#knowing that great care has happened in the interim

[fanchonmoreau]

In honor of Cabaret starting performances on Broadway tomorrow, here's Marin Mazzie singing the reinstated song 'I Don't Care Much' which is sung by the Emcee in Act 2.

[nientedenada]

Five Skyrim Lore Facts You May Not Know!

And unlike some of the clickbait videos on Youtube, these ones are absolutely true. Let me address some of the most common lore confusions I regularly see. As a Listicle, because why not? (It's easier than writing out long lore posts.)

The Blades never served the Mede Empire. Martin was the last Emperor they served. They then devoted themselves to looking for a new Dragonborn and working against the Thalmor. Titus Mede I created a new organization called the Penitus Oculatus, which handled all intelligence and security for the Mede Dynasty. The Penitus Oculatus has been the official Imperial organization for more than 175 years, while the Blades have been an independent force. It makes the Mede decision to outlaw the Blades a lot easier to understand if you know they weren't their employees at all. The Blades were loose cannons they couldn't control.

Ysgramor didn't destroy the snow elves. The stories about Ysgramor say he and his 500 Companions showed up in Skyrim, killed or sent the snow elves into exile, took all of Skyrim, and then wandered over to pick fights with the neighbours. In reality, the Falmer weren't completely driven from Skyrim till the reign of King Harald, thirteen generations after Ysgramor. In the interim, there was a whole Dragon cult and war, culminating with Alduin being flung through the time wound. It's a long period. The real Ysgramor definitely clashed with his snow-elf neighbours but he's accumulated the stories of hundreds of years around his mythic name.

The Companions haven't been a Nord-only organization for a very long time. You might think that a bunch of warriors venerating the legacy of Ysgramor and his Companion would be Nord only, and that was probably true way back in the First Era. But by the end of the First Era, the Companions had boasted both a Redguard and Elf (Altmer or Bosmer) Harbinger. Cirroc and Henantier are some of the most famous Harbingers in the history of the Companions. We're in the Fourth Era now, so if you're playing a non-Nord, you're following in a long tradition by joining the companions. (As is Athis.)

The Imperial Legion didn't win back most of Cyrodiil in the Great War. People often ask why Titus Mede II agreed to the harsh peace of the White-Gold Concordat after his army had destroyed the Dominion army in Cyrodiil and taken back the Imperial City. But that's not what really happened. The Legion destroyed "the main army". Other Aldmeri armies are mentioned in Cyrodiil. After Red Ring, the Dominion still occupied Anvil, Skingrad, Bravil, and Leyawiin. "The Great War" doesn't say that any of these cities were liberated. Put those territories together and you'll realize the Empire never got back its coastline or the Niben river. Titus Mede made his deal while the Dominion still occupied half of Cyrodiil. Maybe he could have won if he'd pushed on, but his decision is a lot easier to understand with this context.

The Bretons Don't Worship Talos. This is one of my favourite lore bits to explain. Talos is not a god in TES II, Daggerfall, though he is a historical figure, Tiber Septim. He's only introduced as a god in Morrowind. So, a lot of people assume that he's been retconned into the Breton religion, like he was into the Nord/Imperial religions. This is not true. In both Morrowind and Skyrim, the book Varieties of Faith in the Empire does not list Talos/Ysmir as part of the Breton pantheon. They worship the Eight (and sometimes Y'ffre, Magnus, and Phynaster), as they always have. Tiber Septim is an important historical figure whom some Bretons regard as one of their own, but he isn't an official god. I love this tidbit because it makes the White-Gold Concordat absolutely brilliant. One remaining province, Skyrim, gets all upset while High Rock wouldn't care. Cyrodiil is presumably somewhere in the middle. It's a perfect way to drive a wedge among the provinces. (Hammerfell's left the Empire, but for the record, they don't worship Talos either.)

[bts-hyperfixation]

Outside of the fox

Chapter 20 of 30

2000ish words

Y/N longs for a new life when the one she'd been living comes to an abrupt stop. Without much thought to those she is leaving behind, the little fox packs a backpack and disappears. She stumbles across the shelter and makes an interim home for herself while she works out exactly what she wants from her second chance.

Last

With the last week's anxiety, it had been easy to miss the small changes happening in the house around you. Taehyung had fully moved his stuff into Jimin's bedroom, shuffling Yoongi's stuff into Namjoon's room. In turn, Hoseok had officially added his stuff into Namjoon's room, forcing the bear downstairs with Jungkook, not that either seemed to mind, Jungkook using the opportunity to make nests with Namjoon's best shirts. Plus you would often wake up around midnight to find Namjoon sneaking into bed with you anyway.

However, as you walked into the kitchen on Sunday morning, it was easy to see the growing animosity within the rabbit hybrid. He sat at the kitchen table, glaring around as Jimin sat in Taehyung's lap and Namjoon giggled at his phone. Hoseok and Yoongi also looked deliriously happy as they danced around each other to prepare breakfast.

You made a point of sitting next to the youngest. He acknowledges you with a weak smile as you lower yourself into the chair, still not the fondest of you and probably more than a little confused that you haven't taken your usual perch next to Jimin.

"Did you sleep okay Jungkook?" You ask.

"I guess." He shrugs.

"You guess? Surely if anyone was going to know how you slept it would be you?" You chuckle trying to lighten his mood.

You watch as the man visibly sours further.

"I guess it would be me, seeing as how I slept alone again..."

His bottom lip wobbles a little and you find yourself reaching for his hand instinctively. Both of you seem surprised when he doesn't pull away. Occasionally he has been known to cuddle into you, but he hasn't ever let you initiate contact until now.

His wide eyes meet yours, tears forming along the waterline, threatening to spill. No one else seems to have noticed even as Jungkook's scent began to sour, burning caramel blending in with the pancakes that Hobi had left on the stove too long.

"Jungkook? Can you help me move my bed? I dropped something under there earlier."

The man nods harshly and pulls you up from the table. He walks quickly from the room, holding your hand tightly. You glance back to find the others looking at you inquisitively but you just shake your head and they continue their own conversations.

Jungkook doesn't stop until he is standing in your bedroom, door shut. Tears are making tracks down his cheeks and he is looking around fervently, concerningly close to a panic attack. He finally lets go of your hand as his eyes land on the pillow Namjoon's been using. He picks it up and squeezes it tightly, burying his nose as deeply as he can. He sits on the corner of your bed breathing deeply.

Awkwardly you decide to just sit on the floor, giving him space to work through his mindset. Your fingers twitch to reach out to him. It's difficult to not want to protect him, you can see why the others are so eager to play bodyguard for him whenever they do get him to leave the house. He inspires a great amount of care.

As his breathing starts to even, his face rolls up slightly from the pillows so his eyes can meet yours. they are rimmed with red but no more tears seem to be coming.

"Did I do something?" He asks, his tiny voice muffled even more by the pillow.

"What could you have done Kookie?"

"I don't know, something that made them stop loving me? I can't lose another family"

Your heart breaks for him. His voice turns watery like the tears can reappear at any moment. You push away the curiosity that accompanies the last part of his sentence and focus on helping as best you can. You immediately disregard his usual discomfort and go to him, wrapping your arms tightly around him. Jungkook leans into your embrace.

"They haven't stopped loving you Jungkook. They will never stop loving you."

"Then why don't they want to spend time with me anymore?"

He puts the pillow down and moves himself into a more comfortable position with you. His cold nose burrows into your throat making you shiver as it brushes across your scent gland.

"Because they have been... preoccupied... Have you told them how you feel? They aren't psychic you know?"

"I didn't have to tell you..." He sniffles.

"I'm more intimately acquainted with the look of loneliness in your eyes." You admit.

"I don't like being lonely."

"Me either."

His arms wrap around your waist and he pulls you back to lie down properly as he cuddles around you.

_______

Sometime later Namjoon came into your room to work out what was going on. Only to find Jungkook curled up asleep in your arms, cheeks still extra puffy. He raises an eyebrow at you but you just shake your head, signalling you will tell him later. Still, the large man feels the need to try and fit himself into the already limited space with the two of you.

He clumsily climbs against the headboard, leaning back so he can pull Jungkook into his lap. The bunny barely rouses as he is manhandled into position. Namjoon leaves just enough space for you to settle on his other side, allowing you to move yourself into place.

He strokes at your hair absently as his other hand draws circles on Jungkook's back.

"What happened?" He whispers, leaning down to speak directly in your ear.

"I'm sure he will tell you when he wakes up." You answer.

"I'm not sure he will, he has been awfully quiet recently." Namjoon frowns.

"Has he been quiet? Or does he just think no one is listening?" You point out.

Namjoon quiets, his introspective look settling over his features as you both go back to watching Jungkook sleep.

____________

You slip from the room as Jungkook starts to stir giving him space to be alone with Namjoon for a little while. You look for Jimin and Yoongi as you go through the house, hoping to send them in Jungkook's direction at some point today.

Jimin is easy to find. He and Taehyung are fooling around on the sofa, a movie playing in the background that it is clear neither of them is watching.

*ahem* You cough loudly as you descend the stairs. Both of them look over the back of the sofa at you but make no move to actually separate.

"Y/N, we missed you at breakfast." Taehyung pouts.

"Yeah, Yoongi made your favourite," Jimin says.

"Yoongi always makes everyone's favourites." You roll your eyes.

"Still, it was delicious." Taehyung shrugs.

You purposeful position yourself between the two on the sofa, pushing them apart.

"If you wanted to join in Y'N-ah, all you had to do was ask..." Taehyung says.

He walks his fingers up your arm playfully and you swat him away.

"Actually, what I want is for Jimin to go upstairs and 'join in' with Jungkook and Namjoon." You say. "Kooie has been feeling a little... down lately."

The smile immediately falls from Jimin's face and he shoots off. He jumps the back of the sofa and takes the stairs two at a time with impressive speed.

"Damn... is it just me that found that sexy?" Taehyung asks.

He watches hungrily as Jimin disappears at the top of the stairs.

"No." You admit, feeling your own stomach tighten at the sight.

