#but the original story was always going to be a three parter

[arcane-vagabond]

I'm thinking of scrapping We Abide as a fic in order to write it as an actual story. Comments, questions, concerns?

[genericpuff]

The Mishandling of LO’s S3 Mi(n)season Hiatus - Part 3 1/2

Here we go, Part 3 of my analysis of the current FP episodes - a three-parter episode set leading up to the midseason finale of LO.

Part 1

Part 2

Truth is, I had actually forgotten a lot of the weird (and very stupid) shit that happened in this episode, that I thought Episodes 251 and 252 had already offered up the worst that this three parter set could dish out. Boy, was I wrong, because when I went back to check out Episode 253, I was reminded of a reality that my brain had wiped out in an attempt to protect my withering psyche-

I also forgot just how long this episode is. It's so long that I frankly can't even fit it all into this post, so this is gonna be part 3 1/2.

Anyways, let's just get on with it. This is the final stop on our trip into absolute nonsense.

CAUTION: THIS IS PART 3 OF A 3 PART SERIES IN WHICH I WILL BE SPOILING MUCH OF EPISODES 251-253. THIS WILL BE A LONG POST. BRACE YOURSELF.

Well, it's the midseason finale, and what better way to open it up than with the final title card-

Typo and all. It wouldn't be an LO episode without one. Granted, IIRC this typo has been edited out, but the version of the screenshots I have from it feature it in all its original unedited glory. So enjoy that.

And yes, just like the last two times, the title itself only applies to the final cliffhanger, which is an absolute doozy especially for those who were there to experience it in real time.

This is already a bit of a wild opening compared to the last two episodes, but it's quickly revealed that this is laying the foundation for the prophecy that Psyche gave to Apollo back in Episode 252. In true LO fashion, the story can't actually be linear in any regard, we're always segmented from pieces of information at a time. Loyal fans will call this a "writing style", I call it Rachel just trying to get another 70 cents out of me.

That said, I will say the art here is fairly decent, but I think that just goes to show that LO's one of worst features these days - ironically enough - is its coloring. What began as its strongest feature has now become one of its biggest weaknesses due to the sheer laziness in its rendering and the colors become more and more saturated into the grotesque over time. So at this point, you pretty much have to rob these characters of their colors to make them look decent, and of course at that point it just further highlights Rachel's same-face problems. She definitely tried to make them look distinguishable here, at least, with Hestia and Poseidon being the most unique.

Now, this isn't the first time that we've heard of this herb being referenced - it was stated by Hades that Hera was the one to originally poison Kronos with the herb after gaining his trust - but to see it suddenly just pop up and play a role again out of nowhere already gives me a bad feeling in my stomach. It feels like yet another plot device - especially when presented in this type of format - that Rachel is suddenly using to try and seem "unique" in her writing, much like the strange narration we got back during the "Run For Your Life" sequence. It's just once again LO lacking any specific identity, it's always trying to be a million other things at once.

I will say, much of this in and of itself is panel filler. Why? Because the location of the herb doesn't matter. You'll see what I mean in a moment, but the mentioning of Anthedon plays no role here, it's just yet another obligatory "see, I know how to Google things!" lip service moment from Rachel "self-proclaimed folklorist" Smythe.

Anyways, Eros is perplexed by this but Psyche immediately catches on, knowing right away that Apollo is going for Zeus. And this is where we get yet another one of the dumbest sequences in this comic.

(see what I mean that the location of the herb doesn't matter? Because Apollo already got it and laced it into the cupcake).

Now, first of all, the fact that Eros and Psyche believe Kassandra's prophecy is already hilarious in and of itself, because ... well, because it literally defeats the point of her establishing it as a curse in the previous episode. Unless it only works on mortals? It never stated as such, so we literally just have to go with it and pretend not to notice that.

But most of all, of course LO had to play this off as some joke. Like, "hahaha how awkward! I've already eaten the cupcake!" and he still doesn't seem to really be in shock. Zeus has seen what this herb has done to gods before him, and yet his reaction to this is akin to a dad getting upset that he stepped LEGO's that he asked his kid 20 times to pick up off the floor. The whole "record scratch" style formatting of this followed by Zeus' lack of reaction just really makes me not care about any of this, because clearly the story doesn't care either.

But we don't see who he makes these calls to because the comic, of course, can't spend any longer than 10 panels on a single scene, so we cut to Hades and Persephone.

Again, I don't know what the point was of having Hera relay this information to Persephone for her to relay to Hades, aside from the fact that Rachel needed to act smart with Therapy Speak that didn't even apply to Hera's situation (as we talked about in the last part). They gotta make Persephone the center of everyone's world though, so it's Persephone who's delivering this info and trying to come up with the solution.

Hades, though, wants to focus on his wife's birthday the commemoration of spring.

SIR. THE WOMAN YOU WERE IN AN AFFAIR WITH SINCE BEFORE YOUR WIFE WAS BORN IS CURRENTLY GRAPPLING WITH YOUR FATHER WHO ABUSED HER AND IS NOW HAUNTING HER. THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR FLUFFY ROMANCE TIME. THERE IS A CHILD BEING HELD CAPTIVE IN TARTARUS AND LITERALLY NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE.

Anyways, apparently (for some reason) Hades is the one who has to go meet Demeter out front. Even though Hades has literally NOTHING to do with this ceremony, it's not his domain, but Persephone literally says "yep, that's correct" when he asks if he needs to go out to meet Demeter.

This just feels like such a pointless conversation and I don't get what the point of this exact exchange is. Again, this isn't Hades' domain, so I don't see why he needs to be the one to go meet with Demeter.

But then, of course, to make matters worse, this man has the absolute audacity to pretend like he's never done anything wrong to Demeter. As if she should be obligated to be cool with sharing a bench with this man who literally terrorized her for years and then essentially groomed her daughter.

I hate him so fucking much and I can't believe we're supposed to be rooting for him. He has not undergone ANY of the character development necessary for me to want to care about him.

Anyways, Hades has a seat with Demeter, and the conversation is very brief before Hades says that he has a gift for her. And what is it, exactly?

Oh great, Hades. Sure wish you would have had this consideration hundreds of years ago. I fail to see what good this does for her now because it doesn't change the fact that he still cost her the role of Queen of the Mortal Realm and treated her like shit for hundreds of years. This comes across as such a shallow and empty "apology" because it's barely even a "gift", rather something she was OWED back then that he didn't want to hand over for his own selfish reasons. He still comes out the winner here because he's gotten to spend thousands of years being a rich slave-driving oligarch while Demeter has had to maintain the Mortal Realm on her own even without the glory of having a title.

I especially detest this "twist" because it's less of a twist and Rachel finally accepting the fact she couldn't come up with anything better than what her fans had to come up with for her. If this had been the fact the whole time, we would have seen it established back when we first got those flashbacks showing Hades being a total prick to her over the volcanoes. Instead, Rachel dragged it out for weeks and weeks until finally dumping this "twist" that her fans had been talking about all that time. This is yet another one of those "Rachel used her fanbase to come up with her ideas" moments. I know that that seems a little mean and presumptuous, but the fact of the matter is that the writing in this story is such an absolute mess that you just know Rachel's writing by the seat of her pants and has to rely on her audience's headcanons to actually fill in the gaps of her story. Most of the time when people commend her for the "great storytelling" in LO, what they're referring to are things they came up with entirely on their own because of how easy it is to just make assumptions about LO's storyline. Rachel benefits off the story being as vague as possible because then her fanbase will fill in the gaps with their own assumptions and give her all the credit for an idea they came up with.

By the way, to the "self-proclaimed folklorist" who wrote this, the volcanoes were really just entrances into the Underworld. Hades did not own them. They were owned by Hephaestus. And I would argue that the volcanoes were only seen as "entrances" into the Underworld because, fun fact - if you jump into a volcano, you die!

Hades frames his reasoning as feeling like Demeter was pushing him out of the Mortal Realm, but this makes no sense because none of that is on her. He claims that he felt like an "outsider" but the reality is that he made himself that way. He resigned himself to being King of the Underworld, he ate the pomegranate and made the deal with Erebus, and even he stated that he could still actually leave the Underworld, just not for long periods of time. So he was the only one keeping himself away from the Mortal Realm, not Demeter. We even see that in the VHS tape flashbacks where Hades stumbles onto Demeter's property and she lets him sleep it off in her home. So this whole sob story about how he felt "pushed out" by Demeter is such a bad take from someone who's routinely known to make himself out to be the victim. Because Hades can't have an actual reputation for a reason, no, this is a "retelling" told by someone who got all their Greek myth info off Tumblr circa 2016 and the front page of Google, so Hades has to be the misunderstood uwu sad underdog. Even though he routinely does things that reinforce the reputation he has within the comic, like being a slave driver, abusing lower class nymphs, and grooming teenagers.

Minthe showing up for a split second in the background is the best this comic has been since S2. We stan our girl Minthe, fucking run girl, do what Persephone couldn't do. She's the real hero of this story (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

And honestly, I'm sorry, but Demeter really SHOULDN'T be taking the high ground on this. She has more than enough reason to be upset. For a comic that tries to celebrate feminism and holding abusive men accountable, it sure is willing to make the women - often victims of the men - the real villains who have to "do better". Except for Persephone of course. Persephone is married into the system now, she doesn't have to "do better", she's a "boss babe" for being abusive and petty and undeserving of her status because she's the self-insert Y/N character.

So the ceremony for commencing Spring begins. I gotta say, for the final major scene of the mi(n)season finale, the art is severely underwhelming. You can really tell the difference between S3 and S1 art here, there's barely anything extra done to make this scene even half as impactful as the most basic of scenes from S1.

Like, it's fine, but it still feels so half-baked and rushed to attempt to replicate the kind of art that's been gone from the series for years now. The full sequence itself is actually quite lengthy, with a lot of nymph hands just moving around and playing instruments, but it's about as bland as any other panel, so it makes the sequence itself feel dragged out and boring.

This is about as pretty as the sequence gets and it's still not even as good as the original Dread Queen transformation. There's barely any rendering in the skin, and they couldn't even be bothered to make the hands look normal. It's like it's trying so hard to be "original LO" but is fundamentally missing the point of what made the original LO so captivating.

But oh noooo, looks like Persephone did a bad!

Are they actually gonna give her some kind of flaw? Are we gonna FINALLY gonna find out what she traded to Erebus?

No. We're just gonna make her the cause of winter.

Spaghettios.

And that's where I'm leaving this review for now because, as mentioned in the beginning, this episode is a LOT longer than I remember it being. There's still a whole ass segment with Apollo that we need to cover and I don't want to leave it out but I also don't want to do it entirely in text format and I've hit that pesky image limit. So I'll be posting that second part as soon as I can!

That said, I really can't stand this "subversion" by making Persephone the reason for winter.

First of all, because this is a common problem in a lot of H x P "retellings", as many of them fundamentally miss the point of why Persephone is the "Goddess of Spring".

Persephone was not born the "Goddess of Spring". She was born Kore (Κόρη), a maiden born from Demeter. It wasn't until after she was taken by Hades that Demeter, in her grief, took away the harvest and created winter. It was the return of Persephone every six months that brought about the spring, hence, she earned the name, "Goddess of Spring". What these retellings COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTAND is that the gods aren't 'born' with their titles, they're granted these titles by the mortals who comprehend them and write of them as harbingers of their respective elements, stories, and messages. Zeus wasn't "born" the God of the Sky and Heavens, he was granted that title after he overthrew Kronos and took the Heavens for himself. Hades wasn't "born" the God of the Underworld and the Dead, he was granted that title after he became the ruler of the domain of death.

Where these retellings really fuck up is constantly trying to "subvert" the H x P myth in an attempt to romanticize it, thus undoing the point of why Persephone is called "The Goddess of Spring". A Touch of Darkness also made this mistake by putting a "twist" on Persephone's character by having her start out as someone who couldn't make things grow. But if she sucks at making things grow, then why is she still referred to as The Goddess of Spring? In LO, Hades is referred to as "Grandpa Winter" and the seasons already seem to exist as we saw in this episode through the ceremony, so why has she been called "The Goddess of Spring" this whole time?

But I also can't stand this "subversion" because it fundamentally misunderstands the very myth it's trying to "retell". By giving Persephone the "curse" of creating winter, it further robs Demeter of her own agency in this story, more than it already has. It wasn't enough to make Demeter a helicopter mom, it wasn't enough to drive an actual rift between her and her daughter, they had to take away Demeter's entire role in the story and the creation of the seasons and give it to Persephone.

And this is, surprisingly enough, NOT the first time the comic has done this. There are many traits associated with different gods that have been given to Persephone and Hades. The volcanoes belong to Hades rather than Hephaestus, Persephone is "more beautiful than Aphrodite", Thanatos' and Psyche's butterfly symbolism is given to both Hades and Persephone, Aphrodite's symbolism of roses is given to Persephone, the list goes on. Every single plotline has to involve Persephone as the hero, and every single attribute that's commonly associated with other gods has to be granted to H x P in some way to make them better and more interesting than every other cast member in the comic, and yet they still come across as vapid and boring protagonists with nothing to show for themselves.

