#imagine being the baby of the family and essentially never meeting your older twin brothers

[fiddlingford]

Gravity falls as onion headlines part II part I part III

[kittydemon9000]

SO MERLOPIAN KAI PART 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

So, with Kalmaar, he ofc immediately goes to his parents about his feeling, slightly placing his revenge on hold. They are...dubious about it, but Maya raises the point of how there has never been a human/merlopian hybrid before, and from what Ray has told them about having two EM parents it’s possible for Kai to have some water abilities himself, which could be what gave Kalmaar his feeling. So, they agree to look into it.

Moving on..... Uh. Kai doesn’t have a fun time in S6, as briefly as he’s there. You see, Nahdakahn knows exactly what buttons to press and is able to get Kai into a panicked state where he, on the verge of a panic attack and mental breakdown, just says “I wish that I could just be normal! I wish I could just go home! I wish I could be with dad and mom and father and Kal and Bentho and Nya!!!”

The “normal” comment comes from how they weren’t able to completely hide Kai’s heritage since yeah, there were other people on the boat who saw him. That and he also tried a lot less to keep it hidden. And because some humans are assholes, he has to deal with that.

So ofc, Nahdakahn interprets it in the worst ways and as two wishes. Kai is now a full human yes….but was also sent to where the fish fam currently were……which just so happened to be at the bottom of the ocean.

So yeah, double trauma for both groups. Kai got to experience what drowning felt like, and his fam was essentially forced to watch him die since there was nothing they could do. They were too far under to take him to the surface and too far from the palace to take him there.

But dw, it gets even worse.

You see, the whole reason Nahdakahn is being this malicious about Kai’s wishes is because he learned that Kai was the reason the Preeminent was destroyed, thereby destroying Djinjago.

Nahdakahn is then able to do a “oh? Is this not what you wanted? I thought you wished to be normal.” Which ofc sounds really bad since it’s in front of his family. “But, I understand. You grow tired of the stares in the street, how they whisper behind you back about what you are. Not human, not merlopian, not normal. Just a freak masquerading as one of them.”

This ofc supremely pisses off the fam. Like, weapons drawn ready to commit murder.

But then Nahdakahn stop them with a “ah ah ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. After all, I am the only way your son has a chance at living. So go ahead. Make a wish.”

Trimaar ends up being the one to do it, and is smart enough to know this uh will twist it in anyway he can so says. “I wish for Kai to be sent safely to the surface without harm done upon him.”

Blah blah blah, your wish is yours to keep, Trimaar realizing “wait there’s a lot that could be interpreted” but too late BAM now Kai’s kinda stuck on the Misfortune’s Keep.

And he....generally has a pretty bad time. Think Jay but this time it’s personal.

However, Kai’s appearance had Trimaar get the Merlopian army and start heading to the surface. The remaining ninja have a brief moment of “are you kidding me two enemies at once” before learning that this is Kai’s lost family and they’re here to help.

So now the ninja have a whole ass fish army to help them, plus a very protective, very angry fish family.

But for the rest of canon, the only difference is that when they’re leaving Tiger Widow Island, Nya gets snatched along with Jay(who was taken because he hadn’t used his wish yet) and they aren’t stuck on the island, and then later that Kai gets sucked into the sword when the ninja launch their rescue mission.

But yeah, it gets all Un-Happened by Jay’s wish(which at seeing Kai physically hurt and being emotionally torn apart at his baby sister dying, wished that none of this ever happened and that Nahdakahn was never found), only like canon Nya and Jay still remember what happens.

Nya is now firmly on team Kai Is Alive and tells her parents everything about what happened and the wish Jay made, and more importantly where Kai is.

Unfortunately, they need to take some time and prepare. Trimaar and Maya have been doing their best over the years to open the populace possibly making bonds with the humans, but now it’s finally happening. They can’t just go up there out of no where, since from what Nya has told them 1) most humans don’t even know they exist and 2) in the past few years they have been subject of many attacks, mostly from non-humans, so they need to make sure the humans understand they don’t mean any harm.

So DotD happens, then the beginnings of S7 :)

Right out, Kai never liked the museum curator. Up to that point he’d only ever caught fleeting glimpse of him but something about him Kai just despised. As a result, he also visited the museum as scarcely as possible, and thus didn’t notice a very interesting painting containing a two very strange figures.

When he learns his name was Dr.Saunders.....things don’t go well.

It happened when Kai brought the helmet with his dad’s symbol on it. As much as he disliked the curator, he was the most likely to be able to recognize what kind of helmet it was.

Then in his anger he gets himself captured.

He’s taken to a special cell lined with vengestone and has guards around the clock, and Krux takes extra care to make sure Kai doesn’t know where Ray is.

ofc it’s around this time that the Merlopians arrive and express their wishes for a possible alliance between their two races. Unfortunately they showed up at literally the worst time, and double unfortunately the people in charge of diplomacy decide to bring some of the ninja in as an extra precaution because of the villains have been running around.

So the people who join the meeting are Lloyd and Jay from the ninja(they would’ve brought Kai but he hasn’t returned from his missions yet and isn’t answering their calls) as well as some police officers and from the Merlopians is the whole royal family plus a few guards.

