#also can she have a real name yet?? we’re on season 2!

[twinge-of-cosmicangst]

Lol I think that B15 still doesn’t like Loki that much (I think she likes Sylvie though) but Mobius is her friend, they didn’t know each other that well before shit went down BUT I think they have like a shared trauma bond about how their whole lives are a lie and they were brain washed to partake in mass murder. So when Loki wanted to go back up and deal with the ‘enemy faction of the TVA’ and Mobius was panicking that he couldn’t keep Loki in one place while they try to pull him out of the timeline, and he would be lost in time forever. Like B15 stopping Loki, and saying she’ll handle it and saying good luck, I think that was mostly for Mobius, like she knows he loves Loki’s annoying ass so she wants Loki to be ok for Mobius’s sake.

[nolita-fairytale]

burn your life down | chef luca x fem!reader | chapter eleven

summary: you receive bad news, but luca is there for you. and it seems like he's intent on continuing to be there for you.

warnings: angst, grief, death, vomiting, fluff, conversations about divorce, second person pov, swearing, danish inaccuracies, very little connection to the storyline of the bear.

word count: 3.3k

listen to: the official 'burn your life down' playlist (specifically 'how to mend a broken heart' - al green & 'love' - kendrick lamar; another very will poulter-coded choice)

a/n: pov: it's me warning you that there is in fact angst but trust, babes. trust. after the trauma of meeting donna b in season 2, i wanted to explore characters who had positive relationships with their mothers. so if you have not picked up on it yet, this story is also about mothers **cries because it's too damn sweet. let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist.

part ten | masterlist | part twelve

Astrid: Hey give me a call when you’re up. 

I don’t want to worry you, but we need to talk. 

Your fingers hurriedly move to open up the multiple missed notifications that you have from her, holding the phone up to your ear so that you can listen to her voicemail next. 

“Hey… I know you’re probably still asleep right now,” you hear, her voice somber, as you listen to Astrid’s voicemail, left for you at three in the morning. “And I know that you’ve got your do not disturb on. But I really need to talk. Call me when you’re up.” 

Your heart pounds in your chest as your mind races with fears over what this could be about, and as your eyes scroll through the other missed notifications, you see something that stops you in your tracks: 

1 Missed Call from Joe

And it all suddenly feels real, a sense of dread fills your throat, and you can only imagine that it must be an emergency if both Astrid and Joe have called. Your mind races. It can’t be about Joe – if he called too, right?

The severity of the situation forces you to sit up straight as you steal a glance Luca’s way. You’re grateful that he’s such a heavy sleeper as you peel the covers back, tiptoeing out into the living room so that you don’t wake Luca. Your fingers shake as they hover over Astrid’s name, before tapping down on the screen so that you can give her a call back. 

It only rings twice before Astrid answers, a tiredness in the way her voice sounds, as if she hasn’t slept all night. 

“Hey, Astrid. What’s going on?” you ask, a panic that colors your voice as you wait for her reply. 

The anticipation builds in every moment of silence she leaves between the two of you. 

“It’s mum. Ehm…” she trails off, her voice breaking. 

No. 

It’s as if your worst nightmare is coming true – like no matter how many times you’ve rehearsed this scenario in your head, prepared for it, braced for it, nothing softens the blow of the words that Astrid utters. 

“She’s gone. She passed. Early this morning,” Astrid finally says, a sob following. “We’re still at the hospital right now.” 

As Astrid begins to cry, you let her, even though you feel like you can’t breathe. Through her tears, she tries her best to explain what happened and you can feel yourself going numb as you listen. You can barely process what she’s saying as the words wash over you, a deep pain building in your belly with each detail she shares: that mum hadn’t been feeling well late last night, that she had a fever of 104 F and that’s when they knew she had to be taken to the hospital, that she passed a few hours later. 

It was sudden. 

It was quick. 

And now, Astrid’s whole world – your whole world, and Joe’s – has changed forever.

All you can do is attempt to breathe, to listen, and try your best not to drop your phone as your hands tremble.

You can feel it, a sickening feeling that wells up from your belly and into your throat as you croak out:

“Astrid, I’m so sorry.”

“After everything we’ve been through, all the rounds of chemo… I just can’t believe that overnight she’s gone,” Astrid whispers, tears falling down her cheeks. “I just-, I thought we’d have more time.”

“I know. Me too,” you agree quietly. 

It doesn’t feel real, and you wonder if you’re just in denial. 

“I’m so sorry to call like this. But I thought you should know,” Astrid apologizes, clearing her throat as she continues. “‘M sure I ruined your high from the all-night shag-fest with the hot pastry chef, now didn’t I?”

You chuckle, in response to her attempt to lighten the mood. 

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you called,” you reassure her, your voice soft. 

“I’ve got to go. Joe and I are going to try to grab something to eat and ehm, try to get a hold of Lina. I’ll keep you posted on everything. On all the details, you know… about… anything we do,” Astrid informs you, trying her best to pull herself together.  

“But I just wanted you to know and ehm, well, I know Joe called.”

“No, I-. Yeah,” you stammer through, at a loss for words. “I… I’ll give him a call. And thank you… for calling me. Thank you for telling me.”

Astrid nods solemnly, “She loved you like one of us.”

You swallow, as a stream of tears streak your cheeks 

“Yeah I… I love – loved – her too.” 

You clear your throat, unaware that your hands have begun to shake. 

“And please keep me posted. I’d like to be there… at the funeral. If you think it’s appropriate.”

“‘Course,” Astrid agrees. “I love you. Call you later?”

“Please. And… yes,” you say, adding if it’s a promise:

“I love you too.”

As soon as you hang up the phone, it’s as if your body knows something you don’t – like your brain hasn’t quite processed the news, racing your body to intellectualize everything you’ve just heard, so your body has to take over instead. Your stomach flips, and suddenly, you’re overwhelmed with the urge to vomit. You sprint to your small apartment bathroom, throwing the toilet seat up with a clang as you begin to empty the contents of your stomach into the toilet, in an uncontrollable physical response.

The sound of you retching, coughing up the last of it, seems to wake up Luca. You brace yourself against the toilet, flushing it as you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. Your body feels fragile and your mind races as you reach behind you for the towel that lays folded over your towel bar, clutching it towards you. 

“My love, is everything alright?” you hear his voice, as Luca stirs, sitting up in bed. 

The sound of his footsteps heading towards you fill your ears, and as they get closer and closer to you, Luca appears in the doorway, his eyes squinting from how jarring of a wakeup he’s just had. You look up at him, noticing the way his face has twisted itself into a look of concern, swallowing as you rack your brain, searching for a way to explain what just happened. 

“Well, the good news is that I’m not pregnant,” is all that comes out, in sheer disbelief that you’ve chosen to make a joke at this moment. Luca only looks more concerned, more worried, more confused, so you shake your head this time, muttering an apology under your breath. “Uh… remember when I told you… my ex’s mom… she got really sick and we had to move to the UK because of it?”

“Yeah,” he answers, unsure of what this has to do with why you’re stuck to the bathroom floor. 

“I-. Astrid, his sister, just called. She uh…” you trail off, because it feels like you can’t get the words out of your mouth – like if you say it out loud, it’d make it all the more real. 

Your voice, this time much somber, croaks out the words, and you feel sick to your stomach again.

“She passed… last night,” you finally say again, a wave of nausea coming over you. 

“Oh, my love,” Luca sighs empathetically, as his heart falls at the news. “I’m so sorry.”

But before he can say anything else, you’re folded over the toilet once more, caught up in a competition with your own body of which could be worse: dry heaving or vomiting. Instead of leaving, Luca takes a few steps towards you, sitting down next to you as he rubs soothing patterns across your back, as you work this out. What feels like forever, and simultaneously, barely a few seconds, your back is pressed against the wall as you try your best to get your heart rate back down. 

The cold floor and the rigid wall that you’ve pressed your back against feels grounding, perhaps the only thing tethering you to this world. Luca sits with you quietly, but his presence can be felt in tonnes. It’s strong, steady, comforting, with care and love in every single touch and touch he sends your way. 

After a few minutes of letting you stare at the wall blankly, Luca gets up, kneeling on his knees as he offers his hands to you. 

“C’mon. Let’s get you some water and back into bed,” Luca suggests. “I’ll call Jesper and Mathilde. Let them know you’re not going in today.”

You nod, sliding both of your hands into his as he helps to your feet. 

-------------------------------

“How are you doing, babe?” Luca asks you, as you wake up from your nap. 

You’re grateful that he called in today, after the news, and called in for you as well. After your phone call with Astrid, not to mention hurling the entire contents of your stomach (and then some) into the toilet this morning, you’d crawled back into bed and fallen asleep. It hadn’t been great sleep – more so an avoidance mechanism than anything else, you realize – as you begin to come to. 

“Jesper was just here. Came by to drop off food,” Luca adds, as you move onto your side so that you can face him. “They’re worried about you.”

“I’m not hungry,” is all you manage to say. 

He nods, “For later maybe.” 

He pauses, before repeating his question from earlier. 

“How are you doing? What can I do?

You think it over, only slightly upset with yourself for being annoyed at his question. Of course he’s only trying to be helpful, only trying to care for you through this horrible thing. But it’s not like there’s anything he can do to take your pain away either, which, it’s silly you know, is what bothers you so much about his ask. 

But as you look over at the man who wants nothing more than to love you, and you know he’s only trying to be helpful in an unwinnable situation.

You muster up your best smile, because you want to reassure him that you’re sort of-kind-of-okay, and you’d rather try than be a jerk right now. 

“Come back to bed?” you ask him, your voice lifting at the end of the question. “I think I just want you to hold me.”

“Sounds like something that could be arranged,” Luca replies with a smile on his face, in an attempt to lighten up the mood a little. 

As you lay on your side, Luca curls up behind you, engulfing you in his arms as he presses a kiss to the back of your shoulder, tangling his legs with yours underneath the covers. And you’re right. It does make you feel better – being held by him – and you’re glad that you chose not to push him away. 

After a few beats, and a thick silence between the two of you, Luca finally speaks again.

“Do you want to tell me about her?”

Do you?

You debate with yourself whether or not you want to, because on one hand you feel weird about it – asking Luca to listen to you talk about how much you loved your ex husband’s mother – and on the other, you’re afraid. 

Afraid it’ll hurt too much. 

Afraid it may break you open. 

Eventually, the part of you that leans towards saying ‘yes’ wins, as you answer with:

“Yeah. I think that might be helpful.” 

Luca nods behind you, before nuzzling his nose into the space between your neck and your shoulders. He leaves soft kisses against your skin that have no intention of being anything but a comforting gesture. 

“Astrid said something on the phone earlier. That she loved me like one of them,” you start, your voice caught in your throat as you say it. 

“And she did. She embraced me as her own… like…” you trail off, chuckling as you recall your favorite memories of Aiko Kimura. 

“She was beyond upset to learn that I didn’t grow up pleating dumplings around the table when I was a kid, which was… I think maybe the first thing we ever cooked together. She pulled out all the stops. Made a huge thing of it and made Joe, Astrid, and Lina join us so that I could get the real family experience.”

“And every time after that… she always wanted to teach me something new, something I could learn, carry with me,” you continue, the memories so fond and the feeling so bittersweet. 

“She was all about… slowing down, using the senses, no-recipe kind of stuff. I think it’s where I got so much of my heart from. In my food.”

You’re really not sure how you’re keeping it together, but, you decide, you might as well lean into the sweetness for now. 

“I should do a dish. For her. At the restaurant,” you declare, coming to the conclusion as the words leave your lips. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” Luca agrees, leaving another soft kiss along your shoulder. 

“To honor her. You know?” you add. 

Luca only hums in response, his arms wrapped around your frame holding you tighter against his chest. 

You wait a beat. 

Then another, your thoughts, moving a mile a minute from being plunged into grief from this devastating loss. 

“I’m nervous – about going to London,” you confess, softly. You like to ask, usually, if it’s okay – if Luca wants to hear about these kinds of things – but it feels virtually unavoidable. 

“I haven’t been back since Joe and I divorced… since I moved here. But I think I should. For the funeral.”

“Do you think it’ll be soon?” Luca asks, as you turn your head to look at him, checking that this is a conversation he’s willing to have. 

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “I’m waiting for Astrid to tell me. But Lina’s, their youngest sister, has been studying abroad – Singapore – so… I don’t know.”

“I’m just nervous… about it all, I guess. A lot’s changed. I’ve… changed.”

At this point you’re just thinking out loud, no longer able to contain the stream of consciousness that flows from with an ease that makes you anxious. 

Of course, you’ve changed. You have a new life here. You’re a you that you’ve never been before, having shed the layers of your past self like a snake shedding its skin. The realization is striking, while your ambivalence to return to your previous home in your new form feels more and more significant. 

It’s Luca’s turn to be quiet as he thinks over whether or not the idea in his head is appropriate to suggest, figuring, the worst thing you can do is say ‘no.’ 

“I could go with you,” he offers, quiet, yet sure. 

Oh. 

“But if you don’t feel like it would be right… under the circumstances…” Luca continues, in fear of making things more complicated for you. 

“No I-. What do you-, like… in what capacity?” you interject, hesitant about the question that you’re bringing up. 

You’re not sure why it’s taken this long for either of you to articulate it, especially since you’ve already called him your boyfriend to your friends, to your mom, but the naming, the voicing of the sacred label is still something you haven’t done. 

