#we wanted and emma didn't need to go that hard about it but it happened anyway lmao

[smiletimeisrunningout]

💋 (sayid if you want) @fantasywritten from here!

When she had said 'darling, if you find me any cocoa I'm gonna kiss ya' she had half meant it as a joke. But Sayid had actually returned with that jar which to Emma felt like a ridiculously sweet gesture, and so she had cupped his face with her hands and pulled him for a kiss. A peck. It was supposed to be peck.

But he had let her do it even if he had all chances to stop her, and it was Sayid, so instead of stopping there she had slowly allowed her lips to move, to try more; soon she was deepening the kiss, not missing her opportunity, taking in a little breath only when giving his hair a gentle tug to direct him so she could give his lip a little bite, stealing that one last treat for herself. Her brain returned to function then, and she let go, licking her lips and then clearing her throat, still close enough to feel his breath on her skin and trying to remember what she was going to say. "... thank you...?"

[neerons]

Some of Gilbert von Obsidian's best quotes

[Warning: Heavy spoilers about Gilbert's route]

"Ahaha, what is the prince of Obsidian, if not rotten?"

"I hate people."

"No matter how hard I try not to, I can't help but be gentle with her. What kind of villain am I?" (—Gilbert talking about Emma to himself)

"(...) I hope you don't accidentally end up calling me 'big bro' or anything." (—Gilbert to Leon)

"(...) You were just saying what you really think. I don't think doing that is rude. And it's true I'm someone scary."

"I like you because you're so warm, little rabbit."

"Ahaha! You're so sassy. But I like that about you."

"I want to make things awkward for you."

"You can't just focus on the best of someone while ignoring the worst of them."

"If you were a bother, I'd kill you, so don't worry." *smile intensifies*

"...I'm no match for that pure, innocent gaze of yours. You're the only one capable of pushing me around, you know."

"Depending on what you say next, I might just take your head clean off." (—Angry Gilbert to Emma)

"(...) You nearly died. ...Do you have any idea how much that chilled me to the core?"

"The only thing I can ever be for you is a villain. ...Unfortunately."

"...Thank you. I almost got murdered by some dust."

"If you keep on lying over and over about being fine, I might just... Well, you can guess, right?"

"I found it in a book in the little rabbit's room. They need to understand what happens to them if they try to interfere with what's mine... Don't they?" (—Gilbert talking about a poisoned needle targeting Emma to Roderic)

"You said it, remember? You said you wanted me to learn to love Rhodolite. To me, you are Rhodolite."

"Those born with status have the right to do whatever they like to those who are lesser than them. That's what you want to say, isn't it? (...) Hmm? What's that? You look a little distressed for some reason. But I suppose that's no surprise. You see, I have the right to tyrannize you however I please, just as you tyrannized those children who had no one to protect them. I'm imperial royalty, and you're just a third-rate aristocrat. So I'm going to have to teach you just how different our social positions are... Aren't I? (...) Aren't you lucky that we're in Rhodolite? You've narrowly escaped death. If this was Obsidian, you'd be dead for sure. After all, we have no need for disgusting nobles who defile the purity of children." (—Gilbert to a Baron of Rhodolite)

"Wait, so you're telling me you baked cookies for another man, even though I'm right here. Ouch, that hurts."

"(...) if by chance I run into your dear papa, he'll kill me." (—Gilbert talking about Akatsuki)

"Welcome to Obsidian. (...) I introduced myself as Gilbert von Obsidian, didn't I? There's only one person in this country allowed to use the Obsidian name. And that's the emperor."

"There's nothing about you or me that makes one of us intrinsically inferior or superior to the other. Humans are all basically the same. And naturally, from a societal perspective, we probably need people who can take the lead. People who are capable, and talented, who can bring others together, and build a better tomorrow. That's a healthy way to be. I'm the ruler of a country that knows deception and decay all too well, so I understand better than most. That's why my ideal, my ambition, is to conquer all the royalty that have infested this whole continent, and free the people who are under their control."

"I wrote that story based on you. (...) Akatsuki told me a lot of stories about you, and they were always stories about you showing love and affection for others. He made it sound like you believed that the true nature of people is love, and that the happiness of others was what made you the happiest. The idea of living like that was repulsive to me, but at the same time, it made me curious. I got to wondering what sort of choices you'd make, if you were in the same position I was."

"You were bullying small children to amuse yourselves. That Rhodolitian might have stopped at just punching you, but I'm not that kind. Did I make military regulations or didn't I? And do those regulations say attacking non-combattants is forbidden, or don't they?" (—Gilbert to Obsidianite soldiers)

"Then how about you call me papa?" (—Gilbert to Luke)

"...Don't go. (...) I don't know... if I can hold on... until you get back. Being on my own... is lonely..."

"...You're the only one I'll ever love."

"I'm taking your daughter." *smile intensifies* (—Gilbert to Akatsuki)

"I'm not oppressing you with my power, it's just my love for you, overflowing."

"You can't do things like this with other men... Unless you want to see dead bodies."

"You're liked by everybody. A lot of the princes helped you out today. That's because people adore you, and they naturally want to help you out. They're all beasts with strong characters, but you're important to all of them. Do you know how rare that is? That means you're charming to everyone you meet. ...Including me, of course."

"There's no way I'd ever let anyone else kill you. It has to be me."

"I can't just bare my body for free."

"I've never liked seeing you clothe your body in things that other people have put their hands all over."

"Don't force yourself to talk. I'm not so narrow-minded that I'll go around saying you're disrespectful just because you didn't thank me. You're sick; you're supposed to just drink medicine and sleep."

"Wah, boohoo. I can't believe we were on different pages this whole time. I've given you my entire heart, and yet, look at what you've done with it! (...) Waaah, I'm so heartbroken that the only thing that could bury my sadness is world domination!"

"For his sake, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear him call me 'eyepatch bastard'. Rude." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Silvio)

"Her ability to right what was wrong, purify what was once sullied... It runs at complete odds with my nature. I may have truly met my match." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"I blinked a few times as my vision seemed to expand all at once... and the little rabbit become clearer and even more beautiful." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"I'm never letting you go. If you run away from me, I'll conquer the whole world and follow you to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes. No wait... I just need to control your heart, so that you'll never even want to leave me." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"We all approach life differently. Chevalier slices hearts in two. I trample on them. But, you... You respect them."

"I wanted to see you bawling your eyes out."

"You're... the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"I like the little rabbit very much, you see. So I certainly hope that bold declaration of yours doesn't end up turning into a lie." (—Gilbert to Silvio, in Silvio's route)

"I'm not interested in the average woman. There's someone that caught my eye when I was young." (—Gilbert talking to Silvio, Rio, Keith, Sariel and Emma)

"You like these stories, don't you? Ones where a lowly village girl falls in love with a big, bad emperor and makes him change his ways—"

"It's a good thing I was born with a pretty face. If I looked scary without even trying, it would almost be TOO perfect."

"Keith, if you get tired, we can swap places. (...) Shame, Daddy says we can't." (—Gilbert talking about carrying Emma instead of Keith, but is stopped by Sariel)

"I was able to find some... treasure too, so I'm very satisfied with today." (—Gilbert most probably talking about Emma to the other princes and Emma)

"What? You'd like some new heads to decorate the castle's gates?" (—Gilbert to Emma telling him she wants friends)

"After a while of being betrayed over and over again, you start thinking to yourself. That maybe the world would be a better place if everyone who wasn't your friend just dropped dead."

"I know her. But only in fantasy. Because there's no way an Obsidianite royalty can have anything to do with a mere bookstore worker. (...) Die without meeting her? Or die after meeting her. Well, that's easy. I prefer the latter in that case." (—Gilbert's thoughts about Emma)

"I tried to hold down my excitement as I knocked softly on the door. (...) The door opened softly, revealing a woman that was different from what I had imagined. Strange. I thought she'd be more childish looking based on his stories. Her eyes that looked directly at me were clear and devoid of any baseless optimism. She was clearly a woman, not a child. I smiled to carefully hide my surprise. (...) She's purer and prettier than I imagined." (—Gilbert's thoughts about meeting Emma for the very first time)

"Oh, I get it. You think I was with another woman, don't you? Ahaha, you get jealous so easily. But don't worry, I only see you.If it would make you feel better though, I could always kill each and every single woman that gets close to me."

"...And so we've decided to officially hold our wedding ceremony. Can we count on your blessing, papa?" (—Gilbert to Akatsuki)

"You're much more important to me than family, you know. (...) After all, you're still alive, aren't you? I wouldn't kill you no matter what you did."

"I really do love you. And it's because I love you that I want to look good in front of you, and hide the things that I don't want you to see." (—Gilbert talking about his health condition to Emma)

"Do you know how long I've been wanting to officially bind you to me?" (—Gilbert's thoughts)

"Oh, that hurts... I just wanted to shower my beloved fiancee with my love, but I guess you don't want to... I'm absolutely heartbroken now. I might just have to go out and conquer one of the neighboring countries just to soothe myself."

"You're my type of lady. Do you know why? (...) I, for one, enjoy the rebellious, sassy look you always have in your eyes. I feel this strong will— that you will never bow down to me. That even though you're terrified, you won't run away."

[meazalykov]

Could I make a request for Obi please?

They already have a established relationship.

With her recently getting injured, could it be something along the lines of Reader got injured a few months before the World Cup and had to miss it, but Obi mostly was there for Reader. Now with it being the other way around this time, Reader feels conflicted about going to the Olympics as see knows those first few weeks are the hard but she won’t be there to support Obi.

my home is with you

lena oberdorf x uswnt!reader (requested)

authors note: i'm sad about her injury :( I wanted to see her at the olympics and start with bayern soon.. I know she will come back stronger ❤️ here's your request! normally i wouldn’t decide to write about this because it’s so soon, but i do requests (unless it’s too dark & much) so i hope you like :)

warnings: many injury mentions, very long chapter.

being back in your hometown gave you a sense of peace and warmth.

you haven't stepped foot in washington dc since 2018. you left your childhood club to go play at gotham for a year-- before moving to lyon (2020-2022) and then bayern afterwards.

waking up in the morning, you wished obi the best of luck against her game against austria. yes, she will be your competitor in the group stages against germany, but she is still your girlfriend of 2 years.

afterwards, you put your phone on dnd and put it in your adidas bag that you will take to the audi stadium. on game days, the captain (lindsey) highly discourages the players being on social media before games.

as the second captain after her, you agreed to follow that rule. social media can be toxic.

if someone really wanted to reach out to you for an emergency, they can do it through lindsey, emma, or your sisters who came to the game to support your send off to paris.

that's exactly what happened. while you were getting ready in your hotel room-- lindsey got an emergency call from sara dabritz, her lyon teammate who played for the german national team.

sara isn't on the german roster for the olympics, but alex popp asked her to call lindsey-- since she needed you to know of the news as soon as possible.

"sara?" lindsey's eyebrows knitted together. sara calling her during international break and the off-season has never happened before.

"where's y/n?" sara asked, ignoring lindsey's confused tone.

"I haven't seen her since this morning, she might be getting ready now. what's going on?"

"the entire german team is trying to get ahold of y/n. lena went down pretty badly during todays game-- it was her knee." sara swallowed.

lindsey was sad to her about the news. nobody likes when another player goes down with a *possible* acl injury.

however, she was scared on how she was going to tell you the news.

hours later at audi stadium, you walked into the stadium alongside trinity and hal. both of them play on this field for washington spirit, and the three of you bonded over the last few days-- knowing washington dc so well.

trinity and hal stopped at a water fountain to fill up their empty stanley bottles with water. your owala bottle was filled with cold ice water already, so you continued on with walking into the dressing room.

as you turned the corner into the room, you hear your coach Emma, say something along the lines of "well we can't tell her until-" before lindsey stopped her with her finger pointing at your entrance.

you were the first to arrive before the rest of the team, surprising to the captain and coach talking in the room.

"hey!" you smiled, unaware of what they know.

"hey y/n, ready for the game!?" lindsey casually says with a smirk on her face.

the poker face of the lyon player is perfection. something could be wrong but as the main captain, she can't let her emotions take over her logic.

as the second captain of the team, you had every right to question what emma and lindsey were just talking about.

however, you didn't. you were too excited to play in your hometown again. many uswnt fans came just to see you play on your turf again.

"I'm so pumped! my family came just for the send off to paris. some of them talk about "oh we can't never see you play since you're in germany." but now they're here so-" you rambled as you giggled.

for a moment, emma frowned at your happy sight. lindsey turned around to look at the coach with a guilty look, hating that they both agreed to not tell you *that news* until the end of the send-off.

"that's exciting. I'm positive we have a great game ahead." emma says.

your happy mood became a miserable one at halftime. being nil-nil against costa rica was not motivating since you wanted to impress your hometown community.

in the 70th minute, you scored off of a set piece shot by mallory swanson. the crowd screamed as they've realized that it was you, their fellow dc native, that scored the goal.

the game ended with a 1-0. you knew that the team needed tons of things to work on if you wanted a chance at winning gold in the olympics, but that will come with time.

after the send off ceremony, lindsey asked if she could personally talk to you in one of the empty conference rooms.

you agreed. at first, you thought that she was going to discuss olympic matters and what will drive the team to win gold once you reach france. since she is the first captain and you're captain whenever she isn't-- along with alyssa naeher.

however, lindsey was very tense as you sat down beside her in one of the wheel chairs. she made sure to close and lock the door as well-- this is when your heart started racing.

she is your friend and hates to give you the bad news.

"I need to tell you this before you go on your phone and see it in the locker room in front of the other girls." lindsey speaks.

your eyes widened, confused.

"what's wrong?" you start to panic.

"alex-- alex popp-- said that lena went down during the game against austria. it's her knee, y/n."

your heart shattered into a million pieces. you looked away from lindsey as you took a few deep breaths.

the blonde understood why you couldn't say anything after that moment. you thought about lena having a possible acl injury.

you panicked knowing that you weren't there to help her.

"I need my phone!'" you jump up from the wheel chair.

"here." lindsey said, pulling your phone out of her jacket pocket. she made sure that she had your phone on hand-- in private-- so none of the other girls were alarmed about seeing you so upset.

after you switched your iphone off from dnd, you had nearly 200 notifications.

the first is lena's parents-- asking you to call them whenever you had time before or after your game.

others came from lea-- updating you on what's going on with obi. she understands you were playing a game and couldn't answer right away.

some messages were from other footballers in the community that you're friends with, asking you to send well wishes to lena on their behalf.

is this how lena felt back in 2023?

back in april 2023, you were a starter in the second game against Ireland.

you weren't feeling the greatest, your friend mallory suffered a bad injury in the first game and you knew she wouldn't see the pitch for a very long time.

in the second half as the ball was coming from the air, you jumped up to head the ball. at the same time, an Irish player's foot went up in the air to get the ball.

the sharp part of the boots kicked at your ribs extremely hard. your breath was caught in your throat and you landed on the ground-- injuring your ankle by landing awkwardly.

the irish player received a red card, but you were struggling to breath as you needed medic immediately. alex and kelley stayed with you as you couldn't even sit up without squealing in pain.

your ankle was on fire and your lung felt like it was beaten in. torture would've been an understatement.

lena finished playing the game against brazil when jule pulled her-- harshly-- to look at the tv in the dressing room.

the german girl watched in horror as she seen her lover on the grass, you were crying your eyes out as you balled yourself together.

she noticed your hands going back and forth between your torso by your right lung, and your left ankle, as the medics tried their best to figure out what's wrong.

"what the fuck happened?" lena said angrily, in english-- confused as she rushed to grab the remote and turn the tv up.

