#so there's like three kids in the story who are just plot devices but they have a backstory and a purpose in bettering ralph's mental healt

[multishipperbish]

Oh, my darling dopamine Does the reward outweigh the risk? Well I'm on the fence Is a numbing normalcy on tap Worth a week trembling and sick

My Darling Dopamine - Days N' Daze (video under cut)

[bitterrobin]

a quick PSA on pre-Robin Damian (again):

He has never called himself the "Blood Son". Those specific words have never come out of his mouth in a comic. In fact, Damian has only had dialogue regarding his bio status or another character's adoptive status like... three or four times.

Yes, pretty much all of those times have something to do with Tim in one way another. That's because Damian was less of a character, and more of a sword-carrying plot device when he was first introduced.

Damian's early writing lines up more with that of a minor villain than any supporting character. He existed at first only to rile up chaos in the Batcave for like, two issues, before his death in the fourth issue he appeared. He was introduced in issue 655 and killed by torpedo-submarine explosion in 658. Damian as a character was effectively "punished" for his earlier actions through a violent death.

You need to understand that early Damian (2009 mostly) didn't have a cemented personality or much characterization other than the basics that Morrison imbued into him i.e he was 10, an assassin, lax about death, very sarcastic/rude in tone, and weirdly spoiled despite his upbringing implying the opposite. Grant Morrison tends to write the large story concepts they like and they don't often adhere to any consistent/previous characterization (as seen with Talia) if it doesn't line up with the vision they want. Not even Damian's existence was kept consistent, as it's very hard to believe that Batman #656 Damian has the same backstory as Son of the Demon Damian or the Ibn al Xuffasch of Kingdom Come.

They didn't flesh out Damian a whole lot when he was first introduced, making him more of a spoiled rich kid who just happened to know how to kill people than the Damian that you probably think of. It took later comic appearances and other writers to add onto Damian's sporadic characterization - because he didn't have much major development after being created until becoming Robin and working alongside Dick.

To further characterize Damian as Robin, now that he needed to play against a larger cast and more established figures, writers needed to come up with ideas fast. So some writers played up his League backstory and wrote him colder, more logical and vaguely terrifying. They made Talia and Ras more and more ooc and abusive. They wrote dialogue for Damian that made him more of an annoying little brother figure, impulsiveness and all. Sometimes his dialogue with female characters drifted towards sexism, as clearly some writers can't write young boy characters without relying on shitty sitcom-style misogynist tropes. He got different moments, some skewing towards insanely violent or towards a normal child reeling from issues. This long trek of his writing was always changing in little ways until the reboot in 2011 and his first real death in Batman Incorporated, and then just continued on afterwards to this day.

In short, early pre-Robin Damian was a mess, and it took a long time for DC to develop him as a full character. (Even now, writers are still "figuring him out" and pulling ooc takes out of their asses). We have fun here.

[mylovelies-docx]

Sorry, I Love You - Part 3

I think some of you were looking for this?

Plot: You and Bucky have a good thing going - best of friends that also have more than a little chemistry between the sheets. Everything is fine until you develop feelings for the man who doesn't want a relationship. What will happen when Bucky finds out?

C/W: WAR, fighting, guns, anxiety

Word Count: 1,800

Tag List: NOW CLOSED! If you'd like to keep up with this story, please follow my blog and turn on notifications! ❤️ you :)

Part 2

The explosion of brick and mortar behind you leaves your ears ringing. The drone strike you’d called in had saved your life, but the impact zone was a little too close for comfort. Looking around at the small pieces of debris raining down, you shrug your shoulders and can’t help but think that these pieces of rock are far more preferable than the bullets that it had been only moments ago.

You’ve bounced from place to place, helping out where you’re wanted – a few negotiations here, a few training courses there. You’ve been assisting SHIELD allies around the world for the last half of a year, hoping that the time and distance was helping Bucky get over your fuck up.

Not that you aren’t still in love with him – you knew you loved him then, and it hadn’t gone away. Even after the radio silence since you last spoke to him in the kitchen. 

You’ve been in contact with all the other Avengers since you left. Obviously you called Nat and Wanda as often as you could, and Steve every other time, and Sam when you needed someone to really talk to about situations like the one you’re in now. You’re looking forward to actually seeing everyone when you get out of this mess.

A static crackle permeates through your still ringing ears. Assuming it’s the commanding officer in charge of this mission, you give your head a little shake and a rough smack to your temple in order to clear the sound. 

When sound comes flooding back in, you press a finger to your in-ear communication device. “What was that, ma’am?”

“I said,” a distinctly male voice responds, “on your left.”

Your eyes light up at Steve’s voice in your ear. You peek over what’s left of the wall you’re hiding behind just in time to see him running full speed and leaping over your cover to land beside you. You holster your weapons and throw your arms around his wide shoulders, happy to see your friend in the flesh for the first time in what feels like forever. Steve puts one arm around you, the one holding the shield rising to deflect shots coming towards the two of you.

“‘Ma’am’!” someone laughs in your ear. “Man, that’s hilarious. It’s been so long that she’s forgotten what you sound like, Cap.”

You laugh along, happy to hear Sam’s teasing. “It hasn’t been that long, Sammy. My ears just weren’t working when he said it.”

“I obviously need to work on my timing,” Steve sighs good-naturedly. Your smile widens further when you pull away to look at his face. He smiles down at you. “It’s good to see ya, kid.”

“You too, Cap.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not like we’re busy with something right now,” Sam grumbles jokingly as he flies over where you and Steve are to land on a rooftop just across the alley.

You step away from Steve completely to cup your hands up to your mouth and shout up at Sam, “It’s good to see you, too, buddy!” He bats his hand at you dismissively, taking off again as someone takes a shot at his position.

Your smile refuses to leave your face as you turn back to Steve and motion for him to follow. You dual wield your pistols and get back in the fray, Steve running at your side.You turn a corner and take down three enemies that were coming toward you, gathering ammo from their belts.

“So,” you start, “to what do I owe the pleasure, boys?”

“Do we need a reason to come see a friend?” Steve asks mock innocently.

“You do if said friend is in the middle of an active war zone.” You prop a hand on your hip to sass at Steve, pointing the other one over your shoulder and fire at the single combatant coming up behind you. They go down with a heavy thump. Steve lifts a brow.

You shrug self-assuredly, knowing that you’ve got great skills and not afraid to show it. You direct Steve further across the battlefield, making your way towards where the enemies have hunkered down.

“So?” You question again as you both settle inside a building that is miraculously still standing. “Are you going to make me ask Sam?”

“You go right ahead and ask me, baby girl,” Sam coos in your ear. You laugh delightedly and smile at Steve.

Steve sighs and shakes his head. “Let’s discuss this when we’re not about to die, alright?”

“10-4, good buddy.” You give Steve a proper salute and run away cackling, high on the feeling of having your friends with you again.

***

Hours later, you’re sitting in the medical tent, getting patched up. The nurse delicately pulls the needle and thread through the flesh of your upper arm, murmuring an apology when you flinch. You assure her not to worry, you wanted to save the numbing agent for the other soldiers that were hurt worse than you, anyway.

You look away from her kind but tired eyes when Steve and Sam part the entrance and walk into the tent. You smile up at them as they come to stand before your seated position. Sam grins and slaps an arm around your shoulder, tugging you into his side.

The nurse chides him gently, asking you to please keep still. You apologize to her and shove Sam away, laughing at his fake-hurt expression.

“So boys,” you try again. “What brings you to my temporary corner of the world?”

Steve diverts his attention away from you to address the nurse still at your side.

“How long does she need to recover, nurse?” He asks her.

“Oh, she’s fine,” the nurse replies, finished with your sutures. She turns away to pack up her kit. “It’s just a scratch.”

Turning back around to you, she says, “Just as long as you don’t lift anything too heavy. Okay, honey?”

You nod reassuringly at her and jump off the bed. “Will do, Marta. Thanks!”

Joining the boys, you slap them each on their shoulders as you pass by. “Come on, since you’re being so secretive. Let’s go to my tent.”

You journey across camp, leading Steve and Sam to the bunks you share with a couple other women. Everyone is in the mess hall having a late dinner, so you’ve all got a few minutes to speak in private.

You flop down on your cot, fluffing your pillow behind you and bringing your favorite blanket up and over your lap. You scoot your feet backwards until you can circle your arms around your knees and lean your chin on them.

“Out with it, Stevie.”

Steve sighs and takes a seat on the cot across from you, Sam sitting beside your feet.

