#and then… I met a teacher who was getting her masters degree

[daydreamlng]

.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

15k Words (2) Masterlist

part one

A-Lister (ao3) - tastefulcucumber

Summary: Phil’s Dad owns a small photography business. Daniel Howell, academy-award winning actor decides that Lester’s Portraits is the best place to get his head-shots for his portfolio. He expects to get his pictures taken, but what he doesn’t expect is the photographer’s son to be so captivating. No one else has treated Dan this normal since the beginning of his acting career. Maybe that’s just what Dan needs, a friend who is there for him, and not for his status.

A Little Bit Of Magic - dxnhowell

Summary: Dan is the new potions teacher at Hogwarts and is muggleborn, this is his first year teaching and whilst he’s excited, he has to get used to being in the castle with absolutely no muggle technology. Phil is the herbology teacher and is clumsy and likes puns and likes to help Hagrid with his magical creatures. Dan and Phil eventually meet and become rather close, some of the students realize this and try to get them together before the end up of the year.

Amaryllis (ao3) - bokeae

Summary: In which Dan has to wed Princess Alice when he would much rather marry her brother, Philip.

Ardour (There’s a World Outside These Walls) (ao3) - centroid

Summary: Dan’s facade crumbled. His breathing was the first to go, leaving his lungs with short gasps of air. He brought his hands up to press the heels of his palms into his eye sockets as tears trekked down his cheeks. Dan’s romantic life was always covered in a veil of sorrow, but never once had he cried over it. Never once did he let his walls down and just weep. Dan was relieved, so relieved but at the same time he was in despair. It was as if his fate had been set in stone, finalizing that he was and would forever be alone. In a world with its foundation dug heel toe into romance, he was someone who had to go without.

billet-doux (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: Dan and Phil, gang leaders and rivals to the highest degree, harbor big secrets they want no one to see

Coffee and Calligraphy (ao3) - brookwrites

Summary: Dan’s a barista at the local cafe, where writer!Phil decides to sit with his journal. Dan likes Phil. A lot. But things change when Dan finds something out about Phil that breaks his heart.

Colour Me Blue (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: What if a boy, whose heart was so full of darkness, that he couldn’t believe in colours anymore, met someone so full of light who slowly painted his world bright again?

Demons In My Head (ao3) - kae_karo

Summary: An unconscious demon mysteriously shows up on Dan's property, and Dan heals it, promising he'll send it back to where it came from as soon as he finds out why it's there. Finding the will to banish a charming demon is harder than he thought.

for you I’d wait (til kingdom come) (ao3) - blueshirt

Summary: The time that Dan misunderstands one little conversation—which he still maintains is PHIL’S FAULT, not his—and it leads to six years of unrequited pining.

going the wrong way home (ao3)- moonlightmusings

Summary: the almost-college au where dan and phil take a summer road trip.

I heard the March birds singing, and oh, what a beautiful sound. (ao3) - emonerd_io

Summary: Inspired by the anime 四月は君の嘘 (Your Lie in April)!

The piano initiated the opening chords, and she drew the melody out in simple, yet alluring and complex lines. It’s a tune Dan did not recognise, but fell in love with immediately. Deep, and filled with a certain longing, yet tragically beautiful. It’s the type of music that allows you to fathom why exactly some people practise for years and for decades, trying to master their craft, just to play something so modest and stark, yet so exquisite.

This is the story of two young musicians, Dan and Phil, and how their lives became entwined over the course of one year in high school.

In Faded Holograms They Speak (ao3) - artdeficient

Summary: They’re in japan and nothing seems to make sense, so they hide in hotel rooms and pretend they can’t see what’s right in front of them, and it works, for a while. (badlands au based off of halsey’s album)

no longer feel alone (ao3) - natigail

Summary: who'd have known that a random act of kindness from a stranger could lead to this.

refraction (ao3) - indistinct_echo

Summary: (To be read after completing Monochrome by intoapuddle.)

Dan doesn’t want to wait any longer: it’s time to share with Angie and PJ his Fall Whisperer identity. This really isn’t so scary… oh, who is he kidding, it’s terrifying.

Cue supportive-boyfriend Phil, amateur-therapist Dan, and a healthy dose of luck (+ bonus smut).

Teach Me to Fly (ao3) - thesleepdeprived

Summary: Soulmates!AU, Wings!AU. People had always told him that wings were the solution to everything, the key to your love life, your friend circle, who you are as a person, even. Yet somehow, Phil just can’t bring himself to see it that way. Who would want a soulmate that would never fly? (or, as my planning outline so eloquently puts it, kiss kiss fall in love you emotionally repressed motherfuckers) COMPLETE

These Violent Delights Of Love (ao3) - cyanica

Summary: Dan is hopelessly in love, Phil’s seemingly oblivious and they’re on a world tour just to make things more chaotic.

And yet, the Gods, or the Ruler of the Universe, or whoever the hell was in charge decided Dan needed to die in the end, too. Currently, leaning over the porcelain throne of shit and piss was the Gods’ human voodoo doll, throwing up the contents of his unfortunate Indian dinner – and significantly more alarming than that: black tulips. Fucking flowers. This wasn’t real life.

waiting to be found (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan and Phil meet at a club.

(And then a coffee shop.)

Who’s Taking You Home Tonight? (ao3) - whatkindoffanfics (orphan_account)

Summary: October, 1944. While World War II rages on, Dan Howell finds himself thrown into the secretive world of Bletchley Park, a headquarters for intercepting and breaking the codes of encrypted German messages.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

How did Francis and Arthur get their children? 🤔

The same way practically every bisexual millennial I know did. Accidentally knocking up a partner in their 20s and having a lot of court mandated therapy 😂.

Arthur was born in Liverpool and entered the foster system from around the age of ten with his mother's death. Grew up in the very dystopian Thatcher years until he taught himself posh English and got into the navy, then shady maritime shipping. He was about 28 when he was posted to Boston in 2004. He met Olivia Jones who's an RN with a background and specialty in social healthcare originally from Nantucket with a mixed European and Afro-indigenous (Mashpea, Aquinnah and Nantucket Wompanoag) heritage and she isn't much interested in sharing her baby boy with the random limey she had a one night stand with. She named him Alfred after her own grandfather and kind of a vague idea of Englishness because she always meant to contact Arthur eventually but never did. So she doesn't really tell him until Alfred is six and he's kind of a sickly kid with pretty severe asthma, ADHD and a brush with leukemia. She tracks Arthur down to get his medical history and see if he's a marrow match. He's been with Francis for about a year, is starting to consider Matt his own kiddo and now suddenly he's got two. And one's his. And this is an Arthur who grew up rough, working class and low-key has a massive mental breakdown because he had a kid he wasn't taking care of. He never met his own father. Liv really doesn't want much to do with him but they've got Alfred together and Arthur's making pretty good money so he's happy to do whatever he wants as long as he can see his kid and be a dad in literally any capacity she'll allow. She really doesn't trust him but they work it out eventually considering they're basically strangers. Eventually Francis and Arthur agreed to live around Boston for a few years because Olivia isn't keen to ship her only son to a foreign country until she really warms up to the whole situation.

Francis is doing a master's degree in art history part time while slowly taking over his ancestral bakery. His mother was a French literature teacher and his father was the baker. And he met Matt's bio mom, Theresa, in 2008 during the recession. She was a microbiology university drop out living on a trust fund and travelling wherever nature took her. François' was very into leftist, artistic scene at the time, a little Bohemian and they shacked up one summer having steamy tantric sex in a family cabin for months and accidentally having Matt who's about six weeks old when she takes off, suddenly realizing what parenthood means and François just keeps his kid and never contacts her family. He's slightly terrified that a court outside of Quebec will take his only child so he keeps Matt close and is determined to make a properly québécois lad out of him. Theresa died climbing K2 in 2012 and Francis is neurotic about Matt's love of nature for the rest of his life, always slightly terrified he'll do something and die like that. He met Arthur in 2010 when Matt was about two going on three and they married in 2012, Arthur formally adopting Matt and making everything legally sound.

[pettyrevenge-base]

I was a bullied kid and now feels kind of good to see the people who made my HS years hell have a bad life.

Well, not sure if this will be removed because I actually didn’t take any action on their apparent bad luck today or because this just sounds like me being an ah but couldn’t think of anywhere else to post.

I was made fun of because my teeth not being straight, because of my big nose, because someone saw my drunk dad around on weekends and that was joke, because teachers liked me, because I lived really far from school, because I didn’t have money to buy much during lunch or because if my shoes or backpack were still fine I would use them the next school year as well because we were broke. You name it, I had it. Even some people I thought I was being friends with would eventually join whoever was the coolest kid around in making me feel like shit. And I know we were kids, this doesn’t mean these people are bad persons still today, I don’t know them, but I was a kid too and I wasn’t a fucking bully.

I was always the youngest of my class because my country allows people to skip grades so I graduated HS at 14.

Ff I am 26 now. I live in a small city and work for a manufacturing company who is the biggest employer of the region, so naturally people I know end up working there since there’s a lot of people. I was recently promoted and now make like 7 times the average salary of my country, own a decent car that’s paid in full, about to graduate from my masters, am saving to buy a house, have good friends, go on weekend getaways a couple times a year and am a happy person.

The other day at work a new operator (she was in training, so new employee) stopped me to say hi and was one of the people who hurt me, the one thing I remember she used to say was “poor Esther, let’s all raise funds so we can get her teeth fixed”. I remember her thing was saying “poor Esther” in a condescending way and laugh (not my real name xd). She also a couple times stole my backpack and hid it ( in a bathroom trashcan ). There’s something so insulting on people saying “poor you” because of something you don’t even consider a relevant problem in the moment and it’s a problem only because they made it like that about my teeth.

She’s pregnant, her third pregnancy. Started college for a humanities degree that she didn’t complete, is single mom of two other kids and has jumped from manufacturing company to manufacturing company after she left college. This is minimum wage in my country that’s like 400 USD monthly.

I have met other people from HS over the years and same case, one of them even went to jail for hitting his wife and kid. I am having a great life and it’s not based on other people having a bad one, and this perhaps makes me a bad person and I know I can fall too or make bad decisions and idk maybe in her mind this girl is super happy with her life and bunch of kids and salary, idk.

But I know if my decisions ever make me pull the short stick, I won’t have people pleased with my bad luck as I am with theirs because I am not a fucking bully and I don’t damage people intentionally for fun as these assholes did.

Guess the conclusion here is, bad years don’t last forever. HS is just a phase and being the Queen B in HS doesn’t mean a successful life. Driving to HS in a cute car or having much money for lunch or being “successful” in HS doesn’t mean that’s for life. Just as being the rug everyone steps on doesn’t mean you’re going to be it forever.

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[transfloridaresources]

[Video ID: An Afro-Latina trans woman, Angelique Godwin, stands at a podium in front of a supportive crowd behind her. The podium has a sign on it that reads 'Equality Florida. Censorship (crossed out) Freedom!' /End ID]

Video transcript:

Let me just start by saying, hi everyone. My name is Angelique Godwin and I am a Afro-Latina trans woman (crowd cheers) not only living in Florida but leading the way for my people and my community - and not just the trans community, but every single letter in the LGBTQIA+ community.

I will not be feared out of the state (crowd member shouts 'talk about it!'). You will not make laws to remove me or my dreams because I was raised in an America that believes that freedom will ring (crowd cheers) and freedom is mine to ring. It's mine to achieve.

I was raised underneath the belief that I can be anything and anyone I choose to be, if I follow my dreams (crowd cheers). And so, when I set out as a young person raised by a 9/11 First Responder, police detective in the Bronx of New York and a teacher who worked for the Board of Education in the Bronx, New York, I was raised to believe that I truly could be anything I put my mind to (crowd cheers). And as I grew up in this state, I went to school that I paid for and I'm still paying for - (crowd laughs) to get degrees. Not one, not two, but three certifications (crowd cheers). I am an example of what happens when you have parents and people and community that believe in you. I am a Masters of Psychology earned person, educated, going for my doctorate this year (crowd cheers). I am unstoppable.