"this isn't good for the united states before the world cup-- mallory went down on the first game against ireland and now *reader's last name* can barely move without a reaction." a german commentator speaks.

the entire german dressing room looks in horror.

your bayern teammates looked horrified as jule tried her best to comfort a stressed lena.

a replay of the injury happened on the tv a second later. everyone could see quinn's cleat harshly kick your ribs-- the landing on your ankle afterwards made some of the dressing room cringe as if they could've felt it themselves.

"yeah, I don't think we will see her in the world cup after this one." the woman commentator on the tv speaks when a stretcher takes you off the pitch moments later.

lena was quick to immediately call your mom and sisters, since they were there and she wasn't.

she knew how excited you were to play in your second world cup after winning the first one at age 17.

when you got back home to germany, lena was there for you. you suffered with a broken rib and grade 2 ankle sprain.

obi helped you stand up most days and picked up heavy things, since you couldn't even breathe without feeling pain for the first three weeks. lena did your chores at home, helped you with showering (your ankle made that hard to do), she did your hair. she did everything to make sure that you were okay.

you couldn't go to the world cup and watch her play, but you were still so proud of her-- even if she got eliminated in the group stage.

the injury that happened to you made lena fully committed to wanting to marry you. even through your bad injury-- you were there to comfort her once she was back from australia after a failed world cup campaign.

back in the conference room in dc, you rushed to call lea.

she answered in a heartbeat, you were surprised since it had to have been 5:30am in germany while 11:30pm back in washington dc for you.

"lea?" your voice cracked. you hated this for lena, more than your own injury from a year prior.

"how was your game?" lea tried to calm you down.

"it was fine, now what happened?" you ask.

lea didn't take offense to you wanting to know what happened. this reminded her on how lena was with you.

being her closest friend at bayern, and the one that put lena onto you, she understands the bond you have with your girlfriend better than anyone else.

"lena tried to tackle and get the ball away from a player but her knee popped. I think you need to watch this for a better understanding." lea speaks.

on the FaceTime you can see lea typing on a few things on the phone.

you looked up at a confused, yet guilty lindsey. she felt bad for you since you were far from your home in germany.

the notification on your phone showed that lea sent a link to a twitter video. you clicked on it and watch the whole thing play out.

its hard to tell at first, but slowly you could see obi's knee pop out.

this made you sick to your stomach.

after talking to lea for a few more minutes, then waking up lena's parents to talk to them (they didn't mind, they really wanted to hear from you), then laura, then klara-- you were exhausted.

you were allowed to go on the bus early and choose if you wanted to sit alone on the way back to the hotel.

lindsey told all of the girls that something happened- she explained the situation which caused the girls to feel bad for lena and your situation.

you called lena, in private, once you were back in your hotel. she sounded so hurt which caused your eyes to let out tears (quietly) as she talked about her medical scanning tommorow.

many people would do anything to participate in the olympics. you were grateful to be a bronze-medal olympian already heading to seek gold-- but you wanted to go home to lena in munich.

the best player on the uswnt was you, no debate. after scoring in the 2019 world cup final at 17, winning two champions leagues with lyon, being the second best-player now in the bundesliga with bayern, and carrying the national team to bronze in the last olympics-- the team looked up to you.

the girls let you have your space for a while. even on the plane on the way to france.

tierna, your closest friend on the national team, sat beside you. she was quiet as she watched movies while you anxiously looked at your phone to receive some kind of news.

after the plane landed, the girls were quiet as they headed out. you realized that you couldn't sit in pain waiting for the day that you will get home to munich-- that will affect the team chemistry.

as you were in your hotel room, lena called you.

"hallo liebe." you spoke softly.

you heard lena cough before a few seconds of silence started.

the fact that lena called you instead of facetiming you, you knew it was bad. the three letter injury is something u feared for lena as your eyes widened.

"its both." lena mumbles.

"its both?" you question softly as you request to switch the call to FaceTime.

lena accepts and you see her in the hospital room, tears dried down her cheeks as her red face is covered by her hands.

"acl and mcl." she breathed out as she looked at you through the camera.

you frowned as reality hit.

lena couldn't start a bayern next month.

lena won't go to the olympics.

she will have to sit out for at least eight months.

you know she will be okay, since she has the team and medical doctors to help her heal.

however, you were sad that you couldn't drop everything to go back to munich.

"obi." is all you could say.

"I already know what you're thinking-- and don't." lena randomly says.

your eyebrows knit together in confusion as she looks at you with a unreadable look.

"don't leave your team just to come here. they need you-"

"but you need me a lot more." you cut lena off.

she knows you're right, but she can't be selfish-- even with her injury.

"you will be home soon liebe, I know you love me and will care for me as soon as you can." lena says.

"once I'm back in munich, I will be there for you. you aren't going through this alone-- we will fight through this together and you will be stronger." you gave a sad smile as lena smiles for the first time since she went down on that grass.

"Ich liebe dich" she whispers.

"Ich liebe dich auch" you say back.

"when is your surgery scheduled?" you ask.

"we don't have an exact date yet, but they said it might be the week of the 29th." lena says as she lays back in the hospital bed in her black shirt and black shorts.

you didn't respond as lena flipped the camera, showing you a closer look at her knee.

"I am so sorry." you say.

"its not your fault." lena says.

"I know- but again-- I just want to be there for you."

"and you will soon, don't abandon your team." lena made it clear.

"okay, I won't" you sigh.

of course you felt bad that you didn't want to be in france, but in germany instead helping lena. however, you were sad about the group stage match against germany.

lena and you talked about that match as being one of the last moments where you will be "rivals" before she joins you in the season for bayern. now, neither will happen.

days later, the united states plays germany in the group stage after beating zambia 3-2.

you were in the starting lineup. emma needed you for this match, making sure that you talked to a sports psychologist before this match-- just so you were mentally prepared.

you knew how the germans played, so you would be a key to winning the group stage match.

as the teams were going to take their starting eleven picture, you see the germans hold up a shirt in honor of sydney and lena-- who were injured and couldn't be in the olympics.

you sadly smiled at this, happy that they're remembering them.

however, you got your act together fast. lindsey wasn't in the lineup so you were the captain of the match.

at halftime, it was 1-1. trinity rodman scored a goal in the 10th minute but klara equalized in the 34th after an error from #3 on the USWNT.

in the second half, you scored a golazo in the 55th minute after dribbling around sara doorsoun and alex popp.

unfortunately, lea equalized in the 88th minute.

the game ended 2-2 and you weren't happy or sad about it.

all of the german girls greeted you immediately with hugs and kisses on the head. you accepted them. you missed them dearly and they were the closest thing you had to lena right now.

"lea love!" you sigh in relief when you hug her tightly for thirty seconds. the cameras capture the beautiful sight as most know the significance.

"I wish obi was here right now." you lean your head on lea's shoulder as she kissed the side of your head, above your left ear.

"I do too. I hate how fate works." lea speaks through her german accent.

"same." you roll your eyes. not in anger, but in disappointment for the situation and how things can play out for the worst.

"how are you?" lea asks.

"can I be honest?" you ask. lea nods her head.

"I want to be with her. I am so grateful to be here for a second time but I can't imagine her being alone without us." you whisper into her ear.

you didn't want any of your teammates to hear you. lea is your closest friend so you know she won't tell on you.

"she's not alone, she has her parents-- but I totally understand. she will be okay." lea smiles lightly as she pulls a piece of hair of yours behind your ear, a piece of hair that fell out of your ponytail during the match.

lea is right, lena's parents are staying with her at the new house you both own until you can go back to munich-- which could happen in a few days or weeks depending on the outcome of the olympics.

"I know. she's a fighter.' you smirk.

"and a lover." lea winked at you.

lea loves the way that you and lena respect and are in-love with each other. being the third wheel is annoying sometimes (when she has to hang out with y'all instead of her own girlfriend) but she is happy for the both of you.

after multiple matches of the olympics, the united states is awarded silver after losing against france 2-1 in the final.

you were the one that scored against france.

if you said that you weren't in a rush to get home to munich, you'd be lying.

lena's surgery was pushed back to this morning. so you took the uber straight to the hospital from the airport.

the taller german was asleep as you quietly walked into the hospital room. obi's parents hugged you and congratulated you on silver.

knowing that they've been with their daughter for many days, you offer them a break.

"you guys should go down to the cafe and grab lunch for yourselves, please don't take offense to this but ihr seht beide sehr müde aus." (you both look very tired) you whisper since you didn't want to wake lena.

they loved you like their own daughter, so it didn't take them much convincing for them to get a break-- knowing their daughter was in safe hands with you.

when they shut the hospital doors behind them, lena woke up from the noise.

you took out a blanket from your carry on luggage, your back faced towards lena so you didn't see or hear her wake up.

"liebe?" you turned around quickly when you saw lena awake.

she had the same tired look that you're used to seeing when you wake up beside her, but she was smiling at your sight.

you pout in happiness as you walked up to hug her upper body.

"my sunshine, I'm so happy to see you awake." you kissed the top of her forehead as her head pressed against your chest.

lena closed her eyes in comfort, she missed you the most.

"to see me awake? omg I didn't die." lena laughed.

"oh lena shut it, you know what I meant." you giggled back, happy to see lena cracking a joke through her pain.

you look down her body to see the scar on her knee peak out from her hospital gown.

on the inside, you felt terrible. you hated seeing lena in pain. you'd rather it be yourself than her.

on the outside, you looked at lena as she gave you a peak on the lips.

after that, you saw the ponytail of her hair tangled.

"hold on lena." you pull yourself away from her arms and reach into your tote bag.

"no don't leaveeee!" lena says

"I'm not I'm just going to help you with your hair-- it will help you relax."

you pulled out a soft brush from your bag, refusing to use a comb and risk pulling on her hair after she had surgery.

"you're so sweet" lena looks at the brush in your hand and turns her head to the side, so you have better access.

"anything for my baby." you tell her as you kiss the right side of her temple.

"i'm just glad to be back home." you mumble as you start brushing through obi's hair, getting the tangles out slowly and softly.

"isn't washington dc your home?" lena giggled, joking and teasing about the game you played in dc almost a month ago.

"nope, my home is with you."

I hope you're happy with what I wrote from this request! #comebackstrongerlenaoberdorf ❤️🙌

[fiddlefordisms]

Canon Details and Analysis of Fiddleford McGucket Part 2

See the first part here

Let's flash-forward to what we know about Fiddleford after college. At some point, he got married to Emma May Dixon, and they had a son together (Tate McGucket), they live in Palo Alto, and Fiddleford seems to be self-employed: McGucket's Computermajigs. Now, don't get me wrong I enjoy Fiddauthor quite a lot (and I'll give some in-depth analysis and theorizing and thinking of possibilities about that particular relationship in that context at the very end), but I want to focus on Fiddleford's character and what we do know about his wife and child.

We know from Journal 3 that Fiddleford keeps a picture of his wife and son on his desk because he says it helps keep him "grounded." It's very important to note that this picture includes his wife - if they really wanted to imply that Fiddleford's relationship with his wife was on the rocks, they could've easily made it just a picture of his son. We know that Fiddleford must have had strong feelings for his wife because in the Gobblewonker episode of Gravity Falls, Old Man McGucket claims that when his wife left him, he built a pterodactyl-tron (building giant death robots is something he does when he's upset or wants attention). If he was wanting to leave that relationship, he would not have been upset about her leaving him.

In another page of Journal 3 when Fiddleford quits the portal project, Ford writes about how he should "go back to his doting family." This tells us that while Fiddleford and Emma May did have a fight over him not getting her a Christmas present, Ford still somehow had the impression that his family was "doting." I think it's important to point out that Fiddleford has been erasing his memories since the Gremloblin incident - and the fight scene with his wife happens very shortly before the big portal test. We know the memory-erasing gun has side effects. So, anytime Fiddleford "forgets" something should be looked at as highly suspect and indicative that his memory-erasing gun is affecting him.

We know that Fiddleford must have been a good father before he left to work on the portal for Ford via context clues. In the show, despite Tate's original home being in Palo Alto, Tate chose to pack up his things and live in Gravity Falls where his mentally-addled father now lives. He chose to do that and seeing what became of his father, even though he's the town's biggest embarrassment with a reputation for being a crazy old man - chose to stay. In Shmeb U Unlocked, we're informed that Tate is extremely intelligent and capable of predicting lottery numbers.

He could literally go anywhere he wanted if he wanted. And yet, he stays in Gravity Falls where his father lives. He must have really loved his father despite it being so hard with his father's mental state and the fact that he has every right to be angry that his father left. We know that Fiddleford must have really loved his son because of that picture on his desk, because much later even with all of his memory problems, he still remembers his son, and he's desperate to spend time with him, and in the end, they're able to repair their relationship and spend quality time together.

Now, let's talk about a couple of details that I think a lot of people overlook. During the stargazing scene in Journal 3, Fiddleford mentions offhand that he'd like a place where "the screen door ain't broken." I think this is a VERY interesting detail because it makes it sound like Fiddleford's business hadn't quite taken off yet and that he might have been struggling financially because he can't afford to get his door repaired.

This opens a doorway into a theory of mine that Fiddleford is being paid for his time as Ford's assistant. Now, we're not told this outright in Journal 3, but I think we can gather this from a little thing I like to call context clues. After all, Ford probably thought the exact nature of payment deals for his assistant didn't need to be included in his research and personal journal. There's nothing interesting about it. Additionally from a narrative standpoint, it might have come across as looking like Ford had to bribe Fiddleford to help him, and that's not the vibe they wanted for Fiddleford. They wanted to emphasize that these two are at the very least good friends and that Fiddleford is the type of person who will set aside his own personal projects and self-sacrifice to help a friend at a moment's notice.

We know from the show and Journal 3 that Ford was given grants to study the anomalies of Gravity Falls. Presumably, this money would not only cover the costs of field research equipment and a research base (the shack) but also money for a research assistant if needed.

Fiddleford's wife would have to be the most permissive, most doormat wife in THE HISTORY OF EVER to allow her husband to go up to Oregon to work on a project leaving her to not only take care of her son by herself but also have to pay all the bills and rent/mortgage by herself. We know this is not the case because she (rightly) did NOT let it slide that her husband forgot to get her a Christmas present.

Fiddleford would not have had much time to work on his own business while working on Ford's portal. At this point in his life, he has his mental faculties intact, he's proven time and again to be considerate and sweet (Alex Hirsch even refers to him as a sweet soul). He's big on making thoughtful gifts, he wants to help others (in Journal 3, he is seen fixing up the ferris wheel at the carnival where he meets Ivan, although it was definitely wrong - he had good intentions in wanting to help people with their bad memories, even in the show - Old Man McGucket shows up in the sap-hole with the dinosaurs having fixed a broken lantern - Fiddleford is exactly the type of person who would see a broken-down car on the side of the road and pull over and get out his toolbox and help that person out), and he loves his family very much. He would NOT let them go unsupported and floundering for themselves while in his right mind.

So, this leads me to believe that to help convince his wife to let him help his old college buddy with his project, he'd be getting paid for his help. Ford likely would've found this reasonable and might have suggested it himself if Fiddleford expressed wanting to help but not being able to leave his family without any support. It probably wasn't a lot, but it might have been a bit better than what he was currently drumming up via his own business. This could also be why Ford is so adamant about referring to Fiddleford as his assistant in the journals rather than his friend.

Do I think his wife might have still had some reservations about her husband going to Oregon and could be a fertile field for argument later? Yes. Absolutely. But I think the fact that she let him go in the first place and the fact that Fiddleford is self-employed rather than more conventionally employed generally shows that she was a supportive wife and trusted her husband.

