#her and archie question mark??

[woolpines]

i lied, i think im gonna play with her

this is maple 🍂🍁

[archieimagines]

when they make you laugh | aib

How they react when they make you laugh for the first time since arriving in Borderland.

Chishiya, Ann, Kuina and Niragi.

i really really love writing for aib, and i really really want to marry ann. warnings: this is mostly fluff but jealousy and threats are included (would it even be niragi if this wasn’t the case?) requested by: anon (thank you!) written by: archie support me on ko-fi!

Chishiya

Chishiya would be puzzled. Hearing your laugh ring through the Beach’s hallway from beside him when hardly much had happened-- What suddenly brought that out of you? You, who hadn’t so much as smirked once since arriving in the Borderlands?

He wouldn’t stop walking until you’d finally keeled over, resting against the wall in your laughter, and he’d simply stand there and watch you, tempted to give into the smirk that pulls at the corner of his lips. Ah yes, that laugh is contagious, but it’d only properly catch on when he realises it’s his own words that brought it out of you.

Gasping words out through your bursts of laughter, not paying half a mind to the bikini-clad girls that spared you judgemental glances as you try to communicate what exactly of Chishiya’s words tickled you so-- But it’d barely come out clear enough to make sense.

But it wouldn’t matter. He’d finally give into the tickle inside his own chest, the softest laugh of humour bubbling out as he stands there, hands in his pockets and tender eyes on your giggling form. It’s the first time since arriving that he’s seen you like this, and what a sight to behold.

Ann

Ann isn’t phased by much, but your sudden laughter gracing her ears would startle her. She’d jump, hair swishing out of that perfect positioning when she turns to look at you. She’d think there’s something wrong at first, scan the area to see what might’ve possibly brought you to this, wonder if perhaps Borderland has finally taken its toll on you. She’s heard plenty of stories of psychosis manifesting in laughter from her work life, but this… Doesn’t seem to be the case.

She’d ask what was up, ask if you’re feeling okay, hold your face still to feel your forehead for a temperature. This, however, would only bring out more bubbling laughter as you tuck her hair behind her ear again, back where it belongs.

“You’re so funny, Ann,” you’d say, “And you don’t even realise.”

She’d blink. No, she’s never been considered the funny type.

It’s not until you describe to her that it’s purely because she’s so serious, so endearing, that you couldn’t help yourself. Perhaps things really were catching up to you, and you finally let up on all the pressures from the games. Hell, you were gonna die anyway. Why not share laughter when your love is this morbidly endearing in her antics?

Kuina

Kuina would have missed your laughter. She’d struggle with your newly introverted self, noticing how all the games have worn you down in the weeks of being here, and it’s not until one time that you get a little bit too drunk a little bit too quickly in the Beach’s nightclub that you’d finally be able to spill your sense of humour all over her again.

It would be the silliest of things; Kuina’s reaction to a guy hitting on her or an animated fall on the dancefloor that you’d just so happened to witness, but it would shock your body with waves and waves of giggles.

Kuina’s reaction would be instant. Her face would light up, teeth showing and eyes shining as she drank in the sight of you losing control of your body, weak at the knees and relying on Kuina’s arm around your middle to keep you up. Soon, the pair of you would be creasing with tears in your eyes, and she’s definitely the type that lightly hits whoever happens to be in her reach as she cackles. Afterwards, the air around you would be drastically lighter. She’d be thrilled to have you back.

Niragi

Niragi would be suspicious of your laughter. He’d stare at you with a brow and corner of his lips raised, practically with a question mark over his head as he eyes you. He’d demand to know what’s so funny, what’s suddenly happened to you-- but on hearing that he’d just said something in such a way that struck you funny, he’d guffaw in dismissal. Though, hidden inside, his chest would swell with pride and a curl would remain on his lips for a long while after, throwing out certain remarks to try and catch you in a giggle fit once more. Every time it works, a strange glow of acceptance would find a home in his chest.

If, god forbid, anyone else had been the first to make you laugh, he’d want their head on a plate. And you know he’d have it, too, unless it were Chishiya. Perhaps Chishiya’s eyeroll to something Niragi had said would set you off, or even worse, something he’d said-- Niragi would lose his shit. He’d yell at you once the moment had passed, having let it brew for moments before. How dare you humiliate him? Unite with Chishiya against him? Of course, that wouldn’t be even a sliver of truth, and you’d have to talk him down from hunting Chishiya in the Beach’s halls.

You’d manage a soft laugh for him, holding his face to keep his attention and stop his spiralling. “Niragi,” you’d shine a smile, knowing exactly how to calm him. “He’s pitiful, and I’m yours.”

[khyys]

“As dense as a Rock”

wrd count: 2457

contents: MAJOR TW MAJOR TW farleigh x fem!reader,, everyone depicted in this fic is over the age of 18, heavy swearing, saltburn spoilers, bullying, slutshaming question mark, 1st & 2nd divider creds : @/elryisia. 3rd line divider creds: @/targaryen-dynasty

a/n: this account has been through so many changes, but it feels good to finally get something out. I loved saltburn and farleigh’s character (archie madekwe). if this gets some love, I’ll write some more!

You’d walked around the estate so many times, you were starting to memorize the layout. You even began to whisper ‘Hi, Mrs. Catton’ every time you walked by her supposed spirit. You really made yourself at home in Saltburn, ever since Felix invited you. You couldn’t really recall what he said when you asked why, but you didn’t care. This summer was supposed to be unlike any other for you. You were far from home, and you needed the getaway. This was just that.

You roamed the halls, examining each historic object. You often had to look around and ensure Duncan wouldn’t sneak up on you. He was known for that, but you couldn’t stand it. It made you feel uneasy, despite the family having been so kind to you upon your arrival. Felix’s mother had taken a liking, you oftentimes helped out his father, and you and Venetia had become attached at the hip it seemed. It was incomparable to your American household. Your life wasn’t horrible, but it was nothing compared to Saltburn. Wearing a dress and heels to play tennis and drink booze was not something you did back home, but you loved the thrill.

You walked about for a few more moments, before noticing the time on the clock. It was near time for dinner and you really wanted to look your best. You recalled receiving a dress from Elspeth. She’d said you looked ravishing in it, but you were most likely zoned out. All you recall is Elspeth having the maids press and tailor it perfectly so that it accentuates your figure.

You traversed the corridors, whistling softly. That was until you felt a rough grab on your arm. You wanted to scream, but only a gasp escaped. An angered hiss accompanied with a hand rushing to cradle your elbow that was impacted by the door frame. At first, you imagined it would’ve been Felix, but it couldn’t have been. Not with eyes like those ones.

He didn’t pay that much attention to you, or so you thought. He towered over you, with a large grin. His hair was slightly covering his eyes, and only for a moment did all the anger leave your body. But only for a moment.

“Look what I caught~”, Farleigh taunted, hooking a finger beneath your chin. You immediately turned your head, maintaining your look of displeasure for his actions. It was difficult, but you managed something of a pissed off expression.

You glanced down at your elbow, and sighed before meeting his gaze again.

“Fucking hell, Farleigh.. What’s your deal?!”, you scowled. Your brows furrowed, but he seemed amused by it. He always did like the little wrinkle between your eyebrows every time he’d piss you off. It was something he seemed to look forward to. Something he enjoyed all too much.

