#like I’m one of this show’s number one defenders and there are still absolutely things that make me uncomfortable jokes or not

[creativity-deficient]

“South Park is a satirical show that goes after everybody and at the end of the day is meant to make you laugh and not be taken seriously” and “south park jokes about sensitive topics that hit close to home for a lot of people and it’s absolutely valid to feel uncomfortable by some of it” are statements that should be able to co-exist tbh

[pretty-blkgirl]

hi!

may you do a fluffy seungmin x black reader? maybe the reader experiences hate from seungmin's fans and seungmin shows her that he loves her regardless of what's being said?

it's all up to you ofc! ok bye ~ <3

Let Me Help You

//fem!black reader x idol!Seungmin//

Synopsis: After experiencing excruciating hate from his fans, you try to leave your boyfriend

Genre; angst, eventual fluff

Warnings: racism is a heavy theme in this story, reader is described as fem

A/N; Thank you so much for the request ❤️❤️ As you can see, the story is a bit lengthy since this topic is something I’m passionate about. There aren’t any explicit instances of racism present (such as the use of slurs) but it is heavily implied.

~~~~|~~~~

“Y/N?” You hear from behind you, making you jump slightly. You immediately looked back to see your loving boyfriend staring at you with pure disbelief in his eyes.

The look on his face alone makes you want to run into his arms and kiss all his pain away. The pain and confusion you caused.

You were in the bedroom you two once shared, gathering the last of your things and returning a necklace Seungmin had given you. Since he was so busy at work, it was easy to dodge him and move out of the apartment without any problems.

Your original plan was to leave the apartment without a trace. Block him, and all his family and friends, never looking back.

However, you know he deserved more than that. You two’s relationship was perfect.

Well, near perfect.

You and Seungmin were beyond compatible. You loved the same shows, food, and artists, and it helps that you were familiar with the music industry so you two connected on another level.

The company was aware of the crush you two had on one another in the beginning, so they asked Seungmin ahead of time to try his best to hide the impending relationship.

He truly did do his best to hide you, not that he wanted to. He would have preferred to show you off to the world, and let everyone know he was in a relationship with the most beautiful, caring, talented, and loving woman in the world.

However, both of you knew that he needed to seem “available” as an idol. The fans needed to believe they had a chance with him, and them finding out about you wouldn’t be good for anyone.

It was a bit more tricky as well, considering the obvious difference between you two. Neither you nor Seungmin had a racial preference when it came to dating, so you being Black and him being Asian was rarely a situation you two cared about.

To be honest, who cares about the difference in race? It was never a big deal, all his family and friends absolutely loved you, and the company even took a liking to you.

The moral of the story is, it never mattered that you two were in an interracial relationship…until it did.

Being Black in Korea was an…interesting experience. The majority of your age group and younger exhibited great openness and compassion towards everyone. But there were still some ignorant people, and those people made sure to show themselves to you.

One day, an older man caught you and Seungmin leaving a restaurant late at night. He cursed at you, insulting you and calling you names you’d never repeat.

Seungmin defended you, but the man’s outburst caught the attention of a group of teenagers who recorded the interaction.

They posted it, and it went viral quickly. Sharp-eyed fans immediately recognized the masked man’s voice and eyes. They knew it was Seungmin, then everyone knew he had a partner.

Many people supported you and your man, even other celebrities came out in support, but a large number of nonblack fans came out and started to give you hell.

They sent trucks to the company, demanding the idol break up with you. They trended tags on Twitter, they spammed Bubble with pleas for you two to break up.

Seungmin and the company both put out a statement, but the hate continued to get worse.

His members began to speak in defense of you, and you noticed paparazzi stalking outside your job.

The death threats didn't take long to start, and then the shameless TikTok videos claiming you’re only “ruining his career” and “destroying his purity” came in dozens.

Again, there was still an outpour of support, but the blatant racism you were shown was so too much to handle.

Being Black, you unfortunately experienced at least a little bit of ignorance, prejudice, or racism wherever you went. You were beyond proud of your race though, making sure everyone could feel the confidence and pride exuding off you wherever you went.

You were never ashamed of your race, you would never allow someone to make you feel bad about who you were. To you, you were beyond blessed to have such beautiful brown skin, but it did hurt to know that people hated your guts just because of your skin color.

The fans were ruthless, and you tried to stay away from the hate, but your curiosity got the best of you.

Long story short, you spent 3 hours reading about how Seungmin could do better and how his reputation is being ruined. By the 4th hour, you had started packing your stuff.

You loved Seungmin more than anything, but you started to feel like you were ruining his career. He was almost put on hiatus when the news broke, and he was so miserable. You watched as he cried on the phone with the higher-ups, and you couldn’t stand the fact that it was all your fault.

You managed to pack the majority of your things in a few hours, mostly because you didn’t have much to begin with. Running off of pure adrenaline and sadness, you left for a hotel and ignored the eventual calls that came later in the night.

You stayed away for three days and planned to come back to the apartment to get the rest of your stuff while Seungmin was supposed to be recording a music video.

Unfortunately, he played sick and was able to leave the shoot early. Something in his gut told him you’d be back at the apartment, and he was right.

“I’m sorry,” You said, staring down at the floor

“Can we talk?”

“I just came to get the rest of my things”

He sighed, “Please baby, this can’t be the end of us”

“I’m not good for you”

“Don’t you ever say something so stupid again”

Against your better judgment, you looked up at him. He was so hurt, but still managed to put a little smile on his face.

Your knees felt weak

“Why’d you leave?” He questioned

“You know why”

“Maybe” He nods, “But I wanna hear you say it”

A few seconds of silence made the atmosphere more tense than it already was.

“I’m ruining your career” You whisper

“No, you’re not”

“I am, and I don’t want your dream to be ruined all because your fans don’t like me-”

“Y/n” He interrupted, “Fuck my dream. Do you think I’ll put a career over you? I’ll leave all of this bullshit behind if it means you’ll come back home”

“I don’t want you to give up on your career!”

“And I don’t wanna lose you, so what now?” He crossed his arms, and you hate that you found him so sexy at that moment

“Please just let me leave. This has gotten so out of control”

“Baby I understand that this is overwhelming. I promise you I do, but I swear I’m doing everything in my power to ensure all those people who've been harassing you will face consequences. I promise you I’m gonna fix it”

“You can’t get all of them”

“But I can try” He shrugs

He walked over to you, silently asking to touch you. Again, against your better judgment, you look into his eyes and allow him to hug you.

“Please don’t let ignorant pieces of shit destroy our relationship. I know the hate is getting to you, but let me help you through it, let me at least try to”

You knew you were going to say yes. Both guilt and unmeasurable love filled your chest and he rocked you side to side.

“I’ll put out another statement, and I’ll go live. I’ll make sure those motherfuckers know that I’ll do anything to protect you.”

He lets you go a little to pull back and look at you, “Plus, there are still millions of people who support us.”

“I know,” You say

“So let's focus on positivity? Or maybe we can delete social media for a while? I’ll delete mine too. If you don’t wanna come home for a bit, I’ll have the company set you up with an apartment. We’ll also look for a therapist, okay?”

You nod, and mutter a small “Okay baby”

You two hug for a while, knowing you guys won’t ever let some stupid people keep you away from each other again.

[1moreff-creator]

What are some dynamics (in terms of like, foils/parallels) that you enjoy in DRDT?

you’re staring at a forest and asking me for every tree i like. do you want me to write another 28k word post /lh

I jest, of course, but not about the number of interesting foils in this series. It does a fantastic job tying everyone into several key themes in ways that make their dynamics endlessly enriching for my silly little character parallel-loving brain. So, uh, get ready for a long-ish post?

CW: One mention of self-harm, self-loathing

Teruko-David: I mean, you gotta start at the center, yeah? David’s the closest thing to a “main antag” we have, and it’s no wonder; the guy’s built like a standard DR protag, obviously he’s gonna have a cool dynamic with the actual protagonist. 

These two could breathe a bit weird and somehow parallel each other doing it, that’s how much this foil permeates both their characters. From their fatalistic outlooks on the world (“my luck will always be terrible, I’ll always be betrayed” vs “people can’t change, the world sucks”), the ways they hide their feelings (Teruko was more distrustful than she first presented herself as, but cares about people more than she shows during most of CH2; while David has an entire different persona up to 2-11 and then pretends to be worse than he actually is), the self-loathing (Teruko refuses to think she could be a good person, David has the whole “inhuman” thing going on), down to the oddball sibling figure (Terubro “I know nothing about you” Tawaki vs Diana “I’m not even sure you exist” Chiem).

There’s their feelings about Xander and Min, too, which are all over the place. Obviously we all saw in 2-12 how much the British twink fucked both of them up severely, with Teruko rejecting any positive or yearning feelings she may have had about Xander (you can’t hide the cactus scene from us girl) while David vehemently defended him from any criticism. On the other side, Min is less of a narrative poltergeist (for now; XF-Ture exists), but she still comes up with them, with David calling her pathetic eleven episodes after Min hugs Teruko and Teruko’s internal monologue gives away how much she cares about the Student. 

And these parallels play into their weird-ass dynamic very well, because their beefing is founded on their similarities and their differences, out of projecting their self-loathing to someone similar at the same time they hate each other because of their disagreements on things like Xander. Crazy stuff.

Xander-Min: Mentioning these two second because they’re also Eternal Parallels. There’s almost not a single thing about these two that isn’t somehow reflected on the other. If you projected them onto each other’s direction, you would get no perpendicular component. Get it, ‘cuz they’re completely parallel- That is, by far, the nerdiest joke I’ve ever made, I apologize.

But come on. Their attitudes towards fate (the Rebel fighting it and Min resigning herself to the XF-Ture thing), the whole “holding on to the past vs wanting to move on from the past” thing, the similarities between how they actually feel about the education system (they have issues with it) contrasted with the things they actually do in respects to that (Min is still the Ultimate Student, but Xander dislikes that), their already mentioned contrasting connections to Teruko and David… Just, absolutely everything about them is a meaningful contrast. And it comes into play a lot, with their eternal beef being born largely out of these parallels. They’re awesome.

Teruko-Ace: Pretty topical for post-CH2. Ace’s entire arc is sort of a reflection of Teruko’s, yet taken to the extreme because of one particular point of contrast; Ace feared death, Teruko doesn’t think she can die. But he still basically serves as a demonstration of all the flaws in Teruko’s all mindset; the feeling of unchangeable fate, the complete lack of trust, all the good stuff. It basically allows an exploration of Teruko’s mindset from an outside perspective, which makes it easier to see the flaws in it.

Ace-Nico: Also topical, these recap foils go kinda insane. Their motives for murder, their contrasting talents (love for animals on Nico's side and fear of horses on Ace's), the way they relate to the rest of the cast, Ace's persecution complex vs Nico actively disliking how much Hu defends them, etc., it’s all very fun to see play out. 

Ace-Levi: The one who doesn’t care but protects others and tries his best to be a good person so he can be accepted in society without having issues, vs the guy that acts like an asshole because he’s scared of caring too much and he thinks the only way he can get out alive is by being the only one to survive. This leads to a fundamental misunderstanding between them that causes some of the most doomed yaoi of all time, which is the whole “Levi getting frustrated at not understanding Ace.” 

Arei-David: You’ve presumably watched 2-13, so I don’t think I need to explain all the awesome stuff that’s come from their shared themes of “good people” and self-betterment and all that. Not to mention, David’s little breakdown over Arei trusting the letter of the only friend she had being presumably born from the way he saw Xander as the only friend he had. Shit goes crazy.

Arei-Eden: Recap foils… Good people… The choice to be kind… Etc… Woah :O

Teruko-Charles: Ah, Teru’s recap foil. This one’s basically opposite of Ace’s, where Charles used to be sort of like Teruko acted in CH2, but later became a bit friendlier, if still somewhat prickly. Basically, if Ace highlights Teruko’s character traits from CH2, Charles post CH1 serves as more or less the “end goal” in a way. It goes beyond that, too, with the whole memory issues (prosopagnosia vs childhood amnesia) and, again, mysterious siblings (Terubro and Elliot what are your deals), so it’s always neat to rotate these two in the brain.

Veronika-Levi: We really don’t know too much about Vero, which always makes it a bit harder when analyzing these dynamics, but they already got some interesting points of contrast. Neither of them are particularly concerned about the deaths of the others, at least post-CH2 (Levi doesn’t grieve and Vero actively laughs at Ace’s death), but it comes from almost opposite ends of perspective. Levi doesn’t understand others because he doesn’t feel much empathy (if any at all), while Vero seems to treat the others not as people, but almost as characters to be analyzed (that’s the impression I get, at least), which makes her come off as very good at reading people but also occasionally causes her to see them as sources of entertainment first and foremost. Not to mention there’s also the fact they’re both very different people than they were in the past (Levi was some form of delinquent and now is a good person, Vero used to be outdoorsy and then no longer was). Wow that’s… more than I thought there was- How am I finding more interesting foils just by writing more???

Hu-Levi: I kinda talked about this in my CH2 PT2 analysis so read that ig.

J-Rose: A pair of recap foils who haven’t had too much yet, but a lot of their themes, in particular about fate and privilege and stuff, are pretty noticeable with them, so this is always a fun dynamic to consider.

