#david really said i am going to take your whole life and put it in the form of a movie and you have to watch it

[jayvikyuri]

not excited to watch fwwm again when it comes time bc of the Horrors but maybe it won't be so bad this time i don't knoww

[morganas-pendragons]

untitled | fourteen

everyone loves when David Tennant does his sad boy screaming scenes. light spoilers for the second of the sixtieth specials. I am telling you what... I haven't felt like I was on an acid trip watching doctor who since 2014 LOL

this is one of two doctor who fics I'm gonna be putting out before Christmas!

***

When you find him, he's screaming. He's screaming loud and bold and raw and you wonder how his toes don't break from how hard he's kicking the tunnel walls.

You wonder what he saw. What the ganger said to him.

The Doctor had found you not long after he'd found Donna. It had been ten years since you had last seen him. Ten long years since you'd agonized over unrequited love and left him with nothing but a passing glance over your shoulder as you parted from the TARDIS.

Now he's come back, and that love you had buried for so long has come bubbling back to the surface.

You hate yourself for loving him.

You can't help it though.

It isn't until the screams fades into uneasy, tense silence that you dare to lift your eyes to meet his. There's a lot of turmoil in those eyes. He hasn't told you what happened in the ten years you've been apart. Not yet. You wonder if he ever will.

It's very clear that whatever he did, whoever he lost... wounded him. The Doctor may appear to be this cold, unyielding being of infinite wisdom and live. They may have called him The Oncoming Storm. The Valeyard.

He is not. Underneath that exterior is an ancient being longing for companionship. For somewhere safe to land when so often people use him as their safe place to land. Him. The hero.

But where do heroes go when the universe becomes too much for them to handle singlehandedly?

"Hey," You reach for his hand and hold it to your chest. His whole aspects softens at the gesture. This version of The Doctor is so much more open than the last time you saw him. So much more honest, vulnerable, so much more loving. "Are you... you?"

His gaze is questioning as you look at each other before he averts his gaze to the floor. You're getting closer. He's apprehensive, clearly, but The Doctor really wants you to take your fingers idle at your side and card them through his hair. "The last time I saw you," The Doctor murmurs. "You were leaving the TARDIS with the Smiths. Sarah Jane, it was. Said you were going to go make the world a better place-"

"In your honor," You admit. You don't miss how the hand pressed to your chest trembles at the remark, and something catches in his throat as you lift your idle hand to card your fingers through his hair. "Because you were the most remarkable man who'd ever come into my life. And I loved it. I loved you."

You're close enough now that you can feel him. All of him.

The Doctor exhales softly against your face as you lift his chin with your thumb so he'll finally meet your eyes. You're aching to know what has cut him so deeply. What he'll let you do in mending the damage to those ancient, broken hearts of his that have only ever been partially stitched.

Because every time a companion left, or they died, the stitches broke.

"Loved?" The Doctor asked.

Lifting yourself to your tiptoes, you tangle your fingers in the short hair and his nape and whisper, "Love."

And when you come together, he kisses you like a man who's been deprived of air for too long. You are what he needs to breathe.

And he is your safe spot to land.

[mrghostrat]

"He needed an internet connection so he could download an app to draw with, but the whole point of setting the thing up in London was because he knew Crowley understood all of this a whole lot better than he did."

Okayyyyy I just got violent flashbacks to the s2 finale this is evil 😭😭

But in all seriousness, I LOVED the new bnf au chapter, I mean the kiss??? I audibly gasped, it was soooo good

I was wondering if the witch and the witchfinder are a canon couple in the nice and accurate prophecies? Or are they just a very popular fanon ship? Or is it like good omens, where people saw the romantic subtext in the book and where it was made explicitly canon in the show?

I just think all options would be really interesting, given that Crowley and Aziraphale are both middle-aged queer people and the book came out thirty years ago. So they either would have had some representation back then, or they recognised themselves in the story and even though it wasn't canon, maybe those ideas would later explicitly be confirmed by Agnes Nutter nonetheless? Since all these options have really interesting implications for the way they both interacted with the source material, I'm really curious what your thoughts on the matter are.

Thank you so much for all the beautiful things you create for the fandom, both your fics and your art give me life and I'm so grateful for them ❤

omg you have no idea how excited i am about this question 😭 as i've written BNF, i've been quietly fleshing out more about their fictional fandom, and accidentally gotten reeeeally invested and am dying to talk about it 😭😭

i'm actually tempted to make some fanart of the witch & the witchfinder, using michael and david as facecasts to go full meta thphptftf. in b4 i write it as a fuckin book series for real

buttttt i'll put all my N&A thoughts under a cut so i dont ramble too long on your dashes 💛

The Nice and Accurate Prophecy: Agnes Nutter's book series (turned play, turned film, turned tv series); the fandom in my fic Big Name Feelings

the idea of using Agnes Nutter's "Nice and Accurate" book for the in-fic fandom was taken from @tawnyontumblr's fic New Messages (i just thought that would be a fun fanon consistency to follow), but all the details about the story and characters are me.

N&A takes inspiration from Good Omens (as a story, and as a fandom) but isn't intended to be a direct copy of it. the original paperback series is a few books long, and each adaptation of the books are considered good, accurate, canonical content. the tv show (a HBO series) is the most recent, highest quality, and most popular. The Witcher style, high fantasy quality.

agnes is loudly supportive of the lgbt community just like neil/david/michael are. but i imagine that for the series to be so "marketable" over the last 30 years, there isn't an explicit queer relationship between the witch & finder. there are canon queer side characters but the witch & finder are a little more nuanced.

the witch and the witchfinder aid each other through time, working together to defeat the evils in the story (like Aziraphale and Crowley from GO). there's tension between them, but boundless love, and plenty of flirtation, despite the running "we shouldn't, we're meant to be enemies" theme. they would canonically get together at some point in the story, probably towards the end after they've spent some time dancing around each other.

the thing that makes this vague is: the witch reincarnates through the story, almost doctor who style. they're a trans icon, much like how the GO fandom looks at Crowley and all his gender ambiguity.

when they finally tryst with the witchfinder, they're female. it's by pure happenstance that they're female presenting at that stage of the story, but still widely critiqued over the years. the thing that canonises the mlm relationship is that the witch is said to carry their consciousness through each reincarnation— they're not a new person like The Doctor is when he regenerates.

the start of the book series spends more time on "Crowley and Aziraphale's favourite male reincarnation", while the movie and tv show only briefly montages through some of the witch's faces. the mlm side of the fandom most definitely lost their minds over the brief few minutes of screentime that they got of the male witch, and has absolutely gifsetted it to death.

i've done it like this because so much of (every) fandom has always been seeking out representation and filling gaps where the original content lacks. there's something to be said about the solidarity of queer fans creating more queer content for themselves. except, in the case of N&A, they're getting to work from a source material that is genuinely queer supportive, unlike fandoms like SPN and BBC Sherlock that are fighting against the tide of queerbaiting and buried gays.

it also gives aziraphale and crowley a chance to band together in the next chapter when they talk to a dickhead at the party:

i haven't exactly decided what happens with the witchfinder, like if the story takes place over hundreds of years and he keeps reincarnating as the same lookin dude (like how jack whitehall plays both Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery and Newton Pulsifer) or if it's set over one lifetime and the witch just gets killed and regenerates a lot. i do like the idea of there being some "through the ages" shenanigans, and a canonical "modern day" setting like GO has.

but i gotta be careful bc i genuinely can't stop thinking about this fake story that's barely mentioned in my fan fic or i'll end up writing the damn thing myself

[galway-girlatwork]

Masterlist and AO3

So I am still new to this whole masterlist thing but again I just wanted to put all my works up. So if you feel froggy jump. If the summaries aren't your shot of whisky, then scroll on by.

Joel Miller

Echoes of Hope-

In a remote cabin, Raven finds solace in living off the grid, maintaining the life her late parents envisioned. The isolation is interrupted when she spots a man and a girl approaching her property. Initially hostile, the trio’s encounter, laced with lies, deceit and budding passion, show just how alliances are formed but they are fragile things, that can shatter in an instance.

Fragile State-

The aftermath of a traumatic car accident leaves a family struggling with fear and uncertainty. The emotional toll weighing them all down as they try to find some normalcy which they all know is impossible until he wakes up. Vulnerability and desperate needs for the man who is the center of their lives to remember who they are and the life he had with them.

Concert Charms-

What happens when you go to a rock concert? Confusion, angst at miscommunication, you begin to wonder if it’s worth getting involved with a stranger. But backyard BBQ’s leads to something more and who knows what can happen in twenty years.

Airwaves-

A hardworking single dad raising two daughters spends his evenings unwinding to late-night radio, listening to an upbeat and fiercely independent DJ with an encyclopedic knowledge of music, with a warm, magnetic voice. Joel becomes a loyal listener, calling into her show each night to request songs that resonate with his life—melodies for his girls, echoes of his past, or tunes Maggie herself loves.

What happens when they form a connection through their nightly calls? When their connection blossoms into something more than just what is said and played over the airwaves?

Beyond the Wall-

The QZ, where survival often trumps trust, two smugglers end up on the wrong side of each other. Amid the bleakness of survival, they share moments that let them briefly forget the hell they live in, their space becoming a sanctuary despite the nightmares plaguing them. But there’s hope or is there? When Tommy joins the Fireflies, something stirs in Stacie, a desire for more than just survival. She knows leaving will sever a bond, one that has been in existence for years. It’s the price of surviving, testing the limits of love and trust. How much strength does it take to leave behind everything, including the man you love?

Javi Pena

Broken Silence-A tumultuous relationship with a fellow DEA agent, is marked by tension and unspoken feelings. Can a growing affection, mixed with reckless behavior, drugs, death, money and power, really survive? From Bogota, to Miami, to Rome, how far will it go?

Frankie Morales

Beyond Times Edge-

Fairy rings do not exist. Fairy rings do not exist. Fairy rings do not exist.

Witches are not real. Witches are not real. Witches are not real.

How many times can he repeat this in his head for it to take hold? A thousand? A million?

What happens when a man transcends time and space and falls in love with a witch?

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus, right?

Deliver Me-

Running. It was what she knew, her ex-hundreds of miles away. A relationship is not what she needed, not what she wanted. Peace is all she craved after years of living in fear, relying on the flight or fight response. Meeting her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, who was the exact opposite of David, her abusive ex, might change that. But what happens when the past rears its ugly head? Will she fight, flee or finally ask for help?

Marcus Moreno-Some Bodies

In the shadows of the ancient city, a dark romance blossoms between a healer and a sinner. It is a connection of light and dark, life and death. Can he accept her past? Can she believe there is redemption for what she’s done? Can carefully guarded secrets stay that way?

Marcus Pike-Shadow and Flame

The relationship between Agent Marcus Pike and Daciana, is a game of cat and mouse, taking Marcus around the world—London, Tokyo, Rio, and now Paris. Daciana taunts him, leaving clues that lead him to her hideouts just a little too late, fueling his growing obsession.

Their relationship is more than just professional; there’s an undeniable chemistry between them, a tension that neither can ignore. Marcus, frustrated by his inability to catch her, is simultaneously drawn to her presence.

Marcus knows that catching Daciana may come at a cost—one that goes far beyond the law.

Javi G.-You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Javi needs encouragement to get the Christmas spirit when he is down and out. Mia, his girlfriend, does what she can.

Din Djarin-Say Something

Eve’s career has always taken a back seat to Din’s. The goal was always she would start working more on her music when he graduated law school and worked for one year at a law firm. Now both of their careers are taking off but where she’s always been there for him, Eve is finding that Din isn’t always there for her. Feeling forgotten, she now lives for her music. And Din forgets that marriage takes just as much work as a career.

Supernatural

Sam Winchester-Do You Know Your ABC's

A witch’s connection with the Winchester’s put her in the hands of Crowley, determined to use her for her powers since his mother is MIA at the moment. We all know what lengths the boys will go to get back someone who’s become an ally to them. Can they save her? Or will she save them?

Thank you to @saradika-graphics for the banner and dividers. Love your work. Hugs.

Tagging cause I can. *wink*

@almostfoxglove @guiltyasdave @ninii-winchester @pedgito @ease-out-the-clutch @rivnedell @littlemisspascal @pearlessance @wintrwinchestr @burntheedges @jolapeno @morallyinept @jolapeno @tinyglamdramaqueen @604to647 @kittyfox1107

[m1ssunderstanding]

Hello! This is your Secret Santa. Not sure what I'm going to do yet but I was wondering a few things!

You said you like when the smut is kinky and dark, could you elaborate a bit? Do you have some favorite kinks? Favorite dark-ish tropes?

When you say Dickens AU, do you have a particular novel in mind? Or is it about Victorian life hardships in general?

Thanks! 🎅

lolol this is what I get for being embarrassing on the form! Now I have to be embarrassing on main. (I mean about kink and Dickens equally btw) Welp, here goes! I'll just put it all under a cut so no one has to read it that doesn't want to. Genuinely though even though it's embarrassing I'm so glad you're asking! Thank you for taking the time to get to know what I am hoping for :) <3

As far as kink goes, I love the typical bdsm stuff.

Objectification

Dumbification

Expositionism

General demeaning language

Praise kink

Restraints, gags, whips, flogs

Orgasm denial

Overstimulation

Choking

Marking

I will say while I love all of that stuff, I also love just normal sex too lol especially if the story isn't focused on the sex you know it can be very vanilla and sweet and I will love it. But if the whole story is focused around sex, especially if you're putting Paul with someone other than John or Linda, I'd rather it be kinky. So like dealing with class stuff between Paul and Jane or Paul and Robert Fraser or with age stuff between Paul and George Martin or John and Brian or size stuff between anyone and Mal. And it might be surprising, but I don't care who dominates. If you're writing a sweet story where Paul ends up happy with John or Linda, the choice is yours as to whether the sex is kinky or not.

As far as Dickens goes, you could stick them in any book really. And obviously just write a scene from it. Or you could reimagine an event from their lives if Dickens had written it.

Specific book au ideas:

Oliver Twist with John and Paul as older versions of Oliver and Dodger respectively or you could do Paul as Nancy and John as Rose

David Copperfield with Paul as David. John could be Steerforth or Agnes.

Little Dorrit with John as Arthur and Paul as Amy.

Great Expectations with John as Pip and Paul as Estella.

Bleak House with John as Ada and Paul as Richard.

The Old Curiosity Shop with John as Kit and Paul as Nell.

Hard Times with Paul as Sissy and John as Louisa.

I would love it if you genderbent one of the characters if Dickens accidentally wrote jp into a straight pairing.

Event adaptation ideas:

Alan Klein is the PERFECT Dickens Villain. John and Paul have pooled all their savings together to start a business. John was the primary investor as Paul had very little money, but Paul still has the most at stake because consequences are higher for him losing all his money. John finds Klein as the perfect person to manage all their affairs and Paul feels like he has to go along with it because he feels indebted to John forever because of how much he invested in up front into their business. Chaos ensues. People go bankrupt. Law suits drag on. Linda and her little daughter Heather who are destitute still manage to help Paul out of it all and in the end after they're married we find out Linda is inheriting a bunch of money.

John and Paul met at an abusive boarding school. Paul is there because his father's grocer shop supplies the school with food. John is there because his family can afford it. John hates it, bullies the teachers, tries to slack off and cause as much trouble as possible. Paul secretly hates it too but is really grateful for this opportunity and kisses up. They both become quite popular in their own ways and wage war on each other until they are forced to come together during mutual punishment -- Paul is treated far worse because of his class but John has forward thinking principles and insists they go it together and they realize they have a lot in common and they run away to the circus together.

John is a notorious robber who makes friends with Paul's dad at a gambling club. Paul is the whore with the heart of gold who supports his father's habit (I know I kind of already wrote this one but not in a dickensian au) Paul falls in love with John in spite of himself and even though he always dreamed of joining polite society, he joins John's crime sindicate and their combined smarts allow them to amass huge amounts of money but they have to live this whole double life to avoid being caught and at the end there's a huge house fire in which everything they built together is lost and they blame each other and fall apart.

You know. Etc. Things like that. But obviously you could think of your own thing or not do Dickens at all.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 8/31

What am I feeling today?

A little guilty for not having posted the past few days. Everything that was going on with my dad in the hospital and the start of the semester had me a little overwhelmed. Also to the one that sent me the ask about quiet times, I plan on getting back to you with a detailed reply later today!🤗 overall, yeah I just feel overwhelmed looking at the months ahead but I know that God got me and that He will not abandon me nor forsake me♥️🙏🏼

Bible Plan: Does God Really Care?

God Knows What He’s Doing

Are you suffering? Maybe you’re wondering why God has allowed trouble to touch your life. The most honest answer to this question is… we may never know this side of Heaven.

But we can trust and believe that God has a good plan. We won’t see the whole picture in this lifetime, perhaps—only little pieces of the puzzle. But God sees everything from beginning to end, and He knows what He’s doing.

The Apostle, Paul, in the Bible, was troubled by what he called a thorn in his flesh. He said…

Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Don’t give up. No matter how weak you may feel, Christ’s Power is working itself in you, making you strong. Put your trust in Jesus, and believe it!

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul here talks about boasting in our weaknesses! He had pleaded with the Lord to take it away from him but sometimes our weaknesses prove to be our power. For example, I struggle with my mental health, I’ve been in therapy since I was a child. It’s been a difficult journey and I can empathize with those who struggle as well. My mentality has greatly improved since giving my life to Christ but that does not mean He has taken it away from me. It is still one of my weaknesses, but in working through it in a Biblical way (such as the way David presents in the Psalms) I can boast on the power of Christ and help others who struggle as they walk their walk with God♥️

Romans 8:26-30

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

You know how there are times when you’re just in so much anguish that you don’t really make any coherent sense but you’re just crying out to God? That’s one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us, by interceding on our behalf and presenting to God our needs.

Also, at least for me personally, no matter what happens in my life I do believe that God is working for my good. There have been two instances in my life this past year that have been incredibly painful and difficult for me and I spent a lot of time crying out to God. And I know He heard me and that He was there with me through it all and He helped mold and shape me and bring me closer to Him in my time of need and after the dust settled, everything was okay and I could keep pausing Him for what He did in my life.

[artist-issues]

i don't know man. I was feeling a rare flare up of empathy for Jezebel I guess. Because she was human too. A sinner like both of us. A sinner in power, unlike both of us. Does any human deserve to be torn apart by dogs? Solomon and David did similar things, and sure they did repent so maybe you could say it doesn't count, but would they have deserved an equal punishment? Take a man's wife, take his life (probably premeditated) if David hadn't repented, doubled down, at the critical juncture, would he have deserved that type of justice? Solomon doubled down, on the worship of idols spreading through his kingdom, but he repented a bit too late. As far as we know Jezebel was not an old woman when she died, perhaps mid fifties at the latest. Solomon lived longer.

And there are too many kings that allowed the worship of idolatry, did they get punished in the same manner? I know Athaliah was removed from the temple to be executed, but the boy king was even weaker than her, once his mentor the priest passed on.

i know there's lots of kings who got their own... comeuppance, in literature terms, over the issue of false worship, and some just as horrible. Jezebel's ending is not as unique in the greatest of schemes.

Like I said, it was just a flare up of empathy. I understand why she deserved it. I also think it was a violent and undignified death. And I also know she did the same to others.

But monarchs changing the state religion also murdered the religious in the way of their goals, so shes not unique. And Ahab was okaying a lot of her decisions anyway.

but the idea of who am I to question God who gave the prophecy to Elijah? Who are you? I think it's important to question. Not like an idiot atheist who wants to play word games to show how worldly and arrogant they are. But asking questions takes me to interesting answers. Even if it's just a new angle to the situation. I don't ask questions for the ultimate why. Because we are on earth at the moment. And I don't think on heaven the answers get less complicated. Just to see a bit more of the Truth. Which is comprised of many things.

This stone walling, in your initial answer, fine go ahead. I'm grateful for the verse, I didn't have a chance today to hunt it down myself. But I find it tasteless, this stone walling, who am I to question. If you don't care to engage with certain things, go ahead. I should also do the same, but I'm not there yet.

I question because I want to and I can. I think that if I was Jezebel I would have been in a shit ton of pain unable to think anything but beg for it all to stop.

I think that if God said my brother was going to rot from the inside like Herod I would think, fine, he deserves it. My brother caused me pain, I wanted to kill him myself once, I think he should have suffered, fine it's fair. But at the same time if I had to watch, if I had to know that my brother who I hated was in agony, I would have wanted a dignified death, a painless one for him, out of my weak and shallow capacity of love for all living things.

I agree that Jezebel should have died. I even appreciate that all that was left was a skull and hands. The amount of people she had put to death, the lives she ruined, she deserved less than a funeral. The hunger and thirst for righteousness is satisfied, because evil has been cut down at last.

But I am supposed to love my neighbor. And I think all my neighbors, deserve a swift death and a proper 6x5 grave. Or a pile of ashes.

Not to say I will do these things. I too am overcome by rage and hatred and also very capable of justifying to myself why an evil person should be thrown to the pigs.

....this is why I don't engage in empathy that often.

Okay, you gotta be really careful here, man. God did not give her a 6 x 5 grave, and you're saying that's what "all your neighbors" deserve. So was God wrong, not to give her "what she deserved?"

I mean, I can see where you're coming from with the whole empathy thing. Of course it's hard to wrap our minds around, being human, and seeing what God did to a similar human. Of course there's room for understandable mental wrestling, when, like you said, He seems to kill some horrible rulers in shocking ways, but gives grace to others. Of course.

But you didn't ask me a nuanced question. You asked a question about "deserving." And the bottom line is, God alone gets to decide who deserves what.

There's a difference between asking questions to better understand Truth, because there's something you don't know yet— and asking questions despite the fact that the Truth is already plain. The truth with what Jezebel specifically "deserved" is already plain: God gets to decide what people deserve, and God decided very clearly what she deserved, so she deserved it.

There comes a point where questioning something obvious isn't intellectual or empathetic. Because you're having to bypass the simple truth to even ask it. You can't be analyzing-from-a-different-angle something you're bypassing. You have to bypass the Truth "God decides who deserves what" to ask the question "did Jezebel really deserve to die like that?"

It's just "vain reasoning." Romans 1:21. You know the answer, but you're not focusing on it, which is tiptoeing right up to the line of "knowing it but refusing to believe it." That is a dangerous place to be, and an arrogant place to be, and I can say that to you because it is a place I've been and still wander to, except for the grace of God.

I'm not saying that's where you're always at. I'm saying, that mindset is what your question sounded like. So while you call it "stonewalling," what I'm trying to do is simply answer with what's true. There really is nowhere else to go with your question, if truth is what you're after.

Please don't mistake my tone. I know it doesn't always come through online. I'm being firm, but I'm not being accusatory. You asked a question that indicates the above mindset. Maybe you didn't mean it like that, or I misunderstood. But I'm responding because I genuinely believe, and I think you genuinely believe, that what God says is all that matters at the end of the day, and we both need that reminder.

So when it comes to that, thank you for the question.

[bengiyo]

Laws of Attraction Eps 1 and 2 Stray Thoughts

For @lurkingteapot, @negrowhat, and @troubled-mind, here are some highlights from the voice recordings Bestie and I sent to the chat while we were watching the first two episodes.

Episode 1

Ben: They were death-flagging on this child, so David and I decided to take the over-under on how long it would take this child to die. We gave it five minutes. So, two minutes later.... David: They ran over that child like Wile E. Coyote!

David: I can't go to Thailand. Ben: I'm scared! I'm really scared!

Ben: I'm so excited. This is giving everything. We got a kid run over by a car after death flagging six different ways, and David's like that list better not be in that bag! Cuts to the bag. The list is covered in blood. David: This is a Mexican telenovela!!

Episode 2

Ben: Let's talk about this sandwich. This man put all this presentation into a single sandwich, which he cut in half! Then split between the two of them, garnished with a piece of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a ton of onion....along with some orange juice from concentrate?? With bread that looks like it was burnt to within in inch of its life on a George Foreman Grill..... This man is insane.... Like we already knew that. This man is as insane as Bill in Kill Bill 2 using a whole chef's knife to spread mayonnaise on a sandwich.

Ben: Okay, David, you were correct. I'll give you a Clowned Correctly award. David said that that man is not touching him because he's insane and he absolutely wants that man to want him when he finally fucks him. I love it though! He's like, "You were drunk, and you puked on yourself. So I removed your clothes to clean you up, and lusted. I sure did! But I didn't touch you! Because that would get me 4-20 year in prison. And they're not gonna have my ruffles and bubble baths in prison." David: "I'm a not-so-secret luxurious bitch. I don't DO cells." Ben: This high sadity mofo's like, "Uh-uh. But! Since you're sober now!" David: "Let's talk!!" Ben: I love this man. David: "Good! What's really good?"

Ben: Not this man getting out of this car... David: With the gayest shirt! Ben: What the fuck is going on with this collar and these overlong goddamn sleeves? This man is a menace. David: This is giving, "Give me shirt but also a Faustian nightmare." Ben: He looks like someone just popped a can of cinnamon rolls. David: I can't want more for you than you want for yourself. Ben: I...am overdone...with this show... David: And not champagne colored! You're a gay man! You know better! Ben: Look how it's sitting on his shoulders! This is a travesty!

Ben: I know we comment on how unhinged this man is in every scene, but why is he taking the One Ring to Mordor as well?

Ben: This is the least insane he's looked in this show, and that's saying something. We've been here for nine hours.

Ben: I see why @ginnymoonbeam said this show might be for the KinnPorsche enjoyers because this is now the next show where we've watched a father slap his son in the most bitchless way possible. David: Slaps always come in threes! The first is your first salvo. The second, this time, is aiming to fuck up some real estate. The third is the disrespect.

David: They clearly defined her relationship with her employees. They are not afraid of her. If these are hoes, they feel taken care of. Ben: I don't know what the relationship is between Organ and Silvy's characters, but I hope we get to see them fuck on screen. David: If we don't, why am I here? I require women doing filthy shit to each other. I can get BL anywhere. I came to see women doing shameful things with each other. I came here for Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon in Bound. I did not come here for the Bridges of Madison County. Ben: Girl you ain't never lie!

David: I'm here for this. The unapologetic sissiness is what I live for. He had me when he pulled out that little gun. "Now, I can date you, but I can also put you down like a dog." You know there's nothing I love more than Gays With Guns. Look at God. Won't he do it. Ben: God had nothing to do with iQIYI.

[littlecello]

Lazarus Ending

Hello again!

First, I need to say a huge thank you to all of you who interacted with the write-up I did the other day. I honestly was a little worried to air out my negative feelings of that afternoon, especially because the audience as a whole (mostly comprised of middle-aged white men, I have to add) reacted so positively to everything - Fern and I felt so uncomfortable by the end. So to come here afterwards and have both our fears and feelings confirmed by so many people, it was a huge comfort. And also, I kind of feel like the fandom seems to have risen from the ashes (hah) somehow, in solidarity after this? Which is just wonderful to think about. So, again - thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I'm so glad we have this little space here that we've carved out for ourselves. 💕

Now, without further ado! I will do my best to summarise what Ashely Pharoah told us the overall arc, as well as the ending, of Lazarus would have been.

Caveat 1: They didn't tell us much, because apparently they're still trying to make Lazarus happen in some shape or form - the most likely option, according to AP, is going to be a graphic novel (good luck to the artist trying to get John Simm's likeness right lol), but nothing is confirmed. Still, this meant they really didn't want to go into detail on plot points.

Caveat 2: This is going to sound mean, but: Ashley Pharoah is a terrible public speaker. He explained the ending of Lazarus, but it was pretty jumbled and disjointed, so I'm having a hard time recalling it and putting it into one cohesive summary. I will do my best!

First of all, here is an addition to the summary of the pilot, which is relevant for the ending - I didn't think to add it for my first write-up, but have since added it for better understanding of the overall plot:

[In 2024] Sam returns to the crime scene once more, convinced that rapist PC was murdered. There, he is snatched by two men (who turn out to be two of the officers who most vocally turned against Sam) and brought to a carpark somewhere. As he's dragged out of the car, his eyes are blindfolded by bandages, and the script specifically stated "like in the music video for David Bowie's Lazarus" - this is where the Lazarus iconography was the most blatant. Sam also catches glimpses of a black star throughout the episode. It is implied that the officers, including rapist PC, are all part of an organisation that whose insignia is exactly that black star. The officers threaten him not to investigate rapist PC's death any further, but when Sam finally manages to get the blindfold off, the two men are nowhere to be found. This is when Sam decides to drive back to the care home to pick up Gene and take him for a drive, in hopes that it will jog Gene's memory or the car he had an argument with.