So to give the ONE thing from the source material that made LO what it is, it comes across as so unbearably cruel.

But then again, we should have seen this coming. After all, Rachel does not cite this as a retelling of The Hymn to Demeter. She simply refers to it as its more unofficial name: The Taking of Persephone.

Look, I get it, the story is meant to be told from Persephone's POV (or at least through the lens of her being the main character) so I can understand why Rachel may have chosen to reword this to make it more clear. But it's really depressing that she went to such an extent with making it about Persephone that she had to rob one of the most integral character of her moment and retribution. Especially when one of the only books in her cited "research" that's primarily about Persephone is, shocked, The Hymn to Demeter, which is listed at the very bottom of every "research" list you can find in LO's history.

LO should have just stayed as self-indulgent fluff. This isn't "subversion", this isn't a "twist", it's just yet another item on the list of making Persephone the most Important One of all. Even when it attempts to be a 'flaw', it fails tremendously by acting as yet another aspect of her being a Mary Sue, because her 'flaw' has come at the cost of another character's story, identity, and strengths. What was originally a tale of grief, retribution, and standing up against a patriarchal system, has now been warped into a consequence of a muddied plot that doesn't have anywhere left to go. For a story that claims to be "feminist", it has ironically missed the original point of its source material entirely, and completely robbed itself of the feminine strength it could have had if it hadn't tried to be "subversive".

I don't really have anything much more to say than that. I could leave it here for good, but we do still have that extra segment to talk about that covers the actual final cliffhanger in this episode, so... we'll see you on the other side.

[charlie-lec-stories]

The Socca Fiasco // CL16 & MV1

Pairing: Charles Leclerc / Original Female Character / Max Verstappen

Summary: Charles feels like he doesn't do enough compared to his partners so he decides to make a traditional Monaco dish for them. What could go wrong?

Warnings: None, just Charles being adorable and two curse words.

Author’s Note: This is a story that it's actually part of a sort of series. Little story time: A few years ago a friend of mine got into a polyamorous relationship with a girl and a boy. He motivated me to add this relationship concept to a longer story I wrote. Since I've never been in one, I decided to write short stories with a domestic vibe to practice and get more comfortable with how to write the dynamics of such relationships as accurately as I can. This is where this comes from. All of the Charles x Max x Y/N stories are part of the same universe, you could say, like they are all stories about different situations the three of them go through. I hope you all like some domestic Lestappen x Y/N. Rate: PG

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It was a tradition for them to have Max make Stroopwafel for breakfast, it was the dutch's way of showing affection, since he wasn't exactly expressive with words or romantic gestures on a daily basis. He would usually wake up earlier than Charles and Y/N, having been always a morning person, and take command of the kitchen to make sure his parters had a good breakfast. "It's the most important meal of the day", he always said whenever the other two refused to eat in the morning. Charles was the worst when it came to food, he would always complain that eating so early made his stomach feel funny and that he needed some time before he could actually eat something. Max came up with a plan, to make sure Charles would eat, he would make something Charles liked for breakfast, that way the monegasque would never refuse to eat in the morning ever again. His plan worked, and with the addition of the Stroopwafel to their breakfast menu, Charles started to eat every morning without making a single complain. That's how the tradition started and Max loved it, he felt like he could tell his partners he loved them, without having to actually say it, something that made him feel kind of awkward.

To the breakfast tradition a new ritual was added when Y/N started to cook a traditional dish from her country every Sunday. She had traveled back to her parents house for a few days and noticed that she actually missed those Sunday family gatherings that used to occur every week when she was younger. Her family would spent the whole day together, playing board games, watching movies and listening to music. The point of Family Sunday was to create wonderful moments together to remember forever. And she remembered them all with love. With that nostalgia settled in her heart, she decided that she wanted to keep that tradition alive with her new family. Every weekend she would buy everything she needed to make the meal and dedicate the Sunday morning to cooking. Charles and Max had their own roles, Charles taking care of the getting all the board games they had in the house and setting up the table, while Max was the one that prepared the brewages and picked the movie or vinyl that would play in the background. Family Sundays were their favorites because they could manage to celebrate them anywhere in the world, all they needed was a grill for the food, some board game and music. If it was race weekend, they had dinner and if it was a free weekend, they had lunch. They spent some Family Sundays in hotel rooms, simply cooking their meal in the hospitality of Red Bull or Ferrari and then taking it to the room to eat it together. Y/N really liked those moments, it made her feel like they were officially family.

Charles, at some point, started to feel like he wasn't doing enough. Max made breakfast, Y/N made Family Sunday meal and he was always enjoying what they made instead of doing something for them. He wanted to do something, he wanted to give them as much as they gave him. He wanted them to know that he loves them. With this idea in mind, he tried to cook pasta a few times, but it didn't end up well. Max had ended up banning him from the kitchen because he was sure that Charles would burn the apartment down. Pasta was off the table and it was the only thing that Charles knew how to cook, even if he didn't do it well. He expressed this concern to his brothers, who instead of giving him some cooking ideas, suggested him to just simply express his affection with other actions. Charles refused, he wanted to make something and he was going to do it.

"I'm just so bad at this, Maman". He complained to his mother on the phone. "I mean, Y/N isn't that good, but at least she can pull something off! I'm not asking to cook as good as Max, I just want to do something right". His mother could hear the stress in his voice. She actually believed that Charles didn't need to cook anything for his partners, they already knew that he loves them and that he shows that love through different methods. Still, she decided to please her son's wishes.

"Okay Charles, I'll send you a recipe for Socca. It's an easy dish and you'll have no problem making it". Charles' spirits lifted quickly. "It's beginners level of complexity. You'll be fine"

"Thank you, Maman! You're the best. I love you!".

It was summer break and Charles had been practicing the recipe for three months. He did it at the Ferrari hospitality every week and it was his most sacred secret. He wanted it to be a surprise so Y/N and Max couldn't know about it. It took Charles a lot of effort to hide his cooking practices, but he was finally ready to cook Socca at home. His skill with the dish had improved a lot, he had to admit that the first ones he made were so bad he couldn't even eat them. His younger brother, Arthur, even gagged when he tried a piece once.

"Charles, if you feed them this, you'll end up single". The younger Leclerc said as he spit the food in the bin.

"Oh Lord. 'How to loose not one but two lovers in one go'. I can see that Buzzfeed article". Charles glared at Lorenzo, his older brother, who was laughing at Charles poor attempt of Socca while he threw that comment.

But, his Socca upgraded since then and while Max and Y/N were out for a jog, Charles told them that he wasn't feeling like running and stayed home. He had an hour until they were back, more than enough time to cook and surprise them. Only four ingredients were needed: Chickpea flour, water, extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt. Once he had everything on top of the kitchen island, he started to mix everything in a bowl. He whisked until there were no lumps in the mix and then set a timer to let the batter soak for thirty minutes. The oven at home was nothing like the one he used to practice with so he had a few set backs when trying to turn it on, but he finally did it and then placed the pan inside to make sure it'll preheated before pouring the batter on it. In the meantime, his mother called to know what plans they had for that weekend. Charles loved talking to his mother so he sat comfortably on the couch and proceeded to tell her all of his summer break plans while he waited for the batter to soak. After a few minutes, he went to the kitchen for a glass of water and when he looked at the kitchen counter he noticed that the timer wasn't working. Slightly panicked, he took the phone away from his ear and check the time of the call. He had been talking to his mother for twenty minutes and before that he had trouble with the oven, but how long did that took him? He didn't know. It was quite a struggle, maybe it actually took him another ten minutes. With a rushed apology and a promise to call later, he hung up and decided to concentrate on his task.

"Well, I'm sure that has to be ready". He said to himself. Sighing, he opened the oven to take the pan out, he forgot to grab a kitchen towel and ended up burning his right hand. An instant hiss left his lips and he dropped the pan. "Putain!". Charles cursed under his breath, he grabbed the kitchen towel and picked up the pan again. A lot more stressed than he expected to be when he started cooking, he poured the batter on the pan, put it inside the oven and closed it. Twenty minutes later, Max frowned the moment he set a foot inside the apartment, turning towards Y/N who was looking at him with the same expression. There was a funny smell coming from the kitchen and he knew that it wasn't good sign. Keeping Y/N behind him he walked into the living room area, Charles was nowhere to be seen, but his singing was in the air, clearly coming from the bedroom. Max went straight to the kitchen while Y/N went to the bedroom to look for Charles. She was about to turn on the light of the hallway when Max yelled from the kitchen.

"Schat, don't touch anything!". Charles peaked his head through the bedroom door and his eyes met with Y/N's, they smiled lovingly at each other, but Max's dutch curse words quickly caught their attention. Charles jogged to her side and pecked her lips as a silent greeting while the two walked to the kitchen.

"Max, what's wrong?". Y/N asked while the dutchman opened the kitchen window as wide as he could. "Did you find the source of that smell?"

"It's the oven, it was leaking gas". He looked at Charles. "Charlie, you turned on the gas but never lit it up".

"No! I did, I swear!". Max shook his head.

"Don't turn on any light, let's just open all the windows and let the wind from outside renovate the air". Charles went to the living room and sat on the couch, huffing and with a frown on his face.

"I don't get it!". Y/N sat next to him and grabbed his hand. "I lit it up".

"Sometimes closing the door to harsh or an object hitting the oven can kill the pilot light". She explained. Charles remembered the pan he dropped.

"I am stupid!". He said, his accent thick. "I dropped the pan when I burned my hand. That must have done it".

"You burned your hand!?". Max and Y/N asked worried, Max running to stand in front of him and checking on his hands.

"It's nothing". Charles assured them, embarrassment filling his chest. Max kept looking at his hands anyways. There was a small red mark on his right palm. Y/N went to the bathroom and grabbed a lotion for burns from the first aid kit. She gently ran in over Charles' palm, him letting out a sigh of content at the cool sensation against his burned skin. "I am stupid".

"You're not stupid, don't say that". Max looked at him sternly, he hated when Charles called himself that.

"But I am! It took me three months to learn how to do the easiest dish in Monaco, which already proves how useless I am, just for me to fuck it up when I finally try to do it for you!". He was pissed so the other two left him get it all out. "You always cook for me and I can't even make a fucking Socca for you, I just wanted you guys to feel like I love you... I suck".

"We do feel like you love us, Charlie". Y/N said as she caressed his arm. "We know that you love us".

"But I never do anything for you". Charles said looking at his lap.

"That's not true". Max sat criss-crossed on the floor in front of Charles. "You always try to cheer us up when we have a bad day, and you always know what we need without having to say it. I think that's something important to add to a relationship".

"That's right". Y/N agreed. "Who cares if you can't cook? You still took the time to learn how to do it just for us. You spent three months learning something that it's hard for you all to make us happy". She ran her hands through Charles' hair and he looked at her. "That makes me feel really loved".

"You mean it?". Charles asked looking between the other two. They nodded eagerly.

"We do". Max's voice assured him quietly. Charles smiled.

Maybe Charles was doing more than he thought.

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Well, I hope you like this one!

[elioherondale]

Bette Kane: The original Batgirl and how her history never technically got retconned at all

So this is basically a repost from an old reblog I did but I doubt it's gonna get any traction so I've decided to post it here so more people can actually know about it. (I suggest actually reading what I wrote in the original thing cause there's some parts where I did at OP's comments and it'll look a bit weird here OOC)

let's actually talk about that "continuity dependence" So Bette is regarded by most of the fandom as having only been Batgirl only in Pre-Crisis (some people also think that she just never re-appeared after 1967 but that's not true since she appeared as a key character in the ending three-parter conclusion to the 70s Teen Titans run which set up Titans West). As in, Bette has only ever been Flamebird Post-Crisis and Hawkfire Post-Flashpoint.

Something to explain the whole thing about how Bette became Flamebird, Marv Wolfman decided that the Titans West three-parter was canon and this wrote about it in the Secret Origins 1989 Annual. Except Babs was the first person to become Batgirl Post-Crisis which meant it couldn't be Bette (for some reason), thus the story was rewritten so that instead of being Bat-Girl, a competitive tennis named player Bette Kane joined the Titans West under the mantle of Flamebird (where she got the name, we'll never know). So basically, Post-Crisis Bette was never Batgirl, right? At least, not until that very small duration of time when Morrison brought back Kathy Kane, right?

Below is the following panel from Young Justice Issue #21 where Bette herself confirms she has been Batgirl in the past. (after the New Titans Secret Origins issue tried to make it seem like she'd always been Flamebird the entire time). Take not that she says this whilst fighting alongside the latest Batgirl, Cass Cain

ok, so that only means the between 1985-2000, Bette was never Batgirl. Except that's not true. I especially know it's not true because of a key story that I think a lot of Batgirl stans are familiar with. Say hello to Page 10 of The Killing Joke. Also known as Bette Kane's first Post-Crisis first appearance.

