#don't get enough chances for that kind of thing

[mr-mercutio]

So here's something that I have learned about patriarchy I want to share: patriarchy is designed to benefit PATRIARCHS. Being the male "head of the family." It's about power and status and hierarchy. To be a patriarch you have to be in charge of others - generally your family. That includes other men! There's no real way to actually escape this, but the closest thing to escaping it for men is to become patriarchs themselves.

My dad was raised in a very strict and traditional catholic household. My opa (his dad) was very much The Head of the Family - even more so because he immigrated to Canada and his father wasn't around, so there was no one above him. He expected obedience from his wife and children, including his two sons, and that was just The Way of Things.

My dad suffered under this quite a lot. And he did the big hippie thing of vowing not to be like his dad - and to his credit, he did try in many ways not to repeat the same mistakes his dad did when being my dad. But the problem is that he still bought into the system of patriarchy. And the only real way to have power in that system is to be a patriarch. So that's what he became. He got a wife and had kids and expected them to defer to him the way he had to defer to his dad. He expected the cycle to continue, but now in his favour.

Problem was that no one else in my immediate family was fine with that. My mom eventually checked out of that. I cut my dad out of my life about 8 years ago. My sisters barely speak to him. We said no, you don't get to control us like that just because you're The Man of the House. You don't get to dictate our lives to us, to tell us how to behave and what's allowed and what isn't, especially as adults. It was chafing enough as kids, but as an adult he still had this expectation that we'd all still defer to him. He would always be right the same was his dad was always right.

And that worldview of his extended to everything outside the family as well - that's why he buys into men's rights nonsense and is anti-choice and thinks the world is too woke. Because he sees that people aren't willing to just prop up the system, and it means he doesn't get the power from it that he was promised. When he was young, it was clear that if he just held out and did what he was told, he would one day be King. And now he doesn't have that and hates it.

I've cut him out of my life because it's been too difficult to stay connected to him. He's hurt me too much and I can't be okay with him anymore. But I'm SAD for him because he's been screwed over by this system just as much as most people I know. Not in the same ways, but still very palpably. But he'll never acknowledge that the problem is the system and not everyone who refuses to follow it. For him, everyone who says no to patriarchy is just wrong and a traitor to how people should live, and he refuses to see that he doesn't benefit from this system because it's a BAD system. It crushed him and remolded him into something to prop itself up, and that's heartbreaking.

The people who support patriarchy are rarely the ones who are actually truly benefiting from it. Yes, men definitely get privilege from the system because it's designed to put men over everyone else. But very few men in the system actually manage to escape the hierarchy of the other men over top of them who make their lives miserable.

If you can, be kind and try to understand and help. It's too late for me and my dad - there's too much bad blood there now and I tried to help for too long without success. I still hope for his sake that he finds a better way to be happy. But there are lots of men out there who would blossom and thrive if they could let go of the idea that patriarchy is going to make them king - and there are more chances than ever that they CAN understand that. Try to give them that chance.

I want there to be fewer MRAs. Do you want that too? Do you want to know what helps us get there, from a feminist perspective?

You may not like my answer: acknowledge that sexism can affect men. Recognize that, although the patriarchy generally privileges men, they are also subject to restrictive gender roles that are harmful to them (shunning all things “feminine,” not showing emotions, being protectors/strong, never admitting being victims of SA/IPV, having to “earn” their manhood, etc.).

Give young men a place other than the right-wing manosphere to be heard about the issues they experience. If these grifters are telling them “only we understand how hard it is to be a man, the left hates you for your gender” and they look to the left and see “men claiming they have ‘problems’ are losers who just hate women, all men are trash,” do you think they’re going to be drawn towards or away from feminism?

Before you leave an angry response: no, this does not mean to center men instead of women in feminism, it just means including them at all. No, it is not “coddling” men to treat them with human dignity, you can and should continue to hold them (and every other gender) responsible for unpacking sexist beliefs. No, this does not mean it is every individual woman’s and feminist’s responsibility to prioritize men’s issues, it just means at the least not shutting them down when they do speak up about sexism. No, it is not “not all men-ing” to point out that “men are trash” sentiments hurt the feminist movement rather than helping it. Ask questions before you make accusations on this post, please. I have been abused by men too, I get it, this isn’t easy to hear.

[earthchica]

I want you

terry richmond x black, fem! reader

summary: you and Terry are roommates who are sexually attracted to each other; you have a habit of stealing his shirts, and Terry doesn't mind, but eventually, he confronts you about it.

warnings: explicit smut (18+), dom/sub kinda, oral (f) fingering, unprotected counter/couch sex, size kink, roommates, nicknames (shorty, lil mama, baby, baby girl) & more. words: 2k

note: oddly enough, this is based on a dream I had; it's kind of short. also, I used the first line from @kumkaniudaku, "Askew," as inspiration for a line I used. I wanted to give credit; you did your thang, lol. Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts.

-

It was a lazy, cozy Wednesday when you found yourself in your roommate, Terry's bedroom, about to steal one of his shirts while he was in the shower.

You twisted your lip, quickly grabbing the shirt off the bed and putting it on. Since you were short, it was like a dress on you. Most of his shirts were, and honestly, you loved them like that.

His shirts made you feel comfortable and safe, and smelled like him. You wouldn't admit this out loud, but you wanted him so badly, plus there was so much sexual tension between you two.

You smiled happily, put your glasses back on, and skipped to the kitchen to make dinner for you both. After a few minutes, Terry came out of the shower and dried off.

He walked into his bedroom, about to get dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, but there was a problem. Where the hell did his shirt go?

"Bruh…what?" Terry huffed, looking everywhere for his shirt, and then his mind went to you, and he grew a smile. Terry grabbed another shirt from his dresser to put on and went to look for you.

Terry called your name, his voice echoing through the apartment. "Yeah?" You asked, keeping your breathing even while you were looking through the cabinets.

He paused at the kitchen doorframe, seeing you wearing his shirt confirmed his thought. Terry smirks, looking at his beautiful, petite, curvy roommate, swaying your hips to the music.

Terry loves seeing you wear his clothes; he always gets excited by the way your beautiful curves look in the shirt. He's developed a strong crush on you ever since you two became roommates.

Maybe this is his chance to make a move on you. "Earth to Terry?" You called his name, waving your hand in his face, and he blinked away from his daydreaming.

"Are you good?" you asked curiously, and he nodded with a slight chuckle, moving closer to you and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Yeah! Is that my shirt?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at you. You bite your lip and tilt your head, looking at him through your glasses.

"Yeah, maybe. Is that a problem?" you asked teasingly, and he bit his lip. Your heart started to race as his hands reaching the hem of his shirt, pulling you towards him.

"Not at all; you know when I see you wearing my shirt, it does things to me," He whispered intensely in your ear. You couldn't help but whimper.

The intense and lustful look in the eyes was sincere; Terry was a tall, sweet giant just towering over your plump, short self, making you go immediately into submissive.

“Tell me to stop! Tell me if you don't want this, and I will,” Terry said, slightly crouching to press his forehead against yours. You felt your breath hitch as he stared into your eyes.

“Don't stop, Terry! I want you so bad,” You whispered, feeling his hands slowly slide down to grope and massage your ass lightly. Terry's soft breathing was soothing.

He picked you up and sat you on the kitchen counter before pressing his lips against yours; you moaned and grabbed the back of his neck.

“Wait, wait. Are you clear?” You asked, pushing him slightly away to look at him. His eyes had darkened, and he said, “Yeah, I’m clear. Are you?"

"Yes!" You answered, and he nodded. "Good, come here." Terry began kissing the exposed part of your neck, leaving little love bites. Slowly, he pulled the shirt over your head.

The cold air causes your nipples to become erect. "Terry please!" You moaned as you felt his erect, throbbing dick through his sweatpants, poking at your leg.

“Mmmm..fuck girl. Where have you been hiding these beautiful tits?” Terry asked, going suck your breasts, squeezing and playing with them.

"P-please…I need you!" You moaned, stroking him through his sweatpants, causing him to curse low.

“How much do you need me, baby?" Terry asked, looking into your eyes with this curious look that made your pussy more wetter than before.

“I need you so bad. I think about you all the time, Terry. I sometimes finger myself, wishing you were doing it,” You confessed honestly.

“Mmm, me too baby. Whenever I see you in one of my shirts, just want to bend you over and fuck you,” Terry confessed as his large hands gripped your plump legs.

He spread them slightly more before he dipped down, took your panties off, and ran his middle finger up your slit to collect your juices.

You bit your lip, feeling your body slightly shaking with excitement and pleasure. Terry pushes two fingers inside you, grazing your g-spot; he begins to thrust his fingers fast before slowing down abruptly.

"Terry, don’t stop, please," You whined, realizing he stopped for a second. "Touch me, please…I need you!" You moaned, his body standing in front of you.

"Patience, shorty, I'm gonna just do that!" You bite your lip from smiling at his nickname for you as he leans to kiss you, gripping your long, curly 4a hair for a second.

You moaned, feeling his throbbing length press against your thigh again. "You're so damn stunning, you know." He spoke into your soft brown skin, kissing down to your core.

"Mmmm…wet for me, baby?" Terry asked, spreading your legs out a little before you could get a word out. His hot tongue met your pussy, pressing against you.

“Yes, yes, ahh, yes,” You moaned, feeling him lick and run his tongue up your folds, flicking your clit and moaning into your core; he sent vibrations up your body.

You throw your head back, resting it against the cabinet and gripping the back of his head. You cry his name as he goes faster and places your leg over his shoulder while practically making out with your pussy.

Terry pulls away and slaps your pussy, causing you to moan. “Look at me while I’m eating your pussy, baby; tell me how good I’m making you feel,” he says, looking at you with those eyes and going back in.

“Ahhh…fuck Terry, It feels so good; your tongue feels amazing,” You cried as you felt yourself getting closer and closer to the edge. "Fuck, T. I'm gonna-" You cried out as your orgasm hit you like a wave.

Your head started spinning as his thumb circled your clit, his eyes following each expression on your face like he was memorizing it. You pulled him up, bringing his lips to yours.

So you could taste yourself, and you could move your hand down, taking his shirt off, and feel up his abs, prompting a moan from him, which makes you moan as well.

You pulled down his sweatpants and boxers, and he took him off completely. You got a feel of his dick, knowing it must be big, but just looking at it now.

It was thick, lengthy, and ready for some release. You felt slightly unconfident that you weren't gonna be able to take it all. “It’s so big, I don’t know if I can take it.”

“You can take it, baby! I know you can; we’ll go slow,” Terry encouraged, settling between your legs and pulling you into a kiss, containing your moans as his dick slid up and down your wet folds.

“AHHHH!” You gasped, feeling him slide inside you, filling you slowly. "You good, baby?" He asked, cupping your cheek as you closed your eyes for a second.

"Yeah...it feel good...Terry, just move, please." You moaned, feeling yourself clench around him, and he pulled you in another kiss again, before breaking apart to moan.

"You feel so good and tight, shorty," Terry said, making his thrusts slowly, and you feel yourself adjusted to his size. "Faster, please," You asked.

“You want me to go faster?” he asked, and you nodded, “Yes, faster, Daddy!” Terry growled at you calling him Daddy, pulling you to kiss you, lifting you from the counter, and moving towards the couch.

“lil mama, If I go faster….imma fuck these glasses off your face. Are you sure?” He asked, laying you down in the corner of the couch before getting your answer.

“Yes, I want you to go faster and deeper, please.” You said with a smile, wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him closer which made him grin.

"You drive me crazy," Terry said, taking his dick in his hand and sliding back into you, going faster and deeper. You grip onto his biceps, arching your back.

"Yes, just like that, ahh fuck me, oh my god. yes, this feels so good," You cried, slowly feeling your glasses coming off your face and dropping to your side.

"You like this, don't you, you like the way I'm fucking you?" He asked, and you nodded, crying out when he angled his hips and his pelvic bone slid across your clit. "Oh my god, Terry."

"Fuck, look at you. I told you you could take this dick; you gotta me feeling proud," Terry moaned, looking down at you, his voice deeper as he grunted with each thrust.

His lips are coming down to kiss your lips fast as his dick twitching inside of you. "Daddy, let me ride you," you begged as your nails dug into his arms.

"Shit! You wanna ride me, beautiful?" Terry asked, clutching at your waist. "Fuck yes, I do, please let me," You whimpered, and Terry chuckled at your desperation.

Terry groans softly as he pulls out of you and moves to sit in the middle of the couch. He leaned back against the couch, waiting for you, and you moved up, grabbed hold of his dick, and slid down slowly.

You bite your lip to keep from screaming, just loving how he filled you so perfectly; his dick was so throbbing with this new sex position; it just made your eyes roll back.