You made laws and you made bills that said that, oh, she can't get her medication. And, yeah, I lost all of my help. I lost my doctors. I lost my, my, my access to my medication. But because my community is not weak, because we don't back down, I got it all back (crowd cheers). And I went and bought my own health insurance, because y'all can't even seem to provide none for none of us. So I got health insurance that backs me in the state of Florida. That supports me.

When you guys put laws about education, I start programs. I teach for a living. You can take the books off the shelves, but you can't take the memories out of my mind (crowd cheers). You can erase me from your history books, but, baby, I still exist. I'm here and now I'm on television, baby, you can't get rid of me (crowd laughs and cheers). I'm forever. And soon enough I'll be like Cher. I'll be immortalized. You can't stop me. I'll speak at every single turn.

You made it so that now I have to stand up and fight. You attacked a group that has no ill will towards you and now we have to stand up and fight. So we're gonna fight. We're going to continue to show up. I told you last year, this wasn't the last you seen of me. Hello (crowd laughs and cheers). Last year, I was a volunteer. Now I am the TransAction Special Events Coordinator for Equality Florida. Keep making these laws and these bills and you'll see me in your Senate seats next (crowd cheers). And that is not a threat, that's a promise.

So be sure who you attack because you haven't quelled anything. You haven't stopped us, you've ignited the fire. You've become gasoline. And, baby, we are going to burn like the books and the bras of the past. We will stand on things. I'm going to sit on these subjects like Rosa Parks sat on the bus. Because my dreams will come true, like Dr. Martin Luther King, and I will continue to walk the road, like Ruby Bridges alone, and you can throw your words but they will never break me. You can throw your bricks but they can never hurt me. I will stand and exist for those who cannot. For all of my brothers and sisters and theys and thems who left and can't stay here, I will always be here. And even when you stop doing what you're doing, I will continue to move forward because that is what I do. And now you have met just one, and I'm going to inspire generations, because I already have. Look at the room, read the room, baby (crowd cheers).

And I am, just so you know, and your parents will know, and your children's children will know, I am one of the people who brought all of those drag queens to this rotunda (crowd cheers). And I was here last year with all of those children who came when you came for their rights. It will never stop. It will continue. We will not let these rooms be empty. Even when you plan your sessions around it and try to get them done without us (has mild vocal trouble and grimaces slightly)- without us, sorry - I will show up. I will be here. I look forward to seeing you all throughout the rest of the sessions. Get used to it because I'm pretty and I look good all the time (crowd cheers). My development as a trans woman has been amazing, and I promise you, my body is real, my face is mine, baby. The makeup game, I've been slaying it for 19 years. I'm older than I look but my skin looks better than yours because I know how to take care of it. If you want help, call me (crowd cheers).

I'm mad. I'm done. I'm done playing safe with you guys. I'm done being that person that you think you can walk over. My community, we are not going to be the backs on which you stand on. We're not that community anymore - slavery is over. We won't live in closets anymore. Closets are done. They're removed. It's open spaces.

This is a world where we're supposed to be free. You call yourself a free state, but you take away freedoms and rights. No more. We stand here. We are not going anywhere. So get comfortable, because we are. And we're here (crowd cheers). Thank you. Source

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Another fellow English major here...so straight out of college, I worked as a legal secretary for about a year. It was a high-powered large corporate legal firm and it was interesting. So I started studying to take the LSAT. I was also contemplating going in the Peace Corps. One of the lawyers I worked for was from North Carolina, and he said, "Why don't you go volunteer in Appalachia? There's poor people right here in this country." I looked into it and several months later I was off to volunteer in Appalachia, where I stayed three years (one year as a full-time volunteer and two years as a paid employee). I was a GED teacher there for adults. Then I became burned out and needed to move on. A friend in Florida suggested I move there since she had a friend who needed a roommate. Off I went to Florida. I did temp work when I got there as a secretary. I got a job six weeks later in social services as a case manager. I did that for three years and then I decided I wanted to move up in the social services field, but in order to do that, I needed to get a master's degree. So I went back to school and got a master's in counseling. I then took the steps to be a licensed therapist. I was promoted at several jobs to supervisor. Then about six years ago, I started working at a health insurance company in the behavioral health department. I work from home and love my job. All of this to say, there are a lot of options out there for us English majors. Along the way, I had some experiences and met some people who guided me to paths I might not otherwise have taken. Good luck to you! You'll find your way. (Oh, I have a friend who was also an English major, then she got her master's in creative writing, and is now a supervisor at a publishing company.)

Another English major!

A lot of the anons who are writing in about their postgrad lives have the same thing in common: a lot of us go where the wind blows us, making job/career changes based on suggestions and referrals from friends and people we trust.

[nelliexwolfe]

⊹₊ ⋆ (emma mackey, female, she/her/hers, twenty-seven ) i think nellie wolfe just walked by! wow, they really are a emma mackey lookalike! they’ve been here in salem for three months, and seem to hang around beans coffee shop a lot. i heard they’re a librarian at salem library. when asked to describe themselves they’re likely to say the smell of an old book, sitting in the sun with your head tilted back, using a seashell you found as a kid as an ashtray, annotating a book, and love letters you cannot send.

wanted connections. playlist.

I. PROFILE

full name  —  nellie jane wolfe

nicknames  —  nell, nell bell, bellie

age  —  twenty-seven

gender/pronouns  —  female & she/her/hers

orientation  —  bisexual

birthday  —  june 1 

birthplace  —  newport, rhode island

languages spoken  —  english & french

height  —  5’2” 

hair color  —  brown

eye color  —  brown

pet  —  a cat named binx

II. PERSONALITY

positive — kind, curious, empathetic, optimistic

negative — self-concious, aloof, shy, indecisive

III. EXTRAS

hobbies — crotcheting, poetry writing, collecting post cards

fears — being forgotten, loud noises, failing

habits — smoking cigarettes when stressed, double checking that her door is locked, biting her nails

her favorite book is pride & prejudice.

she uses a seashell from newport as an ashtray on her balcony.

collects postcards; her favorite is one from newport that has the street she grew up on. 

speaks french (but not fluently)

her bachelors degree is in literature and her masters degree is in feminist literature

is currently working on a poetry 

her favorite flowers are carnations and baby’s breath

IV. BACKSTORY (tw;; abuse)

nellie was born to eleanor and brandon, who were two teenagers that were less than prepared to be parents. when nellie was barely. a year old, her parents welcomed her younger brother,luke.

the family lived in a cramped two bedroom apartment on the west side of newport. her parents struggled to make ends meet as her mother worked as a school teacher and her father took up a job as a mechanic at a local auto store. another brother, Philip, was added into the mix when nellie was five, and her younger twin brothers -- quentin and oliver-- were born when nellie was seven.

nobody wanted to watch five kids and her parents couldn't quite afford a baby sitter so nellie was tasked with watching her siblings. she often skipped afterschool activities and birthday parties in favor of watching her siblings until her parents came home.

nellie also found herself as her mother's confidant. eleanor leaned on nellie to talk abouther failing marriage, her job, bills and finances. when nellie turned 14, her mother gave birth to edith, the youngest wolfe sibling, and nellie cared for her like her own.

at seventeen, nellie tried to be a normal teenager but those never last long-- her siblings needed her, especially luke and her mother.

when nellie turned 18, she moved out of their cramped little house in newport and studied literature and poetry at university of rhode island. she still spent most days at home.

at 19, she had her first real relationship with sean musgraves, though that ended when nellie turned 21 and her boyfriend cheated on her with her roommate.

she met benjamin walker shortly afterwards, who seemed to be everything that nellie was waiting for. he was kind, funny, and doted on her. they moved into together after dating for eight months.

they were dating for a year and a half when things seemed to change. nellie was prepping for graduation, writing her first poetry both, and benjamin made it clear he didn't support her. he encouraged her to get a real job. things changed quickly -- he questioned here nellie was at all times, start arguments, forbidding her from writing and seeing her family.

nellie was good at pretending and she was even better at not letting people worry about her. she was with ben until she was twenty-five. on the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday, she found herself in the emergency room needing twelve stitches from a vase that was hauled across the room at her.

it felt like a blur when she asked her brother to come sit with her, crying into his shoulder as she explained everything that had happened. luke and her other brothers were quick to help move nellie's stuff out. she decided to stay with luke until she got back on her feet.

nellie stayed with him for about a month before moving out to salem.

[bonfire-at-the-crossroads]

I woke up yesterday with Martha in my dreams. Why?

Possibly the wedding which looms on Sunday - this jiggled something loose in my memory-library, and it fell open onto the floor.

I went looking for her parents on social media. I found her dad, and began to read the blog he has maintained for all the years between her death and this morning when she woke me up. It is searing.

Martha was a little girl who was a friend of Maddie’s - they met at the age of three, and spent the rest of their school years together. They were friends through it all, but pulled onto separate paths sometime around late high school. They had friends in common, one of whom will be here at Maddie’s wedding on Sunday. Sara will stand beside her at the altar - another little girl who is now all grown up. Martha didn’t get that chance.

Her father has suffered. Not only from his daughter’s suicide - but has terrible mental health struggles which have seen him hospitalized more than once. Martha’s mother suffers too - MS has whittled away her body until she is brittle and frail.

It is cruel beyond comprehension.

After reading his blog for hours this morning, after dreaming of the dead child - I am hopelessly lodged in my own head. Stuck and spinning in memories, I have errands to run and stuff to attend to - but can’t focus on what’s in front of me.

I stopped at the Heritage Center in Kiltyclogher to meet Ciaran who has generously gifted both of our girls with paintings purchased as wedding presents. So unnecessary, and the invitation was extended only to give him and Caroline a big day out. He has been a dear friend to us.

I arrived early. I sat on the wall in a sunny spot to wait for him, and my eye falls upon the carved stone above the door.

“Sarahville 1851. G.H.T.”

Kiltyclogher was originally called Sarahville, to honor the daughter of George Tottenham.

She was his daughter - a child who fell off her horse and died. Tragedy carved into stone for all to see….

The deed to our schoolhouse has the signature of Sarah Loftus Tottenham, a relative of little Sarah. In the 1870’s - she gifted the land the school was to be built upon. The school was her present to the people who lived here - an education for children who would otherwise have none.

Ciaran and Caroline also lost a child - a son who was in his early teens. He died along the road here - he went for a run, and never came home. Grief and sorrow don’t ever let go….

We speak of Martha because she is strangely present this morning. Ciaran mentions his dead son - inside the building which bears the name of another lost child.

I wrote to Martha’s dad in the afternoon. I need to tell him that she is not forgotten. I need him to know that when Martha jumped to her death - Maddie rose up and took life seriously for the first time.

Martha died, and Maddie found her fierce determination to become the best student, the hardest working tutor for other students (as Martha had tutored Maddie in middle school) - and to excel at everything academic she could sink her teeth into.

Martha made Maddie fierce.

That ferocity brought her to Trinity College in Dublin for her Masters Degree in Immunology. Dublin brought her Jordan, and they will stand together on Sunday to become man and wife. Maddie has devoted her life to teaching the kids from the poorest and most challenging places in NYC. She is a proud NYC Public School Teacher. In other words - she is giving back with both hands and a full heart.

Somehow all of this thymes.

And come Sunday, between Sara and Maddie at the church - there will be a space left open for Martha.

[yukasyukasyukasyukas]

Hi ^^ Do you have any hc for viper?

