#and like... jamie's growth is so obvious?

[thetarttfuldickhead]

Still not over this episode and still not over how Roy’s love language might be shouting (I mean, it’s quality time, but okay) but the effort he makes to speak Jamie’s language and accommodate Jamie’s needs in the boot room? Ungh. That’s love, baby. And growth.

The moment Jamie starts crying Roy immediately trails off and switches from shouty love to asking what’s wrong. He nods along as Jamie explains the issue. He lets Jamie squish his face and when Jamie clings to him Roy lets him do that too and immediately moves to put an arm around him. And yeah, it’s very much awkward guy pats, but there’s no hesitation. When Will walks in, Roy doesn’t use that as an excuse to extricate himself from the hug, isn’t at all embarrassed to be seen like this, and once Will leaves there’s no indication Roy’s planning on breaking this up before Jamie is ready to let him go.

Roy is clearly not comfortable in this situation, but I think that his discomfort, much like his heartfelt “fuck”, has more to do with him really not knowing how to handle this than anything else. At a loss, he settles for giving Jamie what Jamie’s asking for, feeling woefully inadequate but staying there, being there. Meeting Jamie where Jamie’s at, and doing the best to be what Jamie needs him to be.

Compare with 3x02 when he reflexively pushed Jamie’s attempt at a hug away – and sure, part of that is probably him still being more comfortable caring for others than being cared for, but part of it is growth; an openness to vulnerability that he very much has picked up from Jamie throughout the season, and now is prepared to deal it. (And part of it is just him being damned fond of Jamie and done trying to deny it, but whatever, no big deal, that’s not driving me insane or anything.)

[blank-house]

Did anyone from the cast had any awkward phase during adolescence? Any embarrassing outfits, hairstyles? Makeup mistakes? Unfortunate teenage romances? >:)

who didn't? lmao, puberty was not kind to anyone.

cameron was a mall goth. bought everything from hot topic, had one colored streak in their hair, had a raccoon tail keychain they wore on their belt, knee-high converse. it is their greatest shame, and this is the period of their life where they had the most pictures taken by their family. the evidence is on their walls.

deja's first "boyfriend" was when she was fourteen. they both had braces. because she believed in the urban legend that they'd get stuck together, she accidentally pushed him into a fountain when he leaned in for a kiss.

percy kind of had a bowl cut? he had a lot of acne on his forehead because, you know. happens around that age. so, he grew out his bangs, but then he also wanted to look stylish as one does that age. and then fucked it up so bad he had to wear a hat for half the school year. t'was also oily from bad shampoo choices.

jamie was more limb than person. like, he had a pretty obvious growth spurt in his early teens when it happened and is pretty obviously tall now but like. parts of him didn't look proportionate until he finally filled out with exercise and age.

elio's voice cracked a lot when he was getting older. it was a pretty regular point of embarrassment for him, so he just kind of tried to not speak as often when it first started. that, of course, lasted all of five seconds since he's usually the chattiest person around. it wasn't uncommon to hear it fluctuating, and something he kind of played for jokes. he kind of misses it.

reynah was pretty sure that the "i'm a child beauty queen" would transition over pretty well into her teen years, which meant that she got a little more avant-garde with her make-up and clothing choices. old pictures of her would have you second-guessing if you know reynah at all and it's a pretty obviously embarrassing thing for her, considering how she dresses these days.

[sylvies-chen]

okay I’ve refrained from posting my thoughts on the ted lasso finale until now in the interest of making sure they’re expressed properly so that people understand how correct my opinions actually are. but I’m here and I’m queer and LET’S DO IT FOLKS:

TED LASSO FINALE THOUGHTS

THE GOOD:

Nate!! Nate was a timid, sweet note in this episode. It was such a gentle little reintegration of his character back into the team and seeing him get a secure happy ending after all that time of insecurity was the part of the episode that provided the MOST payoff. Seeing Nick Mohammed’s post about Nate and his family life and understanding how much he put into that character was so beautiful to see too. I adore actors who very publicly (and in a nerdy way) love their craft!

His conversation with Ted also made me cry like I have never cried before.

COLIN KISSED HIS FELLA AFTER A WIN!! Ugh such a beautiful payoff and full circle moment for him, I was truly squealing with joy <3

The team’s rendition of So Long, Farewell had me GIGGLINGGG oh my god, I’m a die hard Sound of Music fan so I loved it! I would have maybe liked a little more emotion from Ted, I felt like his reaction was kind of… meh? meek? but other than that the song itself was FANTASTIC.

Obviously I love that they won the game, duh

They also had a lot of really amazing and thoughtful callbacks in this episode, like Keeley’s parallel to her entrance in the pilot was great, Ted’s bbq sauce mantra, Nate leaping into Ted’s arms, the ussie guy, the winning play being the play from season 1. All of those little moments showed a strong attention to detail I truly loved.

I love that Rupert made HIMSELF unlikeable in the end. Rebecca didn’t need to ruin his life; she stopped caring and soon saw he was doing a perfectly fine job of doing it himself. Karma truly is Rebecca Welton’s boyfriend!! Or is it?

Jake the motherfucking client seducer over here turning out to be a total dud like yesss!! I don’t want Ted and Michele back together by any means but fuck that guy lol, glad to see she and Henry were getting sick of him

BELIEVE. 😭

Which leads me to…

THE BAD:

I know you all know I ship Tedbecca, but this is truly not coming from a shipper standpoint when I say that that first scene of them was absolute BAIT. It was pretty disappointing because I know Ted Lasso’s been prone to red herrings and fakeouts every now and then but I didn’t take it as a show that would truly bait their fans with something like that??

I don’t care if I’m biased, I don’t care if the writers were trying to be avant-garde with their ending for rebecca, I’ll say what I’m about to say a million times: writing off 1 of your 2 most main characters into a happy ending with a man whose name the audience doesn’t even know is literally never a good writing decision. I think this should be obvious.

I have no hate to Boat Guy, Rebecca’s whole thing with him was basically the plot of Before Sunrise + Before Sunset (all hail Richard Lanklater) if someone watched those movies and then tried condensing them into fifteen accumulated minutes of television

Keeley, Roy, Jamie… they did you three so fucking dirty my babes. Keeley you especially. I’m beyond disappointed, bordering on genuinely hurt, by how much they screwed up Keeley and all of her adjacent storylines this season.

I loved RoyKeeley so much in seasons 1 and 2, they had such a sweetness and a magic to them. There were so many elements like that to season 1 and 2 that I feel the writers gave up on in the name of growth or… honestly, at this point, I don’t know why they did this. Roy was a little insecure in seasons 1 and 2, but I never felt like he was needy. It felt so cruel to have shown us RoyKeeley in all of these moments of such stability, such healthiness, and such genuine love for so long and then rip it away for some version of Roy Kent that felt hollow, twisted, and who just Did Not Get It. It makes me so sad.

