#To no one's surprise she's the specific character at the forefront of my mind for this post though she's hardly the first or only where I'v

[kyliafanfiction]

Boiled down to an overly reductive binary, there's really two approaches people can take to 'spicy toxic problematicness' for a character.

Either it's the starting point for the character, or it's the ending point for the character.

That is, for some people, the real fun is in detangling a fucked up mess of a character and bringing them to some level of... if not 'okay', then at least 'more okay' compared to before. It's not about turning them into a fluffy harmless woobie that barely resembles themselves, all the rough edges filed off, but it definitely does ultimately involve them ending up somewhere more functional than they began.

For others, the toxicity is the goal, the draw, the end game. They want the characters to get... well, worse implies a moral judgement that doesn't always apply, but to borrow a phrase I heard someone use a few weeks ago, they probably want to accelerate a character's fucked-upness. That end point may involve them still being better off in terms of their lived daily reality, maybe even involve them hurting less people, or even helping people, but they're more fucked up than they were before, even if in different ways.

Obviously, this is, as I said, reductive, but separating out the two trendlines when it comes to fandoms for the kinds of characters or ships that attract this kind of binary can be hard, and can result in intrafannish issues, because people may tend to see one as the only acceptable approach, or at least the only form of approach that involves real appreciation for the character.

But neither one is solely valid, even insofar as this binary really holds water in lived reality.

Hard to keep in mind sometimes.

[kazeofthemagun]

Anonymous asked:

send 🍀 and i'll recommend an oc rp blog

Positivity meme

[.....Oh boy y'all already know where this is going]

[I legally cannot answer this without putting my bestie in the #1 spotlight, aka Bug aka @cursedfortune aka some other blogs I'll mention in a sec. Literally the most amazing person ever and one of, if not the best friend I've made here in my 4~ years of being on tumblr.]

[To preface, Bug's blogs post ns/fw so keep safe if that's not your thing/you're a minor, as well as heavy content to be expected from dark fantasy-themed muses. The details you'll find on the blogs themselves, so I'll refrain from wasting too much time when I could be getting to the JUICE 🥤.]

[The main, the OG, @cursedfortune . Bug's main OC, Mortem, is amazing in every way. Seriously. She's got it all. Looking for a strong, competent female character with an intriguing and compelling backstory sprinkled throughout the blog? They're your Bug. Fancy some in-depth exploration on blue-and-orange morality that transcends human understanding and puts in the forefront the often terrifying workings of balancing forces? They're your Bug. Really, those who have been here for any amount of time probably know but Mortem is Kaze's first and only ship but neither of us went into it thinking those two chucklefucks would catch feels in that way. In hindsight it makes complete sense, but here's the deal: don't begin your journey with this character solely to ship. It won't work that way - shipping needs chemistry first and foremost and female OC muses are already dealing with many users who go in with only the intent to write romance/smut and largely ignore what makes the character so compelling and unique in the first place.]

[Not to give lessons on tumblr etiquette, I'm sure y'all can understand 💜]

[Some other OC blogs of Bug's that I've interacted with a bit less but are nonetheless amazing:]

@bvd11975 That's not a spambot, baby. That's Nes, a special agent of an agency focused on paranormal investigation that plays a key role in Bug's overarching setting. Kickass character, design, story and personality-wise.

@ofmanytxngues A glorious force of chaos lmao. Not *that* Chaos, but uhh.. there's def A Wormy Boi (gender neutral) involved there somewhere. Marie is another character I haven't written with all that much and is on hiatus atm but I simply cannot not give her a shoutout while I'm at it. Marie and Ana riding an ice cream truck when?

Some others that are more WIP atm ^^ you'd have to approach Bug for them. (And their canons! But this is a meme for OCs specifically ;)

[NOW, to take a break from gushing about the best soup to ever soup and give due spotlight to others who 100% deserve it - keep in mind this is based on my interactions with them, as in, I am unlikely to shout out people I haven't written with or otherwise interacted with enough!! This is in no way personal, but rather a natural consequence since there are SO many amazing people and muses on tumblr. 😄]

@halfkuma and @knightshonour . Those two started out as iterations on the same character and evolved into separate people: also feature a healthy dose of secondary OCs and some canons. Rowan is a character I've fallen in love with (figure of speech) very easily since, well, I do happen to enjoy gloomy, doomed by the narrative warriors, and Soulsborne, very much. Halfkuma is a blog based around the Touhou universe with the mains, Roan and Touri, being bear yokai. (Half and full respectively). Furthermore, Slap himself is one of the chillest beans on here and is always a pleasure to talk to and meme with.

@hriobzagelthewanderer !!! Because how could I NOT. Kov is amazing and so is his muse. I was so surprised to see a figure from Polish (and generally Slavic + Germanic) folklore, that I essentially grew up reading about, transformed and adapted into an amazingly crafted muse. Hriob Zagel combines various mythologies + popular media inspirations into one giant (pun intended) goofball who is an absolute delight to see on my dash.

Aaand last but not least (for now!) Though I haven't interacted with her personally just yet, @hexenjagd . Obligatory shoutout to a dark fantasy/Elden Ring-based female OC with some of the most intricate yet well-flowing backstory I've seen on the site. Helena, the Witch-Knight, a person branded by the touch of Death and everything it entails within the setting. Definitely grimdark and macabre in all the right ways and I am here for it. 😎

[juminies]

I finished V's route! knocked out both the normal and good endings in one, of course. I was going to make notes as I was playing so I could somewhat concisely talk about him & his route when I was finished but I ended up not really doing that aside from a few random things like this

so we're just going from the heart.

while I was playing I was actually fairly certain I was going to end up with at least one bad story ending accidentally because well, he's very confusing isn't he..? you really have to find a sort of balance, which I found hard to do particularly when it came to talking to rika. I never had any idea what I was meant to be saying to her and it was also difficult to hold myself back from being hostile sometimes. the woman talks some utter nonsense. I went with the strategy "hear her out but don't agree with her" and it seemed to work. though I have to admit that I flirted with her in texts and calls just to see what she'd say, and I (unfortunately?) do not I regret doing so... being praised by pretty women (even insane ones) is my kryptonite 😔 the voice acting from both rika and ray when it came to specifically emotional scenes was soooo immersive and enjoyable. I sometimes find rika's voice in normal conversation to be a little grating, honestly, but when she's screaming? crying? shouting? panicking? her VA did SUCH a good job.

now, V... I mean this in the most affectionate way possible, you guys weren't joking about him being pathetic. mind you I love a pathetic character who consistently makes awful choices, but calling this man frustrating is an understatement. I quite often found myself realllly struggling to understand what he was thinking, or what he wanted. his lack of willingness to accept help even when he knew he was about to do something quite frankly ludicrous was the least admirable bravery(?) I've ever witnessed, and he is PERSISTENT. it made me feel relatively distant from him for a fair amount the route, mainly because the events unfolding just meant I felt horrible for the members of the RFA and he absolutely was not doing anyone any favours (though he thought differently). I was somewhat concerned I wasn't going to recover from my perpetual state of "?????" but thankfully I actually did in the end. maybe it's my inner "I can fix them" coming out (isn't that the premise of mysme really?), but him being so frustrating sometimes sort of made it feel more rewarding when he really starts to trust and believe you, lol. there were definitely moments that got me in my feelings within the last few days, his heartfelt spiels about learning to love at the forefront. it was nice to see him not only believing in you but actually starting to have faith in himself too – after how self sacrificing he's been he deserves to put himself first. that said, while sweet, I found the good ending to be a little underwhelming. I know a bulk of potentially more fulfilling content is in VAE, but I absolutely do not have enough hourglasses to play for myself so reading the wikipedia summary will have to suffice for me for now.

tl;dr I really enjoyed the route! for me it was a level of dramatic and angsty that made it consistently entertaining and surprising without feeling like it was too much. it was an absolute rollercoaster both plot wise and emotionally, and I had fun experiencing that with so little knowledge of what was to come next. it definitely boosted my affection for V, given how little I legitimately knew about him before :)

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Cup of love

This Mini-Story is dedicated to @lordoftherazzles's lovely fic Dragonhearted!

Words: 1.6k

Characters: Interviewer, W, Teacup-Ori

Prompt: Soulmates

The woman who wants to remain anonymous and to whom I’ll refer forthwith as “W” sits down in the comfortable armchair provided for that express purpose and looks at me from steady, dark eyes that seem to hold an expression of slight challenge.

After the initial, customary exchange of insipid greetings and void niceties, I encourage her to describe – in her own words – how she’s found herself in such a peculiar situation as to be convinced that her soulmate is in fact a teacup.

Here is what she’s confided to this eminent paper:

I was walking in the woods that lead nowhere in particular, which, in and of itself, is strange because you’d think that a forest like that would surround some stately manor or at least separate two villages. ‘Tis not so in this case; whoever enters this densely overgrown patch of land will invariably find themselves turned around and disoriented.

One has to admit that this peculiar effect has been a source of amusement and merriment amongst the people of my village for many years and so, it has become a habit I cherish greatly.

So, there I was, courageously defying the magic of the dark trees by padding noiselessly through their shadows, not expecting anything untoward or unusual to occur.

Suddenly, something thoroughly unanticipated made me freeze where I stood though. In front of me, not five steps away, lay an abandoned teacup in the snow.

To my surprise, it seemed hale enough! Believing that no wild beast would have any real use for such fine porcelain, I picked it up gingerly.

“Hello,” the cup spoke and I almost dropped it then and there, which – I can only surmise – might have been severely detrimental to its health, as far as one may use such terms for what still seemed to me to be but a piece of expertly fashioned ceramic tableware. “I am Ori.”

Stunned, I stammered out my own name with much less poise and gentility as was warranted by a formal introduction, but the spirit inhabiting the teacup is as gracious as it is kind and so no hard feelings remain from that unsuccessful first meeting.

“Your hands are warm,” he – for it was a male teacup – praised and nuzzled his handle firmly into my palm.

Of course, I asked him all the questions that rose to the forefront of my mind haphazardly. Who was he? What was he? Why could he speak? Where did he come from? Was he magical?

Unfortunately, Ori – the little cup man – was rather cagey about the specifics of his circumstances and merely provided evasive replies such as “My name is Ori, I am evidently a teacup, I was taught to speak by my family as were you, I suspect.”

Alas, he would not divulge how he had come to meet me on my stroll or where he’d return to once our meeting had drawn to an end; moreover, he was rather tight-lipped about the undeniable flavour of a seemingly rather whimsical supernatural power of which the whole thing smacked.

“That sounds fantastical,” I cry out, my eyes bulging out of my head as I stare at the mousy, little woman still sitting in front of me.

“Ha! That is exactly what I said,” W grins and takes a sip of the tea I have supplied; she makes a face on account of the bitterness of the lukewarm beverage, but – loony as she might be – she’s too polite to put her distaste into cutting words.

“And what did he say?” I prompt her, remembering that it is bad form to interrupt the eyewitness account. It has taken too much time to put her at ease to snap her out of her talkative mood by side-tracking her with inane interjections.

She leans back in her chair with an almost handsome smile that illuminates her rather stern mien.

“If you’d let me go on, you’d hear all about it,” she chides with the benevolent severity of a schoolteacher and then continues her account.

“I feel like I’ve fallen into a fairy tale,” I said to him, holding him up to my face and seeing my breath fog up his countenance.

“A retelling of one, more like it,” he quipped, visibly comfortable with being held and handled. “If it pleases you, we could meet again soon? It is time for me to hop back to the secret place I have escaped from for a breath of fresh air, but I’d much enjoy some outside company.”

Now, it is known that my people have always believed in the concept of soulmates. My grandmother – wise and toothless as she has been as long as I can recall – has ever told me that, when you meet the soul that will complete yours, you’ll just know.

There was no flash of lightning and no roll of thunder, but my heart clenched in terrible recognition of the one I was meant to find.

All of this, naturally, might sound rather fanciful to a serious investigator of the hard truths of life, but I am a simple woman who does not presume to doubt beliefs that have been upheld and nurtured by my people for countless centuries.

So, what then was I – lonely, poor, and wretched – to do other than to agree wholeheartedly to seeing Ori, a sentient piece of crockery, at his earliest convenience for another round of fruitless discussions?

“Yes,” I breathed and set him down as carefully as if he was made of glass. Come to think of it, that was not all that far from the truth, and I did well in handling him with the utmost care and respect.

I watched him go, listless, and my whole soul was quivering as a bowstring stretched too far by the reckless hand of an inexperienced archer.

Every day, I’d thus return to the forest in hopes of meeting the enchanted object – quite literally – of all my hopes and dreams once more.

A week after our initial meeting, I had almost convinced myself that there had been no such incident and that it had been but an absurdly detailed fever dream that haunted me now with the aftertaste of the devastating loss of something I had never even possessed to begin with.

Nonetheless, I returned to the woods one last time to mourn the demise of my sanity.

Just as I was about to turn homewards once more, a soft clinking sound resounded, and I spun around to find Ori sliding down the narrow forest path cautiously.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “there was a lot going on…in the secret place. I’ve brought you a drink though!”

I stared down at the pitiful remnant of brownish sludge that had survived his trek through the overgrown bushes and the dense, gnarled roots of the tree sentinels guarding his enigmatic home.

“Am I to lift you to my lips?” I asked, afraid of committing an unforgivable faux pas by simply grabbing a sentient being as if it was indeed but an inanimate kitchen utensil.

“If you want to,” Ori replied breathlessly, a pinkish hue tinging his impeccable glaze all of a sudden. “I fear that the quality of the tea must have suffered a little, but it should still be somewhat wholesome to drink.”

He was kind, you have to understand, and so terribly sweet in his courteous, shy demeanour. To be truthful, I cared very little about the rather subpar tea, containing the odd stray leaf, he offered me; it was of no consequence to me compared to the immense pleasure of holding him in my cupped hands again and lifting his slender, delicate, terrifyingly fragile beauty to my trembling lips and tilting him ever so warily to refresh myself.

