#i will end that entire universe for Lou

[savage-rhi]

I love Higgs. I love this man. I've written fanfics for this mother fucker. I'll even kiss the ground he walks on, but if he did ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING to Lou, I'm going to murder him, rip his soul out, and make him eat his own whole ass dick so help me god.

[madlori]

Ok my fam, I think we all need a lil Come to Jesus moment. So let's talk about it.

"I'm disappointed Tommy wasn't in 8x02 and 8x03." That's ok! We'd all like to see him, and see our boys together. Going by precedent, we can probably expect to see him in 6-8 episodes this season (it could be more - Taylor had 13 episodes in season 5 - but we shouldn't count on it) and we've already burned one. I'd prefer not to have half of them during the opening disaster when SO MUCH ELSE is going on. I'd rather him appear in episodes when he's got a storyline with Buck, or even on his own, and especially at the midseason break or the end of the season when Relationship Events are more likely to happen.

"But the 217 engine!" I know. But as we sometimes like to say to other fans - we kind of baited ourselves with that. It was suggestive, sure. But the fact that production has MADE a 217 engine is also suggestive that we may see it again later, and they just put it in the hangar scene because they already had it and they had to fill up that hangar with as many vehicles as possible.

"An airplane disaster without using the pilot??" As others have pointed out, Tommy's not a jet pilot. And don't let anybody make you think you were nuts for thinking it was possible. It was definitely a reasonable theory, with supporting evidence, that he might be involved, but in the end, the big opening disaster is always going to be about our mains. As it should be. And honestly? It was great.

"But the whole point of bringing him back was to integrate him with the 118 more!" I'm sure that's still a goal they have, but it's probably easier said than done. Not just from a writing standpoint, but a contractual one, in that there's a limit to how often they can use him, so they have to pick and choose where.

"It's like they don't care about this relationship as much as we do." You're right. NOBODY will care about it as much as we do. They care about the main characters, about the show's actual premise (i.e. first responders encountering wild situations, secondarily the characters' personal lives). There is no universe in which ANY relationship in the show will be prioritized as much as we, the fandom, would like it to be. That's just life in the big city. But they do care, oh boy, they do. Enough to use BT scenes in off-season promo. Enough to write Tommy into a scene in the opening episode where, frankly, he didn't NEED to be. Also, consider this - to shoot that scene, Lou was probably on set a grand total of one day, MAYBE two. And they made sure to include him in the jokey "bee pickup lines" reel. You know what other relationship we haven't seen much? Buddie. They have not appeared together outside of work (and honestly, barely AT work either) except in the birthday party scene, and hey, did you notice that they do not interact at ALL in that scene? Buck spends that entire scene interacting only with Tommy. And that's a friendship featuring two mains that we know they value. That's not indicative of anything except the sheer scarcity of screentime.

"They should be promoting the queer relationship!" Should they? They've never really done that before, with the several pre-existing queer relationships. I have always sort of appreciated that they have not hung a neon sign on Buck and Tommy saying LOOK AT OUR NEW QUEER PAIRING. It's never gotten the Very Special Episode treatment - Buck never had gay panic, or much coming-out drama - and I like that. I like treating it no differently than other romantic pairings on the show. And they did actually promote it quite a bit when it happened. Now it would just feel kinda performative to me.

"Will he be in [whatever episode]?" Imma gently suggest we not do this every week. He'll be there or he won't. There'll be some we know he's in (I think 8x06 is a lock), some we won't know and will be pleasantly surprised, or unpleasantly surprised. I'd say odds for 8x04 are...20%, rising to at least 50% with 8x05 and 100% for 8x06.

And if you ever feel sad about it - go look at a still of Buck from any episode so far this season, and say to yourself, "This man is having heaps of amazing sex with his hot pilot boyfriend on the regular. Canonically."

I know a lot of us have encountered some pretty irritating gloating from people who hate this relationship (in a frankly weirdly obsessive way) about him being not there. Just remember - that's all they have to gloat about. The only "victory" they can claim is the absence of a character? Lame. And it's not even a victory, it's just the cost of doing business when your ship involves a recurring character. Sit back and enjoy your canon relationship between two men who've actually kissed on screen and ignore it. We can be generous about it.

So let's not talk ourselves off the deep end, shall we? I'd like to keep being a reasonable fandom.

[sweet-s0rr0w]

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! To celebrate, I'm back with another collaborative Drarry reclist, featuring a new lovely bunch of Drarry writers, artists, reccers, and fans!

Once again, the question was: ‘what one or two fics, or scenes, or quotes, represent peak Drarry romance to you?’ and (in what is rapidly becoming a nightmare for me), no duplicates from previous years were allowed. Thank you so much to everyone who took part, I hope you enjoy the results!

You can find part 1 (2022) here, and part 2 (2023) here!

This year's list features answers from: apricitydays-lazynights, arminaa8, drarrymyheart, drarryspecificrecs, hoko-onchi-writes, jtimu, littlewinnow, mallstars, myrtlefics, oflights, peachydreamxx, pl0tty, rainstormradish, romaine2424, squintclover, starquestingfordrarry, thecouchsofa, thedrarrylibrarian, and themiddleofwonderland!

***

@apricitydays-lazynights

💗who will receive you in love's offices by jtimu (E, 30k)

It was a wonder, Draco thought, watching Potter tip back the last remnants of his drink, that the man had survived to adulthood. Not because of the war, or the constant attempts on his life, or surviving two separate killing curses, despite his insistence that he had at some point died, but because there was not a single ounce of self-preservation in his entire body. There couldn’t be. …He glanced over at the potion on the table, and considered, for a fraction of a moment, getting up and pouring those same drops of veritaserum into his own glass. He looked away just as fast, back at Potter, grinning in his chair like they were queuing up for a Quidditch game and not at all like he had just handed his childhood nemesis the keys to his thoughts. “All right,” he said, “first of all. What the ever loving fuck is wrong with you?

@arminaa8

💗My Beautiful Boy by alexmeg (unrated, 69k, sequel to Alucinatio)

"You don't even like boys."

"I didn't know I did. But you," Harry trails off, laughs with his gaze trying to meet the grey of Draco's eyes, a little tremulous with nerves and fear and the way his breath sticks high in his throat like an ache. Draco does look at him, then. "God, you."

💗Seagulls Cause Storms, or the Essence of Chaos by @writandromance (M, 312k)

The stars above them were bright white. It made him think again of the black universe between the constellations, the way he thought people like him held the space for people like Harry to burn hot.

@drarrymyheart

💗The Rewards of Being Loved by @lou-isfake (E, 161k, sequel to The Ordeal of Being Known)

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to make you stop thinking so hard,” Harry replied, grinning mischievously. He placed Draco’s hand on his bare waist, his own hand on Draco’s shoulder. Draco’s lips twitched in a hesitant grin.

“This song is too fast for you to dance to.”

“Only if I’m thinking about it,” Harry retorted, stepping in close. “Is my kitchen too difficult for you to dance in, your highness?”

“Don’t underestimate me, Potter,” Draco murmured, his grin widening as he pulled Harry flush against him, taking his hand. Harry chuckled, waiting for him to lead.”

💗I Do Not Love You by @writandromance (M, 228k)

“The thing is,” Harry said, voice low like all they’d said was public knowledge and this was the secret. “If you’re interested in this, if we pursue this, I’ll be a goner.”

“A goner?” he echoed.

Harry took a lung-filling breath. “Yeah, Draco,” he sighed. “That’ll be it for me. Tony… well, Tony I ended up happy to see go. Miles, I—that was hard in the moment but I was fine. But you… we’re so connected, our lives are so connected, our friends. I don’t want to fuck around, it would be serious, to me. You’re serious to me.”

@drarryspecificrecs

(cause 'Hogwarts 8th year' & 'creature' are among my fave tropes and I really really adore fics where Draco is in trouble but not weak & Harry is already smitten with him)

💗Draco Malfoy, It's Your Lucky Day by @faith2wood (E, 37k)

💗The Arc of the Pendulum by brummell (E, 30k)

@hoko-onchi-writes

💗Half Sick of Shadows by StarQuesting (E, 40k)

(I have a hard time containing myself about dragon tamer Draco, and everyone knows it. I’m about as subtle as a brick when something pings a sweet spot in my brain. But this fic is so much more than a hot, aloof, sex king dragon tamer Draco who has weaver Harry weak in the knees. It is also so very bright and clear in my mind; the visuals are so affecting, just like the creations that Harry weaves. Favorite scene: Harry casually chatting with dragons. 12/10 would be unhinged again.)

💗A pulled down shade by fast_brother (M, 43k)

(I’m not a big crier over fics. Maybe three or four have made me cry this year. This one made me lose it. I think the thing that stands out to me is the visceral capture of emotion. You can feel Draco’s broken heart, and then you can feel Harry’s. I could probably get worked up about it right now. Favorite scene: Draco crying over the broken tea cup. I literally can’t function when I think about it. 12/10 would cry again.)

