#and alison is more of a daughter to her than the one she probably had

[shebeafancyflapjack]

When Robin said he had thirty kids and Fanny said "sounds awful" after Julian called him a busy bunny, she wasn't talking about the sex, she was talking about the kids.

[vampirebloodie]

Adam Stanheight x reader? Like how Lawrence describes his daughter & wife, have Adam describe his relationship with the reader.

Hope you like it, anon! <3

Best Thing In My Life | Adam Faulkner-Stanheight x Reader

Summary: You carry Adam's baby and the position of the best thing in his life

The time in that bathroom seemed like it would never end, Lawrence and Adam were still trying to understand what they should do to get out of that trap without physical harm. They had already understood that they needed to cut off their own leg that was trapped in chains, but where would they get the courage to do something like that? Lawrence looked at the photo of his family tied up there, helpless, not knowing what he could do to help Alison and their daughter.

“I feel horrible that i can’t help them. Alison and Diana are everything to me. I know i made a mistake cheating on Alison, but i love her since we met years ago. She is the woman of my life.”

The doctor lamented, he didn't even have enough water in his body to shed tears.

“I wonder if they did something to Y/n like they did to them.”

Adam said leaning against the wall, inside he was in pure despair, but he tried to hide it as much as possible, he didn't want to appear weak, no matter how weak he was.

“Y/n? Your relative?”

He asked.

“Something more than that. She is the best thing in my life. Is my girlfriend. I don’t think they would have the courage to do anything to her.”

“If they did something to a child like mine, why wouldn’t they do it to your girlfriend?”

Lawrence asked and Adam ignored his rude question.

“She is not alone. She's pregnant, carrying my baby. I was dedicating myself so much to photography to support both of us and him or her.”

Adam ran his hand over his face, starting to cry. Lawrence was silent for a few seconds before sighing, he was a little shocked now, Adam is gonna be a dad, just like him. If they were close to each other, they would definitely have hugged each other at that moment.

"I'm so sorry."

“I... She was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was bullied a lot in high school for being introverted, she was a new student, in the first week without even knowing me she helped me and stopped them from hitting me. She started hanging out with me and even though she was teased for being pretty and hanging out with a "weirdo" like me, she never stopped. After that i started to look at her like the wonder woman of my dreams, we've been together for 7 years and counting, in fact i was planning to surprise her and ask her to marry me, until i ended up here. She probably came home and saw everything set up, but she didn't saw me there. ”

He explained with a sad face.

"Don't worry. We’re going to get out of here and you’re going to see her again. I want to see my family too. Alison and i are not what we used to be, but i know she still loves me as much as i love her, the feeling may have cooled, but our love for Diana can overcome everything. My little girl is such a miracle in our life, she is so smart and curious. Just like her mother when was a teenager. I'm so proud of my baby”

Gordon said smiling, Adam started running his hands through his jeans looking for something, until he took a photo out of one of the pockets and showed it to Lawrence.

“Look look, at least he didn’t take that from me.”

Lawrence couldn't deny it, she really was very beautiful and had a magical smile that could easily charm anyone who passed by her. The photo showed her and Adam together holding a pregnancy test in one hand and a photograph of an ultrasound in the other hand, smiling extremely happily as a couple in love should be.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She is the love of my life, she is everything to me, she is the thing i am most grateful for having in my life. My family never supported me in being a photographer, unlike her who always helped me despite all the judgments. Being with her every day makes me happier and warms my heart, it's like im in paradise and she's my goddess. ”

Adam said smiling silly caressing the photo, the blonde laughed.

"Do not laugh. Lawrence, im really scared i'll never leave here and i won’t be able to see her again.” He admitted, frustrated.

"Ok ok, we going to get out of here, we’re going to find a way to do this, you’re going to find your wife, even if i leave first and come back for you.”

"You promise?"

“I promise you, Adam.”

Final note: please, reblog if you liked! 💖

[cabinetofquriosities]

Everybody Wants to Rule the World || Chapter 2

Agatha x Rio || Warnings: Violence, Smut for later chapters

Leave a review on ao3!

Full playlist/ Master Post

Listen along:

———————————————————————Agatha traveled back and forth to Westview for a week and a half. She and Chief Jones worked together to create the most accurate timeline possible leading up to the discovery of Herbert Potts’ body. He had been seen earlier that day playing golf up to the twelfth hole. He then had dinner at the club with a few friends who all had solid alibis. After that, he went home alone and was killed between 4-4:50 when he was discovered. It was likely closer to 4:50 given that the killer made their exit while Arthur Hart was in the house.

They questioned his friends, neighbors, and everyone else who knew him in the community. Each person had the same things to say about him. He was kind. He would give you the shirt off his back. He was too heartbroken to date after losing his wife. He adored his daughter and never recovered from losing a child to estrangement. Apart from her and Tony Stark, everyone liked him.

The forensics told them no more than what they ascertained at the scene. He had been alive for the majority of the time he was being cut apart.

No fibers, no prints, no DNA.

After work every night, Agatha would go to the gym. She normally went once or twice a week, but found herself there much more often. She told herself that it was just to blow off steam, but always kept an eye out for the playful brunette with the bleeding heart.

She was there nearly every night at ten like clockwork. Agatha would spend time doing her warmups and catching up on audiobooks until the other woman would walk in.

At first, the two made comfortable small talk. However, a rapport was established between the two by the third night. They became workout buddies. Agatha stopped hiding her smile whenever Alison arrived and Alison stopped keeping herself at arm’s length, pulling her into a hug every time she said “hello” or “goodbye.”

Agatha would go stiff, but Alison would wait until she relaxed into the embrace. Affection was always complicated with her. She paradoxically wanted so desperately to enjoy physical displays of affection while also feeling at a loss of how to operate when it would finally happen. It discouraged a lot of exes and friends from trying, but Alison was like Wanda in that she understood that Agatha actually needed it. She just had no idea how to exist comfortably while receiving love of any kind, whether it be romantic or platonic.

One night, Alison didn’t show up for her usual workout. Agatha waited for a while, but finally gave up. She didn’t know Alison long enough to be familiar with her work schedule and decided that Wednesdays were probably her off-days.

She walked out to the parking lot, having exercised regardless of her new friend not being there. Her thighs and calves burned from pushing herself thirty minutes further with cardio, due in no small part to hoping that the other woman would walk in at any moment. She called Wanda from the car as she settled her gym bag on top of a pile of takeout remains.

“Well, hello stranger,” said a wry yet posh voice on the other end.

“Long time no see.”

“Or talk, or anything…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry. I’ve just been slammed at work,” Agatha sighed.

“Try again. You’re always busy at work, but I usually hear from you at some point.”

“Well, what do you think this is?”

“I normally hear from you every few days. Is everything alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” said Agatha in a frustrated tone.

“You don’t sound it. What’s going on?”

“It’s a rough case. That’s all it is.”

“You sound out of breath.”

“Oh, I was in the gym.”

“This late? I practically have to lure you in there with promises of post-workout wine. Wait, are you working out because you’re dating again?!”

Agatha groaned as she could hear the smile on Wanda’s lips. She sighed, running her hand through her hair.

“I’m not dating,” she said.

“…but you like someone?”

Agatha always hated how Wanda seemed to get in her head. She always recognized Agatha’s methods of lying by omission. She waited a moment, which turned out to be a moment too long.

“Who is she?” Wanda asked.

“Fine. Her name is Alison,” she said.

“How’d you meet? Please tell me she’s not a witness or something.”

“No, geez. She goes to my gym,” Agatha said.

“Ah, so you’re working out to see her, then,” Wanda said, “When are you asking her out?”

“I don’t even know if she’s into women.”

“And you won’t find out unless you ask.”

“You say that like it’s so easy,” she said.

“It’s easier than whatever you have going on now. Have you even taken one rest day since you met her?”

“…no.”

“So, either you ask her out or you become a gym rat who’s sore every day.”

“Fine. I’ll ask her to hang out.”

“No… you will ask her to go out. On a date. None of that unlabeled nonsense.”

“I will ask her out on a date. Happy?”

“Thrilled.”

—————————————————————

As Agatha was on her way to Westview, she received a call from her boss. She answered as she drove in a flurry of snow down the highway.

