#now it depends on how Shannon writes it

[flibbetygibbetsbro]

None of ya'll are ready to admit the fact that 9.5 (IF DONE WELL) is the perfect way to finally put a greater focus on the problems of Elvin Government, matchmaking systems, etc. Like???? Can you imagine Keefe finding out that most juveniles cannot be tried and treated as adults in some countries and wondering how beneficial a system like that would have been for, like, YOU KNOW, Lihn?

[wikiangela]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

Words and Fics

192,761 words published to ao3

2 fandoms (911 and MCU - mcu was like one fic tho lol)

Most recent drop: I wanna spend my forever like that (911, 8.6k, G)

Longest fic: For a holiday (and forevermore) (911, 95k, M)

Top Fics by Kudos

For a holiday (and forevermore) (95k, M)

I can't love you any more (than I do now) (2.6k, G)

I'd marry you with paper rings (3.4k, G)

me, you, our kid and a dog (4.7k, G)

me and you only equals love (6.6k, E)

My fandom fic events in 2023

I don't think I took part in any this year :( maybe next year haha

Upcoming Events and Projects for 2024

well, right now I'm working on a few wips im hoping to get done in the next few weeks/months (depending on time and inspiration lol):

the alive shannon fic - this is my main focus and i hope to maybe finish it sometime next year but who knows hah (I barely started, it's gonna be a while)

buddie coffee shop au - ive been working on this for so long and it's lowkey on hold now but istg i'll finish this

buddie cheating fic

the natalia fic

married buddie smut

another smut I haven't mentioned yet but it's waiting until i finish married buddie smut

bi eddie fic

and probably some more oneshots lol

but tbh, we'll see where the next year takes me, I can't plan too much bc it never works out haha

rules & tags below the cut

tagged by @exhuastedpigeon @underwater-ninja-13 @hippolotamus @jesuisici33 @jamespearce9-1-1 @theotherbuckley @steadfastsaturnsrings @rainbow-nerdss <333

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

no pressure tagging: @malewifediaz @thewolvesof1998 @eddiebabygirldiaz @honestlydarkprincess @spotsandsocks @loserdiaz @lover-of-mine @disasterbuckdiaz @monsterrae1 @jeeyuns @housewifebuck @giddyupbuck @hoodie-buck @spagheddiediaz @daffi-990 and whoever else wants to <3

[cecebookworm]

I desperately need to give myself motivation to write so here Keepblr, this is the first chapter of probably the most intricate fan fic I’ll EVER write regardless of fandom. This fan fic really is a passion thing for me and you’ll figure that out quick.

Hope you guys enjoy it at least a little.

Four Of a Kind: Prologue

November 29, 2021. 5:37 PM. Universe 0.

Friendship is a funny thing when you're a teenager. One minute you can be sitting at a Chick-Fil-A table eating dinner like perfect little angels, the next you're about to beat your best friend's ass over a petty betrayal in a game. But hey, that’s just being a teenager. Isn’t it?

“Okay, okay,” Cecily muttered, still pacing in a small circle. She lifted her gaze once more to make eye contact with her group of friends all huddled around the Chick-fil-A table definitely not meant for eight people. She had to push her glasses back up as she turned away. With her phone pressed up to her left ear, she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

“What happens if he says no?” Elise whispers, snatching one more fry from Shannon’s tray.

“Then we sulk,” Brooklyn said, poking at the rest of her fries.

“Or we do it anyway,” Kemi interjected, taking a small sip from her water.

“Then we all get in trouble and don’t get s’mores,” Sulybel pointed out, looking up from her phone for a moment to smirk.

“Noooooo!” Cori hollered, her hands clutching the sides of her stylish, poofy mohawk.

“So what, we get picked up in like ten minutes and get driven there,” Shannon added, tapping away at her phone and swearing when she was dealt another plus four, “Damn it, Catherine!”

“BWAHAHA!” Catherine cackled.

“How long has this round gone on?” Brooklyn asked with a slight frown, peering down at her phone where no one had noticed she only had two cards left. Both being green.

Nearly everyone aside from Cori, and at that moment Cecily, were busy playing Crazy Eights on there phones with one another. Cori certainly would if she were able too, but with a different kind of phone than everyone else in the group there was no way for her too. Thankfully though she could still retain some sort of enjoyment by messing with whoever was fortunate, or unfortunate depending on how you looked at, enough to be seated next to her. In the round before, Cori had shamelessly sabotaged Sulybel by telling Kemi her last card was red. Giving Kemi enough time to deal Sulybel four extra cards and change the color to green.

“Alright, okay, bye—!” Cecily hung up as quickly as she could and walked back to the table, her shoulders tight as she admitted. “Okay, so my dad said we could walk to Barnes and Nobles, so long as we use the cross walk.”

“Yes yes yes!” Cori shouted with excitement, being hastily shushed by everyone else in the group.

Kemi rolled her eyes before turning to Cecily and saying, “Of course we were gonna use the crosswalk, we don’t have a death wish.”

Shannon snorted, “Death wish or not, the cross walk is like… right there.”

The group looked around before wordlessly agreeing to clean up their table. After having cleaned everything up the group walked out of the fast food place whispering about homophobia.

“It’s called destroying them from the inside out,” Cecily said with a slight smirk.

Their group didn’t really advertise themselves as being queer, but it wasn’t like it wasn’t at least a little obvious that there weren’t straight. At least for Cori, Cecily, and Elise. Cori and Cecily with there short hairstyles and slightly masculine clothing, and Elise with her artsy makeup and loud proclamations about how amazing any and all women alive were.

“Whatever you say,” Kemi snorted.

Stepping into the darkness of late autumn sent a shiver down each of their spines. It was colder now than ever, and unfortunately the only people in the group with a winter coat were Cori, Cecily, and Catherine. The rest merely pulled their sweatshirts tighter around them.

“See Cecily, we’re fine.” Kemi said, as they walked across the small parking lot.

There was a tiny, but absolutely terrifying, road that separated the smaller restaurants and stores from the main large shopping centers. The road tended to be sped down and in the darkness Cecily couldn’t help but worry that somebody wouldn’t see them.

Which was a silly thought because the street lights were bright. Besides, they were all responsible, respectable, perfectly reasonable—

“SULY WHAT THE HECK?!”

Sulybel felt the need in the moment to do a cartwheel near the edge of the parking lot. To make it even more nerve wracking it was right at the entrance between the smaller parking lot and the small road.

The group was hysterically laughing by that point. Their knees weak and their lips aching.

“Uh oh,” Elise said, glancing down at her phone and pressing her lips together.

Catherine peered down at the phone and cackled loudly, “Oh lord,”

“What?” Shannon asked, she looked down at the phone and burst out laughing. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god—“

Brooklyn looked around and said, “I’ll take a guess and say the cross walk is on the other side of the parking lot?”

“Yep!” Catherine practically screeched, nobody even bothered to hush her because the of course.

Cecily grimaced and looked at Shannon, “I thought you said it was right here?”

Shannon shrugged and said, “I thought it was. I mean, I haven’t used it but I still thought I saw it here driving by.”

The group stood on the grass in front of the road for a moment, no one having the courage to cross it until Sulybel ran across. The group burst into a fit of laughuter yet again, half out of hysterical worry and half out of genuine amusement.

A car honked.

The rest of the group hesitated.

The car honked again.

And the group finally decided maybe they should run too.

“Ya’ll do realize they were trying to tell us to cross, right?” Sulybel asked with a smirk.

The group was still buzzing as they strutted across the larger parking lot. Barnes and Noble was the farthest store to the right, and they were much closer to Target which was right in the center. They decided to calm down and make it to the sidewalk rather than go through the dim but mostly empty parking lot.

“What if, theoretically speaking, one of those cars was my parents?” Cecily asked. No one could tell if she was being sarcastic or serious, as sarcasm was second nature for everyone in the group.

The group was still heaving and giggling when they finally reached Barnes and Noble. Before they could even walk in they slumped against the walls to catch their breath.

“Okay, ground rules before we go in,” Kemi paused for a moment waiting for everyone to at least glance in her direction. She grinned and said, “We’re about to enter an environment that is more or less a paying library. Meaning, we all have to breathe for the next ten minutes so we’re not screaming.”

“O-oh, yeah,” Shannon was still giggling as she said it.

Another moment with nothing but the soft sounds of their own breath. The group managed to be wordless as they pushed the heavy doors open, Cori giggled again causing everyone else to hush her.

“Okay wait,” Cecily said before the group could go off on their own ways, “Everybody keep your phones out so I can text immediately that my parents are here.”

Everybody nodded and then split up.

Brooklyn, Elise, and Cori went to the manga section in the left corner. Kemi, Sulybel, and Shannon went to the YA section right in front of the manga section. Meanwhile, Cecily just wandered.

Nobody was looking for anything in particular, they were just looking to kill some time.

Cecily hadn’t intended to find herself back in the kids section, especially given that she had started high school a few months prior. But she couldn’t help but feel curious.

She glanced around at all the series that she had spent her middle school life fantasizing over. Most readers called home a place like Hogwarts or Camp Half-Blood, but her?

Her gaze settled on the brightly colored covers of a familiar series. Keeper Of The Lost Cities. Cecily stared at the glossy covers and without thinking reached for the first one. She flipped through pages without much thought, just listening to the sound of the pages and glimpsing some of the familiar character names.

She hadn’t noticed Cori coming up behind her.

“Looking back?” She asked wiggling her eyebrows

If Cori had been trying to scare her it didn’t work.

Cecily merely shrugged and put it back, “Just feeling a bit nostalgic, I guess.”

Kemi walked over as well and scrutinized the covers, pouting. “Still annoyed there’s no new book this year.”

“Missing Keefe?” Cecily taunted with a smirk.

“Missing Tam?” Kemi retored immediately.

Cecily shrugged, unable to bite back a smile, but it quickly faded as she frowned. She didn’t know why but suddenly her throat burned and her eyes were welling up. She shook her head and glanced up at the door to see both her parents coming, hastily texting on there group chat to gtfo to the middle of the imposing store.

“I’m assuming judging by the fact that they don’t look mad that they were not one of the cars,” Cori whispered to her.

Cecily giggled before saying, “Thank God.”

But she couldn’t help but steal one last glance back to the covers from her childhood. Unable to ignore the small tug she felt in the back of her heart.

♧⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞♧

Their group split up evenly into Cecily’s parents cars as soon as they left Barnes and Nobles. With Cecily, Catherine, Shannon, and Sulybel being placed in her dad’s car. And Kemi, Cori, Brooklyn, and Elise being put in her mom's car.

Meanwhile, all Cecily could really do was stare outside at the inky black, sky - well - relatively black sky. The shopping center and it’s surrounding businesses made sure that the nights were never truly dark here anymore. Cecily would always have the words her parents told her pinned in her brain about this place.

“When I was your age there wasn’t even a single store here. It was all farm land.”

And while many of Cecily’s friends would argue that like… over thirty years had passed and that was ages ago, she still recognized that in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t that long ago. It was strange to imagine that a place she had been coming to as long as she could remember hadn’t even existed a decade or two before she was born.

“So what movie are we watching when we get back?” Catherine asked curiously, her face lit up by her phone.

“Something from the MCU? I dunno.” Shannon said, gritting her teeth and resiting the urge smack Catherine beside her.

Suly looked up from her phone to nudge Catherine, “I think Spiderverse was just added back to Netflix.”

Catherine shrugged, “Will we still have time to make smores then?”

“Making smores doesn’t take that long,” Shannon argued.

Cecily smirked from up at the front seat, “Maybe smores don’t take long, but how long are we going to sit there and listen to Kemi’s gossip?”

The roads were clear, and while part of the road went through the hills they inevitably had to pause for a family of deer to cross, but for the most part, the drive went in a peaceful haze. When they did finally reach home, Cecily could make out the blazing glow of the fire pit in her backyard and the other half of their group already sitting around it.

“Damn,” Catherine muttered, “I was really hoping we would make it back before them.”

Cori grinned and whooped, holding up the metal rod the marshmallow on the top. Brooklyn was shivering and leaning closer to the fire. Elise was rambling about something on her phone (most likely related to her current obsession with all things Robin Buckle and Nancy Wheeler). Meanwhile, Kemi was eating a plain chocolate bar because unlike the others she’d never been a fan of marshmallows.

The rest of the group had to get lawn chairs to sit on because the wood benches set around it were full and usually only ever managed to fit two people.

Once everyone was settled with there marshmallows over the flames, Sulybel said, “Okay, so, we were thinking we watch Into The Spiderverse.” She glanced around the fire and said, “Raise your hand if that’s what you think we should put on later?”

