#Rory doesn't have to change who she already is for him!

[stellaluna33]

See, another thing about Jess is that he's the only one of Rory's boyfriends who people keep loudly and passionately insisting should have been best friends with Rory's best friends.

[gulmoregirls]

Motivated by my own 21st birthday yesteday, I decided to (re)watch the famous episode in S6 in which Rory turns 21.

Looking at it now, I can't help but feel like she was, indeed, so young. I get the entire "rory gilmore downfall" thing and agree that that version of the character was just... off. However, I really feel like they could've made an entire arc about rory losing herself and then finding herself. After all, is what she deserves as one the leads of the show.

Now being her age, I understand better how weird it is to be in your early twenties. Expectations, endless possibilites, the burden of having to actually make the choices for yourself. Rory's in a different environment, questioning the lables that were very prematurely put on her. She's not living the life she had envisioned for herself, turns out she's not good at the one thing she thought she had, all of her friends are doing stuff for themselves - while she, who was always on a pedestal, feels lost.

In a sense, taking Rory from that pedestal was key to her character and to the show. Making her have a identity crisis while entering adulthood and the real world makes absolute sense. It doesn't make her spoiled, or terrible, or mean. It makes her a confused 20yo girl, and speaking as another teenager in my twenties, it does get weird!! I just hate the way everything happened, and how she had little to no insight on it, no meaningful conversations with peers, how under developed it was - to the point that it felt like an individual flaw of rory's character, when it could've been so powerful to a young women audience to have someone relatable get lost but find herself again.

Again, I'm not the show writer, and, as much as I wish Rory had been done better, I can only stick to what is canon while annalizing the episode. So here are my biggest thoughts (as if this text is not long enough)

I feel like there's a reason why they wrote Logan as unaware of Rory's birthday, specially because it plays no role in a fight, or has to do with a lack in their relationship. It's not that Logan forgot, or that he should've known. It's purely that Rory didn't tell him.

In my opinion, it symbolizes what becomes a theme during this part of the show, which is "past rory" vs "current rory" and which one is the "real" one, if it's one of them. Logan not knowing about her birthday equals Emily throwing her a big birthday party with a drink Rory doesn't like but that has her name, or inviting random people she doesn't care about. Equals Logan getting her a Birkin bag, a symbol of power, when she didn't even know the brand existed. The parallel between the dream she used to have with her mother (the trip to vegas, playing 21, buying 21 things) and the reality of their fallout and rory surrounded by exactly what lorelai ran from. Money not being able to buy traditions.

Adding to that, the next episode is the famous one, in which Jess shows up and does more than delivering a passionate speech that, almost twenty years later, would become a tiktok trend. He actually wishes her a late happy birthday. He remembers it. Either intentionally or not, it adds another layer to the amount of parallels rory is facing.

Obviously, Jess knowing something Logan didn't doesn't make him better, nor it changes anything. But in a way, it shows a gap between past and present in a different way (one maybe even more intersting than just comparing "study freak" to "yale dropout", because people change over time), once we're talking about the relationships she's building, and how she wants them to be.

On a side note, I theorize that an explanation could be that Rory and Logan's relationship is very present/future-oriented. "Future" not in the sense of building a future together, a far away future. But "Future" as "the next adventure", "the next challenge", "the next trend". The way his character was introduced already shows that, and it was very important for Rory to let go a little, but I feel like it became easy for her, amidst her twenties-crisis, to live too much like logan, trusting that things would fall into place, relying on priviledges she had never had before, forgetting herself in the process, because actually thinking about the situation would make her spiral.

I guess my point is that talking about Rory's past was not a priority - symbolized about how he doesn't even know her birthday. It worked well for them, as Rory was unconsciously doing it herself, hiding it because remembering meant actually getting in touch with who she used to be, and how things were changing, and questioning everything. Once she was able to taste how living was like for Logan - both because of him and because of her grandparents, that shared similar values and priviledges - it was easy ignoring the past, exactly because it was a big contrast that, maybe, meant that she needed to take a step back and to really think about what version she wanted to be.

(not that it matters, but it almost feels like their talks, ideas and challenges were very logan-coded, once rory was eager to ignore aspects of her life and he was eager to show her the perks and fun of his. on the other hand, her relationship with jess was very rory-coded, because everything in stars hollow brought her memories and stories she wanted to share, whereas jess was the one who wanted to escape himself, always failing to communicate, guard always up, even for small things)

In her party episode, Richard, Emily and Lorelai discuss about Rory, and have different views.

To Emily, they haven't failed her - not until she repeats Lorelai's story, showing up pregnant. Until that, there's still time and efforts. She doesn't care Rory is unhappy, or lost, or confused. She just cares about keeping her under her watch, thinking that, by doing so, she won't become like Lorelai.

To Richard, they have failed her by giving her everything she needed to run away from her responsabilities and her old self. He says something similar to what Jess later tells Rory, about how it isn't her to drop out of Yale and be in the DAR. However, he feels like that can be mended with the right incentive - a new car, a new house, in exchange for the old Rory back.

Lorelai, very wisely, knows that if the "old Rory" is bought, it is actually not her daughter. She knows the problem is not Rory not being in school, but Rory not even *wanting* to go back.

Still, none of them actually say any of that to her face. Having Jess be the one doing it is one of the few nice parts of that season, because it makes sense. He knows her, not an idealized version, but the flawed, real one she showed him. He returns exactly to show her he made something for himself exactly like she believed he could, reminding rory of how she can trust her own judgment, and how she can make something for herself as well. He doesn't hesitate in comparing how different the two versions of her are, even if he might be wrong or sound jealous. Mostly, he points out that it is not normal for rory gilmore to ignore her mom. Everyone from her past could see it, and someone needed to say it. For some reason, Lorelai, Lane and even Paris couldn't, and Jess checked all the boxes.

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: S3/EP4/ONE’S GOT CLASS THE OTHER ONE DYES (PART 5)

Parts 1-4 and all other episodes are linked in my pinned post.

OMG. PHRASING, LUCAS. PHRASING!! IT'S OKAY EVERYBODY! HE MEANT METAPHORICALLY, PEOPLE.

I mean, your affair with Dean Forrester should already have you on some kind of registry.

Luke is giddy with delight over Lorelai's humilation at the school and is giggling up a storm, a gigglestorm the likes of which I've never heard before from him. Let's alll point and laugh at Lorelai! It's fun.

The KarenDebbies are descending upon us. I can't wait to hear Lorelai say the word "condoms"!

I've never seen him this happy before?

Sadly with no context I wouldn't be able to tell if this was 2023 or 2002. Karens: Why were you discussing your pregnancy, why didn't you change the subject? Lorelai: I tried but they kept coming at me like I was poland and they were Nazis. Urrrp.

In my unrated Gilmore Girls rewrite titled The Hollow, I promise to rewrite this episode so that we see Lorelai throwing condoms at high school students.

Well as long it's just a banana and you don't bring Dean for the subject of your demonstration. KarenDebbie: What kind of mother are you?! Lorelai: The kind that doesn't just gloss over uncomfortable topics!

My ass you don't. She spends a good 75% of season 3 moving heaven and earth to interfere in Jess and Rory's relationship and cockblocking them to make sure these two legal adults don't fuck each other instead of giving Rory any sort of useful information about sex and you should know better than anyone that that's a solid recipe for teen pregnancy, Miss GlossyPants. Speaking of. Guess who else is about to get a fumbling attempt at Awkward Parental Sex Talk? This li'l guy.

We don't want Shane to get pregnant. It would make her already tragic impending death even more tragic.

So, what's up with Luke's apartment? There's a guitar, bongos, and maracas (plus a sign he stole from a bus stop). Does he have a secret past in some kind of salsa band?

Luke referring to a human being as something you can "stash in a closet" like an old box of Monopoly is fucking hilarious. The delivery is also very "Jess are you a gigolo?" and "What are you, a drug dealer now?" Like he knows it's a ridiculous question but he's also mildly concerned that the answer is going to be Yes. And now, for all time favorite exchange in the entire Gilly Girls World:

Jess and Rory are cool and all. But Luke and Jess are it for me. These two are the reason I keep watching. Their dynamic is so perfect and things were never the same after Milo left, not only because of the breakup of Literati but because I desperately miss these two guys playing off each other.

I don't know. I feel like Shane wouldn't give a flying cupcake about getting caught. She had no problem repeatedly barging into the diner to hump Jess' leg while Luke and Lorelai were watching and Luke had to part them like Moses parting the sea to wait tables, and she had no problem playing tonsil hockey with Jess against a tree for hours in view of hundreds of people. More evidence that this little dude is lying and that Closet Girl wasn't actually Shane.

We know, Jesstopher. We know. You little freakazoid.

Amen, brother.