💗The Brightest Constellations of Our Souls by thecouchsofa (E, 256k)

(I might be cheating since I’m still savoring The Brightest Constellation of Our Souls but I’m including it because it is Peak Drarry Romance. TheCouchSofa always has this intensely brilliant characterization. Harry is heartbreakingly oblivious. Draco is prickly and about as subtle as a brick over pining for Harry. This also features depression!Harry, which has gotta be one of my favorite Harrys. She writes depressed Harry with such delicacy, handling the ins and outs of mental illness and trauma with care, but also making it fucking funny. Favorite scene so far: Harry very casually slipping into conversation that he’s bisexual after he’s been traveling with Draco for an absurd amount of time without mentioning it. And Draco’s ensuing reaction. 12/10 will continue swooning.)

@jtimu

💗Designate / your love as fate by @elskanellis (E, 17k)

💗Lover, Where Do You Live? by @dodgerkedavra (E, 39k)

💗Seven Days in June by @fourth-rose (E, 47k)

@littlewinnow

💗1000 Kisses: #27 First Thing in the Morning, Just After Moving in Together by @deliciouslystickypersona (E, 3k)

Draco trails his fingertips over the flat plane of Harry’s belly, tracing the line of hair up to where it widens over his pectorals. He nuzzles his nose into the curve of Harry’s shoulder, inhaling the sweet, musky, sleepy scent of his skin.

💗Little Love by @ladderofyears (M, 34k)

Harry – who still held Draco’s hand – was gazing at the baby, spellbound by the sight. His whole appearance couldn’t have been prouder, or more loving, had he been Snidget’s natural father. When Harry caught Draco looking at him, he beamed, unashamed of his response.

@mallstars

💗Elaborate, Correct, and Assiduously Observed by peu_a_peu (T, 4k)

Some things were still the same, he thought. Draco was the perfect height for Harry to put his head on his shoulder and rest. That had been secretly true all along, and they’d only had to figure it out.

💗Us, In Lieu by Tepre (E, 30k)

“I . . .” The words jumble in his mouth. His hair is still mostly wet in his neck. He should’ve shaved. He should’ve cleaned his glasses. He should’ve— “I do want you.” And, “Enough,” he adds, then decides no , decides, “Not just enough. More than. More than that.” He licks his lips. “So much more than that.”

💗The Pure and Simple Truth by @letteredlettered (E, 14k)

Malfoy’s eyelashes were visible just above his cheeks, golden and some might have said they should have been darker, but Harry thought that they were perfect. The curve of Malfoy’s jaw, the slant of Malfoy’s throat, that was perfect, too. Malfoy looked up, licked his lips. “I thought you weren’t interested,” he said.

💗The Isle of Ogygia by @citrusses (E, 13k)

The days pass slower, after Potter leaves. Draco tries to fish again, and manages to actually levitate a fish out of the water, but then he Stuns it and it sinks back beneath the waves like a rock, and he doesn’t have any luck retrieving it again. Every day he walks to the top of the lighthouse, casts the right spells, and walks back down. He looks around his room and thinks about where Potter sat.

@myrtlefics

💗Going Postal by dustmouth (125 page comic)

(I am a complete and utter sucker for Dustmouth’s comics and the correspondence and longing and softness of this one make me really happy)

@oflights

💗Yours is the Earth (Hold On, Hold On) by chickenlivesinpumpkin (E, 127k)

(Chapter 11: it's one of my fave proposals in any fic ever/a beautiful love confession/a lovely romantic moment that fits with how the rest of the fic builds up their relationship and all the poor communication and ways they've hurt each other and love each other)

@peachydreamxx

💗to be a bit of warmth (for you) by @softlystarstruck (M, 9k)

Draco stirs in Harry’s arms, mumbling something soft and incoherent, and Harry whispers a wandless spell to completely dim the room lights. If Draco is just seeking comfort, so what? Harry has more than enough to give– it may be the only thing he has left to give– and Draco grounds him, too. Whatever happened on the other side of a war they both went through no longer matters. They’re here, now, and Draco is cold.So Harry will keep him warm.

@pl0tty

💗Tandem by fast_brother (M, 93k)

The handle clicked and the door cracked open, allowing the sound of rain to come into the car. 

“I… thanks,” Harry said. His heart was beating faster. His hands were sweaty.

Draco didn’t back away completely, just enough to be able to look Harry in the eyes. 

“You have to stop that, Harry. Really," he said gravely, as if speaking about a very serious issue. 

“Stop what?” Harry asked stupidly, still holding his breath. 

“You have to stop looking at me like that.”

Harry’s heart traveled all the way up to his throat. 

“I– I can’t,” he blurted out, feeling himself flush with the enormity of what he’d just said.

Draco let out a shocked chortle. He looked away at the street covered in rain, his left hand still resting on Harry’s chair. When he turned back towards Harry, he wasn’t laughing anymore.

He leaned in and kissed Harry on the lips.

💗Matters of the heart by nerakrose (G, 5k)

Today’s breakfast: eggs, toast, tea. I’ve left the sink a mess this week but I’ll do the dishes later. In a way taking these moments to write to you every morning feels like a little quiet refuge or a secret space that nobody else knows about but you. It feels safe here. I miss you. These days I’m missing you more than I’ve ever missed you before and I can’t explain it. Have I reached a breaking point? I don’t know.

Yours,

Harry

💗More Than That by joosetta (E, 11k)

“He was going to kill you,” Potter said, “He said he was going to kill you.”

“He was never going to kill me,” Draco mumbled, “He was up against you for Merlin’s sake. He tried to play quick-curse with Harry fucking Potter.”

Potter was silent for a bit at that, raising a hand up and stroking the back of Draco's head.

“He thought I would help him,” Potter said finally. Draco felt the strangest thing, like a spasm in his face, that left his eyes hot, and his lips shaking. He had to gather himself together again before he could reply.

“Well, he’s never had me suck his cock, so there was no way he could know,” Draco said, instead of he didn’t realise that you loved me. Potter got it anyway, because he laughed, just a little bit. He drew back, and his face was the most frightening and beautiful thing Draco had ever seen.

“You always talk like you give me blow jobs all the time,” he said. “You almost never give me blow jobs, Draco.”

💗Sparks from the Fox’s Tail by khalulu (T, 17k)

And then it was just natural to turn in his arms so they were face to face. Eye to eye, lip to lip, mouth to mouth. Natural to fall into bed together, hands and mouths moving over warm skin, stroking and kissing til they were breathless.

Harry broke off. “Should we think this through?”

“No,” said Draco. “Why did you pull away in the shower?”

“You were so weak then, I didn’t want to take advantage.”

“I was throwing myself at you with what little strength I had. Next time, catch me.”

“I’ve got you,” Harry said, winding himself around Draco. “I’ve got you.”

@rainstormradish

💗Where I see things right by InnerLilith (E, 15k)

(just... absolutely gorgeous handling of a sensitive subject, and I love how the preparation and thoughtfulness is such a big part of the romance. I don't bookmark InnerLilith's fics so much as intermittently go and reread half their back catalogue again. I've loved everything I've read from them.)

💗Help! I'm a Hopeless Romantic by peachydreamxx (M, 15k)

(we watch Harry fall in love with Draco and come to terms with lots of aspects of his life. The little Google searches are just so sweet and tender and I loved, loved loved it. And the ending is so perfect.)

@romaine2424

💗keep driving by @babooshkart (art)

(The romance portrayed in Keep Driving is palpable. Draco is so cool, but from every look, you can see the adoration she has for Harry. And Harry thrives off of the touches between them but also has a confident sense of her own worth. I will never tire of this calming, soft piece depicting a happy, confident, and joyful Drarry. The world is theirs to explore. They'll keep driving.)

💗Never Mind the Bollocks by @the-sinking-ship (E, 119k)

(Never Mind the Bollocks is a new fic from Erised 2023. I loved every moment of it, and Harry having so much fun and feeling like he belonged was everything. However, his drive to right and save all was still there. Chapter 18 brought it all together. I won't say how as the fic is so new, but, for me, it was so romantic with BAMF Harry showing up and Draco trying to be mad. Complete chef's kiss.)

@squintclover

💗 A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587 (E, 235k)

(I remember so vividly the falling in love and the moment when it changed for both of them.)

@starquestingfordrarry

💗The Potter Malfoy bathroom war of 2007 by @andithiel (E, 9k)

(it is peak bathing-comfort)

@thecouchsofa

💗Cut From the Sky by mallstars (E, 150k)

(“Rainy romance’ describes this perfectly. I love how Harry grows to love Draco and never stops going after him once he realises that’s what he wants. This kind of love necessitates an endless amount of patience, but I can’t think of anything more romantic than that – someone coming back time and time again and showing you more grace than you would ever show yourself.)

💗Everything is Relative to You by @thehoneybeet (E, 43k)

(Harry and Draco being each other’s Great Loves in every life going back hundreds of years? I am feral. I cannot be contained. A demonstration of them being perfect for each other in every timeline, through good and bad. This is peak romance at its best.)

