#but that tim who had a mom that he was very sure of her role as his mom & one he did love & that he lost

[i-cant-sing]

I can’t get this scenario out of my head with yan!batfamily in which Bruce worms his way into a depressed reader’s life by marrying their mother and slowly taking over the role of parenting reader while dealing with the depression.

No because Bruce would do that. In his head, its just another mission to "save Y/n" and sure, your mother isn't exactly his type, and your depression isn't exactly her fault- the poor woman just works day and night for you both to survive in this outrageous economy, she doesn't have had enough time to see you not doing so well mentally.

Bruce and his sons, by whatever sequence of events, are now infatuated with you. What started as concern for your well being has now turned into obsessive need to control your life to make it better. So, yeah... Bruce decides to marry your mom, who is more than happy to finally find a chivalrous, handsome man... who just happens to also be very rich.

Meanwhile, you hate him. It's stupid, but you hate how filthy rich he is and even though you know that he donates a lot to charities, you still hate him because Bruce thinks money can solve everything (and in your case, it almost can), but you can't help but feel insulted everytime he offers you a cheque, a wad of cash to pay off your bills and loans, or even a $20 bill to get yourself some snacks. It feels... abnormal. You're not a charity case.

Perhaps your socioeconomic status isn't the only reason you're depressed. Maybe it's just you missing your father (could be dead/murdered/suicide/just moved far far away).

The moment Bruce finds out that your dad is the reason why you're so depressed, oh it's "I WILL FATHER ANOTHER CHILD IN NEED OF PROFESSIONAL HELP" time. He's doubling down on his paternal instincts and he's just mentally smacking himself like "ofc you need a father figure in your life. Who better than me????"

And it just makes your skin crawl at how nonchalant Bruce is about all this- about incorporating himself into your and your mother's life. Treating you both, especially you like you're actually related. Like he's been around with you two his entire life. You lose your appetite when he stays for dinner, but you sit at the table for your mother. You try to make excuses when your mother tells you that you have to go with her at the Wayne Manor because "Bruce wants to spend a day with family". You can't help but look at your mother in wonder at how she is comfortable when you both pull up at the manor. You thought things would be easier if Bruce's sons were also uncomfortable or even hated you and your mother (or thought that your mom was a gold digger), but no, they're just as worse as Bruce. Dick being particularly the worst in the sense that he's more affectionate and his love language is physical touch, so you get squished to his chest everytime he sees you, with a small cry "my baby!" Sometimes, "sis" would be added.

You didn't like either nickname.

Then there's Jason, who is the most normal one of them all, perhaps because he isn't around much and when he is, he just makes small talk.

Tim doesn't talk much either, but he stares a lot. Somehow you feel like he knows something about you, at least more than he's letting on.

And lastly, there's Damian, that pompous little shit. You know he's being amicable for Bruce, but his eyes look at you like he's judging you- thinks you're beneath him. Which is true, in the sense of finance. Despite all of that, Damian still wants to show you off his interests/things around the manor. He's still being arrogant ofc, "Look at this oil painting- it's a Van Gogh original. Van Gogh is a famous painter- he's dead though. I'm sure you aren't familiar with his works. I can take you to the Gotham gallery to show you more paintings. Father owns it, so it can be just us two without other people bothering us." He's nice but also not nice. But at least he's not doing it intentionally.

Then there's Bruce. Who is always looking at you with a small smile, but his eyes are always analysing you, even when he's not looking at you directly, you know that he's watching your every move like a hawk. He tries spending time with you, often he succeeds, only because your mother makes you go. He's a good man, hasn't done anything exactly inappropriate, but... even something as small as making you walk on the inner side of the sidewalk so that you're safe from the cars... it doesn't sit right with you. Why is he being so paternal? You certainly have been rude to him on purpose. Always giving him one word answers when he asks you how your day was.

Then one day your mother returns home with a beaming smile.

"Bruce proposed to me! We're getting married!"

After only 3 months of dating? It's what you wanted to say, but you held it back when you saw how happy she was.

The next day, Bruce held a dinner at the manor to celebrate the engagement. Surprisingly, that was the first time you saw Damian looking mad at you and your mom.

It was a reasonable reaction. Acceptable to you, instead of the overly excited yell of Dick "WE'RE GOING TO BE SIBLINGS! That means we can have slumber parties and pillow fights and-"

Your mother and Bruce were shopping for the wedding, looking at dresses and venues and all the shenanigans while you were at the manor, moving your and your mom's stuff in with the boys. It was the last thing you wanted, but your mother.... she insisted on it. Or at least that's what she says, you know Bruce insisted.

Doesn't matter because by next year, you'd be moving away to college anyways.

You just need to put up with this for a little longer and see your mother finally be happy.

You didn't expect your mother to be dead a week before the wedding.

It was out of the blue. You were sitting in the library at the manor because Dick refused to let you be alone in your room all the time, so he was making you some cookies while you read. Then he and Bruce came together, their faces pale as they looked at you.

"Y/n... your mother, she... she got in an accident."

She was driving to some restaurant, wanted to get you your favourite fried chicken and spend some time with you alone. But on her way, a truck crashed right into her car.

She died on the spot.

Whatever little improvement you had on your mental health went straight down the drain. You locked yourself in your room and just cried quietly. They left you alone the first few days, but then Bruce and Dick tried to persuade you to come out, that they were concerned for you. You did come out the day the funeral was held. And it hurt you... it hurt you so deeply when you found out they were burying her at the Wayne cemetery.

She wasn't a fucking Wayne.

If you had any strength, if you had any energy at all, you would've taken your mother and buried her someplace else.

But you didn't.

When you returned inside the manor, you went straight to your mother's room, which was also Bruce's room but you didn't care if he saw you in there or not. You just started packing all of your mother's stuff, her clothes, her jewellery, her photos, everything she came here with, which wasn't much to begin with but still.

"Y/n?" You stiffened when Bruce called you, but you didn't pause on packing. "What are you doing? Looking for something?"

You sighed. Might as well get this over with.

You turnd around, not looking him in the eye.

"I'm moving out. And I'm taking mom's stuff with me. You can check, I'm not stealing anything that belongs to you."

Bruce looked at you in confusion. "Moving out? Where are you going?"

"College. I'll be going there soon anyways, so I'm moving to an apartment with some friends."

"Oh, but you don't need to move out. You can stay with us. Youre family-" you cut him off.

"Bruce, let's not." You finally look at him. "We're not family. I never was, I never wanted to be. Mom's gone now, and I have no reason or desire to be here. Thank you for letting me stay here for as long as you have, but I will be moving out by tomorrow, if not tonight." You said picking up your mother's bag of stuff and walking out of the room. Bruce followed you to your room.

"But I don't want you to move-"

You dropped the bags. "I don't care what you want!"

Bruce looked at you with his brows furrowed. He didn't get why you were acting like this. Your yelling had gotten the attention of the boys too, all looking in confusion at the bags.

"I don't want to be a part of this family. I never have, and I never will. I never liked you or anyone in this family. And if you're concerned about me speaking to the media about you guys, don't worry. If it helps you, you can make me sign an NDA!"

Damian narrowed his eyes at you. "Dont talk to father like-"

"Shut up!" You yelled harshly. You didn't care who you were hurting. Your mother was gone, you had no reason to be amicable to them anymore.

-

They left you alone that day, and by the next morning, you were ready to leave. At 6 am, you walked down to the main door, with your bags. You weren't expecting them all to be waiting for you, but here they were. You took a step towards the door, but Dick stopped you.

He cleared his throat. "Um, this is the NDA... if you'd just sign it here." He handed you the papers.

Unbelievable. They actually drew up a contract. You took the pen from his hand and signed at the dotted lines.

"Bye." You took another step, except Damian and Tim blocked your path.

"What now?"

"Where are you going?" Tim asked.

"Do we have to go over this again?" You grumbled. "College." You answered.

"You can't." Damian said smugly. What's he smirking for?

"You're gonna break my legs?" You scoffed.

"No, you just signed a document saying that you're a part of this family, and Bruce Wayne is your guardian and has authority over all decisions concerning you like going to college, or even... going out of the house." Damian replied.

You looked at Bruce, because there's no way Damian is being serious. But there were no signs of joking. You looked at Dick, at Jason-

They were all dead serious.

"You cant- you can't be- you can't keep me here." You said.

"You signed the documents. It's your fault for not reading them." Tim said.

"Bruce-"

"I really do believe that it'd be better for you to stay here." Bruce said, taking ahold of your shoulders. "At least until you're doing better mentally."

"I'm fine-"

"I don't think so. And I could even take you to a psychiatrist, they'd agree with me." Bruce cupped your cheek as you flinched away. "You'd be happy here. I promise you that, you'll be safe and happy with us."

You'd try fighting, but you already knew you were outnumbered.

Besides, even if you weren't, even if you were alone with the smallest one of them, you still wouldn't be able to leave. You have no idea what Damian is capable of.

After all, he's the one who had your mother killed.

[marybeatriceofmodena]

What did Andrew Lloyd Webber do to make Patti Lupone upset? Sorry, saw your tags and i was curious

Oh.

Oh honey.

You sweet child.

Anyway, get ready for one of the most infamous showdowns in all musical theatre history, with the guy who writes the straightest musicals on Broadway (derogatory) and the one and only, the matriarch, the queen, two three-time Tony award winner Patti LuPone.

So, Andrew Lloyd Webber was basically kind of a boy genius in his prime - he met his future collaborator Tim Rice when they were 17 and 20 respectively, he wrote his first big hit, Jesus Christ Superstar, at 22, with Tim Rice writing the lyrics. And it was kind of a big deal at the time because the topic was controversial (you know, the Passion with rock music), but also because Broadway wasn't that far off from its golden age and let's just say the music and style were very different from, say, My Fair Lady. Or The Sound of Music. Or Funny Girl. It was basically the Rent/Hamilton of its time. (Yeah, Stephen Sondheim was around at that time, he worked on West Side Story which was revolutionary in of itself, but he's kind of an oddball in this case. You'll understand why later.)

Their real follow up (I'm not counting Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a variety of reasons) was a little musical called Evita, which you might know mainly because of a song called Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Or at least, your mom has probably heard it once at the very least. It's that song that's oversung from a musical while being out of context along with I Dreamed a Dream for Les Misérables. Or Memory from Cats.

Evita tells the story of Eva Peron, the wife of an Argentinian dictator, who basically screws her way to the top and ends up becoming the mistress of Juan Peron and the most beloved woman in her country through guile and deceit. Yes, I know the historical accuracy is very much debated but I know jackshit about Argentina's history except the bare basics so don't come at me. It was first produced in the West End in London, with Elaine Paige in the role, but because of Equity issues, she couldn't reprise her role for the Broadway production. So a Julliard graduate who was mostly starring in David Mamet plays got the part instead, and that was Patti LuPone.

Patti... did not have a good time during Evita, because the part is basically the kind of score where you can tell the composer is used to writing male parts, but most female singers have a two-octave range (yes, you got Julie Andrews who used to have a three-octave range, and many others, but they're exceptions), so she struggled a lot. That being said, if you listen to live recordings of her, you wouldn't be able to tell, and it got a lot easier later on. But she had this to say:

"Evita was the worst experience of my life. I was screaming my way through a part that could only have been written by a man who hates women. And I had no support from the producers, who wanted a star performance onstage but treated me as an unknown backstage. It was like Beirut, and I fought like a banshee."

This is from Patti's autobiography, which she wrote in 2007 - 8 years after shit with ALW went down. With all that said, she won a Tony Award for Evita, and she pretty much became a musical theatre household name from then on. She played Fantine in Les Misérables, Nancy in Oliver!, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. Meanwhile, ALW's next big hits were Cats (I'm not even kidding, Cats was a hit), and, you guessed it, The Phantom of the Opera, which he wrote in part to showcase his then wife Sarah Brightman's triple threat talents.

So, you need to understand before I continue that ALW, from my perspective, has always had a bit of an inferiority complex. He's basically associated to writing these commercially successful musicals that show a big spectacle but aren't ultimately substantial. I'm not sure I entirely agree with that, but I do think that if he didn't have Hal Prince, Maria Bjornson, Charles Hart and Gillian Lynne backing him up for Phantom, it would have probably been a Rocky Horror Picture Show knockoff people would have forgotten about pretty quickly. This is what I mean:

Yep, that was Phantom before any of the people I mentioned above (and Michael Crawford) were really involved.

Remember how I said Stephen Sondheim was an oddball? The thing with him is that his musicals weren't always commercially successful, but in general, in part thanks to being Leonard Bernstein's protégé, he was generally pretty well-respected and it was considered that his work was bringing musicals to a whole other level. Without Sondheim, you wouldn't have Jonathan Larson, and you wouldn't have Lin-Manuel Miranda. I am convinced ALW is resentful of that, and when you stop and think about it for more than 10 seconds, it's so obvious he REALLY wants to be Sondheim or at least command the same level of respect, but that's a story for another day.

So, after Phantom, ALW had other musicals that followed that either got a meh reception or outright flopped. Then there was Sunset Boulevard, which is based on the movie of the same name with Gloria Swanson. Despite all of her griefs for Evita, Patti LuPone agreed to partake in the musical as Norma Desmond, for its production in London, with the promise that she would transfer to Broadway once that production would open. And overall, after a string of flops, Sunset was actually doing pretty well.

HOWEVER. One day, while reading the gossip column of a newspaper, Patti found out that contrary to what she was promised, Glenn Close, who was meanwhile starring as Norma in the Los Angeles production, was to play Norma on Broadway. That was a complete surprise for her since no one on the production team had bothered to tell her it was happening - and keep in mind that for the news to come up the way it did in a gossip column, it probably would have necessitated a delay of a few weeks between the producers and the newspaper, which would have given them plenty of time to break the news to Patti. And Patti kind of needed the leg up because she was pretty bitter that a) Madonna was cast in the Evita adaptation instead of her; b) they actually lowered the key to fit Madonna's voice range, and she still had to expand her own to be able to sing the (lowered) score. And trust me, Patti is mad about it to this day.

So of course, she trashed her dressing room, the cast and crew weren't even mad about it because they were as shocked and angered as she was by the news. Patti sued Andrew Lloyd Webber for breach of contract, namely for 1 MILLION DOLLARS (yup, those are the real numbers), won, used the money she got from the lawsuit to get a swimming pool, which she called (and I SHIT YOU NOT) the Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool. Since then, Webber is dead to her, to the point rumor has it she had part of a building blocked during an event so she could get out of it without coming across Webber, because she hates him so flipping much she doesn't even want to be in the same building as the guy.

(There's also drama that happened with Faye Dunaway who was supposed to replace Glenn Close after she went from Los Angeles to Broadway, except they abruptly closed the show down after Close left, but that's a story for another day)

So with all the bad press, and with ALW forced to pay 1 million dollars for Patti's lawsuit, that led Sunset's productions to close earlier than expected. ALW has stayed around since, with... mitigated output, so to say. The lowest point for a lot of people is Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom, which some people love, and that's fine, but it didn't do well with either critics nor fans of the original show, which ALW is EXTREMELY BUTTHURT ABOUT. And like, there are so many stories I could tell about LND alone, but I will share my own crack theory about it, since it does relate to the ask.