“Before you start freaking out –” Steve says, holding his hands up in a hold on, wait a minute gesture, “Nat is fine.”

“Nat!” you exclaim, lifting your head in alarm. “What happened to Nat? Is she okay?”

“Hey, he literally just said not to freak out,” Sam interjects, elbowing you in the shins. You kick lightly at him to get him to stop.

“She’s fine,” Steve repeats. “It’s just that her mission is taking a lot longer than we had originally anticipated.”

Phew, you think to yourself. You narrow your eyes at Steve before saying, “Don’t worry me like that, dude.”

Steve rolls his eyes exasperatedly. “I told you she was fine up front.”

You cross your arms over your knees and let out a huff as you place your chin on your forearms. You decide to let Steve say what he needs to say.

“Anyway,” he continues. “That means we need help with the next mission.”

“Okay?” You respond questioningly. “You know I don’t mind coming back, it’s just…”

You glance between Steve and Sam, letting the name hang in the air between you. Sam snatches it up and speaks it into existence.

“Bucky.”

You nod your head slowly and grimace. “Yeah.”

“Look,” Sam says, “I don’t know exactly what happened between you two, but that man’s been –”

Steve abruptly cuts him off. “Sam. Don’t.”

“And why the hell not?” Sam counters. “It’s not like she’s the one that screwed it up.”

You reach over and gently pat Sam on the leg, ending the argument between the two men before it can begin. “It’s alright, Sam.” You retract your hand, settling your legs into a criss-cross and worrying your fingers in your lap. You nibble on your lip before saying, “It kind of is my fault, though.”

“Bullshit,” he grumbles and crosses his arms. The material of his t-shirt stretches across his back and chest with the movement. You smile appreciatively, happy that Sam is always on your side, and rub your palm across his shoulder blades in a soothing motion. “Everything is always the Tin Man’s fault.”

“Sam,” you chide. “You can’t say things like that unless he’s here to argue with you.”

Sam harrumps and stops talking.

You finally turn back to Steve. “You know I only left to give him some space. As long as me being on this mission won’t bother him, you know I’ll do it.”

“That’s the thing…” Steve raises his hand to rub at the back of his neck, not meeting your eyes. You lift a brow, not liking the hesitation. “This is the undercover mission we were going to send you on.”

Your heart plummets in your chest hearing Steve’s words. A spark of anxiety burrows into your stomach, making you slightly nauseated. 

“Ah, that’s – uh…” You really don’t know what to say in response. Your mind spins, running through all the possible scenarios of reuniting with Bucky before he’s ready. Before you’re both ready.

Based on Bucky’s previous reactions, none of them turn out well.

You start picking at a hangnail on your finger, not meeting their eyes. Sam places his hand on your knee and squeezes gently. “Does Bucky…?” you begin.

“Ohhh yeah,” Sam chuckles, “he knows. Man, you should have seen Steve’s face when Buck asked –”

Steve’s long-suffering sigh cuts Sam off. He stands abruptly and walks the two paces to your cot, settling his hand on your shoulder and forcing you to look up into his eyes. “It’s not our place to tell you anything, Y/N. You and Buck can figure things out when we arrive back at base.”

“And when will that be?” You question, hoping beyond hope that you’ve got your dates wrong and the undercover mission isn’t actually set to begin two days from now.

“As soon as you’re packed,” Steve responds. 

He claps your shoulder and turns to grab Sam. Steve ushers him out to allow you the privacy to pack up your belongings.

Part 4

@jackiehollanderr @rabbitrabbit12321 @12345sebby @blackwood-bodecker-housewife @lauraashley93 @themorningsunshine @happinessinthebeing @nash-dara @calwitch @stany0url0calwh0res111 @pono-pura-vida @learisa @introverbatim @kentokaze @marvelogic @kaz11283

[corazondebeskar-reads]

you know you never stood a chance - epilogue

you know you never stood a chance series

epilogue: maybe light a candle

series masterlist | prev chapter 

Joel Miller x f!reader

Words: 2.9k

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Joel hasn't come home yet. (this takes place about three years after the end of the main story.)

Warnings: established relationship, angst, christmas in the apocalypse, technically spoilers for tlou pt 2, mentions of breastfeeding (not as a fetish), found family, poor communication, oral (f receiving), postpartum depression, possibly violating child labor laws by using a baby as a plot device, pls remember I am playing fast and loose with both canon and the timelines lol

also on ao3

dividers by @saradika-graphics

It’s Christmas Eve.

Or, at least, according to the council. You’re not sure if anyone is really sure what the date is anymore.

But for all intents and purposes, maybe it’s Christmas Eve. The holiday is a thin, moth-bitten version of its former self, but you’ve never been the holly-jolly or the religious sort, so Christmas Lite suits you just fine.

Maria had invited you and Lulu to the mess hall for a big meal and activities for the kids. It was less of an invitation than an expectation, but you stayed home anyway.

And maybe it wasn’t fair. Maybe she wanted you there for the same reason you didn’t want to be there. She’s fucking tough, maybe the strongest person you know, but she has to be feeling Tommy’s absence today, too. It isn’t Aléjandra’s first Christmas, but likely the first one she’ll remember, which is worse.

But it’s more than it just being Lulu’s first Christmas. It’s that Maria had made a point of telling you that Ellie would be there.

You prepare to watch her leave for the night. The light pours in the window when she opens the shed door, and you know she can see your shadow haunting the living room.

You want Ellie to meet her sister. You dream of it nearly every night. But there’s no way in hell you’re doing it without Joel. It’d break his heart. You like to think she knows, at least. Someone (probably Tommy) had to have told her.

So when she climbs the steps instead of walking past, you freeze. Her knuckles rap against the wood, and you close your eyes. You can’t. You need to, but you can’t.

“Maria asked me to remind you that you promised to come by tonight,” she calls through the door.

She knows you can hear her. She knows you choose not to respond (but she doesn’t know you bite your lip so hard to resist that it bleeds).

It would be wrong. But the ache is so strong you’re convinced it must be a physical wound.

She leaves.

“There goes Ellie,” you tell the baby, as you always do. “She’s got places to be, but she loves you very much.” The guilt of keeping them apart makes you nauseous.

Maybe it isn’t true yet, but you think it is. You think, despite everything, despite the anger she harbors for Joel (and a fragment of that for you), that she already loves her sister. Even if she’s only the shadow of a sister spied through dark windows and across the street.

You wonder if she knows her name. Tommy had started the whole “Lulu” thing, and though it had grown on you now, it made you suspect he hadn’t thought to mention she had a real, full name.

Luna Luann. Luna, for Ellie, and Luann for Joel’s favorite tía, the one who smuggled them chewing gum and taught Joel his strong right hook when the other kids were picking on Tommy.

You’d take this secret to the grave, but you hated the name Luann. But when he brought up the suggestion, he had talked about her for nearly twenty minutes, and so you love the woman despite her name, just for the way she brought a little more of Joel out.

You thought they’d be home by Christmas. You’re trying not to worry, but worrying’s one of the things you’re good at. It doesn’t help that you’re still struggling. You’ve been told it’s normal, but these last two weeks with Joel gone have been so hard.

She’s cutting a tooth (her very first), and you can barely catch a break. You sleep when she sleeps, but it’s never enough. A few neighbors have been bringing casseroles still, and it’s the only reason you’ve been eating.

So, you think it’s probably understandable that you crumble after you watch Ellie walk away and Luna starts to cry. The lights are out except for the single candle in the front window. You keep it lit all night in case Joel comes home. A beacon.

If you had a widow’s walk, you’d be haunting it. But you’re not a widow—couldn’t be, you’re not even a wife—and he’ll be fine. He’ll come back.

Joel always comes back.

It might be Christmas Eve, and you’re slumped against the wall of your living room, crying in tandem with your infant. There’s nothing wrong, you checked. It’s so much worse that she’s probably just picking up on your mood.

You orbit around each other that way. She is the sun that you and Joel revolve around, but his absence has sent you both off balance.

The sun might be the more accurate comparison, but you usually like to say Lulu, your Luna, was your moon, and Joel was the sun. He disagrees. He says he’s the rock, and you are her light.

It was profoundly beautiful, but none of the concepts held up to the reality. The truth was that you were a constellation, but without Ellie, you made no recognizable form. Sagitta with one feather, an arrow that can never fly true.

When you settle down to sniffles and the errant tear, Lulu has fallen asleep against your chest. You creep upstairs and lay her in the crib squeezed between the bed and the wall.

