#like.... ??? is this the meaningful mother-son relationship most of us wanted???

[dasakuryo]

maarva: *dies* [and the show wants to make me believe she’s some sort of martyr]

me, knowing fully well this woman kidnapped cassian as a child, severed all his meaningful relationships, separated him from his sister, talked down and belittled him at every available opportunity, and later unceremoniously abandoned him because all of a sudden she cared about rebelling against the empire, hence hurting him even further after piling nothing but trauma upon trauma on his shoulders:

[runnning-outof-time]

The Silver Lining | Tommy Shelby & Daughter!Reader

Request: yes by anonymous

Pairing: Tommy Shelby & daughter!reader

Summary: (Y/N) Shelby's always been the 'forgotten one' in her family, but there may just be a silver lining in all of her suffering.

Warnings: strained familial relationship (father/daughter), mentions of minor character death

Word Count: 1633

A/N: I’m a bit rusty with the daughter!reader stories, so I’m hoping that this is good and was wanted. It’s also a bit of a sad one, but ends happy (or so I think). Enjoy! :)

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Comment/Message me if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

From when she was young, (Y/N) Shelby wished that she was part of a different family. Not even a different family name; she'd be fine with staying a Shelby...she just wished she would be going home to a different parent; a different father at night.

The only thing that (Y/N) did thank her father for was for taking her in. She'd heard terrible stories of orphanages and what happened within them. The fact that she had a place to call home, when she very easily could not have, made her grateful for that.

Her mother died after childbirth, and that side of the family wanted nothing to do with the baby after it was born, so Tommy Shelby decided to take his daughter into his home, accepting the help of his aunt in raising the child. (Y/N) was grateful for it because it was uncommon for the father to do something like that...most just sent the children away when the mother was out of the picture.

But as time went on it seemed like she was the furthest thing from Tommy's mind. Tommy and his brothers came from the war back differently. (Y/N) was left to be with Polly and Finn as he delved deeply into business, making that the highest importance in his life.

And then he met a woman. Grace Burgess quickly became the apple of Tommy Shelby's eye, putting yet another layer of separation between him and his daughter. (Y/N) was still a child herself when her half-brother, Charlie was born. A part of her felt jealous of the young boy; who seemed to get more attention from her father than she ever did.

At least she had the servants that had been hired on to talk to now, and that her father had thankfully listened and allowed her to have a piano teacher. Tommy never had a problem in monetarily giving (Y/N) what she desired...he just seemed to have no desire in actually bettering his actual relationship with her.

Things sort of plateaued for a bit when the family moved into Arrow House. (Y/N) joined the rest of her family for dinner - because she was expected to - and had free roam of the estate's expensive halls and grounds. Sure, it still hurt that at times she felt like she'd been ostracized from the family...that she didn't fit into the family that her father <wanted> to have. Being able to get lost on her own made up for it in a way.

Things took a sharp turn for the worse when Grace died. Tommy sequestered himself away from everyone in the family, only giving the bare minimum to everything that wasn't business. In a dark, twisted way, (Y/N) was kind of happy that Charlie was now getting a taste of what she'd been dealing with her entire life. But, of course, Tommy eventually began seeking his son out again and having meaningful moments with him, whereas with (Y/N) it just seemed like he was going through the motions; having the necessary conversations with her. The fact that she expected no less from her father scared her slightly...it meant that she was getting used to it.

As she got older, (Y/N) threw herself into her studies. She enjoyed reading and writing, and oftentimes would keep herself busy with either of the two. These two hobbies stuck as she made her way through the schooling system. Another thing that she was thankful for was her father's ever-rising status. He may have not been the most open and willing parent to her, but he did still make sure that she attended the best schools and had all of the proper help that was needed to excel in her studies. It was only what was fit for a Shelby.

As it was nearing the end of her secondary school career, (Y/N) found out that she was at the top of her class. She felt exhilarated by this news, and as soon as she got home, she just had to share it with Lizzie. Lizzie was Tommy's second wife, and the only person who seemed to really, truly care about what (Y/N) was doing. It was because of her that (Y/N) even chose to send out some letters to different universities with the hopes of being accepted into them. Her father was spending more and more time in his office due to his job in Parliament, so even if he had an inkling of interest in the things that his daughter was doing, she wouldn't know it. So she stuck to sharing the news with her step-mother.

One day towards the end of the school year, Frances stopped (Y/N) as she was walking through the front door. "Your father wants to see you in his office," she informed (Y/N), her expression not really giving much away.

Not saying anything, (Y/N) nodded and made her way to her father's office. She knocked on the mahogany door before opening it just enough so that she could peek her head through the door. "Frances told me that you wanted to see me," she announced her presence, hoping that her father would hear her and look up from what he was typing on his typewriter.

"Yes, come," Tommy answered her, waving her into the room with a flick of his wrist, his eyes just barely shifting from the work he was doing.

(Y/N) nodded before she opened the door further so that she could properly enter the room. She closed it behind her before silently moving over to the two armchairs that were sitting, facing his desk. "What is it that you want, dad?" she asked him once she was sitting in one of the chairs.

"It's, uh..." he started, pausing to slide the carriage of the machine back over to the start so that it'd ring out, before he looked over at his daughter. He cleared his throat before continuing, "it's been brought to my attention by this letter here that you have been in correspondence with Oxford." He clasped his hands together on top of what (Y/N) could only guess was said letter as he finished speaking.

The breath got caught in the young woman's throat as she nodded her head, hoping that her voice came out steady when she started to speak. There were no clues as to what her father was feeling or thinking at the moment, and she was preparing herself for the worst. "I applied for their writing program. It's been said that it's one of the best in the country, and I feel that I have what it takes to excel in it," she gave her reasoning behind what she had done. There was no use in denying it, he was the one who brought it up. What she did leave out, though, was that she also applied to this particular university because of the substantial distance that there was between its campus and Arrow House.

Tommy kept his eyes fixed on her as she spoke, listening intently to what she had to say. He didn't respond right away after she was finished. Instead he let silence hang in the air for a moment as he looked away, flipping through the papers that were sitting on his desk. The time felt like it was dragging as (Y/N) waited for what he'd say next.

"This letter was sent in response to what you sent them," he finally told her, holding a stark, white envelope out to her then.

(Y/N) looked at it for a moment before accepting it from him. She tried her best to steady her shaking hands as she went about opening it up and retrieving the letter from inside. She read it over slowly, not wanting to jump ahead of herself. But the first line was all she needed to read: Congratulations, Miss Shelby. It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted into our accelerated writing program... She stopped reading there even though there was still a good bit of the letter left. Her jaw went slack as she re-read it a few more times, checking to make sure that what was printed was true.

Tommy knew what the letter held from her reaction alone. "Congratulations, (Y/N)," he offered her his own congratulatory statement.

She looked up when she heard him speak, happy tears stinging the edges of her eyes as everything sunk in. Sure what he'd said wasn't deep or very thought-provoking, but the fact that he'd said something at all was more than enough for her at that moment. "

"I knew that you'd be able to achieve this. You'll do great things, love," he told her, the smallest smile teetering on his lips.

He knew that she didn't need it, but he put in an extra word for her at the registrar’s anyway. It was the least that he could do for her. This would be the silver lining in her bleak life...her opportunity to get so far away from him and the past that he'd given her. She could make a wonderful life for herself once she stepped out from the shadow that was currently hanging over her; that had been hanging over her from the moment she was born.

And so when (Y/N) stood from the chair she was sitting on and stepped around the desk so that she could hug Tommy, he held onto her as tight as she held onto him. They were hugging each other for different reasons, reasons that if you looked at them in such a way, would show that they're actually the same.