You couldn’t be mad for long, not with that smile. His smile was too cute for you to hate.

“Aww, I’m sorry. Did I scare you?”, and then he looked down at your elbow. He gave an exaggerated pout, and tilted his head. Not to mention that stupid, poked-out lip. Seriously, how stupid and cute could he look at the same time? “Do you want me to kiss your boo boo and make it all better?

The way he spoke reminded you of how your family would talk down to you, or the boys back home would constantly drink a hot cup of condescending bullshit every morning, just to piss you off. Luckily, your tolerance for any of it was little to none.

“How’s about you kiss my ass?”, you snapped quickly. You hadn’t realized just how close he had been until you took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh scent of Egyptian Musk. You didn’t want to be bothered with his shenanigans. Especially not this close to dinner time. “Hell do you want, Farleigh..? I need to get ready for dinner.”

“Don’t be so harsh, Y/N, I just wanted to talk to you. Come. Sit.”, he strides from you to his bed, and gestured for you to sit beside him.

You knew better than to sit anywhere with Farleigh. It seemed like every girl that was simply within 5 steps of Farleigh had either slept with him, made out with him, lined up with him, or all three. You wish you had done two out of the three.

“I’ll stand.”, you spoke while rubbing your elbow. The tingling began to start and you only took a step or two away from the door, leaning on a nearby dresser.

Farleigh stared at you from the bed and glanced out the nearby window, dragging out a sigh. He was silent for a moment, and for that moment, he looked like a guy. A handsome one with even skin, gorgeous hair, a wonderful smile. His voice made your heart skip one too many beats at a time, but it’s his words that always seemed to ruin everything.

“Why are you here, Y/N?”, he asked in a low tone. He turned his attention back to you, with a sort of expectant look, like he was waiting for you to say something specific.

What the fuck was that supposed to mean? What did he mean, why were you here? Because Felix invited you, that’s why! But that’s not his business. Even if he was the reason, what’s it to him? Nevertheless, you glared at him from where you stood.

“That’s not your business.”

“Isn’t it? You befriend my distant cousin and his family, who already see you as a second daughter. You and Ven, painting your nails and walking around the front lawn with your matching see-through nightgowns. And don’t get me started on you helping with Uncle’s work? You are such a suck up, Y/N… I could read you like a bad magazine.”

What a creep.. How hard was he watching you? He must’ve been watching long because you only helped Mr. Catton every other Sunday, and you and Venetia simply related on a deeper level. You were never a smoker, but you started a social habit. Was Farleigh bothered by the fact that you were warming up to his distant family? Was he feeling left out or something?

“So you’re a stalker? What’s next? You wanna drink my fucking bath water, you freak?”

Farleigh was always entertained by getting a reaction out of people, especially you. Your temper was short and easy to tick sometimes, which only made the show better for him. He laughed and crossed his legs, leaning back slightly. His head tilted back and his curled bounced beneath the rays of the lowering sun.

He was seriously laughing about this? Laughing about watching you so attentively that he could notice the material of your nightgowns or realize where you disappeared for like five hours of every other Sunday. You couldn’t deny that you did enjoy the attention. Venetia was right, those dresses did exactly as intended. Venetia saw how you would glance at Farleigh or look for him like a lost puppy in your free time, she was the only person who knew. You made her promise not to tell a soul, but she promised to make sure he noticed you more by the end of the summer. And by the ghost of Felix’s grandmother, he was practically a certified professional. He knew everything.

You hid your smile, and masked it with a look of displeasure. You planned to squeal about it to Venetia that night whilst you and her walked about the front lawn on your matching nightgowns… right below Farleigh’s window.

“Oh, fuck, Y/N… Be real for once! You know exactly what I mean! You’re a fucking suck up and the only reason you’re doing it, is to get to Felix! You’re like every other bitch at Oxford! You want to fuck him, be his new favorite toy, and then try your best to stay with him… Really, you’re pathetic!”

You closed your eyes, trying to process the words he said to you. Suck up. Every other bitch. Fuck Felix… Pathetic?! Either he was high off of his ass or truly needed a rise out of you.

“Did you just call me a slut, you prick?”

“If the shoe fits, honey..”

“Fuck you.”, were the last words you muttered to him before you turned away and left Farleigh’s bedroom, slamming the door behind yourself and quickly going further down the hall, to your bedroom.

You closed the door behind yourself, and sighed. You pressed your forehead against the wooden engravings of the door, and locked it. That was.. tense. Unnecessarily tense, at that. He could always be crass, but out right calling you a slut didn’t seem like his forte. At least, it didn’t seem to be, but what did you know? You just wanted to fuck Felix, right? Farleigh was many things but he wasn’t stupid, there was no way he could’ve been that oblivious to what you’ve been doing…

“Ahem.”, a familiar voice said from your bed. You wondered why it smelled like roses, perfume, and smoke.

“Ah.. Ven, hey. I- uh.. Wha-… Fuck. What are you doing here?”, you asked and pulled your cardigan off, being only left in a bra.

You walked over and sat beside her, whilst she turned and rested her legs atop your lap. You rested your arms over them, and glanced over to which she handed you the lit cigarette in between her sloppily painted nails.

“Well… I was going to ask if you knew what you were gonna wear tonight ‘cuz I wanted to match, but you weren’t here so I thought I’d just wait. What took you?”

You gulped slightly, and sighed whilst allowing the smoke to seep out of your nostrils. You maneuvered the white stick in your hands, while trying to figure out how to word it. He called you a slut? He called you pathetic?

“I.. was in Farleigh’s…”

You blew the smoke from your lips and nose, before handing the cigarette back to her. To which, she laughed and wrapped an arm around you.

“What?! Oh em fuck, tell me everything! Did you guys kiss, make out, make plans for later~?”

You laughed at Venetia’s response, but it had you thinking. You wish that was the case, but it wasn’t. He had everything totally out of line. He believed that you wanted Felix, and you still didn’t have the right mind to just come out and tell him that it was him you wanted… You made a slight face of disappointment and shook your head to which Venetia cooked and held your face comfortingly.

A few seconds later, you hear a small knock at the door.

“Excuse me! Y/N, are you in there? I’ve got your dress pressed out for you!”, a meek voice called out.

It was one of the handmaids. You weren’t really supposed to see her, but you were able to catch her once. When you did, you asked her to be more.. friendly with you. To appear more, and whilst she was hesitant, she did it nonetheless.

“Come in!”, you called back.

She opened the door, to reveal a dark red dress concealed by a plastic dress bag. The small woman opened your closet door and hung it upon a hook that was screwed into the door.

“It’s perfect! Thank yo-“, you started, but before you could finish your sentence, she had scrambled off, and out the door, making you and Venetia giggle.

“What happened then?”

You sighed, before taking and handing back the cigarette.

”He caught me off guard, and pulled me into his room. He said he wanted to talk, but then he asked why I was here! Fuck, Venetia! He said I wanted to fuck Felix! Are you fucking kidding me?! All this just for him to think it was fucking Felix, of all people!”

Venetia snickered and wrapped her arm around you, whilst she hummed, blowing out more of the smoke. The small white paper was stained with her red lip stain.

“Farleigh’s not that aware of… uhhh… cues? He’s dumb, like super socially stupid! I literally do not get what you see in someone who’s that fucking moronic.” Venetia chuckled to which you let out a soft sigh, filled with disappointment.

