#but then they're still in the middle of nowhere when they get back to shore so they have to go back to the uncle's house

[ratspider]

woke up from a dream about a family not accepting a trans kid for who they are to a text where my dad deadnames me :I

[evergreen-lyricist]

i feel like a lot of writers need to attend the Lego Ninjago School of Plot & Stakes Escalation, if only bc most of them don't seem to know how to raise the stakes without just making up an even more powerful villain to fight. like, yeah sometimes you defeat the villain but they're actually just a henchperson to the real antagonist of the story, or another worse evil pops up in their place; but that only works so many times in succession before it gets predictable & kind of boring. at a certain point it's difficult to suspend your disbelief bc we know the heroes will just get another wacky power up or deus ex machina & win anyway.

however, lego ninjago did one very important thing: at a certain point, they stopped making the antagonists more powerful/evil/etc. and instead made the stakes different. the prime example of this is the switch to master chen following the defeat of the overlord. we are told that the overlord is basically the root of all evil in ninjago, and all the major problems can be traced back to him (he created the great devourer, which bit garmadon & made him descend into villainy, etc). when you ask, "hey why haven't we heard of this guy before if he's been causing all the problems around here," they have an answer for that: the overlord has been trapped on an island far away from the mainland, without a body or anyone else to enact evil schemes on (it's later revealed that it isn't just any island: the first spinjitzu master literally split ninjago in two and separated the pieces to keep the overlord out. what a power move). of course none of the main characters have heard of this guy until garmadon washes up on the shore & gets roped into an evil scheme: none of them were alive when the continent was split.

following the defeat of the overlord and de-eviling of garmadon (with a short aside to destroy the overlord virus), the ninja are pretty chill. they've lost zane but aside from that things are looking up. then they get an invitation to participate in a tournament of elements, hosted by this master chen guy of the master chen's noodles restaurant chain. it's also held on a remote island in the middle of nowhere but it isn't that shady, right?? wrong. master chen is using the tournament to steal the ninja's powers & also yoinking them into his illegal underground noodle factory when they lose. also, he has zane in the illegal basement noodle factory for some reason. but the crucial piece here is that master chen is not more powerful than the overlord. he's not more evil than the overlord. for all intents and purposes, he's just some noodle company ceo who wants elemental powers so badly he's willing to do this whole song & dance to get them. the villain of this season isn't like. the overlord 2, electric boogaloo (this time with double the evil). the ninja aren't in mortal danger at the tournament, although if you get yoinked into the illegal noodle factory no one knows if you're still alive, but hey. the world isn't in imminent danger from master chen. however, this is also the first time that the ninja have been cut off from all of their allies: the four of them went to the tournament alone, so nya and sensei wu can't help them bc they don't even know where they are. once again: the stakes aren't just higher, they're different. and because these stakes are different than anything the ninja have faced before, it makes you wonder if they'll all be okay this time. like yes they survived the overlord, so a power-hungry noodle guy shouldn't kill them. but that little voice in the back of your mind goes, he just might.

[newtonsheffield]

Been feeling poorly these last few days and MFB was just like a balm to the heart 💜

Can we pls pls pls see a bb Edmund (on the way) to a part of the Bridgerton-Sharma clan journey snippet plssss

It’ll make my entire week 💙😊🥺💙😊✨😊✨

Anonymous asked:

Ahhh! I loved MFB! Can we see more of them post-getting together or with their baby Edmund?

Okay, but imagine Kate's family staring down at her tiny baby like "Mmmk Mmmmk maybe humans aren't all bad." and Anthony grins and Trident Daddy Tharman is like

"Not you, two legs, I'm still keeping an eye on you."

Anthony had wanted a family as long as he could remember. He'd looked at his parents, happy and in love and something had ached in his chest. Longing for something just like that. For someone to love him unconditionally. And now he had it. Now he had Kate.

Kate who stayed right beside him through everything. When he woke up in the night panting and shaking, screaming for his father; her voice was gentle in his ear Deep breath honey, deep breath, you're okay. You;'re okay.