Terry looked at you in rapture, groaned, and threw his head back. You bit your lip, grabbed his shoulders, bounced up and down, and made yourself throw it back.

“Fuck, fuck, just like that. Goddamn, jiggled that ass on that dick,” Terry moaned, closing his eyes for a second before looking up at you, watching your breasts match the rhythm of your riding.

"Oh fuck, I always imagine it being good, but I think it’s much more than that; it’s incredible, Terry!" You said, feeling him grabbing your ass cheeks with his hands.

You continued to bounce up and down his dick while holding the back of the couch. Terry pushed your arms to the side and slightly lowered himself before wrapping his arms around your back, going full beast mode.

You let out a loud chant of moans, feeling yourself get close to the edge. "Are you about to cum, baby?" Terry asked, giving your ass cheek smack.

You cried in response, happy tears coming from your face, and you have never had a man make you feel this fucking good ever in your life.

“Ahh yes…yes fuck me, fuck me through it, Daddy,” You cried, loudly going to bury your face into his neck. His hips smacked against your ass fast,

The sound of slapping skin was louder than any sound you'd made yet, and you felt the knot form in the pit of your stomach. You pulled back to look at Terry's face.

“Fuck, baby….shit this pussy” Terry moans as his dick twitches and swells deep inside you. You reached your high with a loud moan of his name. "AHH TERRY!!!!!!!"

Your inner walls clenched tightly around his dick as Terry reached his own a few seconds later, his body giving into the blissful pleasure while he pulled out and released himself.

He was panting heavily, his arms still tightly wrapped around your waist as his head rested against the couch. His breathing hit your brown skin, tingling it a little bit and the room fell silent.

The two of you finally calmed down from your intense orgasms. “Damn, that was fucking special!" Terry breaks the silence with a laugh.

“Yeah, it was, " you replied, feeling awkward and shy. You didn't know what to do after, so you quickly grabbed your glasses and moved off of him to put them on.

You tried to cover yourself up, but Terry stopped you. "Hey…don't get like that. There's no need to be shy now, especially after what we just did"

"I'm not being shy. I'm good. This was nice, um…I'm gonna go take a shower,” you said, not letting Terry say a word before dashing to your bedroom and leaving him dumbfounded.

You closed your door and leaned your head against it, feeling stupid for being weird like that, but it was for your own good; you knew you couldn’t let it happen again.

part 2?

[biteyoubiteme]

don't you want me?

soobin x fem!reader

synopsis: don't you want your boyfriend?

warnings: 🔞!!! this is just smut no plot lol, some nipple play, soobin calls reader bunny, no protection, creampie, fingering, prob forgot some sorry

wc: 0.9k

an: thank you so much saturn for requesting! I hope you like this one sorry it’s short ;-; <3333

[m.list] [1kevent m.list]

had only been a day since the last time you had seen him, snuggled up in his bed after he had tired himself out with using you. It wasn't uncommon for him to go round after round, at least not with you. No partner had ever made him feel this needy, always hard even after one go. His whiny pleas to keep going mixed with his scrunched brow always worked to get you to agree. He was always so good at begging. 

You had planned a study date, your bag weighing down your shoulder as you knocked on his door. Sometimes you even got some studying done, only it was usually when you were in public and not plagued by the thought of his bedroom only being a foot away. Because you were also to blame for always getting him started, purposefully wearing things he couldn't keep his eyes off of, and brushing his thigh every other time you had the chance to. 

Now was no different, although it wasn't intentional, you really did think you would get some kind of studying done.Dressed down in your pajamas, oversized shirt covering your shorts enough to give soobin the illusion that you had none on in the first place. He pulls your bag from you, having enough control to place it down on the coffee table before tugging you down with him onto the couch. 

“You didn't even say hi!” you're giggling, his kisses peppering down your neck, hips pushing you into the sofa, hands pushing up your shirt. 

“Hi, hello, I'm sorry, I just missed you,” he's not even trying to hide the fact he's already hard, that he's been hard just thinking about you coming over. 

“We both have exams tomorrow,” you try to remind him, fingers brushing through his hair as his lips are finding half-faded marks he's sucked onto your skin only the day before. “We should really study,” 

“Don't you want me?” he asks, nose bumping your ear, hand sliding down the outside of your thigh. “because all I could think about was the way you felt under me,” he hooks his hand under your knee pulling your leg enough so that he can sink his hips closer to yours. “how am I supposed to pay attention to anything other than you?” 

All you can respond with is a moan when he presses his bulge against you, dragging his hips to put pressure right on your clothed clit. “please bunny, please,” 

You didn't need much begging to get stripped, even less begging when you finally felt him slip into you. His whining gasps fanning over your skin, one hand keeps him up and the other squeezes your breast, thumb running over your peaked nipple. “Look at your perfect tits, all for me,” 

He's trying to hold back, to draw out the pleasure as long as he can but it's impossible when buried in you. Warm walls sucking him in, begging for him to just pound into you, push you into the sofa, and just take over without any thoughts on his mind. He wants to, just thinking about it makes him whimper, “Tell me you missed me, didn't you miss me?” 

“Yes-” you gasp, arms wrapped around his neck, the heels of your feet digging into his ass pushing him closer to you. “I missed you so much,” 

“I missed your perfect pussy, bunny, always so ready and wet for me,” all of his rambling broken up by throaty moans, “I can't stop thinking about you, filling you up,” 

His rhythmic thrusts press so deep inside you, leaving you speechless with every drag. But he's not paying attention to getting you off just yet, his body disconnecting from his mind as he beats his hips against yours. He feels his orgasm building and knows any second he will cum. Enough to make it so easy to keep going, stuffing it all right back in, just thinking about it has him whimpering in your ear. 

“Are you going to cum for me?” you ask, his body falling closer to you, always wanting to be pressed as close as he can get when he cums.

He’s nodding into your neck, breathy whines mixing with his answer. “Yes, oh god- please,” every sloppy thrust followed by his little ah-ah’s. “You feel so good, I’m-” he feels his balls draw up, his hips stuttering to a stop as he lets out streams of cum into your waiting cunt, cock pulsing as he moans into your neck. It isn't until he pulls out and catches his breath that he realizes that you didn't finish, too caught up in chasing his own high. 

“I'm so sorry bunny, let me take care of you as good as you take care of me,” 

He gave you no time to realize the switch, his long fingers shoving into your sensitive entrance, pushing back in all his cum as he pumps in time with his previous thrusts. He uses his other hand to fiercely rub at your clit. The stimulation makes your back arch, hands scratching at the fabric of the couch. “Look at my pretty bunny,” he coos, the squelching sounds from all your slick mixing with your moans. “Are you going to cum for me?” he asks, using your own words on you. 

“Yes- yes-” It's almost too much for you, his fingers not stopping even as you cum. You're a mess of stammering words and faltering breaths, trying to find yourself as your knees try to close in around him. 

Just watching you fall apart is enough to get him semi-hard again, ready for another round. He slathers his wet fingers over your entrance, keeping as much wetness as possible from sliding out. “Just one more please-” 

“Soobin our exams-” 

“Please, I'll be quick, don't you want me?” 

taglist 🏷: @kissmekissykissme @bts-txt-ateez @apeachty @seungfl0wer @lunesdesire want to be added to the taglist? check out my rules to see how to join! want to be taken off the taglist? send an ask! and thank you to @hyukascampfire for being the sweetest angel who ever lived, personally taking the time to read this for me ily. 🤍

[angelicsjn]

How would ocs act if darling is already in an established relationship with someone else? Also I'm really interested in your religious oc, religious themes and imbalances just get me going lol

YOUR SEVEN YANDERES.

A N: This might be a lil short, my apologies...

A B O U T: You are in a relationship, and it's not with them.

W A R N I N G S: Hints of homewrecking.

— ROMAN BEAUREGARD.

Have you heard rumours around F1 drivers and their dating lives?

He doesn't care.

Call him Ariana Grande because he will break into your house and make you a new home.

If he wants you, he will get you, regardless of your relationship status.

But, he does it in a way that's so seamless that nobody even questions his motives, I mean. If it's true love, who is he to leave that chance?

— LATEN REED.

He's not like Roman, but he's still on it.

He wants that damn cookie.

He uses his popularity to his advantage. Everyone loves him, and it's easy for him to turn your partner into an enemy.

He will snoop around and find out anything that makes them even look slightly bad and capitalises on it.

— JAE 'NIKO' LEE.

This man straight up doesn't give a fuck.

He'd kill the bitch for even sniffing around you.

"You can do better than them, they're weird as fuck." And honestly, he's so true (he's got you bedazzled by his good looks)

— KAIDAN WOLFE.

No.... you don't....?

They don't exist to him.

One day, you're with someone. The next you're, like, not. You're with him.

He makes sure that the whole world knows, even you find out when you go onto your phone to see it's blown the hell up.

— HAYDEN WEST.

He's biting his fist.

He's a good boy. He can't do this. He feels so guilty.

So he settles with a friendship....

But he's so attentive. So kind. Caring. It's hard not to fall in love, really.

— JOSHUA WHITE.

Joshua is seen as one of the sweeter few, but he's very deceptive like that.

They aren't a follower of God? He turns the town on them. They said the Lords name in vain? He's rubbing his hand together.

He finds anything to turn the town against them. He finds anything to turn you against them.

He wouldn't make you cheat, no. But he will help you end it with them.

— BLAKE CROSS.

"That's... you chose that?" He'd actually laugh. "Come on, you're too good looking for that thing, Jesus Christ. We're you drunk?"

He's obvious that he wants a piece, and to be frank, he doesn't care. Lmao.

He makes it obvious, and why wouldn't you want him back? He's good-looking, rich, funny, he will take care of you.

He doesn't force it. He doesn't have to. He just worms his way into your life and gets comfortable. That's enough.

[tehkusogaki]

I'm seeing a lot of people in the comments disparaging this remake, but I do want to go into a few reasons why it doesn't look as strong as the original.

Now of course no one is immune to nostalgia goggles and it's very easy to have that "they changed it, now it sucks!" instinctive reaction, so I am going to try to critique specific things and go into why I think they don't work as well.

First, I want to point out the composition of these two shots and specifically where the focus is.

In our original Hiccup and Toothless literally meet in the middle. With both Toothless and Hiccup pushed off the edge of the screen.

In this version they kept Hiccup fully in scene, but look how the focus of the action is now off to the side. We aren't focusing on either character-- they're both still pushed off to the edges of the screen-- but it's no longer both of them coming together in the middle, but rather Hiccup taking up the scene with Toothless starting to invade it.

Now this bit may be a little nit-picky, but look how perfectly the curve of Hiccup's hand matches Toothless's snout in the original in a way they don't in second image. They are so close, running parallel to each other. That's a very powerful image, and the remake doesn't quite match it.

I see a lot of people in the notes saying the lighting sucks, but no one explaining why. Looking at the bottom pic, you can see it actually has a greater value scale. There are a lot more midtones. Why is this bad? Because the action disappears into the background.

In the first pic there is a clear line of action going from Hiccup's arm to Toothless. By having these the lightest areas in the shot your eye is drawn to them. Then the darkest parts are Toothless's body and Hiccup's vest and hair which make them pop from the background. The most visible part of Toothless is his eye. There's a little bit of highlight on his scales and there's lighter midtones around his body to help clarify his silhouette, but we are drawn to his eye because of the light on dark contrast.

In the lower pic there is some highlight on toothless's scales (look at all that Texture! Wowee! We sure can put our computers to good use adding in details), but why is that the part on Toothless that stands out? Why is that important? Hiccup's arm kind of disappears into the background, and I can see more detail in the background than in our main character. The light sandy beach wants to draw my eye down, but there's nothing important there.

Now I put these in black and white to better see the contrast, but back to the color version, the background is mostly cool tones with warm light settling on our characters: another way in which the first one makes the characters stand out.

The only thing really catching my eye in the second one is that the greens are maybe too green? I'm not getting the same delineation of foreground and background.

There are a few other things to be picky about.

Like Hiccup's costume. Now I don't know enough about costumes to confidently pick it apart detail by detail (and honestly can't make out enough details to do so anyway) but what is one of Hiccup's defining traits? His scrawniness, right?

Look at that skinny little arm reaching out for that dragon. Look how that thin strip of lighter colored fabric visible from under his vest accentuates how slender his trunk is. Look how clearly you can see how he leans away from Toothless even as he reaches out for him. You can see the hesitation in his arm through his slightly bent elbow.

I feel like the bulky, loose costume on the actor makes him look bigger than he should and obscures body language.