Venetia got up and planted a small peck on your nose and got up from her place, patting your thigh. “I’ll see you later, Y/N!! Gotta get ready!” She smiled and winked, before leaving your bedroom and closing the door behind her.

You waved and sighed as you sat on the bed, pondering about your conversation with him. You weren’t even really processing anything. You kept going back to his hair, his eyes, his scent, and that stupid playful personality that made you want to kick him, but then pull him right back in for a kiss. You’d have to fangirl later though, dinner was in an hour and a half.

It never took you long to get dressed. You wore light makeup, did your hair, and chose a few golden accessories. Something that would really please Elspeth. Damn, were you actually sucking up to her? You loved gold. You admired the way the shining bracelets adorned your wrist, and smiled. You felt so pretty. But you were starting to prove Farleigh’s point. It was a stupid point, but valid, nonetheless.

You stood in the mirror, adjusting your dress to perfection and ensuring you look just as Elspeth said you would. Ravishing. You touched up your make-up and teased your hair, until it was just as you liked.

“Y/N? Have you dressed? Mr. And Mrs. Catton are awaiting you and young Farleigh.”, a monotone voice of seriousness shot through your doors.

“Yes, Duncan. I’m ready. I’ll be out in just a minute!”

“Very well…”, was said before you hear the sound of sharp steps being made away from your door.

You truly didn’t have much to do before you finally considered yourself ready for dinner. The rule was dress up, which included a small bag for you. So you stuffed lipstick, a powder pallet, a highlighter, and lip gloss into the bag.

A final check was made before you finally went your bedroom door, and you were met with a fine surprise.

“Oh? Was someone happy to see me?”

Your eyes went wide while Farleigh stood there with his fist up, assuming he didn’t even get a chance to knock.

“Shut up, Farleigh. Why aren’t you at dinner? You’ll be late, waiting on me.”, you scowled once more, that little wrinkle he enjoyed seeing becoming prominent.

“Actually, I wanted to walk with you again. After dinner.”

THE END.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

what do you think about Harry's planned vacation to UK for a whole month? I don't think that will ever happen but if it does, where would he even stay? He's estranged with his family, his friends don't talk to him, and he's cheap so I don't see him staying at a hotel for a month. And what about their kids?

Some earlier thoughts are here:

And @the-empress-7 made an amazing realization yesterday, that Harry’s visit will coincide with a milestone birthday and under Queen Elizabeth, the BRF recognized milestone birthdays with new honors, exclusive interviews, authorized biographies, new portraits, and new/upgraded patronages. Harry could be angling for that:

Turning now to your questions:

what do you think about Harry's planned vacation to UK for a whole month?

He’s desperate for attention and money and needs to resuscitate his royal affiliations so Meghan can keep grifting after:

The BRF ignored the Invictus 10th anniversary service.

Seeing all the cousins, even the non-working untitled ones, work an official garden party with William.

The Nigeria tour pissed everyone off.

The BRF ignored Archie’s milestone birthday.

Harry was called out by the judge for hiding and destroying evidence in the phone-hacking lawsuit (he probably wants Charles and Charles’s two courtiers named in the ruling to bail him out).

Seeing how happy and friendly the BRF was to each other at Royal Ascot.

The huge backlash from the US and American media for receiving the Pat Tillman Service ESPY. He’s licking his wounds or Meghan’s pissed at him.

Realizing the BRF doesn’t plan to give him new honors or privileges for his own milestone birthday.

Prep (aka schmoozing and sucking up) for Birmingham 2027.

Not being invited to the family remembrance events marking one year since Her Late Majesty passed. If he’s around this year, then they have no choice but to include him, he probably thinks.

Or, if the gossip is to be believed, separation and divorce from Meghan.

I don't think that will ever happen but if it does, where would he even stay?

Hotels, probably. I’m thinking something connected to Soho House that they’ll describe as “luxury hotel that can’t be disclosed for safety and security reasons.”

He's estranged with his family, his friends don't talk to him, and he's cheap so I don't see him staying at a hotel for a month.

The charities are probably paying for it.

Well Child and One Young World usually have annual events that Harry has supported that time of year. If they have events this year, he’ll probably attend and write off his travel and lodging expenses to them.

Then he’ll do a mental health thing (because William and Kate announced an upcoming mental health project yesterday) which will let him kick some of the expenses to BetterUp. Bonus points to Harry if it’s a veterans thing, because then he can make BetterUp and Invictus Games pay for it.

And then finally, there’s a good chance he could be there over Diana’s deathiversary, so a pop over to Althorp to stay a couple days with Uncle Spencer, since Harry’s about the only relative Charles isn’t feuding with.

But even if it’s not the charities, Harry still has some PR power and influence. Any hotel that’s willing to put up with his pot rot, drinking, and general slobbishness probably doesn’t mind paying him for the stay if they’ll be able to use his presence for PR. He did this all the time - he goes to stay somewhere, then a week later there’s a glowing write up in some publication about the resort or the hotel and all the amenities.

And what about their kids?

Do Harry and Meghan love their kids? Probably. Do they like their kids? Do they want to be around their kids? I don’t think so. Because the only times they talk about their kids is when they need to reset the negative attention they’re getting, emotionally blackmail Charles and William, or when other people force them to acknowledge that they have children. Which means that Harry and Meghan probably see and value their children as props and accessories more than they see them as their own little individual beings.

Harry and Meghan travel all the time away from those kids. Those kids are not used to seeing their parents. Harry disappearing for weeks on end won’t bother them one bit.

And just the usual reminder here: I don’t post on children, royal/titled or not, so if anyone wants to write in about the kids, the commentary needs to be about Harry and Meghan as parents, and I do get picky about it. Also, we acknowledge here that the kids exist so asks that say they don’t or calls them invisikids will be deleted upon receipt.

[audible-smiles]

wait, I have more late night vampire show questions: why did Armand keep that name? he's not in France anymore, he's not even speaking English in a French accent. he broke with the coven who gave it to him and has been doing different stuff for like...a while now. I feel like a lot of people with three names marking radically different periods in their lives would be tempted to go for name #4. maybe he's like me and feels like names are something that is given to you and so he feels incapable of changing it. (I didn't even change my cat's name when I adopted her.) maybe he still feels like he's fundamentally the same person as the depressed cult leader guy, which would be so so sad. no way he's got all of his millions of dollars invested under a mononym so does Armand have legal ID and if so what did he put for his surname. maybe he's neutral about his name and it's just too inconvenient to change now because of bureaucracy. When Daniel figures out where Armand's post-Dubai Sulking Cave is and shows up to bother him and starts referring to Armand using whatever random A name occurs to him in the moment to be incredibly annoying on purpose because at least it provokes a reaction, which one do you think is the most effective, e.g. Archie. Adrian. Alberto. Amir. Arnold. Alvin (and the Chipmunks).

[ughgoaway]

once matty and reader are together does reader start taking annie home? or does matty still pick her up because they can’t have anyone knowing?

very very interesting point...

I think early stages - matty definitely picks her up still. partially because no one can know you're together, and also because he gets to spend a few more minutes with you each day. he'll take any moment he can with you, even if its a stolen touch in the school playground.

every once in a while, he picks Annie up from inside, and the two of you can sneak a kiss before they go on their way.

"just one more" matty says as he pouts and eyes your lips.