The room was plenty large, and part of it had been set up as a nursery. But after she was born, you spent each night on the floor next to the crib.

Joel hadn’t been having that. After the first week, he sat you down and asked if you’d be able to sleep in the bed if she was next to you.

And then he just… built a second, smaller crib. One that fits right up against your side of the mattress. It was low to the ground, so all you had to do was reach down, and you could feel her little chest rise and fall, or scoop her up to nurse her in the middle of the night. She’ll grow out of it fast, but by then, you hope you’ll feel secure enough to move her to the big one just across the room.

You had been embarrassed. Didn’t want anyone to know. After all, mothers had been putting their children to sleep in different rooms for ages. But you weren’t afraid to tell Joel, knew if there was anyone in this town that understood, it’d be him (and Maria).

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with keepin’ your baby close,” he said, as gruff and blunt as always.

When Joel comes home, he finds you that way. On your side, arm dangling into the crib with Lulu’s tiny fingers wrapped around your own. He sat down and gently tapped your shoulder, trying not to disturb the baby.

“What’re you doin’ here, darlin’?” he whispers when you stir. You blink up at him through sore eyes, then smile softly, sending his heart skittering.

“You’re home,” you say, extracting your finger and sitting up to reach for him.

He wraps you in his arms, lets you burrow into the nest of his broad shoulders. “M’sorry,” he murmurs into your hair, chasing the words with a kiss.

“Tommy okay?”

“Yeah, he’s good. Just hit some delays on the way home. Bridge was out. I thought y’all were going to the party?”

You don’t answer right away. You know he’ll feel bad. That he does feel bad, that the guilt eats a little part of him each day. All he wants is his girls all together.

“I was,” you mumble, feeling the tears prick with a vengeance. “But Maria said… Maria said that Ellie would be there.”

Joel’s arms squeeze you a little tighter for a moment. “Y’know I don’t want to get in the way of you talkin’ to her.”

“I know. But after last time… she doesn’t want to talk to me anymore, anyway.”

“She’ll come around,” Joel says.

It reignites a new round of self-hatred, that he’s sitting here consoling you. After all, she had spoken to you after their fight. Sat down and told you she wasn’t mad at you, that she knew he probably didn’t even tell you.

And he hadn’t told you, hadn’t clued you in, trying in his foolhardy way to spare you the burden of the lie. And you were mad at him for it; you’d had your own spat after.

But you weren’t mad he did it. Not one bit.

He can tell you don’t want to keep talking about it, and that’s fine by him.

“You miss me, baby?” he murmurs, a teasing brush of his lips over your neck.

You roll your eyes. “Oh no, did you have to go two weeks without gettin’ laid?”

He chuckles, dark and raspy, as he reaches to cup your ass and squeeze, smirking when you gasp.

“And you’re tellin’ me those little fingers were enough for your greedy cunt? Like ya ain’t droolin’ for my cock right now?”

You whimper. He’s right. Two weeks is too fucking long for either of you.

He tugs you properly into his lap, legs wrapped around his waist, before he just stands up and carries you into the guest room across the hall. It’s not ideal, but if you leave both doors open, you’ll be able to hear Luna if she wakes.

“How’ve you not thrown your back out?” you grumble as he manhandles you.

He tosses you onto the bed, already peeling off his clothes and pointedly ignoring you.

He’s halfway through tugging his jeans down when he stops and looks at you. “What’re you doing? Let me see ya, sweetheart.”

You’ve long gotten over how easy you are for him. You only hadn’t stripped yet because you wanted to work him up. “You can see me just fine. Or do you need your glasses, old man?”

He takes the bait, shaking his head, before looming over you and running his hands down the sides of his old shirt you use for a nightgown. He barely grazes your breasts, just brushing the tips of your hardened nipples and grinning when you whine.

“Up,” he orders, tugging at the hem of the shirt.

You lift enough for him to pull it off and flop back down. It’s your turn to smirk as he watches the way your tits bounce with deep hunger.

And then he fucking rips the along the side of your panties and pulls them off, throwing them to the floor.

“Hey!”

“Shut up, you can sew ‘em back.”

“I’ve already sewn that pair twice, Joel. You’re a fuckin’ menace.”

“Is that so?” Suddenly his breath is hot against your cunt, and you clench around nothing.

“Uh-huh,” you moan as he runs one finger along the seam of your cunt. “‘Cause you’re a menace.”

“Only for you, darlin’.”

You laugh. “Oh yeah? Let me do a survey around town.”

He shuts you up by sliding two fingers right into your cunt, the stretch almost too much. Almost. But you don’t really notice because he buries his face between your lips, and any sassy remark comes out in a desperate cry.

He pulls away and gives you a warning look, head tilted. His free hand comes up to cover your mouth, thick fingers clamping down and digging into your cheek. It makes you moan, but it also muffles it, so it works out fine.

“If you want your turn, you gotta be quiet. Otherwise, I’ll just have mine and shut you up proper.”

You choke down the moan dredged up by the thought of his cock down your throat and make the saddest pleading eyes you can muster.

He rolls his, shaking his head, before he goes back to your neglected clit.

You’re close, so close when you hear it. You pat Joel’s head, sitting up. “Was that the door?”

The shift is immediate. Three years in town has allowed Joel to relax somewhat, sometimes, but he slips back into it in an instant. He pulls back, brow furrowed, squinting like it’ll help him hear better.

It comes again, louder this time, insistent enough for him to pick up. A firm knocking.

There’s a pause, but Joel’s already on his feet, pulling his clothes back on. He tosses your shirt over as he ducks out of the doorway and you’re slipping it over your head when whoever is outside grows impatient.

Rapid, furious banging rattles the door, and you dart across the hall to shut the bedroom, but it’s too late.

Lulu starts wailing immediately, her little face scrunched up, nose wrinkling, and tears pouring out faster than a faucet. You scoop her up and soothe her, cradling her as she finds solace for her hurt feelings and empty stomach.

Joel goes downstairs, partly to shut up the racket but mostly because the sound fills him with dread. When he opens the door, it flings wide, and the tirade begins immediately.

Ellie storms in, already yelling. “—could you? What the fuck is wrong with you? You won’t even let her come out for fuckin’ Christmas because she might see me?”

You’re going down the stairs as soon as you hear her voice, but she stops yelling when she sees you on the landing.

“It’s not his fault,” you say, face hot with frustration and raw hurt. You hate the way your eyes water.

“Like hell, it isn’t. Maria said you were going to come, that one of you might actually have the balls to tell me you had a fuckin’ baby, and—”

“And I decided not to go, Ellie. Joel wasn’t even home. He didn’t know.”

Lulu has started to cry again, distracted from nursing by your ire. You murmur apologies, kissing the little tuft of dark hair on her head, and try to coax her back to your breast.

Ellie’s eyes are wide, and feet planted, ratty sneakers dripping filthy snow across the floor. Her mouth hangs open as she takes in the tiny, ruddy creature who finally agreed to return to her meal.

“Hey, Ellie. We had a fuckin’ baby,” Joel says after the silence hangs for a minute too long.

The bark of laughter that bursts out of her looks like it hurts, but she can’t fight it. The tension dissolves into absurdity and then tears.

Ellie sits on the ground instead of the perfectly nice sofa to her left. You come down the stairs and sit beside her.

You look up at Joel, and he nods. You wish he’d come sit, but he’s too afraid to break the peace. “Would you like to hold your sister?” you ask Ellie, keeping your voice low and steady.

“Can I? I mean… what if I break her?”

“She’s pretty tough.” Lulu is done eating, just suckling for comfort, so you pry her off your breast and tug your shirt back up.

Joel takes her without thinking, leaning her against his shoulder to help her work out the air.

Once she gives a satisfactory belch, he thrusts her at Ellie, who’s startled enough to take her without thinking about it.

You all hold very still. Except Lulu, who is blissfully unaware of the strife and coos up at her big sister. She bats a little hand at her face, smacking her nose in an attempt to grab on. Ellie laughs, and her smile, her perfect smile that you haven’t seen in a year, breaks out.

You can’t help it; you start crying. Ellie looks up in alarm, but Joel shakes his head, moving closer to rub your shoulder.

“It’s not you,” he says solemnly, “it’s just hard, after.” He gestures at the baby.

“It is you,” you say, and Joel scrubs a hand over his face with a soft groan. “It’s—I’m sorry, I just—”

Ellie’s looking like she might make a break for it. She tries to hand the baby back to Joel, who refuses.