Now, with this in mind, please do your best to recall everything you can from both LoM and A2A, because here goes:

It turns out that the Black Star is the uhh logo? Sign? Of all the "bad cops" who have escaped "bad cop hell". Meanwhile, the "Police God" or "God of Police" (I swear Ashley said those words in exactly that order, I am not joking) has decided that Gene has done a good enough job as a guardian angel and is ready to go into The Railway Arms. But Gene doesn't want to? And then Gene, Sam, Alex etc realise that, indeed, the "bad cops" have escaped from "bad cop hell", and need to be caught. Which, I think? Is what they end up doing throughout the planned two series of Lazarus? And then at the end Gene does end up going into the Railway Arms and they all have a happy boozy party, and everyone we know and love is there (Ray and Chris got a name mention). Then, as the party goes on, the camera pans to the side to reveal a boy with two differently coloured eyes and slightly snaggly teeth sitting at the piano (three guesses who that is) and starts playing "Life on Mars?". All the cops fall silent and pause to listen, because "they all know what it means". Oh, and outside of TRA we see a black woman - she is introduced in the pilot as being Sam's Chief Superintendent in 2024, I can't remember her name unfortunately, but we also meet her as a 16 year old in 1977 and I think she was meant to start out as like Gene's informant? Anyway, at the end of the show, she's stood outside of the Railway Arms, and it turns out it is now her turn to be the guardian angel of cops.

Again, apologies if I got anything wrong, I found it REALLY hard to follow what Ashley Pharoah was saying, especially because by that point I was already so mentally worn down from all the shitty stuff and the men around us having a whale of a time, and some fairly awkward "questions" from the audience. But there you go. Anyone else who was there, please feel free to add anything I forgot to mention!

[thefandomenchantress]

I think I get what that person is saying about people shrugging Ace off and being hypocritical because there is the part where Ace opens up to Teruko about him being basically afraid of everything and being in a constant state of panic and she kinda just laughs/shrugs it off which is so not cool, it was even before her whole going emo thing /j (sorry that was a bad joke, you get what I mean).

People are constantly shrugging off Ace whenever he opens up or attempts to open up to Ace and I don’t know about most people but me personally in a situation like this, if someone opened up to me and talked about their fears, how they can’t control their anger, or anything like that, the last thing I would do is shrug it off.

This cast just has a lot of teamwork and empathy issues as far as I can see. I do get your point of the characters not seeing as much as the audience has seen but at the same time it does feel like whenever a character does see one of Ace's breakdowns or explanations they just shrug it off altogether.

It is a very complex issue and I just hope at some point someone besides Teruko can hear what Ace is feeling because I think this situation with Ace could be solved/helped with just one empathetic person in the cast hearing him out.

I hope that all makes sense and isn't just a bunch of repeated information and points.

Sorry this has been in my inbox for…a few days, I think? I’ll be honest, the reason I put off responding to it was because I couldn’t really think of anything to say. I’m pretty sure I agree with all your points, for the most part.

I mean, if I thought that Ace was just a jerk who deserved all the treatment he got, I obviously wouldn’t be as obsessed with him and his writing as I am, haha.

Honestly, I do think Teruko shrugging off Ace’s sorta-trauma-dump when he tries to open up to her in the first chapter does say a lot about her and her past, (honestly I can’t believe I wasn’t enthralled with her as a protagonist at first I love her so much). Like, now that you pointed it out I can’t unsee how he’s actually trying to open up and Teruko’s literally like:

I mean I can’t stay mad at her for it because her ‘are you fucking serious’ sprite makes me laugh every time I see it, but still. She is just dismissing him, which isn’t very nice. She’s obviously judging him and not taking him seriously, which Ace probably noticed as his next sprite is one of his angry ones.

Honestly I think almost everyone in the class gets too caught up in their own issues (which is a very human flaw for them to have). I mean, every time one of the characters has a breakdown, I think someone in the cast is finally going to realize what that person is going through and help them through it…And then they just…don’t?

I mean. J is being harassed by Arturo for four days straight and we only see someone try to stop it once, Eden, and she doesn’t do a good job. Can someone please help this this poor effects artist?! I get that maybe someone tried to help off-screen, but since we don’t see it I can’t be sure that happened and honestly I don’t think it did. J has to force Teruko to help her because no one else is trying to, and she almost gets stabbed in the process. And I already rambled about no one helping Nico last time.

All this is to say that the more I think about it, the more I think you’re right. Almost everyone has had a mental breakdown at some point in DRDT (or in Whit’s case complete emotional detachment) and almost none of them get any comfort from others afterwards. Arei did, but David’s motives are…Questionable. Nico did too, but only after things got so bad they threatened Ace’s life.

I should clarify that none of what I said is meant to criticize the dev’s writing. If anything, this shows just how much I love it because can’t think of many other pieces of media where I would have this much to say. DRDT is just so INTERESTING! Every character, every character dynamic, every location and visual and piece of dialogue! Every time I rewatch a scene I find something new to overthink about. I love it so much. :)

Damn. Apparently I did have a lot to say after all. But yeah, I agree with you and you made great points, thanks for your input!

[mushr00mlady]

Seeing way too many people saying joel is an awful human for what he did and, respectfully, you’re wrong. A lot of people have already said it , but I will say it again. Joel did what he had to do, he has always done what he had to do because the one time he hesitated, he lost the person most precious to him. This world has hardened him beyond repair, but EVEN if it hadn’t. What the fireflies were doing was wrong. It was evil. They were so desperate for the pipe dream of returning to the world they once knew that they were blinded to the 14 year old’s life they were taking to do it without trying anything else first. They didn’t do tests or try to extract DNA. And if they could find the resources to create and distribute a cure they could try to do it without taking the life of a child first. But they didn’t. They have lost their humanity in the same way the other villains of the show have, in the same way the infected have. The fireflies were selfish. Joel was selfish too, but he tried to stop them. He begged them, and they didn’t want to hear it. So he killed them. And what is so important to me about this scene is that he didn’t kill those nurses because they didn’t fight back. He didn’t kill the surgeon until the surgeon picked up a weapon and threatened him. This wasn’t a murderous, pointless rampage. This was saving the life of his child. His little girl who doesn’t deserve any of this. How can we put the weight of the world on a 14 year old girl who has already lost so much? How can we see Joel’s actions as anything but pure and powerful love? Even lying afterward was just to protect her from the crushing guilt and pain of losing your one purpose in life. I’m not saying he was right. And I’m not saying he was wrong. I am saying it was not evil. It was not the tyranny of FEDRA, or the revenge of Kathleen, or the self righteousness of David, or the desperate attempt for change at the cost of an innocent life attempted by the fireflies. It was an act of love. You don’t have to forgive him or like him even, but if you call that evil then you didn’t understand the show at all. And I’m sorry if this was a little senseless, but I am so passionate about this show and it’s commentary on good vs bad and the importance of love which is so integral to this final episode and the whole series really. Anyways, if you’re gonna say “but what about the cure” just don’t say anything at all because at the end of the day, Ellie was never going to be the cure. At least not then, not like that.

[vanilla-phantoms]

I could be so interested in a breakdown of your playlists! I love when people tell me their Kepler thoughts :)

Hoo boy here we go (I think I will do this in three separate posts bc otherwise it will be miles long, but here’s part one)

First off, here’s the playlist again for reference:

1. Tombstone Blues by Richie Havens

This one is on his official playlist by Urbena and it really influenced some of my hcs for him. It feels like a good tone setter for the whole playlist as well as starting off chronologically with his childhood.

“Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes

Daddy's in the alley, he's lookin' for food

I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues”

I headcanon he grew up poor with parents who were often absent and working, leading him to become very competent and self sufficient at a young age.

