#the reason this doesn't work. of course. is that rebecca. while not the best person. is not actually a villain. I would argue that she's

[musical-chick-13]

Everyone keeps trying to make their anti-hero or villain Guy Blorbos™ into Rebecca Bunch. No one will ever be Rebecca Bunch, stop trying to make other characters into Rebecca Bunch, just go watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

[wntrs0ldier]

An Offer · part 04

pairing: mob!bucky x reader words: 4,2k warnings: typical mafia (dark themes, language, violence, etc.)

<previous part | next part> | series masterlist

series summary: When your father dies, the only thing you can do for your family and the empire he built, is to marry a powerful man.

chapter sneak peek: “Bucky…” You hesitated, taking a little more time to sort out what you should really say. “Helps me with some business.” You reached for the glass of wine standing in front of you and took a sip.

“Always helpful,” Rebecca sneered. You noticed that she has been passionately ignoring her brother, but until now you were convinced that this was just a mistaken impression. “And, of course, he wants the best for you, doesn't he?” She faked a smile.

The encounter with Bucky, which took place a few days ago, turned out to be a new source of worry, leaving you even more confused. Guided by common sense, you tried not to dwell on it, but every time you lost your guard and let your thoughts wander, you found yourself reliving that moment. And each time you asked yourself the same question, Why did an accidental contact lead to such a strong reaction? It wasn't that the two of you had started pawing each other; Bucky accidentally leaned against you. And then he looked at your lips to see if your body was thinking the same thing as his…

You drifted off again, and were made aware of it by the boiling kettle. The flashback of the touch immediately popped into your head like the words of a stupid song you couldn't stop humming. And although you lost your appetite for tea, you filled the cup with hot water.

Michael walked into the kitchen with a newspaper in his hands – the kind he used to bring your father every morning. With a heavy sigh, he put it down on the kitchen counter. When you peeked at him to figure out if that sigh meant he was in a bad mood, you met his gaze. Suddenly you felt uncomfortable.

“What..?” 

“Stark is becoming impatient,” Michael began. “Since your father's death, no one really controls the distribution of Stark Industries products. If this outage continues, Stark will quit doing business with us,” he said. Having taken off his glasses, he massaged his closed eyelids. Working with Tony Stark was bringing in a huge amount of money for your Family. As such, you understood Michael's nervousness – you couldn't afford to dissolve your partnership. “In view of this, we have less and less time.”

Biting your lower lip, you ran your eyes nervously over the surface of the countertop. “What about Brock?” You didn't want to consider the possibility that Brock might have turned out to be your last resort, but you knew you should be prepared for it. “Any word from Rumlows?”

Michael shook his head. “I was approached by someone else,” he added. Your first instinct was to feel uneasy, but in the end you decided to give it a chance. It dawned on you that you had to stop being picky, even though it had seemed perfectly reasonable to you up to that point. You had the right to demand to be treated right by any person you were to marry. “John Walker would like to speak to you. Without me or any third parties present.”

This was exactly what you had feared – John Walker joining in. And while he didn't seem as harmful as Brock, you didn't see him as the ideal candidate. But for all intents and purposes, you didn't see an ideal candidate in any man around. 

You swallowed hard. “Did he say anything else?”

“That he will reach you to discuss the details of the meeting.”

The conversation with Michael was still looming in your head, effectively hindering your preparations for dinner at the Barnes house. All you could do was turn up there and look good, and even that was difficult to achieve. 

A long, warm bath has improved the state of your skin somewhat – until now it was a little too dry and ashen as a result of the stresses of recent weeks. However, it regained some of its softness. You dried and brushed your hair, moisturised your face and did your makeup a little more carefully than usual, trying to cover up every little imperfection – these, too, have intensified since the burden of serious decisions fell on you. You generally tried not to complain about your appearance, but lately you haven't felt particularly comfortable in your own skin. Still, you saw the positive side in worrying about your looks – it took your mind off the rest of your problems.

The day was inexorably turning into evening, but the weather had not changed much – the temperature outside remained pleasantly warm, perfectly reflecting the deep spring. So you decided to put on a white dress with tiny flowers; it had short, buff sleeves and reached past your knees. The hard part came when you had to deal with the tie at the back; it went in a zigzag from mid-shoulders to lower back. 

You breathed a sigh of relief when you heard a quiet knock on the door – Suzie appeared just in time. 

“I was just about to-” You looked back over the shoulder and felt a sudden wave of heat when you spotted Bucky instead of your sister. Although he'd announced to you that he was coming – this time he'd done it by text, not by standing outside your window – you hadn't expected him this early. And as much as you tried to push the memories of your last contact into some dark, forgotten corner of your mind, these blossomed with vivid colours. “I thought it was my sister.”

“I wanted to wait in the car, but she sent me here,” Bucky said, scratching the back of his head. “Need help with the dress?”

Staring at him blankly, you nodded after a while. 

“May I..?” 

“Sure.”

Bucky came closer to you, so you turned again to let him work. 

“Try to straighten the string, okay?” you added quietly. You wanted it to be as perfect as possible. 

Bucky let out a heavy breath and you felt a cool blow on your half-naked back; this in turn made you shiver, much more gently than last time. His fingers slid under the string, and so involuntarily brushed your skin. You felt him hesitate for a moment, but then his fingers moved along the underside of the string, complying with your request and straightening it out. Soon he grabbed both ends and pulled them so that the front of the dress clung to your chest.

“Too tight?” he asked, presumably having heard your sharp sigh. You couldn't tell what it was the result of – the squeezing fabric or Bucky's closeness.

“It’s okay,” you croaked and you almost immediately scolded yourself for how weak and pathetic you sounded. 

Bucky tied the ends of the string in a double bow, probably as a precaution; in case it would come undone at the least appropriate moment. He did it in silence, and although this seemed perfectly natural for such an activity, you got the impression that an awkwardness had crept in between you, which you had managed to avoid at the very beginning of your relationship.

“Done,” Bucky said, and you turned around carefully. Just as carefully, you lifted your gaze to his face. He was surveying you, possibly even more intensely than usual. For a brief moment you wondered if he too was tormented by the same thoughts as you, and judging by the slightly pained look on his face, expressing some kind of longing, you could guess that he was indeed.

“Have you heard?” You spoke after a bit longer silence. 

“About what?” Bucky didn't even for a split second seem interested in the answer that might lie beneath your question. 

“John Walker asked me on a date,” you said calmly, moreover, you were almost tempted to smile – you didn't want to give the situation unnecessary tragedy.

A corner of his mouth lifted, but that gesture had not even a hint of enthusiasm in it. He didn't look surprised or angry. You figured the news had traveled fast, but even if Bucky hadn't been aware of John's offer until now, he predicted it – he told you about it at the very beginning.

“You look really nice,” Bucky’s voice sounded so soft that your face flushed. You wanted to check if he was telling the truth, but you were unable to take your eyes off his.

“Thank you.” You smiled slightly. “I’ll grab a few things and we can go,” you added. You had the irresistible feeling that if you didn't say it – didn’t say something – the mutual gazing at each other would get out of hand again.

“I’ll be in the car.”

You left the house with Suzie. Because of your hands being occupied with a cardboard box, she closed the door behind you, then you both headed to the gate. 

Bucky stood with his back up against his car. Your knowledge of vehicles ended with the identification of brands, but even if that skill was even more limited, you would have easily recognised this one – mainly because of the distinctive wild horse logo. A thought unknowingly popped into your head that the black, vintage Mustang suited its owner.

Pulling away from the car, Bucky pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. He opened the passenger door and put the seat down, allowing Suzie to get into the back. As your sister slipped inside and the front seat returned to its place, you also got in. Bucky walked around the front of the car and sat behind the wheel, his gaze immediately falling on the box you were holding. 

“I made a carrot cake,” you explained.

He raised his eyebrows with astonishment. 

“Barnes don’t eat cakes?” 

“We do,” Bucky differed. You glanced at the way his hand landed on the stick and put it in the right gear. He threw his arm over your headrest to look at the back window, and you felt butterflies in your stomach again. “It’s just… Baking is so…”

“Yeah..?” 

“I don’t know, wifely?”

You watched the profile of Bucky's face as he focused on the road. “Is there anything else wifely in me?” 

Bucky smirked under his nose. When the car stopped at the first traffic light, he leered at you. “In you? I'd have to check.” He shrugged. “But those nightgowns you wear…” He pressed his lips together, shaking his head slowly. “Fuck,” he said almost soundlessly, as if he didn't want Suzie to hear it.

You rolled your eyes and smacked his arm, and he snorted a quiet laugh.

For the rest of the way, you didn’t really talk. You were worried that Suzie might feel uncomfortable, or worse, pick up something she wasn't supposed to hear. She was nearly an adult, besides, she had grown up in the same environment as you, nevertheless, you preferred to spare her the awkwardness.

