#and I love how Eleanor is now like honestly trying to help them out
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#tales of Berseria#tob#tales of#magilou mayvin#eleanor hume#hahahaha I mean she’s right though#rokurou was counting how many crimes they’ve committed and it’s like#I love my criminal gang 😭😭#and I love how Eleanor is now like honestly trying to help them out#junk
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What I love about Ghosts is how much of a slow burn the enemies to found family is. Yes there's a pretty big leap from "tried to kill her" to "forced allies of convenience" in the first two episodes, there needs to be to set up the premise, but after that there's such a gradual build up to a real cosy feel in the group.
It would have been so easy to have this dynamic reach its peak by the end of S1. There's a few soft moments like Alison talking to Pat's family and the Friends sofa bit outside but only after Pat explains to her how important the moonah ritual is to Robin. But it's not enough to make them that close yet and in the finale the ghosts mostly want Alison to stay for their own convenience, except Kitty and Thomas, with Fanny only just beginning to accept Alison is part of her bloodline. Captain still wants them gone but concedes to help them stay more for the others. Alison is touched by the gesture of the jewel but still admits that it's a nightmare living with them and wants to leave - and only stays because Captain screws her over via manipulating Kitty.
S2 starts with her waking up and sighing about how she's still "living the dream" (aka her nightmare). However, so we're not quite on the same page as last season, she has now established a routine with the ghosts and knows what each of them need. There's a feeling of comfort beginning to creep its way in, even if they still annoy her. And they're still not willing to help her at the drop of a hat, especially Julian unless he can get something in return, and some will go as far as to work against her when she's trying to make the house look haunted. Had the Grey Lady episode took place in S5 you know they would have all jumped at the chance to help Alison whatever she asked. But this series has a lot more episode focused on Alison connecting with the group like learning about how Thomas died and the Captain's past and Kitty's kinda sad childhood, so it feels natural and heartwarming when they all come together to help protect the house from burglars for her and she appreciates out loud how they're not as selfish as when she first came there. And they all do what they can to help with the wedding, partly for it to be a success for Alison but also just to help. Honestly on my first watch, with the snow and everything, I thought that was the Christmas special! So it lead in nicely to the actual one. Because the gang are finally at the stage where Alison would be comfortable spending Christmas with them and they all come together to sing with her to make her happy, even Robin who thinks Christmas is just a recent fad.
Series 3 is where that leap from friends to family happens and is contrasted with Alison thinking she's found a long lost blood relative, which she confesses is something she's wanted as she never had a lot of family around her. I like that they didn't have Lucy be her actual sister that turned out to be a villain, as we already have an abusive sister with Eleanor, but it still serves as a parallel between her and Kitty to make Alison realise that she has found a sister, and more. Robin saying "welcome home" and the look on Alison's face is enough to let us know this is no longer just a project for her with some annoying pests to deal with. And the final shot of them all "eating" together is one of my favorites.
The show could have easily ended there if it wanted to. Or it could have gone on another two seasons with everything being perfect and wholesome. But it doesn't; because families are not perfect. We still have an episode centered around the ghosts trying to apologise for upsetting Alison, much like a bunch of kids with an overworked mother, and they want to make it up to her not for their benefits but because of what she means to them. Episode 2 also has Alison missing feeling needed by the ghosts when they're busy doing their own thing and realising she just wants to spend time with them, even if it's just something as simple as a walk with Robin. And when Mary passes on, Alison is absolutely devastated and puts aside her work duties to prioritise helping the other ghosts grieve. Then there's her joining (evil) forces with Julian to take on Barclay together. And the series ends with Robin, who began the show just enjoying scaring the shit out of Alison for the lulz, confronting his ten thousand years old ptsd and taking a bolt of lightning to save her husband.
That's four years of development. Compare this to the CBS version where they all click together a lot faster and we don't see nearly as much of Sam losing her temper with the ghosts, and plots always seem to be wrapped up so much quicker (the fact there was no apology from Thor for possessing her still irks me). This isn't necessarily a knock against the American version, their episodes are ten minutes shorter because of ads, and it's more of a style choice as well as Sam just being a far more patient character than Alison. I know a lot of people prefer that the show begins a lot more wholesome to start with so it's down to taste. For me the heartwarming moments mean so much more when they've been earned over a lot of struggle.
Take the climax of Series 5. It's one of the few moments of TV that have made me gasp out loud. I genuinely forgot that we never saw Alison find out Julian pushed her. I guess I assumed she found out off screen or worked it out when she realised Julian's ghost power. But it really was the perfect point for her to find out; because had it happened any earlier then she wouldn't have hesitated to leave with no amount of speech able to change her mind, and likewise Julian wouldn't have had anything to say to her. But as someone else pointed out, it's much more difficult to forgive someone you love for doing something truly evil, even if at the time you were less than strangers. It's a crushing betrayal for Alison to find out that someone she thought as family once tried to kill her but also that the rest of them kept it secret. There's no obligation or pressure for her to forgive them; but she chooses to, because it's been earned over more than three years. And to parallel the S1 finale, the other ghosts are desperate for her to stay (including Cap this time), no longer for their own convenience but just because they love her.
And now we wait in terror for the Christmas episode to rip all of it to pieces. 🥺
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Request: How about some jealousy headcannons for Velvet , Eleanor, and Magilou?
(Tales of Berseria) Velvet, Eleanor, Magilou Jealousy HC's
Honestly, I was waiting until I had access to the skit sprites, and now that I have, it's time to UNLEASH the Berseria asks that's been laying dormant for nearly a year.
Velvet's jealousy is quiet, and very terrifying.
Thinking about it logically, she really shouldn't be that angry about S/O simply talking to other people than her.
She was a Daemon after all. And yet, S/O chose to stay with her despite that.
And right now, they were doing anything but that.
It takes a long while for the jealousy to build up, but it's nearly ready to blow up.
S/O notices her glaring at them, and the person they're talking to.
After a few moments, Velvet realizes she's staring and quickly looks away, acting like nothing is happening.
S/O walks after her, with Velvet continuing to walk despite her name being called.
(S/O) "Velvet?"
(Velvet) "What?"
(S/O) "Are you alright?"
She stops walking and glares at them again.
(Velvet) "Fine. Why?"
(S/O) "You...just looked a little angry is all-"
Her eyes narrow as her fists clench.
(Velvet) "A little?"
(S/O) "O-Okay, really angry! I'm sorry I haven't had much time for you lately, I've just been trying to get supplies and-"
(Velvet) "I said it's fine. Better for us to be stocked up anyway than wasting time."
She tries to play it off, but S/O knows her better than anyone at this point.
(S/O) "Well, I could use your help carrying some of it back to our rooms. And...I'd like to have some time alone with you, actually. There's this pretty spot near the inn we can sit down at!"
Velvet simply sighs and her shoulders relax a little.
Choosing to not mention the blush on her cheeks, S/O gently grabs her hand and squeezes it for reassurance.
Velvet says nothing else and lets them hold it for a few more seconds before slowly letting go.
(Velvet) "Come on, show me where we're putting the supplies."
Eleanor feels guilty for even thinking about being jealous.
The two of them were busy, especially on a journey like this, romance was almost impossible. She knew this, and yet...
Eleanor pouts when she sees S/O speaking to the other members of the group and goes off to be alone for a moment.
Maybe some fresh air would clear her head.
The sun was about to set, watching it glisten along the coastline they were on.
(Eleanor) "Maybe during the voyage, we could...-"
(S/O) "Eleanor?"
Eleanor nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears S/O voice come from behind.
(S/O) "Are you okay? You look upset."
(Eleanor) "A-Ah...Don't worry I-..."
Eleanor thought S/O was too busy to notice her lately, yet the fact they noticed her leaving in a crowded inn made her guilt grow.
She cuts herself off before simply sighing and clearing her throat.
(Eleanor) "I'd like to get dinner with you, if you don't mind."
(S/O) "Oh, sure. I can grab the others and-"
S/O immediately noticed Eleanor's body posture change, both her hands going behind her back.
S/O gently smiles at her before nodding.
(S/O) "There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish. Where do you want to go? My treat, tonight."
Eleanor smiled back and nodded.
(Eleanor) "I recall seeing an interesting food stand in town. Perhaps they're still open?"
Magilou doesn't really get that jealous.
She knows when people are lying or being serious.
She also is very much aware of herself, and how she truly feels.
Not to mention the incredible circumstances she and S/O found themselves in, going to assassinate a world leader.
With that being said, it would be remiss of her to not embarrass her S/O at every opportunity.
That was a sign of true love!
S/O is simply talking to Eizen regarding the Van Eltia.
And that was the time to strike.
(Magilou) "S/OOOOOOOOOOO!"
Magilou called out for S/O's name as she extended her hands and nearly tackling them to the floor.
Barely fending Magilou off of them, S/O stared at Magilou who began flailing at them.
Eizen gives Magilou an extremely unamused look while S/O tries to shut her up, with everyone looking at their direction.
The crew, port workers, the rest of the group, everyone's attention was on them.
(S/O) "W-What are you doing, Magilou?!"
(Magilou) "You barely spend time with me at all lately! As your beloved, I demand that you give me attention too!"
(S/O) "We were literally just talking ten minutes ago!"
(Magilou) "It's not enough!"
(Eizen) "Are you done? S/O has to get the supplies on the ship before sunset."
(Magilou) "This is a matter of the heart, Eizen! You wouldn't understand, for you do not possess a maiden of your own!"
(S/O) "I'll talk with you once I'm done, Magi! Just give me a few-"
(Magilou) "UGH! You wound me, S/O!"
(Velvet) "I'm about to give you a wound if you keep this noise up."
(Magilou) "Believe me, you'll understand my feelings once you have someone to call your own!"
#tales of berseria x reader#tales of berseria imagines#tales of berseria headcanons#velvet crowe x reader#eleanor hume x reader#magilou mayvin x reader#velvet crowe#eleanor hume#magilou mayvin
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✨Writing Interview Tag Game✨
Thank you for the tag @astarionancuntnin! 💕
When did you start writing?
Wrote my first story when I was 16 (original fantasy stuff that was just random scenes that I kept dreaming up when I listened to my sad girl music.) Then I started reading fanfiction and decided to have a go at writing fanfic when I was about 20. Was quite active in a couple of fandoms but gave it up when I was 25. And then BG3 happened and now I'm in my early 30s and having a great time writing fanfiction again!
Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?
I love reading all sorts, drama, horror (but not dumb 'everyone dies just because' stuff), mystery, romance.
And I will write most things, not straight up gore though.
Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?
I used to try to be 'clever' with my writing until I realised that you have to be clever for that. 😁😂 I just stick to slightly quirky, light-hearted stuff with some angst thrown in.
So no, I don't think I get compared to any writers. 🙂
Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?
I mostly write on my laptop wherever I am at the time. At work during breaks, at home on the sofa (nestled between my dog and my cat), pretty much anywhere.
I have enough books in my apartment to sink a battleship (according to my grandmother), so I suppose the whole place has a bit of a 'library' feel. So, in a way my writing space is a library.
What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?
Dreaming up stuff before I fall asleep. I overfixate when I listen to music and replay the same scene over and over. Daydreaming helps me write dialogue and get a general out line, and THEN I will listen to the same ten songs on repeat. 😁
Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?
Cute fluff stuff. My last relationship was toxic and ended awfully, and just want to write about romantic tooth-rotting fluff. What can I say, I love love.