@thedrarrylibrarian

💗O Come, All Ye Faithful by @toomuchplor (E, 20k)

(Told through jumps between the past and the present, I adore the way toomuchplor depicts the everyday romance of an established relationship. Too often romance is delegated to big displays of affection, when I think much of romance is in the mundane, routine moments. Listening to your partner share about their day is romantic. Making routine breakfast and coffee is romantic. The intimacy of having an ongoing inside joke about a cat name is unbearably romantic to me. These are the small, everyday moments that the foundations of grand romances are built upon, and this fic was a love note to those moments.)

@themiddleofwonderland (amazuppai)

💗Heal Thyself by astolat (T, 16k)

(it's a classic H/D fic that preserves Draco's prickly personality while still showing him reforming in a very realistic way. It's a slow-burn—Harry isn't really in the first half at all, and when he does show up he's still very suspicious of Draco—but as Draco shows his (new) true colors, Harry can't help that his suspicions turn to curiosity (one of my favorite tropes with reformed Draco fics) especially with the somewhat forced proximity they find themselves in that slowly turns into voluntary and frequent proximity. To me, maybe because of the slow burn, it seems like a very realistic depiction of how Draco could reform himself and how Harry can turn his suspicions into curiosity and eventually more to form a healthy relationship together.)

[prettyyoungandbored]

hi, me again, desperate and lacking in Charlie energy lately. I fear I need to read something about him that doesn’t require me putting any effort in so I’m here with a request.

Adult Charlie, working a job he always feared, and wasting away another Friday night at the bar with expensive whiskey and stale cigarettes. That’s when a girl shuffles in looking gorgeous as ever and soaked from the rain. He obviously can’t help but flirt, the night turns out different for the both of them. I need the tension, I need it 😩

I took this, ran with it, and decided to make it part of the engaged Charlie and Y/N universe. Think of this as how they first met.

Hope you enjoy!

Charlie Meets His Match - CHARLIE DALTON

Pairing: Adult!Charlie Dalton x Fem!Reader

Same couple from this and this and this

NOT MY GIF

Charlie exhale, cigarette smoke escaping his lips and the week’s stressers leaving his body. He was grateful for the noise of the other bar patrons laughing and chatting as it kept him from his thoughts.

Just like he’d suspected, and feared, he ended up in the banking industry. He was working for his dad and while the gig paid well enough for him to have a townhouse in New York City, he could still feel the weight of the mindless and boring work crush his soul spirit.

“This shit doesn’t get easier, does it, Lou?” he asked his secretary earlier that afternoon.

Louise, or Lou as she preferred to be called, shook her head. She was a few years older than him and had become his confidant in the office.

“That’s why you’re supposed to go out and enjoy your weekends, Dalton,” she reminded him. “Go out. Get laid. Have fun while you still can.”

She paused and pouted teasingly. “Or did you already screw your way through the Upper West Side?”

“It was two women.”

“Didn’t your old boarding school buddy want to set you up with someone?”

“His girlfriend did and I’m not in the mood to pretend to be interested in a woman.”

Lou set down her pen. “Go to a bar, Charlie. Not one of those fancy bars. Like I’m talking packed on Friday and Saturday night kind of bar. Like the floor is packed. That’s more of your scene anyway.”

He went to a bar Knox had told him to check out. He asked Knox join him, but his childhood friend had to leave the city for the weekend.

Charlie also considered wandering around the city, but the heavy rain made him reconsider.

So there he was, enjoying his whiskey in between puffs of smoke. He turned his head to scan the room when his eyes fell to the door opening and she walked in.

Charlie’s fell open slightly as he took in the sight of her. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that drew him to her, but all he knew is that he couldn’t look away from her.

She eyed the room herself, looking for someone. He prayed that whoever it was she was looking for, it wasn’t a man.

She ran a hand through her soaked hair as she walked toward to the bar area and cursed the group of guys sitting next to him. She took a seat at the end and Charlie knew exactly what to do.

He flagged down the bartender.

“See that girl on the end there? I’d like to pay for her first drink.”

The bartender nodded and made his way to the woman. Charlie watched her light up at the bartender and order a drink.

When the bartender returned with a glass of red wine, she tried to give him cash. He shook his head and motioned to Charlie.

And when her eyes landed on him, he could feel his heart burst. He smiled, toasting his drink at her.

I look like a fucking moron, he thought to himself.

That voice went silent when she smiled at him and suddenly, he felt like the luckiest man in the entire world.

His heart clenched as she grabbed her drink and walked toward him.

“Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Happy to make your night,” Charlie nodded.

She held out her hand. “Y/N.”

He shook it. “Charlie.”

As luck would have it, the person next to Charlie got up from their seat. He gestured toward it and Y/N sat down.

“So have you bought drinks for all the women tonight or am I just really lucky?” she teased, taking a sip of her wine.

“Just you,” he said. “Your boyfriend gonna beat me up for it?”

She chuckled. “If I had one, maybe. But for now you’re safe.”

Waves of relief washed over him. She was single and appeared to be interested. All he had to do was keep her interest. He could do that, right?

That’s when he realized he never felt this worried about losing a woman’s interest before.

“What brings you to this bar?” he asked.

She set her glass down on the wooden bar top. “I was supposed to be meeting a friend but it appears she’s late.” She paused. “Well that or she’s waiting for the rain to settle so it won’t ruin her hair.”

“In her defense, not all of us can look good with wet hair like you can,” he remarked.

He watched her bite her bottom lip. “You’re quite the flatterer, Charlie.”

He shrugged casually. “I aim to please.”

Y/N snorted. His demeanor softened a bit. He’d never had a girl snort at him before.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re cute.”

In any other circumstance, he would have rolled his eyes. But with her, it was the highest praise he’d ever received in his life.

“So what is it you do when you’re not trying to woo women at bars?” she asked, leaning forward a bit.

He set down his drink, sighing softly. “I work in banking.”

“Doesn’t sound like you like it very much.”

He shrugged. “It pays the bills…and for drinks for girls I think are beautiful.”

“And if you weren’t worried about bills or paying for other girls’ drinks, what would you do?” she asked.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“If you could do anything -anything at all- what would you do?”

He couldn’t remember the last time someone asked him that. He thought for moment.

“I don’t know honestly,” he finally answered, rubbing his chin. “Maybe travel. See the world. Or just play the saxophone professionally.”

Her eyes lit up with intrigue. “You play the saxophone?”

“Yeah. My parents forced me to play an instrument and basically forced the clarinet on me. I hated it and decided to try the saxophone instead.”

She grinned. “And how often do you practice safe sax?”

He nearly spit out his whiskey from laughing.

“Are you ok?” she asked, watching him cough.

Oh yeah. Just making an ass out of myself in front of the woman of my dreams, he thought.

“Yeah I just…wow,” he said, collecting himself. “Sorry. I’m not used to women making those kind of jokes.”

Y/N cocked her head back. “What do you mean by that?”

“A beautiful girl with dirty humor,” he explained with a smirk. “That’s my kind of girl.”

Her smile grew as she took another sip of wine. “What a coincidence. I like handsome men with a dirty sense of humor.”

“Is that so?”

She nodded her head and Charlie leaned on the bar. “And what do you do when you’re not charming men with your dirty humor.”

“I work at a hair salon,” she said.

“You must be very good with your hands then.”

“I’ve never had any complaints,” she purred, picking up on his tone. “In fact, I’ve actually had people tell me I have magic hands.”

Charlie leaned forward. “I might have to-.”

“Oh this is perfect!”

Charlie turned his head to see Izzie, Knox’s girlfriend, beaming at him and Y/N.

“Well look who decided to show up,” Y/N giggled. “Took you long enough.”

“It’s a long story but I see you found company.” Izzie’s eyes turned to Charlie. “Well, I was hoping to introduce you two during that double date that you refuse to go on.”

Charlie opened his mouth to respond when he heard Y/N snickering. He was relieved she wasn’t offended.

Izzie whipped her head. “Oh you don’t get to laugh,” she told her friend. “You’ve been putting it off too.”

The red head took a step back and said, “I’m gonna let you two enjoy your drinks and head home, but clear your calendars for Monday night because that’s when we’re all having dinner.”

With that, she turned away, her red hair bouncing with joy.

Y/N turned to Charlie. “So, you’re the friend I’ll supposedly be giddy over.”

“And are you giddy?” Charlie smirked.

She hummed lowly. “I don’t know.”

He put his hand on his chest. “You know how to kill a man’s ego.”

It was her turned to smirk. “How about I make it up to you?”

“How’s that?”

“You wanna get out of here?”

[murfpersonalblog]

Lestat in Ep5: Louis as a Believable Victim

Although I responded to comments in the post I made last night when the trailer dropped, IRL got in the way, so I had to wait to talk at greater length about this WILD shot of a bloody Lestat, presumably during the Ep5 fight, which we also see in the trailer.

The Injuries

I wasn't the only one who saw Lestat's bloody face in the trailer and was like Ok, we're off to the races now! Cuz this implies SEVERAL things, some I'm more interested than others:

Lestat being bloody in and of itself doesn't surprise me--as seen in the film, even Claudia cut Les hard enough to made him bleed (more on that below). And we know there were MULTIPLE times Loustat physically fought, where Lestat (deservedly, he admitted) caught Louis' hands. However, I'm most curious about how long it took Les to HEAL.