Levi-Arturo: More recap foils, this one’s fun because of the dead family member :) Also things like their talents being related to aesthetics and both doing the things they do for a better life.

Veronika-Hu: This one’s kinda more hypothetical, since Vero in particular hasn’t had as much direct focus as other characters yet, but that’s part of what makes them fun. Past history of self-harm (even if brought on by very different feelings) is just the first of many parallels they could have, and it’s fun to see the contrast between Hu defending Nico to the ends of the Earth and Vero talking about how much she likes Arturo because of how awful he is. They’re really silly.

David-Whit: All the recap foils are fun, but I've always struggled to see this one in particular. Partly because I feel like I know less about Whit than I know about Mai :v Still, certain things like Whit ignoring anything that upsets him which connects to David constantly lying about his real feelings for his fans, which is probably what leads to David's outburst at Whit in the second trial.

Teruko-MonoTV: Because fate. Really this is here plainly because it’s just a funny as hell dynamic to even consider lol.

Teruko-Mai: Have they interacted? Has Mai had enough screen time to truly determine that this parallel truly exists? Do we even know a single theme that Mai’s character touches on for certain? No and it doesn’t matter! Because these two are clearly connected somehow and the whole “someone dearly loved - someone dearly unloved” thing makes me ill. Mai is getting mentioned in this post and you're not stopping it.

Mai-Whit: Fuck it! “We tend to idolize the dead” dynamic!!! It's very speculative, but this one’s just fun to ponder even if we have even less idea of what could be going on between the two than with Mai-Teruko.

Anyways ready for a few themes that run through a lot of characters?

David-Levi-Nico-Rose: The “feeling disconnected from the rest of humanity’s experiences” gang!!!

Min-Rose-Hu-Veronika-Arturo: The “wants to move on from the past” gang!!!

Min-Arei-Teruko-Ace: The “trying to fix mistakes” gang!!!

Teruko-David-Eden-Arei-Levi-Xander: The “what makes a good person?” gang!!!

Teruko-David-Xander-Min-J-Whit-Ace-Rose-MonoTV-Probably everyone else: Fate!!!!

And there’s more than I’m probably forgetting because I can’t possibly check every conceivable connection between these guys. At least I hope I covered most of the major ones. Thanks for the ask, these dynamics are always fun to think about!

[professionalranter31]

So I mentioned in a previous post how Overwatch has a lot of factions that aren’t expanded upon a lot, so I’ve got a list of my top five that are currently represented and my top five that I wish got representation

We’ll start with the ones that currently have representation

Number five is Oasis, represented by Moira who is their Minister of Genetics however we do know in lore that there are other ministers so they could be playable in the future or someone else who works within Oasis

In the same vein as Oasis at Number four we got the Atlantic Arcology which is represented by Lifeweaver. It’s a similar place to Oasis where many great minds live in order to try and further research in various fields and I just feel like both of them should have more representation given the significance they most likely have with advancements in the Overwatch Universe

Number Three is Blackwatch, we only know of four of them and one them also doubles as representation for Overwatch. I want to know more about the black ops of Overwatch, like, did they have a tank?

Number two is the MEKA Squad, with what we know of them in lore is surprisingly little and I’m gonna be honest the vibes I’ve gotten from the lore is that D.Va does most of the work and I want to be proven wrong about that. Plus, the Genshin are meant to be this big threat but it’s hard to take it as a threat when we are only able to see the capabilities of one of Korea’s defenders

And at Number One, the Inti Tribe because why the absolute FUCK is Illari labeled as its only defender!? No seriously, she is fucking 18 why is she treated in lore as her tribe’s only defender. If she was their tribe’s only sun warrior that’s a different thing but she’s working with others to defend their tribe but the Sun Warriors made up the bulk of the defenses so at least then it still gives to the tragedy of her explosion while not leaving the literal eighteen year old as the only defender of an entire giant tribe I want an explanation Blizzard!!! I will crawl into your office like a demon possessed and tear through whatever lore books you have in there to find my answers give them to me!!!

On to the factions that don’t have representation within Overwatch that I feel should have it

At Number five we got the Hashimoto. They’re meant to Kiriko’s main enemy and as of the recent Hanzo short story his as well but they just feel like a dime a dozen goons from what we have seen. Like how Null Sector began to feel like more of a threat after Ramattra was added I feel like the Hashimoto would be seen as more dangerous if we actually got a hero to represent them

At Number Four, the Gwishin. Sort of the same story like with the Hashimoto except we do have some idea of what they are capable of, no what I want a hero to represent them for is how they happened in the first place and how they are able to adapt like they do

At Number three the Wastelanders of Australia, they’re the outcasts of the junkers and what Junker Queen used to be when she was exiled. It shows a new perspective on the Australian Wasteland that’s different from the Junkers

At Number two we got the UN. Look, given how big of a deal the UN is in the larger story of Overwatch I just feel like having a hero to represent them would be pretty good in terms of lore and generally either a character who is morally grey or a villain

At Number one we have the God AI. We currently know the names of four God AI, Anubis, Chernobog, Xibalba, and Macaria. Given the massive importance the God AI have in the lore of Overwatch I’m genuinely surprised that not one of them has been made into a playable hero. I’m also kinda impressed that Blizzard hasn’t released a hero that is just them taking a god from mythology and translating that into an FPS. Anyway, given the various purposes the AI had there’s plenty of ways to design their kits around it and there have been hints that some of the God AI achieved some level of Sentience such as Chernobog’s lore. So yeah, I want them represented in game

[justmeinadaze]

I'm In Control Part 23 (Steddie X You)

A/N: I bare you...the conclusion! I am more than happy to return to these three if I or y'all come up with ideas :)

Warnings: Daddy Steve and Sir Eddie and all that implies (I regret nothing!), Eddie gets spicy in this one. Him and the reader fight, Smut, angst, and fluff :)

Word Count: 3331

“Steve! Eddie! No!”

You try and stop them but they are on a mission, eyes dark with anger, and lost in that protective mindset as they charge into TJ’s office. 

“You can’t do this to her. She’s the best agent you have.”, Steve sternly points his index at the man. “If you need to fire anyone, fire us. She deserves to be here.”

“You’re right.”, TJ sighs. “You’re absolutely right but imagine being on the outside looking in? Can you three prove to me she didn’t give you priority roles? That anything within this past year was done purely off of profession and not just because she’s dating you?”

“You know she wouldn’t do that. You’ve known her longer than we have.”, Eddie defends. 

“And those concerns are just from the outside. Since you two have become her clients, you three disappeared constantly, you walked out of a shoot last week—”

“We told you about that immediately.”

“Tell me, Steve. If you hadn’t been dating Y/N, would you both have done the job?”

“No.” When he responded with zero hesitation, your heart swooned. “Cassie Leigh is a fucking terrible person.”

“Angel…”, TJ turns to you. “I know you. They are right about that but…this looks really bad from a professional standpoint.”

“I know…”

“Plus, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was hurt you hid this from me.”

“I never expected this, TJ. I swear. It just—”

“I know. That’s why…”, he turns back to the boys. “She’s only suspended WITH pay. I need to think some things through and figure out what’s best.”

“If she goes, we go.”, Eddie announces as Steve nods. 

“No, they don’t.” They both angrily turn their heads towards you. “This company still has your best interest in mind. Just…stay until we get this sorted out, ok?”

###########

It had been two weeks since you were suspended and it was killing you. Not just because you missed the job but because you saw it torturing the guys to. They felt like this was their fault and constantly apologized every time they caught you zoning out or hiding your tears. 

Moving in with them helped ease some of that tension especially since now that they weren’t seeing you at work every day at least they got to come home to you. They hated the agent TJ assigned them. He was one of those cocky, slick types that felt like the world centered around them. To him they were just cash machines and pushed them towards any project that was sent his way without even discussing it with them. 

Thankfully, Luke’s show had started filming again so they were able to focus all their energy there when they weren’t focused on you. 

While you were browsing through job ads, you phone rang, giving you pause when you noticed the number. 

“Hey TJ.”

“Y/N, angel…we have a problem. Eddie got arrested on Luke’s set today.”

“He what?!”, you shouted as you got up searching for your shoes. “Where’s Steve?”

“He’s at the station in the process of bailing him out. I’m trying to talk Michael into not pressing charges… talk to them, Y/N. They are out of control.”

##############

“What the fuck happened?!” You scream at them as soon the enter the front door. Eddie ignores you as he swishes past to grab a beer from the fridge. Steve sighs as he watches him, folding his arms across his chest. 

“To be fair, I almost knocked the son of bitch out myself. Eddie just got there first.”

“Steve, don’t play games with me. What. HAPPENED?!”

“We went to Michael’s office today because he said he found us job. When he went into more detail, we… we told him it wasn’t something we would be comfortable with. He kept pushing so…”, he gestures to Eddie. 

“So, you punched him in the face because you didn’t agree with him?” The metalhead continues not to answer as he glares into the void and chugs down more of his beverage. “You both have had disagreements with me but you’ve never taken a swing at me.”

“This was different.”

“How, Steve?! How was it different?” You angrily turn towards Eddie. “And why are you letting him speak for you again?!”

You’d be lying if you didn’t say the eyes that met yours scared you a bit. “Get out of my face, Y/N. I’m not in the mood.”

Trying to regain your composure, you reached to caress his face but he swiftly grabbed your wrist and pushed you backwards, knocking you into Steve’s chest. The man’s arms swiftly shot out to catch you, looking down to make sure you were ok. 

When you saw Daddy reflecting back, you tried to reel him in and assure him. “Steve, no. It’s ok. I’m alright.” It was too late. All he saw was his baby girl that he needed to remind was safe. 

“Eddie, we don’t do that. Apologize to her. Now.”

The boy chuckled sarcastically under his breath as he rose to his feet and turned to face him. “Steven Harrington, you are not my Daddy. I do not belong to you and you do NOT tell me what to fucking do.”

“Eddie…”, you squeak. 

“Now YOU belong to me and as your Master, I’m telling you to shut your fucking mouth!”

“No. Right now, you are not my Master. My Sir is a confident, powerful, sexy man that I fell in love with. At this moment, all I see is an angry, pathetic little boy!”

“What the fuck did you just say to me, little girl?!”

As Eddie stepped forward so did Steve pushing you behind him. “No! We do NOT play when our emotions are heightened, right? Answer me, Ed!”

The metalhead glared between the two of you before reaching to grab his jacket. “Fuck you both.”, he spits as he heads out the front door.

##############

Eddie didn’t come home that night and it tore you apart. You knew he wasn’t thinking clearly and all you wanted was for him to be alright. After Steve told you the whole story, you decided to focus on something you could control as you sped to the agency. He tried to stop you but you were furious busting into TJ’s office with a loud bang as you slammed open the door.

“You said they were out of control. Did you know he tried to force them to do a shoot they were uncomfortable with?! They told him no but he signed them up anyway. TJ, they’ve stated numerous times, they don’t feel comfortable doing BDSM type work for the camera!”

“Y/N, listen to me—”

“No! You listen to me. This is unacceptable even if I wasn’t dating them and you know it. I’m not going to let anyone drag down their careers that they worked so hard for! There’s a reason they’ve gotten this far and it’s because they do what works for them. Michael should have trust their intuition and even if he didn’t, he had no right signing their names for a job!”

“He did what?! Y/N, I didn’t know that.”

“No, you didn’t because you are so focused on how people could possible view our relationship that you didn’t notice things that were actually happening…”, you sigh as you fold your arms over your chest. 

“That right there is why she’s a good agent.” You jump when you hear Steve’s behind you as he enters TJ’s office. “And it’s not because she’s fucking us or the fact that we are in love with her. She pays attention and actually fucking cares about the people she represents.” 

TJ sighs as he places his hands on his hips. “Angel, I’m not going to hire you back.” Your heart breaks as you nod and hang your head. “I’m not going to hire you back because you’re too good for this place.” He smiles when your eyes look up to find his. “I’ve taught you everything you know and then some. The rest is all you, babe. You deserve to run them and anyone else without a big boss hanging over you.”

You tackle him as your arms wrap around his neck. “Jesus Christ!”, he chuckles. “I’ll give you a month’s pay till you really get going. I’m not calling it severance because you’re not fired. You’re just…moving on to better things.”

##############

“Baby, stop.” Steve reaches over and places his hand over your knee that hadn’t stopped bouncing since you both got back home. 

“Steve, I can’t…I’m worried about him. What if he got hurt or something? This isn’t like him—”

The front door opened as Eddie slunk in, his hair hanging heavily over his face. You jumped up from the couch, running to him, and immediately wrapped your arms around his waist. His arms stayed at his sides as he remained stiff in your embrace. 

You pulled away, giving him a once over to make sure he wasn’t hurt before you abruptly reached out and shoved his chest. 

“Where the fuck have you been?! I have been worried sick! You didn’t come home last night! You won’t answer your phone! Talk to me, Eddie!”

Steve was standing off to side as he kept a careful eye on you both. You gently pushed his hair back so you could look at his face. His vacant eyes continued to stare past you into the floor. 