Afterwards, I gave him a little bath in the nearby stream – the water was shockingly cold – and we sat and talked for a little while. He would still not tell me about where he had come from and what bound him to that place, but my absurd instinct that he was the One for me solidified, nonetheless.

As insane as that sounds, he seemed to understand me perfectly – humming at the right moments and uttering tinkling peals of laughter at others – and I felt comfortable and cherished in his presence. What does that say about me that it took a cursed item for me to get the sensation that I was being perceived favourably by another soul?

W looks up at me defiantly at this point of her narrative, blinking back tears she visibly refuses to spill in front of such an insensitive audience. “We met up several times after that, stolen moments in the woods far away from our usual cares and worries; it was precious, and I wonder what has kept him lately.”

I admit that I am taken aback by her vulnerability and her frankness, so I look for the right words to say to her; of course, I also wonder whether I should inform her of the ongoing climate of unrest and the riots that would probably break out before long.

“That’s all,” she concludes aggressively and wrings her small, pale hands in her lap. “I met a magical creature, and I might even have had a chance at love in the long run, but now, we might never know.” Just as I am about to give her some reassuring but empty words of polite solace, a great ruckus resounds outside, and she dives towards the window in a flash of flying hair and trembling limbs.

Flames in the night and an angry mob moving towards her beloved, enchanted forest; I stand transfixed and witness the choked cry of horror that seems to deflate the once proud woman who has just finished telling her story.

“Let’s go,” I say in a mournful voice, taking her by the hand. “Let’s see what all of this is about.”

So, my dear friend, I hope this made you smile!

@fellowshipofthefics I am still at it.

Lots of love

[backjustforberena]

What do you think of the 9th episode of season 1? Did it properly portray Rhaenys or compliment her, after all the news of Meleys being paraded through King's Landing being called "traitor"? do you think the writers made the right decision making her come out through the floor of the Dragonpit killing all those smallfolk who then are watching Meleys' head roll through their city in season 2?

I've spoken about what I think about the ninth episode before in various asks. I can go into more detail if there are particular specifics you want, but ultimately I love what it represented for the character but thought that the Dragon Pit scene and sequence were poorly executed for a myriad of reasons that created the outrage and polar opposite reactions amongst the fans. Whether that is a result of timings, budgets, script or complexities of piecing multiple filmed pieces into one scene, I don't know. I can't say and wouldn't want to speculate.

But I do like what it means for the character of Rhaenys and what it represents for her in finally taking action for once and regaining her inner Targaryen (for want of better phrasing). And her scene with Alicent I viewed as masterful from both actresses and really fascinating.

So... the spoilers. I know speculation is rife. We have concrete facts such as the display of Meleys and the proclamation that's given out. We know that, for at least some portion of it, there is very little reaction from the smallfolk other than some boos. I'm not willing to come to any conclusion. Simply for the fact that: we don't know enough.

We don't know if they're going to put a bigger crowd reaction in ADR and were only filming it so the messenger's shouts could be picked up by the microphones at that moment. We don't know how the smallfolk are feeling or if Meleys's actions in the Pit are at the forefront of their mind to therefore draw a direct line of cause and effect. We don't know the body count of the coronation or how the Greens have (or even if the Greens have) weaponised that prior to Rook's Rest. We don't know if this is the whole reaction, or part of a much larger thing.

There is so much we don't know, and that's just about the events. Never mind what the influence of the perception or context or music or whatever will then add on as it is filmed and edited. They could take this footage and make the audience feel sadness at Meleys's death. Or they could take the footage and make the audience feel triumphant on behalf of the Greens. Either, at this stage, is possible, in my opinon.

As things stand, I am just taking it at face value. I'm taking it as not being related to the Dragon Pit at all. Meleys can be called a traitor dragon simply just because she fought for Rhaenyra's side and the Greens are actively promoting the narrative where Rhaenyra is a traitor, so it's not a huge surprise to hear things like that, to me.

The Dragon Pit sequence was obviously a departure from the books, but so far, the video doesn't really show me a reaction that does depart from the books.

Were right choices or wrong choices made? I don't know. I've not seen the scene. I refrain from judging. People can think what they think.

[thecameronchronicles]

The Debt~Part Three

TW: Violence and vulgarity. Sexual Themes. Degrading conversations and themes of domestic violence. I do not own any of the characters but ask that you do not publish this fanfiction without my permission on any other platform. Please and thank you. 

Summary: The day of your dress fitting begins with you seeing Rafe in a new light, resulting in a change of pace between the two of you...and a revealing offer...

Words: 2100

The Debt: Part Three

Through the chaos of the engagement and all that followed, you were able to find solace in the endorphins achieved in your daily run. But with every alternating sole making contact to the uneven terrain through your sprint, your mind battled with the thoughts caused from recent events; specifically, Rafe’s growing effect on you. 

You convinced yourself a mile into your run that you were simply thinking of him out of boredom. A mile and a half drove you to aggression as you pushed the limits of each muscle below your waist. But by the time you had managed to round the entirety of the estate four times over, your chest holding that pleasurable burn of a successful workout, you were well aware that the reason he remained forefront in your thoughts was all due to tension. You had heard of him the entirety of your high school career and were naturally a curious personality; that was all it was...Right?

Pulling your bluetooth earbuds from the destination of their design, you happened upon a conversation that was not meant for your presence. But with the way you slipped back inside the rear French doors to keep from waking anyone with a boisterous entrance, your attendance remained unnoticed. Perhaps if not for the tone in which Ward spoke to Rafe, you may have continued up the spiral stairs leading to the string of rooms-where you were staying with your mother, as a way to keep your rebellious fire under a watchful eye. But once again, your curiosity got the best of you. 

“I just don’t see why I have to be there...” Rafe began. “There are a million other things I could do today other than watch her try on dresses.”

“You are going because I’m asking you to.”

“Dad-Topper and Kelce are waiting for me for a ‘tee time’-”

A sudden palm colliding with the counter of the kitchen island brought you to rise temporarily on your toes as you managed to keep your gasp concealed as your heart continued to race. 

“I have had to resort to blackmailing that poor girl’s mother just for someone to be able to be near you...For more than being a link to cocaine-” The entire house was silent, with even the early morning avifauna having felt the effect of Ward’s words. 

“You were the one who wanted her here...You pestered me for weeks…You told me you would keep her in check if I made it happen. So if I tell you to go sit at a dress fitting, a root canal, or a court summons-you will with a goddamn smile on your face.” Your own face contorted into confusion; a natural reaction to what you expected to be strictly driven by lust. 

“If only your mother were here to see you now...I’m just glad she’s not...” Ward spoke with dismissal, the weight of his words causing your own heart to twist in pain. Although you would deny it if it were to ever come up in conversation, you couldn’t help but sympathize with the older Cameron. 

The sudden obliteration of busted glass forced you to jump in surprise yet again, only this time, with the accompaniment of Rafe’s voice berating himself in acceptance of his father’s words. As you continued forward, remaining to where he was still unable to see you, you were able to spot him pacing the length of the kitchen, blood dripping onto the otherwise flawless white tile supporting his rapid steps, with that weak and pained voice spouting words of self discipline. The very moment you would have been noted by him, your steps reversed the same direction they came as you rushed into hiding, fearful of falling on the bitter end of any remaining wrath. 

Within an hour, you crossed over the threshold of the boutique, both your mother and best friend at your side. Immediately, your peer began to finger the lace fabrics lining the mannequins in the window all while your mother flicked through the price tags hanging off of the more demure gowns. All the while, your mind flashed between the conversation with Ward and Rafe and the desire to truly be anywhere else but here. 

“Mister Cameron!” A bubbly woman’s voice exclaimed from behind the counter as the bell above the door left all in attendance to understand the new arrivals. Your eyes came to Rafe as he looked to you as if you were nothing more than one of the dresses, as your gaze descended to the fresh bandage wrapped around his dominant hand. Your stomach and heart twisted in unison before his hand became hidden when realizing your focus was on it. The way his muscles tensed as he bent his arms across his chest was distracting enough to force your mother to request your attention twice, all while you banished your blush as you were led to a changing room. 

“These are all wrong...You need something A-line...” Your mother abandoned you within the dressing room as you were allowed a moment of peace from the previous hour of her discussing the details of what you would look best in. But in this silence, your intrigue to the fabrics led your fingers to trace the beading of the more extravagant bodices and the ball gown skirts that your mother must have overlooked. Designer names hung proudly on tags, you scoffed at the amounts listed, temporarily fantasizing how marvelous it must be to no longer care of the pointless paper of people like the Cameron’s never had to worry about. For a moment, you were envious before remembering you would soon be among them. 

“I’d prefer this...” Rafe’s voice forced her head to whip to view him lifting a sheer slip left from a former client now dangling on the edges of his fingers. 

“Rafe-Get out!” You fumbled over your words, half embarrassed for him standing in front of you and half exhilarated at how brazen he acted. But once he remained, making himself comfortable at the wall beside the curtains keeping you concealed from the collection of women who had come together for this dress fitting; among them having been Wheezie, Sarah, Rose, your mother, and your best friend, you carried the closest fabric across your chest to conceal yourself from him. But in seconds, his eyes would manage to make note of every piece of exposed skin, leaving you feeling thick with the spoils of his attention. 

“To be honest...I didn’t want to come today...but...shit...I’m glad I did...” His lips parted as if the view of you standing before him was synonymous to a meal left before a starved man. And you hated how it made your skin chill and your heart race in the idea of him devouring you. 

“Then I hope you take a nice long look...” His smirk now reached to his eyes, believing you were giving in to him without much of an effort on his end. But upon taking a few steps closer to him in an attempt to prove his lack of an effect on you, you would prove his assumption to be incorrect. 

“Because you’re never going to see it again...I’m sure you’d prefer the root canal-huh?” His expression, momentarily annoyed by your rejection, was now amused. 

“So you’re an eavesdropper, too? Good to know-” His eyes continue to take in the details of your skin, all while you shifted the fabric of a close gown to try and cover the majority, his irises bouncing from one beauty mark to another and each inch in between. 

“Is THAT what I have to look forward to?” You motioned to the bandage over his hand as the humor within his expression would shift to pensive silence until this altered to a quiet epiphany rejuvenating his contentment into animation. Without a word, his fingers came to the knot of his suit, having been dressed in such a way for a fitting of his own, pulling it free until the tie was loose against his collar. 

“You think you’re better than me...don’t you?” His assumption brought your jaw to clench as he began to walk towards you, eyes consumed in the darkness you believed filled his heart, leading you to retract your own steps until you were flush with the cold mirror at your spine. 

“You think you’re too good?” He released a single chuckle from lips glossed by his tongue as he hovered over you, not making contact, yet sending you alight as if his touch was pinning you flat. 

“Prove it.”

Before you could inquire, his knee was between your legs, forcing the hanging fabric of the dress to the side as you stiffened for what was to come. In the sole attempt you made to move from him, he drove his upper thigh against your sex, smirking to the way your breathing was set in acceleration and your eyes were wide with arousal. 

“You look at me with such hatred...But it isn’t FOR me...it’s for what you want me to do to YOU...”

“You’re-”

Clicking his tongue in your attempt to speak against him and move, he drove only the tips of his fingers to your hips, allowing his thumbs to brush that sensitive skin where the line of your panties relied for rest. His head cocked for only a moment as you fought to focus on your hatred, ignoring the heat of his momentary devotion to you. 

“If you hate me like you claim to...you shouldn’t care that I just...” His fingers rose the dividend of your parted legs, coming to the very edge of your panties. 

“Check...” But in your attempt to reject him, came the excitement of promised euphoria at his fingertips. Taking his middle finger over the lace fabric of her panties, a wicked smile developed in slow succession. 

“You’re fucking soaked-” Your bottom lip became trapped between your teeth as you repressed the whimper of his finger making small circles over your clit. 

“Don’t pretend you don’t want this...” He spoke against your ear, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as he was swift in leading his fingers to a descent of your immediate lower lips, desperate for his continued touch. 

“Please...” The plea left following a longing exhale. 

“Sorry? Didn’t quite catch that...” He tortured you, his fingers quickening, drawing your slick to your core, illustrating perfect figure eights throughout your folds. 

“Please, Rafe...” The smirk over his lips was decadently sinful as he was well aware he harbored the power and basked in how you surrendered your own for the sensations he was bringing to you; bringing out in you. 

“You want to come sweetheart?” You nodded rapidly, the edge of his middle finger entering you in slow acceleration, down to his knuckle, before pumping a second shortly after. 

“Not yet...I want to hear you beg...” His smirk was thick through his tone as your motions and that allowed by his touch brought you to slowly ride his thigh, all while your fingers wrapped with conviction over the fabric of his dress shirt. 

“Rafe...”

“I need more than that...Tell me what you want...”

“I-I...” You struggled, his thumb mixed with the pressure of his inserted fingers, leaving you nearly manic to the orgasmic release approaching you rather quickly. 

“Tell me.” His command was darker, impatient. 

“Make me come-let me come...” You spoke through winded breaths while his palm rounded your entire mound, his fingers pumping, and your moans being silenced by his second hand. Groaning expletives into his palm as your stomach began to contract with the early warning of your orgasm, your eyes screwed shut and your hand gripped harshly to the bandage covering his, making him wince and grin to the mix of pleasure and pain in your desperation. 

Stars formed behind your eyes, your heart was ready to burst from your chest, your body creating too much of a release to deny him, uncoiling to the release he wanted from you-until he stopped, edging you to the very last second, only to leave you panting before him. 

“You’re only saying what I want to hear because you’re so fucking desperate for me...” He pushed himself off of the wall, lifting his glistening fingertips to his lips, sucking them clean from your close release and producing a groan of approval.

“Maybe if you’re a bit nicer to me from now on, I’ll let you come next time.” The smile of victory across his face was enough for you to damn your vow to hell. The way he was able to lower your morals, bring you on the verge of a climax in record time against any of your own attempts or lovers prior to him, and leave you mixed between aggressively upset and desperately aroused, brought you to a new conclusion as he abandoned you to your realization. 