"Matthew! I am at my place of work, I shouldn't be kissing you at all. now go go!!" You usher him off, and he pouts the whole way, even giving one last withering look as he walks through the door.

you crumble, run over and give him one last kiss... his puppy dog eyes are VERY convincing, okay...

but once it's out in the open, you take her home with you. Annie waits until you've finished your last bits of work and even helps you sometimes.

"Miss y/n, archie got question 3 wrong," she says, pointing at your marking.

"Oh yes, he did! thanks sweet girl, I nearly missed that!" You press a kiss to her head, and she squeals and runs off to organise the toys in the corner (aka play with them for 20 mins)

matty loves having both his girls home at the same time. You haven't moved in yet, but always stay for an hour after dropping Annie off, so matty gets even more time with you.

sometimes you take her back to your place if matty is busy, and annie loves it. she chatters on about what her house will look like when she's a grown-up.

"I'm gonna have leopard print sofas and sparkly walls." she says, nodding assuredly as she colours on your living room floor.

you smile and say, "bold choice. but I respect it." and annie grins at you with her gappy smile before going back to drawing.

and when you and matty move in together? it's a no-brainer, you always bring her back, and matty always has a hot chocolate for Annie and a cup of tea for you ready :)

[saph-y]

What sort of music do the characters of Nomades enjoy? What are their favorite genres?

Haaa what a fun question I love that ! ♥ Kinda hard talking about musical genre into a setting like that tho, I do suppose they would still exist but like... differently ? I could do modern AU equilvalent I suppose, but let's just talk about their relationship to music in the canon !

Siv : prefers anything lively you can dance to, and her husband singing.

Archibald : who even knows what this man likes. But he actually learned to sing and has a very good voice, that is one of his weirdly specific talents. But hearing him is kind of a small event in itself, he doesn’t indulge often.

Gaspard : The typical lively folk stuff you’d hear in his pub (irish vibes). Less a technical singer than Archi but sings with the heart and has a very deep voice. They do duet that can make anyone week in the knees. Since she moved in with them Siv sometimes joins, she has a pretty clear voice

(oooldish art haha but I still like the left one very much!)

Fergus : basically the Tom Cardy of the Genaral Trail Radio - so singing and telling stories while doing so is basically his vocation. Can sing about anything and generally it stay stuck in your head for days. Plays a weird guitar/banjo thing.

(Jasper is his fav new subject because he always put himself in Situations, a bit like Jaskier seeing Geralt and deciding he's going to be his hype man xD)

Jasper doesn’t do music but will sometimes hums to himself or his cat when no one else is around. This is a secret. No one knows what his voice would sound like.

Mili I suppose would be curious to hear any salvaged music from the times Before. I think he would be in electro and very girly pop, but he’s not my chara so idk :p

Mark’s (Siv's pilot mentor) favorite tune is a well maitained engine😌... And probably Nomads anathems.

Naïm sing-songs low, enthralling tunes to the creatures of the desert, like a snake charmer.

And that's about all I can think about at the moment ! Thank you for the ask♥

[warningsine]

Season 5 of “The Good Wife” was a fantastic, thrilling season of television. Yes, “The Good Wife” is primarily about a clutch of well-heeled attorneys in a few Chicago law firms, which doesn’t quite sound like edge-of-your-seat suspense, and yes, it required four years of back story to fully understand, which is a lot of commitment for new viewers. But “The Good Wife” is a prestige drama built on the network model, meaning that its 22-episode seasons offered plenty of entry points to drop into the world of the characters, whether that was through ongoing fourth-year-associate drama or a tech-oriented case of the week. One of the reasons the season was so appealing was because it contained its own arc, too—the long-awaited denouement of Will and Alicia’s smoldering romance, precipitated in large part by actor Josh Charles’ decision to leave the show. The fifth season told the story of Alicia attempting to establish independence, and some of that meant hurting the people closest to her. When Will died suddenly partway through the season, Alicia was forced to deal with how much she’d hurt him—and ultimately found a path to making a mark without either him or her husband, Peter, when she decided to run for Illinois state’s attorney.

This season has not felt nearly as rewarding. Now, the question I get from fellow fans of “The Good Wife,” over and over again, is simply: What happened? The tightest network drama on television fell apart, seemingly overnight. On the eve of the finale, it’s hard to tell what this season has been about: We watched an election, a stint in prison, an investigation of a drug dealer, and the aftereffects of voter fraud, but it has been difficult to assemble the events into a cohesive narrative, and harder still to surmise why any of that narrative matters to us, the viewers. The upcoming seventh season is widely believed to be the show’s last, which somehow makes the missteps more poignant. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Was it all downhill after Charles left the show? What went wrong? Here are at least some of the things that made Season 6 a strange, unfulfilling disappointment.

1. Kalinda, part one: The character

It’s kind of impossible to discuss “The Good Wife’s" trajectory so far without acknowledging the increasingly different role of Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi), the impossibly badass legal investigator who was very important in the first few seasons and then the center of a rather unsatisfying plot with her estranged husband, Nick, in Season 4. (Indeed, the plot was so unpopular with fans that the drama’s showrunners, Robert and Michelle King, wrote Nick out of the story a whole half-season early.) As revolting as Nick and Kalinda’s adventures with soft serve were, Nick was only a symptom of the bigger problem: The Kings had no idea what to do with Kalinda. The character was a creative darling they couldn’t bring themselves to kill—made harder, I imagine, by Panjabi herself, who is admittedly fantastic in the limited role.

Kalinda’s raison d’être in Seasons 1 and 2 was her friendship with the main character and titular good wife of the show, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies). She wasn’t just Alicia’s closest friend in those first few years at the law firm, she was her only friend. Then at the end of Season 2, Alicia discovers that well before they were friends, Kalinda slept with her husband, Peter (Chris Noth). Both are devastated, and their relationship never heals. The show turned its attention to different things, partly because that’s the type of avoidance people pursue on a regular basis in order to get around awkward, intimate conversations.

It was a beautiful, sad breakup, all the more so for being a friend-breakup instead of a romantic one. Alicia threw herself into an affair with Will (Charles), driven, clearly, by a need to one-up both her husband and her best friend. Kalinda carried a torch, of sorts: She saw Alicia as an innocent she’d managed to hurt with her carelessness, so she became fiercely protective of her. It became melodramatic—Alicia’s daughter disappeared, and Kalinda found her; Alicia talked to the wrong criminal, and Kalinda went to the mattresses, with a baseball bat at the ready.

And without Alicia’s friendship to humanize her, Kalinda became a caricature. Her authenticity with Alicia couldn’t really be replicated with anyone else without betraying the essential nature of the character’s closed-off reluctance to connect with other people, so she became a tight-lipped, leather-clad robot, more an embodiment of tortured “cool” than a relatable character. What the character needed was to mend fences with Alicia and resume her role as mysterious but loyal sidekick.

By sometime in Season 4, it seemed like it was on the horizon. They’d both made some efforts toward reconciliation (the chair-turning was a big step), and every other character relationship involving Alicia was explored in great detail: She reckoned managers, co-workers, extended family and political rivals. Kalinda brought Alicia some stuff when Alicia was working on a case in Minnesota, and they hung out in a hotel room, kind of just like old times.

And then it just… never… happened.