Bolt the doors Lucas he's gonna run! Luke should be pulling a Lorelai and throwing bags of condoms at Jess. Stars Hollow called an emergency town meeting after he drew on a sidewalk with chalk. I can't imagine the fate of both Jess and Luke if it were discovered that Jess planted his demon seed in anyone but especially precious Rory.

I love it when Luke tells Jess to shut up. Fantastic stuff. Luke: If you care about this Shane girl you have to treat her better. Jess: I don't care about her. I don't know her last name. She mentioned it once, didn't stick. We're just "hangin out." Staaahp. Jess is so deliciously blunt and nonchalant about her. Anyone fellow Millenials here? Does anyone else remember that in high school in the late 90's and early 2000's "hooking up" (or in Jess' case, "hanging out") meant literally anything you wanted it to mean and so one of your friends could say "I hooked up with Jason last night" but that could mean they either made out for a few minutes or they were full on bumping uglies or something in between and you often had to ask uncomfortable questions. It was a very confusing time. It kept us all on our toes.

Luke, you have a pair of eyes. You've seen what they do in your diner. There should not exist any doubt that they're not convening in your apartment to play checkers.

I'm telling you, the dynamic of the entire Danes-Mariano family is so complex and interesting and I would twist my nipple for this show to delve into it as much as humanly possible at the expense of pushing Rory and Lorelai to the side (Lorelai off a cliff). I've hit the ceiling for screen shots here on Tumblr.com so here's the last three minutes of the episode: Luke: You need to find a girl you actually care about. Jess: Yah like it's that easy. Luke: Ya huh it's that easy if you try Jess: The girls I like don't give a damn about me. I'm not just gonna sit around hoping they change their minds and notice me, unlike SOME PEOPLE. Luke: Da fuq does that mean Jess: ya fixed any neighbor's porshes *porches lately? Luke: Shut up Jess: I've got a little self esteem Luke: Shut up Jess: Gotta go, Shane's horny again Well, that attempt at the Birds and Bees talk certainly went off the rails. Luke was able to impart to Jess that teenage boys have raging hormones and they tend to like girls and Jess don't be an idiot. It's okay Luke, at least you tried.

[fandoms-in-law]

I've seen so many posts I disagree with over different points about gender and the Doctor from yesterdays episode and it basically comes down to the way the Doctor presents does impact him a lot and he doesn't always remember that.

Until Thirteen the way the Doctor presented was male, his body always was, and that was what he was used to, the privileges that come from appearing male in a human world.

The Twelth Doctor knew this, knew times had changed, and especially in his time with the First Doctor the differences there were abundant, he'd progressed and yes, was beginning to feel himself above gender in the same way he's always held himself above humanity intelligence wise.

Then came Thirteen and the constant lessons over how being female limits, controls and dictates our lives. She called it an upgrade, just like Missy did if I recall correctly, but still expected to be treated the same. When that didn't happen she couldn't hold herself above gender because the times she went to, especially back in time, but often in the modern world too, gender presentation was put in her way.

The Doctor at the point of her regeneration was letting go, and had multiple times had to learn to accept things she didn't know, things she could know but also knew would hurt to learn, and has that pocket watch of who she is, given to the TARDIS. She let go of the need to know everything, understand everything.

And now the Fourteenth Doctor, The Tenth Doctor returns, and it's clear that he's not acting like a newly regenerated Doctor, no confusion, no figuring out who he is, and most importantly plenty of similarities to the Tenth Doctor. Hell the main change is he's more willing to say he loves someone which make sense. He regenerated after admitting to love Yaz.

But Ten doesn't let go.

If the Tenth Doctor went through the things the Thirteenth Doctor has he'd have opened the pocket watch. He wouldn't have accepted a history he doesn't know, not with the answers right there.

You could point at River and his meeting of her to argue that, but Thirteen dealt with an unknown past, not an unknown future.

Donna and Rose's talk about letting go is reminding him of the scenes he lived immediately before regenerating, of how she let herself go for the next person to come. That's what they did too, except they let go of power, she let go of the family she had been chasing and clinging to through her series.

And the Tenth Doctor was the Doctor who built himself a family, even when he left them behind afterwards. Donna spoke about visiting, coming for coffee, almost like the Eleventh did with Rory and Amy, and then with Clara, then Twelth sort of managed with Bill.

Donna and Rose took on the Doctor's up to date memories by how they spoke but they know more than ever that the Doctor is a different person between generations. And this Doctor doesn't understand letting go a lot of the time, only understand major goodbyes so she asks for visits even while it's clear she doesn't believe he'll do them.

Personality not gender is focused on in both these comments.

And the Fourteenth Doctor is already focusing on questions, demanding or constantly bringing up the need for answers over why this face has returned. He's not accepting it, not letting it go.

I got sidetracked a little here, but it comes down to, the Fourteenth Doctor isn't acting like a new regeneration, he knows who he was when he had this face before and is trying to fit that mindset, while being surprised by the things he's learnt in the meantime having changed him showing in his personality too.

[grepfrutmeat]

very messy and probably a little misheard notes from liquid mercury twitter space below the cut

the return of kyler and marter twitter space, later changed to liquid mercury (and possibly something else idk)

was kinda late not sure by how much. maybe 10~ minutes

martin is still blown away by something

-kyle says he cant wait for thing to happen (evil laughing)

-its one guy (..) suit

-talked about terrified fansong, martin really dug it

-felix felix you motherfuckwr (twf the musical

-we should make a really bad walten files musical

-we did that- “felix where are my kids da da da”

-joke twf musical

-fucking. imagine dragons okay martin.

-??? SET IT OFF WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING OKAY MARTIN

-eva mentioned about the three characters holding beer bottles together how she made a joke that its norman felix and Rory and people thought it was serious

-but rory is not real..

-martin “who the fuck is that”

-”you gotta stop listening to me. i lie” -eva

-it is now revealed lily is charles daughter

-it was so hard to keep it a secret

-accidentally mentioned on space but nobody noticed until like one person

-he dies on her birthday …

-knowing what happens to this character,

-being able to talk about “bon” is weird.

-martin loves this spectre

-g man comparisons

-martin had 2 inspirations for spectre, one being calculated how hal 9000 (i have no mouth i must scream guy??) expresses emotions like batman riddler, (the batman)

-eva made it subtler

-I WAS FUCKING RIGHT ABOUT THE BON FELIX PARALLEL IM WINNING IN WINNING

-”perhaps what i am is not as important as what i can offer you” pinnacle of bon

-handing boozoo mask to charles?

-what if bon is from the futureeeee (okay martin.)

-most of episode 4 was made a couple weeks ago lolll

-this episode is a miracle

(missed a bunch here)

-charles lines are really good

-the scene ;) the highlight of the episode

-episode 6 at his best

-progression of susan + charles va improving

-episode 6 is a turning point, traumatic event for characters one specific one.

-episode 6 gets as close as it can be to being a nightmare

-not analog horror scary, but like a chaotic nightmare that shouldn't be happen. horror movie-esque

-everything that can go wrong goes wrong, like a real nightmare.

-arin hanson nightmare. barnacles.

-episode 6 high stakes

-”bon” - fe lix (bon says felix at some point? woag maybe) , martin says he likes how bon says felix

-eva (spectre( has a monologue in 6

-episode 6 is awe some

-maritial status. divorced

-martin talks about charles divorce

-in 1974 he's divorced, recently divorced.

-his ex wife is named emily. divorced a few months before shit happens

-if Charles didn't go missing they might have resolved their relationship

-small bit talking to Emily in one episode. charles still loves ex wife but it didn't work out.

-charles close friends with ex wife but don't work as a couple

-martin says charles feels like what jack and felix could've been.

-charles is selfless,

-felix and linda split up would be better as friends cus they're not good as a couple

-charles knows this about his relationship but felix doesn't think this about his

-martin loves charles ;3

-he's already my favorite

-eva likes charles susan dynamic (i hear u)

-theyre two sillt friends having fun!!!

-dynamic war.

-(joke) “heyt guys. in the next episode. rory appears. and kills bom” “it was all a dream” “susan marries linda and Charles raises his kid and jack finds his kids. and is found” he was hiding in a box” (trumpet sounds)

-susan and charles are better friends than jack and felix

-jack and Felix don't get along as well as real friends. business relationship.

-kyle quotes jerma lolll

-felix and jack written as people that seem friendly and social but are isolated in their own ways

-jack is only entirely honest with rosemary

-felix just doesn't

-felix tries to hide addiction from jack and

-felix sees jack as someone he'd like to be, looks up to jack, affectionate to him and envious, wants to be on his good side so doesn't say anything to him. which is why jack didn't know.

-sophie jophie and jenny jophie joke…

-theyd rock paper scissors over last names

-jenny is better than sophie at rock paper scissors. lettersons.