Now here's the part where I want to remind y'all that art is subjective. These are some of my thoughts on this, but are by no means the only way view this. Also, please be nice to this kid. He got a chance to play a favorite childhood character. I'm sure he thought it was pretty cool to be given the opportunity and is trying really hard to live up to the role. None of the things I've pointed out here are his fault. Don't be a dick! Actors are people too.

I don't like that this is a thing. But I'm sure many people really tried to put in their best effort into this. Don't let your ire with Universal/DreamWorks for making a cash grab of your childhood nostalgia turn into harassment of artists and actors. I've seen that happen too frequently.

And remember: animation isn't an inferior art form, sometimes it really is the best medium to tell a story in.

httyd got live actioned. trailer just dropped and its uh. hm

idk what i was expecting but what looks like a shot-for-shot remake except with ugly ass high definition cgi that detracts from rather than enhances the cinematography really is. well it's a choice.

[weaselle]

It's almost thanksgiving, and I want to talk about dogs and bones.

It took me forever to understand why I couldn't give bones to our dogs because no one ever explained it, and i was like "but wolves and coyotes and foxes and things totally eat bones all the time, i've seen tons of footage of wild canines eating bones" and it never made sense. But now it does and i want to help anyone who is where i was with this

There are 3 reasons not to give your dog bones

First mother canines (and any other relatives present) typically do actually demonstrate for puppies the proper way to eat bones, which can vary from prey type to prey type. For example, bird bones can be tricky and dangerous, even the raw ones splinter more easily because of the way they are structured to be semi-hollow. Wild canines get shown how to eat these things. You can't really do that for your dog.

Second bones can have unknown microbes and parasites, and between that and bone ingestion being a skill check, now and then wild canines do actually die of complications from either eating the wrong bone, or eating a bone wrong.

But the MAIN reason is - if the bones are cooked it changes them.

see, most raw bones tend to break the same way safety glass breaks, into crumbly chunks, like so

but COOKING the bones changes their physical composition

so after you cook a bone, if you break it, it's much more likely to give you long sharp shapes like this

So a wolf, or your dog, munching happily on whatever, a deer bone, is getting crumbly chunks of bone kibble. But if you cook that same bone they're going to be swallowing thin sharp splinters of deadly bone instead.

Yes, a lot of dogs can slowly digest bone material, but if a single sharp shard pierces your dog's stomach, or gods forbid their intestine! before the bone starts to melt enough... then their digestive enzymes and waste material (basically acid sewage) can get into the rest of their body. This can cause lots of bad problems right up to causing terminal sepsis -- which is where your body tries so hard to kill a bad infection that it kills your own organs. Like if those bees in Japan were trying to kill a hornet so hard they made it too hot for the bees to live either.

Even the surgery to fix it is sometimes the cause of death for a dog; it's invasive surgery, no matter how careful they are it's still another opportunity for infection to get a direct line into the core of your dog. They use anesthesia to keep the dog asleep during surgery and the chances of the dog straight up dying from the anesthesia itself are low... but they aren't zero. And it's not like an anatomy book in there, it's a messy difficult thing to do, cutting and stitching around in there.

Your dog can eat a cooked bone and be fine 19 times and die on the 20th. Or 8th. Or 37th. Or your dog could die on the first one.

It's a total roll of the dice on their life.

Now, if you really really want to give your dog bones for reasons that aren't because you made a dinner that has bones (I did-- when Badger was a puppy I tried to give him all the parts of animals I could to make sure he was getting access to the same nutrients a wild canine would get and have all the taste and chew experiences a wild canine would have, as much as possible) that's fine.

Just do good research and either work with a butcher to get fresh good quality bones or buy bones that are meant for dogs by companies who have to worry about being sued if they sell dangerous bones. I used to get Badger these, uh, i think they were sheep kneecaps, and also some kind of rib bones, idk it was 10 years ago, but i got them from pet supply companies for dogs. Oxtails and deer trachea too. If you want to give your dog bones and animal parts, there are hundreds of ways to do that safely.

Don't give them random raw bones from preparing your dinner unless you've researched it heavily and are being specific and careful - remember, you can't demonstrate the best way to eat those bones they way momma wolf could. If giving the dog the bones from making your dinner is important to you for some reason (i could understand a life bonding thing or something, honoring the ancient pact between our kinds or whatever) then just make sure you're choosing the right dinners for that to be okay for your dog. I would say even do home experiments and crush the kind of raw bones you want to feed to your dog with shears and hammers and things to see what you're letting your dog swallow.

And don't forget you're cooking away any microbes that might be on it when you eat it, but all your dog gets is its own immune system. It is in some ways better at raw food than yours, but it's still just one lone immune system in a world full of mites and bacteria and viruses and little eggs that hatch inside your body. Cooking kills all those things, but makes the bones dangerous for dogs. So, make sure you're getting high quality bones, like from a place you'd feel safe eating the meat from raw, we're talking sushi quality meat. Don't just give your dog random raw bones from your dinner, unless you have done the work to make sure you're doing it safely

BUT ESPECIALLY DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG COOKED BONES

this has been a PSA, thank you

[red-doll-face]

ex boyfriend low honor arthur who cant get over you. 😔

low honor Arthur Morgan x fem. reader. warnings: nsfw, lh arthur and his breeding kink, mentions of pregnancy, baby trapping...

Let's say Arthur is independent of the gang for whatever reason. Maybe you dated him while he was in the gang but you broke things off. He most likely prioritized the gang at some point about something really important to you or said something that took it too far too many times. You tell him you’re done. And he gets this really hard look in his eyes. He asks you if you're joking, cause it ain’t funny, in this voice that's like ice. You shake your head, showing your small bag of belongings, separated from all of his things. Puts his hands on his hips and sniffs. He’s devastated but he just nods. Arthur doesn't want you to see how much he's gutted. Deep down he wants to beg for another chance but he’s also arrogant enough to think you'll come crawling back. Regrets when his last words to you are ‘get out of my sight’ and your last words to him are ‘sorry, Arthur’. 

And of course you never do come crawling back. 

Then things with the gang fall apart and Arthur is probably the lowest he's ever been. He's never stopped thinking about you either. He can pretend he doesn't care but he's such a suckered for you. Never stopped loving you. Arthur is even worse than he was with Mary. Every single thing you left behind is venerated and he keeps them in this delicate little box. A ribbon from your hair, some jewelry he gave you, a hand mirror. Anything you gave to him he keeps close to his heart, a photograph of you two is always in his breast pocket. Any clothes you leave behind are definitely sniffed deeply while he jacks off, sorry he’s gross and shameless.

He's keeping himself alive doing bounty hunting work here and there. Drinking, trying to forget and getting in all kinds of bar fights, barely keeping himself out of jail. And he catches sight of you. You're working as a store keeper, sweeping the front of the shop in another nameless town somewhere in California. 

He just watches for a while in disbelief. He hopes you aren't married. Otherwise he'd probably kill the poor man. It's so hard to hold himself back and not just rush over there and pick up where you left off. All of this time, imagining you as the love of his life he let pass him by. You're just as beautiful as he remembers you too. And he is immediately right back to remembering all of your best moments together. Those delicate conversations you shared alone at the campfire after everyone had gone to sleep. Kissing you when no one was watching. The way you called his name the first time he made you cum for him. And he's going over there. You see him and at first you don't recognize him but then again you’d know that black hat anywhere. 

The way things left off, you're not sure what he's going to say. He looks like he can't believe what he's seeing. He just whispers your name and you nod. You hesitate to ask him how he's been, he doesn't look like he's doing so hot. You spend a while talking to him about what happened with the gang, you update him about the nice old man that took you in after you left. How lucky you had been. And fortunately for him, no new man.

Arthur one hundred percent believes that this is God's way of saying you two are meant to be together. He's convinced this is his second chance. He thinks whatever you both had is still there and can be rekindled whether that's true or not. He tries to not lay it on too thick but he can't help himself. He uses every pet name he's ever called you like you both never broke up. If you ask him about it, he says it's a force of habit, sweetheart... but he is lying. It's been so long, calm down. He loves to touch you, he tucks your hair behind your ear, puts his hand on your waist, helps you whenever he can up some steps or onto a horse. Cannot stop looking at your body and you can definitely catch him peeking at your cleavage. Acts like it's totally normal. 

And he knows how much you used to like him, used to like the way he bowed over you to kiss you, feel him press up against you, look at the muscles in his arms. Knows exactly what kind of things you liked to see him, those tight pants and the shirt where his chest looks like it's about to rip the seams. He uses everything to his advantage. He loves to show off everything you loved about him when you were together. His strength, his providing nature, his ability to be sweet and vulnerable in those small moments. Arthur has a dirty mouth too, whispering about how much he’s missed you, what he’d do just to get your sweet little pussy cat wrapped around his cock again. All with that lurid smirk on his face and his pretty blue eyes focused right on you. He is a menace and a fiend. 

Whether he tries to apologize or change is up in the air. If you make it a requirement, he will think about it. Because he really does want you back but there is a reason you left his ass in the dust. He's so desperate for it, he may just apologize for what he said to you and admit that what he did was wrong. He is very prideful but he can put it aside for you. He is not happy about it but it's probably a big part of why you may choose to take him back. Especially the quiet 'never quit lovin' you, honey'.

If you take him back he is already prepared to slip a ring on your finger. The make up sex is crazy, he puts his whole back into blowing yours out, eats you out until his jaw is sore. He's not letting you regret taking him back. He’s not stopping until you beg him to. He’ll show you why he was your man in the first place and why he should stay that way. The entire time he's telling you how much he missed this and how he ain't losing it again. He is most definitely looking to knock you up here too, pushing as deep as he can.

Even better if you're into his 'giving you a baby' talk. Arthur is fucking you full of his cum every night, telling you how gorgeous and precious you’d look round with his babe. In his head, once you have his baby, you're locked in for life. This second chance with you, he might deserve it, he might not. He won't question it too much. All he knows is he finally has exactly what he wanted. You with a ring on your finger, calling him your man with his baby on your hip. 

sorry these are a bit long 😳 thanks for the support as always! I spent so long on these trying to get them just right but im happy with how they came out !!!

[idorukiss]

Heres a sorta drabble/headcanon of sorts of how I picture MC's relationship with Sylus would devleop~ I'm not much of a writer but the brainrot is real and ive made similar ones for the other boys too!

1,035 words || You can also read it on ao3

‧͙⁺˚･༓･˚⁺‧͙⁺˚･༓･˚⁺‧͙⁺˚･༓･˚⁺‧͙⁺˚･༓･˚⁺‧͙⁺˚･༓･˚⁺‧͙ Xavier ・ Zayne ・ Rafayel

Sylus is always prepared for any and every situation that could happen when he works, In all his time reigning over the N109 zone there hasn't been a single thing or person that hasn’t been accounted for to some degree- that was until you showed up at least. Like a black cat, you seemed to bring unexpected chaos wherever you stepped.

Of course he couldn’t help but do everything he can to keep you by his side, not only to be a formidable ally but simply cause he finds you as a whole fascinating. What kind of things will you say next? How will you get out of this situation? It’s like a game to him, one that he can’t predict or brute force the ending to.

While the two of you didn't get off on the best foot at the start, he proved himself very trusting and that he cared for your well being fairly easily. Sure he would take chances to tease you for the littlest things- even creating various situations just to see your reaction to them, but he still honestly responded to your every question and kept you as best in the loop for things as he was able.

It was strange yet nice to have someone like him by your side, someone so strong and confident that you could trust to cover your back and seemingly trusted you as much to cover his in return. It was a dynamic you weren’t that used to yet, sure you had your fellow hunters but no matter how much you fought alongside any of them you just couldn’t find yourself fully trusting in their abilities like this.

The more he got to know you the more he found himself thinking about you and the things you like. Often swiping his card first and thinking later any time your face flashed in his mind when perusing wares. He wonders how long it will take you to realize he keeps all of his estates fully stocked with presents and everything you might need in the event you show up to any of them.

“Sylus? Why are you calling me so early??” “Check your door kitten, you should have a package waiting for you” “Don't tell me its another gun, I keep telling you I can't use these outside of the N109 zone” he chuckles deeply “Well I could get you a gun too if you really want one. But no, it's something different this time” Curiously you grab the box and start to open it “...A teddy bear?” “Do you not like it? I figured it could add to your growing plush collection.” You let out a small giggle “That's so sweet of you. But you didn't have to send it to me right away, you could've left it in my room for the next time I came by like usual.” his voice is soft, almost whispering into your ear “I couldn't wait to give it to you is all. Wont you accept my gift?” Your heart pounds “I love it, thank you. Ill be sure to sleep with it every night!” your face is beaming, he cant see it through the phone but he can surely hear it in your voice.

