#and 1917... is well. yeah!!

[johnathancanines]

Engaging in the horrors of math and planning to figure out the exact details of niamh’s career and just how famous she and her family would be

[skitskatdacat63]

I can't stop thinking about Dune....

[girlactionfigure]

The Quantum History of Palestine

The Palestinian struggle for freedom is as old as time itself. Actually, it’s outside of time. I’ll explain.

Look at this poster from 1947.

That’s a Zionist poster.

Fine, but how can you not shed a tear at this plea from 1940?

Dang it! That’s also a Zionist poster!

Okay, but this exhibition from 1925 must be…

Oh crap. Tel Aviv. Totally Jewish. Totally Zionist.

Yeah, fine, okay, whatever. But this poster from 1919…

Damn! Zionist!

Fine! But this iconic poster, used by Free Palestiners everywhere is surely…

…the work of Zionist artist Franz Krausz, created to encourage Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine.

Turns out that until recently “free Palestine” was a Jewish motto.

You see, the word “Palestine” was first used as a political term by Roman Emperor Hadrian in order to punish the rebellious Jews by renaming Judea after its ancient enemies, the Philistines. Sort of like if someone renamed modern Israel “Naziporkistan.”

While the name was used by both the Roman Empire and the Arab Empire, it wasn’t used by the Islamic Ottoman Empire, which ruled the region from 1517 to 1917.

So how was this region called for half a millenia? Well, It wasn’t called anything. Instead of being a single province like in Roman and Arab times, it was split between the Beirut vilayet, the Jerusalem Mutasarrifate, and the Hejaz vilayet, which also included parts of Egypt, Arabia and Lebanon. The people who lived there had no more national identity than the people of Madison county. 

They were just Ottoman subjects.

So the British didn't conquer Palestine in 1917. They created it.

If you look at the UN partition map from 1947, you’ll see that Mandatory Palestine is divided between Jews and Arabs. No mention of a Palestinian people.

If you called an Arab living in mandatory Palestine, “Palestinian,” he’d be either confused or offended. For example, in the First Congress of Muslim-Christian Associations which met in Jerusalem in 1919, the following resolution was adopted: 

"We consider Palestine as part of Arab Syria, as it has never been separated from it at any time. We are connected with it by national, religious, linguistic, natural, economic and geographical bonds."

In 1937, the Arab leader Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, told the Peel Commission: 

"There is no such country! 'Palestine' is a term the Zionists invented! There is no Palestine in the Bible. Our country was for centuries part of Syria."

In 1947, the representative of the Arab Higher Committee to the United Nations submitted the following statement to the General Assembly: 

"Palestine is part of the Province of Syria… the Arabs of Palestine were not independent in the sense of forming a separate political entity."

A few years later, Ahmad Shukeiri, first chairman of the PLO, told the Security Council: 

"It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing but southern Syria."

Okay, so no Palestinians in British times, just Arabs who wanted to make Syria great again. 

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t Israel who first occupied Gaza and the West Bank. It was Egypt and Jordan. 

This means that between 1948 and 1967, Gaza and the West Bank were under Egyptian and Jordanian control. The Arabs had also “liberated” these regions from the Jewish communities who existed there for thousands of years. This was followed by 20 years of Judenfrei Arab rule.

What happened to the Palestinian dream during those years?

In 1950, Jordan upgraded its occupation to an outright annexation. Surprisingly, no one had a problem with it. In the words of American diplomat Stuart W. Rockwell:

"The union of Arab Palestine and Jordan had been brought about as a result of the will of the people."

During these 20 years, the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who fled Israel were never resettled by the countries who accepted them (unlike the nearly million Jews expelled by the same countries or the Arabs who remained in Israel). If these people were indeed Palestinians and Gaza and the West Bank were Palestine, why not resettle the Palestinians in this Palestinian territory? Why deny them and their children and their grandchildren citizenship even as their compatriots who stayed in Israel became citizens?

We’re in the ‘60s now. This is still an imperialist struggle by Arab colonizers to reconquer a small bit of land from the unruly natives… except it’s not the kind of story people like to hear so the Palestine Liberation Organization is formed in Cairo.

Its goals include “Arab Unity” and the “liberation of Palestine”. Interestingly, it makes no territorial claims over the West Bank or Gaza, making us wonder what exactly “liberation of Palestine” means?

Here’s a quote from the first speech by its first leader:

"It is either us or the Israelis. We shall destroy Israel and its inhabitants and as for the survivors – if there are any – the boats are ready to deport them."

Only after Israel gained control over Gaza and the West Bank, suddenly they became part of the future Palestinian state. It’s almost as if the borders of Palestine change all the time to correspond exactly with the borders of Israel. If Israel disappeared, Palestine would disappear. I wonder… If Israel moved to Alaska… 

But we digress!

In 1995, prominent Arab anti-Zionist activist and politician Azmi Bishra said:

“I don't think there is such a thing as a "Palestinian nation", I think it's a colonial invention, when were there Palestinians? Where is it? I think there is an Arab nation.”

In 2012 Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad said:

"Half of the Palestinians Are Egyptians and the Other Half Are Saudis."

Seems that in order to understand Palestinian history and geography, you have to be a time traveling 4D chess player. Nevertheless, I’ll try to summarize: the Palestinians were invented in the ‘60s because imperialism went out of fashion and indigenous struggles became fashionable… but only in the West. This required a degree of chameleonism. 

When talking to a Muslim audience, they’re part of the great Arab nation fighting to reclaim lost Islamic territory. When speaking to a Western audience, they’re an oppressed indigenous minority that existed since dinosaur times.

In short, Palestine is a masterpiece of doublethink!

URI KURLIANCHIK

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Just Friends: Big News

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Bucky Barnes

masterlist

Summary: You have a surprise for Bucky.

It’s giving

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

“Hey!” You bounce up to the table. It’s funny how Bucky can look so intent. So gloomy in the midst of the bustling cafe. He sits up as he puts his phone down on the table. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got great news!” 

“Oh?” His brows lower, “well, you’re double sugar frappa-whatever is melting.” 

He points across the table as you sit and roll your eyes. 

“If you tried it, you wouldn’t be making fun of me. They are delicious!” You put your purse in your lap and take a long slurp through the straw. You pop your lips off and let out and ‘ahhhhh’. You smile at him as he gives you that look. 

“I don’t take sugar in my coffee and you barely take coffee in your sugar,” he drones. 

You giggle. He's always so grumpy about the smallest things. 

“News?” He prompts dully. 

“Right,” you wiggle in your seat. “I got you a date!” 

He twitches and tilts his head, “a date?” He gives you a cautious look and shifts in his seat. “Uh...” 

“Yes! This lawyer lady I know. I met her at a trivia night way back and added her on Insta. Well, I saw her post the other day and I was like how did I not think of this before?” 

“Lawyer?” He mutters. “I... you’re setting me up with a stranger?” 

“It’s a blind date. It’s fun. She’s really established and smart and beautiful. Oh my god, she posted this picture of her in a bikini—I could never wear something like that.” You get your phone out and he sighs. 

“Wait, why did you do that?” He grits. 

You look above the screen at him, “well, you said the other day that you get lonely. That’s why you have Alpine, right? And she’s so sweeeeet,” you drag out the word in adoration, “but you need someone you can talk to. Who can talk back.” 

“We talk,” he insists. 

“Yes, but we’re friends. You need someone your own age. Or closer to.” 

“Wait, how old is she?” He wonders. 

“Aha, you’re interested,” you point at him accusatorily. 

“I’m asking questions.” 

“Right, she’s... fifty something? She doesn’t look it. Like you. You don’t look... uh... 1917... carry the one...”  

“Stop that,” he demands. “I know how goddamn old I am.” 

“Ha, yeah, sorry, I...” you scroll through your Insta friends. “Here!” You turn the phone to him and beam a smile in his direction. He glances at it for a split second and shrugs. He sits back and drinks his coffee.

“I’m not really... in that scene,” he says. 

“You should get out there! I mean, you can’t bring Sam and Steve to dinner all the time. You need someone--” 

“Is this what it’s about? Because I showed up at the restaurant?” He asks. 

“No, it’s-- I’m being a friend. You two are so alike and she loves old movies and motorcycles. I could never! I'd fall off or not tie my helmet right,” you chuckle. 

“Dreamy,” he growls. 

“Bucky,” you whine back. “You gotta get out and have some fun.” 

“We have fun,” he counters. 

“We do and that’s awesome—Oh, okay, how about, I got an idea! A double date.” 

“A double—you have... a boyfriend?” He taps the porcelain cup with his metal fingertip. 

“Ha, no way. But I could find someone to come along. Just so you’re not alone. There’s a few guys at the restaurant I’m sure would go for a free meal or I mean I know other cute girls. I’m not picky.” 

He closes his eyes and a line forms between his brows. He pinches his nose and squares his shoulders. “Where the hell did you come up with the idea that I wanted to date?” 

“I...” you sit back and your smile falls. His blue eyes flick open as he drops his hand. The dimple in his cheek ticks. “I’m sorry, I thought it was—I was... trying to be a good friend.” 

He stares at you and the stone slowly eases from his jaw. He looks down and back up. He huffs. 

“I’m sorry, dreamy,” he says, “it’s just been a while for me. Not that I haven’t thought of it, you know? But I don’t know if I’m ready for that.” He shakes his head and glances around the cafe. “The last time I dance with a dame was a goddamn USO tour in 1945.” 

That hits you like a sixteen-wheeler. You didn’t know that. You didn’t think of it. He’s been in this world for a while and he’s handsome and a superhero! You just though he’d have lots of people interested. Charlize sure seemed excited when you asked. 

“And now you’re looking at me like I’m a loser because I haven’t kissed a gal in 80 years--” 

“No, you’re not a loser. If you are, then I am.” 

“Come on, you don’t gotta--” 

“Really. I never kissed anyone. Not lying.” 

He shakes his head and scoffs, “oh no, you’re not lying to make me feel better.” 

You put on your most sober face, “Bucky, I swear,” your cheeks burn and you put your hands on your neck. “I mean... it would be nice I’m sure but it just never came up.” He looks at you quietly. You squirm. “I know you can hear that I’m telling the truth.” 

“Yeah, I know,” he accepts at last. He crosses his arms and clicks his tongue, “fine. If you’re going to suffer through it, I will too.” He looks away as his jaw tenses, “if you’re going to keep pulling that puppy dog face, one day, it’s gonna wear off.” 

“Yes! Bucky’s got a date! Bucky’s got a date!” You sing out of tune. 

“Stop,” he snarls and narrows his eyes at you. You wince and giggle.  

“Yay!” You put your hands up in a demure celebration and he tuts. 

“You’re so cheesy,” he sneers. 

“And you’re a party pooper. No moping on date night, got it?” You try to put on a stern face and he squints even harder. Finally, he cracks and gives a chuckle. 

“You’re ridiculous,” he sniffs. “You and tough, don’t go together.” 

[schofielded]

I haven’t watched the Pitt, but every time I see pictures or gifs of the character Dennis Whitaker, I have to deal with the fact that I recognize the actor so well because he has like a 2-minute part in 1917. Like oh yeah that’s my boy Private Parry. Yeah the character who’s only named in the script. Yeah of course I know his name. Why is he working in a hospital, go back to WWI

[implyouthern]

I am crazy and ponder the blorbos almost constantly, so here's what I think the Thunderbolts smell like. #autism.

John Walker: because all the super soldiers have heightened senses, he takes good care of himself and how he smells. He's a huge fan of classic Old Spice scents, specifically the Captain deodorant, and (all love) the 2 in 1 Swagger shampoo/conditioner. I also believe he would use some kind of solid cologne (as opposed to a spray) because it's more portable. I personally see Sawtooth by Duke Cannon suiting him well.

Yelena: She's pretty aware of her hygiene, but doesn't care enough to get the smell of gun smoke out of her clothes at the end of the day. She isn't a brand loyalist for hair care etc., but she uses the same cologne that Natasha did (my pick is Cherry Smoke by Tom Ford). The final verdict is: smoke, hair gel, and faint cherry.

Bucky: As the most public-facing member of the Thunderbolts AND a super soldier, Bucky has a brand. He prefers familiar scents, so Aqua Velva Musk aftershave (circa 1917) is his personal favorite. As a hero, he smells like leather and gun smoke. As a congressman, he smells like Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf and Palo Santo deodorant by Cremo.

Alexei: Obviously, its no secret that Alexei was doing pretty shit before the events of Thunderbolts. I am not going to speculate about everyday cologne use or anything for him, but I feel like he would smell like the huge blanket you're given when you visit your southern relatives. It's an impossible scent to pin down, but those who know will know it as a stale but comforting smell. When he gets fancy for limo work I imagine he would use (again) something familiar but slightly out of time like Chypre by Novaya Zarya.

