#I’ve been a fan of her since like 2015

[legendoftherisingtide]

I feel like I’m falling in love with Jaiden all over again. Shoutout to the ones who were there in her animations days! But also a huge welcome to all the new fans of her new content. Like it is unbelievable that a childhood hero is still reaching new audiences and people, I am so happy.

[alicitaffairs]

Okay so like who’s listened to kelsea ballerini on call her daddy 👀

[hstylesloverr]

YOUNG LOVE.

evan peters x model!yn

warnings: mentions of the show “dahmer”??, age gap

-

evanupdates via instagram post

liked by ynfan1, username, evanfan and more

evanupdates “ The funny thing is, when I was offered the part to play Dahmer, I seriously considered turning it down. You know, I didn't think I could measure up. Yes, I had done something similar in American Horror Story, but trying to tell an event as horrific as Dahmer's life and what he did to his victims in such an explicit and realistic way? I really thought I wasn't up to the task. I told my girlfriend that I had been offered a big role and that I was thinking about whether or not to turn it down. She asked me what it was about and well, I told her what the series was about a bit. Then she looked me straight in the eye and simply said, "You have to accept this role."

[…]

Yes, I really think I couldn't have done it without the support I got from the whole team and especially from my girlfriend. You know, she would sit with me every afternoon and we'd spend hours and hours watching documentaries and Dahmer movies, reading police reports, newspapers from the time, whatever. The support I had from her was truly something I will always be grateful for. ”

- Evan talking about the process of accepting his character in the new netflix publicity interview.

view comments

username y/n is the most supportive girlfriend

evanfan2 i love that he’s getting the recognition he deserves, i hope he wins an emmy for his excellent performance

username imagine calling y/n l/n your girlfriend

ynfan evan please come back to ig 😭

username girl literally evan's instagram seemed like a y/n fan account 😭😭😭

evanfan he looks so dilf 😭 @ yourinstagram make our dreams come true

username i love him so so much please 🥲

username i can't express in words how attracted i am to this man.

ahsfan what did i miss? 😭 last time i checked evan was dating emma

ynfan6 girl they broke up in 2015 😭😭😭 you missed a lot

username @ ynfan6 but y/n and evan weren't already dating in 2010? i'm a new fan i’m a lot confused

evanfan9 those were just rumours! y/n and evan were nothing more than close friends until 2016, where they started dating, but they always kept the relationship very private because they were heavily criticized for the age difference

-

yourinstagram via instagram post

liked by ynfan1, username, harrystyles, kendalljenner and more

yourinstagram posing for the camera as if i just weren’t traumatized.

view comments

username god i wish i looked this pretty being traumatized

ynfan she’s unreal

evanfan3 evan’s a lucky man tbh

honeymoon Pretty girl 💖

username did u liked the show?

yourinstagram i honestly had a really bad time watching it, especially knowing that it’s based on real events. however, i loved the effort and dedication that everyone involved in it put into it.

harryfan1 i'm sick of Harry liking all of this girl's posts 😭

yourinstagram me too

harrystyles Rude.

username @ harryfan1 girl they have been friends since 2015 ? besides, she already has a boyfriend

username she’s an icon she’s a legend and she is the moment

evanfan7 please please please convince evan to get an ig account again 😭

yourinstagram bestie i’ve been trying for 2 years

kendalljenner You look so hot ugh

arianagrande 🤍🤍

ahsfan we all know who took this photo

username i really think evan's gallery is full of silly photos of y/n😅😅 but who knows maybe he hides his photography skills

ynfan5 the most beautiful woman in the world for a reason

evanscult00 i'm literally in love with herrr evan be careful because you and i aren’t friends

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ynupdates via instagram post

liked by username, ynfan1, ynfan9, evanfan and more

ynupdates CUTIES 🥹! Y/N and her boyfriend, Evan Peters, in a pub tonight in Paris.

view comments

evanfan no bc this is like the first pic we have of evan IN MONTHS i'm not complaining anyway i love this couple so much

username they both look so happy and comfortable

ynfan1 i want what they have

evanfan2 please they’re such dilf and milf material

username stylish girlfriend 🤝 “i don't care what to wear” boyfriend

evanfan7 will she know all the people who want to be her right now?

evandyn evan said that he was very insecure with girls and that he needed them to be patient with him 😭😭😭 seeing how happy he is with y/n makes me sensitive

ahsfan5 they were written by taylor swift i don’t make the rules

username THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER??? i'm playing lover in my head

ahsfan5 YES YES they also give many cigarettes after sex vibes

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ynthrowbacks via instagram post

liked by username, evanfan, ahsfan and more

ynthrowbacks Evan Peters, Y/N’s boyfriend, 10 years ago today.

username she looks so fetus

evanfan1 I love them so much and I really hope to have a relationship as pure as theirs one day

ynfan7 ok but can we talk about the fact that they are 9 years apart?

username !! it always seemed very strange to me, especially because evan doesn't even look like he's 35, but they started dating when y/n was already of legal age, so i guess that’s fine

ynfan9 y/n was 14 years old in that photo and evan 23...

evanfan5 not the new fans being shocked by this 💀💀💀💀 evan has always been heavily criticized for this for all these years even though they were just friends until 2016. they both went through hell with your public opinion until a couple of years ago and now you guys want to bring it back 😅

ynfan4 @ evanfan5 THIS further treating y/n as a little girl when she is now 26 and a fully capable adult

username love this y/n era

evanfan9 THE PIZZA me trying to cook aesthetically

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yourinstagram via instagram post

liked by harrystyles, taylorswift13, username, ynupdates, evanfan, kendalljenner and more

yourinstagram you kiss my face and we're both drunk. everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing about us

view comments

taylorswift13 💜💜💜

taylorfan1 SPEAK NOW TV????

username she just said that she doesn't give a shit about what you guys talk about her relationship.

ynfan1 swiftie era

yourinstagram wdym im a swiftie since i was born

username why is he kissing her belly?? 👀

evanfan7 here we go again

ynfan2 THE LAST PIC BROOQJDHAKD

username favorite midnights song go

yourinstagram maroon

ynfan9 the publication did not come out more than 10 minutes ago and i have already seen a couple of articles saying that y/n is pregnant like 💀💀💀💀

ahsfan5 I SAID IT I SAID THEY WERE WRITTEN BY TAYLOR

ahsfan7 they’re so cute like 😿😿🥹🥹

username I firmly believe that they are the love of each other's lives

ahsfan IT COUPLEEE

evanfan9O i wonder if y/n will show evan all the goofy edits she sees of him on tiktok

username omg im so embarrassed

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[the-zk-directory]

Zutara Probably Would Have Been Canon in Season 4 – The Masterpost

| [Intro.] |

If you’ve been around or within the Avatar fandom for any period of time you have probably, one way or another, become aware of one of the most intense shipping wars not just of any children’s show, but possibly just in general, one that is well over a decade old by now, approaching two.

Katara and Aang (Kataang), though canon, are often criticized for being one-sided, bad for each of the characters, and rushed. The creators of Avatar though – Mike & Bryan (collectively known as the entity ‘Bryke’) – have stated in the past that Kataang “was in the DNA of the [show] from the start.” (x)

Statements like the above are one of the reasons Zuko and Katara (Zutara) fans have been labelled ‘conspiracy theorists’ when they claim things that contradict Bryke: namely, that Zutara as a pairing was not only a serious consideration during the show’s run, but the likely outcome if the show had continued on for another season, which it seems it almost did.

(This hypothetical ‘Book 4’ was, for a long time, considered a Zutarian conspiracy theory in itself.)

But let’s back up.

How did these so-called conspiracy theories start?

-----------

| [Intro. To The Rumours + Who Is Aaron Ehasz?] |

For a long time, the only thing that Zutara fans could latch onto were rumours. People who claimed to have worked at Nickelodeon, worked in the artistic community and knew things, met a writer in person, etc. This may not sound promising on its face, but the thing is, most of these rumours were consistent. Most of their content concerned the one-time possibility of season 4, and one man in particular: Avatar’s head writer Aaron Ehasz.

We’ll go into those rumours in depth in a second. For right now, here's a little teaser: (x)

But first, who is Aaron Ehasz (& ex-wife Elizabeth Welch) and what were his contributions to the development of Avatar?

[Who Are the Ehaszs, and Why Does Everyone Bring Them Up?] -- (x)(x)

Bonus: (x) (Note that the poster is Giancarlo Volpe btw, another writer on Avatar.)

-----------

| [The Main Rumour Sources – Tumblr Blogs ‘Kataraandzuko’ & ‘Zephyrita’] |

Now we can get to the rumours themselves. The two main sources are both now-deactivated tumblr blogs. ‘Kataraandzuko’ is the first one we’re going to talk about. This person claimed to be an assistant writer/intern on Avatar Books 2/3 with inside knowledge of what went on behind the scenes in the writer’s room.

Meet ‘Kataraandzuko’: (x)

Zephyrita, similarly, claimed to be someone who interned and studied at Nickelodeon Studios in 2007 as an animation color stylist (according to (x)). It seems significant to mention that Zephyrita also claimed to not actually be a Zutara shipper.

(Besides reblogs, a good amount of her original posts can be found on the Wayback Machine. I took screenshots of a few of them and posted them to my blog individually with the links to the rest underneath.)

Meet ‘Zephyrita’: (x)

By the way, while I don’t know when the blogs were first started or when the first rumours concerning season 4 were posted, they seem to have been around since at least late 2015-2016. It’s hard to tell with the blogs and original posts being deactivated, but that’s the earliest I’ve seen. (If anyone sees anything earlier, let me know.) This will become important later.

-----------

| [Controversy: (A conversation I had with…)] |

Now, I said we were going to talk about Kataraandzuko first and the post that we’re going to talk about specifically is this one: (x)

In it, Kataraandzuko claims to have had a conversation with Aaron Ehasz in Philadelphia. Why they were both in Philadelphia is not stated in the post. According to what Kataraandzuko wrote, Aaron seems to strongly imply that he had wanted to explore a romantic relationship between Zuko and Katara. This supposed conversation was turned into a tumblr post and written down in a style reminiscent of an interviewer and interviewee.

Being the only well-known rumour post to be written this way meant it, kataraandzuko themselves, and all the rumours generally would come under a lot of fire when Everything changed when Aaron Ehasz attacked Aaron Ehasz himself came out and said this: (x) in September, 2018.

With Aaron himself basically shooting down the idea that a season 4 (and, by proxy, Zutara) was ever seriously considered or planned, people who had viewed Zutara fans’ theories as nothing more than wild, imaginative conspiracies by desperate shippers felt like they had been proved right: (x)

-----------

| [Other Rumours] |

And yet, rumours persisted.

[This (x) for the record, is kataraandzuko’s follow-up post to their ‘Conversation I had with Aaron Ehasz in Philadelphia’ post. I’ve reblogged a number of their other posts too. But fine, Aaron said the interview was fake, so let’s disregard everything ‘kataraandzuko’ said for now.]

Here’s someone who claims to have been present at a class that Aaron gave a lecture at at UC Berkeley: (x)(x)

(this class seems to have been real – here’s a link to people talking about it 12 years ago; the link on the page appears to have changed though: (x) )

Here’s another post concerning that class, though I’m not sure if the person they’re talking about who attended is actually the same person as above. (x)

Other posts from Reddit, 4chan, & Deviantart: (x)(x)(x)

-----------

| [Evidence Against Kataang] |

[Series Bible] Of course, rumours aren’t really ‘evidence.’ And, while it’s hard to find evidence for something that never happened, it’s not hard to take a look at Avatar’s original series bible, or series outline by Bryke, and see that, though indeed, the series bibles only outlines three seasons, it also doesn’t outline endgame Kataang or suggest it being anywhere near ‘the DNA of the show.’ In fact, Aang and Katara & Sokka separate at the end of this version, with the latter two returning home and Aang going off to search for airbenders. (x)

[“A 50/50 Chance”] Off the record, Bryke even seemed to admit themselves that there might have been a back and forth regarding who exactly was going to end up with who. See here (x) an account of a Kataang fan who thanked Bryke at a comic con, only to be told: “Well, it was a 50/50 chance.“

[M. Night Interview] This was confirmed by a third party as well. ~Certain~ movies he’s made may not have lived up to their expectations but I see no reason why M. Night Shyamalan would lie when he says that at the time he talked to Mike and Bryan regarding a potential live action movie, there were a lot of things that hadn’t been figured out yet, including “who Katara was going to end up with.” (x)

And so, with or without a direct confirmation of season 4 by Aaron (when the world needed him most, he vanished), it seemed there had still been wiggle-room at some point in time for the potential of ~certain things~ to have, indeed, been under consideration, fourth season or not.

-----------

| [Aaron Confirms on Twitter] |

BUT THEN.

100 Years passed and my brot—

On April 1, 2019, Aaron emerged, as if from an iceberg, to share some thoughts on an Azula redemption arc (x), confirm this was not an April Fool’s joke, and to state the following: “Yes, I always believed there would be a 4th season.” (x)

Zutara fans, realizing they had been right about this, and wondering what other strongly associated theory they might have been right about, rejoiced: (x)

One half of the infamous Bryke, Bryan Konietzko, did not. And, in fact, indirectly called Aaron a liar: (x)

And, It is worth mentioning, in the interest of giving everyone the full picture, that Bryan is not the only one to question Aaron recently. In late 2019, allegations came out of Aaron creating a sexist and toxic work environment. (x)

(Personally, I think your mileage may very on how serious or substantial you may find these claims.)

But with regards to the topic at hand, the Season 4 claims, someone on a Reddit thread here (x) recounts: “Also I wasn't really sure where to put this but Jean Paul Bondy, an artist who worked on ATLA, jumped in AE's twitter thread to say ‘I don’t remember this at all. Obviously I wasn’t party to discussion you three had. But I was always under the impression we were only doing the three.’”

Just recently, in 2023, Jack De Sena (Sokka’s VA) also answered a question about season 4 at a con: ((x) -- 27:30)

“I’ve heard subsequently that there was like, conversations about season 4 and stuff, but, at the time, it definitely felt like we were only doing three. Like, I was being told at the time like, they had conceived of this like, closed arc, three season… thing. So, while they were planting some seeds for like, here’s other story elements that we could explore in other areas when we have the time, it definitely felt like, ‘okay, this is, this is the journey we’re going on together, it has reached a logical conclusion.’ So, it did feel, to us while recording it, quite final and complete.”

