#you could've grown up there lived your life there. you were just one generation to late and that disconnect/lost unfortunate

[nyan-bynary]

I'm gonna have to wait out a few weeks to be able to complain about jjk's ending bc rn half the ppl are bashing everyone who expected more as ppl who just wanted gojo back

[bookwyrminspiration]

ah! i forget sometimes not everyone knows abt the khmer rouge haha--ofc i don't know it in great detail but again another way my parents were different, where most other people we know who went through the same thing are pretty closed off to their kids abt what happened they told us a lot of stories about what it was like living there both before and after the regime. so many crazy impossible stories of survival it's kind of hard to think anything else compares? it was basically just the cpk, communist regime/party, took over after winning the civil war, forced everyone into labor camps, and destroyed anything that came from other countries (especially america and other western countries) because the party i guess wanted to declare that cambodia was better and they could survive without outside help? so people who weren't fully cambodian, who spoke other languages, who were more educated etc were much more likely to be killed. and both my parents were chinese cambodian, but my dad was like. really little when it was all going down so he only knew mandarin until he was taught + he stayed a lot longer than my mother did. thing i think about a lot, unrelated to language but i just think you would find it interesting, is during that time money became nothing--because the regime was controlling everything anyway and all non-soldiers got equal amounts of very little--so in lieu of paper/metal currency people would trade in salt. in the 1970s. it's both like wow so interesting i could use this in my classed (and DID. so many times <3 it can't be said i don't use the inherited khmer trauma to my advantage) and also just, dude, that was the 70s. the rest of the world was kind of just like. chilling in their normal 1970s events. elvis was probably still alive.

Thank you very much for the impromptu history lesson, I know I could've looked it up myself (and I do intend to do more research on my own, don't worry, I don't intent to make you my sole source), but I figured you could better articulate which parts specifically related to what we were talking about. which you did with the mandarin comment

I have an ongoing list of things to research and look into in general, and I have now added the khmer rouge to said list. I'm not super rigorous with it, so I don't know when I'll get around to this topic, but I do intend to. It seems like an important event to be aware of on several levels--though that is, of course, an understatement. It's kinda hard to capture all the horrors and reactions to them in words. Like saying "my condolences to your parents for being under a life-threatening oppressive regime" doesn't feel like it covers everything, but how do I cover everything?

You are right though, that salt thing is very interesting. I'm very curious how that worked--was salt in short, demanded supply? How much was it worth that it could replace money? I suppose those are questions to be investigated with my research :)

Also! Looked it up, and Elvis would've still been alive. Died in 1977, so depending on when exactly in the 70s we're talking, you are entirely right he'd still be alive. Again, thank you very much for the overview, I don't know if I would've heard about it otherwise if you hadn't brought it up, so I appreciate it

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Regarding this post (https://www.tumblr.com/piratecaptainscaptainpirates/750832838350340096/okay-so-theres-one-thing-that-im-kind-of-tired), the racism of Stede having the crew members of color acting as servants was clear, but I always thought he did that because that's what Badminton and his officers would expect. If he had had everyone sit at the table, or even if he'd had the "servants" be both white and PoC, that would have given the ruse away. I saw it as Stede pulling off his first fuckery before he even knew what a fuckery was, and creating what he thought would appear to Badminton as "a bunch of upper crust lads trying their hand at the seafaring life". In other words, he was well aware that it was racist but asked his crew to go along with it so they could get Badminton and his officers off the ship as quickly as possible. Had Wellington not been such a blatant racist prick, they might have succeeded, but Jim was never gonna let that behavior slide. Quite right too.

Now, in S1E2, him and Pete thinking that the tribe were cooking and eating their hostages was incredibly racist and they absolutely deserved to be called out on that. But I never got the sense, even in those early episodes, that Stede treated his PoC crewmembers any differently or worse than he treated his white crewmembers. And especially with Olu and Jim, he valued their advice and counsel, and Olu had no issues speaking his mind to Stede, which to me meant that he never felt threatened by Stede or worried that Stede would abuse him or anyone else on the crew.

If I've misinterpreted Stede's actions, please let me know. I'm white, so I know I don't see a lot of the micro aggressions that you see every day, though I have been working on actively listening and learning.

Hey there! I don't disagree with any of your points here, but I think there are wrinkles!

Was Stede just falling back on the easiest option to allay suspicion? Absolutely! Was it still a racist move? You bet!

See, I think Stede's first fuckery is the "ghost of the forest" bit in s1e2, and this is more...him leaning back on established social hierarchy. He fails to think outside the box in a way that would allow all of his crew members to feel respected. Think about how Frenchie gets himself and Olu onto the party boat - by thinking up a creative story. Stede thought up backstories for his white crew. His crew members of color could have been African royalty, rich benefactors, envoys from distant lands...the possibilities of avoiding suspicion are endless, and they could've even used these exoticizing tropes their guests were unlikely to see through as a way to boost the Revenge's apparent prestige for their guests.

The important thing to remember here, I think, is that Stede's plan in the pilot fails not in spite of the racism of it but because of that. If their guests had known that it would be not only inappropriate but a social faux-pas to insult the crew members of color, then there never would have been a need to fight back against an escalation in racist language.

And I don't disagree that Stede doesn't treat his crew members of color differently! My point is rather that his racist biases are an important facet of his general ignorance of the lived experiences of others - like, he genuinely doesn't really get that most people are pirates because they have no other choice (there's a huge racial component there, no coincidence we hear it from Olu), he doesn't realize most of his crew will be illiterate, he fails to account for the differences in lived experiences he's enjoyed thanks to his relaive privilege. In these early episodes, he talks at the crew, not with them.

I love Stede and his journey so so so much! And every time I rewatch the show I love seeing all these ways that he's grown and learned.

[brynn-lear]

"SALUTATIONS, I am Cranberry N.V. Tilde's editor. I'll be delighted to assist you in browsing their works."

⌜⟡⌟ TABLE OF CONTENTS ⌜⟡⌟ i. Teyvat Times [Genshin Impact] ii. Velvet Rumors [Persona Series] iii. The Blue Sea Star [Honkai Star Rail] iv. Fodlan Winds [Fire Emblem, to be added] v. Specials [original content, to be added]

【i.】 Teyvat Times

✧ When The Cypress Tree Wilts ✧ Yan!Kamisato Ayato Fanfic Kamisato Ayato, the sole survivor of Teyvat, struggles to cope with grief. He finds solace in the company of a fellow survivor, (Y/n), on the Astral Express. Although the two came from different universes, with him being a fictional character on (Y/n)'s end, he had grown fond of them. Perhaps too fond for Mister Yang's liking. He has seen this story played out once already. 𓂂 Read here

✦ His Dog ✦ Dottore Drabble "You're 0.0035 seconds late. Do better." 𓂂 Read here

✧ Grievances ✧ Yan!Zhongli Comic "Why..." 𓂂 See here

✦ Papers, Please ✦ Thoma Angst Fic Exploring the possibility that the resistance failed, Inazuma's borders became stricter than ever before. Thoma begs the inspector to let (Y/n) in last minute, but it's a far more challenging ordeal for a "fixer" 𓂂 Read here

✧ "So I could've told her-" ✧ Yan!Neuvillette Comic Regency yandere au where Neuvillette doesn't know how to express his affections properly since childhood 𓂂 See here

✦ Little Mermaid ✦ Yan!Al Haitham Comic Aphotic: sea witch grants you a dangerous wish. it affects your lover. 𓂂 See here

✧ Pantomime of the Night ✧ Yan!Arlecchino Fancomic Comic inspired by a yandere vampire!arle fic written by harmonysanreads 𓂂 See here

✦ Capitano's So-Called Liability ✦ Yan!Capitano Series You, cursed to live as an elderly woman after losing a bet to Alice, decided to live your best life by watching thrills as the assistant of the most powerful man in Teyvat: Capitano. However, it seems that with you, he would gladly walk at a slower pace. (#Capitano's So-Called Liability) 𓂂 Chapter 1, 𓂂 Comic 1𓂂 HCs 1

✧ "Ship" In A Bottle ✦ Diluc Drabble Diluc doesn't seem to like the ex-pirate who visits Angel's Share all that much, but he'll change his mind soon enough. 𓂂 Read here

✦ Paging Dr. Zandik ✦ Yan!Dottore Drabble A House MD au because I love House MD it's my childhood. 𓂂 Read here

【ii.】 Velvet Rumors

✧ A Tasteless Cup ✧ Yan!Akira Kurusu Fanfic After the destruction of your previous reality, you and Akira Kurusu landed in Teyvat. In an effort to stay afloat, Akira had set up a book café in Mondstadt alongside you. However, is this the true flavor of "Freedom"? 𓂂 Read here

【iii.】 The Blue Sea Star

✧ WhoDrankIt ✧ Yandere Various!H:SR OTOME GAME!!! You (name changeable) are a hardworking and full-pledged human cafe owner in Penacony City. Your Dreamjolt Cafe has been a go-to for residents and tourists alike. But your loved ones' lives took a sharp turn for the worst when you decided to take a much-needed vacation back to your homeland, Perlas. While your family eagerly awaited your arrival, you disappeared en route. Where did you go? How did this happen? Who did this? Was it... (Tap to learn more) 𓂂 The Original Comic 𓂂 The Otome Game 1.0 Beta Link

✦ If You Were Church... ✦ Yan!Sunday Art "I'll get on my knees." 𓂂 See here

✧ The Lovely Miss Sparkle! ✧ Sparkle Sketches Come take a look! In 5... 4... 3... 2... 𓂂 See here

✦ He Changed Himself For You... ✦ Yan!Gallagher Comic Gallagher knows more about you than he knows himself. And if he could just mold himself to be your type... 𓂂 See here

✧ The Dog Days Are Over ✧ Gallagher Sketches Just a place for me to dump general Gallagher art sketches 𓂂 See here

✦ A Happy Farm Life ✦ Yandere Dog!Gallagher HCs & Sketches yandere half-dog!Gallagher and forgetful farmer!reader au collection. 𓂂 See here, 2

✧ GALLAGHER PROPAGANDA ✧ Yan!Gallagher HCs He had to win, okay- 𓂂 Read here

✦ I Am The Righteous Hand Of God. ✦ Sunday & Gallagher Animatic I am the devil that you forgot. 𓂂 See here

✧ Don't Be Foolish ✧ Yandere Emanator!Dr. Ratio Comic Don't make me worry, again. 𓂂 See here

✦ Nah Bro We MILKIN' ✦ Yandere Dog!Gallagher Drabbles & Sketches I swore I made this as a joke. 𓂂 See here

✧ Family Matters ✧ Gallagher/RobinHill Drabble Robin keeps getting pestered by your older brother, Sunday. 𓂂 See here

✦ Holding A Wedding On Top Of His Funeral ✦ Yandere Rancher!Gallagher & Yandere Cowboy!Boothill Art Yandere rancher!Gallagher vs Yandere cowboy!Boothill over a mail order bride!reader fic when? When I'm done with the event probably- 𓂂 See here

【iv.】 Fodlan Winds

✧ “Come on, teach. Don't make me delete your saves.” ✧ Yan!Claude Von Riegan Comic He knows you're playing. But why aren't you choosing Golden Deer...? 𓂂 See here

"If you are looking for Ms. Lear's personal journals instead, please follow me."

[unhingedwomandiaries]

Had a proper bizarre lunch break today where the topic turned to American real estate, and my British colleagues went full David Attenborough about it, like they were narrating a nature documentary about houses shagging.

"Did you hear about that gaff in Southern California?" someone pipes up. "Bought for 199 grand in '96, just sold for one-point-six million." They're practically orgasmic about it, like they've just discovered their nan's secret OnlyFans fortune.

I tried to give a toss, honestly. It's like when my ex's dad would drag us around Civil War battlefields, pointing out where some long-dead general dropped his knickers. You're meant to be well impressed, but all you can think about is whether you can neck off to buy some overpriced fudge. In this case, all I could think was how my dead parents' house wouldn't even buy you a decent spot to have a wank in that California postcode.

My parents - both fucked off to the great beyond now, Dad first because he was a gentleman even in death - had this modest little house on two acres. Bought it for 128 grand back when that could've funded either Keith Richards' weekend habits or a lifetime supply of processed shite from the corner shop. Sold for about 100k after fees in 2021. These days that might get you a month in some Brooklyn cupboard marketed as a "bijou urban sanctuary for the discerning minimalist twat."

Then this absolute weapon announces, "I think I'd like to live in Ohio." Proper mental, like hearing the Queen say she fancies a bedsit above Greggs. I'm the token Yank here, and even I know Ohio's where ambition goes to die and become assistant manager at some shopping centre café.

"Why in the name of fuck would you want to live there?" I ask, wondering if he's recently been kicked in the head by a horse.

"Well, I've heard it's... affordable," he says, like he's describing the virtues of those shoes your mum buys you that guarantee you'll never get shagged in secondary school.

Before I can explain why "affordable" in Ohio is like calling a festival portaloo "hygienic," someone chimes in: "Didn't they just have a shooting there? Twenty-six people injured."

"Oh please," I scoff, "Back home, shootings are like finding pubes in your Subway sandwich - properly grim but hardly breaking news."

The room goes quieter than a librarian's orgasm. They're all staring at me like I've just announced I was raised by a family of particularly stabby badgers.

"You must have grown up around guns," someone finally ventures, voice wobbling like a virgin's bottom lip.

"Actually, no," I reply. "Never even touched one. Closest I've come is seeing them on cops, like accessories that scream 'I can legally ruin your whole fucking decade.'" I pause. "Assume firing one's like using a water pistol but with more paperwork and therapy afterward."

They're looking at me now, these lovely tea-drinking specimens, like I'm some sort of exotic creature they've found in their garden - fascinating but potentially rabid. In their eyes, I can see them processing that I'm American but don't fit in their neat little box of "probably owns a tank and thinks healthcare is communism."

The chat dies there, like my will to live during a Zoom meeting. As we shuffle back to our desks, "American Pie" starts playing in my head, which feels proper fitting - a song about everything going tits up, played after I've apparently shattered their cozy little notions about American life.

Back at my desk, sifting through emails duller than a Conservative party conference, I think about the absolute circus of it all. My parents gone, their home - backdrop to every Christmas row and passive-aggressive Sunday dinner - reduced to some depressing number. And here I am, an ocean away, trying to explain American culture to people who think Ohio's the new fucking frontier.

P.S. If anyone needs me, I'll be googling property prices in Ohio just to see if I can afford to be even more disappointing to my dead parents.

[diariesofaphonedomme]

The Mechanic, part II.