Not long after you had left the city behind, the car turned into a road along which big old trees were growing; their interlocking tops formed a kind of tunnel. At its exit was a large, green plot of land, and you couldn't really tell where it ended. The house on it – tall, with a surrounding porch and walls covered with ivy in places – was probably as old as the trees.

Absorbed in the views behind the window, you didn't even notice that the car had stopped. You only became aware of it when Bucky opened the door for you. You got out, still scanning the surroundings with your eyes, and Bucky freed your sister.

“This place…” You began, and only after a moment glanced at Bucky. He stood next to you and tilted his head slightly to the side. “It’s beautiful here.”

Bucky gave you a half-smile, and this time you could see an undeniable softness and happiness on his face. You were able to tell that he had positive feelings about his family home.

The front door – solid, heavy, with a colourful, floral stained glass window – swung almost wide open. And although you had never really met her, you recognised Winnifred Barnes in the woman who stepped out onto the porch. At first glance, you saw a striking resemblance between her and Bucky – he had her whole face; her big blue eyes, straight nose and strong jaw. 

“Y/N, Suzanne,” Mrs. Barnes beamed warmly at you and your sister. “I’m glad you could make it. Come inside.”

“Thank you for inviting us.” You handed Winnifred the package. “It’s just a cake,” you rushed to clarify, seeing the premature delight on the woman's face.

“That is so sweet of you, Y/N. Jamie,” she turned to Bucky. “Take our guests to the dining room, please.”

Having climbed the few steps leading up to the porch, Bucky joined you.

“Jamie?” you repeated, your mouth curved into a smile.

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah.” He scratched his neck.

You got to the dining room, and although the number of people there exceeded your expectations, you didn't feel overwhelmed by the company. You recognised Timothy first, since you had seen him relatively recently, then Steve Rogers, as he also figured quite vividly in your consciousness. As for the rest, you weren't as sure.

You guessed that one of the young women sitting at the table, who was an almost perfect, and certainly the most faithful copy of Winnifred, was Rebecca Barnes. There was an infant on her lap, banging a spoon on the table top and bursting into laughter after every sound. Rebecca, most likely used to this kind of noise, didn't pay much attention to it; she was busy talking to the person sitting right next to her. This time you assumed it was Josephine Barnes. In fact, you were even sure of it, mainly because of the similarity she shared with Winnifred, Bucky and Rebecca. She only had slightly softer facial features and a not-so-piercing gaze; you also noticed the visible tan.

You almost missed the last one – with her nose in a book she was the least conspicuous. Mary, you guessed. You recalled that she was not much younger than your own sister.

“You okay?” Bucky asked quietly, and it wasn't his voice that revived you, but his fingers hooked on your elbow. You felt electricity radiating from that spot.

Before you had time to reply, something crashed into your legs and embraced them tightly. You looked down, where you spotted a little girl with a grin that missed a few teeth. 

“Hi!” She exclaimed. 

“Hi.” You couldn’t help but smile, too. 

“Oh, Daisy,” Rebecca groaned, clearly embarrassed by the child's behaviour. You therefore concluded that Daisy was her daughter. “Stop that.”

“It’s all right,” you declared immediately.��

Still, Bucky crouched down and pulled the child away from your legs, and this little fuss threw you into the spotlight. Everyone at the table stopped whatever they were just doing and focused on you.

“Jamie brought home a girl?” Josephine asked with surprise and a kind of hope. “How long have you been together?” 

“Is that your girlfriend?” Mary joined the conversation. “Oh, she’s pretty.”

You pressed your lips together in a slight smile; you hoped to avoid becoming the main attraction, on the other hand, you could breathe a sigh of relief – your efforts to make your appearance tolerable had paid off.

“Alright, that's enough.” Bucky gave his sisters a threatening glare.

“They are not a couple,” Timothy, sitting at the head of the table, spoke, drawing everyone's attention. “As far as I know,” he added, raising his eyebrows. “Y/N,” he said to you, his friendly smile didn't match the mysterious expression on the rest of his face. “Sit next to Steve. I insist.” 

You led your eyes in that direction. Indeed, there were two empty chairs between Mary and Steve – probably for you and Suzie. “Of course.” You nodded politely and made your way to that seat, peeking at your sister to check on her. Steve rose and pulled back a chair for you, and once you had taken your seat, you glanced at Bucky confused; Timothy's request seemed more than a little odd to you.

Bucky clenched his jaw. Previous experience allowed you to recognise when he wasn’t pleased, and that was exactly what he looked like at the moment.

Winnifred also appeared in the dining room. As the lady of the house, she sat at the other end of the table. Soon after, the first dishes were served and the room filled with sounds of conversation. The men were talking about baseball, then boxing, and although Bucky was actively involved in the discussion, he seemed a little distracted. Whenever you glimpsed in his direction, you caught him staring at you – you could see that he was a bit disappointed, perhaps even resentful, and there was something dark in his eyes; as if the sea in his irises was hit by a storm. Especially when Steve included you in a conversation, smiled or laughed at something you said.

Winnifred asked about your gallery, the upcoming exhibition, and about Suzie's school. She praised your cake. In exchange you learned that Mary was studying for her biology exam even at dinner, Rebecca had expanded little George's diet – the baby previously sitting on her lap – with more fruit, and Josephine had returned to New York on a short break from her college. 

You were worried that you would feel uncomfortable here, especially as Timothy separated you from the only person you knew, but the atmosphere in the Barnes home was like a warm, safe hug. Even Suzie found common ground with Mary, so you didn't have to be concerned about her comfort.

“How did you two meet?” Josephine asked, and when you looked at her without understanding, she nodded discreetly at Bucky.

“Oh, but we-”

“Yeah, I know.” Josephine waved her hand dismissively. “But I'm interested in every detail. I can't remember the last time Jamie brought someone home.”

You plastered a slight smile on your face, knowing that it wasn't Bucky who invited you here, but his mum. “Actually, we met through your uncle,” you answered. You didn't want to spoil the mood with the subject of a funeral or an arranged marriage. “Bucky…” You hesitated, taking a little more time to sort out what you should really say. “Helps me with some business.” You reached for the glass of wine standing in front of you and took a sip.

“Always helpful,” Rebecca sneered. You noticed that she has been passionately ignoring her brother, but until now you were convinced that this was just a mistaken impression. “And, of course, he wants the best for you, doesn't he?” She faked a smile. 

“Rebecca, honey-” Winnifred interjected softly, and when she did, the table fell silent.

“No, mom.” She shook her head, as if that would prevent Mrs. Barnes from getting a word in edgewise. “It's not fair that some random girl can sit here with us and the father of my children can't.” Tears of anger shone in Rebecca's eyes. “Excuse me,” she said, then got up and left the room. 

You felt guilty. Not because you may have actually taken an undeserved seat at the table, but instead of shame or anxiety, you were intrigued by this unexpected burst. You took another sip of wine.

“What happened to mommy?” Daisy asked. 

“Nothing, baby,” Winnifred told her gently. “She’ll get better.”

With suspicion, Daisy turned her head at Bucky. “Is that true?”

He pressed his lips together in a pale smile. “Of course, Junebug. Cross my heart.” Bucky put his hand on his chest. “How about we watch ‘Finn and Jake’?” He suggested with theatrical excitement, which Daisy shared immediately – she nodded eagerly. “Yeah?” Bucky grinned again, more relaxed this time.

Daisy ran up to him, grabbed the hand he had held out and dragged him out of the dining room. Bucky glimpsed at you, giving you an apologetic look.

Josephine leaned out and laid her eyes on you. “I’m going for a smoke, wanna join?”

Josephine led you to a gazebo in the garden. As she said, she offered you a cigarette, and you both leaned against the railing. The evening gloom was dispelled by the lamps on the lawn and the lighting inside the gazebo; it was getting unpleasantly cold outside, but you preferred the low temperature outside to the tense atmosphere at the table. 

“I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I don't want you to think that my sister is some spoiled bitch,” Josephine began, and you looked at her rather blankly. You didn't want to show too much that she made you curious. “His name was Robbie. The father of her children, as she called him,” she said with distaste. “He was part of the Family. Jamie recruited him, so the whole thing still bothers him. And Robbie was a fucking asshole from the beginning. He spent late nights in bars, gambled all their money away, hung out with other girls. When Daisy was born, it only got worse. He complained that Becca was neglecting him. Didn't help with the baby, disappeared from the house more often and for much longer…” She continued. “Rebecca's only problem is that she has a soft heart. She never said a bad word about Robbie, but everyone knew what was going on. She thought another baby would change him, that it would fix their relationship, but…” Josephine shrugged. She took a puff, and for a brief moment said nothing, staring into nowhere. “So Jamie got rid of him.”

Your brows drew together involuntarily. “What do you mean..?”

“No one knows what really happened to Robbie. He vanished into thin air and never contacted Becca again.”