Viper headcanons 🖤💚

SHE'S A CHEMISTDJSBDIHSIDHSIDNAAAIDHS

Not a headcanon but a cool observation: you can color pick the colors or the aromantic flag from her main colors

Aromantic

Heterosexual

Used to think she was a lesbian but turned out most men are EXTREMELY ugly and unpleasant to be around

Didn't like any women either but they weren't as horrible to be around as men

Her mother was a kindergarten teacher and her dad was a philosophy teacher

Has a master's degree in chemistry and training in pedagogy

Tried to be a teacher but gave up after six months

I jurava de pé junto that she was Canadian 😔😔😔

Close to Brimstone and Vyse only

Gets along with Fade, Deadlock and Sova

Can play the violin, loves to play the most dramatic pieces because they're usually harder than others

Avid classic music lover

Genuinely worried about Lucia, not as worried about Omen

Has a sister 5 years younger than her but they don't talk

Her early projects at kingdom were to help radiants whose powers affected their health or everyday life (such as Fade, whose control over Nightmare causes her insomnia, and Neon, who wouldn't be able to go outside if she didn't have that thing on her back)

32yo

Can speak French and Spanish

Has a python named Viper

Met Liam soon after he retired from the military during a lecture about chemical weapons. They engaged in a conversation after Brimstone commented that explosives were way more dangerous and Viper was mad about it.

Went hiking with Deadlock once. Skye was mad jealous

Listens to Tom Lehrer

Used to run after pigeons and birds to scare them when she was a kid

Doesn't have proper meals if she hasn't finished steps of the projects she's doing

Man, I swore I had already posted it like, a week ago.

[irismitchells]

✦ HAVANA ROSE LIU, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER ✦ IRIS MITCHELL the TWENTY-SIX year old has been in willow’s edge for TWENTY YEARS ON AND OFF and was a FRIEND to JUNE, from the deceased family. whispers on the streets are that the WAITRESS AT SUNRISE DINER who lives in WINSLOW are said to be INQUISITIVE and SELF-ABSORBED but i guess we’ll find out for ourselves.

PINTEREST | PLAYLIST

full name — Iris Hui Mitchell nickname(s) — Her family calls her Mo for a reason she shall never divulge xx age — 26 date of birth — June 20th place of birth — Charleston, SC education level & job — Currently enrolled in a Speech Language Pathology graduate program with only a semester left. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and worked as a Child Life Specialist in the Charleston school district for 3 years. After returning to Willow's Edge a year and a half ago, she became a waitress at the local greasy spoon to help support herself through grad school. residence — Winslow (with two roommates... wanted connections incoming) family — Her father Ricky Mitchell is a local car salesman, and her mother Lisa Mitchell (nee Yue) is a reading teacher at the elementary school. Iris also has an older sister, Scarlett, who is an Occupational Therapist in a nearby town.

overview. 

Always hovering somewhere between blue-collar and middle-class, The Mitchell family has always prided themselves on self-sufficiency, independence, and a strong sense of community. They're townies through and through.

Ricky Mitchell is known for dressing up for every major holiday (Santa at Christmas, a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day, etc.) and holding court at Smokey's. He's a bit of a Character. Lisa, by contrast, is a bit of an introverted neurotic — she most often ventures out into town to participate behind the scenes of town events. Each of their daughters was brought up with a strong proclivity for Getting Shit Done and lowkey.... loving attention and control.💗

Both Iris and Scarlett attended Willow's Edge public schools through 6th grade before they finished their junior and high school experience at a Catholic school a few towns over, so while her parents continued to be deeply entrenched in Willow's Edge society, Iris and Scarlett fell a tiny bit to the wayside as they got older.

The Mitchell family are devout Catholics in name only. The type of people who primarily attend church on major holidays and when it was any run-of-the-mill Sunday Mass, they attended for social reasons. Keep up with town gossip, trade popovers, and sip on sweet tea down in the church basement. As an adult, Iris only goes for Midnight Mass. Lapsed Catholic vibe.

But it was a boy at church that Iris fell in love with when she was 15. Sitting around in the pews during one of their Confirmation classes, each whispered joke Mason Goodwin told about Monsignor Martinez was met with nervous giggles and flushed cheeks from Iris.

They didn't start dating until they were 17 and he was her first, and still only, boyfriend. The relationship lasted for 8 years. They didn't talk about things like marriage or kids or a very defined future until that future snuck up on them. Mason's degree took him west, and he ultimately decided for the both of them that she wouldn't come with. Devastated, Iris returned to Willow's Edge.

Since her return, and nursing a broken heart, Iris took a job at Sunrise Diner. She was one of the very few people willing to wake up at the crack of dawn for the early breakfast shift, after all. Finishing up her Master's, and trying not to still think about Mason, Iris found a lot of comfort in her friendships -- and that included the one with June.

They weren't super close before Iris left for college, but they'd grown increasingly fond of each other as the months passed. June's friendship was one of the things that helped pull Iris out of her breakup blues. In turn, a kind, sweet-tongued comfort when Iris was sad and then a fun-seeking partner on the weekends when Iris needed a distraction. She was a good friend to Iris.

Which made some things difficult... Iris is bad at secrets. She loves to learn them, of course, but she isn't so good at keeping them. She doesn't run her mouth around town, but it's almost always certain that if one friend tells her something semi-secret then Iris is passing that info on to one other friend. She can't help it. And when the secret is her own, it's somehow worse. Her compulsion tells her to come clean immediately or to whisper it into several friends' ears. But her most recent secret was a little more complicated...

Iris kissed June's boyfriend Caleb. And June died before Iris could tell her.

personality.

Iris is a princess of sometimes saying out-of-pocket shit and staring at slight blemishes on your face until you're like, WHAT skjdfns. And, with her background in speech, she often analyzes your speech in her head too. Sometimes outside of her head too.

She's a bit shameless with the people she's close with, a fan of meeting and getting to know new ones, and... on a heavy dose of anxiety meds! She talks a lot because 1) she likes conversation and 2) it's half-compensation for said aforementioned anxiety.

When your anxiety manifests as a desire to be liked and friends with everyone which then reveals a real sense of self-absorption and, every once in a while, leads to weird drama... love it!

positive: organized, passionate, charismatic, loyal, curious, expressive, social

negative: condescending, impulsive, gossipy (can't keep a secret), scattered, fidgety, approval-seeking, overly sensitive

misc headcanons.

Quick list: ❤️'s weed, cooking, surfing, hiking + camping, sharing facts and feeling a little more well-informed (Wikipedia page memorizer), talking through movies, weekend trips, skinny dipping, hanging out with old people, doing Randy Newman impressions, waking up early, showing the people she loves new things, sharing experiences, watching reality tv a la Sister Wives, etc.

Oh -- and she's a Swiftie.

[pr1ncesspopstar]

Double Shock - FFXIV Write 2024 - Final Day: Two Heads are Better than One

Ao3

Dawntrail Spoilers Ahead

-

“Those airships are much nicer than Koana’s dirigibles, I’ll give Eorzea that much!” Bakool Ja Ja the Mighty said to his twin as they stepped off the deck of Eorzea’s main means of travel onto the marbled floor of the desert oasis, Ul’dah.

“And the heat here is pleasant…” The Mysticadded, his face turned to catch the bright rays of sunlight beaming through the windows, walking his scales to a very pleasant degree.

Best to bask in it now before having to endure the cold soon to come with travel to Ishgard. They had complained loudly to the Vow of Resolve to send someone in his stead to that blighted-sounded land, someone more equipped to handle the cold, but the hhetsarro refused. Citing it to be improper if they were to exchange some small amount of soldiers to forge good will and understanding between their lands, but not have the commander of those soldiers to be the one to deliver these brave men and women to and fro.

Both the Mighty and the Mystic argued many reasons against the case, but Wuk Lamat was swift in her decision it was best he go. Her spin on it being a positive experience to explore shores beyond Tural at least had some sound to it. When he was young he seriously considered once or twice stowing away to escape the weight of guilt that only recently lifted from his shoulders. In a way, this was fulfilling that long abandoned dream.

“If you think the heat is nice, wait until you try the food. Amal’jaa food stalls, they’re all the rage now and they make a mean skewer. The cactuar is better here too, softer and folk aren’t as averse to eating it here, they’ve made it quite the delicacy.”

The brothers perked up at the sounds of an accented voice. A familiar, raspy, voice that didn’t take long to unearth memories of the rare traveler to grace their jungle home now and again, usually with students in tow. They turned with their full body, a grin coming to both of their faces at the approach of a familiar Boonewa, who had a small, blue-clad and masked Lalafell lass in tow.

“Latool Ja. It’s been quite a few years since we’ve last seen you. Have you come to pester us for once?” the Mystic couldn’t help but laugh. He recalled when he and his brother were smaller, and so voraciously would ask the traveling mage to teach him whatever spell he could spare from the monsters he had studied.

“Not just that, but last I heard you were putting on the act of a ‘dumb beastman’ to draw more people into your little guild! Finally get sick of it?” the Mighty greeted more obviously, raising his hand in greeting to the infamous guide.

Though talk of his name had quieted in the years since he left for Eorzea with that hyur student Bakool Ja Ja had heard of, but never met, few Mamool Ja did not know of the Blue Magic guide and teacher. His skills surpassed any bias one may have for the way the Whalaqee tribe did things. In fact, in the new Tural being built by the Vows of Resolve and Reason, there was much to be learned from them.

“I was, until one of our guild members came back from the New World and became infuriated to know we’d been tricking her the whole time! The look on her face, I’ll never forget it!” the older Boonewa laughed, his little companion joining in with her own breathy giggle. “Figured since we’d been found out it was best to put the gig to rest, especially since now we will be seen as we are, a reflection of Tural. Best to put a good foot forward, as they say here.”

The Lalafell girl clapped in agreement with her teacher’s words. The wordless sort, then. Fine by Bakool Ja Ja, gave him space to speak with the old master. “Did you come just to greet us, or is there something more to you waiting by the gates?” The Mystic asked.

“Here for business. I was kindly asked by both the General and the Sultana, if you’d believe it, to give you an in depth tour of the city and put you up while waiting for your squadron to arrive. They’re held up by a storm in Limsa, if I recall right. So you have the free time.” Latool Ja said.

“Aye, I believe that’s the name of the port city we just came from.” Bakool Ja Ja the might withheld a groan at the thought. No one could have predicted the weather to shift as terrible as it did. Turning what should have only been a few hour delay between his ship and that of his soldiers into a full day, maybe two if luck truly spat on their efforts.

“Then allow me to welcome you to the city of gold and sand, Captain Bakool Ja Ja. Follow Lulumi and I, and we’ll guide you through the city that’s become our home.”

The Blue Mage duo set off, and the Blessed Siblings followed with a bit more ease in their steps knowing they were being guided by a fellow brethren, one less of a stranger to this land so foreign.

-

For one thing, Latool Ja had been right on the food of Ul’dah being exactly to the taste of the Mamool Ja pallet. Every few streets he’d point out a favorite snacking spot of his, and usually that lalafell would rush off to buy something for the three of them before continuing on their way. Either she had deep pockets, or Latool Ja had quite the tab racking up

Charred yet soft grilled foods meats, or steamed insect legs with a creamy sauce, or mushrooms skewered and served with other veggies and all the fixings. That Admiral may have introduced Limsa as the home of the culinarian, but the street food here outshone them far more than anything offered to him amongst those ports.

Ul’dah had also been the most interesting city he had yet visited. Both heads were reminded of the home of the giants, with nearly everything being made of carved stone. Yet, the sizes were in reverse. Benches, railings, and so much more were made to be shorter and stout, no doubt to accommodate for the small stature of most of its citizens. Citizens who, to Bakool Ja Ja’s surprise, hardly batted an eye to his presence.

“The people of Ul’dah will accept anything in the face of good coin and thrills,” Latool Ja said as he polished off his skewer of mushrooms. “With the Masked Carnivale, we offer the people both in spades. And thankfully our only competition, the Blood Sands, is full of an honorable sort that would rather make peace with fellow warriors. They and the thaumaturgists guild recognize our magicks for what they are, and those that don’t are still impressed all the same.”

When mentioning this Masked Carnivale, the lalafell girl perked up. She hummed to catch her master’s attention, and made a quick series of movements with her hands. Ah, she was voiceless then.

“Fair point, Lulumi,” Latool Ja nodded, understanding the noise-less words before looking at Bakool Ja Ja with a grin he was familiar with. One of excitement and thrill, a lust for violence. “One of our shows should be beginning soon, so how would you feel about a front row seat to how we Mamool Ja have gotten our foothold here across the salt?”