-sophie would change to sophie Letterson like 100%

-highlight of the month was liking jelix art and everybody noticed …

-”jelix sloppy making out” “DONT SPOIL SIX” (joke)

-joke about charles looking horrified cus jelix making out in felix office lmao

-boozoos voice slightly tiny tim-ish COOL

qna part

-spectre is freakishly tall, skinny michael meyers

-spectres voice changes a lot, sometimes silly, depends on what he's saying/who he's talking to.

-spectre wont hide his motivation but he won't reveal it outright, he won't sit down and explain what he's doing, he’ll just do it.

-chris appears in photos, isn't really mentioned. Chris is someone who knows how to turn a situation in his favor, go-getter. has interesting dynamics with main characters later in series

-kyle can't wait for people to see what happens with Chris

-long way to go to show it, but chris apparently has a really cool design later on (1982)

-cant wait for people to see his role in 1982 . martin can't say why

-no correct understanding of chris but some people have very different expectations of who he is.

-chris is a silly-serious blend, similar to charles, less naive

-all they can say

-charles fact: something really fun about charles, he will always put his kid first more than anything. he brings her to work a lot (not gonna see this in series tho) everyone would play with her. dress up as pirates. :)

-felix would tell lily santa doesn't exist. LOLLL

-cant say something spoiler…

-G ROUND BREAKING REVALATION: FOR CONTEXT. Brian stells was the first human character to speak in twf. back in 2020. people would ship brian stells and sophie walten. but it was wrong angle. because yesterday. came to the realization. that brian would be into middle aged single mothers (technically rosemary…)

-brian would try to hit on rosemary??? and jack would grab his shotgun and shoot at him. okay martin. jack is a good shooter ??

-canon brian is jesse pinkman

-chris is more season 4-5 jesse pinkman.

(missed a lot)

-showstopper lore bon and banny friends but like. only cus bon wants to save face

-cybertelly would be the showstoppers lawyer

-felix fursona with glasses and suits (kyle says bon is just like felix)

-sha js rose’s fursona. rosemary is a furry.

-4,5,6

-linda only talked to susan cus they were good friends but not rosemary. linda would've told susan she was leaving.

-felix scene on the river was hardest to animate cus it was in a lighter place, but with felix its lit up middle of day

-potential actual showstopper show ?? 11 minute episodes

-rosemarys favorite character was sha. but billy if not sha, rosemary loves clowns

-ed molly fun fact: they liked playing pong. martin thinks ed would be mischievous and do pranks, between sophie ed and molly he'd be the most rebellious. molly would be more like “ed you cant blow up the school that's not right”

-molly was very behaved. best behaved walten child.

-rosemarys sister laura in season 2. rosemary doesn't like her family and doesn't really speak to her mom or sister much.

-jacks favorite drink is ramasote or wine, rosemary likes champagne, sophie likes mojito “i think drink does not just mean alcohol”

-mollys is pepsi. eds is liquid mercury. jacks favorite drink black coffee or rumcoke. jack would have a gallon of rootbeer.

[moondal514]

aftg :) 📓

hi rory!

I can’t remember if I’ve talked about this wip on here yet or not but last year I made this plot outline for an au based on the book The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Catherine Webb. It’s pretty long (which is why I haven’t written it lol).

Trigger warning for excessive reincarnation/time loop-style major character death (Andrew dies a lot, often very young) and for mentions of child abuse and csa, per Andrew’s canonical trauma

So Andrew, Neil, and a few other characters are what are called “Ouroborans,” someone who is reborn into their same life over and over again. Per the rules of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August universe, Ouroborans lived as normal babies until their 4th birthday. Then they get regain what memories of their previous turns at life they remember. Andrew is a special sort of Ouroboran because he remembers everything about every turn of his life he has ever taken thanks to his eidetic memory.

My idea for the fic is that it would be mostly from Andrew’s pov with occasional interludes from Neil.

Andrew’s 1st turn at his life is actually pretty good. He’s adopted at 4 by a pleasant but unremarkable conservative couple. The couple adopted him because they were infertile but thought that having a child was the sort of thing they’re supposed to do cuz blah blah heteronormativity or whatever. They’re not really all that interested in Andrew besides just being able to say that he’s their child and Andrew isn’t really interested in them. And so, he lives a pretty normal, albeit closeted, boring life. Unfortunately he dies young in an accident in college.

In his next life, he gets his memories back at 4 and subsequently becomes way too weird of a child for said conservative couple to adopt. He’s sent right back into the system and so begins his shitty foster care experience. From there Andrew reincarnates often because he usually dies very young from abuse, neglect, and/or straight up accidents. The oldest he lives is usually ~13 years (he doesn’t make it past living a few months with the Spears if he makes it that far) and he is never able to replicate that first life because he becomes a very strange (read: traumatized) child once he gets his memories back and it’s too off-putting for most families to want to adopt him.

This changes when Andrew meets Renee, also an Ouroboran. He learns there’s a whole community of people like him (though he learns that he’s weird for being able to perfectly remember all of his lives, as most Ouroborans only remember basic details about their past lives, but that doesn't surprise him because he already knew that his memory is weird). Of course Andrew’s a cynical little fuck and at first thinks Renee is a quack, so she flat-out stabs him like a badass and gives him a time and place to meet up with her his next life, which he does. Andrew doesn’t really care for any of the others in the Ouroboran community but he likes Renee because he thinks she’s cool. Unfortunately he falls out of contact with her when she gets adopted by Stephanie Walker.

Renee’s presence in Andrew’s life keeps him alive through that time period of his first few months living with the Spears, so for the first time, he lives long enough to learn about Aaron’s existence (which happens similarly to canon). What happens next is a montage of Andrew’s next few lives where he keeps dying in the process of trying to find ways to keep Aaron away from the Spear house. Eventually Andrew decides that the best way he can keep Aaron safe is remove himself from the equation, so he puts himself into juvie. There he meets Betsy, working as a therapist for juvie kids, and learns that she too is an Ouroboran. He strikes up a friendship with her and gets some real therapy for the 1st time in his many lives.

From there, things proceed as canon (except Andrew doesn’t tell Luther about Drake cuz in this au he ain’t telling anyone shit about his abuse) until Tilda’s car accident. Andrew dies in the car with her.

In Andrew’s next life after that, he goes looking for Betsy as soon as he can and basically her influence via phone keeps him alive long enough for things to mostly proceed as canon (with a couple exceptions: Andrew does his best to manipulate events, with Betsy's help, so that Aaron is out of Tilda's care as soon as possible and with the Hemmicks. Andrew also manages to not get arrested for defending Nicky) until PSU. During Andrew’s 1st year, Riko flat-out kills Andrew to get Kevin.

So for a while Andrew’s lives proceed mostly in this same fashion. PSU is the point at which Andrew’s lives get stuck at. If he lived long enough to make it to college, he can’t stop himself from making a deal with Kevin and every time he manages to get himself killed by Riko.

And then: enter Neil.

I’m stopping there because this outline is very long lol

Send me a “📓” emoji and I’ll tell you about a fic wip

[chambersofthesea]

hi how are you? question for you, do you still want Jess & Rory to be together despite being pregnant with Logan's child? do you think it's fair that Jess changes his WHOLE life just for Rory's sake?

I think the way people view this as some unfair situation on Jess's end is more concerning than the reality of how it would really be, actually.

Firstly, to view Jess's current life as it is as being one that he changed solely for Rory's sake would be false to begin with. Jess didn't change his life for Rory. Rory as a matter of fact, made it plainly clear that she wouldn't agree to his sudden idea to run away together, and in doing so made it obvious that she won't allow him a place in her life as it was back then because of how unsure she was of his own stability regarding his decisions. And I mean, I can't blame her for that? Jess was flighty then. He was still a teenager who was homeless, didn't have a stable income and apart from Luke, had no one else to rely on when Liz was too busy trying to build a new life for herself with a new husband. And Jess as a result of this and his prior reconciliation with Luke, got to a point where he could decide on what he wanted for himself and his own life, which then led to him being the stable, mature adult we managed to see now. During this entire time, we see him go through several meetups with Rory, but even when their last one in season 6 ends on a tragic note, that doesn't make Jess dive off the deep end and become unstable again. This is because regardless of his feelings for Rory or where they stand, whether it's former exes or good friends, Jess's own life is of his making, and it has nothing to do with what Rory chooses to do with her life. And I'm pretty certain that Jess knows this and that Rory would not want to have his life and stability depend on her. We already saw how this went on with Logan, and frankly it's never a long-term solution if the way you lead your life solely depends on your partner.