You don’t want to overcomplicate things, considering it already feels complicated, so what you’re really asking him is:

How would I introduce you?

“I was thinking… as your boyfriend,” Luca answers, slowly. “But if you think it’s too much – introducing me during this-.” 

“No, I. Yes! I want to,” you’re quick to reply, reassuring him that you’re still all in, even in the midst of this loss – especially in the midst of this loss. You wiggle your body so that you’re now facing him, your chests pressed together, and you wonder if he can feel yours pounding away. 

“Yes. I want you to come. I… I want to introduce you to them… to everyone, as my boyfriend.”

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Luca leans in to press a short kiss to your lips before nodding in agreement: “Okay.”

You wait a beat, almost as if you think he’ll take it back, considering the circumstances. Only, he doesn’t, so you have to ask. 

“You would really do that?”

“Yeah,” he replies, simply. 

“I mean.. It’s just going to be a lot. It’s… a fucking funeral,” you continue to list, giving him every ‘out’ that you can possibly think of. “And you’d have to meet Joe. Which I can only imagine will be incredibly uncomfortable considering the circumstances and I’m not even sure what to expect because Joe and I have barely talked in months and I-.” 

You know you’re rambling, but you can’t help yourself. 

“Luca, I don’t know if I can ask you to do that.”

“You don’t have to, my love. I offered,” he says, as one of his hands cradles your head, his eyes on yours. 

“Plus, I don’t have to be with you the whole time. I know it’s going to be a tough trip for a lot of reasons. I could give you some space while we’re there too, so you don’t feel you have to entertain me. I’ll go see my mum, catch up with a friend….”

His reassurance seems to quell your nerves and you’re no longer panicking (as much) about introducing your people to your new boyfriend while grieving the loss of their matriarch. But you want him there. You so want him there. You want his support, and when he’s so willingly offering it to you, volunteering to enter the lion’s den with you, how can you say ‘no?’

“Why are you so good to me?” is all that comes out of your mouth. 

“Because I-,” Luca begins, pausing as he carefully chooses his next few words. You watch as he debates with himself, his decision clear when he opens his mouth again to say:

“Because you deserve it, babe.”

It’s then and there that you wonder what he was going to say before, half expecting him to say, ‘because I love you.’ 

But he doesn’t, and in some ways, you’re glad that whatever internal decision he made, that it wasn’t that. It’s not that you don’t want him to, because you’ve been feeling it too. It’s in every pause before you hang up the phone with him. It’s in the moments that you say your goodbyes for the morning or the evening that you watch the impulse, though fleeting, flash through his eyes. It’s in the way that you feel it so deeply in your bones that it makes you ache in the best kinds of ways. 

 You don’t want your first ‘I love you’ to be tainted with the grief and sadness surrounding this moment, but it’s been on your mind ever since your trip to Skagen. You think maybe you dreamed it, hearing him call you the love of his life, but whether or not it was real, those three words have hung heavily between the two of you ever since. 

“Thank you,” is all you say, before you repeat it again. 

“Thank you.”

-------------------------------

Everything feels off. You can’t cry. 

And you’ve tried. 

But ever since Luca left to run an errand, to run to the store, you’ve felt off-kilter. 

Perhaps it’s because you’ve had him to distract you this whole time. 

Perhaps it’s because you’re trying to be strong for everyone: for Astrid, for Lina, who you’ve been texting with all day – trying to coordinate a time to FaceTime – for yourself. 

Perhaps it’s because you haven’t called Joe yet. 

But, you’ve decided, you really need to cry. 

You pick up the phone, knowing exactly what you need to do, knowing exactly who you can let yourself completely fall apart with. 

The phone rings a few times before the person on the other line picks up, and as soon as you hear the silence on the other line, waiting for you to speak first since you called first. 

“Mom?”

And she can hear it in your voice as it breaks, concern and worry filling her every word and she asks: 

“Oh sweetie. What happened?”

And finally, you can let go.

[lostuntothisworld]

Why Adrien has 2 amoks Theory: He is his own twin sister

Mister Bug: There will be a price to pay! Safari: I have nothing left to lose! Mister Bug: You do! You can lose yourself and the ones you love. You can lose anyone who loves you back. No matter who you are, there is always someone out there who loves you!

This is a theory I’ve mentioned before but it bears repeating now that we’re (hopefully) soon getting season 6.

There’s been some salt regarding the fact that Colt died so much later than Emilie, and it’s not unfounded. We don’t have an explanation for why two “identical” sentikids caused such different outcomes for their creators.

The Peacock Miraculous was broken by mysterious circumstances prior to Adrien’s creation, and I have a separate theory for that, but that’s not the point of this post.

The theory I propose is that Emilie did not create just one, but two sentimonster embryos.

We know there’s a rule that only one sentimonster can be made at a time, and maybe the second embryo created worsened the Peacock’s damage? Still haven’t ironed out the details with that yet.

Either way, Nathalie created many more sentimonsters than Emilie and Colt, she also seemed to succumb much faster after even the first sentimonster she created in Mayura. Emilie and Colt seem to be implied that they only had effects after a period of time.

Back to the theorized Adrien’s twin. What happened to them? Here’s where things get juicy.

There’s a tragic phenomenon that can happen in early multiple births, called Vanishing Twin Syndrome. It’s when an embryo passes away and leaves the second twin alone. The deceased twin is often called a sunset baby, and the surviving twin, a sunrise baby.

Typically the embryo is absorbed by the mother, or is passed, but there’s a second phenomenon called Human Chimerism where the embryo is absorbed by their twin embryo. If the twins are fraternal, that means the surviving twin has two sets of DNA.

Two amoks joined, two rings that can be combined into a single ring, and two embryos that fused together to create one child: Adrien Agreste.

Here’s where my silly theory starts to go off the rails. I think Adrien’s twin was created to be a girl. I have no evidence of any of this other than vibes, the ridiculous amount of twin characters in Miraculous, Ivan’s baggage with his baby sister (Ivan is Comerade Aioli while Adrien is Comerade Mayonnaise), and Argos calling Red Moon “his sister”.

And then there’s the undeniable truth of Adrien’s treatment in the show, due to his inherent femininity.

And then we have ANOTHER phenomenon where Adrien has XX/XY Chimerism.

There are few intersex characters in fiction, and most of them are intersex due to mystical means. XX/XY Chimerism is rare, but it’s a real condition that actual humans in the real world can have. While Adrien was created through magic, he very much would have a real condition that exists in real life.

[Obligatory link for my meta about Sentikids being an allagory for intersex kids]

Now here’s where my crack spaghetti theory turns into speculation and where I’d personally go with the story. Going to warn you now that it gets a bit angsty. Something had to be sacrificed in order for the new Universe to be created afterall.

I’ve mentioned before many times that Gabemoth made the Wish before, if not multiple times, and the entirety of the ML is a 15 year timeloop.

Where I’d personally go with the story is that in Universe Zero, Adrien’s twin sister was born and is alive. And she held the Black Cat Miraculous, while her brother held the Ladybug Miraculous.

I’d personally name them Adrienne and Celeste Agreste. In their Universe, Gabriel also created Alliance rings, but instead they were called True Horizon. A play on the Sea meeting the Sky.

You can’t deny the Cat and the Ladybug BOTH being connected to Gabemoth isn’t something that would have been incredible storytelling.

Anyway, I digress.

In the finale, it isn’t the Ladybug who is alone, but the Black Cat. Gabriel has somehow found out the identities of the two heroes.

 Adrienne, in her righteous fury acts impulsively, but Gabemoth is two steps ahead of her.

Because Felix wasn’t created until a later Universe, Gabemoth is still in possession of the Peacock Miraculous. He snaps Adrienne’s twin brother from existence.

Gabemoth has either an akumatized villain or a sentimonster deliver the Ladybug miraculous to him.

In her shocked grief, Gabemoth takes Adrienne’s Black Cat Ring from her.

He makes his Wish, with Adrienne as a sacrifice… The Universe is Destroyed and Remade, and the next cycle continues.

This would give meta reason that Adrien wasn’t at the final battle: he hasn’t learned about the twin sister, the original Chat Noire that loves him so much, and still exists in his heart and DNA.

It can bring about an arc of Adrien FINALLY learning to love and accept himself, flaws and all, and take off the various masks he wears both in and out of costume.

It would ALSO give a reason for Adrien to wield both the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous in a later major finale battle.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[concerned-wet-floor-sign-bot]

CANT WAIT TO MEET YOU!!!

SO JOIN THE ANIMATRONIC WET FLOOR SIGN BOT FAMILY!!!

WE OPEN REAL SOON!! I’D LOVE TO GREET YOU !!

SO TRY YOUR BEST TO HOLD ON TO SANITY!!!

COME GET TOO KNOW ME!!!

AND YOU WONT MIGHT WANT TO LEAVE AFTER TONIGHT!!!

DOWN HERE WE’RE IN REAL LIFE IM LONELY!!!

AND WE I WOULD LOVE YOU TOO JOIN US FOR A BITE!!! ME ON THIS HELL HOLE SITE!!!

(hell hole site is affectionately)

COME GET TO KNOW ME POST

I am not comfortable with showing my face (yet)

I’m under 16 so… ummm… y’all need to know that

you can call me: concern. Or: Ashley. Or if u want u can just @ me or give me a nickname (I would like to know if you give me a nickname so I know ur talking about me)

(If addressing the wet floor sign bot in roll play please use she/her pronouns and she’s named Ashley, please don’t use Ashley if talking to or about me/the person running this blog, im taking the name of Leah for my online name.)

My pronouns are she/her I am female and was born a female

I am an Ally and I HATE discrimination. BOOOOO RACISM! BOOOOO ANYONE WHO THINKS LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE ARE EVIL! BOOOOO SEXIST PEOPLE! EVERYONE IS HUMAN AND THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH

favorite things list!

Food: spaghetti.

color: purple.

fandom I'm in: FNAF.

FNAF character: Funtime Freddy (in very very close 2nd is mangle)

rp/ask blog I have: @ask-mangle-the-sad-one (the first one I got)

fnaf game(and yes I can have a favorite fnaf game without ever playing any of the fnaf games): rn it’s tied between fnaf 2, and fnaf Sister Location/SL.

place I can be: in my bedroom at my dads house.

time of year: the very beginning of the school year but after i get my iPad. (It’s this because the only divice I can use for tumblr is my school iPad (this means I won’t be on tumblr during summer))

season: summer (it’s the best (except for the no tumblr thing 😭))

fnaf character to draw: at the moment it’s RWQFSFAXC . (but it usually changes each day.)

way to draw: it’s tied between drawing in my sketchbook and drawing digitally on my iPad.

animal: Giraffe! Always and forever GIRAFFE🦒🦒🦒!!! (fun fact: my baby ornament (the Xmas tree ornament that my mom got for me when I was born) is a little glass white giraffe!🦒)

fnaf animatronic animal type: the FOXES!!! Always the foxes. (Another fun fact: my grandma’s favorite animal is a fox)

number: 13. (I just like the fact that people think it’s unlucky the same way I love black cats (not for the reason of people think they’re unlucky but because they’re absolutely beautiful and my black cat (her name is Emily Binx but everyone just calls her Binxy) likes sitting in the sunlight and being warm and after sitting in the sun for a few minutes she is so warm and i just want to grab her and hug her))

fnaf song: tied between:

16. Any song: tied between: blue. And: little talks.

I do both rp and just personal things. Have a list of things i do on this blog!

Art. (Pretty much just me posting the things I draw)

rp (I talk about my rp/ask blogs and i rp on this blog too)

drawing requests (do not confuse with commissions which i don’t do. I have not gotten a request yet but I will be happy if and when I do.)

give my opinion (idk it’s just my personal opinion)

exist (lol :3)

talk about fnaf (I like it)

small cosplay (I usually just make cosplay pieces and wear them when I’m alone.)

imo Star Trek is wayyy better then Star Wars. 4 the Star Trek fans: 🖖. I’m pretty sure that that means something else too but I’m doing it as the Vulcan live long and prosper thing.

I have a bunch of fnaf songs memorized including (I will also link a yt video of the song to the name)

The mangle 

Count the ways 

Count the ways 

You can’t hide 

Lights on 

Five more nights 

Below the surface 

Merry fnaf Christmas 

Join us for a bite (Wich tecnacaly I have The Living Tombstone - Join Us for a Bite Remix memorised)

Another round

We don’t bite 

stuck inside

(And yes there’s 2 songs called count the ways and I have both memorized)

I recently started cussing on my blog and in my head and when I’m alone irl.

I’m very very sorry if I don’t know what an abbreviation means, I’m kinda new to the internet so if it’s the first time you are using the abbreviation with me i suggest in (these thingys) putting what it means, it will help and reduce confusion and I thank anyone who does.

I am bad at spelling sooo… it might be a little hard to read my posts but blame autocorrect for not understanding what I’m trying to type

I’m ALWAYS accepting asks! And I’m totally cool with requests! but I might not do them.