You get ahold of yourself. “It’s not bad, Ellie. I’ve just been waiting for this since she was born.”

Ellie softens and then scowls. “Then you should have told me. You should have told me you were pregnant in the first place. I said you could talk to me.”

“No, I couldn’t,” and you pause as she shoots a dirty look at Joel. “No, not because of him. Because I would have done the same damn thing, so you may as well hate me too.”

“What?” She seems genuinely shocked, which you don’t have the patience for.

“I would do the same damn thing. If I had been there, there would have been nothin’ in the fuckin’ world keeping me from getting to you, Ellie. Nothing short of death. Not then, not now. I’d do it for her, too.”

The room is stifling, and Joel hasn’t even lit the hearth yet. Your breath comes out in little puffs, and every one of you has wet, devastated eyes. Even Lulu, who looks like she might be the first to break into tears.

Ellie looks down and sighs. “So, Lulu, huh?”

“Actually,” Joel says, and chances a step closer, squatting down. “It’s Luna. Luna Luann. Tommy’s just an idiot.”

Ellie’s a smart kid. You can see the moment it clicks—the way she looks up at Joel with something akin to hope. It fades quickly, but you know he saw it, too. His own staggering heart, heavy with love unspoken, is betrayed in the way he has to fight a smile, choke down the relief. Maybe, just maybe.

Maybe next year, you’ll get a tree.

thank you all so, so much.

*title from "Alone This Holiday" by The Used

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Curious, but do you know of anything Marinette is bad at? I didn't realize this until before, but Marinette always seems to be presented as amazing at everything. Like, I can get baking and designing, since they're things she's had personal experience in, but everything else? She's either super amazing or she needed five minutes of instruction and she's incredible.

Gaming? Absolute pro. Art? Amazing. Fencing? Just a little help from Adrien, and she's so good. So far, the skills she's presented to be absolutely amazing at: gaming, fencing, art, fashion, costume design (surprise surprise, fashion and costume design are two different avenues), baking, DIY, mechanical engineering (Miracle box hiding place and snapping diary box), fighting, leadership, decision-making, Guardianship, school (somehow straight-A student despite her tardiness and Ladybug issues).

And that's all I can get off the top of my head. I'm scared that there might be more. The only things I can think of that she's bad at is ice skating (which feels like a plot device for the Frozer episode, since she adapted so quickly to ice-skating as Icebug) and talking to Adrien.

I have a character (non-MLB) with the kind of genius that lets her master anything if she's seen it two or three times, but that genius has limitations itself that later compels her to actually think and work hard to master said subject. But Marinette is never even implied to be similiar to this, and everything she's good at is just passed off as "Amazing Marinette" and then left alone.

What do you think? If there's any other examples of things she's bad at, clumsiness nonwithstanding, please tell me, because this thought is driving me bonkers.

Nothing comes to mind, though I will say that Marinette wasn't a very good fencer. Then again, the show is actually laughably bad at portraying fencing, so I guess we just have to take Adrien's word for it that she was good. (I fenced for several years. May even have my old meddles somewhere as proof, though I doubt it.)

This isn't unique to Marinette, though. Most of the teen characters are absurdly talented. Kitty Section was so cool XY stole their music and their look. Alya runs a blog that's so successful that she was interviewed on national TV (end of PrimeQueen). Nino got to be on that TV competition in Simon Says. Max has tech in a literal space ship. The list goes on and on. Marinette just has more than most because she's the main character.

This isn't necessarily a flaw. It's normal for kids shows to have kid/teen characters who are super cool and talented because the goal is to inspire real kids to try things. The only reason it feels like a flaw in Miraculous is that this type of super-cool can-do-anything character is usually reserved for low-stakes episodic shows. Serialized shows (aka, shows with an overarching plot) will still have kid and teen characters who do the things adults usually do because that's what the target audience wants to see, but these kid and teen character will be a lot more nuanced and flawed. They're allowed to fail because their stories can take multiple episodes to resolve whereas characters in episodic shows have to have everything figured out and wrapped up in 20 minutes, allowing for way less nuance to their characters.

Because Miraculous is trying to be both an episodic and a serialized show, you get a lot of awkward characterization and writing. Sitcom drama with prestige TV stakes. We want Miraculous' cast to feel like they belong in a serialized drama because Miraculous has a serialized plot, but the individual episodes must stand alone, so the characters can't have the depth they need. It's messy, ugly writing.

[lunarrosette]

Ok gang I’m gonna talk my shit abt Brian bc it’s eating me alive

So timeline wise a lot of this is built of assumptions, so traditionally in medieval Europe knights begin training at as young as 7 so assumedly that’s when Brian was sent to guarding academy in O’Khasis and going off the age given to him in rebirth we’ll say he’s 16, so he spent roughly 8-9 years in O’Khasis for training (this is just speculation based on traditional medieval knight training but part of it is basically tending to nobility and basically what I’m saying is Brian may have been assign to tend to Zane) and bc he was the traitor in the end it’s assumed he had a close relationship to Zane (whether they were “friends”, he had to protect Zane, or he was scared of Zane, or some combination) so long story short all his formative years were spent training to lay down his life for whoever he’s protecting and probably being manipulated by Zane and likely the knowledge his father sent him here as soon as he could (not with malicious intent but still that’ll fuck up a kid)

And then he comes home and his father has fallen apart after the lords death, he’s drinking more and just generally being a fucking idiot and this is the man he likely idolized growing up (while he was home) bc he was a guard he was everything he was told he should want to be and now to see him like that…. Not great

Additionally it’s also implied that Dale was not as present as he could’ve been for the time Brian still lived with them growing up as Dale expresses this regret after the Alexis stuff

Now Alexis and Brian open up a whole new thing bc one: Brian sees that Dale is not exactly being a role model even now that they have a new daughter two: Alexis gets fucking turned into a shadow knight and then falls into a coma so everyone (rightfully so) is most concerned abt her three: Zane was once again in proximity to Brian so whatever that would make Brian the traitor was likely reminded to him and four: as this happens Dale reflects on how he parents and decides to become a better parent and he does once Alexis wakes up but as far as we’re aware never communicates this regret to Brian

So that likely breeds some resentment in Brian, now Dale is this attentive father to Alexis and completely resigned from being guard something that Brian would likely look down upon bc of his training and his father is now the opposite of what he knew him as, making is training feel worthless from the perspective of doing what his father wanted bc now his father isn’t even that

Those emotions and anger and isolation is a perfect environment for Zane to swoop in and continue to turn Brian against his family and phoenix drop as a whole and he does bc brian betrays everyone

What really gets me is that the series doesn’t treat any of this like this there is not even a conversation abt how Dale or Molly feel abt this bc they’re not even there and then it 15 years later and Brian is never seen again and sure I know why, it was to cause distrust in aphmau’s close friends both in character and for the audience and Brian was a red herring for garroth’s betrayal as well so the audience would let their guard down it’s just… it completely disregards Brian as a character bc at the end of the day for this he wasn’t he was a plot device used for a traitor, he doesn’t get any clear motives, he doesn’t get more attention beforehand, there’s no build up, it’s not even explored what happened at the guarding academy that made him turn against the VILLAGE HE WAS BORN AND partly RAISED IN AND SWORN TO PROTECT AS A GUARD like that doesn’t take nothing and we’ll never truly know it bc he never appears again

TLDR: Brian was a 16 year old kid who was manipulated for 9 years and had a rough relationship with his father and Zane being there for the manipulation turned Brian against phoenix drop and Aphmau severely underutilized his tragedy and it was in the long run pretty inconsequential

@dilly-dahlia and @doot-doo-t expressed interest in all my mcd rambling so I’m tagging y’all in this bc I started writing it earlier today and finished now

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐(i’m sensing some sweetness coming! Good for May she deserves all the good things in this world!)

🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮(CRANBERRY IM SO GLAD YOURE OKAY! And i’m loving how this setup gives a new perspective to the classic Buckley-Diaz family vibes)

➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰(BUDDIE TIME LOOP???? BUDDIE TIME LOOP!!!! Cal its insane how with three words you’ve already got me hooked - you’re so good with inexplicable magic as a plot device so I’m so excited for your take on this classic! I’m already sure it’s gonna be absolutely phenomenal!)

Thank you for all this my dear!! And if any of these stories are finished by the time you get to these please know that the odds are good that I’ve already read them and loved every single word!

I hope you have/had a nice weekend! Sending lots of love!!!