Wait, wait, wait. What are you saying? Are you saying that Bette's history as Batgirl was never erased with Crisis? Are you saying that the argument that Babs, Steph and Cass stans that "oh, but she doesn't count/oh, but she was written out of continuity" isn't true? That's not possible. Oh, you toxic autumn child. It was always possible. It was merely that the spoutings of Babs stans who were angry that she wasn't the first Batgirl were taken as gospel /j (that or just how low her appearances have been throughout her creation)

Now, that just leaves us with one final era to go: Post-Flashpoint. Now unfortunately, I don't have anything from New 52 that implies she was Batgirl and I can't take the whole contracted timeline thing as concrete either so I'll just say this: Bette is in the same boat as Steph and Cass in terms of their backgrounds as Batgirl being erased in the New 52 before reclaiming their histories back.

Now I do have evidence of Bette being Batgirl Post-Flashpoint - Dark Nights Death Metal: The Last Stories Of The DC Multiverse. More specifically, the story "Together" where it shows nearly every single Titans and Teen Titans member (along with some Fearsome Five, Project Defiance and Young Justice and weirdly missing Team Titans). On the bottom left hand corner, you can see cast of the 70s Teen Titans run which includes Bette Kane as Batgirl.

And so there you go. Bette's history as Batgirl was never erased and is a legitimate member of the mantle as its originator.

If you sincerely think she doesn't count as Batgirl, I think you should go and take a deep look in the mirror and see for yourself what that speaks about you.

[0nlyy0urs]

Bewitched • Part One

Description: Alex Turner x Actress! Reader

Being the current It Girl of Hollywood had it’s perks. New friends. An awesome (yet inconsistent) job. Invites to the coolest parties. And meeting lots of new people. One award ceremony to support your cast mate changes everything when you meet the Arctic Monkeys and it seems fate can’t keep you away from their lead singer. And after one kiss goodnight, you find yourself bewitched.

Word Count: 3,598

A/N: Hello to all those who read this! There is so much waffling on at the beginning to build into the relationship, and then kinda goes from there on. If the writing comes off poor, I am terribly sorry for that but school and sickness hates me apparently. Also there is not a set timeline for this series, as I don’t want to have to focus on where the Monkeys were and when yaddaya because that is just added stress. However, if I mention past relationships of Alex’s, I won’t refer to by name though it should be quite clear who is who based off descriptions. This is obviously inspired by Laufey’s song, Bewitched, being the first in a 4-parter series, and also takes direct lines from the song into this writing! I would love to know what you guys think, so please tell me your thoughts!! Thank you, and hopefully you enjoy xx

It was one of your favourite stories to plan in your mind when you were alone, trapped in the memories of the past. You weren’t confident on what point blurred the lines of friendship and romance, nor did you know why it took so long to completely forget about said lines. All you knew is that it did, and you had never been happier. While everyone knew that being the current It actress in Hollywood had severe cons obviously, they also knew that it definitely had several perks as well. One which came in the form of introductions to other celebrities – may that be through various award ceremonies, parties or red-carpet events. This particular night was for some stupid award ceremony that you were invited to in LA, one which you weren’t even nominated in a category for! However, your publicist told you it would be good for you to mingle with a new crowd and be there to support your peers. At first you were hesitant at putting yourself into the spotlight for no reason (you knew someone would take it out of context and you were simply waiting for the world of fame to turn against you) but when your cast mate for The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey, said that she was going to be there you realised it would simply be fun if you tried. What’s the worst that could happen?! 

And so, you got ready when the night finally arrived; your make-up artist gossiping away about the rumoured guest list and how many new people you could meet while applying light shades of purple to your eyelids. After what felt like hours listening to possibilities, you were finally able to leave. You looked gorgeous; you always did when you worked with your LA team. When you met with Halle and her sister Chloe on the red carpet, the paparazzi were quick to note the matching themes to your two characters from the movie — Halle embracing her mermaid beauty for Ariel while you wore purples for Vanessa. Posing for cameras was fun when you had someone with you, and all the people shouting your name for a brief interaction all screamed as you blew them a kiss before going inside linked to Halle’s side while Chloe held onto your hand. Thankfully the host of the ceremony sat you three together, as if understanding that the cast mates and their plus-ones should belong together. You originally wondered why Jonah or Melissa had not accepted the invitation, and it wasn’t until the tables filled up that you understood why.  

You have been invited to a music award ceremony. Not an acting award ceremony, but music instead. It’s not like you mind, Hollywood knew of your admiration for musical talent in the industry and your undying support for it especially since working on the Disney live action musical. Yet, it just surprised you to be invited to such an event since you held no significance to it yourself. Perhaps that was why you were surprised when four men sat on the table aside the trio, all murmuring to themselves so that they weren’t overheard about their original topic. Introductions and some small talk later you discovered you were talking to the British band, Arctic Monkeys. They all seemed sweet, though their harsh English accents hard to understand to your posher one originally. While you tried to engage in their conversation, Halle and Chloe babbled along with the band about the music industry and their guesses for each category, you found it harder than normal. You simply sat there attempting to look like you understood, but it was evident it wasn’t true. 

The man sitting aside you who you knew was the lead singer of the band redirected his focus onto you, eyebrows furrowed as he asked, “What about you?” 

“What about me?” You responded hesitantly, looking confused. You hadn’t been completely paying attention to the conversation, and it appears that he had caught you. 

“What award are you nominated for?” Another member asked, longer hair than the lead and you remembered him as the guitarist. Something Cook, if your brain served you correctly. 

You cleared your throat, gracefully adjusting your hair with a manicured hand so it fell behind your shoulders just in case the camera snapped a photo of you, “I’m not nominated for any. Just here to support my girls.” 

Halle lent over and clutched your hand, squeezing it tightly as she let out a quiet squeal. You turn back to the band, smiling widely. And that was it, the first moment you ever met Alex Turner. Both of you had assumed that night would be the last because it was rare to meet other celebrities over and over if you weren’t fast friends. Having a conversation at the afterparty whenever you were in close proximity to one another, or him offering you a drag of his cigarette while you waited for the limo back to your flat being the full extent of your relationship. It wasn’t awkward, just simply as it was. Two people in the spotlight who met each other at some award ceremony. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

That was until you met him again in London. It had been maybe a month since your guys first meeting, but it seemed like whenever you went you heard the mentions of Arctic Monkeys. Maybe it was their new single on the radio, or your fans asking if you were friends because photos of the pair of you had been released after the award ceremony. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going away anytime soon and so when you met him again at another smallish award ceremony, you couldn’t help but joke about it. Conversation flowed easily and you assumed it was because you were both back in your home country, a sense of comfort allowing you to relax. You spoke to the band most of the award night as you were seated at their table again, and then one thing led to another, and you saw him again a week later. You didn’t overthink the situation with the man, simply viewing it as two people wanting to become friends. He could offer advice about dealing with fame due to how long he has been in the media, and you could ramble on about Hollywood and its issues for hours if needed. You just found it nice to be able to talk to someone who genuinely seemed interested in what you had to say. 

Yet it wasn’t like that at all. You don’t even remember mentioning work once aside from talking about cast mates, but you talked of them as if you were all old high school friends. You told him about funny moments with Jonah and Halle, or wardrobe malfunctions when you were at your school parties. He laughed at every story of your past, clearly amused with your life. He told you about his own memories with his band, people who he had been friends with since school. You weren’t too surprised there wasn’t much separation from his work and life – you were pretty sure he had been a big deal since he was a teenager. You somehow ended up Hyde Park, stopping at the closest dairy to grab food for yourself and the wildlife. You watched him grab a loaf of bread, stating it was for the ducks.  

“Bread is actually bad for the birds,” you told him, eyeing him carefully. Alex looked surprised at your words to which you responded with a knowing smile, “It’s better to give them frozen peas or natural-like.” 

“Is Y/N a duck fiend?” He quizzed, raising an eyebrow to show he was teasing you. 

You rolled your eyes, a small smile on your face, “I just care about the wildlife. I don’t want to know I was the reason a bunch of ducks died.” 

Alex shrugged his shoulders in agreement, leading you to the freezer section in hopes of a bag of peas. Sure enough there was one which you instantly took. Some fizzy drinks, snacks and ice cream, later you were sitting on a bench at the lake of Hyde Park. He handed you a small amount of peas, before throwing his own into the water to bring the birds to you. You watched peacefully as the ducks scurried to the frozen vegetable, gobbling it with their beaks quickly as if worried their friends would take it. They were basically right because it didn’t take much longer for the pigeons to arrive, landing awfully close to you two. Alex shuffled away from a bird that landed on the back of the bench, a pinch in his eyebrows as he held what looked like a staring contest with it. 

“Are you afraid of birds?” You asked, looking at him with interest. Alex turned to look at you with your teasing raised eyebrows, frowning as he shook his head, “Really? Because you’re basically on top of me trying to get away from a little pigeon. Why are you more worried of them than ducks?” 

“‘Cause ducks are polite. Pigeons would and do steal your food if they got the chance.” He grumbled. You laughed, shaking your head in disbelief as you returned to feeding the birds. Somehow you ended up standing, arms spread in a T pose with your palms flat and facing upwards with piles of peas in them. It took a few seconds, but pigeons flew their way onto your arms, their talons digging into your skin to keep a grip as they scoffed down the frozen peas originally meant for the ducks. Alex watched; his eyes filled with disgust but lips tugging into a small smile at the sight of you laughing at the feeling of the birds on your arms. 

When you returned to your seat aside Alex on the bench, he looked your red arms up and down, “That’s gross. The bacterium from their talons is all in your skin now.” 

You smile smugly, reaching into your tote bag to pull out a small bottle of clear gel-like liquid, “Good thing I carry hand sanitizer everywhere I go then.” 

You guys left each other just before dinner time, being together for nearly four hours just chatting about random topics. It was fun, you had to admit. That’s why when he asked to go out for dinner one night when you both weren’t too busy with work, you accepted it. One dinner led to another. Then another. Then dinner at his flat. Then dinner at yours. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on, you knew it by the third time you two hung out. There was a feeling in your stomach whenever he laughed at your joke, or how you averted your gaze whenever you stared at one another too long. You felt bad about your feelings, just because of the media. What if it just made everything worse for both of your lives? Paparazzi had been following you two around every time you’re hanging, articles of a relationship blossoming being headlines on the Internet.  

It Girl Y/N Y/L/N Finally Belongs to Rockstar Icon, Alex Turner?! 

You had a fit when you read that, complaining to Halle about the lack of identity you got if you were in a relationship with him. It felt dehumanizing whenever it happened around your male friends, because you knew it wasn’t their fault yet deep down you couldn’t help but blame them for it. Damn Hollywood! Halle was polite in calming you down, telling you exactly what you needed to hear about the article which somehow only ended with you being coerced to spill your feelings on your friend. She said she predicted it from your first meeting, because according to his band mates Alex was never that chatty with strangers. You told her to shut up, but you were unable to contain your smile. Perhaps he felt the same way. Just maybe. 

That’s why when he was walking you home from a cute little dinner, you decided enough was enough. On the walk in the late London light, there was a moment where your hands made contact. Brief, but enough to shock you. A few dinners ago you would not have been this bold, but you knew you had to be brave or else nothing would happen. Giving credit to the moment, you decided to entwine your fingers with him — starting off with your pinkies linked. Alex turned to look at you in surprise, eyes wide and a worried you attempted to pull yourself away from him in fear you made a mistake. However, Alex held onto your hand before squeezing it as if to tell you he wanted this as well. His surprise turned into a smile, and your heart soared at the look of admiration. You tried to think straight, but it was like you were coming apart every second you spent around him. It was evident when you stopped in front of your flat, gazing at one another. After a second you whispered: 

“This is me.” 

“This is you.” Alex repeated in a murmur almost as if teasing the way you weren’t focused, yet he gazed at you fondly. Your heart hadn’t stopped racing, and in an effort to look cool you let go of his hand to start rummaging through the back pocket of your jeans for your flat keys. He lent against the hallway wall, head cocked to the side, “Y/N… Can I ask you a question?” 

You pulled out the keys, twirling it around your index finger as you focused your attention on the singer again, “What’s up?” 

He was silent, staring at you. You could see his overthinking by the pinch of his eyebrow, and the faint downward tug of the corners of his lips. That got you concerned. Perhaps you had overthought this. But if that was true, then he would not of held your hand this entire time. Okay… You were definitely the one overthinking this entire situation. Suddenly his face relaxed, as if content with what he was going to ask. 

“Can I kiss you?”  

The words hit you at full force. He spoke them so casually it was as if this was normal, that asking you to kiss was natural. Alex’s face had softened as he studied your surprise; the raise in your eyebrows and the quirk of your lips. You took your time to think over what to say, before you muttered a gentle, “Of course.” 