You felt like a child who had just heard a blood-curdling ghost story. Actually, you only felt that way partly – on the other hand, you were even more fascinated by Bucky. “Well…” You sighed, shaking the excess ash off the end of your cigarette. “He did what he thought was right,” you commented. This time, too, you preferred to be careful, thus not claiming out loud that Bucky had done the right thing. 

“Not according to Becca. She's better than she was at the beginning, but it's still a touchy subject for her.” 

You finished your cigarettes in silence, and that silence helped you to sink into your own thoughts; to see Bucky in a slightly different light.

“Are you sure there's nothing between you and Jamie?” Josephine spoke, a teasing smirk on her face. “I saw the way he looked at you the whole dinner. I know my brother, and if I were Steve I would keep my distance from you,” she giggled.

Your lips twitched in a slight smile. You noticed it too, and although you weren't the only people at the table, you secretly hoped you were the only ones aware of what was going on.

You could have talked to Josephine about it; told her that Bucky had no right to be jealous. You were strictly focused on marrying someone and Bucky excluded himself at his own request. You could have shared all this with Josephine, thereby taking some of the weight off your shoulders. But you didn't want to involve her.

“I’m sure,” you said. “It's strictly business between him and me.”

“Speak of the devil.”

Following Josephine's gaze, you peeked over your shoulder. Bucky was heading to the gazebo. Having caught your eyes, he smirked softly. You struggled to take your eyes off his face and lowered them to his hands – he was holding a piece of cloth that you couldn't identify in the darkness. Only when Bucky got under the roof of the gazebo did you notice that he had brought a sweatshirt. Moreover, he put it gently over your shoulders.

“Thanks,” you murmured, surprised at the gesture, and glanced at Josephine. From the expression on her face, you were convinced that she wanted to say, So there's nothing between you two, right?

“You sneak out to smoke?” Bucky addressed his sister, his forehead creased. “What are you? Sixteen?” 

“Oh, fuck off.” Josephine rolled her eyes.

Bucky reached out his hand, so she handed him the packet and the lighter. With a cigarette between his lips, he looked stunningly – more rough and intimidating. 

“I'll leave you two alone,” Josephine suggested, grinning. She pushed herself away from the railing, and you two watched her leave.

You slipped your arms into the sleeves of the sweatshirt and wrapped yourself in it, discreetly inhaling the familiar scent. You looked at Bucky, and he again gave you a gentle smile; it reached his eyes as well. However, it faded soon after.

“I’m sorry about before. Becca-”

“I had this conversation with Josephine,” you stopped him. “I know what happened and I get it. I don't blame her for reacting the way she did. Anyway, she was right. I’m some random girl who-”

“You are not,” he protested immediately. His mouth set in a hard line as he was staring at you. “I-... I like you, Y/N.” 

Taking a sharp breath, you looked away. You shook your head in disbelief, tried to ignore the fact that your heart was beating harder than you would have wished. “I like you too, Bucky, but I can’t fall for you. I don’t want to.”

Bucky took his eyes off you only to put out his cigarette. Then he moved a step closer to you and hesitantly reached for your hand. You closed your eyes, then fixed them on his fingers – he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb, and you didn't protest. 

“I know,” he rasped. “But I just need to protect you. So please, let me protect you. Okay? Because I feel like everything is getting out of my control. And I’m fucking tired of it.” 

You raised your gaze to his eyes. He glared into them pleadingly and with some kind of fear, as if your rejection would shatter him into a million pieces. You nodded slightly, unsure if you really did; if you really agreed to fall under his protection.

taglist: @goldensunflowe-r @nefri-black @vickie5446 @learisa @sjsmith56 @aya-fay @hhiggs @wishingwell-2 @buckysgirl01 @emily-roberts @prettylittlepluviophile @leakingston

[hauntedliz]

Tagged by the beloved @toads-treasures to talk about my writerly ways. :)

When did you start writing?

I've been writing for a very, very long time. I had so many spiral note books with drawings and little stories. I remember in first grade my friends and I wrote stories about us and our friends being superheroes. I was a writer and THE illustrator, and I still have the notebook where I drew all of us. Before that I would wander around recess just making up songs and after that I got way too involved in imaginary recess plot lines. My friends grew out of it, and I did not. So writing was the best option. It's harder now. It sounds dramatic, but I wonder if sometimes the burnout is too deep and it's all tainted. Other parts of me have healed since college, but this part still feels broken.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I think the things I read are pretty similar to what I like to write: romance, fantasy, horror, mystery. Though I do read a lot of Star Wars content, and I don't know I could ever write in that world. I love it SO much, but I'd be so afraid to forget something or mess it up. I'm not really interested in other scifi at the moment.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors right now. Her romances have all the fun stuff, but they also hit something deep in my heart. It's not just romance and fun tropes, there is something very human and personal there. I think Shirley Jackson's stories and incrdibly cool. The Magnus Archives altered by brain in a way that will not be undone. I can think of a lot of writers I'd be honored to get compared to from both published stories and fanfics.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

My writing space is wherever the mood strikes. I feel the most free at my job when I have some free time and can zone out into my thoughts. We won't think too hard about that. At home, my desk is kind of cluttered, but there are things I love all around. My bookshelf is to my left if I ever need inspiration or guidance.

I like cramming words onto notebook pages and writing in different directions to throw off my perfectionist tendancies. It can't be that important if I am writing it sideways, right?

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

One song. On repeat. As long as it takes. (Could be multiple, but usually one is THE muse)

Also talking to toad. I honestly work best with a partner.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

When I realize my themes have been recurring I am usually surprised at first, but then it makes sense. While making OCs with toad I realized just how often I inflict oldest sibling disease on my characters. Lots of sibling dynamics. Loss and grief come up a lot but that's not really an accident. There are lots of things to lose and be haunted by. I very purposely try to put parts of myself I struggle with in my ocs I think it's important.

"And I think I was always writing for myself, to sort through my loss and worry and tangled ambitions. Even now, I think about how effortless it is to lose oneself in words, and yet also find who you are." -Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

"Literature, for all of us, is a way that we rehearse life. And, of course, I don’t have that much life left. I’ve already experienced everything that one can experience. But kids who are ten years old, they have it all in front of them, and some of it is going to be very, very hard. When they read about people experiencing those hard things, they rehearse how they would react, feeling it without having to truly feel it yet. It serves a valid purpose for them." -Lois Lowry interview

What’s your reason for writing?

Fun.

See above quote.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Seeing people get excited about my characters or the things I come up with makes me extremely happy. It doesn't matter if it's a keyboard smash or detailed list of things you liked. I don't forget kind words. I also like making toad use sobbing crying emojis in response to my ideas so that too.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Very little. Think about the story or the character, pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain. Otherwise I'd say always kindly, but with the occassional fist shaken in my direction for angst.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I'm really not sure. For a writer I sure haven't written much lately. I used to say my dialogue.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Depends on how much time has passed since I last read it. While I'm writing it? I hate it, my own words are so annoying. It's because I have read and thought about them a hundred times and the perfectionism really sours things. When I can seperate myself I think it can be really good. I mainly just wish I could finish it.

[chainofclovers]

Hopefully you don't mind if I slightly breach tumblr etiquette (?!) to reblog with thoughts since you invited hearing theories! We are strangers to each other and I could picture myself accidentally filling like three of the little reply bubbles. 😂

So, I think your criticisms are totally valid--either you feel invested in particular characters or arcs or you don't. But I do want to share why I've personally felt invested in the KJPR arc and why I don't necessarily think it's building to something massive and why I think that may be the point.

I've always seen Ted and Keeley as mirror characters in a lot of ways. She's the first person to genuinely welcome him to London. Their personalities are really similar, in that they're both intelligent and thoughtful people who are frequently underestimated, albeit for different reasons and similar ones. They're both bubbly, warm, and playful. They both struggle deeply with abandonment. They both seem to respond to adversity with a hefty drink, an attitude adjustment, and a sense that if they stop moving it's gonna get real bad.

The three-season arc of Ted Lasso is about the beginning, middle, and--I assume--the end of Ted's time coaching at AFC Richmond. This is a massive life change that has a ripple effect on the entire ensemble cast. Despite being hired under false pretenses and having a relatively uneven performance as coach, it would be difficult to overestimate the cultural shifts that have occurred because Rebecca managed in spite of herself to bring the exact right person into her life and many others' lives at exactly the right time.

And so I'm actually obsessed with the idea that Keeley got a seemingly random email about funding for a business she did not ask for. She wasn't conscious of looking for space from Roy or for an adventure of her own, but it was handed to her seemingly out of the blue. (Or was it?) It mirrors Ted's journey so well that I almost wonder sometimes if we'll find out something nefarious about how Jack's VC firm gets its money--not because I think Jack is evil, but because I think Jack's dad almost definitely is. (And of course, Rebecca isn't evil. She's wonderful. But I still think there are some cool parallels.)

