#ilu maria

[bhaalxbabe]

highkey upset we didnt kiss but it's fine

[cyanoscarlet]

Hwasa - Maria (Orchestra ver.) As seen on: Dancing Queens on the Road (Ep 12 - Finale)

[terminallytwee]

"YOU JUST KEEP GOING, KID. That's great advice! - if not really the only advice you can give anyone under any and all circumstances." - Maria Bamford, SURE, I'LL JOIN YOUR CULT

[themardlonk]

Local Man laughs at Sobbing 8-Year-Old, despite once also having been a Sobbing 8-Year-Old

[dirtylittlediesel]

i love maria x ladybug because their dynamic to me (if we analyze along the Silly Vector) is maria sweating muscles straining doing bench press and ladybug is... sitting really pretty on the barbell... butch queen and her dependent bisexual himbo bf...

but if we analyze along the Gritty Vector then we've got two dirty job professionals who are completely dedicated to each other across an asymmetrical power dynamic... if anything happened to ladybug maria would move hell and heaven to get to her favorite operator... if anything happened to maria ladybug would regress and scorch earth to get her back...

they're bffs they're buds they're fucking on the low and their combined age is over 100 years old... love beetlebug fr !

[awlwren-writes]

2 Alexander

5 Maria

6 Eliana

14 Helen

11 Espervier

7 Ulfilas

I...have so many of them, don't I? Huh. Well, I've put some reminders as to who everyone is for those of you who are interested but don't have them all memorized. Alexander: (Cor's secretary) What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them? He once beat Cor in a fight. It wasn't a fair fight, and it wouldn't ever happen again. But Cor was trying to work when he was sick and Alexander challenged him and said if he could beat Cor, Cor had to go home. Cor agreed.

They went to the training ground, Cor pulled out Kotetsu (nearly overbalancing) and bowed. Alexander hit him in the head with a stapler as Cor was coming up from his bow. Alexander is adamant that someone's hand was guiding him (he says Bahamut, but honestly thinks it was the king's magic somehow) and he could never make such a throw again, and was honestly just trying to distract Cor before trying to tackle him, maybe deadleg him or just get him dizzy, but it hit Cor directly in the head and he stumbled and tripped over his own feet. Alexander landed on him and knocked the wind out of him, and Cor couldn't get back up.

Alexander won, Cor went home.

It's an inside joke around the office that Alexander is the Cor-slayer.

Maria: (Glaive, mage) How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want? Further than she's comfortable thinking about. If it's important enough to her (if the lives of the people she loves are at stake, if it means a cure for the Scourge) she's willing to condone torture, hold someone down for it. If it's a cure for the scourge at stake, she'd take the knife to VB in a heartbeat. She'd let civilians, even kids die for that. She wouldn't kill them herself, probably, but she'd let it happen. If Helen asked her about the topic, though, she'd say she wouldn't do any of it, though she'd admit to being tempted.

Eliana: (Glaive trainer, former royal guard) How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass? She'd do her research, and she'd have to be pretty firmly convinced it would actually do what she wanted (save her King, save the bby Glaives, etc), but once she was she would do it. I don't think she'd ever be a traitor because of that, but she might be persuaded to be a double agent with enough proof from trusted people and a promised end date, though if it went on too long she'd probably be doing enough nasty things to her body to cope that she'd make herself too useless to keep doing the job.

Helen: (Glaive) How does your OC want to be seen by other characters? She wants to be part of the group, respected, maybe, an elder sister who can give advice and help protect them, but not an outsider. Someone who's allowed in on the group, and the group jokes even if she doesn't always feel like she deserves it (a lot of this is bc she's Insomnian).

But she also wants to be seen as a moral person, who does what is right, someone the kiddos can look up to without being let down. Who messes up sometimes, sure. She doesn't want to be up on a pedestal, after all. Then she couldn't be part of the group. But to be remembered as someone who chose what is right over what is easy? That would be part of her ideal legacy.

Espervier: (Crownsguard, older) What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it? Huh. I don't think I've actually had her fighting. I'm gonna say she's a sniper and uses a thin saber for her close combat. Fast and close, but not as close as daggers. Gotta keep some distance. (of course she does have backup daggers as well. But that means things have gone really really wrong)

Ulfilas: (Niflheim officer in SaM) What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them? Ha ha. Ha ha. Oh, he's changed so much.