Okay! So since I have completed two of the fics here, what I will do is give you 63 (combined total) of my next Gotcha For Gaza prompt fic (which I might have combined with an idea from @exhuastedpigeon ), with no context once again. Here's the emoji: ☠️

---

One reads Chip N. Dales. The other, murder victim. What on earth? 

“Athena!” Eddie blurts. He sounds intoxicated. 

“Eddie?” She gawks at him. “I got a call about a possible death at this address? Please let it just be your name tag.”

“No, no,” he shakes his head. “That was me. I called 9-1-1. But I’m not really dead. It’s someone else.”

Definitely intoxicated, then. And, from his demeanor, it must not be one of his closest friends who has died. Athena feels a surge of relief. 

“Eddie, who is dead?” She asks calmly. 

Eddie winces. “It’s Captain Gerrard.”

Well. That certainly complicates things, doesn’t it?

▪️▪️▪️

Eddie, a little wobbly, leads Athena into the condo. 

“Is this Gerrard’s house?” She asks. 

“No. Tommy’s.”

“Tommy?” 

“You know? Buck’s boyfriend? Pilot?”

“No, I know who Tommy Kinnard is,” Athena replies. “Just… What are you all doing here with your fire captain?”

As far as she had heard, they all hated the man. And as far as Buck had said, Tommy’s history with his former captain was also complicated. 

Athena has a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling about this. 

“Tommy hosted a murder mystery party,” Eddie says. “S’why I died.”

Oh boy.

Eddie leads Athena into a dining room with sleek, modern black furniture and some very strange wall art. Which is really not what Athena should be looking at. There are more pressing things. Like Captain Gerrard on the floor, swollen and lifeless, as Buck is hunched over him, performing CPR. Buck. The person with the least paramedic training in the room, other than perhaps Karen Wilson. Because for some reason, she is also here.

Athena takes inventory.

Gerrard. 

Buck.

Eddie. 

Tommy.

Hen.

Karen.

Chimney.

 Two men Athena has never seen in her life, but if she had to guess, are also firefighters. 

Everyone has name tags on. None of them say their real names. Characters, more likely.

---

75 for ➰ (OH YOU ARE TUNING IN HERE FOR A CRAZY PART!)

Tagging @steadfastsaturnsrings

---

He’s almost certain Eddie has never called him that before. Though he feels a soft familiarity accompany it. 

“How did you sleep?” He asks, voice low to avoid waking Christopher in the adjoining room.

Eddie’s lip twitches. 

“Good,” he answers. “I always sleep well beside you, Buck. You know that.”

Buck hums happily. 

“Same here.” Buck replies. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Well, whatever you want,” Eddie says. “I know you’ve got an itinerary.” 

Oh, does he ever. They’d done Morro Bay State Park and the nearby history museum yesterday. 

“So glad you’re on board,” Buck grins. “I’m thinking, estuary, let Chris see some sea otters, then head to the beach?” 

“Oh, and you have no interest in said sea otters?” Eddie teases.

“Okay, they’re cute, Eddie!” 

“I know they’re cute,” Eddie replies. “I’m certain you will both look cute gawking at them.”

“Well, then let’s get going,” Buck decides, rolling out of bed. “Let’s wake the kid!”

“You’re a brave man, Evan Buckley.”

“He loves me,” Buck waves off the concern. “More importantly, he loves sea otters.”

When Buck stands, stretching his arms above his head, he notices the old analog clock on the wall. Ugh, that thing. It looks like it’s from the 50s or 60s at least. Not at all fitting with the otherwise modern design of the hotel room. And it’s not even telling the right time. It reads 12:02. As if it’s just after midnight. Buck turns to look at the digital clock. 8:02 AM. Huh. 

“Was it telling the wrong time when we got here?” Buck asks.

Eddie coughs. Small at first, then growing. Like his throat is dry. 

Buck spins to face him. “You okay?”

“Fine. Fine.” Eddie insists. “What did you ask?”

“The clock.” Buck clarifies. “Was it telling the wrong time when we checked in?”

“I…” Eddie’s eyes dart around, like he’s trying to remember. He looks very confused. Too confused for the nature of the question. “I don’t know, Buck. I didn’t pay attention.”

“It’s weird,” Buck says. “It has the minute right. Just not the hour.”

“I think you might be too worried about a clock, Buck.”

“I’m not worried about it. I’m just curious about it. Do you think it’s for another time zone?”

“We can figure out the clock or we can enjoy our day,” Eddie says. “Starting with a big breakfast?”

Buck smirks. “You sure know how to get through to me.”

➰➰

Half an hour later, they’re sitting on a big patio eating a complimentary hotel breakfast. Chris looks mildly zombified, like he can’t believe he’s awake this early. Nevermind the fact he wakes up way earlier than this for school. Eddie is indulging in a very big breakfast - more than he’d normally go for, Buck thinks. He’s practically dumping sugar in his coffee. 

“You’re not going to sleep tonight,” Buck warns him. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Eddie shrugs. 

[awkwardtuatara]

Having the vaguely interesting and annoying urge to write bnha fanfic metafiction about Jeanist, Monoma, and Mic. Like with Monoma it's right there - his obsession with drama, forced to be the side character, "I'm pulling the strings!" etc. etc. but also Best Jeanist as the designated explainer, the guy with the inspiring speech that just so happens to tell you what the main theme of this fight/arc is; there's no room to tell us his own motivations, his backstory, because he has to tell us what the Heroes should believe and how Working Together is the important thing. And he's very aware of that. He has to know everything that's going on because he's holding together the narrative threads as well as the literal ones, he's the one who knows what the story's about but can't know how it ends. (Maybe he'd even get along with Monoma.) And finally Present Mic's announcer segments being the most common way we see him - who is he talking to? what show is he hosting but the one we're watching? Every scene he's in, he's tangentially connected to the main Plot going on, maybe he's even involved, but he's the witness. He can tell us who these new characters are but he will not meet them. He watches the disaster, he's in the disaster, but he can't change anything. For all three - somehow being aware of the roles they play separates them from the focus, impossible to really dive into, because they've become storytelling devices as well as people.

So they're always always putting on a performance, being flamboyant and confident and embodying whatever they're supposed to. Sure heroics is performative, but there's a certain incredibly deliberate thought and shaping that's gone into their facades. The denim theme and the Responsible One - actually everything about how Jeanist approaches heroics, that's an entirely separate topic, his entire character is just like that and it's fascinatingly frustrating because there's never anything about who he actually is; he is the denim costume and the top-ranked hero and the one who thinks about what's actually happening, there's no Hakamata Tsunagu without it, but that's besides the point. the obnoxious competitive kid. the happy-go-lucky, loud, fun one. and these are absolutely masks, because we've seen Present Mic let it go when he is trapped and pushed, in the moments when he does become part of the story, a real character - he is intense and desperate and it changes nothing. Hakamata needs his performance to be himself, to be a hero, to maintain control. Monoma... just look at him in s7. he's Important now and the euphoria is so intense his laughter is so close to sobbing, and this is what flips his perception, gives him the blissful illusion for a few episodes that he's the main character when he's still not. like bnha is almost certainly not making metafictional commentary in any form (except maybe s7 monoma), but I could make it.

[nalyra-dreaming]

As a big fan of Daniel I’ve mixed feelings about the finale. Absolutely it was fun to see Daniel serve c*nt, loved his glasses and leather jacket. Very fun - I also feel his very energetic vibe definitely affirms that journalism/writing/publishing books that have an impact is his drug (as a certain maker affirmed earlier). But, where is his story going to go now???

Like I feel SO cheated at not only not seeing him being turned, but not seeing him having to adjust at all or struggle/cope with being a vampire? Time skips freaking sucks. Like that is a big change, and I wouldn’t expect them to do it in as much detail as Louis (good TV writers wouldn’t repeat themselves like that, and it wouldn’t be good writing) but I expected something? Like I already was feeling a bit annoyed at how Daniel’s trauma in San Francisco basically just become all about Louis’ and Armand’s dynamic. I didn’t expect DM to happen there (and I loved the episode) but I thought the emotional fallout would be bigger. Like Daniel gets half-a-scene(!) of being upset and devastated, and then the writers very transparently just uses this to make Daniel aggressively suspicious of Armand and as a way to foreshadow the level of Armand’s deception. Like Daniel was obviously angry, but even that was basically only shown as it was useful. I hate when plot is done at the expense of character. Of course when plot and character go hand in hand that is the best, but this wasn’t it?! Like if Rollins meant that Daniel was one of the two who needed the second interview to happen it barely makes sense. There’s only closure in the most shallow sense that Daniel got to find out that he was traumatized and that this did have a negative impact on his life (by an event he couldn’t consciously remember but feel). I presume that is what Rollins meant? It feels really(!) underwritten. Nothing wrong with the idea, but again basically just stated in explanatory dialogue about his exes and kids. Happy to hear a better take on this if anyone has one though? I want to be convinced to be more positive! Of course Daniel isn’t the main character, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that he’s still treated as a three dimensional character.