It makes me sad for Jamie too. Him falling for Keeley again was like the last thing I needed to see from his character. There’s so much else they could have done with him, and instead they took that beautiful moment of him being accountable and respectful with Keeley and the tape, and they turned it into something ugly: they had him weaponize it as a bargaining chip against Roy.

I don’t understand why they thought having our favs engaged in this very sexist outdated convo with such possessive language in the name of comedy was a good idea. I get it was poking fun at them but it was the kind of fun that shouldn’t have to be poked at by now. They’re not these men, I don’t recognize this version of them. It’s such a regression.

speaking of weird and uncomfortable shit being played off for laughs… beard and jane got married! ted wasn’t even there! she shredded his passport to keep him in captivity! how creepy! (see the joke is that they’re crazy and do toxic things to each other. you’re supposed to laugh.)

[acourtofthought]

I did not say Elain wouldn't be mc next book. Sarah's answer definitely gave the impression that elriel is next

As I'm guessing you can imagine, my answer still stands.

Before she talked of Az's bedroom habits, she told us in book 3 how Elain's mate has fire in his blood and "fucks" like it too.

Do you really think SJM would waste that on someone other than his mate? When the author herself said she shares Elain's energy in her real life? SJM would have the chance to live vicariously through a character she relates to with a Jamie Fraser inspired love interest!

Before she ever talked of whether we'd met Az's person, she told us there was someone special for Lucien and went on to reveal Elain as his mate the very next year.

On Tumblr, she called Lucien "my love" and said this of Az in a special edition of FAS:

She told us how she purposely did not have Nesta and Lucien end up together because she realized they'd cause one another more pain and Elain took both she and Lucien by surprise so she mated them instead. Using your 2+2=4 logic, she mated Lucien to someone who would not cause him more pain. That means, despite their current state of tension, they're going to have growth and healing together (authors own words). Would that not be a little odd to read about in an E/riel book? Elain and Lucien having growth and healing together yet she ends up with Az in the end? If Az can't even handle the scent of her bond I cannot imagine what he'd do watching them become closer, turning into BFFs, seeing Elain make Lucien smile, seeing Lucien make Elain smile.

As far as plots, Lucien (not Az) is connected to the things threatening their entire world: Koschei and Vassa, Beron, Spring.

Elain is connected to those things too. Because of her visions and the very obvious hints SJM added to the books.

Az is connected to the Illyrians and any future time travel plots that may be introduced.

Elain is not connected to either of those things.

"Az's journey" could very well include him being humbled over how wrong he was about Elain, Lucien and Elucien, at which point he'll have his own growth and then be deserving of his own mate at some point.

I'm curious why you'd come onto a Pro Elucien / Anti E/riel blog and send messages like this? My stance is very clear at this point so you have to know I'm going not going to agree with you at all.

[faramirsonofgondor]

You're right about samjamie and you should say it!!! People ignore how cute their dynamic is, and the fact that they are constantly hugging/leaning on each other. Sam was pivotal in Jamie's growth and Jamie was key to making Sam a more assertive leader (in nice and not so nice ways). The material is RIGHT THERE and everyone ignores it!

yes! i think one of the most important aspects of their relationship is the fact that they CHOOSE to be close to each other, to support each other, and to love one another. in s1 jamie was a major bully to sam and hurt his confidence, and when jamie came back in s2 it would’ve been so easy for sam to write jamie off as a lost cause and move on. but he gave jamie the opportunity to prove himself, and jamie came through and supported him, and further acknowledged that sam was a good person who did a good thing despite the fact that they lost their match. now, from there it would also be easy for sam & jamie to remain distance from one another while still be cordial/friendly teammates. but from then on we see that they actively seek each other out & chose to grow closer. when the player jamie pissed off fouls him, sam is there. when sam decides to use his one haircut for his date with rebecca, jamie is there despite his inner turmoil and only leaves when he knows no one else will notice. i also think it’s very important to note that after what happened at wembley, sam immediately decides to seek out comfort in pursuing his most recent romantic encounter (rebecca), which i think highlights that sam was also feeling hurt for jamie and chose to pursue romantic relief (which maybe says something about how he feels about jamie). they continue to show their love and support for each other throughout the season.

then we get into s3 (yikes). while sam is also one of the people caught up in the zava whirlwind, it doesn’t necessarily diminish his relationship with jamie. while i do think it did hurt jamie that sam didn’t notice his struggles or check in on him, i think jamie was more hurt by the fact that NOBODY did, rather than just sam. and i think he shows more leeway towards the members of the team than he does the coaches in their obsession with zava because he understands that they’re still young and that’s it’s still easy to get caught up in all that. i also think it’s important to note that jamie still shows up to sam’s restaurant (wearing the sexiest outfit he could find) to support him despite being upset, and he doesn’t try to let his feelings overshadow the overall atmosphere. while i know some people see this as jamie being a team player, i think it has more to do with his relationship with sam than does it with that because we see him walking out of team meditation and showing more obvious disdain towards zava during the scene when they’re in the gym and zava steals his speech. then when we get to amsterdam, as roy is yelling at jamie on the bus, we see that jamie’s first reaction is to look towards sam (we see this in other moments where roy is being unhinged). in the strings that bind us, when the team flips off jamie, we notice him lingering on sam’s finger (which is quite close to his face) before speaking up. later when sam finds the team cleaning up his restaurant, jamie is the first one to answer sam’s question about why they chose to help out. in the next episode sam and jamie walk and discuss something together after the team finds out about the leak and deletes their nudes. then in la locker room aux folles, the camera focuses on a multitude of people turning towards jamie after the “somebody else in this room could be gay” but we don’t see sam’s (who jamie had shared a cute moment with like three minutes prior) reaction. when jamie does his little “i’m flattered” and the team laughs it off, only then do we see sam, who says they shouldn’t discuss it further. then we get a cute moment between jamie and sam when sam does his captain speech. skip to international break, jamie, after hearing that he’s making his england debut, immediately goes to see if sam is alright and tells him that he got screwed over. then, jamie chooses to wear sam’s number while he’s playing for england (just get married already). when jamie is having his breakdown during the press conference in mom city, sam is immediately worried about jamie’s behavior/attitude. i think the only reason we don’t see him checking in on jamie is because he can acknowledge that it might be easier for jamie to give space and let jamie come to him if he needs to.