I don't agree with how the writers handled Shandy's departure--I thought that story was going to be about Keeley being on the other side of a mentorship relationship and learning how to navigate uncomfortable things like giving feedback to a former friend turned direct report.

I did feel very drawn to Jack and like we did get enough time to feel the chemistry between her and Keeley. The fast connection and fast-moving relationship felt very real to me, and I loved that their relationship ended up developing Rebecca's character a lot; in the past, Rebecca has felt unable to provide feedback and express concerns on other people's romantic relationships, but she figured out a way to articulate her past experiences with love bombing and emotional abuse/manipulation without making judgmental assumptions about Jack. She was supportive of Keeley's feelings while making it clear that Keeley deserves the best. For me, those insights alone work as a connection point between Keeley's arc and the rest of the show, even though I understand that a person less obsessed with Keeley and Rebecca's relationship than I am might feel differently.

And Barbara! My favorite part of this storyline! Barbara is the anti-Keeley in some ways. Her frustration at Keeley's naiveté reminds me of Nate's very understandable frustration at Ted holding this unearned position of authority. I feel certain that Barbara holds the key to Keeley unlocking some additional truths about herself.

I don't know if Keeley's arc will end with the shuttering of KJPR, or if something incredible will happen to allow the business to thrive, or if it will ultimately fade to something kinda normal...an opportunity that Keeley might choose to leave someday (you're so right that it doesn't really feel like her passion in life) but that taught her some valuable stuff along the way. I actually kind of love the idea that KJPR might be just another life phase, something that didn't end up fitting her very well, because that's such an interesting contrast to the magical, intense, life-changing, challenging experiences Ted has had with coming to London and doing something entirely outside of his comfort zone and having to navigate all the family challenges and bubbling up of old grief that the changes brought up for him. Not everything in life is as monumental as Ted's time at Richmond.

I'm hoping that Keeley and Roy find their way back to each other, and I think that even with the limited number of hours left to tell this story, there's a way for them to reconnect that will feel meaningful. They've already got a foundation together, and none of that work got erased by the time spent apart. They've also weathered some really painful and challenging communication points during the breakup. I would be more skeptical that this would be possible if it weren't for the (again Rebecca-fueled) revelations Roy has about himself in 3x9 as it becomes clear that he has what it takes to not only coach the sport of football but to support the footballers as human beings, and to represent them effectively in the press.

Because of Keeley's experiences this season, she's learned how to set expectations for the people she works with (well, she's on a non-linear journey with this one, but she's made a lot of progress, my favorite being when she lets Barbara know why it was inappropriate that she disrespected Shandy), she's learned that she's not going to become an expert in a vacuum but needs the expertise and patience of other people, she's gotten to have a fling that could have turned into something more, and she was able to navigate the painful truth that no matter how much she wanted the thing with Jack to be more, it wasn't worth sacrificing her own sense of self-worth or apologizing something she wasn't ashamed of. (And yes, I think she learned that lesson even if her fears of abandonment made her send Jack lots of slightly crazy texts. And in some ways, Keeley's communication style here is a bit of a callback to her mirror character Ted, who is still struggling a lot with his feelings about the end of his marriage but spent that night in Amsterdam texting Rebecca a whole lot. Now, I see Jack as a passerby in Keeley's life who she's going to have to learn from and move on from, whereas Rebecca is a soulmate who I think will be a part of Ted's life forever no matter where he ends s3. But still! Mirrors!)

I don't have any strong predictions as to whether there will be any wild revelations about the VC firm funding KJPR or any big professional changes coming for Keeley in the last few episodes, but I've been vibing with my Keeley - Ted parallels (and big contrasts!) and enjoying her journey.

(SORRY TO HIJACK YOUR POST, KIND STRANGER!)

being critical for a moment!

i guess my big fear with Keeley’s arc is that I can’t imagine it ever feeling relevant. this show has surprised me before, but I can’t see how any of this will hit deep or have a grand pay off? We have 3 episodes left.

If she keeps the company or doesn’t, who cares, we don’t have a big emotional investment in this company & I haven’t been sold that Keeley does either. There doesn’t seem to be a big PR crisis at Richmond she could help solve. Jack and Shandy are both gone and both were characters we were never allowed to actually invest in. Romantically, if she gets back with Jamie that won’t work for me as of rn - each time there’s been a moment with them it’s followed by her longing after Jack. As for Roy, is there enough time for them both to grow enough for me to believe they’re coming back together stronger? I’m not so sure. But I also really do not believe I’d be sold on the ‘independent woman’ ending for her either.

I know I’m jumping ahead, but I really don’t know what will make her arc feel complete come series end. (lmk ur theories if u do believe it’s building to something big)

[fan4196]

Happiness

Evermore

"- Ok, bye." Alex hangs up his phone after the probably weirdest call he ever had to take. This call makes him feel every kind of emotion mixed together into one big snowball of emotions - joy, happiness, excitement, but also regret, sadness, even anger and shame. Out of all of them shame is probably the strongest - shame that he again is the reason that another person has to suffer. He hates himself for always dragging other people down with him. That he's the reason they go crazy, get cancer, leave him or end up hurt. The last person he dragged down with him was the one person he never ever wanted to entangle into all of his problems, but she turned out to be the only person that was always more than willing to help him through all of his crap and loved him unconditionally with all his flaws.

He keeps looking down on his phone for a few more seconds, before he puts it down on the coffee table and buries his face in his hands.

"Who was that?" Izzie asks as she walks into the living room, a plate in her hand from the snack the twins just had in the kitchen.

"Jo." He answeres quietly, as he looks up again but avoiding Izzies look.

"As in your Ex-wife, Jo?" Izzie askes surprised, fiddling with the plate in her hand.

He nodds before he watches Izzie standing in the door between the kitchen and the living room.

"You should sit down." He suggests quietly, stroking his hand through his hair.

"Ok?!" She walks into the living room and sits down opposite of Alex, waiting for him to start.

"She- she's pregnant." Alex begins, not knowing how to continue, while a million thoughts run through his head.

"Ahm. Ok? Well good for her. That means she moved on rather quickly. That's good, right?" Izzie answeres, pretending to be happy for Alex's ex-wife, even though she has no idea why his ex felt the need to call him and rub this under his nose.

"No, Izzie. It's mine. I'm the father." He explains to the woman on the other side of the coffee table, "She said she had all the symptoms, so she took a test this morning and it was positiv. She also did a blood test at the hospital during her lunch break and it came back positive too. She also saw Doctor DeLuca, the OB/Gyn at Grey-Sloan, when she was done with her shift and had her first ultrasound - she's already thirteen weeks. She said she wasn't sure if she should call me but she wanted me to know - she wanted me to know that she's having my baby. And that it was up me if I want to be in their life or not. She has a whole damn village taking care of her, but she would never keep me away from my kid. She's due at the end of June and if I want to be there she would be ok with it. Her voice was so happy, you should have heard her. I always knew that she would be a great mom. She never believed me considering her past but I knew that her past only made her stronger and prepared her to be the best mom possible for our kids. And her laugh, I missed her laugh-" He stops after the last sentence he said.

He really tries to be as happy as he could for his kids - which he is, he's happy to be in their lives but nevertheless there's something missing. He knows that but he doesn't want to admit it. His kids should be enough to make him completely happy, right? But he's not, not entirely and he hates it. He hates that a piece of his heart is still in Seattle. He feels so selfish for wishing that she was here. That she was here with him. That she could meet his kids and that he could see his kid growing inside of her.

Just the thought of Jo with a cute little bump, that she hides under his shirts lets his heart flutter. Since the day he knew he wanted to spent the rest of his life with her he often found himself day dreaming about their future - about her lying next to him in bed, snuggled into his side while he paints circles on her big baby belly, calming the little one inside of her down so she could sleep after a long day of work. Something he was also almost one hundred percent sure of - that she would work until the day of her due date. He could see himself getting pulled out of a surgery because she went into labor while she was in an OR herself. He had already painted everything out but now everything is different - completely different.

It's silent in the living room. Izzie's not saying a word. Noticeably shocked, not knowing what to say right now.

"Are you sure?" She asks the first thing that comes to her mind.

"What?"

"Are you really sure it's yours?" She clarifies her question, a little annoyed because he wasn't listening.

"Are you serious?" He can't believe that she really asks this right now. "Of course I'm sure. She's thirteen weeks along, I'm here since ten weeks. Even if it wouldn't add up, I believe Jo if she says that I'm the father-"

"What if she's lying? Maybe she's further or fewer along than she says. Maybe she cheated on you and now tries to tell you that it's yours just to get you back into her life. Or she's not pregnant at all. What if this is just a trick to get you back?" Izzie asks, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Ok stop right there. What the hell, Izzie?" He replies angrily, ruffly pushing himself up from the couch. "I will not listen to all of this crap. What the hell? I will also not accept you talking bad about Jo. Hell no!" He's about to walk out of the living room, not wanting to hear any more of the crap Izzie has to say.

