#this isn’t even me discussing their relationships with their maybe daughter and which one is the Sam equivalent

[norman-fucking-reedus]

More GirlDaddy Daryl cause the love I have for him is actually not funny

I thought of a name a longgg time ago for his daughter that I think is super cute, It was gonna be Darylina but then I thought how Daryl would hate that THEN I thought how DARYL would make CAROL the grandma so obviously Carolina is the perfect name

She’d be called Lina for short, Carol as a joke and Carolina when shes in buttfuck trouble (which teenege Lina gets into a lot of but shes her mothers child)

I feel like she’d be a total badass, a good balance between Daryl badass and Y/n badass. She’s a hardcore daddys girl so by age ten she was already mastering the Dixon way of hunting.

“Ya got light steps naturally, let’s keep em tha’ way kiddo”

“Okay daddy!”

Lina would be more like Daryl as a kid, and I feel like Daryl was a rowdy kid.

She practically bounces off the walls from the assigned hours of too early in the morning to too late in the evening. Getting jumped on before he gets out of bed wasn’t exactly on Daryl’s bucket list (but he wouldn’t have it any other way)

Yes, she constantly climbs onto her father like a cat. No, there’s nothing he can do to get her squealing giggling frame off him. His only option is to accept his fate and play 21 questions directly over his shoulder.

“Lina! M’working, get offa me”

“Wha’cha workin’ on?”

“Stuff”

“Wha kinda stuff?”

“Adult stuff”

“Wha kinda adult stuff?”

Daryl uses her whenever he works on his bike, and his massive fingers can’t fit to reach something. She feels very important when her tiny fingers reach it, and she lets Daryl know how very useless he is.

“Daddy yer not gonna be able to fight if ya can’t fit yer fingers in stuff”

“Really? Damn. Good thing yer gonna protect me”

“No daddy, yer have to protect yerself because m’gon go protect mommy”

“Tha’s good idea, mommy can’t protect herself”

“But mommy can fit her fingers in stuff”

“Then why ya protectin’ her ‘nd not me?”

“Because I like mommy”

“I like mommy more”

Oh maybe I should mention they bicker over EVERYTHING. And guess who has to be the tiebreaker?

“Babe! Tell this rat tha peanut butter is indefinitely better than tha jelly!”

“Daryl she doesn’t even know either of those are and everyone knows jelly over butter”

“See mommy is always right!”

“Are ya cheatin’ one me??”

There’s a very strong love-hate relationship between him and teenage Lina, especially when hormones start to change and tempers flare.

Once again, Lina is a mini Daryl and Y/n, so when she shoots back during arguments, she’s aiming for the head.

“For tha last time, no. Too dangerous and m’not gon be able ta keep an eye on ya. End of discussion, quit pushin it”

“M’not a fucking kid anymore. I didn’t want ya keepin’ a damn eye on me in tha first place?!”

“Gettin real ballsy there little girl, I said wha’ I said”

“Ballsy? Little? Clearly I got more balls than ya since yer too fuckin’ scared to take me”

“Carolina. Wherever this is comin’ from, cut it the fuck out.”

“I’m gonna cut you the fuck out.”

“Scuse me?“

“Good luck on the battlefield when ya can’t even fuckin’ hear”

After every hard slam of her door, Daryl is left to stand in the deafening silence feeling like an utter failure.

Obviously, he gives her the time to decompress before going to apologize, this time with his crossbow in hand.

The door creaks slightly open before all the way, however there’s no little girl that comes running out into his arms. She stands tall in front of him, mirroring his expression of anxious discomfort.

“Ya stay close, no matter what. Understand?”

“Okay”

Daryl hands her the crossbow.

“Look- I know yer not a kid, but yer still my kid. Yer gon always be m’little girl an yer growin’ up scares tha livin’ shit out of me”

“Ya’ve killed people.. isn’t tha’ scary?”

“Wha’s scary tha’ if I didn’t kill ‘em they might’ve killed ya”

Lina hugs him tearfully.

“M’sorry fer arguin’ with ya”

“Nah, m’sorry fer not givin’ ya a chance”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★

(Daryl’s inner child definitely gets healed each time after apologizing and talking it out. He breathes so much better and just feels so much better AUGH my baby)

[antimony-medusa]

hi saw your daddy kink post discussing the phenomenon of giving grown characters surrogate parental relationships, and I understand where you’re coming from, but i really feel like it’s just a matter of the circles you run in, and the assumptions that you might make because of that. you mention how platonic reads of these dynamics are more uncommon than kinky reads, which i just don’t think is the case, and I think that arguing that people don’t even realize that they’re writing a kink is a little bit bizarre, and sort of assumes that you know more abt them than they do by projecting your own experiences onto them.

it isn’t inherently sexual to crave protection or a parental relationship that you may have missed out on, and it is certainly not universal. in my own family, my “grandpa” isnt my biological grandfather (nor do I really consider him to be my grandfather), but he’s my mother’s surrogate father and has been since she was in her twenties. an adult. he sees her as a daughter. she sees him as a father. there’s absolutely nothing kinky about it. and anybody who automatically assumes that must have their mind deep, deep in the gutter and/or the stranger side of the Internet. really, i find it a bit of a strange argument to randomly post in the first place—as if it’s a problem that so many people enjoy non romantic and non sexual relationships, and that these people must, in fact, have a daddy kink that they are unaware of.

that said, i do absolutely agree that fans bringing any part of that into phil’s chat is weird and they should Not do that, and that infantilizing characters is also very weird, and personally i dont even see him as being father figure to anybody on that island except his eggs, wilbur, and MAYBE an argument could be made for tubbo (which other cc’s on the island have joked about), but to each their own and all that.

sorry this is so long. TLDR, i get where ur coming from in terms of “warning , some people might read your stuff differently than you want here” but really not everything is a kink and paternal dynamics can easily happen in regards to adult characters, particularly young adults, without there being any inappropriate connotations. i know nothing i said will change your mind, obviously it’s set, but ykno diff perspectives and all that. hope ur doing well

Thank you for the ask! I see you were on mobile, I believe. :D I am also going to push the character limit with this response, I fear.

I agree that it isn't inhernetly sexual to go after a parental relationship that you missed out on, and there are many such cases. I'll even go so far as to say that it's not inherently kinky to go after a parental relationship that you missed out on, because there is such a thing as non-sexual kink, and heaven knows that MCYT writing is full of non-sexual kink. Lots and lots of stuff that is platonic that is kinking on fear, or being drugged, or kidnapping, or hypnosis, or familial relationships, etc— there's lots of people who aren't doing that. There are tons of people out in the real world (and in fiction), who are simply just expanding their family as an adult, and that's awesome. When I was in college there was this older couple who kind of adopted me and invited me over for thursday dinner, and they were awesome. There was nothing untoward going on there.

But look. I am an emduo fan who likes to see my guys be murdery, and because of that, I've ended up reading a bunch of Dark SBI. I've ocassionally gone "this cannot be what everyone is doing" and I've read stuff tagged as "family fluff" that I find recommended. I am aware of where the genre is going, particularly with the rise of "dadbur" and "dadnoblade" interpretations.

And look, you have just got to trust me on this one. People are writing stuff that in any other fandom I would be recommending they put kink tags on the work so that people who liked that trope could find it and people who didn't like it would avoid it, but that comment in DSMP would just lead to people getting doxxed, so I just grit my teeth and go "i guess that's baked into Dark SBI or Tooth Rotting Fluff now, I sure hope that doesn't hit anybody's triggers".

Like I PROMISE you. The first draft of this response included excerpts of fics that I've read and I was like "can YOU pick the ship fic from the /p fics here"? But I have a horror of ever leading to someone getting cancelled on twitter, so nothing that could possibly be identifiable of these writers. But like—

Some of the ways that Tommy gets treated in the narrative are almost indistinguishable from a bodice-ripper romance. Some of the tropes being used— within DSMP we've all clasped hands and agreed to interpret it being platonic, but in any other fandom, you are going to start getting comments that you might not want to get. The tag is FULL of stuff that is DD/LB in everything but name. Maybe my mind is in the gutter here, but if you move out of this fandom, you are going to move into circles where a lot of people's minds are in the gutter, and you are going to get a very different response from your comments!

And I was talking about daddy kink here specifically, because I see that one come up a lot and it's gotten egregious lately, but this also applies to dehumanization, and fearplay, and predator/prey, and "instincts" (in every other fandom that's gonna get people in a mashup of A/B/O, Hypnosis, and sometimes Agere responding to it), and kidnapping/drugging, AND the way a bunch of "piglin instincts" stuff is just a BDSM au now where the Brute (dom) needs to be callmed down by their Runt (sub). The SBI tag is super kinky right now. And I don't have a problem with that idealogically, write your truth, but a) please don't bring that up in front of the streamers, b) if you move to another fandom you have got to be prepared that not everyone is doing their kink platonically.

Like I'm assuming that people don't know what tropes they're playing into, they're just building them from first principles, because the other alternative is that they are deliberately and knowingly writing kink and posting it in the & relationship tag with insufficient trigger tags, and I prefer to believe that people don't know.

I'm glad we agree about people bringing that into Phi's chat, or Pol's, or Luzu, or any of the other streamers that people have decided is So Old. A lot of people aren't comfortable even being assigned dad, as we saw with Felps, so bringing it even further is just— uh oh, no.

I do not have a problem with people liking non-romantic and non-sexual relationships. I find it a bit odd that much of the fandom can't concieve of a non-romantic and non-sexual relationship without making it familial and specifically lately father-son— don't you have close friends?— but I am fully in support of gen writing. I primarily write gen! I'm an avid commentor on gen fics!

But some of the tropes at play in the fandom are kinky, there is no way to avoid that. The fact that they are set in a familial relationship doesn't negate that. Some of the ways that the DSMP characters get treated would be distinctly non-familial if you ever brought it out of that context. And I am just warning people, if you bring it out of that context, be prepared for the response you get.

You cannot take DSMP tropes and apply them one-to-one in other fandoms, with other streamers swapped in, and expect them to be read the same way. Like i'm sorry, but that's just true. If you are posting the same sort of stuff that for Cellbit & Phil that you would post for Tommy & Phil, people will assume that you have a daddy kink, because usually when a relationship between a adults that are actually similar in age is refered to with paternal language it's a kink thing. That is how the broader internet works. (And anon, if I had a daddy kink, would I be complaining about the fact that I can open any SBI fic and have about a 40% chance of hitting it and I'm seeing signs of this appearing in QSMP? I assure you I'm not "projecting [my] own experiences onto them" here.)

[ashwhowrites]

Heyy can you plss do an eddie fic with prompt #38 where after reader has a baby eddie becomes more and more distant like no alone time nothing but reader wants it to work out but he isn’t putting in the effort. Maybe it can be because he found someone else or he just isn’t attracted to her anymore or can be because of the band.

- the original request glitched and posted when I didn't write anything for it yet, so I hope whoever requested this finds it!

⚠️this is going to hurt...maybe a lot (as in I totally cried writing this and that hasn't ever happened) I saw an angst prompt and pulled this out of my ass in a day and I love it

Eddie's backstory is all made up

Talks of abuse

To have and to lose

“The worst part was that I saw it coming, I knew you’d hurt me, hurt us, but I still kept you around.”

~~

At the age of 13

Y/N watched her parents fall out of love. She saw the two most important people in her life slowly drift away from each other.

At first her parents were so in love, like the princess and prince in fairy tales. They were always a happy family. Sitting at the kitchen table every night and talking about their day. She watched her parents kiss good morning and goodnight. She saw a relationship in her parents that she dreamed of having. She wanted to fall in love just like that.

But suddenly, their late night kitchen talks turned into screaming and smashing plates. Pillow talk turned into discussing which days they got to see their daughter. The hands they used to hold each other with are caught red handed in adultery.

Y/N watched her parents go from being in love to strangers. She watched it all fall apart.

At the age of 14

her dad moved on, moving in with a new family. Her mom turned to alcohol for comfort, leaving Y/N to learn what it's like to be forgotten at such a young age.

She didn't want a relationship like that ever. She wanted to fall in love and stay in love.

