#which i'm guessing is Netflix's fault

[sissytobitch10seconds]

Am I the only one that didn't hate season four?

[david-watts]

I'm so sick of having to rely on everyone else. I hate having to trust that someone'll do something. only person you can trust to do something is yourself and even then you'll know you're unreliable and it won't be a surprise if you let yourself down. and then if you don't know what to do well that's why I must know everything I possibly can. I need to know.

[harrysfolklore]

christ-max -mv1

summary: you invite your boyfriend max to spend christmas with you for the first time, however, your family doesn't quite believe you're dating a formula 1 world champion. wc: 5.8k

folkie radio: HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOUUUU! i hope you're having the best day ever with your loves ones. this fic ended up being longer than i intended but i hope you like it!

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

You're nestled into Max's side on his couch, wrapped in the soft throw blanket he keeps specifically for these quiet moments together. The afternoon light filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his Monaco apartment, casting a glow across the room. Your feet are tucked under you, and you can smell the lingering scent of the coffee you both made earlier.

The Netflix show you'd put on - some random documentary about deep-sea creatures - has become mere background noise. Max's fingers are threading through your hair in that gentle way that always makes you melt, occasionally stopping to massage your scalp. .

"I can't believe the season's actually over," you murmur, tracing lazy patterns on his arm. "Feels weird not having to plan around race weekends anymore."

Max chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest where your head rests. "Yeah, but now we have to plan around all the end-of-year events instead. Did you see how many galas and ceremonies are coming up?"

"At least those don't involve you flying halfway across the world," you tease, tilting your head to look up at him. His hair is slightly messy, free from its usual styling, and you resist the urge to reach up and run your fingers through it.

"True," he agrees, then glances at his phone on the coffee table. "Speaking of events, I can't believe it's already December. Christmas is going to be here before we know it. Guess time flies when you're busy winning championships."

Your heart skips a beat. This is the opening you've been waiting for. You've been thinking about this for weeks, planning how to bring it up. "Actually… I wanted to ask you something about Christmas," you start, sitting up slightly to face him better.

Max's blue eyes meet yours, curious. "What's on your mind?"

"Well…" you bite your lip, suddenly feeling nervous despite knowing there's no reason to be. "I was wondering if you'd want to spend Christmas with me and my family this year? I know we've kept things private, but I really want them to meet you, and-"

"Wait, really?" Max interrupts, his whole face lighting up with that boyish excitement that made you fall for him in the first place. "You want me to meet your family?"

You can't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "Of course I do. We've been together almost a year now, and they keep asking why I'm always smiling at my phone." You playfully poke his side. "Which is your fault, by the way."

He catches your hand, intertwining your fingers. "My fault? I'm just being my naturally charming self," he grins, then his expression turns slightly more serious. "But are you sure? I mean, won't they be surprised when you show up with, well…"

"With a four-time World Champion?" you finish for him, laughing. "Actually, my dad might pass out. He's been watching F1 since before I was born. He has no idea I've been dating his favorite driver."

Max's eyebrows shoot up. "I'm his favorite driver?"

"Don't let it go to your head," you warn playfully. "But yeah, he's got your merchandise and everything. It's actually kind of embarrassing how much he talks about you during race weekends."

Max throws his head back laughing, and you can't help but join in. "Oh God, this is going to be interesting," he says, wiping at his eyes. "What about the rest of your family?"

"Well, Mom will probably try to feed you until you burst - she's like that with everyone. And my little sister Ruby, she's seven and she's going to have so many questions. She's in that phase where she wants to know everything about everything."

"I can handle questions," Max says confidently, then hesitates. "What kind of questions are we talking about?"

You pretend to think about it. "Oh, you know, probably things like 'How fast have you ever driven?' 'Have you ever crashed?' 'Do you want to marry my sister?'"

Max nearly chokes on air at the last one, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "You're joking, right?"

"About Ruby? Nope, she has absolutely no filter," you laugh, then soften your voice. "But seriously, they're going to love you. Just be yourself - the you I know, not the racing driver everyone else sees."

He pulls you closer, pressing a kiss to your temple. "I'd love to spend Christmas with your family. I can't wait to meet them." He pauses, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Should I wear my race suit when I meet your dad?"

You swat his arm, laughing. "Don't you dare! He'll actually faint." You settle back against his chest, feeling warm and content. "Thank you for saying yes. It means a lot to me."

"Thank you for asking me," he murmurs into your hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," you respond, smiling as his arms tighten around you. The documentary continues playing, forgotten again as you both start planning for Christmas, trading ideas and jokes about how to break the news to your family.

You're sitting cross-legged on Max's bed while he's in the shower, your phone propped up against a pillow as you FaceTime your family. Your mom's face fills most of the screen, with your dad peering over her shoulder and little Ruby bouncing around trying to get a better view.

"Honey, we can barely see you. The lighting is terrible," your mom critiques, and you adjust your position slightly.

"Better?"

"Much better! Now, what's this important thing you wanted to tell us about Christmas?" Your mom asks, while Ruby shouts "Is it presents?" in the background.

You take a deep breath, trying to contain your smile. "Well, I wanted to let you know that I'm bringing someone with me this year… my boyfriend."

There's an immediate explosion of excitement. Ruby starts jumping up and down, your mom gasps dramatically, and your dad's eyebrows shoot up with interest.

"Finally!" your mom exclaims. "We've been wondering when you'd introduce him. You've been so secretive about this boyfriend of yours."

"What's his name?" Ruby pipes up, her face suddenly taking up half the screen as she pushes closer to the camera. "Is he nice? Does he like Disney movies?"

You laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Yes, Rubes, he's very nice. And his name is…" you pause, knowing what's coming. "Max. Max Verstappen."

There's a moment of silence before your dad bursts out laughing. "Good one, sweetheart. Now, what's his real name?"

"I'm serious, Dad. I'm dating Max Verstappen."

Your mom is trying to hold back her laughter now too. "Honey, isn't that the racing driver you and your father are always watching? The one your dad has all those caps and shirts of?"

"Yes, and I'm actually dating him," you insist, feeling your cheeks heat up.

Ruby's face scrunches up in confusion. "The fast car man? From TV?"

"The very same one, Rubes."

Your dad wipes tears from his eyes. "Come on now, what's next? Are you going to tell us you're best friends with Lewis Hamilton too?"

"Dad!" you groan, running a hand over your face. "I'm being serious! We've been dating for almost a year. I'm literally at his place right now!"

"In Monaco?" your dad asks skeptically. "Prove it."

You swing your phone around to show the familiar view of Monaco through the windows, but your dad just shakes his head. "Could be any apartment in Monaco."

"You're impossible!" you huff. "Fine, don't believe me. You'll see at Christmas."

Ruby presses her face closer to the screen again. "Will he bring his race car?"

"No, Rubes, he can't bring the race car," you say, softening your tone for your little sister. "But I promise you'll love him."

After a few more minutes of your family teasing you about your "imaginary Formula 1 driver boyfriend," you end the call with a mix of frustration and amusement. Just as you flop back onto the bed, you hear the bathroom door open and Max walks out, his hair still damp from the shower.

"How'd it go?" he asks, noticing your expression.

You let out a laugh. "They think I'm making you up. They literally don't believe I'm dating you."

Max raises his eyebrows, looking amused as he sits next to you on the bed. "Really?"

"Really. Dad laughed so hard he nearly cried. And Ruby, my little sister, just wants to know if you're bringing your race car for Christmas."

"Sorry to disappoint Ruby," he grins, then looks thoughtful. "You know, maybe we should've waited to tell them in person. The looks on their faces would've been priceless."

"Oh, don't worry," you sit up, wrapping your arms around his neck. "They'll still be priceless. Dad's going to lose it when he realizes all those times he was rambling about you during races, he was actually talking about his daughter's boyfriend."

Max laughs, pulling you closer. "What else should I know before meeting them?"

"Well, Ruby's seven and obsessed with Frozen. She'll definitely make you watch it and probably sing along too."

"I can handle that," he says confidently.

"And recite all the lines?"

"…Maybe not that."

"And act out the scenes with her?"

Max's eyes widen slightly. "What have I gotten myself into?"

You kiss his cheek. "Too late to back out now, Verstappen. You're stuck with us."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he murmurs, pulling you in for a proper kiss. "Even if it means playing Olaf the snowman."

"Oh no, you'll definitely be playing Elsa. Ruby's very particular about casting."

The look of horror on his face makes you burst out laughing, and soon he's joining in too. As your laughter dies down, you can't help but think about how perfect this feels - being here with him, planning to spend Christmas with your family, even if they don't believe you yet. You can't wait to see their faces when you show up at their door with Max Verstappen himself.

"Hey," Max says softly, breaking into your thoughts. "What are you smiling about?"

"Just thinking about how Christmas is going to be interesting this year."

"Interesting is one way to put it," he grins. "Should I wear my race suit when we arrive?"

"Don't you dare! Dad will actually faint."

"That's kind of the point," he winks, and you grab a pillow to hit him with, both of you dissolving into laughter again.

"Let me guess, another text from 'Max Verstappen'?" your dad teases from his spot at the kitchen counter, making air quotes with his fingers. He's wearing one of his many Red Bull Racing shirts, completely oblivious to the irony.

"Actually, yes," you reply, rolling your eyes. "He'll be here soon."

Your mom chuckles while peeling potatoes. "Honey, you can just tell us who your boyfriend really is. We won't judge, even if he's not a Formula 1 champion."

