#from episode s02e08

[fromville-divorce-lawyer]

I like you better when you're not yelling at me.

Jade Herrera, Tabitha Matthews

From

1.06 Book 74

1.08 Broken Windows, Open Doors

2.07 Belly of the Beast

2.08 Forest for the Trees

[guardian-angle22]

911: Lone Star | TK & Carlos + various greetings ↳ for @ladytessa74

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Season 2 Tarlos

(Tarlos Series, Part 2 of 4 🥰)

Close ups under the cut!

[teamjlry]

Ruby: "I'd feel better if my bad guy catching record wasn't 0 for 3, heh."

Actually come to think of it, Ruby and even the team as a whole has yet to pull an unqualified W out of this entire series yet, huh?

[quite-right-too]

fic recommendations

These are some of my favorite fics - the ones that I go back and read over and over again. Please enjoy them with me! These aren't in any particular order.

One Shots

One Night by @kcchameleon17

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, First Time, Post-Episode AU: s04e13 Journey's End, One Shot, Smut, Sex, Angst and Feels, Angst, Fluff, Sexual Tension, Love Confessions, Yearning Length: 7,346 Chapters: 1/1

"One night. Just one night to show her how much he loved her. One night to hold her and pretend he was the genuine article, the one she could really want, just for a few hours. If this was the only shot he had been guaranteed to be able to show this woman he loved more than every star in the sky his devotion, he was just going to have to grab it with both hands." Rose, Tentoo, and Jackie spend a night on the Tardis before Ten brings them back to Bad Wolf Bay.

hunger by @metacrisisdoctor

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, First Kiss, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End Length: 5,117 Chapters: 1/1

His hands are out his pockets milliseconds later. He walks over to her in three large steps and cups her face in her hands and pulls her mouth to his. It's a hard, bruising kiss. It's a kiss he's held in far too long. It's the kiss of a man who stood at the grave of the woman he loves, and has been gifted with her resurrection.

buried alive inside my dreams by @sadcoms

Rating: Teen and Up Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Episode: s02e08 The Impossible Planet, The Impossible Planet, Krop Tor, Domestic, Posession, not quite angst not quite fluff but a third more confusing thing, Length: 14,475 Chapters: 1/1

He wonders now if it was only the knowledge that Rose was alive, her breathing matching his own and her pulse beneath his fingertips, that stopped him from collapsing in on himself until he ignited and turned into a black hole. In which Toby isn't the one who gets possessed and the Doctor and Rose end up getting that mortgage.

Stay and Hear, Your True Love's Coming by @badxwolfxrising

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Snogging, Dry Humping, Cunnilingus, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, First Time, Dirty Talk Length: 9,701 Chapters: 1/1

"No. Nope. Shut up,” she wheezes, tears squeezing out from the corner of her eyes. She can’t remember the last time she’s laughed this hard. The Doctor grins back at her, the same warm and familiar smile she remembers underscored by the raw intensity smouldering in his eyes. "Make me.” "Maybe I will." She hooks her leg over his calf and rolls on top of him, gasping when she feels him grind purposefully against her. His fingers gently brush a strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear before he leans up to kiss her, the tip of his tongue gently teasing the seam of her lips. "Maybe you should."

Chained by Aeolist

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Eyebrows, Chains, Hangovers Length: 5,534 Chapters: 1/1

After a night out on the planet Delphon, Rose and the Doctor wake up in an unusual predicament.

In Lovers Meeting by @lastbluetardis

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, Reunions, Reunion Sex, Telepathy, Telepathic Bond, Episode Fix-It: s04e13 Journey's End Length: 3,165 Chapters: 1/1

What would have happened if Rose shot that Dalek on the street in "The Stolen Earth"?

Senses Only Divide Us by tenscupcake

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Hurt/Comfort, Telepathy, Sensory Deprivation Length: 8,185 Chapters: 1/1

When the Doctor is rendered temporarily blind and deaf by a hostile sect of aliens, Rose discovers the only way to comfort him is through touch.

time, wondrous time by crybabie

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Reunions, Reunion Sex, Wall Sex, Clothed Sex, First Time Length: 3,590 Chapters: 1/1

Rose unlocks the door to their room and tugs him in with her, pressing the door shut behind them. And just like that, they’re alone for the first time in too many years. It hits them both at once and for half a second, they stare at each other in silence. Then they’re all motion.

Exposure by @thirdeyeblue

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, Smut, First Time, Huddling For Warmth Length: 10,995 Chapters: 1/1

Out on a snowy hike, the Doctor and Rose get lost and quickly find themselves in danger. With night upon them and temperatures dropping fast, staying warm becomes a matter of survival.

Believe by @leftennant

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Smuff, Smangst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance Length: 3,258 Chapters: 1/1

Rose is holding her breath, not wanting to break the spell he’s weaving with his fingers. He’s jumped from her hand to her hip, using his palm to slowly travel a course up her side. The breath she’s been holding makes a shaky escape. She doesn’t know what he’s thinking or even if he’s fully awake, but these gentle touches are so lovely and she doesn’t want them to stop.

As Soon As We're Alone by @thirdeyeblue

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Established Relationship, Jealousy, Romance, Smut, Rough Sex, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk Length: 11,070 Chapters: 1/1

She still felt the same rush each time his lips slid against hers, each time his fingertips brushed and dragged across heated skin. Each time he clutched desperately at her, like he feared he might still lose her — even after all this time. And oh, was he clutching now.

Coaster Castles (and other sturdy defenses) by bendingsignpost

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Out Of Order First Time, Angst, So Much Angst Length: 7,772 Chapters: 1/1

He's only a bloke in a bar, but he's a bloke in a bar who needs her.

Doors, Wall, Window by @kscribbles

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Sex Pollen, Dubious Consent, Smut, Oral Sex, Aphrodisiacs, Outdoor Sex Length: 4,036 Chapters: 1/1

Drug or no drug, she could be forgiven for wanting to tear his damned suit off.

a little like daybreak by @metacrisisdoctor

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Established Relationship, Morning Sex, Consensual Somnophilia, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Sex, Multiple Orgasms Length: 3,431 Chapters: 1/1

Rose has never been a morning person. The Doctor would like to change that.

as long as you want it by @sadcoms

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Loss Of Virginity, Idiots In Love, First Time, Oral Sex, Fluff and Smut Length: 11,060 Chapters: 1/1

The Doctor has a plan: he is going to seduce Rose Tyler if it kills him. Sounds like a brilliant way to go, actually.

Or I'll Bite by @goingtothetardis

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Confined Spaces, Fondling, Tickling, Fingering, Teasing, Blow Jobs Length: 1,243 Chapters: 1/1

Playful teasing in a tiny closet makes things harder than they ever imagined.

Be My Jack by @khaelisfics

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Porn Without Plot, Fluff and Smut Length: 3,049 Chapters: 1/1

The Doctor and Rose find themselves in trouble again. They have to hide in a car, and Rose feels the urge to improvise a remake of that one scene she loves. "Have you ever watched Titanic, Doctor?"

Tricks of the Metacrisis Mind by cereal

Rating: Teen Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Kissing Length: 700 Chapters: 1/1

Sometimes though, it all shuts down, his mind and his body in perfect bliss, because there are six types of Rose Tyler kisses and the Doctor knows them all.

Buoyant by @goingtothetardis

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Under The Influence, Grinding, Clubbing, Oral Sex Length: 826 Chapters: 1/1

He’d twirled away from her in a flurry of nonsensical words, and tired of the game, she’d asked him for a drink.

Shiver by tenscupcake

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Smut, Fluff, Telepathy Length: 9,999 Chapters: 1/1

When she and the Doctor fall through some thin ice because of a faulty landing, a very cold and frustrated Rose just wants to huddle by the fireplace alone, but he doesn't want to leave her side.

More Than Sex by @kelkat9

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Alien Sex, Posessive Behavior, Jealousy, Romance Length: 6,534 Chapters: 1/1

The Doctor takes Rose to a celebration of color; beyond fun and dancing, something lingers in the Doctor's eyes. Rose feels it even if she doesn't understand until a moment of jealousy clarifies there's more happening than a possessive Doctor or a celebration of color. On the TARDIS, feelings are revealed and the truth of who they are and what they mean to each other cannot be denied.

Forever by fadewithfury

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: First Time, Romance, Angst, Emotional Sex Length: 5,092 Chapters: 1/1

The Doctor and Rose spend the night together after she says 'forever.'

Break Even by @rudennotgingr

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: PWP, Angst, Smut, Romance Length: 6,069 Chapters: 1/1

Rose flirts their way out of trouble, resulting in a very jealous Doctor. Really just an excuse for jealous!Doctor and smut.

Just One Room by PaleEmeraldNebula

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: PWP, Romance, Fluff, Telepathic Sex Length: 4,647 Chapters: 1/1

When Rose and the Doctor decide to share a hotel room for the night, instead of going directly to Torchwood after being left on Bad Wolf Bay, the Doctor surprises her by insisting on one room with only one bed…

Short Multichapter Fics (< 10 Chapters)

Peppermint Tea by @thirdeyeblue

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: First Time, Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, Sickfic, Edging Length: 20,378 Chapters: 2/2

A very sick Doctor leans on Rose as he recovers. While she nurses him back to health, they grow closer than they've ever been before... But not without a bit of tension, of course.

A Splash of Orange, A Thread of Gold by Abelina

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Shower Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Telepathy Length: 11,369 Chapters: 2/2

‘Run’ was a beginning. This is where we stop running. Rose and the Doctor in the aftermath of Krop Tor.

Journeys End In Lovers Meeting by @lastbluetardis

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, Angst, Reunions, Episode Fix-It: s04e13 Journey's End, Telepathy Length: 7,080 Chapters: 2/2

After being separated shortly after agreeing to a marriage bond, the Doctor and Rose find their way back to each other and try to pick up their relationship where they left off—after saving the multiverse from a Dalek attack, of course.

