#happening and it is so good just to know we can go to a parish and just light our candles and follow along from the pew

[siena-sevenwits]

I am so excited for the 10 PM vigil tonight, you don't even understand.

[talesfrommedinastation]

My Redneck Neighbor Doug has watched The Bad Batch Season 3 opener:

LEEEEET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

This is more pithy than normal: Doug's been busy with work, as have I. But I'm determined to hear his thoughts on The Daddy Warcrimes 'n Company so here we go!

These were all via text messages, btw.

CW: Doug Doug's as you know Doug will do. Away!

---------------------------------------------------

Episode 1: 'Little Orphan Blondie's Shit Internship at The Museum of Science and Industry'

Poor Little Orphan Blondie, stuck in The Museum of Science and Industry in a shit summer job because they got bills to pay. Except they got rid of the dinosaurs and walk in heart and filled it with gross shit.

Hey look, they still got the coal mine exhibit! Man I miss Chicago.

(Doug, that museum has never had dinosaurs. “What, since when?”)

MUTANT JIMMERS EVERYWHERE! Aw, Little Orphan Blondie gave one her chicken nuggets! And it’s shy, aw, I hope it’s okay.

Poor Mutant Jimmers…she named her?! Swear to Christ Almighty if that dog gets Old Yeller’d I’ll just lose it. 

That freaky alien thing that ran the mall on the ocean looks sad, I bet she wishes she fell into the water and got eaten by a shark or something. I wish you did too, lady. 

The Sons of Robocop really are everywhere, they must be a cult or something. They look cool, I’d join, why not. Think they get 401ks?

Oh man, Daddy Warcrimes is down bad. Poor Daddy Warcrimes. Man, all my clone boys are stooped and sad…this ain’t good. 

At least Little Orphan Blondie can craft! Man, she should start selling those at the Museum of Science and Industry’s gift shop. Maybe Tarkin can bring one back for the grandchildren he’s not allowed to talk to since the restraining order was put in.

Oh, there’s Stepsister Beth, she seems on edge. Must’ve gotten divorced recently, don’t blame her ex, I bet she screamed at him for leaving cabinets open who knows. How do her eyeballs not hurt after wearing those dumb glasses all day?

Episode 2: 'Night Elves and Neverland Ranch'

The night elves from Warcraft invaded Star Wars and got horns or something and now they have a castle that looks like a boss level in Diablo IV or V or how many Diablo games they got now.

Now they yelling at people and throwing them in the basement today. Makes sense, gotta fight the orcs and stuff. Think they fight the orcs in the basement?

The Night Elf Horned Queen hired Daddy Rambo and Julio to get people, I guess they’re turning into Boba Fett or something. They got her son's horn back, guess that's good. Oh they need new paint jobs on their armor.

Do they end up in the basement in the Diablo Boss Level? No? And off they go! 

Daddy Rambo and Julio are in their homeland of FLORIDA! Hell yeah, SPACE FLORIDA! And they’re bringing the talking trashcan with them using straps! Go Julio go!  Yeah, boa vines, this is TOTALLY the Everglades! 

Escaped clone boys! Oh man! Shit, is Neverland Ranch in the jungle? Oh man–oh, they know what they’re doing. Good kids. Real good kids. Oh what happened to the rest of them? Oh Meat Muffin, this ain't good :(.

You know what? Them clone boys are smart, take it back, this ain’t Space Florida, this is Space Louisiana! Them baby boys gone get feral and run off into the bayou and live in the caves and now you know my origin story, Meat Muffin! 

If this was Florida they'd just end up working the late shift at Zaxby's and smoking rocks in the parking lot. We know better, we French and all.

I bet they’ve been living on nutria and half-empty chicken boxes from behind the gas stations. Resourceful scrappy kids and I can tell its making Daddy Rambo proud.

Oh holy SHIT, there go them vines! It's like the kudzu all over again, maybe this is LaFourche Parish?

See, them boys are definitely white trash, Mandalorian rednecks. Look at em, living in the woods and hijacking a plane, but they good kids, saving their brothers. Even saved the robot too. 

Man, all the feels, them poor little boys. What will they do now?  Oh, they're going to Space Daytona! Good, wait, I saw the trailer, doesn't the Empire invade it? THIS AIN'T GOOD MEAT MUFFIN!!!

Wait...where's Toaster Strudel and Rex?

Episode 3: 'Blondie Got a Gun'

Well here's the Emperor. He wants to be immortal. Gotta make that other movie make sense or something.

Where's Darth Vader? Is he running the government when the Emperor is running around giggling?

Don’t you DARE kill Mutant Jimmers, you damn droid. I hate that ugly assed stupid thing. It looks like its scarecrow daddy fucked a microwave and then left it enough money to go to Planned Parenthood but instead spent it on crack and there ya go.  

Oh shut your goddamned yap, Jimmy the Scientist. I bet he gloves that hand up because he keeps shoving it up his own ass and that's why he walks funny all the damn time.

The Emperor also has a Diablo IV or VIII boss level all to himself too at the Museum of Science and Industry. How many Diablo games are there, Meat Muffin?

YEAH, LITTLE ORPHAN BLONDIE! GIT ER DONE!!! They're out! Oh wow! There she goes with Daddy Warcrimes! Kill em all and let GOD SORT THEM OUT! That's my GIRL!!!!

Blondie’s got a gun 

Blondie’s got a gun

Her whole world's come undone

Shooting droids is FUN!

GO MUTANT JIMMERS GO!!!! 

YEAH BLONDIE DADDY WARCRIMES AND MUTANT JIMMERS!!!!!!

I AIN'T A BULLS FAN BUT REPEAT THE THREE PEAT! YEAH!!!!!!

....so when we gonna get Toaster Strudel and Rex? Next one? Where's my reg boys?!

-----------------

Tagging those who missed my Cajun neighbor. LOOKS LIKE REDNECK DOUG IS BACK ON THE MENU, BOYS!

@skellymom @amalthiaph @eyecandyeoz @cdblake1565 @sued134 @merkitty49 @supremechancellorrex @yeehawgeek @wrenkenstein @techs-stitches @deezlees @autistic-artistech @perfectlywingedcrusade @auntie-venom @megmca @thecoffeelorian

[snakegorl212006]

The “Little Things they” do(Diasomnia)

You thought it’ll be fine.stay a night or two in Diasomnia hoping nothing much will happen. Maybe you did expect a chase or some creepy interaction. To be honest this is more than you bargained for

“Guys I’m leaving” I shouted as I began to walk to the front door. When I tried the handles BOOM lightning struck in front of the building as it began to storm on an odd sunny evening “oh a shame. To think we had such clear skys” lilia spoke from the stairwell “Well we can’t have you soaked out there so how about you stay for a bit hmm… just until the rain clears” Lilia suggested. Seeing as i almost got struck by lightning, i agree which made the ghost grin “Splendid. Gather everyone, we’re all going to have one last brunch before you leave, ok” lilia ordered so i did. Silver and Sebek were in the indoor training room and Malleus was in the library.Brunch was ready after everyone had gathered in the dining room. The food was some sandwiches which look surprisingly edible,this is coming from lilia after all. “You’ve been here for some time even I wasn't expecting you’ll last so long” Lilia spoke “tell me do you enjoy our company” He ask “well…When you guys are not threatening my life i say you guys are ok in my book” I replied honestly. “Oh we couldn't just kill you prematurely. Not with that necklace on” lilia spoke as he points to the gem on my neck “I see no need for it. I would say just throw it away” sebek huffed “Well I don’t want an attachment so I’m keeping it on” i replied.thunder grew louder “but why not? Surely you think being a ghost is that bad” lilia asked “think about it. We can all be together like the old days” he smiled trying to cut through the tension “but I like being alive and i don’t want to be here forever forever” i replied “I see… well it can’t be helped but i still would say better now than ever” Lilia replied as he sneaked a glance at malleus…I felt something sharp prickling my ankles, that light scratch seems to cause me to be severely drowsy. I tried to form my words yet nothing came out. My vision blurred and the last thing I saw was a sinister smile.

------------------Lilia------------------------ “Who knew, this task is more devious then i anticipated” Lilia spoke. My eyes fluttered open only to feel constricted “oh your awake” Lilia spoke “I would be more surprise you wake up from malleus’s sleeping spell but then again….I did get a little excited and might’ve kissed your lips” Lilia laughed “don’t worry i did nothing else…well yet” he adds as he hops on the bed “I do hope you find these chains comfortable, i would say these are far better then the leather ones i found” Lilia smiles as he presents the heavy locket “let me go. This isn't funny” I spoke, giving him a glare which only made him laugh “Ah~there’s the fire I remember. Now why would I let you go only for you to escape. Your pretty words won’t cloud my judgment this time” Lilia said as he wagged his finger at me “there should be some spell which can remove that amulet. Once that happens it’ll only take 7 days to establish the attachment then the true ritual can begin” he beams as he gently cups my face. His love sick eyes he cast down at me oh so lovingly. Those eyes filled with insanity. “1,000 years…1,000 years I’ve waited and longed for your return. I waited and watched you parish. Over and over again. But now we can forget that and begin a new life here together, all of us” Lilia smiled as he caressed my cheek with his thumb. “I know this may hurt our trust but it is all in good faith my dear” he spoke as he kissed my forehead. He removes himself from my face and slides off the bed “I’ll be back to bring you dinner. You must be hungry, you were sleeping for such a long time” Lilia spoke before leaving the room. I need to get out. When I moved I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my skin. In my ankle there was a large thorn which was lightly embedded in my skin. This thorn must’ve stuck on me when I fainted. I twisted my body and plucked the thorn from me. I quietly slid off the bed with the thorn in hand and began picking the lock. Once I heard that click, the chains I had on quickly slid off so I stood up away from the chain and quickly left the room.