AMC frustratingly does not follow a lot of the diehard Rules(TM) of AR's vampire universe (daywalking, being awake b4 sunset, smoking/drinking/eating/etc, Louis having the Fire Gift, etc).

How impervious they are to physical injury is another large point of contention, particularly when it comes to Ep5 & Ep6, when we see the full extent of Louis' injuries at Lestat's hands; and then see Louis get his payback after the hate-sex.

Especially cuz in the books/film, these kinds of open wounds/bruises shouldn't actually be a thing! Vamp skin/flesh is VERY tough & resilient--we know as early as TVL & QotD that old/strong vamps are darn near hard as stone, though ofc it's not until PLatRoA that we learn WHY (cuz of the Luracastria in their/Amel's blood). It's quite the feat to hurt them; hence why AR vamps often bite/cut their own flesh to help their mortal lovers drink their blood, as human teeth/nails can't pierce it. And any wounds they DO get heal very rapidly.

At the end of Ep5 Lestat floats down into the courtyard with a perfectly clean face. (Although his mouth was all bloody in the sky from having bitten Louis.)

But in their bedroom (BEFORE Lestat dragged them into the courtyard) Lestat's forehead and nose/mouth are bloody.

Until shown otherwise, I'm most willing to assume that Lestat was bloodied up, then his wounds rapidly healed & the blood evaporated, a la the film. What took Lestat mere minutes to recover from took Louis MONTHS on end. Cuz this was 1930/31, at the very peak of Louis' depression when he wasn't taking care of himself AT ALL. When Louis doesn't eat he is physically WEAK. But in his righteous indignation over Lestat choke-slamming Claudia, Lou's Papa Bear instincts/adrenaline allowed him to STAND UP & fight Les off of her.

There are MANY IRL cases where smaller/weaker people have been able to beat the crap out of much bigger/stronger opps--particularly if the opp isn't expecting it, or underestimates how serious/motivated their victim is (*cough* Ike vs Tina *cough*).

And ESPECIALLY if said opponent's deliberately HOLDING BACK and LETTING themselves get beat up. As we KNOW Lestat did!

This is the very heart of Loustat's power imbalance. No matter how strong Louis is/gets, Lestat is still stronger, & more experienced. Just cuz Lou managed to smack some sense into Les, doesn't mean Les was EVER in any real danger from Louis (esp. since AMC!Lou never even set Les on fire 😔). AMC's been demonstrating over & over how the game was rigged from the start. Lestat, the "finest ACTOR to ever walk our stage," OFTEN played with his food and PRETENDED to to be weaker, stupider, or more vulnerable than he REALLY was, Monsieur "Did I Not Tell You I Was Bad At Cards?" de Lioncourt. In Ep6, Lestat WANTED Louis to get mad at him, and did NOTHING to defend himself when Louis went FERAL on him.

I think Lestat was all bloodied up when they got back to NOLA cuz this was 1937. It's 6 years after Ep5, after Louis went through physical therapy so he could see & walk again--finally strong again--enough to swim the entire Mississippi River. That's what Lestat wanted most of all for Louis: healthiness & STRENGTH.

If letting Louis vent & feel empowered by beating him up would get Louis to crawl out of his passivity, Les would do ANYTHING for Louis--including playing along (a la the house rules w/ Claudia).

So like I said, until we're told otherwise, I hesitate to give Les a pass, cuz the show's literally been weaving a narrative that presents Lestat as the oppressor and Louis & Claudia as the oppressed. Oh, Les' pretty face got bloody? GOOD! Serves the narcissist right; it'll build character! 🤣

Traumatized Victims: Believable =/= Reliable

The other side of the argument, pointing out the contradictions between Ep5 & the trailer, inevitably goes back to the dreaded question of Louis' reliability as a narrator & believability as a victim.

Louis' 2022 recollections are FLAWED, not LIES (a la the petty AF skulldragging he did in 1973).

IMO, Louis' sincerity in seeking the TRUTH is what makes him 100% believable, even though he's OBVIOUSLY not 100% reliable. His memories are compromised, yes, but I DO NOT believe he is deliberately lying to Daniel in 2022. And it's already been established that book!Lestat VERIFIED that even when book!Lou contradicted himself, got details wrong, etc, his overall tale still captured the atmosphere of everything that went down, even at his utmost pettiest.

The ONLY outright "lie" Dubai!Lou tells Daniel is the whole "Rashid" ruse--but I strongly suspect that has WAY more to do with ARMAND and Devil's Minion (and AMC tryna throw us off the scent), than anything to do with Louis himself.

So yeah, regardless of Louis/Claudia getting it right about Lestat's face being bloody or not, S2 revisiting Ep5 I think will STILL capture the atmosphere of the toxic environment they were all living under, that culminated in what was obviously a REAL fight that DID happen, that was BAD enough that whatever happened to LOUIS--EFF Lestat, really, ffs--officially made Claudia mad enough to hate Lestat; and Louis guilty enough to go along with her Murder Plot.

[thewordswewrite]

do we get to know what happened to the first baby? the one they lost? like from the vibes alone, it seems like either a miscarriage or stillbirth. what happened?

Our Condolences

The Drought of an Ocean Universe

Pairing | Finnick Odair x Fem!Reader

Original Story Summary | Finnick Odair was the youngest victor to ever win the Hunger Games but that didn’t earn him respect as a mentor, at least not until she came along. When a dejected volunteer from District 4 puts her life on the line, Finnick will do anything he can to protect her.

Oneshot Summary | Three months after they realize they’re expecting, things take a turn for the worse for Finnick and his girl.

Chapter Warnings | loss of pregnancy, explicit language

W/C | 1.5k

Taglist | @lem0ns77   @lostintheendlessvoidthatislife @curlycarley​   @bela-nov​ @lilylovelyxo​   @jaydiann @shynypeacekitten​ @dd122004dd​ @jyessaminereads​   @aquawhore420   @qallaghereid  @bazzaza​ @zulpix-blog​ @mrsjna​   @americanstarlette @lou-the-confused-bisexual​ @maxinehufflepuffprincess​ @cecepop15   @pavard-leto-girl  

A/N | We're currently making our way through the asks so as they come in we will complete this type of oneshot for them. Please enjoy!!-Smoe

Donations |  Link

|Masterlist|

Again and again, she watched the shadow of a figure cast across the living room from the front window as they had for weeks now. She buried herself deeper in the blanket and tried to fall back into the mindless dirge of whatever was on the TV. From the other part of the house, she could hear Finnick and Mags puttering about and even with the faint movements she knew exactly what room they were in; the room that she hadn’t stepped foot in in weeks, the room whose door Finnick would shut if she even took a step towards. The figure passed by again, blocking the sunlight from bleeding through the window and despite her best interests, she thought she might just go outside. It’d been days since she’d felt fresh air and she’d be in and out before Finnick could say anything. 

Her bare feet hit the polished wood floor, sending a shiver up her spine and she kept the blanket wrapped around her, the end of it trailing behind as she made her way towards the door. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the sunlight but as they did, she could see the front porch was once again covered with vases of flowers and various ornate gift bags and boxes alike. She filled her arms with as much as she could take in one go, though caution didn’t matter much when every gift was an empty gesture…

“Hey, hey, no. You shouldn’t be lifting that.”

“It’s just a couple of vases. I think I can handle it.” Her protests went unheard as Finnick gathered the gifts in his arms leaving her with a ‘don’t you touch those’ about the rest. They’d hardly accepted the news themselves before it was Capitol official and it didn’t take long for the gifts to come flooding in; they already had a full nursery with enough for a family of ten. Any significant spares they received, like the surplus of bassinets, were donated first to their own District, then to the others.

Finnick had barely let his eyes off her since she told him she was pregnant and despite being terrified, as the gifts multiplied and the entire country buzzed her excitement began to grow. She never thought herself a mother, having decidedly condemned her future to one as a failed career before she met Finnick and then a captive in her own life after. Though now she supposed things had changed, her life, though not entirely hers, was made tolerable by Finnick and now, their child.

A small smile graced her face as she plucked a card from the bouquet of flowers. ‘Congratulations! We are so…’

‘...sorry to hear about your loss, our condolences–’ She was unable to finish reading the note before it was torn from between her fingers, the vase of calla lilies obstructed from her view.

“Finnick, please–”

“You don’t need to keep reading all of these,” His voice soothed, leaving the numerous gifts out on the porch as he closed the door, softly nudging her inside. “I’ll throw those out later.”

“I’m fine,” She tried to reassure him but her stomach clenched at his pained face. “You don’t need to be the one to do everything. I’m okay.” Despite her words, she didn’t expect the grief she felt when they lost the baby. She turned away from him, heading towards the kitchen where...

Their lunch was forgotten in her haze. The memories of intense pain and blood running down her thighs as she yelled for help had left her drained, and nearly unresponsive in bed. The only one around to help had been Mags, Finnick’s elderly mentor. The older woman had rubbed her back and helped her clean herself up before making her lie down in bed.

She must’ve done something; she couldn’t wrap her mind around how it could’ve happened. Maybe Finnick had been right and she should’ve been doing less than she was, maybe she ate something she shouldn't have, maybe she wasn’t meant to be a mother.