Originally he was just gonna be the guy who was blindly loyal to the Empire and the idea of Glauca as the ultimate powerhouse of the Empire. Of course the general wants us to rescue him and kill all the Lucians. Why wouldn't he? Actually we had to go back and change some of the lines in the first fic of the second arc, because who he became wouldn't have been so eager for cruelty to Nyx. His original traits were: "Jingoistic" and deeply ironic in what he thought Glauca wanted, a good foil for a changed Drautos that way.

And then he started asking questions. He started being the one Drautos talked to, was being able to talk around. He was uncomfortable with torture. He loved his country and what it had been able to accomplish and thought it was doing the right thing but he had lines. And, ooh, wouldn't it be interesting if we could make him start a sort of dissenting group in the ranks. Oooh, and wouldn't it be interesting if we had two groups both causing chaos when Nyx and Drautos are escaping - Galahdan Rebels and Niflheim Saboteurs? Of course it would!

And the rest was history...

[lilaccatholic]

Go to bed 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼

^^^moodboard for when my beloved mutuals yell at me to go to bed from across the planet

[lukendary]

And at last, she comes to Luke. He's well and truly thrown her off his trail, if it really is him -- and if it isn't, well, it's not so bad to get to know him, is it? She'd never had the honor to meet a great many of Prince Marth's allies from the second war, and the chance to remedy at least one of these unmeetings is lucky indeed!

"Luke?" It feels odd to call his name familiarly, just as it would feel odd to call him like a stranger, for how long she has known of him and never gone to meet him. As she trots up to him, she cannot help but feel how light her satchel has grown, tellingly bereft of many of its former goodies. Nevertheless, she holds up a bag of cookies in the cradle of her palms, all bright eyes and hopeful sparkles as she waits for him to take it.

"It's nice to finally meet you!" Eyes crinkle ever so slightly at the corners as she talks, bouncing her hands as if to say: take it!

"Take it!" She chirps not more than a few moments later, because that was exactly what she meant to say, and grins. "It's a present for letting me take some of your time! But, Luke, I'm curious... are you my secret gift-giver?"

At last.

They’d never spoken, but Luke recognized her on sight. Who else could she be but Maria? “For me? Thank you.” He smiled, and then he sank down on one knee, kneeling as he felt a knight should, eyes on hers as he spoke, laughing slightly.

“I confess, that every description I’ve ever heard of the youngest Princess of Macedon fails to capture how warm and kind you are. I, Luke, am you secret gift giver! I suppose it took a little while to find me due to how formal I tried to be. Well, I have some manners, and in matters of the Luke’s bravery, you need only ask King Marth for details. For other matters— Kris and Rody can have their own opinions, eh?”

He stood up, opening the little bag and trying a cookie. “Woah! There are so good- it seems I am the one who should be thanking you, for these and the gift of your presence.”

He barely restrained himself from winking. See? Proper and all that.

“If you ever need anything from a legendary knight, you know who to call.”

[daphne-minor]

THE KINGDOM MY BABIESSSSS

[chelleisamazing]

Young Miko at Bad Bunny's show yesterday in puerto rico pero que diosa como se miraba de hermosa y aún con su nuevo color pelirrojo se mira so fucking hot AAAAHHDGKSK

[totheblood]

Hi, can you do hc’s of ellie having a crush on/dating a friendly and outgoing girl ❤️

a/n: hey, im taking time today to get to my inbox and write for ellie my beloved… i feel a lot more confident now given that i am just ab finished with part one of the game but still, reserving my time for writing! so send requests, i have a few but still 🫣 anyways, thank u anon ilu

ellie is such an ambivert so whenever she’s around someone more introverted she’s determined to pull them out of their shell, but when she’s around you, an obvious extrovert, she can feel herself drawing inwards

she first noticed you on her first day in jackson and found herself dumbstruck as she watched you tell what seemed like an interesting story to a group of people your age. they all seemed so entranced, and ellie couldn’t lie, she was too.

she felt like such a stalker after that day, writing down your name in her journal with small doodles of your face and side profile. the way you so effortlessly drew people in, how you made everyone feel welcome and included, everything about you left her in a daze.

quickly after arriving she fell in with dina and her group of friends so she would find herself sneaking out at night to drink and play games in dina’s basement.

to her suprise, you were there. not to her suprise, you were there with a guy, and whatever hope she had of ever being with you was crushed. you didn’t even look like you liked the guy, she thought, as she watched you subtly push his hand away from your face.

later that night ellie cornered dina to ask her about you, the one drink in her system showing itself suddenly.

