#i didn’t expect her to survive season 7 but I’m so happy she did

[justanamesstuff]

Chapter 7

Seasons

Matty Healy x f!reader A/N: I can't believe we are soooooooo close to the end!! I hope you like the chapter and dont scream at me because Matty is being an absolute asshole lol LOVE YOU GUYSSS ♥ Warnings: ANGSTTTT, matty being a dick (again), breakup, typos. Word count: 4.8 K

MASTERLIST TAGLIST

< Chapter 6

One week later

Matty woke up one week later of the car ride with Y/n. The day had come sooner than he expected. Matty wished time during that week had passed slower than it did.  

After waking up, he had kept his sight fixed on the roof of his room, while his mind raced at 100 km/h. He didn’t want to start the day, he wanted to skip it completely. 

Why he had offered the woman of his dreams, the love of his stupid little life, his own house to present another man as her boyfriend…why? A few explanations infected his Matty’s mind. Lesson for the future: don’t offer anything when you’re drunk or high. 

At the same time regret was pumping inside his heart and brain, his mind was trying to settle a little because he had a main reason above every excuse: Matty loved Y/n with every part of his soul, and he wanted to make her wishes come true. Matty wanted her to be happy. So, if her wish was to present Tom to the rest of the group, who was he to deny that? 

Matty had no choice. It wasn’t like he could say ‘Oh, y/n…remember what I offered you, and we finished arranging like two days ago? Well, I’m not in the mood, or will be every in this mood for it. No, in a million years no. He had to put on his big boy pants and survived the day. Just for her.

Matty’s heart was swelling with the thought of Y/n choosing another man, thinking why on earth she didn’t love him back the way he did. He knew many things were wrong with him, the singer knew his sins and mistakes, but he craved her love no matter what. Matty expected Y/n to love him despite everything. Y/n was a kind soul that didn’t deserve an asshole like himself, even though he wanted her to be a little stupid and picked him.

In the same household, but in another part of the house, Adam was scared as well for the night ahead.

Since Matty told the rest of them what he offered Y/n, the guitarist was the least shocked. He knew Matty would do everything for the girl, as well as he knew the risks of the planned dinner. Adam was scared of Matty’s deep feelings, the selfish part of him that longed for her love. That part, he believed, was a beast that Matty thought he could tame perfectly when on the other hand Hann recalled many times of the opposite thing happening. 

Adam concerned lingered the entire week, from the car ride until the morning when he was making breakfast. He was really afraid of what Matty was capable of doing to fucked up the evening, even unintentionally. Hann wished to be wrong, but a felling deep inside his guts disagreed. 

“Mornin’.” Matty greeted his friend entering the kitchen.

“Hi.” Adam answered, analysing Matty’s mood. “How are you?”

“Dunno…fine, I guess?” he messed his curls running a hand in frustration.

Adam frowned, “You guess?” he asked, looking directly to his tea.

“Please, today is not the day.” Matty warned him, grabbing what he needed for his meal.

“Talking about that- “ Adam looked at Matty from the kitchen table.

“What about that?” Matty was trying really hard to avoid his gaze as much as possible.

“Ross is in charge of the food, George and Jaime already brought the drinks- “

“Amazing.” Matty replied with very little enthusiasm. “What I have to do?” he sat at the table, in front of Hann.

“Behave.” Adam stared directly at his best friend’s eyes.

Matty felt a pang on his chest. “I’m not a child.” he muttered. 

“That’s why I’m just telling you. It’s not an order, it’s an advice even.” Adam explained.

“Then stop wasting your saliva, I know what I have to do.“

“Do you? Really? You can’t fuck- “

“Hann,” Maty interrupted him. “I don’t need a fight right now or to be treated as a fuckin’ baby, alright?” Matty looked down, trying to calm down his nerves.

“Then let’s not fight.”

“Then stop telling this crap! I know what you know, what you think but…but I’m fine and I’m not- “

“You’re not what? I need to hear it from your mouth, Matty…because if you do- “

“Thanks for believing in me, mate.” Matty’s voice cut with sarcasm.

Adam sighed loud, “I just don’t want- “

“I’m not going to. For god’s sake! Please have some faith in me.” 

He wasn’t that stupid, Matty thought. He very well knew how he was supposed to behave. Why no one could believe him?

“Fine, but- “

“Shut the fuck up, Adam! I’m tired of this. Just shut up!” Matty said a little loud.

“Okay, but for the count I warned you.”

“Oh my god, you just can’t stop talking, can you?” Matty scoffed leaving the room.

Adam felt bad impersonating that kind of person, but he knew someone had to give Matty a little heads-up. 

*********************************

During the day the tension at the boy’s house increased minute by minute. Hann and Matty didn’t talk again, and the rest of the boys tried avoiding Matty like the plague. They knew that Matty was at the edge of exploding so better not push their luck. 

Y/n and Tom were meant to arrive at 7 p.m. A little before that, most of the guys finished arranging the house while Ross cooked the dinner for all of them. Meanwhile,  Matty continued securing himself inside his room, as he did the entire day. He was too into his head, preparing himself for the big event. He kept looking at his watch like his life depended on it. 

At 7:05 pm, while Matty was in fact looking at the object in his wrist, the doorbell rang loud. Y/n had a key, but as she always did, she would only use it if it were too necessary.

Matty could hear how probably George greeted the couple and invited them in, then he showed Tom the rooms before they arrived in the kitchen. Matty knew they were there because of the loud voice of the rest of the guys hugging Y/n and welcoming her partner. 

Like a child that hides inside their room from the visits, Matty was waiting for someone to call for him or something. He knew he was being a little too excessive, but he was going to avoid the rush of mixed feelings as long as he could. 

After noticing that no one was going to force him to do so and the fact that he didn’t want to worry Y/n mostly, with a loud –dramatic– sigh, he opened the door. At the same moment, Hann remembered his existence and shouted his name.

“Matty!”

“Shit mate, you didn’t have to scream. I’m here.” he came down.

“Whatever.” Hann turned around, not giving Matty too much attention to his childlike behaviour. 

The two friend arrived in the kitchen. Ross was talking about the food with Y/n and Tom, while George got drinks for everybody.

Y/n looked at the kitchen door at the exact moment Matty looked at her.

“Matty!” she exclaimed, sporting a big smile, moving from Tom’s side to hug him. In a twisted way, it pleased him.

“Hi, darlin’.” he hugged her back, hiding for a little his head on the crook of her neck. Breathing her sense that calmed his nerves like it always did.

“What were you doing that took you so long?” she teased him.

“He was probably looking at himself in the mirror.” George joked, making them broke apart and offering each a beer.

“Shut up, that’s you div.” Matty fought back.

“Well, come.” Y/n took his free hand and led him to where Tom was standing.

“Matty, Tom.” she signed from one to another, without letting go of his hand. “Tommy, Matty.” the frontman wasn’t sure if the nickname or if Y/n detaching her hand from his caused more pain to his heart. Y/n quickly returned to Tom’s side. 

“Hi, mate,” Tom said happily “I’ve heard a lot about you.” he approached Matty to greet him with bro’s salute Matty despise. The singer was a little stiff, but he tried not showing it. 

“Hi, Tom. Same.” he replied saying the last part directly to Y/n, who understood very well Matty’s message. Tom returned to round Y/N with one of his arms, and Matty awkwardly stood a pair of feet apart from them. “How are you doing?” he continued speaking to Tom.

“Good, good. I’ve never been better.” Tom said looking at Y/n.

Y/n looked up at his eyes, smiling, “Cheesy.” 

“Yeah, I can tell.” Matty wasn’t sure of what to say or do.

The rest of the boys witnessed the scene partially happy for Y/n but, at the same time, feeling bad for their friend. They could tell the hurting look Matty couldn’t hide even though Y/n didn’t notice or was avoiding.

“Shall we eat?” Hann tried to save his friend from the awkwardness.

Ross peaked up announcing, “Dinner is ready!”

“Let’s sit then.” George told everybody.

The moved around the big table sitting in this way: one long side Hann, Matty and George, meanwhile in front Y/n sat facing Matty having Tom to her left side and Ross to her right.  

The night continued smoothly after the sitting moment. Ross served a spectacular meal, and the conversation flowed.

Hann and George played being the parents of Y/n and asked Tom about his intentions, about what he did for a living and all that kind of stuff. Even George didn’t hesitate telling her boyfriend awkward and embarrassing stories about Y/n. She was happy about how they were reacting to Tom’s presence. All her worries flew out of the window once they finished eating the main course. Even Matty, who was a little too silent for Y/n liking, was happy for her. At least, Y/n thought that admiring his drunk smile.

Matty reached to his few acting skills since he walked down the hall from the stairs towards the kitchen. He couldn’t show Y/n or any of the boys that he was so angry. His mind kept telling Matty over and over again the same stuff, letting himself down. He was so sad about not being the man that placed his arms around Y/n, the one she constantly looked at smiling wide. He used to be though. Matty, according to himself, was witnessing how little by little he was losing his place beside her, and his replacement was sat in front of his eyes.

He was a little mad at the moment with the guys too. They were really happy about the new couple. They never did that when he tried to be with her at the very beginning. Matty was getting stupidly jealous of his friends accepting Y/n’s partner. 

The booze helped to fog his mind more and more. Matty knew that drinking too much could make things worse in his mind, he didn’t stop. He subconsciously wanted this to go wrong. He wanted to say the truth, the things that were not being said out loud even in the worst way possible. It was eating him alive.

Y/n noticed Matty was dealing with something, although she didn’t connect it with her being in a relationship. After what they talk, and the fact that he told her he brooked up with Nadia, she thought that was the main reason. 

At the other side of the table, someone that knew almost every detail of Matty’s sorrows, noticed something was way too off about Matty at the moment. Instead of ignoring him as at the start of the evening, noticing the subtle drunk state, Hann tried to warn Matty subtly.

“Matty.” he leaned to his friend’s side, trying to catch only his attention and warned him. “Stop, now.”

Matty’s eyes connected with his from another dimension. “What are you talking about?” his mouth turning to a side, making it hard listening the words he was muttering out.

“I told you this morning- “

“I fucking- I fuck” he stuttered. “I fuckin’ know what you said, okay? Let me be. I’m not doing anything just drinking.” Matty brought his glass up to finish his drink.

“That’s the exact problem.” Hann said through gritted teeth. He wanted to shout more at his immature best friend, but Y/n looked at him, and he didn’t want her to suspect anything. He gifted her a weak smile.

“When do you guys leave for the USA?” Y/n asked looking first at Hann and then at Matty. The frontman looked at her angelic face. 

Matty was going to answer when Hann quickly said, “In a week or so, we’re meeting with the producer a little after we arrive. ”

“It’s true that Greta is going to be in?” Tom tried to make conversation.  

“I can’t tell you, mate. It’s a secret.” Matty answer, getting Y/n’s attention

“You can’t keep a secret, Matty. Not from us, not from me and I want to know.” Y/n joked. For her, it was an innocent joke, for Matty it equalled a dagger direct to his heart. He could keep big secrets, like the one his heart held. 

“I perfectly can!” Matty smiled at her, drinking more directly from a bottle this time.“Speaking of secrets, you kept it…this one” the bottle flew from side to side in the air when Matty tried to point at Tom’s face. “For a pretty long time, innit?” Matty’s smile never fell, making Y/n nervous

“Whatcha mean?” Y/n asked, giggling awkwardly after looking at Hann puzzled.

“You and Tommy boy, Y/n! Don’t ya’ remember? I mean- You keep that to yourself, ha?” Matty laughed to a never spoken joke.

“Matty,” she started to say. The rest of the table trying to decipher if they had to interrupt or not. For the time being, they stayed silent watching them talk as if it were a game of tennis. 

“It’s okay, love. I know, I know. I’m only your stupid best friend…why would you rush to tell me? Oh!” he sat straight into the chair as if he got a revolutionary new idea. “But you did rush to tell, G…didn’t ya?” Matty pointed out, lifting one finger of his right hand. “You told my mother too.” two fingers up. “But- yeah, I’m insignificant.” the singer took another sip from the bottle almost falling. 

“You’re being rude.” she stated, furious with him. Even though, she was determinate to not let him win. Y/n was against letting Matty know he was succeeding on ruining the night.

“Am I? What do you think boys?” Matty looked at the rest.

“Matty, let’s get you in bed.” Hann almost ordered him.

“I’m fine, Hann. We are just talking… right, Y/n?” Matty looked directly at her again.

“Yes, of course. We already talked about this, and it’s a private conversation don’t you think, friend?” she spat, still in control, but her anger was palpable.

“We are more than friends, sweetheart. Best friends!!” Matty mocked her.

“I insist- “Hann tried to say.

“Shut up, Adam”

“Hann, let him.“ 

The tension was high. Apart from the three of them, the rest of the presents, remain in completely silent. They still didn’t want to interrupt the ‘friends talk’ afraid of getting in the middle of the shooting.

The boys weren’t surprised at all. Who was surprised by Matty being a complete asshole? They did agree - in silence - what he was doing was another level of stupidity. On the other hand, Tom was more than intrigued. He wondered about the reason behind the bickering since there was an element he didn’t know. 

Tom quickly took notice of Y/n’s discomfort. His first instinct wanted to do something for her, to be there for her, but at the same time, Tom wanted to respect Y/n’s decisions.

Matty wasn’t going to drop the fight quickly, “You still don’t answer, friend.” 

“I’m not going to talk about this with you in this state, Healy.”

“So…I’m not any more your friend then?” he inquired, pushing all her buttons while taking once more a sip from the almost empty bottle.

“I’ll not have this conversation when you’re acting like a fucking prick!” she stood up.

“Matty, give me that!” George took hold of the bottle, taking it away from the singer. 

The frontman felt he was running out of time, “I’m the prick? Why didn’t you tell me?! And this time tell me the true!“ Matty stood up as well wobbling a lot.

“I already told you, I told you I was sorry. I told you the- “

“Don’t fucking think you can lie to me again!” he said loudly.

Y/n was sick of his attitude, “Don’t you fucking dear to yell at me!” she shouted leaning forward on the table.

“I think it’s time to go, Y/n.” Tom advised, standing beside her.

“And you to bed.” Hann held him from behind. Matty was moving like crazy.

After a quick look at Matty’s state, Y/n started to walk to the kitchen’s door, Tom following close behind her. Although Matty wasn’t ready for the fight to end. “Now you’re running away from me again, aren’t you?” he scuffed. “Coward.” the singer accused her.  

Y/n stopped dead in her tracks, so tired of this dramatic situation. She balanced to say something to him or just walked away. The rest waited for her reaction.

Even though, Matty spoke before her, “What does he have that I don't, Y/n?” Matty’s voice full of pain. A pain that broke him from head to toe when Y/n started walking away without looking at him.

Tom said a quick goodbye and followed her out of the boy’s house. 

When they heard the sound of the front door close behind the couple, Matty was sat on the closest chair. Hann turned to look at Matty with a stern look.

“Thank goodness I’d told you not to make a scene!”

“I didn’t…” Matty brushed his hand through his hair, pulling his roots.

“You didn’t- Fuck you, Matty!” Adam shouted at him and left the kitchen.

“You fucked it up big time, mate.” George told him.

“I- “

“You better not say anything, Matty. Let’s get you in bed.” G said to his best friend without any particular emotion in his voice.

Matty was so gone and drunk that he couldn’t notice the extent of what he just did. He was more hurt about her leaving without answering the last question. 

Tom and Y/n got in the car without saying a single word to each other. Their minds were so far from one and another. Tom was still so intrigued by what happened that night, and what was the motto of all. On the opposite side, Y/n was battling with so many feelings. 

Once again, Matty managed to fuck up her mind, her life…not matter how hard she worked for not letting him win. Nothing more occupied her mind on the way home. Matty was everything she could think about. That time, Tom couldn’t hold her full attention.

Her mind was cursing Matty for being so stupid, so selfish. So fucking immature. As well as asking herself why the fuck did he do that? What was the meaning of his behaviour? Was he still angry? They had talked about it! It made no sense, but she was sure she hated him at that moment. 

And the question: “What does he have that I don't, Y/n?” 

That question troubled her way more than all the shouting and dramatics. Y/n couldn’t pint point why Matty asked her something like that.

Her head started to hurt so badly, she wanted to cry. At the same time, Y/n wanted to ask Matty so many questions and shout at him for a good while. 

Why he had to make her life a mess all over again? Why does she continue to let him do that? Did she lie to herself for a couple of months thinking that everything was fine? When deep down she knew they had to solve so many unspoken truths.

……………………………….

Once they entered Y/n’s flat, she was ready to cry and pour her feelings but with Tom there she didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t responsible for her and Matty’s crap, and he didn’t have to deal with it.

“Y/n?” he asked slowly.

“Yeah?” she tried to smile at him, but her facial muscles didn’t answer.

“Do you wanna talk?” he remained away from her. Tom couldn’t read her mood, he didn’t want to push her either. 

“About what?”

“What just happened? What was all that?” he inquired.

“It was nothing.” she lied.

“Y/n…” he warned him.

Y/n passed around avoiding his eyes. “I don’t-” her voiced cracked a little. “I don’t even know what just happened, Tom, okay? Little do I know what to tell you.”

“Why he was so angry at you?” he tried to know.

“What do I know? I’m not him.” she scuffed. Y/n knew she shouldn’t take it out with Tom, but her mind was full of anger.

“Yeah, yeah. Totally. But- I mean,” he scratched the back of his neck. “You didn’t tell them, him, about us?” Y/n tried to massage her temples, the migraine was loud.

“You too with that?” she complained.

“I’m just asking, love. I want to help…I- “

“I know, I’m sorry.” she sat on the couch, Tom copying her shortly after.

“It’s fine. I understand.”

“I didn’t want to tell him about us.” she admitted.

Tom couldn't hide his surprise, “Oh.” he stared at her side profile.

“I don’t entirely know why.” Tom remained silent. “But little did I know he was going to be so angry at me…and we talked about it, he said it was fine. I don’t understand why he…” she thought out loud. 

Tom continued asking, “Why did he say you run away from him?”

“I don’t know, Tom.” she answered on the verge of tears.

“You never told me how do you guys met.”