If he was going to play games...So could you...And he was unaware of the lengths you were willing to go to get even. Game on, Rafe Cameron...

Part Four Coming Soon! Be Sure to let me know what you think!

[willel]

who are characters that you’d like will and el to interact with that they haven’t already? it can be different ones for both or the same

I think most of all, I'd like to see more interactions with the rest of the party. That being Lucas and Dustin. Will and El are constantly paired up with Mike and I just want something different at this point. I want to see how deep the other friendship's run. For El at least, she got to spend time with Max but Will hasn't had such an opportunity.

Most of all, I'd like to see them interact more with each other. There's so much going on between them in subtext and spoken word but not as much ON SCREEN.

I'd like to see them both interact with Jonathan more too. Jonathan and Joyce. We were robbed of more screen time of their life in California. It was a complete waste of a setting honestly.

I kinda want to see interactions between Will and Max. I know Max is in a coma right now, but after what has happened to her, I'd say she and Will have a lot more stuff to talk about if they didn't already (both from poor households with an asshole dad. Luckily, Will lucked out having an awesome older brother) I have this idea stirring in my head that Will will be able to go into Vecna's mind and free all the souls trapped there. Including Max's. Maybe not right away, but I kinda imagine Will pulling her out of there or something. Kinda imagining Max still feeling slightly suicidal and resistant on leaving the mindscape of doom and Will goes full on "But El needs you!" or something AHHHH

I know I mentioned wanting to see them interact with the party more, but I specifically NEED more Lucas interaction. Lucas and Will's friendship has always been less focused on, but it is SO sweet and adorable. I'd love to see it in the forefront. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas is the first one in the party to figure out Will's feelings or something. LUCAS IS MY BOI. Same with El and Lucas, they both love Max SO MUCH so I'd like to see Lucas make major contributions in saving her.

I want to see Will and Hopper interact. Same with Will and Jonathan. In addition to that, Will and Lonnie! I really need to see how the Byers boys adjust to Joyce dating Hopper and the very real and obvious fact that Hopper is gonna be their step-dad now. We've seen a little bit of how Hopper has treated Jonathan and Will, but that was before he's gone through major character development and sorta learned to be a caring father figure again with El. How will he deal with Jonathan and Will going forward? Also, how does Will feel about Lonnie at this point? We have absolutely NO idea. Will and Lonnie have never shared a moment on screen.

To summarize, my biggest wishes for Willel interactions are:

With each other

With Jonathan and Joyce

Will with Max especially if my theories prove true

With Lucas

With Hopper

as a bonus, I am looking forward to seeing how they deal with Henry too so there's that

[andtheyweresiblings]

For your "Madrigal's reaction to Brumira" or whatever it was called, I'm surprised none of the family, to some extent, blamed themselves for such a thing happening. I could totally see at least a few of them wondering if things would be different if they hadn't treated both Bruno and Mirabelle the way they did in the past.

I also feel like there might have been more pushback against the more dire, severe consequences from the Madrigals who likely knew or at least guessed at what was happening, depending on how powerful their specific gifts are, even if they don't actually support Bruno and Mirabelle, and are just neutral.

I apologize for the delayed answer. I had to read through that post again. Link to the post for context.

You raise some good points. The post itself is squarely in the headcanon/fanfiction space of character analysis, so it's wildly speculative and comes down to preference in how one might like to see everything play out. That being said, if the Madrigal family found out Bruno and Mirabel were romantically involved, it would be a very complicated fall-out. More complicated than I would have time to get into in any one post.

If you wanted to be hyper-realistic about it, I think you could write a full-length novel several times over to really explore what is going on in each family member's mind. So yes, I agree, there's definitely a lot more that would happen if Brumira happened and the Madrigals found out.

So let's explore the two points you raise a little more in-depth.

Self-Blaming

To an extent, the Madrigal adults would be blaming themselves. But it's more complicated than that, and putting the blame onto oneself is uncomfortable. And it is something we don't see the Madrigal adults do well in the film.

Sure, we get the Disney ending of Alma acknowledging her part in the collective traumatizing of her family, and we've got the Madrigals acknowledging that they are family unit, so they each played into that cycle/system. But the reality of generational trauma is so much more complicated than that, and recovering from complex trauma is not typically linear. So if we're going to be realistic about this, we can't expect these freshly recovering family members to sit in self-blame for too long, especially if self-blame wasn't part of their original role.

Alma never blamed herself until after the climax of the movie. Julieta felt some responsibility over the trajectory of Mirabel's role in the family, but it doesn't seem like she or Pepa felt too at fault with Bruno's estrangement. Augustin admittedly is a little harder for me to read (because I haven't watched the movie in a bit), but from what I remember, he was upholding the status quo that Alma set and encouraged Mirabel to do the same.

That is to say, none of the the adults who probably do share some of the blame for setting up the 'ideal' conditions for Brumira to occur are used to accepting blame.

That denial Pepa and Julieta are experiencing? That shame Alma is flooded with? That anger and sense of betrayal Augustin is feeling? That's all their way to process the bomb that is Brumira. It's also a really good way to avoid that nagging thought about what role they might have had in all of this. So yes, they probably do blame themselves deep down, but it is not something I imagine would be at the forefront for any of them. Not primarily, at least.

I suppose if anyone is going to be blaming themselves about Mirabel and Bruno, it would probably be the wrong people. Like Luisa and Isabela.

(Well, Isabela may have more actively estranged Mirabel, but considering the context of the film, it's harder to put real blame on the Madrigal grandchildren, in my opinion. I guess if we're rating things, Isabela is next in line for perpetuating the family cycles as oldest grandchild, but I think I'm losing sight of your original point.)

Anyway, I could absolutely see Luisa incorrectly blaming herself. Self-blame was part of her role.

I guess my point is that the strain of discovering Mirabel and Bruno are a couple would likely catapult many of the Madrigals back to their pre-movie roles.

Madrigals' Push-back in Defense of Brumira

I embarrassingly completely misunderstood your second point and didn't realize it until after I had already typed out a response for it. I'll probably post that separately because it was fun, but I'll get to what you actually asked now.

So yes, I agree with you. In my head the Madrigals who are neutral to Mirabruno would find their ways to push back against Alma's sentences for Mirabel and Bruno.

The Madrigals who would be helping our couple in this AU are Luisa, Isabela, and Dolores. Isabela and Luisa's help would be somewhat delayed because they are close to Alma and their parents, and therefore, they would be trusted to be a part of enacting the sentence. Ultimately, Isabela and Luisa are conflicted about the whole thing, but I think eventually they would come around to Mirabel's side. Especially when they see the toll everything is taking on their sister.

But, they would have to lay low and strategize first for this to work, and then they would have to work to build back Mirabel's trust.

I think Dolores and Mariano would be working as messengers for Mirabel and Bruno. Dolores would definitely know where Bruno is, and she would probably send Isabela, Mariano, and Luisa to check on him when they can manage it. In this way, Isabela and Luisa will probably be the ones eventually passing the messages to Mirabel and Bruno. But, again, it just might take some time for everyone to get to that point.

To add further complication, I think most of the Madrigals helping Bruno and Mirabel would still want to figure out how to resolve this to a point where Bruno and Mirabel be rejoin the family as a couple. It might not be realistic, but it would definitely affect what type of help they think they can offer to Mirabel and Bruno, which is why I think Luisa in particular would struggle with letting Mirabel run away.

Mirabel running away to Bruno would effectively mean the family is broken for real. I think Isabela, Luisa, and Dolores would all want to prevent that. They would want a way for all of their family members to still be a part of their lives, impossible as that may be.

Thank you for the ask! It was fun thinking about and exploring this AU again. I should do it more often.

[writing-in-april]

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde (1/?)

Part One: The introduction

Spencer Reid x Female Reader

Summary: Reader meets a mysterious stranger at the library during a book club meeting.

Part Two, Part Three

Series Masterlist

A/N: Hey Heyyy! This is my first Dom!Spencer fic in so long!!! My last one was also funnily enough for a fic swap as is this one! I had @aperrywilliams for the fic swap organized by @imagining-in-the-margins. I had so much fun writing this one- it’s based on a prompt that I got from @andiebeaword and @spencers-dria helped me by guiding me with the book club idea- with a little twist! I am considering making this a series, if y’all are interested PLEASE let me know- I really want to because I had so much fun writing this. Thanks to all y’all for reading and requests are open!!

Warnings: 18+, Dom Spencer, Public Sex (is anyone that surprised??), Impact Play, Post Prison Spencer, Use of the nickname Doctor during sex, Spencer is a brat tamer, Spencer is morally ambiguous but doesn’t do anything explicitly immoral

Main Masterlist Word Count: 3.0k

As soon as you walked in through the large wooden doors it felt like history hit you over the head with a book. Even though it was on the small side for a library it still probably held more books than a normal public library, almost every wall was adorned with built-in shelves stacked from bottom to top with old books. They ranged in every subject you could think imaginable, from every point in history imaginable, and from every point of view that was imaginable. When you had first discovered this place it had felt like you had been transported to another world. You were surprised that more people didn’t know about this old library nestled in the corners of D.C, it was just sitting there idly watching as history passed by day by day, while it sat writing down all its secrets.

A meeting of the classics was scrawled on the standing white board you saw right when you walked into the library. A meeting of the classics from 7pm to 11:30 in reading room C were the exact words, you didn’t even really need to read them as you had been looking forward to this event for weeks.

You made your way down to the reading room that was specified, only encountering a few stragglers similar to yourself on the way down. You were somewhat new to the events that this library ran, only coming to the past four months. It was quickly becoming your favorite thing to do every month.

There was always a theme to each of the parties, ranging from different eras of history, specific novels, and including things that were open to interpretation. Tonight’s theme was as stated on the white board, a meeting of the classics, which had been described as “Pick your favorite literary icon from a classic novel and dress up as them.”

You had decided to not pick a character from a classic novel, but rather an author, Mary Shelly. You based your entire look on the iconic writer of Frankenstein (with a twist of course) because it had been your favorite novel as a child, it still was your favorite novel.

Once you had made it into the large reading room you took in the full room like you did every week. People were dressed as many outlandish characters, with some being more difficult to decipher than others. As you walked around the reading room you could feel the eyes of another on you.

You could feel his stare following you intently as you walked around mingling with the others that you had met before. The eyes belonged to a man you hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, a man dressed as someone instantly recognizable, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. What other iconic character would be split down the middle, half innocent doctor and half evil alter ego.

Even behind the costume you could tell how attractive the man was. He was extremely tall and lanky, with deep brown eyes and the fluffiest brown hair you had ever seen.

“Who’s that?” You asked the married lady and gentlemen dressed up as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Maybe it was shameful that you didn’t know their actual names, but you guess that’s what some people want when they come to an event like this

“That’s Dr. Spencer Reid, he hasn’t been here for a while and he sometimes misses things because of work. You didn’t hear it from me, but I heard he got in trouble with the law, that’s why he hasn’t been here for almost six months.” Her gossipy voice was drenched in fake sugar that made you gag on the inside. You still did appreciate her information as it gained you the name of the man who couldn’t stop staring at you like he was trying to figure you out.

“Must not have been that bad if he’s already out now, or maybe he’s innocent.” Ms. Bennet shrugged her shoulders at that. You may have even been naive to not heed her warning, but the idea of getting to know the mysterious fluffy haired man that had been staring at you all night was too intriguing for you to ignore.

“Who are you?” The mysterious man asked when he finally decided to approach you instead of staring at you from across the room.

Trying to maintain the same level of mystery as the man had you dodging his question with a simple redirect, “Who’s asking?”

“I thought it was quite obvious who I was.” He was right it was obvious, but why would you let him know that despite the fact that you knew what character he was you could tell the man underneath was the real mystery of it all.

“You’re the one who is not obvious.” The back and forth you had already picked up with him was thrilling, you sensed the fact that in most conversations you would have with him it would be a kind of battle that you would have to win.

“If you must know, kind sir, I am dressed as Mary Shelly, author of Frankenstein, with a bit of a modern twist.” You made sure to call him sir instead of his earned honorific this time, to see if it would poke any buttons.

“I am not a sir since my name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I can see now who you are dressed as, but I would still argue that it is not what the intentions were when they set this up.” You could tell that he was only teasing you with the way the inflections of his voice sounded, you were glad your teasing had been a moderate success.

You did also provide him your name before deciding to poke his buttons once more,“But, isn’t she a classic, Dr. Reid?”

“But, you have not made her a classic anymore by putting as you say a ‘modern twist on things’ though I must say it does look well made.” You would’ve been offended if you could not tell that it was all in jest, though you still got the sense that you still were not seeing what all this man was about.

“Thank you, Doctor I made it myself. However, you still haven’t answered my question yet, Dr. Reid.” You asked the next question hoping he would get what you were implying, “Who are you?”

“I suspect you may already know, but I am dressed half as Dr. Jekyll and half as Mr. Hyde.” At least he started to somewhat catch on to the hidden meaning in your words, though you still had not dug up the real answer you were looking for. He was too intriguing to persuade you to stop digging, you wanted to find who the doctor really was, not the partial mask he was still using.

“Yes, I suspected as much, but aren’t you breaking the rules by dressing up as technically two characters?”

“Were there rules that said I couldn’t dress up as two characters?” He fell nicely into the small trap you had set for him, retorting quickly without thinking. Which you found odd for a man that was clearly intelligent.

“No, but were there rules that said I couldn’t dress up as a classic author with my own twist?” The look on his face had let you know you had won the debate. You smirked with triumph as you glanced over the man, taking note of each of his handsome features in case you would never see him again.

You decided to pivot the conversation to another question that was on the forefront of your mind,“Do you have a dark side, Dr. Reid?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” He was deflecting, but he didn’t seem agitated by your question, simply amused by your dogged curiosity.