Tagged: @mgcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica @raincoffeeandfandoms @itscheybaby @gypsy-girl-08 @lora21 @insanitybyanothername @depxiety @dragons-are-my-favorite @sunsetbeachesandwriting @forgottenpeakywriter @cilliansangel

MASTERLIST

[hopetorun]

matthew asking keith not to talk to the media about him isn't new information (the athletic, 5/10/2023), and as the lede of that story makes clear, keith honored that request:

Matthew Tkachuk put his father in “timeout.” That’s why Keith Tkachuk, an 18-year veteran of the NHL and one of the league’s best American-born players, wasn’t available to talk about his son’s remarkable run that has taken the Panthers from “biggest disappointment” to one win from the Eastern Conference finals. [...] Now, there’s no time for distractions, and Matthew wants to keep a lid on his pops, who informed The Athletic of his “timeout” via text.

that article goes on to quote matthew's mother, sister, family friends, teammates, and coaches and mentors at various levels, so it's safe to say that keith's exclusion is a notable one.

as far as i can recall, the interview last night is the first keith has talked about matthew publicly since, and it wasn't a comment on matthew's performance or his team's play. should keith have said on the broadcast that matthew gave him the silent treatment? hard to say from the outside! i don't think "he didn't talk to me for a bit" gives us any meaningful new information* since we could already infer that he was mad, but i can understand why someone else might want to keep that particular detail private.

i don't bring this up a lot in my fannish posts and comments on tumblr because it's a little bit peeking behind the veil, but the tkachuks have very clearly made being a family the brand. now, that was a low hanging fruit for sure, because the nhl loves father-son narratives and fraternal narratives, but they absolutely lean into it. as a consequence, we know a lot about the family, and can often infer even more. (think brady not quite saying it but boy was it clear that he didn't appreciate matthew interfering with his contract stuff.) they can't just not talk about each other at all, because the story they've woven about themselves requires it. there's no version of this where keith never gets asked about matthew again. i think it's quite impressive how long he's managed to go without commenting on matthew's play. did he even say anything during the conference final?

look, i think there's plenty of things to point to if you want to construct a narrative about matthew and keith not always getting along (especially since no one gets along with each other all the time, perhaps especially not their parents). and there's plenty to dislike or find grating about keith! i also have my own beliefs about where in their relationship there's most likely to be tension, which i'm happy to get into on request but aren't the point of what i'm saying here. and if you're just here to play around with the idea of really contentious father-son relationship and have picked matthew and keith as your paper dolls for this purpose, then who am i to stop you? as one of my dear friends always says, all rpf characterization is fake.

but for me at least, the leap from the information we have to "keith hates and/or disrespects matthew" is a big one.

[liyazaki]

in praise of complexity

it's way easier to write two types of parents of queer kids: the 100% accepting parents, and the in-your-face homophobic variety.

I've had my fingers crossed that My School President would opt for the third, more complicated kind. this show has been too nuanced and well-done for me to hop on any "Tinn's mom is probably the devil" bandwagon, anyway. in the end, they not only went the more complex route- they delivered in a big way.

when we first met Photjanee, she seemed like the stereotypical strict drama parent with sky-high expectations, thanks at least in part to her job.

we were slowly given insights into her and Tinn's relationship, and we got to see the affection and deep care they have for each other. it was heartwarming to watch, and establishing how loving their relationship was was essential to the conflict that came next.

in a little stroke of writing genius, most of Photjanee's struggle with Tinn and Gun's relationship- and with what that relationship meant for her son- were almost exclusively intended for our eyes only.

they gave us an unusually large amount of Photjanee-focused scenes (more than a few only had Tao in them), showcasing her growing suspicions and internal struggle. when she briefly interacted with someone else in these scenes- Tinn's dad, Gun's mom, Kajorn- the focus always remained on her and ended with her.

the writers easily could've given Photjanee expository dialogue during these moments- i.e. "I'm just struggling so much with xyz"- but for the most part, they didn't. they mostly opted for "show, don't tell"- another unusual but stellar move, especially for GMMTV fare.

Tao Sarocha took us on Photjanee's journey with mainly facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses and where her gaze lingered. we didn't need to be told this was a mother who loved her child dearly, while simultaneously struggling with revelations about who he is. we could see it for ourselves.

Photjanee wants Tinn to be happy and free, but she's afraid for him. she doesn't want him to feel rejected, but she doesn't know how (at first) to reconcile herself to a future she never imagined for him.

she didn't start as an open-arms ally, nor was she a bigot. she's an adoring, terrified mom adapting to change as best as she can. not a moment of her journey was rushed- these things can take time (sometimes a lot of it), and the writers gave that to her...to us.

Photjanee wasn't perfect- she was real (she sure as hell felt like it, anyway). and it made the beautiful, beautiful ending all the more meaningful.

[shallowbreaths]

This is Mary Vincent, she is the biggest badass alive! At 15 she was attacked, brutal raped, hit in the head with a hammer, she had her arms hacked off with a hatchet, and was then thrown off a cliff by the side of the freeway to die. Her survival story is the shit! She says she heard a voice telling her to keep moving or else others would die, so without arms she managed to pack mud into the wounds so she wouldn’t bleed to death, and then she proceeded to scale the cliff with no arms!! She was completely naked, she had severe head trauma, no arms, and they say she had lost 50% of the blood in her body. After scaling the cliff (which she says took her most of a day), she then walked 3 miles before seeing a car with two men that slowed down, but after getting a good look at her they sped off. To which this badass woman said, “I looked terrifying, I don’t hold it against them at all.” Needless to say, she survived. Before allowing herself to even pass out though, she demanded a sketch artist and provided such detail that the monster’s friend saw it on the news and immediately knew it was him and turned him in. Then she testified against the man, and he somehow managed to whisper to her, “if it takes me the rest of my life I’m going to finish what I started.” Oh yeah, btw, it was HIM that released that detail!

Her family could only talk about how it effected them, it was as if they didn’t realize that it was effecting her too. So she was homeless for a while and she obviously had trouble making and maintaining any meaningful relationships. Her attacker got charged with a long list of crimes and got the maximum sentence at the time…. 14 years! He was released for good behavior after 8!!!!

He then tried to sue her after his release, (as one does after brutally raping someone and then cutting their arms off), but the court threw it out. He then moved to Florida where he was an “upstanding member of the community, and great neighbor.” His neighbors said things like, “of course we didn’t like what he’d done, but life goes on.” Yuck! I know this is shocking, but the asshole killed again and a witness saw it. The police arrived at his house and he was covered in blood still. He tried telling some BS story. The woman he killed (a mother of 3) wasn’t highly thought of because she was a sex worker, that’s one reason why they are so often killed, it’s easier to get away with. SOOOO, Florida asked Mary if she’d face the monster again in order to testify to the man’s nature. This badass said, “Hell yes” and flew down. I really hope she whispered to him, “I’m here to finish what I started.” He was convicted again and put on death row. Unfortunately, God got him with cancer before Florida got to finish his story.

This isn’t about him though, he was a disgusting creep that doesn’t deserve a name. This is about Mary fucking Vincent, the biggest badass of all time. Because of this story, there are now laws instituting mandatory life sentences for certain violent crimes. This is about a woman who uses her experience to help teenagers who are sexually assaulted, even though she STILL suffers from such terrible nightmares that she has woken up trying to escape with such violence that she has literally broken bones doing it several times. This is about the woman who went on to have two sons who she says gave a clear and definite reason to keep going. This is about a girl who at 15 says she couldn’t draw a straight line but grew up to be an artist with no arms, who fashions her own custom prosthetics in order to do the things she wants to do.

I’ve never met this woman, but she is one of my heroes! She is magnificent. Fuck that loser who wound up rotting in a cell alone, it could have been a car crash or a tree falling that caused that damage, he is a gross and barely necessary tool that lead to forging something truly amazing. What she has done, overcome, and made from the pieces is so fucking incredible that she should inspire us all. She was NOT disposable, but how easily she could have been. All she had to do was close her eyes at the bottom of that cliff and go to sleep. I’ll bet she could have quit on herself a million times over the years since 1978, but Mary Vincent doesn’t quit. She took the unimaginable and turned it into art. She IS art!

In Mary’s own words, “This is the third phase of my life since that awful day. I went from victim, to survivor, to artist.” Hell yeah you did Mary!

[randomly--accessed--memories]

Is Alastor aware of Vox’s children - specifically his daughter?

Personally I interpret that Vox was probably a parent who played favorites [unintentional or intentional] and assuming his relationship with his son was likely strained - Vox gave his daughter more attention & affection. Making the memories pop in a bittersweet way.

I could see Alastor being conflicted, depending on if he knew about Vox’s children before he reduced his former friend turned enemy to static. Alastor assuming he was a terrible father [easy assumption because it’s… Vox lol] and feeling so disgusted with a man who already fell into his distaste. We know Alastor’s daddy issues, I can’t imagine him being comfortable with a [absent father at best, neglectful & emotionally abusive father at worst] around unless he were his little plaything.

I can think of so many ways Alastor could torture Vox psychologically with this knowledge. Gaslighting Vox into thinking a porcelain doll is actually his baby, allowing him to get attached to said doll for a while — only to shatter it right in front of him.

“Oh! Well, you can always make a new one! Haha!”

Alastor’s pettiness levels are 100% showing here as the mentality of “replacing the old with the new” that Vox used to spout out constantly is being used — in reference to his “baby”.

Of course Vox is absolutely distraught, feebly sputtering and trying to pick up the broken pieces of the doll before quickly devolving into pure rage.

“I trusted you! She’s my daughter!”

Alastor is merely grinning, laughing even. Right at Vox’s face. Vox is cursing him out using every word in the book, get violent almost immediately - and if any of the hotel residents are there all Hell will break loose.

