#but we're learning to get along

[fantasticalleigh]

was having a reylo creative block for a bit and then churned this out in a few hours funny how this shit works innit

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wrote a teeny thing in accompaniment for this below under the cut!

There were whispers of confusion among the troopers after they had lifted off from Takodana. Lord Ren had boarded the ship with a prisoner, the scavenger who supposedly held the map of Skywalker’s whereabouts. They had watched in silent surprise as he’d strode in with the unconscious young woman in his arms, bearing her weight with no trouble. He hadn’t even cuffed her yet!

As soon as the ship door closed behind them and the prison keepers came forward to take the burden of the captive away and to her new cell, Lord Ren pinned them with a dead stare that made them pause and then turn tail swiftly.

Since then he’d stayed in the cargo hold. Everyone else was too nervous to approach, watching with ill-concealed curiosity. If General Hux had been there he surely would’ve had no qualms about going to Lord Ren and snapping him back to his normal state but he could not be summoned, as he was occupied.

By then the force sleep the scavenger was under was beginning to wear thin. She was coming in and out of it, a desert rat used to blazing heat now shivering in the frosty air of the ship. Her eyes were opening slightly, befuddled and uncomprehending, but she didn’t speak, looking as though she believed she were in the thick of a dream. Incredibly, Lord Ren didn’t seem to mind, to everyone’s shock--nor did he seem angry. In fact, he looked quite the opposite as he held her. No one had ever seen him so at peace, nor so protective of a stranger, much less a prisoner.

She looked up at his face and appeared frightened for just a moment, and then her face relaxed as if she recognized him just before the force sleep took hold of her again and she fell unconscious again.

The spectacle only lasted ten minutes. News came from the command center that Hux was on his way with questions about the situation on Takodana. He was expecting to have the map in hand immediately. The threat of his arrival and empty hands finally pushed the prison keepers to approach Ren again, and he relinquished the sleeping scavenger at last, not sparing her an extra glance as she was taken away to her cell.

He was frowning now, back to his usual self. Once, he shook his head--in disbelief, perhaps, as if he too couldn’t understand what had just happened to prompt his strange behavior.

[grennseyelashes]

It's never not funny how personally Stannis takes it that Jon chooses not to be legitimised. Like what do you MEAN you don't want to, through circumstances you never predicted, take up your deceased brothers mantle and right the wrongs of the realm 🥺? Jon hate Stannis?? UwU????

[puhpandas]

here are some of my thoughts on how beckory could be if ggy never happened and gregory continued to live a normal life being abnormal

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

That's so weird because my reaction to S4 finale is it was the moment that convinced me Buddie was going to be endgame. Now two seasons later and we could be heading back to that same ending for the season depending on the events of the finale leaves me doubting things ngl. The only things I'm clinging on to are the couch theory, Eddie saying that relationships with people you meet at a rescue never works, and the fact that we're being introduced to these women so late in the season. It just seems like the writers even know they're giving this the most superficial things so that they can fix what they did in early S7.

To put it bluntly it just sucks that you know if this was gonna be the final 2 episodes that instead of going towards a story they've been telling since S2 they decide to put Buck and Eddie with women we don't even know their last name or anything about them. But they got renewed and will be moving to ABC so they can do the story they wanted to tell and I imagine these women will be kicked to the curb early in S7.

Okay, I'm gonna be real honest with you. I've seen that you've sent asks to a few of my friends, all generally saying the same thing. So to see you send me this ask makes me feel like you don't really want to have a discussion and aren't looking for actual support or positivity, you just want to keep being upset and tell people until someone agrees with you and tells you that your opinion that the writers made a shitty choice etc is valid.

So, to repeat a few things my friends have said:

They have not been doing Buddie since season two. I don't know why people persist on claiming this. Buddie was never the original plan. They did not decide to have Eddie get with Buck in season two. In fact in season two they seemed kinda unsure what to do with Eddie since he wouldn't be with Maddie any longer, but they still wanted the character, and Ryan, on the show. For my money, they started exploring the possibility of Buddie and discussing it seriously in season three, and season four was when they locked that in.

Now, I don't know about you, since you're a stranger on the internet, but to me, as a writer, it is a much, much better choice for them to have taken the risk rather than cram Buddie together, for a few reasons.

One: They cannot walk it back once Buddie is together. You're telling me you wanted them to sacrifice their story's integrity to give us a rushed unsatisfying get-together? Get out of my house. Watching television is, inherently, a gamble because it means you might get your stories unfulfilled. If you can't take that risk, then leave the casino. I am willing to risk it because I want a truly satisfying get-together, not something that was rushed and therefore isn't worthy of the delicious slow burn they're building.