Alex moved forward with such speed that it almost felt like an attack when his lips caught yours, his hands cupping your cheeks. The world froze around you, but you responded with such enthusiasm that you heard him chuckle as you wrapped your arms around his neck to hold him closer. He tasted faintly of wine, you realised, perhaps the red wine he had at your dinner date. You could taste your shared breath, feel the thud of your combined heartbeat as Alex’s hands moved from your cheeks to rest on either side of your neck, his fingers ran through the hair on the nape of your neck. He realised that you fit into him like a glove, your kiss like the beating of a butterfly's wings, soft until it became addictive. He smelt of wine, spice and lust until it all spurred together in your head to form the dizzy scent of familiarity and comfort.  

And you knew then that you were completely bewitched by Alex Turner. 

༉‧₊˚✧‧₊˚✩彡.˚✩

The first couple months of the relationship were utter bliss, naturally being the Honeymoon period. You both had decided to keep it private from everyone until you were secure with what was happening — and even then, there was no possibility that you were going to announce it to the world anytime soon. The paparazzi and reporters were simply holding onto rumours, not knowing how truthful they were but that was all they were going to get. Confirming the relationship was like adding a newborn into the situation, neither of you were prepared for that stress this early on. Halle was the first of your friends to learn of the update in your love life, squealing louder than you have ever heard. It made you giddy at the response. Apparently, the band had a less loud reaction to the news, according to Alex, but they were all excited to see you around more. That made you feel good, you had to admit, and it only made you feel better when they all sent you a text with congratulations and threats to Alex if he hurt you. 

Then there was Alex himself in those first months. You were quick to learn that his love language was physical touch and gift giving, something which contrasted to your acts of service and quality time. It was the small things that he did for you which started making you believe he was trying a new form of witchcraft. He was simply casting a spell on your heart, whether he knew it or not. Every note he left in the pocket of your jacket, or purse pouch when you weren’t looking, entrapped you to his comfort. You were utterly bewildered with the new feeling soaring through your chest as you read them over, a smile unable to leave your face. The time spent together only grew from random meals together to spending the night at each other’s flats watching your favourite movies in rotation, so it was fair – simply coexisting side by side with one another. 

Yet that honeymoon phase died suddenly, not because you grew out of the euphoric feelings but because life grew that messier. You had been worried endlessly about this happening, preparing yourself for the conversation but it didn’t make it any easier. When you went over to his place for the night, he murmured the information that the Arctic Monkeys were starting their tours in Oceania soon. You rolled over in the bed to face him, frowning slightly. 

“You could come with me Y/N, if you wanted too of course.” His words were so soft, his lips barely moving. If you weren’t so used to the tired mumbles of nonsense with his accent, you would not have been able to understand a word he said. Instead, it only made you feel sick at the idea of you being apart for the fear of the unknown change.

You sat up in the bed, leaning against the headboard as Alex redirected his heavy eyes to gaze up at you with confusion, “I have to go to LA for a modelling shoot and auditions.” 

Alex looked away for a brief moment, it hitting him like a train at what this meant. He reached out and grabbed your hand, entwining your fingers like you had done the first time. Bringing your hand to his lips, he placed delicate kisses on your skin in comfort, “It’s okay. We still have each other even if we are countries apart. Calling exists for a reason, right?” 

You knew he was right, but it didn’t stop you from overthinking the entire situation. It would be the first time the pair of you weren’t in the same country since starting this relationship, and you hated how dramatically you reacted to it when he fell asleep with his back to you. You had taken a walk to try and gain back some control you were losing, cursing at the moon as tears rolled down your face. It was like you were consumed by fire, fuming with every emotion but it worked in some way. It was some sort of release. When you returned to his flat, the kitchen light was on. He was sitting at the dining table, eating what looked like a bowl of cereal though he had stopped as you attempted to walk into the flat quietly. A sigh escaped his lips, and it took everything in you to not burst into tears again. The moon (and those who would have unfortunately heard your pleas late at night) had already listened to your fears, you did not feel the need to pressure Alex into the same conversation. 

Instead, he got up from the dining table and walked over, wrapping you in his arms. You held him around the waist, your cheek smooshed against his chest as you blinked away stray tears while looking at the bare wall. He placed a gentle kiss to the top of your head. You wanted to stay like this forever. Neither of you having to leave for your ridiculous jobs that had you missing him already. You knew it was a fantasy, but you hoped for nothing more. You stayed in his embrace for a couple of seconds, the pair of you lingering onto the feeling even though you had a week or so to fully say goodbye for the small period of time. You felt him lean down, his lips right against your ears as he whispered: 

“Keep me in your heart, m’kay?”  

Pulling away from the embrace to look up at him, resting your chin on his chest, you said nothing for a moment. His brown eyes were full of pure admiration, and the same bewildered feeling you got every second you were around him seemed to double in feeling. There was not much for you to say to the singer, so you murmured a ‘of course’ back before he led you back to the bedroom.  

And you knew then that not even distance could stop you from being bewitched by Alex Turner. 

[pinkiipeachiikeen]

Feline Antics

Kuroo x GN! reader

This was the first thing I've written specifically to post on tumblr, and was originally on my other 'fanfic only' blog, pinkipeachiikeen (one 'i' after pink) but I decided managing two blogs was too time consuming and decided to merge with my original account (pansexualproblemchild) and keep the name. TDLR: it's def not my best work and if it looks familar, no I didn't copy anyone's work but my own

This fic was inspired/dedicated to @taeyamayang and her little black cat momo and my little black aria (mimi)

WC: 717

Summary: Kuroo tries.... and fails to convince y/n that he is a dog person with his cat like antics

“So what did you get?”

“19/20, beat that, loverboy.” I tease, shaking my phone at him.

“Read it and weep, honeybunch.” He dangles his phone in front of my face. “Read it and weep.” 

“What?” No way.  I snatch his phone. “Lemme see.” The four numbers mock me.

20/20. 

“I guess i’m just the better partner.” Kuroo gloats. “I could’ve told you thaAAT-” Kuroo ducks, almost falling off the couch, as i wack him with my stuffed animal, a comically large stuffed goose Kuroo gave me as ‘thinking of you’ gift since geese are small and cute. It Would have been sweet if he didn’t follow that with “needlessly loud and aggressive.”

I wacked him with it then too. Then named it Mr Honk.

“How embarrassing,” he teases. “After you begged me to take this little relationship test too.”

 “I didn’t beg!” I whine, crossing my arms. “I don’t beg!” 

He raises his eyebrow. Don’t do it. He smirks. “You sure did last-”

 “OH MY GOD!” I cut him off before my face can heat up anymore as he cackles. I’m dating a man child. “Whatever.” I scoff as I scroll through all the questions and my eyes finally land upon the damn question that determined Kuroo was the better partner. Question 12. Does your partner prefer dogs or cats? A simple question. A no brainer. Cats, obviously. Except the red ‘x’ too it says otherwise.

“Aha! That’s why!” I exclaim.

“Hmm? You found out why i am the superior parter?” he teases as he settles down next to me, feeling safe now that my weapon of choice (Mr. Honk) was out of my hands. I roll my eyes playfully. “You wish.” I tossed him my phone. “You pressed the wrong answer, dummy.”His eyebrows furrow as he retorts; “No, i didn’t?” 

“Yeah you did! You pressed ‘dogs’ instead of ‘cats’. Therefore, we tied!” I said smugly.

 “Except, I did press the right answer. I’m more of a dog person.” I roll my eyes  he explains

“Bullshit!”

“Wha-” he sputters. “How are you gonna tell me what animal I prefer?” he reasons. “Is this because I was the captain of Nekoma? With my suave graceful movements and agaile abilities?” He pridefully boasts, looking like the cat that got the canary.

 “Yeah the same agileness that broke three different lamps. Two in the same day, as well.” 

Kuroo scoffs, offended by the facts. “I’m tall, Y/n! My lanky limbs have to go somewhere!” He pouts, wiggling said lanky limbs for effect. 

“Yeah, but they couldn’t have been lanky anyplace besides right next to my nightstand? Or my coffee table, or my-“

 “Ok, Ok I get it!” He whines. “All of that only helps plead my case.” I state.

 “You mean the one that I’m a cat.” 

“Yes. Cats break shit left and right too.”

“Okay, left and right is a little excessive!”

“But not wrong. Let’s also talk about the fact how you hiss when I sprayed water on you.”

“Anyone would when you spray water on them!” 

“People don’t hiss Tetsu! You full on hissed like a vampire in the sun!

“….So like Kenma.” 

I pause for a moment. “A little bit, yeah I guess. He’s like a cat too, but that’s a whole different story. He’s like a old calico cat, just minding his business while you are a little scrappy black cat. Causing chaos and mischief.”

 “I’m not scrappy, i’m resourceful and resilient!” He corrects. 

I blink, once, then twice. “You’re scrappy”. I deadpan. “The scrappy little black cat antagonizing and teasing everyone always causing a ruckus and always needs attention and affection. No matter how much they deny it.”

 “I don’t demand nor need your attention!” He huffs. 

“Tetsu?”

“Yes, love?”

“You are literally laying on my right now.”

Kuroo looks down to realize that he is indeed laying across my lap and is silent for a moment, Before he snuggles closer into me.

“The fact that I’m laying on your lap means nothing.” He pulls up the blanket over his lap. “Now shh. I’m sleeping now.”

I smile and roll my eyes once more, something I find i’m doing more and more ever since my cat-like boyfriend (clumsily, and awkwardly)  waltzed his way into my life. “See? Demanding.” 

“Shh!” 

Thanks for reading! Reblogs, likes and comments are always greatly appreciated! ❤️

[liminalpebble]

Liminalpebble’s Masterlist Library

Sex and Death (Masterlist)

A Wallander fanfic (Magnus Martinsson x Original Female Character)

Synopsis: Detective Magnus Martinsson and Noura Harik (a forensic linguist) are racing to find an enigmatic serial killer before he sets his sights on one of their own, but when Harik reaches a breaking point with the temperamental Inspector Wallander, everything changes.  

A/N: Magnus Martinsson x OFC, slow burn to smut, murder and violence (from the killer, not our protagonists), Minors DNI

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Violet (Masterlist)

 Will Ransome (The Essex Serpent) x Original Female Character  

Summary: The solitary Reverend Ransome leaves the empty nest of his home in Essex, beginning his life as a professor in London. His expectation of a contemplative religious life as a pious widower is complicated by an odd and alluring foreign student, Violetta Vespero. How can the conflicted vicar keep his gaze and worship skyward with such delicious temptations before him on Earth?

CW: Sacrilege all over the place, slow Burn to smut, angst, multi-parter, probably pretty historically inaccurate. Minors DNI

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The Refugee (Masterlist)

AU Loki x Original Female Character (COMPLETE)

Summary: In a timeline where Loki, the prodigal prince of Asgard, struck out to establish his vast and powerful Laufeyson Empire, he stumbles upon Lenora, a refugee scarred by his bloodshed. One of the few surviving Morhari, she is captured and forced to use her considerable intelligence in service to the fearful warlord who destroyed her nation and her life. Will the peasant turned captive asset find her way to freedom and her own power, and will the cruel and scheming god of mischief discover that he can be more than a villain?

CW: Non/dubious consent. slow burn to eventual smut. violence and torture. Loki is very unambiguously bad, morally complex but bad, and does bad things.18+ readers only.  

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Eddie's Education (Masterlist)

Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) x Original Female Character

Summary: 15 years after the events in the upside-down and Eddie's unlikely survival, he's still left with scars and an uneventful life working at his uncle's garage and as a part-time bartender. Although he planned to get out of Hawkins like a bat out of hell, he's still there and feeling stuck. At Uncle Wayne's suggestion, Eddie goes to night school to finally get his GED. Little does Eddie know that his life is about to get a lot more interesting when he meets his tutor, Leia, and realizes staying in Hawkins might not be so bad after all.

A/N: Eddie Munson x OFC, slow burn to eventual smut, multi-parter. Cannon divergent. morbid subjects discussed. Eddie's a sweetheart, Eddie Lives! Minors DNI

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Stray (A Lokitty Tale)

(Complete!)

A/N: Hi all. This began as a prompt suggestion by @mischief2sarawr and has since grown three heads and answers to no one. It's now a multipart, very fluffy, story about Lokitty. I have no idea where I'm going with this except definitely to the comfort district of fluff town...maybe driving through a little traffic jam of angst on the way there.

Synopsis: It's 1971 and you're a single shop girl living in the tumultuous, often damp, city of Seattle, feeling lost and alone. Meanwhile, Loki (under the guise of D.B. Cooper) is on the run from Thor the moment he jumped out of that plane. After crash landing in a dumpster and disguising himself as a stray cat to lay low, he becomes your beloved feline room mate and an unusual friendship begins to grow.

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Between the Lines (An AU Loki Story)

Summary: The exchange of concubines amongst the noble houses of Asgard is nothing new to the royal family, however, it is to Asgard's solitary younger prince. Since Loki had always openly declared the tradition barbaric and loathsome, he shocks the court to its core when he changes his mind.