Alastor could also just say “Oh she’s dead.” Anytime Vox asks where his daughter is… that’s a lot simple than what I just wrote lol.

But yeah neat little scenario I wanted to explore, I absolutely love love love this AU!! Everything is so well-written and thought out! I hope I didn’t write Alastor too evil, or Vox too pathetic(?) :p

- 🐚

OH JEEZ

Yeah, Vox was... not a great dad. He just wasn't around most of the time and saw his role as breadwinner as the only thing he really needed to do in order to be a Good Father™. He loved his kids in his own, self-absorbed way, but just wasn't involved with them in any meaningful manner. He was never abusive towards them but still managed to traumatize them through the constant, vicious arguments he would get into with their mother. You're right though, he did prefer Sarah (his younger child) to Thomas (his elder child) quite a bit, and she ended up with far more fond memories of him because of it.

Alastor is vaguely aware that Vox was a father when he was alive, but never felt any desire to delve into that aspect of his life. Vox lowkey compulsively overshares with the people he'd attracted to and Alastor ended up learning a lot more about Vox than he really wanted to back when they were friends. I'd never thought about how he would feel about what kind of father Vox was though– that's an interesting concept.

My HC backstory for Alastor is that he was born out of wedlock and never knew his biological father. At age 6, he and his mother left his grandparents' house and moved in with his mother's white cousin and her husband, who agreed to pretend Alastor (who was white-passing) was their son in exchange for his mother working as their maid. When Al was 11, he caught a glimpse of his mother having sex with his "adoptive father"– he'd threatened to kick her and Alastor out of the house if she didn't agree to sleep with him. He grew to loathe the man and eventually smothered him to death while he was recovering from the Spanish Flu that had swept through the house and claimed his mother's life.

With that context, I don't think Alastor would begrudge Vox for being a neglectful father that much since he just sort of sucked in a way that most men from that time period sucked. He'd see Vox's memories of his children in a similar way as he sees Vark; irrelevant and harmless, but a weak point he could easily exploit if he felt it was necessary.

The concept of the doll is fucking brutal. Al would probably be aware of how easily Vox projects memories of Sarah onto various people/things since it happens occasionally with Niffty, but I think that'd be a type of torment restricted to when he's feeling especially sadistic for whatever reason. Alastor thinks of himself as having standards, although he's willing to bend on some of them if he can think of a good justification and already wants to do it. So yeah, basically Vox's kids are off-limits until they're Not anymore.

Thank you for the compliments! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I really appreciate long, elaborate scenarios like this; they give me a chance to talk about so many different things and get me to consider elements that I hadn't previously thought of.

[decafdoodlez]

hiiii i hope you are doing well ✨ you never failed to serve us good content ✨🌸 since marina has many siblings, it makes me wonder what's her relationship to them and her parents (did they try to find her once she ended up missing?did someone give them money to give/shut up?) i also wanna know what kind of friend marina is (ugh i cant help to imagine that if she has a best friend and is trying their best to find her but end up getting more lost track because of fox influence ahhh the angst)

Hi there!

Thank you! 🤍 I am doing good, sorry I took a second to answer this, been trying to finish up stuff for work, haha. Hope you are doing well as well. :3c 🤍

This is such an interesting question, and a perfect Rina lore drop opportunity, hehe~

CW: (slight mention of child abuse/neglect)

Marina’s family life is dysfunctional to say the least. Her father is a gambling addict and notorious womanizer/unfaithful partner, and her mother is very much an emotionally absent force in her life, always barred out on pills, lounging about their abode like a brainless zombie. Her siblings aren’t the most present people in her life as well. Marina’s entire immediate family works under her father in real estate, all except for Marina.

Some context, Marina is from a previously affluent and well-off family. Her father is a land baron, and builds homes and business buildings across North America. Her father is married to her mother, but in a loveless way, frequently cheating on her and leaving her by herself for extended periods. Marina’s father had lost all of their family fortune some months before Marina was kidnapped, and was “sold” to work under Mr. Goffard (woundfucker) in exchange for a loan to reinvigorate his business, saving him from total financial collapse. Marina did not know fully that she was sold, but she had a good suspicion that may had been the case, knowing how shady her father is.

As you mentioned above, yes Marina is one of 6 siblings! She is the baby of the family, and has quite the age gap between her and her oldest sister, who is 38. The rest of her siblings (brothers) are in their 30s, so due to the age gap, she wasn’t really close to them as a child. Most of them thought of her as a nuisance child and didn’t pay much attention to her, except for her oldest brother, who is now deceased and has been for 17 years. Marina’s father killed her oldest brother after he found out he was physically beating little Marina, and covered up the death as a freak accident. Marina’s mother also knew about her beatings, but didn’t do anything to help, since she wanted to keep her marriage with Marina’s father intact. So needless to say, Marina’s relationship with her parents is not a positive one.

Marina’s new job was across the country, so her going missing was not really noticed until she couldn’t be reached by her mother, who would call her on occasion. When Marina went missing, there was a short effort to find her led by her family in the weeks she endured the torture streams and after she was kept, but the search ended shortly thereafter when Marina’s father was anonymously tipped off that she was “dead.” The tipster (an entity hired by Fox) threatened to divulge all secrets to the media and authorities at large regarding his misdoings such as selling his daughter, engaging in affairs during the course of his marriage, tax evasion, beating his youngest daughter, and killing his oldest son if he continued the search for her. To sweeten the deal, the tipster arranged a handsome sum of money to buy his silence, to which he graciously accepted.

Marina is now presumed dead legally.

—

Now for the friend portion of this ask, Marina is a girl who doesn’t have many meaningful friendships. Despite having a large family, she was a very lonely child. Her group of friends she has are snarky rich types who are obsessed with ego and image. This group of friends has been with her since college, and have always made Marina the butt of their jokes, poking fun at her nerdy hobbies, her lack of relationships/sexual escapades, and her dysfunctional family. One friend out of this group is a bit more mean than the others, and honestly just enjoys breaking Marina down to establish her dominance over her. This friend is also one who watches Fox’s gore streams, and has inside knowledge of his auctions. When there was a profile of a new product that was desired by three top bidders (Derek, Mason, Celia), this friend threw Marina’s name into the pool of potential kidnapping victims. This friend hoped for Marina to disappear, and she got her wish.

Out of her group of friends, she does have one that she is mildly acquainted with, who does show more consideration for her than the others, even offering to go on a double date with her to ease the tensions of Marina going on one of her first dates ever. This friend is a lot sweeter to her in the privacy of just the two of them, but is quietly complicit in the actions of the meaner friend when together with them in a group.

Marina went missing after a night out with these friends in which she left early since the meaner friend kept harassing her, and she just didn’t want to deal with it anymore. She left by herself, and was kidnapped on her walk home. When Marina went missing, the nicer friend noticed immediately since her texts apologizing for the fight on behalf of the meaner friend went unanswered, odd of Marina since she’s frequently on her phone playing games.

After a few days, the meaner friend invited the nicer friend over to her place to watch “something crazy.” This “something crazy” was the torture stream that starred Marina. The meaner friend got off on watching Marina be tortured, while the nicer friend wanted to alert the authorities, to which the meaner friend had threatened that she would “ruin her” if she had done so. They would continue to watch the streams and ultimately assumed Marina to be dead after the 3rd one. They kept this secret forever, and did not engage in the search efforts.

—

Marina unfortunately does not have a best friend. :( Her best friend was her oldest brother, who was killed when she was young. From that event onwards, Marina has kept others at arm’s length to protect herself. This is why she tends play Otome games and favor the companionship of those who are fictional. She does crave companionship though, she’s just cautious, seeing how conniving even those who are supposed to be your flesh and blood can be.

Though, Marina is the type of friend to be the listening type, the one who offers advice if asked. The one who will share snacks and geek out over 2D anime men. The type of friend who would want to stay up all night talking about secrets at a sleepover. She never got this growing up, but she’s trying to make the best of her situation with Fox now.

It’s bittersweet, but she cannot see herself going back to her old life. With Fox, though fucked up and twisted, she does feel valued by him, and to be valued by at least one person is all she has ever wanted.

—

Sorry this one was long and a little bit rambly, but thank you so much for your question! 🤍

[lya-dustin]

Shock and Delight

Chapter 12

Cw: slight misogyny, Criston's Madonna-Whore Complex, mentions of bullying as a child

Aemond doesn’t send his flowers in person and has his page do it for him with a note meant for Aemma; they are supposed to be in thanks for their walk together.

Despite the urge to be witty at Aemma’s expense, Aemond knows this mummery cannot fail.

Unlike Rhaena’s suitor, he had not accidentally given her his condolences, and unlike the Blackwood Boy, he had not implied he was a woman in love with Baela.