Kate who never wore shoes and often flitted in and out of his meetings weaving a seaweed crown for him, chuckling as she spouted diplomatic answers as though they were the simplest thing in the world, leaving everyone shaken.

Kate who'd looked so stunning when they got married in the middle of the ocean, her father glowering at him from the water while Kate's back was turned, her sister chuckling curiously as she watched them dance.Look at their legs, they're so stupid.

He loved every day he'd spent with Kate. Loved when she'd bring him little things she found when she went swimming and she'd smile excitedly. Loved when his younger brother would crawl into her lap and she'd sit and read to him for hours. Loved when her chin rested on his shoulder as they sat curled up on the sofa, the tiny dog he'd gotten her between him.

And he loved when they moved together, hands gripping one another, her legs wrapped around his waist as they fell apart together, her voice cracking in his ear Anthony, Anthony, I love you I love you so much.

Kate. Kate who'd seen him, and loved him so much she'd given up everything she knew to join him.

Kate who should be enough for him. Who was enough for him, but that didn't stop him from wanting.

And in the end he never saw it coming, even though he'd wanted.

He'd been busy recently, trying to settle a dispute between two minor Lords that was going absolutely nowhere, so maybe he hadn't noticed how distracted Kate had been as well. How she twitched nervously whenever he wrapped his arms around her waist, how she'd rushed to the bathroom every morning the last few weeks. How he'd seen her down on the shore, talking to her mother quickly, her eyes darting around nervously.

But today that was going to change.

He'd skipped out of his meetings, ignoring the grumbles of the men that sounded like Off to find the wife I think. They were right after all. He'd rushed out of his offices, skidding through the rooms and- kate was nowhere to be found.

He flagged down a passing footman, "Have you seen the Queen?"

"The Queen mother or your wife?"

"My wife."

"Last I knew she was headed to the shore."

Anthony had nodded, clapping the man on the shoulder before he'd raced off down to the water.

His heart leapt to his throat when he found her, the sun shining in her hair as she lay on the sand her fingers weaving twine together, so much more delicate than anything he'd seen her make before, his fingers fiddling with the band on his wrists, the first one she'd ever made for him.

"Well looky here, a little mermaid, caught in a net."

Anthony couldn't help but grin as he slid out of his boots, sliding down the hill towards her, settling next to her on the sand.

Kate rolled her eyes, brushing their lips together as she sat up a little, "You're supposed to be in meetings."

"I cancelled to meetings because I have a beautiful wife, and I want to take her sailing today."

She smiled up at him, her nose wrinkling their lips brushing together again. "it's cute that you think I'm beautiful."

A ridiculous laugh burst from his chest, "You are an ethereal goddess sea princess and I'm the poor sod you took pity on."

Kate stared at him for a long moment, her hand sneaking in the collar of his shirt, pressed flat against his shirt, their eyes caught together before she took a shuddering breath, dropping the tiny strip she'd been weaving into the hand not intertwined with hers.

"What do you think of this?"

It was almost exactly the same as the one on his wrist, the sea glass laid out the same, nearly exactly the same shells, but it was so small it wouldn't- "I love it, but I don't think it'll fit me."

Kate stared back at him her eyes burning before her breath left her in a whoosh, "It's for our baby, actually. We usually make them to match the gifts we made our partner."

Anthony couldn't breathe. Tears had sprung to his eyes as he stared down at the tiny bracelet, twisting it around his fingers his breath coming in sharp gasps.

Kate's hands were on his face immediately, ghosting over him, just like they had that first day, in his hair, her eyes confused, "Anthony, are you- Are you sad? I'm sorry I- I thought you'd want-"

Anthony crushed his lips against hers, pulling her down against his chest, letting the waves crash over their intertwined legs, his heart hammering in his chest when she pulled back, pressing his forehead against hers.

"This is happy crying,Kate, I am so happy. I could never be anything but happy with you. Never." Anthony's voice was breathless, "And this is the most beautiful gift you ever could have given me."