"Seeing as you sent my movie buddy away, would you like to watch with me? Promise we can actually watch the movie... well most of it anyway..." He grins cheekily.

He raises his arm in a mock yawn, clearly reaching to put it over your shoulders.

"Sorry Tae, I've still gotta find Yoongi," you say, dodging his manoeuvre.

He pouts after you, whining petulantly as you walk towards the back door. You ignore him as you shut it behind you, immediately regretting not grabbing a hoody.

You walk briskly to the studio and ring the bell Yoongi installed a few weeks back. The door creaks open and you are greeted by a very dishevelled Yoongi as he squints into the sunlit backyard.

"Y/N?" he asks seemingly disorientated. "Is everything okay?"

"Why do you look like you've been in there for the last six days? It's barely been a couple of hours..." You ask.

"Its... It's been a very intense session. "

It's then you glance past him just in time to see Hoseok quickly scrambling to get his clothes back on.

"Ah... I'm glad to see the music is going well..." You stifle a giggle as Yoongi grumbles at you.

"We needed some moans for the backing vocals" Hobi supplies unhelpfully.

"And those can only be achieved that way can they?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Only if you want them to sound authentic." He nods. "I can prove it to you if you like?"

"Anyway..." Yoongi interrupts before you have time to blush. "Did you need something?"

"Right, yeah. You need to go see Jungkook, now. He is in my room."

The older man doesn't ask any more questions, he sprints back towards the house, forgoing shoes as he rushes past. Hoseok opens the doorway up more to let you in and you accept the invitation, more than curious to see the magic behind the curtain so to speak. This is the first time you've had the opportunity to go into the studio.

Hoseok rushes to clear the sofa space of empty plastic bottles and crisp packets.

"Sorry, we haven't really been in a cleaning zone for a while." He rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly.

You just shrug and perch on the left. Hobi sits to your right and makes himself comfortable. You look around the small space and can see how it must be easy for the pair to lose track of time. The only window is tinted heavily, not allowing for any natural light. Instead, there are strips of LED lights, all currently set to red, and computer screens with the brightness down.

"This really is more like a cave than a room huh?" You ask.

"Usually we have the lights on a different setting..." He says.

"Right... this setting is just for when you need certain... sound effects right?" You tease.

"Yeah... want me to show you how they're made?"

He slides closer to you, caging you in against the arm of the chair. His breath ghosts across your lips as he looks at you hungrily. You glance between his eyes and his lips, almost prepared to close the gap until you remembered what had just been happening behind the closed studio door.

"Our first kiss isn't going to be immediately after you just had Yoongi's dick in your mouth right?" You question, leaning back as much as the limited space allows.

"Don't be silly love, my dick was in his mouth." He grins cheekily. before closing the gap.

Hoseok doesn't treat you as gently as the other two had. He bites at your bottom lip and slips his tongue inside when you gasp in pain. He leaves you breathless, gasping for air in the brief moments he allows you between kisses. His hands hold your waist, grabbing at you like you might disappear if he lets go. You wrap your arms around his neck, hands curving up to find purchase in his hair. You tug at the brunette strands with the same feverish need that he grapples with your waist.

"Please tell me I wasn't the last one who got to do that." He says as his forehead rests against yours.

You pant heavily trying to regain your breath.

"Wouldn't Yoongi have told you?" You ask, avoiding answering him.

"The bastard is being very tight-lipped about his advances towards you." He grumbles.

"Would you be upset if you were last?"

"Only if you told me I was also the worst." He shrugs.

"Well then... at least you aren't last." You joke.

He feigns offence, hitting you with a pillow from behind him. You grab another pillow and hit him back until he accidentally falls to the floor. Hoseok holds his hands up in defeat and you take one to help him back up, only to be betrayed as he drags you to meet him on the floor.

He rolls on top of you, once again trapping you against him.

"Well if I'm the worst, it looks like I'm going to need the practice." He announces before he kisses all over your face messily, purposefully avoiding your lips as you squirm beneath him.

Next

Masterlist

Send me asks - doesn't have to be fic related. Can be smutty, thirsty, fluffy, angsty, whatever you're feeling regarding BTS. Can be literally anything doesn't have to be BTS

Sorry for the long wait guys....

[deusvervewrites]

I Think I Know Why I Dislike Bakugou's Writing

Yes I know I just did the AFO/Asano Meta, but I feel like I need to do this too

To clarify: this is not me bashing on Bakugou. I want to like Bakugou. If you like Bakugou, you aren't wrong. You just deserve better for him.

Let's begin.

For at least a week now, I have had a picture open in a tab on my browser. This picture is something that I was beginning to think was made up by an Ao3 author because I had only ever seen one mention of it. And now that I've found it for myself, I found myself holding on to it and trying to figure out how to feel about it.

But now that's led to me finally having a way to verbalize the issues I have with how Bakugou has been written throughout the series.

On paper, Bakugou has one of the most interesting character arcs in manga. He goes from being a self-absorbed asshole with a superiority-inferiority complex who only wants to be a Hero because they win fights to the genuinely Hero Midoriya believes he can be.

In practice... well.

Let's play a game really quickly. I'll describe a scene from My Hero Academia, and I want you to guess what chapter it is. It doesn't have to be exact, just a general idea. Here's the scenario:

Midoriya manages to use a Quirk that's destructive to him without seriously hurting himself, and is proud of this accomplishment. In response, Bakugou gets incensed and physically attacks him.

Thought about it? Got an idea? Keep that in mind for later.

So here is my issue with Bakugou: there are two Bakugous. I know that sounds weird but let me explain what I mean. I'll call them Interim Bakugou and Dramatic Bakugou.

Dramatic Bakugou saw his classmates at the Battle Trial and realized that he wasn't the Big Man on Campus. He was furious with Todoroki for not using his fire at the Sports Festival, and infuriated by his internship with Best Jeanist. Dramatic Bakugou was kidnapped by the League because he's an asshole. He blames himself for All Might retiring, and he failed the Provisional License Exam because he's a asshole. Dramatic Bakugou told a kid that he needed to acknowledge his own weakness, took a hit for Midoriya in the War Arc, and apologized to him.

Dramatic Bakugou is improving as a person and a Hero.

Dramatic Bakugou also barely appears in the manga.

We are instead left with Interim Bakugou, the Bakugou who exists in the interim between dramatic moments. Interim Bakugou has not changed from his first appearance on the first page of Chapter 1, when he was five, beating the shit out of Midoriya.

Interim Bakugou tried to attack Midoriya on Day 1, and tried to kill him on Day 2. Interim Bakugou listened in on a private conversation about how Endeavor's obsessions broke him and learned nothing. Interim Bakugou told the League of Villains that he wouldn't join them because he likes how Heroes look when they win. Interim Bakugou told the Help Us Company actors to fuck off. Interim Bakugou dragged Midoriya out to Ground Beta to beat the shit out of him because he was butthurt about his exam and making it all about him. Interim Bakugou won the Joint Training Battle because he wanted to be the Undisputed Best. Interim Bakugou never calls people by their real names.

Interim Bakugou called himself Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. Interim Bakugou told the class that Deku is fucked in the head and doesn't care about what happens to himself, while ignoring that he called Midoriya 'Useless' so often Midoriya responds to it like his own name. Interim Bakugou uses Deku right up to the moment that Dramatic Bakugou apologized for inventing it in the first place.

Interim Bakugou never changes, no mater how much Dramatic Bakugou tries.

Here, let me prove it. You remember that game I had you play a few paragraphs ago, yes? What chapter did you say? Chapter 7, during the Quirk Apprehension Test?

Well, I have to admit that I lied a little. That picture I've had on my browser for the past week or so? It's actually a screencap of the manga.

This is from Chapter 253, after Midoriya shows his progress with Blackwhip.

This is five chapters away from the start of the War Arc.

This is 69 chapters before he apologizes, most of which aren't focused on him at all.

This is within the Final Saga, as Horikoshi puts it.

And Interim Bakugou is indistinguishable from Orientation Day eleven months ago

I will freely admit that this is clearly meant to be a joke, and that he did not hurt Midoriya as severely as the class is acting, but the behavior is still there. It hasn't changed a bit. Interim Bakugou hasn't changed a bit.

Dramatic Bakugou, in a flashback, confessed to All Might that he used to bully Midoriya.

Interim Bakugou still does.

This is why I don't like how Horikoshi writes Bakugou. I want to like Dramatic Bakugou and follow his journey, but for every step forward he takes, Interim Bakugou takes two steps back. All of his apologies feel hollow because Interim Bakugou is demonstrably the same.

And that's why his apology rings hollow. Here's a transcript of it from my fan translation of choice:

Do you remember what I told you after Shigaraki stabbed me? (...) "Don't even think about winning this alone!" After yelling that out, my body moved on its own, and I was impaled. Yet I knew that I had to tell you those words.

I always looked down on you, just because you were Quirkless. You were always far away behind me, yet, I felt that you were somehow miles ahead of me. I hated that. I didn't want to feel like that. And I didn't want to recognize that. It's why I grew so distant from you and always tried to beat you down.

I opposed you and tried to show my superiority over you. But I always lost. After entering UA absolutely nothing went as I thought it would. I spent all my days trying to figure out your strengths and weaknesses.

It probably doesn't mean anything telling you all this but that's what I really think. Izuku... I'm sorry for everything I've done up until now.

The path you took as a successor of One For All is exactly what All Might did. Your choices weren't misguided at all. But as of now, you can barely stand on your own. Your ideals alone can only take you so far. If you ever encounter a road bump, you can always count on us for help. To surpass All Might, your ideal Hero, we would all have to protect UA and the civilians in there together. It's the only way.

There are three parts to an apology.

You have to be sorry for the harm you caused. Bakugou says that he is.

You have to understand how you hurt them. Bakugou... acknowledges that he "grew distant" and "beat Midoriya down."

You have to either ask how to make it right, or promise never to cause that harm again. Bakugou... promises that they'll all surpass All Might.

Though I will give him credit for acknowledging the protection of civilians, good job Dramatic Bakugou.