I was desperate from a young age to leave my hometown. As such I lived transiently, avoiding commitments like full time work, university, anything that would tether me longer, bind me to a place I was so desperate to rid myself from. As was the case with my romantic life, never getting too close to someone, knowing I'd leave them eventually and tear them up from the inevitable.

That night, after mindlessly driving around for hours we'd parked up on a hill, overlooking the city. I asked him what he wanted to do with this life.

"My mate's dad runs a mechanic shop, which'll be fun. I like working on cars, working with my hands. So I think I'd do that."

There was a simplicity in that phrase I admired so deeply. Unlike myself, he didn't possess the restless desire to escape from his life. He was happy where he was, a straight-laced job, a comfortable, quiet existence. Oddly grounding, I basked in what happiness could've meant for him. He asked what I wanted to do,

"I want to get out of this town," I say "And write." * * * I asked if he wanted to grab drinks with me one night, and he picked me up in that same tiny car. We went into town, walking with the tops of our hands brushing past each other, too timid to interlock fingers. String lights made the pavement glow, people passed us and their voices amalgamated to an organic hum that wafted through the air around us. We passed a busker and Liam asked how he was doing, "Not bad mate," he goes, "any requests?" "Know any Johnny Cash?" "Sure do!" He threw a five dollar note into the velvet lined guitar case, and the busker began strumming the opening chords for 'walk the line'. The mild gesture made me smile, being with someone who didn't feel above it all. We found a bar a couple doors down and squeezed ourselves into the packed outdoor area. Our pints cool against our fingers, we were forcibly pressed right to each other's chests. I realised how tall he'd gotten, having to look up to speak to him. He looks around, then back at me, "Bunch of pretentious fucks in here," he says "Not your usual scene?" I jest. "Nah, usually just swing past a mate's house, carton of VB's and I'm right. Don't really get out much in general." "Why?" "Dunno really. Live too far out, already have friends. People in the city are hard to talk to, they're all fucking boring. Can't take a joke, can't say shit." "Surprised you're hanging out with a city girl then," my tone was cheeky. "Yeah, but you're different. Plus I've known you for how long now? 8 years?" "Just about that. It's insane how much you've grown. You look like a man now." "You look grown too, feels like yesterday I was fingering you in a playground." I laugh hard at this crass comment, and we fall silent for a moment. I catch him staring at my lips before looking away. I could feel my hunger for him grow, almost as if my stomach ached for his intimacy. We sink our pints, and I tell him we should find somewhere else less crowded. It was after a mindless wander, lost in chatting that we found ourselves outside a sports pub that rung loud with Latin music. Curious, we wander in, passing an unassuming front bar and heading through the back area to a large dancefloor. Quickly, we realised the novelty of being the only Australians there, grabbing a couple of drinks before heading onto the floor. I didn't think he'd be much of a dancer, but he moved succinctly in rhythm with myself, holding my hips while we swayed. I closed my eyes and allowed myself just to feel his touch, the music pulse through me. I could feel his breath on my neck, and wanted to kiss him in that moment yet too terrified to make the first move. Beads of sweat ran down my cheek, and I put my lips to his ear, "Let's go have a smoke." It was there in the smoking area that I felt my hunger reach its boiling point. "You want one?" I ask. "Nah, don't smoke." I raised a brow, "you don't?" "Nah, I've tried, honestly. Thought it was hell cool. Just don't like the taste." This makes me laugh hard, and he leans in there and then, and I feel his soft, lush lips once again. My breath hard and heavy, I push my kiss right back to him. I was sat on a bar seat as he stood, and I could feel his hardening cock press against my thigh. I pull away for a breath, "can we get out of here?" "Yeah, we can."

We walked back to his car and immediately pulled ourselves into the back seat. I move on top of him and stared right into his eyes. He had some of the kindest eyes I'd ever seen. Large, soft lids, his inner corners pointed, his iris a melancholy blue. I'd never slept with him until this point, we'd never gone past second base. But it took mere minutes until he was inside of me and I rode him, our clothes falling off us, messy and drunk and our tongues tasting one another.

We fucked until we were too tired, and he dropped me off at five in the morning.

This routine of going out for drinks and fucking in his car carried on for the next few weeks. Like clockwork, each weekend, he would pick me up from home and we'd chat, drink, laugh. He was stupidly funny, and endlessly endearing. I could tell he liked making me laugh, cracking the biggest smile as he did so. I even invited him out to spend time with my friends, and he integrated well enough.

He asked me if I wanted to do the same with his friends, that it was a house party, it would be chill. I was nervous but I agreed, eager to learn more about him.

He picked me up as per usual, and I brought two bottles of red wine with me. I drank straight from the first one as we drove the forty minutes to his friend's in the hills.

"When did you lose your virginity?" I asked, taking another swig of wine. He seemed hesitant to answer. "When I was eight." "Eight? Shit. How?" Another pause, he kept his eyes on the road ahead of him. "Yeah, an older girl in the neighbourhood r@ped me." I clutch to my bottle and put it to my mouth. I take another sip, this one heavier, feeling it sting as it washed down my throat. "Shit." "Yeah, but it's cool, I don't even know where she is now."

His nonchalance was alarming, but I attempted to match his energy and brushed it off along with him. I could sense Liam had unhealthy views of sexuality. He told me once that he had choked his ex with a belt while she sucked his cock until her face turned blue and she passed out. Hearing that had made his sweetness seem all the more sour, born from a place of necessity for survival over a natural instinct, I knew the feeling.

I recounted to him what had happened to me at 17, that my ex had done the same thing. The moment of sincerity between the general nihilistic tone of our usual conversation felt like I'd peered deeper into him, into a dark hole I wasn't aware existed.

"Liam! Is this the girl you've been telling us all about?" His friend welcomes him with open arms at the door. I'm already light-headed from finishing half the first bottle on the ride there. I gave a shy smile and followed him in, entering a beige kitchen with a large wooden table in the middle, his friends gathered around it. Cards splayed over the surface, cups both plastic and glass littered the circle.

"We were just playing King's cup mate, want to join?"

"Sure" we glee in unison. I look over to him and smile, silently reassuring I'd felt welcomed. I took a seat across from him, the only two left, so I was right in his line of vision. One by one, we'd take cards from the circle, and I couldn't help catching his gaze.

He pulls an 8.

"Great. No one can look at me or they have to drink." We all laugh, and I'm particularly worried. It was hard to look away from him. I loved the way his nose sloped, the way it rounded on the tip. His shaved head, his prominent eyebrows. He spent the next half hour trying to meet my eyes and each time I fell for it, hopelessly. I couldn't help myself, I knew in that moment how much I wanted him. Thankfully someone else managed to pull an eight from the pile, and I was safe to stare at him once again.

We met in the hallway to the bathroom, and I kissed him softly, my hand pressed against his chest.

"I think I need to go soon." I say. "I have work in the morning." "I'm too drunk to drive you, but I can wait outside till you get a cab." I nodded, kissing his cheek. Thanking his friends for having me, we stepped out to the front, sitting on a pile of bricks as the cool air brushed against us. He meets my eyes and I felt so joyous in the time we just spent together.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," he tells me. "Liam-" I pull my hands from his lap. "You know I just got out of a relationship, I don't know if I'm ready for that." He stares right through me for a moment, then takes my chin and kisses me deeply. "Then I can't do this anymore." he says.

My smile fades. We both look away from each other. I don't want to argue that point, he seemed so sure of his decision. I felt my stomach twist in knots as we waited together for the taxi to arrive. The world felt dark, and silent, though faint music played from the house party still going on inside. We were far enough out of the city that the sky was speckled with stars, and I looked up at them as reality began to set in.

The car pulls up to the driveway, and he doesn't say goodbye as I step in. That was the last time we spoke.

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

See, my take on how others feel about Miklan being allowed into the army is... pretty specific. Imo while others have every right to be worried or upset, they ultimately have no say in it. I genuinely believe that once Dimitri got the okay from Sylvain that was a wrap, and to a lesser extent Matthias.

Sylvain is the one who would be the first person to say no. He's the one person who has the most trauma and experienced the most hardship due to Miklan's actions. If even he okayed the situation, imo that's all Dimitri truly needed.

Yes, he was a bandit, and that was Felix's primary argument. However, the same could be said of former thief Ashe, like you mentioned. Miklan didn't just up and decide to be a bandit. He got disinherited, got angry, behaved poorly, and evidently nobody actually really stepped in to stop him and help him. It got to the point that Matthias (finally, for some reason) had enough of him trying to kill Sylvain and hanging out with bandits. Which like, in my mind, he should've done something far sooner, but he didn't all that time.

I've talked about Miklan a lot previously so I'll make what I think of the situation super brief in a condensed version of what I said previously. Miklan didn't have anyone showing him right from wrong and there were no adults who seemed to be stepping in to put him on the straight and narrow. Nobody helped him when he felt like his purpose was life in stolen from him.

He reacted badly (and it's worth remembering this would've started when the brothers were pretty young, so he didn't have an adult mindset to consult about if he was lashing out at the wrong person) and when nobody really did anything, he continued doing that. There were so many things Matthias could've done to try to fix things, even if it meant having Miklan go live with another lord or something (so he'd be away from Sylvain and be able to find a different purpose that contented him enough to get him away from acting on his anger. Being around the source of his anger clearly wasn't doing him any good).

So that said, I think Miklan is partially at fault for things when he started bringing civilians into his problems, but he's very similar to Ashe in that his circumstances all led up to what he ended up doing. Obviously they handled it very differently and had different reasons, but if someone had tried to help Miklan as a child, he probably wouldn't have grown up being the way he is in the present timeline.

In other words, Miklan lashed out because he was hurt and angry. That's a fixable situation if you try to fix what ruined his life to begin with: his self worth. Dimitri did exactly that, and I fully believe having Sylvain's approval after everything he did to Sylvain helped a lot in him changing his ways.

Back to Felix, his complaints ring hollow to me when you look at Ashe. All Ashe needed was guidance. He got that as a child. Miklan didn't, so he was already in pretty deep by the time he got any guidance at all, forced guidance or not (think of it in a way as like, an intervention. It was forced but it was necessary and it worked). What Felix is saying is essentially that he's a bandit and doesn't deserve a second chance, which considering his history isn't really fair.

If Miklan had been someone who just became a bandit for the funsies and didn't have a lot of problems leading up to it (that again, nobody helped fix), I'd agree with Felix. There's a point where I'd also say someone doesn't deserve a second chance depending on the gravity of what they'd done. However, similar to how Dimitri feels about wanting to fix Faerghus, it was the old generation that turned Miklan into that.

Maybe it was an accident for most of them (bar Matthias; sorry buddy, that was your kid and you failed him hard... but hey! Matthias knows that and good on him for even admitting that. Faerghus dads are the only ones who actually verbally admit to their wrongs), but it still happened because of old systems, and those are the things Dimitri is hellbent on adjusting. Miklan is one of the reasons why that old system needs to be fixed.

By having Miklan there, it's part of making Faerghus more equal for all, and it was of course bold to some people (i.e. the characters), but I find it to be the best thing to do. He took someone who had been a victim of their existing political system and used that as an example of how he wanted things to be going forward. He didn't just give that position to anyone, but specifically to someone who had been smothered by their old system.

Technically, Sylvain just had the Crest and would be the person to inherit fighting off Sreng invasions (because they want the power of the Crest for that purpose in that area). It never meant he needed to be specifically the next Margrave. Sylvain could've just been the head of their forces and Miklan could've still been the Margrave. With Dimitri's ideals, that's what would've happened and why Miklan was the perfect person to have there to show everyone he was serious about his adjustments to their political system.

If Dimitri just chose someone completely clean and upstanding, that would make his new policies appear to come with strings attached, with the implication that you can't have previously been any form of a criminal, bad person, etc. No chance to redeem oneself. By putting Miklan in that position, he shattered any such misunderstands immediately. There was no room for people to doubt that they might be able to get into a particular position if they desired it.

Ingrid's issues with it were more emotionally driven from what I understood. She seemed to be upset because of the things Miklan did to Sylvain, i.e. one of her dearest friends. She was uncomfortable because he'd hurt someone close to her, which is understandable... but it as that exact person who gave the okay for this, and Sylvain and Matthias were the first people Dimitri even consulted about it before he went through with it.

That also means Dimitri thought ahead and made sure that the family was okay with it, even though he was king by then and could've just made the decision. He literally didn't even need their permission and could've done it anyway, but he chose to ask them first. He would've not done it if the family themselves hadn't given permission. He would've just found someone else.

Dimitri could've just told Sylvain and Matthias to suck it up because it was the good for Faerghus and their future, but he didn't. He wanted their input and to be sure they were both on board with it and felt it was a good idea. Which, I mean, if Matthias of all people thought it was a safe enough or good enough idea, that says volumes considering the Gautier's history as a family unit.

Sylvain is also one of the smartest people like... in Fodlan itself lol. He was a good person to ask about it, because Sylvain can weigh the pros and cons of Miklan being there better than literally anyone (both because of his connection to him and because he can think about it logically and not be burdened by his own personal feelings about it... and his personal feelings probably would've been in favor of it anyway, if his complicated feelings in both games are anything to go by).

So yeah, I get Ingrid and Felix's grievances, but imo Felix's is too based on the old system that Dimitri is trying to make better (bandit = bad = cannot get a second chance to prove himself), and Ingrid is thinking more of her friend's feelings, but that friend personally approved the situation.

Like I said, I understand their takes on it, but imo I do think the Gautiers were the only people who needed to approve it. Nobody else needed to know, because of all Miklan's bullshit stemmed from a history between the Gautier family. If they all decided to try to repair that in any way at all, considering their prominence to the political climate of Faerghus, doing right by Miklan also meant putting him in a position worthy of being a Gautier.

Also, I doubt Dimitri would take a huge gamble that could damage their situation/position. He likely knew Miklan's behavior came out of a pre-existing self worth issue. Fixing that problem would ensure Miklan didn't cause problems. Miklan probably understood his importance, and being put in charge of the singular most important defense of the entire fucking country? Consider the problem fucking fixed lol. His prowess was recognized by the king himself, whose best friend (im calling it, it's sylvain, it's totally absolutely definitely sylvain thanks for coming to my ted ta-) had suffered greatly because of him. Dimitri could've been bias against Miklan and never, ever was (in either game)

Regarding Duscur:

Idk if you know FE9/Ike's first game, but the Duscur situation in Hopes reminds me of the herons. In Houses it's different, but in Hopes I do get the feeling of similarity. The people who genocided the herons feel immense guilt for what they did in their unquestioning rage, not looking for the truth but just looking to vent at the time. Some pray for forgiveness every night for being part of it.