Her eyes pricked with tears, salt running down her cheeks at the revelation of what this would mean for her and Finnick. President Snow told them before they left for their honeymoon his expectations from them and not even three months since the official announcement of her pregnancy had she messed it up. She didn’t know how they would be punished but once again she’d dragged Finnick down with her. She was deep in her thoughts when a hand gently laid on her waist, startling her.

“Mags told me that…” She couldn’t bear to look at him when his voice choked up. “That you lost the baby?”

“I’m sorry.”

Finnick circled around the bed and crouched in front of her, his eyes red-rimmed and hair disheveled. “It’s not your fault,” He clutched her hand in both of his. “Not even a little bit.”

“But President Snow–”

“Fuck Snow. He doesn’t matter, you matter.” Finnick’s face was earnest…

…his eyes swirling with worry as he looked across the room at Mags who was already pulling out utensils to start making lunch. Although she found it tough to be taken care of, she knew the woman was happy to have someone to tend to again, especially when it came to Finnick who had l been bending over backward lately to be there for her every waking need. 

He’d done everything he could to help her. Never-ending assurances and thoughtful words were thrown at her constantly, but she worried for him. All he had left was Mags and now her; a baby would’ve expanded his family and she knew he was crushed over it. Selfishly, she’d felt almost a bit relieved to have been released from the responsibility of taking care of a baby. She was eighteen and Finnick only a year older, they hadn’t grown up with much of any sort of role model and she felt ill-equipped to raise a child.

After what happened, they contacted The President before he could decide they were hiding something from him and she was quickly ushered to The Capitol and met by the best doctors in the country. Though, it was too late and they'd confirmed what she already knew: that she’d lost the baby.

“Hey, Mags, could you keep an eye on her while I take care of the rest of this stuff?” Finnick called out from behind her. Mags shook her head, gesturing first to herself and then towards the door, indicating that she’d take care of it and in turn leaving him no choice but to face her. 

As soon as Mags was far enough away, she bit out, “I don’t need someone to babysit me.” 

“Sweetheart, I didn’t–”

She was already walking with only one destination in mind and though she knew it wasn’t something that would be good for either of them, it was something she needed to do. Finnick’s footfalls were quick behind her on the stairs and she felt a pit in her stomach growing at the knowledge that he had already realized what she wanted.

When she reached the door, his hand was already on the handle holding it shut, his strength overwhelming her own. She smacked open palms and then fists against the door to no avail. Snapping her head to look at him, she stilled, letting the look on her face speak for itself as it met his own strained expression. His head fell, the unspoken exchange leaving him with no choice but to let go.

Turning the handle she opened the door…

…to see Finnick in deep concentration, trying to assemble the bassinet that they had been gifted from Sagan when they heard the news. Despite Sagan’s flare for the dramatics, the bassinet was sweet and simple, a classic cream color with a sea-themed mobile to accompany it. 

She didn’t want to say anything as she leaned in the doorway, watching her husband hard at work. While it was hard to get used to the idea of being a mother, it didn’t take much to imagine Finnick as a doting father. She must’ve made some noise as she thought for Finnick jumped, the paper detailing the instructions falling out of his mouth and onto the floor.

“I, uh, I wanted to surprise you,” Finnick blushed as he stood. She couldn’t help but grin and she turned back for the door.

“Well, I’ll just pretend I didn’t see anything,” She called as she closed the door…

…and was met with Finnick’s grim face, her own likely mirroring his. Her heart was pounding at the sudden memory of a happier time and she felt sick. Their lives had been so strained recently that she worried for them.

She sighed walking past him towards their room. “I wish none of this had ever happened.”

A beat passed before Finnick spoke. “I’m sorry I did this to you.”

[turtle-bun]

“This iteration of the Turtles and this iteration of the Turtles wouldn’t get along cuz of this!” “These two iterations wouldn’t get along because of that!”

FUCK YOU THEY ARE ALL BEST FRIENDS THAT SUPPORT EACH OTHER CUZ I SAY SO!!

(Please note I wrote this BEFORE watching Mutant Mayhem which is why they aren’t in it. I just forgot to post it lol 😅)

Rise!Leo: You all are so stern and serious. I feel like I should start being more stern and serious. Should I?

BatmanVs!Leo: Please don’t, it’ll be hell on your already waning mental health. /hj

Bayverse!Leo: I feel we need at least one funny Leo to break up the collective seriousness of the rest of us.

87 Leo: I thought me and my brothers counted as the “funny” version of all of us?

12 Leo: You guys are more of a “silly” version of us…sillier? Like the concept of turtles being ninjas is already silly as it is. Which there is nothing wrong with that, just that your cartoon logic is just very hard to keep up with sometimes.

87 Leo: That’s understandable.

Mirage Leo: I’m just jealous that you all get to be in color. Black and white gets so boring once you learn there’s color!

07 Leo: But your universe does have this cool graphic design to it that I’M very jealous of.

03 Leo: Of course, you fucking would be you dramatic edgelord. /j

07 Leo: I know the fucking EMO of the group did not just call me an edgelord! /j

Rise!Leo: Omg we love an E-girl!

12 Leo: *wheeze of laughter*

---

87 Raph: I just don’t think it’s fair that you guys get to be tall, is all! It’s discrimination! /hj

12 Raph: Practically working against your own kind! /j

Rise!Raph: *snorts* I don’t think that’s a bodily function we can control you guys!

Bayverse!Raph: It was a conscious decision on my end.

Rise!Raph: *chokes with laughter*

87 Raph: You goddamn bastard! /j

Bayverse!Raph: Cope and seeth my dude.

07 Raph: Now look, 87 I know it’s very difficult, especially for you, but we gotta be the bigger person here.

87 Raph: I will kick your goddamn ass, kid!

03 Raph: Well, good for you in being the bigger person. I will continue to be small and petty my entire life!

*Collective snorting laughter from all Raphs*

87 Raph: No, no, wait! You are not allowed to be funnier than me!

03 Raph: Tough break, shorty, I have to have SOMETHING other than punching shit.

87 Raph: Take up knitting! I don’t care! Just keep away from my bit! That’s like my entire personality! /hj

03 Raph: See you joke about that but I am fucking GREAT at knitting!

Bayverse!Raph: Amen to that! I ain’t spend half my damn life in the Hashi and NOT be able to knit a fucking epic scarf!

---

07 Donnie: Are you saying I worked a 9 to 5 job FOR NOTHING!

BatmanVs!Donnie: I honestly did not think that embezzling funds from rich corporate assholes plus the Shredder and his Foot Clan was an actual option we had!

12 Donnie: I am actually so mad that I did not think of that!

Rise!Donnie: Honestly, I didn’t think of it until like a few years back because our dad is still, somehow, getting royalties from his Lou Jitsu movie days. But I also have expensive taste in equipment and needed a little pocket change.

03 Donnie: I could have actually bought a Play Station when it came out instead of having to fix up the broken one Mikey found in the dump!

87 Donnie: I’m just now realizing how much stuff we had to make from scratch just because we couldn’t afford it.

Rise!Donnie: That’s true. But like also you guys still made a bunch of cool stuff with JUST junk you found! That’s amazing!

Bayverse!Donnie: Thanks but we could have made even cooler stuff if we had your type of funding. I mean, look at this shit! *excitingly pointing at Rise!Donnie’s battle shell*

Rise!Donnie: Please understand that YOU have made holo-screen, intercom, wrist watches, that connect to your motherboard home computer. All of which you MADE WITH JUNK! How is that not amazing?!

07 Donnie: Amazing for you probably. But if I were to do that shit myself I wouldn’t sleep for a week!

BatmanVs!Donnie: I second that! One sugar daddy please!

Rise!Donnie: *wheeze of laughter*

---

03 Mikey: I still can't believe you met freaking BATMAN! Like holy shit dude!

12 Mikey: *sobbing* I’m so jealous! I’m forever jealous!

BatmanVs!Mikey: Yeah, it was pretty cool. But YOU (03 Mikey) met the entire Justice Force! And became a member! Your legacy was so awesome Silver Sentry’s grandson took up your name!

03 Mikey: Yeah but you road in the BATMOBILE and got to press all the buttons!

Bayverse!Mikey: *sulking on the floor* LIFE ISN’T FAIR AND I HATE IT HERE!

Rise!Mikey: *pouting* I never get to meet my heroes! And when I do they turn out to be insane!

12 Mikey: Bro same! Chris Brandford was just a giant jerk!

87 Mikey: Bugman was pretty cool, though maybe a little weird. Still, he was no Justice Force or Batman!

07 Mikey: *whining* I just want the life you have! Why does god ALWAYS have favorites?!

Ronin!Mikey: *dramatic sigh of jealousy* He truly does.

[lieutenantbiscute]

So I don't usually do this, but is there anything you can share about your Shell Shocked AU April. I really love the idea of her Kraang mutation having some physical manifestation. I think I remember seeing a post explaining it, but, as per usual, I can't find it in the endless tumblur void. Also, I love the Shell Shocked AU. It's a perfect fluff-angst mix.