I love to rp eaven if the game is fnaf 1 I’m always a Wet Floor Sign Bot (only on this blog though) btw my excuse is WFSB’s and staff bots are all knowing and aslo there’s a time portal in the mop closet don’t ask how it got there

I have school and bedtime so it’s fine but I do have time spans but I’m not going to bother you with it

I like love fnaf (even tho I’ve never played the games and just can’t get myself to read the books. (By now I have read the first Fazbear frights graphic novel version of the book and I am trying not read the other Fazbear frights graphic novel’s))

I have a fnaf oc named fifi

resonantly got a au blog @five-nights-at-foxys-au if u want to check it out

I’m in 7th grade so yeah

The iPad im using belongs to my school so im not going to be here in summer sadly but I will answer all my asks I get when I’m back

I have ADHD Inattentive and distractible type. I also have anxiety and apparently I have depression, I don’t believe the depression.

all my rp/ask blog’s I have

so I 1st got my mangle blog @ask-mangle-the-sad-one

then my Toy Bonnie one @ask-toy-bonnie-something

then I got my Bon-Bon blog @ask-the-handpuppet-bon-bon

then I got RWQFSFASXC because I cud @ask-rwqfsfasxc

then I got Ballora @ask-ballora-the-ballerina

Then I got my Bonnet @ask-the-handpuppet-bonnet

and glamrock mangle @ask-glamrock-mangle-in-kids-cove (this one will probably be repurposed to another character)

and Toy Freddy @ask-toy-freddy-the-peace-keeper

and Toy Chica @ask-toy-chica-and-im-not-a-mom

and BB JJ and Dee Dee @ask-the-fnaf-balloon-kids

and game Vanessa @ask-vanessa-the-security-gaurd

and Vanny @ask-vanny-the-murderes-rabbit

and Gregory (game’s only) @gregory-da-bears-cub

the blob the mimic and burntrap @the-pizzaplexs-bacement-monsters

Helpy and Helpi @the-helpful-little-bears

Phantom foxy @phantom-foxy-is-a-pirate

fredbear (not gonna spesify that) @bloody-yellow-bear

I also do a little bit of rp on my main blog and I’m pretty happy about the blogs I have rn but I’m considering making a Helpy, because he’s adorable and amazing.

if I’m on one of my other blogs I will refer to my main as Ashley. And Ashley is not my name irl. I just like it

I like making poles.

if any of my blogs are active then I’m active

I don’t care if people stalk my page or spam me, I just like interacting with people. (I’m very sorry if I spam u. i probably just don’t realize it. or I really like your blog)

I will tag the important things that people should know with: very important

and 🍍+🍕=🤢🤮/ I don’t like pineapple on pizza, I refuse to eat pizza with anything on it other then just cheese, I respect all topping choices except pineapple, fruit doesn’t belong on pizza, especially when it’s cooked, the only fruit that should be cooked is specifically when it’s in pie or something like that.

btw I keep editing this post because ether things change or I found a typo.

also there’s now more portals than the one in the mop closet by masersise and more kinds than just time portal.

current hyper fixation: fnaf 2

EVERYONE IMPORTANT NOTE!!! I WILL NOT BE ACTIVE AT ALL THROUGHOUT SUMMER ALL THE WAY TO SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER!!! I WILL BE BACK IN SEPTEMBER AND I PROMISE I WILL LOOK AT ALL OF THE ACTIVITY, REBLOGS, COMMENTS, AND ASKS (IF I GET ANY)!!!

I will be making a post when i leave 4 the summer

Btw I resantly got absolutely obsessed with a ship I created. Ship name: shadow toy. its RWQFSFAXC x Toy Bonnie.

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

Bro it bothers me sm when ppl are like “Debbie turned out like her mother” or “lip turned out like Frank” or saying that any of the kids turned out like their parents bc they didn’t??? They each have their own struggles and faults, but none of them turned out like their parents as they all broke the cycle??? Idk ppl are just dumb and don’t understand the story 😭😭😭

ok so bee, i saw this ask and i was about to give a normal response to this but then i was like, yk what- fuck it, so here’s a whole ass meta post about generational trauma in shameless and why i also hate this.

(i’m so sorry in advance i’m just crazy)

generational trauma in shameless

shameless is a show that portrays a lot of serious topics, especially topics regarding dysfunctional families, substance abuse, and mental illness. one of those topics portrayed is generational trauma. as someone who comes from a dysfunctional family with a lot of generational trauma, i feel like shameless portrayed this so well.

the first generation to start this (that we really got information about) is frank and monica’s parents. we learned the most about frank’s parents, so i’ll start off there. we learned the most about peggy gallagher, frank’s mother (who- fyi, debbie was kind of named after since peggy’s real name is margaret and that’s debbie’s middle name, so that adds to the whole generational trauma thing but whatever), peggy was an abusive monster. she had four sons, and her least favorite was frank. this was very apparent. she treats frank (and monica, we know she hated monica even though we never saw them together) like shit, and in 4x11, we learn that she raped frank as a child. in season 2, she gets out after being in prison for around eleven years and found joy in humiliating frank + could’ve killed carl with their meth lab. she sucked. her husband was also bad. we didn’t learn much about frank’s father, but we know that much like his son, he was an abusive drunk. he used to make frank wear a dress and would beat him. frank had a very traumatic childhood, which definitely played into the way he parented his children and decided to spend his adulthood. we don’t know a lot about monica’s parents, but we know that frank says that monica’s parents ruined her. monica’s mother is mentioned once in 3x06, where she’s calling fiona and forgets who monica is. one can infer she had dementia or something like it, and it’s implied she died by season 7. speaking of season 7, that’s where we meet her father, bill. bill is a crude man who criticizes everything. we know that he had little involvement in his daughter’s life, and was a army man, making monica a military brat.

so, one abusive addict parent and one uninvolved parent. sound familiar?

i don’t think i need to explain much about frank and monica, but i will anyways. frank and monica made fiona on accident and monica didn’t want her, not long after lip was born, frank went to rehab and monica and clayton made ian. when debbie was born, frank wanted to sell her. when carl was born, monica left not long after. when liam was born, monica, yet again, left weeks later. monica is uninvolved, and frank isn’t necessarily uninvolved, but he isn’t really involved either. frank was the black sheep of the family and the least favorite. his father hit him (we’re lead to believe he was the only one who was hit) and he seemed to have had it pretty rough, maybe it’s just me, but when i hear that, i think of ian. monica and frank are both victims of their environment. being a military brat, monica most likely moved around a lot and felt very lonely. so, she found comfort in the lifestyle that was moving constantly, and didn’t really grasp the concept of two parents being there constantly. that, her addiction, and her disorder played parts in her parenting style. frank grew up humiliated and was smart, but became an addict and a drop out. he tried to improve his life on multiple occasions but failed each time. i will die on the hill that both frank and monica loved their kids, but not enough, not in the right way. something i feel very strongly about due to my own experiences is that you must heal before becoming a parent. growing up with unhealed parents puts you into a position nobody should be put it.

on the topic of growing up with unhealed parents, we have lip and debbie. lip and debbie both have hero complexes, and also both have always wanted nothing more than to have children. lip is an alcoholic, and one of the ways he copes with this and keeps his sobriety is by putting other people’s problems before his own. debbie is troubled, to say the least (it’s implied that she struggles with borderline personality disorder), and to cope with her crippling loneliness she self sabotages and prostitutes herself. in season 2, the possibility of lip being a teen dad was there and lip was willing to ruin his entire life for a kid that he wasn’t even sure was his. in season 3, he takes in mandy’s half-sister to save her from foster care. in season 8/9, he rescues xan and tries to become her guardian. ian describes him as the closest thing to a dad all of the gallagher siblings have ever had. in debbie’s case, from season 1 we learn about her caring nature. we see her care for her father, aunt ginger, and her babydoll. in the next season, she starts her own daycare and cares for those babies. she has wanted nothing more than her own family since her first appearance. she gets pregnant at fourteen and by fifteen, destroys a lot of her life for her baby. she likes feeling wanted and having a family and she loves caring for her daughter. (it’s also worth mentioning the similarities between frank and fiona and monica and ian, but that’s for another day).

so now, here’s the question: are lip and debbie frank and monica?

i’d say no. lip is still struggling with active addiction, by season 11, he is not recovered, he relapsed and the ending is so ambiguous (purposefully, every character’s ending was left up to interpretation) that we don’t really know what’s going on with him pre-11x12. but there is that scene where lip gives fred this speech about how frank was an addict, and gave lip alcohol as a kid, and now lip’s an addict. and lip tells freddie that he would never do that to him. i feel like that alone gives us the assurance that lip isn’t like frank (in that way). but is debbie monica? also no. many fans are inlove with the idea of debbie abandoning franny, it seems to be all they talk about, but as a self-proclaimed debbie expert (lol) i’d say that that’s blasphemy. debbie would go through hell for franny, and in 11x08 delivers a monologue about why she will never leave franny. that doesn’t mean she’s a flawless mother, she isn’t, but she’s also twenty. i think that the most confirmation we have that debbie isn’t like her mother is in season 7 when she loses franny. she goes through absolute hell over losing her child. monica gets franny back and claims to relate, but debbie (and viewers) can tell that it’s different. we know that the gallagher’s were taken away on multiple occasions, and we know that when monica found out her kids were taken from her, instead of coming home, she willingly signed the rights to them away.

anyways. i completely agree that they are not like their parents; are they like them in certain ways? absolutely. but i also fully believe that the two of them are breaking the cycle. fred and franny will grow up and never have to worry about having a roof over their heads, they will never worry about not having food in their stomachs, they will never find themselves without a parent for a year or two. they will, hopefully, grow up with no substance abuse issues and no mental health issues. hopefully.

[autisticempathydaemon]

for your matchup game! thank you for doing these they look super fun though i’m sure you’re super busy with them lol!!

* my fave song in the last few weeks has been otherside which is a minecraft song. it’s got a sick beat drop and i like listening to it for focus music

* 2w1

* I don’t know about gargantuan BUT i do love a good video essay/deep dive. mike’s mics pretty little liars vids have been my go to the last few months

* i don’t actually remember having an imaginary friend :/ my parents said i had one, and most i can remember is we used to have tea parties

* i have to have asmr or some kind of ambient noise in order to fall asleep, and i also have to have my body pillow to hug or else i cannot sleep

* emily irene. it’s the name my parents were going to give me bc it honored their grandparents but my mom hated irene (my dads grandmothers name) so she refused. i’ve always wanted to change it to that.

* probably camping with your tsundere alpha werewolf boyfriend because it’s the first real time we’ve seen davey share memories about his dad in a peaceful way, which was really nice. also the scratch offs reminded me of my own dad bc it was something he used to do for me and my sisters and it made me cry after listening and i had to call him and tell him i missed him LOL

* james probably? i just haven’t rlly gotten around to listening to all of the audios with james anton and marcus yet (still p new to the fandom)

* howl’s moving castle

* damien. i think we could commiserate over a really nice chocolate cheesecake abt our mommy issues.

* internet drama i come across. i have a bad habit of digging myself down a rabbit hole of the most inane internet drama and then telling my best friend abt it when we’re both sleepy but not ready to SleepTM yet

* reese’s sticks and a dr pepper, or if i’m feeling savory it’s pringles and a dr pepper and if they have slushies/icees then it’s a cherry slushie/icee and whichever above snack i’m feeling

* i have a playlist called georgia peach which is a country music playlist i made of all the old music i grew up on. i like listening to it on warmer days when i’m on a drive

* a tie between the twilight movies and bbc sherlock but i feel like twilight is more um. socially accepted, at least on social media. bbc sherlock is only the first 2 seasons

* ummm i’m a libra. myer briggs type is infp. i’m autistic/have adhd. i have a black cat named pika whomst i love dearly, i used to love reading as a kid but i kind of fell off and i’ve been trying to get back into it recently, i’m a middle child, i like farming sim games and rpg games and narrative games (like telltale games) and romcoms and some light horror movies. my top 5 movies of all time are howl’s moving castle, pride and prejudice (2005), scream, pacific rim, and the princess bride. my top artist the last 7 years in a row on spotify was hozier. my current favorite author is emily henry. my love language for giving is quality time/gift giving, receiving is acts of service/quality time.

Anon, I am gently patting your cheeks, I adore you so. You’ve given me so much information to work with, and every bit that I got just further cemented my hypothesis that you’ve gotta be paired with Huxley.

Speed run, let’s go- Type Two’s are characterized by a desire to be loved and confident in that love; Huxley leaves no room for doubt. Your sisters would probably be protective and want the best boyfriend for you; does it get better than Huxley? You’ve got mommy issues; he’s got two amazing moms who’ll love you and heal them. You’re autistic; we’ve got proof Huxley’s awesome with autistic people (i.e Damien and Lasko).

You and Huxley would make each other so endlessly happy. I think both of you are big “Quality Time” people, so nothing makes you feel more loved than a simple, domestic weekend at home. Huxley loves those cozy, lazy days of cuddling your cat (which loves him duh) and reading together. The only kind of day he might like better is y’all going for a hike or leisurely drive together, singing along to country music on the radio. (He definitely has a soft spot for the same genre, having heard his moms listen to it when he was a kid.)

Song:

First time that I saw you, mmm/ You took my breath away/ I might not get to Heaven/ But I walked with the angels that day/ She takes me by the hand/ I am the luckiest man alive/ Did I tell you, baby/ You are the joy of my life?

Speaking of country, I love to imagine Huxley as a Chris Stapleton fan specifically. He’s just so quintessentially, classically country and writes the dreamiest love songs; I can totally see young!Huxley singing Tennessee Whiskey long before he ever drank alcohol. Now, he sings it and other Stapleton songs like this to you. (Badly, I might add. I like to headcanon that Huxley can’t hold a tune to save his life, but he pulls it off well.)

