#cannot wait to truly see her claudia

[nalyra-dreaming]

I LOVE TO READ IT!!

[allthornsnopetals]

Prologue: Stain the Parchment E. Bridgerton

Description: Flora Deluca -Lady da silva- is the pen pow and beloved author of Eloise Bridgerton. With her travels around the world, Flora finally travels to Mayfair London, in the hopes to inquire inspiration for yet another successful story, one in London, away from France and Italy with the aid of her pen pow. Unknowingly enbarking her romance mini-series.

:Master list:

"Miss Flora, you have received a few more letters from your readers, a lot more." Said Claudia, lowering a stack of folded and sealed papers, all written from the same sender.

Eloise Bridgerton: A new and quite fond reader of Miss Flora Deluca's novels, poems and volumes. She always wrote but Flora only ever read her letters, too busy to answer all her fan mail, especially Miss Eloise, who writes so often, she simply could not read them all.

But tonight is different, it's stale, cold and without excitement. Once left in peace, she began to sift through each written text, enjoying the character of the writer. She found amusement in every letter, all with a different perspective on love, marriage and romance. To simply put it, Miss Eloise is anti-love, which is ironic given, the reminder that Flora's genre is predominantly romantic.

But Eloise doesn't seem to mind, enjoying star-cross lovers, unrequited love, right person wrong time and general adventure. Adventures throughout France and Italy, Flora's mother lands. The more she read the more interested she became, intrigued in the young lady, who seems to have a gift for literature. Ideas racked her mind, ones of adventure, travels and new stories.

Without a second thought, Flora began to write to Miss Eloise of London.

Dear Miss Eloise Bridgerton,

I find your mind fascinating, intriguing and fresh. I like your take on the topic of romance and the rights for women. I do hope you put it to good use, for a woman like yourself has skill and potential. I am to travel to Mayfair London in four months, before the debutante season of marriage, for my father is to inherit his family estate there, and I am to start a new life in the Ton. By your letters, you seem to be a local, someone to show me around and help me to settle in.

I do hope to see you, perhaps get some ideas for a new story.

Yours truly,

Lady da Silva

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

"Eloise, you have a letter from... Italy?" Violet turns the letter in her hand, holding it out to her daughter with great confusion.

Eloise cracks her gaze from her book, eyeing the parchment, snatching and ripping it open. "From Italy? From whom?" Hyacinth inquires, trying to see the letter.

Eloise scowls. "From no one, mind your own. It is not your business." Said Eloise, shooing her little sister away with Benedict slumping himself beside her, also very excited.

"Is it from Lady da Silva?" He questions in a hushed voice, wetting his lips.

The two share a love for the author and artist, who illustrates her own books and covers. Both, sending letters frequently, but only one receiving a reply.

With a gasp, Eloise clarifies their suspicions, her grin far too wide for a typical letter. "She likes my mind, she thinks it's rather fascinating," She gloats with a smirk. "And she's moving to London!" She screams, jumping for joy with Benedict, like fools, sharing an embrace.

"I am to write to her right away!" She runs up the main stairway, leaving her family in silent confusion.

Dear Lady da Silva,

I am greatly honored to receive word from you and to be given the opportunity to aid you in your next book. I have plenty of ideas, adventures, character personality and genres. How about a heroine? A woman hero, who embarks on a quest, an adventure.

I cannot wait to finally meet you, to brainstorm with you, to work with you! Your novels are legendary here, in the Ton, enjoyed by all— yes, even by men. Genevieve Delacroix, the modiste introduced me to your books— surprisingly we mingle a lot, discussing your books over tea and fittings. She too, is quite the literature, she adores your poems, always quoting those of affection, frequently, must I add.

She would love to meet you. Oh, and my brother, Benedict, who found himself looped into our little book club— if you can call it that— and writes to you as well, but it seems you have only replied to my letters, which I thank you greatly, truly. You bruised his heart for only replying to me, forcing him to quote your latest publish: Irony is of the Heart. Your best work, if it means, he too, is quoting your work.

I can't wait to see you,

Eloise Bridgerton

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Time flew by rather quickly, sending letters, the two made a connection, forging a friendship by letter, staining their parchments, their minds occupied with the other. The two became pen pows, rather quickly, their letters becoming more intimate and personal, Flora was beginning to think she were already with her.

Sooner than she thought, she were in Mayfair London, unpacking her chambers, decorating and finding new furniture for her study. Once sat for the night, she wrote to Eloise, informing her of her arrival and her need for new garments. Marking a time to meet and unknowingly a new beginning.

[raayllum]

tbh i dont think callum freeing aaravos or whatevs to save rayla would be repetitive, rlly. cuz callum said he'd do anything for rayla, and he's shown that- but he could go SO much further (which i am rooting for) than what he's done after saying that to her. what would prove his dedication more than dooming the world? it's like chekhov's gun; he said he'd do anything, so i wanna see him do ANYTHING yk

NO TO BE CLEAR, MY DEAR SWEET ANON

I don't think it'd be repetitive either. Like I have been gunning for Callum to free Aaravos to save Rayla since September 2020. That was always the basis for Cube Hostage Exchange Theory (CHET) and what it was originally built on, and I feel INSANE (affectionate) that it's STILL on the fucking table in S6.

TDP also looves its repeating plot lines (Rayla staying behind to save a dragon and Callum has Emotions over it / ultimately saves her has happened... four times; TDP's perpetual trolley problem and routine Exchanges every season) as well. There are also theories I have (the cube holding Aaravos' chest piece, or being connected to finding it - aka his HEART) that I think have merit and would slot soo well into a CHET scenario like please god

Like I do think 100% we'll see Rayla be the lynchpin that leads to Aaravos' release because of Callum's love for her tbh. The setup is all there and like you said, he'd do ANYTHING for her and while that was still clear in all previous seasons there's a reason in S5 they're ramping it up more. In 5x08 he's fully accepted that "I'd do anything for you" includes "however dangerous, however vile" and I think that has to be carried forward into S6. In the name of love and all that

With that in mind I think we have like, maybe 3 options that all end up at the same place:

A) Callum 'knowingly' (as in he knows what he could be risking) goes too far in whatever happens with the quasar diamonds on Rayla's behalf because he wants her to be happy/safe and he's possessed. He then frees Aaravos under possession (+ bonus Rayla failing to stop and/or kill him I guess, and she later saves him)

B) Rayla is put at risk (Celestial elves? Claudia? Aaravos through other means?) and Callum frees Aaravos and is subsequently possessed. This is one I really like for the merit of dark magic / possession being like a metaphorical Death alongside a loss of literal identity; it's also probably the most dramatic and 11ish hour-y.

C) Callum is randomly possessed at the Starscraper and then frees Aaravos. Rayla is injured in the fight against / saving him and, to save her, Callum gives Aaravos whatever he still needs (cube? chest piece? info / nova blade?) in order to wreck havoc on the other Startouch elves. This is the 'Callum has one of Aaravos' potential power-ups' on a backburner.

Cause yeah at this point, I can't see a season where Something like one of these three paths doesn't happen, if not one of them outright, tbh. There's very, very little doubt in my mind at this point (and compared to previous points) that we're going to get a truly heart wrenching "I would do anything for you / I can't lose you again" justification from Callum (and honestly probably Rayla as well with the possession plotline) and I cannot wait.

[convenient-plot-device]

My unorganized thoughts after finishing The Dragon Prince season 5

Finished binging the season!!! I loved it. It dragged in places and that stupid fucking lemur thing is still the bane of my existence but I loved the character development and plot beats! I also loved seeing more of Terry. He has something deeply wrong with him <3. Also liked Viren completing his redemption arc, though I would have preferred the resurrection spell actually require Claudia to sacrifice herself or at least like sacrifice a limb or something to truly complete Viren's arc. He has no attachment to that fuckin homunculus thing, and his reasoning for not killing it being that "Dark magic led Claudia down a dangerous path, I'm not doing any more dark magic" is a little weak. I do appreciate that the way they did it gave us a whole scene of Aaravos talking about "our child" with Viren, peak evil gay, but it did a disservice to Viren's redemption arc. I get that it was kinda the only way, since Aaravos knows Viren would never hurt one of his actual kids at this point in his arc, but still. I also am really interested in how Zubeia being corrupted goes, how Claudia losing her leg goes, and what's up with that magic pearl. Is that really Aaravos's prison? Or is that the key to his prison? Loved Callum struggling with what he's willing to do under pressure to save those he loves, and how that's contrasted with Claudia, who's kind of a dark mirror for who he could become if he can't learn to let go of those he loves. Loved the reveal that he used dark magic to save Rayla in the Sea Legs episode. Also just really liked Finnegrin, he's a great character and I love his design. Love a ruthless evil pirate who wants revenge on the Archdragon of the Ocean for killing his beloved hermit crab, who keeps pet hermit crabs all over his office, and who has a neckline low enough to kill god. I also love Elmer! What the fuck is his deal though. Are there just plant trolls in Xadia now? Not opposed, just wanna know.