'cause it's gravity (keeping you with me) by crybabie

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Reunions, Fluff, First Time, Blow Jobs, Grinding, Semi-Public Sex, Chair Sex Length: 5,895 Chapters: 2/2

“We saved the universe, but at a cost. And that cost is him.” The Doctor rolls his eyes at himself. Has he always sounded so sanctimonious? It’s agony to be on the receiving end. “He’s you!” Rose insists. ... A slight AU in which Rose immediately accepts the part-human Doctor, actively chooses to stay with him in Pete's World, and gets a better sort of goodbye.

A Leap of Faith by @elialys

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Hurt/Comfort, Romance, First Time, Post-Coital Cuddling Length: 8,418 Chapters: 2/2

"As Rose stares back at him and more seconds pass slowly, almost sluggishly, the potent energy that comes with their most recent ‘I’ve almost lost you’ scare pulses between them, embedding them both with a pull that feels almost magnetic. Rose blames that pull for soon finding herself in his arms again, her forehead pressed to his shoulder, his embrace as strong as it’s been every other time he’s hugged her today. She doesn’t mind this mutual clinginess, all too happy to reciprocate, even if her feet don’t leave the ground, this time; there is no laughter either, only the tight hold of his arms around her, her fingers clenching the fabric of his jacket, revelling in that tangible proof that he is here." After 'The Satan Pit', Rose and the Doctor comfort one another.

all my days i'll know your face by crybabie

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Reunions, Romantic Sex, Fluff and Smut, Riding, Cunnilingus, First Time, Dirty Talk Length: 5,899 Chapters: 2/2

Donna was suddenly thrilled that she’d caught a glimpse of a photo taped to the Doctor’s desktop during her first adventure on the TARDIS. (In which the Doctor was just a little more heartsick over the loss of Rose, and it makes all the difference.)

Scratching the Itch by bendingsignpost

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: First Time, Alien Biology Length: 19,689 Chapters: 3/3

Her mum had always told her that blokes had only one thing on their minds, but this was taking it to an entirely new level.

All That Stuff We're So Scared Of by ABadPlanWellExecuted

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Drunkenness, Drunk Kissing, Romance, Explicit Sexual Content Length: 14,275 Chapters: 3/3

Set post-TIP/TSP. The Doctor gets drunk and argues about religion with the Holy Brotherhood of San Klah. Rose helps. Barriers come down, and so forth.

First Night of Forever by @skyler10fic

Rating: Teen Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, Nightmares, Angst, Humor, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort Length: 6,338 Chapters: 3/3

Tentoo is amazed and a little shocked by how well his optimistic Rose is taking the events of Bad Wolf Bay II, but when he sees how much she’s been hurting without him the last few years, he understands why.

Washed Up Together by @thirdeyeblue

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Mutual Pining, Explicit Sexual Content, Dirty Talk Length: 20,998 Chapters: 3/3

Not long after being left on Bad Wolf Bay, the Doctor and Rose quietly contemplate why their relationship has yet to progress.

For All We're Worth by @thirdeyeblue

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Truth Serum, Sharing a Bed, First Time, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Dirty Talk, First Orgasm Ever Length: 31,695 Chapters: 4/4

“You do realize this place is for couples,” Rose said flatly. “You’ve taken us to a couples resort.”

Don't Leave Me Hanging on the Telephone by @leftennant

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Smut, Smuff, Sex Pollen, Romance, Fluff Length: 8,857 Chapters: 4/4

“Rose, the rain,” he said running his fingers through his dripping hair, “it’s an aphrodisiac."

Desperate Measures by @demdifferentstories-29

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Shag or Die, Love Confessions, Smut, Mutual Pining, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fake Marriage, Sexual Tension, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex, Intimacy, Friends to Lovers, Body Worship Length: 26,976 Chapters: 4/4

The Doctor and Rose make a dodgy landing on an unintended planet and seek shelter and help. But what happens when it is discovered that Rose is an 'unclaimed' woman, and what lengths does the Doctor go to to protect her from being forced to contribute to the planet's dwindling population?

Speechless by @wyndampryce

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, Smut, Shameless Smut, Dirty Talk, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, First Time, Romance Length: 17,535 Chapters: 5/5

When the Doctor left Rose and his identical counterpart on a grim, isolated beach in Norway, what if he took more with him than just the beloved TARDIS they called home, the entirety of time and space, and their ability to decide their future for themselves? What if he accidentally took the new human Doctor's ability to communicate, too? Without a TARDIS to translate for him, the Doctor finds himself at a loss for words, unable to communicate with an uncertain Rose right when he needs her most. With the life they've always deserved nearly within reach, the two of them must figure out how to bridge this one last divide. If they've done it before, surely they can do it again, can't they? After all, at least this time, they can touch...

Little Gallifrey by Endelda, @licieoic

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Alternate Universe, Food Critic, Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Cooking, Fluff and Smut, Fluff, Kitchen Sex Length: 31,757 Chapters: 6/6

Little Gallifrey is a popular London restaurant, owned and led by the Doctor, who runs front of house and creates all the recipes. Rose Tyler is a regular patron who has become more of a friend after all her visits, who puts up with the Doctor's whinging that his favorite food critic, Bad Wolf, has never come to his restaurant. Or, he thinks she hasn't.

The Lame Shall Enter First by @lastbluetardis

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, Angst, Episode: s02e13 Doomsday, Post-Episode AU: s02e013 Doomsday, Hurt/Comfort, Telepathy Length: 23,049 Chapters: 6/6

Rose could not be gone. He still needed her. He was a bloody Time Lord, after all. The laws of the universe obeyed him, the universe owed him, and this time, he would not sit idly by while everything he loved was taken from him.

Stepford by cereal

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Explicit Sexual Content Length: 28,622 Chapters: 6/6

"Oh, come on, you know what I mean, that sort of thing is always happening on the telly. Take two attractive people, mix in a little tension, stick ‘em in a single bedroom for ratings, stir and repeat."

Idle Hands by Aeolist, @thebadddestwolf

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff Length: 19,143 Chapters: 6/6

The prompt: The Doctor hurts his hands and needs Rose’s assistance when it comes to, well, a lot.

Across the Void by @elialys

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Episode Fix-It: s02e13 Doomsday, Reunion, Light Angst, Romance, Slow Burn, First Time, Telepathic Bond, Telepathic Sex, Length: 26,945 Chapters: 7/7

"Can't you come through properly?" "The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse." "So?" In which Rose Tyler presses a button.

Long Multichapter Fics (> 10 Chapters)

Calluses by @elialys

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Angst, Romance, Angst With A Happy Ending, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Introspection, First Time, Sharing a Bed Length: 38,876 Chapters: 10/10

"There’s a man in a blue suit standing somewhere behind her, a man wearing a face she loves, who whispered all the right words, yet she doesn’t know what to do."  Immediate follow-up to 4x13, in which the (metacrisis) Doctor and Rose deal with the physical, emotional and psychological fallouts of having been left behind at Bad Wolf Bay.

A Shop Girl With A Broken Fob Watch by @licieoic

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Alec Hardy/Rose Tyler Main tags: Fobwatched, Crossover, Alternate Universe Length: 30,864 Chapters: 10/10

Following an emergency landing in the Dorset town of Broadchurch, the Doctor must hide his Time Lord self inside a fob watch to escape some vicious hunters, leaving Rose to look after his human self, Alec Hardy.

Texts and Relative Documents in Supply by @demdifferentstories-29

Rating: Mature Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Friends to Lovers, Abusive Relationships, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Non-Con, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Trauma, Healing, Love Confessions, Strangers to Lovers Length: 53,094 Chapters: 10/10

Rose Tyler has always taken note of the blue door on the strip of shops near her job at Henrick’s, but has never had a chance to step inside. But when she needs to get away from her abusive boyfriend for the night, it’s the only place that’s open, and she befriends the eccentric owner, Doctor John Smith (scientist by day, bookshop owner by night). As she starts to visit his little shop, he begins to learn that Rose is a wonderfully intriguing creature, and she tries to keep her dark secrets hidden from her newfound friend.

The Wind By Night by tripwirealarm

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Explicit Sexual Content Length: 66,773 Chapters: 12/12

An uncalibrated reentry into the parallel universe plays havok with material spacetime in the hours after the arrival in Pete's World, forcing Rose and the Doctor into some time alone with their reservations, reflections and each other. But things may not be as easily sorted as the Doctor projects, because time is deterministic, and there is no such thing as an accident.

Careful Surrender by tenscupcake

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Telepathy, Hurt/Comfort, Angst Length: 158,032 Chapters: 19/19

Shaken after the events on Sanctuary Base of Krop Tor and haunted by the memory of losing each other, the Doctor and Rose are driven into each other's arms. As they begin to tear down the meticulously constructed walls the Doctor has built around their relationship, he is forced to confront the reasons he put them up in the first place, but the demons of his past stifle his attempts to open up to her. The pair walks a tenuous line on the threshold of emotional and physical intimacy, and though tension builds and their frustration intensifies, neither of them is entirely prepared for what may happen once they travel beyond the boundaries of friendship.

Sacred New Beginnings by @lastbluetardis

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Alternate Universe, Romance, Meet-Cute, Hurt/Comfort, Angst Length: 118,733 Chapters: 21/?

James Noble thought he traded away his chance at love and a happy-ever-after when he signed a contract with a record label that turned him into an international celebrity. But a chance meeting in a dive bar may prove him wrong.

Bloodstream by @thirdeyeblue

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: First Time, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Dirty Talk, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Shag or Die, Idiots in Love Length: 201,137 Chapters: 27/27

The Doctor and Rose are taken captive on a planet ravaged by a mysterious illness. In order to be freed, they have to cross major boundaries in their friendship. Forced into physical intimacy against their will, they’re left to confront the true nature of their relationship... And save the world, of course.

One Crowded Hour by @allegoricalrose

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Unplanned Pregnancy, Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut, Sharing A Bed Length: 108,588 Chapters: 27/27

"Doctor? Why am I crying?" An hour is missing from both of their memories and Rose is pregnant: the repercussions.

Knock Three Times by @jellyneau-xo

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Length: 104,241 Chapters: 29/29

Two perfect strangers wake to find themselves being held in adjacent prison cells with no memories of who they are or how they got there. It isn’t until they are faced with agonizing trials that push the limits of self-sacrifice to new horrific heights, that they realize just what they’re facing and how much they will need to trust each other in order to survive.