Ava: Okay so Ava is a very unique case considering her physical. differences. my first thought was that since she has to wear the same suit every day, she's got to use something like baby powder to keep it fresh and make it easier to put on/take off. Also, I feel like Ava phasing through you would feel like breathing at a very high altitude, which gives petrichor/ozone to me. Considering her growth since amatw, I think she would opt for products that either mask or compliment this, my top pick being Tokyo by Gallivant.

Bob: And now, the one y'all were waiting for. Bob is difficult to place. He said in the elevator that he runs hot, so there's for sure a musk + sweaty/salty smell that lingers about him. In terms of his self-care, there's not a lot to say. He's not a cologne guy or a brand loyalist, but he always prefers eucalyptus-scented deodorant. This may sound odd, but I feel like Bob kind of smells like clean laundry that has been left out too long. That slight *not quite mildew* smell is strangely comforting to me, and I feel like it fits him. As the Sentry, it gives leather, hair gel, and a "classic hero" cologne like Polo by Ralph Lauren (chosen by Valentina).

if you're still here thank you for supporting my freakisms.. let's have discourse about what people smell like he'll yeah..

[heldbybarnes]

Back in My Day....

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

----------

You were halfway through folding laundry when it happened again.

“Mommy, did you know Daddy knew the dinosaurs?” Nora asked seriously, plopping down next to you with her favorite purple crayon clutched in one hand and her sketchpad in the other.

You didn’t miss a beat.

“Oh yeah, sweetheart. I think he used to ride one to school.”

Nora gasped like she’d discovered buried treasure. “Was it a T-Rex?!”

“Of course. But only because the triceratops was too slow.”

A scoff echoed from the kitchen.

Bucky stood by the fridge, holding a container of yogurt and staring at you with a look of pure betrayal. “Seriously?”

You smiled sweetly. “What, love? You never told her about Dino-Buck?”

He muttered something under his breath about betrayal and fossil jokes, but Nora had already darted away, presumably to go draw her father riding a T-Rex into the sunset.

You went back to folding socks like nothing had happened.

It had started about a month ago, with a harmless bedtime joke from Henry.

“Daddy, how old are you really?” your eight-year-old had asked one night, snuggled under a fleece blanket and clutching his well-loved Captain America plush.

Bucky had paused. “Old.”

Henry had blinked. “Like… thirty?”

“Older.”

“Forty?”

“…Older.”

Henry’s jaw had dropped. “Older than forty?!”

Bucky had smirked, kissed his forehead, and said mysteriously, “So much older.”

And that, apparently, had been the beginning of the end.

“I heard Daddy went to school with Benjamin Franklin,” Oliver announced the following Saturday morning over pancakes.

Bucky—mid-sip of coffee—choked violently.

You patted his back helpfully while hiding your grin. “That’s what I heard too. Right, Buck?”

Bucky coughed, wheezed, and wheezed some more. “I—What?!”

“Ben taught him about lightning,” Henry added with authority. “With the kite and the key and everything.”

“I was not there when Franklin invented electricity,” Bucky wheezed, pointing a syrup-drenched fork at the children. “I was born in 1917, thank you very much.”

“Which is, like, the 1700s,” Oliver muttered under his breath.

“Not even close!”

You smiled into your mug.

That afternoon, you found Henry and Nora building a cardboard ship in the living room, complete with paper sails and a sign that read MAYFLOWER II.

“What’s all this?” you asked.

“It’s for Daddy,” Henry said, adjusting his pirate hat. “So he can reenact his arrival with the pilgrims.”

You actually snorted.

“Guys,” Bucky said from behind you, exasperated, “I wasn’t around when the pilgrims landed.”

Nora looked skeptical. “But you said you’re older than Grandma. And Grandma is older than America.”

“That’s… not how it works.”

Oliver popped his head out from behind the couch. “Did you help build the pyramids too, Daddy?”

Bucky turned to you slowly. “Are you going to help me here? Or am I being slandered in my own home?”

You considered it. “I think you’d look great in a tunic and sandals, babe.”

He muttered something about requesting a new identity and stormed off to the kitchen, where you could hear him aggressively loading the dishwasher while your children debated if he had met Shakespeare.

Later that week, you came home to find a handwritten “Museum of Daddy’s Artifacts” in the hallway.

Inside, your children had lovingly gathered a collection of Bucky’s “oldest” possessions.

An ancient-looking phone (from 2005), a frayed leather wallet, a VHS tape, a vinyl record, a metal lunchbox, and Bucky’s old army boots.

“This is the kind of stuff Daddy used when he was a boy,” Henry explained seriously.

“He listened to music on this!” Nora pointed at the record. “Like the Flintstones!”

Bucky came out of the bedroom, saw the display, and turned to you with an expression that screamed help me.

“Are they pretending I’m a literal caveman now?”

You shrugged. “Technically, I think they’re saying you’re a pop-culture relic.”

He groaned and walked off whispering, “I fought Nazis for this…”

By the time you were all gathered for family movie night that Friday, it had only gotten worse.

“Can we watch that one movie Daddy starred in?” Oliver asked with wide eyes.

Bucky paused with the popcorn bowl halfway to the coffee table. “I’m sorry?”

“You know,” Nora said, snuggling into her blanket. “The black-and-white one. Where you wear the funny pants and throw a shield.”

Henry nodded solemnly. “It was before color was invented.”

You had to bite your lip to keep from laughing.

“I was not alive before color,” Bucky said, sounding like he was losing a battle to children armed with crayons and an endless imagination. “I had color in my childhood. We had music. And hot dogs. And—normal things!”

“Like swords and horses,” Henry offered.

You reached over and patted Bucky’s thigh. “Babe, I think this is payback for when you said Santa wasn’t real that one time.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That was two years ago. I thought we were past that.”

You grinned. “Children hold grudges. And so do I.”

The final straw came during show-and-tell at preschool.

You were picking up Nora when her teacher pulled you aside, struggling not to laugh.

“I just wanted to say… thank you for making history come alive.”

You blinked. “Sorry?”

“Nora told the class her daddy knew Abraham Lincoln personally.”

You couldn’t help it. You cackled.

“She said he gave him beard advice,” the teacher added, smiling. “And that he once chopped wood with him in the wilderness.”

You pressed a hand to your chest. “That’s incredible. I’ll let him know his legacy lives on.”

That night, Bucky lay dramatically across the couch like a man defeated by time itself.

“I’m thirty-nine in my heart,” he groaned. “But in this house? I’m six hundred and two.”

You walked over and plopped down next to him, curling under his arm. “It could be worse.”

“I could be fossilized.”

“Exactly.”

He tilted his head toward you. “You’re not even going to try to stop them?”

You shrugged. “It’s funnier this way.”

Bucky exhaled a long, slow sigh… and smiled.

Because the truth was, even when his children mistook him for a woolly mammoth and his wife let them, he wouldn’t trade any of it.

Not the crayon drawings of him as a caveman.

Not the handmade “Happy 500th Birthday” card he got last week.

Not even the glitter-covered sign currently taped to the fridge that read: We Love Our Ancient Daddy!

He glanced over at you, eyes soft.

“Next time they ask if I fought in the Revolutionary War…”

You raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“I might just say yes.”

[bellaxgiornata]

All These Years [Part 16: "The Death of Miscommunication"]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

[You can find the full series summary and masterlist of installments for All These Years here.]

Warnings/tags: 18+ for this series; contains emotional hurt with no comfort until the final installments, angst, pining, friends to lovers, slowburn, and eventually smut

Word Count: 4.9k

a/n: The frustration should mostly leave us all in this one! The gradual comfort and fluff slowly begins from here on out! You survived the worst of the angst and we're going to head towards a happy ending! Feedback is always appreciated!

Tag list: @acharliecoxedfan @theetherealbloom @rotscinema @magnumstyles @roseallisonparker @ofmusesandsecrets @readerhead @paracosmic-murdock @v4leoftears @why-always-me-gosh-please @redbircl @keepingitlokiii @yarrystyleeza @mattkinsella @ms-murdockswift @margoo0 @1988-fiend @lockleywife @strangeobsessed @justalittlebitbored @am-3-thyst @buckybarnes-1917 @thora-jane @lionalsowrites @cloudroomblog @prince-tassel @danzer8705 @yourlocalbentspine @harperdoodle @hollandorks @mattmurdocksstarlight @yeonalie

“So your grades were finally posted and now it's a literal fact that Karen Page is a goddamn smarty pants?” you teased.

Across from you on your couch, Karen giggled and snuggled further under the blanket you were both sharing. Both of you were cradling a glass of white wine in your hands, the leftover Thai food you’d had for dinner sitting on your coffee table. 

Karen’s flight had gotten in about three hours ago and you had been beyond excited for her to be staying the week at your place. Though it felt so strange having part of your New York life in LA, and it certainly meant a particular someone from New York was on your mind a bit more than usual today.

“I’m honestly shocked I did so well with everything I’ve had going on,” Karen told you. “I mean, that was a full class load and I was helping Foggy and Matt at the office part time.”

Something stirred in your chest at the mention of Matt, your smile momentarily faltering before you forced it back on your face. “Yeah,” you agreed. “Honestly when you told me you’d just go down to working part time while taking classes and working on your law degree, I thought you’d finally gone insane. I don’t know how you’re going to keep that up, but more power to you if you can, Kare.”

“Thanks,” she said, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “So you’re still enjoying the new job here?”

You nodded, bringing your wine glass up to your lips for a drink. Swallowing down the slightly sweet wine, you continued to smile back at Karen, though it felt a little strained.

“Yeah, I enjoy the job. Admittedly the pay has had a lot to do with that,” you replied. “And I’ve been enjoying the new city, but I’ve told you that already. The food here is honestly just as incredible as back in New York, but now I actually have the money to indulge in it more often. And the night life is…entertaining, to say the least.”

Karen laughed, drawing her own glass of wine towards her mouth. The glass hesitated by her lips for a moment though as her sharp blue eyes studied you silently. 

“You know,” she began slowly, “I’ve noticed you don’t talk about your dating life much out here.”

Your brows drew together, head tilting to the side. Had you not mentioned it to her? You knew you hadn’t really said much to Foggy, not really wanting it to get back to Matt and end up hurting him that you’d been so actively dating, but you didn’t realize you hadn’t told Karen much.

“I haven’t?” you asked her.

She shook her head, swallowing down her sip of wine. “No,” she answered. “Have you been dating?”

“Yeah,” you admitted, heat burning at your cheeks as you focused on the wine glass in your lap. “It was difficult at first, because it–it sort of felt wrong, you know?”

“Because of Matt?” Karen asked.

You nodded, your gaze still focused on the glass of wine in your lap. Your fingers lightly drummed along the side of it nervously. You desperately wanted to ask her about Matt but you were afraid to know what had been going on with him since you’d left.

“But yes, I’ve been dating,” you confessed.

“Has…anything come of it?” she asked curiously. “Have you met anyone?”

Clearing your throat nervously, eyes still averted, you shook your head. “I’ve…met a lot of someones, actually,” you told her. “But not a particular someone.”

“Wow,” Karen said in surprise.

Her tone caused you to look back up at her, shocked to see she was grinning back at you from the other end of the couch. Your brows drew together in confusion; you’d expected her to be a little upset because she had known about your feelings for Matt and his feelings for you. Part of you had wondered if she might consider it some sort of betrayal to him that you’d been sleeping with other men since you now knew your feelings weren’t one-sided.

“So you’ve been putting yourself out there and actually enjoying being single?” she asked. “Not just holed up in your apartment or at work, but actually out here living your life?”

You smiled sheepishly at her, nodding in response. “Yeah,” you admitted. “I’ve been getting out quite frequently.”

“Good,” she replied. “I’m happy for you. LA seems like it’s been good for you then. Because I know how tied to your job you were back in Hell’s Kitchen. And how…unavailable you often made yourself. You seem to be enjoying it here.”

Your smile faltered yet again this evening. Karen’s perceptive gaze immediately caught the small downward movement of your lips, though. Her piercing blue eyes narrowed back at you.

“What’s that about?” she asked, gesturing towards your face. 

"What?" you asked innocently.

"That look," she clarified. "You are happy here, right? Because you always make it seem that way when we talk to you, but…that was definitely a look that said there's more to the story."

You shifted on the couch, drawing your legs further into yourself under the blanket. Not wanting to lie to Karen, you decided to be entirely honest.

"I like it here," you answered truthfully. "I do. And I've been pretty content since I moved. This apartment is far nicer than the one I had in Hell’s Kitchen, and I actually have a savings account that isn't sad to look at. I've made some friends out here," you continued. "And I haven't had much issue when it comes to finding guys to, you know, sleep with. I mean there's…been a surprising amount."

"Oh my God," Karen said with a giggle on the other side of the couch. "I am dying to hear about all of those details while I’m here."