Dramatic Bakugou seemingly can't apologize for Interim Bakugou, because Interim Bakugou isn't sorry. Interim Bakugou is the same as always.

So the truth is that I love Dramatic Bakugou's character arc, and I hate Interim Bakugou for not having one

[broken-clover]

Animalese

Yup apparently I'm officially becoming that one guy who makes crossover fics. God help me.

Bit of Miitopia interim stuff. I don't know why Tao spends so much time with the horse so I assume they're just gossip buddies

-

A crop of whinnying and the clatter of wood had stirred Phoenix from his sleep. Nothing of value lost, but the ruckus meant that he couldn’t even entertain the futile thought of just rolling over and going back to bed.

He found his glasses and bedside lamp more with muscle memory than conscious awareness. By the time he was approaching something like proper wakefulness, he was already halfway down the hall. Phoenix paused, momentarily, to be sure he wasn’t at the top of the stairs and about to fall, and continued on.

Fluttershy again, he could only assume. He hadn’t seen any other horses in the stable when they’d pulled in. Even though she was a pretty good-tempered horse, she wasn’t immune to trouble. There had been a couple of nights back in Greenhorne where she’d gotten stuck in something and started to panic. Ever since, he had tried to keep at least one of them nearby her, whether that be bunking in the room next door or just straight-up sleeping in the stable.

Tonight’s horse-watching duty was supposed to be Taokaka’s. She never objected to the task the way that I-no did, but it didn’t mean Phoenix wasn’t worried still. Taokaka was…great, really, she was wonderful, just not the most…attentive. He’d hesitated to put her on guard duty when they had to camp out. The one time he had, she’d fallen asleep before the rest of them could even make it to the tent. Was that what had happened here? Then again, knowing Tao, she might have just wandered off at the sight of something vaguely interesting, and entirely forgotten what she was supposed to be doing.

No, no, he didn’t have to be so mean. Just worry more about cleaning up the mess than about chewing people out. 

He approached the stable, blearily rubbing at his eyes. Hopefully Fluttershy wasn’t too riled up.

“Tao knows, right?”

The man halted, hand still on the door. Tao was still in there? 

While mostly closed, there was still enough of a gap between the stable’s wall and the door that Phoenix could peer through. When he squinted, he saw…not much of interest. Fluttershy was comfortably seated on the ground, and while he didn’t notice Taokaka at first, she wobbled into sight soon after, clothes soaked through with something.

She shook herself out, spraying droplets everywhere. “Bleh! I dunno why they’d put it up there.” A look was sent in the horse’s direction. “Tao can getcha more water when she’s not all soggy. This place stinks!” She hissed. “This place has a dumb trippy stool that can’t even hold Tao up without it breaking! Talk about low quality service, meow!”

Oh, okay. Just an accident, then. Nobody hurt. Good. He saw no reason to interfere if there wasn’t a problem. If he did, he imagined Tao would try to hang off of him and keep him from going back to bed because she wanted to play.

When she got within reach, Fluttershy leaned over and began licking the spilled water off of Tao’s cheek. “Haha! That tickles!”

“What the hell is going on in there?”

The man yipped, nearly falling forward into the door. When he turned around, I-no was fluttering right over his shoulder, visibly holding back a smirk from successfully startling him.

“When did you get here?”

“I dunno,” I-no shrugged. “Someone woke me up, so I was gonna return the favor by shoving my pitchfork up their ass.”

“H-hey! Hey!” Phoenix whisper-shouted, throwing up his hands and trying not to recall her tendency to ‘gently prod’ him and the others in the backside during battles. “It’s still late, we can still get some sleep…”

“Mrr? Whattaya mean, horsie?”

The two immediately quieted. After several moments, Phoenix ventured another careful glance into the stall. Neither Tao nor the horse were looking anywhere near their direction. Currently, the cat was smacking at Fluttershy’s muzzle, in a way that was hard to tell if it was some sort of play, or if she was swatting at a bug.

“Aw c’mooon, Tao told you who she likes, which means you gotta tell Tao who horsie likes!”

Fluttershy made a low snort and tossed her mane aside.

“You and Red Lady best friends yet?”

I-no scooted in closer to get a look of her own. “Is…is she talking to the horse?”

He didn’t have an answer. Common sense, of course, told him that they couldn’t be, but his eyes were making him skeptic. It certainly appeared so? He may not have been able to understand the horse’s sounds, but Tao spoke with the confidence of someone who did. Or, at least, thought they could.

The two watched in silence through the opening. Taokaka pawed at the lingering sheen of water on her face. Her ears were sodden and drooping with displeasure, but her tail still swished mischievously.

“You don’t do all those purr-etty tricks for her like you do for Tao! Does that mean I’m your favorite?”

Gleefully giggling, the cat tossed herself across Fluttershy’s back. The horse made a little huff of indignation, but made no motion to kick her off.

“Yeah, Red Lady is real grumpy. ‘n she gets all shouty when I try to pick up road snacks! Doesn’t she know Tao’s super hungry, meow?”

Fluttershy whinnied in a way that, if he was going crazy, Phoenix would swear was a noise of agreement.

“But she’s pretty! And she’s got meat buns! Nowhere near as big as Boobie Lady’s, though…”

“Meat…buns…?” It took him far longer than he’d care to admit to interpret what that was supposed to mean, and as soon as he did, he could feel his face warming.

A finger prodded his cheek. “Aww, lookit you all flustered. Do you really have so little experience that that gets you blushing?”

“Tao hasn’t got to squish ‘em yet, but they look weird. I’m startin’ to think Red Lady’s are fake.”

Despite himself, Phoenix covered his mouth with a hand and desperately tried not to laugh. Every time he thought he’d gotten used to Taokaka’s blunt method of speaking, she proved him wrong. 

When he looked over his shoulder to his teammate, however, she did not share his sense of amusement.

“...Okay, that’s it- !”

“I-no- !”

All he could think of in the moment was to wrap around the imp to keep her from barging in. It worked. For about three seconds, until they collectively lost balance on a set of unsteady legs pulling in two different directions. The two stumbled back in a tangle, landing on the hay-lined floor with a thud.

Tao yawned, swiveling her head around as her ears twitched. “Whazzat, horsie? You hear something?”

Fluttershy chuffed, settling her head against one leg.

“Mrr, yeah, you’re right. Horsie and Tao need to get a looootta sleep! Otherwise Good Guy’s gonna get all whiney about it.” Tao got cozy on the horse's back and nodded off almost immediately, entirely oblivious to the scuffle still going on outside.

[lalalilylulu]

I said this before and I'll say it again.

Alec and Lily's friendship is underappreciated

Here is the tidbits of their growing friendship throughout the series (mostly happened in short stories, cassie i need more of them)

“One of the Nephilim,” said Lily, bad girl that she was, and she drummed on the table of their booth with shining blue fingernails. “My, my.” “Hi?” said Alec. —What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything

“I think I saw you earlier,” said Alec hesitantly. “You were—making out with a faerie girl?”

(...)

“Why, you want to make something of it?” The woman bristled. “How happy I am to see the Nephilim constantly crashing our parties. Were you even invited?” “I’m a plus-one,” said Alec. The vampire girl relaxed slightly. “Oh, right, you’re Magnus’s latest disaster,” she said. “That’s what Raphael calls you. I’m Lily.”

(...)

“I’ve decided I detest you,” Lily told Alec. “It’s mutual,” Alec said dryly. Unexpectedly, that made the vampire woman smile, before Raphael dragged her away.

****

“Someone dropped a piece of roof on me,” Bat told him, blinking in a way that was more owlish than wolfish. “Inconsiderate.” Alec realized Bat was not so much on a murderous out-of-control rampage as mildly concussed. “Easy there,” he said, as Bat tumbled against his chest. He looked around for the most trustworthy person, for someone to be on his team. He took a gamble and dumped Bat into Lily’s arms. “Watch him for me, will you?” he asked. “Make sure he gets out all right.” “Put that werewolf down immediately, Lily,” Raphael ordered. “It really hurts that you would say that,” Bat muttered, and shut his eyes. Lily considered Bat’s head, pillowed on her lavender bosom. “I don’t want to put him down,” she announced. “The Shadowhunter gave this DJ to me.”

—The Red Scrolls of Magic

"Don't waste my time, Lily," Alec said. "What do you want?" "I want you to sit down and help me, I suppose," Lily grumbled. Alec had sat down. **** "I like Alec so much," Lily told Magnus at a party months later, slightly drunk and with glitter in her hair. "Especially when he gets snippy with me. He reminds me of Raphael." "How dare you," Magnus had replied. "You are speaking of the man I love."

****

"LIGHTWOOD!" Lily bellowed, charging in. "Ah yes, Lily Chen, I believe?" said Robert Lightwood, turning to her with the dignity of the Inquisitor and no sign of surprise. "I remember you were interim representative for the vampires on the Council for a time. Glad to see you again. What can I do for you?" (...) Lily did not care. "Not you!" she snapped. "Who even are you?" "I'm the Inquisitor?" said Robert. "I was the head of the New York Institute for over a decade?" Lily rolled her dark eyes. "Oh, congratulations, do you want a medal? I need Alexander Lightwood, obviously,"

****

"I do not talk to Nephilim about Downworlder business," Lily said severely. The Lightwood parents stared at her, and then swung their heads in sync to stare at their son. Lily waved a dismissive hand in their direction. "Except for Alec, he's a special case. —"

****

"You're sure the werewolves have this in hand?" "Yes," said Alec. "You didn't need to charge to Idris and spill Downworlder business in front of my whole family." "If they're your family, they know you can handle a little thing like this," Lily said dismissively.

****

"What?" Lily asked, looking up at Alec and sounding shy suddenly. "I always liked children, when I was alive. People said I was good with them." She laughed, a little self-consciously. "It's been a while." "That's great," said Alec. "You'll be willing to babysit occasionally, then." "Ha-ha, I'm the head of the New York vampire clan and I'm much too important," Lily told him. "But I'll see him when I drop by your place."