“Because I didn’t want to tell you about us.” she admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“My story with Matty is complicated, Tom.”

“Did you guys…?” the actor let the unspoken question linger. 

“No, we’ve never.”

“Okay.” Tom fidgeted with the end of his jumper.

“I met Matty three years ago” Y/n started. “He offered me to drink with him and the rest of the boys.” y/n looked forward, way too into the memory. Tom stared at her side. “Matty tried to make a move on me.” she looked down, she didn’t want to look at his expression.

“And did you…?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

“We continued being friends. But- “

“But-?” Tom asked her. The gears in his mind started to work faster with this new information. 

“But I used to have feelings for him…until not so little ago.” this time she looked at him.

“You what?” he exclaimed. She didn’t say anything. “Little ago…when?”

“After the quarantine.” she admitted.

“Oh, fuck.” he moved awkwardly on his place. “So while I was simping over you, you were like in…”

“No, no, don’t go there, Tom.” she took his hands on hers, panicking a little.

 “Then explain it to me, Y/n.” he turned to look at her.

“My feelings or not for him are way too far from what I feel for you, Tom.” she explained.

“Are they?” he immediately regretted the bitterness. 

“Yes! Hear me out, when we first meet I had feelings for him and during the quarantine maybe a little, but then I decided to move on…”

“And then you give me an opportunity?” he folded his arms, letting her hands fall on her lap.

“No! I mean, yeah- But- You’re getting it all wrong.”

“Am I? Because what I get here is that when you got tired of waiting for Matty you searched for a distraction, a replacement…and I, a massive idiot, was there waiting for you. So, then you used me and now we are here.” Tom stood painfully slow. 

“I never used you, Tom.” Y/n started to cry while begging him to believe her words.

“I think you fully did. “

“No, please.” she tried to approach him, but he moved far from her reach.

“Tom.“ she begged.

“I love you, Y/n.” he stated.

“I- “

“No, I don’t want to hear it. Just answer me this, are you in love with Matty? Do you still have feelings for him?” He asked, waiting for her reaction.

Y/n was not ready for him asking that. After the events of the night, y/n didn’t know where her heart and mind, where she stood. She needed a little time to think, so she stayed silent. Tom didn’t take it well.

“I get it.” he said defeated. 

“No, no- Wait!” she exclaimed.

“You don’t have to explain anything, Y/n. You already told me everything.”

“Tom, please. I love you, please!” she begged.

“But you love Matty more.” he stated. Tom’s heart was shattered in little pieces, he wanted to leave but at the same time tell her he’ll never put her through all that misery. He wanted to give her all his love without caring about her using him.

“I- No!”

“Please don’t, Y/n. I’m going to go now.” he started to say. “I think you require time to think. I don’t want to make this even worse.”

“Tom!” she didn’t know what to say to make him stayed.

“I love you, with all my heart.” he approached her this time, tugging her hair behind her ear. “But I can’t let you use my love when it is convenient for you. It hurts yourself and me too.” Tom was putting her in front of himself, even when she somehow told him she loved another man more.

“Please don’t leave me.” T/n took his hands, while he caressed her cheeks. The temptation to stay and calmed her was too irresistible for Tom, but he knew he had to.

“Maybe you need to be alone now, Y/n. You have to face your feelings.” he looked at her death in the eyes. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” he kissed her on her forehead for a couple of seconds, and then he left her flat.

Y/n keep her eyes closed. She couldn’t bear just watch him leave her side. She only senses the lack of his warmth around her, and when she heard the click of the door she fell down to the floor.

Tom left her. She was lonely and hurt, her mind kept repeating that night all over again. How did she make the world stop? She wanted to get down. It was worse than a nightmare. 

As Tom said, Y/n was left alone after a good couple of months with her feelings. The plaster was ripped without care. She had to take care of it. 

Where to start? Who to blame? Could she blame anyone besides herself? 

Y/n was the one that feed her feelings for Matty during days, months, and years. She gave him the power to do with her whatever he wanted. Every time she returned to Matty -because in some way she had returned to his side again and again-, she got hurt, she got angry, or they fought. She always dealt with feelings that circle around him. And yeah, they talked about them, but the truth was never ever really told. The parched everything up until they fought again.

In the middle of all that, she hurt Tom. She hurt a man that truly loved her. He was right with that too, she didn’t love him as much as she loved Matty. Even after all what happened during that shitty night and before, she still loved him.

Matty was everything she ever wanted. Tom had been close, but he wasn’t Matty. Y/n had to face herself and deal with the truth that had been showned during that night. 

In only a few hours, Y/n presented her new partner, then fight with her best friend but the at the same time her love, all to end up breaking with the new partner who she used for her own porpoises while remaining angry at Matty.

Y/n had a lot to deal with, but the strength wasn’t there while she cried in the middle of her living room feeling so lonely and hurt. Feeling like she took steps back. Feeling like she lost too much.

Y/n didn’t know how to stand up, not only literally…metaphorically too. She knew she could have reached for George or someone, but she couldn’t move. Y/n felt like she didn’t deserve to be helped and that she had to deal with it all by herself. 

So she crawled as best as she could to her bed. Still crying she fell asleep thinking about Tom and Matty. 

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

Taglist: @sinarainbows @eaglestar31 @sugarkane1001 @brittluvs1975

Chapter 8 >

[glowyjellyfish]

October Halloween Movie Fest Day 16:

holy shit why has no one ever told me how good poltergeist is

I expected quality classic horror, but I was not expecting dense layers of human emotion. Perhaps I should have, but I also didn’t know and/or remember that this was a Spielberg movie. 80s Spielberg no less. Of course it’s phenomenal. It also helps that I didn’t know much about the plot—Simpsons never did a straight parody and at most plucked a scene or two, so I was vaguely aware it involved a little girl and a TV and probably some ghosts or something. And it was pretty obvious early on that the whole development was gonna turn out to be on a cemetery or something, but the whole thing was delivered impeccably. I actually have heard the “you moved the headstones, but you didn’t move the bodies!” paraphrased line many, many times (it was in Gex that I played on my old 3do), but I had no idea where it came from, and so experienced a very enjoyable slow realization. Even guessing that, the entire climax still delivered a fantastic wham. The effects held up great—a black line here and there, but I think it works in this movie’s favor that many effects are practical and weird-looking, it has an ethereal look that wouldn’t happen if somebody tried to remake it with CG. Great characters, great establishing normalcy and then slow build up of horror, great false ending moment of calm, great ending expressing not just that they escaped, but that they barely got away and have nothing left and are going to be haunted by this trauma for a long time. Man. I might have to buy a copy, that is my definite favorite of the never seen before bunch so far.

Treehouse of Horror 16 (Bartificial Intelligence/Survival of the Fattest/I’ve Grown A Costume On Your Face)

Not exactly my favorite, but a pretty solid Teen Years THOH, approaching Actually Creepy at times. There are some parts that don’t work IMO, but ultimately 16’s three solid segments with some weak moments outweighed 15’s two good with one funny but weak segment ratio. 16 also got bonus points for being explicitly Halloweeny rather than just wild non-canon fantasy fun, as well as the strong atmosphere. I felt more sorry for Bart than usual in the first segment, and was happy to get to Maggie’s second starring role in the third. (Well, arguably, but I’m ruling in her favor since she usually doesn’t do much.) I also thought about 8 and 9 very carefully, and decided they were correctly placed and haven’t been surpassed yet, but it’s getting pretty close. I definitely like some of these recent segments more than some of the 8/9 segments. Maybe I will have to start a second list. Anyway, the usual list is now 1, 5, 4, 7, 6, 3, 2, 9, 8, 16, 15, 13, 12, 14, 10, 11.

This was also the last season covered by Frinkiac; I will either have to hunt for gifs or stop including them.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Fear The Walking Dead fans: What the fuck is it gonna take to get rid of this bitch??

Charlie, who survived a fire, being suicidal, Alicia’s wrath, a flooding basement, a nuclear bomb, another fire, and is currently fighting radiation poisoning: YOU CAN’T GET RID OF ME, BITCH

Charlie: I’M NOT GOING NOWHERE! I’M NOT GOING NO-FUCKING-WHERE!

[lilac-winters]

Ranking ‘The Last Kingdom’ season 5 deaths by how surprised I was

Let me be clear. I loved season five, and thought it was a fitting ending (I’m buzzing for the movie though!) This is not a ranking of my favorite characters, but simply a ranking of how much I sat staring at my laptop screen in sheer horror. 

Major, major, major spoilers below the cut. Seriously, do not press read more unless you want spoilers, and if you do press read more and are spoiled, don’t go blaming me!

10 - Aethelflaed

My girl was a goner as soon as she was stiff after riding. I knew it as soon as she winced that she would not live out the season. Didn’t make it any easier though.  Plus, the IRL Aethelflaed dies at the height of her power, so honestly it was not shocking at all. That being said, I missed her when she was gone. That scene where Aelswith begs Uhtred not to say anything because she wants to continue praying for her recovery broke my heart.

9 - Aethelhelm

Out of favour with Edward, poisoner of Aelswith in season 4, he was not going to live out the season. I always figured he would run somewhere after a scheme went bad, and lo and behold he did. I was not expecting him to kill himself though. That was a big shocker. I though Uhtred or Edward or even Aethelstan would strike the killing blow, but I think it was fitting for him to die the way he did.

8 - Brida

This was always a case of when, not if. I’ve always had a soft spot for Brida, and while I soured on her a little bit when she castrated Young Uhtred, I always loved her character. She went through the same shit as Uhtred, perhaps even worse in some cases. She loses a child (x2), suffers slavery, loses Ragnar and is betrayed by the man that she loved/cared for, and yet her revenge is ignored, while Uhtred is basically idealized for his need for vengeance. I think the only issue was she took her revenge on the wrong people to inflict maximum damage. I respect it, but also it was probably the wrong way to go. I was surprised it wasn’t Uhtred killing her though, and it was nice to see them reconcile before she died.

7 - Wihtgar

Like Brida, he was never going to survive the final season. He was a cracking villain though, and ruthless. And, he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, even though he wasn’t a fighter. But, in the fortress of Bebbanburg was a fitting way for him to go, killed by family just like he killed his father.

6 - Sigtryggr

He died to further Stiorra’s narrative, which I totally respect. That being said, I liked Sigtryggr, he was a solid character and I really felt for them both when they were captives. He was too kind to his brother though. I know the whole blood thing and I know he felt guilty, but I think Stiorra and her family are prime examples for family not meaning blood. Look at Uhtred and Gisela, both of whom were treated poorly by their blood. I felt like he was a dead man walking as soon as conflict arose between the saxons and danes though, but it was nice he died at the end of Uhtred’s sword, and to be honest I’m just happy that it wasn’t Stiorra who died.

5 - Bresal

I was desperately hoping that he would meet a grisly fate, but I was not quite sure. Aelswith was an absolute champ when she stabbed him and I was thrilled that she now has a kill count. Credit to him for causing as much trouble as he did. Aethelhem was a good manipulator, but a villain is only as good as their henchmen and Bresal was the best around.

4 - Aelflead

I mean, ouch. Obviously, I knew that she would either be set aside (forced into a nunnery) or die when Eadgifu popped up, but the way she went was certainly a shock. I liked Aelflead, and I know everybody hates Edward, but they were both in a shit spot. He would compare her to his first wife, and she was probably constantly aware that her duty was to have kids, and that she was second choice. Factor in her father, and the increasing divide between the two of them and friction with Aethelhelm, I think that both of them were just two people in a terrible relationship that couldn’t end it. That being said, I’m not excusing how much shit Edward put her through. But I’m also not excusing the shit she put other people through, eg. wanting Aethelstan dead, and even calling him the first born when Winchester was taken in season 4 so that he would be the one to die.

3 - Vibeke

Oh I felt for her and Brida. I wasn’t expecting it, but when she climbed up to the top of the building, I knew it would end one of two ways. She would die, or become Uhtred’s hostage, and unfortunately she died. Child death has never been shied away from in ‘The Last Kingdom’, but this one was rough.

2 - Osferth

Highly controversial, but yes, the baby monk is second and not first. He broke my heart, but looking back I’m not actually that shocked. One of the Coccham/Rumcofa squad was bound to die soon. Plus, Ewan Mitchell has been very busy lately, and he wasn’t in as much of the trailer as I expected him to be. In hindsight it makes sense, but in the moment, I was sure that he would survive... and then he didn’t. I even thought when finan pressed his chest before his breakdown he would magically survive.

1 - Haesten

Haesten, Haesten, Haesten. The slimiest, trickiest of them all. He has faced death at least once or twice a season and always managed to get away, and thus I was positive he would weasel his way out of his impending doom somehow. But credit to him, for all his flaws he stuck to his guns, and honestly I was dead shocked when he died. RIP gossip dane, you slippery bitch.

Honorable mention to Wolland and Hella, who were also fucked from the get go. And the Mercian Ealdorman, who did give me a start when that little massacre started.

Lots of massacres this season.

Also special mention to Eadith, when I accidentally hovered over the thumbnail of the scene when Bresal is killed by Aelswith and all the blood is on her and I thought that she had been killed. That would have been number one if she had died. Got to say, that was a relief when she made it out alive.

[dontwakeme-causeimdreaming]

Evermore thoughts:

1. Willow

-already off to a chill vibe

-not sure if it’s a love triangle or her and Joe

-“come back stronger than a 90s trend” love it

-the beat almost gives me invisible string vibes

2. Champagne problems

-been waiting for this one all day

-immediately love it

-it sounds like her old stuff but is also so original and new

-dom perignon? Subtle brag

-dorm? This can’t be about her life

-idk why the bridge is reminding me of this is me trying though

-the ending note is so good

3. Gold rush

-immediately a vibe

-poppy than her others, but then again so was TLGAD which was also track 3

-immediately getting the “drinking on the beach with friends and sparklers during the summer and taking pictures with a vintage camera” vibe

4. ‘Tis the damn season

-ok so this is NOT a Christmas song

-as someone who just ended a hometown hookup relationship this song is now my new anthem

-also I just moved across the country so that’s fitting too

-“call me babe got the weekend” “it always leads to you in my hometown”

-I feel attacked

-but in a good way

5. Tolerate it

-is this also about Scott and scooter?

-“so much older and wiser” “use my best colors for your portrait” idk kinda getting my tears ricochet vibes but that could just be what I’m expecting

-leaning against Scott and Scooter the more I hear

-definitely an abusive relationship of some kind though

6. No body, no crime

-without even hearing the song, I’m reminded of the tik tok theory that Haylor committed vehicular manslaughter and have been leaving clues in their songs

-Haim is also friends with Harry so 👀

-hearing the song gives me Before He Cheats vibes though

-“I think he did it but I just can’t prove it” probably not that deep but I’m getting r*pe culture and me too movement vibes

-love the country roots

7. Happiness

-before I listen, I hope this is a marriage proposal announcement song

-ok def not marriage

-kinda peace vibes though (not the feeling the song ofc)

-but this is like the opposite of peace just the slowness gives me peace vibes

-like kinda a good message to remember in break ups that happiness is still possible bc you were happy before the person and can be happy without them too

-“green light of forgiveness” is that a Gatsby reference? Bc Gatsby is hoping the green light will be a big sign to Daisy but she still moves away anyway

8. Dorothea

-I heard the theory that Dorothea is the name of Zigi’s baby i vibe with that it’s a cute song

-don’t really have many comments on this one

-it’s cute but it gives me Hey Stephen vibes in a way and Hey Stephen isn’t my fav

9. Coney Island

-I’ve never heard anything by the National but I’m excited

-another reference to the mall... she did say in the Long Pond Studio Sessions that she was really excited to sing about the mall in August

-initially it’s not my favorite but I think I just need to listen to it again bc I do like the vibe

10. Ivy

-is this why there was ivy in her Insta from last week?

-“my pain fits in the palm of your frozen hand” omg I love that

-the lyrics in this are so beautiful and are almost reminiscent of Cold As You which is lyrically one of my favs (“roots in my dreamland” is like a grown up Cold As You)

-I love hearing Taylor swear

-overall love it

11. Cowboy like me

-this is another one I’ve been waiting for all day long

-love that this is explicit too

-my first thought seeing the name was Closest to a Cowboy her unreleased song from forever ago

-the background music at the beginning sounds like Tim McGraw

-longer than I was expecting

“You’re a bandit like me” reminds me of the lakes for some reason

12. Long story short

-immediately a vibe

-ok is it just me getting a ton of references to her older music?

-like rabbit hole (wonderland) and spinning in high heels (reminds me of both Mirrorball and Holy Ground)

-maybe this a nod to re-recording?

-I’m very tired I may be mishearing things

-the most poppy so far

-“long story short it was the wrong guy” lmao story of my life what a vibe

“Long story short I survived” this song makes me so happy idek why

13. Marjorie

-Track 13 on folklore was a nod to her grandfather and I think this is a nod to her grandmother this is also track 13

-like Marjorie is her grandmother’s name

-as someone who also regrets not appreciating her grandmother enough, this song resonates with me sm

-like I was only 10 when my grandma died and I didn’t realize what I had until she was gone

-so overall hits home super sad song but very beautiful

-love the idea that our loved ones never really leave us

14. Closure

-loving the tracking on this

-this reminds me of a friend break up

-I really like how her past few albums she talks about doing better (IFTYE, the 1)

-possibly about Karlie?

-idk don’t attack me for that just a thought

15. Evermore

-sounds like winter to me

-I like that one of the recurring themes of this album is moving on and realizing the pain won’t last forever and that happiness can come again

-idk is this about the pandemic? Is this about Emily Dickinson whose birthday was yesterday and uses “evermore” as a closing line to one of her famous poems? Is it about Edgar Poe? Whose to say?

-hot take but I like this better than exile

-is Joe playing the piano in this too like he did in exile?

Overall I really like this album it’s so good and compliments folklore but is still uniquely its own

Taylor has done it again

[apiratewhopines]

Because @jrob64 asked for another chapter and I can’t tell her no.

Midnight

Chapter 5 — The Pumpkin

Summary: In which our heroine really gets into it

Chapter 5 of 7 on AO3

“I had the craziest dream last night, yes I did.

I never dreamt it could be

Yet there you were, in love with me.”