I also really loved Soren this season! I like how his kindness and unwavering faith in others is his greatest strength. Very sweet. That man is the One True Himbo. Dumb, strong, and most importantly, kind. Fucking LOVED seeing Tidebound elves this season. I've wanted to see ocean elves since season one! Fuck yeah! Janai and Amaya are so cute together. Same with Terry and Claudia, love a good fucked up couple. He's just like "I can fix her" and she's just like "No you can't but you CAN join me in my insanity." Callum and Rayla go back and forth for me; sometimes they're really sweet, but sometimes they seem almost forced and I'm just like... can't they be BFFs? Or in a QPR? I feel like it would fit better than a romance TBH. I also love how Villads was 1000% willing to get his hand chopped off for a few kids he met once three years ago. My kind of dude. Fuck that General lady, also. Like, how is Karim worth betraying your entire people and possibly ruining the future of your whole society?? Does he kiss you on the forehead sometimes? Please get better judgment you are literally a judge on the High Court. Also what is up with the Sunfire high priest? He's clearly hiding what's most likely a corrupted wound but why? And why side with Karim? I loved Kim'dael. Love an emo vampire lady with sapphic energy who could kill a man with her fingernails (literally). I like how she isn't strictly evil and has a clear goal that she acts toward with logic. She wants to be freed from her mercy debt so she can drink the blood of anyone she wants, and she acts with logic toward that goal. I still CANNOT wait for them to finally free Runaan from the coin. Honestly Rayla's parents come second for me because we just don't know them as people. But like. I wanna see the cut to Ethari standing over the pool and seeing Runaan's life lily rise to the surface again. I will cry and that is a promise.

Also, that bit where Janai has a nightmare where Aaravos tells her that her great-grandmother's fate was that Aaravos "swallowed her"??? Why are half the lines out of Aaravos's mouth innuendos. Is it the VA's voice? Does it just compel people to write his characters like that? Or is Aaravos just Like That as a person.

I mean like. Aarvos also flirts needlessly with Viren every chance he gets. Not even for manipulation because Viren is not into him, he's just incapable of not acting like that. Viren is definitely gay though. Like definitely. Even my cishet brother could tell in that scene where Viren is having a dark magic-induced fever dream about Harrow. Like oh you *liked him* liked him. Sure had a funny way of showing it, Mr. Kill The Princes. Anyway. Yeah that's my thoughts on The Dragon Prince season 5! Cannot wait for seasons six and seven, I'm sure they will be so cool.

[pynkhues]

I've been obsessed with "to your beacon in the gloom" (definitely one of the five most beautiful, hottest, vivid, and psychologically acute fics I've ever read), and I am a truly insane amount of happy that you're writing a fic where they have the magnus discussion and apparently do lots of other things, I truly cannot wait--I want more of Louis and Lestat from you, always. But I also wanted to say how amazing Hold Me Close and Hold Me Fast is. You're genuinely an incredible writer, you're one of those writers where I feel like, this prose is as fantastic and insightful and vivid as a lot of acclaimed novels I read. This fic is so creative and sure-handed, the way you move back and forth through different versions of Lestat in Louis' imagination -- it's just such a high level of skill, I'm in awe. And then how devastating it is to read the way you capture Louis' love for Lestat, his lust for him and the ache for his beauty, and above all his desperation to be close to him and these futile efforts to dig deeper and find out more about the person he loves so much, when that's impossible now. This passage particularly gutted me: 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“What did Magnus do to you?”

It’s instant, the way all impishness vanishes from Lestat’s face, and he’s not wounded like he was before, but his eyes are glassy, his mouth a little open, like he has to leave it that way to remember how to breathe.

“What do you think he did to me?”

And Louis remembers that night when he told them the little details, the scraps of something bigger. Remembers the room and the dead boys just like him and the tower and the week in the maw of a monster, and there are too many gaps and Louis needs to know every way Magnus ever touched him almost as much as he needs to never, ever know.

In front of him, Lestat’s hand trembles, as he raises a hand, touches his lips, but - - Lestat didn’t tremble, not like that, and it’s quick, the picture. Claudia, touching her lipstick up in the mirror, her hand shaking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm so glad you're writing about Lestat and Louis dealing with Magnus. I need that. This passage is just unbearably wrenching, and "Louis needs to know every way Magnus ever touched him almost as much as he needs to never, ever know" captures something so visceral about dealing with this kind of pain and trauma. And connecting the Lestat-hallucination's trembling hand to Claudia (which was such a devastating moment in the show)...brilliant. 

Anon! This is such a beautiful ask to receive, thank you. I feel like that first fic in a new fandom is always so tricky, because in so many ways you're learning how to write the characters, and I was probably a bit ambitious with that one given the place Louis and Lestat are, so to know that you liked it so much is just - - yes, a bit magic. Thank you again.

And yeah! It's been interesting to try and get into both their heads for a conversation about Magnus given the way information about Lestat's past has typically had to be provoked out of him in the show - particularly Paul and Lestat's confrontation about Lestat's relationship with God and his father in the pilot and, of course, the in-show conversation about Magnus only being had as a part of the deal to move back home. I'm hoping it'll feel built to in a way that's pretty authentic in the fic and not something just plunged into (I finished editing the first scene last night, and I'm a little worried it's a bit long and people are going to be like 'what?' haha, as it's Louis at a gallery and doesn't involve Lestat at all, but I hope it feels it feeds into everything that happens afterwards). We'll see though!

[stepswithintentiontorunfree]

Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Finale

I love unreliable narration when done well. This entire season was unreliable narration done to perfection.

I knew I didn't like Armand for a reason! He came across so disingenuous towards Louis this entire season, then little by little things started to come out, but 100% did not expect that level of betrayal by the end of it.

And Lestat, such a love-hate for that man, but I absolutely am glad they showed he cared about Claudia. It came across really odd that he didn't care about her or Louis dying during the trial when most of the show was based on how much he absolutely loved his family (In the most toxic way, but still loved them) so the way they resolved that was great.

And that last scene between Lestat and Louis in New Orleans. Such beautiful writing and set design. Lestat truly came across like a Miss Havisham with his decaying mansion and "keyboard" waiting for Louis to finally realize.

If next season truly is going to be a Queen of the Damned era (aka my guiltiest of guilty pleasures), Sam Reid is going truly shine and I cannot wait to see it.

[khaleesiofalicante]

I'M LOVING THIS SEASON OF IWTV SO MUCH OMG! There's so much mystery and I have so many question (which in my opinion is the best).

Somehow I just noticed in the last episode that Louis never told Lestat he loves him. Like. It's so crazy bc ofcourse he loves him! But also wow that's so fucking cruel. They're together for 30 years and he didn't say 'I love you' once. It made think a lot about how there's a difference between knowing/feeling you're loved and being told 'I love you'. It made me view THAT (cloud gift) scene in a completely different way. I'm not saying I'm okay with Lestat's actions but I definitely understand how much that must hurt.

And yes the new Claudia is SOOOOO good. I have to admit I don't care about her storyline as much tho. I kinda miss her love/hate relationship with Lestat.

What do you think about Louis and Armand btw? It was okay at first but the more we see them together, the weirder I feel. Also Jacob called it a 'rebound that lasted 70/80 years' which is so fucking funny lol.

I cannot wait to see Lestat (the real one, not dreamstat) again. He just... has a way about him. And I miss it.

Anyway tell me how you're liking the season so far!

Claudia/Lestat beef is truly missed. I know Louis misses it too 😔

Also, I agree! I'd even go so far as to say that maybe Louis never said ily to Lestat because his feelings were stronger and therefore they scared him more.

I hate Armand so much and I don't trust that lil bitch for one second. I REALLY need to know what actually happened between him and Lestat. I've not read the books so I have no idea what's going to happen.

The only real MVP in the story is Daniel omg. He's somehow the only one with the brain cell around here.

I just finished the 4th ep and so far it's really good. I don't know where we are going and can't wait for Lestant to come back and fuck some shit up.

