#how norman get up there? the world may never know

[amomentsescape]

Hey, do you have any slasher X reader where the reader loves baking?

Slashers with Reader That Loves Baking

Slashers x Reader (Separate)

Includes: Freddy, Michael, Jason, Thomas, Bubba, Brahms, Norman, Billy, & Stu

A/N: Hmm... I don't think I do. Looks like I need to whip up another fic. Here you go!

Freddy Krueger

Although Freddy doesn't need to eat, he'll try anything you make him!

He's happy that you have a hobby that you enjoy during the day

He's even happier that he gets to taste the results

Whenever you visit him, he makes sure the dream world has a kitchen for you in case you want to make something while you're there

You're more inclined to bake there anyways because Freddy can get you just about any ingredient your heart desires

When you do make items, Freddy switches into his "Kiss the Cook" apron and matching hat

He may not help you with the baking, but he still expects kisses while you work

He'll stand beside you, just observing everything you do

He doesn't ask too many questions either, he just likes seeing you relaxed

Once the treats are ready, he literally stabs a few onto his knifed glove and eats them off of it

There hasn't been a single thing you've made that he hasn't enjoyed

Michael Myers

Michael is pretty neutral with your enjoyment of baking

He tends to his hobbies, you tend to yours

He doesn't feel like there needs to be any crossover of sorts

However, he won't deny you when you ask him to try things

And if you need help accessing the top shelf, he'll help you out

He secretly has a big sweet tooth, and your warm smile influences him to try everything (he'd be dead before he admitted it though)

He has a pretty basic taste in sweets too

He enjoys the majority of the cookies, cakes, and breads you've made

He isn't a big fan of pie or dried fruits though

If you make a batch of anything, he'll try a bite if you ask, but that'll be it

You're always certain he's just trying to be polite

But whenever you wake up in the morning, half the tray is gone

Michael will just shrug it off of course

But it's pretty obvious he enjoys your treats

Jason Voorhees

He absolutely loves that you bake!

To be fair, he'd love literally anything you do that makes you happy, but baking reminds him a lot of his missed childhood

You've made a couple things already that reminded him of stuff his mother used to make, and it almost brought him to tears

He doesn't really get sweet cravings like he did when he was younger, but he will never say no to trying something of yours

He also enjoys decorating some of the treats too

His large hands tend to fumble a bit, and nothing comes out as good as yours, but he's having fun, and that's what matters most to you both

His favorite thing is coming home after a long day to the smell of baked goods and to see you casually mixing ingredients together

You just seem so content, and it gives him a taste of what domestic life is like with you

He'll always come over to greet you with a hug, not caring if you're covered in flour

And once he's gotten cleaned up, he just sits at the table out of the way, watching you

He especially loves when you talk to him while baking

It just makes him all warm inside

Thomas Hewitt

He never really grew up with home baked goods like yours before, so it feels like literal heaven when he smells the sugar in the air

He likes walking up and peering over your shoulder, trying to see what you're doing

He also just likes hanging out with you in case you need help with anything

If your arms ever get tired from mixing or kneading, you know who to ask

If you let him, he'll take little tastes of the batters, predicting how much he's going to like them once they're done

(It's always a 10/10)

If it's sweet, he likes it

There's never been anything you've made that he didn't eat almost all of in one night

He loves if you make enough for the whole family too!

He's a bit hesitant to help decorate, and even more so to help add ingredients

But if you ask, there's no way he'd be willing to say no

Bubba Sawyer

He adores your baking!

He absolutely has no idea what you're doing half the time, but he's happy about it all the same

You've got to be careful with this one though

Because if you even turn around for a second, the batter is gone

Same goes for when the treats are cooling

If you leave the kitchen, they'll be gone within just a couple minutes

You have no idea how he manages to do it

At least he's showing you just how much he loves your bakery?

But besides that, he's a great hand to have in the kitchen

He can mix and mix for days

And he's always there to help hand you whatever you need

Just don't trust him with the powders unless you want a white, dusty kitchen

He's also not the best around the hot oven, having burnt himself a handful of times

It's kind of like having a helpful but clumsy child in the kitchen with you

But he's so sweet you can't bare to tell him to leave

Brahms Heelshire

Brahms never grew up with many sweets in the house

So having his own baker at home is like feeding a starving man

And with Brahms, you can imagine how that goes

Will come to you almost every day with a new treat he is craving

In fact, he even added to the rules list that you needed to make him a bedtime treat or else he refuses to go to sleep

You love baking of course, so it's not a problem, but some of his requests are absurd

A pie covered in chocolate ice cream smooshed with cookies and drizzled with brownie batter might be a bit much for a midnight snack

But you honestly did it to yourself

The moment he tasted your treats, there was no going back

And be careful when the sugar rush hits

He's ready to bounce off the walls with you in tow

Norman Bates

Norman has always been one for domestic hobbies

So the fact that you're a baker makes him feel so cozy and warm

Waking up to fresh muffins with his tea, coming home to a plate of brownies, and even being woken up in the middle of the night to some wild cookie recipe all makes Norman so happy

Jokingly complains that you're fattening him up

He's honestly a pretty good baker himself, although he argues that his skill is nowhere near as good as yours

But there have been a handful of times he prepare his own treat beside you in the kitchen, and it always came out amazing

And because of his experience, he's happy to give a lending hand when you need

If you're making something you know by heart instead, then he's still there beside you, keeping up with the dishes so you don't have to tend to a mess later

Norman enjoys whatever makes you happy, and is eager to learn even more about what you love too!

Billy Loomis

He's pretty chill about it at first

He thinks it's a cute hobby, but doesn't know much about it himself

However, the first time he was actually there with you watching you work and tasting what you made...

He really gained a better perspective on it

He can see the hard work and true enjoyment you put into the hobby, and this makes him appreciate it more

He's not huge on sweets, but seeing you put all of this together for him makes it impossible to deny them

Will be brutally honest if he likes something or not, but there's truly only been a couple times he actually didn't like what you made

Will occasionally sit on the counter beside you and just ask basic questions

"What does this thing do?" "How long does it need to sit there?" "Is there a difference between folding and mixing?"

You always smile at him since his genuine curiosity is cute

Plus, it shows he's trying to learn more about what you do

Will definitely stand behind you and rest his head on your shoulder while you work

Stu Macher

You love to bake? Well, Stu loves to eat

Match made in heaven in his eyes

He honestly is surprised by the amount of effort that it takes to whip up a simple cookie or cupcake

He's not usually on this end of the food process

But he honestly enjoys watching what you do

Will literally just stare and zone out, making you laugh

Loves loves loves when it's time to lick the spoon

He will dab batter onto your nose though

He's a huge fan of helping you decorate too!

Just be careful, because Stu is also a huge fan of squeezing the piping bag directly into his mouth

But surprisingly, Stu has become pretty decent at piping frosting and making your treats look pretty

He always insists on eating the ones you decorate though because they "taste better"

He honestly just loves being able to show praise for the stuff you make him and will always request a fun treat to accompany your weekly movie nights

[thegoatsongs]

Mina Harker's comments about The New Woman in Dracula have generated much discussion. Among her comments, she says: "Some of the “New Women” writers will some day start an idea that men and women should be allowed to see each other asleep before proposing or accepting. But I suppose the New Woman won’t condescend in future to accept; she will do the proposing herself. And a nice job she will make of it, too! There’s some consolation in that."

The topic of women proposing gets explored in another Stoker novel, The Man or The Gates Of Life (1905)

The main character is a young woman, Stephen Norman. She's very outspoken about women's right to make choices, including proposing to men. Her foil is her Auntie, who is a conventional woman. Here, Stephen claims to her Auntie that if a woman isn't married to the man she wants, it's her own fault.

"Her fault? My dear, what if no man asks her?" This seemed to her own mind a poser. "Still her own fault! Why doesn’t she ask him?" Her aunt’s lorgnon was dropped in horrified amazement. Stephen went on impassively. "Certainly! Why shouldn’t she? Marriage is a union. As it is in the eye of the law a civil contract, either party to it should be at liberty to originate the matter. If a woman is not free to think of a man in all ways, how is she to judge of the suitability of their union? And if she is free in theory, why not free to undertake if necessary the initiative in a matter so momentous to herself?" The old lady actually groaned and wrung her hands; she was horrified at such sentiments. They were daring enough to think; but to put them in words! . . . "Oh, my dear, my dear!" she moaned, "be careful what you say. Some one might hear you who would not understand, as I do, that you are talking theory." Stephen’s habit of thought stood to her here. She saw that her aunt was distressed, and as she did not wish to pain her unduly, was willing to divert the immediate channel of her fear. She took the hand which lay in her lap and held it firmly whilst she smiled in the loving old eyes. "Of course, Auntie dear, it is theory. But still it is a theory which I hold very strongly!"