Any time you find yourself without missions long enough to justify the trip, you spend it in the N109 zone with him. You told yourself at first it was just to keep an eye on him and see if you can catch any weaknesses, but you were secretly excited to be spending time with him even if it was just sitting in content silence together while he worked. And despite his unchanging face, Sylus might’ve looked forward to each of your visits even more than you.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary to accompany him to various events and gatherings, and it was surely strictly for business at first. Now though? It’s hard to tell. Not that you mind either way, it just felt nice to have his arm around you and being doted on throughout the night. When people inquired about who you were, he would usually refer to you as his woman in a more joking way at first, but your heart couldn't help but flip the first time he said it more genuinely. While looking right at you with a smile.

One very late night after attending a party, you couldn't help but doze off in the car on the way back to his place. It was much later in the night than you are typically used to, you don’t know how he can function at this time of night most days. You can’t help but let your mind wander and picture what day to day life with him would be like if you just never went back home.- If you stayed by his side for the rest of time.

He gently carries you inside, but instead of going all of the way to your dedicated room he brings you with him into his. There's no nefarious plans, he just simply wants to have you by his side longer and has wished to wake up to your face for far too long. A faint hum stirs you from your dreams as you are being gently placed onto the comfort of his mattress. A small kiss pressed to the top of your head as the blankets pulled over you before he quietly climbs in beside you.

Did you even wake up in the first place? Even if it was still a dream it meant everything to you, and you reach an arm out pulling yourself close to him and nuzzling into his side. Your eyes flutter closed once more enjoying his warmth as he quietly chuckles to himself and wraps an arm around you in return, falling into a blissful sleep of his own. Neither of you would give up this moment for the world, you were meant to be in each other’s arms just like this for eternity.

He would kill for you, and you would live for him. Nothing anyone could do would predict your love for one another, and you'll continue to defy fate to be with him

[thelonelyshore-if]

sfw for ravi to keep me from going insane pls

Nonnie I'm soooo sorry this is so late I've been going through it. But here's Ravi's alphabet, I hope it brings you some joy <3

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Ravi keeps his distance. It isn't that he doesn't want to be affectionate, but…he hesitates. Especially with physical affection. He isn’t sure it’s a good idea to get to that close to someone, in a very literal sense. When he is affectionate, though, he likes holding hands and slow dancing together when there isn’t any music. He’s a big fan of just holding hands while you’re having a conversation. Having that little tether of connection is big for him.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Infuriating. He'd be infuriating…though he's a fiercely loyal friend. He tends to act on his whims and he can be smug and superior, even with his friends. But he'd love to talk magic and do puzzles together. Much like Croft, if you want to befriend him chances are you're going to have to be the one pursuing it on the front end…unless you somehow attract his attention. Such as, if you wash up on shore in the middle of the night. 

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Ravi loves to cuddle and avoids doing it whenever possible. Too intimate, too close.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Ravi's house is pristine. He's an okay cook but not actually all that skilled. He wants to settle down in theory (especially with the right person), but probably not in practice. 

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He'd just ghost you! You'd never see him again. And if he ran into you in public he'd do his best to avoid you. Full on pretending you don't exist. Unfortunately Ravi isn’t very good with Big Feelings or with confrontations.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

The idea of marrying the person he loves is enough to make Ravi shut down completely. He'd love to do it. He never could do it. There's no chance.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Physically he's very very gentle, barely risking touching you at all. He's also…decently emotionally gentle, but he's complicated. As seen in game he can be kind of a dick. But he can be so soft and tender when he wants to be.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Ravi loves hugs, and doesn’t mind them from friends. Hugs from crushes or a partner are even better, but he'll be much more stressed about them. His hugs are brief, though there's always the lingering impression he wants them to last longer. 

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It would take him a while (like. years) if left to his own devices, but I could see a near-death situation making him say it much sooner. 

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Eh Ravi doesn't really get jealous. He finds it funny when other people try to flirt with his partner or whatever. He trusts the person he's with, and jealousy just isn't really his thing. 

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Scared. Passionate. Hesitant at first, more uncontrollable the deeper it gets. He likes being kissed on the face and the hands especially, he likes kissing his partner on the hands, too.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Ravi doesn't really get kids, but he likes them. He usually just treats them how he'd treat adults…which sometimes can get him in hot water when he lets a kid or teen do something irresponsible that they Are Not Old Enough To Do. He just assumes kids know their parents’ rules and will follow them lol. 

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Very much so like the first morning with him in the game!! Except you’d presumably wake up in bed together. But he’d wake up, press a gentle kiss on your forehead. Go start breakfast (unless he’s too sleepy for it), prepare you your favorite drink (even if it’s water), and then he’d wait for you to get up. His brain is shut down early-morning so he’d sit in silence and read the paper unless you prompted conversation, but he doesn’t mind a comfortable silence.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Just as low-key as the mornings, tbh. Share dinner together, and then he’d try to prompt some sort of shared activity. Doing a puzzle together, going for a hike or a drive, even just watching a movie. Eventually he’d shower–probably on his own, it would take a lot to get him comfortable showering with you–and then time for bed! He doesn’t sleep much, but he’d love to just lay with his eyes closed, holding you.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Ravi’s very open, so long as you aren’t expecting the truth c:

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Not very, but it’s definitely possible to push his buttons. He prides himself on his control, but is kind of addicted to anything that makes him lose said control. Ravi is very, very level-headed. It takes a special sort to get him angry.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Ravi remembers everything. He really isn’t the type to forget even the smallest detail. It’s almost a little unsettling how much he manages to remember.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Ravi’s first date is a hike in the woods c:

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He’s incredibly protective! Especially when it comes to the fog. That being said, he presents said protectiveness in a very particular way. He believes it’s more meaningful to teach someone to protect themself than rush in to be their knight in shining armor. Minor spoiler, but Ravi will be one of the biggest proponents of MC learning to control their magic. And he’d be flattered if MC was very protective of him, but also amused. In theory, he’s one of the safest people in Easthaven–he can take care of himself.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Ehhhhh it fully depends on the day lol. It’s something he’d like to do, but honestly he doesn’t always think about that sort of thing. Ravi’s a romantic guy, but it’s definitely in his own way, and these kind of details can fall to the wayside.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He’s a liar. He’s incredibly set in his ways. He’s arrogant, and likes feeling superior. Also he’s not above putting his cold hands under your shirt in an attempt to warm them up.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

In an attractiveness sense, Ravi’s concerned on an average level. He wants to look good, sure–doesn’t everyone? But more importantly, he’s very self-conscious about his scars. He doesn’t let anyone see them, other than the ones on his hands and face, and even those make him feel anxious. Though I suppose it does have less to do with being judged and more to do with what those scars mean to him…

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Yes. If given the chance, MC will become his entire world.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Ravi is scared of dogs. He doesn’t like coffee but loves the smell–he prefers tea. His favorite season is winter, even though he hates driving on ice. He has at least one puzzle that he’s used puzzle glue on and every so often considers framing and hanging on his wall. He hasn’t yet because it feels kind of tacky. When he was a teenager he used to sneak out and fall asleep in the graveyard.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He really will struggle with a MC who is hell-bent on getting out of town. He can work with a skeptic, as much as they drive him insane. He finds it kind of funny and kind of hot, in an odd way. Ravi finds stubbornness sexy lol. But if the person he’s fallen in love with wants to leave him? It terrifies him in a way he can’t explain. How can he in good faith help them do it? And wouldn’t it be equally bad to try and stop them?

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

He frequently falls asleep with his glasses on.

[zbengui]

I've grown to love Singed as a character after watching act 2, which I should've seen coming considering my proclivity for mad scientist archetypes. He stood out to me in the first season too but there wasn't quite enough for me to sink my teeth into back then, so I'm glad they've decided to reveal more details regarding his lore now even if it still remains rather vague. That's actually one of the aspects that I like about him, it's fascinating how much he influences the overall plot even though his character receives almost no focus. He is constantly instigating chaos and causing so much tragedy for the main characters, and yet he is never confronted. I was actually just thinking about how it's a little funny that Jayce is getting blamed for what happened to Vander, even though Singed was the one who injected him with that serum. He brought Vander back to life and offered Jinx and Vi the chance to rebuild their family, only to immediately and brutally take it away.

That's kind of his entire thing. He brings the dead back to life against their will and they come out of it deeply and irreversibly changed (Vander, Jinx, possibly Viktor...?). He keeps his subjects breathing even if being alive is nothing but torture for them (Rio), not necessarily out of sadistic pleasure but in service to his ultimate ambition. For progress, evolution. It is then revealed that the motive behind all of his horrendous experiments is to bring his daughter back to life. It's all because of love, as he admits. I don't know a whole lot about the lore behind this, but I have to wonder how Orianna herself feels about this. Is she in pain, just like her father's other subjects? Is she grateful or resentful for what he is doing to her? Did she have any say in this?

One thing I like about his scientific methods is that he is willing to put his own body on the line and experiment on himself, like when he pumped his blood into WarWick. It definitely goes to show how... passionate he is. I also appreciate that he doesn't let any specimens go to waste. He even preserved the decapitated head of that guy he tested Shimmer on back in S1:

I'm sure most people would agree that Singed has a very impactful screen presence. Almost every single line he says is relevant for the overarching themes of the story. It feels like he's always dominating the scene, even when he was being held prisoner because he knew that his captors would immensely benefit from having him on their side and that Ambessa, the opportunist that she is, was going to ask him to join her as an advisor sooner or later. It's horrifying to imagine the biochemical warfare he is going to unleash while working with the Noxian army. He's going to invent new war crimes.

I also wanted to mention how relevant he is for Caitlyn's character arc in this season because most people seem to be overlooking it. I may have my personal gripes with her character progression in act 2, but her interactions with Singed in episode 5 were excellent. Singed isn't just a "crazed Zaunite", he is actually a Piltovan alchemist that is using the people of Zaun as lab rats for the sake of a deceased family member. Caitlyn realises that she will end up like him if she continues walking down the path she is currently on. That realisation, I think, is what informs her decisions later on.

I find his relationship with Viktor very fascinating too but that dynamic deserves an entirely separate post. They are both scientists with similar interests but very different philosophies and work ethics (or lack thereof). As I've briefly mentioned already, I believe Singed is going to bring Viktor back to life, robbing him of his autonomy once again in the process.

That is to say, I'm very invested in this weird old man and I'm excited to dive into his League lore after this season is over and find out what other atrocities he has commited.

[eregyrn-falls]

^^^^^^ !!!!!

There's so much I'd like to add but it would be carrying coals to Newcastle. Great post! (And a lot of great tag-rants in the notes, too.)

I did want to add one thought to this set of tags from @achromaticegoist, about the punch in particular.

It took me a long while to realize it, but not only is the punch reflective of a whole lot of things about Ford's state of mind on his arrival back through the portral... but, it also serves as some really interesting closure (and I'm not even sure the writers realized it).

In the episode, it's told out of order, so we see the punch FIRST. But later in the ep, when we see the fight that led to Ford going through the portal in the first place, what happens is that he and scan are scuffling, and there's that moment when Ford pushes Stan off with his foot and inadvertantly presses Stan against the glowing (apparently red-hot) symbol on the side of the control panel.

Stan screams in pain, of course. And immediately, Ford is suddenly worried, and contrite. He says, "Stanley! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you alr-"

And Stan punches him in the face.

That punch is what sends Ford stumbling out into the portal room and falling against the activation lever; and landing inside the danger zone. Ford does get up, but before he gets a chance to say anything else, Stan shoves the journal into his chest, Ford begins to float, and the disaster unfolds from there.

We don't spend enough time thinking that, basically, from Ford's point of view (if he replayed those last moments over and over in his head, as he probably did), the last things that Stan did to him was: punch him in the face, and then shoving him into the portal. The latter was accidental (though disastrous); but the first kind of wasn't. Ford stopped fighting, switching to concern and apology. While Stan lashing out due to the pain is understandable, Stan's punch is what prevents the fight from being over.

Ford coming out of the portal 30 years later and immediately punching Stan in the face kind of creates a book-end with that earlier punch from Stan, doesn't it? Ford getting to hit back the way he didn't (wouldn't?) 30 years ago. (He stands up, but he just stands there angrily staring at and listening to Stan as he approaches. He doesn't try to leap at Stan again or try to wrestle him for the book, etc. Was Ford, effectively, done fighting the moment Stan got seriously hurt?)

As I said, I'm not sure the writers were thinking about that consciously. I don't remember hearing them comment about it (i.e. that Ford's punch was a mirror of the punch that Stan gave him 30 years prior). But I do like to look at what's written and think about it in terms of, these scenes are deliberately written, the way it goes and the details included are chosen, often at the end of a long process of collaboration. I think that what's chosen for the final version is always very interesting.