Runner-ups:

Asher would be a fun runner-up for you because I think y’all would have fun playing games, like next to each other and with each other, you know? Like, imagine running a Stardew farm with Asher; it’d be chaotic and amazing. I also like Lasko for you as a runner-up, because who better gets mommy issues than another person with mommy issues, you dig? /lh

note: Irene is such a cute name boooo anon’s mom /lh

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[the-writer-nerd-ro]

Forgot to post this follow-up to "Doppelganger Date," It's time for Sara and Hunter to meet the rest of the Drawtectives! And Harper is there too.

(Eugene is not here because this is set in between the one-shot and season 2. Idk what's going on with him in Season 3)

Enjoy!

We Party with York

Hunter hadn’t agreed to party with the Drawtectives, yet here they were. It was hard, not impossible, but very hard, to say no to Sara.

And Sara rarely said no to a party.

“You’re not getting paid for this one?”

“No, we’re networking. Plus, it will be fun to see Harper and Rosé and meet their friends.”

“Do you think they’ll flirt with me again?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Lots of people.”

“Their loss.” Sara scanned the crowd, searching for their new friends. After a moment she spotted familiar pink hair and waved, and suddenly they were surrounded.

Sara seemed unfazed but Hunter wasn’t used to being around so many attractive strangers all at once. The big guy with enormous arms obviously wasn’t her type, but she recognized that he was male model hot.

Rosé looked similarly cute as the first time they’d met, with a loose arm around Harper, who was pretty but an acquired taste personality-wise.

And then there was, “Grandma, nice to meet you.”

Hunter didn’t make a habit of asking people if their names were real, but she must have looked a little confused.

“You can also call me Grendan, or Grenda, or Gma. Any pronouns.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Grandma was kind of… Well, her cousin Maddox would say they were a baddie, or something like that.

“I love your names,” Sara said earnestly, “and your romper!”

“Thanks, I like your outfit too.”

Since it was a party for models, Sara had gone with a plum-colored off-the-shoulder top (you could just see her lime green bra peeking out underneath), black jeans with a rhinestone rainbow on the back pockets, butterfly earrings with matching hair clips, and eight rings in the ROY G. BIVO spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and opal, all fake except for the opal). To Hunter, she was the hottest person at the party, and she was turning heads left and right.

“I like your knuckle guareds. I bet you punch very hard,” the big one, York, said appreciatively.

“I’m more of a lover, not a fighter.”

Rosé wiggled her eyebrows at Sara. “Us too.”

“I’m a fighter and a lover,” York said stoically.

“Then you’ll have to give me some punching pointers.”

Sara was such a natural, Hunter was both utterly in awe of her girlfriend and also profoundly uncomfortable.

Despite being the only one who wasn’t a detective, Harper was the first one to notice.

“Ugh, I know, rich people parties are the worst. Let’s get a drink.”

Harper untangled herself from Rosé, who was still flirting with Sara, and pulled Hunter away from the crowds. Hunter briefly wondered if divide-and-conquer was their foursome strategy. At this point, she wouldn’t rule anything out.

“Do you go to a lot of rich people parties?” Hunter asked, trying her hardest to make unflirty small talk.

“I used to, before my dad died.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Unflirty had definitely been achieved.

“Yeah. It took me a while to be sad about it,” Harper admitted, pouring them some drinks.

“I get that. I didn’t know hwo to feel for the longest time after my parents died.”

“How long did it take for you to get past that?”

“Well, it’s been seven years and sometimes I still feel numb. But it comes and goes in waves, and having people you care about helps.”

Harper looked over to where the Drawtectives were learning an elaborate dance move from Sara.

“My people are weird.”

“So are mine. I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world, though.”

Harper nodded and handed Hunter a drink, so that they didn’t have to linger in sentimental silence. Then Harper showed her pictures of Harold (her dog) for a few minutes, which was way better at setting Hunter at ease than the alcohol.

After a few minutes of Harold pics (Harper had so many, it was impressive), Sara and the others noticed they were gone and came over.

“Hey! So, apparently it’s not a dancing type party, and we have been politely asked to leave. But we’re having an after party at Waffle House!”

“Sounds great,” Hunter said with a smile, grateful for the exit. She still wasn’t sure about partying with the Drawtectives, but Harper was an acquired taste she was starting to enjoy, and if Sara vouched for the others then she knew they must be cool.

So they ended their night with hashbrowns and more pictures of Harold, which was honestly the best way any party could have gone.

[vintage-bentley]

final thoughts words opinions etc before the release in a few hours (so i have something to read before i go cold turkey on social media bc i wont be able to watch for at least 2 weeks and cannot ruin this for myself) GO:

Ahh good luck with going cold turkey! I’m sorry you have to wait 😭💕

I’m excited. At first I was really worried that this would be a classic case of the sequel being a shitty cash grab that shouldn’t exist…but from the clips we’ve seen, it looks good. So I trust that I’ll love it just as much as the first season, if not more because apparently it focuses even more on A/C.

As far as the elephant in the room goes…I really want to believe we aren’t being baited. The “leak” was directly from an Amazon pride promo, it feels weird for it to be included if it wasn’t actually romance. And the marketing is being so heavy-handed on the idea of romance, it would honestly be the stupidest corporate decision ever to do that if it was just bait. There’s also the Sheen “best buddies” comment which gives me a lot of hope, because it’s such an unusual way to put it that it feels like it’s an inside joke. And the recent reviews seem to be implying there’s romance. So, I’ve got my hopes up. As always, I’m staying cautiously optimistic, but on a scale from 0 (cautiously) to 10 (optimistic), I’m a 9.

I’m SUPER excited about there being lesbians. I’m worried about the fact that they’re written by a straight man…and I’m really hoping they’re treated normally and not either over or under sexualised. But I’m optimistic about this too, just because I love Nina so much from what we’ve seen of her. She seems well written and well acted, so I can only assume the same will go for Maggie, and hope that the same goes for their relationship.

Aside from ineffable husbands and The Lesbians (I’ve seen retro wives suggested as a ship name which is adorable), I think the thing I’m looking forward to most is more historical scenes. Season 1 episode 3’s opening is my favourite part of the series and I’ve watched it so many times, I just love seeing all the different costumes and seeing the husband’s relationship develop over time. I’m excited to see more of that. Especially the 40’s scene. I’m most excited about one particular historical scene that people talked about after the screening, I won’t say more than that, if you know you know, if you don’t you’ve probably purposefully avoided that information and I applaud your restraint lol.

Now, if the show ends up not being bait, I won’t hate Neil as much as I’ve grown to, but I still won’t love him. Because I think the way he’s handled concerns about baiting is incredibly insensitive and out of touch. He seems to think that this is the same as teasing a long awaited straight couple, so he can be as secretive and coy as he wants. This line of thinking completely ignores the fact that gaybaiting is a real problem, that viewers have been burned by before and don’t want to be burned by again. As great as it would be if gay couples could be anticipated and teased the same way straight couples are…we just aren’t there yet. We’re still at a point where LGB fans aren’t at ease watching a romance build up between two men or women, because we know there’s a chance it won’t go anywhere. Like I’ve said before, knowing that OFMD was a romance before going into it made the viewing experience much more pleasant for me than it would’ve been going in without that knowledge. Because knowing it was a romance allowed me to enjoy it as such…while not knowing would’ve had me going “I’m crazy, I’m just seeing what I want to see, that won’t happen” the whole time (and it sounds like that was the experience for many people who saw it before hearing about it from others!). That’s something OSA people don’t experience when seeing themselves on screen. So if there’s a whole crowd of LGB viewers basically begging you to save us that frustration and doubt, “wait and see if you’re being baited” isn’t exactly the best attitude to have. Especially when you’re on tumblr, and could easily put a yes or no answer under a read more prefaced with many spoiler warnings. Again, unfortunately, we just aren’t at the point yet where anticipating a gay ship is the same as anticipating a straight ship.

It just feels like Neil doesn’t have any compassion for his LGB viewers who don’t want to be baited yet again, which is really annoying considering he seems to think of himself as an amazing ally.

So, if it ends up being bait, obviously I’ll be angry. If it doesn’t end up being bait, I’ll be happy but also annoyed at how Neil made us feel crazy for even hoping for this outcome.

I think that pretty much sums up what’s going on in my head right now! 😄

[im-no-jedi]

my thoughts on TBB season 2 episodes 7-8

and why it’ll probably be a long time before I’m able to rewatch these episodes again 💀

this is gonna be long and probably not very coherent, but I’m gonna do my best cause I need to get my feelings out 😅

I wanna start by saying I think these were some of the best episodes not just in TBB, but in SW media overall. the issue of Clones rights is something that we’ve been desperate to see addressed ever since TCW. we got hints of it in TCW, but it was never a prevalent issue since the series focused so much on the Jedi. Umbara was the first major instance we got of this, after a few smaller hints (Rex with Cut and the Separatist attack on Kamino were standouts for sure). but this was the first time we saw real, true focus on the rights of the Clones, especially in relation to their significance outside of war. it was done perfectly imo, even though it ended up being what kicked off the official start of the Stormtrooper era 💔

I told this to @jam-n-ham and she agreed with me, but Riyo spoke not just for her own beliefs, but for the entire fandom as well, and I really appreciate that 💙

another thing I absolutely loved was seeing TBB work with Rex again. them sneaking into Rampart’s ship and that whole endeavor was very reminiscent of their TCW arc with the refined chaos we know and love about them; it’s easily one of my favorite moments of the entire series now 😁

speaking of Rampart... DING DONG THE BINCH IS GONE. OMG. I legit thought he was gonna be more of a problem throughout the series (and he probably still will be 🙄), but for now at least, he’s finally outta here. hallelujah \o/

one more thing I have to mention is Omega. oh my sweet baby girl. this episode was such a good showcase of her character. it showed her sweetness and curiosity, while also giving her a chance to express her feelings about what happened on Kamino. her little rant was everything, and I’m so proud of her; she’s becoming a very expressive and strong young woman that I wish I had gotten to see more of when I was younger 💙

alright. now time for the feels™

I want to state that this is something extremely personal to me, so I’m going to speak mainly from the heart in regard to this. it’s really hard for me to make a more thoughtful judgment about it, especially since the season isn’t over yet, and we don’t know how things are going to play out fully. all I know right now is how I feel. so here we go.

I’m personally absolutely devastated about Echo leaving.

I know, I know, pretty much everyone can relate to this right now. but let me explain.

I struggle greatly with loss. of any kind, really. mostly in terms of relationships and people. throughout my life, I’ve struggled to maintain relationships with people and have had many people permanently leave my life, either by choice or circumstance. I can’t handle death very well, and I rarely can bring myself to even say goodbye to people. the very idea of someone leaving, even temporarily, is hard for me to handle.

this is further worsened because I also get extremely attached to things. this includes physical objects, people, animals, fictional characters, franchises in general, you name it. my specific brand of undiagnosed neurodiversity means that I get extra emotional when anything happens to something I’m attached to. @jam-n-ham can vouch for how excited and emotional I get when we’re watching something together. I don’t cry irl very often, but I get extremely emotional watching media of any kind.

so imagine my reactions to when a fictional character either dies or leaves in some manner. yeah...

when Fives died, it devasted me in a way that I’ve never fully recovered from. it legit traumatized me. to this day, I literally cannot even look at screencaps or gifs of when he died. it’s only been recently that I’ve even been able to acknowledge anything from that arc in general. I feel similarly about when Kanan died in Rebels as well (although that one is a bit easier for me to stomach because of how it was done).

and for me, characters leaving, even if it’s on good terms, affects me in an almost identical way. to me, Echo leaving TBB is no different than when he “died” in the Citadel arc, another moment that traumatized me. it doesn’t matter that he said he’ll be back or whatever. he’s still gone in my eyes.

I’ve been very attached to Echo since we first saw him. I actually liked him more than Fives for a while. I was ecstatic when we found out he was still alive and got rescued in TCW. and he���s been an absolute joy to watch in TBB. although he’s @jam-n-ham’s bae, he’s my boy and my bro and I love him very much. there’s a reason I made him my best friend in my self-insert series 🥰

I really wish I could explain this better since there are many instances of characters leaving or dying that hasn’t affected me so badly (again, I handled Kanan WAY better than Fives, and I literally can’t count the number of times I’ve watched the Umbara arc). I’m in a sensitive place in my life in general right now, so that might have something to do with it. but I feel like I would have these same feelings no matter what simply because of my trauma and my specific attachment to Echo as a character.

I do want to say though that I’m glad him leaving was presented the way that it was. I actually already knew he was going to leave at some point WEEKS ago due to spoilers, and I spoiled myself again before seeing the episodes, so I knew it was coming. it didn’t make it hurt any less, but the fact that he left on good terms with everybody is nice to know at least. Omega had a strong emotional reaction, which was understandable and realistic, and I appreciate that as well (considering I had a similar reaction 😅). also, I support what he’s doing and am glad that he feels like he’ll make a difference with Rex supporting other Clones in need. he’s a good boy, guys 🥺💙

so yeah. although I’m positive we’ll see him again (along with the likely possibility of him rejoining TBB at some point), it’s still incredibly painful that he’s gone and separated from the others. I feel like this will be addressed with Omega in the show, since she seems to be going through similar feelings. and if not... well, I still have my self-insert series that I can use to address it LOL

tl;dr because of my trauma dealing with loss and my strong attachment to Echo as a character, I won’t be rewatching episodes 7-8 for some time. I’ll be reassessing my feelings again once the season is over, but for now, this is where I stand.

ilu Echo. I hope I see you again soon 💙💙💙

[carmenized-onions]

Howdy! I’m here to do the thing. Gotta be honest I was nervous that it would be too much but I trust that you will tell me to go away if it does. I have a Monday deadline!!