-I Had the Craziest Dream, Harry James and His Orchestra and Helen Forrest

Emma may as well have been glued to his side. His hand was planted firmly on her hip, keeping her cradled next to him as he made the rounds like a seasoned politician. She should have been upset at his overbearing manner, forcing his way into her life and nearly ruining the biggest payday she was ever likely to see.

Instead, she curled into him and realized that instead of bacon, he carried the scent of cocoa with cinnamon. She wasn’t disappointed, though. Not even when he looked at her with a knowing glance after she took a long sniff at a particularly tempting patch of skin just above his collar.

She tried to tell herself it was simply because that was what a wife would do when reunited with her husband and she didn’t want to make a scene.

The party was winding down when the dreaded introduction to Lance happened. He stayed in the shadows, burning holes through her as she clung to the husband who was supposed to be on the other side of the Atlantic. Even from a distance, she could see the challenge in his stare. Instead of being discouraged, the other man was planning to fight his way into her affections.

She had hoped to bypass the whole thing, but Guinevere was determined since her other method of entertainment was spoiled, she was due a different kind. She stopped them with a bright smile and hard eyes as Killian was attempting to maneuver away from the breaking crowd. When Guin waved at someone behind them, Emma caught Arthur’s wandering gaze and silently summoned him to help. “Baron Jones, I’m so glad you’re able to join us for the weekend. Lancelot did his best to keep your wife company, but I’m sure he’s no replacement for you. Lance, do come over and meet the baron.”

With a rueful smile, Lance joined the group and nodded tightly at Killian. “Baron Jones, you’re the envy of every man here. You’re quite lucky in your choice of wife.”

“Oh, it wasn’t luck. Some said the Baroness would do anything for a piece of the pie, even take the name of a man she barely knows. But we both know the truth, don’t we, sweetheart? It was love at first sight.” His fingers moved further down her hip and she felt his body shake with contained laughter. He was enjoying her discomfort, growing bolder in his caresses with the knowledge they had an audience expecting her to be eager for his touch.

Arthur choked on the shrimp he had just eaten, breaking the tension and causing the posturing males to quit glaring at each other and Guin to abandon her machinations to thump her husband on the back. Arthur was too busy trying to breathe to notice his wayward wife had a look of true concern on her face as her pounding turned to a light caress while he regained his breath.

Calling a waiter over for a glass of water, Guin continued to rub Arthur’s back as she addressed Killian. “We’ll move you to a larger room where you will be more comfortable.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. The Baron and I are used to sleeping apart while one or the other of us are traveling and we don’t want to cause you any trouble. Tomorrow is soon enough,” Emma assured the woman even as Killian’s arm tightened around her. By then, she will have convinced him to leave quietly. She turned to him with adoring eyes and a smile that was all teeth. “Isn’t that right, Captain?”

“Nonsense, it’s no trouble. It’s why we have staff,” Guin said before Killian could answer, her tone distracted. For once, Emma thought she wasn’t causing trouble on purpose. The woman’s attention was still on Arthur, whose face had yet to return to its normal color.

“Did you hear that, love? No trouble at all,” Killian echoed, his touch flittering lightly along the exposed skin of her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

He was wrong, of course. It was all kinds of trouble.

—

“What a wonderful room,” Killian observed, ushering her into the large group of rooms ahead of him. He hadn’t spoken two words to her since they entered the home with their hosts, focusing instead on debating the merits of Neoclassical versus Georgian architecture with Guin. The other woman was charmed, her expression warm and open as she hung on his every word, neither of them noticing their partners wore matching scowls.

“It’s the bridal suite. I’m so glad you approve, Baron Jones. It’s not often we get visitors of your stature in the Enchanted Forest.”

“Perfect. In many ways, this is like a honeymoon for us, isn’t it, darling?” She glared at him through narrowed eyes, wondering how much longer he planned to play the part of doting husband. He remained in constant contact with her, his fingers gripping her elbow, his hand brushing her cheek or lingering at her waist. It made it impossible to think. Now they were in a bedroom, staring down a long night of complete isolation once the Soberanos left them to their own devices.

“Ahem, yes, my dear Baroness, there is a panic button on the end table. One push and it will wake the entire household,” Arthur explained, addressing Emma but giving Killian a look that threatened retribution for any shenanigans. She could tell the man was uncomfortable leaving her with him. His gaze kept seeking hers as if to get some reassurance she would be okay.

Guin reached out and swatted his arm. “Arthur, don’t scare the poor girl. We’ve never had any trouble here. You will be perfectly safe and I look forward to getting to know you both better over breakfast.”

Killian smiled as they walked out, shutting the door behind them. Walking over to the minibar, he commented, “Lovely couple. So glad you ran into them.”

His calm attempt at normalcy made her want to scream. So she did. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say for yourself? How did you find me? Why did you find me? What do you want?”

“Which one of those would you like me to tackle first, Swan?” His back was to her as he poured a drink. “Although after all the sleepless nights you caused me with your little runaway stunt and whatever the hell this charade is supposed to be, perhaps I deserve to have my questions answered first.”

He downed the rum in one gulp and turned back to face her. He looked hollow, his gaze searching for something, his hand outstretched before he thought better of it and ran it through his already wild hair. “Why did you run, love? I wasn’t going to hurt you. And what are we doing here?”

“I did it for your own good,” she insisted, moving to the other side of the room because the temptation to touch him was so strong she could taste it, along with the lingering flavor of his kiss. “As for why we’re here, I’m trying to start a new life. I have no idea what brought you to this neck of the woods.”

“I’m trying to do the same thing. But my version doesn’t involve false titles and cozying up to obnoxious cads.” He crossed the room in four quick strides and pulled her into his arms. “Why did you do it, Emma?”

If he had tried to push for more, she would have been able to resist. Maybe he knew that, or maybe he just always knew what she needed, so he simply held her. She couldn’t help but relax into it. The weight and stress of the last few days melted away as she listened to his steady heartbeat drumming under her cheek. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He chuckled, pressing a featherlight kiss on the top of her head. “Why did you pick my name when you don’t even seem happy to see me?”

“I am happy to see you, Captain. I…I regret the way I left. It wasn’t fair when you’d been nothing but decent to me. And I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about Door Number One once or twice since then.”

“You’re dodging the question, Swan. Or should I say Jones?”

“I know you want it to mean something, but it doesn’t. I needed a name and yours was the first that popped into my mind,” she mumbled into his chest.

“Why do you think mine was the one on the tip of your tongue, Swan?”

She was stubborn enough not to answer but not strong enough to pull away.

“Hmm, guess I’ll have to fill in the details myself then. Let’s see…you’re a twenty-something-year-old woman who has been alone for a long time, even when she’s not. You muscle your way through life on grit and nerve because it’s the only way you know how to survive, and you crumble at the first hint of softness, not because you don’t crave it with every fiber of your being, but because you don’t trust it to be real. The only part I can’t figure out is how long it will take to admit to yourself you took my name because I mean something to you.”

“Captain…you need to leave.”

“You can’t run away from what started between us. You’ve tried repeatedly, but it’s useless. We’re right for each other; I know it deep down in my bones. Don’t you?” The soft kisses he brushed against her forehead made her feel like she was on fire. Warmth flooded her skin and pooled in all the places she wanted to feel his touch. “Do you really think love is easier in a place like this? Don’t be a fool, Emma.”

Her name came out like a breathless prayer, and despite her best intentions to step away, to make him understand they were a mistake waiting to happen, she couldn’t resist cradling his jaw and bringing his lips to hers again.

It was all the encouragement he needed. The next thing Emma knew, her back was against the wall, his hands running the length of her form. His mouth soon followed, abandoning hers and trailing down her throat. She could feel the way his muscles tensed, his body hard and unyielding as she fought to get closer.

She would climb inside him if she could figure out how.

“The bed. Now.” His voice was a ragged command she wanted to obey but couldn’t quite manage as she felt his hands gliding beneath her dress and slowly tugging the silk up along her hypersensitive skin. He pulled back and gazed at her through hooded eyes, his mouth red from the heated combination of her passion and lipstick. “Or better yet, let’s go. Leave and never look back.”

It was like he doused her with cold water. What was it about this man that made her lose her mind? And her heart, for that matter. She gaped at him, disheveled from head to toe, and whispered, “No.”

“No? To the bed or to leaving?”

“Both. I’m sorry,” Emma said, pushing his chest gently to add distance between them.

He moved at the light pressure she used but captured her hands before she could lift them. Placing a reverent kiss on the inside of her wrist, he murmured, “Your kiss tells a different story, Swan.”

“I kiss everybody that way.” She was lying, and they both knew it, but she felt she needed to try to regain control of the situation.

With an exasperated expression at odds with his adorably wrecked appearance, he asked with a cocked eyebrow, “Does that include your new friend Lancelot du Lac?”

She didn’t need any more evidence that Killian Jones was not like Neal Cassidy, but if she did, his measured voice and probing question about Lance would do it. Neal was an incredibly jealous person, probably because he was cheating during their entire relationship. She couldn’t imagine having a calm conversation with her ex about a man who practically tried to pee on her leg while being introduced to him. He would have accused, he would have pouted, then he would have made her feel like garbage. But this man in front of her simply asked. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“It looks like a ticking time bomb that will blow up in your face.”

Maybe it was precisely what it looked like then. “That’s not your concern. It’s my face, and it won’t be the first time.”

“But your face is quite dear to me, Swan. I’d do anything to put a smile on it.” He pressed another one of those barely-there kisses on her wrist, this time letting his lips move further up the inside of her arm slowly.

“Then you should leave. Tonight.” Even she didn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. It didn’t help that her head had fallen back against the wall, eyes tightly shut so she could savor the feelings he was inducing without pesky things like lights or coherent thoughts getting in the way.

“Not a chance, love. We’re a package deal. We stay or go together. Now come to bed, and let’s work on that smile.”

She allowed herself to move but was surprised when he went to his bag and tossed a shirt in her direction, grabbing one for himself as well. Turning around to give her privacy, he didn’t join her until she clicked off the light on her bedside table. Wrapping her in his arms again, he buried his face in her hair and murmured, “We’re leaving tomorrow if I have to drag you out of here kicking and screaming.”

“If believing that will help you sleep tonight, I won’t be the one to burst your bubble,” she answered with a yawn. “About that smile…”

“You’ll have to keep it in your pants, Swan. I’ve changed my mind. Our first time won’t be on a bed of lies. I’m not going to let you lump me in with the rest of this fantasy land you’re playing in and then be dismissed when it’s all over. Besides, I need some kind of carrot to dangle in front of you to convince you to leave.”

“Is that what they’re calling it these days? Maybe your carrot isn’t big enough to make me abandon my plans.”

“I’ve had no complaints, love, but I look forward to earning your opinion on the matter.” She felt his laugh more than heard it, the mattress shaking slightly and her hair rustling. “I’ll never get tired of this.”

“Of what?”

“Seeing you in my shirts.”

It wasn’t the way she thought he would put a smile on her face, but she couldn’t grumble when the last sound she heard before falling asleep was his gentle snore.

—

The lightness to her step she attributed to the man still passed out in her bed. Their bed. In the bridal suite.

When had life gotten so beautifully complicated?

The weather was bright and clear, the air pleasantly warm. Emma followed the sound of voices out to the terrace and saw most of the guests were already dining al fresco from buffet tables running the entire length of the house and laden with every manner of food one could imagine. She was filling up two plates when she felt someone approach her from behind.

“If you’re going to lurk, you may as well make yourself useful,” she said, not bothering to glance over her shoulder to verify the identity of her visitor. The brooding silence was all the confirmation she needed. “Hold this plate.”

Lance took it from her and held it aloft with all the patience of a toddler who had his favorite toy taken away. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, and yourself?”

“Miserably.”

“That’s too bad. You should ask them to put you in the bridal suite next time. The mattress is great.”

“Only if you agree to join me,” he retorted, a hint of his former confidence resurfacing.

She actually started feeling sorry for him. It was hard going through life so scared of love you only made connections with unavailable people. She would know. “You’ll have to take that up with my husband. Although I warn you, he’s the jealous sort.”

Glumly, he picked at the stem of a strawberry and muttered, “I eat husbands for breakfast.”

“How odd. Are they better with toast or fruit?” She snorted at her joke, but he remained impassive. “Come on, Lance, it’s not the end of the world. We had our fun, but the cat is back. Behave.”

They ended up at the head table with Arthur, Guin, and Sidney. It was the last place she wanted to sit, but since it was also the only place and she was hungry, she decided to bear it as best she could. The conversation flowed easily; plans for the day were discussed and discounted in the same breath.

As she contemplated a third plate, Killian rushed to her side. Kneeling in front of her and wrapping her hand in both of his, he announced, “Darling, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Torn between amusement and anxiety, she responded with a single syllable. “Oh?”

“Yes, I didn’t check my email before I arrived last night, but it must have downloaded while I still had a signal. Thank goodness, because I had a message from my mother. Little Hope is sick, and we need to get home right away.”

Looking unconcerned with the newest development, Sidney asked around a mouth full of French toast, “Who’s Hope?”

“You didn’t tell them about Hope?”

“Well, you know how it is…new friends have so many things to talk about it’s hard to fit it all in,” she said with a half-hearted smile, wondering what he was up to.

Ignoring her, he focused his attention on Lance. “Hope is our three-year-old daughter, the light of our lives. And she’s running a high fever and has a horrible rash.”

She had been attempting to swallow, but when he announced the existence of their imaginary daughter to the group, she managed to dribble most of her mimosa down her chin. “Crap.”

“I know, darling. It’s terrible news.” He ran his hand up and down her back in soothing circles, but when she looked at him, he had a dare in his eyes.

Challenge accepted.

“Maybe she has measles. Or chickenpox. Do those still exist? I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Sidney responded, dismissing the drama and helping himself to some of the biscuits from the basket at the center of the table.

“We can only hope so. At times like these, a child needs her parents. We should leave. Now.”

“You’re absolutely right, Captain. But your poor mother. Where’s the nearest phone? I need to call immediately and check-in,” she said, making a show of squeezing Killian’s hand and then turning to her friend and adding, “Arthur, would you ask some of your staff to meet us at our room in a few minutes to help us pack while I make a call?”

With a wink, he was off. Emma followed shortly thereafter, hoping she was giving him enough time and that he had glommed on to her plan. Guin had her taken her arm and was leading her into the hallway while everyone else trailed behind. “You poor dear. I’m so sorry about your little girl.”

Emma believed her, and for the first time, she could see why Arthur would forgive her anything.

“What are you doing, love? With the time difference, they’ll be napping. Better to let them sleep. We can call from the airport.”

“No, I couldn’t bear to leave without an update.”

Reaching the old-fashioned hallway phone, she picked it up and dialed the number for her room, ensuring her body concealed the keypad from view. It rang twice, and then Arthur answered. “Your fake husband is a troublemaker. I think I may have found a new best friend.”

“Oh, Mother, thank goodness we reached you! How is our little Hope?” With a side-eyed glance at Killian, she continued, “What did the doctor say?”

She could hear Arthur’s smile as he continued, “No worries, Emma. She doesn’t have measles at all. It’s just a plain old case of a bad hangover. Hope got into her daddy’s rum, and we found her in the gutter this morning.”

With a guffaw she tried to pass off as relieved laughter, she responded, “Oh, how cute of her! Like father, like daughter. She loves it so…” She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and told the group, “She’s all better. The fever broke, and the spots are practically gone.”

She heard Arthur giggle like the little girl her daughter supposedly was and ask, “Is it safe to hang up?”

“What was that, Mother? Hope wants to talk with her Daddy? Of course, he’s right here.” She turned to him, a smile on her face when she noted his grudging respect, and handed him the phone.

He reached for the device as if it were a venomous snake and placed it against his ear. Emma wasn’t sure what Arthur was saying, but Killian’s eyes got wider and wider until he replied, “I’m just glad you’re feeling better dear heart. We’ll see you soon. Listen to your Nana.”

“Isn’t it wonderful? It wasn’t anything serious. Just a heat rash. We don’t have to leave after all.” Impetuously, she threw her arms around him.

He kissed her temple and whispered, “I’ll make you pay for that, love. This isn’t over.”

@teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @stahlop @xarandomdreamx @xsajx @motherkatereloyshipper @klynn-stormz

[itsclydebitches]

ngl voyager gets a whole lot of very disproportional hate from the fandom and i'd hazard a guess that a lot of that is just garden-variety misogyny (and probably racism mixed in, considering how many of the most prominent characters are women, poc, or both). like, is voyager perfect? absolutely not. and no spoilers but there was a lot of executive meddling that wound up leading to the finale/conclusion being lacking and there's a lot of reasonable dissatisfaction with that--but again that was largely thanks to the execs fucking the show over and i recommend looking into that if you can once you've finished the show. but overall? voyager is trek right to its very core--it has heart, it's about family, and it never loses sight of that imo, even if some episodes are weaker or just duds (but, like, would it be a trek series without some episodes that just kinda suck but are still fun to watch???)

anyway, i absolutely love that you're getting into voyager, it is my all-time favorite trek series to this day for a lot of reasons, and i hope that ppl like that anon dont put you off bc i'd love to continue to see your thoughts as you watch the series!

Oh, it would take a whole lot more than some anons being salty that others enjoy things to turn me off :D 

Thus far (I lost internet last night so I’m still only on Episode 7 of Season 2), Voyager is the Trekiest Trek I’ve watched. Which is a weird sentence, but I mean it in the way you said it’s “trek right to its very core.” What is Star Trek, if we strip the intent of the story down to its basics? It’s about exploration, discovery, that “wagon train to the stars,” wrapped up in the argument that life is fundamentally good. We have problems, but we can work past them. We have differences, but they strengthen us. Diversity is the lifeblood of the universe and the future will continue to improve so long as we embrace that. 

Voyager is (again, from what I’ve seen so far!) basically a love song to that premise. I didn’t do too deep a dive because I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but I did look at a couple threads discussing why Voyager is so hated. Again and again I saw the same reason pop up: wasted potential. Now, a lot of fans left it at that (as if the answer to what potential Voyager apparently missed out on is self-evident. It’s not), but those who did expand on the idea consistently claimed that the show needed to be darker than it was, even if they rarely said it like that. Why aren’t the Federation and the Marquis at each other’s throats? Why isn’t the crew going crazy under these circumstances? Why aren’t characters getting killed off left and right in hostile space? “Anything could have happened out there and they played it safe!” but the “anything” here is always... awful. There’s this very pervasive idea that the world is inherently cruel, people are inherently divisive, that when pushed to the brink everything will fall apart... and that (while making for one kind of great story) is very much not Star Trek. 

