#and given that the reaction to this season was impossible to ignore i don’t doubt that the writers room is readjusting some plotlines

[whitegownsandflowercrowns]

Just to be clear, when I’m defending HOTD left and right, I’m not defending Baela and Rhaena being pushed to the sidelines, nor any potential removal of Nettles.

[caketexturepack]

C!Dream, a redemption arc, and why it wouldn't work

Recently there have been many posts in the fandom expressing a common anxiety about c!Dream getting a redemption arc. And I have that anxiety too because I genuinely think that they won’t be able to pull it off.

Here is why a c!Dream redemption arc wouldn’t work.

Let’s start by looking at one of the most famous, and most successful redemption arcs of all time, Zuko’s. His redemption arc has become the blueprint for countless others, and that is because of three reasons.

He is never the main antagonist

His growth was not linear

Those he had hurt were not obliged to forgive him and had power in the situation

1. While DSMP has had a wide range of villains, ranging from alcoholic dictators to brother figures turned terrorists, c!Dream has remained a constant villain throughout the story of DSMP. From the early L’manberg days to even now while he’s trapped in Pandora’s box, throughout the narrative c!Dream has continued to hold onto the title of “the big bad”

Comparing this to Zuko, who while he was initially the first antagonist introduced to the gaang, that title was soon shared by Zhao. Besides being an antagonist force against the gaang, he was also an antagonist force against Zuko, instantly setting up the ground blocks towards Zuko's redemption arc and putting Zuko closer towards the same level as the Gaang, a child stuck in the middle of a war, trying to do what he thinks is right.

Now while Dream certainly thinks he is right, he’s never had another villain before Quackity at least, be an antagonist force towards him. Largely he HAS teamed up with the majority of the antagonist forces on the DSMP, taking on the role of the man in the shadows for Wilbur, Schlatt, and arguably Technoblade and Philza on doomsday. c!Dream has always been on the top of the narrative food chain, and when combined with his pvp skills, supplies, and power as server admin he holds an incredible amount of power over almost every server member.

2. C!Dream has been an incredibly linear straightforward character, he started as a moderately controlling power-hungry character and soon evolved into someone completely obsessed with control over every server member and an extreme god complex.

Throughout ATLA Zuko’s character growth has extreme ups and downs, he is often doubting the choices he’s made, whether they be good or bad, till midway of season 3. When given the chance to achieve his original dream of “redeeming” his honor and returning to the fire nation- Zuko takes it, betraying his uncle. But upon achieving his dream he soon realizes that he was in the wrong and that his true destiny is training the avatar and fighting against the fire nation. Zuko got everything he wanted, and he was still unhappy, and it was only because of his self-doubt and introspection was he able to see this mistake and jump back onto the path of redemption.

While we haven’t been able to see c!Dreams perspective (though one day we may if cc!Dream ever finishes editing) at no point have we seen c!Dream has doubts in his actions or his worldview. Any time he is confronted with opposing ideas or examples to prove otherwise, his convictions only become stronger and he in turn only becomes more twisted. For him to suddenly have the sparks of self-doubt in his actions after torture in prison? It would be poor writing and unrealistic, torture doesn’t make people better, it makes them worse.

3. While redemption can be earned without forgiveness, in the context of c!Dreams actions against the members of the server and specifically c!Tommy, c!Dreams redemption would be impossible to truly achieve without forgiveness, which is, in turn, an impossible thing to attain.

When Zuko tries to join the gaang in season 3, he understands and accepts the fact that the Gaang justifiably hate him and have no reason to trust him. He apologies, and never becomes defensive when they express their anger and distrust towards him. Zuko accepts this with patience and only after this acceptance does the gaang slowly begin to let him in, with Zuko continuously putting in the work to build trust all the while. Another key point when Zuko was trying to join the gaang was the fact that they had all the power in the situation, he was entirely on his own with no one backing him and he even offered himself up as a prisoner.

c!Dream on the other hand holds tremendous amounts of power. Pre the prison arc he was one of the richest server members, an incredible pvper, the admin of the server, and very manipulative. Since the prison, he has lost some of his power (which could easily be achieved again if he escaped) but with his manipulative abilities, he still holds power over the server members in general, specifically the bench trio who are all positively terrified of him.

The strongest example of his power is the revival book which he has memorized and has shown no hesitation in using when beneficial to him. c!Dream knows entirely that revival is a painful traumatic process, but has continuously ignored that fact and even declared that he wants to study it and achieve immortality. c!Dream will always have this extreme level of power over everyone on the server.

Nearly every member of the server has at least a moderate fear of c!Dream, with of course the clingy duo having the most extreme fear. c!Tubbo was nearly murdered by c!Dream and was heavily manipulated, and of course c!Tommy was murdered, abused, kidnapped, and manipulated by c!Dream as well as being the subject of his twisted obsession. If c!Dream was to be released, they would be constantly looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives and be unable to heal from their trauma. At no point has c!Dream shows remorse for his actions, only its consequences, he constantly believes that he is in the right.

The message it would send

One of the most common praises the DSMP receives, specifically cc!Tommy and cc!Dream, is how well they portrayed and handled abuse in the exile arc. Showing how abuse starts with isolation and then the cycle of abuse, showing c!Tommy has realistic reactions to abuse, him being suicidal and ultimately realizing he was abused and beginning his healing arc instead of committing suicide.

c!Dream from the beginning has been the main villain, and throughout the story he has never shown any regret or self-doubt towards his beliefs and actions, intent on spiraling down over his obsessive need for power and control.

If c!Dream was to be redeemed, forgiven, and given a healing arc, especially at the cost of c!Tommy’s healing arc. It would send a horrible narrative towards abuse victims. That they have to forgive their abusers, that they have to accept them back in their lives and if they don’t then they’re the ones in the wrong because their abusers are trying to change, trying to heal. To quote @stellocchia “a healing arc with no redemption is a cheap cop-out from having to deal with the heavy topics they introduced.”

But here’s the good news

cc!Wilbur has spoken on stream before about c!Dream and c!Tommy and how c!Dream was abusive towards c!Tommy. He is also writing the current arc and I believe is involved in the writing of Tommy’s lore. cc!Wilbur has handled dark topics masterfully before, and I have a lot of trust in him towards his writing of this arc.

As someone who was in the fandom during the exile arc, I remember the common fear that c!Tommy wouldn’t make it out alive and would either be murdered by c!Dream or take his own life. That was a real fear for a while that the arc would end in such a horrible mishandled way, but they defied expectations and instead created a one of hope.

DSMP has surprised and subvert our expectations many times, let’s hope that this fear is one they will subvert as well.  

[itsclydebitches]

I just read your crosshair post and I agree with everything you said BUT…

Let me put on my own tin foil hat for a sec and talk about….

The burn mark thats supposed to cover the chip removal scar. Doesn’t it seem to be in a slightly odd position? Every other clone has it straight above the angle of their jaw/before the ear. I get that the burn was “placed” on that side of his head by writers for suspense and so it wouldn’t be apparent that his chip is out(thus showing Hunter checking it). But is the message here “oh he has this burn that’s close enough”? Also the scene where he was getting blasted by that engine could have easily scarred his face or at least affect the area closer to his face. I expected it to be over the temple too. But no it’s only that spot. (Now I know people will say “it’s Disney cartoon” so the scarring is minimal due to that)

Then it just kinda surprised me to hear brad Rau go “oh yeah, chip is definitely out, have you seen the side of that guys’d head? Lol” Followed by Jen’s “the eagle-eyes fans would notice all along”. Because now I feel like a clown for thinking I WAS being eagle-eyed and NOTICED that it was in the wrong place to really hide the chip scar. And if I’m correct to assume she meant that it was after Bracca that makes crosshair’s line “a long time ago” even weirder since there is no way Bracca happened that long ago.

And what was the point in showing Hunter checking the burn mark? We don’t really see his reaction. We don’t ever see him commenting on it later. It seemed like a big deal to him given how shocked he looked and how insistent he was on knowing when exactly was it removed. (“Does it matter?” “YES!”). And then he suddenly doesn’t care and never brought it up again. Even when they got to a relatively safe location or back to their ship.

I don’t think it’s a good sign that we have to rely on an interview to be sure about such an important plot point. I would be disappointed if this matter won’t be addressed at least in some way next season.

We’re all just passing the tin hat back and forth at this point. This is fine and we're handling the hiatus beautifully lol

But YES to all of that. Every detail here has two (or more) possible readings attached to it, which makes it impossible to figure out what we’re meant to be prioritizing. So, to summarize:

Yeah, despite my own claim that the burn scar is “exactly” where the chip scar would be, there is a slight difference. Is that a significant difference then, or just down to the animators not mapping Crosshair's design down to the inch?

Is the burn mark (almost) precisely where the chip would be to show that there’s a chance it’s still there (you can’t see the surgery scar), or to show that enough damage happened there to make the chip’s removal inevitable?

Yet "enough damage happened there to make the chip's removal inevitable" is a pretty big assumption that the show never set up. So are we meant to view the untold number of clones who suffered other head injuries throughout TCW as evidence that the chip must still be there—after all, they weren’t de-chipped due to head trauma, burns, etc.—or are we supposed to ignore that because #Disney cartoon, not everything is gonna have such long-term consistency?

Is the placement of the burn deliberate and the lack of any other facial scaring suspicious, or (again) is that just because #Disney cartoon doesn’t want to disfigure his whole face?

Is the scene where Crosshair has his chip enhanced another clue—the chip appears to be a bit higher up than others’ in his scan—or just an animation inconsistency?

Was enhancing the chip important, or just used for the drama of that particular scene?

Does Hunter think that the burn is somehow evidence of the chip’s removal, or is he just taking Crosshair at his word?

Is Crosshair’s lack of clarification meant to read as him being evil—he doesn’t care what was the Empire and what was him—or another hint that something else is going on?

Finally, most fans agree that, if the chip is out, it had to have happened after Bracca so… yeah, how is that “a long time ago”? Is that line meant to imply that Crosshair has been misled (perhaps with the Empire lying to him, claiming his chip was removed before the season even began), or are we supposed to believe that a significant amount of time has truly passed (making TBB’s lack of a rescue even worse in my eyes…) Even other evidence we might point to is pretty useless. “Well, it could be a long time because there was enough time for him to heal from those burns.” But is that because time actually passed, or did the Empire us SW’s super science fiction magic to heal him up quick? Idk the canonical time it normally takes burns like that to heal with bacta and I doubt that's consistent across the lore either. But regardless, the SF aspect means that a healed face isn't good evidence for a lot of time passing, like it might be in another genre. For all we know, Crosshair was healed in a few days.

So yeah, what in the world are we meant to make of all this? It’s too ambiguous, too confusing, and each answer—chip or no chip—comes with apparent contradictions. None of that reflects the certainty seen in the interviews. In order to reward “eagle-eyed” viewers, you need to be on top of all those details, both in terms of the writing and the animation. Yet it doesn't appear like the writers were. With all of this combined with the confusion I mentioned in another post regarding side-character clones overcoming their chips with ease… I don’t think this is a good sign either. I love TBB and had a blast watching it, but this particular aspect feels like it could unravel into a tangled, contradictory mess very quickly. The sort of situation where many in the fandom will accept the plot and argue strongly that here, Crosshair's canonical chip situation is supported by X, Y, and Z. Whereas others will point out that yeah, that’s true, but it’s also not supported by A, B, and C. Even if we’re willing to ignore those moments of confusion and disjointedness, it’s a big letdown to feel like you’re following along with what the show’s hinting at… only for the show to turn around and go, “Lol nah. None of that was important.” Shows with twists and reveals—which TBB very much is at this point—are built on the fandom’s investment in the details. If you don’t treat those details carefully, the fandom will quickly begin to resent the expectation that you be invested in the mystery... but not so invested that you "read into things."

Intense flashbacks to the later seasons of Sherlock.

BUT right now for me the larger issue is that even if we don't care about these details, the rest of TBB absolutely should. The fact that Hunter doesn't question what's up with the burn, Tech isn't interested in trying a scan, Wrecker's experience under the chip has no impact on how he approaches this, Omega seems to accept that this is the "real" Crosshair, and Echo doesn't push to rescue him like they did for Gregor... all of that is at the emotional heart of the show and arguably more important than getting a perfect resolution to these chip questions. Obviously I'd prefer to get both, but if we can only have one, I'd prioritize tackling the group's reaction to these events, rather than trying to smooth over every potential inconsistency revolving around the chip. Ultimately, I'm more interested in the show explaining why four brothers and a sister didn't fight for Crosshair when, as far as they knew up until he said otherwise, he was a prisoner of the Empire just like everyone else they helped was.

[pluviophile-bookworm]

AWAE 3x3 rewatch: thoughts and reactions

So I made a ginormous pause in between these again. I just wasn’t feeling up to the task, I guess. But it’s the anniversary of the premiere of AWAE, so what better day to do the penultimate one of these... Let’s just dive in because it’s been literal years since I first saw this episode and I remember literally nothing from it.

Oh my, Bash is just the best. And those baby chicks... well, I know what is most likely to happen to chickens on a farm when they grow older but... can we just maybe not think of that yet? Plus, seeing Mary keeps reminding me that soon I won’t be seeing her anymore. It’s safe to say I have mixed feelings about this cold open. Let’s move on.

Gosh, now they’re leaving Matthew alone with Delly, who is two types of people he’s uncomfortable around - a baby and a girl. But it’s fine, it will be just ‘a couple of hours’...

It is such a shame to think that Mary might have been saved... if she were white. People can be so awful. A human being is a human being. At least there are people like Dr. Ward and our protagonists who know that and act accordingly.

Oh... there’s that cute scene of Matthew showing Delly around Green Gables that I’ve seen in so many gifs... I can’t comment much on it so I’ll just sit back and enjoy. But before I go - Matthew is the best, most gentle man I’ve ever seen. He might be awkward around women and children, but he knows how to treat them right better than most people who are not awkward around them.

Oh gosh, the nappy! That kind of made me laugh out of place but, well, I just wanted to say - thank gods for Jerry and his many siblings. My boy knows how to change nappies.

Oh, they’ve got the printing press! Now that’s exciting! I feel like excitement is a good word to describe this episode, at least so far. We’ll see how I feel by the end of it. All I know is this is making me smile and I’ve really been needing that.

My, my, Ruby... I keep forgetting when it was that she got over Gilbert. Apparently it was not before mid-season, since she’s still in it way too deep. 

Oh wait... is this when things began happening between her and Moody? I mean, the way he gives her his handkerchief, you’d think ever since he stopped trying to make Diana and her ‘very blue’ dress notice him, he’s been sitting back and watching Ruby from afar, hoping he can, somehow, compare to Gilbert. The best part is, in just a bit, he won’t need to. Boy, do I need a fourth season even if just to see these two develop... and for Diana and Jerry to make up, and just in general to see the kids being all grown up... now I feel like crying because we’ll very probably never get it... ok, moving on.

Anne: Sometimes life finds gifts in the darkest of places./ Marilla: Indeed. Wait, was this Marilla’s way of telling Anne she loves her? This is just the best. 

The contrast between scenes dealing with Mary and the rest of the episode is just so stark, it’s jarring. It’s like, you never know the darkness someone might be sinking into  while everybody else is bathing in the light. You know, everybody involved in making this episode, and the show in its entirety, made it so poetic, and yet it’s not. It’s absolutely devastating. And now Gilbert can’t even tell Mary that she’s got no more than two weeks left. This is the worst. 

You know, Anne is right. Caring deeply will always be the right thing. I mean, it’s natural for Gilbert to doubt himself at this time, especially since the tragedy is happening to his own found family. You know, there’s something my mum taught me to do when I’m watching something and I can’t bear the subject matter of it - focus on the acting. And right now I’m just blown away by the superb performance by these incredible young people. But I really can’t bear to focus on the plot right now. And the acting being that good doesn’t particularly help me to detach myself from the story.

You know, tragic as what’s happening to Mary certainly is, it’s somehow lucky she has Anne in her life now that she’s about to leave her own daughter to grow up motherless. Because if only Anne’s parents had an orphan tell them what an orphaned child needs most, Anne’s own experience might have been very different. Mary is a very smart woman for realising that and talking to Anne about it. Because life is not about lamenting what we didn’t have. It’s about making sure we do what is in our power to make it easier for others if we can.

Ah, yes. Racism and ‘White Man’s Burden’ mentality are still very much a thing present here. I guess this here is the first mention of that horrible prison of a school that Ka’kwet would be sent to. This is. The. Worst.

I just can’t bear to listen to this guy. ‘Heathens’ - you mean people with a rich culture and belief system beyond your privileged straight white male comprehension? ‘Teach them all things civilised’ - you mean erase their own, I repeat, rich culture, and replace it with your white man’s ideas of civilisation? What deity fell from the heavens and made you God? And the way Rachel totally agrees with this guy, it just makes me sick. As if that guy would hesitate to discriminate against you on the basis of you being a woman! I just can’t with this. Let’s move on.

‘Be sure you marry for love. Only for love.’ Don’t worry, Mary, he will. Not before a huge, long period of confusion, mind you. But he’ll come to his senses eventually. People do stupid things when they’re young. That’s how they know they’ve lived it to the fullest.

Rachel just baffles me, you know. And Marilla, too, isn’t quite faultless here. How can you be so accepting of one kind of POC, yet so cruel to another? Then I remember their initial reactions to meeting Bash. They were not the most accepting at first. Yet they can see how they’ve now grown to accept and care deeply about Bash and Mary and Delphine. Why can’t they give Ka’kwet’s people a chance like this?

‘You may well have saved some Indians today’... Saved them? From what? Being free to practice their own culture? You know, white people can be so very ignorant... and I say that as a very white person. I’m just ashamed of everything my ethnicity has done to literally every other ethnicity.

‘I don’t wanna die’... You know, sometimes I do, and right now that makes me feel so ashamed. I should really think of Mary and also every real person who had an untimely death whenever I’m having those thoughts again. We should all learn to appreciate life so much more.

So this is the one with Mary’s Easter... this is beautiful. I might have to rescind my ‘excitement’ statement from earlier, but there is still a theme of beauty, love and family throughout this. Well, technically throughout the entire series, but especially here. I love this. 

Delphine with a flower crown is the cutest thing ever...

Minnie May: She looks like a chocolate candy. I just... took notice of how the background music abruptly stopped. You know, coming from an older person, this would sound... not at all ok. But this 7-year-old didn’t mean any harm, and they realise it after a brief moment of panic in their eyes. Still... black people don’t call us, idk, butter or something. We should not compare their skin colour to chocolate.

Their singing is absolutely beautiful. But let’s be real - in a real-life situation, most of the people would be way off-key and those harmonies would be impossible to arrange. Still, for this beauty, I am willing to suspend my disbelief for miles. Also, that prayer at the end... well, I’m not Christian, but I am religious, and I know the power of a prayer as poetic as this one. However hard it must have been for Mary to know she wouldn’t live, it must have been a great consolation to know she would go in such a way, surrounded by so much beauty and love, and light. Well, that ending was bittersweet! But I absolutely loved this episode. Except for the racist parts that made me absolutely livid. It’s so frustrating to know there is still so much hate in the world based just on minor superficial differences between people. Yet it would have been even more frustrating if we didn’t have people in the world like our protagonists (and especially the protagonist, Anne). It is such an absolute shame that this show, and others like it, got cancelled over some trivial issues and wasn’t given the proper chance to develop its positive messages even further. But still, even with just the 27 episodes it was given, it was able to cover so much ground. I don’t know what to say. AWAE is just supreme.

Let’s sum up: the final weeks of Mary’s life; racial prejudice might have just cost this lovely woman, a wife and a mother, her life; Matthew showing Delly around Green Gables is the sweetest thing; the first press-printed issue of The Avonlea Gazette, with a significant typo; and thus, a ship was born; subtle ways of saying those three little words; ‘Caring deeply will always be the right thing.’; the legacy of a mother; ‘White Man’s Burden’ mentality is alive and dangerous; double standards regarding the acceptance of POC; Mary’s Easter; going surrounded by a loving community.