“Eddie?” He suddenly fell to his knees, pressing his face into your stomach as he began to cry. His fingers dug into your back as you hugged his head tightly to you. “Eddie, please. Talk to me.” You glanced at Steve, silently begging for help. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“Baby—”

“No!” He leans back as he looks up at you. “No, I’m so sorry. I…I…that fucking asshole pissed me off and then getting arrested…I wasn’t in the right place mentally. I never should have talked to you like that or pushed you. You were right. I’m a fucking pathetic, little boy.”

“Eddie, it’s ok.”

“Jesus, Y/N!”, he rises to his feet causing the other boy to move closer to you. “It’s not ok! I saw the way you looked at me! You were scared… I—”

Your palm collided with his cheek. “You’re going to hear what I have to say! Do you understand me?!” His eyes searched yours before slowly descending back to his knees. 

“Yes, Miss.”

You cupped his face with your hands as you stepped closer. “You’re right. You shouldn’t have behaved that way but Eddie, that’s not normal behavior for you. I knew something was wrong and when Steve told me what happened… I wanted to fucking hit him to. He violated a boundary for you; for both of you. Baby, I am so fucking sorry you went through that but that’s never going to happen again.”

“She’s our agent again. Seems baby girl is starting her own agency.”

Eddie’s eyes shift between you both as what Steve said fully sunk in. You smile as you pull him to his feet. “You’re safe with me, Sir, and I am safe with you. Just don’t fucking disappear me on again.” You hug him again and this time his arms wrap around you. “I was so worried.”

“I’m sorry, princess. Can I make it up to you?”

“Please.”

He grinned as he lifted you into his arms and headed for the bedroom. “Come on, Harrington. You to.”

“Me? What do I need to make up for?”

“Fine. Stay out here then.”

“Nooo…”, you whine as you make grabby hands, reaching for him to follow. 

Steve laughs at the sound as he trails behind and Eddie tosses you on to the bed, climbing on top of you as he kisses your neck. As soon as you lift off your shirt, his mouth descends to your chest, reaching behind you to take off your bra. Your legs wrap around his waist trying to keep him as close to you as you possibly can. 

“I missed you so much. It—mmm—it felt weird without you next to me last night.”

Eddie’s lips encase your nipple, his finger trying to unbutton your pants while grinding against you. 

“Where did you sleep last night?”, Steve asked. 

“Van.” His mouth dipped along your stomach, tugging your jeans and panties with him down your legs. 

“Eddie…” You felt a pang in your heart of him sleeping in his van out on L.A. streets, leaning up to quickly grab his chin after he took off his shirt. “Promise me you’ll never do that again. Even if you don’t feel comfortable talking to me at least tell Steve where you are.”

He saw the hurt in your eyes and it killed him all over again as he leaned forward to gently kiss your forehead. “I promise, little miss.” Eddie guided you back down with soft kisses before making you giggle as he playfully lifted your legs, yanking you closer to him.

A moan escaped you as his tongue licked a stripe through your folds. He moved slow at first, his mouth pressed just so against you but when Eddie got going it was like being transported to another world. You always loved the way he felt with his head between your legs. Unlike Steve, when the metalhead got passionate, he was still coherent and controllable but he was very focused and determined. He had one goal and it was to please you. 

Your eyes squeezed shut as his lips wrapped around your clit, two of his thick fingers breaching your entrance as he pumped and curled them inside of you. You suddenly felt warmth press against your side and whimpered when you felt lips suck on your neck. 

“Daddy…” 

Steve’s hand caressed your skin, his fingers stopping to play with your erect nipples making your pussy clench around Eddie who had begun thrusting his own digits faster into you. 

“Please…fuck…Sir, yes. Just like…like that. I…need you…please, Eddie.”

At the sound of his name, he crawled up to your side and attached his lips to the opposite end of your neck as his hand moved faster between you. 

“Cum, baby. You deserve to feel good. Come on, pretty girl.” His soft, syrupy voice continued to encourage you until your hand shot down clasping over his as you came. 

“Atta girl, honey. Such a good girl.”, Steve whispered as Eddie sat up to throw off his pants. 

You rolled the other boy onto his back, smiling to see he was already undressed and waiting for his turn. Hovering over his firm cock, you glided your tongue over the tip, tasting the salty pre cum he already had lingering there. 

Eddie came up behind you, adjust your hips and pushing one of your legs further up the mattress to he could have better access. You both groaned as he guided his dick into your dripping core, delivering slow, strong strokes as he pushed deeper into you. One of his hands clung to your hip as the other balanced on the side of the bed while his chest hovered just above your back as he watched you bob your head around his friend’s cock. 

Steve mewled as he brushed your hair to side so they could both watch you take him. The vibrations from mouth as Eddie thrust harder into you had his eyes rolling back. 

“F-fuck, baby girl. I can fucking feel the back of your throat. You take us both so…so well.”

You lifted your head for air, panting as the metalheads fingers slide around your thigh to reach your pussy, massaging circles against your clit. 

“Yes, Sir. Jesus…that feels…”

“Tell me, princess. Tell me—mmm—how it feels.”, Eddie cooed.

“So deep…amazing…f-faster, please.”

You spit over Steve’s length, stroking him rapidly as the other man placed both palms on your side, balancing more on his knees as his own hips pounded into you at a dizzying pace. 

Craning to face him, your eyes met his as his mouth fell open in silent moans. 

“Can…can I cum, Sir?”

As soon as he nodded, your eyes fluttered closed, your forehead falling against Steve’s body as you came. Eddie’s arms wrapped around your front, holding you to his chest as he rolled his hips aggressively until you heard a strangled grunt and felt him warm your insides with his release. 

The delicate action of him pulling out of you was countered with Steve leaning over and lifting you onto his lap. You reached between your bodies, taking his cock and sliding it into your core. His hands clung to your waist as you began bouncing on top of him, your head flying back in ecstasy. 

Leaning back on your hands, you grind your lower half against him as Steve tilts forward to trail his lips along your stomach up to your chest making you whimper.

“Yes, Daddy. Ma-make me cum, baby.”

Abruptly, he wraps his arms around you, flipping you onto your back as your head hits Eddie’s tummy. 

“Ow.”

You giggle as the other man smiles down at you, kissing your lips as he thrusts into you. The metalhead’s fingers run through your hair as Steve’s forehead leans against yours, his breathy whimpers fanning your face. 

“Just like…that, Steve. Please. I’m…fuck…can I?”

He nodded as his rhythm quickened, the sound of skin hitting skin filling the room until your eyes closed and you clung to the back of his head as you came. As your pussy fluttered around him, you heard him groan above you as he pumped rope after rope of his spend deep inside of you.

Nobody moved except for Eddie who was still tenderly petting your head. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“Eddie, you don’t have to keep apologizing.”

“No, I know. I just…this wasn’t really a great welcome home experience for you. I don’t want you to think this is common. Matt said this was a big step for you.”

You poke at Steve’s back as he jokingly whines, rolling off you before you turn around and climb on top of the other boy. 

“I know this isn’t normal for you. I don’t…I don’t think you’re both going to suddenly change just because I’m here. Not in a bad way anyway.”, you smile. “He knows it’s a big step for me because I was terrified to leave home after I graduated high school. It was all I ever wanted but I was so scared of being in this ‘sinful city’ alone. Then I dated those douchebags and…” He chuckles as you shake your head and shudder. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I never would have moved in if I didn’t trust you both. All three of us have come a long way from that night in the hotel. This one…setback…doesn’t ruin the idea of me being here.”

Eddie’s palms cup your face as he guides your lips to his. 

“Now your careers…that’s a different story.” You smile as Steve comes up behind you lifting you off the boy with one arm and carries you to the bathroom. 

“Why do you say that?”, the metalhead asked as he jogged up behind you two. 

“If word got around that you punched an agent and got arrested that doesn’t look so hot but I think I can spin it especially since Michael dropped the charges.

“Jesus, woman. What voodoo did you do?”

“She yelled at TJ and told him what that asshole did. TJ said if he dropped the assault charge, he wouldn’t fire him for signing our names.”, Steve grinned as he guided you under the warm water of the shower. 

“Which technically he didn’t. He still works for the agency…he’s just not an agent anymore.”, you beam up at him as you wrap your arms around his neck. 

“So…you’re really our agent again?”

You kiss his lips before leaning back against Steve’s chest.

“Yup. I’m in control of you and all yours.”

#############

@gracieluvthemoon @e-munson666 @alienthings @lunatictardis

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[in1-nutshell]

Bot Buddy being Rattrap's younger sibling

SFW, familial, platonic, Cybertronian/ bot reader

Beast wars

Buddy is a calm and sensitive soul. Their beast mode is an armadillo. They tend to be a bit more open minded to some things than Rattrap is.

Rattrap loves his younger sibling to bits… that being said, he has a peculiar way of showing it.

Their dynamic gives off.

No-one-can-hurt-them-but-me vibes.

“Hey Rattrap look at this picture I drew of the flowers this morning!”--Buddy

“I’ve seen prettier flowers than those.”--Rattrap

“Yeah, those are kind of ugly.”--Cheetor

“Take that back! Those are the most beautiful flower in the world!”--Rattrap

“Aww thanks Rattrap.”--Buddy

“Get lost you bumpy bowling ball.”—Rattrap

Rattrap being the older sibling is protective of his younger sibling. He doesn't like it when they have to go out on a solo patrols. Not that he would ever admit it. Buddy knows this, of course.

“All righty then. See you in a bit Rattrap.”--Buddy

“Now at this time, at night, all by yourself. Yeah, fat chance bumpy.”--Rattrap

“Woah. Woah. Woah. Where do you think you’re going hot shot?”--Rattrap

“I’m going on patrol.”--Buddy

“Do you want to come then?”--Buddy

“Now why would I want to go on patrol with you? I got stuff to do here in the ship where its safe and warm.”--Rattrap

“Oh, okay then, I guess I can get Cheetor to come.”--Buddy

“Yeah right. And have him reveal your location in 5 seconds. Nope, give me a second to look for my blaster.”--Rattrap

“Thanks, I guess?”--Buddy

“Yeah, don’t mention it. Really don’t mention it.”--Rattrap

Buddy is extremely protective of Rattrap. As much as they don't like or understand much of his way with words, they do not tolerate anyone talking bad about him. Especially the jab is without reasoning. They have been known to defend Rattrap more times than they can count.

“Back off Dinobot!”--Buddy

“What?!”--Dinobot

“He didn’t mean it and that was uncalled for!”--Buddy

“…”--Dinobot

“… Okay maybe he did mean it but still uncalled for!”--Buddy

Unlike Rattrap, buddy will trust almost anyone/ anything. This puts Rattrap in edge every time. He has lost the number of times Buddy has tried to befriend or trust something the Predacons have said. He swears that they will be the death of him one of these days.

“Hey Rattrap! Theres a note from the Predacon’s ‘You can have some Energon goodies if you just come over the ridge. Enjoy!’ Wow, that’s nice of them.”--Buddy

“Buddy, I swear—THE ROPE IS RIGHT THERE HOW—and now your stuck upside down. Again.”--Rattrap

“Help?”--Buddy

“Yeah. Yeah. I got you kid. Primus this has been the 10th time this week.”—Rattrap

The other Maximals find it a bit hard to see Buddy even being remotely related to Rattrap. If anything, Buddy might have been related more to Rhinox than Rattrap. Rattrap knows this an is a bit self-conscious on the topic, not that he talks about it anyways.

“Maybe it’s like how he said that he is related to Arcee?”--Cheetor

“He’s related to who?!”--Dinobot

Optimus appreciates the way Buddy can reign in Rattraps attitude a bit when they are around. Optimus knows that those two have a good bond, a rare one that hasn’t been seen in a while. It’s nice though. Primal has learned not to question the loyalty between the siblings. He once went out on patrol with Buddy and Rattrap where they were ambushed by Waspinator and Terrosaur. Buddy insisted Optimus throw them up to help with the attack. He did it and it sent Rattrap into a small frenzy. When Buddy had gotten back down safely, Rattrap was trying to tear a new one in the leader before rushing over to see if Buddy was okay.

“Throw me!”—Buddy

“Are you sure?”--Optimus

“Absolutely Optimus!”--Buddy

“Wait what?”--Rattrap

“Okay Buddy, get ready!”--Optimus

“Wait what!”--Rattrap

“Weeeeee!!”--Buddy

“Buddy!”--Rattrap

“They’re fine Rattrap.”--Optimus

“You’re the one who isn’t going to be fine if they get so much as a dent Banana breath!”--Rattrap

“Rattrap—”--Optimus

“I swear if they don’t—”--Rattrap

“Hi guys.”--Buddy

“Buddy! Are you hurt? Are there any dents? What were you thinking? Did Primal hurt you?”--Rattrap

*Confused but happy Gorilla noises.*

Rhinox knows about the little talks here and there about Buddy being his long-lost sibling instead of Rattraps. He did humor it a bit at first thinking it wasn’t going to be too bad. Buddy had joined in just for good humor too.

But after a bit he doesn’t react too much.

Then he notices how Rattrap acts when the joke is brought up. He does his best to try and make his friend feel better after that. He does like Buddy’s nature and enjoys their little talks when they have the ship to themselves.