See, Voyager created an unimaginable scenario--lost in space, 75 years from home, forced to live indefinitely with strangers--and their answer to the question of “What happens?” is “People make it work.” They learn to respect one another, they uphold their ideals, they maintain a love of life and discovery, and they create a family. And that’s fucking fantastic. That’s Star Trek! I’m not going to pretend there aren’t problems with the show, with plenty more to come, I’m sure, but I don’t think this is one of them. Why do so many viewers think that hatred, horror, death, and growing jaded is the only potential here? Why would they expect that in a Star Trek show whose premise is the very antithesis of those things? 

“But they don’t do enough with those things, even if they have happy outcomes.” They do plenty, they just do it in an episodic rather than serialized nature. I can point to multiple episodes where the replicator rations or Maquis differences are driving the characters’ actions. “But without that horror there’s no conflict.” There’s plenty of conflict. Hostile aliens aside, I just watched an episode where Tuvok and Chakotay are pissed as hell at one another because they fundamentally disagree over how to handle problems, but--because they’re adults with a well-tested respect for one another--they apologize and work through it. “But the characters don’t develop at all.” You mean they don’t grow harder. That’s not the same thing as no development. Tuvok is figuring out how to be more flexible, Chakotay is becoming more willing to accept cultures he doesn’t agree with, Harry is growing more confident now that he’s far from home, the Doctor is learning to see himself as a person, Paris is grabbing his second chance with both hands by making strong ties, and Janeway is learning to command and care for her crew simultaneously. I honestly believe that a lot of people think of “character development” as the character becoming a fundamentally different person, unrecognizable from where they started out. But  characters can also grow into the people they wanted to be in the first place. “We’re far from home, in hostile territory, tempted to do horrific things to survive... but no. Right now at least, we’re holding onto who we are. We’re scientists, so we’re going to explore and learn. We’re peaceful, so we’re going to make friends with as many species as we can. We’re members of a society that teaches acceptance, so we’re going to form a family on this spaceship.” That’s incredible!! Did fans miss why Seska was an antagonist in the episode she was unmasked? Because she was trying to convince them to give up everything they believe in in the name of survival, an ends justify the means argument. And the crew said no, we will not give up what we believe in just to make it through. I legit saw a ton of fans saying some version of, “I can’t believe they were that far from home and actually followed Starfleet’s rulebook.” It’s because those rules don’t exist for the hell of it. Overlooking their practical function, they’re a philosophy that the characters believe in, and they’re figuring out how important that part of their identity is to them under these circumstances. Am I willing to steal a specie’s technology if it gets us home? Am I willing to die to help another uphold their own philosophy? (Chakotay in “Imitations”). What regulations should we bend or change to accommodate our new situation? The first two things Janeway does are a) giving the guy who just came out of a penal colony a rank and b) deciding that she needs to be more familiar with her crew than is normally encouraged for a captain because she’s essentially their mom now. Developing doesn’t have to mean characters do a 180 on their initial personality, or characters getting killed off when stuff gets “boring” so that others can do edgy things in response. 

Voyager upholds Trek’s premise and runs it to its logical conclusion: 

Voyager has the most literal trek--a trek back home. 

Voyager has the most diverse crew--a woman Captain, Native American First officer, black Vulcan, Asian-American communications officer, and a White Dude pilot that realizes he wants to be soft and kind towards those who took a chance on him because Toxic Masculinity who? 

Voyager has the most literal family--not just a 5+ year mission, but a crew who expects to raise the next generation. They have no choice but to work together, so they indeed come together rather than pulling apart

Except they do, of course, have a choice. In “The 37′s” the crew is allowed to stay on the Earth-like planet with a city of other humans and Janeway is convinced that a sizable number will choose that. After all, they may never get home and this is a safer, kinder future for them. In fact, the real question is whether so many will stay that they can no longer run the ship... but Janeway would never dictate her crew’s choices in that manner. So she swallows her worry down, opens the door... 

... and finds that not a single person decided to stay behind. And the show has ensured we understand that this is not just because they all have some unshakable belief that they’ll get home (many don’t), but because this is their family now. This is home. 

And fans want to toss that out for a generic, gritty, sci-fi adventure where hope is scarce, the universe is cruel, and people need to be pushed to the limit just to admit that they maybe, sort of, like each other?? Obviously like what you like, but that’s a hard pass for me. I’ll take the bridge crew comforting each other in “Twisted,” thanks. Besides, we already have shows like that. And we already have DS9 which grapples with many of those dark, pessimistic themes. Voyager feels like a breath of fresh air, even within the breath of fresh air that is Star Trek as a franchise. It’s a show that says, “Yes, when everything goes wrong people will come together. They will love each other. They will make it through.” 

What’s more Star Trek than that? 

[alpacaparkaseok]

7 Secrets <pt. 4>

GENRE: Soulmate!au BTS!

WARNINGS: none

WORD COUNT: 3274

Part 4 woohoo! I just really love these girls and their friendships with each other. I kind of wanted to spotlight some of their friendships/back story a bit more in this chapter, just to round out the story a bit more. I swear we’re getting to the good stuff. Also, has anybody else noticed that the word count is steadily increasing? Lol you don’t mind, right? Anyways, thanks so so so much for all the love the story has received so far, I was seriously not expecting anybody to even see it haha. So thank you, it means so much! I’ll probably have part 5 up really soon! Enjoy!

By the time morning rolls around, I feel like I’ve been hit by a train. A quick glance at my phone tells me what I need to know: it’s nearly 10:30. I wince at the time, it’s a rare occurrence when I sleep in for this long. However, judging from my jet-lag and my eyes that are still a little red and puffy from my emotional breakdown last night, I’ll let this one slide. Heaven knows I needed some extra rest.

I stretch and put on one of the hoodies I left behind in my closet from last year, glaring at my suitcases that still need to be unpacked. I’ll add that to the to-do list for today.

Brushing my teeth, I inspect myself in the mirror. I already feel lighter, more at ease. It was a good thing to open up last night. All of my worries haven’t been put to rest, but I feel less overwhelmed. Happier, too. Happier than I’ve felt in a while.

As I descend the stairs to the main level I can hear the mixture of voices, Ichika’s voice piercing through the others as she talks about running out of her favorite cereal.

“Wow,” I mumble as I finally enter the kitchen and dining area. “I think this is the first time everybody else is up before me.”

“Did we wake you up?” Seohyun looks guilty, but I shake my head no.

“Just woke up, actually. I can’t believe I slept for so long. Where’s Soon?” I notice that there is one missing.

“In here!” I follow the sound of her voice, leading me to the living room where she sits underneath some blankets on the couch. The TV is on, and I scowl as my heart kicks into high gear.

It must be the boys’ latest interview, I haven’t seen this one yet. I curl up next to Soon silently, and she resumes her focused attention on the TV. While Kyun-soon may not be as outward in her devotion to the boys, Jin in particular, she is always the first to watch the latest interviews and performances. That is, when we don’t watch them together.

“Which one is this?” I whisper, careful to not distract her too much. Her eyes glisten, and I turn to see Jin giggling in the background.

“iHeart radio,” she whispers back.

Eventually everyone wanders in after hearing the boys’ voices drifting in from the living room. Ichika munches loudly on some toast before nearly choking on it when Taehyung comments on something.

“Ugh,” she groans as we laugh at her. Nobody can blame her, it’s happened to the best of us. “That boy is going to be the death of me.”

I try my best to focus on all of the boys, but I can’t help it if my eyes keep drifting back to Namjoon. He sits in the front as per usual, Jimin on his right. He has a pleasant smile on his face, and not for the first time do I wonder what goes on in his head during these interviews. If he thinks that the interviewers questions are as dumb as I do.

A single camera is in the living room. There’s one other in the entire house, in the kitchen. They automatically turn on at certain times of day, the schedule is hanging up on the fridge. I’m rarely in the living room as is, much less when I know the camera is on. A quick glance confirms my suspicions; there’s a little red light on the camera. It’s filming us. Try as I might, I still can’t help but react when Namjoon offers his adorable dimpled smile at the end, thanking the interviewer and ARMY for the interview.

“Thanks for having us!” Namjoon’s voice echoes through the apartment. “We love you ARMY! We can’t wait to see you soon!” He blows a kiss to the camera, then immediately gets embarrassed after.

I get embarrassed too, the red in my cheeks all too noticeable.

“Aw, look at Beth! She’s embarrassed!” Himari pokes my side, and I tug at Soon’s blanket in order to hide my face.

“So cute!” Seohyun giggles from where she stands behind the couch. “You two are just alike. Oh my gosh you’re going to be so awkward around each other, aren’t you.”

I glare up at her, Seohyun chuckling lightly even as her eyes remained glued to the screen. “I’m not embarrassed…”

Aera laughs wickedly. “Not embarrassed? Beth, I’m sorry, but as cool and calm as you try to be, we all know what your weakness is.”

We laugh together, even as the interview ends and something else comes up on the television. It’s mere background noise as I try to deal with the sudden flood of emptiness that overtakes me. No, not today, I tell myself. I feel happy today.

“What’s the plan for today, boss?” Himari asks, taunting me with the nickname I usually use for her.

I yawn, stretching against Soon who doesn’t seem to mind. No doubt her mind is elsewhere at the moment.

“Well, I’ve got an editorial meeting this afternoon for Webtoon,” I sigh, rolling my neck. “Then I’m free for the rest of the day after that. What are you guys going to be up to?”

Everyone goes about talking about their plans. All of us have some form of work, Minsuh and Seohyun are attending university too. I plan on jumping back into school for my master’s soon, but I just can’t decide where to go yet. It would be fun going to school with them, though. It’s hard to decide when I’m constantly traveling, I’ll probably have to settle for online classes.

Minsuh and Seohyun excuse themselves to go to class together, promising to be back before I get back from my meeting. I smile at Seohyun’s backpack, an assortment of pins adorning it. The centerpiece, of course, is a “Trivia: Seesaw” pin.

Kyung-soon yawns, easing herself off the couch. “I’ve got a couple of clients today, so I’ll be out until later. But I bet I’ll be back before you, too. Your meetings last forever.”

I grunt in agreement. They do last forever. Long enough for Soon to show two different clients houses and still finish before me.

“Where are the houses that you’re showing?” Soon is a respected realtor in Seoul, and it’s no secret that she loves her job. She can make any house a home, in my opinion. She certainly has a knack for making people feel at home, myself included. She’s one of the reasons I survived those first few months after I found out about my soulmate.

“Not that far, you know that one night market you got lost in for hours and Himari and I had to come pick you up?” Himari chuckles at the memory even as I wince at the embarrassing moment.

“Yup,” I mumble. “It’s close to there?”

“No,” Soon gives me an evil smile. “I just wanted to embarrass you again.”

I launch myself off the couch after Kyung-soon, caught between yelling and laughing. She’s smart, locking herself in the nearest bathroom where I can’t get to her.

When I return to the living room Aera, Ichika, and Himari are wiping the tears off their faces as they laugh at me.

“That really was embarrassing,” Himari says. “How long were you lost again?”

“Oh, shut up.”

↔

The rest of the morning passes with no further incidents, although I do go about cursing at my luggage as each suitcase seems to have no end in sight. I typically stay for roughly six months at a time here, which is what I’ve planned for. That should put me here over Christmas this year, returning at the tail-end of January. Just in time for tax-season in the states.

It would be a real pity if I missed that, now wouldn’t it? Himari and Ichika sneak into my room to observe the damage, wincing as I tell them that I still have one bag left to go.

“We’ll be back in a bit, but if we aren’t back in time for your meeting, good luck!” Ichika gives me a thumbs up before heading back downstairs. Himari lingers for a moment, assessing the piles of clothes I’m currently trapped between.

“Having fun?”

I give a dry laugh. “You have no idea. Ready for your lesson?” Himari and Ichika work together, tutoring kids in Japanese. They tend to spend the majority of their time here every year, and over the past three years they’ve created quite the reputation. Apparently the two of them are a dynamic duo.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Himari replies. She’s hesitating, that much I can tell. We may have only known each other for three years, but we know each other inside and out. Outlandish circumstances tend to lead to strong bonds.

“What are you wanting to say?”

She laughs at my intuition. “Ah, right. That. It’s just,” she fidgets in my doorway. “Are you doing ok? I saw you and Kyung-soon up on the balcony last night, it looked like you were having quite the conversation.”

I sigh, a little surprised that I didn’t notice when the others came back. I must have been in my own little world last night.

“I’m...better now. I was just overwhelmed, and Soon was able to wring some emotions out of me.”

Himari nods, the concern in her face fading. “Good, I’m glad. You know, Beth, you can talk to me if you need to. I was getting worried over the last little while, it’s been hard not seeing you and having to guess about your emotional state. If you need anything, I’m here.”

I stop folding a shirt, laying it aside as I rise and make my way to Himari. She meets me halfway, enveloping me in a tight hug. Neither one of us talk about our emotions very often, rarely do I feel the need to. But the fact that she’s so willing to listen makes me thank my lucky stars for friends like Himari.

“Thanks, Himi. I’m so lucky to have you, truly.”

“Oh, I know.”

With that Himari leaves me to my unpacking frenzy, leaving me alone in the house with Aera. It doesn’t take long until she’s knocking on my door, her room just down the hall from my own.

“Need any help?”

“Please.”

With the two of us working together we finish much sooner than I had anticipated. Aera makes me laugh, stating that she thought I should have brought more clothes.

“What do you mean more clothes? I’m pretty sure these are all of the clothes I own.”

Aera looks at me in feigned shock. “Are you kidding me? It’s high time I take you shopping. What time is it?”

We check the clock and notice that I only have a couple of hours left before I have to leave for my meeting. Not nearly enough time to go shopping. Especially not in the huge city of Seoul. Instead we settle on my bed, the two of us staring wistfully at my photo of Jeju Island.

“We should go back,” Aera mumbles from beside me. I hum in agreement. “That was such a great weekend.”

“That weekend was the weirdest weekend of my life.” I laugh as Aera smacks my shoulder. “What? It was! Within literally one week I found out I had a soulmate, he was famous and one of my role models in life, and that I had these six other girls in the same situation and I was shipped off to an island for a weekend to ‘bond’ with them. Don’t tell me that’s not weird.”

Aera nods beside me, eyes sparkling as she recalls that weekend. “Yeah, it was weird I guess. I don’t know, I was just so happy that I had six new best friends who would always be linked to me since our soulmates are inextricably linked with each other. I had thought for so long that I would be all alone on this crazy journey. I guess I was just so happy that I wasn’t alone anymore that I didn’t think about the weirdness of it all.”

I forgot about that. Aera was the first soulmate BigHit found. She’s from downtown Seoul, certainly the closest to our boys. Apparently Mr. Bang found her almost six months before he found me. He hadn’t informed her when he found the others, preferring to not get her hopes up until all of us were found and agreed to the terms of agreement he set us.

When I think about those six months Aera went through all alone, not able to tell another soul that she was impossibly linked with Park Jimin, I can’t help but admire her even more for her quiet strength.

“That must have been horrible, not being able to talk to anybody about it.”

Aera only nods, eyes still glued to the photo. “I’m not going to lie, it was. I thought I was going insane most of the time.” She laughs drily at the memory, and I scoot closer to her. “Do you remember what it was like meeting each other? For a second I thought that Mr. Bang had messed up and that we were soulmates!” She shoots me a fond smile.

“You can say that again.”

“Why would I say it again?”

We look at each other blankly before I burst out into laughter. “Oh, sorry! It’s a phrase in English. I guess it doesn’t translate over very well, does it?” We both giggle, the moment seeming so calm. “It’s true, though. What you said. We all just...clicked. It makes me wonder.”

The moment I walked through the doors of the house we were staying at and met my six best friends, the world became a much brighter place. I had arrived later in the day due to meetings, and I had been so nervous. I was cursing myself the whole ride over, calling myself an idiot for agreeing to Mr. Bang’s idea of “bonding” with my soul sisters. It seemed like a ridiculous idea, but the thought of having other people to lean on and talk to was too tempting to pass up.

The second I met the others, I could feel the warmth and love our friendship would bring. It was like, for a split second, I experienced all the emotions we would go through together. The heart-wrenching tears, the nights filled with laughter and silly antics, the worry and adoration for each other. Above all else, I felt the pillar of support that promised to be a constant throughout our friendship.

It was, in a word, overwhelming. Which I’ve noticed has become a common theme over the past few years. Overwhelming, yet exhilarating.

“Wonder about how it will be to meet Namjoon?”

I nod, laughing at how even the mention of my soulmate seems to have me melting. It can be inconvenient at times, especially when I’m in a meeting and somebody brings up the band. It’s pretty hard to play it cool, so instead I’ve learned to just excuse myself to the bathroom whenever that happens. Can’t have anybody thinking that I’ve got a schoolgirl crush on BTS.

“Well, look at it this way.” Aera rolls off of my bed, stretching like a cat. “I’m probably just going to pass out. No questions asked. The second I lock eyes with Park Jimin, I’m going to pass out cold.” I let out a startled laugh as Aera feigns seriousness. “So, as long as you don’t pass out, you should be good. I’ll take up all the embarrassment, there won’t even be enough left for you. Which is good, I think. Because if it was that intense just meeting you guys, and we’re not even directly connected, then I can only imagine how intense it’s going to be with those weirdos.”

With that little speech, Aera flicks a strand of long brown hair over her shoulder and marches out of my room, leaving me dumbstruck.

“Um, Aera?” I call after her, heading toward the bathroom to finally get ready for my meeting.

“Yeah?”

“I really hope I get that on video.”

“What, me passing out in front of Jimin?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh-ho, you’ll regret it if you do. Better watch it, little girl.”