Heeled by @jellyneau-xo

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Explicit Sexual Content Length: 101,782 Chapters: 30/30

There he was. The ‘Oncoming Storm’...caught, caged, and clad only in his pants...reduced to trying to look adorable enough to adopt in an effort to gain his freedom. But adoption isn’t the ticket to freedom the Doctor hoped it would be, and he discovers that if he wants to obtain it, he will will have to make some decisions that could easily change not only his and Rose’s lives, but the lives of all those on an entire planet as well.

Electrostatic Potential by tenscupcake

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Romance, Telepathy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Length: 190,665 Chapters: 37/37

As the Doctor and Rose traverse time and space looking for adventure, they slowly fall victim to a mysterious energy that can manipulate their emotions. Though confused and unnerved by the cerebral affliction, neither of them understands its cause, or realizes that it could jeopardize their friendship. What will it take for them to discover the truth?

Finding Forever by Hawkerin, @thedoctormulder

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Main tags: Episode Fix-It: s02e13 Doomsday Length: 136,962 Chapters: 42/42

At the very last moment, Rose found another handhold to save herself from falling into the Void. Can she and the Doctor manage to live the forever that she promised? A series three rewrite, coauthored by Hawkerin and TheDoctorMulder.

[tempusedax-rerum]

All references in TiBiBiBaP

Under the cut you'll find all the little references and allusions made in Then it Becomes, it Becomes, it Becomes a Problem because I kept track of them and hey, why not, right?

It's going to include some stuff that probably seems painfully obvious. And did I miss some? Most likely, yes.

Obviously this contains MAJOR SPOILERS lol

Chapter 1:

Bill-proof suit -> The Book of Bill (TBoB from here on out)

Post-it notes -> TBoB

Shave-and-a-haircut -> classic call-and-response

“Have you come to steal my eyes?” -> S02E12, a Tale of Two Stans

Venus de Milo -> ancient Greek marble statue

Chapter 2:

“…grisly warzone that had once been their favourite taco place.” -> TBoB burrito paradox incident

“hourglass-shaped container” -> inspired by the ‘Cosmic Sand’ from S02E08 Blendin's Game and also the oracle page in Journal 3

“Vigilantes vel somniantes vel ambo…” -> this is actually a direct reference to a poem I wrote

“…you never needed the feather, Dumbo!” -> this scene in Dumbo

“The first line of the pyramid is also a theorem; it follows directly from axiom two.” -> Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page 224. All of Amorphous Shape's dialogue comes from GEB because I'm saying that all of reality is consciousness-based (specifically Axolotl-based). What is Amy? A mystery, at her core. Some kind of expression of the fractal structure of the multiverse.

"in the backroom" -> did I spell back room incorrectly?? No. I did this on purpose.

Chapter 3:

My take on the mindscape is loosely based on Plato’s theory of Forms with some scaffolded fractal panpsychism thrown in for good measure

“…grains of sand on every beach…” -> reference to Carl Sagan's book Cosmos

5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel -> reference to the actual game

Chapter 4:

“It would be insane for a serial killer to press and stamp their own fake pain killers…” -> allusion to the Tylenol murders

Photocopier -> S01E07, Double Dipper

“Route 14” -> Journal 3

Chapter 5:

“…a large gourd with an unnervingly friendly face.” -> Journal 3

“ten distinct varieties of spectra” -> Journal 3

“a huge chess pawn” -> seen in the background of various Gravity Falls episodes (in the attic)

“Teen and Up” -> reference to AO3's rating system

“chamomile, cardamom, and dandelion root” -> chosen for their occult and medical properties: chamomile is associated with calm, cardamom is associated with love, dandelion root is associated with change. Basically a little spell to keep Ford thinking good thoughts about Bill.

Chapter 6:

“Chumbo’s hungry” -> TBoB

“singing the alphabet backwards and chanting Z-O-Z-O-Z-O” -> these are two common ouija board events that are attributed to demons

“Bring spiders! Sixer liked those.” -> TBoB

“The sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees only in Euclidean geometry; it is greater in elliptic geometry, less in hyperbolic.” -> Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page 100

“party like it’s 1346!” -> this is the year the bubonic plague started

Chapter 7:

“There are these cows” -> Journal 3

“The Collector” -> a real Marvel villain

“eaten by Steve” -> Journal 3

“A mop and a bucket.” -> allusion to the various Handyman Bill AUs

“STARVING BLACK HOLES HAVE EATEN ALL LIGHT” -> that's entropy, babyyyy. Specifically, I was thinking about this video: time lapse of the future

“He wants his mother to cut the crusts off his sandwiches.” -> TBoB (burrito paradox 911 call script)

Chapter 8:

“the Purple Man” -> also a Marvel villain

“nice birthday present” -> TBoB

“I don’t want to be a fish!” -> the theory that hiccups are an old fish reflex

“Or Plato?” -> allusion to the allegory of the cave which is linked to Plato's Forms

Chapter 9:

“…has caused me harm in the following ways” -> common script for intervention letters

“A potato-shaped creature with a jelly-like consistency and four eyes” -> Journal 3

“Et tu, Brute?” -> Julius Caesar of course

“this space was originally my biospec lab” -> and that’s what it is in the show according to S02E15, The Last Mablecorn. I tried to stay true to this layout but I did make a few changes.

“He gave me rats for my birthday.” -> TBoB

Chapter 10:

“For here it is true that si paullum a summo discessit, vergit ad imum. I turned back when I saw that no man can reach the bottom of this night.” -> Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page 92

“We cannot make the loop any tighter, but we can open it wider, by choosing to insert any number of intermediate levels, such as ‘picture frame’, ‘arcade’, and ‘building…’” -> Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page 716

“Nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” -> direct quote from the Twilight Zone, S01E28

“The architect of my own destiny.” -> paraphrase of Jean-Paul Sartre

“Self-made man” -> paraphrase of Frederick Douglass

“portable portal device” -> allusion to the portal gun Rick and Morty... bordering on reference the further into the story we go... lol

Chapter 11:

Tachyon Queso’s Time-Loop Pizza Palazzo —> this is obviously just Chuck E. Cheez which, apparently, used to be called "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre"

Chapter 12:

“Mens, corpus, in aethere separatum, spiritu unitum” –> I swear this is a reference to Supernatural but I can't remember which incantation I was thinking of

Chapter 13:

Multibear → S01E06, Dipper Vs. Manliness

"Just a couple tweaks" -> reference to Let's Get Weird by Longest Solo Ever

Chapter 14:

“If you wanted to go back and replace axiom one by its negation, you could not just do that by itself; you would have to delete all theorems which had involved axiom one in their derivations.” → Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page ?? (forgot to record the page number, so sorry lol. When I reread I'll fix this)

“Querying the system about some particular idea sets up a goal in the form of a string to be derived.” → Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page ?? (same issue as above)

“hyperdrive from crash site Omega” → Journal 3

“concentrated dark matter” → reference to Rick and Morty, S01E04, M. Night Shaym-Aliens!

“shadow realm” → reference to Yu-Gi-Oh!

“Magrathea” → planet in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Sikaris → planet in Star Trek (Voyager, S01E10, Prime Factors)

Naboo → planet in Star Wars

Arrakis → planet in Dune

Golden fiddle → reference to The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Chapter 15:

“Swayze-style” & “You had me at ‘ditto!’” → references to Ghost (1990)

Chapter 16:

Nothing here except a bunch of over-simplified neuroanatomy.

Chapter 17:

“Krombo-whoever-the-fuck” → allusion to Krombopulous Michael from Rick and Morty, S02E02, Mortynight Run

“she’d figured out how to set water on fire” → that one chemical that can do that. I forget. I think it's lithium? It also burns pink, so I think this was Alex's intention for Pyronica

Jheselbraum → Journal 3

Chapter 18:

“he had Jennifer Aniston beat in that regard” → reference to the Jennifer Aniston neuron

“what was his name… George? Henry?” → allusion to a series of comments where people kept getting Gary's name wrong. It really cracked me up. Like, yes, exactly! Gary is barely a person. Hilarious.

“‘Subsystem’ is just another name for an overgrown symbol, one which has gotten so complicated that it has–” → Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Hofstadter, Douglas R., page 384

“spiritui esto subiecto voluntati meae" -> and then Snooki appears! Reference to Supernatural, S9E16, Blade Runners

“Greek superstition” → parsley is associated with the dead in Greek mythology

“Yarrow? Frankincense?” & “absinthe?” → chosen for their occult properties. Yarrow is associated with removing blockages, frankincense with ritual amplification and consecration of ritual spaces, and absinthe is associated with spirit communication

Chapter 19:

“Anima, corpori fuerit corpus totem resurgent.” → reference to Supernatural, S8E1, We Need to Talk About Kevin. Fun fact: Amina (Anima backwards) just so happens to stand in for "amen" in Arabic in certain circumstances. Neat how that worked out.

And lots more oversimplified neuroanatomy. I like brain science. :3

Also thank you to my university's physics department and to some very helpful people on discord who checked my math on those three problems.

Chapter 20:

"Dammit, Janet" -> a song from Rocky Horror Picture Show

“fucking Nosferatu” → Nosferatu :) obviously :)

Chapter 21:

“Obtuse Society” → From this panel about the pitch document for TBoB (here's the actual document)

Chapter 22:

“cells, interlinked” → Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabakov

“Dr. Jacobi” → Laura Palmer's therapist in Twin Peaks

“Did the lambs get too loud for you, Clarice?” → Silence of the Lambs

“salt on Ford’s windowsills” → allusion to Supernatural. Just salt everywhere.

Chapter 23:

“stupid… calcium” → lack of calcium re-uptake is one of the causes of rigor mortis

Chapter 23:

I am purposefully drawing parallels between Bill's trauma-based dissociative experiences and my own experiences with dissociative disorders. This is also a nod to Disco Elysium!