“I am curious though, what are you exactly underneath it all Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?” Your coy smile was most definitely not lost on him, he could see right through your facade. He could see right through Mary Shelly to find the true you underneath. You only wished you could figure him out as well, you wondered how he got so good at being able to read people in an instant.

“I haven’t figured that out yet.” Well, at least you got the answer to what you were looking for, even if the answer wasn’t as straightforward as you may have been expecting. But, you were realizing that Dr. Spencer Reid was probably anything but straightforward.

Your heart was pumping fast, his words had a bigger effect on you than he had probably expected, your panties hidden underneath your long dress were dampening quickly. Though as you saw the smirk on his face grow as you fidgeted in your chair you realized that maybe this was intention all along.

You excused yourself for a moment with a veiled excuse of going to the bathroom. You hoped he’d follow right behind you, to see that you were going to one of the empty reading rooms. If you had read his intentions correctly the heavy doors on each of the rooms should significantly squash any noises he or you would make.

Sure enough after an appropriate amount of time had passed so as to not raise suspicion, the good doctor (that may or may not be good at all) entered the empty room.

He brought you into a dominating kiss that made you want to cower at the same time as be completely defiant. You fought with valor as he tried to consume you entirely with the kiss, not letting his tongue slip into your mouth for as long as you could hold off. In the end you still lost the fight when he lifted you up onto one of the large wooden desks in the room, causing a gasp to fall from your lips that finally gave him full access to your hot wet mouth. He suddenly pulled away to pinch your cheeks together with his hand to make you look at him which made you whimper pathetically at first, but you appreciated his next question immensely.

“Do you want this?” You nodded as vigorously as you could with his hand pinching your cheeks.

He however was not satisfied with my eager nod and prompted you to confirm once more with an even harsher tone, “Speak up when you’re talking.”

“Yes, Doctor.” You replied with his honorific instinctually and you were pleasantly surprised with the eager groan that came from his lips in response. Plus, you were slightly rewarded with being able to feel his lips on your collarbone, sending even more shivers down your spine.

“Let me know immediately if that changes.” The contrast of his sweet meaning words with his hand gripping your jaw was jarring, but you couldn’t deny that you enjoyed it. It just made you want to be as bratty as possible because even if he was harsh there was still the underlying care in everything he did, you felt safe.

“Maybe I should just call you Mister instead, since that’s clearly your dominant side.”He growled into your neck that was quickly getting covered in hickies, next thing you knew he flipped you around to face the desk closest to you with your back to his chest.

“Bend over.” He commanded, to which in response you opened your mouth to retort. Instead of letting you run your mouth as you had done before he wound his hands through your hair and pushed you down to take the position he wanted. He then pulled up your dress to uncover the panties you had soaked through. You thought maybe he was going to give me some relief of the ache in my core, but you were given a harsh slap on your ass instead.

A whimper involuntarily came out from your lips from the harshness of the slap that you assumed was revenge for not following his commands. He then spoke with deadly conviction, “I want you to say thank you, doctor after every time I spank you.”

You only agreed because you were afraid that if you did not comply now he may not give you what you wanted. So, as soon as the next stinging slap came down on the same spot as before the phrase fell from your lips, “Thank you, Doctor!”

He continued his repeated hits onto your ass and you made sure to never miss thanking him with a cry. Once he was satisfied with how much you were punished for your sassy remark he rubbed over the inflamed skin of your ass with his large, unbelieving hands. He moved your panties to the side to dip his deft fingers to run through your folds, collecting some of your wetness. You whined loudly and perhaps pathetically in response to him only lighting touching you instead of obliging the heat you felt everywhere.

“Be patient, you’ll get what you want since you decided to start listening to me.” He snapped which caused your knees to buckle again.

“I can be patient, Doctor.” He definitely appreciated the continued use of his honorific in this scandalous situation as he let out a groan almost every time you said it. Instead of answering you he started to undo the pants of his outfit, a pair of slacks that were also equally as split as the rest of his costume. You didn’t look back to see his cock because you did not want to be punished by him twice in one night. But, you certainly felt it.

You could tell just as he was running the head of his cock through your folds and pulling your panties to the side again that he would be the biggest you had ever been with. What should have worried you slightly only ended up sending a shock through your core instead. He was at least somewhat gentle when he finally started to enter you, letting you get somewhat adjusted before sinking in all the way to the hilt.

As soon as he sensed that you had adjusted he started a rough brutal pace, not that you were complaining as he hit all of your most sensitive spots as his cock dragged through your walls.

He made no effort to stifle the loud moans that were coming from your mouth, maybe he thought the thick wooden doors would stifle the noises. But, there was no way no one would be able to hear the unintelligible wails that were coming from you.

“You like bringing out this side of me don’t you?” He rasped out after he pushed your torso back down to flat on the desk once you started to lift yourself up on your elbows. When you only answered with a noise that was not understandable he prompted you to speak up with another slap on your ass and said, “I said earlier to speak up when you’re trying to talk to someone.”

“Yes, Doctor!” You finally were able to cry out with a few more slaps to your ass from him.

Each time you kept getting close to the edge he’d pull away from you slightly dashing your orgasm away from you cruelly. Each time you decided to whine out loud to voice your displeasure even if it was involuntarily he would just prolong edging you for even longer. You were babbling incoherently when he pulled you by the hair so your back was pressed into his chest and after a few more moments of hearing you beg nonsensically with tears in your eyes he finally gave you the command,

“You can cum.”

“Thank you, Doctor!” You wailed as your orgasm washed over you in devastating waves, you were sure no other man had made you finish so hard in your life. You kept repeating, “Thank you, Doctor!”over and over until you had completely come down from what was arguably the best orgasm of your life. Your own orgasm helped propel his forward, and you made sure to confirm out loud that you were ok with him cumming inside you. The warmth that filled you as he pumped into you a few more times caused one last groan to come from you that was weirdly harmonious with the groan from the doctor.

Normal aftercare wasn’t really applicable in this type of situation, you hardly knew him and the added fact that you were in an old library with a party down the hall didn’t help either. He still cleaned you up with a softness you had yet to see from him during your short encounter. Aloe probably would’ve been the best option to soothe your raw bottom, but he did massage you for a few minutes after he cleaned the rest of you. He had even made sure your clothes that were not period accurate, as he had pointed out earlier, were neat before you both left. There were no cuddles and soft loving words exchanged, but you still felt immensely cared for by a man who claims he might not be a good man. He was a strange case.

“You still never answered my question, Doctor.” You stated as you stood on the steps of the library after you two had slipped out to leave.

“That’s because I still don’t have an answer.” And, with that you parted ways into the cool air of D.C. You hoped he had the same feelings as you when you had both parted ways, you wanted to see him again. There was another meeting next month, maybe then you would get your chance again.

The thrill that ran through your veins whenever you interacted with him, whether he was fucking you or having a rousing conversation about classic literature made you want him no matter whether he was Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. You’d take them both.

Part Two, Part Three| Series Masterlist

———

Tag list (message me if you want to be added):

All works:

@shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar

Spencer Reid/CM:

@calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes

Dom Spencer (new tag list):

[bamfdaddio]

X-Men Abridged: 1981

The X-Men, those back-to-the-future mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. Want to unravel this tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(Uncanny X-Men 141 - 152) - by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Brent Anderson, Dave Cockrum, Jim Sherman, Bob McLeod and Josef Rubinstein

While I also committed various fashion atrocities at the age of 14 (tye-die and fauxhawks, oh my), even Liberace would find Kitty’s outfits too much. (Uncanny X-Men 149; Uncanny X-Men Annual ‘81)

We dial back from the v. epic scope of the last few arcs. Instead, 1981 is just a lot of fun! We get:

Storm and Emma doing a Freaky Friday!

the X-Men vs. Magneto (again!)

A surprisingly effective Alien rip-off

An dystopian future! (OoOoOoOo)

Last year was the year of the Dark Phoenix, this is the year of Kitty Pryde. That’s not to say Jean’s death is swept under the rug: all throughout, we see her friends mourning her loss or remembering her fondly. (Scott even gets to have a demonic adventure about it.) But in general, Claremont puts Kitty in the forefront, fleshing out his YA-addition to the team. And what would a YA heroine be without a grim dystopia? Roll out the iconic Days of Future Past!

To be fair, 2013 was a dark time for all of us: What Does the Fox Say somehow got to the top of the charts and I was still watching Glee. (Uncanny X-Men 141)

How cool would it have been to see a name like Jonothon Starsmore or Eva Bell on those tombstones?

Anyway, that’s Kate. Kate’s had it rough. Mutants are at the bottom of the foodchain, most X-Men are dead and only a small cadre of resistance fighters remain, Sentinels dominate, and while she is married to Piotr, her children have been murdered. Bleak. Luckily, the rebellion has concocted the plan to shunt Kate’s spirit back in time to prevent this awful future from happening. (You’ve seen Days of Future Past, the last passably good X-Men film, you know what’s up.)

Let’s do the time warp again! 1981!Kitty’s mind gets taken over by 2013!Kitty, who promptly tries to convince the X-Men that a new Brotherhood of v. Evil Mutants will try to kill Senator Kelly, a presidential candidate who tries to put the mutant menace on the agenda. (Mutants tend to blow stuff up when he’s around.) Since the X-Men recently took a literal trip to Dante’s Infero and also befriended a cosmic world-ending entity, they basically shrug and go: “Yeah, this checks out.”

Off to Washington they go (zoommm) and there, they happen upon the Baddest Bitches in Herstory:

“How dare you hate mutants, senator Kelly! We’ll fix that by killing you!” (Uncanny X-Men 141)

This All-New, All-Different Brotherhood consists out of:

Destiny, a blind woman who can see the future. Definitely the eeriest member of this group. Badass lesbian, though that won´t be canon for years.

Avalanche. Greek who makes things shake. Is a long-standing member of the X-Men Rogue’s gallery, but rarely features in the spotlight. I think he got more characterization in four years of X-Men Evolution than he ever did in the comics.

Mystique. Shapeshifter. Ruthless and unhinged, the Cersei Lannister of the X-Men universe. Absolute legend, secretly the wife of Destiny, currently not as unhinged as she’ll be later. Immediately implied to be related to Nightcrawler: it’s the yellow-eyes-blue-skin-combo.

Pyro. Can manipulate fire, not create it. Absolute pillock, in all the best ways of the word. Originally intended as gay, but they decided to make him Australian instead. (?!)

Blob. Big, strong, immovable. We’ve seen him before.

One of the details in this fight I enjoy is that Storm is still struggling with her leadership, although she has a better grip on things than Cyclops:

Wolverine then proceeds to use those iconic but deadly claws about twice per issue for the next, oh, forty years. (Uncanny X-Men 142)

While the X-Men fight the Brotherhood in the present, we cut back and forth to the future. There, the X-Men consist out of some familiar faces - Storm, Colossus, Wolverine - and some surprises: Magneto (in a wheelchair), Franklin Richards (son of) and an unfamiliar ginger girl called Rachel. (She’ll be important later.) We even learn (one of) Magneto’s names: this is the first time he’s canonically called Magnus.

One of the strengths of Days of Future Past lies in its brevity, the way it tantalizingly taunts us with a brutal but familiar future without giving away too much. It’s single-handedly responsible for all those dark future timelines the X-lines are so fond of which will eventually culminate in time-displaced grandsons from alternative dimensions and the impossibility of a succinct answer to the question: “Who’s Cable?” Too much of a good thing and all that.

Still, what Days of Future Past does so successfully is:

Put the idea of the mutant menace back at the forefront, hammering home the metaphor of mutants being a minority. Mutants being put in camps and being forbidden to breed should - regretfully - make us think of all too many real life equivalents. (Specifically, all of the imagery harkens back to the Holocaust.)

It starkly shows what happens should the X-Men lose, reminding everyone of the stakes. The X-Men are here for a reason: bridging the gap between mutants and humankind. If they fuck up, we end up with mutant concentration camps.

It helps that the X-Men in the future almost all die horribly: Franklin is incinerated, Storm is impaled… It's brutal stuff. The only one to survive is Rachel, who wonders if their plan actually changed the future or if they created an alternative timeline. (It did the latter, sorry ‘bout it, Rachel.)

In the present, Kate chases after Destiny, who trains a gun on senator Kelly. I always wondered how this works: if Destiny saw the future, she knew that killing Kelly would trigger a terrifying future. What in the current Marvel timeline made her decide that the Days of Future Past was better? Did she see her own death? Did she see the Onslaught-crossover coming? The Chuck Austen run? What was it?

In any case, time-anomalous Kate stops Destiny from killing Kelly and the future is safe! For now. Kate disappears, Kitty returns to her body and some of the Brotherhood are apprehended. All is well, for now.

After being a key figure in DoFP, Kitty is also the main character in the Christmas special, which is basically a straight up horror and a pastiche of the Alien-movie.

Seriously, John Byrne still isn’t sure why he wasn’t sued by Ridley Scott for this. (Uncanny X-Men 143)

If you love Kitty Pryde? Read this issue. If you’re not convinced you like 80’s Kitty? Read this issue. It’s not continuity relevant and it’s basically Kitty playing the part of a Final Girl in a horror where she’s being chased by a demon, but it’s so good. It showcases all her strengths and her foibles. Kitty’s intelligent, cute (sometimes preciously so) and brave, but she’s also young, self-conscious and hot-headed. And it's not as if the other X-Men automatically adore her: Storm berates her all the time, she’s afraid of Kurt because of the way he looks (though she grows out of that) and she fights with Professor Xavier a lot. Moreover, she has a clever power-set for a young superhero who faces menaces on a daily basis: a thirteen year old who can go intangible is far less likely to have reality ensue on her and be dramatically offed because she's better at protecting herself.

I’m sure there are people who thought Sprite was hogging the spotlight, but I, for one, say she brings more to the table than, say, Angel. She’s not the Dawn Summers of this franchise.