What is your reason for writing?
I work two jobs and very long hours, so just want to do something for myself. And I enjoy writing. Though sometimes I hate it too! Like when words are really not wording and I have to abandon something for a while before getting back into it.
Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?
I love all comments, although of course ones that go into detail about which parts readers liked are the best! Feedback is crucial. I realise that my writing is definitely not the best out there (I'm working on improving it!), but if readers find the story moving and enjoy the way I portray their favourite characters and tell me, it honestly makes me tear up sometimes.
How do you want to be thought about by your readers?
I'm not sure exactly how to answer this tbh. 🙂 Approachable, respectful, friendly. I am not sure that this is exactly how I am come across, but I hope that everyone feels that they can send me a message/ask and not feel silly for it. I love chatting and doing challenges and things. If you sent me something and I did not respond, I'm either working on it or Tumbl didn't tag me properly.
What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?
Dialogue, at least this is the part that I enjoy writing. The banter between Astarion and other characters especially.
How do you feel about your own writing?
I feel dumb when I make dumb mistakes and notice them after posting. I try to spot them by reading out loud.
But I do love my stories because I love the characters. When I finished my first run of BG3 I immediately started writing. What a wonderful game to have inspired so many creatives!
I adore works by many writers, like Maugham (especially 'Theatre'), anything by Bradbury, Tolkien (of course), Maupassant etc. I cried when I read Gail Honeyman 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine'. But I don't think that I would ever try to write in their styles. Not for any particular reason, I just write better when I don't try to 'reach for the Moon', because then I just get upset that my writing is crap in comparison.
When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?
Both, that's for sure. I write stuff and find it delightful and funny, and then remember that I find oddest things funny. And then I think, is this weird? Ah well, we ball!
No pressure tags 💖: @preciouslittlebhaalbae, @clazberryk,
@inkymoonbunny,
@ladyduellist, @cinnamontails-ff,
@silent-words, @anacdoce, @bellasmumblingsandmusings,
@fangbangerghoul, @mellybaggins, @lavenderfluorite14, @waterdeep-weavemoss
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!DNDADS S2 EP44 SPOILERS!
aTONYment??? what does pepperoni tony have to so w this. oh my god are they gonna visit him in heaven or something. wtf is happening. guess i gotta listen and find out (im scared)
- BETH PLAYING AS NPC BETH MAY
- "ron... what ARE we?" WTF IS HAPPENINGGG
- ROGUE TAYLOR??????
- MORE GOOFY FREDDIE NUMBERS IM EXCITED
- NO NO DONT SAY THE LINCOLN FACT AS LINCOLN THATS GONNA MAKE ME SAD
- WILL IS SO SILLY i love that man
- i like the energy at the start of this one its fun
- wait is anthony doing a regular dad fact
- ANTHONY. 😭
- FREDDIE DEATH SOUND MY BELOVED
- DID LINCOLN JUST CALL HIS GRANDPA ZADDY. NEVER AGAIN
- "i had more fun in the other place" GREASE CAR FLASHBACKS.
- OMG EARLY HERMIE APPEARANCE (i choked on my food)
- "no! we cant! my scene partner!" they are so besties (worsties)
- "MY FUTURE LIFE PARTNER" HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK OAKWORTHY CRUMBS. OH M GOD . FUTURE LIFE PARTNER.
- MEATBALL SCARY
- TERRY JR SOON. GUYS
- oh wow beth hasnt cast unseen servant since. goth
- ANTHONYS BABY VOICE
- so lincoln is looking for the eleanor shellstrop okay (this whole heaven/hell stuff has just constantly been reminding me of tgp)
- "he looks up at them asianly" has the same energy as the "cries in spanish" meme
- FREDDIES LITTLE SONG HAS ME SCREAMINGGGG
- ARE TJEY ACTUALLY GONNA FIND TONY. OH MY GOD
- WOW ALL U GUYS THAT WERE JUST TELLING ME HOW U MISS PEPPERONI TONY. HOW ARE YALL FEELING
- SCARY HAS A CHANCE TO APOLOGIZE.
- 4:30 MILE IS ACTUALLY INSANE. MATT.
- HOW DID WILL FORGET THAT SOCCER IS LINKS WHOLE THING
- GOD LINK CALLING NORMAL OUTTT
- HERMIE. FUCK OFFFFF
- SPARROW OFFERING NORMAL A HUG????
- FUUUUUCK. NORMAL
- help i would like to interrupt for just a sec to say that in the middle of the episode just now i got hired at spirit halloween. dndads reference GAKDJD
- TONY WAS WAITING FOR MARGARITA WAAAAA
- SCARY SOUNDS SO NERVOUS NOBODY HMU
- IM GONNA CRY. I CANT DO THIS
- PLZZZZ LET THEM SEE MARGARITA AGAIN PLZZZ
- SCARY WHY WOULD U ASK IF IT HURT :[[
- WHAT IS THE VIBE OF THIS SCENE. HELP
- NOOOO I NEED SCARY AND MARGARITA TO INTERACT AGAIN. THEY ARE GFS
- SCARY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT....
- THEY ARE BEING SO AWFUL TO NORMAL. QUIT IT
- SCARYS TALKING ABOUT TERRY. END ME
- "he never knew me when i was someone to be proud of" OOOUGHGHHH
- IF THAT FUCKING SWORD GOT INTO HERMIES HANDS. THEY WOULD BE UNSTOPPABLE
- NORMAL. BURIES MY HEAD IN THE FUCKING DIRT
- ooo normal dragging the sword would make cool fanart
- i honestly love salty normal but it also makes me really sad
- SCARY DIDNT INCLUDE HERMIE AMONG HER SPOUSES????
- TY WILL FOR REMEMBERING NICKY
- TAYLOR DEFENDING HIS DAD AWWW
- WTF IS THIS FIGHT???? HELLO??
- IS NORMAL FINALLY SNAPPING. IS THIS HAPPENING
- "I AM JEALOUS I DONT HAVE ANY COOL DYNAMICS W ANYBODY!!!" FUUUUUUCKK
- i cant do this i feel sick im SICK
- "why are they arguing i thought they liked each other" WHAT IF I BURST INTO TEARS RN.
- THE NORMAL ANGST IN THIS EPISODE IS TOOOO MUCH FOR ME
- NORMAL PUT THE MASCOT COSTUME BACK ON. FUCK. FUCK
- "ME AND MY THREE BEST FRIENDS AND MY FUTURE BOYFRIEND" GUYS. GUYS I CANNOT DO THIS
- THESE KIDS ARE SOOOO TRAUMATIZED WHAT THE HELLLL
- OH RON WAS IN SCARYS POCKET
- TERRY IS IN THE "PLANES OF MISERY"????
- "maybe he saw what u could be" BETH.....
- LINKS TRYING TO TALK TO NORMAL AGAIN PLZ END MY SUFFERING
- TERRY AND GLENN ARE FUCKING FIGHTING EACH OTHER????? WHATTTT
- OH NEXT EPISODE IS GONNA BE WIIIIIILD DUUUDE
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i’m a huge fan of Jenna as Flora and in that spirit can i get little glimpse of the relationship between her and Tommy. Diane is the first daughter but Flora strikes me as a more quiet one and kinda reserved like Tommy.
Can there be like a moment now that Diane is out of the house (chasing her man) and Charlie is out trying to forge his own path Flora kinda feels some loneliness. Or she’s really scared due to WW2 fearmongering and asks her daddy (who works in the government) if their family is gonna be okay?
I kinda love in the show how Tommy let his guard down with ruby (rip OG) and showed her a side of him he doesn’t really show anyone not even lizzy. He was truly relaxed and jovial when he had her in his arms
Safe
Some Florence and Tommy fluff, sprinkled with angst and mild spoilers for Tie your heart to mine
Gif by @shxrpeava
1940
When Florence turns ten, war is declared on Germany and its allies.
Charlie leaves and trains as a pilot, Diane rushes to marry Tom because neither want to die without knowing what could have been after nearly he almost died in the Battle of River Plate, Gabe begins joining a boot camp after school to do his part and Flora finds herself all alone in Arrow House most of the time.
At school they are taught what to do in case the enemy attacks, how to provide basic first aid and that Germans will come like they do in her father’s nightmares.
Daddy is hardly home, mami is busy making sure everyone is prepared and eventually everyone is told to come here and hunker down because it won’t be long until the bombings start.
And yet, having the house filled to the brim has her feeling lonely.
Doesn’t help everyone whispers about what the Nazis are doing to their people.
Her mother mutters a curse to them , the Germans, especially one called Mengel, when she is told by Esme about what the doctors are doing to Romany they capture.
Florence Eleanor Shelby is scared.
Scared that Tom died in Dunkirk, scared that Charlie gets captured by the nazis and he gets tortured for being Rom, scared that the German bombers will kill them here.
So she goes to the one who can tell her the truth about it.
Not mami who lies and tells her she sees the war coming to an end and them defeating the nazis and their allies.
Flora goes to her father, the man who is second to the leader of his party and part of the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
He’s working, or hiding from everyone, in his office.
She is careful to not make much noise and yet he knows its her even without looking up from his papers until she is tugging at his sleeve for his attention.
He stops working and lifts her on his lap with a groan.
“Getting too big for this, sweetheart.” He said into her dark hair.
There is something about her dad that always makes her feel safe.
Between the smell of cigarettes, the mint he chews to hide it and the cologne mom makes for him in the stillroom, Florence feels safe.
Even when he isn’t here, she just comes into his office and wears his coat to pretend he is there with her.
It makes her feel safe, just like mami feels safe when she hides in her parlor from everyone and wears daddy’s shirts to sleep.
“Daddy, are we going to die?” she asks once she is comfortable.
“I don’t know, sweetheart.” He answered honestly. “But your mum sees Charlie coming home and Dia being happy with her Tom, you and Gabe growing up in a world after the war, so maybe if we work hard enough, we can have that future.”
“Do you really think so?” she asks knowing sometimes mami’s visions don’t come true.
“Yeah, I think so. Your mom’s never wrong.” He said before kissing the top of her head.
“Can I stay here with you?” she asks hoping he says yes.
“Don’t you want to play with your cousins, Flora?” he asks knowing why she’d run here.
“They’re too loud.” She answers and he laughs quietly.
They didn’t like too much noise, house feels too small and sometimes they just need to go outside where no one can find them.
“I’ll make you a deal, Florence, you let me finish up my work and we go to the stables once I’m done.” Her dad says and she nods in agreement.
“Can I ride Helsing with you?” she asks, dad’s favorite horse was the big black one that hates everyone except mami.
Says it reminds him of him.
“Only if you don’t tell your mother.”
#eva smith shelby#tommy shelby x oc#dad!tommy my beloved#dad!tommy#tommy and florence#florence shelby#diane shelby x tom bennett#tie your heart to mine fic#world on fire peaky blinders crossover#peaky blinders fanfiction
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Black Sails XII (S2E4) review
Before we actually get into the meat of this post, I feel the need to explain why there's such a big time gap between the last post and this. Honestly, I've just been swamped with uni. I've been writing this very gradually in bits and pieces so sorry if it feels a bit inconsistent. Hopefully I'll be writing more often during the summer.
Spoilers for up to and including E12.
