#most of my family is jw

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Currently resisting the urge to blackmail my father into therapy

[conschintz]

If your family left watchtower would you forgive/speak to them?

honestly, i don't know? right now, with the exception of my little brother, it's a hard no. if i got disfellowshipped for the reason i think i got disfellowshipped, and my dad became an elder for the reason i think he became an elder, then definitely not. but if that's just conclusions i've just jumped to, then i think i'd eventually be willing to speak to them at the very least. it'd never go back to how it was, of course, but i think that's for the best

[bettsfic]

Writing q: do you/did you ever feel like there's a dichotomy between writing something fun and light and tropey & writing something good/that you're proud of? I'm trying to write a romcom-esque multichap fic that ends happily but I keep running into this mental block that it's not Serious Work so it can't be what i would consider good (which is hilarious because a) its all fanfiction none of it is serious?? and b) i know that's not true!) lmao. Was jw if you have any thots on this

i've got an analogy for you.

before i started writing, i was really into baking. back then i was not only a perfectionist but an extremist. i believed that REAL baking meant using the rawest possible ingredients. the idea of store-bought puff pastry or pie crusts was appalling to me.

and every year i baked a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving. to bake the pumpkin pie, i had to go out at early o'clock in the morning on a saturday to my local farmer's market and pick out the most perfect pumpkins. and i don't know if you've ever baked pumpkin pie with real pumpkins but it takes a long damn time. and it's hard. and so i baked the pumpkins for hours and scraped out the innards and made a puree, and i roasted the seeds for a snack. and amid all that, i made the crust from scratch too.

the pie always turned out! so i kept making it that way. until one year i just wasn't up to the task, and instead swallowed my pride and bought canned pumpkin and a premade crust.

and it tasted exactly the same as the pie that took me an entire day to make. it was also much cheaper, because in our era of industry, the processed stuff has become more affordable than the raw stuff unless you grow it yourself. (and believe me, i wanted to.)

the only difference i could discern was in the texture, because canned pumpkin is pureed more than i could puree real pumpkin. canned pumpkin also has other kinds of gourds in it, but that doesn't really affect the taste. i also felt bad for not supporting my local farmers. but it was worth it to be able to bake a pie from start to finish in 90 minutes.

for so many years i had it in my head that if a process is harder, the result is better. it was that mentality that kept me in a job i hated for a long time. it's hard and i don't like it, therefore it's more serious and respectable. it was unconscionable to me to think that something fun and easy could result in something good.

when you're writing fanfiction or anything where you're relying on the audience's knowledge of something else (like tropes), you can get it in your head that it's inherently easier and therefore worse. and because it's a skill, in order to become better at it, you have to challenge yourself. to challenge yourself, you have to make it harder.

but you're making something. you're putting words on a page in formations that have never existed before. that's hard, period. you don't have to make it harder. your readers will value it regardless of the challenge you give yourself. every thanksgiving, my family just appreciated that i had baked a pie. they didn't care how i'd baked it or what ingredients i used. yes, the longer and more difficult process created a product i was more proud of than the shorter, easier process. but you can't taste pride.

this is something i have to remind myself of all the time, because my instinct is to make everything more difficult than it has to be. you're always going to be your own worst critic, in part because you're the only one who knows your own process and the blood, sweat, and tears you put into it. but ultimately, nobody cares about the pumpkins. all they want is the pie.

[persephone411]

Ordinary life (jw x reader)

My first ever fanfic here. English is not my first language so there can be errors. Have fun.( Feedback is always welcome)

Summary: you meet John during a business meeting with your father, things heat up quickly and escalate as he drives you home

Mafia AU!, Dad‘s best friend, oral sex (male receiving)

Masterlist

The evening was cold and the restaurant was busy. Silently you look around the huge room, scanning everything while still looking cold and uninterested.

,,So, who are we meeting again?“ you ask your father, who sat with you on the round table, already looking though the menu.

,,An associate. I need him to do a job for me"

,,ah" you only say ,,what kind of job? smuggling guns again?"

you sip on your water, still not really interested in the business dinner your father has brought you to.

,,No, Mr. Wick will kill someone for me. He is a hitman. The best in the field to be precise. We are old friends“ after a while he added: ,,look (y/n) I know you don’t care about the family business unless it brings you money you can spend on pretty things, but I advise you, to be a bit more invested. You are my only daughter“

,,yeah, but I won’t take over the business. We both know that. Instead I am engaged to some guy I have never met before“

,,be quiet!, you’re causing a scene“

Your father hissed and looked around the restaurant, but no one paid attention to you.

You sighed and also grabbed the menu, reading it without actually caring about the various expensive and eccentric dishes. In the end all luxusry restaurants were the same.

After a few moments of cold silence between your father and you, he suddenly stood up.

,,John!“ He called out and you slowly look up.

When your father told you that John was a good friend of his, you had anticipated someone who looked like your dad. Slightly overweight and with already greying hair. Nobody could have prepared you for how attractive John actually was. Shoulder long, slightly wavy dark hair, a perfectly trimmed beard and dark attentive eyes. He was tall, at least one foot taller than you and although most of his body was hidden under an elegant black suit, you knew that we was well build. Although he was still talking to your father and hadn’t paid you any attention at all, you immediately sat up more straight. Your father noticed that and smiled.

,,John, I want you to meet my daughter (y/n), she will keep us company this evening“

You smile calm and politely, although your heart was beating like crazy.

,,Nice to meet you (y/n)“ You nearly shudder as you hear his rich, deep voice. As he shakes your hand, you can’t help but notice how small it looks in his palm.

,,Nice to meet you too Mr. wick“

Your voice is more quiet than usual and you feel like you could melt under his gaze.

After the introduction he sat down at the table.

During the whole time as he was reading the wine card, you could only stare at him, noticing how his brows furrowed slightly as he red though the different wines. Nervously you play with your napkin on the table. After a few minutes you three order food. ,,and I also have the Chateu Margaux“ John ads calmy. ,,I‘ll have a glass too“ you quicky add. John’s gaze met yours and you smile nervously. ,,good taste“ he comments with a slight smile. You return the smile and could feel yourself blushing at the compliment. After the waiter is gone, John and your father start to talk about business, but you felt John’s gaze every few minutes resting on you, causing you to cross your legs under the table. You shudder as your legs accidentally brush against each other under the table. Luckily and also surprisingly your father didn’t notice any of the stolen glances between you two. After a few minutes the tension became too much for you and you excused yourself to the toilet.

As you entered the huge marble bathroom you were luckily alone. As you breathed out all tension seemed to disappear from your body. You turned to the big mirror and touched your cheeks, noticing that they were burning.

,,Jesus“ you murmur to yourself, while leaning against the Mable counter. You shook your head and couldn’t help but giggle. Never before you’ve been so stunned by a man you only met half an hour ago. Of course you’ve met lots of handsome man as the only daughter of a mafia boss, but no one had such a strong effect on you as John.