↔

It’s been so long since I’ve been in Seoul that I decide to leave nearly an hour early for my meeting, taking the option of the bus over car. Aera didn’t mind, she was leaving anyways. She was off to a high-end boutique she had just pitched some designs to. She was obviously nervous, but I had no doubt the boutique would gladly welcome her ideas. Aera was an up and coming designer, she had even recently designed a dress that was worn overseas at a film premier.

I was on the bus for just shy of an hour as it made its way across Seoul. I didn’t mind one bit, it allowed me some extra time to simply reconnect with the city and map it out in my head. It was something I often did, in order to prevent future mishaps...like getting lost at a certain night market for hours on end.

I was so lost in my mental map-making that I almost didn’t notice the bus’s approach to the Webtoon office building. Scrambling off the bus, I made my way to my first meeting.

Everything went pretty much according to schedule. I was able to review the panels that my illustrators had prepared for the upcoming season of my book-converted-toon “Young Rising”.

It was all too easy to dive into the work that awaited me there, happy to back among my friend and editor. He was the same prestigious editor who had been there that day Mr. Bang came to visit me. I have no idea what Mr. Bang told him, but my editor never asked me any questions about it.

Apparently it was so nice to be back that I didn’t even notice the time until the sun had set. I glared at the clock on the wall in the drawing room, claiming that it was already well after 9 pm. Add a bus ride onto that, and I won’t be home until nearly 11. I pulled out my phone to text the girls only to find a flurry of texts already waiting for me.

7:32 Himari loml: Don’t tell me you’ve decided to go back to the states already, you just barely unpacked.

8:01 Himari loml: Wow, did you miss work that much? More than me?

8:17 Aera 💛: Are you staying late tonight? Let me know.

9:08 Kyung-soon☺️: I swear if you’re lost at another night market, I’m not coming to get you.

9:28 Kyung-soon☺️: I’M KIDDING I SWEAR TELL ME IF YOU’RE LOST I’LL COME GET YOU

9:32 Ichi: Beth I drew you a picture while I was in class, come home so I can give it to you.

9:38 Himari loml: Ok

9:38 Himari loml: We’ve got a situation here

9:39 Himari loml: Seriously, come home ASAP

9:41 Himari loml: Minsuh is on her way to the office rn. Let me know when you get this.

What started out making me roll my eyes suddenly comes to a halt as I keep scrolling through my notifications. It’s only when I return Himari’s text, letting her know that I’m fine, that I notice the missed call from 9:35.

Missed call: Bang PD 😟

Previous - Next

taglist: @mae-musicbitch

[aspiestvmusings]

My wildest WandaVision Theory

SPOILERS for WandaVision..thoughout season 1 + several MCU films

This is the wildes theory I have had, I think. And I am 99% ertain this cannot be correct. But then again, I expect some surprise twists, so...

In this theory I focus on some things/details/facts from the MCU (and coming films) & some comics details & ignore others. And even though they like to use the comics as the building blocks for their films & shows, they do also change things up, so I do not expect them to follow the “comics canon” hence I’m prepared for surprises:

What we know of the MCU:

Infinity War events takes place in 2018. Wanda & Vision have had a secret relationship for two years by this time. And though many are wondering “when did he/they buy the property & how does that fit into all of their story”, I personally found that those “flashback” memory scenes filled the missing pieces from the puzzle grom past films. And it fits perfectly. With the “what if I don’t go back” scene, etc. I suspect that Vision bought that plot before the events of Infinity War. And Wanda was given the envelope along with other of his belongings after she returned from the Blip. The “love persevering” scene showed us how they connected & fell in love...while watching TV (he learned to be human also through the sitcoms & though her & she learned to not be so afraid of her “weirdness” thanks to him).

Wanda had to kill Vision in 2018, then see Thanos reverse time & bring back Vision only to kill him again...”for good”. Then she got Snapped (dusted).

When she returned “10 seconds later” she learned that 5 years had passed, and it was 2023. She didn’t find Vision next to her. But she had no time to process the Snap, Blip & losing Vision, because she was immediately thrown into the Endgame fight. (where she almost killed Thanos...until Tony used the ultimate “misdirection” trick and helped them defeat Thanos & his army for good.) Then shortly after she went to Tony’s funeral, where she had that lakeside talk with Hawkeye about those they lost (I still say that they were talking about Nat & Vision, because those are the losses that affected them the deepest personally, cause they were the closest to them)

Then a few days/weeks after that (just a few weeks after the Blip/she returned), and after she had been caught up on the 5 years she missed, and she was given his belongings, she went to SWORD to get him back/so that she could bury him (give him a goodbye ceremony). Then she created the hex out of her grief, when she was denied a proper goodbye to her soulmate (that whole things was, no doubt, a show put on by Hayward...that was made obvious in ep 8: and I’m still unsure about the colours: The “just died” Vision in IW turned basically gray, the “taken into parts” Vision on the disply tables was almost normal tone purple”, & the “brought back online” White Vision a week later was all white...with a “Tony’s triangle-shaped arc reactor element” instead of the Mind Stone in his head. The colours & small timeframe confuse me a bit).

Then she has been living in this “fantasy reality” for the past week or so...in real-world-time. Everything we’ve seen in WV has happened during a week or so in real world time. And for her everything from Scotland to WestView has happened in less than a month.

While creating the hex (from her red magic), she also created a Vision 2.0 (we have now been explained that she can create things “out of nothing”, not just transform them as Jimmy-Darcy-Monica suspected) from  her “yellow magic” I might be wrong, but I think the IW blast (and possibly the Sokovia experiment blast) not only awakened & heightened the superpowers in her, but that she was also blasted with the energy of the Mind Stone...the same one that gave vision life originally. So that mindstone energy has been “inside her” ever since & she “transformed it” into the new Vision. The Vision from her memories. and I think that just like her kids, Vision is “real” (how else can Hayward track the vibranium decay signature)...aka she created both Vibranium, and possibly a new Mind Stone even (though it is possibly he is powered by her magic alone & the stone is just accessory), but this Vision in this form cannot survive outside the hex.

We know that they brought up (via Darcy & Visions talk) that Vision is a mixture of many things. Part Jarvis. Part Ultron. Part Mind Stone. Part Tony & Bruce, and not only... We know that Vision has evolved thoughout his existance. And he wants to be/do good, and wants to be more human. But this Vision does not remember anything prior the hex because he was “rebooted”, so he does not have real memories of their time prior this really. And while he acts like her Vision, the hex Vision is not her old Vision either, really. Just one part of what made him him, and that made them connect.

We know that Shuri was able to download some of Vision’s conciousness/memories & would have been able to remove the Time Stone and still have had him live..if she’d had more time.

We know that Hayward has had Vision’s body (physical form) for a while, and he’s been trying to bring him back to life...for the purpose of using him as  weapon against “threats”. We saw that thanks to getting access to Wanda’s magic powers he was able to bring his re-assambled White Vision (colourless, soulless, empty shell...without a soul) back online...to life. What I want to know from finale is how did SWORD got  hold of The Visions body & what is that “iron man” arch reactor (triangle) in his forehead? Cause they have changed the design, a bit. 

Why wasn’t he still in Wakanda (the vibranium he's made of belongs to them), or with Avengers (Tony was gone when he died, but he returned 3 months later & though the team has been busy lately, why was it not with them? I guess V. was transported there sometime during first two years after Snap, when Maria was still running SWORD, cause Tony/Avengers kinda trusted her. And he stayed there even after... Tony was one of the few who saw Vision as “human”, he was kind of one of his “kids”, so I think this is one of the reasons he didn’t want to hold onto the body himself. But he also understood that Vision had evolved, and that Wanda was the his “next of kin”, not him, so he was holding onto the body until she returned, cause I think he was sure/had hope they’d undo the snap. And I guess he trusted Sword/Maria, because he “trusted” Fury, hence he probably decided to let them hold onto the body. Unless Hayward used tricks to get a hold of it once he took over, since Avengers/others were probably focused on “Thanos”, so no time to deal with government baddies. Also, maybe based on the Sokovia accords the vibranium in Vision’s body belongs to the government, not Tony, hence he let them keep the shell? Cause based in Haywards comments they've had the body longer than past weeks... after Tony died. )

And we can be 100% certain that in the Finale the two Visions will fight each other. [sidenote: Paul Bettany is the best! I love his “inside joke” of getting to act with an actor he’s always wanted to have a scene with...himself...as Two different versions of Vision. It’s the best!] The questions remain: will both die...from Wanda’s hands and/or due to the hex collapsing? Will one die (hex-vision) leaving us with just the empty body without the soul (until in some future film they are able to unite the two). Or will they both kinda surive aka will they merge into one, and we will get our old Vision kinda back already?

I am also almost certain that White Vision in WV finale will be voiced by the same man, who voiced Ultron...that would be such a “shock” to hear. (only RDJ being the voice would be as worthy of an inside joke...cause originaly Paul voiced his/Tony’s AI, Jarvis & now he’d voice Paul’s/Vision’s AI...so opposite, but not as “shocking”)

I do not think both the Twins & Vision will survive. I doubt they’ll give Wanda a happy ending... like the sircoms she watched as a kid. So one has to “die”. Since they made it a big deal to show the twins manifest their powers...at age 10 (10 = X), just like their mom, Wanda did first...at age 10 (X = X gene), and there will definitely be X-men & mutants in the future of MCU, I don’t think they'd get rid of the kids after laying the groundwork (Billy & Tommy will definitely get access to their powers & help mom & dad fight the bad guys), so I’m leaning towards the kids surviving. Because she did not just create them, she gave birth to them, so I’d say they can/will survive outside the hex. As Monica put it: Wanda’s kids are real. And even if the sitcom reality looks fake, everything there is real (as real as possible...she actually created the materials & all)

One possible happy, but sad ending would be that both survive: Twins, who stay with her & Vision, who will not be her Vision anymore, but the empty shell. And since she “can’t feel him” in the new form anymore, that’s the sad part. That even though he, too, survives, he’s not hers anymore.

But there is another possibility...that the Twins won’t make it (and they’ll be reborn somehere later... or Wanda doesn’t know they survived, and re-united with their parents...just like in Parent Trap...). But Vision will survive..either as his old self or as just a shell. And that’s the unhappy ending... she gets Vision back, but not her Vision, not The Vision. And she has to help him evolve... it’ll take time for him to “have emotions”. But the twist will be that Wanda was and is pregnant IRL actually.

I am basing this on the timeline we have.

Because the events of WandaVision take place in 2023 (sometime in summer-autumn) & Spiderman 2: Far From Home takes place 8 months after the Blip & 7-8 months after WandaVision. Now...since it’s literally been just a few weeks since Infinity War for Wanda....what if she is actually pregnant? What if she was prior to the Snap? That would make her story here even more heartbreaking - sad, but also happy. Cause based on FFH we know the world is slowly healing from the events, but it’s not in full chaos, so there has to be a “pause” between now & then. Otherwise...Peter/SpiderMan would probably have been more sure about multiverse & there would be more chaos or something than we see in FFH?

And... the events of Spiderman 3 & Dr. Strange 2 will most likely take place right after FFH, so about 8 months from now, and we saw how everything “glitched” when she was giving birth inside the hex. So what if all hell breaks free when she does that in real reality then? And that’s what sets the multiverse events rolling in the upcoming films? Cause why is it happening 8+ months from the Blip/WV/now, not right away. It seems that she won’t be ripping open the multiverse just yet. If she were, wouldn’t Peter/Spiderman have had inside info of it being certain [he seems to not be in FFH, when he talks to the Fake Mysterio] Why will it happen only about 8 months from now? What’s the delay?

I know...crazy wild theory. But I’m just trying to look at the timeline here. Cause either she’ll just spend the next months recovering and/or practicing her new-found skills (her mom did not teach Agatha, but Dr. Strange will guide Wanda on her journey to learn to understand & use & control her powerful abilities) and hence the “calm before the storm” time. Or there’s another reason. And the timeline would fit. Though it could be 8 months simply because the FFH events had to take place during summr vacation... But the kinda calm state of the universe & the specific 8 months “timejump” in FFH makes me suspicious.

FFH also tells us that to the knowledge of general public the fallen Avengers include Tony, Nat, and Vision. But also Cap. So... either Old Cap dies soon of old age/somehow OR the informtion released to the public is not completely accurate. If it’s the first, then Vision cannot make it alive from WV (but could be resurrected at some future time, cause Wanda can create the soul, SWORD has the original body, and Shuri has some of his old database, so...) If it’s the latter then either it’s not the same Vision anymore, but a different one or they’ll just keep him a secret so that other Hayward’s won’t come after him to use him as a weapon. Until the show started I presumed that Vision is gone, for certain.

 But...he’s not a regualar human, he’s part machine, so he is one of those characters they can bring back...even if in a different form. (question is: will they & would they.. would Wanda/Avengers do that...if it goes against The Visions living will? They could & would, I think..if the fate of the universe depended on it..if they needed him on their team)

Because...as they said in WV...it’s all for/because of the children... 

And I know... he is a synthezoid (essentially a robot/machine). But... that’s the thing. In this magical universe the laws of our regular world don’t seem to appy (or rather: tech is so advanced it seems like magic?) at times. The thing is...he is not juyst a robot, an android. He is part machine, part human. And weve seen he’s evolved...beound what “parents” (Tony & co) thought was possible & what Vision himself thought was possible. He got distracted during a missio, because he developed feelings (at age 2 years or so). He’s been shown to be able to feel, cry (produce tears). So..who knows... maybe he can also procreate... with the help of Wandas magic (who can make anything she wants happen...). Even though logic tells me it’s not possible, and his tears etc are synthetic, and he’s kind of a  different species...then I’ve decided that the laws of the world as I know don’t have to apply exactly...in this world. 

I mean...the MCU has a character whose mother is a human woman & father is a planet (in human form). Hence I’ve accepted that what I know to be impossible could be possible in this MCU fantasy universe. Hence I don’t question how or why could Wanda & Vision have offspring...for real. 

THE END

PS. Once again...this does not fit the comics. This is not the simplest route. But it’s one of the wild theories I’ve had. And I wanted to share it. Even if I don’t think that it could become canon. If it were based on comics, then Billy & Tommy would be reclaimed by Agatha’s master & we’d know how & why all this...

[lightcomingthroughthedarkness]

What's happening? Who is obtuse?

I was just annoyed by certain interpretations of Echo's actions and how a lot of people are just straight up rewriting canon. It just feels like people are going out of their way to claim one thing is the truth.

The issue for Echo is not the killing. Echo's journey is about her identity.

In season 5, Echo went right back into her spy identity for spacekru. All for her king, Bellamy. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep Bellamy safe/alive and protect spacekru. Even killing Clarke. Clarke gave Echo a place in the ship, she gave her the chance to survive and have a family. Echo even acknowledges that (somewhat) too im s5. But when push comes to shove, Echo was willing to kill Clarke for Bellamy (even though it would have distroyed Bellamy, it still kept him alive).

In season 6, we find out that Echo is struggling with her spy/master complex. She loves Bellamy, he is her family but she also knows that he is her master. She can speak for herself, she can make a case, she can make plans etc. But at the end of the day, whether she likes it or not, she follows Bellamy's orders. He is her king and she might not always be happy with his orders but she will obey them. We saw that plenty of times in season 6. She will surpress her own voice and morals for her master. That is the problem.

- Bellamy sends her away with Miller to work on their new settlement

- Bellamy holding Echo back when she wanted to jump up and help Octavia fight the CoG

- standing with Clarke instead of Echo in decision making stuff

- snapping at Echo for not being emotionally open

- not listening to Echo over his Octavia issues

- literally leaving Echo behind to fend for herself

- we find out about Ash/Echo. Literally the beginning of Echo's trauma and future spy/master complex

And Echo just lets this happen. We've always said Echo is dumber than a bag of rocks for being so blind to what is going on (at least, I have said this many times) and sure she might be oblivious in some cases but at the end of the day, she allows this because she has been raised to serve her master. Bellamy's needs before her own. Her people's needs before her own. Bellamy doesn't deliberately treat her badly. He's being a leader, ordering people around, making sure their people are safe, using their people's strengths whever they are needed etc. But Echo isn't his equal and that's why Bellamy gets frustrated with her and why Echo doesn't speak up about their relationship.

In season 7, Jason called Zach McGowan asking him to please fly to Vancouver for 7x01 because Jason needed him. This was confirmed by Zach (in Yana's interview with him) who said he got a call from Jason about this storyline. Jason didn't call Zach, pay him money and flew him to Vancouver for one episode just because he had some extra screentime laying around. There was a reason. Roan was the manifestation of Echo's fears. He was her last master. The last person she did everything for and she ended up losing her entire life for it. Her leader, her people, her clan. Until she found Bellamy and.......

Echo has now struggled with her identity ON SCEEEN since season 5. We actively see her struggle in season 6 and now in season 7, she is "finally" even calling herself out.

- who is she without someone to follow

- she "claims" she loves Bellamy

- what will happen to her without bellamy

- what is she without a mission

- where does she stand at the end of the day if she loses her purpose

- she betrayed Orlando, Hope and Gabriel

- she kills innocent people in front of her

And this is what annoys me. Everyone is going on about how Echo's actions in 7x05 only shows us how deeply in love she is with Bellamy, how he is her soulmate and love of her life and what everyone is just hating on Echo because of Bellarke.

And I just.... seriously, people. How, HOW, are you not being willfully obtuse here? I'm not an Echo fan, I certainly do not ship Becho. I understand and realize that Echo loves Bellamy and is loyal to him. I'm not questioning that and for sure a part of Echo might do what she does because she's in love with Bellamy. That's valid too. But that is also the problem. Finn killed for Clarke because he was in love with her. He made it Clarke's burden to bear. That she was somehow responsible for Finn's actions simply because he loved her. Bellamy is not asking Echo to kill for him and he certainly wouldn't expect it either but that is why this is an issue for Echo. She will still do it for Bellamy because she doesn't know anything else. And even this part is such a small issue for me.

This is about Echo's identity. Losing herself ENTIRELY for her master. Giving up her self, her being to serving her master. It is complex when she also has a romantic relationship with Bellamy but that's the least of her problems. Even if she wasn't with Bellamy, she would still do all of this for him because he is her master. Like she did for Roan. Who manifested himself to her in 7x01. How can everyone just make this about Echo's "undying soulmate love" for Bellamy when actually this shit is just so fucking sad for Echo as a person? Especially when Bellamy would never do the same for her. Echo has lost herself and is desperately clinging to her identity as a spy to her master because if she loses that, that WHO IS SHE? The question she asked herself (through Roan) in 7x01. A question she has been struggling with since season 5.