“what do you know about yn?”

dina snorted. “what, do you have a crush on her?” it was meant to be a joke, at this point ellie had not made it clear that she was into girls, but when dina saw the way her face faltered she completely changed her tune.

“oh shit, you do!”

“shut up, i do not.”

“well, get in line.”

“you have a cr-?” ellie was confused.

“what?! no, but practically every guy here does, she never pays them any mind though.” she said gesturing to you, again as you looked completely uninterested in the guy in front of you.

“oh.” was all ellie could say.

from that day on she interacted with you infrequently, occasionally having short conversations with you during class where her cheeks would burn a bright red whenever you laughed

plus, her crush went away for a while when she had a fling with cat. but as soon as that was over she was right back to stealing glances at you at community events

so here she was, harboring a four year crush on someone who didn’t even know who she was, it felt pathetic

it all came to a head when she started getting assignments around the town and was paired with you in the stables

she was shocked when you greeted her with a wide smile on your face

“hey! ellie, right?”

“yeah,” ellie let out a breathless laugh “you know my name?”

“town’s not that big, ellie.” you laughed as you watched her cheeks grow red like they always did when she spoke to you

since you could talk to a brick wall it was no shocker that you and ellie talked throughout your entire assignment

everytime elle would make you laugh she would feel so accomplished even though a part of her knew you were just being nice

after that day ellie practically begged maria to put her on the stables with you, even going as far as to say she would take two assignments a day if she just got to do the one with you

you were so good at making her feel comfortable, and a part of her felt like you were flirting with her half the time, but her insecurities got the best of her

soon enough you were inviting ellie everywhere… to secret parties, to show her a flower you found growing behind the stables, and even just to get a sandwich with you at the tipsy bison

ellie knew that you were nowhere close to hers but she couldn’t help but get jealous when she would see how well you interacted with others… she knew it was your nature but it still burned

whenever she would see you laugh a little too hard at a joke she wanted to turn around and throw up, but she didn’t… the sound of your laughter was peace enough

one night she decided to walk you home and after she had finished saying good bye you reached up and kissed her

she was so dumbstruck that she just stared at you, and how beautiful your eyes looked with the snow catching on your eyelashes. she was so wrapped up in your beauty and by the taste of your lips still on hers that she didn’t even recognize the horror that was painted so clearly over your face

“shit.. ellie i am so sorry, i don’t know why i did that. i thought there was something between us but i so clearly misread that and i shouldn’t have assumed just because of cat that you would like me. god i feel so dumb especially since this has happened to me where people think just because i’m nice to them they can kiss me or something but i should have nev-“

you were cut off by ellie pressing her lips to yours again, her hand gripping the back of your head

you couldn’t tell how long you had been kissing but when she pulled away her lips were swollen and you were dizzy

“you didn’t misread anything.”

“obviously.” you laughed.

after that the little invites you gave ellie began to feel more and more like dates, especially since they almost always ended with your hands down her pants

when you became official, ellie knew she had to find a way to be secure with you

she knew you wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, but it wasn’t you she didn’t trust. it was the people who often took advantage your kindness

so she would be extremely protective over you, everytime you two were at a party together she would have her arm wrapped around your waist, her fingers brushing the top of your hip

she would occasionally pull you in for a sloppy kiss whenever she would notice someone staring at you for too long. even though she hated PDA she felt it was necessary when being with you so people knew exactly who you were with

even though it made her nervous she would never ask you to change. it was just who you were and it was one of the things that made her fall for you in the first place.

whenever you would get antsy at a party because you wanted to go and talk to large groups of people she would gently push you towards them with a “go fly, my little social butterfly.”