Daisies with lavender and baby’s breath and some other flowers that complimented Aemma and declared some sort of romantic feeling while being the most modest thing she’s gotten.

A simple and yet meaningful thing that will make suitors up their game when their intendeds hear of this through the Morning Scandal.

“You have never done any of this before, your highness.” Cole looks at the rough drafts of said note with equal parts paternal interest and warrior’s suspicion.

“None have been Aemee.” he said with a shrug.

A good enough lie.

He’d never pretended to have an entire relationship with someone before. Aemee was also different from all the ladies because she was his half-niece and very willing to pretend to love him like that.

Aemond could even say he loves her, and it wouldn’t be a lie because he does love her as one loves their family. Not that he wants Cole asking him about it, he’d go straight to mother with the news.

“You would betray the cause for a crown for yourself?” Cole also knows him well.

He is not a romantic, he is pragmatic. Logic over feeling. Gods know feelings have fucked up everyone’s lives enough in this family.

“It would be a good move on our part, Rhaenyra wouldn’t want to kill us when it could cost her Aemma.” The prince lies. “Besides shouldn’t my mother be considering the cost of a war so close to winter while we have the Stepstones and, most importantly, the stain of kinslaying over giving Aegon a crown?”

A queen counts the cost against her own people, empty words for someone who has been preparing for a war since he lost his eye. A justified reason to wage it, but considering half the Reach doesn’t like grandfather and Lady Sharra Tyrell was given her son’s regency by Rhaenyra’s meddling on the first day back here, it was just a foolish idea.

“You know it isn’t about giving your elder brother his rightful inheritance, your highness. It is about upholding tradition and what the Faith has taught us all.” Cole defends mother with every breath he takes and Aemond, to be frank, grows tired of it with each passing day.

Why did people, especially Criston, have to hold his mother in such a high pedestal? Why can’t she just be Alicent who does a respectable job at keeping the realms together instead of this sinless and pure, the Mother reborn in flesh image they raise against Rhaenyra’s?

None of those people talk of his mother’s capabilities as a stateswoman or the compassion she has for women and children, they just say she is pretty and pious and praise grandfather and the Faith for her goodness. No one thinks she is good because she made herself good.

Gods, barely a fortnight has gone, and already Aemma’s strange views have rubbed off on him. If people ever viewed them without the screen of more myth than men, they’d realize they could rule themselves and kill them all.

“Dorne follows the Seven and they have female heirs and lords, which has gone very well for them. Only realm to have killed a dragon and all that.” It’s a potshot, but it gets Criston to stop talking about this. “Aemma would make a good ruler, better than her own mother and Aegon if you ask me.”

Aemma giggles as she reads the note over and over and keeps Aemond’s flowers in her best vase in the sitting room.

“Careful, Lady Morning will write about it.” Septa Teora teases as they rest from having delivered in person the last batch of flowers to the septs in the city.

It had been a good opportunity to see how Kingslanding was doing under the rule of the greens, so far it was rather the same as when they’d left. The charities were well run even if they depended on the recipient to be in the Faith, the guilds were mostly satisfied, but the schools suffered a disparity between the sex of their students.

That had been put in her agenda, but for now they focused on the Septs in Flea Bottom as they provided the backbone to the charities.

The Sept in Flea Bottom needed much work, as did the orphanages and schools they had for their flock. The ones in the more well-to-do parts were in perfect shape and sang praises of Alicent and Helaena, one had even gone as far as to have the Mother modeled after Alicent despite looking about as young as the Maiden.

Very clever of her, even if her faith was as false as her smiles, she had the faith and the faithful smallfolk on her side. Useful for when she usurps her mother. After all who cares if you’re going against the king’s will if people have a good image of you in their heads.

“She better, or else Aemond must step up his game.” Aemma would love to tell her, but Teora would tell mother this was all a ruse.

“You like him, don’t you?” the Septa asks, and it hurts Aemma to lie to someone who is a mother to her in all but name.

Although it’s not much of a lie, in the brief time they had since reacquainting themselves, Aemma has come to like Aemond as a friend. He had a sharp wit, a hidden sweetness underneath the viper-like exterior and understood her as only a true friend would.

“We were always fond of each other when we were children. I wouldn’t mind marrying him.” Somehow that was all true, Aemond and Aemma had been born within months of each other and neither had dragons until they were one and ten, so naturally they would spend most of their time together hiding from Aegon in grandfather’s library.

Grandfather then introduced them to history and philosophy and for a few moments Aemond knew what it was to have a father who cared. Until they were banished from there because the Maesters feared the Rot was contagious and could harm them. After that they contented themselves with Helaena’s room and Teora taking the books to and from the library under the tabard of her habit.

“You could if you wanted, your grandmother was fond of telling me that she and my brother were friends before they were sweethearts, Aem.” Teora means well, but this match with Aemond was nonsense. His mother would use all she could to stop it and mother would never part with her to give the Greens a new hostage. Luke wrote he was called Luke Waters by some novices who went unpunished by their superiors and forbidden from flying without the permission of the Seneschal, other than that he seemed fine.

 “Perhaps, but I would rather know if I can find a perfect consort elsewhere before looking into my immediate family. Some new blood might help us secure allies should the worst comes to pass.”

So far Aemma had Kermit Tully, Joffrey Arryn, Tyrion Lannister ---only son of Ser Jason Lannister and his wife Leona Lefford--- and Robert Rowan to choose from. Aemond had helped her whittle down the list to the four men of good moral and standing to have his grandfather rethink his stance on usurping her mother.

Lord Grover may be on the side of tradition because the Gods gave him only sons and no granddaughters, Joffrey was Cousin Jeyne’s heir, Tyrion would make his father change allegiances and Robert Rowan was nephew of Otto through his dearly departed sister who hated his guts.

None of them disparaged Aemond for losing his eye, none of them care that her mother fucked Harwin and none of them did things that were unbecoming of a future king consort…or so she’s seen so far.

Now all Aemma needed to do was make sure they were compatible. Easier said than done.

[elderwisp]

Hi! Can you give a summary of what’s happened in your story to this point for people who want to continue reading but may not have time to catch all the way up? Or do you have a summary linked somewhere? 👀

oke oke so quite a bit has happened and writing a summary would quite literally turn into an essay LMAOO so I was thinking about how TS2 would have brief descriptions for each family so I'll do that for each character and the story as well. If there's any lore u wanna know in regards to a particular character or the lead up to a certain scene, feel free to reach out! <3 oke here we go:

Tessellate is a story about a group of individuals between their early to mid twenties. Each character’s storyline ebbs and flows into one another as it creates a tessellation. There are no good or bad characters, simply people being people making human decisions.

Atlas has always been a bit of a dreamer, using his charm and with to create the narrative that others want from him but no one has quite uncovered who he really is. The artist harbors a bit of a secret and that is that he has relapsed again. Part of why he uses is simply because he likes himself more in that state while the other half has yet to be discovered.

Life is hard being your own critic. Frances always finds herself on the go from one thing to the next. If she's doing nothing, then surely that must mean she's a failure, right? After landing a job as a caretaker, her notion of what life has been the last four years is challenged as she learns what it means to slow down.

Dan finds herself in a perpetual state of being an underachiever. Whether it's maintaining a low GPA, making terrible decisions, or simply putting in zero efforts in creating any new, meaningful relationships. What's really the point of anything she does if it’s overshadowed by a belittling mother?

Kai isn't the best when it comes to trusting others but when it comes to his friends, he'd do absolutely anything for them. Maybe Atlas more than the others. I suppose sharing your first kiss with your best friend gives him privileges most don't have.

After losing his parents in his senior year of high school, Icarus has had to grow up fast if it meant that the people closest to him would make it. Nowadays, he spends his days tip-toeing between reckless freedom and being the person that his family needs. It isn't easy living a double life.

Constantly being taken advantage of at work or at home, Taryn is truly stuck in the whirlwind of the mundane, never really feeling in control of her life. After one fateful night with Atlas, Taryn tests her own boundaries while uncovering the enigma that is Atlas.

Gabriel, Gum and Ares have grouped together as a band after Gabriel and Gum’s main vocalist dipped. Gum has reluctantly stepped up to the plate to take over vocals. Something about being in the spotlight terrifies her. Meanwhile, Gabriel exudes a confident, cheerful demeanor. There are many things he adores such as Kali Uchis, his guitar and meeting new people.

Ares has always had a calm, level-headed demeanor. Being the son of a famous producer and businessman has meant needing to maintain such a professional attitude all the time. After running into an uninterested Daniela, he finally lands his big break when the two share a cigarette at his party. He finds himself being a lot more outspoken around her, as well as curious about her inscrutable nature.

