wonderful, amazingly talented girlfriend, and his equally awesome new friends. And now he was going to meet John Deacon. John Deacon actually wanted to meet him, who'd have thought that would ever happen?

Sure, he sometimes had to remind himself not to think about the fact that he was shagging Freddie Mercury's granddaughter, but at the very least he was pretty sure he hadn't incurred Freddie's wrath, so far. In fact, he was starting to wonder if he might in some small way have gotten Freddie's blessing.

*******************************************************************************************

A/N 2: Just in case anyone’s confused, the middle song that Mel sang is Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, by Jim Croce. Which was of course (part of) the inspiration for Bring Back That Leroy Brown (written after Jim Croce died in a plane crash, iirc). Also, yes, John Deacon will be appearing in the next part.

[maya-matlin]

What is your favorite moment for every ship on degrassi even ones you don’t ship?

😮

Sean/Emma - kiss at the end of White Wedding

Chris/Emma - the scene where they get together; I have no idea why, but I’ve always loved Emma’s line where she’s like “I like that you make me feel fun again.” 

Peter/Emma - Emma guilting Peter into letting Manny drive with him to LA

Damian/Emma - Wow, I don’t remember this relationship at all. There was some kind of fight over Emma adopting a dog and wanting to raise it with Damian. I think they made up after that, so that scene? 

Kelly/Emma - Kelly encouraging Emma to get into Frosh Week. I’ll always wish they’d stayed friends and Kelly had dated Liberty instead. 

Spinner/Emma - dancing at their wedding

Jimmy/Ashley - confessing that they aren’t ready for sex and blowing up condoms in Ashley’s room

Jimmy/Hazel - their first kiss

Jimmy/Trina - I guess when Jimmy proposed? I don’t remember much about their relationship and they bug me in season 7 because the writers trashed Ashley to make it happen. 

Rick/Terri - Terri stomping on the rose

Craig/Ashley - This is tough because I adore them, but I think Crash getting back together at the end of Neutron Dance.

Towerz/Liberty - looking at each other through the window because that’s pretty much their only scene

JT/Liberty - Liberty telling JT she still loves him

Sully/Manny - I guess the end of U Got the Look? He brings her a drink or something and asks if she’s okay which is probably the nicest he’s capable of being. 

Craig/Manny - The ice rink kiss

JT/Manny - JT asking Manny to the semi formal/cultural appropriation dance

Spinner/Manny - Spinner promising not to break Manny’s heart; It’s such a powerful moment mostly thanks to Manny and would have been much, much, much better if we had any investment in the relationship and they didn’t break up only three episodes later. 

Damian/Manny - Damian defending Manny to Emma

Jay/Manny - getting back together in Paradise City

Mick/Manny - Ugh. There wasn’t even a good scene of Manny sticking up for herself or anything like that. Even when they “broke up”, Jay was the one who threw Manny’s phone and refused to let her call the creep. Maybe when she “defied” him and auditioned for the Jason Mewes movie. This relationship sucked not only because he treated Manny the worst of all her boyfriends but because it’s such a forced plot point. We see Manny in college and at no point is it suggested she’s seeing anyone. They could have easily set up this relationship for the movie, but didn’t and it’s really abrupt. It’s not like with Paige and Ellie. We hadn’t seen them for an entire season. Anyways.

Toby/Kendra - Their one kiss?

JT/Mia - their first scene; I don’t remember the dialogue. Something like “You’re PJ JT. My daughter has a crush on you.” 

Spinner/Paige - Paige comforting Spinner after he almost beats up Rick

Spinner/Darcy - the end of Redemption Song

Spinner/Jane - Jane’s speech about how she couldn’t picture her life without Spinner

Matt/Paige - Snake refusing to let Paige take the fall for her relationship with Oleandor and forcing him to speak up

Paige/Alex - the end of Lexicon of Love

Jesse/Paige - I think they danced in their one episode, so that scene.

Griffin/Paige - Eating ice cream with Marco and Ellie

Sean/Amy - Amy showing Sean her world famous Avril Lavigne impression

Sean/Ellie - This is another hard one. I think Sean asking Ellie to move in with him.

Craig/Yvette - Craig telling Ellie Yvette is his girlfriend? They don’t have any good scenes. 

Jay/Alex - Jay apologizing to Alex at the end of season 5

Jay/Mel - I assume he visited her at work or something and they were in the same scene, so that. 

Alex/Carla - Alex introducing Carla as her girlfriend because fuck Paige for being so rude about it

Peter/Darcy -  Peter giving Darcy back her abstinence ring

Peter/Mia - Mia calling Peter out after he says he hates kids or whatever he said

Peter/Victoria - I guess Victoria giving Peter meth for the first time because it made him interesting for two seconds even it was poorly acted. 

Lucas/Mia - Lucas bringing Isabella the motorcycle

Danny/Mia - the fashion show

Blue/Holly J - Holly J writing the word “gun” on the window and Blue calling the cops

Declan/Holly J - Holly J dumping Declan over the phone

Sav/Holly J - getting together in You Don’t Know My Name (2)

George/Jane - I guess their first meeting was kind of cute.

Danny/Rachel - This show has so many nothing relationships. Maybe when they met and Rachel had enough taste to like Danny better than Derek.

Danny/Leia - When Danny stayed with Leia even though she lied to him? I have no idea.

Danny/Chantay - Danny arranging for Chantay to perform Space Awakening for her family

KC/Clare - KC apologizing to Clare in Heart Like Mine

Eli/Clare - Clare helping Eli clean out his room

Jake/Clare - Cake’s angst during their parents’ wedding

Johnny/Alli - The end of Heart of Glass even though it’s tainted when we find out Johnny lied about being a virgin

Drew/Alli - I guess the label thing was cute.