[currentfandomkick]

Marinette did not sign up for this pt 3

  Part 3 time. part 1 here part two here, ao3 link here     

             Cass had long since taken to eating at Yan Toh Heen when she was in Hong Kong, where head chef Cheng Wang served her favorite soup, Marinette Soup. Given that Cass often came at odd times and remained a regular whenever she was in town, she had come to know of Shifu Cheng’s inspiration, his niece’s daughter. A girl who reminded Cass of Bruce’s usual adoptees when she first saw her picture, and mentioned it was a good ting her father hadn’t begun adopting until the girl was already a toddler. Shifu Cheng had laughed at the time, and mentioned that Cass might be a good influence on her, if she could keep her father from trying to steal his great-niece away that is.

             Now Cass was looking at the girl’s picture a bit more critically, and with Bruce and his parents in mind, she wouldn’t be surprised if this Marinette—a young designer who had managed to have two major figures in the industry recognize her by 16 with an apparent knack for helping her local heroes—was Bruce’s daughter. Her eyes reminded Cass of Thomas Wayne’s from the portraits, and her smile was a lot like Bruce’s when he wasn’t hiding anything.

             With all this in mind, Cass was already on a plane to find the girl and test out her theory—to see if Marinette of the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie was also Ladybug—Batman and Bruce Wayne’s daughter.

             She did smile when she saw the group chat for “Middle Kids Only—No D’s Allowed” exploded with Jason, Tim and Steph arguing over who would find her first and what the prize would be. It looked like Cass would win at this rate. She was fine with that—and having a no-questions asked favor from each of the three in the future would be the icing on the cake to meeting their new sister first.

---             

             Marinette has to explain to Adrien a bit of her blow up while they were civilians and out of sight in her room. Tikki and Plagg were napping.

             “So, you’re uh…” she couldn’t blame him for the lack of words. She tended to forget (re: ignore) the fact herself most of the time.

             “Yeah,” Marinette shrugged. “Maman and Papa got me in a closed adoption case, the mother was young.”

             “… I’m now picturing a young Batman and can’t wrap my brain around it.”

             Marinette snorted at that. “It was before Batman existed.”

             Adrien frowned at that, thinking it over as… “So did you ever…”

             Marinette shook her head. “My mother warned against it, the note she left for me said it was dangerous to even attempt contacting him.” She ran a hand through her hair as she remembered Maman and Papa letting her read the note not long after her Guardian training began. It was another life entirely. “She said he was an unfit father, and that she never wanted kids so I was better off not looking for them when I grew up. I never planned to—Maman and Papa were all I ever needed or wanted.”

             Adrien smiled at that, grabbing a cookie for himself. “So what happened?”

             Marinette winced. “I, I don’t want to talk about it. Long story short, a wild Murder Robin appeared and told me not to contact his family or else, and I promised to steer clear of affiliates so he wouldn’t try anything.”

             Adrien twitched at that. He knew Marinette and Alya made a few comments about it once upon a time but…

             “Is he the one dropping off the weapons and flower threats?”

             Marinette looked away, keeping her eyes low.

             Adrien tightened his fists. “I see. If he or that family get near you, they’ll have to take on Chat Noir first.”

             Marinette huffed at that. “They’re the normies that took down the world ending metas, I doubt there’s much we could do against them chatton.”

             Adrien shook his head and jabbed a thumb at his chest. “Black Cat wielder, destruction incarnate, and the idiot you share a soul with.” He gave her his Chat Noir smile. “There’s nothing I can’t take on.”

             Marinette snorted at that. “Chemistry.”

             Adrien’s face fell at that. “You cannot tell me chemical reactions are that easy!”

             Marinette smiled at him then. “I can and will say it—Chemistry is easier and superior to physics. Kitchen Chemistry is how we get food.”

             “And physics keeps us from floating off into space.”

             “Not studying it. Studying chemistry I get food, physcics is just a headache of formulas on formulas on formulas.”

             “But the theories!”

             With that, the pair fell into their familiar rhythm of banter for the rest for the night.

             Tim was crossing French designers in Paris aged 14-20 that own or work at a boutique, online or physical, and turned up a large number of candidates for who Ladybug/the missing Wayne could be.

             Babs rolled in on this particular search, and gave him a look. “You know the Justice League wants us to not to contact her, right?”

             Tim made a vague sound of acknowledgement.

             “And that Bruce probably didn’t have a kid at 15, right?”

             “Just covering my bases.”

             Babs looked over his search margins. “Did you check Damian’s search history?”

             Tim scowled at her. “Of course I did, he’s been doing more through wipes, I couldn’t get more than a few scarps of useless code.”

             Babs began to grin then. “So that means I do have a leg-up on you then.”

             He didn’t even want to know how she knew about the competition. But she wasn’t officially in it either (all of the placed their bets down negotiated rules (re: no asking for help from Damian) and agreed the only participants were the four of them). What did Barbra Gordon want out of this?

             Tim paused at that. “What.”

             Babs grinned at him. Tim remembered why Oracle is the queen of hackers everywhere—nothing is safe from her reach.

             “He was particularly taken with a few designers, and one of them happens to be in the range you’re looking for.”

             Tim scowled at her. “What do you want?”

             “You know that picture of me you took a few years back?”

             Tim blinked as that was what she wanted. His ‘Don’t tell The Family’ insurance.

             “Yes.”

             “I want your copies of burned, and any you may have floating around returned to me.”

             Tim weighed the pros and cons to this. The girl should be in his current data pool. And he does know to use Damian’s search again (tracking Bab’s hacks was child’s play now) but she probably deleted most—if not all of—her trail. Decisions, Decisions…

             He could just wait to meet the baby bat. But then he would owe Jason a no-questions asked favor if he found her first… and he didn’t want to know what Jason would use it for. Owing Cass a favor meant family nights with the worst board games or tea parties when he was elbow deep in a mission. A no question favor for Steph was always interesting and usually resulted in Bruce giving them both looks.

             Did he want to lose his leverage on Babs, or did he want to avoid the consequences of the bet more?

--

             Chat and Carapace exchanged a quick look when the pair arrived. A nod from Carapace as he trailed after their paling Ladybug was all Chat needed to begin operation Distract the Justice Leaguer Members.

             He and Rena Rouge were having the time of their lives. Both were genuine in their admiration of the pair and the work they had done. And they were both eager to learn from them—both as individuals and what their people knew of the Miraculous—something Chat and Rena knew there were large gaps in the history of still. And if they could help out Ladybug with gathering information and ensuring she was given space, well, the pair were down for it.

             Chat was asking a confused and mildly frightened Aquaman for combat tips in aquatic situations for future Syren-eqsue akumas.

             “So how do you keep an eye on attacks from all directions? Is it a ‘feel the water movements’ thing? Or is it just something you know how to do from growing up underwater? Could you teach me a few things on it—it’s a weak point that I need to work on.”

             Aquaman was quick to agree to help, eager to avoid angering the Black Cat and given Ladybug’s (apparently continued) evasion of Justice League Members, this may be the best way to both prevent the possible apocalypse and ensure Atlantis’ future safety.

             Wonder Woman was having an interesting conversation with Miss Sting about the uses for her spinning top and potential ways to work on her use of Venom while Rena asked about the Amazons and was there really an amazon who wielded the Ladybug miraculous? There were no confirmations from Ladybug and the Guardian was impossible to find to ask. Was there a Fox and did they have anything on the Miraculous’ history?

             Wonder Woman was quick to supply answers while scanning the area for Ladybug, and noted that the Turtle was missing too.

             “Is Ladybug well?”

             Rena and Miss Sting exchanged a look.

             Miss Sting stepped forward. “Ladybug just needs some space. She isn’t willing to risk breaking her promise since certain people do know where she lives.”

             Rena tensed at that, a scowl quick to her face as she remembered why Ladybug was absent. “She can’t talk to either of you until Murder Robin,”--Wonder Woman winced at the reminder of the current Robin’s past--“makes it clear he won’t keep threatening her if she does.”

             Chat caught enough of the conversation to join in. “Its also not good to stress her out, especially since its going to be open season soon.”

             Miss Sting sighed at the reminder. “Application and testing season.”

             Rena rubbed her forehead. “Don’t remind me. Last time Ladybug was so stressed over her workload that the cure was off for a week.”

             Wonder Woman and Aquaman exchanged a look.

             “Are you stating that stress on Ladybug alters how the Miraculous Cure works?” Aquaman asked cafefully, hoping it wasn’t the case.

             “Yeah,” Chat rubbed the back of his neck. “I figured it always did.”

             Wonder Woman shook her head, mind racing as, “No. Not during Mother’s time—it must be a side effect of something. May I speak to one of the Guardians?”

             Chat didn’t even have time to respond. Both adults noted the way his pupils shrunk and body tensed at the question. He knew something the others didn’t.

             “Uh, there’s only one, and the guy has been radio silent for months now,” Rena explained. “And not to be rude, but given the security breaches in the past, I don’t think it’s the best thing for our Guardian to be in contact, just in case.”

             “I see…”

             Aquaman was the quick to defuse the situation. “Perhaps one of your sisters could reach out to Ladybug? They are not affiliated with the League so that should lessen her stress.”

             Chat nodded along at that. Good. It was better to keep the Destroyer content.

             “I can see who Mother would like to send of the historians given the interest in past miraculous wielders,” Diana conceded. “Could you ask Ladybug if that is acceptable?”

             The teens grabbed their respective weapons and messaged Ladybug. A moment later the trio stated that Ladybug would agree to those terms.

             In the meantime, Chat, Rena and Miss Sting caught the adults up on the Hawkmoth situation and their limitations on investigation. Rena was particularly annoyed by the lack of progress as “Our best suspect was akumatized before Mayura showed up, so he can’t be Hawkmoth. But he lives in the target area, has the funds for a butterfly garden and the ability to keep it underground if LB’s theory about artificial sunlight to keep it secret is right.”

            “But we know he can’t be, so we should drop it and look for other suspects,” Chat added a bit nervously.

             Miss Sting nodded in agreement.

             Rena sighed. “I know, its just, too much adds up on him being Hawkmoth, but then again, that would mean he’d put his own kid in danger just to get the Miraculous. I mean, he’s bad and all but…” Rena shook her head. “LB is right about him making sense but it’s too obvious. I mean, who hides in plain sight, right?”

             Wonder Woman made a mental note to find out who this suspect was and maybe—MAYBE—let the bats do a deep search on this suspect if Rena would name them. He could very well be their villain, but she didn’t know enough on this investigation yet to make a call, nor did she have much knowledge on the Butterfly or Peacock miraculous. She only paid attention to the Ladybug and Black Cat legends—a soul spilt in two, destined to always find one another and willing to do whatever it took to protect the other from self-destructing once they grew close as allies.

--

             In Gotham Jason Todd is on a Mission. That mission happens to be meeting the Baby Bat before Timmers or the Waffle Queen herself beat him to it. Cass hadn’t responded to any of their texts, so he figured she was knee-deep in Black Bat and forfeited for once. He hoped.

             Either way, Red Hood would be tracking a certain Little Lady when he touched down in Paris once his plane took off, and take out whoever this “Hawkmoth” was. Magic terrorism is one thing. Targeting kids? Well, that puts you Hood’s list and high on his priorities real quick. Add threatening his family (estranged, feuding or 'well they're a Bat') to that? Gotham would live without him for a bit.

--

             Ladybug is currently holed up with Carapace in one of their hide-y holes on patrol. She has borrowed (re: snagged and is not returning any time soon) Carapace’s headphones. The music helps her breath. No immediate danger, she didn’t (further) break the rules of engagement, and she didn’t see any sign of Murder Robin in Paris from news reports.

             “So, uh, Murder Robin?”

             Ladybug wanted to groan. She knew this conversation was coming. “Can you send the others the cliff notes?”

             She did not want to do this with each one of them. there are a lot of miraculous users. Besides Chat and Carapace, there was Rena, Miss Sting, Pegasus, Ryuuko, King Monkey, Viperion, and Bunnix. She did not want to have this conversation seven more times.

             “Sure thing Ladybug.”

             Ladybug took a deep breath.

             “Remember Incinerater and Goo-Boy?”

             Carapace paused, face a bit slack as he nodded his head. “The first time Mr. Bug appeared, and the day Rena, Sting and me got our miraculous.”

             Ladybug nodded. “Well, it lasted so long because my transformation timed out. I couldn’t figure out what my lucky charm meant—I didn’t know what the kwami box looked like, and a bigger version of the jewelry box I got Tikki in meant nothing to me.” Ladybug sighed, as once again, she realized how much easier it would have been if Fu contacted her and Chat Noir after the first attack, or even during one on their built-in communicators. Just. Something.

             “So you timed out.”

             Ladybug nodded. “And I got caught in the building that went down.”

             Carapace froze. “Most people were still injured.”

             Ladybug winced. “I was. Still. Chat somehow knew to look for my civilian identity and found out I was Ladybug. I thought…” Marinette shook her head, pushing old fears of losing Tikki away. She’s the Guardian now. Tikki and her are together as long as Marinette remains so. “Nevermind. The point is, even after he cast the cure and helped me get home, Goo-boy showed up and Mr. Bug was needed again.”

             Carapace put the pieces together. “You were still hurt. And he left you alone.”

             Ladybug ran a hand through her pigtails. “He had to. I told him to, I figured I could make it the rest of the way.”

             Carapace frowned at that. “LB…” He put a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”

             Ladybug swallowed a lump. “Tiny Murder Robin.” She stiffened a bit, fiddling with her yoyo then. “He uh, grabbed me, pulled me into a car and held me a sword-point. Not gun point, sword point.” Marinette bleed through then. “Who does that? What kid goes around and says they’ll kill you with a sword at your neck?”

             Carapace rubbed her back, keeping her grounded. “I managed to get him to leave since I was ‘unworthy of the Bat legacy’ and all, discarded and useless.” Marinette shook her head, reminding herself she’s moved past those feelings, the one that tried to well up in her moments. She was bigger than those thoughts. “He let me go since I wasn’t worth the effort if I didn’t know I was Batman’s daughter.” Marinette kept her eyes on her lap, a nervous hands running through one pigtail vigorously. “I kind of sicced him on the current Robin to save my skin.”

             Carapace pulled her in for a hug. She clung back a bit. she didn’t have to look at him as he explained the deal. “I promised to not contact Batman or the JL and he agreed to leave me alone. And he did.”

             Carapace pulled back. “That’s not all of it, is it?”

             “He uh, started leaving flowers and some weapon for winter holidays, Easter and my birthday in my room….”

             Carapace paled at that. “He’s threatening you.”

             “y, yeah…”

             “So that’s why….”

             Ladybug nodded.

             Carapace hugged her tight. “One sec, I’ll text the team. Then we’re doing that plan of action you made the rest of us do for when we can’t show up.”

             Ladybug nodded.

             She noticed a text from the others, asking if she’d be willing to talk to an Amazonian historian on the history of the Miraculous and learn from her. That… wouldn’t violate the terms of the agreement, in spirit or wording. She sent her agreement on the terms that none of the sent historians were Wonder Woman or the Queen herself. As cool as meeting Hippolyta would be, Marinette does not want to risk the violation in spirit (family members probably counted to Murder Robin.)

             “Done.”

             Ladybug blinked as Carapace turned to her.

             “Now what can we do to help?”

             Ladybug opened and closed her mouth, running over her options. “Just keep non-miraculous heroes from contacting me, especially in battle. I just...” Ladybug struggled for words. “He knows where I live. My family.”

             Carapace nodded, keeping a steady hand on her shoulder. “Can’t risk it, I got you—we got you.”

             After a moment of silence, Carapace spoke. “Keep the team on speeddial—if you don’t want everyone on, then at least me, Pegasus and Rena. Rena can distract without getting hurt, I can protect all of us and Pegasus can send him and anyone he works with packing. Monkey probably would want in on this too—he is the Distraction King after all.”

             Ladybug laughed a little at that. It came out weak. “Sure. Chat, he’s…”

             “Busy.” Carapace shrugged. “We all know his dad has him running through hoops to make it to patrol half the time.”

             “Yeah…”

             (Marinette agreeing to intern with M. Agreste and work on her accessories brand under the Gabriel umbrella did give Adrien more lee-way than he had before, but not by much at first. Ever since her line of scarves based on the miraculous heroes took off last winter, he was given more free reign if it involved Marinette as a designer, not Marinette as his friend and classmate. Adrien was allowed at her house at all hours now without no questions asked on the basis of ‘Marinette’s muses have spoken’. As far as Gabriel was concerned, Adrien was learning more about the designing process and crafting of individual garment and accessories from her, and offering critiques as a model on wear-ability and helping her develop her style as a designer while keeping her ‘on-brand’. The fact they mostly goofed off or worked on miraculous-related things together was another matter for another time.)

             Ladybug and Carapace stayed like that for a while, until after the JL left. She may have trolled the Monkey tab on the Ladyblog and snorted at someone’s short of ‘era 1’ Chat running at an akuma while screaming “this is how I will get Ladybug will love me!” with an ‘era 2’ Chat cringing. “That. That is how I got Ladybug to baby brother me.”

--  

           Dick was wondering where the rest of the bats were during patrol. The night before, it was only him. Something about needing to look into something for the JL on Bruce’s end, and Damian was working on something again—trying to make up for a past wrong was the most Dick ever got out of him. It was the third year in a row this happened, and around the same time. Apparently needles are part of this apology.

             Dick really hopes Damian manages to meet the person face to face this time. He has a feeling the person Damian’s apologizing to might be a civilian by Bat standards, and is probably missing Damian’s message completely. Maybe Dick would check up on him tomorrow—Gotham wait for no one and apparently Nightwing is the only responsible Bat at the moment. Thank god for Oracle’s Birds of Prey and the other vigilantes Gotham’s collected over the years. Dick doesn’t want to think about what would happen if this happened without them all.

--

PART FOUR HERE

Thanks for waiting on the update. Working with burned hand so it will take longer for the next installments. Mostly planned for the next chapter but character will do what they want and highjack my writing constantly. Things are moving forward (somewhat) on the Bats and JL end, while Miraculous Team stands with their leader, Ladybug, and aren’t ready to let Anyone threaten her.

this makes for a set-up for much to go Wrong. Feel free to add to the upcoming chaos or put in things youd like to see happen in the comments or by messaging me. 

@heldtogetherbysafetypins @laurcad123 @raisuke06

[invisibleinorange]

Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Bridgerton Rating: T Warnings: Presumed Character Death, Suicidal Ideation  Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington,  Eloise Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington(besties),  Bridgerton Family Dynamics, Simon Hastings/Daphne Bridgerton Characters: Colin Bridgerton,  Penelope Featherington, Eloise Bridgerton, Anthony Featherington,  Benedict Bridgerton Additional Tags:  Bridgerton, Polin Summary:  Unexpected bad news arrives for the Bridgerton Family (and friends) regarding Colin's travels. This will be a series that is set after "The Duke and I" or season one of the show. It is a companion piece to "Goodbyes". (#I’mHereToKillYouAllWithFeels)

---

Anthony and Benedict had expected a lot of different reactions from their younger sister, dead silence was not one of them.

They stood there though watching as she read the letter, complete and utter disbelief and confusion clear on her face.

Eloise Bridgerton was certain that Penelope Featherington told her everything.  Sure, Colin had always been nice to Penelope but so were the rest of her brothers.

If there had been something out of the ordinary, she would have picked up on it.  If one of her brothers was taking more notice or spending more time with her, she would certainly picked up on it.

Colin had barely broken off his engagement to Marina before he departed.  Why would he have been so concerned about Pen?

This whole thing felt ludicrous and the only rational explanation was that this was some cruel prank.  Sure, she knew that Penelope was incredible but her brothers were all idiots.   As much as she might have loved to have her best friend have become a sister, she’d never seen it as the remotest of possibilities.