"jelly doughnut" -> reference to the autopsy snack time trope

Chapter 24:

Nothing here

Chapter 25:

This chess game is just The Immortal Zugzwang

Chapter 26:

"a tattoo guy" -> it could be any of the embarrassing tattoos tbh (but it's definitely the "if lost return to Bill Cipher" one from TBoB, the "my muse and me" page)

Moloko plus → disgusting milk-based beverage in A Clockwork Orange

That ol’ Janx Spirit → alcoholic component of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Chapter 27:

The spot in the Atlantic ocean that Ford is referencing is meant to be the Bermuda triangle

“Eyepatch?” → allusion to Theseus' Guide to Ruining a Perfectly Good Boat by @stump-not-found

The cake in this scene is an internal reference to the moment that Bill saw in chapter 7 which he was using to anchor his behaviour in subsequent chapters. In case.... anyone missed that. It was a very small moment.

"Just rebrand it as an adhesive exfoliating strip. The rash means it’s working." -> Stan's bandaid brand, "The Rip-Off," that won't give you rashes from S02E12, A Tale of Two Stans

The final scene with Bill is a reference to the one therapy session we see on thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com when you type in "even his lies are lies"

Spiders Georg -> we all know this guy, I hope

[ao3feed-piltovers-finest]

and I'm thinking of you (higher than god)

by romeynticism (pretzelmintz)

But this is real. Almost terrifyingly real. It would have scared her, back then, made her reach out to test the illusion like she hadn’t ever dared to, knowing her knuckles would meet nothing but empty air. But this vision casts a shadow, catches the warm light of the bunker, sports tiny imperfections of exhaustion and effort her drunken dreams hadn’t ever seen. It’s real. She’s looking right at her. “Sorry to say,” Caitlyn’s voice goes softer, lower, “You’ve grown a bit predictable.” She blows air through her nose as the last syllable leaves her lips honey-smooth, and Vi somehow manages to recognize humour in her tone, but Caitlyn’s arms are still crossed, she isn’t moving, but- She’s smiling, she’s gorgeous, she’s playful and she’s right here. She’s here. She’s come back to me. And Vi lunges to capture the lips of the girl who’d once held her hand through a safe and warm sleep.

//

In a bunker far below ground, Vi is lost, has lost it all- until those beautiful blue eyes find her again. (An extension and emotional telling of the cell scene from S2:08.)

Words: 5878, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F

Characters: Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vi (League of Legends)

Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)

Additional Tags: Smut, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Extended Scene, its the cell scene!, Episode: s02e08 Killing Is a Cycle (Arcane: League of Legends), Top Vi (League of Legends), Bottom Caitlyn (League of Legends), Oral Sex, Wall Sex, Caitlyn and Vi are in Love (League of Legends), Emotional Sex, yeah its porn but its got lots of emotions, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, referencing vis pitfighting era

Read on A03. from AO3 works tagged ‘Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)’

[cottagecoreloreee]

Rating: M

Pairing: Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Daniel Molloy/Arman (Background), Daniel Molloy & Louis de Pointe du Lac

Tags: Rockstar Lestat, Mutual Pining, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Drug Use, Biting, Blood Drinking, Drama, Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Anal Sex, Jealousy, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Bottom Louis de Pointe du Lac, Top Lestat de Lioncourt, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Friends to Lovers, Post-Episode: s02e08 And That's The End of It. There's Nothing Else (Interview with the Vampire TV) Summary:

After the hurricane, Louis and Lestat's relationship became strained. With Lestat's newfound fame as a rockstar, he became an unavoidable presence in Louis' life. It might have been easier to ignore him if every song Lestat wrote wasn’t about Louis, and if Daniel hadn’t kept calling to complain about the interview for the sequel named after the band--The Vampire Lestat. When Daniel asked Louis to come and get Lestat to talk, Louis refused—until Lestat started calling him himself.

"We can be just friends," Lestat said.

Louis promised himself he’d keep Lestat at arm’s length. It would be easier if he weren’t in love with him.

-----snippet-----

It was longing that persuaded me to offer Lestat my hand, that had me bring Lestat to one of the apartments I owned in the Quarter as an investment. Our history was reason enough–I couldn’t leave him to the wreckage, though I knew he could save himself from the hurricane. I suspect my arrival had been no surprise to him. For the first time in decades, the cord that attached us wavered. As my feet stepped on Rue Royale, I felt him. He heard my call as I approached his squalid residence and prepared himself accordingly. It was our reunion, and he wouldn’t risk an unsavory outcome. 

We were, for the first time in an age, alone, and though yearning flowed from him, Lestat was respectful. In the beginning, he didn’t question or test my boundaries, and he treated my apartment as a temporary home, thanking me for my generosity. Once he was settled, I planned to return to my hotel room. 

Then we faced each other, Lestat looking down to his feet and then up to me, smiling coyly, his plush pink lips as deceptive as they’d always been. “I suppose you’ll be going,” he said.

“The sun’s coming up soon.”

Lestat nodded to himself. “Will I see you again?”

“When the storm’s over, I’ll swing by. Take care of yourself, alright? I don’t want to come back in a week and find your skeleton in a corner.” 

I made the steps to the door, my feet committed to the exit. Outside, the wind was howling and rain came down on the Quarter more violently than it had in storms a century ago. I hesitated as I neared the door, the sound of Lestat’s heart pounding in his chest eroding my determination. Lestat stood still, transfixed by our parting, and I felt his gaze linger on my back.

“Stay,” he whispered. 

“Lestat.” My hand hovered above the doorknob. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

He laughed then, that uncontrollable, hysterical laughter that had haunted my memory–in those most passionate moments, whenever I was most vulnerable to him, that same laugh escaped his belly. I was enthralled by its untimely entrance every time. And, goodness, I started laughing too, laughing with Lestat, laughing at how incredibly miserable we had been, and laughing at myself for how susceptible I was to him after decades of trying to purge myself of the impulse to run to him.

“I’ll leave tomorrow,” I relinquished.

[eattherichplease]

Love watching the old Addams Family show from the 60's because you can see very clearly the episodes and even the specific scenes that served as inspiration for Wednesday.

Cool thing is: they are mostly related to Morticia.

Here we have Morticia holding a séance in Halloween Addams Style (S02E07):

She's holding a séance because Wednesday want to see a real witch for Halloween and she doesn't want her daughter to be disappointed! So they try to contact Aunt Singe. Naturally.

Wednesday learned the basics of her mother's craft, as we all know:

Cool!

And! here we have Morticia writing! in Morticia, the Writer (S02E08):

She writes in the caves under the manor! How cool is that?

Her set-up was clearly the inspiration for Wednesday's own set-up at Nevermore:

Could this be the same typewriter? Family heirloom?

As you can see, both images depict Morticia doing things that we now associate with Wednesday.

And the best thing is: Morticia is doing both of them for Wednesday's sake!

Morticia is holding a séance only because Wednesday wants to meet a real witch.

Morticia is writing a children's book only because Wednesday hates the ones they force them to read in school, where the knights kill dragons and goblins and other magnificent and perfectly nice fellows.

So as you can see, Morticia and Wednesday have lots of things in common, and many things we now associate with Wednesday (fencing, string instruments, writing, seances, along with restrain, focus, pragmatism) were Morticia's traits and hobbies first.

And Morticia and Wednesday love each other very much! That's like Addams Family 101. Infinite love for each other. Perfectly healthy family with caring parents, no matter how macabre they look. It's the striking contrast that makes it great!

So why does society (Netflix) insists on pitting two bad bitches against each other? Don't know!

But anyway is cool they took inspiration from the original show!

Bonus: A glimpse of our glorious (wenclair) future:

[darkpoisonouslove]

HotD S02E08

I do not want to do this but I also want to be fucking done with this season so I'm powering through.

TL;DR: What the fuck even was that finale? Also, a relevant question - WHERE is the finale? 'Cuz, like, nothing happened except for more setup and the total assassination of the source material. This is gonna be full of negativity.

gif by oscarwildebutwilder

(Couldn't resist when I saw Freddy Fox.)

Tyland Lannister was the only good part of this episode. He was having such a bad time but he did not give up and not only did he secure allies for the war, but he also got to sleep with a whole harem. Good for him!

The way that they have Larys smuggle Aegon out of King's Landing to protect him from his own brother instead of from Rhaenyra... Though, he also inadvertently ends up protecting him from Rhaenyra but that whole thing is purely because of Alicent. I just... RIP any sort of integrity this show fucking had. But I'm gonna talk about that later. At least that provides us with an interesting parallel between Alicent and Larys. She was horrified when he killed his family but now she's the one sacrificing her son and Larys ended up saving him? Again, for his own benefit but that doesn't change the fact that he has taken on the burden that caring for Aegon will be for the next however many months while Alicent just... did that (*whispers* what the fuck). What we need now is for Alicent to get Helaena's development from the book. She knowingly chose to give up Aegon to death but then he is the last of her children that evades death. Imagine her seeing him come back to King's Landing and being unable to look him in the eye, knowing she chose to let him die but at the same time wanting to hug him because he is all she has left... because of Larys. Insane!

I can see how much everyone cares for Rhaena since she disappeared from the convoy and no one even fucking noticed apparently! Or if they did, they just didn't give a shit. They really are putting her through the wringer for that dragon... and they didn't even give it to her. I cannot believe that they just decided to fucking leave it there. At least let her claim it to close the season. That way the Blacks would gain even more power even if no one knew it yet. It would have been some kind of closure if only on 1 out of 10 fronts. But no!

Jace and the horrible, terrible, no good, really bad days. His face when Rhaenyra asked Addam to go with her AND left him to deal with the "mongrels". Ooh, sorry for that rough patch, buddy, hang in there! (Not Baela only appearing when she has to tell him how awesome and totally Targaryen and fit for the throne he is after her last appearance was her telling her grandfather how awesome and totally fit for the throne of Driftmark Joffrey would be. Hmm... almost like there's a fucking pattern!) I think it would have been more interesting if Jace had suggested that they get bastards to ride the dragons. That would have required them to write him an arc during this season where he confronts his feelings on it first but think about it! He knows he's a bastard and that's enough to let him have a dragon. So it should be enough for other Targaryen bastards. Rhaenyra would be the one to protest based on her ideas of the dragons being the Targaryens' key to ruling but she's already bending the rules for her own sons. What if she bends them further to win this war? And that way Jace would be the one to slowly but surely be dismantling the pillars upon which the Targaryen supremacy is built like he's already done with his very existence. Rhaenyra would have still started this but it would be Jace realizing that he's probably going to face another war for his own succession anyway and he decides to pull out all the stops and prove himself in this war plus simultaneously watch out for those who would be future obstacles to him and weed them out right now.