she was more than happy to take a backseat and watch you thrive

[vamossainz55]

hii, could you possible write something about reader and carlos with best friends to lovers trope, thank you 🤍

summary: you never reached out to carlos to tell him you missed him. apparently he did the same. (childhood best friend trope & reconnecting) // fluff , no warnings

a/n: hi guys it's been a while, missed being on here. i hope everyone has had an amazing 2023 so far! hoping i can start writing regularly again and post soon <3 (especially moonlight). in the meantime, enjoy this really really old request that i wrote during the holidays.

ps. thanks @sssainzz for the advice as always ilu <3

Late Night Walks (& Old Conversations) | Carlos Sainz Jr. x Reader

Despite the ache in your cheeks you're still grinning from ear to ear, chest filled with a certain warmth that fights the cold breeze of the winter night. The door is open, you and a few others getting ready to step out for a late night walk home. 

"Thank you for having us ‘Ria" you say as you reach over to give her a quick hug. You knew you were probably seeing her soon anyways, the night had been long, and you two would definitely need to meet for a quick recap of events. You’re barely a second into hugging her before you’re being pulled away.

"Vete, vete,” shoo, shoo, “you see each other all the time." There's a hand on your waist with a too familiar grip that sends goosebumps over your skin. You try your best to hide your expression, ducking your head down in hopes of not getting caught but Maria gives you a knowing look that proves you unsuccessful.

Carlos pays no mind to the exchange, instead opening his arms to engulf Maria in an almost deadly hug. Maria lets out a disgruntled sound from how tight Carlos envelopes around her, and you find yourself smiling at the sight. 

"Te echaré de menos. Nos vemos pronto vale?" I’ll miss you. We’ll see eachother soon okay? Carlos says before pulling away to give her an earnest grin. Maria is more than happy to hear his words, simply pinching his cheek. She waits for him to wince, a clear revenge on the hug.

"Of course, go make us proud campeón.” She says before you’re stepping further out the door. You follow the rest of the group, pulling your jacket’s zipper as close as possible to your nose. You can hear Carlos’ footsteps following from behind, catching up with you before waving goodbye to Maria once more who waves her hand happily until you all make it out her gate. 

The latch is the seal of the night, the sound of metal clattering sinking the tired feeling into your bones.

“So, that was nice. Let’s hope next time isn’t in another three years” Pedro says jokingly but you all know him well enough to know that there’s always a slight truth in his words. You catch the way his eyes flicker over to Carlos, his silence being enough to send the message. 

Carlos simply nods, because Pedro isn’t wrong. Dalia, Pedro, Maria, and you had met up over the years as a group whilst Carlos always found himself too busy. It's not like any of you were mad though, understanding that at the end of the day, his career wasn’t something he could exactly be flexible with. You all just missed him. 

“I’ll try my best to make more time next year. Promise.” Carlos says, looking over at you and Dalia as well. 

“You better.” Pedro says as his shoulders relax. He lets out a heavy breath, looking over the three of you. 

“We’re going the same way, no?” He’s asking, this time to Carlos and Dalia. 

Dalia nods and you can no longer deny the bittersweet feeling that had been coming in waves the moment the night had slowly begun unwinding. You weren’t ready to say goodbye to some people just yet. 

“See you when I see you, hm?” Pedro chuckles, already pulling you into a hug that has you stumbling into his chest. You smile as you nod, poking his side playfully. 

It’s almost a super power really, the way you can feel Carlos’ eyes burning into you from behind and you pull away just at the right angle that you’re facing Dalia to give her a hug next. The feeling in your chest is rising in anticipation and you’re sure to hold onto her just a tiny bit longer than necessary.

You pull away from her with a deep breath, turning towards Carlos with a small smile as you pull your zipper again. You’re about to speak, stepping closer to him but Carlos stops you by wrapping his scarf around you and pulling it so it’s wrapped around your face, tickling you right under your eyes. 

Carlos’ eyes crinkling has you looking away, suddenly self conscious of the warmth forming in your cheeks. He simply chuckles, turning from you to look at Pedro and Dalia. “I’ll walk her home, it’s quite late.” He says, not waiting for you to say anything. He knows you most likely won’t, not in front of the others anyways.