Everyone raised there hand, and with no opposition the choice was made.

So their group finished up and headed up the stairs to the deck, opening the doors to the dining room. Cecily’s dog barked from the lower level and Catherine and Sulybel quickly jogged down the stairs to the first level to pat it.

From there the group went up two flights of stairs, one to the room that contained all of the bedrooms, and a smaller flight of stairs to take them to the decently sized attic. The attic had old yellow carpet, two small blue couches pressed together to make one medium couch, and new but simple coffee table with books beneath it. On the right side of the room when they walked in was an overstuffed bookcase, and a light stuffed with more books in the compartments. To the left were two gaming chairs, with stacks of books hidden behind it.

“Please tell me not all of those are yours,” Kemi commented with a slight grin.

Cecily stiffened and sighed, “Look, I can’t read Ebooks. They give me a headache.”

Kemi hummed and slumped onto the left couch, along with everyone else. Sulybel and Elise grabbed the two gaming chairs and sat on them. There was a mellow thump as Elise’s gaming chair hit a small but thick paperback book resting atop one of the couches, slipping it behind the couch.

Kemi reached for it as Cecily stood up swiftly and opened her mouth to speak. Kemi stared at the bright red cover for a moment before smirking, “Rereading KOLTC, or something?”

Cecily shrugged and took the book back, sliding it back into the lowest shelf of the bookcase. There were nine other books there, three of them being well-worn hardcovers, the rest being bent but slightly new paperbacks.

“A KOLTC shrine,” Cori whispered melodramatically.

Cecily slapped her shoulder, scowling.

“Seriously though,” Brooklyn interjected. “I feel like I haven’t even touched them in forever.”

“Me either,” Cecily admitted.

“I just reread all the SoKeefe moments,” Kemi said.

Cori grinned and added, “I remember… well, nothing. EXCEPT for this really funny meme involving fire and cookies and--”

Sulybel looked over at all of the books and interrupted with a, “Oh hey, my little sister read those.”

That only made Cecily’s heart jump. She could feel every bit of embarrassment crawling acorss her skin and screaming at her to never touch the books again and leave the past in past in the past. You’ll be fifteen in like five months, her brain scolded. Never touch those again, never think about them again, don’t even think about all of the fan fics circulating around your stupid brain right now.

But she couldn’t.

As cheesy as it was, those books had gotten her through a lot. And sometimes rereading them felt like stepping back home.

Elise stood up and giggled, “Oh oh oh! Didn’t I make you a picture of it for your twelfth birthday?”

Cecily grinned and said, “Yeah,, that was when I was a hardcore SoFitz shipper.”

Shannon laughed, “Didn’t you switch to shipping SoKeefe just a few months later?”

Cecily face flushed, “To be fair, not my fault the eighth book totally changed my perspective.”

Kemi shook her head, “I’ve been a SoKeefe shipper since day one.”

Cecily rolled her eyes, “And I got you into the series in the first place.”

Didn’t you try to write a fanfic for this back in seventh grade?” Catherine asked with a giggle and a smirk.

“OH YEAH!” Cori exclaimed, “It was like… we were sucked into. But like… ritual style.”

Cecily rolled her eyes, “I was twelve, quarantine was coming up… WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!”

The group giggled and argued for a few seconds, until there was another (albeit louder) thump. The group all quieted down and glanced back at the bookshelf. The book had fallen again, this time all on its own.

“Your bookshelf sucks, Cec,” Cori said.

Cecily rolled her eyes and went to reach for the book, but reaching for it felt like being tugged by a powerful magnet. She tried to pull her hand back to no avail.

“Um, guys--!” She started.

The group only noticed when the book flung open and the pages glowed brighter than the sun. Cecily used her other hand to reach for Cori, who didn’t hesitate to grab Cecily’s wrist because being Isakaieded into a fantasy world? Um hello? Yes. Although Cori herself was not anticipating the strong pull of the magic. Cori reflexively reached for Brooklyn who was yanked forward and grabbed Kemi.

Then the four vanished with nothing but a flash of colorful light and the sound of a snap of a rubber band.

♧⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞♧

♧⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞♧

Anyway, I guess this is kind of like a preview so give me some feedback guys. Again, this is a passion fan fic for me that I’ve been wanting to write for years and just need the drive too. Hope you guys enjoyed the preview.

[batbeato]

When seeing George written, would you prefer either for someone to drop his age to twenty (which is still a decent age gap between them, but somewhat less concerning) or put more emphasis on the canon age gap between them when writing?

Because for the longest time, I actually thought he had just turned twenty in 1986, rather than twenty-three. Because I read his character sort of like - I’ve just graduated high school (possibly started uni?), and have a job at Dad’s company. I’m an adult, now, and should act like it - except he’s projecting his idea of what an adult (what his mother and father taught him of adulthood) - in Legend.

He would have graduated high school back in 1984, having turned eighteen the month of graduation (march). He’d still legally be considered a minor, although taking steps into higher education or a position at Hideyoshi’s company, and yet still young - still pretty close in age to his cousins.

(Still, in a story where George is younger, his relationship with Shannon remains a bit iffy, because even then she’d be a fourteen/fifteen to his eighteen/nineteen in ‘85 depending on the month.

If they began dating in ‘84 - a bad year all around for Sayo by November - she’d be thirteen/fourteen which was the bare minimum of consent in Japan up until the current decade, and George would be seventeen/eighteen. Though he would still be in high school so maybe going on a date wouldn’t even be feasible for him to pull off? Case of both Exams & Eva).

Hmm... Maybe if you age Shannon up a year or two and put George at 20, like you mentioned, it works? Then the gap is a little better. George can't be 19 in 1986 since that's the Special Significant Umineko Age, but aging Shannon up by one or two years is pretty arbitrary since 17/18 is still not her true age or 19. A 2-3 year gap isn't the worst, and then it's actually only a 1 year gap, even if George doesn't know this.

Their relationship has always read to me like George is a young adult still trying to step out from the status of 'child', which definitely fits better with 20 as his age (especially since in 1986 Japan, 20 was the age of adulthood), while Shannon is just a bit younger than him - also not a child, but she hasn't started really going out and living as an adult the way he has. His power over her is unrelated to their ages and far more tied to the master-servant dynamic, classism, and patriarchy. It doesn't read as predatory/grooming, more like he just sort of sucks at properly respecting her as a person and not making patronizing assumptions because she's a young woman. And he also doesn't seem to truly realize how much privilege he has over her as a wealthy young man.

If someone really wants to write about the canon age gap and how that really should have more implications than it canonically does, well. I haven't actually seen anyone who cares about George/Shannon enough, and sees them that way, to write that. Most people I know who ship/write them don't really focus on the gap - it's primarily people who really hate the ship (and thus wouldn't be likely to write for it) or who mainly do analysis work, not creative work. So I'm not sure we'll ever really see a serious deepdive into fucked up toxic age gap GeorgeShannon, just because of the current demographics of people who hold that interpretation.

[penumbraal]

❝ i don’t care if i’m right or wrong. i only believe in my conscience. i will follow my conscience and save people. if you disagree with that, then . . . let’s agree to curse each other. ❞

penumbraal: an independent and selective roleplay blog for MEGUMI FUSHIGURO from jujutsu kaisen. manga and anime - based. headcanon - enthusiast. mun is 28, they/them. 21+ only.

navigation: carrd | wikia | prompts | pinterest | spotify

( rules on carrd and under the cut ! )

01. about me: my name is shannon! i'm 28 and live in eastern time. i've been in various tumblr rp scenes for roughly 13-14 years now, which you probably can't tell based on my choppy photo editing work lol, but i've been inactive for a while due to life. i work a fairly mentally draining full time job so to be safe i'll say for now that i'll be relatively low activity.

02. about writing: i will only write with mutuals, including askbox starter prompts; however, non-starter ask prompts are welcome from non-mutuals! additionally, i am happy to interact with multimuse blogs, duplicates, and original characters.

i'm okay with writing a variety of lengths - multi-para, single-para, one-liners, etc; i might prioritize shorter form replies at times due to how exhausted i constantly am, and might also accidentally turn a short-form into multiple paragraphs! never be stressed about matching me. i can pretty much work with anything!

03. about content and triggers: i will not be writing any explicit nsfw content, even with an "aged-up" megumi. due to the nature of jjk and the fact that i have au's that involve megumi as an adult, there will be some mature themes concerning violence, mental health, etc. as i write a megumi who is gay and trans, there may or may not be an exploration of identity and dysphoria. it depends on if it seems pertinent to what i'm writing in the moment, and i will definitely tag anything that gets too intense, but if i underestimate anything please tell me and i will tag it for you regardless.

i will not be writing anything that involves adult/minor relationships, incest, underage sexual content, etc. and for my own comfort will not be following/may block anyone who does. i try to avoid call-outs and drama as i don't have the energy left from my outside life, but i try to curate my dashboard accordingly.

i'd like as many people as possible to feel comfortable on my blog; as such i'll do my best to tag general triggers that i'm aware of. please do not at all hesitate to ask me to tag something i'm not tagging! additionally, to be clear, i don't tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, and zionism in this space.

a few things that make me uncomfortable that i'd prefer tagged if possible: emetophobia, gore, body horror, arachnophobia. images only for me, i don't personally need these tagged if it's only in writing. thank you in advance!

04. about shipping and identity: as i mentioned, i write megumi as a gay trans guy. i tend to ship chemistry but i also ship itafushi and it will likely be the ship i'm most interested in writing. of course i absolutely won't force that on anyone writing yuji and am more than happy to just explore their friendship!

at the moment i don't imagine i will practice exclusivity with a specific character. i'm sure there will be some portrayals of characters that megumi and i vibe with more than others and i won't completely discount the idea, especially if i'm approached about it; but i like interacting with different portrayals and so for now i'm very open to writing with duplicates!

i will reiterate that i will not be shipping megumi with canonically adult jjk characters regardless of whether or not i am writing a verse where megumi is also an adult.

05. about plotting: i love that stuff! slide into my dms! ask for my discord! or we can wing it! i'm not picky. i'll like a starter call, i'll post a starter call, i'll post some silly little open one-liner, i just love interacting with people! as long as we're mutuals, go wild!

06. final thoughts: i always make a point to read rules before following. because of work, i'm not always on my computer to look at tumblr, so it may take some extra time before i follow back. that all being said, i have a bad memory and so while i'm striving not to do this, if there's anything i've done as a misstep in interacting with you, please tell me! i want you to feel comfortable and stress-free interacting with me, and have fun roleplaying!

thanks for reading! <3

credit for icons: iconsbytina.

[dlea203]

5 years - Hannix AU

A/N: I already explained here how I'm planning to proceed with this chapter. In case anyone is interested... I listened excessively (and by excessively, I mean very excessively😅!) to Rhythm of my heart by Rod Stewart and Nur 1 Minute by Hecht (song in swiss german from one of the best swiss bands there is😍!) for the whole chapter but especially during writing the flashback scene. Since I suspect that I'm the only swiss german speaking here, I tried myself at translating and adapting it here😬😅. I DO NOT have any rights at the song and I'm not claiming to! The song belongs entirely to Hecht and their production company! I hope you enjoy🥰!

Taglist: @sweetwhispersofchaos

Warnings: almost drowning (losely based on a personal experience), angst, lots of fluff💗

Previous chapter / Next chapter

Chapter Five

The first hour at the beach passed by quickly. The Fitches called and apologized for being late, but apparently Shannon’s sister had spontaneously decided to visit San Diego and therefor they went out to meet her for lunch. They would join later though.           Natasha and Penny chatted the whole time, laughing at their husbands and daughters who kept chasing each other in the water and on land. Penny told her about the sailing trip she had taken with Maverick and Amelia and Natasha reported what had happened at dinner yesterday.

“I bet it was pure chaos”, Penny chuckled.

“Oh yeah, that it was”, Natasha answered and turned her gaze to the water, just in time to catch Jake dunking their former instructor under water.

Lynn and Amelia squealed in delight, jumping out of reach to evade the same destiny as Maverick. Jake chased them down, but Amelia was a fast swimmer and managed to get to the beach before he could reach her. Lynn wasn’t as lucky. He caught her ankle and yanked her back, holding her upside down just above the water.

“What are you gonna do now, princess, huh?”, he asked, smirking devilishly.

“Let me down, daddy!”, Lynn yelled, giggling and fighting against his hold on her, but she had no chance. 

“You sure you want me to let you down? You’re gonna get dunked”, he warned playfully, slowly lowering her.