Nervously biting your lip, your fingers once again drummed along the side of your wine glass. You could feel the shift in Karen’s demeanor instantly, as if she had simultaneously picked up on the shift in your mood.

"But it's not what I want," you admitted quietly, shaking your head. "I don't want to keep sleeping around with a different guy almost every week."

"Shit," Karen whispered in disbelief. "Almost weekly? You've certainly been busy."

You sent her another sheepish smile which had her swiftly shaking her head and waving a hand quickly between the pair of you.

"Like I said, I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there," she explained. "No judgment whatsoever. Honestly? I'm envious because I've been too busy to even think about sex. But I'm guessing the reason it's not what you want has a lot to do with a certain lawyer with a questionable hobby back in Hell’s Kitchen?"

Exhaling a long breath, one of your hands began anxiously running through your hair. It had taken you this past month to fully come to that conclusion yourself. For a while you'd tried to tell yourself it was just because you'd wanted more from the men you kept seeing here, but soon it started to become glaringly obvious that you couldn't hide from the truth.

You were still in love with Matthew Murdock.

Moving to the other side of the country hadn’t magically gotten rid of your feelings for him. They were still there. And while that ache in your chest hadn’t hit you as often, and you weren’t sitting around constantly crying over Matt once you’d really settled into your life here, you couldn’t deny the truth. You missed him and you wanted him. These other men had only made that clearer for you.

"Yes," you replied. "Everything is great here, and I’ve been trying to be open-minded and meet new people. But I still have feelings for Matt. I tried hard to move past him, but I–I just can't. I love him, Karen. That hasn't changed."

Karen leaned forward towards you on the couch, sitting up a bit straighter. There was a small smile on her face as she gazed back at you. 

"Where do you…stand with all of that?" she asked. “With him?”

You shrugged a shoulder, shaking your head. "I don't know," you told her. "I'm still a little hurt about him letting me think he was dead for so long when he wasn’t–that all of you did, if I'm being honest."

"I'm sorry," Karen apologized immediately. "I didn't want to do that to you, but I didn't want you to get hurt. None of us did."

"I know you're all sorry and regret it," you told her. "I’ve heard the apologies countless times from each of you. And I believe you all, which is why I've forgiven you. All three of you, including Matt, because I think he grew from the situation and truly learned from it. But that doesn't erase the hurt it caused.” Shoulders sagging, your eyes dropped down to the glass of wine in your lap. You swirled the liquid, watching as it spun in a circular motion in the glass. “And then there's the whole thing with Erica," you continued quietly.

"He's not with her," Karen stated. 

A hopeful feeling blossomed in your chest at her words, your eyes slowly rising from the glass of wine to see Karen staring back at you. Had Matt really not gone back to her when you left then? He wasn't still thinking about marrying her? 

"He's not?" you asked timidly. 

Karen shook her head firmly. "No, he hasn't been with anyone. I think he's always hopeful you'll suddenly show up in Hell’s Kitchen again someday. He’s either always working on some case or another for the firm, keeping himself busy, or he’s out scouring rooftops around Hell’s Kitchen at night. He really doesn’t do anything else–besides mope, I suppose.”

“Oh,” you breathed out. “So he’s not…seeing anyone? Sleeping with anyone?”

“Nope,” Karen said, her smile growing wider.

Matt wasn’t dating. 

It had been nearing six months since you’d left Hell’s Kitchen–left Matt after his confession of having feelings for you as well–and he wasn’t dating. Which was unheard of. Because it was Matt . You’d always known him to be with someone, whether it was a one night sort of thing or him casually dating someone. Matt was always with someone.

But ever since you’d left he hadn’t been with anyone else.

“Why?” you asked her. “He’s usually always turning on the charm and getting attention.”

Karen dramatically rolled her eyes at you, her smile widening. “Are you seriously asking me that? Matt confesses he has feelings for you months ago, right before you hop on a plane, and then suddenly he has the most impressive lack of a dating history he’s ever had? And you can’t put two and two together?”

“Because of…me?” you whispered.

“Obviously!” Karen said, leaning forward and swatting your leg. “You know, the other week the three of us were out to lunch and this woman came right up and flirted with him at our table. And you know what he said?”

“Something witty accompanied with that damn charming smile of his?” you deadpanned.

“No!” Karen exclaimed. “He told her he wasn’t interested!”

Your brows drew together on your forehead. That wasn't like Matt. He usually loved the attention, or at least it always seemed like he did, and he would inevitably turn on the charm and flirt back even if he declined anything more. 

"You both still aren't talking, right?" Karen asked, a mischievous grin forming on her lips.

Your eyes narrowed at her suspiciously. "No, we aren't," you answered slowly. "He hasn't reached out to me and I wasn't sure why. And the more time that went by, the more terrified I became at the thought of reaching out myself. I–I figured he didn’t want to hear from me because I hadn’t heard from him."

"Well, Fog wanted me to do a video call with you while I was out here." She shrugged innocently despite the devious smile on her face only growing. "I figured we could call him Monday mid-afternoon their time because I know they both will be there at the office. It'd be a chance for you and Matt to finally talk again." She raised a brow at you. "What do you say?"

Chewing your lip, you felt nerves swirling in your stomach. You'd get to see Matt again, even if it wasn’t in person. Talk to him. Hear his voice. The thought alone had your heart racing.

"Yeah," you whispered. "Okay."

Sitting beside Karen on the stools at the breakfast bar in your kitchen, you were nervously chewing your thumbnail as you rested your elbows on the white quartz counter. She was dialing Foggy on her phone for the video chat that she'd mentioned the other day and you were feeling incredibly anxious. 

It had been months since you'd spoken to Matt at all, and with the way you'd left him back in Hell’s Kitchen, you weren't sure what to expect. Maybe he wouldn't want to talk to you at all. And with how you knew he felt about the people he loved leaving him, you wouldn't be surprised. 

But the longer you sat there, hearing the phone ringing as you waited for Foggy to answer, the more nervous you felt yourself growing. By the time Foggy finally answered the call, shouting your name in excitement when he first saw you, you felt ready to run to your bathroom and throw up.

Though that could also have been due to the aftereffects of your night out with Karen last night.

"Hey, Fog," you greeted him in return.

Despite the way your stomach was churning and roiling violently, making you feel sick and a little on edge, a large smile spread across your face at the sight of one of your absolute best friends. It hit you in that moment just how long it had been since you'd last seen him. You definitely had missed him and his words of advice and comfort that you'd come to rely on over the years.

"How are two of Hell’s Kitchen’s finest ladies doing out in LA today?" Foggy asked, a broad smile on his own face. 

"Tired, we were up late last night," Karen said with a laugh. "We actually only woke up about an hour ago."

Foggy glanced down at his watch, his face scrunching up. A second later his eyes closed as if he was thinking. 

"Isn't it about eleven in the morning out there?" Foggy asked, his eyes opening again. "So you both woke up around ten this morning?"

"Well we didn't go to sleep until after two," you informed him. "And we needed our beauty rest for another night out tonight."

"Ahh, so that's why you ladies look so lovely this morning," Foggy teased.

You saw Karen roll her eyes beside you in the small screen that was displaying the pair of you. But your mind was already on something else as you took in the sight of Foggy sitting in his office. Chewing your thumbnail nervously again, you worked up the courage to just ask. 

"Is Matt there?" you blurted, full well knowing he'd have heard you asking for him if he was. 

Karen immediately grinned at your question, waggling her brows playfully at Foggy who's mouth had dropped open. He looked stunned on the screen and that only had heat creeping up your cheeks.

Quickly trying to recover, Foggy nodded. "Yeah, he is," he answered. "He's just over in his office. Do you…want me to see if he's free to chat, too?"

You saw the hopeful, overeager look on his face and only felt your face heating further. You had a feeling Karen and Foggy had planned this somehow, trying to find a way to get you and Matt to finally reconnect after your move. But if it worked, you weren't about to complain about their scheming. 

"Yeah, if he's not busy," you answered nervously. "I don't want to bother him."

"Trust me," Foggy said, swiftly rising to his feet from his desk chair, "you're not going to be bothering him."

You watched Foggy make his way out of his office, eventually passing Karen’s desk before you heard the knock he made on Matt's office door. The camera was focused on the side of Foggy’s face when you heard Matt call out from inside his office in response, his voice just registering over the phone. You sucked in a nervous breath instantly–it had been far too long since you’d heard that voice. 

From beside you, Karen sent you a reassuring smile. It didn’t help to ease the knotting of your stomach though as you heard Foggy opening Matt’s office door. Shoving your thumbnail back into your mouth, your teeth began aggressively gnawing on it. You heard Foggy telling Matt that he was on the phone with you and Karen, though you had a feeling he already knew with his hearing. Admittedly you were glad his senses couldn’t pick up on much through the phone though, because you were sure your body was doing all sorts of things right now.

For a few seconds you saw the camera jostling around before both Matt and Foggy came into view on Karen’s phone screen. Your teeth bit down hard on your nail, your heart nearly exploding out of your chest at the bright smile on Matt’s face just beneath his familiar red glasses. He greeted you first, the sound of your name coming from his mouth making your heart stutter in your chest. It was a moment before he seemed to remember to greet Karen, too, which she was quick to tease him about. But you sat there feeling like you couldn’t breathe just at the sight of him.

Because there he was. Matt. Your Matt. In his white dress shirt and a dark red tie today, one that matched his lenses. The stubble was a bit darker on his cheeks than usual and his hair looked a little windswept, but there was a bright smile on his face, one that had the lone dimple in his right cheek visible. You found yourself suddenly overcome with the desperate urge to reach through the phone and hug him. 

You had definitely missed him. More than you’d apparently realized.

“Hey, Matty,” you finally greeted, feeling a little shy.

You were aware there was a massive, idiotic smile on your face that you were glad he couldn’t see. But unfortunately for you, Foggy and Karen could see it. Though Matt’s smile only seemed to grow wider across his face when you’d spoken, which only kept your eyes completely glued to him despite Foggy standing just beside him.  He actually seemed happy to be hearing from you and you soon felt foolish for thinking he'd feel otherwise.

"I hope you're enjoying your time with Karen," Matt said.

"Yes," you replied immediately, your face somehow heating further at your next words. "Though I–I wish you could have all come out to visit me."

You saw the looks both Foggy and Karen exchanged over the video at your comment, Foggy’s smile widening even further. Because they were aware of what that comment really meant. They knew what you were trying to say.

And judging by the look of surprise on Matt’s face, his dark brows rising onto his forehead for a long moment, he was surprised to hear you'd wished he could be there, too. When he recovered, the smile he sent you next had your heart racing. He was so handsome, your memory certainly hadn't done him justice.

"I wish we weren't so busy here at the firm," Matt told you. "We would have liked to join Karen if we could have."

"Well, I'm–I'm happy to hear the firm is doing so well lately," you replied nervously. "Though I've…definitely missed you all."

You saw Matt reach up, one hand pulling his glasses off of his face and revealing the soft, affectionate look in his hazel eyes as they focused just to the side of the camera. A warmer, sweeter smile had drawn itself across his lips, the sight causing your hands to grip your countertop firmly. 

"We've definitely missed you, too," he said quietly. 

"Okay, okay," Foggy cut in, waving a hand in front of Matt's face and the phone. "Just so everyone is clear, you're both saying you missed each other." He turned and looked at Matt, shooting him a pointed stare as he said firmly, "And she's saying she wouldn't mind if you visited her in the future." His head turned swiftly as he shot you a look through the phone, his eyes narrowed. "Right? Because I don't want any more miscommunication with you two. I've had years of it."

Biting your lip, you nodded nervously. "Yes," you replied shyly. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Your heart felt like it flew into your throat when Foggy focused back on Matt. You weren’t sure what to expect of his reaction even after hearing his confession to you months ago.

"Okay, so are you on board with using your words now, Matt?" he asked him. "I know you're good with them, I see you in court all the time, buddy."

Matt chuckled lightly, nodding his head. You couldn't tell if it was the phone or not, but it almost looked like Matt was faintly blushing when he spoke.

"Yes, I'm saying I missed you," he confessed. "And that I wish I could have come to visit you, too."

"Excellent!" Foggy exclaimed. He threw an arm around a grinning Matt’s shoulders beside him. “The miscommunication finally ends! We shall forever call this moment the death of miscommunication! But you two can talk to each other on your own and catch up another time, because I want to hear about Karen’s time in LA so far. And I especially want to know why you girls were out until two in the morning on a Sunday night.”

A look of surprise washed over Matt’s face, his lips pulling up into a curious grin. “You know, I’d like to hear about this, too. I’m guessing it involved drinking?” he asked.

“It definitely involved drinking,” Karen answered, a grin on her own face. “And dancing.”

“Oh, well now this I’ve got to hear!” Foggy said excitedly.