“You know Rattrap, Buddy and I’ve been talking.”--Rhinox

“Oh yeah? What about?”--Rattrap

“Buddy was telling me how they were worried about you when you came back late from patrol the other day. They seemed to miss their brother.”--Rhinox

“Oh okay…”--Rattrap

*Content rat noises.*

Cheetor doesn’t believe that sweet sensitive Buddy is related to dirty mouth Rattrap. The difference is night and day between those two. How is this possible? Buddy, due to them being younger is probably the closest age to Cheetor. Automatically making the two best friends. They have their own mini adventures from time to time. But no one knows about that. Most of the talking ends up being inside jokes that no one understands.

“Cheetor this isn’t like the Riverbed incident that thing will explode. Don’t use the blow torch this time.”--Buddy

“Oh, okay then. Thanks for the heads up!”--Cheetor

“Riverbed?”--Optimus

“Inccident?”--Rhinox

“Explode?!”—Rattrap

Dinobot wants a DNA test done immediately. He firmly believes that this is some trick that everyone is on. He does respect Buddy, however. Buddy was the first Maximal to greet him with open arms with kindness that he almost forgot existed. Then there’s their brother, Rattrap. The very bane of his existence. The thorn in his side. He can’t connect the dots at all.

“Hi Dinobot!”--Buddy

“Greetings…”--Dinobot

“How’s your day been?”--Buddy

“It’s been well.”--Dinobot

A little later

Rattrap tripping Dinobot with his tail

“Eat  floor Chomperface.”--Rattrap

*Confused and angry Dinobot noises*

Tigatron and Airazor like their teammate. Like many other the others, they don’t quite understand the siblings. But they are more understanding of their dynamics. Due to them being out of the base so much any time with Buddy is cherished. Sometimes they will ‘kidnap’ Buddy from the base to catch up on the latest things with the crew or the ship.

“And what did Dinobot do after that?”--Airazor

“Well Rattrap said he started making frustrated noises after he tripped him.”--Buddy

“I’m sensing something else to the story.”--Tigatron

“Don’t know really, you guys got me out before he told me the rest.”--Buddy

Silverbolt loves Buddy. They are his platonic soulmate. They are his number one in his book of friends because Black arachnia is his number one true love. Its common occurrence to see Buddy with him if they aren’t with Rhinox, Rattrap or Cheetor. Silverbolt asks love advice from Buddy all the time. Whether Buddy is in a relationship or not, they try their best to help their friend.

 Buddy is his wingman for life.

And helps decorate places he wants to bring his love to

“Buddy! My platonic soulmate!”--Silverbolt

“Silverbolt! My bestie in love!”--Buddy

*Offended and confused Cheetah and Spider noises.*

Blackarachnia in the beginning was confused by Buddy’s entire existence. Time and time again when she was with the Predacon’s Buddy would offer her a place within the Maximal ranks. Not matter what she threw verbally or physically, Buddy was stubborn in getting her to join. When she did join, thanks to Silverbolt, she was quite jealous of Buddy’s relationship with the Maximal.

She would never admit it though.

It would be until Silverbolt mentioned how Buddy helped pick the venue and some decorations for their definitely not date, that she would ease up on the Maximal.

“You really care about him don’t you.”--Buddy

“…Yeah, I guess I do.”—Black arachnia

“Good! Now remember, no one will find you if you hurt him.”--Buddy

“What?!”—Black arachnia

“I have some energon goodies, you want some?”--Buddy

“… Yes?...”—Black arachnia

Primus help the poor soul that makes Buddy cry.

Get prepared for the Maximal beating of a lifetime. No amount of time travel will help fix the damage that will come upon that body after they are even remotely done with it.

[torch-the-throne]

My assessment on which Richmond players are likely to play for their national teams, based on an unscientific combo of FIFA stats, quotes, and vibes (discussion under the cut). 

Dani: absolutely. According to the FIFA stats, Dani is in the top 30 strikers in the world, and sits comfortably above the average Mexican attacker score. Brief run of injuries/yips aside, Dani would surely be one of Mexico’s star players.

Colin: perhaps surprisingly, yes. Most of the current Welsh team come from the lower leagues, so as a Premier League player Colin has a decent chance of making the team- not only is he in the top 30 world left midfielders, but were he part of the current Welsh national team he’d be their 3rd highest ranked player. Nate might have told Colin he didn’t inspire, but Nate is clearly out of touch with all the Welsh kids who are too hipster to call Gareth Bale their favourite.

Thierry: yes, but as a sub. Goalies are tricky, and unfortunately for Zoreaux it’s unlikely he’d make it as Canada’s #1. But, he’d absolutely be a sensible choice for a reserve goalie based on his stats, and if things change he could well join the starting 11.

Jamie: yes/no/yes. Boy, the whole quitting Man City and finding it tricky to be a team player really makes it hard for Jamie. I can imagine him as frequenting the reserve bench for England in his early years, before being dropped from the roster for a while, then making a comeback to the starting 11 later on. The man’s joint 10th in the world as an attacking centre mid, and now he’s showing both commitment and maturity he’d be a great addition to England’s strong set of strikers.

Sam: soon. The only reason why I didn’t have Sam down as currently playing for his national team is because in series 1 he explicitly states it’s still a dream for his future. According to the FIFA stats he’s the 3rd highest ranked Nigerian player, and 13th in the world for his position. Sam can, should, must, and will make the national team.

Isaac: maaaaaybe. Whilst Isaac sits below the average for an England defender, he’s still well within the numerical range to make the team. I can see him being a solid choice for the national squad, but unlikely to be consistently making the starting 11.

Moe, Richard, and Jan: no. Sorry. Unfortunately for these three, their country’s teams are full of damn good players. If Moe can cash in a Scottish grandma I’m sure he’d make the national team in an instant, but he’s unlikely to be a mainstay for England.

Roy: once upon a time. I have no idea if Roy’s FIFA stats are from his prime or from his last years at Richmond, but either way Roy gives off peak “nation’s old favourite” vibes. He’s been a captain, he’s played with Chelsea in their prime, he’s respected enough to be offered a pundit position: Roy absolutely served the England team for many years. Why else would little Mancunian Jamie Tartt idolise him so?

(Disclaimer to all this: ofc I know national teams don’t pick their players based on a single number, and I haven’t been fully into football since Alan Shearer was the UK’s darling. Feel free to debate!)

[sarcasticsra]

I cannot stress enough how much everyone should watch Starkid’s A VHS Christmas Carol if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s pretty short, only about 45 minutes, and it’s truly one of the best adaptations of A Christmas Carol that I’ve ever seen.

No, seriously. I think it has even surpassed The Muppets Christmas Carol for me. That has been my favorite Christmas movie since I was a child. My mom and sister and I used to watch it every Christmas Eve. I still love it dearly and it is an amazing adaptation that I’ll defend to my death, but you guys. You guys. A VHS Christmas Carol is just THAT GOOD.

It’s done in the style of 80s music/videos, which is delightful. It’s an opera, so it’s all sung through, which I love. And it’s so good!

Let me enumerate the ways. Spoilers to follow. (Can you spoil A Christmas Carol? Once a story becomes public domain does that exempt it from spoiling? Idk, lol. Spoilers for the show, anyway. Also for Avatar: The Last Airbender. …I promise there’s a path.)

1) Bah Humbug! - Song number one and it goes hard right from the start. It is everything an opening number should be. Dynamic, sets the tone, and an incredible fucking bop. The interactions between Scrooge and Fred and Scrooge and Bob are done so well, too. You so quickly get a sense of their characters. Obviously we know their characters because this is a story that has been told many a time before, but it does it so well that you would immediately get them even if you were an alien who had never in your existence been exposed to A Christmas Carol in any capacity. That’s impressive to me. It’s not relying on the familiarity of the story to do its character work.

2) 3 Spirits - I love the tone of this song. This is a Marley with true regret and pain who is absolutely pleading with Scrooge to take the chance he’s being given. It’s less “scared straight” and more, “I need you to understand this like you’ve never understood anything before.” Marley becomes a character in his own right as opposed to merely a backdrop for Scrooge to react to. That’s a theme with this adaptation. Characters who are pretty flat in a lot of adaptations seem so much more like real people in this one. Also, whoever decided to cast Meredith as Marley here is a fucking genius. She’s so goddamn talented and she really shines here. The emotion, the weight. Gah. Beautiful. The interplay between Marley and Scrooge is incredible as well; these are two insanely talented performers breathing a new life into tried and true characters, and you really feel the relationship between them.

3) I’m The Ghost - Christmas Past is so pointed and snarky and incredible, making Scrooge come to certain realizations. “Huh, little boy left all alone. Oh, your sister died so young. Didn’t she have a son though? Why are the employees so happy, this party didn’t cost much? Thinking of something? Okay, last stop, buckle up, it’s all your own doing.” I love it so much.

4) That Scrooge - You guys. You guys. They’ve done what I assumed was impossible. They’ve done what even the Muppets couldn’t. It’s a Scrooge-Belle breakup song that isn’t the most unbelievably boring and bland thing you’ve ever heard in your life. Belle is a fucking person! She has a personality! She’s very clearly stating her case, that he’s changed and she doesn’t like it and does he have anything to say? No? Okay, bye! THE EMOTION IN THIS SONG. Scrooge starts singing not just with her but to her! All the things he didn’t say before! And then he starts singing angrily about/at his past!self for being an idiot! You actually FEEL THINGS about this relationship. It was a deep love and losing it super fucked him up! I have never before seen Belle/Scrooge done as well as this one (1) song handles it.

5) Christmas Electricity - Get ready to have this song stuck in your head for ten thousand years. This song is, I believe, the standard classical definition of “a fuckin’ bop.” It’s so high energy and exciting, you really can understand how Scrooge gets so caught up in it himself. You also see more of Fred in this song and, again, he’s a person! He has specific motivations for why he keeps reaching out to Scrooge. Corey’s Fred is hands down one of the best performances of this character full stop. He took what is usually a bit, side character and made him a full human with understandable thoughts and feelings. They gave the Fred-Scrooge relationship such incredible emotional weight because of it. I think that’s one of my favorite aspects of this adaptation.

6) Priceless - Here we see the Cratchits enjoying their Christmas with an incredibly sweet song about having little but feeling like they have a lot. I really like the way this song feels a bit cheesy (goes with the whole 80s vibe) but they also feel like a real family with some silliness and some sweetness and Bob’s wife having very strong opinions about Scrooge that he’s too polite for. Also “listen to this key change out of the bridge” goddamn just show off constantly how freaking talented this entire cast is, why don’t you.

7) The Final Ghost - I probably have too much to say about this song. It’s my favorite, which considering this entire show is pitch fucking perfect, is really saying a lot. Dylan Saunders is truly one of the most talented performers I’ve ever seen, and his Scrooge is so, so good. It really shines through here. His interactions with Christmas Future show him mirroring Bob from earlier (he has a line that’s almost an exact quote of a line from Bob in Bah Humbug!), correcting himself, and trying to be respectful/humble. Subtle displays of emotional growth even before he gets to the truly scary parts. The song is of course a darker tone, as is correct for this part of the narrative, perfectly setting up the finale song. We get Scrooge overhearing about a funeral no one cares about, the same man being robbed after death, and this death bringing actual happiness to people. Throughout it all so far Christmas Future only speaks in a wordless melody, as is apt. Scrooge asks for tenderness connected to death and is shown the Cratchits mourning Tiny Tim, which breaks him, and he asks who the dead man was from earlier. Still wordless, Christmas Future leads him to a cemetery, and that wordless melody perfectly transforms into an eerie, ethereal, “Ebenezer Scrooge.” The fucking amount of sheer EMOTION Dylan packs into Scrooge pleading for his soul, that he is changed, and the final bit of narration… fuck, you guys, it’s so good. I love all of the “scene” parts of this song so much. It all builds so perfectly.

7a) The narrator. - This isn’t a specific song, I just want to call out how excellent the narrator is through the whole show and how perfectly the narration ties the whole show together. It’s one of those things where it goes unnoticed because it’s so perfect, but if it were bad you would definitely notice. You need it to be there and understated or a lot a falls apart, but it can be such hard balance to strike. This show nails it.

8) Christmas Day - The finale! And what a finale it is! The energy is a perfect contrast to the song before it as Scrooge delights in being alive and having time to make things right. His joy is palpable as he goes about his day, buying Bob a huge turkey, making an incredible donation to the charity he blew off the day before, and showing up at Fred’s. Guys. This scene. Especially when I watch the live, but even sometimes just via the soundtrack, this scene just fucking perfectly, beautifully guts me. You know how in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko has to go on his whole narrative arc to eventually join the right side, and along the way sort of betrays his Uncle Iroh, aka the only good father figure he’s ever had, because he’s a traumatized teenager, and eventually he meets back up with him and starts stumbling out an apology and Iroh just sweeps him up in a hug without a word, and you sob because it’s perfect? That is the energy present in this, what, 15-second scene, just this incredible emotional buildup and payoff accomplished in a scant 45-minute runtime. It’s truly wondrous. The finale, as all true finales should, calls back musically to previous character beats, and ends on the perfect bookend to the opening number. It’s just so, so immensely satisfying.