Anyway, buckle up.

So. There have been jokes going around for years that the Phantom in LND is basically ALW's self-insert, where he displays to the world that he's totally not over Sarah Brightman leaving him (in part because making Phantom kinda ruined their marriage lmao), despite, you know, having married since. (Aaaaaakward.) So LND basically becomes this really uncomfortable therapy session where a man writes a self-insert musical about how his ex-wife made a big mistake of leaving a sensitive artistic soul such as himself. The characters from Phantom who appear in LND are all more or less unrecognizable as a result, and one who gets it worse (in my humble opinion) is Meg Giry, who was basically Christine's sweet and loyal ballerina friend who basically went into the Phantom's lair on her own to save her friend despite the danger. In LND, she's basically a bitter hag (because ALW hates women, guess Patti was right about that), who really likes the swim and even has a stripping vaudeville number about it, written in universe by the Phantom, no less.

For comparison, here's Don Juan Triumphant (the Phantom's opera in the original):

And here's Bathing Beauty (the vaudeville number):

Yeah, so... do you see why people hate LND already?

And that's not the only thing with Meg! She's also pining for the Phantom to pay attention to her and threatens to drown the Phantom and Christine's secret love child when he makes it clear that he's gonna love Christine for EVA AND EVA.

So, with everything we learned today about ALW, would someone like him view someone like Patti LuPone as some sort of crazy, bitter diva who's obsessed with him for whatever reason? Absolutely. Would he be petty enough to insert Patti LuPone into his self-insert musical, which gave us the version of Meg Giry we got in LND? Of course. Why does Meg love to swim so much and why does she drag Gustave out ostensibly for a swim? Is it a dig at Patti's Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool? Maybe.

I kind of hope we find out one day if that theory is true. And maybe start a kickstarter so Patti can add this painting from the 2004 movie in her collection.

Fun fact: during the process of casting for the 2004 movie adaptation of POTO, ALW allegedly suggested Patti LuPone to play Carlotta... only for Joel Schumacher to have to awkwardly remind him that they were not on speaking terms. The idea was therefore promptly dropped.

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

Caught

Gibbs x Reader One Shot

Prompt: You’re Gibbs’ wife and an NCIS agent and see your underage son at a bar while out on a sting operation.

Mentions of drinking.

You fixed your earrings in the car mirror and made sure your ear piece was secured.

“Testing audio. Y/L/N, you look absolutely ravishing in that dress. You should wear it more often,” Tony flirted.

“Jethro. Smack him for me please.”

All you heard was the familiar sound of hand meeting head and smiled.

“Alright so we need to make sure he either provides us with the name of his boss or the address where they’re hiding him. Remember, he only agreed to this meeting because he thinks you’re a double agent. Don’t leave the bar with him and if he gets spooked, we’ve got Torres inside already at the bar,” your husband lectured.

“Yes honey. I got it.”

You walked across the parking lot and into the semi crowded club, looking for your mark without seeming obvious. You spotted Nick first, pretending to nurse a drink at the bar and then saw your mark, sitting not far away at a high top table.

You walked over and took a seat across from him.

“Powell?” you asked.

“Yeah. You must be Agent Stanton,” he confirmed.

“So how do you want to do this? You gonna give me the name of your employer? Or I’ll settle for an address of where he’ll be.”

“Slow your role Agent. We’ll get there. First I wanna know a little bit about you. How is it that an NCIS agent with an outstanding background turns on her own?”

Remembering the backstory Abby created for you, you rolled your eyes and recited your lines. “It was a good run for a while. But doesn’t pay nearly as much as gun running.”

He nodded and sat back in his chair, thinking.

“Listen. If you’re not the guy to come to for stuff like this, I can find someone else. You just seemed like someone in charge.”

He scoffed, clearly offended, “Oh I am, and if anyone says anything different they find out the truth real quick.”

“Did Agent Carter find out the truth?”

He squinted his eyes at you in suspicion just as a familiar laugh broke through the silence.

Turning your head, you look over towards the VIP section of the club and can’t believe what you see. Your 17 year old son laughing and drinking with a bunch of older men and women. Had you not been on an important op, you would’ve walked over and dragged him out of there by his ear.

“Before we continue, I need a drink. Would you like one?” You ask, grabbing your purse and trying to contain your anger.

“Another Jack and Coke.”

You nodded and turned to walk toward the bar.

“What are you doing?” Tony asked through the ear piece.

“Jethro. I just spotted our son laughing and drinking with a bunch of people in the VIP section. Do something now before I march over there and blow this whole operation.”

“Torres. Get over there and bring him out here to us. Quietly,” Jethro ordered.

As you reached the bar, Torres left and you ordered 2 whiskey and cokes, genuinely now needing a drink. While walking back over to your table, you saw Torres pulling your son aside out of the corner of your eye.

“Here you go. Now. Where were we?”

————

You stomped over to the surveillance van and threw open the doors, meeting the eyes of your son who already looked like he had been thoroughly chastised.

“Tell me why on God’s green earth were you in that club with a group of people twice your age!”

Tim and Tony were both quiet as your husband stood in the back with his arms crossed. “I wasn’t even drinking mom. My friend invited me and knew the bouncer. I was just having fun.”

“Having fun? You do know that is a place where very dangerous individuals like to hang out don’t you? You could’ve “had fun” in so many different ways than what you did. You put yourself at risk for all different types of dangers, not to mention arrest, had anyone knew you were underage!”

He stayed quiet, not looking you in the eyes and took a deep breath. “Out. Now. You’re riding with me and your father.”

“But Tony said I could-

“Hey now, I didn’t exactly promise anything,” Tony defended himself with his hands up.

“Get. Out. Now.”

Both him and Jethro exited the van and you all walked over to the secondary car with Jethro driving. For about half the ride, it was completely silent until you broke it.

“You are grounded for a month. No games, no computer, and you get the emergency phone only. We expect you home every night at exactly 6pm, any later without a solid excuse and your grounding sentence gets added to. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t yeah your mother. Does she make herself clear?” Jethro said sternly, backing you up.

“Yes, sir.”

You closed your eyes and tried not thinking about all the ways the night could’ve gone wrong. Jethro must of sensed your anxiety because you felt his hand rest on your thigh and give it a reassuring squeeze.

“We’re not trying to be mean S/N. We just want you to really understand the dangers in what you did and that it can’t go unpunished. We love you.”

“I know. Love you guys too,” he answered, softly, making you tear up.

“Now we’re gonna go home, you’re going to give us all your electronics and then help your father down in the basement.”

There was an obvious groan from him and you both smiled. Putting your hand on top of Jethros, you lock eyes with him and he gives you his famous smirk.

[wol-fica]

You could do a Jenna one where reader is filming a show or movie and hasn’t seen Jenna in months except for over the phone and Jenna makes a surprise visit on readers birthday. Like the whole cast and directors of the movie or show is in on it.

summary - ^ (reversing the roles) (also going to be apart of the Rechezame Series)

an - hope everyone is having a wonderful day :)

—————————

“Shit.” Jenna mumbles to herself, closing her eyes in irritation.

She was on set for Beetlejuice 2, and she just couldn’t get her lines right. Wether it was because she hasn’t been sleeping properly, or because she’s been cooking under the hot london sun all day, either way she was fucking up and it was making her mad.

“Take a break Jenna, we’ll start again in 30.” Tim said, patting her shoulder before walking off to the directors booth.

She sighed, grabbing her water bottle off the ground before stalking off to her tent. Everyone she passed steered clear of her, using their common sense to see that she was very annoyed. As soon as she got into her tent, she flopped down in her chair and put her head in her hands, a groan passing her lips.

Her assistant, Megan, was warily watching her from the corner. She was new, and the poor girl was very sensitive and would collapse to her knees with an apology anytime she did something wrong. Fortunately, Jenna has you as her first assistant, and you could teach Megan things very easily.

Unfortunately, you were across the ocean.

When Jenna had to leave to go film for Beetlejuice 2, you had to stay behind due to a loss of a family member. You wanted to go with her, but she made sure you stayed so you could be properly taken care of by your mom.

You would call Jenna as often as you could, but recently you haven’t been answering any of her attempts at contacting you. As of this morning, your location had turned off for her, in which made her paranoid, then in a crying mess, and now this. She had never realized how much she depended on you until now, and it was killing her to not know where you were.

“Jenna!” An angry male voice said, making her snap her head up.

“Yeah?” She replied wearily, confused to what he wanted.

“You left the bike in the middle of the road, someone hit it!”

Jenna winced, getting up out of her chair, “I’m sorry, I’ll go and-.”

“The damage is already done, but the person who hit it is not happy and wants to see who left it there.” He growled, turning on his heel and leaving her tent.

She watched him go with a confused expression, glanced at Megan who shrugged, and decided to follow him out. Her brown eyes scanned the set, finding the bike resting against someone’s leg. It was a girl, with strikingly beautiful eyes and supple skin that looks awfully familiar…

“Jenna!” You waved, moving to set the bike down and walk over to her.

She was frozen for a moment, before sprinting at you with full force. Your arms were open, welcoming her into your warm arms. She launched herself at you, wrapping you up in a bone crushing hug that made you feel like she broke a few ribs.

“Ah ouch.” You strained, patting her back with a gentle smile, “G-guess you missed me?”

She pulled back, grabbing your face and bringing you down into a deep kiss. Your teeth clashed with hers, her lips drawing you down into her. A breathy moan escaped her mouth, quiet but enough that you could hear and feel things from it.

But then suddenly, she pulled back and slapped you across the face.

“How DARE you turn off your location!” Jenna yelled, throwing her hands up, “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

You chuckled, holding one side of your face while reaching for her, “I didn’t want you to know I was coming…”

Jenna took a step back, glaring harshly at you. You sighed, dropping your hand so you could grab hers.

“Baby I swear, I’ve been planning to surprise you!” You said, trying to explain.

“I was worried, you weren’t answering any of my texts and then suddenly you disappear off of Life360.” Jenna’s bottom lip wobbled, “I though you died.”

You smiled, pulling her into your chest, “Clearly I’m not dead.”

She glared at you again, this time landing a sharp jab to your stomach that had you doubling over in pain. A groan passed your lips, but your face was grabbed so Jenna could look at your reddening cheek.

“Sorry.” She muttered, pressing a loving kiss to the irritated spot, “You just scared me, don’t even do that again.”

You nodded, giving the crew members a weak thumbs up while they just nodded with awkward smiles and looked away. Jenna hugged you again, rubbing her hand on the bruise forming on your upper abdomen.

“I’m glad your here, my beautiful girl.”

———————

[mischiefbuckley]

I want to see Eddie’s sisters on the show. I need to see this man who we have seen time and time again be an adoring and loving father to his son show us how protective and caring he is towards his sisters and especially with the dynamic of how they grew up with the parents they had as well like it would be very interesting to see say if there was an Eddie Begins Again/Eddie centric episode in season 8 to see how that plays into Eddie’s childhood and again the whole Mexican Catholic religious background he had growing up and how that’s affected his life time and time again from feeling forced into a marriage because he found out his girlfriend is pregnant and that was the right thing to do, but later signing up for the military because again he is the man of the house and is suppose to provide for his family, so he’s mirroring what he has seen growing up with his father never being present and always working.

When he does come back after the end of his first tour he’s met with medical debt in the form of his son Christopher being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, so again what does he do he signs up for another tour, so he is able to take care of the bills and make sure Shannon stays at home and takes care of Christopher because that’s the role his mom had when he was growing up, again mirroring his childhood experiences being that both him and Shannon were young parents and Eddie didn’t know any better. When he does come back after he’s awarded the silver star, he has trouble assimilating back to what his life is suppose to be. He’s suppose to be the supporting husband to his wife and kid and on top of still having his parents never thinking he is doing enough as the man of his own family now. When Shannon leaves him to go take care of her mom, his family immediately blames her for everything and tries to take advantage of the situation of Eddie being busy and trying to provide for his son by working 3 different jobs while also keep in mind already thinking of the future and he had been looking at other cities to move to because again he didn’t want his son being raised in the type of environment he was raised in. He got offers from Chicago and LA, but ultimately he ended up choosing LA and started his probationary year at the LAFD at station 118. And throughout his journey on the show we have seen him time and time again not only adjust to his new life now that’s he’s living in Los Angeles, but he has a positive support system around him including a new best friend who he can rely on and they have each others backs no matter what.

And when we get to season 5 where he’s going to therapy and talking about his past trauma and ptsd from being in the military and we see him be vulnerable and we see him as he has his mental breakdown after he finds out that the people he saved back in Afghanistan have all died, he’s at a lost for words and doesn’t know how to handle that pain so he completely loses it and the one person that comes to his rescue and supports him through everything is Buck. So it will be very interesting to see now with how season 8 pans out how they will tackle the whole catholic storyline if Eddie is going back to church now that he’s all alone and can’t really rely on his primary role of being a father because he’s son is away and for the first time in his life he is completely alone with all his emotions. It will again be very interesting to see what different storylines they have planned out for him, but even with the interview today that was released where Tim mentions that he’s even isolated in a sense from Buck with him being in a relationship and his time outside of work being limited on when they can hangout and it sounded like Eddie would be third wheeling so it will be something to watch with everything else he has going on if they are going down with the catholic guilt storyline with him coming to terms with his sexuality

[karin-gespenst]

my thoughts immediately after watching the 2023 Christmas Special

Can we please keep Geoffrey? He's delightful and thoughtful and the first sibling of any of the Nonnatuns to appear since Sister Evangelina's brother!

I chuckled when they lampshaded the fact that Colette could have moved into Nonnatus house years ago. Chummy got to live there with her child as well, but that was so long ago, back in the old Nonnatus house before they had to knock it down.

I was going to make a comment about unsurprisingly predictable surprise triplets, just before they turned out to be quadruplets, which did surprise me, a little.

But I am surprised that the research-loving show-off doctor did not x-ray Brenda in month 5 or 6. Or maybe listen for more than half a minute with the pinard? can you not notice the difference between 2 heartbeats and 4? Did not everyone and their mom get to palpate poor Brenda's belly? They even let Tim have a go just because he was there.

Sister Monica Joan's depression rang very familiar. When my grandmother neared 90, she complained about having to grow so old. That remark from Sister Monica Joan back when Nancy was new could have been a quote from my gran: "Child, I have seen everything."

If Judy Parfitt is contemplating leaving her role, I'm sure we'd all applaud her for sticking around for so long and inspiring a ton of request for a prequel series about the beginnings of the order in Poplar.

Does Heidi have a plan where she wants to go with the story of May and her mother? the parcel gave an idea about the difficulties with fostering and adoption in a constellation like theirs. Shelagh making an effort to make the gift from Esther suitable for May is symbolic for the care she gives her, taking what is there and adapting it to what May needs. It is also fine with me to show that even a privileged and educated family like the Turners can only do so much in a system that made Esther have to leave May at an orphanage in the first place. The message I'm taking away is that the real need is to try make sure children can stay in their families and communities whenever possible and that communities and families have the means to raise their children.