"I want you to try to talk me out of it."- Thomas Hamilton
We start with Abigail Ashe alone in a cell. I don't have much to say about this starting scene other than that I just feel so awful for her. Looking at the mouldy food and still eating it was a particularly painful way of indicating just how desperate she was. Shockingly, Vane actually makes the situation somewhat better. I'm glad we didn't get another Max-esque storyline, which is a good indicator of the shift in the show's themes and tones, but also helps with the move towards portraying Vane as a more sympathetic character. Honestly, the whole Vane/Abigail dynamic is really interesting because they come from such different backgrounds but in some ways strike me as quite similar people, especially when Vane tells Abigail he cut Ned Low's head off and all she says is "good" (and she says it with such conviction)-- they're both people who've been through hell (for Vane this would have been much longer ago) and have found the strength to keep going, and I think they recognise that strength in each other. Then, on the other hand, there are the ways in which they are so obviously different from each other, to the level where it seems like they have difficulty even communicating, like when Vane is trying to ask if Peter Ashe would pay Abigail's ransom, and Abigail sees it as asking if her father loves her. Arguably this is not the point, as there are other reasons for paying the ransom (like maintaining a clean external image) and, notably, AA doesn't respond with something along the lines of "of course he loves me", but instead reassured Vane that "he'll pay what you ask", but still the fact that Vane didn't even think to frame his question in terms of love really reveals the isolation in which he must have grown up. There's also the moment when Vane asks if Abigail can write (I feel like we established that Vane is illiterate in a previous episode or maybe that's me remembering it from previous watches) and Abigail responding "of course", showing that not only does she have this skill that Vane doesn't but that, in the world that she comes from, it's inconceivable that someone wouldn't be literate. Honestly, I just really love this dynamic.
While he may be able to secure a ransom for AA, Vane is otherwise in deep shit. He knows that Flint knows exactly where to place his ship to take advantage of the otherwise very secure fort, and he doesn't know how he worked that out. Of course, it's possible, given Gates' and Hornigold's relationship, that Flint could have known that already, but he isn't exactly wrong in guessing that there's something else going on. This situation really emphasises the fact that, although the fort's main strength (and purpose) is that it's difficult to break into, this strength also leads to a level of isolation when it comes to getting information in and out. Ultimately, there's no way for Vane to know for sure who's allied with Flint, and he's not exactly wrong in suspecting Eleanor and so, the Eleanor/Vane relationship gets (somehow) even messier! Honestly, say what you want about Eleanor, but she's good at getting what she wants. Somehow, she's managed to convince both Vane and Flint that she's on their sides and I'm honestly not sure whether she knows what side she's on but she's decided she wants strong allies either way and boy has she got them. This doesn't make anything better for Vane, though, and we know by now that he isn't exactly the negotiating type, so his threat to destroy all the ships in the harbour, while not exactly smart, is quite possibly entirely genuine. Actually, that threat pretty much sums up Vane's approach to tactics and negotiation: not nuanced, not necessarily too smart, but definitely effective in sending a message.
Flint, meanwhile is taking a slightly more tactical approach to things. Sure, he still wants to destroy Vane through pretty much any means possible, but he is at least a bit worried about what the destruction of the fort would mean. He knows, as we as the audience are slowly learning, that, as a "pirate republic", Nassau is constantly vulnerable to any forces of any empire that should choose to attack it and claim the territory as its own and he is also aware that there is a nearby British warship posing a very real threat to them. Eleanor, whose main interest at the moment seems to be the survival of an independent Nassau, preferably with her in a position of power, isn't thrilled with this idea, but she's evidently having difficulty convincing Flint that this reluctance doesn't come from her feelings for Vane, so he remains dedicated to doing whatever he must to get Vane out of the fort.
Through this dilemma (getting Vane out of the fort vs. preserving the fort) we get a bit of insight into how Flint sees himself as he turns to Silver for support (always a mistake). Silver has been sitting in the background for all of the discussions but not saying anything, which pretty much sums up his role in the plot at this point. He's accepted his role as Flint's right-hand man: managing other people & tasks for him as a kind of go-between, but now Flint is drawing him more into his confidence, asking if the pirates of Nassau "see [him] as the villain" in the conflict between him and Vane. We've seen bits of this heroes/villains mentality from him before (especially when you replace "villain" with monster") in his vision of him as a king and saviour of Nassau, driving it to become something greater that he will be admired and thanked for, opposing the portrayal of pirates as the enemies of England and how he became a monster to them. Silver is not the person to consult on this inner conflict, though. He initially seems to see this as a "are you with me or against me?" type question, reassuring Flint that, for as long as he remains Silver's best chance of getting his share of the gold, he'll stand by him. For Flint, however, who has just opened voiced his biggest insecurity to Silver, this was not the answer he was looking for. Oh, miscommunication, my old enemy. In light of this, I see his response of "it must be awful being you" as one of genuine bafflement at the difference between his and Flint's views of the world, less as one designed to mock/belittle Flint, which is probably how Flint takes it. These two are going to destroy each other.
Still, Silver goes to Nassau to do Flint's bidding and discovers none other than our good friend Billy Bones. We don't really get much of this so I don't have much to say other than that my heart broke for him when he asked for Gates. Nobody in this show can have a healthy father figure.
Eleanor, meanwhile, is doing all she can to stop Flint from firing on the fort, and decides that Miranda is her only option. Miranda, however, knows Flint better than Eleanor, and knows that no one can make him see reason when he's this focussed on something. Still, Eleanor pushes her and eventually crosses some kind of line, resulting in Miranda calling her out on how she has, up until this point "encouraged" Flint's violence. This is an interesting way to view Flint-- as if his violence is almost a separate being inside of him-- like Admiral Hennesy referred to his "darkness"-- that has grown over the course of his time in Nassau. It also sheds some light on Miranda's desire to leave Nassau-- it's not just that she's dissatisfied with her life on the island, but that she might be concerned for what it's turning Flint into. Now, on top of this reminder of how much the two of them have changed, there is a reminder of their old life-- mentioned by Pastor Lambrick in another one of his bitching sessions-- Abigail Ashe.
While most of the others are fighting over the future of Nassau, Jack, Anne, and Max are embroiled in some next-level relationship drama. At the beginning of the episode, we see Anne lying between the two, leaning on Jack, which pretty much shows their dynamic at that point-- Anne is torn between the two of them, but still feels closer to/safer with Jack. Jack, meanwhile, remains wary of Max, more so after he sees her teach Idelle how to seduce Featherstone, which is both a hilarious scene and one that shows quite how skilled Max is at manipulating people. I'm not saying that she's manipulating Anne, but Jack's not necessarily wrong in his concern that she could if she wanted to. Max seems to be operating under the assumption that Anne will have to make a choice between her and Jack and that, if such a choice were presented, that she'd stand a chance, but Anne's reassurance to Jack that "there ain't shit [Max] can do to get between [them]". Jack, reasonably, isn't feeling great about his whole situation, but Anne is very firm in her assertion that, compared to what she has done for Jack in the past, this is nothing and maybe he should just put up with it. To soften that blow, something finally goes right for Jack and he gets not just a ship and crew, but his much-desired position as captain. You win some, you lose some, I guess.
This is a big episode for the flashbacks. We transition to the first flashback with a ticking clock, which is important for later episodes, just trust me on this. Shit is going down in the Hamilton household, but James and Miranda are in the clear for now. Instead, a new horrible father figure arrives on the scene. As Thomas introduces him, he is all his titles before he is Thomas' father, and it's clear from the beginning that they can expect no support from him and Thomas, the man that he is, decides that this is the perfect time to introduce another, significantly more controversial element to his and James' plan for dealing with the pirates of Nassau: the pardon. Both men know how dangerous this suggestion could be in light of England's war with Spain, which is why Thomas asks for James to talk him out of it, and why James tries his very best to do just that, appealing to both his authority as liason to the admiralty and his friendship with Thomas, but ultimately failing to convince him.
Then, Alfred Hamilton comes onto the scene. I think we could all see this kind of pushback against James & Thomas' plan coming at some point, but with Alfred Hamilton, it's personal, and he's cruel about it in a way that only someone who knows Thomas (and Miranda, to a lesser extent) could be. He consistently, almost doggedly, ignores Thomas' arguments, regardless of how convincing they are, and instead turns to James as an apparent voice of reason. It reminds me of how parents (and this is definitely vague and not at all from personal experience) compare their kids to one of their friends/peers to emphasise their failings, never saying but always suggesting that they'd rather have said peer as a child. But James is having absolutely none of this. If anything, hearing Alfred Hamilton belittle Thomas and mock Miranda is what pushes him to speak out, and boy does he speak out. He supports the pardons ("I found his argument to be persuasive"), Thomas' morals-- which Alfred Hamilton highlighted as a weakness of his son, as if he was too soft ("I find his intent to be good and true"), reveals Alfred Hamilton's lack of morals to be a weakness in his view ("I find [your intent] to be wanting"), and then kicks a fucking lord out of his own house. You can definitely see how this man ended up becoming one of the most powerful pirate captains of Nassau. But, in that moment of bravery, he's put himself (and Miranda, more so than she already was) "in the line of fire". Throughout the flashbacks, we've been told again and again how powerful Alfred Hamilton is and now James has made an enemy of him. I can't see how this could end well, but, in that moment, James doesn't care. In that moment, regardless of how much danger he may personally be in, his immediate instinct is to reassure Thomas, telling him that "[he's] a good man, [and] more people should say that, and someone should be willing to defend it". You can see how much it means for both of them. I doubt Thomas has ever had anyone stand up for him like that, with the way we've just seen his father treat him, and I'm not sure whether James has ever had anyone/anything to fight for in the way he's currently fighting for Thomas and his plan for Nassau. As the scene ends they both have tears in their eyes and so do I.
Now, in a break from my usual format, we're going back to Nassau for the ending scene because this really needs to be at the end of my review. It's always jarring to see the change from McGraw to Flint, the reminder of some disaster that we're yet to see. Flint and Mr Scott are talking about their memories of Nassau and Flint recognises Mr Scott's role in both Richard and Eleanor Guthrie's (he's possibly the first one in the show so far to do so) and actually asks for his advice (again, something that we don't see either of the Guthries do). Mr Scott, in his infinite wisdom, advises against Flint's ultimate goal of achieving complete control over Nassau, but this is probably the last piece of advice that Flint's going to listen to, and, instead, the word we end the episode on is "fire".
#i did it! i finished this! it has taken me literal months i'm so sorry#my posts#tv show review#episode review#tv reviews#black sails#black sails review#black sails spoilers#spoiler#tv shows#tv
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I know I’ve been offline for a while, but this whole month has been a rollercoaster and I feel like it's finally slowing down, so I figured I would give you a small life update before finally getting around to editing part 10! I haven’t gotten to read your new post, Eleanor, but that’s because I’ve been saving it as a reward for finishing up everything in part 11 and editing part 10 haha! I can’t wait to finally read it either later tonight or tomorrow!