Lilia sighs in bitter disappointment as he glances at the now empty room “why must you reject our devotion” he mumbled “is there something wrong father” silver spoke holding the food behind him “they have escaped” lilia said as he opened the door much to silver’s shock “I’ll search immediately” Silver spoke hastily as he practically shoves the the trey into lilia’s arms then running off. Despite the situation Lilia can’t help but smile. He calmly placed down the trey on the stand,then he reached from underneath the bed to reveal a large casing.inside was a large green,gemlike cleaver covered in silver thorns “it seems I have to force my hand.” he mumbles as he takes the clever out. He exits the room and begins his search “You will submit dear… One way or another”

------------Sebek----------------------------------- “YOUR HIGHNESS WHERE HAVE YOU GONE TOO” sebek shouts as i creeped around. “Where are they?” he mumbles as he paces back and forth. “YOUR HIGHNESS RETURN AT ONCE. IF SO OUR LORD WOULD FORGIVE THIS TRANCEGRESSION” he shouts as he stomps off. Once I heard the close was clear I exited the room and sneaked past. The stairs are just around the corner. When i was about to reach the stairs, i was stopped by a sword “There you are” sebek spoke as i stepped back “I wish not to lay harm to you but I will if it means the ritual will be complete” Sebek spoke “why, why do you care so much” I asked sounding irritated “I’ve waited for decades for this moment. Waited for you to be saved. Can’t you tell you’re being brainwashed ” sebek spoke sternly “now you Will go back to your chambers until our master can free you from those shackles the crow put on you” sebek commanded “you lost me at returning. I’m leaving” i spoke as I continued to step away,then I sprinted away “YOU HIGHNESS COME BACK” Sebek shouted as he followed. I managed to loop around and lose sebek by hiding in rooms again. I finally reached the stairs. I ran to the front door only to realize it’s locked, i tried unlocking it but it was stuck. My necklace started vibrating, alerting me of someone coming near, so i ran to the back door.

--------Silver---------------------------------- The back was open allowing me to escape through the forest. It was dark out,not even the moon shines. My lungs burn and my legs feel tender causing me to collapse as the adrenaline disappears. Then I heard a twig snap. I whipped my head around to see silver “look I don’t want to hear it. Let me leave in peace then perhaps i could forgive yall” I bargained“i can’t do that” silver spoke sadly “then why are you here” I asked “to help you” he replied as he walked closer “well you’re not helping at all” I huffed “I am. We all are. We’re going to set you free. Make things right” silver explains as he creeps closer “please you’re not in your right mind but malleus can help you if you can just trust us” Silver pleads “no no no no. You. All of you are trying to end my life and make me live here for eternity” I replied as i got up “You don’t understand.” Silver said “then what am i not getting” I asked “We want to get your memories back, We want to end your suffering. I want to make amends, but you have to trust us. This is the only way” Silver explains but i shook my head “You can’t leave. Not again, I won’t let you” Silver spoke more sternly. He rushed forward causing me to fall back but before he could reach me, a barrier was made which bounced him back. Whatever this was, it weakened him, i could tell as he was a bit faded. While Silver was stunned I ran off and made my way to the front.

----------------Malleus--------------------

I ran and kept running until I reached a familiar woods. Relief washed over me as I came closer to the main house. Then I tripped. I ignored this and tried to get up only feeling a tug on my leg, vines wrapped around tightly on my ankle and slowly climb up to my calf “y/n” a familiar voice spoke echoing my name though the dark woods, “Malleus I already left, just let me leave” I pleaded as i tried to get the vines off of me. He laughed, more like a low chuckle. He revealed himself from behind a tree “leave? You’re forbidden to. Our souls are bound for centuries. You can never leave my side” Malleus stated as he drew closer “for far too long, I’ve seen you ripped away from my grasp time and time again. What in your fragile mind do you think I’ll let this opportunity pass” he adds as he grins “you’ll be mine, finally mine. We can be together once more, by my side, ruling this land from the shadows” he list as his eyes filled with bliss “this can only happen if you are free. We can correct his mistakes. This curse will be lifted and we can be together like before” he adds “No, I’m not going through with that” I stated firmly. His eyes blanked almost perplexed by my words then he laughed. Booming with roaring laughter as he clutched his stomach “do you really think you have a say in this. Perhaps that raven has rotted your mind” he teased “you look exhausted my love, perhaps a nice long slumber should clear your mind” malleus smiles as more vines sprout from every corner. Each vine wrapped around my body. I felt a prick on my finger causing that drowsy feeling. My body felt weak and limb as the vines disappeared. I was in his arms as he hummed a lullaby, finally putting me to sleep.

[wtfwhy]

HOW I WOULD REWRITE THE TEEN WOLF MOVIE

First of all its a slice of life comedy 

No villain just normal problems, but maybe background Monroe issues

Each character has a running gag or a funny arc 

Scott:

Runs his own veterinary business but accidentally placed his building in a place with primary cat people. He can not treat cats because they go crazy around him (he tells the humans he's allergic to cats). So the whole movie is him talking to real estate agents about buying a new building and selling his current one. The process is painfully slow. (but the new place is in beacon hills were this all takes place)

Kira: 

Is still not in the movie but a bit after 6b she came back from the skinwalkers and she and scott get married. During the movie she's actually having a girls weekend with the skinwalkers because they became good friends 

Lydia:

She and Stiles have twins (like 10 years old or something) and a newborn baby. Stiles convinces Lydia to take a break cause she's so stressed and to go visit their friends (so thats why shes in bh) during the movie she'll be having a conversation interrupts by taking a phone call. Its the twins' school. She is the leader of the PTA. This happens multiple times throughout the movie. (minor detail of her being super successful, getting that feilds medal, and being like the second Stephen Hawkins basically)

Stiles: 

Is at home taking care of the newborn, we cant hear his voice but Lydia talks to him on the phone.

Jackson:

Is just constantly hanging out with lydia the entire movie, her sidekick, her goon

Malia: 

Life way more put together than in the real movie. She works as like a camp ranger nature person or whatever, has weekly dinner with Mr. Tate, and is overall living her best life. Shes currently single but like every guy her age in beacon hills is trying to get with her. Shes also internet famous. She has simps. She lives in beacon hills but has traveled to a few different countries, including france 

Parish:

Is no longer a cop because he found his true calling in modeling 

Sheriff:

Retired and tired. Lydia is staying with him during her visit. He's just really happy about being a grandfather

Derek:

Same basically, a cool dad, so similar to tyler heclens (idk sp) portrayal of clark kent that a joke about that is made

The scene where he talks to coach is there so that coach can not recognize him and then derek is like "oh sorry, how about now?" (he walked into the corner of the room, clenched his fists at his side, and started glaring like he was about to kill someone) and coach is like omg yeah i remember you, hows it been? 

Also he is married to braeden and she is elis step mom

ALSO he has 11 kids including eli, he is tom baker cheaper by the dozen.

Eli: 

Stiles' biggest fan, just like that one post✊ (i saw a post about that being why hes like stiles and it annoying derek and its one of the funniest things ever, i dont remeber the poster sorry) calls all of the original pack uncle or aunt. He and Malia besties. His arc is he has a boyfriend or girlfriend and is trying desperately for no one to find out because they all babysitted him and are notorious for telling embarassing baby stories to his friends and previous partners. He's the oldest sibling.

Chris:

Literally just chilling, planning a tropical vacation, is married to Melissa 

Melissa:

Still works at hospital, overly mushy with chris, especially in front of peter 

Peter: 

Same as usual but 10x more dramatic. Lives on Melissa's coach. Theres a few random times in the movie hes being interviewed like hes in the office. He's the only one that this happens with.

Issac:

Only speaks in french, but there are subtitles for the audience. Only speaks English to Chris even though Chris knows french. Malia and him are friends from when she visited france.

Liam:

Professional lacrosse player, is in the lacrosse nfl (i have no idea if thats a thing) hangs out with mason and on his off time he leads an anger management class

Mason: 

Politician, the only thing stopping him from being president is his age. Corey uses his powers to steal incriminating evidence against masons evil political opponents. They are married. 

Theo:

He's a trailer life vlogger, very successful online. Regularly hits up scott and liam for no particular reason (its because hes lonely) its never mentioned but there's a brief shot of his trailer and on one of the walls there's a picture of the pack with a picture of theo tapped to it. And/or just a picture of stiles* Bonus points for hearts. 

He goes to liams class as a demonstration on how not to beat someone up when you're angry (liam and theo usually end up fighting anyway)

Allison: 

Either not in it or inexplicably alive. No mention as of how or why or when she came back. At one point there is a very clear reference to her death so the audience knows it wasn't reconned or something 

OR ( my sister's idea) Chris Ouija boards her every friday night and they chat

Deaton: 

Just doing completely unrelated shady shit, which all ends up being something super anti-climatic 

This is my vision

*to clarify, i dont ship them, its just that how obsessed theo was with void stiles lives rent free in my head

[paperclipninja]

Ok, we know that deliberate choices and references are made in Good Omens, often hinting at what's to come, and I'm sure this has been picked up by someone before but it wasn't for me until now and well, MIND BLOWN.

Just rewatching s2e4 and the opening sequence when Shax pops into the Bentley to remind us all that Aziraphale really is a very bad liar sometimes ('I don't even know a Gabriel!' straight after, ''Gabriel would never go to Crowley!' lol, but I digress...) and yes we get the seed planted that there have been rumours of Aziraphale and Crowley being an item since, oh roughly 1941, but before all that, Aziraphale asks Bentley for some music, 'something modern, but not bebop'. So Bentley obligingly plays 'Moonlight Serenede' by the Glen Miller Orchestra.

The song was recorded in 1939 and was top of the charts and that recording was released by the U.S War Department as Army Theme Song in 1943 (also released as by Navy and Marine Corp) and was re-recorded in 1944 by Glen Miller and the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces - needless to say, it was a very significant wartime tune, so the fact Bentley chooses it is a wonderful nod to the minisode that's about to unfold, set smack bang in the middle of that time. Aziraphale's delight at the choice too, 'oh, perfect', helps reinforce the significance of the flashbacks to WWII in s1 and in this episode.

But that's not all folks. I think it's safe to say that Aziraphale and Crowley's experiences during this period (that we've seen so far -the Blitz and Nazi zombies) seem to coincide with pretty significant moment(s) in their relationship, moments that indicate a shift they are both aware of. So it got me thinking about that song choice at the very start of the episode again. It makes sense that we get a tune that indicates what's to come but also, knowing how layered and clever this show is, what if there's more to it? Spoiler alert: there is!

Turns out, lyricist Mitchell Parish was asked to write lyrics to 'Moonlight Serenade' in 1939, but Glen Miller decided to record it as an instrumental track and it wasn't until 1959 that a version with the lyrics was recorded and became popular. And do you know what the lyrics are about? Friends, this is what they are about:

Look, it could be just me, but WHAT?!!! Are you kidding me?! I mean, it's sublime.

So here's the thing. This could be a nod to the evening we see Crowley and Aziraphale sharing after the magical switcharoo OR, there has been much speculation about a third wartime flashback minisode in season 3 that will provide even more insight into what exactly happened between these two during that time. Either way, it just blows my mind how intentional it all is, how thoughtful. And whether it was a reference to the beautiful shades of grey scene in ep 4 or planting a seed for what's yet to come*, all I can hear right now is - TWO LOVERS. 'nough said.

*can you IMAGINE Crowley seducing Aziraphale with a song or vice versa *dead*

[kseniaallis]

I just watched tw movie trailer, and it says a lot about my “excitement” that I just watched it. And of course I knew what’s happening because… fandom. But looking at it with my own eyes, book writing experience and participation in teen wolf fandom since I was 14, it just doesn’t make any sense.