Fucking clown behavior from Corlys once again. I am so glad Alyn just ripped into him like that.

What exactly was Gwayne thinking bringing up Criston and Alicent's affair so publicly and drawing everyone's attention? There's no way none of the other soldiers around them didn't hear what they were discussing. Great way to protect your sister's virtue, buddy! The way Criston also went through an existential crisis this season - just like Alicent - and has come out of it just as jaded, having lost his faith and his sense of purpose. The writers really fucking copy-pasted that arc, huh? On both characters obsessed with Rhaenyra. As if they're trying to imply that without Rhaenyra the world will end. Oh, wait! Did I say imply? They are outright stating it! But yeah, I want to be invested in the Alicole angst of him sniffing her handkerchief but I can't, knowing that Alicent was on her way to betray him and everyone else on her side. (*whispers* what the fuck)

Aemond is coming up so desperate and this could be interesting if they explore how he was so sure he could do it himself but now he has to face the fact that he's not a one-man(-and-dragon) army and he needs help. Which would have been easier to get if he hadn't torched his brother. He might have even persuaded Helaena to join him then, or at least Aegon could have if they had fucking let him and Helaena seek comfort in each other over their son's death. Aegon, due to their extenuating circumstances, could have chosen to stoke her feelings of anger and grief over Jaehaerys contrarily to how he tried to avoid that in 2x02 when he didn't say anything to her on the stairs because all he had was rage and she wasn't looking for that. The world we could have been living in! But no! We have this instead where Aemond is now turning on all of his family members and threatening their lives while Daemon has overcome his ideas to overthrow Rhaenyra and is now a loyal little soldier. At least can they give us some Aemond and Jacaerys parallels? Both feel that that is something making them not enough rn and if Aemond is to have a relationship with Alys, it would be interesting to see him struggle the same as Jace, who is also a bastard like her.

Apparently, if you are tripping balls for long enough, you will completely change your entire personality and start believing in magic and fate and the divine right of kings - oops, sorry, queens - even though you were the one character that openly admitted that it wasn't some magic-prophecy bullshit that got your house the throne but your flying nuclear lizards. Good to know! At least the writers had the decency to give us two different visions that clearly intersect somewhere but also wildly diverge. We didn't get to see Helaena's vision but she was just as certain in Aegon sitting the throne as Daemon was in Rhaenyra sitting it. Though, clearly Helaena sees further since his vision ended at that point but Helaena was also there and has seen beyond it. At least that way they keep the intrigue because if we know for certain one side is ordained by the gods to save the realm, then what's the point of watching the show further? That is to say, they could have fucked this up even more but they managed to not destroy their basic premise.

Love how they kept Helaena's dreamer side so vague until now and suddenly bam! She has a very clear map of when and how Aemond will die. She might not know the exact day but that was pretty specific, especially compared to her other visions. I am at least relieved that it's mostly because of the visions that she doesn't want to join Aemond, since she knows what will happen. It still feels like "women don't like war because they're so gentle" but a little less annoying nonetheless. (Not Rhaenyra saying that Helaena doesn't like riding Dreamfyre. And that on the heels of Aegon saying that Sunfyre is dead which is a confirmation because he would be able to feel it. My inner monologue rn: kill kill die kill.)

Ser Alfred when Daemon declared for Rhaenyra:

I was starting to think that he had just decided to cut his losses and fuck off to another kingdom. Rhaenyra clearly sent him away to get rid of him and showing up at Harrenhal to demand from the Daemon that left Dragonstone to check with his wife would have gotten him killed. It would have made sense for him to bail. Why did it take him so long to arrive? I know he wasn't on a dragon but this seems like some awfully convenient timing.

Rhaenyra still wringing her hands after she had 30-40 people die a horrifying, excruciating death AND broke the rules so bad that she pissed off all her dragon tamers is ABSOLUTELY. FUCKING. RIDICULOUS. Crack? Is it crack you smoke? Mysaria being there to urge her further into war while telling her how right and just she is is starting to feel a whole lot like they're setting up Mysaria to be the devil on her shoulder while Alicent, who wants peace, is the angel on the other shoulder. It's completely devoid of logic and stupid. I wish they would just cut that shit out.

This episode completely turned me off from Rhaenicent. I just cannot support this bullshit. I don't care how many parallels they've woven in between Alicent and Rhaenyra and how they were always each other's answer because they had what the other wanted and balanced each other out. This behavior is just completely unacceptable from a storytelling perspective, from a character perspective, from any kind of perspective, especially from Alicent.

What the fuck are they implying that Alicent is now fReE and she has shed the chains that kept her suffering and self-sacrificing?! She just agreed to let her son get killed so that she could save the realm from a war. That sounds exactly like self-sacrificing! Except that it's worse because she's not just sacrificing herself, but her child! (Also, fucking watch the writers imply that being disabled means you're completely disposable because you'd be better off dead anyway!) And that's coming after she spent 15-20 years agonizing over the fact that Rhaenyra will kill her sons just because they're a challenge to her claim to the throne! That was the whole reason why she put Aegon on the throne in the first place! How did it even occur to her to go to Rhaenyra at all when now more than ever there is no way to end this war without one of the claimants to the throne dying?????

Season 1 Alicent: *stands in front of a dragon for Aegon*

Season 2 Alicent: *agrees to let Rhaenyra execute Aegon*

Like??????????? WHAT. THE. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate, haTE, HATE how they are still trying to present Rhaenyra's bid for Aegon's head as just or at least deserved because Lucerys got killed. Aren't you fucking forgetting that her husband ordered the decapitation of Aegon's six-year-old child????????? There was a son taken! Rhaenyra was allegedly horrified but now she is still thirsty for blood and wants Aegon's head. And when she kills him, she'll want Aemond's head - for Lucerys and because of all the innocent people he's killed, of course, not because he's also a threat to her claim. And when he's dead, she'll want Daeron's head if he dares to join his family and try to fight her. The attempts to present her as the hero are so outrAGEOUS... Why am I even watching this show? I should stop watching this show!

Otto being imprisoned was both "I fucking knew it!" and "Thank god he's alive at least!" I knew to be worried when Aemond wanted him back and Alicent said he hadn't responded to her letters.

[regulusrules]

WIP TAG GAME 🌿

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips

Thanks for the tag loves! @poetry-my-lord @rapha-reads

Holy shit, I have so many WIPs I should actually be banned (or forced on a chair to sit tf down and write). I've got a whole file called magic reveal every episode — most of which are untitled. and i have another folder of wips like the julius caesar fic (full AUs) but these are later to be revealed.

For now, here are some of the magic reveals:

S01E01 - the dragon's call

arthur sees merlin saving him with magic in the banquet.

S01E03 - the mark of nimueh

arthur uses his brain cells and actually figures out that when merlin nearly broke the fucking door to the throne room screaming i have magic!!!, he actually meant it.

S02E08 - the sins of the father

merlin reveals the truth of ygraine's story after the vision of morgause, and arthur gets to, for once, have actual agency in the decisions he make.

S02E09 - the lady of the lake

merlin tells arthur that he fucking killed the girl he loved.

S02E12 - the fires of idrisholas

arthur actually sees merlin's golden eyes that were right. in front. of. his. eyes.

S03E02 - the tears of uther pendragon

merlin collapses in front of arthur after the serket sting.

S04E03 - the wicked day (TYISMSO)

merlin reveals his magic to arthur right before his coronation.

S04E06 - a servant of two masters

THEY FUCKING TELL ARTHUR THAT MERLIN WAS ENCHANTED AND HE TRIES TO HELP MERLIN AS HE WOULD HAVE

S04E10 - the herald of a new age

merlin has faith from arthur's words to the spirit that possessed elyan and tells him the second day

S05E03 - the death song of uther pendragon (MHIRY)

uther succeeds in saying merlin has magic!, momentarily stunning arthur, which was all it took for uther to stab merlin in his heart. arthur deals with merlin bleeding in his arms and the magic reveal at the same time.

S05E05 - the disir

arthur actually notices that merlin was fucking breaking down in front of him while saying that there can be no magic in camelot. fucking hell

S05E12 - diamond of the fucking day

BAMF merlin reaction after arthur tells him I always thought you were the bravest man I ever met.. guess I was wrong.

S05E13 - diamond of the fucking day

fucking hell, do I need to explain what I want to do with this one? so many fix-its at this point i can't even

I could be persuaded on which to finish after MBARBYC 👀

No pressure tags: @remuscariad @clockwrkpendrxgon @lightasthesun @aramblingjay @mistydaysofavalon @theroundbartable @prattery @katherynefromphilly @magicalmischel @queerofthedagger @ironfamjam

[is-on-its-way]

Breathe Peace

Episode:  s02e08 One Breath

Part 1, Part 2

·˚ ༘ ��*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

Mulders POV He had never intended to tell her that, to tell her the only time he was able to sleep in the last weeks had been when he was so exhausted he could barely drive, but always found himself unlocking her door and collapsing on her couch just to smell the slowly decaying scent of her in the air, in that sweater; and dreaming about her coming through the door to him.

·˚ ༘ ༊*·˚·˚ ༘ ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟﾟ･༘ ☾･ﾟ⋆･ﾟ:⋆·˚ ༘ ˚·˚·༊ ༘ ˚·⋆:ﾟ･⋆ﾟ･*☾ ༘⋆:ﾟ･⋆ ☾ ༘ ˚·˚·*༊ ༘ ˚·

He picks her up from the hospital a week after she wakes up. She’d called him at work the day before to inform him she was getting out and to ask for his help getting to her place. He’d come every evening after her family had left to visit her, a mix of not wanting her to be alone for a second, and wanting to be alone with her. Mostly he brought all the food cravings she requested and they ate and shouted answers at Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune and then watched reruns of whatever was on. He was really good at Jeopardy and she was really good at wheel of fortune. Yesterday, to celebrate her impending release, he’d brought her, her favorite greasy mushroom, fried egg, cheeseburger, from the local diner near work. When he pulled out a package of bright purple Snoballs, that had almost been an afterthought from the checkout counter, she’d insisted they eat them first because “Life is short!”. They split the package, squishing them together in a cheers before the first bite.