“I was always told it was a set three,” confirms Zachary Tyler Eisen (Aang’s VA)

-----------

| [Discussion] |

So, in a sense, we’re back where we started. Though, I would question how much, exactly, artists and voice actors, who I would assume typically only start working on scripts that have already been decided on long beforehand, would really know about any behind the scenes discussions among the writers about potential trajectories and arcs for the show as a whole (and how long those would take to play out).

And Jack did mention that he’s heard now that there were “conversations about season 4” – I’m assuming he’s heard that from more trustworthy sources than internet rumours. And, if he did, then that directly contradicts Bryan seemingly saying he never had the slightest interest in making a fourth season and was always firm on that.

After looking at everything, it seems clear to me that, to the direct contradiction of a few rumours on my blog, Avatar was probably NOT pitched as a 4 (or more) season show. I do think it was probably pitched as three. But I also think, after the show was greenlit or as it was going on, Aaron saw the potential for more seasons and pushed for them. Maybe those discussions didn’t make it very far out of the writer’s room. Maybe there was a point in time where Aaron felt he had been successful in convincing Bryke to go for a fourth season. Or maybe he always felt like he’d be able to get them there eventually. Maybe the movie finally put an end to any of Aaron’s hopes. I don’t know.

But, it’s kind of irrelevant. If the ‘conspiracy’ is that Aaron was setting up the show for a Zutara ending in season 4, then it doesn’t matter how close, in reality, we were to a fourth season. What really matters is whether or not Aaron thought there’d be one.

“Yes, I always believed there would be a 4th season”

And it seems he did.

-----------

| [‘Zephyrita’, ’Tizuyan’ & the Smoking Gun] |

Now, you may have noticed that there was someone mentioned before that we never talked about: Zephyrita. I waited because I’ve noticed something that I’ve never seen anybody else talk about, and decided it needed its own section.

Zephyrita was, of course, one of the two main bloggers that claimed to have worked/interned on Avatar back in the day and posted things they supposedly remembered from behind the scenes, things that all supported the Season 4/Zutara theory.

Given that Aaron indirectly called out the other main blog as a fraud, causing us to have to disregard them for now, you may wonder why anyone should view Zephyrita’s credibility as any different. Here’s actually a post of someone arguing with her about this and Zephyrita’s response: (x)

“’You can’t prove you worked at Nick!!’

What type of proof do you need? Why do I have to prove something as insignificant as this anyway? Like, working there isn’t some exclusive club and I didn’t write an entire episode, I just interned and studied there but I did get to talk a lot with the staff. I wanted to intern at CN but I ended up with Nick in the end. This was all back in 2007 and I’ve been working in advertising since then. You want me to just ring up Tim Hendricks and ask him how he is after almost 10 years? […] I would post my studio pass as ‘proof’ but that contains confidential info.”

So let’s get into why I believe Zephyrita.

(x) – This is a post where Zephyrita is asked what some of Aaron’s ideas were that didn’t make it into the show. Most of her response has to deal with Zuko and Katara, but it also includes this little tidbit about Aang at the end:

“Aang would leave on a self-searching journey after feeling the consequences of energybending and getting jealous over how close Zuko and Katara had become.”

In another post (x), she shares “my friend yan no longer has tumblr because people on this site are RIDICULOUS but she told she wanted to put in some extra info about the ideas that ehasz had:”

‘Yan’ I’m thinking is another deactivated user – ‘Tizuyan’ – who also used to post about the unexplored ideas Aaron had. (Admittedly, I’m not sure how they claimed to know any of it.)

But Zephyrita shares the ideas that ‘Yan’ supposedly gave her, including this one: “zuko and katara develop an understanding and bond that the other characters can not comprehend. they grow very close and sokka starts to suspect there is something going on between them. aang starts feeling jealous but tries to hide these feelings (ehasz said he would start feeling “weird” lmao). this would play a part of his growing darkness.”

In yet another post (x), Tizuyan herself writes “They would have fit very well within the possible Book 4 where Aang became “dark” and traveled back to the Air Temples for solace (where he examines himself, and finds a bunch of flying bison + winged lemur)”

So, to summarize, there would have been consequences to energy bending that would have caused a growing darkness in Aang. And as said before, all these posts are from around 2015-2016, if you go back and look at their earliest, still-existing notes.

Why is this significant?

-----------

It is significant because in 2019, after confirming he always thought there’d be a fourth season on twitter, Aaron Ehasz did an interview (x) where he talked a little bit more about what his ideas were for Season 4, beyond an Azula redemption arc. Obviously, there’s nothing in this interview about Zutara. But. But. There is this:

“Ehasz reaffirmed his earlier stated plans for a longer arc for Azula but also divulged additional details. One plotline would have followed up on Aang taking away Fire Lord Ozai’s bending at the end of the third season.

‘My feeling about that was like there’s always a cost, right? There’s always some balance. You can’t just be like I’m the Avatar, taking your powers away. It’s a great power, but part of it is you just took all this evil into you. To take it away from someone else you’re holding onto it to protect the world.’

For Aang that would have been an incredible burden and something Ehasz would have wanted to see him deal with.

‘The story I wanted to tell with Aang was about him struggling with taking some of that inside and probably a considerable amount of anger and guilt and big feelings. By the way, guess who would be the best person to have a mini vacation with? It’s Zuko! Someone who’s processed a lot of anger on his own, right?’”

So… basically… there would have been consequences to energy bending that would have caused a growing darkness in Aang.

It matches up perfectly.

And not only that, but you’ll notice in the interview he also mentions wanting to focus on Iroh and his spiritual transformation, and mentions something relating to the potential for existing airbenders. This also matches up well with other things that were written in the latter two tumblr posts linked above.

So, what are the possible explanations? Liars/delusional shippers on tumblr who were falsely claiming to have insider knowledge on Avatar just so happening to have hit on some of the exact same season 4 plot points as the head writer, 3-4 years before season 4 was even a thing that had been acknowledged publicly? Aaron Ehasz trolling the internet and coming across these theories and then repeating them as if they had been his own ideas for… some purpose?

Or that maybe some of these blogs had been telling the truth?

This is why I called this section ‘the smoking gun’ – I believe that Aang can save t- that DenofGeek interview, along with those old rumour posts give credence to everything else Zephyrita/Tizuyan had to say. (And we’ll get back to ‘kataraandzuko’ later.)

Link to Zephyrita’s posts and comments: (x). The only other post of mine that I know Tizuyan appears on is this one: (x)

-----------

| [Zutara Evidence – External and Textual] |

And there’s more concrete evidence than just rumours. We’ve already gone over the ‘hard’ evidence against the idea that Kataang was planned from the start, but up until now we haven’t gone over the evidence that exists to support Zutara specifically.

First, here’s just a post (x) showing, besides what we’ve already gone over, how Zutara was teased in some of the promotional materials, as well as some comments (including the ‘Avatar Extras’) made by some other writers on the show, further confirming what Bryke once privately acknowledged to a fan – I’m not sure if the chance was exactly 50%, but it seems it was definitively higher than 0.

And, it seems, high enough that little bits of foreshadowing (or…potentially, a major amount of foreshadowing, depending on your view) did make it into the show itself.

Much has been made of the parallels that exist between the ‘Cave of Two Lovers’/’Crossroads of Destiny’ episodes, namely the two lovers with a red and blue color scheme from opposite sides of a war that come together in a cave of glowing crystals… and the two characters with a red and blue color scheme from opposite sides of a war… that come together in a cave of glowing crystals.

Here’s a few posts that break this down in depth: (x) (x) (x)

And here’s just another little piece of external evidence, another comment by a writer – and actually the writer of ‘The Cave of Two Lovers’: (x)

(I noticed he also mentions the series bible saying Zuko and Katara were supposed to end up together??? Yeah, I don’t know what that’s about. Make of it what you will.)

-----------

| [Bryke Being Nasty to Zutarians] |

^^Is it necessary for me to write this section? No.

But, in a way, it’s what led to my interest in this. I’ve said before that if Mike and Bryan had just been normal adults about all this, said that Zutara was a thing that was considered, that could have happened but didn’t, respected their friendship/bond in canon, and just said to all the Zutara fans, “sorry it didn’t go your way this time; hope you can still enjoy the ending anyway!” we wouldn’t have a problem. I would have just thought it was a shame and missed opportunity, and then moved on with my life and not really thought about it ever again.

It's the apparent lying and immaturity and seeming… mean-spirited-ness (?) that gets me. I don’t understand it.

In a rumour from Tizuyan ((x) - this is the second tizuyan post that I linked at the end of the second to last section) she writes: “Bryke despise Zutara.”

 This would certainly explain why Zuko and Katara hardly ever seem to have positive interactions in any of the material beyond Avatar’s original series, that is if they even interact at all.

(See Bryan’s out-of-nowhere response to the neutral question, “Can we expect a reunion for the returning characters from The Last Airbender [in Legend of Korra]?” which was:

“As far as a date night between Katara and Zuko, I think you are going to have to stick to the fan art for that." (x) (Not sure if there was any more to this answer or not; I can’t find the original interview, though I know I remember seeing it way back when.)

It would also explain the contents of this rumour (courtesy of Zephyrita) (x) regarding the writing, or re-writing, of ‘The Southern Raiders’ episode.

And it would explain Bryan’s infamous, “Come on kids! ‘Zutara’ never would have lasted! It was just dark and intriguing” comment. (x)

What it wouldn’t explain is the even more infamous video that Bryke debuted at 2008 San Diego Comic Con, and which Bryan (who really seems to be the main instigator in all of this, apparently) has since reposted to his own tumblr account: (x)

You know, the one where Bryke mock Zutara fans with their own fanart and say that “Women who think that Zuko and Katara should be together will forever have doomed relationships.” Yeah.

I have no further comments on it other than what’s already been written in the reblogs linked above.

(And all this is all the more frustrating when Bryan himself seems to have had a slight change of heart when it comes to the ‘DNA of the show’ and writes in late 2014 in a post on The Legend of Korra: “Personally, at that point I didn’t want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me.” (x) (Like, HUH?! Since when?!)

-----------

| [Aaron Ehasz Again + Final Thoughts On The Kataraandzuko “Interview”] |

Meanwhile, Aaron himself painstakingly tends to avoid discussing Zutara, unless it’s brought up to him directly, in which case he usually just gives a wishy-washy answer about how he tries not to actively ship any characters. Though, we will go into an interview that’s slightly more interesting than this in a little bit.

First, I must bring to everyone’s attention a video that it seems no one else has noticed, as the post only had 4 notes on it at the time of writing this. (x)

Here is Aaron Ehasz at a comic con in 2006, which I believe would be sometime before season 2 had finished airing, showing the audience various ships from the show (most of them ridiculous) before at the end getting to Maiko (called Maizu), Kataang, and lastly (which I feel is significant)… Zutara.

This really appears to me to be Aaron showing the audience the ‘serious ships’ under the guise of this being just some funny game, and using the strength of the cheers from the crowd as a way to gauge interest for a potential endgame ship. Either for his own purposes… or for the purpose of possibly convincing someone else. I interpreted this video this way even before I just re-watched it while writing this post and realized that Aaron actually says this directly:

“We really want to hear what you have to say. I want you to know you have a lot of influence and power right now… ‘cause your, your cheers or boos will really… affect it.”

And I think it might make sense to combine this with the rumours here (x) about the supposed lecture at Berkeley where Aaron once flippantly remarked that Zutara couldn’t happen because it “would have made the six year olds cry” and the rumours by jhenne-bean herself, the one who claimed to have been at that lecture, who gives more context here (x):

“GURL IT WAS TOTALLY 50/50 even during the last season.

Actually, Nick execs pushed Kataang.

Because without it (according to one of the head writers that came and spoke to my class last semester) the “six year olds would cry.” Obviously that’s not the sole reasoning behind their decisions, but the intended demographic did sway the final outcome.”

(So, based on all this, I’m thinking that Aaron was probably a little disappointed in that video above when the Zutara cheers didn’t overpower the Kataang ones. [So am I, Aaron. So am I.])

-----------

Now, the only actual filmed interview with Aaron Ehasz about Avatar that I know of is this one: (x) in 2019, where he’s asked questions by fans. Yes, Zutara is brought up, though the surprising part is it’s seemingly at Aaron’s own prompting. For that reason and others I find this interview to be very interesting; I actually did a breakdown of it here (x), which I encourage everyone to consider.

If you’ve read through that breakdown, or just watched the video in question, you will have seen that the “fake” interview from before (x) was once again brought up. I put the word ‘fake’ in quotes because that’s how Aaron appeared to refer to it in the interview – with air quotes. And so now it’s time for my speculation on this “fake” interview:

I think it’s fairly clear that Aaron does not want (or, for some reason feels unable to (?)) speak freely regarding his opinions on how the relationships of Avatar did (or did not) play out. I think it’s safe to say he has avoided saying anything ‘on the books’ that would place him at odds with Bryke (though that post about M Night wanting to focus on season 4 and Bryke wanting to focus on the movie cut it pretty close) or put him on a definitive side of the shipping war, one way or another.

That’s why it makes sense to me that a rumour on the internet that wasn’t just any rumour, but was written in such a way so that it looked like an official *interview*, with Aaron’s name appearing before statements supposedly attributable to him and everything, would be something he’d want to make sure everyone knew was not actually official. If that conversation between kataraandzuko and Aaron actually happened, he would have believed it to be, at the time, a private conversation. He never would have intended for the person he was talking to to post their conversation and make it look like he said these things on the official record.

So, yeah, despite Aaron calling that post out specifically, I think it’s still plausible that that conversation could have actually happened and that kataraandzuko wasn’t lying. Her (?) original tags even say to take it with a grain of salt since it was written from memory.

And notice the line, “I wanted Aang to defeat Ozai and go through some emotional turmoil after taking the Fire Lord's bending.” Sound familiar?

Here’s another variation of one of kataraandzuko’s posts from before (x) where they talk more in depth about being an intern at Nick and what they saw behind the scenes of Avatar, even admitting, “Haha, it’s not hard getting an internship at Nickelodeon. They’re not strict and they accepted me on my first attempt. You just have to be a university student with a lot of motivation.”