I also like Santiago 👀

My fave scene was the flashback with Lestat and Armand. Lestat was like "fuck your rules and fuck you" lol and he was just minding his own business and being a theatre gay and this dude fucked it all up???? ALSO I LOVE SAM REID'S ACTING WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE IS NOT FRENCH I AM SHOOKETH.

Also Louis and Lestat give me Mavid inspo (for obvious reasons) and I love me some cunty David 🥰

[starlilt]

ALRIGHTY HERE I AM!! KACEY ANALYSIS TIME!!

but first, for your consideration:

okay thank you. here we go.

hello user starlilt and welcome to my What In The Fuck tedtalk. thank you for coming.

okay so if kristy and stacey weren't supposed to be explored/canon or at the very least implied in later seasons, what in the world was the focus on them for? i'll explain. so we get to the first ep of season 2, in which kristy is feeling out of place in her new home, missing camp moosehead and her friends/the bsc, who are each doing their own thing apparently. she's sitting by the pool, lamenting all of this in classic kristy fashion, when she spots stacey. now, let's talk about the way she said this: "i miss camp, i miss my friends, i miss....STACEY!" this sets stacey apart from the rest of her friends, highlights her...hmm....as well as following the order of priorities in a lot of shows: friends (just mentioned), family (which were already covered in kristy's re-introduction), crush/romantic interest. now, this might not have been intentional, but it did distinctly set stacey apart and left her with one box to fall into. AND stacey was the only one who came. none of her other friends. just her. why was their relationship so highlighted not once, but twice? (at the end of the ep)

but back to the basics - stacey sees kristy and jogs over to hug her (holding out her arms to initiate it and sinking/almost flopping into it, but kristy lets go quickly in a nervous fashion), obviously happy to see her, but when kristy hears it's sam who brought stacey there, she's crestfallen and asks if stacey was there to hang out with her at all. two things - why make it so clear that kristy is jealous and upset over stacey's supposed interest in sam? it literally could not be clearer that she can't stand it. why?? second thing - kristy was very, very vulnerable and almost meek asking that question, which is SO out of character for her?? why does she let her guard down?? why is she so upset?? why does she have the most heartbroken expression ever watching stacey go??

^^ a visual aid.

also, she says "stacey just hugs boys now, i guess" in a tone that comes off as jealous, and it's as if she didn't watch mary anne literally kiss a boy at camp?? what's different?? it just seems SO INTENTIONAL.

and a couple of minutes later, something so inexplicable happens i couldn't even make it up if i tried. but before that, the bsc has their first meeting after summer and reconvenes. kristy gives sensible advice to mary anne about logan and stacey rejects it. kristy pounces on her, voice teeming with restrained jealousy, and states it's what she would do, to which stacey insists that sam texted her. the bsc gets excited, but it's worth noting that stacey implies no leftover infatuation for him whatsoever, and she didn't tell claudia or mary anne. it's shown she tells them everything about boys, so the fact that she didn't tell them proves it truly wasn't a big deal, and she doesn't like him anymore!! but wait, it gets better! when stacey says "i mostly hung out with kristy!" you can see claudia raise her eyebrows knowingly and glance down at mary anne. AND THEN MARY ANNE MIRRORS IT AND LOOKS AT KRISTY. THIS IS A LEGITIMATE SHOT. THE CAMERA FOCUSES ON IT.

^^ yet another visual aid.

this shot was 100% intentional. mary anne raises her eyebrows in a knowing way and tilts her head. i cannot think of a single explanation for this other than "mary anne knows kristy likes stacey and is being smug about it." this shot is a direct response to "and i mostly hung out with kristy." like what in the world. and, to add MORE evidence, the next shot is kristy looking at stacey fondly/with a smitten smile as she talks. i could not make this up if i tried.

^^ yep.

there is not a single other meaning to this sequence this is not just gals being pals . it is all but outright stating that krisity has feelings for stacey. these reactions are to stacey saying she mostly hung out with kristy. nothing else. w h a t

BUT WAIT. IM NOT EVEN DONE. THERES MORE. IN JUST THE FIRST EPISODE OF S2. at the end of the episode, kristy is growing to love and accept her place in her new home and is, again, by the pool. and lo and behold, there is stacey, who came just for her. JUST FOR HER. why did they deem their interaction earlier in the episode (and kristy's jealousy) so important that they had to repeat it, this time stacey coming just for kristy and no one else?? why take such care to say "HEY, THIS IS IMPORTANT" and set them up SO WELL? and stacey is, again, set apart from the rest. this time, kristy initiates the hug and holds on longer (ahem, acceptance of her crush) and calls her 'buddy' which is definitely the trope of calling your crush by an embarrassing nickname.

kristy, at three A.M, lying facedown on her bed: buddy. BUDDY.

kristy also giggles. GIGGLES. they pull apart, kristy says (fondly) "i'm really happy you could make it", and stacey smiles softly and tucks her hair behind her ear, which is the BIGGEST CRUSH STEREOTYPE EVER.

^^ stacey. honey.

she looks so fond it's hard to believe. they have a moment and smile at each other before they notice the rest of the bsc coming too, which AGAIN sets kristy and stacey apart as their relationship gets more emphasis FOR SOME REASON. they all hug happily, but kristy and stacey remain beside each other and look down at the same time, as if they're flustered and shy.

this is a specific shot that focuses on them only, and it's difficult to tell if this was intentional or not, it might've been coincidental, but a mistake that is that precise and kept in would be very rare. they're also the focus of maybe one or two more shots together, again emphasizing them in a way that is almost pointed.

here. have some more because this scene is SOOOOOOO. feel free to analyze them yourself, i'd LITERALLY LOVE to hear your thoughts :)

these are the biggest, most confusing moments, but there are others. this was just to point out the very precise filming and shot choices, the facial expressions, the highlighting and emphasizing, the lines, and the moments that don't make any sense if they weren't building up kristy and stacey to be canon. the subtext is impossible to ignore and is just short of being made overtly clear!! and if this amazing series makes a comeback, i really and truly believe this is the direction they're heading in :)

WHEW that was so long i apologize bestie. but i just wanted to let you know that i might be insane or THIS MAKES ACTUAL SENSE. i am so so insane about them they are everything to me <33

^^ GIRLS WHEN STACEY'S HEART EYES.......GIRLS WHEN THEM......

they just mean sooooo much to me like popular pretty blonde who lived in new york city "boy-crazy" girl accidentally falling for the impulsive bossy headstrong auburn-haired girl who can be soft only for her and would die for her friends and would study stacey with her piercing brown eyes like she was something worth learning about....something about the bossy impulsive headstrong girl falling for the pretty blonde because she couldn't help it....couldn't help but melt when those bright blue eyes focus on her.....who makes her feel soft and flustered like no one else could and desperately wanting to be the one she sees even though she thinks it'll never happen. how in the world did they put this amazing of a ship in the babysitters club. like. woah.

(also i have some thoughts on claudianne if you want to here those as well <3)

n e ways bestie i hope you like this analysis and im literally so sorry it was this long i've been having a lot of thoughts about them lately.

love u so much and hope you're doing well <3

love your fellow kacey scholar 4lifer,

-anna

HI HI HI HI HI MY WONDERFUL FELLOW KACEY TRUTHER!! finally answering your very lovely ask!!

saw kacey the beloveds day made!!! saw human beings other than kacey the beloveds today day ruined 🙄🙄🙄

HERE WE GOOOOOOO SEATBELT BUCKLED STRAPPED IN READY TO SHOOT TO THE STRATOSPHERE ON THE KACEY RIDE OF MY DREAMS!!!

i am hearing you and i am agreeing with every word you are saying. i am sitting chin in palm nodding appreciatively at your introspective analysis. they are so narrative parallels in every way and for what. KRISTY HAS ALWAYS SET STACEY APART FROM THE REST OF THE GROUP YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THIS. like miss thomas what exactly makes her so special….they are so early 2000s rom com coded where like kristy is sitting around being angsty and contemplating the totality of the human experience and then stacey walks on screen and the wind is blowing in her hair and an instrumental love ballad is playing the spotlight is on her and there’s the little animated flowers everywhere and then kristy melts into a puddle of heart eyes and there’s the little planets and stars circling around her head. yeah. that pool scene was basically the more minimalist modern version of that i rest my case.

kristy the take charge and the headstrong who read the art of war for babysitting strategies immediately being reduced to kicked puppy status by one stacey mcgill.