I see Duscur similarly, in that the way they're treated at the Hopes camp is really positive and people are making every effort to consider them equals. There's a sense of having grown from their mistakes of just looking for an outlet to vent their rage and hatred of their king being murdered (which mind you people would not do if their king was not beloved, which is exactly what happened with FE9's situation). Ingrid regrets her previous feelings, and the people at the camp would not be assisting Duscur and helping them to adjust to their camp the way they did if they still had hard feelings and had no desire for the truth.

Yeah, we don't see the Empire trying to restore Brigid's independence and free them. This is never a topic tackled during SB either. Edelgard mentions it sometimes but never actually implies she's freed Petra yet (which like, what's the holdup if you're actually gonna do it). Also though, Hopes has the unfortunate Edelgard simp problem, where Petra is reduced to simping as hard as she possibly can for Edelgard yet, even rejecting the importance of being a queen to fight and possibly die for Edelgard (I'm not even joking or exaggerating, this is their literal A support in Hopes). Her full priority is unquestionably and outright stated to be Edelgard and Edelgard's victory, even at the cost of her own life (which she mentions in Houses that if she dies, her siblings aren't safe/are in danger or something. Can't remember the exact dialogue, but she does mention she can't die at the very least for their sake).

So yeah, as far as Brigid goes in Hopes... even Petra doesn't actually care if they're ever a free nation again. She's just "the will of the emperor" at that point, so Brigid is basically fucked with a cactus ass backwards. The nations are not equals at this point and Brigid is not free, but Petra couldn't care less because uwu Edelgard. The way Hopes portrays it, Petra is happier having Brigid under Edelgard's thumb, which is a whole other can of worms honestly.

But it seems Edel tends to project her own country's issues onto others. Maybe it's because she's so arrogant and thinks she knows better?

That's it, that's the game, everyone go home now, was fun having you.

As for "AG BaD", I'm guessing it's because of Edel's treatment and the state of the Empire in part 2?

Not really. It's just an extension of the old AM BaD group because Dimitri BaD because he just wants to protect the uwu status quo and has no intention for positive change. i.e. the same people who argue that Dimitri isn't fighting for the people but Edelgard is, which is also ass backwards and I'm not even sure how people reached that conclusion other than wanting to marry their pixel waifu girlboss who they want to step on them.

Some people didn't like her treatment in AG for one reason or another, both Dimitri fans and Edelgard fans, but it's not the overall reason people see Dimitri as this inhumane, terrible, evil person trying to consolidate power. I genuinely can't wrap my head around people coming to that conclusion other than how I know some of the stans legitimately make shit up that never even remotely happened just to justify the bullshit.

As for Edelgard post AG, I think her memories are fine and perfectly in tact prior to the I guess brainwashing. Like, I think what essentially got deleted from her mind was everything from the moment that magic was used on her. I think everything in her life prior to whatever was used on her is fine in her mind, so she probably doesn't even know why her hair is white. I imagine she no longer remembers the experiments, what happened to her siblings, etc.

I imagine she was taken back to the Empire and likely left in Monica's family's care or something (Hubert is confirmed dead and so can't do that, and Ferdinand is "missing", and while people say it means he's dead, I'm pretty sure nothing was actually outright confirmed for him?).

Dimitri has no interest in ruling the Empire's lands, so I don't think they would've split the lands between Faerghus and Leicester unless it was absolutely necessary, i.e. they needed to have those lands with a central authority to keep things stable (lest things ended up like a bandit free for all and the place was left in ruins). It's possible, but I do think they'd consider other alternatives as a priority and use that as a last resort.

It's entirely possible though that the Empire required that, because with Hubert dead, if Ferdinand did actually die, there isn't really anyone who would be trusted/expected to take central authority. The Empire would be reduced to a lawless land without that though (which it was turning into quickly post chapter 9), so if they annexed the Empire, it would be to prevent that from happening and the people of those lands from suffering.

If we can say/decide sure, Ferdinand is alive and had been in hiding or something, he could come back and take over so they'd have a central authority, and that would solve that; but yeah, the Empire's situation post AG is complicated. Technically it's not even Dimitri, Claude or Rhea's problem and they could technically just leave it to rot. I don't think they would out of welfare for the citizens, but it's really just another headache Thales left behind.

Like yeah, Edelgard is there still and alive, but she's clearly in no position to take any power at all, much less central authority. I guess it also depends if you can assume she stays like that for the rest of her life or if there's possibility of improvement (this is a world with magic, so who knows). We also don't know if it's even possible for her to regain her memories of everything that happened post Thales magic thingymabobber,

[...]but I'm fairly certain that the Church isn't going to be picky about it, since they're already grateful for Faerghus' help.

This is what happened, yeah. Seteth mentioned it (in AG). They're not being picky, and he mentions they're just grateful for being sheltered. They know the Kingdom can't offer them much else and they all accept that.

No worries, all good! :)

I'm having a really hard time fathoming how some people consider SB to be a righteous/heroic route or a route where we're the good guys. The route where:

You invade two independent nations under the pretence of "saving their citizens from oppression" (though I guess you can't be oppressed anymore if you're dead lol) even though Her Majestic Hypocrisy repeats a bunch of times that she's in for conquest and that she'd obliterate anyone who stands in her way.

The cast keeps victim-blaming the invaded parties for *checks note* defending their countries. 

The death toll is the highest. You have to kill Ingrid, Rodrigue, Gustave and Sylvain. And you can also kill Ashe, Mercedes (btw, if she dies, the cutscene where Dimitri and Dedue grieve changes slightly, which is nice), Annette, Shamir, Ignatz, Raphael and Marianne (how does Margrave Edmund feel about Claude's alliance with the empire knowing his daughter was killed by its army?). 

IIRC, this is the only route where you conscript merchants into the imperial army. No wonder the empire has the biggest army.

Based Rhea who, despite being hunted, still thinks about the safety of the continent first in the final chapter. It's hilarious how characters like Edespot or Clyde harp on about how Rhea is the big bad, and in the few scenes you have with her, she's just kind? Anyway. Rhea based.

In the C support conversation - which happens right after Felix got seriously injured and Sylvain got killed- there's this bit where Dimitri is like "I don't know if I can talk with like everything is normal, so many have died already" and Edespot's response is basically "yeah I don't see it that way. Let's agree to disagree". Also, I believe she wonders if she shouldn't just kill Clyde and Dimitri once they're out. Even though Clyde is her ally at the moment. You bet on the wrong lord, Clyde... 

I probably forgot a few stuff, but... oh well.

To be honest,

The only things I like about Supreme Bullshit are :

Its ending! Supreme Leader and Barney (well, at least they throw a sword?) being sitting ducks while Rhea steals the show, and sacrifices herself in an epic shonen scene to get rid of the real threat, aka showing that unlike someone, she knows how to prioritize, and it ends up in an explosion. It matches the ending of the F-Zero anime (at 0.48!), Rhea/Falcon rushes to deal a blow (a Falcon punch and a Seiros strike I guess?) to their mortal enemy, there is a giant explosion, and both Rhea/Falcon fade away in a blinding light. Too bad the Supreme Bullshit BGM is eons away from "Searching to the Truth" :(

The reveal that Rhea kept the keys to the sekrit passages in the Imperial Palace - or Rhea knows more about Enbarr and its castle than the current Emperor and her aides...

Doro's paralogue being incredibly tone deaf about, uh, soldiers being "too busy" by the Mittelfrank troupe, that they can't basically protect the dancers/performers from bandits, when the paralogue happens in an area that is expressedly supposed to be full of soldiers!

If starts align in a certain way, it's the only route in Nopes where Clout dies!

Leopold! He's like Victarion Greyjoy, only if he was taken seriously. But we, as players, know better! Also he's a living retcon, from having a major cichol crest to gift to his son because he fought well (and not to, say, Big B or even Ferdie) a sacred weapon despite the route being all about muhritocracy!

Supreme Leader plans and plays with the cards she has in her hand - from trying to get good PR to get rid of people (Varley sr) by pitting them against her next target (the CoS)!

An entire game full of new Supreme Replies (tm)!

For shippers around, it has a Cathmir scene where everyone knows Shamir will prioritize Catherine's life over her allegeance! too bad this is a Supreme Leader route, so no, Shamir won't fucking try to kill her for blackmailing her and can even kill Catherine herself later on....

That's not a lot lol, and most of it are breadcrumbs because for the proper plot...

Yeah, it kinds of sucks.

Supreme Bullshit is even more tone deaf with the War and its realities than Tru Piss (and that's a feat!), Ferdie being completely, uh, off the mark about everything (invading lands and rekting people, and then saying those people's fears are only in their heads! Pal, one of the first missions in the SB exclusive chapters is to rout refugees??? + the nonsense about the Kingdom having more crested generals, when data shows the Empire has more crested peeps than the Kingdom!), Caspar being turned in the worst version of himself who dgaf anymore about protecting "innocents" and "justice", and, uh, everything with Monica.

Victim blaming is the norm with Fodlan games, but yeah, it really feels odd that suddenly, in the Zahras chapters, Dimitri's all "okay" when his closest friends either died or were grievly injured and the game proceeds as it does when, come on, why wouldn't Dimitri kill her the second they're out of the Zahras verse??

I really disliked how Supreme Bullshit yeeted Ionius from Adrestia, or how it didn't explore in more depth the Insurrection of the Seven, especially since we side with Leopold'n'Waldemar against Ludwig, who used to be allies! Also, as far as I remember, no one mentions anything about Arundel, why he ran away to the Kingdom with a young Supreme Leader and how he changed when he returned, or something?

If Ludwig is pushed by Supreme Leader, reciting her Dad's words, as the one who led the insurrection and the experiments on her, why the fuck no one else mentions them, as Leopold and Waldemar were on Aegir's side back then? They don't even mention "Arundel" participating, like, Volkhard sides against Ionius and hides his niece, but 3 months later, he returns and offers her as a guinea pig?

As is the norm with the Supreme Leader routes, the "truth" isn't what we're looking for, because we know Supreme Leader pushes a narrative she will follow to reach her goals, but where Tru Piss gave hints here and there about her narrative being, uh, rubish, we have no clues here, and Leopold prefers to flash his loincloth than giving us anything meaningful about that incident.

When you compare them to Matthias and Rodrigue (and Gilbert?) who often mention Lambert "back in the days", it's more and more obvious that... we're not supposed to ask questions in Supreme Bullshit, and just go with the flow.

And it ends with a high five.

I'd say it deviates less from Tru Piss than Golden Shower does from Verdant Winds, but it's an "expected disappointment".

That's why my only higlights are not plot relevant (save for the Captain Falcon - Rhea parallel) - because we know the plot will never deliver something meaningful in a Supreme Leader route.

[smittenroses]

UNDERTALE??? MTT x reader general headcanons mayb??? ‼️‼️

ooo, funky lil robot man, let's get this one rolling shall we:

Mettaton x reader general headcanons

also journalist reader bc I said so

Mettaton has always been one for the dramatics when it comes to his life, living for his show, he finds himself meeting new people on the daily basis once he comes to the surface and that ended up including you. At first you had just been a journalist who was interested in viewing the star of the underground for a scoop on what the pop culture of Monsters was like, however, as time grew on and notebooks became thicker and thicker with the history of Monster entertainment, the two of you ended up having grown close enough for Mettaton to constantly invite you onto his show which caused for his ratings to go up as well as Monsters' willingness to be interviewed by you.

Mettaton has no idea of what "personal space" is, so he constantly is invading yours whenever he can when he's around you, including and not limited to working hours; you don't know how he gets away with it but work is defiantly a lot more fun when you have a whining ghost/robot hybrid wanting to do something fun with you.

He legitimately declared that the two of you were dating one day and you had decided to just roll with that — sure, you could've said no given that it was a spur of the moment type of thing from him, but when you had heard him gush about how he wanted to spoil you and treat you to all the nice things he could afford, how could you say no to him? Even from the very moment, he declared "we're dating now, superstar, get used to getting big smooches from me!" You could tell that there wasn't the usual humour behind his eyes/LEDs, as not only was he 100% serious, he just... was so sweet to you.

He wants to be little spoon at all times, full stop.

When he's a robot he doesn't really need to eat since Alphys had done some robotics stuff that had gone over his head when she had first been explaining it, but Mettaton does know quite a few recipes off the top of his head and isn't afraid to try and cook for you since he knows how tiresome journalism can be.

Mettaton constantly splurges money on you since now he has so much of it he doesn't know what to do with it, sure, he could be saving it in the case he becomes involved in some sort of accident, but you're his significant other, he wants to make you feel special.

Romantic holidays are always him serenading you and showing you off to everyone he can because 'this is my partner, they're super special, I love them and no you cannot touch them-'.

Mettaton can also be a bit... self-conscious about being with you; you're a human, he's a monster that has fused himself with nuts and bolts, he's worried that one day you might leave him for someone else of your kind that could do things such as spend long times away from the city without fear of suddenly losing charge, or can spend more time with you compared to his constant business with his career being that he's a superstar. Please give him reassurance you won't leave him and he will melt. He knows that one day he's going to outlive you given his life span, but he wants to spend it all with you.

His favourite nicknames for you are: superstar, starlet, beauty queen/king [whichever you prefer], darling [his favourite] and gorgeous.

Mettaton has a habit of reenacting romantic scenes from human movies he finds, so expect at least once to find him wanting to do the spiderman kiss.

You would be surprised but... he's a really soft kisser; most would imagine him to be passionate or all teeth being as loud and bombastic as he is, however, he is all the opposite of that. He'll always ask for a kiss, he will play with your hair, your fingers or hands, he will mutter how much he loves and appreciates you, and yet even as soft as they are, his kisses always will leave you breathless. if you initiate a passionate kiss, on the other hand, prepare for him to be flustered and giggle because "I didn't know you had it in you, starlet."

He wants to blow your mind as much as you blow his. Don't lose him, he's perfect.

[coffeecatsandcandles]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐈- 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝

➵ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 | billy hargrove x reader (told through Max’s perspective)

➵ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 | 3.3k

➵ 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | Angst, death mention, time jump

დ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | დ 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | დ 𝐤𝐨-𝐟𝐢

It had been thirteen years since Max last saw you. Those thirteen years were filled with unfulfilled promises and you had officially grown apart. You’d told her you’d visit all the time and that you’d always be there for her. But as the years passed, you went from promising to catch up to barely remembering what each other looked like. She couldn't blame you; things weren't the same now that you knew she had a massive crush on you.