(And witness at the end of the post another defensive-Bryke-Bryan example.)

Could all their posts be lies? Sure. But they always seemed credible enough to me. And given everything else we’ve gone over, can you really say anything they posted sounds all that crazy?

So, for your consideration, here’s my tag of all ‘kataraandzuko’s posts: (x)

-----------

| [Summary of All Rumours] |

Also, for your consideration, now that we’ve got all the context behind us, is this post which lists every major piece of gossip about what season 4 would have included had Bryke the universe allowed it to exist: (x)

And a post which I think perfectly encapsulates everything here and my final stance on it: (x)

----------

...And so. We should be all caught up now. 

I hope this post will be useful to anyone who’s confused about the little bits and pieces of things you might have come across or heard regarding season 4 or zutara or Aaron Ehasz or supposed conspiracies. (Or to anyone who just got tired of seeing everyone else, confused, talking about it this way, without the full context.)

If there’s anything major that you feel I missed here, feel free to let me know and I’ll consider adding it in. Otherwise, enjoy the show, enjoy your ship, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Goodbye, everybody! 😊

[valenshawke]

6 albums I’ve been listening to a lot lately! Plus one track from each that I’m especially fond of.

I was tagged by @captainhunnicutt. Thank you!

The Mandrake Project - Bruce Dickinson - "Many Doors to Hell" I waited 18 god damn years for this album. And while Iron Maiden has released four albums in that time period, I'm actually a bigger fan of Bruce's solo material. This song in particular does hit on a lot of things I liked to write about around the time his last solo album was released. A vampire who wants to be human again. Not quite, but I did (and do I guess) like to explore the blessing and the curse of being a vampire.

Vessels - Starset - "Telepathic" & "Telepathic (Acoustic Version)" Starset was the band @telekinetic-issue recommended to me after I recommended Ghost. So the great music exchange of 2022 lead, what is currently, my favorite Starset album. This song hit very close to me I listened to it obsessively as it very much captured my feelings towards my former best friend, before I finally managed to let that friendship go finally even though we hadn't really spoken since 2015.

72 Seasons - Metallica - "Lux Æterna" Probably the first Metallica album since, uh, forever where I truly feel like they band tried to put out a quality song every track (don't argue with me about Load & ReLoad, there was ONE solid album if they made better track selections and had a bit tighter arrangement). As for "Lux Æterna," it's one of those pick-me-up songs that motivates me to try to get my life together.

Infestissumam - Ghost - "Year Zero" In terms of album, it was this for Prequelle, Meliora, Impera. Impera, burned out listening to and absolutely hate one song on that album. Meliora benefits by having the Popestar EP on it, and thus having "Square Hammer." Prequelle has "Faith" and "Miasma"/"Dance Macabre" (you really need to listen to these two tracks back-to-back), and "Witch Image." Infestissumam I listen to the most and regularly since it has my all-time favorite Ghost song, "Year Zero" and the "band" at this time was more focused on using religious imagery in such a dark way that hits the bitter ex-Catholic heart of mine in such a way that no other band can.

Once - Nightwish - "Planet Hell" Tarja's last album with the band. Probably their last great album (no disrespect to Anette Olzon, Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum were good albums). But a song about the contradictory nature of humanity and the notion that hell is really simply planet Earth? Yeah, that's a song for me.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OST + - Yoko Kanno - "Lithium Flower" Yes, I'm trash. I know this. I'm Tumblr. I came to Tumblr because of anime and manga. But this song is just 1. Amazing. 2. And based solely on one line, it's like the character song for my blorbo. But Yoko Kanno is one of those composers where, once you hear her work, you just bow to her brilliance. Her mixing of styles and finding singers to fit whatever vision she has is nothing short of amazing. But this song is one of those that when it comes on, just don't bother me because I will ignore everything to listen to the song in full.

And I'm no-pressure-tagging: @beardedladyqueen, @spoczkot, @anisaanisa, @albatrossisland, @connie-rubirosa, @byronicbi, @transgalvantula plus anyone else that wants to do this!

[ruslangazizov]

Hi! My friend and I are getting into hockey and we’re kind of wondering what the vibe on Max Domi is?? I’m kind of seeing mixed messages about him so we were wondering why you like him so we can figure out what his deal is and if we should try to pay attention to him more on the leafs. Thanks!

hi anon!! just wanna say before i get going that i’m in love with this ask and you by extension for asking, and i’m sorry this took me so long!

now on to the propaganda (this is long i’m not sorry)

i’m obligated to preface this by saying i’m hugely biased as a Leafs fan who grew up in Southern Ontario. my dad has always been a pretty big Tie Domi fan, so liking Max just seemed like a natural continuation of that.

baby Max with Mats Sundin, then-captain of the Leafs. he’s just a little guy,,

born March 2nd, 1995, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, one month before Tie was traded (back) to the Leafs, Max spent his childhood in Mississauga, Ontario, roughly half an hour west of Toronto. at the age of 12, following some health complications at a hockey tournament in Detroit, blood work revealed that Max had type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. 

not the end of the world, clearly, but a pretty significant shock for a kid with aspirations of greatness. of course, he was able to manage it, with time, and when i finally read his book i’ll tell y’all more about it i promise.

these pictures make me emotional,, a couple of Domis, a couple of decades apart,,, except Max looks about 200% cuntier

anyway

scored a hatty in his OHL debut (slay). won consecutive OHL championships with the London Knights in 2012 and 2013 (double slay). selected 12th overall by the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes, and signed a three year ELC (!). won gold with Team Canada at the 2015 WJC, and was named the tournament’s best forward (huge W). traded to the Montréal Canadiens in 2018, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020, to the Carolina Hurricanes (via the Florida Panthers) at the trade deadline of March 31st 2022, to the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 2022, to the Dallas Stars in March 2023, and finally signed as a free agent to our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs on July 2nd 2023. he’s been on seven different NHL teams since he was drafted. 

sadly, as i’ve only been a hockey fan for one calendar year, i cannot provide much insight into his time with NHL teams other than the Leafs. i have ordered and am waiting for his book to come in so i can better rotate him in my mind, but i encourage anyone who knows more about his other teams’ lore to add to this post or send me what you know, so i can share it with the world. (pls i wanna know everything about him ever)

what i can say is that him and Mitch Marner were teammates on the London Knights for two seasons, (13-14 and 14-15), the second of which saw Max as captain and Mitch as an alternate captain. the season after, Mitch was named captain in Max’s stead. seeing them back together on the Leafs brings joy to my little London Knights heart.

now back to him as a Leaf. 

the current Leafs points leaders, as of December 30th, are as follows:

William Nylander - 48P (17G 31A)

Auston Matthews - 44P (29G 15A)

Mitch Marner - 38P (14G 24A)

John Tavares - 31P (11G 20A)

Morgan Rielly - 27P (4G 23A) 

Max Domi - 21P (3G 18A)

the first five of these are pretty much to be expected, but there’s my close good friend Max Domi right there too :) he’s doing his part, and even if he’s not the biggest scorer, assists are just as important and valuable :) if i have to kill y’all with positivity for this i will :) i love him dearly :)

also, he currently sits at 389 career points, and he’s nowhere near done, while Tie Domi earned 245 points in his entire career of 1020 games. nobody can say shit to me about him not living up to his dad’s legacy (Note: Tie also sits at third in NHL history for penalty minutes with 3515, but that’s a stat nobody will ever surpass. ever. the current PIM leader in the NHL is Corey Perry, and he only has 1392.)

and now i’m not about to sit here and pretend i know how to quantify the skills of an NHL player, let alone describe them in great detail. i do not. however, what i do know is that i love watching him play and make plays. in my eyes, he is a good player, and this is the Max Domi Propaganda Blog so if you want something less biased i can’t help you, sorry :’)

this love began in a preseason game against the Habs, on Oct 2nd. his first game as a Leaf in Toronto, he scores a tip-in against his former team, and he shrugs it off like NBD. for those of you who were following me at the time, you know i was not normal about it then and i am not normal about it now. i think about that celly every goddamn day. 

much to my great sorrow, they Leafed this game up and lost in OT 5-4. but either way, this was the moment that definitively kicked off the Rick eastoncowan Domishka era. 

and the only time Max ever seems to get a scoring chance, it’s either on a breakaway or from a spot that would have been absolutely NASTY if it went in. my mans only wants sexy goals, which is a stance i respect immensely. 

his first regular season goal… didn’t give him any points. it was beautiful, and a game winner, but since it happened in a shootout, it didn’t count towards his points totals. personally, i think this is bullshit, but now is neither the time nor the place for me to get into my issues with some of the NHL’s rules. (Nov 10, 2023, Flames @ Leafs)

Domishka bardownski SO winner,,, you were so beautiful and so unappreciated but i will never forget you </3

now.

Max’s first real goal as a Leaf.

for those of you who followed me at the time, you may recall this post:

a post that the Hockey Gods took to heart

and obviously i followed through. what do you think i am, some kind of quitter?

and, again, unfortunately, we Leafed that one up, too. we lost it in OT again, so still no Domi belt pic for Rick :(

now i’m not going to go back and gif all 18 of his assists, because i don’t think y’all care quite that much about Visual Proof of all of them. for your convenience, though, i did go back and track down whose goals he had assisted on, and the results aren’t super surprising IMO

Calle Järnkrok, Nick Robertson (assisted on 5 each)

Matthew Knies (assisted on 4)

William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner, Timothy Liljegren (assisted on 1 each)

anyway, now for what is quite possibly my favourite game that i didn’t actually get to watch live.

December 16, 2023, Penguins @ Leafs, a decisive 7-0 victory.

it was also a 3 point night for Max, two of which helped to complete Matthew Knies’ Gordie Howe hat trick, the first since Daniel Winnik in 2015. but a goal and an assist are only two parts of it, the third being a fight. a fight which Knies initiated against John Ludvig after he knocked out yet another of Max’s front teeth with his stick. a fight which was Knies’ first ever. i’m still mad i didn’t see this happen live, but i’ve rewatched the game in its entirety twice, and the highlights too many times to count. this game sparked my undying love for the 23-11-16 line, which is a line i still pray keefe will bring back.

and so, we have a goal and a fight, and we have an assist to finish off the hat trick, and none of it would have happened without Max :)

and speaking of fights, Max has had a couple of em himself in his time as a Leaf so far. granted, if you ask hockeyfights dot com, he didn’t win either of them, but that’s not what matters. what matters is that he looked beautiful doing it, whether it was against Ian Cole (VAN) or Sam Bennett (FLA), especially with the fun added bonus of him flexing his full head of hair at Bennett’s bald dome. as an aside, i fucking hate Sam Bennett, so Max trying to fight him was… well it made me feel things. all i’m gonna say.

max’s third goal was also gorgeous. stunning. amazing. another beautiful bardown, the sound of which lives on in my dreams.

this is getting far longer than it really needs to be, so i’ll take a step back and give you my true, honest thoughts.

Max Domi has been a very helpful player for the Leafs since he got here. he obviously has the drive to play here and to play well here, and 21 points is nothing to be ashamed of. you know who else has 21 points as of me writing this? Alex Ovechkin. and now i’m not saying they are players of the same caliber, but Max is 6th on the Leafs in points, and Ovi is tied for first on the Caps. 21 points is still 21 points, no matter where in the standings someone is. Max was born to be a Leaf, and nothing makes me happier than to see him here and thriving on the team he’s loved since he was a kid. he takes shots, blocks shots, defends his boys and is defended right back in turn. 

and i would not be Rick eastoncowan if i didn’t mention that i think he is hot. like stupid hot. especially without his teeth. fuck, the heart wants what the heart wants, and damn if my heart doesn’t want this tiny toothless idiot. 

[thespectralvision]

I typed up a little thing on Facebook, where I'm trying to be more open about my struggles and less internal, and I wanted to share it here too, since this is my space to be my weird little robot loving self:

It doesn’t take long for most people to realize I’m a Marvel fan. Usually that comes with a follow up question- who is your favorite character? I love watching the reactions; it’s clear people expect me to say Spider-Man or Iron Man or one of the other, more ‘popular,’ heroes. My favorite reaction when I said it was Vision was a comment made of “That’s a bold choice.”

The Vision certainly isn’t the most popular Avenger, it’s true. I’ve talked with artists at conventions who don’t bother bringing prints of him because they just don’t sell and space is limited. I see the comments on conventions where Mr. Bettany is a guest saying “Is Vision the best you can do?”. It sucks seeing that, and upsets me because every character is important to someone. Yes he’s not the most exciting or action packed hero. He’s kind of silly looking. He’s a thinker more than a fighter. And he’s been treated pretty badly in writing since the late 80’s and forgotten until very recently.

Trying to explain why he’s my favorite would take me days. Even choosing my favorite comic run/issue is hard. I would argue that Tom King’s series The Vision from 2015-16 is my favorite series of all time. I’ve read it over and over, and while it’s contested by some as being out of character I think it’s one of her few times Vision (and more importantly his trauma) has really been explored. I’ll talk about that run in another post maybe. I’m also very fond of some one off issues, like Avengers Spotlight 40 from 1990, where (White) Vision finally seeks help for everything he’s struggling with.

The comic I always reread on really bad days though, the one that really explains what Vision has become for me, is Avengers: No Road Home 10, the finale of the run. When I met Paul Bettany I mentioned this story to him - I don’t know if he’s read it or not, but he was kind enough to listen. In the run the godess Nyx wants to engulf the world in darkness, silencing everything. As someone who fights depression and has for a long time she feels almost symbolic of that. Quiet, calm, darkness and the end of light. She plans on doing this by finding The House of Ideas and destroying it, and at that point the run becomes somewhat metaphorical. Vision is the only Avenger able to follow her in before she closes the door, and ends up in the house - another dimension made of stories, where he faces Nyx alone. Now some context for the run - it begins with Vision, broken beyond repair and almost seeking death, believing he will finally be human if he can find a true death. Wanda and Monica and the others are very upset by this, trying to stop their friend and help him understand that death is not what makes us human (It is Vision after all, who always strives for something he can never truly be, while endlessly embodying the best of humanity despite that). He followed Nyx in because he wanted to die…And then we get this panel.