Reading the letter, she felt almost guilty for having never given Penelope enough credit for being capable to grab the attention of one of her brothers.

After a long moment she raised a hand as if to tell her brothers to not even say a word.  She was going to get to the bottom of this.

“You had both better hope that I don’t have cause to leave Gregory my only brother when I return,” she muttered and then with was gone, leaving the safety of the drawing room toward the one person who could answer any of the questions she had.

--

The reason Penelope Featherington could get away with more than most was because no one actually ever paid her much attention. No one cared what she did honestly and that was why it was so easy to keep herself shut away in her bedroom, convince herself that it would be so much easier for everyone involved if she just disappeared.

There were certain things that she had to get in order though.  She had forced herself to sneak in the night to allow Lady Whistledown to honor Colin but after that, she’d begun to get her affairs in order.

She had every intention of it being the last thing that she ever sent to print. She intended to have the secret die with her so that those she loved could at least keep some self-respect.

There were other letters that she had debated putting together too but somehow the words that were the most important were the most impossible to put together.  Her family wouldn’t even put on a show of missing her. The only person left who might actually miss her was Eloise.

She kept plenty of things from her over the years though and perhaps, it was for the best if she never knew.  

The saddest part of it all was that her mother never learned.  The necessary toxins were still easily accessible in the home.  Penelope had listened when Marina had detailed what all she’d consumed.  Surely, if that could nearly kill her if she doubled it, it would actually do the job. If it didn’t work, she was pretty sure she would just throw herself into the sea.

Her normally healthy pink skin was pale, her hands trembled as she wrapped her hand around the deceptively sweet smelling cup of tea. She raised it to her lips, prepared to take a sip.

Her plan was interrupted by the door opening with a slam.

The look on her face must have said it all because all 167.6 centimeters of Eloise Bridgerton came at her with a horrified force, knocking the cup out of her hands letting it shatter and spill against the floor.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” the brunette bellowed.

It was enough the send Penelope crumbling into the ground, curling into herself.  She was shattering and a part of her felt selfish for this all. She no longer had the strength to lie though.

“I want to join him,” she sobbed.

Eloise was completely taken aback but she still descended to her own knees, wrapping her arms around the red-head trying her to best to calm the storm.  She didn’t have to understand any of this to understand that there wasn’t a chance in Hell of her letting Penelope actually harm herself.

“You will not,” she ordered. “I won’t let you.”

“This is all my fault,” Penelope cried.

Eloise didn’t see a possible scenario where that could be true. The letter that her brother had written was still clearly imprinted in her mind along with the millions of questions that followed.

She was starting to think her brothers might have been right to share it.

A loud sigh escaped her lips and she forced her friend to look her in the face.

“My brother would not want this no matter what happened between the two of you,” she said resolutely, knowing that without a shadow a doubt.  

It was Penelope’s turn for confusion to show across her features.

“Nothing happened between me and your brother.”

Eloise couldn’t help but wonder if this was one of those situations where someone protested too much. Sure, she’d clearly missed something but her eyes were wide open now and she just wanted to know the truth.

“Then why did he write to you?” she couldn’t help but ask.

If Penelope could have turned paler in that moment, she was pretty sure that she would have.  Eloise wasn’t sure if she swooned, she’d have been able to keep her up right.

“He … wrote … me?” she asked.

Eloise nodded.

“Before he left,” she said. “It just doesn’t make sense to me because you’ve never given me any inclination that you had any passing fancy for any of my brothers and – I know I’ve been busy with my investigation but surely, I would have noticed something.  Surely, if you were this in love with my brother, you would have told me.”

She didn’t say it because it was of no relevance now that Colin was gone but she was a bit hurt with the thought that she wouldn’t have been told. As much as it might have been weird, there was no one she would have rather had become a sister. In many ways, she’d always felt as if they were sisters.

Her words shamed Penelope.

“I didn’t tell you because he wouldn’t have felt the same. I’m not like you and your sisters. I don’t have Lords and Dukes fighting over my hand. The only men who ever dance with me at balls do so out of pity.  Yes, I … believe I loved your brother but he never would have loved me. Maybe he didn’t marry Marina but there would be another next season or the next.”

Eloise’s loyalties were completely and utterly torn. Did she defend her brother’s character? Did she argue her best friend’s virtues?

“ You’re incredible, Pen.  Maybe the men and the Ton are idiots but that doesn’t change the fact you are one of the smartest, kindest and most loyal people that I’ve ever know. Even if I am furious at you for not telling me all of this, I’ll keep telling you as much.”

There was a pause, the folded letter retrieved from where she’d stashed it in her haste to get there to investigate.

She extended it toward her friend after a long moment of thought.

“I was going to say my brother was daft but apparently you both are when it comes to romance. I’m sorry that he’ll never be able to tell you as much himself.”

--

My Dear Pen, Everyone in my family has a bit of a label to them. I love them all dearly. It’s sometimes a big heavy trying to live up to their accomplishments. Being clever has always been my method of disguising my discomfort in my own skin at times. If you are reading this, I was a coward who couldn’t be man enough to utter the very words that have taken to plaguing my every waking hour. When I am with you, you disarm me.  I am in awe of you to the point that it terrifies me. I’m not completely sure that you recognize how magnificent you truly are. I know that you think that no one takes notice of you but I do.  You’re also my sister’s most beloved friend and as such I may have taken for granted the fact you would always be there. I know that I have acted beastly in recent weeks, throwing myself head first at an ill-fated engagement with little consideration for your own circumstances, ignoring you when you sought to warn me and taking our friendship for granted. I cannot apologize to you enough. I am completely and utterly undeserving of the repeated forgiveness you have bestowed upon me. I had hoped I might throw myself at you for your mercy once more. I know that you are facing bigger issues than my own selfish need of your company though. I understand now that this is why you spurned my request at the ball.  I was wounded when you took leave of me but struggle to find sleep, I knew just how foolish I might have been to think that you would even want to spend the night dancing and talking with a rake like me. You have always deserved the attention of a man not a boy. You deserve someone who would  put you above his own boyish whims. You deserve to be cherished always. By the time I return from Greece, someone else will have seen how magnificent you really are. Perhaps one day, I will grow into the man that you have always had faith that I could be and when I approach you won’t feel need to take leave of me. I will never be as good as Anthony or Benedict but if when we can meet again you so  much as deem me worthy of friendship, I will not take such opportunity for granted.

Your most humble friend, Colin

[sarcasticgaypotato]

Just in time for the spooky season; my first thank you fic! Prompt given by @moonwatcher13 who requested necromancer AU fluff, thank you so much for the generous donation, and I hope you enjoy!

Chell had been dead for a long time.

Years turned into decades since her heart last beat, and her lungs last drew breath. By the natural order of things, she should’ve been six feet under, with bones turned to dust. And yet? Here she still was. Pulling herself up off of her bed, and stretching her eternally stiff limbs in an attempt to chase the grogginess from her mind. The sun had started to disappear behind the tops of the trees, casting the world in long shadows and encroaching darkness. The rest of the world’s day was ending, which meant Chell’s was only just beginning.

As she walked, slowly and silently, through the cold stone halls of the castle she called home, she found herself dwelling briefly on what got her here. Rather, who.

An elf as pale as moonlight, as sharp as a blade, and mad as anything. With her piercing eyes of gold and blue respectively, and her hair as white as bone. GLaDOS was as intelligent as she was dangerous, and as dangerous as she was curious.

She was always pushing. Pushing the limits of what she could achieve, of what was allowed. She found limits and shattered them, for better or for worse.  Chell was the result of one such test; her greatest experiment to date. Bringing the dead back to life.

Chell had long said that it hadn’t been worth it. That she would’ve been better off staying properly dead, and that GLaDOS would’ve been better off not living with an unholy beast.

But GLaDOS never heard a word of it. She always dismissed Chell’s laments with assurances stated like facts, so certain that she had made the only choice possible. Chell knew that that certainty came, at least in part, from love. GLaDOS was hardly shy with her affections, willing to kiss even a bloodstained, bloody maw with unabashed enthusiasm.

Yet, as Chell approached the room that GLaDOS called her study, she had to acknowledge that GLaDOS’s refusal to regret her creation came out of stubbornness too. To doubt the existence of her undead lover would be to admit failure in her experiments. And given that GLaDOS had told Chell just how many times even her initial resurrection had failed… Well, it was no doubt that GLaDOS wanted a success, and this was as close as she could get.

Of course, that experiment had taken place years and years ago, and GLaDOS had moved on to new things. She was never satisfied, never able to lull in one state for too long.

She was always hungry, and Chell could relate.

Inside the fire-lit study, Chell poked her head in to see GLaDOS moving back and forth, flitting from her desk to her caldron, scribbling down notes before hurrying back to throw something else in and watch the reaction.

She didn’t even seem to notice Chell as she came in, her head much too deep in her work, and a face full of colored steam no doubt helping to obscure her vision.

Chell didn’t mind it, at least for awhile. She was relatively content to lean against the doorway and watch her partner with an unblinking gaze, basking in the sight that was GLaDOS truly in her element.

But after awhile, Chell started to get...antsy. She resisted the urge to tap her foot as GLaDOS went about bottling whatever her new creation was, all without giving more than a brief “Oh, hello Chell.”

Slowly, Chell slunk over to where GLaDOS stood- leaning over her desk and pouring over her notes- unable to be patient any longer as she wrapped her arms around her lover’s slender waist, and let out a low, impatient sound. After waking up alone- as was a frequent occurrence when she slept throughout a whole day- it was only natural that she wanted some quality time with her beloved. 

“Come now, you haven’t been waiting that long.” As GLaDOS spoke, a hint of amusement mingling with exasperation, Chell moved to rest her chin on the elf’s shoulder, only to stop and pull back at the sudden sound of a hiss that wasn’t her own. Tucked away in the folds of GLaDOS’s robe and wrapped around her neck like a scarf was one of her pet snakes that raised its head and reared at Chell when she got too close.

It took more self control than she wanted to admit to resist the urge to bare her teeth and snarl back in response, keeping her head back and instead settling for glaring daggers at the albino reptile until GLaDOS slowly coaxed the thing down her arm, onto the desk, and then sent it slithering off into the shadows to hunt. 

With that taken care of, Chell wasted no time nuzzling close, breathing in deeply as GLaDOS’s scent drowned out that of the rather pungent potion in the air around them. 

She tried to close her eyes, to stand there peacefully and simply drink in the moment of GLaDOS’s warm body pressed against her unnaturally cold chest, to enjoy the feeling of her rather small partner in her arms, safe and sound and right where she was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t relax. A nagging little something prickled in the back of her mind, reminding her with every passing moment of the now unguarded expanse of flesh only inches away from her mouth. 

She blinked heavily, as if the action would push away the thought from her mind. She wasn’t starving, she would eat when she needed to. There was no point in interrupting such a nice moment, so Chell bit her tongue- not literally, she had learned the hard way that such an action was ill-advised- and waited. And waited.

GLaDOS was taking forever. And she kept fidgeting, moving in and out of Chell’s grasp to grab tools and tinker even further.

It was about half an hour into all this when Chell made up her mind. Saving the usage of her voice for an apology instead of asking permission, she gathered GLaDOS slightly tighter into her arms, and pulled her backwards, stumbling for a moment before plopping herself into GLaDOS’s desk chair with the elf in question on her lap.

“Chell!”

The warm satisfaction in her otherwise cold chest was more than worth GLaDOS’s scolding tone and the light smack on her shoulder.

“If I had been in the middle of handling something dangerous-”

“You would’ve managed it.” “Yes, I would’ve thrown it on you and documented the results.”

Chell felt her lips curl into a smile. Surely GLaDOS could wrap up her work like this just fine, and then Chell could get her meal. Of course, as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against GLaDOS’s neck in a gentle kiss, she couldn’t help but think that a little taste in the meantime wouldn’t hurt…

“Don’t you dare.”

A raspy whine escaped Chell’s lips before she could help herself.

“I need to finish recording my findings and I don’t want to be falling asleep in the process. My experiments are more important than your impatience.” “...’s only tasting…”

“Sure you were.”

Reluctantly, Chell resigned herself with a grumble, licking her lips restlessly. She knew GLaDOS had a point, a vampire’s venom was a sedative, and was hardly the thing that one wants in their veins if they weren’t ready to take a nap. 

Still, it only would’ve been a little nibble…

In truth, GLaDOS wasn’t working for all that much longer before she capped her ink pot and set down her quill. A glance out the nearby window and a look at the moon’s position still rising in the sky meant Chell had barely been awake for an hour in total. But it felt like an eternity.

Which was, perhaps, what made it all the more satisfying for GLaDOS to finally turn around and shift in Chell’s lap, wrapping her arms around her neck- and as always not shying in the slightest from the awful, blackened wound- and meeting her gaze with a languid smile.

“See? Patient vampires get what they want.”

There was no time to waste in meeting GLaDOS’s warm lips in a quick kiss, Chell savored her taste, and offered a please and thank you all in one, anxiously waiting as GLaDOS shrugged her robes to the side enough to display more of her neck in a silent invitation.

Chell tried not to rush, flexing the muscle of self control that had taken her years to build and still needed work to this day. Instincts told her to lunge, to bite immediately and to drink her fill quickly. But what remained of her rational thought urged her otherwise, to instead leave a trail of kisses down her partner’s jaw to her neck, to be gentle and slow. To bite only after going over every available space with affectionate offerings, and to bite gently.

There was a time and a place for a hearty bite, to relieve the urge of a vicious, powerful chomp. But all it took was a look at the still healing wound on the opposite side of GLaDOS’s neck to remind Chell to take this one easy.

A purr rumbled from her chest as she felt the warm rush of blood against her teeth and tongue, sinking her fangs in just enough to prompt a proper blood flow before she pulled back, bringing her tongue forward instead to lap at the beads of blood as they appeared.

GLaDOS shuddered in response to the cold sensation, and Chell grasped her hand and squeezed it gingerly, rubbing her thumb along her partner’s pale knuckles. The chill wouldn’t be so bad once Chell’s mouth began to warm a little, stealing the heat from the living to possess in her own icy form. 

As she lingered in the space, lapping and nuzzling, drawing out the experience longer and longer, it was impossible to ignore the older marks on GLaDOS’s neck. The violent, jagged scars from years ago, flesh permanently branded with Chell’s signature. It was sobering, and only pressed her further into the affectionate touch she had the control to give. 

It was a lucky thing that GLaDOS was who she was, Chell thought. Had she not been so eager to wrap her arms around a dangerous undead, long before Chell had been able to temper herself to be so gentle, Chell wasn’t sure if she would’ve ever gotten to this point. For any other living person out there, eagerness to cuddle up with a corpse would’ve been hard to come by.

But Chell counted as many blessings as a vampire could have that she had somehow landed herself with someone who was more comfortable with Chell being dead than Chell herself. Someone who didn’t freak out as venom dulled her senses, but instead simply yawned and snuggled closer, continuing to run a hand lazily through Chell’s hair. Someone who was content to sit here with her for hours, to tangle herself lovingly in Chell’s cold arms with nothing but joy in doing so.

Someone who loved her for who she was, not in spite of it.

[kahran042]

Things I wish I could say to Das Sporking

Hey wait a minute! Grant's outfit is red. You know...the color that Gaston, the villain, wore? To make him opposite Beast, who wore blue? Red, a color that represents anger and from what I heard, was also chosen because it's the color of blood, to further emphasis Gaston's being a hunter and his eventual murderous rage? You gave your Gary-Stu love interest THAT color?!

It's just a color, for the love of Ceiling Cat! Look, Grant is a horrible character, I'll give you that, but frankly, this looks like you're just reaching for things to badmouth about him. :P

I find it funny that Harry Potter, with it's explicitly soul-damaging, runs on hate Dark Magic, has people trying to invoke Dark is Not Evil, and here we have someone trying to talk about corrupting, evil Dark Magic, in a world where our cutesy heroine spent the first half using the power of Dark.

Well, maybe if Harry Potter had a more clear definition of Dark Magic than "any offensive spell used by anyone other than an author-approved character"... Oh, and read another book. (This was part of a sporking of a Cardcaptor Sakura darkfic that had nothing to do with Harry Potter)

(user1): It’d be the old “introduce weapons and powers from other canons to be Better Than This Canon” chestnut.  You know, like Keiran Halcyon putting RPG stuff in Harry Potter.

Kahran042: Which could only be an improvement on canon, considering how much the Harry Potter magic system sucks.

"...and no, Hades (the version from Disney’s Hercules) is not Draco In Leather Pants'd..."

Well, even if he were, it would be a good counterbalance to his being Darth Vader the Eldritch Abomination'd in the crappy movie.

"I've never seen a blue rose, but I thought I'd make one, in honor of you" he said and took a painted blue, white rose from his coat pocket and placed it on her heart "It fits you" he smiled. (user2): Blue roses exist.

Kahran: You know that "I haven't seen it" isn't the same as "it doesn't exist," right? I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a wombat, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think they exist.

Of course, the part where China and Japan are different still seems to have escaped her notice.

To be fair, maybe the town contained elements of both Chinese and Japanese culture.

Also, this may be a coincidence, but she's the only female currently in this troupe and also the only one who's been “abused.” Huh.

This comes across as a bit of a kneejerk reaction, but maybe that's just me having a kneejerk reaction of my own.

This makes it sound like she's going to be paired up with Yuju, not Aladdin. Which, considering her "I'm not interested in boys" comment earlier...

Except that Yuju's gender was never specified. The only description given was "It (emphasis mine) was white and wise looking with long silver hair."

(user1): Given that we see her latch on to Celeste (Inpax)...she also seems to be drawn towards women with strong, confident personalities.

Kahran042: Except that from what I've read about the game, there really isn't any information about Celeste's personality.

"I guess it was…kind of the right thing…" She glanced down at the glasses on the table. "I guess I just over reacted." (user1): Now Adrian is quietly admitting that he did the right thing and that she was a silly, emotional woman who over-reacted

Kahran042: Seems to me that the only one saying anything about it being because she's a "silly, emotional woman" is you.

Charlie: Did the author not watch or hear of Season 0 or the manga?


There is no Season 0! What people call "Season 0" is a different series based on the same source material. Sorry about this, but that's my biggest pet peeve in this fandom. (referring to the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom)

We’ve seen fifty-million Rapidashes and Ponytas, by the way. Please import some Zebstrika or something.

I know...it's almost as if this fic was written before Zebstrika was created or something. :P

Say what you will about the Stuthor, at least he doesn't go into capslock rages.

See, that’s exactly my problem with the Dauntless. They are not brave the same way Gryffindors in Harry Potter are. No, that is exactly what they are - thrill seekers!

Hmm, sounds just like Gryffindor to me. :P

(user4): Is he saying that Emerald is a good thing? And note I said he, because Mark is basically using Jupiter as a goddamn sock-puppet right now.

So, it's not all right for Suethors to use canon characters as sock-puppets, but it's all right for you and your ilk to do the same?

(user1): And despite all of his stalking and spying and creeping on underage girls, I doubt he could ever figure out what all women want, so he'd probably just get executed.

Because all women want the same thing?

In "Hadrian Abhorsen", she reduces Voldemort to a completely ineffective and cliché ranter who even the cheesiest Saturday morning cartoons would be embarrassed to have

So...there was no difference, then?

Wait, John? Was he named after John Morris of Castlevania Bloodlines?

Probably not, seeing as John is a very common name.

Darien was outside the greenhouse taking in the beauty of the sweet-smelling flowers and soothing fountain. (user1): A sweet-smelling fountain? What?

What, indeed, seeing as there was nothing about a "sweet-smelling fountain" in that passage.

Granted it’s a magic gun but we clearly see later that it can and does operate exactly like a muggle gun.

Never use that word unless you're discussing the Harry Potty fandom.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT PICTURE WAS INTENDED FOR - MAYBE A FUCKING GRADUATING THESIS

Yeah, because there would totally be a graduate thesis at a middle school. Also, unnecessary capslock is unnecessary.

...and no, I’m not making an over 9000 joke. Fucking Blaze isn’t worth the effort.