The moment you saw Foggy turn and shoot Matt a smile, and you saw the smile that spread across Matt’s own face in return, you knew exactly what they were about to bring up. You groaned, rolling your eyes.

“Did she dance on any tables, Karen?” Foggy asked, his focus returning to the two of you.

“Belt out any songs?” Matt added.

Throwing your face in your hands, you groaned louder. Beside you, Karen was laughing and shaking her head.

“No, but I feel like there’s a story in there,” she said.

“Oh there most certainly is!" Foggy began enthusiastically. "So there was this night, just a few months after we first met her at Columbia, where we brought her to a party. She got really drunk. Like, I don’t know how many shots I saw go down this one’s mouth that night,” he said, pointing at you through the phone as you peaked at him through your fingers, “but holy shit. She was intoxicated . Almost immediately after us arriving.”

“I remember she was holding onto me for support the duration of the night,” Matt teased, a big smile on his own mouth.

"And I remember apologizing profusely the next day because I'd ruined your night," you grumbled.

"Nah," Matt said with a shake of his head and a broad smile on his face. "You didn't ruin my night."

"You had one beer the whole time!" you reminded him. "And Foggy said you spent the whole night taking care of me."

"I didn't mind," he said with a shrug, the smile still on his face. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. And it meant I got to spend the entire night with you clinging to me."

 Your bottom lip rolled back between your teeth at his words, a rush of warmth abruptly flooding you. You vaguely remembered that night, but you'd always felt bad about how it had gone. You’d always guiltily felt like you'd ruined Matt’s evening because you'd gotten so drunk. Always thought he'd felt obligated to take care of you, making it so he couldn't go back to anyone else's dorm for what you figured he usually did after parties, but apparently he was happy to have you attached to him that night. Which had been news to you.

"Besides," Matt continued, "even drunk, it was still a little hot watching you on that table."

Foggy snorted out a laugh as your face suddenly burned with embarrassment. Beside you, Karen let out a giggle as Matt continued to smile back at you through the phone screen.

"You only heard what Fog told you about it, Matt," you shot back. "You didn't actually get to experience it fully that night, so I don’t know how you think you can tease me about that."

A devilish smirk slid across his mouth, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Heightened senses, sweetheart,” he said smoothly. “I experienced it quite well, actually."

Your eyes widened in shock, your mouth falling open. He only chuckled when you cried out in further embarrassment before burying your face back into your hands.

"I don't want to reminisce anymore!" you shouted. “It’s vastly too mortifying knowing the things I know now!”

The three of them laughed as you tried to disappear into your countertop. You couldn’t even begin to imagine all of the moments you didn’t realize Matt was aware of more than you had known. Though a part of you did wonder what moments with Matt you’d misread all those years ago.

Settling onto your couch, you flipped on your television and skimmed absently through the channels. Your apartment felt empty now that Karen had left a bit ago to catch her flight back to New York. It had been a fun week having her here, especially because it felt like she’d brought a bit of Hell’s Kitchen with her. But now that she was gone, your apartment seemed oddly quiet and a little lonely. Even the noise of the television didn’t seem to help with that.

You’d done another short video call with her a few days after the first one, feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush the moment Matt joined Foggy on the call with his smiling face. The memory of him pulled at your heartstrings now, making you feel a little teary-eyed as you tried to focus on the television. You missed all three of them and Hell’s Kitchen, but you’d gradually started to make a life out here in LA. You had an amazing career here, one that paid exceptionally well. It wasn’t realistic for you to uproot back to New York on a whim just because you missed your friends. Even if you happened to have really strong, not-so-friendly feelings for one of those friends. This was your life now, at least for the time being. The feelings from Karen’s visit would eventually fade and things would return to how they were. 

For some reason that thought only made you feel worse.

Your phone vibrated on your coffee table, the brief buzzing noise catching your attention. Curious, you leaned forward and saw you had a text message. You figured it would be from Karen letting you know she was bored at the airport, or maybe Alicia wanting to meet up tomorrow for lunch. She’d certainly had fun meeting Karen the other night. But you were surprised to see it was Matt’s name that had shown up on your screen. It had been months since he’d reached out to you, and even though Foggy had claimed the pair of you had put your miscommunication to death the other day, neither of you had actually reached out to the other all week. You wondered if he ever would, or if it would be up to you to figure out what to say to break the strange lack of communication between the pair of you. 

Opening up his text, your eyes read over it quickly.

2:36PM  Matt: Foggy just told me Karen is at the airport now. Figured you were probably feeling a little down. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.

Your eyes ran over the text multiple times, your heart beating a little faster as you did. He’d reached out to you. After months of silence, he’d actually reached out. It was only through text, but still, that was better than nothing. Your eyes reread the last line of his text a few more times, a small smile steadily growing on your lips as you did because he was thinking about you. You . No one else. Just you.

There were certainly things that Matt and you needed to discuss, things better discussed in person if there was ever the opportunity, but this was good. This was progress. This was you and Matt hopefully finding your way back to each other with honest communication. 

With a glimmer of hope building inside of you, your fingers flew across your phone as you began to type up a response.

[END NOTES]

I like end notes, alright? 🤣 For those who read FFTD over on AO3, y'all know the novels I write there.

So they're finally talking again!! And we see Reader fully acknowledge the fact that she still loves Matt, even if her life is still very much rooted in LA at the moment. Once again we can thank Foggy and even Karen for pushing the two to finally talk!

From here on out the angst slowly fizzles out, but it still exists because, well, there's clearly physical distance between Matt and Reader. But at least they're going to openly communicate with each other and be honest about their feelings. It only took YEARS for them to reach this point! Hopefully y'all are still enjoying this series as it now reaches the fluffy and eventually smut-filled installments! Is there a long distance relationship with Matty in the future? You'll have to wait and see...

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt; weird Kryptonian bonding rituals.

“This just not how I expected to become a dad,” Lois mutters under her breath, putting her hands in her hair. “Seriously, I was going to get a Pulitzer first. How am I supposed to be a dad without a Pulitzer?!” 

“You were ever expecting to be a ‘dad’?” Jimmy asks, raising an eyebrow at her. Lois glares back at him. 

“You know what I mean, Jimmy!” she hisses. “A parent! Any kind of a parent!”

“What’s a Pulitzer?” Conner asks curiously. 

“The Pulitzer Prize!” Lois says, gesturing dramatically with both hands and starting to pace. “It’s one of the most distinguished awards in journalism! It’s been going since 1917! It’s a huge honor and a major achievement and–!”

“What’s it have to do with being a dad?” Conner interrupts, wrinkling his nose with a puzzled expression. Lois . . . pauses. 

“Um,” she says. 

“Probably nothing,” Jimmy says with a shrug. “Like. Almost definitely nothing.” 

“Then why’s it matter?” Conner asks, still looking puzzled. Lois puts both of her hands over her face. 

“Oh my god, I am my dad,” she says despairingly. “I think my career matters that much? Seriously?! Conner’s not gonna care if I have a Pulitzer or not if I’m a bad dad to get a Pulitzer! Oh my god, what am I doing with my life?!”

“Having a crisis, apparently,” Jimmy says. “And, like, some serious reprioritizing.” 

“I don’t think taking pride in your work is a ‘bad dad’ thing,” Clark says. Though having a kid is a reprioritizing-level situation, he thinks. Definitely when they’re a surprise kid. “That’s setting a good example for Conner, really. Just, you know . . . don’t ignore him to kidnap and illegally detain people because you think they might have something to do with a theoretical invasion, and I think you’ll probably be fine? Probably?” 

“Yeah, the invasion thing really seemed important to, like. Everybody who was working on me,” Conner says as he sneaks another honey bun. He’s adorable about it, so Clark doesn’t stop him. “They kinda suck, though, sooooo . . . I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you were gonna invade them a little. Just saying.” 

“No one’s doing any invading,” Clark says immediately, then feels awkward because, well, technically–“I mean, I don’t think anyone’s doing any invading. I’m not! I’m very much not doing any invading! Ever!”

“Are you sure?” Conner looks disappointed. 

“No alien invasions until you’re eighteen,” Lois says. “. . . or until we figure out how old you should count as being.”

Conner pouts. 

. . . they could probably invade just one dubiously-ethical lab, Clark thinks, if Conner really– 

“No, Clark,” Jimmy says. “I know that look, man. We don’t need any more angry government dudes or MIB-types after you, we’ve got enough of those already! Like, way too many!” 

“I think any is ‘too many’, in this case,” Lois says, looking sour.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s6 episode 6 "how the ghosts stole christmas" thoughts

a christmas episode!! and i shall be watching it exactly one month after christmas. this does make me a little sad; i wish i could travel back in time with what i know now and watch it then. and then maybe i’d feel all festive. but! what can you do? i shall embrace it even though there stands between me and christmas 11 months.

i haven’t watched an episode in a week-ish, so i’m excited to get back into the swing of things. let’s gooo!!

post-episode thoughts: oh my god, this episode was incredible. what if we (platonically) went to the house where two lovers famously kill other lovers each christmas? and then those ghosts tormented us with our deepest insecurities? and when they tried to trick us into killing each other, our love was simply too strong and we wouldn't fall for it? would that be festive? would you hold my hand when we walked across the rickety floorboards and found our own bodies beneath them?

love... it's alive, and well. or, in some cases, dead and well <3

PLEASE tell me what you thought of this episode. i want to go into depth on each line and do intense character analysis.

but back to past me:

well, why are they in a haunted house in maryland on christmas eve?? is kersh punishing them with a christmas assignment?

(the answer is no. it was all mulder. honestly, i should have expected that by now)

let us open with some spoooooky organ music. while mulder has christmas songs on in the car!

scully pulls in late!! she was in the checkout line, buying gifts!! “if i heard silent night one more time, i was going to start taking hostages” <- lmaoooo, i love her!!!!! she is so real for that. she truly has endured so much.

he brought her here for a stakeout?! “on christmas eve.” “it’s an important date” “no kidding” <- BAHAHA, i love when she’s a smartass. now, why are they doing this!!!

she has wrapping to do!!! he looks in her car and sees she has gifts. and he sadly says "oh...." but she acquiesces and gets in his car to hear this spooky story

SHE’S GOT HOLIDAY CHEER TO SPREAD, DAMNIT!! 

(this line KILLED me. seems she does NOT play when it comes to the holiday season!)

she has FAMILY ROLL CALL at 6 am?!?! oh. god bless her poor soul.

he locks the car before she can get out and says he’ll make it fast, bahaha (loud scully sigh)

he starts talking about christmas 1917, and did he mention it was a time of “dark, dark despair?” well, it was.

oh, now she’s hooked on this story of star-crossed lovers. i heard the interest in that “go on”.

maurice was “brooding” and “heroic”, and he loved lyda, who had a “light that seemed to follow her wherever she went”; they ended their lives together so they would never be apart. and now, each christmas eve, they come back to haunt this spooky house in maryland.

AWWW, she compliments how he told the story, and says it’s a good one, but she does not believe it. 

“you don’t believe in ghosts?!” “that surprises you?” <- STOP, SHE IS SO FUNNY, LMAOOOO

“well, yeah! i thought everybody believed in ghosts” ohhhh… okay. yeah, he would think that.

she has to go now, and he starts to enter the spooky house. she asks “don’t you have somewhere to be?” and to that i ask, oh, my poor, sweet scully, where would he go? to the vineyard? last time we saw his mom, he was tripping on K, accused her of having an affair, and then she slapped him and he left scully at her house. i hope they made up for that. but i haven’t seen or heard any indication either way.

she does not want to follow his ass in: “i’m not gonna do it. my new year’s resolution” <- bahaha, but where are her keys??? 

oooo, spooky thunder!! clocks chiming eerily!!! she just wants her keys, and he claims that he does not have them!! do we believe him?? hmm… jury’s still out on that one.

scully knows the weather said there is an 80% chance of rain!! maybe even a white christmas!! oh, but instead of letting her enjoy such a thing, the doors crash and lock them both inside!!!

(something about her wanting a white christmas made me emotional in a way i cannot quite articulate. she's kind of a romantic. and i love that for her <3)

(intro time) ooooo, sooo spOoOOoky!

oh, so just when i think we’ll never see it again, they DO hit us with the full intro!!!! chris carter, i am onto your tricks. but i much prefer the full intro. it feels so right.

back to this spooky mansion.

LET HER OUT!! he is not helping her escape and is instead telling her there is nothing to be afraid of because “ghosts are benevolent entities…. mostly”

hey man. that's not super reassuring.

she tries to check the time- and the clock strangely matches her watch, which is super weird for an abandoned old house- and then declares that she REALLY HAS TO GET HOME, when some sort of figure in white appears in a crack of thunder!!!