****

She stood on her tiptoes in high-heeled boots, kissed Alec on the cheek, and sashayed out. "I do not like that vampire's attitude," said Robert in the silence following Lily's departure. "Lily's all right," said Alec mildly.

—Born to Endless Night

“I thought I might bring Lily,” he told Magnus. “She can speak Spanish. And I thought it might cheer her up. She likes Jem.” Nobody at any Market would question Lily’s presence. Everybody had heard of the Downworlder and Shadowhunter Alliance by now, and it was well known that members of the Alliance helped each other out. Magnus raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I know Lily likes Jem. I’ve heard the nicknames.”

****

“Do you . . .” Alec coughed. “Do you want to talk?” Lily tipped her head back to stare all the way up at him. “About feelings? Do we do that?” “Preferably not,” said Alec, which made her smile. “But we could.”

****

There had been a time when Alec was unsettled by vampires, but Lily had always so clearly needed someone, and Alec had wanted to be there for her. They’d been teammates running the Alliance with Maia for long enough now that Lily felt like Aline Penhallow, a friend close enough to be family.

****

“So you’re Alec Lightwood,” said the head of the Buenos Aires Institute slowly. “Then this must be your Downworlder whore.” There was a terrible silence. It was broken by Lily, who blinked and said: “Excuse me? Have you been living in a hole? Are you not aware Alec is dating famous warlock Magnus Bane and is not interested in ladies of any persuasion?” There was a rush of whispers. Alec didn’t think everyone was stunned by this information. They were stunned that Lily would say it, as if they expected him to be ashamed. “Let’s be clear on this matter. This is my friend Lily, the head of the New York vampire clan.” Alec put his hand on his seraph blade, and the whispers hushed. “Think very carefully,” said Alec, “about how you wish to speak of her. Or of Magnus Bane.”

****

“You can stay here,” he agreed grudgingly. “The Downworlder cannot.” “Like I want to,” Lily sneered. “I don’t stay in places where the décor isn’t ten out of ten, and this place is a minus fourteen thousand. OK, Alec, let’s make a plan for where we will meet up after I find a nice windowless hotel room. Do you want to—” “What are you talking about?” Alec demanded. “If they won’t have you, I won’t stay here. The hell with this place. I’m going with you.”

****

“Leaving aside your destined honey lamb and all, I know there was Jace. Is it just guys with golden eyes?” asked Lily. “That is a very particular taste you have there, friend. It really narrows the playing field. So no other crushes besides Jace? Even a teeny tiny one when you were young?” “Why are you leering like you know something I don’t?” Alec asked warily. Lily giggled.

****

Lily was sitting cross-legged on the ground, one elbow propped on Alec’s knee, to be near the child. She tilted her head toward Rafael and asked him if he would please get on with it, because the sun was rising and she’d have to go to bed soon.

****

“Lily’s vulnerable during the day,” Alec said. “I’d rather stay with her. Will you be all right in the windowless room, Rafael?”

****

Alec rose and guided her, a hand on her trembling shoulder, to the bed. He pulled a sheet over her as if she were Rafael. Then he positioned the chair between Lily and Rafael and the entrance, and took his place there. “Sleep, Lily,” Alec said, gently. “I’ll watch the doors.”

****

“Are we going to smuggle our way into the house in laundry carts?” Lily asked Alec excitedly. Alec blinked at her. “No, we’re not. What laundry carts? I’m a straightforward person. I’m going to knock on the door.”

(...)

“I know Rafe stole your phone,” said Lily, “but who stole your sense of adventure?”

****

Alec bundled the woman into Lily’s arms. Lily was small enough that it was difficult, but she was strong enough to bear her weight. “Take her. I have to get the others.” “I don’t want to go!” Lily shouted over the crackling fire. “I don’t ever want to abandon anybody again!” “You won’t. Lily, go.”

****

“Ah, there’s that smile,” said Lily. “It’s been two days, and I missed it.” Alec stopped smiling and made a face at her, but when he looked at her properly, she was fiddling with the zip of her leather jacket. There was something about the set of her mouth, as if she’d set it determinedly so it wouldn’t tremble. “Thanks for coming with me,” Alec said. “Also, you’re the worst.” That made her smile. Lily wiggled her fingers in farewell. “Don’t you forget it.”

—The Land I Lost

[alexanderlightweight]

Happy wednesday! hope you, Saeth and nightshade had and will have a great week. (btw, what dog-race is nightshade? I don't think I've read that before 🤔)

Honestly I would love to read more about the nameless timetravel fic! So curious to see how they will change things this time around. For instance, how easy do they get rid of valentine?

nightshade is a lab retriever and he's super lovable and spoiled and he likes being wet so he smells like a pond most of the time! i hope you are doing well and they'll have a pretty easy time, they have alec and alec's never met an enemy he didnt study. i hope you're doing well! we finally all napped and feel much better.

saeth named it the same sky and now it has a name lol i hope you enjoy!

lumine

—

Alec is aware he’s blunt.

He’s also aware that Magnus is working through a trauma that Alec can’t fix through anything but time and Magnus doesn't have the time he needs.

It’s with desperation that he looks at Cat and Ragnor and he gives a wry smile.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Catarina. And Ragnor, I look forward to getting to know you in this new lifetime.”  He blinks guilelessly, hoping he got his point across and he thinks he does.  Cat hisses lightly, reaching out to grab Ragnor’s arm and Ragnor himself pales to a lighter green and nods, eyes hardening.

It also lets them know that Magnus has been wounded in a way they’ve always desperately tried to protect him from, one of their deaths.

“Darling, tattling on me to that old cabbage already?” Magnus asks, voice dark and low and Alec chuckles, wrapping an arm around Magnus’ neck.

“I need to make sure someone keeps an eye on you when I’m back at the Institute.”

Magnus is thoroughly distracted now, face outraged as he uses magic to drop Alec and pin him to the ground.

“You are not going back to the Institute!” Magnus barely manages to get out, “you are moving in here. Immediately.”

And because Alec hasn’t been married to him for centuries now and not learned how to be a little shit, he hesitates.  He knows now exactly what it does to Magnus for him to look up through his lashes, or to bite his lip while sulking.

And Alec will now admit that he sulks, because it makes Magnus give in immediately and Alec isn’t a strategist for nothing.

“But we only just met, Magnus. I thought during the first time round, you said these things had to happen slowly? That I was moving too fast?”  Alec purposefully tries his best to sound earnest and also hesitant, a little sad even.

Magnus almost falls for it and it’s with outrage that he realizes he’s almost been played.

“The audacity of some brats.” Magnus mutters, but he’s smirking down at Alec and he nudges him playfully with his boot. “Come up here darling, stop making me want to lock you in the bedroom.”

“Oh?” Alec asks, suddenly interested, “is that an option?”

“Why do you want to know if that’s an option?”

“Well obviously I’m not doing the whole interim head and commander I did last time. I don’t see why I can’t just stay wherever you’d like me.”

Magnus is staring at him adoringly and Alec sighs, letting himself pout up at the man he loves.

“So are we faking my death, am I being kidnapped?” Alec flutters his lashes and then frowns, wincing as he looks contemplatively at his side.

“You still have your parabatai bond, don’t you?” Magnus asks, something off in his voice and Alec winces, because he did try to block that off. Not wanting Jace to feel Magnus or Magnus to feel Jace.

“I haven’t had to share you for decades now.” Magnus whispers and Alec sighs and kisses Magnus’ cheek and the corner of his eye. “I thought it was just the bond resettling, that I couldn’t access all of you but would with time.”

Alec curses the pain he’s about to cause his parabatai, but he also doesn’t care as much as he might have a century ago.  Alec’s siblings lived good, full lives and they died happy and content.  Rare, beautiful gifts for shadowhunters and Alec finds that he looks at these new, young versions of them more like their distant descendants. 

Which is good because in the last few decades, Alec has learned that there is truly nothing and no one that Alec wouldn’t sacrifice to keep Magnus safe, happy and alive.

“Okay, we’ll fake my death. Maybe we can take care of Valentine and I’ll just show up in the aftermath. Explain who Jace is, what Valentine did to him. We can blame the bond breaking on him. Say he kidnapped me or something.” Alec is resolute in his decision. Other things, better plans, can be figured out but Magnus needs this.

Alec can tell in the way his hands are trembling, just a little.  The way he reaches for across the bond and then pauses, as if hesitant to press closer.

It’s grating on Magnus already and Alec doesn’t think he needs this new stress on top of holding back his temper and sorrow over what’s happened to them.

True they have each other and a chance at a new life, but it’s also different.  They were done with this life and this world, moving on to another and now they’re back.  So far back before so many things went wrong.

Alec hates that he knows Magnus is going to feel responsible for solving so many of those problems for the downworld.  Magnus doesn’t need a young interim head fighting his parents at his side.  Magnus needs a strategist who knows all sides and can be brutal, even towards his own people.

Alec has been Magnus’ secret weapon in many small and large wars across the years and it’s a position he’ll happily take up again.

It’s with ease that he rucks up his shirt and hands over his stele to Magnus, who takes it with the same awe that he had the first time Alec went to Edom for him.

Someday, Magnus will stop looking at him like that. Like it’s a surprise that Alec loves him so much.  It’s been well over a century and it still hasn’t happened, but Alec has hope and enough love to make it a habit.

“Third times the charm?” Alec says even though it doesn’t feel funny, that this is the third time this part of his soul has been cut away.  He’s lived longer now without Jace and bonded to Magnus than he did the other way around. 

It feels strange to not let Magnus encompass him entirely and Alec misses it with a fervor that he leans into. It keeps him steady through the breaking of the bond and Alec can feel Catarina’s startled, concerned magic pressing against him.

“He’ll be fine now.” Magnus murmurs next to him and Alec settles, safe in that knowledge.

[grumpycakes]

Cause @the-indoor-kites TIPPED ME ABOUT IT???? (Still reeling thank you) it's time for

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE VOTE 2, DISASTER BOOGALOO

SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED???

A lot, but a culmination of McCarthy not going extreme enough for the far right, while also not offering anything to the democrats (actually sometimes promising small ass things and then REFUSING WHEN IT COMES TO IT) has made McCarthy super unpopular w everyone.

