#she has a children's book coming out soon too and it sounded so interesting. i liked her a lot

[britneyshakespeare]

you know at the end of the day today i was chatting w some other paras. i was a special ed para for a seventh grader today that's what i did. and the last block for them is just learning center and it's chill and it's friday and some of the kids were making pizza and no one was really doing anything or stressed or bothered so the kids and the adults just have various little shooting-the-breeze sessions although im usually not that active in these bc Im Shy, And A Substitute so i feel very out of place a lot of the time. but anyway i had never really talked much w either of the paras i was with today and we struck up a conversation about some stuff and one of them says to me "you know just so you know i LOVE your hair" and she turns to the other para and she's like "isnt it gorgeous? dont you love her hair?"

and i kinda blushed and said thank you a couple of times and looked down bc that's what i do when i receive a sincere-sounding compliment unexpectedly. and then i chatted a little more before i kinda drifted out of the conversation and opened my book and after a page or two one of them asked me about what i was reading (it's Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee if you were wondering and i started it a few days ago). so i told them a bit about it and started chatting again on the topic of reading and i guess i was just naturally smiling and the same one who complimented my hair said "look at those dimples. i just can't w you"

[hannahssimblr]

That evening after I drive home the house is a battlefield. As soon as I let myself into the hallway the sounds of some escalating conflict are sweeping through from the kitchen, but it doesn’t surprise me. It’s been this way for months. I just toss my car keys onto the table and head upstairs. 

“Think about the way you make me live!” My mother shrieks as I shuffle through my desk drawer to retrieve my iPod and the noise cancelling headphones I use for my laptop. My dad says something in response, his rumbling tones infuriatingly calm, unfazed. He always speaks to her with such a patronising air of reasonableness, so honestly it’s no wonder she’s going insane.

“Ivy?” I knock on her bedroom door, “I’m back. Can I come in?”

Her voice is quiet within, “Yeah.”

“Hey, what’s up?” The noise from downstairs is louder I come inside, but Ivy’s room is right above the kitchen. I know she has been listening. She is perched on her bed kneading a corner of her blanket in her little hands, body tense and static like a startled cat. 

Mom raises her voice even further in shocked outrage, “What are you saying? Do you regret our children?”

“I just bought a cool new album,” I say, “do you want to hear it?”

“What’s it called?”

“Contra. You remember Vampire Weekend, right?”

“Um...”

“You liked their last album.”

“Did I?”

“Here,” I climb to my knees in front of her and plop the headphones onto her head. They’re big on her and want to slip down towards her jaw until i carefully adjust them while she watches me with interest. Everything I do is interesting to Ivy, even my thumb circling the dial on my iPod as I navigate to the first song on the album. I grin into her face, “can you hear me?”

She nods, so I crank it up, “how about now?”

She gasps, “It’s so loud! I can’t hear you!” 

“Good,” and I sit right by her, on the floor by her bed while she lays back and tries to hum along to songs she's never heard before. She does it in mom's car every time the radio comes on, which is apparently irritating, but I don't think so. She's a musical kid who is just trying to work something out in her head.

As I listen to her weird little melodies I doodle with a ballpoint pen I found in the pocket of my jacket. I've flipped to the back page of one of her school copy books, and I know she doesn’t mind, she can bring them into school and tell her classmates that she did them if she likes. 

Every now and again pieces of the argument are clear enough to understand, mostly mom’s side. “You do nothing around here, what are you talking about?” She screams, “You just sit in your office all night and-” some muffled aggression. Then at one point she brings up Fergal from work, which is a poor choice, because it really sets dad off. I know this because I finally hear a shocked “how dare you!” from him, which seems fair, actually. 

Fergal from work is her boyfriend. Or was, maybe, I don’t ask. All I know is that Fergal from work exists and that my mother was having an affair with him for, like, two years or something. I googled him when I first started hearing his name thrown around like daggers through the rooms of this house, and he’s pretty much how you might imagine a Fergal. He’s older, weedier and less good looking than my father, with hair so fine and light that his eyebrows are hardly visible and a hairline like the tide has gone out on it, but his smile is sort of kind. His LinkedIn picture has him smiling broadly and the lines on his face and around his eyes suggest that he’s spent a good chunk of his life doing just that. Smiling. Aside from likely being nice, he’s probably ten times more interesting than Christopher too, which has to be the real selling point. I bet that listens to her when she talks to him and makes her laugh, if she’s still capable of that, so I can’t really be angry with her about Fergal. I might have done the same thing as she did if I ever felt so trapped.  

I must be listening too obviously because Ivy slips the headphones off. “What are they saying?”

“Stupid shit, Ives, it’s not interesting.”

She pauses and says in a very small voice, “Do you think they’ll get a divorce?”

I turn to her, “They might. But I don’t think it’d be such a bad idea. Do you?”

She shrugs. 

“At least if they divorced they’d stop fighting.” At least eventually.

“They fight a lot,” she whispers, “I hate it.”

“Yeah, same.”

“What will happen to us? What if neither of them wants us?”

This surprises a laugh right out of me, “It's not like they'll have a choice. Did you think we’d get thrown into an orphanage or something?”

“Maybe.”

“I think you’ve been reading too many of those Jacqueline Wilson books about the kids from broken homes. Next time we go to the library we’ll get you something a bit less sad and tragic, do you think?”

She shrugs, but I'll get her into Goosebumps yet. I am determined.

“You want to know what I think?”

 A nod.

“I think them being divorced would actually be fine, because at least they wouldn’t be doing this all the time,” I tilt my head toward the floor, shaking with the reverberation of the slamming patio door, “And also we probably wouldn’t have to be around dad half as often.”

Ivy looks conflicted, “Well I don’t not want a dad.”

I almost tell her that Christopher isn’t that interested in his role as her father and the way that he interacts, or more accurately fails to interact with her, is not normal, even if it’s what she’s used to, and that I bet Fergal would be a better dad, but I figure it’s probably not the wisest to mention any of that. 

“He’ll still always be your dad, just like how mom will always be your mom and I’ll always be your brother, you know? No matter what happens or how things change. You're made from him, you know? That doesn't just go away.”

“I don’t want change.”

“Everything changes, all of the time.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to. Things move on whether you like it or not, and you have to accept it.”

Her eyes fill with tears, “I don’t want you to move away either.”

“No, c’mon,” I scramble onto her bed and pull her into my chest, “I know, but I can’t stay here forever, I’m an adult now, I’m going to have to go, but it’s not right away…” 

“Yes, but soon.”

I hesitate, “Oh, Ivy, it’s, like-”

“And then it’ll be just me, and everything will be different,” as tears overflow I understand that it’s not just about this, it’s about everything, all of the chaos and the disruption that I cannot fix. I just shush her and rock her side to side. It’s hard for her, but I refuse to lie to her about what might happen. 

“I need to move away, I feel like I don’t have another option.”

“But why?”

“I- I think you’ll get it when you’re older, maybe. It's just very important to me.”

“I won’t see you anymore.”

“Yes you will, maybe not as much, but you’ll get used to it really quickly. And imagine if I went to college somewhere really exciting, you could come and see me and we could do all kinds of fun stuff, yeah? Like if I’m in Paris, imagine, I could take you to Disneyland.”

She sniffles, “Paris?”

“Yeah, you loved Paris a couple of years ago, right?”

She nods and rubs her eyes, “Could we try and go up the Eiffel Tower again?”

“Duh, and you’d be old enough not to be so scared.”

“Maybe-” a thick swallow “maybe even your new house would have a balcony and we could see it from there.”

“Oh, for sure, and we’d get pastries from the bakery downstairs in the mornings, they'd just so happen to be best ones ever, and there’d be a man playing the accordion outside- no, everywhere, like, no matter where we go, he’s there with his swirly little French Guy moustache...”

She giggles, “Is he following us around?”

“Oh, yeah, a total stalker, actually. Maybe we’d have to call the French police on him.” 

We both laugh as she dries her face with her sleeves. Coming up with all the very French things we would do in Paris, every detail down to the layout of my beautiful Haussmann style apartment overlooking the Seine is nice.

I'm not stupid, of course, I know perfectly well that the reality of a move to Paris would involve me and Michelle stuffed into a Chambre de Bonne tiny enough to touch both walls at the same time, tripping over half baked art projects and every possession we own, our pent up frustration causing us to have screaming matches that would wake up the whole arrondissement, but it’s nice to be an idealist for a minute or two. 

“Where else could you live?” she asks me once we’ve exhausted all of the parisian stereotypes and run out of hypotheticals. 

“Hmm, how about Amsterdam?”

“Oh! Anne Frank lived there, we read the book at school last year.”

I tell her that yes, if I lived there I’d take her to see the house with that stairway hidden behind the bookcase, and then we would... cycle around the place and annoy everyone because she’s so unsteady on her bike. I make up a story about how she keeps swerving out of her lane and getting in everybody's way, eventually causing a giant bike pile up along the canal like some sort of rat king of Dutch cyclists.

“Where else!”

“Um, Berlin...” and I purse my lips and try to think of things to do in Berlin that are appropriate for a nine year old, but for some reason all I can think of is a surly line of leather clad druggies in front of a techno club. “They like going to nightclubs, I guess…”

“I can go to a nightclub.”

“Yeah, as if! You’d hate it, it’s just loud music and everyone bumping into you. Hey, you know there’s one nightclub in Berlin that’s so exclusive that they only let the coolest people in Europe inside? You have to wait in line for hours and if they think you’re even a little bit uncool then they send you home.”

Her eyes get wide, “Really? Hm. I think I could get in.”

The idea of Ivy being let into Berghain makes me guffaw, “Oh, you think so, do you?”

“Yeah I’m cool enough!”

“No you aren’t.”

“I am,” she leaps up and pretends to strangle me while I hold her at arm's length, “there’s no such thing as a cool nine year old.”

“There’s no such thing as a cool eighteen year old either.”

“Uh! There is, you're looking at one. I would get into that club, no doubt.”

“No you wouldn’t, they wouldn’t even let you in the line.”

“Nah, they’d beg me to come in because I’d make it cooler.”

“They’d see you coming and pretend to be closed.”

As we laugh and make stupid, childish jokes at one another I’m aware of an acceptance I feel with her that I don’t around other people. I’m never really so blatantly stupid and goofy in public, but Ivy, who has become my favourite person in the world, no matter what I do or say it’s funny, and she never thinks I’m weird, at least not in a bad way. I can fully let my guard down. Even though the fighting has stopped I don't really want to leave, but the moon has risen now, and the grasshoppers are chirping. Ivy has to sleep.

I gather up my headphones and iPod and get up, despite her protests and attempts to come up with more funny things we might do as we galivant through fictional Europe.

“You're stalling,” I say, “you know well you have to go to sleep now.”

“No, no! Just one more thing!”

“Nope! Sorry! And don’t forget to brush your teeth, or I’ll tell dad.”

She pulls her ugliest face. She knows I’d never, but it’s funny, like telling a christian kid that Satan is watching.

I shut the door very gently. It's not particularly late, maybe ten, but the house is morgue quiet, almost eerie, like the aftermath of a hurricane. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

[ohmotherwhereartthou-if]

Me and my friend love your story. We can't wait for chapter 2. I saw this on another interactive fiction blog but how would the romantic interests react catching their kid sneaking out while they are a teen to see their lover.

Hello,

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you and your friend like it. 💙

I'm working away on act 2, we are getting there. 😉

Now unto your ask,

Cassandra: Ooh they are so dead lol. She would totally be the type to be sitting in a chair, in the dark waiting for them to creep through. She is so damn mad but won't yell, she sounds very calm; which makes the whole scenario even more terrifying. In classic Latina mom fashion, you are never too old for a ass whooping and I expect that is exactly what they are about to receive. Grounded for 4 months at least. After she has called down she will give them a very serious "I am very disappointed with you" talk, she expects better behavior from her children and while she will always love them, she will not tolerate being lied to.

Cass: ...

Kid: ...

Cass: ...So, who's the guy/girl?

Valeria: Laughs at the theatrics and tells them they should know better than to try and keep secrets from the nosiest woman alive. The only punishment they are getting is her dragging them to the table and having to tell her all the details. Why did you think you needed to hide this from her? Are you embarrassed? Who's the lucky guy/girl? No wait, let her guess... She then proceeds to list literally everyone she knows her kid has ever talked to. The whole conversation is very painful, for the kid; Valeria is having the time of her life.