You stayed in Michigan after pursuing your graduate degree in education. Dustin and Max stayed in touch, mainly because they ended up going to the same university, and he told her that you taught middle school in Ann Arbor. Years later, she heard that your last name had changed. You had gotten married to a law student you met at a party during your second year. A little later down the line, Max heard that you had a daughter. Max was invited to your wedding, but she didn't go. She was invited to your baby shower, but she didn't go. Your daughter was almost three years old now- a spitting image of her mother.

Max didn’t want to dig too much into your life anymore, but she did always wonder if you were happy. You were living the life that she always expected of you, way back when she was confused as to why you chose to date her brother. You left Hawkins and didn't return.

Max had dated a few guys and girls since, but nothing ever stuck. She went to nursing school and worked at Hawkins General. After all those years, she ended up stuck in Hawkins like her family and everyone else. But you were the one who got out, that’s what made you Wonder Woman.

One thing Max knew the two of you had in common was that for the last thirteen years, you were both stuck wondering how you both would've ended up, or what could've been, if Billy hadn't gotten into that accident. You didn't talk to her parents, or anyone back in Hawkins for that matter. You only really stayed in touch with Nancy and Jonathan.

You and Nancy suffered a loss together, blamed each other for a while, stopped being friends, and then rekindled. You and Max had gone through something similar, only you hadn't rekindled. She always hoped you would, which is why she was inappropriately delighted when she found out your mother had offered you and your family your childhood home in Hawkins while she moved to Florida. Max immediately dismissed the possibility of you returning to Hawkins, because she knew there was no way in hell you’d return.

But she was wrong.

When she ran into you at the supermarket, she thought she was seeing things.

You turned around, making eye contact with her. You truly hadn't aged a day. "Oh my god, Max?" To Max’s surprise, you went in for a hug. Like the two of you were friends again. Max was never much of a hugger, only with you. "How long has it been, thirteen years?" Standing next to you was a taller man with brown hair and a beard. He was well-kept and honestly seemed boring. Max assumed this was your husband, though she had no idea what he looked like or even his name. You turned to him, "Daniel, this is Max... she's an old friend. Max, this is my husband, Daniel."

According to everything she’d heard from everyone she stayed in touch with in Hawkins, Daniel was a Michigan native with Irish immigrant parents. He made enough money to keep your family financially stable. He was the one who wanted to start a family. He wanted more than one kid, but you were satisfied with just your little girl. He knew you were special, so he held his tongue when discussing having more kids. Whatever you wanted, you got. He was the type who thought material things mattered most in a relationship. He spoiled you with flowers, fancy dinners, and all kinds of romantic getaways. And when your daughter was born, he spoiled her with toys, clothes, books, anything to make his daughter happy. Max knew teenage you wouldn't have been fond of that, but it had been over a decade since she’d seen you. Your daughter was sitting in the seat in the grocery cart, holding onto her mother’s hand like it was her life raft in the middle of the ocean. "Who's this?" Max asked, gesturing at the toddler. The toddler looked at me and smiled. She made a visibly awkward smile back. Max was never comfortable around children. She never wanted kids of her own. She worked with kids sometimes, but she was helping them, not forced to make conversation with them or get to know them.

"This is Grace," you smiled, clearly proud of your little creation, "Max and I go way back," you said to your husband.

"Well, I'm glad we're starting to run into people who recognize you.” He said to you, then turned to face Max, “I want to know everything about where she grew up. She rarely talks about it." Daniel teased. It was like you were a new person, silently begging Max with your eyes to not say anything about your past. Did Daniel know about what happened to Billy, or was he even aware of his existence? It was hard to tell. You and your husband seemed close and like you trusted each other, but you also seemed like you were trying to be a completely different person now.

You looked at Daniel nervously, "Could you grab the rest of the stuff on the list? We only need a few more things. I just want to catch up with Max, I'll find you in a second."

"Of course," Daniel said, kissing you on the cheek, "It was nice meeting you, Max. You should stop by sometime. I'm sure you know where to find us." Max politely laughed and waved goodbye to him and Grace as they continued shopping, leaving her and her former best friend alone.

"How much does he know?" she asked almost immediately, causing you to look down at the floor.

"Nothing, and I don't plan on telling him."

"Why? Don't you think he deserves to know?"

"That's for me to decide. I don't want to unpack everything from my past."

"Then why did you come back to Hawkins?"

"Because..." you paused, looking for the right words, "I couldn't stand the idea of ignoring what happened either. I'd been denying what happened for years, and I felt like being back would be good for me. And Daniel doesn't need to know that. All he knows is that I had a change of heart and we bought my old house." you avoided eye contact with her. Max could see how difficult this was for you: You still couldn't talk about what happened, it was too hard.

Max decided to change the subject. It was hard for you to talk about. Hell, it was still hard for her to talk about. "You have a beautiful little family," A small smile crept onto your face as you looked down at your shoes, "and I'm proud of who you've become."

The two of you continued to talk for a few more minutes. You told her about your job and that you had just been employed at Hawkins High School. You ended up right back in the place where your hurt began, except this time it was on your own terms. Wonder Woman herself was going to make Hawkins a better place for the kids who live here now. You genuinely liked working with your students, and they liked you. You were easy to talk to, you were sympathetic, and you were easy-going. The kind of teacher a kid would remember well after middle or high school. "Well, I better get going... it was really nice seeing you again, Max." you said, reaching for another hug. Max could've stayed in your embrace forever, but she knew you and your husband were probably ready to go home. Hugging you felt like she was thirteen again, feeling her heartbeat out of her chest and her palms start to sweat.

But she let go and said goodbye. All day she couldn't stop thinking about how drastically different you had become. How drastically different life was now.

Max wondered how you would raise your daughter in the bedroom you grew up in, where Billy would tap on your window and ask you to sneak out some nights. How your family would be having movie nights in the living room where you and Billy shared your first kiss. How that house held so many memories that filled you with so much joy and so much sadness, but now you could build new memories and live a new life.

When she got a call later that week from you asking if she’d join you and your family for dinner, Max had to accept.

It wasn't anything fancy, in fact she knew Daniel had asked you if you could invite her over in order to get to know more about you through her. You were private, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, Daniel was pretty nosy.

Your home was just like how she remembered. One-story with a sliding glass door in the open garage that led into the house, three bedrooms, and a porch. Perfect for a three-person family, and perfect for Grace to grow up. You all sat in the dining room, eating and talking about your lives in Hawkins.

"So, no offense, but you were a freshman when she was a senior? How did your paths even cross?" Daniel asked Max. She couldn't be offended, if Billy hadn't been in the picture she doubted you’d ever be aware of each other's existence. But she had an out.

"We had drama class together," she explained, earning an understanding nod from Daniel. It wasn't a lie- she did join the drama club because of you; it just wasn't the entire truth either. "I mean, I mostly hung out with boys until we met. She was kind of the first friend I had who was a girl."

You smiled at both Max and Daniel- both of them felt your smile could stop time. It was that powerful.

"We did have a few things in common,” she continued, “Remember how pissed we were when Ms. Kelley said the musical was The Sound of Music?" Max teased, referring to Hawkins’ 1985 winter musical and earning an embarrassed but playful groan from you.

"That show was a disaster," you joked, locking eyes with Daniel, "I was Maria, she was Brigitta, it was a mess."

"You never told me you were a lead in a musical," Daniel smiled at you, then looked at Max, "See, that's why I'm so glad you're here. I think I know everything about my wife, and then I learn something new."

"Well, she’s kind of always been this way. Very private." she said, taking a sip of wine and hoping she didn't sound snide.

You shrugged as Daniel grabbed her hand. The way you looked at each other; it was like you didn't need things like physical pleasure to keep your relationship alive. You understood each other. He deeply cared about you; it was obvious. You were just happy you weren’t in the dark anymore, and you were happy you had your daughter, who was the true light of your life. For you, Grace was that light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

"So, how'd you pop the question?" Max asked, changing the subject. They were in safe territory now. The three of you managed to talk about your senior year without bringing up Billy's death. Daniel still didn't know. If she brought up their marriage, she wouldn't have to worry about letting it slip.

She looked at her glass, realizing she had been nervously sipping on the wine since the meal started, and it was already empty.

"Christmas Eve, about seven years ago." Daniel said, trying to remember, "I planned it with her mother, it was our first Christmas in our new apartment. And I had my parents there too. My family loves to bake, so they brought over everything to make pies. And as we were all making them I just got down on one knee and asked her. We were still wearing aprons and everything," Daniel was looking at you longingly while he told the story. What was it about you that made everyone fall head over heels in love? "The moment you said yes was one of the best moments of my life." He kissed your cheek and you blushed. Max finally caught a glimpse at your wedding ring. It was huge and looked expensive, a sure sign that Daniel liked to spoil you as much as he could.

A part of Max hated to think it, but Daniel seemed to be a better fit for you than Billy.

You helped your toddler manage her fork and tied her hair back to keep her from getting food in it. Max listened as you cooed to your baby girl to make her smile. Grace giggled and asked for her water, and you gave her a cup to drink.

"Well that's very romantic.” she turned to you, “And honestly I haven't seen you this happy in a really long time. It's just kind of weird seeing you with someone other than Billy-" Max stopped herself from saying anything more. She looked down at her plate, hating herself for not going easy on the wine.

"Billy? Who's Billy?" Daniel asked, making eye contact with his wife.

You and Max exchanged a look, wishing you could undo everything she had just said. Max had just dug a hole for you that would be impossible for you to get out of.

"I, uh... I dated Max's older brother," you tried to say nonchalantly. But it was clear it was hurting you.

"Oh," Daniel said, staring at his lasagna. He was trying to hide that he was a little upset by this news. He couldn't be upset. Of course you had a life before meeting him. Of course your life didn't start the moment they met. It'd be terrible of him to think that. But you’d never mentioned anyone else. And the only other person in your life was Billy, and you couldn't bring yourself to talk about him until now, "Wow, I didn't realize that."

"You had no way of knowing; I never talk about him." you immediately defended him. It was like you were apologizing without saying sorry. But you didn't have to be sorry.

"He wasn't a bad guy, was he?" Daniel said. Max suddenly felt out of place. Like she was intruding on a very private, personal conversation. Daniel wasn't angry, he was concerned. He loved his wife, Max could tell. He just wanted to know if you were okay.

"No, he uh..." you looked at Max, with sad eyes and a stressed demeanor, "He died. Right before my senior year."

Daniel had a look of instant regret. How could he have pushed you like this? Max folded her hands in her lap, eyes fixated on the couple. She tried to look anywhere else; the wall, the ceiling, even Grace, who was sitting on her knees on the chair and focusing more on her fork than her food. To be so naïve and have the ability to forget all of this the next day like Grace, that's what Max wanted for herself right now. "Honey, I'm so sorry, I-" Daniel started to apologize, knowing he messed up.

"No, don't be." you said, your eyes glistening and your voice small, "I'm gonna go lay down, could you take care of the dishes, please?" you got up and made your way to the bedroom, Daniel sat completely still in his seat.

"I-" Daniel tried to say something, not wanting to excuse your behavior or apologize. He knew you had a right to be upset, but he just didn't know what to do or say.

"I'll go check on her," Max said, getting up and following you down the hall. She stopped as she peeked through the crack in the door of what was your childhood bedroom, still decorated with the same furniture and wallpaper. Your mother truly hadn't touched your bedroom or changed it in any way after you left for college. It wasn't until you and Daniel moved in that the room was now filled with boxes. Max watched as you dug through one of them, rummaging all the way to the bottom. You pulled out an old shoebox, sitting on the ottoman that was in front of the bed.

Max decided to knock, though the door was already open, and you could see her walk in. "You okay?" she asked, walking slowly into the bedroom.

"I'm alright," you said, your voice small, "I just needed a minute after all that." you seemed defeated. Tired. Max nodded; she didn't know what to say to make you feel better. The best thing for her to do now was to just be there. "I can't believe I kept all this. I know I've moved on from what happened, I just don't have the heart to throw anything away." You gestured to the shoebox, filled with memories from your relationship. Old notes, polaroid's, things that you still cherished. You invited her to look through it.

Max pulled out a folded, torn slip of paper with Billy's handwriting on it. A note from him to you. It was nothing dramatic or emotional, just a note about how he couldn't stop thinking about how pretty you looked that day and how he couldn't stop thinking about you during class. He probably slipped it into your locker in between classes one day. It was little, but it meant a lot.

"Max, I was young. And I was in love with him. I saw a future with him, far away from here. If I could just go back in time and tell my seventeen-year-old self about my life now, I don't think she'd believe it. If I'd known that the stupid argument we had would be one of the last conversations we'd have... I'd give anything to just have one more day with him, you know?" You looked at her, and she nodded in agreement. After all these years, you were still so hurt. "But then I think about what I have now, and I know I couldn't just drop everything and leave Grace and Daniel. They're my life now. But I always wonder what I would do if he just came home one day and said, 'I'm back', does that make me an awful person?"

"Not at all. I miss him, too. I always think about it. I'll be working and wonder what would happen if he just walked through the door like nothing ever happened. I sometimes think about what he'd look like. Maybe he'd finally cave and cut his hair." I said, earning a light laugh.

Daniel entered the room, holding Grace. "You alright?" he asked you, earning a nod from her.

"I'm okay," you said, "I just wasn't planning on telling you, at least not like this."

"Why?" Daniel asked, "You know I'm here for you, always." Once again, Max felt like she was intruding on something. Like she had no business being there.

Max started to get up, "I better get going," she said, trying to hide any awkward mannerisms, "I'll call you one of these days. It was so good seeing you."

You got up with her, hugging her tightly. Your scent never went away, after all these years. It was probably her favorite thing about you. She felt safe. Safe enough to whisper to her. "I'm always here. I don't want to lose you too. After all, who’s Candy without Wonder Woman?”

You smiled and gave a content sigh, “I missed you, Max. So much.”

-

taglist: @thescarlettvvitch @charmed-asylum @vulture-withafile

[lyracasstuff]

I am NOT prepared to make myself sad,, you FRENCHIE!! ಥ⌣ಥ

However,, I will accept because as much as it pains me to write angst,, I also have to in order to improve my writing skills..

I'll do this in one shot/fic form as I feel as though I can convey emotions there better. That and I've been doing headcannons as of late,, so let's switch it up a notch..

WARNINGS: DEATH, BLOOD, SPOILERS FOR JOSEPH'S BACKSTORY

Joseph x fem! S/o

To be Sick at Heart💔

"How did this all happen?" thought the Frenchman, although it was more retorical, as he already knew deep down the answer to that question... He just can't accept it..