You’re looking at Carlos quietly, watching him bid farewell to the rest of your group with quick hugs and kisses before he’s heading back towards you. 

Nobody says anything but the look Dalia and Pedro share lets you know that they were definitely going to talk about it on their walk home. You watch them turn to go down the road, sparing you one more glance before you’re turning to face Carlos.

“Let’s go?” He offers soon shoving his hand into his pockets as you both begin to walk down the other way. 

You’re hyper aware that it’s just you two, eyes fixed at your feet and almost counting the steps you were taking. It’s only when you hear Carlos clear his throat that you stop. You look next to you and see nobody, and you realize that Carlos had been trailing behind.

“What?” You ask once you’re turned to face him. He just chuckles, shrugging as he shoves his hands in his pockets. 

“With the speed you’re walking at, I’d think you’re running away from me.” Your nose scrunches up at his suggestion. Your fingers pull at the curve of the scarf, loosening it slightly.

“I am not running away from you,” Carlos hums, nodding as he catches up.

“Okay, then we can slow down a little bit.” He says, knocking his shoulder into yours once he’s next to you. You roll your eyes at his words before you both begin walking again. This time, Carlos sets the pace with slow and long steps.

“You know, you don’t have to walk me home. It’s not too far from Maria’s.” You say as you both walk. Carlos simply shrugs, coughing softly into his fist to ward off the cold in his throat.

The street lights are casting above you both, shadows following your footsteps. You can’t help but think about the countless times you’ve both walked down these streets together.

Best friends. 

Or at least that’s what you both told everyone. Deep down you knew it was more, the small touches, longing looks, unsaid words that were always left hanging in the air.

You were both aware of what you both wanted,  but both too scared of blurring the line and risking losing the friendship that none of you did anything. 

It was enough, until it wasn’t, and filling the void with others was not something any of you handled well. 

There wasn’t any big falling out, any fight where you both knew it was over. After some time there was just silence. 

“I know it’s not far but,” You look over at him as his words trail off, eyes meeting briefly. This time Carlos looks away and you notice the drag of his Adam's apple as he takes a deep breath and swallows. “It’s been a while and with how everything’s been going, I’d just like it if you indulge me for a little bit.” 

You’re surprised at his words, your steps slowing down as you try to gather your thoughts. 

“You make it sound like I’m doing you a favor,” you say, almost dumbfounded as you continue to keep your eyes tracked on him. Carlos simply chuckles, running a hand through his hair. 

You can hear it in his laugh, half hearted and forced as he looks away from you. It’s not a Carlos thing to do, at least not with you. Your steps slow down, the light soon casting above you both. It’s bright enough for you to see the clench in his jaw and the tension in his shoulders but the deep breath he takes visibly relaxes him just a bit. 

“You are, you know,” he says looking at you before narrowing his eyes, “doing me a favor.”  It’s so soft that you barely hear it.

There’s so much floating in the air, so many questions that you want to ask, but you know Carlos. He’d speak when he’s ready.

“You could’ve just said so, tonto.” dummy, You say before letting out a deep breath. “Come on, let’s take the long way home.”

The fifteen minute walk home becomes an hour long one, silence being replaced with small conversation. You’re mainly updating each other on your lives, sharing funny stories and anything that comes to mind. 

Of course your stories are less interesting, being bound to your hometown and working a menial nine to five job paled in comparison to Carlos who traveled almost every week.

Carlos still asks though, giving you every drop of his attention, nodding along to every little thing you were saying. 

“Sometimes I wish I had a bit more normalcy, a bit more of a break.” Your heart clenches a little at the tone of his voice, you barely remember ever hearing Carlos sound so tired. 

“Has the season been that rough?” You ask, looking over at him for a short moment to see him nod.

“I wanted to call you,” It’s not an easy confession for him to make and his eyes are instantly bouncing around to avoid looking you in the eye. “A lot of times.” 

Your hands feel clammy in your pockets and you can’t help but dig your nails into your palm as you look ahead. “Why didn’t you?” It’s a stupid question, because, 

“You know why,” he says. 