I absolutely DO NOT think, as some have posited, that Fiddleford abandoned his wife and son (especially his son whom he dearly loves) to have a "Brokeback Mountain" situation with Stanford. That is a terrible misreading of Fiddleford's character AND the situation. Again, Fiddleford is the type of person who HELPS people, and how much more so for someone who is likely his best friend? Not only that, but his FIRST EVER friend. A friend who Fiddleford probably knows has been alone in Oregon for years and who also has a hard time making friends, a friend who probably doesn't call him enough because he's "busy" with his research (Ford even says in the journal that he "has no choice but to call Fiddleford"), a friend who is probably stubborn about asking for help who is asking HIM (the guy who helps) for help?

Fiddleford might even already be worried about him.

And this is a "project" - a project has a beginning and an end. Fiddleford was NOT expecting to stay in Gravity Falls. He was going to go there, help Ford, and then go back to his family whom he loves. I'm not saying complicated feelings couldn't have arisen (again, I am a Fiddauthor shipper), but I am saying that Fiddleford didn't go to Oregon because he was running away from marital problems with his wife (on an additional note - people are free to write what they want - But what is WITH bisexual erasure and villifying / ignoring female characters? I mean, just because she wasn't in the show or talked about much doesn't mean we should do female characters a disservice) and intending on cheating on her.

Because again - A) He loves his family (family photo on his desk which doesn't exactly scream "Make sweet love to me Ford") B) His anxiety issues C) His empathy - he doesn't have the narcissistic traits cheaters generally have D) He's likely Catholic and all the religious hang-ups with that - (also adultery being a sin is mentioned waaaaaay more than homosexuality) E) The hostile time period for queer folks.

Also, Stanford "I find romance baffling" (Journal 3 - stargazing scene) is probably one of the biggest indicators that no cheating went on (but I'll throw you "cheating Fiddleford" headcanoners a bone much later on in which I think a possible "cheating" scenario could have realistically occurred - and I'll tell you my reasons for why I personally don't believe that happened either, but I'll begrudgingly accept a "possibility" and let you guys go nuts with the idea.)

More to come in later parts.

[jenna0rtega27]

Heyyy!

Could i request one for g!p Jenna x reader? Reader is Jenna’s fiancée and when Jenna isn’t filming they have sex, a few months later reader finds out she is pregnant and is scared of Jenna’s reaction?

Thank youuu

Pregnant

Thank you for asking

Jenna Ortega x F!Reader

Warning: Jenna g!p, reader is pregnant

(This is just pure fiction)

(I didn't know if you wanted smut. So this one doesn't have smut but if you want I can make another one with smut)

Note: This is my first one shot so please bear with me. Also I don't speak English so I'm sorry for the spelling mistakes.

Number of words: 1575

Masterlist

3rd person

Y/n and Jenna are lying on the bed and kissing passionately. Jenna is lying on her back and Y/n is lying on top of Jenna. The couple met while filming season 1 of Wednesday. Since then, they have been inseparable. They became a couple 3 months after the start of filming and Jenna proposed to Y/n two months ago. They were very in love. For both women, gender was very important. Every chance they got, they made love.

Jenna and Y/n have also had a lot of sexual experiences, for example, they already had a threesome with Emma Myers.

As it happens, the couple is about to have another of their many sexual encounters.

Without stopping the very languorous and sloppy kiss, Jenna reaches out and opens the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed in search of a condom.

“Fuck we’re out of condoms. » Jenna said, stopping the kiss and looking at Y/n. Jenna would still hope that Y/n would still want to make love even if the risk of getting her pregnant is great.

" Nevermind. You just have to walk away. » Y/n said before resuming the languorous kiss. Jenna smiled into the kiss.

10 days later

It's now been 10 days since sex without a condom and Y/n has never felt so bad. She vomits every morning and is tired all the time. But the young fiancée was not worried. She figured it was just a bad week.

Currently, Jenna is filming the movie Miller's Girl and Y/n is at home with her friend Emma Myers and watching Netflix.

“My stomach hurts so much I started my period yesterday. » Emma said, rubbing her stomach. Emma and Y/n never had a hard time talking about periods. They even say on the day they start their period, that way the other can take care of the other when their boyfriend or fiancée is not there. “But weren’t you supposed to start your period like 9 days ago? » Questions Emma.

“Yeah, I don’t know, I’m late. » Y/n says but suddenly a light turns on in her head. “I vomit every morning, I'm tired all the time, and I'm 9 days late. And that's been the case since I made love to Jenna a week and two days ago. » Y/n thinks silently.

" What are you thinking about? » Asks Emma. Y/n looks at Emma with big worried and panicked eyes. " Hold on ! You are pregnant ?! » Y/n just shakes her shoulders.

“I don’t know Emma. The last time me and Jenna made love, we ran out of condoms so we did it without a condom. But Jenna pulled out so I don't understand. »

“Omg you are so stupid!” » Emma said, slapping her forehead.

“No need to tell me, I already know.” » Y/n mutters, looking at the ground.

Emma sighs and hugs her friend. " I'm sorry. Look, I'm going to go get several pregnancy tests. » Emma says and gets up and leaves the house.

“I can’t be pregnant. Jenna will definitely break up if I'm pregnant. She doesn't want children, that's for sure. » Y/n said to herself.

After about ten minutes, Emma comes back and gives the pregnancy tests to Y/n. Y/n sighs and gets up and goes to the bathroom. She peed on 5 pregnancy tests and now has to wait 3 minutes. Two tests are with (+) and (–) and the other three are much more precise. They specify approximately how many weeks or days the woman is pregnant.

Y/n washes her hands and leaves the bathroom. And finds Emma at the kitchen table. The young bride set a three-timer.

“I have to wait three minutes to know the results. » Y/n said trembling in fear.

Emma gets up and takes Y/n in her arms who is crying slightly. Emma strokes his back.

“It’s going to be okay. If you ever get pregnant and decide to keep the baby, you and Jenna will make the best parents. »

“You don’t understand Emma I can’t be pregnant. » Y/n said, removing herself from Emma's arms. »

" Why, then? »

“Because Jenna will never want to stay with me. She already said in a live broadcast that she didn't want children. »

“Yeah, but how old is it?” »

“We didn’t know each other for maybe 4 years yet. » Y/n mutters. “But maybe it’s always like that.” » Y/n corrects herself, speaking quickly. “Okay calm down. Jenna loves you ok. She loves you like crazy so don't think like that. »

The phone rings and Y/n’s fear grows even more.

“Please go and see. » Y/n complains to her friend. Emma nods and goes into the bathroom. Y/n bites her nails with so much anxiety.

A few seconds later, Emma returns. Y/n looks at Emma in fear.

“Okay so the first two tests are positive and the other 3 too. You are about 5 days pregnant. I’m sorry Y/n. »

Y/n couldn’t believe it. She was pregnant. The young woman was sure that she did not want to have an abortion. She dreams of starting a family with Jenna but she's not sure if Jenna has the same dream.

5 months later

Jenna finally came back from filming and is home with Y/n. Jenna is sitting on the couch with Y/n laying her head on Jenna's thighs and the brunette is playing in Y/n's beautiful hair and watching a series on Netflix.

Y/n hasn’t told Jenna yet that she’s pregnant. She didn't want to tell him by text especially since Jenna was filming. So Y/n waited for her fiancée to return and waited for the right moment. But she notes that there is never a good time to say that she is now 6 months pregnant. Fortunately, her belly isn't showing yet.

Y/n huffs “Baby I need to tell you something.” » Y/n said and sat down. Jenna starts to get stressed and starts thinking about lots of things.

“You want to break up? » Jenna asks with a small voice. " What? No never my love. » Y/n immediately reassures by giving Jenna a kiss. " Do you love me? »

Jenna is completely upset by her fiancée's question. “But totally baby. I love you so much you can't imagine how much I love you my love. » Jenna said, placing her left hand on Y/n's cheek.

Y/n smiles and removes Jenna's hand to hold it. “So do you remember the last time we made love? » Jenna nods and waits for Y/n to continue. Y/n takes another deep breath and sighs. “As you know, there were no more condoms. But you withdrew so as not to ejaculate in me. After you left the next day for your shoot, I kept throwing up every morning. At first I hadn't thought about it. I thought I ate something and got sick so I didn't worry. 10 days after you left, Emma came for 2 days and that's when I noticed I was late. Jenna I haven't had my period since we made love without a condom. » Y/n tries to find a reaction on Jenna's face but she doesn't say or do anything so she continues. “Emma went to get 5 pregnancy tests. Those were the worst minutes of my life. Jenna all 5 were positive. » Y/n finishes.

Jenna looks at Y/n but still doesn't say anything. “Please say something.” » Y/n said after 1 minute of silence and tears falling from her eyes.

“So you’re pregnant?” » Y/n nods. “Six months,” she adds.

Y/n can start to see that Jenna’s eyes are shining and they are filling with tears.

“We're going to have a baby. » Jenna mumbles. Y/n didn't say anything out of fear that Jenna would get angry with her. But the reaction that followed was not what Y/n expected.

“Baby we’re having a baby!” » Jenna says as she grabs Y/n's face and pulls her into a kiss.

“Wait, you’re not angry? »

“Baby why would I be angry?” » Responds with concern.

Y/n looks at the ground in shame for thinking that Jenna might break up because of the baby.

“I thought you didn’t want kids so I thought you were going to break up.” »

Jenna's heart breaks. Seeing his future wife sad like that. Jenna takes Y/n's face in her hands and wipes away her girlfriend's tears with her thumbs.

“Y/n listen to me carefully, when I asked you to marry me, it’s because I want to make a life with you. I want to own a house with you, a dog with you, and children with you. I knew you were going to be the future mother of my children. » Jenna said with such a loving look for Y/n.

“But you said in a live performance that you didn’t want children? »

“That was before I met you. » Jenna whispers, caressing Y/n’s red cheeks “You will be the sexiest mother. » Y/n laughs with Jenna. "I love you. » Jenna said as she gave Y/n a kiss on the lips. “And I already love you so much too. » Jenna leans down and kisses Y/n's stomach.

Y/n is so happy. She is going to marry the most extraordinary woman and she will have a child with her wife. What more could you ask for?

[littlebitsmile]

in flames [C.L.] | Chapter I

Welcome back! Here's the first official chapter, situated inbetween the ending of the 2023 season and the beginning of the 2024 season. This played out in my head and be prepared, this whole story will be a SLOW burn. Even slower than Ferraris pit stops.

Dropping a new chapter next week, would be nice to see lots of you again!

But until then, enjoy your happy holidays!

[also, please don't forget to read the Prologue first]

story: in flames driver: Charles Leclerc [C.L.] trope: #haterstolovers summary: Always working three times as hard as everyone else, Emma does not intend to blow her chance of driving among the best of the best in her very first season in Formula 1. Concentrating on first and foremost getting ahead of her brother, she does not even notice that there are some people even in her own team who think she does not deserve this spot and would rather see her fail. And one driver in particular seems to have a need of always reminding her of that.

────ʚ C H A P T E R I ɞ────

As soon as the news broke, I have been swarmed by paparazzi. Hell, I could not even go to the toilet in peace without someone asking me about my deal with Aston Martin. But after finishing my last race in Formula 2, I could officially call myself part of a new team.

Sadly, I still have no clue why they approached me with an offer and why they went through with signing me. Initially, I thought it was a joke, some PR stunt to rile up Red Bull, since they made it pretty clear they wanted me and Max as the power duo - after a second and eventually third year of proofing myself in Formula 2. However, a ten-minute phone call turned into an unofficial hour-long meeting, which morphed into a Zoom session involving my manager and a team of lawyers. Three separate five-hour sessions later, where expectations on both sides were thoroughly discussed, I found myself facing a stack of papers with small "x" marks beside every line I needed to sign.

And here I am, wearing a green polo, black trousers, decent makeup, and a smile plastered across my face. Fernando Alonso, one of the biggest names in the sport, nods in my direction, giving me a last look of encouragement or approval—I'm not sure. We walk through the double-winged doors and are instantly met with flashes of light. The noise is overwhelming; I have to restrain myself from covering my ears and squatting on the ground with pleas of "stop." People shout not only my name but also Fernando's, alongside questions we surely are not allowed to answer at the moment.

Navigating through the chaos, we take our places on the couch atop the stage, in front of what must be hundreds of people. I feel like prey, reporters wielding notepads, iPads, and phones as their weapons to summon words that cut through us like knives.

As we sit down, I immediately reach for the glass of water standing next to me to soothe my dry throat. Nausea washes over me as I glance around the room.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first pre-season interview of Aston Martin! We are delighted to have our two drivers, Fernando Alonso and Emma Verstappen, here for approximately one hour to answer all the questions you certainly have. But first, let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?"

I was informed about this. We went over a few potential questions in countless meetings with my new PR manager. Nonetheless, I can't help but feel like this is a test I didn't prepare for at all.

"Emma, let’s start with you. This is your first year in Formula 1, and there is a big question on everyone's minds: Why Aston Martin? I mean, your brother – Max Verstappen, for everyone who has been living under a rock for the past couple of years -…" Laughter fills the room. I chuckle myself, but I would rather cry. "He has been with Red Bull since 2016. Everyone thought if there's a chance of you getting into Formula 1, it would be alongside your brother in a Red Bull car. What happened?"

I take a deep breath, swallow, pick up the microphone in my lap, and try not to look straight into the ceiling lights.

"Firstly, thank you all for being here. I do realize you’re here for Fernando and not for me—at least that’s what I’ve been trying to tell myself for the last week so I wouldn’t freak out." More laughter in the crowd. I relax a little. "And thank you for the question. I guess a lot of that was gut feeling. To be honest, I am really not sure why Aston Martin initially talked to me about my chances in Formula 1 since my last driver championship was in Formula 3 two years ago. I just finished second in Formula 2, and I've only been there for a year, so that was quite unusual. But when I talked to the guys and they introduced who was supposed to be my future race engineer and some people from the pit crew, I saw in them what I saw in myself: a purpose. They all spoke so passionately and ambitiously about the next season, and suddenly I felt like I found a place where I belonged. At least that's what my PR told me to say. Actually, I am here because green is my favorite color, and I have the biggest crush on Fernando."

The crowd goes crazy. Everyone claps and cheers. Someone screams, "We all do!" I glance at Fernando, and he smiles at me. Then he picks up his microphone: "We all hope you realize that was a joke. You could be my daughter, Emma. Also, Linda is still the love of my life."

"Damn, if there will ever be a chance of dating Fernando Alonso, Emma, you will have to line yourself up in the back. But, thank you for the close insight. We are pretty proud to have you wearing our colors." The host looks away from us and turns to the crowd. "So, let’s do what we and all of you are here for. Time for some questions."

A few hands instantly shoot into the air. My palms are sweating, and I look around nervously, praying that some people here have the decency not to focus too much on my transfer. But apparently, there is no god in the big blue hanging above us.

"Fernando, how do you feel with a rookie as a teammate? A female one?"

Tiny voices in my head agree with him, and probably many reporters in the room too. I shift uncomfortably on my seat. This press conference is not going in the direction we anticipated. Fernando seems to think about the question, but even though I have not known him for very long, I can feel how he tries to behave and stay calm.

"Age or gender have nothing to do with talent. Or capability, for that matter." His eyes revert to me. A smile. Then he continues: "We’re a team, and success comes from working together. I’m pretty sure an old man like me will learn a lot, but we always have to remember that this is a process. Growing as a team will not happen overnight."

Fernando's calmness washes over me and captures me. He has been doing all of this for so long—PR training, talking to reporters, reading about himself in newspapers and on tabloids. I feel pretty lost, like I am on an island with only a book about survival strategies, but it is not written in any language I can speak.