The twins could not help but smile as they agreed to the show. Oh, how eager they were to see what these Eorzeans were made of.

-

The dim blue rights that illuminated the ring made for a dramatic showing of the Blue Mages’ talents. Long shadows and one spotlight to chase the dueling mage made it a far different type of show than what Bakool Ja Ja had heard the Blood Sands was like. Where the gladiators fought for pride against each other, the blue mages fought for survival against the monsters pitted before them in the ring. Before the captain of the landsgard was the fiercest of Eorzea’s monsters, but the once that had come to study and understand them.

There were several mages, all masked and identities hidden behind a stage name, that came into the ring and battled away before bowing out for the next mage to take their place. Each with unique styles, unique ways to handle each enemy. Some bet it all on a single cast of doom. Others built up empowering magicks before humiliating their foe with a weak spell that just destroyed them. That Lulumi studying under Latool Ja even entered the ring once under the name “Celestial Blue.” She threw everything and the kitchen sink at her opponent, burying the lion-like beats under a collection of stone, plants, and fish. Now that had been a humorous fight.

“If this is what Ul’dah has to offer, I doubt we’ll have much to worry about with them, will we, brother?” the Mystic remarked as Lulumi bowed and took off, soon reappearing next to them to continue watching the fight.

“And thank goodness for that. The less we need to worry over these foreign fighters the better.” The Mighy agreed. Not that he was one to shirk work, but even with two heads they already had enough responsibilities, it felt.

Before more could be said, a cloud of mist rolled into the arena, followed by a might, trumpeting roar. A beast of immeasurable size charged into the arena, with tusks the length of his body and an enraged look in its eyes. It was huge, wooly, and wreaking havoc on the wooden walls and spikes put into the arena, crushing them with ease. So far, this has been the mightiest beast they sent out yet. It was only a wonder if the fight they would send in turn would be able to stand up to it.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

A wild, brazen voice called out from behind the mages entry, before they burst open. A flash of metallic blue zipped in, too fast for even the flash light to catch onto and follow. The light moved wildly, trying to find the fighter in the dim arena before settling upon the monster, which started to shriek and wail. The crowd exclaimed and cheered as the beast began to lift off the ground. Beneath its underside, the figure of the mage was holding up the beast with a barely heaving chest.

“Ever heard the phrase ‘when pigs fly?’ Well, I’ll give you folks something better to bet on!” She called out to the crowd. This was clearly a former fighter of the Blood Sands, the only one so far to appeal to the crowd amidst the fight so brazenly. And the cockiness was likely earned as with a single breath and a sheen of blue, she and the mammoth went rocketing into the air. Higher and higher, as high as the ceiling would let them go.

But they didn’t just fall. No. They all watched as the fighter's fist heated up, glowing orange and adopting a sheen of metal as she climbed up her foe's body and above him. The beast was spinning, flailing with panic, unaware of the crash it was about to experience.

“When it starts raining mammoths!” With the cheesy, wild delivery of the line, a flash exploded out between her fist and the body of the mammoth. All bore witness as it’s body slammed into the dirt, buried and broken in an instant, a steaming bullet-like blow on its flank. All silent before the sound rang out over the arena. An impact between the mammoth’s fur and her fist like a bullet wound, then the creature's body slamming into the ground like a meteorite. It was insane, it was terrifying, it was immensely cool.

The warrior ensured the creature's fate with a cast of magick-like missiles and a wind-infused dive kick. Dust flew into the air, creating an azure-tinted cloud before settling and finally letting Bakool Ja Ja see the fighter the crowd seemed ravenous for. His jaw dropping at the sight of her posed with her finger pointed upwards, and red locks contrast to the shiny blue costume she donned with a horned mask.

“Say my name, Ul’dah!”

“Lazuli Heart! Lazuli Heart!”

“Wuk Lamat’s adventurer?!”

“Oh, you’re familiar with one of our stars?” Both heads looked at Latool Ja, who didn’t seem to be shocked despite his words. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, she’s the one I mentioned who returned from Tural recently. Have you met?”

“Yes, we’re… well-acquainted.” the Mystic put it simply. The head of the Mighty still just stared at the hero. He saw as she flinched at his and his brother’s shout of shock and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, just as much surprised to see him as he was her. Neither expected to encounter each other here.

“Shall I take you backstage to meet with her?” the older Mamool Ja offered. The twins agreed, curious to hear of how the adventurer learned of blue magic.

-

“You’re far from home, Captain. Didn’t expect to ever see you in my home city.” Halditar gave Bakool Ja Ja a friendly, but strained smile. It was only natural. This was their first interaction since the end of the contest and after Zoraal Ja’s betrayal. It would take time for awkwardness between the two to fade.

“It was at Vow Koana’s instence. Trade some of our troops for yours, learn about each other.” He offered a shrug, not really sure what else to say. Yet, that seemed to light up the warrior’s eyes. As if a sudden realization had fallen to her.

“Ah, that explains why Pipin wanted my aid with training the newer troops!” she said to herself, before smiling and giving siblings a nod. “Well, I can promise you shouldn’t have any trouble with them. I trained right alongside them so I can promise they’re a grand bunch and eager to serve.”

Hearing that Halditar had a hand with the troops she would be returning home with, all that hope that he wouldn’t have to worry about the soldiers of Ul’dah vanished from both of their heads. Now he would only worry about them and what they were capable of.

“Right… In any case, I didn’t think you were the type to make a show of your fighting prowess. You seemed above that, in all our encounters.” the Mystic couldn’t help but remark. At this the redhead blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. Seemed she knew modesty in some ways.

“Ah, I can’t help it. I used to be a gladiator but the Blood Sands… Wasn’t a good fit. As a Blue Mage though, I can still have all the fun of a performance fight with none of the drama attached to being a known fighter. Makes moving around the city a touch easier.”

“That’s funny to hear from you. I thought you were all about the recognition. You certainly didn’t let me forget whenever you threatened me.” the Mighty couldn’t resist jabbing at the small ego the hero had displayed when they clashed, trying to intimidate him with her feats. A darker red colored the masked fighter's face as she closed her eyes, seeming to stew in her embarrassment.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I won’t deny I enjoy it but I never do what I do just for the recognition. I haven’t in a long time and probably never will in the future. I’m just the curious and helpful type, is all,” she insisted, removing the mask and putting on that pair of glasses she so needed. How she saw without them while wearing the mask, he was curious to ask. “Enough about me though. How are you enjoying Ul’dah?”

“It’s not a bad city. Good food, not much to drink though. I’m especially curious to try my hands against some of the fighters I’ve seen wandering about.” he shrugged.

In truth, it was hard to know what to say or how to say it to this woman. Still she exuded an aura of power and confidence that left his tongue tied. Especially aware of how one of their last interactions was pouring her heart out to her party, giving up everything he had been built for, for the better. What words could they exchange built upon his former villainy?

It seemed the adventurer had a better idea than him. She laughed, throwing a towel over her shoulders as she stood. “Of course you haven’t found anything good to drink with Latool Ja, the man has an endless stomach and a hate for alcohol! If you want a good drink, I know just the watering spot. Wait here, I’ll get changed and then I’ll take you out. You can even meet my combat squad. Get enough drinks in them and they'll be down to tussle with anyone.”

“You’ll take us out? You sure about that?” the Mighty’s eyes narrowed. He had no reason to expect a trick, yet he couldn’t ignore how his stomach tightened in worry. She had no reason to offer him her company in his mind.

“Indeed. We drink for two, after all.” the Mystic warned, hiding his uncertainty with ease. This only made the red-headed hero laugh.

“Oh, I love a challenge! We can see who can outlast who in a battle of cups. And of course I’m sure. You’re Commander of the Landguard and I’m a captain of the Immortal Flames, it would only benefit everyone for us to learn more of each other,” she said with a softer voice and expression. The strain melted away as she seemed to finally find a common ground with him. A stranger to her home, one that like his kin she could guide him through, and a station of power they similarly shared. “But more than that. You are one dearly trusted by Koana and Lamaty’i. It only stands that I should trust you too.”

And with that she left to change. Bakool Ja Ja could only wait in silence, both heads mulling over the sudden kindness, just everything the adventurer was still finding ways to surprise him with. Unaware that the strange, light feeling in his gut was not mistrust, but excitement as a young, budding friendship took hold. Both soon to learn they were more alike that different, and together they made quite the pair.

[stargazer-sims]

Meet the Seong family ♥

Say hello to the Seong family!

George Min-Joon Seong is the proud dad. He's a language nerd, self-proclaimed foodie, and professor of British history. He is a naturalized Canadian, but he's also spent a significant amount of time in the UK, which is where he met the love of his life, In-Hae, who was there studying English. When he immigrated to Canada, he decided to choose a new name, and he picked "George", which his kids think is the most stereotypically English name of all time

Evelyn In-Hae Seong, a.k.a. Evie, is the patient and good-humoured mom. Like her husband, she decided to give herself a new name after immigrating to Canada, and after all these years, she's still happy with her choice. Evie is a high school special education teacher. When she's not busy with her job, she loves to cook and bake, and she enjoys music and dancing.

Sadie Hae-Won Seong is the oldest of the three Seong children. She's currently pursuing a Master's degree in education and hopes to become a teacher like her parents, although she hasn't decided which age group she might be best at teaching. Sadie loves body art, fashion, music and dance. She likes to dance with her brother Eden, as she says he's the only one in the family who can keep up with her.

Charles Ki-Yeon Seong (a.k.a. Charlie) and Eden Yeon-Jin Seong are fraternal twins. Charlie is the older twin by about eleven minutes, technically making him the middle child. That, of course, makes Eden the baby of the family. Charlie is a professional stylist, and has just landed his dream job as a member of the stylist team for the J-pop group Sugar Valentine. Eden is a competitive figure skater, and his current goal is to make it to the Olympics. Eden has also done some modelling. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys photography, drawing, playing video games, and cooking. When Eden isn't at the rink, he can often be found at a local dance studio, as dancing is his other passion. He also likes to cook, although he's not as good at it as his brother, and he likes playing video games, watching movies and listening to music.

______

The Seong family portrait went about as well as you'd expect:

Sadie: Can I get new brothers?

Eden: Okay, we're being nice now.

Charlie: Yeah, we're on our best behaviour.

Sadie: *playfully mocking* Aww... so precious!

Evie is trying her best not to laugh at the antics of her children. Sadie is twenty-four and the twins are twenty-two, but sometimes Evie wonders if they've really left their childhoods behind them at all, especially when all three of them are together.

Eventually, everyone settled down and they got the perfect shot. ♥

[jackiestarsister]

OUAT Rewatch: Season 6

Overall thoughts: This season finally feels like a return to the style and tone of the first two seasons, with the present-day action taking place in Storybrooke, and multiple storylines with multiple antagonists playing out. Those are the seasons I like best!

Episode 6x01 “The Savior”

~ The teaser sets up the conflict for the whole season: can a Savior get a happy ending?

~ “There’s nothing more dangerous than an untold story, and the people who don’t want them told.” What a great line!

~ Where did all of Zelena’s baby supplies come from? Did Robin Hood own any?

~ Regina and Zelena are so endearingly awkward interacting as new housemates!

~ The camera freezes on a cross-shaped headstone when Regina says “Heroism comes first”! Was that an intentional symbol?

~ “When it comes to fixing our biggest problems, there are no shortcuts.”

~ When characters visit the asylum/prison part of the hospital, it usually feels like an homage to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Emma’s visit to Hyde is the first time it feels like an homage to Silence of the Lambs!

~ Rumple/Gold has already faced the challenge of making Belle fall in love with him again, back in Season 2 when she lost her memory. Having him do so again in the dream world feels unnecessary.

~ The Oracle basically quotes Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back! I’m surprised Emma doesn’t call this out.

~ It’s amazing to see Regina acknowledge that she was a horrible stepmother to Snow, and for Snow to realize that Regina was the one who made her learn about hope!

~ Regina’s monologue and the montage at the end are soooo lovely! I much prefer her new attitude, that one’s life is made up of many stories, over her Season 4 obsession with an Author controlling her life.