I don’t know, I just feel upset now at the thought that Daniel’s mainly been turned at this point to become a vampire-chronicler for plot reasons… Like if DM had happened I would expect them to leave us a substantial hint. I’m freaking begging any higher power that Armand’s revulsion at creating a fledgling means something (and is not a red herring like the “you should fear the other one”). And that we’ll revisit it. But I just don’t have faith anymore… Praying that I’m wrong, but if Daniel spends the next season as only a narrative device I’m out (I don’t mind him being a narrative device if he also gets to be a character outside of that - to be clear). Waiting four years for any kind of plot to be resolved after it’s been introduced is too long frankly….(if they aren’t addressing this until season 4). So if we aren’t finding out about the turning or worse - there’s nothing more to it and we’ll get an independent DM plot which begins in pure spite then, I’m freaking sad!

I’m really sorry for the downer post, I just feel I needed to express some of my worries and frustration. Would love to hear what you think, as I’ve often found some comfort reading your blog <3 A more positive take is warmly welcomed! There’s a lot to like about this season, but I just feel a bit lost now… I just wish there was something substantial to hang on to (and the Alice stuff ain’t it)

He is not only turned to be the chronicler. Reread the interviews with Eric re Raglan James, too 😈

There will be a LOT going on. And I just shared the link to the ATx festival, where they also talked DM. Might be worth a watch?^^

It‘ll be alright. I would bet real money on it. They just do it their way.

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 42

hello and welcome to fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

The Wrath of Kzhan by Oh_Contrary

A mission goes terribly wrong when Lance and Pidge are betrayed by their would-be allies. Now Pidge is injured and it's up to Lance to get her to safety-- But can he do so in time to save her? And even if he does, who's going to save him?

pidge & lance fic? ft. bamf protective lance? focus on platonic/sibling love? i got u guys. hard angst with a lot of fear but heavy fluff and comfort at the end, and a very interesting and intentional plot!

2. Lion Heart by ErinWantsToWrite

Lance can't remember. He doesn't know where he is, why he's on this strange planet- yeah a planet that isn't earth- he's just fourteen! Why was he here? Where was his mom? His big sister? Why was this giant, mechanical, blue lion comforting him? Why were these people talking to him through a helmet, even if he couldn't answer? How does he get out of this suit-Who are those purple dudes outside of the lion?

i will always always ALWAYS have the softest of soft spots for de-aged lance. its gotta be one of the top three plot devices fr. oh? lance doesnt know how to be his true self around his team? and his team doesnt know how to understand him yet? here is an easy and fun to read solution 😊

3. Hide and Seek by @zipadeea

“We can’t say blue, I’m already blue. It would just get confusing.” “You go out of your way to make our lives confusing, Lance.” “Memes save lives, Keith. That’s all you need to know.” The story of how Voltron got its official Code Blue for medical emergencies. And the five times the paladins use it.

this fic is pretty evenly centered around all the team, but shiro lovers im calling u rn. the last scene with keith and lance and shiro actually made me want to curl up and sob in the best possible way i thought it about it for days after

4. Up the river by @zipadeea

Lance falls in a river on a strange planet, and gets stranded up the river with an even stranger kid. He's getting pretty tired of waiting for his friends to come rescue him, before realizing, maybe this time, he's going to have to figure out a way to save himself.

i need yall to undestand how batshit feral this fic made me. im always a little bit obsessed with religious imagery, thats just how things are, but this one just had it everywhere and so seamlessly?? in fact i think i actually went insane about this fic before in a separate post, i cant remember when, i just know that ive read this fic a stupid amount of times and i have specific lines memorised and i think about it all the time

5. Take It In, Feel It All and Hold It by @bleusarcellewrites

“Do you wanna try it out, Lance?” Lance blinks at him, eyes narrowed in confusion and making the adult to chuckle. “Dancing, son. Do you wanna dance with me?” “I dunno how, papa.” The five years-old bites his lower lip unsure, looking up at his dad nervously but the adult just smiles softly at his son and holds out both of his hands towards the child. “It’s okay, son,” he comforts gently, “Just take my hands, I got you.” [Small moments that made Lance realize how much he loves dancing with the people he loves]

okay i know a good chunk of you are new so im gonna give u a lil chunk of information, from a voltron elder (my old ass). bleusarcelle was at one point the reigning goddamn monarch of the klance fic world like well and truly. the most iconic and well loved domestic klance fics have ALL come from bleusarcelle i swear to god. and this fic? this particular one? this one is absolutely THEE most parent klance fic of all time. read this and have ur cheeks ache with your smile

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[breckstonevailskier]

Key takeaways:

Walton Goggins was kept in the dark regarding the twist that Barb Howard was going to advocate dropping the bombs in the name of furthering Vault-Tec's agenda.

“Frances Turner plays my wife and she is just an extraordinary actor. I so enjoyed their relationship as it was revealed to me over time. We didn’t get all the scripts at once. I think we got the first three or four. There were conversations about where that relationship was headed, but I didn’t see it going there. I had an idea that something nefarious was afoot, but I didn’t realize that my wife was going to be the one who architected the ending of the world.” Howard learned of the plot while spying on his wife through a listening device planted on her Pip Boy. Barb suggested dropping the nuke while meeting with Robert House, Frederick Sinclair, Bud Askins, Julia Masters and Leon Von Felden in a flashback shown in the Season 1 finale. “If you really listen to what she says and the conversation in that room, as diabolical and Machiavellian as it is, it does make sense on some level from their strange, demented, capitalistic point of view. Let’s just wipe out the competition. And it was so horrific to hear the woman that you love, that is the mother of your child, your keeper of secrets, speak about destruction and in terms of winning. I still am wrapping my head around it. I’ve seen it a few times just because I wanted to see what Frances was doing and what Ella [Purnell] was doing, what everybody was doing, but specifically that moment between the two of them.”

Moreover, he's interested in season 2 giving us more flashbacks to explicitly show what happened to Cooper Howard between that meeting and October 23, 2077. We already know for a fact that his acting career took a nosedive after divorcing Barb to the point he had to perform at kids' birthday parties for alimony reasons, and Vault-Tec got him branded as a "communist" in order to discredit him. But the finer details are a mystery.

“I love how complicated their relationship was. I’m so curious where that relationship picks up [in Season 2] and how you begin to talk about the elephant in the room and, subsequently, what that means for the world that we’re living in,” Goggins continued. “The first scene in episode one of Season 1 takes place after he hears that conversation. I have my version of how much earlier that conversation took place, but I’m curious what happens between that conversation and when Cooper is at the children’s birthday party. I want to know that story. I mean – I know what happened – but I would think the audience would want to know that story.”

He's also interested in exploring Cooper Howard's dynamic with Lee Moldaver (or "Kate Williams", as she called herself back then), suggesting that perhaps Cooper was involved in some of Moldaver's activism, of the kind that would eventually lead to the formation of the NCR.

Another relationship Goggins also enjoyed getting to explore in “Fallout” was the dynamic between Howard and Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), a scientist working on cold fusion before the nuclear apocalypse who pushes back against Howard’s ideology who later leads the raider attack that ends in the kidnapping of Hank MacLean. “I had such a great time telling that story with her. I liked the dynamic between two competing ideologies about the world and I like to be proven wrong,” he said of working with Choudhury. “Personally, I like to have my beliefs shook up from time to time. And that’s exactly what Moldaver does for Cooper Howard.” “I don’t know how that story is going to unfold, but I would imagine that the layers will be peeled, and you will understand the origins of that relationship,” he said of the two characters’ relationship. “That’s all I can say.”