"But-"

"NO, IZZIE THERE IS NO BUT. FOR ONCE THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU. THIS IS ABOUT ME. MY LIFE. MY JO. MY KID. THIS HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, SO YOU HAVE NO SAYING IN THIS." He screams angrily, letting everything out that he had bottled up inside of himself for so long.

"Of course it has something to do with me. It means I'm losing you to her."

"Oh my God. It's exactly like that one time I thought Rebecca was pregnant with my child. Back then you also tried to talk everything bad. And even though Rebecca's pregnancy was fake, Jo's isn't. Jo's pregnancy is real and if you like it or not I will support her. I will be there for my kid, no matter what you say. Because she's pregnant with my child and I will be the father that kid deserves, because Jo made me that kind of guy. Also Jo would never lie to me about something like that. She's not like that; she knows how much I would give for every single one of my children." He pauses for a moment, when he realizes something.

"Alex- It's just- I'm afraid that I'm losing you now that I just have you back." She answers with tears in her eyes.

"Izzie you are not losing me, because you never had me. I came here for one reason and one reason only - my kids. If it would have only been you I would have never left my wife because you told me so many times that I'm not good enough for you. I tried so hard to be good enough for you - I changed so much and pretend to be someone I'm not, but it was never enough for you. And now that you had my kids you want me back? Now all of my flaws don't bother you? No. You only want me because you have no one else and that's no one's fault but your own. Jo on the other side always wanted me exactly how I was. She never changed me, she never tried to, she never told me that I'm not good enough for her. No, she always told me that I'm too good for her. She accepted me like I am. She respects me so much that she puts my needs before hers. God, she told me to stay here to be with my kids, other than begging me to come back home to her. She's freaking pregnant with my child, she would have every right to tell me to get my ass back home, but she doesn't. She wants me to do what's best for me. She loved me enough to let me go and live with my kids instead or her and my baby."

It's silent again. No one's saying a word for a minute.

"So you are staying?" Izzie asks, breaking through the awkward silence.

Alex is not answering, everything he would say now wouldn’t be nice. So he storms out of the house into the frontyard, where his kids are playing. He sits down on the porch step and watches his kids, when he hears the notification noise of his phone, he pulls it out of his back pocket and looks down on it. It's a message from Jo, which he immediately opens and his heart skips a beat as soon as he sees the picture in front of him - an ultrasound picture with Jos neatly handwriting underneath: Someone wants to say 'hi'.

He can't but smile.

"Daddy, what are you smiling about?" His daughter asks as she sits down beside Alex on the steps, a little out of breath from running around in the frontyard.

"Nothing, Alexis." He answers with a smile, locking his phone while he puts a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"But I want to know, daddy. I wanna smile too." She begs, looking at him with her big puppy dog eyes.

"Well- I told you about Jo once, right?" He asks, getting a nod from his daughter.

"Yes, she looks just like Bell from Beauty and the Beast." She answeres.

"She called me today and told me that she is having a baby. And that makes me really happy." He explains, unlocking his phone and turning it towards Alexis. "Look she send me this picture of the baby. It's still very little, you almost can't see it. It's still in her tummy, that's why the picture looks like this, it's an ultrasound picture." He tells his daughter child appropriate so she understands everything.

"We should visit her, daddy." Alexis tells him simply still looking at the picture on his phone.

"But the baby isn't born yet. It will be in Jo's tummy for another six months." He replies.

"I don't mean the baby, daddy. I mean Jo. She makes you happy and I like that." His five year old says, smiling at her dad.

"If it would be that easy, Alexis." He sighs, putting one arm around his daughter, holding her tight while she tips on his handy.

"It is easy, daddy. We go to the airport, get into the right plane and fly to her. And then you are as happy as you were here." She points towards Alex phone, the picture of their ferry boat wedding showing.

-

@thejolexgroupchat

[imaginationintowords]

Folklore [song series]

invisible strings

Modern Day AU! Bucky Barnes x Natasha Romanoff; Steve Rogers x OC!Reader

Plot: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore. The story follows the timeline of Bucky and Elizabeth’s life throughout the years

Word count: 3401

[ a/n: thank you so much for all the love and support. We’re almost done with this series! If I forgot to tag you please let me know! Also the ending is a bit lackluster but decided to save the best one for something special for the last chapter]

Age: 21

Year: June/July 2015

Location: CA & NY

"Thank-you all for coming and christening our new place," Thor thanks everyone, as he and Loki stood up at the dining table in their lit up backyard.

"Now there's one person I want to thank, my love," Thor said, reaching his hand out to Wanda who was sat to his left, Loki took his seat back down, "My love, I just want to thank-you for being by my side these last two years. I have never been as happy as I am with anyone else. Now I'm not very good with my words, but what I do know is how I feel about you. The love I have for you exceeds anything else."

"So, I just need to ask you this one question," he says, bending down on one knee, holding Wanda's left hand, while holding the ring box in the other, "Will you, Wanda Maximoff marry me?

"Yes," she cried out, throwing her arms around Thor's neck.

Everyone got up to cheer the newly engaged couple.

Steve and Elizabeth laid naked in her bed, comfortably in each other's presence after the night's activities.

"I can't believe Wanda and Thor are engaged," Elizabeth said, as Steve rubbed her arm as she laid on his chest.

"He's been talking about it for the last year," Steve tells her, "Said he didn't want to scare her off."

"Guess I'm going to have to find a new roommate," she jokes.

"Well actually, I was thinking."

"You better not be proposing to me post sex, while we're naked in bed," Elizabeth playfully jabbed his chest, looking up at him from his chest.

"No, no," Steve lets out a hearty laugh, "Not yet. We still have time for that."

"I was actually thinking, why don't we get a place together. After graduation," Steve suggests.

"What about your job?"

"I can commute," he says, "I'll be done with school in May. You still have law school after graduation, and I have no doubt Stanford is going to accept you into their law program, so you don't have to move."

"What if I don't get accepted?"

"I highly doubt you won't, but if you don't, I'm sure Columbia will snatch you up. And I'd follow you, wherever you go."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked, surprised he would even say that.

"Yeah. There's a lot of architect firms out there, and I'm sure my boss will give me a nice recommendation."

"I couldn't ask that of you Steve," Elizabeth said, getting off of his chest to sit up, grabbing the blanket to cover her chest.

"Which is why I'm offering. I want to do that Liz. This right here," he sits up, and gestures to the both, "This is all I want. So please, if it comes time for that, just let me."

"Okay. Promise you won't resent me?" She asks, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

"Never," he seriously says, pulling her in for a kiss, and back into his arms.

As they laid in bed, Steve notices Liz is lost in her thoughts.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Us, and everything that's lead us to this moment. Like there were some invisible strings leading me to you," she tells him.

"Yeah, you're correct," he ponders.

"Like everything that's happened, happened for a reason. We weren't supposed to be with each other then otherwise we probably wouldn't have made it out of high school."

"You don't think?" Steve asked.

"No, because we wouldn't have been the people we are now. Let's be real here Steve, you and I are not Bucky or Peggy. We're dreamers. Full on happy ending believing people who happened to be with realists at the time. We would've been so naive about the world outside of Brooklyn," Elizabeth says.

"We had never truly experienced pain in the way that we did. If we didn't go through senior year the way that we did, we wouldn't be here. Not specifically together or in California. But we would be stuck in a life where we forced ourselves to be happy. Where we didn't have room to grow. Room to experience a different way of life. We would've been who we were as 16 year olds. And don't get me wrong but that's no way to be."

"I'm glad this happened when it did," she says tilting her head to look at Steve's face.

"Me too," he smiled kissing the top of her head.

"Wow, my arm is so tired from lugging this ring around," Wanda announces walking into Elizabeth's room where she was packing things into a suitcase.

"Must be so exhausting," Liz teases as Wanda takes a seat on her bed.

"Incredibly," Wanda smiled, "How's the packing going?"

"Good, I have everything I'll need for the next two weeks," Liz tells her, "You guys are flying in two days before Steve's birthday right?"

"Yup! Thor seems to be more excited about Steve turning 21 than he is," Wanda laughs, "Next up will be you next month. Vegas won't be ready for us."

"Thor really is going out for all of our 21st birthdays, is he."

"He's excited we're all legally allowed to drink," Wanda says.

"So," Wanda shifted in her seat, "Are you guys going to the baby shower?"

"Yeah we are," Liz nodded her head, "Things have been better, and Steve really wants to be there for Bucky, and so do I."

"How are you feeling about it all?"

"Honestly, if Bucky is happy then so am I."

"It doesn't bother you even the slightest that he's having a baby with the woman he cheated on you with?"