Both Jay and Nya have a silent moment of staring at each other since “I know and I’m not sure you know but I think you know but I don’t want to say anything since you might not”

And just as they’re about to start, The Time Twins attack. Because why the hell not.

They’re actually able to hold them off for a while, but unfortunately there are too many Vermillion. Then Kalmaar whips out his Water Powers which causes him to get kidnapped since they need both Fire and Water masters for the blade.

While they’re recovering, Lloyd then gets a panicked call from Zane saying that he checked the museum footage and Kai has been captured. The gets overheard by the royal family, and then Lloyd asks why they looked so upset at which they learn(sans Jay since wish) that Kai is royalty. The eldest son actually, and thus first in line for the throne, as well as being presumed dead for the past five years.

So basically Krux has kidnapped the King and Queen’s husband, the crown prince, and the second in line prince(if anyone knows a more fancy term for this please let me know)

Maya, Trimaar, Nya and Benthomaar are not happy. Not with the Ninjagian people, no they’re fine, but they’re bout ready to murder Krux, and they don’t even know about Ray yet.

So they offer any help they can.

Zap back to how Kai and Kalmaar are doing.

Kalmaar is….kind feral tbh. Like, he’s biting, clawing, trying to strangle them with his tentacles, and before they got vengestone cuffs on him was trying very hard to drown anyone.

Ofc, this does little to the Vermillion and soon Kalmaar finds himself in the cell right next to Kai’s. He’s overjoyed to see his brother again, albeit upset that this is why.

They both reluctantly come to the conclusion that there isn’t much they can do at the moment, and there are many Vermillion guards right outside their cells, so they decide to start catching up.

And for pretty much the rest of the season canon is pretty much the same, just shuffle around the characters a bit and add a protective Fish Fam. 

Though their little trip back in time is quite sight for the Past EMs, especially because of how Kalmaar is using his powers, which leaves Kai mostly stuck in his Fish Form. This time they don’t even bother trying to explain, just give instructions on how to defeat the Vermillion and jumping into the battle. 

And I mean just imagine that from the EMs perspective. An enemy you thought you defeated just returned with a giant metal creature and an army of snake things that don’t look like any kind of Serpentine they’d ever seen. Then a shark person and squid person??? show up and not only do they know how to fight the snake things but they also seem to be Elemental Masters???? Despite the fact Ray is very much alive and they didn’t even know there was a Water EM. Then the two not only summon dragons but they also fuse their dragons into an even bigger one with two heads.

And then all of them disappear into the sky without a trace.

W i l d

But yeah, after that it calms down quite a bit. Kai spends the time skip before S8 reconnecting with his family and his dad, and through some tech courtesy of Borg they're able to bring Ray with them :D

And Kai actually goes to meet the Jade Royal Family since y’know. He’s the crown prince. He’s kinda important and legitimately forgot about it. Luckily Kalmaar is able to help coach Kai through it, but is also a bit smug about how he finally has something to teach to his older brother. Kai was actually the one who suggested asking the ninja for help protecting the mask.....but we know how that inevitably ends.

Bentho, Kal and Nya were actually on the ship for this particular adventure, and then Nya and Bentho were dragged along when they got sent to the First Realm. Bentho, despite being the youngest sibling and to the surprise of literally everyone, was actually really good with kids and spent the most time with Little Wu, right behind Cole.

But yeah S9......Nya and Bentho have a really bad time in the First Realm beause of the heat, but at least they don’t get captured. Kai on the other hand....

Yeah at some point he gets accidentally splashed with water and well.....it definitely doesn’t help with the Oni accusations. The Dragon Hunters decide to burn him along with the Wind Dragon, which moves up their Build Our Own Dragon time table.

After they escape Faith is actually pretty chill about the whole fish thing, but she does ask a lot of questions. 

And then S10..... kinda the same. They end up dropping off as many people as they can with the Merlopians since the smoke can’t reach them.

I might make a Part 3 for the rest of the seasons, but yeah. this is where we’re at.

[chocolatecarstairs]

i just finished qoaad and i have a lot to say!

buckle up kids, this is gonna be a long and bumpy ride!

finished reading as of 4:37 am 12/6/2018

1. I AM SO PISSED AT JAIME! like beyond pissed. i get it dru technically lied to you. (a lie by omission. and not even a huge one at that.) but there was literally no need for you to essentially abandon her. especially after all that “she’s like a little sister to me” and “no matter what age she is we’re friends” bullshit. did you even mean any of that? or were you just saying it to get her brother off your back? honestly, she did so much for you. she hid you in london, brought cristina to you even though cristina could’ve told her brothers and gotten her in trouble, she risked quite a bit of her own personal safety and that of her family to sneak into the gard prison and bust not just you but also your brother and his friends out. but at the end of the day you can’t even be bothered to come and visit her every once in a while? drop in, say hi, ask her about how her life is going? obviously, she should’ve told you how old she was, but she seriously made up for it time and time again after you found out. you also seemed to want to be near her in idris when the battle was going on. you said goodbye to her before you went to fight, you protected her when she had to go out to the field, and you were going to go with her to save jules and emma before you saw that diego was hurt. what the hell changed in between that and the wedding? you’re being a fake friend and i don’t like it.