Stephen asks her Auntie why she never married (she didn't love any of her suitors, so she refused them) and if she was ever in love with a man:

"And why did you refuse them?" The tone was wheedling, and the elder woman loved to hear it. Wheedling is the courtship, by the young of the old. "Because, my dear, I didn’t love them." "But tell me, Auntie, was there never any one that you did love?" "Ah! my dear, that is a different matter. That is the real tragedy of a woman’s life." In flooding reminiscent thought she forgot her remonstrating; her voice became full of natural pathos: "To love; and be helpless! To wait, and wait, and wait; with your heart all aflame! To hope, and hope; till time seems to have passed away, and all the world to stand still on your hopeless misery! To know that a word might open up Heaven; and yet to have to remain mute! To keep back the glances that could enlighten; to modulate the tones that might betray! To see all you hoped for passing away . . . to another! . . . " Stephen bent over and kissed her, then standing up said: "I understand! Isn’t it wrong, Auntie, that there should be such tragedies? Should not that glance be given? Why should that tone be checked? Why should one be mute when a single word might, would, avert the tragedy? Is it not possible, Auntie, that there is something wrong in our social system when such things can happen; and can happen so often? "Some day women must learn their own strength, as well as they have learned their own weakness. They are taught this latter from their cradles up; but no one ever seems to teach them wherein their power lies. They have to learn this for themselves."

Stephen may have too progressive ideas, but she's still very gentle with her Auntie even while she's disagreeing, because she sees her Auntie is too scared that Stephen might get in trouble for her ideas:

"Why should good women’s lives be wrecked for a convention? Why in the blind following of some society fetish should life lose its charm, its possibilities? Why should love eat its heart out, in vain? The time will come when women will not be afraid to speak to men, as they should speak, as free and equal. Surely if a woman is to be the equal and lifelong companion of a man, the closest to him—nay, the only one really close to him: the mother of his children—she should be free at the very outset to show her inclination to him just as he would to her. Don’t be frightened, Auntie dear; your eyes are paining me! . . . There! perhaps I said too much. But after all it is only theory. Take for your comfort, Auntie dear, that I am free an heart-whole. You need not fear for me; I can see what your dear eyes tell me."

This all puts Mina's comments into perspective. Aside, Mina is an etiquette schoolteacher. And even at the start, she gradually breaks more conventions, however reluctantly, like when she chooses to let Jonathan hold her arm as they walk, over obeying to convention.

[apple-spider-vinegar]

Something I feel often goes unrecognized in discussion of Harry Osborn is the fact that he is the Only Child of a Single Parent.

In my experience/observation (both real and fictional) the only child/single parent bond is so inexorable it's hard to fully comprehend. Few other things will bind two people together in such a way.

Like many familial relationships, it's full of a thousand little hurts that will probably never get brought up again. Sometimes you let the relationship go by the wayside in pursuit of your own life goals because you take it for granted that family will always be around. But there's a unique flavor to it.

Deep down inside you there's an awareness that it's Just The Two Of You. For the child, it may have been just the two of you from your very earliest memories. Sure, you know other people. There are extended family and friends and maybe the parent has a romantic partner or two. But at the end of the day, in your home, in your hearts (something you carry with you no matter where you go) the two of you are all you have and all you feel you can really depend on.

A world in which the two of you aren't together is almost impossible to picture and you don't want to try, even in the moments you wish you could just get away from each other. Being an only child separated from a single parent for the first time ‐ even on normal and amicable terms like when you move out on your own - makes you realize, again and again, how many ways your parent has influenced you. The things you say that you heard from them first, the habits, the opinions. You love them, but sometimes it feels like they still... OWN you, even though you are your own person. Sometimes that frightens you, but the alternative is even more frightening.

Like all love, it'll make you behave selfishly and irrationally at times.

And it'll really make you DEFENSIVE.

If you're Harry Osborn and complain a bit about your dad being a dickhead while deep down wondering if he really even cares about you, that's one thing. But if anyone says a word against him in your presence you have to backtrack. You have to argue in his defense because he's all you have and you're all he has. Loss would unbearable.

Look, guys. It has been years since Harry and Norman Osborn have gotten along or been able to really enjoy each other's company, if they ever could. But if anything happened to the other they would kill everyone in this room and then themselves, do you understand what I'm saying?

[jadesea33]

I read @9lives2mics post this morning and felt like it pretty much summed up my thoughts and feelings about all of this so I wasn’t going to share what I wrote yesterday. But Shalaka encouraged me to add my voice to the chorus and she’s right: if we want something to change, we need to speak up about it, so here we go.

I’m going to start with something positive: I’m happy that Carol will be confronting some of her past trauma and it’s clear that Melissa is too, based on everything she’s said during promo for the show. This has been the main focus of her comments. I believe she wants to give Carol personal closure and I respect her for that. But I’m at the point where it seems likely to me that she agreed to do the spin-off for Carol. Not Caryl. Not because she doesn’t care about Caryl but because it seems that what happens with Caryl may be beyond her control.

People say we should trust her. And I do. But people also seem to forget that she’s only one woman in a room full of men. She doesn’t get to decide everything (unfortunately, because I’d be 100% on board with THAT show). I imagine it’s more likely she gets to say what she wants for Carol but she’s not going to be able to decide the arc for Caryl on her own. Norman’s made himself wishy-washy enough about it all over the years that I honestly have no idea how he feels about romantic canon but if the showrunner doesn’t want it, it’s not going to happen. And David Zabel has said he doesn’t want it.

And trust me, I get that the source of all this is a clickbait article written by someone who apparently has proven themselves to be anti-Caryl but my feelings are based entirely on the direct quotes from Zabel. I actually didn’t read any of the article except the quotes. So unless he was grossly misquoted or was using the world’s worst deflection tactics, he does not want romantic canon for Caryl. I see no ambiguity in what he said. No room for interpretation.

And not only that, but he wants to set up a Daryl/Isabelle romance that undermines Daryl’s character and his relationship with Carol. And I just can’t tolerate that. Carol is going to cross an entire damn ocean to search for him and what? Find him experiencing “mutual interest” in a relationship that’s “more than friendship” with a manipulative nun he barely knows? Is Daryl even going to be happy Carol’s there? Is he going to show her the love and appreciation she deserves or is he going to be too busy with his “feelings” for another woman? Are we going to have to watch Carol comfort Daryl through his man pain over a forced relationship that never made sense and that took place while Carol was risking her life, battling her claustrophobia and confronting her personal trauma in order to find her “friend��? None of that is anything I have the slightest desire to watch.

I could possibly still give AMC my money without romantic canon. I could potentially watch Carol working through her trauma with the person closest to her in the world by her side if it highlighted their bond in a deep, meaningful way. But the shipbaiting is going too far for me. It disrespects the relationship that Carol and Daryl have shared for the last 14 years and it disrespects the fanbase that wants to tune in to see their bond continue it’s natural course, to see them nurture it and watch it grow.

If AMC wants someone like me to watch this show, they need to find a new showrunner, one who actually understands and respects Carol, Daryl and Caryl. Because it’s clear to me now that David Zabel doesn’t. I know filming has started on S3 but if we get a S4 and beyond, a new showrunner could still potentially clean up the mess that Zabel seems intent on creating.

Okay, if you actually read this far, thank you. And please, I know it can be hard to speak out. It causes me great anxiety to do so, especially when I know that some of my fellow Carylers will not like what I say. I fear some of the friendships I’ve formed in this fandom may be strained now because of differing opinions and that breaks my heart. But ultimately I care too deeply about these characters to remain silent when I see a great disservice being done to them. If you see that disservice too, please speak up about it. Will it make a difference? I don’t know. But we’ll never know if we don’t try. Sending love to you all. ❤️

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon Rewatch S1E05 - Deux Amours

i know i am late on this one, but life is hard, so the delay absolutely has nothing to do with fandom shenanigans and/or Zabel's words, which i will also address later in this post cause i love to prove him wrong as i unmask his own bag of tricks. stay with me! lovely carylers of mine, if you're wallowing in negativity, that is your prerogative, but this post is not for you.

this ep starts with the song "j'ai deux amours" (i have two loves), which is mostly about multiculturalism in a way you embrace the differences and become stronger together. Daryl is not quite there yet... he does not believe in God or faith, he only relies on himself... more after the jump...

Daryl is trying so hard to teach Laurent everything he can to help him survive this world. he is right, the kid is too sheltered, it's a miracle he hasn't become walker food.

Taking a break from my rewatch to address the elephant in the room. Zabel's interview. first we don't have the context of the question he is answering because what it sounds to me like he is saying is that he ain't changing the Caryl narrative, he ain't taking the romance route out of nowhere, he is just simply keeping up with the characters and honoring who they already are, who they seems to want to be and how important they already became to each other.

No, caryl isn't gonna fall in love cause they reunited after being separated for couple of months, their relationship is much more than that. they ain't gonna kiss and bang cause that's easy. there's so much history there. they are already completely irrevocably in love with each other. it's clear, but you have to rely on what the show is giving you. it's right there in front of your eyes.

as for not playing the TV's book of tricks, i am gonna pretend the "happy ending " voiceover and the talk about pigeons always returning home for the one (a gf) who waits never happened. so let's focus only on this episode alone, and expose Zabel's own CARYL book of tricks:

Daryl misses "a lady named Carol," she's different from all the people mentioned before, she is special, cause she is a lady. i see what you did there, Z.