i think the fact sam is able to give jamie space while also supporting him and letting jamie give him love in return is what makes it one of the healthiest jamie ships. while roy and jamie do have chemistry, roy is very resistant to jamie’s attempts to show support/comfort towards him. keeley, on the other hand, is unable to adequately support jamie while she’s trying to support and heal herself. sam and jamie have each others full and unconditional support, and sam is receptive towards jamie’s shows of love. i think this is essential to helping jamie heal because he hasn’t been able to show other men love and be met with love and reception in return. furthermore, sam doesn’t expect jamie to tell him all his secrets or come to him straight away, he has enough patience to let jamie work things out on his own, and will be there if jamie needs to come to him. this contrasts both roy and keeley’s approaches to getting jamie to open up during mom city, where roy yells and then somewhat comforts jamie and keeley brings up his worries in an attempt to gauge his feelings, and then they both proceed to stalk him until he reaches his mothers house. it wasn’t roy or keeley that made jamie feel better, it was jamie who knew what he needed and sought out his mother to comfort and reassure him. both keeley and roy are a bit restricting towards jamie and allowing him to express his feelings, with s1 keeley not explaining what made her upset (not communicating her boundaries) and laughing at his discomfort/fear with roy during the auction (dissuading him from communicating his own boundaries in fear of rejection/not being taken seriously). roy on the other hand attempts to manipulate jamie’s behavior and undermine the feelings jamie is expressing in those actions such as when pushes jamie into saying the ‘ugly boy’ thing and ignores the fact that jamie is clearly uncomfortable and that he has a lot of power over jamie in this scene, or when he tries to manipulate jamie into “backing off” keeley. when his attempts to manipulate jamie backfire, he tries to silence jamie through intimidation and physical aggression. overall, while it may not be intentional, both keeley and roy limit jamie’s behavior to the point where cannot fully express himself without fear of repercussions (whether that be mockery, rejection, or aggression). meanwhile jamie has the space to express himself how he wants when he’s with sam, and he doesn’t have to worry about being mocked or attacked for it. sam takes him and his emotions seriously in a way that others do not (although there could still be some improvement in that area for sam).

additionally, jamie is a great partner for sam because jamie is a very honest person and he is willing to learn, grow, and change. i think sam would value honesty a lot, because sometimes it’s better to hear what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear. From what we can tell, ola seems to be a very open and honest person as well, which is probably why sam values the truth. it’s also clear that sam likes it when others listen to him and ask for his input and jamie is willing to listen to sam and learn what sam’s boundaries are and he would respect those the best he could. i also think it’s important that jamie is one of the few people who shows pride in sam and recognizes his achievements and tells him that he should be proud of himself. when jamie has the opportunity to be jealous of sam becoming captain, he takes pride and joy in seeing him take on a new role instead. when sam doesn’t get picked to play for nigeria, jamie is the one to make sure sam knows that he deserved to play. when they lost their match after the dubai air protest, jamie is one to rally the team into celebrating sam and acknowledges the bravery of sam’s actions. they are just so perfect for each other!!!

[lunar-years]

If you pause and zoom in, the texts are VERY desperate. Asking for dates, begging for contact, talking about trying to forget about all the drama. They totally took away any sort of moral high ground Keeley had in 3.08 here, like it felt like, you know, Keeley didn't like Jack's POV, she was right, and it was up to Jack to change her mind and get on Keeley's level. Now, it looks like Keeley was willing to just cave and beg, like she wanted Jack back so bad. It isn't a great look that they've done this to her character. What the hell?

Okay to preface this I haven't gone back and zoomed in on the texts yet so I'm just taking your word for it that they're very desperate (but combined with the raging context clue of there being about a million zillion of them and that one being a solid BLOCK of text [oh Keeley] I don't exactly find it hard to believe, lol).

What I will say is that I continue to think Keeley is much worse off mentally right now than she appears on the surface. I don't think what they're trying to get at is that she's suddenly tossing her morals out the window by begging for Jack to take her back...it's just that her morals are currently being overridden by her overwhelming fear of abandonment and her desperation for external validation as well as her lack of confidence and trust in her own mind. I made a post a few nights ago after rewatching 3x08, and the same sort of problems are written all over that scene where she asks Rebecca if she should be embarrassed or ashamed by the leak. Keeley knows she is in the right, but she still can't quite believe it, she still questions herself, she still needs Rebecca to confirm it for her. I think the same things are at play here with these texts to Jack.

The problem I have with it is that we've now spent an entire season on this Keeley CEO girl boss arc...and I don't think it's progressed her character at all. If anything, I actually think her self-esteem has only tanked further. When the season first started, I thought they were going to use Shandy as a mechanism for Keeley to grow and develop into a mentor who could carry on what Rebecca has done for her, but right now she is still not anywhere near being in a position to be that person for someone else.

Listen, I loved that Roy and Keeley broke up before the season started because I truly felt they needed time to discover themselves and grow into the best versions of themselves before they could ever succeed together. Instead, they've both been in an absolute crisis-spiral all season (but at least I feel Roy has made some progress in the Chelsea episode and his scenes with Jamie, as well as tonight, and I think his spiral has just generally been clearer and better written).

The messy crisis era for the two of them is all well and good unless:

we really do only have three episodes left of this show EVER and we are only just NOW starting the upswing of their mutual growth arc

they throw Roy and Keeley back together before the season ends when it is more obvious now than ever that they are not in a good position to be doing that shit. For one, they've still barely spoken all season. What they need is a reckoning with one another (and Jamie) and then a friendship era before anything happens between them again relationship-wise. Three episodes isn't enough for that all to happen, however you slice it.

Which is to say, I think a lot of this might still work if it is ultimately setup for a s4, but it is not working as a final season arc, if that's what it truly is, and in that case I would think they've done a disservice to Keeley's character.

[solarxpunk]

𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩?

part i:

Interview for The Executioner, by Jamie Knox. Radical Environmentalist? Exclusive Interview with Dr. Risa Solana Garcia.

INTERVIEW BEGINS —

ABBREVIATIONS: JK-JAMIE KNOX | RSG- DR. RISA SOLANA GARCIA

We meet in a remote area on the eastern side of the coast, where Dr. Solana Garcia is researching a rare strain of heirloom corn in the region. She explained to me the importance of saving this particular species, as many seed savers say it is the mother to many. There’s a sort of dreamy haze in her eyes as she speaks about the seeds in the palm of her hand. It is obvious this work taps into a deeper part of the young woman before me. Her energy is just as contagious as it is in the rallies she leads. We sit under an apple tree after we pick a few of our own. I’m amazed by the loud crunch it makes as teeth meet flesh, and by the juicy bounty that fills my tastebuds — I don’t remember the last time I tasted something with this much flavor.

JK: Dr. Solana-Garcia, thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. If it’s okay with you, we’ll get right to the questions on everyone’s mind.

RSG: Hit me with ‘em.

JK: You’ve made quite a name for yourself in the circles of environmentalists. Some might even say your popularity grew at an unprecedented rate…that your tactics are on the rather extremist and radical side. Do you fear this overshadows the importance of the work you’re doing, or even erases it?

She laughs, neither flinching from the question nor appearing surprised by it.