You had been an acquaintance to Joseph before, seeing as how your family served him, and the both of you only grew closer once you got caught in the twisted "games" of the manor. Joseph asked as to what had tempted you to accept the invitation of the manor.

It turns out, you were looking to find people who you can treat as your own family. In all your life, you practically had been treated like dirt, especially the time when Joseph had gone missing. Your family had given you love and acceptance, but it was short-lived seeing as how their lives were slowly taken from them early on in your life by sickness, you had no one but the other servants to take care of you.

The other servants cared for you, but not to the same extent as your family... You were aware of that fact as did they. So, when the invitation arrived, you couldn't help but accept right away.

It promised that "they" could fulfill your desire of having the bonds and relationships that you never had growing up, why wouldn't you accept? You would be missing out on a golden oppurtunity.

And so, that was how you ended up in this morbid manor, tricked and forced to participate in these "games" that gets everyone hurt much like every other survivor who came here...

Days had gone by. Weeks. Months. Hell, even years, and you were all still being forced to play.

Thankfully, you had everyone to keep you company during these times.. Thanks to your loving nature, you were able to be close with everyone in the manor, even those who are notorious at being secretive like Norton. You even managed to befriend some of the hunters as well.

But most especially of all, you were thankful you had Joseph to be there with you.

You were quite shocked when you saw the silver-haired count, as he had seemingly disappeared out of nowhere the last time. So to see him here made you pleasantly surprised.

Joseph as well felt shocked when he saw you here, albeit he took some time to figure who exactly you were as you looked extremely familiar to him.

It didn't take long for the both of you to grow close to each other where outside of matches, you two were practically inseperable. The both of you would be spotted having afternoon tea together, walking around the manor together, sightseeing for new photoshoot locations together.

You always did things together...

Over time though, you would grow feelings for the count and the same can be said for Joseph as well. However, your fears of being rejected has delayed the both of you from ever confessing about your feelings toward each other. The others in the manor can most definitely see your connection as bright as day, but they really didn't know how to go about helping you about it. After all, all of them never really had great experiences in their lives, so they don't know what would normally be best in a situation like this..

Despite this, you can't help but feel content and happy that you have found people that you can treat as your family. Emily and Michiko were like motherly figures to you with their kind nature. Leo treated you like his own daughter, much like how he treats Emma. Wu Chang, Andrew, Norton, Naib, and Eli were like big brothers for you, always being protective of you to keep you safe.

You really felt at home with all of the inhabitants. It almost felt as if being stuck in a manor wasn't so bad after all...

Almost

There was still one more thing you wanted to do. You had discovered your family, but you wanted to expand on that desire..

You wanted to start your own family

And you would want to do so with someone you love... That someone would be the Frenchman with whom you have grown immense feelings for.. So you sent him an invitation to go to the balcony of the garden at night, where you won't be disturbed by the others...

Unbeknownst to you, the Frenchman had been thinking the same thing, especially after reading the invitation you sent him. Can you blame him though? Seeing you interacting with him, along with all of the others, made him feel butterflies in his stomach. How you unconditionally helped the other inhabitants through their issues and suffering, not because you needed something from them, but because you wanted to. You wanted to help them, you wanted to nurture them, you wanted to support them...

With that feeling alone, Joseph finds that he just couldn't take it anymore... He wants to confess to you..

He wants to be with you, to call you his love, to marry you and call you his wife, and to start a family as well..

With that thought, he made up his mind and decided to accept your invitation, and there, he will confess..

It was night time, you were already at the balcony waiting, knowing that Joseph values punctuality and doesn't like to be kept waiting. Soon after, Joseph shows up. It seems as though he had been brisk walking which is evident by the way he's catching his breath in the slightest.

Taking a deep breath, you slowly and calmly began to confess your feelings towards him and how you wanted to start building a future with him as the father of your children.

Joseph was in awe, for he had never could've guessed that you felt the same way. He accepted, saying how he had always thought about you the same way, and that he would be honored to be the father of your children. Joseph took a few steps towards you, with you unconsciously doing the same. Joseph wrapped his arms around your waist to pull you closer, while you wrapped yours around his neck.

He lifted his hand and tilted your chin upwards to stare at your features, admiring them. The way your skin glistened in the moonlight, how your eyes sparkled with life when he stared at them. How your cheeks were flushed with the slightest hint of color.

You looked angelic to him.

Brushing his thumb over your lower lip, he slowly closed his eyes as he allowed his lips to connect with yours.. You can't help but reciprocate immediately, you'd been waiting for this moment to come. You truly felt happy that you took the risk to confess to him, knowing that he may have rejected you instead.

And that was the start of your blossoming relationship...

For the next few years, the two of you became more and more in love with each other every single day. Countless affirmations of love, bouquets of your favorite flowers, numerous cuddling sessions, along with the discussion of having a domestic life together..

You two really had the potential to have a wonderful life together...

But, there are repercussions in growing fond of the potential...

One time at a match, you had been feeling dizzier and more nauseous by the second, so much so that it frequently disoriented you from kiting the hunter properly. At some point even, you threw up a bit. Your team still won the match since the hunter decided to go friendly in the end because of your condition, however they were still concerned for you so they sent you immediately to Emily.

You were diagnosed to be pregnant..

Your thoughts immediately went to Joseph. A mixture of joy and anxiousness washed over you. Can be a good mother for your child? Can you really do this? Can you really start a family like you had promised? What if you do something wrong? What if you're not cut out for this?

Just as your thoughts began to generate more questions, Joseph runs in and looks over to you with wide eyes. Emily must've told him that you were pregnant with his child. He immediately went towards your bed and hugged you as he sobbed his heart out.

He was so convinced that the bright future you two head towards is certain...

Oh, how a fool he was for believing so....

2 months in and your belly hasn't been growing rapidly.. Normally, you would've had a small baby bump forming on your belly... Joseph and Emily had been constantly reassuring you that you might need to readjust your diet more to fit your baby's needs....

But, that's not the only thing bothering you...

You see, just as you haven't "developed" your baby, your dizziness and nausea didn't go away. For quite sometime, you thought it was normal.....

Until you see tiny specks and droplets of blood on your hand...

That's when you realize....

You're not actually pregnant.. You're sick...

Having this sudden realization, you quickly washed your hand and looked at yourself in the mirror... Maybe this was some sort of mistake? Maybe you're actually pregnant and you just scratched the inside of your cheek?

You were hoping. Praying, that it was anything else other than a sickness... However, as time passed, you felt yourself growing weaker and weaker...

For months, you had kept this sickness of yours a secret. You didn't want to make anyone worry about you and you especially didn't want to disappoint Joseph with the fact that you're not actually carrying a baby or make him devastated with your death just as he became devastated with his twin brother's death...

However, try as you may, the longer you kept it a secret, the more the others noticed. How your skin was getting paler, how your cheeks had started to sink in, how you became alarmingly skinnier and bonier, how your eyes became more dull and lifeless...

Most importantly, at how you became increasingly more secretive and quiet about all this.

Joseph was by far being more and more anxious than before. He didn't know what was happening. He wasn't an expert in medicine, but even he could notice that this isn't normal for a pregnancy..

Quickly carrying you to Emily, he asked for a check-up to see what was happening. You would've stopped him if it weren't for the fact that you were so weak, you couldn't move a muscle without hurting it.. There, he was informed about the condition you're in. He was just as shocked as you are, but there's a mixture of fear and hopelessness bubbling inside him...

No. He couldn't let this happen. Not again...

His breathing starts going rapid, his hands start shaking, he hugs himself as he looks at you at your weakened state with tears threatening to spill from his eyes...

Just as he was about to confront you, Victor had entered and pointed towards the main hall, signaling Joseph and Emily to go there.

Apparently, there's a meeting that's going to be held.

Joseph and Emily looked at each other before turning to look at you. Then, they quickly left the room, with you all alone inside with nothing but your thoughts and the life within you.. Or, what's left of it...

The meeting started once Joseph and Emily arrived as they were the only ones left to attend. Emily had to quickly explain your condition when some of the others questioned your whereabouts.. All were quite shocked and concerned about your sickness, however the meeting was said to be an important one so they had to stay. They'll just have to relay the information given to you by the time it's done..

After the meeting, everyone was so shocked and confused that for several moments, no one said a word.. Who wouldn't though? Because after all this time...

They were all finally free

Free from the clutches of the manor, free from the twisted "games", free from the prison that presented itself as a grand oppurtunity for everyone to get what they want.

They were free at last... Now, they can all live their lives as they want it to be...

Suddenly realizing this, Joseph quickly made his way back to your room. There was still hope he thought, he had hoped for you to get better and finally leave this prison together, along with the others.

But what he saw when he opened the door made him feel like his heart had been crushed into a million pieces...

There in your room, was you lying in your bed, breath shallow and rapid, crimson blood dripping from the side of your mouth and staining the sheets, your eyes looking duller and duller as ever...

You were grasping..

Grasping for whatever life you had left within you, it made Joseph run to your side quickly as he cradled your head in his arms, proclaiming you'll be fine and that you're all free now and that you just need to hold on for a little while longer..

But you both know that you won't make it..

You both know that Joseph is more so convincing himself, than convincing you..

The others had rushed in to see you, and they too were crushed for they also wished for you to escape with all of them...

You held Joseph's hand, and told him not to worry anymore.. Looking towards the others, you proclaimed that you had finally found the people that you can call your family, and that even if Joseph can't see you, you'll always be there for him no matter what.. And that you wish for him to be happy and enjoy his newfound freedom, without the confinements of the manor...

Joseph begged you to stay, to hang on, to stay strong, all while sobbing uncontrollably but to no avail...

You withdrew your final breath as your hand became limp, your eyes closed, and your body going cold...

...

...

...

You had died

For the second time in his life, he once again witnessed the death of someone he deeply cared about..

First Claude......... And now, you....

Joseph lost it as he let all his tears and sadness out.. Everyone, soon followed suit. They can't help but be crushed at the thought of their friend never making it on time for the escape....

The now former inhabitants of the manor prepared one last funeral in honor of your death, with Aesop embalming you, Andrew preparing the hole from which will forever be your resting place, Emma preparing the funeral flowers, while the others prepared the venue... The Red Church.. Everyone gathered and mourned for your death. By the end of it all, everyone left the cemetery and the manor together, with Joseph gripping a bar of the gate, longing to see you again once more and hoping that you were still alive somehow...

Alas, it never came. And so, he reluctantly left the manor and had trenched forward to live his life "to the fullest"...

But how can he ever live his life as he pleases when you're not around? How can he simply enjoy the pleasures of life when you aren't there to accompany him? How can he move on when he doesn't want to forget you?

These thoughts plague him constantly, as he stirs his tea mindlessly, looking into the distance, as his new "family" were chatting happily, not knowing what goes on inside his head..

He has a family now alright, but it wasn't perfect.. It wasn't with you.

That thought is enough to make him sick at heart, for he will never experience the joy he had longed for when you were still around...

Sick at Heart : to experience deep unpleasant emotions such as grief or disappointment

💔🎞💔🎞💔🎞💔🎞💔🎞💔🎞💔🎞💔🎞

Author's Note: I hope you are all satisfied with this angst, Frenchie... Because you really made my day a bit sadder than usual..

Can someone pls request something fluffy the next time I open my requests?? I need some comforting chocolate cake after that bitter black coffee moment..(╥_╥)

Well,, until next time then! See you all in my next post!! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)💚

[hmslusitania]

I see we're going ape over buddie and Choices tonight so

Yknow in 2.07, when Shannon comes back and her and Eddie have their first scene together? The argument at the end, after Eddie says it wouldn't be a good idea for her to see Christopher bc she left them, she says she needed him, she needed a husband and a co-parent - and "I needed someone to have my back!"

To which EDDIE says, "I always had your back"

*insert Incredibles "coincidence? I think NOT" gif here*

(Also side note, I do like that the show doesn't try to sugarcoat what Shannon did being messed up, and that Eddie's own actions weren't really the right thing either[thinking about his conversation with Buck where he says he got to pretend he left for a noble cause even tho he was running], and that it was just a sticky situation that neither of them were equipped to handle in any way, and snowballed. I do kind of wish we could've gotten post-divorce Shannon and Eddie and Christopher interactions, figuring out how they fit together, if at all, bc I like those intricate and messy situations but I could see how that might get too close to retreading old ground re: Michael and Athena's divorce. But I do hate how ive seen the fandom like. Seem to oversimplify things with Shannon sometimes? And make her the ultimate villain, and Eddie Did Nothing Wrong, Ever)

Hi Anon!

The decision to have Buck and Eddie's first bonding moment end with "You can have my back any day" and "or, y'know, you could have mine" only to then six episodes later find out that at least a contributing factor to Eddie's marriage dissolving was that he "didn't have her back" is like. Such a galaxy brain chaos move for them to take, honestly. Like?? They could've had the phrasing be literally anything in 2x07 but instead they had it directly echo Buck and Eddie in 2x01. What was the reason? Why did they do this?

As for the rest of your ask:

(gosh this got long and, uh, opinionated. It is Not Pretty below the cut)

One of the things I really liked about Eddie Begins is that we did get to see him at the beginning of his journey in being Chris's dad because it gives us an opportunity to appreciate how amazingly he's grown as a father. Like, he didn't start out as a perfect dad and he was definitely kind of lost in the woods at the beginning there when it came to the whole "how do I parent" thing. And before Eddie Begins, we'd only ever seen the end result of the growth he's gone through, where he really is a fantastic dad whose son is basically his entire reason for being. Before Eddie Begins, we get to hear him say things like "I left first" and "I've failed that kid more times than I can count but I love him enough to never stop trying" but we kinda have to take that on faith? Because we hadn't actually seen him be anything besides a good dad until we saw his Begins episode. (And even then in his begins it's like "area man in his early 20s unsure how to care for small child while also coping with PTSD and a toxic support system" which like. yeah. no shit. there's one hell of a learning curve there)

The thing about Eddie and Shannon as a couple and as parents that always gets to me is that they were so fucking young. We don't know exactly how old Eddie is in the show, but we can guesstimate pretty safely that he's around the same age as Ryan which would make him between 23 and 24 when Chris was born, and it seems reasonable to believe Shannon was around the same age. It's also a pretty common reading in the fandom -- although I'm not sure how much canon support there is for it because we really, really don't know anything about their relationship pre-Christopher unless I'm forgetting something -- that they got married because Shannon got pregnant and that was the Done Thing. And when you're 23-24, baby on the way, freshly married, that is just like. So much. It sure as hell ruined my parents' relationship when they did that exact thing, and then they disliked each other until they were 27 and then they got divorced, and no one was happier than me about it, I have to tell you.