Scott also gets a side quest. Poor guy can’t catch a break: first the love of his life dies, so he quits the X-Men, then he realizes he can’t do much else than be a superhero. He becomes a sailor on the ship of spunky captain Lee Forrester, is drawn into the sadistic plans of a demon unironically named D’Spayre and then shipwrecks in Bermuda with Lee.

The X-Men, meanwhile, are tormented by a team-up of Doom (who’s currently Latverialess and working on a comeback) and Arcade, that annoying crony. Locke, Arcade’s dom, has kidnapped the loved ones of the X-Men (Moira MacTaggart, Jean Grey’s parents, Illyana Rasputin and Amanda Sefton) in order to blackmail them into getting Doom to free Arcade. Apparently, Arcade accidentally insulted Doom and DOOM DOES NOT FORGIVE THAT FOLLY.

While the B-Squad (Polaris, Havok, Banshee and Iceman) goes to save Arcade’s hostages, the X-Men sneak into Doom’s castle. Well, except for Storm, who doesn’t give a single fuck and simply flies up to Doom, demanding an audience. Doom likes the cut of her jib and invites her to have dinner. (This is pre-Tinder, so this is a legit way of scoring a date.)

If Storm has a flaw (I said if!), it’s got to be her atrocious taste in men. (Uncanny X-Men 145)

The X-Men find Arcade’s cell empty, while Arcade casually saunters up to Storm and says hi. Storm realizes too late that this is a trap: while the X-Men are all trapped in Saw-like traps, Storm is encased in ‘living chrome’.

If you remember she’s claustrophobic, you know why this is a bad move.

While the X-Men free themselves from their traps - Polaris hilariously has to deal with a murderous merry-go-round - Storm is slowly driven mad in her prison, triggering a worldwide tempest. (She causes Lee and Scott to shipwreck.) Under the threat of Wolverine’s claws, Doom releases Storm - or rather, unleashes her.

“Instead of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Tempestuous as the sea, and stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!” (Uncanny X-Men 147)

The memory of Jean brings Ororo back to herself and she starts undoing the superstorm she created. (If only climate change were reversed that easily.) Their confrontation ends by Storm easily forgiving Doom, because she apparently trespassed on his grounds without adequate cause.

Mkay.

All of Arcade’s hostages return to their homesteads, except for Illyana Rasputin, Piotr’s sister: she’s staying at the mansion for a while. Angel, who’s sort of been a part of the team since the Phoenix thing, has had it with Wolverine and his ‘tude, and decides to quit the X-Men : he doesn’t want to be a part of an outfit that has a killer like Wolverine on it. (Or maybe he’s just mad Claremont didn’t give him any storylines: his presence has been mostly pointless.) It’s too bad he left before Kitty started experimenting with her outfits: I bet he would have loved her ugly-ass costumes.

Equally inconsequential is the introduction of a brand new character, who then proceeds to disappear from the narrative for the rest of the year:

Black Tom has tried to kill you at least twice, but him sending you a long-lost daughter doesn’t give you pause? Ugh, Sean, you deserve Moira. (Uncanny X-Men 148)

Intrigued by Theresa? TOO BAD, WON’T SEE HER AGAIN ANYTIME SOON.

Another new character is the lonely, decidedly mutant looking Caliban, who can sense “people like him” and is on the lookout for companions. Like many lonely people who try and grasp at friendship, he decides to overshoot his shot and ruin the night of Storm, Kitty and Jessica Drew at a Dazzler concert. Because he tries to kidnap Kitty, the girls react a trifle aggressively. When they realize their mistake - the eerily pale Caliban is a simpleton rather than a menace - he’s already fled. No mention is made of the Morlocks yet!

There’s also another dull annual where the X-Men team up with the Fantastic Four to save Arkon’s dimension from the Badoon and yaaaaawn. Far more interesting is the landmark issue #150. Slowly, through the adventures of Scott and Lee Forrester, Claremont has been setting things up for the return of a favorite villain. While the X-Men investigate Magneto’s old base in Antarctica on a hunch of Professor X and tangle with Garruk, Scott and Lee survive Storm’s tempest, only to wake up next to a strange island that seems to have been raised from the ocean.

It’s apparently some ancient citadel from a long forgotten civilization with a fondness for squid statues. (I don’t know man, I’ve never been to the Bermuda Triangle, maybe this is just super-accurate.)The tentacles make Lee Forrester feel very amorous, but before Scott can tell her he is way too repressed to just have sex with an attractive someone he’s known intimately for a month or two, Magneto saves his ass by revealing he, in fact, raised this island from the seafloor.

Oh, Magneto. So extra.

My ambitious little mutant demagogue then proceeds to take the entire world hostage, showing how much he’s grown from the pompous, raving madman from the sixties. (Sure, Magneto is still a bit of a madman, but increasingly, he starts being on the right side of history.)

“I’m trying to make Magneto more sympathetic.”

“Just put him on a page with some bigger villains who are less noble, like the Vanisher, Count Nefaria, or…”

“Reagan, Thatcher and Brezhnov?”

“Er.” (Uncanny X-Men 150)

It’s obvious Magneto is being pivoted as a more noble villain, codified into the well-intentioned extremist we know and love today. Not only do we get the first hints at his past, fleshing out his motivations, he’s also not wrong. Humans are historically not great at taking care of the planet or each other.

When the Russians call his bluff and launch nukes at Magneto’s new island, he quickly disarms them. His retribution is swift and ferocious: the entire citadel is a machine that massively amplifies his powers. He sinks the submarine that launched the missiles, condemning the entire crew to death, and he casually erects a vulcano in a Russian city in Siberia.

Damn. Not messing around this time.

Despite his good intentions, Magneto is still definitely in the wrong: not only because of his methods, but as Scott points out: if Magneto unifies the world under his kind of benevolent dictatorship, all of that will simply fall apart as soon as Magnus dies.

In a way, Magneto is just as big a dreamer as Charles is: Charles believes in peace and integration, whereas Magneto believes his iron fist will be enough to make a perfect world happen. Both of them ignore the reality that acceptance is difficult and messy, because you’re trying to change essential human nature: the fear of the other. Magneto believes in big, sweeping gestures that will fix the world in move, while changing the world is also boring, hard work. One step forward, two steps back. Magneto just wants to leapfrog to his ultimate goal.

The X-Men fly over the citadel, returning from Antarctica, and their plane crashes into the ocean. (Magneto does not brook planes over his territory, humans!) The Professor is also nearby, looking for Scott with Moira, Peter Corbeau and Carol Danvers. The X-Men sneak onto the island, but to their horror, their powers are nullified by some machine of Magneto. They reunite with Scott, who formulates a plan to thwart the would-be ruler of the world.

While the rest of the X-Men go to trash the machine, Storm, Kitty and Lee infiltrate the control chamber where Storm finds a sleeping, shirtless Magneto. Once again showing her terrible taste in men, she is not weak in the knees at the sight of a sleeping Magnus: instead, she contemplates killing him.

Storm knows how dangerous he is, but she also knows that he’s a great man who’s fighting for ideals, no matter how misguided. She hesitates too long: Magneto stirs, suspects an attack and tosses her out of the window, to her death.

Magneto quickly undoes the sabotage the other X-Men have wrought to his machine. A fight erupts. Storm, meanwhile, has managed to grab hold of a ledge. She crawls back up and smashes an important-looking computer, restoring everyone’s powers.

The battle turns grim, but Scott sends Kitty away to wreck Magneto’s machinery. She sneaks off, following Scott’s orders and destroying both Magneto's power-up device and all of his plans by phasing though the computer circuitry. Magneto senses this and furiously gives chase. Overcome by rage, he attacks Kitty and disrupts her phasing power with a magnetic bolt, seemingly killing her?

Everything about this story beat is great: mama bear!Ororo, mournful Magnus and even the fact that Kitty’s godawful outfit serves a narrative function: highlighting to us (and Magneto) just how young she is. The fact that Kitty’s Jewish is just icing on the cake. (Uncanny X-Men 150)

And thus, the softening of Magneto commences. 1981 might be a year with wildly varying narratives, but it has given us at least three enduring legacies to the X-Mythos: a new kind of Magneto, a fondness for dystopian futures and the character of Kitty Pryde, who's really come into her own this year.

Ugliest Costume: Kitty! Purposefully, but still. Best costume, by the way, goes to Destiny, with her creepy, creepy golden mask. Just imagine this lady casually strolling across a battlefield, eerily calm and collected, dodging everything you throw at her. Awesome design.

Best new character: I usually pick one character - what good is having a shared award when declaring the best of anything? - but this year, it’s going to one of my favorite couples: Mystique and Destiny. Can’t wait to see more of them.

Most audacious retcon: Blob somehow retroactively becomes a member of the original Brotherhood, which is not what happened. Ever weirder is Xavier pondering that he never met Magneto before his attack in X-Men #1, while their cordially adversarial relationship rooted in a youthful friendship would soon become a cornerstone of the X-Men.

What to read: Uncanny X-Men 141 - 143 and 150 - 152

[belle-keys]

MBTI-ing the TLH gang

For those of you who don't know, this blog used to be almost exclusively for MBTI and typology about a year ago (now it's an everything blog, lmao). I've studied MBTI and the Jungian functions for 5 years now, albeit informally and as a hobby. Feel free to slide in my inbox if you want a deeper explanation for why I’ve chosen a type for a specific character. Anyways, so here's me typing the TLH characters:

James - classic ENFJ: He puts others first and makes the harmony of the group his priority even if it means doing stupid shit sometimes and neglecting his own needs (Fe-Ti). He likes to be a planner and to be wise, but his impulsivity (and horniness) often clash with these plans (Ni-Se).

Cordelia - ISFP: Cordelia keeps her dreams, desires, and idealism at her forefront, which can sometimes result in illogical or impulsive mishaps despite her dreams and skillset, re: Wayland the Smith, not noticing her father was an alcoholic all her life (Fi-Te). Cordelia is a warrior, very in tune with Cortana, her body, her fighting, her dancing, and her appearance (Se-aux).

Matthew - ESTP: Matthew enjoys pleasure and experience and the fleeting nature of moments, and he's the literal impersonation of joie de vivre when he's at his healthiest, but he sadly overuses that strength of his (Se) to try to neglect all the dark shit going on under the surface. He stifles the logical parts of himself that tells him he’s making impulsive decisions and just shows the world a brave, charming face (tert-Fe, looping).

Lucie - ENFP: Lucie loves ideas and feelings and romance, and is ultimately a creative and progressive thinker (Ne-Si). She channels her feelings and desires into her writing, so much so that she doesn't always end up writing the most practical or realistic literature, but it's filled with her authenticity, dreams, and idealism (Fi-Te). Her Te-practicality, realism and strategizing goes into her Shadowhunting and necromancy.

Christopher - Textbook INTP: Scientific thinking and pure logic rendering him socially awkward outside of his circle (Ti-Fe)? Check. The battle between innovativeness and tradition in his head when it comes to Shadowhunting techniques (Ne-Si)? Check.

Thomas - ISFJ: I consider ISFJs like Thomas to be the Sexy Hufflepuffs of the world. Thomas generally follows the rules and his set patterns unless they clash with his need to protect the ones he loves (Si-dom, Fe-aux). That's why he'll sometimes pull reckless and illogical shit like patrolling alone even when he knows it can get him hurt (weak Ti). Lastly, he proves capable of saying "screw everything I ever thought I believed in" when he needs to, re: Alastair (rare Ne usage).

Alastair: ESTJ: ESTJs, when they're emotionally aware like Alastair, can give off major Momma Bear energy with how efficiently they handle life and people. Alastair systematically takes care of his father when he's drunk, and he also strategically makes himself a bully at the academy when he realizes the need to be a Queen Bee. He ignores his own desires and authenticity in the process (Te-Fi). Likewise, he shows that he's capable of order, has a good memory, yet can be hilarious and surprising when need be (Si-Ne).

Anna: ENTJ - Anna has established an empire in London with her systematic seduction of London's ladies. She buries her internal strife and hurt to go about her conquest (Te-Fi). Furthermore, her emphasis on sex and seduction, and the building of this long-term queendom where she's the ringleader show clear signs of Ni-Se.

Grace: ISFJ - Grace, especially in ChoI, shows how she can holistically analyze her memories, recounting her childhood and the inevitable trauma she both faced and put James through and coming to a decisive decision about how she feels about herself and actions. Furthermore, the feelings of others, mostly Jesse and James, are always at the forefront of her mind (Si + Fe). She finally snaps and goes awol and defies the rules and structures she’s been groomed to follow at the end of ChoI when she confesses about the gracelet and gets fed up of Tatiana’s shit (inf-Ne).

Jesse: ENTP - Jesse is a rebel at heart. From his childhood, he's shown that he's keen on defying the rules and systems put in place by Tatiana and instead, wants to choose his own path: being a Shadowhunter, secretly training, insisting on a rune (Ne-Si). Furthermore, Jesse is a natural charmer who has Grace and Lucie's best interests at heart, and by extension, he's selfless when it comes to the people he loves (i.e. giving up his last breath to James), showing definite tert-Fe.

(Disclaimer: I'm not an MBTI expert or any kind of psychologist or anything. This was just for fun, and feel free to disagree and share your own typings if you want.)

[jonsa101]

Thoughts About Sharpwin in Episode 3X14

Hey guys!! I feel like there has been so much pandemonium in the fandom since all of these spoilers and content has come out prior to the finale on Tuesday.  I have revised this meta so many times due to new things coming out every day and I honestly debated if I should even still publish a meta before the finale. Either way, I’m putting this out there because I still have some thoughts to share and it was highly requested by y’all! 😉 As always, I’m going to try and share my thoughts as honestly and as logically as I can. 

Going into the season finale, I think the question we need to ask ourselves is what are the most important aspects of the season finale? For me, I’ve always believed that the time-jump and the cliffhangers would be the most important aspects of the episode and based on what we’ve seen so far, I think that opinion still holds true. True to his words, in this interview here https://tvline.com/2021/05/25/new-amsterdam-season-3-finale-spoilers-time-jump/ , Schulner specifically said that the finale episode would be nothing like we’ve seen before. From yesterday’s spoiler, it’s fair for us to assume that that the episode we are about to see on Tuesday is linear and is a full time jump episode. How long is the time jump? I’m not sure but my guess is that it’s at least 3 months.