That moment in the hotel was the last time they spoke. In 2014, BuzzFeed reported that Margulies and Panjabi had not been in the same scene for 30 episodes—when they had to speak, it was merely on the phone. Then Panjabi announced she was leaving at the end of the sixth season. But that deadline did not change her on-screen dynamic with Margulies. At this point, the two have not been in the same scene for more than 50 episodes—an insane factoid, considering both actresses won Emmys for playing their roles opposite each other in the first few seasons of the show. As of right now—one episode away from the end of Panjabi’s tenure on the show—the most closure we’ve gotten on this friendship is a flashback and a handwritten note conveyed through a third party.

As a viewer who is invested in the relationship between these two characters, it has not been satisfying in the least—and worse, seems manufactured to manage some off-screen drama. The general consensus is that the two actresses had a falling out, but how that could affect their shared scene-time in a business where ex-romantic partners routinely act opposite each other is anyone’s guess. But the shift left Kalinda at loose ends, arrested partway between a reconciliation with Alicia and increasing narrative irrelevancy. Josh Charles’ off-screen decision ended up being a limitation that worked in the Kings’ favor; for some reason, Panjabi’s situation wasn’t as manageable.

The result is that the sixth season is a slog of missed opportunities and unfulfilled desire—platonic desire, sure, but desire nonetheless. Will’s absence has left a void in the show’s character-driven storytelling that Kalinda simply could not fill. There is no analogue to Season 5's scintillating “A Few Words,” but for Alicia’s friendship with Kalinda; there is not even “Yet Another Ham Sandwich,” to round out the first two stories of grand jury indictments that both centered on Kalinda and Alicia.

Which leads me to my next point:

3. Anticlimax

Almost every major story line in this season of “The Good Wife” has fizzled out. (The only one that didn’t was the one about Kalinda, and as I just attempted to explain, nothing with Kalinda felt like it was working.) Every story line—every exhaustively plotted story line—took its characters to a place that looked and felt an awful lot like the beginning, but seemingly without the intention of commenting on that strange déjà vu. Like:

a) Firm musical chairs. So it’s Florrick & Agos, but then Florrick, Agos, & Lockhart, and then Lockhart, Agos, & Lee. Got all that? There’s some reasoning for why all these lawyers keep switching places, but the main reason is that “The Good Wife” didn’t want to write out either Diane (Christine Baranski) or David Lee (Zach Grenier) as regular cast members. But in order to justify that, the story has to undergo a Byzantine rearrangement of names and partnerships—and goes one step further, into the almost unthinkably convenient: It moves the new firms back into the old offices of Lockhart/Gardner, just a few months after Alicia and Cary so dramatically took their leave.

b) Election drama. Alicia runs for SA, wins, but then gets embroiled in an internal Democratic Party scandal and is forced to withdraw. It’s devastating, but it renders most of the season’s storytelling meaningless—what was the point, Alicia seems to be saying to herself, as she furiously sands down a salvaged wooden door in last week’s “Don’t Fail.” At least she has the door. The rest of us have no such comforts. Almost 20 episodes of storytelling, including famous guest stars, charged conversations with Peter, and Alicia having to campaign for something with her complete lack of poker face—and yet the show never truly explained why the hell Alicia wanted to run for office, or what she thinks is “good,” or “right,” or “necessary.” So much of the show leading up to this season has indicated that Alicia is a character driven by ambition and self-interest. It’s only occasionally that the characters have had a moment to pause and ask themselves—am I doing the right thing? Do I care about what I’m accomplishing? Alicia’s campaigning did not bring her closer to at-need populations in a significant way, or reveal to her the rich rewards of power. Instead it just seemed to be a thing she did because she was tired of lawyering, which struck me as phony in the extreme: Anyone who watched Alicia defend a case would know that she lived for her moments in the courtroom.

After all of that—all of that—to have her lose the seat in what is both hurriedly explained and a little too pat (Wouldn’t there be a recount? Red tape? Technicalities?)… well, it’s enough to make even the most loyal of fans a little batty.

c) That whole plot that was lifted from “The Wire,” or something. When it started, the subplot that dealt with the firm’s dealings with drug kingpin Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter) seemed like one of the rare moments where “The Good Wife” would take note of the almost shocking amorality of its protagonists, these assembled lawyers who use the terminology of truth and justice almost exclusively to get paid a great deal of cash. Bishop has hovered in the series’ periphery from the start; in Season 6, he becomes markedly more dangerous, to the point that he gets Cary in jail and facing six years of prison, forces Kalinda to run errands for him, and uses his lawyers as a fence to avoid prosecution.

All season, this plot seemed like it was poised to blow; all season, it doesn’t. Things happen, yes. But the impact of the story never sinks in. Alicia has to fend off some questions about Bishop during her election, but otherwise, it’s a nearly isolated suspense plot—one that culminates in Kalinda sacrificing her life in Chicago in order to protect the people she cares about and put Bishop behind bars. She’s disappeared before, as we’ve been told. But the audience already knew she was leaving the show, meaning that as soon as Kalinda started tangling with Bishop, it was not hard to guess that he would be responsible for how she was going to get written off the show.

In short, we got a lot of stories that ended approximately nowhere—while taking the most predictable routes to get to the aforesaid nowhere. Not even Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold, mining comedy out of every moment she’s on-screen, can make that better.

4. Where's Eli? 

Alan Cumming’s Eli Gold—joined this year by his daughter Marissa (Steele)—is one of the show’s real treasures, a Rahm Emanuel type with an irrepressible personality and more heart than he’d like to admit. An election plot seemed to guarantee time with him—I mean, that is what happened in Season 2, when he was brought on full-time—but instead the election plot was dominated by performances by David Hyde Pierce, David Krumholtz, Steven Pasquale and Oliver Platt. That’s a lot of new faces in a show that was already struggling to tell character stories without Will Gardner; Eli would have been, at least, a familiar presence. Instead, part of the reason the election story line felt interminable was that it was really hard to care for all these new characters, though they’re all capable actors. Margulies always makes the most of things, and it was fine, but it just didn’t feel compelling or fantastic, which I’ve come to expect from this show. Plus, there was that whole thing with Alicia hooking up with Pasquale’s Johnny, which was just weird, because:

5. Just kiss already!

The best thing about Season 6 was the introduction of Matthew Goode’s Finn Polmar, the extraordinarily handsome not-so-subtle Will replacement who eventually moved into the old Lockhart/Gardner offices. Any time Alicia needs a lawyer, she doesn’t call Diane or Cary, she calls Finn; midseason, they approach a perilous near-kiss, before Alicia demurely backs off. I get it: The Kings probably want to build up that relationship in the seventh season, both so that they can impose a reasonable amount of time between Will’s death and Alicia’s next relationship and so that they have something to do in the seventh season. But it has been so boring watching them delicately maneuver around each other. I know it’s common practice to do the big romantic twists in the season finale, but this season could have used an injection of good ol’-fashioned banging to keep things interesting. (Lest you call me uncouth: “The Good Wife” has lust baked into its premise, and in Season 3 featured some of the hottest sex ever seen on network. This is a show whose energy feeds on libido.)

--

Let me be clear: “The Good Wife” has surprised me in the past, and it might manage to again. Last week’s “Don’t Fail” was one of the first great episodes after a stretch of middling ones, and the show has surprised me both in season finales (like the one coming up next week) and in its ability to make a whole season pivot on a dime, from mediocre to brilliant. Everything could change Sunday night, and I would be so happy to see it. But if you want to know what went wrong up till now, unfortunately, the reasons are all too clear.