I understand why they use Nogitsune as a main villain for the movie - it’s the most popular, loved, if you can say that, plot line of the entire show. Because if you ask fandom “what is your favourite season?” most of them will answer 3b.

What I don’t understand is how they’ll use this storyline without two major characters - Stiles and Kira. The whole reason why Nogitsune appeared in the Beacon Hills was Kira’s family history. And the reason why Nogitsune is so popular - DOB acting. Because I swear to God, if it wasn’t for him, it wouldn’t be just as enjoyable.

I won’t start on Derek’s son that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, that Derek purposefully raised in the town that gave him, his family, friends so many traumas? Make it make sense.

I won’t judge Hikari because I don’t know her plot line, but what I hate and what is heavily implied is that the part of her story is being the love interest. Why won’t you let female character just be in the story, without making them important just because they are someone’s love interest. It's 2023, not 2014 (but we stayed there, ig, and made it worse). And I still don’t like how her being kitsune sounds a lot like Kira’s replacement.

And I hope, hope that even if they pursue Liam and Hikari, please, please don’t let it happen with such a big age difference.

I also have no idea how having a romance with a character that appears just in the movie is a good idea. In all honesty, I don’t give a f about this character because I don’t know her and having this character have a romance with a beloved fandom character just for one movie is ridiculous. Especially, after setting up the whole Thiam heavily implied story line. Because, you see, the only reason why anyone even talk about the movie is fandom. And fandom loves when things they love at least appear, give them breadcrumbs and they’ll be happy. We are not picky.

Mason being a deputy? Okay, perfect. The boy was smart as hell and could go miles away from Beacon Hills to learn science, but no-no. He could have been emissary to the pack and it would work perfectly, but still it’s a no for them.

Malia and Parish's situation is so confusing, like even Lydia and Parish made more sense (age difference is still bad here). And they just decided recycling her relationship with Scott for the sake of Allison's return?

And why does she? Her arc was complete in such a perfect way. It was sad, but it was perfect. It brought reason for the pack to keep fighting, taught them lesson that they weren’t invincible. Bringing her back makes it all go in flames. She died young, saving her friends and it was beautiful in the way, because it brought the whole new meaning to her arc. But no, let’s bring her back and make Argent’s life even more tragic and painful. Let the poor man rest.

And I hope they didn’t kill Theo’s character off screen. But maybe him not being in the movie is a good thing. They can’t fuck up his character after completing his arc perfectly in the tv-show (still surprising, tbh, but I LOVE how they made it).

I remember founding out about the movie. How exciting it felt because I just returned to the fandom, reading all these thiam fics (because fandom recommendations on Tumblr made me, and I was never more grateful to learn about Theo character from the perceptive I have now as an adult. I hated him when I was young and now he is one of my favourites). It felt exciting because it had meaning. And we had hope for it to be at least a decent thing. A continuation of the story that made sense. But now they ruined almost half of the characters and removed the other half for the sake of two hours (how long is it exactly?) movie we won’t even watch.

At this point, I just wait for fix-it fics on ao3 that’ll make more sense than the plot jd came up with his writers.

Thanks for listening to my TED Talk.

[royalsunshinehotel]

9:45pm (Hassan el-Shabbaz x f!reader, 18+)

Warnings: references to past violence, Social Media saves the day, thigh riding, loss of virginity?, reference to erotophobia, best friends to lovers, unprotected sex.

A year ago, Hassan el-Shabbaz had been shot in the line of duty. Those were his words, but you didn’t believe that cults fell under the jurisdiction of a small town Sheriff. You think of that night as little as possible, and each time you do, you shiver. An evening like this felt impossible back then, and you were here, living it. 

The two of you needed this movie night. The movies were mostly awful, but sometimes you just wanted to sit next to him. 

He was, and is, your responsibility. 

Ever since you hitched a ride in Hassan's airlift back to the mainland, Ali had gotten the impression you were in love with his father.

You were, and you knew if a seventeen year old boy could see it, you hadn't been guarding your feelings as well as you thought.

But that couldn't matter right now. Hassan sets the bowl of popcorn down on the table, on your side of the couch. He'd been scowling for the past few days, his latest medical appointment had been that past Monday. He'd insisted on going alone, and you, his best friend, had said alright.

And of course, the one time you didn't ride the ferry with him, something happened. Technically, it wasn't your business, but he didn't keep secrets from you.

"Did you see Ali this week?" You ask, voice even. With effort, he turns to you.

"Yeah. He's doing good with school so far. Apparently going viral is good with the ladies." You raise an eyebrow, "his words, not mine."

"That's good, that's good. Now how are you?"

He grunts in response, not anticipating you swatting your hand on his arm.

"Somethings up, pal. Talk to me." You order and he gives you the side-eye.

"We can watch the movie at anytime...pal." He replies in a flat tone.

You say nothing

Hassan can't look at your face, because he knows your expression. Your making a pout, but your eyes are wide and soft. You started making this expression when you noticed how quickly he'd cave to you. But now you were worried. The two of you are supposed to be closer than this.

"I don't want to wreck the night."

"Hassan, tell me." You look like you're about to burst into tears, and he knows you well enough to know what your voice sounds like when that happens.

"I got released. This is as good as I'm going to get."

"but you're still doing physical therapy, right?" you question, silently begging him to look at you.

"I am. But I'm weak, and I'm old, and you'll be too polite to say your bored with me."

"That's the dumbest thing you've ever said Sheriff." Did he really think you could leave him after last Easter? You flash on that moment in the church where Hassan was pinned down, and you broke an Instagram live record streaming Father Paul and Beverly Keane poison the parish, and themselves.

"Hassan you got shot. Twice."

"Yeah, I was there. I've found peace with it, but I'm not what I was." What the fuck did that mean?

"You're not supposed to be, that's how guns work. And cults!"

"Okay, yes you're right. But I'm still fucking old. I don't want you to be my nurse!" His tone takes you by surprise. If you were about to cry earlier, you sure were now.

"Then how do you want me?"

Hassan takes your chin in his hand, angling your mouth to his. You gasp sharply, mind barely catching up with your mouth

Hm. Warm. Scratchy.

And as quick as he pulled you in, he pulls away.

"Please don't say anything," he asks, and all you can do is smile- a full, face cracking, sunbeam of a smile.

"Don't do that with your face," grumbles Hassan, trying to keep his so-called "cop-face", but masks were slipping, if not completely gone.

"Why?" You ask.

"I'll have to do this," he pulls you back in again, more fiercely this time, beard scratching your face. You feel winded, but it doesn't matter. You just want to be as close to him as possible.

Hassan feels the same, so when he moves you into his lap, you let him. You'd pictured yourself straddling him before, but the real thing is always better than a dream, you knew that too well.

When you smile, he has to follow suit, it's near impossible not to.

Your mouths slate together with ferocity as pressure in the room releases. Your thoughts, your plans, that had kept you so put together were floating out of your mind with a frightening speed.

It's not until you feel his teeth on your neck that you push him back.

"Hassan, I'm scared. I'm not- I don't do this." Your shaking in his grip, heart pounding in your ears. He moves his hands to your waist, bringing you down. You weren't scared of him, not really. This was just out of your realm of understanding. Only slightly, but still far.

"It doesn't have to be anything past this, we can stop."

"No. No I want more." You declare, Hassan's dark eyes going round looking at you.

"You want more?" He ask, looking you straight in the eye to see your response.

"Yeah." you shake your head for yes, and he grins for the first time in months.

"Let's try this. He says as his fingertips dig into you, helping your pelvis roll against his. Sparks make a home in your bones. The hardness beneath

"Did you like that?" You hold

"S'good." You whine. More, more more.

"Nothing to be afraid of, it's just me, right?"

If your mind had been clear, you would have had him explain every move he made.

"Maybe next time," you think, not questioning that there would be a next time. What you don't realize is that your words were out loud. Hassan was in something of a tailspin thinking about next time.

But he can't let himself go down that rabbit hole. He needs to kiss you until all the thoughts that made your brows furrow disappeared. You

"Hm?"

"Stand up a second," he orders, voice raspy. You obey. Hassan quickly and quietly pulls down your pajama pants, helping you step out of them.

"Use my leg." He says, and you don't quite know what he means, until he pulls you back down into his lap. He makes the same movement as before, only grinding your clit against a muscular thigh. You gasp at the contact, sending electric shocks through your body.

If you had been in a clear frame of mind, you would have worried about the growing wet patch, or that he was uncomfortable with your full weight on top of him, but he rolled you down on him again before you could verbalize your concerns.

"Hassan," It's too good, I don't know what to do. You want to say, years of feelings bubbling up.

"I know, I know." He couldn't know! How could he possibly know how angry and scared he'd had you. How dare he be the hero!

"Good girl, always so good." He praises softly, and your body takes over your mind again.

Rolling, you finish with a sad little whimper, leaning as far into him as you can. He's warm and steady and soft, and you hum in satisfaction,

"Feeling alright, sweetheart?" He asks, moving your hair out of your face.

"More." You set your face into an expression you hoped would come across as stern, but it wasn't. Pulling away from his warmth, your hands take a life of their own. You palm Hassan through his sweatpants, making his breath hitch, before wandering below the waistband and pulling him free.

Is this what people do? Is this how it's always supposed to feel?

It would almost be embarrassing how quickly you lined him up with your heat. If it was anyone else, but it wasn't. It's Hassan.

"Steady, just like that." He coaxes, grabbing your hips and making you slow down. Instinctively, you lean your forehead down against his.

Hassan had many dreams about what it might be like to have you stretched out on his cock like this. For a moment, just a moment, he wishes he'd kept up with drawing do he could capture your sweet little face, trying so hard to be brave, to take all of him that you could.

"Still scary?" He questions as you nuzzle into him.

"No." You hide your face in his shoulder as he rests his palms on your waist.

"Nice and slow." He coaches, but it doesn't last long. There was a shift in you that he didn't

He feels you lose a colorful nail digging into his shoulders, as you meet him halfway, instinct taking over. You're surreal. You're so calm and composed, and here you're grinding into him like an animal, chasing something you couldn't reach by yourself.

Hassan thinks, "Go on, take what you need. Take everything I have and I'll thank you for it."

You flutter around him, and Hassan gapes up at you. Your teeth catch his lower lip as your sheriff makes a strangled sound, trying with everything he had, to keep himself under control.

"Where?" He asks, and it takes you a full second to respond, lost to him and yourself.

"I'm on birth control." Hassan exhales, helping to bounce you a few final times before bringing you as close as he can, feeling you squirm and clench down around him.

The sound that leaves your mouth is a sound you have never made before, but it's not your fault.