"What did you think about the statement Charles Leclerc made last week, about you being in this sport solely because of your brother? Or maybe, a bold follow-up question: Is your place in Formula 1 rather about connections than skill?"

I laugh, and the room immediately goes silent. "Sorry, what was your name?" I ask.

"Uhm…Kevin?"

"Well, Kevin, that’s a really good question, and I have to say there hasn’t been a single day where I haven’t asked myself the exact same thing." I pause and look around. Shock is plastered all over the reporters' faces, probably because they did not expect this kind of answer. "The thing is, my whole life I was second. Second being born, second to being seen, second to being supported. Second to start karting after Max had already a great start. The only time I did something Max didn’t do before me was when I joined a Formula 2 team—and that was only because he went straight from Formula 3 to Formula 1."

I remember the call I got when my place at DAMS was secured. I was excited beyond words, screamed, cried, laughed, all at the same time. I thought, finally, I have something to be proud of, something I achieved by myself. Something for myself. But when I went to tell my family, the only comment I got from Dad was: "Well, maybe you’re not as talented to just go straight to Formula 1. But it’s a nice chance, for a girl." Max does not know about that conversation, and I try to keep it that way. Otherwise, he would probably punch Dad in the face, a couple of times.

"Of course, it is hard to believe in yourself when there are so many people who doubt you, but that’s the beautiful thing about Aston Martin and the seat they offered me: They see something in me no one else sees, and they believe that I can contribute something to this team. These are guys who have been in motorsport way longer than I am, so I think it would be pretty fair to say I trust their judgment more than someone who tries to make a living of writing stories about strangers, I guess." A few people laugh, a few clap. I try not to be rude, but it is true. People are so quick to judge situations they are not in, and I am not here for that.

"Also, I cannot influence what any other driver on the grid has to say about me. As I said, I am here because some people see potential in me being a F1 driver and I will not let them regret this decision, so...I guess Charles, and any other driver for that matter, can have opinions about me all they want, but I am going to race these guys, whether they like it or not. This is a chance and I don't intend to blow it."

"Well, that’s a clear statement, and I’m right with you on that. Hopefully, pardon my French, you will kick some ass out there this season. The men need it, believe me." There is a wink in his tone. The room erupts in applause and camera flashes. I smile and nod, a small "thank you" gesture to the reporter.

"Thanks, Kevin. I will try my best not to disappoint you."

The press conference concludes about thirty minutes later; we say our quick goodbyes and leave to go back to the headquarters.

"What a day, huh?" Fernando remarks as we come to a halt in front of our cars. I sigh, shake my head, and gaze down at the ground.

"This was a lot more challenging than I thought. They're like... like..." I struggle to find the right word to capture the feeling. Fernando nudges me, a gesture of understanding.

“I know what you mean, but that’s their job. If they don’t bring out the worst in us, they would suck at it. But you handled it quite well, so don’t worry about it.” I glance at him. When I grow up, I want to be as calm as this man—like a huge cliff at sea, never giving in to whatever storm is coming.

“I haven’t seen what statement Charles made, did you?” I try not to sound too curious.

“Don’t dwell on it. I’m sure a lot of people will comment on you joining Aston Martin, some more, some less. But the most important thing is to clear your mind. We don’t need distractions – we only need some confidence. I can feel it; this will be our year.”

"If you say so."

And with that, Fernando waves one more time, gets into his car, and then drives off with a loud roar of the engine.

I look around, absorbing the peace and how silence envelops me.

Guess it’s time to start believing in myself and kick some ass.

────ʚ [Masterlist] [Prologue] [Chapter II] ɞ────

[syncopatedid]

So what if I told you that Lu Guang has been living on "borrowed time" with Cheng Xiaoshi as far back as the very first episode in season 1?

Tl;dr thoughts and other sidetracks below the cut:

One: Xiaoshi lamenting to Lu Guang if "high-fiving" was the only way for them to maintain contact with each other when he dives.

If they had been at this gig for a long time, surely Xiaoshi would have already known this (or at the very least, have experimented other methods, maybe, if he suspected they could go about it another way?) That is not to say that the two of them hadn't been running a legit photo studio business prior to this (definitely feels longer), but the fact that Xiaoshi questions this did come across as being unusual to me, unless it was something "fairly recent" to him, and he was still slowly getting the hang of it. But a much stronger evidence would be:

Two: The rules set by Lu Guang as a condition of their partnership, specifically the second and third rule: to "change nothing", and "let the past and future be". Would Lu Guang have been so insistent on imposing such restrictions on Xiaoshi, had he not already experienced losing Xiaoshi once and wanted to rein Xiaoshi in from acting on his own? And why did Lu Guang feel the need to do so?

-------- Sidetrack thoughts #1: Was Xiaoshi even aware of his powers before Lu Guang came into the picture, or did it only manifest when Lu Guang entered his life? As evident in episodes involving the police, it suggests that in this universe, ability users are an abnormality and not public knowledge; they fall under urban lore and internet rumors, with whispers about a "photo studio run by a witch who can perform magic".

Did Xiaoshi accidentally jump into a photo one day and freak out, only for Lu Guang to assure him by outing his own abilities? (I can't see Lu Guang willingly volunteering that information to Xiaoshi unless something had forced his hand, esp given the above assumption it's not knowledge a layman should possess.) --------

I feel, the reason why Lu Guang holds Xiaoshi so vehemently to the rules would make sense if we consider that Lu Guang sees Xiaoshi as an "unpredictable node".

As far back as S1e3, we can tell that Lu Guang was able to "see" far ahead enough in the timeline that Xiaoshi had leaped into, to know if the future of that timeline had been altered or not. Example: little changes that Xiaoshi did (making a slam dunk) were inconsequential enough that Lu Guang could tell Xiaoshi it's fine, and the future remains relatively unaffected. But Xiaoshi changing a "key node" in that timeline (helping the losing team win), had drastically altered it to the point that Lu Guang tells Xiaoshi he doesn't know what's going to happen next. Why? Because the timeline had already branched out into a parallel universe, so to speak. And no longer holding on to the photo of the "right" universe - a new universe that Xiaoshi had inadvertently just created - meant Lu Guang no longer had the power of foresight.

Getting back to Lu Guang's real predicament, I suspect Lu Guang has been living in a timeline where he is unable to "see" Xiaoshi's future because he hasn't known a future where Xiaoshi has been alive for this long.

Just because Lu Guang is now in a timeline where Xiaoshi didn't die before 0913, it doesn't mean Xiaoshi is safe in the present universe - the same thing happened with Emma; while she didn't die in the hands of a kidnapper, she still died by falling off a building. And that's why Lu Guang has been rather protective of keeping Xiaoshi out of trouble, but I also speculate hard, that he doesn't want to further "destabilize" the current timeline and create more obvious time ripples that will draw attention to them, because... Lu Guang knows Xiaoshi should not have lived, and that they're being hunted.

Xiaoshi, the "abnormality" who is causing all the splits in time due to his unpredictable nature, would make the absolute antithesis to the new antagonist, who seeks to merge all the universes into one single unchanged ending. -------------------------- Sidetrack Thoughts #2: Since when was Lu Guang able to time travel on his own anyway?? My personal hunch: his time leap abilities were not his own, but from Cheng Xiaoshi of the parallel universe where he died. The scene before Lu Guang jumped back in time showed bloodstains on his shirt, suggesting that he had contact with Xiaoshi prior. This would mirror what we saw between Xixi and Qiao Ling, with Xixi's powers being transferred over to Qiao Ling through contact, and Qiao Ling briefly able to see all the memories of the people she had previously read.

If ^ proves to be true, what does that mean?

That Lu Guang is unable to time leap UNLESS Cheng Xiaoshi dies. He does not have the ability to do so on his own. This also means that for as long as Cheng Xiaoshi is alive, Lu Guang will not have the means to time leap on his own or dive back into the past. Which brings me to:

Sidetrack thoughts #3: This image makes me reallllllllly wonder if Lu Guang had already gone back in time to save Xiaoshi multiple times, which would make Lu Guang wanting to stabilize the current timeline even more valid and tragic. ---------------

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Frankly, such stories seem destined to head down the tragic/bittersweet end. Either: 1) Lu Guang dies so that Xiaoshi may live; 2) Xiaoshi dies anyway; (bonus 2.5: It's a combi of both; Guang tries to die to save Xiaoshi, but Xiaoshi pulls an "uno reverse" card on him and still dies as he was meant to, this time making Lu Guang promise not to try and save him again.) 3) Nobody dies, but they end up being apart. Lu Guang OR Xiaoshi discovers that in order for the both of them to survive, he would need to go further back in time to reset the past so that they never cross paths in the first place. This would mean one would likely forget the other entirely, and they would become nothing more than passing strangers. I kind of hope if it's headed for tragedy, that this option will be picked over the other two because I find death for melodrama too contrived a plot, but also FML. But what if... there is an option 4? A possibility for an actual good end where they can all be happy together and nobody dies? I'd like to think that if they could give others their happy end then surely they'd be able to find a way to happiness themselves! One such end-game could be them defeating the bad guy and branching out into a new universe yet again, but forever losing their abilities and stuck living in that timeline (where abilities do not exist) for the rest of their lives, no longer able to return to the time they had jumped from or knowing what their future will entail. But it's fine, they'll make it work because they have each other, 完结. cue ED and everybody claps, believing that perhaps they are now happily living in our universe.

And that's all the TL;DR for the day. Thanks for listening and enjoy your timeline!

[inkyweenus]

Thinking about time travel and all the secrets Lu Guang is keeping. And how long he's been keeping them.

And also what his limitations are... because I don't think he knows as much as he thinks he knows.

I've got a lot of thoughts and a lot of questions. I tried to organize them in the hopes to maybe work out some ideas, but it got a bit... Much. Weigh in if you have thoughts because...I'm clearly vibrating in place wanting to talk about this. But anyway, here we go.

How is the present affected by future dives into the past? (Alternate timelines or pre-determined track)

This section is basically me asking a lot of questions that might just be writing holes or maybe not and we just don't find out for, like, 6 years. And that's fine. I'm here for it, I just need to sort out all these theories in my head.

In S1E9, LG looks into the surveillance photo and sees CXS on the solo dive. Is this because CXS was currently in the photo? Is it because CXS had already done the solo dive and so LG was seeing the affected photo? Is it because CXS was always going to go into the photo, so LG saw the past that always was going to be?

When Liu Min called from Xu Shanshan's phone, was it because CXS was always going to set up the meeting? What if CXS hadn't come to that conclusion and didn't reveal himself in Shanshan's body? Would the call have never happened? Does Lu Guang allow this huge "deviation" because he saw it was supposed to happen? Did he lie about what he saw in the photo? Was his elevated concern in that moment he claimed was about CXS's potential mental state while of going into his friend's potentially dying body actually about CXS starting the game? Is he just as clueless as everyone else and now everything is spiralling?

Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao. Oh man. "Nothing will be affected" my ass Lu Guang. Pretty sure you created an entire person that didn't previously exist from that mission. Sure, all the people that were supposed to die in the earthquake died, but Chen Xiao did NOT have a wedding ring on when he came to the photoshop to hire them. He was a miserable man with regrets he couldn't move past, including missing his "first love." Now, I get that first loves have a lot of weight, but he's like 30+ and so desperate... this is not a man who looks at his wedding ring with care and sings his son to sleep. But he becomes that. Where did that child come from?!?

Just because the 12 hours after the photo are the same doesn't mean that the 12 years after it are. Lingering resentment--or the lack thereof-- is a strong shaping force. Also. Chen Xiao's lack of regrets from a successful mission means that he never would have hired them to dive in the first place. So to make it full circle, Chen Xiao "returns" to the photo shop (for the first time?) to have CXS develop the photos he took himself on the camera he saved from the wreckage...And, I have to assume from the implication of a new timeline, THAT is how they get paid for the job. How much are they charging to develop film? Was it worth it??

Does LG even know about this kind of change? Is it just too far out of his range to see? He didn't seem to know about Emma until he saw the news, so maybe he's limited in what he can see, but he found that article pretty fast, so maybe he knew something was happening. It's hard to know.

What are the extent of LG's powers? Is he from the future?

He always says not to ask about the "past or future." I assumed this meant the future of the past that CXS was currently in, but what if he also means the future of the present that we're currently seeing? Can he see the future of the present he's in now?

In season 1, he knew that CXS would appear as himself when he dove into the surveillance camera footage. How? It was obviously CXS's first time doing that, but maybe not LG's. If it was his first time, how did he know?

We recently learned that he can see the present through surveillance footage the same way he does looking at footage of the past. Does this mean he can also see 12 hours into the future? It's 20:44 when LG unlocks Chen Bin's phone, so it's probably around 21:00 when he uses his powers. Does he know how things will unfold? Does he see the twins moving through the building? Does he realize there are two of them?

He's obviously been up to something this whole season: watching the clock, hiding photos, opening up stitches without much physical effort beyond using his powers... 🤔

My current crack theory is that LG reopening his stitches while using his powers to watch the fight is actually related to him escaping and/or jumping off the boat to free CXS. I'm not sure how because it's definitely more than 12 hours between the events, but something is up.

It's not surprising to me that CXS and Wang Juan were controlled through touch. The moment Li Tianxi reached out her hand to shake CXS's I yelled at my TV. It looked too similar to LG reaching out to start a dive.

And I yelled even louder when she made contact

CXS can dive on his own and LG can see into a photo on his own. The physical touch only connects their minds, it's not necessary to activate the powers. Could LG touch CXS and communicate telepathically without diving into a photo if they had an activation touch? Does LJ need a time travel element to get into CXS's head?

I think Li Tianchen's powers at least are touch related because when he touched Xixi, CXS lost his connection with LG. But I think there may be something else going on with the twins. I'm just not sure what I think yet. We wouldn't know if one was possessing the other because their eyes are the same.

How do the powers manifest, and what does that mean for Lu Guang's backstory?

I think we saw the moment when Li Tianxi and/or Li Tianchen acquire powers. Was it a predisposition that unlocked during a highly traumatic moment or did it just manifest somehow from an extreme desire to take control of the situation?

Li Tianxi was a child who wanted to communicate and be present but felt trapped in her over stimulated body. Li Tianchen was a boy with strong ideals and a sense of protectiveness... without the strength of an adult body to follow through with that protection. While they were holding the photo, huddled together in close physical contact after Tianchen's head injury, one of them or the combined force of them was able to 1.) take over their mother's body and 2.) blank out Xixi's mind to the point of cutting CXS's connection with LG and eventually the whole photo. But something went very wrong along the way. Maybe some signals were crossed.

CXS is a highly empathetic person. He feels so much for everyone and wants to connect with people emotionally. And his powers reflect that. We know CXS has probably at some point had a strong enough desire to go back in time, if anything to see his parents.

What, then, do the circumstances look like for a logical, emotionally reserved--but deeply caring--person to acquire powers to see snapshots of the past? What would drive him to want to change the past so much that he manifests these powers?

We know CXS had never done a dive without LG before he temporarily went rogue in S1E9... because he didn't know he could do it until he tried.

We know S1E1 isn't the first time they dive. CXS nags LG about having heard the rules a hyperbolic amount of times. So the powers aren't new at this point. But I don't think they both had powers before they met. So how and when did they get their powers? Was it when they met? When they travelled abroad? After some accident or something?

LG just shows up in CXS's life unannounced. Twice. And that's how they got close. Was it just the random fated meeting of soulmates as per fiction standards or did LG intentionally seek out CXS for more timey-wimey reasons? Did meeting LG activate CXS's powers? Did they experience something together to have compatible abilities? Did LG already have his and teach CXS how to manifest his own? How much did LG already know before he picked up that basketball?