~ When Belle passes by the pawnshop, the camera looks out over a candelabra like Lumiere!

Episode 6x02 “A Bitter Draught”

~ The Count of Monte Cristo seems like the kind of story that should be in a Hook-focused episode, since it deals so much with revenge and piracy.

~ I love Hook and Belle’s scene, his apology for trying to kill her in the past, and his acknowledgement that he still has work to do in the area of forgiving himself. That baggage did not go away when he decided to return from the Underworld. And Hook’s music motif sounds so sad and pensive during that scene!

~ Regina swordfighting … is not something I ever expected to see, but okay, cool.

~ Why the heck does Rumplestiltskin suddenly act like he wants Regina? They might be past the teacher-student phase of their relationship, but it’s still incredibly uncomfortable!

Episode 6x03 “The Other Shoe”

~ Looks like Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter is now in Storybrooke! I guess it would make sense for her to have sought refuge in the Land of Untold Stories.

~ Emma watching Hook interact with Alexandra is soooo sweet!

~ I like that this episode revisits the backstory of a character who had a one-off episode so early in the show.

~ It seems strange for Ella to say “There’s no such thing as magic.” Did she not live in the Enchanted Forest, or at least a neighboring kingdom?

~ Dopey getting his master’s degree! And Grumpy/Leroy’s attitude toward Emma!

~ It might have been better setup to show Ashley’s reaction to seeing Lorinda’s name on the list of newcomers.

~ Mary Margaret was already shown returning to her teaching job in the middle of Season 4, presumably after she took some maternity leave. Her time away in Camelot and the Underworld only amounted to a couple months, at most. Why is her return to teaching such a big deal now?

~ Hook and Henry practicing swordfighting is great, and shows that Hook has now joined Henry’s father and maternal grandfather in the role of mentoring him!

~ They brought back Gus/Billy! It’s nice to see Ella having a friend with her in her home and at the ball.

~ I like that they show how Ella and Snow met! That helps explain how they recognize each other at Ella and Thomas’ engagement/wedding ball.

~ It almost seems odd that OUAT hasn’t depicted the Cinderella ball before, earlier in its run.

~ Cutting from the glass slipper to the glass chess set—both possessions/gifts of Rumplestiltskin—is great!

~ David’s desperation seems a bit out of nowhere after he appeared so optimistic in his scene with Mary Margaret.

~ Hook really let Belle settle in and put her own mark on her cabin, which was previously his own!

~ Looks like Snow was as responsible for Ella’s happy ending as Emma was for Ashley’s!

~ Dr. Jekyll meeting Dr. Frankenstein is hilarious! As is the fact that Snow thinks getting them to teach is “part of getting this town back to normal”!

~ Snow and David’s final scene is so sweet, and their conversation about Neal is full of truth! Childrearing may not be “epic,” but it really is the most important work.

~ They really contrived a way to get Robert Carlyle to read poetry in his full Scottish accent!

~ How can the Evil Queen simply free Hyde? Did Regina not take any precautions against this after finding out she had visited him?

~ I like the theme of this episode, about seeking happiness even when the future is not a guarantee, and the fact that the storyline ends in reconciliation for Ella and her sister and their respective loves.

Episode 6x04 “Strange Case”

~ In situations where you feel powerless, cutting your hair can feel like a way of reclaiming control. So, it makes sense for Gold to take that action, even if it seems random.

~ Interesting to see Gold fixing a watch, and his shop full of clocks, considering the show’s name and theme!

~ Rumplestiltskin basically plays the same role in Jekyll’s story as he did in Frankenstein’s.

~ Gold sinks to new levels of abuse in this episode, imprisoning Belle in the name of protecting her.

~ It’s pretty significant that Gold is comfortable with Belle being with Hook on his ship, considering their history with Milah.

~ Leroy and David have a great, supportive little exchange.

~ Grumpy/Leroy has never articulated the dwarves’ job(s) as “protectors” before. I thought he was going to say that what they do best is work—they seem to gravitate toward physical labor, whether in the mines or in the magic bean fields.

~ “It’s the queen!” Nice little callback to the pilot episode!

~ It looks like Snow is now teaching middle or high school level, whereas during the curse she was teaching elementary school.

~ Now I’m wondering whether Storybrooke’s schools bother with actual certification or accreditation. Does Snow really know how to teach?

~ What is with Belle’s outfit? It looks like a nightgown, or hospital gown, or something for the beach or a maternity shoot.

~ Interesting that Hook is the one to save Belle, and Gold sees it!

~ The fact that Gold’s attempt to protect Belle ended up putting her in danger is so emblematic of their now-toxic relationship.

~ Considering how they set up the new arc with Regina and the Evil Queen, I wasn’t expecting Jekyll and Hyde’s story to end so quickly!

~ I like the framing of Regina and Emma’s profiles against the ocean.

~ David’s angst and mixed feelings about Hook and Emma’s relationship aren’t really resolved by the end of the episode.

~ I knew Shireen was Jasmine!

~ The credits list Tom Sawyer as a character! Where was he?

Episode 6x05 “Street Rats”

~ What is with the use of captions for time and location? They were hardly ever used before the previous season.

~ Aladdin’s accent sounds like that of someone from the lower class in some part of England.

~ I like Jasmine’s clothes very much, but she’s wearing way too much jewelry for someone in disguise or on a mission in the desert.

~ What did the Evil Queen mean about her and Archie being a good team? The fact that she forced him to do unethical things during the curse?

~ Jasmine and Aladdin’s argument scene is great! And he does the apple trick like in the movie!

~ The Evil Queen is like Satan, or Eris, sowing discord among Emma’s family, and either creating or exposing a lack of trust.

~ The heroes should remember that A) people have kidnapped and impersonated Archie before, and B) he would never betray a patient’s confidentiality.

~ They pay homage to two movies with a single prop!

~ Why would any villain with half a brain discuss their plans and motives in a public place, with other people right in front of them?

~ On the other hand, it’s interesting to see Zelena and any version of Regina talk about their children.

~ Why don’t the heroes rush to find Archie after realizing he’s missing?

~ Regina being the one to comfort someone who’s grieving is new!

~ There isn’t nearly enough spotlight on Hook in this episode, as he learns that Emma’s life may end because of her role as the Savior. But that shot of him looking back at her before leaving her in the crypt is beautiful and speaks volumes!

~ Emma and Henry’s scene is wonderful, and her turnaround makes sense. She wouldn’t change her attitude after hearing a “hope speech” from her parents, but she would do so in order to comfort and encourage her son.

~ Hook manages to turn a banal question like “Pizza or Chinese” into a profound moment: “Your heart’s desire, Swan. That’s all I want.”

~ I had thought that Hook was past keeping secrets, especially from Emma; but it makes sense that he would keep one with the intention of having a way to help/save Emma.

Episode 6x06 “Dark Waters”

~ I spent the whole episode confused about when the flashbacks take place. The opening caption says “At the time of the Dark Curse,” but Hook was frozen in time with Cora for the 28 years of the first Dark Curse being in effect. Did Hook leave Cora at some point(s) and resume traveling on the Jolly Roger after time started moving again, before Emma and Snow arrived in the Enchanted Forest? That’s the only explanation that would make sense of Liam II aging yet Hook still being on his quest for vengeance.

~ Hook wants so earnestly to be a good parental figure to Henry, making him a healthy breakfast and offering to play video games with him!

~ Henry is still ambivalent about Hook: one moment Henry sounds defensive against Hook, probably because he is still attached to his father; the next moment, he’s defensive of Hook when the Evil Queen taunts him.

~ If Belle is one trimester through her pregnancy, that suggests that the baby was conceived during her honeymoon in Season 4, not during her brief reconciliation with Gold in Season 5.

~ It’s interesting that Liam II followed in his brothers’ footsteps with a career at sea, only in an entirely different way.

~ Hook and Henry’s interactions and bonding are so good!

~ I’m glad that Liam II and Nemo reunited, but I wish there had been a little more time given for Liam’s reconciliation with Hook. A lifetime of suffering would not be forgiven that quickly.

~ Of course Emma would have done the same; she practically did the same with Excalibur!

~ Gold is quite bold to refer to Henry as Hook’s son in front of the Evil Queen!

Episode 6x07 “Heartless”

~ The fact that the Evil Queen can just waltz into the Charmings’ apartment and magic one of them away …

~ How did Snow meet the Blue Fairy prior to knowing the dwarves? And how did Snow not realize that the one she thought she met as a child was really an impostor, Cora? In Season 1 it is implied that the fairies joined Snow White’s fight because Blue owed Grumpy a favor after he let go of Nova.

~ The Blue Fairy throwing axes!?

~ Wilby and Longbourne sound like nods to Jane Austen!

~ The Evil Queen quoting that Dylan Thomas poem is unexpected but fitting!

~ It is a bit odd to see Hook be the one to give a pep talk/hope speech, but he makes a good point about Emma’s relationship to her parents. The time travel adventure gave her a unique role in bringing her parents together. In a way, she is as responsible for their relationship as it is responsible for her existence.

~ I tend not to like when the writers have characters meet only to forget about it later; but in this case it feels forgivable because they do figure out that it was each other!

~ Why would Gabriel leave Snow unattended in the prison wagon?

~ Belle makes a good point about the difference between being “pure evil” and being too weak to be good.

~ The Evil Queen really reconstructed the glass coffin just so Snow and David could play out that scene?

Episode 6x08 “I’ll Be Your Mirror”

~ It’s amazing to see Regina upset about Snow and David’s sleeping curse, when she was the one who originally put Snow under one!

~ That split-screen montage is so bittersweet, and unusually artistic cinematography for this show!

~ I wish we got to see Hook helping Henry figure out what to wear to the dance! That glimpse of Hook holding up a tie for him is such a tease.

~ The Evil Queen tying a tie around Henry’s neck while deceiving him is so symbolic!

~ When did Belle meet Jasmine and Aladdin?

~ How can Gold quote Cora saying “Love is weakness”? I thought his character couldn’t regress any more, but I was wrong.

~ Is the Dragon’s daughter Mulan?!

~ The Evil Queen really seems to have forgotten how Cora ruined her life, if she is now trying to shape Henry into a king.

~ Even though it’s part of a sinister, almost seductive conversation, I like that they finally addressed the fact that Henry is a prince, and that being royalty is about more than just birth.

~ It’s nice to see an episode focused on Henry, and on his relationship with his mothers! Their maternal love triangle was the main source of conflict in the first two seasons, and it’s wonderful to both revisit his childhood with Regina and see how much they have all grown. Emma and Regina talk about Henry like the coparents they have become.

~ Where was Hook this whole time? Did the Evil Queen knock him out only temporarily, so he was able to arrive just in time to restrain her?

~ Was Sidney once Aladdin’s genie?!

Episode 6x09 “Changelings”

~ From the beginning, the show has always played with the fact that Rumplestiltskin takes children through unfair deals, but never explained why. Is this episode supposed to answer that question?

~ Rumplestiltskin has a tapestry of the Visitation in his castle! How appropriate, since it’s a story about two pregnant women!

~ The Evil Queen finally has an outfit that I like! She looks more like a warrior now!

~ I never realized until now that a genie’s tie to his lamp, which enslaves him while giving him his power, is just like the Dark One’s tie to the dagger!

~ As can be the case in real life, the thing that keeps Gold from being loved and forgiven is the fact that he believes he can’t be loved or forgiven.

~ This must be the first time Emma actually assists a mother in labor and delivery! It’s beautiful to see, though a little odd to think that Emma’s own childbirth experience was with the newborn’s nephew.

~ Who knew it was possible to simultaneously feel so much hatred and sympathy for a character?

~ So is Belle still living on the Jolly Roger? Or do the fairies let her stay in the convent to recover from the birth?

Episode 6x10 “Wish You Were Here”

~ Regina really should have thought of a better version of her wish! For instance, instead of sending just herself, she could have sent Henry or someone else Emma and the others would have trusted.