Onto the more serious stuff, I suppose! Well, as I said in my last post, we started this month out getting rained on by our upstairs neighbors twice in the same week and someone damaging our front door locks (presumably to break in and steal while we were out). Great way to start February, I know! Thankfully, my brother Mike - technically, he's my sister, Honey's husband, but I call him my brother since we’ve known each other for so long - came over to fix the door and help us with our ruined ceiling tiles. Then, my great-aunt (91yo) got sick with the stomach bug and, while she is still recovering, she’s feeling well enough to not need someone with her 24/7. On top of staying with her for a while, I started three jobs in the first week of February (housekeeping and dog walking for a lady in town and PCA work for a bedbound woman in the area) only to have the first lady take my housekeeping hours away because she claims her mother could do it instead. Honestly, I was glad she took those hours back because I could barely tolerate the way that she was over my shoulder the entire time I was there. She knows that I've been a housekeeper since I was 16 and that I knew what I was doing, but I’ve come to discover that she’s a bit of a control freak in all aspects of her life, so I am more than willing to let someone else handle her housekeeping 😂
Next up, my sister, Honey, and her family got a new puppy named Vanya and she is the sweetest, most loving little crackhead in our family. She loves to snuggle and gives people dirty looks if they tell her she needs to go back inside, but she has a weakness for peanut butter and listens to whatever my niece tells her to do. Vanya isn’t even a year old and they've only had her for a short time, but I will hurt anyone who dares look at her wrong because she is the fluffiest little angel and I adore her
A small, more emotional dip in things came when my Uncle Doug came over with a truckload of all of my grandparents' and Uncle John's belongings. Uncle Doug moved into their old trailer before they passed and, since the three of them have passed away, he owns the house and wanted to see if we could go through all of their belongings since he is trying to fix the place up and has no space for everything. I don't know where he thinks we have the space for everything in our apartment, but we took it all nonetheless and used our old, practically unused computer room as storage as we went through 67+ years worth of my grandparents’ things. There were a lot of emotions for me and my mom to go through and even more things that my mom didn't know her parents and brother still held onto - my great-grandmother's high school diploma and things from her business among those items - but we really loved going through the disorganized chaos that was dropped on us on a random Thursday!
Now, onto today! After all of the chaos and stress that February brought us, I feel as though things are finally coming to a point where I'm ready to keep going with the way things had been. Today, Honey and Mike came over with my old laptop, told me to set it aside for a while, and brought me out to his truck where they showed me the project they had secretly been working on for months now: an actual PC just for me! It glows and so does the keyboard and mouse they got for me, and I just can't get over how cool it is! They told me it was much deserved because of all that I do for the people in our family, but I still don't see how even though the two of them and my mom took the time to explain it. I don't do any of the things I do for recognition or gifts, so it's very hard for me to accept such an insanely expensive gift for something I do out of love for my family and those around us. I know it certainly wasn’t cheap, I’ve wanted one for ages now and done hours and hours of research trying to find a good, cheap one. I suppose I'm still reeling from it all. It will definitely take me a while to adjust to everything, especially having a mechanical keyboard in place of my old laptop's keys, but I now have an actual desk and setup that I can write at and I couldn't be more excited to start this new chapter in my writing journey. It feels like a step in a better direction, if that makes any sense at all haha!
Anyway, I hope you aren't upset with me for taking this super long break; I really hadn't intended for it to be this long of a break, but I can't say that I didn't need it with everything else going on in my life. I should have the next part up soon after I get all of the editing done and get a moodboard made up for it. I just wanted to fill you in on all that's happened during my little break from everything on the internet. I can't wait to read your new story once I get everything finished! It should be a great reward after all the work I'll be putting into everything! I hope everything has been going well for you and that you have an amazing day! 💕😊
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man has a crisis and continues wathcing
i think im gonna finish it cuz honestly my brainhas been cooked for days. ive had 5 hours sleep as in 5 hours total these past 3 days and i cannot fucing operate on any higher plane than watch this popcorn tv shit
i think another way this would have worked so much better. and im on ep 7 btw. yes thats right. i blacked out now im on ep 7. is again if this was so much slwoer BECAUSE LIKE. i feel like all of these reveals, in og orphan black, would be spread out over like 2-3 seasons. not a condensed 8 episodes. and it would feel so much fucking better because of it
BUT ALSO. sorry that wasnt even my point. anyway just take kira out of it completely. everything i said about this not making sense cuz just resonates truer and truer the more i watch. but also i feel like her perspective is jsut..l. its not just a lame fucking "twist" to b egin with. but i feel like it would have worked so much better coming from eleanors pov
like listen. if we met eleanor FIRST and got to know eleanor FIRST it would have been so much more impactful to me. a slow reveal on who kira really is would have meant way more. but i think cuz theyre arbitrarily trying to tie it back to the og orphan black AND are trying way too hard to endear us to kira .... its like. whatever burger.
and i think that aside on her cheating.watching eleanor spiral and go off and do that whilst all the while convinced something is not right with her wife. if maybe her, jules and lucy... maybe if they had not got any close to their individual reveals, and this ENTIREEE SEASONNN was them trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with their lives and finally meeting at the END of the season. so wthere could be some tension some fucking build up some fucking feeling of stakes instead of jsut
ok. reveal reveal reveal. go from point a to point b. no crafting of actual situations that are hard to fight through. no complex layering of messes like in the original ob. thats what i liked about the showww man. ARGH.
its like again. its just so... shallow.
popcorn ass tv
they love an evil asian though dont they. they balanced everything out with our dear wes but help me
like darros and his little spawnling is also a cool concept if again. it was not like instantly fucking jsut. dropped.
i feel like they keep saying shit at the camera too. god help me
IS IT JUST LIKE THE WAY TV HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. LIKE IS THIS WHAT IT IS NWOW. sorry is that lame and cynical
also i have 0 fucking investment in lucy. i donot fucking care. they havent built up shit.
i fucking wish we could see some rawness from her. like jesus fucking christ. if the entire conceit of thecharacter is shes like lost and doesnt know who she is can we FEEL SOME OF THAT. PLEASE. MY FUCKING GOD.
AGAIN GOD ITS JSUT LIKE BACK TO BACK RVEEAL BUT ITS LIKE
LOOK YOU HAVE TO EARN IT FIRST IM SORRY YOU HAVE TO FUCKING EARN IT
ITS LIKE THIS SHOW DESPERATELY WANTS TO BE SOMETHING INSANELY GOOD BUT IT DOESNT KNOW HOW TO DO IT. LIKE THE PIECES ARE THERE AND THEY COULD FUCKING WORK BUT THEY WONT... DO ITTTT RIGHT HELP ME
i like how they say I'm a Printout
like who the fuck would understand any of this shit
IM
SORRY LIKE THIS SCENE WITH LUCAS I DONT EVEN CARE
AGAIN WHY ARE THEY GOING SO FAST IM JUST BEWILDERED NOW LIKE
bro iknow im on ep 7 i dont know if i can even do thsi
is that a cgi dog
WHY doeshe look like scooby do
also like god i dont know there is a way they could have done this in so few eps as well if they scaled it way the fuck back like hello help me
ok no
i think ihaveto stop watching this
#egg.txt#orphan black liveblog#its ok im giving up on it now sorry i#its not that its that bad even its just so nothing burger and i keep getting frustrated#i miss you original orphan black ugh
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The Reason
No Warnings Apply General Audiences Chidi Anagonye/Eleanor Shellstrop The Good Place Word Count: 1,284 Completed
Neither Eleanor nor Chidi had believed there was someone out there waiting for them, their perfect match. They didn't believe in the Universe picking and choosing soulmates.
But sometimes the Universe doesn't need to choose. Sometimes, soulmates just come to be.
The setting sun shone between the trees, casting a warm golden glow over the horizon. The wind had settled as the storm dissipated and the early evening light made the remaining raindrops shine like crystals. The fresh blooms of spring dotted in the field before them in rainbow hues added the final missing piece as the two gazed out to the distance.
“I didn’t actually think that Michael knew how to make something this nice. I mean, his neighbourhoods were good, but this is something else, right? Like, I’m not just imagining this right? Michael actually designed and made this right?” Eleanor whispered, not turning her head as she tried to take in the view in front of them. She couldn’t turn away, not if there was a chance of this being taken away.
Not if Michael screwed up or the Judge decided that restarting Earth would be a better choice than the answer they came up, that Chidi came up with.
Wonderful, wonderful Chidi. Chidi who needed a magic fridge to tell him want he really wanted for breakfast. Chidi who taught her philosophy and helped her become a better person just because she asked. Chidi, who she fell in love with almost 800 times. Chidi who sacrificed himself and his memories of them to try and save humanity. Chidi who found the answer to the biggest problem Earth and humanity would ever face.
Chidi who saw the good in her when no one else ever did.
“Actually, I think Janet made it. Tahani probably helped her with the aesthetics though.” Chidi interrupted her internal monologue, startling a laugh out of her.
“Probably yeah, but like. Michael probably agreed with them so they could actually make it, right? I think he has to like, agree to anything big like this that Janet makes. He did when I was pretending to be the architect.” She tilted her head up to face him, a gentle smile on her face. Her eyes had always held so much gentleness despite the anger and crassness she seemed to were like a mask. He lifted a hand to gentle push a lock of hair behind her ear before he spoke.
“Let’s go with that. Honestly, I don’t think I want to debate about how Janet works right now.”
“Good shout buddy.” He huffed out a short laugh at that, leaning down to press a short, sweet kiss against her lips. They settled into silence again, staring out at the view before them before Eleanor turned to face him again.
“How did you figure it out?” The confusion that laced her voice wasn’t something he heard often. He turned to face her fully, sliding his hand from around her shoulders to hold onto her hands. He paused for a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about.
“Figure what out?”
“How to save everyone. I mean, I spent a year doing Michael’s job, trying to get Brent and Simone to get along and be even just polite to each other and almost failed and you came up with the answer in less than an hour after I made Michael bombard you with centuries worth of memories and lives. I just don’t understand.” He stood in stunned silence for a minute before taking a breath as he gathered up the right words to say.
“I didn’t figure out the answer after you got Michael to wake me up. I guess I understood everything after all those resets. The note I gave to Janet was more than enough actually. I took a page from your book, so to speak. Remember before one of the early resets you wrote down a note for yourself and gave it to Janet, telling you to find me? Before Michael reset me for the experiment, I wrote myself a note. Something that would help if everything went wrong, or just if I freaked out over hundreds of years of memories. It was after a talked to Michael about resetting myself. I asked him whether soulmates were real, and for once he answered honestly.” He took a brief pause as he brushed his hand up against Eleanor’s cheek. “Michael said, that there aren’t any soulmates in the way I wanted there to be. There weren’t any preordained pairings chosen by the universe. But you come so close to being my soulmate, Eleanor, that it really wasn’t even a choice. Sacrificing myself and my memories of you for a year was one of the easiest choices I’ve made, because I knew that I’ll always love you and that I’ll always find my way back to you. Because despite what Michael says about there being no pre-chosen soulmates, you’re the reason I believe in soulmates. And there is nothing that could tear us apart. Not when you are the answer to everything I’ve ever been conflicted about. Even if we didn’t win, even if the experiment failed, or we couldn’t persuade the Judge, I know I’d still find you, in whatever came next. No matter what happens to us or anything else, I know that we’ll find each other, over and over again, because we already have, despite how many ‘soulmates’ Michael tried to torture me with.” Chidi’s thumb gently brushed away the few stray tears that fell from Eleanor’s eyes. “That’s what the note I gave Janet said. ‘There is no answer. But Eleanor is the answer’. Because without you being there throughout everything, I don’t think I’d be able to answer any question anyone asked me.” Just as Chidi finished speaking, Eleanor leant forward, pressing her face into his chest, gripping onto his hands like they were the only thing keeping her from lifting off the ground and floating away. He heard her quiet sniffles and slowly extracted on hand from hers to gently stroke small circles at the nape of her neck.