The knot in your belly snaps, the levee breaks, the high wire you'd been walking has evaporated beneath your feet, and you were falling.

You take him with you, all the way down. The heat between your legs feels addictive, and correct. Fuck the consequences, the two of you deserved this.

You shiver and shake as he holds you steady. Your pussy still throbbing around him, despite his softening cock. The squelching and gasping the two of you make doesn't feel real.

None of this feels real, but then again, Easter had been a once-in-a-lifetime traumatic event, why couldn't he keep you here, like this.

Hassan had many dreams about what you would look like filled with him. Youre delicate, worn out, just as exhausted. Here you were, a more beautiful picture than he ever would have been able to dream up.

Hassan keeps you wrapped around him on the couch. He wanted to ask what you meant by "I'm scared." If it had something to do with last Easter, he'd have to introduce you to his therapist. If you'd overcome a phobia to have him like this, he'll have to make it up to you tenfold.

Though it's not like that would take any effort. The moment he set foot on this island, you had him. It was just a law of nature.

Your sheriff tells you that he loves you, quietly, pressing the words into your shoulder. The two of you stay still, listening to the bugs hum outside.

[a-queer-seminarian]

*deeeeep breath* so. (cw church hurt, religious queerphobia)

another Thing has happened in the unfortunately still-ongoing saga of The Pentecost Incident (see my tag if you don't know, but basically, i visited my childhood church back in late May, my priest gave a queerphobic sermon, i got up and said something, got kicked out and verbally harassed by a dude, it went a little bit viral, ugh). (Oh btw i also discuss it a bit near the end of my latest podcast ep over here).

the priest in question, who's been at this same parish since 2002, has now been reassigned to a different church elsewhere in the Cleveland area.

naturally the same Cleveland journalist who's been covering this story since it started published a fresh article that questions whether the move is related to what happened back in May. The official diocese statement is that the events are unrelated, which. Sure. i could see. I definitely don't think it's "punitive" like the article suggests — apparently this other church is in a more conservative area / the parishioners are more conservative. So i could believe this is either a coincidence, or the bishop decided he'd be a better fit for this other church...or hell, that father tim is the one who requested the transfer to get out of the spotlight or something

which just. really bums me out. because unless he's really changed that much since i knew him better in high school (so a good decade ago), Father Tim isn't like, a Mega Conservative?? Like, relatively speaking, for a Catholic priest.

...If i really wanted to know, i guess i'd have to like, listen back through a ton of his homilies to see if they have gotten more conservative over time but. obviously i'm not going to do that because that would be The Worst thing i could do for my mental and spiritual health lol but. part of me is tempted just so i can Know.

i did what i did primarily as a message to anyone in the pews feeling as alienated and betrayed as i did; and secondarily in hopes that Father Tim would see how what he preached was so hurtful. i sent him a loooong email afterward to explain my feelings more (he replied with a quick sentence about not wanting to talk right now but i'm hoping he at least read it).

and now i can't stop thinking about like. what if what i did instead pushed him further right?? fed his persecution complex???

despite the fact that people on the left don't tend to pose any real physical threat to those we protest, and that i was the one who ended up verbally threatened in this situation, i was never surprised when conservative Catholics by-and-large responded to this incident by being like "see! Catholic-phobia is real!" ...But i hate to think that someone like Father Tim, who's known me for most of my life, would feel like i threatened him or whatever.

part of me knows that wouldn't really be on me if that's the case. most of me knows i would have felt the need to get up and say something regardless of how it's all shaken out — as gut-wrenching as it feels to have so little control over the narrative, i still couldn't have just sat there and said nothing. And i've had enough people from the broader St. Raphael community reach out to thank me and say what I did was encouraging or even healing to stand by my decision.

and yet. it still feels really painful. and this added bit about him being transferred to a new church just makes my stomach hurt. i bet there are people within the parish who now blame me and loathe me for like, tearing their community apart or whatever. and i bet the new church will welcome father tim in like a hero, maybe even expect him to preach more things like what he did that day, which will only push him farther right...

all of this is out of my control. i keep trying to center myself and remind myself of that. but God, it's just painful.

[transmascrage]

Florencio Pla Meseguer, born in 1917, and known as La Pastora, was a shepherd who fought in the resistance against Francisco Franco.

He was intersex, but his parents declared him female. The reason given is different from account to account, some say his father was worried military service would be embarrassing for him, and others say his mother didn't want him to face discrimination.

In an interview in the book "Teresa / Florencio Pla Meseguer "La Pastora". Del monte al mito," by José Calvo Segarra, he says:

When I was born, they put my female name on the parish register, because it was evident that I was not normal, and no one really understood whether I was male or female.

“At least a female must not go as a soldier. A male gets undressed for the visit, and who knows what a shame it would be to be seen like this”. She was thinking of me, my poor mother.

Then he says:

"(…) Do you mean if I felt like a man?

Later, yes, when I was older, and it made me feel bad that everyone saw me as a woman. But back then, as a young girl, I didn't want to think about it and didn't think about it.

I was me, and I was made as I was made. I couldn't choose. I had never chosen anything since I was born, not even a small thing. Never. Could I have chosen the way I was made? I had to take myself as I was and peace. (…)"

And again, when the commander of the partisans came to ask him if he wanted to join:

"Pastora, what are you planning to do?"

Some nights, when we had been drinking, I had told him that I felt more like a man than a woman.

My mother used to say that I was female and I stayed female, but I have everything men have: my strength, my beard, my way of doing things, my wickedness. But people see malice everywhere.

“Because they are ignorant, Pastora, because the fascists who have won the war don't care that people learn, it's better for them all to remain donkeys. What they want is for everything to remain the same, for the poor to break their backs to work, for them not to know how to read, because revolutions are made with books ”.

But what do books matter if people laugh at me?

"They matter, Pastora, matter. In the party, they teach you that people, all people, have dignity and deserve respect, and this is learned in books, there you learn freedom. "

Throughout his life, people were invasive of his genitalia, up to a real episode where he was forced to strip to see "what he was hiding under the skirt.":

"(…) But I'm from here and everyone laughs at me, and they want to see what I have between my legs, only by frightening them have I managed to stay in peace. It's hard, Catalán, a whole life like this. (…)".

And later, when he's asked to join the partisan group and he refuses because he can't fight in petticoats, there's this conversation:

“Didn't I tell you that everyone in the guerrilla is whatever they want? Do you feel like a man, Pastora?".

"Yes," I told him, and looked at the ground as I said it.

“So you'll be. Come with me to my sister's house tonight. She'll cut your hair and dress you like a man. And Teresa can go fuck herself, do you understand? Fuck her! ".

He said that while he was hiding with his companion in the mountains, he thought this:

I kept going, in the mountains there is always a lot to do and I wasn't bored.

I was just sorry I didn't have any sheep with me. I missed the sheep, perhaps because they were the only thing someone like me could miss.

At night we would come to mind many things in my life. I thought I'd missed what everyone had, children and a wife. That I had worked like a beast. That joining the partisans had been good for many reasons, bad for others.

Nice because I had found real companions, because I was finally able to be a man. Because I had learned to read.

Bad because the revolution didn't happen in the end and because the things I had learned hurt my heart.

Now I knew what the dignity of the person was, I knew that we have rights and what exploitation is. And all of this made me think my life had been shit, without anything a man should have.

I imagined what it would have been like if it had gone differently. If my mother hadn't been ashamed of me and she hadn't forced me to be a woman. If I could have gone to school. It hurt my heart to think about it at night, locked inside the cave.

And then I would take the blanket and go out into the open air, lie down and look at the sky, as when I was a shepherd. If it was clear and you could see the stars, I already felt better.

His companion Francisco (I'm not sure if he was his lover or just his comrade.) was killed in the resistance, and Florencio served 17 years in prison.

When he was released, he lived in a small hut with two dogs. It seems he legally changed his name in 1980, approved because of the fact that the urologist and gynecologist that visited him to decide which prison he should be put in, had decided his anatomy was that of a man. He died in 2004.

Obviously, I won't put a label on him, since he was intersex it'd be wrong to declare he was trans, or cis for that matter. I'm only using he/him pronouns because it would feel disrespectful to read all the excerpts where he mentions feeling like a man, and then referring to him as she/her. Besides he used he/him pronouns to refer to himself as well,

However, his experience is very close to transmascs, and obviously to other intersex people, so I wanted to share this story. I think the language he uses to express his identity is the closest to what trans people use nowadays.

He's also described as a "monstrous woman" in articles reporting about his life, and a "lesbian with criminal tendencies.", which is why I'm tagging this as transandrophobia, not because I'm labeling him as transmasc.

[physicsgoblin]

I'm sad because it's yet another year that I've failed to make it to a Midnight Mass for Christmas. Since I converted I've yet to attended one. I'm always just too exhausted and there is no one to help keep me awake. Even with coffee I don't feel safe driving feeling so tired.

It feeds into another feeling of isolation with being a convert and being unmarried. Here is yet another thing I have to try and go through alone. I love my family--I wish they were catholic so I would have support. Yes, there is the Parish but it is a different thing. It doesn't fulfill the day-to-day role. Sitting by myself every Sunday, praying by myself every morning, saying a rosary by myself and feeling so alien when I mention anything catholic to my family.

So if you grew up and are still a part of a good catholic family, please thank God for that for me. It is a gift. Treasure it. It's a part of the reason I want to marry a good man and have children, so that we can raise them in the faith and not be so lonely anymore. I feel most useful when some part of myself is being used up. I think I would understand mass more if I had to explain it to my children. My mom said the Lord sets the lonely in families, I wonder if he would give my lonely heart my own to start?

One day I want to make it to a Midnight Mass. I know that is such a small, silly thing compared to other Christians persecutions and struggles. But I helped decorate our Parish today and it was so lovely and I was looking forward to the Christmas music and the candlelight and I'm angry at myself for feeling so tired. I wanted to go. I wanted someone to go with and sit with. Not just sit beside but a "here, come and sit with me." But that did not happen. And I am sad.

[mariacallous]

The hit Netflix series ‘Baby Reindeer’ – and what a hit, with 56.5 million views in its first 26 days of release – is an exemplary example of a genre I call ‘Netflix good’, well-made, story focused, and moving along at a brisk pace while never letting a particular moment linger into the structurally unusual. The episodes are the right length, the cliffhangers come in the right places, and the needle drops are the songs you’d actually want if you had an adequate musical budget to pay for their hire. If you start watching this show, you generally finish it.

Once you’re done you can also go online and participate in the discourse, or you can skip straight to the discourse if you're short on time.