LMAOOOO, SHE IS JUST MONOLOGUING ABOUT HOW RIDICULOUS SOCIETY IS FOR EXPECTING GHOSTS TO BE REAL. i would have copied it down, but it just KEPT going and i kept laughing.

she admits to being afraid. and i love that. i love that her method for dealing with fear is to infodump. yeah. you tell ‘em, girl! tell them about the essence of humanity and the unconscious yearnings to live forever!! 

but it’s an IRRATIONAL fear, she points out! i would be afraid, too! of spooky ghosts AND rabid bats, rotting wood, lead paint, and other dangers of creepy abandoned buildings!

she goes ahead to investigate this other room, and he says “i’ve got your back” bahaha 

she asks if maybe someone lives here, because look!! the light is on in the library!! they have a LIBRARY?? woah, i don’t even know what this room is- it's got bookshelves on the walls, but almost looks like a ballroom on the floor- but it sure is cool!!

so the clock downstairs is somehow still keeping time which is super weird for an abandoned old building, and something is… smoking, it looks like? yeah, maybe it isn’t abandoned. hmm… 

it’s the fireplace- it was just put out! “why would anyone want to live in a cursed house?” “mulder, it’s not enough for it to be haunted? it has to be cursed?” LMAOOO 

oh, he just now CASUALLY drops that there have been 3 double murders (all of couples) in the last 80 years, and all of them were on christmas eve. GET TF OUT OF THERE!!! this seems like RELEVANT INFORMATION THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MENTIONED BEFORE YOU BROUGHT YOUR PARTNER INTO THIS DEATH TRAP!!

and then the lights go out!! and a door slams!!! and there is some weird sound and creaking floorboards…. they’re locked in!!

he’s trying to listen to the floor….

AWWW, HE SCARED HER!!!! he held the flashlight under his face and she yelled “that’s NOT funny!” <- you tell him!!

he wants to free someone from beneath the floor boards? how did he hear someone beneath the floor? but it’s just a dead body. so i guess he was half right, as he declares. looks super dead. as in dead for a very long time. oh, and there’s another!!

a man and a woman!! shot to death. and she has bright red hair. coincidence….?

well, must be not, because scully points out that the dead woman is WEARING HER OUTFIT.

(he laughs) “how embarrassing” <- LMAOOO, NOW YOU STFUUUU!!!!!

(i'm so used to his dumbass one liners, but this one really killed me for some reason)

and at first i didn’t notice, because the dead guy had a winter coat on and mulder just had a leather jacket, but he is wearing his outfit!! they put together that it is somehow them, and they RUN!!

at first i thought it was the original couple that died, but how would they get under the floor? so maybe it actually is mulder and scully in some cosmic way. don’t question it too hard.

they ran into the same room!!! well, maybe if you have one stylish room, you just make it again. and again. 

nooo!! the rooms are looping!! and they get separated somehow!! 

i wish the lighting was better; i want to stare at these paintings on the walls. they look so pretty. i wonder if they built this creepy house just for this episode and decorated it all spooky, or if there’s a stock studio haunted mansion set that gets used for lots of shows and movies. the frames are so pretty!

but back to the problem at hand. where is scully?? he’s yelling, but she’s not responding!!

he shoots th,e handle of the door and opens it to a brick wall???

A MAN APPEARS!! “who are you?” “that’s a question i should be asking you, being this is my house you’re standing in” <- GET HIS ASS!!

perhaps they shall finally face consequences for breaking and entering.

mysterious man flicks on the lights. 

mysterious man seems to be unable to tell that the door leads straight to a brick wall, or perhaps mulder is somehow seeing that. mulder says “we”, tipping off the man that there is someone else here. but mulder goes straight to accusing him of being a ghost! a bold move…

mystery guy laughs and asks mulder if he’s a ghost hunter, saying a lot of strange folks come around. he tries to deflect with a “strange folks? like those under the floor-“ but when he turns around, there is nothing there apart from some furniture!!

you know shit is going down when the mystery old man says “why don’t you have a seat, son”

oh plot twist, mystery man reveals he is in the field of mental health and specializes in “disorders and manias related to pathological behavior as it pertains to the paranormal”. okay, yeah, now i definitely believe that this dude is a real ghost and he is just doing all this to personally torture mulder.

the type of ghost hunter this mystery man encounters, and therefore he also he believes mulder to be, is as follows: a “narcissistic, overzealous, self-righteous egomaniac”; “you kindly think of yourself as single-minded, but you’re prone to obsessive compulsiveness, workaholism, antisocialism- fertile fields for the descent into total wacko breakdown” BAHAHAHA

well. yes! 

while i do support generally roasting mulder for his various qualities, i also need to know where scully is. 

“you know why you think you’ve seen the things you do?” “because… i have seen them?”  okay, sassy!

“‘cause you’re a lonely man” <- OH DAMN. that shut him up.

mystery man is really being mean now… OH SHIT, did mulder steal scully's car keys to get her to stick around with him??? i hope that isn't true, but knowing him, it probably is, and that behavior seems to match some of those adjectives that were tossed about moments before

“you know why you do it- listen endlessly to her droning rationalizations. ‘cause you’re afraid. afraid of the loneliness” <- oh man. now you’ve got him sad and pondering. he looks like he’s gonna cry, but he’s gonna try and be tough about it and smile. and say politely that he would like to find his partner.

(and i would like to contemplate these lines- do we think they are true? or do we think mystery man just wanted to hit him where it hurts? "droning rationalizations" is pretty harsh; seeing scully as nothing more than a beacon against being alone doesn't seem to capture their dynamic accurately, unless you interpret it in the most selfish light possible, which is probably what that mean inner voice of mulder's head does. hmm...)

and now the brick wall behind the door is gone and mystery man can just walk through…. but mulder cannot!!! it is just a real brick wall!! and he slams his beautiful nose!!!

so... did he imagine all of that???

scully is still yelling for him!!

NOOOOO, SCULLY GETS SO SCARED AND SCREAMS AND PULLS OUT HER GUN WHEN THIS LADY APPEARS LMAOOOOO she’s absolutely SHAKING “please, i’m a little on edge” <- yeah queen, we can tell 💜

ohhh, poor sweet scully, apologizing for scaring this lady; it’s just that they found bodies! and when she tries to show her where the bodies are… there is only furniture!!

she very rarely gets scared. must have been the combo of spookiness on a night she associated with being cozy and warm. and also seeing what she does not believe in. AND being separated from mulder. truly multiple things factoring into her fear here.

scully has her gun aimed at this mystery woman, and her hands are shaking as she asks “where’s my partner?” - and when she goes to open the door, there is also! just! a! brick! wall!

how can this keep happening?!

she circling the mystery woman, holding her gun, and i guess we’re getting some psychoanalysis on both ends of this brick wall:

“oh, you poor child. you must have an awful small life. spending your christmas eve with him, running around chasing things you don’t even believe in” oh, wow... that is so mean.........

LMAO, mystery woman is going on about the “subconscious desire to find fulfillment through another” and “intimacy through co-dependency” (which. okay. yeah, that one is accurate) and scully's dirty little secret that “your only joy in life is proving him wrong”.

but unlike mulder, who was taking this analysis sitting down, she seems scared, but still spits out “you don’t know me!" i LOVE that about her!! truly!!!

“and this isn’t your house” “you wouldn’t think so, the way i’m being treated” DAMN! these ghosts are gagging them 💀💀💀

“well, then, why is all of the furniture covered?” “we’re having the house painted” “well, then where’s your christmas tree?” “we’re jewish” LMAOOO

enter mystery man!!!! scully is telling him to NOT MOVE or she WILL SHOOT HIM!!!! she needs to know WHERE MULDER IS!! and these ghosts better MOVE OVER THERE!!!!!!!

“this violates our civil rights!! i have friends at the ACLU!!” LMAOOOO

well, she makes them put their hands up, and mystery woman has a hole blown completely through her belly. so. not great. and his hat is hiding the bullet hole through his head!!!

i mean, it was pretty obvious that these here ghosts were lyda and maurice, but i wanted to go along with the mystery bit until the big reveal. and now i shall use their government names.

SCULLY!!! SHE PASSED OUT!!!! OHHHHH, POOR BABY

the ghosts are lamenting that they used to get years to drive the visitors mad, but now they get just ONE NIGHT!!! i would be pissed, too!!! 

BAHAHA, WHAT? “look, if we let our reputations slip, they’re going to take us off the tourist literature” <- BAHAHAHA OH MY GOD. wait, hold on, that’s so fucking funny.

she picked christmas as their one night a year because that is when people have no HOPE LMAOOOO and maurice looks down and says “these two do seem pretty miserable”

they smooch over poor scully’s fainted body as they declare they must show them how lonely christmas can be!!

mulder is climbing up the bookshelves, trying to get tf out of this trap room, when lyda arrives!! she calls him a “masher” (i don’t know what this means, so i hope it is not offensive) and he fires back with “frump”, only to be met by ANOTHER brick wall

(dictionary.com says that a masher is "a man who makes advances, especially to women he does not know, with a view to physical intimacy". so now we know! she accused him of hitting on her!)

“what happened to the star crossed lovers?” “oh, let me tell you, the romance is the first thing to go” <- that is a CRAZY thing to say about the guy you ended your life with 💀💀

he realizes that she is lyda, and the man is maurice!! 

she summons books from the shelves!! and says she was young and beautiful once, just like your partner. she hands him a book telling their story. so i guess you can still age in the afterlife. who knew?

she’s sitting down and he’s standing in front of her, but the focus gets all fuzzy and weird when the camera turns to him. i can’t tell if this came from reshoots or what, but lyda is crisp and clear and he is not 💀

she assumes they came here “to be together for eternity”, which gets him giggling 

“you knew this house was haunted, maybe you two should have discussed your real feelings before you came out here” OHH! SHE IS GOING THERE!!

taunt him. he just confessed his love a few episodes ago!!! do not think i forgot!!

and lyda shows him the hole in her CHEST??? i swear it was just in her belly with scully. “i don’t show my hole to just anyone” is INSANE, LMAOOO

“oh, you’re trying to tell me that scully’s going to shoot me. scully is NOT going to shoot me” AWWW, i love the certainty with which he said that

“maybe she shoots herself” “i wouldn’t let her” ohhhh…. he is so confident… but trickery is afoot, so who knows??

(also, i think lyda's line, “if you shoot first, for her, the rest is an act of faith” is a very fascinating one. one i want to unpack for years to come. but i do not have the capacity to do it now, so i am simply noting it)

OH MY GOD??? she’s trying to tell him to end their lives together???

(he sighs) “we’re not lovers”

“and this isn’t a pure science. but you’re both so attractive, and there will be a lot of time to work that out.” (she hands him the gun) “think of it as the last christmas you’ll spend alone” 

she drops the gun and disappears

so, do lyda and maurice need people (couples, specifically) to either kill themselves or be killed in order to maintain their spooky reputation? and maybe their spooky power? maybe since they haven’t had a couple’s death in a long time, that is why they can only haunt people on christmas? like, they only have enough spectral energy from the blood sacrifices to show up one day a year? i’m trying to flesh this out here.

scully wakes up!!! she’s alone with her gun and flashlight, and she still can’t get the door open!! when maurice reappears!!

“i am quite capable of pulling this trigger”, she warns him, and we know that to be very true!!

OH NO!!! i see where this is going… maurice is going to try and convince her that mulder wants to kill her… so she will shoot him first, and then they can be together forever or something…

she says that it is all just a bad dream, and it’s in her head, but. well. here she is. interesting rationalization on her part. i would have expected her to pull the folie a deux card.

maurice hands her the car keys, saying that mulder is acting out "an unconscious yearning from the deep-seated terror of being alone” <- so would that make him a threat? does he genuinely want to convince her that mulder is going to kill her so they can always be together?

mulder’s pounding on the door and yelling for her. she takes the keys and tells maurice to open the door. she has her gun trained on him….

she doesn’t believe him that mulder wants to kill her!!!!

mulder opens the door… and asks where scully is… AND HE SHOOTS???????

WHAT!!!!

okay, but he’s not shooting HER!!! he's shooting nearby though, so please be careful. she’s scared!!!

why is he being crazy!!! look at that physical acting!! he's deranged!! he says all that is out there is loneliness!!! AND THEN HE SHOOTS HER FOR REAL????

she falls over as she bleeds into her white blouse…. he stands over her, saying “merry christmas, scully”

but!!! it was really lyda that took his shape to shoot her!!!!

so he didn’t REALLY do any of that???? but scully thinks he did!

he runs in, finds her bleeding out on the floor!!! “i didn’t believe that you’d do it”

OHHHH, but then it must not really be scully either, because as she is bleeding out, she shoots HIM!!!

but it was really just lyda and maurice playing around???