Did anyone ever take a closer look at the differences between the kind of pastoral care Cyril gives in comparison to Tom ? I'd be interested in reading it, but my knowledge of the goings on in church at that time is nonexistent. Of course, comparing a curate who is pastoraling full time with someone who has a different day job will be mismatched, but there are more distinctions to be found.

Phyllis did not come home refreshed from the refresher course. And the enema discussion is a treat!

The idea with the illuminated baby Jesus will absolutely be stolen should anyone ever make me put together a nativity display.

More thoughts are sure to come, now I'm curious about yours!

[rookielover]

Being born into a royal family was not the easiest thing Tim kind of hated it. He was constantly under public scrutiny and had very little privacy. He also had to live up to certain expectations and responsibilities that came with being royalty. Tim longed for a simpler life where he could make his own choices and live without the constant pressure and attention.

What made it worse was he was the oldest kid in the family, and therefore felt the pressure to be a role model and set a good example for his younger siblings. This added pressure and responsibility only intensified the stress and anxiety he felt about the situation. It also made it harder for him to open up and seek help, as he didn't want to burden his family or disappoint them.

And when his parents called him into the room that day he knew it would not be good

"Father," Tim said as he entered the room, his heart racing with anticipation. His mother and father were both waiting for him, their expressions serious and grave. Timothy could feel a sense of dread wash over him as he wondered what they could want to discuss with him. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for whatever news they were about to share.

"Timothy, please take a seat," he huffed, slouching down into the chair and crossing his arms over his chest. His expression was annoyed and his body language conveyed a sense of irritation. It was clear that he was not happy with the situation at hand. "Have I done something?"

"No, you haven't done anything wrong. However, we do have a very important discussion that needs to be held with you."

"What?" he grumbled, clearly irritated by the interruption. "We have your marriage contract ready." "Excuse me?" Tim quickly asked his father. "Your father said we have your marriage contract ready."

"I know Mom, but why?" Tim questioned, perplexed by the news. "Because it's time for you to get married and start a family," his mother replied with a smile. Tim couldn't believe it. He had always dreamed of finding the perfect partner on his terms, not through a pre-arranged marriage. He knew he had to stand up for himself and make his own decisions.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Talk to your mother like that again and I will personally beat your ass. I will not tolerate any disrespect towards her.”

"I’m sorry," he had to force that apology out as he felt so much anger boiling within him, he knew it was foolish but he couldn’t stand the idea of marrying a woman who not only wasn't his choice but was picked by his mother and father. It was a situation where he was not in control of his life, and he was expected to accept and comply like a well-behaved good little son. However, he couldn't just sit back and let his parents dictate his future. He needed to take a stand and make his own decisions, even if it meant going against his family's wishes.

"That's more like it," he said, watching his son's actions. "Now let's go over it together." He wanted to make sure his son understood the task at hand and was able to complete it successfully.

"Dad—"

"It is beyond debate Timothy, me and your mother believe it is time for you to get married. It's important for your future and the growth of our family."

“Why me Dad, why not Genny?” Tim shouted, looking between his parents desperately.” Timothy, you're the oldest, now's the time to step up and take responsibility. The day will come when you are king, and I want to be sure that whomever you marry will be able to carry the throne with you."

“What if I don’t want to be the king?”

“Timothy, I am not going to allow my son to marry some bimbo who cannot handle the responsibilities of the throne. You were born into this family, and you will inherit the throne one day regardless of what you feel about it.”

“Yeah yeah okay Dad ever. Who are you going to try and set me up with this time, some prissy princess with too much makeup and a stick up her ass?”

"That's enough Timothy! I don't appreciate your tone or your dismissive attitude towards this discussion. It is not just some 'prissy princess' we're talking about, it is a serious matter to choose the woman who will be by your side and the mother of your children. Do you not realize the importance of your choice? Your responsibility to maintain the royal bloodline and uphold the legacy of this family?"

“Yeah yeah I don’t need you to remind me, Dad I know my place, I mean I know the history of this family that I was born into, and now I need to continue it by marrying a princess or queen, right?” he asked with a hint of mockery to his voice

"The legacy of this family is a serious matter, son. The woman you choose to be your wife has to understand her responsibilities and her role within the family. Now, there is a woman we have in mind for you and I will be talking to her father today to arrange your wedding. Your mother and I have already met her and were quite impressed by her virtues. She will be an ideal mate and I expect you will show her the utmost respect."

“Tell me you're joking!”

"I am not joking, Timothy. I am quite serious. And I expect you to obey my wishes and be respectful towards the bride we have chosen for you. She is a fine, virtuous woman who will make an excellent match for you and it is your duty as my son and the heir to the throne to marry her and keep the royal bloodline going."

“And If I don’t agree with all this royal marriage crap and just want to marry for love Dad. Huh?” he said with a slight hint of anger in his voice

"You are showing me utter stubbornness and disrespect, Timothy! I am trying to help you, and this is how you react!? What kind of heir are you, a spoiled little boy who can't see reason? A proper heir would have acknowledged the importance of maintaining the royal bloodline and chosen a wife based on her virtue and ability to be a great mother, not some silly notion of falling in love. Are you too self-absorbed to see reason!? I expect you to straighten your back and stop acting like a defiant child!"

“What am I supposed to do just marry some girl I don’t love just to please you and uphold the bloodline. The fact that we are sitting here now discussing the future of my marriage is already bullshit.” he was screaming now not even bothering to be discreet about it

“You are supposed to marry the girl of my choosing so that you can uphold the bloodline and maintain the reputation of this family! Do you think I care about your personal feelings!? No! I care about the interests of this kingdom and this family! The fact that you are arguing with me is already showing me your immaturity and lack of respect. Do what I tell you and marry the girl of my choosing or face the consequences!”

Tim remains silent, unable to voice his true feelings. He yearns to get away from these expectations and pressures of this life. He hates being in this family where he feels like a puppet, constantly being told what decisions he has to make and who he must obey. He would give anything to be free from this burden and be able to choose his destiny, yet he knows he can't. His parents have already chosen his path for him and he must follow it. He can't express his anger or frustration to them out of fear of disappointing them.

“When shall I meet the bride.”

"You shall meet her soon I shall arrange for a dinner gathering of the two families so that you may meet her. In the meantime, I expect you to straighten your attitude towards this matter. There is a time to be frivolous and a time to be serious, and this is one of those times. This is a very important decision and I cannot have you being flippant or dismissive towards the process."

“Yes sir……tell me about her.”

"The bride's name is Ashley McGrady, and her father's name is Jerry McGrady. They are a very respectable and influential family in the kingdom with great standing and renown. This will be quite a formal and prestigious event as the two families will be introduced and allowed to know each other. Please behave yourself appropriately and be on your best behavior at the banquet."

“ I can't make any promises I mean fuck Dad I don't even know the girl I'm expected to marry.”

"Son, listen to me when I say these words. This is not a matter for you to have an opinion on. This is not a matter that your feelings should dictate. This is an obligation. This marriage has already been arranged and nothing you do or say would change this. You need to act like a man and do your duties for this family. Is that clear!?"

“I don't even know what she looks like.”

"It doesn't matter what she looks like, son. That is not the issue here. The point is that this is an arranged marriage, a political marriage if you will, and that means you must marry the bride who has been chosen for you for the good of the family. It is not about your feelings or your desires. It is about doing what is best for the kingdom. "

“I understand but y'all aren't even giving me anything.”

"What do you mean, son? This is a marriage. This is not some sort of business transaction, this is an alliance made between two powerful families for the good of the kingdom. You don't get anything out of it because the whole premise of an arranged marriage is that the son and daughter serve to strengthen the bonds between their families. You are expected to do your duties and uphold the family name and legacy. This is a far bigger picture than just you and what you want."

“Oh great so not only do I have to marry someone I don’t love but I also get nothing out of it, why can’t I just find a woman I love and marry her?”

“Tim your mother and I were arranged and turned out fine.”

“Fine? Are you joking? You guys absolutely despise each other!”

"That is not the point here, son. The point is that this is a marriage of duty and it is expected that you complete this duty for the sake of the kingdom. This is not a marriage for the sake of your feelings, it is a marriage for the sake of the royal bloodline. Do not argue with me further about this. You will marry who I choose and there is no point in arguing with me about it. This conversation is over."

“So that's it. I don't have a choice but to marry this girl and I won't be able to get out of this? There has to be another way.”

“Son she's the best option, what else are you going to marry a commoner?!”

“So what if I did? At least I would have fallen in love with her. Maybe she would have cared about me and what I thought.”

"Fall in love with a commoner!? Son, you are insulting me with such a ridiculous claim. I would never allow you to marry someone with such low status. This is a matter of the kingdom and the royal bloodline. I will not have it tainted by common blood. You are being unreasonable and you're acting like a spoiled little child who won't listen to reason. This marriage has already been planned and approved. There is no more discussion to be had on the matter. Just accept your fate and be done with this."

"Fuck you," he snarled before storming out of the room and down the hall, his vision blurred with anger. His actions were fueled by the hurt and resentment he felt towards the person who had betrayed him. As he stormed away, he couldn't help but think about how much he had trusted and cared for them, only to be met with such betrayal.

The pain and anger he felt were overwhelming, but he knew he needed to walk away before he said or did something he would regret.

The door slams shut behind him and it is silent in the room as Timothy storms past all the servants he heads to one of the rooms slams open the door and throws himself on the bed. He was frustrated, angry, and resentful of this whole situation he couldn’t believe that his parents were forcing him into this marriage with someone he had no feelings for, all these emotions were building up inside of him making him more and more angry with each second passing. He couldn’t believe this was his life now.

Timothy lies on the bed, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of this situation. He is angry and frustrated at the lack of control over his life and the unfairness of it all. He didn't ask to be born into this family or to have his entire life and future planned out for him, and he is sick of not having any choices in how he lives his life. He lies there unable to sleep, feeling completely helpless and alone in his anger.

He just wished he could love, the only problem was he couldn't seem to find anyone who was right for him. All the people he met were either too different or too similar to him, and he couldn't seem to find a connection with anyone. He longed for a deep, meaningful love, but it seemed like it was just out of reach.

(STORY IS ALSO ON MY AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/53524270 )

[josnhoes]

What about Duke, Jason and Barbra around knak mc?

Duke takes his job as the family braincell seriously. Look he knows technically speaking Tim is the smartest. But he was the one in the family with common sense...aside Alfred obviously... so obviously *he* had the brain cell.

Well that's how he sees it.

His time with reader is spent with him take the role of fun but safe big brother. He takes you to age appropriate activities and enjoys them as much as you. (He snuck you to the zoo once. Sneaking because otherwise Damien would want to come and he wanted one on one time!)

As responsible as he sounds on paper he is still young so he doesn't plan for things like snacks or things to keep you occupied during car drives. He's not used to being around 6-8yr Olds. He isn't bad he just doesn't have the full bordering dad/mom/parent brain going.

Jason is the cool brother who borders uncle that parents *don't* want you to be around. Which just makes you want to be around him more. Well that's the energy he has. Actually he's fairly responsible. Makes sure you eat, keeps you safe, other then that he let's you do what you want. With him watching over you though.

Absolutely teaches you to fire a gun and how to steal from people. Just don't tell Bruce. Might even get you a custom small gun in your aesthetic.

Not just scary dog privileges, you get Feral scary dog privileges. He never *ever* wants you to suffer like he has. If the Joker even sniffs around you he will absolutely kill him. Sure he's trying to make good with Bruce again, be better. But your safety is more important.

And obviously as yanderes the batclan would see his point, and while they scold him lightly they'd actually get over it.

Barbra always enjoys when more girls are added to the family and you're just so cute! Likes to teach you about her role as oracle low key hoping you'll pick up the mantle someday. It'd be much safer then you going onto the field. *If* anyone would even let you.

You're kind of her little flying monkey. You help her find blackmail...I mean cute family memories to save.

Very happy to help nurture your hobbies and help with any class work. Though she will admit you rarely need her help with your normal class work. Such a smart baby sister!

Is the most concerned for your mental state. Because she looked you up and there was no adult with your name where you claimed to be from. So obviously you were never an adult. It leads her to wonder where you got that idea. Is it some sort of mental block you use to protect yourself? Something you were taught so your parents could just have you taking care of yourself? Why did they think you needed to understand taxes? Regardless it's signs you had a neglectful family so she and the family will just have to step up so you can be a kid again!

[be-side-my-self]

Rewatch of Only Murders In The Building to prepare for season 4 (II)

<Part I> Block #OMITBRewatch if you don’t want to read notes that will have spoilers up to seasons 3. Just to make it clear, while quoting, I use M, O, C for the main characters.

S1 E5

C: "You're a simpleton." O: "Damn it! I didn't get that! Can you call me a simpleton again?" C: "You're a simpleton." O: "Thank you!"

Oscar and Mabel meeting again! ... but certainly there could have been better ways than creepily following her in a bright hoodie. Well, at least it wasn't a black hoodie.

It is so cute how Charles wants to believe in Mabel. He is right though, but it certainly does not look like Mabel is innocent that moment. She is after all driving away with Tie-dye Guy.

New York traffic looks like hell.

Again, it's great that Charles wants to believe in Mable and Oliver is like "it has to be her!"

Oscar: "I saw you once with those guys that look like retired cops. Was one of them that Brazzos guy?"

O: "Search 'Charles-Haden Savage fat.' Ooh! Look at the ass on papa."

The car is really beautiful though.

So, why did the first call go on voicemail and the second one not? Didn't Mabel had reception? But why did Charles? ... shouldn't they all use the newest iphones?

O: "It's tough... to believe that she could be... this duplicitous, I know. Tougher because you're a closed-off person. And Mabel made you... open up and trust people for the first time. So now, the thought that she might not be who she seems has you questioning it all." O: "Okay, I gotta try that again. That was very fake sounding." C: "You fucker!"

Yeah well how could you have missed that, Mabel? You were sitting on the floor, surrounded by jewelry.

Charles and Oliver really are besties.

Lucius: "Sure I follow people all the time." - ... it surely will be fine...

Honestly though I celebrated Roy Wood Jr. having a small role.

Love how the two black guys show off to the two white guys.

Also I respect Oscar's dream of starting a Yoga-studio.

The scene in the tattoo shop is great... confusing and everything is happening at the same time.

S1 E6

Detective Williams... got it.

"Herman's Head" sounds like "Inside Out" ... I never saw " Inside Out."

The scene of the Detective and her wife is really good. Because the detective is a great character. She gets so many plus points later on. She might be one of my favorite characters.

Whoop Dee Doo, Mabels Mom

Mabels Mom: "Have you ever felt that there was something you screwed up so bad, you will never fogive yourself." C & O: "... well...." Mablels Mom: "For me it was letting her spend time at the damn apartment. Please let her be. Let her move forward. Not back."