Syx, the best friend of Ares and Icarus, is no stranger to laying out the harsh truths that the people around her need to hear. Being in the food industry requires a keen sense of details and the ability to provide honest feedback. She’s encouraged Icarus to break things off with a toxic ex as well as find better hobbies, however he hasn’t quite agreed to things yet.

Theo recently moved into San Myshuno looking for a fresh start. After accidentally running into Gabriel, the two have a brief conversation outside of their apartment.

[bloodiedbeloveds]

we saw "event with no alex ships" and said "what if laurens was fucked up and kissed everyone": the fic

@my-deer-friend here they are, please do not die! apologies for the very inconsistent writing style in this post

tragic backstory + context

Laurens is plural, because we said so. When they were children, the primary fronter (in essence, the guy who is there most of the time) was "Jackie Blue" <- this is a nickname, he just thinks of himself as John because he thinks he's the Real John Laurens. They became aware of Eleanor (yes, she named herself after her mother) around the age of twelve. Eleanor is very opinionated and goes after what she wants, we love to see it.

so for a while it was mostly eleanor and jackie blue and a couple other fragments & selves, and they had a whole plan about their future, they knew what was going to happen and everything was going to go well and they would be happy forever!

Then their mother died and everything went to shit. Jackie became selectively mute, Eleanor tried to Handle Everything but masking is very hard for her and she got so stressed she was dormant for about a year, and they formed a guy who calls himself "the prisoner" and had a nonstop existentialist breakdown for months. Eventually their father decided that his son had been grieving intensely for too long now and basically told them they needed to shape up and get it together.

To that end, they have J (this is also a nickname because he also thinks he's the Real John Laurens). He's normal! He's fine! He got them through college and into a career and out to their family! He's keeping all his emotions right here and then one day he'll die gotten over everything bad that's ever happened to him!

(J remembers enough things to think his life is normal / not notice major gaps, but not enough things to remember that the others exist. jackie & eleanor still front occasionally for much of this period of time but he does not know this. no he doesn't remember most of his childhood why would you ask)

(jackie thinks that j is an impostor who stole his life. eleanor hates him because he diverged from the plan that she & jackie made before their mother's death and she really wanted those things)

when the fic starts, however, j has just had a fight with henry laurens, because even literally having been made to be a son he could approve of wasn't good enough to keep the peace. so they are not talking, so j is upset but trying to pretend he isn't and the others are more often in front for significant periods of time.

thaurens

they fell in love in college and have been together for. a while. we don't actually have a good timeline for this au yet, haven't even figured out what jobs everyone has

their relationship is often pretty sincerely tender and affectionate! they are comfortable in each other's presence and always kiss goodnight and j makes thomas breakfast and they slow dance in the kitchen. they take weekend trips (thomas does not like hiking or anything Outdoorsy in general but will do it for him. in return j tolerates going to france once or twice a year). like it's important, for the rest of this au, that there is a meaningful amount of love there

unfortunately there's also this fundamental tension there, because thomas likes J, who is, to the others, that guy who gets everything because the rest of us are fundamentally unloveable, and J himself is performing a lot of the time

(there was a while in college when J was having a rough couple of weeks and thomas gradually stopped talking to him until he was more mentally stable, and although this was a long time ago J sort of never got over that)

Thomas doesn't like when people are weird or crazy, and they are as a collective pretty weird and crazy, so even before any of the others try to directly interact with him they have a sense that they will not be welcomed.

(this is confirmed when jackie, who is trying his best, hands thomas a note saying that he can't talk right now but everything is fine and he's going to make dinner, and thomas goes "what the fuck, what's wrong with you?")

(In general Thomas doesn't deal well with them having brain problems, because he does not like not knowing what to do & feels betrayed because of J's very collected image. he wants his normal boyfriend back, he does not want this weirdo with his notes and his makeup and his singing and his strange, hollowed eyes. he says something to this effect to eleanor's face and she almost hits him)

laurens & eliza

Yeah, so, remember a few paragraphs ago when we talked about Eleanor & Jackie Blue having planned out their entire life? Part of this plan was "marry our best friend Eliza, who Jackie trusts more than anyone else in the world and with whom Eleanor fell in love the first time they met"

(plural love at first sight is such a strong emotion you guys don't even know. remembering who this person is and all of their good qualities that your other selves have experienced and recontextualizing them through your personality and going oh. oh.)

Before their mother's death, Laurens & Eliza were not Officially Dating or anything, they did not kiss, but they were very physically affectionate and it was sort of. understood that this was a high-commitment relationship that wasn't going to go away. they never talked about their future or about dating and eliza did date other people but there was something unspoken and intimate and strong between them

J mostly put a stop to this by coming out as gay. He and Eliza are friends but that intensity is mostly gone. They didn't talk for about a year after their mother died & Eliza attributes their distance to that but also still kind of loves them

she doesn't pine, exactly. but it's a source of wistful melancholy for her and she often wonders if things could have been different

(eleanor still loves her so much it feels like being set on fire)

laurens & burr

J likes Aaron but is very much in denial about it. They're normal friends and he has a boyfriend anyway and it doesn't matter, so he's not going to think about the way he feels when Aaron says his name.

aaron fell in love with J after he & thomas were already dating, so he never really had any hope that this would work out. and that's fine! he's fine. it's fine that they'll never hold hands and it's fine that he'll never get to hold him at night and it's fine that thomas fucking jefferson has everything and doesn't even appreciate it. he's fine.

(aaron would probably not have hated thomas if thomas were more supportive. he would have settled for quietly resenting him. but aaron said once (in a friend way and not in a gay way) that laurens would look good in eyeliner, and j said something back about how thomas wouldn't like it, and aaron hummed noncommitally and decided to hate him forever.)

eleanor likes him a lot but isn't super obsessive about her romantic interest in him. she does, however, unmask slightly more than average around him, which is part of why aaron notices first. (the rest of it is-- nothing, don't worry about it, he's fine and doesn't love them it's fine).

he's very worried about J but doesn't know how to help him so he settles for being very very observant and not being a dick to the others

(jackie writes i can't talk right now and aaron says "okay. do you want to play chess?" aaron beats him at chess and jackie writes i'm not the person you know and aaron shrugs, thinks i figured, and says "that's fine". and it is, really. he'd love them in any universe. he loves them whoever they are. there is nothing they could do to put him off. and a few minutes later jackie almost touches his hand but clearly thinks better of it and it's fine, he's fine, he's fucking fine)

[wesavegotham]

Batman vs Robin #4...spoilers and a long rant under the cut.

Waid continues what he started doing in the preview and wastes Bruce's inner monologue on listing the martial arts moves they are doing. What is he trying to tell us with this? They know a lot of fighting techniques, what a revelation. The parts not about martial arts aren't that interesting either.

When I got to this page I thought for a split second that Bruce was finally going to reflect on his relationship with Damian a bit, but it's the most basic, surface level deep stuff you could possibly write. And instead of picking something meaningful from their history (Bruce gifting Damian Titus, Damian giving Bruce one of Martha's pearls he searched for in the sewers, the scavanger hunt, their trip to the moon, Bruce reviving Damian...) the artist gave us...this. Heartwarming. You can really feel how much writer and artist care for the relationship this book is supposedly about according to the title.

Also apparently obligatory Talia bashing.

I believe Bruce saying "he's my son" here was supposed to make me feel something, but it's all just so damn basic. He's Bruce's son, and? He doesn't seem to like him as a person and Damian being Bruce's son has never stopped Bruce from letting Damian down. Badly. If Damian being his son truly meant anything their relationship wouldn't have gotten this bad.

If anyone feels happy that Bruce's injuries from the last issue didn't get ignored here, let me assure you, despite it looking like it for a few pages none of this is going to matter later.

(I'm going to skip a page here, it's just more martial arts move and Bruce thinking that Damian can counter all of his moves. I'm really not sure what Waid wants to tell me with this. Am I supposed to think that Damian is a real threat? But Bruce already said that he could easily beat him under normal circumstances. Pride? But again, he's doesn't seem that impressed? Idk. I don't get Waid's Bruce.)

It's not compelling.

Also, as if anyone would even think for one second DC would let Bruce seriously be beaten by Damian. DC makes Damian lose against characters that picked up martial arts like two weeks ago to hype them up or to "teach Damian a lesson"

(Another uninteresting page of Damian punching Bruce and talking about killing him I'm going go skip here.)

Because why should Damian ever be allowed to have a win?

Also, we could have gotten a cool scene of Bruce rescuing Talia and talking about saving their son together, but instead Waid chose to go for the boring "gotcha, Bruce always pulls something out of his ass" route. I swear to god, DC writers are so afraid of letting Bruce make mistakes or be in real danger that it's infuriating. It's so boring to read Bruce. I know this twist is coming, I'm just always hoping they don't do it because it's such a predictable twist at this point.