~~

At the age of 10

Eddie watched as his dad beat his mom for the first time. He screamed his lungs out, asking him to stop. He can hear his mom's cries get quieter as she was closer to passing out. Eddie felt like his screams were underwater, how could no one hear him?

He watched the blood pour out of her nose. Hearing the front door slam as his dad ran out.

Eddie prayed that night and every night that his dad would stop coming home, but he always came back.

At the age of 12

Eddie got his first black eye. His dad punched him right across the face for not answering him fast enough. That was the first time his dad laid a hand on him, and it wasn't his last.

At the age of 13

Eddie cried as his mom walked out the front door. Bags packed and no intention on bringing him with. He screamed for her, begging for her to take him with. Save him too, but she didn't. She left him. She left her son with a monster.

~~

At the age of 16

They met each other.

Eddie ran straight into her when he was running to class, muttering under his breath about being late on his first day.

Y/N was smacked to the floor by a heavy body colliding with hers. Hearing the guy talk under his breath.

Eddie was quick to apologize, saying sorry over and over as he helped the girl up. Once she stood tall again with a small smile, his heart did a spin. She was beautiful.

Y/N told him it was okay, accidents happen. When she fully took him in she felt speechless. His wild hair and caring eyes. He was tall, lean, and skinny. But he looked so inviting. He looked as if he would be soft to the touch.

Eddie spent that whole day thinking about her.

Y/N spent that whole day thinking about him.

She almost felt like her eyes moved on their own. Her body knew when his presence was around before she even saw him. She could be miles away in her head, but the second he walked in her eyes would snap to him. She was captivated by him and she had no idea who he was.

"Eddie Munson, late again I see. Take a seat."

She watched as his wild hair passed through the doorway, breathing heavy as he panted over. He nodded to the teacher and eyes scanned for an open seat.

Y/N smiled to herself when she felt the open space next to her, with a small smile she nodded her head.

Eddie's eyes caught hers, not by accident. He was dying to find out if he had a class with her. Trying to find her in the halls just to see if she'd walk into the door he planned to enter.

He smiled gratefully as he sat next to her. Hand sticking out, "the name is Eddie Munson."

And that's when their love story began.

Slowly blossoming throughout the year of highschool.

Eddie never realized he could love the first day of school.

~~

Their crushes grew on each other fast and hard. She was smitten by the boy who had an artistic talent in drawing and music. She was captivated by everything he said because he talked so passionately and his eyes told every detail in a story she needed to know. She admired how creative he was and demanded he taught her more about hellfire.

For once Y/N felt like she made a true friend.

Eddie wasn't used to someone wanting to be around him. Especially a girl, and a girl who was way out of his league. Her hair was always shiny and silky. He could imagine running his fingers through it all day long. She was intelligent, always knew the answer to every question. Definitely sneaking over a few answers to him during a test. She was a great listener. He could tell she was really listening to him, her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He felt butterflies flying around when she smiled or laughed at something he said.

For once Eddie felt like he made a true friend.

~~

At the age of 17

Y/N felt like she might be falling for him. She thought of him every single day and every moment. Photos of them framed on her walls. Countless sketches Eddie left in her room. A year of friendship and she never felt alone anymore.

She learned Eddie came from a broken home and had many wounds that still bled.

Eddie learned she was the same. A bit broken with pieces he may never find to put back together.

But either way, they healed each other even if they didn't know it

~~

Eddie remembers the day he was a goner for her.

Jason was shoving him against the lockers, hand to his throat and knee in his gut.

Eddie loved to seem tough, but inside he was still the little boy his father used to beat until he was bruised. Eddie hated that no matter where he went in life a version of his dad found him.

Eddie remembered feeling his body hit the floor and a huge blow came from his right side, it took Eddie back to when he got his first black eye.

Tears escaped as he tried to hide his face in his hair. Even at 17 he couldn't fight back.

Then she showed up, and she put up a hell of a fight.

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF HIM!" he remembers seeing her little legs run towards him, shoving Jason aside with as much strength as she could.

The look in her eyes was so soft and gentle. For once Eddie felt like he was safe, cowardly moving himself closer in her arms. She quickly wrapped herself around him, shoving his face in her chest. Allowing him a place to cry silently where no one could see. A hand in his hair.

"do you know who that is? That's the freak Y/N, you don't want to get messed up with that."

"Fuck off. If Eddie is a freak, then freaks are my favorite kind of people." She spat.

Jason rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Eddie baby. Are you okay?"

Yeah Eddie was definitely in love.

~~

Y/N knew she was in love with Eddie when he asked her to the snowball.

She sat at lunch with hellfire, staring at the posters that covered the cafeteria.

"SNOWBALL DANCE FRIDAY NIGHT!"

Y/N wouldn't change her friendship with Eddie for anything, but being friends with him meant no one was interested in her. Not that she cared, she had her eyes set on him and she knew they'd never wander off.

She remembers her face blushing as she shoved herself further down her seat as all the boys talked about how stupid the dance was.

Jeff complaining about the need to wear a tux just to stand in the gym. The amount of money spent on one night.

Gareth talking about how it was stupid girls actually wanted to go to that stuff. Waste their time to get pretty and go nowhere but the school.

But Eddie never said a word.

She tried to give him a glance but his expression didn't read much. He almost looked like he wasn't listening at all, and maybe he wasn't.

~~

She was proved wrong.

Two nights before the dance she was reading a book in her bedroom, a lamp rested on her bedside otherwise the room was dark.

She heard knocking at her door and quickly looked out her window. She saw his van before him. She raced down the stairs.

He stood there in a black beanie, red and black flannel covering his arms and black jeans.

"Eddie Munson how many times do I need to tell you to wear a real winter jacket."

He rolled his eyes with a smile. Already expecting that.

He grabbed her hand and dragged her further out on the porch.

"I'm not romantic in any type of way and this was the lamest thing I could come up with, so let's act like it's the best thing I've ever done." He said.

She looked at him confused. She watched as he grabbed snow and began to roll it into a ball in the palm of his hand.

Once he was satisfied with the shape he set it near her foot. Running to his car for a poster sign.

He walked back up to her and grabbed the snow.

"Will you go to ___ with me?"

He held the snow proudly in front of the blank spot on the poster board.

His smile slowly fell as she stared at him, mouth covered by her hands

"do you get it? It's like a snow ball, like the dance?"

She nodded, trying to compose herself to speak.

"Yes Eddie I would love to go to the dance with you. And this is a very Eddie Munson fashion proposal." She laughed.

Looking into his eyes that night as he screamed about how cold the damn snow was in his hand, she knew she loved him.

After the dance, they finally became official. Both nervous and talking at the same time.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

Together they found a safe place to let their guards down. Each healing each other's wounds with soft touches and meaningful kisses.

~~

At the age of 18

They were still going strong.

More in love than ever. They celebrated their one year at their new favorite spot in the woods.

Wayne loved Y/N as his own. Tearful eyes watching them as they got lost in each other.

Wayne always worried about Eddie. He knew his heart was too gentle for some people. But he could see that Y/N cared for Eddie deeply. In the way she smiled at him. The way she'd smack him for smoking. When she'd force him to eat dinner and not just snacks.

Wayne finally felt like he didn't have to worry about Eddie anymore.

Eddie found a safe place to call home.

~~

At the age of 19

The couple graduated, now thrown into life with no idea what's next.

Eddie was ready to tour the world.

Y/N's mother died from alcohol poisoning and she hasn't seen her dad since he left. Eddie was all she had so she followed him straight into the spotlight.

Wherever Eddie was going to go, she was following behind.

Eddie's band slowly made their way up the charts. Getting popular and noticed. He felt like all of his suffering led him to this.

Singing every night with the guys he called brothers.

Running off stage to kiss the girl of his dreams.

Eddie deserved this.

They deserved this.

~~

Y/N doesn't remember what state they were in, lost in the days spent on the road. But she remembered the way she felt.

She was laying in Eddie's arms as they stared at the stars. In a random parking lot in the middle of nowhere. A blanket from the tour bus underneath them.

"hey baby." She whispered as she looked up at him.

His dark eyes looked down at her, she smiled at the love and softness that was held in there.

"yes gorgeous?" He asked

"Do you think we'll always be in love?" It was a loaded question, one that they both couldn't give a sure answer too. But without a second of hesitation he said-

"Without a doubt in my mind. I'm going to love you forever, I promise."

~~

At the age of 22

They settled down. Giving up tour life for a small break.

They got a small apartment in California, wanting Eddie to be where the stars are.

They filled the walls with pictures of them. A map that was marked by every city Eddie performed in. A cabinet filled with Wayne's old mugs for when he wanted to visit, or the days Eddie missed him a bit more.

A bulldog that they barely had any idea to take care of but Y/N refused to leave the store without him.

~~

On Christmas Eve, Eddie decorated the living room with fake snow. Their dog, Ozzy, was dressed in a Santa hat. The Christmas tree lit up and the crappy ornaments they made together decorated all around.

"Eddie what is with all the snow?" She giggled

"It's California, I had to do my best so shush." He said.

He always had a thing for leaving her confused. She watched him silently as he got down on a knee.

Her eyes growing, he wasn't, was he?

Eddie grabbed what looked like a snow ball.

He grabbed it in his hands, holding the fake snow softly.

"When I met you, I didn't think I deserved to be here. I grew up with barely a family, just Wayne. But I felt like a burden to Wayne. Like he was forced to take me in. Making his life harder and stressful. I barely knew if he ever loved me, which I do know now that he does. My point is, I didn't know I could even be loved by anyone until I met you. Until I literally whisked you off of your feet. You have made me want to live every single day of my life. I've got to love you as a friend. Then as a boyfriend. And now I want to love you as a future husband. Will you marry me?"

He smashed the fake snow, dusting off the particles and there laid a ring.

She was already crying from his words but she cried harder seeing the pure love in his eyes. His own watering slightly.

She couldn't speak so she nodded and threw her body into his. Knocking him straight to the floor.

Laughing as they tumbled, Ozzy ran to their rescue.

"Take that as a big yes?" Eddie laughed.

"So fucking big yes." She kissed his lips.

Ready to spend the rest of her life with the man of her dreams.

~~

At the age of 25

She gave birth to their daughter, Alexis.

Eddie dreamed of being a father and he vowed to not fuck this up.

Eddie sang his two girls to sleep every night. A smile on his face as he watched his wife and daughter fall asleep with the same look on their face.

Alexis looked just like her in so many ways but had Eddie's hair of curls.

Wayne adored her more than anything. Easily becoming the best grandpa in the world.

Eddie and Y/N spent all their time making the most memories they could with Alexis.

Who knew two teenagers could make it so far?

~~

At the age of 30

It all came down.

Y/N was slowly watching Eddie turn into someone who wasn't her husband anymore.

Once Alexis was old enough, Eddie went back on tour.

It was hard at first for them to all get used to.

Y/N had to go to bed alone and prepare her 5 year old for school.

Eddie had to get used to talking to his family through a phone.

Alexis was a daddy's girl and she took it hard when he was gone. Crying every night asking where he was.

Wayne stopped by the most he could, taking care of Alexis while Y/N needed to get errands out of the way.

A busy day flew by and she rested into bed. Checking her phone and realizing she never heard from Eddie. She quickly dialed his number but got no response. With a shrug she headed off to bed, maybe he was a bit busy.

~~

But then that one night without a call turned into a week.

She felt like she was going crazy, countlessly calling him, sending texts. It was like he disappeared.

She texted his manager to make sure he was okay. The good news was he was perfectly fine. The bad news was he was perfectly fine.

~~

The guilt ate him alive.

Watching her call him over and over. The contact picture of her big smile holding Alexis, Ozzy drooling in their laps.

A picture he used to smile at when it would appear.

Now a picture that reminded him of what he didn't feel anymore.

He doesn't know when it happened but one day he woke up and didn't think of her. He went out and performed, hitting up parties before crashing in his hotel room. Plugging in his phone, realizing he never called home. He never even thought to call home.

He shrugged it off for being too busy.

But then he kept forgetting. And now he can't handle the pain in his chest when she calls.