I won’t spoil much more, it’s a personal favorite run and I highly recommend it, but Vision eventually finds, and then becomes the light that defeats the darkness…using the power of stories, and memories, of his friends. And that’s what he became for me. I think about his stories, and the stories I want to tell about him to fight my own inner darkness. I paint images of him in bright colors and focus on the lights because it makes me feel better. He’s powered by the sun in the comics, and even in the MCU often symbolized with light through hologram like effects and the glowing Mind Stone. WandaVision made it clear he was the bright spot in Wanda’s life too. That’s just who and what Vision is in the Marvel-verses. One issue used the phrase "You were meant to be a Vision of mankind's brightest future" to describe him. And that’s one of the many reasons he’s my favorite. That’s what super hero stories are for I think, inspiring us and showing these silly spandex clad heroes against impossible odds to inspire us to fight the seemingly impossible things in our lives too.

I really love thinking about and writing these sorts of things. I tried blogging about comics and Vision for awhile but people didn’t seem interested. I think I’m going start doing it again for me, because much like my art it makes me happy sharing this silly Synthezoid with the world. Thank you Marvel, I never expected I would be so emotional about a red robot man but here we are.

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

He who Dares: Marvel star Charlie Cox on moving to Dublin, gangland crime, and perfecting the accent

The Kin and Daredevil star has played alongside greats such as Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, but he says as an actor you never presume you’ve ‘arrived’

By Niamh Donnelly  March 24, 2023  (X) (X)

Charlie Cox is on the move. When I Zoom-call the British actor to talk about his role in the latest series of RTÉ drama Kin, he’s in the back of a car, phone camera swaying slightly from the movement of the vehicle. More precisely, he’s in New York being ferried to and from meetings for what he calls “this new show”.

Cryptic. Might he be referring to the much-anticipated Disney+ Marvel series Daredevil: Born Again in which he plays the title role? He might. “We start shooting next week.”

In the run-up, the 40-year-old has been doing “gym work, and stunt work, and accent work, and just brushing up on a lot of the stuff I would have done before,” he says. “It’s been a while since I’ve played the character in his own show, as it were.”

Indeed, Cox played Daredevil in a Netflix series of the same name from 2015 to 2018. But given the licensing saga that followed, he’d be forgiven for thinking he had long since hung up his superhero suit.

Briefly, a clash of contracts between streaming platforms Disney+ and Netflix left some characters caught in the crossfire. Netflix lost the rights to air anything Marvel-related, while Disney was pumping resources into new Marvel projects and pretending the Netflix version of that world and its characters didn’t exist. Daredevil was one such character. Fans were so miffed that their favourite blind New York lawyer turned vigilante crime-fighter was stuck in no man’s land, they launched a #SaveDaredevil campaign.

Whether for this or reasons pertaining to complex contracts and their expiry, Cox’s hero eventually became the first lead character to cross the threshold from Netflix to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He made a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, guest starred in She-Hulk and is soon to be “born again” in his new show.

It must be an extraordinary feeling when people campaign to see you on screen. Did Cox’s world change when he became a Marvel star, and was exposed to its fandom?

“When you play a Marvel character, you do immediately become more recognisable, and the fan base is incredibly enthusiastic and passionate,” he says. “It’s great when the fans feel like what you’re doing is good and they appreciate the character that you’ve created, and the show is successful and well regarded. But equally if that wasn’t to be the case, I’m sure it feels pretty lonely.”

Cox hardly need worry about such things: YouTube is chock-full of glowing reaction videos to Daredevil’s appearance in Spider-Man and the buzz around his new show is strong. But even aside from his Marvel chops, Cox has an impressive CV. From his early appearance in the 2007 fantasy film Stardust to starring in two seasons of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and his leading part in the Netflix spy miniseries Treason, he’s amassed a stellar list of acting credits.

His role as Michael Kinsella in Kin might never have come about were it not for his wife, Samantha Thomas, and her role as executive vice president at Bron Studios which produced the drama along with RTÉ. When Thomas first got Peter McKenna’s script, she showed it to her husband.

“Initially, she just thought I should read it because she was interested to hear what my opinion would be,” he says. “And I read it and I immediately fell in love with it.”

Because a Covid lockdown had hit, the prospect of keeping their family together while the pair worked on the same project made perfect sense. Along with their son and daughter, they set up camp in Dublin.

“And it ended up being a really fantastic decision. We had such a great time. We’ve now spent two seasons in Dublin making the show. [During] the first one, we didn’t get to see much of the city because obviously everyone was in lockdown, and it was all just about working. But this past summer, I really got to experience Dublin in its full glory.”

This included partaking in what now seems a rite of passage for Hollywood stars who come to Dublin: jumping in the Irish Sea.

“I did it almost every day. I absolutely loved it. In fact, during the second season of the show, I actually chose living accommodation near Vico [Baths in Dalkey], so I could walk down every day. And for me, the colder the better. I couldn’t have been happier, waking up and getting in the sea before work.”

Whatever was in the water, it must have worked. The first season of Kin, which saw Cox’s character return from jail and attempt to get his daughter back while becoming embroiled in his family’s gangland feud, broke RTÉ drama streaming records with 2.1 million views.

Peter McKenna, Kin’s co-creator and showrunner has remarked that the cast is “probably the strongest thing about [it].” Cox’s co-stars include Clare Dunne (The Last Duel), Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones, Love/Hate), Emmet J Scanlan (The Fall) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Commitments).

What drew him immediately to his role, he says, was the contrast between what we know of Michael and how we perceive him as we follow his story.

“When we meet Michael at the beginning of season one, he’s just coming out of prison. And I felt like it was pretty clear that the man we were meeting was very different from how the family members described or remembered him.

“As an acting exercise, I found that to be quite an interesting challenge: to play someone who has a reputation of being someone you absolutely do not want to cross. There’s a side to him that’s incredibly scary and violent and dangerous, but the man we’re meeting for various reasons is actually in a very vulnerable place and trying to hide that vulnerability from the world.”

Indeed, this sense of vulnerability or morality is something often Cox brings to his more cut-throat roles, be they an MI6 agent (Treason), an ex-IRA enforcer (Boardwalk Empire), a vigilante crime fighter (Daredevil), or a gangland criminal (Kin).

“I always try to approach any character as if it’s a clean slate. So I’m not knowingly trying to do things in a similar fashion. But I always think that there must be more to [people] than meets the eye. And so often when you’re playing, a ‘good guy’, I think it’s important to make sure that you focus on the qualities he has that aren’t maybe so righteous.

“Similarly, if you’re playing someone who’s got a pretty violent history, it’s also important to see the sides of them that an audience might identify with, where you could easily be friends with one of these guys and not know what they get up to in their business life.”

Cox wasn’t familiar with the Dublin gangland scene before Kin, but as research he listened to episodes of Eamon Dunphy’s podcast The Stand with journalist Nicola Tallant.

“I was kind of blown away,” he says. “What I was reading – what our show is loosely based on – is happening right now. It’s current. It’s not in the past. It’s a real thing. You know, that was a little disconcerting to me at first. I was like, wow, I can’t believe [it] . . . this is ballsy.”

Similarly, Cox didn’t have any particular connection with Dublin before signing up to Kin. All the more impressive, then, that he manages to produce a pitch-perfect accent. How did he master such a notoriously difficult task?

“I have an amazing accent coach – two really fantastic accent coaches, actually,” he says.

The first is Poll Moussoulides, a dialect expert who had worked on Normal People with Daisy Edgar-Jones. The second is Emmet Kirwan, the Irish actor.

“I got in touch with him – I’d seen one of his movies, and I felt like his accent was really good. So, I copied [it]. I had him record a lot of my lines.”

Along with Kirwan, the voice of ex-footballer Shane Supple provided inspiration for Cox.

“Poll found this interview with him, and there was a quality in his voice that I thought would be kind of right for Michael. I would listen to that and try and learn [it] by rote. And then once we started filming, I’d stay in the accent all day while I [was] at work.”

The on-screen Cox might make a convincing Dubliner, but the off-screen one hails from East Sussex. He is the son of Trisha and Andrew (a publisher) and the youngest of five, with one older brother and three much older half-siblings. Acting was something he always enjoyed as an extracurricular activity, but it wasn’t until the end of his schooling that he began to take it more seriously.

“I was doing lead parts in plays and enjoying it more and more. It was during the production of one of those plays when an audience member who worked at LAMDA [The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art] came up to me and suggested I might want to audition for drama school.”

Cox took this advice and tried out for some of Britain’s most prestigious acting courses. He ended up at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, but just a year into his studies was offered a role alongside Al Pacino in the 2004 film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice. Because the school had a policy of not letting students take part in outside productions, he decided to leave and make a start on his career.

Cue a succession of screen and theatre roles alongside the likes of Claire Danes, Steve Buscemi, Michael Caine, Robert De Niro and many more. Were there moments along the way when he really felt he had made it as an actor?

“You know, it’s funny because in retrospect, there have been moments where it just feels like everything’s clicking and you’re getting a lot of the jobs you’re going for, and you’re working back-to-back. But in the moment that it’s happening, I have never really felt that way,” he says.

“On paper, you go on IMDB and you see [Stardust and Boardwalk Empire], and that looks like a really clear trajectory. But in reality, I shot Stardust in 2006. Boardwalk Empire was in 2011.”

He also points out that his Boardwalk Empire role got bigger as the series continued.

“When I got it, it was a small part. They only offered me three episodes. And if you think about it, I’d been the lead in Stardust which was a big Hollywood movie. And then in 2011, five years later, I’m taking a three-episode arc on a TV show because things had not escalated in the way that I’d hoped they would from being in a movie with Robert De Niro.”

Perhaps owing to this early wobble, or perhaps because of the insecure nature of acting as a career in general, Cox has always had the feeling of “staring down the barrel of looming unemployment – not knowing where the next pay cheque’s going to come from”.

“I have been very fortunate. The phone has always rung, and I’ve always gone back to work. But there have been, you know, long periods in between. I’ve never felt completely confident in the idea that the work will continue to present itself.”

Cox does however, say that he’s learnt a lot from the uncertainty of his career. “It’s a great discipline, because it really [teaches] you – and it took me quite a long time to learn this – [that] you have to really learn to love the job you’re doing in the moment that you’re doing it. And try not to project too far into the future about where you’re going to be this time six months, a year. Because you can ruin the experience of a really amazing job by worrying about what’s coming next.”

Being in the moment is also key to how Cox approaches acting. “A lot of it is instinct, and a lot of it should be instinct, but for your instinct to be well informed is a really good thing. My experience has taught me that you do as much homework as you possibly can, so that when you’re on set you don’t have to think about it. It’s a bit like sports: an athlete [or] a tennis player. You drill, and drill, and drill all your shots so that when you’re in the game, you don’t think about it, you just play them.”

On the topic of sports, Cox is a devoted Arsenal fan. Will his beloved team, now seated at the top of the Premier League table, pull off the win this season?

“I can’t answer that question. It’s too fraught with emotion for me at the moment. All I’ll say it’s a very exciting time, and I hope we can maintain the standard. I believe it’s possible. I’m starting to believe it’s possible.”

Besides, Cox’s busy life doesn’t allow a whole lot of time for fretting over league tables.

“I have a young family. So right now, whenever I’m not working, it’s spending time with my kids and my wife. That’s my priority. I’m really conscious that when I do work, I work really hard. And I love my work. I’m very grateful to have work. But when you are filming something it’s a huge commitment. So it’s really important to me that I don’t want to blink and my kids are going off to college . . . that’s my whole world. They’re my whole world right now.”

~*~

[iwitch-plus]

Heya :) it's been a while!

Hi, my name is Dolly (she/her) and I've had this blog for quite some time! In the past I've done things like open up free readings, or create discord servers as a way to feel a sense of community, but this time around I think I'm okay with just being here instead of seeking attention and validation. A new era of this blog marks my first steps toward ACTUAL self-discovery and growth.

This was initially a side blog but now it's the main one I use. But since it's technically a side blog, if you see any likes/follows from @ibitch-plus that's me lol!

I just thought I'd make a pinned post sharing a little about myself, and I'll try to keep it brief but I'm bad at that.

The direction this blog is going to be going is ideally going to be personal, intimate, focused on my own growth as a person, and focused on my growth in my practice. I plan on being vulnerable and fairly open but not to the point where it's a burden on followers. I just want this to become a safe space for myself and others to share if they have been feeling like they're lacking in personal growth/their practice. You're not alone! And you're welcome to follow me and join me on my journey to help inspire your own journey!

I'm 23, I'm a Virgo sun, Gemini moon, Gemini rising, and I have an air dominant chart with a Gemini stellium!

I started researching and learning about Witchcraft in 2014/2015, so I guess I’ve been practicing on and off for 8-ish years. Still feel like a baby witch though, and ready to keep learning.

While I do love witchy aesthetics, my witchy blog has always been more dedicated to research, resources, and text posts along with my own personal photos, anecdotes, spells, and journey.

My witchy interests include:

Tarot

Herbalism

Botany

Kitchen Witchery

Astrology

The Moon

Sigils

Glamour Magic

Low effort Witchcraft

Natural products (making my own salves, tinctures, balms, etc!)

Aphrodite

All Greek pantheon, honestly

Spirits/Entities/Demons/Deities of all kinds

Crystals

Pendulums, and most other forms of divination

Mixology

Probably so many more but I can't think of any more specific ones!

My non witchy interests include:

Video games! Mostly Nintendo Switch gaming and cozy games but I play a lot of stuff on PC and some on other consoles, too!

Cartoons! Kids cartoons, adult cartoons, anime. I just like it better when it doesn't have real people in it. I love Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, recently been into Bob's Burgers, I'm just a big cartoon fan!

Cats! I have 2 boy kitties, a little black one and a big ol' orange dude. They're my favorite, and I love pretty much all cats in general.

Piercings and tattoos! I work in a tattoo shop, currently working on my piercing apprenticeship!

Mixology! Again, lol! I find the art of making and creating cocktails to be very witchy, but also just super fun in non-witchy ways.

Fashion! I love clothes and shoes, and I can never stick to one aesthetic

Pool! Like, as in billiards! Super random but it's fun and I've gotten a lot better over the past couple years!

Pretty much any hobby ever! Soap making, candle making, baking, embroidery, hand sewing, cosmetic making, jewelry making, singing, makeup, playing instruments, I just love to do it all.