SO IS SCULLY HURT OR NOT????? JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!

scully is crawling away dying as "have yourself a merry little christmas" plays, and mulder is also crawling with a gaping stomach wound- or are they really the ghosts taking their forms? i don’t KNOW!!

they’re crawling toward each other, their blood and gore all over the floor, and here i ask: what the fuck is happening? mulder’s yelling after her, and they both have their guns pointed at each other.

she asks if he’s afraid, and she says she is, and he admits he is too; “i didn’t shoot you, you shot me!” so their stories diverge...

they’re rolling around in their blood and dying. hey guys. merry christmas.

but then he gets up, and says she’s not been shot, and neither has he!!! it was all a trick!!!!

they run outside, and there is no blood on them at all!!! they get into their cars and drive away!!!!

so, were they in pain like they WERE shot? did they feel like they were dying? or did mulder realize that it was weird he was in no pain despite being shot and then got up and defeated their ghostly tricks?

lyda and maurice lament how they almost had those two, and how christmas is another joyless day of the year- but not for them. “no, we haven’t forgotten the meaning of christmas”; they hold hands and then fade away

STOP! they’re making me sad!!!!

mulder’s at home, watching a christmas carol alone. and it seems to be his usual couch he has back, so i wonder if he managed to restore all of his things after the morris redecorating incident!!! he looks so sad, though!!!

there’s a knocking at his door…. he is suspicious…. it’s scully!!! she couldn’t sleep!!! oh, she asks to come in- she must be so nervous!! she never asks to come in!!! he grabs her by the shoulder

he poses a great question: “aren’t you supposed to be opening christmas gifts with your family?” (she did mention it around a billion times)

“mulder… none of that really happened out there tonight. that was all in our heads, right?” <- ohhh… what do you say to this… a proposed collective hallucination??

he waits a second. “it-it must have been”

(this, too, is FASCINATING. he never agrees with her rationalizations! why does he do it now? does he want her to have some peace for the holidays? i suppose a collective hallucination is less concerning than upending your entire belief system, but not by much!)

they’re both sleep deprived and mumbling about the ghosts poking at their biggest insecurities:

“not that, uh, my only joy in life is proving you wrong”

“when have you proved me wrong?”

“well, why else would you want me out there with you?”

“you didn’t want to be there? oh, that’s um, that’s self-righteous and… narcissistic of me to say, isn’t it?”

“no… maybe i did want to be out there with you”

AWWW, they have no idea wtf is going on, but look at the way he is LOOKING at her as she nearly falls asleep standing up, OH!!! i could cry!!!

they said they wouldn’t exchange gifts, but he has something for her!!! when did they say they wouldn’t do that?!! and he broke that promise anyway!!! look at his big stupid smile!!! look at her face when she sees it!!!! 

and she has something for him too!!! and they run to the couch and open each other's gifts! but we don’t get to see what they are!!! 

and as the camera pulls away, we see snow falling out of the window!!!

OHHH, MY HEART!!!!

man… 

lyda and maurice might actually be the ideal relationship. because i want to haunt people romantically forever. that is so beautiful.

oh, how did we manage to get such excellent character analysis AND silly fluff in one episode??? i feel like i’m going crazy!!!

okay, my biggest question: did he really take her keys??? no one says it outright or not!! it’s implied, but not confirmed either way!! if he did take her keys, that is not a point in his favor. but it would speak to the character flaws maurice accused him of having, in a drastically oversimplified sense. did he steal her keys and make her come out there so he wouldn't be alone on christmas? how can someone be so selfless and selfish?

hold on, i need to watch them open the gifts again… he’s shaking it around, trying to figure out what it is!!! and she’s laughing as she tries to pop it open!!!

ohhh my GOD. i need to go take a nap…….

they’re not lonely!!! they have each other!!! and even the ghosts tease them about having feelings they aren't admitting!!! 

scully was completely ready to just die on that floor, LMAO 

oh, she was so scared!! but she still meant business! she was going to have those ghosts stand against the wall and lift their hands, even if that meant she was going to faint!!

(when faced with people with holes in their body, usually she would not faint, but alas. she is used to this on dead people and dead people alone)

there are definitely some thing in this episode i am still trying to work out logic-wise (was lyda shot in her stomach or her chest? did she change where she was shot to mess with each of them? was lyda pretending to be scully for like, the whole thing after they first met? so how much did they actually experience in their own bodies? and therefore, it was the ghosts that were shooting them, not scully and mulder shooting at each other- but they both ended up fake shot in the end, and then the ghosts hoped that if they have them real guns, they would finish the job- right? how can we analyze the different strategies the ghosts used on each of them to convince them to shoot the other- telling scully that mulder is a danger to her, and telling mulder that if he does this, he will never be alone? is that a foreplay thing for lyda and maurice?)

but overall, i got the gist of it and enjoyed it very much. i think there will be plenty to turn around in my head and analyze for many moons to come. 

and i might sound like a rabid MSR truther, but i would very much like to think that they fell asleep on his stupid little couch after exchanging presents and felt each other breathe for a bit to make up for their exhausting evening before scully left to go deal with her family.

she needed to talk to him first before she did all of that family stuff… she was so bothered by it… and the way he just agreed with her that it was probably all in their heads… is he doing that to try and reassure her everything is okay, or is he agreeing because he doesn’t want to think there is any meaning to it??? 

GOD! i need to turn this one around in my brain for a bit.

the set was also super cool. i wanted to pause and look at stuff!!!

i am very pleased. i would have been likely even more so pleased had i watched this a month ago, but now i can go back and watch it every christmas as i desire! definitely a nice change of pace from the previous christmas episodes that shall not be spoken of in this post. 

but it was a very good episode, even if i am trying to crack the specific character implications (which will continue at length in the tags). some of y'all have had 25 years to do a deep dive into every line, reflect on how the characters see themselves vs who they truly are, and so on, but given that i have had 1 day, i have a lot of catching up to do!

(i would be interested in reading an analysis on this episode, or many other episodes, but those analysis posts tend to always have spoilers in them for things that happen down the road. so i shan't)

oh, scared, shaking scully, starting out apologizing for spooking lyda, then waving her gun around until they did what she said so she could find her mulder…. lifting up maurice’s hat and then passing tf out… rambling all about human nature and irrational fears as she was spooked by the scary old house… refusing to believe mulder would hurt her, and then having to confront the vision of him doing so... UGH!!!!! i just cannot TAKE IT!!! i hope they had the merriest christmas ever after this!!

it looked like she got him a video tape?? maybe a book? but it looked more like a tape to me. and what did he get her in that tube!! a poster of some sort, maybe?? i can’t think of many things that come in tubes. maybe he got her a nice print for her apartment walls. she loves her prints. 

tonight, i shall dream beautiful dreams of being a ghost with the one you love forever and making sure that you keep your scary reputation, lest the tourists stop visiting you. 

[youling-the-ghost]

sfth incorrect quotes pt.5 because who needs a normal hobby anyway (the generator I used)

Luke: That's a nice arguement, Sam. Why don't you back it up with a source? Sam: My source is that I made it the fuck up! Luke: How high are you? Tom: Mm, I don’t know how to say it in feet. Sam: No, he's asking what drugs are you on. Tom: Oh, antidepressants, why? AJ: Where the devil is Tom? Luke: Well, it is raining outside… Maybe he melted? Sam: Shall I look outside for a tiny, ill-fitting hat?

Sam: If bees can be fish and boys can be girls, then why can't my dad love me? Tom: I thought I was going to have to yell at you, but now I think I should hug you.

Luke walking into the kitchen and seeing all their limes peeled: Tom, I love you but, what the h-e-double FUCK. Tom, sipping coffee happily: I love you too :) Sam, after sneaking into AJ’s bedroom: Hey, wake up! AJ, half awake: Huh!? Sam: I just murdered your entire family! AJ: …But I live alone. Sam: Huh? Then who are these people in your house??? AJ: There’s people in my house? Sam: Well not anymore! Dumb bitch! You could’ve died! You’re welcome! AJ: They… well, I wouldn't call it inheritance per se. What do you call it when you kill someone and get their stuff? Tom: Um, murder??? Sam: Adventuring! Luke: Tuesday. Luke: You can de-escalate literally any situation by asking ‘are we about to kiss?’ Luke: Doesn't work with getting out of speeding tickets, though. Luke: How do tall people people possibly sleep at night when the blanket can't possibly cover you? Tom: Luke, it's four o'clock in the morning. Luke: So, you can't sleep, huh? Is it because of the blanket? Tom: Sam gets offended by everything. Sam: What did you say about me?!? Tom: Tom: Case in point. Luke: wow you and Tom are home early from the movies. What happened? AJ: We got kicked out because Tom wouldn't stop yelling diving scores as people jumped off the titanic. Tom: That last guy had a solid 8, I'm telling you! Sam: The best part of an oreo is the cookie part, not the frosting. Deal with it. Tom: Darkness without light is an abyss. Light without darkness is blinding. You cannot have a coin with one side. Luke: YO SOCRATES! IT'S A FUCKING COOKIE! Sam: What are your three best qualities? Luke: I’m hot, I have soft hair, and sometimes I cry because I love my friends. Sam: A pessimist sees a dark tunnel. AJ: An optimist sees light at the end of the tunnel. Luke: A realist sees a freight train. Tom: The train driver sees three idiots standing on the tracks. Tom: Luke! Have you no dignity? Luke: Of course not! How long have we known eachother? Tom: AJ? What are you doing here? AJ, wearing a hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and holding a gatorade: My best. Luke: A stake to the heart won't kill a vampire if their tits are big enough. AJ: Yeah, you just catch it. Tom: Nah nah nah, deflects it. Stake? Just bounces right off. Done. Back to doing hot girl shit. Sam: Then I just use a spear instead. Luke: You are trying so hard to kill a vampire with big bazongas, and for what? Why would you do that to the ecosystem? Tom, cowering in fear: What do you want from me?! Sam, standing in front of Tom: *bites into the whole KitKat bar like a heathen* Tom, crying: Please...stop...

Tom: Be right back, gonna hit the toilet for a quick power sob. AJ: I did it! I memorized everything in the book! I'm gonna ace this test! Sam: Ok, AJ, I'll give you one more question before you go. What ended in 1918? AJ: 1917. Sam: ...You're ready. Luke: Welcome to my very first vlog, in which I try different hair products! Luke: *sprays hairspray in his mouth* Luke: Well, right off the bat I can tell you this one is not very good. Tom: Sam just said "I have an appetite for destruction" and then he reached down and untied my shoe. Luke: I'm going the fight the next person who insults Sam. Sam: I hate myself. Luke: Alright, square up. *AJ is considering cancelling plans, and Tom and Sam are advising him on what to do* Tom: Just don't go. Sam: Say you’re ill! Tom: Pretend to break your leg. Sam: Really break your leg! AJ: Remember that time you dared me to lick a swingset? Luke: No, I said "AJ, don't lick that swingset" and you said "Don't tell me what to do" and licked the swingset. AJ: You fuckers don’t know about my knife stick. It’s a knife taped to a stick and it’s the ultimate weapon. Tom: Spear. AJ: BLOCKED. Sam: Quacking in my boobs over this Sam: QUAKING* Sam: BOOTS* FUCKER.

+ Bonus message from the programmer of the generator:

Congratulations! You've stumbled upon a secret message from me (the programmer of this generator): Remember to drink water. And also take your meds if you have those and are supposed to take them. Also, have a nice day if that's a possibility. I hope y'all are doing great, and remember: Happy pride month! Always respect eachother's pronouns! (sadly it's no longer pride month but that that doesn't mean that we shouldn't continue to respect each other's pronouns)

[questionableratatouille00]

𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x GN!Reader

Summary: Movie nights with Bucky were always fun. But after a special viewing of Wonder Woman, you realized just how much you love him.

Warnings: Lightest mention of Bucky’s HYDRA days, non-detailed mention of flashbacks, panic attacks, and nightmares. Mentions of WW1. DC movies? This is really just fluff. Let me know if there are any spelling or grammar issues, sometimes I struggle lmao.

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

“Come on, don’t be a wuss. It’s just a movie.” Tony groaned as you began to stand up from the couch.

“Ugh, not interested. This is..sickening. At best.” You retorted. Tony had decided that putting on Marathon Man was a good idea. The teeth drilling scene was clearly making Bucky uncomfortable, and you wanted to avoid that as much as you could. You pulled him off the couch, and that’s when Tony decided to open his mouth.

“Your loss.” He shrugged as you led Bucky upstairs to your room.

“Wanna watch something that’s not from the 70’s?” You offered, and Bucky just shrugged.

“I’m sorry. About..all of this.” He apologized.

“Buck, it’s really not a big deal. I didn’t like that either. Yuck.” You assured, giving his hand a light squeeze.

“How about Wonder Woman?” You suggested.

You and Bucky often watched a movie before you went to bed, and after enough complaining from Stark about you falling asleep on the couch, he’d bought you a TV to put in your room. He’d gotten one to put in Bucky’s room too, knowing that you alternated which room the two of you would sleep in.