Tl;dr - this musical has made me feel more Christmas-y than I have in a long, long time, and I have listened to little else in terms of music since I watched it two weeks ago. (It was literally the only music I had listened to since then until right now, and that’s only because I’m in a van on a road trip to my sister-in-law’s for Christmas. While I would have been perfectly content to listen to this soundtrack on repeat for the entire 8-hour drive, I also recognize that the four other people in this van do not have my particular flavor of hyperfixated ADHD brain and probably would not appreciate that, heh. Thus I played it once and then other music. Compromise!)

But yes. Seriously. It’s so good. Gah. Go watch it!

[meteor752]

Episode 6 and 7 thoughts

This will now be a regular thing

Also im writing this as I go

Episode 6

So Izzy thought Ed was Roach. Huh. Does he and Roach talk regularly? <- Coming from a Rizzy shipper

“Do weeeee?” Fang I love you

Oh my god, Frenchie and Jim coming to Ed and Stede like they’re kids asking if their cousins can sleep over

The crew going shoppiiiiiiiiing!!!

Frenchie’s lil dancey dance added many years to my life

Ed being nice and giving kids mon- oh never mind, oh that’s a knife okay. Ed never have kids please

“Don’t pirate kids” well listen okay I don’t have HBO Max it’s the only way I can watch this show

MY QUEEN

Wee John you’re so beautiful and amazing and we don’t deserve you

Jim’s lil mustache, like yeah me too <- Non-Binary person

Stede looks so happy about seeing Wee John!! He’s so proud of his son!

Izzy is gorgeous. I’m actually so happy to see him explore more sides of himself, and to find things he can indulge in. This whole season has really just been Izzy’s big therapy arc

His hair makes him look a bit like Cinderella’s evil stepmother though

Oh he can sing too! Izzy!!! <- A person who did not like Izzy in season one

Wee John X Izzy? Roach X Fang?

YO THE

POLYCULE DANCING?!

Ed protecting Stede….just, immediately putting him behind himself…I just…

I rewatched that clip five times

“Because I only hang out with cool pirates” Stede’s face!!! He’s just like Oh Snapppp

Despite it all, Stede and Ed are still the cutest couple that has ever graced the TV screen. Like hell yeah, make fun of people together!

Ed keeps being protective…..okay I need a moment…

Roach you’re a lunatic and I love you

“Whatever this is it’s just gonna turn me on” Izzy you’re a shining star

Also I just now noticed that Black Pete and Lucius aren’t there. I’m guessing they eloped somewhere and are currently taking care of their adopted cat

Nope okay, literally the second I unpaused there they are. That’s the worst timing

Hell yeah my dudes, I hope you broke whatever bed you used

“I’m just doing it for the lolz” Yeah that’s sounds like something someone from the 1700s would say

I know this is a pirate ship but why do they just have so many knives and swords laying about

Who is this fanged torture queen, and how do I acquire her number?

Stede remains best employer, while Aziraphale is the best landlord. Can these two people just run the world please and thank you

Hell Cat Maggie is my soulmate

I feel like there needs to be a pirate workers union

The crew of the revenge is the best found family of all time

Stede Bonnet can rival Steven Universe in reforming villains, like he’s just such a genuinely nice dude

“Alright gang! Let’s talk profit sharing”

Oh protective Stede, alright let’s go mate defend your mans

Okay but why is Stede kinda 👀 in this scene

Oh Stede, love…

OH THEY FAWHKING

That French? Izzy speaks french?

I want to see that man get dicked down

I guess the revenge now has a pet goat

Episode 7

Okay Ed is a soft boy again, aight

NO NOT THE LEATHER JACKET

The anime toast in mouth thing. He’s officially been baby girl for a long while, but we’re really solidifying it

OH THEY FUCKED

Isn’t there an anime where a mob boss becomes a house wife? Yeah that’s Ed

Oh we’re telling him about the mermaid fantasy, okay

Izzy what the fuck, you’re amazing

“He’s jealous” my darling

The polycule is going strong, and I love the absolute lack of jealousy. This is the best representation I have ever had

Oh they’re going on a date! That’s so sweet actually

It’s really sweet that they’re talking about their time apart

Stede’s famous now? Good for him!

I need to stop falling in love with every pirate lady In this show. That being said, I hope we see more of the fangirl lady

I’m reinforcing my claim that Stede and Ed are cuter than anything that has ever been on screen

OH MY GOD SWEDE

The Söt Och Saftig, my love. Also this far in and this is the first time the character “The Swede” actually says something in Swedish

Scammer Frenchie is back in business, love that

Jim and Archie trying to get their boyfriend set up is very sweet actually

The character development of Izzy going from wanting Ed to remain “Blackbeard” to him saying if being a softie makes him happy then he should do that, like I get it now, I know why you all love this man

OH MY FUCKING GOD STEDE

Can’t believe Stede is an official Slut now

Open communication? Like genuine conversation about their relationship, and the pace they’re taking it? Ed being honest that he’s not ready for the steps they’re taking in their relationship?

What is this argument

I live for Lucius and Black Pete’s nicknames for each other

“I’ve only known you for a few hours Bonnet, but I’d fucking die for ya” Same random dude. Same

Izzy🥹

Zheng and Olu are really cute actually

Oh my god the polycule will end my fucking life

DONT BRING ED INTO THIS ZHENG

“That was really mean” YOU TELL HER STEAK KNIFE

Protective Jim my beloved

Oh my god

Roach and Fang friendship?

Roach is the queen of self care

[alicelioncourt]

modern au

"Jenny, pick some apples, please! I'm going to make apple pie!"

“Mom, my name is Shadowheart,” the girl, dressed all in black, reminded her, but still went to fulfill her request. She wasn't even that fond of apples and apple pie, but her mood was too changeable at that age. Maybe she'll eat a piece later, doing her mother a favor; maybe she really will gobble it all up in one go with great pleasure and only make a face for show. She hasn't decided yet.

Life on a small farm was relaxed, but very monotonous: too boring. Jenny wanted something more interesting, like the mysterious rituals from horror films that her mother forbade her to watch in the evenings. But all that remained was to dream and write down interesting observations in a personal diary. Perhaps when she goes to university, everything will become much more cheerful than this dull farm life and she will leave here for a dormitory.

The apples were green and hard, just pick them and eat them now. These are just perfect for a pie: large and sour.

The girl took a basket with her to put it all in and put it under the tree. She jumped slightly to catch the branch and pulled it towards her.

"Ah-ah-ah!" someone yelled above her, because this branch served as part of his support, because of which someone not very large, but still very heavy, fell on Shadowheart from above, immediately crushing her with his weight.

"Aouch!" She lay down under the tree and rubbed her cheek next to her nose. A broken branch cut across her face and left a shallow cut, which immediately began to bleed slightly. "Get off me!"

The girl pushed the stranger off her and looked angrily in his direction. A boy appeared before her, a little shorter than her, with beautiful white curls, looking about fourteen years old, absolutely frightened either by her reaction or by the fact that he had been caught red-handed. One of the apples was clutched tightly in his hand.

"Are you stealing our apples?" She continued to frown, lifting him from the ground by his chest.

“N-no,” despite direct evidence of this, the boy continued to lie to her. He was almost half a head shorter than her and was truly afraid of Shadowheart. "You are beautiful."

He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind to defend himself - and he was right. This took the new acquaintance by surprise, and she let him go, feeling slightly embarrassed. The plan was a success. True, he himself did not yet understand whether he lied or actually found her attractive.

“Very funny,” Shadowheart took the apple from him. "Who are you and where are you from?"

"Astarion. From the Szarr estate. Please don't tell my stepfather that I was here!" according to his request, he was not very eager to receive punishment for such a thing. "I was going to leave home. I needed food with me…"

"From the Szarr estate?" Shadowheart was sincerely surprised. “But they buy everything fresh from our family. Why steal… Why leave home? It's such a luxurious estate there. Literally all of my classmates dream of living in it…"

Shadowheart hesitated.

"I heard that the owner of the house seems to have children, but I haven’t met anyone yet… Do you even go to school there or are you homeschooled?"

Astarion just sighed:

"Homeschooled. I really need to leave home…"

"Jenny, where have you gone?" her mother called, leaning out of the window of the house. Astarion tensed and hid behind a tree so that no one would see him.

"I'm coming now!" she answered her. “And I’m not Jenny,” she muttered under her breath with dissatisfaction.

"Who then?" he asked quietly from behind the tree.

"Shadowheart."

Having collected the required number of apples for herself, the girl nevertheless took pity on the new guest, who still did not leave, despite her threatening appearance, and left him several apples under the tree so that he would not have to climb up again.

After this meeting, she did not see him for a long time. Perhaps he really ran away from home. Perhaps he finally came to his senses and returned home. Every time she saw the Szarr estate from afar, she tried to guess what was happening there, if someone wanted to leave this luxurious place of their own free will. But still, Shadowheart chalked it up to a typical boyish desire to go on adventures after watching stupid cartoons. Although since then she wanted to get a little closer to the estate.

The end of July passed in such thoughts and the remaining days of the hot summer quickly flew by. Black clothes were far from the best choice for this weather, but Jenny had no intention of being like her normie parents. She grew up a little more over the summer and fell into the occult with even greater interest, hiding books of witchcraft from her mother under the bed, because for just one volume of “The Witches’ Hammer” her mother would give her a long and boring lecture.

[myosotis-garden]

Kotoko Milgram having a relationship with a shy but affectionate F/GN reader

Yuzuriha Kotoko x Shy!Affectionate!F/GN!Reader

Fluff (HC + Drabble)

CW : None i think

I apologize this took sooo long !! I hope you'll enjoy it though 'v'

~ Headcanons ~

Kotoko would absolutely love a shy reader, why? Well because she could protect you !

Even at first when you two weren’t in a relationship she had this urge to protect you, since usually shy people don't dare defend themselves.

But thankfully Kotoko is here to protect you and she is really good at it.

She would be overprotective I think, not in a bad way… Just be prepared for her to kick the ass of anyone who will bother you.

A man catcalled you in the street? She’s running after him to beat him up. Someone looked at you the wrong way? She is already grabbing their collar. Someone laughed while you were trying to open up? Kotoko’s fist is already on their face. A friend chooses a +4 card on you while playing uno? This friend is already running for their life.

It’s obvious now but you would be her number 1 priority, she would make your needs come first.

As exemple if you two are in a restaurant she asks you what you want right away so that way she could talk to the waitress at your place.

Or another exemple, if you’re at a friend's place and your friends propose some drinks, she would ask you first what you want and then reply to your friend for you.

She would absolutely encourage you to open up, giving you tips, though she would never force you and would be proud at any progress you make.

Since you’re shy she would be but so happy when you’re affectionate to her and she would praise any progress you make !

One time for Valentine's Day, you offered her paper flowers and she was in heaven, especially when you explained that paper flowers have even more meaning and love to them because they’re handmade and take time.. (You struggled and it took 5 minutes for you to say it but Kotoko was extremely happy so it was worth it)

I feel like she would be very open with a shy reader, like she would completely let her mask fall and show her true self to reader, she would be more vulnerable and more open about her feelings… :

~ Drabble ~

You were coming back from a party with friends, it was supposed to be a good night but things went a bit out of hand when a friend made a hurtful remark about how you never stand up for yourself and should stop being too dependent on your girlfriend. Obviously Kotoko went to defend you but it was almost proving your friend’s point and so a huge fight began… You guys left before Kotoko punches someone.

After a few minutes you were both back home. As you sit down on the couch, Kotoko follows you with a bittered expression.

“Are you okay..?” You hesitantly ask, already knowing the response to your question but you still want to check up on your girlfriend.

Kotoko just sighs and walks toward the couch, sitting down and then she lays her head on your lap. You hesitate for a bit but you lay your hand on her head, running your fingers through her hair, she sighs again but this time it seems more like a relaxed sigh.

After thinking for a bit she replies to your question. “I’m okay I guess… But I feel like I'm at fault for what happened back there… You had to hear those hurtful words because of me”. You quickly shake your head at her reply.

“No no ! Nothing is your fault, I… I'm really grateful that you’re always helping me!” You smile, Kotoko turns her head to look at you and you gently caress her cheeks. “... You promise ?” She asks.

You nod, your hand trembling slightly, you’re not used to sharing your honest thoughts like this, but you really want to say what you think to your girlfriend even though you’re shy, she deserves to know.

Kotoko smiled as he sat down next to you. “Love…” She gently rubs your face the same way you did to her. “You made so much progress, you know that?”. You nod a bit, biting your lips, embarrassed but happy that your girlfriend praised your progress. “Those people don’t deserve you, I hope they would acknowledge your progress too” She says with a pained smile.

You shake your head slightly “It’s okay.. as long.. as long as you understand me it’s okay…” You say with a blush on your face, your voice so soft it’s almost inaudible as embarrassment fills your body.

Kotoko feels like her heart is going to explode at the sight of you saying such a sweet thing. “Oh my.. Love, I need you to stop being this cute.” She can’t help but have a small blush on her cheek as she looks at you.