AND THEN the govt needed the budget made/approved (an unfortunately YEARLY THING). Far Rights want horrendous shit in there, republicans don't want anything helpful that the Dems want. The classics. But in the face of a shutdown, McCarthy RIGHTLY chooses to avoid it by working w the Dems to pass a few weeks pass to work on their shit to get it figured out.

This makes the far right (Gaetz being the one to do it all either alone or as the point person) lose their shit.

And remember how he had to agree to weird ass rules to get the Far Rights to vote for him? Well one of those stupid rules was, instead of needing a group of people to agree to trigger a vote on if they want to oust the speaker. THEY ONLY NEED ONE PERSON. GAETZ.

So Gaetz calls for a vote on keeping McCarthy. Enough Rebups refuse to vote for him that unless Dems vote for him to save his ass he's toast.

Thing is McCarthy has been badmouthing the Dems to the press and blaming THEM for the budget not happening. So tho the Dems are like LOLL FUCK YOU THEN BRO. AND N O N E OF THEM VOTE TO SAVE McCARTHY. N O N E

So McCarthy is out. His bestie is PISSED and slams the gavel super hard and dismisses them.

We have no speaker, congress doesn't function if we don't have a speaker. (though some are floating the idea that they allow the interim speaker have powers to allow them to pass the budget lol aaaaa)

Repubs gotta pick a nominee for speaker. (Dems are still more than happy to back Hakeem Jeffries). Repubs have two dudes that are most likely. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan

Scalise

Got shot in that one baseball shooting back in 2017

Has been the Repub WHIP (the assistant leader to the party leader)

Would not say that the election wasn't stolen

WINS THE NOMINATION TO BE VOTED ON FOR SPEAKER

REMOVES HIMSELF AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE???????

Jordan

Was the Ohio Wrestling Coach when their Team Doctor (Strauss) abused players (Denies knowing anything, is not believed)

wanted to be speaker after Paul Ryan was ousted (but dems won the house and his dreams were THWARTED)

Wanted to be minority leader, McCarthy won instead

actually floated himself as an option when McCarthy lost the first 3 votes earlier in the year

May have been asking for a pardon after jan 6

So like neither of these dudes are great, but I would have assumed the Whip would be the next speaker... and then he stepped away????

They could have voted last week, but declined w some republicans saying that Jordan didn’t have the votes. so they were taking the weekend to get ppl on board.

BRINGING US TO TUSEDAY 10/17/2023 around like noon.

Stefanik is in an aggressively pink skirt suit (probably not the right term) and gives a basic ass speech for Jim Jordan. Kinda a WE GOTTA GET IT TOGETHER SO VOTE FOR OUR IDIOT sentiment. Pro Israel cause they’re hoping that makes republicans care (loll please)

Jim Aguilar comes up, nice to see u again sir. Also gives a basic ass speech but Dems. They chant w him on a repeated line. Like okay but weird. Nominates Jeffries.

No other nominations.

NOTABLE VOTES

(literally no promises on spelling)

Bacon - McCarthy

Billorakis - MIA/doesn’t vote when recalled

Boebert - toes the line w Jordan

Buck - MIA/Emmer on recall

Chavez DeReemer - McCarthy (rumbling from the crowd)

Connolly - says something but votes Jeffries crowd gives reaction

DeEspazito - Zelden (who the fuck is that)

Diaz-Ballart - Scalise (Republicans you have one job……)

Ellsey - García (bunch of murmuring and again WHO THE FUCK)

Gonzales (Tony) - Scalise (well Jordan’s for sure lost)

Granger - Scalise

James - MIA/votes for John Cole in the recall (????)

The respective parties clap w their nominees vote for themselves. It is dumb and wasting time (but the republicans don’t sound as enthusiastic as the dems rofl)

Joyce - MIA/votes Jordan on recall

Kelly of PA - Scalise

Kiggins of VA - McCarthy (my dudes, he’s not getting re-elected…)

LaLota - Zelden (oh fun, he has more than one supporter)

LaMaufa - MIA/McCarthy on recall

Lawler - McCarthy

Lee of NV - vote for Jeffries but gets laughter???

McCarthy - Jordan (gets applauded. Hope that stings u fart)

Pelosi gets applause for her Jeffries vote

Rutherford - Scalise

Scalise - gets “Good Boy” claps for voting Jordan

Scott (Austin) - gets applause for voting Jordan?

Simpson - Scalise

Spartz - MIA/votes for Massey (loll you can hear a reporter go Massey??? When it’s called)

VanOrden - gets one dingus clapping for him for voting Jordan?

Womack - Scalise (y’all a mess)

432 Present • 217 votes to win

200 votes Jordan

212 votes Jeffries (dems erupt in cheers, interim speaker looks annoyed lol)

6 McCarthy (sad my dudes)

3 Lee Zelden

7 Scalise (ha ha even Scalise beat you McCarthy)

1 Garcia

1 Tom Emmer

1 Tom Cole

1 Tom Massey

(Damn the toms)

No majority, no speaker has been chosen.

Interim speaker is REAL LOUD w that damn gavel. Immediately calls recess, feed cuts out.

They go into recess for like 2 hours.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

- Rep Huizenga talks to reporters says he’s leaving cause they need to take more time to get more idiots on board.

- Spokesperson said 2nd vote to come at 6pm (it did not lmao)

- Jordan apparently asked to meet w Scalise to get more ppl on board. SCALISE APPARENTLY DECLINED

- Rep Buck said Jordan will lose more votes if he tries again. This could deflate the republicans in wanting to vote for him if he’s not a winning candidate

- 9 Republicans would have to vote present to allow Jeffries to win (which he would, since Jordan didn’t get over 200) but it would be against their interest and political suicide.

- republicans who don’t like Jordan were pushing for a second vote that night to further embarrass Jordan

Vote 2 next! >

[rom-e-o]

20 Questions! Ebenezer/Constance Headcanons

I’m working on another larger project for these two, but in the interim, here’s an OC prompts tag. I mashed a few different lists together to create a list that made sense for an 1800s-verse story. These are just for fun, haha!

So, allons-y!

Who’s the primary protector of the two?

Both are quite ferocious, but in different ways! Ebenezer is the more obviously and openly protective one. He has a more domineering presence and quite the harsh tongue, although after his visits with the spirits, he doesn’t enjoy using it. There will be times at parties where someone will be making eyes at his wife and he’ll send a glare in their direction. Constance is much harder to provoke, but if someone goes after someone she cares for, she is a socialite trained in the ways of verbal fencing. If she truly wants to ruin someone, her words can be as cutting and lethal as blades.

2.       Who sleeps in and who is the early bird? 

 Before meeting Constance, Ebenezer had always been an early riser. He kept a strict schedule of rising at sunrise daily, even on ‘days off.’ However, after meeting Constance (and especially after they start sleeping together and enjoying each other’s company late into the night) he learns to enjoy sleeping in. It’s hard to leave the warmth of the bed, especially when he’s got his arms wrapped around his often-nude lover.

3.       Who is the least patient? 

Both are pretty much the same. Both are incredibly patient, sometimes to a fault. This sometimes results in delayed communication on things that could be brought up sooner. Thankfully, most issues that could evolve into fights are resolved because they do communicate and know to bring up potential misunderstandings before they grow into something harder to control

4.       Which of the two listens to old music and which one is more into the newer stuff?

Ebenezer and Constance both enjoy the works of Mozart, and Ebenezer particularly enjoys the works of composers from this Classical period. Constance enjoys music and orchestras, but is much more open to different genres of opera and theater. More often than not, she breaks him out of his comfort zone and encourages him to come with her to see a newer production.

5.       Who’s the first one to quit a new hobby because they’re not great at it on the first try?

Constance, just because of her lower self-confidence. To be fair, she is also the one who is much more likely to try new things in general, while Ebenezer tends to stay in what he sees as ‘his lane.’

6.       Who holds a grudge the longest?

Ebenezer will hold a grudge the longest. If his trust in someone is spoiled, it will be very difficult to rebuild, even if he tells someone they are ‘forgiven’.

7.       Who secretly knows all the lyrics to the other’s favorite songs but refuses to expose themselves?

Ebenezer. Once he learns about an opera she loves or a play she likes, he’ll learn the numbers to sing them or perform them on the piano.

8.       Who’s more likely to cry about a plant dying?

CONSTANCE. She is a terrible gardener, despite her best efforts. 

9.       Which of the two is the most outspoken?

Constance is much more extroverted and outgoing, but is also easily embarrassed. Ebenezer is more reserved, but also more confident.

10.     Which of the two is quick to speak and which one is quick to listen?

Although Ebenezer is the more quiet of the two, he find it easy to open up to Constance and chat. He could talk for hours about projects or details of work, and Constance never cuts him off. Ever. In the same vein, he is always entertained and smitten when she rambles about topics she adores.

When it comes to getting a word in against a foe, Ebenezer is more likely to snap, and has done it before. 

11.     Who’s the most eager to have kids?

Ebenezer has always secretly wanted children, despite what happened to his sister in childbirth. Seeing Harry and Hela’s baby reawakened that desire of his to start a family.

12.     Which of the two rolls their eyes the most often?

EBENEZER. All the time, but never in a mean-spirited way.

13.     Who’s an open book and which one is more reserved?

Connie is the open book, and Ebenezer is more reserved. She goes all in, and he keeps his cards closer to his chest. This carries over into the bedroom as well, where Constance is often the one to...inspire new positions and actions.

14.     Who gets the most invested in their hyperfixations?

Ebenezer. He sometimes gets so engrossed in his work, projects, or other hobbies (particularly the detail-oriented ones, such as tabulating data for different accounts) that hours to an entire day will pass. Constance has to remind him to eat or rest sometimes, especially if he’d determined to meet a deadline.

“Have you eaten today?”

“Huh? Oh, um...I suppose I became distracted.”

“I had a feeling. Here, I brought you a pastry and tea. Can you spare a few moments for a break?”

“Heavens above, what would I do without you?” 