"Mom, I've told you a million times-"

"LOOK!" Ruby crashes into the kitchen, pointing at the TV in the living room where they're showing highlights from the last race. "It's YN's boyfriend!" She dissolves into giggles, clearly in on what she thinks is a funny joke.

"Very funny, Rubes," you mutter, but check your phone again when it buzzes.

Max: "Just turned onto your street. Nice neighborhood 😉"

Your heart starts beating faster. "He's here," you announce, heading toward the front door.

"Oh, we're still doing this?" your dad calls after you, amused. "Should I get my Max Verstappen cap for him to sign?"

"Actually, Dad, yes, you should," you shout back, slipping on your boots.

"Sweetie," your mom starts in that gentle voice she uses when she thinks you're being ridiculous, "you don't have to-"

The sound of a car pulling up interrupts her. You open the front door and step out onto the porch, watching as Max's car comes to a stop in your driveway. Your family has crowded behind you in the doorway, probably expecting to catch you in your "lie."

Max steps out of the car, looking unfairly handsome in his dark winter coat and scarf. His face lights up when he sees you, and you don't hesitate to run down the steps toward him.

"Hi," he grins, catching you in a tight hug and lifting you slightly off your feet. "Missed you."

You hear a loud gasp behind you, followed by what sounds like your dad choking on air.

"Missed you too," you murmur against his chest before turning to face your family, keeping one arm wrapped around his waist.

The scene on your front porch is priceless. Your dad's mouth is hanging open, his face pale except for two bright red spots on his cheeks. Your mom has both hands pressed to her face in shock. Ruby is the only one moving, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"IT REALLY IS THE FAST CAR MAN!" she shrieks, breaking the silence as she barrels down the steps toward you both.

Max laughs, crouching down to her level. "Hi Ruby. Nice to finally meet you. Your sister has told me a lot about you."

"You're real!" she exclaims, poking his arm as if to make sure.

"Very real," he confirms, looking thoroughly amused.

"I… you… but…" your dad stammers, still frozen in the doorway.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. LN," Max says, standing back up and guiding you and Ruby toward the porch. "Thank you for having me for Christmas."

Your mom seems to snap out of her shock first. "Oh my goodness, please come in! It's freezing out here. I… oh dear… the potatoes… I should… more food… I need to…"

"Mom, breathe," you laugh, as Max follows you inside.

Your dad hasn't moved an inch, still staring at Max like he's seeing a ghost. "You're… you're actually… the Brazil overtake…"

"Dad, no F1 talk yet!" you warn. "Let him at least get his coat off first."

"Right! Yes! Coat!" your dad says frantically. "I'll take your coat! And then maybe… could you… would you mind signing my…"

"Collection?" you finish for him, smirking. "The one you thought I was making up?"

Max raises his eyebrows at you, remembering your conversation about your dad's merchandise collection.

Ruby tugs on Max's hand. "Do you want to see my Frozen dolls? And can we watch the movie? Sissy said you've never seen it!"

"Ruby, let him settle in first," your mom calls from the kitchen, where she appears to be panic-cooking. "Oh God, is the food good enough? Do Formula 1 drivers have special diets? Should I-"

"Mom, the food will be perfect," you assure her, then turn to Max. "See? I told you they'd be cool about it."

Max tries to suppress his laugh as your dad continues to stare at him in awe, your mom stress-cooks enough food to feed an army, and Ruby continues pulling on his hand.

"Very cool," he agrees, pressing a kiss to your temple. "Though I think your dad might need to sit down."

"I'm fine!" your dad squeaks, then immediately sits down heavily on the nearest chair. "Just… just give me a minute to process that my daughter is actually dating Max Verstappen and I've been accidentally talking about my future son-in-law during every race and-"

"DAD!" you exclaim, feeling your face heat up while Max chuckles beside you.

"What? I'm just saying… all those times I said 'that Verstappen boy would make someone a good husband someday' and it turns out-"

"Okay!" you interrupt loudly. "Who wants coffee? Max, come help me with coffee!"

As you drag a laughing Max toward the kitchen, you hear Ruby start explaining the entire plot of Frozen to him, your mom muttering about needing to buy more food, and your dad still talking to himself about racing statistics.

"Still think this was a good idea?" you whisper to Max.

He pulls you closer, grinning. "The best. Though you might want to tell your dad to breathe before he passes out."

"Can we build a snowman after coffee?" Ruby calls out.

"Only if Max gets to be Elsa!" you shout back, earning you a playful glare from your boyfriend.

Looking around at your slightly chaotic but loving family, and seeing how naturally Max fits into it all, you can't help but smile. This is definitely going to be a Christmas to remember.

The initial chaos has settled into a cozy scene in your living room. You're curled up on the couch next to Max, who has Ruby practically attached to his side. She hasn't stopped talking since everyone sat down, and Max, to his credit, is giving her his complete attention.

"And then Elsa makes this huge ice castle," Ruby explains, using elaborate hand gestures. "Can you drive as fast as Elsa runs up the mountain?"

"Probably faster," Max answers with a grin, making Ruby's eyes widen.

"Even in the snow?"

"Even in the snow."

Your dad, who's finally regained his ability to form complete sentences, sits in his armchair trying very hard not to bombard Max with racing questions. He keeps opening his mouth, then closing it again when you give him a warning look.

"It's okay, Dad," you laugh. "You can ask him one race question. Just one."

Your dad looks like he might cry from happiness. "The overtake in Brazil-"

"Which one?" Max asks with a playful smirk, and your dad launches into an enthusiastic discussion about racing lines and grip levels.

Your mom returns from the kitchen with a tray of hot chocolate and cookies, having finally accepted that she doesn't need to cook enough food for an entire F1 paddock. "Here we go. I hope it's okay, Max. YN mentioned you like hot chocolate."

"It's perfect, thank you," Max says warmly, accepting a mug.

Ruby immediately reaches for a cookie, then pauses. "Do race car drivers eat cookies?"

"Only the fast ones," Max whispers conspiratorially, making her giggle.

"Ruby, give Max some space to breathe," your mom says gently, noticing how your sister is practically in his lap.

"It's fine," Max assures her. "I have nephews. I'm used to it."

Ruby beams at this information. "Really? Do they like Frozen too?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure they'd love to hear your explanation of it," he says, and Ruby launches into another detailed plot summary.

You catch your mom watching the interaction with soft eyes, all her earlier panic forgotten. She meets your gaze and mouths 'He's wonderful' when Ruby isn't looking.

Your dad has moved on from Brazil to discussing tire strategies, but stops himself mid-sentence. "Sorry, I'm probably boring you. You live this stuff."

"Not at all," Max says sincerely. "It's nice talking about it with someone who understands racing. YN usually just tells me to stop being a nerd when I talk about tire compounds."

"Because you spent two hours explaining the difference between C3 and C4 compounds!" you defend yourself.

"It's fascinating stuff," your dad says eagerly, and Max nods in agreement.

"Oh no, there's two of them now," you mutter to your mom, who laughs.

Ruby tugs on Max's sleeve. "Can we watch Frozen now? Please? You promised!"

"Ruby, let Max rest a bit," your mom starts, but Max shakes his head.

"A promise is a promise," he says solemnly to Ruby. "Should we watch it now?"

Ruby squeals with delight, jumping up to get the remote. Your dad looks slightly disappointed that his racing talk is being cut short, but you can see him hiding a smile at Ruby's excitement.

"Fair warning," you whisper to Max as Ruby sets up the movie, "she knows every word. And she will sing along."

"As long as she doesn't expect me to sing," he whispers back.

"MAX!" Ruby calls, patting the spot next to her on the floor where she's arranged pillows. "You have to sit here! It's the best spot!"

Max obliges, settling down next to her while you stay on the couch, exchanging amused looks with your parents as Ruby starts the movie, already mouthing along to the opening music.

Your mom leans over to you. "I'm sorry we didn't believe you," she whispers. "He's lovely. And so good with Ruby."

"I told you," you whisper back, watching as Ruby explains to Max why Elsa has ice powers.

Your dad joins in the whispered conversation. "Think he'd sign my mug collection later?"

"Dad!"

"What? I'm just saying, Christmas cards would be sorted for the next few years…"

You're about to respond when Ruby shushes you all loudly. "This is the best part!"

Max catches your eye and winks, clearly enjoying himself despite being roped into a Disney movie viewing with a very enthusiastic seven-year-old commentator. Your heart swells watching him with your family, how naturally he fits in, how gentle he is with Ruby.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Ruby starts singing along with the movie.

"Later, Rubes," you promise. "Let's watch the movie first."

She nods seriously, then turns to Max. "Pay attention to this part. It's very important."

"I won't miss a second," he promises, and Ruby beams at him before turning back to the screen.

Your mom reaches over and squeezes your hand, giving you a knowing look. Even your dad has stopped thinking about racing long enough to appreciate the moment – his youngest daughter sharing her favorite movie with your boyfriend, who happens to be the F1 driver he's been fan-boying over for years.

It's perfect, you think, watching your family and Max together. Different from how you imagined telling them, but perfect nonetheless.

"Shh!" Ruby whispers loudly. "Elsa is about to sing Let It Go!"

Max shoots you a slightly panicked look as Ruby starts to stand up, clearly ready to perform the whole number. You just grin and shrug. After all, you did warn him about the singing.

Later that evening, you finally manage to steal a moment alone with Max. Ruby had fallen asleep during the third replay of Frozen, and your parents took her up to bed before retreating to the kitchen to finish some Christmas preparations.

You find Max on the back porch, leaning against the railing and looking up at the stars. The winter air is crisp, and you can see his breath forming little clouds in the darkness. Quietly, you step out and wrap your arms around him from behind, pressing your cheek against his back.