Tomás: Ouch. He is very hurt, you can see it clearly on his face. Why did they hide this from him? This is the equivalent of lying to him, he takes that very personally. He is quiet for a moment and I think the kid would be too, once he gathers his thoughts his voice is quiet but firm, "Just... go to your room. Please."; he decides to handle this in the morning, after spending most of the night awake brooding and taking comfort cuddling with MC. He feels like he failed as a dad if even his own kids feel like they need go lie to him. If the kid is a boy he will have a father-son conversation with him in the morning, talk about how he doesnt need to lie and how to know your with the right girl and all of that. If he has a daughter, God help the idiot who convinced her to sneak out; as soon as Tomás finds out who is trying to woo his baby girl away from him he is killing the little bastard.

-

Ludovica: Heartbroken her kid thinks they need to hide anything from her. She wants to be their confidant, somebody they can always confide in, with anything. This shows that her child doesn't feel this way about her and this just breaks her heart. Definitely cries and asks MC to handle the situation but to not too so harsh on them.

Aurelio: Smirks and acknowledges that they are definitely his kid. He makes a big show pretending that he is mad when he really is not, he chastises them and says they are in so much trouble! As he promptly drags MC front in center saying "As you mother/father is about to explain!". Laughs when MC glares at him, winks to the kid and goes to make them some coffee. He has a feeling that it's going to be a long night.

Elio: Blinks at them as they tried sneaking in, only to come in through the window right next to where he was reading. They stare at each other in silence for a minute until Elio goes back to his book and tells them not to tell MC and next time don't be such a moron in their sneaking methods.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

HOTD 2X03 Review/Thoughts.

Ok so I am a little late with this review, honestly having thought the episode over I don't have as much to say about it this week. I do feel like it was quite a slow episode, honestly I feel like this whole season has started out kind of slow and drawn out. But anyway there are some parts and points I want to talk about, so as I always say I have not read the books so my opinions are based solely on the show, these are my own thoughts and opinions and there are spoilers.

The opening battle was interesting, it seems like there's a lot of bad blood between the brackens and the blackwoods. I also get that they are a foil for the targaryens' civil war and this whole sin begets sin and soon no one remembers why wars and feuds are started etc. Here's my complaint though. Like I said I understand what the writers are trying to say here, its a running theme not just in this episode but throughout the whole series, a good ruler seeks peace and unity in the realm, seeking revenge and acting impulsively is bad ya di da. I understand that they are trying to show Rhaenyra as a good queen because she is being reserved and trying for peace instead of war, but at this point they've been sprouting out this message for a season and a half and its starting to feel like being preached too and its getting boring, like we are half way through this season, I want to be entertained, show me the dragon fights. I agree with the whole messaging about always trying your best to seek peace but I feel like we are way past that point now.

On that subject Rhaenyra this episode, I was not behind some of the choices she made, yet there were still some choices I thought were good. I think her decision to send her younger sons away to a safe place is a good idea, however I don't know that I would send them all to the same place. This might sound a bit cold and strategic of me but I would think her best strategy would be not to put all her eggs in one basket, not to send all of her heirs to the same place. If it were me I'd send Rhaena and Joffrey to say driftmark and then Viserys and Aegon either to the Vale or to Pentos. But anyway, I do think that Rhaenyra showed she has alot of trust in Rhaena, she is entrusting her not just with her own sons but also with the dragon eggs, as she said she is entrusting Rhaena with their future, not just the continuation of Rhaenyra's line with her sons, but also with the hope of more dragons in the future. I always thought that maybe Rhaena would claim a dragon like her mother did, but now that she has those eggs, I am wondering if she will actually hatch one of them. Rhaenyra's strategy here makes alot of sense, Rhaena is older and therefore is in a better position to protect the eggs and care for the younger heirs, also as she said if things go badly for Rhaenyra and the rest of team black, like if team green send more assassins etc, then rhaena, the boys and the young dragons/eggs are the back up plan, they really do represent hope for the future.

All of this being said I do also understand why Rhaena was feeling upset that she was being sent away and to the place where her own mother died of all places. I can understand how when her whole family are in danger and she just wants to feel useful she would see being sent off with the younger children as Rhaenyra seeing her as a nursemaid, when really Rhaenyra does value Rhaena and is entrusting her with some of the most precious things she has. Rhaena has long struggled with her self worth due to her not having a dragon like her sister and I think you can see that coming through in this episode, I don't think Rhaena really understood how much value and trust Rhaenyra was truly putting in her until Rhaenyra presented her with those eggs. I was also glad that although we saw some of that resentment Rhaena feels towards her sister, she still didn't hold it against Baela and did hug her goodbye.

Speaking of hugs goodbye, they are really killing me with these scenes between the blacks where they are hugging and comforting each other, in this episode not only did they get me with Rhaena and Baela's hug but also with Rhaenyra kissing her boys goodbye and Jace hugging Joffrey goodbye, its just such wholesome, sweet scenes, that also have that twinge of sadness to them.

Over on the green side however, things are in a shambles. That scene where you've got cole walking to the council room and as he's walking past Kings' Guards they are all slouching and are all relaxed and not at attention, I just, the heir was just assassinated within the walls of his own home, in his own bed, and instead of being hypervigilant like you would expect these guys are literally just laying about the place, totally relaxed. Then there was the scene where the guards are convincing Aegon to go to the brothel as a squire needs bedding and Aegon points out that they a sworn to chastity and they all just laugh. I think it really shows how Aegon's Kings guard has devolved into something of a sham, I mean even their commander is breaking his oath.

Which brings me to Cole. It seems like there is no some negative tension between him and Alicent, she clearly is'nt happy with the decisions he's been making of late, even the decision in this episode to march to the riverlands. Also does anyone else feel like Alicent specifically asked her brother Gwaine, was that his name, to go with criston so that he could keep an eye on him. I got kind of babysitter vibes in that scene between the three of them. Gwaine however does seem like he's a little bit of an arrogant fool, the whole getting themselves exposed to Baela and Moondancer, all because he wanted a comfortable place to sleep.

Also I loved the look of Moondance and that whole scene of Baela like dive bombing Cole and his men and chasing them into the trees. It was such a good scene and looked great, I will admit a part of me was really hoping Baela would just light those trees up but I understand that she was given orders by Rhaenyra not to engage. I also did find that scene where Baela admitted that she didn't stay up high and said you said not to engage and I technically didn't, really funny. I was definitely getting some Daemon vibes from her in that moment I think she's got a little of his roguish traits.

One thing that this episode confirmed to me is that despite how much people love to go on, even at times in the show itself, that Luke and Jace bullied Aemond, that true antagonist was always Aegon. Like he encouraged his nephews to bully Aemond when they were all children and from Alicent's reaction to the pig prank it seems like Aegon often instigated bullying towards Aemond and was never punished for it, Alicent literally tells him, you can bully him at home but don't do it in public. Yet here we are when they are both adults and Aegon is still bullying Aemond. That scene in the brothel made me so uncomfortable, the way Aegon was just publicly humiliating Aemond, whilst he's naked and vulnerable, although Aemond does play it off like he doesn't care. But I would be careful if I was Aegon. We saw the way Aemond reacted to Lucerys who Aemond felt humiliated him in the past. Luke ended up dead and with the way Aemond was prattling on about how he would make a better king than Aegon in season 1, well I wouldn't be surprised if now that he's pissed off at Aegon for bullying him he decides to orchestrate some kind of accident for Aegon so he get his revenge plus take the throne, like I just think Aegon should be really careful when walking at the top of stairs alone because he might find himself taking an unfortunate tumble.

Sticking with the brothel scene, we also saw that guy, who was looking at the rat catchers that had been hung last episode, again. Surprisingly it seems he is apparently the bastard brother of Viserys and Daemon which I think is really interesting, he called himself a dragonseed so I am thinking he's going to be important in the story, with him comparing himself to Jace as well I do wonder if at some point this guy will claim and ride a dragon. I could see Rhaenyra allowing bastards who have dragons blood to claim dragons in order to boost her forces. Them being bastards I don't think would bother Rhaenyra, she would see the strategic value of them. I am less sure on whether the green side would recruit bastards to their side as they have very negative views towards bastards and I think they would see it as sullying their house almost, like they might have this arrogance of only true targaryens can ride dragons, considering the way Alicent said she was surprised Jace, Luke and Joffrey's eggs even hatched. But either way I am interested to see what they do with this new character.

We also met some new characters at Harrenhall this episode. Complete side note here, but one thing I do think is funny is that every episode so far there has been a sequence of one or more characters sneaking through dark hallways. In ep 1 it was blood and cheese, ep 2 Arryk and in ep 3 its Daemon. But anyway there was something creepy going on in Harrenhall as Daemon seemed to be chasing ghosts then came across some kind of vision, I guess, of young rhaenyra sewing on Jaehaerys' head. I thought this scene was really interesting especially rhaenyra's line, always coming and going aren't you, and I'm left to clean up the mess. With the way Daemon's eyes teared up it was clear that Daemon was feeling a certain amount of guilt for what happened, but more so it seems he feels alot of regret and guilt in general, this scene showed him in a very vulnerable light. I think it shows that he does feel guilty for the brothel scene with young rhaenyra in 1x04, for abandoning her in 1x05 and leaving for essos, possibly even for stealing the egg and going to dragonstone, leaving Viserys in his time of grief as Rhaenyra put it, but he also left Rhaenyra in her time of grief. And then of course it seems like from the way Jaehaerys' face flashed before him that he also feels alot of guilt over causing the death of a child and in turn weaking Rhaenyra's claim and making things more difficult and messy for her. It's just interesting seeing that guilt within him as he usually keeps things close to his chest. I do wonder if that girl with the dark hair had something to do with the vision he saw, she was giving me witchy vibes and her saying Daemon will die there was super creepy and now I am worried for Daemon.

What was interesting is throughout the episodes they've brought up Aegon the conqeror a few times. In this episode we see Aegon wearing his armour, he also wears the conqueror's crown and I think he even carries his sword. The greens are doing this as a way of trying to add legitimacy to Aegon's claim and trying to draw parallels between them and show Aegon II as a strong and great leader. However to me it looked like the armour and the crown were way too big for Aegon giving this impressions of a young boy trying to fill boots that are too big for him. But also they've had two characters now point out that the conqueror actually used violent and brutal measures to win the crown. Cregan in ep 1 points out that his ancestor knelt to the Conqueror because he threatened the realm with his dragons. In this episode Lord strong points out that Harrenhall is in such a state of disrepair because the conqueror burnt it with dragon fire to the point that the stones themselves melted, and an entire house was wiped out. I feel like this is all to hint that Aegon ii himself will also use such brutal methods.

Ok lets talk about that last scene with Rhaenyra sneaking to the sept so that she could talk to Alicent. Unpopular opinion maybe, but this whole scene/scenario was so stupid. Like there was no logical thinking behind this at all. And here is why I think it was stupid, first off is the obvious risked to Rhaenyra, she's the queen, and if she has gotten caught it would very very likely have cost her life, which goes without saying would have been a disaster. The other reason why it was so stupid is because its already been established that Alicent as little to no control over the men who are making the decisions and acting rashly. So even if it went well and Alicent agreed that peace must prevail, what the hell does anyone think she is going to do about it? Like what she was just going to go to Aegon and go hey honey I know you son has been killed, and I know I told you that your dad actually wanted you on the throne, and I know I pretty much forced you to be king against your will and I know that now that you've had a taste of the power you've found you really like it but do you think we could just try for peace instead, because I've spoken to Rhaenyra and actually it turns out this whole thing was a bit of a oopsy on my part, one too many Aegon's am I right, so yeah if you could just make nice with your sister now instead, even though I spent years drilling it into you that Rhaenyra is a threat to your life, that would be great thanks hun. Come on be for real, there was never going to be anything Alicent could do to prevent this war, even before the mix up with Viserys saying Aegon on his death bed, the other members of the green council were plotting to usurp the throne. For me the scene just felt pointless because it is obvious before Rhaenyra even leaves dragonstone that there is nothing Alicent can do to help get peace between the two side, it just felt like the only reason they added that scene was so that Alicent could realise she made a mistake and that Viserys didn't change his mind after all, which considering that mistake in itself was pointless as there were already plans to go ahead with the usurpation just made the scene even more pointless. Even when it came to the scene where Rhaenys is convincing Rhaenyra to talk to Alicent, the writers contradict themselves because one moment you've got Rhaenys saying there could still be a way to avoid the war go talk to Alicent and maybe she can help bring peace, then when Rhaenyra points out that Alicent was complicit in the usurpation, (she wasn't there were moment when she was spearheading the entire thing, it was her that hunted Aegon down and her that decided to put the conqueror's crown on him etc, she wasn't complicit she was active in it), Rhaenys then turns around and pretty much says Alicent has no control over the men and their decisions, so like what would make either Rhaenys or Rhaenyra think Alicent has any power to convince the men that peace is the best option now. I just didn't vibe with that whole scene at all, it just made Rhaenyra look a bit foolish for unnecessarily risking herself. Also it came off more comedic than I think it was supposed to, between Alicent's wtf facial expressions and Rhaenyra's I've begun badly line.