15.     Which one’s the first to help a stranger in need?

Ebenezer. He literally met Constance because she was wandering London in need of shelter. He offered her shelter when she was basically homeless, and that led to their entire courtship and romance.

16.     Which of the two is the most gullible?

Constance, but she knows she’s gullible. It’s mostly out of kindness rather than actual naivete.

17.     Which of the two acts bothered by the other one but secretly enjoys every second of it?

Ebenezer has a tendency to roll his eyes when Constance, well, acts like herself. She enjoys being theatrical, flirty, fun and being a little silly. The eye-rolls and sighs are all in good fun, with him more so playing along with the act rather than actually expressing discomfort or annoyance.

18.     Who’s more likely to get into a bar fight?

Ebenezer, likely because someone had the audacity to insult Constance or make a lewd joke at her expense. She, on the other hands, usually takes words/insults on the nose. A couple shots of straight vodka or gin helps take the edge off.

19.     Who’s the optimist and who’s the pessimist?

Ebenezer is quite the optimist since his redemption. While being a pessimist is in his nature, he tries to look on the bright side more often and keep his mind open to scenarios or events. Contrarily, Constance is an optimist naturally, but prone to depression, hopelessness and mania. Usually, if one is experiencing mania or sadness, the other can jump in.

20.     Who is the most amorous?

THEY ARE EQUALLY GUILTY. They both not only switch the roles of initiator and receiver, but also top and bottom.

[shallow-between-stars]

Oops.

Hi, um, yes! Hello!

So, uhh, it's been seven years. I recovered my account about... a month ago and that was an ordeal, then did nothing with that for a bit, then lurked for a bit and am now posting.

SO WHAT HAPPENED YOU ASK?

Short answer: Life.

Long answer: Life, pets, work, and a side of what I think was HORRIBLE BURNOUT.

I didn't really notice I was pulling away from Tumblr, but I kinda did, which is absolutely my bad. Then, y'know, shit happened.

I got back from China in... 2017... promptly lost my job, ended up with a new job I loved for a company I hated, worked there for five years or so. Had to people, like, a lot.

My job was entirely dealing with people. Mostly people under 12. And my poor, introverted soul really struggled with that most days and came home, crashed on the couch and slept. When it wasn't school term, it was holiday care, when it wasn't holiday care it was school term. I was responsible for a lot, including making sure a daily average of 30 kids didn't hurt themselves.

And, y'know, about a year into that, my father (who I love a lot better at a distance) and I had a conversation (started by me) about my moving out of the family home. Mum and Dad basically refused to let me rent and (I'm showing my upper middle class, here, sorry) bought me a house that I am slowly paying them back for.

Yes, I know, and I am so very grateful for their support.

My dad and I shopped together and picked out a (unbeknownst to us) house-flipped 30 year old property with a great back yard and some small things that needed fixing, and I packed my bags and over the course of a week, I moved in.

And then I did what every responsible new home owner would do and waited until I moved in and was settled before making any more drastic life changes.

...

...

...Yeah. I'm lying.

I got two dogs. Ranger, who is the end result of putting all your points into Charisma and Constitution and using Wisdom as a dump stat, and Rogue who went the Int/Dex route but forgot that constitution exists. Seriously. I had her a week and she nearly died from -eating chicken.-

(She's allergic, we have discovered in the interim. She's also five now, arthritic and incontinent, the very definition of THE BEST DOG WITH SHITTY HEALTH ever. I'd say she's the living embodiment of 'adopt, don't shop', but the other dog's adopted and has an almost 1:1 ratio of "years alive" and "windows broken because he got scared".)

So. I worked a shitty job for five years (and through Covid, my job was considered an essential role which meant I worked straight through the pandemic, with children, which was low-key terrifying), and then in an episode of "nepo baby" a friend of my mother's got me a job at a high school for kids with behavioural issues where I worked for the better part of last year teaching EAL/D to refugees. I loved the kids to pieces, but as you could probably tell from the 'refugee' part of that sentence, these kids came with very heavy stories and my heart was broken for them more often than not.

Anyway, due to a contract kerfuffle at the end of last year I found myself out of that job, but my boss stepped in for another episode of "nepo baby" and sourced me a -new- job with a friend of hers working at a different school, where I am now. Still teaching high school, still teaching EAL/D and still loving every minute of it.

Anyway, I'm writing again, which is great, and something that I haven't managed to do consistently for years (See: HORRIBLE BURNOUT) and am excited to be -almost- ready to post some new content to my sadly neglected AO3, where the last thing I posted was about... two and a half years ago and at the tail end of Covid.

Surprising no-one, the content I have most recently written is Kal and Bull.

Surprising probably a lot of people, I still haven't played Baldur's Gate 3, but I've got three weeks of holidays in about a month so maybe I will play it then? Maybe?

[duckiemimi]

to preface this, in Audre Lorde's words: 

"the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." 

the ICJ is the judicial body of the UN and is essentially the legal limb of western hegemony. its conception of "justice" is selective and has failed the global south time and time again, so truly, liberation will be delivered by those in need of it; Palestinian freedom will ultimately be delivered by Palestinian resistance.

that being said, the recent provisional measures (click) are still a step forward in a long road ahead, a pebble in what we hope will be a landslide. an explicit, direct call for ceasefire would’ve been miles better than the lukewarm legal-worded ruling, but as the South African foreign minister has stated (click), by implication, what the ICJ has done is effectively issue an order for a ceasefire. to stop "israel" and its military from committing any more acts within the scope of genocide, to provide humanitarian aid and medical care, to implement the order in its entirety, a ceasefire must happen first. at best, this symbolic, historic win could open many doors, but time is of the essence.

we know by now that whatever the order, as long as it favors South Africa and the people of Palestine, "israel" would only choose to ignore it, as it has always done. the question now is whether it's western sponsors and those complicit will listen to their own mechanisms of international justice. will they play by the rules they've made, or is impunity also just a flimsy word to them?

of course, this is only an interim ruling, this isn't the final verdict. history was made this January, but this progress should not make us complacent. now that "israel" is being formally investigated for genocide, what we can do with this ruling is put even more pressure on our own governments to rethink their diplomacy in relation to "israel," call for a permanent ceasefire, and stop the genocide. there is still work to do, but this is a definite stepping stone towards freedom.

here is a great thread worth reading on this ruling (click).

[beardedmrbean]

Infected blood victims could each receive payments of more than £2 million under a compensation scheme announced by the government.

Ministers set out the figures as they unveiled the proposed scheme following publication of the public inquiry's report into the scandal on Monday.

That said authorities covered up the scandal and exposed victims to unacceptable risks.

The government said the first payments will be made by the end of the year.

In the meantime, it said it would make extra interim payments of £210,000 over the summer.

Those will be to 4,000 victims who have already received payments of £100,000.

But the government said compensation would eventually be made available to a much wider group of people, including to the family and loved-ones of those who have been infected. This could include the children or parents - the first time they will have received any financial payment.

The total cost could eventually be in the region of £10 billion.

The infected blood inquiry has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

More than 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis C from 1970 to 1991 by contaminated blood products and transfusions.

About 3,000 of them have since died - many haemophiliacs given infected blood products as part of their treatment.

'Five criteria'

The compensation due will be judged under five criteria:

injury and harm caused

social impact from stigma and isolation

impact on autonomy and private life, such as not being able to have children

care costs

financial loss

The government said payments would depend on individual circumstances, but typical payouts for those infected with HIV, or for HIV plus hepatitis, would be in excess of £2 million.

Those with a hepatitis infection causing liver damage would get around £1 million.

Those who face extreme care costs or who were very high earners before infection could get even more.

The figures released also give examples of compensation awards for the family members of those infected.

The partner of someone infected with HIV who is still alive today, for example, should expect to receive around £110,000, while a child could get £55,000.

If their loved-one has died and they were financially dependent on them, annual payments are available.

The scheme will be administered by a new body called the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, which will be led initially by Sir Robert Francis, who chaired the inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

It is proposed that the compensation will be taken as a lump sum or series of payments. The plans will be consulted on over the coming weeks.

From next April, the compensation scheme will effectively replace the existing financial support scheme - versions of which have been in place since 1989. In recent years they have been worth more than £40,000 a year to some, such as those who have been infected or, if they have died while benefitting, their partners.

Announcing the details in the House of Commons, paymaster general John Glen repeated the apology made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday, saying the victims had suffered "unimaginable pain".

He said the publication of the public inquiry's report was a "day of great humility for everyone".

He hopes the compensation package will be welcomed: "The infected blood community know their cries for justice have been heard."

Des Collins, of Collins Solicitors, which is representing over 500 families, said the news was a "positive step and broadly encouraging".

But he criticised the government for not acting earlier, pointing out they were told to act on compensation by the public inquiry two years ago.

"The government has wasted valuable time. Why the promised further consultation has not happened sooner is also bewildering, but better late than never."

Jason Evans, of the campaign group Factor 8, said he would need to carefully consider the compensation sums before commenting.

But he said he was concerned about the wait some face given the interim payments are only available to certain individuals.

"Today's announcement will be a gut-punch to most bereaved families, who have still received no compensation at all."

[queerfables]

911 Season 6 liveblog part one

6x01

Character: "Nothing's going to happen"

Me: "Something's gonna happen"

My wife, chiming in from across the room: "Noooo, what could go wrong?"

Me: "I know right! On the Things Go Wrong show?"

My little boy is watching with me now and he's very excited about the fire engine. "Car!! Truck!!"

He lost interest once the vehicles were off the screen lol. A boy who knows what he's about.

Aw Bobby and Athena are being cute

LOL @ "Buck, you don't even have a couch" Get him, Chris

Oh Jesus Christ not hand gore I can't deal with hand gore

Josh is me "Why not? You guys love each other, just get back together already."

I've missed Josh and Maddie's dynamic

Lol at threatening to cut the car up so they could take it to the hospital with the contestants

Oh no are they finally gonna get back together?? Thank goodness

I'm way too soft about them

Did Chimney just call this a one night stand oh my god??