For minutes you stood in the empty bathroom, mentally replaying every gaze between John and you. You had to be delusional, certainly he, a over 50 year old hitman wasn’t interested in a young mafia princess, who was also the daughter of his good friend. You finally broke free from your trance as another woman entered the bathroom. You smiled tensely at her and noticed with mild annoyance the wetness that had collected in your panties at the thoughts of John ,,Fuck“ you muttered quietly and played with the thought of getting yourself off quicky, but then you only refreshed your make up fixed your hair and pushed up your boobs slightly in the strapless dress and left the bathroom, feeling slightly more confident.

The confidence stopped as soon as you retuned to the table and met John’s gaze. Was it imagination or did he look actually hungrily at you?. You couldn’t help but feel caught because of your thoughts about him. You sat down again and only a few minutes later the food arrived. During dinner you tried to bring as much to the conversation between John and your father as possible, which brought you approving looks from your father. He was probably proud that you were finally interested in the family business, when instead you just wanted to get closer to the attractive hitman sitting with you at the table.

,,you raised her good“ John said after a while to your father, who smiled while you were beaming too under his praise.

,,Yes, I am very proud of her“

Your father confirmed. ,,and in a year she will marry Tarasov’s Son, bringing our families together“

,,Ah“ John commented with a neural voice.

,,I am not marrying him by choice“

You threw in quicky.

,,But you will“ your father said with a certain amount of coldness in his voice.

You sighed and turned back to your food.

After you three finished eating, your father invited John spontaneously back your mansion and you couldn’t hide your happy smile at the thought of spending more time with John, although it was in your fathers presence. Your father paid and you left the restaurant.

As you stood outside, your eyes widened.

,,is this yours?“ you asked and pointed to the sleek black mustang. It was a beautiful car and very fitting to John. Elegant but powerful.

John chuckled as he noticed your enthusiasm.

,,it is“ he confirmed while nodding.

You bit your lip.

,,can I maybe drive with you?“

You asked while coyly looking up at his face.

,,if your father allows it, why not?“

You turned around to your father

,,Daddy? Can I drive with John?“

You asked him while giving him your best puppy eyes.

He sighed

,,sure why not, But John, promise me that you take care of her. I‘m serious. If anything happens to her on the way to my mansion, I will kill you and I won’t care about that you are a professional hitman“

John chuckled and again you couldn’t help but shudder

,,I promise, our little princess will not be harmed“

,,our“ not ,,your“

You had to suppress a giggle.

Wordlessly John opened the passenger door for you and then walked around the mustang to get to the drivers door.

You sighed as you sank into the soft leather seats. The inside of the car was warm and you felt safe and secure.

,,seatbelt on” John ordered as he sat down in the drivers seat.

You pouted but he didn’t fold.

,,I’m serious about keeping you safe. Nothing will happen to you ”

Stunned by his protectiveness you put on the seatbelt and John started the car.

You couldn’t suppress your smile as the engine roared to live and the headlights went on. The cassette player also went on and quiet rock music filled the car. As you look over to your driver, you saw a faint smirk on his face. You two drove off though the strongly lit streets of New York City.

,,you know where my dad and I live?“ you asked him and he nodded while keeping his eyes on the busy street. After a bit you started to humm along to some 80s Hardrock song.

,,Guns n Roses? I wouldn’t have thought of you as someone who listens to that kind off stuff“

You smiled ,,well, Mr. Wick. You‘ve known me only for about five hours. There are many things you don’t know about me“.

Ypu look at him and he meets your gaze, because of a traffic light, his face is bathed in red light and the darkness in the car made the whole moment seemed even more intimate.You fought back the urge to place your hand on his thigh. After a bit the car left the busy city and the streets became darker and emptier.

,,you should have turned left“ you noticed as John drove in the opposite direction.

,,I know. But I also know a better Route“ he answered.

,,I probably shouldn’t trust a hitman saying that. You could kill me“

,,I could. But I could also do many other things with you“

His voice was calm, but you noticed how he gripped the steering will more tightly.

Immediately mages of him bending you over the hood of the Mustang flooded your mind and you bit your lip. One round bend over the hood and a second in the backseats sounded not bad. Inconspicuous you tried to take a look at said space. John chuckled.

,,This aren’t the thoughts of a good girl Mrs. (y/l/n). What would your father say?“ he taunted you playfully.

,,well luckily for you Mr. Wick, I am not a good girl“

He chuckled again:,, yeah, figured that out already. Little minx“

,,only for you Mr. Wick“ you practically purred ,,can I choose a song?“

,,Sure. You can connect that Casette to your phone“ he instructed you.

You connected your phone to his car and quicky found the right song. ,,Ordinary life“ by the weekend started to play.

,,you know, if I red the signs correctly I would almost say that you are offering me something“

John said after the first verse of the song.

,,maybe I am“ you answered him with a smirk.

,,Fuck you will be the death of me“ he muttered. Your eyes met and wordlessly he drove to the side of the road.

As soon as the the car stopped you reached over the middle console.

,,does this car have lights on the inside?“ you asked as you tried to find the zipper of his pants.

,,Sadly no, I‘d love to get a better view of you you swallowing my cock“ Johns voice was rough.

,,dammit, where the hell is the zipper?“

,,wait, let me help you“ John sounded amused as he slapped your hands away lightly, then you heard finally the promising noise and felt him move to free his cock. Quicky you opened your seatbelt, which had been digging into your shoulder and leaned again over the middle console. Then your hands found his errection and you couldn’t help but be amazed by its size and girth. Slowly you started to stroke it, firstly with one hand, then with two. John let out a quiet growl and his hand found its way into your hair.

,,Just like that“ he muttered darkly. After you felt the pre cum on his tip you licked your lips and wrapped them without a warning around him. He gasped in suprised and you started to twirl your tongue playfully around his member while he tightened his grip on your hair.

,,(y/n)“ he whispered, sounding a bit breathless.

You kept licking him until you finally took him deeper in your mouth and started to suck. A low moan left johns mouth and the sound of it alone made you wet. Slowly you started to massage his thighs and took him deeper, nearly deepthroating him.

,,Just like that. Good girl, take my cock“

He muttered, his voice was rough and sounded a bit strained. You got faster als started to bob your head, taking him deeper in your mouth. John moaned again as you ran your tongue over a prominent vein on his cock and you could feel that we was greeting closer. You swallowed around him and kept going. The car was still parked on the side of the road and it was completely silent except for Johns groans or moans and the wet sounds of your mouth.

,,I‘m close“ the warned breathlessly and tried to pull you off him, but you didn’t obey and kept going until his hips started to buck uncontrollably. You took a deep breath through the nose to prepare yourself, then he came with a hoarse moan. You took everything and swallowed obediently. Then you let yourself get pulled up by him and your eyes met. John was still panting as he starred at you

,,you are incredible“ he said quietly and wiped something from the corner of your mouth.

,,Thank you sir“ you whispered back.

He laughed quietly

,,keep calling me that while looking at me like that and I fulfill that fantasy of yours with the backseat“

,,I‘d love to“

He shook his head, then closed his pants.

,,Not today, little one.I‘ll have to get you home to your father“

You pouted but, then returned to the passengers seat.