Effort? What effort?

or if the second Suethor just ignored the epilogue just because they didn’t like the shipping or the kids.

Because Ceiling Cat forbid that there might be other reasons that someone might ignore the crapilogue.

Totally ignoring that MIyuki had fucked up, totally ignoring that Nico had been manipulated and taken advantage of, totally ignoring that Nico had been suffering...totally ignoring the fact that none of it would have happened if Miyuki hadn’t tried just a little more instead of simply giving up because she didn’t like her kiddie drawings.

How come I have a feeling that you would have complained about it if he hadn't ignored those things, too?

Chapter 26: The Birth of Nao's Sibling (user5): aka, “That Episode That Shot Every Older Sibling Right In The Heart.”

Um, I'm an older sibling and it didn't shoot me in the heart. Thank you for making me feel like there's something wrong with me for not getting all choked up over fictional characters.

and in general acts like the author meant him to be Eddard Stark but ended up turning him into Robert Baratheon.

I'm sorry, but those names are about as significant to me as I imagine the names Ltohkj Glqaq and Qeoegm Kxtwwgkah would be to you, hence rendering this completely meaningless.

Neither of us have anything against paganism, by the way.

Could have fooled me.

(user6): The Abrahamic religons demonized a LOT of pagan gods.

And judging by this spork so far, you probably think that's a good thing.

And it’s laughably obvious that Walker has no clue how to write someone proselytizing sympathetically

Maybe because it's impossible to write it, because proselytizers are terrible people and shouldn't be written sympathetically.

or that muggles lack the imagination to realize there’s something fishy going on here.

According to Rowling, they do.

[anothertublruser1992-blog]

Observations about A Single Pale Rose

I first want to say that I don’t mind the whole ‘Rose is Pink Diamond’ thing; there has been hints and build up for that for years now so I don't doubt for a moment that it was intended from the beginning that it was to be.

I have sat and thought about the episode, thought about it, re-watched older episodes and like many fans who don't know why they can't find to agree with the turn of events have come to this conclusion:  The reason why A Single Pale Rose's twist doesn't feel right for many of us fans is because it doesn't make sense due to what was given to us throughout the series as of now and how it was presented.  

Much like an athlete getting ready for the Olympics, I think the crew fell short when it came to some aspects to this reveal and then stumbled when it came to the twist, but before we get into that I want to talk about what WASN'T the crew's fault:

The time it took to get to this reveal.  

As we know, SU is NATORIOUS for it's hiatuses, but what most people don't know is that Season 5 was originally part of Season 3, and is referred to as Season 3B by the crew.  This was due to the Cartoon Network extending the series out longer, normally that's great right? More episodes of a great show, especially for a cartoon that's great, so why not just stick to the original plan then and air Season 3B as intended?  Well...here's the thing:  I think Steven Universe is like Avatar the Last Airbender, it has a ending in mind.  The show is designed around and is following a timeline, so by making the crew extending the length of the show by an additional two years, they run the risk of ending the show early on, and that could have been bad, so they had no choice but to add, AND YES SOME OF IT IS, filler episodes.  I think this caused Season's 3 hiatus.

There are always things we don't know what happened behind the scenes, but we do know of this one (it was mentioned in a podcast with the crew, I don't remember which one but here's a reddit link talking about “what is season 3B?” ”https://www.reddit.com/r/stevenuniverse/comments/6zbzn6/can_someone_explain_this_to_me_of_production/

Anyway onto what this whole thing is about.  What doesn't make sense of the reveal.  Here is what I'm going to go over in my post and go into detail on why it doesn't make sense, due to pre-established facts the crew has laid down or due to simple physics and logic behind them. Strap your butts in people, this is gonna be a long one

Why didn't Blue Diamond recognize Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz's voice while she was attacking the Cloud Arena?

Why didn't anyone tell Rose Quartz's gem stone wasn't a Rose Quartz gem? This especially goes hard against Peridot when she looked at Steven's gem and had mistook him for “Some kind of Quartz, right?”

Why does Pink Diamond's gem facets change when rotating (this one EVERYONE talks about but I'm going to only talk about it briefly)

Why doesn't Pink's Gem have a band on the “Normal” side of her gem, and if that's the case, then why does it suddenly get one after she poofs?

Why does her gem change size and color?

Why does her color pallet change, adding a new unused color to the Rose Quartz form when she shape-shifts to it, making it fundamentally impossible to do so due to established information.

Pink's inconsistent height throughout the show...in more ways than one

      Why Didn't Blue recognize Pink's voice?  We saw in Garnets' flashback in The Answer that Rose and Pearl attacked the Cloud Arena and Rose clearly called out to Blue herself.  I don't think Garnet would lie to Steven, out of all the gems, she has been the most honest (and obviously will be the most devastated when she learns of Pink's deception) so I am taking this scene to be 100% truth, so again, why didn't Blue Diamond, who had close dealings with Pink Diamond not recognize her voice?  It's not like she SAW Rose Quartz attacking, her back was turned away. 

We also know that gems have unique voices, a voice to each gemstone type, and being Diamonds, they have even more chances of their voices being recognized as there are only four known Diamonds in the entire gem species...so again, unless Pink Diamond made all her RQ’s sound like her (and I don’t think she did, after all, she only became RQ to try to derail the colony and end it before killing off her PD identity forever.  As a side note, I think we have heard a real RQ voice already...the little voice in the Zoo...funny how we thought that was PD.)    

This is just one of the few plot holes that opened up when this reveal happened.

This next one is could be missed, but when you REALLY think about it doesn't make sense when your whole species are gemstones...

      How, how in the entire universe could another gem not tell one gemstone from another?  I've heard an argument it was due to the facet face of the gems; that was how they could distinguish one gemstone type from another (because gemstones can vary from color to color) but we HAVE seen an amethyst with a square facet in the Gem Heist.  

So...we can now debunk the facet recognition.  Now let's look at gemstones, specifically Rose quartz and a Pink diamond.  Let’s look at Rose Quartz gemstones:

I've included pictures of Rose quartz gemstones that have been cut and polished to look like diamonds, since that would be best used for this augment. Now let’s look at some Pink Diamonds:

Here we have RQ gemstones in rings and Pink diamonds while not in rings, and while they are beautiful we can see something quite obvious about RQ gems vs a Diamond gem:  They're opaque.  Even when they're highly polished and cut to match a diamond, they are more opaque than a regular diamond would be, and that can be spotted right away, even if it is embedded onto a body of a person.

With that said...HOW did Peridot, a CERTIFIED gem technician, who's previous job was gem creation (probably why she was sent to check on the cluster due to her vast KNOWLEDGE of gem), failed to recognized a quartz stone verses a Diamond stone?  This is a HUGE plot hole that makes Peridot look stupid, and we know she isn't.

      Pinks facets, they change when she transforms...they shouldn't.  This has been talked over and over so I'm just going to say that it has been stated as fact that Gems' gemstone is their true self, and the one thing they can not change about themselves (put a pin in that, we'll be coming back to that shortly) so it's physically impossible for that to happen so here's my explanation:  

It's due to the animation having to match the Rose Quartz Gem design to the Pink Diamond design and the animator shifted it like that...it is literally an inbetween frame (or tweening)of animation.  It's not technically an animation error...but a model error because when they designed Pinks' gem they designed it in such a way to give us a “twist” that we wouldn't think she was RQ at all...but when the time came to pull off the deed it didn't make sense in animation so we got that...animation error looking thing instead.  This was due to simple poor planning.

      Okay now I'm going to talk about Gem Bands.  Gems have bands on their gemstones, why?  It actually hasn't been established as to why Gems have them, but I had thought it was to help the gem orientation when they were re-forming back into their forms.  The only gemstone who didn't have one of these bands was Bismuth...due to obvious reasons.

So we know that NOT ALL GEMS have these rings, that is known fact.  So when Pink's gem rotated, that could have worked if she didn't have a ring right?  …...........right?  WELL....It has already been proven in past episodes that not only does STEVEN'S gem (the RQ gem...Pink's gem) Have a ring on it, but in the VERY same episode when Rose-Pearl poofs Pink and hold's her gem in her hand...it suddenly has a band that wasn't seen on the RQ side....where it should have been visible in her Pink Diamond form....do you see the problem with the design yet?  Where did it come from, then where did it go...where Cotton eye Joe, tell me?!?  

      This one is my biggest pet peeve of this whole thing...Pink's gem size and how it changes size and shape when she goes from being Pink Diamond to Rose Quarts (poofed form)  Now, Pink is small for a Diamond, but she's still big for a common gem and her gemstone is still very big as seen on this height chart here:

But...you can already see an inconsistency with that height chart huh.  Pink's gemstone is much larger than the Rose Quartz gemstone that we normally see, even if it was inverted to the RQ position. This would kinda...hurt Steven.  An artist, ghostydraws already beat me to the punch with this beauty:

http://ghostydraws.tumblr.com/post/173727020602/revenge-of-the-steven-universe-proportions

So well, shoot how do you fix that?  Well...The crew simply ignores it by literally having the gemstone SHRINK when Pink Diamond poofs to the point where it's handheld size.

I watched this episode on my break at work, and I face-palmed myself when this happened, and my coworker asked what did I watch to make me do this. ( I lied and said I was watching a Trump video to cover up the stupidity of my reaction )

Another thing that bothered me was whenever Pink is in the RQ form, she has a new color to her pallet, her skin tone.  All the colors on the RQ form can be found (or similar shades) on her Pink Diamond form except the skin color on the RQ form and that can't be possible.  We know that gems can only shape-shift to the color pallet of their original form.  This has been proven time and time again...so why suddenly can Pink Diamond pull a new color out of thin air?

Can you see how...insulting this is too us as an long time audience?  An audience who has been paying attention closely to the lore of the show only for the creators to suddenly throw out half of it for the sake of a twist? That isn't good writing. And if they go with “It was magic that did it” option...then I'll officially call Pink Diamond a Mary Sue and trust me, she was already very close to being one.

EDIT:  I would also like to state that I don’t like the “It’s the crew’s usual animation inconsistencies” excuse.  I don’t like that the crew has tattooed that stigma onto themselves and it has become an excuse for any errors outside of small animation errors.  These guys have been working on the show for 5 years now, and had 5 years to get to this reveal...they have no excuses anymore...  

Finally I want to briefly talk about that had me thinking that it was part of the problem but in retrospect.....maybe we'll get more answers...because it's raised more questions for me.

      Pink's height inconstancy is really something...and it's not the usual SU Crew animation thing either.  First the Moonbase chair...for Pink Diamond's chair...it's really small...even for her.  

Then we got the flashback dream in Jungle moon and saw that she was the same height as Stevonnie:

Well, okay then, but then we got A Single Pale Rose and found out she's about twelve to fifteen feet tall...what?  Then look at her chair in her palanquin...it's...a bit big for her, like she couldn’t sit back in that thing and not look like a kid sitting in a armchair.

then we look at her Zoo and see her bed is huge...where Blue or Yellow could comfortably lay down on?   What is going on here?  Was she getting bigger as she aged, is that what the Crew is implying?  I think we haven't learned all there is about Pink Diamond or Diamonds in general yet...I'm actually kinda excited to find out more, as they are the most mysterious of gems we have. 

We still have several unanswered questions of Rose/Pink herself:  Why would she go off by herself?  How did Lion came to be?  Personally, I think she went off by herself to ‘take a break’ from the RQ form, as we know Gems can’t hold a shape-shifted form forever, and we know when reforming gems still look like themselves, but only modify their clothes and hair and to an extent limbs, but that can make them unstable if they do too much.  

I’m not saying that the twist was bad, (well...it was, but for all the wrong reasons) but I hope that the crew does realize what they did to an extent to the show.  I am looking forward to learning more about what is going to happen with this new information with PD, how everyone will react etc, perhaps they’ll question it too?  Who knows?   There is still soooo much to look forward to in the show.

[stennnn06]

1. Sten, first I want to say that I appreciate & give you many kudos for - your kindness & cheerfulness & positivity in general (&toward the show as well) You once mentioned that the people ranting about the show are the ones who don't watch the show (it might certainly be true for some people) I am NOT ranting & I'm trying to be fair & give them a chance. (English is not my first language so I sincerely hope I can convey what is on my heart) I am also not one of these aggressive intimidating

2. shippers (actually I think KaraMel do have chemistry, well how couldn't they if they are a couple in RL & James is a good healthy bf) it's just that SC tops them all LMAO sometimes I look at Kara & then at Lena on screen & I'm thinking it's like the universe made them to be together (regardless the nature of their relationship, whether it's best friends or lovers) they just fit together so well, like every key belongs to one special lock. I'm not taking Lena's side here, seriously this woman has issues! and she has certainly done some questionable things HOWEVER Kara's reaction (3x17) seriously surprised me, I didn't see it coming from her side (maybe I shouldn't call it ooc) so what did I expect from Kara? 

You know, my favourite K/L scene is - NOT the fan favourite so called gay SC moments, the bridal carries, these two being disgustingly sweet to each other - no my favourite scene between Kara & Lena is when Kara CONFRONTED Lena in 2x08. When Kara (ironically in her SG persona) confronted Lena straight forward, OMG I could see, I could feel the honesty, the genuine, the pureness AND the pain in Kara's eyes when she spoke those words:"I know what it’s like to be disillusioned by your parents. But I’m a pretty good judge of character. And you are not like your mother. She is cold & dangerous" And then - my most favourite scene ever - it gives me so many feels: Kara is hurt, you can clearly see it in her eyes but she steps forward to Lena (who is doubting herself & being dramatic) declaring WITH EACH STEP: "And you are too good and too smart to follow in her path. Be your own hero" Jesus, that scene was so POWERFUL! I don't have the words to describe how I feel: There is just so much honesty, the scene feels so INTIMATE, so genuine, so pure. and I don't mean any of these words in a romantic way! (I think I just love genuine, honest healthy relationships, regardless of their nature)I think I kind of wanted/expected Kara to confront Lena about her feelings/worries instead of going behind her back - in 3x17, bc I thought that's the kind of person Kara (SG or not) is. I always thought of Kara being honest, honorable, genuine, relentless.I wouldn't have a problem with Kara being directly hurt & angry at Lena, directly confronting her & showing it. (These two idiots would still be hurting & everything. And it would also take time to get out their "mess" but there would be no betrayal bc they tried to be honest & truthful to each other). imho, concerning honesty & truth Lena - in that case - was trying (at first) to be honest & truthful. And given the the history with other TV shows, I'm sure I could name you endless shows where the writers let go a wonderful potential which could have been great to waste. Therefore please understand that I was kind of bitter thinking "oh history repeating itself again. We know where it goes now" I was already seeing the writers making Kara an insufferable hypocrite (clone of Smallville's Clark) & Lena downward spiraling towards madness & evil bc she got so disillusioned & hurt.But yeah, there is still a chance that the writers are NOT pulling a Clark/Lex à la Smallville stunt right? There is still a chance that Kara & Lena are gonna get out of this mess even STRONGER THAN BEFORE, this incident bringing their relationship on a deeper level. I think you've said it once: we can't tell yet which direction SG's gonna go & all we can do is sit & wait how it all unfolds (staying hopeful & cheering for KZE to be the relentless, steadfast unconditional loving person we got to know)That was a long post, but I needed to write about this, since it has been constantly on my mind. Please let me know what you think. I'd appreciate your opinion.

hi anon sorry it took me SO LONG to answer this. i didn’t want you to think i was ignoring you. i liked your points :) and i totally agree, the 2x8 scene was one of my favorite supercorp scenes of all time, it was just so... MUCH, for all the reasons you said. i’m pretty sure that’s when i just REALLY sold my soul to them, honestly, haha. so i’m with ya there. the two of them are iconic and legendary in literally every way - and while i have no issues with some of the other relationships on the show, i do acknowledge the fact that when compared to supercorp, they will always fall short. that’s just a fact, no matter how healthy or how well written the others can be. there is so much complexity, so much passion, so much chemistry and so many implications to supercorp that it’s just impossible to compete. 

and honestly i agree in the sense that kara’s reaction was a tiny bit surprising in 3x17, however, i think taking into context the entire season as a whole, and how this has been kara on a very specific journey to find herself -- and what exactly THAT means, as she’s juggling MULTIPLE identities and responsibilities -- it makes it easier to understand. we’ve seen kara have to shoulder the supergirl mantle MUCH more this season, more than ever, really, and as such, i think it’s pulling her away from center. that is, she’s skewing more towards the side of kryptonian legacies and responsibilities currently, vs her human persona and what THAT means. she’s still empathetic, and passionate, and strong, but she’s approaching things from a different angle than she might have before. not to mention, this season’s major villain is FROM krypton, and that brings with it so much heavy baggage for kara beyond just the fact that the earth is in danger. so for her to suddenly be shouldering a lot more pressure, and have to start acting more kryptonian than ever, it does lend itself to the argument she makes against kryptonite. while i don’t agree with her completely, when i take the story fully into consideration, i see why kara is reacting the way she is. 

i also think, as hard as it may be to watch, since supercorp has always handled conflict very maturely and admirably - it’s kind of GOOD to see them make mistakes and act like flawed characters. as much as we adore kara and lena, they aren’t perfect -- they’re stubborn, and brash, and reckless sometimes, and that lends itself to MAKING MISTAKES. they love each other, and we know this, but sometimes people lash out and don’t think through their actions. and that’s what we’re seeing here. they’re both in this high stress situation and focused on their own agendas while doing their best, and so its really hard to fault them for not sitting down and discussing everything rationally right away. i mean, there’s a worldkiller on the loose who happens to be their friend. who has time? sometimes you just act off your instincts and deal with consequences later. unfortunately, in this case, its their friendship that has to be put under strain. i still have complete faith they’re going to manage to come to a place of understanding, but the tension is believable so i’m a fan of seeing how it all pans out.

as for lena’s “downward spiral” - that’s a hard sell. if they were to go there and actually have a reveal between kara and lena, i can see lena being broken emotionally, but i still don’t see her becoming the next lex luthor. her motivations, agenda, and entire spirit are completely the opposite, and it just doesn’t lend itself to make sense in the narrative at this point in time (or ever). more likely, with or without a reveal, they’re going to have lena and kara push the envelope and really test them with not always seeing eye to eye but having to work through it; as katie recently said in her interviews, that doesn’t make lena EVIL or dark, it just doesn’t lend itself for her to always be best friends with kara, or for everything to be sunshine and roses. but so far, lena has been her own character, and the relationship between kara and lena hasn’t been a copy of smallville whatsoever. obviously i have no answers but i’m convinced they’re going to surprise us, just like they’ve been with lena’s character this entire time. and at the end of the day, i think supercorp will always manage to pull through. 

[fireflysummers]

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA FANFICTION

Divergence

Izuku has grown up.

Bakugou hasn't.

Neither of them have realized these facts yet.

Dedicated to @simkjrs for proofreading my stuff for a fandom I’m not really apart of. 

It starts with the paparazzi. What didn’t? But Izuku has long since mastered his mentor’s technique, smiling through stage fright as he helps repair a building he damaged during a particularly chaotic fight. Staying for cleanup was, of course, not really a requirement for heroes, especially not heroes of Deku’s fame, but…well. He’s Izuku first, and Deku second.

So he maneuvers his way through rubble and reporters, aware that certain tabloids were excited for new shots of his muscular ass, a fact that Uraraka never, ever lets him live down.

“Deku, do you have any comments to offer concerning the recent string of robberies…”

“Deku, are you planning on taking a promotional tour this upcoming season…”

“Deku, you and Ground Zero have recently worked together to bring down a large crime syndicate. How does it feel to be working with an old friend?”

Izuku visibly stiffens, and the change in demeanor alone seems to unsettle the reporters into a half second of silence.

“Bakugou-kun and I have never been friends,” he says, the tone caught halfway between his boisterous heroic voice and the nervous mumble that friends and family associate with him.