"No," Liz shakes her head, "We've both moved on and grew from our situation. I'm happy with Steve, truly 100% happy. I know in my heart that Steve is the one."

"Whoa, wait, back that up," Wanda immediately shot up from her spot on the bed, "He's the one?"

"Yeah," Liz bascule smiles, her cheeks turning a slight pink.

"I mean, I knew that you loved him, but I don't think you've ever said out loud that he was the one."

Elizabeth shrugs her shoulders trying to fight off the huge grin that wants to spread across her face, "Well he is."

"Wow, umm this is great news," Wanda says looking around the room.

"What's wrong?" Liz asks taking in Wanda's sudden mood change.

"I just," Wanda coughed, trying to fight back the ball in her throat, her eyes tearing up, "I'm so happy for you. God this ring is making me incredibly emotional."

"Aw Wands," Elizabeth pulled her into a hug.

"You just deserve to be with someone who truly thinks the world of you and would move those worlds for you," Wanda cries in Liz's shoulder, "I just remember you telling me all about the shit you went through with Bucky in high school, and then the crap he put you through freshman year. You were just so over the idea of love. Even with steve you were so cautious, so just to hear you say that he's the one. I'm just so incredibly happy."

Elizabeth hugged Wanda tightly, tears streaming down her face. It meant the world to her to hear Wanda say those things. She felts so incredibly lucky to have a friends like her in her life.

"I better be your maid of honor," Wanda teased pulling away and wiping her tears, "Because you already know you're mine."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We still need to get a baby shower gift for tomorrow," Elizabeth told Steve as they lounged around his childhood bedroom. Steve was sat at his desk sketching, while Elizabeth laid in his bed reading a book.

"I can do that if you want," Steve offered, not wanting to make Elizabeth uncomfortable no matter how many times she's told him she was fine.

"Somehow I don't think I can trust you getting the correct gift," Elizabeth teased.

"Babies like legos right?" He teased back, getting up to join her on the bed, laying his head down on her stomach.

"We can go together, I still need to get a few things for the party next weekend," she said playing with his hair.

Steve hummed in response, feeling himself getting tired, "A quick little nap and we'll go."

"Sounds good," she smiled at the man snuggled up on her.

The next day the couple were walking into the Barnes' backyard, hand-in-hand with a gift bag.

They were both instantly greeted by Bucky's mother Winnie.

"Oh you two made it!" She enthusiastically greeted them, pulling them both into a hug.

"Of course. We wouldn't have missed it," Steve smiled at her.

"Thank-you," she turned to Liz and grabbed her hand, "both of you. James really appreciates it. We all do. Especially with everything that has happened, he's going to need his best friends."

"You don't have to thank us," Liz says, "We'll always be there for Bucky. No matter what happens."

"Well thank-you," she smiles, and then turns to Steve, "Steve the men have been sent inside, so you can see your way inside."

"Already getting pushed aside," he jokes.

He placed a kiss on Elizabeth's cheek, "I'll be inside if you need me."

She nodded her head, then glanced around the yard and caught eye contact with an old high school classmate, Natasha's friend, rolling her eyes at the couple.

She cleared her throat, "Where do the gifts go?"

"Over at that table where Rebecca is at," Winnie smiled, and pointed to the table to the right where Rebecca was organizing all the gifts. Liz thanked her and made her way over.

Liz couldn't help but start to feel a bit uncomfortable. She hadn't planned for she and Steve to be separated for the entire party. She didn't really know anyone here, aside from Bucky's family, where things were still a bit awkward after last summer.

Even though things were good between Steve, Bucky, and her, it was still awkward. She and Natasha don't have the best history, they still haven't talked everything out, clear the air. Not that Nat owed Elizabeth a conversation, she just thought that now that things were okay, maybe them two can work on their relationship, for the sake of Bucky. But whenever Liz tried to reach out Nat would just say that she was busy, so she didn't push it. Not with Natasha being pregnant, plus she figured now that she was in town for two weeks that maybe they could get together for a quick chat.

"Hey Liz," Rebecca greeted her, a sigh of relief to see a friendly face.

"Hey Bec," she smiled, hugging the teen.

"God, I'm so glad to see you," Rebecca said pulling back from the hug, "Some of these girls are real bitches."

Liz was taken back for a second hearing Rebecca swear, it's sometimes hard to believe that tiny little toddler is now this young lady about to enter her senior year of high school.

"I'm sure they're not so bad," Liz said trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Really? Because they're looking at you like you just murdered their entire family," Rebecca said.

Elizabeth turned around to see Natasha's friends huddled in a semi-circle around Natasha, all whispering and glaring at her. She turned back around to Rebecca and gave her a force smile.

Rebecca felt bad at bringing that to Liz's attention. Liz was always so nice to her, and even continues to keep in contact with her especially when Rebecca needs any help or advice.

"I can take that," she said trying to change the subject.

"Thank-you," she quietly said, handing over the gift bag to Rebecca.

"They're just jealous," Rebecca tells her, "Even with having my brother's child, Natasha still can't find it in her cold hearted heart to be nice to you."

"She doesn't owe me anything."

"Now that's not true. She owes you a lot, and the least she can do is be nice, especially with my mother throwing her this baby shower and allowing her to live with us until she and Bucky find a place."

"She's living here?" Elizabeth asked, surprised to hear that. Bucky never mentioned Nat living with them, they did know that they were looking at places closer to his job and school.

"Yeah, she moved in probably two months ago, when she really started to show," Rebecca tells her, "Apparently she hadn't told her dad, and once she started showing she had to confess. He kicked her out. Said she was ruining her life."

"That's intense," Elizabeth said.

"Yup. So my mom and Keith are letting her stay until they find a place of their own," Rebecca says, "And as much as I love my brother I can't wait til she's gone. He's an idiot for knocking her up."

"She can't be that bad," Liz said trying to give Nat the benefit of the doubt.

"Trust me Liz, she is. Being pregnant has made her a complete devil," Rebecca stresses, "My mom is way too nice to have that be the mother of her first grandchild."

Before Liz could respond to that, someone came up behind her.

"Oh Becky, I wanted the gifts to be color coordinated," Natasha remarked, with her hand on her belly.

"My mom told me to do it by size," Rebecca rolled her eyes, "And my name's Rebecca."

"But Becky is so cute."

"No it's not," Rebecca argued.

"Hi Natasha," Elizabeth awkwardly greeted, breaking up the conversation.

"Oh hi Elizabeth," Natasha stiffly said, forcing a smile on her face as she rubs her belly, "Didn't think you would show up."

"Oh, well Steve told Bucky we were coming," she explains.

"Of course he did."

"You look pretty," Elizabeth complimented her to try and break the tension.

"I know. I'm absolutely glowing carrying Bucky's child," she replied with a snarky tone.

"I'm really happy for you both."

"Sure you are," she rolled her eyes.

"No, I truly am. That's why I actually wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if maybe we can get together sometime this next week, to talk," Liz suggests.

"There's no need," Nat tells her, "I get what you're doing. You think that getting on my good graces will put you in Bucky's good graces, but I hate to break it to you, that's not going to happen. I'm trying my best here to be polite to you, but once this baby is born, I'll make sure Bucky no longer makes time for you and Steve. I am his life now, and we don't have space in it for you both."

"Nat-"

"Thanks for the gift, hopefully the gift receipt is in the bag," Natasha fake smiled, "Enjoy the party."

"Fix the gifts Becky," she turned to Rebecca enunciating 'Becky', before walking away to go back to her friends.

"Told you she was the devil," Rebecca commented, ignoring Natasha's request.

"Yeah, you weren't lying," Elizabeth turned to look at Nat who was laughing with her friends.

Steve and Elizabeth said their final goodbyes a couple of hours later, and walked back to their rental car.

"That went well, don't you think?" Steve commented on as he started the car.

"Yeah it did," she lied.

Elizabeth decided it was probably best not to bring it up to Steve. He and Bucky just fixed their relationship, that she was afraid if she told Steve that Bucky wouldn't believe them. She would just have to hope that Bucky wouldn't allow their friendship to take another hit. She had faith that their friendship was stronger than that.

"Do you mind if we made a stop somewhere?" Steve asks her as he pulls away from the curb.

"No, of course not."

"Perfect. We just have to make one quick pit stop before," he says a few minutes later, parking in a parking lot of a cafe.

Steve walked back out of the cafe with a picnic basket.

"What's that for?" She asked smiling as he got in, putting the basket in the backseat.

"Just wait and see," he winked.

15 minutes later they were pulling up to a park.

"A park?"

"Thought we could have an impromptu picnic date," he smiles, "Wait here."

He got out of the car and grabbed the basket from the backseat. She heard him close and open the trunk. He then opened her door.

"Mi lady," he held his hand open for her to take.

"Oh why thank-you kind sir," she giggled taking his hand.