I know this review has been a bit more negative than the others, but honestly I think I am just getting more frustrated with each episode that passes because it doesn't feel like the characters are really doing anything and instead the narrative just keeps going round in circles, war is bad, peace is good, revenge is bad, acting impulsively is bad, acting reserved is good, this civil war was terrible and sucked for everyone, war is bad, revenge is bad, seeking peace is good and around and around we go and at this point I'm just like I was told this show was about the war between dragons so can we get to that point please because so far all that has happened is a couple of botched assassination attempts and alot of Rhaenyra being told to do something and alot of Aegon being told not to do something and in the end nobody actually doing anything.

Anyway I am hoping that with next episode being the mid season point we will get a bit more action and excitement because I really do think the season needs something,

[minato-division03]

Even if it was only a day after her majesty’s birthday, there was the endless flow of presents kept sending into her office to the point that she thought they could make an admirable-sized mountain.

Some of them were bouquets and some of them were accessories and even expensive jewelries, but unfortunately, no matter how beautiful or how pricey they are, she knew that they were just served for the courtesy from other agencies associated with her line of work in show business. 

…Ah, so boring

Considering that this kind of thing has long become the norm among people in the world of business, the entertainment industry was no exception either and that’s maybe why she has already felt so done with them. Besides, none of these pointless gifts held that much interest in her eyes. Maybe she should take her precious time to do something more beneficial to herself (and for the sake of her work) after all.

…That was what she thought until two receptionists suddenly burst into her office with a frightening look on their faces. One of them was holding a large bouquet consisting of snapdragons, clematis, purple lilies, and cattails, while the other of them was shaking in fear with a mysterious box in their hands.

“Please pardon us, your Majesty! Can you please take a look at these presents?! We’ve heard some ticking noise from one of it, can it be perhaps a— a bomb!?!” 

Thanks to the action of those two notorious ‘bombers’ nowadays, it was kind of understandable if this circumstance has led her innocent employees to think in that way.

Quickly assessing the situation, Queen Card took the problematic box from her employee’s hold with caution. And after taking a few analyses at it, her keen eyes behind the mask spotted a certain card hanging from the paper wrapping around the bouquet. Maybe her receptionists were so frightened they’ve never noticed it from the start. 

“Can you still remember the characteristics of the sender?” Her majesty asked in a calm manner.

“The one who gave us these was the old lady in a wheelchair! She dressed in such neat clothes and even wore gloves. She seemed to have a hunchback too. From the beginning, she had introduced herself as the messenger from one agency to deliver your majesty their birthday presents, so I think she was just an ordinary grandma and not of a threat just like the others from before. But maybe I’ve been wrong… Argh! Who know that Looks can be this deceiving!”

“Right! And just a few seconds after she left, there was the arrival of one gentleman who informed us he was the assistant from Nara Division. This mister was also coming here to give your majesty the gift from his master’s team, that was until I heard the ticking sound from the box we received from the prior guest. We perhaps looked so startled that the mister somehow noticed and asked us what happened. And after we explained what we found to him, he promised us that he will get to deal with that person as soon as possible before he promptly rushed out. However, I also heard him mutter something like ‘that sneaky cat’ and looked somewhat …irritated? by what we told him. So, in the end, all we can do is to hope that he can catch the culprit soon.”

Nodding as she listened to their stories. Queen Card untied the card and took a close look at it. Some strong scent suddenly hit her nostril. Although it was keeping close to the bouquet all the time, something she sensed wasn’t of the flowers but was that of a certain citrus. 

“Warmed me up.”

The only writing on the card suggested. There was also a picture of that one cat from a certain children book drawn underneath the statement,

And with just that, the self-proclaimed most brilliantest detective was certain of one thing.

The scared young receptionists let out a shriek when they saw their queen lit up the flame from her pocket lighter and broiled that said card over it all of sudden.  

Thus, not so long after the card touched the heat, something like the burnt trails started to get revealed on that seemingly vacant card.

“Greetings, jou-chan! Oh, this time it should be jou-sama isn’t it? My bad, my bad, how rude of me~ Well, congratulations on your birthday! My duchess was kind of wanting to give you some message too, but as for now, please accept this little thing as a bit of an appetizer before the main dish. —And in case jou-sama has already forgotten which syndicate I belong to, my lowly me suggests a lil bit of waiting. Nothing can shine without a pinch of darkness and so is your desired answer, my lady.  ‘Twas Brillig! Hope all the good things would be blessed upon you in this year”

After reading the still mysterious message, the queen seemed to ponder over something before asking her employees,

“What time is it right now, my dear?” 

“Within a minute it will be 4 P.M., my majesty.” 

Even if they were still dazed from the rush action of their majesty, they still answered her with the clearest voice they could utter.

Queen Card sighed probably at the hundredth time of the day as she told one of them to turn off all lights in the room. And at that moment by the time one of the clock’s hands has moved itself to the number of four, the ticking sound from the box somehow stopped as its lid swung open, the upbeat melodies started to play out, revealing its true nature as a music box. There was also a miniature but exquisite castle placed inside, but that wasn’t all of it.

Amidst the pitch-black darkness, the bright light was ejected from that small castle, taking its appearance as the glowing message displaying on the room wall …with some special effects of all cards’ symbols (the hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs) floating around in the same fashion.

“Happy Birthday, Queen Card.

We’re looking forward to our joint cooperation next time.

Best regards,

家高 操姫  Ietaka Misaki

President of Kairiku Production.”

“Will wonders never cease,” Queen Card murmured.

The closed the lid of the box aggressively, the loud ‘clang’ startling her receptionists.

“Um… Your Majesty…?” one of the receptionists asked, her voice soft and cautious.

Queen Card huffed and drummed her nails on the box. “Well, good news is, it is but a simple show that the people of Nara Division had put on for us and no one is injured. The two of you may be former crooks, but I must say, your reactions to a potential bomb is rather amusing.”

“A bomb is, well… a bomb,” the other receptionist said matter-of-factly but still respectfully.

“We’ve never dealt with weapons on the level of an explosive…”

Queen Card chucked as she set the music box down along with her stack of presents. “And such is why the two of you are not ready to handle hands-on projects like the rest of my team.”

The two bowed their heads in shame.

Queen Card crossed her arms. “Regardless, whether or not you are able to get into the rather hands-on practices of this line of work… You both have been upholding your end of the bargain thus far, and I intend to continue upholding mine.”

They receptionists sighed in relief.

“And on the subject of ‘bargain’…” Queen Card whispered as she ran her delicate snow-white fingers along the letters she received. “It would seem that a storm is brewing…”

She smirked.

A dull-pink tongue emerged from her lips, swiping off some of the glossy mulberry stain from her lips.

She giggled.

“And a rather fun one, it would seem…”

“You best make sure this storm you bring about will be a magnificent rain dance for your Queen.”

Thanks for the gifts!

[yourturntofnaf]

my thoughts on the talebert files that nobody asked for

ok so... I'm terrified of the effect this will have on the fnaf community. obviously, nothing from this should be used as evidence pieces in theories. we have the official freddy files (along with media such as the encyclopedia) and even the officially released ones have inaccuracies that make them debatable for theorizing. so obviously, nothing from a completely scrapped book should be used for theorizing. and, this is all if it is not just a hoax. at the time of writing this, there's no public comment from Scott, just the alleged emails put in the doc. so keep in mind that this may all be a hoax on top of what I previously mentioned.

for the purpose of this, I'm just dissecting my thoughts on it and what I think it could have meant. I think it's fun to read through and see what the intended canon was at one point and if any of it lines up with the current product or theories. please, do not take any of this as me trying to confirm or debunk a theory.

with that out of the way, ramble under the cut....

the most memorable thing from this has got to be the william speech.

this william characterization is the epitome of "where is your rage?!"

this version of events comes in contact with a few common fan theories and debates: death order, will/puppet stuff, and willcare

in the order of events that this was written off of, the bite victim would be the first victim (note for this section: the cassidy tucker discussed in this seems to be a version of charlie). because "cassidy", aka the charlie we have in our canon, follows the order of events of william losing a child before henry. while this does lead to william targeting henry's child, it doesn't follow the commonly speculated reasoning of revenge.

"...perhaps that tucker girl. she shines too much of a bright smile, she is a container for love that will soon burst. I will repurpose her."

my interpretation of this is an application of this williams understanding of humanity. he sees the existence of a happy, bright being as otherwise useless if not applied by someone with more adept girls. he needs something to give the gift of life. from here, I could see two different visions for this:

he needs something that is a spirit to complete this goal OR he is looking for something with a good heart to pass on this gift. I feel it is far more plausible he simply needs something that has already passed on, and sees this cassidy/charlie girl as being someone complacent who he thinks would do what he needs from her.

interestingly, this creates a new perspective on the topic of who stuffed the children. if the goal of this speech was followed through, it sounds like the puppet would be the one that literally places the children in the suits, but under some sort of direction from william. the specific usage of "giving the gift of life" obviously calls back to the infamous give gifts, give life minigame.

for the idea of willcare (the general opinion that william cared about his family and specifically the death of the crying child), this william wouldn't align with that theory. the crying child's death doesn't seem the affect his emotional effect, and it doesn't spark the rage that's always been there. instead, it leaves him feeling ridiculed. this speaks to this William's egoism and selfishness. he seemed to feel no love for his child, the thing his death brings him is embarrassment and more questioning over life. when looking at what he's left behind, it's from the perspective of how that plays into life, death, and the rules of science. he doesn't seem to see it as the life of a person, but just life for what it is.

if this characterization was canon, I feel it puts an interesting spin on the idea of putting the crying child back together. under this version, it seems like william is far more invested in solving the puzzle of what morality means over any human connection.

as mentioned in the note about cassidy and charlie, the version of henry in this book is a man named emmet tucker, making the tuckers of this book a prototype of the emilys. emmet is a bit different than our henry and seems to be more forceful. the best descriptor of his character is this letter:

this relationship between henry and william is different than the fnaf media we have. in most canon examples, henry and william seem to be business partners, where this reads as emmet/henry being a fazbear employee under william who is being greatly taken advantage of for his talents from the beginning. I would take this as something changed in the game canon, this doesn't sound like an "old friend" as described in the fnaf 6 ending.

this also stuck out to me, a list of suspects for the MCI:

it gives us ages of (almost) all of the listed men as of 1985. we get a few drops of this book's lore here in terms of these major characters. william was apparently diagnosed with schizophrenia because of his sighting of the shadow animatronics. we know these are real, meaning this is a misdiagnosis. this book's phone guy, steve (interesting how his first name made it to the movie), allegedly has a gambling addiction that makes the author question his involvement over the idea he... wanted the insurance payoff from killing these kids so he could gamble it? this book has it OUT for phone guy, let me tell you. the description for mikes suspicion is hidden and he's been cleared as innocent for an unknown reason. he was convicted of manslaughter following the bite, and is confirmed to be the fnaf 1 protag. tucker is listed as the creator of the mediocre melodies who was angry when his line of animatronics wouldn't be used.

throughout this book, steve is an interesting figure. the writer, talebert, seems convinced he is the one responsible for the MCI. perhaps this plays off of the OG theory of phone guy being william?

in what's released, to my understanding as someone who hasn't read the frights books yet, dr talebert is a character throughout the stichwraith plotline. to my understanding, the characterization is very different. notably, talebert is being paid by fazbear entertainment. talebert at multiple points seems to be retroactively changing things as he goes, big or small. he says emmett has anger issues as evidenced by an outburst at afton over the decomition of the MM. in reality, going off the previously posted letter, it moreso seems like his anger resulted from being bossed around by william and not receiving financial compensation. a miscellaneous citation on page 10 of the document shows talebert changing the location of cassidys death from fredbears to freddys, changing the point in time she would have died. there are a lot of interesting quirks to talebert that I can't get into all of them, but I wouldn't consider him a reliable narrator.