He restarted the engine and his hand squeezed your thigh as you drove through the night.

Fifteen minutes later you reached the huge mansion where your father was already waiting for you.

,,Thank god, I was already getting worried. Why the hell did it take you so long?“

,,Empty gasoline tank. We had to do a little stop“ John lied effortlessly.

Your father only nodded.

,,Good, I hope (y/n) behaved. I know she can be a bit feisty, always looking for trouble“

,,Yeah, she’s got one hell of a tongue“

[dangermousie]

This whole sequence is jaw dropping!

The way the commissioner says that a death of a young woman, a destruction of her family and all these people being mired in grief is insignificant!!!

And the way he never says "nope" to the question if he'd ever kill his son if he got in the way!

Ju Won having to hear all of this. But also, Ju Won's father can read him so well because he's not wrong per se; but what he doesn't get is that JW can overcome all of this in pursuit of justice and right.

And once again, there is no "no" answer. My GOD.

Poor poor man!

I love this because someone is about to prove him so fucking wrong!

I love that in the whole realm of horrors dumped on his soul that night, what breaks JW the most is not that his father would kill him or that his father is a monster or w/e, but that he accused DS of the murder committed by his own father. Ooooof!

[aquaquadrant]

thoughts on the new character bios/interviews that the dreamworks twitter posted below the cut, as promised

so right off the bat, i’m trying to figure out when these interviews took place. it seems to be along the lines of a ‘where are they now?’ for the nublar six, so it’d be long enough after their rescue for them to be settled back in their lives. in terms of exact timing, my guess would be it’s 2-3 years before the time frame of chaos theory, and here’s why.

ben’s part mentions him starting college. if he was 14 during JWCC, he would be around 17 at the time of JW fallen kingdom (ie. during the epilogue scene) cuz it’s 3 years after JW. this would make him roughly 21 during chaos theory cuz it’s supposed to be around the same time as JW dominion (i think so, anyway, could be misremembering), which is 4 years after fallen kingdom. while it’s possible ben delayed his start at college bc of the whole ‘was stranded on dinosaur island for a while’ thing, starting at 21 seems pretty late. so this would most likely indicate the interviews were closer to the timing of the epilogue scene, maybe a year or two after (putting ben at 17-19).

more evidence: darius’s part portrays him as fairly well-adjusted and mentions him traveling to give talks, as we saw in the epilogue. we know that at the start of chaos theory, darius has been isolating himself for an unknown amount of time following brooklynn’s supposed death. i doubt ‘the dino times’ would’ve been able to get ahold of him for an interview.

final point: kenji’s part mentions his relationship with brooklynn and that “all is good in casa de kenji.” so like, it’s very unlikely brooklynn is ‘dead’ yet LMAO

the only thing that snags at me is sammy’s part saying she has her own ranch now. if this interview took place a couple years before chaos theory, she wouldn’t be older than 20. that’s a pretty damn young age to own and operate your own ranch- but since she comes from a family of ranchers, it wouldn’t be impossible. perhaps her family purchased some additional land for her to manage a smaller herd and they stay in close business with each other (providing surplus calves as replacement heifers for sammy’s herd, for example). either way, we stan a strong independent businesswoman.

also there’s the fact that they didn’t make one for brooklynn, when theoretically she would’ve still been alive at the time these interviews were done. but i think the dreamworks team might’ve just been concerned that ppl would confuse the timeline and use it as proof brooklynn is alive (full disclosure: i fully believe brooklynn is alive but ofc the show wants us to still think she’s dead) so i could see them leaving her out just for that reason.

now that the timeline junk is of the way, here’s more random thoughts.

yaz doesn’t seem to have returned to her career as an aspiring pro athlete (seems like something the interviewer would’ve mentioned if she had). this feeds my headcanon of her retaining permanent damage to her ankle quite well. also, the trauma. sammy’s part says they “don’t have time to keep worrying about all that running for our lives stuff.” maybe that’s part of it: yaz decided to just settle down and enjoy the quiet life on the ranch. good for her!!

kenji opened up a climbing school?? that’s random as fuck but i’m here for it. on the surface, it seems like the kinda thing rich tourists would sign up for- y’know, the ppl who travel to exotic places around the world to climb shit. but it’s actually a super useful skill to have in a post-dinosaur world, and kenji knows all too well how important these kinds of skills are for survival. so for me, it’s a choice that reflects the maturing he did during his character arc.

i’ve seen some ppl speculating that yasammy might’ve had a breakup/relationship issues. i sincerely hope that’s not the case- at the time of the interviews, they seemed to be in a very committed relationship, but since that was prob a couple years ago i guess there’s a chance something could’ve happened after. fingers crossed i’m wrong and we’ll just get loads of wonderful yasammy content in the show🤞

i’m curious what ben went/was going to college for. considering the epilogue slated him as researching with mae on mantah corp island, i wonder if he’d pursue some kind of neuro/psych/animal behavior thing.

yaz anxiety mention! god please let the show delve into all the PTSD these kids must’ve brought back from the island.

every new bit of info we get has me so excited like can the show just drop already 😩⚰️

[slafkovskys]

no bc i imagine babysitter reader has such a good relationship with the tavares family (and john would be so protective, especially when knies joins the household). and i need to know she meets jw for the first time and what the interaction is like 😭

loela smiles down at her phone screen as she scans over the text from aryne. it was a picture of a picture drawn by jace on green construction paper and it was apparently meant to showcase the two of them playing at the park. she doesn’t have time to type out a response before arms are thrown around her shoulders, “it’s baby free night, remember?”

“do you think that i forgot that you tried to turn my phone off in the uber,” the nineteen year old rolls her eyes as she hearts the image before placing her phone in her bag. “what are we doing now? shots?”

“you my girl,” celeste reaches across the table to boop her friend’s nose, “are going to walk up to the bar and talk to that man who has been staring at you since we walked in.”

“oh c’mon loe. get a drink out of him at least,” jenna croons from behind her, “for you or for me.”

“why don’t you go and talk to him then?”

“because i am engaged and i don’t think that your brother would like that very much,” jenna claps her shoulders, “you’ll be amazing. just swing the hips, smile like i taught you, and we’ll be getting you down the aisle next.”

“unlikely,” loela mumbles as she finishes off the last of her cocktail that was already in front of her. the girls make a show of cheering her on as she pushes away from the table and grabs her bag, crossing the room to lean against the bar just a couple of spaces away from her target. she gets the bartenders attention, “cosmopolitan, please.”

“never had that before. is it good?” she turns her head to the side to find the man in question suddenly a lot closer than he had been. she hums and he raises two fingers, “make that a double.”

“trusting a stranger?”

“you seem to know what you’re talking about,” the guy shrugs nonchalantly before reaching a hand over the empty seat between them, “i’m joseph.”

“have we met before, joseph?” she raises a curious eyebrow, not being able to shake the feeling that she had seen this man before. he shakes his head and she places her small hand in his abnormally large one, “‘m loela with an e.”

“loela with an e?” he chuckles, “any particular reason for that e?”