“No! Stop!”, Lynn gasped, punching her little fists into the water.

“Hold your breath”, Jake instructed and dunked her, headfirst, under water.

Once she was under water, he let go of her ankle. In attempt to quickly resurface, Lynn kicked wildly, causing the water to churn and bury her beneath it. Wherever she looked, there was water, which burned in her eyes. The waves, even though they were small and gentle, added to keeping her underwater. She couldn’t reach the surface, no matter how hard she tried. Why did no one help her? Couldn’t they see that she was unable to help herself? Lynn started to panic. She cried out as loud as she could, swallowing a ton of water in the process. Her lungs protested heavily, turning her whole body into a shaking mess. A primal fear settled deep in her bones, fueled by her natural will to survive. Where was her dad? Would he let her die? Was he looking for her and couldn’t find her? Or couldn’t he reach her?         For Lynn it felt like an eternity when it was really “only” a few seconds until Jake managed to grab her around her hips and pull her to the surface. Lynn coughed and gasped for air; her cheeks tinted in a deep pink color. Jake’s playful mood was instantly gone, worry overtaking his features.

“Hey Princess, you okay?”

Lynn was still gasping and holding onto him as if her life depended on it. Her small fingers dug into his arm and her eyes were wide with shock. Jake brushed her wet blonde locks out of her face, holding her close to his chest. Ensuring that she was safe.

“Lynn are you okay?!”, he asked a bit louder, his voice full of worry and a tiny bit of fear.

He was still new at this parenting thing, but he could see that she was still fighting for breath. That she wasn’t alright yet. His heartrate picked up speed, making his heart pound against his ribcage. Has she been underwater for too long? Would she lose consciousness any moment? Has she been seriously injured?

Lynn nodded slowly, taking deep breaths, and rubbing the salty water out of her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine”, she finally answered, but her voice trembled slightly.

“You sure?”

Jake didn’t fully believe her. And he didn’t like the look in her eyes; not at all. She was still scared. His little girl was scared, and it was his fault. 

But Lynn nodded again and loosened the tight grip of her fingers a bit.

“I’m okay, daddy.”

Jake hugged her tight, burying her face in his neck, and soothingly stroking her back.

“I’m sorry, princess. I shouldn’t have dunked you like that. I didn’t want you to get hurt or scared. I’m so sorry”, he rambled, his heart still beating out of his chest.

“It’s fine daddy. I’m fine”, Lynn assured him, pulling back to look at him.

She smiled brightly, the rosy color already disappearing from her cheeks. She gently cupped his cheek.

“You didn’t hurt me, daddy. I’m okay. Just a little shaky”, she admitted, already giggling again.

Jake smiled back at her, but his expression was pained.

“I think we should take a little break. Yeah?”

Lynn nodded. Jake carried her back to the shore where he put her down to let her run off. He trailed behind and took some deep steadying breaths, attempting to calm his racing heart. That had almost gone wrong. He’d almost lost his daughter, one day after returning home. He watched her run straight at Natasha, flinging herself into her mother’s arms. 

Nat almost lost her because of me, he thought.

That thought did nothing to calm his heartbeat. And it caused a string of questions to form in his head. Which was unusual for him since he rarely ever questioned himself. A no-go at his job. But right now, these dangerous questions clouded his mind as he stood a few feet in front of the picnic blanket, staring blankly into nowhere.           Was he made for this? He hadn’t even been around his daughter for twenty-four hours and already came way too close to killing her. Would he ever be a good father? He’d already missed the first five years of her life and barely managed to keep her alive. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do should she feel sick or unwell. He didn’t know what she liked or hated. He didn’t know what kind of music she liked to listen to or what audiobooks she enjoyed. Who her friends were. At what place she enjoyed spending time. His heart sank.

He knew nothing about his daughter.

A good father knows his children. Every façade of their personality. He would hold them on their bad days, helping them through their struggles and pull all the tricks he knew to cheer them up. He would be there when they experience big achievements to cheer on them, his heart exploding from love and pride. He is their biggest fan, come hell or high water. He loves them with every fiber of his being. 

Jake sighed. He is Lynn’s biggest fan, that fact is undiscussable. He loves her more than life itself, also undiscussable. But he doesn’t know anything about his daughter. And only love is not nearly enough to make me a good father, he thought.

His face must have reflected the content of his inner monologue since he earned a concerned look from his wife when he walked up to them.

“All good?”, she asked while braiding Lynn’s hair.

Penny eyed him curiously while reaching into her bag to retrieve a bottle of water for Lynn. Jake swallowed hard and reached for his shirt first, yanking it on before grabbing his flip-flops.

“I – ehm… I’m gonna take a walk. Be right back”, he stuttered and marched off without waiting for an answer.

“Daddy? Where are you going?”, he heard Lynn call after him.

He didn’t stop, instead increasing his pace. He needed to get away or else his daughter would see him crying. He couldn’t let her see how much that incident in the water had shaken him up.

“Jake?”, he heard Natasha’s concerned voice from afar.

Still, he kept walking away from them.

*-*

“What just happened?”, Natasha asked, utterly confused, and mildly concerned.

“I don’t know”, Penny answered, watching Jake march down the shore with furrowed brows.

“Daddy!”, Lynn cried and attempted to run after him, but Natasha held her back.

“No baby, stay here. Stay with Penny, I’m gonna go look after Daddy”, she ordered and sat her daughter down next to Penny.

“Where is Jake going?”, Maverick asked, as Amelia and he returned from the water.

“I’m gonna look after him. Keep an eye on Lynn, please”, Natasha asked while putting her sundress back on and throwing her sunglasses onto her bag. 

After quickly stepping into her flip-flops, she jogged after her husband.

Lynn, the clever child she was, wanted to use the momentum to run after her parents, but Penny caught on quickly and grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her back onto the blanket.

“No, no, no young lady. You stay here”, she chuckled and put her arms around Lynn, hugging her tightly to her chest.

“But Mommy and Daddy–“

“Your parents are fine. Don’t worry, sweetheart.”

Lynn fought against Penny’s hold for all but one minute before giving up and engaging in a conversation with Amelia. Maverick and Penny exchanged a worried glance, silently communicating with their eyes. But soon enough, the girls dragged them right into their conversation.

*-*

He’d just gained back at least some control over his feelings when he heard her calling him again.

“Jake, wait!”

“I’m fine”, he shot back without turning around.

“No, you’re not. Don’t try to fool me”, she retorted and grabbed his arm.

“Let it go, Nat. It’s nothing.”

He yanked his arm out of her hold, trying hard not to let her see the tears glistening in his eyes. But he’d forgotten how stubborn his wife could be. She ran ahead of him and stopped him by putting her hands on his chest, clearly annoyed because of his behavior. But her next snappy retort died on her tongue the moment she saw his face.

“What’s wrong?”, she asked instead, her voice laced with worry.

“Nothing”, he tried to deflect again, but she saw right through it.

“Please Jake, talk to me. What’s wrong? Is it too much, being here with Maverick, Penny and Amelia? Did I do something? Or Lynn?”

“What? No!”

“What is it then?”

He averted his gaze, looking at the waves lapping at the shore. Anywhere but at her. He couldn’t tell her, or rather, he didn’t want to. He was afraid of her reaction, fearing she would slap him across his face for nearly taking away their daughter from her and tell him to stay the hell away from them. He couldn’t bear to lose them a second time. His heartbeat fastened underneath his rips and his breathing picked up speed too. Fear crept up his neck and sent his thoughts spinning inside his head. He shut his eyes tightly, curling his hands into fists at the side of his body. Was he having a panic attack? He didn’t know because he couldn’t think straight. He felt like he had a ton of weight on his shoulders, that was slowly crushing him. He knew he should tell her, but he couldn’t. His throat was tight and dry, making it impossible to speak.

Natasha watched his features change and knew that he was fighting something. A memory maybe? A flashback to his time over there? She didn’t know and she didn’t want to ask, fearing she would scare him away and make everything worse. So, she took his hand, squeezing it gently before bringing it up to her lips to kiss his knuckles. Grounding him; or at least an attempt to. Like in their early days as a couple, it worked wonders.

“She almost drowned.”

His voice was no more than a whisper. Hadn’t she been hyper focused on finding out what was wrong, she would have easily missed it.

“Lynn?”, she asked nonetheless, just to clarify.

He nodded barely visible.

“She’s okay”, Natasha answered simply, mostly to buy herself some time to sort out her thoughts.

Her heart did a somersault at his confession, nonetheless she stayed calm. Lynn was fine, hadn’t said a word when she came back to the picnic blanket. She had looked fine too, maybe a bit out of breath but no serious injuries. Nothing to worry about.

“No – it’s…”, he began, running his free hand through his hair, “I’m not even twenty-four hours around her and she almost dies! I can’t… I–“ 

“Jake, she is fine. Nothing happened because you were there. Everything is fine.”

“No, nothing is fine, Nat! I almost killed her! My own daughter!”

“Stop, please–“

“I’m supposed to protect her, not put her in danger! She’s supposed to feel safe with me! How is that possible if she almost dies on my watch?!”

“Hey, look at me”, she interrupted, cradling his cheek in her palm and turning his face to her.

He looked devastated, self-conscious and so much not like himself that it broke her heart.

“She’s fine. Lynn is fine. Nothing happened, okay?”

“I’m not made for this… I should… I’ll never be a good father. I missed out on too much and I have no idea what I’m doing. That’s a horrible environment for a child to grow up in. I can’t do this.”

Natasha shook her head, gently wiping away some of the tears that had escaped his eyes.

“All you’re saying is nonsense and you know that. You are a good father”, she insisted, searching his eyes.

He looked at her, cautiously putting his hands on her waist. He needed to hold onto something to ground himself. And as she had been for many years, she was his anchor. He surrendered himself to this feeling of comfort that he’d been missing for the past five years. She had never failed to make him feel at ease when he needed it the most. 

“Most importantly, she is safe with you. I know that and she knows it too. She trusts you blindly, Jake. Like I do.”

Her words helped settle his heartbeat. How she did it was a mystery to him and would most likely remain that. However, against his inner urge to be in control, he let her lead him. Away from his doubts and fears, back to himself.

“And she knows how much you love her, I made sure of that.”

Natasha smiled at him, still framing his face with her hands.

“I told her, from day one, how much her Daddy loves her. How badly he wanted to be her Daddy. How he wanted to wrap her up in his strong arms and never let go. How much he cried when she came into this world.”

They shared a laugh at the memory. Natasha was glad to see some of the tension leave his shoulders.

“She knows, Jake. She’s always known, and she promised me to never forget it. Besides…”

He raised his brows when she remained silent for a couple of seconds.

“Do you seriously think I knew what I was doing when we had her? And what exactly makes you think that I know what I’m doing now?”

He chuckled, pressing his forehead against hers.

“I’m still figuring out this parenting thing. And as I heard from our friends, that never stops. But I’m so glad that now I don’t have to do it alone after all”, she admitted, smiling widely and brushing her thumb over his cheek.

Jake pulled her into a tight hug, trying to express his gratitude and love on that way. His throat was still way too dry to speak. She buried her face in his neck, reveling in the feeling of home. Because that was what his arms felt like. Home.

*-*

They still took that walk Jake intended to. To calm themselves in the first place, but also to enjoy some time alone. The opportunities would be rare in the next few days, so they savored every chance they got to just be together again. Although that conversation from last night in the kitchen was still hanging in the air, they didn’t mind. Now wasn’t the time to talk about that. Jake promised to tell her when he was ready, and Natasha believed him. 

Strolling down the beach, hand in hand, they basked in the comfortable silence for a few moments before Jake spoke up.

“I remember why we fought so hard to stay here”, he remarked, staring at the horizon where the water seemed to sparkle, “The view’s still as beautiful.”

Natasha chuckled, tightening her grip on his hand just a little more.

“Long time ago”, she stated absentmindedly.

“Feels like forever and yesterday at the same time”, he agreed and stopped suddenly, positioning her in front of him.

His arms wrapped themselves around her waist from behind and his head settled on her right shoulder. She held onto his arms, leaning back into his chest and closed her eyes when he dropped a kiss on her cheek. They enjoyed their moment quietly, letting their eyes wander over the sea.

“Since then, we got married and became parents… Can you believe it?”, she asked, chuckling softly.

“Crazy… We were so young back then.”

“Well, I don’t know if one considers 29 young–“, she countered and yelped when he started tickling her sides.

“Are you calling us old, Misses Seresin?”

“Who said anything about me?”, she quipped and squealed when he turned her around and threw her over his shoulder.