[samobservessonic]

Another tale from Mark Millar, this time opening with Tails coming across “Sonic trapped in a TV” and being tricked into letting him loose. Now, I’ve not read this story myself, but I immediately recognised that first image of whoever this fake Sonic is from around tumblr, so I assume it must be a somewhat decently-known story and therefore I’m looking forward to getting into it

One thing I like here is that they show the small animals working together to create a hideout free from Robotnik. It’s already been established that Sonic has a base somewhere, but seeing the others making one has me once again going “Ooh are we getting closer to the Freedom Fighters being established??” Anyway, as you can probably guess, fake Sonic turns up and smashes their work to the ground

My obligatory “Look, it’s Sally!” part. They even directly call her Sally here. She’s helping to put out the forest fire started by the fake Sonic

As you can probably imagine, the (somewhat wall-eyed) real Sonic shows up to put a stop to his name being tarnished. I mean, the easy joke to make here would be that StC Sonic is kind of an asshole anyway, but at least his actions are always good, even if his words aren’t. However, he’s not fast enough to stop the animal folk believing that he was the one who did the damage

Hey look, StC also did the “Sally banishing Sonic due to a misunderstanding” thing years before Archie did as well lol

…But that’s also dealt with on the same page, when the fake Sonic shows up. I can’t help but wonder how people would’ve reacted if that one plot in Archie had resolved with Sally going “Apology’s in the post, Sonic”. Actually, maybe they should’ve resolved The Slap by having Sally say that, too. Although having brought up The Slap, I'm honour-bound to add that everyone needs to get off Jon Gray’s case about The Slap, but I’m far from the first person to say that

Tails has figured out a way to get rid of this guy, by trapping him back in the TV. At which point, we get an explanation as to what this fake is - an Extra Life! Once again, StC taking something from the early games and putting a unique spin on it. In this universe, back when he was good, Dr. Kintobor made the power-ups to help Sonic. Kintobor probably didn’t intend for the extra lives to be sentient or to become resentful, though Perhaps there’s a peaceful way they can come to an understanding abou-

-Nope! Punt him into space!

And that’s the end of that! I looked it up because I was curious, but this is the only appearance of Extra Life in the series and I think that’s kind of a missed opportunity. Evil Sonic clones are hardly a rare concept in this franchise, though I think this might’ve been one of the first, at least outside of the games. But I’ve never seen it handled in this way before. It brings up questions about if there are lots of other Extra Lives, who all also have sentience, or if Extra Life was the only on in the StC world and he’s now been effectively dealt with His situation was incredibly fucked up and that had room to be explored, but because he was generically evil and destructive, the story rooted for getting rid of him in the fastest way possible. Given all the dimension and space-exploring that happens in StC later, there would’ve been loads of chances to revisit this early concept if they’d wanted to, but alas, it wasn’t to be

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one and understand why it’s so popular! Admittedly, the last few issues have been kind of coasting for me - not bad per say, but also not grabbing my attention - but this one really was a lot of fun. And Sally got to be in it a lot, which I always like

My only gripe was that it seemed like they were setting Tails up to have a bigger role and I hoped he might finally be getting a chance to shine, but that wasn’t how it panned out this time. I suppose Tails has a long career of chasing Sonic’s shadow ahead of him in StC, but I can't help but want the kid to catch a break soon

[idw-sonic-fan-blog]

It’s mildly insulting to both Sally and Lanolin that people who don’t remember Archie are saying Lanolin is the new Sally. And I say this as someone who hates Sally Acorn.

Honestly, it’s tiring that anytime there is a leadership role given to a woman in this series, people immediately assume said character is ripping off Sally. Sally was bossy, and obnoxiously commanding. Sally was girl boss princess. Sally will let you know she is in charge and it’s not a question who is in charge.

Amy’s leadership of the Resistance was way more diplomatic as she gave Sonic a lot of more leeway than Sally ever did in Archie pre-Wave. Amy Rose accepted Sonic’s decision to operate independently of the Resistance and Restoration almost immediately. Her tenure was marked with community rebuilding projects that she self-admittedly states were beyond her. Sally would have relied on Nicole for rebuilding projects while she operated the military and field missions with impunity. Sally was the person who connected with Freedom Fighters around the world. She was the point person and absolutely would not have let Sonic just willy-nilly do whatever the fuck he wanted. Even in peacetime, Sally, infamously and not unjustly given Archie’s setting, wanted to tie Sonic down.

Jewel is more of a supervisor than leader as she is far more likely to delegate positions towards others to prevent centralized authority. Sally is literally royalty and frequently butted heads with the council and her own father, the King, anytime her decisions were challenged. Sally in Jewel’s position absolutely would not have let Tangle go do her own thing. She wouldn’t be satisfied with desk work. She would have had a conniption.

I can’t speak to Lanolin’s character yet as we only have so little but people are pointing to her butting heads with Sonic being similar to Sally’s interactions with him. First off, Sally’s Freedom Fighters were not volunteer based. She vetted every single one of the members save for Tails whom she thought was too young. Lanolin’s volunteer squad seems to be a revolving door situation in terms of participants so as the organizer and leader of the team, she has to lead off of the approval of the team. Throughout the issue, Lanolin is seeking coordination and cooperation. Sally would not have bothered because the only uncooperative element on the Freedom Fighters was, you guessed it, Sonic. He was the one that she and Antoine had to reign in. Sally would have relayed to the team immediately that this was a stealth mission. Lanolin assumed that they knew that it was a recon mission and Sonic and company would act accordingly. The Freedom Fighters are Sally’s Knights/Royal Guard/City Watch. Lanolin’s volunteer team is the Restoration’s proactive offensive force.

If Sally led the Diamond Cutters and IDW/Games Sonic, it wouldn’t have been Tangle yelling at Whisper for thinking of going solo. It would have been Sally as she does this with Sonic frequently in Archie. Sally wouldn’t be discussing with Sonic in terms of tactics. She would be arguing with him. And Sally would have been a lot more fed up with Tangle’s shit. And more importantly, the narrative would have agreed with her versus Lanolin whose discussion with Sonic is more, “Well, they both made great points and neither aren’t entirely wrong.”

If I could some up the girls’ leadership styles.

Amy Rose - community leader/influencer

Jewel - Community Organizer.

Lanolin - Neighborhood team leader

Sally Acorn - Commander-in-Chief/General.

If anything, Sally has more in common with Sonic Rush 1 Blaze which makes sense since they are both Princesses. The difference between those two is that Blaze is fully capable of leading her own charge and had to be convinced to ask for help sometimes versus Sally who would never even need to be reminded of such.

Sally should not be the ubiquitous girl leader in Sonic the Hedgehog.

[kitkatt0430]

Leverage for the fandom ask? :)

Character I first fell in love with:

Alec Hardison. He rolled across the screen on his computer chair going 'oooooooh' over Sophie flirting with Nate and proclaiming it was "Age of the geek, baby" and how could I not adore this guy?

Character I never expected to love as much as I do now:

The Italian. I don't know that love is quite the right word, but I find her really fascinating. I'm willing to bet she showed up at Nate's funeral, or at least right after, in order to pay her respects. And maybe reaches out to Leverage International on occasion (and turns a blind eye to them on occasion too).