“my mom had never seen it spelled that way and she also wanted to make sure that my name was misspelled every single time,” she shrugs her shoulders, sending the bartender a smile when he sets their drinks down in front of them, “most of my friends just call me loe.”

“have i earned that privilege?”

“i’ll let you know in a little while, joseph.”

“loela, you gotta be faster!” axton calls as he darts down the hallway. she bounces a sleeping rae in her arms as she rolls her eyes at the boy, “c’mon!”

“i’m holding your sister, ax. come back here please,” loela calls out. her eyes go wide as the boy crashes into the back of a pair of legs which puts her into overdrive to get to the little boy. she bends down, carefully cradling the baby’s head as she helps axton to his feet, “are you okay, dude? you need to watch where you’re going.”

“but i was watching you,” axton pouts as she dusts off his pants.

“and i was behind you, wasn’t i?” she quirks up an eyebrow and his frown deepens. “it’s okay, ax. you just need to apologize-”

“loe?” the voice is vaguely familiar. she looks up just in time to see the eyes of the man she had fallen into bed with the night before staring back down at her. she notices the hoodie adorning his upper body, looking eerily similar to the issued one that she had seen matthew and john wear on multiple occasions, “what are you doing here?”

oh, well this is just great.

[luthwhore]

oh dang you were a Jehovah Witness? that must have been tough growing up

it was... something for sure. my grandmother raised me and she converted when i was about eight or nine, as did most of her sisters and my great grandmother. i was very invested in it as a kid, mostly because i was the sort of kid who REALLY wanted to impress adults and JW meetings are very participation-based.

my grandmother was very restrictive growing up, both in terms of who i was allowed to hang out with and the media i was allowed to engage with, so i wasn't allow to read harry potter or watch buffy the vampire slayer, for example, bc jehovah's witnesses are very big on not engaging with anything "satanic" or "demonic" which... includes basically anything with magic, or anything that could be a "stumbling block to your faith." (that was a phrase i heard a LOT growing up.)

i also wasn't allowed to hang out with non-jehovah's witnesses outside of school, but because my grandfathr wasn't a jehovah's witness, none of the other witness kids were allowed to come over to my house, so i didn't really have a lot of close friends until i was in my teens.

somewhere around 8th grade i started to question, for... a lot of reasons, but i was sort of back and forth between pulling away and sticking with it for a few years until i was about 15-16. jehovah's witnesses are VERY big on 1) not dating anyone outside who doesn't share the same faith as you, 2) not dating until you're ready for marriage, and 3) not even being alone with a member of the opposite sex that you're nor married to. and i wanted to date a boy from my high school and i wanted to play dungeons and dragons and i slowly just stopped going to the JW meetings, despite my grandmother clearly being unhappy with it.

the elders at my grandmother's congregation had also taken me aside and lectured me about how i shouldn't be dating which. at the time was very heavy and made me feel awful and did not make me want to go back.

my grandmother eventually gave me an ultimatum that i had to either go back to the meetings with her or formally disassociate myself, which is A Big Deal because if you disassociate yourself, other jehovah's witnessess are supposed to shun you (including your family members). i guess she thought that i would fall in line if she did this, but i ended up disassociating myself instead.

you'd think that would be the reason my grandmother and i have little to no contact now, but she was willing to break the rules for a while in the hopes that i would repent and return to the fold. the thing that actually made her go no contact with me was me coming out as gay.

i actually know for a fact that another family member of mine hasn't come out yet almost exclusively bc they know that it will destroy their relationship with her. and it sucks bc i'm 100% sure if it wasn't for the shitty cult she's fully bought into, i don't think she would actually care that much.

anyway if you ever want to know more about jehovah's witnesses, the website jwfacts.org is super informative and breaks down everything from doctrine to history to organizational scandals. knowing better on youtube also has one of the most well-researched and accurate videos about JWs i've ever seen from someone who was never part of the religion and i would HIGHLY recommend it if you want a good overview of the history and beliefs.

[garfi3ld-3njoy3r]

If you don't mind me asking, what are jw funerals like? When I googled the only thing that came up were very biased sources

ohhhg christ. ok so off my experience of having been to a few in my lifetime the way i can best describe them is basically a shitty attempt at recruiting the non-jw family members attending and/or reaffirming all the jws their fear of death and hope for "paradise". basically they talk about the deceased for maybe a couple minutes at most and then move into their talk about how we all have hope in paradise someday. like genuinely every single time ive been to a funeral i never knew who they were talking about bc me and my parents are chronically late people so we'd miss the 3 minutes of them talking about the deceased persons life. i honestly think its disgustingly disrespectful to the deceased and deceased person's family. oh yeah and also they still make sure to stick 1 or 2 kingdom hall songs for everyone to sing that fit with the theme of death. usually the ones about seeing your dead loved ones come back in paradise. which gets everyone feeling extreme guilt about if they are being good enough jws to be in paradise to see their late family. yknow that one scene in midsommar where the main gir's boyfriend cheats on her and she starts wailing in grief and the cult/commune members go to her and start imitating her grief and they are all crying together and its like she has nobody else to comfort her so she emotionally took what she got. yeah its like that. but with song. its hard to focus on singing when everyone is crying. l also the times there has been non-jw or even exjw family that attended i kept seeing everyone there either completely avoid them and give them 0 comfort or try to recruit them. in conclusion. i hate them with all my fucking heart.

[sabakos]

How are we defining "cult" though? Not to be a pedant but it seems wrong to group them all together and say that there's one kind of person who easily falls into them. I could easily believe that most middle class Christian people could be seduced by Jehovah's witnesses when grieving and the JWs show up to ask them to discuss scripture. Just like with families and relationships there are many different ways for a community of people to be cultish

[Guy who's never been in a cult before voice]: Really what's the definition of a cult, anyway? I want to make very sure I'm not being inexact in my terminology here.

The Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult, yes. In the same way that Heaven's Gate was a cult, in the same way that QAnon is a cult, in the same way the Yud- ...you get the idea. Most middle class Christians aren't susceptible to the Jehovah's witnesses, most people who are susceptible to cults are.

I'm going to stick with the heuristic that half of ratblr has blocked me over - if you get offended or defensive when someone calls an organization you're a member of (or adjacent to?) a cult, that's a cult, and you're the kind of person who is susceptible to cults. People with a healthy relationship towards the organizations that they're a part of do not particularly care if you call their organization a cult. If I called the average ML or anarchist a "cultist" for their political ideology they wouldn't get defensive, they'd just laugh. If I call "Rationalism" a cult I get fifty self-described "rat-adj" posters having meltdowns in my inbox. Ergo...