"Hey," he says softly, turning in your arms to face you. His hands find their way to your waist, pulling you closer. "Needed a little break from being Elsa?"

You laugh quietly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from his forehead. "You were amazing with Ruby today. I think you're officially her new favorite person."

"She's a sweet kid," he smiles, then adds with a playful glint in his eyes, "Though I didn't expect to watch Frozen two times in one day."

"Just wait until tomorrow. She'll probably want to act it out."

He groans dramatically, but you can see the fondness in his expression. "The things I do for you."

"Mmm, and I appreciate every one of them," you murmur, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him softly.

Max responds immediately, one hand moving to cup your face while the other pulls you even closer. The kiss is gentle and unhurried, full of unspoken emotions. When you finally pull back, he rests his forehead against yours.

"Thank you," you whisper.

"For what?"

"For being so perfect with my family. For watching Frozen multiple times. For not running away when my dad started his racing commentary."

He chuckles, the sound rumbling in his chest. "I like your family. Your dad's racing knowledge is impressive, your mom's trying very hard not to mother me to death, and Ruby…" he pauses, smiling. "Ruby reminds me of Victoria at that age."

You snuggle closer, seeking his warmth in the cold air. "I was so nervous about telling them, and then even more nervous when they didn't believe me. But this… this is better than I imagined."

"Even with your dad asking me to sign his entire Red Bull merchandise collection?"

"Hey, at least he waited until after dinner," you laugh. "Though I'm pretty sure he's in there right now planning which items to bring out first."

Max wraps his arms more securely around you, pressing a kiss to your temple. "I love you," he says quietly, and your heart skips a beat like it does every time he says those words.

"I love you too," you reply, tilting your face up for another kiss.

This one is deeper, more passionate, until you hear the back door creak and quickly step apart.

"Oh!" your mom exclaims, looking flustered. "Sorry, I just… wanted to ask about breakfast preferences… but it can wait… carry on!"

She disappears back inside, and you both burst into quiet laughter.

"We should probably go back in," you sigh, though you make no move to leave his embrace.

"Probably," he agrees, but instead of letting go, he pulls you back for one more kiss. "Five more minutes?"

You smile against his lips. "Five more minutes."

In the quiet of Christmas eve, wrapped in each other's arms, you can't help but think how perfectly he fits into your life, into your family, into your heart. Tomorrow there'll be more Frozen, more racing talk, more of Ruby's endless questions, but right now, it's just the two of you, and it's everything.

The winter sun is just beginning to peek through the curtains of your childhood bedroom, casting a soft golden glow across the room. You're wrapped in warmth, nestled against Max's chest with his arm draped around your waist. His steady breathing tells you he's awake before he even moves.

"Good morning," he murmurs against your neck, his voice still rough with sleep. His lips brush against your skin, sending shivers down your spine.

"Morning," you whisper back, feeling his hand slowly slide beneath your sleep shirt, his fingers tracing patterns on your skin.

"Sleep well?" he asks innocently, but his actions are anything but innocent as he presses closer, leaving a trail of kisses from your shoulder to your ear.

"Max," you breathe, caught between wanting to lean into his touch and knowing you should stop. "We can't… my parents…"

"Then we'll have to be very, very quiet," he whispers, nipping at your earlobe. His hand travels higher under your shirt, making your breath hitch.

You turn in his arms, ready to either give in or properly protest - though the way he's looking at you, eyes dark with desire and that signature smirk playing on his lips, makes you lean heavily toward the former.

"You're trouble," you murmur, reaching up to run your fingers through his disheveled hair.

He leans down to capture your lips in a heated kiss. "You love it."

Just as his hand starts to wander again, a voice pierces through the quiet morning:

"IT'S CHRISTMAAAAS!" Ruby's excited scream echoes through the entire house, followed by the thundering of small feet running down the hallway. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! SANTA CAME!"

Max drops his forehead to your shoulder with a frustrated groan. "Your sister has impeccable timing."

"Welcome to Christmas with Ruby," you laugh, pressing a consoling kiss to his cheek. "I tried to warn you."

"YN! MAX!" Ruby's fists pound on your door. "GET UP! There are presents EVERYWHERE! And it SNOWED!"

"Five more minutes, Rubes!" you call back.

"NO MINUTES! NOW!" she insists, continuing to knock. "Mom said breakfast is ready and Dad made hot chocolate and I SAW A HUGE PRESENT WITH MY NAME ON IT!"

Max chuckles against your shoulder. "I suppose we should…"

"PLEASE!" Ruby calls again. "I promise I'll let you drink your coffee first!"

"That's quite the offer from her," you tell Max. "She usually doesn't allow any delays on Christmas morning."

"We're coming, Ruby!" Max calls out, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. "Give us two minutes to get dressed."

"TWO MINUTES! I'm counting!"

You can hear her dramatically counting down in the hallway, making Max laugh. "She's serious about this, isn't she?"

"Oh, you have no idea."

The living room is a festival of color and chaos when you finally make it downstairs. Ruby's bouncing by the tree in her Christmas pajamas, while your parents are settled on the couch with steaming mugs of coffee.

"Finally!" Ruby exclaims. "I counted way past two minutes!"

"Sorry, princess," Max says, accepting a coffee mug from your mom. "But I'm here now."

"Max, sweetheart, you really didn't have to get us anything," your mom says, noticing the pile of presents he'd arranged under the tree last night.

"Of course I did," he replies warmly. "It's Christmas."

Ruby's practically vibrating with excitement as your dad starts distributing gifts. "Can I open mine from Max first? Please?"

At your nod, she tears into the elaborate wrapping paper, gasping when she reveals a beautiful wooden chest with golden details. "It's like a treasure chest!"

"Open it," Max encourages, smiling.

Ruby lifts the lid carefully, her eyes widening. Inside is a complete collection of princess dresses, each one a perfect replica from different Disney movies, along with matching accessories and a tiara for each one.

"The chest is magical," Max explains, kneeling beside her. "Every time you open it, there might be a new surprise inside. And look at this…" He reaches in and pulls out a small envelope.

Ruby opens it to find a letter with the Disney castle letterhead. "Dear Princess Ruby," she reads aloud, her voice getting more excited with each word. "You are cordially invited to spend a royal weekend at Disney World, where you will have a private breakfast with all the Disney princesses…"

She doesn't even finish reading before launching herself at Max, nearly knocking him over. "Thank you thank you thank you! Can I try on the Elsa dress right now?"

"After presents," your mom laughs. "Let's see what else Santa brought."

Your dad opens his gift next, finding an envelope that makes him pause. "Son," he says, voice thick with emotion as he reads the contents. "This is…"

"VIP passes to the British Grand Prix," Max confirms. "Including garage access, grid walk, everything."

Your dad has to sit down, clutching the passes like they might disappear. "This is… I can't…"

"And this," Max hands him another package, "is just a little something extra."

Inside is a vintage racing jacket from your dad's favorite driver from the 80s, signed and authenticated. Your dad actually tears up.

Your mom opens her gift next, despite protesting again that Max shouldn't have gotten them anything. She unwraps a beautiful pair of earrings.

"Oh, Max," she whispers, "This is beautiful."

Ruby, who has been surprisingly patient, tugs at Max's sleeve. "Can we do my princess breakfast now?"

"After we finish presents," you laugh. "And maybe we should have real breakfast first?"

"But I'm a princess now," she declares. "Princesses have special breakfast times."

Your mom shakes her head fondly. "How about pancakes fit for a princess?"

"With chocolate chips?" Ruby negotiates.

"With chocolate chips," your mom confirms. "Max, honey, how do you like your pancakes?"

"However they're made is perfect," he assures her, but your mom is already heading to the kitchen, muttering about making sure she has enough chocolate chips.

Your dad finally finds his voice again. "Max, this is too much…"

"It's not," Max says firmly. "You're… you're family now. Or at least, I hope…"

He glances at you meaningfully, making your heart skip a beat.

Later, after pancakes and multiple princess dress changes from Ruby, you manage to steal some time alone with Max in your favorite spot on the back porch. The morning sun has warmed the air slightly, but there's still a crisp winter chill that gives you an excuse to stay close to him.

"Your turn," Max says softly, pulling out a small wrapped box from his pocket.

Your hands tremble slightly as you unwrap it, revealing a velvet jewelry box. Inside is a delicate silver necklace with two intertwined pendants - a heart and a tiny racing helmet.

"Max," you breathe, touching the pendants gently. "It's beautiful."

"Look at the back," he says quietly, his voice carrying a note of nervousness you rarely hear.

You turn the heart over to find an engraving: "You're my biggest victory. -MV"

"I love you," you whisper, pulling him down for a kiss. His arms wrap around you, holding you close as if you're the most precious thing in his world.

When you finally part, you hand him your gift - a wrapped box that makes him raise his eyebrows at the weight.

Inside, he finds a handmade scrapbook filled with your personal moments - sneaky paddock kisses, quiet mornings at home, victory celebrations, and candid moments no one else has seen. The final page holds a photo from yesterday - Max on the floor with Ruby, both laughing during their third viewing of Frozen.

"This is…" he starts, voice thick with emotion.

"Wait," you say softly, reaching into your pocket. You pull out a key on a simple keychain. "I thought… maybe… if you wanted…"

"Move in with you?" he finishes, breaking into that brilliant smile that never fails to make your heart race. "Yes. Absolutely yes."

He pulls you into another kiss, deeper this time, one hand cradling the back of your head while the other holds the key carefully.