Back to the show, I can only give you my impressions, obviously, but the impression I have always gotten from the whole "I left too" conversation and the context that goes into it and the different behaviours we see exhibited by the characters is that Eddie "left" first and it comes across to me that he was basically an early twenty-something kid running scared from the abstract concept of being a father in general, and then when he was forced home by an honourable discharge, and was confronted with the reality of Christopher, he managed to step the fuck up and become Christopher's dad. It's there in 2x02, right? "Oh, you've got a kid? I love kids!" "I love this one." Eddie doesn't strike me as a Swiss Army Knife all-purpose Dad(tm) the way Bobby is. Eddie is Christopher's dad. (and like, of course, he's obviously moved by kids when he's on a call, we've seen that enough times to know that if there's a child who can even glancingly remind him of Christopher, Eddie's sense of self-preservation goes out the window, and I love that about him as heart-stopping as it can be in practice)

Shannon, on the other hand, didn't run from the idea of being a mother -- at first. When she left, it wasn't from the abstract. She left Chris (and "gave up" on Eddie, thanks Helena). She was not running from a concept, she was running from a reality. I think Shannon is a fascinating character to include in a television show as a side character, because she really isn't a one note character. Like, she was unarguably a bad mother, and from what we saw, she was a questionable romantic partner to have (but as you said, anon, Eddie was also not 100% the best romantic partner when he was with Shannon either; their entire relationship so far as I can tell was built on sexual chemistry which, uh, super does not sustain a relationship), but she also seems to have been a devoted daughter? I mean, yeah, it's entirely possible that her mom being sick was a convenient excuse to bail -- and obviously she didn't come back after her mom died, and didn't, y'know, contact her son or husband in the interim, so yes, I can see that being a valid way to read the situation. I don't think she's the Ultimate Evil, because she strikes me as a very human character in all the ways that people are more often than not really fucking flawed.

But then we get back to the actual break-up scene. The first time I watched it (and second, and third; then the fourth time the person I was watching with was like "I mean, sure, but it could also be read in this light") her "I'm just learning how to be someone's mother" speech really bothered me? Partly because it was the abstraction of it, right? Eddie doesn't like kids, he likes Christopher, and Shannon sort of had the inverse journey there, I guess, where it went from she didn't know how to be Christopher's mother, to she didn't know how to be a mother. And that speech bothered me because it always sounded to me like she was bailing again. She begged Eddie to let her back into Christopher's life (guilt? I guess?) and like, straight up bribed him with sex which was sure a choice, and then decides -- for a second time -- that she's out. It sounded, to me, she was handing Eddie papers and maybe, in a few years, possibly, once she'd had "time" to "figure out how to be someone's mother" she would try again. Just like she had in the interim between leaving when Christopher was little and the time of season 2.

And like, that could totally be a misunderstanding of the scene and what she was saying. It's what I took away from it, but that could very well be influenced by the fact I was raised by divorced parents and my dad had custody and if you count up all the time I spent with either parent when I was a minor, I was predominantly raised by my father and have had an especially tempestuous relationship with my mother that is mostly (sometimes) repaired now that I'm in my late twenties and have not lived with her since I was sixteen.

Back to the show, and to your comment that the fandom tends to treat Shannon like the Ultimate Evil and act like Eddie Did Nothing Wrong, I mean. Yeah. Fandom as a rule tends to shirk nuance. We're all fools here on the internet sitting in our blue industrial waste container crying about a wee woo show. I personally believe a more nuanced take on that might be that Eddie has shown a great capacity to learn from his mistakes (sometimes to make fun, shiny, new ones, but for the most part, just like ends up doing better the next time) and Shannon did not show that capacity in the time we knew her.

I think, depending on what they did with it, there was potential for an interesting storyline if they'd played through the divorce. I don't think it would've been rehashing ground covered by Michael and Athena's divorce because I can't see Eddie and Shannon having reached a point of amicability and friendship. The only thing we know they had in common was Christopher, and frankly, when you boil it down, the ways they engaged with Christopher as a person were so disparate that -- to me -- it really didn't seem like they had Christopher in common when you get right down to it. But I wouldn't have wanted to see Christopher and Eddie dragged through an ugly divorce process. They deserve better than that.

There's also a conversation to be had about Shannon's blatant ableism towards her own son, but that is extremely not my lane since I am not disabled myself. But even from an outside perspective, basically their entire parking lot conversation in Haunted, uh, haunts me with it's repugnance and the fact that instead of calling her on any of it, Eddie "Chronically touch starved" Diaz's response was to kiss her? Gosh golly do I wish that was one of the mistakes he learned from properly instead of finding a new, shiny version.

ANYWAY this got long, tl;dr (although if you clicked on the read more, you probably read it) version is No, Shannon is not the Ultimate Evil, she's a shitty mom not a demon in a skin suit and a pretty yellow sundress; and No, Eddie is not a flawless human who's never done wrong in his life but holy fuck is he trying and he'd be the first person to tell you he's made mistakes (and often has been); and no, sorry, I don't want to see the divorce storyline play out because we probably would've had to see either Eddie Bashing, Shannon Redemption, or Shannon turning up again like a cardboard cut out of a cartoon villain the way Eva did and I want to be witness to exactly zero of those things.

[mellometal]

Hiyo!

For everyone new here, welcome! Glad to have you here. Hope you enjoy your stay!

For everyone who's been here for a while, Y'ALL ALREADY KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN.

Yep, this is part two of why I hate Glee so much.

Let's get it. (If there's anything I forgot to mention, go ahead and add them on in the comments or reblogs.)

Obligatory TW: This contains subject matter that may be triggering for some audiences. The following post contains homophobia, biphobia, ableism, underage drinking, faking a pregnancy to manipulate a partner into staying with them, teachers being creepy towards students, mentioned past child m0l3stati0n and invalidation of the victim's trauma, statutory r@pe (between teachers and students), pr3datory behavior....you get the picture.

If anything mentioned above is triggering for you in any way, again, feel free to scroll past this and consume media that's safe for you.

Gentle reminder: This is all my opinion. This is my take on specific moments in the show, plus evidence to back everything up. Not asking for anyone to agree with me or anything.

***If you like the show, good for you. I couldn't care less. As long as you're not out hurting people, I don't care. Live your life.***

Sit back, relax, grab some snacks and drinks, and let's get to this thing.

How about I talk about Artie for a few minutes? He's a character I have a ton of issues with. Not because he as a character is disabled. That has nothing to do with why I have issues with Artie. The issues there have to do with his actor, who I'll get to in a minute. It's because everything Artie says that's considered problematic is excused and/or ignored simply because of his disability. They only focus on the fact that Artie requires a wheelchair to get around and nothing else. Honestly, it feels like they pity him and praise him just for being in a wheelchair. While he has had some rough times in the show, it doesn't change that he's no better than anyone and he's just as bad.

There are physically disabled actors who play roles of physically disabled characters and they never make it about how they require a wheelchair, a walker, or any other equipment to get around. An example of a physically disabled actor off the top of my head would be Michael Patrick Thornton. He plays Dr. Gabriel Fife on a show called Private Practice, which nobody mentions the chair and his character is a lot more than his disability.

Kevin McHale, Artie's actor, is an able-bodied actor who was cast as a physically disabled character who requires a wheelchair to get around. The way that Glee portrayed disabled characters in general was inaccurate, extremely unrealistic (i.e., Artie joining the football team and then being told that his wheelchair would be a safety risk....like, don't you have sports made for disabled people at that school? Because disabled sports teams do exist.), the storylines with Artie made no sense (i.e., his whole backstory, how he was the lead dancer in one episode and was never mentioned again), and it was offensive. There is a term for this that I didn't even know, and it's called "cr1pface". Basically, that's when able-bodied actors are cast as physically disabled characters. This is a reoccurring theme in live-action media and it's gross.

Glee could cast a Down's Syndrome girl JUST FINE. That's great. Love that. YET THEY COULDN'T BOTHER TO CAST A PHYSICALLY DISABLED ACTOR FOR THE ROLE OF A PHYSICALLY DISABLED CHARACTER. SPECIFICALLY A YOUNG PHYSICALLY DISABLED ACTOR. Because I very rarely see them in live-action media, if at all.

There are more physically disabled characters in cartoons than in live-action media. At least younger physically disabled characters. My point about how younger physically disabled characters need more representation in live-action media still stands. Just in GENERAL, y'all.

Artie isn't all innocent. Here are some screenshots of him sex-shaming Mary Sue and Blaine (a.k.a., Diet Br3nd0n Ur!3) for them not being close in their rendition of West Side Story:

Hey, ummm....news flash, this isn't what directors would actually require their actors to do, let alone request them to do. Unless a director is putting together an on-stage production that has anything to do with sex, they wouldn't do this. (I'm mainly talking about stage productions here, not movie productions. Movie productions are a little different in that aspect.) Also....why would a director who's supposed to be Mary Sue's and Diet Br3nd0n Ur!3's friend ASK FOR THIS? YOUR PLAY WILL NOT SUFFER IF THERE'S NO SEX WHATSOEVER. YOUR PLAY WILL BE FINE.

(I mean it this time. This is your last chance to scroll past this post, click off, whatever you gotta do. This next scene contains mentioned child m0l3stati0n and invalidation of the victim's trauma.)

I want to bring your attention to this scene:

This is the nail in the coffin for me to lose any respect I had for Artie left...which I didn't have much of, to begin with.

Ryder confides in the Glee Club about he was m0l3st3d by an older woman as a child. The older woman was HIS BABYSITTER. A person who was being paid to watch over him by his parents. An eleven year old child...just children in general CANNOT CONSENT to s3x.

(By the way, pedos, this is your daily, unfriendly reminder that your attraction to children is disgusting. Pedo apologists, the fact that you justify pedos being attracted to children is also disgusting. Get professional help. NOTHING can justify grown adults being romantically and/or sexually attracted to children. Stay the fuck away from kids. Pedos and pedo apologists will NEVER be welcome here.)

He didn't ask to be m0l3st3d as an eleven year old boy by a babysitter. When it's an eleven year old girl who gets m0l3st3d by her babysitter who just so happens to be an older man, people are more sympathetic towards the girl and condemn the man. Rightfully so. On the contrary, if it's an eleven year old boy who gets m0l3st3d by his babysitter who happens to be an older woman (like Ryder), people congratulate the boy, tell him he's "lucky", and they don't take what he went through seriously. Why? Because men are expected to ALWAYS want to have s3x, women are pretty much always assumed to be asexual and s3x-repulsed....you get my point. Men don't always want to have s3x. Women actually have s3x drives! SHOCKER.

Artie's response to Ryder telling him that he was literally m0l3st3d AS A FUCKING CHILD makes me SO angry, and I'm about to tell you WHY. They play it off as Artie being naïve and not knowing any better...ALL BECAUSE HE'S PHYSICALLY DISABLED. THEY TREAT IT AS IF HE'S MENTALLY DISABLED TOO, WHICH I CAN'T RECALL IF THEY HAVE EVER DISCUSSED THIS ANYWHERE IN THE SHOW. Seriously? Can you stop pitying and infantilizing disabled people who use wheelchairs to get around all because they use a fucking wheelchair? Naïveté is one thing (this is ONLY IF Artie GENUINELY DIDN'T KNOW anything about m0l3stati0n), but you know, they could've used this moment to teach him about m0l3stati0n and how it fucking affects people. Someone could have CALLED ARTIE OUT because he said something extremely fucked up DIRECTLY TO A VICTIM OF CHILD M0L3STATI0N! But nooooo! Apparently boys can't be victims of m0l3stati0n, according to the dumbasses plaguing the fucking planet, so I guess fuck the THOUSANDS of Boy Scouts who were m0l3st3d by their scout masters since 1944, right? /s

ENOUGH SAID. Let's move on.

The second character in this part I really wanted to get to is Mr. William Schuester, or Mr. Schue for short. Good GOD, this teacher...if I can even call him one at this point, is a terrible person and creepy as all hell. I will call Mr. Schue "Mr. Pr3dat0r" because he's a disgusting waste of splooge who should be in jail.

We can talk about how Mr. Pr3dat0r doesn't have any friends his own age (except for his fiancée, who faked a pregnancy to get him to stay with her), he was literally in the boys' locker room spying on Gary Stu (Finn) WHILE HE WAS IN THE FUCKING SHOWER because he was singing, blackmailed Gary Stu into joining the Glee Club™️ by planting drugs, he has put on racist costumes on quite a few occasions in the show, encouraged his students to twerk to the song "Blurred Lines", and got off on two of his students shaking their asses to the song "River Deep, Mountain High". He's fucking gross. I'll put down the screenshots as evidence so you can see what I'm talking about.

Mr. Pr3dat0r shouldn't be a teacher. I don't think I need to elaborate more. These pictures say enough.

[silverinia]

I came for Baranski, I stayed for Baranski - a quick Christmas On The Square review someone* actually asked for

(* thank you, anon)

Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional of any sorts when it comes to film and I'm not a journalist either. The last movie review I've written was probably for a school assignment in eighth grade. I didn't do research for this and I've watched the movie exactly one time, so this is just for fun.

It was a Sunday, Sunday the 22nd of November, nearing the end of the train wreck of a year that is 2020. I woke up on an air mattress around seven am, my head aching, my throat itching with pyrosis and light nausea, it was still dark outside behind the closed blinds in front of the windows, when I slowly realised where I was, one of my best girlfriends sleeping next to me in her bed. I had crashed at her place after a warm, fuzzy evening of mulled wine, tacky Christmas movies I would never watch alone (Christmas Chronicles and Holiday Calendar, which I quite honestly didn't enjoy at all, but the company made it fun anyway), doing our nails, wearing the fun kind of face masks for a change and smoking too many cigarettes, as the soft pain in my head informed me right now. She woke up an hour later and the morning went by with coffee and reheated pizza for breakfast, when we decided to watch another movie and I realised that it was THE Sunday I'd been waiting for through Zoom interviews and Dolly Parton twitter memes and the infamous wig gate that will be briefly discussed in the following, and so we clicked on the small icon in the Netflix menu that said "Christmas On The Square".

And oh boy, was it a ride.