Which brings me to my next point: I think that Jess would plainly not care if Rory had Logan's child. A lot of fans' obsession with this is so weird and backwards to me because it feels as though you guys push for some weirdly conservative view of life that these characters must lead, despite both Rory and Jess being children to former teen moms. Neither of them have ever known what it's like to have that "white picket fence" American dream of a home life. This is to say that no, I doubt Jess would consider Rory to be any lesser just because she has a child out of wedlock. I think he'd at most feel concern for her and her state, and maybe have some complicated feelings on the parentage of that kid depending on how Logan is as a parent, but I doubt he'd start preaching to Rory about how wrong she is about choosing what to do with her own body and pregnancy. That's frankly none of his business, and Rory was in her 30s by the time AYITL happens. So no, I don't think it wouldn't be fair for Jess to "change his entire life" for Rory because he plainly wouldn't. If Jess wants to be with Rory who would by then be a single mother and Rory would also want that, who am I to say "this is inexcusable" about two characters that are adults?

And lastly, yes I'd still like for them to be together. Rory and Jess are both adults, I think it's time for fans to start treating them as such and realize that these overly simplistic views of what a character "deserves" or doesn't don't matter when that's not what the character in question WANTS. Frankly, I doubt Jess would ever want to have a regular strategic family with anyone, since the way he grew up is far from what is "socially acceptable".

[chaashni]

Perfect

Where a breakup doesn't go easy on you but maybe, it was meant to lead you both back together.

Dancer!reader x Makeup Artist!Bucky.

Warnings: First time writing angst! Feels. Some career oriented people. Some bitterness. Hopeful ending. Bucky wears eyeliner in this, beware.

Divider by @

He always reminded you of the moon. Gnashed piece by piece, suture by suture of imperfections all crumbling in beautiful entropy and coalescing together to form something so beautiful, you couldn't bring yourself to look away.

"Pretty, isn't he?"

One of your fellow dancers swooned and gigglednas her eyes wolfishly follow the curve of Bucky's back, his brown hair toppling to the front of his face as he laughs at something one of the cameramen says. You turned to look at your friend, cringing when you found she was already in her practice outfit- those tights and heels adding to her a definition which your loose cardigan and jeans lacked.

You had to change. Clara also needed to shut up about Bucky and his arms, because you were not having any of it.

You didn't want to hear about him. Specifically, you didn't want to hear people talk about how much they wanted him.

"Rehearsals in ten," you murmured, intercepting her speech about how much she wished Bucky would bend her over some equipment stacked away in your crew trucks, maybe some music box or stage prop- and have his way with her.

The fuck he will.

Bucky's the gentleman. The perfect partner anybody could wish for, who respected you and propelled you forward and played your body like a fine-tuned instrument behind closed doors. He was everything you could dream of and more.

So why were you here then?

Broken up, scarred from the scandalizing truth that love isn't enough. You thought about it when your body ran out of adrenaline, broken pieces of the glass of denial pricking your feet, a sheen of tears glossing over your eyes at how empty you felt without him.

You marched up to your trailer, swinging the door open and climbing in. The tinted windows hid what happened inside from the eyes outside, but from the translucent screen, you could see him.

He was just as pretty. Eyeliner slightly smudged from his waterline to the perfect array of lashes, and to the very last bone, he looked exquisite. And he was looking straight at you.

You blinked, sighing as his face remained trained in the direction of your bus, your clothes crumpled over your travel bag. Rory, the makeup artist who had to quit midway through the shows because of a legal mishap back at home, was talking to him. You gave him one fleeting look before pulling your eyes away from him, a haunting burn in your chest as you moved to the other side, ready to change.

Two years. Two complete revolutions of the earth around the sun, more than seven hundred days. If you had to keep a track of all the places you had been to, all the people you had met and of things you had tried, you would mess up at least once. You travelled, danced, and had fun. You had explored, learnt new stuff, had new experiences, made and broke relations. You had experienced growth first hand, you tasted happiness.

So why were you swaying to this tumultuous onslaught of emotions the moment Bucky was back?

You pulled away your cardigan, replacing it with the crop top and tights. You checked a map of the stadium you were supposed to perform in today, the winter fest which would be attracting a crowd of eighty thousand or so and you had to make sure you didn't mess anything up. Nothing could be more important than this, dancing and performing was your priority. Everyone else could go fuck themselves.

Rehearsals and stage balancing faded into a blurry bokeh of people, heels and flashy clothes, your mind infiltrated by a daunting presence in the form of a man whose soft hands and baby blues comprised your world at some point in time, a man you had lost to both of your professions and careers.

With a million butterflies squirming in your stomach, you sulked your way to the dresssing room, a frown etched on your face and fingers threading through your hair over and over again. You tried to replay tonight's choreography in your head, wishing for once your crew was the background for some musician and not the solo performers. Your emotions were all over the place today and you weren't sure of what you would deliver.

The three makeup artists you had with the crew were all bunched up over your friends, all concentrated on whatever they had to do to make you shine. The only difference today was that in place of Rory, we had Bucky, which meant six feet four of pure muscle in place of a petite young lady. It was surprising watching him work sometimes, the most delicate of brushes and the lightest of strokes of the eyeliner delivered from such huge, veiny hands. It messed with your mind back in those days, invoking corrupted images of what those hands could do.

Much to your chagarin, that was something which hadn't changed over the last two years.

Now that you were here, perched at the edge of a stool, legs crossed and fingers knitted together, an overexcited Clara chattering away next to you, you took your time to analyse Bucky. He hadn't changed much either, except for the line of the lighter shade of brown that hung from his temple and caressed the side of his cheek, falling over his eyes occasionally. He looked fit, maybe a tidbit beefier than the last time you had seen him. Somehow even now, his mere presence was enough to lull the distant cacophony of your brain into a comforting silence.

The snap of fingers in front of your face jolted you out of your little dreamscape, Clara's amused face filling up most of your vision.

"Your turn, babe. Got a call to make."

And with that you were rising up, almost robotically, moving towards the one person you had avoided, much like a deer straying from the rustling of leaves. You take your time walking over to the two people, nodding a hello to the others before you look at Bucky.

He's smiling at you. Softly. You don't dare read more into his expression, a familiar warmth bubbling in your chest. It outshines the pit in your stomach, the warm smile his lips lift into prompting yours into curling upwards. You take a deep breath and settle in the chair, trying very hard to ignore your heart beating out of your chest, your face embarrassingly hot and as your ex bends down to put eyeshadow over your eyes, tracing them out with the eyeliner as Josh works on your hair.

There was a time when those rose pink lips would map your face. Now you just had his hands, working on what he did best, prepping you up for your performance. When it was done you mumbled a 'thank you' at the hair and makeup guys, your throat going dry as you caught the look your ex lover was giving you. It was the same look you had given him when he first arrived in the morning.

A look which could only be described as reverence, like he couldn't believe you were real. Just the way you had felt. Like he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that you were there, present, in front of him. Just what you had struggled with all damn day. The corners of Bucky's eyes were also dusted with a vague despair, like it hurt him to be so close to you, but not hold you. Just the way you had been feeling all day and beating yourself up for it.

You had broken up, years back. It was a mutual agreement, but an initiative taken by Bucky. You had promised to remain in touch, but you had deleted him from every aspect of your life the moment you stepped out. Focusing on your career like that was all you ever cared about. Which was partially true but it was aggravated to forget about him. So why did your brain and body feel the need to melt against him, pour out everything and strip yourself bare again for him to love?

“Butterfly,” The soft call of a nickname you hadn’t heard in the last two years, the same voice you loved- love- so much stirred you out of the little stagelight musing you had entrance yourself into. You were backstage, the heavy curtains keeping you from the brain of the lights and the uproar of an excited crowd, your dance group being one of the internet popular groups that pulled in audiences from all around the country.

You had your leg raised on a stool, your six inch pumps lined with straps of pasteable lights, glittery stockings covering up the expanse of your legs. If you didn’t feel like a tumultuous wayward storm of emotions, you would have clicked a few pics and admired how hot you looked. You couldn’t do it today, not when Bucky was here, and he wasn’t yours, and it all felt like a fresh punch in the gut, all over again.

If he kept looking at you like that there was a good chance you would bolt. You had run away from him for so long, tried to hate him and forget about him for so long that you had forgotten about the comfort he exuded, the warmth he radiated. A part of you wanted to run again, just like you had been doing it, because you wouldn’t be able to deal with an imminent realization that you could never stop loving him.

*Don't call me that." Your voice was hoarse, heavier than the times you would yell the lyrics to a song and spin and saunter about the room trying to get moves right.

"Please," you didn't like the vein of desperation journeying under his fragile words, you didn't like how soft his eyes looked under the backstage lights.

"You're on in 10."

And just like that, you pried every fibre of your attention from him to the performance you would be presenting in seconds, to the art he had asked you to pursue over living happily with him.