And I just don't often see people discuss that moment where Ford stops fighting, and immediately becomes worried and apologetic. Not least because, like... up to that point in the series, we haven't seen Stan be apologetic very often. A few times, yes! And it's always notable when he does it. It clashes with the exterior he presents to the world; the man for whom saying "Please" gives him physical pain, etc. Some of which is meant for laughs, too! And some of which is just the product of being hardened by experience and so on.

It tells us something, I think, that Stan truly getting hurt, and screaming in pain, is enough to end Ford's desire to fight. That even after 10+ years of estrangement, he's that ready to be concerned for Stan; and that he's that ready with an apology. Later reads of Ford (post-portal) will portray him as the man who won't say "thank you", and I have other thoughts and feelings about that. But getting back to this, it's the show's choice to have Ford stop their fight and make a slight turn towards a sort of reconciliation. When they could have easily just had him and Stan keep fighting and struggling and the portal turn on because of that. It's such an interesting writing decision; and I just don't hear people dig into what it means for the characters very often.

What's your stance on Ford as a person? Honestly, I believe that for thr majority of canon he is a bad person. But I believe he grew. Still not great though XD

(Love him anyways obvs)

I disagree entirely! I think he's equally as good a person as any of the other main cast.*

*Except Mabel, who, as we all know, is always right about everything.**

(**This is a lighthearted joke. For the love of god, I don't want Mabel discourse in my inbox.)

His biggest sins in the show:

After telling his brother that he was thinking about changing their shared life plans, and then discovering that his brother had gone to the high school that night for no good reason and gone to the science fair for no good reason and messed around near Ford's science project for no good reason and broke it and didn't tell Ford about it... Ford believed Stan did it intentionally and held a grudge for it. You know what, it WOULD be pretty damn hard to believe it was an accident.

Hilariously ill-equipped to cope with Fiddleford's mental health. A guy who responds to "I have anxiety" with "have you tried yoga, it helps me" isn't a bad person, he's clueless. "Character cheerfully enacts a bad idea while a loved one in the background goes NO PLEASE DON'T DO THAT" describes half the episodes of Gravity Falls.

Was successfully manipulated by a professional manipulator into believing his best friend wished him ill. Man, what a terrible person Ford is for being manipulated by a manipulator and saying cruel things to somebody he'd been genuinely convinced was trying to harm him.

??? Didn't say thanks to a guy he was still mad at after the guy fixed a problem he himself had caused. This is a solitary example of stubborn bad etiquette, jesus christ. There's half a dozen different reasons why it makes perfect sense Ford wasn't in the right mindset to feel grateful, this is not something worth indicting his entire character over.

He had high ambitions, which everyone seems to lambast him for, but high ambitions that wouldn't have required doing anybody harm! (Until the professional manipulator started manipulating him into harming the people around him, but we are going to demonstrate some reading comprehension and not blame Ford's underlying morality as a person for things he never would've done if not for Bill's bullying, con artistry, and outright lies.) Like, what is it that he wanted to do with his life? Use his talents to get rich and famous? Shit, that's exactly what Stan wanted to do with his life. It's what Dipper fantasizes about doing with his life. Even Mabel, who thinks about her long-term future the least, dreams big with her art & performances and is already making big money off cheap-ass commissions. What terrible people they all are, for—let me check my notes here—uhhh... unrealistically fantasizing about achieving success in life by doing the things they're good at.

When their dad accuses Stan of lying as a child, Ford puts his entire summer on the line to defend Stan even though he knows Stan is a habitual liar and has no reason to believe Stan is telling the truth this time.

When his new college roommate he barely even knows gets laughed at for proposing an outlandish scientific theory, his first emotion is outrage at this injustice and he drops everything to convince his already-despondent roommate that he was right and help him prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

When he moves to a new town, he tries again and again to befriend his new neighbors, and fails not because he's rude or a jerk, but because he's awkward as hell, tells terrible jokes, and sucks at identifying phoenixes.

When Fiddleford gets hurt around him, he cares about it, feels guilty about putting him in that position, doesn't want it to happen again, and tries his best to help even though he's bad at helping.

When he gets kidnapped by a weird holiday folklore creature, he concludes without even thinking about it that he's now in charge of protecting and rescuing the kidnapped kids. Yeah, then he immediately starts hollering at the folklore creature for trying to impose his religious beliefs on Ford and the kids—but like, Ford was right tho, he just had bad timing.

When he discovers that the Northwest family committed atrocities against their poorer neighbors a century ago, his first instinct is to march up to their house, find the first Northwest he can locate, and give them a piece of his mind for it. Like, this won't even FIX anything. He's just THAT OUTRAGED over the injustice.

When he sees what he thinks is a fortune telling fraud conning the people, he attempts to debunk her because he's mad to see someone cheating other people with lies—and when he can't debunk her, he just leaves her alone rather than harass her about it. Typically, if assholes think somebody's doing something wrong but don't have any proof of it and fail to get proof when they look, they decide they're right anyway and keep giving that person shit. Ford doesn't give her shit. That's the opposite of an asshole move.

When he discovers his Portal To Knowledge (And Fame & Fortune) is actually a Portal To Doom (But Still Possibly Fame & Fortune, Maybe Even Godly Power), he isn't tempted for a second to keep working on it anyway. There is no moment where Bill manages to tempt him. No matter what Bill offers, no matter how long Bill offers, never, at ANY point, does Ford have a SECOND of "but what if I did make a deal with the devil?" the way so many heroes in similar situations often do.

You ever notice that? So often moral moments in the show are presented as choices the characters make. Will or won't Dipper give Bill a "puppet" in exchange for knowledge. Will or won't Stan fight a pterodactyl to protect Mabel's pig. Will or won't Mabel hand Bipper the journal. Ford is never given a "will or won't he" moment over Bill's threats, offers of friendship, or offers of infinite power—he steamrolls straight past them without a second of consideration—because, to him, the selfish, cowardly, easy choice ISN'T EVEN AN OPTION. He doesn't even SEE it as making a choice because the possibility of doing the wrong thing is invisible. A character who wavers first before turning Bill down would look more noble for "overcoming" temptation—it's harder to notice just how much stronger Ford's moral compass must be to not even feel temptation in the first place.

Greed and pride never tempt him to join Bill's side. Exhaustion, despair, and fear never tempt him to give up. He bears up under weeks, possibly months of extreme sleep deprivation, physical torture, psychological torture, emotional torture, threats of death, threats of brainwashing, threats to his family. He doesn't hold up so that he can pat himself on the back for being a hero—if that was all it was he would've gone "screw it, this isn't worth it and nobody would know I'm the one who gave up" a week in—he does it because he simply knows it must be done and because he's so isolated (half because of Bill's influence!) that he believes he's the one who must do it, all alone.

Thinking he has to do it by himself isn't egotism or pride; it's helplessness. He thinks no one else stands a chance. He thinks he's alone.

And, when he discovers his Portal To Knowledge is a Portal To Doom, he immediately feels guilty. No trying to deny the situation to protect his ego. No shuffling the blame off to someone else. No "maybe the apocalypse could have a silver lining!" No locking the door and trying to ignore the problem. He blames himself for being fooled—he IMMEDIATELY takes full responsibility for his actions—and he CONTINUES to take responsibility FOR THE NEXT THIRTY YEARS.

He takes more responsibility than is even warranted—he treats himself like he's an idiot for believing in an APPARENT GOD who's been practicing manipulating humans for thousands of years and who had never given Ford reason to believe the portal was anything but what Bill said it was. He beats himself up to no end every single time his past with Bill comes up. He even keeps beating himself up thirty years later when he's shoving warning notes to future readers in Bill's evil unkillable book!

When he falls into the multiverse, he dedicates his entire life NOT to finding a way to rescue himself, but to finding a way to permanently stop the CHAOS GOD who's still at the threshold of destroying Ford's world and countless others. He makes himself a hated criminal in the process, just to stop Bill. He's ready to spend the rest of his life trying to protect a world he doesn't think he'll ever see again. He does it because, as he sees it, somebody has to stand in between the children and the obnoxious folklore cryptid menacing them, and he's the only adult in this damn cave with the skills and knowledge for the job.

When he gets home, he doesn't tell his family about Bill and his quest because he's afraid that doing so will get them involved and endanger them too—and because he's too deeply ashamed of himself and his mistakes to stand the thought of his family knowing about the horrible things he's done (AGAIN, WHILE BEING MANIPULATED BY THE GOD OF MANIPULATION).

He loves his great-niece and great-nephew the second he lays eyes on them; he nevertheless tries to steer away from them to keep them safe from Bill; and yet he caves to the very first temptation to emotionally bond with his great-nephew he gets, because in spite of his noble "keep them safe" intentions, he wants so so badly to be close to his family.

As pissed as he still is at Stan and even though neither of them can look at each other without hissing like cats, he still makes an attempt to start bridging their divide by inviting him to play DD&MD.

When the apocalypse happens, he immediately puts his life on the line to try to kill Bill.

And when he's captured, isn't fazed for a second by Bill's offers or threats... until his family is threatened. The exact thing he'd been trying to avoid & prevent from the very start.

And when he's reunited with Fiddleford, his immediate reaction is to point out that Fiddleford's well within his rights to hate him—which isn't a new revelation, it's not like Ford had to do any soul-searching to reach this conclusion, he'd concluded that 30 years ago the instant he realized Bill had played him and that he'd been lied to about Fiddleford.

And then he tries to kill Bill again.

And then he's ready to sacrifice his own life to kill Bill—and the only reason he doesn't is because he has a metal plate preventing him from making the sacrifice... but, Stan doesn't have a plate. If Ford hadn't had the metal plate, he would have gladly done the exact same thing Stan did—and he would have thought it was right for him and only him to make that sacrifice, because it's VERY clear he feels (and has felt from the start) that this is all his fault and he's obligated to fix it.

Over and over and over, these are Ford's two defining character traits: getting so pissed off at injustice that his common sense shuts off and he goes into terminator mode until he's righted this wrong as best he can, even when he can't actually do anything about it; and feeling like he's Atlas, weighed down with the full responsibility of fixing everything he's done wrong and made to believe that, for everyone else's sake, he has to do it all alone. Even when doing so puts himself in harm's way, even when he has to put his entire life on hold for it, even if it might cost him his life. Scrape off his awkward social skills, his loneliness, his nerdiness, his endless curiosity, his zealous love of the strange, his starry ambitions, his yearning for recognition and success—scrape his personality down to the bone and that's what you're left with. A man who believes in defending the exploited so strongly that it makes him a little stupid.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that you probably don't think Stan's fundamentally a bad person, and that you probably think that isn't even worth questioning. Stan's made a whole career out of swindling people, conning them out of as much money as he possibly can, stealing, lying, committing a long list of goofily-named crimes, and attempting douchy pick-up artistry on women; and to cap it all off, he held the safety of the entire universe hostage to demand a goddamn "thank you." Don't send me any "But he had reasons—" "But it was only to—" I don't need it, I don't want the essay, I'm not arguing that Stan's a bad guy, it's fine.

But. You can look at Stan's moments of cruelty and unkindness, his uncharitable thoughts, his character flaws, and think, "that doesn't define him. He's more than his cruelest moments and worst mistakes. He's imperfect, but he cares so much and his heart's in the right place, and beneath all the flaws his core is good."

And if you can't do the same for Ford, it's not because he's a worse person. It's because we got two seasons with Stan and five and a half episodes with Ford—and while we saw Stan yearning to fish with the kids or encouraging Mabel to whoop Pacifica's butt at minigolf or crying over a black and white period drama or punching zombies to save his family, we only saw Ford at the worst moments in his life and under the stress of a prolonged apocalyptic crisis—and, it so happens, all the moments he was pissed at the guy we spent two seasons learning to love.

Ford's got moments of cruelty and unkindness, uncharitable thoughts, and character flaws. But, at his core, he's a good person, and he always has been, and he still is.