To start off, I should mention that I have a hard time watching most modern day American Christmas movies, as I noticed quite vividly again when I watched the two aforementioned Netflix productions last night. The character development is always foreseeable to say the least, the plot lines are plain clichés hunting each other like they're the kids in The Hunger Games, and the writing is generally so bad that you can join the actors in reciting the entire scripts on your first watch. I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas once a year while I'm gift wrapping and pause every fifteen minutes to shamelessly stare at forties Christine Baranski (I think we should all turn away from the birth of Jesus and instead count our years based on Christine Baranski's date of birth) in flamboyant nightgowns and short Christmas themed dresses, looking so fabulous that every interpreter of Santa Baby ever could only dream of it, I watch Love Actually at least five times a year to lust over Hugh Grant, cry with Emma Thompson and miss Alan Rickman, I enjoy Bridget Jones, which I would definitely consider a Christmas movie, and that's it. That's my yearly Christmas time entertainment routine and I can barely tolerate anything beyond, because I'm still traumatised from the time when I was around five years old and on a holiday family visit where had to sit through National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the dumbest movie I have ever seen (my apologies if you like it but also, who hurt you?), with my cousins. I hated it. I hated every minute of it. And it scarred me for life.

But this was a Christine Baranski movie, I knew she was going to play the lead and so I was pretty much as excited about this as I could. And the fact that Dolly Parton wrote the whole thing didn't hurt either. As I said earlier to my friend I was watching it with, I have the pop cultural taste of a fifty year old gay man, a quality I am most proud of, and this simply ticked off all my boxes.

I expected something similar to a Mamma Mia experience that wouldn't cause me to crave packing my bags, give Covid the finger and run off to Greece. Light-hearted entertainment, easy to stomach, uplifting music and so little plot that the simplicity feels like a creative choice. That's what my pained, hungover brain knew it could cope with and that's not what I got.

The movie started and I was immediately in the zone. I saw Christine Baranski's name in the front credits (an experience that never fails to make me scream "Yass Queen" at the screen, regardless of where I am and who I'm with, as if I'm the sobering result that pops out of the package when you order Jonathan Van Ness on Wish), the setting was wonderfully corny (I grew up watching Gilmore Girls once a week, so give me warm fairy lights and a gazebo and I'm perfectly happy) and as my friend wondered whether Dolly Parton, in her exaggerated homeless attire that didn't make her look shabby at all, was green-screened into the setting because she stood out so much (which she was because the background dancers were dancing in slow motion, but to be fair, we were probably still a little too drunk to notice that from the start) and I told her I thought that it was just the natural glow someone who's Dolly Parton simply carries with them everywhere they go, I was happy. This was the movie I was prepared for. A movie in which the most problematic thing would be stereotypical characters and the wig they hid Christine's real, flawlessly handmade by God herself hair under.

And then, around five minutes in, Christine Baranski's childhood love interest was revealed as she pressed her perfect pointy nose against the window of his shop and sang about her unrequited love.

And suddenly, things started taking turns at a pace I was still way too sleep-deprived for.

Suddenly, in the middle of my general amazement at seeing Christine Baranski do literally anything and laughing loud at her impeccable comedic delivery, there were unresolved daddy issues, hanging prominently at the wall in her marvellously designed house (she literally says "Daddy" at one point and I couldn't help but think that only someone with her vocal skills could keep from making it sound cringe-worthily kinky). One moment, I was clutching my chest above my heart while she was bonding with little bartender Violet and munching on pretzels while downing some whiskey in that elegant way only Christine Baranski can bond with ten year olds who had it rough, eat pretzels and down whiskey, and the next she felt responsible for said girl's mother's death (which she kinda was too, but I'm not the boss of her). I was still busy making fun of how the very annoyingly, but when you're snacking on pizza with extra cheese at nine in the morning also highly funny, slow talking pastor's name was Christian, and suddenly there was a cancer scare.

It was a lot, a hasty sprint from major issue to major issue with a hint of comedic relief every now and then, and it didn't get any less until the very, rather poorly resolved, end.

The entire, constant up and down was followed by the movie's peak of suspense, the near death of precious Violet, something I couldn't even get too invested in because I was still so busy worrying about Christine's MRT results (I was truly fucking worried), not to mention that I hadn't even started to really process the sudden revelation of the love child and how it had affected her character's actions until this point. Was her constant tendency of pushing people away, as we've seen most clearly with her angel in training assistant who's name I cannot recall right now, the result of her broken trust in her father who practically ripped her son away from her after she had just given birth to him? Was it a result of her never getting the closure she needed with plaid flannel wearing Carl she was clearly still in love with? Maybe both? And what of the many issues was it that made her so incredibly shaken up when Violet blamed herself for her mother's death? Was it 'just' due to the fact that the closed pharmacy was on her, or was there more to it? Was it because she had grown up without a mother herself? Or did I miss a major piece of information because I was momentarily distracted, dumbfoundedly staring at Christine's very blue eyes? No time to ponder on that, little Silverinia, because here comes unconscious Violet in an ambulance, WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO!

I'm not going to go in depth about what plot lines I thought were especially carelessly handled and why, real standouts were the sudden forgiveness towards her father who had still acted like a shitty asshole even though he might have had his reasons, because giving the baby up for adoption just wasn't his choice to make, and the fact that I kind of didn't buy how quickly Regina managed to forgive herself, especially for Violet's mother's passing, considering how deeply her tall, slim, dare I say angelic and entrancing figure was buried beneath the weight of all her issues. It felt rushed and incomplete, but that's as detailed as it gets because my major point is something else.

I think this movie made the great mistake of trying to be more than your average, flat, happy ending Christmas movie. I think no one involved thought it was possible to make it a big hit if the only real plot would've been great Dolly Parton music, fun ensemble dance choreographies, Christine Baranski's outstanding acting skills, fun settings and costumes and a redemption arch with as little plot as it could possibly take to make Christine likable to those who aren't already lost forever in the rabbit hole of being obsessed with her (poor fuckers, can't relate). They didn't notice that with the legends that were involved, they could've easily gone the Mamma Mia way. And I think that's why they tried to include heavier plot lines than most creators would've chosen, experiencing loss at an early age, struggling to find closure, dealing with sickness, teenage pregnancy, parents forcing their choices on their children when they affect their childrens' lives first, adoption, and the fear of losing your kid.

It was a lot and I don't want to say that it didn't work because my friend was crying, like, pretty hard and I questioned my entire existence all through the movie in not the worst way, and I did enjoy it a lot while watching. The "grief is love with nowhere to go" line was a real standout, for example, where the attempt of complexity DID work. It positively gave me fleabag season two, "I don't know what to do with it now, with all the love I have for her." - "I'll take it. It sounds lovely. You have to give it to me." feels, and that's about the biggest praise I can come up with. BUT (and this is written in capital letters because it's the big but) I'm also totally convinced that I wouldn't have enjoyed it if they hadn't cast Christine Baranski for the lead role. In my humble opinion, the hasty, not really at all resolved plot of this movie only worked because Christine Baranski is just a fantastic actress. She quirks a mocking eyebrow and you laugh. She parts her perfectly painted red lips and you immediately hang on them because you don't want to miss a single breath she, a literal goddess, graces us mere peasants of people with. She smiles and you're happy. She laughs and even while she's still laughing, you can't wait to hear her do it again. Her eyes fill with tears and you feel goosebumps on your arms, her voice slightly trembles, a breath hitches in her throat and you feel your heart shattering to pieces. As Chuck Lorre once said, this woman could read you the phone book and you would end up laughing tears because she just gets the job done. She knows what she's doing, she's an absolute pro in her game, and it doesn't matter, not even a little bit, what she's working with, because the work she eventually delivers with it is always at a minimum of 200%. I forced my friend to watch this movie with me because I adore this woman, and I felt for this movie because I felt for her. It wasn't the plot that sadly brutally overestimated itself, it wasn't the songs that I obviously enjoyed, nor the comedic elements that truly made me laugh a lot, it was all her. I came for Baranski, and I stayed for Baranski. This woman can do anything. She can even look graceful in a terrible wig job.

(side note / unpopular opinion: I actually didn't think the wig was all too bad. It wasn't good, actually far from good, but for me, nothing can match the awful wig game of Mamma Mia 2. I loathed that wig, I absolutely cannot stand it. So this didn't feel all that terrible. It definitely wasn't the most problematic part about the movie.)

I enjoyed watching this. It was a nice distraction from all the bullshit in the world. Watching it today was the first thing this year that actually brought me something close to excitement about the holiday season, even though everything will be very different and probably not quite as jolly this year. But it just gave me good vibes and as someone who did not watch this as a film reviewer, that's the biggest part of what leads me to enjoy a movie.

Will I watch this again? For sure. Will I enjoy it when I'm not hungover, having freshly done nails and munching delicious pizza for breakfast? Probably not as much, but it'll still have Christine Baranski in it. Would I recommend watching this? If you share my obsession with Queen B, one hundo. If you don't, probably not.

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Sixteen: Fresh Air

Chapter Fifteen

Word Count 1.9k

Warnings: lots of fluff, slight angst but ends with more fluff

Today is like every other day in Kattegat. But this particular day is the first snowfall of the year. It is crazy to realize that you have been living this new life since spring. You have changed so much since you left Wessex. Your dragon's have grown and you have grown as a better person. You can be yourself, you can genuinely smile and not have to fear your father's bipolar behavior. You are now with child, Hvitserk's child, and you are on cloud nine. To be able to say that you will be a mother in nine month's time is still surreal to you. But in your heart, it feels so real and right. 

You walk to your dragon's feasting on their meals, and witness these amazing creatures. You fiddle with the wedding ring on your left hand and feel another besides it. You look down and see the dragon ring that your father gave you on your twentieth birthday. Your heart wrenches in your chest. When he gave this to you, he was acting like your father: kind and generous..full of love. Then you remember the day he banished you from your own home. Threatening to kill you for marrying a cripple. You look up at Neith, whose eyes are glossy from seeing your face fall with such sorrow. 

"I'm okay, dear one. Continue your meal." She looks back at you before eating, "I know, I love you so much." You take off your dragon ring and walk towards the closest source of running water. In your case, it is a little lake. You take one last look at it, and throw it into the lake. When you see it sink all of the way down towards the bottom, you feel a sense of yet another weight lifted off of your shoulders. That was the only thing left of your father's, besides your dragon's. But they are one of the greatest wonders of your life, besides the child in your belly. You audibly breathe loud and hard and you feel a pair of familiar hand wrap around your torso. 

Ivar "Hello, my sweet."

"Mmm-hi."

Ivar "You alright?"

"Oh yes. I am very happy." You turn around to face your husband.

Ivar "That is good to hear. Now that you are with child, I want you to be happy..always."

"I will, Ivar. Do not worry about me so much, yes?"

Ivar "Yes. I cannot help it. I am sorry. I just care about you so much. I want nothing but the best for you and our child."

"Ivar-"

Ivar "I know, I know..it is not mine. But I will treat him or her as such. I will love him or her as my own, you know that."

"I do. I am very lucky, and so is she." 

Ivar chuckles, "You are so certain that it is a daughter?"

"I am. All of my visions are of a daughter."

Ivar kisses your cheek, "That is wonderful. I am happy for my brother, Hvitserk. He always wanted to be a father, as myself. Our brother Ubbe, got blessed with many children. Some are not his own, but he claims them as his own. He is a wonderful father."

"I have witnessed that. Ubbe is very kind."

Ivar "Yes. But back to the topic at hand, I am happy for you and Hvitserk. I know that the circumstances are not as I would have hoped. Because I am a cripple, I cannot truly be a father. But you have given me that chance of loving a child, even if it is not my own. I am truly happy."

Your heart is so warm, so content. "Thank you, my beloved. I love you more than words could ever describe. I hope you never forget that."

Ivar "How could I?! I am the luckiest man to be married to such an incredible woman! A mother of dragon's, a mother of this miracle child! To be able to call you my wife, is my blessing."

"Oh Ivar. I am the lucky one. You have saved me from my past life. You have taken me away from there, and have given me this extraordinary life here in Kattegat. Where I can be happy, where my dragon's can be happy. For you, I am lucky and truly blessed by the gods."

His face lights up with pure joy and gratitude, "I love you, princess."

"And I love you, my king."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you and Ivar return to the house, you see Hvitserk and Ubbe laughing away, enjoying a horn of ale. 

Ivar "Look at them, already drunk and it is not even mid-day."

You giggle and lean into his side, "Oh let that have their fun." Ivar chuckles and agrees. You walk over and sit next to your close and dear friend, Torvi. 

Torvi "There you are, where have you been?"

"Outside with my dragon's. I wanted to spend some time with them."

Torvi "I still cannot wrap my whole head around the fact that you have three dragon's. Especially given the fact that I did not know that they were real creatures until a few months ago."

You two laugh together, "Yes. It is hard to comprehend but they are real and my babies. I can still remember the day that they hatched. Now look at them, almost fully grown."

Torvi "Are you worried about your child being around them?"

"Oh not at all! They are trained very well: to be kind and gentle until given orders not to."

Torvi "That is wonderful. How is Ivar taking the news?"

"He is excited to be a father."

Torvi "That is good. I hope that he will treat it well."

"What do you mean?"

Torvi "Well before you, he was not the same man. Not the same king that you know. He would kill senselessly, he would torture and harm for the slightest reasons. So I hope that he will not return to that same behavior." Your heart kind of started to race. You have heard great stories of Ivar the Boneless, but never thought that many of them were truthful. But I guess they all were. 

"Oh I see. Well, I don't see him changing anytime soon. Especially not towards my child. He promises to be a good father."

Torvi "Yes. I hope that for you. You are a wonderful woman, and I am so lucky to call you my friend."

"Me too, Torvi. Thank you for the kind words."

Torvi "Of course."

…

Ivar joins his brother's at the table and starts to drink. He is a fun drunk, most days. Some days, he is a loud drunk and likes to make a ruckus. But you do not mind it. He is king after all, and needs some days to unwind. You watch him bond with his brother's and it is a nice thing to witness. It is crazy to you that you are living such a life. But you are feeling very lucky, especially on this day. 

Since you cannot drink, you cannot drink, you ask torvi if she wants to take the horses and go riding for a bit. To which she agrees. You walk over to the boys and tell them that you will be back by nightfall.

Hvitserk "Why are you leaving?"

"I want some fresh air. I cannot drink, Hvitserk."

Hvitserk "I know, but I do not want you to go."

"I will be back before you know it. I will be with Torvi and some guards. The dragon's will fly above us."

Hvitserk sighs, "Okay, be safe please."

"I will."

Ivar gets up and talks to Torvi, "Keep her safe, please."

Torvi "We will be safe, Ivar. We are strong women. We can take care of ourselves."

Ivar's jaw clenches, "Of course. You girl's have fun. My love, be back before nightfall, hmm?"

"Yes. Goodbye." 