The second ends, and the paparazzi goes wild, cameras flashing, questions tumbling through the air. But Izuku is done taking questions, and quietly finishes the cleanup before spiriting himself away.

 It isn’t until later that anybody realizes what had unsettled the crowd of noisy reporters. It isn’t until they replay the tapes that they realize that the Hero Deku hadn’t been smiling.

Izuku had a theory: based on Bakugou’s creative quirk usage it would take him, at his fastest, 18 minutes and 35 seconds to get from his current apartment to Izuku’s.

This estimation is based on the culmination of a lifetime of research, employed for the same reason that people build homes just above a documented flood line. There’s nothing to stop the high waters from breaching that gap, but it at least gives the occupant time to save the most important possessions. And, Izuku thinks wryly, to leave a will.

There’s real humor in the thought now, he realizes. Now that he knows that the worst Bakugou could do to him would be property damage. And, well…he has insurance for that.

He still removes anything remotely breakable from the front room.

18 minutes and 23 seconds after the evening news airs their gossip section, Bakugou slams open Izuku’s front door.

Well. That’s one theory debunked. He would have to add this to his notes later.

For the moment though, Izuku had had the foresight to leave the front door slightly ajar, minimizing the overall damage. But the resounding crack shakes the walls and leaves a bit of plaster flaking down onto Izuku’s clean floors.

He sighs. It’s not the good natured sigh, given upon greeting a friend up to their old antics. It’s the sigh of an oncoming migraine, brought on by a future that no doubt will involve somebody screaming directly in his face.

This part of his theory, unfortunately, is spot on.

Bakugou crosses the distance between them in five huge steps, every muscle tense and almost trembling with a barely contained rage. Izuku doesn’t even react as the other man grabs a fistful of his shirt, and drags him so close their noses almost touch.

“What the hell, Deku!” Bakugou’s breath is hot against Izuku’s face. His expression doesn’t change from that generally neutral, albeit slightly pained, expression he adopted the moment the door slammed open.

Izuku locks eyes with his one-time classmate, “I believe that the landlord has made it very clear that he will sue for legal damages if you destroy my apartment again.”

“Screw that,” snaps Bakugou, shoving Izuku backwards before releasing his grip, “You’d better have a good explanation for this stupid ass publicity stunt you’re pulling.”

Izuku dusts himself off. Normally, the motion would be for show, but there is still plaster in his hair and on his clothes. He doesn’t break eye contact, though.

“There’s no publicity stunt.”

“Like hell there’s not,” Bakugou growls, “So start talking you little—”

“There’s no publicity stunt,” Izuku repeats, sighing again but patient as ever. He could, he suppose, forcibly remove Bakugou, but he really doesn’t want to fill out the paperwork that comes with repairing his apartment. Again. “It’s the truth. We are not friends. And we never have been.”

Izuku finally breaks eye contact, turning towards the small pantry where he stores the broom. Although consciously he knows Bakugou hasn’t moved an inch, it still comes as a surprise to turn back and see the man stock still. There is a strange expression on his face, one Izuku recognizes as fury mixed with confusion. It’s a dangerous combination, because confusion usually only makes Bakugou more angry.

As little as Izuku wants to discuss this with Bakugou of all people, discussion seems to be the fastest route to getting him out of his apartment with limited collateral damage.

“Bakugou-kun,” he begins, but is stopped by the way that Bakugou’s face suddenly twists in disgust.

“What the fuck did you call me,” he says, voice now a dangerous growl.

Izuku blinks at him, thrown off this time. “Bakugou-kun?”

“Yeah, that,” breathes Bakugou, “The fuck is your game, you little peon. This isn’t an interview with the press.”

Understanding slowly dawns in Izuku’s eyes.

“Oh,” he says. And then, as if a switch has been flipped, a smile draws across his face. It’s one of his genuine smiles, not the ones he gives to the camera to hide his fear. It’s a smile reserved to the little pockets of joy, normally shared with a friend or All Might or his mother.  He hasn’t smiled like this around Bakugou in…years? Ever? It doesn’t matter.

And Bakugou in turn looks more perplexed, and as a result more angry.

“Are you mocking me?” he demands, striding forward again, as though ready to strike Izuku. But Izuku doesn’t flinch, instead ignores him and moves towards the sink where he can lean his weight against something solid. The silly grin has now taken over his entire countenance.

“Oh,” he says again, in a near whisper. There are tears at the corners of his eyes.

He straightens, suddenly, squaring shoulders and locking eyes with the angry Pomeranian that has invaded his home.

“I don’t care,” he says, voice tinged with a strange joy. “I really…really don’t care.”

“The fuck you mean you don’t care.” For the second time, Bakugou’s fists are wrapped in Izuku’s shirt, but this time Izuku doesn’t budge. There’s a low thrumming, a sound almost impossible to hear that sets Bakugou’s teeth on edge. There’s no chance of moving him now; Bakugou knows the feel of Izuku’s inherited quirk, but he’ll be damned if he lets that stop him.

“I just don’t care!” There’s a glee entering Izuku’s tone, and he’s crying now through the smile.  He’s amazed at how true the words are. He doesn’t care what Bakugou thinks of him.

There’s still pain there, no doubt about it. But it’s no longer the sharp pain that drags with it the shame, the spiraling thoughts of not strong enough, quirkless, useless, not enough, I’ll show him, not enough not enough not enough….

It’s now only a dull throb, like an old wound. From anybody else, the comparison may sound maudlin, but Izuku knows pain and has the scars to prove it. And this? This had been a festering wound of a different sort, filled with day after lonely day of vicious jabs and condescension.

But those days were long past now, swept away by the happiness of the present. He’d stopped calling Bakugou by that childhood nickname, both in public and private, when he decided that nicknames belonged to friendships and happy memories.  

The wound was clean and healed. He of all people knew a scar when he saw one.

“I don’t need you,” Izuku says, the determination eking from his voice.  He has a hand wrapped around Bakugou’s wrist, One For All thrumming beneath his skin as he gently but forcefully. “We aren’t friends, Bakugou-kun. I don’t need you, and I want you to leave.”

“The fuck you saying,” Bakugou says, “Of course we’re not friends. We’re rivals.”

“No.” Izuku shakes his head, the gesture so gentle that he sees a vein burst on Bakugou’s forehead. “Maybe we were once. But…not anymore.”

“You don’t get to decide that,” he replies with a sneer.

“I think I do.”

Bakugou is quiet for a moment, eyes searching Izuku’s face for something. It’s unclear whether he finds it, but he steps backwards anyways. Izuku releases the grip on his arm and lets him go.

They spend a moment, eying each other. Izuku is still smiling, although the tears have stopped. Bakugou, however, is thinking.

“What, is all this bullshit about the stuff when we were kids?” Bakugou says at length, words coming in a bark of a laugh.  He takes Izuku’s lack of response as the affirmation it is.  “You little wuss. You’re still crying over that? Geez, get over it, Deku, grow up already.”

But not even this elicits the reaction that Bakugou seems to want. Instead of a furious denial, Izuku snickers.

“The fuck is so funny, you little wimp?”

“I am over it!” Izuku replies, unable to restrain the mirth in his voice, “And I just realized how…stupid you sound. We’re 21, Bakugou-kun, and you’re still obsessed with us being rivals, like we’re kids.” He snickers again. “I dunno. Maybe you should grow up.”

“I have grown up!”

The seriousness re-enters Izuku’s eyes. He gives Bakugou another appraising look, one of those that makes his skin crawl.

“No,” Izuku says at length, “You haven’t. If you had, you would have said sorry a long, long time ago.”

The words are spoken like a death sentence. The look of pure rage that crosses Bakugou’s face was enough to send any sane person skittering.

But Izuku isn’t afraid.

He hasn’t been for a long time, and refuses to ever cower before Bakugou Katsuki again.

“Leave,” Izuku hears himself say, certain that Bakugou is a heartbeat away from blasting a hole in the side of the building, consequences be damned.

But instead to his surprise, Bakugou whirls and sprints from his apartment, pausing long enough to send Izuku’s couch flying into the wall with a vicious kick, then slamming the door again. A shower of plaster bids him farewell.

Izuku spends the rest of the evening cleaning up the mess. There are a couple things slightly damaged, but no more than last Friday when he and a few other U.A. alumni had had a Mario Cart mini-tournament.

And then, when he finishes, he sighs and smiles again. He still has the headache, but it’s bearable. Heaven knows he’s been in far greater pain.

Izuku flops onto his couch, pulls out his cell phone and goes through the calls and texts he’s missed. There are cat videos from Uraraka, detailed reports of the day from Iida, pictures of a sumptuous meal from Todoroki.  He smiles.

Before long all thoughts of Bakugou Katsuki have slipped from his mind.

[a-baleful-howl]

This is Not a Love Story: part 2

Check out or refresh with Part 1 here.

To tell a good love story on screen, scenes, dialogue, camera angles and shots are important. Usually you have lots of quiet "get to know you" moments. Or single shots showing one of the love interests reactions. You need to give obvious and believable reasons for them to be falling in love. Television caters to the lowest common denominator for exposition. Usually its the big plot twists and mastermind moments that are subtle little easter egg hints.

When you compare the scenes between Jon and Sansa in S6, to the Jon and Dany scenes in S7, there is a big contrast. And the audience picked up on it, and thats why we now have a lot of Jonsa shippers after S6. People speak in body language, and movie language helps audiences to pick up on that. If you surprise your audience with a romance that wasn't well built up, you're audience will be colder to the idea and it will not feel believable. Or, the love story will not be the main focus, instead perhaps the conflict and the repercussions of it will be. It would not be a love story.

I am not sold on really anything right now. Ive said it before and I'll say it again. Im not sold on undercover!Jon. I'm not sold on horny!Jon. I'm not sold on Jon being in or out of love right now, either. It could go so many ways. But, after months of doing research on how to write romance for my own books and stories, I know when I see a well written romance vs a bad one. And I sure hope this badly written romance isnt the victim of a rushed season or cocky writers.

I definitely got the feeling from S6 that Kit was given direction that he was slowly falling in love with his "sister" and super conflicted about it. I know Kit can do it. I know he can - so why are we not seeing it here? He could be fighting against the idea of a relationship because he has bigger things to worry about (See: Night King) but what would he be falling in love with?? Right now, the only conceivable answer would be "her looks" - which is just....infuriating. Enraging. Just... jaw droppingly maddening.

Looks can be a starting point - yes. But once Jon sees more and more of who Dany really is, theres just no way he would fall in love. They have totally separate goals. Old, pre-crow Jon would have looked at Dany and just laughed.

So have the scenes theyve shared so far shown us how they would possibly fall in love? Let's see.

Directly after the power-struggle cave scene, we have Jon and Dany exit the cave onto the beach where Dany gets some bad news.

She flips out. Jon and Davos stand awkwardly by while mommy Dany and daddy Tyrion fight at the dinner table. When Dany turns around to bite Tyrions head off, Jon steps several steps back. She is frightening everyone else on that beach. This is a display of Dany's temperamental behavior. She is angry and turning against someone who was supposed to be her most trusted advisor. Her loyalty and diplomacy is hanging by a thread. She is not as calm and level headed as everyone would want you to believe. She will turn against anyone, at anytime.

She accuses Tyrion of being too attached to his family. Who else thinks family is super important? Jon, of course. He sees Dany basically say "fuck family" and threaten Tyrion, her hand, for putting family over her. Apparently, the only one allowed to be sentimental towards family is her?

She is worked up in such a rage over starting to lose her war that she immediately goes into the "dark place". Fire and blood. Tyrion tries to calm her down but she bites his head off more.

Emilia says in the BTS, "Every time that things go wrong, more Targaryen comes out. More fire comes out."

She's being rude to Tyrion, embarrassing him in front of others, disrespecting his advice. We have seen this in the past - Dany DOES NOT like being told what to do. More often than not she completely disregards her advisors advice, does what she wants to anyway, and it comes back to bite her in the end. Every season highlights a direct piece of advice she ignores and how it fails horribly. Why hasnt she learned her lesson by now? Because she never admits when she fucks up and learn from her mistakes.

Then she turns her attention to Jon when Tyrion doesn't tell her what she wants to hear.

Dany has shown Jon little, if any, respect since he arrived. Being cold, distant, imprisoning him, not calling him by his appointed title, only offering to help if she gets something in return, etc. So why does she ask him for his advice? Its surprising and makes little sense. And Jon does not want to get in the middle of this. This isn't his war, thats not why he came, and he just saw how she treats her advisors. But she's insistent. She wants advice from someone different.

Back to the dragons. He uses them to take a stab in the dark about how/why she has so many followers. He makes that great speech that boils down to "don't be more of the same. Be different." He's also taking a little bit of his own story here. He came back from the dead, did something impossible, and is trying to be a different ruler for his Kingdom than what they've seen before.

What's odd is that Jon visually calms her. She doesnt bite his head off for saying pretty much the same thing as Tyrion. She's a little more receptive to his advice. She already likes him more than Tyrion. Her eyes soften, she doesnt yell.

But as we see later, she didn't really take the advice to heart. Yes, she didnt storm Kings Landing with her dragons and kill thousands of innocent people - but she does go off immediately to kills soldiers, burns loot and frightens people into bowing to her. Thats not what Jon said to do, either.

So we see Dany softening to Jon. He made it about her dragons - and *whew boy* is that a way to get to her heart. He praised her to be this savior she wants to be. So, this is another hint that Dany is coming to like him and respect him. But where are the signs for Jon feeling the same?

He is frightened of her when she has her tantrum. He only answers when she insists. He wants no part of this. He sees her basically say "fuck family", turn on her most trusted advisor, flirt with a dark place and do what she wants anyway. Not attractive qualities for Jon. They are still opposites. She is still preoccupied with her quest for power.

She flies off, and then we see Jon and Davos walking around on Dragonstone, probably relaxed because Her Grace is gone for the moment.

Davos makes a comment about how Jon has been staring at her "good heart."

1. What have we seen yet, that would make Jon think she has a "good heart"? Shes been cold, uncooperative, prone to anger and entitled.

2. When have we ever seen Jon look at her boobs? In the cave, he keeps his eye line at her face/eyes. On the beach they were too busy backing away from her yelling to even look at her chest. In the throne room, any attraction he might have felt when first seeing her was eclipsed by her personality and attitude.

3. This is weird exposition to try and force the audience into thinking Jon is attracted to her. You should not have to spell out a romantic attraction. Looks and camera angles and dialogue should do it for you. We're watching film, not listening to a radio show.

Maybe this was a way of the writers spelling out why Jon is avoiding an attraction? "Theres no time for that". He is single-minded with the fight against the Night King. He's not open to the idea of romance.

Then, Jon reenforces this idea that he doesn't trust Dany at all. He is hesitant to believe she respects her subordinates because that is the opposite of everything he's seen so far. He's a King and she has imprisoned him against his will.

But Missandei's response gives him a little bit of insight into why people love and follow Dany. He had not seen it himself before Missandei spelled it out for him. He's been imprisoned, he's seen her be cold when he asked if she believed him, and he's seen her turn against Tyrion. He doesnt necessarily believe it, but he listens to Missandei.

This is why his speech on the beach made no sense to me. Why have him give that speech before he talks to Missandei or another one of her followers? Where did he get that speech from? Its almost an identical speech to Missandeis. And if he believed that, and came to that conclusion before talking to Missandei, then why is he doubtful of Dany's "good heart" in letting Missandei leave or Dany giving hope to her followers?

It would have made more sense to have him talk to a follower first, before his speech on the beach about Dany making "impossible things happen." Unless he came to that conclusion on his own - but then why ask Missandei? Why look so reluctant to open up to her? It makes no sense.

Immediately following is the Theon scene. Honestly, the more I rewatch this scene, the more I realized I love it more than the LF crypt scene. Oh god, the nuances. Jon's quivering rage voice. His dead eyes, which are more expressive than we get to see lately. Holy crap I love this scene.

But this, I guess, is also important to show Jon what kind of rag-tag gang Dany has as her allies now. Theon was such a little shit - growing up and when he betrayed Robb. It speaks to the type of person Dany is that she has this guy on her side.

Kit says in BTS "I think he's willing to forgive anyone if they are willing to help fight against the Night King."

But Jon explicitly says he is only sparing Theons life because of what he did for Sansa. Theon helped her escape. He sacrificed himself to save her - to take her away from that awful place. I'm sure Sansa and Jon have had many conversations since her escape about what Theon did. And not only did Theon tell Sansa that he didnt kill Bran and Rickon - that he murdered two innocent farmer boys, instead - but they got the proof in Rickon on the battlefield and Sam seeing Bran beyond the wall.

But Theon still did horrible things. He's still a slimey person in Jon's eyes. And here he is, on Dragonstone, fighting for Dany. What does that say to the company she keeps? That shes allied with morally questionable people? Or that she's a forgiving person, with a weakness for "cripples, bastards and broken things"? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Theon asks where she is, and Jon does not look happy or okay with the answer.

So far, we're in episode 4 of 7 and there is no reason for Jon to be attracted to Dany. He has seen bad sides of her. He has given her a few chances to show any good side, and she doesn't.

Dany is intrigued by him. He's kind and different. She asks for his opinion. His advice seems to calm her. He's played to her good side. So we can see her starting to soften.

But Jon is not really intrigued by her. He wanted to go home. He's been held against his will. She is stuck on this quest for power. She is hot-headed, selfish, and short sighted. He has seen very little redeeming qualities to warm up to her. He just wants his dragonglass and to GTFO. So far, she has only agreed to help IF he bends the knee. She wont help simply to save people. She wont help because of her "good heart". She wants his power and his kingdom in return. Not what he was hoping.

So then we have Dany coming back to Dragonstone after scaring people into bending the knee. The Tarlys dont, so she burns them to a crisp. She aint playing around.

Jon is just standing out on a cliff, in his cloak, probably brooding some more? Waiting for her? Welcoming party? Why is he out there?

And then we have a moment between him and her dragon. This is a moment ONLY between him and her dragon. Dany is just a spectator here.

He is frightened of the dragon, but YOLOs and faces his fear. He is literally facing his fear. Testing his own courage. Proving his own strength to himself. This moment has nothing to do with Dany, but everything to do with him.

He is awestruck. Dragons were a thing of legend. And now he is connecting with one. His adrenaline must be off the charts. Its a magical moment.

Now Dany is very attached to her dragons. She believes she is the only one with a connection to them. Most people would scream or run away. Her dragons have reacted violently to those who have ever threatened her or wished her harm in the past. They are one with her. And here is Drogon, a dragon which is aggressive and unpredictable, acting so gentle and different towards Jon. And shes just an outsider to this moment.

Another check mark that would make Jon attractive to her. Her dragons didn't scare him. Her dragon liked him. And Jon seems to like the dragon. Thats different. Thats new. Thats on the same level as her. He's surprised her yet again.

Now, Jon looks up at her as if "this is yours? This magnificent beast is yours?" But as soon as she comes down, he's all business again.

His moment with her dragon warmed her up to him a little. She wants to talk about her babies with someone else who probably has the same unhealthy admiration for them like she does. But he's not quite on the same page. Now, what word was Jon thinking instead of "beautiful"? Frightening? Terrifying? This sets off another one of Dany's "fire and blood" looks which scares Jon back into submission. She's a firecracker just waiting for a match. Dont want to get on her bad side. She's mama dragon - and hes seen that quite a lot.

Now, here is The Look(TM). Arguably the only time Jon seems to really look at her without thinking. In the scripts, the stage direction is "He watches her watching her dragons and wishes that he could keep looking at her and forget about the world events weighing on his shoulders." And dear god, was the impact lost.

In contrast, look at how Jon gets lost staring at Sansa in S6.

honestly, this scene is just ripe with Jon looks.

Focus shifts, single shots, close ups, and lingering on him lost in thought with no context. If you want to point out a look or reaction - THIS is how you do it. There are focus shifts, to highlight Jon's face. To bring attention to it. You can't miss it.