Her face lit up when he knocked on the open door. A mix of relief and excitement peaking out from behind Missy’s figure. “Hi Fox” she said. “How are you Melissa” he nodded at her. “Ready to get busted out of here?” He asked Scully, as he walked to the opposite side of her bed. “I told her I could do it but she insisted on you.” Missy looked at him with a slightly smug smile on her face. He pushed his lips together in answer and looked down at Scully looking up at him. “Alright well I’ll stop by tomorrow to make sure you’re settled okay sis?” She bent down to hug Scully goodbye. “Okay, thanks Missy” came Scully’s muffled voice from her shoulder. She smiled at Mulder before sweeping out of the room in a mess of layers of lace and boho skirts. “You kids have fun” she said at the door with a smirk. Scully rolled her eyes, and looked at Mulder apologetically. 

“She’s just happy Im back, full of the big sister energy she missed out on for a month and half.” A nurse came in with a wheelchair and started the checkout procedures with Scully. As she was being helped into the wheelchair, ‘just procedure’ the nurse had assured her, she looked up at Mulder. “Thanks for doing this. Missy would've had to drive my car and she’s a terrible driver.” Mulder chuckled as he picked up her bag. “Alright come on miss Daisy.” “Not you too.” She whined as he chuckled from behind her.

——— She walked through her apartment like a castaway adrift on her own ship. She’d grown more and more quiet the closer he drove her to her apartment. And had stood in front of the building for a solid five minutes before deciding to go in. Mulder standing silently with her, wondering if he should’ve taken her back to his place. 

She stopped to inspect everything like it was her first time here. She brushed her hand over the kitchen table as she walked from the living room to the kitchen. Mulder stood silently watching her with fascination. Wondering at how elegant she was despite everything. He cleared his throat. “Your mom cleaned up when you were in the hospital, just dusted and mopped. She didn’t want to go home but she needed a break so she came here.” “You guys stayed with me.” She knew the details of her family’s support already so he wasn't sure if this was a question. She didn’t turn to look at him just kept looking around, at the moment, the pantry. “Missy and your mom did, I…” He swallowed. She looked up at him. “I tried to find who did this to you so I could kill them.” He stated unemotionally. She blinked, swallowed and then her lips drew apart opening in such a familiar way. He was drawn back to long car rides and pit stops and her thinking face when he said something insane but worth a second thought. 

She said said “Oh” matching his statements emotion as she wandered to the fridge and ducked into it. He came as close as the dining table feeling like she was a tightly wound string about to snap. “She probably told you already but she brought you some food.” She stood up, still looking in the fridge. “But I can take you to the store… if you need something...” he trailed off, slightly perturbed by how she was being. In the hospital she’d been cheery, cheerier than he’d ever remembered. This change was worrying, but he didn’t quite know if he could or should attempt fix it. She shut the fridge, then turned her back to the kitchen to look out of the window. “I don’t feel like I missed anything, but everything around me feels different. Further away…” she said softly, far away herself. “The doctor said your memories could come back.” He was leaning against the kitchen entryway now, watching her. She was so lost being back here, he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, maybe she should’ve gone to her moms. “I hope not” she said quietly as she turned around leaning against the window sill. She met his eyes for the first time. “Do you… did you find out who did this to me?” She asked. They hadn’t talked about it yet. Talked about what it was like her being gone. He shook his head looking down, ashamed. “I might have, but your sister” he sighed “She convinced me revenge wasn't going to wake you up, and if you… while I was… I would’ve regretted it forever.” She walked to him and brushed a hand on his arm as she wandered away.

“But we can try now. If you, you know, come back…” 

She disappeared around the corner.

“Or if you don’t…”

He found her in her bedroom staring at the window above her desk. “Its fixed” she said. “Yeah, I had the FBI cover it.” “Thanks.” She picked up the green sweater her mother had taken off the couch and folded. The sweater that felt like he had some ownership over, having spent the majority of his time he’d spent in her apartment asleep on her couch with it in his arms. “Did I leave this out?” “You left it on the kitchen table” when she looked at him confused he realized she had been asking no one, herself. “I slept here sometimes, on the couch…” He had to explain now. “I missed you” his cheeks burned. He had never intended to tell her that, to tell her the only time he was able to sleep in the last weeks had been when he was so exhausted he could barely drive, but always found himself unlocking her door and collapsing on her couch just to smell the slowly decaying scent of her in the air, in that sweater; and dreaming about her coming through the door to him. “Im sorry Mulder.” He laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about Dana.” He said softly. She looked away from him down at the floor.

“Im going to shower. Will you stay?” She found his eyes. “Please?” “Of course, whatever you need. Do you want anything? I can order pizza?” “No. I think I just want to sleep.” “You have to eat, I’ll heat up the soup your mom left.” She nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

She came out half an hour later in a robe and silk pyjamas with white piping. He motioned to the table and put a bowl in front of her. “Are you eating” she asked as she picked up the spoon. “Yeah” he said sitting down with his own bowl of chunky tomato colored soup “I’m gonna miss your moms cooking.” He said off handedly searching for conversation. She looked at him for explanation as she took a spoonful of her moms version of Maryland crab soup with chicken instead of crab like she liked. “Your mom would bring me food sometimes.” He shrugged, he didn’t want to elaborate, if he did he’d probably start crying at the table at the generosity he never deserved. At the kindness her mom had for him when he was the one responsible for losing her daughter. He looked down into his soup and ate and after a minute feeling her eyes boring into him, she continued to eat as well. When they had finished, or as finished as Scully could manage he cleaned up and did the dishes. As he walked back to her wiping his hands on his pants he said “Okay I can come over tomorrow, the same time…” The panic in her eyes was clear. He faltered, the words dying on his breath. “Stay.” She begged quietly “Will you please stay?” “Of course” he answered automatically. He hadn’t wanted to leave really, afraid she would disappear, all alone here. He put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s dead Scully.” In answer she said “I’ll give you a toothbrush” she took his hand and he obliged her to the bathroom. They brushed their teeth standing together over the sink. He found her face in the mirror and she smirked at him through her toothbrush foam. He chuckled and said speaking to her reflection “I have to pee.” Just as muffled by his own toothbrush. She laughed and answered a muffled “Okay” When he opened the door she was waiting for him. “Night Scully.” He said as he made to make his way to the living room. She stopped him with a hand slipped around his forearm. “Will you…” she bit her lip as she looked into her bedroom. There was no discomfort in her asking him to sleep in her bed, just at the thought of being alone. He understood. He wished he could tell her how much he understood. Instead he took her hand and walked with her to her bed

They stood across from each other, the bed between them and he chanced a smile at her. “You cant sleep in jeans.” He removed them. She removed her bathrobe and slipped under the sheets. He climbed in after her and was careful to keep his body from touching her. She turned off the bedside lamp and lay facing him. “Will you hold me?” Came her whisper, he hardly heard it but knew from the moment she’d touched his arm, what she was asking for. Because his mind had been screaming for it too. He obliged without question or pause. He turned over and shifted his body to her, feeling her silky pjs on his legs. His mind blank except for this moment right now, after everything. There was no want or confusion. Happiness flooding him at being able to provide her the comfort she provided him in just being alive. 

The pure contentment of her being here and alive and in his presence. She had been lost. Gone and had returned. It was beyond feeling. It was cataclysmic. It was changing him in the depths of his soul.

They were partners and they were friends and they were entwined in ways they couldn’t quite understand but at the moment it didn’t matter what the definitions of their relationship were. Tomorrow they would return to normal. That was unspoken and understood. But tonight, they both needed the comfort of each other, they needed to disappear into each others bodies, in the purest way two people could. He enveloped her in his arms and she sighed with a small vocal “Hmm” into his chest, her head fitted under his chin, her arms tucked up against his stomach, hands resting against him. She fit her knee between his legs and he wrapped his around her thigh. “I cant believe you’re here.” he said into her hair. “I feel like I’m dreaming you.” “I’m happy I’m not dead too.” He chuckled, then sighed. “Goodnight Dana” his thumb brushing circles on the spot of baby soft skin behind her ear. “Night Mulder” she sighed back, as she burrowed her head closer into his neck, reminding him of a cat getting comfortable. They both slept a deep, unmoving sleep, staying entangled as they were when they slipped into unconsciousness. Their bodies demanding rest, after so long being awake, searching. After so long, being awake, unknowing, lost. When they woke in the morning they felt rested for the first time in a long while. They stayed entwined, holding onto each other for almost an hour, holding onto the peace between them, listening to each others breath. Dozing between waking and the twilight of shared sleep. They shared breakfast and a hug and he left her to her sister.

@today-in-fic 🙏

[guardian-angle22]

911: Lone Star | Tarlos + their in-laws

[dr-futbol-blog]

Epiphany, Pt. 1

Following the dramatic events of the mid-season finale we arrive at Epiphany (S02E12), which is not so much the calm after a storm as it is a more character-driven story offering us a chance to learn something about John Sheppard. What makes the story especially important for Sheppard's character is the fact that it was penned by series creator Brad Wright and Joe Flanigan together, making it so much more pertinent for his characterization. It is also the episode where we are heavily implied (although not outright confirmed) that Sheppard has sex with a woman, has sex for the first time on the show that we know of,* and if there is something that seems to establish his preference for men more than seeing him kiss a woman, it is the aftermath of him having had sex with one because goddamn. The same thing takes place here as did in Conversion (S02E08): an episode in which Sheppard kisses a woman is used to confirm the subtext. Also, we learn things about his backstory here that are not textualized until Outcast (S04E15).

In the episode Sheppard and McKay are once again separated from one another and this time, with Sheppard thinking that the separation is final, he arrives at an epiphany, the experience of a sudden and striking realization, but more on that later. We once again join the team in medias res on a mission, on some unnamed planet, wading their way through what seems like demanding terrain comprising of mountains and thick woods. McKay seems to be leading the way with his scanner, the others following him in single file with Sheppard very close at his heel. And like always, the team is not exactly being stealthy, what with their constant chattering.