2. I AM SO PISSED AT KIT! admittedly less pissed than i am at jaime. but pissed nonetheless. i get that ty didn’t respond to you telling him you loved him. he probably didn’t realize you meant it the way you did. for god’s sake, he’s autistic, kit! and obviously, he should never have been trying to raise livvy from the dead, but you should have told him as much! you should have gone to jules or mark or helen or literally anyone instead of letting it go as far as it did. i mean did you really think trying to stop him in the middle of the spell was going to work? honestly, kit! not to mention you leaving! tessa and jem are amazing people. they’re going to love you and nurture you and you’ll get to be around their baby! i would be happy for you. IF YOU’D GONE WITH THEM BECAUSE YOU REALLY WANTED TO. all it would’ve taken was a conversation with ty. just one. you could’ve told him how you felt. if he didn’t feel the same way then, sure, you could’ve gone with tessa and jem. but it’s entirely possible that he would have. not to mention you at least owed him and dru and explanation or a goodbye. and, no, staring creepily at them from a distance at the wedding does not count as a goodbye! neither does making jem explain it for you. ty lost his twin. he was going through so much. he was obviously not himself. you were someone who was supposed to get him through that and instead you abandoned him without so much as a goodbye or a see you later. hmph. and poor drusilla. she wanted friends, kit, that was it. her oldest brothers were too busy trying to save the world and take care of her to have a true sibling relationship with her. her older sisters were either dead, or had literally just come back from five years in exile. her younger brother was too young and innocent to be any kind of true friend to her yet. and ty, the only sibling she has left that is close enough to her age to be her friend, wouldn’t let her in. she thought she’d found that in you! you taught her how to pick locks, you were teaching her how to con, you were beginning to think of her as a younger sister! and suddenly, when you can’t imagine having a relationship with ty anymore, all thoughts of the relationship you were forming with dru go out the window? god, kit. even if you were going to leave. even if you didn’t want to see ty. you could have seen dru. you could have told her you had to leave and said goodbye to her. told her that you were sorry. asked her to pass the message along to ty. making jem do it was weak, and you know it. i want to be happy for you, but you’re making it really freaking hard.

3. can we talk about the parabatai curse for a second? first things first, the heavenly fire! i’m honestly pretty surprised i was right about that one. i was so, so, so worried that the curse would actually turn them into angels. i did not want that to happen. i obviously had no clue that it would make them grow into giant, fiery, death machines, but alas. i think the whole true nephilim thing was kind of cool, actually. it’s also kind of crazy that the parabatai bond is so strong that when one of the parabatai turned into a true nephilim the other one followed. i honestly still can’t really believe it. i had a pretty hard time picturing emma and julian the size of skyscrapers crushing the cohort, but i found it kind of entertaining. i also almost cried when helen, ty, dru, and tavvy talked to them to bring them back. even cristina, kieran, and aline had things to say to them. it was a really touching scene. i’m also super proud of dru for being able to lead her family and convince them that they needed to help emma and julian. she’s grown so much since lady midnight (but more on that later). the fact that becoming true nephilim broke their parabatai bond is one of the easiest conclusions of any plot in shadowhunter history. especially one that was one of the main plots of a series. i’m so happy for jules and emma. i wish we could see more of them on their travel year. and i hope in twp they’ll be like jace and clary were in tda.

4. kieran kingson to kieran king of the unseelie court. honestly, i expected this one. i didn’t think cassie was going to give us a full-blown polyamorous relationship in all its day-to-day glory. kieran is going to make an amazing king. i’ve loved his character development over the course of the series. we watched him turn from a jealous member of the wild hunt, to a disgraced and begrudgingly helpful prince, to a remorseful and loving faerie, and finally, to a proud and kind king. i’m glad he can still be with cristina and mark in adaon’s cottage, but i almost wish it hadn’t ended this way. i feel bad that he can’t be happy in faerie and that mark and cristina will feel like something is missing whenever they are together without him in the mortal world. it’s bittersweet but more sweet than bitter.

5. i love julian blackthorn. i genuinely did not even know there were people out there who didn’t love him with their entire hearts and souls. i didn’t even know that there was so much controversy around him until i got into the tda tumblr fandom. i am almost never mad at him. almost. the whole ‘no feelings’ thing got old fast. i was pissed at magnus for performing the spell in the first place and i was mega-pissed at jules for requesting it and asking magnus to do it even once he’d heard of the consequences. i hated no feelings julian. it was so sad for me to see the julian i know and love, specifically because he cares so hard and so deeply, lose all his love and compassion. he literally turned into the julian antis like to picture him as. manipulating emma using sex and her desire/love for him was not cool. killing dane was not cool. not to mention, ty needed him. ty was totally broken after livvy’s death. he was holding himself together with some crazy plan to raise her from the dead. he needed julian to tell him he would be okay and to help piece his world back together. obviously, there were times julian literally couldn’t be there for him like when he was in faerie or thule. but when he got back he had a few opportunities to help his brother that he missed because of the stupid spell. this is the only time i’ve ever been genuinely mad at or disappointed in jules. it was painful.