At least discussion of this series is founded in pretty tangible ethical issues for a change. They revolve around using the disturbing and recent personal story of its creator, Richard Gadd, as the basis of entertainment and the implications of that for the real people involved. Clearly, it’s Gadd’s has the right to present the story of his sexual abuse and stalking as he sees fit. Nonetheless there’s a fairly clear ethical objection here, well articulated by Sarah Ditum of this parish on her own newsletter, that suggests the show would probably have been better not to have been made at all: Namely that, given the shows ‘Martha’ character founded her stalking of Gadd on the delusional belief that he was attracted to her, a seven-episode dramatization of the affair runs the risk of encouraging her in that belief.

So it has proved. That he real-life Martha was being interviewed on Piers Morgan about the case is the kind of thing which would be happening in a stalker’s fantasies of thwarted love. To this extent, ‘Baby Reindeer’ has the potential to promote the behaviour it thematizes.

Overall, tho, I do not know Gadd’s actual experiences, nor am I telling him how to present them, or the real-life people they depict how to react. I do tho know and know intimately another of the worlds the show depicts, namely that of the lower echelons of UK stand-up comedy, that world of sparsely attended open mics, grim comedy competitions, and Edinburgh festival runs at unsuitable venues. And I can say that many of the decisions made about depicting that world, and how it folds into the show’s wider narrative, are either subtly or largely inaccurate – and that, in their own quiet way, feeds into some of the ethical questions as to exactly how much the show departs from reality.

As ‘Baby Reindeer’ begins, Donny (Gadd’s alter ego – you wonder why the name was changed at all) has moved to London to try and make it as a comedian, and at the beginning we see him struggling at a series of open mic gigs. At these Gadd is seen as completely bombing, playing to utter silence and bemused looks, an exaggeratedly baffled response.

The thing is, there are also significant audiences at the gigs we see. In reality, at those kinds of gigs, you get one or the other; tiny rooms and a baffled response, or an actual audience. In the latter case people have usually to some degree elected to be there and are as such less hostile. The kind of response Gadd is getting come occurs at gigs where people are only accidentally there for comedy, and perhaps just wanted a drink in peace; as a former London open micer, looking at those scenes I could only envy that Gadd was getting a whole fifteen people in.

In short, Gadd has exaggerated audience hostility to his – for my money actually quite funny – routines in order to increase the TV audience's sympathy for him. As creative manipulation goes, it’s pretty minor; in comedy reality, he’d be baffling some people and getting laughs from others. It’s not a big distortion – all it evidences is that the writer-director of the series wants to be liked. This may not be unusual from a comic.

The depiction of the comedy competition Gadd is progressing through across the series departs from accuracy much more notably. In this comp, Gadd again plays to silence but helps himself through via some banter with Martha. Maybe this happened; it’s a bit convenient, but as ever, it keeps the story moving.

What certainly didn’t happen was, as is shown in the show, Gadd having his own dressing room in the (quarter and then semi-final) of a comedy competition. Where are the other acts? In a real heat, Gadd would be crammed backstage with countless other comedians, communicating in a weird mixture of tension, nervousness and camaraderie. It seems odd that Gadd is cutting out other comedians like this – I’m sure it’s meant to communicate that his struggle is all alone, but it also runs the risk of coming off as solipsistic.  The little moments of interest in his comedy the show portrays – his colleagues mocking his comedy set in a work office, a stranger in a pub laughing at his clips – also buttress a sense of Gadd’s excessive self-involvement. In real life, other people just don't care about your comedy all that much, let alone enough to mock it in public.

The depiction of Gadd/Donny’s performance at the Edinburgh Festival is somewhat truer to life; the pub with the mic shoved in the cupboard, and big screens showing sport throughout the performances, reminds me of my own run at a southside Edinburgh pub in 2016. Again, the disinterest and hostility of the Scottish pub audience is exaggerated, but there are certainly many days at the festival for unknown acts which sees them play to microcrowds. It’s very awkward when you have one person in your crowd and there’s a walkout.

What is definitely inaccurate is the way Gadd shows up at his venue and then immediately launches into his show; in reality, you’d scope your room out in advance, then come back a few days later and perform. You’d meet the other people who are also doing the same venue; again, other comics are cut out. The people who run your venue would probably be nice. Again, the edges of the process are smoothed out in order to attenuate the ‘hero’s journey’ aspect of the narrative, which I’m not sure sits easily with exactly how this particular hero ends up attaining their success.

It’s in the finale tho that the distortions in Gadd’s depiction of comedy becomes, at least for me, a major issue. In the final of the competition, Gadd starts his set well, getting laughs, but at a certain point breaks down into an emotional monologue about the abuse he has suffered from Martha, his rapist and himself. Ignoring requests to leave the stage, he runs to an end, then eventually walks out through the stunned crowd.

Is this sequence supposed to be a fantasy? For there is absolutely no way it would be allowed to happen in real life. Gadd ignores the light signalling his time is up and refuses to leave the stage; a huge no-no in a competition final where other acts would be expecting to perform. With his confessional monologue, he would have ruined the night for any other of number of comedians. Rather than this moment making his career, it would have been a moment when he acquired a reputation in the industry as not to be worked with. Again, in the world we see, Gadd is the only comedian who exists; for all the media attention his monologue might have gained him, he would have become a pariah amongst his fellow acts. In reality, it was writing two by-all-accounts brilliant Edinburgh shows that got him attention, not breaking down in a comedy competition. We are firmly into ‘print the legend’ here.

It does strike me that a big laugh was missed in this sequence by not, after Gadd had walked off, having the next act come out and say ‘Anyone fancy some juggling?’

Why does this matter? Comedian makes their story a bit more attention-grabbing to win audience affection shocker. This is Netflix Good, after all, where smoothness of narrative is the cardinal virtue.

I’d argue that stuff like this becomes much more significant when you present yourself as having created a work of art which is apparently extremely candid about your own shortcomings. Gadd doesn’t have to tell us, for example, that he masturbated over Martha, or bought her a coffee, or went to her house – this clearly suggests to the audience he is going over and beyond in terms of self-disclosure.

Yet if you’re going to invite the audience to praise you for your honesty, you need to extend it to all aspects of your work. The question inevitably arises that is Gadd is falsifying the less controversial parts of his story – Gadd never broke down in a comedy competition, tho he did win one – are you being 100% truthful about the other stuff?

The answer is no. It was while working on this essay that I learnt that the denoument of the show when – spoiler alert – Martha is sentenced to nine months in prison, was entirely fabricated. To invent this ending seems to me flatly unethical, much more serious than conjuring up a cathartic viral speech out of nowhere. Again, the motivation seems to be the same, of offering the audience narrative closure in terms which more palatable to them. Ensuring that dramatic closure comes before fidelity to real-life traumatic events.

Yet surely one of the lessons of trauma is that life rarely provides this kind of closure, at least not in any convenient sense, and even then only over much longer timeframes than the show depicts. As so often with contemporary trauma narratives, I am left thinking ‘Perhaps this all needed longer to be worked through.’

Gadd is asking for this level of scrutiny by presenting the work as ‘This is a true story’. Not ‘inspired by true events’; ‘This is a true story’. You, the viewer, can trust that events played out pretty much as depicted here; sure, there might be minor inaccuracies, but not colossal ones like making up that someone went to jail. And while Gadd has apparently been clear in interviews that in real-life the events played out differently, the vast majority of people streaming the show will not be aware of said interviews. I certainly wasn’t.

Gadd also created the tools to have his cake and eat it here. The presence of voiceover through the series, too, offered Gadd the opportunity to thematize the play between reality and fantasy: Imagine Martha being sent to prison while Gadd’s voiceover says ‘This never happened. Real-life isn’t so neat.’ Instead, his presentation of the events as literally true invited the army of amateur sleuths and provoked the TV appearance of the real Martha we have seen.

The overall sense is of a man who has taken quite a few shortcuts in the desire to let nothing come between him and his big break. Gadd seems to have followed the view of the poet John Berryman that ‘The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At that point, he's in business.’ This is not to dispute that awful things have happened to Richard Gadd. No one is expecting him to be a perfect victim; he can tho be a wholly conscientious artist.

Sometimes in ‘Baby Reindeer’ Gadd seems to be licking his lips a little too obviously at the quality of material his life is delivering to him, and the way he adds climaxes of comedy virality or justice being served heightens that sense of exploitation. The simple fact that he’s spent so many years working through this material in the years immediately after it happened strikes me as odd too – I’d want to live away from it first and let time do its transforming work. Gadd has spent nearly a decade combining his traumas into the most accessible form possible and apparently seasoning them with falsifications large and small to ensure they slide down a mass audience’s throat.

I think for true stories Netflix Good has to take a second seat to messy reality. If you are going to draw so directly from real life, I think you have to obey not just emotional truth but the actual historical record; longeurs, pauses and ungainly timescales are not just details but in some way essential to the way things happened; you have to respect the rhythms of reality. You have to run the risk of having things being a little bumpier for your audience to show greater fidelity to those involved and yourself – and I think you have to show a little more of your workings, and your own engagement with such ethical questions too. One reason we make characters and stories up is to free ourselves from the full weight of such concerns; when we draw from life, they need I’d suggest to be considered more directly.

There’s a strange aspect of so much confessional writing these days, in that it conceals in its heart a desperate desire to be liked. The whole point of true confession is you have to leave people the right to detest you if they wish; the mere fact of being honest is not in itself exculpatory. You need to be honest even when it jeopardizes the potential success of your story; to be blunt, if ‘Baby Reindeer’ had hewn more closely to life, I doubt it would have been such a massive hit.

Still, at least the show doesn’t show a comedian making up material on the spot and getting huge laughs for it. That’s something at least. Stand-up comedians practice bits again and again, removing anything extraneous that gets in the way of the joke landing. The stakes are just higher when you apply that logic to things which actually happened. You might remove something the audience needs to know.

[rose-sophia-isabella-rogers]

Only You

Pairing: Kevin Ryan/Reader

Characters: Reader, Kevin Ryan, Lanie Parish, Javier Esposito, Richard Castle, Kate Beckett, Original Male Character, Janie O'Malley (Only Mentioned), Roy Montgomery

Word Count: 3057

A/N: There are very little fanfictions with Kevin Ryan/Reader pairing. Therefore, I've decided to write my own. This is also my first time writing a one-shot. Happy reading! I don't own anything from the TV show "Castle" nor you. P.S. English isn't my first language, so if you see some mistakes, let me know!

"You never realize how much you love someone until you watch them loving someone else." ~Unknown~

You're putting files on your desk when you see Lanie walking to you. Your face falls. Hers twist in annoyance.

'Girl, why are you still working?' she asks. 'You should be ready to leave!'

'Leave?' Esposito asks, surprised. 'Where are you going?'

'On a date with a friend of mine,' Lanie answers. Esposito and Castle whistles. Beckett rolls her eyes. Ryan, who's walking over to your group, stops suddenly.