Laurent says Daryl misses Isa too. BANG. bait, bait, bait. Carol vs. Isa. IS THIS the typical trick to mislead and misdirect, causing doubt in the viewer... i may not like it, but there's nothing more stereotypical in that book of tricks, than Daryl having options (and there's plenty: Connie, Isa...), but only one woman (Carol) truly holds is heart.

in flashbacks, Daryl meets a young man TJ who is also working for fuel so he can go back to his girlfriend (not to his mother, or sister, or business associate!!). WHAT A COINCIDENCE Daryl also getting fuel so he can go back home (to Carol!) and guess what, TJ's also planning to runaway with his girl, but they are going to California instead of New Mexico.

Azlan tried to convince Daryl to embrace the people he met and their cause, but he be like "I MADE A PROMISE" and causes just ain't his thing.

Daryl can't sleep thinking about the last time he talked to Carol on the radio... which was like two weeks ago! stop being so dramatic!

finally, it is revealed Daryl promised Carol to come back home asap on the radio, but not after asking her THREE FUCKING TIMES if she was okay. dude, we get it, your Carol-sense was tingling with worry just cause she sounded contemplative. she's fine! but she misses you. HE PROMISED CAROL he'd be back!

the most cathartic scene comes next, (well played Norman Reedus!) Daryl is livid, furious, and downright abusive to Laurent after he cut off their boat, delaying his delivery to the Nest, and Daryl's hope of keeping his promise. it ain't pretty, but it's viscerally Daryl. he stops himself from going down that hole, and hugs the heck out of that kid.

Laurent has no doubt that as soon as Daryl finishes his mission, he will leave. no matter what.

when it's revealed TJ is now a walker and will never see the love of his life ever again (tragic plss!), that Daryl hero complex comes out - he did not help TJ and bad things happened - and he punches a dude. and now it's his turn to not make it back to his girl cause he ends up on a fucking boat to France. i see what you done there, too, Z.

it's the end of the ep and i didn't even sweat to make everything happening to Daryl about Carol.... sometimes things are exactly what they seem.

Daryl is captured again... that happens every other episode FFS!!

Genet's voice over Daryl facing dead as he's entering the arena and flashback to almost turning into walker fodder on the boat: "We have all felt lost at times, far from the life we knew. Deprived of the people we loved [....] But we did not give up. In the name of all those we loved." Daryl will fight for his life, and he will fight for Carol, in the name of the promise he made to return home. and that was beautiful...

and that's it! (my apologies if my thoughts got a bit messy, but my brain is total mush! i dunno if i explained it as well as i wanted to, but i tried!)

so, i kinda loved this episode, it was just a bit tooo long for me! PS. i am going to finish by saying something what most people don't want to hear/accept. Melissa is a grown ass woman capable of making her own decision. she straight fucking left the whole spinoff, no one forced her to do anything (who says otherwise is lying to you) so do not think for one moment she didn't come back on her own terms. with that said, whatever is meant to happen or not happen in terms of caryl, i sleep really well knowing it is exactly what they want to happen, both Norman AND MELISSA! and i would watch the platonic buddy adventures of Carol and Daryl for fucking forever! except that's not what i think is happening, and no, i ain't reading interviews (good or bad!), i'm just paying attention to what is being shown on screen. feel free to tl;dr me!!!

see y'all next week for ep 6!!! THE FINALE!!!

28 days left until the premiere of THE BOOK OF CAROL!!!!!

[freefromthecocoon]

Daryl's Mindset

So, I have some thoughts I have been mulling and this may get long. So look below the cut if you are interested. This will cover bits through episode 4.

I have seen a few folks questioning Daryl's mindset and seen a few opinions saying he was rude to Carol or didn't give her props for coming to rescue him. That's fair and it would appear that way on the surface.

I think Daryl was overwhelmed. Daryl has never really had anyone look for him. He washed up on the shores of France and winds up meeting a nun who helped him. Yes she manipulated and lied to him to get his help to get Laurent to Paris. But like Daryl told Carol, they worked out a deal. As things kept happening to keep Daryl from his ultimate goal of getting home to Carol (his words, not mine)...he began to lose hope of that ever happening.

I think everything happened so fast that he did not have time to stop and really think about everything that transpired. As Norman has said about the reunion, Carol showed up when he was at his lowest point. He fought his way through the walkers and THERE SHE WAS. "The one person in the world he needed the most" There was no time for discussion as they were under attack.

Then another person he had grown to care about died but not before giving Daryl the responsibility of keeping Laurent safe. We know that Daryl is very mission oriented and can have tunnel vision at times. This is why he was laser focused on finding Laurent. He wasn't being rude to Carol intentionally. Carol realized this and helped him to refocus in a better way after they got to the cave.

As they walked towards Theo and Didi's (Theo you schmuck), they resorted to their usual sweet banter as they tried to sus each other's thoughts out. Then they meet Theo and Didi. Which was a revealing experience to both of them I believe. This time at Didi's place was the first time I imagine that either of them could even begin to think of a life that.

Another conversation that has been questioned was when Carol reminded Daryl of his responsibility to Laurent. I think Daryl has started to realize he wants a happy life as he has seen Didi and Theo have. When Daryl said he didn't want to lose Laurent, he might as well have inserted Carol's name into that conversation.

Beginning to care about Issa and then having her die so abruptly was one more person in a long list of people he has lost over the years. He thinks if he doesn't embrace his true feelings for Carol, he can prevent losing her.

He watched Theo lose Didi and then it was brought home to him that he and Carol are not getting any younger and perhaps they can stop fighting to survive and start fighting to live a life they both deserve.

Daryl seemed to take the first steps towards this by explaining how Laurent became the glue that held everything together, much like Henry was the glue that held Carol and Zeke together. Carol gets that part. We just have to get Carol to accept that she deserves happiness as well, which I think is still a big stumbling block for her.

And remember what Daryl said, "I never stopped trying to get home TO YOU" And he didn't Carol is Daryl's home. I look forward to exploring more of this in Spain.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Something that I think is underrated in the fandom is the concept of the cattle children making friends their age in the human world post-canon. I like to think that the younger kids would have an easier time socializing while the older kids may be more withdrawn (especially with the adults), but get better with time.

Do you have any headcanons about their interactions with the human world? And where in the world do you think they settled down at? I’m guessing that snowy area Alex lived at may be what was formerly Russia/East Europe because of his last name, but idk.

I also find it odd that Shirai never told us what Emma’s ‘new’ name was (that becomes her middle name). Have any in mind?

I don't know if I'd say underrated? If asked I think a lot of fans are open to it/enjoy it, myself included.

Underexplored though, definitely, but I think this stems from how hard it can be to sell original characters in fanfiction the closer in proximity and importance they are to the main characters. This is also part of the reason I believe Matilda is Norman's biological mother and Sienna is Emma's biological mother are decently popular theories: it offers people the convenience of already having a minor canon character with a design and foundations of personality and history that can be referenced with greater recognition among other fans to project headcanons onto.

But if we're just talking about alluding to it happening in the background, one of my favorite Rayemma fanfics, She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not by groundedreamer, touches upon it in almost the exact way you describe:

I didn't even realize it was a Rayemma fic at first (or a Hanahaki AU; I usually don't read those) because I zeroed in on it being in the Jemima tag with the entire first chapter being dedicated to Ray & Jemima bonding.

Highly recommend if one's open to RE.

Do you have any headcanons about their interactions with the human world?

This is very broad and we could be here for a while, but all the cattle children aware of the truth before crossing over to the human world, including the Grace Field children who didn't escape but saw Isabella being murdered, have PTSD. This initially makes it rough for the older children to accept help from healthcare professionals and to navigate the best way to handle things for the younger children.

I'm always going to advocate for Norman and Ray going antiquing or to junk shops for items they can fix up and potentially gift to people, especially if they end up finding a duplicate of the music box Isabella gave Emma on her sixth birthday.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 1 Q&A | Questionnaire Translation Source)

I also talk about my preferred career paths for the trio here since I'm not fond of the path Shirai took with Norman and Ray, even if I understand why he did it. (I am 100% behind Nat becoming a famous pianist though.)

And where in the world do you think they settled down at? I’m guessing that snowy area Alex lived at may be what was formerly Russia/East Europe because of his last name, but idk.

I agree given that they start out in former New York City that the demon god would send her to the opposite side of the globe. And while Alex is fluent in English, I think it's sweet if the kids learn Russian to speak with him as he becomes integrated into the family as a father/grandfather figure.

I also find it odd that Shirai never told us what Emma’s ‘new’ name was (that becomes her middle name). Have any in mind?

With how cagey he was about confirming what a number of people had already suspected about Ray's bait note because he wanted to leave the door open for multiple possibilities prior to his health deteriorating, this doesn't really surprise me kfjdgvkj

I default to Wendy because of the Peter Pan connection, but I also gravitate a bit to Alice, Charlotte, or Jane.