~ How can Regina be so certain that the reality she is in is not real? How does she know the doppelgangers aren’t connected to their counterparts in Storybrooke?

~ It was way too easy for David to get hold of the lamp! And the Evil Queen could have just magicked it into her hand.

~ “We’ve been portalled!”

~ Princess Emma’s characterization really doesn’t make sense, even for an alternate reality. If her parents were brave heroes, and she was raising her son to be a knight, she would at least try to follow and set good examples of heroism. Surrendering the key to the kingdom in front of her parents makes no sense; they would have taught her the value of sacrifice and the importance of fighting for their people.

~ If the Dark Curse was not cast, how in all the realms did Emma meet Baelfire/Neal and have Henry with him at such a young age?

Episode 6x11 “Tougher Than the Rest”

~ They did a great job of casting a teenage August! He both looks and sounds like him.

~ Nottingham does the same thing as Gabriel, leaving the prisoners in transit just so they have an opportunity to escape.

~ Regina doesn't mention to Robin the fact that his other version had a son. That makes a huge difference in his identity!

~ Didn’t Emma and Regina learn from their experience with Marian/Zelena that you shouldn’t bring people across time and realities in order to save them?

~ Lana Parilla’s acting in a single shot, when she goes from grieving Robin to rejoicing at his arrival, is great!

~ How is it so easy for Emma to knock Gideon back with her magic and destroy the sword?

~ It looks like there is a carving of a swan on the shelf in Marco and August’s garage!

Episode 6x12 “Murder Most Foul”

~ This is one of the biggest episodes about David and his family, but also manages to move forward plot and character development for Hook and his relationship with Emma.

~ As twins, David and James probably both had trauma from being separated from each other as infants.

~ Emma is still wearing the same clothes she wore when Gideon was born!

~ I wonder how long Hook thought about proposing to Emma, how long he had that ring, and what made him decide to take that step at that point. I’m guessing her defeat of Gideon was a big part of it, as he had been afraid that she would die.

~ Did Hook actually buy the ring, as Archie assumes? How could he afford it? Does he have any savings or income at this point?

~ Regina has a piano in her home! Does she play, or Henry?

~ Why couldn’t Regina heal Robin’s slight wound?

~ What David asks Hook to do really is awful: betray the trust of the woman he loves in order to make a good impression with her father and maintain the friendship they have.

~ Is that the Golden Fleece in Rumplestiltskin’s castle?

~ So Pinocchio existed when David was only six years old?! But he was still a little boy when Emma was born. Does that mean he lived as a wooden puppet for a couple decades before he became real?

~ David handcuffs Hook just like Emma has on so many occasions! Pretty crummy way to treat the guy who just did so much to help him.

~ David never addresses the fact that he sent his brother into the River of Lost Souls, which is supposed to be even worse than death.

~ Why would David challenge George (or anyone) to a duel with knives rather than swords?

~ David’s monologue is fantastic, and some of the best acting we’ve seen from Josh Dallas in this show!

~ For Hook, of all people, to talk someone down from exacting revenge is amazing!

~ David is terrified by the idea that even his best effort might not be good enough. David’s fear is actually one that he shares with Emma and Hook: that he won’t be enough to protect the people he loves.

~ The big question is, why does Robert’s ghost appear to David at that time? And why didn’t David find him, or at least his tombstone, in the Underworld? It’s as ambiguous as Hamlet’s father’s ghost in the play from which this episode seems to draw its inspiration.

~ The blessing scene is so excellent! The only weird thing is David calling Hook old-fashioned, when in the past Hook called David old-fashioned about his expectations for Emma’s relationships.

~ It seems like a stretch for Hook to recognize someone he killed on a dark rainy night decades earlier. It might have been easier to believe that he could recognize a trinket like the lucky coin; but he does not recognize it the whole time he and David are handling it.

~ I would have expected the episode to end with Hook looking at the pages, but having it end with him closing the engagement ring box is even more ominous!

Episode 6x13 “Ill-Boding Patterns”

~ It’s cool to see Beowulf appear in OUAT!

~ It’s so strange to see Gold discourage someone from giving in to their inner darkness. He practically drove Cora, Regina, and Zelena into it, and a vision of him urged Emma to embrace her magic as the Dark One.

~ Since when does Regina wear hats that match her outfits? Is she picking up aspects of Zelena’s style?

~ Regina being willing to let Robin go in order to find his happiness is huge character development from the woman who enslaved Graham and tried to kidnap Owen for the sake of her own happiness.

~ I can’t believe they gave Baelfire a storyline about “going dark”! I don’t like it when they use memory-altering magic to create a storyline only to erase a character’s arc; but it says a lot about Rumple that he was willing to let Baelfire blame him rather than himself.

~ It feels odd for Emma to be absent for most of an episode, only appearing in one scene where she is ignorant of the full truth of the situation.

~ Even when split from Regina, the Evil Queen is proud of her town!

Episode 6x14 “Page 23”

~ I bet Henry asked for details about Hook’s proposal because he wants to get ideas for his own in the future!

~ I’m glad to see Nemo still acting as a friend and mentor to Hook, but their scene basically plays out the same way as Hook’s scene with Archie in the previous episode.

~ Why does Henry Senior ask “what are you doing” when Regina hardly moved?

~ The scene with Emma and Hook was inevitable, but I’m surprised it took place in the middle of the episode rather than at the end. Why did Emma come home at that point, after learning that Regina was going to face the Evil Queen? Was she coming to get Hook so he could be part of the action?

~ I like how the conflict between Emma and Hook is more complicated than just her being mad about what he did to her grandfather. She’s upset about the fact that he kept it a secret, not necessarily because it was dishonest, but because it shows his doubt about the strength of their relationship.

~ “Destinations never matter” is a pretty strong absolute statement, and contradicts Nemo's previous goal to find a permanent home.

~ I knew the arrow was going to lead Regina to face herself! But why did it not lead to her magic mirror? That would have been a fantastic tie-in with the themes and symbols of the original Snow White story.

~ Regina literally fighting herself, and then embracing herself, is amazing!!!

~ I LOVE Snow and Hook’s scene! They hardly ever interact with each other, and I don’t think they’ve ever had a scene with just the two of them. It makes sense that she would be the one to renew his hope that he can be forgiven and deserving of love.

~ It feels odd for Nemo to appear, and even mention Liam, without Liam himself showing up, when Hook is wrestling with so much guilt about his past. Liam would have stirred up all kinds of feelings about guilt and atonement.

Episode 6x15 “A Wondrous Place”

~ Wouldn’t “Let’s go fishing” be more fitting than “Let’s go hunting”? Or is kraken not a fish?

~ Hook almost acts parental with Jasmine and Aladdin, telling them to “Get on board before you get yourselves killed” and encouraging her to face her fear.

~ I would expect Henry to do more than sit around with his headphones in and ask “Are you okay?” when his mom is going through a heartbreak.

~ When and why did Emma stop wearing Hook’s ring pendant? Did she give it back to him when they both returned to Storybrooke?

~ Snow refers to her son as a toddler, but he can’t be more than a few months old, maybe a year at most!

~ I like that Hook and Liam II have a goodbye hug, but I wish they had more scenes together! Despite sparing him in their fight, Liam has not really been shown forgiving Hook or accepting him as his brother.

~ Jasmine mentions Scheherazade!!! About time a female storyteller got some credit!

~ How does Ariel’s flashback storyline fit in with her present-day story in Season 3? Did she not tell Eric about her mermaid identity when they reunited in Storybrooke?

~ While I wish Aladdin had been a more active character this season, it is cool to see Jasmine be the one to defeat Jafar!

Episode 6x16 “Mother’s Little Helper”

~ I can’t see Emma allowing Gideon into her home when Henry is there.

~ The Black Fairy is way too giggly. They speak of how evil she is, but she acts like a school bully.

~ Wait, so the Dragon did make it out of the mirror?

~ The way Hook says “civilized” reminds me of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but betting a ship in a game of cards seems like Han Solo and Lando Calrissian!

~ Would Blackbeard really carry something as powerful and valuable as a magic bean in his hat?

~ Captain Hook running from Lost Boys seems a bit undignified.

~ How ironic Gold saves Emma’s life in the very same manor where he tried to kill her!

~ How can Emma tell a parent that their child cannot be saved?!

~ If the heroes left behind the Lost Boys who remained loyal to Pan, why did they take Felix with them when they left Neverland?

~ Having Gideon be controlled by the Black Fairy via his heart may preserve his innocence, but also undermines all his motivation in the last few episodes. Whose idea was it for him to impersonate Aesop?

~ The Black Fairy’s dress at the end of the episode looks like spiderwebs! I guess spiders are kind of her motif, like the Other Mother in Coraline.

Episode 6x17 “Awake”

~ “Who said this was a rescue?” had me laughing out loud!

~ Emma and Snow wear similar shirts in this episode, black with white collars!

~ What caused the pixie flower to grow at that point, ten years after the curse was cast? Did some evil arrive that caused it to appear?

~ The idea that people woke up from the curse before Emma broke it really undermines the significance of her role.

~ Did David have fake memories when he first woke up from his coma? Did he understand the technology of this world?

~ Who is that police officer/security guard? Shouldn’t it be Graham as the sheriff?

~ David’s confidence that Hook is fighting for Emma is beautiful!

~ Hook references the Tiger Lily at Skull Rock incident from the book Peter Pan!

~ How could there be so many Lost Boys left behind on Neverland? There weren’t nearly that many in season 3!

~ “Why is it never past their bloody bedtime?” Hook must have had more than his share of hearing the Lost Boys’ parties!

~ The pig and the conch seem like allusions to Lord of the Flies, which is also about boys stranded on an island!

~ Emma shows great character growth in that she understands and forgives her parents giving up the chance to raise her in order to let her save the rest of their community.

~ I had to look up Geppetto/Marco’s toast, “Cent’Anni.” It is a traditional Italian toast meaning “May You Live 100 Years.” That is so beautiful in the context of Snow and Charming’s sleeping curse!

~ The distribution of the sleeping curse in a chalice seems like a strange inversion of the Eucharist (aka Communion or the Lord’s Supper). They are aware of Snow and Charming’s sacrifice for them, and they choose to sacrifice for them in return. It also reminds me of Paradise Lost, when Adam learns that Eve has eaten the forbidden fruit, and chooses to eat it in order to share in her curse rather than be separated from her.

Episode 6x18 “Where Bluebirds Fly”

~ This may be the first Zelena-focused episode that I remotely like!

~ Honestly, Snow and David should understand why Emma and Hook would want some privacy. Both couples just reunited after being separated for a while, and the sleeping curse was going on even longer than Hook’s disappearance!

~ Does Regina just regularly go to Gold and/or Belle to stock up on potion ingredients?

~ Emma and Hook are so sappy and shameless at this point! And their bemused expressions as David and Snow argue over them are hilarious!

~ Hook is a good man to put up with his future in-laws’ bickering over his wedding; but he could have been a little more assertive about what he and Emma want rather than what Snow wants.

~ “If this is about Hook, that ship has sailed, and there’s a pirate on it, deal with it!”

~ David’s monologue is wonderful, but Snow’s reaction, expressing doubt about the outcome of the Final Battle, seems out-of-character for her.

~ Baby Robin’s care is a throughline of this episode, but who is taking care of baby Neal while his parents plan his sister’s wedding?

~ Emma saying Robin is “one of us” in the presence of only Regina and Zelena made me wonder if Robin might be a magic wielder like them!

~ I am surprised that they actually had Zelena give up her magic. When Emma tried to do that in Season 4, it was portrayed as a terrible thing, indicative of self-loathing. And magic has had such a huge impact on Zelena’s life and identity, for her to give it up is a huge personal sacrifice. I’m not sure we’ve seen her reach the point of being able to do something like that unless it was for her child’s direct benefit.

~ I like that Belle has a subtle arc in this episode, with her role as a babysitter having some relevance at the end.

Episode 6x19 “The Black Fairy”

~ I never thought we would see grown-up Peter Pan again!