there's a lot in these files that I'll probably keep talking about at some point. please, please look at them for yourself. keep in mind this is all scrapped at best, and fabricated at worst. lots of love!

link to read for yourself:

[besidesitstoowarm]

"Silence in the Library" thoughts

okay this is going to be kind of incoherent bc i was eating nachos for half the episode also moffat never misses. thanks

so i totally forgot the framing device was this girl who was imagining the library (as initially presented). "i know it's inside my mind but something's got inside" i really like how many of moffat's stories involve essentially believing children if that makes sense? validating the fears and stories of children. the fairy tales are all real

so they get to the library planet and the doctor insists "i never land on sundays" bc nothing happens on sundays. he tells donna not to look at any of the books bc they're spoilers for her time. the automaton w a human face relays a warning to "count the shadows" and the doctor shows off the message he got on his psychic paper that reads "the library. come as soon as you can x"

we reiterate that the sonic doesn't do wood and has this ever come up outside of moffat episodes? it's in "empty child" and "girl in the fireplace" is that it?? this man has such intense beliefs on the limitations of the sonic screwdriver. extreme respect for caring that much. there's a shadow caused by nothing that disappears and the doctor says that "it isn't gone, it moved"

we enter WIFE CITY population RIVER SONG!!!! she introduces herself as an archaeologist and the doctor immediately beefs. "i'm a time traveler, i point and laugh at archaeologists" okay rude. she questions his decisions once and he asks "bet your life?" and she replies "always" and he lowkey checks her out bc she has piqqqqqqued that interest. we learn that the library has been silent for 100yrs

river says "pretty boy, come with me" and it takes him a sec. "oh I'M pretty boy???" yeah dude fucking look at you. river doesn't realize yet they haven't met and starts trying to place their timelines using her journal before finally getting it. "you're younger than i've ever seen you" she sounds so sad

the doctor tries to reach the library core and instead appears on the girl's tv and she's like ???? he loses contact. he eyes river's journal, clearly tempted. we learn that 100yrs ago there were "4022 saved. no survivors" and miss evangelista wanders away cause she sees a panel in the wall open and no one listens to her when she says they should check it out. she is skeletonized in moments and they hear her "data ghost" echoing her last bits of consciousness. all she wants is donna who was the only person to be kind to her. i teared up

they try to find an exit and donna says "they always make you go through a little shop" this is a reference to "new earth". one of the guys has two shadows so the doctor wants to shore everything up and sonic everyone's suits for extra protection and whoops river has a sonic too! he tries to teleport donna to the tardis but she glitches out and never lands. river says the doctor can't peak in her journal because "spoilers" and he's visibly upset

mr two shadows is a data ghost and keeps saying "hey! who turned out the lights?" so they all make a break for it. river has a "squareness gun" so she can cut through walls i think? it looks cool. donna is now a face on an automaton and echoes "donna noble has left the library. donna noble has been saved" on repeat

part two!

[anonofseasons]

Does the world of Seasons have instruments in them? How about singing? Art in general!

I'm thinking an instrument would be a great pass time for an immortal. But then again, if Vivian and Graham don't know how to play from the beginning they would need a tutor, and they probably wouldn't want the boys going out like that, or have someone come to the house...

There are definitely instruments in this world, although I haven't completely determined which ones. I like to imagine this world has most of the same instruments our world does, with maybe additions as they experiment with different bases and attaching strings or hide to them to see what sounds they make. Seashell instruments are popular too! Like conches and horns. :) In an ask from long ago, I answered what Howie and El play from a set of meme questions. So it never mentions Bee or anyone else. The kids all had an ocarina and a recorder, but Howie and Bee messed around with them, never properly learned them, and soon gave up. They had books to teach them music, but Howie read two pages, skimmed the rest, and Bee never read them at all. El played the violin to pass the time after Sophie left and before Howie was born, but he later worried about Bee messing with it, so it is in storage. He never had an instructor, but he's not bad at it. You're right that they'd never entrust the kids to a tutor, so El will have to wait until adulthood for guidance when he picks up the violin later. Recorded music has existed a few decades, but Viv and Graham are too isolated to introduce this to their children. Most of the kids' exposure comes from the times they've been out and about in towns and music from outdoor concerts and festivals carried over. They could hear it from their yard, too, sometimes, especially if neighbors were playing instruments or singing. Viv sang and hummed to his kids when they were younger and still sometimes does this with Bee, but Graham is the one with the nice voice so he's mainly the provider of most songs. Bee also sings, making up silly songs and the like. Howie doesn't really sing/try to sing, and El's terrible at it. Shannon sadly never had much exposure to music at home as a young child, and he'd be scolded for singing too much. He learned to be quiet. Only for Sophie to be allowed to sing as much as she pleased, and no one ever got mad at her... Shannon probably has a lovely singing voice, but you'll never hear it. He's happy to listen to music - has a lot of exposure to it through Phineas - but he'll never join in. Thanks a lot, Viv. Sophie, meanwhile, is like Vivian: okay at singing, but not amazing. She went through a phase where she frequently played the tambourine with friends, and I bet she goes to musicals later. She'll probably be the one who introduces them to her younger siblings, and Howie LOVES them. Bee likes them a lot. El prefers calmer music and hates crowds, so he won't share that enthusiasm. Howie will eventually find out - after getting deep into musicals - that he can sing pretty well, and I can imagine him being interested in stage-related hobbies in the future. Especially since he's very social. Definitely gives me "theatre kid" vibes. Haha.

[richincolor]

Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Review Copy: ARC via publisher Availability: 6/13/2023

This ripped-from-the-tabloids young adult drama by the critically acclaimed author Kelly Loy Gilbert about a girl’s famous-for-being-famous family fracturing from within as their dirty laundry gets exposed.

The Lo family sticks together. That’s what Honor has been told her whole life while growing up in the glare of the public eye on Lo and Behold , the reality show about her, her four siblings, and their parents. Their show may be off the air, but the Lo family members still live in the spotlight as influencers churning out podcasts, bestselling books, and brand partnerships. So when Honor’s father announces that he’s moving out of their northern California home to rent an apartment in Brooklyn, Honor’s personal upset becomes the internet’s trending B-list celebrity trainwreck—threatening the aspirational image the Los’ brand (and livelihood) depends on.

After one of her best friends leaks their private conversation to a gossip site, bruised and betrayed Honor pours all her energy into reuniting her family. With her parents 3,000 miles apart, her siblings torn into factions, and all of them under claustrophobic public scrutiny, this is easier said than done. Just when Honor feels at her lowest, a guarded yet vulnerable boy named Caden comes into her life and makes her want something beyond the tight Lo inner circle for the first time. But is it fair to open her heart to someone new when the people she loves are teetering on the edge of ruin?

As increasingly terrible secrets come to light about the people Honor thought she knew best in the world, she’s forced to choose between loyalty to her family and fighting for the life she wants.

Review: I've been a fan of Kelly Loy Gilbert's writing ever since I picked up Picture Us in the Light and realized that it was set at Monta Vista, a school in the area that I grew up. It was the first time I felt so seen in fiction, and I ended up convincing more than a few childhood friends to read it. So given all that, you know I was very, very excited for Gilbert's latest book, Everyone Wants to Know.

Gilbert's latest is a razor sharp look at an all-too-relevant topic at the moment: influencer culture and particularly influencer families. If you pay any attention at all to this space, you may have seen recent discussions, articles, etc regarding children who were raised by influencer parents and didn't consent to becoming influencer content. In Everyone Wants to Know, the influencer family is the Lo family, a family who once starred in a reality show before spawning an influencer empire. The narrator, Honor, must grapple with the fallout when her father announces that he's leaving the family and secrets are uncovered.

People who follow influencer culture will find Everyone Wants to Know propulsive and compelling. The level of detail is incredible -- it reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians. At times, I found the amount of detail and cascade of event after event somewhat overwhelming, but overall, I found that it meaningfully contributed to a gripping tale of family drama.

My favorite part was Honor's reflections on family and cultural heritage. I loved the historical and cultural tie-in to where Honor's parents and grandparents came from. An Asian American take on influencer family drama resonated with me.

For people who are interested in influencer culture, this is an absolute must-read and came out at just the right time in this cultural moment. I definitely recommend checking it out if it sounds intriguing to you! (And please, please read Picture Us in the Light!)

Recommendation: Get it soon!

[barkspawn]

The Sound of Silence

Prologue: Albert and Amelia

I'm in the midst of writing a Stardew Valley fanfic. I have the link to the Ao3 on another post and below as well. It's been so long since I've written or RP'd. However, I started playing SDV and a certain man and his frogs got me feelin' creative. I am DYING because I am having so much fun writing this and writing little books to @sheacrowley when it comes to ideas. She's the real MVP.

Please give me all of the constructive criticism your heart desires. Or praise, that feels nice too.

The Sound of Silence is a SebastianxFarmer fic with a sprinkle of the other bachelors bc I feel like they're all a lil flirty when you get their hearts up, so everyone is into the farmer (for the most part).

CW: Domestic Violence, Depression, Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, self-depreciation, minor and major injury, self-harm (maybe), drinking and smoking cigarettes. NOTE: These will be updated as the chapters are written

___________________________________________________________

Amelia Rowe needed to get out of Joja and her relationship.

After an argument, something clicked and she made her escape to the farm that her grandfather left behind close to 20 years ago. She made fast friends with the town doctor and the local goofball, and she was seemingly tolerated by his broody (unfairly attractive) best friend.

Will she be able to start fresh without her past ruining everything? Will she be able to put it all behind her or will she be unable to keep the dark thoughts under control?

****** The prologue can be skipped - it is all backstory and, while helpful, it will not make or break the story. Ao3 link at end*****

Albert Rowe (affectionately called Pop) renamed the farm Stardop Fields after 50 years because he found one of the strange fruit after making it deep into the mines in his search for ore. Upon tasting it, his mind was engulfed in the thoughts of his late wife, Margie.

Previously, Pop worked in a steel mill off on the east coast by the Chesapeake Bay. He grew tired of his life there, the danger and overworking weighing heavily on his soul and his health. He gathered every penny of his savings and bought a plot of land in the Ferngill Republic, quickly falling in love with the life of farming. Soon after, he pursued the heart of Margie (despite the initial reluctance on her part).

Al was 24 when he moved to Stardew Valley and married Margie after just 6 seasons of living there. They were married for 49 years before Margie suffered a stroke and passed away. He quickly took to art in his spare time, drawing and painting anything that took his interest. He loved to draw self-portraits and ads (whether parodies or realistic) for some of his favorite products. He even won a small bit of gold in a contest for a shaving company. Naturally, he had that portrait framed.

Together, they raised two children, both girls that were raised in a home full of love and hard work. Amelia’s mother, Joy, was the younger of the two, being 31 when Amelia was born. She has one older sister, Helen. Her aunt, Janet, was 4 years older with two children, Jane and Eliza.

She didn’t talk to her aunt or cousins very often. She got closer to Eliza when Aunt Jane passed away during an unfortunate complication during surgery. Given that her uncle was estranged and committed, Amelia’s mother adopted Eliza, 13, at the time of her Mother’s death. Amelia was 10. Jane, already 24, had gone off on her own, living in another state with her fiancé. Unfortunately, all contact had been lost.

Amelia’s father was nothing short of abusive toward both Amelia and Helen, though he seemed to take out most of his anger on Helen. Joy had been married to Dan for 10 years before he cheated on her with an employee. Joy found the text messages in a second cell phone he bought without her knowing. She endured most of his verbal abuse, and the infidelity was a welcome out from the marriage.

Amelia immediately became depressed, her grandfather having passed only 2 years prior. He was her hero, introducing her to art. She would spend a week or so every summer in Pelican Town, learning the basics of farming. Her favorite moments were when Pop spent time teaching her to draw and paint.

Within just two years after leaving Dan, Joy had ran in to an old friend, soon rekindling an old friendship that turned into a marriage. Charles was an incredible man, quickly taking the father role for Eliza, Helen, and Amelia. They loved him as such, though he was very clear that while he loved the two of them like his own children, he could never replace their biological fathers. He didn’t want them to think he was trying to assume that role, which Amelia found more than admirable. After 5 years, Amelia worked with her mother to go through an official adoption process with him. He was a large, burly man, but he definitely was a softie at heart. He most certainly shed happy tears on that day.