You let out a sigh, looking up at the sky as Carlos slowly stops walking. You pause your steps as well, looking over at him to meet his gaze. You don’t understand why he had given you his scarf, noticing the way his cheeks and nose were flushed and rosey.

“You’re going to get sick Carlos.” you murmur, hands instinctively going to cup his cheeks to warm him up. Carlos lets out a breath, simply leaning into your touch as he takes a step closer towards you. Despite the cold air his cheeks are warming your hands and you can’t help but frown in concern. You consider returning his scarf, but before you do Carlos sighs. 

“You always do this,” His gloved hands slowly go over yours, keeping them cupped around his own cheeks. 

“Do what?” You ask. 

“Do things that make me want to kiss you,” His breath tickles your face, both of you now merely inches apart. 

“Carlos,” it’s barely above a whisper but you’re shaking your head, lifting your foot to take a step back.

“No, I’m not letting you talk us out of this, not again.” His hands cup your cheeks this time, pressing his forehead against yours. The feeling of his thumb tracing over your bottom lip sends shivers down your spine, and your eyes are quick to meet his. 

You can’t say anything in return, not when your voice is caught in your throat. Without thinking you give Carlos a slight nod, and that’s enough confirmation for him to close the gap between you both. 

It starts off so painfully careful, as if you were both scared of hurting one another but once you feel the soft press of his lips you find yourself relaxing into him. Your arms snake around his neck and his hand travels to hold your waist and it somehow feels so natural that you really wonder why you had waited so long for this moment. 

You only pull away once you’re breathless, cheeks flushed and lips swollen. Carlos lets out a heavy breath as well, pressing his lips against your forehead to give it a kiss before speaking up. 

“Let’s go home, yeah?”

a/n: tysm for reading and i hope you enjoyed !

want to read more? my masterlist can be found here

f1 taglist: @sgkophie @lostinketterdam @troybolton-14  @panicforspec  @storysf1ferrari @cosmicleclerc @writing-about-current-obsessions @micksmidnights @ricsaigaslec

lmk if you want to be added to my taglist <3

[yamayuandadu]

Hi, sorry if this has been asked before, but do you have any reliable sources that talk about Ashtar? I'm also looking for articles that talk about El/Ilu; and Shalim and Shahar as well. I appreciate any form of help.

I've answered a similar Ashtar question a few months ago, refer to the bibliography here. I do not have much to offer when it comes to Shahar and Shalim because as far as I can tell most scholarship focuses on exegesis of the Bible, which is something I have next to no interest in. I've answered a question about them here; the main source to depend on is Pardee's Ritual and Cult in Ugarit. When it comes to El, the basic selection of sources dealing with Ugaritic religion should obviously be the start: Smith's Baal Cycle commentaries, Pardee's aforementioned book, Rahmouni's Divine Epithets in the Ugaritic Alphabetic Texts, Handbook of Ugaritic Studies, etc. For more specialized information I recommend: a) Il in Personal Names by Alfonso Archi (early history, and why names with the element il and its cognates do not necessarily refer to a specific deity in pre-Ugaritic sources) b) West Semitic god El in Anatolian Hieroglyphic Transmission by Ilya Yakubovich for the first millennium BCE c) The God Eltara and the Theogony by Anna Maria Polvani for El's Hurro-Hittite career (there's also the Elkunirsa myth but I do not think there's any recent treatment of it, so your best bet is to just read the translation in Hoffner's Hittite Myths from the 1990s) d) The Dwelling of ˀIlu in Baˁlu and ˀAqhatu by Madadh Richey for some lexical considerations regarding El's residence e) God (Ilu) and King in KTU 1.23 by Theodore J. Lewis for El's role as the king of the gods

Also, it's worth checking out Wiggins' monograph A reassessment of Asherah: with further considerations of the goddess since while hardly focused on El, it does discuss Athirat's relationship with him in the Ugarit section. Similarly, might be worth looking into this author's Shapash article.

[hypnotisedfireflies]

what would it look like if Maria had to enlist Tessjoel’s “services” of askin real nice. say someone or a group someone’s did something really hurtful to tommy or lachie on patrol but got caught or something like that?