McKay: Why do you have to park so far away? Sheppard: This ridge was a little further away than it looked. You can't just land a jumper anywhere, Rodney. McKay: Ah, it doesn't matter now, I think we're almost there. Teyla: Rodney, do you even know what it is we are looking for?

While technically The Hive (S02E11) is the preceding episode, the previous story actually started with Lost Boys (S02E10) where we found the team similarly making their way through a forest, and we can immediately see some contrasts between the scenes. There, Sheppard was leading the way and McKay was complaining about having been forcibly dragged to join them on the mission, and his grumbling was starting to grind Sheppard's gear because he both wanted and needed McKay to do it with him, and by implying that he did not want to be there McKay was triggering Sheppard's fear of abandonment. He enjoys McKay's company, likes listening to him and talking with him, but moreover exploring the galaxy is something that he very much wants to do with McKay, and for what ever reason the two of them were then at cross-purposes.

Now, while McKay is complaining about having to walk the extra mile, it is because he is not communicating his displeasure at being there but is actually rather excitedly leading the way, Sheppard is not at all in a foul mood. He has no notes on listening to McKay complain being a waste of his time, but is rather trying to offer up excuses for why they had to park so far almost as an apology to the other man, which just confirms that his commentary in the previous episode had nothing to do with McKay's grumbling as such. And McKay is similarly non-combative here, acknowledging Sheppard's excuse and letting the matter lie. In fact, even his initial question, while spoken in exasperation, speaks of intimacy and familiarity between them, the fond kind of "Why do you always..." that betrays an established relationship. In comparison to their last trek through the woods, both are being commendably conciliatory (although not making any less noise about it).

McKay: Yeah, well, whatever it is, it's around here somewhere. Dex: What's around here? McKay: Whatever it was that was causing the energy spike we detected from the puddlejumper. Sheppard: Do you have any idea what that looks like? McKay: I'll know it when I see it... and I see it!

Sheppard is walking real close to McKay, seemingly wanting to walk side by side with him even though there is no space for it. We may also note that while McKay is being magnanimous toward Sheppard, he does not extend the same attitude toward Ronon, clearly frustrated by his lack of interest in what they are doing. Note also that Teyla sounds much more irritable about the length of their walk than McKay, but she seems to lay the blame on McKay that has dragged them deep into the woods looking for some fleeting energy signature and not on Sheppard who parked so far away from it.

To recap: Teyla and Ronon's attitudes toward McKay are the same as they were previously, Teyla being fed up and Ronon being oblivious, McKay's attitude toward the two of them are the same as ever, where Sheppard and McKay's dispositions toward each other are almost the opposite, and definitely much warmer. Let us also note that this is one of those missions where Sheppard is clearly indulging McKay, having apparently agreed to go on a wild goose hunt just to please him. He is also making an effort to be helpful and supportive, looking around for what ever it is that McKay wants to find. And so they do.

Dex: Looks like a door. McKay: Yes, it is remarkably door-like.

While we have seen Sheppard react to McKay speaking the word "look" previously, here he does not even say the word but rather points at what he wants them to look at, and Sheppard's attention immediately shifts to what ever McKay is calling attention to. Sheppard seems to be fully on board with this mission, going forward to push vines out of the way for them to get a better view, and it is not as though any of them know that this is a particularly important or interesting thing that they are looking for. Especially in contrast to their previous mission, Sheppard just seems to be enjoying being here and doing this with McKay. But while McKay may be giving Sheppard some leeway, his attitude toward Ronon is much the same as it has been during their previous missions, and he even rolls his eyes at Ronon's observation here as though he said something that was obvious, when finding a doorway deep in the woods is not precisely a common occurrence. It does put his disposition toward Ronon and Sheppard into sharper contrast, however.

Sheppard: Well, looks like the only way through the ridge anyway. It runs for miles. Alright, let's check it out. McKay: Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa. There's something there! Sheppard: What?

They arrive at the portal to the secret valley, Sheppard yanking down vines to make it easier (and safer) for McKay to enter the cavern. He also steps in first, intending to take the brunt of anything that might be waiting for them inside, and he also intended to walk in first through the doorway seeming to lead on the other side of the mountain ridge that they had observed from the air. We may note once again that Sheppard is keeping to that side of McKay that will not be blocked by his weapon, not wanting that as a barrier between them, which we can tell by how he switches it right back to the other side after having used his dominant hand to do some vine-yanking. He also rests his hand against his thigh here as he waits for McKay, which seems to be a form of crotch display, inviting attention to his goods. Also, as he had intended to step in in front of McKay, and McKay had suddenly made him stop in his tracks, we see Sheppard swivel in place not seeming to know which way he is supposed to be facing as he does not want to have his back turned on McKay.

McKay: Some kind of an energy barrier right on the threshold. Teyla: It disappeared. Sheppard: Or it went right through a cloak. McKay: It has many of the same properties as a cloaking field. Sheppard: Yeah, and the Ancients did tend to hide all the really cool stuff. McKay: Yeah, I would just like to be able to explain these readings better before we step through.

Because Sheppard has "come to trust Rodney about these things," like he had told Caldwell during The Siege (S02E01), he takes heed of McKay's cautious approach, likely alerted more by his tone of voice than by the words he says. Thinking that it is better to be safe than sorry especially because he is not taking any risks with McKay's safety, particularly not with the recent hostage situation and McKay taking a lethal dose of the enzyme that Sheppard has almost certainly come to learn about since, he decides to pick up a rock and throw it at the doorway only to watch it disappear as it reaches the entrance to the cave. Given that McKay seems to be focusing real hard on the readings, we may excuse the fact that it takes him a moment to draw his eyes back to his machine as Sheppard bends down to pick up the stone right in his line of sight, McKay's eyes having followed Sheppard's movement instantaneously. McKay, that is, was most definitely checking him out there.

We can see the way that Sheppard and McKay are "Yes, and--"ing each other here by how they both start their lines with "Yeah" -- made all the more curious by the fact that McKay seems to want to disagree with Sheppard, seems to want to contradict him, but for some reason is unable to do it, and so is couching his concerns in respectful, positive language. Yes, that is a good idea only... Yes, you are right but... McKay even acknowledges that Sheppard's suggestion about it being a cloak is a good idea where he had rolled his eyes at Ronon's observation earlier, seeming to be on his best behaviour toward Sheppard for reasons that we are not explained (but we can definitely tell when they have been intimate and when they have not been intimate by how they treat each other in contexts such as these).

Sheppard's line about the Ancients hiding all their really cool stuff is also interesting because, while they sporadically have come across Ancient things, the only thing that had expressly been hidden was the ZPM that was guarded by the Quindosim in The Brotherhood (S01E16), and a few things had been locked away due to being dangerous (Hide and Seek, S01E03; Hot Zone S01E013), but nothing that the Ancients seem to have actually hidden. We do know that Sheppard found the Ancient weapons' platform and the Ancient warship Aurora "cool," but it does raise the question of whether they have discovered other cool things hidden by the Ancients that we never got to see. Regardless, important here is that McKay is being careful, almost cautious, and this too may be caused by recent events, by thinking he had lost Sheppard. They are both made a little tender by what had happened.

McKay: Get me a branch. You got tape? Because... I got a camera! I didn't ask for a log!

McKay snaps his fingers and pretty much orders Ronon to go get him a stick (while asking for a branch, which is what Ronon brings him and McKay then calls it a log; comedy!). He also rolls his eyes at Ronon when the man fails to read his mind. And because McKay tells Ronon to do something and asks Sheppard to do something else, the way he behaves toward them is again contrasted here. And while McKay is clearly trying to treat Sheppard better, this may be one of the occasions that prompted Sheppard later (McKay and Mrs Miller, S03E08) to point out that McKay never says please (or thank you, which he actually does say here).

McKay is known for not minding his manners when ever he is pursuing some idea or break-through, and given how often he is asked to perform actual miracles under immense pressure, he may occasionally be excused for favouring expediency over politeness. But we may still note how he speaks more softly to Sheppard here, and he even explains to him what they are doing by getting out his camera, smiling at Sheppard like a giddy school boy. Also, let us note that as soon as McKay asks him for something, Sheppard is already on his knees trying to fulfill his wish, probably not for the first time. Probably not even for the first time recently.

McKay: Thank you! OK, so... tape it to the stick... we extend the camera through, record for a few minutes, pull it back, play the recording.

It seems as though Teyla is better at reading McKay's mind at this time than Ronon, earning a "thank you!" from him, and we see her smirk at Ronon as he brings in the stick instead of the branch requested for.

Let us note a few things here. Firstly, McKay is explaining what he and Sheppard are doing to Ronon and Teyla. He is very clearly giving this commentary for their benefit because Sheppard seems to understand what he is going for without needing any further clarifications. McKay and Sheppard are doing this together where Ronon and Teyla are spectating, even though Teyla is the one holding the stick for them to work on. They are working seamlessly together. Second, they are not only close but look at their goddamn arms. Sheppard puts the tape over McKay's arm, resting his arm on McKay's and McKay does not only not pull his arm back but instead points at the doorway through Sheppard's arm. This is intimate. They are all up in each other's space. Sheppard even presses his knee forward to get closer to McKay. The camera also cuts away just as they both bring their hands over the recorder on top of each other -- to secure it, of course.

Sheppard: Yeah! MALP-on-a-stick! McKay: Yes, MALP-on-a-stick, very clever. Are we done? Sheppard: Yup!

So, Sheppard comes up with a cute nickname for the device and all of a sudden McKay seems to be having some attitude about it, which is a complete about face to how he had been acting toward Sheppard up until this point, which means that something had changed his disposition. And obviously it is not because he suddenly started thinking that Sheppard is the dumbest grunt he has ever had the displeasure of working with. McKay was so happy up until this moment with Sheppard in his space, explaining what the two of them were doing to the others.