6. let’s talk about thule. crazy to see sebastian’s vision for the world come to a reality. even crazier that he was in this series at all. thule proved that tessa is the strongest warlock of all time and that church is significant to the plot after all. cameron turns out to be a nice dude. diana is openly trans. raphael is alive and kind of funny and lovable (”vampires excel at ispy”). julian was temporarily free of the spell and the parabatai bond didn’t exist. i kind of loved thule. but there were sad and hard parts too. everyone is basically dead. people who haven’t sworn loyalty to sebastian are chased around and hunted by demons for fun. tessa gave her life to finally defeat sebastian. and poor thule!livvy. having to live in a world all by herself. helen is presumably and almost certainly dead. same with dru. julian and emma were endarkened and now they’re dead (nice to see that julian would literally kill himself, in this case thule!julian for his family, though). tavvy was taken and for sure killed by a demon. that same demon slit ty’s throat and thule!livvy held him as he died. she had to make the hard a terrible decision to let cameron, her boyfriend and probably one of the only people she had left, die trapped in the silent city forever. and she couldn’t go with jules and emma back to earth. as much as i knew it was going to happen, it was still terrible and heart-wrenching to see them seperated again. her letter to ty was one of the few moments in the book that made me cry. the fact that ty didn’t even bother much with it really bothered me. ”i love you. i love you. i love you.” it will forever break my heart and also be one of my favorite lines from the entire series. i really do hope that thule!livvy and ty somehow meet in twp. i need them both to get some closure more than i can say.

7. ty. my poor, beautiful ty. he had a really amazing facade throughout pretty much the entire book. i genuinely believed he was okay for a while. but when kit kept mentioning the bruises on his hands, i knew something was up. when dru went into his room and found it a complete mess, with books and clothes everywhere and furniture destroyed, my heart literally cracked in my chest. my baby ty did not deserve the pain he was feeling. i wish he’d gotten more help from kit, or dru, or helen. i wish julian hadn’t been such an idiot with that spell, so he could’ve been there for ty like he deserved. seeing him so distraught made me almost happy that he brought back livvy’s ghost.

8. i’m a little confused about the whole livvy’s ghost thing. the way i read it, ty ripped a hole in the fabric between the world of the living and the world of the dead. but i literally read the entire last 300 pages in like two hours, so i don’t think i totally absorbed everything. (i’ll go back through it all on the reread). basically, if that’s the case, wouldn’t livvy be able to come and go between the worlds as she pleased? what about other ghosts? this is almost definitely tying into the plot of twp. the same way the emma and jules deciding to become parabatai tied into tda. i wish that he hadn’t raised her ghost, because livvy really deserved to rest peacefully. i just hope he has some nice times with livvy’s ghost before he probably has to get rid of her. hopefully, dru can learn to see her too. (also can we talk about her ghost coming to jules during the livia’s watch meeting? broke my heart)

9. dru really grew up right before our eyes, didn’t she? she went from a sort of shy, timid little girl who wanted nothing more than to join the fight to a strong young woman who knew her worth and learned that fighting in battle isn’t always what makes you brave. she went on her own and broke the prisoners out of the gard. and when everyone was going to battle, she stayed behind with tavvy to keep him safe and comfort him.  when jaime was being an ass (still mad at him by the way) she didn’t make herself into someone she wasn’t to try to make him happy. i’m really proud of dru. i can’t wait for her to go to the new shadowhunter academy, make some new friends. kick jaime’s ass for being a dick, and more in the wicked powers.

10. diego becoming inquisitor was probably one of the things i least expected from queen, but i can’t say i’m mad about it. i honestly think its the perfect job for him. i’m happy to see he’s moved on from cristina and didn’t die like i thought he would. he’s really grown on me throughout the series. i went from not really liking him, to hating him, to pitying him, to loving and respecting him as a character. i can’t wait to see what he does as inquisitor and how he help’s move the new clave-in-exile forward. speaking of which, alec as consul. wow. i am so proud of my little baby. he really does deserve the world. he is going to do amazing things for the clave and bring them forward to be more a more caring, accepting, and diverse group of people. i’m so happy that he’s now in the position to make the changes he wants to see in the world. like downworlder-shadowhunter marriages. speaking of which, the malec wedding! i am so happy for the two of them! it is so incredibly cute that alec surpirsed magnus with a wedding ceremony. and that he was so nervous to propose (even though they were already basically married anyways). it was so beautiful. jace as alec’s suggenes. catarina as magnus’. the fireworks. ugh. goals right there. it was also so sweet that kieran came and the hot faerie threesome reunited. and that emma and julian got to be together for real, in public, happily. the whole thing about the blackthorn kids freaking out whenever they found them kissing in the institute hallways was the cutest thing. it made me all warm and fuzzy. i was kind of happy to see that livvy’s ghost was there with ty, but i just hope that she isn’t always there and that ty will eventually learn to live without her. kit staring at him from a distance was sad and creepy. and i’m lowkey pissed that jem and tessa weren’t at the wedding. wtf is that guys? so rude. otherwise super cute, super fun, super happy way to end the book. i approve. 10/10.