Yay. Batgod😒

With the power of the helmet Bruce simply breaks Nezha's control over the possessed characters and teleports most of them home.

Damian immediately begging for forgiveness from Bruce kinda irks me. Especially when I consider how Bruce talked to Damian in the first issue and how he thinks about him...it just all gives me the vibe that this book is trying to "put Damian in his place". It's all so...patriachal? In a really bad way.

Bruce starts fighting Nezha. Bruce is batgod and Nezha is boring.

Talia and Damian go after Mother Soul, but Mother Soul can't really do anything on her own, so they beat her easily. She's also boring.

Nezha continues to be generic.

Bruce's line could have been really cool and touching. If Waid had built up to it. But at no point did Bruce reflect on anything Damian said to him during this book or think about how his mistakes as a father landed them in this situation, so when and how did Bruce reach the conclusion that this was actually about being the father Damian needs?

Because to me it feels like Damian was only in this as an excuse to draw Batman going up against demons.

*sigh* I feel like I read this dialogue 100 times already.

Bruce is still fighting Nezha, but is too cool to use magic correctly, so Nezha is able to pull the helmet off his head and the helmet breaks and lands in the lazarus pit, releasing all the magic it accumulated into it. If Damian had pulled something like this he would be laughed at for his arrogance, but this is Bruce so instead Nezha just rants about how great Bruce is:

You know, for one second I thought Damian was actually allowed to something useful for once in this story and save Bruce, but of course it doesn't go that way.

Instead Bruce ends up saving Damian. Why actually talk about their relationship issues if you can just throw in a heroic sacrifice to resolve it all?

Do you know how many times DC has "killed" Bruce this year? He'll be fine.

Also, Bruce had basically nothing nice to say about Damian or Talia this entire book so seeing them care so much about his death is just...guys, he's not worth it.

King Fire Bull arrives and starts fighting Nezha because he apparently killed his real parents. I don't care, they are both generic.

Black Alice revives Bruce with the lazarus magic running through Nezha's veins. I guess that is why Bruce turns into a demon in Lazarus Planet.

Nezha flees, the humans run to the plane Bruce arrived with and King Fire Bull blows up the volcano that spews the contaminated lazarus pit water all over the world.

Uff. I just feel like Waid has absolutely nothing interesting to say about Bruce and Damian's relationship. There is zero reflection going on. This book only exists to make Bruce look cool and everyone else is only there to give him opportunities to do so.

[esther-dot]

On Jonsa "foreshadowing," I think it's definitely there in the books that they will restore Winterfell together. The thing is though, it may not be the full-blown romantic foreshadowing that many of us want to see. I think it more likely that we will see even more the sacrifices involved on the part of Sansa than on GOT. In repayment for Jon's protection and selflessness, she will try to right her mother's wrongs by accepting Jon and seeing him through his dark night of the soul when he discovers who he really is. Their relationship will be critical for him in his decision to kill Dany. Sansa will try to save him from exile. I don't think their ending will be too much of a departure from what we already saw, but the tragedy and bittersweetness between them will be far more acute. Sansa will stand alone as Queen, at least for a time. She will never not be thinking of her "brother" to the north, and he will be left thinking of her.

(about this ask)

She will never not be thinking of her "brother" to the north, and he will be left thinking of her

(I’m not actually sure what these two are meant to be conveying but it’s a pretty good visual of me - hyperventilating and shrieking like a goat 😂)

I'm very open to Jonsa manifesting quite differently than the nicest, most straightforward way: angst pre parentage reveal as they develop feelings, marriage to resolve the Northern succession crisis, and a HEA once the Others and Dany are handled and they foist the hard work of ruling Westeros on their little brother as older siblings are want to do (I'm an older sibling, I'm allowed to make that joke!) I think we will some form of romantic Jonsa, but I see merits of each potential path, from a love they never act on to a HEA in Winterfell together.

If Jon is to be exiled or anything like, I think it has to be by his own choice for it to be a meaningful rather than enraging ending, but this,

"the tragedy and bittersweetness between them will be far more acute"

is kinda where I'm at these days. Martin talks about how much he likes tragedies, he's talked about how much he likes tragic romances, he finds meaning and beauty there, so I've accepted that might be the path he chooses for various reasons. Saying people will be happy with his ending is very different from saying his story has a happy ending. I mean, it will be hopeful and good, but when I think about what he might want tonally, I can see why I might not get the completely pat resolution I prefer.

I may have carelessly used the phrase myself at one point, but I just want to point out that the idea of "Cat's wrongs" is often influenced by D&D's version of the story, not Martin's. Cat was placed in an unusual, insulting, and I would argue, terrifying situation. Ned's actions with Jon were rather unusual, and he was installed at Winterfell before the heir.

Many men fathered bastards. Catelyn had grown up with that knowledge. It came as no surprise to her, in the first year of her marriage, to learn that Ned had fathered a child on some girl chance met on campaign. He had a man's needs, after all, and they had spent that year apart, Ned off at war in the south while she remained safe in her father's castle at Riverrun. Her thoughts were more of Robb, the infant at her breast, than of the husband she scarcely knew. He was welcome to whatever solace he might find between battles. And if his seed quickened, she expected he would see to the child's needs. He did more than that. The Starks were not like other men. Ned brought his bastard home with him, and called him "son" for all the north to see. When the wars were over at last, and Catelyn rode to Winterfell, Jon and his wet nurse had already taken up residence. That cut deep. (AGOT, Catelyn II)

As far as Cat knew, this was a sign of Ned’s greater love and loyalty to Jon’s mother and imagine having that thought, seeing what you believe is the evidence of that, and having the constant gnawing fear: what else might that love and loyalty demand? Cuz at this point, Cat doesn't know Ned. IMO, Cat would not be a believable character if she treated a child she saw as a direct threat to her son with total amicability. The scenario that she walked into through no choice of her own, by being handed from one man to another, and Cat's devotion to her kids, both preclude that as a believable response from her. Of course, I agree with you that there is...bitter irony in the daughter so like Cat being the one that Jon will fixate on post rez. There will be something healing, even poetic there.

My other thought after reading your message is that Jon has this whole thing about being called the "blood of Winterfell" and then it appears in Sansa's POV:

He was the blood of Winterfell, a man of the Night's Watch. (ASOS, Jon VI) I am Sansa Stark, Lord Eddard's daughter and Lady Catelyn's, the blood of Winterfell…. (AFFC, Sansa I)

If we see rebuilding Winterfell from snow, less a direct “they’re gonna restore it together” (impossible unless Jon will remain there for years with Sansa), and something less directly, like Jon helping Sansa retake it, I think we might want to expand the idea even further. Jon refused to take Winterfell when it was offered (saving the Weirwoods and protecting Sansa's claim), and Sansa refused to consummate her marriage to Tyrion (protecting Winterfell and the North from the Lannisters), so the fate of House Stark seems to rest with these two in particular. Maybe you’re right that taking back the North is all it is, but the fact that Sansa's body has become the fighting grounds for Winterfell (we have lots of castle euphemisms for sex and that’s how the Lannisters hoped to hold the North, with Sansa’s child) it makes the combo of the rebuilding Winterfell from snow scene & "the blood of Winterfell" expression potentially about more than the physical castle and more about the House Stark lineage. That is how it will truly be secure, and with the phrase presented in both their chapters, that might mean that regardless of exile or HEA, Jon will be a part of not just the retaking of the actual castle, but the euphemistic one as well, and play a part in the continuation of the Stark bloodline.

[miela]

From a Submission:

"i thought about it too, you know, your recent reply to the anonymous rant

it's a male-centered fandom... simply because all the original canon characters are male, and the only characters we have at least any information on are male, too (i'm talking about rhe marauders) so people kind of knew what fandom they were going to be a part of... no?

i also don't understand why we need to question jegulus when it's basically just another interpretation of how things could be (i also dont agree with jegulus raising harry... BUT i believe that harry is a surrogate baby if we talk about the possibility and lily is a separate character from her canon child, and they've no mother-son relationship, for the purpose of representing jegulus as gay dads, so they can have harry as their kid. lily could have harry too, if we say she raised harry in a lesbian couple or etc... well, if that's so, that's not a problem, it's just a au and a perspective).