Dave/Alli - Deciding they don’t want to break up after the Jacinta drama

Leo/Alli - Alli calling Leo out for abusing her

Dallas/Alli - This isn’t a positive moment, but IMO their best scene is when Dallas yells at Alli after Cam kills himself. 

KC/Jenna - Getting closure after their final breakup

Connor/Jenna - the space date

Sav/Anya - Sav participating in Anya’s LARP wedding

Sav/Ms. Oh - There are no tolerable scenes because Ms. Oh was trash and faced zero consequences for repeatedly making out with a student, but I guess Mo sending Sav’s song to Ms. Oh was kind of funny even if she had to get all unprofessional and start crushing on him.

Dr. Chris/Anya - Dr. Chris being creeped out after he finds out how old Anya actually is

Riley/Fiona - The only thing coming to mind is “too bad you can’t cure bitch!”

Riley/Zane - Kissing in public for the first time after Riley gets accepted into Eastern

Johnny/Kayla - trying to convince Alli how great college is

Kelly/Gwyneth - Getting caught making out by Manny and Emma

Dave/Sadie - playing basketball together

Declan/Trish - Trish calling him out for using the same lines on Holly J

Bobby/Fiona - Fiona testifying against Bobby

Adam/Fiona - Talking before Fiona’s ride shows up in Halo or Umbrella (I can’t remember which episode)

Fiona/Charlie - Charlie stopping Fiona from drinking 

Fiona/Imogen - the kiss on the ferris wheel

Wesley/Hannah - their last scene

Eli/Imogen - the scene where Imogen compares Eli to Romeo

Drew/Bianca - Drew convincing Bianca not to shoot Vince

Drew/Katie - Drew dumping Katie for the second time 

Drew/Zoe - Drew sticking up for Zoe at Miles’s party

Drew/Becky - Drew apologizing for blaming Becky for Adam’s death

Vince/Bianca - their scene in the car (Drop It Like It’s Hot)

Adam/Becky - Becky telling her parents that she loves Adam

Adam/Missy - making out in the dressing room

Mo/Marisol - Mo performing “The Time of My Life” with the other graduates for Marisol

Jake/Katie - their date in season 11

Imogen/Jack - getting high and dancing together

Zig/Tori - Zig introducing Tori to his mom

Zig/Maya - I honestly have a favorite Zaya moment from every season, but it has to be their kiss in Get It Together. Nothing beats it. 

Zig/Esme - confiding in each other about their respective trauma in #IWokeUpLikeThisIs

Zig/Esme/Frankie - Zig and Esme helping Frankie bake the cupcakes before the weird frosting fight

Cam/Maya - singing karaoke

Miles/Maya - reminiscing about their relationship in the last episode

Tristan/Mr. Yates - It’s so twisted, but probably when Tristan shows up at Yates’s apartment after being manipulated into going further sexually. This story line was so strong and had potential to develop Tristan’s character, but then season 14 dropped the ball in a big way.

Tristan/Vijay - their “mutual” breakup

Jonah/Becky - their kiss in the recording studio (?)

Miles/Zoe - Zoe comforting Miles after she walks in on him crying at Tristan’s bedside

Winston/Zoe - Zoe coming out to Winston

Zoe/Rasha - their first kiss

Winston/Frankie - I didn’t like it at like at the time, but probably them getting back together during Captain Who. Even though it seemed like the writers put them back together solely to turn Winston into the victim when Frankie does “way worse” to him in Don’t Look Back. 

Winston/Goldi - the cookie apology

Jonah/Frankie - I’m tempted to say Frankie breaking Jonah’s guitar, but they were kind of cute in the motel room I guess. 

Jonah/Grace - Jonah convincing Grace to get the lung transplant

Tiny/Lola - talking in the closet during Truth or Dare

Tiny/Shay - Tiny’s promposal

Hunter/Yael - Yael calling out Hunter on prom night

Saad/Lola - Saad opening up to Lola about the terrorist attacks

Snake/Melanie - Snake asking Melanie to the graduation dance

Snake/Michelle - Michelle telling Snake that he was a good date but she’s still getting over BLT

Snake/Pam - They only had one scene basically there to imply Snake finally lost his virginity, so that one. 

Snake/Spike - their conversation before their wedding

Joey/Caitlin - getting back together in Holiday

Joey/Tessa - Tessa burning dinner

Joey/Sydney - their breakup

Joey/Diane - getting together in season 5

Rick/Caitlin - Caitlin kissing Rick’s cheek

Claude/Caitlin - Claude sneaking up on Caitlin before they kiss for the first time. I hate them, but I always thought that was slightly cute.

Keith/Caitlin - their breakup

Shane/Spike - their conversation after the dinner with their parents

Patrick/Spike - their first date

Wheels/Stephanie - Stephanie asking Wheels to the dance

Yick/Tessa - I guess kissing while she’s dating Alex

Paul/Lucy - Lucy dumping Paul after he pressures her into sex

Clutch/Lucy - bonding during bowling or whatever

Bronco/Lucy - Bronco (I think it was Bronco) asking Lucy to the dance; There are so many damn dances on this show. 

Scott/Kathleen - Kathleen telling Scott off after he beat her after she refused to take him back

BLT/Alexa - bonding over the Police Academy movie

Simon/Alexa - making up after Alexa gets jealous of Simon getting attention from other girls

BLT/Michelle - BLT comforting Michelle at the end of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

BLT/Cindy - No. Fine, I think they had an argument when the girls’ volleyball team and the boys’ basketball team both wanted to use the gym. 

Alex/Tessa: Their first kiss

Blaine/Erica: Erica hugging Blaine and jumping into his arms

Aaron/Erica: I really don’t know. This guy comes across like a date rapist TBH. But I guess their first scene?

I think that’s all of them. I need a life.