11. i can’t believe that alec offered mark and cristina positions on the downworlder-shadowhunter alliance. this is like a dream come true for cristina and i’m so happy for her. i also really hope it will help mark reconcile the differences he feels from other shadowhunters, including his own family, and hopefully, he will feel less torn between the worlds of faeries and mortals. i’m also glad mark and cristina will be staying together. when i heard cristina was going back to mexico, i was very disappointed. her travel year was nowhere near over and i’d hoped she would’ve stayed in los angeles or her and mark would’ve gone with emma and jules. i’m really glad that her and mark will at least be together and get to grow as a couple. it is bittersweet though because it means that the blackthorns are growing apart. jules and emma are going on a (well-deserved) travel year, mark is moving to new york, cristina is going with him. ty is heading to the sholomance, next time we see dru she’ll be at the academy in new york. they’re doing what a normal family does as it grows, and going their separate ways, but it's still so hard to watch it happen when part of what i love about them is that they’re such a tight-knit group. i’m just glad that they’ll all have the institute to return to whenever they want.

12. haline really tugged at my heartstrings this time around. i’ve gotta say, i was fully prepared to not totally like aline. she wasn’t much of an important or defining character to me in tmi and what i did see of her was just kind of eh to me. when cassie released that frittata snippet i was so ready not to like her. i have a major blind spot when it comes to my blackthorn babies, and if anyone even sort of messes with them i am 100% ready to rip their heads off. but i actually really loved aline. she was badass and sensitive and funny and independent and caring all at the same time. seeing her with helen was honestly so cute. their relationship was amazing. i’m so glad they had each other while they were on wrangel island and helped each other adjust to being back. ugh hope to see more of them in la soon. hope they have their baby and tavvy won’t be the baby of the family anymore. i hope they’re only happy for the rest of their lives.

13. i honestly wish the cohort had died. like i was lowkey cheering giant fiery jules and emma on as they slowly, brutally murdered them one by one. they’re awful, bigoted, terrible people and i can’t stand them. zara is one of the worst. i honestly wish emma had killed her. in front of the institute, in battle, i don’t care. i just wish she was dead. she actually deserved it. stabbing emma in the back was one of the lowest moves she ever could have pulled. and all because she was throwing a tantrum that the sword she stole from emma was taken back by emma. when cortana chose emma i was probably the happiest i could be reading the book. emma deserved it and cortana knew it. i do have to say i was in shock that the cohort threatened to kill themselves when alec was elected. and even more shocked that the entire clave left alicante and idris to the cohort. i am sad that the shadowhunters lost their beloved home country. i knew that the cohort was going to gain some kind of power and that they weren’t going anywhere, but this is something i did not expect at all. i have high hopes for the clave-in-exile. alec has already been so good and kind. he changed the laws to allow shadowhunters and downworlders to get married. he praised and accepted diana for being trans and strives to educate himself on transgender people and shadowhunters and what exactly being trans means. hopefully, this kind of open-mindedness and acceptance of others and their differences will stem into the whole of the neurodiverse shadowhunter community. people. like ty, who have autism, or adhd, or dyslexia, or depression and anxiety. the subtle mentions of these things without naming them throughout tda really showed how ignorant the clave is to these kinds of people. (speaking as someone who has add and was ignored for a long time) it isn’t an easy feat to know there is something wrong or different about you but not have anyone acknowledge it. hopefully, alec will learn about the mundane treatments and coping mechanisms for the many neurodivergent shadowhunters out there and allow them the tools thet need to suceed.

14. when annabel died i cheered. i know it seems awful, but the image of julian severing her spine and stabbing her through the heart made me warm and fuzzy inside. my baby avenged his baby livia. AND thule!livvy was there to watch. a truly beautiful moment. i do not feel bad for annabel in the slightest. at first, she was so tortured and sad that i felt for her. even, a little bit, after she killed livvy. i would think, well the cohort was what drove her over the edge or maybe she wouldn’t have done it if her mind wasn’t so destroyed from malcolm’s spells.  but no. she proved that she was lucid and sane enough to manipulate and lie and deceive time and time again. in the unseelie court and in thule. when jules finally got to take of the rag with livvy’s blood on it and throw it onto her dying body i did a little dance. annabel deserved the death she got. and livvy deserved someone to avenge her. but what happened to the black volume? at first, i thought it would stay in thule forever, but if thule!jace and ash could make it into the seelie courts, then it stands to reason that there is another portal open somewhere and that the black volume can be brought back to the seelie queen. i have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of the black volume and necromantic magic in twp. also, can we talk about the fact that the black volume is the dark artifices? it makes sense considering the fact that it has been a major part and plot point of the entire series, but i felt like it was a little underhyped. the seelie king was like oh the black volume aka the dark artifices and then we never talked about it again. i don’t know is that just me?

15. clary is alive! i, for one, genuinely thought she was going to die. the fact that her dreams of herself dying were visions of what was happening in thule seemed kind of cheap. like there was a ton of build up for absolutely no reason. then again, her dreams really were only mentioned, like, once in the series before qoaad and really not much in queen. we really just hyped it all up a lot as a fandom, so i guess we shouldn’t have expected more. but i am glad she is alive because that means her and jace are getting married! when jace said he wanted six or eight kids because of the blackthorns, i cried a little inside. so cute! cassie better give us the clace wedding and not just fast forward to twp where they will already be married and chasing around a while expecting another baby (i am speaking this into existence). speaking of weddings that we need to see in writing, sizzy! my babies are happy! i have shipped sizzy since day one, guys. day one. if i am robbed of a sizzy wedding i will riot and it will not be pretty. 