Edit:

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Types of People in a JW Congregation

The professionally-trained(?) opera singer; always extroverted, with a booming laugh, and is either a super nice person, or the most passive-aggressively hateful son of a bitch you’ve met in your life. If they’re a guy, he’s an elder; if they’re a lady, she’s an elder’s wife

”Promising” young brother (fourteen-year-old mic handler) who has such a suave voice, it sounds like he’s recording an audiobook any time he opens his mouth; probably can’t carry a conversation to save his life

Group of plump old ladies who always sit in the back and wear fancy suits with matching hats; they have arms like a hydraulic press and will crush you when they hug you

That one brother you swear is a closeted gay man because he wears loud suits, bow ties, and has all the stereotypical mannerisms; but then he gets up on the platform and says the most homophobic shit ever; usually really nice, not necessarily because he actually is, but you feel that way because you feel sorry for him

Five-year-old who gives disturbingly articulate comments and is probably hyperlexic (reads their parents’ words off a card and gets all the credit for it); householders think she’s adorable and she places literature without trying it it’s a me

Old crotchety elder (or group thereof) who likes to fuck with the mind of one specific guy for a prolonged period of time, to the point of giving said guy severe health problems; has driven at least five people out of the congregation and/or out of this mortal coil

Young People who present “The Truth” in such a new, hip, and cool way, it’s physically painful to listen to

Mother who nudges their kid to answer and whispers what she wants them to say in his ear, word-by-word; said kid always sounds like he was just awoken out of a dead sleep

The elder’s wife who smiles too much; probably bursting at the seams to gossip about you

Super Witness Wife and her unbaptized mate who you could have sworn was already a ministerial servant; they’re both really fun, actually

Middle-aged pioneer with seventeen studies who’s dying from stress; usually ends up having some kind of mental breakdown or health concern

The POMI who shows up once in a blue moon; visibly dissociated from reality

Keepers of the Bonfire Party (probably old and/or wealthy, with a forest for a backyard)

That One Sister with a questionable hairstyle who everyone lets slide because she’s a pioneer; has dyke energy

Quiet single person who never comments and always leaves immediately following the prayer; either everyone wants to talk to them, or no one seems to like them and ignores them, depending on how old, attractive, and visibly neurodivergent they are

Person who will talk both your ears clean OFF about Jehovah and how he “helped” them; seems happy but is severely depressed and you‘re very concerned about them

Group of kids who all talk about watching Naruto and Marvel movies in the company of each other; they seem PIMO, but they’re so unafraid about their spiritistic tastes that you can’t tell

Witness family who thinks all modern-day media is demonic, and only watches, reads, and listens to old stuff; the whole family seems like they’re suicidal; there’s definitely more abuse going on than meets the eye

The ten-year-old unbaptized publisher who admits to staying up all night on their tablet because they can never get to sleep before 1:00 AM, but gets nervous when you ask what they were doing on said tablet; probably browses gore websites and reads about methods of torture to feel something and/or reading My Book of Bible Stories got them into it

[sosuigeneris]

Sunday plans: slept in till 11 am. I’ve been dreaming every night since I was a child but my dreams the last few nights have been really strange.

Put on Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s 2014 jazz album while I freshen up. I might head to the JW Marriott in the noon for a massage because my back and neck are killing me after sleeping for 12 hours straight.

I bought that insanity workout program and I’m going to start tomorrow. Am I excited? You bet I am. It’s only 60 days and I’m trying to ensure that I will stay consistent no matter what. I’ve been reading all the reviews on blogs and Reddit pages to ensure that my mindset to do this doesn’t wear off by Monday. I wonder if it’s going to be as hard as everyone says it is. I’ve been working out my whole life (without getting the results I want) so let’s see if this works.

I’m going to read some more of that pig book, give my dad updates on our family office and prep for tomorrow’s 5 am wake up.

But one thing that I really wanted to talk about is embodying the mindset of you want to be. I wanted to be perceived as intelligent, put-together and elegant for years and I worked towards it. Reading a wide variety of things and knowing what part of that content I can put to use in a conversation; practicing my posture even if I’m alone, making sure that I look good when I step out, dressing the way my ideal self does, engaging in creative workshops to really branch out, knowing how to talk to people older than me in a respectful manner (this is huge in eastern culture). And it’s finally, finally all paying off.

the reason I know it is because a) I can feel the change myself. My social skills have improved, I don’t need to drink to be comfortable socially. I also have really strong observational skills: I can notice how other people see me even if they don’t say it. B) other people who I barely know validate point A. At the meditation retreat in Black Forest, a random lady told my friend that she thought I “was so elegant and chic, the way (I) carried myself” and my friend came and told me all this the second the lady left. Other people do notice when you start making changes.

now if you’ve reached this stage, this is what you have to hear: do not get dependent on other people’s validation. That will be your Achilles heel. Do not get enamoured by compliments nor let down by criticism. Learn to accept it graciously but don’t let your emotions take control of you.

if you get dependent on people’s validation, you will soon become a chameleon in social settings. When you’re with Betty, because Betty thinks you’re a hilarious person when drinking, you’ll embody exactly that personality because you don’t want to let Betty down. When you’re with Mrs Smith you’re on your best behaviour because she’s this elegant old lady.

there’s nothing wrong in slightly altering your personality depending on the social group. but there has to be a certain limit to it. And you need to establish that limit.

If you don’t, you’ll be nothing but a doormat for these people. They will lose interest in you anyway, when they realise that you have no original personality and you’re just trying to imitate their thoughts and beliefs. Know when to blend and when to not.

how do you establish that limit? It’s very simple. You decide a few core values, beliefs, principles and opinions that you will absolutely not budge on. And once you have that, come up with 20 ways you can say “I don’t agree” in the most polite, politically-correct, respectful manner possible OR learn how to deviate conversations to different subjects seamlessly. I would always prefer the latter because I think it’s the best way to handle social conflict. Unless the person is my age or someone who I know I can give my piece of mind to, I don’t bother engaging and gently direct the conversation to a different subject altogether.

And how does one deviate conversations? it must be done as subtly as possible. If the conversation is about a war happening and you’re trying to deviate it to their opinion of Saltburn it’s obviously not going to work. What you have to do is choose the closest, safest topic, repeatedly. For instance if someone is talking about politics that I don’t want to talk about, I’ll throw in some history: “do you know that back in 19XX this had happened?” And then slowly deviate that conversation to an author or poet who had written very well on that subject; then deviate again, ask them if they like to read anything. If they bring up political books, then I would create a “hard stop” and say oh, I really like Bengali poetry. If the conversationalist is a good one, they will reciprocate and ask me more. I can then give a little summary of something I’ve read and ask them for their opinion on it.

you will only become good at this if you go out and engage with people. I’ve found the cutest little jazz lounge in my city and I plan to go there with a maximum of 2 friends who also want to interact and meet new people. You have to gain experience socially in order to become socially smart.

-Cherry 🍒

[ashleyfanfic]

Jonerys prompt please

29) just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

+

49) I do not have an answer for you

I've gone over and over this one in my head and even written it out twice. I can only come up with angsty things. I don't like writing angst most of the time. Only with JW. So, let's see what we get.

Not betaed. We die like Eddie Munson.

Jonerys fic

*~*

Jon watched her at the feast, laughing with the Dothraki leader. Her hand rested on his forearm and he turned away, hating the ache that sat in his chest. He did this to himself, caused his own bloody heart break, all because of a secret that was better left buried.

He felt a hand slap on his shoulder and a horn of something pressed into his hand. He looked up at Tormund who had probably had more to drink than the entire country. "What's got you looking so fucking sad, Little Crow? We stand in a feast of victory."