Okay that's enough about me, like I said I'm bad at keeping it brief but there ya go! Can't wait to get back into the community. <3

[foxes-that-run]

https://genius.com/Michael-buble-someday-lyrics

Do you think this is about TS? I feel it might be because of this part:

I remember that love song I sang every word wrong But you didn't mind, no no

Hi Anon, thanks for asking!

The TLDNR is yes, this song references Taylor, with that line about his temper trap tattoo.

Maybe Someday

When was it written

It is one of a few songs he wrote in mid-2014, including I Love You and Just a Little Piece of Your Heart. He had been hanging out with his friend and now manager Jeff Azoff and he was either stretching a creative muscle and/or considering a solo career. He later told Rolling Stone he first suggested a break from 1D late in 2014, about 4 months after writing this.

Harry wrote it with Johan Carlsson (if I could fly) and Meghan Trainor. Meghan said they worked together after "all the base" (June). Harry was in LA on 21-24 July 2014 - when this was likely written. The press mentioned it August 2014. Harry was on tour, he and Taylor seemed more on/ than off Feb 2014 - Feb 2015 (Timeline)

In 2015, when asked if it was for 1D Meghan said it was "a duet between a boy and a girl, so we're not sure yet." She's also said:

"He heard the song and was apparently a fan and a mutual friend told me he wanted to write with me [...] So I walked in with a prepared verse and chorus. But he gave me very poetic, mature lyrics. I was like, 'Well, damn, Harry, you know what love is.'" not like the Harry Styles who everyone is in love with. We finished the song in an hour or two and I love it. I was nervous 'cause I thought he'd be like a Justin Bieber, like 'he's so famous' and love himself, but he was just so normal... I immediately wasn't nervous any more." When asked about dating Harry she responded ‘Everyone I meet is taken. They’re all dating people.

It was released more than 2 years later in October 2016 by Michael Buble with Meghan singing. (How I would love to hear the demo with 2014 Harry's vocals and a Ukulele.)

Lyrics

I love seeing you happy I miss seeing that smile It's been such a long time And although I don't have you I know now that I need to Somehow make you mine And I won't lie, it's hard seeing you with him 'Cause I know he can't hold you like I can

Trouble "When I see that smile therе’s trouble"

It's unclear if either was dating someone else in this period. I see this as related to Is it Over Now? "At least I had the decency / To keep my nights out of sight" where they were dating others. To me, these are an indication that they agreed to be together in the future due to the difficulty of dating with their careers. In October, Harry reportedly wrote another song called 'not our fault' that sometimes external things cause a relationship to not work. Harry has mentioned not wanting others to hold her in:

Woman "I hope you can see the shape that I’m in While he’s touching your skin He’s right where I should, where I should be"

Happily "You know I wanna be the one to hold you when you sleep."

Perfect "Or the arms that hold you any time you want them"

TBSL "Do you think it's easy being of the jealous kind?"

Him "'Cause I don't wanna hear about him / How he is holding you better at night"

[Chorus} Someday maybe when we're old and gray We could be in love once more Till then I won't give my love away Darling, I'm forever only yours

Meghan Trainor said she had written a chorus before she met Harry and he loved it. Harry has also sung about waiting for love a lot:

Satellite "Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in"

Without You "Waiting everyday I don’t wanna wait for you"

Already home "I’ve been waiting, every day since"

Talk "Don't you, don't you wait"

Golden "So you wait for me in the sky"

Oh, I remember that love song I sang every word wrong But you didn't mind, no no And I'll admit that I miss you But only if you do 'Cause you know that I'm shy And I can't lie, it's hard seeing you with her 'Cause I know she can't love you like I can

Mis-remembered lyrics are a reference to Harry's Temper Trap Tattoo, Taylors arm lyrics and the birthday gift of the hand written lyrics. Harry has also referenced this in Canyon Moon: "She plays songs I've never heard / an old lover's hippie music/ Pretends not to know the words"

Lots of missing, and in FTDT also never being the first to break:

FTDT "Why won't you ever be the first one to break? / Even my phone misses your call, by the way"

Late Night Talking "It's only been a couple of days / And I miss you"

Falling "You said you cared / And you missed me, too"

If I could fly "I'm missing half of me when we're apart"

Without you "Now you’re with him i must admit I’m missing / The part of your skin"

Ophelia "I miss you so, miss you so"

And my lovin' works for you then (it works for you) We've got nothing to lose 'Cause I'm forever only yours (in love once more, once more, once more) No need to complicate it That smile is worth the wait, yeah I'm forever only yours (hey, yeah) Someday maybe, Someday maybe Someday maybe I'll be yours (woah, baby)x2

Similar to not complicating it:

I just wanna love you "I just wanna love you, that's all I gotta say"

Olivia "I love you, it's all I do / I love you"

Similar to forever only yours:

Ophelia "The definition of devotion, baby"

Fine Line "You've got my devotion"

Happily "I just want it to be you and I forever."

End of the Day "She said the night was over, I said it's forever"

[bright-and-burning]

tagged by @landoisokay and @bsaka7 to do my 9 favorite albums (with commentary. i had a lot to say...)

these are all relatively recent because i pick and choose older songs individually more than i listen to them as a single album. like i could pick at least an album’s worth of queen songs, but they’re not all off the same album, ya feel.

in no particular order!! w some explainers below the cut:

dreamland (2020) - glass animals. i almost put how to be a human being but i’ve been listening to that album basically on repeat for the last three weeks so i needed to switch it up. such an experience of an album honestly?? where how to be a human being makes me feel like the main character in an over-saturated murderous movie set in miami, dreamland is like, over-saturated fast car movie set in tokyo (the like. hollywood idea of tokyo, to be clear). forever intertwined with midnight walks through empty cities during covid, driving too fast, the first time i hung out with people after getting to come back to college, neon lights on cinderblock walls and $12 plastic handles of liquor. fundamentally bittersweet as an album imo? but so full of bangers that you forget that it’s . really sad. tokyo drifting with denzel curry was my top song of 2020 and spotify helpfully informed me that i listened to it 30 times on my 19th birthday. lol. the “get loose, streetfighter” with the street fighter sound effect… oh yeah baby that’s art. it’s all so incredibly loud also a song of all time tbh. whole album is floaty and sharp all at once, insane production, the perfect sadness layered underneath, every song building into this brilliant crescendo… perfect album for 2020 eve for like so many reasons, i could wax on about this for AGES so if u want more drop an ask no joke it’ll make my week. still holds up soooo well

lemonade (2016) - beyonce. LOL. this album dropped right around when i was getting cheated on by my gf of. over a year. and then we broke up and i signed the papers to transfer schools the next day without telling anyone. so this album fr got me through uprooting my entire life to start over. (what timing, to get cheated on right as beyonce drops her got-cheated-on album). i knew beyonce belonged on here (too influential musically to me to Not) but i was stumped on what specific album to include (i had 4 on cd in my car in high school, for example, and homecoming: the live album felt like cheating) until i remembered how much play time this one got, and how much i leaned on the album and the visuals then (which. by the way. i bought on itunes bc it wasn’t available for streaming. used precious data bc school wifi wouldn’t let me download it. possibly the last album i bought on itunes??)

save rock and roll (2013) - fall out boy. oh man. 2015 me was on one bc i was a HUGE mcr/fob/atl/p!atd/green day girl but at the Exact same time. a 1d girlie. my shuffle would literally go from mama to up all night. ANYWAYS. was stuck between american beauty/american psycho and save rock and roll, but i think american beauty/american psycho didn’t hold my attention for long and only recently came back on my radar (has some very toxic inspiration won’t lie). the mighty fall ft big sean? life changing. big fan of rappers being dropped into songs that you aren’t expecting them to feature on. “i’m either fuckin or workin so the grind don’t stop” is a work of art. young volcanoes and save rock and roll were legitimately like. the most comforting songs of all time as a sad and lonely 14 year old

when we were friends (2019) - the backseat lovers. starts out so strong and keeps it going. what an album to listen to while absurdly into someone who then starts dating your roommate lol. just like, beautiful stuff. makes me yearn. crazy good to belt out in the car while driving

cleopatra (2016) - the lumineers. feels like home, and being dumb young and in love to me. i’ve been listening to them since ho hey played on our local membership supported radio station when i was . 11?? finally got to see them two summers ago and bawled my eyes out the entire time. this whole album no skips but also like. so overwhelmingly nostalgic and infused with feelings with nowhere to go that i can’t help but want to cry. i learned how to play ophelia on a piano in a basement of a dorm i’ll never see the inside of again lol. patience makes me insane and it’s literally just piano. the lumineers in general make a lot of music that makes me ache for times and places i can’t return to, but this album is pretty peak for it

lungs (deluxe edition) (2009) - florence + the machine. god florence just does not miss does she. dog days are over another local member supported radio station hit. i started listing all the perfect songs off and then had to stop because i was listing the entire track list. floaty and romantic with a heavy edge of morbidity and violence. remember when i said i love when rappers on songs you aren’t expecting? if you listen to anything from this post PLEASE listen to you’ve got the dirtee love ft dizzee rascal from this album. a long ass album that’s good the whole way through, i’ll truly never tire of it

ctrl (2017) - sza. i think SOS might be better and eventually take this slot but i’m trying not to let recency impact this too much. drew barrymore went quintuple platinum in my bedroom in high school. it really was the perfect album for insecure 16 year old me? speaks of growth that listening to this album doesn’t hit me where i live half as much as it used to, that instead of being like damn so real sza to things like . “im sorry im so clingy i dont mean to be a lot... lonely enough to let you treat me like this” im like. damn good song

hozier (expanded edition) (2014) - hozier. take me to church another song that member supported ad-free radio station introduced me to. what a fucking album my GOD. angel of small death and the codeine scene… jackie and wilson was literally like. the love song to me. still is can’t lie. need to be saved and have hands through my hair. every single song has lines that literally make my jaw drop, i feel like i discover something new on every listen through. “free and young and we can feel none of it”… foreigner’s god makes my chest ache. i can’t fucking believe this album is ten years old???

mt joy (2018) - mt joy. another album that reminds me of home; my whole family listened to this for months on end during covid. i’m your wreck is such an opener… “and whatever happens please remember all the laughter” like i’ll cry. my instagram bio is from this song lol. the bit where it shifts into what my family calls shoulder lean mode… anyways. ASTROVAN!!! A SONG ABOUT JESUS SMOKING WEED but like. also an emotional tale of assuring mom how music’ll work out even if they’re broke the whole time. whole album gives me Feelings. this might be the happiest album on this list and it’s. not really that happy. just a very specific kind of like. optimism. we move forward even when we look back. the world fails us but we build it better. idk. like the last song is a break up song, but it’s whole thing is “so if you worry, don’t worry bout me, i always wanted you to see the california coast-line on your own time.” so like yeah, love is burning out, but don’t worry about me. i told u. Feelings.

uhhhh no pressure tagging @mecachrome @freeuselandonorris @monacotrophywife and @oscarpiastriwdc

[lovebombs4life]

the story of us - c.t.h

requested: yes! “Could you do a calum x reader, please?!

They are together since sgfg era (they met at a concert of her) and you could write their story (like timeline)”

a/n: i love this idea so so so much. i’m tweaking some of it just a bit, but i hope you enjoy it :) this took me like 2-3 days to write. i have two other requests i haven’t even started in bc i love this one so much.

cw: swearing, implications of drinking and sexual activities

———

2015

being a small artist was so exciting, but so exhausting. trying to get publicity and more recognition sucked, with a big capital S.

my life has completely changed when my manger had called me, asking if i wanted to be an opener for an uprising band, 5 Seconds of Summer. of course i immediately said yes.

i had seen them before live. they opened for one direction when they were first starting out. they were incredible, and opening for them would be such a dream. tour started next month, giving me time to catch up on all their music.

their voices were unbelievable. i remember hearing amnesia when i had been broken up with last year, and listening to it now, i no longer think of him. now all i can think of is how beautiful it sounded.

i looked into the band, searching up common stuff about them. calum’s tan skin and tattoos has drawn me in. his hair was beautiful, he was beautiful.

i couldn’t let that distract me from being professional when we met. i pushed aside those feelings, waiting for tour to start.

———

a month later

i shook with excitement as i was being driven to the first venue. i had yet to meet the boys, and to say i was nervous was an understatement.

as we pulled up to the venue, i could see thousands of girls already standing outside, waiting to get in. my stomach flipped at the sight. sure i’ve performed live before, but this was a lot more than i’ve ever played for. i shook off the nerves of performing, focusing back on my first impression with the band.

the car parked, and i stepped out, walking to the entrance of the venue. i was lead by a security guard to the large dressing rooms. the sounds of laughing and yelling were heard through the door before i walked in.

“everyone, this is y/n y/l/n, your opener. y/n, this is the band.” the security spoke to me, leaving me with everyone. they all looked at me with soft smiles. my eyes landed on calum, my breathe hitching as he watched me walk through the door.

“i’m sure you already know, but i’m luke, that’s michael there, ashton, and calum.” luke smiled brightly. they all stood up, taking turns hugging me.

“it’s great to meet you guys. it’s crazy that i’m your opener. it feels like i saw you guys opening for one direction just a week ago, but here i am opening for you this time.” i spoke, waving my hands around.

calum chuckles at my actions. i blushed, smiling at them. “we’re excited that you’re here. your music is fantastic, and we’ve already seen some posts from fans saying they can’t wait to see you live.” calum said.