Okay but maybe Mabel needs that as a closure?

M: "Don't do Tik Tok." <- Good advise for anyone!!

C: "You know it's a law of nature. Nothing good ever happens on Long Island."

You might not know each other a lot but you are still best friends, Charles and Oliver.

Mable had a crush on Stabler from CSI: SVU... i've watched a few episodes but I don't remember much.

M "Why was Tim after the ring that Zoe had on the night she died?"

Now I remember what happened. Sometimes it just takes some time.

Gotta say that the romance between Oscar and Mabel is cute... even if tragic. They liked each other before the whole awful thing happened.

Really... Jimmy Fallon shout out for the podcast. Everyone will go listen to it.

Teddy is hardcore... good character but holy shit.

O: "You know my phone settings... I am not a rando!"

They are besties!

Food is really the best peace offering.

M: "But you guys... Are you really gonna make me say it?" C: "I kinda like to hear the words, yes." O: "Also rank us. I'm dying to know who your favorite is."

It's Charles, Oliver. Mabel likes Charles more.

It's Tim Kono's phone!

C: "That is right, our prime sponsor is now our prime suspect."

S1 E7

Gosh, it's so sad and weird that Bobby tries to make Theo listen to music.

Because I was curious I looked up "Carousel" and it's a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

"My boy Bill, I'll see that he is named after me!"

"And you won't see nobody dare to try-- to boss him or toss him around. No pot-bellied, baggy-eyed bully will boss him around--"

The moment Bobby realises that he did exactly that to his son that moment.

And continues to do so.

I actually love the different perspectives... from Theo's point of view everything is muffled... and then he talks with the watchers. XD I'm just glad they translate the important parts of the ASL.

The whole episode is great because almost nothing or nothing is said?

Teddy is still bullying his son.

Teddy: "If there is a problem, I'll fix it."

I guess Zoe really was a troubled child...

"Scary" - "Sexy" - "Hard" - "Wet" - "Woody" - "Yum"

How to flirt with scrabble?

"Teddy is a Gray Roger!" - "Are you having a stroke?" - "Grave Robber! Teddy is a Graverobber!"

It was all an accident.

O. PUTNAM & MABEL - 78 Messages O. PUTNAM - 11 Missed Calls

I love that Charles has Oliver as O. PUTNAM in his address book.

Uh Oh.

S1 E8

Love that Jabouki Young-White is also having a part.

O: "Do you know that I was the first director to use areal cadaver on stage? In Tuesdays At Bernie's. It was my dual adaptation of Tuesdays With Morrie and Weekend at Bernie's." M: "What?"

Yeah, Teddy. I'm sure the deaf son was more responsible for the failing of your marriage than all the whores.

Lmao, Jen is a freak.

Jen: "Brazzos was our safe word." M: "And what's the safe word for me to get out of this conversation?"

LMAO... Detective Williams is so cool.

Incredible that Jen and Oscar get added to the roaster and then the fans too.

... it was not the Dimas'ses

I think I now remember who it was... though I though she was the one who did it in season 2? I got it all confused... that is why I need the rewatch. xD

[the-rewatch-rewind]

The most underrated 1980s teen movie

Script below the break

Hello and welcome back to the Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be discussing number 10 on my list: Embassy Pictures and Monument Pictures’ 1985 adventure romantic comedy The Sure Thing, directed by Rob Reiner, written by Steve Bloom and Jonathan Roberts, and starring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga.

In his first term at a small northeastern college, Walter Gibson (known as “Gib”, played by John Cusack) is frustrated with his sex life, or rather, lack thereof. So when his high school best friend Lance (Anthony Edwards) sends him a picture from UCLA of a beautiful woman (Nicollette Sheridan) and promises that she’s a “sure thing” – no questions asked, no strings attached, no guilt involved – Gib takes the first ride he can find to California for winter break, even though that means traveling with Alison Bradbury (Daphne Zuniga), who has already rejected his underhanded advances and is on her way to visit her boyfriend (Boyd Gaines). Gib and Alison’s constant fighting finally pushes the driver (“Gary Cooper, but not the Gary Cooper that’s dead,” played by Tim Robbins) to abandon them on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, and they are forced to find their own way to LA. Their adventures prompt them both to learn from each other and start to change for the better.

I remember not being very interested in this movie when my mom first got it from the library, and her really having to talk me into watching it. I think I was pleasantly surprised the first time, but it wasn’t until I rewatched it a couple years later that I truly appreciated it and became kind of obsessed for a while. I saw it for the first time in 2004, then eight times in 2006, three times in 2007, once in 2009, three times in 2010, once in 2011, once in 2012, once in 2013, once in 2015, once in 2016, twice in 2019, and twice in 2022. I would have watched it more in recent years, but for a while I only had it on VHS (my sister’s had it on DVD for several years but since we don’t live near each other I don’t have many options to watch her copy, so I did finally get my own DVD of it last year) and it’s very rarely available on streaming services. There was a major boom of teen movies in the 1980s, many of which are still considered classics now, but hardly anybody ever talks about The Sure Thing, and I have no idea why because it is truly delightful.

Most of the people involved in this movie were just starting their careers. Rob Reiner had only directed one movie (This is Spinal Tap) prior to this, and it was both writers’ first feature film, and it was John Cusack’s first starring role. So The Sure Thing has the charms of a low-budget project that everybody’s making because they want to, not because they think they’re going to get rich and famous from it, with the added bonus that many of the actors did become rich and famous later, so you can watch it and go, “Oh look, it’s Dr. Mark Greene from ER back when he had hair” or “Wow, is that a very young Tim Robbins?” But even if none of them had made anything else, this would still be a fun movie to watch because the writing and acting are incredible, especially when it comes to the two main characters’ arcs.

I know the dynamic of a buttoned-down, over-organized control freak paired with a spontaneous, go-with-the-flow goofball has been done to death, but no movie does it better than The Sure Thing. The characters of Gib and Alison are so well developed that they feel like real people rather than a tired trope. Even though it’s fairly obvious from the moment Alison enters the story that she and Gib are ultimately going to end up together, their journey toward that predictable conclusion is never dull. Part of that is because of the obstacles they encounter on their journey across the country, but the main reason is because they were perfectly cast. Apparently both John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga were a lot like their respective characters at the time and therefore brought a lot of themselves to their roles. The whole “shotgunning a beer” bit was added because Cusack mentioned that was something he could do, and that became an important way to show the evolution of their characters and relationship. Initially, Rob Reiner didn’t even want to consider Cusack for the part of Gib because he was a minor, but the casting directors talked him into giving the then 16-year-old a chance, and Cusack’s audition convinced the director that he was the perfect Gib. Producer Roger Birnbaum went to court to have John Cusack emancipated and served as his legal guardian during filming. It is a little uncomfortable to know that Cusack was only 17 at the time of filming while his love interests were 20 and 21 – like, I know the age gap is only a few years, but he was technically a minor and they were technically adults, although their characters were all meant to be 18 or 19, so it’s not like the movie is promoting inappropriate relationships. Yes, it definitely would have been better to cast someone who was over 18, but at the same time, John Cusack does such an incredible job playing this character that I totally understand why they went ahead and cast him anyway. He plays Gib with the perfect balance of kind of a jerk but still kind of sweet that keeps the audience rooting for him while still criticizing his bad behavior. And the way he and Zuniga play off each other is endlessly compelling.

One of my favorite scenes, not just in this movie but in any movie, is after Gib and Alison have been kicked out of the car and accidentally left all their cash in a hotel room, and they’re sitting on the side of a deserted road at night hoping to hitch a ride. Alison finds a stick of gum in her purse, unwraps it, and the second she’s about to put it in her mouth, Gib says, “I’m starving.” So Alison dutifully breaks the gum in half and splits it with him. Then he starts listing other complaints until she can’t take it anymore and snaps, “Can’t you try to look on the bright side?” which of course is the sky’s cue to start pouring rain. In their desperate search for shelter, they find a trailer, but there’s a padlock on the door. Gib starts frantically pounding at the lock, and Alison thinks she might have a nail file in her purse, so she starts searching, and suddenly finds something much better. She tells Gib, “I have a credit card!” He’s so focused on getting into the trailer that at first he doesn’t understand the implications of what she said, and his immediate response is, “Credit cards work on a completely different kind of lock!” And Alison says, “I don’t think you understand: I have a credit card!” “You have a credit card?” “I have a credit card.” “You have a credit card.” And then her face falls as she remembers: “Oh. My dad told me specifically that I can only use it in case of an emergency.” And he just looks at her, soaked from the pouring rain, and deadpans, “Well, maybe one will come up.” And it’s just…so good. The comedic timing between the two of them is utter perfection.

And they’re also very good at having serious moments together. Like right after that scene, when they’re in a fancy restaurant because it was the only place they could find that would take a credit card – oh how times have changed – Gib opens up about where his interest in outer space came from. Earlier in the movie, both with Alison and with other girls, he’s tried to use his knowledge of space and astronomy to impress/seduce women – not very effectively – but here he’s being vulnerable and genuine, and Alison’s reactions show that she recognizes and appreciates that. And then when they finally get to LA and separate, they both do such a great job of showing how much they have changed, while still remaining true to who their characters have been from the beginning. Alison starts to realize that her boyfriend Jason, whose idea of a good time is staying home, playing cards, and admiring the special hangers and flannel sheets, is not nearly as fun to be around as Gib. And after making such a deep personal connection with Alison, Gib starts to question whether an emotionless sexual encounter with the Sure Thing is really what he’s looking for. Neither of them say these things in so many words, but they make it abundantly clear how they’re feeling, and it’s very rewarding as an audience member to see the characters we’ve become so invested in reach that point in their journeys. But they’re also very mad at each other, mostly because they’ve fallen for each other against their will, and it isn’t until they somehow get back to the east coast (we never see how that happens, but I guess it’s not important) that they resolve this tension. And the way they reconcile through a paper that Gib has their English professor (played by Viveca Lindfors) read to the class is an amazing way end the movie. So basically, this is a story about two very well-written, perfectly cast characters who go on an extremely satisfying journey that is just as fun to watch the 20th time as the first.

Now, if you’ve listened to other episodes, or even just read the description of this podcast, you might be a little confused right now. “But Jane,” I can imagine you thinking, “Aren’t you aromantic and asexual? Isn’t this movie all about a character pursuing sex, and then coming to the very amatonormative conclusion that he should commit romantically and sexually to the one person he’s had an emotional connection with? Why would a movie like that be in your top 10?” And you know, those are fair questions. They’re the kinds of questions I asked myself a few years ago, when I suspected I might be aroace but wasn’t completely convinced. And an important step on my path to recognizing that that label truly described me was when I realized that I appreciate this movie from a very aroace perspective. For one thing, it always irked me that the movie ends with Gib and Alison kissing. “Why can’t they end up as friends?” my obliviously aromantic teenage self would lament during the years when I was watching this movie the most. But on the other hand, I had always appreciated the message that forming a genuine emotional connection with someone is more fulfilling than casual hookups with people you’ve lied to and manipulated to get them to sleep with you. So I liked the part about “sex isn’t actually the end all be all of human experience” but I disliked that the conclusion was “but finding a romantic partner is” – could there be a more aroace response to this movie?

And as I thought about it even more, I realized that, even though I’m positive that this was not the intention of any of the filmmakers, there is a way to interpret the character of Gib as being on the asexual spectrum. In the first half of the movie, he does appear to be in constant pursuit of sex, at least at first glance, but a lot of his attempts are kind of halfhearted. You get the feeling that he wants to be able to say he’s slept with a lot of people because his friends and society tell him that’s what will make him cool. He seems a lot happier and more comfortable when he’s stopped trying to seduce Alison, and ultimately, even though the Sure Thing is definitely willing to sleep with him, he decides he doesn’t want that anymore, despite having travelled across the country specifically to have sex with her. Obviously, there are a lot of different conclusions that could be drawn from this. I think a big one is that people who are socialized as boys, regardless of whether they’re asexual or not, are often given a very toxic and unhealthy message about what their sex lives should be like, including the idea that women are objects to be tricked into providing momentary pleasure, and that having lots of sex is what makes you a real man. So it’s rather refreshing to see a coming of age story that shows a young man maturing by actively choosing not to have sex with a woman who is given no name, and is only identified by her willingness to put out. And in some ways I don’t want to encourage the headcanon that Gib is asexual because I think it’s important to show that allosexual men are allowed to say “no” when it doesn’t feel right, and that that doesn’t make them less of a man. But I also think the disconnect between how Gib is expected to feel about the Sure Thing and how he actually feels when he meets her is very relatable to asexual people. Society’s messages about how “normal” people feel about sex and sexual attraction are very confusing to people who don’t feel that way. And I guess what this movie is trying to say is that some of those messages don’t apply even to allosexual people. I just wish it didn’t perpetuate the amatonormative message that sex and romance are vital aspects of the most important relationship in everyone’s lives. In the story that Gib writes to reveal to Alison that he didn’t sleep with the Sure Thing, he reveals that she asked, “Do you love me?” and that for the first time in his life, he knew that those were more than just words, and that if he said it, it would be a lie, so he said no and left. And again, part of that feels very amatonormative, but at the same time, the whole idea of being true to yourself and honest with any prospective partners is a good message for people of all romantic and sexual orientations.

I still hope to find a movie about a journey like this in which the leading man and woman explicitly end up as friends (let me know if you’re aware of one), but I can almost be content imagining that soon after the events of this movie, Gib and Alison realize that they don’t actually like kissing each other but remain BFFs. Hey, it could happen! But that was definitely not the intent, and if you like cute 80s teen romance movies, The Sure Thing is definitely one to check out – if you can track it down. Don’t let my weird aromantic headcanon ruin your appreciation for this romance. I’m not saying this movie was made for aroace people by any means; my point is that realizing I was enjoying this movie in a very aroace way helped me come to the conclusion that I am aroace. And it’s also a great movie aside from all that, as one would expect from this director and cast.

Thank you for listening to me discuss another of my most frequently rewatched films. The Sure Thing was the only movie I watched exactly 26 times in the 20 years I was tracking, and I didn’t watch any exactly 27 times, so next week I will be talking about the movie I watched 28 times, which is widely – and extremely incorrectly – regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. So that should be a fun episode. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “Forget ‘herb.’ I never heard of a hit that had the word ‘herb’ in it.”

[homemade-ghosts]

Why do PWs say that the same storyline from Season 1 is being recycled? That EJ has lost two girls to Ricky? Both storylines on the surface can be considered the same, sure but when you dig deeper it’s not the same because both storylines didn’t happen the exact same way to get that end result. It just bothers me that even the Rinis are saying it too. Do you think Tim Federle and the writers recycled the same triangle storyline from Season 1? I personally don’t think so.

You’re right, on the surface, the love triangles are the same. In both situations, the girl Ricky loves is in a relationship with EJ — but that’s kind of the point. The similarities are purposeful and meant to highlight how much Ricky has changed and the difference between his (former) love for Nini and his love for Gina.