You marched onstage, the ringing of the crowd and the honeyed twinkle crowning his pupil the only processible information in your brain as you swayed your hips and shoulders, body gliding into forms and heels clicking on the stage in the symphony, and for that once moment you could ignore everything else.

The performance was terrific. The effects, the fires, the jumps. The screams turned to roars as the formations built up, outfits shed and front liners swapped till it was etched forever in the forms of blurry reds and electric blues, your heart still beating out of your chest and ears ringing as you finally exit from the stairs to the side.

Maybe you guys had performed a little too well. Some choreographer turned businessman turned producer reached out to your crew and invited all of you to his rooftop bar for 'a night of fun'. Which meant you were out of your stage ensembles and sliding into another equally restraining one, one pair of heels traded for another. Your feet hurt and there was only so much for fake smiling, so you found yourself dug in a dark corner of the place, your eyes hurting a little from all the flashing lights, body dead tired.

Thank fuck you didn't have any more back-to-back performances and for the next two you were just going to be background dancers.

The drink in your hand blurred as your eyes drooped again, the need for a good night sleep overpowering your friends who were a little too energetic. You hated being the grinch, but sometimes you deserve your time to sulk.

You tossed back the contents of your glass, ordering for another. Maybe that would work to keep you awake for a moment, maybe you would pass out right here after the second drink. Either worked for you.

Wow. Weren't you being a damsel in distress? You didn't know the repercussions of a heartbreak from a lifetime ago struck so hard, but you couldn't be sure. Love and heartbreak just wasn't your craft.

For the moment, the alcohol prompted you to stagger to your feet, directing you towards the dance floor, despite your legs feeling like they had waltzed over a thorn bush. You made your way up, the last beats of some bass track fading against the grinding bodies before it mellowed down. Like some main character moment, the lights changed, the saturation dimming and the beats changed. The opening melodies of some piano track rolled out, your hair moving behind as you bared your neck, your hips moving in a honeyed curve as half of the people on the floor left, the others slipping into some form of couple dancing.

And you were dancing to a lover's track, all alone.

Till you were not.

The tips of Bucky's fingers hovered over your back, his other hand catching yours as he slid in front of you. Your eyes widened but your body melted like butter under his touch, a sense of familiarity washing over you in a way you hadn't felt in a very long time.

Fuck.

"What are you doing here, Bucky?"

He sighed, the shadows of his lashes falling prettily over his cheeks. He had changed out of his too-tight tee shirt to a formal shirt, reminding you of some disney prince as he swayed with you to the tunes of perfect.

"Dancing in the dark, with you between my arms." His deep voice had your heart fluttering, and you wanted to slap him for eliciting such a reaction from you.

"You think that is really going to work?" You asked tiredly, already done with this evening and craving a good night sleep.

"I don't. But I want to try."

"Why?"

"Because two years back was a mistake. Everyday without you was a mistake."

"Took you two years to figure it out?" You seethed, eyes flaring in annoyance at this guy for whom you weren't able to tear your love into shreds.

"You blocked me. Everywhere. You left your job, your apartment, were traveling god knows where. Steve wouldn't open his mouth even if I threatened to knock his teeth in."

"He's a good guy." You glared at him. "And why would you be threatening to knock his teeth in? You were the one to call things off."

"And I have been regretting that every single day ever since. I was scared. Terrified even. I thought the relationship wouldn't go anywhere. Not when we never saw each other."

"We could have figured out a schedule." You pointed out, stepping between his legs as the bridge of the song played.

"And sabotage our careers? Leave the chance to do something we had been dreaming of all our lives?"

He was right. You would have resented him everyday if that relationship had overshadowed your career. You knew this. He knew it too. You had taken up your chance the moment you had gotten out. So why the hell were you having this conversation? Why was Bucky regretting it? Why were you regretting it?

"And then what happened to you?" You asked, somehow gravitating closer to him.

"Got deals. Met people. Worked in pageants and fashion shows."

"I read up on you. You've made quite a name."

"So have you."

He twirled you around, pulling you right back into his arms. The sudden movement made you painfully aware of your heels cutting into your skin, and you winced.

"And now that you are stable, are you thinking we have a way to go back? Cause, fuck. No. We've changed. I don't want you."

Bucky frowned, slowly slithering to a halt before lowering his head till his forehead was hovering over yours.

"You still hate martinis. You still use your left hand to strap your heels in and you still prefer coloured chapstick over lipstick. You sure about it?"

"Don't go all classic rom com on me."

"You still hate rom coms too. And right now you would be cursing the life outta me because we are still dancing. Don't your feet hurt?"

"Why are you dancing with me then?" You looked away from him, not sure if you could carry on this conversation anymore.

"I'm hoping you would allow me to give you a massage. Take care of you."

You seethed. The blood in your veins burned. The entitlement had you tipping your head back in pure ire.

"James Buchanan Barnes you think you can fucking waltz back into my life and I'll let you into my room?" You panted, almost ripping yourself off of him but the arm wound around your waist held you to his chest. "With a half assed explanation for breaking my fucking heart?

"Shhh" Bucky cooed, his eyes sad and still so beautiful. You found yours welling up at the sincere lines of pain and anguish tearing through his irises, wondering if all of this was worth it.

He broke your heart.

"Not like that, Butterfly." You swallowed a lump at the nickname, scoffing halfhearted. "I want to take care of you. Make up for all the shit I have put you through"

"It doesn't happen that way."

"Let me try, then. Please."

And you found yourself giving in. Like sweetened butter, you melted and coursed right down his arms, just the way he wanted you too. If you weren't so tired you'd take a moment to marvel at the ease with which he could convince you, the power he held over you. You found yourself not giving a shit about it. Bucky leaned in, pressing a kiss to your forehead, one which had you purring.

"Thank you."

"Don't get any hopes up," you snapped, the tone meant to deliver a sharp blow but the cracks at the edge of it had your resolve and patience crumpling, the night taking its toll on you. Your instinctive response to melt into Bucky's arms had a part of your brain screaming foul profanities at you, the bandaged, cracked shards of your heart screeching under the forceful binds you had assembled them into.

"You're not going to get to anything. Not that easily." You whispered against his chest, the familiar rumble of his chest thrumming through your head. "I'm not that doe eyed girl anymore. Now get a cab before I cry and look like a mess."

His eyes were beautiful as his tilted your cheek upwards, his lips pressing on yours in a feather light kiss, one leaving you charged and flared at the tips, reaching out for more. He just held your waist, deciding on keeping you close to his chest and you were grateful, the heels too much for you to handle.

"You look perfect tonight."

[heavensbeehall]

"Catching Fire", Chapter 9

Part 1: The Spark

Chapter 9: Peeta waks Katniss up and sends her to bed. She dreams of Clove from Book One. She worries about torture, death and--mostly--Prim. She apologizes for yelling at her mother. The blizzard delays things for two days. Katniss, Peet and Haymitch discuss how they are not running away now before discovering that District 12 has changed markedly in two days. Machine guns, whipping posts, gallows. Katniss sees how the citizens of District 12 are scared and realizes there will be no uprising here. Peeta and Katniss find Hazelle. Posy has measles. (Another reason the Capitol sucks: they don't vaccinate.) More bad stuff. Katniss finally goes into the woods (illegal!) when wedding dresses arrive "approved by President Snow.' She finds someone in a Peacekeeper outfit at the little house by the lake.

End of Part 1.

Thoughts:

-- I would love to know how Paylor did get a successful uprising started. QueenPresident shit.

Quotes:

I can't let the Capitol hurt Prim. And then it hits me. They already have. They have killed her father in those wretched mines. They have sat by as she almost starved to death. They have chosen her as a tribute, then made her watch her sister fight to the death in the Games. She has been hurt far worse than I had at the age of twelve. And even that pales in comparison with Rue's life.

[...]

This is the thing to remember when fear threatens to swallow me up. What I am about to do, whatever any of us are forced to endure, it is for them. It's too late to help Rue, but maybe not too late for those five little faces that looked up at me from the square in District 11. Not too late for Rory and Vick and Posy. Not too late for Prim.

Sadface.

Words. I think of words and I think of Peeta. How people embrace everything he says. He could move a crowd to action, I bet, if he chose to. Would find the things to say. But I'm sure the idea has never crossed his mind.

He literally said, "Maybe we were wrong to subdue things in the Districts" a couple chapters ago, Katniss. I know Gale is the one who talks of Rebellion all the time, but I don't think he is the only one who has ever thought of it. It seems clear Haymitch and Katniss' mother experienced some kind of failed uprising already and I wish you would ask them about it because I am curious!