Two things to note: Teyla smiles knowingly, seeming to get why McKay suddenly changed tones. And McKay's question, "Are we done?" indicates that Sheppard was taking an unnecessarily long time making sure the tape was holding. Sheppard was stalling because he did not want to draw back from McKay just yet, and what they were doing here, very nearly embracing, was starting to go well beyond plausible deniability what with their audience standing a foot away. While McKay did not want to put distance between them, likely he felt like for Sheppard's sake he needed to do that, and so he opts for Sheppard's go-to method, sarcasm. Only, like Sheppard, McKay actually does think that Sheppard was being clever in spite of his tone, and we have explicitly heard him call Sheppard clever before. It was clever and it was funny, and McKay holds eye contact with Sheppard all the way through telling him this. And Sheppard can't even be bothered by it, giving him a chipper "Yup!" as he pulls away. These fools are in love.

Continued in Pt. 2

-* It is implied that Sheppard had sex between The Defiant One and Hot Zone (several times), between Sanctuary and Before I Sleep (several times), in The Brotherhood (once, possibly twice), between The Brotherhood and Letters from Pegasus (a lot), he shared a bed although not necessarily had sex before The Gift, definitely had sex between The Gift and The Siege, had "an accident" between Duet and Condemned, turned down sex in Trinity, had "an accident" in Instinct, had sex between Conversion and Aurora, possibly in Aurora (at least made out before hopping on the Daedalus), in The Lost Boys, and between The Hive and Epiphany. And let us be clear that even in this episode, the sex is implied, it is not shown or even verbally confirmed. Needless to say, all the other times were with a man and always the same man.

[kaelleid]

S02E08 Spoilers

Anyway I hated it lol

And this isn't just a "my little guy died" kind of thing. I've thought he was going to die all season; that was not a surprise to me. This is about how tacked on the ending felt.

Izzy spends his dying breaths comforting Ed and telling Ed the crew is his family and loves him. And then Ed immediately leaves the crew to be an innkeeper. Yeah, that was a great and meaningful use of screen time.

If the crew loved Ed and considered him family, I'd really like if they would have showed that instead of just telling us. Because what I saw this season was post-Kraken Ed having one conversation with Fang and that was pretty much it for positive crew interaction. But apparently they love him and they're family, okay.

Also RE: showing and not telling, Ed referring to Izzy as his family. I think I could count the positive interactions between Ed and Izzy across all seasons on Izzy's hoof. They've hardly spoken this season post-Kraken. Where is this coming from? It felt so forced and unearned.

It's frustrating how the scene seems to brush off all of Izzy's development this season, moving away from his toxic relationship with Ed and opening up after surviving a suicide attempt, to spend his last minutes focusing on Ed and saying that he wanted to die.

Anyway forget that, it's wedding time! And now forget that, let's have Ed and Stede run an inn with no prior onscreen discussion! The end!

I got into this fandom because I loved Ed/Stede so much. The potential for cracks in their relationship was there from the start; one of their first conversations together was Ed wanting out of piracy while Stede wanted in. I was really interested to see how this would be resolved, and how they'd move forward together. I don't think the resolution on this front was satisfyingly handled at all. But Ed read a letter and they kissed, so hooray I guess. Why would you ever need to talk anything through and build a solid foundation before living together? It's not like we saw this analog literally go up in flames a few episodes ago.

There was such an odd juxtaposition of spoon-feeding the audience with flashbacks to explain what was going on for obvious things, and then also expecting the audience to do all the legwork for important relationships. What's the relationship between Jim and Oluwande? What made Stede finally decide to leave piracy behind for Ed in S2E8 vs S2E7? Why, according to an interview, is Frenchie apparently captain now instead of Zheng Yi Sao or Oluwande? We're not going to write those conversations, figure it out yourself.

Also, Blackbeard the genius, and Zheng Yi Sao who conquered China's seas, apparently can't come up with a plan better than "Wear uniforms and then walk around with a hostage, whose gun we will not be taking." It just felt so meaningless.

The thing that really gets to me the most is how much I loved S2E1-7. I had some lingering issues, but they didn't bother me because I had faith they'd be resolved (at least, resolved to some extent, given a 3 season arc). And then the last 15 minutes of this episode destroyed that notion. I thought the writing was poor and inconsistent, and it threw everything before it into a completely different light. The things that I was waiting to be built upon were never actually in the blueprints. The cracks in the foundation were covered up with bubblegum. It didn't have good bones.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi there!

All I can say is that I have more questions/thoughts than I thought I would have at the end of S02E08 and I really wanted to come to you to help me figure them out. I hope you don't mind.

I really don't think I understand anymore why this second interview is happening. Do you think that Louis, because he keeps happily hallucinating Lestat, and has served a 77 year old life sentence out of spite for Lestat's perceived actions in Paris, has realised that something about his memories isn't right, so he turns to the foolish young reporter, who has surely proven his journalistic acumen in the past 50 years, to be the person to help with that? I know that you said you don't think that the 'Lestat in the Magnus tower' moment is true, and so are you assuming that the whole book explanation still holds true- Lestat came to Paris for blood, denied, starved and manipulated, he sells them out (and we end up with Lestat saving Louis on stage) and Armand heads off with a Louis who is functional enough (thanks to his fiery revenge) to be an okay travel partner? I guess Lestat's many 'breakout" moments during the trial and the swaying etc. heavily suggest that he wasn't himself and was under some influence. So, if this is true, how the hell hasn't Armand nipped the idea of a new interview in the bud with this much to lose? I don't care how much Arun likes to please or how amazing he thinks he is against a mediocre star, if it were me, I wouldn't let anyone, especially an investigative journalist and someone who shares his own addling near a memory-addled Louis for anything!! And I realise that he outed himself in season 1 so he could openly run interference after Daniel starts causing breakthroughs but why is this happening at all?????

It seems clear that Louis and Lestat have come to an understanding over their shared trauma and pain of a lost daughter and at least some of Louis' self-loathing over being a vampire. It also looks like they parted and are back in their respective corners of the world. Louis purposely burned Daniel's laptop. That and his jibe about the Talamasca publishing the book suggest he DIDN'T want to have it published. Do you think that since it's happened, Louis has decided to 1) go ahead and be suicidal as originally suggested in Season 1 by Armand, 2) is tired of the non-stop vampire radio threats and has taken the bull by the horns, 3) just provided us with a way to bring in 'Akasha' (please enunciate that the same way Lestat/ Sam did in the episode) where Lestat has heard Louis' radio broadcast, will decide to save Louis with the tour (preferably NOT in 50 years after practicing) and thus wakes up The Great Mother?

Kind of a semi-related thought to point one. Isn't it possible that Louis really DID ask for Armand to take away his 1973 memories because he was mentally breaking out of his self-imposed prison/rebound marriage and he couldn't handle it?

Did Louis just sell out his human security team? Is he bitter over Rashid?

Does Louis realise he has a millennial brother vampire now?

Do you think any of the Paris story of episode 8 is true? It seems logical enough that Armand could've been given a choice by the coven, and realising that he was ONLY Louis' default whatever-you-want-to-call it, decided to pick the coven, regretted it and decided to hedge his bets with Louis once the happy coincidence of Lestat's save had come to pass.

Why the hell didn't Louis wait an extra half hour for Daniel to pack up so they could both catch the same flight back to the U.S. Who leaves the homewrecker with the wrecked after the wrecking?!!!!

Do you feel like this was way too quick for the finale? It was clear that ep 7 and 8 should've been combined although I suspect that they wanted the results of the trial to marinate a little. Still, it seemed rather speedy. I felt like I could literally see them jumping from point A to point B to point C etc on storyboards and it was weird, especially for all the heavy lifting this episode had to do.

Do you think that Devil's minion is pre or post Dubai?

All the awards for Sam Reid's delivery of "Did you hurt yourself?" That line just about killed all the strength I had left in me.

Lastly, isn't it amazing just how little Armand has understood in the years since SF? All that 'you forgave me already for this', let's let bygones be bygones etc as he chases after Louis. No Armand, it's mind gift usage for you, or bust!

I am sure there are more but I think this has been more than enough. Thank you so much!!!!!!

Hey :)))

Okay *cracks knuckles* :))

1) You know I actually agree with you there that it’s very muddied waters there. I THINK it’s actually a lot to do with whatever the Talamasca subplot hints at (I have my suspicions re Marius and Raglan and the body thief) and the Talamasca… finally got (a bit of) what they wanted. I think… Armand let it happen bc he wanted to see Daniel again and bc he thought he could steer it. And Louis… Louis wanted it to happen bc things did not add up anymore. But he kept “being edited“, and therefore took a step back into the wholesome romance every time he discovered something.

So… probably all three. And the Talamasca really wanted that book out, obviously. But… why… 😈

2) I think that NOLA meeting, as beautiful as it was, will turn out to be the contested NOLA meeting. As such Lestat‘s book/whatever will be an answer to Louis‘ book. I think Lestat’s rockstar career will indeed both shield Louis and wake Akasha, but probably with twists. I do not think Louis is suicidal. I think he has accepted, to a big part at least.

3) Said it before, it’s absolutely possible Louis asked for the memory erasure at some point. OR Armand interpreted a similar request like that.

4) Louis does not care for humans anymore. That has been clear since 2x01. “Their problem.“

5) I don’t think that is Lestat‘s fledgling. I think that term is only meant to hint at the age. I don’t see Lestat actually making a fledgling in that state. He may have made a lot of fledglings, but always from love, and that was not that.

6) A derivation of that, likely, yes. Decisions are made from kneaded feelings.

7) At that point Daniel was still mortal. Louis would travel by oversized trunk. He probably thought that impractical. And he thought Armand would still obey. AND his thoughts were already with Lestat I think.

8) Mhhhhh. It was already 10 minutes longer. That said I bet they coukd have given us 2h. It didn’t feel that rushed to me, since they stayed closer to the book I did see some things coming, but I would have loved even more, obviously:))

9) BOTH :)

10) God yes. That is when I cried. 😭

11) Armand does need to learn a lot still. But… he will. Daniel will challenge him to learn and Armand will erise to the occasion. … But it��s not an easy journey.

I hope my answers make sense?! I hope you enjoyed the finale, nonny, I definitely did 🤗