Before you can even respond, you feel Kotoko’s soft lips pressed against yours… It only lasted a few seconds but this kiss made you even more embarrassed, as you squirmed and fidgeted with your shirt. Kotoko chuckles and then gently whispers to you “I love you, darling..”

Thank you to @altea-devotion for helped me find some inspiration, go check her out she's amazing ♡

[nodulemodule]

I tried my hand at some Shadamy kids!

I’m not sure what to name them and I will definitely be redesigning them a bit, but I’m open to suggestion. (AKA, PLEASE send name suggestions) Honestly, coming up with headcannons was the most fun part so I’ll put that here

The daughter (right) is eight years old. She’s mild mannered and quite introverted. She needs her alone time but struggles to communicate boundaries. Luckily, Shadow understands this more than anyone and is usually there to teach her how to communicate her wants and needs and look out for her. She’s very quiet, and is often wearing a blank expression on her face, which other kids may find weird or unnerving. Really, she’s just neurodivergent, lol. She’s very family-oriented and protective of her brother. Despite being very subdued there is a hidden rage to her and she will defend her family with intense furosity. And despite not showing it conventionally, she is a deeply passionate kid, with a whole lot of love for the world around her. Oftentimes her parents will just watch her and marvel at the unique way she views the world. You can’t tell what’s going on just by her face but it’s clear she’s absolutely fascinated with the world and in love with everything. In short, she’s a sweetiepieand an artist with an immense amount of curiosity and reverence for the world she’s been gifted with, and she will grow up to do amazing things.

The son (left), who is 5, is just a little ball of energy. Extremely picky, opinionated, and hot-headed. Basically, he got all of Shadow and Amy’s rage. Despite this, he’s just a little scamp with an intense sense of justice. He’s the one who would stick up for a kid getting bullied on the playground and proceed to rip the bully to shreds. He loves to run around, cause messes, and play the hero. While it’s clear he got a lot of those traits from his parents, it’s also due to the fact that he adores his “uncle Sonic” to pieces and is his number one fan. Just imagine Shadow trying to work and his son going on and on about how Sonic could beat Shadow in a fight and Shadow is seething but Amy insists it’s a phase he’ll grow out of. Despite being a huge fan of Sonic, he still looks up to his dad immensely and will often try to be just like him too. He wants to be just as strong as his dad. Their son is a crybaby, a fanboy, and a little ball of sunshine and rage who loves his family dearly, and they love him too.

As for the siblings relationship to each other, I imagine the son would tire the daughter out very quickly, but she would sort of pull through it because she loves him and enjoys spending time with him and teaching him things. She loves reading to him and giving him piggyback rides and feeling like an influence in his life. The son also knows how sweet and sensitive his sister is and will defend her until the end. He loves rambling about stuff to her because he knows she’s listening to every word. They might fight occasionally because the son gets too rambunctious or the daughter gets overwhelmed and shuts her brother down too harshly, but they’re both fiercely protective of each other as well as the rest of the family and know each other well enough to work it out, not to mention their parents taught them well.

As for Shadow and Amy as parents, they struggle to fulfill parental roles in different ways but each find their footing. Amy is able to fulfill a domestic role relatively easy but is still filled with anxiety about motherhood, possibly to the point of postpartum anxiety. Of course, She’s able to work through it out of dedication and love for her kids as well as support from Shadow. She babies the hell out of her son, he’s her special little boy. She struggles to relate to her daughter as she gets older and starts developing her own personality, but they still spend a lot of time together and her daughter adores her. She takes a lot of pride in teaching her kids how to take care of themselves by cooking and cleaning despite swaddling them a bit too much, and is endlessly proud of them.

Shadow does a lot of thinking prior to becoming a father and forms a very particular idea of the father he wants to be. He struggles at first, but loves his family enough to stick to his guns. He might not have the best idea of how to raise a kid at first, attempting to teach his daughter to shoot a gun at only 4 years old which Amy has to put a stop to. But, this comes with the benefit of him not seeing his kids as children, but as people. He tries his best to understand them on a personal level and is incredibly thoughtful and understanding. He’s not always in agreement with Amy and her parenting methods, thinking they should raise them to be more independent, but still respects her instincts as a mother. Overall he’s caring and patient, and often gives them a lot of sage advice and is honest with his kids. He wants them to be able to stay strong and take care of themselves but also let’s them have the childhood he never had. Amy swaddles them sure, but Shadow spoils the hell out of them. He will build them all sorts of play sets and let them travel all sorts of places. He’s incredibly flattered and proud of how much his kids take interest in him and his work, but he also tries to protect them from it somewhat. Overall, Amy and Shadow are just trying their best because they love each other and their kids so so much and are doing a great job.

Also, if you were to lay so much as a finger on their kids, you’re dead. You’re fucking dead. They will fucking absorb the chaos emeralds to annihilate you. They are so mad and so in love.

Anyway, that was a long ramble. In short, their kids are beautiful little goobers and they are all full of so much love. I wanna do more with this and work on it a bit more but let me know what you think and PLEASE suggest some names. Perhaps if people are engaged enough I’ll put up a poll and let y’all decide on names. Anyway, thanks for letting me brain dump :P

[tigerbears]

THANK YOU SM FOR THE TRANS UTDR VIDEO ESP THE SEAM MENTION BC IM SEAMS NUMBER ONE FIGHTER FOR MISGENDERING THEYRE MY FAVE DR CHARACTER I always feel like that one meme of the knight shielding the princess whenever I correct ppl on their pronouns and get to show off the clip of Mr Fox himself saying it lol, also speaking of tysm for pointing out the issue of him not addressing things— bc man I love the guy but sir Please start actually saying stuff bc this fanbase is too illiterate for you to just smile and wave when it comes to the characters identities,,, esp due to it being such a huge topic of discourse, buuuuut I also don’t blame him for the being overwhelmed part, like I said I agree with like every point you made you were so eloquent through out the whole video thank you sm just aaaaugh punches wall and jumps up and down <3

Completely off topic but I wanna rant abt something for a moment (hence why I’m now sending this w anon and not my blog) but the video reminded me of something that happened to my friend in which she made a post on her UTDR related ask blog which was really simple just a “hey don’t misgender Kris/frisk/chara on my blog” and that was basically it. That was the post. BUT. She had vaguely mentioned the glitchtale and Xtale aus in the tags just bc those came to mind first as big fandom things that misgendered the kids, and SPECIFICALLY she wrote she didn’t know as much abt xtale though and that it was just as I said from the top of her head. And wouldn’t you know! The creator of xtale saw the post and took it to fucking HEART. Like made this whole personal long ass rant in a rb over this simple “hey don’t be transphobic on my own personal blog” post. And then, and I’m not joking, EVERY SINGLE comment, tag, RB, you name it, was ALL harassing her or siding w Xtales creator, the only people defending her were her mutuals, and this was a small blog to boot— this wasn’t some big huge blog going after xtale specifically— it was a small blog making a post aimed at the follower circle just offhandedly mentioning it IN THE TAGS. so this explosion just took a massive toll on her and us. Thus any time I see that au or the creator i just get the most sour feeling like Man I Hate They’re Still So Popular Despite That Shit :(((( so the fact a similar situation happened (at least based on what you described in the vid) just made me remember that was all, just like a feeling of “wow we really haven’t changed at all in like two years have we. :/“

sorry I rambled for so long lol I just got reminded of that situation and wanted an excuse to get it off my chest, again as I said I absolutely loved the video and all the points made and I love the inclusion of swatch as someone who was there for the whole they/them to he/him event :3 and again as I said as a huge seam fan ty for including them bc they’re always overlooked in the NB conversation and I just love any mention of them lol,, my favorite elderly wizard kitty plush <33333

Glad people are enjoying the pronouns essay! I worked really hard with it and I'm glad to see it's at least correcting the narrative.

Though with the X-Tale thing, that's something I'll have to look in to and fact check because I prefer not to spread rumors without evidence. (Not saying it didn't happen; just with the whole "Legends of Localization" misinformation fiasco this fandom has a habit of making s--t up, and thus I want evidence, and while I appropriate your support a little annoyed that it has some X-Tale drama attached that I'm probably to tired to factcheck. Sucks if it's true though; Apologies for any snappiness I just woke up to the success of the pronouns essay and I'm about to go look at all the YT comments.)

I don't like drama and there's a reason the pronouns essay avoided throwing any stones directly at those "guilty."

[ejzah]

A/N: This is the third story I’ve written, showing a possible future for Kensi and Deeks. I dedicate this story to all my Tumblr friends, everyone who has supported my writing over the years, and for all Kensi, Deeks, and Densi loving fans.

I will continue to write fanfic for this fandom after the finale as I have many WIPs and more stories I’d like to tell, but this one is to honor the characters I’ve come to cherish and give them the best send off I can think of.

***

We Couldn’t Be Happier

“Oh my god, baby,” Kensi gasped, clutching Deeks’ head against her, fingers anchored in his hair as he gently sucked the soft spot beneath her jaw. He increased the pressure suddenly and Kensi rocked forward, squeezing her legs tightly around his hips at the same time as he thrust upward.

She made a high-pitched noise in response, little tremors starting in her stomach. Deeks grinned into her neck, his own breath ragged, skin slick as he moved in rhythm with her.

“Kensi, look at me,” he said, tipping her chin up to meet his so they were pressed forehead to forehead. Her lips brushed against his with every breath, her hardened nipples pressed against his chest, and as they stared into one another’s eyes, Kensi’s breath caught, her entire body quivering, and clenching around Deeks. He gasped with her, hips thrusting a few more times before he joined her.

Kensi collapsed into Deeks, waves of pleasure still rolling through her. She blindly searched for Deeks’ hands, a little lightheaded, and twined their fingers together. Deeks’ other hand settled on the base of her spine.

“Wow,” Kensi whispered hoarsely, laughing breathlessly as she dropped her head onto Deeks’ damp shoulder.

“Yeah. Not sure I can move.”

“Then I think we did it right.” She gave his collar bone a clumsy kiss. Moving carefully, Deeks laid down, somehow still keeping Kensi cradled to his chest.

“I’m starving,” Kensi said few minutes later.

“Well, somebody was pretty eager to get to the festivities,” Deeks teased.

“Um, I didn’t hear you complaining.”

“Oh no, zero complaints. But I did plan on sushi before you derailed our plans with the extremely enticing words, “I need my sex machine”.”

Kensi groaned, having absolutely no defense, and they both knew it. She let her forehead fall onto his shoulder again with a light thump.

“Look, you know how I feel about those pants on you. It’s like you were teasing me all day,” she defended herself.

“And based on the number of times you explored the contents of said pants today, you didn’t seem to mind. But that’s ok, I can wear my cargo pants tomorrow.”

Kensi lifted her head off his shoulder, mildly alarmed by the suggestion. “Don’t you dare.”

“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought.”

Grinning, Deeks rolled Kensi onto her back, sliding his palms up her sides. Kensi pulled his head down to her mouth, just as her stomach growled loudly.

“Right, food,” he said, sitting up with a sigh. “I guess we better get dressed.”

“Or…” Kensi walked her fingers up his chest. “You could DoorDash,” she suggested innocently.

“I like the way you think Mrs. Deeks. Maki rolls and miso to go,” Deeks said, leaning over to grab his phone.

“Best husband ever. Ooh, and don’t forget the spring rolls and seaweed salad!”

He put in their order, tossed his phone to the side, and rolled back to face Kensi. “It’s going to be about 45 minutes.”

“I think I know the perfect thing to pass the time,” Kensi said, welcoming him back into her arms.

***

9 Weeks Later

Kensi submitted her after case report, closing her laptop with a sigh of relief. Five o’clock could not come soon enough. Usually, she didn’t start feeling the drag of early mornings and long days until mid-week, but today she’d woken up exhausted.

“Hey, I was thinking I could get sushi tonight,” Deeks said, leaning over Kensi’s desk. The word sushi had taken on a knew connotation for them recently, and Kensi felt a hint of desire even though she was sure Deeks hadn’t intended it that way.

“Oh baby, I’d love to, but I’m so tired. I just want to go home and sleep,” she said, yawning at the mention of sleep. She thought about chugging the rest of her coffee, but the idea turned her stomach.

“Still?” Deeks’ playfulness turned to concern as he reached out to cup her cheek, brows furrowing. “You’ve felt off for the last two weeks. Maybe you should go to the minute clinic and get checked out.”

Kensi groaned, not wanting to put in the effort or time required for any kind of medical visit. Yet, she also knew Deeks was right, and he wouldn’t relax until she did.

“Ok, I’ll go tomorrow morning. You can break the news to Kilbride.”

“Gee, thanks.” He made a face, dropping a kiss on her temple. “Alright, I’ll make you some nice soothing chicken soup.

“Mm, with chipotle sauce. And dumplings,” Kensi added, eliciting another face from Deeks.

“With a side of tums.”

“Ooh, or a frittata with extra cheese, broccoli, and paprika.”

“Not exactly what I’d call comforting, but whatever my Ladybird desires,” Deeks agreed, tugging her into his side.

***

Kensi woke up the next morning to an empty bed and the sun shining through the curtains. Rolling onto her side, she found a folded piece of note paper on Deeks’ pillow. She opened it, smiling at Deeks’ familiar handwriting.

“Kensalina, my moon and my stars,

Breakfast is in the toaster, Rosa’s at school, don’t forget your appointment is at 9.