~~

She came to visit him for his birthday. Alexis was overjoyed to see her dad finally after months. Wayne stayed back to take care of Ozzy but planned to visit soon.

Seeing her husband again made her feel better about everything. She understood he is busy, she's been on tour before, she knows how it goes.

But the trip didn't go as well as she planned.

The last night she was there Eddie asked to talk.

Alexis was sleeping in the crib of her hotel room, Eddie's down the hall even though he hasn't slept in it since she came.

She got nervous when he asked to talk in the hall, away from Alexis.

"I want a divorce."

She felt like her heart was yanked out of her chest and stabbed a thousand times.

"wait what?" This wasn't happening. They were fine. They were close to happy. They. Are. Fine.

"I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry but I can't keep lying to you. I can't keep acting like I'm fine when I'm not. I can't keep acting like I love you." He cried, it hurt to even say out loud. It hurt even worse watching her walls build up, her teeth clenching as she refused to cry.

"when Eddie?" She choked out, a finger pressed to her lips. Some type of pressure to keep her sobs inside.

"when what?"

"when did you fall out of love with me?"

"I don't know. One day I woke up on my tour bus and went through the whole day where you didn't cross my mind. I woke up and I didn't miss you anymore." He wanted to touch her, to hold her but he knew he couldn't.

"YOU WON'T EVEN TRY FOR ME?" she screamed, tears leaving her eyes, nothing she could do about it.

"I've been fucking trying. You have no idea how hard I've been scraping to feel something again. I can't make myself love you. I can't change that."

"what did I do wrong? Eddie where do I go wrong?" She begged, feeling her knees giving out from under her.

"nothing baby. Don't do that to yourself okay? You did nothing wrong. You were the perfect wife and everything. This is all on me. People just change"

"No Eddie no! PEOPLE CAN'T JUST CHANGE. You can't love me for one second and not want me anymore. That's not fair. The worst part was that I saw it coming, I knew you’d hurt me, hurt us, but I still kept you around." She sobbed, giving up on standing. Smashing her knees into the floor.

His heart broke watching her. He hated his heart for turning on him. For turning on everything he dreamed of since he was sixteen

"I know it's not fair. I fucking hate this too." Even if she didn't want it, he caged her in his arms. Tears silently falling into her hair. Hers soaking through his Tshirt.

She pushed him off as hard as she could. Anger now filling her.

"YOU PROMISED ME. YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD ALWAYS LOVE ME. YOU ARE A FUCKING LIAR!"

"I WAS FUCKING NINETEEN! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS PROMISING! WE WERE YOUNG. WE DIDN'T KNOW OUR FUTURE"

"I did. I wanted my future to be you Eddie! I fucking wanted to love you for the rest of my life. I have spent every day the happiest I've ever been since I met you. And now you just want to take that all away from me? That's so fucking not fair. I'm suddenly supposed to learn a life where I don't get to love you anymore? You have been my life since I was god damn sixteen eddie. What in the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"I don't know. I wish I knew. I wish I could wake up and feel that love I had for you. I've been praying for that every night but I can't find it in me anymore. I will love you always, but I can't say I'm in love with you anymore. I'm so fucking sorry. I wish I could make this better but I can't. In the end you deserve to be loved so fucking much and I can't give that to you anymore." He tried to hold back his own sobs.

Looking at her, it was like he was breaking the heart of her at sixteen. The same bright smile girl he smashed in the hallway. The same girl that held him as he cried. The same girl he twirled around on the dance floor at snowball. The same girl that followed him around the world. The same girl he proposed to in that small apartment. The same girl he vowed to love for the rest of his life.

He wasn't just breaking his wife's heart, he was breaking every version of her heart he learned to love.

She wiped her tears and nodded. Taking a deep breath she stood up.

"I'm going to go home tomorrow and I'll pack. You finish the tour and I'll have the papers ready for you when you come back."

The shut of the hotel door shouldn't have hit him this hard.

Shouldn't have made him fall to his own knees and sob.

But it wasn't just the hotel door closing,

It was closing on the only relationship Eddie ever felt true love.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975

[actual-bill-potts]

A question I’ve always struggled with when writing about the First Age is: how did the non-Fëanorions (particularly the Arafinwions) react to the first Kinslaying?

Alqualondë has an outsized impact on the narrative - it’s responsible for the ban on Quenya, for most of Thingol’s hostility towards the Noldor, and of course for the Doom of the Noldor, which is arguably one of the over-arching conflicts of the story. But we don’t really get to see anyone’s reactions to it (besides Thingol’s), and - oddly - in-text, no one performs any action in response to it. Finarfin explicitly turns back after the Doom is pronounced, not after Alqualondë itself!

Isn’t it odd that no one saw all the dead bodies and stayed behind to help? Not one of the Arafinwions - you know, the kids of Eärwen, Teleri princess? That it was never even under discussion?

In my opinion, the only way you can justify this without making most of the Noldor completely morally bankrupt (and you can certainly argue that at this point in time, they’re already remorseless killers - but I think there’s some moral difference between a fight that got out of hand in the heat and desperation of the moment, and coming upon the aftermath of a fight where people are lying dead and dying everywhere, and completely ignoring it) is if the Teleri basically kicked them out. And I think what’s ignored in a lot of readings of the Arafinwions’ decisions is the agency of Eärwen (understandable, Tolkien doesn’t really mention her at all, nobody ever said the Silm was a feminist text lol).

Here’s one plausible interpretation of what happened, feat. Eärwen making actual decisions that help drive the plot:

To the Teleri, the idea of leaving Aman to honor Finwë would be insanely disrespectful. Finwë pled with the Valar for years to bring the Teleri to Aman! Finwë led his people through great danger to Aman! And now that he is dead, they want to immediately undo his actions and abandon his life's work? No way! Fëanor will do what he wants, but surely the rest of the Noldor won't go along with it...?

Eärwen is of like mind with the Teleri - of course she grieves Finwë, along with Finarfin, but in her mind the best way to honor him is to stay in the place of safety that he gave his life for. To leave would be a grievous insult.

But Finarfin won't abandon his brothers, and their children are also set on going, for all the textual reasons: Finrod for Turgon and to see Beleriand, Aegnor and Angrod for Fingon, Galadriel for new lands to rule. Orodreth doesn't want to leave, but he's the consummate middle child and doesn't want to be left out by his siblings either. Eärwen is furious: from her point of view, her husband is choosing his insane brother over her (as he's probably done at many points during the relationship if we're honest...), and he's taking her children with him!

But she's also the daughter of Olwë: she knows how hard it is to travel between Valinor and Beleriand. She doesn't think they'll make it. So she just says, come to me when you've come to your senses, and goes to take refuge at her father's house.

But then! The Kinslaying happens. oops :)

From the Teleri point of view: the Noldor tried to steal their ships, they fought back, and they were slaughtered. From Eärwen's point of view, the brothers that her husband and children chose over her killed her people. Her sons and daughter betrayed and murdered their childhood nursemaids, their swimming teachers, their friends, their people. She declares to Olwë: I have no husband, and I have no children.

Olwë says: all right then, there goes my one remaining reason to play nice with the Noldor. He decrees that no Noldor will be allowed within their city, on pain of death. Maybe a slight overreaction? But if the Noldor are allowed to be insane in their grief then so are the Teleri.

From the Arafinwion point of view: they came upon a battle already done, and the ships gone. They saw Noldor and Teleri bodies mingled together, and probably couldn't get a clear answer out of anyone about what happened. Then they're chased out of the city at spearpoint when they try to help. Finarfin, without fully knowing what's happened, tries to play the peacemaker bc that's his automatic response, and says, "is there any way we can make amends/make this up to you?"

Olwë hears that and assumes that Finarfin participated in the Kinslaying. He's like "HELL no, get the FUCK out and your children with you!"

Finarfin and his kids ask to see Eärwen. They're vehemently refused.

From there, what can they do but go forwards? They can't help the Teleri, or do anything to make amends; the Teleri won't let them. Finarfin&co can't even see Eärwen! They have no reason to go back to Tirion, and every reason to go forward with the host - they still don't know what happened, and they can at least help the Noldor, who were also killed in droves.

But then they get the full story out of the Nolofinwions, and they're horrified. No wonder Ammë didn't want to see me, Finrod says miserably, I wouldn't want to see me either.

But they still can't go back to Alqualondë. And all the reasons they had for leaving Tirion are still there: friendship, the desire to see Beleriand, wanting vengeance for Finwë and to regain the Silmarils (which are, remember, the only remaining source of light they have besides the stars). And besides, pretty much everyone besides a few assholes and Fëanor is torn up about the Kinslaying, and regrets what happens.

At least some of the Arafinwion host is still on fire to go on - if Finarfin and his kids turn back, they'll be leaving their people to the leadership of Fingolfin and Fëanor, who are both completely insane with grief and rage currently. And they'll also be leaving their cousins to the responsibility of....all that...alone. Finrod and Galadriel decide to go on. Orodreth wants to turn back. Aegnor and Angrod are undecided. Finarfin is so torn up he doesn't know what to think.

Then the Doom is pronounced. And I think the response from the Arafinwion host would be: what the fuck?!

Remember, the Arafinwions (and at least some of Nolofinwions) have done absolutely nothing wrong besides express a desire to leave. And now they're being told that the wrath of the Valar lays on them just as much as on the bloodthirstiest of their Kinslaying brethren. Maybe, they think, Fëanor had a point about the Valar. Maybe Olwë was in the wrong to not let them have the ships. Maybe the Kinslaying wasn't so bad after all! Most of the Arafinwions are now completely enraged with the Valar and totally ready to follow Fëanor.

But Finarfin - Finarfin cannot believe his brothers. He cannot believe what they have condemned him and his people to, in their rage and pain. They have lost him his wife. Their people killed many he counted as close friends. They have placed him and all his children under the wrath of the Valar.

For the first time in his life, he gives up on peacemaking. He tells his children, "Let's go home."

But they won't go. They're as furious with the Valar as anyone else. They're angry with their mother, for refusing to see them, for believing that of them; and they won't let their cousins face their doom alone. Besides, Finrod at least still doesn't want to abandon their people.

Galadriel and Finarfin get into a screaming fight, the first of their lives. Finrod tries unsuccessfully to mediate and ends up snapping at his father and leaving. Orodreth is weeping in the background. Aegnor and Angrod, angry with their father, turn heel and go to stand with Fingon.

Finally, Finarfin just...gives up. He takes those who are willing to go, and leaves without a word to his children or brothers.

After he has received a pardon, he eventually reconciles with Eärwen. Apologies are made on both sides.

But Finarfin's biggest regret is the way he parted with his children - and he won't get to see his youngest again until three Ages of the world have passed.

[anoddopal]

@gideongrovel @moondane-lovers @strawberryselfships

oH WOW 3 FOR 3?! 💀💀💀

I’ve already gone a bit into how Blackbeard sees Silva HERE!! But allow me to elaborate some more on the subject!

👆Ah, that’s just it… Teach sees Silva. He perceives who and what bun is with alarming accuracy. Sometimes it makes Bun feel called out. But other times? It makes her feel appreciated. He knows that she tends to be underestimated by most people. They do not see the depth of what she is capable of, or where her real strengths lie. Like he once did, Bun does a decent job of masking and hiding in plain sight.

Teach encourages the worst of her traits. Get mad! Lash back! Don’t ya dare apologize! Give ‘em hell and bite the hand that feeds ya. Prey animals can fight back with a surprising ferociousness when it comes to it. Be all of what ya are. Never let anyone tell ya otherwise. He’s almost like a physical manifestation of that little evil voice that lives in the back of her head… And bun feels some… relief to know that she has a significant breadth of freedom when around him and the crew.

She can poke fun at him. She can be sassy, if not a bit nasty about it, too. And Teach seems to love it. He merely laughs about her quips, or gives her some guff in return. Bun keeps waiting for the day that she presses his buttons too hard and suffers the consequences. But it hasn't happened yet.