'It's not a date!' you protest, blushing. 'I agreed to meet him so you would stop nagging me, but it's not a date.'

'Mhm, wait until you meet him,' Lanie says, not at all intimidated. You send her a glare and start packing your things.

'Where am I supposed to meet him, anyway?' you ask. 'I keep asking you that all day.'

'Oh, he's coming here to get you,' Lanie answers. You freeze. You give her a terrified look.

'He's what now?' you ask. 'Lanie, no. Don't do this to me.'

'How else was I supposed to be sure you're actually going to show up?' Lanie asks, shrugging. Before you can say another word, the door to the elevator opens. You look up and you freeze. Your eyes go wide and your mouth almost hang open.

From the elevator a handsome stranger walks out. He's wearing a navy-blue suit with a tie of the same color. He has a dark short slightly curly hair. His eyes are blue, almost grey. He has a light stubble. And in his hands is a bouquet of flowers. His eyes fall on you and he smiles. The moment he does, you feel your knees going week and you feel you're about to melt. His smile is gorgeous!

'Luke, hi!' Lanie calls with a smile. She glances at you and smirks. The man, Luke, walks over to her.

'Lanie, hi,' he greets her and they hug. Beckett leans to you.

'Wow,' she whispers.

'Double wow,' you whisper back. Luke looks at you and you quickly straighten your posture. But then he smiles and you think you're about to swoon again.

'This is my friend I told you about,' Lanie says and turns to you. 'And this is Luke.'

'Hi,' you manage to say, offering him your hand. He takes it but instead of shaking it, he kisses it. Are you blushing? You feel your cheeks are hot.

'Hi, it's very nice to meet you,' Luke says and offers you the flowers. 'These are for you.'

'Oh. You didn't have to,' you say, embarrassed, as you take the flowers. Luke shakes his head.

'My parents taught me to always give flowers a girl you want to go on a date with,' he says. Right, now you're definitely blushing.

'Who says romance is dead?' Beckett teases and offers Luke her hand. 'Hi, I'm Kate. And these are Rick, Javier and Kevin. We're Lanie's friends.'

'Yeah, Lanie told me about you,' Luke says with a smile. 'It's good to meet you.'

He shakes hands with everyone. Ryan hesitates a moment before his turn, though.

'I promise to bring her home safe and sound,' Luke says.

'You better,' Esposito says. 'We're detectives. If something happens to her… we will know.'

Luke nods, taking the words very seriously. You hurry to gather your things, avoiding looking at your friends.

'Okay, we can go,' you say. 'See you all tomorrow.'

'Have fun,' Beckett says with a smile.

'We'll try not solving the case without you,' Castle promises.

'And remember we'll want details tomorrow,' Esposito says. You glare at him.

'I hate you,' you say. Lanie puts a hand on your back and pushes you and Luke toward the exit.

'Don't mind him, just have lots of fun,' she says.

'Bye! It was great meeting you,' Luke says, shooting a last smile at your friends.

'Bye!' they all say. Luke offers you his arm. You take it, blushing, and step into the elevator with him. A moment later you're gone.

'Damn, Lanie,' Esposito says. 'Where did you take him from?'

'Ah-ah, not telling,' Lanie says, smirking.

'Didn't he seem a bit… I don't know… too nice?' Ryan asks, frowning. Others look at him, puzzled.

'He seemed alright to me,' Esposito says.

'And he is, trust me,' Lanie promises.

'Even so… it won't hurt to check him,' Ryan says. He turns and hurries to his computer. His friends exchange a knowing look.

~*~

Next day Kate comes to work alone. Castle has some family emergency. When she exits the elevator, she sees that from her team only you are already here. You're sitting on your desk, staring at the murder board. There's a small smile on your face.

'Hey,' Beckett says, dropping her things on her desk. 'How was your… meeting?'

'I think we can call it a date,' you admit, smiling shyly. Beckett grins.

'That well, huh?' she asks.

'You have no idea,' you answer, grinning. 'He's a perfect gentleman. So nice, kind and sweet. I can't remember when was the last time I had so much fun talking with someone.'

'That's great,' Kate says. 'And did he walk you home?'

'You can say that,' you answer, looking down with a smile.

'Really?' Kate asks and chuckles. You give her a look.

'Can you blame me?' you ask. 'Kate, you saw his smile. I was melting at his smile. It didn't take much to move to other things.'

'And how was it?' Kate asks. You grin.

'Amazing,' you answer. Kate grins back, happy for you. Just then the elevator dings and the door open. Castle, Ryan and Esposito walk out and head toward you two.

'Ah, hello, ladies!' Castle greets you and looks at you. 'How was your… Can I say "date"?'

'Yes, you may and it was wonderful,' you answer happily and stand up. 'Maybe I'm not cursed after all. Be right back.'

You beam at your friends and head to the social room, a spring in your steps. Esposito chuckles.

'It's good to see her so happy,' he says.

'Yeah,' Ryan murmurs, his face grim. Without another word he walks to his desk. Castle and Esposito exchange a look.

A few minutes later you return with a hot drink in your hand. Esposito and Ryan are talking about something. Castle and Beckett are nowhere to be seen.

'- with Jenny,' you hear Ryan saying when you join your friends. You feel a nasty feeling in your stomach.

'How is Jenny?' you ask, trying to act nonchalant. Ryan shoots you a look.

'She's… good,' he answers and clears his throat. 'Very good. And how is… Luke? Did you have fun with him?'

'Yes, I did,' you answer. You and Ryan stare at each other for a moment. Then you look away awkwardly and go to your desk. Esposito stands alone and looks after you two.

'Those two are hopeless,' he murmurs and goes to his desk.

~*~

For the next weeks, you continue to go on dates with Luke. It's going great and soon you even start calling himself your boyfriend. You seem to be glowing and your friends are happy for you. Well. Except, it seems, for Ryan.

While you grow closer to Luke, you and Ryan drift apart. Every time you are having a conversation with a group, Ryan tries to leave it as soon as possible. Whenever you find yourself alone, he quickly finds an excuse to go. You try to pretend it doesn't bother you, but it hurts you a lot.

Your friends, of course, notice the change in your and Ryan's friendship. They try to mend it, but they seem to be at a loss. They have no idea how to fix it. But on the contrary to you, they know what the problem is. However, they also know they can't do anything to fix it.

One day, Castle and Beckett walk into the morgue, with glum faces. Lanie raises her eyebrows.

'I'd ask who died, but it seems inappropriate in here,' she says. Beckett sighs.

'Sorry, Lanie,' she says. 'Things are a bit… tense in the team.'

'What happened?' Lanie asks, frowning.

'Luke happened,' Castle says and gives Lanie a look. 'Why did you think it's a great idea to hook them up?'

'It was a great idea and you won't tell me she's not happier,' Lanie says, not sorry at all.

'Yeah, but now things between her and Ryan are worse and worse,' Castle says. Lanie crosses her arms, her expression stern.

'Well, it's not my fault they refused to admit their feelings and Ryan can't deal with his jealousy,' she says. 'I just helped to even out the field.'

Castle huffs. Beckett tries to suppress a smile.

'The victim?' she asks. Lanie quickly tells them all the information she has for them. They don't come back to the previous conversation.

~*~

One day you, Beckett, Ryan, Esposito and Castle go to an abandoned factory to confront your suspect. The building turns out to be a labyrinth and you have to split up. You walk for some time on your own, your gun at the ready. Until suddenly there are two possible ways in front of you. But a second later Ryan comes from one of them.

'Let's go,' Ryan says after a moment of awkward silence. You nod and you go the only possible way together. The atmosphere is tense and eerie. You don't hear any sound. You don't like it.

Finally, after yet another turn, you see a set of doors. You check them one by one with Ryan. In one room you find a large box and a board with photos of your victim. All of them crossed with a red pen.

'Seems he's our killer after all,' you say, looking closer at the photos.

'Yeah, looks like it,' Ryan agrees, checking the box. 'I found clothes with blood on it. I'm gonna guess they belong to our guy and the blood belongs to our victim.'

'Poor girl,' you say, staring at one of the photos. 'She could do so much with her life.'

Suddenly, there's a loud noise behind you. Both of you jump and turn. The door is closed. Ryan rushes to it and tries to open it.

'It won't budge,' he groans. 'They're locked. And shooting at the lock won't work. It won't open it.'

'Great,' you murmur and take out your phone. 'And guess what? There's no signal.'

Ryan curses. He starts walking around the room.

'Maybe there's another way out,' he says, checking the walls. 'And if not, we just have to wait until others find us.'

'Unless they're trapped as well,' you suggest. Ryan stops for a moment.

'Let's stay positive,' he says and resumes checking the walls. You sigh and do the same on the other side of the room.

'We can actually use this situation,' you say after a moment.

'For what?' Ryan asks. You're silent for a moment.

'Since there's no way for you to leave, you could tell me what I did wrong,' you finally say.

'What do you mean?' Ryan asks, tensing. You sigh.

'Ryan, you've been avoiding me like a fire lately,' you say and turn to him. 'We used to be so close. What happened, huh? What did I do? If I did something to offend you, I apologize, but please, just talk to me.'

You look at him pleadingly. Ryan stops but doesn't turn to face you. Silence fills the room.

'You didn't do anything,' Ryan finally says quietly. 'I… I'm an idiot, that's all. And a bad friend.'

'Care to elaborate?' you ask, raising your eyebrows. Ryan sighs and finally turns. There's sadness in his eyes.

'I want to be happy for you, I really do, because you seem to be with Luke,' he says. 'But I can't look at it.'

'Why?' you ask, frowning. Ryan chuckles dryly.

'Because it's not me you're happy with,' he answers. You stare at him, stunned.

'What do you mean by that?' you ask but Ryan looks away and is quiet. 'Ryan, what are you trying to say?'

'That I like you!' he exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. 'Okay? I like you. More than a friend. A-And seeing you happy with another guy… it hurts. I'm jealous and I know that it's pathetic. I know that I was awful to you lately because of that and I'm sorry. But I can't change how I feel. Believe me, I tried.'

You're shocked by his words. But then you feel anger filling you.

'You're a moron,' you say, clenching your fists. 'If you truly like me so much, then why have you started dating Jenny? Because you are the one who had a relationship first. And I tried to be supportive, to be glad you're happy. But it hurt. It hurt so much.'

You blink away the unwanted tears. Ryan is looking at you with a stunned expression. You gulp.

'Why do you think I wasn't going on dates before?' you ask. 'Because no one was good enough and I… I couldn't let it go. But I knew I have to. So when Lanie started nagging me about her friend, I thought that maybe it's time I… moved on. And while I enjoy spending time with Luke… I'm not happy. Not really. Because he's not the one I want to be with.'