~ The candles flicker out for a moment when Rumple is born, just like how the electric lights flickered when Henry and Neal were born!

~ The baby really does look like Rumple and Pan!

~ If Tiger Lily was Rumple’s fairy godmother, that raises a lot of questions about her relationships with Pan and Hook in Neverland. Did she recognize Pan as Rumple's de-aged father? Did she know about Hook’s quest for revenge on the person she was supposed to safeguard? Did she try to sabotage Hook, in order to protect her charge?

~ It's funny and interesting to hear Regina and Zelena talk about living without magic. But how are electric lights more barbaric than candles or whatever means they used in their respective lands?

~ Regina really got Zelena a monkey key chain!

~ Gold should know that Hook would be outraged at him for putting Emma into a magic sleep of any kind!

~ Is “Dreams are a maze” an unsubtle reference to Inception?

~ Gold says it's a "luxury" to "always do the right thing." That sounds like John Paul II's definition of freedom!

~ Zelena says "boody hell" now!

~ Regina asking Zelena to look after Henry is amazing, but the timing of it in the middle of their comical driving lesson feels awkward. And shouldn’t Emma also be part of the conversation about who would raise Henry if his parents died? And wouldn't Henry have some reservations about starting a new life with the woman who killed his father?

~ "Do this for me, so that no mother will ever be ripped from her child." Was that a veiled threat? Or did Fiona really want to prevent the separation that she eventually caused for so many?

~ It’s interesting to see Emma (attempt to) bond with Gold, of all people, over the experience of being an orphan.

~ Granny’s being the heart of Storybrooke … makes sense on some level, but could have benefited from more setup or acknowledgement of it as such.

~ “Jukebox?” “Jukebox.”

~ Finally, someone introduces the idea of passwords to confirm identity! They have fallen prey to too many magical impostures.

~ I find it a bit hard to believe that Regina never killed a fairy during her reign of terror.

~ Regina is wearing light colors when she faces off against the Black Fairy!

~ While it’s a bit of a stretch to believe that a fairy can be bested with a car crash, Zelena coming in to save Regina that way was both awesome and hilarious!

~ I don’t like the idea that the Dark Curse was created by the Black Fairy rather than Rumplestiltskin. Was he playing into her hand by finding someone to cast it, just as Regina played into his hand by casting it? That kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation isn’t needed since it was already there.

~ So after turning Granny’s upside-down, the heroes just have a relaxing dinner there? And they don’t even stand up when Gold informs them that he killed his own mother to protect them? They don’t seem very appreciative!

~ When and why did they decide to hold the wedding so soon? They just talked about postponing it! Most people wait at least a few months, and all that planning and arranging that had Mary Margaret so excited takes time!

~ Belle should recognize that Gold is singing the same tune he always has, saying that everything he does is to protect his family.

~ Hook asking Henry to be his best man is such a great moment! They started out mainly caring about each other because of their connections to Emma and Neal, but they’ve developed a real friendship and respect for each other.

~ What happened to the Blue Fairy?! Did the Black Fairy really torture her to get the information on the wand? Did Gold really restore her to the other fairies?

Episode 6x20 “The Song in Your Heart”

~ The title sequence is similar to the wedding episode of Steven Universe, with an orchestra tuning their instruments!

~ This whole episode is wonderful! The hilarity of seeing the characters break into song, and be self-aware about it, helps offset the heaviness of the present-day plot, where Emma’s wedding day and her entire future are both at stake. But the theme of music also serves a purpose for the plot, and gives Emma an epiphany about her life, her inner strength, and her relationship with her parents. Music lovers know that there is something powerful, almost sacred, about it, and having that explored in the context of OUAT is really interesting.

~ The musical numbers do an impressive job walking the line between parody and earnestness. They represent each of the characters well, and are just plain fun to watch.

~ Hook is the only one who wholeheartedly embraces the singing without questioning it or finding it strange.

~ I can’t tell if Zelena is self-aware about her song or if it is one of those musical numbers that just represents her interior thoughts.

~ Zelena’s actions in the flashbacks don’t really make sense.

~ How can Emma run away when her fiancé, parents, and friends are frozen in the Black Fairy’s custody? Why does the Black Fairy let her go instead of threatening to kill them then and there?

~ Emma tries to do the same thing Henry did in season 3, giving up her heart to one of Rumplestiltskin’s parents.

~ Emma seems like the last person to embrace singing, as she’s always been the most resistant to magic, emotion, and vulnerability. So it’s really significant that the climax of her journey involves her finding power through a song.

~ Emma’s song is the first in the episode that doesn’t feel like it’s half playing for laughs: the music is powerful, and the lyrics are completely serious and show Emma’s growth as a character. She has not only forgiven her parents, she has come to believe that they were right to give her up, because she needed to fulfill her role as the Savior.

~ “A Happy Beginning” is just perfect. The characters understand that there are still challenges ahead they need to face, yet they enjoy the moment, look to the future with hope, and commit to stand with each other through whatever comes.

~ Archie and Marco are both at the wedding, but August is nowhere to be seen! He must have been present off-camera, because there is no way he would miss Emma’s wedding.

~ I thought I heard several subtle references to songs from other musicals, including “Let It Go” from Frozen, and “On My Own” and “A Heart Full of Love” from Les Misérables

Episode 6x21 “The Final Battle Part 1”

~ Is that David’s sword, the one Emma used to slay Maleficent? Is that why they included those clips in the recap?

~ Why is Henry always exempt from the Dark Curse(s)? Did Fiona choose to keep him in Storybrooke so she could use him as leverage over Emma? Letting him retain his memories and the storybook seems like too much of a risk.

~ There seem to be way more asylum patients, and a much better facility for them, in this curse’s version of Storybrooke.

~ Emma taking her medicine gives big Matrix vibes.

~ When Hook wakes up, the first thing he does is look at his hand to see if his wedding ring is still there!

~ How is the Charmings’ old castle standing? Wasn’t it destroyed in the first curse? Didn’t Emma and Snow see it in ruins when they went there in Season 2?

~ Having Hook face the beanstalk again is a great way to get the characters to reflect on the beginning of his relationship with Emma. His speech to David is full of emotion and accurately summarizes what made his and Emma’s relationship so compelling, both similar and different from other love stories in fairy tales.

~ Henry acknowledges that Hook is Emma’s true love!

~ Even when she doesn’t believe him, Emma still loves and appreciates Henry so much.

~ Finally, they addressed the fact that Wish Snow and Charming were killed!

~ So Wish Robin, who was a selfish scoundrel, still met Friar Tuck at some point? Why do they never show this friar?!

~ Henry’s smile is so proud when Fiona talks about how hard it is to get Emma to stop believing.

~ Hook and David have a nice moment in the giants’ castle, but the context feels contrived. And that “obstacle course” isn’t all that difficult for Hook to overcome.

~ Is that dragon supposed to be Maleficent?

Episode 6x22 “The Final Battle Part 2”

~ Hook calling Snow “Mummy” is funny, but it feels a bit immature and regressive after he’s come so far in his relationship with Emma’s parents.

~ There is absolutely no need for Snow to say “It’s important.” Hook knows how bloody important it is!

~ I wish Hook and David’s climb ended up making an actual difference in the plot.

~ Unlike when Emma first tried to leave Storybrooke, nothing impedes her when she drives away this time. Fate does not intervene with a wolf or some other distraction or obstacle.

~ It looks like Henry can draw, just like his father and paternal grandmother!

~ Having Snow and Charming reverse roles and play out the true love’s kiss awakening was not necessary. They already did that back in season 2, and they revisited the sleeping curse imagery throughout this season. There is no uncertainty about the strength and authenticity of their love, so it does not carry any real suspense.

~ Is that the mirror from Beauty and the Beast?

~ What was that shot of Emma barging into the mayor’s office with the sword for? Did she intend to use it against Fiona?

~ How can light snuff out light? It doesn’t make sense.

~ Gold kills Fiona way too easily. How can she be defeated by her own wand? Does it work like the Dark One dagger, being the only thing that can destroy its owner? And why is Fiona’s death the event that breaks the curse, rather than Emma coming to believe?

~ Why did the writers have Belle reunite with Gold only for her to be left behind while he has his final temptation? Why not just have them reunite after?

~ Where did Emma get the beanie? Did she pause to put it on while running from Gideon with the sword?

~ Hook saying they should kill Gideon makes no sense. He was there when Gideon was born; Gideon is Belle's son and Baelfire/Neal's brother; and they know that he’s not in control of himself. Hook knows what that is like from his own experience of someone controlling his heart.

~ David calling Gideon an SOB is actually insulting Belle!

~ Emma’s declaration of who and what she is reminds me of a line from Peter Pan declaring his identity to Captain Hook: “I’m youth, I’m joy.”

~ The climax and resolution happen way too quickly.

~ I think Hook should have been the one to kiss and awaken Emma. Yes, Henry doing it is a nice parallel to her waking him in Season 1, but their relationship had been solid and unquestioned for years, and he had already served a heroic role in the finale by getting Emma to believe. In contrast, Hook had just married Emma a day earlier, after many ups and downs in their relationship, and he had failed to break curses by kissing her on two previous occasions (in season 3 and season 5). Plus, his whole adventure in the previous episode yielded no real effect on the plot. Having him be the one to say “I love you” and kiss Emma to restore her to life would have been more fulfilling for both the plot and the characters’ relationship. Plus, if he thought she was gone for good, it could have been a really emotional growing moment for Hook, seeing his love sacrifice herself for him and everyone else, and respecting that in spite of losing her. Then the kiss would have been completely based on how he felt, not on any pragmatic hope as in the previous cases.

~ Gideon turning into a baby again feels like the kind of false solution Gold proposed to his other son. He offered to make Neal a teenage boy again so they could have a do-over. Does turning into a baby again erase all of Gideon’s memories, the experiences that shaped him? (I can hardly call it character development since his character was not really well written.)

~ Was that Tinker Bell? Did she return to Neverland after all?

~ I’m glad that David is the one taking care of Neal now, instead of him being left with a babysitter while both his parents work!

~ Violet is waiting for Henry at the bus stop! But it’s such a fleeting glimpse it’s easy to miss.

~ Emma making Hook her deputy is excellent! He has come such a long way in his life, from indentured servant to navy man to pirate to law enforcement.

~ The dwarves making new signage for Regina’s door is sweet, but giving her the title of queen again seems weird. Snow and David are the real leaders of Storybrooke, and there are other princes and princesses there too. If they want to have an official leader, they really ought to be elected.

~ Having Gold and Belle dance to the music from “Beauty and the Beast” is sweet, but they’ve done it before, and their reconciliation doesn’t really feel earned after how much he put her through. How does she know if she can trust him now? Does he still have the Dark One dagger?

~ The only thing that seems missing from the montage is a shot of the Jolly Roger. Hook may not live there anymore, but I’m sure it would still be a part of his new family’s life.

~ That last shot of everyone sitting on one side of a long table is just like Da Vinci’s “Last Supper”! After all the jokes and sarcastic comments about family dinners in this show (“Maybe one day they’ll invite you to dinner,” “It’s a good thing we didn’t have Thanksgiving in our land,” etc.) it’s amazing to see them all come together for a meal—even those who have killed each other's loved ones and/or tried to kill each other.

~ Honestly, that last scene of Lucy knocking on Henry’s door would not have been a terrible place to end the series. Then, if the writers wanted, they could have told Lucy’s story in a separate spin-off.

[unikittybigbrightworldau]

Citizens of Botania

Head over to Botania and rustle up your leaves as I tell about the folks who live there.

(I know- that was bad.)

Lucinda Fox is Dr. Fox’s great grandmother, and she seems to be the matriarch of the clan. She and many other foxes reside in Veridan, Botania’s forest area (with both deciduous and coniferous trees in it), in a neighborhood called Fox Hollow. As you can probably tell from her coat, science runs in the family; back in her day, she discovered five new elements and made the earliest motherboard. She also had a hand in designing environmentally-friendly power systems. She still continues to explore the world around her today, and she has a close bond with her tight-knit family.