The verses to this song also have this sense of absurdist parody of capitalist wartime America which really fits well for his character as a whole

2. White Room by Cream

This one is also on his official playlist and I’m gonna be honest I mostly put it here for vibes. The lyrics don’t make too much sense except for the repeated train station setting. I especially like this verse for him:

“You said no strings could secure you at the station

Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows

I walked into such a sad time at the station

As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning”

Idk man. It just fits. There’s going to be a theme in these early life songs of restless frustration.

3. Time Bomb by Rancid

I discovered this song as a Jacobi song, but I can imagine Kepler in his mid teen years falling in with the ‘wrong crowd’ and having a rebellious phase. Once more mostly a reflection of an upbringing forcing him to grow up too fast and a restless anger from being someone very intelligent with few opportunities.

“Well, he's back in the hole where they got him living

Like a rat but he's smarter than that nine lives

Like a cat 15 years old, take him to the youth authority home

First thing you learn, you got to make it in this world alone”

4. King for a Day by Green Day

This is on there for gender headcanons that are very influenced by the headcanons of a friend of mine @vvarren-kepler (who will have more insightful comments about this than me). But it boils down to, Kepler is always someone who uses his image as a tool, and maybe at goddard he uses a traditionally masculine presentation to achieve a specific image and effect and because he knows life will be easier for him that way. Maybe, just maybe, when he was younger with a bit more freedom, he was a bit different.

5. Dirty Imbecile by The Happy Fits

See my other post here for this one:

6. Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

This one is here for his recruitment into Goddard. I like to hc that Cutter recruited him himself, and so in this song Cutter is the man with the red right hand, coming to “rescue” kepler from his life with high and dangerous promises

7. The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie by Colter Wall

This song is a fun one for Kepler in general, but like the one before the “devil” in this song is actually Cutter. This is another one I have on here for his recruitment. I really like the metaphor of goddard as something kepler “sold his soul” or his humanity to, like Lovelace points out in that one scene.

Highlighting this lyric because I can really see cutter using a “you’re just like me” kind of technique when recruiting kepler:

“I know you, I know you young man

I know you by the state of your hands

You're a six-string picker

Just as I, I am”

8. Megalomania by David Lemaitre

This is for him as he’s just joined Goddard, getting used to the cutthroat lifestyle and feeling a little out of his depth.

9. Call Them Brothers by Regina Spektor

I’ve mentioned before that I hc Kepler as having a younger brother that he was the primary caretaker of growing up but who he is now estranged from. This is the process of that estrangement. I think kepler did stick around and take care of him at least until he came of age and could take care of himself, but not for long after that. This could also be the time he decides to change his name and separate himself from his family entirely (I also hc that Kepler isn’t his real surname)

10. Glory and Gore by Lorde

This one is also on his official playlist, and I’m using it to represent his transfer from more normal work in goddard to the black-ops work he ends up leading. I think he probably didn’t start there, but it’s always where Cutter intended to put him. This lyric is one I think fits him pretty well:

‘Delicate in every way but one (the swordplay)

God knows we like archaic kinds of fun (the old ways)

Chance is the only game I play with, baby

We let our battles choose us’

[darsynia]

The heart wants what it wants...

Gosh, so I've been writing for a nearly 30 year old fandom, the book/tv show Christy. I was a huge Kellie Martin fan from Life Goes On, and I'd liked the book (evangelical childhood go brrr)-- lemme tell you, Scottish-voiced older smart gruff man & idealistic kind resourceful opinionated young woman will ALWAYS get me. Add LeVar Burton and Tyne Daly and I'm HOOKED. OH I forgot to mention it's set in the Great Smokies and the vistas are magnificent (TWW reference says hi).

Well, the show itself has a religious scaffolding, and it's pretty wholesome, so though the series manages some truly intense unresolved sexual tension, I should refrain from getting too racy in this 'it was a crime to never show these two kissing' 'shipping Neil/Christy for 30 years does something to a person' story, right? RIGHT?

Me: I'll write a brief satisfying M encounter

Me now: he's soaked after checking for a fire in a thunderstorm and she's slowly unbuttoning him while he loses his mind OOPS

Anyway, I'm putting the finishing touches on Shipping chapter 3, but if you ever watched this show or might be interested in a period piece where two people with hidden feelings find themselves married and figuring out what fun that can be, feel free to check out that story! It's got a tiny online presence (under 200 fics on FFN, my fic was #7 on AO3) so I probably won't post again about it, but I'm very pleased by what I've written.

Breathing Fire

Summary: After an unexpected standoff puts Christy in a compromised position, she discovers what a marriage based on love and friendship is really like. With that firm basis, she seeks to heal the wounds that were caused before she even arrived in Cutter Gap.

For fun, here's an excerpt under the jump:

Note: Set the day after the wedding, but their 'wedding night' was interrupted; Neil is a doctor and he was called away for a medical emergency. He hasn't gotten much sleep as a result.

When she woke next it was thanks to the bright indirect sunlight from the window. She’d slept in.

Christy threw herself out of bed, spluttering her hair out of her face as she rushed over to the dresser to grab something to wear.

“Christy,” Neil rumbled from the bed. He had his arm draped over his eyes.

“I’m late for school!”

“You’re not.”

“No, I am! Miss Alice was supposed to take my place, but she was with you.” She supposed she could dress on the other side of the closet door, or at the top of the stairs with the bedroom door closed. When she turned around with a handful of underthings, meaning to race over to the closet and do just that, she ran right into Neil.

“Grantland got back yesterday evening, he’s teaching your students today,” he said, tugging the clothes from her hands to set them on top of the dresser. “Back to bed,” he said, guiding her back with an arm around her shoulders.

Sleepy Neil was a charming mix of impatience and determination.

“But David has no idea where the lesson plans are!”

“He’ll probably spend the whole day sermonizing at them,” he said once they got over to the bed. Neil then yawned so hard he stumbled sideways before shuffling around to the other side.

Christy sat, her sense of purpose deflated. “Is there anything you were supposed to do this morning that I can do instead? Dropping by a patient’s house, or picking up supplies?”

“No one will expect us for days,” he told her, rubbing at his eye with a knuckle. “We’re meant to spend them enjoying each other, which right now should mean you, sleeping next to me, in silence.” There was a daring sort of tease to his voice that sent a thrill through her. How was she meant to sleep after he said something like that? 

“I’m wide awake. How about I go downstairs and--”

“Don’t,” Neil blurted. He took in a breath to say something, then chuckled. “Not sure how well I’d sleep knowing you were down there rearranging everything.”

“Meaning you’d sleep better if I stayed up here?” Christy guessed.

His expression sobered, and he rolled onto his back. “I keep expecting to wake up and find all of this was a dream.”

If she were braver, she would have told him about her dreams of him, but instead, she said, “How about I go get a book to read, so I can sit up beside you, while you sleep? I can pull the curtains shut.” 

His nod was relieved, and Christy got up, thinking hard to remember where she’d packed her book. It wasn’t with the others, since she’d been reading it a little each night. A glance over at her husband told her he was still ruminating.

“Ask me what I’m reading,” Christy said, crouching down to rummage through the front pocket of one suitcase.

“What?”

“It’s part of distracting you while I look for my book,” she told him. Standing, she put her hands on her hips. Was it downstairs?

“Fine,” Neil said, his voice still sleepy, but more like his confident self. “What are you reading?”

“Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. It’s a story about four sisters, all very different, and how each of them handle the process of growing up. I loved it when I was younger, and now I’m rereading it to pick out parts to share with the children.” As she spoke, she found the book, drew the curtain, then came back to briskly set things up to sit comfortably beside him.

“You’re an excellent teacher, Christy.”

Praise from him really was worth a hundred kind words from anyone else.

[anticomedygarden]

pet appreciation time

Henry teams up with the Humane Society of New York to help make his kids at the shelter have better lives.

-

also posted on ao3

-

Henry gets the idea on a random Tuesday night.

It's not just any Tuesday night, mind you. It's one of the rare occasions where Alex is needed elsewhere for a couple days, so they decided it would be best for Henry to stay at home with David, who threw up the day before. Of course, he does still have to go to work at some point since he rather enjoys spending time with the children under his care, and when he comes home, it hits him. Or, rather, he hits him.

The medium sized ball of fluff also known as David Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Claremont-Diaz.

As Henry is attacked with kisses, he realizes that in the years between his father's passing and falling in love with Alex, his dog brought him some of the purest moments of comfort he had ever known, especially since his adoption had happened around the time Bea checked into rehab.

The road to recovery is difficult, but furry butt waggers that bark certainly made it easier. (Or, in his sister's case, furry butt wigglers that meow.)

He wants to spread that comfort to his kids. They deserve everything in the world he can give them, and he can give them this.

He sends an email to the Humane Society of New York that same night, and by the time he comes into work Wednesday morning, he already has a reply sitting in his inbox.

Dear Mr. Fox,

We received your email regarding an adoption fair at the Fox-Okonjo Youth Shelter, and we think that would be a great idea.

Send over some available dates, and we can work out payment later.

From,

The Humane Society of New York

Excellent. Now all he has to do is ask Pez if it would be alright.

-

Unsurprisingly, Pez says yes. In fact, he gives such an enthusiastic yes that he scares some of the children who were waiting to come into their office, and by the end of the day, they've set up a date, time, and payment for the adoption fair.

When he gets home (and is greeted by an enthusiastic tan, white, and brown blob), Alex is there to greet him as well.

He gets a kiss on the mouth. "Hey, baby, how was your day?"

They've been texting the whole time Alex has been gone, and they called both nights, but Henry had waited to tell him about the adoption fair to see his reaction in real time.

"It was great, but tell me about DC first," he prompts as they sit down on the couch facing each other.

Alex smiles and brings his hands up to gesticulate wildly. "So, when I get there, Mom is already waiting at the Tarmac..." He continues for a while, detailing his trip from landing in DC to getting home to the Brownstone.

A few minutes and a heroic tale about a pigeon later, he's done. "Now, tell me about your day."

Henry can't stop his lips from stretching wide in a smile. "I have some good news."

Alex brightens. "Really? What?"

"You know how David is amazing?"

"I'm aware of his work, yes."

"Well, I thought it would be nice for the kids to have their own pets, or even to just hang out with animals once in a while, so we're going to have an adoption fair with the Humane Society next Thursday at the shelter. Pez and I have already set up a fund to pay for supplies and any adoption fees."

Alex's jaw drops. "That's great, sweetheart! The kids are gonna love it."

Henry rubs his hand up and down the back of the couch. "I really hope so. Most of these children are going through the hardest time of their lives, and David has helped me so much; he's probably the only thing in the world that can rival you in that regard, plus it teaches responsibility, and it's not like we can't afford to take care of some cats and dogs..." He trails off, face heating up as he suddenly realizes what he said.

Alex puts a hand under his chin, forcing him to look up. "You're the most thoughtful, amazing person in the world, H, and I am beyond grateful I get to be in your life." He leans forward to kiss Henry, but pulls back too fast. "And for the record, you and David have helped me, too."

-

Next Thursday comes all too fast, and soon the shelter is full of meowing and barking as the children coo and awe over the rescue animals.

Preparations had to be made, of course, so that the shelter isn't completely overrun with animals. For instance, there is now a fenced in area in the courtyard that connects to a doggy door, and an entire section of rooms that includes the kitchen are strictly prohibited from pets in case any of the kids turn out to be allergic. They also stocked the infirmary with all kinds of allergy medicine, again, just in case.

It had been a difficult decision, but Henry and Pez also decided that they would only have the Humane Society bring over cats and dogs for fear of a snake or something worse getting lost in the halls of the shelter. Plus, every different type of mammal only increases the chance of someone having an allergy.

Now, they have 8 cats loose in one room that they converted into a cat play room complete with climbing toys, shelves, litter boxes, and scratching posts, and there are 6 dogs between the new fenced in area and the room it connected to on leashes held by shelter workers. It’s a tad unorthodox, but Henry had wanted the kids to be able to meet the dogs without seeing bars. With only 13 children, he thought they did pretty good.

Oh, and all the animals were hand picked by shelter workers to be unaggressive and good with kids and other animals.

There is a chance he's a bit stressed about this.

A hand tugs on his sleeve, and he looks down to see a blond preteen with a small tabby cat in his arms. Owen. "Mr. Fox, I picked a cat."

"Hang on Owen, let me just finish up with Jeanette," he says as he helps the 17 year old learn how to take care of a black lab mix named Harris.

On the other side of the room, Pez is having a similar experience as a 16 year old, Lyla, lets her new black cat climb on his shoulders even as he explains to another teenager where the Benadryl is.

It's times like these that he really wishes Alex were less busy, but, alas. He is in class.

He turns back to Jeanette. "Will you be alright without me?"

She nods distractedly, eyes glued to the young shelter worker, Tara, as she demonstrates the proper way to use a clicker for training.

Thankfully, Owen's adoption doesn't take too long, and Henry does a walk through the animal rooms to make sure everything is going smoothly and to check and see how many animals have been adopted. A shelter worker delights in telling him that all but two cats have been chosen, and a child is near tears deliberating between the final felines.

"Raleigh do you need some help?" he asks, kneeling next to the 14 year old, the newest addition to the shelter. She drags a feather toy on the ground in front of her, and two kittens, one black, one white, chase after it ferociously. His heart melts a bit.

She sniffles, and her short brown hair bounces. "They're siblings. They shouldn't be separated."

He sits down cross legged, sensing this could take longer than his nearly three decade old knees can handle.

He knows better than to attempt to explain to her that animals are separated from their siblings all the time because this girl somehow managed to get to them from Raleigh, North Carolina, after being kicked out of her house for coming out as trans. She had to leave three siblings behind.

He gently sticks a hand out and lets one of the kittens sniff it before it goes back to playing with the feather. "What if I told you that you could have both of them?"

Her hand stills; she turns to him. "Really?"

Even after all this time working with children just like Raleigh, he still can't fathom that anyone would look at him like that besides Alex, as if he held all their hopes and dreams in his hands and they were happy about it.

"Yes, of course, you can have both of them. They are siblings, after all."

He absolutely would never have predicted that Raleigh would squeal and throw her arms around him, practically jumping into his lap.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She scoops up the tiny animals and bounds out of the room, Henry laughing behind her.

He can't believe he gets to feel like this.

-

When he gets home from work that night, quite late since he has to stay to help the animals settle in, he picks David up and doesn't let him go, not even when Alex whines and says it's his turn. He just lets David lick all over his face until the beagle squirms to be let down, and then he finally greets Alex and says, "I'm so lucky to have you."