Bucky had agreed to watch Wonder Woman with you, and you grinned as you cuddled into his side. Often, you’d pick the movie, or at least give him options to choose from. He preferred it that way, and if he saw something that looked interesting, he’d tell you. You’d found a routine in it all, and Bucky liked routines.

“She always creeps me out, every time I watch this movie.” You murmured once Dr. Poison appeared. It was always the scene with that gas mask that made your legs feel hollow. The little scream that the man would make when she’d rip it off him always made you shut your eyes tight.

“I get why.” Bucky mumbled into your hair, his arm around you. Some movies and shows had scenes that were a bit much for him, but for the most part he didn’t mind scary characters or moments.

When the two of you he watched Stranger Things together, there were a few parts where you had to skip to the next scene. Bucky always felt guilty over it, but you always assured him that it really didn’t bother you.

And it didn’t. Nothing that came with being in a relationship with Bucky ever bothered you. Not the nightmares or the flashbacks. Panic attacks, trust issues, paranoia, and dealing with post-mission symptoms. None of it bothered you. Ever. You loved Bucky. Nothing could change that.

“Was it like this?” You asked, halfway through the movie.

“What?” He glanced down at you.

“This movie’s set in World War 1. I know you were born in 1917—but do the costumes look right?” You wondered.

Bucky’s brows furrowed slightly as he remembered to all the way back then. “I think so. But this is in London, right?”

You nodded, smiling at the fact that he’d been paying attention. “Yeah. I don’t know. I was just curious.” You admitted sheepishly, looking down at your hand, which rested on Bucky’s chest.

“What was dating like?” You asked after a moment.

“Well..if it was today all the way back then..” Bucky took a second to think. You looked up at him, a small smile on your face.

“I would’ve taken you out to the Stark Expo, after making sure your family at least tolerated me. And then we’d go dancing together, until nine. Maybe even ten, if I was bold enough. Then I’d take you home. I’d say good night to you at your door, before giving you a small kiss.” He explained. You imagined it, and your entire body felt warm.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He smiled softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“I love you.” You whisper, making sure to make eye contact.

“I love you too.”

“I think there’s another show we should watch.” You said once the movie finished.

“Oh yeah?” He said, maneuvering the both of you so that you’re still in the same position, just laying down.

“Yeah. It’s called Once Upon a Time. It kinda became a train wreck, but it was good for a while. There’s this one character who looks a lot like you.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. The Mad Hatter. His name is Jefferson.”

He made a confused expression, chuckling lightly. “Alright then. We can watch that next.”

“Good night, Buck.” You whispered, letting your eyes close gently.

Bucky rubbed a few soothing circles into your back. “Good night, dollface.”

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Letters Part Two

John Mitchell x Reader

Words: 2109

Summary: Old and new faces make Mitchell and the reader’s reunion trickier. 

Notes: This part isn’t much, but I do really love this story. Writing for Mitchell is just one of my favorites. (There may or may not be a new smut on the way!)

-

June 14th, 1917

My love,

I know I have not been able to write often from the front. Things are getting strange here. Men are turning up dead, drained of blood. My superiors don’t know what to make of it and the men are getting restless. 

I read your letters to chase away the dark each night, comforting myself with your words and the memory of your touch. I know we will see each other again. I have a feeling it will be sooner than we both think, but I don’t want to get either of our hopes up. 

Please keep writing. You are the sunlight in these times. 

With all my heart, 

John

-

Annie and George’s mouths fell open. 

“Wife?”

You were surprised yourself. It was a title you hadn’t adopted in quite some time. Without thinking, you reached for the ring you still wore around your neck, even after all these years…

“We grew up together,” Mitchell explained. “Y/N lived down the lane from the cottage I grew up in.” He cleared his throat, the subject clearly making him uncomfortable. 

You shifted awkwardly on your heels. 

“We were engaged just before I went off to the war.” 

Annie glanced between the two of you. “But that’s when you met Herrick and-”

“I married him anyway if that’s what you’re wondering,” you said softly. “He didn’t hide what he was from me. Not for long, anyway.”

“Well keeping secrets from you was impossible,” Mitchell remarked. “You knew about the proposal a week before and never said anything.” He gave you a small smile and something passed between you. Something you hadn’t felt in a very long while. 

It faded as quickly as it came, settling back into frigid tension. 

Mitchell frowned. “But that was a long time ago.” 

The room fell into a horrible sort of silence, the kind that made you want to run for the hills. It was a mistake to come here. He had friends. He had a life. He didn’t need you to mess that up. 

“Well, I’ve said my piece,” you said. “I’ll give you time to think about it.”

Mitchell stepped toward you. “Where are you going?”

“I saw a hotel on my way here,” you shrugged. “I’ve got some money, you know.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Annie blurted. Mitchell and George both gave her a pleading look, but she ignored them. “You can stay with us.” 

“I don’t know-” You looked at Mitchell. 

“I don’t think that’s-” Mitchell looked at you. 

“Absolutely not,” George huffed. 

Annie ignored all of you. “You can stay in my room if it’s going to be that big of a problem, but we are not having Mitchell’s wife stay in a crummy hotel room.” 

“Really, I couldn’t-”

Mitchell cut you off with a sigh. “No, Annie’s right.” His eyes lifted to yours and softened. “You should stay.” 

“Okay,” you breathed. The two of you stared at each other for perhaps a touch too long. 

George cleared his throat. “Alright, but if I so much as see a drop of blood around Nina…” He ran a hand down his face. “Just don’t kill anyone. Please?”

“George, she’s like me. She doesn’t-”

“Noted.” You held up a hand to stop Mitchell. You didn’t want to cause any more problems than you already were. “I’ll just go get my things, yeah?” You ducked outside before you broke under his gaze altogether. 

Annie smacked George. 

“What was that for?” He exclaimed. 

“That is no way to treat someone from Mitchell’s past.”

“What, like they’ve all been so warm and fuzzy so far?” He spat back. 

Mitchell just stared at the door, his mind reeling to process everything that had happened. 

You were here. 

It didn’t seem possible. 

You grabbed your duffle bag and backpack from the car you rented- and had to return soon- and started back for the door, walking even slower than you had before. 

Was it too late to run?

Setting the bag down, you reached a hand up to knock again, but Mitchell was there to open the door. 

“Here, let me.” He grabbed your bag before you could protest. Mitchell awkwardly stood in the doorway, holding it open for you while you just… stood there.

“Right.” You kept your gaze in front of you. “Thanks.”

The other two watched you curiously, Annie looking much more enthusiastic than her werewolf counterpart. 

“I’ll show you up,” Annie beamed, waving to you to follow her up the stairs. “Now, there isn’t much in the way of furniture, but there is a very cozy chair and a bed in the corner that I never use, obviously. Oh, this is going to be such fun! We finally outnumber the boys.” 

“Annie,” Mitchell scolded. “Let her settle first before you start planning slumber parties.”

“Ignore him. He’s the resident grouch.” 

“So that hasn’t changed then,” you said, hoping to lighten the tension. It didn’t. 

“Here it is,” Annie said, holding her hands out to the bedroom door like Vanna White. “Hotel Bella Annie is open for business.”

Mitchell pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

You gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”

For a second, the three of you remained, you trying not to look at Mitchell, him pretending that he wasn’t looking at you, and Annie very openly watching for your reactions.

“Could you, um-” Mitchell started, motioning for the door. 

“Oh! How rude of me. Yes, I’ll let you get to it then.” Annie gave you two thumbs up before leaving, peaking back from the top of the stairs to try and catch a glimpse.

Mitchell set your bag down and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, she’s uh…” 

“Enthusiastic?” You laughed lightly. “She seems sweet.”

“She is.” He leaned against the frame. “Listen, is there anything I can-”

“I think I’m good for now, thanks,” you interrupted, tucking your hands under your arms. “I’ll be down later, yeah?”

He nodded and looked at the ground. “Right.”

Mitchell closed the door behind him and you looked down at your trembling fingers, the same question running over and over again in your mind. 

What the hell were you doing?

-

Melody,

I just wanted to let you know that I’m safe. I will come back for you. Keep yourself and the others safe until I do. 

Love, 

Y/N

-

You set the pen and paper down on the kitchen table and sighed. It wasn’t much, but hopefully, it would be enough to ease Melody’s mind a little. It did nothing, however, to stop the aching guilt pressing down on your chest. She was just a kid and you left her. You left her with them.

“Writing love letters, huh?” Annie appeared over your shoulder with a mug of tea. “I used to write them to Colin Firth when I was a kid.” She gave you an eager grin. “Any of ‘em for Mitchell?”

You grimaced. 

She held up her hands. “Right. Sorry. Exnay on the usbandhay.” She took the seat across from you, sliding the tea into your hands. “I thought that might make you feel more at home.”

“I appreciate it.” 

Honestly, you’d appreciate it a little more if it had a little whiskey in it, but this would have to do for now. 

You took a sip, falling into an awkward silence while Annie waited, staring at you with fascinated eyes. 

“The boys are going to be gone all day then?” You asked, gulping down a drink. 

“Yup. Work. Glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore, right?” She nudged your arm with a quiet laugh. 

You nodded. 

The quiet returned. 

“Alright, don’t twist my arm, I’ll tell you the whole story,” Annie finally blurted, leaning in like she was telling a secret. 

You glanced around to see if someone else was there. “W-what story?”

“The story of how we all met, silly!” She giggled. “And then you can tell me about Mitchell in the 1800s or whatever time period you guys are from.”

“I don’t think that’s-”

“It all started when I died,” she began dramatically. 

You spent the rest of the morning hearing all of the crazy occurrences that led to and followed Mitchell and George moving in, including George accidentally turning his girlfriend Nina into a werewolf.

“And George has been getting attacked by these vampire creeps- no offense- who just want to see if their hundred-year-old crusty bodies can still cut it- again, no offense. I just wish that I could put my phantom fist through their stupid faces.” She glanced over at you. “No offense.”

“Vampires are dicks,” you laughed. “I would know.” You finished your tea and got up to put the mug in the sink. “I’m just glad that the leader of said dicks is finally out of our lives forever.” 

“Oh, yeah. Herrick was the worst,” she agreed. “Do you know, I almost passed over, and then he pops up at our door and puts a stake in Mitchell’s chest? It was a mess to clean, too.” 

You froze, nearly dropping the ceramic all over the tile. “He tried to kill Mitchell?”

Annie nodded. “Nearly did, too. Good thing I stayed, otherwise we would have had to clean up ashes as well as blood.”

“Christ.” 

After everything that man had done, everything he’d put the two of you through all those years ago. After he stole the one person you loved away… Well, Herrick was lucky he was already dead. 

“Thank you for the tea,” you said, standing up. “But I have some things in town I need to take care of.”

“Do you want some company?” 

You shook your head. “It isn’t really the kind of thing you’d want to be at. I’m seeing an old friend. Vampire stuff.”

“Oh, no thank you. I’ve had enough vampire problems after taking on the funeral parlor.” She materialized into the living room. “Be careful! I’ll put on some more tea for when you get back!”

If you came back. 

Friend was a strong word for your relationship with the new couple in town. 

You waved goodbye and went out the door, finding her already waiting for you. 

“Well if this isn’t the most adorable thing I’ve seen in decades,” Daisy jeered. “Y/N and Mitchell, together again.” 

You whipped around in time for her to pin you to the wall. 

“Did you miss me, dear?” Daisy grinned. Her arm crushed your neck. 

“Let's not cause a scene, darling.” Ivan strolled casually up the walk toward both of you. He eyed you and smiled. “We have a lot to talk about.”

-

Mitchell leaned on his mop, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He’d been like this for several minutes now. 

“Uh… Mitchell?” George waved a hand in front of his face, having stumbled upon him on his way to fold towels. “Earth to Mitchell.”

The vampire blinked, refocusing on his flatmate’s face. “I’m fine,” he blurted. 

“Right, well, the floor is soaked, mate. I almost broke my neck over here.” He patted Mitchell on the back. “Maybe you should take the day? Go check on…”

“No, I’ll be okay. I just got distracted, that’s all.” 

George opened his mouth, but Mitchell cut him off.

“I said I’m fine.”

George held up his hands, rolled his eyes, and walked away, nearly slipping on his way out. 

Mitchell shook his head to try and clear his thoughts and started to work again. 

Another skidding step slid behind him. “What the fuck-”

“George, I told you I’m-” He turned around and stopped, finding a woman in a white coat. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“And I thought you were supposed to be doing your job,” she snapped. 

He was taken aback. “I am.” He pointed toward the sign he’d put up to warn people of the wet floors. 

Her dark eyes softened a little. 

“Shit.”

“But go on, what were you saying about my job?” He didn’t say it with malice. He was too tired for that. 

The doctor ran a hand down her face before sticking it out to him. “I’ve had a long day. You are.”

“Mitchell.” He shook it tentatively. “And don’t worry about it.”