"MAX!" Ruby's voice carries from inside. "I need help with my Cinderella shoes! And then we have to build a snowman! A FROZEN snowman!"

You both laugh against each other's lips.

"Duty calls, Elsa," you tease.

"Only if you'll be my Olaf," he grins, pressing one more quick kiss to your lips.

"Always," you promise, letting him lead you back inside where Ruby waits, already changed into her third princess dress of the morning.

Your dad catches your eye as you pass, "If you don't marry this boy," he whispers, "I will."

"Dad!"

"I'm just saying," he shrugs, then heads outside to join the snowman-building committee.

Your mom appears at your other side, wrapping an arm around you. "He's right, you know. He's perfect for you."

You lean your head on her shoulder, watching Max let Ruby direct him on where to place the snowman's arms. "I know," you smile. "I know."

"Best Christmas ever?" she asks softly.

Looking at your family, and Max in the middle of it all, belonging there like he's always been part of it - you smile.

"Best Christmas ever," you agree.

[impactedfates]

Hello it's me so I decided to change up my idea a little. So here's what I thought, the reader is a quiet, humble and kind person and is engaged to Dan Heng but the readers evil mother and sister along with their neglectful father decided to kidnap them and try to force them to leave Dan Heng but they refused because Dan Heng made them feel like they actually belonged somewhere and they also knew that Dan Heng would save them. This all occurred not long after Dan Heng went to the readers family home with March and Caelus after he officially became engaged to the reader, The reason the three of them were even there was because Dan Heng wanted them to sincerely apologize for all the pain and suffering they put his fiance through. (This was inspired by the Netflix anime My Happy Marriage and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight)

★ A/N: Finally got to this request! My apologies for taking so long to start this, I hope you enjoy it :D

☆ Genre/Trope: Romantic + Hurt/Comfort (?)

★ Format: Fic (W.C: 1594)

☆ Warnings: Reader is kidnapped // Implied abuse from readers family // (Any I missed, please inform me)

★ Extra: I don't know much about My Happy Marriage but I hope this was written well even so // Reader is shorter then Dan Heng, only slightly though // Modern-ish AU? // Characters in this are probably OOC, I'm sorry

"I Belong With You" - Dan Heng x GN! Reader

“Your family is so stuck up!”

March complained, crossing her arms as she arrived home with you, Dan Heng and Caelus. Caelus patted her back but it was clear with his expression he wasn’t happy how the meeting with your parents turned out. You rubbed your arms a bit, looking down.

“I’m sor-”

“It’s not your fault”

Your fiance, Dan Heng quickly said, looking at you softly. Holding onto your hand gently and rubbing his thumb along your fingers, he pulled you a bit closer. Trying his best to reassure you as March and Caelus went into the kitchen to prepare some dinner as no one really ate when they were visiting your old childhood home.

“It won’t ever be your fault for how your parents were acting today and how they were acting when you were younger. If your family refused to apologise for what they did no matter what I, March or Caelus said. Then that’s on them. Never blame yourself for the actions of someone else”

Dan Heng said softly into your ear, gently rubbing the back of your head. Although he may not be the best at comforting someone, you can tell he always tries his best. And his words did make you feel better, snuggling into him more, he planted a small kiss to your forehead.

It was Dan Hengs idea to head over with you. You had gotten a letter from your parents requesting you to come over. You could only guess it was because your sister had found out about your engagement with Dan Heng. Whatever the reason, you went to visit, and your fiance was insistent on coming with you. You never went into great detail about how your parents were like or how you were treated. How neglectful your father was and the pain you suffered due to your mother and your sister.

Dan Heng never pried, even when your family acted so sweet and kind when you arrived with your fiance and 2 of your friends. But he couldn’t ignore what he heard or witnessed when your mother requested to talk to you in private, how your sister was quick to follow and the uneasy look you had. He had to check, and hearing the harsh things they told you didn’t make him happy.

He had to tell March and Caelus, which resulted in an argument. While Dan Heng tried to be calmer, trying to explain how their actions weren’t right. And with March and Caelus helping, it made your parents and sister extremely defensive. At the end of it, March had stormed out as it was clear to her that your family wasn’t going to listen. Caelus quickly followed suit and it left you and Dan Heng staring at your parents. Eventually the two of you also left, leaving the unfinished dinner on the table to grow even colder than the atmosphere that had been created.

You listened to the bickering of the pink haired girl and the grey haired man as they attempted to cook your favourite meal to make you feel better, and the soothing voice of your partner. When it was time to finally eat, you were quick to check your phone which had been on silent. You’ve received dozens upon dozens of messages and missed calls from each individual of your family. With a shaky hand you were quick enough to block them. It was better to not think of them when all they did was cause pain to you anyways. Besides, you belong with the express family now. No need to see your family again.

.

.

.

But perhaps your parents didn’t agree with that. At night, you lay awake as Dan Heng was fast asleep beside you on your shared bed. Still your mind was spiralling in what had happened. Getting up, you decide to get a cup of water and take a walk outside, leaving a note about your where-a-bouts unsure when you’d be able to clear your head.

You weren’t even sure how long you’ve been walking, but eventually something hard had hit the back of your head and you blacked out. Only waking up when a bright light flashed into your eyes, and once your eyes adjusted they grew wide as you saw your sisters grin.

“Finally sleeping beauty…if you even fit that description”

She giggled, quickly motioning for someone to come over, your mother slowly walked into your perspective looking at you. Still with no care or love in her eyes as she stared into yours.

“The ropes might be tight, but it’s a must. Knowing you, you’d be trying to run and scream in hysterics. You really shouldn’t be hanging out with those people sweetheart”

It was only then that you realised the ropes tying your hands behind your back. Attaching you to a pole. You recognized the area as the basement that you grew all too familiar with as a child. You moved back the best you could with them, when the last statement your mother said really registered into your head.

“...What’s that meant to mean?”

“March 7th, she’s way too loud. That Caelus is too dirty, has anyone taught him manners? Don’t get me started on your so called fia-”

“Don’t insult them like that”

You defended quickly, looking at her. Your sister eyed you and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she took the spotlight, speaking up.

“Mothers right. He’s strange in his own right…somehow he still deserves better then you though”

She laughed, as your mother laughed alongside the “joke” she made. You quickly shook your head. Looking at them. You were not about to lose someone that actually makes you feel loved, cared for, the one you belonged to. The one you should be with.

“I’m not leaving him”

You muttered out, loud enough for the two of them to turn their heads and look at you. Your mother narrowing her eyes as she walked over, you looked away and quickly repeated yourself, but it seemed like your mother didn’t care. Not like you expected her too. The two of them continued trying to convince you to break the marriage off with Dan Heng. It started off with simple sentences to make you feel worse about yourself, to make it feel like you didn’t deserve Dan Heng. But the more you refused to listen, the more they started to get more violent in their words.

Until your father came downstairs, spotting you he could only glance at you for a second before telling the girls that dinner was ready. He didn’t bother sparing you another glance as he walked back upstairs.

.

.

.

“Where is my fiance.”

Dan Heng demanded, looking at your father. If looks could kill, Caelus would bet that your father would’ve dropped dead by now. He looked back at the man as he continued trying to deny your whereabouts. March was quick to speak up.

“Oh stop your yapping, we know YOU know where they went. So tell us now”

“Maybe they realised they didn’t deserve you and left”

The sister called, popping her head out from behind the older man. She had a shit-eating grin as she looked at the three annoyed trailblazers. Caelus rolled his eyes at the girl's attempt to “sweeten” the mood if you could even call it that and continued looking intently at the father.

“They left a note saying they were on a walk, and now they’re not back. It’s been hours. And I know you had something to do with it”

Dan Heng said, his patience wearing thin as your father tried to dismiss him once again. The vidyadhara took a deep breath in and out before, without another word. Shoving past the father and was quick to attempt to look for you. March in a panic, not expecting what had happened to happen, was quick to jump on the sister and hold her on the ground as Caelus decided to do the same with the father.

“Darling?”

He called out, hoping you were near enough to hear him, and eventually he heard a voice from behind one of the doors. A voice that belonged to you. He was quick to rush in and find you tied up. You looked at him and tried your best to get closer despite your restraints, he was quick to rush over and help free your arms. Once checking you were okay. You hugged him tightly. Softly crying into his shoulder as he held you close.

.

.

.

The events that transpired after? Your mother had heard the commotion and went to call the police for a breaking in and entering crime, but when they arrived and got statements, they checked cameras. They were quick to arrest your family instead. This didn’t mean your friends were exactly safe from punishment as they did break in, but it did mean they got a light punishment as they did it for good reason.

Still, even after all that. Dan Hengs main concern was you, rightfully so as well. Even if it were for only just a day you were gone. He couldn’t bear to see you hurt or gone. Laying in bed, he had his arms wrapped around you, whispering sweet nothings into your ear after you explained what happened, your side personally.

Soon enough, his voice was enough to lure you into sleep, and as the land of dreams was slowly arriving, you heard Dan Heng say one last thing.

“I’ll always be with you, and I’ll always protect you.

Because I belong with you”

I'm not too happy with how this one turned out but I hope this was enjoyable sob. I wasn't sure if what I written would fit in the HSR timeline or is more modern AU. Hence, "Modern-ish" if you have a better word then feel free to tell me so I can put it in ^^

[zer0-devoox]

My opinion of the ending of Murder Drones (which no one asked for but screw you)

Ugh... Okay, I've been putting off this post for a while, but here it is. I've heard many mixed opinions, "that it was a rushed ending" "that it was the best ending of the animation" and blah blah, well, this is my opinion.

It was... An ending.