OMG okay you’re getting a drabble for this.  I don’t know where this fits in Driftersverse canon or if this is totally AU but here you go anon ilu.

Three dead and a list of demands Jackson couldn’t meet.

Two hostages in the jailhouse basement.

One last chance. 

Maria Miller walked slowly past each cell and ascended the creaking stairs.  Their prisoners didn’t know who she was, her connection to the man they claimed to still have alive in their camp.  The hope kindled in her heart when they gave her a name as proof – Tommy – was smothered when she considered just how bad it might be for him.  They didn’t know where he was, and they had no means of getting these hostages to talk without meeting at least some of those demands. 

And Jackson did not negotiate with raiders. 

It was in the charter Maria had helped pen.  They didn’t hold themselves to ransom.  The community was greater than any one person.  What made them different from the savagery beyond Jackson’s walls was their civility and commitment to remaining human.  It was a standard not so impossible when the greater good was held to the highest standard. 

But it hadn’t challenged Maria, the woman and not the leader, personally before.

Two council members and Lachlan Maynard were waiting for her upstairs.  The latter took one look at her face and turned to the others.  “Could you two excuse us for a minute?”

Maria gave them a nod and she quietly shut the basement door.  “I know what you’re going to suggest and the answer’s no.”

“It’ll be over quick, I can guarantee you that.”

“No.”

“You don’t even have to be here.  In fact, it’s better you’re not.  Plausible deniability and all that.”

“It’s not how we do things here.”

“You could have Tommy back tonight.”

“No, Lachie.  I’m saying no.  That’s not how we do it here.  We can find a way through this without – resorting to that.”

Lachie paused.  “You’re telling me the moral fucking high ground means more to you than Luke’s dad?”

“Oh, give me a break - it’s not that simple and you know it!”

“Yeah, it is.”  Lachie pushed off the desk.  He started to say something and then changed tact, holding up his hands to her.  “It’s Tommy.  He’d do anything to get you back, Maria.”

“I know all about Hannah.”

“Really?  I don’t think you do.  I was there.  I was there, Maria.  And I watched them work three people over with the kind of efficiency that would make your bloody head spin and put your counsel agenda to shame.  It was done like that,” he snapped his fingers, “And we had Hannah back that night.”

“It’s not right.  It’s not human.”

“You think that they’ll do to Tommy’s human?  You think they’re playing by your airy-fairy rules, Maria?  What do you think they’re doing to him right now?”

“Stop.”

“Guarantee he’s not in a nice warm cell.  Guarantee he doesn’t have water.  Bet he’s just conscious enough to know what’s comin’ next, Maria –“

“Stop!”

“Bet he knows you won’t make the call.”

That was enough.  Maria advanced on Lachie and shoved him hard into the wall.  “I told you to stop!”

Lachie was completely unruffled.  “You gotta tell Joel who you’ve got down here, Maria.  And then you walk away for awhile, until I come get you.”

Maria knew he was right.  She could feel the panic barely kept at bay seeping in, her eyes watering.  She squeezed the front of Lachie’s shirt and took a few deep breaths.  Was that what Tommy was lying out there thinking?  That she would place the community above him?  Or worse yet, was he waiting for his brother to come and get him, believing he was the only one who’d risk so much?

“Where are they?”  She finally asked, looking up, expression rigid.

“Out looking.”

“Bring Joel back in.”

“You’re going to need them both.”

It was two hours before Tess and Joel were located and quietly brought to the converted jailhouse.  Lachie had filled them in on the way over and when they arrived, Maria forced herself to stand still.  She tried to keep the fear out of her eyes, but she was failing – she knew she was failing by the tight little smile Lachie offered her.

Joel looked at her just once, gesturing to the door to affirm that was the way to go.  Maria nodded and down he went, leaving it ajar for Tess.  He lacked all expression but there was a stridency in his movement that so lethal that Maria felt her stomach tighten.  This was who her husband had ran from, Maria thought. 

Tess paused in front of Maria.  In contrast, Tess seemed almost completely normal:  poised, even relaxed.  She took Maria’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

“It’s almost over,” Tess promised.  And then she followed Joel, closing the door behind her.

Lachie sat down at the desk.  “You’d better get out of here now.”