Bun isn’t always sure just how much her relationship with Teach is an authentic connection and how much of it is a fabricated bond on his end. On one hand, Bun knows that he has a history of manipulation; the kind of man who ultimately seeks to achieve his own goals by any means necessary. On the other, none of the Bl.ackbeard Pirates - Teach included - have ever lied to her. In the back of her mind she knows he only really took an interest in her because he thought having her on his side would be advantageous. Yet even that in itself is a bit flattering. He really does think she’s strong. He sees it even when she doesn’t. And it’s hard to imagine that he doesn’t genuinely care about her… at least a little? Why else would he take the time to discuss history and philosophy with her during those late nights; when the rest of the world is asleep and her insomnia takes hold? Why would he be considerate enough to put all that effort to get her a Devil Fruit that complimented the inner depths of her soul? 🐰 Why would he tolerate her sitting up on his shoulder and yapping incessantly; nagging and scolding the recklessness of his schemes? Why would he encourage her to doodle sea kings on the maps that La.ffitte draws, if not for the fact he simply likes to look at them?

Still… he does manage to irk her every now and then. Bun was there at Ma.rineford. She saw how Teach reacted when Wh.itebeard briefly had the upper hand over him. He was scared. He was afraid to die. So much for his alleged devil may care attitude.

And the way he propositioned Je.welry Bonney on that flaming island in the New World? Had La.ffitte not held her in place, Bun might have lunged forward and gotten herself into an altercation she ultimately couldn’t win.

Bun isn't the type to hang on to every little thing Teach says [*cough unlikeherspouseCOUGH*]. She questions him. She doesn’t buy into all of his nonsense. [🎶"I might join your century, but only as a doubtful guest."🎶]

Maybe he respects that about her.

Bonus Crumble of Content Under Cut: 👇

There was one time where the crew had all had quite a bit to drink. Right after Silva made a playful, yet scathing comment regarding Teach he grabbed her under one of his forearms so he could ruffle her hair in retaliation.

“Zehahahaha! Bun here is like the daughter I never wanted!”

To which everyone laughed, Bun included. But when she looked back up at Teach to mouth off some more, the admiral had something of a strained expression on his face. As though the words came out before he could stop them. As though he had just blurted something he had never intended to leave his mind…

[come-see-our-show]

Into the Woods is clearly a story about growing up, but I want to acknowledge the underlying sexual themes in the story, specifically growing into one’s own sexuality, because there are so many allusions to that and I can't be the only one seeing it.

Fair warning, this analysis is going to be a mess.

CW: Discussions of rape and pedophilia.

(Also, when I refer to "sexuality" and "sexual indentity," I'm not taking about one's sexual orientation, but rather one's interest in sex and relationship to it.)

1. The Witch

I’ve always seen the Witch’s backstory as a metaphor for rape. When she says the Mysterious Man was “Raping [her],” she means that he was stealing from her. However, even since biblical times, gardens have represented temptation, maturation, femininity, and sex. The witch was told from a young age to protect her garden, and when the beans are taken, she feels an intense loss. She is cursed with ugliness because she has been “deflowered.”

This was clearly a traumatic event for her, much like how sexual assault is traumatic for victims. It reminds me of the scene in Maleficent where her wings are taken from her while she’s asleep. There’s something so graphic about it. From a young age, girls are taught to protect our virginities, and if we are too proud of it then it will get taken away from us. We are shamed for being comfortable in our sexual identity, but at the same time we are forced to make it a huge part of our identities. The Witch does not know who she is without her power, and the thing she loved most was taken from her.

2. Baker’s Wife

BW is also shamed by the narrative for having a sexual identity. We can infer that she’s had sex with the Baker because she knows they can’t have children, but the only time she is explicitly shown as a sexual being is when she cheats on him with Cinderella’s prince, which results in her demise. Again, female sexuality is seen as destructive.

3. Cinderella

Cinderella’s character doesn’t have any explicitly sexual themes like the Witch or BW, but I feel like that’s intentional. BW admits to Cinderella that she’s attracted to the Prince. It’s all described in a very tame way, but given the fact that BW has sex with him in Act 2, we know in hindsight that there is some sexual desire there.

Cinderella doesn’t show any desire for the Prince. She talks about how amazing the ball was, but doesn’t talk about the Prince unless BW coaxes it out of her. It’s weird to BW that Cinderella isn’t really excited about him, because shouldn’t all women feel that way?

I don’t think Cinderella is attracted to men at all (I see her as a lesbian or aroace). Her arc ends with her dumping the Prince, thus claiming her independence and rejecting the traditional expectations of female sexuality.

4. Rapunzel

The Witch projects her own trauma onto her “daughter” (bc uhhhh generational trauma 🤪). While she is undoubtedly abusive, you can see why she wants to protect Rapunzel from the world so badly.

Rapunzel’s first introduction to the world is by a man who enters her home and has sex with her after knowing her for maybe a day or two. We don’t know if she was the one who asserted the sex, but given the fact that she lived in a tower all her life and doesn’t know anything about the world, I doubt it.

Despite how dubious the consent is, Rapunzel probably enjoyed it since she was so happy to reunite with her prince after. Sex should be a beautiful and exciting thing, but she pays the price by becoming pregnant, another thing that I highly doubt she was educated on. Imagine how terrifying that must have been, to wonder why your body is changing so durastically, then giving birth to TWINS. Nightmare fuel.

Rapunzel’s storyline reminds me of Wendla’s in Spring Awakening. A sheltered girl is entering womanhood, but because she isn’t taught how to handle these aspects of life, she is sort of taken advantage of by a more experienced partner, and her first time having sex isn’t 100% consensual (even if she enjoyed it), she becomes pregnant, then dies. Rapunzel and Wendla never get full control of their bodies.

So, yeah, teach your children about sex because “children will listen.”

5. Little Red Riding Hood

Most actors portray the Wolf as a lustful character with lots of sexual undertones. The story of Little Red Riding Hood does sound a lot like a story about a little girl getting taken advantage of by a predator. That IS the story, even if it’s about a wolf eating her instead of a pervert molesting her. The lyric “Look at that flesh, pink and plump,” has undeniably sexual undertones. He’s attracted to her youth and purity (cough cough her virginity). He reacts to her the way a pedophile would react to a child. And yes, it’s disgusting.

Many victims of pedophilia don’t see the perpetrator as a threat initially. They’re kind, funny, maybe even give you treats. That was how Red initially saw the Wolf.

Red’s solo, I Know Things Now, is about not trusting strangers. All children are told to not trust strangers. In fairytales, it’s so you don’t get eaten by a seemingly-kind wolf. In real life, it’s so you don’t get kidnapped by a seemingly-kind adult. She acknowledges that “even flowers have their dangers,” again drawing the parallels of nature and sexuality.

Young girls are seen as women once they are objectified by men (hello barbie movie). So, we learn to be wary of men by protecting ourselves with keys or pepper spray. Red begins her introduction into adulthood once she is objectified by a wolf. She learns to be wary by protecting herself with a knife. However, Red reclaims her power by wearing the Wolf as a coat. She's hardened by this experience, which is tragic because she's still a child, but she holds her head up high by wearing her abuser's dead body. She views herself as a survivor. That's a power move.

6. Jack

Jack’s solo also has some sexual undertones, though less obvious than Red’s. The Giant’s Wife “draws [him] close to her giant breasts” and he "come[s] back again, only different than before."

In real life, boys are congratulated for having sex, but girls are shamed. Jack and Red, the two tweens in the show, have the same reactions to their pseudo-sexual experiences. Jack becomes greedy and impulsive, but Red becomes wary and guarded.

While I don't see Jack as a victim of the giant in the same way that Red was a victim of the wolf, his experience also parallels how male victims are treated (if you want to interpret his experience as statutory rape). They are congratulated for being assaulted because boys are expected to always enjoy sex (even though assault/rape are not sex!). Jack's Mother is the only person who acknowledges that he could have been hurt, and that he is "still a little boy." But of course, she gets killed trying to protect her son from that danger.

7. The Princes

I’m lumping the two princes together because they’re very similar. Much like men in real life, they rarely face the consequences of their actions!!! They treat women like prizes (evidence: all of Agony), but soon after, they cheat on the prizes they used to want so desperately. They aren’t satisfied because the patriarchy teaches men to view women as sexual conquests.

Also, it’s notable to me that after CP and BW have their affair, BW has to pay a much bigger price. While CP is dumped by his wife (and tbh he’ll just move onto the next girl), BW is literally KILLED. The Giant is not literally killing her for having sex, but it’s rather coincidental that these two events coincide.

BW and CP’s aftermath is similar to the real life aftermath of sex. If you’re a man, you’re gonna be fine. If you’re a woman, you need to pay a price because you’re a whore. I’m not saying BW should have cheated on her husband, because that’s wrong. But it takes two to tango, so it’s interesting that CP gets out scott-free. On the plus side, CP is still seen as an asshole and BW remembered as a loving person despite her flaws. A slight win despite all of the tragedy.

Anywho, that my spiel. I may edit it in the future, but I was just in a production of Into the Woods and HAD to get my feelings out at once. Toodles.

[thatguywhodoesstuff]

After creating my Golden Goose fan kid, Merch, I found myself overcome with a lot of ideas for fan kids of the other Sins (barring some exceptions). While I had some trepidations sharing them, talking with @prof-ramses about Merch has helped give me the confidence to make this post, even if I don’t do much with these characters later on.

Like last time, ideas are under the cut.

Ignacio “Iggy” Chakal. Satan’s only child. Iggy came about from a night of passion between the King of Wrath and a jackal demon on the night of one fateful Harvest Moon Festival. Iggy is in many ways the opposite of his father, being a rather willowy and lethargic gamer, in contrast to his father being a mountain of muscle and a semiretired warlord. Personality wise, Iggy is completely apathetic and disinterested with anything that isn’t on a screen and typically reacts with passive aggression whenever someone tries to actually engage with him. His games of choice are Rust style online multiplayers and when he isn’t playing those, he’s either creating discourse online, inciting flame wars, or trolling & doxxing people. Satan for his part actually tries to engage with his son and be a supportive father, albeit maybe a bit too enthusiastically, but Iggy just doesn’t care enough to give his dad the time of day.

The Pups (Bernadette, Beatrix, Beckett, Belladonna, & Debbie). Bee and Vortex’s quintuplet daughters. The Pups are all rather varied in terms of appearance, with Beatrix being the most canine in appearance, while Debbie is an anthropomorphic bee (Bernadette, Beckett, & Belladonna are more or less even blends of both features). As for individual personalities, they each sort of personify traits of both parents, Bernadette=irreverent party girl, Beatrix=stoic & takes no shit, Beckett=strong protective drive, Belladonna=natural born performer, & Debbie=emotionally aware & caring. Despite how varied their personalities are, The Pups can actually work in tandem with one another with no issue, often doing so without uttering a single word. While Vortex took to being a dad as if it were second nature, Bee was, and still is, stressed about becoming a parent out of fear that her lifestyle would make her ill equipped at raising her daughters.

Drawing from a previous idea me and @prof-ramses discussed, Ozzie is on record for not desiring any children because they’d “just tie him down”. This is ironic because A. Ozzie has already unknowingly conceived a number of kids throughout his long existence & B. as the other Sins can attest, this is the exact same thing Ozzie said about entering a committed relationship. Fizz meanwhile is on record for being open to having a kid one day.

Sock & Buskin. Leviathan’s twin sons. It’s left ambiguous whether or not the twins are adopted or not. For that matter, it’s not clear which is the older of the two or if “Sock” and “Buskin” are nicknames. Both of them can be described as theater kids, although Sock is a scrawny theater goth & Buskin is a burly theater jock. The two resent each other for what the other has (Buskin’s physicality & Sock’s intelligence respectively) and both are generally just difficult to be around. A unique ability the twins possess is the ability to combine into a form reminiscent of Vilitch the Curseling. They hardly ever use this ability given their inability to get along and cooperate. Leviathan does legitimately love his boys and desires to be the best parent he can be (partly to one up the other Sins), but his parenting style is unfortunately near identical to the way he runs his publication, resulting in his sons constantly fighting one another for his affection.