He shook his head. "Nothing. You know me. Not known for smilin'."

"True. You're a sour fucker. But not since that queen came around and started fucking you regularly. What's the matter? She stop?"

He heaved a sigh. "I stopped."

Tormund stared at him for a moment then stood and swiped a hand over his tangled hair. "You mean she's available?" Jon yanked on his heavy furs and the man laughed and resumed his seat beside him. "She's not available."

"You just said..."

"I know what I said."

Tormund sighed. "What's the problem. You're both young, beautiful, unmarried rulers. Isn't that the usual thing your lot does? Unite your kingdoms and all that?"

"Usually."

"I fail to see the problem."

Jon was quiet, knowing if there was one person he could tell that wouldn't bat an eye at the revelation, it was probably Tormund. "An unexpected problem has presented itself."

"She is married?"

"No."

"She tried to kill you?"

"No," he answered as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Then tell me, Jon Snow, why you're being so fucking stupid."

Jon leaned closer to him. "I found out that she's my aunt."

Tormund looked at Dany and then back at Jon. "And?"

"And... we're related."

"Did you know that when you started fucking her?"

"No. I didn't find out until a few days ago."

Tormund nodded. "I see. For a man who died and was brought back to life, you really take the long way around to get somewhere."

Jon drank down his own drink and grimaced in Tormund's face. "What does that mean?"

"Do you love her?"

"Yes," he answered without question.

"Do you want to lay with her?"

"Yes, but--"

Tormund cut him off with a raised hand. "Can you live with the idea that she might someday marry someone that isn't you? That might not love her, but only use her for her title?"

"No."

"What about you? Your people would require you to marry a woman eventually. Produce an heir." Jon shook his head. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Jon Snow. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should put distance between the two of you. A woman like her... I don't know that there's actually been a woman like her through out all of history and time. And she loves you, you stupid fucker."

Jon looked up to find Dany staring at him, and she raised her glass to him. He raised his back and bowed his head. "It's only a matter of time before the lords start circling around her, each one wanting to use her for something. Her dragons, her arms, her title. None of them seeing her the way you do. Loving her the way you do. What you feel for her is very rare and you should relish it. So many of us are unfortunate that we never find it or we do and lose it. So she's your... family. From what I've heard from Arya, that's sort of what Targaryens do, isn't it?"

He took Tormund's drink from him and finished all of it. "You're right."

"I know. So get up and go claim your queen."

Jon stood on wobbly legs and grimaced at the taste in his mouth. He held his goblet up for a boy passing with wine, had it filled, and drank all of it in one swallow. He stumbled around his chair but righted himself and took slow steps towards her. She dismissed those standing near her and soon they were standing alone.

"How drunk is Tormund?"

He glanced back at his ginger friend who was now in a drinking game with Tyrion. "I don't have an answer for you," he replied and turned back to her. Her smile was bright, even if it didn't reach her eyes. "Dany, I want--"

"I plan to have my armies march south starting tomorrow morning," she interrupted. "It's in everyone's best interest, I feel, if my people and I are no longer in your country."

"So soon?"

"There are people who aren't happy about our presence, and to be honest, I don't like it here."

He sat on the table in front of her and cautiously took her hand. "There's still things you haven't seen."

She nodded. "I agree. Many things you promised to show me. But I'll not pressure you, Jon Snow. I've loved and lost and lived through it. I'm fairly certain I could do it again, if I must."

"What if you didn't have to?" he said softly.

She shook her head, confusion marrying her pretty face. "I don't understand you. You've avoided me for days and when you finally do acknowledge my presence you shake everything I've ever known to its very core. And now, I'm supposed to be happy that you've made up your mind?"

He stood. "Come with me."

She sighed. "Jon, I'm tired. I'm tired of games played with leaders and I'm tired of getting my expectations up only to then be disappointed."

He squeezed her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Come with me," he prodded.

She reluctantly allowed him to lead her out of the room and through the lit corridors out to the courtyard. He pushed open the gates and they trudged through the sloshy snow together toward the heart tree. She looked up at the tree that appeared to be crying, along the white bark and up to the red leaves.

"The Night King died here," he said softly. "Bran was just here," he said, facing her, "and Arya came in from this end. She had made it past all of his guard and actually got the drop on him, from what Bran said."

She folded her hands in front of her and stared at him. He could feel her eyes on his skin as well as the eyes of countless others, always watching. "I've heard all of this, Jon. We were briefed this very morning, in fact."

He took a deep breath and lowered his head. "I never expected to survive the fight. I thought my destiny was to kill the Night King and that was the reason I was here. Once my purpose was finished, that would be it. I'd go back to wherever Melisandre pulled me from. To be very honest, Your Grace, Dany, I never allowed myself to look past that."

Dany's frown deepened. "So, am I to understand that you fully believed you'd die and yet you never thought to share this information with me, the person you claim to love who very clearly loves you?"

Jon shifted his weight to his other foot and lowered his head. "Yes. And now, I can only ask your forgiveness for my foolishness."

"What foolishness is that? That we became involved or that you're ending the involvement now that the world is no longer in peril."

"Neither," he answered quickly. "Dany, I never said I wanted to die. I only said that's what I thought would happen. It kept me from hoping beyond the battle for anything more."

She walked past him to the tree and he watched her placed her gloved hand over the bark and look up at the leaves. "Jon Snow, you're the most insufferable man," she said with a shake of her head. She then turned her frustration on him. "What is this? Why bring me out here? Are you telling me that you'd like to explore other options now that you're alive? That you want to stay in this Gods forsaken wasteland for the rest of your life with your sister, excuse me, cousin, constantly doubting every decision you make?" He shook his head and she stepped forward. "I've never taken you for a coward."

His jaw clenched and his hands tightened into fists at his side. But she continued as if he hadn't had any reaction to her words. "You came into my throne room and demanded my help. You defiantly refused to bend the knee. You dared to pet a dragon when neither of us knew what would happen." She huffed out a breath. "You took my hand and offered me your heart. You openly declared your allegiance to me when it would have been far easier to lie. You knocked on my door, Jon Snow. You rode a dragon into battle. But in front of me, faced with the possibility of a beautiful future together, you're cowering away?"

"I'm not cowering away."

"You could have fooled me. I ask you again. What do you want?"

"You," he said softly and her shoulders slumped. "I'm torn up about it, Dany. Bran and Sam telling me all they have... I still want you. I can't think about you with someone else because it makes me want to destroy the world," he said as he cupped her face in his hands. "I don't give a damn about the Iron Throne, but I'll fight until my dying breath to see you upon it."

She grasped his wrists and shook her head. "You have to live, Jon. You have to." She whispered gently against his lips. "You're the one who told me that the witch wasn't a good source for information. You were right," she guided his hand down to her belly and he looked up at her in surprise. "I had gone to the crypts to find you and tell you. But I found you so lost and sad that I didn't get the chance. And then the dead were here. But we've both lived and I believe we're both here to bring peace to this world. Both of us together. And our children after us."