Maria hesitated.  The smart thing to do was go – like Lachie said, she could have plausible deniability about what took place in the basement.  She had never wanted these tactics here.  This was not the future Maria wanted to build in Jackson.

But she wanted Tommy more.

She sat down opposite Lachie and held her hands in her lap. 

“No.  I think I’ll stay.”

Part Two

[itspileofgoodthings]

I may have missed it for timezones, but happy birthday, Maria!!! ilu and the light you are. :)

It was yesterday! but I love late birthday messages almost as much as I love you so.

[oodlyenough]

the last of us 1x06: kin

surprisingly don't think i have a ton to say about this ep of the last of us but i feel like i should continue posting for posterity at this point lol. (eta: i said that, then started writing my thoughts, and wrote a gazillion words anyway.)

side note: any canadians watching on crave? isn't it fucking terrible. trash service

anyway: 1x06!

continuing to enjoy joel and ellie a lot. the further we get into the show i think the more they've come into the roles and evolved into their own versions of the characters, which is fine. good even. i think bella ramsey and pedro pascal have very fun chemistry together, and i think bella carries the comedy beats really well, which means i've been enjoying seeing more and more of those. i also really like those scenes because they feel familiar without being complete retreads of the game dialogue (which inherently invites me to make comparisons on delivery, etc)

so this joel is much more openly vulnerable. i think this change works to go with what we've seen in the show so far and places where the show is presumably going. and, i'll be honest, i find show joel a much more likable character. 🤷🏼‍♀️

the "not my daughter" scene hit differently... tbh i think it hit less, but not really through any fault of the show's, if that makes sense. it's just one where beat by beat i know the words as delivered by troy and ashley and my brain is super imposing them

loved the opening with the Indigenous couple, they were so funny, and the idea of florence seeing joel puffed up like an angry bird and identifying zero threat and making him soup lmfaoooooo hkghlkg. honestly w game joel i don't think that would work, lol, but w show joel it did. such a funny way to use the map easter egg, and the "there are firefly people?" followed by the couple laughing at their own joke killed me lol

also loved ellie's indignation about how they probably don't know anything because they're "a thousand" and they don't even know the fireflies, who are probably a total nonentity outside select QZs. extreme kid energy. they haven't even HEARD of paw patrol can you believe it. what do they know. also, congrats to them escaping joel and ellie mostly unscathed... minus a rabbit. (rude, ellie.)

show maria was great idc. imo game maria is not much of a character, so the show had plenty of room to expand, and i liked how they did it. i see some people reacting badly to her skepticism of joel and forgiveness of tommy, but we also don't really know what exactly she's been told by tommy. maria being pregnant is also a more solid reason for why tommy can't take ellie than we got in the game.

i can't really evaluate tommy or maria as characters without factoring in part 2 and at this point there's enough difference that who knows where the show will go with tommy and maria in s2, so, it's all kinda fair game imo

the university scene felt a bit rushed but i guess there really isn't that much to do there when you're not rearranging dumpsters and killing infected. it was the first time the show felt notably rushed to me, and i suspect that feeling will get worse in the back third of the show. ah well.

joel's injury and the fight felt anticlimatic compared to the big action set piece of the game, BUT i think it worked much better in context (joel's explicit fears in this ep becoming manifest), and also, game joel's injury is sooooooooooo ludicrous and video game it just wouldn't work on tv lmao. i kind of wish we'd seen ellie land any of her shots on those guys, but i have my theories as to why we didn't. tbd

misc other thoughts:

diva cup scene... excellent. was worried about those musty tampons.

SALLY FUCKIN' RIDE lmaoooooo ellie. u lesbian. ilu

like everyone i was beyonce.gif DINA?!?!?!? in the cafeteria scene. 100% that was dina, there's no way it wasn't. it might not be the final cast actress (i can see them not wanting to cast a major role so far in advance for a cameo, and they have a time skip to justify any appearance changes), but as a character that was surely meant to be dina. ellie that's ur WOMAN

we're 10000% getting some other cameos in the finale. i'm ready 👀👀👀👀👀

lastly: can't wait for this weekend's episode. the one i've most anticipated. left behind DLC my beloved...