X: Lmao, of course it was an ending girl, explain yourself

What I want to say is that we need to put ourselves in context a little, look people. Reality is what it is, Murder drones it was. A. Experiment. Those at Glich told Liam that they will develop the story in eight chapters to see how the project fares, and in the first chapters it looked as if they had a second season planned, only then the amazing digital circus arrived and even though it hurts...

AND NOT! I don't want to say that it's THADC's fault, much less @gooseworx I'm a follower of that series, I love the concept and I wish both series could have forty seasons as far as I'm concerned, but unfortunately, we're not Netflix, we're not Disney ( Thank God)

There were good parts and bad parts, scenes that I loved like N and Uzi formalizing their relationship in some strange way (although I wanted a kiss) and also really scary scenes, like Cyn giving Tessa's voice, and without going any further I am traumatized with a incoming call.

---Were there things to improve/that I didn't like?

Of course yes, for example the climax, yes, yes, I see people saying that Cyn was nerfed but that we are going to make the difficulty of creating such powerful characters, I guess.

One thing that bothered me was the treatment of other characters other than N or Uzi, for example Khan, Nori, or any other sequence, the one that annoys me the most, Lizzy, who is not a character I like, in fact I hate her, but at the very least he could have received SOME consequence for his actions, someone will come out and say that he had his development in the dance chapter, but I don't see it that way, I don't know, say you.

O thad who is top best characters and I love him

--DON'T MAKE ME TALK ABOUT J PLIS---

And what hurts me the most... V

What? Did you think I wasn't even going to talk about her? Well you're wrong!

I feel like the series struggled a lot to develop N and Uzi individually while also developing their relationship, but speaking of V... His development fell short.

I don't want to go on for too long (if you want a deeper analysis of the character, tell me and I'll do it) V had a very serious change from his personality in the mansion to the beginning of everything that happened in Cooper 9, becoming someone more sadistic and aggressive Since murder was her "job" in chapter eight we found out that she knew that Tessa was Cyn, but she was under changate (practically she and N each had a rifle in their heads, for God's sake)

The first time I saw the scene where V tearfully confesses everything to N, it broke me, I admit. But in retrospect, I feel like it wasn't enough. It was good to show the sensitive side of V that we were seeing through the impenetrable diva mask, but she herself tells Cyn that she "still can" which doesn't convince me.

I loved chapter six, it's simply one of my favorites, because with all the reasons to leave Uzi where Alice had them, he chose to save her.

Damn!

He defended her to tooth and nail, he seemed like a beast with -Tessa- and with N, he literally didn't want anyone to touch Uzi because she was hurt, without going any further

his damn last words were for her!

I loved that scene because literally and symbolically V took a step forward to break the block of ice that the two of they had placed in front of each other since chapter two, this is when V first calls her by her name, not cyn, not purple thing, not parasite... Uzi, just that.

And it bothers me that this was completely ignored in chapter eight (I mean, not completely but it was not given the value it deserved) From the bottom of my heart I would have wanted V to apologize to Uzi for everything he had done, for Uzi to somehow thank her and also apologize (because Uzi also almost killed her)

I know that neither of the two characters are the most emotional thing in the world, but I only ask for three dialogues, not a kiss and an emotional thirty-minute speech (which wouldn't have been bad either)

And spoken of the devil... The time

raised the hand who imagined that chapter eight would last (minimum) an hour. Because im yes, I feel that the ending was rushed, don't get me wrong, the final fight was beautiful, with framing shots and very very epic with the background theme. But, I don't know. I think that another ten minutes just to complete the developments, explain the unresolved doubts and give seriousness to some things was worth it (*cough, cough* Doll)

Anyway, this post already seems like a Twitter statement...

I love murder drones.

there isn't a joke that doesn't make me laugh or an emotional scene that doesn't make me cry, I wish with all my might for a second season of this series so much. potential, but it is what it is.

Anyway, I have a little faith in a spin-off or a continuation in some way because of the fucking open ending, nothing and no one is going to stop me from continuing to love these schizophrenic robots, or from continuing to ship my weird ships, far from it. to play eternal dreams at the faculty parties.

Leave your opinions in the comments or reblogs, I'll be reading them! And if you want V's analysis, say so! maybe we could reach 200 notes?? Who knows? Bey-bey devils don't get lost.

[pinkeoni]

The Great Jonathan Byers Conspiracy

(Or, Jonathan was framed and I'm going to prove it)

So I started a rewatch of the show and I'm on episode two of s1. I get to the part towards the end where Jonathan is taking photos of Nancy. So I think "Okay. This is the part where we see Jonathan take a photo of Nancy topless, right? We see him notice Nancy take her top off and then raise the camera to take another photo, right?"

But that's not what happened

The scene happens as follows. We see Jonathan snap a photo of Nancy— with her shirt on— before the scene cuts inside of Steve's room.

Nancy then removes her top. Nancy and Steve start making out and we cut back to Jonathan who lowers his camera.

This is the part where I expected Jonathan to lift his camera up and start taking more pictures. That's how I remember it happening. But no, we instead see Jonathan focus his attention back to the pool and snap a picture of Barb instead.

So what the hell? Am I being gaslit?

I remember so distinctly a moment where we see Jonathan consciously raise the camera to take another picture of her topless, and yet it's not there. I do still want to clarify however, that the topless photo of Nancy does still exist. We see it clearly in the following episode. So yes, Jonathan did still take a photo of Nancy topless, we just don't see him take it.

But according to a lot of people online, we did see it, the Duffer Brothers just removed it.

I remember hearing about this when it first cropped up, which was partially prompted by the Duffers joking to "George Lucas" Will's birthday in season 2, which they never ended up doing anyway. They also stated on Twitter that no scene had ever been digitally edited, and didn't plan to in the future.

So the Duffers must be lying, right? Otherwise why how would so many people remember seeing that scene? I guess there’s no way to be sure without a DVD or Blu-Ray of the show.

But wait, I have a DVD of season one. I got it for Christmas! But I’m staying at my parents house and I don’t feel like driving three hours just to prove a point. I guess all is lost for the moment.

Unless…

It was at this part of my spiraling that I sent a crazed two minute voice memo at 11:00 at night to my roommate and good friend @lemonsoured filling him in on my conspiracy, and then leaving instructions to go downstairs, locate my season one DVD on the living room shelf, put the DVD into my PS4, go to the end of episode two and take a phone recording of the scene in question.

And lo and behold, the scene of Jonathan taking pictures of Nancy, exactly as it appears on Netflix.

So I am aware that in the video there isn’t much to indicate that this is in fact a recording of the DVD and not a recording of the Netflix version, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. But still, ask any DVD or Blu-Ray owner for what is on their disk, and I can garuntee that they’ll all give the same answer.

Because the shot of Jonathan taking the photo of Nancy never existed. The Duffers aren’t lying. The masses collectively lied to themeselves.

But how did this happen? How did a massive audience full of people, including myself, come to believe that there was a moment of Jonathan consciously taking that photo?

I’ll tell you why. It was a psyop to defame character!

Usually when a new season of Stranger Things rolls around, there comes the flow of comments on twitter saying “Hey, remember when Jonathan took a photo of Nancy changing and now she’s in a relationship with him?” which is usually done in the name of trying to bring down Jonathan and build up Steve.

And I’m not doing this to try to claim that Jonathan is a completely innocent baby who actually did nothing wrong. After all, the topless photo does still exist and as @notmybabies pointed out in the replies of one of posts, Jonathan chose to go through the process of developing it anyway. So he’s not completely off the hook. If the Duffers did want to eradicate Jonathan’s faults, then they would have digitally edited the topless Nancy photo to a different one, something that would have been possible.

But you ever notice how it’s always “Jonathan is a creep” and never “Steve called Nancy a slut and Jonathan a queer?”

I adore Steve, but what I’m trying to see is people seem to try and diminish the depth and complications of both of these characters, and it usually results in fans making Jonathan out to be a sex depraved pervert who has always had it out for Nancy, while Steve is their angel who could do no wrong. Steve couldn’t have had a good redemption arc if there wasn’t a place for him to grow from!

They never want to acknowledge that Jonathan was a lonely kid who made a bad mistake which he apologized for while looking for his brother and that Steve was a different person before he decided to change. Eliminating these character’s depths is eliminating what makes them interesting characters! Neither are completely pure and neither are completely evil!!

So in conclusion:

[fillingthescrapbook]

Let's Talk About: A Man on the Inside

I wish there were more shows like this.

A Man on the Inside is about a man, Charles, who tries to find a new purpose after the loss of his wife. Prompted by his daughter to look for a new activity, he stumbles into becoming a "spy" for a private investigator looking into a robbery inside an elder-care facility. What follows is a study on loneliness, on community, and our struggle in reconciling our idea of who we are and who we actually become.

Coming into A Man on the Inside, I was prepared to like the show. It's from Michael Schur, creator of The Good Place…which is a show I loved. And still love. It stars a handful of actors whose work I enjoy: Ted Danson (of the aforementioned The Good Place), Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and Eugene Cordero (Loki). And, I didn't know this prior to watching the show, it also has Karen Chee--whose work on Late Night with Seth Meyers I enjoyed--as one of the writers.

This was a show that would need to fuck up so badly for me to dislike it. And it didn't. Fuck up, I mean. Which is obvious. But, bear with me, I am a little rusty on writing down my thoughts. Anyway. Going back.

A Man on the Inside is the perfect blend of earnest and sincere and funny and dramatic that I really enjoy. It took a little bit of effort to erase Ted Danson's character from The Good Place at the start, sure--but that's mostly because the two characters dress a little similarly. But I don't fault the stylists here. Neither of the characters would dress differently. And by the end of the first episode, you can pretty much separate Charles from Michael (Danson's TGP character).

The mystery itself, as well as the main plot of the whole show, is not complicated. By which I mean to say: it's not simple--it's just not convoluted for the sake of keeping audiences guessing. The show's real focus is Charles and the connections he makes and fosters. And I love that it's more character-oriented and less plot-focused. Which, I realize as I write that, might also push some people away.

But it really works for A Man on the Inside. Because, as I said, the point of the show isn't to find out whodunnit but whytheydunnit. And you don't get a satisfying why if you don't get to understand who the characters are.

I also really like how respectful the show is of the characters. They're introduced as broad strokes, but none of them are written to be jokes. Everyone contains multitudes even when they're not as featured as others.

And I realize now that I'm just rambling now. It's not that I don't want to spoil anything. I don't think spoilers can ruin the experience of watching this show. I just… I like this show a lot. And I really want to convey that and I feel like I'm doing a very bad job.

Also, I know that most people would've scrolled past this by now and I'm probably just talking to an empty void. But I still want that void to know that this show is worth watching. This show is worth emulating. (Not copy. Emulate.) And I hope the void gives it a try. Especially because the show was green-lit for a second season. Which is not something Netflix does often nowadays.

[vani-is-typing]

the umbrella academy, it says. final season coming august 8, it says. then why isn't it HERE YET?! BECAUSE GUESS WHAT SUCKAS, IT IS. AUGUST. FUCKING. EIGHT!

seriously what's the deal, people? i woke up this morning with this sole goal in mind that i was going to devour the final season of tua today, and then i wake up and open netflix and it's just not there. and okay, maybe it just hasn't premiered because of my time zone yet, but i'm still mad because i couldn't see it as soon as i woke up, which is what i'd been uselessly hyping myself up about since yesterday. if only i was in a better time zone. that's fine though, it's not anyone's fault. i'm just really looking forward to watching the last season, and the anticipation is eating me alive. fingers crossed that it premieres soon, and hopefully i'll be back on here with something great to say.

[macchiatosdumptruck]

As horny as I am for silver and larusso (and them together obvs.), I just want to state for the record that if ck still had S1 quality (which still had real characters), the show would be building up to Daniel forgiving Silver, (and for Johnny to ask Robbie for forgiveness, etc, though ofc Johnny never did anything wrong ever), because the only way to defeat him for real and to truly honor Miyagi's legacy would be actually to choose the path of forgiveness. Because while the movies have nonsensical karate tournaments, it took the characters seriously. Johnny told Daniel "you're alright", Sato repented and realized he was wrong when Chozen challanged Daniel to death, and Daniel turned away from Silver and Miyagi took him back without hesitation--and Miyagi and Daniel won every time. Idk if I'm making any sense and I'm sorry for ranting, but I guess the summary of this is: Cobra Kai has become a caricature of itself, and it sucks, because there are things still to be resolved and they won't be. Not on the same level as S1.

No, I think I get what you're saying. The movies for sure had a sort of formula that they went by. And that's not a bad thing. The very basic concept of the movies is pacifism, reaching out to people, trying to find common ground. That toxic masculinity is dangerous, and that force should be a last resort. That fighting was for honor, to protect themselves or others, when they were given no other choice.

The fight scenes in s1 and s2 seem more plausible. (School wide smack down excludes) They make more sense in the story.

But I think what happened was that when the show got bigger, and the budget got bigger, and the scope got bigger, and the new fans were wanting something exciting, and johnjoshhayden wanted to revel in badassery.

But amongst the spectacle and the Netflix money they lost the point of the story they were trying to tell, which was about the personal relationships affected by CK. It was a very small, private story.

It was Daniel and Johnny. Dealing with the legacies of their mentors. How their teaching shaped them in various ways.

And with the shift in s3 things became more about this sort of theoretical war between good and bad. And it seems obvious given the original media who the "bad" would be. And they started with that, and then dropped it. They never actually say who is good or bad. And moral ambiguity is not a bad thing for the story, and could have been done in a smart, empathetic way.

But johnjoshhayden have always related to Johnny and thought he was badass. And Johnny was CK. Which meant that CK was bad ass. And so they didn't want to commit to the whole "good/bad" dichotomy.

And so the show went from a character study to an action/comedy show. But also it started getting progressively more mean spirited towards Daniel and miyagi-do, for the sake of "shades of grey."

The problem is that's not the story of the TKK movies. That's not their message.

Like, johnjoshhayden can make whatever show they want to, but that's not just their show. it's connected to a franchise that already has a set universe, a set ethical code.

They already answered the question "is CK bad?" And the answer was yes.

And so, in a way it's sort of revisionism. Like. That feels like a big word for a silly karate show but that's the best I can think of.

Specifically I am thinking of how they brought Ali back in s3 and had her very vocally say "you were both equally bad. And also some of it was my fault."

When in the movie it could not be more clear that it was unprompted aggression.

They don't seem to be interested in redemption anymore because they think he did nothing wrong in the first place.

They have created a world where violence is in fact the answer, and they're writing around it to try to make it work within the logic of a famously pacifistic franchise.

I'm not sure about what alternate universe Daniel and Terry would do. If Daniel would work to forgive him if Terry learned from his wrong doings and repented. But I doubt it would involve dog cages. (I actually like that part because I'm a twisted fucking cycle path babey)

[delirious-donna]

Hiya! If you have space in your matchmaking event thingy I'd really appreciate the opportunity <3 (love love looove your writing btw!!)

Answers to your guideline question thingos:

I'd love for it to be a male My Hero Academia character pretty please (my pronouns are she/her)

It's always uncomfortable describing yourself but I shall do my best: I'm independent and blunt and curious to a fault, and reliable sources have likened having a friendship with me to owning a cat. People tend to assume I'm cold or mean at first but in reality I'm just super awkward around new people lol. In saying that, I do think bullying is a very underrated love language (when used correctly!) and there's nothing more fun than being bratty as hell when you know the other person can handle it

I cannot stop listening to Love Me Not by Ravyn Lenae, it's perfect for dancing to in the shower, or the kitchen, or just about anywhere else

My favs from different fandoms are Hoshina from Kaiju and Geto from JJK

I'm looking for love

( ˘ ³˘)♥

Thank you so much in advance! I hope you have fun with these and that they don't get too overwhelming xx

Thank you for trusting Delirious Donna’s Matchmaking Service! We have studied your information at length and the following match has been made:

Shota Aizawa

Pro Hero. Teacher at UA High. Tired man. Deadpan. Loyal as hell, even if he claims his friends annoy him. Protective. Role model. Shota tries to give off an aura of aloofness but don’t be fooled, he cares very deeply.

Shota would find your curiosity interesting though he might not comment on it outwardly. You liken yourself to a cat… well, guess who happens to love cats (even if he pretends it’s begrudgingly). Not to get too suggestive but this man can brat tame with the best of them so give him your all…

Date Options

Kitty time? Shota frequents a few different cat cafes and would love to take you to his favourite. He’ll name all the kitties roaming around and whilst he doesn’t approach any of them, somehow he will end up covered in felines because they love him

Netflix and chill? (😏) Maybe you’d prefer to stay in and relax, and Shota would appreciate a low energy evening just to get to know you better. You can choose the movie and whether you watch or not is entirely up to you

Prefer a classic? Dinner at a fancy restaurant, champagne on ice and fresh cut flowers especially for you. Whilst Shota is a lowkey kinda guy, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to treat a very special lady. Plus, if he gets to see you all dressed up for him… well, that’s a bonus he can’t overlook

Result

So, how did we do? Did the date go well and which option did you choose? Is Shota going to hear from you again or should we be letting him down gently?

Matchmaker Event - Open!

[marcholasmoth]

OSRR: 3804

i slept for a large portion of the day. bless.

however.

this also meant my back has been stiff and achy and hurts when i lie down. so i can't lie on my back and i can't sit without lumbar support.

i'm feeling every single one of my thirty-two and one-quarter years. (exactly, today, actually.)

regardless.

i slept in and scrolled on my phone for a while, blessedly not busy or needed anywhere. while joel was upstairs working on something and listening to videos as he usually does, i was chillin on my socmeds and texting leo a little bit. not hearing from him yesterday was weird, but i figure the man needs a break once in a while. but it was nice to talk to him again. i miss him.

joel in the meantime went to help a friend of ours move, and i had planned on being home so i showered, got dressed, gathered my things i needed, and came home.

i came upstairs and sat with my mom for a while, telling her the highlights of our trip. chels called us down for dinner around 6pm, which was nice. mom had made beef stew and chels heated it up when james got home, so we all sat at the table together to eat. mom also had my heat up some mashed potatoes, which was nice to have with the stew which kind of acted like gravy. i'd eat it all again in a heartbeat. it was so good.

after dinner mom and i watched a movie on netflix together which was cute but also wild. it's called the school for good and evil and it's a story about friendship and embracing your faults and trying to be a better person, i guess.

it was cute. borderline fruity, but you love to see it.

anyway, after that we watched a few episodes of ncis and decided that we'll go to the quilt store tomorrow with my aunt. from what i hear though aunt wendy isn't doing better than she was before. (she'll stop speaking in the middle of her sentence and not remember what she was saying. it's not getting better, not yet. i'm trying to remain optimistic.)

i really hope it's a case of "not yet" instead of "not at all."

yeah.

so now i'm in bed having sufficiently scrolled through jayvik twitter and now my back and hips hurt and im ready for cuddles and my hair to cooperate under threat of destruction.