"I'm really excited." Kate whispered, her lips chasing his. "I don't want to brag, but I think our baby is going to be really beautiful."

And she was right.

Seven months later his tiny son his baptised in the ocean by his grandfather, held in his mother's arms who's smiling so brightly he can't breathe.

"You're not so bad, human king." Her father sighed, watching his wife and daughters splash water on his tiny son, Edmund Tharman Bridgerton. "And you kept your promise; she's very happy."

"So am I, Sir. They're all I care about."

[missjudge-me]

Maples and Pines

The sound of waves wakes me, the piercing screams of seagulls, the smell of seawater and algae and fish. I am still not used to it, my whole body feels as if I am floating with the boat’s precarious rocking. Christian had said it was too small to get all the way there, but that maybe we can change it in a port along the shore, or sell it and buy a passage on a larger one for the three of us.

I lie there with my eyes closed, listening to the wind and the waves. There is nothing else around us, only three people in a tiny boat, chasing a dream on the dark ocean. 

I can hear the worn wood creaking, planks and sides full of holes and cracks, but it holds, apparently, and it was the best we could get anyway, in such a short time and with such secrecy. My feet are cold, the leather is too thin for this time of year, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Christian looked as if he wanted to scold me for not choosing better ones, but then I saw he remembered the people we used to be and kept silent. There are no more titles here, no more master and farmhand, no more orders and obedience to be expected, all left behind on the dark shore with the lights of the house barely visible.

Our home is in Salem, or was, rather, one of those blockhouses all new settlers built on the land they're given, with sturdy logs and a massive door. It was as nice as a cage can be, the pines surrounding it always rustling as if they told each other secrets, the maples glowing in fiery red and orange every fall. It was pretty, still is, probably, but not what I wanted, not my dream. My dream lies ahead, framed by palm trees and the screams of seagulls and the rocking of waves. My dream smells of fish and algae and burns on the skin like the sun on a clear day.

I can hear Anne shuffle closer to where I'm lying, she still isn't used to the boat's movements, weathering each rearing wave with a grimace and her usual endurance, like she would break in a new horse, back then when I still didn't know her name.

As she draws closer I open my eyes to smile at her, and she smiles back as she sinks down on the wooden bench next to me, still mindful of the rocking boat, gathering her skirts around her so they don't trail in the sea water that covers the planks in large wet spots. Her grin widens as she looks at me, not saying a word, and yet again I wonder how blessed I am, to have found someone who understands my desire, who took one good look at me and saw the longing, the despair of being stuck in that house, that marriage, the maples and pines all the world I would ever see. She knew, and she understood, and when she took my hand that one night under the stars – like in one of those romance novels we brought from England – I knew too, that she would follow me to follow my dream, no matter how many oceans we had to cross to find it.

She is still smiling, now, on the creaking boat in the middle of nowhere, so far from the shore the lights have shrunk to fireflies, dancing anew with every wave that hits our vessel.

Christian says tomorrow we'll reach a port, far enough away from the house and everything we left behind, far enough to dare go ashore for a day maybe, feel something other than creaking wood under my leather shoes that are too thin for that time of year. It won't matter in a while, there's no frost where we're heading, and he knows it as well as I do, maybe that's why he didn't say anything. He still worries, I think, three decades of being a servant aren't shed in eight days.

He shouts something from down below, and Anne's smile turns a bit sideways. It's the look I love most on her, when she is about to move away, never quite sitting still, all quicksilver elegance and blinding smile and whirling skirts. She flashes me another grin, then stands, shuffling her way towards the hatch, posture ramrod straight, without turning back.

I admire her for it, the trust she has, the confidence that everything will be as we thought, everything will turn out right because I said so, because Christian said so. It's all I can cling to, sometimes, when I can't muster the same confidence, hoping her optimism will be enough for us both. 

That we will reach the shore, that we will find that dream that smells of fish and algae and burns your skin. That we left the sturdy house behind for good, the flaming maples and whispering pines and two husbands who didn’t understand.