Sure! and I’m glad to see others are enjoying the Fluff of Raph and Mona with their sons compared to Lou and Venus stuck in the Nexus!!

With ShellShock April the only physical current manifestation of her Kraang mutation are her tentacles!

I wrote in a separate post entirely that Aprils more physical traits would start appearing once she gets into college which leads to her dropping out; That always works in universe for ShellShock! Another characteristic that I wish I could draw properly would be her having reflective eyes!

So that’s:

- Kraang tentacles

- Reflective eyes

It’s another HC of mine that there aren’t that many Kraang characteristics that show up early in her life due to them being dormant and only popping up once she gets involved w/ the Kraang and Turtles and stress from them. So no real difference in her teeth or eyes. But she still holds a keen sixth sense that we see in show.

Later on in the fic there’s an even that leads to her and Casey being mutated via Draxum’s mutagen. In show canon she can’t be mutated due to her Kraang mutagen, but since for the AU Draxum’s is created through an older DNA base she ends up mutating.

With both her and Casey, the mutagen is slowly driving them into more extreme personality types. Casey is becoming more wreck less as a factor and April is slowly losing her self mentally and for lack of better term, turning feral due to her Kraang DNA not exactly liking this change in physiology.

She gets de-mutated later on but still holds bat like traits with her ears and a fur line going down her back.

Going into movie timeline wise even MORE Kraang traits appear due to the stress of the new Krang trying to take over NYC- but I’m not sharing that just yet ✨

[utilitycaster]

I believe you mentioned seeing Love Lies Bleeding - would love to hear your thoughts on it if you have any (and good luck with the car troubles).

It's GREAT. Everyone who is not averse to grievous bodily harm shown on screen go see it. I am not like...terribly up on film just generally; I grew up in a house that limited TV screentime with parents who hate movie theaters so there is a weird cross section of movies I know that is immensely idiosyncratic since I just don't really have a movie-going habit. Also since getting into CR in 2018 it's like. well I don't really have two hours to kill watching movies; I watch 4+ hours of stuff a week and that's plenty. So I cannot speak to things like cinematography, though it did feel well-put together and attractive to look at and all that.

I think the story is solid - nothing groundbreaking except for the fact that usually this is not a story told about queer women that (spoilers) ends with them free and together (more on this later) but it's well done as a neo-noir, the acting is fantastic, and it feels so wonderfully...big and small at the same time? Like, do not get me wrong, I enjoy a blockbuster, but when I think back to the movies I've liked as of late*, Honor Among Thieves is the only one that takes place over a sprawling journey. I guess Barbie, debatably. Like, Love Lies Bleeding is almost entirely in a small town in New Mexico with a brief portion in Vegas or in the immediate surroundings. We are not jetsetting or using green screens. The majority of the film is in a handful of places, the core cast is like 6 people with two significant supporting players. I love this. As someone who leans more towards longer form fiction in general it's just really nice to have something that says "we have under two hours and we are going to embrace having under two hours and tell a story that fucking FITS in under two hours instead of just giving you some weird shard of a Cinematic Universe."

Re the queer women: thank GOD for casting queer women as queer women and probably more importantly having queer women doing things like writing and directing. The sex scenes are great and the relationship feels...I can't say I have the experience of being one of the only queer women in a small town in the late 80s and low-key detesting the one other woman but this all feels so much like. Of course Lou responds like this! This is the first new and fortuitous thing that has happened in her life! U-Haul jokes aside like yeah this is her big chance! It's both their big chances! And honestly until pretty late in the film, because I went in with little info other than "Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien bodybuilder lesbian romance crime drama" I expected it to end with one of them dead and the thing is the story works either way, and that feels really great to me, a tragedy enjoyer but also a comedy enjoyer.

Also I love pitch-black humor and this absolutely has that, and I enjoy magical realism when done very sparingly and this is precisely the right amount (if you assume it's magical realism, which I do; I also enjoy ambiguity). Anyway go see a fucked up lesbian and her fucked up bi girlfriend get entangled by ambition, righteous anger, vengeance, limited opportunity, and Ed Harris's skullet and bug obsession.

Finally, a personal anecdote: I saw this at the Alamo Drafthouse and as you may know they do various event screenings. They are showing Twilight: Eclipse for the total solar eclipse. It is HILARIOUS to see a trailer for Twilight: Eclipse (ft. young Kristen Stewart as personality-less girl in love triangle with two guys) before Love Lies Bleeding. talk about a glow-up. Absolutely wild to me that Stewart and Pattinson both ended up as genuinely talented actors with a taste for the unhinged given their breakthrough was Twilight.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Just watched the six episodes that came out today of Danielle Ward’s new sitcom, Daddy Issues. Watched them entirely because it was Danielle Ward; I wouldn’t normally be all that interested in a six-part comedy/drama-type series about parenthood. Though this was pre-parenthood, which is probably slightly more interesting than actual parenthood-based sitcoms.

I also nearly gave this a miss for reasons that are entirely not the fault of the people who made it, which is that when I was with my ex-girlfriend, I had her watch all of Taskmaster with me, in return, I watched with her the only British comedy show that she’d seen and I had not, which was Sex Education. It was a bit outside my usual wheelhouse, but it wasn’t bad, I enjoyed sitting on the couch and watching every episode of the first three seasons with my girlfriend, but unfortunately I’ll never know how it ends because we broke up before season 4 came out and I wasn’t about to watch that on my own. Shows we watched together are fine, shows I only ever watched with her, not so much. Same reason why I’ll never see more than the first three episodes of Taskmaster Quebec.

Daddy Issues stars Aimee Lou Wood, and the only other role I’d seen her do was starring in Sex Education, where she was quite a memorable face so I did nearly skip this show because of that. But as I often do, I took inspiration from the wise words of David O’Doherty – in this case, the words “she can’t have the sea” – it makes sense in context. Am I never going to watch anything with Gillian Anderson in it ever again? Come on.

So anyway, I watched Daddy Issues because Danielle Ward made it, and I'm interested in anything she's made. I liked it, overall. I liked it a lot more than I like most of the slew of six-part comedy-drama sitcoms that get released many times per year. I liked it a bit less than I was hoping for, given what I like about Danielle Ward. A bit more sitcom formula than I’d like, and the tonal shifts between comedy-drama and sitcom hijinks were sometimes jarring. It was weird that it set up fairly realistic worldbuilding, and then every once in a while would do a wild sitcom-y scenario that we accept from sitcom universes because our disbelief is already suspended there, but it’s weird in the “real world” show.

On the other hand, it had a fair bit of the Ward-esque misanthropy that I like. Deeply flawed yet likeable characters. The Ward-esque take of pro-feminism but anti-“girl power”. I liked the realism of characters with jobs who have to worry about money, the working class people occasionally mocked but they were the main protagonists, the middle class characters presented as being the ones with the “weird” life. I liked that there were several very obvious directions it could have gone, and didn’t.

They developed the characters pretty well for a season that lasted just under six hours. Often with those six-part half-hour sitcoms, I get to the end and find it was only in the last couple of episodes that I felt like I got to know the characters somewhat well, and only at the end that I started getting invested in them. I’ve ended up thinking I’d probably watch a second season as it was just starting to get good, but it takes that long just to establish things, and these days so many shows don’t get the second season anyway. That didn’t happen there; the characters in this one were well drawn from the start, I was invested for most of the season. There was a bit at the very end that set up a potential second season, but besides that, season one worked well as a self-contained thing.

And, you know, as much as I say that a main character having a kid while looking for romantic love is not something I find interesting in comedy, this is a premise that you don’t see all the time. Single woman who’s pregnant – compared to the proportion of people who have experienced that in real life, that scenario is probably underrepresented in sitcoms.

Also, I find it a very funny, and very Ward-esque joke that there’s a sitcom-style “zanily violent character”, but that character is the protagonist’s sister who’s literally in jail for attempted murder. That’s the sort of thing I wish there had been more of throughout the whole show – zany sitcom tropes played to their realistic conclusion (instead of, like I said, some zany sitcom tropes played straight in a world that was presented as too realistic for that stuff to happen). Their violent character isn’t just pulling out knives at unexpected moments, or randomly setting fire to things. She’s serving time because she tried to have her partner killed.

Anyway, I’d been looking forward to this one for a while and it was fun. Pretty sure Aimee Lou Wood was very good in it too (I say “pretty sure” because I know so little about acting that I’m never confident in my ability to assess those things, but I found her good). After I watched it I moved it to the big comedy folder on my hard drive, where I realized I don’t even have a Danielle Ward sub-folder. So I decided it’s high time to create one. I put Daddy Issues in there, as well as her excellent stand-up show Seventeen.

I then downloaded every episode of Do the Right Thing, because I listened to all of that last year and greatly enjoyed it, but hadn’t downloaded the mp3s before, and I’ve recently got increasingly paranoid about my media disappearing and I feel better if I have things saved, even podcasts that still have active RSS feeds. So it’s all right, I’ve now got all of Do the Right Thing in mp3 form, all nice and labeled with air dates and guest lists. (That reminds me that I assume we can expect that within two years, Matthew Crosby will have made a show starring Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster as roommates having a baby while living with their hapless father, and they have a sister who’s in prison for attempted murder.)