I have this other crack theory that I absolutely hate and don't want to be true at all and almost certainly isn't, but, like...what if if LG and CXS are actually the same person from different timelines. Like LG is a version of CXS that doesn't get to have familial love and maybe experiences too much trauma, and he goes back in time to give himself some semblance of a home and a set of rules to hone his powers without altering the timeline that he's actively changing. They're intentionally written to be two halves of a whole, and there's been more than one joke made about LG being a ghost or not existing. I hate it. But it's in my head.

One last question for today... because I have to wonder:

Who makes the rules?

Has LG just read enough books to feel knowledgeable about how time travel works? Is he from the future trying to maintain a desired outcome? Are they following the rules of a third party who's orchestrating the flow of events from a distance? Are they... Leaving their fates to the ones who aren't in control?

[thornpixie]

Emma's TSITP finale thoughts that nobody asked for:

Let me start by saying...

Okay and now that's over, let's begin.

I must admit I felt a little bit of sympathy for Conrad, when I hadn't before this episode. It must be extremely hard to see the girl you love with anyone else, let alone your brother. However, it isn't as cut and dry as 'she is his brothers ex so Jeremiah shouldn't have gone there'. Both guys had close relationships with Belly prior to anything romantic sparking - Jeremiah more so than Conrad, imo, because both he and Belly have described the other as their best friend - and Jeremiah and Belly had a physical relationship before she and Conrad. No, they didn't have sex, but they were still making out, groping, kissing sweetly... there was an intimacy there before she chose to be with Conrad (gentle reminder that Conrad lied about Jeremiah being over her to get what he wanted, because Belly was trying to be respectful and kinda make up for her mistakes a little bit, but I talk about that in another post so I won't go into that again). I even understand his reaction in the car (note I say I understand it, not that I agreed with it) - although it is kind of hypocritical considering how much he tells every other character to grow up. That all is to say that while I understand how painful it must be for Conrad to see, and I think Jeremiah should have spoken to him about his continued feelings for Belly prior to kissing her… it doesn’t make Jeremiah a villain and Conrad a saint. Conrad is selfish when it comes to Belly. Jeremiah can be too. Neither of them is innocent. That being said, two wrongs don’t make a right and Jeremiah should have done better. And he did… just after the fact. He gave into Belly because he loved her and she was offering him everything and Conrad would have done the same if the tables were turned. But after, he spoke to Conrad and was clear on his feelings and yet he gave them the chance to talk knowing what that could potentially mean for him and Belly. His actions do not a villain make.

I really do not care what does or doesn’t happen in the books. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again as many times as it takes to sink in to some people - the books are NOT the show. The books are the inspiration for the show, but the show is an ADAPTION. It is not a carbon copy. Jeremiah could’ve shagged Laurel in the books and I wouldn’t care because they were written over a decade ago and tv is a different medium to books and they are different things. Until it happens on screen, it didn’t happen. Anyone who has read The Vampire Diaries books knows what I mean. Same characters, entirely different story. TSITP show relies heavily on the source material, but we have already seen stark differences between the two. They are separate entities.

Belly pushed and pushed with Jeremiah. He tried hard to resist her, maybe for selfish reasons (he didn’t want to get hurt again, and good on him), but still. He tried. He should’ve opened up to Conrad about his feelings before the kiss, and it sucked that Conrad found out the way that he did, but in Jeremiah’s defence, Conrad has never really given him the chance or taken him seriously. And when he realised how strong Conrad’s feelings still were for Belly, he told him to tell her. He told him that he needed to be straight up with her and that if Conrad was who Belly wanted then he would let her go and not stand in their way because he wanted them both to be happy. He recognised that it was Belly’s choice, and that he couldn’t force her to love him back if she didn’t. That is a good fucking guy right there.

Jeremiah made some mistakes when Belly chose Conrad the first time around, because he was hurt (rightly so) and he was prideful, and he got absolutely slated for it. Conrad did the same and he gets applauded? It’s bullshit. He doesn’t have any more ‘claim’ over Belly because of their history. It’s a tough situation for SURE, but Jeremiah had feelings before Conrad dated her that Belly encouraged. He hasn’t just randomly started dating his brothers ex. It’s a unique situation given how close they all are already. He should have spoken to Conrad, but he isn’t satan for still loving this girl who is his best friend, that he was catching feels for, who led him on to believe that she could feel the same way. These things all developed before Conrad showed even the slightest romantic interest in Belly. And frankly, the way he was in this episode shows how much Jeremiah has grown up. He told both Conrad and Belly that if they wanted to be together he wouldn’t stand in their way and he promised Belly they’d still be good. Jeremiah has grown up and he fucking deserves happiness. And honestly, after their talk by the vending machines, I felt like Conrad realised how much Jeremiah actually did care for Belly. I think it was the first time he’d truly seen it. And he could’ve continued acting like a dick, and I would’ve even understood (still team jelly but I’d have understood he was emotional), but he actually handled it really well. He put his feelings aside and let them be happy, the way Jeremiah had to the previous summer (Conrad stans always refer back to Jere being pissed at thanksgiving but honestly, him not wanting to see Conrad and Belly flaunting it in front of him is a pretty natural reaction. It’ll be interesting to see how Conrad handles the same situation moving forward, and how his fans react to that). The difference is that no one else considered Jeremiah’s feelings last time, but Jeremiah was trying to be sensitive towards Conrad this time, giving him the chance and also making sure Belly had all of the information before she made a choice, AND TOLD HER IT WOULDNT BE LIKE LAST TIME IF SHE CHOSE CONRAD AGAIN. That is the least manipulative thing I’ve ever witnessed on TV so I cannot fathom why Conrad stans insist on calling Jeremiah manipulative.

As for Belly… honestly I’ve not been Belly’s biggest fan, but she really has grown up. It’s not her fault that Conrad misinterpreted her actions. She outright told him she wanted to be his friend. She was being friendly towards him, and he took it the wrong way (with encouragement from Steven, which made things worse. I have several opinions about Steven also. He’s way too controlling of Belly imho). In this episode, I was actually really proud of her. Again, I’ve not read the books, but I’ve read summaries, and it seems like the Belly we saw was super confident in her decision. She did nothing but reassure Jeremiah this episode, both with her words and her actions. She didn’t run after Conrad immediately - she only did it because Jeremiah asked her to. She told Conrad she wanted to be friends. She didn’t give him any indication she wanted to be more. It was very obvious there was a vibe with Jeremiah, but since nobody in Cousins seems to remember Jeremiah exists, nobody else noticed. That’s not her fault. She’s spent the entire season being there for Jeremiah, trying to make it up to him. In the end, she was happy, she was confident. She seemed so full of life in a way we never saw when she was with Conrad. She said in her speech to Jeremiah that she wanted something real. That she knew now that Conrad was only a dream. I’ve seen people interpret that as he was her dream guy but since she can’t have him, she’ll have Jeremiah instead. I didn’t interpret it that way. To me, that was her acknowledging that the person she thought Conrad was was a dream. Because everybody knew she’d had this puppy love infatuation with him for most of her life. And now she knew that’s all it was. That it wasn’t love but a fantasy that she’d built on the back of a person who didn’t really exist outside of her own imagination. Where as Jeremiah was real. He was exactly who he said he was. He wasn’t a fantasy. He’s there, and he isn’t perfect, and that’s fine. And she recognises that she blew it chasing this fantasy. I dunno really how to word what I’m thinking properly but I just didn’t take that in a negative way and I thought it was sweet. Like, haven’t we all watched shows or seen celebs on tv and daydreamed about it? Because you don’t really know them you can invent this perfect picture and it can make you see your own life and relationships in a bad light for a time… until you remember that they aren’t real; the idealised person you’ve created.

Disclaimer on this next part - I’ve not read the books so I might have misinformation. Anyway, from what I’ve heard of the books, Belly seemed still quite torn between the two and only went with Jeremiah after Conrad took it all back and pissed off and left her again. She’d already chosen Jeremiah at that point in the show. She didn’t run after Conrad and leave Jeremiah behind by the car - Jeremiah asked her to. She seemed so exhausted with Conrad this episode and just completely sick of his shit. She was all in with Jeremiah and I loved it. I don’t see a way that she would come back to Conrad now because she seemed so done with him and her and Jeremiah are so sweet. I’m honestly dreading season 3. I don’t want to witness this character assassination in the pursuit of a Bonrad endgame because we all know it’s going to happen, regardless of what is right for the characters.

Anyway, I’m happy with the ending. Belly won back some points with me because she really worked to make Jeremiah feel secure and I loved it. She’s grown. I hope she continues this (but no doubt they’ll ruin it all in season 3). Jeremiah and Conrad also grew in the end. It was good. The show could’ve ended there for me and I’d be happy.

Hope my word vomit made sense hahaha I have a lot of feelings.

[sillyengineerperson]

Okay right, so i finished agggtm (show) last night and ahhhhhhhhh my god i don't know what to think. Like it was really good. Max Hastings was portrayed as a fucking dick perfectly, Ravi was funny and just awsome, it was really hard to see matthew baynton as Elliot Ward but he did it amazingly, I can't tell whether i like emma meyers' british accent or not (it was really iffy for me), not all the characters were how i imagined them but i didn't want them to be because i like being able to separate the show from the books, the CLUES REFERENCING TO AGAD AHHHHHHHHH (if we don't get to season 3 i will cry), naomi was yes and looked very close to how I imagined her, Pip Cara and Lauren's friendship and how they all look after each other is so perfect and I genuinely hope they don't go with Lauren's plot in the books for season 2 because my poor heart can't take it, josh!!!!!!!! i love him (it's a shame he wasn't watching disney channel like from one scene in the book but i think i'll live), WHERE WAS JAIME?? like he was mentioned but wasn't actually there lol (thats basically a summary of how the second book starts), I wish they'd given becca more explaining time because where they left it just make her seem really awful but from the books she shows more remorse and explains more of her choices to pip (e.g what happened to barney) so then i think it will be easier to explain her character later on. NAT👏DA SILVA👏DESERVED👏MORE👏SCREEN👏TIME👏especially more than fucking daniel

I can't think of anything else but I definitely need to talk about this more

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Wainwright/Sword/Hatch

Return Home - Part 2

By now it was early afternoon. Cyclone's body was resisting a long sleep. So he got up and hoped that he would at least get some rest in the evening and at night. "So you found that old thing? It's totally rustling… hnhn"/ "sshh, I want to hear that, Cy!".

Cyclone has all five of his senses at his disposal. At the moment, Blair lacks the ability to perceive everything visually. What she doesn't see is that the picture on the TV shakes a lot from time to time and rarely shows a clear image. The sound was also more of a hiss, interspersed with muffled voices. But she could understand what was being said quite well. "It's supposed to stay sunny for the next few days"/ "do you understand everything they're saying?"/ "mhm".

He sat down with her on the sofa. He was well aware that other senses are heightened when another is switched off. "Don't look at me like that, okay? I'm not a freak…"/ "hnhn. I wouldn't look at a freak the way I'm looking at you right now". She had to smile a little. Then she searched for his hand with hers and held it tightly. "Did you heard the news too?".

"Unfortunately, I only tuned in too late, but… There was a short report about a satellite that seems to have exploded…". Cy's eyes widened "do they know why?"/ "hm, I don't know, it's hard to do an analysis or forensics in space. But… A satellite like that doesn't just explode…"/ "hm, that's true".

"and did they happen to say what kind of satellite it was?"/ "hm, no, not really, they didn't seem to think it was necessary…". Cy took a deep breath "if they didn't mention that, it must have been something pretty important… Maybe one for surveillance or communications" / "yeah, maybe…". Blair was also interested in finding out if there wasn't some kind of foul play going on here. After all, she was or is still in the police force. "I'll try to find out the code for the jammer later. It might take a few hours, but I'm sure I'll get through"/ "please, be careful, Cy".

"I've always been careful, haven't I? I've been around computers from a young age… And learned a lot about hacking. And how to protect yourself…. But there's always a risk of getting caught… What are they going to do? Put me in prison?"/ "What prison?" she grinned, "hehe…".

Even though Blair was blindfolded, she tried to reach her eyes on him. "If that… all that hadn't happened back then, would we be sitting here together today?" He stroked her shoulder lovingly and with his other hand he held her "Maybe, yes. Or maybe not, you know how often I got into trouble with your father in the lab. He thought I was a failure"/ "No… Certainly not. You were just very young and now…"/ "hm? Now what?"/ "now we're together". Blair had a keen ear, but she was also good at tuning things out. And so she ignored the TV for a while.

The weather is good. And despite the fact that it's already fall, people are still eager to stock up on supplies. At least with what's there. Cyclone knows how to bypass the jammer, but he wants to switch it off completely. All he needs is the right people from the forum, which he reaches regularly for a few hours.

Emma came out of her room just a few minutes later. "Do you mind if I go out again? Will you be okay?"/ "Of course, Emma, just have a look around. I just need some more rest," Blair said as she rested her head on Cy's shoulder. "No problem… I want to see if I can find something for a chicken coop, I don't want the little ones to run away." Emma wasn't really tired, more a little chipper. She couldn't really settle down yet and wanted to know what the whole area looked like now.

It is possible that word had already spread a little that three residents of the town who were thought lost had reappeared. But not everywhere yet. "Hey, hello… Connor?"… The man who had just been about to go up the stairs stopped abruptly. He stood stock-still and stared at the door… Had he just heard a familiar voice?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover 💓

[weaving-knightmares]

Thinking about this moment again......

I know people were shocked at how certain Tony was that the Avengers were going to avenge him if something happened/ rescue him the way they did in the next issue and I think that's ridiculous considering that the only time he genuinely knew help wasn't coming was when he was dying in the blizzard in Iron Man #182 and that was because he knew he pushed everyone away and, to paraphrase him, allowed his alcoholism to get as bad as it did. Normally, Tony has always had faith in his team (when written well, of course) so him expecting them to care isn't that surprising. He'd also just relived the events of the aforementioned issue in this scene and what he visualized when he woke up from that flashback was Iron Man's helmet. Remembering that he was a hero and was a part of something bigger than him is what got him back into action and he motivated by the desire to save Emma from the sentinels.

Him giving Emma his armour so she could escape is what I was actually thinking about. He called it repaying a debt and yes, she'd risked her life to save him before this happened and he never forgets a favour so that's part of it but also, Emma had no one at the time. She was so desperate that she'd resorted to making a deal with Fisk and unlike Tony, didn't have a team that would have her back. Tony knew that that was why Feilong wouldn't have killed him, not then, and that was part of why he was so sure, too. This part has actually been said in the book so it wasn't an observation, exactly.

My point is, one thing about this run that I really appreciate is that Duggan got rid of the idea that Tony has no friends or loved ones or that he was difficult to love or like and that's enabling him to write Tony the way he really is - someone who surrounds himself with good people, someone who is a part of the earth's mightiest heroes, someone heroic and kind and protective of innocent people, someone who didn't need to be lectured on how to be a hero 60 publication years into him becoming a superhero. Emma is so vulnerable right now, with most of her team, daughters, friends and loved ones gone and Tony is actually in a position to be someone she can lean on despite having troubles of his own, and I think that makes a lot of sense. I've heard talk about how he isn't taking care of himself/ needs someone to basically take over his life and I think people who think that way aren't appreciating what's really happening. The thing is, he's made so much progress in all of these years, progress that over fifteen years of Iron Man runs didn't really depict well, if they even acknowledged it, and we're finally getting to see the results of so much hard work on his part - he's on top of his recovery despite being in a position that is extremely triggering to him in multiple ways and it feels realistic. He hosted a Thanksgiving dinner (with Emma) for the others in the resistance and made a toast, he took Emma ice skating when she mentioned that she'd always wanted to do it and he's generally being emotionally supportive towards her. He also communicated his situation with Steve when him and Thor came to his rescue and I'm so glad Duggan didn't create any unnecessary conflict between them due to Tony clearly telling him why he shouldn't be seen having a support system because it would've become all everyone talked about. And now they've met multiple times and are working together, which I like. I like that Tony is working with so many Avengers in this run, too, because why wouldn't he?