Someone they love. The words numb my tongue as if it's been packed in snow coat. Of course, I love Gale. But what kind of love does she mean? What do I mean when I say I love Gale? I don't know. I did kiss him last night, in a moment when my emotions were running so high. But I'm sure he doesn't remember it. Does he? I hope not. If he does, everything will just get more complicated and I really can't think about kissing when I've got a rebellion to incite.

I wish Katniss could admit to herself she loves Gale and Peeta both, but hasn't decided if she is romantically or sexually attracted to either. Even if she didn't chose Gale in the end (spoilers?) she still did or does love him. It's not nothing just because she ultimately has babies with another person.

Anyway, "can't think about kissing when I've got a rebellion to incite" should be on a t-shirt. That's the kind of shit teen girls should be into lol.

[threadsun]

It totally makes sense! You just keep doing you boo and I’m sure that someday soon those people who belittle the credibility of sex work will see the truth. I’m sure teacher Jack would teach those people a similar lesson about respect, probably not as sexy fun times though lol. Dude, I’m so down to clown that I’m pretty sure any kind of punishment or lesson Jack would deal out wouldn’t work because I’d like it too much 😂 The ONLY one I can think of is based off that breeding kink you posted about before where he threatens not to finish inside, but that’s literally it. She’s a freaky gal! Exactly with Joesph! It’s like almost an inner war with himself where he loves the more positive attention he’s receiving for playing the role of Sunny Day Jack, but he doesn’t want to get noticed too much since he’s so afraid of getting kicked off the show. The kind of guy who tries to play it cool on the outside, but is actually an extremely emotional person who wear his heart on his sleeve (in a literal sense too with the flaming heart tattoo on his arm) and has trouble hiding the emotions on his face. It helps a lot with his acting, but it makes him more vulnerable to those who might use him for less savory means. I see him as a very charming and charismatic person so he naturally eludes a cool guy persona, but his insecurities really might make him feel like he’s not really this great guy. It’s a really weird mix where if you didn’t know him as well, he’d seem like the popular tough guy with a heart of gold, but getting close enough, you’d see just how torn up and insecure he feels inside. I was thinking about how nice it would be for his next life if he was given a better life to make up for his last, but then I realized he probably already feels that way with his sunshine. If only he felt like Joesph was worthy of experiencing such love and happiness. OOOOO! I’d FREEZE if he used his teacher voice on me. I could imagine the smirk he’s holding back on his face too. Jack seeing how much power he has over his sunshine that just his voice could be enough to stop them from continuing whatever bratty behavior they’re trying to do. It probably feels good too, no longer being the one ordered to do this and do that to gain favor from others or earn an extra tip. This is fun! I forgot how much I love writing random scenarios lol. I usually get so lost in making sure everything is smooth and grammatically correct that I don’t enjoy just placing everything down like I’m doing here and just sending it off! I’m sure if I did, all these little headcanons would probably sound a lot more cohesive, but I’ve just been enjoying bouncing off ideas with you that I haven’t focused on if things sound alright grammatically lol.

-🎃

Thanks!! 🥰 thankfully, most of my clients have been super sweet and chill, it's just the handful who aren't that ruin it for everyone.

Oh yes, Jack's #1 threat is absolutely pulling out instead of breeding you~ it simply makes his Sunshine so needy and willing to be good for him!! After all, only good subs get bred~

Yes!!!! Exactly!!!! When I finally get around to writing that fic about Joseph and Jean being trapped in the tape together and how they become Jack and Rory I'll be exploring this sort of thing a lot more. But like, idk the fact that Joseph felt the need to become Jack, and considers Jack a better person than he was... like, it just doesn't track with the idea of him being selfish and cocky and having high confidence and self-esteem? It's the actions of a man who sees himself as a no-good fuckup and wants to change. The actions of a man who wants desperately to be good, but doesn't think he can. Doesn't think he knows how. And someone who feels that way about themself usually isn't actually an asshole or a bad person, they're just a person with self-esteem issues who tries to be a good person and just holds themself to too high of a standard. And based on how he seems to have been treated his whole life (like we see in that detention slip), it makes sense he'd have that view of himself! Idk I just think he's a sweet, soft, goofy guy who is constantly judged for how he looks and tries to be better than what is expected of him. And who has serious self-esteem issues and anxiety about losing the few good things in his life, like his role as Jack.

Yes, exactly!! I feel like that's probably why Jack is so heavily a dom, he's used to submitting to other people as Joseph (and I still headcanon Joseph as being more sub-leaning). So being dominant puts even more distance between who he is now and who he used to be, and also lets him take control in a way he didn't used to be able to! And also because he loves seeing how desperate his Sunshine is for him. Making them be the needy, begging one giving up power for once!

I'm glad you're having fun too!!! I love bouncing ideas around with people tbh, I find that when I actually get around to sitting down and writing things out, it makes the polished stuff better!!

[stranger-chichka]

At the end of s4 we have this scene with Karen, who took some toys from the attic (the place where we see Vecna regaining his strength) and one of the toys is Nancy’s Mr. Rabbit. I feel this scene somehow parallels the one from s2, when Karen forces Mike to give his toys for the yard sale, even the ones that “have way too much emotional value.” On the contrary, she lets Nancy save Mr. Rabbit if she wants (however, Nancy decided “he’ll be more loved in his new home”).

We see Mike's giving away a monkey which is associated with childlike playfulness and curiosity (=Mike being forced to grow up -> "We're not kids anymore"), but he saves a dinosaur which may represent different things such as a dragon, protection (Will = protection), fear, past, Karmas, strength, courage, nobility and bravery.

(besides monkeys and dinosaurs there're sharks, a cow/bull and... is it a horse?)

Also, Dustin's wearing a hoodie with a dinosaur while he's reaching him in the same scene through the walkie-talkie and hearing Dart in his trash bin in s2 + he's the one mentioning the dinosaurs while talking about the Upside Down in s4.

We know that the dinosaurs are associated with Mike and Will. We see a lot of them in Mike's basement and Will's room. In s1 Mike shows El his toys: a Yoda figure and his dinosaur Rory ("red king"), but she looks totally uninterested in it.

In s2, when Will's drawing a "Zombie Boy" picture, we also see a dinosaur in his room (also, there's a smaller dragon toy near the terrarium and a picture of a tiger on the wall).

And in seasons 3 & 4 (credits to @howtobecomeadragon).

Dreams are an important part of s4, right? So I looked up what seeing a dinosaur in your dream could symbolise and OH MY GOD -- THAT STUFF IS SO TELLING!

A dinosaur in a dream indicates your old problem coming back and haunting you, just as you seem to have forgotten about them. Dinosaurs represent monsters from your past (=past traumas which the Upside Down represents as it stuck in the past). And they also indicate the dreamer's fear of change ("growing, changing" -> "you've grown"), fear of not being needed (=Mike's fear of not being needed), not knowing how to act & control emotions, overcoming life difficulties, beginning of a new phase and luck in your love life.

As for monkeys, to dream of them shows your desire to cleanse your life of anything immature and childish. It may also indicate a twisted personality (=Mike pretending he doesn't enjoy DnD in s3), being under the evil eye (= being watched by Vecna), not being taken seriously and some scandalous events.

Some other animals associated with Mike and Will are dragons, tigers and sharks.

Dream about dragons is symbolic of inner demons, internal (=internalised homophobia) and external (=bullies, homophobes & forced conformity) enemies, something that scares you & great prospects. If you see a dragon in your dreams, it means you are strong enough to face your fears and difficulties in life. You are also ready to protect yourself from any danger you may encounter. Seeing a dragon in dreams shows your bravery and patience in achieving your goals.

Seeing a tiger in a dream can symbolize a threat in real life. But also it's an embodiment of freedom, power, intuitive understanding, strength, courage, optimism, free spirit and protection. This mighty animal also reflects your subtle emotions and feeling of being restrained (= boys restraining their feelings toward each other)

Dreams featuring sharks may be our subconscious mind trying to get us to confront how we really feel (AND WE SEE "JAWS" POSTER IN THE SCENES WHERE MIKE REACHES OUT FOR WILL).

"We won't let him."

"Whatever it is, I think we should work together [= crazy together]. I think it would be easier if we're a team. Friends. Best friends."

A shark can also symbolise the humiliation you have faced in the past (both Will and Mike were bullied and humiliated) as well as anguish in your walking life, some challenging situations, a message for you to take action, and overcoming obstacles in real life.

And, of course, dogs my beloved (I already mentioned them here, here, here). They're associated with the boys and El. Dogs in dreams tend to symbolize human relationships, but are also associated with emotions you might be feeling toward a difficult situation in your life. Most often though, dreaming about a dog is a sign that you need to protect someone, or that someone unexpected might be protecting you.