[sp-dr-isnotaloli]

Alright, I’m gonna lay out some bad arguments against Gwen being trans that I’ve seen and respond to them.

1. Gwen Stacy was cis in the comics.

Well, 616 Gwen was cis in the comics (there is a storyline in which she gives birth to Norman Osborne’s children and we do see the pregnancy), though that was never established until the 90s. 65 Gwen Stacy, our beloved Spider-Gwen whom the movie character is based on, has not been established to be cis, and her universe is different enough from 616 that assuming she is would be a mistake. Now, the Gwen Stacy of Earth 8 is a possible future Gwen, and there is some evidence that she may be cis (she has children who resemble her, but we don’t know for sure that they’re not adopted nor that transition healthcare on 8 doesn’t include the ability for trans women to carry children) but it’s not conclusive.

More importantly, however, the versions of these characters in the movies are not so close to their comics counterparts that we should assume everything about them is the same unless otherwise stated. I mean:

2. Gwen’s universe changes color like a mood ring to reflect her emotions.

Okay. So, in the scene where Gwen is confronting her dad about her identity, trying to get him to see past his prejudices and see her for who she is, to accept her for who she is, to accept all of her when she’s sick of the world only ever knowing half of her, her emotions bleed out into the world around her, painting herself and her environment in pink, blue, and white... and you think that makes this scene less trans?

Like, one of the first things the animators told us was that they know these colors are associated with trans people, and they told us that by associating those colors with Gwen specifically. And you think it’s just a coincidence that the colors they chose to reflect how Gwen feels while she’s coming out to her dad are a bleeding trans flag?

3. Gwen could just be an ally. Miles had a BLM pin too!

Guys. Miles is not a white ally to black people. Miles is black. If Mile’s BLM pin is meant to parallel Gwen’s flag - if that pin tells us anything about Gwen’s flag at all - it would mean that Gwen is trans. The black kid has the pin with the message about protecting black people, the trans kid has the flag with the message about protecting trans people.

4. Gwen looks cis. No trans girl looks like Gwen Stacy.

Gwen literally looks exactly like prominent trans actress Hunter Schafer.

In fact, we’ve been talking about how Gwen looks trans since the first trailer for Into the Spiderverse dropped. Like, maybe you weren’t paying attention, but no, Gwen definitely looks like a trans girl. Like, we can literally point to a trans girl she looks like.

5. None of this proves she’s trans!

Okay, sure, maybe you’re not convinced. But it’s still evidence. Conclusions about a story or a character based on textual evidence are fan theories, and this is a fan theory, a fairly well supported one.

Given that there’s no evidence that Gwen is cis, however, that’s not a theory. That’s just a headcanon. And pushing your headcanon when people are talking about a fan theory you don’t agree with is rude. You’re being rude.

6. Her dad doesn’t have a trans pin on his jacket!

This one is true, actually.

George Stacy does not literally wear a trans pin on his uniform. Rather, the very deliberate lighting and coloring in one scene made it look like the trans flag. This one could actually be coincidence, but like, it’s not like her dad having a trans pin is the foundation of the theory. It still stands up perfectly well if it was coincidence.

[saltyr3mix]

wiatt nicholson head canons plz

ok. Wiatt is very similar to Damien to me. In the sense of oh boy, I hate writing this character so much. It's a quartet of Damien, Norman, lewis and Wiatt. Hate all of them/j they each have their ups and downs. Mainly downs but like- Lewis is by far the easiest of the group but still so far behind the others in terms of effort to write. Especially when paired with Wiatt. TGE ONLY TIME IVE EVER WRITTEN WIGHLIGHT AND WAS SATISFIED WITH IT WAS THAT ONE LIKE 10 LINE SCENE IN FEBRUARY 4TH WHERE THEY APOLOGIZE TO EACH OTHER. IT IS MY GREATEST FLAW. I CANT WRITE WILIGHT AND IT HAUNTS ME-

but this isn't about them! Just Wiatt! So let's get started on it!

To learn from the tragedies: he's do stressed. Let's this guy be. He just wants to help his boyfriend but also doesn't have a clue what's going on. He thinks he knows everything. He doesnt. At all. He's sort of the main focus of book one but is a lot more background in book 2, which focuses more on Sara. Both of them are technically going through the same thing but because Sara was the villain is treated a lot differently. I sometimes think about what would have happened if lewis hadn't explained things to Waitt. And instead he and Sara teamed up to get answers and everything would have been fine. But no, lewis is far too dramatic for that.

Shattered dreams: he dies. womp womp. Does become Guide! (Gaslight. Useless. Idiot. Dead. Employee) But I think I'll talk about him more in the Oc au because I think despite it being nearly the same situation he's more interesting there.

One shots/you'll live until I die: I thinkkkkk her appears like once in yluid and it's like- the least relevant scene in the fic i was just trying to even out the perspectives. But in that and other one shots he's sort of just a mechanic. Almost never more apparent than that. Try to keep it close to cannon, he likes helping people but tends to mess it up a lot but never enough to be fully blamed for it.

I will make them create my world: don't. Don't talk me. I- I'll figure it out! (Has over 10k of scrapped shit THAT US JUST HIM. The reason there hasn't been a new chapter since February is Because of that man and how hard he is to write and plan)

Buried masks: I think I've made a few post on him but he stays outside the basement because Sara doesn't like him. He helps Damien with his investigation and is highly suspicious of Sara. Eventually he does get more involved for a big event! But that is major spoilers :3

Swap au/skating in silence: he plays Norman here! Which I find very interesting. Not interesting enough to have concrete ideas for it but enough that if given the chance i could see myself exploring. Wiatts like main thing is he feels worth through helping others. And by directly helping Lewis he'd really enjoy the job. If lewis was different from Sara and still have him praise and carted about him it would honestly create a more toxic relationship than canon because Wiatt would be left clinging for Lewis's validation and willing to go very, very far for it.

Superhero au: he's chill. Doesn't have any powers. Is a reporter and a hero stan. Untilllll things start happening and lewis is sobbing in his apartment because he's having to deal with some very traumatized kids, and half their trauma may have accidentally been his fault and he knows the heros are all a massive lie and starts giving wiatt info about some of the more horrible things the organization has done and wiatt starts a character arc of now speaking against the hero system and trying to in mask it for what it is! Mostly he just appears in the background, he's sort of the symbol of the general public, being powerless and living a mostly normal life.

Steven universe au: he lives in his car as a photographer. He enjoys life and specifically lifes mysteries and the unnatural. He fines this fenced of beach that has been rumered to be haunted after a man died mysteriously several years ago. Wiatt never followed the rules and climbs over because the view from that clean of a beach must be stunning!

And bam! Rock Aliens. They all scare each other but wiatt has a camera and the aliens don't know what that is and they think it's a weapon. They explain they didn't mean to bother and humans and Wiatts like oh wait their really sweet. And he's friends with them now!!! He gives everyone their more human names and let's them experience life. So far he's the only human that doesn't get experimented on so that's good for him. He is a little overwhelmed by dating a space dictator that fake killed himself but it's ok, he'll figure it out.

Maze au: he's human. Don't know how he got in the maze. I can imagine him playing a role similar to Kyle in the sense of like, he's here to help and try his best not to get into anything but is not going to sit around. He's probably a runner. Not a very good one. Maybe he stays in the back and makes maps. He and Oliver team up to make most of the clearings.... Everything. They make weapons and tools and supplies and help build housing and food they are the progressives. They make sure the clearing is constantly improving.

Oc au: he dies! Not to litho though cause we accidentally took him out. Instead he dies to jot! In a....messy scene. Both because there was a lot of blood and two it was written late at night and neither of us really knew where we wanted it to go only that wiatt needed to be dead by the end of it. So mans got straight up beat. Joy crushed this dude with her bare hands. The virus actually took out two....well killed two people by technicality it knock loli out for a good while but she's fine now! Yeah, we made it slightly more deadly just for fun. And now Wiatt is a tour guide with amnesia! He loves the company and works mostly in the lobby with Dot. Star also had his memories erased in this au.

Instead the whole what about love speech, was joy about carly. Which Winnie being already connected to Carly made it a lot easier and so roller gays are doing fantastic and wighlight is struggling.

We have yet for star and guide to interact but I'm looking for to when they do!

that should be ittttttt. He plays a background character in most of the aus. So not a ton to say.

Thank you for the ask!!

[pkmnprideflags]

Everything We Know About the Protags' and Rivals' Families

Red/Leaf

Their mother is probably the Pokémom we know the least about. She only ever talks about worrying for her child, and doesn't seem to have any hobbies or anything noteworthy about her. I'm glad that the later games have started giving the moms more personality.

As for their dad, the only reference to him is in the Celadon Department Store. Upon looking at one of the TVs, the protag will say, "A sports game! Dad'll like that!" So we know that their father is a fan of sports, and has enough of a connection with their child for them to know that.