But sure, it's not about Echo's identity. She's just losing her mind, killing people for Bellamy because she's in love and "if Clarke did the same than we'd all say it's great". 🙄 I'm sorry but if Clarke and Bellamy became psycho killers, losing themselves in rage and aggression and pain, I wouldn't consider that a good thing. And that's what I think people are being willfully obtuse with Echo. Lets not see hee storyline, lets just make sure you act like Echo's actions are proof that Bellarke can't happen. As if Bellarke has anything to do with Echo's identity struggle.... 🙄

[granills]

Careless Whisper {B.H.}

Check out the first chapter here or on my wattpad (nigarrmtvseries) 💙🌅

2. Ice Creams, Dreams.

The day after was Saturday, the first day of Mars's weekend. Surprisingly enough, she didn't have to work this time. After going home the previous night, Joyce had called Mars and told her to enjoy the weekend pointing that she needed some free time to gain more energy and that she herself could've managed everything at the store.

Not knowing how to spend her day yet, Mars pulled a shirt over her head and went to the kitchen. Her father, John Crawford, was sitting at the table near the window, a daily paper and coffee in front of him, as per usual. John would remind you one of those men who could catch everyone's attention in the room by talking about his adventures so passionately, making other men and women sit closer and listen to him with great interest. This factor also helped him to become a history teacher at Mars's school. Luckily for her, he started teaching there after she graduated.

Her mother, Mary Crawford, was standing at the counter, she spread the butter over the toast and covered it with one layer of cottage cheese. There was a joy in how she did it, the smell of warm toasts filling the kitchen. Mary didn't like when Mars skipped the breakfasts, and always made sure to accidentally drop something in her bag for her to eat later at work.

"Morning." Mars didn't have an appetite early in the morning and decided that one glass of water would be enough. For now.

"Oh, how nice of you, young lady, to finally join our breakfast." Mr. Crawford spoke with a hint of sarcasm, moving his newspaper aside. "Mary, I didn't know our kids live with us after all."

Mars smiled turning around and putting the glass on the counter.

Mary put the toasts on the table and sat down. "I think she just took the wrong keys." She played along.

"Today is just my day off." Mars approached her parents, standing between them and crouching to give them both a kiss. "See, now I even want to eat." She said and sat down checking if the teapot was hot before pouring herself a cup of tea.

Her mother sent her a surprised glance and leaned back a bit to share glances with John.

"So, how's the school, dad?" Mars asked, taking a slice of toast and putting some raspberry jam on it.

John continued reading his newspaper, drinking his coffee from time to time.

"The semester is about to end and I feel like I'm talking to myself at the class about the historical discoveries. I have some boys who participated in discussions, but these days they are distracted by the new girl."

"The new girl? By the end of the semester?" She asked.

"Yes. Maxine Mayfield, from California. Her stepbrother picks her up after school. Unpleasant guy." He grimaced at the last sentence.

Mars hummed putting down her cup. "I'm sure there are other kids who would like to participate in your discussions, they are just shy."

"Well, the only historical facts kids want to know about these days are UFO and that is not exactly my cup of tea." He answered not taking his eyes from the paper.

"Mr. Clarke could help them with that." Mars said, taking a bite of the toast and enjoying the sweet taste that filled her mouth.

"Exactly. And that is why they love him more." Her dad answered, she noticed a faint note of sadness in his voice.

Mars looked up, feeling the tiniest bit guilty. She wanted to remember when was the last time she actually talked to him and the first thought that came to her mind was when she'd had a fight with some kids at the primary school, instead of scolding her, he praised her that she'd kicked their asses. Not in front of mom for sure. 

She walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, dad, I love you." John smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing her arm. "And that is enough."

"I know, I know. As long as you, young lady, show up often at home." He laughed and winked at Mary.

/ / /

After the breakfast Mars finally decided that she has to get out of the house so things wouldn't get more emotional. Having agreed to meet with Rose outside the arcade, Mars pinned her hair up and went on to choose an outfit.

She wanted to put on the jeans that she'd left on the chair the day before after work, but her eyes stopped on jean shorts. She loved wearing too many clothes, but with the heat from outside it was impossible.

That is why autumn remained her favourite season. She grabbed the shorts and picked a shirt, of a dusky grey colour with blue "Queen Tour '80" writings on it.

Mars put on her colorful socks and white nikes, and finally left the room, noticing on the way that the house was empty.

She saw Rose at the entrance of The Palace. Rose was in a pink dress with green leafs on it that always reminded Mars about the one she had in childhood. Rose was the only one who would play with Mars at the playground when they were six. And throughout her life they spent more time together, went to the same school and eventually met Nancy. Ever since they have been hanging out together.

However, Nancy was working as an intern now at the Hawkins Post with her boyfriend, Jonathan, and that often restricted them from seeing each other.

"Wow, Ms. Alwaysbusy showed up!" Rose waved with an ice cream in one hand and hugged Mars.

"Shut up, Rose." She hugged her tightly. Rose was lucky, she has been accepted to the university and was going to move to another state by the end of summer.

"Spare me and get me out of this playground." Rose said looking back at the arcade which was already filled with kids. With the arrival of summer, the arcade opened from the early morning. Mars was sure, at this rate they would have to change working hours to 24/7.

Mars walked towards, suddenly stopping in her tracks when she noticed her little sister and some of her classmates among other kids. They gathered around a familiar girl who was playing Dig Dug. And apparently, she was good at it. Redhead. She felt even more confused than before and looked away.

"Okay, let's go to Starcourt. At least, I'll have Steve and Robin's ice cream, and not this." Mars pointed at the ice cream Rose was holding.

"Ugh, Steve and his stupid ego are too much for me to handle." Rose took her by the elbow and they walked along the streets laughing.

Once they arrived, they enjoyed some sweets and more ice creams, Mars clearly enjoyed Steve's attempts to joke, i.e. flirt with Rose.

"Now what's on the menu?" Rose asked.

"Me 'n u." Steve put the ice cream bowl on the table and sat down next to Mars and Robin.

"Harrington, I'll throw up if you keep making these jokes."

When the evening came, Rose suddenly suggested going to Nancy's, supposing she'd already be back from work. They spent the whole day shopping and just fooling around, and Nancy's house was closer, about 30 minutes by foot.

"Are you sure about that? We usually planned these things before meeting." Mars furrowed her eyebrows, she wasn't sure if it would be right to go there when Nancy's parents were at home.

Rose shrugged. "I am. Karen Wheeler adores us." If Rose had thought of something, then she was going to do that no matter what, there was nothing in the world that could stop her.

At half past seven they were standing in front of Wheelers' house, but before that they made sure to buy some sweets and beverages for a small sleepover. Mars and Rose stood at the threshold and Mars rang the bell.

Nancy was the one to open the door and though they saw each other recently, Mars noticed some colour brought back to her cheeks, Nancy looked better and it made her happy. After all, it wasn't for everyone to endure what had happened last year. Everything seemed to get back to normal.

"Girls?!" Nancy exclaimed.

"I bet you didn't expect us." Rose casually walked in and hugged her.

"But luckily we brought some food!" Mars showed the bag and joined them.

The rest of the evening went surprisingly fast. They changed into pyjamas that Mars and Rose had bought earlier at the mall and it seemed that they discussed everything that night. Mars missed these sleepovers, mostly because it made her feel a soft joy as it brought back the memories.

Nancy's father was probably sleeping on the couch when Mars went downstairs to get a glass of water. She heard his snoring while walking down the stairs. Nancy and Rose were already sleeping and Mars too was sleepy, but she would have been fully satisfied if she had the glass of water.

She suddenly felt a coldness reaching her bones, making her take a deep breath. Goosebumps ran all over exposed body as she looked up and discovered that the front door was wide open. She blinked a few times, guessing it was all a dream, she pinched her arm realising the door was indeed open and the house was silent.

Mars took a deep breath and stepped forward to close the door. Why was it even open? Did Mrs. Wheeler go for a walk? If not, then she distinctly remembered having closed the door as she'd came in after Rose.

Slowly approaching, she jumped up when she saw the silhouette of a man standing outside the Wheelers' threshold.

He was still wearing his blue jeans and black boots, the only thing that differed from the day before, was his red shirt unbuttoned almost till the last button and dark brown jacket on top of it.

"Hi," he looked her up, a wide smile plastered on his face, "...Mars."

She widened her eyes, staring at his unbothered physiognomy. "William?" She automatically uttered.

"Call me Billy." His gaze didn't hesitate when she met his eyes, and they stared at each other for a few seconds, until she took a step back all of a sudden. She wondered wouldn't have she survived if she didn't come for the damn water.

"What are you doing here?" She asked looking around, trying not to show her hesitation.

"Oh, I'm looking for my sister, Max. Mrs. Wheeler agreed to help me." He told her, his tone sounding completely nonchalant.

"Max? Max Mayfield?" She asked, suddenly all traces of sleepiness leaving her.

"I guess, I just found her then."

"No, no, she's not here. I'm just-" She quickly said, but immediately felt agitated when she noticed she couldn't finish the sentence. Luckily, she was interrupted by Karen's voice coming behind her.

"Oh, darling, aren't you cold? It's chilly here." She put her arm around Mars's shoulders.

"Um, yeah, I just came down for a glass of water." She mumbled, not knowing why she felt like explaining herself. "Goodnight." 

She turned around and quickly ran upstairs before they could say anything. Only she heard Billy's faint "Bye" and as she reached the second floor he was thanking Mrs. Wheeler for giving the address of Byers.

When Mars entered the room and closed the door behind her, she approached the window looking at the empty streets, and feeling odd. Somehow she was glad that the conversation with the stranger got interrupted, as she couldn't feel calm near him. After all, the conversation wouldn't have gotten any more interesting and he wouldn't have thought about her anyway, and although she was disappointed a bit for a reason that she didn't get to know more about him, she too wouldn't have thought about him.

After thinking a bit she realised it was too late and it was time for her to try to sleep. Meanwhile, after getting the address and smoking his red Marlboro leaning against his car, in the dim light of streets, Billy Hargrove was looking at her.

]]

tags: @gehrzilla @infinitelycharmed23​ @itsjusttaralove​ @tenderhornynihilist​

Tagging people who commented on the first chapter, if you want to be removed/added under next chapters, please let me know! Comment/reblog if you enjoyed. :) mmuah

[7-wonders]

Season of the Witch

Summary: While you’re attempting to survive being kidnapped by a coven of vengeful witches, Michael is not taking your disappearance well. Like, at all.

Word Count: 3082

A/N: Welcome to the trash heap (aka another chapter of Mad Love). Hope everybody is safe and relatively happy right now in the midst of these turbulent times. If you ever just need someone to chat with, I’m always willing to lend an ear.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

Much like the first time you were taken against your will, you wake up feeling like you’ve just taken a long nap instead of regaining consciousness after being knocked out. Lights shine harshly on your face, forcing you to squint your eyes while you take in your surroundings. The room is small, with no windows to be seen. You think you might be in a basement of some kind, especially with the pipes running along the ceiling. There’s not much for furnishings, just a couple of chairs at one end of the room and the threadbare mattress that you’re settled on. When you try to stand to further examine the room, a heaviness on your left ankle makes you look down and realize that you’re shackled to the floor. At least the Satanists had the decency not to chain you up when they kidnapped you.

“Hello?” you shout, walking as far as the chain will allow you to go towards the door. “Is anybody out there?”

It’s difficult to fully remember what happened before you ended up here. You’re only able to see flashes of scenes; a deer, slamming on brakes, crawling on the damp ground, and four women. You’re supposed to have a sizable cut on your forehead, but prodding the skin reveals no blemish of any kind. Did you just imagine the crash and your injury, or have you been out for longer than you thought?

You’re startled when two of the women you had seen in the woods appear in the room without the door opening. The blonde with kind eyes and the redhead who’s dressed like your elderly grandmother’s floor lamp stand across from you, both staring as they attempt to learn what your move will be.

“Who are you people? Where did you take me?” Your voice comes out harsher than you meant, but you really can’t be blamed.

“Why don’t you have a seat (Y/N)? We can further discuss what’s going on, and talk about getting you unchained.” You narrow your eyes, but sit on the mattress since you’re not exactly in a position to be arguing. “My name is Cordelia Goode, does that sound familiar to you?”

“No, should it?”

Cordelia pulls a chair closer to you before sitting down, but the other woman remains standing. “I was just trying to gather the extent of your knowledge on the situation. What do you remember before ending up here?”

“I was,” you pause, the argument that you and Michael had making you huff angrily, “there was a deer that ran out in front of me when I was driving, and I lost control of my car and crashed.”

“I do apologize for that. We weren’t aware of how much it had rained, or else I would have never conjured that illusion. The crash was not something we were planning on.”

“Wait, you made me crash my car?” It only takes a second for you to connect the dots. “Holy shit, you’re witches!”

You don’t know if this is good or bad. The witches are Michael’s enemies, which means they took you for a reason. However, you didn’t need rescuing from Michael; it had been almost a year since your arrangement had begun, and you were far from his captive. Although Michael had never outright told you how Ms. Mead came to be an AI, you had snooped in his office one day and found files related to her creation. A descriptive summary of the background told you everything you needed to know about the capture and execution of Michael’s mother figure, with the goal being to weaken Michael’s resolve to carry out his father’s mission. 

Seeing the panic on your face, Cordelia offers you a reassuring smile. “There’s nothing to worry about, you’re safe.”

“Safe? How the hell am I safe? You kidnapped me!”

“You’re not dead, though, which is ‘safe’ in my book.” The other blonde appears now, obviously not pleased at having to be here.

“But you’re planning on killing me.” They glance at each other awkwardly, not sure how to explain their plan. “Oh, don’t act coy now. I know what you did with Ms. Mead. It was only a matter of time before I was next.”

“As of right now, you’re just...a bargaining tool. You’re what will bring Michael to his knees. It’s obvious that our original plan failed, which is why we’re trying a new tactic,” Cordelia says.

“You couldn’t have just sent him an email?” you ask dryly.

“This was more likely to get his attention.”

“Michael’s going to come for me, you know,” you fold your arms across your chest haughtily, “and when he does, he’s gonna be pissed.”

The other blonde smirks as she bends down in front of you, and you hiss when her manicured nails dig into the skin of your cheeks. “Mm, bold of you to assume that he’s going to show up at all.”

“Madison,” Cordelia chastises, yanking the younger woman up.

“Look, I don’t feel the same, but Michael loves me. And though I don’t know a lot about whatever’s going on between you, I do know that Michael hates all of you.”

“But you told him not to contact you for a few days.” Your spine stiffens when you hear a voice that’s all-too familiar, with Mallory completing the quartet that had found you in the woods.

“Mallory,” you whisper in disbelief. “How do…?”

“You got into a fight with Michael and you told him that calling and texting would do no good because you needed to be alone for a couple of days.” 

“You were in on this? You’re a witch?”

Mallory gives a pained nod, filling you with sick pleasure at the knowledge that she’s not enjoying this. “I wasn’t able to--”

“What the fuck, Mallory!” You lunge for her, determined to get your hands on her and show her just how hurt you are, but the chain around your ankle jerks you painfully to the ground. Mallory opens her mouth to speak, but Cordelia’s hand on her shoulder stops the words before they can form.

“Why don’t you leave for a little bit?” You glare at the women, scoffing darkly.

“Yep, run away Mallory, go ahead and do whatever Cordelia tells you to do!” Mallory’s cheeks flush pink, but, just as expected, she teleports out of the room with the other blonde like the woman (her mom? her boss?) asks her.

“(Y/N),” Cordelia turns back to you, “we’re on the same side here. We both want to see Michael fall.”

“What makes you think I want to see Michael fall?”

“Did he not force you to be his wife?” The redhead finally speaks, her eyes looking owlishly large behind her glasses. “You continue to remain married to him under threats, yes?”

“Michael’s my friend,” you insist, “and you’re going to try and kill him. Regardless of how we came to know each other, I care about him. You don’t sit by and watch your friends fall into a trap that’s going to end with them dead.”

Cordelia’s lips tighten to a thin line as she attempts to hold in her anger. “You’ll come around. Come along, Myrtle.”

The remaining witches disappear right as you tug your shoe off, the footwear being flung at nothing but a wall before you let out a yell of frustration.

Days pass without any sign of Michael, a fact that’s not too surprising considering what you told him before you walked out. Still, you enjoy making the witches’ lives a living hell, so when you’re not flinging profanities at them when they bring you food or unchain you so you can use the restroom, you’re reminding them that Michael’s going to come for them. If you’re being honest, you start to say it more to convince yourself than the witches. It’s been five days since you’ve been kidnapped; surely Michael would have tried to contact you now and realized that something’s wrong?

After seven days of being mostly confined to your small room, you start to lose hope. What if Michael just doesn’t come? He could easily decide that you’re not worth the trouble that you bring and leave your fate in the hands of these witches. For all you know, his father could have picked a perfect Satanic bride for him and he could already be creating heirs with wife number two. It’s a dangerous thought spiral, but what else is there to do when you’re trapped in a windowless cell with minimal human contact for days on end?

As day seven draws to a close (you can tell the days have changed by who comes into your cell: Madison Montgomery in the morning with breakfast, Myrtle Snow brings you lunch, and Cordelia Goode tries to glean more information from you over dinner), you lay facing the back wall on your mattress. You’re trying to figure out if screaming in your mind would reach Michael when you hear somebody say your name from behind you. Turning around, you roll your eyes when you see Mallory standing nervously in the center of the room. She hasn’t shown her face since the day you were thrown in here, which means Cordelia must be trying a new tactic.

You roll back over to face the wall, a silent cue that she’s not welcome here. Instead of leaving, which is what you had hoped for, she sighs and sits down on the chair. “You have every right to be mad at me,” Mallory says.

Mallory’s expecting you to yell at her or throw her a sarcastic insult, which is why you choose to remain silent. She’s obviously not expecting that, and you can hear her shifting her weight as she waits in the hopes that you’ll crack before she does.