“Let me down!”

“I’m gonna carry you like this for the rest of the day”, he threatened playfully and started walking back to their friends.

“No, Jake! Let me down!”

“Not a chance!”

“I’m serious! Let me down, right now!”

She pounded his back, not too hard, but with enough force to get her point across. Suddenly, she lost her balance and almost fell forward too far, so she instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt for support. 

“Jake!”, she gasped.

He laughed devilishly and adjusted his grip on her hips and legs, pulling her further up. She forgot to let go of his shirt and pulled it up his back a bit. When she realized that, she froze. There were scars on his back, varying in length and healing status.    She saw them for the first time. Last night, during their passionate hours in bed, she hadn’t seen them because of the darkness. She hadn’t even felt them while roaming his back because she hadn’t been particularly focused or able to form coherent thoughts. But they were there. She resisted the urge to trace them with her fingers, not wanting to reveal to him that she’d found them. There must be a reason he hadn’t shown her yet or told her about them. Although she was more than willing to find out why he got them, she didn’t want to pressure him too much. He’d tell her, once he was ready.

Luckily, Jake didn’t seem to notice that she’d frozen above him or that she’d pulled up his shirt. Slowly, she let it fall down, covering his scars again.

“Maybe if you ask nicely”, he answered instead.

She could hear the smirk in his voice and rolled her eyes, nonetheless unable to fight the smile that crept on her lips. Truth be told, she was relieved, even if the scars worried her. He was back to himself, to the man she had fallen for and vowed to spend the rest of her life with.

“Please”, she conceded swallowing down her pride.

Slowly, he lowered her back down into the sand, before pulling her in for a kiss. She gasped against his lips before kissing him back, her hands gently weaving through his hair.

“I love you”, he whispered when they pulled apart for air.

“I love you”, she replied just as softly.

They kissed again, then intertwined their fingers and headed back to their friends.

*-*

“Everything alright?”, Penny checked, when they took a seat moments later.

Jake nodded and put on his sunglasses, before lying down with his hands behind his head. Natasha chose to keep her sundress on this time, stretched her legs out and copied his position, reaching for her sunglasses and pushing them onto her nose.

They barely had a minute before Lynn all but flung herself down on Jake’s chest and yelled at him to join her and Amelia for building a sandcastle.

Natasha expected him to ask for a minute of rest, but Jake nodded his head and let her drag him with her. Natasha shook her head, smiling.         

And he worried he wouldn’t be a good father, she thought.

Their daughter was spoiled rotten with the amount of attention she got from him. Natasha wondered whether it would be a problem when Monday rolled around, since Lynn had to attend kindergarten then and would definitely not be getting that much attention there.

“Penny for your thoughts?”, a voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

She glanced over, looking directly into the curious eyes of Maverick. Penny had left them on their own to take part in the sandcastle building process.

“Oh, umm… yeah, I was just thinking about what Jake and I talked about before”, she answered cautiously, trying to buy herself some time.

“Is he okay?”

Maverick nodded down into the direction of Jake, observing the scene.

“Yeah–“

“I mean, is he really okay?”

“What?”

She looked at Maverick, confused. Maverick sighed, lightly shaking his head.

“He’s doing a good job at playing it cool, but - after everything he's been through, I don't know… it's impossible to just put it away. I wonder if the long-term effects have already started or if he still has enough strength to suppress everything...”

She kept her gaze on Maverick, her heartrate picking up speed.

“Do you know what happened to him over there?”, she breathed out.

She was desperate to know, and she was willing to use every chance she got to gather some information. Maverick pressed his lips into a tight line.

“Has he told you anything yet?”

“No. He keeps brushing it off as a long story and that he doesn’t want to talk about it. And I respect that, but… I need to know. I want to help him, but I can’t do that, when I have no idea about what he went through. So, do you know something?”

“He should be the one telling you”, Maverick deflected, studying Jake from afar.

“Please”, Natasha pleaded, gently touching Maverick’s arm to get his attention.

“I… I can’t, Phoenix.”

“Please!”

She rarely begged like this, but Jake’s well-being was very close to her heart.

“No. I can’t betray his trust. He… He begged me not to tell anyone and I won’t break that promise. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.”

Maverick smiled sadly at her, apologizing with his eyes. Natasha sighed in defeat. Then, a thought occurred to her. Questions that had been sitting in the back of her mind since this morning in the kitchen.

“How did you know he was alive? How are you involved in this?”

Maverick’s eyes widened and he clenched his jaw, remaining silent. Natasha looked him dead in the eyes, waiting, but her patience was fading fast.

“Phoenix–“

“No! With all due respect, sir, I have enough of everyone keeping me completely in the dark! So, answer my question.”

Maverick sighed, hiding his face in his hands for a moment. She was about to demand again when he exhaled loudly, hugging his knees, looking at the horizon.

“Fine”, he conceded, “it started with–“

“Phoenix!”, Payback called out, Shannon and the kids walking up behind him.

Natasha almost cursed her friend’s timing out loud, took a deep breath instead and swallowed down her frustration, before flashing her friends a smile and getting up to hug Shannon. Her expression changed immediately though when only Payback was in her eyesight. Upon seeing her face, Payback pursed his lips and raised his brows.

“Did we interrupt something?”

“It’s fine”, Natasha brushed off, trying her best to mask her disappointment, before bending down to press a loud kiss on the cheek of her goddaughter, Hailey.

“Hi sweetie”, she cooed and wrapped the girl up in her arms.

Hailey hugged her tight, a huge smile on her face. They had a special bond, practically from the day Hailey had been born. When Payback and Shannon had asked her to be Hailey’s godmother, Natasha had burst into tears; a rare thing to happen, at least before Jake’s accident. But becoming the godmother of the first-born dagger squad baby was such an honor, that even Natasha had teared up about. Hailey was an absolute sunshine and, much to Natasha’s delight, Lynn’s chosen role model.

“How are you?”, Natasha asked, putting Hailey down into the sand and brushing a hand through her curls.

“I’m very happy”, the ten-year-old answered, “because I got a good grade in mathematics last week!”

“Oh yeah? What did you get?”

“An A plus!”

Natasha high-fived her goddaughter with a proud smile on her face. Hailey was a genius in math, acing almost every exam at only ten years of age.

“She definitely inherited that from Reuben. I was terrible in math”, Shannon grinned, taking Hailey’s flip-flops and stashing them away.

“Hi auntie Phoenix”, Sam waved, before running straight over to Amelia, Penny, Jake and Lynn.

Natasha didn’t even have enough time to answer him before he was already out of earshot. Delilah fought against the death grip her father had on her arm to avoid the sunscreen he wanted to put on her face.

“Come on, Delilah. It’s for your own good. Believe me, you don’t want to get a sunburn”, Payback tried for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Here, let me help you”, Shannon laughed and crouched down onto the picnic blanket she’d laid out.

Hailey put on sunscreen by herself and only checked with Natasha to see if she had missed a spot, before running over to join the sandcastle building crew. Shannon and Reuben busied themselves with Delilah while Ally glanced longingly down the shore to the others. But she stayed right where she was, knowing that she wasn’t allowed to go near the water without her swim west on. Luckily, Natasha knew that and helped her put it on.

“There you go, now you can join them”, she smiled and cupped Ally’s cheek gently.

Ally smiled widely at her before taking off. Only a few instances later, Delilah was up and ready to join her twin sister, her laughter delighting the grown-ups who stayed in the shadow.

Natasha wished she could ask Maverick to take a walk with her to resume their conversation, but that was inappropriate. So, she sat down next to Shannon and started chatting with her to distract herself from what she’d learned today. But no matter how hard she tried to fight it, occasionally, her gaze would land on Jake and her mind asked all these unanswered questions again.

*-*

Thanksgiving, one year ago…

A gentle breeze blew across the patio, displacing the daytime heat that was still building up here in Texas, even in late November. Natasha stretched her nose into the air and inhaled the familiar scent of fresh hay and the rose bushes which were planted in front of the patio. It was a wonderful end to today, especially considering the date. Thanksgiving was, unsurprisingly so, her least favorite holiday of the year and had been causing downright discomfort for four years. She was certain she would never fully get back to liking the holiday, but under these circumstances, she would at least come to tolerate the celebration.

For the first time since Jake had died, Natasha and Lynn spent Thanksgiving in Texas with Nancy and Jeff Seresin. Although Jake had never been super close with his parents, they’d always had a friendly relationship, especially since Natasha and later Lynn had joined the family. Jake’s parents loved their granddaughter dearly and had been a part of her life since her birth. And they loved Natasha. Usually, mother and daughter-in-law are not expected to have a great relationship, and Jake was worried at the beginning that due to his own dispute with his parents, they would give Natasha an even harder time. But those worries were unnecessary. From the first meeting on, Jeff and Nancy had been very friendly and even kind to Natasha, welcoming her into the family with warm smiles.

*-*

“She’s a good soul and she makes you happy”, Nancy had said to her son when Natasha was out of earshot.

“Yeah, she does.”

“I think I’ve never seen you happier”, she smiled and patted his arm lovingly.

Jake smiled back. It was one of the nicest honest conversations he’d had with his mother since his sister’s death. Although the wounds of that story were still deep and caused a great distance between him and his parents, he felt that they were taking steps towards each other again. Whether that had something to do with a certain dark-haired woman who was currently being toured over the ranch by his father, he wasn’t 100% sure. But the odds were pretty good.

“I hope it works out with her.”

Jake took his mother’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“I really hope so too.”

He’d left his hometown with a black velvet box containing a very special ring, which he gave to Natasha not long after that first visit to Texas. The rest is history…

*-*

“She understands where he is”, Natasha stated absentmindedly.

She sat at the big wooden table, her arms crossed over her chest and her legs stretched out. Nancy sat next to her, with her hands folded in her lap and her legs crossed. The used dishes from dinner were still on the table, along with a half-empty wine bottle. 

They currently watched Jeff hold the rope of Lynn's horse, Sissi, and laugh with his granddaughter who was sitting on the wooden fence, patting the horse. With his other arm, he braced Lynn’s back to keep her from falling off the fence.

“She does?”, Nancy asked, not tearing her eyes away from the scene on the lawn of the ranch.

“On her first day of kindergarten back in September, the parents were allowed to stay for the first hour. Most children had both parents with them, even if they were already divorced or separated. Except Lynn, obviously. When it was time for me to leave for work, I wanted to say goodbye. Lynn was playing with that girl she had become friends with during the first five minutes, so I walked up to them and overheard their conversation. The girl asked her about her dad, where he was, why he wasn’t there and Lynn…”

Natasha had to take a deep breath to steady herself. She felt like she was transported back to the original moment. Reliving it in front of her mind’s eye, together with all the feelings.

“Lynn said… My daddy is with the angels, there where the ocean meets the sky. He watches over me and mommy… Then the girl asked if her mommy has brought home another daddy and if she misses her right one. And Lynn, my smart little daughter, answered casually… We miss him every day, but we don’t need anyone else. It’s just me and mommy.”

Nancy drew in a breath, still looking at her granddaughter, then her lips curled up into a small smile. Natasha shook her head slightly, feeling a few tears well up in her eyes.

“She is too clever for her age…“

“What?”, Nancy asked, turning her head around for the first time.

Natasha sighed, biting her bottom lip before continuing.

“She should be angry, hurt… I don’t know – absolutely furious with me! She should cry and scream at me!”

“Why?”

Nancy reached over and laid her hand on Natasha’s arm.

“Because she is four years old and doesn’t have a father!”, Natasha sobbed, barely keeping herself together.

Her mother-in-law gently stroked her arm, attempting to sooth her. Nancy had trouble understanding where this was suddenly coming from or why her daughter-in-law was seeing things that way.

“I can’t see what you’re trying to tell me, sweetheart”, Nancy calmly responded, still stroking Natasha’s arm, “because she has a father. She knows who her father is. He’s just not able to be here, be with her.”

“But that’s the point!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t get it.”

“Why did I have to fall for a fellow officer, of all people?”, Natasha sighed, wiping at her cheeks and gently shaking her head.

Even though Nancy knew that Natasha only sounded so defeated because she had an emotional moment, not because she truly meant those words, the fact, that she said them anyway, stung. More, than she first realized. Suddenly, Nancy feared that Natasha regretted her decision to choose Jake. But that was certainly not the case, right? They‘d been so in love… so excited when they learned that Lynn was on the way. They never once mentioned that it had been a bad decision to keep the child. Or to have married each other in the first place…

„I didn’t want that. I knew what I was signing up for when I joined the Navy. Hectic life, no real place to call home, most likely no long-term relationships… I was okay with that. I didn’t need anyone but myself and my family, which is always on my side. And then?”