While Amelia grew up battling depression and anxiety, she managed to get it under control during college. She went to a private college, studying both biology and theater as her majors, the latter to her mother’s disapproval. She had dreams of Broadway or going on tour with a travelling theater. Her mother was a doctor in an emergency room, growing to be an inspiration as well. Joy taught her many things about advanced first aid in hopes that she would follow in her footsteps. Amelia wasn’t so dense as to think that acting was a definite for her career, so she pursued biology as a backup. She fully intended to go forward into medical school, but she found herself overwhelmed with the workload and dropped the major altogether.

Because of this decision, she ended up working for Joja Mart after college. She searched for years for ways to join the actor's equity union or ways to be on stage at all. She acted in community theater productions, but after college, they seemed campy an, for lack of a better word, amateur. She found herself cringing at the basic rules of the art being broken as well as craving the professional part of the life. Unfortunately, she fell back into a depression, feeling discouraged and losing all motivation to do anything but work, eat, and sleep.

At 24, she met Kristoff. They hit it off immediately and fell into a whirlwind romance. Before she knew it, she was living with him. It was four years later and she was deeply unhappy, finding herself in a consistent state of feeling numb. She had stopped doing any performing at all. Behind closed doors, Kristoff was controlling. If there was an argument or something went wrong, it was always her to blame. Kristoff was one of the biggest managers in Joja corp, and yet she was still only an assistant manager in a small, grody store on the west side of Zuzu. In public, he was a model boyfriend. After all, appearances were everything.

She moved to Zuzu city with big dreams. She wanted to sing; if not in the theater, then in some way, shape, or form. Kristoff would never let this happen, though he once told her that maybe she could sing at an upcoming Joja event; She hadn’t been that excited in years. As it turns out, it was a way for Kristoff to discourage her enough to give her whole life to Joja as he had. There were many arguments in the time after that. The more bold Amelia got in defending herself, the more angry Kristoff got. The yelling and throwing things led quickly to him slapping her or grabbing her by the arms, an attempt to shake sense in to her by force. Even their sex life grew violent. He never forced anything on her, but it was as if she became a toy: nothing but something to get him off... and he was rough, which Amelia didn't mind at first. He seemed to like how it felt to express his anger in this way, the shocked, almost scared look in her eyes the first time his fingers found her throat quickly becoming his favorite thing. If he wasn't choking her as he fucked her, she was on her knees with a fistful of her hair in his hand and tears brimming in her eyes from the treatment he gave her throat. She often was bruised; the main place often being her hips or waist. She knew how this would look to someone on the outside looking in, but she never did say no. She didn't stop him. She kissed him back for the fraction of a second he allowed that affection. She even begged when he asked her to. He was always so stressed and she loved him, so she didn't mind helping him release that tension. Even if she had to finish on her own. She was just being there for him, right?

She had become complacent.

______________________________________________________

Let me know if this formatting works please. I've never posted directly to Tumblr.

Ao3 Link:

[letarasstuff]

"I don't wanna leave you, Daddy"

(A/N): This was requested by an Anon and it's based on this concept. I hope you are ready for the feels.

Summary: Hotch's daughter is an introvert. A quiet one. But why does she go even quieter after her mother's death?

Warnings: So much hurt. Angst. Fluff. It's bitter sweet.

Wordcount: 2.3k

✨Masterlist✨ _____________________________

(Y/N) never really was an outgoing person. Even since she was able to walk and talk, she still clung to her parents. She refused to play on the playground when other children were there. Socializing was just not her thing. Her parents were sure that she would never be the person to stand up and perform on stage spontaneously. And it is ok.

This doesn’t really change when Jack comes around. Sure, as he grows older and more capable of things (Y/N) plays with him. But it really seems like he is the only one around her age she is not afraid to befriend.

Aaron and Haley reassure themselves that their daughter will find friends in elementary school. After all this is an institution where many children go to and there also are adults trained for helping them coming along. She definitely will find at least one other kid to hang out with regularly and learn how to be a proper child. Because as of right now (Y/N) is more like a little adult, taking responsibilities, like watching over her little brother, she doesn’t need to do voluntarily. Maybe she will be more messy, rebellious, anything but a perfect child.

But this doesn’t exactly happen. (Y/N)’s teachers are really happy with her. Every parent-teacher conference is about how well and polite she is, always behaving good and following the rules. Sadly, they don’t have any good news regarding her social life. It’s not that she doesn’t get along with her classmates, it’s just that she isn’t able to strike up a conversation or is very good at keeping one long enough that a kid is interested in her.

Knowing that (Y/N) is mostly quiet in her school days, Aaron makes it a habit to bring her more often to the office. She surprisingly warms quickly up to his team and whenever she is around them the girl is an unstoppable tornado running loose around the bullpen.

This is kind of how she grows up until the age of middle school. (Y/N) learns some social skills and makes a few friends over the last few years. Unfortunately these friendships are not as deep as the parents wish, still it’s better than nothing.

Things get difficult when Aaron and Haley start to separate. It never is easy when parents fall out of love and it is not only difficult for Jack to see his father not as often as he used to, considering he still is a toddler needing both parents. Especially (Y/N), who is more of a daddy’s girl than a mommy’s girl, suffers from the situation at home.

Of course it’s hard on her to not see her father for a week or two at a time, but ever since her parents are going on parted ways she sees him at most one weekend every three weeks. This also changes her social life dramastically.

“(Y/N), don’t you wanna do something with your friends? You can invite them over for the weekend”, Haley suggests after watching her daughter not going out with somebody outside of school for several days. For the past two weeks the ten year old just comes home, does her homework and puts her nose in one of the books her Uncle Spencer recommended.

The girl only looks up at her mother to shake her head. “Why not, Sweetie? I haven’t seen William and John in so long. Are you still friends with them?” (Y/N) nods again. “So what is it? Are you guys fighting?” Haley sits down next to her on her bed.

“No, they just-just don’t know about this. I don’t want to tell them. And I want to stay home. It’s ok how it is right now”, she admits. Her mother’s heart breaks at that statement.

In this moment she realizes that anything a parent does has immediate consequences for the children. “I’m sorry, Sweetie. I didn’t know this is so hard for you. Maybe you can talk to them over the next few days about it, I think it’ll help you. Do you want to watch a film with me for now? Jack has a sleepover at a friend’s. We can do a girl’s night. We hadn’t had one in a long time.”

(Y/N)’s eyes light up at that. “With all the candy in the world?” Haley smiles at the newfound excitement. “Of course. Anything you want.”

From only seeing Aaron every now and then it suddenly turns to not knowing when she will see him next. After George Foyet ambushes him and makes his family into the next target, (Y/N), her brother and her mother have to go into witness protection.

The goodbye at the hospital is painful and filled with tears. “But Dad, I don’t want to leave you. I’ll miss you too much. I don’t like not seeing you. And what about you? You will be more lonely and-and I can’t leave you”, she confesses, sobbing into him.

Hotch has to hold his own tears back. He doesn’t want to come over as stoic, but as the strong father figure he always tries to be. “Honey, I know I’ll miss you so much. You have to be strong for your mother. This will not be easy and I know it. I promise to do my best to get all of you back as soon as possible, ok? Please be good for your mother and behave. We all need to work together for you to get back fast and safely.”

(Y/N) continues to cry into his hospital gown. Aaron can’t help it and dissolves in tears himself while trying to calm her down. “Shh, Honey. Everything will be fine. I’m so so sorry for all this. I never wanted something like this to happen. Shh, we will see each other real soon. The team and I will do our best. Just please, don’t cry. Please, it all will be better. I can’t let you go without seeing your beautiful laugh for one last time.”

“I don’t wanna leave you, Daddy. I-I wanna stay with you and Uncle Dave and Auntie JJ and Uncle Spencer and Uncle Der and Auntie Penny and Auntie Em. I’m scared you won’t be fine when we come back.”

It’s needless to say that nobody cracked even a smile that day.

Going into witness protection made Haley worry about Jack especially. He is just four years old and she isn’t sure how much he understands about what’s going on. Surprisingly the boy gets accustomed to the situation pretty fast. Of course he misses his father and his people from school, but he is also quick to meet new ones in the town they moved to.

(Y/N) has bigger problems. New school. New kids. New everything.

“Maybe you can see it as a fresh start. Here is nobody you know. You can be whoever you want to be. I can take you shopping and you can try out a new style”, her mother tries to make the situation sound advantageous to her. But the girl dryly answers: “When somebody doesn’t like me how I am now, how will they like an act?”

Sam Kassmeyer regularly reports back to Aaron about his family’s well being. “Jack is thriving. His teachers describe him as a bundle of joy. (Y/N) slowly gets acclimated to the change. Haley told me she started making friends with a girl in their neighborhood. I already ran a background check and the family is clean.”

Hotch lets out a sigh of relief. He turns towards the image on Penelope’s monitor. “Happy fifth birthday, Buddy.”

A few weeks after that it seems like the events overturn each other.

Foyet coming back. Kassmeyer getting tortured. Foyet finding Haley and the children. Them coming back to their house. The call. Working the case with Jack. The gunshot. The fighting noises. Hotch opening the box and hugging both of his children, relieved to see them alive.

The following weeks are difficult for the now smaller family. They mostly consist of watching videos of happy memories and talking about their feelings. Although it’s more like Jack talking about his feelings, (Y/N) went mostly silent ever since their mother’s death. This worries her father more than anything.

Two months have gone by. “Hey Honey, I’m going into the office today. Do you wanna come with me, stay at home or go to school? Anything is fine by me”, he asks her softly, kneeling beside her chair at the table. The girl is munching on her cereal halfheartedly.

“Can I come to the office?” (Y/N) asks in a hoarse voice. It’s actually the first time in four days that Aaron hears her voice. A small smile forms on his face. “Of course, that’s nice. Aunt Penny is asking me after her favorite Hotchner for days on end now. And Uncle Spencer got a stack of books he has for you to read.”

His daughter nods and quickly gets ready. They are soon on their way to Quantico after dropping Jack off at daycare. “How are your classmates? Do you like the new school?” They decided to send (Y/N) to a different school. She couldn’t bear the thought of only being the girl whose Mom died because of a serial killer.

“It’s fine. There are a few girls who are really nice. I think we can be friends. Mo-” She suddenly cuts herself off. Aaron glances over at her. “Continue, Sweetheart. Just tell me what’s on your mind”, he tries to encourage her.

The girl hesitates before following her father’s advice. “Mom would have liked them,” she mumbles. It’s quiet for a few seconds. Hotch is looking for a suitable answer. After all it’s the first time she talked about her mother since her death. “I’m sure of it, Honey. Maybe you can invite them over and I can get to know them. Think about it, no pressure of course.” (Y/N) nods to indicate that she heard him.

Not long later they enter the bullpen. “There she is! My little Hotchner! How you doing, Baby?” Derek asks her and envelopes her into a hug. But she only shrugs her shoulders. This goes on for the rest of the day. Whenever anyone talks to her, the only answer is given by her body language.

Hotch watches helplessly Spencer trying to engage in a conversation with her. His arms and hands are waving around. (Y/N) though just looks at him without being really there mentally. It seems like she is lost in her own thoughts, like it happened so often over the last few months.

“Have you tried talking to her about it?” Dave asks, sitting down on the chair opposite of him. Aaron looks at him funny. “Of course. But (Y/N) is just not ready to talk about Haley and everybody grieves differently. I can’t force her to speak, Dave.”

The older agent leans back in his seat. “I don’t think she needs to talk about her. This probably is too soon. She needs to talk about you. The changes.” After a short pause, in which the other one still doesn’t get the point, Rossi continues. “That little girl just lost her mother. She is scared to lose her father, the one with the high risk job. I think that is enough to talk about.”

This occupies the agent for the remainder of the day. Aaron was so invested in fulfilling both parent roles, that he forgot that he is just a father. The man his children go to when they have a nightmare. The one, who is more lenient than their mother. He can’t be both ones. He can’t be two people in one.

A kid trusts a mother and a father usually. And he can’t be mother and father at once. Hotch has to accept the fact. The fact that (Y/N) and Jack are going to grow up without a mother. But luckily not without mother figures.

Later that day, after tucking Jack in, Aaron knocks on his daughter’s door. A small “Come in!” echoes back to him. He enters her room and spots (Y/N) already in her bed reading a book Spencer gave her today.

“Hey, do you have time before it’s lights out?” He asks, still wanting to give her the upper hand on this. The girl nods and scoots over for her father to take a place. He lays next to her, pulling his daughter into a hug.