My little brain can only retain so much information lol, so I can’t point out every way in which s1/s3 Ricky and the respective love triangles are different from one another without, like, rewatching the entire series — or at least s1 — but I’ll do my best to cover the basics. 

Ricky’s love for Nini was born out of a selfish desire to hold onto some semblance of his past & every choice he made in their relationship was governed by his fear of change. Ricky’s decision to audition for the musical, an event that kickstarts the entire plot of the show, wasn’t just about getting Nini back. Ricky wanted to be with her, sure, but it isn’t until  he learns of  his parents’ marriage being on the rocks that he gets the idea to join theatre. He finds his dad, alone in the kitchen (trying to cook a whole frozen chicken in an InstantPot for some reason? lol) refusing to call his mom and he doesn’t understand it. He doesn’t understand why his dad isn’t on a plane to Chicago right now, why he isn’t doing everything he can to fix his broken marriage, “Shouldn’t he be fighting to save this?” Ricky asks. & it’s only then that he plans to “win” Nini back the way he wishes, so desperately, that his dad would “fight” to win his mom back. If he & Nini could work it out, then there was hope for his parents relationship, too. If he & Nini could work it out, then everything could go back to the way it was. Nothing — not the girl, not his family dynamic, not him, not his life — would have to change. 

So, despite the fact that, to the best of his knowledge, Nini is perfectly happy in her new relationship with EJ, Ricky forces his way back into Nini’s life. He joins theatre, giving no credence to the fact that it makes Nini uncomfortable, that she doesn’t want him there — because, truthfully, what Nini wanted was irrelevant to Ricky. What really mattered was what Nini could give him. His home life was becoming increasingly unstable and Nini, as his oldest friend and the only girlfriend he’s ever had, offered him respite from that. She was the kind of safety, familiarity and sameness that Ricky craved. 

Even when Ricky starts devoting more time to his role as Troy, practicing dance steps late into the night, it’s not because Nini’s the lead and he wants the show to be great for her, it’s because he wants to impress her, to prove himself. He’ll “show [Nini] [he’s] not a quitter at this, so she realizes [he’s] not a quitter at [them].” He’ll put in the effort, not for Nini, but rather if it means he’ll get Nini back.

Contrast that with s3 and the differences are pretty glaring. s1 Ricky shows up at auditions with the express purpose of getting Nini back, of keeping his life from changing any more than it already has — whereas s3 Ricky shows at camp without any ulterior motive, craving the very change he once fought so hard against. As he drives to Shallow Lake, he sings “give me empty pages, give me something new. […] I’m never going back to who I’ve been, I'm never going back to way back when. I’m taking my time, won't be defined by who I was back then. I’m never going back again, again, again.” The boy who once feared change is now actively seeking it out.

Where s1 Ricky effectively forced his way into Nini’s life by joining theatre, despite her making it very clear she didn’t want him there, s3 Ricky does the exact opposite. He respects Gina’s boundaries, he waits for her to ask if they can start over. He doesn’t force his way back into her life, but rather waits to be invited in. He lets her guide the conversation so that she’s comfortable. He even apologizes to her for being  too “intense” during wdykal (despite the fact that she was the one being “intense,” for obvious reasons) because he was so afraid that he’d made her uncomfortable when he surprise spin-dipped her and that’s why she left rehearsal early.

& although he is ultimately not the reason Nini & EJ breakup, Ricky does make a (very) conscious effort to get between them early in s1 — s3 Ricky however, literally helps Gina plan a surprise promposal for EJ. He’s given multiple opportunities to put a wedge between Gina & EJ, something s1 Ricky would’ve relished, but he doesn’t. He leaves movie night when he suspects EJ is hiding something from Gina because he knows that, if he stays, he’ll want to bring it up to Gina and that’s not his place (I know plenty of people think that Ricky actually left because he’d technically lied to her about not getting Gina those chocolates on Valentine’s Day, so when she he overheard her saying she does “not do well with liars” that immediately came to mind — especially after Tim posted the original script with Ricky’s confession — but Ricky looks at EJ right before he leaves, not Gina, so I still maintain that he left because he knew EJ was hiding something). When EJ goes to Ricky for advice, Ricky could’ve easily told EJ what Gina had told him in confidence, upsetting both of them and causing a fight, but he doesn’t. He stays out of it.

Where s1 Ricky dedicated himself to theatre simply because he thought it would help him get Nini back, s3 Ricky rehearses his lines & commits to Frozen because he understands how much finally getting the lead means to Gina and he doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. Where s1 Ricky left the show on Opening Night because he didn’t think he didn’t think he was good enough for the role and was afraid he’d ruin Nini’s “big moment” (and lets be honest, because leaving was the easier thing to do) s3 Ricky knows that the actual best thing he can do is show up for the girl he loves. He wants to work to be the leading man he knows that she deserves.

In s1 & s2, communication was a huge issue for Ricky & Nini. He couldn’t say I love you and Nini was completely unwilling to understand why — whereas, in s3, Ricky is much more emotionally available and he literally tells Gina that it’s hard for him not to say how he feels. When he tries to tell her after Prom (believing that he has to before the doc trailer comes out — potentially because he knows what it feels like to have someone confess their feelings for you in a very public forum *cough* Nini singing “I Think I Kinda Ya Know” and then posting it for all of Instagram to see, as a way of telling Ricky that she loves him *cough* & he doesn’t want Gina to have to feel that kind of discomfort/shock) Gina knows exactly why he doesn’t say it. She knows that he’s doing it for her, so that she doesn’t have to carry the burden of his feelings while dealing with her own, post-EJ breakup. 

& then there’s Ricky’s desire for stability being in direct opposite to Nini’s desire for something new, something different. She wanted to leave East High, to experience life outside of SLC, while Ricky & Gina just wanted to find a home right where they were. Ricky & Gina, in spite of their time apart in s2, were always walking in the same direction, craving the same things.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: Ricky’s love for Nini was selfish and regressive, it held Nini back from pursing her passions and turned Ricky into someone he, by his own admission, didn’t want to be. Their relationship was built entirely on history — no present and certainly not future. Ricky’s love for Gina, however, is one that’s selfless and pushes him to be more confident, better, as he forges ahead into the future and embraces change. 

As for the whole “EJ’s lost two girls to Ricky” element of your ask, that is — excuse my French — complete bullshit. Both breakups were EJ’s own doing. Nini didn’t end things with EJ because she still had feelings for Ricky (even though she did) she ended things because he violated her privacy by stealing and going through her phone and because he literally poisoned a girl so that she could be the lead in their summer camp’s production of The Music Man — which is not only an awful thing to do, but also made Nini feel like EJ didn’t believe in her, that he didn’t think she could get the lead on her own merit, without his helping hand. She couldn’t trust him, point blank. That’s why she broke up with him, it had nothing to do with Ricky. & Gina didn’t breakup with EJ because of or for Ricky either, but rather because EJ treated her like a chore all summer. He didn’t make time for her, he made her feel unseen and unheard, he kept things from her. & that’s without addressing the fact that Gina & EJ were at two completely different places in their lives, with her experiencing some aspects of childhood for the first time while EJ’s entering adulthood. 

If EJ took some accountability for his actions and stopped reflexively blaming Ricky for his own faults, then maybe he would’ve realized that.

If you want an answer as to why PWs (& rinis — though, like I’ve said before, the Venn diagram of people that are rinis and people that are pws is a circle) say that the s3 love triangle is just a repeat of s1, that’s two-fold. Mainly, I think, it’s because they have no media literacy and are incapable of understanding a story that is not spoon-fed to them. They never look beyond the surface, so they see Ricky & EJ in a love triangle with a girl and automatically think, “same two guys, same love triangle.” without any nuance. Adding onto that, I think, is the fact that they’re bitter that Gina is now The Main Girl and not Nini, so they want to belittle Gina by claiming that, whatever Gina has done, Nini did it first. It gives them some misguided sense of power. It makes them feel better about the fact that their fave is not only not The Main Girl™ anymore, but she isn’t even A Girl™, because she’s no longer on the show.

Sorry, I feel like this response is all over the place & I didn’t quite say everything I wanted to say the way I wanted to say it — but if we waited for me to come up with the exact right words, we’d both be waiting a very long time lol

[lord-of-the-weird]

babe i love listening to you talk about things you’re passionate about so can you please infodump @ me <333 i am making grabby hands at your interests !!!!

i have finally found a worthy obsession mahwahaha (five months later)

prepare to meet the ✨batfam✨

batfam. Bruce Wayne/Batman’s kids (biologically, legally or emotionally)

*most of this is fanon aka ive never read the comics so if i get anything wrong politely let me live in my delusions :)

first up is one flipping boi!!!!

Richard “Dick” Grayson/Robin/Nightwing/Batman

my best boy was an acrobat with his family’s circus The Flying Graysons before his parents were murdered in front of him. then he uh-well he wanted revenge <3

queue Gotham’s very own “i work alone” Batman finding and adopting him! since he couldn’t stop the little dickhead from going feral he decided to train him in a non-lethal brand of justice!

if you will please imagine the big scary mono chromatic Batman randomly showing up with a flippy, quippy 8 year old in a primary red shirt, bright yellow cape and green trapeze shorts <3 the very first Robin! (the nickname his mom gave him🥺)

i don’t know about you but I’d be more afraid of the slightly murderous child :)

as Dick got a older he took on the new mantle of Nightwing and starting vigilante-ing in the neighboring city of blüdhaven where he is also a detective (the name Nightwing has something to do with Superman’s home plant of Krypton)

he also briefly donned the infamous bat costume when Bruce Wayne died (but he’s good now👍)

now Jason!!!!!! (Todd) Robin/Red Hood

young Jason gained The Big Bad Bat’s attention when he stole 3 of the tires off the batmobile (he was going back for the forth🤫) he was quickly adopted and the train as the second Robin <3

Jason unfortunately died when he was 15 😔

but he came back but much like Pet Sematary he came back wrong :/

happy smiley Jason is now angry crime lord Red Hood *sign*

he eventually came around to being only-slightly-murderous vigilante Red Hood but it took a while

yay i get to talk about Tim Drake now!!!!! Robin/Red Robin

after Jason’s death (and Dick’s estrangement) Bruce was in a very very dark place but never fear Tim Drake is here! he single-handedly pulled Bruce out of his depression and convinced him that he needed another Robin :)

now a couple things you must know about Timothy is that

1. he’s an ultra mega super stalker (it’s how he figured out Batman, Nightwing and Jason!Robins secret identities)

2. he’s a caffeine addict

(not necessarily in the order)

+ hes a bit sleep deprived

he later became Red Robin in his late teens <3

(also since he had a parasocial relationship with the Wayne’s he grieved Jason while the rest of Gotham thought he just quit so something🥺) 

i’m not actually sure where on the list to put Duke Thomas/Signal because most fic writers only mention him in passing😫 either way he’s very sweet and the only daytime crime fighter plus he has powers!!!!

unfortunately not many fic writers the girls💔 but there is a forth Robin! Stephanie Brown she was fired from that role after a few month and is now Spoiler!

there’s also Cassandra Cain/Batgirl/Orphan/Black Bat who was trained by her father to be an assassin before she ran away <3 all of the batkids learned sign language for her🥺

and Barbara Gordon who was the original Batgirl before an accident that left she in a wheel chair now she goes by Oracle!!!!!! i love her so much <3

NOW FOR MY FAVORITE ROBIN!!!!!!

Damian al Ghul Wayne !!!!!!!

often called demon brat hes the son of Batman and the head of an assassin cult !!! he’s my favorite angry lil stabby boy🥺 he’s mixed martial artistwith a very formal way of speaking, a gymnast, an artist plus an animal loving vegan!!!!♥️♥️♥️♥️

he first became the fifth Robin after Bruce died and while Dick was Batman! he may we tolerate most of his siblings he has a soft spot for his eldest brother🥺

there’s also the baby Terry McGinnis. that all i know about him

in summary Bruce adopts dark-haired traumatized kids instead of going to therapy :)

@rosyfingereddawnn have i mentioned lately that i love you very much?🥺

[recentlyheardcom]

This story originally aired on Dec. 3, 2022. It was updated on Sept. 30, 2023.On Sept. 4, 1981, Jeff Slaten, 15 and his brother Tim, 12, were awakened by Lakeland, Florida, police and told their mother, Linda Slaten, had been murdered. Investigators collected a rape kit and lifted a palm print from the windowsill where the killer had entered. They questioned a slew of suspects, but no one was charged, and the case went cold.Prior to and after Linda Slaten's murder, Tim's football coach, Joe Mills, would regularly drive Tim to and from football practice. Coach Joe became a role model for the young boy, who proudly hung up his football team photo in his room where Mills stood right behind him.Linda's sons spent decades living in fear of the man they called "the Monster." Nearly 40 years later, advances in DNA technology revealed Linda Slaten's likely killer: Coach Joe."I looked up to this guy," Tim tells "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod. "And I had a picture in my house ever since then, and never knew it was him.""He's a cold-hearted monster, that's for sure," says Jeff.SEPT. 4, 1981Jim Axelrod: On the morning of September 4, 1981 … you're going to walk three doors down —Judy Butler: Mm-hmm.Jim Axelrod: — and have a cup of coffee with your sister.Judy Butler: Right.When Judy Butler knocked on her older sister's front door, Linda Slaten never answered. At the time, the sisters both lived in a Lakeland apartment complex.  Jim Axelrod: So, you started to walk back to your place, and what happened?Judy Butler: And I turn, and I see that the screen is out of the window.Linda's bedroom window was wide open.  Judy walked over and looked inside.Judy Butler: And my vision comes across her.Jim Axelrod: Where was she?Judy Butler: She was laying … instead of up and down on the bed, she was laying crossways. … And at first, I thought maybe she was asleep. … And then, then, I just started screaming.When police arrived, they found the partially nude body of Linda Slaten, 31, with a wire coat hanger wrapped around her neck.  The killer had entered her bedroom through the open window.The crackle of police radios inside the small two-bedroom apartment woke up Linda's 15-year-old son, Jeff, who was sleeping on a cot in the living room.Jeff Slaten: I asked, "What is goin' on?" He said, "Police officers. … Put on some clothes and go outside." And he made sure I went out the front door."Jeff Slaten: And when I went out there, it looked like every cop in the state of Florida … news crews, and my Aunt Judy was out there crying, and she told me my mom been murdered (cries).  And I just couldn't believe it.In the apartment's second bedroom, another officer woke up Linda's younger son, Tim, then 12 years old.Tim Slaten: He goes, "You need to wake up and go outside with your brother." He never mentioned my mom.  I'm like, "why's he not saying my mom?  And why's a cop waking me up?"Still in his pajamas, Tim walked past his mother's closed bedroom door.  Suddenly, it swung open, as an officer left the room.Tim Slaten: And I saw the whole crime scene. … I mean, I saw my mom's bloody body with a coat hanger around her neck (cries).Jim Axelrod: You can't unsee that.Tim Slaten (very emotional): No. … And I still see it.1974 | SEVEN YEARS BEFORE THE MURDERIn 1974, Linda Slaten was a 24-year-old single mom — finally free.  She had just divorced Jeff and Tim's abusive father, Frank Slaten, after nine volatile years of marriage.Jeff Slaten: He was a violent alcoholic to be honest with you.Tim Slaten: Yes.Jim Axelrod: Did he hit your mom?Jeff Slaten: Oh, yeah.Tim Slaten: Yes.In the years that followed, nothing was easy for the young family.  Linda struggled for work, made her own clothes to save money, and couldn't afford a car.Jim Axelrod: If you couldn't get a ride to practice, who would take you?Tim Slaten: Coach come pick us up.That's "Coach Joe," as the kids called him.  He often drove Tim and some other boys to and from football practice.SEPTEMBER 3, 1981 | LINDA SLATEN'S FINAL HOURSOn the last full day of her life, Linda and Jeff argued.