Neither of them said anything, letting the comforting touches they shared fill the silence around them. That was what was missing, Eleanor thought distantly, Janet forgot the add in some nature, maybe some birds or something. But the thought faded quickly as Chidi’s words continued to echo through her head.
It took a few minutes for her to lift her head up to look at him with a watery smile, but when she did, Chidi smiled back, even as she reared back to gently punch his shoulder.
“You are such a sap, you know that? ‘You make me believe in soulmates’ damn; how cheesy can you be?” Her words were sharp and teasing but the watery tone of her voice betrayed her, pushing past the façade she always wore.
“Alright, it was cheesy. But that doesn’t make it any less true. Besides, you’re just as much as a sap sometimes.”
“Yeah? Name one time.”
“I know Tahani and Janet didn’t come up with this view or the idea or leaving us alone here. I know that the flowers are your favourite colours but my favourite flowers. And I only told you how much I love the sunset. You came up with this, because Eleanor. You. Are. A. Sap.” He gently poked her cheek with each word and smiled at her. She smiled back as she brushed his poking finger away from her cheek, choosing to instead intertwine their fingers.
“Well, I didn’t actually think you’d call me out on that, but you’re right. It’s good though, right?”
“It’s perfect Eleanor.” Chidi smiled once again, leaning down to kiss her before pulling back with a cheeky smile. “It’s just missing some birds singing in the background.” Before she could respond, he kissed her quickly again, pushing all thought of arguing out of her mind.
#ao3 to tumblr#ao3 writer#writing#my fic#the good place#eleanor x chidi#chidi anagonye#eleanor shellstrop
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"Who said I ever stopped loving you?," I say to you as I stared back into your eyes. There was so much that I wanted to tell you but I was afraid it wouldn't change anything. I had a lot of my own insecurities and I was afraid it might be too late for you to give me a chance. I knew after everything that had happened, I was filing for divorce as soon as I could but I didn't know if you would ever take me back after what I put you through. "Yeah, that can definitely be something we look into.. I just want Haley to have a positive experience with her education and making friends. She is the sweetest little girl in the world and she deserves to have the best experience," I say honestly to you before biting my lip gently as I heard your question. "I would never want to abandon her. I am disappointed in her actions but she is my daughter and I do love her. I am sure with getting divorced, Eleanor and I will be fighting for custody," I sigh softly, knowing I had a long road ahead of me.
—-
I heard your words as my heart started racing. “I never stopped either,” I say softly. “Loving you that is,” I say softly. “Would you ever want to be with me again?” I asked softly. “I know Haley would love for that to happen,” I chuckled softly. “I want what’s best for a Haley and I think maybe sometime this week, we should look into that, online schooling for Haley. I just want her to relax right now and not worry about anything for a bit,” I sighed softly. I heard what you said afterwards, and I bit my lip gently. “I know this isn’t going to be easy for you, but you don’t have to go through this alone.” I tell you. “You deserve your rights as Brooke’s father to have custody. The divorce might not be easy on her or everything that comes along with what’s going to happen, but she’s still going to need you. She may be able to overcome this and mature from what’s happening,” I explained. “And I’ll be there by your side through all of this. I won’t influence your decisions because I know that can cause problems, but I’m here for you through it all,” I say sincerely. “Maybe somewhere in the future, like five or ten years from now, her and Haley can actually be sisters and not hate each other. They’re family too, and maybe having a sister can help Brooke. They don’t spend time with each other, I think that’s what they need, but maybe when they’re a little older but I want you to keep your relationship with Brooke, even if it means you having her here and Haley and I just keep a distance or whatever we can work out. Just don’t jeopardize what you can have with Brooke as she gets older or you’ll be a stranger to her too. You should be able to be with your daughters at the same time and not go back and forth between them,”
__
I blush a bit when you took my hand and I nod at you before heading out with you and getting us a car to take us to set. I hold your hand in the backseat as I looked back at you, putting my sunglasses on my head so I could stare back into your eyes. "I just want you to think about what you're doing, I guess.. You know how invasive the media and fans can be. I don't want people to know we're together until you're ready for that. Do you think we should tell the director that we're dating? It feels weird hiding it but I'm also protective when it comes to my personal life. I don't want anyone trying to keep us apart. Just spending the last 12 hours with you has made me feel happier than I have felt in a long time," I say honestly to you, blushing slightly.
—-
I heard what you said as I looked at you. “I understand what you mean, but I’m a grown man and can make my own decisions. And I’m fine with it all. I just think you need to be a little more confident when I tell you I’m okay with everything, I’m not like most guys. I just need you to trust me when I tell you something,” I say as I kiss your forehead. “We don’t need to tell anyone until we’re both ready but for now, I like the idea of us knowing for now and maybe we can announce it when we’re done filming?” I suggested. “The last 12 hours were amazing”
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not over Silver’s face when he thinks Eleanor is unchaining him
vs. when he realizes that she’s just chaining him back to the sofa
#black sails#it really is fascinating how Silver goes person-by-person trying to figure out what Exactly their issue with him is and how he can#exploit it in favor of his survival#bc no one is just Mad That He Stole The Schedule#first he figures out that Billy's issue is that he's upset with himself for lying to the crew#(which he will try to use to manipulate Billy upon his return in s2 which we will Discuss when we get there bc i love it)#and NOW he's figuring out that Eleanor's issue is that the schedule affair cost her her relationship with Max#bc she's blaming him for 'luring Max in' to try to shift some of the blame off of herself#so really - angry mob or not - Silver's convincing Eleanor that she shouldn't feel so personally responsible was very much in the#interest of his survival#bc if she doesn't feel so bad then she doesn't have so much blame to shift onto him#and (although he didn't Want To Do It) his being instrumental in the execution of Hamund and co. was also a massive help to him#really - things could not have gone better for Silver re: charming Eleanor and - by extension - keeping Flint from killing him#although i honestly have a hard time believing that Flint would have regardless?#like. if he had no appetite for torturing the information out of him initially - i don't see why he would kill him if they'd succeeded#like. if they'd taken the Urca (as they assumed would happen at the time) what would be the point of killing Silver then?#once the crew is so rich that they no longer give a shit who the Real Thief was and once Silver probably wants nothing more than to#take his share and skip town#i'm just rambling at this point - none of this matters#i just like the way Silver attempts to figure out what people have going on and manipulates them in the interest of survival#with varying levels of success#but i would count Eleanor as a Great Success#bs LB
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Must Be Our Lucky Day || Kate Bishop
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Pairing: Kate Bishop x Reader
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1226 words.
Summary: You and Kate meet at the park- but as you least expect it.
A/N: I am blaming @crescent-witch for flooding my mind with Kate Bishop. I couldn’t get this idea out of my head so I decided to make it into a one shot. I hope you enjoy!
Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform), copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3.
Masterlist
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GIF not mine
Must Be Our Lucky Day: Kate Bishop-
It was a Sunday Afternoon and you decided to make your way to Central Park. You were new to the area, having lived in Dallas your whole life, you thought that you needed a desperate change of scenery. Let’s just say your family life wasn’t the best.
Sure, you loved your Parents dearly, but with their constant snide remarks, and unrealistic expectations, you couldn’t stand their behaviour any longer. It was like anything you did was not good enough for them- to which they reminded you every day: ‘That degree won’t lead you to a promising career’ or ‘Surely you could have tried harder, it can’t be that hard’ and your ultimate favourite, ‘Stop being dramatic, everyone gets a little sad at times’.
You knew Dallas wasn’t the place you wanted to be, so that’s what led you here- New York City.
After a particularly hard-hitting, ‘roasting’ session from your Parents. You spent the night sending out job applications to anywhere that was willing to accept you- the further away, the better.
Most of your applications were rejected, however one company gave you a virtual interview request. You were extremely nervous, you knew that if the interview didn’t go well then you were going to be stuck at home, with another ‘failure’ of yours to be added to your Parent’s list.
However, what felt like hours was potentially the best job interview you’ve ever had. Your new boss- Eleanor, was so sweet, she was very accommodating to your requests and was very clear in what she expected from you in regards to the job.
“So, when can my new Marketing Assistant get over to NYC, to start?” Eleanor said, failing to hide her smile.
“No way! I got the job?!” You couldn’t help but scream, which was mildly embarrassing for you at that moment but seemed to make Eleanor laugh at your enthusiasm.
That was 3 weeks ago, and you can honestly say you’ve never been happier, you’ve got an amazing job, a new place to live. Everything is going your way for once.
Eleanor gave you the afternoon off since you’d done most of your meetings and just had a few files to finish and organise to which she wants on her desk tomorrow morning.
You were going to stay in the Office to finish them, but with the weather being absolutely gorgeous and sunny; you couldn’t refuse a day relaxing at the park.
You headed back to your apartment to fetch some supplies and change into some casual clothes, now armed with an old blanket; drinks and snacks since you didn’t know how long you were going to stay. You were all set.
You found a nice, open spot near a tree, not too shady but enough to stop you from overheating in the sun. You set up the area to your liking and put in your earphones trying to block out the noises coming from the families surrounding you. You set up your favourite playlist and sent it blasting through your earphones- probably a little too loud.
You gathered your work papers out of your bag and started to organise them, adding in bits of information when needed.
If your music wasn’t so loud you’d probably have heard the warning being directed your way of a very excited dog incoming.
Before you could react, you’re tackled to the ground by a very fluffy, and very cute Golden Retriever. You’re in the process of removing your earphones, which would be made easier if the mystery dog wasn’t smothering you in doggy kisses.
You throw your earphones aside, as you grab the dog off of you. Rubbing it all over, “Hello beautiful, where did you come from?” The dog gracefully sits down, offering you its paw, which you gladly accept, “Nice to meet you too”.
Your introduction is interrupted when a very frantic, but very pretty girl makes her way to you, almost shouting, “Oh my god, I am so sorry, are you okay? Of course you're not okay, you just got taken out by a dog. We were playing catch and I must have over shot the ball, which never happens because I'm usually very good with accuracy… I’m sorry I tend to ramble when I’m in this type of situation, I’m Kate and this fluffy bulldozer is Lucky”. She rubs at her neck furiously, clearly nervous at your impending reaction.
You let out a laugh at her antics, “Honestly, don’t apologise, it was an accident. Your dog is very handsome- aren’t you, you’re so cute, yes you are.” You continue to talk to Lucky in a doggy voice as you massage his ears, causing him to lean down into your touch and collapse on your lap. Giving you the opportunity to administer some well deserved belly rubs.
“Wow, he’s not normally like that with people he’s just met. You must really like dogs, huh?” Kate sits down on the ground beside you.
“Oh I love them, I’ve always wanted one but my Parents would never allow us to.” Your hands don’t leave Lucky as you talk, ensuring he gets lots of cuddles.
“I am so sorry again, here let me help you clean this up,” Kate starts to pick up the papers thrown across the blanket from Lucky’s appearance.
“Wait, you work for Bishop Security? That’s my Mom’s company!”
Your eyes widen at this statement, “How did you know?”. Kate points to the Company logo on the top corner of the paper to which you release a silent ‘ah’ of acknowledgment.
“Oh my god, you’re Kate!? The Kate Bishop! Your Mom has told me all about you.” Kate winces at this, knowing her Mom has a talent for over sharing.