16. that epilogue though! i was not expecting it. i was confused for a littke while. in the back of my mind, i was wondering how ash would even tie into twp if he was in thule. now i know. thule!jace is crazy. i have a feeling there will be an epic showdown between him and normal jace which will be super interesting. i have a feeling thule!jace is a lot like what our jace was like when he was linked to sebastian. considering he basically has been for quite some time and apparently, there is no going back. hopefully someone kills the seelie queen in twp and someone better can take over the trone bc that bitch has been getting on my nerves since day one.

17. ty is going to the sholomance and i’m so happy for my little baby. the sholomance is going to have great teachers, like catarina and ragnor, and ty is going to learn so much. kit is with tessa and jem and, while i’m still super pissed at him and upset he isn;t with ty, i am so glad he’s going to have parents for once in his life. parents who are loving and kind and caring. and he’ll get to hang out with baby carstairs (hopefully a boy named will. i’m speaking that one into existence too.). dru is going to make new friends. tavvy is going to grow up. helen and aline are going to have a baby, so all our faves will be aunts/uncles. ugh, i cannot wait for the wicked powers you guys have no idea!

this is basically it! if you guys want to hear my opinions on anything else, or you have any questions for me about any part of the book my asks are always open! i seriously love when you guys send me asks, so please do!

[keepingupwithfundies]

Counting On Season 9 Episode 7: A Bachelor No More

John & Abbie get married. Jessa & Ben announce they are expecting their third child. If you’d like to vote in our Baby Seewald #3 poll, click here! 

Two Quick Notes: (1) There is a some miscarriage discussion in this episode. That section will be marked with [TW:Miscarriage] and [End TW: Miscarriage] so you can skip it if you prefer. (2) Because we have Lauren Duggar (nee Swanson) and Laura DeMasie both playing large roles in this episode, in order to distinguish them I have used "Lauren" for Lauren Duggar and "LDM" for Laura DeMasie.

-T 

At the guest house, John and Abbie are making their unity candle. Neither of them has made a candle before. The producer asks them to recount how they met. John says they met at First Baptist Church of Ada where his parents were speaking, and they started texting and did not stop. About a week later he asked her to court him. Abbie says she wasn’t looking for a husband but meeting John was the right thing and they was a lot of peace in it. John says from the beginning of their courtship he was planning how he was going to propose and took some time to get it right. A few days short of 6 months after meeting, they are getting married at the same church they met at. They are both excited that it is their turn.

Back to candle making, Jennifer is also there to help them make a candle. First, they smell all the different options they have for scent. The producers have all the other couples, the twins, and Jana & Laura DeMasie ["LDM"] smell the scents, including one that is anchovies scent which no one enjoys. Neither John nor Abbie has really read the directions but they are having fun. First they are making candles for their moms and then they will make the unity candle. They add a lot of color to Michelle’s candle and Abbie worries it will turn out black. It fades as it dries, and now it is time to make the unity candle. Abbie wants it white, and so John goes over to the shop next door and uses a torch to burn the color out. Abbie is a little concerned he might burn off his eyebrows, but John is never concerned and it worked out. They finish their unity candle and they are excited that the wedding is even closer.

At the main house, Jana, LDM and some of the brothers are packing up to head to Oklahoma. Jana and LDM are decorating and coordinating for the wedding. Jana says the distance is concerning and they are really trying to ensure they don’t leave anything behind in order to make this work. Jana says it looks like they are moving for like a year. One of the brothers jokes that you should just elope. The producers ask Jana if she or any of her siblings would elope, and Jana says she thinks all couples have that feeling during planning. The twins and Jason agree because they feel their future spouse would want a ceremony and the Duggars like having all their friends there.

The team arrives in Oklahoma and they begin setting up. They begin at the hangar that Abbie and John have selected for their reception. The team begins unloading the tractors into the space. Jana says the theme is “Love is in the air” from Abbie. First things is to raise up the drapery that they will have going across the ceiling. The boys try to set a ladder up on the fork lift, which worries Jana. The brothers explain it is redneck engineering. The producers ask the other Duggars to explain that, and they say it is improvising with what you have to fix a problem, like duct tape or zip ties. Jana wins on the ladder thing, and the decorating kicks off. Jana says this is the first wedding she is in charge of, and also her twins wedding, so she wants to make it special. John says he knew Jana could do it. The twins and Jason agree that they would never want her position, it would be too much for them. Jana says she is bad at delegating and she is trying to learn. The centerpiece of the room, essentially a plastic circle holding up the drapery that will span the ceiling, is completed, and the drapery starts taking shape.