I then went looking for other things to put in my Danielle Ward folder, and I learned that there’s a recording on SoundCloud of Psister Psycho, the musical Danielle Ward co-wrote in 2007 about a killer robotic lesbian nun. I have known for ages that that show existed and I’m sorry there’s not a way for me to see it, it never occurred to me until today to check whether there’s an audio recording on SoundCloud. Well, that’s my commute to work tomorrow sorted (which means I haven’t listened to it yet, I’ll let you know what it’s like when I do). I threw that in my Ward sub-folder, along with her episodes of Isy Suttie’s The Things We Do For Love and Margaret Cabourn-Smith’s Crushed podcasts. Are there are any other good Danielle Ward things out there that I’m missing? I really really like her and want to find more of her work, though like with Brett Goldstein, some of her work is off the table for me because I’m not interested in hearing people talk about movies. But besides that movie podcast, any major things I’m missing? Is it worth digging up hours of Dave Gorman on the radio just to hear her?

[cheeeerie]

Nya Pixal's dorme suit whatever it's called mates should be Vania and akita!! That would be fun!

Tell me about the parents I wanna know the relation ships the gang have with their parents

That WOULD be fun!!

Also I know some other places do it differently so if anyone is confused: where I come from, your roommate is the person you share a bedroom with, but if your room is connected to someone else’s by a bathroom or a common room, that’s your suitemate, so that's what I mean when I say roommate or suite mate :)

Alright, the College AU Gang and their parents in order of how good/existant they are!

Nya and Kai have been in foster care since their parents died when Kai was 6 and Nya was 5. Neither of them remember their parents, and they never became particularly close to any if their foster parents until they moved in with Wu a whole ten years later. They lived with him for two years until they both graduated high school (Nya graduated early so she could stay with Kai) and moved out for college, and they still stay with him over breaks. That's actually how they met Lloyd, he's their foster cousins :)

Zane is the other orphan, he was raised by a single dad that died during his senior year of high school. He doesn’t talk about it very often but he thinks about it a lot. Pixal is the only one who knows much about it (she knew Dr. Julien growing up, he and Borg were work friends, and Zane and Pixal went to th same private prep school and were kind of childhood frenemies), so she's the only one Zane will talk to about it. The rest of them just know that he doesn't have parents anymore.

Pixal's relationship with her father is... strained. She never had an other parent so it was just the two of them growing up, and they were super close. They still talk and see each other all the time, but since she left the nest and started expanding her world view a bit, she's become kind of critical of his business practices and what exactly Borg Industry's values are. Whereas most of their conversations used to revolve around work, now both of them carefully don't mention it so that they don't end up in a screaming match. She also doesn't love being recognized as Borg's daughter all the time, she wants to be recognizedfor her own merits.

Cole is pretty close with his dad, but that’s kind of a recent development. His dad was a classic dance-parent growing up and put way too much pressure on him, which really intensified when Lilly died when Cole was in his early teens. Cole even quit dance for a year. However thanks to the magic of family therapy, Lou is now much more supportive and he and Cole are very close :) however Cole still gets super embarassed when he sees his dad on campus. Lou tries his best to give Cole is own space, but they have dinner together at least once a week.

Lloyd's parents divorced when he was a baby but he's still close with both of them. His mom is actually a professor too, though she is MUCH better at being professional about it than Lou is with Cole. Lloyd wasn't as close with his dad growing up, since he mostly stayed with his mom or with Wu when she was out of town, but he really enjoys living with his dad and step dad now, even though he is pretty eager to move on campus to be closer with his friends.

Jay is by far the closest with his parents, they call him every day. Ed and Edna are very supportive of everything he does and they absolutely ADORE all his friends, which is why they make sure they include goodies for them in their frequent care packages. Jay doesn't bring his friends home with him often, just because they live in a trailer and there's not really any space for six extra young adults, but Ed and Edna DO come to visit him at university and will take the entire gang out to dinner. If they call Jay while he's hanging out with the other's he'll put them on speaker so they can talk to whoever he's with, which means that they are always up to date on the goings on of the group.

TY FOR THE ASK!!!

[its-wabby-stuff]

hi! your hc about how 2k18 splinter learned english with his family is so cute 😍 i'd love to hear about more about hcs you have about splinter's childhood or about sho or atsuko! a hc have is that as a student, splinter got mediocre to bad grades and that he hated school and didn't attend university.

Oh I can definitely see that for him! I love it. Casually adopting it as well.

I don’t have many more for his mother. I think they spent a lot of time together, and played make believe, and created stories together. I think he tries to do a lot of the same with his boys, but it’s hard because it reminds him of such a repressed trauma. She’s his biggest motivation to be a movie star, as well as stay away from anything Hamato. Basically motivates everything he does, even if he won’t admit it. 😅

I like to think they at least buried her (though what happened is kinda unclear), likely by Yoshis father (who died young, married into the clan), and Sho and Yoshi would visit often, at first. They’d bring incense and pray. Sho would tell Yoshi that his mother was listening if he just talked to her. As he grew older, he stopped believing she would hear and they visited less and less.

I think his grandfather had high expectations when Yoshi was growing up, and they would often get into arguments, be it about grades or destiny. But they’d have their moments of grief and joy with each other. I don’t believe there are more Hamatos, at least not in the direct bloodline. So they only had each other, and Sho was trying his best to help Yoshi and his clan. I think Splinter understands his grandfather a lot more now than he did then, for obvious reasons.

I like to think his grandfather chased him around the world trying to get Yoshi back, jumping through hoops and people just to talk to him sometimes. That memory we see in the season two finale is the last time he ever spoke to his grandfather and a moment he’s regretted ever since. I think his grandfather has watched every single one of Yoshis movies. When Yoshi went missing (after being kidnapped and enslaved), Sho continued to search until he died.

I have a sad headcanon that after Yoshi escaped his near ten year imprisonment with Big Mama, and became the father to four boys, he learned that his grandfather had died. Recently deformed, but still capable of appearing somewhat normal, he visited and was able to get his grandfathers belongings, which started Yoshi off with something more than nothing. This included a box of all the Lou Jitsu movies and more, a letter to Yoshi, most of his “do not touch” shelf trinkets, including the teapot, and the robe he wears at the beginning, which didn’t fit him until he had become a stout, fat, rat man.

Despite being a rat, I think Yoshi takes the most after his grandfather, more than he’d care to admit. Especially when it comes to raising the boys. I think you can see it most when he’s training them.

On a happier note, and I can’t remember if this was stated in canon or not, but I think Yoshi wrote, directed and acted in his own movies. If you’ve ever heard the story behind the movie Rocky, I think Yoshi had a similar experience. Nobody took him seriously at first, thinking he was a bad actor, but he wrote a script that ended up catching a lot of peoples interest, was offered millions for it, but said he’d only do it if he could act in it. Basically acted out the whole movie himself with friends and it did so well, he got an entire movie franchise out of it.

Basically his silly Jupiter Jim and Lou Jitsu fanfic from Down with the Sickness could be canon…

—————

Please let me know what you think of these ones. It made happy to know you liked the other one😊

[minusboy]

1, 3, 8, 19 :3

! hi lou :)

that makes me smile

tross in french exit

”You don’t know what I was going to say,” Chuuya says with a sigh and takes off his jacket, haphazardly tossing it over the back of a chair, and runs a hand through his hair, fingers snagging on a few tangled ends. ”I don’t care,” Tross says ”There’s nothing you could do that would make me change my mind.” ”Nothing,” Chuuya parrots, incredulous. Tross considers this for a moment, then just shrugs. ”I’d probably frown a little bit if you like, killed someone.” ”Frown. A little bit.” ”Yeah, man, I’d be like ’Chuuya, you can’t do that, that’s illegal’,” Tross says, with the most stern voice he can muster. He grabs a pack of cigarettes from the side table and fishes one out, then frowns. ”Last one. Oops,” he says before tossing the carton into the nearest trash bin. 