He kissed her, his lips pressed against hers desperately. His arms looped around her waist and he lifted her to swing her in a circle. "You're magic, Dany."

She laughed and swatted at him. "Put me down before you make me sick." He placed her back on her feet and kissed her again. "Stay with me tonight," he whispered to her. "Let me... celebrate you."

Dany brushed her finger over the cut on his cheek. "I suppose I can allow that. I'll count it as your apology for being stupid."

He laughed and caught her around the waist. "No. Don't. Let my apology be separate."

She furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"Any reason to get on my knees for my queen."

"What if I told you that you didn't need a reason? I'd accept anytime you'd like to kneel for me."

He smiled and kissed her again. "Then I shall start in my chambers, Your Grace. Tonight. If you'll have me."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest. "I'll have you, Jon Snow. Until the end of my days."

[thewhumpcaretaker]

What r ur thoughts on HopelesslyDevoted(Chidi x Vincent)? :3 they’re sooo doomed bodyguard x boss yaoi

I HAVE. SO MANY. THOUGHTS.

Once again you poisoned my brain, thank you. Ever since that gorgeous fic...dang. Well, now I can yap about it!

TW: mentions of drug use and an abusive family, and NSFW stuff

Okay so first of all, let's think about the nature of a personal bodyguard in the JW universe. This is not just anyone who has the necessary qualifications. This has to be someone who is willing to die for you and who absolutely will not betray. (I believe Gianna picked Cassian for that reason but that's another story). So Chidi did something for Vincent that proved he would be loyal to the death.

What did he do? I think he was a Myrmadon who was serving under Vincent's father, back when Vincent was younger (around college-age). So they've known each other for a long time - it's actually sort of a friends-to-lovers situation. He was around Vincent, but not allowed to speak to him most of the time - or at least, it would have been awkward to do so. He just watched him from afar and became very fond of him, and they talked occasionally. At some point, perhaps during an attack by a rival family, Chidi was ordered to focus on defending property or another De Gramont family member but he disobeyed and saved Vincent's life instead. You could even go so far as to say that he saved Vincent's life instead of his father's - that would be a lot of drama. In any case, he expected to be executed for what he did, but instead, Vincent made him his personal bodyguard.

Why is Chidi so in love loyal? Because he's thoroughly charmed by Vincent. He admires him in every way. Here is a man who's breathtakingly beautiful, wildly charismatic, intelligent, talented...don't get him started on it honestly, because he could praise Vincent forever. Vincent is also more social than Chidi could ever be (this is very much an extrovert-adopts-an-introvert situation). He sees Vincent's more potentially negative characteristics too, such as his pride and arrogance, but doesn't see them as flaws. He's also one of the few people who has really seen what Vincent has been through on a personal level. They don't often talk about it, but he witnessed Vincent being mistreated by his family pretty frequently and it made him massively protective. He gets why his bien-aimé is like this.

How did Vincent fall in love? Initially, Vincent mistreated Chidi a lot. He saw someone who was hopelessly devoted to him and thought, "What a fool. Well, at least I can use him." He never did anything really awful, but he was generally rude and mocking, didn't give Chidi any breaks when working, exploded at him in anger, that kind of thing. But over time, little moments of vulnerability happened that a bodyguard inevitably sees. Being tired after a long day. Getting sick. Breaking down after an argument. And Chidi always went out of his way to make sure Vincent was comfortable in moments like that. Vincent slowly started to notice. He also noticed things that he admired about Chidi - his calmness, his determination, his emotional intelligence, his skills with not just fighting, but also cooking and even sewing (idk why but I think he likes to sew and sewed a button back on for Vincent during a fashion emergency at some point). Eventually Vincent started to wonder and secretly hope that there could be something between them, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything - it would mean too much to him to have someone who genuinely cares for him. He didn't dare to confess his feelings and test whether it was true.

So instead he started fucking him, oops! Just casually. For fun. Because they're both hot. Definitely nothing more than that...next thing you know, they're married.

Miscellaneous Things:

They’re both good at fencing and sometimes they spar together. Chidi always lets Vincent win.

Chidi always reminds Vincent that it’s his job to take care of his health in all ways, including mentally and in terms of keeping him clean from drugs.

Chidi service top!!!!

Their relationship is part of the reason why the High Table is so queer accepting - Vincent is the most influential member other than the Elder himself, and he wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense about him and Chidi being together - happy pride!!

[dangermousie]

I think what breaks my heart so utterly is how GOOD Jung Woo was.

In this flashback, he sees Su Oh being bullied/abused and even SO's own brother is hiding, too scared to intervene, and he RUNS in.

He has zero fighting skill or ability, so it's not one of those "I know I can win" scenarios. No, it's just he can't see a quasi-cousin being abused. When the bullies start beating the crap out of them, he COVERS SU OH WITH HIS OWN BODY and keeps asking him if he's OK since he knows Su Oh is not neurotypical and because of his particular condition is more prone to freaking out about this than someone else would.

Like.

This kid was genuine sunshine.

And the town fucked him over.

Jung Woo's character really does show the fallacy of the just world theory, the way people victim blame and say "but if they did x/y, they wouldn't get in trouble."

Jung Woo is a good person, yes. But he's also smart, he fits in, he has all his social skills, he's from a solidly middle class family. You can't ever say "well, he's an outcast/outsider/makes enemies/is not neurotypical in a prejudiced society/etc etc etc etc."

And none of it helps, none of it saves him.

Because yes, you can try to reduce risks of becoming a victim to some degree, at least for certain things (for example, if you don't wander around with money plastered all over your clothes in a bad part of town in the middle of the night, you are likely to be safer than if you do), but you cannot eliminate them. And sometimes you do everything right and you suffer anyway because it takes more than one to tango - and if someone(s) decide to target you, to make you suffer for whatever reason, then guess what? There is limited things you can do.

It's such an interesting, raw narrative to me. Because I am a big fan of "wrongly accused person tries to prove innocence" subgenre and in a lot of those stories, the unfortunate victim stood out - Bad Guys and Flower of Evil MLs were not neurotypical and had unusual backgrounds so they stood out to those around them as “other” and that got exploited, in Mask the ML was targeted because of his specific identity and as part of family take over, in others (like Nice Guy), the person is related to the actual perp and either chooses to help or is framed by them due to relationship. It's not even like all those "wrong person at the wrong time" narratives like Padam Padam or 8million others unless one views the entire town as "wrong place wrong time." Because sometimes there is at most an illusion of control - and none in reality.

I mean about the only thing he’s done that anyone can even point to is he got drunk inside his own house and went to sleep. Which is fully legal and not even a risky behavior. I mean let’s face it - he remembers nothing about what he did that night not because he drank enough to black out but because he has nothing to remember - he just slept the night away in a normal fashion.

The horror of JW's story is that he has done nothing risky, nothing wrong, nothing to stand out, nothing to draw notice, nothing nothing nothing NOTHING and his life got destroyed anyway.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark Ratings - 2023

So here's a look at the ratings for most of Hallmark's 2023 programing. No info on what the numbers were for stuff aired on Hallmark Movies Now of course, and I don't have the numbers for what the Love Club movies did when aired on the Hallmark Channel.