RSG: I fear that whenever anyone goes against the status quo they’re deemed radicals or extremists, yet these accusations remain one-sided. Do we not dare to call those who have pushed the boundaries of human and technology fusion radicals? What about the millions of acres they are destroying in the process of making more Hacked? No, I do not fear my words or growth take away from the work, instead, I’ll pushback, arguing that if something I say or do in the name of balance for both humans and this planet makes someone uncomfortable then they ought to look deeper inside them and ask: what exactly is making them uncomfortable? Is it the fact that

I am questioning their morals and ethics. I know I am steady on my stance — those who care to do good have nothing to fear. Are my methods any more extreme than the eradication of major resources on this planet?

JK: Fair enough, but you operate more loudly for rather polarizing stances, wouldn’t you agree? You’re an advocate for armed resistance, for disruptive organizing, and rather vocal around your lack of support for the government’s complicity with the Anti-Green Generation. Some would even ask, have you ever thought about running for office yourself?

RSG: For office? Never. I refuse to be a paper-pusher in a broken system. I work on more important matters, like ensuring we don’t lose all access to our seeds and freedom to grow our food. As for my lack of support for the government’s refusal to call out AG2’s destruction of this planet, I think it’s fairly obvious where my stance is. Besides…anyone who directly calls themselves Anti-Green freely is a threat to the balance of this world. Yet are they labeled extremist as I am?

I suppose the question here is what differentiates us…and I’d say on one end, we want to ensure that humanity lives on and that there’s a planet to inhabit. They push for the melding of humans and computers, no matter the costs: where do we draw the line in our advancement? There’s a difference between aid to help people with sight or hearing or suffering from illnesses, but we’re talking about cosmetic technology that completely alters our DNA for no purpose other than to make rich people’s lives easier, no matter its cost to the planet. Destroying our world so Rich Dick can blink his eyes to see how much money is in his bank account is a bit ridiculous to me.

JK: Yes it does seem rather silly when we have current technology that does this, even if we have to wait a few minutes for it. There are some promising key features as you mentioned, but for whom?

RSG: Exactly, and the other question that comes into play is that access to these technologies. Even in the case of their widespread existence, those who most need things will be waiting years to access them because of their obscene prices. They’ll fill them with ads as one way, just selling us the next upgrade until we’re cut off from the most advanced.

JK: I want to get back to your organizing efforts. They’re quite impressive, and as I mentioned the traction you’ve gained is quite large. You say you’re not interested in politics, but many would say that is exactly why you should. Nonetheless, your tactics while deemed extreme are effective, can you tell the readers more about your influences?

RSG: Maybe a few true historical radicals…but my main influences were —

to be continued…

template credit: @poolsofsunlight

[mostcursedofpastas]

I finished Ted Lasso yesterday and I'm so mad about Nate's arc that I can't stop thinking about it.

When he had that heel turn at the end of Season 2 my brother (who was watching it with me) was upset. He thought that the heel turn came out of nowhere and that Nate isn't a bad guy. I agreed that overall he's not a bad guy, but it had been clear since pretty early on in the series that he had some issues that need to be worked on. I was excited to see the show address Nate's problems with the same empathy it had addressed, say, Jamie's.

Nate wasn't an obvious villain like Jamie, but he had a nasty streak. It was clear that he kept a mean running commentary going in his mind about other people, probably in an attempt to sooth his inferiority complex. He would generally only let the commentary out if he thought it wouldn't be traced back to him (giving Ted a roast of the players that he was expecting Ted to deliver) or if he thought he had enough relative status to get away with it (the way he treated Will and Colin).

He also became addicted to reading social media about himself and became convinced that Ted was stealing credit from him for plays that worked and would pin the blame on him whenever something didn't work.

I wanted to see these problems be addressed! I wanted him and Ted to have a heart-to-heart! I wanted to see Nate grow as a person and end up in a better place!

Instead the show just kind of glossed over all of that. His growth was: get a girlfriend, realize that Rupert's relationships with women is toxic, quit his job, mope, reach an understanding with his dad, and rejoin Richmond as assistant kit manager.

That's nice for him, but where is the reckoning? Where is the catharsis?? Why does Nate getting to go back to Richmond have more to do with Beard's emotional growth than Nate's???

I'm so mad.

[my-current-obsession]

So uh... I binged through a first run of Our Life: Beginning and Always last night and today. The free base game, no additional DLC. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

As I do for all otomes/romance games, I played blindly and made the choices I liked most on a first run, practically never reloading to pick different outcomes. I also strived to make the MC as close to me in terms of appearance/personality/etc. as possible, since that was an option here.

If anyone’s curious, I went for direct indifference at step one (since I barely knew/cared about Cove at first and have always been rather honest/blunt about my feelings), then direct fondness step 2 (it definitely felt like we were friends by the end of step 1, so...), then nervous crush step 3. I definitely wanted a romantic (or possibly never-acted upon romantic) ending, and after everyone teasing/implying the relationship was like that or heading in that direction, combined with Cove repeatedly sneaking into MC’s room it felt like the right time.

I went nervous because, well, developing feelings for a friend is bound to make things super awkward and leave you feeling less comfortable. I noticed that starting in step 3 people starting calling Jamie shy and reserved, and I’m not sure if that’s a result of me picking nervous (because I was under the impression those choices only related to how she related to Cove but maybe I’m wrong) or my prior choices of mostly being non-confrontational and passive led to that.

I had decided immediately I WAS NOT going to confess to him, because realistically I’d never risk sabotaging a friendship like that. I played MC often getting flustered but happy when Cove flirted with her and very occasionally made somewhat flirty banter myself, but I shied away from strong advances and never told him how I felt when presented the opportunity.

When our friends were “fighting” and things got heated, I rode things out and managed to calm him down. I finally told him about the $20 deal his dad had given me afterward, and thankfully he laughed it off. I’m sure in earlier steps he might not have been so receptive to that truth, so I took it as a sign of his growth and also how close we’d gotten.

I actually got a seemingly rare outcome of Cove confessing to me at the end of step 3 - it’s about 20% achieved on Steam and there are at least 3 different threads on the forum asking how to get the outcome I literally got blindly. It was an outcome I was VERY happy with, though I was wondering while playing (and still wonder now) if it’s possible to create a scenario where there are clearly mutual feelings that both parties just NEVER confess to, for fear of ruining what they already have.

Since they ended off step 3 officially together (although I had MC going a little ways away for college, which made things pretty bittersweet, especially since she and Cove had FINALLY gotten together only two days prior) I used “relaxed love” for step 4 since I knew it would take place several years later. I figure after several years of dating you’d be entirely committed and casual/comfortable with your SO. I didn’t have them living together, but it was still obvious how close and cozy they were, which I loved. There were so many emotional/physical intimate moments in this step that cemented how happy they were together. There was much cuddling, hand-holding, and a little more on occasion to be had.