“Yeah she does that, hopefully she only told you the good things.” Kate continues to bunch up the papers, trying to avoid your gaze.
“Oh most definitely, I actually was hoping to meet you someday, you can tell you mean the World to her.” Kate smiles at this.
“Well you probably didn’t think we’d meet by my Dog taking you out for a ball, which I think he has found”. You turn to see Lucky rooting through your bag, most likely eating the snacks you packed rather than seeking his lost ball.
“Anyway, since I probably ruined your day, and my Mom will never let me hear the end of this. Can I take you out for a coffee, you know as a thank you for being so nice about this but also a sorry that my Dog doesn’t understand the words, ‘slow down’.”
You laugh at that part, giving Lucky a gentle pat, “Of course, I’d love to get a coffee with you, just let me clean up and we can go”.
Kate stands to let you clear away your belongings, she walks over to put Lucky on his lead, kneeling down and whispering to him, “You can have all the pizza you want when we get home, who’s a good boy for getting me a date”. She gives him plenty of face rubs as Lucky barks excitedly from the mention of his favourite food.
“Oh, you never told me your name.” Kate reminds you.
“My name is Y/n”.
“Wow, even your name is pretty”. Kate’s statement causes you to blush furiously.
This seems like the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
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#kate bishop#kate bishop x reader#lucky the pizza dog#marvel#mcu#hawkeye#eleanor bishop#Hawkeye series#marvel fan fic#Kate bishop fan fic#slightly smarter nat#slightly smarter nat’s writing#hailee steinfeld#vera farmiga#new york city#central park#bishop security#kate bishop fluff#one shot#kate bishop one shot#lucky marvel#fan fic#kate x reader#kate bishop x you#kate bishop imagine
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#i wish to hear more #like i still appreciate the identity crisis #finding who else you could be #but also paxton's struggles with his intelligence and academic competence #i resonated with that #darren said we don't appreciate his book smarts enough !! #we really don't pls (via @dottable)
I think giving Paxton an identity crisis was actually a great idea. Love that for him (in the sense that it's an interesting narrative and gives him opportunities for even more character growth). The writers just took the laziest route possible to get there because they wanted to drag him back to Sherman Oaks asap but didn't actually care enough to give him a well-thought-out character arc.
There are two times in season one where someone insults Paxton for no reason, and he just brushes it off. The first time is in episode three, when Nalini arrives at the hospital, calls him "Dr. Walking HPV Infection", and tells him to get the hell out.
She's rude for absolutely no reason. It’s not like Paxton shoved Devi in front of the coyote to be bitten; he was just the person who drove her to the hospital after the fact. But he doesn’t get upset; he just waves at Devi and leaves. The next episode takes place a week later, but he obviously hadn't changed how he interacted with Devi, otherwise the narration would’ve told us. And he doesn’t hesitate at all to talk to her when he sees her kicking her locker during Ganesh Puja.
The second is in episode five, and, iirc, is actually Paxton’s first conversation with Devi’s friends.
Paxton: I think your mom was our server at Casa Mexico last night. She was cool. Gave us extra chips. Eleanor: What? That's impossible. Paxton: No, for real. Eleanor: No. My mother's an actress on a cruise that's currently docked in the vibrant city of Cancún. Paxton: All right. Well, my mom knew her and talked to her and stuff, but maybe she was confused. Whatever. [ he starts to walk away ] Eleanor, raising her voice: You don't know what the hell you're talking about. [ stammers ] You can't just start a rumor about someone's mom like that. Clearly, you think all Asian women look alike. [ shouting ] You're a racist, Paxton Hall-Yoshida! Paxton: I'm part Japanese. [...] Paxton: Clearly, this is touchy for some reason that I don't care about. Honestly, I didn't really think I'd have to talk to you guys for this long. Let's go.
He was trying to be polite and friendly because he and Devi are friends now, but he doesn’t get upset when Eleanor yells at him; he just moves on.
Even when Paxton finds out that Devi lied about them having sex (which hits his issue about people not really being his friend), it doesn’t affect his self-esteem. He just cuts contact with her for a few days before asking for her help with Becca’s portfolio and reconciling with her again.
The first time we actually see him get insecure is after the conversation with Nalini when he tries to return Devi’s dress.
Nalini: [ sarcastically ] Thank you so much, Paxton, for clearing that up. So, not only did you disobey me by going to this party last night, you were so sober, you fell into the pool, and then did God knows what with this boy in his car. Paxton: All we did was kiss. Nalini: You what? McEnroe: Paxton, these are very unforced errors. Nalini: Oh, Devi, this is just terrific. Great decision making. Why don't you just let this idiot knock you up? Maybe Princeton will allow you to raise a little baby in your dorm room. Devi: He's not an idiot. Nalini: Oh, I'm sorry. Is he an honors student? I had no idea. My apologies, Paxton. McEnroe: Even though Nalini was talking out of frustration more than anything else, Paxton was stung by these little digs at his intelligence. Paxton: I'm gonna go.Nalini: Mmm. You must have a very busy day returning dresses to other smart girls whose futures you're trying to ruin.
After all of that, Paxton becomes defensive in a way that we haven’t seen from him before.
McEnroe: Devi had hoped that kissing Paxton wasn’t a one-time thing, but ever since he showed up at her house, he had been a little bit, how do you say... distant? Devi: Hey. I haven't seen you all week. Paxton: Yeah, I've been busy. Devi: Cool. So listen, I'm sorry my mom was so crazy to you the other day. Paxton: It's fine. I don't really care what your mom thinks.
“I don’t care what your mom thinks,” he says, while icing Devi out because of what her mom said. This is the first time we see his relationship with Devi be affected by a third party. It’s also the first time he doesn’t either address the issue directly or just immediately let it go.
Eleanor shouts that he’s a racist? Paxton points out that he’s half-Japanese before disengaging. Devi’s mom slutshames him in the hospital? That’s cool; he’ll just head out and talk to Devi later. Devi lies about them having sex and then tries to avoid taking responsibility? Nope, Paxton has enough self-respect that he doesn’t need fake friends who use him for popularity. But he’s also not so insecure or vindictive that he feels the need to tell people Devi lied.
Devi’s mom calls him an idiot? Catastrophic damage to his psyche.
(I also imagine that part of the reason why Paxton iced Devi out is because he thinks Devi might actually agree with her mom. Sure, she argued with her mom when he was there but was that just to save face? Paxton was already so invested that he'd told Becca about their kiss, whereas Devi was keeping it a secret from her family. Did she regret it? Is she embarrassed of him? Does she think that he’s an idiot who will ruin her future?)
In season 2, we get his parents doubting him, saying that college isn’t for everyone and that if he wants to go, he’ll have to work really hard (which, y’know, is a totally foreign concept for him, since it’s not like swimming is one of the most challenging sports or anything).
And while our unreliable narrators insist that Paxton is embarrassed of Devi during the period where they’re together but not public in s2, that’s not actually what’s happening. Sure, part of the issue is the fact that he knows people will judge him for getting back with the girl who cheated on him and ruined his swimming career (he’s still a teenager after all).
But the bigger issue is not just that she cheated, but that she cheated with Ben. Paxton doesn’t know their history; all he sees is them at each other's throats at school. He doesn’t know why Devi would genuinely like Ben. All Paxton knows is that while he and Devi were dating, she found him lacking and started seeing another guy, and the most obvious thing that Paxton doesn’t have but Ben does is intelligence. Paxton says it himself in season 3: He was jealous of Ben because Ben is smart like Devi is, and that’s a connection that Paxton could never have with her.
Even in s3, after he’s been doing better at school for about a year, Paxton is insecure about his intelligence. He’s grown enough to be able to admit that to Ben, but he still snaps when Ben directly insults his intelligence (Ben: Do you not know what an event is? // Paxton: What the fuck, man? I know what an event is.).
In the final episode of the season, he’s visibly annoyed when Shira & co try to say that he’s only known for being hot. And then he gives an entire speech about how he’s more than just the popular guy or the hot guy. He’s learned how to push himself and knows that he can succeed if he works hard.
I think it makes sense that Paxton would feel uncomfortable and not know what to do if he was suddenly unpopular, even if he was sick of being shoved into the “popular and hot” box at Sherman Oaks (though I’m not sure how believable it is that he actually wouldn’t do well socially at college), but I don’t think that—after two seasons of learning to push himself through tough situations—he’d give up after only two weeks.
Obviously it's easier to ignore people who don't like you when you have an established and supportive friend group, compared to when you're social isolated. But at the very least, he would've talked to Becca (who inexplicably vanished this season) or Devi before dropping out entirely. (Which I think is one of the other problems the writers ran into: It’s fundamentally impossible to write a Paxton who is not in love with Devi, unless you strip away a lot of his character development (which is what happened in season 4, for the sake of pairing Paxton off at the end)).
(And, as a side note: The show never actually resolves that plot point. Like, he ends up right back where he started, just with an interest in teaching and a lowkey weird long distance girlfriend (is she seriously not bothered by the fact that she's dating someone who's literally the same age as at least one of the students at the school??). But neither of those things actually addresses the issue of "I panic and bail if people don't like me." What's he gonna do if his roommate at the teaching school also sucks? Who knows!)
Paxton spends three years working on his insecurities about his intelligence. Three years growing and realizing that he wants to be more than just a popular guy. When he broke his arm in season 2, it only took half a montage for him to realize that spending all his time “partying” with Trent (aka goofing off, blowing things up, and playing video games, not going to constant ragers) wasn’t fulfilling and wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life.
And then all of that growth gets ripped away with two lackluster scenes.
The writers very easily could have given him a plot about finding himself that didn’t hinge on immediately giving up on college! Paxton explicitly says that he doesn’t know who he is in season 3. Ben scoffs and says that Paxton is the only person at the school who isn’t a nobody, but as Paxton points out, that’s surface stuff. They could've dug into that in season 4.
They could’ve given us another montage, shown us that he can’t find his niche anywhere, rather than just having a shitty roommate with awful friends. They could’ve brought his panic attacks up again!
He could’ve been miserable at ASU for a semester and then come back to Sherman Oaks for winter break right around the time when Devi found out her application was deferred (since he didn’t actually... do anything plot relevant until then anyway).
His identity crisis could’ve revolved around academics or his swimming career. He was insanely good, good enough to be courted by Stanford, a school with a 4% acceptance rate, while having grades so bad that he would only be able to get into a two-year or community college. Had he been planning to try for the Olympics? Is he able to get back into shape and start competing again?
Maybe he was planning to get back into swimming, but he realizes that he’ll never get back to where he was before the accident. Then his crisis could’ve been about the fact that he hadn’t actually thought about what he wants to do beyond “education and a career.” That also would’ve tied in very well with Devi suddenly having all her plans for the future ripped away when she finds out her application was deferred. (And as a bonus, maybe we could have explored what Devi wants to do after university, rather than getting a throw-away line in the last episode. Or she could’ve also had a bit of a crisis over realizing that she was so focused on getting into Princeton after her dad died, that she never even considered the future beyond that.)
As I’ve mulled it over, I’ve realized that the fact that there’s so little connection to his established characterization means that it doesn’t feel like Paxton anymore. They erased his emotional connection to Devi in their effort to remove him as a romantic possibility and made him almost completely irrelevant to Devi’s story this season.