[sweepweep]

So "Good Witch" is being taken off of Netflix so of course I started watching it to see if I was missing anything and I wasn't. It's one of those shows that has the potential to be good if it had better writing because it, for the most part, seems like it has some good story lines. A new doctor in town who has to basically start his clinic from scratch in a town that doesn't trust doctors because their last town doctor was an asshole after the narcissistic mayor screws the new doctor over by telling him it was fully stocked when it was barely functional while also dealing with a divorce and having full custody of his son. A son that is spoiled and trashed a person's house and skips school and his dad doesn't have the emotional availability to take care of him so their relationship is strained. They have the self-centered mayor who doesn't admit to her own faults or thinks things through (holy shit how did she become mayor?). There's another dude, Derek I think, who was acting weird for half the episode and seems like... Well I don't know if he's a shitty partner or if becoming a police officer was so important to him that he didn't want input into his decision including his partner or what but. He's a police officer! And all the people he loved, including the main characters which I haven't even talked about yet, were being assholes about it for reasons ("this is the last thing your father wanteed for you" he said accusingly) they don't really explain. I think the dude's sister implies that their dad died in service, or like a long string of family members died in service, but they don't say what happened or why I should care about this (I guess if the dad did die in service I could understand why they would have such an unsupportive attitude but still. Maybe it's the dry dialogue with no character voice behind it. When they talk it's always so stale omg no soul behind those words). There's also a new chief of police. I think he called out the mayor a few times for her bullshit so I think they're good?

Ok so the actual two main characters, the Nightingale's! Danny Phantom witch au or crossover anyone? Jk. They're... good witches... That's really all there is too them... They don't really have personalities other than being nice and being whimsical but no personality to make me care about them. Magic is barely there so for but it's just the first episode so who knows. They make it obvious that the new doctor and the witch mom are endgame but they also obvious make the doctor's son (who I am going to refer to as "Troubled Boy" from now on) and the witch daughter endgame with a childhood friend love triangle that he's obviously going to lose which is going to be awkward because if the doctor dad and witch mom get together then that means the kids are going to be step-siblings and good luck explaining that. When the witch daughter first sees the troubled boy and her childhood friend gives her a psychological profile per her REQUEST and they start looking down on him ALREADY EVEN WHEN HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET (which makes me think they do this REGULARLY and that annoys me. Especially since with the dialogue I'm not going to care about this one obvious flaw). They try to pull an "I'm not like other girls" thing but then make her show immediate interest in him despite the fact that she was looking down on him literally half a second ago. And then she's just nice the whole episode. Well ok. Both ships they're trying to pull and enemies to lovers but I don't care about them and one of the ships is a one-sided enemies to lovers thing which isn't that fun especially since the doctor kind of had a point in telling the mom witch that she shouldn't have been prescribing what at first I thought was safe nonrisky herbal remedies or like a magic potion thing but no she says she watches what proportions she puts or something which makes me think she prescribes like. Real medicine. Presumably without a license or something. I will give her credit that she is in fact good at what she does and has a point in telling the doctor that herbal remedies are also an alternative form of medicine. Also the doctor not believing in herbal remedies because they're not pills and therefore not giving his patients that option?? Like sir???? Did no one teach you about this when you DID go to medical school??????? What did you think people used before pills were made??????????

Oh WOW that sounds bland. Yeesh. I’ve never watched it to be honest, but it sounds like it tried to fit every trope into a show and failed.

I think you’re completely right in saying that it has the potential to be interesting! If only the characters were 3 dimensional. Yknow. Actual people.

This hits every stereotype and trope, I have no idea how NONE of them landed

[ontheticktick]

PLOTTED STARTER FOR @falliblexpenance - MATT MURDOCK

"Oh WOW...I guess NETFLIX contracts through the TVA to take out THEIR TRASH too, huh?"

Those had been the first words out of his mouth when he happened upon the LAWYER / SUPERHERO having been holed up in a little hideout that wasn't dissimilar to the one that he and Logan had found the FOX REJECTS.

Wade's actual mission had been given to him by B-15 herself: TO PERSONALLY ACCOUNT FOR OTHER DEADPOOLS. Apparently, the LEGENDARY PETER could only keep an eye on them for so long. The members of the DEADPOOL CORPS had become scattered, and it took quite a lot of effort to prune them all again. Both Wade and B-15 agreed that none of this could have possibly been PETER'S FAULT though.

Which was why she had ordered WADE to do it. He had a little checklist in his hand and a TemPad in his utility pouch, and he was on a mission from MARVEL G O D.

"Gotta tell ya, I saw the red suit and almost SHIT OUT SOME ORGANS. Thought you might be ME, which wouldn't be good news for ME, since I'd be forced to kill you, and I'm here more as more of a STEVE IRWIN type to document the Deadpool Corps, not a JIMMY JOHN LIAUTAUD type to KILL THEM ALL before opening an overrated sandwich chain."

The Merc shrugged. "Can't be helped though, it's just the Deadpools' NATURAL INSTINCT to kill." He begun making his way towards Matt then. "Anywhozles, I'm MARVEL JESUS. And I know that means something to you because you're CATHOLIC. So, my child...come with me, and be DAREDEVIL : BORN AGAIN. A Disney Property."

He pulled out the TemPad and, glad that he knew how to USE IT this time, he opened a portal back to his timeline. "Come on, let's get goin', only so long the TVA is gonna let the INSANE lead the BLIND." He made a motion with his arm while tapping his foot. "I know you can hear how IMPATIENT I am. And I'm not being ableist, bee-tee-dubs. My roommate is blind. BLIND AL to be exact. She loves cocaine."

[willel]

Ofc, I assume that the events of the play will be briefly mentioned in S5, either by quick flashbacks (like the Creels’ in S4) or dialogues like between Nancy and Eddie’s uncle or Victor. Trefry said that’s the plan but didn’t specify which events of the play will be presented in S5. I see your point but it’d look equally absurd if S5 plainly contradicts the play and ignores the interactions it added between the characters. I think people don’t realize that the play isnt just some non canon novel or comics, the whole team has been massively invested in it, and netflix too.

I know exactly what the play is and who was involved. Before the play even released, I said if there were contradictions between the play and the show, then I would have no choice but to throw out the contradicting parts of the play in favor of what the show has shown us so far.

There are direct indisputable contradictions between the show and the play so again, unless they're going to do something to make the play widely available to the public outside of London, then it's absurd to expect the general audience to know about it or expect it to show up in the show itself. Maybe you've seen the play yourself but I sure haven't. The only reason we know about it for the most part is because people ignored the "Don't post spoilers online!" request from the people running the play.

I have no problem believing most of the stuff in the play will be just as irrelevant as the novels or comics because the contradictions in it are just as clear cut.

From everything I've heard about the play, Joyce's role in Henry's story isn't even a major point of the play. Like yeah it happens, they vaguely know each other, she tells him she doesn't think it's his fault, etc.

But I don't feel that connection is necessary nor do I think it is required to make Joyce relevant in the plot. She's already extremely relevant just by being who she is in relation to two of the titular characters of the cast and as a good mother, which Henry clearly hates.

As much as I love theory crafting, I guess I'm just not super font of prequels trying to make two characters know each other somehow when they don't gotta which is probably why I'm just personally not on board with that being Joyce's connection to this particular plot when I feel like she's already deeply connected.

Vecna/Henry knows her face. They've met face to face. He's screamed at her and choked her using Will's body. He's probably seen every single memory Will has of her. Like, the concept of "mom" is so intertwined in Henry's story. In El's story. In Will's story. It's all already there.

[marlonblognotes]

5-27-25

10:16 PM

Cranston, RI

Rumour is Lily Collins was being physically tortured by an unknown group here and there for months. Rumour NOW is that it was an illegal branch of... The C.I.A.!

Apparently Lily might've thought that I was the one organizing it, and that's why she did some of the attacks, including the sexual jealousy ones? Ummm... my first instinct was to say okay I guess that's not her fault, but then again there're OTHER attacks you can do. Also, did anybody mislead her into thinking this or did she, like many, just blame me automatically? Rumour is this includes making the blowjob vid. I think this might be why others knew I REALLY wouldn't care about her in the end. If I just imagine her personality like being one of the other attackers who won't stop and keep making illogical attacks constantly it makes sense. I think the story I was fed abt her personality might've misled me as well. The thing is, if Lily had feelings of infatuation towards me but knew as well that I wouldn't ever like her in the end, it makes even more sense. That's the kind of thing somebody like that in that situation would do. She'd attack to fulfill whatever other goals she had, but also do things to try and squeeze any kinda reciprocation out of the situation. lol, ew! Yes, it's true, I like her less and less.

heheh, lmao, I have a secret to tell you. I'm being affected by all kindsa "psionic" attacks that're making me feel this way more intensely, but I just did a "mood experiment" to check, and despite all this I can imagine I future where I'd forget abt all this anyway! I'd totally hang out w/ her in the future if it's true that they can "rehabilitate" her mwahahahahah! >:D

lmao yes, that's right! I'm insane! Listen, I never had feelings of infatuation towards her, it was purely physical attraction. What, I've watched porn! Those're literally people having sex! I was attracted to the pornstars, it's true! The Joker! >:D

Ugh, okay, I'm feeling it again. I know my allies are upset. Here's the thing, though. I don't know if I'd ever wanna be in an exclusive romantic, sexual relationship with this woman, but as many say we never truly know what we're capable of.