“If I were in your position, I’d be mad too.” You admire her tenacity at attempting to get you to speak. “I want you to know that I’m sorry for my involvement in this. I don’t regret protecting my sisters, though; Michael is a threat to our coven, and I will do anything to protect my home. But I’m sorry for lying to you, and for spying on you. When I was given this mission, we were all under the impression that you were going to be this devoted Satanist of a wife.

“Instead, I found out that we were completely wrong. You didn’t even want to be married, let alone married to the Antichrist! You stand up to him in a way that I don’t think he’s ever experienced from anybody, and you treat him like he’s a normal person. You’re...so fucking funny, (Y/N), and you’re caring and kind and always willing to do anything for anybody. You’re my friend, and I’m sorry that I abused that trust to continue with this stupid mission when it obviously wasn’t yielding any answers.”

As you continue your silent streak, you have to bite your lip to keep from laughing when Mallory huffs loudly. The legs of the chair squeak harshly against the ground as she abruptly stands, her patience obviously reaching its end.

“Can you at least say something? Anything? Seriously, anything! Yell, scream, curse, whatever! I don’t care what it is, I just want you to say something.”

While you could, quite literally, say ‘something,’ you decide to indulge her. “I think I got over being mad a couple of days ago.”

“You did?” Mallory asks, voice full of hope.

You turn to lay on your back, still refusing to actually look at Mallory. “A couple of weeks after the Satanists kidnapped me and forced me to marry Michael, I came to the realization that it doesn’t do anyone any good to always be angry. Being constantly bitter and resentful comes at a mental and emotional cost, and that’s not the type of person that I am. I can feel other emotions about a person or event without being angry.”

“Let me guess: you’re not mad, just disappointed?” You chuckle before you can stop yourself, shaking your head.

“No. Mainly, I just feel betrayed.” Heartbreak colors her face, but you continue to talk. “It’s like Michael stabbed me in the back, and then you took the knife out before stabbing me in a different spot.”

“I wish I could change this. I never meant for any of this to happen. You shouldn’t be here right now, and Cordelia should never have kidnapped you.”

“You can change it, Mallory. Get me out of here.” She’s visibly torn, and you sigh. “Right, you can’t. Duty to your sisters, and all that.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Just because you keep saying it, doesn’t mean that I forgive you.” You close your eyes. “Can you leave? I want to be alone right now, and I can’t exactly leave in order to be alone.”

Although the last thing Mallory wants is for the conversation to end like this, she’s trying to win back your favor, so she obliges and leaves. You bury your face into the mattress, refusing to let the tears streaming from your eyes see the light of day. 

///

The first couple of days after you had stormed out of the manor, Michael had respected your wish to not be contacted. It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed, but the memory of unbridled hurt on your face when the pieces of this puzzle came together was enough to have him setting his phone back down. He would give you your space, even though it pained him immensely.

As the fourth day without any word from you came and went, Michael began to get concerned. While he had been worried about you before, this was different. You’re the type of person who always keeps to their word, and he knows that you should have--would have contacted him by now. Even if it was just a single sentence saying that you needed more time, he would have received a text from you by now.

Thus began a search that Michael was desperately hoping would not be a search. Sure that he was just overreacting, he attempted divination to figure out where you had gone after you left. Although he could just use his powers to find your current location, he knew that would be a breach of your privacy that would only add to the amount of trouble that he’s in with you. Using a stray hair tie that you had left in his office, Michael then watched in horror as the scene of you crashing into a ditch and being stolen away by witches played out like a movie in front of his eyes.

He had found your car, still sitting wrecked in the same spot where it had come to rest after you hydroplaned across the road. Much to his dismay, there were dark splatters on the ground that he just knew were made by your blood. Even worse was the fact that the witches must have put some sort of magical veil over you, as Michael couldn’t find any trace of you after the crash.

The house became a series of war rooms as Satanists streamed in and out of Michael’s office, each leaving more terrified than they could have ever imagined. He’s heard the whispers from his followers that he’s become fully unhinged, and he can’t say he disagrees. It’s been ten days since you disappeared, and Michael can’t recall actually sleeping once in those ten days. There have been occurrences where he’s passed out from exhaustion on top of his desk, but those moments are few and far between.

The only reason he’s not wearing the same clothes from nearly two weeks ago is because of Ms. Mead’s motherly presence refusing to let him waste away to nothing. She sticks annoyingly to a routine, making sure that Michael eats at least three times a day and takes care of himself. It’s hard to do anything, however, when it feels like a piece of himself is missing. It takes him nearly a week to decipher this new emotion, but when he does, he comes to a startling realization.

Michael misses you. He’s never missed anyone before, but the rawness of a gaping hole in his chest where his heart has been figuratively ripped out can only be described as longing. If he wasn’t suffering from sleep deprivation, he would be able to compose poems about all of the things that he misses about you. Mostly, he just misses your constant presence. He’s not only in love with you; you’re his best friend, and having that companionship taken away so swiftly is something that he’s not dealing with well. 

It’s midnight when he’s stirred out of scrolling through pictures you’ve taken of both of you on his phone, a loud knock on the front door echoing through the house. It couldn’t be a Satanist, since they’ve all gone home until tomorrow, and Michael doesn’t know who else knows where he lives. Getting up to answer the door, he’s half-hoping that it will be you knocking. Instead, it’s someone he never would have expected to see.

“You’re (Y/N)’s friend, right? Mallory?” He’s doing a terrible job at pretending like he’s not shocked to see the small brunette standing at the front door, but attempts some form of nonchalance anyways. “Uh, (Y/N)’s actually not here right now. We got into a fight, and now I don’t--”

“I know,” she cuts Michael off, cringing at the surprise on his face. “Look, before you kill me, you need to hear me out.”

“Kill you? Why would I kill you?”

Mallory takes a deep breath in preparation of her potential impending death. “I’m actually a witch, and a member of Cordelia Goode’s coven. I know where (Y/N) is, and I want to help you get her back.”

Michael stares at her, his face refusing to betray how he feels. His hand flexes at his side as Mallory clenches her eyes shut, having heard stories of how the young Antichrist was able to obliterate his victims’ souls with a single glance.

“You had better explain this situation to the letter, as I’m really not in the mood for games lately.” He spins on his heel and walks into the manor, leaving a stunned Mallory standing behind him before she realizes that she should follow, for better or for worse.

//

Tag List: @ccodyfern​ @trelaney​ @sammythankyou​ @girlycakepops​ @ultragibbycentralworld​ @xavierplympton​ @ajokeformur-ray​ @nana15774​ @queencocoakimmie​ @lichellaw​ @grim-adventures58​ @dandycandy75​ @trimbooohgodplsnoooo​ @everything-is-awesomesauce​ @jimmlangdon​ @omgsuperstarg​ @queenie435​ @dextergirl12345​ @sloppy-little-witch-bitch26​ @hplotrfan​ @1-800-bitchcraft​ @coloursunlimited​ @kahhlo​ @storminmytwistedmind​ @langdonslove​ @cuddletothecake​ @nsainmoonchild​ @born-on-stgeorges-day​ @tcc-gizmachine​ @90sroger​ @gold-dragon-slayer​ @atombombastic​ @lvngdvns​ @blakewaterxx​ @yoheyyosup​ @forever1313​ @ladyrindt​ @kaetastic​ @hecohansen31​ @loilko​ @riotsouls666 @lustminaj​ @accio-rogers​ @holylangdon​ @sojournmichael​ @lenas-wild-imagination @i-wished-upon-a-star-one-night​ @diaryofalandlockedmermaid​ @dark-mei-rose​

[lucy-268]

Stuff I Need to Write

I’m posting this here to hold myself accountable. And I really need to not start anything new until I make at least some progress!

Open Heart

Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Charley Valentine)

File Name: Former C&E remember Summary/Idea/First Sentence: Ethan always told Charley she needed to be concerned about her career first. She listened to him and left for what should have been a year. She doesn’t return for many years.

File Name: C&E – Who’s Your Favorite? Summary/Idea/First Sentence: To the person who requested this, I haven’t forgotten. Ethan and Jessica have a discussion about her favorite cartoon character. A very late ask.

File Name: C&E – The Meeting Summary/Idea/First Sentence: This follows after New Family Members. Jenner meets the cats. Ethan and Charley have a discussion about their relationship and where it’s heading.

File Name: C&E – Cold Summary/Idea/First Sentence: A one shot after the toxin attack. Ethan thinks it’s too cold to be outside, but it’s the only thing that she can feel without being numb. Planning to post for Jan 25 @choicesjanuarychallenge2021

File Name: C&E – Chocolate Summary/Idea/First Sentence: Today confirmed two things for him: Charley truly was the best intern last year; and two months in the Amazon did nothing to reset them.

File Name: C&E – The past returns Summary/Idea/First Sentence: This started because of a request at openheartconfessions. Someone wanted to read a story about Ethan and Tobias and the woman they both fell for in college. This takes place present day with flashbacks to their college days. You may have met her in a few other stories, but I’ve made her just a little bit different from most characterizations of her.

File Name: not started so no file Summary/Idea/First Sentence: Ethan and Charley are expecting twins and decide to buy a house with a yard.

Bryce Lahela x f!MC (Maggie Layne)

File Name: B&M – Aftermath Summary/Idea/First Sentence: Maggie survived an attack at the hospital. What happens next.

File Name: B&M – Just Another Night Summary/Idea/First Sentence: This was supposed to be written for the CFWC Winter Season Event prompt #15 - Character A really wants to kiss B at midnight. Will they achieve their goal? Uses a late @wackydrabbles prompt 76, which is in bold.

File Name: B&M – Going Home – sequel to To Make You Happy Summary/Idea/First Sentence: Bryce attends a family wedding with Maggie and meets her family

File Name: B&M – Moving On - sequel to Where Do We Go From Here Summary/Idea/First Sentence: How did Maggie handle the check that Leland gave her? I didn’t like the way MC decided how to make the choice with the check. Here is my viewpoint.

Ethan Ramsey and f!MC (Maggie Layne)[these are still Bryce x Maggie]

File Name: Ethan & Maggie Summary/Idea/First Sentence: Fake Dating (CFWC February event) February 4

File Name: not started so no file Summary/Idea/First Sentence: one bed (CFWC February event) February 7

The Nanny Affair

m!Sam Dalton x f!MC (Emma Schuyler)

Sabotage (chronologically the second of four stories; the other three have been posted) File Name: TNA Sabortage Summary/Idea/First Sentence: After Emma quits, she needs to see the boys again. Sam invites her to Italy. What will this do for their relationship

@jamespotterthefirst and @starrystarrytrouble, I really hope you like two of these. The two of you inspired them.

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 5 Episode 1 Recap: The “Game Changing” Premiere, Let’s Meet Group A (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello my fellow Masked Singer friends! Welcome (or welcome back) to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every episode of the Masked Singer! Woohoo, the first one of Season 5 and I am so excited wow! Season 5 was off to an amazing start, with Group A performing for the first time. I really enjoyed this one, so let’s get into the recap:

Ok, so to start, we have a new host aka Neicy Nash, and I really liked her, she was like the female version of Nick Cannon. I enjoyed her banter with Ken too so it was great I liked it a lot.

Also, let’s talk about the infamous cluedadoo or how I am gonna call him the freaking “Rooster” 🐓🐔 who is not really an actual contestant competing but he is feeding us the clues (hehe see what I did there?) ...

He was kind of mysterious and I am intrigued honestly, but I still have so many questions, will he have clues? He did say that we have to guess who he is as well so how will this work? Anyways having said that, let’s get into the main 5 of Group A which are Snail 🐌, Seashell 🐚, Russian Dolls 🪆, Raccoon 🦝, and Robopine 🦔.

Let’s start with the eliminated contestant who was

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

The Snail 🐌

Commentary: He sang You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oats and it was good, nothing amazing or mind blowing (we’ll get to those performances later), but I didn’t expect him to go home first (I’ll explain who I expected later too). I really enjoyed it personally, the song is well known and catchy, I was bopping my head. It was a solid performance. I would give it a rating of a 7/10. I kind of felt the same way about Baby Alien last season that I felt about Snail going home.

Anyways, having said that, he was revealed to be (to my surprise)...

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Kermit the Frog 🐸

Omg ok, I didn’t expect that, when I tell you my jaw dropped, I am not kidding. My first impression guess was Ted Danson for God’s sake.... like I didn’t get this and I am so mad I didn’t because when I rewatched it, I totally heard the Kermit in there, and I saw people say it on Twitter, but I was like nah they wouldn’t do that, these people are trolling... and wow yeah I was wrong, I felt like a 🤡. BUT OMG IT WAS KERMIT, WHAT AN ICON. The most famous contestant on the show ever... how dope! Now, we need Miss Piggy on the show, because she’s another icon lol. I wonder what she said about this hehe 😜

Anyways, now that that’s done with, let’s go over the remaining 4 and give you my subpar guesses, the first ones of season 5:

1. Raccoon 🦝

Commentary: Ok like yikes my eardrums... this one’s one of the worst performances I have seen on the show, like it was so screechy oml. He honestly should have gone home instead of Snail, Snail was done dirty. I really don’t understand how he is still in the competition... Sorry I wish I had something nicer to say but he was just yikes, I’m sorry it kinda seems like he isn’t singing on purpose, it seems like a joke.

My guess for Raccoon is (I am 💯 on this):

Danny Trejo

Reasoning/Clues: So like this sounds stupid, but when the guy sang, Danny Trejo’s face popped into my head for some reason... idk my logic sometimes isn’t logical... but anyways the clues align:

Been in Prison for a long time= he was in prison in California when he was young because he got into a lot of trouble with drugs

Read Hunchback of Notre Dame= he said that during his time in prison acting kind of helped him survive and he would recite Wizard of Oz and... you guessed it... the Hunchback of Notre Dame

2. Russian Dolls 🪆

Commentary: ok, so I already knew how they were gonna sound but I am still super impressed. I feel like there are more than 2 people, maybe 3, I feel like I heard 3 voices in there. They sang Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson and it was impeccable, their harmonies are really great, and their voices blend together amazingly.

They are (again I am positive about this one):

Hanson

Reasoning/Clues: I know like everybody on the internet says this, but when I did the voice matching, it really does sound like them (even tho idk much about them personally)... but anyways here are clues that match:

Used to be the world’s hottest toy but then got replaced by shiner toys= they were popping off with their song MMMBOP in the 90s until they were replaced by other boy bands like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys

Bus Stop= reference to a lyric from their song Man From Milwaukee

Sign that says Mitzfitz Toyz Store= Abbreviation of the guys’ first names, which are Issac, Taylor, and Zac aka ITZ

3. Seashell 🐚

Commentary: I am so happy that her voice is just as good as her costume, costume wise she is my favorite, and I am happy to report that her voice is also one of my faves. She sang Listen to Your Heart by Roxette and honestly she reminds me so much of Jellyfish, someone who is amazing vocally but has a bit of nerves at first. She does ease into it as it goes on and I really enjoyed it, she was great! However, at first, I thought she was someone else but then I heard her voice a second time and it sounded familiar....

My guess is (I feel good about this one):

Tamera Mowry

Reasoning/Clues: Besides her voice that made me think it was one of the twins, but the clues made me specifically think Tamera:

Hot Dog= the twins were born in Germany and Hot Dogs are German

Witch Broom= References to the Disney movie her and Tia Mowry did, Twitches, which btw is the reason I know them (that and Sister, Sister), that movie was my childhood I loved it

Chameleon= in an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Tia gets bitten by a chameleon and turns into the evil twin aka Tamera

Rooster clue: “No 2 Shells are the same”= she’s a twin lol, and she isn’t the same as her sister kinda thing

4. Robopine 🦔

Commentary: BRO I WAS SHOOK WHEN I HEARD THIS ONE SING. If you saw my costume rating, I was like meh I am not a huge fan of this costume, it’s kinda scary looking, and I just wrote it off, but BOY I WAS WRONG. My jaw was on the floor when I heard this man’s voice on the TV for the first time. He is absolutely my favorite of the night with his rendition of Never Too Much by Luther Vandross. His voice is BUTTER 🧈, so freaking smooth and wonderful. I just want him to sing me to sleep or for my birthday, like man I love him so much.

This one is so hard omg but I am gonna guess for now (it’s not a good guess, subject to change):

Eddie Murphy?

Reasoning/Clues: Ok, so I am not even gonna give reasoning, bc I don’t really know who he could be, I just threw Eddie Murphy because the man can sing and he is the age that was told... what really tripped me up was that he said he was in his 60s and has GRANDCHILDREN.... like he could be lying but it was so nonchalant that it was too good to be a lie, I was so confident at first thinking Chris Jackson but that what he said to the judges about grandchildren tripped me up, but also the judges thought he was lying but I am gonna act like he wasn’t and the only person I thought who could fit that profile is Eddie Murphy (or someone else said Terry Crews but idk I don’t think the man can sing like that)... however a lot of people say that it is Tyrese Gibson but that’s if the whole age thing is a lie but it is a good guess. Here are the clues tho:

Can of Soda Men in Black Drinking from

Spaceship Flying into Strands of DNA 🧬

He “used 411 day and night just to make a connection... until a certain angel said hello and a random call changed everything”

George Washington Figure

Now on his next mission

Anyway, that is it! I hope you guys enjoyed this recap! Don’t forget to follow, like, comment, and do all the social media-y things people do. Tell me whose your favorite performance/do you agree with my guesses? Lemme know! See you in the next recap! Bye guys 👋🏼😄

[sir-silly]

The Last War fan review

So, our beloved show has ended. And while I wish things would have gone differently, I did cry with relief when Clarke looked over and saw everyone already waiting for her.

Anyway, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the finale.

1) Going right into the title sequence kind of shocked me. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but I was just immediately like “oh.” It was a bitch-slap in the face that they left a gap in the credits for Bob Morley. Why you gotta do us like that?

2) Murphy screaming “come on” while they used the defibrillator on Emori was heartbreaking. And his little whispered encouragements were so freaking cute.

3) Clarke rampage? Yes, please! I love me a badass woman. However, unlimited ammo is a sin in writing. The moment Octavia picked up the sword was a big “oh yes.”