You and Ryan stare at each other for a moment. Finally, Ryan chuckles and looks down.

'We're hopeless idiots, aren't we?' he asks. 'I'm sorry I hurt you. I thought it's a bad idea to have something with you, since we're working together. And I never thought you'd want to be with me.'

'I thought exactly the same things,' you admit quietly. Ryan looks up at you. Slowly, hesitantly, he walks to you. Soon, he' standing right in front of you.

'You're an amazing woman,' he says softly, causing you to look up at him. 'I adore your laugh and smile. When you're sad, I want to comfort you. I admire your courage and your intelligence. I…'

He chuckles. There are tears in his eyes.

'I love you,' he says. You inhale sharply.

'Kevin…' you say, stunned, and gulp after a moment. 'I hate you.'

'Okay, that hurt,' Kevin says, frowning. You shake your head.

'I don't mean it really,' you say. 'Just… I… With you I feel safe. You are… so kind, funny and you can always make me laugh when I need it. I'm not afraid to be vulnerable around you. I admire you so much. I… I love you, too.'

Kevin starts to grin. But you look at him sadly.

'And that's why I hate you,' you say and Kevin stops smiling. 'Because I can't have you. You and Jenny… you are perfect. She's everything I'm not.'

'She's not you,' Kevin says. You shake your head.

'I don't want you to break her heart,' you say. Kevin looks down.

'I think that if I continue this relationship, knowing how you feel, I'd be unfair to both of you,' he says. 'And to myself.'

You nod sadly. Kevin cups your face. You look up at him. He smiles softly.

'Can I say it again?' he asks and you nod slowly, not sure what he means. 'I love you.'

You smile. You lean slightly toward him.

'I love you, too,' you say quietly. Kevin's eyes shine with happiness. He leans toward you and before you can think whether it's right, you're kissing and it feels wonderful. Sure, kissing Luke was amazing. But this… this was right. You know Kevin is the person you're supposed to kiss. You don't care about the obstacles you have yet to face. Now all that matters is how perfect your lips match his. You forget about the world outside. All that matters is Kevin, the kiss and…

There's a loud noise that causes you and Kevin to jump away from each other with wide eyes. You look at the door and see your friends. They're surprised to find you in such positions. But soon there are smirks on their faces.

'Looks like we've rescued them too soon,' Beckett teases.

'So how long has this been going on between the two of you?' Castle asks. You and Kevin exchange a look.

'Uh… a few minutes?' you ask hesitantly. Your friends give you blank stares. Then they turn to leave.

'Should have locked them up somewhere ages ago,' Esposito says, as they exit the room. You hear Beckett and Castle agreeing with him. You and Kevin look at each other.

'They… knew, didn't they?' you ask.

'Looks like it,' Kevin says. For a moment you stare at each other, then chuckle.

'So… what now?' you ask.

'We will figure something out,' Kevin answers, shrugging, and smiles. 'Because after that kiss… I'm not letting you go. Never again.'

You grin at him and press your forehead to his. You're about to say something sweet, but Esposito's voice ruins it:

'Yo, are you two coming or are we supposed to arrest the murderer without you?!'

~*~

A few days later another case is solved. It was a quick job well done, so Castle decides it needs to be celebrated.

'Let's take it to a bar!' he proposes. 'Drinks are on me!'

'If that's how you put it,' Esposito says with a grin. 'Beckett?'

'Why not?' Beckett asks, smiling. Castle turns to coming Ryan.

'Ryan, we're going drinking,' he informs him.

'Uh, yeah, without me, I'm afraid,' Ryan says. 'Sorry, guys, I have plans.'

'What plans?' Castle asks, but Ryan is already walking away. 'Ryan, what plans?'

Ryan doesn't seem to hear him. Or ignores him. Instead, he walks to your desk, where you are gathering your things.

'Ready?' he asks you. You smile and nod. You turn to your friends and wave.

'See you tomorrow!' you call. Kevin takes your hand in his and you two head toward the elevator. Your friends stare at you, surprised. Captain Montgomery leaves his office and joins them.

'Did they finally admit their feelings?' he asks.

'They even kissed,' Castle answers. 'But… what about Jenny and Luke?'

'I think that since they're obviously going on a date, they've already solved this,' Beckett says.

'Well, then there's only one thing left to say,' Montgomery says. 'About damn time.'

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hoped you liked it. Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Have a lovely day/night! This fic can also be find on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45635002

[sideshowmads]

It’s a Good Omens Rant ✨

I’m really sick of holding this in so here it is, and I don’t really give a fuck who sees this at this point because I’ve had it. If you’re pissed by the end of it, it’s probably because I’m talking about you 💓 ✌🏻  I really feel like a lot of the people I've seen complaining about the nepotism when it comes to Ty and Peter's roles or Georgia & Anna being (or now in this case, not being) in Good Omens are the people that ship David and Michael together aggressively or have this extreme attitude towards G & A and at this point, I'm really starting to believe the only reason y’all are pissed is because you know it's gonna break the alternate reality you’ve built in your head where Georgia, Anna, and/or their families aren’t around and Michael and David can live happily ever after together because other than that, it doesn’t make sense to me. It feels so disingenuous that so many people would say “Well it’s nepotism and it’s disgusting” etc. when no one made a peep about nepotism until it had to do with Good Omens. So, in that case, I ask everyone with “concerns”, where is your outrage for every other time this has happened in the industry? Or even with Michael and David specifically before Good Omens?  There wasn’t a huge outcry when Ty was in ATWI80D No one said anything when Georgia Produced YM&H and David had a leading role No one had anything detrimental to say about Georgia meeting David on the set of DW which she most surely got that part because of her father How many times has David worked with Nina Sosanya? Jessica Hynes? Sarah Parish? Fenella Woolgar? Several times for each person and no one bats an eye...

We could go on and on and you’ll still find that there was nowhere near the level of complaining and “concern” with any other show/film than there has been with Good Omens and it’s really sad.  Because it’s very apparent that the “concern” is very one sided to the narrative of “We have to keep their families out of it because it ruins the illusion” and that’s such a weird take to have... especially because you know David and Michael wouldn’t vibe with that, whatsoever. 

Listen, I understand, I enjoy RPF, kinda, in the right circumstances, and usually I’m all about letting people believe what they want, but the fact that so many of you have had this attitude towards something that you haven’t even seen yet and don’t have any context for strictly because you’re pissed that David and Michael don’t get to stay in their little bubble where their real outside relationships don’t exist is mind blowing.  I honestly don’t care whether or not you’re mad about it. It’s a fucking tv show that many, many, many people poured their heart into making and if you believe for a second that two people could “ruin” that with their presence and it causes you genuine “concern” then maybe you should step back and re-evaluate on whether or not this fandom is the best place for you. Not only is that just a shitty attitude to have, it’s such a slap in the face to every single person that worked on the show and did their best to make it something worth watching. And before everyone jumps the gun, because I know it’s coming, we can all save it with the “no one is exempt from criticism” angle, because y’all passed criticism about 8 miles back and it’s now just turned into a full fledge bitchfest where you’re looking for insults on purpose.  But y’all can do you. I’m not bothered by any of it and I’m gonna enjoy every bit of Good Omens 2 🥰

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

16th November >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Luke 17:20-25 for Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time: 'The kingdom of God is among you.’

Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 17:20-25 The kingdom of God is among you.

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’

He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’

Gospel (USA) Luke 17:20-25 The Kingdom of God is among you.

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

Reflections (6)

(i) Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time 

Have you ever found yourself looking for something and then discovering that it has been there ‘under your nose’ all the time? In the gospel reading, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come. They failed to recognize that it has been there under their noses all the time. It was present in the life and ministry of Jesus, as he goes about healing the sick, proclaiming the year of God’s favour, gathering a new community around him of men and women from all walks of life. God has been ruling in and through all that Jesus has been saying and doing. As Jesus says to the Pharisees, ‘The kingdom of God is among you’. The kingdom of God has not yet fully come. As Jesus goes on to tell his disciples, that will only happen when Jesus, the Son of Man, returns in all his glory. In what sense is the kingdom of God already among us today? It is among us when the sick and vulnerable are cared for, when people experience God’s favour in and through our lives, when communities are formed that value and treasure every member. The first reading speaks of Wisdom as a reflection of God’s light and an image of God’s goodness. The kingdom of God is among us whenever anyone of us reflects to others something of the light of God’s love, whenever we show ourselves to be an image of God’s goodness. If the risen Lord stood among us today, he might say to us what was said to the Pharisees, ‘the kingdom of God is among you’. He would invite us to lift up our eyes and see the signs of the presence of God’s kingdom among us, here in our own parish, in our communities, in our own homes. 

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Sometimes we can miss something of great significance. It is there before us but we do not see it. In this morning’s gospel reading the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come. In reply Jesus says to them, ‘You must know, the kingdom of God is among you’. They failed to see that the kingdom of God was present to them in and through the person of Jesus. They were not alert to the signs of God’s kingdom in the ministry of Jesus. The kingdom of God was there but in a less dramatic form than they expected it. The gospel reading reminds us that the Lord is present in our lives in more ways than we realize. His presence does not always admit of observation in the words of today’s gospel reading. It will often be un-dramatic, without fanfare. Yet the Lord is really present especially in the words and deeds of people that build up and heal and bring life. The Lord has assured us that we will never be without his presence. What we need are eyes to see and ears to hear, the eyes and ears of faith. Like the disciples earlier in Luke’s gospel we need to pray, ‘Increase our faith’.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

I like that poem by Joseph Mary Plunkett which begins, ‘I see his blood upon the rose and in the stars the glory of his eyes’. All of nature spoke to him of Jesus. He recognized the Lord in the wonder and diversity of God’s creation. He had a keen eye, a spiritual eye. The Pharisees in the gospel reading this morning lacked that keen eye. They asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come, yet they were blind to the signs of God’s kingdom already present to them. As Jesus says to them, ‘You must know, the kingdom of God is among you’. Jesus was referring to all that was happening in his ministry, all that he was saying and doing. The God of life was powerfully at work in the ministry of Jesus and yet many people could not see that; instead they felt threatened by him. The God of life continues to work powerfully among us in and through the risen Lord, in and through the Holy Spirit. What Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit is there to be observed in people’s lives, the first fruit of the final harvest of the kingdom of God. We need eyes to see the signs of the kingdom in our midst. We come before the Lord in our blindness, asking him to help us to see.