Him watching Dany in 7.05 is actually so subtle you might miss it. Its not the focus. We arent supposed to be honed in on his reaction. If it was oh-so-important, there would have been a single close-up, or a camera shift for us to see that he was distracted watching Dany.

Also, this is related to her dragons. Her relationship with those dragons is important to Jon. Jon only seems to show thought and softness when her dragons are involved. And it is over before you know it.

Back to business. He brings up what she left to do. And it's not good.

He's conflicted. She did the opposite of what he hoped she would do. He can understand why, but it's disappointing. Not a turn on. Not an attractive quality. Not something that is winning him over. Another chance she had to show him she was good, and she chose not to.

She has dragons. And shes not afraid to use them.

Then we move on to the talk and walk. He is still acting reserved. Shes in charge of the "get to know you" talk again. Shes standing closer. She's warmed up. She's talking much more like an equal and not like a cold ice-queen.

And she grabs his arm. But there’s no close up. ;)

Then she tries to get more acquainted by asking a more intimate question, in a more intimate way. Why is she so stuck on this knife in the heart line? And why is he still so insistent on not telling the truth? He still doesn't trust her. He is still on the fence about her. He lies to her face. And she just wont let it go.

This is not level playing ground. This is not "getting to know each other". Dany is trying but Jon is resisting her getting to know him any better. Why?

It looks like its about to get uncomfortable - that he is upset by lying and she might press the issue. But thankfully Jon is saved by Jorah. Dany looks so happy she might cry. Jon is confused by her sudden change in attitude. Who is this guy shes much more agreeable towards? Thats not the Dany hes seen in his time there.

Then she introduces him. Jon knows who he is.

Now, some say Jon looks "jealous". Um - why? Why would he be jealous? He trying to avoid a connection between them, as evidenced by his lie right before. He's simply clicking the pieces in his head - figuring out her relationships.

He sees her embrace and welcome this man who he was raised to think as a traitor, a bad man. Someone who his father had sentenced to death for doing unspeakable things. A coward who ran from his sentence. And here Jorah is, acting noble and completely loyal to this girl who has been cold to him and her other advisors the entire time he's been there. He sees more of her misfit rag-team, first Theon and now Jorah, and how she treats those who are loyal to her.

He's only clicking the pieces and starting to figure her out. His "good heart" line would have fit better after this scene, too. It made no sense where it was before.

This is the first time we see any hint that Jon might be able to warm up to her. The way she cares for her dragons. The company she keeps. How warm she really was to Jorah. But thats overshadowed by her action towards her enemies. Her look when he almost dare speak ill of her children. The fact that he still wants to keep his own secrets from her, whatever his reasons may be.

Its now episode 5 of 7 - and just now his side starts to come into play in this "supposed epic love story", and it's shaky at best. He is still wary of her.

Jon is staying very mysterious. Honestly, ever since he showed up in Dragonstone we are not shown much of his POV. We see a lot of Dany's POV - her talking with her people a lot. Her talking in her war room with Tyrion. We don't see a lot of Jon talking with his people, or talking about his wants and plans. He is staying a big mystery. Davos and him talk a little about how "theres no time for that." Jon and Theon have a Sansa moment. Gendry and Jon have a bonding moment. But do we ever see him talk about his plan for bringing Dany to his side? We really only see his actions through Dany's eyes or someone else's.

These non-focused looks are very mysterious. Why does he get lost staring at Dany? Why does he keep lying about dying? Theres no exposition. Which is really odd, because Dany has quite a bit of it.

This romance is shaky, forced, rushed and confusing at best. I mean, it helps explain the backlash and the disappointed fans. How viewers are confused by this outcome. Why everyone is desperate to think there is something else going on besides "true love".

I think everyone can agree that this relationship is doomed in one way or another. But the big question right now is - does Jon actually love/have feelings for her? What evidence is there for that? What has been shown on screen to support a mutual romance? Not much, so far.

I'll do the rest later. Tumblrs mobile update might ruin my current work (it only lets me tag one hashtag at a time because I have to use the mobile browser- blah) - but I'll get onto it! These take a lot more work than I'd expected, and coding from a smart phone is a bitch. Part 3 and (maybe?) Part 4 coming soon.

xoxo

edit: and it keeps fucking up on me. T.T I hate formatting on Tumblr so much...

[philcreateddan]

Get drunk on the good life

title: get drunk on the good life

words: 1978

warnings: none

aditional tags: holidays, bryony/wirrow, implied smut

Boys enjoying their mediterranean holiday. Based on this liveshow.

A couple of drops fall from the cocktail glass on his leg. The drink’s ice is starting to melt under the heating and Dan thinks same. His skin is not as bad as that time. He takes any measure necessary to never ever end up like that time. No, his skin has taken a faint tan, darkened by freckles and silkily moist due humidity.

There is an insect, diminutive and green he doesn’t notice crawling up his leg. He is staring in front of him where Phil, hiding under a parasol, is blushing. His eyes behind his glasses are wide open and the way his mouth just opened gives for granted he just gasped. Dan lifts an eyebrow, thinks if walking there is worth it when Phil glances to his sides making sure no one is near. Dan stands up then.

Before his shadow touches him, Phil is looking up and closing the large book on his lap. He smiles, his skin still flustered. Dan takes a sip of his cocktail, the fruity taste mixed with alcohol enjoyed by his palate, and offers the glass to Phil in silence.

“Thanks.”

On his hand lingers the icy left from the glass as Phil takes it. Dan puts it on Phil’s cheek to cool the skin off a bit.

“Is Buffy naked?” he asks because if it is then he would gladly copy that image to hang on their livingroom. Being a good, supportive friend of course.

“Nope.” Phil takes another sip of the drink. “Unexpected boobs and possible bestiality.” He says not skipping a beat.

Dan takes the book and sits on the next chair. “Now that would have made one hell of a season finale.”

Phil is already shoving his hands away to find the page. “I doubt Michelle Trach-Trat…”

“Trachtenberg.”

“Her. Would have agreed to look like this. Let alone a man ride her.”

Dan finally sees the whole page dedicated to the drawing of a girl centaur. Phil looks a bit weary that someone will catch them which makes him snort.

“Well Phil, let’s not kink-shame the man. Any other position might be extra difficult… or impossible.” Phil gives him a look while Dan acts as if he is reading intensively.

Finally after a moment, and after drinking more than half of Dan’s cocktail, Phil shrugs.

“I don’t know Dan. Hetero people are willing to try the weirdest shit as long as something has boobs.”

Dan’s screech of his name followed by laughter are loud enough to be heard on the ocean.

Compared next to each other, Phil has, if only a tiny bit, of a tan. The rest is freckles. Millions and millions of freckles Dan once tried to count and only reached to fifty before giving up and chose to trace them by touch and taste instead.

Now he only observes them. Traces figures on them from time to time before they blanch back up with the skin inevitably when they go back home. Laughs softly at the obvious difference of tones contouring where shorts have denied access to the sun.

“Shut up.” Phil, probably guessing his line of thoughts, snarls at him which only makes it funnier given the position he is in. Sprawled, face down on their bed. Sheets with colorful flowers tangled on his legs. Dan’s mouth down on his body kissing him sinfully just a moment ago.

Dan sits back up on his heels to kiss the pale white skin on his bum. “Let’s sunbathe naked tomorrow.” Phil wiggles a little as his hands bluntly stroke his inner thighs.

“Is the rest of my body not enough? You want my butt or my dick covered in freckles?”

“Both.” He bites the skin on his hip. “Makes you lovely.”

“I am lovely.”

Dan smiles. “Lovelier. I want this pretty buns” his gropes them possessively “to be covered in dots so I can kiss all of them.”

“I’ll google a nudity beach we can rent next time now hurry up.”

“But you love it when I talk.”

“I also love that tongue being more productive on me.” Phil looks back, his face flushed and sweaty. It’s been a long, lazy night.

Dan groans and goes down again and works his tongue’s worth until Phil is screaming on the pillow and his body is thrusting on the sheets, legs twitching in pleasure. Only stops when Phil stops shaking and sighs with content. Dan crawls back up to kiss his ear, weights him down like a blanket with his body which is uncomfortable because of the heat.

“Get off, you’re breaking my back.”  

“Am not. Am shielding your body from mosquitoes.”

“You’re a mosquito.”

Dan thinks for a minute. “That’s a kink we haven’t tried yet.”

“Dan. Get off.”

Dan rolls to the other side of the bed, watches as his man stands up to stretch as long as he is, fingers touching the ceiling, a few cracking noises coming from his column. Sees the opportunity. Takes it head on.

“Nice diving posture, Philip.”

Phil’s smile is wide, amused, kissable if Dan’s mouth wasn’t already tired or if he wasn’t so damn far on the other extreme of the bed.

“I was thinking on taking lessons when we go back home.” His tone teasing.

“If you grow the same abs as your teacher please go ahead. Start tomorrow.”

“We could hang out. The four of us.” He is taking the violated towel that had been under his hip. They weren’t their sheets to mark up after all.

Dan thinks about it. Really thinks about it. Of that winky face and how Bryony had laughed to tears at Phil’s astonishment, and how it had taken them at least five minutes to figure out a reply diplomatic and funny enough for the internet and Tom Daley to see (mostly trying to avoid any use of gifs or inappropriate animal emojis on Phil’s insistence).

“DM Tom. Maybe they are free next week.” He says with a yawn. “Don’t send the starfish emoji.”

Phil is still pouting as he gets back in bed which only manages to make Dan climb back on him to kiss it away.

“You two are the most boring husbands I’ve ever seen.” Bryony’s voice startles Dan a little. An obvious reaction as he has spent about two hours reading a crime novel in complete silence. Phil, also reading on an armchair next to him pokes his tongue out at her.

“We can’t all be as fabulous as you Bry.”

“Words from a wise man.” She says, pulling Phil up by his hand “Come on. Be my personal photographer.”

Phil whines, resisting with false strength. “But I’m sleepy.” He whispers already giving up his Buffy comics on the table next to him. Barely manages to give Dan a pleading look receiving in response a shrug and a simple shout of sunscreen.

Dan snorts when he is alone again. Holidays are good for them to rest and hide from social media just enough, to breathe in different air and co-live with another couple of good friends along with moderate alcohol and music. It also means doing it like horny teenagers.

In his defense, Phil’s skin acquires an impossibly heated scent whenever he is exposed long enough to sun and water. It’s another scent on frosty parts but sunny Phil is a favorite of him. Taking naps during the day to have long, prolonged, teasing sex is, for Dan, as natural and common as swimming by now.

Makes a mental note to thank his mom for the book recommendation and decides it’s a good time to take a nap.

He loves Phil. The degree of his adoration towards the man startles and worries him sometimes, but loves him nonetheless. Phil who can blend so easily with the other tourists with his short sleeved button up and dark three quarter shorts. Phil with his quiff and sweaty forehead, skin less pale white. Phil stinking next to him.

Their friends have been laughing for at least two minutes now as Dan wrinkles dramatically his nose not even exaggerating to be funny.

“I’ll let you know not even one tiny bug has crawled my skin since we arrived.” He narrows his eyes “And no, not even the waiter wants to come near me either but that should be taken as a positive thing at least for you Dan. Call it the ‘prevent being flirted on by humans and bugs’ repellent.”

“Fuck Phil. I prefer sharing.”

“No, you don’t.” Phil says rolling his eyes at him.

Dan shugs. No, he doesn’t. Depends on the situation, maybe.

“Maybe you can sit on another table. Or outside. Ruin every mosquito’s meal as well.” Bryony suggests with Wirrow agreeing next to her.

“Shut up or I’ll rub myself on you.” The couple erupts with laughter again.

Looks back at Dan who only shifts a bit to his left.

“Daniel do you use a fucking nose clip to have sex with him?”

“True love knows no stench.” Wirrow says as serious as he can.

Dan is shaking his head as he sips on his water before replying “I have a choking kink remember? It gets me off, not breathing.”

Phil groans and slumps on the table face on his hands. “I hate you all.”

Dan pats his back with a fork. The repellent isn’t strong enough to repel him entirely at least.

His whole body is unknotting, pulse slowing down, respiration getting steadier with every passing moment. Short spams makes his hip thrust back up in aftershock of his orgasm. Phil sighs with every spam, still buried deep inside of him. Sometimes Dan has convinced him to stay there. To feel him soften inside. It makes Dan bite his lip when he remembers.

They let the windows open to get the ocean breeze in and it makes Dan’s skin, glowering with sweat, shiver a little now.

He looks up at Phil’s face as he pulls himself out. His gorgeous face flushed and a satisfied smirk almost invisible on his mouth. Dan is boneless tired, as physically and emotionally exposed as he gets with Phil, but finds the strength to pull his man down for another long kiss. Phil’s hands massages his thighs, their kiss wet and messy and Dan wants to fall asleep right then, with their bodies just like that.

“Do you love me?” he whispers. Phil looks at him, eyes shining impossibly blue with the moon’s light. Serious for a moment before narrowing them.

Rolls away from Dan, burrito’ing himself with the sheets as he does, the bastard. “Nope.”

“Phil.”

“Already asleep. Goodnight.”Phil fakes a snore, then another, ignoring the stabbing finger poking his arm.

“Phiiiil. Come on. You tired me out.” Dan whines.

“I made you come twice Daniel. I’m not spoiling you anymore.” Dan chuckles at that along a resigned sigh. He could try harder, not even that much to be honest, and get his way. Did it most of the time. Groans as loudly as possible and stands up from bed instead because he can be good like that sometimes.

“You twat. I’m ordering sushi and eating it in front of your beloved fish tomorrow.” The chill makes his shiver even more before he manages to close the windows. A pillow hits his back then.

“That’s unnecessarily cruel!” Phil shrieks “They’ve done nothing to you!”

Dan throws the pillow back, hitting Phil’s face. Sings with a deep tone “One day when the boss get hungry. Guess who’s gon’ be on the plate?” climbing back on bed as Phil kicks him.

“Go sleep already, you get sadistic past three am.”

“It’s satan’s hour after all.”

“Dan.”

“But I’m hungry.”

Phil hesitates for a moment. “What could we eat?”

Dan smiles “Virgins.”

“Goodnight.”

He is still laughing while cuddling the older one to sleep. Full time enjoying a holiday meant this for him. Different air, different weather, different backgrounds for pictures. Same man on his arms.

Yes. Dan thinks for the fiftieth time, he is happy. Quite bloody happy.

[welllpthisishappening]

You Play Ball Like a Girl (37/?)

“You’re awfully confident.” “That’s because of you. I’m confident in you.” Emma shook her head – she wasn’t sure she would ever get over the way he looked at her when he told her he believed in her. “I know the higher-ups said not to tell anyone and I won’t tell Ingrid or anybody yet, but do you think I could tell M’s? She won’t want to yell the news down the street of a small Maine town.”

Plugging along on Ao3 and on Tumblr and I really, really think we might wrap up at 50 chapters. Nice round, vaguely ridiculous number.

They tried not to worry about it.

No one had said anything, so they did their best to ignore that text message and go on with their lives.

Killian wrote columns and Emma covered college basketball and they got very excited, all caps e-mails from Isaac about how well the last video went.

They didn’t talk about it.

They talked about everything except Gold buying The New York Record .

“It’ll be fine, love,” Killian said for what felt like the eight hundredth time. “Just keep writing. You don’t need to worry.” Emma stared up at him, skepticism written on her as clearly as if she had typed it there. “Yuh huh.”

“Ok, you can worry about me,” he admitted.

“Those are the rules.” “Rules?”

“The relationship rules. Like M’s and David. She’s constantly worried about him. That’s just how it works.” “We’re trying to be like Mary Margaret and David now?” “Well,” Emma admitted, rolling her eyes. “Maybe not just like them. That would be a bit much to deal with. But, you know, maybe like in general?” “The love part you mean?” Emma gaped at him, glancing around the very crowded office to make sure no one had heard him. Kathryn had been lurking around over the last few weeks, trying to pick up on any gossip after Walsh had been fired and couldn’t report it to her himself. Killian just smirked at her, raising his own eyebrows again.

“Killian,” she hissed, pulling her lips back behind her teeth and making a face.

“What, Swan?” “You can’t just say that!” “Why not? You said there were rules. I was simply following your train of thought.” “Impossible,” Emma muttered.

“And you love me for it.” He flashed his eyes up at her and Emma sighed dramatically, rolling her head onto her shoulder.

“Maybe.” “You wound me, Swan.”

“That ego knows no bounds, does it?” “Confidence,” Killian objected, sitting on the edge of her desk and tossing his phone next to him. “There’s a difference.”

“Yuh huh.”

Emma leaned forward and he covered her hand with his, ignoring her noise of disapproval. “You know that’s your doing, right?” “What is?”

“The confidence.”

The air rushed out of her lungs in one foul swoop and Emma shook her head again. This had become the norm over the last few weeks, this single sentences with absurdly deep and emotional meanings that consistently caught Emma by surprise.

It was almost as if all the metaphorical walls were down now, barreled over by unplanned declarations of love and, now, Killian Jones couldn’t stop talking.

Emma – almost – wasn’t totally overwhelmed by it.

In fact, she found she kind of liked it. And, more often than not, thought the exact same things.

She was just about to answer when Will walked up to her desk and Killian’s hand flew back to his much more workplace-appropriate side.

“Mail call,” Will said, dropping an envelope on Emma’s desk and tossing an identical one to Killian.

Emma stared at it. There wasn’t a stamp on it. This had come from inside The Record . “What is this?” she asked, staring at Will.

“Beats me. We all got ‘em.” “And not one person opened them yet?” Killian asked, ripping the end of the envelope open and pulling out the letter inside. Emma stared at him. “What?” he shrugged.

“Who opens letters like that?” Killian rolled his eyes and unfolded the letter, eyes scanning along the lines.

“They literally just came Cap,” Will muttered. “I think they’re sending Leroy to every floor with them. He didn’t look very pleased.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Leroy would enjoy that very much,” Killian muttered, still not taking his eyes off the letter.

“Killian?” Emma asked, opening her own letter like a normal person and pulling out the sheet of paper. Oh. It took approximately 2.5 seconds for Emma to understand the look on Killian’s face and for her own knot of anxiety to form in the pit of her stomach.

“Am I missing something here?” Will asked, glancing between the two of them. “It’s just the end of the year party.” “It’s bigger than that,” Killian muttered, handing the paper to Will. “Look.” Will let out a low whistle and Emma chewed on the side of her tongue. Killian looked like he was frozen.

It was an invitation to The Record ’s annual end-of-the-year party, but it was also more than that. It was at Gotham Hall, for one, an enormous over-the-top building in the middle of midtown that Emma had walked by plenty of times, but never actually been in. There was no way The Record could afford something like that – unless the paper had just come into a significant amount of money.

Then, of course, there was the inscription on the invitation.

All staff are invited to join us for dinner, drinks and dancing as The New York Record celebrates another year as the leader of city news. With the holiday season in full swing, the management of the paper looks towards the future and the brand-new steps the paper will take as we transition into the new world of journalism .

“Shit,” Emma said under her breath, but Killian heard her, laughing darkly in response. “Killian,” she said again, standing up and putting her hand on his shoulder.

Will made some sort of noise that sounded slightly surprised. Emma ignored him completely.

“Swan,” he said, not looking at her.

“It’s going to be fine.” It wasn’t. It was going to be the opposite of fine. They were going to announce the sale at the party. Emma was certain of it and, judging by Killian’s reaction, he was certain of it as well.

It wasn’t going to be fine.

He scoffed at her and Will’s eyes danced between the two of them, trying to figure out what was going on. “What do you two know that I don’t?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Emma said quickly at the same time Killian said,  “They sold the paper.” “Killian!”

He just shrugged. He had given up.

Emma did her best not to sigh and sink back into her chair. Will just looked overwhelmed. “How do you know that?” “He doesn’t,” Emma said sharply. “Not for sure.” “I’m fairly positive, love.”

Will blinked several times at the endearment – Emma was certain that was the first time he had called her that at work – and looked back down at the letter in his hand. “You think that’s where they got the money for Gotham Hall?” “Certainly seems like it,” Killian answered. “And what’s this about ‘the new world of journalism?’”