[crazy-pe3p]

been thinking about c!scott and his relationships with others lately throughout the life series

the flower husbands, they were never married. but scott still cares, he sill holds on tight to it all, he hasn't stopped caring. he never left the flower valley, but jimmy's forgotten it completely until scott brings it back up to him. scott did everything he could to keep jimmy safe, did everything for jimmy. his attempted deal in limited life, an attempt to see who jimmy held close to his heart, for just the slimmest chance that maybe, just maybe, jimmy still cared for him more.

mean gills… an odd and unlikely pairing, after scott and martyn were constantly at each other's throats in every series prior, yet they worked so well. yet scott, despite all the trust and care he had for martyn, was eventually stabbed in the back. he knew it was to happen anyway.

then there was impulse. and gem too, though despite how much she cared for both her scotts and was a great leader of the team… impulse hits a little different to me. the way he kept himself from harming scott, even though it would have helped with achieving his new task, unlike gem, who lept at scott once he was no longer giving them gifts.

joel is a peculiar one, and i don't think i have to speak much about him. always, always after scott no matter what, possibly aware of his ability to just survive, and unwilling to let him win again. or maybe just because he doesn't like c!scott. who knows. i, a scott viewer, don't.

there's pearl, of course. started off good, then in double life, things had just flipped. maybe it was from his experience with jimmy, getting close and then being distant in the next game, that when he found out it was either his closest ally from the previous game or his enemy, he went a bit cold. maybe he was expecting him and pearl to split and distance from each other, just like he and jimmy did. their relationship wasn't romantic but it was just as close of a relationship, just platonic. maybe he realises, as he stays friends with cleo in limited life, that it's not always going to go wrong, and as he tries to grapple with this, pearl retaliates with a slightly similar relationship to theirs from the season prior (double life). things seem to be lightening between them though, as more seasons pass.

it feels like sometimes, "outsiders" treat scott just a bit better than his old teammates did. he keeps giving and giving and giving and every now and then he takes, not enough to make up for what he gives away. allies, not the close allies/teammates but other teams who are simply allied with whatever team scott's a part of, support him a little more. compliment him. they give back and try not to harm him. so do scott's newer teams. (kind of.)

i don't know. maybe it's just me but this is just how i feel (looking from a character perspective) about them…

[igglemouse]

Monday feels like the perfect day to make pancakes, banana pancakes, to be more specific! Then again, isn't every day perfect for pancakes? There's something about them, maybe it's the scent of them that fills the kitchen with a warmth only associated with morning, maybe its how soft they are and how, coupled with syrup, they just melt and fit perfectly on your tongue and aaaahhh...This new house with its spacious kitchen has brought a spark back into my cooking!

As usual, Pascal makes it over to the table for breakfast, a tradition at this point, but today there is something different. It's his clothing, he's all dressed up, buttoned up, crisp pants, no sweat. Did he miss his morning workout? Is he sick? Injured? I won't press, maybe he's finally realized he pushes himself too hard, no, I have something else on my mind.

"I was thinking about our last convo," I start hesitantly, ignoring the temptation of my pancakes for a moment. "It might be a sooner rather than later kind of thing." I'm surprised to say it because the thought of having another baby feels overwhelming. I mean, my Watcher, it's a lot to go though. Does it get better the second time? Am I really ready to submit my body through that again?

"Oh, Frida," he says just before taking another bite of his pancake. "I see that look in your eyes," he teases.

"What?!"

"That look!" he teases again, a grin growing on his face. "All you have to do is ask!" Oh, that's what he means. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks already.

"Pascal, I'm serious!" I shoot back because I am! This is a serious subject! "I just mean...if Flora is to have a little brother or sister, shouldn't they be close in age?" That's better for them, right? Allows them to bond a little better, I would think but I think by now Pascal is thinking more about the practice of making babies than the end result of it.

"Mmmhmm, they should..." See?

"Look! Ugh, nevermind!" I huff, giving up and waving away the now corrupted conversation we were having. "Do you even like your pancakes? You've barely touched them," I add, trying my best to steer it away from him and his morning wood.

"Oh, yeah," ugh, that grin is back on his face, I can't help but giggle. "No condoms moving forward then, right?"

"Pascal!" I blurt out with my fork clanking against the plate.

Alright alright, I wouldn't admit it at the table but I'll admit it to you now. I'd like another. Maybe just one more! My little Flora can't be an only child, she seems to enjoy attention a little too much but isn't that just all babies? They need so much love! Still, two feels right.

But for now, the rain is going to keep me inside which gives me a perfect chance at just sitting down and working on my socials. This is what I do now. Promote my social media, push my videos, and just try to grow my audience little by little. My first video does alright, nothing amazing or viral but a solid debut. It gives me enough hope to continue and to maybe think that there might be a future here for me with this. At least I won't have to worry about some old man trying to ruin my business.

And yes, I do spend some time working out because, I can't help but worry about my weight. I know I shouldn't, it's completely normal to add weight after creating a complete human being, but the thoughts creep into my head anyway. I just worry about Pascal out there playing a road game in some faraway city and at some night club before a pair of boobs gets put into his face and...yeah, let's end that thought right there. I want to look my best, not just for him, but for me too!

But maybe I've pushed myself too hard today because now I've broken out in a rash! Red little splotches all over my arms and legs and just everywhere! Not a good look. I don't imagine this is attractive but thankfully there's medicine for it.

By the way, I called Anthony. Or at least I tried. I'm not sure why but I felt like he should at least know. He'll never meet her, that I'm sure of, but I don't know, I feel like my grandparents, my mama, you know, people I've never known, would tell me that I should. It's fair for him to know. Just to know. It feels like if I don't tell him it'll be something I'll feel slightly guilty about for the rest of my life. If what Candela said is true, he saved my life, whether he meant to or not, so he should know that I'm doing well.

But the joke was on me, he wasn't available. A guard or someone, don't know, answers instead and asked if I wanted to pass along a message and in that moment I froze. I told him never mind and he told me times in which Anthony had phone privileges if I wanted to call back. I don't think I will now. The moment has passed. Maybe its just fate that he'll know.

Back to happier things, like making dinner for my new familia or at least trying to. Pascal made it a little harder because he walks right into my kitchen in nothing but his swim trunks which is incredibly distracting. I pause mid chop just to stare, wondering what he was up to and then figuring this is probably the continuation of our conversation from this morning. He's trying to tempt me! I can't help but chuckle because its both cute and endearing.

"Mi querido, what are you wearing?" I challenge, rising an eyebrow as he turns to face me which only makes it worse because I've always been a fan of his body and suddenly I'm reminded why I did fall for him. His goofy charm and his smile!

"My swimwear!" he announces with pride. "We do have a little pool and I wanted to check it out!"

"Must you walk around in it?"

"I think you should walk around in yours a little more!" He fires back with the cheesiest wink I've ever seen in my life, it brings a reluctant smile to my own face.

"I-I don't know! I'm still a little hefty, I might not even fit my old stuff. Maybe a one piece or something like-"

"I'd love you all in one piece!"

Ah well...well, we will eat dinner first and maybe we'll see about that later.

But unfortunately, after our dinner, little Flora had her own demands which naturally comes before my own desires. So, instead of spending some intimate time with Pascal I was called to feed her and change her diaper and just play with her and let her know that she is loved! Just the things a mama must do!

But while Frida was attending to the needs of little Florencia, Pascal was attending to his. Every day his Social Bunny account would light up with interest, messages from a variety of different women, all thirsty for his attention. They knew he wasn't single and knew he was a father, but for some, that made him all the more enticing.

Usually, Pascal ignored them, thinking of them more as annoyances and distractions, but one in particular stood out to him. Sofia Prats, a model and aspiring actress located in Del Sol Valley. She was a striking beauty with dark hair that seemed to contrast perfectly with pearlescent skin and a full smile that sat perfectly before observant eyes. She carried herself with a bold kind of confidence, a woman who was used to getting her way. She had sent him a few messages, wondering if they could meet. Pascal didn't answer, not yet at least, but he did spend some time scrolling through her Simstagram feed and enjoying her pictures...

Frida Varela - Next Episode 9.3

[matthew-gray-gubler-lover]

Baby it's cold outside

Fluff.

An unplanned pregnancy. Reader not being too sure if Spencer's going to be happy about being a dad. Spencer being absolutely overjoyed about being a dad.

You want to wait until Christmas to tell Spencer that you're pregnant with his baby but after a day out in the snow, you can't wait any longer.

(Four years ago)

Your life was Forever changed Accident that Happened one day In a coffee shop It was a snowy And Windy day out and you needed a cup of coffee really bad. You ordered your usual cup of coffee and took out your gift card to pay. Only to have the barista tell you that you didn't have enough left on your card.

" You need another $1.29" The barista tells you, As she stands behind the counter chomping on gum looking at you judgingly.

" Oh, OK, I thought that I had enough left on here. OK, let me see if I have another $1.29" You say, opening up your purse and quickly looking through it. Some of the items in your purse ending up being tossed on the coffee Shop counter.

The barista Rolling her eyes at you, As she continues Chewing on her gum loudly. The long line behind you starting to grumble.

And that's when you Felt a tap on your shoulder. you were Sure that it was an angry customer behind you getting ready to yell at you for not having enough money in your purse.

You turn around and see a man with brown hair Wearing a Purple sweater and a crossbody bag.

" Let me help you. I have the money for it. It's OK. I'll cover your coffee today" The man smiles warmly at you.

" Oh my gosh, thank you so much" You say with the relief that it wasn't someone getting ready to yell at you, but also you had a little bit of guilt given that this man had to pay for your coffee.

" Don't worry about it, these kinds of things happen" He tells you, handing a $5.00 bill to the woman behind the counter. Who suddenly doesn't look so angry.

You stand there Looking at the man You find him very cute.

" OK, here you go, enjoy your coffee" The man tells you, smiling, and then turns around to order his own coffee.

You sat down at a table after adding your cream and sugar to your coffee. And waited for the man who paid for your coffee to walk by so you could thank him properly.

After you saw him add an alarming amount of sugar to his coffee He come walking by your table.

You stood up and thanked him.

" I wanted to thank you for paying for my coffee, that was really sweet of you"

" Oh, you're welcome. I couldn't just let you stand there and try to find the money to pay for your coffee Everybody makes mistakes. You didn't know that. You didn't have enough coffee bucks left" he said with a smile.

" Well, I would have had enough left, but it was a birthday present And I bought myself a Danish to go with my coffee on my birthday and went home and put a candle in it and pretended that it was my birthday cake" You told him, not really sure why you felt so comfortable talking to him.

" Oh, that's really sweet" He responded.

" Would you like to sit down?" You asked the man

He looked at his watch and said "sure, I can sit down. I I have some time before I have to be to work" He pulled out the chair and sat down.

" I should probably tell you my name since you paid for my coffee so hi i'm Y/N"

" Oh, hello, I'm Spencer Reid"

" Thank you Spencer Reid for saving my day. It's really cold and the heat in my apartment doesn't work too well, so I came out in this horrible weather to get a hot coffee"

"Only to find out That you have ran out of money on your card, that's just sad"

"It is, but that's pretty much my life So umm, what do you do?" You can't believe that you're even asking this question But there's just something about Spencer Reid that makes you feel comfortable

" Well, I work for the FBI of the BAU actually Behavioral Analysis Unit, we pretty much hunt down the bad guys" He tells you before taking a sip of coffee like it's no big deal.

You were so intrigued by Spencer. The two of you ended up meeting at this coffee shop every chance you could. You found yourself being sad every time he wasn't there, knowing that he was away on a case.

After two months, these Meeting at the coffee shop mornings Led to more It led to a movie date. It led to him showing you his apartment. It led to his teammates noticing There was something different about him.

Until one day, Spencer Reid asked you to be his wife. The two of you were married on Valentine's Day, the day of love, the perfect day for the two of you.

(Present day)

Spencer finally has two weeks off, And it could not have come at a better time. Given it is Only a week until Christmas, so that means one week before Christmas and one week after Christmas that way the two of you can spend together. Even though you have been married for three years already It's still something so special to share with Spencer.

Both of you are so excited and have lists of things that you want to do together Spencer didn't really have Christmases growing up, So it was something that was so wonderful for him, spending time with you, decorating the Christmas tree Putting lights around the house and building snowmen.

Over the past week, the two of you baked cookies together, watched Christmas movie's, Drank Hot chocolate. And stood at the window of your apartment, watching the snow fall.

Not to mention the Christmas pajamas That the two of you have been wearing. Matching Christmas pajamas, something that Spencer never thought that he would wear before he met you.

Pajamas that had Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Frosty the Snowman. The Grinch. As well as sets that had gingerbread cookies, regular snowmen And Santa Claus.

You enjoyed snacking on candy canes together. And eating other holiday snacks.

Spencer did notice you getting a little bit tired lately, and you have said a few times this week that you weren't feeling well for a little bit in the morning, Spencer just thought that it was all of the excitement that the two of you have been having together, all of the happiness and joy of the season.

Today you and Spencer are going ice skating. Of course Spencer is a pro at it even though it's his first time ice skating.

You, however, not so much.

The building of snowmen. Snowball fights All of that you could do, but ice skating you just couldn't quite get it, but you wanted to try.

Spencer held on to you as you tried skating. After he laced up your ice skates, the pink ice skates the Penelope gave to you for Christmas last year after you had told her that you would love to have gone ice skating with Spencer.

" You're doing great, honey" Spencer tells you lovingly.

" Really. Because I feel like I'm doing a horrible job of it. The only reason I'm not landing on my butt is because you're holding me" you tell him with a loud chuckle.