He led her to a nice spot on top of a hill, overlooking the park.

"Can you hold this for me real quick," he asked, holding out the picnic basket for her.

She took it from him as he laid out the blanket. Steve took the basket back and started to unpack the contents and laid them out on the blanket for them.

"A little dinner at sunset," he offered his hand so she can sit down next to him on the blanket.

"This was perfect Steve," she kissed his cheek, as they finished off their little dinner.

"Just thought I'd thank-you for coming with me today," he says wrapping his arm around her, as she leaned into him.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I know I don't, but I want to. I know you say you were fine with today, and I completely believe you, but I also know that even if you're okay with it, it's still can be uncomfortable," he says, "So I just want to show you how appreciative I am of you."

"I love you," she leans her head up to capture his lips with her's.

Age: 27

Year: 2021

Location: Brooklyn, NY

"Steve whats with the blind fold," Elizabeth giggled in the passenger seat of their rental car.

"It's a surprise," he laughed, "Now just be patient, we're almost there."

"Steve, come on you know I hate surprises."

"You liked the last surprise I gave you," he teased.

"It was a kitten, that's different," she smiled.

"You still loved it," he said, "Plus we're here already."

"Oh that was quick," she said reaching to take her blindfold off.

"Don't," he warned her, "Not yet."

Steve helped her out of the car, and linked their arms together as he led her to the surprise.

"Okay, we're here," he nervously said, he took her blindfold off.

Liz adjusted her eyes after being in the dark for the past 30 minutes. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a lantern lit up picnic on top of the hill at the park.

"Surprise," Steve said behind her.

Liz turned around to find Steve down on one knee, with an opened ring box.

"Steve," she gasped.

He took her left hand into his own.

"Elizabeth Carolina Sanchez, words can't even explain how much I am in love with you, but I'm going to try. I don't think i can remember back to a time where you weren't a part of my life, and honestly i don't want to. You've made me so incredibly happy these last almost seven years, and no matter how much I say I'm appreciate of you, i don't think it's ever going to be enough. Getting to wake up to you every day to you smiling at me, honestly i don't think there's a greater thing in the world. I'd give the entire world, if it meant that I got to see you smile every day of my life. I don't ever want to imagine a life without you. You've made me the best person I could ever want to be. There's not a day that doesn't go by where you don't continuously tell me how proud you are of me, and the endless amount of support and love you've given me. There's no one I'd rather spend my entire life with. Start a family with. Be a family with. So, Elizabeth, will you do me the greatest honor of marrying me?"

"Yes," Elizabeth choked out, as the tears streamed down her face. She lunged herself into Steve's arms and kissed him.

"I love you so much," she cried.

"I love you too," he said, pulling her into another kiss.

They pulled away, and Steve placed the ring on her finger.

"I love you," she said again.

[cherish--these--times]

I think this is an extremely valid way to look at it. Thank you for sharing.

I would like to express the nuances I perceive if you'll allow me. :)

The thing with "Ted Lasso" is, it subverts expectations. And not in a way that they tend to do nowadays when they choose the most shocking crap they can think of to surprise us, even when sometimes it feels utterly out of character (Game of Thrones, I'm looking at you).

What Ted Lasso does is, it doesn't so much seek to satisfy the audience as much as it ascribes to what makes sense for their characters; in ways that feel rooted in reality. Real relationships. Real life. With all the messiness and inconsistencies that this implies, but ultimately staying true to what was established about their personalities.

Ted stopped being the crutch that people could rely on, that is true. And I think we very understandibly felt a little adrift ourselves as a result. Because it felt good for a while to see someone, a nurturing man (you hit it on the nail on that one) care for other people. It hurt when it stopped. You want to shake him when he doesn't run after Nate to tell him his Christmas gift is in his bedroom. But he was in no place to address that. So far under that he was. Which is very human and a very bold move on the part of the writers to make. It would have been satisfying. But not in the long run.

Because what he did was something far greater than merely holding people's hands. Sure, it's nice. But instead he showed everyone around him the way so they could walk by themselves.

The most brilliant example of this is of course Rebecca. He forgave her. She then found her way back to herself, by herself, and became to other people what Ted has been for her. Trent is another stellar example of this. Nate is well on his way there.

When we first met Ted, he was on shaky grounds due to the uncertainties of his family life. But stable enough to do what he did best, show kindness and look after other people. This effectively fell by the wayside around the end of season 1 when he started to crumble himself, with season 2 exploring that further. But boy, Ted is back! In the last episode, we saw the closest to "season 1 Ted" in a looooong time. Baking biscuits for Keeley because he knew she was sad. Breaking into song for no reason than because he likes it and he knows it cheers people up. Making a point of showing support to Colin in a very important way, that goes beyond the customary acceptance (which remains important).

The writers have been attempting something very important and brave. Season 1 was a Trojan horse to catch people's interest. And then they demonstrated the brilliance of The Lasso Way. Which is in effect a philosophy of life which, if followed closely, can change the world for the better. Because it's based on working from within. It's beautiful.

This is going to be long and sort of a bummer, so if you’re enjoying this season of Ted Lasso and are satisfied with Ted and Rebecca’s individual and joint storylines don’t let me ruin it, just scroll past.

Afficher davantage

[vhaerath]

Mwah, mwah, blows you a kiss.

Though, while I agree that a lot of it is handled clumsily by the narrative, as Wildbow was a babby writer in terms of technical skill by the time of Worm, I disagree with you that Taylor's actions are justified by the narrative. Taylor is deeply delusional and very good at justifying herself, and this post does all my work for me in explaining that escalating her usage of violence, control, and bullying is presented as the degradation of her principles that it is.

However, let's take one of your points to heart and go through a list of characters that criticise Taylor.

Armsmaster. He is, to be completely honest, kind of a douche at the start, but I think his douchiness was magnified by fanbase over the course of a decade. He does have selfish motivations for taking the credit for jailing Lung, but it's not a stretch to assume that he really does want to protect a young new hero from the consequences of a teleporting assassin and an unscrupulous bomber. He's friendly and helpful to Taylor at first, and only starts getting angry with her when she does things that are completely out of her wheelhouse. "Oooh I just wanna spy on the villains, it's not like I like them or anything..." Armsmaster's real character flaw is not that he "criticised Taylor", it is that he saw himself as an Arbiter of Justice. He got Kaiser killed because he believed that he was the right person to deal a real blow to Leviathan, jeopardising other people who aren't disgusting Nazis in the process. The other reason Armsmaster had to be put out to pasture was that his actions, in the public eye, were no longer PR-friendly-- remember this for later.

The concept of an individual declaring themselves the "right person" to arbitrate justice and right wrongs is a theme that is examined in part with Victoria (and Wildbow completely loses this plot in Ward lol), as well as Cauldron. Who else sees themselves as doing the "wrong things for the right reasons"? That's right, Taylor! Pretty much every character who sees themselves as having the right to do the things others won't are narrative foils to Taylor; the farther she progresses down her path, the more we learn about Cauldron's motivations and how they parallel hers, which I'll touch on more in a moment.

Piggot. Piggot is treated in kind of an annoying, vaguely misogynistic way because "lol fat ugly woman", but I am of the opinion the narrative redeems itself somewhat by expanding on her character and, once again, setting her up as something of a Taylor foil. Sure, she's biased against parahumans, but she's seen some of the worst they can be after the Nilbog incident. She's not wrong at all that the social order should not be shaped solely by capes, and from her perspective, Skitter's prominence is just another Nilbog waiting to happen. She gets a lot of the W's when the Undersiders kidnap her (and she's not a good hostage because of her kidney failure), calls out Tattletale by saying she knows she's fat and unattractive and it's long passed being an insecurity for her, and really the only "upper hand" they get on her is stuffing Imp's sweaty sock in her mouth.

Tagg. Honestly, this is the best example of a character criticising Taylor turning out to be "secretly evil". He basically exists to evilmaxx the Undersiders' downfall and be a pawn for the Simurgh, though this can be in part justified by having seen the metaphorical beaches of Okinawa and Skitter actually, genuinely being really dangerous. Kind of a classic example of getting owned by a huge leap in logic, doesn't even have a Thinker weakness to justify it. Sad!

 Alexandria. I think, of all the characters brought up on this list, Rebecca is the biggest shadow archetype to Taylor. She's what Taylor would be if her descent into outright villainy was drawn out over the course of years, and if Taylor had a justification as good as "saving the world for when John Worm snaps and goes sicko mode", it's kind of implied that Taylor really wouldn't be so different. Ultimately, while Alexandria's death can seem kind of out of left field, it's 1) really badass 2) caused by a Thinker logic leap in assuming that Taylor would do X instead of Y when confronted with her friends dying 3) thematically appropriate because She Just Like Her, FR FR.