Subject: BEL/BAP - 03/Junior. Belphegor & Baphomet’s son. Rather than waste valuable work time and resources doing things the old fashioned way, Bel created Junior by taking genetic samples from herself and Baph, while also implementing some from a few “willing donors” to fill in gaps left by the mutations in her genes. Junior was incubated and left to develop in a bacta tank until he reached puberty, with automated recordings and audio logs serving as his only means of education and exposure to the outside world. Junior combines the best features of his parents as well as a few traits from the other genetics sources Bel integrated, such as feathers and extra eyes. Personality wise, Junior takes heavily from his father, while also being something of a mirror to Charlie. That is to say, while Charlie is an ambitious dreamer who wants to change the world, Junior is an unmotivated philosopher who likes to while away the hours contemplating such things as lint drifting in the wind. While Baph is unfailingly patient with Junior and gently tries to push him to be more driven, Bel is quickly losing patience and is rather insistent about him getting a proper job and moving out.

[saucylittlesmile]

I usually write in my tags but I decided to this instead, eith Scott’s long interview:

They changed my life. And it changed how I felt about the sport, and they empowered me to be my best self and learn what that is and who that was

I was going to write something but in this case, I felt a picture was worth a thousand words.

But not very long after – two, three years after – we kind of started thinking – because we’d already retired once and done tours and we’re doing a show – and we just looked at each other and were kind of like ‘This isn’t the same’. We both had other projects that we were putting on hold: her getting her MBA and working for Deloitte, and for me, the skating school. So as much as we miss each other daily, it was time to move on and not perform anymore.

I mean, we already knew this; they didn’t find the same fulfillment in show skating long term, and yet touring is enough of a commitment that it can keep other life plans from being realized; but still it’s nice to always know they were on the same page of being ready to get to that next stage of life. I did laugh at his ‘we retired once’ given how often they reiterate a that they didn’t retire hut took a break - still, it was an earlier chance to experience that lifestyle of non-competitive touring life too.

And I wanted to really do my own thing. But I would have done my own thing, I think, in Montreal, if I hadn’t met my wife and missed my family and all that stuff. I still think my home is in Ontario. But professionally, I was a little bit upset, because I would love to be beside them in Montreal and join forces.

It’s a Sliding Doors moment - that whole imaginary what if scenario that changes everything and yet changes nothing. But the reality is, he gets to be near his family, and his daughter gets to grow up with close family; and he gets to have a bit of a ‘the best of both worlds’.

The athletes relating to each other, being able to tell a story, kind of cat and mouse, back and forth. So that’s my strength, I think. I always really dove into that as a performer, I’d get to work with the best woman in the world, Tessa, so when we got into those energies, it was so much fun.

I’m thinking about Tessa being shocked that there are teams who don’t talk to each other on the ice. I’m thinking about teams who skate together but who barely even look at each other, let alone seem to make a connection. We were spoiled by VM’s partnership, and the level to which they were able to perform those stories and relate to each other, but not everyone can manage it, It’s going to be interesting to watch him encourage growing those relationships.

So I could be like ‘I want you to try this.’ And it wouldn’t necessarily even make sense. But Madi and Zach they can make anything [make sense]. And then the first time it’s gold, and you start to think ‘Holy shit. Maybe I am a great choreographer.’ And then you work with a 10-year-old and 12-year-old and you’re like ‘Oh, no, there we go. I’m back again.’

I just LOL’d at this.

So I’ve made a list. I won’t tell you who else is on the list, because I’m hoping that they’ll end up on our team as well – one day – but they were at the top of my list.

I want to know, lol, because I could only guess 1 name. Bet the rest I’d be surprised at. Love they made sure that Madison (and Adri) could tour if they had the desire and the chance.

Yeah, I go back and forth on that one. What I said yesterday in the meeting – and I have to tip my cap to the dance tech committee that they’re asking us, trying to poll everyone and to work collaboratively, you create an ice dance event that everyone likes – but I don’t mind it. I don’t think there’s a major flaw right now.

Interesting that the ISU is at least having discussions about dance with the people who have to deal with the decisions. Guess I shouldn’t 100% blane the ISU. ;)

I miss pattern dances a bit. The problem with pattern dances is how they’re judged. I like pattern dances because of the old-school patterns on the ice. Speed, dance position, like the older style of ice dance, and nobody really seems to care about that anymore. So I always wonder, why are we keeping it around for key points when it’s not really the spirit of the dance? But I do miss it in the program this year, I would remove PST and put pattern dance back in.

I can’t believe I’ve been around long enough to live through SM saying he wants the pattern gone to circle back around to him wanting it back. 😭 This one section we were shaking hands, preaching to the choir, same page agreement.

Of course then he went on to praise the choreographic elements and I had to cancel him.

(okay I get he’s saying he thinks they creative and he wishes he could’ve done them and etc etc but No Scott That’s Just the Wrong Opinion, I am right, thanks)

Well, Moulin Rouge came from Tessa and I’s heart and soul. And with Marie-France and Patrice and Sam all collaborating – It’s a special one. It’s not the most original one or groundbreaking, but it came from our souls. And we love the music. And so that was probably my favourite in the end.

They fought for it, and it made it all the more their program. ❤️

And also, we went back into Pink Floyd for our last number, because the Pink Floyd free dance is probably the project that I connected with the most.

Vindication! Uncancelled him, as a Pink Floyd free dance enthusiast.

Just a great interview. I love that they weren’t editing him down into a condensed version. Really, we have been incredibly spoiled with a few of Tessa’s recent podcasts and Scott’s interviews and their joint one - way, way more insights and stories and so on than I would have ever expected to get at this point.

[treesap-blogs]

Review for “Ophelia After All” by Racquel Marie!

Hello, Tumblrians! I’ll try to publish at least 4 reviews this week. If I go on another unpredicted hiatus, at least I can have all this writing to make up for my sudden absence? 

Real talk though, I’m sorry about the inconsistent schedule. I get pretty self-conscious about this Tumblr account (there’s a reason I don’t use hashtags anymore), and also I’ve been kinda exhausted in the last week. I already told you guys about South Carolina. (There was originally gonna be a 540-word rant after this but I cut it. That was definitely for the best!)

I really gotta set realistic standards for myself. I keep thinking I’ll be prepared to upload reviews for this account but then I get hit with anxiety paralysis and just never upload anything. It feels like a chore sometimes, even when I made this for fun. I know not many people follow this, because I stay out of hashtags and the people who actually choose to follow me ‘cause they saw my reviews somewhere and liked them leave because I’m inconsistent. I’m sorry for repeatedly disappointing you all.

Okay! Time to actually start my book review! 

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie follows 17 year-old Ophelia: daughter of an Irish English professor and a Cuban immigrant, she’s spent her whole life being a passionate rose gardener, gossip lover, and hopeless romantic with a crush on nearly every boy she meets. But a few weeks before prom, when she undeniably falls for a female classmate named Talia, she begins to question the identity she’s developed over time—and how much of it was because she wanted to appease the people around her. 

I really loved this book! Ophelia was a realistic teenage protagonist, and especially liked the dynamic she had with her friend group (which was one of many relationships paramount to the story). They teased and supported each other, called people out on their shit, fought and later made up, like a lot of friend groups do. While I get that not everyone likes to read about teenage drama, it was resolved by the end, and it didn’t take the melodramatic approach. There was also an interesting examination of Ophelia getting used to being around guys and not necessarily liking them romantically! Maybe it’s because I’m gay but I appreciated that too.

Anyhow! Other things I liked: Talia and Ophelia’s friendship! Ugh the embarrassment in the middle though😬 (WHY OPHELIA). I did like that even after everything they maintained that platonic relationship, though. I was expecting for it to be a romance because a lot of the YAs of this variety I read typically are, this is the first one I’ve read where the MC didn’t get the girl and learned to deal with that! (Also, Talia was sweet.) The multifaceted discussion of Ophelia’s identity was cool too, mixing together discussions on heteronormativity, culture, and dealing with the future in a coming-of-age story. I also just really love queer contemporary stories! It’s something about the light, sometimes snarky but overall honest writing style of basically every single one I read that leaves me whizzing through several hundreds of pages in under a day.

And of course, you can’t go wrong with the additional rose anecdotes sprinkled throughout the story.

(Sidenote, though: I was reading this the same week I was reading and listening to Bianca Torre Is Afraid Of Everything, so there was this weird coincidence between the two where both MCs had Shakespeare-obsessed moms who named their children after lady characters from his plays, assumed they were cishet, and initially weren’t trusted in their coming out journeys lmao?!) 

Uhmmm I don’t know what else to add on, except for that I just really liked that although everything was resolved there were still consequences and (eventual) self-awareness, and this and Felix Ever After are probably my favorites of the “messy coming-of-age” queer contemporary subgenre! (Which isn’t actually a real subgenre, but it should be considered one, right?!) My positive reviews are always very short, lol. Just look at my When The Angels Left The Old Country one, I remember I was going in circles? So I’ll cap it off here!

Book rating: (predictably) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Finished 06/07/23.

(Book content warnings: Homophobia, lesbophobia, racism, outing, mentions of aro/acephobia and islamophobia.)

-Paz, signing off! ^^

[and-to-you-its-just-words]

Serena Campbell's drinking

So here's something I've never really got. In series 23 when Bernie makes her return and admits to Cam that she's been staying with Serena, Cameron makes a comment that Serena is great for that because she's "too drunk to care." And the comment always struck me as odd. Because firstly, yes, we as the audience do know that Serena likes her wine, it's established as part of her character. However I (personally) have never interpreted her drinking as more than a joke the writer’s were too heavy handed with. It’s very much a “haha look at this middle aged woman who likes her wine, isn’t that relatable?” joke that no one took the time to monitor how often they were making.

Because here’s the thing; beyond the Elinor storyline (in which Serena’s drinking does get out of hand) we never see Serena’s drinking effect her work or relationships. She doesn’t come into work drunk, doesn’t operate compromised, and her drinking is never a subject of her relationships.

Elinor never brings up Serena’s drinking and if someone was going to make Serena feel guilty about it, it would have been her daughter. And beyond the Elinor storyline, Bernie also never brings it up. We know Bernie smokes and that Serena doesn’t like it and that was obviously a conversation because it’s gets touched on several times that Bernie picks smoking back up. If they were talking about places to improve for the sake of the relationship, you would think Bernie would bring up the drinking if she thought it was a problem. But she doesn’t. (As a side note I kind of would have loved that interaction, the idea of Serena giving it up a bit because Bernie is cutting smoking entirely for her)

Now that's not to say Serena shouldn't be more aware of how much she's drinking or that it's not more than most. But I think my confusion comes from the fact that the show's writers always frame her drinking as a joke. And that I think is a problem in itself because it leaves the audience inferring that Serena could have a problem when the writers didn't intend it or follow through with it.

Beyond the jokes and the Elinor storyline (which I think on the whole we can agree the over drinking makes sense) on camera we don’t see Serena go overboard with her drinking. Which brings me back to Cameron. He has never seen Serena drunk. Sure, we as the audience can assume having known Serena for years and her dating his mother it’s likely he’s probably seen her drunk at least once before. However, canonically and on camera we have never seen Serena drunk in front of Cam, not even when Bernie died.

I know that the reason Cam is saying that is to hurt Bernie and he can do that by degrading Serena. But it just seems odd when he could have picked anything else to say. He could have said he found it surprising she went to Serena when Serena clearly gave Bernie up. He could have made a dig at Serena’s sexuality and whether or not she really loved Bernie.

Instead he makes a comment that sounds like Serena is an alcoholic and has been regularly on the show. If someone started watching Holby after Serena left, that is the exact picture it would paint. Except that’s not how she is.

Would it have been interesting to see that storyline for Serena? Potentially; I personally think she’s been through enough. Could it have been an interesting smaller story point to reflect how Serena’s depression may have an impact on her drinking? Absolutely; but that’s one of many story points we don’t have time for.

Anyways, I’d love to discuss it because I don’t really see it talked about. Also I’m not terribly versed in alcoholism so maybe her behaviour is more concerning than I know, I’m always up for insightful discussion

[spacetimewraithwrites-archive]

Fictober ‘22 Prompt No. 5 — “No, anything but that.”