[TW: Miscarriage] At Josiah & Lauren’s, they are sitting at the piano preparing to practice the song they will sing at the wedding. Lauren is worried about singing in so large a crowd, and Josiah says to pretend it is just the two of them singing together. Abbie says this song has been sung at three out of the four of her siblings’ weddings. They begin practicing together. Lauren says they have been holding up as you would expect since the miscarriage, that it has sped up their marriage and that she thinks about the little one everyday and they are getting back to their routines and hoping they will be blessed with another little one. Jessa says she cannot imagine the grief Lauren is going through, and it is just about being there for them and trying to support them. Lauren said after the miscarriage, she lost a lot of blood and couldn’t walk, so Josiah would carry her. She says she has never seen someone serve their wife so much and he has taken such good care of her and that she wishes her baby could have known that. [End TW: Miscarriage]

It is rehearsal dinner day. The family is gathering at the main house at 6am preparing to leave for Ada. Travelling for the wedding makes it more difficult than usual. Jessa says when she is back at the house she goes right back to that older sister role and starts making sure everyone has dress shoes packed. Jessa says that her parents are taking a large van and she and Ben and taking their minivan and they will be travelling together.

The wedding team arrives at the church to set up that location and it should be done by 5. The hangar was done around 1am but they are happy with it. Jana says the church is a lot easier and they should be ok. The brothers get to work setting up the arbor, which they tried to get as ready as possible for at home. There are still some snags, and Jana comes over to figure it out. There is some disagreement about the best way to proceed but eventually they all figure out the issue and the arbor goes up. LDM says she and Jana work well together and they always forgive each other when they disagree. They know that they have a long couple days ahead of them finishing up for the wedding, which LDM says will take “25% hard work, and 75% more hard work.”

Abbie and John arrive at the church for their rehearsal day, and they are excited. LDM welcomes everyone to the rehearsal and Abbie says it finally felt real once they started rehearsing. Bob Gray II will be their officiant, and he is a pastor whose church John attends when working in Texas. Abbie’s father is going to officiate the vows as a special touch. Lauren recalls her rehearsal and she was excited to get to kiss him. Joe says he was excited and ready to get married. Austin said it felt like it took an eternity to get there but once they got there it was so fast. Jessa says it is hard to wrap your mind around getting married. John and Abbie say they are ready to kiss, and that the rehearsal went great and the wedding is really happening. John is looking forward to seeing her walking down the aisle.

At the hangar, Jana’s team is back at work to set up tables and chairs and add some finishing touches. There is an issue with the lights but the team is working on setting up the tables with Lauren Caldwell. The lights turn out to be a bigger issue than expected and Jana has people set up the tables. Jana is stressed, but everyone is working toward the goal and trying to make this happen.

It is the morning of the wedding, and John and Abbie arrive at the church and they are excited it is their big day. They decided to not to have a first look, and so they will begin getting ready in their own suites. Abbie’s friend from nursing school does her makeup, and one of her sisters is doing her hair. Abbie is giddy with excitement.

The guys are at the hangar pulling together the final details with some vendors. At the ceremony, Lauren and Jana are going over flowers and Jana is putting the finishing touches together. Jana is a bit concerned about running on time, but Lauren says it will all be fine. Destiny, Abbie’s friend from nursing school, says Abbie wanted glitter for her big day as well as pink and she is obliging her. Ms. Renee shows Abbie the dress and she is delighted with the sparkle. John says Abbie is a glitter girl so he is a glitter guy. The producers ask Tyler and Jackson their opinion about glitter, and neither of them are fans because it sticks to you and it is too girly. John also says he doesn’t like that glitter sticks to you but it's ok if he gets it from being close to Abbie.

Jeremy is vacuuming, since he offered to help, and he is now worried that the vacuum left marks on the rug. Jinger says LDM will have him scrub them out next.

Joe puts the boutonniere on John, since he is the best man. Joe says their age difference felt like a lot growing up but they are a lot closer now and he is glad to be there for his brother. They are about 20 minutes late for pictures, but LDM says that is fine since she built a lot of time into the schedule.

Abbie reveals her dress to her bridesmaids and she loves all their sparkle. Abbie says she really felt like a princess in her dress and she is really excited. Jana says her dress is really fitting for her sparkly personality.

Meanwhile, in the sanctuary, the Duggar brothers are planning a prank with a drone to deliver the ring. Joe knew about the prank and was all for it- it fits John and it won’t really affect the wedding. Jason says they might not even notice the prank.

John and Abbie do picture with their wedding parties. Abbie says she had convinced herself she would never get married and John had made his bachelor til the rapture jokes but the day is finally here. John says Jer or Jed can have his “bachelor til the rapture” saying if they want it. Joe cannot believe this day is here but he is happy for John. Abbie says it is hard to believe she is finally the bride this time. Jana cannot believe it is her twin’s big day and they have become even closer through the planning and she cannot believe this day is here.

John’s photographer tells him to do a “Zoolander blue steel” and the producers ask the Duggars about it and only Jeremy knows what it is. Joe and Kendra try to make the faces and they are so freaking cute. Ben tells Jessa they have to try, but Jessa keeps laughing.

Jim Bob takes John back to the place where John and Abbie met and how fast their relationship has gone. Michelle says she loves Abbie and they will make a great couple and they will be great parents someday and they are so excited for them.