And to end things perfectly Cove proposed and we told literally all our friends and family. Which was sweet, albeit incredibly embarrassing. I had tried to play MC as “neutrally” towards marriage as possible since that’s my honest feelings. For me the important thing is being together and marriage doesn’t really change that, but I’m not opposed to it either.

I honestly LOVE how Cove remained so emotional and soft as he grew up. I know my choices impact his personality and appearance so I’m not sure how much of this was set in stone versus my choices affecting things, but he was a crybaby to the end and struggled SO HARD to confess and then to propose but that was honestly real and wonderful. “My” Cove was more studious than sporty, never ditched his glasses (though he often took them off), cut his hair a bit shorter in 3 only to grow it back longer than ever in 4, and patched his relationship up with his parents over time to the point that he was VERY close and loving with them both in the end. He was more slender than buff (which suited me fine), though he was still very into surfing and his ORCA responsibilities.

He was flawed, but he was perfect to me. I imagine many players went a very similar route to me and got nearly identical outcomes in terms of most of the major plot beats - though maybe they were brave enough to confess, or perhaps their Cove was more sporty than studious. My path just felt VERY organic and natural as they went from strangers to friends to potentially-more to happily committed to each other.

I absolutely intend to replay this again, and with the steps 1-3 DLC for much more content. There are so many variations I’m looking forward to trying. The fact that the base game is free is honestly stunning because I would happily pay 20, 30 bucks for it. I can already tell it has SO MUCH replay value, though I do wonder how much all the choices really matter. Outside of setting your preferences and obviously major decisions (like telling Cove about The Deal or whether to confess your feelings), a lot of them feel like they might just slightly change a specific conversation, but on the other hand there are some choices that SEEM relatively innocuous but have far-reaching consequences or at least callbacks/in-jokes.

I look forward to seeing how much Cove as a person changes in subsequent playthroughs and how much his dynamic with Jamie can be altered at every step. So glad I gave this game a try and I can’t recommend it enough - especially since the base game is free, so anyone can try it without spending a dime! If you give this game your time and love, it has SO MUCH potential content and love to give back to you.

[vicstmichael]

Author Ask Tag

I was tagged by my amazing writeblr pal @scribe-of-stories! Read their post here, because Fleshtown sounds as fascinating as it does horrifying and I can't wait to read it someday! Also, I LOVED their writing advice for the last question. Definitely check it out!

I think I'm going to focus on 2 WIPs for this tag. My (STILL untitled) 90s rock band novel--click the tag to see more of what I've posted about that--and a dark marauders era fanfiction I recently started working on.

What is the main Lesson of your story? And why did you choose it? For my novel, I'd say the main lesson is that blood isn't a prerequisite for family. And that when you've found them you know... because together you can overcome any obstacle and rise to the top against all odds, and because when you truly see someone as family you love them despite their flaws and the mistakes they make. For the fic, I'll be honest, I haven't thought much about it yet. It's VERY new. All I was thinking was "DARK JEGULUS DARK JEGULUS" and... vibes? So, yeah. I'm a mess. But if I had to think about it I'd probably say it's that most bad choices are redeemable if you're willing to put in the work to change.

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding? NOVEL: Oooh, this is a good one. I took inspiration from other works like Almost Famous and Daisy Jones and the Six for the rockstar vibes, and High School (the Tegan and Sara memoir) for the 90s vibes. I also wanted the general atmosphere to be very moody, so I took advantage of the setting (Seattle) and used the weather to manipulate that, which feels very Twilight if I'm being 100% honest. FIC: Well, I mean, that's fairly obvious. I took inspiration from the original HP source material. I also wanted to give it a very dystopian worst-case-scenario feel, so for that I took inspiration from another great fic I've been reading called As the Worm Moon Dies. Highly recommend it!

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person? NOVEL: This project has multiple MCs, so I'll focus on my boy Jamie. Jamie's goals are interesting because while most of the others in the band are looking to make it big and be super famous, all Jamie wants is to play music with his friends for the rest of his life. Also, he DESPERATELY wants to sort out his feelings for River and live an authentic life by his side. As for me, I'd say my goal is to show people that growth isn't necessarily lateral, and either is forgiveness. But no matter how bad things can get, as long as you're willing to put in the work and lean on your people for support, almost anything can be overcome. FIC: Regulus is just trying to survive, man. He's going through it. He's also trying to live with the choices he's made and (though he doesn't consciously know it yet) find ways to make up for them. Meanwhile, James is quite literally trying to save the world. Which is very him. He's also trying to overcome the cognitive dissonance he's experiencing when it comes to aligning his feelings for Regulus with his own personal goals and values. I don't know what I want as the writer yet, my dudes. Like I said, right now I'm just here for the vibes and the angst.

How many chapters is your story going to have? Unknown for both WIPs. Although my novel is currently up over 40 which I worry is too many. Mind you, it's still in the first draft stage so that will likely change as I cut and edit.

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it? I'm HOPING my novel will be picked up by my pals at NineStar, and the fic will be up on Ao3 when it's ready!

When and why did you start writing? I started writing when I was 9 or 10, when I would make kids books (illustrations and all, haha) for my baby brother. All I had was printer paper, crayola markers and a dream baybeeee. Then I started writing short stories for youth magazines and contests, then in high school I moved onto fanfiction, and so on. As for why... I don't really know. It has always just felt natural to me. I've always known I was going to be a writer. It's what I feel best doing. I could never give it up.

Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers of tumblr do you follow? I don't know how to follow Scribe's advice because it was just so damn good. So everything they said! I'd also like to add that there's nothing wrong with working at your own pace. As a neurodivergent author who goes months at a time without writing a single word only to suddenly and without warning embark on a three-week writing hyperfixation where I block out absolutely everything and everyone around me, I'm here to tell you that it's FINE. It's fine to take breaks, it's fine to take ten years or ten weeks to write a novel, the important thing is that you're writing it. Like Scribe said, don't let other people tell you how YOUR process should go. Deadlines are one thing, but all you can do is your best. What that looks like to one person may look completely different to you, and that's FINE. <3 Oooh shoutouts! I love shoutouts! Some must-follow writeblrs: @scribe-of-stories, @idgie-stark, @dewiwrites, @artcoffeecats, @rachaellawrites and @brieflyinfatuated!

Open tag! Any and all writeblrs are encouraged to play along!