The trickster had yet another surprise in store when he selected you, a librarian from a noble house to occupy his bed.

You're stunned, intimidated, even afraid, of the sly second prince, but you know as well as anyone that to deny a royal decree is to court death.

And so you go, only to find that this mysterious man is not at all what you expected.

Pairing: Femme reader x Loki Pre-Thor 1 AU

CW: Allusions to sexual slavery dubcon/noncon within the society. Power imbalance. Eventual smut with questionable consent. Minors DNI.

AN: This will be a multi-parter but not a particularly long one, so if I leave you hanging between chapters, I promise it won't be particularly long before it all comes together.

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Lock and Key: A Professor Pine Story (2 Parts)

Part 1

Part 2

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One Shots, Requests, and Short Works (coming soon)

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Love Letters From... (coming soon)

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Memes What I Made (coming soon)

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And finally, a special appearance of The Holy Order of the Sacred Mango's mascot, Mew Mew the Mango. 💚

[sweepweep]

Ok so I have reached the end of Totally Spies season 3 which was a three parter and it is wild like always.

1. The girls got a promotion is super spies or something along with this random dude who they said was the most exceptional because when he was a baby he saw an action movie playing in the hospital he learned martial arts right then and there. As a newborn baby.

2. This same man who I am dubbing "Spy Boy" because that's literally all he is and he and his anime protagonist voice are so insane. He started out as a student among the spies, then when all the spies showes interest in him he said there was enough of him to go around, then he gets captured in goo that chokes you, then he switches to the dark side, then he saves the girls, then he tells them that he was only PRETENDING to be a bad guy because he knew they could handle whatever their imposter instructor (the bad guy during this) threw at them, then he started repeating the lessons they ALREADY LEARNED, and then at the end of the day when everything is said and done he goes "Oh! Yeah! I'm your teacher and these holographic teachers that have been teaching you this whole time are different parts of my personality, not yours (because the bad guy told them they were different parts of the spies' personalities earlier)! :D" LIKE. SIR???? WHY DO YOU KEEP SWITCHING SIDES AND IF YOU WERE THE INSTRUCTOR WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING??????

3. Jerry has a twin brother??? Canonically????? And his whole villain origin story is that Jerry threw him under the bus ONCE in fourth grade while they were cheating off of each other during the exam. That. That's it. And Jerry's brother got plastic surgery so he didn't look like Jerry. And when he broke out of jail at the end of the episode he reveals himself to actually have been wearing a mask and he looks like Jerry and pretends to be Jerry and gets let out. Then he rips THAT mask off and reveals himself to look exactly like the first mask except this time it's his real face.

4. Jerry confessed to cheating during the exam during FOURTH GRADE, and it is being taken INCREDIBLY SERIOUSLY. LIKE. JERRY WAS CRYING. And now he has to repeat fourth grade.

THIS JUST SHOWED UP I AM SO SORRY

Yeesh man when I was that old I couldn’t even walk babies are made different these days

I think hes just reeeaaally indecisive and wants to play it off

THREW HIM UNDER THE BUS?????? Also, he seems like another very indecisive guy

What?????? If I had to repeat fourth grade thatd be sooo embarrassing I can’t remember anything we did

[gren-arlio]

Well, it's official. Welcome to Part 1 of Episode 1 of Arle's Route in Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon.

(The Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon Manga always got me covered. This time, you make the context.)

Yeah, it's real now boys. Won't be as consistent as Schezo's route because school is starting soon and all that jazz, but we're here. The reason it's part 1 is because the video is too damn long like last time, so I'm cutting it in half.

Since I'm much better at this than I was when I began, hopefully this one will be slightly better than the very originals.

The video itself:

And now the timestamps:

Intro: 0:40

Small Settings Thing: (5:41)

Info Booth With Kikimora: (6:00)

This seems like a little, but trust me, this covers about 10 minutes of content that's pure text, which takes a lot longer to do. It's for my sake of not overworking. Part 2 is eventual... when is another story. Honestly, this is starting to look like a three parter episode one.

To people who've been here for a while, you may be wondering where the portraits are. Truth be told, stopped them for the top images. Saves time, and looks a little better.

With that, hope you enjoy the show.

Intro: (0:40)

Arle and Carbuncle are great friends.

The 2 of them enjoy walking together, and when they have time, see different places.

Arle:

Phew...this feels great...the sun's warm,

Its breezy and fresh...it's boring!

Carbuncle:

Guu!

Arle:

But something interesting will happen, right?

Taking a walk isn't so bad, but is boring, I'm looking for something exciting...

Carbuncle:

Guu!

[Insert clouds going dark]

Arle:

What the!? What's going on? I don't wanna get soaked...

Carbuncle:

GuGuu!

Arle:

What's up, Carby?

[Schezo appears from lightning. Actual LowTierGod stuff.]

Schezo:

... ... ...

Arle:

Oh, Schezo!

What's going on? Why are you here?

Schezo:

... ... ...

Arle:

Huh? That is Schezo, right...?

I feel bad! You don't have to ignore me! ...I'm sorry, are you in a bad mood?

Carbuncle:

Guu?

Arle:

Schezo seem much more powerful than usual, right?

He felt like a different person.

Carbuncle:

Gu?

Arle:

What? We're leaving? Well, alright, let's go!

Carbuncle:

Guu!

[One day, when she forgot about the event...

Arle and Carbuncle were taking a walk, as usual. They came to what seems to be an amusement park.]

Arle:

What the? They built an amusement park here.

Carbuncle:

Gu! Gugu!

Arle:

What's wrong Carby? Ah! That's Rulue over there!

[Rulue and Minotauros seem absent-minded.]

Hey! Rulue!

Rulue:

Hm? Ah, Arle!?

Arle:

Hey, did you come to play also?

Rulue:

Don't say such silly things! Why would I want to play in a place here!

Arle:

Then why are you here?

Rulue:

It's...I'm here to train!

Arle:

To train? At an amusement park?

Rulue:

This isn't just an amusement park.

All the attractions are maxes, filled with monsters.

Minotauros:

And there's all sort of loot and treasure in there, too.

They belong to whoever grabs them.

Arle:

Wow...it's a strange park, but doesn't it seem fun?

Rulue:

I don't care, I'm here to train!

Minotauros:

Master Rulue, then let's go in early...

Rulue:

Shut up!

Let's go in now!

[Rulue, angry, went into the amusement park.]

Minotauros:

If you're going to play here, I suggest not to.

The attractions are full of danger, and you could get hurt.

Arle:

Ah...

Rulue:

Mino! What're you waiting for! I'm leaving you!

Minotauros:

Yes Master Rulue, I'll be with you!

[Rulue and Minotauros left.]

Schezo:

What? You're here too?

[Arle was standing there, dazed, when a voice called from behind.]

Arle:

Schezo!? Did you come by yourself?

Schezo:

Wrong!

You heard about the rumors of this place, right?

Arle:

Rumors?

Schezo:

You don't know? It's about the attractions.

If you clear them all, you get something called a "Great Magical Item."

Arle:

Oh...really?

Schezo:

Well, I don't have time for idle talk, so I'm leaving.

[Schezo left as well.]

Arle:

Hmm...sounds interesting.

Cmon Carby, let's go!

------

Small Settings Stuff: 5:41

Arle:

Wow...this place is huge...where do I start?

(The player goes to the Menus, and goes to options. It reads:

Sound -> Stereo

Controller -> Non-Vibrating

Dash -> Normal

Flash Stop -> Off

Map -> Normal

Map Display -> Normal

Window Display -> Skip

-------

Info Booth With Kikimora: (6:00)

This took forever.

Arle:

This is the Info Booth, huh? They give all sort of tips there.

Carbuncle:

Guu!

(Menus. My beloved and my behated.

They go:

Listen <-

Rank

Bulletin

Back)

Arle:

Oh, you're the one in charge!

Cleaning Lady?:

In charge? No, I'm just a cleaner, but I help around.

I'm Kikimora. I'm an usher here.

Arle:

Hmm, is that so? You always have a mop with you, right?

Kikimora:

Yes. I don't tolerate dirtiness.

That being said, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Arle:

Then lemme ask you something...

(Menu.

Game Overview Explanation

About Items

About The Shop

About Rankings

Troubleshooting

The player goes down one by one, starting with Game Overview. Keep that in mind. I'll put a --- to signify the next one.)

Kikimora:

Well, all the attractions here have a purpose.

You'll be navigating a maze while fighting enemies here.

For many, it's become a fun attraction for them.

Of course, there's all sorts of goods and items as well.

If you think and use items carefully, you'll have a lot better time.

However, if you hit 0 HP, it's a game over for you.

All the exp and items you gained will be lost.

The first attraction is very easy, but they'll get tougher as you go on.

With that, do your best.

Arle:

Mhm...I see...

Kikimora:

What do you want me to explain? (She says this every time. I'm doing this once.)

---

About Items:

Kikimora:

Items are distributed into Rings, amulets, scrolls, herbs, medicine, food, and others.

Rings and amulets can be equipped, but most other things can only be used once.

Also, I don't know the names of the items in the attractions.

Find the name of the items...in other words, find our in your own way.

Arle:

Hmm...I see.

It's quite a problem that you didn't know the items name!

Kikimora:

I'm sorry...I really don't know!

Arle:

Aw, alright...how disappointing...

---

About the shop:

Kikimora:

In the shop, you can buy and sell items.

Money is needed to buy items, which can be found in the attractions.

You can also have a curse lifted or its name identified there.

The owner, Momomo, may seem weird, but he's a good merchant, so you'll be in good shape if you're able to get into his store.

You may even be able to get a better selection of goods.

Arle:

Hmm...I see... (She says this a lot, huh?)

---

About Rankings:

Rankings are done when you complete an attraction.

The system allows you to compete for scores from the items and money you got.

We calculate your score based on three score when you first enter, and after you left as well.

As for items, the less you bring, the easier your searches for new ones will be.

However, the amount you bring in will be heavily reduced.

Arle:

Hmm... I see. Come in with a lot of items then.

If I get kicked out, will it counted against me?

Kikimora:

That's right, though it's not fun to start with a negative number.

The ranking system will have a top and bottom 10, which you'll be able to see on the bulletin board.

---

Troubleshooting

Kikimora:

This where I explain things to newcomers.

We have a bulletin board filled with useful info, so be sure to check it often.

You can also see your score, so try to reach for first place.

If you get first, you might get a wonderful prize!

Arle:

"Might get?" What in the world do I get?

Kikimora:

Actually, I don't know myself.

Arle:

Are you really an usher?

I knew you were probably some old lady...

Kikimora:

If you put it that way, I prefer "Cleaning Lady"!

Arle:

...I knew you were an old lady.

Kikimora:

You're wrong!

---

(Arle goes to the bulletin board.)

Arle:

A Bulletin board...I'll have a look at it.

Carbuncle:

Guu!

(Menu.

Welcome to PuyoPuyo Dungeon <-

Back)

Bulletin Board:

If you're entering an attraction for the first time, try the PuyoPuyo Dungeon!

An exciting adventure awaits you.

-----

That'll be all for today. Hopefully this suffices for about a week.

Catch y'all next show.

[billpottsismygf]

So, I've just watched The Talons of Weng Chiang and I am somewhat surprised and conflicted because, in many ways, I absolutely loved it. All I knew of it previously is that it's infamous for being the most racist Doctor Who story of all time, so it would be nice and simple if I could just write it off as a terrible story, but I can't.

Addressing the good first, it's a very well told story with a lot of atmosphere and a great sense of location in Victorian London. The script is tight and witty and delightful, with so many bits of dialogue that made me laugh out loud. It's also particularly well-paced for a six-parter. I never once felt like it was dragging! It also has brilliant characters. Jago and Litefoot are delightful, as is Casey, and it's even got an adorable giant sewer rat! Even Chang is surprisingly sympathetic and I was quite saddened by his end.

It's funny that the origin of Jago & Litefoot as a Big Finish duo is about the only other thing I knew about this story, and they don't meet at all for the first 4 and a half episodes. When they do meet, though, their dynamic is extremely enjoyable so maybe I ought to listen to some of their audios. I also went down a rabbit hole because I was sure I recognised Christopher Benjamin (who plays Jago) and boy do I! Turns out that he has had two other roles in Doctor Who (Sir Keith in Inferno and the Colonel in The Unicorn and the Wasp), as well as being Sir Lucas in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice (the superior one imo) and was in three episodes of The Avengers (one I don't really remember, one I remember a bit, and one which is one of my favourite episodes of the whole show). No wonder he seemed familiar!

I love the Fourth Doctor's humour and charisma as always, and it's particularly enjoyable seeing him get to be a Sherlock Holmes insert here, and I also love how much action Leela gets to do. I actually think Leela is becoming one of my favourite companions in the whole show. She's not experienced in time travel or things that might be regarded as civilised (eg. cutlery), but she's quick on the uptake and principled and always ready for a fight. I love her getting to physically fight people, sharpen knives, practice swinging cricket bats, come up with tactical moves etc., all in Victorian garb. She straight up kills a dude this serial! She's such a fresh take on the companion, one which could have been done badly (sexy savage) but is actually extremely charming.