  Tensions had been rising with her teenage son.Jeff Slaten: I remember coming home, there was nothing to eat in the house. … You know how it is when you're a 15, 16-year-old kid, you're mouthy and …Jeff Slaten: I got mad, and I went out the door and got on my bicycle and road 11 or 12 miles to the northside of town … to go to my grandma and grandpa's house to get somethin' to eat.At 8:30 that night, Tim came home from football practice.Tim Slaten: The coach brought me home.Around 9 p.m., Linda took Tim to a party next door to play cards.Jeff Slaten: Grandma and grandpa brought me home by, I think it was around 9 — 9 or 9:30 or so.Linda and Tim came home about 11.  By midnight, Jeff made up with his mom, he says, and still remembers their final moment together.Jeff Slaten: She's washin' the dishes and stuff. When she went to go to her bedroom and … I said, "I love you, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow," you know.Jim Axelrod: What do you remember about the Slaten case?Sgt. Edgar Pickett: I could remember everything about it.  Goin' to that window and lookin' at it, where he went through it. … Then I went in there and the children was asleep.  And I saw that coat hanger around her neck. Former Sergeant Edgar Pickett, now 94 years old, was a legendary fingerprint expert with the Lakeland Police Department.  He led the crime scene unit.  In fact, the crime lab bears his name.  But that sort of recognition was a long time coming.Arriving at the Slaten crime scene in 1981, Pickett, then 53, was just a year away from retirement.  But his hard-earned reputation had never spared him from prejudice.Jim Axelrod: So, you pull up at the scene, and another detective says what to you?Sgt. Edgar Pickett: That "A Black man don't have any business lookin' at a naked white woman."Jim Axelrod: Even though she was a homicide victim?Sgt. Edgar Pickett: That's correct.Sergeant Pickett believed Linda Slaten had been strangled with a coat hanger from her own closet.  He dusted most of the bedroom for fingerprints, even the floor.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: And then I got that print off of that windowsill. … It was a palm print … it wasn't a fingerprint.Jim Axelrod: You got the most important print there is.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: I know it.The evidence Pickett uncovered would play a crucial role decades later — especially the palm print.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: I had really had never seen anybody in the shape that that lady was in.  And I've seen a lotta people killed.An autopsy later confirmed what he already knew: Linda Slaten had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.  Swabs taken and preserved in a rape kit revealed semen.  That morning, Pickett says, his thoughts kept returning to Linda Slaten's boys.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: I had children too. And I really wanted to clear that case.  I did.Jim Axelrod: You guys are standing on the spot where your life changed.Tim Slaten: Yes, right here.Jeff Slaten: Yeah, when I stopped being a kid was right there (pointing).Jim Axelrod: You were 15.Jeff Slaten: 15.Jim Axelrod: You really felt like this was the end of your childhood, right here?Jeff Slaten: Yes, sir. I think this is exactly when it ended, when my Aunt Judy told me my mom had been murdered.Emerging through the terror and tears that September morning 41 years ago, the questions kept coming.  Why?  Who?  Who could have done such an evil thing?SEPTEMBER 4, 1981 | HOURS AFTER THE MURDEROn that late-summer morning in 1981, Jeff and Tim Slaten faced a frightening world they no longer recognized, a world without their mother.Jim Axelrod: How do 12 and 15-year-old boys process that, deal with that?Tim Slaten: It was hard.Jeff Slaten: Yeah. I thought about committin' suicide a couple times (cries). It was that bad.The brothers moved in with their grandparents, Clarence and Margaret Harris.Tim Slaten: We just, we stayed in the house. We didn't go anywhere.Jeff Slaten: Scared to death.Tim Slaten: Scared to death to do anything.For those first terrifying days, the family slept in the same room — except Grandpa Harris.

Tim Slaten: He would stand guard with a gun all night while we slept.The grandparents hoped a quick return to familiar routines would help their distraught grandsons.  A few weeks after their mom's funeral, the boys were back in school.Tim Slaten: And just you know, being with friends and just — just started livin' life again, I guess. … You know, goin' back to football.His teammates, and Coach Joe in particular, were always supportive, always rooting for him, says Tim.Tim Slaten: And I looked up to this guy. He was my assistant football coach. … Give me rides to the games, rides to practice.Tim's team football photo hung in his bedroom.  It was taken just one month after the murder.  The picture was a reminder, he says, of something his mom had taught him:  to keep moving forward and never give up.Jim Axelrod: She was a fighter?Tim Slaten: Yes. Oh, yes.Jeff Slaten: She mighta only weighed 100 pounds soakin' wet, but she was pretty tough.Judy Butler: Everybody liked her that met her. Everybody was asking her for a date. … Cause she was so young and pretty.And then Linda met and married Frank Slaten.Judy Butler: He was a mean, no-count scoundrel.The brothers say it's hard to know when their dad began to beat their mom.  The more he drank, the more violent he became.Jeff Slaten: Yeah, I remember one time I was in the bathroom. He had her by the throat with a gun to her head and I was comin' there tryin' to get him off of her. … And I felt like I had saved her that, you know, that night. That day.Jim Axelrod: But you were just a little guy yourself.Jeff Slaten: Yeah, I was only … 6-and-a-half, 7 years old.Frank Slaten's history of abuse made him a person of interest for Lakeland detectives.  But investigators seemed satisfied that Slaten was home in Alabama on the night of the murder.  At the time of her death, Linda had a boyfriend. He, too, had a credible alibi.  Others were looked at — like the partygoers next door — but no one was charged.Jeff Slaten: The Lakeland Police Department … they used to come down to take me out of school and they was always interrogating me all the time.Jim Axelrod: In the early days, it sounds like who the police really were most thorough in checking out —Jeff Slaten (Jeff raises his hand): Was me.As a 15-year-old, Jeff had plenty of typical teen conflicts with his mom, which he readily admitted to detectives — including that heated argument on the last day of her life.Jeff Slaten: I know they had me, put me on a lie detector test one time. … And I passed it. Then they wanted to do it again. … They was wantin' to put me under hypnosis.Jeff Slaten: And then there's one time, one of the cops … he's, like … "You got big arms on you. And you're strong enough to put your hands around your mom's neck and kill her."Jeff Slaten: Wha…who would do that to a kid?  I was a 15-year-old kid hurting, and say that to me? I mean, that's— that's always hurt.Finally, Jeff's grandparents said, "Enough."Jeff Slaten: They's, like, "Get out there and find who killed my daughter. Leave this kid and leave this family alone."Two weeks later, according to the Lakeland Police report, Jeff took a second polygraph test and was cleared.  At that point, the investigation slowed, then ground to a halt.As the years passed, Jeff and Tim started their own families.  But to this day, there is still grief and guilt for not hearing anything that night — for not coming to their mom's rescue.Jeff Slaten: I (would have) died that night tryin' to save my mom. … I mean, we're right there in the house. How could you not hear somethin' like that?And they lived in fear of the man they called, "The Monster."  Unless he was dead, he was out there … somewhere.Around the 20th anniversary of their mom's murder, Jeff and Tim met with Lakeland Detective Brad Grice, who was taking a fresh look at the case.Det. Brad Grice: Soon as Jeff and Tim walked in the door, I realized I had known Jeff for years, since I was in my twenties … through bowling.Jeff Slaten: I was, like, "Brad.

" (laughs). … Sure enough, I knew him from bowlin' years ago.Grice took DNA samples from the brothers to clear them again, then gave Jeff something in return — a promise.Det. Brad Grice: He made me promise that I wouldn't retire until I solved his mother's case. And I wanted to so bad for him and his brother. I did.Grice had already sent DNA from the Slaten rape kit to the state's major crime lab at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement — the FDLE.Jim Axelrod: Do you have any confidence that you could solve it?Det. Brad Grice: I was hopin' DNA would, you know?  It was becomin' a big tool.By March 1999, the FDLE had developed a full DNA profile of Linda Slaten's anonymous killer.Jim Axelrod: All you need is a DNA match.Det. Brad Grice: A hit. … That's all I needed was a hit in the database.Detective Grice took dozens of DNA samples from prior persons of interest, submitting them to the FDLE for comparison.Det. Brad Grice: We were tryin' everything.Even the brothers' father, Frank Slaten — who had stopped drinking — volunteered a sample.  None matched.Then in September 2001, Grice got a tip.  Nearly a year after the Slaten killing, a 24-year-old man named Jimmy Ulmer pulled a 10-year-old girl through her bedroom window and nearly killed her. Det. Brad Grice: He was convicted of that and sentenced to, like, 80 years in prison.The savage assault seemed eerily similar to the Slaten case.  And Detective Grice discovered that, around the time of Linda's Slaten's murder, Jimmy Ulmer had been staying with a friend who happened to live in the very same apartment complex as Slaten.Jim Axelrod: Hang on. Jimmy Ulmer … was staying in an apartment right across the way from the Slatens?Det. Brad Grice: Yes.Jim Axelrod: You must've felt like that's our guy.Det. Brad Grice: I felt very strong. I did.Ulmer had died in prison five years earlier in 1996.  But Grice got a DNA sample from his mother.Det. Brad Grice: I honestly felt that when we got the results back that we would know who did it.  Then we get the notice that it wasn't him.Jim Axelrod: At that point, you must've been, like, "We're never gonna solve this thing."Det. Brad Grice: It sure felt that way. It was very discouraging.Jeff Slaten: You know it's like, "Oh my God, we're back to square one again."Tim Slaten: It felt like you was on a rollercoaster for pretty much your whole life.By 2005, 24 years after the murder, Detective Grice was heading up a new cold case unit.  And the FBI was running the DNA profile of Slaten's killer continuously through all federal databanks.  But the years continued to pass without a match.Det. Brad Grice: Jeff would call. And "Jeff, I — I got nothin' for ya," you know? … It hurt my heart too, you know?Grice had a growing suspicion he was chasing a ghost.Det. Brad Grice: I honestly thought the suspect might be deceased.He had made that promise to the brothers that he wouldn't retire until their monster was caught.Det. Brad Grice: I had some medical things that were poppin' up.It was a promise he couldn't keep.  Detective Grice retired in 2015. Jim Axelrod: There was probably nothing in your professional life you wanted more than to call Jeff Slaten and say, "Got him."Det. Brad Grice: Absolutely.Jeff Slaten: After Detective Brad Grice retired, I'm like, I said, "Well, I'll probably take my last breath and not know who murdered my mom."  I was already starting to come to terms with it.But three years later, there was renewed hope.  A groundbreaking DNA technology began to electrify the law enforcement community.  And Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore was taking on the Slaten case.CeCe Moore: I was determined I was going to help these boys find out who killed their mom.JUNE 2019 | 38 YEARS AFTER THE MURDERCeCe Moore is a renowned expert in the field of investigative genetic genealogy.CeCe Moore: If you have that DNA there is no reason you cannot solve that mystery, whatever that mystery is.Moore launched her hunt for Linda Slaten's killer by uploading the anonymous DNA from Slaten's rape kit to a public genealogy website called GEDMatch.

  She then meticulously constructed — branch by branch — his genetic family tree.CeCe Moore: I built the family trees of those people who shared DNA with him.  And then I identify common ancestors between those people.She made those connections by poring over birth certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries and social media to fill in the family tree with names.Jim Axelrod: It sounds like basically you're putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle.CeCe Moore: Yes. My work is constantly putting together puzzles. Piece by piece by piece.CeCe Moore (referring to section of family tree): These matches all share DNA with each other. So, they're my first genetic network.CeCe Moore uncovered three genetic networks — branches of the killer's family tree that ultimately narrowed to the one person most likely responsible for the murder of Linda Slaten.CeCe Moore: Fortunately, those three genetic networks converged into one family tree that pointed at one immediate family. And he was the only son in that family. And we knew the killer was a male. So, it had to be him that was the DNA contributor.After hundreds of leads and dead ends, after dozens of suspects were investigated and cleared, CeCe Moore identified the probable killer in one weekend.CeCe Moore: There was just one person who was high confidence.Jim Axelrod: And who was that?CeCe Moore: Joseph Clinton Mills.Joseph Clinton Mills — Coach Joe — who drove Linda Slaten's 12-year-old son, Tim, to and from practice.  But authorities wanted to be certain before they notified the brothers.CeCe Moore: And then there is sort of exhilaration because he's alive. … And so there's a real chance for justice and maybe even answers.CeCe Moore's final 2019 report confirmed that Joseph Mills, then 58, was living in Kathleen, Florida, about half an hour from the crime scene.Det. Tammy Hathcock: I reviewed the case, and … I'm like, "I remember that name." … I remember seeing that name. That — that guy was interviewed."Detectives Tammy Hathcock and Russell Hurley were the next generation of Lakeland investigators leading the Slaten cold case.Det. Tammy Hathcock: I'm telling you, it's like I won the lottery.  I remember grabbing that piece of paper from the report and just running down the hallway to my sergeant saying, "Oh, my God he was interviewed! He was interviewed!"According to the case file, investigators did question Joseph Mills, then 20 years old, just one day after the murder.Det. Tammy Hathcock: He was very basically touched.  I mean like just a very brief interview.And it was conducted on the phone, not in person.The fact that investigators never questioned Mills face to face suggests he was never considered a suspect. During the brief call, Mills acknowledged he had driven Tim Slaten home from football practice on September 3.  Just hours later, Linda Slaten was dead.Jim Axelrod: How was Joseph Mills not followed up on more aggressively in 1981?Det. Tammy Hathcock: At that point, I mean he was just a football coach that had dropped off Timmy. … He was never on their radar to … be a suspect just based off of the information that they were given by Timmy and by Mr. Mills.Joseph Mills was convicted in 1984 of grand theft for forging a will.  He never went to jail, but he was fingerprinted.  Lakeland police also took a palm print.  In August 2019, investigators compared those prints to the palm print Sergeant Pickett lifted off Slaten's windowsill nearly 38 years before.Jim Axelrod: When the prints came back, there was a match?Det. Russell Hurley: Yes.High-tech genetic genealogy had identified Mills as the likely killer, and an old-fashioned palm print match helped confirm his identity.  But Hathcock and Hurley still needed to compare a fresh DNA sample from Mills to the decades-old DNA recovered from the crime scene.Det. Russell Hurley: 'Cause we had to get his DNA without his knowledge and see if we can get a match. …We had to do some surveillance.Det. Tammy Hathcock: It was several weekends that we were following him around …Det.