Category: Original WIP: Thriving series Rating: T Timeline: sometime in the M33 Arc CW: mildly mature subject matter Word Count: 1,353 Additional Notes: I like to think this is how this scenario would play out, but I’m not sure it’ll happen at all yet so idk lmao

***

“Hi, Papa.”

Warren looked up from the message he’d been reading at Thrive’s desk when Thoeala walked in through the open office door. He caught sight of Scot hovering around the hall outside, his hands clasped behind his back.

“It’s the child,” Warren said, glancing behind him at the picture window to make sure he didn’t zone out for four hours straight again and miss dinner. “...And Scot. You need something?”

“He’s here with me,” Thoeala said, gesturing for Scot to enter the office as well. He did so, somewhat uncertainly, and she closed the door behind him. “And as you know, I’m not a child anymore, and haven’t been for a long time...which brings me to something I think we should finally tell you.”

Warren closed out of the message with a few taps to the touchscreen surface of the desk and leaned back in the chair. “Now, hold on...is this something you should tell Thrive, too? I...don’t actually know where he is right now, but I think I can trace him if I concentrate—”

Thoeala sighed, gathering her long hair to one side. “Daddy’s going to handle this a lot better than you will, so I’m not exactly worried about him at present.”

That made Warren pause. He glanced from Thoeala’s anticipatory and annoyed expression to Scot’s raised eyebrows. “...That sounds ominous.”

“It’s actually not as big of a deal as you’re going to make this out to be.”

“Well if you’re so sure about how I’m going to react, why bother telling me at all? Maybe I can pick it up from you telepathically.”

“I could do without the sarcasm, actually, but I know you’re genetically disposed to it,” Thoeala said. She folded her arms and looked to Scot for support, which he offered via a small, encouraging smile. “Alright. Papa, I gotta be honest, I didn’t want to tell you this at all, but it’s looking like it may be impossible to hide for the rest of our natural lives, so here goes.”

She wrapped an arm around Scot’s waist and pulled him closer to her.

“Warren,” he said, and though he sounded sheepish, his body language was confident, resolute. “Thoeala and I have been romantically involved.”

Warren watched them for a second, transfixed by the physical show of unity they decided to display at that moment. He narrowed his eyes, frowning. “The fuck did you just say?”

Thoeala motioned between her and Scot. “We’ve been together for about a year and a half. He’s my partner. I’m his partner.”

“No,” Warren muttered. “...Anything but that.”

“I was reluctant to accept her advances,” Scot interjected. “I wasn’t sure, exactly, how to proceed regarding the situational etiquette. Ultimately, however, I went with...my instincts. Supposing I could call them that.”

“This is the dumbest joke you’ve ever made,” Warren said, strained, his stomach beginning to churn.

“It’s not a joke,” Thoeala said. She held Scot closer. “I really care about him. I love him. This was not an overnight thing.”

Scot had angled his face down to her, subtle surprise crossing him at her words, but Warren was too busy trying to keep himself from exploding into the Tournaltis sun to understand what it was he’d just witnessed.

“What is going on?” he hissed, getting to his feet. “...Have you guys had sex?”

Thoeala shrugged. “I mean...yeah? A few times.”

It was becoming more difficult for Warren to breathe. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He looked wildly at Scot. “...Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Again,” Scot said tightly. “...I hesitated.”

“Clearly you didn’t fucking hesitate enough.”

“If this is an emotional issue, you and I can discuss—”

“No, no,” Warren interrupted, waving a finger. “That’s the whole point. This isn’t an emotional issue at all. It’s never been an emotional issue! I can’t even...how do I grapple the idea of you being in a relationship with my daughter after you and me and Thrive—” He stopped himself, eyes cutting to Thoeala as he remembered she was in the room and right in front of him. “After our...scientific procedures? And Guetry? Angelina?! And I’m super not comfortable with the fact that you’d met Thoeala when she was a literal child!”

“Once,” Thoeala said sharply. “And it’s not like he stuck around and babysat me or something! And, Skies, he’s an android.”

That didn’t seem to placate Warren. “This is weird,” he barked. “This is really weird. God...why are you both putting me in this position? And why do you think Thrive’s gonna handle this better than I am?! Scot, you’ll be lucky if he doesn’t materialize out of thin air to cave your metal face in once you tell him.”

Sighing, Thoeala tossed Scot an apologetic look. “He’s going to handle it better because he’s not as keyed in to the human concept of relationships. This is only weird to you.”

“Though,” Scot said after a heated pause, “it’s not hard to fathom why this is upsetting.”

Warren leaned into the desk, head hung low. “...I don’t know if I can process this.”

“The bottom line is that...you can’t really stop this,” Thoeala said, though she had the mind to be soft in the way she spoke. “You can’t force us to break up. And I know you wouldn’t, anyway. For the record, I am honestly sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. Maybe it would’ve been less of a blow if we’d told you early on. I think maybe...I don’t think we knew it was going to get this serious.”

Warren didn’t respond at first. He shook his head. “Okay. Fine. I need a minute.”

Thoeala and Scot turned to leave.

“Hang back, Scot,” Warren said.

Scot squeezed Thoeala’s hand before she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Warren lifted his head and looked Scot in the eye. “She doesn’t know, does she?”

“I don’t think so,” Scot said. He clasped his hands behind his back again. “...It’s never come up.”

“I’m going to make this crystal clear enough for even your computer brain to understand,” Warren said through gritted teeth. “...I have never been more disappointed in you than I am right now.”

Scot’s gaze fell to the floor. “I understand.”

“I don’t think you do.” Warren straightened and walked around the desk to plant himself next to him, mainly so he could drop his voice to a venomous near whisper to prevent anyone overhearing on the other side of the door. “She’s going to be so fucking hurt and confused when she finds out that as recently as three months ago you were in my bed with me and my husband. Did you think of that?”

“I can’t say I did.”

“You never once thought, during any of the admittedly few times we ran those experiments, to tell us that you were in a committed, monogamous relationship?”

“The progression of the relationship wasn’t quite clear.”

“Scot, I love you, you know this. And I hate every single minute of what just happened here.” Warren took a deep, calming breath, though his next words were darker than a black hole. “But if you break Thoeala’s heart, I’m going to eat you alive.”

Scot met his eyes again and Warren noted with interest that he couldn’t do so for more than a second. “...I understand. Consider our experiments concluded.”

“Right.” Warren’s jaw hurt from clenching. “I’m going to need a few days for this to settle. And I think it would be best if I told Thrive myself. I may be the only one who could talk him out of ripping out your motherboard with his bare hands for this.”

“You may be right. Warren...” He caught Warren’s arm before he could turn away from him. “I do offer my sincerest apologies. I’ve...learned a lot from this, and it seems I still have much to learn going forward.”

Warren gingerly pulled out of his grip. “Get out of here.”

For the next several hours, he sat at the desk, contemplating how to start that particular conversation with Thrive the next time they spoke. He ended up missing dinner after all.

[egcdeath]

i also can sooo see bonnie and reader being friends. compared to a lot of the other characters bonnie isn’t very judgmental and would probably be interested in the fact that you’re a writer. i could see tou guys bonding over some artistic things and just overall the fact you’re not taken that seriously. i also see. a very passive agressive friendship with Madeline, who isn’t really your friend and is also probably one of the people who makes some questionable comments about you and patrick but is also isn’t terrible. just a complicated friendship with her. as for patrick and friends, i can see him being friends with ed for some reason. i really can’t explain why it is i think this, but i just can see them getting along. i don’t think he’d like to be around perry and i’m on the fence about how he’d be with nathan

i also agree any comments made about patrick and reader about their age or relationship by other in monterey is definitely coming from a place of jealousy rather than actual belief on your relationship. literally other parents going: pretty, young couple with nice daughter and an interesting life story? can’t let them be happy! But like genuinely those type of emotions are so common in monterey, it’s like they feel their own unhappiness and want to project in some way or another. regardless i do agree that patrick would not care about intention!

as for the way reader withdraws. i can very clearly see that (somewhat cliché) scene of Patrick going “just talk to me please” and reader just looking at him not knowing what to say or fighting back the urge to cry

And because i am a completely sucker for angst, i can see this withdrawal just getting worse if reader was there to witness perry’s death. i think you’re glad he’s dead but it’s still a lot to deal with and you were already struggling in the first place. so going into the second season two timeline it just causes you to completely isolate. It’s so bad even your daughter knows something is wrong. So ofc patrick would know that something has gotten worse and he knows you were there and saw perry “slip” (well he thinks that) but the way you’ve changed definitely indicates something more went on there. i think this would be interesting to explore too because he isn’t the type of person to just back down and if something has upset you that much….i think he’d want to know what. (i’d love to hear your thoughts on this)

- 🫀

i love your breakdown of who would be friends with you!

i agree with you being friends with bonnie. you’re both hip and young and she seems like she’s pretty in touch with her artsy side so i totally agree that she would be interested in you since you’re an artist yourself. maybe your daughters are also friends, which pushes you together. i loveee madeline’s character but she’s totally someone you would clash heads with. it does seem to me like she would say the type of things that really get under your skin just as random comments or for laughs from the other moms and you really can’t stand that.

as for patrick, yes i agree that he would like ed, i’m going to factor perry out completely because there’s no way, and i don’t think he would like nathan. idk if you’re seeing a pattern here but i am!! i could see another slight issue for you being that you like/dislike different halves of couples. like patrick doesn’t like when you hang out with bonnie because he thinks nathan’s an annoying loser and you don’t like when he spends time with ed because you think his wife is a weird hater.

i also could really see patrick sitting down with you and just trying to get you to tell him what’s going on with you. because of your past experience with him not wanting to discuss the time period of your/your daughter’s life when you were basically a single mom, you know that there are just some things that are off limit to discuss with him. eventually you take it too far and stop sharing things that you really could be sharing with him, and that really hurts patrick. like you think you’re helping him by not intentionally causing problems but it’s really hurting you both.

if/when i write this au it probably won’t be exactly what big little lies was and will probably just be more about patrick and reader trying to navigate suburbia just because the plot was pretty complex and there’s some pretty serious stuff in there BUT i completely agree with your assessment that if you witnessed perry’s death it would tear you up inside. i almost wonder if patrick would have his suspicions about the slip being something more than a “slip” and the way that you just totally shut down kinda confirms it to him. i really don’t think he would care about that as much as he’s worried about your mental health getting so much worse so quickly. the fact that your daughter is also noticing that something is wrong is very very alarming to him, so he starts doing everything he can to try to make you feel better… but he also doesn’t know what’s wrong in the first place and because your communication has been so poor since moving to monterey there’s really no good way for you to navigate your feelings. he wants to be there so badly for you but he can’t if you won’t let him in and you’re refusing to let him in!!!

[mci-writing]

Mamma Mia!Au Ramblings For My Sanity (TodoBakuDeku x MILF!Reader):

With assistance from @savnofilter who let me ramble in her dms

There will be a lot of similarities to the original plot of Mamma Mia and it’s sequel/prequel, but it will also have a whole lot of differences 😭

Fem!reader bc the projection is very strong in this one

Right off the bat, quirkless!au and reader’s daughter is the spitting image of a younger reader (bc if she looked anything like her sire, there would be no plot-)

Reader (like Donna) was an aspiring singer in a girl group with two of her closest friends, but had to leave the life behind in favor of raising her daughter. She settles on Nabu Island and raises her daughter while also trying to run an old hotel left to her by an older woman that took her in during the early days of her pregnancy.

She still thinks back on her old singing days, but she pushes all that away in favor of running the hotel and raising her daughter (plausibly named after the nice older woman that took her in during her pregnancy)

(Y/n)’s daughter, having grown up with just her mother, her “aunts”, and the small number of villagers on the island, really really wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but she has no idea who he could be and her mother never mentioned him ever. After doing some snooping in her mom’s old diary, and remember a few cheeky conversations from when her mother and her aunts would talk, she’s able to decipher the 3 plausible suspects and reaches out to all of them through letters to invite them to her wedding. In her mom’s name. And she doesn’t tell them about her plausibly being their daughter.