On the subject of the Ghoul's interactions with Lucy, and what's in the future for these two characters going into season 2:

In addition to being on his own journey to find his family, The Ghoul became a major influence on the series’ protagonist, Lucy MacLean, pushing her from a naive Vault Dweller who has ventured to the surface to rescue her father and Vault 33 Overseer, Hank MacLean, to a hardened survivor. “In some ways, The Ghoul to Lucy is just the person who delivers her on the other side of the Rubicon, the person who just bursts her bubble,” Goggins said of the pair’s relationship. “The Ghoul is a person that takes no prisoners. He’s not there to teach her a lesson until he’s there to teach her a lesson. He didn’t see her as a human being until he saw her as a human being. So in some ways, she has brought the Ghoul back, redeemed him on a human level. And in some ways, he has radically and fundamentally changed her view of the world and the way that she moves through the world. So, in some ways, they’re helping each other to survive life the way that it exists. It’s a three-dimensional relationship, and I really don’t know where it’s going to go, but I have my own ideas about where I hope it goes.” The end of Season 1 sees Lucy MacLean teaming up with the Ghoul to go after her father, who escapes Griffith Observatory in Power Armor and is headed to New Vegas. Shortly before his escape, Lucy learned that Hank was responsible for the bombing of Shady Sands, which turned her mother Rose into a ghoul. “Lucy and The Ghoul are — I don’t know if they’re a team — but I think they’re beginning to understand each other and whenever anyone sets out to define the truth, it’s never going to be easy, is it?,” Goggins said. “It’s going to be difficult, but it’s going to be a lot of fun and it’s going to resonate with people. I certainly hope so.”

[lemonhemlock]

The thing I have also noticed about targies is that they not only refuse to engage with the historical precedents of a pseudo medieval world, but they admit that for them the magic is the main appeal for of HOTD/ASOIAF.....which is incredibly bizarre to me because Martin, whether intentionally or not, has thrown the more magical elements of the story to the wayside, in order to focus on the human socio-political drama in both ASOIAF and Fire and Blood. ASOIAF, in general, is very 'low fantasy' there is very little magic, the magic that is there is not thoroughly explained, and the Others, the big bad of the series, has been mentioned approximately three times over five books and 25 years. The magic is essentially a plot device and not even a device that Martin particularly likes to use lmaoo.

Anyway this hyper focus on magic and the inability to see what GRRM is doing with magic - it's not the solution it's the problem - is a big reason the fandom is so....off in their predictions. Like, the dragons are not saviors, there is no prophesied savior, etc.

This is why targies are always harping on how there is no way for Sansa to be QITN or even go back to Winterfell because she lost her 'MaGIcAL ConNeCTioN' when Lady was offed - as if I'm supposed to give a fuck about direwolves or what the fuck 'warging' is lmaooo when there are vastly more interesting human dramas and political plots playing out in the series.

Conversely, this is why King Bran as Martin's endgame is so stupid imo lmao. He's giving a magical solution for a political human drama that he's been setting up for five books and has not done enough to build up the importance of magic in the series. Like, I'm sorry but a seven year old all seeing Tree Wizard Warlock as King of the 7K is an absolutely hilarious endgame and makes all the philosophical discussions about good rulers and leadership a joke.

Bullseye. 🎯

The only caveat I have is that, while I agree with your assertion that ASOIAF is low-fantasy, the magical element does slowly gain in importance and it's fair to say that the characters who ignore the magical threats (the Others, dragons) are categorically in the wrong and will end up paying for it. But it is very, very likely that the end of the series will see Westeros returning to a normal climate and the disappearance of magic once and for all. The man himself is on record saying magic can be a hindrance and part of the problem!

This is my personal theory as to why he is taking so much time to publish The Winds of Winter, not just because he wrote himself into a corner with the Meereenese knot, making it very difficult to get Dany to Westeros in one book. But it's also that the King Bran ending doesn't make any sense. Perhaps that was indeed his original planned ending, perhaps that was indeed what he told D&D all those years ago, but as he likes to consider himself a gardener-type of writer, the garden he tended started to grow beyond his control and now having a CCTV Tree in charge of Westeros at the end of the series directly contradicts the themes he developed for nearly 30 years.

No hate to Bran, who is an OK kid, but everyone else in the series who's become entangled with the magic to that extent has paid dearly for it. We have Beric Dondarrion on page telling us exactly how it takes its toll and he feels himself becoming less human. Bran also commits several other transgressions that would normally have other characters cursed or punished via deus-ex-machina like warging into Hodor and eating jojenpaste (the last is theoretically unconfirmed, but come on).

At the end of the day, he is an immature child who's being used as a pawn by Bloodraven, with little formal training in the ways of being a lord (the bare minimum), no practical experience with leadership, no social skills and no charisma. These are all consequences imposed on him given his status as a fugitive and not his fault by any means or reflective of a lack of inclination, but they are practical realities nonetheless. GRRM has spent so many pages already criticising poor leadership skills and has always punished bad, immoral, incompetent OR naive people in positions of power - how is he going to make an exception out of Bran without negating literally every other POV he's chosen to write? This is a serious problem in the construction of the story.

He's also already been caught with his pants down by the show and saw for himself how nearly everyone either hated or mocked the King Bran endgame. I'm really very curious what was his opinion on that and whether it made him reflect in any way. D&D did indeed make a hodgepodge of the final season, but it's still got to sting to see how the majority of viewers thought it was a completely random choice and a joke ending.

[theminecraftbee]

Hbhpplblblpb SPEAKING OF when three fought martyn!!! This is less a question and more a gush of praise but!!! Chapter 13!!!! The way we could follow what was happening when three only saw enemies was!!! So good!!! Pearl always the one with the bow and three counting her as incapacitated and so good enough but all the watchers needed full killing asap and three taking Martyn down NON LETHALLY in the way Martyn SAID IT WOULD NEED TO and it being the SAME EXACT MOVE because three counting it as knowledge it would need for future missions actually WORKED and ahhhhhhhh as a lover of winter soldier fics chapter 13 has a special place in my heart and you wrote it SO COOL AND SO WELL and if you have anything you'd like to share about it and its creation id love to hear it but mostly I am just a kid at storytime who always asks if we can read chapter 13 again today because I just LOVE IT

i mean my main thoughts on how i did chapter 13 are like. okay plot-wise i knew what i wanted to have happen there - three faces the watchers, the watchers re-activate three as a weapon, due to circumstances three manages to fight back enough that it informs martyn and jimmy they need to take off its mask, the mask is removed, three is revealed to have once been grian, three shuts down.

however, WRITING-wise, that chapter was just... hard?

it was difficult to make the action easy to follow in the section where three is in weapon mode because three couldn't use any names, which makes it harder to make clear what's happening. additionally, three is like, canonically a weapon of mass destruction, so the stakes could never in any way be "three is at threat of being defeated in the fight", i needed to make clear the stakes were "three loses itself or doesn't get stopped before killing someone". and this was while balancing that i wanted this to be in contrast to even when three was first woken up by martyn - when that happened, note that three ALREADY had a distinct personality! three left to its own devices, even at the start of the story, isn't the nameless "the weapon", it's its own person with its own realized inner world, for all it doesn't know how to express that! but in this specific moment, all of that was overridden, and i needed the prose to express that crystal clearly.

so basically. uh. what happened is i re-wrote things a lot. and counted up how many people three had fought like four times. and ESPECIALLY the first few paragraphs of the fight sections i had to try more than once to get into a tone i wanted. and i think it turned out the way i wanted it to! i'm glad it did! but oh boy that one wasn't that easy to write,

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @vsnotresponding

Who You Are:

V || They/she

Born and raised in a town in Catalonia, Spain. I always had an interest for stories and storytelling, and art in general, as well as math. I wrote my first book at 17 as my project to graduate high school. I'm currently majoring in math, translating said book, and plotting another one.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Tragedy. Young and New Adult

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

fantasy, mainly because i love worldbuilding and i often focus on religions or magic systems

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

i don't think i could ever write a purely romance book. my aroaceness makes it very hard for me to write romance in general.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

i'm not really sure. i write mostly for me. probably just soft fantasy readers? i think people that enjoy worldbuilding and lore might enjoy my stories too. i think anyone could get something out of my books. the setting is just an excuse to write about other things at the end of the day

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

grief and circular time appeal the most to me, also main characters struggling with mental health, feeling displaced and out of place. as for tropes, found family and people who dislike each other forced to work together. i don't know why grief comes up that much in my stories. i am obsessed with thinking about circular time, tho. and the mental health issues of my main characters is mostly projecting. as for the tropes, it's all about finding your people whom you feel like yourself with.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

i can deal with pretty much any trope as long as it's entertaining. certain styles of writing is what ultimately turn me off when reading.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

i'm currently translating and posting púlsar, i book i wrote when i was 17. i've been translating for three months, and posting for one. i'm also working on untitled project (that's the actual name for the wip), figuring out plot details and that kinda things. i've been doing that since 2019, when UP was born