She stopped and sighed again, rubbing her hands over her face. Nancy didn’t utter a single word, nervously chewing on the inside of her mouth. She was not sure whether she’d like where this was going.

“Then, Jake happens. He comes into my life with a capturing smile and irresistible charm and turns everything upside down… God, did he infuriate me! I thought we would just be at each other’s throats ‘til the end of our lives, but no… Oh, was I wrong about that.”

Another beat of silence followed.

“Instead, he becomes one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I never believed that those sappy romance novels have a point when they claim that you’re on cloud nine when you’re in love. Another thing I was wrong about. With Jake, I was floating. We had our problems, our disputes… which couple doesn’t? But not once did I think about leaving him! Not ever. At the end of the day, he was the one I wanted to call first when I succeeded in a new and difficult maneuver, when I saw a particularly beautiful sunset, when I won a sparring battle against one of my colleagues… he was the first and last thing I thought about every day. When he asked me to marry him, I was over the moon, as pathetic as that sounds. I wanted nothing more than to become his wife. Which was already risky for my heart.”

Natasha bit her lower lip, brushing her finger over the rings on her left hand. Even after four years, she still couldn’t take them off. Whenever she considered it, she felt like she was cheating on him.

“Suddenly, there was someone other than my family that could lose me. There was someone I could lose. I was able to accept that because the time I got to spend with him was more than worth the worries during a deployment. I strongly believe each one of us would have been able to cope if the other hadn’t come back from a mission. That’s a risk the job demands we take… But when I got pregnant, that was a different story. It wasn’t about just us anymore. We faced a responsibility, a huge one. There was now a little person… a tiny, helpless human that couldn’t live without us… that shouldn’t have to grow up without one of us.”

She watched her daughter laugh heartily and saw all the similarities Lynn shared with Jake. The joy featured on her face in the same way it used to on Jake’s. The laugh sounding from deep within her belly. The dimples on her cheeks. Natasha’s heart soared and ached equally.

“However, it was never up for discussion that we keep it. Best decision of our life. Nothing can compare to the feeling we had when we got to hold her for the first time. When her beautiful eyes opened for the first time and took in the world around her. All of these firsts that we witnessed together made the worries worth it. We still knew that it was possible that Lynn could lose one of us. But somehow, even with that mission coming right up, we convinced ourselves that it wouldn‘t happen to us. I guess that was silly“, she smiled sadly and took Nancy‘s hand to squeeze it gently.

“You were hopeful, that’s not silly”, Nancy pointed out, squeezing her hand back.

“Let’s agree on hopeful in a naïve way”, Natasha replied, shaking her head while watching Lynn and Jeff walk Sissi back to the stable.

“Anyway… I don’t even know where I was trying to go with this”, Natasha admitted, looking at her mother-in-law with wonder in her eyes.

Nancy laughed. It was clear where Jake and now Lynn got their laughter from.

“Originally, you started this with telling me that Lynn understands where Jake is”, she offered, smiling.

“Right, yeah”, Natasha chuckled, looking down at their interlocked fingers, “well, I don’t know… it felt like a gut punch hearing her say that. It reminded me that it’s my fault that she doesn’t have a dad–“

“For heaven’s sake, Natasha, it’s not your fault!”, Nancy interjected, exasperated.

She hated that Natasha kept saying that.

“It is”, Natasha insisted, meeting her gaze.

“No, it’s not. We can’t choose who we fall in love with, that’s the simple truth. It’s one of the few things that are decided over our heads. And to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m not regretting Jake. Did you think I do?”

Her mouth formed into a little o-shape and she furrowed her brows. Nancy chose to stay silent, but that still gave her earlier thoughts away. 

“I’m not, I swear! I didn’t want you to think that. God, how could I regret him? He’s the father of my child! The love of my life! I treasure what we had – what life has given us. What we’ve built together. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything. Never. What I wanted to say is, I should have told him to stay at home. He would still be here had I done that.”

“You can't know that! If not on this mission, he might have died on the next one.”

“There wouldn’t have been a next one”, Natasha released shakily, covering her mouth with her right hand, averting her gaze for a moment.

“What? But… how?”

“With his next promotion, he would’ve been able to apply for a position as an instructor. We might have had to move, but the risk of him dying would have been reduced many times over.”

“But I thought he only gets promoted if he flies the mission in Afghanistan?”

“We thought so too, but Cyclone enlightened us shortly before Jake made his decision. He would have gotten his promotion, but a year or two later. He would have had to do one or two more longtime deployments, but those would have related to less danger.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah… see why it’s my fault? I should’ve insisted that he goes for the safer route. He was worried that we’d lose the house, but I would’ve even slept under a bridge if it meant that he was still alive and with me!”

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry”, Nancy said and reached over to brush away a few of Natasha’s tears, “it was a horrible decision Jake had to make. My boy was forced to choose between the safety of his family and his own... and you know what? Even if you’d asked him to play it safe and go for the longtime deployments, he would have still chosen to go for the mission. He wanted to be able to offer you a safe and stable life, in the house of your dreams filled to the brim with love. That was my son. And if it meant that he had to risk his life for it, he would’ve done it over and over again.”

Natasha pressed her lips together and nodded, watching Jeff and Lynn come back from the stable. Her mother-in-law was right. No matter how many times he would have been forced to make that decision, her husband would have given his life for the safety of his family every time.

*-*

“Mommy, come look how funny Grandma looks in this picture!”, Lynn yelled from the living room.

Natasha smiled while she finished drying the plate she was currently holding and put it onto the pile on the counter. Jeff, standing next to her and rinsing the last wine glass, chuckled and nodded into the direction of the living room.

“You better hurry before she comes to drag you over there”, he laughed.

“You sure? We’re not done yet”, Natasha checked.

“Don’t worry, there’s not much more to do anyway. I got it.”

She patted his arm, smiling at him thankfully, and left the kitchen to join the other two ladies. Nancy held a photo album in her lap and Lynn was squished into her side, gazing intently at the pictures presented to her. When Natasha walked up to them, Lynn lifted her head, a giant smirk on her face.

“Mommy, look”, she said and pointed at an old photograph sitting in the middle of the right page.

It was indeed a funny picture of Nancy. It had been taken on a beach day; the position of the sun made it almost too dark to see anything. Nancy wore a giant sunhat and made a funny face at the baby lying on the blanket in front of her. The baby’s laughter could almost be heard through the picture.

“Yeah, she looks funny. She’s making a grimace, like you do sometimes.”

“Do I look like that too when I make a funny face?”, Lynn asked, giggling.

“Mhmm”, Natasha nodded.

Lynn had to try it out immediately, sending her mother and grandmother into a fit of laughter. Once she recovered from it, Natasha shook her head and kissed her daughter’s hair, plopping down next to her on the couch. Lynn’s attention was already back on the picture.

“Who is the baby, Grandma?”, she asked, her finger tapping onto the picture.

“That’s Caroline”, Nancy answered, staring absentmindedly at the baby.

Her eyes turned glassy, and she skimmed the baby’s head with her fingers.

“Who is Caroline?”

Natasha sucked in a breath. Lynn gazed at her grandmother, intrigued by her answer. Nancy slowly turned her head towards her grandchild, smiling sadly.

“Caroline is my daughter. She’s your daddy’s sister.”

Natasha pressed her lips together, nervously observing the conversation from her spot next to Lynn. They’d never mentioned Jake’s sister to Lynn before. When she’d been pregnant, she and Jake had talked about the topic “Caroline”. They’d discussed how they wanted to approach it, when the right time was, who’ll be the one initiating the conversation and so on. They’d also talked to Nancy and Jeff about it, checking with them whether they were envisioning the “right” way. Ultimately, they decided to wait until Lynn would be a little older, until she’d be able to properly understand the story behind “Caroline”. But since Jake had died, that plan had been thrown out the window, like so many other plans they’d made…

“Daddy has a sister?”, Lynn asked incredulously, her eyes almost popping out of her head and her mouth slightly agape.

She looked like one of those comic characters and almost made her mother and grandmother laugh. They would’ve if the topic at hand weren’t such a serious one.

“Yeah”, Nancy answered simply.

“I didn’t know that. Where is she? Can we meet her sometime?”

Lynn whipped her head around and met Natasha’s eyes.

“Did you know daddy has a sister, mommy?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Can we meet her? I want to meet her!”

She started to bounce excitedly on the couch like she had a sugar rush.

“That’s not possible, Lynn”, Nancy interjected, gently grabbing Lynn’s hands.

“Why not? Does she live too far away?”

“She’s… Caroline’s not with us anymore, sweetheart.”

“But… I don’t understand… where is she?”

Nancy met Natasha’s gaze for a split-second, took a deep breath and looked back at Lynn. Natasha didn’t dare to breathe, her heart beating violently against her ribcage.

“Caroline is with the angels, just like your daddy.”

*-*

From that moment on, the evening had developed into a disaster. Lynn had stared at them, mouth agape and confusion written all over her face. When neither her mother nor her grandmother had made further comments, she’d started shaking her head, accusing the adults around her of lying to her. She’d looked from one face to the other, desperation taking over her features. Even Jeff hadn’t been able to calm her down. She’d thrown a tantrum, started screaming, and evaded the comfort offering hands, running out of the backdoor onto the lawn. Trying to escape the lying adults. Natasha had caught up to her midway to the stable, scooped her up and hugged her tight to her chest.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you”, she’d whispered into her hair, stroking her daughter’s back.

Lynn had cried, holding on tight to her mother after she’d realized that she wouldn’t be able to escape any further.

“Why is everyone around me with the angels?! It’s unfair! I don’t want that!”

Natasha’s heart broke, tears glistening in her eyes. It was indeed unfair.

“I know, baby, I know it’s unfair…”

“Why does this always happen to me?!”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I wish I knew”, Natasha answered, carrying her back to the house.

Lynn kept sobbing in her mother’s arms, barely looking at her grandparents who stood at the patio door. Nancy wanted to brush her hand over Lynn’s head, but the little girl jerked her head away. Natasha apologized with her eyes and kept walking towards the stairs.

Nancy and Jeff didn’t follow.

*-*

Upstairs, she headed straight for the guest room, silently changing Lynn into her pajamas. Their whole nighttime routine passed silently; the only sound was Lynn sniffling sometimes. She laid her down onto the bed, carefully and lovingly draping the sheets around her. Lynn gazed up at her, clutching her stuffed white sheep tightly against her chest. Natasha brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her face, gently cupping her cheek.

“I know you’re hurt because you miss daddy, and that you won’t be able to meet his sister. But you can’t be angry at your grandparents, okay? You know, I couldn’t meet Caroline either. She’s been with the angels for a very long time, much longer than daddy.”

“Why is she with the angels?”

“I’ll explain that to you another time. It’s a very long story that I don’t want to tell you by myself. I’ll talk to grandma and grandpa about it and we’ll decide how and when to tell you, okay?”

“But I wanna know!”

“And you will, but not today. Somewhen in the future.”

“Tomorrow?”

Natasha sighed at her daughter’s stubbornness.

“I don’t know. Let’s leave it at that, okay?”

“You’re lying to me again!”, Lynn snapped, sitting up, anger flickering in her green eyes.

“I’m not lying, Lynn”, Natasha retorted, gently pushing her to lie down again, “I’m protecting you and doing what’s best for you. I promise we’ll tell you. Can you trust me on that?”

Lynn searched her eyes, apparently considering her mother’s offer. Eventually, she nodded slowly. Natasha smiled at her, kissing her on her cheek. She attempted to get up when Lynn spoke up again: “Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“I miss daddy”, Lynn confessed, on the verge of tears.

Natasha gasped and sank back onto the edge of the mattress, pulling her daughter into her arms.

“I know, sweetheart. I miss him too, so much”, she cooed, stroking the back of Lynn’s head.

Lynn rubbed at her eyes when they pulled apart a moment later and Natasha helped her brush her tears away. Her heart broke all over again and every breath she took hurt.

“I wish I could bring him back for you. I’d do anything to bring him back for you”, she whispered, bringing Lynn’s hand up to her lips and kissing it.

“Can’t the angels just give him back?”

She let out a little laugh at Lynn’s suggestion, gently shaking her head.

“I wish they could… but you know what? He’ll always be with us. In here”, she said and put her hand on Lynn’s chest, right over her heart.

Lynn looked down, furrowing her brows.