She's a little cheeky from the start but I didn't know what to make of her manipulating Nate and the team. But ultimately she was trying to stop a terrible person doing terrible things and, arguably, she was a client. I like that she got to do the gloat against Morreau with Nate and I do feel like the two of them ended things with mutual respect for one another's talents for manipulation.

Character everyone loves but I don’t:

Maybe Archie? Not really sure how popular he is.

I do like that he does, finally, acknowledge Parker as his daughter, but his treatment of her when she was a kid was... not great. Hiding her away instead of adopting her and giving her a stable home, treating her kind of like a dirty secret... even acknowledging her as an adult on in the second episode he was on was kind of a way to dig at his biological daughter. I dunno - he's a likable guy and no doubt he treated Parker a lot better than most when she needed it, but if Nate had broken his nose at any point in the first episode he showed up in, I would not have been particularly surprised or upset by it. But I also love him threatening Chaos for being a misogynistic dick to Parker and I'd be happy to see him pop up again down the line. So... I don't hate him, but I definitely can't say I love him either.

Character I love but everyone else hates:

I feel a lot of sympathy for Charlie Dodgson - especially since the team kind of really turned the gaslighting up to eleven with him (and drugging him????) when he was just... struggling with depression and guilt and trying to sell off a company he wasn't in the sort of mentally healthy place necessary to run it anymore? But I wouldn't say I love the character either. He just happens to be the mark in an episode where it's particularly easy to remember the team really aren't the good guys (as Sophie herself reminds Breanna in the sequel).

He's about as close as I probably come to an answer for this question.

Character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Definitely don't have an answer to this one. The characters are all just so well written that even when they do things I don't like, it fits the character and I can't really dislike them for it either.

Character I would kiss:

Hmmm... I don't think I like kissing enough personally to answer this. Too aroace for this one, I'm afraid.

Character I want to slap:

Nate. And goodness knows he's earned more than a few.

A pairing I love:

Parker/Hardison ~ Elliot

While I like Parker/Hardison/Eliot where they're all romantically involved... I tend to read Eliot as being alloaro and so his side of the relationship between the three of them fits more as a queerplatonic partnership with them to me.

A pairing I hate:

I don't think I have a hated pairing for this fandom. Or even one I mildly dislike.

[jhsharman]

"Weekend Wonder"

The one curious thing on Archie's bowtie -- it (or maybe they -- the story has multiple time settings) gets colored entirely green for the rest of the story, even as the spots remain. This opening panel is the only one with white spots. This reprint foregoes this by removing the circles.

So. Archie is set up, required, to take a girl out -- daughter of someone Fred needs business contact with -- and Archie is horrified to find that he is dating a nerd.

Yeah, I played the part of Carol Stone in the next panels a time or two.

Jughead is not in character with that thought, is he? The funny thing about Veronica's hair style change is at the time of the reprint, her hair had been shortened in general.

Looking over tv tropes dot com, useful here despite its flaws and limitations in concept, and looking for something beyond that Breakfast Club scene or various teenage movie remakes for The Taking of the Shrew, and I find some variants of My Fair Lady dropped into the mix. The "remove the glasses" act becomes a go-to item in parody.

Glove colored in for the third panel. Funny that question mark at the end of panel 4 -- it is a mistake yet there is a curious sense in her inflecting this as a question.

Jughead tends to get dropped from most "bunch of horny guys' reaction" shots. He disappear after that panel. The changes in the dresses are interesting -- Betty's hemline rises, Veronica loses a truss, Carol's frills are cut. Fashion forward -- except for the gloves.

Only way to go is yet more beautiful and yet dumber, I guess. Notices: They separated "in" and "fact" in the first panel. Color miscues made on Carol's legs in the second panel. And white hair on extras do not seem to fly past 1962 or so in Archie.

[ghostchanuwu]

Four questions because I am intrigued:

-Any new travel companions?

-How is Maxie different from canon?

-Does Ash basically go through the same adventures Ash does in the canon anime, along with Aniredux original ones? Or just all the adventures he does in canon? Or (a horrible thought) is there no filler?

-Does Team RR show up? Because the anime made a horrible mistake by not having Team Rainbow Rocket appear in the anime.

Gonna add a cut since i dont trust tumblr to not shorten this post jffbhdjxj

There are actually a few new traveling companions!

Gary is a constant companion while Misty stays up until Hoenn and Brock dips out for the majority of Johto and Sinnoh but makes a full reapearance in Unova and leaves once again in Kalos having been officially appointed as Bruno's replacement

Lisia joins up in Hoenn after Slateport and stays until Fallarbor having taken interest in May (May had just registered for the contest circus wheras Lisia is the previous year's grand champion)

Wally is a permenant traveling companion in Hoenn being May's step brother (sadly no Max because i couldnt get him to work storywise since the plot relevence he had in canon is already taken up by other characters)

Barry is very temporary in Sinnoh only sticking around from Twinleaf to Floraroma before going off on his own again until Sunnyshore

Riley joins up with the group after Brock leaves having decided that they need a strong adult looking out for them after their first initial scuffles with Galactic (he also just wants to make sure Dawn is doing alright since she is his niece) and sadly goes missing right after the galactic bombs are detonated across all the lakes (he does not appear again, Marley and Cheryl take over for him)

Iris and Cilan are off and on traveling companions (Iris being current champion and Cilan not only managing the Straiation gym with his brothers but also a couple projects Elesa and Lenora had planned)

Nate and Rosa become constant companions once the group reaches Aspertia with them having completed their trainer's school courses (Benga pops in from time to time since he and Nate have a little rivalry going on)

Kalos is unchanged for the most part except for Calem dropping in since he is one of Sycamore's assistants along with being an avid photographer helping Serena with her contest work designing costumes and coreography

(Alola and Galar are unchanged)

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

So about Maxie, he had come into contact with the Red Orb shortly after Groudon and Kyogre's rampage back when Aster was champion (he was still working under the Weather Institute at the time) the orb was persumed to have been lost while the blue orb was found and sealed away again

Upon making contact with it he was possessed for a couple minutes before breaking loose, he had returned the orb but had managed to keep a large enough shard of it to study for himself (exposure to it over many years had lead to the prominent markings on him but he is still very much in control of himself)

Archie had caught wind of Maxie's research and had offered to help fund his endeavors since he not only came from a very rich family but also had an interest in Kyogre (Maxie having a connection to the Red Orb by his logic would end in locating both the Blue Orb and Kyogre) leading to both of their teams joining forces under the same banner (Maxie already having constructed basically a nuclear level base near Mt Chimney and Archie having sea suppourt made them highly formidable)

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

Ash's adventures are pretty close to canon except for some major plot derailments (Kanto with Rocket basically going to war with the league, Hoenn and Sinnoh with the world nearly ending, him staying in Unova longer than expected wanting to chill for a bit after everything there is done) most of the filler in in tact wheras some bits were axed for story reasons

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

Rainbow Rocket does make an appearance in late Alola right before Ash and Gary were supposed to go back home leading to them having to fend off the full force of RR (they did manage to convince Leaf to travel over to Alola since they're the current leader of AniRedux's Team Rocket along with the Ultra Recon Squad and Hilda after she had been located after being MIA for 5 years) along with the trial captains and kahunas

[thistleandthorn-rpg]

Name: Archie Andrews Designation: sub Age: 23 Birthdate: June 17, 2001 Faceclaim: K.J. Apa Orientation: Pansexual Kinks: Pretty open to anything his partner wants to try as long as it’s not in the anti kinks list Anti-Kinks: scat, gore,

Key Points: 

Archie is fiercely protective of his two brothers, and when bad things happen to them it effects Archie much worse than he’s willing to admit.