SHE LOOKS SO HEARTBROKEN STOP. insert kristy image next to kicked puppy image corporate needs you to find the difference between these photos there is no difference .jpg.

i love her so much. she was so flabbergasted like stacey hugged a BOY?? willingly?? stacey blink twice he’s my own flesh and blood and i don’t even hug him willingly.

STOP THE LOOK MARY ANNE GIVES HER I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS. the girl you are so fucking down bad look PERSONIFIED. and kristy looks so caught on like yeahhh she’s so amazing i would do anything for her girl isn’t even trying to deny it she looks so accepting of her fate and i respect her for that.

THERES MORE THERES MORE THE KACEY AGENDA NEVER ENDS!!!! i love winning.

the cinematic parallel between stacey coming over because sam texted her to her coming over solely to support and be there for kristy and only kristy.

kristy is such a little disaster lesbian calling her crush buddy and giggling and twirling her hair your honor i LOVEEE her.

going crazy over all the photos they are so cinematic excellence will not be accepting any other takes except for that these were all intentional and to showcase kacey being all blushy and giggly and flustered and enamored with each other that summer crush type beat.

THIS MAKES SENSE. YOU ARE SO ASTRONOMICALLY INTROSPECTIVE FOR THIS. i love all your little analyses and the detail you went into regarding even the smaller moments and how you provided multimedia evidence (silly little photos which had me smiling at my silly little phone)

GIRLS WHEN STACEYS HEART EYES. GIRLS WHEN KRISTY HEART EYES. GIRLS WHEN KACEY CINEMATIC PARALLELS. GIRLS WHEN USER ENOLAHOMESS SENDS AN ASK 💗💝💘💞��💝💓💖💘💞💝💝💗💝💖💓💓💖💘💖💗💝💘💝💓💞💓💕💖💗💝💘

they are so everything. the popular blonde fashionista sweetheart with a penchant for math and the calculative judgmental brunette overflowing with opinions on the world and ambition fall in love with each other against the odds. I LOVE THEM THEY ARE SO. yknow what i mean.

my lovely bestie this was so marvelous i enjoyed this so incredibly much it brought me a lot of happiness had me smiling and skipping through a field of daisies. live laugh kacey <3

all the love and salutations from your fellow devoted kacey truther 4lyfe,

shir <3

[distinguisheddetectivechild-blog]

You know what i love about getting these different versions of Lestat in seasons 1 and 2 ?

The fact that in season 1 he appeared passionate but also cold and cruel and even calculating in his affections. And because this is the 2nd interview, we know that Louis is actually attempting to be fair this time and not just trying to write the meanest take possible so Lestat will come after him (although sweet baby Louis is in such denial about himself all these decades later that a fair/honest take is still too far off for him).

Which means Louis actively believes that Lestat's vulnerable moments (the loneliness comment at the opera, agreeing to turn Claudia, the bad years etc) were all at least in part manipulative to an extent. He's not just saying it to make Lestat look bad to Daniel he genuinely believes (or maybe believes it with some help from Armand we dont know yet) that even in his vulnerable moments Lestat was just doing what he had to to keep him.

As much as Louis loves Lestat i don't think he ever understood him and consequently never trusted him...which is why he could never truly let go and tell him he loved him.

A good example of a scene where Louis might have fundamentally misunderstood Lestat in season 1 is when he asks him "aren't i enough" and Lestat bursts into laughter. We know from the books that its a nervous tick more than it is meant to mock. But Louis ...doesn't. So he just sees those moments as Lestat laughing at his weakness...and decides then and there to never be vulnerable with him again..I-

Another moment that pops in my brain from season 1 are the depression years after Claudia leaves. Louis is suffering from her absence but Lestat is suffering too from Louis' indifference to him...but within Louis' POV it is framed more as annoyance at him than pain and heartbreak.

Their inability to relate to each other's pain and experiences and understand each other is so painful to watch but oh so good !

All this to say, i cannot wait to get Lestat's perspective on their relationship.

The neck. Bite the neck, Louis.

[flippy-floppy]

please keep us (me specifically) posted on your iwtv experience... I cannot wait to hear what you think about louis. louis is basically if kendall was twice as depressed and also went into homicidal rage sometimes

oh i adore louis. every decision he makes is so well set up by the narrative but is also like the absolute worst choice for him to make at any given moment. perfect no notes

i knew very little about interview when i started it last year so i was expecting the homoeroticism to be like, subtextual at best and so was COMPLETELY CAUGHT OFF GUARD by how quickly and earnestly it dived into the queer themes. very very good did make me go a bit crazy. i was like a parisian seeing the rite of spring for the first time. compared to that i am having a relatively Normal Time. i am also only halfway through so. Remains to be seen i suppose

oh also i knew claudia was like, there, and was vaguely aware she was A Lot, now that ive gotten to her part of the story i am like Oh she is perfect. this is perfect. louis and lestat put more honest deliberation into like, are we allowed to fuck other people than they did about turning a 14 year old into a vampire. exquisite. they are everything to me. truly what else is she to do in this situation except act totally mental, love her, no notes, can't wait for whatever she does next

and also i love eric bogosian in this. i think he should be in everything for forever

[therandomfandomsblog]

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 4

So, I was kinda worried, and I still am, that some fans might have the same initial reaction to the lover’s spot scene as I did. My wife definitely was like 😬🤨 but I told her I got what they were going for, and I think it helped with the pay off at the end of the episode:

We were first thrown off by Lestat being affection while talking about sex, which in any other context would be creepy but, I think that we might be looking into it too deep. He was just trying to be casual and affection while talking about a subject all parents talk to their kids about, or at least should AND teaching his daughter, who he clearly wants to at least somewhat grow to be like him. The rest of the interactions give me comfort that he is attempting to be a good father in the context of teaching her to find food and live as a vampire.

The problem stems not from Lestat talking to Claudia about sex and feeding but from how, which has three problems:

Lestat is truly indifferent to human existence. Topics of sex, life, death, violence etc. mean very little to him when it comes to humans. Exposing Claudia to sex in the same vain as killing means nothing. He was teaching her that people have sex, they have reasons for it, but in the end, it’s also a great way to target two humans to kill. Speaking to Claudia about this while treating her like a child by petting her hair is incredibly careless. He clearly waited years, which was a good choice, as she was very childlike when they first adopted her, but he didn’t talk to her like someone who understands she won’t be able to have it.

Which leads to the second problem: She isn’t a child, but will always appear as one. The show THANKFULLY casted an adult to play a teen and not a little girl to play a little girl. Good for them, but anywho; Lestat felt she was mature enough to learn about sex and feeding, but physically, she will never be old enough to have it, because someone who looks her age and someone who is her age would be predatory, from her or their end. He can be blasé but she cannot. She was on the border with that boy, and thankfully, it seems like they knew to leave it there (giving her diary entry about him).

Which leads to the third problem: Lestat is a great dad in the good times, but not in the bad, because he is so blasé about these subjects. He shouldn’t have exposed her to sex. That was bad because he should have thought about how she would react watching it. Sure he enjoys sex, but he is clearly just in that scene for the kill and almost is mocking the people. She was not mocking them, but leering, learning something new that he should have been smart enough not to let her learn by that means. Also, he should have comforted her when she killed the boy, because it was partially his fault. Lastly, he shouldn’t have been surprised by her attempts to grow up when he is the one who brought her into the grown up world.

Parenting is not for everyone and it’s not a way to fix a marriage, but thank god the show decided to remove the really predatory aspects of the book and the film. I would rather see an incompetent dad give a bad sex talk and screwing up and that be how this all goes down than a dad who is slightly incestuous, like the past media has done.

[buckyodinson]

Warmth (Part 7)

Helmut Zemo x F!Reader

Summary: You speak to Zemo at the Sokovia Memorial.

Word Count: 900~

Warnings: gun, mentions of death and attempted suicide, angst, dialogue between Zemo and Bucky is as it is in the show, so ya know, spoilers for episode 5 of tfatws  

A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the love on this series!! I’ve had so much fun writing it! And I’ve appreciated every single like, comment and reblog! I’ve especially loved reading all your comments! It means so much <3

Find previous parts on my masterlist here!

As you spot him stood in front of the Sokovian memorial, it’s takes everything in you not to run to him. But you know you can’t. You know what’s about to happen, and you have to stay strong. For him and for yourself.

You stay slightly behind so Zemo doesn’t know you’re there. You know what Bucky plans to do, and if you’re stood there, you know Zemo won’t believe the act with the gun. You can still hear the conversation they have though.

“I thought you’d be here sooner.”