“I know I can’t promise it. Coming back to you every time. You know it as much as I do. But I promise you to try anything and everything in the books. You guys keep me going.” Tears roll over both of their faces.

“I-I just”, (Y/N) moves her head onto his chest to sob into it, “Just don’t wanna lose you, too. I-I don’t think I-I can’t be the girl, who doesn’t have a mother AND a father. C-can you stop that from happening?” Hotch has to wipe his eyes before answering.

“I-I try to keep that from happening, Honey. I promise.”

This is how they fall asleep, squished in a twin bed close to each other. In the morning they both are overheated and got a visitor during the night. Jack wakes them up, asking why they had a sleepover without him.

This morning is the first time Aaron sees (Y/N) smiles since day zero.

Taglist:

All works:

@dindjarinsspouse @big-galaxy-chaos

Criminal Minds:

@averyhotchner @mggsprettygirl @herecomesthewriterwitch @ash19871962

[cheri-translates]

Headcanon - When he sleep talks

Original title: 当他说梦话

Original author: 君兮耶君兮

[ VICTOR ]

It’s nighttime, and Victor is sound asleep beside you. With a practised hand, you feel for your phone from underneath the pillow. Tapping open the e-novel application, you start “committing a crime”.

Since he has repeatedly prohibited you from staying up late to use your phone, you carefully scrutinise Victor’s actions, deathly afraid that he’d suddenly wake up and catch you red-handed.

“Dummy...”

The rustling of fabric drifts from behind you as Victor turns over. A large hand wraps itself around your waist, and you instinctively lock your phone and hide it beneath your pillow, pretending to be asleep.

A long time passes without any further movements from the person behind you. Turning your head slightly to observe the situation, you discover that he’s still asleep. What happened earlier was simply him sleep talking. Relieved, you feel for your phone again, continuing with your little antics.

Soon after, the person behind you begins to mumble again. “It’s not that I don’t like you.”

Your finger pauses on the screen. You seem to have heard something interesting? As someone in the media industry, the acuteness in your DNA causes you to tap on the recorder app to capture what’s going on.

Victor’s chin rests against your head. Cushioned on his arm, you can clearly hear what he’s saying. “I’ll always like you.”

“Who?” You whisper.

“Dummy.” He responds quickly. If you hadn’t verified it earlier, you might have suspected that he wasn’t sleeping at all.

The corners of your lips curl into a slight smile. Closing the recorder app, you place your phone down. Scooting backwards against him, you sink into a peaceful sleep.

-

While Victor is preparing breakfast the next day, you lift your hand and wave your phone in front of him triumphantly. “Victor, you confessed to me last night!”

He cracks an egg into the frying pan. Hearing what you said, he remains unaffected as he continues to cook. “You had a dream?”

“No, it’s the truth!” 

You knew he wouldn’t believe you, which is why you had the recording prepared.

“...”

After hearing it, Victor turns off the fire. He takes your phone to check its veracity, then returns it to you with a glance and a dry laugh. “You recorded this at 1.13am. Looks like a certain someone slept pretty late last night.”

Your heart sinks, and you completely forget about the recording as you retort. “No I didn’t! You saw wrongly!”

How could he not understand you? While he metes out the punishment, he places a plate of warm omelette into your hands. “From tonight onwards, you’ll sleep half an hour earlier than before. You’ll also give your phone to me.”

[ GAVIN ]

If you hadn’t witnessed it personally, you never would have believed that the all-powerful Officer Gavin would turn into a clingy little wolf at night.

-

Returning from a mission, Gavin manages to fall into a deep sleep when it’s still relatively early. Grabbing a book, you sit on the bed to keep him company. Reaching out to cover him with a blanket, you suddenly hear Gavin’s voice.

“I want a hug.”

Finding this humorous, you wrap your arms around his shoulders. As though you’re coaxing a child, you pat him on the back. “Here you go.”

“Don’t go. Don’t leave me alone.” You aren’t sure what he’s dreaming about, but his brows are tightly knit, and he seems uneasy.

This causes your heart to ache, and you respond gently. “Silly Gavin. I won’t leave you.”

Perhaps hearing this assurance, Gavin presses himself against you. After a while, he clicks his tongue, muttering hazily. “I want a homemade bento.”

This is the first time Gavin is asking for a bento directly. Before, he always dropped hints along the lines of, “Sometimes, my colleagues would bring homemade bentos”. You feel tickled by this. A childish Officer Gavin is especially adorable, and adorable children always get special treatment. “Okay, I’ll prepare it for you tomorrow.”

Gavin mumbles to himself softly. “The dishes in the canteen aren’t as delicious as what you make.”

Your smile falls. Didn’t he mention that STF doesn’t have a canteen? 

Putting on a professional smile, you lean closer to him and whisper into his ear. “Gavin, what’s the salary of the aunties working in the STF canteen?”

“$620 a month.” Gavin responds without hesitation.

“Good. Very good.” You straighten up, smiling wryly as you flip to the next page of the book, as though nothing had happened.

-

“I’m off.” Gavin gives you a goodbye kiss, his spirits high as he heads out of the door carrying an exquisitely wrapped bento box.

“Be safe!” Your smile is the same as every morning.

“Gav, what delicious food did she prepare for you today?” Eli pulls Tang Chao over so he can experience the pain of being single too.

Mentioning the homemade bento brings a smile to Gavin’s eyes. While responding, he opens up the bento. “I don’t know either. She was really secretive about it in the morning, and said I should only look at it at noon...” 

Very soon, he isn’t able to continue smiling. Slices of green bitter gourd are neatly laid out in the box. Aside from that, there’s nothing else inside.

“HAHAHAHA. Does sis-in-law want to help relieve your internal heat?” Eli chuckles boisterously, and Tang Chao’s shoulders tremble from suppressing his laughter.

The chopsticks in Gavin’s hand are on the verge of snapping. As they continue rubbing salt into his wound, the chopsticks curve.

He shoots them a glare. “Get out!”

“Gav, don’t murder your squad mates!”

[Trivia] One of Gavin’s “Go See Him” lines is - “There isn’t a canteen in STF, but the nearby eateries aren’t bad.”

However, in an official post about Loveland City, it’s revealed that there IS a canteen. This has been a running joke in the CN community because we still don’t know if it’s a mistake by Papergames or if Gavin really lied to MC so that she’d make him bentos (っ˘ω˘ς )

[ LUCIEN ]

Mr Lucien has always lacked a sense of security, and this is something you’re well aware of. However, the vulnerabilities he reveals to you are mostly meant to tease you, or used to stir up sympathy. You can only get a glimpse of his genuine unease after Lucien falls asleep.

“Mm...” Lucien’s eyes are shut tight, as though he’s having a nightmare.

Since you drank a cup of milk tea before heading to bed, you aren’t drowsy at all. Sensing Lucien’s movements, you pat the large hand wrapped around your waist. “What’s wrong?” you whisper.

Thinking that Lucien is feeling uncomfortable due to the heat, you attempt to put some distance between the both of you. However, the arm around your waist tightens. Not knowing if he’s awake or not, you don’t dare to move much.

Lucien embraces his treasure as he mumbles to himself. “My... Little Butterfly belongs only to me...”

You smile in resignation. Lucien has always been stubborn when it comes to staking his claim on something. This doesn’t upset you. In fact, you have the impulse to tease him even though he’s asleep. “Really?”

“We’ll see who dares to snatch you away.” Lucien’s brows furrow even more, dyeing his expression with an intimidating aura.

Having a bad feeling that you accidentally stepped on a landmine, you decide to soothe the atmosphere so that Professor Lucien wouldn’t feel troubled in his sleep. Before you can do so, you hear a dry chuckle. “A collaborative partner? Hmph.”

The threatening tone in his voice causes you to tremble, and an iciness travels up your spine and into your brain. You instinctively tense up, and you decide to wake him up.

“Lu...”

“Pete, could you bring me that box of scalpels?” His gloomy voice makes him seem like an entirely different person. “Little Butterfly, you can only be mine. Forever.”

You shut your mouth. The Ultima Bioresearch Centre measures its scalpels in boxes?

Sensing your movements, Lucien opens his eyes slowly. In the haze of drowsiness, he kisses your hair while speaking with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Your survival instincts cause you to shrink your neck backwards, and you nuzzle into the arms of the big fox. “Goodnight.”

[ KIRO  ]

“Miss... Chips...”

A soft mumble rouses you from the world of novels. Turning your head, you watch as Kiro is sprawled on the bed, quietly tugging the blanket over his bare chest.

Kiro nuzzles the pillow with a slight frown. It seems as if he’s dreaming about something troubling. “Miss Shrimp Strips...”

Your fingers pause on the screen when you hear this familiar yet unfamiliar term of address. Although the both of you often eat shrimp strips, he has never called you “Miss Shrimp Strips”. Does Kiro have another snack in his life?

Thinking of this possibility, your expression turns cold, and you decide to observe further. After waiting for such a long time that you start to doubt if you were merely hallucinating earlier, he finally speaks. “Miss Drumstick...”

Okay. You didn’t mishear earlier. There’s a Miss Drumstick now.

“Miss Popcorn...”

It’s said that dreams portray the most genuine reflections of reality. What one thinks about in the morning is what one dreams about at night. You never imagined that Kiro would be this sneaky in his dreams. Taking a deep breath, you inch closer to him.

The arm of justice reaches out to the unsuspecting Kiro. The second before his head is ripped off, he suddenly twitches, giving you a fright and causing you to pause.

“No! All of you are fakes!” His voice carries with it a sense of righteousness.

There’s a dramatic twist in his dream?

Kiro releases a “hmph”. He shakes off the blanket with a hand before exclaiming, “I, Kiro Bohu, will find the genuine Miss Chips!’

You burst into laughter. If you’d known earlier, you wouldn’t have forced him to watch “Tang Bohu Spots Autumn Fragrance" with you earlier. Covering him with the blanket properly, you pat his golden coloured hair. “Your Miss Chips is right here.”

As though he’s able to hear this, Kiro curls his four limbs as he nuzzles against you. “Mm... Miss Chips...”

“Goodnight, Mr Chips.”

[ SHAW ]

“Tsk.”

A noise sounds in the quiet and still room, causing your fingers to pause. Did he realise that you’re staying up? You quickly turn around to look at Shaw behind you. 

At this moment, his eyes are shut tight, his breathing is even, and he doesn’t seem to be awake. You heave a sigh of relief. As long as you don’t get caught, you'd continue using your phone.

“What’s that?”

Another sound drifts over, but it sounds a little unhappier than before.

“What’s what?” You find yourself responding instinctively after growing accustomed to retorting him.

Shaw purses his lips, and he appears to be having an unpleasant dream. You shift a little further away, afraid that he’d progress from simply retorting to whacking you.

Shaw turns over, unable to break free from his dream. “Dragonfly Eye. Don’t lose it again.”

“Your dream’s pretty exaggerated.” You roll your eyes. You’ve only lost the Dragonfly Eye once - and it was 99% due to a certain someone’s “assistance”.

Shaw doesn’t seem to have had his fill yet. He adds another grumble.

“Silly woman.”

The familiar term of address leaves absolutely no doubt that his current dream involves you. You take a deep breath. “Carry on if you dare!”

“Stupid.” 

Even when he’s asleep, Shaw is the same as when he’s awake, meeting you head-on.

Fuming, you give him a kick to the butt, sending him off the bed.

Shaw is startled awake. He scans his surroundings in confusion, then covers his injured area while standing up, gritting his teeth. “What’s up with you!”

You respond with a glare. “You insulted me! Twice! You pig!”

Shaw, who was kicked awake but has no idea what happened: ???

More translated and original works: here

-

[ Permission to translate ]

君兮耶君兮: Can, just state the author and the source

[snifflesthemouse]

Harry’s the Problem. His wife is the symptom. He is the real Diana 2.0 Wannabe...

         Since the Oprah interview aired, my whole perspective regarding the spare and his spouse has shifted. It would seem that I’m not alone in my thought process as more and more media outlets start reporting similar stances. Just recently, there was an article suggesting Harry didn’t change; but rather, he is only finally revealing his true self. The more I think about it all, the more I’ve come to the realization #6 is the real culprit behind everything.

         I’m not saying that his wife doesn’t have her own agenda or shares responsibility for her part in all this. Her hands are far from clean. What I am saying is it’s finally time for all of us to consider the cold, hard truth. Harry is his mother’s child. Harry is the bad egg, and his wife is only a side effect of the real problem here.