The issues he's facing in this run are entirely to do with his technology being in the wrong hands on a much bigger scale than before, Rhodey being framed for murder and being in prison and until recently, in danger and figuring out how to fight back and, I don't know, I like that we aren't being bothered by unnecessary interpersonal conflicts that don't make sense for the characters or Tony's "difficult" personality being the cause of all his problems, which never made any sense for him.

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Reflections

Chapter Eight

Master List / Real People Master List / Reflections Master List

Pairing: Mia MacAlsdair x Au Tom Hiddleston

Warnings: language, fluff, angst, mentions of suicide and self-harm, 18+ Minors do not interact

A/N: I apologize in advance should my Scottish/English interpretations be incorrect. I am Canadian playing in a world of my own making. Do not @ me.

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~

Tom watched Mia drive off, on the correct side of the road, into the low-lying fog. She didn't have far to go, but he made her promise to text when she arrived. The compassionate and understanding look she gave him said Emma must have explained about their parents, but she promised she would, and it eased his mind. 

On a clear day, he could watch her make her way along the winding roads, the trek by car longer than the walk across the fields, but with the fog covering nearly everything, he had to wait for confirmation of her safe arrival. 

He remained outside until it came and sighed in relief. It was unexpected, but she had become quite dear in a very short span of time. He appreciated her honesty, that she willingly spoke to him about her beliefs, her life, and her past. There was nothing false or contrived about Mia. She was exactly the woman she showed to the world, unapologetic and authentic to herself. 

That she trusted him enough to speak of her… vision? Experience? He wasn't sure what to call it, but it humbled him that Mia told him her story. And he would be forever grateful for whatever, whoever, saw the child on the bridge and intervened.

Tom looked around at the empty grounds and then up at the cloudy sky. "I don't know if you truly are real, if you care what I think, or would bother listening to me, but if you are out there, thank you. Thank you for saving Mia."

A flash of red caught his eye, and he turned to find a raven sitting on a window sill. It hadn't been there before, of that he was sure. 

It croaked at him and flew off, leaving Tom bemused. 

God? Raven? Omen? 

He shook his head. He wasn't sure he was ready to find out. 

He walked inside to find his siblings waiting to ambush him. 

"To what do I owe this pleasure? This isn't another intervention regarding cardigans, is it? I'll have you know, I haven't worn another since you likened me to Grandfather George."

Emma giggled and shook her head, her grin smug and body nearly vibrating with glee. "It seems you and Mia got on smashing once you removed your foot from your mouth."

Tom huffed and shook his head, striding past them into the study. "She's a nice girl."

"Oh, please! We watched you snog her," Kip snickered. 

He barely contained the need to wince. "What of it?"

"You dog!" Kip crowed, laughing as he went to the sideboard and poured two fingers of whiskey. 

Tom sat behind his desk with a scowl. "It wasn't like that."

Emma perched on the corner. "What was it like?" she asked softly.

He flexed his hand against the chair arm, still able to feel her touch like it was imprinted on his skin. 

"He's speechless," Kip murmured. 

"Not hardly," Tom huffed, shuffling papers around.

"Tom," Emma murmured. "You like her."

He paused in his shuffling to stare at the wood. "Yes. I… yes."

"She's really lovely, had a hard go before now, but so open."

He looked up at Emma, watching him knowingly and sighed. "I asked her to dinner tomorrow."

She beamed. 

"And I told her about Sarah."

Kip and Emma appeared gobsmacked by that. 

"You did?" Kip gasped. 

"Henry cares for her farm. She's already heard things. I wanted her to have my truth before he distorts it."

Kip sank into the chair across the desk, his expression stunned. "It happened. It actually happened."

Tom scowled. "What are you prattling on about?"

"Love at first sight. You've already fallen for her."

Emma gasped and squealed for joy. 

"I have not!" Tom bellowed, but his traitorous heart jumped in his chest. 

Kip snickered. "You're so far gone 'round the bend, you can't even see it anymore." 

"Fuck off!" Tom growled, glaring at his brother. 

"That's so romantic." Emma smiled. "I'm so happy you've found someone."

"Not you, too," he groaned. "We've only just met!"

"I've never seen you take to anyone so quickly, though. Not since-"

"Do not say that name!" Tom snapped. "It was a mistake, and we all know it. I was nothing but a PR stunt for her." The first and last time he allowed anyone to talk him into a public relationship for the sake of image. 

"Camila is different," he admitted. "There's something… almost innocent about her. She's genuine, honest, and utterly kind." He grinned slowly. "Until you annoy her, and then she lets out the temper her hair warns of."

"You are so smitten. Is the world now rose-coloured?" Kip snickered. 

"No worse than you with Serina," Emma huffed. 

"Or you with Ethan," Kip shot back. 

"Clearly, when it's the right one, Hiddlestons' fall hard." Emma sniffed. "But you are seeing her again?"

"As I said. Tomorrow." 

His phone pinged, and he glanced at it, finding a text from Mia to let her know when and where tomorrow for their date.

Tom grinned, replied he would pick her up, and wished her a pleasant night before teasing that perhaps she'd enjoy a new television show. She should see if she could find a three-episode series called The Hollow Crown.

Her cheerful thanks for the recommendation led him to believe she had no idea he was the lead. 

"That's her, isn't it?" Kip snickered.

"Yes, and he's being all sneaky, suggesting she watch Hal." Emma giggled.

Tom glared at her. "It's poor manners to read another's private texts."

"Then do a better job of not showing them to me," she teased. 

Another ping had him glancing down. 

"What's it say?" Kip asked.

Emma leaned closer, causing Tom to snatch his phone away, but not fast enough. "She Googled and now wonders if that's his attempt to keep her thinking about him the rest of the night."

"Out!" Tom roared, pointing at the door as Kip burst out laughing. "Both of you bugger off! I don't have time for your nonsense right now!"

Emma snickered and pressed off his desk. "Ah, yes. Mayor Campbell has an appointment. Is he still after you to sell the west fields to his nephew?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Yes. Thankfully, I have the note stating we're a heritage site now. He can't touch it as long as Highpark is in our family's possession."

"Good," Kip grinned. "Can I sit in? I would love to see the slimy toad's face when you hand him the papers."

"Let's allow him his dignity," Tom muttered. 

He wanted to maintain a semblance of civility with the town and its Mayor. Kip's remarks would be unwelcome and potentially detrimental to that. 

He huffed but stood. "Then tell Mia the portrait is perfect. Serina will adore it."

"Do we get to see it?" Emma asked, attempting and failing to appear uninterested. 

"After Serina," Kip snickered. 

Emma pouted and flounced out of the room, leaving Tom alone with Kip. 

"I'm chuffed for you about Mia. I knew when we met, she was special."

"She's a remarkable woman," Tom agreed. 

"Don't muff it up," Kip smirked and sauntered from the room. 

Tom had no plans on fucking up a second time.

~

Mia sat on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in hand, watching The Hollow Crown with Cora. It was surreal and a little odd to not only know but have kissed the man who played Henry the Fifth all these years later. 

"He's so young in this," Mia murmured, but Gods, if she didn't recognize that smile. 

"Aye. It was odd watching him grow up on screen for a few years," Cora chuckled, helping herself to the bowl. "But he's a good man, an honourable man. He did right by his family and the village."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked, turning to face Cora.

"Came a time the Mayor wanted to turn Kelso into a thriving metropolis, make us the next Edina, but it was never what we wanted. If Highpark had folded, Campbell would've been all over that land. He talked of tearing down the keep, but conservancy said he canna, so he was goin' to turn it into a luxury hotel."

"And that would be bad?"

Cora snorted. "We don't mind the occasional tourist, but having them around all the time, pushing up prices, complaining about this and that," she scoffed deep in her throat. "We moved out of Edinburgh and Glasgow for just that reason. But Tommy came home, saw the lay of it, and dug in. Campbell still skulks around, but there's naught for him here."

"And if he took over Ashwood Farm?" Mia asked, curious what his plans were for this place. 

"Feckin' holiday lets," she snorted. "He canna take down this house either, titled as it is, but he could convert the barn, the outbuildings, build what he wished in the fields. It would be a bloody mess."

Mia scowled. She would hate that. It was so peaceful here. The land was pristine and quiet. It was the only 'church' she ever needed. 

"Yeah, that's not happening," she said, causing Cora to chuckle and eye her speculatively. 

"So, as we're watching a film with Tom in it, can I assume yer day at Highpark went well?"

Mia blushed, causing Cora to chortle. "It was fine."

"Oh, a bit more than fine when ye blush like a schoolmaid!"

Mia groaned but quickly gave in and told Cora all about her encounter with Tom, him running out to stop her driving off, their walk around Highpark, and how he kissed her. 

Mia never knew what it was like to have grandparents, but she imagined the relationship between herself and Cora to be pretty darn close. The older woman had become a confidant for Mia, someone she could ask anything of without fear of judgment. 

"About damn time!" Cora crowed, throwing her hands into the air. 

"What?" Mia frowned. 

Cora patted her thigh. "Tommy's a good lad, but it's high time he found himself a good lady. Many a Kelso lass has tried to catch his eye, but none could. Glad I am it's ye. Ye deserve better than ye had, and Tom is better."

Mia blushed again - damn fair skin - and fiddled with the popcorn bowl. "He… he told me about Henry and Sarah."

Cora's face fell. "Aye, that was a hard time. Very hard."

"Will you tell me what you know? Henry warned me off Highpark and Tom in particular. Then Tom told me about Sarah's infatuation-"

Cora shook her head. "Nah, that girl was obsessed. She set her sights on Tom early, maybe eight years old and spent the rest of her life planning how to marry him. It was… unnatural."

"What do you mean?"

Cora sighed. "Plenty of lasses have crushes. This was more. If anyone were to naysay her, she cut them out of her life. Her entire focus was Tom."

"How did no one notice? Did they try to get her help?"

Cora shook her head. "Henry and Sarah didnae have the most involved parents, and Henry adored his sister. She could do no wrong in his eyes. Tom, for his part, tried to keep a separation between them, but Sarah was persistent. Then, the lads went off to college, and Sarah changed. She got sneaky. She didnae talk as much, but there was something… off about her. She spoke when spoken to, was pleasant, but something behind her eyes was just… wrong."

Mia sighed. "And Henry didn't notice because he was away, too." 

"Something happened the night of the Highpark Christmas party. It all went sour, then poor Sarah…" She shook her head. "I've never said this to Henry, but… I have wondered if her taking her life was an accident."

Mia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She wasn't the type. Dramatic? Yes. Conniving? Absolutely. I wouldn't have put it past her to do what she did to gain sympathy and guilt Tom."

Mia's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Cora nodded sharply. "Henry wasn't one to let things fester. If he hadnae been pished, he would have let her cool off, then gone to check on her. Instead, he fell asleep and found her in the morning."

"Oh, shit," Mia whispered. The utter horror of that find would be enough to break a strong man.

"Aye. It was terrible. He grieved hard and never went back to finish school. His parents moved away, but he stayed on, came to work here. I dinnae ken if it was the grief that kept him or the guilt, but he never left. Stuck he is."

Mia bit her lip before glancing at Cora. "Before he warned me off Highpark, Henry tried to kiss me."

"Eh!?" Cora gasped. 

"I stopped him first. He's a nice man, but I don't see him like that. But Tom…"

"Aye," Cora smirked. "Thomas, he's handsome enough to make my old bones quiver!" 

"Cora!" Mia laughed, making the older woman cackle.

She waved at the TV. "I'm old, not dead!" 

"He asked me to dinner tomorrow night, but I don't want to cause more problems between Tom and Henry."

"But you like our Tom?" 

Mia nodded.

"Then that's yer answer. Henry is a grown man. If he canna take rejection, that's on him. Besides, fighting over a bonny lass is what those two need to clear the air."

"I'd prefer not being the centre of that," she grumbled. 

Cora scoffed. "Watching two braw lads come to blows over ye is a particular type of thrill. Ye canna decide if it's exciting or horrifying, but the make-up afterward is the best part."

"You're terrible!" Mia laughed.

She shrugged. "I had a few adventures once my boys were grown and gone. None stuck, but they were fun while they lasted."

"I bet," Mia snickered.

Her eyes lit up, and her smile widened. "I'll tell ye of Patrick McCain! Woo boy! The man was dense as a brick but had a boaby like-" 

"Cora!"

"Bah, dinnae be a prude!" she huffed before continuing her story.

Mia was red-faced but utterly amused when she finished. "Oh, my Gods! You're terrible!"

"Was the best three days I ever spent. And when I got back, took two days before I could walk without whinging. Yer grams, she scolded me fiercely, saying it was bawheided to run off with a man I barely knew, but then she asked me how it was, and we spent an afternoon giggling over biscuits and tea!"

Mia couldn't help but laugh, only to groan and thunk her head back. "It's been so long since I.. you know."

"Since ye been proper pumped?" 

"Cora!"

"Bahhahahahah!" She let loose and laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Yer too easy!"

Mia traded her bowl of popcorn for the kittens when they came to investigate the laughter and plopped one in Cora's lap. "There, now you have to watch what you say around the children."

She snorted and covered Tyr's ears. "Ye put on a nice party dress and have a good night. But if ye end up parked with that rascal, don't get caught doggin'."

Mia blinked at her and finally sighed as Cora's grin continued to widen. "I don't even want to know what doggin' means."

"When people catch you doing it in the backseat of a car."

"Odin's one eye, Cora!"

She cackled again and stroked Tyr's head. "Yer young! Go out! Have fun! And for the love of all that is holy, get some for us too old to get any for ourselves!"

Sure her face was scarlet, Mia plucked Tyr from her lap and stood. "I'm going to bed before you get any wilder. Good night, Cora. But know, if you wanted to-" she rolled her eyes, "-get some, you could. You're gorgeous."

"Bah! Yer bums oot the windae! But I thank ye anyway. Yer a good lass."

Mia bent and kissed her cheek. "I'll clean up in the morning."

Cora waved her away. "I think I'll finish the show. I'll get it afore I'm for bed."

"Alright," Mia nodded, wandering off with the kittens.

As she reached the stairs, she smiled and whispered to her fur babies, "Three good things. One, I met Tom. Two, Kip liked his painting. Three, I have a date."

Four, he kisses like a God.

"Shush. That was part of number one," Mia grumbled. 

No, girl, when a man kisses that well, it deserves recognition.

Mia smiled and walked into her bedroom. "Yeah," she whispered dreamily. "It really does."

Loki's laughter was soft and indulgent.

~

Mia woke the following day in anticipation, hurried to dress, and waited impatiently for the coffee to drip before pouring her cup and heading for the door. 

Every morning, Cora made breakfast, but Mia usually woke up to take her walk before the older woman. She made the coffee and came back to the kitchen smelling of bacon. It was an easy and beneficial relationship, as Cora could growl like a bear pre-coffee, and Mia hated cooking breakfast but loved to eat it. 

But today, she was excited to see if Tom would ride down to meet her and rushed out the door only to nearly cover Henry in coffee when they collided. 