1 - A Merry Scottish Christmas (CTC) - 3.33 2 - A Biltmore Christmas (CTC) - 3.12 3 -Christmas Island (CTC) - 2.62 4 - The Wedding Veil Expectations (NYNM) - 2.48  5- Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up (CTC) - 2.38 6 - The Wedding Veil Journey (NYNM) - 2.29  7 - The Wedding Veil Inspiration (NYNM) - 2.28 8 - Holiday Hotline (CTC) - 2.27 9 - 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost (FIL) - 2.25 10 - A Heidelberg Holiday (CTC) - 2.18 11 - Holiday Road (CTC) - 2.13 12 - Sealed With a List (CTC) - 2.10 13 - Sweeter Than Chocolate (Loveuary) - 2.06  14 - Catch Me If You Claus (CTC) - 2.05 15 - My Norwegian Holiday (CTC) - 2.03 15 - Christmas on Cherry Lane (CTC) - 2.03 16 - A Not So Royal Christmas (CTC) - 2.02 17 - Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance (NYNM) - 1.98  17 - The Wedding Cottage (SIL) - 1.98  18 - Navigating Christmas (CTC) - 1.97 19 - Christmas in Notting Hill (CTC) - 1.92 19 - The Secret Gift of Giving (CTC) - 1.92 20 - Everything Christmas (CTC) - 1.90 21 - A Paris Proposal (Loveuary) - 1.88  22 - Welcome to Valentine (Loveuary) - 1.85  22 - Magic in Mistletoe (CTC) - 1.85 23 - Never Been Chris'd (CTC) - 1.80 24 - Where Are You, Christmas? (CTC) - 1.78 25 - Flipping for Christmas (CTC) - 1.77 26 - Joyeux Noel (CTC) - 1.74 26 - Our Christmas Mural (CTC) - 1.74 27 - A Picture of Her (SIL) - 1.73 28 - Mystic Christmas (CTC) - 1.72 29 - The Santa Summit (CTC) - 1.70 30 - The Dog Lover’s Guide to Dating (NYNM) - 1.68  31 - Checkin' It Twice (CTC) - 1.68 32 - Made for Each Other (Loveuary) - 1.62  33 - A Pinch of Portugal (SIL) - 1.59  34 - Fourth Down and Love (FIL) - 1.58 35 - Love’s Greek to Me (JW) - 1.57  35 - Christmas With a Kiss (CTC) (Mahogany) - 1.57 36 - A Royal Christmas Crush (CIJ) - 1.56 37 - Hearts in the Game - 1.54  37 - Round and Round (CTC) - 1.54 38 - Field Day (FIL) - 1.53 38 - Under the Christmas Sky (CTC) - 1.53 39 - Love in Zion National: A National Park Romance - 1.51  40 - A Safari Romance (SN) - 1.50  41 - Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance  (FIL) - 1.49  41 - Notes of Autumn (FIL) - 1.49 41 - Letters to Santa (CTC) - 1.49 42 - Game of Love - 1.47  43 - Aloha Heart (SN) - 1.46  44 - Making Waves (SN) - 1.45  45 - Retreat to You (FIL) - 1.43 46 - The Professional Bridesmaid (SIL) - 1.40  46 - The Wedding Contract (JW) - 1.40  47 - Take Me Back for Christmas (CIJ) - 1.39 48 - A Winning Team - 1.38  48 - Love in the Maldives (SIL) - 1.38  48 - When Love Springs (SIL) - 1.38  49 - Never Too Late to Celebrate (SN) - 1.37  50 - Wedding Season (JW) - 1.34  51 - Christmas by Design (CTC) - 1.31 52 - Friends & Family Christmas (CTC) - 1.30 53 - Make Me a Match (JW) - 1.23  53 - A Very Venice Romance (FIL) - 1.23 54 - Dream Moms - 1.18  55 - Napa Ever After (SN) (Mahogany) - 1.09

1 - Miracle in Bethlehem, PA (MOC) (DaySpring) - 1.91 2 - Heaven Down Here (MOC) - 1.38 3 - To All a Good Night (MOC) - 1.35 4 - Mystery on Mistletoe Lane (MOC) - 1.30 5 - A Season for Family (MOC) - 1.19 6 - Curious Caterer: Grilling Season - 1.18  7 - Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas (MOC) - 1.13 8 - My Christmas Guide (MOC) - 1.09 9 - A World Record Christmas (MOC) - 1.06 10 - Family History Mysteries: Buried Past - 1.01  10 - Ms. Christmas Comes to Town (MOC) - 1.01 11 - A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - 0.99 12 - The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango - 0.87 13 - Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows - 0.86 14 - The Cases of Mystery Lane - 0.82  15 - Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - 0.79  15 - Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major - 0.79 16 - Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New - 0.74  17 - Unexpected Grace - 0.69  18 - The Blessing Bracelet (DaySpring) - 0.66  19 - The More Love Grows - 0.63 20 - Mystery Island - 0.59 21 - Come Fly With Me - 0.58 22 - The Jane Mysteries: Inheritance Lost - 0.57  23 - Guiding Emily - 0.56 24 - Big Sky River: The Bridal Path - 0.52  25 - A Lifelong Love - 0.43 26 - Spring Breakthrough (Mahogany) - 0.38  27 - A Nashville Legacy (Mahogany) - 0.31

--- Season One --- Episode 1 - Mothers and Daughters - 1.44  Episode 2 - Scar Tissue - 1.54  Episode 3 - I Don’t Want to Moss a Thing - 1.39  Episode 4 - What’s My Age Again? - 1.56  Episode 5 - Don’t Dream It’s Over - 1.31  Episode 6 - Building a Mystery - 1.52  Episode 7 - The End of the World as We Know It - 1.57  Episode 8 - Lovefool - 1.43   Episode 9 - The Day the Music Died - 1.61  Episode 10 - Not All Who Wander Are Lost - 1.74

--- Season One --- Episode 1 - Legend of the Fall - 1.31  Episode 2 - Rodeo and Juliet - 1.04  Episode 3 - The McMurray Curse - 0.94  Episode 4 - Estella - 1.16  Episode 5 - When It Rains… - 0.94   Episode 6 - Your Cheatin’ Heart - 1.19  Episode 7 - Ride of Die - 0.90  Episode 8 - Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace - 1.04    Episode 9 - Truths Laid Bare - 0.84  Episode 10 - Andalusians - 1.02

--- Season Ten --- Episode 1 - Carpe Diem - 1.93  Episode 2 - Hope Springs Eternal - 1.72   Episode 3 - Oh, Baby - 1.69  Episode 4 - Great Expectations - 1.88   Episode 5 - Life is But a Dream - 1.95 Episode 6 - The Heart of the Problem - 1.81   Episode 7 - Best Laid Plans - 1.76  Episode 8 - What Is and What Never Should Be - 1.84 Episode 9 - Deep Water - 1.97  Episode 10 - All Dressed Up - 1.96  Episode 11 - Long Time Running - 1.98  Episode 12 - Starry Nights - 2.29