“i’m glad. im incredibly nervous. how long until i’m on?” i asked, looking for a clock. “little less than an hour.” michael piped up, looking at his phone.

my eyes widened, not ready at all. “i’m gonna go warm up a bit, see you all later!” i said, walking into my own seperate dressing room.

i began my warm ups, and before i knew it, i was halfway through my set. “alright everyone, we’re gonna slow it down a bit, and i’m gonna do an acoustic cover, how’s that sound?” i spoke into my mic. the crowd went crazy.

i chuckled as i put my mic back on the stand, grabbing my guitar. “so this is one of my favorite songs actually, and it means a lot to me. it’s called everything had changed, by this super cool chick named taylor swift. if you know the words, sing along!” i announced.

i started strumming my guitar, listening to the muffled screaming through my ear pieces. i smiled as i saw calum watching me from off stage. he gave me a smile and a thumbs up. my heart fluttered.

i turned back and sung the words. i knew my face was red as it was, but if i could see myself i knew i would be bright red. calum mouthed the words as i sung, making me giggle a bit.

once i finished the song, i said my goodbyes to the crowd. i passed calum, giving him a high five. “that was fantastic!” he cheered, pulling my arm back and giving me a hug. i pressed my face to his chest, taking in his scent.

i needed something to subside this little crush that was lingering in my mind. “thanks cal! just thirty more minutes then you guys will be on stage! they’re all going crazy waiting for you.” i laughed.

he watched me as i walked away, going to my dressing room to grab a snack.

soon enough the boys were due to go on stage. i walked around to the side of the stage, watching calum as he plucked the strings on his bass. i sung along to every song, watching calum the whole time.

every so often he would turn his face towards me, watching me as i danced around and sung with him. he would laugh and shake his head slightly.

the concert went on, and i could see some fans pointing to calum as he kept looking to the side. i giggled, thinking how they’d never know he was watching me. it was such an innocent thing, but i knew we’d have to keep things professional in the end.

“alright i want everyone to scream the words to this with us! i wanna hear you loud and clear and i want to see you jump!” luke yelled.

“i just want to say before we start, this song is going to be dedicated to the most gorgeous girl ive ever met. this is ‘she looks so perfect’” calum spoke, winking at me.

i blushed madly as the crowd went wild. after the show, calum handed his bass to a stage manager, and grabbed my hand, pulling me to his dressing room.

“what are you doing to me cal? my mind is going a million miles a minute just thinking of you.” i spoke, running my hand through my hair. he chuckled.

“i know it’s all so soon, but i believe in love at first sight, y/n. you make me crazy.” he spoke, getting closer to me. he held my hips as i wrapped my arms around his neck.

“let’s just see where it all leads, yeah? let time consume us.” i spoke. he nodded, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

this was only the start.

———

2016

after tour, i kept in touch with all the boys, but especially calum. soon after tour, we started dating. just a few months ago, we moved in together, sharing an apartment.

since moving in together, we’ve had countless movie nights, date nights, nights where we’d cook with each other, sick days, and so many other things. we’d already been together for a year, but it felt like we’ve been together for years.

“y’know, i really love you.” calum spoke softly as he played with my hair. my head was resting on his bare chest, tracing his tattoos. we’d both just gotten done showering, deciding to lay down and get ready for bed.

“i really love you too cal.” i blushed, looking up at him. his sweet eyes stared down into mine, giving me a soft kiss. i put my head back down, listening to his heart beating.

———

in the morning i woke up in an empty bed, looking for cal. i shifted around, finally getting up. i grabbed a pair of calum’s boxers and a sweater before walking out of our room. i could hear the soft sound of guitar from down the hall.

as i walked into the living room, calum started humming, stopping every so often. i knew he was in the middle of writing. he looked up when he heard my soft footsteps on the floor. “hey! i wanna read you these lyrics, wanna know what you think.” he spoke. i smiled, sitting down next to him.

i grabbed his journal, reading what he wrote. “i’m not sure if i’ll bring it up to the boys any time soon..” he trailed off as i read it.

“we know we’re classic together like egyptian gold.

we love us.

it don’t matter,

be combative or be sweet cherry pie,

it don’t matter just as long as i get all you tonight.”

he hummed it as i read, squeezing my leg. “cal that’s beautiful! you’ve gotta bring this one to the boys.” i encouraged. he blushed, pulling me closer to him.

“it’s about you. doesn’t matter if we stay in or go out, just as long as i’ve got you. as long as i get to love you.” he spoke. i blushed, pushing him back against the couch. i straddled his hips, kissing him.

“why don’t you show me how much you love me?” i asked him. he smirked, grabbing my waist.

———

2018

“i can take you out, oh, oh! we can kill some time, stay home!” calum sang, watching me as i danced from the crowd. i smiled at him as he watched. he signaled for a security guard to come close, speaking to them briefly before they walked to me.

“calum says he wants to bring you up on stage, follow me please.” he spoke. i nodded and followed. once on the side of the stage, i was handed a mic.

i listened as calum spoke. “i wanted to bring out a very special girl, my wonderful girlfriend, y/n y/l/n!” he announced. i walked out on stage, waving to the crowd.

“hello! i’m going to be honest, i didn’t know calum was going to bring me up here!” i laughed. the boys were still playing. they were at the bridge in valentine, playing it slowly.

calum took his bass off and set it down gently. he walked to me, grabbing one of my hands. “y/n i’ve loved you for the past 3 years, and im forever going to love you,” he began. i turned my head in confusion.

“you’re the most wonderful person i’ve met in my life. you’re the one who inspired this song, and what feels like millions more. you’re my muse.” he continued, letting go of my hand and grabbing something in his pocket. he set his microphone down, getting on his knee.

my eyes widened. i handed my microphone off to a stage hand, turning back to calum. he held a small velvet box, opened to show a beautiful diamond ring. “will you marry me?” he yelled to me over the sound of the crowd. i nodded my head quickly, my hands over my face. i got down to his level, holding out my left hand. he slid the ring onto my finger, pulling my face in for a kiss.

tears fell from my eyes out of excitement. “i love you!” i yelled to him. “i love you!” he yelled back.

he was the one i was going to spend the rest of my life with.

———

2020

it was CALM release day. calum and i have been together for five years now, and married for a year.

our wedding was very private, but we took plenty of pictures to share with the fans. i’ve never been more proud of calum.

calum was at another interview today, and of course i was by his side the whole time. i stood off set, watching as they talked about the album. “what’s your guys’ favorite song off the new album, and why?” the host asked. they all looked at each other, thinking of their answers.

“easily mine is wildflower. y/n was a big inspiration for that song, and she even helped us write and produce some of our music. which i want to mention, her new album comes out in two months!” calum smiled at me.

after the interview, he captured me in a tight hug. “you have no idea how proud of you i am, cal.” i kissed him. “and you have no idea how proud of you i am, y/n.” he spoke as we walked to the car, leaving for the next interview already.

———

once we got home from celebrating the album, calum and i decided to relax in bed having a movie night. we decided on watching ‘juno’, one of our favorite movies.

“have you ever thought about having one?” calum asked. i looked up at him confused. “one what, cal?” i questioned.

“a baby, y/n. have you ever thought about having one?” he explained. i smiled at him. “of course i have cal, i’ve always known i’ve wanted to be a mother some day.” i watched his eyes flicker to my lips.

“what about having a baby with me?” he held on tight to me as he asked. i nodded my head. “all the time. it’s been in my mind since before we got married.”

“what do you say we make one?” he said, stroking my hair. my eyes widened. “now? shit if you’re down, let’s do it.” i laughed. he climbed on top of me, and i prepared myself for the night ahead. calum was a determined person, and i knew he’d go all night if it meant getting me pregnant.

———

a few weeks later i had woken up, feeling like absolute shit. i sprung up from the bed, running to the bathroom. while throwing up everything from my system, that moment, i knew i was pregnant. since that night i had stopped drinking alcohol and switched to decaf coffee just to be sure of no issues. calum had stopped smoking, and we could do was wait to have a positive test.

once done, i quickly scrambled to grab a pregnancy test from under the sink. i did my thing and set it on the counter, result side face down. “calum?” i yelled from the bathroom.

he hurried into the room, thinking i was hurt. “are you alright? what’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing my face, holding me close. that’s when he had seen the test on the counter.

“you really think..?” he started. i nodded my head. “i woke up with morning sickness. i know it may not mean anything but, i don’t know, ive just got a feeling.” i said. he held onto me, standing with me while we waited.

i grabbed out my phone, setting up my camera to record our reaction. i was so sure, but at the same time it could’ve been nothing.

i had taken some videos before, and they were negative, but that was me just waiting to see if it’d happen. of course, calum was with me during each, but for this one he held me tighter.

“ready?” i asked him, the video already recording. “as i can be.” he replied, smiling. i grabbed the test from the counter. “okay. one, two, three.” i spoke, flipping the test over. i studied the lines, but quickly saw two solid pink lines. i covered my mouth, showing calum. his eyes widened grabbing the test from me, looking at it for himself.

“we’re pregnant.” i stayed, watching him set the test down. he grabbed me, squeezing me tightly. “i’m gonna be a fucking dad!” he cried, kissing me.

“we’re gonna be parents!” i squeaked, tears slipping from my eyes. i grabbed my phone, ending the video. i took a picture of the test, and sent both to my family and calum’s.

we were flooded with congratulations from our families. we waked back to the room, laying with each other. we both posted the video and the picture on our social medias, announcing to the world that we’re going to have a baby.

———

nine months feels like a life time, but also so short once you have your baby. on november 8th, 2020, we had our beautiful baby boy, charlie.

calum and i spent every waking moment loving him, and loving each other. being home from the hospital was a relief, as we were able to finally have alone time from friends and family.

this was the start of our small family.

———

2022

5sos5 released just a few months ago, and charlie was soon turning two. time has flown by, but everything is absolutely perfect.

luke had brought up the idea for calum and i to make another version of ‘Older’, knowing our voices went well together. we decided to do so, and released it. the song was beautiful as it is with luke and sierra, but it felt so much more special now that calum and i had an official song together.

calum and i sat together by our fireplace, enjoying the warmth in the cold weather. we had just found I’m pregnant again, and we’re basking in the love of each other. charlie was asleep in his crib, the baby monitor close by incase he started to fuss.

calum got up, grabbing my hand to come with. he walked me to the kitchen, grabbing his phone out. he searched something up before hitting play, and propping open the refrigerator door. “you’re so cheesy. i love it.” i giggled.

he grabbed my waist, clasping one of our hands together. i rested my other hand on his shoulder. he swayed with me, just as we did for our first dance after getting married.

he kissed the top of my head, holding me close. “you’re so perfect, y/n. i’m so in love with you.” he spoke softly.

“i’m so in love with you cal. you were meant just for me.” i spoke, pressing my lips to his.

“as forever comes closer,

hope the world will spin slower,

i don’t want to get older.

i don’t want to get older.”

[ourpickwickclub]

Even though there are still some ML trolls and the patronpatrol/Reen psycho, I have to think on how much worse the trolling used to be for b&g, especially because there used to be so many more ran fans that hadn’t let go yet, and then the Shevine fans who were so horrible to Gwen while Adam was still on The Voice. Sometimes the ML and Shevine fans would even team up on Twitter in their hate fests. I was late to the Shefani party and came along in 2019, and it was still pretty bad even then, when they’d been together 4 years. Now they are about to make 9 years together and they have outlasted so many of those miserable people that were praying for their downfall in the beginning and claiming they were for PR. They got married and continue to thrive and have become more and more open about their family unit with the boys. We are still having fun seeing them release their 6th duet. They looked so amazing and happy in Vegas last night.

I’ve been here since the Halloween 2015 pics, so I feel I’ve seen all the stages, and you are so right. It is much better now. The Gwen and ND fans that hated Blake were also terrible. It’s really amazing they weathered all of that hate. I remember the shock and disbelief of the ran fans when it began to dawn on them that Blake and Gwen really were a thing. ML had just covered Spiderwebs (badly) in public, had called Gwen a total rockstar to the press, and then went on to follow Gwen, only for Gwen to not follow her back. Lololololol. Man, that made them all blow a collective gasket. And our inbox also used to be filled with ND fans who were GR apologists. As bad as the patrolpatrons in many ways because they are literally justifying abusive behavior and wishing Gwen still had a relationship with a horrible person who treated her like dirt.

Oh, and I also remember when Ashley Monroe let it slip that Blake had changed his phone number early on. She was talking about getting a call from an unknown number and it was Blake with a new number. I think it was when they were up for a Grammy together. The ran fans did not like that he changed his number. That was a big explosion of hate also.

- B

[notyouraryang0dd3ss]

"I’ve seen too many people streaming her album, muted on their phones all day and night long, so it gets streams." I'm an army (bts fan) and our fandom has fanbases that study how spotify and other platforms work in order to increase our numbers, because unlike taylor swift, bts does not have support from the gp and suffers a lot of xenophobia, in addition to the boycott that it happens. I can honestly say that listening to ttpd on mute will not increase streams, spotify filters the stream if you hear anything on mute. I know you probably don't like bts but I wanted to share this with you since I hate taylor swift and the swifties, especially because swifties were being racist against bts, and last year it got worse since jungkook released his solo album

omg we got an army here…tell us your secrets

well swifties…there you have it muting your devices will not bump the streaming numbers!!!

that doesn’t surprise me. ever since bts went inactive swifties rose up and think they’re unprecedented in taylor’s level of fame/wealth. its on trend with their racism and pretending other artists of color havent achieved more international success. i swear they have amnesia and forgot how HUGE bts was not even 2 years ago. afaik taylor’s never been invited to the white house and it must be secretly killing her inside

im not here to be a kpop stan ofc i just know a lot of stan twitter/tumblr lore (bc bts was way big on tumblr in like 2015-16). poor jungkook tho :(

[gumnut-logic]

Today is my five year fandomversary!

Today five years ago I fell into this fandom and never looked back. I published my first Thunderbirds fic, which I will reblog again just for traditions sake.

1.3 million words/260+ fics later...let's just say I've had a lot of fun :D

Usually on this day I offer to write for some one word challenges and while I'll happily accept them, I honestly don't think my muse is up to playing with them at the moment. It's having a rest so hopefully at some point I can start writing again. But ask away if you like, I can always store them for later :D

Anyways, thank you to Thunderfam for all the fun I've had over the last five years and for motivating me to write those thousands and thousands of words...there will be more, I have no doubt :D

Nutty

::massive group hug::

Title: No-one is losing their Dad today Author: Gumnut Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015 Rating: Teen Summary: Exactly how not to do it. Word count: 5,145 Spoilers & warnings: Thunderbirds Are Go S1 Ep1 & 2, in fact if you haven’t seen these two episodes, this isn’t going to make much sense. Interwoven episode tag. Author's note: This fic is affected by two things. Firstly, it is the first complete fic I’ve written in nearly ten years, so my writing muscles are very much rusty. Secondly, brand new fandom! I’ve only been here for a matter of weeks and I’m so in love with the Tracy boys, it has become an addiction. It has been a long time since a fandom grabbed me like this, and I’m having sooo much fun! This fic is very intertwined with the first two episodes of the first season – that first scene (I love it!), but I felt it had some ramifications, because ouch! So this is possibly happening in the background of the episode. Also, total Virgil fan :D And anyone who knows me from other fandoms, knows what happens to my favourite characters :D Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother. Scenes parroted from the episodes are definitely not mine.