“Your guess is as good as mine on that one.”

“You think we’re all going to get fired?” Will asked. The joke was clear, the teasing lilt in his voice obvious, but Emma squeezed her eyes closed as soon as he stopped talking, unable to even look in Killian’s direction.

“No,” he said quietly. “Not all of us.” “You’re holding out on me, Cap,” Will accused and Emma shook her head, staring up at the ceiling.

Killian stood up, moving in front of Emma’s desk. She chanced a look at him and felt her heart drop into the floor – he was rubbing his hand.

“I’m not Will,” Killian said softly. “At least not a lot. Swan’s right. I don’t know anything for certain. I have several hunches. That’s it.” “Those aren’t usually wrong.” “No, they’re not.”

“I won’t push. I can be patient.” “That so?” “Well,” Will said slowly. “At least when it comes to this. I know you’re not saying all you know – neither of you are – but I can wait.” He looked back down at the letter in disbelief. “Black tie,” he muttered. “I hope they got a shit ton of money for this paper if I’m going to have to rent a tux for this.” Emma let out some sort of near-hysterical sound that almost resembled laughter and Will stared at her, a bemused smile on his face. She shook her hand, trying to get him away from her desk so she could talk to her boyfriend – and editor and boss.

Will got the message.

“Alright, well, I’ve delivered the letters, which is what I promised Leroy I would do. So if you guys are good, I’ve got boxes to do,” he said, nodding towards Killian and Emma before walking back to the other side of the office.

Emma waited a moment before talking. Killian was still standing in front of her desk.

“You ok?” she asked softly. He shook his head.

She walked around the desk, pulling his left hand towards her – so he could stop rubbing it – and wrapped her fingers around his wrist tightly. “You don’t even know what the announcement is about. Not really.” “You don’t hold a party in a place like this unless it’s a game-changing announcement, Swan,” he said, moving his hand slightly so his fingers were twined up in hers. “I know we had this unspoken agreement not to talk about it, but this is happening. Whether we acknowledge it or not.” “You’re not going to get fired. It’s not like he can just banish you at an end-of-the-year party.” “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

His phone vibrated on the fake wood of Emma’s desk – the sixth time it had made some sort of noise since he arrived in front of her 30 minutes ago. “What is going on with that thing?” she asked.

“E-mails.”

“Jeez.” “It’s nothing, Swan.”

Lie.

Emma narrowed her eyes and looked directly at him. He didn’t look like he was lying. He looked like his mind was going a million different directions, but didn’t look like he was lying. Didn’t change the fact that he was.

“What aren’t you telling me?” “Nothing.” Lie.

“Killian,” Emma sighed.

He held up his hands in mock-surrender and took a step away from here. “Honestly, Swan. It’s not anything you need to be worried about.” “Ah now I don’t have to be worried about it. So it is something.”

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond, no doubt with some sort of witty retort, but got cut off when Emma’s desk phone started to ring. “We’re not done,” she said, reaching around him and he nodded, settling his face into an attempt at serious.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Emma? This is Rebecca – Isaac’s secretary up here on 24. He’s wondering if you’re free to come up and talk.” “Right now?” “Yes. And bring Killian with you.” “Oh. Yeah. Sure.”

“He’s waiting for you in his office.” “Ok.”

Emma hung up the phone and glanced at Killian who was leaning against her desk again. “What’s the matter love?” he asked.

“One, you should probably hold back on that while we’re here. Will’s eyes nearly fell out of his head when you called me that. Under the radar, remember? And, two, that was Isaac’s secretary. He wants to talk to me. With you. Now.” “Now?” “That’s what he said.”

He stuck his lower lip out slightly and made a face. “Let’s go.” “That’s it? No further questions?” “Not until we talk to Isaac. Come on love ,” he added the last word with an extra bit of force and Emma felt like her eyes had rolled into the back of her head.

“Impossible,” she repeated, grabbing a pen and sticking it into her hair as she walked towards the door, Killian a few steps behind her.

“You can just go in,” Rebecca the 24th-floor secretary said as soon as they walked through the doors.

“Ok,” Emma mumbled, nerves hitting her suddenly and forcefully. She had a sinking suspicion this was about them and she didn’t think it was going to end well.

They’d done their best to fly under the metaphorical radar, but Kathryn was a gossip-hawk who practically lived on the sports floor now and they had made out in the studio after filming that last video. There were probably security cameras in there that they hadn’t taken into consideration.

Except when they walked into Isaac’s office, he didn’t look upset. If anything he looked thrilled , sitting comfortably behind his enormous desk with his phone to his ear. “Yeah, yeah, they’re here,” he said, motioning towards Emma and Killian to sit down. “Yeah, come over now. We can tell them.”

“Sorry about that,” he said, putting his phone back on the desk and smiling at them. Emma glanced at Killian. He didn’t move.

“What’s going on Isaac?” he asked, leaning against the side of the chair – closer to Emma. She tried not to think about that.

“Nope, we’re waiting for Sydney. Then we can both get you up to speed.”

They sat in awkward silence for 30 seconds before Sydney arrived in the doorway. “You tell them yet?” he asked Isaac, who simply shook his head.

Sydney stepped farther into the office – which had, officially, run out of chairs – and stood behind Isaac’s desk, arms crossed over his chest.

“Everything ok?” Emma asked, trying to sound confident.

“Absolutely,” Isaac answered, still smiling. “Then...what’s going on.” “Victor is leaving the paper.” He didn’t say anything else and Emma lowered her eyebrows, wondering how exactly that affected her.

“Ok,” she said slowly.

“And that means we’ve got a beat opening up in a few weeks.” “Ok…” “Swan,” Killian muttered, staring at her pointedly, the ends of his mouth turning up. Emma almost fell out of her chair.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Really?”

Isaac nodded, looking up towards Sydney to continue. “The three of us,” Sydney said, nodding towards Killian and Isaac. “Have talked about this for the last couple of days, since Victor told us, and we’ve decided there’s no one more qualified to take over. You did an incredible job during the playoff run and even though we’re already a few months into the season, we’re certain you’ll be able to fall right into the swing of things, so to speak.” “Wow,” Emma said softly, mostly to herself, and she heard Killian laugh.

“So, Emma,” Isaac said, taking back control of the conversation. “Once Victor leaves, we’re ready to name you the Knicks beat writer. But we wanted to make sure that was something you were actually interested in.” “Of course I am! Absolutely!” “Good. Now, there are a few expectations here. Home games, travel, a column. Maybe even your own video series. But those are all things we can talk about after we get through the holidays. Victor’s final day is December 31. So, happy early New Year’s I suppose.”

Emma exhaled loudly, her shoulders falling quickly as she glanced around the room. Killian was smiling so hard at her she couldn’t figure out how no one had realized they were together yet.

“Thank you,” Emma said sincerely.

“Don’t thank me,” Isaac said. “Or Sydney for that matter. Killian was the one who suggested it. We just agreed after he pointed out the obvious. And you were the obvious choice, Emma.”

Emma gripped the side of the chair tightly, trying to make sure she didn’t do something stupid like kiss her boyfriend in front of the editors of a major metropolitan newspaper that may be planning on firing him sooner rather than later.

“We’ll probably make the official announcement at the party next week if that’s alright with you,” Sydney continued. Emma nodded wordlessly.

She couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“Perfect,” he said. “And there’ll be a whole new round of paperwork, a brand-new contract, a raise. But, like Isaac said, that’s all for next month.” “That sounds great,” Emma said quickly, standing up and reaching her hand out. Isaac and Sydney shook it easily, but Killian stayed rooted to his chair, still smiling at Emma and leaning towards where she had been.

“Just keep this under your hat, so to speak, for now, ok?” Isaac said. “No need to let other papers know what we’ve got planned.” “Sure thing,” Emma agreed. “And thank you, again.”

“It was the obvious choice,” Isaac repeated and Emma got the distinct impression that’s what he had been told – like that’s what Killian had said.

Emma nodded again and Killian stood up. “Come on Swan,” he said softly. “That’s all there was.”

“Congratulations, Emma,” Sydney said as she walked towards the door.

Killian ushered her out of the office and into the elevator without saying anything, just nodding towards the secretary on their way out. Emma bit her lip, a thousand and one thoughts racing through her mind. He reached to hit the sports floor button, but Emma pushed his hand out of the way hitting the ground floor instead.

He turned towards her, eyes wide and an unspoken question written all over his face.

“We’re going to talk,” she said. Killian just nodded, following her out of the lobby and onto 8th Avenue. Emma didn’t have a destination. She just knew she couldn’t be on The Record sports floor when she did this.

She pulled him around the block, standing on the side of the building, but away from the prying eyes of the front door and Leroy the security guard. Killian stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, waiting on her.

Always.

“You knew,” Emma said simply, trying to keep the accusation out of her voice.

“I know a lot, Swan. You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

“Nuh uh, don’t do that. You knew about Victor and you knew about me. Why didn’t you say anything? Is that what those e-mails were about?” “No,” he said easily, but failed to elaborate anymore. Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you known Victor was leaving?” “He mentioned it after Thanksgiving.”

“That was two weeks ago!” “Ok.”

“Killian,” Emma whined. “You knew that long and you didn’t say anything?” “Because it wasn’t final yet. I honestly didn’t know they had officially decided anything until just now.” “But you told them to hire me.” “I did.” “Why?”

Killian sighed dramatically, crossing his arms over his chest. “Really? You’re really going to ask me that?”

“I believe I just did.”

“Swan, this is what you’ve wanted since the start. A beat, a column. All of it. And, more to the point, this is what you deserve. I just pointed them in the right direction. There was no sense in doing interviews if it was just going to be you at the end anyway.” “What if there’s someone else out there more qualified?” “There isn’t.” He didn’t say anything else, just stared at Emma as if he was daring her to argue with him. She didn’t. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could debate anything at that point. She was far too focused on his lips and the way he seemed to lean towards her without even really thinking about it.

“You sound very sure,” Emma whispered.

“I am.”

Emma took a deep breath and took a step closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands seemed to instinctively fall to her waist.

“I love you,” she said quietly and he smiled at her again before ducking his head and kissing her.

“I love you too,” he answered when he pulled away. “But, for the record, this wasn’t because of that. You deserve this Swan. And you’re going to be so good at it. Like absurdly good.” “You’re awfully confident.” “That’s because of you. I’m confident in you.” Emma shook her head – she wasn’t sure she would ever get over the way he looked at her when he told her he believed in her. “I know the higher-ups said not to tell anyone and I won’t tell Ingrid or anybody yet, but do you think I could tell M’s? She won’t want to yell the news down the street of a small Maine town.”

Killian barked out a laugh, fingers, somehow, making their way under her shirt. “I’m fairly certain Mary Margaret won’t yell the news down any streets, Storybrooke or otherwise, but I’m afraid I might have stolen some of your thunder, love.” “What are you talking about?”

His eyes were practically sparkling when he looked at her. “Mary Margaret might already have an idea that this was happening.” “You told her!? You told M’s and not me? What even, Killian?” “I didn’t tell her,” he said, tightening his hold on her. “I told David. Who I’m sure told Mary Margaret. And I didn’t say you got the job. Like I said, I didn’t know you got the job until 15 minutes ago.” “So what did you tell him?” “That there was the possibility that something about your job title may change and they should be ready for some sort of celebration at a moment’s notice.” “And that moment is now?” “It is.”

“And what is the celebration?” “I’m supposed to bring you to Bleeker later tonight.” Emma shook her head in disbelief. “And they know this how?” “I’m very good at texting in my pocket.”

“You are ridiculous!”

“This is the point where I remind you again how much you love me,” Killian said softly, kissing just behind her ear. “And how much you appreciate me and my interference in every single aspect of your life.” “Is that what this is? You interfering?”

Emma’s voice sounded breathless as he turned them on the spot and walked Emma back towards the building, out of the middle of the sidewalk and the prying eyes of the tourists on the block.

“You tell me, Swan.” “I don’t think so.” “No? Then what do you think is going on?” “I think that you’ve landed squarely in the middle of my life and I like the way you fit there. No matter what you’re interfering with.”

“I don’t know where you came from, Swan,” he said softly, almost as if he was nervous to say it out loud.

“I’m here now.” “And I’m glad.” He pushed her closer to the building, settling into a shaded corner and pushing his hips against hers. “Have I mentioned that?” “Not in so many words,” Emma mumbled. “Although you’re doing a pretty good of showing it.” He kissed her again and pushed his hand under her shirt, resting his palm flat on the small of her back.

“Killian,” she said. “We are on a sidewalk.” “Not in the office though. Weren’t those the rules? No displays of affection or nicknames in the office. I’m following the rules, Swan.”

“We’re close to the office.”

“You’re arguing a lost cause.” “I realize that.” As if to prove her point, Emma wrapped her fingers through his belt loops and yanked him closer to her. He growled at her and Emma felt like she was about to melt into that very public sidewalk. “Swan,” he warned.

“Yeah.” “You’re breaking your own rules.” “And you love me for it.”

He pulled back and stared at her and Emma was certain they were having some sort of major moment right there on 8th Avenue. “I do,” Killian said seriously. Emma wondered – not for the first time – how he managed to put so much emotion into two words and three letters. She was just glad that he did.

It made her a bit more confident.

“I love you,” he said again and Emma felt like there was a small sun glowing in her stomach. “You good with this?”

“With you loving me? I thought we’d made that abundantly clear.” “Bleeker Street, love. Going to Bleeker later.” “Of course. M’s would be incredibly disappointed if I didn’t show up. I’m sure she’s called in a reservation already.” “I’m not worried about Mary Margaret. I’m worried about you.” “I am fine. I promise.” He stared at her skeptically and Emma sighed. “Really,” she continued. “Long as you promise to show up too, then I’ll be good.” “I promise to show up.” “Then I’ll be good,” Emma said, nodding her head once as if to prove her point. “You think they’ve noticed that we’ve been gone this long?” “Leroy wasn’t at his desk when we left, so I’m not sure he had a chance to time our disappearance.” “Small miracles.”

“We’ll be better at flying under the radar from now on, Swan.” “I’ll believe it when I see it.” “Ye of little faith,” Killian scoffed, tugging on her sleeve and directing her back around the block. His phone buzzed from the inside of his pocket and he pulled it out glancing at the screen. “Mary Margaret said to be there at 8:30.”

“I told you she already had a reservation.” “I’m impressed with your knowledge, Swan,” he said, holding the door open for her and following her into the lobby.

“Stick around for awhile and you’ll start to pick up on M’s planning tendencies.”

“I look forward to it,” Killian answered and Emma felt butterflies in her stomach – until she glanced over her shoulder and looked at him. He tossed his ID badge towards Leroy and was trying to smile at her, but it didn’t quite reach all the way up to his eyes.

“You ok?” she asked.

“Sure. Come on Swan. Let’s go make sure no one timed our disappearance.”

Emma nodded once, stepping into the elevator and tried to focus on the positives – new job, Bleeker Street, Killian’s absurd ability to kiss on sidewalks – and not on the fact that she was absolutely certain he was keeping something from her.

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

Liverpool 1 Wolves 2: Are Reds in freefall? Jurgen Klopp's side crash out of two cups in space of 72 hours

History will record Wolves’ victory over Liverpool as an FA Cup shock, but the most damning verdict for Jürgen Klopp is that few were surprised.

The sight of a Championship club celebrating victory over a Premier League titan is what replenishes this competition, but from the moment Klopp’s teamsheet was printed, Paul Lambert must have sensed the possibilities. How his side grasped them. They were marvellous; Liverpool abject. Add Lambert’s impressive Anfield record – unbeaten as a player and manager with Celtic, Norwich, Aston Villa and now Wolves – and it was hardly a surprise when Richard Stearman headed the visitors ahead within a minute. Liverpool never looked like they would recover.

“I’ve had good result here with Norwich and Villa in the Premier League, but that was the best,” said Lambert. “That surpasses everything because of the gulf in the league between the clubs.” 

Credit: PA

Lambert understandably drew attention to those senior Liverpool players who ended up trying to save the tie – as well as the numerous changes to the Wolves side – but there is no doubt Klopp’s initial selections influenced the outcome.

Take away the name, take away the status and ignore the venue. This was a pale imitation of Liverpool.

Wolves could have won it by half-time given the number of counter-attacks exposing Liverpool’s defence. Another former Villa man, Andreas Weimann, doubled the lead with what proved the winner just before the interval. Although there was an inevitable reaction towards the final whistle, and Divock Origi’s goal with four minutes left momentarily restored Anfield hopes, it was the meekness of Liverpool’s exit from their second cup competition in four days that should most alarm the club.

Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves (Richard Stearman, 1 min)

Klopp made nine changes from the side beaten by Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final in midweek – his priority is the visit of Chelsea on Tuesday – but it served only to prove what was evident against Plymouth in the last round and in Liverpool’s laboured form in the Premier League when key men are absent. The Anfield talent pool is shallow. The majority of these players were not good enough under the last manager and the same applies now.

Liverpool 0 - 2 Wolves (Andreas Weimann, 41 min)

Klopp’s contention he does not have ‘blind faith’ in his squad will need an urgent review. He may take comfort from the experience for some of his younger players – both Ovie Ejaria and Ben Woodburn should be absolved from any criticism - but having lost one chance of a trophy in midweek, he was expecting too much if he thought these players could avoid calamity.

The manager left himself open to criticism, although those decrying Klopp’s attitude to the FA Cup miss the point. If you want full-strength teams, ask the FA and Premier League to stop conspiring against each other with the fixture schedule, thus making it impossible for managers to use rotation as an excuse.

The problem is not that players were given a rest to prepare for Liverpool’s most important game of the season in three days’ time. The problem – one which many foresaw last August – is the gulf between Klopp’s first-choice picks and the deputies.

Clubs such as Liverpool must be equipped to compete in four competitions, presuming they expect to be in Europe. Even Klopp’s favoured 11 has ceased to function with the loss of one or two pivotal players, so the number of changes here signalled trouble.

“I am responsible and I feel really responsible because I thought we could do better and we couldn’t,” said Klopp. “You learn more in these situations. If somebody asks me if this is the lowest point of my LFC time, I can say it is not possible to be lower.

Credit: GETTY

“It is not right to judge people in a very bad moment. If we have to go through the history of Liverpool, better sides lost against worse sides. We know what we have to change, only we have to show it. I cannot explain every single thing. I don’t look for excuses. Whatever you write, whatever you say is absolutely OK.” 

Lambert’s game plan was perfect, although once again – and this is not intended to sound churlish to a very good manager – he did not have to look far for it. Every team coming to Anfield knows what to do. Defend and wait.

Stearman’s header after 55 seconds was a bonus, but for the rest of the game Liverpool did what they have been doing for a while: plodded across the pitch exchanging passes where it made no difference, before losing possession and hoping in vain that the opponent would squander their chance on the counter-attack.

Wolves would have extended their lead sooner had the excellent Helder Costa kept his composure having run the length of the pitch to work a one-on-one with Loris Karius. Instead the shot bounced off his toe and harmlessly wide.

Jurgen Klopp shows his frustration on the sidelines

No matter. Wolves took advantage again four minutes before half-time, Costa again the engineer as he outran Alberto Moreno before finding Weimann. The Austrian had the formality of walking past Karius and tapping in. “Costa’s performance does not surprise me,” said Lambert. “He is a big, big talent.” 

Philippe Coutinho was sent on and finally Liverpool showed some urgency, but despite Origi scrambling in a corner on 86 minutes, Wolves’ rookie keeper Harry Burgoyne was largely untroubled.

Lambert’s impressive record at Anfield continues while Klopp welcomes Chelsea this week seeing to avoid rewriting history.

Not since December 1924 have a Liverpool team lost four home games in a row. A campaign that promised so much already feels like it is heading towards another period of Anfield reconstruction to avoid the same mid-term calamities next season.