He looks over at Bucky briefly before turning back to the memorial. From this distance you can’t see the moment of sadness on his face when you’re not stood next to Bucky.

“Don’t worry. I’ve decided I’m not going to kill you.”

“Imagine my relief.” Bucky moves the gun in his hand slightly, drawing Zemo’s attention to it.

Zemo turns to face him and steps closer, “The girl has been radicalised beyond salvation. I warned Sam, but he didn’t listen to me. He’s as stubborn as Steve Rogers before him. But you... they literally programmed you to kill. James, do what needs to be done.”

“Karli has people everywhere, and there’s only one way to make sure she cannot continue her mission.”

“I appreciate the advice. But we’re gonna do it our own way.” Bucky narrows his eyes at Zemo.

Zemo chuckles softly, “Yeah. I was afraid you would say that.”

Bucky clicks his gun, and you see Zemo flinch slightly. There’s a pause between them, the air thick. Then Bucky lifts the gun up and cocks it, holding it inches from Zemo’s face.

Zemo just nods and smiles at Bucky, and it hurts you to see him accepting death. It makes you remember when he’d tried to shoot himself in Siberia and T’Challa had stopped him. The death of his family had truly broken Helmut, and it broke you to see him like this. You know the gun is empty, but he doesn’t. Bucky pulls the trigger and Zemo flinches, a brief look of disappointment flashes across his face at the realisation the gun isn’t loaded.

Bucky lifts his metal hand and drops a handful of bullets to the floor before stepping away, indicating to you that he’s finished with Zemo and you can approach. You see the Dora Milaje stood a little ways away, preparing to take Zemo to the Raft. This is your moment with him, so you start walking towards him and he turns at the noise of footsteps, assuming it’s his prison escort. But a soft smile begins gracing his features when he sees it’s you. When you reach him, he pulls you into a tight hug, tucking his head into the crook of your neck.

“My love,” he starts, pulling back to look at you, “I’m sorry I left you in Latvia.”

“It’s okay, Helmut. You took your chance. I don’t blame you.” you smiled at him, tears brimming in your eyes.

He pulls away from you and you furrow your eyebrows. He takes his coat off, wrapping it around you tentatively. Your eyes are filled with tears already, but the gesture makes them fall freely. He gestures for you to put it on properly, so you spend a few seconds wrestling your arms into the sleeves before he gently grabs your hands, pulling you against him once more.

“To keep you safe while I can’t.” He simply murmurs before pressing a soft kiss to your lips. It’s only a short, chaste kiss, but you can feel all his love and passion poured into it.

He pulls away and whispers a sweet “I love you” against your lips.

“I love you too, Helmut.” You try your best to smile at him in your last moments with him. He smiles back at you, and you commit the image to memory.

He takes a step back, “Ladies.” He addresses the approaching Dora Milaje, who look less than pleased at the interaction you’ve just had with Helmut.

He looks back at Bucky, “I took the liberty of crossing off my name in your book. I hold no grudges for what you thought you had to do. Bucky just nods in response.

“Goodbye, James. Goodbye, schatz.” He smiles at you both before walking away with the Dora Milaje.

You watch him go, and Bucky pulls you into his side, leaning his head atop yours while you silently cry.

“I’m sorry, doll. You know it has to be this way.” Bucky murmurs into your hair.

“I know.”

You stay there and watch until the Dora Milaje’s ship is a small blur in the sky, and Bucky stands there with you. Once you can’t see the ship anymore, then you start to walk back to your car. As you trudge back to it, you put your hands in the coat’s pockets, and feel a scrap of paper in one of them. You carefully remove it from the pocket and unfold it.

I’ll come back for the coat. And for you. However and whenever I can.

Helmut x

You smile at the note, folding it back up and securing it in the pocket once more.

You’ll wait for him. You’re sure he’s scheming something up already, planning his escape. And you’ll be there with open arms once he’s out again.

You just hope you won’t have to be without him for too long.

~

Permanent taglist: @castieltrash1​ @toastytoastbb​

Marvel taglist: @moonstuffsteve​

Zemo taglist:

@noavengers @let-me-read-fanfiction-in-peace @zemodaddy @lulu-yuming @ichigomiluku @multiyfandomgirl40 @gwenebear @aisling1985 @booklover2929 @myeternalsin @moongirl1313 @angiekurosaki @lieutenantn @hibiscusgardenia @plantpottt @whatiswrongwithpeople @writeroutoftime @maldita-insonia @fandomxreaders @loudbluepancake @montypythonsholysnail @bel-13 @ayuoudro @leblubbles @marvelsvision @there-will-be-p-e-a-c-e @and-claudia @multifandombtch @sinister-sleep @endorpuff @thanoshadtosnaptwiceforyou @cryinggarbagebag @eristudytime @grifffins @reichelhache @whoreforsamwilson @booksarekindaneat @ajeff855 @sapphiredreamer26 @marvel-trash-bin @tendertales73 @nocturnal-world @buckys-sugardoll @galaxypox @valeskasgf @mochminnie @cheekybluefox @ashamed23 @lonely-ghost-daddy @miranda-paige  @itslilithsstuff @incansas​

[raayllum]

which season of tdp is your favourite?

Ooh that's hard because every season is so distinct and fun for its own reasons, but

Season Three: 11/10

Probably my fave season just because I always tend to love conclusions the most and given that this is the conclusion of the first arc, that completely tracks. Has my favourite Ezran arc (specifically 3x02), Soren arc, and arc for Rayla, as well as my fave flashback episode (3x06) that I also think is included a very natural place in the story. I love the Final Battle and big epic fantasy battles in general. The boys reuniting an episode before Claudia and Soren are split apart is a perfect display of beautiful symmetry. I love my trash son Prince Kasef. Lux Aurea is probs my fave location in the series, going back and finally seeing more of Rayla's village / of her family. 3x08 is also the first time her self sacrificial tendencies are portrayed as remotely negative which I'd been waiting for since S2, as well as the "Callum chasing after Rayla" pattern from S1, so it was extremely satisfying watching both of those come to fruition. Rayllum is a big highlight of the season ofc in all their dorky sweet awkwardness and emotional support.

Season Two: 10/10

I love the precarious uncertainty of everyone trying to figure out what side they're on, the secrets coming to light, who to trust, the sheer gut-punch the last three episodes are in particular. Has my fave Soren&Claudia dynamic, I adore the Rayllum, and I have a special spot in my heart for 2x02-2x03. A little lower than S3 for reasons stated above / the Viren&Aaravos plot line isn't as interesting to me on rewatches and although the flashback episodes make me cry, they do kinda slow down the pace of the season right in the middle. 2x01 was for a time my least fave (but still good of course) ep of the show (it still might be or swapped in for another S1 ep) but I've grown to really love it too, even if it's much slower. The scenery in it is just so beautiful. Also more Corvus my beloved

Season Four: 8.75/10

Strongest season thematically, I will die on that hill. Also my favourite arcs for Viren, favourite season for Ezran, and Ezran's bond with Zym. I also think next to season three this might have the best blend of (if not the most) hardcore worldbuilding amid plot. Might also have my favourite Callum arc in a way, although that's probably a close tie to S2; I do love how much this one is oriented around emotions and isolation though, as opposed to the slightly more straight forward grief - magic duality in S2. Season four also probably has the best intentional comedy for me since S1 which is very nice. Janai's best season and she's always been my fave side character next to Ellis. Also the angst and how lowkey emotionally exhausting this season is, love Rayllum with my whole heart, Claudia and Soren's whole conversation? Slaps. Also Terry my beloved, I adore him as an addition to the cast and I cannot wait to see even more of him going forward.

Season One: 8/10

Funniest season imo (Claudia and Soren's 'walnut' joke notwithstanding) and the season I 100% have the most nostalgia over for both story and in real life reasons, which is why it's truly impressive that S4 is over it because I adore S1 like an unreasonable amount. Has my favourite premiere episode so far (with 4x01 as my second) and early trio / Rayllum interactions (1x02-1x06) are absolutely peak and I always love discussing and thinking about them. Also my second fave season for Rayla and possibly first for Ezran&Callum's brother dynamic as well although I'd have to think about it more. I miss King Harrow every damn day. The scene where Zym takes Rayla's binding off makes me cry every time

[beatricethecat2]

"Another day or two?" Helena gruffs.

"Yeah, um, sorry," Myka replies.

"That storm postponing your flight was one thing, but this? You are aware our rental is expiring eminently."

"Maybe we can extend?"

"I already inquired."

"And?"