“Agatha, are you in Westview yet?”

“I’m halfway there.”

“Well, you are going to need to turn around and drive north.”

“To where?”

—————————————————————

Agatha drove back up to Massachusetts, passing through the Berkshires to the town of Cheshire. The scenery was picturesque with mountains dappled with the first snow of the winter. She saw fields and produce stands fly by her window.

While stopped at an intersection, she saw a decoration left over from Halloween. Just outside of the fence surrounding a farm was a painted wooden cutout of a classic witch stirring a cauldron. Despite how progressive it became, Massachusetts would always decorate itself with caricatures of its gruesome past. The witch looked like a cartoon, green and smiling out at Agatha with a pointed black hat. She rolled her eyes and kept driving.

She looked for the turn to Mount Greylock, slowing down to find signs pointing to one of the summits of the Appalachian Trail. Her eyes fell on a small statue of a wheel of cheese. She squinted to look at the lettering. “CHESHIRE’S MAMMOTH CHEESE, 1235 LBS, Presented to Thomas Jefferson, January 1, 1802.”

“I don’t even wanna know…” she muttered to herself as she took the turn.

She pulled up to the Veteran War Memorial at the top of the mountain. The view was breathtaking. Frosted peaks and valleys stretched across nearly a hundred miles in every direction. She looked at a plaque listing three states that could be seen from the highest point in Massachusetts. Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire.

Agatha was normally an avid hiker and she knew this beautiful spot would be ruined by whatever she was about to witness. She took a moment to appreciate the beauty before moving towards the very thing that would tarnish it.

The veteran memorial looked like a pawn from a chess board. It was a tall, sloped structure built from granite with an orb at the top. Slumped near the bottom arch of the tower was a brutalized corpse. The man was 75. Lonnie Duncan. His form was tall and lanky. His cheeks were sunken in from age and his silver hair was stringy, the ends falling to his shoulders.

His head was tipped forward, causing strands of his hair to fall in front of his face. A dark streak of blood stretched above him. Small trails had rolled down the curve and dried between lines of granite blocks. The effect was a geometric design of interconnected red-rimmed rectangles reaching down below his body.

An older, middle aged woman approached her. Going off of her uniform, Agatha could tell she was in charge. She looked like a sturdy, tough woman. Her thick, strawberry blonde hair was loosely held by an elastic. It puffed out in the back and fell like a squirrel’s tail. Her stature was tall and slightly wide. Agatha could tell she was hiding bulky muscles. Her skin was wind blown, a cranberry hue topping her round cheeks. She uncrossed her arms and extended one out to Agatha.

“Chief Mona Wentworth. Thank you for coming.”

“Agent Agatha Harkness. Hello. I would say good morning, but that would be a little ridiculous here,” Agatha said, testing the waters with the other woman.

Mona didn’t crack a smile. She also didn’t act irritated, but it sent a clear message to Agatha about what sort of woman she was. In truth, it was the type of person she worked best with.

“Yes, well, this is an unusual situation for us. We find bodies off of the trail, but they are typically inexperienced hikers who fell or were victims of fatal accidents. Intentional murders are few and far between.”

“But you have seen them before?”

“Yes. Some were premeditated spousal murders and others were drifters who were either perps or victims. The last was a few years back. It was a couple who was killed and robbed by an unwell individual living in a makeshift camp deep in the woods. We caught him soon after.”

“Could this be something similar?” Agatha asked.

“Not likely. Lonnie is not someone who had enough bad blood to make anyone a clear suspect.”

“All it takes is one.”

“His family members are scattered in different states and he kept to himself beyond a casual conversation,” the Chief said, “No chance for his loved ones to be here at the time of the crime.”

“Alright. What do we know about him?” Agatha asked.

“We know he grew up in New Hampshire. He was an accountant for forty one years following his time serving in Vietnam. Came out here to retire.”

Agatha looked up at his blood staining the memorial.

“One hell of a way to honor a vet.”

Once they had ladders set up, Agatha and Mona ascended for a better look. His button down shirt had been opened to show the killer’s handiwork. Carved into his sunken chest and abdomen was a letter and two numbers. The cuts were relatively fresh, with the excess blood wiped off after death to more clearly show the writing.

B

4

23

Agatha wrote the numbers and letter down in her mind. Her attention was then drawn to the man’s extremities. The cleanliness of his torso was the only self restraint the killer seemed to have. Agatha felt a sense of deja vu at the sight of the jagged slices mutilating every inch of his arms and legs until they were barely recognizable as body parts. She couldn’t find a larger fatal wound. It made her wonder if he had simply been left - or forced - to bleed out from the veins opened up on his wrists or inner thighs. Any one of the countless cuts could have caused a slow death.

“He wasn’t killed here,” Agatha said.

“The blood?” Mona asked with understanding.

“Not enough of it. Just enough for him to he bleeding slightly, but not enough to have him bleed out up here.”

“Could he have been killed in town?” Mona asked.

“No… Too much blood was wet enough to smear and drip down. Not a lot, but enough that his body was still warm when he was lugged up here.”

“The killer must’ve been strong. Carrying dead weight up a ladder like that,” she said.

“You’d be surprised at just how many people know how to handle one correctly. Could the killer have caught him hiking up here?”

“In the middle of the night? No. He had some issues with his leg too. There’s no way he’d be able to hike this high alone and his car isn’t nearby,” Mona said.

His face, much like Herb’s, was a portrait of horror. His mouth hung open and his cloudy eyes stared dead ahead. Frost had crystallized over his hair, eyebrows, and lashes. It looked as if the terror of the man’s final moments were frozen into a mask.

“Huh…”

“What is it?” Mona asked, having a great deal more composure than Westfield’s chief.

“The cuts… gashes… look a lot like some I saw on another victim a couple of weeks ago. And another a few weeks before to that.”

“Wait… so this may be a serial killer’s work?”

“I can’t confirm that. Not yet,” Agatha said as she climbed back down to the ground.

Mona descended and moved over to her, slightly into her personal space. Agatha leaned back just as far out of instinct.

“Do I need to be on alert for a serial killer?” she asked calmly in a low tone.

Agatha could see the concern in Mona’s eyes. She recognized the fear so many felt when they were responsible for a newly traumatized community.

“Look, if it is connected then it won’t happen again in your town. The other two were states apart. I just….” Agatha sighed, “I am going to ask that you keep the idea of a serial killer away from any conversations surrounding this death. Unless we have proof, it will only serve to scare people more than they need to be.”

“Fine. But we cannot keep this murder quiet. Lonnie is a well known person here. I won’t lie about what has happened to him.”

“I’m not asking you to. I just don’t want the rest of the police force wasting time panicking about a larger vendetta while they could be focusing on the crime at hand. You will be the first to know if anything changes,” Agatha assured her.

Mona nodded and walked off. Agatha sighed, a cloud of breath escaping her. She hoped against hope that she was right about the killer not returning.

—————————————————————

Agatha tried to shake the memory of a butchered veteran out of her head as she pulled up to the gym. She needed something to help her leave the day behind before she had a chance to bring it home. Other agents used hobbies, alcohol, or their families to flip that switch. Agatha now used exercise. She found herself escaping more and more often as the job seeped into her mind.

She wasn’t thinking about anything but sweating out the memories as she trained with weights. She felt her arms burning by the time her other reason for her nights at the gym strolled in. She caught her eye as she stood up from the bench, taking a swig of water from her bottle.

“Well, hello there,” Alison said as she walked up to her.

“Hey,” Agatha said back, now feeling even more short of breath than she had been before, “I didn’t see you yesterday.”

“Yeah, I needed a rest day,” she said, “But I’m flattered you noticed.”

Agatha was sure her face was bright red. Of course she needed a rest day. Normal people who weren’t waiting for their gym crush every night took days off.

The two of them ended up running on treadmills next to one another. Every time Agatha looked at her, she would forget how to speak. She did everything possible to keep herself from acting so affected by her. She kept herself staring ahead as they talked.

“…and then we were denied a permit for our rally,” Alison sighed as the soles of her sneakers pounded away at the black rubber of the machine.

“I mean, that is a dangerous part of Springfield. I wouldn’t want to see what would happen to y-to anyone if something went wrong.”