His hand missed.

The roaring wind caught the beleaguered hot air balloon, lifting it up, tossing it sideways, and ripping its tethers from the basket. The basket hung suspended a moment, then flipped, throwing its last passenger into freefall.

His yell was taken by the wind.

“Dad!” The boy beside him struggled and Virgil grabbed him, yanking him back to the safety of his ship’s overhead hatch. Calculations raced through his head. Possibilities.

He stabbed his commlink, yelling over the wind, “Thunderbird Five, I need you now!”

There would be only moments. Lowering the hatch, he threw himself at the controls. The kid was pleading for him to save his father.

“No-one is losing their Dad today!” No-one. John was in his ear. “John, what’s my time window?”

The answer was maybe enough.

He shouted over his shoulder at the kid. “Strap in!” And threw TB2 into a dive. He rode gravity until it wasn’t enough and kicked in the rear thrusters, sending them screaming past the falling man. Virgil brought her to pacing drop beneath him, the VTOL gear halting their descent, but not their fall.

The seconds counted down in his head.

Darting back into the centre of the cockpit, he secured his tether, and with an almighty shove, flung back the overhead hatch.

The ship’s plummet tore him from her confines and within a second he was falling beside the screaming man.

This time, his hand didn’t miss.

“I’ve got you!”

Another second ticked by.

He remotely triggered the VTOL, slowing her fall.

Damn, this was going to hurt.

He wrapped himself around the struggling man, protecting him as much as he possibly could, as the hatch rushed up to meet them.

Then there was Thunderbird, metal and pain. He grunted and the man fell off him. He vaguely heard the VTOL ratchet up into a hover. John was yelling in his ear.

He squeezed his eyes shut a moment, forcing away the stars, before rolling over onto his knees. Oh god, there was going to be hell to pay for this one. He could feel the bruises forming.

But now was not the time. He struggled to his feet, pleased to see the father and his kid clinging to each other. Totally worth those bruises.

A somewhat staggering step back to his seat, and he was answering John’s increasingly urgent calls. “This is Thunderbird Two, mission complete.”

There was a relieved sigh at the other end of the line. “Good job, Virgil.”

He signed off and took a moment to sigh himself, before plotting his course to the nearest hospital. The son seemed fine, but the father had taken that fall with him, and it wouldn’t hurt for both of them to get checked out.

He rolled his right shoulder…ow…probably wouldn’t hurt to get himself checked out either. At home. With a hot shower. And coffee. What was it with balloonists and the crack of dawn anyway?

-o-o-o-

It was afternoon before he made it home. He managed the shower but missed the coffee due to another trip down his chute to save some scientists from a seaquake.

He forgot his shoulder until he couldn’t target their underwater habitat with his grapple guns. Damn arm trembled when he put pressure on it, throwing off his aim.

Scott succeeded in latching on first try with the grapple gun in Thunderbird One, even though he knew the scout ship wouldn’t have the grunt to hold the habitat by itself. The thought of TB1 disappearing below the waves was enough motivation for Virgil to grit his teeth and make his body behave.

The day was saved yet again. This time it was three scientists he dropped off at the nearest hospital. And then home.

And then the Hood.

Seaquakes. An argument with the GDF. An argument with his brothers. There was coffee this time, but once again he was flying down his chute. As he hit the bars to swing himself into his ship, his shoulder screamed in protest and he stumbled as he landed, but there was no time. He shoved the overhead hatch closed.

This time there was an entire city to save. A solar collector had fallen out of alignment and in just the right position to fry downtown Taipei. Scott, of course, beat him there and was in the thick of things before Virgil could even assess the situation.

Grab the dish and move it. Once again, he found himself struggling, this time with the magnetic claw. He grasped the dish perfectly, but the moment he fired up the VTOL to lift the dish, his arm spasmed, jolting the yoke. He lifted up his hand and watched it tremble. What the hell?

He didn’t have time for this!

Unfortunately, the dish was still attached to its foundations and he was unable to move it. Then Scott was climbing to free it and Virgil’s priority had switched to rescuing the crew.

Slaving TB2 to autopilot, he dashed into the hold to grab his Jaws of Life exoskeleton. He only hesitated momentarily, steeling himself as the metal wrapped around him. He expected complaint from his arm, but none came. He blinked and flexed the claw. A little tingling, a twinge or two. Okay. And he was off and running.

Everything went perfectly well until he had to grab and hold onto the edge of the personnel carrier to save his own life.

-o-o-o-

Kuan-yu knew the laws of physics. He was an engineer, it was his business. The force required to crumple the door to the collector station was considerable, so there was no surprise when the man in blue and green and sporting metal arms was easily able to lift the beam that had fallen on Teller. The logo on his helmet flashed in the morning light.

International Rescue!

The IR man hurried the three of them out of the crumbling building. They stumbled over rubble, clambering as fast as they could, desperate to get away.

And then the sky was falling. The huge dish had come off its supports and was roaring, screaming, down towards them.

Kuan-yu opened his mouth to yell but was suddenly swept from his feet. His hands automatically wrapped around the harness that lowered over his head, and he was flying, the dish groaning down the mountain below him.

A blue man was riding the edge of it like a surfboard.

There was a muffled yell behind him. He twisted in his seat, but he could see little. Then a booted foot swung into view. There was another yell. And another. His rescuer must be hanging onto the edge of the carrier. Kuan-yu immediately began looking for a way to help him, but the harness was secured and he could not raise it.

His glance flickered down to the settling dish, looking for the other blue man, but he was gone. A moment later his world slipped into shadow and he looked up to see the massive green bulk of the world-famous Thunderbird Two.

There were expressions of awe, but Kuan-yu was overloaded and out of words.

The ship swallowed them up.

-o-o-o-

There was a moment of silence when the carrier came to a halt, suspended just above the deck of the ship. The lighting was dim after the brilliance of the morning sun, and although the engines of the craft were dominant, they lacked the chaos of the moments before. All he could hear was the panicked breathing of his two workmates.

A click and the harness holding him to the carrier disengaged. Hesitantly Kuan-yu pushed it over his head and slid out of the seat. His shoes touched the metal of the decking and the bass roar of the ship’s engines echoed up through the soles of his feet.

He took a few steps around the end of the carrier, his eyes seeking out the blue and green man, not entirely sure he had made it and not sure he wanted to see if he hadn’t.

The IR man was there. On his knees, head down, metal arms awkwardly splayed out to the side. A hologram of Thunderbird Two hovered above one arm. Suddenly his tense shoulders dropped and Kuan-yu could hear a muffled expletive and then something about surfing.

“Are you okay?” He couldn’t help himself.

The man’s head shot up and piercing brown eyes fixed on him. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

I’m not the one still on the floor. He thought but didn’t say. Teller and Jane had come around the other end of the carrier and both were staring at the IR man.

The man on the floor seemed to realise it anyway and blinked before clambering to his feet with a grunt and whirring of gears. He fiddled with the hologram on his wrist, the ghost of the rear thrusters flaring for a moment, the ship’s engines changed thrum and they all staggered slightly as it moved around them. Apparently finished with the hologram, he walked awkwardly over to the other side of the bay and backed himself up. There was a thunk, and the exoskeleton separated itself from him. The reinforcements unfastened from his boots and hips and lastly, he slid his arms from the claws. There was a hiss as his right arm came free, he wavered, and Kuan-yu was moving before the IR man pitched forward in an attempt to plant his face into the deck of his own ship.

It was awkward, but he caught him. There was a gasp of pain when his hand touched his right shoulder, so Kuan-yu struggled to lower the much larger man to the floor using mostly his left side. Fortunately, he was still wearing his helmet, so the soft clunk when he connected with the floor should have been less painful than without.

The eyes under that helmet slid closed.

“No! No, sir. You can not sleep! Stay awake!” He prodded the man gently and his eyelids flickered. Kuan-yu felt around the base of the helmet, looking for a release. The man needed air and Kuan-yu needed to assess him for injury. His fingertips fumbled across a latch and there was a soft hiss as the helmet came loose. He gently lifted the protection off the man’s head to reveal his pale face and mess of thick dark hair.

“Scott…” The word was faint.

“Jane, go and see who is flying this ship and see if you can get help.” He glanced up at his other workmate. “Teller, sit down before you fall down.”

The technician wobbled himself back onto the carrier.

With those two occupied, Kuan-yu turned his full attention to the almost unconscious man beside him. “Sir, can you hear me?”

His eyelids fluttered. He was obviously fighting to stay conscious.

“Can you hear me, sir?”

“Scott?” His eyelids fluttered again.

Kuan-yu felt gently around his scalp, checking for a head injury. It wasn’t long before he found one either. There was a considerable lump towards the back of the right side of the man’s head. Fortunately, there was no bleeding.

There was also the concern for the man’s arm. His uniform unzipped at the front, so Kuan-yu gently pulled it down just far enough to peel back his collar slightly. He drew in a sharp breath at the sight of black bruising. This wasn’t a new injury, it was at least twenty-four hours old. What the hell was this man doing saving lives in this condition?

Jane burst back into the compartment. “There is no-one flying this plane!”

“What?!” Both he and Teller spoke at once.

“There is no-one in the cockpit!”

Teller and Jane started talking over one another. He looked down at the IR man again. Was he really on his own? In his condition? How the hell was this plane still in the sky?

No, there had been another blue man. His heartrate picked up. No, no, this wasn’t the time to panic. He took a breath. “Both of you – shut up!”

There was a sudden silence. The engines thrummed through the ship. Teller and Jane stared at him.

Beneath his hand, the IR man moved. “I have to…” Those eyes were fully open once again and narrowing in on him.

“Sir, sit still. You collapsed and must remain calm.”

The eyes blinked at him. “Who are you?” There was authority in that suddenly deep voice.

“Lin Kuan-yu, Senior Engineer at the Taipei Solar Plant. You saved my life and the lives of my two colleagues, not fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh.” The man inhaled, held the breath a moment, before releasing it between his teeth. “Okay. Sorry about that.” And despite Kuan-yu’s resistance, the man sat up fully. He wavered a moment and Kuan-yu prepared to catch him again, but he rolled to his feet, stumbling, but standing firm. His eyes darted across the three of them. “Are any of you in need of medical assistance?”

Jane and Teller both answered no. Kuan-yu suspected Teller did in any case and would be checking him over once he had the IR man seen to. Brown eyes looked at him in question. “No, I don’t, but you do.”

“Let me worry about that.”

“But who is flying this plane?” Jane’s voice had an edge of hysteria to it.

The man swallowed. “Let me worry about that too.” He stepped back a moment as if to steady himself. “I’m sorry…”

And with that he staggered somewhat through the still open door and latched it shut behind him.

-o-o-o-

Virgil clung to the wall. The world refused to stop spinning. What the hell? The pain in his head. His shoulder was screaming at him.

He wasn’t fit to fly.

He had three rescued persons on board. And he couldn’t fly. He stepped away from the wall and staggered to the pilot’s seat. He could barely stand up.

Sliding in he scanned the controls. Where were they going?

A sudden image of Scott riding the dish down the mountain…

He slammed the transmission console. “Scott!”

“Virgil!” There was concern in his brother’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“You okay?” His console flickered in and out of focus for a moment.

“Fine. You?”

He swallowed. There was bile in his throat. “Not good.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line, before Scott’s controlled voice returned. “Can you fly?”

The world was spinning again.

Then it flickered as Scott’s hologram appeared on the dash. “Oh, god, Virgil.”

“I’m sorr..y.” And the whole world tipped sideways.

-o-o-o-

Scott reached out to catch the hologram of his brother as it slipped sideways and out of view. His fingers caught nothing.

“John!”

His younger brother’s hologram flickered on beside the empty shell of TB2’s cabin. “Thunderbird One?

“Virgil’s in trouble. He may have lost consciousness. Can you remote pilot Thunderbird Two?”

John’s eyes widened before darting to his controls. He frowned and muttered something under his breath. “One moment.”

Scott held his breath.

There was another muttered word, then John’s face relaxed. “Confirmed, Thunderbird One. Thunderbird Two is now under remote pilot.” John looked up at him. “But there are still three rescued persons aboard.”

“What is Virgil’s status?”

John could seem cold to some people, but Scott knew he was anything but. “Rapid pulse, low blood pressure…what the hell happened?”

“I don’t know. But we will find out. Where are the three engineers?”

“In the pod bay. They are mobile.” John frowned. “One is banging on the door to the cabin.”

“What is Gordon’s status?”

“Mission complete and heading home.”

“Advise him of our situation. Tell him to beach his ‘Bird as soon as possible. Bring Thunderbird Two to a hover. I’m going to board her.” John’s acknowledgement was brief.

Both Thunderbirds were out over the Philippine Sea, TB1 a little ahead of her sister. Scott accelerated up and flipped back over his position to settle above his brother’s green behemoth.

He’d already fried one jetpack today, but he’d learnt a long time ago to always pack a spare or three, so moments later he was landing beside TB2’s overhead hatch. “Thunderbird Five, please release the hatch.”

A gentle shove and he had the hatch open just enough to slide in. He slipped it closed behind him.

The cabin was eerily quiet despite the VTOL burning brightly outside. “Virgil?”

He found him half slumped off his chair, almost beneath the console. “Virgil!” Scott hit the seat controls, releasing it and moving it backwards slowly.

Virgil began to slip boneless to the floor. “I’ve got you.” He grabbed his brother under the arms and as gently as possible, halted his fall. A little manoeuvring had him on his back beside his pilot seat. “Virgil!”

“Sc-t?”

“What happened?”

“S-rry.”

“For what?”

Any answer Virgil might have given him was lost in a sudden banging on the cockpit door. “Hey, you need help. Let me help!”

Virgil’s eyes slipped closed and didn’t open again.

“Virgil!” He touched the man’s cheek. His skin was cold. “Virgil!” No response.

What the hell had happened?

Professionalism kicked in. The patient was breathing shallow but rapidly, heart rate up. “John, give me his vitals.” His brother’s hologram appeared beside him and rattled off numbers. Scott peeled back an eyelid, then the other one. He frowned, a possible concussion?