The symbolism is insane!!!! And there're so many other animals associated with the characters, like owls, hawks, eagles, rabbits, butterflies, spiders, bears, deer, cows, bulls, horses, frogs etc. The brilliant minds, such as @kaypeace21 , @swftsrecord and definitely some others whose nicknames I can't recall already wrote about some of them. It is definitely worth being discussed in depth in a separate post because we have one more interesting scene with the toy reference.

6x04, the Cali gang is in Suzie’s house, where almost everything is from Mike’s POV. After the scene in the kitchen with two of Suzie's siblings cooking and adding salt into the dish, saying “Father’s kidneys! Father’s kidneys!” (I really like @doriandrifting 's analysis of that scene) Cornelius (the one who shoots a yellow arrow at Mike) turns off the electricity and we are shown Mike’s reaction. Eden says: “How many times do I have to tell you? That (=electricity=love) is not a toy!” Then she leads him past the boys (we can see Jonathan, Argyle, Mike and the grandfather’s clock but we can’t see Will) and sits him under the “TIME OUT!” poster with the words: “You make another escape, I’m getting Father.” Why do I have the feeling these words apply to Will? He escaped from the Upside Down in s1 and now Vecna threatens him with Lonnie?

I also found a subtle parallel to this scene from s1. I would never notice it if it weren’t for the timer. So, Karen is the one who visits Joyce in s1 and sees the lights in her house. She knocks 7 times (we hear it very clearly!!!) and brings a casserole with her.

Casse means “breakage”, “heist”, “damage”, "wrecker” from french, and rôle means “role" or “part”. Someone related to Karen caused damage/played a part in what happened to Will? 

As Joyce opens the door and talks with Karen the blue light behind her flickers.

When they're sitting in the kitchen the light from the window behind Joyce is yellow (yellow=Will=good) while it’s blue behind Karen (blue light= Vecna=evil because we see a lot of blue light associated with him). But Mike is also associated with blue, so the Creels & the Wheelers must be connected.

s1: Joyce explains light flickery as "electrical problems" to Karen when they're talking about Mike; s4: Eden says to Cornelius "this [electricity] is not a toy";

The lights flicker before Will goes missing and says "It was a 7." Light flickery = electrical problems = love problems. Mike needed more time because he wanted to finish the game = he needed more time to realise his feelings for Will, but TIME OUT. After "The demogorgon. It got me" (=Will already realised his feelings for Mike, because 7 is a capital L written upside-down -> Love) and "See you tomorrow" Mike let Will leave his house without saying anything to him. The demogorgon represents Will's feeling of shame, disgust and hate towards himself, because of 1) forced conformity and 2) the thought of his feelings not being reciprocated.

Holly is the one who notices the blinking of the lights (while Karen says to Joyce: “If you need anything, anything at all… Ted and I are here for you," then they’re talking about Mike and how he's dealing with Will's disappearance) and she follows them to Will's room. I wonder if she told something about what she saw Karen or not…I'm looking forward to Holly having her big moment in s5 (and Karen too)!

[fandomregression]

I had the idea of, what if Mike regressed, but for a long time he didn't even know it. Like I got the feeling especially after I started rewatching the show. (In this after everything ends Mike and El decide to just be friends, and it works for both of them because they realize its only platonic love.)

In season one after Will goes missing he locks himself in his room or whatever one night and just kind if starts playing with his dinosaurs. The next morning Nancy goes to check in on him and she sees him in bed with a bunch of dinos surrounding him. She doesn't think much of it and just continues to let him sleep.

Well as years go on and time continues. They defeat whatever evils and everything is going back to normal.

One day Mike is hanging our at the Byers/Hopper house with Will, El, Nancy, and Jonathan cause they moved back to Hawkins.

They are going through old things to get rid of and they stubble across Rory the dinosaur cause Mike gave it to Will when he was moving to California.

Mike looks at the dinosaur and just smiles and both Nancy and Johnathan notice a slight change in his behavior, it becomes more...child like in a way. He starts pointing out small things to Will, and going back and forth from clinging onto his best friend, El, and his other best friend, Will. And eventually some of his words turn in to like messes of different words. It's not hard to notice the change...well El and Will don't really notice it, they just think it's cool to have a more expensive Mike than normal, but don't really care either way cause hes their best friend. Whatever continuing

Now, Johnathan and Nancy had heard about agere from Steve and Robin because they both use it to cope, and although J and N don't regress they will still color with the other two and chew on things to help themselves relax.

So when they started to notice Mike acting like this they both looked at eachother.

"Me and Nancy are going to get something to eat, I'm hungry for some french fries, what about you guys" Jonathan had said trying to see if his suspension was right and to see if he and Nancy were on the right wave length.

Nancy looked at the 3 teens that were now all cuddled together looking at dinosaurs because of Mike. She said something about getting chicken nuggets or something.

By now Mike had already perked up, he was looking at the two next to him, and then back at the two older kids. "I want nuggets. Can I have apples too?"

Both J and N smiled and nodded. They asked what the other two wanted, they just asked for the same and then a drink and then went back to messing with the dinosaurs.

And then when Nancy and Jon went out to get food, by the time they got back Mike had started to regress more. Will and El didnt really know what was happening, but they now had maker on them and were laughing and being chased by a Mike who had a marker in each hand and was laughing with them.

Long story short they soon had a sit down with Mike, and soon enough, him, Robin, and Steve were having play dates. Later on they find our Max also regresses....let's just say the rest of the group struggled to keep all the kiddos out of trouble.

Regressed Mike loves messing with his big sister hair, and will not set still long enough for his friends to try and help him when he needs help with things.

(this is long I'm sorry, I just had an idea and ran with it, also if I messed up anything I'm dyslexic...so yeah sorry again)

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 this is the cutest yessss regresser mike is a SWEETIE

[incaensio]

setting : district thirteen hospital, mid day four. with : hazelle hawthorne (and her 80 children) @perfectaches

she's not yet discharged. the toll of the encounter with gale and hearing about the horrors of what happened to twelve and that only six hundred people — less than ten percent of the smallest district in panem's population — have made her head spin again, and rory had been tasked with getting her back to her private room in the hospital, along with prim. they don't put her down for good — it seems mother's presence here is more comforting than she'd like to admit — but the drugs in her system keep her groggy and she passes out. it's not really sleep, and she's glad for it, because she doesn't think she has the energy for nightmares. she also doesn't want to terrify the people that seem to be sitting by her side when she opens her eyes. 

this time, it's vick. he's unlike all of his siblings, and he's grown into a proper teenager since her first time going to the capitol; it's odd to see these kids she saw grow up, now at proper age, reaping age. he's changed into the jumpsuit that seems to be the uniform of this place and, if she remembers correctly from the tour she received just this morning, he's of age to join the army training. the horrible reality of it all is so sobering she almost wants her sedatives bag to be replenished, but someone else walks in and both patient and visitor looks up with recognition. lilian has already settled in, despite the likelihood that she, too, has been working non stop in those woods for three days, and had been overworked with those several teenagers in her house for a week before that, while worried for her eldest child and new son-in-law and friend's life, away, in the capitol. behind the haze of the drugs, katniss feels a reignited sense of sympathy and sorrow for her mother. they're only not the same now because lilian is useful here, and katniss is not.

lilian tells the both of them hazelle is awake again, and she has checked her vitals and they have spoken. that makes vick leave at once, and katniss can not blame him for dumping her deathbed in favor of his mother's; she's itching to do the same, after all, but katniss' own mother keeps her a moment longer, looks at her vitals, removes the IV drip, draws blood and, somehow, finds a moment to braid her hair in a way that had once been comforting but, now, katniss doesn't think she feels much. she's cried herself out, and the meds numb the anger, so lilian receives the third remaining emotion usually spared to her: apathy. she releases her to join the others still in recovery, and they go together to the greater rooms, where more people are located.

there's still a lot of people from twelve around, and some others that aren't in the gray outfits that makes her confused, but her gaze finally falls on the bed with seemingly the most people. gale is not there, but posy is lying above the covers with her mother, while the two boys surround the bed, prim also in gray clothes inspecting something on hazelle's body. katniss finds, as she approaches, that the subject of attention is a big sewed up spot in her arm where there was once a oozing gash, and before that, a tracker. the victor's eyes widen as realization sinks in. someone cut that out of hazelle — who? devyn? amara? 

"who did this?" katniss asks, cold fingers touching the protruding thing on the matriarch's arm. prim begins to speak, but katniss cuts her off, alarmed to see that hazelle's torso is all patched up, kept away from her eyes. "what is that?" she had kept herself from televisions that last day, after the president announced as clear as day that hazelle wouldn’t make it regardless of her efforts. “how did they try to kill you?” how are you still alive? hangs in the tip of her tongue.