Love,

Your charming and adorable husband.

P.S. Kilbride says get better fast or else.”

Kensi rolled back onto her pillow, rubbing her hands over her face. By the time she and Deeks got home last night, she’d been so tired she’d fallen asleep before dinner. Thank god Deeks had been shouldering all the slack, because she’d really been dragging the last couple of weeks.

She pushed up on her elbows, wincing when her stomach cramped unpleasantly. Great, just what she needed on top of a virus. Dragging herself into the bathroom, she opened the small cabinet under the sink, grabbing a box of tampons.

Last month she’d luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, missed her cycle altogether. As the thought ran through her head, Kensi’s eye landed on a smaller box of pregnancy tests tucked almost in the corner. She froze, a dozen little details clicking into place all at once.

“Don’t be crazy, Kensi,” she muttered to herself, even as her recent exhaustion, unusual food preferences, and random bouts of queasiness made sense.

Shoving the box to the back of the cabinet, Kensi stood and jerkily yanked off her clothes, heading for the shower. She’d been here before; every time she’d convinced herself that she was finally pregnant, the tests were negative. She wasn’t going to put herself, or Deeks, through that turmoil again.

Her shower was far less enjoyable than she’d anticipated. Her thoughts kept circling, a constant debate between what she wanted and what a half dozen doctors had confirmed would require wishing on a star, magic beans, and an act of God. She could not get pregnant. That was simply a fact and no amount of stress or mild viruses could change that.

She climbed out of the shower, eyes drawn to the bathroom cabinet again despite her best efforts. Muttering at herself, Kensi hurried into the bedroom, pulling out clothes and tossing them on the bed. She dressed mechanically, putting her t-shirt on without thinking and giving a perfunctory glance in the mirror.

After that, she headed into the kitchen and filled a tumbler with coffee from the fresh pot Deeks had left warming, adding some cream. The breakfast Deeks had promised consisted of eggs, bacon, and toast, but she couldn’t even think of eating right now. She scooped it all into a Pyrex container, more for the distraction than because she planned to eat it later, and then wiped down the counters—which were already fairly spotless thanks to Deeks’ cleaning obsession.

That left her with a whole half hour before she needed to leave for her appointment. It wasn’t enough time for a workout and she didn’t really feel like it anyway. So, she headed back into the living room, straightening the already neat throw pillows (damn, why did Deeks have to be such a wonderful neat freak?), gathered a few of Rosa’s abandoned school supplies into a pile, and reorganized their dishes into an arrangement that was neither particularly useful or aesthetically pleasing.

“Damn it,” she sighed again when she checked her watch and only ten minutes had passed.

This was ridiculous. She might as well confirm what she already knew so she could stop obsessing over it. Stalking back to the bathroom, Kensi grabbed the box of pregnancy tests, setting them on the counter with a smack, and tore open one of the little foil packets.

A few minutes later, she sat on the closed toilet, foot tapping relentlessly on a tile, eyes glued to the strip carefully placed on a piece of paper towel while she waited for her phone alarm to countdown from ten minutes. She’d forgotten how absolutely anxiety-inducing the entire process was.

What was she thinking? It was beyond stupid to put herself through this again. Thank god Deeks had already left. She couldn’t imagine getting his hopes up again. Or worse, seeing his lack of hope.

Watching his optimism slowly disappear with each successive negative test, each fertility appointment with sympathetic doctors, and more aggressive treatment, had been almost more agonizing than her own pain.

The sharp chime of her alarm startled her out of her musings, and she jerked, fumbling a little as she rushed to silence the noise even though no one else was around to hear it.

Shifting forward, she picked up the strip, then froze. Kensi stared at two fully red lines, vibrant stripes of color on white, not quite processing them. She ran her fingers over the spot, as if the evidence might be a figment of her imagination. “Oh,” she whispered. “Oh.”

Then she dumped out the rest of the box, grabbing two more strips. Another ten minutes later, she held them both in shaking hands, staring down at the pair of equally vivid red lines.

Pressing her free hand over her mouth, she sank to the floor, back against the wall, tears of joy and shock leaking down her cheeks.

Laughing a little hysterically, Kensi grabbed her phone, and found the number to the minute clinic.

“Hi, I need to cancel my appointment.”

***

Kensi was positively giddy as she led Deeks into the house, a sleep mask obscuring his vision. All she’d told him was that he couldn’t come home from his surfing group until 5. When he arrived, she greeted him at the door with the aforementioned sleep mask and a mysterious smile while she blocked his view to inside the house.”

Despite his curiosity, Deeks didn’t object, letting Kensi lead him by the hand.

“This is certainly an intriguing addition to date night. I didn’t realize we were going kinky. I would have worn my leather pants,” he drawled, grinning down in Kensi’s general direction.

“I can’t promise kinky, but I do think you’ll be surprised,” Kensi commented, still sounding unreasonably upbeat. She leaned closer, lips brushing the shell of his ear. “And you know I become unhinged when you wear those pants.” Then she slipped the mask off with a flourish.

Deeks blinked a couple times, the room darker than he’d expected. All the curtains had been drawn, giving the illusion of late evening. The furniture had been moved from the living room, their dining table and chairs now placed in the center of the room, and topped with the best dishes they owned and tapered candles which created a warm glow.

His mouth dropped open slightly as he turned back towards Kensi. “You did all this?”

Kensi shrugged, seeming pleased by his reaction. “I may or may not have had a little help. I think homemade gnocchi is a little outside my current cooking skill set. Sorry.”

“No, this is amazing, baby,” Deeks said, drawing her in for a hug. “I’m just curious about the occasion.”

“What, I can’t spoil my husband?” Kensi teased. She brushed a curl put of his eye, looking up at him fondly, and something else he couldn’t quite read. “Here, come sit down.” She pulled out one of the chairs at the table, retrieving something from next to her place setting while he sat.

Kneeling in front of Deeks, Kensi held out a narrow box and an envelope.

“Ok, now I’m confused and a little concerned. Are you firing me?” Deeks joked, truly nervous, though he couldn’t say exactly why.

“No.” Kensi shook her head. “Open them.” She nudged the box towards his right hand and he took it hesitantly. He lifted the lid, revealing a cushion of blue tissue paper inside. Shifting it to the side, he frowned at the contents, then inhaled slightly, fingers stuttering over two strips.

“Kensi, is this—these look like pregnancy tests.” His voice broke on the last word and he had to clear his throat. He looked up, unable to conceal his confusion, hope, and disbelief.

“Yes, I’m pregnant,” she confirmed, laughing wetly as Deeks shook his head slowly, silent in his shock. “Baby?”

He didn’t say anything, just pulled Kensi into his arms and held her as tightly as he could, moisture filling his eyes.She wrapped her arms around his back, holding him just as fiercely. Turning his head, he captured her mouth in a desperate kiss.

“I can’t believe this,” he finally managed.

“I couldn’t either, but I’ve got about a dozen of these things that say otherwise.” Kensi held up one of the tests, with its two red stripes.

God, he remembered the hundreds of times when they’d prayed and begged for a positive test, only for it be negative.

Deeks closed his hand around Kensi’s, tucking it close to his chest. She cupped his cheek with her other hand, that same delight, tinged with disbelief, in her eyes.

“How?” was all he managed.

“I mean, I think it was probably a product of date night number two.” She winked suggestively. “Um, but the other day when I was supposed to go to the doctor, I found the tests, and I decided to take one. I thought I was being completely ridiculous, but once I thought about it, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. And then when the first one was positive, I had to take about five more. Every single one was positive.”

“You told me you got a clean pass at the doctor,” Deeks said, too elated to be upset by the mild deceit.

“I know, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you right away, but I had a few things I needed to do first,” Kensi apologized.

“Like planning an extravagant dinner?”

“That and, this.” Kensi nudged him gently, offering the envelope again. “You should probably open it too.”

Wiping at his eyes, he slit the envelope open, removing a single sheet of paper. He squinted at the small font.

“Dear Admiral Kilbride,

Please accept this letter as my official—”

Deeks broke off again, looking up with even wider eyes than before.

“Kens, this sounds like a resignation letter,” he whispered hoarsely.

“It is.” She laughed again, this time the sound full of joy. “I’m ready.”

“You’re sure? This is a huge decision. And with the—the baby. God, I can’t believe I just said that out loud. It’s a lot of changes.”

“I am,” Kensi said, and for once she didn’t hesitate in the least or sound discontent. She cupped his cheeks, eyes soft again. “This has been coming for a really long time. This,” she pressed her hand over her stomach. “was the final push I needed.” She kissed him lightly. “I have everything I want and need.” Pausing for a second, she brushed her thumb across his chin, nail gently scratching the short hairs there.

“What do you think?”

“I think…that this is amazing, and unbelievable, and yes, yes, let’s do this. Let’s resign and have a baby and all the amazing, terrifying, beautiful things that come with it,” he rambled in his giddiness. They kissed again, Kensi clinging to his neck.

“I’m so happy,” she whispered in his ear.

***

“Hey, are you ok? You’re looking a little…grayish,” Deeks said, watching as Kensi paced from one side of the living room to the other.

“I’m fine.” She did another lap. “No, I’m not.” Tossing her head back, she groaned, rolling her shoulders. “I feel so bad about telling Rosa.”

Coming up behind her, Deeks gently guided her back against his chest, and started kneading the base of her spine.

“Baby, it is going to be alright. Rosa is an amazing young woman. She’s not going to be angry.

“Yeah, I know she’s great at rolling with the punches, but this is different,” Kensi stressed. “She didn’t sign up for a newborn sibling waking her up in the middle of the night or hourly diaper changes. What if it’s too much? You know she’s not the type of kid to scream and shout and make a big scene. I’m afraid she’ll try to hide how she feels.”

“Then we’ll make sure Rosa knows that while a lot of things are changing, how much we love her isn’t,” Deeks told Kensi, reiterating the conversation they’d had multiple times in the last three days. “We’ll check in with her too to make sure nothing’s changed. Make sure to spend extra time with her when we can.”

This certainly wasn’t a concern they’d ever imagined having when they decided to adopt Rosa. While he would never, ever change any of this, it did complicate their lives just a little bit.

“No, you’re right, I’m overthinking things.” She took a deep breath with her eyes closed, posture reminiscent of a yoga pose. “Ok, let’s do this.”

Together they walked over to Rosa’s room. Her door was open, Rosa perched on her neatly made bed, head bent over a pad of drawing paper. Deeks rapped on the door jamb and she looked up with a smile, gesturing for them to come in.

“Hey, you got a minute?” he asked.

“Sure! I was just practicing one of the new techniques I learned in art class.” She held up the outline of a figure sitting on a bench.

“That’s looking great!”

“Thanks. I still need a lot of practice, but it’s getting easier. So, what’s up?”

“Rosa, there’s something we wanted to tell you,” Kensi began.

“Is it something bad?” she asked with slight wariness. “There’s not another rogue detective in the house is there?”

“No, nothing like that,” Deeks assured her. “It’s something we’re very excited about.” He gave Kensi an encouraging glance, automatically reaching to hold her hand, to provide support.

“We’re pregnant,” Kensi shared cautiously, barely pausing as Rosa’s eyes widened.

“I thought you couldn’t get pregnant,” she said in confusion.

“That’s what we thought,” Deeks told her, sharing a look of consternation with Kensi. “Look, I know this isn’t what you expec—”

Rosa threw her arms around them both, her head ending up sandwiched between his and Kensi’s.

“I’m so happy!” she exclaimed, giving Kensi her own hug before switching to Deeks.

“You’re not upset?”

“Of course not. I know how much you and Deeks wanted a baby.” She smiled shyly. “And I always wanted a sibling.”

***

1 Year Later

Deeks walked along a tree-lined path, pushing a two-seater stroller in front of him. Ahead, Kensi and Rosa were finishing getting breakfast from a small food truck. It was a perfectly sunny weekend, lots of other families running around the part, enjoying the warmth.

He heard a cooing sound from stroller, and pulled the top cover back, peering down at the two babies laying inside, one with wispy blonde curls and the other with hair a few shades darker.

“Hi Sophia!” Deeks said cheerfully to the tiny blonde. She responded by tilting her head back, eyes widening with delight.

“Gah,” she called out, pointing imperiously at him. Her brother, Caleb, watched, but seemed content to chew on the front of his shirt.

“Oh, does daddy’s little girl need to be picked up?” he asked, grinning down at her. Sophia blew a raspberry, which he took as a yes. Moving around to the front, he unlatched her safety belt, and scooped her up into one arm. “What about you, Mr. Caleb? You need a little snuggle too?”

Caleb kicked his legs excitedly, giving a gummy grin as Deeks picked him up too. Cradling a baby in each arm, he swayed while humming “For Baby” softly to them.

The twins had come a few weeks early, small, but perfectly healthy and beautiful. To say that Kensi and Deeks were stunned that they were adding not one, but two little Deeks-Blyes into the family was a massive understatement.

Still, they wouldn’t change any of it for the world. Neither would their many bonus aunts, uncles, and grandparents, who spoiled them outrageously.

“We have returned with bagels!” Kensi announced, drawing Deeks’ attention from the babies. She carried a large paper bag while Rosa held a carrier filled with coffees.