His boyfriend puts his head in his neck. "I take it the fair went well then?"

Henry rubs Alex's curls. "It went so well."

"Good. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

Henry thinks of the rescue animals currently sleeping in their new forever home because of him, 12 young adults who have unquestionable support because of his life's work, and a 14 year old trans girl who, upon being kicked out for things beyond her control, traveled nearly 500 miles to him and chose her name because she wants to return to her home city one day to do what he does.

He squeezes Alex tighter and says, "I think I am, too."

[andromedaexists]

Amethyst, malachite, and labradorite!

Heyya Alex! Fancy seeing you here lol, I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Amethyst: Who is the Comfort Character™ of your wip

I guess I'll give you two, one for each wip!

From Call Me Icarus, I'd have to say Dimetor (Ex-Elysian Dionysus). Didya think I'd say Icarus? Nah, that motherfucker has all my issue lol, I put all the comfort and care into Andromeda and Dimetor, but I am a sucker for father figures and that's the role he plays. I might've said Andromeda if they weren't as much of a little punk as Icarus is lmao

For Desecrate I have to go with Father David. I think a trend may be starting to emerge here, but Father David was a comfort person for me irl and the character based on him is no different. Plus he's just a big ol teddy bear!

Malachite: What do the characters have to lose?

so much

In CMI they have their whole lives to lose. The crew has already lost so much with the way they were raised and separated from everything they've ever loved or cherished, but if they can't deal with the Elysian Program and ATLAS as a whole then they will cause the whole world to lose everything they've ever known while they themselves will lose their lives and chance at a somewhat normal life.

Desecrate is still in the works, but I don't think there is inherently anything they would lose if they didn't do anything. It isn't until Kit takes action on account of his dreams that he starts to risk anything. He could just leave well enough alone, but he won't. And in doing so he puts his friend's at risk. He risks everything they've ever worked towards: Their positions in the Church. Kit himself risks losing those friends ships by putting their livelihoods at risk.

Labradorite: What made you fall in love with your wip? What motivates you to write it?

Oh there's so much!! I really started writing this for myself, it is a story that I would like to read. That is the main thing that motivates me, the other major thing being my need to prove myself. As a burnt out gifted kid, I need to prove that I can work at something and accomplish it, even if I did not perfect it the first time around.

As far as what made me fall in love with my wip, I'd say it's the research. I love love love doing research! So writing a story that draws on themes from the myths without explicitly retelling them means I need to actually research the themes of the myths.

Same thing with Desecrate, the concept for that stemmed from one question: What if Marcion was right about Christianity and that became the leading ancient belief instead of proto-orthodox? I had to (and still have to) do a lot of research to make sure that everything adds up and that I know what I am talking about!

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

7th September >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Saturday, Twenty Second Week in Ordinary Time 

or

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Saturday, Twenty Second Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II))

First Reading 1 Corinthians 4:6-15 What do you have that was not given to you?

Take Apollos and myself as an example and remember the maxim: ‘Keep to what is written.’ It is not for you, so full of your own importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not? Is it that you have everything you want – that you are rich already, in possession of your kingdom, with us left outside? Indeed I wish you were really kings, and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true – we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ, while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power, but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies. To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we are cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated as the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth. I am saying all this not just to make you ashamed but to bring you, as my dearest children, to your senses. You might have thousands of guardians in Christ, but not more than one father and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the Good News.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 144(145):17-21

R/ The Lord is close to all who call him.

The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.

R/ The Lord is close to all who call him.

He grants the desires of those who fear him, he hears their cry and he saves them. The Lord protects all who love him; but the wicked he will utterly destroy.

R/ The Lord is close to all who call him.

Let me speak the praise of the Lord, let all mankind bless his holy name for ever, for ages unending.

R/ The Lord is close to all who call him.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Psalm 26:11

Alleluia, alleluia! Instruct me, Lord, in your way; on an even path lead me. Alleluia!

Or: John 14:6

Alleluia, alleluia! I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord; No one can come to the Father except through me. Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 6:1-5 The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.

One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Jesus answered them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

Either:

First Reading Genesis 3:9-15,20 The mother of all those who live.

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust every day of your life. I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

OR: --------

First reading Genesis 12:1-7 All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you

The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.

‘I will bless those who bless you: I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.’

So Abram went as the Lord told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had amassed and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set off for the land of Canaan, and arrived there. Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem’s holy place, the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘It is to your descendants that I will give this land.’ So Abram built there an altar for the Lord who had appeared to him.

OR: --------

First reading 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-11,16 The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

OR: --------

First reading 1 Chronicles 15:3-4,15-16,16:1-2 They brought in the ark of God and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it

David gathered all Israel together to bring the ark of God up to the place he had prepared for it. David called together the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the shafts on their shoulders, as Moses had ordered in accordance with the word of the Lord. David then told the heads of the Levites to assign duties for their kinsmen as cantors, with their various instruments of music, harps and lyres and cymbals, to play joyful tunes. They brought the ark of God in and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered holocausts before God, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

OR: --------

First reading Proverbs 8:22-31 Before the earth came into being, Wisdom was born

The Wisdom of God cries aloud:

The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being. The deep was not, when I was born, there were no springs to gush with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I came to birth; before he made the earth, the countryside, or the first grains of the world’s dust. When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there, when he drew a ring on the surface of the deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs of the deep, when he assigned the sea its boundaries – and the waters will not invade the shore – when he laid down the foundations of the earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men.

OR: --------

First reading Ecclesiasticus 24:1-4,8-12,18-21 From eternity, in the beginning, God created wisdom

Wisdom speaks her own praises, in the midst of her people she glories in herself. She opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High, she glories in herself in the presence of the Mighty One: ‘I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and I covered the earth like a mist. I had my tent in the heights, and my throne in a pillar of cloud. Then the creator of all things instructed me, and he who created me fixed a place for my tent. He said, “Pitch your tent in Jacob, make Israel your inheritance.” From eternity, in the beginning, he created me, and for eternity I shall remain. I ministered before him in the holy tabernacle, and thus was I established on Zion. In the beloved city he has given me rest, and in Jerusalem I wield my authority. I have taken root in a privileged people, in the Lord’s property, in his inheritance. Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits, for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb. They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more. Whoever listens to me will never have to blush, whoever acts as I dictate will never sin.’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10 The maiden is with child

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said:

‘Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 9:1-6 A Son is given to us

The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.

For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian.

For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt, and consumed by fire.

For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 61:9-11 I exult for joy in the Lord

Their race will be famous throughout the nations, their descendants throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.

‘I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.

‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.’

OR: --------

First reading Micah 5:1-4 He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord

The Lord says this:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old. The Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel. He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God. They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land. He himself will be peace.

OR: --------

First reading Zechariah 2:14-17 'I am coming', says the Lord

Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling.

Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord. I find my strength in my God; my mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are clothed with strength. Those with plenty must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has children now but the fruitful wife bears no more.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back; it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes to give him a glorious throne. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, on them he has set the world.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

Gospel Acclamation cf.Lk1:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women. Alleluia!

Or: cf.Lk1:45

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia!

Or: cf.Lk2:19

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!

Or: Lk11:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for the sun of justice, Christ our God, was born of you. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy is the Virgin Mary, who, without dying, won the palm of martyrdom beneath the cross of the Lord. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ.

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother, Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother, Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother, Obed was the father of Jesse; and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah; and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers. Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob; and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.