2:40PM

Jurgen Klopp says

Because of a very bad performance eh? Started bad didn't get any better. Second half everyone saw it, not a lot of good things to say about this game. We were obviously not ready in this moment, we had the ball, gave it away, made a foul. Not a lot more to say, sorry.

I'm responsible for my lineup. It's not allowed to blame a single player and say you didn't do this - you learn a lot about players in situations like this too but I am 100% responsible for this performance.

What can I say? Of course it's not allowed that we suffer more than we already did. The problems caused by ourselves today but we should not forget, Wolverhampton played really well, scored counter-attacks, it was a good plan but we should have played better but we didn't. Fair result.

2:35PM

Paul Lambert says

I don't know any other way to play out the traps. You've got to be big and brave and we were.

All credit to them we worked in training to stop the ball going wide but on the counter-attack I knew we had pace there.

At half time we said see it through. But the Kop doesn't guarantee you a goal, don't panic when they have the ball.

It's horrible. Stevie wants to get into this side of the game. That was the longest 10 minutes ever.

2:31PM

Klopp's getting pelters

Don't get Klopp playing his reserves with no European football. Shows a lack of knowledge of the depth in English football and respect.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 28, 2017

pic.twitter.com/hcEXlYg30l

— Arsenal (@ffarsenalfc) January 28, 2017

To be fair to him, these competitions are great opportunities to give young players pushing to get into the team a chance. They didn't take it. Ben Woodburn had a good game but it was masked by that result and Liverpool's poor team performance. Disjointed, weak, slow - this is not the Liverpool which flew to the heights of the Premier League table in 2016. 2017 has been woeful so far and what a time for this collapse in form.

2:24PM

Klopp's awful run of form

3 - Jurgen Klopp has suffered three consecutive home defeats as a manager for the first time since April 2007 (with Mainz). Tamed.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 28, 2017

  2:23PM

Time on ball (at full time)

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves 2:23PM

Average touch positions (full time)

Average touch positions (full time) 2:22PM

FULL TIME

LIVERPOOL ARE OUT! WOLVES HAVE DONE IT! What a game.

2:22PM

90 mins +4

Bodvarsson controls while under pressure, turns and wins a corner. This should be it! 

2:21PM

90 mins +3

Coutinho's free-kick is awful and comes straight off the wall. Wolves clear, Wijnaldum takes forever to chase it back and get it forward.

2:20PM

90 mins +2

Wolves now look nervous. They've controlled this game despite having far less possession but are now looking a bit spooked as thousands of Liverpool players pile forwards to have a go. Moreno is fouled 30 yards from goal - Coutinho might fancy this one.

2:18PM

90 mins

AND NOW WOLVES CAN SCORE!

Take On: Liverpool 1 - 2 Wolves (Jón Dadi Bödvarsson, 89 min)

Lucas is in the six yard box and the ball comes off his foot! Liverpool get away with one! 

2:15PM

87 mins

IT'S HAPPENING! The keeper throws himself at the far post and clears what should be a certain goal off the line! What a finish we have here!

2:15PM

GOAL!

Liverpool are right back in it now - it's 1-2, thanks to a goal from Divock Origi.

Liverpool 1 - 2 Wolves (Divock Origi, 86 min) 2:12PM

85 mins

Coutinho goes from side to side but can't find an opening, passes to Gomez, who shoots from 25 yards. Wide. 

2:11PM

84 mins

The corner isn't dealt with again, but AGAIN three Wolves players are offside and the linesman doesn't notice. A Wolves player is inches away from stretching onto a high ball to poke it past Karius. Liverpool are all over the place! Their season is unraveling right now. Out of the EFL Cup, about to be dumped out of the FA Cup to a lower league team, the Premier League almost certainly out of reach...

Keeper pick-up: Liverpool 0 - 2 Wolves (Harry Burgoyne, 83 min)

And now Origi comes deep to shoot from 30 yards. Why?! Think about what you're doing! 

Liverpool vs Wolves shots on goal

 They've just been so impatient and made the wrong decisions - exactly what Klopp was saying before the match.

2:09PM

81 mins

WOLVES ARE AWAY! They should be three up! Oh what a waste! Three Wolves players break away and have one defender to deal with but the ball into the middle didn't come, went wide, and the move broke down. 

Wijnaldum can't keep his man off the ball, he loses it in the final third, Wolves break again! Bodvarsson is on, he's played through... he takes the corner he wins off Gomez and they take their time taking it.

2:05PM

78 mins

Sturridge gets his first shot on goal but hits a tame effort from distance straight into the keeper's clutches.

Coutinho tries to force a shot as well, dummying 30 yards out and then humping an effort way over the bar into the top of the stand behind the goal.

Weimann is taking his time as he comes off to be replaced by Joe Mason.

2:05PM

Time on ball (60 - 75 min)

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves 2:02PM

75 mins

Ejaria off, Can on. That's a slow passing, technical midfielder on for a slow passing, technical midfielder. 

2:00PM

73 mins

Dicko comes off for Bodvarsson and seems annoyed about it but he's been excellent today and done a lot of running. Bodvarsson is a bigger player and should help with defensive set pieces and act as more of a target man, instead of Dicko who was a pacey outlet for forward passes.

Woodburn gets the ball on the right, Cruyff turns his man and goes down. PENALTY! That must be a penalty! Klopp is furious but even Steve McManaman on co-commentary acknowledges that it was a definite dive. Replays show exactly that.

1:57PM

70 mins

Wolves have stepped up and moved further up the pitch... but after losing the ball they drop back into their defensive shape. This has been such an impressive performance from Lambert's team. Can they hold on!?

1:55PM

67 mins

Firmino goes off for Sturridge. That's a strange one for me.

Helder Costa is off for Connor Ronan, who is 18 years old.

1:51PM

64 mins

Daniel Sturridge is getting ready to come on. I suspect one of the centre midfielders will come off. Probably Ejaria. The midfielders are all trying to play in the same position and it's robbing the team of space in the centre of the pitch.

1:50PM

62 mins

Liverpool are tightening their grip on this match, Lambert might need to change something. The shift in formation is allowing the home side to dominate the pitch and Firmino is starting to find space in behind the defence.

Coutinho has a shot from 25 yards but hits it side-footed and it's easy for the goalie.

And now Coutinho takes the ball forward, pings a pass to Origi, who lays it back, Coutinho hits a first time pass through to Moreno and he's one on one with the keeper! It's a brilliant move... but Moreno goes round the keeper and hits the ball straight out for a goal kick.

Out: Liverpool 0 - 2 Wolves (Alberto Moreno, 61 min) 1:49PM

Time on ball (45 - 60 min)

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves 1:47PM

59 mins

Klopp is very angry on the sidelines still. He wants Moreno to stay wide left to stretch the play - he keeps cutting inside. Literally his only job at the moment should be to make the pitch big but he keeps trying to get involved with play in the centre and he's not very good at it. 

Woodburn is a good player by the way. He's been putting in some decent deliveries but let down by players in the wrong place at the wrong time.

1:43PM

56 mins

Credit: REUTERS

That's Weimann celebrating his side's second goal. Jurgen Klopp is going mental on the touchline at the moment. He is not happy. Liverpool respond immediately and attack with some purpose! Firmino gets to the box, he pulls it across goal... but nobody is there!

Firmino gets forward again straight after, turns in the box and has two shots blocked but runs the ball out. This is instantly much better from Klopp's team.

1:40PM

53 mins

Lucas reads the play superbly and steps out to stop a through ball sending Wolves clean through on goal. The build up for Liverpool at the other end was far too slow again and Wolves just waited to nick it and counter. Costa gets around Wijnaldum, Wijnaldum brings him down, Wolves have a free-kick in a similar position to their opening goal. 

It hits the wall.

You can still only get 5-1 on Liverpool coming back and winning this. #LIVWOL

— Richard Osman (@richardosman) January 28, 2017

The bookies seem to think Liverpool aren't out of this one yet... 

1:37PM

50 mins

Origi lets the ball run across the outside of his body and controls on the touchline to speed past his man down the right wing. Hause brings him down and they have a free-kick wide of the penalty area. Woodburn delivers, Firmino flicks it on and KLAVAN IS THERE! He deflects off him and out for a goal kick. He didn't know anything about it, to be fair.

1:35PM

48 mins

Gomez brings the ball to the halfway line, takes too long and Weimann wins it off him! He's away... but the referee brings play back for a foul. I'm not so sure... he might have gotten away with that one. 

1:34PM

KICK-OFF 2

Will that substitution mean a chance in formation? Woodburn is the rightsided midfielder and he might have a lot do. But it looks like Gomez is now a right sided defender, Lucas is central and Klavan is left sided.

1:33PM

SUBS

Coutinho on, Randall off. That doesn't surprise me at all. 

1:26PM

Controversies

Paul Ince and Steven Gerrard are disappointed that not only were two Wolves players offside for the first goal from the free-kick, the actual kick was taken 10 yards further forward than it should have been. 

"He's let Liverpool down here not just with the offside but where the free-kick is taken as well," says Gerrard.

Ince:

"I spoke to Paul Lambert before the game and he said they were going to have a right go at them, we've seen it the last 45 minutes"

1:21PM

Liverpool booed off

Liverpool booed off at half time. What an absolute shambles 2017 has been for Klopp and his team. #LFC

— Mícheál Nagle (@Micheal_Nagle) January 28, 2017

I'm not sure it's quite as drastically bad as all that but Klopp will surely regret playing so many young players at the same time. Then again... Wolves have made seven changes today and mostly young players too. The problem isn't necessarily the players - Liverpool have just become a victim of their own success. The gegenpress is devastating but there is an easy way to beat it if the opposition doesn't have the kind of players who can break a deep defensive block. Without Coutinho and Mane, Liverpool are nowhere near as good. 

1:18PM

Time on ball (first half)

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves 1:18PM

HALF TIME

It's the same tired play from Liverpool we've seen for the last couple of months, Wolves deservedly ahead. Klopp has work to do! 

1:18PM

Average touch positions (half time)

Average touch positions (half time) 1:16PM

45 mins

WIJNALDUM GOES DOWN IN THE BOX! Is that a penalty?! He wants one... the crowd want one... but no! Looks the right decision to me on first viewing but I'm keen to see a replay.

1:14PM

44 mins

Moreno, just then. pic.twitter.com/RseNo0m3fz

— The Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) January 28, 2017

 Jurgen Klopp is going to be windmilling his players in the changing room. 

1:12PM

GOOOOOOAL!

Wolves have doubled their lead, and it's Andreas Weimann with the goal to make it 0-2.

Liverpool 0 - 2 Wolves (Andreas Weimann, 41 min)

That is a goal of Liverpool's own making. DREADFUL passing play in the final third, too slow, too obvious... and Wolves counter at frightening speed. Moreno sprints back to help out, dives into a slide tackle but doesn't do anything and the ball is threaded through to Weimann, who calmly rounds the keeper and taps in. Brilliant goal.

1:11PM

41 mins

Liverpool are far too slow in the final third. It's the same thing every single time. OH THEY'RE IN TROUBLE HERE!

1:10PM

39 mins

Wolves make a total shambles of a corner and Costa loses control of a short pass. Moreno breaks! He has a runner ahead of him at the halfway line and only needs to find the right pass to put him through on goal... and it's deflected and Wolves win possession back. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers crosses

 This is interesting - Wolves are getting the ball into the box from the right but focusing their play down the left.

Average touch positions (38 min)

So basically they're taking advantage of the boy Randall at right-back but then quickly switching to the opposite wing to get the ball into the box. 

1:06PM

36 mins

Liverpool's attempts to get set pieces into the box aren't very good - not because the standard of delivery is poor, but because Wolves' defence are bigger and stronger. And much better in the air.

1:03PM

33 mins

Klopp really needs to figure out a way around this. Every single team Liverpool has played this year has done the same thing Wolves are doing.

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves

Ejaria tries something clever and and dribbles his way to the penalty box. He nutmegs Steadman and should get a shot away but the defender recovers and blocks with his body to take the chance away.

Firmino gets a shot away but fires it well wide. Good play by Ejaria again in the build-up.

Miss: Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves (Roberto Firmino, 32 min)

  1:01PM

Time on ball (15 - 30 min)

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves 1:00PM

30 mins

Credit: REX

It's interesting that Wolves are winning this by executing their tactical plan superbly rather than just kicking Liverpool off the park and defending deep in numbers. The weakened team Klopp has put on the pitch definitely helps but Wolves players are so calm in defence.

12:57PM

27 mins

Helder Costa has to try and go from 100mph to 0 over five yards and can't quite do it quickly enough. The running track and then the advertising board are in his way and take the momentum out of his run via the medium of pain. He has to sit down behind the goal for a while getting treatment but should be OK to continue. 

Wolves work a decent move near the Liverpool box but the shot is rushed.

Miss: Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves (Lee Evans, 26 min)

 Check this out too:

Liverpool vs Wolves shots on goal

  12:55PM

24 mins

It's a mess at the back for Liverpool. They look nervous and disjointed and the full-backs are expected to play as wingers the entire time. Randall, on the right, hasn't been getting forward while Moreno is playing higher than the striker.

Interestingly, Wolves are pressing high up the pitch from Liverpool goalkicks and then are winning headers in the middle of the park. Lambert has absolutely nailed this tactically.

Average touch positions (24 min)

  12:51PM

21 mins

Firmino does well to control a high pass in the box and then beats his man as he dribbles towards the near post, but then tries to cut back and stumbles a bit. 

Liverpool surge forward on the attack, Moreno - who is a left winger at the moment - joins in and the ball drops for Lucas on the edge of the box. It's perfect to bend towards the top corner... it's waaaay over. He's not the best at shooting.

Miss: Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves (Lucas Leiva, 20 min)

  12:48PM

18 mins

Liverpool vs Wolves

This might help explain the story so far. Liverpool can't get the ball out of midfield because Wolves have dropped deep in numbers, and Wolves are just using the ball really well when they get it. It really does seem very easy to stop Liverpool from playing at the moment.

12:47PM

Time on ball (0 - 15 min)

Possession: Liverpool vs Wolves 12:45PM

15 mins

Credit: pa

  12:43PM

13 mins

Liverpool's passing is poor and they've put the ball out of play under no pressure a couple of times. Wolves are pressing really well and tackling hard but they're winning the ball back when someone misplaces a pass.

12:43PM

Liverpool failing to capitalise on their possession

The hosts have had the majority of the ball - but still they trail to Wolves.

Liverpool vs Wolves 12:42PM

Liverpool respond

The hosts have their first shot of the game, in reply to two so far from Wolves.

Liverpool vs Wolves shots on goal 12:42PM

10 mins

Liverpool are dominating possession now - they can't find a way through and win a corner. Wolves have a pacy outlet in Dicko upfront and are countering at pace and oh my god  Costa is clean through! From a 70 yard run he speeds past one, drifts past another... he only has the keeper to beat! But he kicks the ground and the ball goes wide. It looked like there might have been a shove in that move.

Out: Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves (Hélder Costa, 11 min)

  12:36PM

7 mins

Ohhhhh that is a great opportunity for Wolves! The free-kick hits the wall but then the ball is played along the ground into the area and a forward controls, turns and the ball gets away from him. Liverpool look like a bunch of players thrown onto a pitch together for the first time.

12:34PM

5 mins

Ummmm. So. Liverpool had every player in the box defending that free-kick and not one of them tried to header the ball. It was almost comically bad defending and Klopp looks thoroughly unimpressed on the bench. Wolves have started the much better side. They have another free-kick in a more central area now.

12:32PM

GOAL!

An early opener from Richard Stearman makes it 0-1 to Wolves.

Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolves (Richard Stearman, 1 min) 12:32PM

KICK-OFF

We're off!

12:28PM

Transfers!

Liverpool need to buy a new Sadio Mane - will it be in this window?! You can watch me investigate while the teams come out. In the tunnel now. 

12:21PM

Klopp says

Inside liverpool normal business, it’s not the first time we’ve lost a game. Keep on going. Of course try to change a few things especially in mind set… the last game was pretty good but we lost it. So today is another opportunity.

Will you admit there's more focus on the FA Cup now you're 10 points behind Chelsea?

No because that would mean if we were two points ahead of Chelsea we would give the game away? No that’s not right. Now is FA Cup and Wolves, makes no different.

12:21PM

Wolves' plan of attack

Steven Gerrard has just said, "Liverpool have to be patient, keep moving it, not get bored of it. A lot of teams are showing them a lot of respect and Liverpool are getting frustrated too easy."

Paul Lambert has said before this game that he's probably going to try and wind them up.

We will go there and enjoy occasion and the game, but the only way you can enjoy the game is if you get a foothold in it.

We have to be prepared to be professional and ready for it, try to upset Liverpool and try to do the ugly side of things to win the game.

I don't think we can get caught up into playing Liverpool's way, so I have to find a way of upsetting them and making it ugly and probably take them out of their comfort zone, and that is what I will try to do.

The word ugly doesn't mean "kick them" here. He means DEFEND and COUNTER! All game. 

12:04PM

What has happened to Liverpool?

I wrote this before Liverpool's semi-final EFL Cup defeat to Southampton mid-week about what specifically has happened to them - why isn't the gegenpress working any more?

  Teams adapting to their style of play

Klopp's side aim to counter counter-attacks. They want to close the ball down high up the pitch and try to win it back as quickly as possible so that opportunities to score are created as opposition defences are out of position and in transition.

However, weaker teams are now so terrified of the gegenpress that they're making sure it can't happen.

They do this by sitting with every player behind the ball in the defensive third, as Swansea did in their 3-2 win and Plymouth did superbly in a 0-0 draw at Anfield. By staying narrow and compact, a defending team blunts Liverpool's usually sharp attack.

Despite the number of creative, attacking players on the pitch, Liverpool struggle to create chances in this situation because there is no space to exploit.

Swansea were so compact that Liverpool had to move the ball sideways into space on the wings... but without a powerful striker box to head in crosses, and rather than aimlessly give away possession with a punt into the area, the ball is moved back to the middle again.

This particular move early in the Swansea match ended with a cross from wide right being put way over the bar by an offside Emre Can, for example. 

Miss: Liverpool 0 - 0 Swansea (Emre Can, 9 min)

So although chances are being created, they are not the kind of chances that smaller forwards like Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana tend to thrive on. 

Here's an example of Swansea's tactical plan in action and it nearly being undone. They briefly wander forward in possession but have no joy in Liverpool's half and the team is stretched.

Liverpool attack down the right and run at the defence, who work hard to get back into shape. Only Llorente is forward.

On this occasion Firmino is able to barge his way past the full-back and put a ball into the box, which Lallana bicycle kicks over the bar - precisely the kind of counter-attack that Paul Clement will have warned his players about. This time Liverpool are wasteful and Swansea get away with it.

Giorginio Wijnaldum told The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe that Liverpool actually find it easier to play against the top six than they do the bottom half of the table because they can play their game the way they want to:

We have not started the year so well, but we have not lost our quality or our way of playing. What has happened is teams know how to make it difficult for us.

When we play every team – maybe except against the biggest teams – we don’t have any spaces. They play with eleven behind the ball and on the counter attack and we have to find solutions for that. We will.

11:45AM

Team news - Klopp puts faith in youth again

Liverpool

Karius, Randall, Gomez, Klavan, Moreno, Lucas, Ejaria, Wijnaldum, Woodburn, Firmino, Origi

#LFC's team to face @OfficialWolves this afternoon #LIVWOLpic.twitter.com/VunXne7VzX

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 28, 2017

Wolves

Today's starting line-up v @LFC in @EmiratesFACup#LIVvWOLpic.twitter.com/QTsZR99tEn

— Wolves (@OfficialWolves) January 28, 2017

11:42AM

Hello!

Credit: REX

Hi everybody, here I am to take you through all the action from the early kick-off in the FA Cup. Who will win? The Liverpool? Or The Wolverines? Only time shall tell but if you can't find a way to watch the game, or just want to feel like you're talking to a friend about it while it's on, read along with me. I promise I'll get better than this opening post.