Tammy Hathcock: … trying to get discarded DNA.Jim Axelrod: Just looking for a cup that he drank from or a tissue that he used.Det. Tammy Hathcock: Anything.After tracking Mills with no luck, the detectives decided it was time to get their hands dirty.  They covertly took Mills' trash back to the police departmentDet. Tammy Hathcock: Here we are in dress clothes just digging through trash bags. … Not the most glamorous thing.They discovered a piece of used medical adhesive tape and sent it off to the FDLE crime lab for testing.  After searching Mills' trash, they dug through his life.Det. Tammy Hathcock: He's been married to the same woman. And he lived in the same place.Det. Russell Hurley: He was a business owner … a cleaning service.Det. Tammy Hathcock: …he was a truck driver over the years.Det. Tammy Hathcock: He had a family.Jim Axelrod: Married, kidsDet. Tammy Hathcock: Married, kids, grandkids.  Eleven days later, the stunning lab results: Joseph Mills' 2019 DNA found on the medical tape and the 1981 unknown DNA from Linda Slaten's rape kit were a spot-on match.  That's when the brothers were told the monster had been found.Jim Axelrod: This guy you last knew as Coach Joe, oh my goodness, it was him.Tim Slaten: And I had a picture in my house ever since then, and never knew it was him.Tim's 1981 team football photo, a source of pride for years, sickens him today. Because standing directly behind him is the man he once trusted and admired. Coach Joe.Tim Slaten: I've been carrying the killer's picture in my house this whole time and never had a clue.Even after the murder, Joseph Mills continued driving Tim to and from football practice — picking him up and dropping him off at his grandparents' house.Tim Slaten: He'd ask us how the case was goin'. … He wouldn't ask questions about it. He just, "Well, any new news or any new leads?"  And I was, like, "No, nothing." You know.Jim Axelrod: He's talkin' to a 12-year-old boy and tryin' to keep tabs on a murder investigation through the son of the murdered woman?Jeff Slaten: Yeah.Tim Slaten: Yes.Jim Axelrod: When he knows exactly who did it.Jeff Slaten: He's a cold-hearted monster, that's for sure.On Dec 12, 2019, the detectives moved in, arresting Joseph Mills.DET. TAMMY HATHCOCK (sitting next to Mills in backseat of police car): You have the right to remain silent.  Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law …Det. Russell Hurley: He was calm, cool, and collected like it was another day on the beach. … Most people's reaction would be, "Why am I bein' arrested?"Jim Axelrod: "Why are you takin' me in?"  You expected some of that?Det. Tammy Hathcock: Right, some kind of emotion, and nothing.DECEMBER 2019 | 38 YEARS AFTER THE MURDERDET. RUSSELL HURLEY (police interview): It's been 38 years, and I'm sure you go to bed every night thinking about this. I have no doubt in my mind.Detectives Hathcock and Hurley finally had Joseph Mills right where they wanted him — in the claustrophobic confines of a police interview room.JOSEPH MILLS (police interview): When I picked the boys up, we — we — we stayed in the vehicle.  And I don't recall going to, in or out of the house, period.Det. Tammy Hathcock: There's no way that is the truth. I mean, he's saying he's never been in there. … We got him.DET. TAMMY HATHCOCK (police interview): What we have tells us a different story.  OK. You were in that apartment.Ratcheting up the pressure, the detectives told Mills they had overwhelming evidence placing him inside Linda Slaten's bedroom.DET. TAMMY HATHCOCK (police interview): Your fingerprints matches you, the DNA matches you.That's when Mills' story began to change.DET. RUSSELL HURLEY: And then how did you end up crawling through her window?JOSEPH MILLS: It was like an invitation.An invitation from Linda Slaten, Mills claimed, for consensual sex — a flat-out lie, say the detectives.Det. Russell Hurley: He said it was a sex game, that she had the hanger around her neck when he came through the window and she asked him to tighten it down.

DET. RUSSELL HURLEY: And then did you … start applying pressure?JOSEPH MILLS: Yes.Det. Russell Hurley: And when I pointed out well the brutality of the hanger and how deep it was into her skin he stuck with the "It was a game."DET. RUSSELL HURLEY (to Mills): You purposely killed her. We're all sittin' here, we know that.Jim Axelrod: At the end of the day what happened here?Det. Russell Hurley: I think it's pretty evident that he targeted her.After dropping off Tim from football practice on Sept. 3, 1981, Joseph Mills returned later that night, the detectives say, breaking in through Linda Slaten's bedroom window.  No one heard Mills, they believe, because no one was home.  Jeff was still at his grandparents' house; Linda and Tim were at the party next door.Det. Russell Hurley: If you look at the crime scene and all that — the hanger obviously came from the closet. … We figured that's what happened … is he was hiding in the closet.DET. RUSSELL HURLEY: Were you ever in the closet?JOSEPH MILLS (long pause): No sir.In the final moments of her life, the detectives believe that Linda, after saying goodnight to her sons, walked into her bedroom and closed the door — never knowing that Mills was already inside waiting for her.  There was no invitation, no consensual sex, they say.  Joseph Mills raped and murdered Linda Slaten.Detective Brad Grice always suspected the killer's name was buried somewhere in the thick police case file.Jim Axelrod: Why do you feel that the investigation didn't circle back to Joseph Mills?Det. Brad Grice: Well, obviously, I put a lotta that on me now.Jim Axelrod: You do?Det. Brad Grice: I do.    Grice blames himself for not taking a harder look at Joseph Mills — a sentiment not shared by the Slaten brothers.  They feel nothing but gratitude to the detective and friend who spent 17 years chasing the elusive killer.Jeff Slaten: I could tell how — how hard he wanted to solve it.Jeff Slaten: And I actually named my son after him. My son's named Brad, too.Det. Brad Grice: Jeff put a little pressure on me over the years, you know, he did.  You can't retire until you solve this case, and then he named his son after me.Det. Brad Grice: And honestly, I just wanted to solve this case for them more than anything.So did this former investigator — 94-year-old Edgar Pickett.  The brothers had always wanted to meet him.Jeff Slaten: So, I wanna thank you for all you did for our mama back then. … If you hadn't of done it, this monster would still be running free today.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: Sure would, huh?It is poignant praise for Sergeant Pickett, who lifted the palm print that helped identify the monster, Joseph Mills.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: That's the case I can never forget.Sgt. Edgar Pickett (pointing to his head): It's up here, I can't get rid of it.During his distinguished and trailblazing 29-year career, Sergeant Pickett had seen it all.  And yet, it's the Linda Slaten case that haunts him to this day. He never knew police had questioned a man named Joseph Mills just one day after the killing.Jim Axelrod: You didn't know for 38 years that he was talked to immediately afterward?Sgt. Edgar Pickett: No, I didn't.Instead, Pickett says he was asked to compare prints of a number of black men who were questioned in the days after the murder following neighbors' reports of suspicious activity.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: They kept pickin' up a lotta Blacks.  And they was given me their prints for me to look at theirs.It not just haunts, but angers Pickett: Black men were rounded up and fingerprinted, while the White football coach — driving Linda's son to and from practice — was never considered a suspect.Sgt. Edgar Pickett: They just talked to him and let him go.Jim Axelrod: You're telling me this case … could've been solved in the first days after the murder…if they had just taken a print from Joseph Mills?Sgt. Edgar Pickett: That's correct.Jim Axelrod: There's a lot of people who came before you. I get it. … But you got a palm print in the windowsill almost immediately.

… Wouldn't you just get some prints from the guy, anybody who had been near the house in the 24 hours prior to the murder?Det. Russell Hurley: There was no indication that he had been in the house. I mean, all the witnesses said that he dropped the kid off from practice and never got out of the truck, so … The only reason why he was spoke to was because, when they backtrack on the previous 24 hours, he was in that equationJim Axelrod: You don't feel like he slipped through the net?Det. Tammy Hathcock: No.Det. Russell Hurley: No. Joseph Mills' day of reckoning would finally come 40 years later.Jeff Slaten: He's got cold, black, murderin' eyes, this Joseph Clinton Mills.  He just sit there. … Not a word…FEBRUARY 9, 2022 | 41 YEARS AFTER THE MURDERTim Slaten: Our mom was a good person. He took that away from us.To avoid a trial and a possible death sentence, Joseph Mills pleaded guilty to all charges — including first-degree murder, sexual battery and burglary.  At his sentencing, what Linda Slaten's family wanted most was the answer to one question.JEFF SLATEN (yelling at Mills in court): Why?  I just want to know why, Joe?  Why'd you take my mama from me?  I loved my mama.  We was happy.Tim Slaten: My blood would start boilin' every time I look at him.The brothers, and Aunt Judy, tried to look him in the eye.Judy Butler: To see if there was any human being in there, to see if he was alive, to see if he had a soul. Never saw it.His silence infuriated the family.  And a few minutes later, so did his comments to the court.JOSEPH MILLS (in court): I am a good person.  I'm not that person that they're painting me out to be ...CeCe Moore: I think this case made me the angriest out of the hundreds of cases I've been involved in because what he did with her children there. … And then the things he said about her.Jim Axelrod: That she lured him in.CeCe Moore: Even all these years later he was willing to try to make her look bad, to denigrate the victim, and her boys have to hear that. It's just sickening.JUDGE: I will sentence you to life in prison without the possibility of parole …And just like that, Joseph Clinton Mills was gone — facing four life terms and finally, a measure of justice.Jim Axelrod: Maybe not full justice in your view.Tim Slaten: It's not full justice, by no means.Tim Slaten: I wanted him to go to trial. … I wanted to see him up on the stand and tell everybody why he did this, and he never did that.The Slaten brothers feel some comfort knowing Joseph Mills will never leave prison alive.  But there's still anger, they say, because Mills never took full responsibility for the premeditated rape and murder of their mother.  He never apologized.  And there were all those years of freedom.Tim Slaten: He lived his whole life. He raised his family. You know, he had a good life.It's the brothers who feel they were handed the far more severe sentence: life without the possibility of growing up with their mom.Jeff Slaten: She'd still be here today. She'd only be 72, you know?  Coulda had her my whole life.Jeff Slaten: I just wonder what life could have been like to have her.Jim Axelrod: Any part of you when you think about all of this … at all angry with the way the police handled it, that it took this long to get Joseph Mills?Tim Slaten: You could look at it that way. I know it's a lotta hard work behind the scenes that people don't see that goes on. You know, what they do, the hours upon hours they put in. I mean, you could get mad, but only so much could be done in a day.CeCe Moore: We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those original crime scene investigators. Because at the time this crime was committed, they didn't even know DNA was going to be used in criminal investigations. … And so the fact they collected that and then it was stored responsibly and carefully all these years by that department is so important. If that hadn't happened, we couldn't have done our work.Jeff and Tim say they're determined to move on as best they can, to live life well for their mom and for their families.

The brothers also know they never would have survived their ordeal without each other.  They remain extremely close, live just a few miles apart, and share passionate hobbies, like restoring cars.Jim Axelrod: You give the credit for living this life to the spirit of your mom?Tim Slaten: Yes.Jeff Slaten: Most definitely.Jeff Slaten: My mom, she's looking down on us and would want us to live our lives and do good. You know. … And I always think she's looking down on us. I want to make her proud.Tim Slaten: Yes.Jeff Slaten: Want to make her proud.Tim Slaten: Yes.The Slaten brothers visit their mother's grave.Jeff burns a candle next to a portrait of his mother every year on the anniversary of her death.Sgt. Edgar Pickett passed away in April 2023. Produced by Mead Stone. Gabriella Demirdjian is the field producer. Marc Goldbaum and Sara Ely Hulse are the development producers. Nancy Bautista is the broadcast associate. Mead Stone, Greg Kaplan and Grayce Arlotta-Berner are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.  How Taylor Swift could affect the 2024 electionThe Attorney General | Sunday on 60 MinutesJimmy Carter celebrates 99th birthday in Plains, Georgia

[sohotthateveryonedied]

so i’m trying to write duke and i don’t think i’m writing him right. how would you describe his personality because with don’t trust fanon lmfaooo

(this was only supposed to be a paragraph or two i swear to god)

1. first things first, duke is a hardcore gryffindor. don’t let the yellow color scheme mislead you, okay. and while most of the time he’s depicted in fanon as “omg this family is crazy and i’m the only sane one,” it’s actually pretty much the opposite? if anything, i think the other batkids would be like “oh finally, someone who can match our level of chaotic energy. HEY DUKE WANNA BUNGEE JUMP OFF WAYNE TOWER—” and an hour later they’d all be in the batcave getting lectured by bruce for leading poor sweet innocent duke astray when really he was already planning on doing that this weekend.

listen, this is the kid who once jumped off a bridge to escape police. this is the dude who decided to fight criminals while they’re still eating their wheaties at 6am in a bright yellow suit. and while duke seems to be the best at following bruce’s command at the moment due to having been trained by him most recently compared to the others and is still figuring out how to be a hero, i’m positive that if bruce weren’t here to guide him, duke would be running around gotham taking down criminals anyway. i mean, he literally did do that with the “we are robin” kids. plus there was the whole thing when he was like ten years old and decided “i am going to singlehandedly stop the riddler in my light up sketchers and pikachu backpack. try and stop me.” 

duke is headstrong and has a strong drive toward heroism. he’s an extremely enthusiastic and passionate person in general, and i try to capture a little of that when i write him, even with mundane things like trying to beat his siblings to the last cupcake. 

2. another thing i noticed is that duke swears like a sailor in comics? seriously, this boy could give jason a run for his money with how many “@#!%” speech bubbles there are. i don’t know if this is just a trend the writers added in the comics i’ve read of him, or if it’s a genuine trait throughout every comic he’s in, but that’s something to make note of when writing dialogue for duke. after all, he did grow up in the narrows, so it makes sense that he’d use a lot of swearing and slang in his everyday vernacular.

3. i would also make a point of noting that duke is fairly young compared to the rest of the batfamily, being the second youngest after damian. duke is still a teenager in high school, and he acts like it. he’s got homework and friends and is eager to make a difference in gotham, trying to juggle everything and make it all work somehow. he’s stubborn and doesn’t give up easily, so it’s important to write him as someone who is trying to save the world while also struggling with finding time to study for his next math test. he's human. he doesn’t get to dedicate all of his time to fighting crime like cass or jason might be able to, since duke is still a mostly normal teenager with teenager problems.

4. and don’t forget that unlike the other batkids, duke still has two living parents. sure, they’re jokerized and might not ever be the same again, but they’re alive and that’s what holds him back from letting himself get as close to the waynes as he wants to. duke won’t be calling bruce “dad” anytime soon, and i think he’d have some internal struggle over stuff like holidays and birthdays with the waynes, remembering what his parents are missing out on and wondering if joining the wayne family is a betrayal to them. duke is very conflicted over this, even if he doesn’t say it directly. stuff like ducking out of movie night early or feeling a bittersweet pang during thanksgiving dinner makes sense for someone in his situation. 