Alison was about to retort when Agatha’s reply fully processed in her head. She smirked before pressing the speed down.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m a tough cookie,” she said.

“Find, fine… but let me know if you ever need someone to back you up.”

Alison gasped dramatically, resting her hand over her heart.

“My own personal guard cop?”

“Agent.”

“As sweet as you are for that, I can’t be at a protest about over policing with someone from the FBI. Even if you would make a beautiful Kevin Costner.”

Agatha shut her mouth and nodded. She did wish she could go to one of her protests, but there was no way she was able to with her job. Even with her support of her fellow law enforcement officers, she knew the system was fundamentally broken and nurtured certain types of dangerous people within it. Every industry had corruption in it, but not every job had life or death stakes with protection against any consequences. While she didn’t always agree with every assumption made, she was happy there were activists like Alison out there.

Once they were finished warming down, they made their way to the locker room. Alison bypassed the lockers and tugged her shirt up. A muscled form was revealed underneath, leaving her in her sports bra. She shed her shorts, leaving them on the bench beside Agatha. Not far from them was a cold dunk tank. Alison climbed in, hissing through her teeth as she lowered her body into the ice water.

Agatha took her time opening her locker. She got her own combination wrong twice. She looked shy beneath her gruff exterior. Each time she gazed at Alison, she would be entranced by a new detail. The shifting of her muscles in her shoulders. The beads of sweat at her temples. The small curl of her baby hairs at the back of her neck. The goosebumps erupting across her skin.

Alison looked up at her, causing the other woman to panic a moment and look back into her locker. Alison’s eyes stayed fixed on her. Wanda’s voice stubbornly stuck in her mind.

“Agatha?”

Agatha closed her locker and turned to look at her, steeling herself.

“Do you want to.. do something together…” Agatha stuttered, “Outside of here.”

“Sure,” Alison said with a little smirk, “What did you have in mind?”

“I mean… we could hang o- uh, go out to dinner?”

“Is that your final answer?” Alison said, arching her brow.

“Yeah, sorry…” Agatha said with a forced laugh and shake of her head.

“Don’t apologize,” Alison said with a serious expression.

She stood up in the cold plunge tub, her eyes fixed on Agatha’s. Agatha swallowed, unable to keep herself from looking. Her gaze raked over Alison’s muscular form that shone with the ice water. Droplets forms and ran down the curves and muscle-cut lines of her body. Her bra and underwear clung to her, soaked from the bath.

She stepped out of it, stalking toward Agatha. She stopped once she was toe to toe with her, her smile now softened.

“Ho ahead. Ask for what you want.”

Agatha was flustered for a moment, scrambling to recover any type of composure.

“I want… to take you out on a date,” Agatha said more clearly and confidently than before.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” she asked.

She leaned in further, her front pressed to hers. Agatha’s breath caught in her throat, her lips parting as all vestiges of her earlier spike of confidence fell away. Considering her slightly masculine attitude, she was normally the type of woman who took charge while pursuing other women. She held the doors, pulled out the chairs, and made all of the first moves. She wasn’t used to being the one rendered speechless. She wasn’t the type to become flushed or nervous.

Alison reached behind Agatha into her locker, her eyes never leaving hers. She took the other woman’s phone. Still pressed against her, she opened her phone with a 0000 password and put her number in. She stepped back and handed it to her.

“Make sure to change your code. For an FBI agent, your phone was way too easy to unlock,” she said, pulling a towel from her own gym bag, “Text me the details.”

She walked out, heading to the showers. Agatha was left with her phone and a mind that was completely melted.

Fic Masterlist

[weclassybouquetfun]

Parting is such sweet sorrow and it's true in this particular instance of saying goodbye to the Hargreeves, Sparrow! Ben and Lila.

Final season: fewer episodes, more timelines.

This was THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY series four. More SPOILERS than timelines.

Luther /Number 1 / Spaceboy: I think of all the Brellies, Luther is in a much better place than after the event of last season, despite losing Sloane. It helps that he's a tad thick and can be often oblivious. Even dubbing himself an aging stripper living in a condemned building didn't aspire the hurt it would normally stir up in him when faced with his perceived  inadequacies.

Loved that Luther got his Captain America elevator fight moment (albeit offscreen).

Brothers sharing two brain cells.

Diego / Number 2/The Kraken and Lila: In a show about aliens, a talking chimp and time traveling, I loved the simple story of Diego and Lila's relationship revolving around the complex realities of trying to remain your individual self while having to be so much for your partner and kids. Two lions, caging themselves because of responsibility.

Though it could just be Diego flailing, I think he went into parent mood and tried to shield Five from hitting the dash.

I love that Diego has consistently been about family so I melted when we realize he named his daughter Grace after their mom.

Diego being the one to shut her down and falling back into his childhood stutter as he's doing so remains one of the top heartbreaking moments on the show.

Alison/Number Three/The Rumor: Love that she got a power upgrade. Their leveling up or shifting powers reminds me of Robert Sheehan's old series MISFITS where they all sold their powers, tried to buy them back and ended up with different ones after theirs were sold.

Alison did so much running in the past - from her dark side, trying to run back to her daughter, running away from the family, that I don't think she thought of the realities of what happens when you have (relative) peace and now just have to deal with life. She doesn't have the level of career she had before, she doesn't have Ray anymore. She can't just live in the drama that her family peddles in, but live her life and she, Diego and Lila all wear that weight differently, but they do wear it.

I loved when she said she was done apologizing. She and Viktor have done shitty stuff to each other and things that affect the family. That is just the dance the Hargreeves do. Just dead it and push on because they know it wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last....thought it is the last as it's over.

Klaus / Number Four/The Séance: I've always loved Klaus and Alison's relationship and especially now seeing him in the role of uncle to Claire and I understand why he raged at Alison after she brought him back and not the others who were urging her on. When someone knows you so well, you expect more of them. Alison said he wouldn't want to come back. Klaus' addiction was borne out of needing a distraction from the literal ghosts that are always around him. Then when he gets sober, he is now haunted by fear of losing his sobriety and dealing with mortality. It hurts to be alive and Alison -while not wanting him to die - knew that he would be at peace, but she could not let him go. She could have shoved the marigold in Viktor or Lila's hands and have them give him it, but I think she knew it had to be her.

And what she probably feared would happen, happened - he fell back into his old habits, but with a twist: trying to do Death By Drug Dealer. He wanted his dealer to kill him, but instead ends up trafficked and buried alive, but with a ghostly good boy dog with him. But Klaus needed that experience to appreciate life.

Five/Number Five / The Boy: Every season Aidan Gallagher delivers 150%. It's very easy to look at S1 and S2 and look at the comedic prowess he displayed playing the cantankerous Five, but this season showed how adept he is at a quieter performance. I bet this was how Five in his first decade or two of wandering the apocalypse was. He's not downtrodden per se, but there is a weight; a disquiet about him. He wants to find a way to his timeline, but seems to be hesitant to get too enthused about it because therein lies disappointment.

Which is why I Ioved the Five /Lila situationship.

Five knows what it means to be stuck and he nor Lila knew how long they would be stuck trying to find their timeline. It makes sense they grow close and become a comfort to each other. It makes sense that in their fear and uncertainty that they would want to find a modicum of happiness and they found it with each other. It's lovely. And her returning to their timeline for her family doesn't erase what she and Five meant for each other. I loved that they never had her answer Diego's question of whether she loved Five and in their finally moments she reached for his hand, as well.

Sparrow Ben: Glad to have finally gotten the answer to the events of "The Jennifer Incident", horrified that Reginald Hargreeves was an even worse person than I already thought. I think I would have been more gutted if this was OG Ben, but unlike the Hargreeves, I have not accepted Sparrow Ben into my heart as readily. I mean, glad that Sparrow Ben got some action, but I don't know him like that.

I did love the body horror aspect of The Cleanse, though.

Love that the end of S3 was Sparrow Ben preparing to learn the tricks of the trade so he could commit mega crypto fraud.

Viktor / Number Seven / The White Violin: Like Luther, Viktor settled into their new timeline just fine and ended up with the most important payoff - a semblance of closure with Sparrow Reginald as a stand-in for their Reginald. Getting the validation that he was more than good enough to be in the Umbrella Academy and a vital one of that. S tiered ability!