Unfortunately, the portrayal of the Chinese characters is... yeah, not great. There is a precedent in Classic Who of white actors playing people of colour and it's interesting that this story gets more heat for it than, say, Marco Polo or The Aztecs. It's obviously not okay in any of them, but I think there are a few reasons that this is the one that gets called out the most. One is simply that the 60s episodes are probably seen by fewer people nowadays, especially the missing ones like Marco Polo. Another is a suspicion I have that the nature of the 60s episodes being in black and white distances us from it, both in it being less visible and seeming like longer ago (eg. the slightly darker skin tone they give Patrick Troughton in The Enemy of the World as Salamander isn't as noticeable as it would have been in colour). Relatedly, perhaps we're a little more forgiving of the 60s for this, when by the late 70s we feel it should have stopped. Finally, though, it may just be because the way they go about it in The Talons of Weng Chiang is one of the more uncomfortable examples.

Specifically, the thing that makes it worse than other examples in Doctor Who is the fact that they use prosthetics to try and make this obviously white man look Chinese. The way his eyes and forehead bulge out so they could create epicanthic folds is positively grotesque. His performance, while relatively restrained when compared to other offensive Chinese caricatures, also includes a Chinese accent, which absolutely does not help. Additionally, although there are at least Asian actors playing the less central Chinese characters, the two masked characters who are not technically meant to be actual Chinese humans but are still part of the whole Orientalist thing going on (Mr Sin and Weng Chiang), are also played by non-Chinese actors.

Even if all the Chinese characters had been cast appropriately, there is still an issue with the sterotyped, exoticised and demonised portrayal of Chinese culture. I'm not qualified to dive into the intricacies of that, but when your villains for a story are Chinese and you have them portrayed mainly as exotic and scheming, and also have the white Victorian characters saying racist things about them unchallenged, it's not a great look. As I said above, at least Chang ends up as a pretty sympathetic character and, despite everything, I found myself somewhat moved by John Bennett's performance near the end, but it counts for very little when it's done through this pantomime mask of yellowface.

I don't know. It's very hard to have a definitive opinion on this one because it's for the most part a very good Doctor Who story, but that in no way excuses its racism. I think it's one of those your-mileage-may-vary situations with how much you can mentally separate yourself from the latter to enjoy the former. I totally understand why someone might decide that this one is irredeemable, but I am also very used at this point to watching and enjoying Problematic Media - including many old movies and tv shows - while simultaneously criticising its problems. Ultimately, my opinion matters not at all in terms of whether it is Morally Acceptable to enjoy this story, so I can only really decide for myself how comfortable I feel about it. Anyway, I can't recommend this one without a hundred caveats, but overall I had a far better time with it than I was expecting.

Misc small things There was a mention of time agents, which is fascinating. I know I haven't seen a chunk of the Third Doctor, but to my knowledge and memory this is the first mention of a time agency. I had no idea that was a thing before 2005! Positive mentions of my hometown, hell yeah!

[cf56]

Episode descriptions for Season 3 have been revealed (at least most of them)!

Yes! I don't know why these things always seem to happen while I'm at work or asleep. I suppose I do spend the majority of my time working or sleeping...

Honestly, nothing in the descriptions changes my perspective on any of the episodes I've already talked about. Let's go through the ones I find interesting.

"With Ralph still acting as CEO of WB, the Warners agree to help Nora get her old job back."

This is probably the episode where the Warners get locked in the tower. It seems like the Warners will decide the best way to break out is to get Nora back as CEO and Ralph back as guard, a goal which Nora obviously shares.

"The Warners teach a kid-fluencer the importance of having fun and not growing up too fast."

This is probably "Teeniacs", but notice the lack of the word "teen" anywhere in the description. It also doesn't give any insight into who the girl dressed as Dot is. Possibly, the Warners see an influencer stealing Dot's style, confront her, and end up teaching her something? It sounds like it will take the Warners back to their roots of just being fun-loving kids, which I'm excited for.

"A documentary narrator takes us through a day on the Warner Bros. lot."

This sounds similar to the "The Monkey Song" and "Nighty Night Toons" segments from the original series. It will be interesting to see some slice-of-life stuff, and potentially some other characters we haven't seen much of in the reboot.

"Ralph, Nora, and Scratchansniff encounter alien versions of the Warners."

This could be "Planet Warner", though, as I've noted before, there are multiple leaked segment titles that mention aliens. "Planet Warner" could also be the global warming segment. It makes me wonder if the WB staff will be going to a different planet somehow, or if the alien Warners come to Earth. In the latter case, where are the regular Warners during this? Are the aliens trying to replace them? Sounds fun no matter what. I don't think we've seen any obvious clips of this segment in the trailers.

"The Warners find themselves on a remote island inhabited by creatures that slightly resemble them."

This lines up with the theory that was sent to me. It could be heartwarming to see the Warners interact with more animalistic versions of themselves and probably lead them to freedom. The question of who is creating these Warner creatures and why remains unanswered. I know people have been imagining an episode where the Warners interact with different versions of themselves for a long time, and we're finally getting it.

"The Warners find themselves inside a video game."

Definitely "Ready Warner One." Note that "Ready Warner One" is a two-parter. They really could go anywhere with this, considering how open the concept of Ready Player One is. It might even have nothing to do with Ready Player One at all. It might just be a punny title.

"Yakko has to sing a song about why the Earth is worth saving."

This is the global warming one, but it's interesting that it says he has to sing a song about why the Earth is worth saving. Is someone threatening to destroy it unless he convinces them otherwise?

"The Warners visit an amusement park and find themselves in a sticky situation."

This is "The Stickening". I have no idea what it could be about.

"The Warners give the viewers a safety tip."

This one wouldn't be interesting if not for the fact that it's the last description in the series finale. (The last three descriptions have been from the finale.) Even though they didn't know the show was ending after this season, typically the reboot has had deeper, more story-filled episodes to end their seasons. I'm not really seeing how any of these could be that- they all sound somewhat run-of-the-mill. They'll probably surprise me with one. I also wonder where they'll fit in that "shoehorned ending" they apparently made for the franchise.

Episodes 4 and 5 noticeably don't have any descriptions up yet. It's unclear if that's an oversight or intentional. If intentional, it could be because the descriptions contain spoilers for something they don't want to reveal yet. Slappy isn't mentioned anywhere in any of the descriptions we can see so far. I also don't think any of them match up with the "older Dot" episode I've been so intrigued by.

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Aria the Benedizione

Genres: SoL, Iyashikei, Fantasy // 1 movie (1h) //  S01 (x) | S02 (x) | S03 (x) | M01 (x)

After 3-parter OVA “Aria the Avvenire” which focused on the Aria Company and the movie “Aria the Crepuscolo” which focused on Orange Planet, we finally have the last installment to the ARIA franchise in the movie of “Aria the Benedizione” which focuses on the 3-generations of the Himeya Company.

✧  story  ✧

As usual, we start out with the misadventures of the new 3 baby Undines who lead us into the conflict of the story. Akira mentions that a gondola, which has been with the company since its foundation, is going to have to be retired as Aika, despite being the new Queen Undine, does not intend on taking it over as is usually the tradition. Azusa doesn’t take this very well, and confronts her teacher over it but doesn’t get a clear answer. After some scheming, the entire cast of characters end up at the retirement ceremony of the old gondola and we see Akira and Aika’s backstory unfold as its told around the campfire. The pacing is slow but engaging. They know when to cut off an emotional scene with a few minutes of filler so you can absorb it all before continuing on with the story. I usually have very low tolerance for slow SoL’s but I never once zoned out or got bored while watching the movie which is a big praise coming from me.

✧  characters  ✧

Himeya Company has always felt the most corporate and unreachable among the three. Aika being the future heir of the company is also always present; but its very much on purpose as it’s a very difficult element of her life. In flashbacks we see that Aika resents the expectations put on her and that she feels constantly depressed as she feels like she simply isn’t who people expect her to be as the heir of Himeya. This is where the importance of Akira comes in. Seeing her cheeky grin again was great just by itself, but it is with her help and attitude that Aika realizes that she shouldn’t despise not having inherent talent and instead should focus on working hard where at one point people will not even think that she was ever lacking. 

Akira passes her catchphrase and mentality onto Aika: “I didn’t work hard despite being talented. I’m talented because I worked hard.”

✧  art  ✧

This movie only consisted of newly animated scenes and it was gorgeous. Especially Neo-Venezia at night, where many of the important flashbacks take place.

✧  sound ✧

Classical music to fit with the Venice inspired Neo-Venezia, as in every installment. Beautiful and melancholic as always.

✧  overview ✧

Honestly, I really needed this movie. It has all the charm of the original series, and is one of the very few slow-moving SoL’s I actually really enjoy. I didn’t grow up on this franchise but despite me not having the nostalgia factor, my heart kind of hurts that I won’t see these girlies again :(

My Rating: 9.5/10

[tuiccim]

Almost Had Me Believing It - Part 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader    

Word Count: 1.2K

Warnings: Angst, Discussion of drug addiction, mutual pining

Summary: An undercover operation playing Bucky Barnes’ wife is a dream come true. Playing house in the suburbs while trying to take down a drug ring brings you and Bucky closer but a nosy neighbor causes trouble in paradise.

A/N: This began as a drunk drabble for the HBC @the-ss-horniest-book-club  but the response has been overwhelming! I had originally intended to make a two parter but your enthusiasm for the setting has gotten my creative juices flowing and the story is coming together to be multiple parts. It will definitely be at least five. / Divider by @whimsicalrogers​

Almost Had Me Believing It Series Masterlist

You sit up in disbelief, “Bucky!” But he closes the door. 

Bucky immediately turns on the shower. He has to get some relief after the show you just put on. Good God, you were sweet. You had kissed him back as if you meant it and your body had cradled him like you were made to fit together. His cock was so hard it was painful. He was sure you had felt it as he had rutted against you. He was ashamed of his actions. When you had moaned he had nearly lost it. He knew you were only putting a show on for Frank, but he couldn’t keep himself from taking advantage and now he feels like the asshole he knows he is. Then the parting remark he lobbed at you as he retreated to the bathroom, he was sure cemented your loathing of him. Punishing himself, he strips and steps under the freezing cold spray.

--

You sit staring at the closed door. You aren’t sure for how long but, when you finally snap out of it, your movements are wooden. He had dropped you on the bed in the master bedroom. This was his room. You slept in another of the bedrooms. You had assumed since he brought you into his room he intended to finish what you had started in the living room, but now you felt sick as you realized he had only been playing the part. His parting remark had filled you with shame and as did the memory of calling his name as he walked away. You had been wanton, arching into him and moaning. Obviously, Bucky thought little of you.

In your room, you let your tears fall. For three weeks the two of you had tiptoed around each other. Shy smiles and conversation revolving around work had been most of your time together. You thought it was simply because he didn’t know you well, but now you understood that he didn’t want to. That was why he always kept you at arm's length. You tried to sleep, but the phrase he had thrown over his shoulder as he retreated to the bathroom haunted your dreams. 

You woke early the next morning feeling as if you hadn’t slept. You head to the kitchen, put coffee on, and gather ingredients to make coffee cake. You needed comfort food.

An hour and a half later the coffee cake was cooling on a rack, you were drinking your second cup of coffee, and Bucky had yet to make an appearance. A soft knock sounds on the front door and you open it to reveal your neighbor. 

“Morning, Frank.” You say, confused at his appearance. 

“Good morning. I come to beg a favor from a benevolent neighbor.” Frank grins winningly. 

“And what would that be?” You laugh lightly. 

“A cup of coffee. My pot runneth dry.” 

“Sure. Come in. I just made some coffee cake. Would you care for a slice?” You ask as you lead the way to the kitchen. 

“Sounds great, Suzie Homemaker.” Frank quips. 

“Hardly.” You motion to the table on one side of the kitchen and Frank takes a seat. You move to the counter, slice cake, and pour coffee for both of you. Arms wrap around you from behind and your eyes widen until you realize it’s Bucky. 

“Morning, Doll.” He hugs you from behind and kisses the side of your neck. 

“Morning, baby,” you sway in his arms before turning in them to grin at him. “Would you like some coffee cake?”

“Mmhmm,” Bucky’s mouth captures yours in an impassioned kiss and he begins to lift you as if to place you on the counter. 

“Babe, Frank’s here. He came by for a cup of coffee.” You pull away. Bucky knew Frank was there but he was continuing the show from last night. 

“Sorry, man. Didn’t realize.” Bucky grins at the man. 

“Don’t feel you have to stop on my account,” Frank chuckles. 

“I don’t like to share.” Bucky smiles stiffly. 