“Scott, he has all the symptoms of hypovolemic shock.”

“He’s bleeding?!” His hands skimmed over his brother’s uniform. He couldn’t see anything obvious. The zip of his uniform was pulled away slightly from his collar. Scott pulled it down quickly, revealing pale skin and dark chest hair.

And a massive spreading red and black bruise radiating out from the man’s right shoulder.

“Aww, hell.”

“Damn it, sir, you need help!” There was another thunk from the other side of the cockpit door.

Scott’s eyes darted momentarily between his brother and the door, calculating. “John, we’re going to Darwin. Alert the hospital. You plot and initialise, take One, I’ll take Two once I have Virgil secured. Tell Gordon to go home and grab Tracey One to meet us there.” A breath. “Mission status?”

“Seaquake generators have been nullified. The source of the transmissions has been located – in the middle of Northern Australia, approximately one hundred kilometres north west of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Kayo is on her way.” His brother’s hologram blinked out.

Scott swore, torn.

No time.

Fingers briefly touching his brother’s cheek, he stood up and strode over to the cockpit door.

-o-o-o-

Kuan-yu nearly fell through the door as it was suddenly shoved open. A man in IR blue caught him.

This one was taller. “Where is he? He needs help.” Kuan-yu shoved past the man into the cockpit only to find his saviour on the floor out cold.

The other man eyed him as if to assess his intentions before darting through the cockpit door. He returned a second later with a collapsible hover stretcher and first aid kit. The IR man stabilised his colleague’s spine. “Help me get him onto the stretcher.”

The two men grunted as they lifted the bigger man. “A few less pancakes, Virg.” It was muttered under the man’s breath and Kuan-yu wasn’t sure he had actually heard it.

There was the snap of fittings and the hardware attached to the prone man started to come away. The IR man lifted off the bulky protuberance over the man’s left shoulder, undid the belt, the toolkit came off, and the green sash unbuckled, exposing more of the blue uniform beneath.

“Thunderbird Five, you have control. Commence flight plan.”

There was no acknowledgement, but suddenly the plane shuddered, the engine roar shifting from around them to the back of the vehicle once again. Kuan-yu staggered a step as the ship suddenly changed direction and accelerated. Much faster than it had before.

The IR man didn’t flinch, his hand on his compatriot, keeping him still. Once the flight had stabilised, he hurried him from the room.

Kuan-yu followed.

“Where are we going?”

“Darwin.”

“Australia?”

“Yes, we need the hospital there.” He slammed open another door to reveal what was obviously the medical bay. Depositing the stretcher on the examination table in the middle of the room, he secured it. Medical alarms filled the air.

“Damn it, Virgil.”

Checking the patient again, the IR man grabbed a laser cutter and started tearing off the man’s uniform. Kuan-yu quickly moved to the other side to help. He tugged at the man’s left glove, the tough material giving way as velcro released the padding. He found the fastener for the hologram display and pulled it away, depositing it quickly on a nearby shelf. The man’s fingers were a road map of calluses. He struggled to pull off the glove. How on Earth did the man put these on in the first place? There was a brief flash of light and the IR man flickered the laser cutter at the crucial point and the glove came apart, falling off in Kuan-yu’s hands.

The laser cutter had certainly done its job. Most of the patient’s torso was now exposed revealing the extent of the massive bruise down the man’s right arm and chest wall.

The IR man was muttering under his breath as he cut the last of the uniform off the patient’s left arm. Discarding the laser cutter, he grabbed an IV and set up a fluid transfusion. “He’s bleeding internally.”

“No kidding.” Kuan-yu couldn’t keep his eyes off that massive, swollen bruise.

A blanket was draped over the prone man and an oxygen mask placed over his face. Most of the alarms quietened. A hand brushed the patient’s forehead, fingers gently moving through his dark hair.

And Kuan-yu found himself pinned by a pair of startling blue eyes.

“What happened?” There wasn’t any accusation in the tone, but the man’s stance was one of a lion over its cub.

Kuan-yu held up his hands. “I don’t know! He saved us and collapsed. I tried to help him, but he refused.”

The man’s shoulders dropped a little and whispered, “Typical.”

“He does this regularly?”

The eyes snapped to him again. “What is the status of your colleagues? Are any of you in need of medical assistance?”

Again with the hands up. “No, we are fine. Teller has some bruising, but he’s okay. They’re both down with the carrier that hauled us in.”

The man released another breath. “Do you have any medical training?” His hand once again touched the patient’s head, fingers in his hair as he cupped his crown lightly.

“Basic first aid. I’m the designated first aider on site at the Solar Plant.” He took a breath and held out his hand. “I’m Kuan-yu.”

The tall man reached over and took his hand, clasping it only briefly. “Thank you.” Another glance at the patient. “Can you stay with him? We are on approach to Darwin.”

“Sure.”

Yet another glance at the prone man. “Thanks.” And he was out the door.

-o-o-o-

For Scott, the next half an hour was one of the worst in his life.

The moment he set foot back in the cockpit, John was in his ear agitated that he had lost contact with Kayo.

Kayo who was in the middle of the Australian desert on her own.

And he couldn’t do a damn thing.

“Colonel Casey and the GDF are with her.”

“And how useful have the GDF been in the past? They mean well, but ineffective, John, ineffective! Why the hell do you think International Rescue exists in the first place? Because they can’t do their damned jobs!”

TB2 trembled under his fingertips as he took control of the ‘Bird’s descent. “Tell Brains that he needs to finish her ‘Bird. This has gone on too long. She needs her own wings.”

“Scott-“

“Do we have clearance to land?”

John spouted off landing conditions. “Helipad’s to the north. Ambulance attending. They have the patient’s details. I have Thunderbird One.” A shadow passed briefly over the windows as Thunderbird One overtook them and disappeared off into the distance. Darwin appeared on the horizon, the brief spark of civilisation in the subtropical swamp, stark against the green and blue of the Timor Sea.

He came in hard.

The air screamed around him as Thunderbird Two shot into the hospital’s air space, her VTOL engines roaring as he applied braking thrust over the helipad. Her mass always fooled him. She was slower, but more powerful than TB1. Pure grunt force.

The ship lowered, her landing struts deployed, and they were down.

He secured the console and was out of the pilot’s seat before the VTOL jets had fully retracted. Through a couple of doors and once again he was listening to medical alarms.

“His blood pressure is still dropping.” The short Taiwanese man was hovering around his brother, obviously at a loss of what to do, but wanting to do something nonetheless.

Scott didn’t answer. He hurriedly detached the hover stretcher from the table and activated its jets. Making sure the IV was secure and his brother strapped in, he put the stretcher in motion towards the cockpit. On the periphery of his vision, Kuan-yu followed.

Moments later, he was breathing in the hot moist air of the Australian northern country as the cockpit hatch lowered them to the helipad. There were doctors, there were nurses, there were numbers being called back and forth. His brother was whisked away.

A dark-haired nurse was asking him questions.

He had responsibilities.

Turning back into the ship’s shadow, he almost tripped over Kuan-yu. Recovering quickly, he motioned the shorter man towards the nurse. “Get yourself checked out.”

He leapt back into his brother’s ‘Bird.

-o-o-o-

Three days.

Three goddamned awful days.

Kayo was safe. Scott picked her up in Thunderbird One himself. He was the closest. The remains of the Hood’s hideout were secured by the GDF for further investigation. The shouting match he had with Colonel Casey over that likely didn’t help his case, but she had been a friend of the family for a long time, she knew the reasons behind his anger. She would forgive him. He’d apologise later.

Three days.

Gordon flew in with Tracey One, Alan beside him.

John hovered. Literally. His hologram appearing in various places, not all fully authorised, as he monitored Virgil’s condition.

Three days.

With John’s help they worked out what had happened. John, after all, had been complicit in the cause of the injury. There had been words.

Delayed concussion and a chipped humerus. A chipped bone which could have been a minor injury if it had been attended promptly. But no, it had been ignored, and the bone chip had eventually nicked a blood vessel. The bleed had been a slow one, but it had the time it needed to do damage. There had been surgery. Now there were questions of whether his brother might lose the use of his arm, even the arm itself.

Three days.

Scott found the tether Virgil had used in the rescue of the two ballooners. A good twenty metres of reinforced nylon cord. Twenty metres. A fall of twenty metres could kill a man.

It nearly had.

He dropped his head to the bed. Why?

He knew why.

Damnit, Virgil!

His brother’s left arm was draped with tubing, feeding his starved body with the fluids and nutrients it so desperately needed. Scott stared at fingers. His brother had large hands, callused and worn with hard work, yet still nimble with an instrument or paintbrush. He reached out and brushed his own fingertips against the pale skin.

“Scott?” It was barely a whisper, but when he looked up a pair of blurry brown eyes peered back at him.

Scott felt his cheek muscles drag his mouth into an almost smile. “Hey, Virg.” Equally as quiet.

The brown eyes darted around a moment, a frown creasing between them. “What?”

“Hospital. Darwin. Thunderbird Two is safe and secure.” She was sitting right next to her sister under heavy guard at the local GDF airfield. He swallowed. “There was a situation.”

Virgil’s fingers brushed against his. Scott wrapped both hands around his brother’s single hand.

He knew why Virgil did it. He knew the reasoning, the lack of alternative. Those two ballooners would never know exactly how lucky they had been and what had been risked. His fingers tightened convulsively.

“Scott.” His brother’s eyes were clearing, his voice that bit stronger. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

-o-o-o-

Six weeks later and it was hard to tell if any of it had happened.

The bandages were off and Virgil had recovered most of the movement in his arm. There was still work to be done and he was still grounded, but the outcome was looking more positive by the day.

John had been dragged back to Earth and there had been some honest discussions, some yelling, of course, but mostly sane discussion. New strategies on how to snatch a free-falling victim out of the sky – it did happen often enough, so they really should be prepared, especially since Virgil had so kindly shown them all exactly how not to do it.

The reiteration on reporting all injuries on occurrence was getting a little repetitive however. Virgil, of course, claimed he didn’t know it had been that bad. And besides, exactly when had he had the time to do anything that day – he hadn’t even managed a decent meal in the entire twenty-four hours!

Scott had backed down at that. He knew he shared the guilt with his two brothers. Nobody had reported anything, but then he had them working a twenty-four hour stretch without a decent break.

Brain’s announcement that Kayo’s ‘Bird was finally finished was a welcome distraction. And Grandma’s threat of a homecooked meal had the effect she had no doubt planned as they all ran for cover.

Scott found Virgil in Thunderbird Two.

Swearing.

And surrounded by discarded food wrappers.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Scott raised his hands placatingly. “Now, Virgil, he said he was going to clean it up before he handed her back to you.”

Virgil raised his fist full of wrappers, knuckles white. “I’m going to kill him!”

Staring at his angry brother, Scott couldn’t help but smile. The white knuckled fist belonged to his right hand. It took a moment for the bigger man to connect the dots, his eyes dancing back and forth between Scott and his curled fist, but when he did, the anger bled away to be replaced by an ironic smile.

Scott wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “See, there is wisdom in Gordon…somewhere.”

That brought out a much-missed Virgil chuckle. Scott ruffled his hair, before darting out of the retaliation zone.

But he wasn’t fast enough and Virgil lunged to grab him.

His hand didn’t miss.

-o-o-o-

[sophietv]

What’s your thought about “Kaylor: The timeline”

I’ve just ended it and I’m pretty positive that’s something fishy with that. I mean there are literally the lyrics of songs from Reputation and Lover, the concepts of both of these albums and also everything seems to fall into the right place and the insights are so accurate.

I don’t know if it’s just me and I’m clowning around or it’s obvious to you too (?)

It's funny that you ask me this question because my group chat made me read this fanfic at the start of the year to see what I would think about this.

For those who don't know what we are talking about. Here's the link (X).

It's a fanfic that people heavily speculate is written by Taylor. As there's many Koincidences and references to albums that were not released when it came out.

The fanfic was started in February 1st 2015 and the last chapter was posted on May 27th 2016.

At first I was VERY skeptic. Because when you read it with that lense and go to the comments and it's full of people saying things like: Look! She talked about grass it's a reference to Invisible String!!

Well, it was not very convincing. 😅

But then I got the the part where Karlie and her are going to the restaurant and Taylor compares her life to being in a fishbowl...

Then, there's so many tiny details that are, well really precise.

Like at some point in the Timeline they are talking about a moment Taylor was very jetlaggued and wrote an email to Scott Borchetta telling him that she does what she wants.

Well, there was a tweet that Taylor made, with this exact caption.

And the date on the Timeline is the exact same as the tweet.

But those can all be just a very dedicated fan that did their research.

It's been a long time since I read it so I don't remember all the details.

But then....

There is a scene that is exactly : "I'm laughing with my lover, making fort undercover, trust him like a brother, yeah you know I did one thing right".

I repeat that the last chapter was written in May 2016...

That's references to Call It What You Want.

Her song about the Love Blackout and running away with Karlie...

And in that chapter (or really not long after), she's EXACTLY talking about the love blackout....well running away with Karlie.

Not only that.

She's talking about taking a break from big releases after 1989, to be just with Karlie and not release another album like planned. 🤨

She's asking Karlie to run away with her. Somewhere they can just be them. And Karlie says yes.

To tell you my jaw dropped when I read that....

Go read my Love Blackout post if you haven't to have the full 🤯 effect (X)

And read the last part of that chapter... (X)

They talked about coming out together if everything went well until Decembre 2014....Karma....

Now. You know that I tried to dig a little to see if I could find something.

Sadly I've found nothing.

The author have a Tumblr and A LOT of posts. Taylor would have had to create a whole other personna before creating that fanfic. (X)

The author also have other fanfics.

So is it really odd all the references to album that were not released yet? Definilty.

Is it impossible to be Taylor that wrote that? I guess not.

But I really can't tell honnestly.

But the Love Blackout plan and delaying album release to run away with Karlie is jarring. As well as the Call It What You Want reference and Lover fishbowl.

There's more, but those three are the ones that stuck with me.

Things that makes less sense though: Dianna earasure, Haylor being real. Joshlie being real.

Although. If we want to clown... this could have been a way to protect all those people and create a believable storyline that would have given them the chance to come out together....

So yeah... One of Gaylors/Kaylors greatest mystery.

That and The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo...