#bree is just a guy who loves his wife

[eddiediazismyhusband]

rant/vent post bc im exhausted and my brain won’t stop buzzing about this:

you know i find it mildly infuriating that tim had time to address the karaoke scene debacle bc of twitter fans, but he doesn’t have time to addresss the fact that since the start of s7 there have been fans who have been spouting hateful rhetoric about poc cast/characters and sending death threats to other fans, crew members, and journalists for not supporting their lukewarm ship, and he also for some reason is trying to remain on this high horse of “representation” when that is probably one of the weakest character sexuality storylines i’ve seen, and not only that but he decided to make the entire second half of the season practically dedicated to the pain of poc, as well as exploiting racial stereotypes for cheap drama….. all of this while these fans are acting like this guy who came out of nowhere (something that has literally been admitted by tim) is somehow this holy grail of a character when his emotional range is less than the “😐🧍” emojis, and tim is simultaneously ignoring the hate and blatant racism from the fans, but also promoting and giving a storyline to a racist character— even going as far as to brush that racism under the rug narratively, as well as allowing the actor to rile up controversy and division amongst fans

this is why it is so hard for me to trust tim anymore because that man has not shown to ke that he actually cares about good storytelling, he just cares about money going into his pocket.

now, no i don’t believe he is out here DM-ing fans s8 spoilers because the man is a moneymaker not an idiot, so before you try to say anything about me saying i believe bree, i most certainly do not— but unfortunately i don’t trust tim to handle any of the storylines he’s set up for s8 well until i see it.

and most of all i feel awful from ryan and oliver who want nothing more than to tell such a beautiful story but they are constantly being mowed over by tim, by the network, and now by the fans… oliver really wanted to do something with buck’s story, and all it’s done is caused a group of batshit fans to spread hate to other fans for not jumping ship after 6 years. ryan is so exhausted of having to rehash the shannon shit every season even though we’ve been given plenty of evidence to show that he has moved on from her— this storyline wasn’t necessary (and especially not the way they chose to tell it).

and lastly— oliver and ryan have wanted the fans to be happy. they want buck and eddie to be happy. and right now, neither of them are in a narratively satisfying spot, and until the show actually cuts the bullshit and starts doing something with their storyline and not just exploiting it, I’m not gonna support it by watching. they’ve shown they don’t care about queer rep by making half of a popular ship canon by bringing back a former character who was literally racist and misogynistic just to serve a character arc, and haven’t gotten rid of him despite having an entire half of a season to do so. they’ve shown they don’t care about queer rep by giving the bisexual main character a sexuality arc that lasted 0.2 seconds narratively and had him end up with the first guy who kissed him, despite there being zero chemistry or build up to imply there were ever actually any feelings of interest. they’ve shown they don’t care about queer rep by once again putting the show’s two black queer women through the same storyline they’ve had before, rehashing their trauma once again in an arc that didn’t even carry over because it was mostly resolved after 3 episodes. they’ve shown they don’t care about queer rep by saying that they wanna “do the story naturally” if they make eddie queer, yet they ignore every opportunity they have to do do by (literally) digging up his ex wife at every turn despite having written numerous lines of dialogue in which he blatantly admits to not actually loving her romantically, and stating that their marriage only happened because she got pregnant.

season 7 had the potential to be something great. it turned out to be mid.

season 8 also has the potential to be something great. until it starts looking like it im not gonna waste my time, energy, or sanity forcing myself to watch- especially if they’re just going to continue the blatant fan service bullshit after telling buddie fans for 6 years that they “don’t wanna do fanservice”….. well what the fuck do you call this dumpster fire, tim?

we may get some more information once filming starts that will change my mind, but right now it’s really not worth it after spending 7 year watching this show to just continue to be spat on and slapped in the face by the creators.

sincerely, an emotionally and physically exhausted fan who just had a long day and desperately needs to take my anxiety meds and crash

[littleperilstories]

*cracks knuckles*

Will: 💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Jamie: 😨 FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

Bree: 👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

Colette: 🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

Hatch-fucking-ett: ☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

From this ask game.

Warnings: mention of abusive dad, parental death, corporal punishment in school, general sad backstory & trauma

Spoilers (I guess) for this chapter below (the one with Ezra).

Will: 💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Oh, this boy is such a goddamn silly complex mess. He's totally a "put on a brave face" kind of guy—respond to terror with snark. (Not that this ever helps him out, by the way. Back in his schoolhouse days, the teacher would just bring the strap down on his palm harder.) Grief and dread are hard for him to manage, too—they result in more snark, and of course the false hope that bit him in the ass after Ezra's execution.

The moment Will truly admits to himself that there's nothing, absolutely nothing else he can do to fix the mess he's in—the moment he gives up and gives in—you know our boy has finally broken.

Jamie: 😨 FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

So....Jamie's whole thing is that, like Colette, he is cautious—a thinker, a rational decision-maker, when circumstances allow him to think things through. In most situations, he knows when it's the right choice to fight or flee. (He is unlikely to 'freeze' or 'fawn,' if you've heard that variation.) He cares so much about the people he helps through IA (who our fave thieves give their spoils to), that he is probably thinking about what's right for them in a moment of crisis as much as he's thinking about what's right for him.

What "fight" looks like on Jamie Wardrew, though, depends on what's going on. He's not a naturally violent person, and he doesn't resort immediately to using his fists (like a certain little brother probably would). But he knows how to fight in other ways—like going against "the man" to battle injustice.

When it comes to protecting Will, though...well, let's just say that he'll go against his own rules.

Bree: 👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

haha OOOKAAAY. Bree had a terrible relationship with her family.

She doesn't remember much about her grandparents, though they were still alive when she was quite young. I'd like to think that they would have been kind and loving had they lived long enough to get to know her, but Bree never got the chance.

Her mother was very different from the young woman Bree has become. She got steamrolled by Silas Cooper for her entire marriage to him, and she did little to fight back against his abusive tendencies. Bree grew up knowing that's not the kind of person she wanted to be.

Bree's relationship with her dad was basically a nightmare. He was verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive for much of her life. He never fully accepted responsibility for losing the family fortune, and he definitely still expected his wife and daughter to take care of him even when they were living in poverty—even when his wife was growing ill. That responsibility fell to Bree after her mother died.

He insisted on honouring Bree's engagement, something that had been arranged years before, despite knowing that she and the would-be groom were ill-suited to one another. Silas Cooper's death was liberating rather than tragic for her.

Colette: 🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

LOL I love that you picked the spider for this one.

Time for a lore drop / some Colette backstory!

What is Colette afraid of? Being abandoned, and doing the same to those she loves. After she was cruelly disowned by her father and stepmother for something over which she had no control, she lives in fear of being rejected again—and of becoming just like the family members who hurt her.

I have this weird feeling that she might be a little afraid of dogs but that inkling came out of nowhere. We'll see if it becomes canon.

Hatch-fucking-ett: ☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

I think strangers assume he's a chill, well-rounded guy who's got his life together and who is content with his lot in life. Why wouldn't they? He's got a good job. He comes from a moderately wealthy family. He always looks proper, his unifom absolutely spick-and-span. Why shouldn't he be happy with the hand he's been dealt...why wouldn't he have a robust social life and a gal he's chasing after?

Are they right? Hell, no. This guy has zero grip on reality. He is under a lot of pressure to prove himself in his position of power that he was promoted into (probably a bit too quickly). And, no, he doesn't have a girl he's wooing, not since some penniless harlot broke his (admittedly already-icy) heart a few years ago. His job has become his life, his vendetta against IA an obsession.

[floripire]

❝ nothing is evil in the beginning. ❞ carlisle!

they're taking the hobbits to isengard // @mvndrvke with mentions of @rosefromdeath and @perceivedpast

after graduation, floribeth decides to put as much distance between herself and her sire and doug carson and triad industries as (in)humanly possible.

so she packs her bags, says her goodbyes and promises to stay in touch forever and always and all but vanishes into the night, catching the first bus out of mystic falls.

she ends up in forks, washington a few days later, arriving as the morning turns into the afternoon.

the place could do with a bit more sun for her taste, but she thinks it's as close to falling off the map as she'll be able to manage. it's not the dark kingdom - a hidden enclave established in the mountains of washington state - she was looking for, but it'll do.

the first thing that floribeth does is sneak into the hospital. she was going to compel the nearest nurse to take a bloodbag. just one. to tide her over.

but that plan goes out the window when doctor cullen catches her in the act. he clocks her for what she is instantly. as does his wife - snow white in the flesh - who stops by to bring him his 'lunch'.

"your eyes," esme cullen begins after doctor cullen has pulled them both into his office, "they're neither red nor yellow. are you---"

floribeth shakes her head. "---no, ma'am. i'm not a dhampir. just a different strain of vampire."

"well, do you have anywhere to stay?"

"no, ma'am. i've only just arrived in town and i'm in between places, i'm afraid."

the good doctor and his wife exchange a glance. floribeth catches something about 'alice being right' but she doesn't question it further.

that day, the cullen coven gains one more member.

she slots nicely in between bella (they bond about books) and bree (they bond about having shitty sires), even though edward might disagree. but that's okay, building up relationships and trust is a slow process, after all.

even if she does butt heads with edward sometimes. because he has unlimited, unfettered access to her head and therefore, he has access to the darkest parts of her.

she doesn't like it. but that doesn't mean that she doesn't like him.

(even if it's blatantly unfair that he gets to keep the love of his life, his mate, his lighthouse, and she'll have to bury hers one day.)

emmett calls her a nerd and jasper keeps to himself, having realized there is more to floribeth than meets the eye. jasper's younger sister, johanna, does the same after shaking her hand and learning everything there is to know about her up until that point. gabriella, the lone human in their midst, is compassionate and more than welcoming, though, and that soothes the sting of it all. just a bit.

alice - who apparently saw her coming - wants to give her a make-over immediately, and floribeth lets her, with gentle stipulations that it's just another color palette, and not another style entirely.

surprisingly, it's rosalie with whom floribeth bonds the quickest; the tiny dark haired vampire might not know anything about cars, but she understands the compulsion (hah!) to take something apart, to see how it works and what makes it tick, and build it back up again afterwards.

(aside from johanna, rosalie is the only one who really knows about sue carson.)

esme and carlisle remind her of her own mom and dad. not in appearance but in personality. it's a comfort of sorts.

esme thinks it's delightful that floribeth can eat regular food as well as take in blood - human or animal - and does the forks vampire equivalent of bursting into tears when floribeth calls her mom for the first time. and floribeth likes to think that carlisle is just as delighted with all the questions: why is our vampiric physiology different? why do you guys hunt wild animals instead of keeping cattle or something? what's the vibe between you all and the wolves? does angela weber know she's a witch?

(rosalie makes a face when she finds out that floribeth's best friends are a werewolf and a witch respectively, and then again when she finds out that floribeth's boyfriend is a werewolf, too. emmett's loud laughter can be heard through the entire house when floribeth professes her excitement about meeting their wolves.)

months turn into years and floribeth settles nicely into a new routine. she enrolls in - read: compels her way into - the university of seattle and upgrades every bit of technology she can find around the cullen house.

just in case any of their enemies come knocking.

"nothing is evil in the beginning," doctor cullen says one day as he rummages around his office.

"oh, i know," floribeth responds as she helps him find his briefcase - it's loss had been one of emmett's tamer pranks. "my sire is just in a lot of pain. and he's not dealing with that very well. can you imagine? first, you're a human and you live peacefully among the wolves and then this guy, klaus mikaelson, shows up out of nowhere, seeking to turn a bunch of those wolves - your wolves - into wolf-vampire hybrids. and then that falls through so they all die, his best friends and the love of his life included. i'd lose my whole mind too if i lost loren and mia and jed that way."

he finds his briefcase, kisses her on the forehead and steps away to the door, intent on saying goodbye to everyone before he goes to work.

"hey, dad?" he turns back towards her. "are we still on to discuss the vade mecum this evening?" he smiles and nods. "sure, kiddo. but first, you'd better go and get ready; i've heard esme mention that she wants to take you, bree and johanna out on a hunt."

[lazylittledragon]

I love Charlie, Bree and Angel's friendship and I would LOVE to see more of their history

i wish all trans women blessed tits today and forever

[kokinu09]

Ok ok ok what abouuuuut…marriage/engaged zeddison headcanons? Now that we’ve got the full zombies lore lol

I feel like marriage and engagement are two very different headcanons 😅 So I’m gonna do an engagement imagine! 🤗 executive decision

✨Zed and Addison are getting married✨

Getting Engaged

Zed sent Bree to get Addison out of the house. (Giving her his credit card so they can go get their nails done or something. Bree definitely ignored that there’s a budget.)

She’s gone for 5 minutes and Zed knocks on The Wells’ Residence front door.

He asks Mr. Wells for a minute of his time and, while they’re sitting in the den talking, he asks for his blessing to marry his daughter.

Dale enthusiastically says yes. He and Missy chat with him excitedly for an hour, reminiscing about the past 4 years he’s been around and how happy he’s going to make Addison.

Addison was none the wiser.

A little over 8 months later, Zed puts his plan into action. He’d been working with everyone for weeks to make sure it went perfectly. And that was not an easy task to keep it a secret from Addison.

Zed tells Addison they’re going to spend the whole day together, so clear her calendar! (She giggles at his antics but thinks nothing of it. They always do ‘date days’ anyways.)

Zed takes her all over Seabrook that day, all the places they held memories together at. (He sings an upbeat song about it all in true Disney montage fashion.)

The whole town is involved with the flash mob.

When it ends, Zed sings her a heartfelt reprise and gets down on one knee in front of her. Presenting the ring and asking her to make him the happiest zombie in the world by becoming his wife.

Addison is a mess of tears and smiles. Nodding over and over before she can even say ‘yes!’

The Engaged Couple

Zed is the kind of guy who uses the title ‘fiancé’ when referring to Addison any chance he gets.

Addison cherishes her engagement ring and tries to do everything in her power to keep it pristine. Taking it off when she does the dishes, or puts on lotion, or even when she showers.

Addison is a planner by nature. She’s had a dream wedding list since she was 10. Now it’s time to whittle it down and make it more Zed and Addison than just Addison.

Addison keeps Zed very involved in the planning process, valuing his opinions. And wanting it to be their day, not her day.

The only thing she’s adamant that he’s not involved in is her dress. Cuz she wants his mind to be BLOWN when he finally sees her.

Addison surprises Bree with a little gift box of goodies, the note inside saying “OK, so act really surprised! Like you had no idea this was coming…” on the front and then when she opened it, simply saying “Will you be my Maid of Honor?” with little purple hearts surrounding it.

Bree was ecstatic (without having to fake it).

Zed isn’t as fancy when he asks Eliza. He takes her and Bonzo to lunch, asking her to be his Best Woman. She happily agrees. Then he immediately asks Bonzo to be a Groomsman.

He apologizes to Bonzo that he couldn’t have two Best Man/Women. But Bonzo assures in Zombese that he’s just happy to stand beside him.

Zed gets emotional.

In the months approaching the wedding, Zed and Addison have get-togethers with more of their families. The extended branches of their family trees.

Of course, Addison is loved by all of Zed’s relatives. They love how accepting and feisty she can be, and appreciate everything she’s done to help Zed over the years.

Zed starts feeling discouraged, however, after meeting Addison’s ‘not-so-nice to monsters’ Aunts and Uncles.

Addison pulls him aside, after one of them made a very passive aggressive comment to him, to make sure he was ok. Assuring him that their love was stronger than any of their intolerant remarks.

Surprisingly enough, Addison’s parents are the ones to come to his defense against their siblings. Zed feels much better after that, knowing his future in-laws have his back as much as their daughter does.

[therealvinelle]

Hello! I know you said you don’t care about Freaky Fred at all, but please consider this question. S Meyer said that he’s gonna appear in the next 2 or 3 books, and I suddenly thought - what if Renesmee and Fred fall in love with each other (I know, there’s Jake, but still)? Like Meyer wouldn’t let him be alive without a reason, and this reason should be good. I feel like he fits her more than Jake or Nahuel, and his gift could protect her too. What do you think about this possibility? Thanks!

How about none of these people, Renesmée is three months old where canon leaves us and was born in 2006, unless Meyer's setting the next book in the mid-to-late 2020's (which she has said she won't, to my recollection the plan is for the planned sequel to take place just a few years after Breaking Dawn. That's not two decades.) then Renesmée will be too young for me to feel particularly enthused about her entering a romantic relationship.

Yes, Renesmée has a different growth and maturation rate than human children, many in the animal kingdom are ready to start popping out babies after a year. However, I'm going to let my human sensibilities take heavyweight duty here. Renesmée would, as a sexually active woman in a relationship, be navigating the emotional and psychological complexities that come with a relationship between two people. Cats and dogs don't need to worry with that, for all that my cat got into a weird love triangle this one time.

A relationship between two people requires a certain iota of mental maturity, not just physical maturity.

And, quite frankly, given the weird, sped-up, secluded childhood Renesmée is looking at where she has no peers, no access to secondary socialization, and an adult man actively grooming her, I'm not sure Renesmée's going to be in a mental place where it's advicable she gets into a relationship anytime soon. She could, and this is where fic authors have to write her in such a way that I can believe it, but my point is that growing up will be easier said than done for her.

I'll admit I'm colored by the fact that my need to ship her with anybody is approximately zero.

So, with all that in my mind, what about Fred/Renesmée?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I don't see how they hit it off in the first place. Fred would be some random vampire they encounter who makes them all feel like he smells bad. I imagine he'd be curious about the yellow-eyes Riley talked so much about, and saddened to hear about Bree, but beyond that he really has no reason to stick around.

Even if he decides to hang out for a bit, he eats people blood, so unless he switches diets (something very few vampires do) he's not going to hang around for long.

Now to Renesmée, she has her family, she loves her family and in particular her mother. For her and Fred to become a thing, Renesmée will have to be attracted to this guy in the first place, which based on every description of the guy and his gift is... oh I've got it.

Scenario

Renesmée is still living with her family but growing increasingly resentful of certain persons. In particular, Edward stifles her, Jacob wants her to be his wife, and then Bella, whom she loves, doesn't truly see her as a person.

Along comes some guy named Fred, who says he was part of Victoria's dread newborn army. He ran away before the battle took place, and turns out he has a gift! It's the gift of, uh, making people feel absolutely sickened by you. He's the vampire equivalent of a skunk.

Gross, right?

Edward is immediately dismissive of him, while Jacob glares at his red eyes. This guy is a killer and not even a friend of Carlisle's, the only thing he's got going for him is Bree's dying plea to Edward that he be kind to Fred should they ever meet.

But Bree was a martyred young girl.

Fred is just gross.

Edward is nice to the guy, but with a heavy overtone of condescension.

Bella thinks he's alright, she'd kind of forgotten about Bree to be honest. Anywho, back to reading Wuthering Heights.

The rest are just as ambivalent - Rosalie makes it clear she hopes the guy finds the exit door out of her life at the earliest possible convenience, Esme starts to cry when he uses his gift because it makes her feel like the house isn't clean enough, Jasper struggles to let his guard down around the guy.

Renesmée, at first, is dismissive of Fred as well. Oh, he's nice enough, but she has no reason to care one way or the other.

Then she notices the way her family regards him.

This is not a man they approve of.

This, in fact, might be the last man in the world they'd approve of.

He's not Jacob, not even Nahuel, he's not even one of Carlisle's friends. He's the least kosher vampire in the world, without being dangerous, like giving Demetri a booty call would be.

At first she's just very friendly to the man, enjoying the way it makes Jacob glare. Heh, five points to Renesmée.

But Edward and Bella haven't noticed yet.

So she invites Fred on a solo hunt.

That gets a rise out of Jacob, but she argues that she just wants to hang out. He very begrudgingly agrees to stay at home while she takes off.

Edward has a bit of a frowny face at that, but nothing more. Bella just says "Have fun, Nessie!"

Screw it all. Halfway through the hunt, Renesmée makes Fred stop running. Summoning the essence of every flirtatious smile she has ever seen her mother direct at Edward, Renesmée walks right into Fred's personal space.

Suddenly uncomfortable and feeling very put on the spot, he instinctually starts oozing "you want to throw up" at her.

Renesmée has a teen rebellion to enact. She powers through the disgust. "I like you, Fred," she says, words slightly forced because she really does want to vomit.

Fred makes a squeak at the back of his throat.

Summoning every inch of courage and willpower that she has, Renesmée forces herself to ignore the violent urge to projectile vomit, and gives him the world's fastest, lightest, peck on the lips.

She then jumps ten feet back, and gives him a thumbs up. "Yup, I definitely fancy you," she lies.

Fred has no idea what just happened.

Jacob and Edward, who followed them because they did not trust this guy, later kill Fred.

Bella never notices her daughter.

Happy, anon?

[jamespotterthefirst]

Alright, Bree. I'm going to Reverse Uno you with the Newly Wed Game (and steal your copy doing it 😆)

For this mission, should you choose to accept it, answer the following with pictures (dialogue from your characters is optional!).

And because this is for Lilac & Ethan, I've switched it up just a tad.

(Cue Mission Impossible theme)

For Lilac

Favorite picture of Ethan at your wedding?

Favorite picture on your honeymoon (of him or otherwise)?

Favorite outfit(s) on him?

Part of your home where you make the most memories.

Picture of your spouse's last non-NSFW purchase.

For Ethan

Favorite picture of your wife at your wedding?

Favorite picture on your honeymoon (of her or otherwise)?

Favorite part of her personality for you?

Picture of a dream getaway or date you would surprise her with?

Last picture she sent you - the more NSFW the better 😈

Don’t worry about picking pictures of your face claim (if any) to answer these! Any picture of the outfit/place, no matter who is wearing it, makes absolute sense! Have fun!

Hahaha! I love it when you guys UNO Reverse card me. Thank you so much for these! I love the twist and of course, I accept the mission. Seriously, these are so fun. I might include more picture challenges in future asks! 

For Lilac

Favorite picture of Ethan at your wedding?

Favorite picture on your honeymoon (of him or otherwise)?

Lilac: I cheated because these are from part 1 of our honeymoon in Rome and part 2 in the Mayan Riviera. And they're of us both but he wouldn't mind.

Ethan: You're right. I look much better with you at my side.

Favorite outfit(s) on him?

Lilac: Whenever I dress him.

Ethan: *whispers something close to her ear the makes her almost choke on her water*

Lilac: I enjoy doing that too.

Part of your home where you make the most memories.

Lilac: Definitely the kitchen. He's teaching me how to cook and he's so patient. Such a good teacher, my husband. It's my favorite part of the day.

Picture of your spouse's last non-NSFW purchase.

Lilac: He bought me some Chanel lipsticks.

Ethan: *clearing his throat* They said non-NSFW, love.

Lilac: They are.

Ethan: Not-- What you-- How you tested their longevity on your lips was not.

Lilac: *laughs deviously* Down boy.

For Ethan

Favorite picture of your wife at your wedding?

Ethan: Technically before the wedding. Still a favorite of mine.

Favorite picture on your honeymoon (of her or otherwise)?

Ethan: Also from the Mayan Riviera and Rome.

Lilac: Aww! They're all of me.

Ethan: Of course. You were my favorite part of both places.

Favorite part of her personality for you?

Ethan: How ridiculous she is.

Lilac: *deadpan* Aww.

Ethan: She is my polar opposite and brings so much joy to my life with her antics. Also, I appreciate how kind and loving she is with me.

Picture of a dream getaway or date you would surprise her with?

Ethan: She finally convinced me.

Lilac: WALT. DISNEY. WORLD.

Last picture she sent you - the more NSFW the better 😈

Ethan: No.

Lilac: *laughs* You can send the one before you... gave me detailed instructions. The one of the dress.

Ethan: Fine.

[headinthestaticsky]

The Phenomenon of the Immortal Sun: Jasper Hale x Fleur Swan, Chapter 6

None of the characters in Twilight belong to me, all rights go to Stephenie Meyer!

Authors note: I have no idea if I used these song lyrics in a previous chapter in Eclipse... I have a garbage memory.

"Stars did fall. Thunder rolled. Bugs crawled back, In their holes. The couple screamed, but it was far too late. Her jealous heart did retaliate."

Ten Cent Pistol by, The Black Keys.

Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie looked like they wanted to kill someone. Alice, Dean, Esme, and Bree all looked confused and hurt.

Rosalie inhaled deeply.

"We need to do something about those two..." Rosalie said.

"They're way out of line... Edward especially... human or not I would kill anyone who comes near Fleur." Jasper added, fury was still in his voice.

"What can you guys do he's your brother. Besides after Bella turns they were going to go live in that cabin you guys renovated for them."

"We'll need to do something, you don't need any of this right now... I'm disappointed in him." Esme said sadly.

Before I could say anything else I could hear Bella scream.

"She must've just gotten bitten." I murmured.

"Hey you're probably thirsty, your eyes are starting to turn black, let me get you something," Esme suggested.

"That'd be great thanks... Jazz, could you hand me my phone?"

"Sure, what for darlin?" Jasper said sitting next to me.

"I need to call Sam and Leah... they need to know about this too. If we keep it from them, they could consider it a threat."

Carlisle's office door swung open, Edward ran toward the front door and slammed it. Carlisle came out with an annoyed look on his face.

"He's going to be the second death of me I swear he is."

"Well Seth already knows, maybe he told Leah." Bree suggested.

"Maybe he did but it won't hurt to check." I replied. I dialed Leah's number first thinking she might be a little more understanding.

"Fleur?" I heard her ask on the other line.

"Hey, Leah... has Seth told you anything lately?" My voice trembled slightly. I heard Leah sigh before letting out a laugh.

"Yeah, Seth told me you were pregnant calm down." I heard her reply.

"Oh, so Sam knows too?"

"Yeah but he's a bit skeptical... you know how he is." Leah mumbled.

"Yeah... but what about Bella... he does know that today is her changing day, the transformation is already happening."

"The last thing he told Seth about her is that she's not our concern anymore... it's her choice to change, we can't stop it." Leah explained.

"Listen I gotta go, I'll see you soon."

"See you later." She hung up a few seconds later. I rested my head on Jasper's should and sighed in relief.

"Here Fleur, maybe this we'll make you feel a bit better," Esme said, handing me a glass.

I grasped the cup and chugged it, it was gone a few seconds later. I didn't feel much better.

"Your eyes are still black...each bag should have the exact amount of blood you need for the next few days... How about you have some more?

I gulped down another bag, it still wasn't enough.

"This isn't good." Carlisle explained, he looked puzzled.

"Ehh...why isn't that good?" I inquired

"Well, if you can never be satisfied with the amount of blood your drinking you will eventually begin to starve. You will lose your strength, and could possibly have moments of insanity." Carlisle explained.

"I can handle this... it'll be worth it for him. Besides like you said before it most likely won't be a full 9 months."

"We'll all be by your side darlin." Jasper reassured, kissing my cheek.

"I'll monitor you whenever I can, it seems they're already growing quickly." Carlisle said, gesturing down to my bump.

Over the next few weeks, my baby grew more and more, but I was beginning to get weaker. No matter how much blood I drank, nothing seemed to sedate me. The rest of the Cullens were on edge with Edward and Bella, and since Bella was finally a vampire, they couldn't trust them at all. They weren't around much but when they were Rosalie and Jasper seemingly stood guard for me. I was zoned out, laying in an armchair since I was beginning to get sick of sitting on the same couch when Esme interrupted my concentration.

"Fleur, Leah and Seth are here." She called out.

I sat up and smiled, gesturing for her to bring them in. Leah and Seth walked in carrying some wrapped boxes with them.

Esme walked in with them before giving a quick goodbye as she wanted to help Carlisle and Rosalie with collecting food for me.

"You two did not have to get me anything." I said.

"Look aunt Leah has to get my nephew something." She said a smile was on her face.

I opened the box, a stuffed wolf plushie was inside, a dreamcatcher was underneath the plushie.

"These gifts are great thank you!"

"No problem, I thought they would be nice."

"You are the only one who thinks it's a boy, everyone else thinks it's a girl."

"I trust your instincts." Leah shrugged before pulling up a chair and sitting next to me.

"So how are you Fleur?" Seth asked, he shuffled around in his place, his eyes were scanning for someone else.

"It's getting rougher now since he's growing so big but, I know it'll all be worth it in the end."

"Your eyes look really dark, aren't they suppose to be red?" Leah inquired.

"We're beginning to think he's half-vampire half-human, he has a heartbeat it's just slightly faster than usual humans. He's definitely drinking the blood I get."

"I heard what happens to vampires when they don't feed...it gets rough." Leah said rubbing my back comfortingly.

"I have my moments but, they haven't been too bad."

"Where's the rest of the Cullens?" Seth inquired.

"Hunting, Edward, and Bella don't show up much... they don't want me to have my baby. But the rest of the Cullen's are really supportive and Jasper is ecstatic about it." I rubbed my bump unconsciously.

"But how do you eat?" Leah asked, her eyebrows were furrowed.

"Carlisle and Rose get these bags of animal blood for me." I saw Leah sigh and Lean back against her seat.

"These vampires aren't so bad after all...I'm glad Seth found Bree... she seems nice." Leah smiled.

"Oh she really is, she didn't know what she was doing when she was turned... I'm glad we're able to help her."

"So... when do you think you'll give birth?"

"Carlisle said I could give birth in a week or two... It's nerve-wracking, it's so unpredictable."

"Hey, you'll be fine... I'll stay here for a bit if you need." Leah offered.

"That would be nice but, I don't want to put you through any trouble."

"It wouldn't be any trouble besides If Edward or Bella tries something... they're going to have to deal with me too."

I laughed but before I could say anything I could sense Edward and Bella coming in, but the others were still farther away.

"Great... now we got werewolves constantly coming in." Bella complained.

Seth and Leah looked up shocked.

"Bella... did you forget you were in a toxic, manipulative love triangle for a solid year with a werewolf... for a solid fucking year." I snapped back.

"Jacob doesn't talk to me anymore!" Bella roared.

"Good for him, he needs to move on." I said, Leah nodded in agreement.

"You always have to stick your opinion in don't you?" Bella said.

"Uhh... you walked in for 5 seconds are were already trying to start shit with me." I snapped, the rage in my body burned.

"Hey, don't you snap at my wife." Edward snarled, he started walking up to me slowly.

"Back off Edward." Leah warned, she seemed to feel how pissed off I was.

"Can it mutt."

"Edward... I've been starving for almost a month... don't try me."

"What can you do? You're frail, weak, impaired." Edward pushed, walking up in front of me.

"What in the fuck are you two still doing here? I mean... honestly, you both got what you wanted, Edward you got a mate, and Bella, you became immortal. If you can't stand the decisions we're all making then why don't you just leave?"

"Because we're protected, we're the feared Olympic coven... Who wouldn't want to stay here." Edward explained, he rolled his eyes as if it were obvious.

"Oh I see... you're using them, you're too unskilled to protect yourselves so why wouldn't you want to let everyone else do the work?" I said in fake shock, Leah and Seth began to chuckle.

"I'm not unskilled enough to protect myself from you." Bella smirked, joining Edward in front of me.

"...You two fucking try something I dare you because the way I've been feeling all month I fucking dare someone to mess with me. I growled standing up on my own, it was strange... it was like a new strength filled my body.

Leah came up in front of me and put an arm between us three.

"Just drop it you three... this isn't going to end well." Leah warned.

Edward smirked and then grabbed me, I quickly flipped him around and as I warned before kicked him through the glass wall.

I heard shuffling and turned around to see Leah holding Bella down with Seth helping her out. I turned back around to the window, I saw Edward lying on the ground with Dean, Alice, Esme, and Emmett looking up at me in shock. I saw Carlisle approach Edward, a deadly look was on his face.

"Damn short stack!" I heard three sets of feet running inside Jasper, Rosalie, and Bree came into the lounge room. Bree went to go help Seth and Leah with Bella.

"Darlin are you okay?" Jasper called toward me worryingly. I couldn't say anything however as that newfound strength had dissipated, and I clutched my head. Rosalie and Jasper rushed to me.

"That's it I can't stand those two anymore they have to get out of here!" Rosalie exclaimed, Jasper just nodded in agreement.

When I was sat back down in the armchair I decided to explain what happened. The rest of the Cullens came back in, Edward couldn't look me in the eyes now.

"So sweety, what happened?" Esme inquired.

"I was just sitting with Leah and Seth when Bella started complaining that Leah and Seth were here."

Bella tried to say something but Rosalie gave her a glare.

"I snapped at her I'll admit but... then Edward started coming up to me threateningly... but he then he said that he was just living with you guys because he was being protected... and long story short Edward grabbed me and I kicked him through the glass wall." I finished. I had never seen Carlisle or Esme so mad before.

"Is that true?" Carlisle inquired.

"But..."

"HE SAID IS IT TRUE!" Esme interrupted.

Edward bit down a growl before answering.

"Yes."

"You two can't come around here anymore...nor do you two belong to this coven." Carlisle demanded.

Bella gasped.

"What a second we can work something out..." She started.

"Look I'm not going to spend decades of you three fighting all the time... and personally, I'm personal want to keep the one I like." Rosalie sniped.

"Leave at once," Carlisle said.

Edward and Bella stormed out of the house and ran off. A thick silence overtook the air.

"Uh...sorry about the wall." Jasper shushed me before pulling me in for a kiss.

"You two okay?" He asked, rubbing my stomach.

"Oh yeah he's having a blast...you should've felt him, he was kicking up a storm. He's a fighter I can tell." I said smiling. Jasper curled up to me and rested his head on mine. I saw the Cullens as well as Leah and Seth glance at each other, leaving the room.

"You know, I can feel what emotions they feel," Jasper stated.

"Really? How is he feeling now?"

"They loves the sound of your voice, I can tell. They get so happy when they hear it."

I smiled fondly on my bump before rubbing it softly.

"I'm glad you love it, we both love you that's for sure..."

[renee-writer]

Faith's Journey Home Chapter 20

AO3

“So sister, how did you end up marrying our cousin?” They sit together on the front porch. Hannah Rebecca sits on her new uncle’s lap.

“Well, that is an interesting story. I needed a husband,” he looks down at Hannah Rebecca startled,” no no, she was born in wedlock. I, well I like lasses.” She gives him a minute.

“Oh like, like lasses?”.She nods. “I see. My father, John that is, likes lads.”

“Yes, I know. He likes our papa.” They look at each other and laugh.

“What a strange family we have Faith.” He lifts up the baby. “Hannah Rebecca, you have a strange but wonderful family.” She gurgles down at him.

“That she does. Are you happy William, to be a part of it?”

“Very. It was just John and I for the last five years. To have this much family, it is a blessing.”

She can understand that. “I had just my Uncle Ray, so I understand.”

“Look at us sister. Two found children.” She smiles and breaths in the sweet air. Hannah Rebecca is two months and she plans on trying to seduce her daddy tonight. Her brother sits beside her. Jemmy is doing better everyday. Mandy’s medicine still works. It is a wonderful day. “Have you found contentment in your marriage?”

“I have. Ian is a sweet and loving man. We get on quite well.”

“Very good.”

She feeds Hannah Rebecca and sees her down before her daddy comes in. She wants no distractions. She puts on a clean shift and places a wrap around herself.

Ian enters and stops and stares at her. “Hello wife, you look nice.”

“Thank you husband. How goes the repair on Bree and Roger’s house?”

“We should be done in a day or so.” She places her hands around him. “Hannah Rebecca?” She is pressing kisses on his neck.

“Feed, changed, and sleeping.” She is working to get his shirt off. He stops her.

“She is still quite young. Are you sure?”

“I am. Trust the doctor.”

“Wife, I am not who you need. We have our child. You should find a lass.” She drops her hands and stares at him. “I shall go hunt up some fresh meat.” He turns, whistling for Rollo. The wolf dog whimpers at her before hurrying after Ian. She stares at the door for a moment after it closes. Then she lets out a frustrated growl before picking up a broom and getting rid of some of her gathered and unspent, energy.

She is furiously cleaning when Bree comes in. Her sister looks around and then arches her eyes at her sister.

“The last time my croft was this clean, Roger had spend, what I thought, to much time with one of the widows. What has Ian done?”

“He told me that I needed a lass.” Her sister ‘s eyes get bigger. “With Hannah Rebecca being two months, I thought it time too…

”

“You were before?” her hand goes over her mouth as soon as she said it, “I mean…”

“Yes Bree. I told you I thought myself more bisexual then lesbian now.” She sighs, running her hand thru her hair. “We have a very good relationship in that way. I don’t want or need a lass to make me happy.”

Bree places her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Faith, do you believe he can read your mind?”

“No but he should…”

“Lads need to be guided. They don’t know what they need. We need to tell them. Faith, tell him how you feel.”

“Your right. Guys are more complicated.”

Bree laughs. “Just recall they can get you pregnant. Even exclusively nursing, you need too…”

“Absolutely. We don’t want Irish twins.”

“Nor do I. Any ideas on that front?” She sits down and looks in the basket. Hannah Rebecca still lays sleeping. Her aunt smiles down at her.

“Almost. I am working on a version of the pill, something that stops ovulation.”

“Really!”

“Truly. Until then, I suggest withdrawal. I know it isn’t always affective but…”

“Better then nothing.” She looks back at her niece and places her arms over her chest. “I will have to go soon and feed Mandy. Are you going to talk to Ian.”

“I will, promise.”

He returns as the sun is going down. She sits, Hannah Rebecca in her lap. He bows before them. “I have brought home fresh meat Faith.” Rollo comes in and lays at her feet. He knows it is his duty to guard the small human.

“Thank you Ian. We need to talk.” She hands him his daughter as she opens her shift and then places her on her breast. “Please sit.” He does, looking at her with a bit of trepidation. “You need to know a few things. First is, you are enough.”

“But you…”

“Yes, I would have sworn before you, that I was only into ladies but, Ian you have changed that. For I find myself more then loving you. I am in love with you. You, my darling husband, are enough. I don’t need a lass to make me happy, accept our daughter. Understand?”

He looks at her, his sweet puppy dog eyes full of love. “Your in love with me! Truly?” She smiles, her free hand coming out to touch his cheek. He leans into it and her heart jumps.

“Ian Murray, I am your wife in every way a lady is supposed to be. I love you. Fully and completely. I love you in and out of bed. Tonight, I want to love you in bed. Will you have me?”

She watches his Adam’s apple go up and down. “Aye my wife, I will.”

He unwraps her like she is a precious and fragile gift. His kisses are full of love and deep passion. Hands wonder across bare flesh with urgency. She is laid down on the bed and he dives between her legs. She gasps and clings tight to his hair as he eats her out. She calls out, arching up and away as she climaxes as hard as she ever has with a woman.

He slides into her, hot and heavy. She presses kisses on his shoulder and neck as he starts to move. Dazed eyes meet as they find the rhythm that has them both close. So close. “Remember pull out before…” A breathless reminder.

“Aye, I will try.” It is a near thing. He just barely gets himself out before he squirts his hot cum all over her stomach.

Jamie and William walk along the edge of the loch. The younger has to leave the next day to return to his unit and training.

“You will be careful?”

“Yes da, I promise.” Jamie knows what is coming from his daughters and Claire. A war for Independence that the colonist will win. A war that will make his son and himself, enemies. He frowns. “What is in your mind da?”

He smiles at his son. “This coming conflict.”

William shrugs. “Maybe it won’t happen. We could find peace.”

He da shakes his head. “The colonist want their independence.”

“You da, what do you want?” They stop and Jamie skips a rock across the still water.

“Peace. I want peace but,” He sighs and turns and faces William, “I fought for Independence once. It is hard for me to not do the same here.”

William nods. “Do you think that what Murtagh said was right, about me being family now matter the uniform I wear?”

“Mo mhac, you will always be family. That can’t change. I just hate to see you as an enemy in any way. I will stand with the colonists. Can you accept that?”

“Da, you have your convictions and I, mine. It is fine.” He turns towards the lake, as they are known here, “In honesty, I see some of the colonists points. I just pray it ends without bloodshed.”

“Me too William.” The men walk back. William leaves the next morning after his whole family hugs and kisses him.

[thedragonemperess]

What's your personal opinion on why Elite Force was so bad? Since I've ranted about that a lot and started the 'elite discourse' tag.

Introduction

I don’t think it was really bad. Yes, it was terrible compared to Lab Rats and Mighty Med (of which both deserved more seasons since they both set up so much and than threw it all away), but it wasn’t too bad. Why it was bad, though? They undid all character development, overlooked some of the best characters, and so much more!

Chase

There’s a lot wrong with Chase. First of all, they undid all of his character development and reduced him to a self-centered smart guy. (I’m not gonna say a mini version of Donald because he’s really more like Douglas, but they really just threw away his character.) And for character archs. When AJ made his list, he put Chase at the bottom. A good thing to point out is that this list was based off of the number of powers each person has and the number of powers each person has alone. So lets count how many powers they all have:

Kaz: Pyrokinesis and Flight Oliver: Cryokinesis, Flight, and Super Strength Bree: Super Speed, Vocal Manipulation, Invisibility, and Super Agillity Chase: Molecular Kinesis, Force Fields, Super Intelligence, Super Senses, Laser Bo Generation, and the Commando App (technically Super Strength as well, but that’s only Spike) Skylar: Flight, Super Strength, Super Speed, Acid Spit, Regeneration, and 21 other abilities (10 after the whole thing with Bree, but that still leaves her with the most) CHASE SHOULD BE #2 ON THAT LIST!!

And even if this wasn’t based on only their powers, he’d still be at #2!!

Then we have the Arcturian. The Arcturian Space Rock will kill you if you make direct contact with it, key word being direct. So Bree, being NUMBER #3 on the list (did I mention they overlooked her abilities, too, with the exception of one throw away line?), decided to touch it. After a series of events, she gets superpowers from it.

Bree got superpowers.

Because she was insecure about her bionic powers.

THIS WAS CHASE’S ENTIRE ARCH FROM THE BEGINNING!

And he wasn’t only insecure about his powers, he was insecure about his appearance, self-worth, and a ton of other things.

This arch was engineered for Chase, and they threw it away in favor of Bree.

Skoliver

Skylar and Oliver was the main romance of Mighty Med. Oliver had a crush on Skylar and Skylar was a lesbian didn’t reciprocate. This didn’t stop Oliver from trying to get with her, though. But the difference between Oliver persevering in Mighty Med and Olvier persevering in Elite Force is that in Mighty Med, he did it in a healthy, respectful way. In Elite Force, he became a stalker!

He watched her in her sleep, recorded her without permission, had a pretend version of her that he was dating, and more.

They turned a really nice thing from Mighty Med into something terrible just so that they could put less time into coming up with actual jokes. (The writers of these shows never really handled healthy relationships and comedy well, if Adam and Chase’s relationship says anything, but you would think [I’m only saying this because its Disney] they would put more effort into a romantic relationship.) The worst part about this is that they got together somewhat in the end of Elite Force.

Reese

Reese existed as a way to lead us to the finale of the show. She also existed as a love interest for Chase. She had the potential to be Elite Force’s Marcus or Experion, but they just didn’t do it right.

The Lab Rats’ relationship with Marcus was built over the course of two seasons, which let both the audience and the characters get to know him. Sure, we knew he was evil before everyone else, but how evil he truly was changed up until Douglas’ plan was finally revealed. He was also really close to a lot of the characters, so that makes it really painful.

Experion was one of Skylar’s close friends, almost like a brother, and we saw that play out on screen. He was only there for a short amount of time, just as Reese was, but he was already in a predetermined relationship with him. Reese had literally only met Chase that day, meaning that connection just wasn’t there.

(Also, was Reese just there to degay Chase? Because that’s what it seems like.)

Representation And Other Things Of The Sort

Lab Rats was a show that had a family in which half of it was married into. Shows have done this before, yes, but this showed the kids really just excepting it and not getting mad at their respective family. This was also a mixed family, which watching now that I’m older and really understand the importance of it, is really nice. Especially as a mixed person myself.

As for Mighty Med, and I’m starting with family again, it had a father figure who, more or less, actually cared about his kid(s) and was active in their life. It also showed him, a person of color, in a position of power. Skylar, who is a woman of color, was a badass who wasn’t boy crazy. She didn’t care about boys and the one time she did chase after someone, it was an introverted girl whom she wanted to be friends with which is pretty gay but whatever Disney. She was pretty freaking powerful, too, even without her powers.

Now for Oliver and Kaz, they were geeks. That’s a recurring fact in the show. It’s also something that is constantly saving all of their butts and was the main thing that got them their jobs. They weren’t picked on or made fun of for it, that was just who they were.

And unlike Lab Rats, Mighty Med showed a healthy relationship between brothers. Additionally, Gus was a really weird kid, but no one ever made fun of him, either. They treated him like they treated everyone else. He even ends up as one of the popular kids a few times.

Elite Force really just threw that all away in favor of (what became) a bunch of bratty kids in a pent house together.

Backstory

Mighty Med ended off on a cliffhanger, with Mr. Terror escaping, Oliver and Kaz obtaining superpowers, Alan meeting his father for the first time, and Horace using his last revival. Not to mention, Mr. Terror is Oliver’s mother and was supposed to be Horace’s wife.

And then they completely forgot about all of that and destroyed Mighty Med, killing all of the people in it in the process while also forgetting about Mr. Terror completely?

As for Lab Rats’ ending, it was actually pretty fitting and satisfying, all things considered. Adam, Bree, Leo, and Chase split up after defeating Giselle, Adam and Leo going back to the island to help the students with the big change (an update that let them control their abilities, hence no need for them to be teachers anymore) while Bree and Chase joined the Elite Force.

But why Chase and Bree? Sure, I guess the fandom Chase, but we did care about Leo more than Bree if we’re looking at it from that stand point. Now if we’re looking at it from a logical, in-universe stand-point, it makes no sense. Bree and Chase were the smarter, more experienced of the four, so they should have gone back to the island, while letting Chase and Adam join the Elite force.

Also, Leo has just become a mentor, which was what he was striving for since the start of the season. He was always being overlooked, and now, when he finally gets his moment in the spot light, its taken away from. That just really bothers me.

What Was Good About Lab Rats: Elite Force?

Quite honestly, not a lot. But considering the target audience, it was pretty good. Having two well received shows come together into an, albeit poorly set up and attempted, spin-off where they can have their own battles and story lines together is pretty cool and different. There are some flaws, like how Mighty Med logic and Lab Rats logic really don’t intertwine, but you have to keep in mind that this is a kids show.

It also showed Douglas being a pretty good father, which is really nice. Sure, he’s their birth father and/or creator, but it also shows them mending their relationship.

There were some smaller things, too. AJ’s introduction, Skylar and Bree slowly become sisters, and Chase and Kaz becoming friends were all really fun to watch. (The characters growing relationships with each other, period, were fun to watch.) The villains had good motives, and the small cameos from other shows (Bob and Crossbow [she’s more of a piece of what Mighty Med used to be, but I’m counting it]) were really fun to see. The plot could definitely be better, but it was still pretty good. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the show was genuinely funny. The amount of times I’ve spit out my water while watching this show is surprising.

Conclusion

Was Lab Rats: Elite Force as great a show as the source material? No. Was it all we thought it would be at the time? That depends on how old you were when it came out. It was, and still is, a fun show to watch, though. Yes, it would have been better if it never happened and the shows continued separately, but I’m glad that we at least have an answer to what Mighty Med and Lab Rats alluded to in their finales. Am I upset about Elite Force’s finale? Yes, and I will probably die mad about it, but we didn’t have as much time to get to know the characters and connect to them, so is it really that much of a loss? That’s up to you. Is it a fun show to watch? Absolutely.

[genevievemd]

Hello hello! It's your favorite game show hoe host Bree. I give you... Newlywed questions about childhood, school, friends and family! Remember to answer as them :)

For Both

What’s the most embarrassing childhood story you know about your spouse?

What did they want to be when they were younger?

What was your spouse's favorite band in high school?

Describe your spouse in high school using memes or/and gifs only.

How old was your spouse when they had their first kiss? Who was it with?

If you two were the same age and had met in college, how would you have met? Would you have liked each other? Dated? Eventually married?

Which of your spouse's friends is the most attractive?

Who was your spouse's hero when they were growing up?

Can you name all your spouse’s exes before you?

I know I said I'd use less questions but I lied oops!

1. What’s the most embarrassing childhood story you know about your spouse?

Ethan: *looks at G* Don’t even. Gen: You don’t know what I’m gonna say.  Ethan: I know exactly what you’re going to say, it’s about that -- Gen: One time your dad caught you making out with a teddy bear.  Ethan: I was not -- Gen: I saw the photo, babe.

Ethan: Is that the answer you’re going with? Gen: Yup.  Ethan: Okay fine. Gen’s most embarrassing story... Gen: *Covers face* Noooo, the buffalo story? Ethan: Yes. She was, what, like 8? Gen: Yup.  Ethan: They were doing a unit on prairies and the Midwest in her elementary school class, buffalo were mentioned as one of the animals that lived there. Her teacher held up a photo and my wife, rather confidently, asked her teacher why they didn’t have wings. When her teacher looked at her like she was losing her mind, Gen said, “If they don’t have wings, then where do buffalo wings come from?”  Gen: It was a valid question! 

2. What did they want to be when they were younger?

Gen: Ethan wanted to be a detective.  Ethan: G wanted to be an Olympic skater.  Gen: Gotta dream big. 

3. What was your spouse's favorite band in high school?

Ethan: That’s never changed. You were obsessed with Taylor Swift then, and you’re obsessed with her.  Gen: Accurate.  Ethan: Do you know mine? Gen: Green Day. Teenage Ethan was a completely different person from adult Ethan. Although you kind of liked Opera back in the day, right?  Ethan: Not as much as now.  Gen: Now it’s literally all you listen to. Like an old man. 

4. Describe your spouse in high school using memes or/and gifs only.

Ethan: Using a what? Gen: A meme, the things I text you.  Ethan: Oh, right.  Gen: I’ll go first. 

Gen: All your teachers hated you, smarty pants. Ethan: *shrugs*  Gen: Your turn. Ethan: *scrolls through phone* 

Gen: I accept that. I was a rebel high school. 

5. How old was your spouse when they had their first kiss? Who was it with?

Ethan: Gen was 14.  Gen: Do you know who it was with? Ethan: Your very first boyfriend, Patrick whatever his last name is.  Gen: Kirkman, babe. Ethan: Doesn’t matter. Gen: His first kiss when with a teddy -- Ethan: Gen, I swear to god. Gen: *laughs* Sorry, sorry. His first kiss when he was 12, his neighbor Anna. They kissed in her treehouse. 

6. If you two were the same age and had met in college, how would you have met? Would you have liked each other? Dated? Eventually married?

Gen: Probably in med school, in a lab or something. I would’ve liked him from the start, cause you know, look at him. He’s hot, who wouldn’t have a crush on that. And I’d like to think that no matter what, or when or how, we’d always end up together. Although, our competitiveness might have made things more difficult. But regardless, I’d have asked out you, maybe.  Ethan: You were rather shy in your college years.  Gen: What about you?  Ethan: You’re stunning, any man would have liked you based solely on that. I don’t know if I would have liked you right from the start, but you’d grow on me and eventually I’d realize I liked you as more than a friend.  Gen: So basically exactly how it happened for real? Ethan: Yes.  Gen: Awe, you just called me your soulmate. 

7. Which of your spouse's friends is the most attractive?

Ethan: Answer first, Rookie. I’m curious. Gen: *without hesitation* Tobias. Ethan: I knew it.  Gen: Your turn, old man. Who is it? Ethan: Honestly, I don’t really find any of your friends attractive, love. Out of all of you, the only one I was ever attracted to was you.  Gen: Really? Ethan: Yes. But for the sake of answering this question, out of your friends and the people in your life, I’d say Natalie. Gen: My sister? Ethan: If I had to pick, yes.  Gen: Kinda hate that a little bit.  Ethan: Thought you might. 

8. Who was your spouse's hero when they were growing up?

Ethan: Her mother.  Gen: And also you.  Ethan: Medically sure, but your mother has always been your hero.  Gen: True. I’d say Naveen for you, he was to you what you were for me. And maybe your dad, I know how much you respected him for being a single parent.  Ethan: I was never one for idolatry, but you’re right. 

9. Can you name all your spouse’s exes before you?

Gen: Yes. Easily. Anna, Camila, Harper... wait is that it? Do I have more exes than you? Ethan: Yes, but only by one.  Gen: Okay, name mine. I already know you know them all.  Ethan: Two from high school, Patrick and Jackson. The neanderthal, Ryan, and that guy from med school, what was his name? Gen: Nate.  Ethan: Right, Nate. That’s all of them. Unless you count Lahela. Gen: I don’t. We only kissed twice. Ethan: Than just those four. All of whom were morons for letting you go, but it worked out in my favor. 

(once again that was a lot of fun. Can’t wait for another round of the Newlywed Game, hosted by Bree)

[nellie-elizabeth]

Outlander: Sticks and Stones (6x07)

You know, I have one major problem with this episode and it's tied in with a problem I've had with the whole season...

Cons:

I find it insulting that this episode wants us to believe for even one second that Claire may have killed Malva. To me, that's banking on a wholly unnecessary source of drama. The situation is fraught enough as it is, with so many different angles to explore, that I seriously don't think we need to add in this element of "maybe Claire's a murderer!" This is all in connection with the ether thing we've been doing all season. That too feels like an unnecessary element that was added to spice up a story that didn't actually require any more spice. Claire can have her doubts and troubles and traumas without adding in an ether addiction-type thing that makes her hallucinate and causes her to doubt her own mind. There's enough meat on the emotional bones of the story without going there at all!

While I'm glad we get to have the Lizzie subplot with the Beardsley twins, I did think it a bit of a shame that it all happened so quickly in one episode... I wish we'd had the reveal in an earlier episode and then maybe the hand-fast trickery here, to spread it out a bit? This show has a challenge in adaptation that springs from the fact that the books weave together subplots and mete out new information in slow little drips over time. So here, they condense the Malva accusation and her death into one episode, and condense the Beardsley subplot into one episode... I don't know, it doesn't quite work for me on the level of information flow.

Pros:

I'll start with Roger: I'm always fascinated by the subplot of him discovering he wants to be a minister. This is all happening a bit different than in the books, since a big part of Roger's journey there is that his throat is all mangled from his hanging and he can't speak very well. They've done away with that here in the show and I can't really blame them, it just means the focus is on other aspects of this life decision. I like that Brianna kind of knows what's going on but she's a little resistant to it. Not that she's not supportive, but until Roger comes forward and really declares this is what he wants, she's not encouraging. I think that's realistic, and I can understand why Bree would be hesitant!

Jamie and Roger's scene was a highlight for me, I think their dynamic as father and son-in-law is a precious one, and so much of it is connected with the way their worldviews and conceptions of masculinity are different. Jamie puts a lot of value on certain types of caretaking and manliness, and Roger is squeamish about slaughtering animals for meat. But there's a great deal of affection and respect between them all the same, and I like Jamie encouraging Roger to talk to his wife about the situation. So sweet!

While I might have missed out on something due to the timing of the Beardsley subplot, I do think it's one of the funniest and more wild aspects of the books and I'm thrilled that it ended up included in the show. It's just... so funny. Lizzie is this quiet unassuming little girl and then she starts hooking up with two different guys at the same time. And they're identical twins? Yikes! It's weird, but I love how it all plays out, and Claire having to process this information as Lizzie's revealing it. Jamie tries to handle it practically, having Kezzie hand-fast to Lizzie so the baby won't be a bastard, but then the sneaky little sinners go to Roger and ask him to hand-fast Lizzie to Joe... what an absolutely hilarious mess.

As for the main story this week, one thing I like about the whole Christie family drama is that we, the audience, know that Jamie and Claire are good people. We know this isn't their fault, and we marvel at the ingratitude of the people living on Fraser's Ridge, that they could think so poorly of the Frasers, who have done so much to give them a home. BUT, at the same time, it all makes sense how rumors spread and things go wrong. The Fisher Folk are all newer to the Ridge, with less loyalty, so that fans the flames. The religious differences, Claire's unorthodox ways as a more modern woman, and Brianna's too for that matter... and Malva is pretty convincing, a beautiful young woman who is standing up and admitting to adultery. If she was merely pregnant by an unwed young man, why would she make up such a scandalous lie, instead of just quietly marrying the actual father? Couple that with the fact that Claire is found clutching a knife, a dead fetus, and covered in Malva's blood, and you can understand why it's hard to believe that nothing fishy went on between the Frasers and the Christies here.

And all of that makes for a compelling drama, which is part of why I wish that Claire's whole ether thing wasn't included, but whatever. I like a good dramatic setup where you can really understand all the different aspects, why different people would feel certain ways.

Gotta give a shoutout to the big Claire and Jamie acting moment at the end! Claire's grief, the way she carries guilt around with her for every bad thing that's sprung from one of her decisions, it's all so palpable, and I think it's important to keep the story grounded in those emotional stakes for our lead characters! I love how Jamie immediately retorts against Claire's thinking, though, pointing out that her decision to come back through the stones also lead to all the good things in their lives. If Claire had chosen to leave Jamie sooner, Brianna wouldn't exist. If she'd chosen not to come back, all the people at the Ridge wouldn't have their current homes. And you've gotta have a good Jamie Fraser one-liner in there, that thing he says about thanking the devil for tempting Claire to sin? Hell yeah, man, that's the good stuff.

So that's that. I can't believe next week is already the finale! This season has gone by so fast. I've got to say, the more of this show I watch, the more I do prefer the meandering, seemingly aimless way the books take us through these various plot developments, but I understand why the show can't adhere to such a format. For what it is, I still always enjoy tuning into this chaotic nonsense each week. The finale is sure to be intense, with folks wanting retribution for Malva's grizzly murder. But who's the actual murderer in our midst?!?!

8/10

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week - 39

I spent over 50 (!) hours on the sofa this week, (enjoying myself 85% of the time)...

Sløborn, an ominous Danish-German TV pandemic series, very much like Soderbergh’s ‘Contagion’ and in ‘Black Mirror’ style. Normal life of a small island community between Denmark and Germany breaks down and completely collapses when it is hit by a lethal bird flue like virus.

It was extremely prescient, as it was shot in 2019, before Covid! Conceived as Si-fi, it looks today like TV, because the series was able to capture everything that happened around the world after January 2020 in accurate details.

With Roland Møller (of ‘Riders of Justice’). 7+/10

✴️      

My introduction to “The grandmother of The French New Wave”, Agnès Varda (Hard to believe that I never saw her films before!):

✳️✳️✳️ “Inspiration, Creation and Sharing...” Varda by Agnès, my first Varda is her last 2019 auto-biography, in which, at 90, she shared footage and stories from her life and work. The first sample clip (of meeting her Uncle Yanco in Sausalito) won me over, and the rest convinced me to catch up on everything I’ve missed through the years. What a wonderful artist!

✳️✳️✳️ Cléo from 5 to 7. A feminine film about female identity - a new favorite! A beautiful singer must wait 2 hours for the results of her cancer tests. With a magnifique mid-film scene (at 0;38) of the heartbreaking chanson 'Sans Toi', marking the beginning of her quiet transformation.

✳️✳️✳️ Vagabond, a story of a lonely, young woman, an unapologetic drifter, unglamorous, aimless, independent, desperately lost. Dark and nonjudgmental exploration of the refusal to conform to anything. 8+/10.

✳️✳️✳️ (For Sammy - Per our conversation). The Gleaners and I, "The eighth best documentary film of all time”, per ‘Sight & Sound poll. Derived from the famous painting by Millet. Simply wonderful!

✳️✳️✳️ One Hundred And One Nights, 100 year old Michel Piccoli “Monsieur Simon Cinema”, hires a young girl to reminisce with about the history of cinema. An unsuccessful Meta-film that nevertheless is a love letter for cinephiles. Populated by 3 dozens of Who’s Who of French (and World) stars, playacting in this symbolic, Fellinisque fable that draws upon the classics. Mastroianni, Depardieu, Belmondo, Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, Jeanne Moreau, Anouk Aimée, Fanny Ardant, Gina Lollobrigida, Jane Birkin, etc, etc..

(Photo Above).

✳️✳️✳️ The Young Girls of Rochefort, the wonderful, colorful, sentimental musical by Varda’s husband Jacques Demy, with the most beautiful woman in the world and her sister. Romantic eye candy set to music by Michel Legrand. A year later Deneuve would do Belle de Jour, and Françoise Dorléac would die in a car accident, 8+/10

✳️✳️✳️ Even better, The Young Girls Turn 25, Varda’s 1993 behind the scenes documentary and return to small town Rocheford, to show how it changed the town and left an impression. 9/10

“...The memory of happiness is perhaps also happiness...”

✴️         

The other Jacques Demy modern opera The Umbrellas of Cherbourg knocked me over all over again. Catherine Deneuve’s angelic beauty in this film made me cry for the duration like a baby. And not only at the train station when they say goodbye forever.

10/10

✴️          

Night moves, a tense thriller by Kelly Reichardt, about three radical environmentalists who blow up an Oregon dam. Slow and tense, and like her ‘First Cow’, watching it filled me with constant, low-level anxiety. The off-screen sabotage is placed at the exact mid-point of the movie: The first half is the preparation for it, and the second half shows the aftermath of the act. 7+/10

✴️        

2 unexpected Small Town gems by Miguel Arteta:

✳️✳️✳️ The good Girl, an odd and surprising mismatched romance between 30 year old Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal (22) as employees of a Texas big-box store that is always empty. Her voice-over reminded me of True Romance’s Alabama Whitman. 7/10

✳️✳️✳️ Ed Helms, a sheltered insurance salesman from the backwaters of Wisconsin, goes to an convention in the big city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The nearly conventional story arc has some genuinely heartfelt funny moments. With Maeby Fünke, as Bree the prostitute and Sigourney Weaver as the ex-teacher he balls. Also a surprising drug party, where he smoke crack cocaine and loves it. 5+/10

✴️          

Same theme of people prostituting their own ‘morals’, the notoriously-prudish 1993 Indecent Proposal didn’t age too well. “Billionaire”-porn that asks the question ‘How much would you pay for one night with Robert Redford?’ Gratuitous semi-naked Demi Moore included.

Related: “Stop hitting the button!”

✴️        

Wildland (Kød & blod = Flesh and blood), an uncomfortable and claustrophobic Danish gangster thriller about a 17 year old girl who moves in with the criminal family of Sidse Babett Knudsen, her estranged aunt. 6+/10

“For some people, things go wrong before they even begin”

✴️     

Jim Jarmusch‘s Broken Flowers, a touching road film with Bill Murray, as an old ‘Don Juan’ who receive a pink, unsigned letter from an old lover, letting him know that he has a 20 year old son he never knew about.

Loveliest film of the week.

✴️       

The 2 films directed by Tom Ford:

✳️✳️✳️ A single Man, a sad and lonely gay professor, closeted in 1962 Los Angeles, is preparing to kill himself with a gun, after his boyfriend / love of his life had died in a car accident. Mute and haunting aesthetics in the fashion designer’s debut film, based on a Christopher Isherwood novel.

The ‘Stormy Weather’ dance scene between Charley and George. 8/10

✳️✳️✳️ Nocturnal Animals: Amy Adams is an unhappy owner of a fancy art gallery who receives a disturbing book manuscript written by her ex-husband, which symbolizes their relationship 20 years prior. Rarefied visuals and distinctive style.

Starts with an astonishing scene of obese old ladies dancing naked at Amy’s gala event. Michael Shannon rules as a dying Texas detective! 6+/10.

✴️        

Jean Vigo’s 1933 classic Zero for Conduct was so blatantly anarchistic, it was immediately banned in France until after WW2. In silent film style, it tells about a group of mischievous kids who rebel against the authorities of their old-fashioned boarding school. Part-inspiration for Truffaut's 400 Blows.

✴️      

Anatomy of a murder, Otto Preminger’s 1960 courtroom drama, with opening credits by Saul Bass. Crisp black & white cinematography, and with rape victim Lee Remick playing it as an outgoing loose girl of ambiguous morals, a modern floozy. 7/10.

✴️                

Blush, a wondrous, spectacularly-animated, wordless short by Joe Mateo. What starts as a riff on ‘The Little Prince’, ends up like the opening montage from ‘Up’. The obvious realization that this is a personal metaphor makes the story even deeper.

I watched it twice back to back. 10/10

✴️       

If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast - 95 year old Carl Reiner asks a bunch of charming nonagenarian friends how they manage to live so well for so long. Their answers may (not) shock you...

Spry Dick Van Dyke (92) and half-his-age wife end the film with a lovely rendition of “Young at heart”

✴️            

Hi-school-level adaptation of Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the 21st Century. A breezy discussion of how slave economy and colonialist military repression 300 years ago turn into extreme capitalism of inequality & tax-avoidance today. America is now similar economically to what England was in the early 1800s. A tiny percentage of society controls almost all its wealth. (Full text of the book here).

✴️            

Ride the eagle, a flat new indie about a guy whose estranged hippy mother leaves him her cabin at the lake when she dies, but only if he complete a certain list of tasks. Could be so much better, but the actor playing the guy was just so terrible. Unlike JK Simmons who had a small role. Best detail, when he discovers that all the cabinets in the house are full with pot.

✴️       

Old, my first, (and possibly last), M. Night Shyamalan. The seductive premise of a secluded beach at a fancy tropical resort that ages everybody who comes there, turns into an unconvincing Twilight Zone bore.

...”(Gurgling sounds)”...

✴️      

First watch: I never saw (any) Planet of the apes before, and in spite of my misgivings, gave it a go. 100% anthropomorphic, it couldn’t visualize a universe different from the American mindset of that period. Preachy and very Rod Sterling-like. "It's a madhouse in here”. Pass!

✴️         

The latest Veritasium YouTube video about bowling current technology. Always interesting.

- - - - -

Throw-back to the art project:

Planet of the Apes Adora. 

- - - - -

(My complete movie list is here)

[crazy-loca-blog]

Hello, hello! This week, we are going on a little:

Home Tour!

Notes: Answer the following with pictures (dialogue from your characters is optional!). Collages are highly encouraged if you want to answer a question with multiple pictures because tumblr mobile only allows 10 total pics. Otherwise, tumblr on a desktop lets you add multiple pictures (non-beta)!

For both:

What does the outside of the home look like? (Front/back yard, garden, pool, etc)

Living room and home office (if any)?

Kitchen and dining room?

Bedrooms? (Master, guest, others)

Other rooms?

Do you own your dream home? If not, what does that dream home look like?

What is your favorite room to spend time in with each other?

Masterlist

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Ethan: Why does this feel like we're doing MTV Cribs?

Casey: What's that?

Ethan: You have to be kidding me... every kid and teenager on the nation watched that show in the late 90's.

Casey: Ethan... you do remember that I'm 10 years younger than you, don't you? Also, I can't imagine you as the type of teenager who would watch MTV.

Ethan: I didn't watch it... my girlfriend did.

*The doorbell rings*

Casey: That explains a lot... Bree is here!

Casey: Hey, Bree! Welcome to our home!

Bree: Hey guys... wow, this home is impressive! Can you tell me more about it?

Ethan: We got this place shortly before getting married. We agreed that we wanted to have a new beginning at a new place, so we moved in here right after the wedding.

Casey: We got this two-story duplex because it had everything we were looking for: plenty of space with a beautiful view, a nice kitchen, and enough rooms for his dad and my brother to stay here with us when they come to visit.

Ethan: It's also close to Edenbrook, which is important for us if there is an emergency and we are needed at the hospital.

Casey: And even though this wasn't something that we were looking for, there are three outside areas that are exclusive to us and that we fell in love with: a terrace that I´ve been in charge of renewing because it was a mess, a secluded patio and the rooftop and its pool, which is Ethan's favorite place.

Ethan: Swimming after a long day of work helps me clear my mind. The fact that the pool also has a view of Boston Common makes this place very impressive, too.

Casey: True... most of the time I go to the pool with him, but I can't swim, it freaks me out, so he's definitely the one who makes the most of it.

Ethan: I've tried to teach you...

Casey: And we always get distracted... you should stick to teaching medicine, Dr. Ramsey *smirks*

Casey: Then we have the living room. It is so big that decorating it was a nightmare... but we love the result. By the way, have you seen the paintings? Both were a gift from Evelyn, our patient in the diagnostics team.

Ethan: We don't use it a lot when it's only the two of us here, but it is the area we use the most when friends and family come to visit.

Bree: I can imagine a lot of people in this place and still having room for plenty more...

Casey: Me too! It's so sad that we weren't allowed to have a housewarming party here.

Ethan: If it's anything like the party you had during your intern year, maybe it's for the best...

Casey: Hey! How do you know about it? You literally *imitating Ethan* "had to decline my inivtation"...

Ethan: Is that you imitating me? I love you, but that was awful... of course I knew it because I could hear every nurse talking about it the next day... how did you manage to have all those people there?

Casey: I have no idea... but it was epic...

Ethan: One of the areas where we paid especial attention while looking for a home was the kitchen. We both enjoy cooking together, so we needed it to be comfortable enough for both of us. The fact that the dining room is right next to it is very practical, too.

Casey: And he was very specific about something...

Ethan: You're going to tease me forever with that...

Bree: I remember Casey telling that Ethan can't make pancakes...

Ethan: This is embarrassing... and pointless... *rolls his eyes*

Casey: This gorgeous man who happens to be my husband, had a dishwasher that he used even before I moved in to his old place... only because he hates doing the dishes...

*Bree and Casey laugh in unison*

Casey: Trust me, the water bill has dropped a lot since I moved in with you...

Ethan: I wouldn't be so sure... we don't use it in the dishwasher, but we take long showers...

Casey: Ethan! *begins to blush*

Ethan: I think I've just won this round, sweetheart *smirks*

Casey: This is the area of the house where we spend most of our time... because... uh... *blushes furiously*

Ethan: It's funny to see you blushing... I'm sure that Bree knows exactly what married couples do in a bedroom... *smirks*

Bree: Of course I do... you sleep... a lot... after those exhausting shifts, that's exactly what I'd do... *smiles*

Casey: We enjoy the view, too... anyway, the bedroom has three areas... there is of course, the area where we... sleep... then there is our bathroom where we take long showers... *winks at Ethan*

Ethan: ...and then there is what I call "Casey's chaos area"... or the closet. And it's only fair to say that yeah, I may hate doing the dishes, but she's the worst when having to fold her clothes... so Bree, don't even try to open her closet's door...

Bree: Okay, I won't *chuckles*

Casey: Lucky me for having a husband who offers as tribute to fold my clothes

Ethan: As lucky as I am for having a wife who volunteers to do the dishes...

*They stare at each other for a long, long time... Bree wonders if they forgot that she is right there with them*

Ethan: One of the things we agreed we wouldn't have when we were looking for a place was a home office, because we didn't want to bring the work home.

Casey: So we decided to make a change and we turned the office into a small living room for us to read, to watch TV... basically, a place to get cozy. And yeah, it became my favorite room in the house.

Ethan: Of course, the original plan of not having a home office failed. So we ended up building a small office, very secluded, that we avoid like the plague. We only use it as a very last resource.

Bree: Guys, I love the amount of books you have... they're almost in every single room of the house!

Ethan: Trust me, we didn't realize how many books we had until we moved to this place.

Casey: We don't watch much TV, but we both are heavy readers. Of course, the medical books are a must.

Ethan: And we finally have two guest rooms. They both look exactly the same, and one of them is for my dad and the other one is for Oliver, Casey's brother.

Casey: We love having them at our place, you know? We all four have this little family and we have a great relationship. So the main reason behind the guest rooms is us wanting them to visit more often.

Bree: Guys, your house is impressive... but I need to know... is this your dream home?

Ethan: It's perfect for this moment of our lives.

Casey: Exactly. We both love this place and we can't see ourselves living anywhere else... but we've been talking about the possibility of expanding our family in the future...

Ethan: It's a secret though, we haven't told anyone but you about it... *they smile at each other*

Bree: Really? That's great news, congratulations, guys! I feel honored!

Ethan: And the problem is that we both grew up in houses, so we don't know if a penthouse and a kid are compatible.

Casey: Exactly... but going back to your question, for me, this is more than I ever dreamed of. None of us grew up surrounded by luxuries, and I personally never had expensive stuff before coming to Boston, so this is definitely something that I'm not used to, and I don't think I ever will. But I think I'm speaking for both of us here, we're more than grateful for all of this.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

A/N: If you can read this post, then it means my Internet came back to life and that you have a lot of patience lol. Thanks a lot @jamespotterthefirst for sending these questions and contributing to my weekly procrastination quote. Loved it!

[koiantlers]

Puppet Show

Welp, I couldn’t stop thinking about this AU by @fedoraspooky. I’m a sucker for things being a show.  And the thoughts just kept going even further when @modmad and @doodledrawsthings drew even more things to go with it (go check out the art of all these folks and look at those amazing drawings, because I’m smitten)

Anyway, came up with names and a like???? kinda backstory just for this fic, I hope it’s alright! 

"You've made puppets before, right?"

Conall McCoy-Jackson has been asked a lot of stupid questions in his life, but this one takes the cake. The man stares at his friend, before finally, he huffs, "We went to school together, Karl."

"Right! Right…" Karl rubs his hands together, clearing his throat. Karl Abram has always been a nervous man, quiet and preferring to keep to himself. Since they were wee ones, Conall has always stepped up to the plate to be the loud one, the aggressive one, the guy who you deal with if you mess with Karl.

"I...just have this idea," he starts, and his eyes drift down to the floor, "for Timmy."

Ah. Lil Timmy. 

Conall has met the boy several times, an uncle to him considering how he's friends with his dad. The boy is a quiet one, just like Karl. And, unfortunately, a lonely one. Especially now, since his mother…

Karl clears his throat again, shoving Conall's thoughts away. "He loves puppets...and...last night, I stayed up and wrote this whole thing. It just came to me, suddenly, as if she was writing it with me."

Karl's eyes go soft as he thinks of his late wife, and a small smile comes from him. "This story...about these girls looking for objects they lost, and they meet all these characters. Each world is different…"

Karl goes on, describing it. A mafia boss who cooks, a loud mouthed conductor, a purple swamp, an icy mansion...he sounds the happiest Conall has heard him in awhile. He sounds hopeful.

"I just...need help, you know," Karl laughs quietly, looking at Conall, "I can write, but I can't make the magic happen."

Conall has a job, bills to pay. He shouldn't be considering this. There's a high chance it fails, like every other project whenever folks get like this. Doing a show is hard. It takes a lot.

But, his fingers are itching to make it. He feels that flutter in his chest, the excitement as he's already imagining the character. Can already think of how they'd work. And, a smaller part of him says that even if it fails, it'll make a lonely boy happy.

"Fine." He sighs, and chuckles at how Karl's eyes light up, "I'll help. And I know who else can help."

His husband is great with connections, after all.

--

"I think it's great!"

Conall raises his brows, looking over at his husband. He, honestly, was expecting to have to butter him up, get him into the idea. But nope, DJ has his eyes all lit up, that huge grin on his face. The same face he makes when his inspiration is flowing, all those ideas that pop in his head.

"Puppetry is such an underused thing, you know. More shows should use it. And I know the perfect little divas to play the girls." He's already shoving his phone in Conall's face, who huffs and shoves it back a bit before looking.

A picture of two girls and his husband stare back of him. Right, this was for some movie remake, the two girls dressed up in dirty orphan clothes as they smile big. They look so happy, and his husband is laughing next to them. "Their names are Hailey and Bree and they are angels."

DJ also calls their grandkids angels, so Conall is doubtful. He hums in acknowledgement as DJ continues, "And, oh! For the ghost, you said it's gonna be a big puppet?"

"Yeah, will have poles to move it around." He watches as DJ swipes through his photos, stopping at a photo of a man smiling shyly.

"Perfect, Syrus here is real camera shy, but he's an amazing actor, has the best laugh for that ghost fella." And DJ keeps talking, more and more excited as he shows Conall pictures. Already he plans on which calls to make, how to get in touch. There's excitement in those eyes of his, and Conall knows he felt the same tug that Conall felt when talking to Karl.

--

It, amazingly, goes smoothly. They have actors, a script, a stage that DJ manages to get. It goes so smoothly that Conall is almost dreading it, worried that it'll all be a bust.

But he can't fret on that now, not when he has props. He's already made the ghost, Snatcher, and still feels that warmth from how excited Hailey and Bree got seeing it, and how Syrus was instantly giving the puppet a voice and moving it around. He'd already had to fix the damn thing, thanks to those three playing around.

But, he's glad for it. Because that means it's perfect, being used like that.

He's working on the penguin now, the one his husband voices. And he can't help but put touches of his husband into it. The afro, which he had in high school, the red coat that is DJ's favorite color…

"He's missin' something." He mumbles out loud, squinting at the little bird. It's good, of course, he knows because Bree keeps excitedly coming over to look at it, but...it looks...incomplete.

"Needs shades."

Conall jumps, and curses at DJ, who snuck up on him. The man is smug, a playful glint in his eye as Conall huffs at him.

He glances at the puppet. Sunglasses… "Yeah? What kind?"

"Starry kind, darling, of course." DJ still has his smirk as Conall rolls his eyes and snaps, "Just because you had a pair that one time…"

But...hmm… Conall goes quiet as he looks back at the penguin. He pauses before he reaches for his notebook, looking at the sketch he made before of it. He quickly sketches a pair of starry sunglasses…

Hm...actually, it doesn't look bad. He glances DJ, who is still sitting there all smug, and Conall huffs before he tugs him over by his shirt.

He kisses him, a quick one before he says, "Thanks, love." His husband hums, playing with his hair as he replies with, "Anytime, darlin'."

Making the glasses are easy, as is attaching them. The second he does, DJ is picking it up. "Well, isn't he just a groovy lil guy."

Of course, the puppet is named DJ Grooves by Bree because of that.

--

The first episode is recorded. Conall still feels that anxiety in the back of his head, about how this is all a waste. But...he spies Timmy watching, wide eyed and enchanted in the audience, as Hailey jumps around on stage, as puppet Mafia Goons run after her. 

The anxiety melts away, as he sees how happy that kid looks. Along with the other kids in the audience, all laughing at the silliness of it.

This show is going to do fine, he decides.

[pagingevilspawn]

First Lines

Rules: List the first line of your last 20 stories (if you have less, list them all). See if you can find any patterns and choose your favorite opening line. Tag your favorite authors.

I was tagged by @thedefinitionofendgame ! Thank you so much! I started posting my fics back in October of 2020, so not too long ago, but i would say that i’ve improved a little bit since then. (hopefully.) i’ll ordering them from my oldest to my newest fics!  

A New Life | Jo centered one-shot, a tiny bit of jolex if you squint. TW: domestic abuse/violence, abortion. 

She could hear the sound of her alarm clock beeping loudly, signaling her to wake up and face yet another day.

You Said You’d Grow Old With Me |  Jolex. TW: Major Character Death 

Jo was laying in her bed. Their bed. The bed that felt too cold. The bed that felt too empty. (i know that this is more than one line, but the first one was just too horrible. 

Photographs | Jolex soulmate AU. 

His sixteenth birthday was honestly not something he was looking forward to.

Spin the Bottle Parts One and Two | Jolex High School AU. 

Part One: Josephine Wilson sat on the edge of her best friend Stephanie Edwards’ bed, watching as she pulled shirt after shirt, skirt after skirt, pair of pants after pair of pants out of her closet, scattering them across the room as she threw them behind her aimlessly.

Part Two: Jo Wilson sat in her latest foster home’s room on the edge of her dingy bed, one with a cheap metal base one that probably cost a maximum of fifty dollars, quickly packing up her school bag for the day.

Loving You Is A Losing Game | Jolex AU series (link & line begins at chapter one)

the sun beat down through the room’s window, a gentle hue settling on the white curtains. 

The Way I Loved You | Jolex

In everybody’s eyes, Jackson Avery seemed like the perfect guy, especially for her. (the first line is actually a song lyric, so i changed it to... not that?) 

stick it | Jolex & family

Jo watched her husband do their daughter’s hair from the doorway, some kind of a braided bun she didn’t know the name of.

wishin’ you were sitting here, right next to me | jo & her and alex’s child

Twelve year old Bree Karev sat on her bed in her room, confused, and even a little bit mad.

doctors makes the worst family members | Jolex & family 

Jo Karev stood in her husband’s room, pacing around one the hospital’s floors so much she would make a hole in them if she continued any longer.

heart of gold | Alex centric one-shot with a little bit of Jolex

Of all people to notice Alex Karev’s strange ability to work well with children first, no one would’ve expected it to be Cristina Yang. 

but i see you’ve got your finger on the trigger | Jolex AU series (link & line from teaser)

“Tell me about your wife.”

cross my heart, hope to die, please stick this pencil in my eye | Jolex & family 

Alex Karev sat in the drivers side of his SUV, making a right onto the upcoming street as he listened to the song playing on the radio. 

float like a butterfly, sting like a bee | Jolex & family

Jo Karev rested in the chair that sat on the back porch of her house, overlooking the backyard where she watched her three year old son run around with the family dog Muffin.

oh darlin’, don’t you ever grow up | Jolex and family

Alex Karev peeled his bloody surgical gloves off with a relaxed sigh, taking off his gown and tossing it into the bin while simultaneously telling a resident to finish closing up for him. 

bunny kisses and easter wishes | Jolex & family 

Easter Sunday had become a big deal in the Karev household throughout the years.

yikes, i open with names wayyyy too much. ew. gotta change that. 

my favorite opener is definitely “tell me about your wife” from but i see you got your finger on the trigger . which I PROMISE I AM WORKING ON. its so much harder to write than i initially thought it would be. anybody who’s seen criminal minds knows that the dynamic between cat and reid is all a screwed up game of so many puzzles that are impossible to figure out, so planning this story, writing it, and trying to create something similar but not the same has been HARD and definitely a puzzle that i need to figure out as well. anyways, i promise, i am working on it super hard, it’s just a huge task on my brain to thoroughly think this story out haha. 

tagging: @mac-andcheeses @jobrookekarev and @fan4196 and anyone else who wants to do this!