Frank laughs, “Can’t blame you. How’s work? What is it you do again?”

“Mechanic. It’s good. Business is steady. What do you do, Frank?” Bucky counters.

“Landlord. I own several properties that I rent out.” Frank accepts the plate of cake you set in front with a smile for you. “What do you do, gorgeous?”

“I’m in between jobs right now.” You say demurely, feigning embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll keep an ear out for anything coming available. What did you do before?” Frank asks. 

Bucky pulls you into his lap, “She was a nurse, but she’s looking to get away from the medical field.”

“Why?” Frank digs. 

“No reason.” You say quietly. 

“Frank’s our friend, Doll. Maybe it would be good for him to know. Have someone else to help?” Bucky whispers in your ear loud enough for Frank to hear.

You nod and look at Frank with shame written across your features, “I’m an addict. Pain meds. I, um, lost my license because of theft. I went to treatment. Been clean for four months.”

“That’s one of the reasons we moved here. To get a fresh start.” Bucky squeezes you and you smile at him sadly. 

“I’m sorry you’ve been through that.” Frank looks as if the wheels in his head are turning. 

“Thank you.” You say. 

“No, thank you for the coffee and cake. I’ll let you get on with your morning.” Frank stands up. 

“Another cup for the long walk back?” You quip. 

“That would be great. Thank you.” Frank accepts the cup before heading home. 

When you return to the kitchen you sit across from Bucky at the table. “That was well done.”

“Yeah. You played that perfectly.” Bucky said.

“And you steered expertly.” 

Bucky looks at you surprised at the compliment, “Thank you.”

“Bucky, about last night…” you stare at him, biting your lip. 

“Yeah?” Bucky’s gut tightened remembering how he had taken advantage of you.

“What did you mean by that last comment?” 

“Comment?” Bucky was stalling, unsure of what you were asking. 

“The ‘you almost had me believing it’ comment. It… hurt. It felt like you were shaming me or something.”

“No! I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant it was convincing. That’s all.” 

“Oh, okay. Sorry, didn’t mean to overreact.” You fidget with your hands. 

“Are you okay? With what we did last night? I didn’t want to overstep…” Bucky trails off.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Nothing happened that I didn’t… It was fine. A good show, right?” You are near squirming in the chair remembering how he had kissed you and feeling his body pressed against you. You squeeze your thighs together.

“Right.” Bucky says but his thoughts were on how sexy you had sounded when you moaned his name and how much effort it took not to strip you naked in his bedroom. “So, um, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“Gardening. Planting gladiolus bulbs. You?” 

“I was gonna do some work on my bike. Maybe go for a ride.” Bucky smiles tightly. 

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later.” You put your cup and plate in the sink and head for the doorway. 

“Do you… wanna go on the ride with me?” Bucky asks suddenly. 

You turn back to look at him,  “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Okay.” He smiles.

“Okay.” You smile as you head to your room.

Part 3

Masterlist

Permanent: @bubbabarnes​ @badassbaker​ @thefridgeismybestie​ @strangersstranger​ @cherthegoddess​ @buckyluvrs​ @sherlocksmanwatson​ @cap-n-stuff​ @finleyjayne​ @caplanreads​ @connie326​ @daydreamerinadazedworld​ @bugsbucky​ @chrisevanscardigan​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @palaiasaurus64​ @rebekahdawkins​ @maaaaarveeeeel​ @tllynn15​ @learisa​ @jelly-fishy-babie​ @fistmebuckyskywalker​ @nerdy-bookworm-1998​ @liebs82​ @honestly-dontknow​ @a-really-bi-girl​ @saiyanprincessswanie​ @baddie-barnes​ @aikeia​ @paleo-runaway​ @marvelgirl7​ @starlightcrystalline​ @xxloki81xx​ @slytherinambitious​ @sallycanwait68​ @slytherdorxmd​ @fangirlforever2412​ @rainbowkisses31​ @whisperlullaby​ @thejemersoninferno​ @thehumanistsdiary​ @supraveng​ @dispatchvampire​ @teamarvel @sxbby-barnes​

Almost had me believing it: @farfromjustordinary​ @iheartsebastianstan​ @7minutes-tomidnight​ @thechaoticargonaut @marylimlp​ @buckybarnesdevotee​ @janaienaae​ @its-a-simply-me-thing 

Strikethrough could not be tagged. 

[akallia]

how to preserve a building, part 1

heyyyyy :> I definitely didn't disappear for a few weeks or anything haha. ummm school has been extremely stressful, but I really was feeling the need to write, and this just sort of ... came to me. idk. this is a part one so look out for the next part. I'm not planning on making a full-fledged fic out of it, but it was just going to be too many words for one part. so it's a two-parter (maybe three). as for the story itself, consider it a crossover between my year of rest and relaxation and anything dark academia. enjoy Levi nation ily

Pairing: Levi x fem!reader

Word count: 3k

Concept: deciding to let yourself go while maintaining your reputation as the university's star student was probably the worst mistake you've ever made. but things get even more difficult with the entrance of transfer student Levi Ackerman, the only one who seems to be able to out-talk you...

CW: language, alcoholism, depressive episode, elitist academia environment, ego problems (???)

Content UTC!

It had gotten bad. A little bit out of control, maybe. You weren’t sure how to talk about what had happened, because nothing really did happen. Maybe you burnt yourself out, did too much too soon. Either way, it didn’t really matter; the Freudian rationale was inconsequential, for in this moment you were too gone to care.

Eddie’s wasn’t always this packed, but tonight was the homecoming football game, and you had the misfortune of attending a Big 10 school. Homecoming wasn’t just a football game, but also an excuse for the entire student body to get blackout drunk and party no matter the final score of the game. Though you had to admit, the winning streak your school’s team was on definitely helped the atmosphere. It was… nice, in a way. Twice the size of the typical Friday night crowd. Yes, you decided, it was nice. More people to lose yourself in. Just a cog in the machine that was the dance floor.

These thoughts attempted to pierce their way through your alcohol-addled brain, your conscious side only grasping at the vague sentiment of what you were feeling rather than the entire phrase the hidden sober part of your brain had conjured up. It didn’t matter. You were wearing a new pair of heels you’d found at a vintage store along with the tightest dress to ever grace your closet, and you felt marvelous. Originally, your aforementioned wardrobe only knew muted grays and creams and blacks, all turtlenecks and blazers and wide-leg slacks. Oh how scandalized they must have been when they were unceremoniously pushed to the side and folded away to make room for bodycon dresses, tiny strappy tops and platforms. You felt a perverse pleasure in the despair those clothes must have felt.

The errant limbs pulsed in time with the beat, doused in an array of never-ceasing lights that caught on the old disco ball in the center of the ceiling, antiquated in this pub-turned-nightclub that had become so popular tonight. A small part of you perhaps felt a little bit sad at the thought. Poor little disco ball. You danced in the center of the floor, heat pushing up against you from all sides, small swipes of varying garments catching your ever-bare skin. As you danced, you pondered the old disco ball. The fancy club lights almost pierced straight through it, and it was sort of… beautiful in its pathetic state.

As though it were never there.

–

The mornings after were always the worst.

There was a point in time when you adored mornings. Your proud parents always called you an early bird, and your teachers in high school praised you as a go-getter. Student leadership workshops, NHS meetings, club presidency and officer elections, extracurriculars galore, immaculate grades–it didn’t get much more perfect than that. And on top of that, people liked you. At least you thought they did. Everyone smiled at you and said hi in the hallways. You were even prom queen one year. You were… social. High school was good.

College was good, too, up until a point.

Yes, mornings were always the worst. You and your body both agreed. You rolled yourself unceremoniously out of bed, barely missing the heels from last night. You kicked them under the bed. You were not having it today. You stretched, cold not-under-the-blanket air latched onto your stomach from your shirt riding up–wait. This was not your shirt. At all.

You panicked a bit, you won’t lie. It’s one thing to lose yourself almost every night to alcohol and dance the night away, but it’s an entirely different thing to lose yourself to a person. All your newfound vices aside, you would not let the vice of lust overcome you. You weren’t a virgin, but you had told yourself that while you let yourself go on your present downward spiral, the one thing you would swear off is men. You’d promised yourself a lot of things in the past few years and had broken most of them, but for some reason this one stuck around in your brain. So why the hell were you wearing a button down and why the hell was there a man in your bed?

“Don’t look so surprised,” the man in your bed said in response to your small gasp, facing away from you. He was bare chested with only a muscular shoulder and bicep visible from under the twisted covers, a shock of black hair standing out against the cream of your bed sheets even in the dim lighting of your pit of a room. “You were the one all over me.”

The man stood up, running long fingers through his hair, still not turning to you. He was wearing slacks and still had socks on.

“Did…did we…” you sputtered.

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, indeed.” And with that, he slipped into a hoodie he picked up off the floor (your favorite hoodie, you bemoaned internally), picked up his loafers from by the door, and left your bedroom without even a glance your way.

You stood in absolute shocked silence for about a minute after hearing the distant telltale creak of your apartment door opening and closing before stumbling your way into the kitchen for a much-needed glass of water and some Advil, still pondering what had happened.

What had happened? As you put some poptarts in the toaster and vaguely regarded the abundance of empty takeout boxes from the Burmese place downstairs, you decided you wouldn’t dwell on it. He said you hadn’t done anything, and the fact that he was still wearing pants relatively calmed you. So, as you had a habit of doing lately, you forgot all about it and continued on with your day, mostly unaffected by this anomaly in your daily routine.

Ah, yes. Your daily routine.

Today was just like any other day, though it was a Saturday which meant you had no classes. No, you thought, brain still fuzzy. That doesn’t sound right. You chewed your overcooked poptart as you reached in the depths of your memory for what you were forgetting. Oh yeah! I proctor a midterm today. The realization hit you like a ton of bricks and completely destroyed any progress the Advil had done, a headache already forming. You hated proctoring. Standing in a room for two hours at a time, reading instructions, and actually monitoring the students. It was so terribly dull, and you hated having to rat people out for academic dishonesty. At one point in time, it would have boiled your blood to see someone cheat on a test, but now that you just didn’t care anymore, you just didn’t care anymore. Who cares if Johnny So-and-So looks off Miranda Don’t-Know-Don’t-Care’s test? Not your concern.

You sighed and threw the second poptart away, feeling slightly nauseous from the sugar. You hadn’t been eating much lately, which was fine by you; it took much less alcohol to get you drunk when you hadn’t eaten all day, and that meant your night was considerably less expensive. Seeing as it was almost one, you decided it would probably be a good idea to go through the motions and get ready for your job.

Your room was a pigsty. Even in your current bender you were mildly disgusted by it. Your desk was a disaster, textbooks and random papers irreverently stacked and disorganized and covered in miscellaneous makeup brushes and wipes from the night before. Not a single surface had been dusted or vacuumed or cleaned in any manner in months. You forced yourself to do laundry at least once a week, so your closet wasn’t too terrible, but there were still clothes everywhere that you had only worn once and couldn’t bring yourself to put in the hamper.

Oh well, you thought. You grabbed a turtleneck that was slung over your desk chair and begrudgingly forced your head through the stretchy opening before grabbing the first pair of semi-professional pants from the back of your closet. That was good enough. You checked your phone, which was at around 20% due to your late-night disarray and subsequent… encounter with whoever you had woken up next to. What a pain. You’d have to charge it while proctoring and then you’d really be miserable.

You didn’t even glance in the mirror on your way out.

One bus stop later and you were in Handen Hall. For being the main front and lifeblood of the university’s literature department, they sure had gone without creativity in the naming process. You scoffed. Just another dead rich white man’s name in gold. Give me a break. You were a few minutes ahead of schedule, arriving precisely at 12:55. Old habits die hard. You may be a loser and a borderline alcoholic throwing away your academic prospects, but you would always be punctual.

“Ah, Miss Reader,” Professor Minn greeted you as you marched through the rows of occupied lecture hall seats towards his desk. “Are you sure you’re alright to proctor today? You don’t look quite well.” His old, kind eyes were a sight for sore eyes and you felt a tug in your stomach at the geezer’s concern for you.

Your continuously misplaced daddy issues had landed on this guy full force when you first arrived at the university. Professor Minn recognized your prowess from the beginning, placing you in advanced classes reserved for honors college upperclassmen as a freshman, helping you every step of the way. You supposed you had attached feelings of a familial sort to him early on when you were new to independence and feeling a smidge lost in the academic mumbo-jumbo. You had known him for five years now, as you were a grad student now, and even in your current half-year state of misery he had never asked questions and only ever been there to support you. If anything could get through to you, it would be him. But you’d never tell him that.

“Yes, Professor. I’m fine,” you grumbled. “Just had a bit of a rough night. Couldn’t sleep, you know?” You tried to laugh it off. Nobody in the department knew what was up with you, but you knew they were all talking. Everybody knew there was just something off. You had put in painstaking work to make sure that nobody ever found out about your midnight charades and growing alcoholism. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

“If you say so,” he responded, looking dubious as he adjusted his perpetually crooked glasses. He definitely had been wearing the same pair since the beginning of his academic career.