I also agree that in most fanfictions, the girls are used as background characters (sometimes very poorly written) for the plot to work out, for conversations to happen, and I would love to read more works with memorable and meaningful storylines. to see a new perspective on lily, mary, marlene. that's another reason why i loved coptp the most, even though it's a muggle AU. the characters have personalities; they exist because they are all tied together, and they have common and separate stories that simply make sense.

i see where choices can be problematic. you haven't read it yet but you already got a spoiler. the work implies polyamory, which means jegulily (kind of), which means a lot of people hate it. i also don't see how pairing james with regulus can be problematic with JUST A FEW canon compliant AUs in the fandom. yes, we have very few works that tried to follow the original idea with a few fancanon additions that doesn't affect pretty much anything overall. wolfstar isn't canon too at this point and we can ask the same question... why do we focus on men and make it all man focused then (it's literally one of the most popular ships in the whole fandom!!!) and won't let remus and sirius be friends instead and then lead remus' storyline to tonks x remus, because like with jegulus, there's not even a hint of wolfstar, except that they were close friends and that iconic hug

it's all about different interpretations and different ships. we can give jegulus a chance simply because some people are curious as to how a relationship between a dark arts hater and a death eater could go. and we know for sure that regulus betrayed Voldemort, it's canon! so it means that it didn't come out of nowhere, but there was (possibly always) something in regulus that made him disagree with his family values and traditions to kind of follow Sirius' steps. why do we forget about that? i love james x lily, like a lot, it's wholesome, we often see a good, healthy, and mature relationship examples but i dont see why if i like them i cannot like jegulus just as much. we don't want to forget whose son mr. harry i-wanna-save-them-all potter is lol. yes, James'... so why, during Hogwarts, don't we think of a possibility that there was a circumstance in which James and Regulus were somehow connected? hello? it's literally james' closest friend's brother. i bet sirius and james talked about regulus like everyone does when they have annoying siblings who lost their true self, he'd rant to james and be angry with regulus and james would be the one getting all this information. there's a possibility for jegulus to exist. we know they didn't, but it's ALL fiction at this point and life can be so so unpredictable that we can't be sure one hundred percent about pretty much anything.

the only thing I agree with is that we need more interesting, deep, well-written female characters, and we don't need to make Lily a certain sexuality just because we want Jegulus to be a thing. lily is brilliant as she is, but still.

every single character deserves a queer representation and not just the same one from one fanfiction to another. the same character can represent a different sexuality in different fanfictions. it's like 'Oh, the description gives me the idea that the character I'm reading about is james potter (there's this common interpretation of his character that most of us can agree with so we kind of have a general idea of who he is as a character, the same i can say about sirius or remus)... in this fanfic he is straight and in love with lily, so canon compliant... but in that one, he somehow had a chance to interact with regulus and they felt a connection and james realized that he is not straight indeed, but maybe bi... or gay or...'. it's that simple, and that's called interpretations, from different people, in different ffs, and that's the point of fanfics. imagine things, try to make them work and nake sense.

it's just that the fandom likes a certain ship more and if people like jegulus, it doesn't necessarily mean they are supposed to hate lily.

if we rant about characters in fanfictions... why don't we talk about Peter then... people are literally not interested in writing him most of the time or talk about his sexuality, to be honest; he is a marauder for god's sake!!! didn't you notice that? it's because in the canon and fanon too, most of the time, '"he's short, fat, and ugly ish compared to his friends" and a Voldemort's most loyal follower in the future, so f*ck him,' so the only interpretations we get are... oh, where they are? there's like one, and uninteresting. you see what i mean?

there's so many things to complain about. so many possibly new interpretations and having jegulus as one is not the biggest problem. the oppression of female characters and the lack of their development isn't on jegulus alone, it on unskilled authors and people who read problematic fanfictions and make them popular.

a lot of things happened to Mary; one triggering event after another in multiple works. there's established tropes in the marauders fandom that a lot of authors feel obliged to follow in their works i believe (like, wolfstar, twink sirius, tall and smart remus, soft in the head peter, james' nice parents who love and accept everyone, etc...) i understand that some people think that what happened to mary in ATYD is her oppression and humiliation... but why dont we remember how many bad and humiliating events other characters were put through (like regulus was literally and constantly harassed by his best friend in one of the fanfictions i read because he was a closeted gay and also manipulated). so you see, it's not about gender, it's not like having more gay ships between the main male characters oppress female ones. it's about why we need to write in a smart thoughtful way and why the events in our works should make sense without blaming other characters for it to happen, why we don't need to oppress ones for the sake of having an interesting plot twist with the others.

I like men, and I like women, i like reading about both too, in any fandom, but i am not ashamed to admit that my favorite characters are male, simply because i relate to them more thus they're more interesting and dimensional to me. but I don't see a problem with a male-focused fandom simply because, in the canon, it is male-focused like i said, and we all started from the same place, and we all liked the said so-called male canon first and then we discovered and made up new female characters which is amazing. i agree we shouldn't write about triggering topics just for the sake of a work being angst and dark and all mysterious... I agree that female characters shouldn't be rebounds for the male characters (but doesn't what happened to Mary in atyd happens in real life? yes, it does. the problem is how it was written and maybe some people thought it was written poorly but that's their opinion which should be heard too).

let me know what you think, mae! sorry for my "little" rant haha i just saw your post and wanted to share so we could discuss it further 🫶"

My response:

Hieeeeee ☺️

No need to apologize! You know i love yapping! Lol!

I do agree that since the marauders era is central to the Marauders members does make it very male-centered. Absolutely! And we absolutely have the most information on them. 

(And omg i never thought about raising harry that way. Imagine being raised by two gay moms AND two gay dads. Give that boy all the love for he deserves it! I need the au immediately.)

I'm excited to read more of coptp and see how they are written as characters! I love the valkyries and skittle girlies so much, and I would love to see them shine more. I would also love fo read/write them as main characters too and see the world from their perspectives!

I think what the other person im my asks were trying to say was (correct me if im wrong) that jegulus is problematic because of how some people treat lily in the process.  

And I can see both sides on how jegulus can work in canon and in fanon. There are good arguments for both honestly! For me, I'm not against them being used in canon-compliant fics. i find it fun and interesting! BUT my view of canon is just so jily-centered that it makes it difficult for me to headcanon jegulus in canon compliant at all. And that's mostly coming from an atyd lense too. But I'm still exploring and reading so my thoughts are subject to change! For all we know Jegulus could have been a moment in canon. Like you said it's all on interpretation. Like I have two different versions of canon in my mind; original canon and fanmade canon, and depending on which version is being talked about depends on my interpretation. 

Let's make it marvel for a second, yeah? It's a multiverse. That's how I see it. Anything can happen. Each of us are the anchors of our own marauders universe. For example, In one universe there's jegulus and marlily and in another universe there's jily and bartylus. I think it's beautiful honestly, but I agree that the fem characters should be uplifted within these universes too! And I agree with you about multiple characters having different types of traumas and that authors (me included) need to write in smart and thoughtful ways, despite obligations. Obligation kills creativity.

And on the subject of Peter, i COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. I can go on for literally HOURS about Peter getting sidelined as a Marauder. They're the four marauders not the three musketeers. There's SO MUCH to unpack there too. SOOOOO much to unpack. (I have my own version of Peter in my head that I'm excited to share at some point. Literally, anybody ask me about my Peter. I love him. He's my pookie.)

Overall, I understand both views and understand that this fandom has a lot of things to unpack and much to discuss when it comes to different characters and how they're perceived based on how they look or who they are. There's stereotypes and tropes that need to be broken down and internalized misogyny and fatphobia that needs to be dismantled.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! ☺️

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

Before and After

I've read a lot of books this year, and the one I'm currently reading talked about how people have these defining events in their lives that they use to mark time. Before the accident; after the election; before we were married; after our kid was born; before we lived in this house; after we moved to Albuquerque...or whatever. We do, at least most of us, do that. And we all of course love the Before and After picture of a makeover or a renovated house or something.

J and I have spent the past 2 weeks dealing with his father, who has never been a positive presence in our lives. Major health issues that are somehow secondary to the issues of where and how he was living leading up to them. We've spent a lot of time, effort, and money in the past 2 weeks trying to fix up his house, and I asked J today, as he left me to go back out there to work on it more, to take some "After" shots (we already have the unfortunate Befores). I didn't go with him today, because my shoulder and back are out from working on it last weekend. So I'm home reading, and thinking about the before and afters in my own life, and in J's, and how we share that one that would mark a lot of people's lives won't even hit our board anywhere.