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

i write because i am my own target audience, and because i want to tell my ocs' stories. that's what keeps me going too. i can't just be rid of them, they live rent free in my brain

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

since forever, i guess. i remember writing stories as a kid. i was also an avid reader, and a lonely only child that was left alone to their own devices too often, so i found ways to entertain myself

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

from my daily life, i guess. púlsar doesn't have that many sources of inspiration that i'm aware of, but UP has lots of influences from my philosophy classes from back in high school. in general, music helps a lot with how i approach my writing.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

some short stories i wrote in high school. they are all writing assignments, but i went so hard on them they are still one of the bests things i've ever written. also my answer to a question in my philosophy final, which i later turned into a short story. circular time, man, i told you

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

i haven't, but i'd like to. i just want to share my worlds and characters with other people

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you?

the sharing, but i also think it's very stressful

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

putting it all together. i love finding out how i've unintentionally set up scenes i hadn't even thought about, or how unimportant details turn vital when i add a new scene

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

oh boy. my writing process is a mess. it's mostly non linear, and i sit with my stories for a long long time before ever starting to write. i also pull from my drawings. sometimes i'll randomly draw one oc doing something completely arbitrary, and then see that it actually fits with the plot so why not add it. generally, i have a very rough direction of where i want to go, 2 or 3 key scenes i know for sure have to happen, then i put the characters in A Situation and let them take the reins from there. because i've sit with them for so long before actually writing, i'm confident enough in my knowledge of them so i never doubt where they are going, they just go. usually i plan ahead for two or three chapters, mostly a bullet point summary or an explanation of events for UP it's been way more complicated because of the nature of the story and its non linearity

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

i joined four months ago. i just wanted to share my work with other like minded people, and i'm honestly glad i did. i've met so many wonderful people in such a short amount of time, and the community is wonderful

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

i recently started following @mjjune. i simply fell in love with their now betaing twtr and their general vibes @moondust-bard has also created a bunch of writblr initiatives like a tag game list, and other ongoing projects and i have to mention @my-cursed-prince. she asked me a lot of questions about circular time, and then i checked out her wips and adopted her ocs on the spot

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

tag/asks games, and in general the community. i like sharing, sure, but it's also nice to be able to talk about worlbuilding and lore and how annoying ocs sometimes are with people that get it

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

huh, i'm not sure. more interaction with actual written stuff would be great, but everyone's busy with their lives outside of here so we can't ask of everyone to read everything that comes across their dashboards every day. it'd be great to have an easy to access place to check old and new writing without having to go to an individual blog every time, but that's also a time consuming project to manage

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

if i see someone asking for asks i always send one. i also try to be encouraging of others as much as i can. i do think i could be doing much more. for starters, i'd like to engage more with written content from other writblrs more, but i can't due to time constraints

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

anything that strikes my fancy. i enjoy posts about the writing process struggles people have, or little thoughts they have as they write or plot

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

i love rambling when someone asks me a question. and also posting púlsar

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

i have a half abandoned instagram art account with the same handle (vsnotresponding), and my main tumblr blog @iwrotemyowndeliverancesblog (i talk about maths and complain about life)

[hippogriffs-and-alicorns]

I think about the excessive g5 hate from adults sometimes and its like....

Listen, I understand the anger. You watched g4 and it was part of you and now it's moved on and you're slightly upset, but something I feel like the g4-stanning fans forget is that....they're not the show's target anymore. When mlp g4 started out, it was for little kids. It was still for little kids when it ended. Nothing is wrong with liking a kids show, but when you start throwing fits and swearing over new designs and demanding they change it when you are not longer the target audience....idk, I just don't understand I suppose. I grew up on g4 and ADORED it, and I like g5 just as much. Ofc I'm not saying people can't dislike g5, I'm just saying it's hard to wrap my head around why people hate it so much. Because you can be in the fanbase of a kids show, but it's not for you, it's for the little kids who will buy the toys and beg their parents to get the services to watch the show. It's for the new generation, heck, the movie was CALLED "A New Generation". I get the frustration, but the fact of the matter is that you've grown up and the show is no longer for you. You can't demand Hasbro to change the plot or designs of g5 just because you don't like it, because you're not their target audience anymore. The younger kids of today are. The most common issue I see is people complaining about Sunny becoming an alicorn "too quickly". The thing is: Sunny became an alicorn because she literally put an end to hatred between the three pony kinds, she made ACTUAL HISTORY, she changed her world forever, and I feel like restoring the peace Twilight once upheld was pretty deserving of alicornhood? Sunny didn't make the races hate each other, that happened long before she was born, she saved her kind and restored magic to ponies everywhere...I feel like that's a pretty deserving thing to become alicorn over. If she went through the exact same long and drawn-out arc Twilight did, it would get boring because we've done this before. We've been here before. G5 put a new spin on the show that honestly was really cool to see. If it went with Twilight's same story people would just hate it for copying g4. I just feel like maybe...agree to disagree? Dislike g5 but stop putting intense and malicious hate in the main tag, stop commenting on posts/tiktoks/whatever talking about how you miss g4 and how stupid you think g5 is...Twilight's entire mission was peace and friendship, she wouldn't hate Sunny for restoring that peace. She was the princess of friendship. I don't get why people think she'd want to kill Sunny for restoring her legacy... In short: Let people enjoy things and try to be at least somewhat polite about it, it's not worth getting red hot heated over the pony cartoon, just leave everyone to their own devices. Shake hands over liking the separate versions (or both!) and call it a day.

*(PLEASE don't fight or argue or come after me in the comments or reblogs, I'm not trying to start discourse, I'm just calmly stating my opinion and expressing my confusion. Once again, I have no issue if people dislike g5. I just don't understand the full-blown all-caps anger coming from adults over this children's media and am expressing those feelings.)

[soupandsorcery]

So, I finished it

and god, I feel hollowed out. I am emotionally exhausted. I cried so much that my fiance had to come down the hall to find out what why I was sniffling so much.

I just. Ooof.

Rune is so fucking strong. Not just in terms of power, but mentally. Emotionally. He survived something horrible. Something that fucked him up so bad, and he's still fighting those ghosts all the time. But he never lets it make him cruel to those who don't deserve it. It's sharpened him, but he still has so much softness. So much capacity for love and care. He's not going to take down every fucker who did that shit to him by stooping to their level, he's going to do it by being so much better than them. And he's not doing it alone.

I am so glad Addam knows everything now. I was not going to enjoy them having a relationship built on secrets. Even the ones Rune thought he had to keep. Addam knows the worst thing--the worst thing--and he stays and he cares and he wants to be there.

ALSO HAHAHAH WHAT'S UP WITH THE BOND GUYS???? IS THIS A THREE WAY TALLA SITUATION BECAUSE HI, HELLO, I AM HERE FOR IT?

Also fuck when the Tower grabbed Mayan to break the mindfuckery and was just like "Mine"?????????? HELLO????? I'm too sapphic to really be into the Tower, but uh. Whew.

But also god. Fuck. I knew the Tower wasn't going to make it out of this, but I am just gutted.

I have a few critiques, but that is how I roll when I read anything:

I really, really wish Rune and Brand had more conversations about their feelings. I get why they don't, but it feels a little like glossing over these huge issues sometimes. Rune and Addam were gone for 2 days, and Brand was in tears, and then it was just back to business. I think sometimes the character development suffers from the sheer amount of plot happening in these books, but they're still very, very good.

I rolled my eyes a little when Corbie manifested powers. Like, I get it. The Dawncreeks are a powerful family, and most scions have some power, but it's a little contrived that all these kids are mega powerful. Unless there's just something about that Sun blood that really juices kids up, I don't know.

Addam sometimes feels a little bit passive. I love the moments when he stands up to Brand and Rune and does his own thing, and I want more of those. I want him to stand on his own and not just be the thing Rune needs.

On a larger scale, I usually do not like to read books where sexual assault is the main 'origin story'. I think it's a tired plot device, and a lot of writers fall back on it as a quick way to add intensity to the narrative. This book felt a little bit edging into the misery porn territory for me, but it wasn't too egregious, I don't think. I trust the author to guide the readers and the characters through this in a way that feels satisfying and not like we're just milking Rune's trauma for the shock value of it all.

Over all, I loved it. I love this series. I am hooked and I will be there when the 4th book comes out, ready to devour it the way I devoured the first 3.

Now comes the fic.