Professor Minn prepared himself to leave, shuffling papers and storing them away safely in his trusty leather messenger bag. As you plugged your phone into the outlet behind his desk, he cleared his throat.

“One more thing,” he said, looking a bit off-kilter. Not physically ill, you thought as you turned around to face him, just… concerned? “A very good friend of mine said that they were worried about you. I would just like to say that if you need anything, anything at all, I will do my best to help you with it.” His eyes were so earnest. You wished he’d just shut his mouth. If he said much more of that gushy stuff you’d absolutely fall apart, and your charade had been so perfect for so long that you couldn’t afford for it to crumble now.

You pushed down those feelings and responded with a chipper, “I’m fine, grandpa. Thanks for the concern” and an irreverent eye roll.

Minn looked distressed briefly before nodding and slowly moving his old bones out of the lecture hall.

You looked at the clock. This was going to be a long two hours.

–

It wasn’t as bad as you were anticipating. In fact, it was just what you needed. The two and a half hour long silence felt great after the hubbub of the previous night and the confusion from your morning. It was like a nice, relaxing lie-in that you were getting paid for. And seeing as this was a senior seminar with most students only a year younger than you, they were perfectly well behaved. It was marvelous.

The same could not be said of the rest of your weekend.

You stayed in your apartment the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday, occasionally going downstairs to nab leftovers from the buffet. Netflix played whatever it wanted without stopping once, and you took a quick five-minute shower at 2 am Saturday night to stop yourself from falling asleep while drunk–there was no way in hell a cop would find you dead because you’d choked on your own vomit. You think you’d simply die. Ha. Ha.

In all honesty, you don’t really remember the rest of your weekend. It wasn’t because you were drunk. On the contrary, you only drank Saturday night because you were bored. You weren’t drowning your sorrows, so you just sat and stared at the TV and completely shut down for a glorious 36 hours. For some reason, you didn’t feel like going out. You didn’t feel like doing anything at all, and so… you didn’t.

But Monday morning did eventually arrive in a flurry of falling leaves and biting winds and gray skies, and your responsibility as a student arrived in equal force. You wished academia would choke and die.

It was like any other morning. You got up, barely brushed your teeth, braided your hair so you didn’t have to brush it, and threw on a random borderline acceptable outfit for your class that wasn’t really a class. As a grad student, you mostly taught 1- and -200 level classes, did independent research, and talked about intellectual bullshit in small groups with other grad students and professors. The intellectual bullshit was your favorite part. You’d learned long ago that many people in academia did not actually have the intellect for their fields and that you could talk circles around them. Thus, your “classes” were a perfect opportunity for you to not put in any real work and spout nonsense for hours at a time to a rapt, adoring group.

As usual, you were the last person to arrive. While you were still on time, making your way up the ranks of overachievers meant that you were often outshone in punctuality and ass-kissing. This maybe used to bother you, but now it didn’t. In fact, your newfound self awareness made the social observation that much more fun. You could laugh at not just other people, but also the stupidity you yourself once had! Hilarity ensued in your mind.

The classroom was a small conference room in the archaic school library. The library itself was ancient, but the new additions were wonderfully modern and oh-so fancy. You loved the way the projectors retracted into the ceiling and how the blinds were remote-controlled. The central library would always have your heart, but you just felt so damn important in the new conference rooms, even if they lacked the charm of the long oak tables you once studied at during your undergrad days.

You flung yourself down into one of the two remaining available seats at the table with nothing but your phone on your person, your classmates giving you wary looks. Everyone else had laptops and books open, already scribbling god-knows-what on their university-sponsored portfolios. More intellectual bullshit, no doubt. You smirked inwardly. You hoped today would have something or someone interesting.

“Good morning, Miss Reader,” the department head greeted you warmly. You knew her name at one point at the beginning of the first semester, but you couldn’t recall it now. It had been filed away into the “unimportant” section of your brain, along with the names of most of the people in this class, which was a smattering of arts and humanities grad students. You knew most of them were working towards a master’s in literature or language, but many of them were history students as well. You were a bit of a special case due to the nature of your  relatively obscure degree, but you knew you’d show them up in Jeopardy on any day.

“Good morning to you too, ma’am,” you replied cordially. While you had convinced yourself you didn’t care, you would still talk the talk when you had to. This was one of those times.

“It’s so rare to see you here these days. What have you been up to in your absence?”

The room went still and everyone looked up from their business. You were a smidgeon surprised. What balls. Everyone in academia knew that you didn’t pry into personal lives. You were there to study and to learn, not to uncover everyone’s skeletons. While you were a bit of a celebrity on campus to the intellectual crowd, you hadn’t expected this at all, and least of all from the department chair.

But alas, you were saved from having to answer as the door closed noisily and someone entered the room, taking the final open seat next to you.

“Sorry for my lateness, some shithead made my tea wrong.”

Your world turned on its axis. Not only was the newcomer already speaking your language, but he was also the man who you’d woken up next to Saturday morning.

Next Part

[themattress]

With the scripts for “Team Rocket VS Team Plasma!” out now, everything I analyzed in the above posts holds even firmer than ever before. Catalyst #1 (the 3/11 disaster) appears to have only created one true “rewrite” in tandem with Catalyst #2 (Black 2/White 2), and that was to BW066: “Explorers of the Hero’s Ruin”. It is now patently obvious that Team Plasma was going to feature in that episode and that the Golden Dark Stone would mean significantly more than how it ended up, and that “Team Rocket VS Team Plasma!” would have been broadcast at the end of 2011 if the original version of that episode was still in place. But instead, it was rewritten, Team Plasma was removed, and the Golden Dark Stone just left behind where it rested instead of being taken by either Team Plasma or Cedric Juniper. 

Beyond that, all Catalyst #1 really did was rearrange the airdates of the episodes “A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition”, “A Maractus Musical”, A Sawsbuck For All Seasons” and “Scraggy and the Demanding Gothita”, with the first and last one also receiving some edits to paper over continuity issues. It’s possible that there were mentions of Team Plasma in the major Team Rocket two-parters that got cut out as well given that Team Rocket taking over Unova before Team Plasma can was meant to be a big motivating factor for them, but we have no way of knowing for sure unless scans of those episodes’ scripts ever surface.

Catalysts #2 and #3 were the big ones; they’re the ones that completely reshaped the game plan for the series, but I still wouldn’t call what happened a “rewrite” since that would imply that the entire series’ episodes had their scripts written at the time of the change, which as the OP shows is not how the process works. Here’s a visual chart that simplifies the facts:

Reminder that “pre-production” includes planning the stories out and writing the scripts, with “production” including storyboarding, animation and musical scoring / voice-acting. Also reminder that each season is only when pre-production or production begins; episode by episode - the process isn’t completed until the near its airdate (thus in the movies’ case, production lasts a whole year). Ex: BW001 starts production in Spring 2010, ends in Fall.

Three noteworthy things I can gather from this:

1. All three catalysts for the Best Wishes series changing course occurred in 2011, the first two practically back-to-back. It’s bizarre to think that back then while I was enjoying watching the show unfold on television, behind the scenes it was getting fucked up. With that said, I reiterate that, while disappointed, I was more than happy to live with those first two catalysts; it’s the third one that I find indefensible and that truly damaged the show in its final inning. 

2. BW Movie 3 is a truly sad case, as the basics of all three movies (primarily which Mythic and/or Legendary Pokémon they would focus on) were almost certainly decided on from the beginning, and the final one starring Genesect and tying into the Team Plasma plotline of the show’s third year was always the idea. And yet thanks to that goddamn third catalyst, it ended up being made and released while the show’s third year moved away from Team Plasma, and from Unova in general. That’s why it feels so weird...well, that and the “Newtwo” nonsense.

3. As you can see, the XY anime officially entered pre-production in Fall 2012, just after Operation Tempest aired on TV, along with all the “end of Team Rocket!?” marketing and a viewer contest asking if they’d like to see an old Pokémon of Team Rocket’s return (and Wobbuffet won, as likely was expected by the staff), not to mention the whole Team Rocket radio show and corresponding Twitter account. This is because including Team Rocket in XY at all was undecided upon, so viewer reactions and input needed to be properly gauged. And because the response was overwhelmingly in favor of Team Rocket staying, they made the cut, for better or for worse (IMO absolutely for the better in the long run given Sun & Moon!)

BW Ignorance

A claim repeated often by fans of the Pokemon anime is that Best Wishes was “changed” and “ruined” because of “Team Rocket VS Team Plasma!” being pulled from broadcasting, that this ruined the writers’ plans to an extent that they “literally had to rewrite the entire series”. 

This is bullshit.

Keep reading

[isagrimorie]

Continuing from the Chibnall retrospective interview for Doctor Who Magazine issue 577:

Series 11 was the only one of Chris’ three seasons to operate a writers’ room, where ideas and scripts were nurtured in pre-production. “There weren’t many UK writers’ rooms at that time,” he explains. “It was a great way to work, because it gave everyone a shared language. And also, writing Doctor Who is a very lonely job. You’re sent off into the wilderness to do it and it’s very hard. We gave the writers episodic structures and supported them through the whole process. A lot of them were very involved in the production, and hopefully everyone learned from each other. It was really fantastic, and it’s how most shows are now made.

Chibnall really likes working with a writer's room as I've long suspected, especially through his interview in the Writer's Panel, and from what I've gathered from a different writer -- Jonathan Nolan, who went from a movie writer to a TV writer and adored having a writer's room because that meant he wasn't alone.

“Particularly in that first series, I spent a lot of time helping other writers. We had some problems towards the end and I had to go back and do some big rewrites. Which meant that the version of episode ten [The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos] that we filmed was a first draft. But I just didn’t have time to do a second draft. It didn’t feel enough like a season finale, and that was entirely down to time. So that’s my least favourite script of mine. But I really attacked Resolution, so hopefully I made up for it with that one.”

So my suspicions were right about the last few episodes in the pipeline but especially about the Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos -- I said I felt this episode needed another, especially as a season finale. As things shook out it seems Chibnall actually considered Resolution as the season finale of s11.

Volume 2: Series 12

According to CHRIS CHIBNALL, the middle part of the Thirteenth Doctor’s journey posed the question: “Could there be more to your life than you know?”

“The tentpoles are really clear in that second season,” says Chris Chibnall, surveying a list of the episodes that ran from 1 January 2020.

“It’s held up by the Spyfall two-parter at the beginning, Fugitive of the Judoon in the middle and the three-parter [The Haunting of Villa Diodati, Ascension of the Cybermen and The Timeless Children]. After teasing and trailing them, the Cybermen arrive in force at the end.”

He loved the cliffhangers, he adds – mentioning in particular the end of the first episode of Spyfall, in which Sacha Dhawan’s Master was first revealed. “We had a massive cliffhanger at the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth, but I lamented not being able to do more of that in the first season; it’s difficult to make that sort of thing work when you’re trying to do more standalone stories.

This I want to give more attention to:

“We had a massive cliffhanger at the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth, but I lamented not being able to do more of that in the first season; it’s difficult to make that sort of thing work when you’re trying to do more standalone stories.

Don't get me wrong I liked the standalone stories but I wish he did more of that ala flux, but tbh they could have gotten away with it if series 11 was at least 16 episodes long.

Their faces and the way the only time Thirteen willingly held another person's hand and it's her own hand. LOL.

NIDA MANZOOR! I loved her work in Tesla and Fugitive of the Judoon, I wish she could've returned for series 13 but alas COVID, and also she's doing great in her own show!

Was it always part of Chris’ plan to bring in another Doctor at this point?

“No, it wasn’t. We had the whole story for that episode, which had been on the shelf for a long time, and it was originally about another character – the Judoon were hunting an alien princess, or something like that.

I remember sitting down with Vinay [Patel, the co-writer] and saying, ‘We do this story, but the person they’re hunting is the Doctor.’ His face lit up and he went, ‘Oh… OK!’

“I knew we had to do something big in the middle of the three series, and this was literally halfway through – it was episode five in the second season. This is where it pivots.”

This is really interesting and the process here is very familiar with my own writing!

Chris regards the so-called Fugitive Doctor (played by Jo Martin) as a legitimate incarnation, but he’s not prepared to be definitive about exactly where she sits in the character’s now complex evolution. “That story is setting up the questions about what happened in the gaps. There could be any number of points in the timeline where the Fugitive Doctor could belong, but we deliberately haven’t said, ‘She sits here.’”

Does Chris have his own view of where the character belongs in that timeline? “I do have an opinion, but I’m not going to share it with you. As I said before, this is about expanding the mythology without breaking the mythology. 

I do like this approach because this means Jo Martin's Doctor can sit anywhere in the canon of Doctor Who and I like that while Chibnall expanded the lore, he's also not going to impose his own views on us, for example for me, Jo Martin's Doctor sits squarely in between the Second and Third Doctor's run.