Helena grimaces, nose wrinkling.

"I-I'll find us a new one."

"No, I shall, since I've clearly been left to my own devices."

"I'm coming soon, I promise!" Myka yelps. "I'll stay wherever you want. Extend the car rental, too."

"If I must swap it at the airport, I shall be cross."

"More cross than now? How is that even possible?" Myka jabs.

"I believe you know the answer," Helena says, deadpan. "What exactly is keeping you there?"

"I'm figuring something out but it's more complicated than I thought."

"And this 'something,' how long am I to remain in the dark?"

"Not long, but..." Myka's shoulders sag. "I might as well tell you."

"If it's such a burden—"

"No! I wanted to iron out the details first." Myka heaves a heavy sigh. "Ok, here it goes...I'm figuring out how to work remotely. Mostly."

Helena perks up. "This is something you truly wish to do?"

"I..." Myka pushes a hand through her hair, stopping halfway, looking off to the side. "I've been thinking about what you said, that the Warehouse needs to evolve, that it's stuck in the nineteenth century."

"Such a travesty; agents sequestered in a boarding house with modern communication and travel as they are."

"It's not so bad, having your friends there when you need them." Myka's hand drops to her side. "I do love my family here, but if I'm honest, it hasn't felt the same since Leena died." 

"May I say again how truly sorry I am for your loss. She was an extraordinary woman."

"She really was." Myka blinks back a tear and looks down. "But it's more than that. What you said about only traveling for work, of never really visiting a place, that stuck with me, too. How you want to take advantage of all this new world has to offer, things I take for granted, because you've been given a second chance." 

"I can be quite persuasive when I wish to," Helena says, lips turning up at the ends.

"And I love you for it." Myka's smile matches Helena's.

"But those are my wishes. What are your own?" Helena asks.

"I think it's worth fighting for change, even if making up rules as we go scares me."

"You are fond of protocol."

"And you're not. So we complement each other. Or cancel each other out," Myka says, lips lifting into a crooked grin.

Helena huffs a short laugh. "And Pete? How is he faring?"

"He's super bummed, but I think he understands." Myka shifts in her seat, sitting up straighter. "You might hear from him. He said he wants to have a chat."

"What about?"

"A 'big brother' kind of thing."

"I'm surprised he's waited this long."

"Me too."

The air quiets, each waiting for the other to continue.

"There is one other thing. An, um, 'condition," Myka says.

"Just the one?"

"Hey..."

"I'd expect nothing less. Go on."

"I can't go on missions alone."

"Nor would I allow you to."

"Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"While you're working, someone will join you."

"Yeah, you."

"But I'm no longer an—"

"They want to reinstate you."

"Myka..."

"I know, I know," Myka says, waving her hands in surrender. "It'd be on your terms. I'll make sure of that. And I'll keep you in check."

"That's a tall order."

"Believe me, I know."

Helena grasps at her locket and works a thumb over its smooth metal case.

"We'd have our autonomy, mostly. Be working part-time. We're already doing it unofficially anyway. And I think we work well together." Myka flashes a smug smile.

"And the distance from the Warehouse? How will you manage?"

"Abigail agreed to be our eyes in the archive. And we already have access to the database."

Helena stares at Myka for a long moment, fingers clutching her locket. "Can this truly be?"

"I think so. I'm hashing out details with Jane, but we need a few more days," Myka says, smiling. "Find us a place to stay for a couple of weeks. We can figure out what happens next from there."

"With pleasure," Helena says.

"So...can I tell them you're Agent Wells again?"

"I've further terms to discuss."

"Send them over. I'll make sure you get what you want."

Smiles grow wider as they hold each other's gazes.

"So...what'd you get up to yesterday?" Myka asks.

"I traveled by cable car up Hyde Street. The views were breathtaking."

"You did that without me?"

"I was tired of waiting."

"Do not go to Twin Peaks or Coit Tower. We're doing those together."

"I shant. Perhaps I'll peruse City Light Books again and linger in Jackson Square."

"That's where those buildings from the 1800's survived the earthquake."

"Indeed."

"Are you feeling a sense of closure, being there?"

"I believe we could have had quite a pleasant life here in my day. But closure, that may only truly begin upon your arrival."

"I can't wait," Myka says, grinning wildly.

-END SCENE-

------------------

Bering and Wells: New Horizons ("Warehouse 13" Season 5 replacement) Season 1: Episode 8 Title: San Francisco: The 415 Blues Summary: A freak storm delays Myka's flight to San Francisco. Helena learns Myka's taken on more while home than just dropping off an artifact. New paths are revealed while working through a difficult retrieval, as well as an ask that may take them to foreign shores.

Previously: Episodes 1-7 (look in my archive as adding links broke my post last time)

------------------

After assessing the scene of a retrieval, Myka and Helena duck into a coffee shop.

"That facade's massive! How would we know which one?" Myka asks.

"'It'll be obvious,' Artie said. Far from it," Helena snips.

"Maybe spray it with neutralizer and see what sparks?"

"It's a landmarked structure, too high-key."

"True," Myka says, frowning. "Artie said it was a chain reaction. One brick radiating into the others. Remove the source and the rest will calm down."

"Once one pinpoints the source."

"At least we know it's in arms reach," Myka says, sipping of her coffee. 

"Do we?"

"Someone almost burned their hand on it."

"Nothing felt even remotely hot to the touch today." Helena screws the cap onto her water bottle. "The brick responsible could be beaming down from the loftiest of places. We'd need scaffolding to check properly."

"And that hill is..." Myka motions with her hand at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Is it truly a risk if it's merely hot to the touch?" Helena says, leaning back in her chair.

"Artie's not sure. He thinks wildfire smoke is 'activating' the bricks, making them think they're in the fires after the 1906 earthquake. So it depends on which way the wind's blowing. Prolonged smoke contact equals hotter bricks, and hotter bricks mean the building might catch fire."

"Because these melted 'clicker bricks' were used in rebuilding after the earthquake?"

"Uh-huh. And Artie thinks they caused a previous fire."

"The one where those girls died trapped in the basement."

"So sad," Myka says, shaking her head. 

"I'd read it was arson, meant to discourage the Mission House staff from rescuing those poor immigrant girls from servitude."

"It probably was. But it might not have spread as fast without the clinkers."

"I see." Helena's hand tightens around her water bottle. "We cannot allow it burn again."

"We won't," Myka says, touching Helena's hand to reassure her. "Maybe we can monitor it with heat sensors. I bet Claudia has a gadget."

"I'm certain she shall," Helena says, looking as if she's combing through a catalog in her mind. "We must set up surveillance in the buildings across the street."

"Maybe we can pose as historians studying Julia Morgan, the architect," Myka says, perking up.

"What a blessing it shall be we're here for an indeterminate amount of time."

"Ooh! Maybe this can be our thing, traveling places and staying awhile, snagging difficult artifacts."

"I adore your ingenuity." Helena leans across the table, planting a kiss on Myka's lips.

"Mmm...thanks," Myka hums as Helena pulls back. She lifts her phone off the table, fingers working the keyboard, texting Claudia. "Maybe this is a good time to, um...tell you, there's a...a, um...something else the Warehouse's asked us to do."

"I knew they wouldn't release you that easily," Helena says, narrowing her eyes.

"This one's about you."

"Aren't they all, somehow?"

"Kinda?"

"Well, out with it then," Helena says, sitting back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The artifacts you hid, the Warehouse wants them."

"They believe there are more?"

"Oh, come on."

"They've shelved the Trident and Corsican Vest."

"And the Imperceptor."

"That was not an artifact."

"Fine. Artifacts and inventions," Myka snaps. "And they want us to follow up on cold cases you left behind."

Helena shifts in her chair and looks towards the bridge in the distance. "This is punishment for my unwillingness to interact with the Warehouse. You told them of my issues surrounding Christina."

"No. I said separating your body from your mind then sending it out as a lure for Sykes really pissed you off."

"This is not untrue."

"Pisses me off, too," Myka mumbles.

"They may threaten such a thing again should I not bow to their demands."

"We."

"Pardon?"

"Should we not bow. I'm part of this, too."

"Yes, as my 'handler.'"

"Maybe. But our definition of 'handling' can be kind of fun." Myka skims a finger down Helena's forearm, prying her fisted hand apart and threading their fingers together.

Helena lets out a heavy sigh. "I may not recall everything. I'll need my diaries."

"Do you know where they are?"

"At the Warehouse, of course."

"I meant the real ones."

Helena raises a brow.

"You know they know you hid them before you were bronzed."