19. from that project that was SUPPOSED to be short but then i kept writing and now it is very long i don't actually have a good answer for this one because i'm mostly resigned to the fact that almost everything i start will be too long and then some

that said, this one:

Many philosophers have theorized about the nature of afterlife, or the lack of it. Some will adamantly claim that there is no such thing as an afterlife, that death is followed by a nothingness, a lack of consciousness. Simply ceasing to exist. And although they’re not exactly right, they’re not completely wrong either. There is human life, the mortal life, and then there is life that transcends it. After death, there is everything, and then there is nothing.  The universe is a complicated place.  He wonders if Chuuya ever feels as consumed by the roaring emptiness inside, if the gaps in his consciousness are shaped like black holes. Does he feel like this, as well, his consciousness trapped in an undefined space, not space, or is he gone entirely, in those moments. Would it be easier, to be unaware of it all. Or is it even more terrifying. For one terrifying moment, Dazai feels the weight of his own nonexistence. He thinks about Chuuya, refilling his glass, an easy smile on his face. He wants it desperately, now. He gets it now.  Maybe.

send me numbers i might be out of numbers

[los-ninos-tortugas]

"You're family because I found you, I found you because you're family"

"Safe Surrender"

Lou Jitsu: Unsolved

Set a Course for Home

Oh we’re going for it I see, lmao cool cool cool, love it. So, in order:

Funny enough this one is actually listed on my pinned post, just under a shorter name, it’s what I called the “Familial Bonds AU” and like it says this one is centered around Casey Jones jr.! There’s two works planned for this AU, both still very much in the early drafts phase. This was inspired by seeing a few different artworks of Casey being part turtle, so I kinda wanna explore Casey’s relationship to the present version of the Hamato’s in a world where he is f!Cassandra and f!Leo’s biological son. (Also before people jump down my throat about shipping… I don’t really care. I just generally don’t view a lot of media through the lens of ships and I’m not particularly invested in Leo/Cassandra as like, a thing. It’s there as part of the backstory and isn’t super important to the plot overall)

So in real life most (if not all but don’t take my word on that) firehouses operate as places for safe surrender, which is where that whole “drop a baby in a basket at the door of a firehouse” thing in movies comes from. The idea for this is that Splinter (for reasons) ends up doing this with the boys and drops them at a FDNY station. This is not a human AU, they are still turtles, Splinter is really just hoping for the best. The people at the station initially initially mistake them for regular (if not slightly weird) turtles and keep them as station pets for a few days, until they start standing on two legs and making very human sounding baby noises. Fluff and found family shenanigans ensue.

This is the one based on a post by @rottmnt-background-screenshots ! I wrote the idea for it in the tags of that post and I’m currently working on it so I don’t want to give away too much just yet. But I will say for now that it involves April being an absolute badass, and a pretty good amount of brains and brawn duo!

This is probably the most niche of all of them, since it’s a crossover between rottmnt and Star Trek: Voyager (the best Star Trek show) and its focused pretty much entirely on Donnie, since he gets transported to the Voyager universe by himself. It’s a fun juxtaposition of Donnie getting to enjoy all the nifty sci-fi future technology to his hearts content, but also really really just wanting to go home. I really oughta finish that mini story of him and Janeway hanging out on the holodeck sometime soon.

Thanks for playing along! ✨✨✨

WIP ask game

[cecexwrites]

Writeblr Intro

My name is Cecily, but you can call me Cece. I'm in my 30's and I primarily write fanfiction. I do have a large original project in the works though.

My Pinterest Fic Masterlist Character Masterlist

My Current Focus(es)

Small Town Paranormal

An Original Universe

Witches and Werewolves, Vampires and Demons- all hidden in plain sight. From a supernatural sanctuary created by a vampire to a college for witches. Small Town Paranormal is a series of stories all connected by their shared universe

Prince of Wrath

A Blaise Zabini Fanfiction

Torn apart four years ago by the impending war, the Zabini's and Fawleys reunite for an old family holiday tradition- an entire summer on a Grecian Island. Pushed together for the first time in year, Blaise and Reid Fawley have to learn to navigate their new circumstances. Not to mention her boyfriend, his memories from the Battle of Hogwarts and a past mistake coming back to haunt them

OC(s): Reid Fawley (Jessica Alexander) Tate Fawley (Luke Eisner)

Story Masterpost

Nevermore

A Rabastan Lestrange Fanfiction

Merit Vander Wende hates me.

A fact she's never kept secret, but when her darling fiancé crossed me he all but signed her death warrant.

Merit might hate me, but she will be mine.

OC(s): Rhiannon Lestrange (Sydney Sweeney) Merit Vander Wende (Rachel Zegler)

Coven Wars

A Teen Wolf Fanfiction

TBA

Wasting Time with Rabbits

A Disney Descendants Fanfiction

Once upon a time, King Adam declared an end to the darkness. He sent the Villains to the isle and magic became obsolete. Twenty years later, his son is ready to make things right by bringing over the children of the Villains he banished. Including the daughter of his father's greatest enemy, Gaston. Galston is just looking for a good time. She definitely didn't mean to be the catalyst for a war decades in the making

OC(s): Galston Legume (Kaia Gerber) Cedrick Facilier (Luka Sabbat) Quinn Queen (Rachel Zegler) Aleksander Westergaard (Danny Griffin) Winter White (Matt Cornett)

Red Riding Hood

A Disney Descendants Fanfiction

All her life Scarlett's been stalked by The Wolf. Always looking over her shoulder, terrified of the dark. After the death of her only protector, Auradon is her only hope. Fate has no hold on her.

OC(s): Scarlett Edon (Maia Mitchell)

Beyond the Star and By The Angel

A Shadowhunters Fanfiction

It all started with the Academy. When the Academy finally opened it's doors to warlocks, Max Lightwood-Bane was the first to jump in, alongside his older brother, of course. Neither of them had any idea that when meeting Romy Thornhill they would be meeting the woman who would change all their lives forever. (part of the Angels and Demons Series)

OC(s): Rowena 'Romy' Thornhill (Meg Donnelly)

Swing for the Fences

A Sandlot/Stranger Things Crossover Fanfiction

The summer of 1962: Scott Smalls and Benny Rodriguez along with their baseball crew did the impossible, they rescued their ball from The Beast. Cementing their friendship for until the end of time.

November 1983: Scott Smalls is getting a divorce, living in Hawkins Indiana with his two kids. The day his best friend Benny, and Benny's daughter, move to Hawkins to help him with the transition to single parenthood, Will Byers- Scott's daughter's best friend- goes missing and the mystery of Hawkins beings to unravel.

OC(s): Lou Rodriguez (Jenna Ortega), Emma Smalls (Mckenna Grace), Phillip Smalls (Walker Scobell), Charlie Baker (Felix Mallard)

Read it on: AO3

My Finished Stories

Prince of Ruin

A Theodore Nott Fanfiction

Once upon a time, long long ago, The Nott family and The Selwyns were the closest of friends. Two families who loved each other with their entire souls. Did I mention that was a long long time ago? Now, Theodore Nott can't stand the Selwyn Twins, especially the loud and rude Cordelia Selwyn. However after a incident of revenge gone wrong, Theodore finds himself stuck with the woman, until death do they part (Part one of The Serpents Club)

OC(s): Cordelia Selwyn (Model fc is Vika Bronova, actress fc is Odeya Rush), Bastian Selwyn (Model Fc is Alessandro Dellisola, Actor fc is tentatively Tanner Buchanan) Story Masterpost

[heatwa-ves]

who is the most recent oc you've made? 🤲🤲

I think beck? I say this tentatively because she's not completely a character yet but if not her then it would be her sister lou so I'll just talk about them both 😛

lou (louisa) is the eldest child and beck (rebecca) is the second child, they both had a pretty bad childhood because their dad was shit and it was a whole thing whatever. anyway dad is finally out of the picture when uhhh lou is 12 and beck is 9?? I forget their ages. whatever. I haven't decided how he leaves but he does and the kids are understandably traumatised... a few years later (15 and 12?) their mother remarries and this guy is actually great 10/10 dad, he's really close with lou but doesn't have a good relationship with beck because she doesn't trust him, she processes the childhood trauma as anger whereas lou just bottles it all up and pretends nothing happened. a few years later their half sibling (undecided name) is born and it's all great until new dad falls really ill and is hospitalised for the foreseeable future, the kids are around 18/15/2 at this point (big age gap I know but just go with it) so all their dreams for the future kinda go out the window.

lou wanted to go to university to study marine biology and eventually work for marine life conservation and beck is really into art and wants to go to art school, but once their stepdad was hospitalised they had to move to a new place close to the hospital so rent is high, their mother can't work full time because she needs to look after unnamed small child, so lou puts her uni plans on hold and starts working full time to support their family. beck is still in school at this point but she has a part time job too. anyway all this is background to lead up to the current part of their story, Lou is 21 and has entirely given up on her dreams, beck is 18 and is leading up to finishing her a levels (they're british. btw. also they're mixed because I do what I want) and there's so much conflict between the two of them, beck is really bitter and angry and lashes out at people and stays out too late and her mother and lou are worried but theres not much they can do about it with everything else going on, beck is determined to not be like lou and give up on her dream she'll go to art school even if it kills her and they have so many fights over this where is she gonna get the money for school how can she leave her family in such a difficult time how will she manage to live alone with no money etc etc. lou is also angry but being lou she bottles things up...etc etc. they're having a hell of a time

other things to mention uhhh

lou briefly dated another of my ocs amie they broke it off and had a big fight and amie moved away to go to study astrophysics

I have a very vivid scene in my mind of beck having an awful day and drinking for the first time when she's with her friends and comes home and realises what she's done and has a whole breakdown because their dad used to drink and like..yeah..you get me. and lou comes in and she's like fuck off but lou doesn't leave and they just kinda sit there together and beck is crying and it's the closest they've been in a while

beck was so jealous of unnamed child when she was a bit younger because child had a much happier early life than she did

beck and lou do genuinely care about eachother but their life is just so shit rn so they end up fighting a lot and they have conflicting ideas and whatever

beck will kill anyone who calls her rebecca.

idk if any of this makes sense but I love them very much