Two: How many times do I have to scream at everyone to consider the behind the scenes issues before people start actually listening to me? Oh, forever? Because everyone is operating in bad faith and nobody wants to actually listen? Good to know. This will be the last I say on the matter.

We do not know what behind the scenes was going on in addition to the cancellation. What if certain Fox executives weren't supportive of Buddie? You're telling me that the writers and cast and crew should have, right when they'll need new jobs, guaranteed that their last employers will talk shit about them for disobeying orders and putting two characters together that they were told not to put together?

This is purely conjecture on my part, but I have seen time after time in fandom certain cast members and certain crew members and certain writers want a ship to become canon, and others not, and I have seen the way that back and forth played out, and guess fucking what? NOBODY WANTS TO LOSE THEIR FUCKING JOB. NOBODY WANTS TO BE PREVENTED FROM HAVING ANOTHER JOB.

Now, again, that's pure conjecture, but Fox really hasn't treated OG well for a while in terms of renewal, marketing, etc. And I have never, EVER, seen a show snapped up by another network so quickly. It's always "we got cancelled!" and then a few days or weeks later it's "we were saved by another network!" ABC was ON it. This gives me hope for a lot of things, like perhaps a 22 episode season. But given Fox's lack of promotion and appreciation for OG, it wouldn't surprise me if the cast and crew wanted Buddie and some people in the network didn't, and that is why we've been delayed on Buddie going canon. And while YOU may cry viva la revolution, it's much easier to have your principles when you've got a belly full, and while it may suck creatively there is no reason to piss off your bosses right when you need them to write you a recommendation for a new job because your show got cancelled - and while I'm sure they were hopeful, given the cast's social media I do not think anyone knew until it was publicly announced that they had, indeed, been saved and gotten another season.

My point is, this is just one theory I'm pulling out of a hat like a rabbit. We do not know what other BTS stuff is going on that made them choose to delay Buddie until season seven.

Three: To go back to point one, I do not think you've seen the reactions when a ship goes canon poorly. I was there, Gandalf. I was there the day that Booth and Bones got together. I was in the trenches. It soured SO many people, including me, on the show. To quote MBMBAM: YOU DIDN'T STICK THE LANDING! YOU JUST FLIPPED IN THE AIR FOR TWENTY MINUTES!!!

Sticking the landing when getting a ship together is possibly the most important moment in the couple's story. You cannot fuck up that landing. The writers chose to take the chance on it never happening in order to stick the landing the way they wanted. If that pisses you off, FINE. But stop coming into our inboxes to say the same thing over and over again about it, because we do not agree and we are never going to agree. We are at an impasse.

Now, to move onto some other points, WHY IS EVERYONE CONVINCED THAT EDDIE WILL STILL BE WITH SOMEONE WHEN THE SEASON ENDS!? WHEN DID WE DECIDE THIS!? He could be! But holy shit he could just go on one date with her that fizzles out! We have no clue! If someone in this fandom can see into the future and knows for sure this is going to happen then give me the winning lotto numbers right this second!!! Give them to me!!!! I need to fund my world domination campaign!!!

And finally, I feel like you've answered your own concerns, here. Given that you have sent similar asks to my friends, I don't think you're actually interested in allaying those concerns, because you keep answering your own questions and repeating yourself ad naseum. I could be wrong. Again, I don't know you. But this sure seems to be the case given that you're saying to me similar stuff you've said to my friends in asks they've already answered.

But to look at your own ask, you just said why we shouldn't be worried. "It seems like the writers even know..." YES. YES, THEY DO KNOW. I would love to know who the hell decided that television shows are made by the Television Fairy who creeps into the studio at night and waves her magic wand to create all the good stuff we see on our screens while the writers sit around with their thumbs up their asses.

Let's imagine you are a showrunner and you are going into the second half of your season, and you learn that it is extremely likely this season is actually your last. You guys start negotiating quietly with other networks to move the show, while hoping against hope this is not, indeed, the end. But this means you now have, what, nine episodes? To put all your characters in a place that is, if not ideal, at least somewhat positive for your audience?

You can't start any too-major arcs. You can't end on too bad of an emotional cliffhanger. This means some things will wrap up faster. Other things will get pushed forward. And some things have to be delayed, because they might never happen, and you can't give people a third or a half of an arc. Which means that you're going to be throwing in some filler for those characters instead, and doing things differently than how you might have wanted.