[riverofrainbows]

Plot for a Gilmore girls AU episode where Rory comes out publicly as a trans boy (he keeps his name but needs a different nickolasname, and the whole jokey frame subplot is Lorelei suggesting different silly names she would have named Rory, including absolutely outlandish apparent relatives, with little anecdotes on some of these relatives)

The whole town aggressively accepts it, and there is a whole campaign organised with little stickers to distribute to everyone so they can retroactively correct all the yearbooks (Kirk owns a cricut machine). Miss Patty forces him to repeat the dance lessons for the men's roles, starting with the beginners group full of 12 year olds.

Luke gets really stressed out by the fact that he didn't teach him any hammer skills, and is worried Rory felt pressured to any of the girly things he did in his childhood on birthdays and such (he didn't, he still likes them) and Lorelei calms him down and gifts Luke a pink frilly hammer [based on that one episode] so he can have the equipment to be a good male role model to Rory to be absolutely sure he doesn't feel alone. Suki makes him a gigantic gender reveal cake with edible confetti inside that mischievously explodes all over her when she tries to check why it didn't explode when Rory cut it.

The only one who doesn't immediately accept it is Taylor, because he thinks that people changing the genders they live as is absolutely disorderly. And there is a commotion outside Luke's diner, where he declares that after being hounded by half the town and Jackson is about to beat him with a zucchini, when Lorelei and Rory and Luke come out. Taylor repeats his complaint, and how confusing it is, and Miss Patty says that it really isn't and if he isn't sure what a person's gender is he can use they/them until he knows. Lorelei then quips if Rory should send Taylor an official notification and Taylor says he would greatly appreciate that, and then Luke butts in absolutely enraged and says that it's completely unfair only Rory has to do that, and Taylor is immediately like "Yes you are absolutely right" (and Luke is like 'oh dear he agrees with me') and goes on to say that everyone needs to declare their gender to him. And that he wouldn't have expected Rory to be a boy and this was all really surprising (and Luke butts in that that's gender stereotyping and men can have any hobbies, and Patty agrees with a raunchy fun fact), and then Taylor, ignoring that, states that clearly anyone at any time is quite likely to change their gender, who knows, he himself might have a different gender tomorrow, and he needs official written notifications of everyone's gender now. Lorelei asks if he will also send himself a notice if his gender changes ("Well how would i know otherwise").

And in the end Taylor is they/themming everyone until the give him a written notice. Btw Lorelei grabs a napkin and has Rory write his' up on her back and hands it to Taylor who retreats victoriously after acknowledging Rory's gender. It ends with Luke giving Lorelei the name of his great uncle who took him fishing or something and it's the same name as Lorelei's favourite children's book character so that becomes Rory's new nickolasname. Rory likes it because she had been worried about losing that connection of being named after her mom. Lane already knew obviously but she is giving Rory a replica of a childhood memorabilia of them both with his gender updated (it's a cd or sth) while Lorelei talks to Luke about the name thing.

Next episode is some different main plot, but on b plot Luke is on the forefront of reminding people to declare their pronouns and name etc if they want Taylor to acknowledge them, and even let's Taylor put up a poster where to send the notices. At the same time Mr. Antiestablishment (especially when that establishment is Taylor) refuses to give a note himself, despite Taylor asking him twice, because "he doesn't need to know". Taylor does refer to him as gender neutral for the rest of the show. Also it turns out Morty quite likes the they them and decides to go by he/they. Kirk changes his notice 7 times to try everything out first, including neopronouns. The plot of the Taylor they/themming people goes on as a little background thing for two more episodes.

[extremelyputridfishbreath]

Tell us about desmond NOW!!! i say as if i dont have secret oc knowledge already

Desmond is the younger twin brother of Rolly and their older half sister Daytona. Yeah, that's right. Rolly and Desmond have an older sibling (who really needs an OGCP design since she originated as a CPI character)!

I think Rum Tum Tugger could be a good voice for him.

He's a bit of a himbo, a hedonist, and pretty athletic. A triple threat! Actually, make that a quadruple threat because he's bisexual, not unlike his brother.

Much like his CPI counterpart, Destin...Desmond is madly, madly in love with Rory and the feeling is mutual, much to Rolly's despair. Out of everyone on the island, why is his brother into one of the most annoying penguins he's ever met! Rolly obviously doesn't do anything to sabotage their relationship, but he does question Desmond's taste in men.

Desmond's eye color changed since the last picture of him I uploaded here. That's because I thought it'd be cool if his eye color was actually Rolly's inverted! I think it looks striking.

His birthday is March 1st, 1988. He does not let Rolly live down the fact he was actually born on Leap Day.

Desmond never met Caspian, and neither has Daytona (the three of them all share the same father), but from what his mother Decani told him and what Rolly told him, he's not particularly bothered by that...though he was curious about him as a kid.

Desmond has a great relationship with his older sister, whom he reconnected with first. While he and Rolly have an alright relationship...there's no way Desmond can miss the fact that Rolly somewhat envies his more carefree life sometimes due to how hectic his can be. And to a degree...he also envies the closeness Desmond has to their mother that he never got to have with their father. While that ship has long since sailed...despite hating Caspian, sometimes Rolly wishes he could have an uncomplicated relationship with his dad like Desmond has with their mother. Still, though- they get along pretty well and have even started bickering over things that don't matter and ribbing on each other, as siblings tend to do.

Desmond is a professional surfer and comes to Club Penguin during peak surfing season to compete. His board of choice? The silver surfboard!

He has a best friend and traveling buddy named Alani, who likes to make her own boards and compete in surfing competitions. Whenever they're on an island together, they often rent out a igloo together as roommates.

Desmond does not know that Richter has a double life as a surfing judge, and honestly he would not believe Richter and "Richard" are the same person even if you showed him proof.

[besidesitstoowarm]

"Boom Town" thoughts

so remember how i said in the last post that it's easier to talk about middling episodes than great ones. well i have a lot to say about this one

this is actually one of my favorite stories of the season (i originally had it in second place, i think it's probably third now). i'm enchanted by it, i think there's so much potential and so many great lines

i didn't really notice before but i assume her name is margaret blaine has a reference to both thatcher and tony blair, both of whom are scum. is blair the one who fucked the pig? i don't think so but there's no proof he didn't, so

i have to say that i think the running explanation of "no one notices the tardis bc humans are fundamentally incurious" really doesn't check out for me. i mean, the whole point of "long game" was that it was UNUSUAL for those people to not ask any questions or care about what was going on! canonically, human beings spread out across millions of worlds (fuckin and suckin along the way), being too curious is actually one of the catalysts for the human companions getting into trouble. other explanations like "millions of people saw a spaceship land in london and have now all decided it was a hoax" track for me (i mean, look at covid), but "incurious" is just not a problem people in general have, not in the whoniverse

honestly the dinner scene between the doctor and margaret is one of my favorite scenes of the entire season. we've gotten the doctor as lonely outcast, forgotten child, reluctant survivor, proud coward. now we get the doctor as murderer, executioner. i mean, that's what he did to gallifrey, right? no matter the reason, he killed all those people. he kills people, or lets them die, or can't save them. it's a huge running theme throughout the davies era, and we see ten overcorrect and try too hard to be the hero and martyr before he finally snaps and accepts being "the time lord victorious"

"i bet you're always the first to leave....at last you have consequences" yes! force him to watch what he's doing! "day of the doctor" has the climax revolve around that exact idea, watching gallifrey fall, counting all those dead children. he's the rebel, the runner, on to the next adventure, don't stick around to clean up and rebuild. a lot of his companions eventually decide to do just that, stick around to clean up and rebuild, settle down. can he look her in the eye and sentence her to death? can he dine with her before he sends her to the gallows? "you're pleading for mercy out of a dead woman's lips"

i think the ending is a copout tbh. oh she was playing him, she didn't really change or even want to. no! make him decide! make him face that choice! make it ambiguous even, bc it already was– she didn't kill the pregnant, engaged reporter, she let her go. that was true. she remembered how it felt to have a family that loved her– abused her– protected her. i like the "starting over" bit with the egg, let nurture have a chance to change nature, but c'mon man, let us sit with the weight of the Points she made

this was such a good mickey episode, speaking of points made. noel clarke crushed it when he broke down with "at least i know where she is" bc yes! jackie is her mother, she would wait for rose forever, but what is mickey supposed to do? she's gone for months at a time, she's always at risk for death and danger, she's clearly formed an incredibly intimate (if not explicitly romantic) relationship with the doctor, who is and does things mickey never could, and that's not even to mention jack (who was much more tolerable and fun this time around). rose's bubbly conversation dying when mickey mentions he has a new girlfriend, him clearly still in love with rose but feeling helpless. poor mickey. i liked rose acknowledging that he didn't have other choices, really, even though it upset her. it's hard to have ties like that back home. we basically have this storyline play out again with amy and rory, although that resolves differently

so yeah this episode gets my brain snapping off