“He lives on, right here in our hearts. In yours, in mine, in your grandparents’… in uncle Rooster’s, uncle Coyote’s and all our other friends’. Wherever we go, he’s with us and watches over us from one of the clouds, where he sits right next to his sister. They keep us safe.”

“Are they our guardian angels?”

“Yes, they are.”

Lynn sniffed and thought for a moment, then a smile broke out across her face.

“I kinda like that”, she said, clutching her stuffed animal back against her chest.

Natasha smiled down at her and pressed another kiss to her cheek.

“Me too. Sweet dreams, baby.”

[threebooksoneplot]

ok so this is a hypothetical scenario bc i listen to a buncha pods about books and sometimes the podcasters have Bad Takes and will b like "i think people generally think [insert bad take]" and i always want to scream and reach out to them like: no. respectfully, i luv ur pod, but shut up ur wrong, or at least to be like: if ur gonna insist on having this take at least acknowledge that there are also other takes out there pls n thanks (yall do this its gr8 im here for it!) anyway i was wondering if someone said something to that effect to you would you be like: ok noted thanks for the feedback ... or would you be like: anyway ur wrong actually bye what would ur response to this incredibly vague hypothetical scenario be?? im curious! thanks for indulging me/my curiosity lol ... ok thats all bye

I mean, I (G) feel like we've definitely done both of those things at different times! kinda depends on the take. like, does the phrase "it's not that deep" apply? then we're probably gonna go for a jokey "you're wrong" Response B. In fact, I'd say 90% of the time when we go for Response B we are joking (James did nothing wrong and Victoria should get to kill Bella as a treat.)

but in general we tryyyyyy to leave room for nuance and point out where we ourselves are biased? you guys are the best judge of whether or not we succeed at that, lol. personally I think the key is just doing what you said above, and acknowledging other takes exist. our experiences are not universal! we try to keep our finger on the pulse (haha vampire jokes) of what other fans are saying even as we acknowledge that "other fans" is a HUGE and diverse category that includes everyone from Cheryl in the Bite Me Edward facebook group who's been writing edbella fic on ff.net since 2009 to Emersyn on tiktok who saw Twilight for the first time last year to Princess Weekes, who just released a new video essay on how not all critiques of the series are bad faith vitriol.

it's also why we have guests! shannon and I are in such close agreement on most things that we knew from the start we wanted to introduce more diversity of opinions, lol.

we ourselves definitely have opinions of the reactionary "we've heard this take we disagree with one too many times online and now we can't help but rip it to shreds when it comes up" variety (stan renee for clear skin) but consider this our re-upped commitment to pointing out to the audience whenever that's the case. we know some of you guys probably like, touch grass and may not be aware of the niche online twilight discourse that poisons our brains 24/7

overall, New Moon has been a great place to build up our "acknowledge that other takes exist" muscles! it feels like every 5 pages we were both stopping to be like "well I don't find this compelling, but I can see why someone else...might...like this." it's definitely opened up my perspective to reread the books after years of being in fandom and being exposed to so many opinions.

so, yeah: it's a boring answer, but our response to the hypothetical situation would depend on the hypothetical take. we hope (and continue to work) to always leave room in our Serious discussions for other points of view!!

[in-arlathan]

Get To Know Me

Who dis? It's me! Been a hot minute, hasn't it? This year has been a pile of dung up until now, if I'm being completely honest, hence my absence from Tumblr and most social media. I had an accident in December and have been feeling like dirt ever since. But: I'm back now! Mostly thanks to my beloved @johaerys-writes and the amazing @mogwaei who tagged me for this game. Thanks to you two! ❤ It's been a please reading your posts.

And now: Let's dive in!

Share your wallpaper: I'm a very boring person who has her own artwork as a wallpaper on her phone (talking about this study I did last year). XD It reminds me that (every once in a while) I do create something that I actually enjoy without any self-doubt or regret, and I like that.

Last song you listened to: "Eyes Closed" by Ed Sheeran. I'm a very basic person, lol.

Currently reading: Let me check Goodreads real quick... Yeah, I'm reading far too many books at the same time again. So here's the top 3 of books I'm reading and enjoying the most atm:

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

There's also a bunch of fanfic I need to catch up on but my mind has been all over the place.

Last move: "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves". My P&P podcast party had been invited to a preview 2 weeks ago and we had a fun time watching that movie.

Craving: Time off. I've been working non-stop for the past 8 months or so (with Christmas being the only exception) and I'm feeling super drained right now. Luckily, there are a few short trips coming up in April and July, so there is that!

What are you wearing right now: Basic black jeans and a white knitted sweater. It's spring but it's still flipping cold in my apartment. Ooph!

How tall are you: 168 cm or 5'5 feet (I guess?)

Piercings: Just the two for my earrings. As I said, I'm *very* basic. :')

Tattoos: Currently I got two but I plan on getting more later this year. Gotta save up some money first.

Glasses? Contacts? I got 3 different glasses (transparent, gold and brown frames) and contacts because I like to switch things up.

Last drink: I'm currently having some coffee with oat milk aka The breakfast of Champions. Or so I keep telling myself XD

Last thing you ate: Chicken wrap with lots of cheese. It was amazing.

Favorite color: My taste in color(s) shifts constantly but I'm currently obsessed with green in various tones. I keep getting back to like a warmer green because it makes me feel very cozy. But I also adore a good color combo of orange and violet/lilac or yellow and dark blue. It depends on my mood.

Current obsession: Truth be told, because of the current state of my mental health, I have a hard time being obsessed about anything. It's not like I can't enjoy things (I know that that feels like and I don't want to get back to *those days*) but there's not hyperfixation that lives rent-free in my head. And you know what? It feels terrible! I miss the feeling of being utterly obsessed about something. I crave that level of excitement, honestly!

Unrelated Obsession: Okay, I guess this means non-fandom obsessions. I do have one of those! A short while back, I read a book by the title "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" which was fascinating. I loved that it was not Euro-centric and instead focussed on the achievements of Genghis and his successors. I've been gobbling media with the same or similiar topics – including finally playing "Ghost of Tsushima" which send me reading up on the Mongol invasion of Japan. It's been an intriguing ride!

Any pets: I'm too allergic to have cats, dogs, and other animals and I hate it. I want a little doggo so badly... 💔

Do you have a crush on anyone: IRL? Not anymore. I used to have a crush for most of last year but since he started ghosting me a few months back, I decided to focus my attention elsewhere. I'm *done* with dating and have been for the past couple of years. As for fictional characters... I have to go with Solas, although (as I mentioned) my excitement has died down somewhat. I still love that boy to death but I'm not as obsessed as I used to be.

Favorite fictional character: How dare you make me chose one?! I have a trillion fave characters and they're all precious to me ;_; No, I will not pick one because I truly can't!

The last place you traveled: I went to Cologne, my hometown, three weeks ago, but I assume that doesn't count as traveling. I think my last real vacation was in 2019 when I travelled to the Leipzig Book Fair. Oh my... 😅 (And I was wondering why I felt so drained all the time, lol. Dang... what a reality check. This hurts!).

That's it! Hope you enjoyed the read :3

Time to forward some tags. As always, please feel free to join in or ignore the tag: @serial-chillr @faerieavalon @thebookworm0001 @ohmypawsandwhiskers @pikapeppa @oxygenforthewicked @fiadhaisteach @noire-pandora @ellie-effie. Sending all of you lots of love. I hope you're doing great!

Until next time, lovelies! <3

[birgittesilverbae]

aaaaaask meme

7, 10, 18, 24, 26, 29

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

I answered this previously, but 7 when it comes to you specifically is making you yell at me. fills me with warmth

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Your star wars au Shannon death makes me want to disappear (and your description of Bea's elbow stuff) asking this question has made me forget everything I've ever read tbh. I've been haunted by stuff I never finished, and I'll stumble over it and just get slapped in the face

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

from tmtl ch5, rewatching ep6 for the millionth time I got stuck on the fact that Bea's had to drive out to Ronda alone and then back with Mary and sit in the knowledge that they've lost Lilith too and their family of four has been cut in half in the blink of an eye

outline/v1: The return trip with Mary. Quiet, stilted questions. Not on the same wavelength, interrupting each other and apologising because they don't know how to fill the spaces that have been left for other voices.

v2: "Would you just look at me?" // "I can't. Because I look at you and all I see is her."

v3: "You're all I have left. Shannon's dead. Lilith's dead. Mary, you're all I have left." // "I can't." Mary's voice is hoarse. "Even just sitting here– You still use her soap." It's not a question. "I sit here and I smell her and when I look at you all I can see are the fingerprints she left behind. And I'm sorry, Beatrice, but I can't fucking deal with that right now."

v4: "You're all I have left,” Beatrice continues, unable to hold her tongue now that the first stones in the dam have cracked. “Shannon's dead. Lilith's dead. Mary, you're all I have left. Look at me. Please." // "I can't." Mary's voice is hoarse. "Even just sitting here– You still use her soap." It's not a question. "I sit here and I smell her and when I look at you all I can see are the fingerprints she left behind. And I'm sorry, Beatrice, but I can't fucking deal with that right now."

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

it depends on the story; tmtl for each scene I had a one sentence outline for the exact emotional beats I wanted to hit, and then a paragraph outline with scene beats and callbacks, and then a bulletpoint outline to detail the exact shape of the scene. fic: nature is gonna end up with the same sort of treatment but probably less intense about it. tmau prep work has involved a shit ton of academic papers and spreadsheets. if it's not clear, I really love prep work, I haven't had as much opportunity for research work in my day-to-day lately so I've been really digging in. honestly fic: dads has been such a departure in that it's been an exercise for me in trying to do absolutely no planning

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

I'll typically have a song assigned to a character for a specific fic and listen to that repeatedly if I'm having trouble getting into their mindset. getting out of it usually isn't that difficult, head empty brain go brr etc. but if I'm getting to stuck in something I go watch cooking videos on youtube tbh. there are a couple points I've hit where I've been writing something and had to take a step back and go 'okay, it's not good for me to be here right now I need to walk away' but I don't know that I regret those points so much as they give me more insight into myself

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

I usually turn to my sad bangers playlist (which I've been familiarizing you with cas hehe) if I'm in the need for inspiration, and lately when I've been stuck on something I've gone and stared at @princington 's art until I'm Fixed (read: made worse (affectionate))

[construingseacats]

Umireread: Legend of the Golden Witch - Chapter 13: The Two Who Are Close   

Sun, Oct 5 1986 - 7:00PM

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

And so we open once again on the servants. Similar to the last one we had, this one feels weird to me - fantasy scenes feel best when they’re partially true, having different connotations depending on how you read it (e.g. early scenes where you can read it as one of Shannon or Kanon being absent, Kinzo study scenes), or full fabrications like the fantasy murders we have to look forward to in future episodes. I’m not particularly gleaming anything interesting here - there’s some ruminating from Kanon over Shannon, but Genji and Nanjo talking about “where did Kinzo go? I hope we aren’t killed” doesn’t really contribute anything meaningful beyond misdirection as far as I’m aware.

It’s tempered immediately by the next line, but “he had approved of it instantly” is such a funny thing to say. “Babe, do you want to put a baby in me?” “YES MA’AM!”

I have to say, I feel that the writing here - giving characters big emotional moments right before they’re killed off - is a little… basic? Again, it’s the whole “he was one day from retirement” thing - it’s very cheap to add details like that to elicit more of an emotional response. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect in third-rate literature, not Umineko.

Episode 1 (and soon to be Umineko at large) has been dwelling a lot on having characters reduced to plot devices; humans muted down to digestible aspects. Eva here is dismissing Shannon as just “some servant girl”, completely ignoring the person that lies behind that interpretation. We’ve already seen it quite a bit with the layout of the family at the dinner table, the references to women being borrowed wombs for the family, and both George and Jessica being observed as successors to the family rather than kids with their own hopes and dreams outside of it.

I think part of this is indeed a parallel to Yasu’s thoughts on being perceived as furniture - after all, if that’s what she has been reduced to, why should the same not be true for others? However, I think it’s also reflective of the meta commentary of literature as a whole. In forgeries by less talented writers, this is exactly what happens - they fail to comprehend the infinite intricacies that lie behind every human, and unable to capture that with the skills that they lack, they reduce the characters to tropes or traits that they can portray at the cost of their humanity. Shannon is just some servant girl. Eva is just a girlboss. I’m just someone writing their thoughts on a visual novel. Why would there be anything more than that?

Yeah they really are leaning in to the “killed 2 days before retirement” angle, huh.