[sylvies-chen]

okay obviously roy’s question to keeley in this week’s episode was all kinds of inappropriate and invasive. personally it did feel very out of character, and the storytelling on the roy and keeley front has been very off through this season so far. but I’ve been thinking about the audience response to it as the reactions and tweets have been rolling in and it’s worth noting the difference in how roy and jamie are treated as characters right now

what is so appealing to many about jamie is that he began the show as the obvious antagonist. he wasn’t the villain exactly, but ted lasso is a show that doesn’t exactly have a main villain besides maybe rupert— and even then, he’s mainly just the team’s opposition and rebecca’s enemy. the true “villains” in this show, to me, are the cultures and mindsets that we all fall into. the trap of vengeance and retributive justice, locker room culture, bullying, toxic masculinity and its expectations, insecurity, etc. and I could go into all that another day. but I digress.

jamie had the potential to be the show’s antagonist. they could have very well stuck him in the role of bully and kept him there, but they didn’t. they allowed him nuance, they gave him the grace and leeway to grow and evolve into the lovable himbo that he is today. and now that he’s put in that work that was so hard to get him to do inthe first place, he’s sitting comfortably in that evolved state.

roy is not like that. he’s a character who made some sizeable strides of growth very early on in the show, and who then made a few missteps along the way. he’s a character who retreats back into an older version of himself for self-preservation, and though it isn’t right and results in him making significant mistakes, he’s ultimately the kind of man who can recognize when he does fuck up and will make things right. we haven’t forgotten that, have we?

my point is, roy is a character whose growth is not linear or simple. jamie is. and that’s not me saying jamie is a basic character or without nuance because he has his complexity. I know that and enjoy it thoroughly. but his arc was a very straightforward narrative and I think that’s part of why so many people like him. it’s a very easy tale to love, with a before and an after.

roy, as of right now, just isn’t like that. he is at his most insecure, his most closed off, and his most wounded. he’s reverted slightly, in the midst of a character regression due to the pain he’s felt and the anxieties he has. and it’s making him do stupid things (or ask stupid questions) especially because no one has been seen to really help him snap tf out of it. now of course he has to be the one to hold himself accountable and be the man keeley deserves and let go of his insecurities controlling his life and his actions, and many of those steps he has to take on his own. but damn, it’s sad to see so many people straight up quit on roy as a character after having done a bad thing. progress is not always linear! just cause he screwed the pooch on this one doesn’t mean he can’t get back to who he really is and earn back keeley through redemption. this whole show is about radical empathy and reconciliation, for crying out loud! falling into this trap of “who’s the better person” and “who deserves keeley” denies these characters the very fundamental idea that people don’t come with a predetermined set of what they do or don’t deserve, because we are all capable of change. if it were true, jamie would deserve to be stuck on love island for harassing sam in season 1 or ruining nate’s suggestion box.

anyway, TLDR: we can acknowledge that roy was entirely wrong and inappropriate to ask that question while also not entirely surrendering hope for him to fix his mistake. instead, we can acknowledge it for what it really is, which is a shit writing choice by people who are fumbling the bag on the roy/keeley/jamie/jack aspect of the season tremendously

[lokiiied]

exactly and what you said in your prev post that

“Though, right now I'd be more in favour of Jamie x Roy, anyway, since Keeley finally should get some time to sort herself out as an independent woman and to do some reflection and self exploration, instead of jumping straight into the next relationship. And Jamie and Roy can give her the support and encouragement she needs as her platonic besties.” x

feels like they had all this potential & intentional writing leading to this solution but decided they don’t actually care that deeply about these characters and what’s best for their personal growth/happiness & would rather pretend all their problems are resolved when they’re offscreen so yay let’s get that favourite het couple back together now that we’ve made the queers happy putting keeley in that toxic lesbian relationship with her boss that was def not reflective of rebecca & rupert at all so you will forget all the issues with roy x keeley that should seem minimal in comparison! regardless of the fact that they were both holding each other back at the end of their relationship.

also it feels so unfair to jamie. like, not that keeley should be viewed as a reward in any way, - tbh feels like the show is portraying her like that tho - i agree she needs time to herself for a while and is not a saint. it seems like roy just had such minimal growth — still important, but not enough to be ready to get back together with keeley again. like, he apologised to jamie for projecting his anger (just in that one instance tho). he did the press interview after rebecca yelled at him. and then he claimed responsibility for his part in him & keeley’s relationship not working (apparently entirely his fault?? no one told him otherwise which also seems unfair) and suddenly everything’s fixed.

what about all of jamie’s growth?? that keeley even acknowledged in the start of the season? he has basically zero issues aside from a lifetime of unprocessed trauma. he has a major crush on his coach who has volunteered hours of his free time - on top of seeing each other at work every day - to “train” him during which him & jamie have opened up to each other and clearly benefit from spending time together. they could thrive in a romantic relationship.

as i have written before, jamie would continue to be a gentle & patient support system for roy. help him address his anger & suppressed emotions & they could learn to deal w the hyper masculine & homophobic football culture together. roy can motivate jamie like no one else. he has gained jamie’s trust and would encourage him to open up about his traumas and roy would recognise how his anger has affected/triggered jamie in the past. they’d probably both have sessions with dr. sharon.

plus then they’d be that professional but obvious couple who are both very career focused but also probably fuck in roy’s office after practice/matches (or the boot room to will’s horror…but he knows by now to just leave when he sees them come in after that one time..) imagine how many problems them just having sex would solve. i mean, honestly.

roy/keeley said they were too busy for each other but that wouldn’t be a problem for roy/jamie since it’s literally their jobs to spend time together. roy can spend time by himself, with keeley, his yoga mums group, phoebe, the diamond dogs. jamie can hangout with colin & isaac, sam, dani, keeley, phoebe, be by himself, etc.

i just think this would solve a lot of everyone’s issues idk. too bad i don’t write the show lol

"Jesus, can you imagine if you fell for it, and you got back with Rupert? After all that floppy cock has done, you'd have to be insane. You would have to be at the bottom of your emotional barrel to do something that dumb, right."

Words of wisdom that don't apply when the floppy cock is Roy (not that Roy is as bad as Rupert, but he hurt Keeley a fucking lot), because in that case it has to be celebrated and people rejoice over the perfect couple getting back together.

Or will it actually turn out that it was dumb and insane for Keeley to throw herself back into a relationship with Roy, considering she is at the bottom of her emotional barrel right now?

Was this clever, intentional writing or am I—once again—giving the writers too much credit and the message in the end will be "If a good guy breaks your heart, take him back once he manages to do the bare minimum!"?

And Roy being like "Oh, I was stuck and a mess when I was with Keeley. When I broke up with her, I probably caused some damage, that I need to fix. And since I'm not stuck anymore and lighter now I should totally get back into the relationship where I felt stuck and was a mess!"

Yeah, a lot of their relationship problems were caused by Roy's insecurities and stuckness, and that was the reason he pulled away, but that wasn't all that was going wrong between them. There were still Keeley's abandonment issues and her inability to tell him stuff that might upset him out of fear of rejection.

So it would have been good to actually talk things out to see, whether it really was all him. (And honestly, both Roy and Jamie tend to put Keeley on this pedestal as if she is flawless and perfect and that might be nice for Keeley's ego, but it also doesn't give here the freedom to fuck up and be imperfect, which can be a lot of pressure.)