MISC: Loved seeing the past characters at the end: Grace, Kate Walsh's The Handler, Herb, the blond assassins, Agnes and Hazel!

And yes, Steve Blackman wanted Mary J. Blige to cameo, but she was touring and John Magaro who played Vanya's love interest in S3 had a scheduling conflict.

Other things Blackman couldn't address in the final season/series: He was all for a Luther/Alison romance (YES!), but as people viewed them as you would bio-siblings, there wasn't much movement he could do with them. He also wanted room to explore Sloane and Luther, but couldn't due to the reduced episode order. He also wanted Sissy (Viktor's love interest) to return but Marin Ireland was unavailable.

Though they don't exist, we still get a tip of the hat to our Brellies who sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

It's true.

[spacerangersam]

an extensive list of hcs i have about labour mp!fanny button because if i can't draw her, I'm gonna talk about her:

Died in 1992 from a heart attack, moments after catching George in the act with two other men at a party (while she was fully dressed, he was not, and that got almost more buzz than her actual death, much to her chagrin)

She never lived in Button Manor, just attended a few parties and meetings there, and has no familial ties to Alison

Her father was a Tory MP so she was raised conservative and taught to be the perfect politician’s daughter, quiet and prim, and to never make a scene lest she damage her father’s image

But then he went and ruined it himself in a drunken stupor, making their family a laughing stock

She later went into politics herself but turned to Labour, determined to fix what her father had ruined

(it’d probably make more sense for her to also be a Tory but shhh, let me have this. Also, yes, this backstory is very rachel fawcett inspired)

She became known as ‘that very scary labour lady who will catch you out in a lie and who has made at least one reporter cry'

She married George just for the sake of appearances, and while she didn’t care that he went around with men behind her back, she did care that he was sloppy about it and kept almost getting caught (again, because it’d look bad on her, the hapless idiot wife who married a man who doesn’t even like women)

They had one son, Roger. Fany didn’t like him, and the feeling was mutual. She saved her affection for her pets.

She smoked heavily out of stress, and does the same in death, having died with a cigarette on hand

Unfortunately, she also died with heels. When they get too much, she takes them off and just carries them around, walking around in her tights (though it takes her a good few years to be comfortable doing such a thing). I also think she should be allowed to throw them at the other ghosts when they’re being especially annoying 

I like to imagine that she’s slightly less uptight and concerned with being ladylike in this au - she still has hangups about what one should and shouldn’t do, and certain hiccups from growing up in a Tory household, but like, she’s not living in the Edwardian era anymore, she’s a mildly more modern woman. And she was only supposed to behave to keep up her image, and that doesn’t really matter now that she’s dead. 

She still thinks Alison’s tattoos are ugly though.

Post death, she likes to keep up with the news, both through the telly and newspapers, and always bugs Mike (the one who can see ghosts in this au) to go vote every year

Has personal beef with Thatcher. She will never explain what happened, but something definitely did.

Idk if she’d have Julian’s powers, but she could do. She’d deserved it.

She still has an interest in maths and from about sixteen took a vested interest in the family finances, trying to make sure her father didn’t completely bleed them dry. In death, she sometimes talks bank with Pat and I like to imagine them both getting very frustrated over the Cooper’s financial situation and trying to help in their own annoying way.

[littlequeenies]

💬 Mike Bobis: “I wonder what Dem would be like now. Probably still trying to talk me into doing things I know I shouldn’t but would, simply cause it’d be easier than dealing with her giving me shit for not doing them. I do miss them [Demri and Layne]. They’d be the best hippie parents ever. We could barely get Dem to wear a shirt sometimes. Oh Dem, the wild child.”

💬 Amber Ferrano: “Demri was just a girl who wanted to follow her dreams... She wanted to marry a man she loved, have kids, and live on a block with all her friends so we could watch each other’s kids, garden together and borrow sugar". 💬 Fabiola Gonzalez: “She always said, ‘What’s the big deal? I have a boy’s chest!’. Best parents ever. I miss that they weren’t here to share in it. When Kurt [Cobain] passed I came to Seattle and saw Dem, and she put her ear to my pregnant belly and said, ‘Isn’t it wild? Two boys!’. When the boys were less than a year old, I went to Mad Season with Layne’s stepdad. After the show, I showed him pictures, and Layne saw my son’s photo and grinned, ‘He’s got big ears!’. They always wanted children. I met Dem’s baby sister [Christa Dougherty] and Layne held her close. They wanted, but they knew their ‘condition’. The last time we saw her was at Wedgewood, she made sure to come out to our car and give my sons lovins’ in their car seats, they were barely two years old. I saw it in her eyes and felt it in her soul. How I wish and hoped Demri would be around here for a while and have her own, and share in the joy of babies. She would have been a beautiful mom. Besides my boys, they were the loves of my life. They were so full of life! That’s what they left us – live life love. Never take it for granted, never abandon children!”

💬: “I knew Demri before she was with Layne, she was a good friend. I always thought she was going to be famous, but not like this. She should have been a photographer or in the theater. We talked a lot about leaving our little school and doing cool things. Looking for words here, I am so sad. I seen her one more time when she got back from art school, then it was my time to leave. I always thought we would see each other again and would share some great stories, not this. It wasn’t neat or cool, it’s heartbreaking.”

💬 Amber Ferrano: "More than anything, I am so sad that Layne and Demri were good people and had to go through such sorrow; life could be so different and wonderful for them now... I remember when Demri died people were using the phrase, “What a waste”. Kathleen was hurt by that and would say, “My daughter’s life wasn’t a waste”. I felt “It was a “waste” in that Demri did not get all the great things she deserved back in life. I think we all would have loved to see that happen for her..."  

💬 Fabiola H Gonzalez: “I just know that Layne and Demri dreamed of having kids. The dream was marriage, kids and the white picket fence, and part of the dream was a lot of art, expression and unconditional love.”

💬 Carolyn Hart Gutierrez: "I always imagined that she grew up and became a happy little momma who would teach her children to believe in magic and that if you wish on a star your wish will come true, and to dance in the rain. That's what I believe. Demri may be gone, but she is never forgotten."

From Memories of Demri, very special thanks to Ana <3

Photos 1 & 2 by Alison Dyer, 3 & 4 by Krista Kay.

[waldorfhistoria]

Man, this wonderful Jenny meta I reblogged has me thinking SO many thoughts, especially about the Dan-Jenny dynamic and this line in particular:

“one scene that stands out to me is when jenny steals the dress in season one and dan goes into talk to her and it’s so clear he’s had to take on somewhat of a parental role with her since their mom has been gone? and i’m sure that’s frustrating for both jenny and for dan. but despite taking on this role of care, he doesn’t treat her condescendingly or with any ire, he tries to be understanding and careful and thoughtful where rufus couldn’t be.” - @buffyspeak

And one of the things that’s so fascinating to me about the relationship dynamic between Dan and Jenny is that they essentially have about four different styles of sibling relationships, all nestled into their one.

At times, especially towards the beginning of the show, Dan and Jenny have a fairly “typical” big brother/little sister dynamic - Jenny is teasing and affectionately annoying towards Dan, Dan is teasing and affectionately exasperated towards Jenny, but they ultimately look out for and try to protect/take care of one another the way that siblings do. But there’s a shift, I think, when Alison leaves - Rufus is suddenly acting as a single father, and Dan is put in the position where he not only needs to look out for Jenny as her big brother, but as a pseudo-mother of sorts - he’s the one who ends up playing mediator between Rufus and Jenny’s growing conflicts, who tries to give her the advice and guidance that she’s not getting from either of her actual parents, and is even the one who Rufus, at times, turns to to talk out the parenting decisions he makes in relation to Jenny. Which brings up another facet of their dynamic that only grows as the show goes on and Jenny starts to struggle more and more - the golden child and the “problem” child.