"Whoa! Ye've a head a steam up. In a hurry for yer dander?" He chuckled. 

"Something like that," Mia muttered, embarrassed, wondering how to break it to Henry that she was going on a date with Tom tonight. 

He frowned a little but didn't ask for clarification. "I've a need to speak with ye. A friend from the north called last night. Seems his missus took a turn and landed in hospital."

"Oh no!" Mia gasped. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Aye, but he needs a hand seeing to his farm for a few weeks."

"Of course! Absolutely," she nodded. "I can look after the animals." She had already helped him around the place a few mornings and was familiar with the routine.

He seemed to relax with relief. "Thank ye. He's a good mate. Kept in touch after I left school. I was there when they married."

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Henry, go. Cora and I can look after the horses and dogs for the next few weeks. And if I have questions, I'll text you."

"It's all done this morning, but I left instructions in the feed shed," he muttered, stepping back and heading for his truck. "We'll postpone the riding lessons 'till I get back!"

Mia nodded and waved him off, watching as he drove down the road. 

Well, that would put a damper on her morning walk for a while. 

She sighed, but it couldn't be helped. Henry's friend being there for his wife was much more important than Mia sneaking out to watch Tom ride.

Still, she had today and headed for the meadow, whistling the dogs to her when they sat staring forlornly after the pickup. She would check Henry's instructions later and hope they were legible, but she was pretty sure she could look after two horses and a handful of birds, though collecting eggs hadn't been all that fun last time. 

The morning was warming as they moved from May into June, and the light mist over the fields made her smile. 

However, at that very moment, she realized she left her coffee cup on the counter in the kitchen, where she had placed it after attempting to pour it on Henry and swore softly in disappointment.

Then the dogs barked, and she looked up to find a man on a large black horse standing at the fence and forgot all about her caffeine deficiency. 

With the pair rising out of the morning mists, a golden glow suffusing the two, she almost gasped. They were a sight to see, like some old-world painting.

"I thought perhaps you weren't coming." Tom smiled, though it appeared a touch relieved. 

"Sorry. Henry stopped me on my way out the door. He has to go away for a few weeks, so I'm going to have to forego my walk to muck stalls and feed chickens." She sighed, stroking the black's nose when he stuck it over the fence. 

"Henry's leaving?" Tom frowned.

"Left," Mia corrected. "Said something about a friend whose wife is in hospital and needs him to run his farm." She shrugged. "It was all very fast, and sometimes I still struggle with the accent."

"Damn." Tom sighed. "I had hoped to clear the air between us as best as possible before taking you out. I don't want to make him uncomfortable if we cross paths in the bailey."

"Is that the barnyard?" Mia asked.

Tom chuckled. "After a fashion. Well! There's nothing for it, then. Hop up on the wall," he instructed as the horse shifted to turn its body to show her his side.

She blinked at him, not understanding. "I'm sorry. What?" 

"Climb up on the wall. Then, you can step over and sit close behind. We'll give Mystic his exercise and see a bit of the countryside. Do you have chores to do this morning?"

"Henry said he did them," she muttered, staring at man and horse skeptically. "I don't think I'm climbing up anywhere."

"Mia." He leaned toward her. "Trust me."

He held out his hand, and by the Gods, she did trust him. 

Mia grasped his hand, climbed up on the stones, and gingerly slid behind him on the big horse. 

"Oh, that's a long way down," she muttered, also aware of how widespread her legs were over the horse's rump.

"You have to scoot closer, love." Tom chuckled, reaching back to grasp her knees and pull her until she was flush with the saddle and his back. "Better," he purred. "Best to put your arms around me."

"Now that's definitely a line," Mia quipped, her face red, but she wrapped her arms around him. 

"Nice and tight now. Mystic still has power in his legs. We don't want you taking a tumble off the backend."

She tightened her grip across a very tight, very toned, very flat stomach.

"Good girl," he crooned, nudging the horse forward, to which Mia yelped. "It's alright, darling. I won't let anything happen to you."

Then he whistled for the dogs, who came over the fence like hurdlers, making it look so easy, and trotted beside the horse.

"Get a feel for how he moves. How your hips have to shift as he walks, then we'll ask for some speed and give you a thrill."

"Thrill?" Mia squeaked. "I'm thrilled already!"

Tom laughed. "You should feel honoured. This old man made over three million on the track. Not just anyone gets to ride him. And he's doubled that in his sire fees."

"Dollars!" Mia shouted. 

"Pounds, love," Tom snickered. "This isn't Canada."

Mia poked him in the stomach. "Stop making fun of my homeland. At least we never lost a war to the Americans."

Tom gasped. "How dare!?"

Mia laughed at his outrage, faux as it was, only to damn near fall off when Mystic went from a slow amble to a rolling run.

It wasn't a full-out gallop, just a nice pace the dogs could keep up with, and while initially figuring out how to settle her body so she didn't fall, didn't bounce around, and didn't squeeze the life out of Tom, took time; eventually, she got it. Then, she could take in the countryside, feel the rush of wind across her face, and enjoy the sound of pounding hooves up close.

As they approached the stone fence, Tom drew Mystic down to a walk again. 

"Keep going or stop?" he asked, looking back at her. 

Mia beamed. "Keep going. Definitely."

Tom grinned and leaned down to open the gate.

~

They arrived back at the farm an hour later, Mia laughing as she carefully guided Mystic toward the barn. 

She and Tom had switched positions as he gave her an impromptu riding lesson, and the horse - Mystic - was a perfectly behaved gentleman.

The mares in her paddock whickered at him as if admiring the pretty male, who nickered back like a flirt.

Mia giggled at the three of them but kept a steady course for home, where the dogs, thoroughly exhausted from chasing Mystic, flopped down in the breezeway between the stalls and the feed room.

Cora stood in the open door, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, I see why ye're late for breakfast. Tom, ye stable that horse and get in here. Ye can eat with us."

"I would be delighted, Cora," Tom agreed, sliding from Mystic's back over his hind end before joining Mia to help her down.

Her knees were like jello, and her thighs were sore when she landed, causing Tom to grab her tightly. 

"Easy, love. The legs take finding again after a long ride. A bit like finding one's sea legs."

"I see that."

He held her closer as she looked up. "Let me make Mystic comfortable, and I will meet you inside."

"Okay," Mia whispered, her attention on his mouth. 

"You make this impossible," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Being any sort of gentleman," he muttered before stealing a soul-searing kiss.

She moaned, surprised and instantly turned on, clinging to him when he pulled away.

His hands grasped her hair, and "Camila" whispered from his lips like a prayer. 

He sank in again, stealing her breath before his tongue pressed against her lips and snaked between, coaxing his way into her mouth with minimal effort.

He backed her into the barn wall and ravished her mouth, another thing Mia thought only happened in books until a discreet cough reminded them that Cora still watched.

They broke apart like guilty teenagers.

Cora cackled and went inside as red suffused their cheeks. 

"Well, I'll just." Mia pointed at the door. 

"And I'll just." Tom pointed at Mystic. 

Mia nodded and practically ran inside.

"Oh, lass," Cora crowed, grinning from ear to ear. "He's a keeper! He nearly curled my toes clear across the bailey!"

"Hush, old woman!" Mia muttered, face so hot it felt like it was on fire. 

"Bah!" Cora huffed, sliding a plate of bacon and sausage onto the table. "It weren't so long ago I was young. Ye canna tell me he didn't knock yer knees together."

"More like apart," Mia mumbled. 

"Eh?"

"Nothing!" 

Cora eyed her suspiciously, but Mia scooped up the kittens when they attempted to jump from chair to table.

"Not on the counters," Mia insisted, plopping both back on the floor. 

They immediately jumped back on the chair and tried to climb on the table again. 

"Cut it out, troublemakers." She huffed, snatching them up before they could reach the bacon.

"Go wash up," Cora commanded, shooing her out of the kitchen.

Mia took the kittens with her, needing a minute to calm down. 

Her ride with Tom was amazing, the countryside gorgeous, and the company hadn't been half bad either. But it was so easy with him after their initial meeting it made her wary. 

Was it too easy? Was she stepping into the same pitfalls as last time?

Stop worrying, girl.

"Easy for you to say. You didn't get burned last time." Mia sighed.

You keep looking at the past like it is something to regret. Take it as a lesson and move forward. It got you somewhere better. You learned from it. Reflect. Don't wallow.

"Why do you always have to be so rational?" she grumbled, frowning at herself in the mirror.

What? Would you rather I tell you to gather five sprigs of rosemary, three dandelions, and the horn of an ox, burn it during the next full moon, and dance skyclad around the fire to invoke my blessing? He snorted in amusement. Come now, girl. 

"No need for all the mockery," she muttered, leaving the bathroom to follow the scampering kittens back to the kitchen. 

The low murmur of voices greeted her as Tom looked up and smiled. "There she is. I was telling Cora she cooked enough to feed an army."

"Usually Henry joins us. You'll have to eat his share," Mia teased as she sat at the chair he held out. 

Tom shifted to the side to do the same for Cora, who batted him away. "Leave off with yer high table manners."

He chuckled, appearing to enjoy teasing her. "Now, Cora. You know no one has been a high table lord for a long time at Highpark. I'm just one of the common people now."

"Uh-huh," she sniffed. "And I'm Mary, Queen of Scots."

"Your majesty." He bowed deeply before dodging the swat she sent his way, laughing loudly as he skirted to sit across from Mia, who was plucking Tyr from the table. Again.

Tom smirked. "Little scamp." 

Mia sighed. "They're usually pretty good about staying off the table, but bacon makes them crazy."

"It does that to the best of us," Tom teased as he picked a pastry with a chocolate centre from a basket. "Cora, my sweet lady. I should get down on my knees and convince you to run away with me for these blessed things alone. If I thought you would say yes, I would."

Cora snorted. "Ye've always had a sweet tooth for a pain au chocolat. I remember ye as a boy snitching them every opportunity ye got."

"But none are as divine as yours," he swore. "I have tried some of the finest pastries from around the world, but nothing compared to these. You could ask a princely sum, and people would line up for them."

She scoffed. "In New York or London, maybe, but in Kelso? Bah!"

Mia swallowed her eggs before saying, "If you like them so much, I'm surprised you haven't asked Cora to supply the cafe at Highpark." 

Tom looked like he'd been hit with a shovel, while Cora just seemed surprised.

"What?" Mia mumbled when they both continued to stare at her. 

"You're a certified genius," Tom whispered. "Three years we've been ordering from the grocer. Mia! You're a bloody genius!"

"What if I don't want to bake for your fancy cafe?" Cora huffed.

Tom looked crushed.

Cora burst out laughing. "Gah! Yer face!" She laughed until tears fell and sat back to cross her arms. "I'll bake what I want."

"Of course, though, there will be a minimum order and a maximum for space saving in the kitchen."

"Course." She nodded. "I may want to use yer fancy Highpark kitchen."

"Done."

"And if I don't, ye've got to come here for pickup. I won't deliver."

"I wouldn't dream of making you haul your goodies up the hill." Tom grinned.

Cora smirked. "I'll run ye some numbers. Won't give up my market stall, but I'll figure my own logistics."

Tom leaned closer. "Cora, dear. You tell me what you need, then tell me what you want. Your baked goods at Highpark will be a coup for us. It may even draw local traffic up for a cuppa. I'll happily pay for the privilege."

"We'll talk more later," she agreed before rising.

"You're not eating?" Mia frowned.

Cora smirked. "I did. Before ye got back. I'll leave yous to it. Enjoy."

She wandered off, leaving Mia gaping after her.

Tom chuckled. "I aspire to be as true to myself as she is when I'm her age."

"Yeah," Mia agreed. "She's amazing. I would have been so lost here without her taking me under her wing."

"She was always a bit of a village mum. Never afraid to scold anyone's children, not even those whose parents could have potentially lost her, her job."

"Tom Hiddleston! Did you threaten to have Cora fired?" Mia gasped.

"Eh? No!"

"Good. I was about to change my opinion of you."

He shook his head. "Benedict, the Mayor's nephew, and Joseph, the Mayor's son, were not so fortunate. Sadly, I missed the explosion to follow, but I heard from Kip that Cora marched both by their ears into the Mayor's office and told him just what she thought of the mannerless heathen brats he had in his family."

"She didn't!" Mia could see it, but she wasn't sure she believed it.

"She did!" He snickered. "Joseph straightened up after. He went off to London and became a doctor last I heard; a family practice. But Benedict never grew out of the prick stage."

Mia giggled. "I don't think he knew what to do with me."

"I surely didn't."

She looked up and found him watching her with a slight smirk and soft eyes, an almost lazy aspect to them as if he were tired, but the intensity of his focus said otherwise. He brought a hand to his mouth and rubbed his index finger over his lips as he devoured her slowly.

"And what about now?" she asked, biting down on a strawberry.

"Do I know what to do with you?" He leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. "Oh, yes, pet. I know exactly what I want to do with you."

Mia smiled and blinked slowly, attempting a seduction and succeeding if his sharp inhale and bitten lip could be believed. "Don't call me pet."

He grinned like a flower unfolding. "Why not?"

"It implies ownership." She snatched Idunn and dropped the kitten on the floor before she could snag a sausage, but she never looked away from Tom's eyes.

"And I don't own you…" 

The word yet resonated like a gong between them.

Mia tilted up her chin. "I wasn't looking to start anything with anyone, but if I did find myself in a new relationship, I want a partnership. My fiancé tried to change me, subtly at first, but I couldn't see how much until I was on a plane over the Atlantic."

No longer hungry, Mia pushed from the table. 

Tom rose with her. "Mia, tell me how. What did he do that hurt you? How did he try to change you?"

She sighed, but he caged her against the island and wouldn't let her escape. 

"My wardrobe. Nothing was good enough. I had to look the part of a lawyer's woman. He didn't want me to feel out of place when I met the partner's wives. Which, I thought, was sweet until the clothes didn't fit right. He said something about joining a gym. I had them tailored. He wasn't happy, but he backed off. Then it was tone down my freckles. Then cover them up."

"He didn't like your freckles?" Tom's gaze travelled over her face, following the path of gentle fingers, almost as if he mapped them. "I adore them. I want to memorize them." Hot eyes lifted to lock with hers. "I want to know how much of you they cover."

Mia trembled. That sounded like a threat, but his eyes said it was a promise.

"What else, Mia?"

"My art. He thought it weird, but it was income. Then Covid happened, and nothing I did was right. My music was too loud. I was too messy. I didn't fix him a meal when I made my lunch, even though he originally said he wasn't hungry. It was a lot."

Tom cupped her face. "Mia, love, he may have only hit you once, but he was abusing you. He has been for years."

"I know," she whispered, a little ashamed because she did know, but leaving was more complicated than people understood. "But… he was all I had."

"You deserved better."

"Tom…" she whispered, closing her eyes. "No one loved me from the time I was eleven. I was just a kid in the system. To go back to being alone, unloved, and homeless? How could I leave? At least with him, I had something. It wasn't good, but it was something."

Warmth preceded his forehead resting against hers. "Mia, sweetheart, you're killing me. You deserve the world, happiness, and so much love."

"I know that now. I know now that even after my parents died, my family was looking for me. They loved me enough to leave me this place and help me find a home I didn't know existed. Being here has helped me learn to love myself again, to remember the good and forget the bad. It's shown me there are good people in the world, even when I felt so very alone."

He threaded his fingers through her hair. "You're not alone now."

She opened her eyes to find dark blue staring back. "No. No, I'm not."

"Mia," he murmured, his hands warm and rough on her face. 

"Tom, just shut up and kiss me," she whispered, slipping her arms around his neck.