- We’re at the diner! Oh the callbacks.

- “You stopped being an EMT to take up the handyman shit, then?”

- Oh man, I didn’t realize that this was an assumption that was made by Syd that Tony corroborated. Could that mean it’s not true???? Ring the alarm I have a conspiracy. In my reread I realize this might not be true. Ahh unless??? Nah..UNLESS

- Hasn’t even poked at you for vanishing. Though you have a feeling it’s coming. If not from him, from someone.

- The foreshadowing is delicious. You’re so smart!!

- Richie and you both know that his hotfix handiwork has absolutely contributed to this penultimate mess you’re in now, but you’re both letting that go quietly for now. “You charge by hour or service?”

- I’ve been coming back to this a lot. This feels like such a management/owner question and it shows that although Richie isn’t a partial owner of the restaurant, he is 1000% fully locked in. He cares that his previous mistakes could cost The Bear more money when they are already in the hole with Uncle Jimmy. I dunno, it’s very special to me.

- The Tina/Tony beat is also so special to me!! I can’t even pick out a stand out line because it’s all stellar. Tony is shown that she is cared for and missed, like a “I missed you when you were gone” message anxiety brain dismisses all the nice things to hyper-fixate on the “you were gone” and enters in more self hate. Oh my heart.

- “Is Carmy fine?””I feel better””no the nickname” had me rolling! Top tier comedy gold.

- You nod down at the dish. “Do the thing.” I have to give you so much credit for the way you write food, I know you’ve mentioned that it is something you work really hard on, and it totally pays off. Go little rockstar.

- The care and attention that is put into the individual coffee orders. Ahhh there is so much love there!!

- “I know you’re a Michelin star fuckin’ big deal but like, me personally, I can’t name a thing I got perfect the first time I did it.” This is so special to me. I have tears in my eyes.

- “Your opening night was definitely a bummer from being in a freezer— But be honest with yourself, would you have let yourself have a good night if you weren’t in there?” READ HIM FOR FILTH TONY.

- “Ah, don’t worry ‘bout that, your brother already covered it.” VERY SNEAKY.

- Ah. There it is. For a Bear, she sure knows how to poke one. FANTASTIC WRITING.

- “You’re a real lifesaver.” It’s not Tony’s job to save everyone!!!! Grown people make their grown choices. I will die on this hill. Oh but it’s such a hard message to internalize. My poor heart.

HERE TO DO THE THING HAAAA GOT MEEE. You're never doing too much!! Holy shit that's another chapter!! we're both geniuses!! Anyways, let's JUMP IN doin a keep reading i forgor last time

I won't confirm or deny anything, but I will say, Tony does what she can to not lie. Sometimes she's sneaky. but she's genuinely in my opinion a canonically bad liar, so the only way she can do it is by omission. BUT WHOS TO SAAYYY, UNLESSSSS

Yes to everything abt Richie!! That mf is big on fixing his mistakes, it's absolutely one of my favourite traits about him. That bitch RIGHTS HIS WRONGS!! I wish so desperately he was given a portion of the ownership. Maybe season 4.... maybe.

I wish there were more times I could fit Tina/Tony in. I have in my own brain what their relationship was/is, and I think it's displayed very well in the small moments that they have together, but this one from chapter 2 where they really get to sit in it--- God I love em. I think it also in comparison to future chapters displays the way it takes Tony a second to find her groove again, not knowing how she slots in yet.

SO I HAVE TO ADD-- I don't know if you've read something to do, yet-- If you haven't, close your eyes. so I wrote that break the ice moment to directly mimic the is carmy fine misunderstanding, i really-- i loved so dearly mimicking their first interactions in that

OPEN YOUR EYES AGAIN. I'm so thankful the food writing is worth it. This brisket was based off of the pork brisket a friend made me, basically just like this-- fucking incredible, marone, my GOD. but every time i do michelin shit? I'm in hell. i'm sticking with le pavillion from now on, I can't handle thomas keller's bullshit.

It was fun for me as the writer to consider everyone's coffee orders, a lot of love from me for these characters!! I feel like they all fit p well. if they ever do a coffee run in the show and my orders aren't accurate bro. it's so OVER for me.

Tony fuckin' took Carmen to task, this chapter-- Which is so funny in retrospect. It makes perfect sense why she did-- but it just makes me think of like, if Tony watched someone else get fucking BLASTED in her place in Just Dropped--- BROO,,,, SHE WOULD'VE BEAT HIS ASSSS

I'M A LITTLE SNEAKKKYYY, I'M A LITTLE SNEAKY LITTLE BEAR POKING SNEAK!!!

And 100% very much so it aint Tony's fuckin responsibility, and I hope one day this saviour complex bitch will get that lesson. fingers crossed on the keyboard, truly.

[hismercytomyjustice]

I once again find myself yelling at the tv today.

This is what happens when my husband is traveling for work.

…and also when he is at home.

Bridgerton and Helluva Boss spoilers below the cut!

This post is also basically borderline gibberish, so 🤷

BRIDGERTON SEASON 3 SPOILERS AHOY!

THE SCREAM I SCRUMPT WHEN THAT MAN PICKED UP LADY BRIDGERTON’S…handkerchief? I don’t actually know

BUT OH MY GOD

LET HER FIND LOVE AGAIN GODDAMMIT

Tho ngl part of me kind of shipped her and Lady Danbury but that would be a little weird what with the events of the Queen Charlotte series… STILL. I’m glad they’re at least besties.

BUT OMGGGGGG. I am so excited for her to get another chance at love!!! 😭 God the scenes in the Queen Charlotte series and the 2nd season with her broke my heart.

I also have such a soft spot for multiple great loves in one’s lifetime idk I am a sap like that. I’ve seen it in my own family and my in-laws and I just find it so sweet and bittersweet.

AUGH I AM JUST SO HAPPY AND I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE MORE WITH THIS MAN

It’s possible they actually do introduce him but I paused the episode like right after so lol I am as yet in the dark

Also I LOVE seeing Colin realize he caught feelings. Especially after Pen has pined after him for so long.

WELL WELL WELL HOW THE TURNTABLES

But omg her having to write about herself HURT MY HEART

I was wondering how they were going to mend fences somewhat with her and her struggles with Colin and Eloise and DAMN she went straight for her own jugular

THAT’S NOT SELF-COMPASSION PEN!

Ugh there is so much sweetness this season so far that I’m gonna get cavities T_T

I love getting to see the characters get to play more and be unabashedly themselves

I am a season 2 super fan lol. It’s been so nice getting to see more of the fucking phenomenal chemistry between Kate and Anthony

I love them so much T_T

I love Lady Danbury too. And that we’re getting more of her friendship with the Queen because MY HEART THE FUCKING PREQUEL OH MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD

T_T her love with George gives me life and also SO MUCH SADNESS

Lol it’s also a little weird watching this because I live in Charlotte, NC which consists of Mecklenburg County both of which are named after the queen lol

We are ~the Queen City~ literally. That is Charlotte’s literal nickname.

—

HELLUVA BOSS SPOILERS AHOY!

I pretty much watched the entire two seasons over the past two days

I wasn’t sure how I was gonna feel about it after Hazbin but I loved it in a different way

love Stolas so much T_T he is such a sad little bird man and CAN HE AND BLITZO JUST BE BOYFRIENDS AND GIRL DADS OKAY?!

also as soon as his dad showed up I was just like “wait one goddamn second, JAFAR?”

And it was! But I recognized him from the Broadway and then I fucking found out he had basically been Jafar since goddamn 1992???? I had no idea it was the OG Jafar in the Broadway Original Cast recording

I also really love the portrayal of Lust and his relationship with Fizz (I am too lazy to look up the spelling of his name). Just s’cute! And god the panic attack he had…ouch. Lol I really felt him on the thought spirals too. WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

Ngl Blitzo annoyed tf out of me at first but he really grew on me and PLEASE LET THEM BE BOYFRIENDS AND GIRL DADS OKAY

the episode of them as kids omfggggggg so goddamn CUTE

I also love Millie and Moxxie or however you spell it

Of course I was gonna that’s literally Invader Zim right there but omfg they’re so cute and I love how stupid in love they are

just nauseatingly so and in such a good way

I literally watched Hazbin for the first time like…2 or 3 weeks ago? And have been obsessed since. Alastor is my fave but Stolas from Helluva is right up there with him

I am BASIC OKAY

I actually only watched Hazbin because Spotify played some of the music for it on my daylist and I got hooked and now I’ve been listening to electro swing and I didn’t even think I liked jazz but then I realized I like a lot of jazz vocals from other stuff so it fit really well

—

~It’s all gibberish from here folks!~

I love…idk how to word it…like unique instrumentals? Which duh jazz, but I’ve never been a huge brass/band type instruments person

I played violin, strings are my fave

Except for the organ and the harpsichord omfggggg god I love me some fucking organ and harpsichord music

I am a SUPER COOL AND FUN AND EXCITING PERSON OKAY

lmaooooo

Ngl growing up going to church the organ music and hymns were my fave part

I don’t really go to church anymore, but damn if I don’t miss the music. Lord of the Dance is my fave hymn of all time and I used to get SO HYPE when we’d sing it

Communion was always the best too because we just got to sing hymns the whole time lol

If I’d stuck with church I’d def be in the choir now because I LOVED IT

One of my fave church memories was when I was a teen and they had a session where everyone got together and just sang favorite hymns

But I mostly stopped going to church because of how fucking toxic the folks at my church were (in addition to all the problematic shit about gender/sex and the rampant Christian hypocrisy etc) but it’s hard to escape church in the south

I drive 5min down one road and pass like 10 churches which is not much of an exaggeration because there is literally like one on every corner down here

Also found out the other day that the denomination I’m part of JUST removed the ban on lgbt preachers??? Didn’t realize we still had one, so that was a bummer, but hey at least they got there in the year of our lord 2024…..

Continuing on the church tangent I’ll never forget the time we had Baptists come to our door when I was in high school to try to share the good word and I told them I was Methodist and they just looked at me in borderline disgust before leaving 💀

Or the time the MORMONS CHASED ME when I was trying to go pick up food for my dog 💀💀💀

I saw them a few stores down and started power walking and they started hustling and I was just like “am I genuinely being chased by Mormons right now???” and I was!

To each their own, but I am not interested in being converted kthnx

I’ve got a lot of complicated stuff already with Methodism so I’m good on the religion front! Still consider myself Christian but don’t feel the need to harass other people about it! Or to evangelize! Or to actually go to church! But again, I live in the south so church in general is still very much present in the lives of my loved ones and nigh inescapable

Lmaooo no one is gonna read this monstrosity of a post but goddamn can you tell I didn’t take my adhd meds today and that my body has refused to sleep for like two weeks now!

So of course I’ve been having ocd spirals of “this is it, we’re an insomniac now, we’re never gonna sleep again, we’re gonna die from never sleeping again, it finally fucking happened” 🥰

Yaaaaay I need to go to bed

And HOPEFULLY SLEEP FOR ONCE

shut UP ocd 🖕

[richardsphere]