Skilled athlete and musician

Feels guilty over not being able to help his little brother sooner than he did.

He is loyal to a fault.

BIO 

To say Archie Andrews was complex was almost too simple of a way to describe the young man. He had always tried his best to follow the rules and take care of everyone. He was the ‘All-American jock’ because it was what his father wanted for him. It was supposed to be a way out from having to live day to day, a good day being just barely making ends meet. Not having to struggle and take any random job or having to help out with his father’s business just because his dad wasn’t making enough money to pay an employee to do it. On the other hand he wanted to pursue music, and always tried to find ways to sneak off and play for his friends, or at open mic nights or talent shows. All that changed when his father died, even though he and Danny were the same age, Archie felt like it was his responsibility to step up and take care of Danny and Noah. He put behind his dreams of doing something in music, and gave up on his father’s dreams of him being a football star as a way to get out of town and took over running the business for his father. While most of his time was spent at work he was still able to help Noah when he needed him the most.

Archie knew he had done all that he could to help his younger brother, but he still felt an immense amount of guilt for it getting as bad as it did. He tried to make up for it in every way he could, including hiding his own thoughts on the D/S system so that he and his brothers wouldn’t get into a fight over it. That didn’t stop Archie from feeling a sense of comfort when he had gotten his mark. Most people would have expected him to be upset that he was marked as a sub and not a dom but he wasn’t. He always enjoyed helping everyone out and doing things for them no matter how big or small, but now he felt as if being marked as a sub offered him a level of relief. He didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders anymore, in fact if someone claimed him there would always be someone there to catch him if failed.

BIO QUESTIONS

What are your feelings about the mark you have received? 

I know there are some people who are surprised by it, but I’m okay with it. I’ve always had to step up for others so I could see this as being a good thing. How do your feelings on the system compare to your parents’ feelings on it? Well I’m not sure about mom, she hasn’t been around much since her and dad broke it off. I think my views on it are closer to my dad’s, but I might be a bit more accepting of it.

Where do you see yourself after you graduate? 

Hopefully in a claim, maybe getting back into my music.

How do you feel about authority?

I’m for it, but only as long as it’s not purposefully used to hurt people or keep them down.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I think M could’ve got an invite in 2019 but her bad behavior was already starting to leak out and her inability to dress properly also made designers not want to dress her and that she was pregnant

I wonder if she was angry that Archie was due then (apparently she was really overdue, but some say she was saying she was near the end in Dec at Christmas… some say Archie was born Feb or Mar) and took attention away from her

I just don’t understand the whole fiasco about the birth and the announcement and then the birth certificate too… and then Waaah saying she was home asap after an epidural & traumatic birth?

Yeah, there are a lot of questions about Archie's birth.

I don't know if I buy the "really overdue" story. I think she was overdue, but it wouldn't have been that overdue because it would've been considered high risk since she was having a geriatric pregnancy - which is what they call any pregnancy for any woman over 35 - and going too overdue would've been even riskier, to the point where she would have been induced.

I'll give her being a few days overdue but if her due date was March, there's no way her doctors would have let her continue to carry for over a month longer.

A theory to consider: (it's easier if I write this out in bullet points so just bear with me)

Meghan and Harry insist that they didn't announce the pregnancy early, that she was already out of her first trimester when they began telling people at Eugenie's wedding. So if she's 12 weeks at Eugenie's wedding (October 12, 2018), that puts conception at the end of July and her due date around April 15.

After the pregnancy was officially announced, Meghan was papped carrying two purple binders. In the virtue-signalling and IVF worlds, two purple items means boy-girl twins. A twin pregnancy would have been due mid-March.

Then there was the too-big-too-soon belly, further contributing to the theory that it was twins.

In January, Meghan famously made her "not too long to go" comment, suggesting that the baby was due sooner, supporting the theory of a March due date for twins.

Also, I'm not sure that the palace ever followed up the "Meghan's pregnant, baby due in Spring" announcement with a second announcement stating which month the baby was expected (as they did for each of Kate's pregnancies). So Spring, in the UK, is March through May.

Around February 20th, the infamous baby shower at the Mark Hotel (i.e., where the celebs stay to get ready for the Met Gala) instead of Diana favorite The Carlyle. This is where it starts to unravel for Meghan: if she had a March due date, then there's no way any doctor would have allowed her to fly a long-haul flight that late in her pregnancy, even if it was a private charter, and most absolutely not if it was a twin pregnancy. So clearly the baby wasn't due in March and it was no longer twins. Then, all the decor at the baby shower was in light pink, suggesting Meghan was having a little girl.

May 6th, Baby Boy Archie is born. But if it's true conception was end of July with Meghan being exactly 12 weeks at Eugenie's wedding, this would put her at 3 weeks overdue and that seems really risky for a geriatric pregnancy, especially one that's being overseen by American-based healthcare at the Portland Hospital.

So here's the theory. Given the inconsistencies in Meghan's shape and the virtue-signalling with purple binders, I think she thought she was having twins and did all her homework on twins. But then they lost one of the embryos (which is normal, it happens all the time) and Meghan never adjusted her thinking or preparations and kept trying to hint at a twin pregnancy for the attention but no one realized it because of all the inconsistencies.

Anyway, all this to say, I think Archie's due date was two weeks before May 6th (given Harry's "babies change so much in two weeks" comment), which is April 22 and they just kept it quiet until Meghan felt 'presentable' enough to appear in public postpartum or the parental paperwork (because I think the UK the parents have to either adopt their baby from or get parental orders to take the baby from the surrogate, right?) was processed.

But long story short, yeah, there's so many issues with their stories of Archie's birth and so many inconsistencies from Meghan's pregnancy that it beggars belief the version presented in Spare is what really happened. (Especially because as many of the moms pointed out around here, no doctor is letting a woman with an epidural give birth in a pool. I always found that suspicous because then wouldn't the Netflix show have photos of Meghan holding newborn Archie in water? (I didn't watch the Netflix series so I don't know.))

[harryandmeghansussex]

I’m actually disappointed that Harry is attending. I know is his family and that relationships are complicated but that’s the way I feel it after everything they have done to meg

Hey, you are entitled to feel that way, you won't be the only one.

I guess I just always presumed he would attend, the question mark was over whether Meghan would go, and how much of it he'd attend. It sounds like it's purely the Ceremony itself? So I'd presume fly in, attend, fly back, ready to celebrate Archie's birthday.

Family ties are hard to break - let alone when there is loss and trauma involved - even when it's toxic and a disaster, it's a complicated process to not wish for things to be different, to hold out hope.

I genuinely don't think he would be going without Meghan's backing and support truly, her not wanting to be in that environment again doesn't mean she doesn't understand why he feels the pull to attend, that his duty and loyalty and honour, while battered and strained, make him who he is.

I just can't fault him either way honestly, like I would have fully understood him not attending, just like I can understand him attending