"Yes, ma'am."

She pulled back. "Don't call me ma'am either. You make me feel old."

"No pet, no ma'am. I'm notorious for endearments, darling. I have to have something." He chuckled. 

She melted against the counter. "Darling is good. So is… love. Sweetheart was also nice."

A cheeky grin flashed. "Love," he crooned. "I would kiss every one of your freckles. They are charming."

"My mother used to pick out her favourites. I hated them as a child, and she made me pick my three least hated. She would pick her three favourites. Eventually, I stopped hating them and started seeing them like she did."

"Good, because I would be most cross if you chose to cover them up," he grumbled.

"Cross?" she teased, mimicking his accent.

"Now who's poking fun?" he quipped before brushing their noses together. "You're gorgeous, Mia. I thought it from the moment you walked through the study door. I cannot wait to take you out tonight."

She blushed, pleased and a little embarrassed. "Thank you. Where are we going?"

"A restaurant in a nearby town. I thought it would be nice not to be fish in the bowl on our first night out."

Mia laughed. "That does sound good."

"Good. People mean well, but they're busybodies."

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone has heard about me and my black eye now." She sighed but smiled. 

"People here care. You were Lorna and Douglas' family. That means you're ours now, too, Mia." His thumb rubbed over her cheek. "I have no plans on letting you go."

She felt it like a promise and trembled again as he pressed soft lips to the corner of her mouth. 

"I need to return, but I will pick you up later."

"Yeah," she sighed, waiting for him to kiss her properly.

Tom smiled and stepped back. "Until later." He winked and walked out the door without looking back.

"Oh, that was mean," she grumbled, only to hear a commotion that had her turning just in time to watch Idunn and Tyr run off with a sausage.

Next Chapter

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 177

Chapter 177: "Mother"

This chapter.. this damn chapter never fails at getting me emotional. I'm still so very upset that Isabella dies this way too when we had other characters such as Emma and Barbara also get impaled by fierce demons and survive with their scars, so why not my queen huh?? I know there's that whole neverland fairy tale idea where adults aren't allowed there, which would've been an interesting concept for our series given the several adult deaths we had already, but that would've cancelled out some of the oldest Goldy Pond kids who are already older than 18 at this point. However, with how Emma phrased the new promise to allow all humans raised as food to cross over into the human world, there wouldn't have been any issue. Isabella could've easily joined them then, like c'mon Shirai, couldn't ya at least let these kids have one parent join them, please? They already lost Yuugo and Lucas, we didn't need to add another!

As if stabbing this woman wasn't enough, this bastard goes on to taunt her, saying that she'll never make up for her past mistakes no matter how hard she tries. First off, to hell with this guy. Secondly, that's such nonsense. I know this moment is supposed to be seen as "Isabella's big redemption moment," but it totally didn't need to happen this way. I'm gonna sound like a broken record when I say this, but this woman's redemption arc started way back when she first admitted defeat on the wall while watching her precious children escape GF. From gathering the ropes they used so the demons wouldn't know which direction they ran, to secretly planning an entire uprising within the farm system in hopes to one day assist her children when they returned. She even used her newfound power as Grandma to help spare the lives of other children at GF by lowering the amount of harvests that took place. Granted, walking the children to their deaths as caretaker and her treatment of Ray are certainly her biggest flaws that can definitely outweigh all the good she's done during those several years as a mother, but again, it's not like she truly wanted to act that way! It was her job; a job she only took because she valued her own life so much (& honestly, I would too), but she excelled at it for their sake. She's renowned for being the best for providing such high quality meat to the farm (which sounds bad when ya think of them as food, I know), but it means her children were raised with such rich emotions and were able to reach a reasonable decent age because they knew what happiness and love felt like and she did everything within her power to keep them alive as long as they possibly could. So to hear this demon make a statement like this just irks me because while it's true this one mama bear moment may not be enough for Isabella to be redeemed fully, it completely disregards every other motherly act she's done for her children over the years.

Literally the only positive I can take away from this highly unfortunate demon encounter is how damn strong and determined Isabella is. The fire in her eyes and the intense grip she has on this demon that straight up prevents it from moving to hurt Emma or the other girl.. aahh it's such a badass moment! What a queen!

Every single time I come across these panels, all I hear in my head is that Mushu quote: "You missed! How could you miss? He was three feet in front of you!" Seriously though, I can understand with how quick everything happened and the intense new threat could've caused Ray's aim to be off a little, but my boy, this could not have been a more worse occasion to miss. I don't wanna say it because it'll be so mean but s2!Ray could've done better.

Bro I remember so very clearly when a couple panels of this chapters were first teased before the official release (& yeah I was a complete mess back then too), but when this panel was going around, it was cropped short to where Ray wasn't seen at all, so people were going nuts about where he was, why wasn't he also surrounding Isabella, if his hatred for her really went so deep to not wanna be near her while she's at death's door, etc. It was kinda wild and absolutely made me anxious, but thankfully the panic was short lived when the full page was available. Sorta. I mean, it's still not a pretty panel, seeing my favorite villain minutes away from losing her life, but at least Ray is present along with all the other GF kids.

Seeing Isabella being more concerned about everyone else aside from herself after a serious stab wound.. what a bittersweet "like mother, like daughter" parallel.

Crazy how Krone's actions and words lead the kids to believe Isabella's intentions were just as heartless. Yeah both ladies wanted to survive and would choose to achieve that by any means necessary, but at least Isabella cared for the well-being of her children. That's already a whole lot more than what your typical mom or sister is capable of.

Having this panel placed in the middle of all the heartbreak is very much appreciated because I definitely need some adorable flashbacks to make me feel a little better before diving right back into my puddle of tears. Seeing her smile and laugh alongside the trio is the most adorable thing, especially that head pat she gives Emma. Also love that reference to ch95's extra page where Gilda was working so hard at the shelter that a sleepy Chris mistakenly called her "mom." Oh, my poor boy Chris.. he's gonna have so many things to catch up on once he wakes up and learning about Isabella's death ain't gonna be easy.

Say it louder, sweetie!!! And most definitely repeating myself once more by saying that I'm so glad the second season animated that panel of Isabella hugging the trio despite this chapter's events not happening.

I love this idea of Isabella & Yuugo being the "what if" versions of the kids. Isabella's situation could easily be applied to any of the girls, though most people associate it with Emma which is fair, just as we usually make the connection of Yuugo to Ray due to them both witnessing their family getting killed and all that time they spent alone, whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally. All three honestly.

Seeing all the children beg Isabella to hold on, along with them confessing how much they love her.. oh my goodness, I think so often how thankful I am that this scene wasn't included in the anime because seeing the pain on their faces is hard enough already, imagine how loudly I would sob if I heard the emotion in all their voices.

Oh, if any version of her lullaby played here, my heart would shatter. I already feel close to tears. She probably dreamed of hugging all her precious children and openly declaring her love for them once more without any fear of what the farm system might do to her and/or them, and now that Isabella finally gets that chance, she has such a thankful smile on her face and I'm happy she gets to experience these warm feelings one last time.

I dunno about anyone else, but this chapter always feels like a "try not to cry challenge, level: impossible" for me. Doesn't matter if they added in this cute scene of her hugging the trio with such a beautiful smile, my heart is still in pieces on the ground. I'm the one who needs the hug!

Favorite panel/moment:

If you haven't learned how much I love Isabella, Ray and their complicated mother-son relationship yet, then I haven't rambled on long enough. But yes, as much as her death absolutely wrecks me, I'm relieved it allows us to get one final interaction between her and Ray. By now we have a pretty good grasp about Ray's feelings towards Isabella, so the fact he kept his distance this entire time until she called out for him is so sad. We can't really tell if he rushes to her side or if he takes slow steps, but what matters is that he didn't deny her request.

It means so much that this moment is just between the two of them too. Sure it was undeniable sweet to see all the children cry and huddle around Isabella, but she and Ray have such a deep history so they deserve one last scene together. Although it's a very fragile relationship, that doesn't prevent her from giving him a personal apology with the very last bit of strength she has. Aahh, how terrible she must be feeling right now, thinking back on all the times she wasn't allowed to show him the same level of affection as a mother would normally show her son or for making his life such a living hell. She could've very well chosen to be angry at herself here or let the pain show on her face, and yet she chooses to smile instead. Not a smug or confident one Ray's probably used to seeing her use, but a gentle one that really conveys how strong her regrets are.

Having her last wish being for Ray to protect everyone is so perfect with how it shows that right til the very end, Isabella's children have always been her top priority and she'll always think of them first. It's also sweet that she wants Ray to hold onto this promise because us readers already know how committed Ray is to providing for his family and keeping them safe. Hell, his compassion and protective instincts were on full display last chapter when he jumped in to shoot at that demon bastard and when he accepted all the moms and sisters to join the kids in the human world back during ch164. Those were such great opportunities for Isabella to witness just how caring her son really is and how much he's grown. I'm certain she's so proud of him. To this day I still wish Isabella had actually spoke that "I love you so much" to him, but I know she was steadily growing weaker by the minute that even speaking or seeing clearly was becoming a challenge for her. The nice thing with Isabella though, is that she doesn't really need to say such words out loud for Ray or any other child to know how true her feelings are, as Emma confirmed earlier during her moment of reflection, that Isabella's actions speak far louder to the point where everyone was able to recognize how strongly she loved them all. What completely breaks me about this entire chapter though is seeing Ray finally breakout into tears as he holds onto his mother's hand. This boy just found out his mother was alive, along with becoming their enemy once more, saw her betray their common enemy in order to assist the children, which sparks his discussion to forgive her and wish for her to join him in the human world, only to realize that won't happen as she jumps in to protect one of his best friends and ends up critically injured all because he failed to killing a demon. That is so much to experience all in one day. It's a miracle he kept his emotions in check to begin with, but now he's hit with the realization that he's losing his mother for good and.. damn it 'yall. Can we please give my boy a break?? And my queen too while we're at it?? Both of them seriously had two of the worst experiences in this world and instead of having them reconcile and build a better mother-son relationship in the human world together, we gotta make them suffer once last time, huh?? Fucking hell man.. I said it way more than once and I'll say it a million more times up until I'm on my own death bed, but the decision of having Isabella stay alive is by far the absolute best thing to come out of season two.

I want to wish their moment was lasted longer than a page and a third, but I'd probably never recover from all the emotional damage if their tearful goodbye had more focus. AAhhh.. seems like I should've wrote out a lot more considering the amount of time I spent on this chapter and how passionate I get about my favorites, but ya know, the emotions are hella strong today.

[lilabella12]

1300 - Day 2

Eva's feels more and more lightheaded as the year continues. She consulted the village doctor and he said he could find nothing wrong, that it was probably her weak heart. Ever since she was a child she was told not to work too hard because of it.

Even though she feels awful she still enjoys the morning meal with her family. William talks about going to the woods today to collect some firewood.

"I could use some help and your mother needs to rest so I would like you help, Finnian."

"I.... wanted to go to curch today, father, to pray for a good harvest with Emma."

"Do you not think your families welfare ist more important than meeting a girl?"

"Father!" It's Tara's voice that breaks the silence after that statement. "Let Finnian enjoy today, it's St. Valentines after all. Let me come with you, I notices some dry bushes yesterday, they would be perfect for kindling."

"Well... okay."

Evan wants to come, too, but William is not too sure about it.

"Are you going to be alright by yourself? You look pale today." he asks his wife.

"Yes, dear, everything is fine. I think it would do me some good to have a little time to rest today."

"If you're sure.... We will be back at dusk"

Before leaving for curch Finnian plants the few mushrooms his sister foraged yesterday. He's relieved that the garden is growing.

After church he talks to Emma about his troubles.

"My mother is getting weaker by the day. I feel so.... helpless. I don't know what to do to make it better. And the Doctor couldn't help either. I was hoping he at least had some tinctures to help her sleep through the night, but nothing."

Emma tries to calm him down.

"It must be hard for you to watch your mother suffer. I remember when that happened to me. It helped just to talk or take a walk. do you maybe want to walk down to the harbour or the tavern?"

Finnian takes her up on the offer and the two of them spend the afternoon playing cards. Afterwards they take a walk to the harbour to look at the passing ships. Finnians eyes are on Emma, though.

"Thank you for today, Emma, I really needed this."

"Anytime."

Meanwhile at the farm Eva starts to feel faint again. She also feels sick to her stomach, something is definitley wrong. Then there's pain... horrible pain in her chest and she can't breathe. She collapses on the floor. Before her head hits the ground she takes her last breath.

When the family comes home from the village and the forest they can't believe what they're seeing. William tries to shake his wife awake but he feels that she's cold already.

"I'm sorry, my children.... I can't do anything."

Eva gets taken away a few hours later. There will be a burial at the cementary soon.

Finnian and Tara try to make sense of it, but they can't

"I didn't know it was so bad. I wouldn't have gone with father if I had know..."

"Don't feel guilty about it. We need to be strong now. Father needs us. You know he does. And Evan, too, he's just a child."

| previos | next |

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

This is possibly an unpopular opinion, and maybe it's just my GoT trauma resurfacing, but somehow, I'm less excited about season 2 than before watching the teaser.

I love Olivia Cooke and her performance in HotD, I do, but HBO seems to have something of an obsession with Alicent's character. The events of season 1 were based on The Princess and The Queen, which primarily focuses on the events leading up to the Dance. Hence, it makes sense that she was a main character then. But it's a Targaryen civil war. Rhaenyra and her half-brother are fighting for the throne, not Rhaenyra and Alicent, so where is the Aegon content? Why didn't we get his poster instead?

The apparent scrapping of Daeron is concerning because he plays an important role in the war, and I’m unsure how/with whom they will supplant his character.

And lastly, if that was Laenor on the beach, then he still needs to die for Addam of Hull to claim Seasmoke. But how, when and where is that supposed to happen? Besides, if the greens discover he's still alive, wouldn't it give them further ammunition against Rhaenyra since they, heavily influenced by the Faith of the Seven, which generally doesn't approve of polygamy, would likely view her marriage to Daemon as invalid? If so, that would be quite the deviation from Fire & Blood since at least her youngest two sons' legitimacy was never questioned in the book.

(on a more positive note, the costume department seems to have stepped up their game, probably owed to a higher budget)

I think this may be slightly above my pay grade - bear with me!

I can understand the upset around Game of Thrones - the story was already there and even before they ran out of source material, the writers still deviated enormously from the established plot. It was unrecognisable by the end. The shit show it ended up becoming is part of the reason I was so hesitant to watch House of the Dragon in the first place (we were well into November last year before I watched the first episode)

With Fire and Blood, it’s not written like a traditional book, so it’s very much open to interpretation, beyond established events such as successions and battles, etc.

I think the writers have interpreted the story in a manner that HBO finds easy to market - Rhaenicent is a popular ship and it adds depth to the story to present it as this long standing lost love/lingering childhood resentment. Up to this point, Aegon has very much been presented as a character that does not want the crown, so it would be a complete 180 flip for him to suddenly go in guns blazing and ready to defend it. I actually think they’re going to spin Aegon’s actions during Rook’s Rest as him dealing with his grief and anger over his son’s death. He didn’t ask for this, and yet he’s suffering the consequences anyway. It’s incredibly tragic, but not enough to go on a poster (I expect he will get one though, all the main characters will)

I’m not really sure why the decision was made to scrap Daeron’s character, I guess we will have to wait and see how that plays out. Likewise for how they deal with Laenor’s story. I know it’s hard to have faith, as we’ve been burned before, but I am bowled over by Matt, Emma and Ewan’s performances so far, so if nothing else we’ll get some incredible acting and some stunning cinematography.