Rwby Catchup V8 E1

Start with little cindy scrubbing floors. Probably hints that they’re finally going to give Ms. Genshin impact a backstory. (Lets hope its not as generic as the rest of her design) How did Cinder know where to land on the whale? Wasnt the whale made while she was down and lost away from Camp Evil? “I have given no such command” Yes you have witch, you just said that she was “to be a vessel for the maidens’ powers”, as in maidens plural. As in “I need a key to get into the vaults, and it needs to be someone of your age and gender”.  Like if you want to do takebacks thats fine, (you are queen of evil after all) but you did just confirm to have given that command. Yup cinder is definitly being set up for betraying Salem. And Salem definitly knows it. So... first mystery set-up: What is salems plan with the relic, and why isnt she using it (besides “operation summon the gods to kill me” obviously). Unless they’re going to claim that, across all human history her agents never  once discovered the name of the spirits (which would make her look hilariously incompetent). ------- Oscarpin is sitting in a refugee camp. Moleman has soup. Kind of dissapointing that last season ended on a “RWBYNPR and Ozcar are seperated” attempt at implying that reuniting would be a problem faced, and this season just starts with Ruby asking him if he needs a ride. Yes oscar, you were indeed stupid to think the general would listen. I agree ah the obligatory “branded criminals by the government” storyarc, Those mugshots suck. Im sorry, you want to evacuate everyone into the crater beneath the giant floating rock? I’d rather freeze to death, at least i’d leave a recogniseable corpse. Why are all the plans the people in this show concoct so critically stupid at every level.  Oh no they’re talking about “getting the message out” again, though i think i can actually stand it now (Salem’s made it clear she’s no longer letting Oz cover her up anyway). Ren and Yangs TMNT Raphael storyarc continues! Hey oscar, can you ask Ozma why he thought “hovering one city overtop of another suspended by a single-point failure” was ever a good idea? (i cant believe we’re still supposed to believe Ozpin as a credible strategist/mentor) More new upgrades? Two seasons in a row? The powercreep is real. *ring ring* Captain Despot on the phone. “everything will be on your hands”, man shifting the blame for his imminent warcrimes before he’s even committed them. Some real “abuser-look what you made me do” energy. Aceops at the hospital, they’re not happy their coleague is dead but also dont seem to be “grieving” per sé. (but then again they are “colleagues not friends” after all) one note that i didnt make in my last one: Last seasons climax, it didnt feel like a plot twist that he was instituting Martial Law, so much as that he wasnt acting under Martial Law already. He had goons patroling the street, curfew and everything the moment Atlas and Mantle were introduced. I was genuinely suprised martial law wasnt in play yet. And the man just assassinated a rival politician. This is seemingly meant to plant the notion to Winter and Harriet (i think her name was?) that he’s now no longer worthy of respect, but it feels weird that this would be their line in the sand but “I have 2 out of 5 votes and vetorights” was an acceptable level of despot for them both. ------- WAIT SALEM ACTUALLY DOESNT KNOW HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS OF JINN? I thought i was JOKING when i wrote that earlier, That is the laziest, most unbelievable plot-contrivance in the history of the show so far. She’s had literal thousands of years to figure this out. Did she never, at any point in human history torture the info out of a trusted lieutenant/Have a Telepath-semblance steal the codes from Oz? This is supposed to be a war between two forces who have been playing this game for most of human history. I can buy her not knowing where the current maiden was, but I cannot buy her not knowing Jinns name this deep into the game. This scene is like seeing a Chess Grandmaster ask, during a televised world-rank game, “how the horsey-piece moves again”.  Presumably this answers my question regarding her plan for the lamp though: ask it to tell her the names of the other spirits (seeing as she might not know those either) Now this is where i inevitably braintangented as i thought” “what would I do if i tried to figure this out and didnt yet have my hands on a person in-the-know to torture the information out of”, and i realised damn near instantly: This is not that great a password (on the hypothetical scope of “an immortal is trying to brute force it” of course). Because its voice-activated, a regular “brute force” aproach would be based on Phonemes rather then Letters, and there are 44 phonemes in the english language. (source: Google) If you were to brute force the name by going all single-phoneme combo’s, followed by doubles and tripples etc.  Jinn is a 3 phoneme name (”dj” “ih” “nn”). So it would take at most: 44 guesses to get past the initial 1-phoneme options an additional 1936 to get past all 2-option phonemes, and you’d be guaranteed success within the next 85.184 guesses. for a total 87.164 guesses until it must have been unlocked. for reference: that is aproximately the same as the 86400 seconds in a day. Assuming she spends only half-days guessing, and guesses at a guess a second, she’d crack it within two days minimum of tedium for the immortal to figure it out brute-force. Now let’s acknowledge she doesnt know its a 3-bit lock and should be worried about the probability of it being a polysyllabic name (like if the third spirit turns out to be named Immanuel or something, thats a lot of guesses there). But what im trying to say is: If it takes her mysterious sniffing grimm more then 2 days to find, incapacitate and abduct Oscar, She’s officially wasted her time here, and i think thats funny.

[lov3rgrrrl]

last song? _ the entire epic musical

favorite color? _ pink or yellow or green or orange or rainbow or like all of them ……every color .i don’t know…………

currently watching? _ ..does epic count (i can tell you that i’m currently reading icarus by k. ancrum though :3 it’s literally sitting beside me and i will be going right back to it once i finish typing) (no i do not remember the last tv show i watchedWAIT IT WAS DUNGEON MESHI !!!!! season 2 isn’t here yet though so it doesn’t count as current 💔💔💔💔)

last movie? _ ………..dors….epic………count…………………….. (if not uhh my wife has been infatuated with the hunchback of notre dame recently) (and if not that i can tell you that i just finished reading alice oseman’s i was born for this for the second time!) (no i do not remember the last movie i watched…..forreal this time. nimona maybe?)

spicy/sweet/savory? _ sweet !!!!!!! i love a sweet little treat . andspicy hurt

relationship status? _ i am MARRIED (not legally💔💔YET) to my AMAZING WIFE who is the LOVE of my LIFE and we are going to have TWO kids and live in a COTTAGE and we are going to have PICNIC DATES every other WEEKEND and we’re going to live HAPPILY EVER AFTER for the rest of our LIVES……………

current obsession? _ epic the musical…………. if that wasn’t obvious (it’s the only thing i’ve been listening to since the wisdom saga released and i am not exaggerating) and of course my own books/characters are constant at all times, and pjo/hoo/toa is always looming somewhere in the background. so is my girlfriend but like she’s kind of in my walls (i kidnapped her like the hades and persephone story. she is my queen now. we are going to get married and live in a cottage with our two kids and and………yeagh you get it)

last thing i googled? _ curly hair blythe dolls. i don’t know what blythe dolls are but MY WIFE DOESprobably

tags!!

@my-chemical-migraine <- my gorgeous WIFE and intelligent GIRLFRIEND and reliable BEST FRIEND and generally so cool LOVE of my LIFE….her NICKNAME in my PHONE is DISCORD KITTEN and i LOVE HER more than ANYTHING in this wretched terrible WORLD

@soda-sparkss <- gabie my online brotherfriend who i LOVE VERY MUCH

@anxi0us-rav3n <- rainy/raven my real life/in person motherfriend who i have known for the longest out of anyone on this list<3

@stellarthefriendlyghost <- corpstie my online writing buddy and fandom friend..who was already tagged but i can do it too

@solitaire-addict <- arlo my online writing buddy and fandom friend who actually came along before corpstie

@connecfork <- baba, gabie’s online fandom friend and our discord buddy!

@peckforlovingheck <- this person has a few names and i don’t remember any of them and also haven’t given them any nicknames:( but they’re my wife’s real life/in person best friend and they are VERY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@bookshelfminstrel <- hermes kid that has made exactly one (1) sex joke in my presence

@radioactiveryan <- sergeant sleepy jackie weaver (british😨😨😨)

@marsqe BRITSH WEIRDO COP LOSERRRRRRRRRR POINTS AT YOU POINTS AT YOU. oops number ten. but you’re special to me in the way that i bully you everyday despite the authority you have as A FEDERAL AGENT (twenty something year old discord mod) 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬so it’s ok you’re an exception😋🤗you’re doing a very good job at moderating btw unlike .other servers. i’ve been in (my wife and gabie and baba know what i’m talking about)

nine people I want to get to know better 💌

ty 4 the tag @coldfruitwater unsure if it's actually possible for you to get to know me better but ily anyways

LAST SONG? light on maggie rogers ✴️

FAVORITE COLOR? greeeeen i surround myself with more blue though

CURRENTLY WATCHING? dimension 20 fantasy high junior year always & forever the best background for sewing

LAST MOVIE? my dad and i saw sing sing @ our local arthouse theater at like 10 pm this monday so i would stop panicking over school starting we were the only ones there it was so ridiculously beautiful

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY? sweet!! (leaving in the copypasted audrey answer we are the same person after all)

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? girl i deconstructed amatonormativity at like 12 i'm so done w that. relationships sure i have them.

CURRENT OBSESSIONS? john hollander, my new fountain pen, staggeringly infinite potential futures, obsession itself

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? the genius lyrics for a poem on the underground wall by simon & garfunkel

hi hello @little-orphan-ant @theiloveyousong @wheresurboytonighthelookslikeenj @granma-sweetie @resident-dumb-fuck @ethernitty @interview-with-the-vlfote @catboymoses no pressure ofc!!

[lykegenia]

Legend of Korra rewrite

So what happens when you cross caffeine-induced insomnia with a brain willing to fixate on the most random shit imaginable? Apparently a remainder that I’m still salty about all the ways Nickelodeon fucked over Legend of Korra by not letting it have a multiple season arc greenlit from the beginning. What’s there is already good considering the parameters Bryke had to work with, but only getting one season ordered at a time with studio execs prodding at various plot elements means a lot of potential was squandered.

My 3am brain decided to fix it.

This isn’t a comprehensive beat-beat-by-beat rewrite, I don’t have time for that. It also might not be entirely coherent because, again, 3am brain. I’ll only be focusing on the main characters since they’re the ones doing the most to drive the plot forward.

Before we begin, let’s talk themes. If we’re going to have an overarching, coherent narrative, we’re going to need to give it themes, for flavour. I really like the way LOK used each season to explore the flaws of different political frameworks (e.g. populism, anarchism) but there’s nothing to tie it all together, and the story becomes less about Korra and more about the world she inhabits. In this rewrite, Korra’s journey will come back into focus, and will (like TLA) explore a theme of balance. Specific to yin-yang, there are a bunch of oppositions that relate to each other – chaos/order, tradition/change, altruism/selfishness, freedom/boundaries – none of which are inherently bad, and neither side better than the other. There is no good and evil, only balance and the lack of it. For Korra as well, there will be the theme of legacy, of forging your own path instead of being defined by people’s expectations, of letting go of self-image, and of finding strength in community.

Here we go.

SEASON 1

·        For the most part, unchanged. It’s pretty solid. Could maybe do without the weird double love triangle that was going on for most of it so we could dedicate more time to Korra finding community, and establishing what role the avatar might play in a world that’s seemingly in balance.

·        HOWEVER. I would add at least one extra episode to the ending, and change it just a bit. We’re also going to set up season 2.

·        By the end of the season, Korra does not get back the elements Amon took from her. At least not yet. Instead of being useless, Katara, whose character is not completely betrayed in this version, does manage to undo the damage Amon did, because she mastered bloodbending at 14 and is the world’s best healer according to everyone in the room. So what’s the problem? Korra won’t wake up. She’s trapped in the spirit world, either because of her guilt at being such a failure (in her mind) or because something is keeping her there, but there’s no way to tell which it is.

·        Korra, in the spirit world, is lost. She hears someone behind her, turns with a fire kick ready to defend herself, and… it’s Aang. He points out that bending doesn’t work in the spirit world, he found that out the hard way when he had to walk through an entire forest instead of using his glider. He tells her to follow him.

·        In the real world, it’s early morning, the fire’s low, everyone’s asleep. Someone (Mako? Asami?) wakes up and starts shouting because Korra’s gone. There’s a search party. Naga’s still in her pen, but there are footprints leading to a cliff and then… nothing. We’ve circumvented the execs worry about depicting suicidal ideation by making it clear first that Korra is off doing spirity things, and Katara, who is wise, tells everyone that they need to trust in the avatar.

·        Repercussions: Unalaq turns up with troops from the North ostensibly to rescue Korra. When it’s pointed out that she’s in the spirit world, he asks how they can know for sure. After all, someone tried to kidnap her once before (“And you couldn’t protect her then, either – could you brother? Someone else had to do it”). Name drop the Red Lotus, but they won’t be important until later.

·        This is just a ruse to start the occupation. Aside from Unalaq having shady evil plans, the South has lost its way, they lost the avatar, and they owe the North for all the rebuilding they did after the 100 Years War (sarcastic huzzah for colonialism!) The last shot of the season is a mass of Northern ships advancing on the South in a direct parallel to the shot in the opening of TLA. (This also removes the contrivance of Korra being naïve enough to believe a word of anything her obviously evil uncle says.)

SEASON 2

·        Korra washes up on a Fire Nation beach and is found by the priestess lady who in this version is definitely Azula btw. She’s chill after 70 years. The opening of this season is the two-parter where we learn the origins of the avatar because a) it interrupts the story less to put it here and b) it’s a far more organic way for her to relearn how to connect with all her elements that ties into her character growth instead of being another Lion Turtle-ex-machina. She also learns that harmonic convergence is coming, but not quite yet (it won’t be the S2 finale but more on that later) and that she needs to find out where Vaatu’s prison is so that she can keep him there.

·        Meanwhile, in the South: Civil war. Katara is among the first to stand up to the occupation and fights back (the South knows how to fight, it spent 100 years fighting while the North cowered behind its high walls and did nothing) because her character is not completely betrayed in this version of events. She will not let her people be subjugated again. The others want to stay and help, but the Southern benders are holding their own for now what they really need is outside help to get the North to back down (and we haven’t seen this much politics in kids media since the Star Wars prequels). Tenzin and family head to the Fire Nation to get help from Zuko/Izumi. Lin, who has her bending back thanks to Katara, goes back to Republic City to garner support from the United Forces. Asami and Mako go with her – Asami to sort out Future Industries, Mako because it sucks being a firebender at the south pole in winter, and because he wants to help Lin. He has to let go of his need overprotectiveness because Bolin stays and joins the rebellion. There is not a weird abusive romantic subplot between him and Eska.

·        Korra finally gets back from the spirit world. Hears about trouble in the South from Azula, and her first instinct is to rush off to the south pole, but harmonic convergence is a bigger threat to everyone. Like Aang, she has to choose between her duties to the world and her attachment to her people. She’s persuaded to find Tenzin/Jinora instead, and gets given a sky bison.

·        Tonraq gets captured, but not before learning why his brother REALLY wants to get to the portal in the spirit trees. Nobody else finds out. For dramatic irony. And so the audience can get a bit of exposition without it seeming clunky. He’s been weakening the boundary between the spirit world and the waking world in preparation for letting Vaatu out, and that’s why there are spirits running amok everywhere. Fighting is getting worse.