The procession begins getting in order as it is nearly go time. The parents make their way in, and the mothers light the individual candles on either side of the unity candle. The groomsmen and bridesmaids make their way in, and the little ones as well. Abbie’s dad tells her that “this isn’t rehearsal, this is the real deal” and she agrees. Her dad also says “I hope he doesn’t fall over” and Abbie says she is worried she is going to cry. The processional starts, and everyone rises, and the doors open for John, who beams.

Abbie and her dad make their way down the aisle, and John says seeing Abbie in her dress was amazing, and she took his breath away. When asked who gives the bride away, Mr. Burnett reads a little piece about how they were only given her for a season by God and now transfer to this man. They make their way to the stage. John and Abbie hold hands on the stage as the pastor talks about how much prayer had gone into that day and then Mr. Burnett takes his place to oversee the vows. He reminds them it is a covenant and then says they will make their own vows. Abbie said they wanted to make their own vows rather than just recite something more traditional. John reads his vows to Abbie, calling her a “virtuous woman, and all the things on earth pale in comparison to you.” He says he will lead her by example, and gives himself wholly to her and will keep his eyes only for her and “purposes to lead their family as they follow Jesus, to kiss you when you least expect it…just because I love you so much.” Abbie goes next, calls him a “gracious gift from God,” and “keep my heart only for you.” She includes the passage from Ruth about going where he goes, adds “and fly where you fly,” and says his people will be her people because “your God is my God.” She says she will take his name and stay by his side, and ends with “I love you, Sugar Muffin.” [full vows available here] The other couples talk about the nickname Sugar Muffin, some of them missing it in the vows. John jokes that she doesn’t even eat sugar, or muffins, unless they are gluten and sugar free. Josiah says he sometimes calls Lauren Sugar Baby just to get her attention- not really. John and Abbie says they don’t get embarrassed about it.

It is time for the rings, and the preacher says he cannot find Abbie’s. It is time for the drone prank. Abbie says she wasn’t expecting any pranks. Joe catches the ring. Ben says his reaction was a facepalm “really?” moment. Jeremy says you expect something like this at this point. Joe passes the ring over to the preacher. John says he was waiting for the prank but it worked perfectly with the theme of the wedding. The preacher jokes that he is so grateful the drone didn’t hit them, and then guides the couple through the exchange of the rings. The next step is to light the candle, which means it is time for Lauren and Josiah to sing. They then sign something on the back of the stage. The song concludes, and the preacher concludes the ceremony and pronounces them husband and wife. He then says that John may kiss his bride. John kisses both of her hands first, and then her shoulders, her forehead, her cheeks before finally kissing her mouth. John says he planned that and wanted to take it slow and wanted to live the moment. John says that half the wedding comes to see the kiss and the other half comes for the cake, so they wanted to give them their money’s worth. Abbie knew what was coming and she said she would follow his lead. The siblings say it was unforgettable, and Kendra says it was awkward to watch. Lauren just wanted him to kiss her already. Jason literally said “go get a hotel room” and Austin says Abbie is a trooper. The producers asks if they will reenact the kiss. Lauren and Josiah make a joke out of it. Ben kisses Jessa once and she tells him to stop. Jim Bob and Michelle even reenact it.

It is reception time, and we get to see Jana’s hard work pay off in the hangar. Some of the drapery was knocked down by the wind but that is ok with them. John and Abbie are announced into the ceremony and make their way to the stage. They cut the cake and nicely feed each other a bite, but then lick frosting off each other’s fingers. Then they kiss. Abbie is really grateful so many people came and John thanks the crowd. The other couples say they have a lot of good getting to know each other better and firsts to go.

John and Abbie make their way to the plane, and Jana gives them both one big hug before they get into the plane to take off. John is looking forward to all the wonderful everyday things of marriage. John lifts Abbie into the plane and does a quick walk around of the plan before flying them away. John says they are looking forward to settling into their little house and being together.

At the end of the episode, a few days after the wedding, Jessa and Ben are spending time with Jinger and Jeremy. A friend had some little girl hand-me-downs to pass on, and the Seewalds added a little card which said “there is a 50% chance we might be asking for these back next summer.” After a minute, the Vuolos realize they are having a baby and they are surprised but excited for them. Jessa says she is 10 weeks which is earlier than she has previously announced but she wanted to tell them while they were in town. The family talks about all the announcements from this year: Josiah & Lauren’s wedding, John & Abbie’s wedding, and the births of Gideon, Garrett and Felicity. The producers say what if there was another announcement and the family says its about the time of year for another baby. The family is excited for them. Kendra cries because she is so excited for them. The family gathers to celebrate their special announcement. Spurgeon says they are going to eat pizza at Granny’s house. They are nervous about having three babies around and they have a lot to work on. Ben is excited to see Spurgeon, a little older, see the new baby since Henry probably still won’t get it. Kendra says she also has a baby itch and would be thrilled for #2. The twins say there could be three babies and three marriages at the same time. Joe and Kendra says they are planning a house, still doing car work and they be open to more kids in God’s timing. Kendra says they’re letting Garrett grow up a little bit. Josiah & Lauren are hoping to grow their family. Jinger and Jeremy are looking forward to watching Felicity grow this year. Joy says Gideon is starting to move around and walk a little and she hopes they will have #2 soon. Ben says they are in the groove so might as well throw another one in the mix.