I’m hesitant to dismiss every case of hacky writing as being intentional from Yasu. Ryukishi’s work is phenomenal, but he’s not some sort of omnipotent savant who is actually writing 5 levels of meta around each moment of weak writing. Is Yasu, as a writer, unlikely to be proficient, and prone to resorting to cheap techniques? Yes, I’d say so. Is every moment like this an intentional reflection of that? I heavily doubt it. Unless there was a line where Shannon/Kanon was talking about writing as a hobby, and how they had a tendency to fall into cliches, I think we can just say this is weak stuff and move on.

That aside, I do think it’s worth pointing out that this scene is them talking about going on a fancy holiday to celebrate the new years. Almost like they’re about to inherit a good sum of money - as if they’d been offered parts of the 10 tons of gold for their assistance in the ongoing mystery - eh?

Moving on from the two who are close, we return to more suffering with Natsuhi. After dealing with everything else, she’s now thrust into a stressful leadership position, which no doubt exacerbates her problems. How unfortunate for her.

Once again, this is something only the servants could have done - but thanks to Battler Chessboard-thinking himself out of the answer, it doesn’t feel overly obvious.

I want to bring up the North Wind and the Sun again here, since I feel it’s relevant - with how much that fable has been pushed already, there’s no doubt that it’s a reflection of what’s going on. The game is telling you it is the servants. By all reasonable logic, it MUST be the servants. But that’s what the North Wind is telling you - so you grip your coat, you fight against it, you look for answers that prove it wrong. It’s only when the sun shines from the Golden Land, when you arrive at the answers yourself, that you let down your coat that insulates you from the truth.

I’ve clocked the use of “proved” here in white text that’s reminiscent of when Shannon having only half her face caved in “proved” that her body was real. I think this is another word to keep an eye out for - every time the white says it has “proved” something, should we be assuming the opposite?

While we know that the rigmarole with the chain is a fabrication, this line from Genji feels real - beyond being the veteran servant, Genji almost feels like a mastermind in this scene, supporting Yasu and making sure everything sticks to the plan. Don’t go alone - bring someone with you to make sure you have a tighter alibi, so that fingers can’t be pointed as readily. The fact that Genji said this out of “wariness” doubles down on this read.

In a sense, this confidence of the servants abiding to “don’t go alone, travel in pairs” also shows how mechanical they are with their approach to the whole situation. While the non-culprits are flailing and don’t know what to do, those responsible are sticking to the script and holding up remarkably well. There’s a clear divide between those who are lost in Episode 1 and those who have adapted, and it’s not hard to see what that line dividing them is.

There’s something to be said about how antagonistic the Umineko narrative is as a mystery, with the constant lies at every corner.

If it was simply using these stratagems as a gotcha, to be a difficult mystery for a reader to solve, this would be a terrible story. It’s the reasoning behind these antagonistic choices that makes Umineko the piece of literature that it is. I know lots of people who get frustrated at the antagonistic elements, who feel that the story is making fun of them, and conclude that it’s a bad story as a result. I hope that those people can one day return to it, overcome their presumptions, and see what the story really has to say about those elements.

And Kanon steals the award of “best facial expression” for Episode 1, it’s not even close. Beatrice sure does get the best expressions of everyone, huh?

And with George, we’re really cementing the themes of loss of innocence across Episode 1 - we’ve had all the kids reacting viscerally to losing their parents (well, except maybe Maria, unless you want to view her as having retreated fully into fantasy as a coping mechanism). I feel there’s a parallel to be drawn here between the loss that Yasu suffered - just as her innocence was forcibly stricken from her, so too have all the cousins been met with a fate more cruel than what they deserved. In a sense, those who have died are the fortunate ones; it is those who are left behind, who must deal with the grief, who are the unfortunate ones. And is that not how Yasu feels about her life as a whole?

I do wonder how, as Kanon, Yasu feels when she sees everyone so pained by these events. After all, the three older cousins are all potential love interests for her, so it’s not like she’s disinterested to their suffering. I feel like I would have liked to have seen the mask slip - for her to break down every so briefly at the others’ grief, even if painted as grief for Shannon; or if that would be too improper for furniture, then perhaps to have seen that in one of those servants-only scenes that didn’t have much else going for them. As with the discussion of Shannon being “some servant girl”, you lose so much of Yasu if you paint her as a coldhearted serial killer who has no emotions regarding what she does. I wish we had a little more of her here.

Hey, so remember that one comment we put to the side last chapter?

Well, great news Battler, you already have.

Unironically I feel like this might be one of the biggest hints for Episode 1 if you go back and read through it like a hawk - I’m not sure if Battler grabs anyone else by the collar in this episode, so it basically confirms the culprit, especially given Kanon is easily the most suspect from everything else going on.

And this chapter just fades to black instead of giving us the usual screen. Very odd. I’m not entirely sure why it does this - obfuscating the time could be useful for opening up more options on the mystery side of things, but given Kanon’s upcoming death is already the most suspect part of Episode 1, casting more uncertainty on it feels unnecessary?

I suppose it might be because we’re not jumping forward and continuing almost immediately from the last scene, but you still could have thrown up the fancy banner to mark the chapter end. Maybe this was originally a single, long chapter, retroactively broken here to split it up? Either way, I don’t think there’s anything meaningful to be gleaned from this transition, so let’s keep pressing forward. Or space bar, I suppose.

[roleplayfinder]

omg please

Hello all! I’ve been craving some good fandom rps! I really miss writing as I’ve kind of taken a break from it for a few months. All characters will be over eighteen and ideally over twenty-five! Please be at least 21! Right now I’m really feeling a Supernatural roleplay! I’d love to play against Sam, Lucifer, or Gabriel! I absolutely do double and I’m happy to play anyone you’d like for you! I’m just missing the world I guess. I’d also be open to doing something set in the Supernatural world but with all ocs! My other craving at the moment is Inuyasha! My kingdom for someone to play Bankotsu for me! If you’re a fan of the Band of Seven we’re already best friends! Like I mentioned earlier I totally double and I’m definitely fine with ocs! My reply times kind of vary. Sometimes I do rapid fire but it just really depends on how well we click! Discord: Shannon!#0947

[nonchalantee]

hello! i finally had time to sit down and read the dan fic and i am in AWE. it's something i never thought i needed and now i want to devour it whole. 2 questions. (1) what sparked you into writing this story? it's so original it makes my brain whirl and my feet kick. so exciting! (2) do you have a general story outline that you're following or are you writing wherever the muse takes you? and lastly, i am SOOOO so proud of your buck. he's hurt but so strong for breaking up when he needed to. <3

hi! i'm really excited that you like the fic so much~! i'm gonna get wordy here haha bc i am excited to talk abt this fic!

so answers 1) my inspiration for writing this was specifically to look at what it would do to buck & his siblings to grow up with he savior sibling dynamic in play. it's such an emotionally and dramatically rich minefield. the eddie storylines were planned out secondarily and were initially to give an outsider pov on the messed up buckley family dynamics, but i shifted that to lucy's pov instead and gave eddie a diff storyline, ie what does it look like to actually co-parent with shannon & what does that do to eddie's character arc, esp as he encounters things outside of his control.

my plan for each of the pov characters is for them to have their own arcs going on that sometimes complement and sometimes clash with each other. dan's arc is dealing with his (mostly hidden) self-hatred and forgiving himself & others for the past, and his main themes are self-determination/bodily autonomy. lucy's arc is learning that having ambition is good and figuring out how to direct it in personally fulfilling ways, and her main themes are the nature, both good and bad, of heroism. buck's arc is learning how to become a whole person, which is hard when he doesn't fully realize how disconnected he is from his own body, and his main themes are self-trust and self-care. and eddie's arc is probs the most obvious one right now, in that his arc is about learning how to open up to others in his life and not be so self-contained & compartmentalized, and his main themes are control and losing control, and how both can be positive or negative dependent on context.

aaaand 2) i have an outline! it's not super detailed because i like to let the story happen as i'm writing it, but i know the general direction of where it's going and i know a handful of major scenes that we're gonna hit, and so a lot of the writing is geared to getting to those pivotal scenes and having it make sense that we end up there. i mean hopefully make sense. but for instance, we're getting close to a pretty big shannon scene and so i've been building up her presence a bit more in recent chapters and introducing weird behavior from her in the hopes that when the big shannon scene hits, it will simultaneously still have surprising elements but not be in and of itself surprising, if that makes sense. and that's what i'm trying to do with several other big upcoming scenes as well.

i'm really glad you are liking this version of buck <3!! he's working really hard to be better to himself.

[bernieanderson]

The Significance of 1948

"Every new medium transforms the nature of human thought. In the long run, history is the story of information that becomes aware of itself."  -- James Gleick, The Information

1948

 What a year.

For one, my parents were born.  So, it was a big year for me. 

 Just three short years after World War II, 1948 was the year Velcro and the LP were invented, Gandhi was assassinated, and Babe Ruth died.

 But arguably, the most significant thing that happened in 1948 was something Claude Shannon did. 

 Yeah. Claude Shannon, a little known, introverted engineer, and mathematician living in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. While working at Bell Labs, Shannon took on a side research project and he figured out a way, mathematically, to measure information. Building on binary code, he developed an instrument of measurement called the bit. Eight bits is a byte.

And so it begins.

Just a few months earlier in December 1947, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain successfully tested and demonstrated a working transistor. This meant tubes were about to become obsolete. 1948 was the year transistors started their road to ubiquity. I could argue that 1948 was the dawn of the Information Age. The move out of industrialism was starting. Science fiction is coming to life.

75 years after the year of transistors and bits

Bits and bytes are now terabytes and petabytes — all connected to the electronic hive mind we call the Internet. I can’t help but wonder if this is the future Mr. Shannon would have prophesied about. The changes in a mere 75 years are jarring. I never know whether to be a technological optimist (the Information Age has democratized everything) or to be a technological naysaying prophet (the AI robot overlords are taking over everything and the science fiction apocalypse is what ’s coming true). 

 It all depends on the day, honestly.

 Okay — today is the day I am convinced we are teetering on the edge of the technology dystopia; I have logged out of Twitter and other social media — places where we’re much closer to chaos.

As I reflect on two books I finished last year (The Future is Analog and Shop Class as Soul Craft) , this article, and a book I’m currently reading (The Information — it’s where I learned the importance of 1948) — I draw this conclusion.

Digital information is where we live. Embrace it.

I don’t think we all have to live on a farm and stall out with mid-twentieth century technology. 

But —

 We need as much of the tactile and human as possible.

●      books

●      pens

●      bread dough

●      paint brushes

●      conversations

●      hand tools

I wrote the first draft of this article with a handmade pen in a notebook while sitting on my back porch while the sun goes down on a Thursday. 

The tactile is important. To really understand something — to really get how the world works — you actually have to do things.

"If thinking is bound up with action, then the task of getting an adequate grasp on the world, intellectually, depends on our doing stuff in it. "  -- Matthew Crawford in Shop Class as Soul Craft

So I write. With a pen.

But I will also publish the final draft of this article on the Internet with Substack and Medium.com and Squarespace. Ink strokes will turn into bit and bytes with a MacBook, and I will use an iPhone to take a digital photo and you are reading this now on a Sunday afternoon with an everyday device that would have been a science fictionalized supercomputer in 1948. 

What’s the point?

I am honestly unsure. But I know this particular paradox has a lot of tension in my thinking:

Technology is a beautiful gift.

Technology has consequences.

Be mindful of both.

"The truth is that you can be productive and slow. You can balance digital demands and nourish your body with slow moments. You can value fast broadband and family dinner. Slowness is simply a different approach to the same world we all experience-one that opens up time, shifts our perspectives, and, if we were lucky, leads us to a more balanced dialogue between the body and the soul."  -- David Sax from The Future is Analog

 You are doing better than you think.

You have more potential than you know.  

[semi-imaginary-place]

umineko ep1 and some of 2 playthrough notes.

japans failing birthrate all the cousins are only children. Probably because the author didnt want to handle more characters given how obsessed with lineage and marriage and family rank the ushiromiya family is surprised they didnt breed more.

Overthinking. The game. Wow everyone monologues. Everyone overthinking and assuming schemes which os probably true given the narrative set up. However irl some people do have a lack of compassion and some screws loose and will brutally murder others for no reason.

eva hideyoshi locked room murder. Battler already gave a plausible explanation earlier for kinzo in that the murderer was still in the room at the time of discovery. I do think it's beatrice because i watched the anime ages ago but i only vaguely remember it.

Kanon died faster by pulling the icepick out

I really like natsuhi, she tries so hard and she cares so much but she is the last person who should have a gun since she's uh kinda tightly wound and a little neurotic and it's easy to get her worked up.