Now you might be thinking “what if the time jump is only a week or two?” Here’s why I think it’s not.

Look at this picture with Helen and Mina.

In this week’s episode Helen and Mina were still bumping heads after weeks of Mina living with Helen. They were talking about college applications and it wasn’t until the end that we finally see Helen and Mina put their walls down and start to connect with each other. Again, look at the picture down below! Clearly their relationship has done a complete 180 and they seem closer than ever. Mina is literally on the verge of tears as she and Helen are about to say their goodbyes. That relationship transformation doesn’t take place in a week or so. I personally don’t think it takes place in a month either. That type of transformation and healing takes time. Also, if one of the primary reasons that Helen is in London is to drop off Mina for college that means Mina had to go through the whole college application process which is incredibly long! Mina would have to write essays, take the SAT or ACT, go on interviews and hell, probably go on college tours too! In 3x13, she was just starting that process guys. So, if we are seeing Helen drop off Mina for school, at the BARE MINIMUM it has to be at least a three month time jump. Mind you, I’m doing the bare minimum here because I’m not sure the show would commit to a 6-months to a year time jump, which is typically a standard timeline for the college application process.

Now also look at Floyd’s photo.

He is serving breakfast in bed y’all!!! Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that this man is COMFORTABLE and has been in the midst of his situationship for a while now. Logically, do you think that he can get this comfortable with Dr. Malavo within the span of a week or two especially after the episode that we just saw? No!! A person like Floyd who has gone on and on about his life plan since season one definitely would have had to be worn down for a while for him to be caught up and comfortable in a situationship!

Again, this is just how I feel. I could be wrong but to me I feel like at least a 3- month time jump would be realistic. Moving on from the time-jump let’s talk about these cliffhangers. Y’all I STRONGLY believe that there is a reason why we are receiving so much spoiler and promotional content before the finale. Based on everything we’ve seen, at this point we should all know that we are going to see Helen and Max finally become an official couple in the finale. This is a given! We are all excited to see them finally get together and without a doubt how that unfolds is a huge part of the finale. I just want to make an argument that Max and Helen finally coming together isn’t the most important point of the episode. 😬😬😬 Again y’all, look at the content we’ve received so far! We got a Sharpwin focused promo, a ton of promotional photos, we got that amazing sneak peek voicemail from Max and hell, we even got Ryan Eggold telling Us Weekly that he just felt like it was time for these characters “to go one way or the other! “All of this is great but at the same time it’s super heavy handed! Mind you, in episode 3x12 which was a pivotal episode for Sharpwin, we barely got any spoilers, in fact I think even the episode synopsis was delayed as well. Clearly, I understand that the show hasn’t shown us the most important parts of how Max and Helen are finally going to get together but what I am saying is that they’ve shown us enough to make me believe that isn’t the most important point of Sharpwin’s story in the episode. In the finale for Sharpwin, to me, the question isn’t about if they’re going to get together or how they finally get together, it’s about what’s in store for the FUTURE they choose to have together. Max said it perfectly himself in that voicemail when he said 

I need to see you.

I need to talk to you.

I need to be with you in all the ways I’ve been dreaming about.

That last line is so significant because to me it tells me exactly where his mind and heart is at. Apart from the obvious where Max is clearly thinking about making love to her, I think Max is also dreaming about having a life with her. Again y’all! From episode 3x12 an onwards the question has never been about if they want to be together. It is clear that they both WANT THIS. The question is what that looks like for them and where they go from here after they come together. There are a lot of important conversations they need to have and decisions to be made, hence Max’s “I need to see you,” and “I need to talk to you.”

This brings me back to the cliffhangers. In the article I linked above, Schulner made it a point to emphasize the importance of cliffhangers this year. According to him there should be at least five cliffhangers in the season finale. In my mind, that means all of the main characters should have a cliffhanger that immediately sets them up for their main storyline in season 4. Especially considering the fact that the season 3 finale will already be a time jump episode. So, if the finale is centered around Sharpwin and we know that we should expect cliffhangers, shouldn’t we expect that Max and Helen will probably have a big cliffhanger that impacts their relationship going forward? It wouldn’t make sense for Iggy, Lauren, and Floyd to have these pivotal cliffhangers in finale while Max and Helen just end up as a happy couple. I could be wrong but that logically doesn’t make sense to me. We should totally expect them to maybe have the biggest cliffhanger out of everyone else since technically this episode is mainly about them! I like to think that Max and Helen have a collective cliffhanger but it’s also possible that they have cliffhangers as individual characters and those cliffhangers effect the trajectory of their relationship. By the way, I’m absolutely expecting a positive cliffhanger/cliffhangers for Max and Helen. I truly do believe the best is yet to come for them! All I’m trying to say is that I think this is going to be the most important part of Sharpwin’s story in the season finale. Not how they finally get together! 

For me, one of the big things that sticks out that could play a role in a collective Sharpwin cliffhanger or an individual cliffhanger is Helen’s trip to London. I predicted this trip would be a trip of healing past wounds and finding answers when it comes to her family in my meta here: https://jonsa101.tumblr.com/post/649841094458310656/max-goodwin-and-his-declaration-of-love-and this seems to be panning out. I think this trip is really going to put things in perspective for Helen about what she wants and the things that really matter to her. I think about episode 3x4 where Helen proclaims that she keeps “running out of time” in the areas of her life that are really important to her. Her deepest desires have always been to have a family and a child of her own. As she heals, reconnects with her family, and reflects on what matters most to her, I wonder if her desires for a family of her own will be at the forefront of her mind when she reconnects with Max? What’s that state of her mindset after a trip like that? I might be thinking entirely too deep about this but these are the thoughts that run in my mind now as we head into the finale.

For Max, we saw him sort out the custody battle for Luna in 3x13. We also saw Helen basically tell him that their relationship was worth the fight. From yesterday’s sneak peek, we know at the beginning of the finale he is deeply longing for Helen and is clearly pondering a life with her. What shifts his focus away from that is when he thinks he’s misplaced his wedding ring. We all know that this episode will be the final step Max takes to let go of his past and embrace his future with Helen but again what does that look like? Again, all of this plays a role to what I think will be the most important part of the episode. 

Their Cliffhanger!!!

So, what exactly could their cliffhanger or cliffhangers be? At this point, the possibilities are endless! Like I said, I believe the best is yet to come for them and that any cliffhanger coming their way will be a great one! At the very beginning of the season, I said that this is the season of love declarations and commitment and that I wouldn’t be surprised if Max and Helen ended up engaged: https://jonsa101.tumblr.com/post/649841094458310656/max-goodwin-and-his-declaration-of-love-and. Max saying he wanted to build something better for Luna and Helen struck me and these were my thoughts.

“Max is just giving me MAJOR “I love you and I’m trying to commit and build something for us vibes.” I think one of my greatest gifts in life is the ability to read between the fucking lines. As a grown 26 year-old women, if a man that I have feelings for that I know has feelings for me comes to me and says, “I want to build something better for you,” we are either married or a marriage proposal is around the corner. A man is not trying to build something better for/with a friend or a confidant. Ok! You build something with someone you want to spend your life with! These are the types of conversations you have with your husband, wife or life partner! Period! After everything they’ve been through before and especially after a year of being in a pandemic, I think now more than ever Max is going to get or has already gotten clarity about what and who he wants and he’s going to go after it. When you realize how quickly life can change it literally shifts everything and makes you change your priorities and go after what you actually want. To me, this will be reflected in the show.”

Oddly enough, I think my words are pretty similar to Shaun Cassidy’s tweet about this finale:

Max will get clarity.

Max will see the light.

Mind you, I wrote this meta after seeing the first episode of the season. Now as we head into the season finale, after all of Max’s personal suffering, after everything Max and Helen have been through together, after Max’s second death or life experience, I think Max seeing the light or gaining clarity is a hell of a lot more than them just becoming a couple! It’s established that Max wants her! It’s established that Max wants to be with her and they’re going to be couple! Shaun is already out here retweeting “couple era” tweets. I think seeing the light holds weight and I think an engagement fits the bill. I think Max and Helen are at a point in their lives and in their relationship where they want a life together! They are completely all in I just think they’re trying to navigate what the hell that looks like. Also, like I said earlier, where we leave off in the season 3 finale will be the setup for the main storylines in season 4. I think many people in the fandom believe that at some point in season 4 Max and Helen will try for a baby and we will see her infertility struggles play out. I have my own personal opinions on this topic but I’ll save that for another meta. If there is an expectation that in season 4 we will see Max and Helen as a happy couple, Helen stepping up as Luna’s mom/co-parent and them potentially wanting to expand their family, don’t you think it makes sense for Helen to at least be his fiancee?! Honestly y’all! Think about it! Do you think Max would start the process of trying to get pregnant with Helen without marrying her first? I don’t think so. I definitely think he’s a put a ring on it type of guy! Another point that I want to make is this. Luna is in the picture. Luna and Max are a package deal. Helen knows this and when they have this conversation about how they’re going to navigate their lives together, I know that without hesitation we are about to see Helen loving Luna unconditionally and basically being her mom in season 4. Loving your partner’s child unconditionally as your own is the highest form of love and commitment you can show and do for your partner. I know without a shadow of doubt that Helen is going to do this. So as Helen shows him her love and commitment, how can Max tangibly SHOW her how much he loves her and is committed to their lives and their future together? These are just things I’ll leave y’all to think about. 

To wrap this up here are some other quick thoughts I have about the finale.

At this point I strongly believe that Max and Helen are in New York City based on the promos and spoilers I’ve seen. One thing I will say though is at the same time don’t discount the possibility of Max and Helen at some point in the episode also being in London as well. Remember all the promos, spoilers and sneak peeks we’ve seen so far are things they want us to see!!!! We only have pieces of the full story and because of that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! I remember back in season one when spoilers came out for the season finale. Going into the finale, most of us who were in the fandom back then already knew there would be some sort of accident/ ambulance crash. At best we thought that it would only affect Max, Georgia and Luna. We had no idea that the season finale would also put Bloom and Helen’s life at stake as well!! The point I’m trying to make is this, even though we saw the spoilers we didn’t have the full picture of what exactly was filmed in those spoilers.

I think when Max and Helen finally have their moment it will be glorious and romantic af! I’m expecting to see kissing, lovemaking, and everything in between but the most important thing are the conversations!! I’m expecting to see a lot of deep conversations about how they’re going to make this thing work after they say there I love you’s. 

Long before the episode synopsis came out, I told y’all that Max and Reynolds moment in the season finale would be pivotal for Sharpwin in this same meta https://jonsa101.tumblr.com/post/649841094458310656/max-goodwin-and-his-declaration-of-love-and and that’s what we are going to see play out on screen. It’s natural for Max to have an emotional attachment to that ring. He was married to Georgia and had a life with her. That doesn’t negate how he feels about Helen. Even more so than that do you know what I also think is at play here? Guilt. The guilt of him trying to move on with the woman he’s had feeling for since season 1. I mean, I personally don’t think they’re using voiceovers of Max and Helen’s conversations in season 1 in their promo for no reason. I don’t see why they wouldn’t address it especially when for us as an audience we know that’s the case. I also think it’s not a coincidence that Reynold’s finds himself in a situation that’s pretty similar to where Max was at. So in my mind, I think it needs to be addressed in order to move on. As he starting a new relationship, he should be honest about having feelings for Helen while he was married and get that off his plate. I think he’s been carrying the weight of that guilt since season two and it’s time to let it go.

Last but not least there is the Mina and Max scene from the spoilers. I don’t know what to make of this but if Mina is in London and the finale is a full time jump episode with no flashbacks, I don’t see how Mina and Max could have a convo in NYC. If they’re having a conversation, I think it’s going to be in London. That’s just how I see it! I could be dead ass wrong but again this is just my opinion. It could be possible that we might see more than one day take place in this episode. I mean realistically, I don’t see how Helen can listen to his voicemail, send Mina off to school, reconnect with her mama and then fly to NYC and meet up with Max all in the same day. That’s super unrealistic to me! Spoilers don’t give us the full scope of what’s going on. Also, I think it’s a little bit weird for Max and Mina to be having a conversation at night with no prior relationship with each other. So, my guess is whatever conversation they’re having would be after Max and Helen have established themselves as an official couple. Just my two cents. 

As always feel free to reach out with me with any questions you might have and also let me know what cliffhanger you think is in store for them!

[inspector-montoya-fox]

let’s talk about why Justine Courtney is a badly written character

it’s been a hot minute since i’ve finished Investigations 2 but i can confidently say it’s very much one of the best Ace Attorney titles, perhaps even as good as Trials & Tribulations. but, that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its flaws, and i think, as much as i love her, Courtney was one them. loads of stuff didn’t really make sense, and her story arc as some sort of antihero didn’t quite gel. let’s dive into specifics (spoilers ahead):

i wanna start off by saying that this character genuinely holds a special place in my heart. if you follow me and my friend’s podcast, Turnabout Podcast, you might know that Investigations 2 was the first game i played without my friend giving me any previews or opinions because it’s the only game in the series that i played first. as such, when Courtney was first introduced, she made an impact by being a female judge sans the restraint of the court. you mean to tell me the judges in the Ace Attorney universe have... a waist, legs and feet !? when i tell you i thought this character was amazing, i mean it. easily one of the best things about my playthrough, something that surely wouldn’t change ever. but before i get into the bad writing, i wanna say that honestly, Courtney has some pretty nice moments in the game.

i think, first and foremost, diversity. like we can clearly see that the traditional Judge borrows heavily from what we all imagine a stereotypical judge would look like. bushy beard, black robes, bald (?). the only thing missing would be an over-the-top white wig with the curls. so, enter Courtney, this woman wearing her pink garment with some astral/cross details, braids in a circle with a thunder-esque fringe in the front, and holding a mini gavel to smash your skull in with. her attire and overall character design successfully portrays a woman who places her faith on the justice system above all else - and that’s a major aspect of her character. honey, she’s serving Florence + the Machine Ceremonials, divine eleganza. this is a prude above all else, and a firm believer that the justice system will prevail in the end, always and forever.

so, with this all in mind, you’d think we’d get a character who’s shtick is ‘blind faith’, etc. i mean, i love Ace Attorney but i have to admit most characters are pretty one-dimensional: Lisa Basil is a computer, Olga Orly is a reveal queen, Phineas Filch is a thief, and so on and so forth. it was a pretty big surprise when Courtney failed to maintain her single trait. the woman clearly doesn’t have a personality or a life outside her job; and even that would make for more interesting character development than what we got. instead, she starts off as an annoying foil to Edgeworth’s plans with some crazy-ass antics, and then proceeds to be excruciatingly irritating just because... she can ???? i feel like the writers had no idea what to do with her so they merged all their half-baked ideas together to form someone with enough systematic power to go against Edgeworth once he effortlessly put Sebastian Debeste in his place. lemme change the paragraph because i’m about to pop off.