4) Did Cadogan not care about his son like at all? Lmao. Why is he so hung up on Callie and not his other kid (who I can’t even remember the name of). I don’t care if they explain in the prequel, that’s still a shitty parent choosing favorites. Along with his wife, like, was she not his greatest love? It was Callie? Kinda fucked up.

5) Why the fuck could Jordan figure out it was a test and not a war in 5 seconds when the Disciples were studying that shit for decades? I know he’s Monty’s son, but he’s not a genius or anything.

6) Thoughts on the test: I think Cadogan would have failed and the human race would be destroyed. Why bother asking questions if you already know all the answers?

7) Why wasn’t Gaia in the finale like at all?? Like, what the fuck. She was hunting??? For what?? That really annoyed me because I’ve grown to really like her and there was no point in her not being involved in the last episode. They seriously couldn’t have thrown her in there? Like, come on! Even Niylah was there! (not saying that I don’t like her, it’s just that Gaia has felt far more important to the story than her).

8) I do think that Jasper and Hope are cute together, and I know they spent the majority of their lives either alone or only with their parents, but GOD I can’t stand how awkward they are. Also, I know ya’ll have feelings for each other and shit, but is now really the time to be making out?? Why do people think that’s okay in literally the worst situations? I know it’s a show, but come on.

9) And how the fuck did Jordan throw and catch that sword? He’s a child who’s never fought a day in his life. Unless they suddenly want to tell me that Harper and Monty were secret ninjas and taught him all their tricks, I don’t believe that.

10) I’m being pissy and bringing up things from the past, but I don’t care. Why the fuck couldn’t Harper and Monty gone into cryo? I know they were happy and shit, but I’M NOT. How the fuck did it take so long for him to get into the files for Sanctum? His ass has done that shit a thousand times before in about two minutes and suddenly it takes him 80 years? Bullshit.

11) I’m still being pissy, but how the fuck does Jordan know what a magician is? “For my first trick, I will make an army appear.” Bruh, no. Monty wouldn’t have known what a magician was either. If they weren’t being taught what a Navy Seal was, there’s no way they knew what magicians were. Calling bullshit on that one as well.

12) I was pretty surprised that the Disciples didn’t start firing on Wonkru immediately. Like, this is the war they’ve been gearing up for forever and they don’t attack as soon as possible? Also, where the fuck did Wonkru get their war paint? Do they just constantly have it on their person? Or did their asses literally spend time making their paint before going to Bardo?

13) I fucking love Miller and Jackson. They’re freaking adorable. Murphy’s flat “I am glad you are safe” was so fucking funny. Also, saving Emori in one scene just to kill her in the next is bullshit. They should have just killed her the first time and done the same thing anyway. Murphy screaming at Jackson to do something and sobbing was heartbreaking. Fantastic acting on Richard Harmon’s part.

14)  Octavia putting on Lincoln’s same warpaint again was once again, so sad. I miss that man. He was too good for his own good. And while I do think that her and Levitt are very cute together, I’ll always prefer her with Lincoln. But I think that he would be really happy that she has found someone new to love.

15) Apparently whatever Echo “did” to Levitt was so forgettable that I don’t even know what she’s talking about. Bad writing. I shouldn’t forget that in just a few weeks, I should remember as soon as I see the two of them in the same room.

16) Lexa. Just all of it. There were some suspicions that she would show up for the last episode, but I didn’t really believe them because I didn’t understand how she would be integrated. I’m glad that they did bring her back, but I’m also not. It was amazing to see her back by Clarke in all of her armor and glory, but knowing it wasn’t actually Lexa was just a punch in the face. It wasn’t her mind, so it’s almost like they didn’t bring her back anyway. I honestly would have preferred if they used someone else for her Judge, because that just really didn’t do it for me. Their hug was sweet, but it didn’t even count as her returning. I personally think that her Judge should have been Bellamy or Madi instead, as they both certainly could fill the role of “the subject’s greatest teacher or the source of their greatest failure...it can be their greatest love.” This is just my preference. Believe me, I know how much Lexa meant to Clarke, but as a fan, bringing our favorite Heda back in that way wasn’t the best way to do it. As a writer, it makes sense, but it doesn’t as a fan. The writers can’t just think of what is the best storytelling, they have to think of what those watching will think.

17) I’m confused about the mindspace? Why did Clarke wake up in her solitary room with her memories painted all over the walls, but Emori woke up in the castle with a view of the desert? Why wouldn’t it have been her and Murphy’s cave? Is there a reason it was the bedroom and not the cave?

18) I know this isn’t canon in any sense, but could you imagine if Murphy and Emori fought over John’s body and she won, and then suddenly woke up with a penis? How fucking funny would that be? Just had to throw that out there.

19) Can I just again reiterate how fucking cute Miller and Jackson are?

20) I’m curious about the location of the test. Why did Cadogan’s take place on a pier, while Raven’s happened on the Ark? If it was their favorite place, wouldn’t Raven’s have been actually out in space? Like during a spacewalk? I’m confused about that.

21) I knew that Raven was somehow going to be involved in the test just because of the trailers we got for the final episode. My two guesses for who the judge would be were Finn and Abby. Though I am happy that we got to see Abby again, I would be curious to see if the scene would have played out any differently if it had been Finn.

22) Where was the full line that was given in the trailer? Because that was amazing. “We’re selfish, and we’re violent, and we have destroyed too much, but we survived.” I loved that line far more than what we got instead, which was simply, “Have we made mistakes? Yes. Clarke, me, all of us, but we were just trying to survive.” I definitely would have chosen the former over the latter. Poor choice on the editors’ parts.

23) How the fuck did Octavia and Echo go out to the field and get Levitt with Echo only being shot once? With all the bullets, the three of them should have been torn apart, I don’t care how much Indra could cover Octavia. Calling bullshit on that as well.

24) Bringing this up kind of late because I’m giving my reviews as I’m rewatching the episode, but what they had Eliza do was really fucked up. Her and Bob suffered a miscarriage during the filming of season seven, so the scene of her holding Madi and crying “my baby” is like 10 times more heartbreaking. If they made her film that after having a miscarriage mere days, weeks or few months before, that’s really, really messed up.

25) They really played-up Sheidheda’s bringing back of “jus drein jus daun” in the trailer. In reality, it was far less intense. I would have preferred what I had been expecting, which was him coming to help convince Wonkru that they would be able to win. However, I am super glad that he is dead and Indra finally got to kill him. I love how that bigass gun just turns people into mist lol.

26) The beginning of Octavia’s speech was literally like “what the FUCK guys” and it was hilarious. And I swear to god if I hear her say “we are Wonkru” or “you are Wonkru” another time, I’m gonna scream. I know it was legit the last episode but I’m sick of it by now lol. When Indra was like “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Octavia’s face was just like “omg me too” and it was really funny.

27) Bellamy. His situation was a whole problem itself. He deserved a hell of a lot better and wHY DID HE CUT HIS HAIR I LIKED IT THE LONG WAY. Anyway, you can bet your ass I’ll be writing a different ending where he didn’t die because FUCK THAT. When I do, I’ll be sure to share it.

28) I’m fucking confused about Murphy and Emori both transcending. Because, what the fuck. Emori died. The dead don’t transcend. Her mind wasn’t even in her body, it was in Murphy’s. So how the fuck did she end up alive and in her own body again. I’m glad she’s alive, but I just don’t understand. It would have made way more sense to have either not had her die in the first place, or to have Murphy, Miller, and Jackson keep pumping her heart so she technically “lived” anyway like Echo.

29) If Madi had decided not to transcend, would she still have been paralyzed? I mean, I would assume not because Levitt and Hope’s gunshots were healed, as was Emori, but I’m curious. Also, wouldn’t Raven’s leg have been fixed? Because if they only fix recent wounds and not old ones, that’s stupid.

30) On the point of Madi deciding not to transcend, why did she? Why didn’t so many other people choose not to? Like, not one Eligius prisoner or person from Sanctum chose to live? No one else from Wonkru? Why didn’t anyone else other than the main cast and guest stars not transcend? I totally understand the Disciples transcending, but seriously, nobody else wanted to live? That’s really weird. Madi and her friends really couldn’t have chosen to live on Earth with Clarke and the others? I just think it’s really unrealistic that not one single person outside of the group chose not to transcend.

31) I was really surprised that Murphy and Emori chose not to transcend, because as the Judge said, they would eventually die and not join them in the infinite. It shocked me due to their fear of dying and wanting to be immortal, but I’m really proud of them.

32) I’m disappointed that those who don’t transcend can’t have children. There were suspicions that Emori might have been pregnant (which were never confirmed), but the idea of her and Murphy having a kid together was adorable. They’d have their teeny tiny families with those two, Hope and Jordan, and Octavia and Levitt.

33) This isn’t as much me pointing out a problem as me wondering, what was Clarke going to say to the Judge when she turned around? What else did she have to say or ask? Was it about Madi? Or maybe Lexa? Or just transcending in general?

34) It’s pretty shitty that some of our questions went unanswered due to the fact that there will be a prequel. On the other hand, I live for lore, so I’m just glad that they eventually will be answered. But still, that doesn’t excuse shitty writing.

35) I want to see a stupid edit of Picasso taking the test where the Judge is Madi.

I think we all know that season seven was really not what we wanted it to be. We’ve been really disappointed by the writers and unfortunately, this is what we got out of it. I believe they really could have done a better job, but I am at least glad that everyone ended up together.

The writing was lacking. Too many questions were left unanswered, I don’t care if you’re making a sequel or not. Plot holes. It really could have been a good season if it was done better.

My ranking of the seasons is as follows: 3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 5, 7. Seasons 4 and 1 are kind of interchangeable for me in spots three and four, as are 6 and 5 in the two spots behind them, whatever the order may be.

But I still love the show. I love the characters, their development, and many things about it. It has been quite the journey and I am glad to have been a fan of the show.

May we meet again.

[365days365movies]

January 2, 2021: Mission: Impossible (Part 1)

My mission, should I choose to accept it...

YEAH I KNOW IT’S A CLICHÉ. I just wanted to say it once.

So, previously on this blog, I watched the film Top Gun. Also previously, I didn’t like the film Top Gun that much, especially not its main character, Maverick, played by one illustrious Tom Cruise. Goodbye, Maverick. I banish ye from this sacred place, for this is a place where your toxic, arrogant, douchebaggery will NOT stand. 

Instead, we’re gonna jump into a separate Tom Cruise vehicle, one so iconic that he launched a multi-million dollar, 6-movie franchise, and made himself known as an actor who (obsessively) does his own stunts. Which, of course, he likes to let people know, and ramps up with every successive movie. Y’hear that he’s going to space next? Like, real actual space? Don’t know what action’s going to happen there, but call me cautiously intrigued. And by the way, I know that Top Gun: Maverick is coming out this year, and that it’s technically a continuation of the original Top Gun franchise, but as I said...Maverick is no longer allowed here. It’s all Ethan Hunt now.

A few things before I start the recap. First off: did I like this movie? And the answer is...I mean, yeah? I’d like to see more Mission: Impossible movies after this, if I’m honest. I’ve heard that Henry Cavill’s lip is amazing in the most recent one, so call me interested in getting to that point. I mean, that’s 5 movies, and I’m not doing that this month, I tell you what. Still, consider them on my list! As for this movie, let’s get into it. Might help me dissect my feelings a little better.

Second, I should say that Mission: Impossible (the whole series, but especially this film), is loosely based upon the original television series from the 1960s, starring Leonard Nimoy, Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Lesley Ann Warren, and more. It was a spy-series starring members of the Impossible Missions Force, or IMF. Ran for 7 seasons starting in 1966, then was revived in the ‘80s with Peter Graves returning. And, interestingly enough, I’ll have more to say on that later.

Third and finally, I should say my relationship with spy movies. Can’t say I’ve seen a lot of them, in truth, but I have seen the original Sean Connery (RIP) James Bond films, with the exception of Never Say Never Again. Haven’t seen any other Bond films, and any other spy movies that I’ve seen aren’t super notable, in truth. And yeah, I’ve seen the Austin Powers films, but that’s a conversation for a different month.

OK, enough background folderol, let’s get to that impossible mission, shall we? And SPOILERS, by the way.

Recap

OK, so we start with our intrepid spy group mid-mission, interrogating a guy using a fake dead-prostitute, a fake hotel, and a fake face, as seen by Tom Cruise taking off one of the iconic masks from the original show. And while this is clearly enhanced special effects, the original series used real latex rubber masks to accomplish the effect of taking the mask off. I dunno, that seems more charming to me than this:

But call that personal opinion, I guess. Anyway, we cut to Jon Voight...he’s the villain, isn’t he?

I mean, come on, he’s gotta be the villain, it’s Jon Voight in a ‘90s movie, where there are very few big names outside of himself and Cruise. But, I might be wrong about that, as Voight is playing Jim Phelps in this movie, and they wouldn’t turn Jim Phelps, of all characters, into a villain. He’s one of the main characters from the original series, played by Peter Graves. Dude even made it into the sequel series in the ‘80s as the head of IMF, a role which he appears to have taken up here as well. So, OK, I must be mistaken, he’s not gonna be the villain.

Right?

Anyway, after Jim Phelps chooses to accept the mission, the tape self-destructs, and our guys are going to Prague for find proof that some dude is stealing government secrets. We also find out that Phelps (Voight, remember) is married to Claire, played by Emmanuelle Beart, a woman 25 years younger than Voight. Well...sure? Anyway, we set up some nifty gadgets and planned disguises, and we make our way to the mission. And once there, the plan goes off without a hitch. I mean, mostly, anyway. No plan is foolproof after all! So, anyway, everybody’s dead.

Yeah. Wow. Everybody just got MERCED. Emilio Estevez gets crushed by an elevator, Kristin Scott Thomas gets stabbed alongside the suspect (somehow; I don’t understand how and why she doesn’t just walk away when she sees the dude clearly getting stabbed). Ingeborga Dapkunaite gets blown up, Emmanuelle Béart does to, but...off-screen. Hmm. And Voight gets shot...on camera...so that Hunt can see it happen...

It’s them, right? It’s Jim and Claire, the married couple, right? Like...they’re totally the villains of the movie, yeah? Because, like, we don’t see Claire get killed, and Phelps literally gets killed on camera. And the way the gun is pointed at him, CLEARLY looks like he’s shooting himself. It’s even the same suit that he’s wearing, you can see the sleeve! Come ON, man!

But, no, it can’t be that easy, right? This is a spy movie, after all, one of the best! Plus, I’m only, 20 minutes in? It CAN’T BE THAT EASY! And again, they wouldn’t do that to Jim Phelps, arguably the most well-known character from the original series! Right? RIGHT?

I’m just gonna say right now, I’m gonna be so upset if I’m right about this. Anyway...

Well, looks like Ethan’s being framed for the death of his team. Ah. So, it’s this story, huh? The mission was an attempt to root out a mole, and was apparently successful, according to Agent Kittedge (Henry Czerny at his most slimily dickish). Hunt is (very badly) interrogated by Kittredge, who literally only exacerbated the situation with his dumb, dumb interrogation tactics. Yeah, it’s gonna be one of those movies. Anyway, Ethan uses explosive chewing gum to escape, blows up a tank, and kills, just, SO many fish. Aquarists everywhere shivered as it happened, I’m sure.

Hunt goes...back to the safe house? Would...would the IMF not know where their agents are stationed? And you just went...back? Couple that with the fact that Hunt figures out how to contact the mysterious dealer “Max” within about 10 minutes, and IMF officials couldn’t figure that out for 2 YEARS at this point, and...these guys aren’t great spies, are they? So much slipping under their nose, geez. And if Jim actually is the mole, then WOW, these guys are incompetent. Still, outside of suspicion, there isn’t much proof of that yet...

Oh, look. Claire’s alive. Yeah...yeah, I’m calling my shot, it’s Jim and Claire. I don’t care if I’m wrong. In fact, I sincerely hope I am, for multiple reasons. But, yeah, I’m calling it officially now. And yeah, I’m not happy about it.

Anyway, Hunt, being not nearly suspicious enough of Claire’s survival, has indeed cracked the code that the entire IMF couldn’t crack in, again, 2 YEARS up to this point. Max has contacted him through the AIM server boards (Usenet, I know, but it’s the ‘90s; couldn’t resist). Max, played by Vanessa Redgrave in a pleasant surprise, makes a deal with Ethan to get the real list of agents, rather than the decoy that she’s been given. She accepts, as they narrowly escape capture by the IMF, and Ethan agrees to give her the full list for $10 million. And for the record, that set of demands is...VERY specific, on Ethan’s end. Thought about this before, huh, buddy-boy?

Anyway, Claire (who’s definitely guilty) and Ethan recruit two disavowed agents to help them. One is Franz Kreiger, a knife-loving sociopath played by the amazing Jean Reno. The other is Luther Stickell, a slickly-dressed computer hacker charmingly played by Ving Rhames. And I gotta say...I’m into it. Like, these two are both awesome characters, and I’m all for it. Rhames, while visually not looking like you’d expect an IT guy to look, pulls it off really well. He’s potentially my favorite character in the film, behind Max and Kreiger. Because, Kreiger...

So, Leon: The Professional is on my list for this month, and having seen Reno in this movie, I am EXCITED to see a movie in which he’s the star. I’ve only really seen him in this and Godzilla and heard him in Flushed Away, and he’s always my favorite character in those films. Not sure if it’s his characters, or his rakish charm, or his ABSOLUTELY AWESOME voice, but I’m a sucker for some Jean Reno, lemme tell you.

Allllllll right, time for some spy action! Looks like we’re going into Langley to get some information. Not an easy mission, that’s for sure. In fact, some might even say it’s a-

...Yeah, OK. Anyway, the mission proceeds in what may be, and I’m gonna be honest...one of the most heart-poundingly tense and enjoyable sequences I’ve seen in a spy movie. Cruise dangling by a wire over a supposedly break-in-proof room that sets off alarms at even the slightest trigger? Yeah...yeah, that shit was cool, I’m not gonna lie. Kreiger struggling to hold Cruise up, Luther coaching from the comms while awaiting the NOC list on his computers; it’s pretty awesome. No complaints there, 10/10.

OK, let’s break it up into two halves again, yeah? Part 2!