(Y/n) meets all 3 while touring through Japan and their names are: Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki, and Todoroki Shouto.

Midoriya Izuku: For most of his life, he was raised by his single mom, but she would later go on to marry an actor who commonly portrayed his favorite character, Yagi Toshinori. After the marriage, their life would remain relatively peaceful (outside of the occasional invasion of privacy from very determined paparazzi). At the time of them meeting, he was an intern at an analytics office that aspired to be a mangaka. Later on, he would get picked up by an agency and become an idol with a side hobby of making a small manga series. (Y/n) takes his virginity and steals his heart, ruining him for literally any other partner he has after her. It’s a bit of a whirlwind romance for both, a small thing intended to be a simple summer fling getting a lot more serious before they part ways. While he’s a relatively popular idol, he’s slowly been easing out of the spotlight with age and focusing more on his popular series about a very familiar hero named Deku (with obviously no affiliation to the idol of the same name)

Bakugou Katsuki: Son of famous fashion designers that found the Bakugou Brand. Prior to inheriting the brand, he was a model for his parents (against his will) and happened to meet (Y/n) while they were both traveling around for their respective jobs. They also, technically meet through Midoriya, but neither mention their on and off FWB relationship to him ((Y/n)’s a little heartbroken after a misunderstanding, but Bakugou doesn’t know that-). The two lose touch a little while after they part ways due to him becoming extremely busy. Currently, he’s a famous fashion engineer that’s relatively hard to get in touch with but is always in the mags for his brutal criticisms and borderline perfect designs. He is THE designer everyone’s watching out for during fashion week.

Todoroki Shouto: The heir to the Todoroki company and the result of their merging with their biggest competitor through an arranged marriage. After being raised to take the mantle, he grew to resent the title, the company, and his father. After running away from home, he meets (Y/n) in a bar during one of her performances and the two end up talking before inevitably sleeping together. This continues on for a little while before he gets word of his mom’s critical condition and decides to head home. Currently, he’s a secluded business mogul of a well-known brand and he’s taking even better care of the business than his father ever could of, with the help of his 3 older siblings.

The 3 plausible sires all already know one another, separately. Izuku and Katsuki were childhood friends, somewhat estranged after a falling out but in touch due to their parents being close. Izuku and Shouto met during Izuku’s intern days, specifically because Enji was seeking to recruit him for his superior prowess in analysis, but he turns it down. They stay in touch to discuss analytics when Shouto really needs it. Katsuki and Shouto know one another through various brand collabs and keep in touch anytime they decide they want to shake up Japan a little bit. They all totally ended up riding the same boat together and definitely caught up, eventually realizing they were all headed to Nabu Island for the same reason: to “catch up” with an old friend and attend her daughter’s wedding.

The scene where Sophie meets all 3 of them and shoves them in the goat house to hide them? It’s still a thing here, but (Y/n) finding them is even worse bc she knows they all know each other and their excuses (that aren’t aligning a little too much) of being there for separate reasons is almost scary

*Insert (Y/n) belting Mamma Mia to herself after confronting the three men she knows could be her daughter’s father*

[erin-bo-berin]

may I request some angst, then some smut.

It’s Steve and singlemom!reader’s first fight and she cries because Steve hurt her feelings, he feels so bad, he goes to the couch and tries to sleep in the night, but reader misses him and wants him back to bed with her. When he gets back, the makeup sex is amazing!!

-🦋

Omg I know different times calls for different measures but I can imagine that make up sex with Steve would be so gentle and loving and especially in this scenario because he’d feel so bad for making her cry 🥺 okay okay I’m on it! Thank you for requesting, 🦋 anon. Love ya! 🥰

Steve x SingleTeenMom!Reader (part of this universe, you can find the rest of the series if you’re interested in it, on my MASTERLIST)

Warning: Smut (in case it isn’t your thing)

They say the first fight between a couple is never a big deal.

Obviously, at some point two people are going to disagree on something. There might be a heated discussion, maybe shouts and screams, sometimes even words thrown at one another that aren’t meant to come out; these are the kind of words that thrive in an argument, only coming out in the heat of the moment, their only job to wound the other party.

What causes a fight can be a multitude of things. But, some of the worst fights can come from stress.

A child—especially one that’s not your significant other’s—can be stressful on any relationship. No matter how much they might possibly love them.

It wasn’t Abbie’s fault that you and Steve argued, not really, no. She obviously didn’t put the words in both of your mouths, that was on you two.

You both were overtired, Steve overworked at Family Video lately, you exhausted from a day at home with Abbie. Little snips turned into a bigger argument. In hindsight, it was a stupid argument, one that blew way out of proportion.

Steve had had a bad day, Keith being hard on him during his shift. It was the stupidest thing to fight over, forgetting milk at the grocery store when you’d went shopping earlier.

Steve had a tendency to sleep late before his shifts, shovel a bowl of cereal in his mouth and then head to work. Without milk, he wouldn’t be able to eat breakfast at home tomorrow and a few snippy comments turned into a full blown argument.

Abbie was already fast asleep in her crib, in the nursery, so your heated argument was exchanged in fierce whispers.

“I’m sorry I forgot the milk, okay? You don’t have to bite my head off!”

“Whatever, it’s fine. I’m tired, I just want to sleep,” he mumbled.

“You think you’re tired? I have been chasing an 18 month all day, trying to keep her from putting anything and everything in her mouth, running the errands—which by the way, she tries to grab anything and let it fall into the grocery cart, so I had to be hypervigilant about that—so I’m sorry if I forgot one thing. I have been a walking zombie today.”

“Jesus, you don’t have to lecture me, Y/N. She’s kept us both up lately refusing to go to sleep, you know,” he grumbled, folding his arms.

“Which is why I always tell you to go back to sleep!” you hissed.

“Well excuse me if I actually want to try and be a fucking good boyfriend! But apparently you don’t need my help.”

“You don’t have to sound like me and Abbie are a burden,” you said, sounding hurt.

“I didn’t, but you said it, not me.”

“What? You wish you’d never met us?”

When he didn’t say anything, you felt your heart crack a bit.

“I can’t deal with this right now,” you said, turning your back to him.

“Fine,” he grabbed his pillow, “I’m sleeping on the couch.”

When the bedroom door slammed behind him, you winced, waiting for the tell-tale cries of your wakened daughter. But they didn’t come.

Instead, your tears did.

You sat against the headboard, face buried in your hands as you cried.

•

You don’t sleep at all that night.

It’s amazing how cold the bed feels without Steve. All you want is for him to come back.

You decided against going to wake him to apologize, he’d just be cranky from being woken.

Not only do you feel like a zombie, you feel like a zombie that’s been zapped dry of moisture. You’d cried so hard, you can’t seem to produce any more tears.

2:00 a.m. turned to 3.

You watched the digital clock, miserably, when 3:59 a.m clicked over to 4:00 a.m.

By 5 a.m. you’d had more than enough. You’d spent all night staring at the ceiling, the wall, the empty space next to you and the clock. You were going to apologize, no matter what.

When you opened the bedroom door, Steve was there, fist raised as if getting ready to knock. He looked as bedraggled as you did.

“I’m sorry,” you blurted, the same exact moment he said, “I want to apologize.”

You chuckled, the tension between you two lightening immensely.

“I wanted to apologize hours ago, I just didn’t want to wake you,” you said, sheepishly.

“I was already awake. I tossed and turned all night,” he admitted, hand running through his hair, “I’m so sorry for walking away angry, for letting you think all those bad things.”

“I’m sorry for assuming them,” you sighed, “Also I’m sorry I forgot the milk. I’ll go out and get some when the sun rises.”

“Baby, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal,” he whispered, bringing you close, “I promise.”

He kissed you and you let him, his foot pushing the door closed behind you.

“I missed you,” you admitted, feeling a bit silly even admitting it, even if it was the truth, “The bed’s not the same without you.”

He laid you back on the bed when you’d both reached it.

“Well, I’m an idiot for leaving you alone like that. For making you cry.”

His face was as soft and tender as his touch, his thumb brushing softly over your brow bone, down the bridge of your nose and finally, brushing over your lips.

“You and Abbie have never been a burden, I hope you know that.”

“I do,” you nodded solemnly, “And I always need your help.”

“I know,” he smiled.

Your kissing resumed, clothes shed until you were both bare, Steve nestled deep in you.

It was sweet, gentle and amazing. He murmured his apologies to you as he moved against your body, telling you that you were perfect. You told him how much you loved him and he reciprocated, quiet moans in your ear.

If you knew you’d get make up sex this tender, yet this amazing, you might’ve fought with him long ago. Your hands clawed at his back, legs wrapped around him as you pushed him deeper, chasing the high that was building.

His hips staggered just the slightest the action sending you careening, your moans muffled into his neck as you came, the pleasant feeling warming your body from inside out. His groans matched your own as he finished in you with a muttered curse.

“Fuck, I love you,” he whispered, kissing your forehead, then the tip of your nose then your mouth.

“I love you, too,” you whispered against his lips.

It was only after 5:30 when he untangled from you, moving the covers over you.

“Go to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll take care of Abbie when she wakes up.”

“But you have to work,” you protested.

He shook his head with a smile.

“I’m calling in sick. I may have to stay in bed all day because I’ve got a lot more apologizing to do.”

[seokth]

mother knows best | 1

— drabble 1 ; sunday lunch —

pairing | ot7 x female reader (platonic), ot7 moms & female reader

summary | being the only woman in a friend group with seven men automatically makes you the love interest in seven mothers’ wistful romantic stories. though your relationship with the guys remains completely platonic, the marriage fantasy their moms frequently project onto you and their sons has them coming up with all sorts of shenanigans to make you their daughter-in-law. mother knows best, you suppose.

warnings | overbearing moms, attempts at humor, platonic, slice of life au

series index | general masterlist

“Oh, it’s fine, I—”

“I insist, dear. Here, take it.”

“No, really, I’m so full—”

“Don’t be shy, sweetheart!”

“Do you want some more juice, honey?”

“Let the girl breathe! Here, darling, have a napkin.”

Namjoon chuckles at the sight of you fending off seven overbearing mothers, all of whom are trying to win you over with food. Catching Jin’s eye, the two of them shake their heads in amusement, catching the attention of the five other guys seated on the same table.

“What’s so funny?” Yoongi asks through a mouthful of tangerines.

He’s the only one who ever eats the pile of tangerines during these weekly Sunday lunches with your families. And conveniently enough, you’re the only one who never forgets to bring them to the table. A fact his mom likes to point out to him with a suggestive wiggling of her eyebrows.

Seokjin points his thumb in your direction and six pairs of eyes follow suit. You’re being fed cookies now that were baked by none other than Mrs. Jeon. It seems like the older woman is hoping you’ll finally get her hint — that if her cookies are so delicious, then her Kookie will be even more heavenly.

The real Kookie, on the other hand, claps his hands in amusement. “Look at her face!” he says, pointing at your stuffed cheeks.

Jimin giggles. “She can’t even say no anymore with all the sweets they’re stuffing into her mouth.”

“She never says no,” Yoongi tuts. “She’s too nice.”

“She’s only really nice when it’s our moms,” Taehyung says, his big eyes crinkling at the sight of you now being fed strawberries by none other than his own mother.

Hoseok laughs, slapping the surface of the table. “Oh god, she’s got them all wrapped around her finger.”

“No kidding,” Seokjin remarks. “Just last week, Eomma told me to perm my hair because Y/N told her Taehyungie looks cute with his curls.”

“You, too, hyung?” Jungkook chuckles, tucking his growing, wavy locks behind his ears. “My mom hid all the scissors in our house because Y/N apparently cried when Harry Styles chopped his hair off.”

Yoongi scoffs. “You think you guys got it bad? My mother keeps telling me I look like a boiled dumpling.”

“But Y/N loves dumplings!”

“I know! That’s what I told her. She doesn’t believe me.”

Namjoon clears his throat. “Well, hyung, maybe that will convince her,” he says, pointing at your new predicament, which was Mrs. Park handing you three bulging paper bags full of what seem to be freshly steamed mandu.