One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of the Rufus discourse really hinges on whether a fan is paying more attention to Dan as a character or to Jenny, because the Rufus in Dan’s story is often a very different figure than the Rufus in Jenny’s. Dan’s Rufus is a compassionate, loving, fair-minded dad, who affords Dan a level of respect and independence while also upholding strong moral values he expects his son to live up to. Jenny’s Rufus, on the other hand, is a far more controlling and at times almost immature figure, sometimes fighting with Jenny like a peer rather than a parent - a father who fails to offer his daughter the same respect and understanding he affords his son. And while none of this is Dan’s fault, how can Jenny not be a little resentful of it, of him - that Dan is treated like a person while Jenny is often made to feel like more of a project.

And yet, in spite of that, I would argue there’s another dimension of their relationship that probably plays a key role in keeping them close as the series wears on - Dan and Jenny as childhood friends. This is something that I feel doesn’t come up in the show enough but is still interesting in light of the way their dynamic evolves - based on what we know of their upbringing, it doesn’t seem like Dan and Jenny had a lot of other friends coming into the Upper East Side. I mean, we’re told that pretty explicitly with Dan, given that Vanessa seems to be the only other person he’s really close to outside of his family, prior to dating Serena. But it seems like Jenny didn’t really have any other close friends herself - at least no one close enough to stay in touch with after she moves from public school to private. It seems like - especially in the space of time that Vanessa was living in Vermont - Dan and Jenny were likely each other’s two closest friends, and I think considering how enmeshed their later social circles become, that adds an interesting nuance as well. Dan isn’t just Jenny’s big brother, he’s also her sister and sometimes her mother and kind of her rival and always her longtime friend.

[2ducks-agoose]

So I just watched all of season 5 and here are my thoughts

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED (I will also tag with spoilers)

•I loved how Robin and Sophie had such a connection without even meeting each other. I have a relationship like that with someone I care about how Robin was acted really broke my heart. It’s was so good. I was at the verge of tears (to be honest I was on the verge of tears so many times)

•MORE HUMPHREY!!! He’s one of my favorites so I’m glad we finally got more of him this season. ALSO Sophie backstory, glad to see it.

•Different relationships were shown, like Thomas and Pat, Thomas and Fanny, more Pat and Captain (finally), Julian and Pat, Julian and Alison, Robin and Sophie (I LOVED THIS SO MUCH), Robin and Annie, and long expected Captain and Havers. This all made my heart swell to see how much they all care for each other.

•Kittys death. Her death was probably very painful, with possible muscle cramps, and lots of nausea, and so much pain. I feel so so empathetic towards her. I just love her

•Thomas fucking came out as Scottish. I was texted my friends about that one, ngl

•my mixed emotions about Captains death. To start off with I 100% live for his backstory. I love how to just wanted to see Havers one last time, and just how they showed so much affection in some small hand touches. How the Captain died looking at the man he loved. That just broke my heart. My only complaint is that he didn’t get the much screen time. Like his story was so hyped up for about 5 years about we got about a whole 10 minutes or less of his backstory throughout the whole series. And backstory episode didn’t really revolve around his backstory like the others had. I would have loved to see him pining over Havers and getting clues to try to find Havers. We could have seen more of just Havers and why he was so important to Captain. This would have just made so much of a more impact to the story with giving them more backstory. I just want to see more of them. I am begging that we get more in the Christmas episode but it’s highly unlikely. Makes me sad.

•Captains and Havers names I think fit pretty well, but the fandom’s names will forever live in my heart. I headcanoned their fandom names to be middle names because I can’t let go of them. But seriously I really like the new names but still are going to be the Captain and Havers.

•Robin being very smart and picking up on stuff/ listening very well was something I wanted to see forever. Finally got it

•I love that Mike and Alison are finally having a child, but holy shit they are not ready at all. I adore both of them both so much but they are seriously at the moment very unprepared. I don’t know how it’s going to go at first but I think when they eventually get the hand of it they’ll be great parents. This might take a while

•Julian finally letting his feeling out. You can really tell he sees Alison as a daughter. I hate him but damn that speech was good

•ANNIE-VERSEY, all these Robin moments are hurting my heart.❤️

•Humphrey pranking the Ghosts with Alison was so amazing. YOU GO!!!

•Kitty admiring Alison but also understanding and caring for her boundaries the best she could.

•The Captain finally being more open about his sexuality and opening showing his attraction to the news reporter.

•When the Captain thought he was going to move on, HE WAS CLENCHING HIS STICK BECAUSE HE WAS PRACTICALLY HOLDING HAVERS!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH

•Fanny being good at poetry was something I didn’t know I wanted but what I now know I need

•The Captain is even more desperate than Thomas.

•Robins not only learned French but Russian as well

•More of Alison/Mike in the series. Absolutely love them

This isn’t season 5 (yet) but for the Christmas Special I’m hoping to get:

1. More Captain and Havers

2. Captain’s Last name

3. More Humphrey and Kitty friendship

4. Baby

[zalrb]

PLL 2x02 Review - As Per Anon Request

"And WHY is Melissa answering him?" "I mean is she?" Can you not see the text history?? It's the 2010s, we know how texts works now.

Someone is probably going to have remind me that Jason is Alison's brother.

And Spencer's half brother or something? Is that right?

"He's worried about you" does he pay child support?? You were stealing shit because you refused to downsize, Hanna's mom.

Emily's mom: Leave your phone downstairs so I can regulate who you're calling.

Also Emily's mom: *leaves Emily's bedroom without taking her phone so Emily can just call Spencer*

"omggg how are we going to talk at school??" Aria's mom is the only one who is actually at the school and she doesn't know her daughter is being groomed by her colleague, you can do whatever you want at school, wdym.

Aria needs to stop wearing big earrings.

THEY ARE SO BORING.

"Don't you read the papers or listen to the news?" "No." MONA. The actress commits to the bit. I respect it.

Aria, why are you telling Mona all this?

LMAO is this Toby's hero hair??

Ngl, it's a step up. His season 1 hair was a MESS.

Just let Claire do her regular accent, please.

Samara, how old are you? Why aren't you at college?

They have the most chemistry, though.

Bro, do you pay child support or alimony?

GET OUT OF HERE. I like how the music is dramatic to show how unhinged Jason is but when he throws the newspaper it lands on the ground in front of the dog instead of him actually hitting the dog with the newspaper, and not that we had to see the newspaper hit the dog but they could've cut away so it looked like he hit the dog with it.

The issue with PLL is a lot of the dialogue is rehashing things we already know, like why do I have to hear AGAIN about what's going on with Spencer and the police just because she's talking to Jason. Give me NEW information.

Jesus christ, the scout would be at her house or at a restaurant.

Like, Emily would not be explaining this to her mother herself, the scout would be having this conversation with her.

Toby, I swear to God, you can inflect.

Aria, it's been over an hour. LEAVE. You shouldn't even BE there in the first place.

I do think it's funny that Aria was all Spencer you're the Queen of Time or Master of Time or whatever and Spencer never answered Aria's question, she just sees Toby and is like gotta go. Another show would've had her drop her Time Wisdom before hanging up. But not this one. You're on your own, Aria.

"I'm sorry it seems that way." LOL at least they got deadbeat dads right.

Seriously, Ezria or whatever they're called are boring AF.

Claire's accent is struggggggggling.

Sophomore English ... sophomore high school English or college?

I ship no one on this show more than Mona and Hanna honestly.

No, I don't *ship* ship them, it's just they're fun.

LOL gotta love Spencer and her rationality. "You should've told me he was texting her." "Why? What would you have done?" "I would've done something." "WHAT?" "... ... I don't know." Mmhmm. And she knew it.

Why aren't you two comfortable with each other yet? You fell asleep on his lap, Spencer. Girl, sit next to him.

Aria's shoes are RIDICULOUS.

Well, it was Aria's turn to be attacked.

"The fact that A can just break into our houses??" And none of you have security cameras. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway since A is a supernatural entity.

She's going to forge the letter obviously but he would just talk to her parents.

Stop using the classroom time to talk to your underage girlfriend through code, Ezra.

"Always read, have a good life!" Shut UP.

Is this the stupid rain kiss scene?

No, but it's a parking lot kiss. Outside the school. Which is ... SHE IS SIXTEEN.

And also NOTHING. N O T H I N G about them, morality and ethics and general ick factor aside, merits a slow-mo jump kiss. THEY DO NOTHING. THEY WHINE. THEY ARE SO BORING.