Listen I have casually hooked up with exes after the break up and this was. Not that.

Noah seems nice

Oh no Maddie helping the older brother find his little brother in hide and seek because he was scared he'd run away that's so soft

Lmfao Buck has a clipboard again

Hen calling it a weapon in the wrong hands

Crying with laughter that Bobby didn't know why Buck was being so weird

But very emotional that he picked Hen as his interim replacement

"Is this because I don't have a couch?"

I love how the couch is such a blatant stand in for Buck's relationships

6x02

Okay I'm in love with these neighbours having an affair and being so extra about it that they built a secret fucking tunnel between their houses

Plus the wife is so hot, if her husband isn't going to romance her then someone should

Watching Hen be the cap is great, she's really good at it

Oh Hen, running out of time in the test is crazy stressful I have so been there

Oh my god she fell asleep at the wheel that's terrifying

Jeeze, having to triage who has the better chance of living is really rough

Hen and Buck are both gonna take this so hard

Eddie and Chimney trying to take care of them

Oh Hen no. You just took on so much and you haven't slept right in days.

Holy shit they found a body???

Holy shit the kid who

The kid who went missing

The reason Athena became a cop

Holy shit????

6x03

Tiny Athena is so cute

Could the girl have fallen in accidentally?

Bobby can't you see she's afraid he did it?

I'm high key obsessed with the missing girl's older sister.

It doesn't make sense that Reggie Senior did it. I think he hid the body to protect his kid.

Jeeze I really thought this was gonna turn out to be a tragic accident, I can't believe Junior targetted and killed her on purpose.

This was honestly a great episode. I didn't think that solving this mystery could live up to the impact of leaving it without a resolution but they really proved me wrong.

6x04

Holy fuck he got buried under the tree that's crazy

I love watching all the kids get older and go through new challenges and develop who they are. Lol at Christopher getting snarky with his dad in new and exciting ways.

And lying to him, apparently. Good for you, Chris.

I'm crying with laughter over Chimney getting accidentally abducted and Buck chasing him on a bike

Aw this heart to heart with Eddie and his dad is really nice

It's interesting but I've been thinking about the fact that s5&6 had a different show runner to the other seasons, and what I'm really feeling is that the character she doesn't quite get is Buck. I just feel like the story arcs he's been getting lately have been stuff that's come out of nowhere, like they're not sure what to do with him. I'm just not completely sold on this sperm donor arc and I remember reading some stuff about where it goes that has me very dubious

Noah thinking maybe someone else heard to get the address was a good call

Jeeze these kinds of calls are always gonna be so rough for Maddie

Wow Hen I love your sweater

Hen was such a good choice for Buck to chat to about this, she's been through it from a few different angles and she has great advice

That dog actor was very excited about getting its "stand up now" command, the tail was wagging like anything

Oh Eddie, I get that you're pissed but that was not your best moment

Very soft that he was able to pull himself back and actually talk to his kid. He's a good dad.

Oh I'm really happy that Maddie was able to help that mum and her daughter T_T

6x05

Athena snarkily calling Buck "Detective Buckley" my beloved

"The raccoon definitely didn't do this" Oh Athena you don't get to mock Buck any more you sound like you're trying to do the opening credit zinger

Oh God he's gonna get buried in insulation goop

Gosh I hope Noah wasn't the one behind these robberies

Shit I bet it was, since there was the whole thing about Maddie showing him how to access past calls

And it was done under Maddie's name? Yeah I just bet it was oh no I liked him

Oof well at least he had an empathetic reason

"That was weirder than usual" lol

Awww Hoover

I'm really happy he found a good home in the end

An explosion at the - Oh shit Karen!!!!

6x06

Omg it's Karen and Hen's origin story and it's CUTE

This is SO CUTE

Hahaha and Chimney was behind it? He's diabolical I adore him

"That woman is not even my type" PLEASE

Denny is sweet, I'm happy we finally got to see more of him after those first couple of seasons where he was important to the story but not actually on-screen much

I'm really happy to be seeing more of Karen in her element too, this is a cool episode

"It's pretty cool except they want to catch an alien and mom won't let them" CUTE

Denny is ok thank goodness

Oh I'm emotional about the fact that Hen can't accept Bobby telling her not to suit up until she meets Chimney's eyes and sees his nod. Their friendship means so much to me.

I love seeing the way Hen and Karen have changed since being together in the way they are with each other in these early flashbacks. I just think they've made each other better people and it's cool to see that even just in the little ways their actresses play them

LOL CHIMNEY CATCHING HEN SNEAKING OUT AFTER SPENDING THE NIGHT WITH KAREN

Oh I'm really glad Toni called so Athena could show up for Hen

Chimney I'm so obsessed with your matchmaking techniques?? Set them up on a blind date without telling one of them? Call to say their ex is dead so they won't get on a plane???

This is a nice scene for Hen and Denny

Little baaaaaby!!

I have mixed feelings about Hen giving up on med school. But obviously I'm happy she isn't leaving the team. Maybe something for her to revisit at another time in her life, idk.

6x07

Dedicated skeptic Eddie is my fav

HAHAHA OMG BUCK IS DOING SELF IMPOSED ORGASM DENIAL TO HELP WITH THIS SPERM DONATION THING? AMAZING

FOUR WEEKS????

Please tell me someone has written fic about this I'm desperate here

But probably not as desperate as Buck

A WEEK FROM TUESDAY?

The universe is conspiring to trap Buck in a kinky chastity fantasy

I literally could not be happier

LOL Chimney and Hen's reaction to Eddie picking up the "cursed" braclet

Oh no wonder Eddie hates superstition

You guys should just do this the old fashioned way. with a turkey baster.

(or, you know, a $2 syringe from the pharmacy)

It would be cheaper and more convenient

This is not relevant to anything but god Eddie is so pretty

This Felisa is also very pretty

Just doing the math here but maybe they should make out

Buck finally got to make his, ahem, donation. Happy for you, bud.

6x08

"The terrible twos are no joke" "she's not even two yet" "try telling her that" Yeah that's. Real. Lmfao.

(The little guy is definitely at the age where he has big feelings about the things he wants and not such a big capacity to understand reasons)

Babysitter Buck is soooo cute

"Come on, you must be hungry, I am" give it up, Buck, that kid will eat or not on her own schedule

Am I supposed to recognise Darius? I don't remember him

Did that guy just kill his boss with his mind?

Oh it was just a fantasy lmfao

Omg Christopher has a crush on someoooone

Yeah setting up your toddler's bedroom in the living space was never going to work

Why are these idiots on the roof of the fire truck

Absolute dumbasses

Wow Bobby's taking his engine's honour real personally

Lol I love this guy calling himself a "nice guy" vs Darius as a macho jerk who treats women like crap when not ten minutes ago he was calling May a bitch and Darius was telling him not to

May was a badass on that call

Awww and she got the guy, too. Very cute.

"Look! Swords!" Buck you dork

Buck and Hen being cute buddies I love them

6x09

Is this some kind of homage? I don't recognise it

The Santa Ana stuff is making me think of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and honestly that would make a HILARIOUS cross-over

My wife keeps laughing at me because of the faces I make at this show. It's a shame xe've gone to bed because the expression I pulled when that dog dropped a human hand on the doorstep was a doozy

Oh no this is CUTE. They were both so worried about each other's lost appendages they didn't look for their own, but they found each other's.

LMFAO IT WASN'T HIS FRIENDS FINGER THERE'S ANOTHER VICTIM

Oh it's cool to see Bobby's sponsor

"It's a haunted house." "Yeah. With really good bones" Lol it would be the housing market that cures Chimney of his superstitions

Oh no Wendall T_T

This midnight team group chat is adorable

Heeee that was a fun prank on Josh and the way he figured it out was extremely funny

Awfully convenient that nothing terrible actually happened in that house

Still, I'm happy for Maddie and Chimney

[tobiasdrake]

This place is beautiful. I wasn't sure beauty like this could still exist on Mesa Island. I hope I get to meet the Butterfly Matriarch. She sounds pretty cool.

To be fair, she wasn't wrong. Shopkeeper said the contrast between time periods was pretty cool here. Credit where it's due, it super is.

OH MY GODDESS YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL

The little spots of turquoise on your give just the lightest splash of color contrast to the browns and yellows and EEEEEEEEEEEEEE

You are. I am at maximum jealousy right now. Envy levels through the goddamn roof.

I am about 80% sure you're actually a moth, not a butterfly. But I don't fucking care, because you are killing it either way.

With gusto. I--

Oh fuck me

Thanks, uh... Navi?

So the giant bat monster exists in the past but is temporally corrupting her here in the present, even though that one Messenger in the interim already slew it at some point in the interim. I have so many questions about how this works.

Time travel is so fucking trippy.

Oh, this is going to be way easier than I thought it would. I figured Firefly was going to zoom around and I'd have to attack only when the temporal bubble is illuminating your face.

But if we're just going to throw down trailer park-style, that's super easy. @ me, bruh; Let's fucking go.

Ha! Bat monster doesn't have shit. These screeches are trivially easy to dodge. What else have you--

Oh. Well. Uh. Okay. I'm sorry I insulted your--

RED IS DOWN AND UP IS LEFT

It's fine. It's fine. Just. Drugged. I can deal with this. Just have to stay perfectly still and wait for the nausea to pass.

TEAM EFFORT LET'S GOOOOOO

Nobody is ever prepared for the twirly-doos. Twirly-doo is the ultimate technique of the Messenger lineage. I'm a fucking buzzsaw in flight.

Thank you, Shopkeeper, for this wingsuit. It's so-so in mobility but crazy powerful as a weapon.

There's a lot of value in beauty. It gets the short end of the stick because the good parts of beauty are so immediately evident that it makes the bad parts more conversation-worthy. Not a lot of morals out there like, "Beauty is a great thing and you should appreciate it!" because everyone already does by default.

But it is complicated. Beauty is like a work of art. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to manufacture an aesthetic precisely to the (often unreasonable) standards of society - and once it's done, it has to be cared for and maintained lest it begin to degrade over time.