" And I'm going to keep holding on to you because I don't want you being all bruised up and in pain for Christmas" he tells you before kissing you on the cheek. as he still holding on to you.

" After at least Half hour of this, you decide that you want to be self-sufficient and you are going to skate on your own, even though, truth be told, you wouldn't mind if Spencer stayed holding you like this, skating around the ice rink for the rest of the day,

" OK, I'm going to go for it" You tell him with a thumbs up.

" Are you sure? I don't mind still holding on to you" Spencer tells you is he reluctantly lets you go.

" Yeah, I can do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to be a big girl. I'm going to be a brave girl and I'm going to skate all on my own" You say with confidence.

Spencer can't help but laugh at this, the fact that his Wife is saying that she wants to be a big girl.

" OK, go for it my Beautiful Wife" He Tells You taking both hands off of you now.

You barely make it anywhere at all before you fall down and land sack on the ice

" Oh no!!" you yell out.

Spencer comes Skating back over to your side and picks you up.

" Are you OK, honey?" He asks, picking you up with ease off of the ice. Standing you securely back up on your pink ice skates as you lean against him.

Tears start filling up your eyes as you remember hitting the ice. It's not really so much about the pain that you're feeling, it's about the little one that is growing inside of you. As much as it hurt landing on that ice Your main concern was that you did not damage yours And Spencer's baby.

"Y/N You OK, honey? Please answer me, you're crying. Are you OK?" Spencer asked, his voice filled with worry.

You could hear Spencer but couldn't quite make out what he was saying. It wasn't until he started brushing his fingertips along your cheek that you come back to reality.

"Y/N Please answer me, are you OK? Did you hit your head?"

Finally hear what he is saying and look up at him and answer.

" Yeah, Yeah I just landed on the ice really hard" You told him as you panted.

" This is Exactly what I said. I didn't want to happen. You know, statistically people get hurt more just walking down the street Then they do ice skating. But I didn't want you to get hurt. I'm so sorry, honey. I shouldn't have let go" He tells you. His voice filled with guilt, As he runs his hands up and down your arms, trying to make sure that you are warm.

" No Spence, It's my fault. You told me that you didn't want to let go of me. I knew that I'm not a good skater and I shouldn't have let you let go of me" You tell him.

" I know that you're not a good skater, which is exactly why I shouldn't have let you go"

You put your left hand on Spencer's face and hold it there. Your hand is beyond freezing Especially the medal from your wedding ring and you really should have worn mittens, but Spencer doesn't even mind.

" Please don't blame yourself, it's all on me. It was my idea to even come out here and I skate. I think we should just go home now" You tell him.

" I do too. We'll go home and we'll drink some hot chocolate. I'll get you some ice if you're in pain. Maybe some ibuprofen, We can watch Movies in our Christmas pajamas, just you and me in our own little Christmas paradise" Spencer tells you as he glides you to the edge of the rink and walks you to the bench before he removes your ice skates.

You can't help but smile, looking down at him is he unties the skates that he had put on you just a little bit ago.

The two of you home and you Walk into the door together, Spencer telling you Did you should go upstairs and take a shower to warm up.

You shake your Head yes and give a audible yes.

As you do, Spencer gets the water ready and the packets of hot Chocolate so that they will be ready by the time you come out of the shower.

The shower does help warm you up, When you get out and dry off, you put on your black pajamas with candy canes That are all over them, Spencer set them out for you so you know that he's going to be wearing his matching pair.

You open the bathroom door and walk into your bedroom, where you see Spencer already laying in bed beneath the cushy Christmas Comforter.

" Hi honey, are you feeling better now?" Spencer asks, leaning up a little bit so that he can reach out for your hand.

" Yeah, I feel a little better, And you sure look comfy"

" I am very comfortable here with our Christmas sheets and our Christmas comforter hot chocolate And a Christmas movie awaiting for us to watch" You pointing out all of the things that are in the bedroom.

When you get closer to the bed, he puts his hand out for you and helps pull you into the cozy, warm bed Before putting an arm around you and cuddling you close.

" Are you sure you're OK? Are you in pain?" He asks you Genuinely concerned.

" No, I'm not really in pain right now. I'm sure I will be tomorrow, but that's OK. I have something that I want, will actually. I do want to tell you, but I need to tell you"

"ok" He says, his voice laced with concern, not really knowing what you're going to tell him. Are you breaking up with him? Do you want a divorce?"

" It's nothing bad, it's just something that I need to tell you"

Spencer lets out a sigh of relief.

" OK, what is it, honey?"

" Well, why I was so upset that I fell on the ice wasn't because it hurt. And I mean, it did hurt. Don't get me wrong, it hurt a lot, but it's because" you Stopped talking, looking down at Spencer's hand on yours.

" it's because?" He repeats the last two words that you said.

You take a deep breath for two reasons. One, because you really wanted to tell him on Christmas morning, and two, you're still not really sure how happy he's going to be about it.

" It's Because I'm pregnant" You told him, looking into his eyes to see if he was happy.

" You're pregnant?, You're really pregnant?, We're having a baby?, we made a baby?, I'm going to be a dad?" Spencer asked all these questions, his voice so happy.

" Yes, you're going to be a dad, I wanted to wait to tell you on Christmas morning, but since you were so upset about me falling on the ice and you thought that I was upset with you because of it, I was just upset because I thought that I might have hurt our baby" You explained quickly.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a dad" Spencer says so happily Before putting his hand on your stomach. " But how did it happen? We're so careful"

" Well, we're not always careful. Remember the week before Halloween? We went to the pumpkin patch and then we carved the pumpkin and you kissed me and one thing led to another. We weren't careful that night" You remind him.

" Oh yeah, I remember that night, So then you Didn't mean for this to happen?" Spencer asked. You almost a little sad now.

" I didn't plan for it to happen, but I'm glad that it did" You tell him.

" So am I, I'm so glad" He told you Before lifting up your shirt a little bit and kissing your stomach.

" Hi baby, I can't wait to meet you This is your daddy, by the way I'm so looking forward to meeting you" He looks up at you and holds your hand. Just think, this time next year we'll have a baby. We'll have to get matching pajamas for the baby too"

You're so happy that Spencer is so happy about this.

" Yes, we will, I'm so glad that you're happy, Spencer. I wasn't sure how you were going to take it"

" You thought I wasn't going to be happy. Why?"

" Well, I was just thinking about how, you know, you're going to come home from a long hard case and you're going to be tired and just want to go to sleep and you're not going to want to have to deal with a crying baby. And then when it gets older, it's going to be Throwing itself on you when you come home and saying daddy, daddy, I missed you" You tell him all of the things that you thought about.

" I'm not going to mind at all and I'm not going to be doing cases anymore. Now that we're having a baby, I'm going to quit my job at the BAU and I'm going to teach full time then. That's what Blake did. She left the BAU to teach full time. That would be a safer job for me and then I can come home every day to you and our baby"

" Spencer, you love working at the BAU. You're the hero. You're the good Guy that gets the bad guys, I don't want to take that from you"

" Yes, I am the hero and I do love being the hero and I will continue to be one. I'm going to be a hero to my family. I will be teaching other people how to be the heroes"

" Are you sure, Spencer?"

" Oh, absolutely. Then I can come home every day to you. I want to be a part of every part of the pregnancy and every part after it. I want to be there for every doctor's appointment, when we find out if we're having a boy or a girl, Through the morning sickness and the cravings, I want to be there when our baby is born, holding your hand, cheering you on. I want to see our baby when it's first born, I want to be there for my baby. I want to be there for the baby's first kitchen sink bath, Their first bath in the real tub, The diaper changes, the bottles, their first bite of real food, Their first day of school. The first time they fall in love, I even want to be there for the bad stuff when they're sick, when they have an earache, even when they have their first heartbreak. I want to be there for all of it, I don't want to be a dad like mine was. I will never, ever leave you Or our baby, Not ever" Spencer reassures you as he still has his hand on your stomach.

" Daddy's going to be here for you through every step of the way, You know, I believe that they can hear stuff in there. That's why I told JJ when she was pregnant with Henry to put earphones on her stomach, so he didn't have to hear all of that bad stuff. and so I'm going to read to our baby every day" Spencer gasps "A Christmas Carol. I own the book A Christmas Carol. I'm going to read it to the baby"

"OK" you say with a laugh.

" And not to brag, but I also know how to deliver a baby. I mean, I studied The instruction manual When JJ was pregnant, just in case I had to Deliver Henry if JJ was out in the field. That never happened, but I didn't actually deliver a baby when we were on a case and that boy was it something The Unsub was standing right over me As I was delivering the baby and then the mother actually named the baby after me" He said with a big smile, so proud of what he had done.

" Oh yeah, I remember that. Wasn't that the same day that you took me to the closing of Rossi's favorite bar and we all sang karaoke together? Well, just about everyone did. As I remember, Blake and Hotch didn't join us on the stage"

" That's right, that was the day"

" Well, hopefully there won't be an issue like that when I go into labor, but I still want you to be there"

" And I will be, I promise I will be. I'm going to go into the station first thing in the morning and tell them that I'm not going to be an agent anymore. I'm going to be a teacher"

 Spencer took you to the station with him so that we could tell everybody about the baby.

Morgan came over and of course he had a comment.

" So pretty boy and pretty girl got together and made a pretty baby. I'm happy for you Reid, I really am" he told him as he hugged Spencer.

Everyone congratulated both of you and said that they were going to miss Spencer, but they know that they will still be a part of your life's as well as your future child.

The next few months went buying a flash. you started getting items for the baby not knowing If you were, having a boy or a girl made it a little bit difficult, so you just bought some neutral colors for things until we found out.

Then the day came that you could find out if it was a boy or a girl. Matthew and you were so excited. He held your hand as the doctor moved the little ball around your stomach from the ultrasound machine.

Then we heard the words " You're having a baby girl"

they couldn't be happier. they left the doctor's office and went to the store buying everything that we could for our little girl. We are now going to make the nursery Disney Princess.

Before they knew it, the big day had arrived.

Spencer was there from start to finish, just like he said he would be, holding your hand, cheering you on, and when the nurse handed him his baby girl, he couldn't be happier.

The next Christmas was even more special now that you are a family.

all of you Wearing your matching Christmas pajamas. Red pajamas with Santa Claus on them.

Life had never been more magical for Spencer Reid. He has more than he ever thought that he would ever have.

The love of his life and now a little girl He loves more than he ever thought possible.

"You know what, Spencer? I think running out of money on my gift card was the best thing that ever happened to me" You tell Spencer, looking over at him as he holds your daughter.

" Really. Why is that?" 

" Because that's How I Met you, I think running out of money on my gift card was the best gift I was ever given"

Spencer can't help but agree with you, If it hadn't been for your card running out of money He never would have talked to you, and you wouldn't be sitting here right now in your cozy little home on Christmas morning with your own little family.

[atangledfate]

Honestly? Listening to Surge's plan it wasn't as awful as she made it out to be. her intent was to give herself up no matter what right? So if that was the plan, one last hurrah wasn't awful if he was being pragmatic. Did he like it? No, of course not! He hated the idea of her giving up her freedom to anyone! But she was pretty set on it and if it allowed them plausible deniability then it was a way forward. Even if he was sure it was also an excuse for her to have one last shot at him. She was as eager to throw hands with him as he was to throw hands with her... weird how that worked wasnt it? As for the soldiers they weren't sure what to think. Most of them didn't look ready for a real fight with GUN.

" You are right i don't like it, but... If we had no choice i guess it's a good plan. I just don't know if GUN will buy it or worse try and take us both out... "

He sighed and gripped his wrist rubbing it as if it was sore

" I still think this is a whacked out idea, you giving yourself up and all... Belle will agree with me i'm sure! Giving yourself up to GUN no matter the good intentions is bound to be bad for you... i know you are dead set on this--- but i wanna say it one last time! there has to be a better way..."

Surge wouldn't even get a chance to respond before Lanolin came over the intercom. Calling Sonic, and the others back to the Command center. Which had sonic looking up at a nearby speaker. This was either Lanolin having a killer idea, or bad news for everyone. Sonic was leaning toward bad news... he just felt it in his gut.

" Looks like we might not get a say either way... you need a lift Belle? i bet she'd want you there to..."

He'd hold his hand out to Belle offering to take her to the command center with him. Either way it seemed like this was the end game, either they pulled out victory or GUN Won and restoration came crashing down.

===============================================

Miles tried to ignore how displeased Kit was with calling him his friend. That said he didn't intend to stop calling him that, he wanted to be Kit's friend. But seemed like no matter what he did they'd always be enemies. Chaos was he pulling a Sonic on this one? He didn't want to think about it. But Kit was right about seeing through the holograms but the idea was just to buy them time to form a counter offensive.