My link froze so I won't see this episode's epilogue, though I never really watch those anyway.

[capraffe]

If bbc ghosts ever had a dramatic ending

the ghosts will have alternate flashbacks,

After every ghosts has moved on, alison stood on button house Looking around, nothing feels empty than the first she got there, no more bickering fanny, or a captain that barks orders everywhere, or a scary caveman but yet she feels sad and empty because those people eventually ended up becoming her found family

Then a mellow piano tune (probably the one in episode 1 in the first series) plays as an alternative flashback of the ghosts flashes across the screen as alison narrates something about life being so short and you must cherish every single moment yada yada you get the idea

Its either an alternative flashback of what couldve happened if things happened differently for them

Captain confessing his feelings to havers before he left and running away together

Fanny running from the altar and the church after she realized there is another way out of their misery and that she had a choice

Humphrey being able to survive beheading and starting his life over again , one that he actually signed up for

Thomas not being too vulnerable by his cousins betrayal and lies and ending up with the girl he sparked with

Pat growing old with his wife and kid as a happy family, spending more Christmas together , him never pushing away his wife to commit adultery

Julian stopping his adultery and bad habits and becoming a father for his daughter

Annie being able to escape the hell she was put into and living on another place where she could live freely as a woman

Kitty having to venture outside the world and being able to attend a proper ball and finding her one true love

Mary growing old with her husband and having kids and having one simple life ,one that she wanted and leaving her hometown for a better life

Robin finally moving on from the afterlife

I know its impossible to give all of them a happy ending so why not show the ending they deserve to get but never did

Or after moving on they get reincarnated as a modern day person , with the same facial features but they got to do what they couldnt before

And by the time alison is old enough, they are now fully functional adults ready for their next chapter in life as alison passes on

Welcome to my overthinking world

[newsatsix1986]

The beautiful Jane Harber as Carla Carroll in The Newsreader’s S02E03 - Greed And Fear

.

.

“Just hold on! ‘Tings will get better!”

This has been the life motto that Carla Carroll has lived by, and it has served her and her family well.

The life that she has created for her and her family works well for them. She goes to work for her magazine at seven, and her husband; the famous telly star Gerry Carroll, is there in the mornings and afternoons for their little daughter; Alison. Then as the evening rolls around, she comes home to take over the evening duties, when Gerry goes off to work to film his various shows. It’s truly the perfect system for them. She couldn’t imagine working with Gerry, she’d probably kill them! How do Helen Norville and Dale Jennings do it!?

Speaking of Helen, she’s currently sitting next to Carla on the lounge in the living space of the Carroll family home. Her and Dale have been together for over a year now. She wonders if Helen wants to have kids. Not sure? Carla wasn’t sure either, but Gerry absolutely wanted to. Being one of nine certainly hadn’t deterred him!

Carla can certainly understand why motherhood is something that some might be hesitant about. She had a rough old time after Alison was born, and the split downstairs seemed to be not the only thing that she struggled with. It’s a lot to dump upon someone you’ve only just met, but the harder taboo parts of motherhood don’t get discussed enough. You cannot keep this bottled up and to yourself forever. Maybe by sharing this, she could help Helen make her mind up. A baby Norville would be divine, but it also might not happen too. Either way is more than okay.

Things definitely did get better. Carla healed, down there, and she’s starting to heal up there in her mind too. It takes a village to raise a child and to fit family life into the demands of the modern world, but it can be done, if this is the dream one wants to make come true. Check on the parents in your life today, and see if you can become a part of that village for them 💖

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Always get a bit frustrated whenever I see a comment on a kitty-edit that's like "Oh Kitty had such a sad childhood, but at least she has the Captain now."

Don't get me wrong, I love their relationship, it's adorable, he is definitely her dad as evident by how she views him as such in flashbacks the same way Alison is her sister.

But I feel like people forget that their relationship is actually fairly new? She outright says in the first series that she does not like him and that he's only got worse since Alison arrived. It's not until S3 they start to warm to each other and what makes it work so beautifully is how it coincides with Cap becoming more true to his (fabulous) self, rather than trying to be the bossy soldier. Basically he fits the mould of her real father, both good and bad, but the more he subconsciously reminds her of how cold and strict her father could be, rather than his sweeter moments, the less she wants to be around him. When he starts to let his real self show and become more the man she wishes her dad had been is when that bond starts to form. That's what I find interesting about them.

However the suggestion that Cap is the only one to care for her or even the one who cares the most I feel does a real disservice to the other ghosts. They all absolutely adore her in their own way.

Her friendship with Mary was adorable and I love how protective Mary was of her even before Kitty died, insulting her father for ruining her fun, then standing up for her when she stood up for Cap, them gushing over things together like the rice krispies and the snow globe, making up their inventory song, Mary comforting Kitty at the party and putting her to bed. How heartbroken Kitty was at losing her and desperate to believe she would come back.

Every scene she and Pat have together, him being her dance partner but also him being the one to take on trying to explain death to her and doing as a parent would, how he probably did the first time Daley had to deal with death, it's just so relatable how he didn't want to be harsh but needing to be honest.

Julian calling her a "dear, sweet thing", him being the only one to attempt to explain to her how baby's are made (graphic and disturbing as it was), how he's ready to tell her the truth about Santa but as soon as he's sees the look on her face it's enough to melt his Tory heart is the peak Christmassy scene of that episode for me.

Thomas hugging her at the panto (one of only two hugs we get in this show!) and being so grateful for having her as his manager, how gentle he is when he asks to inspect her hands for the spider bite.

Robin knowing her pregnancy shtick is nonsense but going along with it like a brother being roped into his kid sister's make believe, rubbing her feet for her and sitting with her most of the day, him leaving a party that he loves to take moment to encourage her to cry her feelings out and then helping Mary put her to bed, how she only has to call his name and he's jumping in to scare off the plaguers.

Everything with her and Humphey! How she's the one who is the most concerned about where he is and making sure he's in one piece so he's not left behind, these two have the most adorable Uncle and Niece vibes.

Fanny is the only one I feel the show let slide on having her bond with, I think the most progression they have is Fanny praising Kitty's speaking in S4. Kinda miffed about this one because without Mary and with Alison gone, they're the only girls left and it would have been nice if they'd developed a mother-daughter bond.

Last but not least her and Alison! Their relationship is so important to S3 and how it contrasts to Alison's storyline with Lucy. Even though Lucy turns out to be a fake, it's still a good show of the importance of found family as much as blood family, how Kitty is jealous at first but then becomes the catalyst for figuring out who Lucy really is and protecting Alison from being scammed. It's such an important arc for her character that gets sadly forgotten, how she's not smug with joy that Lucy is gone at the end but just expresses sympathy for Alison losing the sister she never had. "You're the sister I never had" was the line that I first choked up at in this show. Also props to Kitty for literally annoying someone into being a true. best friend, she gives the rest of us losers hope!

Overall just how lucky Kitty is at the end of the day, that yes she had this privileged but ultimately toxic upbringing and died very young - but now she's surrounded by these people who absolutely adore her and might not always cope with it the right way but they just want to protect her because she is so sweet and endearing. If I could add any scene to the finale I feel like Alison should have got to have one talk with Kitty where she assures her that yeah they'll be apart but she's always at the end of the phone and will visit often, but also assuring her that she still has SEVEN people who love her to bits which is more than a lot of us get.

[deadcityhq]

**CHARACTER NAME:** Erica Reyes - usually uses the alias Erica Rivera

**CHARACTER FACECLAIM:** Adria Arjona 

**CHARACTER AGE/DOB:** August 16, 2003; 20 (but age is a little fucky bc she was dead for abt a year)

**CHARACTER PRONOUNS/GENDER IDENTITY/SEXUALITY ETC:** she/her/hers; cis female; pan probably.

**CHARACTER FANDOM:** Teen Wolf

**OC OR CANON:** Canon

**CHARACTER TYPE:** Werewolf (it’s complicated, but not in the selkie way, unfortunately)

**HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN NEW YORK/WHY ARE THEY THERE ETC:** Three years; after she dug herself outta her own grave she said “fuck this place and the horse you road in on” and fled Beacon Hills. 