         Had it not been for the Oprah interview, I would have never put it all together. The problem with oversharing is too much information gets put out in the public. Most assume PR firms would worry about oversaturation in the press, but the real problem comes from personal interviews they cannot control in real-time. Puff pieces can be edited before publishing so facts and statements align; live interviews cannot. Over time, one of two patterns form from this oversaturation. Consistencies, repetitions, and similarities can be found in oversaturated truth-telling. Inconsistencies, changes, and huge differences result from those like Harry who prefer their trousers scorching hot from bursting into flames from deception. When you consistently lie, the only constant is the inconsistencies. 

         Now, those of us who have been following these two already know by now inconsistencies and changing stories should be expected. But the Oprah interview really highlighted some interesting things I had previously missed. The interview with Dax Shephard only solidifies my theories. Up until lately, those two have been together through most everything. Very seldom have we seen Harry alone in an interview or speech. There’s never a time where the missus isn’t popping up. James Corden proved that. Then we have the Oprah interview where she was supposed to be the star of the show. But, that was the moment it all changed. That interview was the moment she became the understudy. 

          Think about it. Who is the one being used in the media lately? Most people would suggest that the impending delivery of child number dos is why the missus is absent. One would then argue the Apple + special with Oprah started production well before the second child was a topic for discussion. The missus is being used less and less on camera or in the media. Everything is all about Harry. Forget about when Harry met Sally; Harry Met Hollywood! 

         Harry is the one doing the interviews, dropping projects, and talking with big Hollywood names. Even their announced Netflix projects are focused on one of Harry’s pre-married concepts. All the wife has going for her is a book that’s only number one in the “Books written by ex-Royals who couldn’t hack it” category. Seriously though, as of this posting the Bench is #2130 on the Amazon Books list, #12 in Children’s Black and African American Story Books, #73 in Children’s Emotions Books, and #167 in Children’s Family Life Books. Being pregnant isn’t a disqualifier for being interviewed. But, apparently being just the wife is.

         So, if it was his wife’s plan from the beginning to marry Harry, get him to abandon his family, move to California, and become a big star with a Prince for a husband, her plans have been ruined. And if you think about what she said in the interview with Oprah, you can actually see the moments she told us all exactly that. She clearly tells Oprah Harry was her direct link and source to the Royal Family and everything she needed to know. She didn’t misspeak or misunderstand a thing; she was telling us that Harry’s next to be markled. In every weird answer or revelation where she gave her versions for why their child(ren) were without title, saying they wed three days before the chapel, or having to cry out to HR since Harry failed to help her while she was so depressed she wanted to kill herself and her unborn child... all of it. It was all just the beginning. It may seem like she is attacking her husband’s family, but Harry’s the real target now.

          In just a couple sentences, she managed to reveal who Harry really was. Harry, of all people, should (and does) know how to navigate the press. Clearly, he failed to not only help her acclimate to Royal life, but it could also even be argued he set her up for failure for the get go. Let me give you an example. When my husband introduced me to his family for the first time, he told me little tidbits of information he found important for me to know. He essentially prepped me for the meeting so things went well. He wanted his family to like me because he loved me. I wanted them to like me because I loved him, too. So, I took to heart everything he told me. Yet, Harry’s wife shared with the world how little Harry cared about that. She credits Fergie with teaching her to curtsey, google for teaching her the National Anthem, and even said Her Majesty made her feel especially welcomed. So how did Harry not do more? If they started seeing one another in the early Summer of 2016, how is it Harry failed to teach or explain anything to her prior to meeting his grandmother, the Queen, when he had months and months of time to do so? How is it he failed his wife so miserably, she didn’t even understand basic UK custom, laws, or protocols? Why might you ask?

         Simply put, Harry is so much like his mother, all he knows is how to play the victim narrative while using the link to the Royal family as a nonstop ATM machine. Many people aren’t honest with themselves when it comes to Diana. She wasn’t the Mother Theresa everyone makes her out to be. Mother Theresa wasn’t a Mother Theresa either, though. Did Diana do some great things? Absolutely. Did she do them only because they were nice or great? Absolutely… not. Diana’s PR team would even have her switch up her charity causes whenever they felt it was getting to martyrdom level. They’d refer to her PR stunts as flavors. Does that sound like an innocent woman?

         Not to me. This whole time we all have seen his wife as the root of all issues, but she’s the side effect. It’s becoming more clear by the day that Harry searched out her. He wanted someone with the basic Hollywood connections that he could capitalize. Someone that seemed so controlling and ambitious it would be easy to believe they were controlling him, too. Of course he knew she would invite all the celebs she did. He probably inspired that guest list. Instead of guiding her in the press and in British society, he leads her to slaughter. He hides behind her repeated gaffes and wokeness to keep on his own mission.

         You see, Harry is obsessed with his brother eventually becoming king, being the “Second Son of Diana” and being the misfit. He is obsessed with his brother and father. They are all he talks about. When you obsess on something like that, it is more revealing than anything you say. Harry’s true motives aren’t protecting his wife and children. His real motive is making a name for himself like his mother did. If he can manage to get some revenge by making the Firm feel some backlash, hey that’s a bonus. 

         While his wife may think in her mind she will be the next Diana 2.0, the truth is we all missed who really will be. Harry is the one wanting to be Diana 2.0. If that’s the case, then that means the much older spouse for whom there are two children with, aka the wife, would be his Charles. Remember, Diana lost her HRH and titles. And we have Harry being very aggressive and pushy, to the point it seems he is trying to get ahead of a Palace announcement of them losing their titles. But it makes sense now.

         They aren’t trying to lose anything, but instead Harry keeps opening his mouth to create pressure in the media. He knows his wife does not want to give those titles back. But if he himself keeps saying outrageous things, then it would put everyone in ultimatum mode. Either Harry will push hard enough that Parliament and the Queen will have enough, or the press will get so critical of the two, Harry will push his wife to agree to returning the titles.

         Harry is following the Diana business model. While in the Royal Family, they both were seen as rock stars who had more star power the the Sovereign, which was an issue. Then, they couldn’t take all the abuse, coldness, and inhumanity, so they bolted for freedom. Instead of putting the past behind them, they use the past to monetize grief and trauma in such a way, they become their own brand. Right now, the trauma being monetized comes from the past, but the problem will soon come when that trauma is tapped out. He will need a source of new pain or victimhood. Enters the wife stage left.

          The wife is a tool. She of course has her own plans and thinks she is the one in control or the genius. She thinks she is the one everyone wants to work with. But it’s becoming clear to her that isn’t the case and she’s been played by her elite buddies. They all want him, not her. They all duped her for him. If I can see it, and I can see her already finger pointing that Harry is the failure here, then she can see it. And that means paradise will soon be lost in those Montecito hills. His wife won’t go down without a serious fight here. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she eventually causes him to lose his special visa. 

         Overall, Harry hides behind his wife like a beard or shield protecting him from the press’s glaring lens. He lets her do and say whatever she thinks is great so he can keep plotting his own plans. He allows her to take the fall, look stupid, pull stunts people can see through, etc. for a reason. He isn’t completely sure he can make it in his new California life. He knows he can’t if he keeps her for too long, but he also knows he needs an exit strategy in case it blows up. So, he pins the press to attack her as the true culprit. If they split and he has to, he can return home and play the victim of her. If they split and he is doing okay in Hollywood, she can be the reason he plays victim to big named people like Oprah and Gayle. 

         I can see it now. An Oprah Special with Harry tonight on Apple +. Something cheesy or corny that is almost plagiarism. Like Narcissus and the Prince or something. Watch. Mark my words. Oprah talking to Harry about surviving the marriage while trying to rescue two small kids, being in the spotlight as a Royal while being gaslit by a narcissistic wife… yes I can see the green screen set up now.

         I know this is difficult to digest, but I do ask you to try. While his wife is not innocent, she clearly is guilty for her own part indeed, his wife isn’t the true problem. The true problem here is a man who has a serious issue with living in the shadow of his future-King father and future-King brother, and his future-King nephew, that he has chosen to use the same exact attack model his own mother used to merch and marginally disrupt the institution that made her a star. Harry and his mother both wanted the entire spotlight, but both knew they could never have it the way they wanted it. So, they wrote their own victimhood narrative.

         And here we are now. Mark my words. Harry will keep pushing until those remaining titles are removed by them forcing the hands of Parliament and the Queen. Or, they’ll push and push in the press so much the outrage and hypocrisy will leave them no other option but to renounce and re-gift those titles and rights to the line of succession. That is what he wants, even if his missus doesn’t. Also make no mistake about it. Harry is the real Diana 2.0 wannabe, not his wife. Keep an eye out. I have this gnawing feeling that soon enough, there will be plenty leaks from the wife about the husband. She won’t go quietly into the Beverly Hills… but neither will he.

[christinesficrecs]

hi chrissss, i need your help! i am desperate need of fics w alive hale family! xoxo

Mother’s Day is a great day to talk about Talia Hale! 🌺  Also, seriously, when do I ever rec just a few fics and move on. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Marking Against Instinct by fullmoontonightt | 44.6K | Mature

The guy in front of him is looking around the shop with interest, letting his eyes scan over the flash art on the walls. He's beautiful and Derek's wolf purrs in his chest, wanting to get closer. He frowns when he realizes the guy is human.

Derek faces him, eyes serious. “You know this is a wolves only shop right?”

Alpha Derek Hale has had his wolves only tattoo shop for years. Before Stiles Stilinksi walked in, asking him for help with a tattoo, he'd never thought about how a single tattoo could change his life.

Why don't you say so? | 8K 

Talia Hale has a plan. Derek will go to the Winter Formal and he will ask the Stilinski boy to dance, and they will finally get their heads out of their asses and her son will stop moping around the house in his underwear.

Spoiler: Derek doesn't ask Stiles to dance.

Don’t know how to reach you when you get like this (waiting for you to come home) by dearericbittle (dutchmoxie) | 21.3K

Senator Talia Hale is going to be the first werewolf president. She is also his mother’s best friend, who’s in desperate need of a friendly mage to help her break the curse on her children. Stiles likes a challenge - and the free vacation in DC for his parents.

Lemon & Ginger by kaistrex (weishen) | 2.5K

A new tea shop has opened in Beacon Hills, and Laura drags Derek along so he can try the incredible, memory-evoking drinks for himself. He’s soon going back for more, but is it because of the tea, or the owner?

Accidentally in Love by Scruffy_Wolf | 9.3K | Mature

Derek has spent his summer vacation crushing on the Sheriff's son Stiles Stilinski, mostly from afar, but then when school starts suddenly Stiles is sitting next to him in Chemistry and inviting him around to his place after school.

Derek's not sure what gives but he's certain that Laura's behind it.

The Bargain by dr_girlfriend | 9.7K

Time drags on, and it becomes apparent that this is not a part of the tradition. The wolves start to shift on their feet and murmur, but no one attempts to speak to Stiles. He stands, feeling the back of his neck growing red from the sun and his face growing red from embarrassment.

What will happen if Derek Hale cannot be coerced to the altar? Will the bargain be revoked?

The Key by aussiebee | 7.4K

Eligible bachelor Derek Hale has announced that whomever can take the key from around his dog's neck will be the person he marries. Stiles Stilinski think this is utterly ridiculous.

Meet Your Mark by SylvieW | 24K

Stiles was born with his mark on his chest. He didn’t worry too much about meeting his soulmate, until he got pulled into the principal’s office to determine if his soulmate was part of the werewolf pack that lived outside of town.

After a rocky start, Stiles has to get to know his soulmate, and decide between the life he’s known and a life with Derek.

Wanna Bet? by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella) | 1.7K

“This book is dumb,” Jackson proclaimed, tossing it aside and grabbing for another one.

“Just because the words are too big for you to understand doesn’t mean it’s dumb,” Stiles informed him.

Scott and Isaac snorted. Jackson flipped him off. Boyd just let out an aggrieved sigh, like this was the worst thing he’d ever had to endure in his life.

So Shed Your Skin and Lets Get Started by halfhardtorock | 21.8K | Explicit

He's sixteen and in the woods on the wrong side of the town-line and he's so fucking fucked.

He knows he's not supposed to run, they teach that to you in preschool (don't run from a Were, back away slowly and walk with care), but they never told you how it would feel, standing alone in the dark with your heart beating in your throat as those glowing eyes tracked you from the shadows.