Jimin groans. “That woman… I told her to only give Y/N one bag.”

“But isn’t one bag still…” Hoseok muses, mentally calculating, “...a lot for just one person?”

“Trust me, hyung. One bag is already Eomma’s minimum.”

“Uh… guys?”

Seven heads turn at the sound of your voice. They didn’t notice you arriving at their table, too caught up in their discussion.

You stand sheepishly at the end of the table, arms full of Mrs. Park’s three dumpling-filled paper bags. There’s more, though, as the seven men realize when they take notice of the army of mothers crowding behind you, their arms clutching to-go containers filled with homemade treats of their own.

Seven groans echo when Mrs. Jeon holds up her jar of cookies, Taehyung’s mom offers her basket of strawberries, Mrs. Park sneaks a few more dumplings into your already-bulging paper bags, Mrs. Jung presents a pitcher of lemonade, Mrs. Min holds a tupperware of kimchi, Namjoon’s mom grips a box of cake, and Jin’s mom offers freshly-baked apple pie.

But amidst the seven groans, your delightful giggle resonates.

“Guys, um… I’m gonna need some help with these…”

[bigassheart]

I’ve seen a couple posts about how everyone was wildly out of character and totally inconsistent this season and I’m just like... were you guys paying attention? 

1. Luther

Arguably the biggest shift in character between the two seasons, but it makes sense. Luther spent a year fending for himself and thinking his entire family was dead. 

This is the first time in his life that he had to hold down a job and actually live on his own. It was literally his first time living out in the world among anyone other than his family, and you can see in his reactions with the other characters from that life (the boss, his landlord, those kids that idolize him, and the waitress) that it has really mellowed him out. It has allowed him to be more normal, despite being very much not normal. You can see the way he’s so much more comfortable in his skin. Literally the only times he looks uncomfortable is when he’s fighting people, shirt off and body on full display. He’s still not comfortable with that, but he’s not trying to hide under huge overcoats anymore. He has people in his life who accept him for being a little weird, but really do treat him normal. 

So is he a little less uptight and mission focused? Yeah. Because he can finally see another life, and it’s the life that he honestly did want in season 1 but felt like he couldn’t have because he was number 1 and he had a responsibility to his dad, his family, and the academy to be the leader. Having a year on his own frees him of all that. 

But he also spent all that time thinking his family was dead and feeling so guilty about it. You can see in his very first interaction with Vanya, where he suddenly feels that responsibility again. He brings a gun, not knowing what’s going to happen and, despite what he told Five, he absolutely does still have that lingering feeling of responsibility. But then he sees Vanya and she’s not a threat and everything he has been holding in for the last year comes out. Because he does feel guilty as hell for what he did to Vanya, but also for the fact that his actions pushed her into causing the apocalypse. He spent a year with the knowledge that he did that and thinking that his family was dead because of his actions. 

He’s willing to listen now because he spent a year living in a world where his actions killed his whole family. And now he finds out that that didn’t happen and he has a second chance. Of course he’s going to take it! 

2. Diego

In the first season, Diego finally admitted that he wanted to be close to his family and that he cared about them and wouldn’t leave them again. He confronted the guilt about leaving, which he had previously denied. He realized the difference between revenge and honoring someone’s memory. But despite all that, he never confronted the reason why he, a grown-ass-man, wandered around the city as a leather clad, mask wearing vigilante. 

So when we see Diego show up in 1963, that’s still who he is. He wants to be that hero and he finds an answer for how to be that hero in the first several minutes that he’s there. So he takes it. I mean, what else is he going to do? His family is gone. Maybe they’ll show up again. Maybe this is it. Either way, he’s on his own like he was before, so he’s got a duty to be the hero he has chosen to be. 

And then he meets his dad again. Everyone keeps telling him he has daddy issues, and they’re right. He absolutely has daddy issues. He’s still trying to simultaneously prove that he’s good enough for his dad, but also doesn’t need Daddy’s approval. Except he does need it. He still desperately craves it and he feels gutted when his dad denies him that approval, even falling back into the stutter he had as a kid. 

Now, despite the way we joke, Diego is not dumb. He is so observant and he makes some of the most poignant statements about his siblings and the way they see the world. He sees the people around them and he understands them, but he has never been able to completely turn that gift inwards and see those same things in himself. In this season, Lila breaks through all that and he finally sees himself in her at the end. 

“Do you know how hard it is to trust people when your whole childhood was bullshit manipulation? Then why would you do that to me?”  

Diego sees himself in Lila, in her failure to break away from her mother despite the fact that he knows she wants to. In the final episode, he sees that she is just like the rest of the siblings, but she doesn’t have to be. None of them have to be stuck with their daddy issues, because they have each other. They can support and care for each other. It’s the last step of the growth he started in season 1, moving beyond his tendency to define his life and his family through their father. 

3. Allison

Throughout season 1, Allison struggled with whether or not to use her powers, but it was all centered around getting back to her daughter. When she appears in 1961, that motivation is effectively removed. She thinks everyone else is dead. She thinks that she is stranded in the past and that she will never get back. She finds a group of people to support her and before long... she finds her voice again. 

It’s no coincidence that Allison’s first spoken words in the series come right after she gives Ray that pamphlet with a bunch of added notes. She finds her voice in the civil rights movement. She finds her power there. She finds a way to help change the world, to change reality, and she does it without her powers. 

This is something she struggled with through the entirety of season 1, feeling inadequate for using her powers to get what she wanted, not knowing if anything was real or earned. Now she has the chance to earn everything without those powers and she is thriving. 

And then she is forced to use her powers again. It all turns out fine, but now she’s showing off and experiencing all over again how good it feels to have power. She spent two years in a world where she was denied equal treatment, where she could be arrested and assaulted for any reason those with more power came up with. And now she feels that power... She doesn’t have to wait for people to give her respect. She can demand it. But the pain is still there, and it’s not enough to just be respected, because these people have hurt her. They almost killed her husband. They have used their power to cause pain to her and all those who look like her time and time again and now it’s time to understand what it’s like to be powerless, to be hurt and to be unable to stop it and... 

And it’s scary. It’s scary to have that much power, to see how you could become the kind of person who uses your power to hurt others. And she knows that her power has hurt people she loves and suddenly she’s right back where she started. 

Only not entirely. 

She doesn’t shy away from her powers in the final fight. She is obviously still finding that balance and I would expect this struggle to continue for her in future seasons. Power can be addicting and Allison’s power is so strong. She knows the danger there, but she also knows that sometimes it’s needed despite the danger. 

4. Klaus

Klaus is an addict. He finds obsessions to bury himself in to avoid dealing with reality. In season 1, he buried himself in drugs and booze. When he shows up in the 60′s, he finds a new drug to bury himself in: adoration. 

Klaus is so impulsive and it’s not difficult to connect the dots of how one thing leads to another until suddenly everything is out of his control. Honestly, that’s the story of Klaus’s life, no matter where he goes. And then something changes. He gets tired of his cult and leaves. Except... that’s not really the reason. 

After all this time, Dave is still the love of his life, and he knows he has an opportunity. He knows where Dave will be at this one time and he knows exactly what he has to change to keep Dave alive. 

He also knows that Ben is going to have thoughts about this. 

I know some people were disappointed that there wasn’t more Klaus and Ben bonding this season, but it makes sense that there is tension there. I think a lot of that tension comes from Ben’s circumstances, which I’ll discuss later, but Klaus is also not responding to that tension well. 

They are fighting more than ever (not that they ever didn’t fight in season 1, where they spent much of their time being snarky to each other and Ben literally punching Klaus in the face for being an asshole), but the fighting is about something new this season. Ben wants his own life and Klaus is not in a position to give Ben what he really wants. We also learn that he has been carrying around this guilt for the last 17 years about forcing Ben to stick around as a ghost. He forced this half-life on his brother and now that it’s not enough for Ben, Klaus doesn’t want to deal with it. So he avoids and deflects and snarks and we see the toll on their relationship. We see it in the way he tries to deal with his plans around Dave entirely on his own. He focuses so much into that last ditch effort. He’s already in such a low place before this, so when that fails, we see him snap. We see him give up and crumble. And Ben falls back to his old role, trying to save Klaus from himself. 

But the tension isn’t gone and Klaus’s guilt isn’t gone. We see it again when Klaus finally agrees to let Ben possess him. Klaus has always been afraid of his powers and being possessed is just as terrifying a thought as being surrounded by the dead. And yet he gives Ben that chance. It’s the last good thing he can do at that point. 

I do wish we had gotten more closure for Klaus and Ben’s story. I think Vanya’s reveal could have been given a little more time, but that’s not really a problem with inconsistent characterization, so we’ll save that for another post. 

5. Five

OK, who would argue that Five was out of character or inconsistent? He’s obsessed with stopping the apocalypse, is willing to cross a lot of lines to save his family, and constantly frustrated by his family’s failure to go along with his plans. This is textbook Five. 

What I loved about this season was that we got to see Five finally meeting his father again. They interact as two adults, not as a child trying to find away to become his own person, frustrated by a lack of trust from his father. It allows Reggie to see Five in a different light and to actually provide advice in a constructive way, something he has almost never been able to do when viewing them as his children. But despite outward appearances and despite the fact that Five is a grown man, he still sees his father the same way he always has. He doesn’t register Reggie’s advice as advice. He hears that he’s striving beyond his abilities and that maybe he can only travel in seconds. He hears his father telling him he can’t handle time travel. That’s why he doesn’t try to actually take the very good advice until the very end.  

An old dog can still occasionally learn a new trick and Five proves that true. 

6. Ben

As I mentioned earlier, Ben is chaffing at his ghosthood. Maybe it’s because Klaus has been sober enough to keep Ben around solidly for 3 years. Maybe it’s because Ben is no longer spending all his time trying to keep Klaus alive and sober. Or maybe it’s the fact that he has finally found someone that he actually wants to spend time with. Whatever the reason, Ben wants to be alive this season. 

Again, as I mentioned, that’s causing some tension. Ben doesn’t want to be tied to Klaus, but Klaus is ignoring that because he feels so guilty about it. Ben doesn’t want to admit that he was too scared to go into the light on his own, so they’re at a bit of a standstill. 

And then Ben gets the opportunity to be alive again, if only for a while. And in a lot of ways, it’s wonderful! But it’s not the same as being truly alive. 

So when the time comes, when he’s faced with that light again... he’s not afraid. He knows that it’s time to move on. He knows this isn’t where he should be, but he also got the chance to be there for his family. He misses them, but he got to talk to Diego and Vanya. He got to save Vanya. He got to save Allison and Diego and Klaus and Luther and Five and the whole world! So while he would have stayed, he’s not sad about leaving anymore, and he’s not afraid. 

7. Vanya

OK, she was a little out of character because... you know. She had amnesia. 

But aside from erasing her past, the amnesia allowed us to see Vanya without the anger and resentment that plagued her for all of season one. Vanya was always someone who was kind and loving, someone who cares enough to leave peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches out for a missing brother for years. Someone who knows the pain of not being seen and who will always take the time to truly see other people. She’s someone who wants to love and to be loved and to protect those she loves. 

That was all here, with or without the memories. And as soon as the memories came back, so did the guilt and fear about what she had done, what she had become, terrified of what was inside her in a way that she was not when her powers first surfaced. But Ben is used to being afraid of what’s inside of him. He knows she’s not a monster and is the perfect person to explain that to her. And this time around, she has experienced the love and care and attention of her siblings (and Sissy) to back up those words. That’s how she finally accepts them as truth, how she finally accepts her power as a part of her. 

Overall, there are things that I wish this season spent more time with, but there was nothing that I felt was out of character or wildly inconsistent. The characters still struggled with all the baggage from their shitty childhood, their fear of their powers, and the guilt in their past. Some struggled in new ways this season and some continued old struggles that had never fully been resolved. The season felt very different than the first, but it still felt like the Umbrella Academy. It was a good mix of new and old and a good mix of feel-good moments we have all been waiting for and frustrating and sad moments that just come with having a complicated family. I loved this season. And now, I’m going to go re-watch every episode.