**IMPORTANT CHARACTER INFORMATION TO NOTE AND SHARE:**

Erica’s part in the Teen Wolf show is canon. Erica grew up with epilepsy and was bullied and mistreated because of it. Derek Hale gave her the bite - something that drastically changed her in more ways than one. Eventually she was captured by the Alpha’s, along with her packmate Boyd. Erica fought her freedom, but was ultimately killed by Kali. Eventually, Derek, Scott, and Alison found her body and buried her in the woods.

She died bro. 

A year of Full Moon’s later, with the moon shining on Erica’s unmarked grave, Erica awoke inhaling dirt. 

Insert Jason Todd-esque digging herself outta her grave 

Erica’s assessment of Beacon Hills was “ABSOLUTELY NOT.” She didn’t think it was fair to put her parents through the pain of her daughter returning, and honestly, they seemed happy.

And… well, as for the rest of Beacon Hills? She hightailed her ass out of there. Sorry not sorry, Beacon Hills is cursed and she already died once. 

She fucked off to NYC to mind her own business and try to restart her life.

She contacted some seedy people in NYC to give her a new identity and a new life.

The moon healed her, but she didn’t come back the same. 

Her werewolf powers have changed considerably. She goes full dog and not by choice - no half transformations. Her eyes go silver, and she generally doesn’t have access to her mind/humanity, making it a necessity for her to lock herself up every month.

She also…. Sees things. Shadows. Spirits. Fragments of people who have long since passed. They scare her, especially when a living person has something wrong with their shadow – as if something else has attached itself to it. These people almost always die within 24 hours.

Erica’s epilepsy is no longer “locked away” as it had been after Derek gave her the bite. She has resumed treatment at an NYC hospital and it is considered stable. She carries a medical identity bracelet.

**THREE AESTHETICS THAT REMIND YOU OF YOUR CHARACTER:** the smell of dirt waking you up after a long rest. the moon hanging low in the sky, its glow wrapping around you like a soft blanket. spirits wandering through a field of the living.

[fideidefenswhore]

not quite literally… but, there were some odd things going on with mary’s arc in general, it’s particularly glaring by s4. i agree it wasn’t the creators’ intent but probably was the result due to myriad factors (the writing, jrm’s emotional intensity in his scenes , the actors having way too small an age gap to realistically be a father-daughter relationship). some were small and possibly coincidental (her gowns became severely lowcut by s3-s4 in comparison to s2 and were so during all these … intense emotional scenes with jrm); others were really fucking weird and glaring (namely, mary’s dialogue to stepmothers 4 & 5 sounds more like a rival sultana in magnificent century than his daughter … mind, they explain the first as mary admitting howard was right, it came from jealousy bcus mary was unmarried herself, and the second as mary’s hatred of parr’s ‘heresy’, and if you really search for continuity, maybe the overall suggestion is mary hates anyone that could conceivably blight or threaten her potential future as queen of england— again, this arc was very inconsistent, bcus she’s earlier shown as adoring jane seymour— but—it was still weird…)

…. aaaand the ‘innocence test’ with francis bryan, which was obviously creepy as hell… fwiw, the tudors was plagued by a lot of weir-isms (this was alison weir’s peak), and i’d venture this is where they got this story, as it unfolds almost exactly as it does in weir’s children of henry viii. there is a historical source for it , but not exactly a contemporary one (jane dormer, who was not alive in 1536); and one of catholic hagiography, at that (so… vested interest in casting mary i as a saint, and henry viii as an irredeemable villain, not to mention no naming of the source, casts this story into question).

but, his scenes with his sister in s1 had a creepy vibe, as well. possibly the intent was to use these sort of scenes to illustrate the controlling nature of the patriarchy; that even -- or even, especially-- family was not allowed any exception to these rules of male superiority, men expecting obedience from, and 'owning' and guarding and trading on the virginity, of their sisters, daughters, etc. hell, the pilot episode was the duke of buckingham's violent reaction against his own daughter when she slept with charles brandon, so maybe there's something there...

i hope the experience was overall a positive one for sarah bolger bcus the press during this was pretty rude and forward to her in interviews considering her age at the time; and the bitterness in some of her answers made me wonder if she’d ever been uncomfortable with the writing or just on set (i’ll find it later to link if i manage, but distinctly recall some creep asking her if she was comfortable with the nudity in the show + whether she had a crush on jrm and her answer being smth to the effect of: well, good thing im not playing his daughter or they WOULD probably make me play henry’s mistress!!)

when watching the tudors, am i the only one who got the feeling that henry wanted to fuck mary? the creators probably didn’t mean to make it seem that way but henry was so creepy and the way he looked at mary sometimes turned my stomach

[fideidefenswhore]

Were Mary Tudor and Jane Seymour close like on Tudors? Do you think they would have remained close if Jane lived?

Well, I think this speaks to a bigger-picture tradition (reinforced by The Tudors, et al) that Henry's marriage to Jane Seymour presaged a Norman Rockwell-esque merry little (step)family, idyll of sorts.

To wit:

She had achieved nearly everything she set out to do: she had given the King the son he so desperately needed, she had helped to restore the Lady Mary to the succession and her father’s affections, and she had used her influence to bring about the advancement of her family. She had provided the King with a family life for the first time in years, and had meddled hardly at all in matters of religion or politics. His grief at her death is testimony of his love for her. It was, in every respect, the most successful of his six marriages, and it was the only one to result in a surviving male heir. Alison Weir 

"A family life for the first time in years"... meaning? Henry Fitzroy was not his family? Margaret Douglas was not his family (Margaret, who was placed under arrest in the Tower soon after his marriage to Jane and, there being some debate amongst historians whether she was released during Jane's queenship or after, makes this an especially interesting assertion)? Margaret Tudor was not his family (they had not seen each other for some years, but that was hardly Anne's doing, whom Margaret referred to as her “dearest sister”)? Elizabeth was not his family?

True enough that the marriage with Anne Boleyn led to a rift between Henry and his younger sister, and brother-in-law, and indeed one with his eldest daughter. They were not the only family members Henry had, but were, apparently, the only ones that mattered.

“It was the realisation of one of [Jane’s] dearest hopes to have Mary with her at court, and she kept her stepdaughter often in her company, walking with her hand in hand. Jane and Mary developed a deep and lasting friendship and Jane always ensured that Mary was treated with respect.” —  Elizabeth Norton “Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s True Love”

To speak more specifically to the ask, we have this. Now, I don't want to sound c*nty, which means I probably will, but...we don't really know if Jane and Mary would have had a deep and lasting friendship, in the circumstances of Jane's son effectively disbarring Mary further, reifying the Act of Parliament that had with his very existence, etc. Their 'friendship', if one can term a step-familial relationship within a very restrictive and hierarchically stratified power structure, that, was all of one year, for the very simple reason that Jane died in late 1537. Any prediction for what it would have shaped out to be had Jane been Henry VIII's last queen remains counterfactual.

The source for them walking 'hand in hand' is the Spanish Chronicle, an account written during Edward VI's reign that is rife with errors (refers to George Boleyn as the Duke of Somerset, records that Catherine Howard was Henry's fourth wife, and Anne of Cleves his fifth) as well as several sensationalistic, otherwise uncorroborated, stories (it is the tome from whence comes the tale of Anne Boleyn calling for 'marmalade', and an old woman [?] knowing that 'marmalade' was the code for Mark Smeaton, taking him from the cupboard and putting him in her bed).

At first I thought this very unlikely, not because of anything we know of Jane's personality (since we really don't know very much), but because it would be against court protocol, suggest they were equal in status soon after an Act of Parliament had diminished Mary's, and Jane seems to have followed court protocol to the letter. But then, I remembered Anne Boleyn's offer to Mary in 1536-- that if she came to court and honored her as Queen, she could walk alongside her, rather than behind her, and not have to carry her train (nothing about walking hand-in-hand, obviously, but it suggests that the offer of walking side-by-side was not so unprecedented as to render it impossible).

As to friendship, we have some gifts exchanged between them, but not much more evidence than that. Something that might be pertinent to note is that the Spanish Chronicle, while it is the main source that really speaks to ‘friendship’ between Mary and Jane, also records that Jane denigrated her youngest stepdaughter and her predecessor, very publically. I’m of the opinion that if you find this a credible source (which I do not, fwiw), you kind of have to take 1 + 1. 