Blue Oak

Of course, he has a grandfather (er, what was his name again?), and that grandfather has a cousin named Samson who lives in Alola. He also has an older sister, Daisy, who has allegedly competed in Pokémon Contests in the past according to a Pokémon Journal in the Sevii Islands. This means she must have traveled to either Hoenn or Sinnoh at some point, probably during her childhood or adolescence. We know nothing about Blue & Daisy's parents.

Ethan/Kris/Lyra (as protag)

This Pokémom still doesn't have much going on outside of talking to other women in town and apparently enjoying cooking, but she does at least assist by managing her child's money. In retrospect, an eleven-year-old in real life probably should not be trusted with all that money, so good idea. Too bad she also seems irresponsible with money, buying things with her child's money without asking them. Sometimes those purchases are helpful, sometimes they're not. Either way, you should get permission first, ma'am.

As far as I can remember, their father is never mentioned.

Ethan/Lyra (as friend)

They live with their father in New Bark Town; as far as I know, their mother is never mentioned. Their grandparents are the Day Care Couple that lives south of Goldenrod City.

Silver

We all know by now that Silver's father is Giovanni. According to the Celebi event, father and son parted ways three years before GSC on Route 22, with Giovanni heading towards the Pokémon League and Silver heading back, presumably to Viridian. If we assume that he is the standard protag/rival age of 11, then he seperated from Giovanni at the age of eight. When he shows up in New Bark Town, he lowkey seems to be homeless. I'm not sure how an eight-year-old without Pokémon would have made it over to Johto alone. The most likely people to help him would be Team Rocket, but he's stubborn enough that he'd probably reject their help. Did he climb through or trek around Mt. Silver?

Despite the many fan theories, the identity of Silver's mother has never been discussed in the games.

May/Brendan (as protag)

A protagonist with two visible parents?! Impossible. But yes, Norman and his wife are still together. In Ruby and Sapphire, your mother specifically mentions that your family moved from Johto; curiously though, that dialogue was changed in Emerald to just say "another region." Later in B2W2's World Tournament, Norman specifically says he is from Olivine City.

The only references to their parents' lives before comes in ORAS, when the mother mentions that she and Norman watched the Litleonids the last time they occurred. Awwww.

May/Brendan (as rival)

They live with their parents, Professor and Mrs. Birch, in Littleroot Town. In Emerald only, they also have a younger brother. Prof. Birch seems to have a very close relationship with their child, though since they're often involved in fieldwork they may not get to see their mother much. Interestingly, Birch and Norman have supposedly been friends "since their school days." That means either Norman had gone to school in Hoenn before moving to Olivine, or Birch went to school in Johto.

Wally

We actually know a lot about Wally's family since it's part of the plot of RSE. He lives with his parents in Petalburg City, who are understandably protective of his health. He later moves to Verdanturf to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Wanda. Not much is known about them, other than that Wanda is romantically involved with a guy from Rustboro.

Lucas/Dawn (as protag)

They live in Twinleaf Town with their mother, the Contest star Johanna. She gets out of the house more, both for Contests and to observe her child's success in the Battle Zone.

There are two references to the player's father, and both occur in Platinum. Johanna says that her child reminds him of him and that the two of them "are so alike." Later when met at the Battle Frontier, Palmer will note that he was a friend and rival to their father, similar to how they are now with Barry. Notably, in a very early beta of Diamond & Pearl, the player's father was going to appear early in the game. I don't speak Japanese, but based on the screenshots I'm guessing he was going to be involved in the player's first Pokémon encounter.

Lucas/Dawn (as friend)

They live in Sandgem Town with their father, grandfather, and little sister. Their father works as an assistant to Professor Rowan; nothing about their mother is known. Their sister watches TV a lot, and therefore often hears about swarms occurring in Sinnoh.

Barry

He lives in Twinleaf Town with his mother, while his father Palmer works at the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. Both parents seem to care for their son, but I honestly can't remember them ever talking to or about each other, so I don't know what their relationship status is.

Hilbert/Hilda

The Pokémom of Nuvema Town is said to have been a Trainer herself when she was younger. However, now she mostly stays at home, only departing to give the player the running shoes. In B2W2 she behaves similarly to Red's mother, saying she kind of wants to go out and find her child, but would feel bad if they stopped by while she was gone. Which makes me wonder: does her kid not still have their Xtransceiver? Why can't she just...call them like a normal person?

Their father is referenced by their mother when she says that they met each other on their own Pokémon journeys. Aw, young love. No hints to their current relationship status, though.

Cheren

Cheren lives with his parents in Nuvema Town. I don't remember anything of note about them.

Bianca

Bianca lives with her parents in Nuvema Town, and we all remember how her father acts at the beginning of the games. I don't recall her mother's reaction; apparently she was the one to tell him that Bianca made it to Nimbasa City, so maybe that indicates that Bianca trusts her slightly more.

Nate/Rosa

This is definitely one of the cooler Pokémoms. She is an old friend of Professor Juniper, and used to work in Pokémon Centers (specifically implied to be the ones in Nimbasa and Mistralton). She's knowledgeable about the many locations in Unova, and supports her child by providing information.

Bulbapedia claims that there are references to their dad in the games, but a search of relevant pages has turned up no references.

Hugh

Hugh lives with his mother, father, and younger sister in Aspertia City. His father has the sprite of a Black Belt, and his mother has the sprite of a Nursery Aide, which is a cute pairing. Hugh also mentions that he has a deceased grandfather, who caught his little sister's Purrloin. Hugh is very protective of his sister; overall this is a cute little family.

Calem/Serena (as protag)

They live with their mother, Grace, in Vaniville Town. The two recently moved to the town, but it's unclear if they are from another region entirely, or just a different town in Kalos. Regardless, Grace is known for being a Rhyhorn racer.

The only mention of the player's father is in a story Grace tells about one of her races. She lost control of her Rhyhorn at the finish line, where he was waiting, and she "sent him flying."

Calem/Serena (as rival)

They also live with their mother in Vaniville Town. It's mentioned that both of their parents are renowned Pokémon battlers, which is cool. Otherwise, their father is never mentioned.

Shauna & Tierno

Strangely, we know nothing about these two's families. Shauna seems to live in or near Vaniville Town since she hangs out there a lot, but she doesn't have a house there. Tierno hangs around Coumarine City a lot during postgame, so maybe he's supposed to be from there? But we know nothing about their family lives.

Trevor

Trevor lives with his sister in Lumiose City. Apparently his mother and father are currently traveling the world to train their Pokémon. The world of this game series just seems very chill about family relations, and treats it as socially acceptable to leave your family to take a journey. I suppose they appreciate long-distance relationships or just don't value family that much.

Selene/Elio

They live with their mother on the outskirts of Hau'oli City. Their family was originally from the Kanto region, and the player's mother was once a renowned Meowth trainer, earning the nickname of the "Scratch Cat Girl." She's even seen at the end of the game battling the Masked Royal.

Apparently she is still married to the player's father, who still lives in Kanto. The two keep in touch by sending each other letters.

Hau

Hau lives with his grandfather Hala in Iki Town. He mentions his mother several times, saying he enjoys her cooking; she is not confirmed to be present in the games, but there is a female NPC randomly placed inside Hala's house that some assume to be Hau's mother. His father is traveling on a journey in another region (implied to be Kanto).

Gladion

We all know this by now - used to live with Lusamine, Mohn, and Lillie; then Mohn disappeared, Gladion ran away with Type: Null, and Nebby teleported Lillie to Route 1. An Aether Paradise NPC also notes that Lusamine's father (so Gladion's grandfather) was a wealthy man who loved Pokémon, and he was the one who built the Foundation.

Chase/Elaine

They live with their mother in Pallet Town. Like Red & Leaf's mother, this Pokémom doesn't have a whole lot going on. Bulbapedia says that they have a referenced father; I'm guessing it's that same dialogue in the Department Store from the other Gens.

Trace

Since he's no longer Professor Oak's grandson, Trace seems to only live with his sister. Perhaps another Trevor situation?

Victor/Gloria

They seem to have always lived in Postwick with their mum. She doesn't have a whole lot going on, and the only reference to their father is the statement that the player's bag is a hand-me-down from him.

Hop

Hop lives in Postwick with his parents and grandparents, and Leon used to live there before going off to be a champion and whatnot.

Marnie

Her parents are never mentioned; she seems to live with Piers.

Bede

Bede was apparently raised in an orphanage, so the identity of his parents are unknown.

Rei

Both as the protagonist and as the rival, their family situations are unknown.

Akari

As the protagonist, her family situation is unknown. As the rival, she mentions wanting to send a photo to her parents and brag about her work with the player in the Survey Corps.

Juliana/Florian

They recently moved to Cabo Poco with their mother from a different region. It's implied they may be from Galar, as the mother has a Skwovet and uses the term "cuppa" when talking to Clavell. Their father is never mentioned.

Nemona

Nemona's father, mother, and sister live in Cabo Poco. They moved to the Paldea region when Nemona was seven; their original region is unknown. Nemona's father is on the board of the Rotom Phone company, so they have a decent amount of wealth.