The writers will throw us a bone every once in a while (like the closet scene and conversation in the finale), but for most of the season, Paxton could’ve been replaced with an entirely different character. Delete those two scenes I just mentioned, and you could plop Marcus into his role as assistant coach. Make a few more minor tweaks, and it could’ve been Blair coming back to work at her old high school after failing out of Princeton (which would’ve been fun because of how much it would terrify Devi to see).
Devi has a history of being emotionally vulnerable with him when she isn’t ready to open up to others yet. And he has a history of being insecure about his intelligence. It would’ve made way more sense for the two of them to have a conversation about her not getting into any of the colleges she applied for rather than having Ben, someone who agreed that regular admissions are for “gen pop,” be the one to assure her that it wasn't pathetic to be rejected or wait-listed by every school she applied to. (Not trying to discount their friendship; I don’t think Ben would be mean about it, but also as someone who was at the top of my class in high school, I don’t think I would have believed my academic rival comforting me if I had been in Devi’s place.)
And Devi was the one who encouraged Paxton to “swim to San Diego in school.” It would be a perfect parallel for him to return that advice.
The way that Paxton's characterization regressed to pre-season 2 and he just orbits the rest of the story, inexplicably no longer friends with anyone other than Trent and Devi (even though he was friends with the entire group at the end of season 3), makes it clear that the writers didn't know what to do with him. It's very obvious that they just brought him back to keep their Team Paxton viewers around and didn't put any thought into what actually made sense for his character.
ok I’ve figured out the problem with paxton’s characterization this season: they forgot about the internal reasoning for his insecurities
paxton’s actually historically been fine when people don’t like him. it’s when people don’t like him because of his (supposed) lack of intelligence that it becomes a capital p Problem, which is why the beginning of his arc in season 4 feels so contrived
#did i even explain myself? idk i just blacked out and wrote a 2k essay bc paxton is my special little guy who i cant stop thinking about#the writers literally could've just had him defer admission for a year as he trained back to competitive shape for swimming#they wrote him off as a romantic lead so he didnt actually need a big character growth arc#(esp not one that was just a sped up rerun of his arc from the prior seasons)#but instead they gave him a character arc that *could* have been interesting but they also refused to let him be involved in devi's story#so nothing ever comes of it and the regression is entirely pointless (and the problem that caused the regression is never resolved)#sorry if you were expecting a shorter response#i feel like this probably gives off the impression that im frothing at the mouth. fully unhinged. ((not completely inaccurate))#my meta#my post#paxton hall yoshida#nhie s4#nhie critical#never have i ever#nhie#tag ramble
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Ghosts, except it’s a really chaotic houseshare
“Boiler-” Robin paused, obviously searching for the right word. “Boiler fractus! Boiler destructum!”
They looked at him blankly and Robin huffed in frustration, as he always did when reminded of his housemates complete lack of fluency in Latin.
“In English?”
Robin sat down heavily at the breakfast table and began to investigate the contents of the box of sugar puffs with one rust-stained hand.
“Is fucked.”
“It is fucked,” Thomas enunciated clearly. “The boiler is fucked. Remember your pronouns!”
Robin sacrificed a handful of sugar puffs to the lino in order to give a short, emphatic gesture and Thomas huffed.
“I’m trying to help!”
“It’s too early for grammar-” Allison tried, but they both ignored her and she subsided. Not only was it too early for grammar, she reflected, but it was also too early to act as self-appointed arbitrator of Thomas and Robin’s endless squabbling.
Robin stared at him.
“Which other boiler you think I talk about?”
“That’s not the point-”
“Boiler in house,” Robin interrupted, speaking even more slowly than Thomas had. “Boiler in house, boiler below kitchen, boiler that heat water for yous every day- that boiler is fucked.”
Thomas subsided and Kitty patted his hand sympathetically.
“Are you sure it isn’t fixable?”
Robin shrugged.
“You not believe me, see for yourself. Veni, vici, dedi.”
“He’s right,” Kitty volunteered. “My shower was very cold this morning…Although my sister used to tell me that cold showers were much better for your health so really, it’s a good thing!”
They all waited for Kitty to elaborate- Eleanor’s ‘facts’ could be quite amusing in their demonstrable falseness, if you made yourself ignore the awfulness of it all- but Kitty was choosing a piece of toast.
“Well, that’s…..kind of true, actually,” Allison admitted. “I mean, not about the boiler but the water thing.”
Kitty beamed at her.
“I know! She was so kind, she never even minded me using up all the cold water every morning! Of course, it meant she had to have a hot shower because that was all that was left but-”
“Ah, there it is.”
An awkward silence followed, the kind that always seemed to follow the reveal of yet another one of Eleanor’s acts of kindness, but Kitty, ever oblivious, just beamed at the butter dish.
“Butter! How lovely!”
“We’re out of honey,” Allison put in. “But Mike’s going to the big Tescos later. The Exercise For The Elderly group finished all the shortbread last night and he said there was nearly a riot when the flower arranging class started so he’s going to stock up.”
“We had a full jar yesterday,” Pat observed, joining them. “Anyone seen my woggle?”
Robin sniggered through a mouthful of Cookie Crisp while the others shook their heads.
“Carol used to keep a spare one in her handbag. I wonder if she’d mind if I-”
“No, Pat. She really will call the police, you know she will.”
Pat subsided and turned, slightly flushed, to the more pressing matter at hand.
“What’s happened to the honey?”
“Julian had….one of his friends over last night,” added Thomas, making a face. “Honestly-”
“I don’t know ‘about you, but I never know to do that with friend.” Robin’s bushy eyebrows wiggled delightedly under his mane of hair and Thomas tutted.
“How he expects the creative juices to flow when making noise like that-”
“Hey, you having trouble with juices, I give you some tips sometime!” Robin nudged Thomas hard enough to almost send him face-first into his bowl of coco pops and Allison snorted at Thomas’s expression of outrage.
“Sir-!”
“Well I love butter!” Kitty beamed round at them all, as if expecting them to share in her delight at the prospect of plain toast for breakfast. “One can never really appreciate properly but now-”
“Now Julian’s raided the food cupboard for one of his weird sexual escapades…”
“Sexcapades,” contributed Mary vaguely, drifting into the kitchen, hair and skirts trailing. Looking up, she suddenly seemed to realise that the eyes of everyone were upon her, attempted a nervous smile, then ducked her head and retreated, snatching up a piece of unbuttered toast on her way.
“Stay and have breakfast with us, Mary!”
But the closing of Mary’s ground floor bedroom door was, as ever, the only response to Allsion’s entreaty.
“Give her a bit more time, she’ll get there.” The disembodied voice came from nowhere and everyone jumped.
“Humphrey!”
Kitty ducked under the table and emerged, a slightly dusty phone in hand.
“About time too, I’ve been down there for ages!”
“You know, you could just hang up,” Pat pointed out.
Humphrey huffed.
“Maybe you lot should stop leaving me all over the place! I don’t think it’s too much to ask to be put on the table now and then, do you? It gets very boring looking at shoes all day! Not as boring as being here, granted, but still-”
Pat clicked his tongue sympathetically
“Sophia’s still not warmed up to you yet, then?”
“We’re getting there. She- well, she actually replied when I said good morning yesterday!”
“Oh, that’s good!”
“Well. I say replied. She looked at me.” He paused. “Of course, I was standing in front of the toaster at the time so-”
“Like old saying go, you choose friends, you no choose research partner,” Robin put in sagely.
Humphrey nodded.
“Too right! Anyway-” He looked jovially around the table from the tiny screen that Kitty was now holding tenderly in her cupped hands. “What’s new? Mike got new shoes, I see!”
“Hm?”
“Pat left me on the welcome mat when he was bringing in the milk bottles. Wingtips!” Humphrey craned his neck, attempting to see Allison from her place beside Kitty. “You tell him not to skimp on the shoe polish this time! I remember what happened with Julian’s Hush Puppies-”
Kitty gave a delighted gasp and then wilted when Robin quietly disabused her of her mental image. Robin patted her sympathetically and offered her a handful of Cookie Crisp which Kitty accepted politely.
“You need to try finding some common ground,” Allison began.
“Pshaw! You need a grand gesture- something romantic! Like I sent Abigail.” Thomas’s eyes went misty. “Our eyes met across the dancefloor… I began composing the poem right there, on the beer mat!” He struck a pose, oblivious of his shirt cuffs trailing through what little remained of the butter. “Dear lady! So young and fair! With silken hair! Oh, have a care-!”
“That Claire.”
“Hm?” Thomas frowned at the interruption.
“That Claire. Abigail poem, you write about eyes.”
“Sir!” Thomas bristled. “How dare you suggest I could mix up my paramour with another? Why, if it wasn’t for the presence of the ladies, I’d-”
“You rhyme Claire with hair.”
“Oh.” Thomas sat back, punctured. “Oh yes, that’s true actually.” He cleared his throat and took up his pose again. “Dear Abigail! So young and pale, my heart shall not fail-!”
“I’m not trying to romance her!” Humphrey interrupted. “I just want to be able to talk to someone in the same room rather than over a screen! That isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
“Couldn’t you just make other friends in the meantime?”
“With who? The penguins?” Humphrey snorted, while Kitty gave an even more rapturous gasp and dropped the phone onto her plate in order to clap her hands in excitement.
“It’d be nice to use words,” he went on, politely ignoring the fact that he was now face down on a half-eaten piece of toast. “Besides, the penguins and I are together all day while I’m working! Don’t want to spend my free time with them too, we’d get bored of one another-”
“Should have let me teach you chess,” Robin muttered. “Told you so. Told you before you went- you regret it when you off in the ice!”
“But even if he’d let you teach him, it wouldn’t have helped,” Allison pointed out.
“Uh?”
“Well, chess is a two-player game, Robin, mate,” Pat put in helpfully.
Robin took another mouthful of Cookie Crisp and Humphrey sighed as Thomas attempted to wipe him clean of crumbs
“Have to think of something else then…”
They all nodded in unison. They’d just have to put their heads together…
#destructum means destroyed#fractus means broken#veni vici dedi means i came i saw i gave up#in case you cant tell#robins first language is latin#ghosts bbc#ghosts#ghosts fanfiction#julian fawcett#pat butcher#kitty (ghosts)#the captain#humphrey bone#robin (ghosts)#alison cooper#mike cooper
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Black Sails XI (S2E3) review
Spoilers for up to and including E11.
"You'll either be the death of each other or we'll all end up working for you someday."- Charles Vane
Finally the end of Ned Low, thank fucking god. Vane's reasoning for the whole endeavour is a little all over the place. Max isn't exactly wrong in calling him out on being motivated by his feelings by Eleanor and using the "prize" to explain his moves to his men. I also get the sense that neither of those are what he uses to justify the efforts he went through to himself, though. There was something about Ned Low that felt a little like Charles Vane going completely off the rails and seeing his worst aspects reflected back couldn't have been fun. Still, maybe he's more at peace with his feelings for Eleanor than he normally seems, as he doesn't accept Max's offer of teaching how to stop caring about her (it would be interesting to know what exactly Max would have said if he'd said yes, though). Speaking of Low being Vane's worst traits reflected back at him, that whole interaction between them is unhinged. Low wants a partnership with Vane, as he can only see and appreciate the physical power that Vane holds in having control of the fort, a crew and being a strong fighter himself, and not the type of tactical, political power that Eleanor holds, and thinks that with the might of the two of them combined they'd have no issues whatsoever. Normally this would sound like Vane's kind of reasoning, but, whether it's because of his feelings for Eleanor or him maturing in his reasoning, he doesn't take him up on the offer. Instead, we get an absolutely feral fight between the two of them, which really emphasises the "two sides of the same coin" thing, alongside Vane's crew swimming up to Low's ship with fucking knives in their mouths and then killing the rest of his crew. Honestly, by the time Low's head ends up on a pike in the middle of Nassau, I'm not sure whether Vane was a better option.