Helena grimaces. "I once knew where they were. There's no guarantee they're still there."

"You've already looked."

"I may have, briefly."

"And?"

Helena shakes her head in the negative.

"Then let's start with what you remember."

"Or, start with the items I've hidden since?"

"Helena!"

"Punish me later, darling. We've a smoldering building to extinguish." Helena squeezes Myka's hand and brushes a thumb under her jacket cuff. "Did Claudia get back to you?"

"No," says, checking her phone. "Maybe we should get back to the apartment and do some research?"

"'Research' is our best course of action."

Both women smile in agreement, then rise and hastily take their leave.

-END SEASON ONE-

NOTES: NOTES: And this wraps up Season 1! As you can see, it's set up to transition to a second season, one fairly independent from the Warehouse. Who knows if that will ever materialize (but I do have a few ideas). Links broke my post last time, but look up Cameron House (formerly the Mission House) in San Francisco and Donaldina Cameron for more on that organization and the deadly fire. Clinker bricks are regarded as junk bricks - warped from being fired at too high a temperature, or in this case, mangled by building fires after the 1906 earthquake. Many older buildings in Chinatown contain them as the neighborhood scrambled to rebuild after the earthquake, because white real estate developers were poised to swoop in steal their land. In the Cameron House design, clinkers were also used decoratively in an Arts and Crafts style (there are other buildings in SF like this, like 45 Upper Terrace, also designed by a female architect, Ida McCain). I dedicate this episode to @blackfoxreddog !!

[victoria-daydreams]

The Long Way Home

Chapter Two: Professor?

AN: It’s my birthday and I’m feeling great so I decided to post today rather than tomorrow. Thank you to everyone that has taken an interest in this story and thank you for the support!

Trigger Warnings: drug use/abuse, mentions of verbal abuse

Word Count: 1.7k

Taglist: @iloveeverything-09​, @eiferundruhe​

Chapter Three: What the Hell Happened to Him?

Hank put his head down, "Told you there was no ‘Professor’ here," he remarked with a shrug, starting to clean up a table that was covered in things.

"What the hell happened to him?" Logan asked, shocked to see his old mentor in such a state.

Hank stood in silence for a moment deliberating whether he should explain or not. With a sigh he placed a bottle down and looked at the desk below him.

"He lost everything. Raven, Erik, his legs..." Hank trailed off, thinking of someone else that he lost, but he decided it was best not to mention it. "He built the school, the labs...this whole place," he continued, pouring himself a drink. "Then, just after the first semester, the war in Vietnam got worse. Many of the teachers and older students were drafted...and it broke him. He retreated into himself, I...I wanted to help do something so I designed a serum that treated his spine. Derived from the second formula, that was for me, that controls my mutation. I take just enough to keep myself balanced but...he takes too much. I tried easing him back but he just couldn't take the pain, the voices. The treatment gives him his legs but its not enough...he's just lost too much," Hank looked back up at Logan, and smiled distantly before taking a sip from his glass.

Upstairs, Charles was pouring himself a drink, in an attempt to forget the memories he didn't wish to think of. As he downed a good portion of the alcohol, suddenly, it all came rushing back, the buzzing of hushed tones he so terribly wanted to push away was beginning to torment him.

Charles' arm immediately shot out to reach for a cloth to wrap around his arm. After struggling briefly to tie it around his arm, he pulled it tight with his teeth as his hand shakily reached out to a small table where a syringe and a small vial rested upon. Charles grabbed the needle and the vial of serum before filling the needle with liquid and pressed it into his skin, letting the solution take its effects.

He laid back in his chair and looked over to his nightstand, but he had to look past the countless bottles to see it. There under the only source of light in the dark, musky room was a small, untouched framed photo of Raven. The Raven he knew. The memory of when they first met had rolled through his mind. His mind then drifted to Erik and how he stole Raven from his life. He stole Raven, made her into a completely different person.

But Erik also gave him Claudia. Charles would have probably never met her if it weren't for Erik's vendetta against Sebastian Shaw. But alas she was another loss. Charles remembered the shine in her eyes, the way her lips curved when she smiled, and how strong she seemed the way she carried herself. She was a friend to everyone she met.

Charles closed his eyes tightly, fighting back the tears and the memories of the two people he loved most. Raven and Claudia. He knew he couldn't save Raven on that beach in Cuba, but Claudia, she could've stayed.

Back downstairs, Logan couldn't but feel that Charles and Hank were tiptoeing around someone and he didn't understand why. Logan glanced down at Charles' desk noticing something that he hadn't before. A picture frame lying face down on the desk, reaching his hand out Logan grabbed the silver frame and flipped it to face him. In the picture was a young, African-American woman who couldn't have been no older than twenty-four.

She had neck length black hair that was styled in a windblown look, her bangs parted to the side. She was looking back at the camera with a wide grin, holding an ornament as she decorated a Christmas tree that was in the picture as well. The Charles he knew mentioned a woman he knew long ago before Logan made this journey, a woman who Charles cared for deeply. Claudia. That was the woman's name if Logan remembered correctly, he wondered if they were one and the same.

"So, this is Claudia," Logan commented, looking up from the picture. Hank froze. He hadn't heard that name spoken aloud in years. By the looks of Hank's expression and his reaction, Logan's suspicions were confirmed. "Heh, I didn't know the professor liked them young," he quipped, a soft chuckle escaping him.

Hank snatched the frame away from Logan.,"God, It wasn't like that," he stated, rolling his eyes. "Yes, there was an age gap, but they were very much in love with each other," Hank explained, looking down at the photo briefly and sighing. "They truly made each other happy," he added softly, before placing the photo face down on the desk again.

"What happened between them?"

"Remember that depression I told you that Charles fell into?" Hank asked, resuming his cleaning.

"Yeah,"

"Claudia was there, she was there for all of it. She tried to stick by him, she really did, but she just couldn't take it anymore," Hank paused, as he exchanged a brief look with Logan. "They fought a lot, she was sick of Charles' behavior of being a drunkard. She was tired of feeling more like a maid to Charles than the woman he claimed to love. And well Charles, one moment he's the loving man Claudia fell in love with and in the next he's a mean drunk," Hank explained, picking up empty bottles. "As tough as a woman Claudia is, I knew that some of the things that Charles said got under her skin. She was miserable here, but it all came to a tipping point in 1967," Hank continued, throwing the bottles into a trash bin.

"She left him, didn't she?"

"Yes, by the end of '67 she was gone," Hank answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "The night she had left, it felt strangely peaceful. The atmosphere in the mansion didn't feel so heavy. That was until I heard Charles' bedroom door slam open and the both of them shouting. Claudia was done, she was over it. She told Charles that she couldn't keep pretending that they were this happy couple, so for her own sake she was leaving him. She said, if he wanted to remain on his path to self-destruction then be her guest, but she wasn't going to be apart of it. She wasted years of her life trying to help a man who doesn't want it," he recalled, shaking his head as he leaned against the desk in behind of him.

Logan frowned, "And how did Charles take that?" he questioned, feeling like he already knew the answer.

"Not well, not well at all," Hank replied, shaking his head again. "He said some pretty hurtful things to her. He told her to go ahead and leave, he didn't need her. Charles called Claudia a 'useless woman' and claimed that maybe he'd be happier if she wasn't here. I...I’ve never seen Claudia look so hurt, so betrayed in all the years I've known her," Hank looked down sadly, now crossing his arms against his chest. "She actually began to tear up and responded quietly saying 'that makes two of us' before she reached down to her finger and slid off her ring and threw it at Charles," Hank sighed, his mind replaying that night.

"Claudia, Claudia, wait! Please, Claudia, just slow down! Please, just listen-" Hank begged.

"Wait! Charles and Claudia were married?" Logan asked, his eyes almost bulging out of his skull.

"No, just engaged," Hank explained. "They dated for three years, and then Charles proposed to her in '66. As you can tell now, it didn't work out," he sighed, shaking his head slightly. "The last thing Claudia said when she left the mansion was 'this whole thing was a mistake'," Hank added, with a frown as he folded his arms against his chest.

Logan sighed looking at Hank and shook his head. He was sent here for a reason, and now he can't seem to get the job done. He was risking many people's lives if he didn't change this now.

"I'll help you get her," he heard a voice from behind. He smirked and turned around, "Not for any of your future shite, but for her," Charles announced, coming down the stairs.

Logan mused over this and nodded, "Fair enough," he agreed.