Because I'm a nerd, let's finish with some stats:

Characters confirmed to have both parents currently alive: 16 out of 34

Characters who live with both of their parents: 8 out of 34

Characters who live with their mother: 22 out of 34

Characters who live with their father: 12 out of 34

Characters with at least one living grandparent: 5 out of 34

Characters with siblings: 10 out of 32

[my-mt-heart]

Thoughts on the 206 Spoilers

I probably don't need to mention again that what's written on the page can translate differently on screen for a number of reasons — acting choices, editing choices, reshoots we aren't aware of. We know that. Some of us felt that with the opening minutes (if you want to read my page-to-screen analysis on that, you can do so here). But I also know changes don't always happen unless I'm willing to tell the people in charge why I want them in the first place. I believe the 201 revisions happened because we talked about it. I'll admit I don't know how fixable the 206 scenes are, and frankly the underlying issue aside from the writing is the writer, but I still want to talk about it because if Caryl's story is going to continue for however many more years, their fanbase has to feel like the storytelling is worth both the emotional and the financial investment. These sides don't help with that. Spoilers under the cut...

I want to start by clearing up some confusion I saw in the original post about Carol's scenes being crossed out. It doesn't mean her scenes were deleted; it just means they weren't shot on the same day as the other scenes on the pages. We don't have all the tunnel beats, but what we do have appears to be in chronological order for the most part, so that gives us a close enough look at how the tunnel scenes are being framed. The framing is what's troubling because Daryl and Carol are in their own separate corners, breathing in poison gas, losing their will to live, but never turn to each other (or thoughts of each other) to keep fighting for each other like their entire story since the start of the flagship show, the tagline "to find home is to find each other," and the SDCC synopsis would have us believe.

Carol is looking for closure with Sophia which I understand, although it's extremely underwhelming and it still doesn't explain what's tethering her to this world. For Daryl, it's the figment of Isabelle that represents his hope. Their bond, not Daryl's and Carol's, gets to carry the emotional weight of those scenes. I can't even begin to make sense of Isabelle being Daryl's savior and motivation to keep going while his brief interaction with Carol at the end may as well be between him and his mailman. Side note: I guess the poison gas isn't so poisonous anymore? Why are they having a conversation without masks lol

Okay, they leave together, but as what? Strangers? Is this where I'm supposed to get hyped for S3? Because Caryl will be in the same proximity while Zabel keeps them emotionally detached from one another? That's not the Caryl show I want to tune in for. I want their show to make their relationship the emotional core and I want to see their romantic feelings for each other become explicitly canon. They have so much shared trauma and so much shared history that hasn't been thoroughly explored. When do we get to see that?

I understand how ridiculous all of these concerns sound when we factor in Melissa's input and the excitement she showed at SDCC. I'm not discounting that at all (@9lives2mics posted a really great overview of the PR strategy for SDCC, which I highly recommend listening to btw). What I'm trying to get at is, as far as the material goes, Zabel's vision for his original characters and his original premise seem to be dragging down the story that Melissa and even Norman are trying to tell for their characters. There were even several instances in their interviews where McReedus didn't seem to be on the same page as Zabel and Greg Nicotero. It's disheartening because if the latter two can get away with shooting what we see in these sides and making a trailer centered on Daryl's French family, what's going to make the final cuts? Do I want to find out?

Final thought: If you're going to make allusions to gas chambers, then the scenes need to amount to a hell of a lot more than shipbaiting and being artsy. Otherwise, it's just tone deaf.

[aintashes]

let's talk about daryl and leah.

i think it's time that i address this on my blog, especially now that i've had plenty of opportunity to process their entire arc since watching it not too long ago. this got to be so long that i'm convinced it may be the daryl dixon megapost of the century, but it's very important ( mostly to me lmao ).

suffice to say, this will contain major spoilers for the show's later seasons. there's basically a tl;dr at the end but if you read this whole thing... i love you.

first thing's first, like it says in my rules, this blog operates under the idea that daryl's romantic relationship with leah never happened. i do believe that he did form a strong bond with her in order to line up with the reaper and commonwealth arcs, but it never went deeper than being close friends.

there are many reasons for this. i personally believe that it's a disgrace to daryl's character for the writers to simply shoehorn an entire romance arc into one episode that was filmed during the pandemic— aka, it was written to fill space while the world was waiting for safety and filming restrictions to lift. because of this, it all felt like an afterthought. it was rushed in every way no matter how many giant "3 months later..." timestamps they slapped onto the screen, and norman himself has said that he was disappointed and wishes that a romance plot with daryl would have been better executed.

beyond that, it simply ignores all of the character development that daryl has gone through. really, it ignores his entire personality. look me in the eyes when i say: this man has no game at all ( sorry, daryl ), and he's never been in a romantic relationship in his life. he's never been interested enough to pursue anyone. he's also slow to warm up to people, even in later seasons. so you mean to tell me that he all of a sudden fell into bed with this person who was nice to him one time after being a complete asshole to him every other time they met before then ?

they did daryl a giant disservice by showing him entering a romantic relationship with such little meaningful interaction. yes, they have a small montage of the two of them getting to know each other, but it basically only includes them: catching fish together, looking at an eclipse together, and then the implication that they're romantically intimate with one another.

it's so bland ! it's so boring ! it lacks any substance ! it's an awful thing to do to a character who has been shown time and time again to have a deep, incredible need for prolonged connection. i'm ( not ) sorry, but if you wanted to show daryl entering a romantic relationship, showing the two of them going fishing and making lovey eyes at each other one time is not cutting it for me. after everything that daryl has been through, it's pathetic storytelling.

moving on to the time period where they live together— yet another "10 months later..." timestamp that gives us nothing but what our own imaginations can provide —we see that their relationship isn't even good. that leah is literally just mean to him, as much as she cares about him ( likely in part due to her own trauma, but i digress ). and sure, you could say that with daryl's inexperience, he might enter a relationship that isn't good for him because he doesn't know any better—

but i'm sorry, are you saying that the daryl dixon that i know... the person that they had michonne verbally confirm is pretty much the best judge of character on the show... the person who deanna had working with aaron because she and aaron both knew that daryl could see through people... are you saying that that daryl dixon... would so easily become enamored with someone like her ?? this is not to say that he's incapable of trusting someone who seems okay but then turns out to be bad, but i genuinely don't know what it is he could see in her that would cloud his vision to what's underneath the surface ( especially as they begin having arguments within their relationship ).

anyways. when we come around to them living together, we see them eating dinner and daryl asks her to talk to him. that what he's set out to do that's clearly made her upset will only have him gone for a couple of days, and that he'll be back after. but she becomes angry with him and very quickly gives him an ultimatum: does he belong with his family ? does he belong out there, looking for rick, who she pointedly says must be dead ? or does he belong with her ?

and what a cruel thing to say to someone. there was no need to ask him to do something so obviously unfair; she set him up for failure in the hopes of guilting him into staying. all he did was tell her that he was going to be gone for a few days to do his thing; and then not only is she asking him to choose between her and his family, which should be a giant red flag in almost any relationship, but she tells him that rick must be dead— something she 100% knows will make daryl upset.

you could say that it's a trauma response from her, you could say that she has unresolved mental health issues and it's culminating in her behavior towards him, but it truly doesn't matter. daryl has always had his moments of anger and lashing out because of trauma, and it never excuses his actions or his words; it doesn't excuse hers, either. this is not to say that daryl doesn't deserve to be told like it is sometimes, either, but that's not what she was doing.

and another thing— you mean to tell me that you had daryl dixon not only fall in love with this person after knowing her for very little time, and then you have the audacity to imply that he doesn't even really tell her about his family ?? what is this weird double-life they had him living ?? like, it's clear that he doesn't even ask her if she would consider joining their communities. and maybe that's because he can't handle being back there yet, but to not even tell her at all when he's supposed to like, i dunno, be in love with her ??

it's not because he wants a "home away from his other life," because he's still extraordinarily intent on searching for rick and even chooses that over leah at first ( before he feels so guilty for "messing up" the ultimatum she gave him that he goes running back, only to find that she's gone and has, presumably, left dog behind ). so what is it ? why would daryl dixon of all people keep the people he loves most away from someone else whom he apparently loves ??

it makes no sense, and it only serves as a way to keep leah away from team family long enough to then reveal her as a villain. a loving relationship between daryl and another person during the time period where he's looking for rick could have served to bring him back to his people sooner because of the level of love and understanding he could have shared with someone. but no ! she must be a villain !

and then of course, we have to put daryl through the pain and suffering of being tortured again, but this time his ex lover is the one facilitating it ! and man is it a good thing that he never really told her about his family, because then he wouldn't have been able to lie to her face about it all in order to get out of that sticky situation.

and then, at the end of leah's arc, daryl obviously has to be the one to suffer the pain of killing her to save maggie. leah is much too far gone, as daryl learns in the final battle with the reapers, and he chooses his family over her one more time to end it all.

it's such a terrible story arc. an awful dynamic that they really did not have to put daryl, or us as viewers, through. even, and especially, as a way of showing us that daryl will always and forever choose his family over anyone else— even a lover. like... duh ?? we knew that already ! you didn't have to make her an actual bloodthirsty mercenary for us to believe that.

the thing is, leah could have been a brilliant character. she could have had so much development, and her outbursts and abusive behaviors could have made much more sense given more / better context. their entire relationship could have made more sense if we'd had the opportunity to engage with her as a character the way the show gave us the opportunity to do just that with come-and-go characters like morgan and jadis. but her relationship with daryl was shoehorned into the show and only served to provide angst fodder and a connecting line between "our" people, aka daryl and co., and the reapers ( who, by the way, were also incredibly, severely, criminally underutilized and short-lived when they could have been the scariest, most threatening group in the show's history ).

you should have just left daryl in the nonromantic, nonsexual bubble you had him in for years before then.

there's so much more that i could say, but i'll leave it at this:

on my blog, daryl had a close friendship with leah which involved them getting to know one another enough for it to hurt when she turned on him. literally basically everything is the same, except for them being romantic / intimate.

which is why it's such a tragedy and a disappointment that they went through with making it romantic / intimate in the first place, because the entire situation really could have been the same without that. daryl still would have cared enough about her to try and "save" her from her allegiance with the reapers without everything being sullied by the writers' decision to make it weird.