Bonds of Blood, Bonds of Family, Bonds of Love by TyReed | 44K | Mature

After being beaten up by a door, werewolf Stiles Stilinksi finds himself bonded to Derek Hale, of the Hale Noble Bloodline. For a scrawny, wimpy, Tainted Bloodline werewolf, Stiles runs away, embarrassed and humiliated as he worries about bringing shame to the Hale Family, and even more shame to himself. Because the Nobles and Tainted just don't mix, never have, never will.

Except, things aren't exactly what they seem.

With the help of the (meddling) Hale family, his adoptive (meddling) human parents John and Claudia Stilinksi, and one very persistent Alpha Derek Hale, Stiles might come to see himself as more than just the blood that runs through his veins, and open his heart to find the happiness, friends, pack, and the family that he'd always wanted.

Hale’s Modern Encyclopedia of Playing Cards (and Dating Humans) by thepsychicclam | 49.6K | Mature

Wolves don't date humans. And Derek's okay with that. He's got his Pack, his friends in the Pack network, and lacrosse. Plus, he plays cards with his grandma all the time. Stiles Stilinski definitely doesn't factor into his life - no matter how much of a crush Derek has on him.

But when bird creatures attack Derek, Stiles, and their friends in the Preserve, Stiles finds out about werewolves and things get pretty complicated. For Derek at least. And he thought school was his only problem, but now he's grounded and Stiles is hanging around way too much for Derek to ignore him any longer.

Summer Contest by kits_lightning | 18.8K | Explicit

The moment Derek stepped into the fighting ring and faced Stiles he remembered why he was doing all of this.

The omega gawked at him and barely paid attention to the other competitors Talia was mentioning and Derek smiled at the thought of having all of his attention. Stiles blushed from the tips of his ears to his neck and began to run his fingers through his hair while looking away.

Derek began to wonder how far down that blush traveled when he shook his head and tried to focus on the imminent battle. He caught the last of what his mother was saying. “—have a good fight and good luck.” More clapping and the horn that signaled the beginning of the fight sounded.

Now as Ever (All That Is and Has Been) by venis_envy | 52.2K  | Explicit

Stiles can't remember what happened to rearrange the time-space continuum, or how he ended up being pulled into the past. All he knows is that he's there now, in 2003 Beacon Hills, with a teenage werewolf and a possibly-crazy veterinarian as his only allies.

[celestialrry]

I wish you would write a fic where...

the main character is the daughter of a really important producer harry is working with and he has a major crush on her but 1) he doesn’t want her dad to feel like he’s taking advantage of her 2) she has a rule of not dating musicians

too young

OOOOOOHHHHHH

HIIII GUYS..... i started school again and honestly for the longest time i've had no inspiration to write but then i got this ask!!! (thank you for your patience anon ily) and was like i love this prompt but then i wrote the first part and had no idea how to continue it,,, but I finally finished it!! ε(♡'-')з (this is me giving you all my love and affection for sticking with me) 

(NOT EDITED)

2k

warnings: alcohol consumption

Harry was in a dilemma.

Usually, he could sweep all his issues under the rug, save them for another day, but this one... he couldn't do that. Not because he didn't want to, but because this problem was more than just a dust bunny on his hardwood floor.

Y/N was the problem.

Or to be more precise, his feelings for Y/N were the problem.

Harry had confidence when it came to his crushes. He was smooth, flirty, and snagged almost every single person he's caught feelings for.

But not Y/N.

No, she was almost unreachable, for quite a few reasons.

One, the only reason he knew her, met her, was through a producer he had been working with the past few months. Arlo was massive in the industry and Harry was flattered when Arlo approached him with interest in collaborating. And only a month into working together, he met Y/N.

Harry's head snapped towards the door that had just burst open, a girl barging into the studio that he had never seen before. She was gorgeous, he had to admit, but he couldn't ignore her blatant disrespect for coming in and making a scene while he, Arlo, and a few of his bandmates were working annoyed him to no end.

"Dad! Oh my god, you will not believe what just happened, I was on my way over here and I fucking bumped into Zach," The girl began ranting, approaching Arlo and huffing as she stood next to Arlo's chair. "Of all fucking people I could see just walking down the street, it had to be him. The world is against me today I swear. Anyways, I brought that drum pad you wanted."

She dug into her big brown bag that was slung over her shoulder and pulled out the music board, placing it on the table in front of Arlo.

"Where'd you see him, Y/N? We're about to go on break and I can leave and go kick his ass in," Arlo checked his watch. "7 minutes."

Y/N, Harry now knew her as, sighed and crossed her arms. "He's long gone by now, think he shit his pants when he saw me walking near him."

"Atta girl, thanks for bringing my board too," Arlo smiled up at her from his chair. He then turned to see Harry, and Mitch staring at the two of them. "Oh sorry guys, this is my daughter, Y/N. Y/N, this is Harry and Mitch."

She turned to look at them and smiled wide. "Nice to meet you!"

"You too." They both said in unison, looking at each other with a smile, before focusing back on Y/N.

"We'll be done soon, if you wanna go out and get lunch." Arlo said, turning back to his daughter.

"Sounds good, just text me," Y/N replied, giving him a smile before turning back to the boys. "Nice meeting you guys, again."

And before they could even respond she was gone.

Two, Y/N was younger than him. 6 years younger to be exact. It didn't seem like much, but when put into perspective, she was 21, only just being legally allowed to drink in the States, and Harry was 27. Practically 30, if you ask him, and he was positive Arlo would have his head if he found out Harry liked his daughter. 

And three, she doesn't date the people her dad works with. 

He had found this out one night when he, Arlo, Y/N, Mitch, and a couple other writers were hanging out at the studio, drinking some wine (she had even exclaimed that this would be her first time drinking red, and Harry was yet again reminded of her age) and chatting after a long day of working. 

Harry and Mitch were laughing with Arlo about the first time they met Y/N, and her comments about this “Zach” guy. 

“He’s my ex, and had worked with my dad on one shitty song that never got far because he’s just so-- music is just not his thing, to put it nicely. But he was an absolute asshole and after him I made rule to never date anyone Dad works with. It would just go terribly.” She explained, letting Arlo take a few more jabs at the guy before stopping him.

So yeah, Harry was in a dilemma. 

In all the time he’d known Y/N, he just kept falling for her. She was kind, funny, beautiful, lit up any room she walked into, and treated Harry like fine porcelain. 

She was just fucking perfect. 

｡:°ஐ

Y/N had probably been in a lot of worse positions than the predicament she was in now.

For example, that time her dad walked in on her and her ex making out in the studio, or her 21st birthday when she got completely wasted and almost got into the wrong car instead of her uber, and the next day found out that the man driving that car was actually a convicted criminal.

So there’s worse things that could happen than her liking Harry.

But it doesn't mean it wasn’t bad.

The thing is, Y/N didn’t fall for anyone easily. Her one and only ex Zach treated her like a queen until he could officially claim her as his. The flowers he gave her before every date remained at the shop and the consistent compliments turned into insults and muttered claims of discontentment. 

Hence why he was her ex. It took Y/N quite a long time to work up the courage to end things with him. He was her first kiss, first time, and first boyfriend. She was yet to find her first love, she never really loved Zach. The way he used to treat her in the beginning, she thinks she loved, but him? No, she would never call him her first love. 

So when Y/N’s time crush on Harry began to develop into real feelings in such a short span of time, it terrified her. She had really never felt this way about someone before; butterflies would erupt in her stomach every time he shot her a smile and her mind would erupt into pure chaos when his body brushed up against her own. 

So yeah, it could be worse, but it certainly wasn't good.

｡:°ஐ

Y/N enjoyed spending time at the studio with her dad, and surprisingly, spending time with her dad’s “co-workers”. Even though she didn't usually hang out with the pop stars and spent time mostly with the backing band/producers (they were usually 50 year old men, but they were pretty nice) she enjoyed herself fully, having lunch breaks and talking about where their children when to school and whatnot. 

Sometimes though, every blue moon, Y/N would hang out with a super star her dad was working with. Usually when most stars are at the studio all they did was record, which was understandable, but she never had the chance to meet a lot of them.

With Harry though, everything was different. It wasn’t just lunches at the studio, or dinner at someone’s house, no, tonight they were going out to a bar. 

It was completely unexpected too, they had just wrapped up a song, and Harry, being in a particularly good mood had yelled out about going to a bar to celebrate. Of course, Y/N ignored his shout, knowing she wasn’t invited, and after Arlo had said something about “not being able to party as much as I used to”, she gave her dad a hug good night and waved a little goodbye to the band. 

“Wait!” Harry had exclaimed, chasing after her in the hallway. “Where are y’going?”

Y/N’s eyes widened and she looked behind her before looking back at Harry. “I was just gonna head back home.”

Harry’s head tilted, and looked at her questionably. “Y’not comin’ to the bar with us?” He practically pouted.

Her brows shot up in surprise. “Oh! I- yeah I’ll go out with you guys.”

Which lead her here, decently tipsy, and sitting in a booth between Harry and Sarah, laughing at a story Adam had been telling. Every now and then she would glance over to Harry just to find his gaze already on her.

Her heart fluttered every time, and if Harry’s cheeks weren’t already flushed from the alcohol, Y/N would have noticed him blush every time they locked eyes as well. 

“M’gonna get another drink, does anyone want anything?” Y/N piped up, a resounding chorus of “no, thank you’s” answering her question. Except for Harry who spoke softly, “A beer? Go ahead and put it on my tab.”

She shook her head at him as he stood up to let her out of the maroon leather booth. “Can’t make you pay for that, I offered.” She said, standing to lock eyes with him yet again. 

“Nope,” He grinned. “You can, and you will.”

“But-”

“No buts.” He chuckled, giving her a dimpled smile.

Accepting her defeat she nodded and squeezed his arm with a murmured “Thank you.” before making her way to the bar.

Harry sat back down again, eyes trailing her figure as she walked away before looking back at the table to be met with knowing eyes. 

“What is it?” He asked, glancing around at everyone.

“You’re whipped, mate.” Charlotte grinned, everyone else nodding in agreement.

“What?! I am not.” Harry pouted, eyes flicking over to Y/N, who was making her way to the table, one drink in each hand, before back to everyone else. 

“She’s really sweet H, you should go for it.” Mitch said.

Harry shook his head, eyes now on Mitch. “I’m not interested in her like that, she’s way too young for me, anyways.”

Just then did he hear the soft hit of his beer and her cosmo land on the table. His gaze trailed up her hands to see Y/N’s shattered face. “Here.” She practically whispered to him.

“I just remembered I have an early class tomorrow, so I should go, but thank you guys for inviting me out.” Y/N explained in lighting speed as she leaned over Harry to grab her purse and toss is over her shoulder. 

Words of confusion were tossed around the table but she was already booking it out of there, leaving Harry just as devastated as she was.

“I think she heard you, H.” Sarah said, frowning. 

Harry let out a muttered “Fuck!” before taking out large bills from his wallet and tossing it on the table. “For my tab, m’sorry, I gotta go.” And he left just as fast as Y/N did, weaving through the tables and people before bursting out the door to see her standing on the street, arm wrapped around her waist and another holding her phone.

“Y/N!”

Her head whipped around to see Harry bustling towards her and she quickly wiped her eye as he approached.

“Wait, don't go,” He said, struggling to find the words. “We all want you to stay, I want you to stay.”

“I have to get to class Harry, plus, I’m too young to be staying out this late anyways.” She grimaced at her own words. 

He sighed, eyes flickering from her own to her lips then back again. “I-fuck, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

This time, she fully turned to face him, brows knitted in distress. “Then how did you mean it? Because honestly I don’t think there is another way to mean it.”

This was his only chance, Harry knew it. 

“I just, I tried for so long to tell myself it was wrong to feel this way about you because you’re so much younger than me, and m’pretty sure your father would have my head if he knew but m’fucking infatuated with you, Y/N. M’so sorry I said that earlier, age is my only excuse for not asking you out and it’s not a good enough excuse anymore.”

With this her mouth was gaped like a fish, and her face was akin to a deer caught in headlights. In a flash her arms were wrapped around his neck and he was holding her waist, reveling in her touch. 

“Oh, Harry,” She pulled away. “I really like you too.” And with that she pressed a swift kiss to his cheek, leaving him a blushing mess. 

“Good, thats... thats good.” He stammered.

“So,” she nudged his arm. “Y’gonna ask me out now?”