I do not know how many times I have to explain this, but television is not fanfiction. When I sit down to write a fic, there's not a damn person in the world who can tell me what to do. I write the story that I want, and if someone doesn't like it, they can hit the bricks.

Television is not like that. Television is one of the biggest group projects there is. Picture the worst group project you had to do in school and then times it by ten. Welcome to the television and film industry. The fact that any film or show, even the truly awful ones, gets made is nothing short of a miracle given all the people involved and all the ways the ball can be dropped. As a show runner, you are answering to multiple executives, to the creators, to the executive producers, to your own writers' room, and to the fans. You are trying to balance what everyone tells you to do, what the fans want you to do, and what you and your (hopefully trusted) writing team want and plan to do. I could never be a show runner and while there are quite a few with whom I've got bones to pick, I cannot deny that they all do a job I would never, ever be capable of pulling off. I'd quit on day three.

So, yeah, they gave Buck a temporary girlfriend as filler, to kinda cap off his current arc if this was the end, or to provide more layers to his full arc if they got another season. If you don't like that, then that's okay. Nobody is telling you to like it. When you come into someone's inbox like this, the assumption is that you're looking to be reassured, and so that's why you're getting the responses that you are. The previous people who've answered you have been trying to reassure you and allay the concerns you seem to have.

But it seems to me like you want a more full conversation, and possibly, that you just want to rant and vent. That's fine, but find a friend for that. Join a discord server. Because when you send the same stuff over and over again to different people, all of whom give you basically the same reply, it just makes you look like a very obstinate stick in the mud who wants everyone else to join them in being upset, and people don't much like having the same conversation multiple times, or being pushed into being upset when they're not.

You might just have to agree to disagree, and move on. Find other ways to get this out of your system, because my inbox, and the inboxes of others, is not the place for your venting in circles.

Now, in spite of my firm tone, I hope you will believe me when I say that I hope you're taking care of yourself, and that you are staying safe in this scary world, and that you have a good rest of your day.

[mekatrio]

such an interesting line in retrospect cuz yeah he said this but he still immediately went out of his way to defend iris, something which hes only ever done for edgeworth btw. like he still had faith in her despite mentally scorning her as a coward.. like was this supposed to be another example of phoenix knowing more than the player, like how in aa2 he knew abt edgeworths "suicide" while we the players didnt? is this aa3 hinting that phoenix suspected tht there mustve been another explanation for dahlia's/iris' actions? cuz if thats the case then that was horribly written lmfao.

like idkkk like id like to think that this would indicate that phoenix is internally more conflicted abt dahlia/iris than his external actions seems to show, but still its like whyyy did he go out of his way to defend iris then. he didnt have any reason to think that the girl he dated and the girl who tried to poison him were different people. or maybe he did idk. IDK the writing of iris' character was just very blwefhkjds like shes just this mysteriousss character who looks incredibly similar to our evil ex. and because spirit channelling is on the table and also bc we arent certain on what happened to dahlia we have no idea who this iris girl actually is. is she dahlia or is she not. its like i said its just... it seems to me like aa3's whole thesis is about withholding faith in a person despite all the contradictory evidence, and this is reflected in the way that phoenix still believes that the girl he dated is not the girl who tried to poison him. except with the way that aa3 is written this just makes phoenix look unhealthy and delusional bc there is no basis on why phoenix should believe that, because we never once see how phoenix remembers iris. and with this line of him calling dahlia/iris coward, but also saying this shit at the end

yeah this game is BADLY WRITTEN!

[sincetheducksleft]

S3E3 "Fortunate Son": The past alive in the present

This episode invites us to look back at Tony's childhood, and just as much to look back at our own experience of Tony as viewers of the show. The pilot episode and the inciting event of the whole series drive Tony's realization, which also reminds us, the viewers, that this show is just a snapshot of Tony's life. We are only given access to his past to the extent that it is incarnate in his present. But it is vividly incarnate in his present.

This is one of those Sopranos episodes that changes our perspective not just on everything that comes after it, but much of what came before.

Looking back just a little, to S2E6 "The Happy Wanderer", Tony's exploitation of Davey Scatino's gambling addiction takes on a totally new meaning in light of his experience with his father. Johnny cut off Satriale's finger over a gambling debt, and then rationalized it to Tony by suggesting that an unpaid debt devalues a person more than indulging in violence. That Satriale may be a nice man, but he put himself in this situation. Exactly the justification Tony makes about Davey.

(It's probably worth noting that Tony never cut off Davey's finger -- and while his interactions with AJ in this episode make a weird parallel to his interactions with Johnny, he still seems like a better father than Johnny did. He's passing down a softer punch.)