[witchern]

just got done seeing the re-release of sam raimi's spider-man on the big screen and now y'all are gonna hear my thoughts whether you like it or not:

the danny elfman music kicked on during the opening credits and i had full-body goosebumps before the marvel logo even came up on screen because i'm a fucking loser.

speaking of opening credits, remember when movies used to have those? i miss it. bring them back.

the upside-down kiss remains the greatest cinematic kiss of all time. don't argue with me when i'm right.

the setup and repetition of "don't tell harry." fantastique.

the cinematographyyyy. bitch. the way the camera follows spider-man swinging through traffic, up and around buildings, across the city…..i just don't get the same feeling of movement in either of the reboots. they're too clean. they're like iphone commercials. they're gross.

speaking of iphones, during the festival scene in times square there was a billboard ad for cingular and i thought about how i used to have a cingular phone and i almost committed suicide in the theater. i'm so old.

everyone calls her "aunt may" – including norman osborn, a grown-ass man. 'twas adorable.

"and i know i'm not your father—" "then stop pretending to be!" maybe i WILL kill myself in this alamo drafthouse.

watching this made me miss having regular-degular goons and scumbags in comic book movies. i'm tired of the "i want to rule the world, i want all the power" schtick. rob a bank. hijack a train. kidnap the mayor. have fun with it. you're in a comic book movie, for fuck's sake.

the balance between campy fun superhero stuff and earnest, genuine emotion was better than i remembered – and one never came at the expense of the other.

jk simmons. nothing else to add here – i just wanna remind people that he fucking crushed this role and burned it down and nobody has been able to touch it since.

on a similar note: willem dafoe. he didn't just chew the scenery – he had a fucking feast. fuck, man. he's great.

unrelated to the film-making itself, but....what exactly is the military purpose of a glider where the pilot is completely exposed? and why did it already look like a halloween machine before osborn becomes the goblin? questions i ask.

anyway, i realize you could hand-wave a lot of this as me falling for the nostalgia of it all (which i absolutely am), but also...i dunno. there's an undercurrent of sincerity to this movie that i just don't really feel in comic book movies anymore. that's probably because the current spate of comic book movies aren't even really movies anymore – they're products. they're vacuum-sealed, rubber-stamped, climate-controlled products to sell you a disney+ subscription or whatever the fuck the warner bros equivalent is (is it max? i think it's max). and every movie has an ending setup that tries to sell you on the next product, and the next, and the next...

anyway. with this first spider-man, yes it's silly at times, but this movie embraces it, warts and all. there's a well-balanced mix of goofy dialogue ("are you in or are you out?" "it's you who's out, gobbie – out of your mind!") and heartfelt moments (i mean, do i even need to say it? "with great power comes great responsibility"). i know it's a hack thing to say "they don't make movies like they used to" but.....man, they REALLY don't make movies like they used to.

[myveryownfanfiction]

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

Warnings: no way home spoilers, age gap, swearing, Otto getting frustrated so the arms become slightly threatening, technology being annoying, gifs in texting, Otto is using an iphone to learn so might be annoying to readers who don't use an iphone

AN: Thanks to @illiana-mystery and @writingkitten for the pictures! And the idea!

When it came time to send everyone home, Strange simply couldn't do it. There were certain attachments he didn't foresee happening. The other two Peters went willingly as did Flint and Dillon. Norman wanted to stay, do something right and work with this world's Peter to make up for the bad he had done in his world. Otto just wanted to be with me. And I wanted to be with him. Hours had been spent after the fight at the Statue of Liberty just talking about his world's version of me. I was considerably younger than them but that didn't deter Otto from pursuing a relationship with me. And it didn't stop me from falling for the older man, and his actuators. I loved them almost as much as I loved him. They were a part of him afterall. But there were some things Otto just had to learn.

"Once again my dear, I don't see why I need one of these devices." Otto turned the smart phone over in his hands. I gently smacked his arm, knowing he was trying to think of how he could dismantle it. He may have given up on being a scientist but he was still one at heart.

"Take the man out of the field, but never the lab." I muttered as I bent over to plug in the charger next to mine. Flo clicked behind me and Mo gently nudged my arm. I chuckled before sitting on the bed. "Alright Otto. For the last time, it's so we can talk during the day while I'm at work or out with friends or whatever." He sat down next to me, powering on the device and inspecting the apps that I had already set up for him. I plugged in the charger so the battery wouldn’t drain too much while we went over how to use it.

"What am I? A child?" he asked as he saw some of the games I added for him.

"No. You're a man who is easily bored." I responded, laying my head on his arm. Otto grunted and scrolled through the rest of the device. I rolled my eyes at him as his thumb hovered over the messages app. “That’s where you can message people. Like an instant message.” He looked over at me.

“Like a chat room kind of thing?” I nodded, glad he understood the concept.

“Yeah. Expect between two people and there’s a lot more you can send each other now.” Otto opened the app and stared at the blank screen. “So my number is already in there. What you want to do is go to the little icon up here.” I posted to the pen and notepad. Otto pressed it. “Then put my name in here.” I pointed to the little bar that appeared. He did what I said. “Good.” Flo maneuvered over to me and I gently patted her. Otto sighed and shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Now just type something in this bar here. Whatever you want.” I pointed to the bar at the bottom of the screen and Otto angled the phone away from me. Flo moved in a circle, a motion I learned was her rolling her eyes. I stifled my laugh and pulled my phone out of my pocket. It dinged as his message came through.

"Will mine make that noise too?" he asked as he inspected the phone again. I shook my head.

"You can set special tones for people. Hold on." I leaned over to check his phone, brushing against his chest in the process. "Ok it's on. By the way, this little switch here controls the notification sounds. If you want them on, leave it where it is. If you want them off, switch it down." Otto nodded. "Ok now swipe up the bottom of the screen to clear it." Otto did as I asked and looked at me expectantly. I opened my messages and laughed at what he sent me.

Otto: Did I do this right?

I quickly sent him back a response and waited. The notification appeared on the top of his screen and the sound went off. Otto looked over at me with a smile.

"That's..." he started before leaning over to kiss me, his emotions getting the better of him.

"Here comes the sun." I finished as he pulled away. Rubbing the back of my neck, I chuckled awkwardly. "I figured since you always call me your sun..." He kissed me again, this time Larry and Harry came up to wrap around me. Laughing, I pet them gently before they settled around us. "Ok. Down boy." I teased. Otto blushed and turned his attention back to the phone. "Now to see what I sent you..." I trailed off, hoping Otto would get what he needed to do.

"I open the app again." I nodded and he hit the icon.

(Y/N): U r

"Why did you type it like that?" Otto looked at me confused. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Resting my head on his shoulder, I pointed at my text.

"It's shorthand. Text speak." I shrugged. "Basically, you take a word like are. It sounds like the letter so you just type the letter r." Otto sighed and the actuators started to move around a bit more. I watched as their lights flashed pink.

"But it's not proper English." He muttered. I rubbed his arm and nodded.

"Right." I agreed with him. "But this world is much more fast-paced. Something had to be lost in translation." Otto shook his head. I knew he had to be thinking of Rosie and what she would say at something like this. The actuators flashed red and were moving around more behind us. Squeezing his bicep, I kissed Otto's neck. "Honey, you don't have to text like that if you don't want to." The actuators calmed down a bit and I squeezed his arm again. "Peter might say you're like a grandpa texting but do what makes you happy." He finally relaxed and let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I just..." I kissed him, cutting him off.

"I get it. Don't worry about it." He nodded and pecked my cheek before turning back to the phone. "Alright. So that's the basics of texting. You have my number, Peter's and Norman's. You can play around with the apps later. Now to completely clear the phone and save your battery, swipe up on the screen until you see the message app hovering in the middle." Otto did as he was told. "Now just swipe it up and it disappears." He nodded and swiped up. "The app is still there, it's just closed." Otto reopened it and pointed to the bottom bar.