Justine Courtney is like... 26 different people. she’s a mother, a judge, an investigator, a babysitter and a pain in the ass all at once. lil mama multi-faceted. the shift in tone doesn’t make sense and isn’t supported by anything in the narrative whatsoever. ok, she was basically playing lapdog to Sebastian in order to get closer to Blaise, i guess. but, why introduce her as someone who’s an avid justice system aficionado and supporter and not drive it all the way home or make it consistent throughout? that’s her entire thing in the Imprisoned Turnabout, talking about the Goddess of the Law and her motivations, but then in the Inherited Turnabout, she barely mentions any of it. instead of maintaining her black-and-white view of the law in order to develop it and make her come to a realisation that it’s not always like this, the writers tried shoving in other stuff like her playing secret agent trying to bust Blaise, or her being a mom.

the storyline at the end where she has a change of heart is completely and utterly unsupported by anything. why help Edgeworth when you’re the one who is to blame for everything !? you’re the reason he’s locked up !? again, if they had just stuck to one tone/ story arc/ theme, it would all make sense. black-and-white view Courtney would realise that Edgeworth is clearly a grey anomaly; mom Courtney would feel something for Sebastian because of her love for John; film noir Courtney would be a double-faced minx who reveals to Edgeworth why she was so eager to antagonise him. but when you put all of these together, it becomes such a convoluted mess that sees none of these aspects fully develop. most of these “character traits” also clash with each other at times, like how she helps Sebastian, an amateur prosecutor, put away people who are most likely innocent (apart from Simon Keyes) despite her undying trust and devotion in the law, or maybe even how her strong motherly instinct would probably prevent her from using Sebastian in order to get closer to Blaise and then ignore the kid’s meltdown in the final case.

and don’t get me started on the teen pregnancy thing. you had to know a secret or a reveal was coming, but that took me out of an otherwise outstanding case just because the Ace Attorney writers refuse to acknowledge that they have an issue with women and their ages. it was a horrifyingly disgusting experience for me doing the math during the Grand Turnabout and then, until it was revealed that John is actually her nephew, i couldn’t think of anything else. looking past how much of a horrible decision it was and how the writers don’t know how to properly give accurate ages to their female characters, it further took away from Courtney’s flawed character. you can’t just give this woman 209131 different storylines, neglect to develop them because she’s kept in the sidelines, and then place her in the forefront of the final major case. that’s not how it works? because when John was abducted, putting my hate for children aside, i genuinely didn’t really care about him. although, i have to admit, the mother-son moments were pretty sweet, and we often praise this on the podcast as well - i truly believe Courtney is an amazing mom, who wants nothing than the best for John. either way, the work wasn’t put in and as such i didn’t really care for a character who failed to gain my devotion and emotional attachment.

when you compare Courtney to other main female characters such as Franziska or Mia, the difference is undeniable. even when we compare her to the Judge, it’s clear that she fails to make an impression on the player because her traits are not consistent. ‘she lacked substance’ would be the TLDR version. if you want more Justine Courtney criticism, @ironicsnap​ quite literally pops off here and we discuss the age thing in detail. but to conclude, i think we should have gotten one version of Courtney. my favourites from the bunch would have to be “film noir” investigator Courtney or the “blind faith” one because i think that would make for interesting character development above all else. i would love to see Courtney be the prosecution’s pawn and then realise that and actually switch sides. if this was the case then she could return in later installments and interact with characters such as Kristoph Gavin, who have similar story-arcs.

[littleladymab]

For the meta ask game - 3 and 20!

wah-heyyyyyY!!!!

3) What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

Okay I still can't be arsed to do it because I am getting ready to play DND and I know myself, it will turn into a whole thing but there are two that I'm currently rotating in my head. One I will tell you about, because the "star wars but fantasy au" has been shoving itself into the forefront of my mind thanks to big bang group chat. Specifically!

A More Civilized Age pod brought up an AU idea that I'm absolutely obsessed with and it's "what if, after the whole 'Boba Fett tries to kill Mace Windu' arc of TCW, Bail Organa goes "what this kid needs is a positive parental influence in his life' because lord knows Aurra Sing AIN'T IT and so just in addition to an ENTIRE au in which Boba Fett grows up in the Organa household and then gets to become a protective older brother to Leia, I really wanted a conversation between him and Ahsoka. Because she was part of the team that brought him in, and while I can't remember the bulk of the conversation that I wanted, Here's Ahsoka, just 4 years older than Boba, but look at how differently their lives were shaped and altered by the existence of the Clone Wars and also the idea of being child soldiers/weapons.

Anyway, my dream is to one day write a fantasy au which will have Boba as Leia's protective older brother who will absolutely give Han shit but will absolutely side-eye Luke so hard when he finally comes into the picture but I don't have anything but the Desire and Vibes right now. Maybe for next SW Big Bang

(don't hold me to it)

20) Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

It was funny because when I was reading over these prompts originally I was like "oh no if someone asks me 20 then I'll just have to confess that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing what are THEMES" but that's kind of a lie, I just never really recognize them myself. Especially because I have....... so many different things i'm doing at any given point.

So Here's just like, a general sort of list of things I do and like about my writing! I'm not a particularly clever author, imo, I plan everything well in advance so I don't feel like there are any surprises? but also that's because i get too into what I'm doing that I can't see the forest for the trees or w/e anywho

I think one of my fav things about writing for SW is that there's so much content everywhere, that I can pull a reference from a source and add it into a fic as a throwaway reference. For Phoenix Suite, I did reference the fact that Kallus likes to wake up early because it is the quietest part of the day -- a fun little tidbit that I pulled from the jr novel adaption of the S1 finale. For far from the home I've made, I referenced the fact that in one of the Rebels comics, Kallus mentions that he arrived on Courscant for training, implying that he came from off-world (who actually knows, but I took it and ran with it). I also wanted to include the fact that Ezra was friends with someone who moved to Alderaan, but I wasn't able to fit the conversation of what happened to Alderaan into the chapter because it was already uhhh way too long.

I absolutely looooove to make the inhuman experience human emotions, while also expressing their inhumanity. I use 'inhuman' extremely loosely here, mostly for just 'anything beyond the mundane'. Far from the home I've made has Ezra being sad and scared while at the same time coming from an experience in which he sacrificed himself to save an entire planet. My place to land has Signet giving away pieces of herself in order to ensure that Echo doesn't lose their eye, though it results in both of them being half-blind for a bit. every open eye has Sasha fully ready to surrender herself to the Stranger in order to save Jon. I had an answer for Mwyr, but I forgot what it was, but that's OC content and we don't have time to unpack all of that lolol

I LOVE PEOPLE BEING A MESS. BEING AWFUL TO REMEMBER TO DO THINGS, GETTING INTO RELATIONSHIPS THEY SHOULDN'T. This adheres more to OC stuff, here's to all these normal people being normal messes, amirite???

One of my favorite uhhhh not really tropes but like, identifiable "mab" things in my writing, is I love the physicality of an intimate moment. Like, non-sexual acts of intimacy, and just residing in the physicality of it. A friend left me a comment about how they noticed it in my writing before and love it, and I've been riding that high for like, two and a half years LMAO

I also just love writing friends being friends and being in love with each other like there is nothing better to me than found family and also just a pair of friends being non-romantically in love with each other where you can look at them and go BESTIES!!!!

that's all I got time for, time for dnd, but HEY!!! Feel free to ask me more meta writing questions if you'd like, everyone :')

[radishaur]

66+74 from the 100 ways to say ily with zuko or sokka pls!

I’ve never written anything for Sokka before so I hope that I get his character right! Constructive criticism is appreciated. :) I hope you enjoy! Also, for those who haven’t read the prompts, here they are. #66 is “Stay over” and #74 is “We can share”.

- Zoe

•••

Late Nights (Sokka x Reader)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Part: 1/1

Summary: See Request

•••

Now that the war was finally over, you felt alone. Everybody else had families and homes to return to. They had jobs and specific duties to begin. You, on the other hand, had nothing.

You had no family to celebrate with, no home to return to, and no important responsibilities.

When the group had found you in Omashu, you were homeless. You were fighting for your survival on the streets of the town. The Fire Nation had arrested your parents for resisting their authority and they had died in prison. The thought of it broke your heart.

You only hoped they were proud of everything you had accomplished.

Nevertheless, now you had nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. You had agreed to accompany Katara and Sokka back to the South Pole and that’s where you were now. Both Katara and Sokka were busy attenting to various projects as the Chief’s children. They always seemed to busy to see you.

So, when you heard a knock on your door and saw both Sokka and Katara standing there, you were beyond surprised.

“Sokka! Katara!” you exclaimed, pulling them into a tight group hug, “I’m so happy to see you two!”

“We missed you so much, Y/N! I’m so glad we can finally spend some time together,” Katara said, smiling happily at me.

“It was all my idea, of course,” Sokka bragged, brushing fake dust off his shoulders in pride.

Katara smacked him upside the head and I couldn’t help but giggle. I had really missed them both. I opened the door and let them inside. They made themselves comfortable as I prepared some snacks for them.

“How’s your stay been?” Katara asked.

I sighed. That was quite a loaded question.

“It’s been......a lot,” I answered honestly, sighing as I set down a bowl of seaweed chips on the table and sitting down, “I’m really grateful for the place to stay, I’m just having a hard time adjusting and figuring out where I work into all of this.”

Katara gave me an understanding smile and Sokka seemed to be silent as he thought. I shook my head and allowed myself to smile.

“Enough about such sad topics. I want to hear about you guys,” I said happily.

Katara immediately launched into story after story of what she had been working on and where she had to travel next. She seemed beyond happy to have something important to do. She was working on projects she genuinely enjoyed and that made me feel less sad about my current state.

Sokka was uncharacteristically quiet the entire time. As Katara kept talking and talking he seemed deep in thought. I wanted to say something and ask if he was alright but I also wanted to show Katara that I was paying attention to her, so I decided to wait.

Sokka eventually got his turn to talk and I listened intently as he told me about all the work he was doing with his dad. He seemed really happy to be learning how to become a Chief. I knew he had been waiting for this day to come. I was so proud of him.

“Oh wow, it’s so late,” Katara said, looking outside and seeing that the sun was now setting.

“It feels like you guys just got here. I guess time flies when you’re enjoying yourself,” I sighed, sad to see them leaving so soon.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I would stay longer, but I have to be up early tomorrow,” Katara apologized.

Sokka hesitated for a moment.

“I could stay a little longer. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out just the two of us anyways,” Sokka said, sending me a warm smile.

“Y-Yea, I’d like that,” I stuttered.

Katara looked between the two of us and smiled as if she knew something we didn’t. She winked at Sokka as she left, which made me cock my head in confusion.

“What was that about?” I asked in confusion.

“That? Ha ha. Uh, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Sokka said, rubbing the back of his neck as a small blush appeared on his cheeks.

“Why don’t I make some dinner?” I asked, laughing slightly at his weird demeanor.

His expression quickly morphed into a huge grin. He shook his head excitedly and I laughed as I headed into the kitchen.

“I don’t know if I have enough fish for us to each have some,” I sighed as I looked in the cooler.

“T-That’s alright! We can share,” Sokka offered, leaning against the counter as he watched me.

“Who are you and what have you done with Sokka?” I teased, shooting him a disbelieving look.

“What?” he asked sheepishly.

“Sokka you never share food. Ever,” I pointed out, taking the fish out of the cooler to begin preparing it.

“That’s not true! I share sometimes,” he protested, blushing as I called him out.

I simply chuckled and shook my head, deciding to leave it alone. I still wanted to ask him what was wrong. There had to be something important on his mind for him to miss the opportunity to tease Katara.

“So, you were really quiet earlier. Something on your mind?” I asked as I began cooking.

He sighed.

“Yea, actually. I just feel kind of guilty for ditching you since we got here,” he said, sending me an apologetic smile, “Katara and I have been so busy that I haven’t had time to stop by. I just feel bad for leaving you here with nothing to do.”

“Sokka, you have much more important things to be worrying about than me,” I scolded him, “You were just telling me how stressful learning how to be a Chief is.”

“Y/N, I can’t just stop worrying about you. I care about you,” he replied, his gaze never leaving mine.

I felt a soft blush creep it’s way onto my cheeks at his words. Sokka has grown to be my closest friend as we traveled with the Avatar. We had connected originally about being non-benders. Ever since then we had become each other’s best friends. His care for me never failed to make me a flustered mess.

“A-Anyways,” Sokka said, breaking the tension that was beginning to grow in the room, “I’m sorry if I made you feel like I was abandoning you.”

“You could never make me feel that way, Sokka. I just wish I could be doing something. All of you guys returned home and started working towards rebuilding and fixing the state of the world. I feel kind of useless,” I admitted, sighing as I leaned against the counter next to him.

“If you could do something, what would it be?” he asked.