·        All the events in Republic City still happen, maybe with tweaks but not enough to change the direction of the plot.

·        Korra finds Jinora, and together they set off for the spirit world. Yes Korra still gets lost. Last time she had Aang as a guide but a) without him she doesn’t know how to navigate b) she’s still new to this whole spirituality thing c) since she was last in the spirit world Unalaq’s destabilisation of the boundary means things are a lot more chaotic anyway. Yes we still see Iroh, and he helps her, and we get a showdown in front of Vaatu’s tree. He mocks Raava for being too late to stop him. But at least now they know how to get to him from the real world. Jinora still gets kidnapped.

·        The S2 finale is mostly the same, except Unalaq does not join with Vaatu. Vaatu promised that’s what would happen but Vaatu is a spirit of chaos and discord, he is inherently selfish, so instead feeds on Unalaq to free himself. There is no giant battle between spirit Korra and spirit Unalaq, we are not in Pacific Rim. Also, the battle between Raava and Vaatu is not good/evil, but they are in opposition.

·        Most importantly, the good guys lose the finale. The big final battle happens to stop Unalaq getting to the Tree of Time, and they’re too late. Vaatu is freed and his prison, the Tree of Time, is destroyed in the process. Chaos ensues. (This is what brings the airbenders back but we don’t know this yet.) Harmonic convergence is looming, Team Avatar’s job now is to find a way to beat him now that the tree of time has been destroyed.

SEASON 3

·        Spirits of chaos have unleashed airbenders. Oops, that includes Zaheer. They’re here to fuck shit up.

·        Season 3 is generally pretty good and well-paced, and the finale is banger, so most things will be kept the same except the chaos the Red Lotus creates in the Earth Kingdom is directly feeding Vaatu, making him stronger. Korra’s trip to the spirit world to learn the origins of the Red Lotus is slightly different. Instead of Zaheer, she connects with her previous lives. She and Kyoshi get on like a house on fire. Kyoshi explains the Red Lotu’s origin, but Zaheer has been waiting for her, attuned to Raava’s energy. They have a fight, shows Korra is improving in her spirituality by how she can manipulate the world (better resolution for that arc, consistency between seasons is nice), but she’s no match for Zaheer. Tries to warn him about Vaatu but he argues that by fusing with Raava the avatar disrupted the balance of the universe and that he’s helping put it back. The people who are going to die because of this will simply be redressing the balance. This fight is what keeps Korra distracted while the rest of the Red Lotus attacks.

·        Finale is banger, keep it as it is.

SEASON 4

·        Kuvira’s motivation now isn’t just trying to restore order in the Earth Kingdom power vacuum, she also knows harmonic convergence is coming and wants to impose order to stop Vaatu winning since the avatar is AWOL/not recovered. During the early part of S3 world leaders were warned about harmonic convergence but since it’s traditionally the avatar’s job to deal with spirits, nothing was really done.

·        She’s actually making the problem worse.

·        Team Avatar and the airbenders etc all fall on different sides of the ‘how to stop 10,000 years of darkness’ discussion, and without the avatar as a unifying voice, it’s making the problem worse.

·        Most of the plot beats stay the same, but there is no giant robot shooting spirit plant lasers at things, because. Well. We’re not in Pacific Rim. Kuvira can still be forcing Varrick to build her superweapons, though, as a treat.

·        The big finale finale is harmonic convergence. Vaatu manifests, stronger than last time because he’s been feeding on the chaos of the human world, and now there’s no Tree of Time to imprison him. What will Korra do next?

·        The avatar cycle is broken. Kora wins, but at the cost of her connection with Raava, because Raava is the only one who can really control him in the end. Their struggle is eternal. Think Ed vs Truth at the end of FMA:B. All the experience of the past avatars feeds into Raava’s power and it counterbalances Vaatu, Korra lets go, and the two “destroy” each other locked together. The explosion of spirit energy brings about a new spiritual age. Maybe Korra keeps her waterbending, maybe she loses her bending entirely (which would be a nice bit of symmetry with the concerns of S1) but she still steps into the spirit portal with Asami at the end.

[christmic]

I love to color in the lines. I color in the lines I drew. I traced them from the bodies of the many nameless lost souls of the world. African women topless with a hut and a little silver cross inbetween their breasts, and eyes that know more paranormal in their hearts than any overweight psychic back in the states. Who bears the weight of the world on their shoulders and lifts them up mount madonna? Who writes poetry with their wife? Verse in sync. Yeah we need a new girl but Jick is too much of a simp to get his new one in on - gotta get some abstracted away CMON MAN to quote bidenism’s you got hairy legs in the pool and they stand up on end if you let her in on the poliverse too! Also R I P to the shifty clittys and lets face it brother we’re getting old and the natural state of men in our position when it comes to girls is out with the old, in with the new. Not that I’d ever do that to my WIFEI!

I agree to an extent - the second most important lesson is as you said to ‘You can whinge and whine all you want, but there are no shoulds, no should nots, and no nos. There are only the friends you come in with, and the friends you come back to.’ But the first most important is Christ is KANG! Always was and is. You can’t be an elitist and have an iPhone though, and also we have no flies they are lifelong brothers in arms - we’ve deduced it to the bay area kids are much more concerned about seeming smart they can’t do the basics later on in life like let a nice girl in on their inside world outside voice doodling club. KISS - Keep it Simple Stupid. CringeBat can’t write anything because God knows she is running and hiding and crying like season 2 of what she did to whats his name the sweet one omg I took his chick the least I can do is remember his name. Ben? No that’s her cousin right? GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE JUICE!!!!!!!

Wow so wow mom’s Bday was stelar wrapped nice nice nice nice nice nice gifts cute card we took her out stellar times, stellar times! Madonna Madonna- also I outsource wisdom when needed and Bonjo gives the hair advice(style I transcended her after living in the cities) but HAIR she taught me how to do a manbun and I need to move these large mirrors because it feels vain admiring myself so much. I’m glowing in great shape and am happy and blissed all the time. And Jick can be happy to one day! The day he chooses Love over fear, to accept everyone that didn’t grow up with a lawyer mom / engineer ‘dad’. And instead of looking down on their illiteracy he’ll learn to make real food dig real wholes and plant real plants instead of the sea of abstraction that makes up his fortune. Lauren would be so kind to give me her digits so we can mind control him away from simp life! Because the third most important lesson of the whole poliverse is a given - write everyday new new so help us God. That’s it. You can make excuses calling it toxic. You can feel the censors and the edits and the doubts and the noise of life to pull you away. But who hasn’t missed a day yet? Christmic. Who might’ve missed a day but that didn’t count? Christmic. The solution for your fears is to keep writing shadowClit. THe solution for your fears is to keep posting cringeBat. The solution for your fears is to let the girls in twoGimpHands. Then if you’re afraid they’ll read what you wrote just write a buttload more. I understand I had years of prac with poliw.at and it sometimes got me in a lot of trouble - but WORTH IT! We never have to go beyond codenames in verse.

And the other fourth most important lesson of all - stop all feeds. Feeds are for cattle. Leave zuckbook, leave plebbit, leave google, leave twatter, leave instahoe, leave toktick, leave it all. Stop all news. Stop everything. Stop looking at screens. If you’re on the screen, you’re creating at least. Stop all rectangle slave drivers. But me again my only rectangle is the bible atm. And the transition Saul to Paul experienced in his life was epic! He used to ruthlessly kill followers of Jesus until one day on the road on his horse he was blinded by a bright light and Jesus was there and asked him why he was an enemy of him. That’s maybe where the saying get off your high horse. And then Saul became Paul and went all around the empire preaching about Jesus. He was HIGH UP in the Jewish sect at the time and they hated that he started preaching about Jesus. Eventually they killed him for the same reason he used to kill people. Saul to Paul. Saul to Paul.

You can’t not be influenced, so it’s up to you. Do you want to make God smile in your thoughts in actions? Or do you want to feel naked? Schizo hobos will say how dangerous society became when the people stopped doing their holy homework. Bunch of headless chickens bouncing from distraction to distraciton pretending they aren’t one day going to die and meet their maker. It’s only in the brain! HA! I’ve experienced God in a loud direct sense and in many subtle senses to the point it’s not belief, it’s fact. You can escape God if you like, but it’s not as cool as you think. Separation from God is not something I’d wish on anyone. But hey the harder you push, the harder he’ll pull. I was influenced

Starts: I love to color in the lines

Ends: I was influenced

[havin-fun-imagining-twd]

...but 'dirtbag car’ if the kids are listening

Happy Chinese New Year/Spring Festival!

When - right after douche car. You have to get washed up, after all. Anyways, we’re still in the couple of weeks in between the CDC and the Greene’s Farm. Masterlist here if you would like to dive into more of the series.

Relationships - it’s always you and the gang! This time, it’s the ladies’ addition because it’s y’all’s turn for a wash. Carol and you discuss the mangy hick some and how he’s not so bad and is growing as a person, but otherwise we close to passing a modified Bechdel test.

Perspective - 2nd person

Genre - cheerful enough, and includes a brief dive into the all-important name debate regarding cra(y)(w)/(dads)(fish) (or mudbugs). Someone use the FOIL method on that and see what it turns into XD

TWs - exposition and a lack of Daryl until the ending lol. Nah, but for real: some references to violence and a picture that is gory (Carol discussing bashing her deceased husband’s skull in, as seen in season 1), some casually used crude language, and light reference to Andrea’s suicidal ideation and Jacqui and Dr. Jenner’s suicide.

Pronouns - since it’s attached to the previous story, she/her is implied

Word count - 3,000

Stories referenced - “Deserved” Pts 1-2, Hell of a day, The Chicken Swim, Quarter!, and douche car.

Before we begin, here’s a pic for reference of a what a crawdad/crawfish/crayfish/mudbug/whatever-you-wanna-call-’em looks like. The following two photos are of what their mounds (nests) can look like.

Once your feet are in the water, you don’t feel half so angry at the world. Once you sit yourself down and lean backward to get fully soaked, you feel cleansed. 

Until Sophia softly teases “Careful about letting the crawfish bite your toes.”

Quickly drawing your feet in and sitting up, you scrunch your face at her. “I’ll have to talk to Dale about callin’ you troublemaker instead of me.”

“She’s right though, Y/N,” Lori sing-songs. “Mudbugs will bite if frightened.”

At which point you let out an unintentional squeak and scurry up onto a rock. The juxtaposition of you getting up close and with walkers just a half-hour ago and the fact that you’re now afraid of a little creek shrimp nibbling or clawing at you is ridiculous, you know.

That’s what the kids wanted to show you and Glenn, by the way. They’d fished supper!

“Hey Y/N, Glenn! Look what we found!” they’d happily shouted, their hair soaking wet as they stampeded over armed with two sand pails.

When they reached you, you peeked into the bucket and saw a whole bunch of little pinchers and beady eyes.

As the others walked over to take a look, it quickly blossomed into a brief yet animated discussion of whether or not it’s crayfish (Dale and Glenn), crawfish (Sophia, Carol, T-Dog, Rick, and Carl), crawdads (Shane and Daryl), or mudbugs (Andrea and Lori). “Appalachian langoustine,” “redneck lobster, ” and “creek shrimp” were also thrown out there for fun. You are conscientious objector and use the three main words at your leisure.

“What’s langoustine?” the kids asked.

Dale explained “A type of prawn, uh, something in between a shrimp and a lobster.” 

And once that was over, your brother enlisted T-Dog to join him and Daryl for the sweep, while Glenn, Rick, and Carl headed into the RV for safekeeping to play a game while they waited. Dale would stand guard on top of the RV. 

Sophia was going to join them, but changed her mind and decided to spend time with the rest of the ladies while it was their turn to bathe. (“Please mind Andrea when it’s her turn to stand guard. Make sure she takes the axe; I don’t think it’s best that she handle firearms right now,” Dale stressed to you.) 

You and Andrea were up first to wash, so Lori and Carol were keeping watch, and then you’d switch. Sophia said she’d poke around for more crawdads – or rather, crawfish.

And despite her little tease she just made about you and dark water, she’s a sweetheart. But not so sweet that you decide against splashing her just now…

…Or that this doesn’t devolve into a splash war!

“Sophia baby, keep your squealing down. And Y/N,” Carol now looks at you with a playful grin. “That’s enough, troublemaker.” 

Okay, you earned the nickname that time. The splashing water sure felt nice, though. You don’t even mind that you’re wearing a sports bra and shorts to bathe. 

By the time you need to wade further out to wash below-the-belt, Andrea seems to notice your wariness about heading to the deeper area.

“So you really are frightened by water?” Andrea asks.

“Dark water. Or very deep water. But I still love to swim, so I just swim in terror,” you joke. “Can’t stop imaginin’ my toes getting munched on by something…toothy before gettin’ dragged under is all…”

“I’ve told her: try water shoes,” Lori comments to Carol.

“No way, Lori,” you interrupt. “No more fodder for Shane calling me weirdo.” 

But when Andrea starts to chuckle to herself, you forget everything else that’s going on.

She’d hasn’t been talking much since her sister was killed. And then, after she’d wanted to commit suic…um, to do what Jacqui and the doctor did, she’d seemed removed. But now listen to her! This is great!