Lucinda’s two children are Jessie, Dr. Fox’s grandmother, and Jay, her great-uncle. Jessie has a degree in environmental science and took Dr. Fox to Botania’s natural history museum when she was a little kid. She created a device to measure and keep track of soil fertility. She’s a stylish and lighthearted woman. Jay likes to feed birds and let them land on his fingertips. He’s a lights operator who works at the Flytrap Theater in Veridan. He’s carefree, much like Jessie. Jay and Jessie are twins.

Forrest, Felix, Don and Rosemary are Jay’s children and the cousins of Dr. Fox’s dad, Benton. Forrest Fox studies physics and loves being outdoors, all the way down to sleeping outside. Felix Fox is a mathematician who’s logical yet compassionate. He can’t see very well out of one of his eyes. Donaldo Fox, or Don, is the only known member of Dr. Fox’s family who is actually licensed to practice medicine, and does it professionally. He cooks pastas and veggies in his spare time. He's all about the truth, so he can't stand when people don't get facts right. Rosemary Fox, or Rosie, is a mirthful teacher with a sharp memory. She teaches at a general school, which means she teaches basic life skills to young kids. One of her students just so happened to be Rose, and they’ve always joked about the likeness of their names.

Vita Fox is Dr. Fox’s older sister. Like her cousin Lila, she lives by herself, and her home isn’t too far from where her relatives live. She likes to skate, and she also studies the behavioral habits of people. She’s generous, selfless, and is close with her family just like her great grandma. She and her sister were close when they were younger. To this day, she thinks about her a lot.

Then, there's Needle Herichon, the sea urchin who ruined the lives of many Marevians. I put him here because he's now in a banishment hold a ways away from Botania. It's a place where Marevi and Botania try to rehabilitate their worst offenders. He is controlling, dishonest, and doesn't care what happens so long as it benefits him. He won't admit that, though. He's a social urchin who has no problem talking with other people. However, he's also selfish and hungry for fame. He married Celina and built Spike with her just to get achievement points. He disrespected their boundaries, spreading mean rumors to discredit them while claiming he was helping them. He also tried to force Celina to stay with him, and lured a sea monster to a marketplace, hoping a battle would win her back. The Doom Lords are attempting to recruit Needle and give him the title of Master Deceit. His headcanon voice? Hadrian from Minecraft: Story Mode.

Lord Terran Monarch is the fairy ruler of Botania. He acts as a conscience towards his people and does his best to guide them down the path of life. He's selfless, environmentally aware, and very hail-fellow-well-met. He'll do what he can to ensure that the world will have a future to protect. Lord Terran is also good friends with King Nettle and Queen Moonlily, just like Botania is with Marevi. He wears glasses that help him see and read; without them, he can’t see at all. 

Zora is a dragontail butterfly and a close friend to Kira. He doesn’t like being in just one place for very long, nor does he like getting wet. He travels around Botania’s desert and grassland areas. He is able to fly at great speeds, which makes him hard to spot. Moving at quick paces, Zora gets easily impatient and bored. But, he's a loyal and sympathetic friend and a resilient guy.

Allegra is another one of Kira's friends. She is a graceful performer who is regarded as one of the most beautiful fairies in her tree. She is a skilled trapeze artist, and she's part of the circus at her school. She is the peppiest and liveliest in Kira's friend group, and she loves when people watch her flip and swing. Trapeze isn't an easy art, and Allegra isn't a trapeze expert. She sometimes falls down, but she doesn't let her misses define her.

Bia is also part of Kira's friend circle like Zora and Allegra. Though feisty, she is inventive and problem-solving, and she tinkers with things she finds in the nature that surrounds her. She fixes things and also makes sure that they don't leave behind waste or use lots of energy. She's never been able to feel her wings, so she has these flight aids to help her fly. Her headcanon voice is Tink from the Tinker Bell movies. 

Fern is Kira’s older brother. He is a farmer who is learning to care for crops and plants. He has no problem with getting dirty when he works. He's considerate, so he checks in on Kira most often.

Kira and Fern were raised by their grandmother, Emi. She is a funny and sweet woman who likes to draw pictures. Her works are hung up in restaurants and libraries in the tree. Much like Kira, she likes having fun, so she's always up for some playtime. She also helped the siblings stay safe.

Desiree is a deer/mole hybrid known for selling tickets at cinemas and amusement parks. She lives to experience things, so in her time off, she heads in to see a flick or hop on a ride herself.

In Botania, the Gemflowers are the only people whose names are based on what they are. In their case, it's either their flower or their gemstone. Rose is a dashing Gemflower who's fine with being called either Rose or Ruby. They're also fine with being referred to as a he, she, they, it, or something else. He's energetic, vehement, and is good at chasing monsters or beasts away. They've considered joining the Bramble Wall, which defends Botania by doing that. They're also friends with Fern.

Carnation is an investigative young lass who says something important when no one expects it. She is technically siblings with Snapdragon, the sound effects artist for the Petalstones. Like her, she was created in a lab by Dr. Fox's aunt Daisy. People who Carnation is friends with, such as Allegra and Bia, know this, but she'd never brag about it.

Sapphire is an early bird who never seems to run out of stamina. He likes to work out every morning and makes sure he's getting enough sunlight. He lets fairies and insects rest on the top of his head flower.

Cherry Blossom is a friend of Kira's. He's sweet on one side but sour on the other. He's generally courteous, like Botanians usually are. But on some days, he'll be direct and open, and on others, he'll be tired and want to be left alone. He's always moving forward.

Freesia is a Gemflower who's only a young kid. She's innocent and a little bit superstitious. She often goes to hug the fairy trees, believing it'll make her wishes come true.

Moonstone is an instinctive friend of Kira's who also likes to call herself Brugmansia. She's an animal lover, just like her. She doesn't take kindly to people who don't show basic decency. She shows respect like most others, but knows that she doesn't owe anyone that respect.

[missxpip]

[ avan jogia, nonbinary, he/they/him/they ] - was that KAI SHRI i saw by the lighthouse today? i heard that the THIRTY ONE year old who has been in nightrest for SIX MONTHS and works as a/an HISTORY TEACHER AT Wardwell Academy has a reputation of being WARMHEARTED, but also STUBBORN. they reside in ASHMORE & people in town usually associate them with OLD BOOKS, BLACK AND WHITE MOVIES AND A GOOD JACKET. let’s hope the killer doesn’t go after them next. 

Basics:

full name: Dr Kai Andrew Shri  nickname(s): Shaz hometown: Born in London, grew up between London and Canada  current location: Nightrest, Massachusetts gender: nonbinary  pronouns: they/he/him/them sexuality: bisexual  occupation: History teacher at Wardwell Academy

Biography:

Kai was born in London, England. Kai’s family came from money on both sides and their dad owned several businesses that Kai never really bothered to understand. Though growing up, to Kai it felt like they used that money to keep them far away from home. Kai travelled to Canada and America often for their dad’s work. Kai knew that their dad wanted Kai to follow in his footsteps one day. But from a young age, Kai knew that life was not for them. Though most of Kai’s childhood was spent in boarding schools between England and Canada. Their dad had very little interest in finding out about Kai and what they wanted to do, all his father cared about was his own job.

Kai has always been a little rough around the edges but that has always been part of their charm. As a child, they always seemed to attract attention and Kai could always talk their way out of trouble. That was the Shri gift. At least that’s what their dad told them. Despite appearances and often portraying themselves as the class clown and appearing to be trouble, Kai actually did very well in school. Kai was naturally smart and finished high school with good enough grades to move away for college and to start their own life.

Despite their father wanting them to go into law, Kai applied to study history. Being away from their dad and finally out of boarding school was good for Kai, for the first time in their life, Kai felt like they could be kai. They moved to Massachusetts studying history at Boston University. Being in Boston was the change Kai had needed, they made friends easily and they finally felt like they could be themselves. No pretending to fit into boarding school, no trying to live up to their father’s expectations. He could experimented with clothes, hairstyles and really found his confidence. When they turned 21, Kai inherited money from their family and they wanted to do something for themselves. They graduated from Boston with honours and took the next step of studying a masters degree. It was exciting and for the first time in their life, making their own decisions. 

In their early twenties, Kai met Julia. She was a beautiful and kind girl and Kai wanted to look after her, Kai wanted to give her a good life. They soon asked her to move in with them. Kai had never intended to get married so young but they were in love and it felt like the next step. College, good job, get married and settle. But Kai wasn’t ready for that life. They still wanted to study, Kai wanted to continue to find themselves but as selfish as that was, they’d never meant to hurt her. Kai knew they loved her but it also didn’t feel right. Kai knew cheating was immature and wrong and they grew to accept that mistake and own that. But Kai also knew they hadn’t cheated for no reason, they’d got in a place they weren’t ready to be in. 

Kai respected Julia’s decision to divorce them and part of them felt free even though they felt awful for hurting her. Kai returned to university, eventually gaining a doctorate in history and taking a place as a history professor in the university. Throughout their twenties Kai continued to find themselves. They dated men and women, and Kai’s passion for history and writing grew.

A friend at the University mentioned the teaching job in Nightrest and Kai had to admit he was intrigued by the town. Maybe that was the historian in them. Kai moved to town last summer, taking up the teaching position and getting to share their love of history to the students. When the body washed up in January just a few months after moving to town, Kai was a little shaken but they tried not to read too much into it. Kai had moved around their whole life, sometimes bad things happened. Though the recent death in the school definitely felt a little closer to home, Kai was not going to let it chase him out of town. Though they definitely make sure their door is locked before having a late night drink.

[bioswear]

I'm a AAA game dev who went to grad school at a different program from SMU Guildhall and regretted it bc my own program was a scam with instructors who hadn't been in the industry for 10+ years. Is that just how it is everywhere?

Oh buddy (gender neutral) I’m so sorry to hear that you also had a shit experience :(

Unfortunately from various people my age who also went to other programs, it just sounds like the state of game/animation programs are decreasing in quality every fucking year 😔 and it’s honestly something that really fires me up bc so many students are being affected and so many of these kids are either trying to get their masters and higher education in hopes of getting a job or because they couldn’t find a job out of college, but instead they’re spending 100k+ on programs that literally put out false advertisements and then not only are they in debt but they end up sometimes SO far behind where students who take like, CGMA or Gnomon workshops are (because those are taught by CURRENT devs who have the time)

We had an entire faculty of white men who hadn’t been involved in any current AAA dev cycles for like, ten years, as well and it SHOWED. Our art teacher (the same jackass who decided to fail me out of my masters degree bc he literally didn’t like me) refused to teach us fucking MAYA ? Like I was lucky to have learned it in undergrad. His logic was “Maya is only for the masters to use.” Like??? Are we NOT in a masters program???

We only had TWO women on faculty, one was the academic advisors wife and another was a Korean woman who had a very, what I could only describe as being the equivalent to when minorities vote Republican? Idk if that makes sense but I didn’t trust her even tho she was a WOC bc she remained incredibly neutral or ignorant in advocating for students of color.

We had an incredibly ignorant academic advisor who told me I would never make it in any game Studio because I had “strong opinions” and those opinions were “hey maybe the game designer student lead should listen to her devs that she’s making redo maps for five different times and crunch disgustingly instead of demanding more feature creep”

And Not to just bitch further about my own woes, but at least for mine, we were told we would be learning ALL facets of art for games (like rigging and animation, VFX, character art, etc. - literally all facets) and we got maybe like, Environment art only for four years bc Boris couldn’t stand to fucking do anything else (he didn’t even teach us trim sheets tho…) and then we had one 1hr zbrush class that met once a week for the first semester only, and the rest was like “good luck. Go! Jump! What? Your parachute has a hole in it? Sucks for you not my problem BYEEEEE” and I ended up literally teaching myself character art through YouTube and feeling bad for asking Senior character devs on Twitter for advice and feedback.

TLDR: unfortunately yes, the state of games programs seems to be shitty everywhere and I wish I could Gordon Ramsay kitchen nightmare a solution for all programs so devs and artists and everyone who invests actually gets the education and training they paid for