I thought for a moment. There was a lot of things I wanted to do, but one of them was at the forefront of them all.

“I want to help rebuild Omashu. Make it back into the town I remember it as from before,” I said, turning to look at him.

He had a look of determination as he smiled down at me.

“Well then it’s settled. That’s what you’ll do. I can reach out to Zuko for you and get him to help you,” he said.

“Are you sure? You don’t need to-“ I began to protest before he stopped me.

“I’m sure,” he said with a smile.

For the next hour or so, we simply ate the food I had prepared and talked amicably about whatever came to our minds. Pretty soon, we were both yawning and fighting to keep our eyes open.

“Jeez, the walk back home is going to be exhausting. It’ll be a miracle if I don’t fall asleep on the road,” he joked through a yawn.

“Stay over,” I said without hesitation.

I blushed when I realized how that probably sounded. Sokka’s look of surprise confirmed that what I had said had most likely been misinterpreted.

“N-Not like that!” I exclaimed, smacking his arm slightly before explaining with a laugh, “I just mean you can stay the night here so you don’t sleep in the streets.”

“Right, yea of course. What else would you have meant,” he said sheepishly.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. I grabbed his arm and pulled him into my bedroom where I began searching for some clothes he could wear. I eventually found an oversized shirt and some sweats that would fit him and threw them into his arms.

“I’ll get changed in the bathroom,” I said as I grabbed my own nightwear and left him to change.

When I returned, he was just pulling the shirt over his head. I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was toned and his body had naturally carved abs that poked out underneath his skin. I blushed and averted my eyes.

“Alright, I’ll grab some pillow to sleep on the couch,” he said when he realized I was standing in front of him.

He went to leave before I stopped him.

“I’m not making you sleep on the couch. Just sleep in the bed with me. It’s big enough for the two of us. It’ll be like old times,” I insisted, referring to the times when we were traveling that we had been forced to share a bed or sleeping bag before.

I could see his cheeks color slightly, but he didn’t disagree. As we slipped under the covers, I couldn’t help but feel more at home than I had in a long time. It just felt right when Sokka was next to me. It felt like home.

“Do you remember when we used to fall asleep to the stars?” I asked him as I nuzzled into my pillow.

“Of course I do. You would always point out the constellations until I fell asleep of boredom,” he teased, earning a slap on the arm from me.

I rolled my eyes.

“You liked it. Don’t lie,” I smirked, causing him to blush.

“It wasn’t the worst,” he mumbled.

“I remember one night at the Western Air Temple and I was telling you stories about what each constellation meant. Everyone else had long gone to sleep and I- mmph!” I started talking, but was interrupted when Sokka presses his lips onto mine.

It was a soft kiss. Gentle in nature but not lacking in passion. And just as soon as his lips were on mine, they were gone.

“I don’t remember that part of the story,” I said, somewhat still in shock.

“I-I’m so sorry! I just got caught up in the moment and...and I....” he began explaining, trailing off once he realized I was laughing.

I couldn’t help myself. I let the laughter spill from my lips as I watched him struggle to explain himself.

“Well you don’t have to laugh at me!” he exclaimed, his face flushing a furious red.

“You’re such a dork,” I teased before kissing him back.

He was surprised for only a moment before letting himself kiss me back. He brought his hand up to my face and kissed me like he had been waiting to kiss me for years. When we finally parted, we were both smiling happily.

“Who knew you’d be such a good kisser,” I said, sending him a soft smile.

“I’m pretty great, I know,” he responded, smirking at me as he did.

I let myself pull him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around me as well. I smiled into his chest as I began drifting off to sleep. I knew I was home.

[madsdefencesquad]

Okay I got boooored so here’s a Kevison magazine fic I wrote for Kevison nation coz I love yous and we deserve to see Kevin talk about his fam magazine-stylez coz you know he’ll be gushing all the time about them, like you just KNOW IT.

Kevin Pearson on life, fatherhood and what’s next for him by x March 2028, Spring edition

It’s been twelve years since the impassioned The Manny star Kevin Pearson announced to the world that he will be quitting the role that had started it all for him. Pearson’s public meltdown was excruciating, to say the least, but it was this very act of defiance that led the actor towards the path of the actor-crusader that he is now known for—a revolutionary who defied the odds and ultimately defined him as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

After a slew of tabloid-worthy dalliances with famous co-stars including the soap operatic love triangle with Tony award-winner Olivia Maine and his Back of an Egg co-producer and playwright Sloane Sandburg, to the court-ordered rehab stint after a DUI arrest, Kevin Pearson has done nothing but illicit the kind of stories that tabloids are desperate to display and monetise from in full view. All of these seemed the perfect pivot points for the actor, basking in the affordances of all this fame and fortune albeit in a trajectory of a complete career-destruction, but the actor was by no means deterred in proving that he can and should be taken seriously in his acting craft.

Pearson came through with striking, emboldened performances: a soldier with an inability to confront his demons in the Ron Howard-helmed World War II flick opposite Sylvester Stallone, and an embittered cop in the M Night Shyamalan action flick Stairs to Nowhere. But it wasn’t until his role as a disingenuous trial lawyer in the 2020 Jordan Martin Foster film Glass Eye that earned him his first ever Academy Award nomination and eventual win that proved to the world that when he puts his mind to it, Kevin Pearson can truly achieve the kind of acting greatness worth the lauded applause.

Pearson, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh before moving to New York and eventually Los Angeles, has spent a good amount of his life in the public eye. Though his sunny, easy-going persona and physicality have been compared to the likes of Chris Hemsworth and (supposed rival) Chris Evans, the Pittsburgh-bred Pearson doesn’t feel the need now to prove that he is anything but a conscientious actor and a dedicated family man.

It’s a warm, spring afternoon when I ring the buzzer of a sprawling floor-to-ceiling glass residence tucked away in a town in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The little lady of the house, barefoot in a floral-print dress, greets me with an encouraged wave from her father, who is cradling her against him upon opening the front door. “She’s not normally this shy,” Kevin says with an affectionate grin as he leads the way to the sitting room, his little girl curiously taking peeks at me with what I garner is her mother’s soft blue eyes given Kevin’s famous warm browns.

The newly built residence is a remarkably private house perched on a dramatic hillside overlooking a panoramic view of the verdant surrounds, which Kevin says, “keeps the family very safe from prying eyes.” This feature, of course, was at the forefront of his mind prior to laying its foundations there.

“There’s one main reason as to why I chose to build here specifically,” he says. “But I’m not gonna bore you with the details. Let’s just say, I’m honoring a memory. Makes me sound real poetic, doesn’t it?”

Throughout Kevin’s career, he’s been known to talk quite candidly about his love and appreciation for his mother, Rebecca Pearson, with his Oscars acceptance speech having heavily featured his immense gratitude to her as would a loving son. But, as we move along the elegantly furnished corridors with him pointing and elaborating at the various artworks decorating the walls and the spaces, it is obvious that Kevin has an unrivalled affection for his wife that is quite notably special.

We make our way to a sitting area outside where we are entreated to the sounds and sights of a naturally filtered swimming billabong with cascading falls—a modern feature incorporated with the Japanese Zen garden landscaping that is just breathtaking to behold in person. “I wanted to make it feel as authentic as the ones you find in Japan,” he says, sitting on one of the cushioned recliners. He pours me a glass of red wine while he settles for chilled tonic, his little girl now helping herself to some olives and crackers.

There is an air of rare contentment around Kevin as he laughingly recalls his twins’ daily shenanigans. “Nothing really compares to coming home to them,” he says. “And I’m not trying to sound ungrateful or anything, but I’ve been [working my whole life] and I’ve only had my wife and kids just short of a decade, and that’s nothing! So, I do what I can to be home in as most days of the year as I can.”

When asked whether he’s perhaps heading into the territory of acting retirement in favour of other pursuits like directing or producing, Kevin thinks it can go either way.

“The other night in bed my wife suggested I do voice acting,” he says, to which his little girl unintentionally responds to in glee as she, her feet now strapped in light-up sandals, runs the width of the garden (within sight of her dad, of course) with her Jessie and Bullseye dolls held high. “She knows me too well,” he says fondly of Madison, his wife of eight years now. “I’d love to have my kids watch a movie that dad’s in without having to wait till they’re teenagers. And I hate thinking of my babies as teenagers! God, it’s just the worst age!”

Kevin recalls his teenage years with the kind of accepted embarrassment fit for a 48-year-old, but he laughs saying, “But I see a little more of their mom in them than me so that gives me hope. I’d hate to think I passed on angsty teen Kevin to either one of them. Just serious kudos to my parents for putting up with me all those years. I must’ve been a nightmare.”

From endorsing the des Resistance popular eau de parfum for men to his Armani-clad behind splashed on every billboard in the country (much to his chagrin and to his wife’s entertainment), Kevin Pearson has always been quite the go-getter, and though his “yes man” days in the industry are over, he’s always open to other ways in which he can challenge himself in his craft without compromising the time spent with his family.

“They’re my first priority, no questions asked,” he says. For a kid, who grew up in a middle-class family with parents whom had high hopes for their future, Kevin says that now, as a father himself, his perspective has shifted as to what’s really important and what’s not.

“I think a lot of the time there’s an expectation for your kids to meet the standard their parents have set or even go beyond it,” he says. “But that’s just toxic, you know? And it puts a lot of pressure on them to be someone that they’re not and not meant to be.”

Kevin is candid about his insecurities as an actor and as a father and as a husband, but there is a masterful acceptance there that he gives full credit to his wife. “We’re not perfect people, perfect parents,” he says. “And we’ll never be. That’s just a fact of life. But getting to do this with your person, the love of your life makes the biggest difference. I used to think that my parents had the greatest love story ever, and I used to really idolise it, you know, but honestly I think Madison and I can probably rival that.” And he thinks that if he’ll ever write, direct or produce a script, it’ll be about him and his wife’s sweeping and unconventional love story that will be the “tear-jerker of the century. Like, A Walk to Remember or The Notebook level but like better!”

I ask him what Madison would think of his plans to unleash their love story to the world, and as if on cue, he fishes his phone from his pocket and utters a “just a sec” before leaving to grab his daughter and take the call.

Following his game-changing Academy Award win in 2021, Kevin had let himself free fall in the industry as a kind of versatile actor in roles where he sweeps you away with gut-punching monologue deliveries coupled with an intensity that comes in through the eyes. He hasn’t delved into comedy since his Manny days though, but there is a certain cajoling ease in his demeanour that could easily challenge his funny bone.

“It’s Madison,” he returns not long after and settles himself down again, his daughter handing me a pizza-shaped play-dough I pretend to munch on. “She’ll be home soon. You should meet her. You’d love her! Everyone does not that it’s surprising.”

And who could deny that offer?

Kevin shows me a photograph of the twins on his phone at their cousin’s birthday whom they celebrated with in California last week and qualms that they’re growing up way too fast—yet another reiteration that he is as doting of a father as he is a consummate actor. He thinks that though Hollywood is a lot less ageist in terms of film and TV roles, there is still that pressure not to succumb to filling a role just because you’re the right age for it.

“Ever since my kids were born, I’ve been approached to do a lot of dad roles. Like my agent would send me about five scripts a week where my character is supposed to be this stereotypical dad.  I’ve rarely taken any of them because I feel like it’s like they’re just trying to fit me in to a role just because I can say, ‘Oh hey, yeah I’m a dad now, I know what that means or what that looks like’, and not that that isn’t a good thing per se, but there’s a difference between the director wanting me to put my own spin to it as Kevin Pearson the actor versus them just wanting Kevin Pearson the dad. The way I approach parenting my kids, the way my wife and I do it, would be different to the way my character in this film would parent his kids. Sure, there may be certain overlaps, but it’s not going to be full Kevin Pearson the dad, you know? So, it’s hard with that kind of expectation.”

As the sun dips a little lower and it gets a little cooler, Kevin takes us back to the house just in time to finally meet Madison and their little boy, who looks strikingly like his father though, upon closer inspection, actually looks a little more like his mother. But there is one undeniable feature of the twins that definitely comes from both parents: the adorable identical dimples adorning their little chins.

Madison Pearson is as beautiful in person as she looks in photographs standing beside her husband in premieres and events. With her light-blue eyes and warm, soothing voice that sounds both delicate and excited at the same time, Madison is nothing but the embodiment of all things lovely.

“She grounds me,” he says adoringly, watching Madison and their kids flit about in the kitchen arranging dinner. “There isn’t much I can say that’s good about me if it hadn’t been for her. I can be ambitious and sometimes there’s always that pull towards something bigger but not necessarily better and she tells me honestly. She calls me out. And everyone needs that, you know? A frank person who won’t sugar coat anything, but they do it because they love you.”

It’s easy to imagine Kevin in gritty noir films playing bad cop, good cop or even as an intimidating trial lawyer, but Kevin as a family man is the role that is perfectly suited for him, almost like it’s created especially for him. As a father, he thrives on the affections of his kids, and as an actor, he finds pleasure in what’s he’s good at. And as a husband, his smile is the widest. “Not gonna lie, her not even being slightly jealous of that one time I did a love scene still gets to me,” he jokes. But it’s obvious that it bothers him not one bit. He enjoys being Madison Pearson’s more than anything.

“It’s crazy to think that people are inspired by what I do and who I am when for most of my life, it was 100% the other way around. It’s a huge responsibility, really, but I take it as it goes. I have my kids on the back of my mind now every time I make any decision, and I have a wife to love and support too, so it’s easier to not feel trapped by people’s opinions and expectations of you when you’re too focused on them and being the best person you can be for you and for them. So, it’s about growing every day, and enjoying all that life has to offer, and making every moment count.” x

Particular shoutout to my GC gals coz like ILY 5EVS @wallofweird @betweensunflowersanddaffodils @thisiskevison @thesocietalmisfit @tryalittlejoytomorrow @lullabiesandgoodbyes @flythesail @ourfinehouse @elephantsneedwater @holding-up-the-universe @smoakingpinklipstick @purpleinthesky