Eyes closed as she gently smiles, Andrea shares with you that “Amy was laughing so hard as she told me about that ‘chicken swim’ in the RV that night, I swear it must’ve been shaking.”

You’ve got a smile now, too. “It was quite the adventure.”

“Seeing her laugh that much felt so good.”

“Seeing you smile again feels good!”

“So does finally scrubbing off the sweat. If only I had a loofah and a razor,” Andrea dryly mentions. Lori, Carol, and you each make a wistful sigh/groan at the mention of a razor. “So. Dale filled me in that you and Glenn were throwing rocks at a car while chanting ‘fu–” She pauses and makes a quick glance at Sophia, then tries to reword ‘fuck the CDC’ politely. “‘We hate the CDC’?”

“…Sort of.” Oh Moses, it does sound so childish when she says it out loud. “N-not chanting, per se. But um…I dunno. Dale referred to the douche car as our scapegoat. Guess that is what we made it.”

“The ‘douche car.’” she repeats, brows high in question. Lori and Carol also turn their heads to listen. This isn’t that intriguing, is it?

“Douche car, like for ‘douchebag…’” Okay, yes, that’s also childish. Maybe that’s why Dale thinks of you and Glenn as kids.

“Never liked that term much. An insult for a man that comes from something purely feminine. But then I considered that douching is bad for women’s health, so maybe that’s part of the insult,” she discusses with you. There’s the Andrea you’ve come to know.

“Hearing you sound like yourself again feels good, too,” you tell her. Never let it be said that she doesn’t know how to speak her mind. “The funky part is, it was actually a girl’s car.”

“Really? That would explain the pink accents by the headlights,” she says. Almost sounding impressed, she adds “How’s that for turning stereotypes on their heads?”

“Either way, sure felt good to punt rocks at it.”

Andrea now shrugs. “Maybe I’ll try it out. Carol, Lori, want in on throwing rocks at the douche car? Get all your frustration out?”

But before anyone can say anything further, Sophia asks “What’s a douche car?” Oops.

“A type of car that people associate with unsafe drivers,” you quickly tell her, trying to stay casual and keep your flip-flops on your feet as you trudge out of the creek to grab your towel.

“What’s the ‘doosh’ part mean? Like ‘doozy?’” Doozy? Kids are so cute.

Thankfully, Carol takes the reins and explains it plainly. “It’s short for ‘douchebag,’ baby, an impolite word.”

“Like the word ‘dirtbag,’ but a little different. More rude,” Lori assists.

Sophia seems content enough, she’s already back to crawdad hunting some yards off.

“Did it work?” Carol then asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Did it get all your frustration out?”

You consider for a moment…“To be honest, only a little. It was mainly after the rush from when all those walkers crashed the party that I calmed down, really.”

“Honey, what happened with walkers?” Lori’s eyes grow wide in alarm.

Were the others not told? “Andrea r-radioed Shane about it.”

“Is that why he bolted?” she whispers. “He said nothing, neither did Rick.”

“There were just a few of them, all dealt with by the time he ran over.”

“How few, honey?”

“Six.”

“Six?” She appears to have forgotten how to blink.

“But Dale, Glenn, and Daryl were there, too.”

Still alarmed, she nods. “Here, um, let me hold the towel up for you, Y/N.”

You endeavor to remain as modest as possible as you quickly switch out your sopping sports bra and shorts for dry, clean, full-length clothes. Thank God you’d known her since you were a kid.

Actually, you’d known her almost as long as Rick. Being Shane’s best friend since childhood, you’d known Rick just about always. But Lori became friends with your oldest sister in high school, which is how she and Rick met and started dating. Ha, you were so young, in fact, that you’d assumed she was a princess when you saw her in her prom dress.

“I…I haven’t put down any since the outbreaks first hit. Used a pistol,” Lori quietly states. That’s what you’d used in the beginning, too. The sound of gunfire was everywhere back in those early weeks.

“We used our knives this time to keep things quiet. Well, Glenn and I did.” Now all you have to do is go wash your feet and keep them clean and dry until you can shove them into your socks and boots. “Dale used the butt of his rifle, and Daryl had his crossbow.”

She’s shaking her head as she folds up your towel. “I can’t believe that all just happened while we were here by the water. You’re – you’re alright?”

“I guess. I felt giggly afterwards, of all things. It was strange.”

“What about your shoulder, did you hurt it further?”

“It smarts, but it ain’t gonna fall off.”

After tutting lightly, she whispers “I’m glad you’re in one piece.”

“Me, too,” you shrug, stepping into your boots and standing up. “Okay, I’m all clean and dry. Do my eyebrows look okay?”

“No bare patches,” she assures you.

“Cool. Which of y'all is next?” you call loud enough so Carol can hear.

“Lori, you go. Your hair is a smidge longer than mine.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry Carol, I’m finishing up,” Andrea murmurs as she pulls a sprig of pondweed from her hair.

You accept the rifle from Lori and join Carol in keeping watch. After a few minutes, she looks over at you and tilts her head. “Your jaw is looking much better.”

“Unfortunately,” you joke. “I won’t look half so tough after it’s all healed.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find a way, troublemaker,” she teases, then quickly realizes that you still feel guilty about how you got it, and therefore self-conscious.

Ed had given you that after you’d attacked him. He’d hit Carol in front of you and you…you don’t know, you just couldn’t stop yourself. But you felt conflicted the second that you did because you know what a risk it could’ve been for her and Sophia.

Had your brother not stepped in after you, or if fate and a walker had not stepped in later that night, that is.

“I could spend a whole day,” she softly begins. “A whole day telling you how much it meant when you and your brother did what you did, and it still wouldn’t cover it. Even though Shane…” she trails off.

Shane went very hard. Would’ve killed Ed if he hadn’t stopped. Hell, he promised him he wouldn’t stop next time. You’re still trying to make yourself understand that that would’ve been the wrong thing, even if it felt right. Even though it seemed ‘deserved.’

Or would it have been justified, maybe? Fuck, you don’t know. Where’s Dale or T-Dog? They’d know.

“Shane also promised me that Ed would never lay a hand on me again.” She snorts. “It’s the first time I actually trusted a police officer and didn't feel belittled by one.”

“For all his faults, he’s got no time for men like that.”

“Y/N?”

“Yeah”

“I made a mess out of Ed’s face,” she whispers, and so very softly that you have to think about what she said for the words to connect.

“You didn’t see me do it, it was after you’d needed to lay down, but that morning after the attack –” Carol exhales and rubs a hand over her face. Then she covers her mouth as she looks down at the pickaxe she’s got for guard duty. “I took this, walked over to his dead body, and just…kept swinging at his head.”

Unsure if speaking was called for, you link one arm in hers and lean your head against her shoulder. No one had uttered a word about it to you. You’d gotten a migraine the morning after the attack and eventually had to excuse yourself to lay down. Horrible day.

“I keep wondering if it was wrong of me? Because it wasn’t just to keep him from turning, I kept going and going. Sophia didn’t see, but I…”

Still unsure of what to say (other than “Dale? Help!”) you stay quiet until she asks for your opinion. All you’ve got in your brain is that “C-context matters when we do both good and bad things. Whatever you did didn’t come from a place of cruelty I reckon, it came from somethin’ far different. Heck, you still prayed for his soul, I remember that.”

Quiet settles again until she makes another unhappy, pained laugh. “Kinda like my own douche car, I guess.” Then after a pause, she seems to laugh in earnest. "But ‘dirtbag car,’ if the kids are listening. Don’t want to lose all our pocket change now, do we?” she sniffs, wiping her eyes.

“‘Dirtbag car’ is better,” you agree, placing the rifle across your shoulders so you can rest your arms on it. “Though,” now you’re cracking up. “Daryl and I discovered that it’s technically a ‘dirtbaguette car.’”

Mercifully ignoring the dumb word, she instead tilts her head again. “You and Daryl seem to be getting friendly.”

“We are, I think. He’s not half as bad as his brother was.”

“I can’t talk, but that sets a very low bar even though it's just friendship,” she reminds you.

“Hey. You can and should talk, ma’am – and you’re right, that’s a very low bar.” So you jokingly rephrase your statement to “He ain’t…‘three quarters’ as bad as his brother was? As far as I can tell.”

Seeing her wry expression, you smile and shake your head, adding “Well, I guess my meanin’ is he has the gumption to apologize.”

“Does he?”

“Yeah. And he alters his behavior after it, too, or at least seems to try. Willingly pays quarters for bad words. Hey,” you nudge her. “Did Soph tell you how Luis accidentally kicked him in the crotch when he was helpin’ out with that self-defense lesson?”

“Yes.” Then she breaks into a giggle and hushes “That must’ve been satisfying to see.”

“Perhaps a mite,” you admit. “It’s good to see somebody tryin’ to be better, though. Very good.”

“Maybe he’s a good man, under all that anger,” she offers.

“I hope so. It’s just up to him if he’s gonna keep at it.”

She rubs your arm, still linked in hers, and turns to her daughter. Huh, what’s Sophia doing with Andrea? And Andrea is already dressed, when did that happen? “What are you girls up to?” Carol calls.

“Mom, we found more!”

“She stumbled across another mound, we’re just seeing what we can find in there.”

“Oh, more crawfish?” she asks.

“More crawdads?” you pretend to correct her.

“More mudbugs?” Lori finishes, satisfied to know that both she and Andrea liked to call them that. Must be a Delta thing, those two had family from around there.

Carol smiles. “Well done, baby.” Under her breath, she sighs that “Just got her cleaned up, too. Look at all that mud.”

“I think we got them all,” Sophia happily announces. She’s without a doubt more comfortable and loud around women than men.

“Alright, let me just rinse my arms off, Carol, then it’s your turn to get clean,” Andrea softly assures her.

“Yours again too, missy,” Carol directs at her daughter, complete with a wag of her finger. “Clean off that mud, please.”

Once clean(ish), Andrea accepts the pickaxe as she takes her spot near you for guard duty.

Carol and Lori chat quietly about something while they wash.

Sophia comes and gabs with you for a while about food (y’all are getting really hungry) and how much fun it would be to run around an empty shopping mall (and oh my gosh, how fun would that be?).

Then Shane radioes you that they were back from the sweep, all was clear, and to “Be careful. See you soon.”

But other than to admit that she (and Amy) had loved looking around Claire’s, Andrea remains mostly silent the whole time, nervously looking around for any walkers.

Once Lori and Carol are done and you’re all getting ready to head back, you catch her gaze. “Mood drop back down?” you murmur gently.

She doesn’t make a response of any significant kind.

So, you glance down at the pickaxe. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinking?”

“How heavy this thing is and how much more efficient a gun would be?”

You shake your head. “That the dirtbag car still has a side-view mirror what needs breaking. Hmm?”

“Ladies, ready to head back?” Lori calls.

Andrea nods to her. Then looks at you. “Just one side-view mirror?”

“Daryl kicked off the other.”

“How about the windshield?”

“Cracked a bit, but nothin’ major.”

“Good,” she states, then starts to walk back. “Have any Dolly on that music player of yours?”

“My favorite of hers is the 9-5 song.” Which you know by heart.

“Jolene is on there, right?”

Nope. That’s the one your oldest sister didn’t like. Shaking your head apologetically, you offer “But I do got that Carrie Underwood one?”

A glimmer of recognition (and is that mischief?) passes her face. “Before He Cheats?”

“Would be very appropriate, Andrea.” After all, it’s a song about vandalizing a douchebag’s (*ahem* dirtbag’s) car.

She slows. Weighs the pickaxe in her hands. “I’m gonna smash up the dirtbag car, Y/N.”

Whoa-ho, and there she goes. Her pace quickens, and once you’ve reached the little hill to get back to the road, she takes three wide steps and barrels over it. You’re just surprised she doesn’t hop over the guardrail like a track runner, too.

Then with a certain air of swagger in her steps, she stalks to the dirtbag car and unceremoniously swings and busts off the side-view mirror in one fell whack!

Then smashes the headlights. Then the windshield (oh Moses, it’s loud. Your bad!). But by then your brother and T-Dog have run over and are hissing at her to stop (Let’s be honest, it’s your brother doing the hissing. T-Dog barely raises his voice, the patient soul).

Andrea appears unruffled, and simply apologizes for the noise before T-Dog whispers something into her ear and they head to the RV, from which everybody in there is peeking out.

If only she didn’t look at you with a triumphantly lazy grin and say “That did make me feel a bit better. Thanks.”

Uh-oh…you feel yourself grow flushed as all eyes turn to you, so you attempt to look unfazed and nonchalant when you remind her “My music player’s in the front pocket of my backpack.” Nothing to see here…

Lori gives you a wink as she walks by and pats your arm, likewise Carol who to your delight makes a conspiratorial sort of look. As for Sophia, she takes your hand into hers, the sweet thing.

You hear Rick say from the RV door that “She knows, Shane. It’s not on her. Besides, and it ain’t a big deal.”

From behind you, you hear a snort and detect cigarette smoke *cough*.  “You put her up to that?”

Turning around, you mutter “I might could have suggested that she might could feel a bit better if she got some frustration out.”

Another snort and another drag from his cigarette as Sophia gently tugs your hand. “Two might coulds in one sentence, Y/N?”

“Oh hush, Daryl, you and your belt full of squirrels.”

He squints at you. Is that smirk on his face? “Guess I now know why the old man calls you troublemaker.”