And/Or

(iv) Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

The question that the Pharisees put to Jesus shows a preoccupation with the future coming of the kingdom of God. ‘When will the kingdom of God come?’ In response, Jesus directs their focus from the future to the present. The kingdom of God, the days of the Son of Man, may not have come in all its fullness and the timing of that future coming can never be calculated. Yet, the kingdom of God is to some extent already present, in and through the ministry of Jesus, ‘You must know’, Jesus says, ‘the kingdom of God is among you’. Jesus would say the same to us today. The present is not all God would want it to be. That is why Jesus teaches us to pray in the prayer he gave us, ‘thy kingdom of God’. Yet, the seeds of God’s kingdom are already present among us. The rule of God is already working itself out in the lives of those who are seeking to live by the values of Jesus, who strive to walk in his way and to live by his truth. Those seeds are present in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. We need eyes to see the many signs of how God is working among us through his Son and the Spirit. Recognizing those seeds will give us confidence that the final harvest will come. In the words or Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we can be confident that God who has begun this good work among us will bring it to completion.

And/Or

(v) Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Many people ask questions of Jesus in the course of the gospels. Jesus does not always answer the question in the way that people might expect. In this morning’s gospel reading, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come. They heard him proclaim, ‘the kingdom of God is at hand’, and they wanted him to set a date for its coming. It was a ‘when’ question, but Jesus did not give a ‘when’ answer. Yes, there will be a time in the future when the kingdom of God will come in all its fullness, when the Son of Man will come in great power and glory. However, Jesus does not go down the road of calculating the timing of this future event. Rather, he draws attention to the here and now. The kingdom of God in all its fullness may be a future reality, but there is a sense in which it is already a present reality. As Jesus says to his questioners, ‘the kingdom of God is among you’. The kingdom of God is in your midst, if only you had eyes to see it. It is present in what Jesus is saying and doing. The kingdom of God is present among us today, because Jesus, now in his risen form, continues to move among us, in word and in deed. The kingdom of God may be hidden, like the mustard seed in the soil or the leaven in the flour, but it is here among us in all its transforming power. When we feel low in ourselves or we feel discouraged about the state of the church, we need to repeat to ourselves those words of Jesus in today’s gospel reading, ‘the kingdom of God is among you’.

And/Or

(vi) Thursday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come, and Jesus replies that it is already here, ‘you must know, the kingdom of God is among you’. The kingdom of God was already present in and through the ministry of Jesus, in his preaching and teaching, is his healing of the sick, in his seeking the lost, in his including the excluded. Jesus goes on to acknowledge that the kingdom of God has not yet fully arrived. That will only happen when, as he says, the day of the Son of Man comes, when the Lord comes again in glory at the end of time. However, in many respects this future is already present, even if not fully present; the coming rule of God is already at work in the here and now through Jesus, our risen Lord. Jesus could teach us to pray, ‘Father, thy kingdom come’, while also declaring, ‘the kingdom of God is at hand’. We all might be tempted to ask the question the Pharisees ask in the gospel reading, ‘When will the kingdom of God come?’ We are very aware that the world in which we live, with its various earthly kingdoms, is a long way from being the kingdom of God; we easily recognize that God’s will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. Yet, Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ question invites us to be attentive to the signs of God’s kingdom that are already among us. Wherever God’s love that filled the life of Jesus finds some expression in any human life, there the kingdom of God is present. It is above all when we are tempted to become discouraged at the state of our world that we need to become more attuned to those signs of God’s kingdom that are all around us.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[mischiefashale]

If all of these people turning into mist is supposed to be an explanation for why Alison isn't dead then she should have turned into damn mist too.

I wish these guys remembered that the light comes from the same place as the music. I wish to see these battles.

Remember who you are. Is this the Lion King?

Eli wolfing out for the first time right after he loses his dad is a much better narrative.

OMG Allison is about to push Scott off of Pride Rock bahahaha. Lion King indeed.

Of course he would stab himself instead of just knocking her out.

Jackson continues to give me life.

Peter Hale crawling around sniffing on pride Rock is going to live rent free in my head forever.

He had to be that close to the ground to smell blood? I don't even care it's just amazing.

"don't fight the Oni, kill them." Leave it to Lydia to be the voice of reason.

He knew that was the plan and still stabbed himself anyways. Oh for the love of God.

Lydias love of chemistry is showing.

How did Jackson not know that Rowan trees become mountain ash?

Okay fine I can ship Malia and parish as long as it means her getting a man who's on her level.

"Then I'm definitely not dying tonight.." lol

She should be having flashbacks to her sewing Scott up.

This shit is killing me.

That wolfsbane should have gone to his heart and killed him already.

He's definitely gonna stick his claws in her neck.

I love Derek's excitement at Eli learning to heal.

Yassss obligatory lacrosse scene.

So is BH big enough for a college or did they walk across Beacon County.

Supposed to be dead is now just "starting to become a recurring theme" STARTING!?!?!

Omfg it's been awhile since I read spoilers I forgot it's HARRIS as the big bad. HARRIS!?!?!!

I hope someone punches Jeff Davis.

Omfg I have so many better Ally resurrection stories.

Only responds to fire and the wolfsbane you shit him with! FFS

What in the fucking rewrite of canon is happening here?

You want to live or not? With a road flare? I guess it makes sense since he almost died by one oh wait and there's the flashbacks.

That is Def Stiles Jr

And then she just leaves to find her dad? Like omg maybe stick together.

Jeff Davis really has no qualms about giving big grown up feelings to emotionally stunted children.

Jackson can touch mountain ash now?

Omfg yes it is HARRIS. I can't decide if it's Pete Jackson to not remember the teacher that had a hard-on for him or not.

But I am dying at Jackson being like I was in London for all of that.

I'm also loving the look on a coach's face as soon as he see Scott McCall. "you are not ruining this for me."

HE IS NOT PLAYING LAX! NO NO NO WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? Why is this Coaches solution?

We all know that should say number 24.

If I didn't hate this narrative so much I would think that Harris would be actually a good villain.

Coyotes breaking into the house is why Derek doesn't transform? I would most certainly think that the smell of a predator like a werewolf would have kept the coyotes at Bay.

And why wasn't Derek turning into a wolf all the time to let his son play with him and his puppy self.

I hate that this is the reason she left Stiles.

How the fuck is Harris alive? Tho?

Bahahaha Greenburg.

But really was there a reason that Scott had to join him on the field?

Of course Scott can take being stabbed legitimately in the heart and still talk but Peter gets a little cut on the hand and he's down for the count.

Omg Malia is my favorite. "Okay what do you need? You need a pep talk one of those you can do this speeches? I don't do speeches I don't do pep talks. I'm not here to boost your ego. And I'm not going to be your cheerleader. So whatever you need to do to get your shit together, you're going to do this for yourself, and you got to do this right now."

[fangirlstorycreator]

Max Parish X Reader

Context: Max gives you a suprise present for your birthday 💚

Ever since you knew Max, he always liked going above and beyond to make you smile. Even before you two got together, he did everything he could to make your day better. That also included birthdays, your birthday was tomorow and he didnt know what he could get you. On previous birthdays he had given you jewellery, clothes, romantic dinners out, naughty nights in 😏 and many more. But he just didnt know what he could get you now.

"Babes, what would you like for your birthday?" "Oh I dont need anything Max, don't worry about getting me a gift this year" "But it's your birthday, I want to show you how much you mean to me, how much I love you" His words warm your heart, and you pull him in for a sweet kiss. "I love you too Max, and you are all i could ever want. Let's just spend the day together tomorow, hows that?" "If that's what you want, let's do that. Oh, will you be wanting the 'Parish Special'?" You giggle at him, because that means he's going to be pulling all of his best moves in the bedroom. "A birthday with the 'Parish Special' is a perfect way to spend our time together" Sharing another kiss again, you both got ready for bed and went to sleep.

But Max couldn't sleep, he was desperate to do something for you, he wanted to make your birthday special. He was scrolling through his Facebook when he came across a post from a friend of his, and his friends dog had given birth to puppy's a few weeks ago, and there was one puppy left who needed a home. That's when Max remembered something you spoke to him about years ago, when you had a puppy growing up and would love to be able to have one again. And that was it! He sneaked out of bed, being careful not to disturb you and made a call to his friend in the living room. After he finished the call, he grabbed his jacket, snuck out of the flat and didnt return until a few hours later.

He set himself an early alarm clock, you never heard them so luckily you didnt wake up. But Max got out of bed just as the sun was coming up, and again, sneaked out of the house to where his friend was. A few hours later, you wake up in bed and have a good stretch. But when you look over, you see that Max isn't there. "Max? Babe?" Then he walks into the bedroom, holding a trey of breakfast and some orange juice, with a little vase and a rose in it. "Oh Max, this is so sweet of you, thank you. And hear I thought that YOU were going to be my breakfast in bed" Max chuckles at you, leans in and gives you a kiss, then places the trey on your lap.

"Well that can still happen if you'd like babes. Happy birthday Y/N" "Thank you Max, this is a lovely way to wake up" "Well, once you have eaten that, I'd like you to come with me into the living room. I have a surprise for you" "A suprise? You know Max if you wanted to give me the 'Parish Special' it would be much easier to do it in hear. Remember the last time we had sex in the living room? We broke 2 lamps!" "Yeh well, we were both very flexible that day" He says as you both laugh. "But honestly babes, your suprise present is waiting for you living room" "Max I told you I dont need you to get me anything" "You say that now, but just you wait until you see it"

You finish up your breakfast, get dressed and go into the living room where Max is waiting, with a large colourful box on the floor. "Happy birthday babe!" You are slightly confused at this point. "You got me a box?" You ask playfully, he just chuckles and takes you by your hand, guiding you onto the floor where the box is. "Take a look inside" The box isnt wrapped up, but there is a loosely tied bow on the top, you pull at it gently, move the pieces of the box away from eachother and that's when you see what's inside. "Oh my god Max, you didnt" "Oh but I did babes"

You reach into the box and pull out a little fluffy brown puppy, only a few weeks old. It's so cute and soft and it has the most beautiful eyes. You hold it close to your chest as you give it a little cuddle and stroke its fur. "Oh Max, shes adorable" "Oh, it's a he actually, a boy" "Max I cant belive you bought me a puppy, this is the best gift you could ever get me. How did you manage this?" "Well I know you said you didnt need anything for your birthday, but I still wanted to do something for you. And my friends dog had one puppy left from a litter and noone wanted him. But I knew that you would fall in love with him as soon as you laid eyes on the little guy" "How did you manage to sneak a puppy into the flat?" "Well I popped out to the pet shop last night before it closed and got a few essentials for him, then early this morning I went to my friends house and picked him up"

The puppy is looking up at you, and your heart fills with so much love. "Thank you Max, hes perfect. Just like you" You say before giving Max a sensual kiss. "So what's his name Max?" "Well actually, he doesn't have a name yet. He is your puppy after all, why dont you pick?" Looking at the little ball of cuteness in your arms, one name pops into your mind. "Alfie. I think he suits Alfie"