As a kid, Tony is vividly aware of the connection between violence and survival for his family -- that the hands that cut the meat for his baby sister are the same hands that cut off Satriale's finger -- and because he had no way to escape that world he could only cope by rationalizing it. He deeply internalized what his father told him, and it became possibly the first pillar of his rationalization of this lifestyle. And by extension it became a pillar holding up his entire world.

Looking back a little further, to S1E5 "College", we know Tony once attended college, too. When Tony was approximately Meadow's age he had another world, another life, available to him. But, just like Meadow, he ultimately rejected it and returned to the world that was familiar to him.*

Maybe he worked too hard to rationalize this world as a child and now it's the only place that feels rational to him, that he understands. Or maybe he feels too deeply twisted by it to belong anywhere else. Or maybe it's the same thing. And maybe the decision he made to remain a part of this world is something Tony will also be rationalizing for the rest of his life.

Regardless, the association between his panic attacks and meat -- between his deep dissatisfaction with his life and the point at which he started rationalizing this life to himself in order to survive within it -- tells us the process of reckoning with our past is never complete.

The wounds of childhood do not heal. Tony's past is alive in his present, and every choice he makes is at the end of a long line of choices that brought him to this moment. And Tony himself is at the end of a long line of fathers who created their child's world and then tried to push them out of it. And he's not the first child to return to it. And he also won't be last.

*I know Meadow doesn't drop out of college, what I mean is over the course of the show she becomes more of an apologist for organized crime, pursues a career defending white-collar criminals instead of oppressed minorities, and never really escapes the world she grew up in like Tony wanted her to. Arguably because one of the theses of this show is that intergenerational trauma is something like fate.

[weareuniqueandimportant]

I LOVE MURDER... I FIND THE TOPIC VERY INTERESTING... I ALSO BELIEVE ALOT OF ABUSERS WERE ACTUALLY NEGLECTED... AND THEIR "VICTIMS" ONLY REPEAT THE LIES THEY ALWAYS HAVE... OUR ABUSERS ALL CERTAINLY LOVE TO PAINT SUCH A PICTURE... DON'T WORRY... I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING... YET <3...

[redactedgoose]

hello. guess what time it is? it's bully Vlad hours, featuring tropes such as 'get out-billionaired, idiot' and 'Maddie's type is genius idiots; Bruce Wayne's is hot people who could kill him'

~

He's done it, he's finally done it! Jack is dead! And Daniel is none the wiser. His little badger glares at him, clearly warning him not to start anything at his misbegotten father's funeral.

Vlad just smiles back, just barely not smug enough to tip him off, and goes off to find his Maddie.

She's going to need support, after all! My, maybe he'll even offer her a shoulder to cry on, an arm to support her, and then eventually help her through her grief before she-

Vlad draws up short.

No. No, impossible.

His Madeline, his Maddie, is already in the arms of another man, crying quietly against his suit- which, he notes sourly, anger beginning to flare in his core, is more expensive than the one he's wearing.

The man could even be Jack himself, if smaller and more lithe. A cousin, perhaps?

He forces a mournful expression onto his face, rictus in its falseness, and approaches them.

"My dear..."

The man turns his face to Vlad as Maddie does, allowing him to finally place him.

No. No.

Bruce Wayne? The Bruce Wayne? Air-headed playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne? Here, holding his Maddie at Jack's funeral?

"I am so sorry for your loss," he finally continues a a beat later, blinking slightly faster as if his pause was from sorrow and not rage. "Jack... he was..." he trails off before he has to utter any kind words about the fool.

Maddie sniffles; Wayne proffers a handkerchief from nowhere, which she takes with a small, tender smile.

"Thanks, Vlad," Maddie says. She sniffles again, daubing at her eyes. "I still can't believe it..."

"Neither can I," Vlad says, bowing his head instead of staring daggers at Wayne. He does glance at him, though, once he raises his head, hoping to subtly prompt an explanation.

"Vlad Masters, right?" Wayne asks, cracking a wan smile at him and offering his hand. "I don't think we've met before."

"Indeed not," he says, giving Wayne's hand a firm, quick pump. "How did the two of you meet, if I may ask?"

"Oh, so long ago," Maddie says, a ghost of a smile on her face. "We were both much younger... Bruce was learning some self defense at the same class I was, and it spiraled from there."

"Oh, I definitely did," he jokes, that wan smile turning stronger. "Spiraled straight down onto the mat! She put my on my back so many times!" He laughs.