" You aren't wrong a sharp eye can see through them, but its meant more to just make the enemy pause. This is a deterrent after all not a means of attack. "

He tapped his chin and slowly looked up to the roof

" As for water... if things do get dicey we can set off the sprinklers. That should flood the room with water and give you enough offense to push back any attack. Heh you ever thought about hydroscopic water filtration for your pack? is always water in the air, you could probably pull water in that way, slowly refilling your pack over time. "

The head Nurse only smiled at the two seeing the tension and fidgeting with her Wispeon. She let the two speak before placing a hand on her hip and speaking up with a cheerful tone!

" Why holograms? I can alwaos duplicate more of myself! i can do around 200 at max... though that's stressing myself a bit. The more i create the less intelligent the copies become. but if you just need me to stand around and look intimidating... we can do that! Though i'd prefer not getting myself killed as it were--- i kind of remember when that happens... its not pleasant. "

She squeaked as if remembering several moments her copies died, and she had to deal with the consequences. Miles figured anything the copy experienced she also experienced. So they were probably a sort of hive mind, the more copies there were, the more connections she made the more of her was spread out among the copies. So this was how Altiss kept his base safe--- his nurse was a real power house when you thought about it from a numbers game. Though clearly she was acting brave, and probably not a good fighter.

" Neat... i gotta say that's a killer gift... but let's not put you in more danger then your in. Plus, you have patients to care for to... let's just stick to holograms... unless we need the extra firepower. "

Miles stopped as the intercom went live, and Lanolins message went out calling all of them to the command center. He gave Kit a glance wondering what changed but, guessed they should grab the belle bot and head to the command center. though he hoped Dawn and the others would be ok till they returned.

" Guess Lanolin is up to something... might as well put our plans on hold for now... "

"They can have all their fucking plans all they want, though it don't mean shit if I can speed blitz all there ass with my Speed of Lightning. If that happens you can play hero and 'stop' me, though that's only if we they start shit. I know you'll complain, though wouldn't hurt to put you in GUNs good graces while also hurting the numbers they got here, right?" Surge seemed to be actually thinking this out for once.

"Hey, don't go doing anything dumb either. I mean, at this point you've displayed a lot of your powers already, and who's to say they don't have counter measures. I know you have some sort of secret ability, though that's not certain to work." Belle had limited data on Surge, though hoped she could at least talk them out of doing anything dangerous.

"I ain't going to kill anyone, or even hurt them that bad. Mainly fuck up all their weapons and shit. This is a chance to play mind game with these fuckers right back, and who better than someone who's already a criminal. They think they have everything figured out, I'll prove them fucking wrong." Despite saying this Surge was sure Sonic would throw a fit and refuse.

"What do you lot think?" Surge asked, turning to all the soldiers. "I know you don't really like me, and there are reasons for that, though I saw we use it to put pressure on GUN. It'd look even fucking worse if they arrest Sonic after he saved their own soldiers, right? Maybe even win a few over." A low blow trying to turn the soldiers one her side.

===========================================================

"Then the only draw back to using holograms is a tech specialist with a trained eye seeing through it as I doubt either of use could make a picture perfect hologram. We'll have to hope we have luck on our side and they aren't able to see through them." Kitsunami himself could see through a hologram rather easily so couldn't doubt an agency like GUN wouldn't have someone on that level as well.

"I'm NOT his friend." Kitsunami didn't seem too pleased about Miles calling him his friend, though wasn't going to gripe about it. The fennec was fine with letting the vulpine handle the talking while he observed all the defense's mentioned and begin to think of a plan to execute the false defenses. Already he had one.

"Then the most logical course of action is make hologram of the turrets seeing as the nurse's are real and armed. Make them think we have more firepower than we actually do. If they do attack also barricading the blast doors as well will add even more defense." Kitsunami was sure with all that then this would be one of the safer places in The Restoration.

"That said, I only have a limited supply of water in my hydro pack so I'd have to worry about conservation. If anyone is available I could do with people starting to gather as much water as possible and bring it here. This way I can be far more effective in battle and do wider rangers of attack and damage." Kitsunami wouldn't be surprised if they went on the attack they'd come in with heavy force.

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

I don't like complaining about S3 too much, it's kind of a bummer to focus on what I don't like when there's so much I love, but one thing that I can't help but feel disappointed by is how we never got to see the new Marcy.

We got to see the new Sasha all through S3, who is completely different from S1 and S2 Sasha, and she's such a wonderful and loveable person, you can't help but adore her. Peak girlfriend material. It makes her oddly homoerotic friendship with Anne so sweet! And Anne herself, as the literal star of the show, had her development front and center from day 1. All of S1 was about her growth, and while she still had some work to do in S2, by then she had already changed a lot. Much like Sasha, she goes from being a selfish little shit to becoming a noble, honorable young woman, driven by love and responsability, with the emotional intelligence necessary to face any challenges coming her way.

Marcy... doesn't get that chance. The content of her arc is fine - she realizes she was selfish and self-centered, she understands how that's wrong and she decides to be a better person. But when Sasha (and I'm comparing her to Sasha because Anne, as THE protagonist, is not a fair comparison) had like... all of season 2 to change and develop, and half of S3 to truly shine as her new, improved self, Marcy... well, she did get some development in S2, true - the First Temple and New Wartwood are important moments that come to mind, but...

Okay, so, we knew everything about Sasha's situation from the start. She's lying to the other characters but not to the audience, so everything she goes through in Toadcatches, Barrel's Warhammer, the Dinner, Battle of the Bands and True Colors is very visible to us. We see her going up and down and we always understand what's up with her. We get a very clear view into her mind. We know Sasha. Marcy, on the other hand, has been lying to the audience up until True Colors, so everything we knew about her prior to that has to be recontextualized given the new information, and what we inevitably conclude is that nothing she learned was enough to make her question her plan. She understood the concepts, but she didn't apply it to her particular situation. That's not a bad thing! She's just halfway through her arc - accepting the Truth without letting go of the Lie. But when so much of her arc is hidden from the audience and further recontextualized through more flashbacks near the finale, what we get is a very mysterious Marcy who tells us "everything you thought you knew is more complicated that it seemed", and given that this is the season finale, that set-up inevitably promises a deeper exploration of the REAL Marcy in S3. No more scheeming and lying and manipulating, just Marcy in real time, with no need for flashbacks to recontextualize things again.

But S3 gives us very few chances to see Marcy in Real Time. We see her in Olivia and Yunan, All In and The Hardest Thing. Three episodes. I'm not gonna complain about that because I think we all feel the same way. There's no need. But I will insist that a good solution would have been to have at least two or three episodes about Marcy inside the Core. The King and the Core should have been about Marcy uncovering that ancient information in Aldrich's memory without him noticing, for example. This would have been an improvement in several ways:

More Marcy screentime and development

More exploration on the nature of the Core

We have a present day character knowing all about the Box's lore, and it's not just Andrias randomly thinking about in with a vintage filter on.

Marcy having more agency inside the Core in general would have allowed her to fight back in some way, which would be necessary for another change I'd like to suggest below.

Other episodes could be about her "bonding" with Aldrich and slowly realizing he's delulu, her learning about some old Olm lore, and unlocking a secret that will help them later with like, Anne's powers or the Moon or something, and just... her thinking and realizing she fucked up. If the Core knows her memories, it could recreate a more prolongued scenario with Anne and Sasha, maybe a sleepover? In general, I think Marcy would need someone in there to bounce off of, whether it is a bad guy like Aldrich or lifeless projections of Anne and Sasha, or even someone in there that's actually on her side, sick of living forever in this fantasy, maybe.

She needs time to define her new, changed self after learning her lesson, just like Sasha got to do. Because we barely see who Marcy has become after the events of Amphibia. We got like... TWO scenes to tell us ANYTHING about it.

"No! Only a coward would hide away in this place! Well, I reject this sick fantasy, and I reject you!"

"Even if your friends win, your parents will still tear the three of you apart."

"I started this whole mess because I wanted to escape that reality, but I won't run away from it anymore!"

And later near the end:

"I came to this world thinking only of myself. It was wrong of me, and I wish I'd gotten to know you both better"

These are like... the only indicator of the person Marcy became in Amphibia. They're not worthless - she learned to be more aware of the people around her, and to be stronger in the face of change. Her final scene with Aldrich is her most confrontational scene in the show, and certainly her most angry one. Before, she'd only been like... mildly annoyed one time because Anne was being too overprotective, and she glared at Andrias for like two seconds during O&Y but didn't actually say anything. Marcy is not an angry person, and she does seem to be scared of conflict, so to slap Aldrich's hand away, call him a coward, and proudly raise her fist and declare she's done running makes her look much stronger, and I appreciate that. And she does pretty much declare she refuses to be a coward. But this isn't nearly enough. If I want to write fanfic about Marcy post-Amphibia, I shouldn't have to sit down to analyze these two moments to extrapolate what her characterization would have been like. It should be like with Sasha. We know exactly who the new Sasha is, but we never get to see the new Marcy shine. I think that's why her arc feels so rushed in comparison to Sasha, whose beginning of her arc arguably took up one 11 minutes episode, and the rest happened mostly off-screen: the new Sasha was radiant in S3B, even if we didn't see much of the transition.

I know that, due to structural reasons, Marcy wasn't going to have much screentime so they had to rush her arc quite a bit, and while my suggestion to give her more time inside the Core stands, I think that's not enough either. I think she needs time to interact with Anne and Sasha, and also King Andrias, her Amphibia friend. It's hard to think of a solution to this problem given the way the finale is structured, but my first idea is to make it longer: The Beginning of the End stays the same, All In stays the same except for the way Marcy is released: instead of just, cutting a cable, Sasha needs to reach her with the Power of Friendship. Think something like the Running Up That Hill scene from Stranger Things, or the Toothless Found scene from HTTYD2

Because we can't miss a chance to develop Sasha and Marcy's relationship here. AND since they both share the roles of the Betrayer, the Liar, the Manipulator, of Anne's toxic friend in the path of redemption, it's poetic that Sasha, who has held Marcy under her thumb for years, is the one to help her break free, not through brute force like in canon, but by actually putting into practice what she's learned. Kinda like how, in AtLA S3, Zuko is playing the role of group therapist to the rest of the Gaang. Sasha figured things out first, now she wants to help Marcy find redemption too. Make it a callback to Anne's little speech from TBOTE

"It's not easy. Forgiveness is hard, and it can take time. But believe me: it's worth it. I mean, just look at what you and I have now."

Because redemption isn't easy. It's hard, and it can take time. But you still need to show up, even when you think they don't want you, even when you think you ruined everything. Getting up to so the right thing is always worth it.

Of course, if we want Sasha to save Marcy, a little bit of previous development wouldn't hurt. What if we add a little episode in S3A about the girls all thinking about each other? Anne finding a copy of War of the Warlocks that Marcy forgot in her house, Sasha being reminded of Marcy while helping Maddie with curses for the resistance, and Marcy just... thinking about them, in general, while in the Core. A simple 11 minutes segment, 3 minutes and a half of screentime for each of them. You don't need much, just a moment for them to explore their conflicting feelings for each other.

But then... then, we still need to see Marcy - the new Marcy - interact with her friends, so let's add one or two more episodes to the finale, between All In and The Hardest Thing. Maybe we can shift the Olms storyline here? Would that mess with the pacing too much? Tbh the writers did put themselves in a predicament with Marcy, so it's hard to find a perfect solution. I guess we can keep the tension if the moon is falling veeeeeery slowly, giving our girls just enough time for one more quick adventure together while not making it feel like they're taking their sweet time. So we have one or two extra episodes, and what do we do here?

We challenge Marcy. Just like how Sasha was challenged in Commander Anne, Marcy has to prove she's changed too. Tempt her with her past self-centeredness, her possessive instincts, the easy way in which she lies to herself, her impulse to plan around Anne and Sasha and not with them, hiding important information. Her fear of change. She knows what she needs to do, and she's ready to sit with the uncomfortable feeling of change instead of rejecting it immediately. Maybe she has to let Joe Sparrow go, for example, to be with other sparrows or something, idk. Whatever it is, it needs to be an opportunity to show her newfound emotional maturity. Show how, just like Anne and Sasha before her, she became a more noble person, one who, from now on, is honest, selfless and brave. One who embraces change, and who may even seek it out, because she understands this is how you grow.

Anyway. Yeah, that. I guess I'm just disappointed we never got to see the person Marcy became, but at least it's not hard to extrapolate it from what little the show gave us. We're not 100% in the dark. Though it's not nearly enough. If they ever give us more Amphibia, it would be awesome to see more of this new Marcy, but until then, we have a beautiful community here of galaxy brained people to put the pieces together 🥰