(I'm still so salty about it and if that was all there was to their reconciliation and they're endgame just like that, I'll be pissed. After having them apart and barely interacting the whole season, this would be way too rushed and just bad writing.)

[cuethemulti]

First, I wanna say that I’m so proud of Jamie for being open. But the fact that he has to speak up about his addiction over a twelve year old tweet that people tried to cancel him with??

Cant show the tweet bc 1) He deleted it and 2) It just does more harm but it was a 2010 joke that he did (mind you, it was part of a vine trend as well and this was the age where “edgy humor” was cool) Yes, it is important for people to recognize that these types of jokes are not okay to make, but it’s ridiculous that they try to write him off as a horrible person for this. The same people who harassed him over this tweet and are now making fun of his addiction shows who are the real assholes here. Once you take a look at his music, his interactions with fans and colleagues, it’s obvious that’s he’s grown so much and that has learn from the past, so it’s just sad that he had to disclose his trauma like this.

Anyways, again I’m really proud of how far he’s come in his recovery journey and the personal growth he’s gone through.

[supercorpkid]

The price of magic.

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Daughter!Reader, Lena Luthor x Daughter!Reader

Word Count: 2210.

Turns out the price of magic was higher than you had anticipated. You’ve been away for more than a year, but for your family it was nothing but a week. Sure they’ve missed you and they were out there looking for you with no clue of where you could have gone. But for you?

A year in Storybrooke was experiencing your life as you’ve always imagined. Being yourself in its totality. No Luthor name hanging over your head, no hiding yourself behind glasses or a red and blue superhero suit. It was being both Kryptonian and human at the same time, with no fear of judgment or dislike.

Storybrooke was like going on a super long vacation; so long it made you forget all of your problems. But that doesn’t mean that your problems went away. They came back as soon as you stepped foot in National City.

The price of magic was feeling guilty for being happier somewhere else. It was walking into your bedroom and feeling at home but also somehow not at all. It was walking around the craziness of National City and feeling suffocated like you’re in a crowded room full of empty faces. It was missing the words ‘honey’ and ‘sweetheart’ when people were referring to you. It was having a crazy number of options of take-out food but wanting nothing except the food in Granny’s diner.

And you weren’t the only one to pay the price. You can feel how high it was for Kara and Lena too.

“Mom?” You sit up on the bed, looking at Lena standing in your bedroom watching you sleep. “What are you doing creeping over my bed at-” You look at your alarm clock. “3 in the morning?”

“I had to be sure you were still here.” Lena says, sounding small and scared.

“Mom, I’m not going to disappear from my bedroom in the middle of the night.” You say, trying to reassure her, but it backfires you.

“You can’t blame me for thinking that, because you did.” She holds your arm, and you hear the cry in her cracked voice.

“Would you feel better if you stayed here with me?” You make space for her. Lena hum in agreement, lying next to you. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m even more.” She kisses the back of your hand. “A whole year without us. You were probably so scared we weren’t looking for you.”

“I knew you were.”

“You got so tall, and we weren’t even there to see it!” Lena complains and you give her a sad little smile, even though she can’t see your face at all in the darkness of your bedroom.

“Well, I chose a weird age to have a growth spurt .” You joke, but you don’t get a laugh in return. You sort of always knew when you would get taller. It was the same with Kara. You were always very anxious to turn 17, because that was the age she actually grew more. But the weird thing is that you’re not really 17 now. Like Kara is not really 70.

“Come here.” Lena hugs you and you settle back. You’re almost drifting off to sleep when she whispers. “Don’t ever leave again.”

You can’t promise that you won’t. Stranger things have happened in your life, you don’t really feel like you have control over that anymore. And weird as it may seem, you also don’t want to have control over that. Because if you had, if you could have chosen, you probably wouldn’t have met some of the people that you love so much now.

“Hey!” You walk in the kitchen, to both Kara and Lena still having breakfast despite how late already is. “What are you two doing?”

“Having breakfast.” Kara explains, like it isn’t obvious.

You look at the clock. “It’s nine.” You raise an eyebrow at them. “And it’s Monday.”

“Yes.” Lena agrees.

“On Mondays you go to work, and Kara does her usual Kara’ stuff.”

“You were gone for a week. Even if L Corp burned down in flames I wouldn’t leave your side today.” Lena answers you, and you smile softly. You look at Kara next.

“Oh, well, if L Corp was burning up in flames I probably would have to go to put out the fire.” She says but adds in a hurry. “But I would be here five seconds later!”

“Ok.” You chuckle. “I thought I would go see Jamie and Maya on their lunch break, but if you two want me to stay-”

“No! Baby, no. Go see your cousin and your girlfriend. They were missing you too.” Lena hands you your phone. “There’s a lot of texts from them.”

“Oh, a phone! God I haven’t had one in a while.” You smile scrolling through your messages, ignoring your moms questioning looks.

“So, maybe you could tell us how was your life there.” Kara asks, but you’re too distracted with your phone to notice. You haven’t used one in a while, not because there weren’t phones in Storybrooke, but because you didn’t need them. It was a super small city, you could find anyone easily, and because Emma and Charming were sheriffs, you all used radio transmitters to talk. “Hey? Little one, helloooo.”

“Sorry momma.” You put your phone down. “What did you say?”

“We want to know about your life there. I mean, for us it wasn’t that long, but for you it was a whole year. You probably did lots of things.” Kara says and you agree with your head.

“Yeah, I guess.” You shrug. “I used to help mom Emma out with the saving, and oh, mom Regina helped me with my panic attacks. And I’m a lot better at controlling them! Henry and I used to watch this awesome TV show that I probably won’t ever know how it ends now. And grandma taught me archery.”

“Oh, that sounds-” Lena thinks about it for a second. “Fun.”

“Yeah. It was so great. And every night all of us would get together at Granny’s diner and talk about our days, and sometimes I would go hang out with Belle in the library, so I read all the books there. And if I had stayed a little bit longer and turned 18 there, then grandpa would’ve taught me how to use a gun.”

“A little bit? It would’ve been a whole other year!”

“For me, I guess.” You shrug again. “Just another week for you. And I would’ve been cursed anyway, so it wouldn’t feel so bad.”

“Wait. Wait. Wait.” Kara stops you, looking confused. “You wanted to stay?”

“No!” You think about it for a second. “Not stay. No. Just-you know-If I had perhaps stayed longer then yeah, it would’ve been fun to learn that.”

“You can learn how to use a gun here!” Kara says, and Lena furrows her brows.

“No, she can’t.” She looks at you. “No, you can’t. Maybe when you’re older.”

“Right. Moms wouldn’t let me touch a gun either.”

“We are your moms.” It’s out of Kara’s mouth like she hadn’t given much thought to it. But you know she has, because she looks stung. You’ve noticed how she flinched every time you referred to Regina and Emma as moms, but it’s out of your mouth before you can stop yourself to think about it. For a year that’s what you’ve been saying every day. It’s hard to call them just anything else. Almost disrespectful even. But you don’t want to make Kara and Lena upset, so you have to watch out for that.