While it's a little bit awkward how Alexandria getting owned is swept under the rug very easily, in the hands of a more skilled writer (at the time), I don't doubt that it could very effectively convey the point that the great wheel of parahuman politics will do away with you once you become too much of a hassle to justify keeping around. Alexandria had been outed as Rebecca Costa-Brown at that point, and her ties with Cauldron were known. For the PRT, the Protectorate, and Cauldron itself, Taylor rendering her brain-dead is the perfect way to get her pesky, public involvement in all that icky stuff out of the way, while still using Pretender to throw her at Endbringer fights. Taylor just became the more useful walking, talking pawn; now that they could use the villain, she can be effective for keeping public order. That's ultimately what the PRT is for; not good or evil, but keeping public order. Banality of evil, etc etc.

But I think the ultimate condemnation of Taylor's actions, when all's said and done, is by her own admission at the end of the story. Contessa asks her if everything she'd done was really worth it; after all, she's just saved Earth Bet and every Earth. Taylor considers it, and then... says no. "Somewhere along the line, it became no". She's had time to reflect on everything her actions have led to, and it just wasn't worth it. Contessa smiles, relates to her quandry, and saves her life.

However, I do think you’re right (because I’m sure we’ve discussed this in one of our numerous discourses) in that Wildbow has some sympathy for Taylor as a character (or had, before Ward). How can you not? He’s more or less stated he’s been through a lot of what she went through, and when you’re in the head of a narrator for that long, I’d say it’s hard not to like them at least a little. I don’t think that’s inherently bad, because I like her too. Taylor Did Nothing Wrong 2kforever.

i do think the cafeteria scene was “and everyone stood up and clapped” actually. it was clumsy as hell. there were better and less cliche (or “deeply unserious” i suppose) ways to demonstrate the general support taylor had

[yeetacai]

Always annoyed me to see hot takes on how the gems were bad caretakers bc... They were never meant to raise a child??? Of course they're going to fuq it up. That was the main part of the humor. They're literally Advanced AI Light-Based Aliens.

We saw how the Diamond's didn't know what to do with Pink. And trying to teach her how to be a proper Diamond just frusterated them to no end.

We saw how Rose let baby Sour Cream do whatever he wanted... Because why shouldn't he? Her whole life, all she wanted was freedom. She doesn't know anything about human children.

Raising a child is already hard. You think aliens, who have no concept of what childhood is, are going to be the perfect role models and parents?

There's a reason why Greg raised Steven for the beginning of his childhood.

And I'm not even mad at Greg for letting Steven live with the gems full time. He has a whole song about he could never be ready to raise Steven. He's just doing his best. Steven is half alien/gem and his first (and only) child. He knows less of what Steven needs than any other parent on the planet. And even HE didn't have a proper upbringing.

Amethyst was the CLOSEST thing the gems got to experience as something that NEEDED to learn and grow. And she had her own trauma because of it.

This WHOLE cartoon is about friends, family, trauma, relationships, and healing. I'm very happy that they acknowledged the real affects of Steven's childhood in Future. Because I already knew this child would be chock-full of trauma. He became the ambassador between Earth and Homeworld, at a ripe young age of... 14/15?

Honestly, Steven's whole breakdown mirrors exactly what I experienced at 17, sans all the wacky adventures and gem stuff.

No one knew I was suffering, because I didn't let them know. I tried to tackle my depression by myself (doesn't work btw) and did my best to "fix" myself. I tried to keep up the appearance of the perfect child, all while falling apart mentally.

It's no ones fault, and everyone's fault at the same time. Everyone has trauma... And Steven Universe had the hard job of breaking the cycle of abuse. I had the hard job of breaking the cycle of abuse.

Rebecca Sugar created and fought for one of the most groundbreaking cartoon shows I've ever witnessed.

It's so dividing, because it IS good. No one wants to acknowledge that they have trauma. And this show touches on so many different types of trauma. Part of trauma, and why the cycle of abuse occurs, is that it's HARD to accept. It's HARD to work through. It's messy, and painful, and filled with making mistakes. It's filled with breaking old habits, and accepting that what you experienced wasn't right. It's accepting that you were hurt... and moreover, the person(s) who hurt you, were also hurt too. That doesn't give them an excuse, but how many people have we all ended up hurting because of our own trauma? Those who don't acknowledge their trauma hurt people without even realizing it. And that's all of us. Because none of us are perfect. And all of us have our own baggage.

The silver lining in it all? It's worth the hardships. We get to see how much happier the gems are in Future. We see the Diamonds working towards healing. And we know that Steven is on the road to recovery too.

The whole message of Steven Universe, is being able to change. You CAN make it better. And you CAN make it right.

You deserve to live your best life. You deserve not only to survive, but to also thrive.

they’re always leaving me behind and i guess i wanted to do it to them, too.

funny how the child doesn’t trust the adults to be able to handle his problems when he’s been fixing theirs for his entire childhood. doesn’t stop me from hoping tho.

[safitheartist]

Actually? You know what.

No.

This is not compareable at all.

Look, Steven not wanting to kill people in SU is not a issue nor where the route of most of the criticism lies. It simply lies within the fact that it's conclusion doesn't fit the conflict it spent 5 seasons establishing to us in great detail.

SU established the diamond's as authoritarian dictatiors that comitted genozide and colonial war crimes, not to mention literal slavery and abduction.

Their conclusion to it is framing the whole deal as a family fight where the evil dictators are Steven's aunts who, due to their dysfunction and unintentional abuse drove his mom away and made her do the drastic actions she did and it's resolved by them changing because they came to understand the other side of the comflict.

That's not a fiting conclusion to the conflict. If SU had framed their narrative diffrently, sure, that ending would have been just fine. But they didn't. They put in messy stuff like conlonialzation and slavery and all that not really redemable stuff.

Futhermore, the ATLA comparison is really falling flat here, because, as things come down to it, they literally monk the sort of ending SU had.

They made it clear that Ozai will never change his mind, that there is no redemption for a person like him. The writers make it very clear that, despite Aang's own feelings, in most scenarios, killing Ozai would be the right call.

Because up to a certain point, there was no alternative. The idea of giving Ozai a redemption was never on the table.

The only reason why Ozai survived was that Aang was holding on to a part of his culture he still had left. His pacifist nature. It's not because Ozai's live was regarded as precious, it's not because he has a shot at redemption, it's because it's the one thing Aang has left from his people, which Ozai' killed. If Aang had killed him, Ozai would have taken that away from him too.

That's why the writers decided they won't let that happen. They literally wrote a in universe way in to give Aang a out from that situation he was in, without completly turning the established conflict on it's head.

Ozia still gets punished for his actions. He was reduced to a state where he no longer can cause harm and was thrown into prison for live.

The end he faced fits the actions he commited. They didn't ham fist a "oh, but he wasn't that bad" redmption in for some weird wish fullfilment. ATLA was, to the very last moment, very ademant on not everyone deserving a redemption, especially not a underdevelopt character who was characterized as a dictator, colonialist and abuser.

SU's ending isn't bad because it's about forgiveness, it's bad because it gives forgiveness to characters who weren't developed enough to truly deserve it and who never got punished for the actions they commited.

We are suppose to forgive the Diamonds and belive they changed and weren't so bad and all that, but we never are shown them truly learning and changing.

They get a free pass because they helped fixing the corruption, which they caused in the first place, but we never have them face any consequences for their actions at all.

Now, before anybody tries to come for me: No, of course I don't think Rebecca Sugar is a Nazi appologist. Nor do I think she is a terrible person, etc yada yada yada.

Rebecca was a first time show runner during SU and not only that, she was actually fairly new to the animation industry when she got that job, working on adventure time being her only really note worthy job before hand.

Keeping that in mind SU was a extremly anbishious and frankly very impressive show. Rebecca Sugar is a remarkable writer who managed to reach a insane audience.

It's like somebody wrote one or two moderadly sucessfull short stories and suddenly they become a best selling author.

However: That's also why the show is as debated as it is. Rebecca wrote the story with completly valid intentions, but she is still very in experienced. While her short character centric plots are all remarkable and very well put together, longer plot threats tend to unravel and not give a satisfying pay of. Her world building is very detailed, but can be distracting from what she is actually trying to say. And her story structure is just, not the best.

So no, SU's ending is not compareable to the ending of ATLA nor are both criticisms compareable.

Because in reality they are:

"I don't like that the ending doesn't fit the established conflict and feel uncomfortable because this causes me to interpret the text of the show a specific way"

And

"I can't relate to Aang's desire to not kill Ozai and I feel the show had built up to this as the only possible out come until the very last moment where they introduced a alternative solution."

In SU's case it's a blatant flaw in the execution of the plot while with ATLA the elements to understand why it came to this conclusion are all present within the text of the show, however, they weren't focused on as much as they probably should have been which caused a lot of fans to still feel unsatisfied.

Kids not wanting to kill anybody in a kids cartoon is problematic, according to some idiots