My own personal theory is that, being that there are so many errors, I don’t think it was written by a Tudor courtier, but rather someone that had a relationship with someone that was. That it was written during the reign of Edward VI leads me to believe that there was a potential motive here to nudge Edward towards leaving Mary his heir or at least treating her well, by perhaps exaggerating the intimacy and tenderness of her relationship with his natural mother. Since for much of his reign he was giving preferment to Elizabeth (this would also explain the story of his mother disparaging her, to an extent)...although he never did, I think this left some with the impression that he might make her heir instead of Mary (when as we know, he bypassed them both).

So, there’s the extent of what I’ll say about the Spanish Chronicle. I’m going to say also, that the letters written by Mary, and about Mary, during Jane’s queenship suggest a lot of insecurity on Mary’s part, and an amount of deference towards Jane that suggests fear > affection (not fear of Jane, persay, but fear of not stepping a foot wrong and remaining high in her father’s estimation).

I have received your letters, "no less full of motherly joy for my towardness of reconciliation than of most prudent counsel for my further proceeding therein," which of your goodness you promise to travel to bring to a perfection. Cannot express the comfort this has given her. Promises that from this day she shall neither be lacking in duty to her father, who has the whole disposition of her heart in his noble hand, nor in humble and obedient service to her Grace. Begs her, "with such acceleration as shall stand with your pleasure," to have in remembrance her desire to attain the King's presence.

Lady Mary is a most obedient child. (Cromwell)

"Promises to continue in obedience according to her promises, both spoken and written, made to the King. I beseech our Lord to preserve your Grace in health with my very natural mother the Queen, and to send you shortly issue; which I shall as gladly and willingly serve with my hands under their feet as ever did poor subject their most gracious sovereign."

First of many references to humility & obedience (and promises of servility and utmost deference to not only her stepmother and father, but their future issue), and the turn of phrase here in Mary’s letter is...interesting. ‘Most natural mother the Queen’, especially. This is particularly odd, because ‘natural mother’ in this time very specifically meant, well... ‘natal mother’, essentially. This term speaks to how she was so fearful of being associated with Catherine of Aragon and all she stood for that she’s effectively erased her from memory, rhetoric, existence. 

& I don’t think how painful that must have been for Mary can be overstated, because she clearly did not genuinely feel that-- look what she reverses about that legacy via Parliament once she has the power.

And further:

The King gave her licence some time to send a servant to know of his health and prosperity. Has now sent her old servant Randal Dod with these letters as a token, and begs the King, if she is "over hasty in sending so soon," to pardon her, and believe that she would rather be a chamberer, having the fruition of the King's presence, than an Empress away from him. My sister Elizabeth is well, "and such a child toward, as I doubt not but your Highness shall have cause to rejoice of in time coming.

This speaks to something else, not only the absolute abject humility of the rhetoric (a chamberer in her father’s presence, than an Empress away), that far from Mary being ‘reinstated at court’ as popular tradition suggests, and ‘reconciled with Henry’, after Jane became Queen, Mary really only saw him a few times (a summer visit, and then not until she was recalled to court because of the rebellions, and then for the holidays in December) and remained, for the most part, in a joint household with Elizabeth. The ‘reconciliation’ thus seems nominal at best. The desperation of these letters speak to that, that maybe it was promised otherwise (an invitation to court, frequent correspondence and word from them) and then she was still sidelined & ignored to a certain extent.

"After my most hearty commendations," it is so long since I heard from the King my father that I am bold to send my servant, the bearer, with letters to the King and Queen to know how they do. If I have sent too soon "molesting his Grace with my rude letters," please make my excuse. Till he shall licence me to come to his presence my comfort is to hear often of his health.

Thanks for his daily goodness and fatherly pity. Hopes by faithful obedience to "redubbe" that she has offended.

The King has already shown her more goodness than she deserves, and she desires nothing so much as his presence.

That you have never refused to further my continual suits makes me the bolder in writing to you at this time. The King my father has sent me every quarter of this year 40l., as you best know who were a mean for it. And as this quarter of Christmas must be more chargeable than the rest, especially considering the house I am in, I would desire you to be a suitor to the King to increase the sum. "My lord," I am ashamed to be always a beggar to you, but cannot choose. Houndson

(Worth note that both Jane’s sister and step-daughter ask for Cromwell’s intercession when they need something, not the Queen’s)

Also, "considering the house I am in” (Hundson, with Elizabeth, iirc) seemed to  perhaps have the desired effect, because after this is when Mary is invited to court for Christmas. 

The visit to Mary the summer of 1536 included a gift of a diamond ring from her stepmother, along with a, perhaps, less nice gift:

“on one side was a relief of Henry and Jane, on the other a picture of Mary. The Latin inscription read: ‘Obedience leads to unity, unity to constancy and a quiet mind, and these are treasures of inestimable worth. For God so valued humility that he gave his only son, a perfect exemplar of modesty, who in his obedience to his divine father, taught lessons of obedience and devotion’ “...

Again, this gift from Henry&Jane that features them, stresses the importance of Mary’s ‘obedience’ not once, but thrice, and it seems she took that to heart and strove to emulate what was being asked of her. 

As far as the visits and temporary residence at court of Mary and Elizabeth, the most likely explanation would be that this was due to the rebellion at the time-- the record of the irregularity does not indicate that it was at Jane Seymour’s behest at all:

To soften the temper of the people, he caused his two daughters Mesdames Marie and Isabeau (Elizabeth) to come thither, but the bad opinion conceived by the people of his intentions was so fixed that it seems they think of nothing but liberty)

[finiffy]

479 words of "Charles is a bad dad"

Just dropping this here quickly

I wrote this under an hour so what would you expect of the quality but whatever. Atleast i learned that Charles' ex-wife's name is "Leanne". -lemonadeanon

They didn't need him. They really didn't.

He thought his wife agreed with him about children learning their responsibilities. People weren't taking their children serious enough, treating them like fragile immature things incapable of doing anything. It was strange.

Children could take care of themselves for 2 days. It was normal. It really was, so why argue about needing to find a babysitter when both of them had to be abroad at the same time? Only a short period of time, Alison could handle that.

"Are you out of your mind, Charles?!"

Not that he hated babysitters, of course, he was only thinking about his wife's wellbeing.

She didn't trust babysitters, so she resigned from her job when their daughter was born. Could Leanne handle knowing that Alison is in the hands of a stranger for 2 days?

She hired the babysitter herself, refusing to talk with him while doing so, or saying goodbye to Alison, or going to the airport.

At another evening he brought work to home, Alison talked about her classmate's dad always helping her homework during dinner.

The little girl's mother remarked that this will do nothing but get her friend lazier and make her incapable of doing her own work, and continued as she turned to Charles -but actually still talking to Alison- that their daughter probably shouldn't be close friends with a lazy person.

Charles wasn't against parents helping their kids with their work, but he was so busy for it, and even if he wasn't, Alison was a smart girl. So instead of joining his wife's condemnation, he turned to his daughter and said he's a lucky dad because Alison is a smart girl who doesn't need his help.

The little girl didn't talk for the rest of the dinner.

Alison was smart and old enough to handle herself, nearly 9, and his wife Leanne had always been an independent woman. She didn't even have any trouble when he wasn't there for their daughter's birth because of his work. She said "It's fine." and didn't mention it again, she even looked stern despite just giving birth.

So, as the years went on and both his wife and daughter matured even more, they clearly didn't need him anymore.

When he realized he can't keep being a father and be a good member of the foundation, he knew what had to be done.

And he was sure Alison would understand him one day. "She is a bright young woman", he reminded himself.

Not just that, but if he and the others failed to keep normalcy, would his daughter have a good life?

He was doing this for them. His duty wasn't protecting them as a father anymore, but as a member of the Foundation, for the greater good.

So, of course they didn't need him. They didn't. And he was sure they understood this too.

Wow, this is so good for an hour of writing. This feels like such a good parallel to O5-10's writing of Founder with raising Gears, but it is Gears raising Alison this time

Questionable fathers who prioritizes the Foundation and their work more than their family