She gave him an awkward smile and backed away. “Carry on, then.”

Mitchell followed her. He couldn’t help it. He was intrigued by her. She was the first interesting thing to happen that had nothing to do with his past or the vampires or… you. 

“Wait,” he called out. “You didn’t tell me your name.”

She turned back around, giving him a small smile. “It’s Lucy.”

[ibrithir-was-here]

Hi! I liked your idea of Quincy Harker in WWI, so I stayed up until 5am to research this. I have no idea what you have in Blood of My Blood's Quincy's birthday, I haven't read it because it looks too depressing for me(That's good thing on your end, it comes across great.)

I forgot were I read this, but I think you said that you headcanon that Quincy was already in the womb when Mina was bitten, so I'll just guess September. At that point, Quincy would be a June baby with me just randomingly choosing the date of the 13th. At this point, the Military Service Act 1916 was drafted in January 27th and would go in full effect in March 3rd of 1916, Quincy would be still 17 for at least four months until his 18th birthday. If he has the same luck as his father, he'd be one of the first drafted as soon as he turned 18. Keep in mind, this is the earliest that Quincy can join the BEF at the youngest he can, and that's if he got conscripted. I don't know if he volunteered.

That would mean by the time he's in training, the Battle of the Somme is underway, a near month later after his birthday anywhere in June. From there, I'll list where he could potentially be, since training takes about 3 months or more in WWI, even then, if not 1916, then definitely 1917, it's more to the point that if Quincy joined during 1916, he'd be in the trenches for at at least 2 years by the end of 1918.

Quincy would be in the Devonshire 11th Regiment, nicknamed "The Bloody Eleventh", since he was raised in exeter. With that, here are the potential groups he'd be in:

-1st Batallion, 14th Brigade, 5th Division.

-2nd Batallion, 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.

-8th and 9th Batallion, 20th Brigade, 7th Division.

And this is just only for the Western Front, which I assumed you'd want him to be. From this, the following battles are where Quincy fought most likely starting at the end of the Somme Offensive:

1st Battalion:

-Battle of Morval(Battle of the Somme, XIV Corps), last phase of the Somme Offensive (1916).

-Battle of Arras (1917).

-Battle of Passchendaele (1917).

-German Spring Offensive (1918).

-Hundred Days Offensive (1918).

2nd Battalion:

-Battle of Passchendaele (1917).

-German Spring Offensive (1918).

-Hundred Days Offensive (1918).

8th and 9th Batallion:

-Battle of Arras (1917).

-Battle of Passchendaele (1917).

The 7th division is strange because it was also choosen to help the Italians in thier theatre so....

-Battle of Vittorias Veneto (1918).

As well, I read that fic on Ao3 about Lu and Quincy, with Lu mentioning to be overseas helping in the war. So in this case, she'd be either in the VAD Red Cross or in the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. There isn't much info on women's nursing role in WWI, but from the few I gathered, Lu either way would be one of the 2,280 in the QAIMNS to go help, or if she went into the VAD, she'd be one of the 8,000 to go overseas.

I think there was an age cap to be a nurse, at least before the war, I think it still had it, with it lowered to being 21 year of age. So if Lu did go overseas, she'd at least be 21 at the time.

Oh wow!!! This is some amazing research here thank you!

So Quincey's Bday in the Blood of My Blood timeline is moved up from when it would be in the more Canon timeline, so that he can like, actually be in the AU xD and is on the eve of St. George's Day, May 5th. He probably doesn't join the war on the front lines in BoMB as he's not technically a British citizen and so can't really be drafted, but he does help Arthur with his spy efforts during the war!

(Also for all the depressing bit of BoMB there's also a lot of cuteness with Baby Quincey and later with Quincey and Lu, and we're actually at the last chapter if you ever do care to check it out :)

But yeah holy cow this is amazing info for a Canon timeline Quincey and Lu! I'm super touched and speechless that you went through all this effort thank you so much! 💛💛💛💛

(Also I did picture Lu as a VAD yeah)

[schofielded]

so sorry, i'm gonna need a raincheck for tonight. yeah it's an emergency. i gotta listen to Engländer by Thomas Newman for ten hours straight. yeah i really have to deal with this right now. sorry.

Oh thank GOODNESS. I didn’t want to be the one to cancel, but something’s come up and now I have to listen to Mentions in Dispatches by Thomas Newman from the 1917 soundtrack, also for ten hours straight. It’s gotta take priority, you understand. Sorry and best of luck to you as well

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

(from paper to screen, the comparative study continues... Back at it again)

Season 1 episode 4 [The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood With All a Child's Demanding] - part 1/2

- Oh, the sun! Hello, the sun. You're not a familiar presence here.

- Eyyy, we're opening with another Armandaniel scene. I mean, that Rashid guy and our Danny boy. "Mr de Pointe du Lac will be resting today" - Armand what does that meaaaaan. Armand giving Daniel Claudia's diaries. Oof. Are we ready for the paiiiiin.

- Shout out to the props department because those diaries are so pretty.

- Shout out to Bailey, I adore her voice.

- [Lestat] "'You were ready to abandon our home, and now you want a third.' [Louis] 'I just need her not to die. Please.'" - you know, there are hospitals. Yeah, skin grafts are not a thing in 1917, but the hospitals can still help her... She is not your penance.

Fascinating the way the scene completely changes tone and atmosphere in Lestat's recollection. Though, which one is the most real... Memory is a beast. But Louis remembers it as something quite romantic in a way, life blossoming out of darkness. Meanwhile, for Lestat, Claudia's rebirth is mired in desperation, anguish and Louis' loss of control. And the way Claudia writes it, well, she never had a say in it, didn't she? She was ready to die, she welcomed death. And then she was pulled back from it and thrust into a new life, and like she says, "I decided to make the best of it".

- [Louis] "'It's a special trick only folks like us have, like the nails and the teeth.' [Claudia] 'So you can hear me, but he can't? That make him the dumb one?'" - oooh, ouch. Right from the beginning, it's Louis and Claudia, and then Lestat left behind. You can hear the abandonment issues making themselves louder.

[Lestat] "'I'll teach you, just like I taught Louis here. But not if we're going to have family secrets.' [Claudia] 'We're a family?' [Louis] 'Yeah, but with no secrets.'" - points afforded for trying. Also, the different roles are already made: Lestat teaches how to be a vampire, Louis upholds humanity and family values. And Claudia is an excellent student...

Love how she immediately calls them "Daddy Lou" and "Uncle Les".

- [Louis] "Looks like she take after me" - aw, Lou, baby. You couldn't be more wrong.

That first hunt is interesting. First the way they talk about Claudia's outfit - she's a doll to them. It's all about how they can mold her, how they can make her into a reflection of themselves, and which one will have more influence, will be more represented in her. What she wants, who she is, barely even enters into consideration.

Secondly, there's the speed with which Claudia adapts to hunting. The way she lures the policeman by humming, playing the lost little girl, that's not something she was taught, that's something she's learned to do herself, naturally, instinctively.

- [Lestat] "An ominous observation, her young lady metabolism is permanent now" - nooo, you don't say? At least Lestat is aware. Welcome to eternal teenagehood. What a hell.

[Lestat] "'Histrionics.' [Louis] 'Some sleep is what she needs.' [Lestat] 'Sedation is what she needs.' [Louis] 'She'll settle.'"

Let me die of laughter first, that banter is perfect. Total old married couple vibes. Now. Looove how they're here talking about Claudia while not even paying attention to her. They're in their bubble, remodelling their family life as if their third member didn't have their own agency and free will, as if they could control and predict how she'll act, and meanwhile Claudia's like "sayonara dummies, I'm starving and I've got all the power to help myself, don't need you". And ain't that gonna be the heart of the matter, control versus freedom, life as a unit versus individual agency.

- Really love the way they show Claudia's... Is it madness? Is it the chaos of teenage hormones being brought to a hundred by vampirism? In any case, she is all over the place at the beginning. Eating human food and repainting the walls with it, playing with the sun's fire...

- [Louis] "'The sun comes up, we go down. That's never gonna change. We've got rules, Lil Miss.' [Claudia] 'Rules are for fools, Daddy Lou.' [Louis] 'Keeping you safe, little waif.'" - excellent back and forth, top notch, rhymes comprised. Nothing to say.

- [Lestat] "'She talked to the book again. Why do you talk to the book?' [Claudia] 'The book is my friend!' [Louis] 'The book is her friend.' [Lestat] 'The book is a book.'" - parent 1 being completely befuddled by their child, parent 2 being overly indulgent with that same befuddling child and patiently telling their partner "there there. She'll make sense to you one day".

- The fight in French, lmao, I'm wheezing. But aside from the humor of the scene, there's the important, deeper part too: Claudia asking questions, as all teenagers do, and Lestat refusing to answer. Lestat's refusal to tell either Louis or Claudia his history is another one of those extremely crucial point at the centre of the conflict.

- The coffin scene, how Louis gets seriously into the roleplay (I see your kinks, Lou), and when Claudia doesn't play along and the guy gets suspicious, how he knows immediately what Lestat's about to do, without even looking at him.

- "A girl vampire needs her own space if she's gonna find herself in this no-day world. And diary, you can already tell, the words come easier when you're locked in tight, wrapped in pink satin and Daddy Lou's feet ain't in your face. It's just me, my pen, my brain, my heart and the blood of the street car conductor I drained after he got off work. Thank you, street car driver. I hope they got more of you at your company to fill in for you. It's never great waiting for the car, especially when the weather gets hot."

She's just like me fr fr. Joke aside, round of applause for Bailey's narration, and another for the writers. There's something so innocent still in this Claudia, something pure and untouched - despite the great ease and joy she has in killing and feeding. Like a baby bird...

And then spying on her parents getting it on, but also, aaaaw, soft Loustat scene. What halcyon days.

- [Louis] "Sometimes, old people don't like talkin' much about the past. Sometimes, you gotta be careful where you dig, you understand." - what kills me here is Louis' understanding. He's fine with Lestat not telling him where he's from or who turned him. He's aware Lestat's already old, and may not want to revisit painful memories, just like he himself doesn't want to revisit Paul's death or his human family rejecting him.

Now the thing is, in the book, Lestat arrives in NOLA barely 30 human years old and 11 in the Blood, with his very human and very old and very sick biological father. So this Lestat and this Louis are starting more or less from an equal point, both starting this journey as vampires more or less together - yes, Lestat has 10 more years of being a vampire plus old secrets that are not his to divulge, and two other fledglings, one who goes insane and dies, the other one who wants nothing to do with humanity and prefer the wilderness. Louis is his first real companion, in a sense. The first who chose to come with him - Gabrielle he brought because she was dying, Nicki because it was the only way to protect him from Armand's coven. Louis, he brought him in because he chose him and Louis said yes, and Louis does stay with him willingly and lovingly - at least for a while. While they were both still regaining some equilibrium. Before the lack of answers, the lack of total trust, and their respective issues and trauma reared their heads, and then Claudia happened.

But here, Lestat has a century of advance on Louis. He has a whole history. And Louis is aware of this history, even if he doesn't know the details, and he doesn't feel like pushing. He wants to keep the peace. Alas they still have the same lack of trust, communication and the same issues to deal with.

- [Claudia] "'How does it work, love between two men?' [Louis] 'I don't know. Works like... It works like love.'" - I need an edit of s1 Claudia asking that and s2 Claudia going "now I know what two fat cocks etc". And character development! Louis is fully alright with his sexuality now. AND it is love, that's literally him admitting it.

- MUSLIM ARMAND YES PLEASE. Hi Rolin Jones please, pleaaaaase confirm Muslim Armand in season 3 pleaaaaaase I'm begging on my knees.

[Rashid/Armand] "'Do you have what you need, Mr Molloy?' [Daniel] 'A cure for Parkinson's?'" - careful what you wish for, Danny. He might take you up on that a bit too literally.

[Daniel] "For a killing machine, I kinda like her." - yeah, me too.

[Rashid/Armand] "Dubai is a child, Mr Molloy. No one's a native." - little nod to book Armand, that, Daniel pinpointing Kazakhstan or Crimea as his origins. And interesting little insight into the mind of a 500yo guy. He's seen empires rise and fall, ancient cities levelled down... What is Dubai for him but a mere second of existence?

- "Daddy Lou, when am I gonna grow into this? [...] Kill, spend. Kill, spend. Then the next thing you know, the leaves are turnin'." - that scene is fascinating. Not just Claudia starting to realise she'll never change and also be a little girl, but also, the visual itself. Lestat and Louis sharing a dance, lost in each other, in their own little world, and Claudia standing in the corner, isolated, alone, lost staring in the fire. That speaks for itself.

And the Lioncourt domestic family life carries on undisturbed... For now.

episode 1 | episode 2 | episode 3 | part 2 | episode 5 | episode 6 | episode 7