And no one appreciates it. They think it just happens. Like it emerged fully formed into the universe one day. It's easy to fall for a pretty aesthetic painted over a rotten core because we're already so busy taking beauty for granted that nobody ever engages with what it means in the first place.

...

So, I guess what I'm saying is: Sucks about the bat thing. Sorry you had to live with that. But also, I see you. The clean waters and vibrant grasses and towering, living trees are a testament to the volume of work you've put in over these last centuries, and I see you.

Oh, a time bubble firefly of my very own? Thanks! I'm sure she'll come in handy.

Hold up, your Messenger was MONKSHROOM!? HOLY FUCK. I know exactly what curse I want to lift.

What's up, best buddy? I brought you a friend! I think she can help with your, uh, condition.

Oh yeah, Navi is definitely going to sue someone.

You don't remember?

Shit. Well. Um. Short version: You're not expected to deliver the Scroll anywhere anymore. Missed the boat on that one. But I might have some good news for you. How do you feel about the color blue?

Inexplicably, negative some-odd hundred years. Not sure how or why you time traveled again after failing and getting cursed but it's temporal metaphysics. Shit's fucked on a good day.

Yeah, not gonna sugarcoat that one. You fucked this place up so bad that they changed the name. Which, admittedly, isn't hard to do when there's only one bastion of civilization left in the world and it keeps being periodically destroyed. Endlessly repeating incursions of catastrophic destruction make preservation of world knowledge difficult.

It's like having a library that self-immolates every 50 years. At some point, you get used to starting over from scratch.

Wear earplugs.

I'm sure. I'm just happy that she's finally rid of this curse. I've invited her to Game Night twice. Maybe this time, she'll actually come.

[imagineitdearies]

Hey! vampirecowboy from ao3 here!

I just wanted to say that chapter 20 was very good and evoked such a bittersweet feeling for me. I knew the events that unfolded in ch19 would happen eventually, but it completely caught me by surprise. The atmospheric dread you create and write feel just like a horror novel; the sense of anticipation/prolonged anxiety as you read each line. It’s like you want to look away but can’t.

And the way you have written ch20 just felt so real, especially the panic attack, and the genuine fear Astarion faced seeing Tyrus in that state. I don’t know how else to describe it, but I just feel like I’m literally there, like a omnipotent being seeing everything unfold right in front of me, wishing we could actually comfort Tyrus and Astarion, and change their fate.

Anyway, this is just my love letter to you and your fic. You have sucked me in, and now I can’t leave, checking back every 4-5 days to see if a new chapter has dropped.

I hope you have a great hiatus, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. :)

Hi vampirecowboy!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I really love suspense and slow-build, psychological horror, so I'm tickled pink that PS is emulating those kinds of vibes!

I did feel just a teensy bit bad that I promised you all comfort but included a panic attack in ch20; alas, it was a panic attack with a very safe person to take care of him at least! I strive to make my characters feel real, three-dimensional, and especially through the narrator POV suck readers in so you feel everything right along with them! But that can make for some intense, not-so-pleasant experiences when writing dark content, so I'm glad to have attracted the right audience (such as your lovely self) who keep coming back for more 😂

This was a beautiful love letter, thank you thank you!! I'm excited to make a lot of progress in the interim 💙

[nobodysdaydreams]

The Mysterious Benedict Society Liveblog Season 2 Episode 8 "A Two-Way Street"

Alright, let's just cut to my worst fear: this finale description sounds very final, and I really really hope that this is not the last season and they just couldn't get SQ's actor back or the funds to continue and are ending it right here. If that is what is happening, it's hardly the show's fault, and it won't be the first time a hyper-fixation was struck down prematurely. Who knows. Maybe this time instead of deleting my accounts and vanishing into the night, I'll actually use this account for the next fixation. I already have one that's coming back that I think some of you might like, but that's a subject for another day. I will be sad if this is the last season, but in the event that this episode throws in a cool twist that keeps me invested, I will also be giving an appropriately unhinged rant which I know is why you are all here, so either way everyone wins. On to the episode.

1:00- Ah morning, is Curtain up? Oh yikes, he's gonna wake up with a massive headache after Milligan turned the van like that.

2:00- well well well. Nicholas and Constance please their joy is too much. Wait her name is actually number in this universe? "MOM HAD BEEN BRAVE ABOUT YOUR ABANDONMENT". Okay, side note: your children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews, etc. cannot "abandon" you. You can say they decided to cut contact with you or put up boundaries. But "abandoned", really? You're the adult. Already skeptical of this family. What is with this family's names.

3:00- HAHA- not Jillson/Jackson and Jeffers fighting over authority. I love their sideplot. If the show is cancelled I will happily support their spin-off show. Oooo... "interim director" and he said it so carefully too look at Jeffers throwing fancy titles around. "Self-appointed" oooo burn.

3:20- Awe, he said he's very proud of number 2. I'm glad Nicholas is looking out for her.

4:45- "I'm gaining so much understanding" Yes that's how I feel when I meet my friend's families. Milligan gets it.

5:40- Is Reynie advocating for um... "ending Curtain"? Thank you Ms. Perumal.

6:10- speaking of, there he is fast asleep. What a weird way to wake up. PFT- inspired. "Betrayed" oh calm down Curtain. "that's beneath you" YOU DID EXPERIMENTS ON KIDS CURTAIN. "Away from the yes men" That's what I've been saying!

7:00- It feels so good, but it's bad. Nicholas does have a clear view. Is he overcoming the brain washing? Haha... "it's more like 12 miles" Curtain does do his homework.

8:00- Wait Curtain actually cares... oh no. Well, there you go Curtain. You can escape while the theme song is playing. Maybe you can find the son that you totally forgot about. Unless Nicholas is faking it to see how you react.

9:30- Lol, the mom wants grandkids. Wait "chaotic out there" are they doomsday preppers? Wow, she didn't send letters or answer calls. "new people: terrible prioritizes" YOU JUST WANT HER WORKING THE FARM. Don't like number 2's mom.

11:30- "Can I offer some observations" "mind tricks" lol

12:00- "I need you to wake up" oh Curtain is gonna lose it

12:30- "Everyone perhaps except Constance" wait if she goes back to the house, then we'll have our family reunion, we just need SQ and the whole Benedict crew is there.

13:00- "A lovely 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle" well that should keep her busy. I love that they are showing the puzzle in the montage.

13:45- "Please I don't know what to do" "Somehow if I could convince you it was good you'd think I was good" oh yikes, this could be the last season. Curtain's redemption arc isn't due for a while. He isn't falling asleep though so he must still be holding something back.

14:50- Wow Constance has done great work on that puzzle. Honestly impressive. She really does have a gift.

15:00- They've arrived! Time for home-alone style traps. I love that the traps didn't work on Jackson and Jillson. They really should be promoted.

16:00- "you tricked me" see now he feels betrayed. "the only way to get through was if you thought you lost me" yikes. Oh, the device worked? That's actually pretty clever. "It changes nothing" "I don't believe you that was real". Awe Nicholas apologized for the blowdart.

17:00- Wow that shot where you think Curtain might try to hug him and he just moves past him to look out the window. "They're here" oh Curtain don't be so ominous only one van got through, wait where did all these people come from.

18:30- "Stand down" "I've been Possibly approaching things the wrong way". Well that is an understatement. "Blinking in code" oh my gosh Jackson. "Please discover who you are": That line was meant for SQ. I wish he was here. Oh dear, he broke them. Oh no, are Jackson and Jillson gonna start a cult? Okay Jeffers, go off.

20:30- SHE NEVER FINISHED THE PUZZLE. NO.

21:00- "Insert an electrode" "well there are worse things" it's nice to see Curtain hasn't changed much. Even as a 'good guy' he keeps his personality. I think he and Constance would get along great.

22:00- Maybe you could restore Constance's happiness by promising a third season. And no, Nicholas you make her happy. "Remember when you broke the Whisperer with your brain, good times" *cuts to Curtain* I love it.

23:20- Insulting people makes Constance happy. Very good Reynie. Get Curtain to admit he's a theater kid. That will do it. OH MY GOSH NICHOLAS' MONOLOGUE, BAH HA HA- Curtain's like "ok Nicky, a bit much".

26:00- "Thank you for saying goodbye before you abandon us again" ma'am please get help for your abandonment issues, do not project them onto children.

26:30- Okay so Curtain is unfreezing his followers. Is he gonna finally see his son again? OR MENTION HIM? HELLO? Honestly, I think Curtain might have also faked (or understated) his redemption since Nicholas faked his brain-washing. And Curtain didn't fall asleep. Don't think I missed that.

27:45- Awe they're wrapping all the little conflicts up. Except SQ's. Yes I'm still mad. Don't play the happy music, that boy could be at the bottom of a well right now. He could be frozen. Well, I guess that doesn't matter because they won a wood-cutting competition and Sticky wrote Reynie a letter.

29:30- YES THEY ADOPTED THE ALPACA. Who knows what happened to SQ, but at least the alpaca made it out ok. Also, Constance's letter is fantastic.

30:00- Is she going to be adopted now? Oh, we're doing this? We're getting Constance's parents? Season 3 let's go!

30:30- "well I look 46" okay Curtain. "joining the society". Perfect, now we can have the Curtain/Constance banner I want- wait. WAIT WHAT. WHAT. WHAT.

Uh oh, looks like the director saw the fourth season of Sherlock and was like "oh I want to do that, but better, like actually develop it. Maybe that will distract from the fact that SQ's actor stormed off the set". THAT's IT?

Well, consider me fully re-invested. I have so so so many thoughts and will be blogging like mad the next few days so be prepared.

But for starters, why is Curtain not in jail? Redemption is nice but he still kidnapped and brain-washed people and ran experiments on children. Maybe I should give an emotional speech to the cops about family and learning lessons next time I get pulled over and they'll let me drive off without a ticket.

Also, is SQ at college? I swear they'll get the actor back for like season 5, and be like "he was in art school the whole time". (I actually have multiple theories on how he comes back into the plot, will be making posts)

Anyway, that's all. Must dash. Hope you enjoyed!