Lol teatime. The game stats at the end of the credits thing makes me wish this actually was like an adventure game instead of what it seems to be which is a linear novel with pictures invoking the aesthetics of a multiple ending game. For me i watched the anime so i know beatrice shows up, the golden butterflies, and that i play a lot of jrpgs and fantasy games so I'm just used to magic being a thing. But the reveal that everything until now has been MARIA'S journal casts thing in a different light unreliable narrator and all so the mysteries might have been played up as magic the golden butterflies might not have actually been there the only the audience knows are the facts of the murders in which case yeah still could have been human. Based on the evidence i do suspect a 19th person. Probably the biggest sticking point for me was the letter appearing in the study how did it get here without magic if the servants did not do it. Battler and beatrice seem like they're having fun. One of my first thoughts was that one of the 6 original dead wasn't actually dead because the faces were torn off. Also this twist has been used a lot.

Yeah this got real post modern meta. There's several meta characters too like the narrator and the player and whoever is writing the character profiles (i suspect maria?). And beatrice addresses the player and challenges us and i am unclear whether she means the player or battler. Into ch 2 im noticing a strong theme of perspective. From kirie's flipping the chessboard (turnabout anyone), to the whole sea thing, beatrice being real or not depending on whether people believe in her.

Fandom seems to hate george and yeah the shannon thing is yikes like i dont get why the writer didnt make shannon like 19 and george 21 it would have worked the same with the weird skewed power dynamic but they just had to make an age gap and shannon very underage. Shannon's love or george almost seemed to develop coincidentally like jessica was pointing out what a man george was just as shannon was questioning her role as furniture. Oh the point i was making! fandom seems to hate george and i didn't get it i started with a very neutral impresion of him and i actually like him more now george initially came off as such a normie compared to his uh... colorful family, but ep2's internal narration reveals that he's just as much a freak as the rest of them! He's so weird! Also he thinks about manliness so much i am doubting he's straight also he and shannon have no chemistry. Not sure who my favorite character is. I like natsuhi she cares and is always trying her best even if she's unhinged and a nervous wreck. I like hideyoshi he seems like one of the only people I'd actually get along with and who's company I'd enjoy. I like battler sometimes other times i just want to tie him up and duck tape his mouth (also the anime perv jokes are cringe). I liked kyrie but havent seen much of her. Beatrice might be my new favorite really she's having fun and is also kinda sad. Eva i both love and hate at the same time man what a great character. My least favorite character is probably maria she's so annoying and i never liked characters with self enforced helplessness who dont take responsibility for their own problems and behaviors, and cause their own problems. It's the same reason i don't like fe3h bernadetta or nge ikari shinji. They're infuriating to watch. Maria causes her own problems and then stews in them and suffers while never changing her behavior which is causing a lot of her grief. Relationships are a two way street you have to be willing to meet other people half way. Now with maria she is just a kid and a lot of it isnt her own fault she never was taught better but that doesnt mean she cant be annoying. She's also really immature like most 4 year olds i know are as about as mature as she is i keep forgetting she's 9 and thinking she's like 6. A lot of people also hate rosa and yeah she's a regular child abuser maria deserves better rosa should never throw tantrums and take out her temper on anyone really but especially not her young daughter. but i do sympathize with Rosa. Rosa does care about maria like even when maria's ... what was it... clearly wasn't in that part of the garden rosa went and futilely searched with her. And after when Maria still wanted to stay despite evidence it wasn't there and the rain which was dangerous to her health, rosa offered a compromise to search with her later. She tried so hard to take care of maria and maria is probably a special needs child who need s more energy and time then most. And then rosa lets her own problems get to her and took them out violently on maria. Rosa is wayy too sensitive about perceived hits to her pride, so many issues. I think the writer does a good job of making every character unlikable and sympathetic at the same time, they're all flawed and human and complex. Like kyrie is cool but she also did cheat with a married man. Hideyoshi doesn't seem to have any flaws so far (besides being a capitalist) but i'm waiting george had to end up that way some how.

Rosa slaps maria. Maria cries. Rosa slaps maria for crying. Beatings will continue until morale improves. And then getting defensive about beating a child in public.

Since beatrice and battler both aren't willing to admit defeat are they proposing to spend eternity together playing over these 2 days endlessly.

I'm starting to think rosa might actually have some sort of untreated anger disorder. She really just snaps on the flip of a dime. Beating a child multiple times a day. Rosa's got a lot of her plate sure from the husband than ran away, being a single mom and running a business, her siblings all bully her, eva especially is out to put her down to soother her own sense of security and position. And maria is a convenient outlet as the only person she has power over. And so frequent child abuse. Maria needs to get out except japan's modern displaced child system is bad im assuming the 80's weren't better and maria would be pretty bad off under any of the other parents. And rosa doesn't do anything to fix her own behavior either this cycle continues of violence then rosa begging forgiveness and doing something nice because she feels guilty only to blow up again. And this just repeats multiple times a day.

[darling-archeron]

Hi I’m back!!! 🧑🏻‍🎄Sorry it’s been so long, I had a hectic week! I hope your trip was good!! 💚❤️

I did finally figure out how I’m going to end the fic (Yay!) and now I’m chipping away at the extended outline! (Basically where I go back and take the original outline and write it out as a numbered list, so that each number is ~1k words give or take, depending on how well I can expand it🙃)

Also for characterization, do you like a more Mean™️ Rhys or a simp Rhys? Acomaf is kinda right in the middle so I’ve been planning a bit of both, but I can definitely lean into whichever you prefer!

For some ✨fun questions✨

1. What’s your favorite holiday?

2. What are your favorite scenes in each book?

3. Quick! It’s the zombie apocalypse! Which three acotar characters would you most want on your team, with the condition none have their magic?

4. What other books do you love besides acotar? 👀 (my tbr is already so long but I’ll gladly add more books every day)

5. And last, what is your favorite emoji? Most used? (My favorite is ✨, but my most used is 😂)

Have a great week! 😁

Hi again, Santa! My trip was a fantastic time, I saw and learned a lot! I think you sent this a few days ago, I'm sorry I'm just getting to it now!

I think a balance between mean rhys and simp rhys is essential, tbh. I love when he can be a bit mean to Feyre, but also she's his wife and he would do anything for her, you know?

Hmmm...my favorite holiday is probably Christmas. Winters are pretty miserable here, so Christmas adds some much-needed cheer in an otherwise dreary season! But Halloween is a verryyyyy close second.

Favorite scenes: ACOTAR, I think my favorite scene is the moment between Feyre and Rhys when she's cleaning the lentils from his fireplace. It's such a short moment, but Feyre is so fiery and we see glimpses of Rhys's true self.

ACOMAF - it's pretty hard to choose, so I'm picking a couple - I think the Inn scene is highly underrated, Feyre confronting Lucien in the mountains is top tier, and of course Starfall is just special.

ACOWAR - I'm a biggg sucker for the reunion scene

It's been a hot minute since I've read ACOFAS, and I wasn't a big fan f ACOSF - (aka I thought SJM did pretty much every character dirty) but I did love the Valkyries slumber parties.

Hmmmmm...Cassian for sure, considering everyone regards him as one of the best in physical combat. I'd also say Feyre, my girl knows how to live off the land if needed and she's very smart. My automatic reaction was also to say Rhys, but I might actually say Helion. He seems very athletic and also like the kind of person who's probably read up on this sort of thing.

I absolutely love the A Darker Shade of Magic series. It's such a unique concept and although it isn't everyone's cup of tea, I love the author's writing style as well. I also adore The Song of Achilles - I'm rereading it right now. I'm a huge Greek mythology nerd. Finally, the Roots of Chaos series by Samantha Shannon (currently a duology) is one of my favorite series of all time. Dragons, magic, incredibly rich worldbuilding that's believable? So good.

Favorite emoji? probably 🥹but I also love the sparkles! my most used is probably 😂 or 😅 (it can be used for so many situations)

It sounds like you have some amazing stuff planned! I'm so excited, it's always great to hear from you! Have a fantastic rest of your week.

[tomsonwalston]

The Last of US Part II Game Download

When Ellie meet her emaciated enemy hanging from the survey and, rather than thinking gleeful satisfaction, feels only horror and shame, she measured with prayer and mercy next, during which instant, became those we expected she would become. It was on Ellie finding her own redemption. Abby is not a sympathetic makeup then zero the game tries do us like the woman, although I want to like Ellie.

Even Abby showed mercy—not once, but twice—to Ellie, after all. Depending about how people enjoy, people also sneak or blast your way through the Resort area until you free some hostages then they explain to Abby has also been selected with penalized for attempting to break. And so people visit the sand as the prisoners go to where i could download the last people part ii battle with their former captors (or what’s left of them with Ellie cut her soft journey throughout the positions). But the moment again we have a different grouping of wicked bastards to contend with. The Rattlers aren’t as psycho as the Scars, but they’re end. They go on servants and crucify troublemakers down with the beach.

It is in this particular instant in which Ellie is confronted with an option to both side the adventure of retribution and experience the life she has developed with Dina and JJ -- or practice Abby. Something we do know remains to increases could possibly demand to accompany new from the infected when The End of Us returns. "That entirely potential to there will be a lot more infected later," Mazin told Variety.

Ellie maintains the upper hand in the dispute in the emaciated and agreed Abby. Into what would take happened Abby's last minutes being died in Ellie, she is given mercy after Ellie holds a image of Joel peacefully remaining about their porch enjoying their guitar. In the last times on the Preceding People Part 2, Abby gets escaped just about everybody she fears about. Joel destroyed her dad now several days earlier, and now Owen, Nora, and Mel (and Owen and Mel's unborn baby) hold most become eliminated on the offer of Ellie. Abby has been exiled by the WLF for helping Owen like he remained blamed with neglect, and she's witnessed Yara offer her time on her and Lev to escape.

The Last of US Part II Download PC Made clear with Less than 140 Characters

They return to the outpost worked as a temporary hideout by Abby's group, former Fireflies now part of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a militia company established in Seattle, California. The knot attack Joel and Tommy; Abby seeks revenge against Joel for killing her daddy, the Firefly surgeon (Derek Phillips) who was to accomplish the surgery with Ellie. Meanwhile, Ellie with the girl lover, Dina the last people part 2 download pc (Shannon Woodward), hunt for the brothers. Ellie writes the WLF station and watches Abby beat Joel near ruin. Abby spares Ellie and Tommy, who claim revenge. Relatedly, if the tip on the Final people was controversial for the right reasons, Part 2's doesn't quite area with because significantly subversive tact, still does absolutely nothing to help undo the hint on the journey run around the ultimate scene.

Elements of Ellie's story, and even Abby's, are scattered throughout the gameplay with the complete picture not fully visible until the conclusion. One of the biggest shows, about halfway from the competition, becomes which Joel and Ellie had become estranged when she restored to Salt Lake Location with worked out he keep toward the girl at the end on the opening The Last people. The final bit of the puzzle doesn't occur pending the point from the ready, after Ellie relents on her search to destroy Abby and in fact allows her living. Upset with top, Ellie recalls the last conversation the girl owned with Joel, in which they started to reconcile then the girl instructed him which she would forgive him, that happened the night or he became killed.

She’s going to cut and cut her some while then allowed the girl get over. Their moral that we’re every so incredibly, same dead before today. A new new hell packed in 30 times of grimdark violence, atrocity and betrayal. A powerful instant to had to come much, much earlier. exactly The Last of (Honestly, they will get slipped California completely then included Ellie find Abby strung up from the Wounds in Seattle). Abby and Lev, along with countless others, are holding by places, basically crucified also within the margin of dying, skeletal from starvation.

(That’s the biggest increase for an HBO original drama in history.) Suffice to say individuals live also wait spent in the edition of the PlayStation series, that itself has gone millions of copies around two sports. Prepare for more of the clicker sounds The Last people Part 2 Download PC jumping near the head. With putting HBO viewership records, zombie apocalypse thriller The Last people is advanced for an additional term, bringing Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal ago while emotionally disturbed psuedo-father-daughter duo Ellie and Joel.

There were a little quite critical populations within the new Last Individuals, however I never turned our taste how I did with the Scars. I earn to happy as to me, the memorial attack became the most effective piece of storytelling from the whole activity. In the flashback, Joel takes Ellie to a surprise. The Last people Part II Download PC She strives to help deduce what it is along the way, with the two banter fund then on like the great other period. The physicians that chose to place not in their own full moral with proper values by giving up a news daughter from the off-chance they can produce a treatment were wrong.