"What do these do?" I smiled and tucked myself under his arm.

"These are fun. You might like them." I pointed to the first button. "This sends pictures. There's a bunch of us that I send and saved so you don't have to worry about that. We'll go over how to take a picture if you need to."

"I just press the icon with a camera, point and shoot right?" I nodded. "And a selfie is pointing the camera at me." I nodded again.

"Peter taught you that didn't he?" Otto nodded and chuckled. "It's good. You can try that later. These we can ignore. But this one," I pointed to the little pink one. "Sends moving images called gifs." Otto pressed it and smirked.

"That's a lot of them." I nodded and pointed to the bar on top.

"You can search for whatever. Say you want to send me a flower. Just type it in, pick one you like, and tap it. It'll move up to the message bar. Hit send and you're done." I followed my own instructions and sent myself a flower. Otto nodded and sent me another one. "Good. You can also use what's called reaction gifs. Basically if I send you something like saying I'm going to die of boredom, you can type in 'same' and find something you like and send that. There's a whole bunch of them honestly. Play around with it and find out what you like." I shrugged as Otto went through the different gifs there were.

"That does sound fun." He admitted, a small smile on his face. "What if you send me one or I find one I really like?" I nodded happily.

"You can save it. Just hold your finger on the picture until the little menu pops up. Then hit save. It saves to your picture app so when you want to use it again, just hit the picture button and send from there." Otto nodded and saved the flower he sent me. "Good job." I praised. He leaned over to kiss me then saw the time.

"You have to go to work." I looked at the time and jumped up. "I'll be fine. I'll play around with this. Love you." He kissed me again before Flo was pushing me out the door.

"Love you too! Have fun!" I chuckled as I left the apartment and headed to work. Throughout the day, I texted Otto. Checking in on him, seeing what he was doing and how he was enjoying his phone. He sometimes texted back but mainly he sent me gifs. Dogs. Flowers. Things he found funny. Hearts. He even found some of Spider-man and sent them to me. By the end of the day, I was slightly annoyed with him. But I wasn't going to say anything to him about it. When I got on the bus to head home, I sent him a selfie.

(Y/N): Headed home. See you soon.

Otto: Sounds good.

I laughed at the selfie attempt he sent back. I sent him hearts as well before getting off at my stop. Once I was back in the apartment, I called out for him.

"Otto?" He emerged from the bedroom and came over to hug me. "Have fun today?" He nodded against my shoulder and kissed my cheek as the actuators wrapped around me as well.

"Thanks you." He whispered as I blushed.

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon Rewatch S1E01 - L'âme perdue

i have some thoughts, but before we get to it and explore the episode, i just wanna point out that the writing is what stood out for me. after seasons of mediocre writers and writing on TWD, it felt like a breath of fresh air. that ain't saying much, but it's a big improvement. also the cinematography, plsss!!

i will digress, this will be long, boring and full of spec for s2!!! read more after the jump...

the best part of it for me was Daryl. Daryl is finally using his words, keeping some things close to the vest he ain't no longer wearing, but he is actually speaking up, telling shit how he sees it, being his observant self, and not taking that religious crap bullshit they trying to feed him. he is also done with it all, and his goal is always and will always be getting back home.

"You deserve a happy ending, too." the ep starts with Judith voiceover, which is repeated in Daryl's feverish dream, and once again by Laurent. Carol isn't mentioned directly, but you can feel her presence throughout the episode. it's sort of a quiet energy that hangs in there whenever Daryl mentions he wants to get back home, he needs to use the radio, he needs to get to that possibly active port. and of course, her smiling face in his dream, with one of the last things he said to her "it's not like we are never gonna see each other again."

"witchy shit;" "dead priest and creepy kid," "you've been fucking with me," while putting his finger in Isa's face and storming out to borrow some cool weapons will always be hilarious to me, but it also felt like genuine Daryl is back. this is the Daryl we fell in love with. he is changed by his experiences, but he is still the OBSERVANT dude with the sass and zero tolerance for bullshit. i like this Daryl, so i will thank Zabel and Norman for bringing him back to us!

NOW let's get to the spec: i think the first episode tells us all we need to know about what is really set to happen, it's so in your face, you may not even notice and just assume they are talking metaphorically - i'm talking about the nuns, the nest, the kid, the whole conspiracy you shouldn't see coming.

for some reason it will probably never be clear, they think Daryl is the one, the messenger to deliver the new Messiah, and he's got an important role delivering the kid to the Nest, like he is the only one who can do it. i mean Isabelle watched Daryl fight and lose, and now she thinks he's Messiah's protector. PLEASE, bitch! maybe he is chosen simply because he is American, he made it across the Ocean, he must be special??? ok, i'll buy that.

now when Mother is dying she agrees Daryl is the one (to protect Laurent) and says "reasons are everywhere." YES, there's a reason Daryl had to come back to protect the kid, there's a reason he doesn't get on that boat to return home, too - and that reason is CAROL is coming. he cannot leave, she's coming to him, and i believe that TOGETHER they are the ones supposed to save Laurent.

WHY Carol, you ask? Daryl just may be to close to the Nest, their people to see them for who they are - some sort of cult who believes "the kid is the cure for a sick world," Mother's words. but how are they dangerous??

they literally tell you, if you're listening. the monk, possibly Losang, says the kid is special, says the kid is the NEW Messiah. Isabelle tells Daryl they need to take the kid there cause he needs safety, teaching and nurturing UNTIL he is ready. ready for what, Daryl asks. ready to be the new Messiah and lead the REVIVAL of humanity.

now Laurent said they had walker!Father Jean there because they were waiting for him to rise again. say what, kiddo? but Father can't rise again, cause he ain't special, he ain't the new Messiah. so there you go, i think the Nest, they're planning to turn Laurent and wait for him to RISE again (be the cure) with help from praying and poetry. maybe the good guys ain't so good.

and this is exactly why the kid is also valuable to Genet. perhaps she also wants to test whether the kid is special or not, knowing his history.

i can see Carol making it to France and figuring out their nefarious plans in like the first 5 mins. and that's why she needs to come to help save Laurent. that would pretty much bring their story full circle, and allow them to deal with the guilt and the trauma of not being able to safe loved ones.

[alienkidyeetwo]

Me: Alright, are you all set?

Alien: I am, and it was an amazing experience to meet you. No matter how long the universe has waited, you were a magnum opus.

Me: Thank you, I'll never forget you…

A: And so will I..

*The engine roars up as I give one final hug to No'me. The last few years felt like a gift.*

Me: Godspeed you crazy animal…

*A few hours pass*

My dad: Who the hell left this note?!

Me: Norman did, he told me to put it there.

My dad: Oh really, are you lying to me?

Me: No. I am 100% giving you the truth, now please read it. He wanted you to do it.

My dad: Oh really, like I'd listen to a guy that spied on my daughter for 3 years! You’re not afraid to talk to me, and if that guy ever comes back, I know what to do.

Me: Dad. You don’t get it, he made me feel safe with who I am. And I'm not just your daughter, I'm also your son and legal responsibility, I'm not just one thing…

My dad: You’re my daughter to me.

Me: Just read the goddamn letter. He wanted you to do it.

My dad: Ok fine, after that you're going to bed early.

Hello Mr. _________, If you are reading this, then I have left your yard to go back home. Your child was a great person to be with, and I know why. They just needed a friend throughout the grieving process for their mother and your wife, they wished for a miracle day in and day out, even when you put them through therapy. They even helped me try to impress someone I had feelings for, and I helped in return by giving them some time to vent out what is happening, even getting in a few notes from them. But, this letter is also a letter of the truth, a confession more or less. The truth is that I observed them not for a psychology major (I already passed college at the top of my class), but for my understanding of humanity and it’s barbaric tendencies. For that part, it is my highest honor as a N.O.S.A.V scout to tell you that all of my files on them will be top secret (other than the sleepy hollow incident that prompted me to write this letter), and it’ll be the highest honor for me to tell my secret. They have known this for a long time, but I am not human. I never originated here, nor was that my true appearance that I created as a disguise in order to blend in with your kind. But, if you ever tell anybody (even when drunk), you’ll be shot with a nerf gun by your child. And it’ll be a matter of time for a reassignment for one of your other family members, it is inevitable for that to happen, and you won’t be able to stop it from happening. Just make sure to take care of them like I did (and don’t misinterpret that)- Norman/No'me

My dad: You didn’t tell me this for 3 YEARS!! HE COULD'VE GOT US A NEW HOUSE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!

Me: I didn’t tell because he was my friend, not someone to give away for money. Besides, area 51 is a hellhole for anyone off-world I presume. I hope he’s okay up there.

*Meanwhile*

A: Sir, I'll be there in a few. It may take a while.

*A missile flies past the ship*

A: Nevermind, it may take a few days for me to return. I promise I won’t be gone for long.

BANG!

A: I promise.

*Transmission runs out*

A: Great, now I'll have to deal with this hellhole. Area 51, I shall find a way to escape…. For them.

End of part 1

Thank you for reading, see you in part 11