You try to say something after that. But it’s like your mind keeps erasing itself. ‘Ok, fine, sorry, sure you are momma!’ are all things that almost make it out of your mouth. Instead, you settle for, “Can I have some M&M pancakes?”

“Sure, babygirl.” Lena gets up and gets behind the counter. You go back to your phone, too embarrassed to look at Kara again. She doesn’t say anything about it either.

You talk about other things. They tell you how crazy it was to find you, and what they did all week while you were gone. Apparently it was mostly crying and blaming themselves for your disappearance.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To school. To see Jamie and Maya.”

“Where are your glasses?” Kara asks and you touch your face to realize that you haven’t been wearing them at all.

“Ugh.” You grunt and mumble right after. “I hate those stupid glasses. Can’t believe I have to wear them again.”

You run to your bedroom and find an old pair tossed around. Stupid disguise. Stupid glasses. Stupid secret identity.

“Ok. Can I go now?” You ask when you make it back to the living room.

Lena lets out a forced smile out of her lips, and Kara gives you the most awkward thumbs up in history. Well, there’s a lot to unpack there. So maybe leave it for later.

“Hey!”

“No way in hell!” It’s Jamie’s first response when she sees you in front of your old school. “You grew taller in a week?”

“Something like that.” You smile finally looking down on her. Rao, it feels so good to finally be taller than Jamie. You’ve been hearing about it for years! “Hey, babe.”

“Holy fuck, look at you!” Maya says with the biggest smile on her face. “I don’t see you for a week and you show up here looking like a superhero!”

“Well…” You give her a little side flirty smile. “Is that a good thing?”

“You look great, babe.” Maya’s arms go around your neck and she tiptoes to kiss your mouth. You hold her by the waist, making it easier for her to kiss you.

“God, I’ve missed kissing you.” You let out after you part your lips.

“It’s been a week, stop being so melodramatic.” Jamie rolls her eyes, and you smile, letting go of Maya to hug her too.

“I’ve missed you too, dipshit.”

“Oh.” Jamie lets out a surprised sound. “I guess you’re not so dramatic then.”

You want to tell them, right there, about how it was not just a week. About your different life in the past year. But the girls from your school who used to bully you pass right next to you, and your heart beats faster anticipating the teasing.

But they don’t say a thing. In fact, what they say after they pass you, and you catch using your super hearing, is that you must be a new student. You smile, relieved. Getting taller and cutting your hair. You wish you had known it would make your life a lot easier.

“Ice-cream?” You smile at them and get positive responses at that. Two hours with them and it feels like you’ve never left. Feels good to be with them. It makes you remember that even though your life in National City is not always easy, it’s still pretty great. And that you shouldn’t take that for granted.

You and Jamie walk Maya home, and you’re not even scared of her parents' reaction anymore. It’s not like they’ll recognize you, anyway. And later, you fly Jamie back to her house. You say a quick hello to Alex and Kelly, then fly back home.

“Hey.” You throw yourself on the couch between your moms, with a smile on your face. You look at the box of donuts in front of them, just sitting there waiting for you to arrive and your smile grows wider. “Sorry I was gone for a while. But can I make it up to you both with some hugs and forehead kisses?”

“Oh! Me first!” Kara asks and you smile, throwing your arms around her, and resting your chin on her shoulders.

“You’re my mommy. No one will ever take that away from you.” You whisper in her ear, and feel Kara’s body fully relax in your embrace, while she lets out a relieved sigh.

“I love you more than words can explain it, kid.” You smile and let her go a little, just to look into her eyes.

“I know the words.” You rest your forehead against hers and smile. “You’re my heart.”

“You’re my heart, little one.”

“Can I get a sweet moment like this too?” Lena asks and you chuckle, pulling her close for a tight hug.

“You also don’t have to worry about anyone taking your place.” You say softly in her ear. “You carried me inside of you for nine months, and I’ll carry you inside of me for the rest of my life.”

“Oh God.” Lena says, choking up and wetting the back of your t-shirt with her tears. “I swear this is the loveliest thing someone has ever told me.”

“It’s true.” You smile and kiss her forehead right after. “I love you mom.”

“Oh, I love you, babygirl.”

“And we’re stronger together.” You say, and feel their arms go around you at the same time, in a family hug.

Sure you will miss being called ‘honey’ and ‘sweetheart’, but nothing beats being called ‘little one’ and ‘babygirl’. And nothing ever will. National City may not make you feel as good as Storybrooke did, but the people here surely make up for that.

[kalinara]

It does occur to me that for a show that focuses so much on accountability, there are quite a threads left unresolved

Rebecca, for example, may have come clean to Ted, and been forgiven by him, Keeley and implicitly Roy (since he would have been present when Keeley found the photograph and probably helped her get answers) for sabotaging the team/trading Jamie back/et cetera.  She’s never come clean to the team themselves.

And I feel like that’s relevant.  Especially if Sam/Rebecca do remain as a pairing in season 3.  I think it’s also relevant to Jamie too, and his developing growth.  Particularly when it comes to his relationship with Ted, the person that he thinks traded him.

For the record, I think the team would forgive her in a heartbeat.  She’s changed since then and proved it many many times.  I think Jamie understands what it feels like to lash out and hurt undeserving people due to pain.

I liked Rebecca’s arc a lot in season 2.  I think that reclaiming one’s sexuality and capacity for romance after an abusive relationship is really important.  But I did feel like it’s a little unfinished.  And I think maybe this is why.  I think Rebecca needs to face exactly what she became after her divorce in order to truly move on.

And we’ve pointed out before that the team has never, to our knowledge, apologized to Nate.  And that may well have played a part in Nate’s downward spiral.  I’m not saying that Nate’s decisions are the team’s fault, of course.  But I think that the lack of closure probably did feed into Nate’s suspicion and anxiety.  It’s painfully obvious that the team loves Nate, but Nate doesn’t realize that and doesn’t trust it.  It’s something that I’d like to see addressed next season as well.  (And god willing, Nate will then be able to give a real apology to Ted.)

It occurs to me also that there’s a third example.  I’m a little less confident about this being addressed next season.  But folks have pointed out that after their conflict in Headspace, Roy was the only one to apologize when Keeley also exacerbated the problem.  I didn’t really have a problem with this because I thought it was his silent treatment later that crossed a line, and thus merited a more overt apology.  But it is true that Keeley should have talked to him.  And their relationship does seem a little lopsided in that respect.

They do seem to have the ability to talk things out as adults and right themselves, even without the completely reciprocal gestures though, so I think it’s less necessary than the other examples.  But it does seem to fit a certain pattern.

Anyway, because there’s such an overt pattern, I am hoping at least that this is something that will come back up in the final season.