(i usually ignore that aspect in my fics because i want duke to just be adopted and part of the family already, but not everyone does that, and that’s perfectly fine.)

5. honestly, duke is such a caring individual and we as a fandom need more of him being a shoulder for people to lean on because he’s?? so soft?? duke can be so sympathetic and rational when it comes to emotional problems. it seems like duke internalizes every bit of advice he gets from the people around him and uses it to inspire others and help them through their own problems. as tough and hotheaded as duke can sometimes be, he really is good when it comes to emotions.

6. duke is a smartass. he will 100% use sarcasm against any and every authority figure he meets, usually just for the hell of it. 

7. he’s very frank in general, usually the first to be like “okay full disclosure, we’re about to die right now. that sucks. anyway—” in a situation. he’s honest and tends to be upfront about his fears/anxieties, usually for comic relief, but i think it still counts.

8. okay i have to add that duke is also kind of a punk? he and jason have a lot in common because of this: they both grew up in one of gotham’s worse areas (jay in crime alley and duke in the narrows) and they’re both highkey deliquents. duke has no problem getting into fights or talking back to authority figures, and it’s gotten him in hot water on more than one occasion. it’s why he kept getting moved around the foster system before bruce took him in because no one wanted to keep him.

9. he’s also gotten so close with the other batkids and we love to see it!! duke calls cass “sis” and treats damian like the annoying little brother he never had and i adore every second of it. we haven’t gotten a lot of interactions between duke and the others aside from training and stuff, but he and jason have the whole “punk kid who got adopted by batman and is baffled by how rich people live” going for them, so they can bond over that. and duke is a thinker like tim, so they can hang out and do puzzles or play chess or whatever it is that smart people do. (and duke and steph are BESTIES i don’t care what anyone says.)

10. most of all, duke is still learning how the whole hero thing works. he’s young and he’s trying his best, but he also makes mistakes. he will be impulsive and screw up, and he’ll try and merge the lessons batman’s taught him and that his parents taught him and that other heroes teach him until it all makes sense in his own mind. duke isn’t experienced like dick or even damian, so he’s going to be lagging behind for a while until he grows until the role he’s made for himself.

other miscellaneous details to include: 

- duke is dating izzy, who used to be part of the “we are robin” gang with him - he used to live at the manor and now lives with his cousin jay, but honestly i just have him living at the manor in everything i write because i like it better that way - he can control shadows and light now! what a king! - duke secretly writes poetry and is good at creative writing in general  - this:

- duke is super smart?? he figured out that agent 37 was dick grayson without even trying?? i’m so proud of him - his biological father is this supervillain called gnomon so now duke has got four parents: his mom, his dad, his supervillain dad, and bruce (plus selina if you count her as the batkids’ stepmom, which i do) - jason calls him “narrows” and i love that

- and, lastly, the most important panel in the history of comics:

[ktinastrikesback]

Alright, here it is: The meta post about Eddie Diaz and mother figures and how it all leads to Buddie (I think). Thanks to @yramesoruniverse for your help with this, and @kitkatpancakestack and @evanbucklies for inspiring it! I really have been thinking about this nonstop and had to get it all down. This got quite long, so I'll include a cut in order to spare everyone who doesn't want to continue reading!

We first get an idea of Eddie's complicated thoughts surrounding mother figures throughout his whole storyline with Shannon in season 2 when he romantically reconnects with her for Christopher's benefit. I do want to keep the focus here trained on Eddie in season 4, but I want to point out a season 2 line that is pretty fitting. As much as I don't want to use a Shannon quote as a starting point for a meta, I think this one is actually pretty useful: "...Eddie always knows what's best for everyone...God forbid you stop for a second and actually ask them what they need." While it's harsh and spoken out of spite, Shannon does make a point here which becomes relevant at the end of season 4.

We don't know a whole lot about season 4 Eddie (thanks writers) aside from the fact that he's working on being a single father (he tells Marjan in the crossover that he's "doing the whole single dad thing") and being a support system for Buck and the rest of the 118. Eddie's "arc" this season is moving on from Shannon and beginning to date again (a very small and limited arc, which hopefully season 5 will remedy). Of course, because it's Eddie, the core of this arc is him wanting what is best for Christopher. And it seems pretty clear that what Eddie thinks Chris needs is a complete family with a mother figure (note how he asks Bobby if he's "happy now, with Athena and the kids" and just assumes that Bobby is talking about Ana Flores), but the universe pushes against this idea throughout the whole season. There are a lot of examples in season 4 of unreliable mother figures (for example, the alcoholic mother who causes the wreck in Blindsided), but in order to save some space here, I'll list and discuss those in another post. The main thing I want to point out is that we've seen that mother figures aren't always perfect, and they aren't the end all be all that Eddie thinks. And canonically, the show suggests several times throughout the season that the partner that Eddie needs/wants and who is best for Chris is actually Buck.

In Breaking Point, while Eddie is on his date, it's Buck who is at home taking care of Christopher and getting him through his nighttime routine (which establishes that he knows the routine and has gotten Chris ready for bed before, hence the reference to his "cautionary tale"). On the date, when Ana says that no one has been in his life since Shannon passed away, Eddie noticeably looks uncomfortable (the will reveal makes this scene and that particular comment and Eddie's subsequent reaction so rich. Eddie knows that what Ana is saying is completely untrue, because the person he trusts most with his son is with him at that exact moment). Later, when Eddie tells Christopher about his new 'friend', he says "it's a woman." And...to be honest, what the hell was that? He could have said, "I'm dating someone" or "I have a girlfriend." But he says it like this? And it's weird...right? Christopher is the one who has to say "girlfriend." Also his tone of voice when he says it...it's suspicious to me. Anyways...Eddie talks with Ana about Christopher's reaction and her first instinct is to take a break and wait for Christopher to warm up to the idea so as to not cause him more pain. Meanwhile, Chris is out the door, in an Uber, and on his way to Buck, the person who actually gets Chris to talk about his feelings and who fixes the whole mess. So while Eddie is talking with Ana, Buck is playing a parental role AND promising Chris he isn't going anywhere, completely juxtaposing everything Ana has said and done in this episode (throwback to Fools, anyone?). Just like we see in 4x14, the perfect partner that Eddie is looking for is already putting in the work, no questions asked (and this is all before Buck knows about the will!). Yet Eddie is still trying to force it with Ana.

We see this again very briefly in Parenthood. Eddie and Buck are seen agreeing on parenting ideals on a call, similar to how we saw them work together in Future Tense to talk Chris out of playing video games. At the end of the episode however, when Chris asks to join the movie, Ana just jumps ahead and lets him in, not consulting with Eddie. Of course, this isn't a serious issue and Eddie is happy to have Chris join them, but it still carries on with juxtaposing Ana with Buck. It's also a bit interesting that Chris sits between them, parallel to the video game scene from season 3. But again, it's a very brief scene, so I don't know how much value it has overall.

We see all of this come to a head in 4x13 when Eddie becomes invested in the single mother and her son from the balcony call. Interestingly, this call happens after Eddie's conversation with Carla ("make sure you're following your heart"). On the call, Eddie flirts with the mom. This is interesting because we've seen many times in the past that Eddie...doesn't like flirting, especially on the job. Eddie openly flirting with the mom here may be his way of fighting against what his instincts are telling him Carla's comment was about (him liking Buck/a man). Eddie quickly becomes invested in Charlie (the son) and takes a liking to his mother because he relates to her. You can kind of see the gears working in Eddie's head when he's at their apartment...he's admiring her and perhaps maybe fantasizing about having a partner who gets it. And he sees a mother taking care of her son...reinforcing his love for the mother figure. But of course, we all learn by the end of the episode that this mother figure is extremely warped and not at all what her child needs.

The best part about this plot is the way it plays into the shooting scene at the end of the episode. Just before he gets shot, we see Eddie in an interesting framing choice (I am genuinely serious when I say that I want to sit down with Brenna Malloy and ask her about her directing choices for this whole scene):

The mother and son are placed into separate ambulances, and Eddie stands between the two vehicles. Visually, Eddie is literally placed between the mother figure and the son, and Buck is standing in front of him (at a slight distance). As (thank you to @kitkatpancakestack for pointing this out!) the ambulance with the mother drives away, Eddie says "shoulda gotten here sooner" to Buck (who replies, "That kid is just lucky he met you." He knows how to reassure Eddie and recognizes what is good for the child). Then of course, Eddie gets shot. But let's focus instead on why this framing before the shooting is important: the universe does scream, and it sure as hell was screaming at Eddie this whole episode. Carla calls him out for not following his heart, he idolizes this mother only for her to end up being horrid, then he gets shot with his partner standing right in front of him (you know, the same person who takes care of his son for the entirety of the next episode).

This can be read so plainly: Eddie has been fighting hard for what he thinks is best for his son, and he's stuck in this relationship with Ana because he thinks she is what will make Christopher happy. Meanwhile, Buck is in front of him and has been there the entire time putting in the work with Chris and making him feel heard, loved, and important. This ties right back to that Shannon line: if Eddie had simply asked Christopher what he needs/wants, it's very possible that his answer would be "Buck." Eddie doesn't need to be stuck in the middle of this relationship he doesn't care about because Chris' happiness is not dependent on having a mother figure.

Of course, we didn't see very much of Eddie in 4x14 so we don't really know what is going through his head regarding the shooting or Carla's comment just yet, but I'm hoping we see a lot of him working through all of the events that took place in 4x13/14 throughout next season. Because of the way the mother/son storyline ended up and the way they framed Eddie in the shooting scene, I'm willing to bet that he's going to be reevaluating just what Christopher needs and what he already has (with his Buck).

(Also side note--the welcome home party scene...when Buck is watching Eddie greet Christopher, notice the framing there too. The photo of Chris and Shannon is on the right side of the frame, Eddie and Chris in the middle, and Buck to the left. You already know what I'm going to say, so I'll leave it at that...)

Anyways. Edmundo Diaz is confused about what he and Christopher need, and it's actually a brilliant way to dive into a storyline about his sexuality and his feelings for Buck. Remember that post-finale interview with Tim where he said Eddie is always concerned with what's best for Christopher? That there will be a lot to explore with Eddie? I take everything Tim says with a grain of salt, but looking at all of this, there's quite a bit here pointing in the direction of pining Eddie. It's not wishful thinking, it's in the text.

I'm literally just applying basic film analysis to these scenes...and everything is adding up to a larger picture. I'm really excited to see what Eddie's arc in season 5 will be because there's so much set in place for it to be really great.

[totowlff]

I would also like to give you some feedback. First of all, I love your fanfiction! 💗

When you mentioned that we as the readers are going to hate someone, I thought his ex wife makes an appearance and tries to get the kids involved in a bad way. I wouldn't have thought of the mother in law at all �� Do we get to meet Miss Laudas' mother and how she feels about Toto? (Surely she likes him and puts up with the two of them, contrary to Matthias or Niki).

About the last chapter: I was a bit baffled that Aurelie met both the children and his mother. As a serious girlfriend, I would have been really sad/mad about that and would show it to Toto. Because Miss Lauda has had problems from the beginning to allow the relationship because of her father and seems to have her own problems somehow... The mother's reaction shocked me and I'm curious why she was so mean to her. To be honest, thinking that your future daughter-in-law uses your son for money and won’t even let her finish sentences, and trying to get to know her, isn’t a good reason to write her off. Furthermore if Joanna is now trying to be nice to her because she knows Miss Lauda comes from a rich family and earns her own money, I would be pissed and would speak up.. because then Totos‘ mother is superficial AF, which she could be cause her son is richie rich and provides for her. But that should not be a decisive criterion to determine whether a gf would be good enough for her son or not. I‘m curious of what his sister thinks about her and above all, if Miss Lauda will feel comfortable in their presence. I kind of feel like we‘ll get a lot of drama from them and I hope he sticks to his girlfriends‘ side 🌻

first of all, thanks for reading my works. it means the world for me!

now, to the answers!

I thought his ex wife makes an appearance and tries to get the kids involved in a bad way.

i take a lot from the real life to build the star-crossed world, and something i was sure i wanted it to have was toto's (and miss lauda's) relationship with stephanie (toto's ex-wife). he always praised her for her efforts to make their family work after the divorce and, in this story, wouldnt be different. if i can say something about it, is that miss lauda respect her a lot and is very careful to not overstep in her role with the kids. she loves ben and rosa, but she knows her place.

Do we get to meet Miss Laudas' mother and how she feels about Toto?

miss lauda's mom is marlene, she already has appeared in a bunch of occasions, so, she is not unknown to you all. as you could see in barbarazweige, she is quite anxious to see her daughter settled and, in under the spotlight, she was hanging out with toto, so, our dear austrian is not a stranger to her. but, if the couple will please marlene? only time will tell.

As a serious girlfriend, I would have been really sad/mad about that and would show it to Toto.

the first thing toto did was to acknowledge his mistake in presenting aurélie to the kids and to his mom. but, this was, in a sort of way, his way to convince himself about that relationship and, at the same time, to leave miss lauda behind. as we could see, he failed.

The mother's reaction shocked me and I'm curious why she was so mean to her.

here i go in defense of my own characters. it sounds kinda cliché to a mother-in-law to dislike her daughter-in-law, but the point here is that joanna, after her divorce from sven, toto's father, had to focus totally in her job and in provide to her family. this made her distant from her children, but this doesnt means she doesnt love toto and lili, in any way. however, it means she is not exactly familiar with her childrens struggles, efforts and opinions. so, her hesitation to accept miss lauda comes, first of all, from her lack of knowledge about her own son and his struggles in order to stay with her. toto, in her vision, is a very resolute man who knows what he wants and, when he presents aurélie to her, is because shes the one, because the last time he presented a woman to her, it was stephanie and he married her. but, a year later, here he is, presenting another girl to her. shes is very confused.

Furthermore if Joanna is now trying to be nice to her because she knows Miss Lauda comes from a rich family and earns her own money, I would be pissed and would speak up.. because then Totos‘ mother is superficial AF, which she could be cause her son is richie rich and provides for her.

she saw (from distance, but saw) her son struggle and battle to build what he has. she knows how hard toto worked and, most of all, there is her love for her grandchildren, who benefit from all of it. and she goes to a restaurant and her son present her a pretty young woman, dressed elegantly and with a huge ring in her finger as his girlfriend. she asks about her job and she doesnt answer. there is a miscommunication of both parts in that point and she concludes the obvious: a gold-digger. however, miss lauda manages to speak and show her credentials. she is a businesswoman, she is graduated, she is independent and all she has wasnt bought for her, but by her (minus the ring, that was a gift from toto and the kids). there is a surprise from joannas side too, because she doesnt expect that. but there is some relief too, despite she could have deducted only for the fact toto wouldnt be a kind of guy to let be used. and we go back to the answer above: joanna is not familiar with her childrens opinions.

I‘m curious of what his sister thinks about her and above all

im also curious. any guesses?