Whatever it means for Nassau, Vane killing Low definitely gets him back in Eleanor's good books (jesus christ those two just keep making each other worse). I love that he still insists to Eleanor that he didn't kill Low for her. I'm not even sure what he was trying to achieve by telling her that, regardless of what his intentions were. Honestly, maybe he's just a man. And he has Abigail Ashe now. Great.
One upside of the whole Vane/Low/Eleanor debacle is that, as a favour to Max, Vane publicly forgives Anne and Jack. He didn't even seem that bothered by what they'd done to his crew so he was either a) faking nonchalance so they don't know they've gotten to him, b) only pretending to be mad at them because condoning killing your crew isn't a good look, or c) he is literally incapable of holding one opinion or feeling for more than a week. Honestly, I'm leaning towards c, given what we've seen so far, although he does make sure Jack and Anne know that he's only forgiving them as a favour to her, I guess just to keep us all guessing.
Regardless of their career prospects, all is not well between Jack and Anne (but, honestly, when is it ever). Anne is spending more and more time with Max and, as a result, less time with Jack. In return, Jack is going out looking for a crew (albeit unsuccessfully, prior to Vane's intervention) without Anne. Despite this, they actually end up communicating (a rare win)! Anne knows that Max might be manipulating her, Jack knows that Anne can't help her feelings for Max (and is shockingly relaxed about the whole situation), and Anne decides that the solution to this whole dilemma is for them to all sleep together, and, honestly, it seems to work? Good for them. It's also worth noting that this is the first time that Anne is actually undressed around Max, and honestly the connotations of Jack being the only one she feels safe around are both heartbreaking and heartwarming. What a trio, I'm sure nothing will ever go wrong with this.
Meanwhile, over on the Walrus, an equally complicated partnership seems to be forming between Silver and Flint. Dufresne is still quartermaster, which is honestly a very smart and Flint-like move, both in the "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" sense and also because Dufresne did actually make a decent quartermaster, but Silver now holds equal, if not greater, power with the crew. His reports have continued and, as the whole crew now joing in with the foot stomping thing, we can see that, as he predicted, him and his reports are now both needed and appreciated. He's no longer just talking to the crew about the crew, though-- he's also passing down messages from Flint. Against all odds, he's managed to make himself valuable to both crew and captain. In this sense, he definitely holds more power than Dufresne, and is possibly heading towards rivalling Flint. For Flint, all this change is something that he knows he'll have to explain to Eleanor, and, as Dufresne points out, he'll have to, one way or another, justify Gates' death, whether he tells the truth or not. What Flint doesn't expect, however, are the changes that have happened in Nassau since he left (he still references Hornigold controlling the fort, taking for an unchangable fact, as it has likely been the case since he came to Nassau).
We also see that Miranda has not been idle since Flint left (good for her). She seems to have given up on any hopes of getting out of Nassau for the time being and has instead turned to the inner islanders for some level of community. This, of course, is something that Eleanor knows and wants to exploit. Look, I really want to like Eleanor as a character, but it's hard. She starts her conversation with Miranda by implying that she is unremarkable, and that Flint doesn't see her as important, then tries to leverage Miranda's relationships with the inner islanders, then starts questioning Flint and Miranda's relationship. Like Pastor Lambrick, she assumes that Flint and Miranda must hold some kind of leverage over each other that forms the basis for their relationship. Unlike Lambrick, however, she doesn't assume that Miranda is a passive victim in this situation. Somehow, people seem to be incapable of believing that Flint and Miranda just care for each other, or whatever more complicated variation of that that we're slowly learning about through the flashbacks. For her part, Miranda lends weight to the suggestion that it is their shared past that brings her and Flint together. As she tells Eleanor, we, as the audience, and the pirates on Nassau "perceive the effects of Captain Flint's demons, echoes of their voices [but she] know[s] their names. [She] was there when they were born" and, as a result, she knows more of Flint than Eleanor could even understand. Eleanor, after all, doesn't even seem to recognise who Miranda is talking about when she first refers to Flint as James, and apparently has no idea of what his past (the past that we are starting to learn about) might include. So, Eleanor leaves the interaction with very little gained in terms of political power, but potentially more knowledge of Flint (insofar as knowing that there's stuff she doesn't know can be counted as knowledge) and, as Flint arrives in Nassau, she's about to learn a whole lot more.
Flint now trusts Silver enough to make choose him to acompany him into Nassau to get provisions. Almost immediately, they notice that things have changed as Hornigold's flag is now on the beach, but, at least from my perspective, very little of Nassau itself has changed. We are reminded of just how much has happened since they left when Flint arrives to Eleanor looking for a new bodyguard (the Walrus crew were away for more or less the whole Ned Low situation). Honestly, as this series continues, the Eleanor/Flint dynamic really grows on me, and I love that hug between them. They (at least to an extent) trust each other and were evidently worried about each other as they were managing their respective crises, but neither of them is entirely happy with how those crises were managed. Flint is just generally bitter about anything that Vane does (and vice versa) because of the rivalry they just keep up because they can. Eleanor tries to convince Flint that he's being a little bit dramatic about the whole thing, but, as we all know by now, once Flint's made his mind up about something, nobody can convince him to change it. I can sympathise much more with Eleanor's concern about Flint's story-- I don't doubt that she knew he could be violent (he is a pirate captain after all), but murdering his second in command and best friend to pursue a course of action that was evidently a bad idea to begin with is a new level even for Flint. Even turning her use of "what was necessary" back on her doesn't reassure her or convince her that it was the only reasonable course of action, and, even by the end of the conversation, she still seams much more wary of Flint than she was when they were first reunited, a wariness that remains when she later tries to confront Mr Scott about him. She sees that "something is different about [Flint]" from when they last talked and, in all fairness, killing his best friend, surviving a mutiny and a shipwreak and then retaking his position as captain really has taken a toll on him. Flint is, somehow, even less trusting, and even more haunted. Eleanor also tries to talk to Flint about Miranda, but, as we've seen before, getting this man to open up about his past is basically impossible.
While Flint and Eleanor are discussing Gates' death, Hornigold and Silver are having a very similar conversation. Hornigold points out, not incorrectly, that Flint seems to be very good at getting rid of anyone who gets even remotely close to him, but Silver is unbothered. Despite his growing connection to the crew, he still argues that he's only in this whole thing for the money, and that, so long as he doesn't start to believe in Flint, he's safe.
Despite Eleanor's reassurances, when he and Silver reunite, Flint's still pretty mad about Vane holding the fort. Even Silver tries to talk him down, trying to remind him of the irreversable changes he could bring about by directly confronting Vane and so obviously aligning himself with Hornigold. Really, when Silver tells you you're going too far, you should know there's a problem, but Flint decides to go ahead and make another one of his speeches. Ending the episode on "I will rain holy hell down upon him" can't be a good sign, can it?
Then there are the London flashbacks. James and Thomas are getting close and are working better and better on trying to resolve the Nassau problem. Meanwhile, things are developing between James and Miranda. It almost looks like the backstory that Richard Guthrie gave is coming to fruition, but, while the actions by themselves match up with his story, the attitudes of the three of them don't. When the three of them are in a room together at the beginning of the episode, it doesn't seem like James and Miranda are somehow keeping secrets or even considering anything like that. Instead, we see the easy companionship between Miranda and Thomas that they are both inviting James into, in this case, through books. It's worth noting that Don Quixote, the book that Miranda gives James, saying that it might help him manage Thomas, is about a man who goes mad and decides he's a knight on a mission to vanquish some vague evil (this is a massive oversimplification, but I read it a while ago and can't remember a whole lot). Essentially, I think Miranda is joking that Thomas will fight for what he thinks is right, regardless of whether it's achievable or what other people think is happening. Given the nature of their relationship, I don't think she's maliciously implying that he's wrong/mad, more just affectionately teasing him about his "impossible" mission. It's also a sweet but also painful parallel to Flint saving La Galatea (another book by Cervantes) for Miranda. They just really love to draw comparisons between those two time periods just to make us hurt, don't they?
We then get a little bit of just James and Miranda. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this whole scene (for now I'm shutting off the gay part of my brain that short circuitted seeing shirtless McGraw). On the one hand, Miranda, as a woman, seeking out a relationship and taking that initiative is subversive, and, especially given the historical context of this show, it doesn't have the same dynamic as it would if a man sought out a woman's house and showed up unannounced, but there's also the class element to the power dynamic. As someone from a working class background, whose career is more or less dependent on being on good terms with the aristocracy, McGraw doesn't necessarily hold all the power in this situation, and Miranda showing up at his place without warning could actually put him at a very real risk. There are always two sides to a situation, and Miranda isn't wrong when she tries to convince James that "there is an inverse relationship between the degree of one's happiness and the concer one suffers for what the neighbours think", and making him aware of the less traditional relationship structures that can exist with the consent of all parties is well-intentioned and has the potential to be a really valuable thing for James, but what she doesn't fully recognise is that, while she and Thomas are okay with rumours, as they can ignore them, James has every reason to be more wary. Ultimately, quietly taking Miranda back to her house was probably the most tactful response to this situation. During this, Miranda takes the opportunity to read him like a fucking book. I don't have a neat way to integrate all these quotes but I feel like they need to be included: "I imagine there are two kinds of men who make their life at sea. Those whose sense of duty forces them to leave any snese of permenance or identity behind them and those for whom that is the attraction"; "I think you're someone who's very good at managing how you're perceived and perhaps getting what you want without anyone ever knowing that you did it or perhaps even if it ever happened". Like, damn, she can just read him like that. It also emphasises a number of similarities between James as McGraw and James as Captain Flint, suggesting that maybe he hasn't fundamentally changed as a person in the years between these two plotlines, but more that different situations have brought different aspects of his personality out. Ultimately, Miranda does seem to figure out the source of James' reluctance to enter into any kind of relationship with her (once they'd both established that Thomas is okay with it), that "[he's] more concerned with whether or not people talk about what [Miranda and James] are doing behind closed doors than with what [they] actually are doing", even if she maybe can't fully grasp the reason behind him feeling this way. Then there's the kiss, suggesting the beginning of their relationship. As I wrote earlier, the external situation seems to be set up as what Richard Guthrie recounted, but what the characters themselves have said doesn't match up-- especially the care that both James and Miranda have for Thomas, and his acceptance of any kind of relationship they might have.
But clearly something happened, as we now see Flint and Miranda in Nassau. Although Miranda has now found some kind of community among the inner islanders, it's a big difference from what we see of her life in London.
Then there's the inscription in the book Flint leaves for her. It's so soft and intimate, and yet it also reminds us of their fight in season one. Miranda is happier, but Flint wouldn't get them out of Nassau, and now Miranda is building a kind of life wihout him, much like he did with his life as a pirate.
We can see the beginning and the end now, but not how the two link up.
#this did take like 20 days to write#i've been busy with other stuff#black sails#black sails review#black sails spoilers#my posts#tv shows#episode review#tv reviews#tv show review#tv#spoiler
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