Maddie's smile strengthens, legitimate mirth in her expression now. "You gave as good as you got, Bruce! Your pins were the worst to wriggle out of!"

They laugh in concert, facing each other. It's the only reason why they don't see Vlad's eye twitching. He's suddenly very grateful that he didn't pick up a drink to keep appearances- it would have shattered in his grip by now.

The next fifteen minutes are agonizing. She hangs off of him and he lets her. They laugh together, they cry together, and every advance of his, dressed in best intentions and veiled in concern, is rebuffed.

"Oh, Vlad. You don't need to worry about me," she says wetly, mere minutes before the eulogies are about to start. "Bruce is here for me."

Vlad very quickly comes to the only sensible conclusion: Bruce Wayne must die.

[1980ssunflower]

hanging out so hard w to.ki and fuckin sk.wisg.aar we're gonna perish in a hole together 🥺❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[femmesandhoney]

i love seeing my interests merge with my friends lol like we didn't have many overlapping interests when we first met our personalities just slotted together so well and i took initiative to engage w stuff she likes and am having very fun lol

[monty-glasses-roxy]

WAIT I’VE JUST REALISED THE ROXY PLUSH HAS LIL TEETH POKING OUT GUYS GUYS GUYS THE LIL TOOFIES ARE CANON

[avatar-of-the-web]

also i need a place to vent that people will actually see that aren't people i know why did VENT have to die

[siribunbun]

Best cleaner in Snezhnaya!!! 

On a side note, I'm working on a Tartaglia fan zine that I hope to have ready by December, which will feature several sketches and comics like this. I’m hoping to have this out for Los Angeles Comic Con on Dec 2-4, so if any fellow Tartaglia enthusiasts are interested, I’ll have limited copies there! Hopefully Tarutaru will be pleased by it and come home with c2 (maybe even c3) for his rerun? ;u;

(no i have not forgotten about the Childe-A-Day, i’ll do a masterpost of it all. eventually fdajslfjkad)

[hua-fei-hua]

we have moved on to persuasive speeches in comm class n bc we have so little time left in the semester they're gonna be partner debates, so i have grouped up with the guy in there with whom i started talking abt genshin a while back, n we're just like. "fuck it. let's just do the ethics of gacha games and whether they should be regulated like gambling in casinos"

[artekai]

"Akane-chan!" Light called out from where he was standing with the rest of the Phantom Thieves, his outfit flickering yellow. "I understand how you feel about your father—"

...

The sentence seemed to end abruptly, as if Light had to pause to swallow or gather his bearings or something. Accordingly, everyone else stood in place, blinking at him, waiting for him to continue, and Shadow Akane even squinted at him. But Light simply shut his mouth instead.

"But..." Queen prodded him, her voice growing concerned as Light's silence set in. "There is a 'but,' right?"

Light pouted a little, looking up as if considering it. He then shrugged. "Not really." He said. "I was right all along. He was up to something sketchy."

"I... suppose that's not exactly wrong." Noir said, her eyes drifting down and away.

Wolf seemed unamused, though, furrowing his brows. "Is this really the right time to talk about this?"

"Any time is the right time to talk about me." Light said, as a smirk spread across his face. "But fine, we can do that later. Let's just get this over with."

[yuridovewing]

Disclaimer: I personally have not finished TBC beyond the first book. I did finish AVOS and its back half is considered poor quality for a reason. If you aren't having fun now I can tell you right now you wouldnt enjoy the rest. At most I think (iirc) the last book is important bc it establishes Juniperclaw attacking SkyClan, and Shadowsight getting a vision to swim in the flooded lake to 'unite' the clans- both of which are relevant to TBC in some way. But even then you could probably skim to the rrlevant parts, IDK.

i'll be real when i made that post last night it was kind of out of sarcasm and pettiness, like i do think im still gonna read those last three books and skim the boring parts at the very least, but that's on me cause now when i look at the post it does come across as very whiny and serious so that's on me lmao. (and i was kinda whiny at the moment cause i always forget about how mean spirited these books are.)

buuuuut hearing what people are saying, it does make me feel a bit better for skimming the back half of avos cause i think thats what i'm gonna have to do for sanity's sake if i want to catch up. i do want to give quotes and takes that are really backed up by the books and not secondhand info so i will try to keep to it but i think if i'm gonna read about thunderclan being shitty to twigpaw then im gonna start skimming cause like, we all know they were shitty to twigpaw now, it was uncomfortable when she was a kid and its uncomfortable still now that she's an adult. you don't need to see that backed up once again.