"But I'll tell you this. You don't know Erik. That man is a monster. A murderer. You think you can convince Raven to change?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "To come home? That's splendid. But what makes you think you can change him?" Charles questioned, his tone growing bitter.

"Because you and Erik sent me back here together," Charles stared at him, surprised at the unexpected words. Logan scratched the back of his head, before crossing his arms together. "You are not going to like this, but you told me, practically begged me to get Claudia as well," Logan added, waiting for Charles' reaction.

He scoffed and shook his head, "That, I cannot do,"

That was a pain he had buried away and didn't wish to dredge back up anytime soon, he felt the same for Raven and that old wound was most definitely raw now. He had managed to control his emotions now whenever Raven was mentioned, to a point. But Claudia? That was something else entirely. She was his first love, the woman he wanted to marry, the woman he almost married.

"Charles, listen to me," Logan told him, looking down. "You are going to regret this just as you did when you told me to get her. If you want to save her, this is your only chance,"

Hank frowned at his words and Charles' angry expression dropped, forming into a sad and confused expression.

"Save her?" Hank asked, asking what Charles was not able to.

Logan nodded turning to look at him, "Claudia didn't make it, she's dead," he informed, shaking his head.

"Dead?" Charles repeated, sounding suddenly breathless from this revelation.

Charles clutched at his chest and inhaled deeply, suddenly not feeling too well. Like the world around him was spinning and he was stationary, Charles closed his eyes, guilt swarming inside him.

"Claudia is dead because of me,"

Chapter Four: Recruiting for a Jailbreak

[jenniferstolzer]

Babylon 5 Rewatch ep 2.20 The Long, Twilight Struggle

Sheridan and Delenn receive an invitation to Epsilon III where Draal pledges the Great Machine to the campaign against the Shadows. Meanwhile Londo commits his Shadow allies to one more attack against the Narn, allowing the Centauri to commit war crimes and end the Narn conflict.

Things I like about The Long Twilight Struggle

1, An energy fluctuation happens on the planet and Corwin turns to his coworkers like “There’s something happening. Contact Commander Ivanova” then the camera drifts to a private quarters. A shower is running. We see the steam as we coast slowly toward the bathroom for a tasteful near nude shot of Claudia Chris—NOPE Bruce Boxleitner. I CACKLED.

2, Draal is great and I love him. It worked out that Sheridan is new here to get a refresher on who Draal is and what’s going on with the Great Machine. Also the Great Machine making him younger is a good way to explain why he’s Herman Munster now. I’m guessing he’ll stay young and vibrant until he disintegrates like the last guy.

3, I appreciate seeing Londo’s true colors in his conversation with Refa. He’s tired, both from the trip to Centauri Prime and of all the war and darkness he’s involved himself in. He’s also still mourning Ursa Jaddo from Knives which was a nice callback considering he had a significant moment of doubt and regret in that episode, and it’s good to be reminded that he’s not totally sold on what’s going on right now. It’s also nice that he’s against the mass drivers at the outset but is convinced to go with Refa’s plan because he considers the glorification of his people more important than himself or anything else. He talks himself into doing something truly horrendous, but it’s wrong and his face knows its wrong. And then Refa makes him watch, when he fully intended to hide from what he’s done. Gguhh the pain is wonderful.

4, Watching this in a rewatch hurts so bad. Like Franklin gives G’Kar a warning about the Centauri’s interest in homeworld. There’s the possibility he can stop it.

5, Delenn and Sheridan go down to Epsilon III she is acting super cocky and in control because she wants to impress her crush, even using clever colorful English phrases. Everyone remembers Abasfrigginlutely Damnit. Oh Delenn….

6, Sheridan looks at the inside of the Great Machine and is like  “Lord, I may not go home” and I laughed b/c it looks like Tron in there.

7. The jump-kicking Centauri.

8, The mass drivers really are the most disgusting move. To devastate a civilian population from space is the ultimate ranged weapon. What could they possibly do? Watching Londo watch it happen is peak drama because as disgusted as he is watching, you know he’s as disgusted with himself in facilitating it. The drama is there but also horror on a level few shows can communicate, that of self-horror. The moment earlier where it was established and Londo still had a concept of right and wrong even as he was dealing with the Shadows is pulling full weight here. At the beginning of this season he was a buffoon struggling to stay afloat, in the middle of the season he finds the power and respect he wanted but loses the trust and friendship of the station in the process, and here at the culmination of his choices he sees what he was really willing to sell his soul for. He could have remained powerless and kept his sense of self, but instead he chose advancement and learned to hate what he’s become. It’s just staggering.

9, G’Kar is also pulling full weight in this episode. He’s prepared to go back to Narn, be with his family, and die among his people but he is the only member of the Kha’Ri not on homeworld and being so, he is an in credibly valuable asset for the race now that surrender is unavoidable. The tears in his eyes when asking for sanctuary are soul crushing, and the horror and shame he’s feeling is an inversion of Londo’s… powerlessness and being suppressed despite knowing he could do more verses being powerful and regretting it.

10, The Centauri terms of surrender are so cruel. It’s the turn of a knife that’s already been plunged to the hilt and Sheridan coming in to yank the dagger back an inch like a badass is extremely galvanizing and give Delenn grounds to commit the Rangers to him later in the episode. Also something I want to note about this scene that I think is even more important than Sheridan being a hero, it’s G’Kar sitting in his normal spot in complete despair, enduring Londo’s terms. Londo is dressed in every decoration and medal he’s ever owned, screaming at the top of his lungs like being the loudest makes him the rightest, yet G’Kar is silent. Londo demands G’Kar be removed from the council chambers like an invader. Sheridan replies by recounting the request for sanctuary, resulting on the two fighting over G’Kar’s head, but no one calls the bailiff to come get him. No one except Londo tells him he needs to go. They give G’Kar the chance to move. Even Kosh waits to see what he’s going to do. Will he attack? Will he scream and cry? No. He stands and with every ounce of self control he contains, delivers one of the greatest axefalls in television history.

“No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once, we will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.”

11, AND THATS NOT EVEN THE END OF THE EPISODE! I can’t believe this wasn’t a two-parter with everything that’s happened in this one half an hour of screentime. Sheridan essentially tells G’Kar he’s on his side in this war. He offers G’Kar his hand as an ally, and G’Kar considers it saying; “The last time I offered someone my hand, we were at war 24 hrs later” He pauses to make you wonder if he’s lost the ability to trust, then shakes with Sheridan and the look on his face tells something completely different. He still believes he’ll be at war very shortly, but he’s hoping for it. He’s counting on it.

12, Finally we get the introduction of the Rangers and the only thing that can kind of fit on my “Liked less” list. I like this just fine, but there’s something about Delenn who is in charge of a secret sect of warrior monks pledged to side with the Vorlons against the Shadows, turning the control of those monks over to Sheridan without fully introducing him to their existence. To be fair, she gives him partial control and doesn’t hand it over to him, removing herself from the field and I know having watched the rest of the show that she still is the sole figure in charge of the Rangers and is more accurately pledging herself and those in her service to Sheridan’s cause… but the way they read in this episode it looks like she’s giving Sheridan the reins. The next episode is KIND OF dealing with this with the inquisitor, but in general I think we could have avoided a lot of nonsense if she just phrased her pledge more accurately.

13, And this leads me to a theory… that Babylon5 was labeled their best hope for piece, but really it was built specifically as a neutral ground for the staging of the Shadow war. It really is Babylon 5, as in a replacement for Babylon 4 which was used as a warbase. This is why the Minbari co-founded the station, this is why it ends in fire at the end of everything. It’s existence is specifically tied to the the return of the shadows and the drama and diplomacy of the Narns, Centauri, Telepaths, Earthdome, etc etc are events of the universe that happen to occur there. Wihtout the Shadow War, there’d be no Babylon 5, and without Babylon 5 the universe would not continue.

14.

Finally.

The ARMY OF LIGHT

I got teary-eyed

Things I liked Less about The Long Twilight Struggle

The Delenn thing. But we’ll get back to that next episode. And that’s it.

This episode is truly one of the greatest and most emotionally wrenching pieces of television ever created. It’s a silly scifi show with rubber masks that dares to delve deeper beneath the skin than anything else I’ve seen. We see the horror and depravity of war, but we also see the people turned inside out by it and what colors they are within. Ten out of ten. Thanks for breaking my heart. This is why I had to take pause on my rewatch to prepare.

oh by the way @gin-007 and I are resuming our rewatch from 2019.

and I’m putting all these eps up on @b5picanep as well if you want to go back to see previous episodes.