Kensi immediately set the bag on top of the stroller, reaching for Sophia and Rosa took Caleb.

“Mama missed you,” he heard Kensi say, carefully lowering Sophia into a controlled dip that had the baby giggling uncontrollably.

Now relieved of babies, Deeks began examining the bagel selection. He found a bacon and cheese with avocado which he put aside for Kensi, a cream cheese on onion, and finally a chorizo, egg, and cheese.

“No, Caleb,” Rosa protested holding one arm in the air as he made a desperate grab for her iced coffee. “El cafe no es para bebes. And you can smile at me all you what, I won’t change my mind.”

“Trade me?” Deeks asked, offering Rosa her sandwich in exchange for Caleb. She considered it for a second, side-eyeing Caleb, who was gumming a round little fist.

“Fine,” she conceded. “But don’t think that means you get him indefinitely.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Settling Caleb against his chest again, he sighed contentedly, smiling at Kensi.

“What?” she asked around a massive bite of sandwich.

“Nothing, I’m just happy,” he replied.

“Mm, me too.” She leaned over, pecking him on the lips, then thumbed away a speck of cream cheese from his cheek.

“Don’t worry,” Rosa said to Caleb in a confidential tone. “They’ve always been like this. It gets easier to accept with time.”

“And I wouldn’t change a thing,” Kensi whispered, stretching up to kiss him more thoroughly.

“Love you, Fern.”

***

A/N: I hope this story felt complete and satisfying to you all.

As always, I had to include a little John Denver with my reference to his song “For Baby (For Bobbie).

[what-gs-watching]

“It’s Christmas time, pretty baby, and the snow is falling on the ground…”

Well, now I’m in the interview prep portion of the bootcamp thing I’m doing and y’all, I don’t loveeee trying to practice talking about my experience. I really am one of those people that just shows up and says whatever tumbles out of my mouth and that has worked, so far, mostly, I guess. But apparently now I need to really try and that is a bummer. 

But it’s November, which means I have carte blanche to throw myself into the Christmas season. Gang, I love Christmas. I really do. I have a big family and it was always a fucking mess at my parents’ house but it makes me feel cozy and warm and so every year the Saturday before Thanksgiving I drag my husband to the tree farm because we have to have a real tree, and by the time we’re eating turkey, my entire house is decked out and it’s time for CHRISTMAS MOVIES.

I started this blog because I had been rambling at my engineering team at the time about my complete and utter obsession with Good Omens and I’d described my “What G’s Watching” game. One of the engineers said he’d absolutely read this trifling mess, and we had talked about Christmas movies, I forget why, and he said he could imagine curling up with a cup of tea and reading my rant on said movies. It was part of what ultimately convinced me to do this stupid thing, obviously.

So Kevin, if you’re out there, this is for you.

Welcome to my ultimate list of basic bitch Christmas movies (OTHER than the typical ones, we don’t need to talk through those do we?) you can stream this season. All previously released, because we’re gonna have to talk about the new ones  as they come. You’re welcome.

______

The Christmas Chronicles (2 movies, Netflix)

KURT RUSSELL is Santa and he’s caught by a brother and a sister  while delivering presents and they end up going on a crazy adventure to save Christmas after something obviously goes wrong. 

YOU GUYS, IT’S KURT RUSSELL AS SANTA. That should be enough for you. Because he is literally the PERFECT Santa Claus and I will defend that ‘til the end. The beard is perfect! And he plays Santa like a super cool badass! And there’s a fucking musical number!!!!!!! 

The first one is better than the second one, but the second one is still fun and has GOLDIE HAWN as Mrs. Claus and it’s so cute I could literally die. 

I straight up love Christmas Chronicles and I don’t care who knows it. It has the right amount of emotion and it reminds me of being a kid kind of and really, we’ve always needed a COOL santa. I have no idea why I’m so obsessed with Kurt Russell in this situation, but I really, really am. Absolutely no shame here.

WATCH IT.

A Christmas Prince (3 movies, Netflix)

A prince of a made-up country needs to return home before Christmas Eve so he can assume the throne after his father died, and a wanna-be reporter of a magazine? I think? Is assigned to cover the story.  She pretends to be the new nanny for the family and OBVIOUSLY hijinks ensue. Obviously.

Y’all, there are three movies in this series. They made THREE of them. And they’re all ridiculous. But also kinda charming. Like, something to put on while you wrap presents and then you find yourself, like, halfway through the second one and you’re like “well I’m here now, might as well get through the entire thing, I weirdly need to know how this ends.” 

It’s pure fluff. It’s a perfect Hallmark-esque situation, but better than the Hallmark movies because the heroine doesn’t actually need to give up anything for love like Hallmark always makes them do. Like, girl, why can’t you have a career while your husband does XYZ small-town job? WHY NOT BOTH. 

The point is, ya girl likes a happy ending. All of these have a happy ending. Everything on this list will have a happy ending.

Let It Snow (Netflix)

It snows on Christmas Eve and a group of kids in a small town, including a pop star for some reason, deal with that, and their issues, and it builds to a big ol’ party. 

This one is way better than it sounds. There is an adorable queer relationship, and two friends figuring out they’re in love, and one girl realizing she should go away to college because she can’t just stay and shoulder all the issues her family has, and friends prioritizing their friendship, and Joan Cusack playing the town’s crazy lady. 

I’m clearly still like 17 at heart so I enjoy a good ‘random teens figuring shit out’ movie. It’s just cute as hell. 

Holidate (Netflix)

Emma Roberts hates holidays because her boyfriend broke up with her so while she returns shitty Christmas presents she meets a dude who agrees to be her random ‘date’ for all of the holidays that year. 

Okay, this is not strictly a Christmas movie but it starts and ends at Christmas, and it’s fucking hilarious. This is not for kids, but oh my god, I laughed way more than I expected to. And the dude is Australian which is sooo up my alley, and of course the point is that they randomly end up falling for each other and sometimes I need a good romance that is kind of, sort of realistic (in how awkward it gets at times) even if the premise is ridiculous. 

Like, if you wanna get drunk on some wine with some adults that are not easily offended after the kids are in bed, this is the one. 

Single All The Way (Netflix)

A guy doesn’t want to go home for the holidays because his family is gonna be judgmental about his taste in dudes and the fact that he’s perpetually single, so he drags his roommate along for the ride.

Y’all. This is just a really, really adorable love story. No bullshit tricks, no stupid plot, just two friends falling in love. 

I very clearly love boys falling in love, and this one is sweet as hell. Also, it’s got Jennifer Coolidge as the crazy aunt! And Kathy Najimy! The family is hilarious and the boys are relatable and of course there’s a point where the main character is set up with a super hottie but like, they figure it out eventually. And not in a stupid, cheesy movie way. It just feels really cozy. 

This was hands down my absolute favorite the year it came out. Hard recommend.

Spirited (Apple TV)

 A re-telling (kind of?) of a Christmas Carol, but make it a musical with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.

Okay I’m gonna admit it: this one is so WEIRD! It absolutely did NOT need to be a musical whatsoever but I could not look away. I will watch anything with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds though, and it was funny. And I did not expect the twist they worked in. 

Do you have two hours to be strangely pulled into this and then feel weird ways about stuff? You should. This year, I’m gonna eat a gummie first. It’ll be worth it.

Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (Roku Channel with ads, but it’s not horrible)

A woman who’s gained the power to see/learn people’s emotions through witnessing them do elaborate musical numbers, has an unsettling family christmas.

Hear me out on this one. I was absolutely obsessed with Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (it’s on Peacock; go watch it, like, right now. Immediately). It was such a ridiculous concept for a show but it was really so effing charming. And heartwarming, and also heartbreaking. If you haven’t seen the show, the Christmas movie is  not going to be as emotional for you, but it’s still extremely cute. The pageantry! The musical numbers! The family dynamics! 

I’ll admit this is niche as hell, but Zoey is my bish and I will tell anyone who will listen they should watch. I miss that show terribly.

Somewhat Honorable Mentions

Netflix did two random movies last year that I did watch: Christmas with You, starring Freddie Prinze Jr (!!!!!!) and Falling for Christmas with Lindsay Lohan.

Listen, I support random actors I have loved since I was a kid doing Christmas movies. Especially since they haven’t gotten up to a whole lot else. I want Lindsay Lohan to figure her fucking life out, because I can’t let go of Mean Girls or The Parent Trap. She could have been a whole damn thing and I’m sad about how things went for her and I just want her to be okay, you guys.

Is her Christmas movie mostly terrible? Yes. But it’s good background noise, just like Freddie Prinze Jr’s, and I want them both to keep doing things. So watch them while you’re cleaning the house, because why not?

______

Because I literally have all of the time in the world on my hands, I’ll probably watch almost all of these, and my favorite old standards too. 

I’ll save Elf and A Muppet’s Christmas Carol  to watch with my little nephews when I head home. We’ll do the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve as a weirdo family. I’ll put on White Christmas while I get the tree decorated and I’ll be singing ‘when I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep..’ for days. I’ll put on The Holiday in between Christmas and New Year’s because I am very much Kate Winslet in that movie, always the best friend, never the leading lady.  I might be able to tempt my Christmas-avoidant husband into Home Alone.

The point is, Christmas movies are such a wonderful and ridiculous genre of content. Because let’s be honest, no one’s holiday season is ever like that. No one, in the history of the world, has Christmases like they do in these ridiculous movies. But it’s nice to pretend. It’s nice to get that warm fuzzy feeling, it’s nice to imagine having the perfect decorations, or a crazy adventure, or a surprising romance. Because we all know, winter is bleak. It’s dark at 4:30 in the afternoon and it’s sludgy and wet and gray and unappealing. But it’s never that in Christmas movies - it’s always magical and exciting and twinkly. And we all deserve something magical and exciting and twinkly. At least until we can make it out of the dark. 

So, stream it all, y’all, it’s that time of year.

[finitefall]

Do you think Emilia portrayed Daenerys well? Most people consider her acting mediocre at best.

Short answer: yes, I loved Emilia as Daenerys.

Long answer: Emilia getting so much criticism has always been unfair.

First, you have the Tamzin Merchant debate and while I'm sure some people who say they picture her as Daenerys are honest, the fact is that many saying she would have been better for the role are antis Dany. It's obvious why: Tamzin said herself she couldn't connect to the character so she wasn't interested in playing the role. There are no hard feelings from her not getting the part unlike what some people have said. Emilia, on the contrary, absolutely connected to Dany and fell in love with her as much as all Dany fans. So it has nothing to do with Tamzin being a better actress or fitting the description of the book character better than Emilia: if Tamzin wasn't invested in the character, she wouldn't have defended Dany as Emilia did. And they hate Emilia for defending Dany and for saying "I stand by Daenerys" after the finale. There's also another very ugly part, and it concerns things that have been said about Tamzin's looks who would look like a Targaryen and especially Daenerys because... you know, I really don't want to repeat those insults. Basically, antis Dany have been disrepectful towards both Tamzin and Emilia, under the pretense of Tamzin being better for the role, using the fact that Martin wanted her as Daenerys after seeing her in The Tudors when in fact, they don't give a crap about Tamzin.

Second, you have the criticism that Emilia was expressionless, when it wasn't her who wanted this but D&D. She said it herself:

There was a number of times I was like, ‘Why are you giving me that note?’ While I am quite consistently a 'How can I help?’ kind of person, there were a few moments where I was like, 'Don’t tell me what to do with my girl. I know what to do!’ It's like Daenerys’ calling card became cold expressionlessness. I always wanted to infuse that with some humanity because no one’s consistently like that. I would sometimes fight back a little: 'I get that she has to be steely and unforgiving and a powerful force. But in this moment she’s also a goddamn human being. So I’m going to give you that and I really pray that you take that in the edit.’ (source)

How is it her fault that D&D wanted to change her character so much? It wasn't. Now, at first, people didn't know Emilia so I could understand the criticism. But she did say it after the show, so it would be great if people gave her a break and could appreciate the work she's been able to do with such awful writers giving her dumb notes.

Third, her haters literally said she used her brain aneurysms as an excuse for this, that she was as crazy as her character for saying she was gonna die while she was on set. And the more love Dany got, the more her haters would also hate on Emilia, finding literally everything awful about her.

Also, Emilia was new: her first real role before GOT (so not counting students productions, commercials, and a very minor role) had been in a mediocre film on television in 2010 (still, her performance hadn't been criticized by critics, only the film). She graduated from drama school in 2009. Again, she was new. So when she was cast as Daenerys in GOT in 2010, at 24 years-old, she didn't have a lot of experience. She was just a very motivated, full of potential young actress who fell in love with Dany. So can we compare her to other cast members who had a lot more experience? No. That being said, there are people who aren't antis Dany at all and have absolutely nothing against Emilia, but just weren't convinced by her acting. Fair enough: you can't please everyone! Do I believe that even with more experience, she can become a Lena Headey or a Peter Dinklage, for example? No, I don't, but that doesn’t mean she’s a bad actress at all.

So if people say Emilia's performance didn't leave a huge impression on her unlike others have, I understand. For me, she did leave a huge impression as Dany, but that's personal and subjective. But if people say she's a mediocre actress and use the arguments I've talked about, they're just being unfair and many of them hate Dany as much as they hate Emilia.