Hvitserk watches you walk out of the doors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You mount your black horse and begin to ride, alongside Torvi. Guards follow on all sides of you and Torvi: front, behind, left and right. 

"HOVER!" You scream out to your dragon's, and they fly high above you and your group. They do not fly too far ahead, strictly above as you commanded. You watch your beautiful creatures flying high and strong, with a proud smile on your face. 

Torvi "They are magnificent!" She shouted to you.

"Aren't they?"

Torvi "I am blown away. You are an incredible woman, Y/n."

"As are you, Torvi!"

You ride around Kattegat, aware of your surroundings. The trees barely have any leaves on them anymore. The sky is gray as the clouds form for another snow fall. The guard's holt for a moment, then continue. 

The leading man, "It is starting to get dark, my queen. Let's head back."

"Okay." You command your dragon's to turn around and stay above. You can tell that the guard's are rushing a bit, for what reason, you are uncertain.

Torvi "What is it?!"

Guard's "We see horse tracks that are not our own. It is time to head back." You and Torvi look at each other and realize that they were not kidding and clicked your tongues for your horses to start galloping. 

….

When you get back, your dragon's fall asleep and you and Torvi head inside. Hvitserk and Ivar have worried looks on their faces, as well as Ubbe. 

Torvi "What is the matter?"

Ubbe "We just got a little worried about you guys. How was the ride?"

"It was nice. We saw tracks that were not ours, so we headed back a little bit before nightfall."

Hvitserk walks up, "I told you that I did not want you to go. What if you got ambushed?"

"Hey, nothing happened. We are okay."

Ivar "Alright well, let's get you warm and some food in you, yes?"

"Okay."

Hvitserk's jaw clenches and his face scowls. He hates that no one knows that you are carrying his child, not Ivar's. He hates that he has to keep his love that he has for you, to himself. But he knows that it is for the greater good. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After you are done eating and telling Ivar about the ride, Ivar heads to bed early. His head was pounding from too much ale. You, however, are not so tired so you decide to sit with your dragon's by the village's fire. 

Hvitserk joins you after a short while.

Hvitserk "I was beyond worried, y'know."

"Why, tell me?"

Hvitserk "I had a vision of you and Torvi getting ambushed by men with cloaks covering their faces. I couldn't tell who they were or where they came from, all I could see was them taking out the guards, and you and Torvi-"

"That didn't happen, okay?"

Hvitserk "I know, but it almost did, Y/n. And what if it did, hmm? I could've lost you and our child."

"I am sorry. I just wanted some fresh air."

Hvitserk "I am not mad at you, just got scared that is all. I am glad that you are here and safe."

"Me too. I had a bad feeling at the end there, but you have forgotten that we had my dragon's with us, Hvitserk. All I would have had to say was one word and all of them would have been burned alive in seconds."

Hvitserk chuckles, "You are right. I did forget how badass you are. I shouldn't underestimate you, for that I am sorry."

"Don't apologize for caring. Thank you for caring about me and our child. We are lucky to have you."

Hvitserk "I love you, kitten."

"I love you too. Now let's not talk about what almost happened, and talk about our daughter, hmm?"

Hvitserk "That sounds lovely."

You and Hvitserk talk about your daughter and your visions of her and her growing up as a strong shield maiden. It was a perfect way to end the day.

@hvitserkmarcosource @ivarsgoddess @youbloodymadgenius @a-mess-of-fandoms @conaionaru @heavenly1927 @saldelys @ivarzeitgeist @herestherealproblem @jzr201 @kaitieskidmore1

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

The Qualifying Round

It’s time to VOTE!!

Hey guys time to vote! fics are below! It’s officially time to vote for the Qualifying Round of Chopped Madness! The structure is simple! Please rank the eighteen (18) fics, first (1) being your top choice, and last (18) being your last choice, in order of which author you think deserves to move on to Round 1! This ranking will also be used to help us order all the authors for the brackets for Round 1.

At the end of the voting period, we will announce the TWO (2) authors who have been Chopped!! If you are not Chopped, that means you will be moving on to the next round, so keep an eye out for that post to be sure! If you aren’t sure you can always send us a message to check! 

You can vote here!

Voting Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QLFJM7M

The 18 fics that we received for this round can be found below, or on AO3 here! Each fic follows the theme [Canonverse], includes the tropes [Fairy Tale AU] and [Write a villain as a good guy or a good guy as a villain], and has a central character focus on [Bellamy Blake]! When you vote, please be sure to take into consideration the USE of all these elements, because, as with all other Chopped events, the purpose is to select the authors who best utilize the requirements!

When the party’s over (Rated T) [Bellamy & Octavia]

Summary: Bellamy goes into the anomaly to save Octavia. What he finds, is a trail of bodies. {Or: a canonverse take on Hansel & Gretel}

don't be who you were (Rated T) [Bellamy & Diyoza]

Summary: Bellamy's forced to stay in the bunker, alone, for six years. Diyoza trapped alone on her ship. They find a way to help each other survive, because that's what they know how to do.

Straight On Until Morning (Rated G) [Bellamy & Kane]

Summary: Bellamy and his unruly band of Delinquents have been living life as they wish. Their days are filled with games and exploring while their nights are spent coordinating attacks against the dreaded Wanheda and her Mountain Men. It's all fun and games in a world where no one gets older.

But then a strange man appears one day and Marcus Kane provides a reality check to Bellamy that he's not prepared to accept.

Where is the path to Wonderland? (Rated T) [Bellamy x Clarke]

Summary: Separated from their friends in the Anomaly, Clarke and Bellamy find themselves lost in a world so different from their own.

The Sixth Bride (Rated M) [Bellamy x Roan]

Summary: For their wedding, Roan gifted him an antique skeleton key attached to a thin, leather cord. Rough, callous fingertips grazed the base of his neck as they secured the necklace in place. While his husband allowed him full reign of the tower, the key provided access to the only room he barred Bellamy from entering. He was never to set foot in the sole room on the highest floor. Into Roan's private reprieve from the world.

And to be fair, Bellamy respected Roan's right to privacy - for a while.

Gunning for Glory (Rated T) [Bellamy x Gina]

Summary: While on a routine mission for Kane, Bellamy comes across a mystery girl who points him towards a treasure trove that might prove useful for Arkadia, but danger lurks up every spiraling staircase. It may just be the distraction he needs, though, to get over Clarke leaving.

On the Ground and What Bellamy Found There (Rated G) [General]

Summary: Bellamy has a prophetic dream. An Alice in Wonderland AU.

to dream about a life (where you're the shining star) (Rated T) [Bellamy x Murphy]

Summary: Bellamy has been dreaming about going to the coalition's annual Camp Rock since he was a kid. The chance to escape his life and his step-father and spend his days travelling between clans and singing. This year, he finally has a chance to go--as a chef.

Murphy hated what came of Clarke's treaty with the Grounders, but even he knew it could've been worse. But that didn't mean he wanted to spend his time performing for the people who had kidnapped and tortured him. He could do it, though. He could sing at whatever the fuck Camp Rock was, and he could help pick whichever winner the Grounders wanted him to pick. He could play nice. That didn't mean he had to like it.

There’s Gonna Be a Party When the Wolf Comes Home (Rated T) [General]

Summary: “Dante?” she asks, her voice a mixture of confusion and surprise.

Bellamy straightens the nameplate on his desk, and the gold plaque reflects the dim fluorescent lights above him. He taps it twice, drawing her attention to the words “Dante Wallace” written in a fancy script.

“That’s what they call me.”

A Canon Divergent Fairy Tale AU staring Bellamy Blake

No Ordinary Apple (Rated T) [Bellamy & Josephine]

Summary: When Josephine awakens in Clarke Griffin's body, she has no reason to believe anything about her reincarnation is anything out of the ordinary.

Then she learns that Clarke was far from a willing host and meets Bellamy Blake.

She doesn't expect to become invested in their love story, and she certainly doesn't plan on risking her own like to make things right.

And yet, here she is. All in the name of true love.

Brother Knows Best (Rated G) [Bellamy & Octavia]

Summary: Octavia grew up in a cave, hidden from the world, with only her brother to care for her. He kept her safe, safe from a world where people like her, where nightbloods, were hunted and slaughtered.

But even with so much danger, she longs to see the world, so when a handsome stranger stumbles into their cave, she makes her escape to spend one night out under the stars.

But in just one night, she begins to wonder if everything she'd grown up believing was true after all.

seeds in silence (exploded in riot) (Rated T) [Bellamy & Clarke]

Summary: Seeds. Not the modified seeds Farm Station constantly churns out in unending batches. Genuine seeds. Earth seeds.

The kind of seeds that the scientists from Alpha will sell their souls for.

Doctor Griffin talks a lot about genetics and lost patterns, but Bellamy’s mind is a million miles away. He can get anything he wants for Octavia and his mom. He can make it so Octavia doesn’t have to live in hiding. He can bring the chancellor himself to his knees, if he’s careful enough.

i've got a heart in me (i swear) (Rating T) [Bellamy x Murphy]

Summary: Belonging was not a familiar word in the Book of John Murphy.

That was a fact that seemed grounded in concrete; what he wouldn't give to stumble upon a sledgehammer someday and be reunited with his bruised and feeble, but still beating, heart.

2199 Nights (Rated M) [Bellamy x Clarke]

Summary: Every day, the Commander Bellamy took a new wife and executed her the next morning, until one day his fleimkepa's daughter volunteered. She kept him entertained with tales of far-off places, sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise. . .

we'd up and fly (if there were wings for flying) (Rated G) [Bellamy x Clarke]

Summary: Bellamy and Wells are held captive and interrogated by the Grounders, and when he returns to Arkadia, Bellamy finds some things have changed.

The Storyteller (Rated T) [Bellamy x Clarke]

Summary: A heartbroken Commander, betrayed by her beloved, vows to slay each and every one of her future lovers after they’ve spent their first night together.

Bellamy Blake, the latest to be taken into the Commander of Death’s chambers, will try to save his life by weaving a succession of tales to the woman that lasts for one thousand and one nights.

How to Kill a Two-Headed Turkey (Rated T) [Bellamy & Octavia]

Summary: After everyone at camp collapses from a mysterious illness (thanks Murphy), Bellamy and Octavia are sent to hunt enough food for 100 sick teenagers. When they find themselves lost, far from camp, what else can they do but move forward? Thankfully, a kind woman took them in, but all is not as it seems. Anya's been waiting to meet these Skaikru...

simmer, simmer, simmer (Rated M) [Bellamy x Clarke]

Summary: When Sanctum falls to starvation, it is up to Bellamy and Clarke to find a solution. They aren't prepared for the horrors beyond the Sanctum barrier.

Chopped Madness AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Chopped_Madness

[silvererros]

VACCINATE YOUR KIDS!! If there is a vaccine for it, get it! The last thing you want is your child to suffer because of you!

And DO NOT TRY TO SPACE OUT VACCINES by having a single vaccine spread out over smaller doses! It may make you feel better about it, but it does nothing for your kids. The body cannot properly become immune to something in tiny doses, it does not work that way. They're not huge syringes, they're quite small actually. Some vaccines are even given to kids orally like giving them a liquid form of medicine.

As a parent of two, I'd rather my child cry for 30 seconds to a minute because of a needle prick than to suffer from a disease/infection that could've been avoided. And it doesn't just help my kids, it helps other peoples kids, because children pass bacteria between each other A LOT. It's how kids are, they learn, they get tactile, they pick up things without realizing, and they get colds. Children are more susceptible than you are as an adult, and they can't fight off those diseases as easily. My kids are less likely to catch certain things because of their vaccines, but that doesn't mean the diseases stop spreading. Bacteria, viruses, microbes of all sorts are all around us 24/7 and we all pick up a lot of them constantly whether we realize it or not. Now imagine kids, playing, exploring, touching, tasting, sticking their fingers in things. It can still spread. We had no measles for a long time not because it was outright gone, but because everyone was being vaccinated and so were immune. But now our herd immunity is compromised because of anti vaxxers. Measles is popping up more because of one, stupid, non-scientific research paper that was released about the vaccine causing autism. And despite it being disproved, people still spout it as fact the same way they swear essential oils can cure anything. They don't cure anything and the MMR vaccine does not cause autism. No vaccine does. Also, I have friends who are autistic. They do just fine living life with autism. It's usually a bit inconvenient, but they're still alive and doing well. Autism is not the end of the world, but you know what is to children? Death from a preventable disease...

You have to ask yourself: what's better for my children - a life lived long and happy without getting something worse than a cold? Or a life lived short but at least we didn't risk autism?

No parent should want to risk losing their kids...not a one. If you are a parent, you should be willing to get those vaccines, to keep them safe from harm and disease, to hug them close and keep them safe, to want to do the research and trust your doctors. You should also be able to consider your child THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE; they should never be forgotten in cars during summer/winter, they should never be left in their carseat at all times, their diapers should always be changed and not overly full for hours or even days, they should always eat meals with you, not after you or not at all. You don't beat your children, you don't starve your children, you don't forget your children, and you certainly don't leave a child under the age of 13 home alone, either.

These are all things I've seen on the news or heard of over the years since I had my kids, and it's only a small portion of the terrible things I've heard people do to their kids since I first got pregnant. The world has become a terrifying place as I've grown older, where people of my generation and younger just do not care about or for their kids, and that worries the fuck out of me. I'm over here doing research on how to be a good parent and what to expect and what to teach, meanwhile their are parents starving their children on purpose, forgetting their kids in their cars overnight where they then die because the parent didn't consider their child important enough to bring inside. There's so much wrong out there and look: if you don't want kids, use protection. Use birth control. Or give the kid up for adoption. Don't torture your kids, or kill them, because you don't want them in your life. Give them a chance at a happy life alive with someone else at least, or don't have kids!

I didn't feel ready at first when I got pregnant with my daughter. I was anxious and worried that I would fuck it up, but you know what? I had 6 months (I discovered I was pregnant 3 months in), so i MADE MYSELF READY. I did research, i took classes, I read books on pregnancy, birth, and childcare. I ate healthier, I dreamt of a happy life with my husband and our daughter-to-be, I thought for weeks on names, i bought baby clothes, diapers, bottles, binkies, was given baby blankets, a crib, a bassinet. I did everything in my power to prepare for her and once she was in the world, I did everything to keep her safe. I don't even hire babysitters because I don't trust people I don't know to watch my kids. I trust my family and a few friends, that's it!

And now I have my son, I'm just as cautious. My kids go everywhere with me unless they are with someone I trust.

It's not hard to care.

VACCINATE YA KIDS FFS