Together, there's when we met. There's when we got married, bought our home, got and lost our first dog, when we lost our first pregnancy, when we had our son, got our second dog. For J, there's when his grandfather died, when his mother died. For me, there's when my grandparents died, and of course this past year...when A died. What isn't a Before and After marker for either of us that I know is a marker for so many other people is 'When my parent got cancer.' When my mom had cancer, she lied to me about it for months, when I asked why she had suddenly shifted her behavior to not prize work as her top priority and began acting like the mother and grandmother I'd always wanted her to be. 'Is something wrong, Mom?' No, Jennifer. Why would you ask me that? Well...because you're acting weird. Forcing interest and affection where there hasn't been any previously. Even my son thinks it's weird. 'It's weird hugging Gramma. It's like she doesn't know how to do it.' My mom's a survivor, but I don't bring up her cancer, even internally, as a way to mark time, because there's always been a hole in my relationship with her that wasn't there with my grandparents or my pets or A or J or my son. J's dad is also not a caring or affectionate man and never has been. Not even with dogs or babies or anything. But that's not why J won't ever have a marker for his recent diagnosis...maybe not even for his death. It's because of the (literal) back breaking work we've done for two weeks trying to fix all the broken things his dad broke and left broken. It's because no one marks time with drudgery; only love. Grief is love. There's not much grief left when you've already spent a lifetime mourning the loss of a potential loving and meaningful relationship you were supposed to have but never had.

We won't have any markers for our siblings either, regardless of what happens to them. Our still living parents and siblings are obligations rather than close connections. My brother and J's sister only call us when they need something; we involved them in our wedding...they left us out of theirs. They don't ask about our health, our home, our finances, our pets, our marriage, our son, us as individuals. Ever. It's always been the expectation that we'll do what they need for them, assuming almost that we never have needs of our own.

I was chatting with a friend here a couple days ago about the situations we are currently managing with J's dad and my brother and how cutting contact would probably be the healthiest thing for J and I to do, but that's 'the fantasy.' We can't really do it without complicating the relationships with the rest of our family; without taking things away from our son without letting him make the choices for himself. But wow, if we could get the fantasy, that would be a time marker. 'Before we stopped talking to...after we cut off...'

I wonder how many positive time markers we could make without having to spend so much of our time and effort on these people.

[faulty-writes]

Hi There Request Headcannon here

All Might x Izuku's Mom Reader (let's just pretend that were inko here)

Let just start with a damsel in distress trpoe wherein he save her and you know falls and then he doesn't know that izuku is her mom(this is the time wherein izuku is his successor) but when reader wants all might to meet his son they just stare at each other like :

All Might: O-O Your her son

And

Izuku:Your his boyfriend ⊙.☉

His so happy that his mentor is dating her mom like ⊙﹏⊙ and the rest is up to you

[ I think the last All Might/Toshinori piece I did was last December maybe...? But anywho, I hope you like it. ]

He was like a God among the fire and destruction that surrounded you. Nothing touched him, and that smile he wore was the only indication he knew he was unstoppable. When he lifted you into his arms, it was like the world had stopped and he was cast in a heavenly glow.

Heroes were never your thing, and when All Might visited you in the hospital after your brush with danger, you thought he was only doing it to boost his already positive image. But instead, he brought you a peace offering, and the two of you had a long and surprisingly meaningful chat.

Your son, Izuku, was a huge fan of one hero in particular. If he knew that you were saved, let alone visited by All Might, you could only imagine what his reaction would be. So, you decided to keep it a secret, at least for the time being.

But, your son was also curious, overprotective, and stubborn. After you had been released from the hospital he insisted on taking care of you. This also meant that he had to get permission to move back home as opposed to continuing to live in the student dorms provided by Yuuei.

You were happy that your son had suddenly manifested a quirk, but this also caused you to worry constantly. But, these worries were often pushed onto All Might who frequently visited you when your son was at school.

It wasn't that hard to tell you were falling for the man, who wouldn't? You had been alone for years, so why couldn't you enjoy the feeling of being in love?

After a while, you began to think of your son and how he might feel if you tried dating. At the same time, it was getting harder to keep your feelings at bay and you began making excuses to avoid spending time with the number one hero.

Eventually, this caused All Might to show up abruptly at your doorstep. "Who is it, Mom?" Izuku asked as you stood in the doorway in shock. You ended up telling him it was no one before stepping outside and shutting the door behind you to speak to All Might in private.

After that day, having confessed your feelings and the fact you had a son. The two of you decided to try a relationship, and being without one for so many years neither of you had the slightest idea how to go about it.

You wanted him to meet Izuku, despite being nervous about how he'd react. Your son would always be the most important thing to you, but every mother deserved to be happy, right?

Luckily All Might agreed wholeheartedly and seemed rather enthusiastic about meeting Izuku. What you didn't realize is that they already knew each other and as soon as they set eyes on one another, everything went silent.

All Might nervously chucked, "Hah, hah! I should have known given your mother's grace that you were her son!" he tried to lighten the mood. "M-mom, he's your b-boyfriend!?" Izuku responded making you blush, could you even use that word yet!?

"This is incredible! There's not much known about All Might's dating life and now, thanks to Mom, I can make notes of-" maybe Izuku was a little too happy about your relationship. "Young Midoriya..." All Might warned, there was a good reason not much of his love life was known to the public.

Regardless, he too was happy to have you and his successor. He knew he'd have to overstep his boundaries sometimes, but he only wanted to make your son into the best hero he could be and even as he grew weaker, he wanted to protect you with everything he had.

[youremyheaven]

Hi ! I was giggling while reading your post about crushes and how you are feeling about love . It's too cute 🥺 🥰 and the phase that all of us go through when we have crushes😅🥰

I haven't been in a relationship or have dated anyone not that it's a bad thing . I love seeing all my girlies in love sharing their experiences. Basically I love LOVE idk if it makes any sense 🤣.

I had an unrequited love type of story with this person . He's a distant family member. I used to admire him very much like the way he used to talk with such respect, warm smiles , witty , making everyone laugh , sooo down to earth , making sure everyone felt included etc . We used to meet on different family functions n all and he's a close friend of my cousin . We held mutual respect for one other and I used to search for him and act as if I was not looking for him . It felt like gravity was working way harder when he's around . I gradually developed a crush around 15 yrs and it turned into idk whatever well into my mid 20's . We used to talk , tease , motivate and give tips to each other , there was never flirting involved. I used to think for years and feel sad that he's not interested in me but the things he'd do for me spoke otherwise. Here n there the elders of the family thought we'd make a good couple but his family wasn't happy with it . There were never direct confrontations or anything . His mother and grandmother used to love me , sometimes throw indirect remarks on my family's financial situation it used to hurt me a little but I know where I came from and will never forget , but when it came to matter of our marriage she staright out refused cuz obviously they wanted a rich bride and they did get him .He's now married to a lovely women and they have a beautiful and healthy baby boy now . The irony I didn't even know that this all was going in the background that they refused me and the search for a bride and found her , the marriage was set till I got the wedding invitation. My cousin told me recently what was going on then . All was said n done . I loved him , idk if he loved me or I just projected . I deep down knew that this will not workout cuz he was already in a compromised situation with his family and I'd tell myself that he didn't have any feelings to cope with the situation . He's now married and has a son . Guess what?! his wedding anniversary is just a day after my parents wedding anniversary and they got pregnant right after my birthday. 😅

I did think that i should've gathered a lill courage and kept all inhibitions aside to go n convey my feelings to him then our lives would've been so different. It doesn't matter now and I'm so happy that he's happy with his family 😊. The love and respect I've for him will still be there . It makes my heart feel a different kind of happy when I see him now . Him and his wife are so cute smiling and are very welcoming. I feel so good watching them from afar and I have nothing but to feel happy for them .

That was love for me , now I don't think want to love right now . Definitely will be looking forward to LIFE n LOVE ig 💗

hii angel 🥺

i love LOVE too 😩its the best feeling in the world 🥰

omg that was a whole hindi 400 episode soap opera right there, i could picture it all, a Gurmeet Choudhary kind of guy is how i pictured the man, and you're a Drashti Dhami type of gal, his wife is a Shrenu Parikh type lady

sometimes the most profound experiences of love we have are of love that isn't consummated. not every thing has to end with a conventional "happily ever after" in order for it to be meaningful. you loved him and even if he didn't know it, the experience of loving him, changed you as a person. your heart has the ability to wish and hope for someone's well being just because. only love can do that to a person.

who knows what would've happened if you had confessed your feelings. it may or may not have been positive but let's believe whatever happened is how it was meant to be.

real relationships are often not as easy or satisfying as loving someone from a distance. i was so upset by so much when i was in a relationship with my ex, but after ending things with him, it feels easier to only remember the love and warmth. i'm not someone who can hate anybody so i didn't expect to hate him and nor do i but my heart feels so light and easy with the kind of love i have for him. i dont have to worry about the messiness of the relationship anymore. and the love we give, we cant really take back and i hope in his moments of defeat, if at all it helps, he thinks of how much i loved him and it gives him the strength to go on. ok ill stop now before i cry lmao

i hope you can continue to be happy for your person but i also hope a warm, nourishing and tranquil love, waits for you around the corner. you deserve to be loved as much as you love others. i hope you have a wonderful week ahead 💗💖