Oh, right, and what about the rumours that she was dead? I mean listen, c'mon. Those Netflix pics look recent and her hair is an appropriate length. I know actors know how to lose weight quickly. It was weeks before those pictures shewed up that she was fat. Infatuation and stress can make one lose THAT much weight in weeks. I've done it myself, though it was on accident sometimes in the past!

So here's the rest of the story. The illegal CIA was torturing Lily. She thought it was me. She was hoping I was the CIA. She's used to having handlers. Part of her? Wanted me to handle HER lol. The other? Wanted to handle ME! Another? Wanted us to run away forever. She would feed me all the lies I wanted. I'm clearly lying. I clearly fell in love with her at first sight! She's okay with this, though. She is Harley Quinn! She understands the need to lie in order to attract your soulmate. She knows her value in the world, and how many lies I may need to tell in order to force her to have a crush on me. She has lived this way her entire life. She would forgive me... but we would live like very cool spies on the run, travelling the world, fighting, loving, and playing every sort of game there is to play including the worst one of all...

10:59 PM

Other notes:

Word is, Lily was trying to turn me on in those newest instagram pics to incite me into violence or rape! There is apparently a camera in the torture room, and she and the illegal C.I.A. thought I could see it this whole time which is why she willingly kept going there, but nah. Getting desperate, and wanting to have sex, she thought she could kill three birds with one stone...

Word is it was also NEVER Lily Collins in this house, but perhaps agents attempting some kind of interrogation or investigation! Note that if they were genuine FBI or something agents and were genuinely investigating crimes then many of them're in the clear! No really, though, they all had "butch" voices lmao, I could've imagined them to be Lily! Since it was rumoured that I was the one stalking HER (obviously not true!) then it'd only make sense for these federal agencies to try and see how I'd act if I thought that the real Lily Collins was perhaps in here. If you check my past writings, you'll see that I didn't believe it completely for a second! It'd also make sense why they'd respond to me calling them "Lily." It ALSO makes sense, considering all of the above, why Lily and her people never responded to me directly except by continuing to follow me around outside the house. That Phil Collins impersonator doesn't count, yall!

To the agents who were "freaking out" in here, making sexual sounds...

Well, of course I forgive you I guess but it's kinda creepy that I associated those sounds with Lily and not what you actually look like. The question is, will the world forgive you, and can you forgive

yourselves...

[bisluthq]

Nat can we just go back a little unless you think I'm being noisy? Like I was reading your answer about how your situation is now and what do you mean "your guy" still thinks he's right about everything? As in asking money from your mom, demanding said money, not even informing you of the whole deal, going through your things...like which part? Because girl....like how come you said your mom is kind of toxic and even she acknowledged a bit of responsability? 🙃

yeah ok look. I need to finally stop being a fucking idiot. Let's lay this out. I REALLY love this guy and that's been clouding my judgment I think.

So yes here are the facts on that: he said my mum should stay while she's in between places because we have the space (easily). While I was in hospital after the stress of that WHOLE situation (her moving in, his back surgeries) - and granted the hospital was not their fault, obviously *I* chose to like... self-medicate with booze and pills, my guy... (what're we gonna call him? Because I've always just said my boyfriend/partner/Mr Bislut but he needs a new name so let's call him Film Guy or FG not to be confused with Netflix Guy who was just that random Netflix producer I fucked like twice)... Anyway so FG asked my mum, who to be fair only took the offer because she was in between places (very common for her) to save money for the time she's with us for a nicer place and stuff for her kids, to pay him rent. She said ok, I will one day (from a lifetime of knowing her, I find this largely questionable but let’s see). Apparently she explicitly said not right now, but when one of our properties in Ukraine sells, she will pay him. Then she moved out, kinda when she said she would (few days late but she did leave lol). She left behind some of her stuff for me and some stuff to store. I said that'd be ok.

He was annoyed about the stuff - not the stuff for me but the stored stuff - from day one. He's been bugging me continuously about the rent story. I have told him that's between him and her, and also that yes she's difficult, and also that yes as far as I know she will pay when that one property sells. Recently, she moved into an unfurnished big place, and has been bugging me about fetching her things (not the stuff she gifted me except for one carpet which she decided she wants back and like... I'm not that pissed about it because it WAS her carpet first and if she changed her mind, like yes it's still her thing - family and all that). He said we will keep the stuff - which he has been bugging me also to get rid of - until she pays the rent.

She said she will sue him for the stuff. He said he will countersue for the rent. She said he will lose (likely, because my mum - as I said is a messy person - knows alllll about courts lol) because it's a verbal agreement with her daughter's partner about rental in her daughter's house. He then told her "it's not her house". Technically also true. I started freaking out because shit was getting real. I told him I'm going out with friends because fuck this, and yes I drank (which I really want to do less of but is how I deal with very stressful things), so I didn't come home basically until the following morning. When I did come home, I still wasn't sleepy, so I took like three Xanaxes. The next morning my time, he asked me some weird leading questions about the whole situation that I lied to get my way out of. He said he knows I'm lying. I said how. He said because while I was out the previous night, he went through my laptop (and printed a bunch of stuff) and my phone when I was passed out. The laptop like ok, he wasn't sure where I was (not totally true because he had my location, but I guess semi true because my phone HAD died while I was out). The phone? He said it was to check on like where my head was at because he was worried about my state of mind because of the history of hospitalisations. I said like ok. He said the messages between my mum and him had me more on her side (true, I've been telling both I'm on their side but I think actually both are wrong) and that she's a bad person (not totally untrue, but pot and kettle situation now that I think more about it) and also that I told loads of lies in the messages (tbh never anything hectic but I have acknowledged after that that I am suchhhhh a people pleaser and I do tell my loved ones fucking almost anything they want to hear). He said he wants to hold her things in lien of the rent and sue her and also he wants to take me off anything to do with the house and out of his will "until this is resolved". I said in that case I need to leave lol. So I did and I went to the Airbnb, as I've said earlier.

My mum then arranged to pick up all of our things. Hers and mine. He said fantastic.

I asked him if he meant it about my things and he said yes because see above.

Since then, he hasn't visited me even once. He does call every day and he packed some more of my things (because I left with one like overnight bag) and I paid for Uber couriers to bring them to me (expensive because "we" live so fucking far from civilisation and obviously I wasn't gonna stay in an Airbnb in that village adjacent situation, but also fine whatever). My mum HAS visited me. She agreed to drop a lot of the stuff against him and also reiterated she will pay him when the house sells which tbh I will be able to supervise because she DOES have a LONG history of not settling personal debts when she thinks she's right and I'm not sure who is TAH between them but I DO think that debt should be settled). She further reiterated that she thinks he's an absolute twat and that she fucking hates him but also said like... I'm an adult and it's my choice who to spend time with/date. Moreover she told me that given where I am right now, with the not drinking and the focusing on dealing with the bipolar, he's probably not a very good person for me to be with and his house is not a very good place for me to be IN because there's always people coming over (we entertain A LOT) and there's a lot of booze and a lot of drugs and I have a lot of stress dealing with the house, which as she said, he's VERY fucking willing to say is not "my" house. She reminded me of how volatile we are and how we have all these SUPER highs and SUPER lows and said that while that might be fun for some people even for those people it'll get tiring and for me it's just objectively dangerous.

He has not acknowledged any wrongdoing whatsoever.

Yesterday morning I tried to speak to him on a way forward - I said that I do want space for myself, I do want to take my personal things, I do want an independence era but I'd love him to be an aspect of that and maybe with view to fixing stuff in the future, but I also think I should probably leave my furniture behind because eh. We're open to reconciliation. We'd spoken about the independence era thing and how we're both open to getting properly back together and how we won't date other people until we figure that out. He said like... no. Everything I own must be fucking out, except my one couch which he's actively using in our Airbnb unit but also he's happy to buy it from me. So that is INSANE actually. But also like... ok. Fuck it.

So having written that all out, I do actually think he's TAH.

Now after I've said all that, yesterday I found myself in a full manic episode that had my psychiatrist say he may have been wrong about Type II because not only did I mask THAT with intelligence and self-medication through booze and drugs lol, but I may have fully masked Type I. Because I stayed awake for like almost 48 hours (didn't hit 48 because I did speak to him and he prescribed a lot of meds and I took them and then I slept lol) and I felt SO SO SO fucking GOOD and EXCITED but also really UPSET about everything going on. I also read back what I'd been writing here, and my text messages, and actually even this thing I'm writing now, and I do think I'm still at that super high point. FG is indeed very worried about me with that and tbf was the one who sounded the alarm bells on my mental state after that convo about the stuff that I think should stay at the house.

I was meant to go collect my things and my mother's things this weekend (which is why I got all aflutter yesterday about leaving behind things that are useful and look pretty in the house) but between the two of them they decided this is not a good time for me to be doing something like that and urged me to stay "home" and that they're happy to wait until next week or until my psychiatrist gives the okay (who they're happy to phone but also possibly because of this high I'm at I STILL don't want them to do THAT because he's MY psychiatrist and he CERTAINLY hasn't asked to speak to either one, and my therapist did phone them both before that long session I was scheduled for last week and she actually did tell me they're BOTH assholes and BOTH very bad for me and that she tried to make them both see sense for my sake at least but they're both so damn stubborn that she's not sure they possibly ever will).

Also here're the ways they're toxic. My mother blames everyone for everything but usually never herself (here she has acknowledged some wrongdoing but still I think not enough) and she's definitely parentified me and treats me more as a best friend/sister and not her daughter, and she's definitely very critical of me in situations where that's unfair. He... is controlling (which he denies but he is), he's insanely jealous (also denies but he is), has very odd takes on money (see above and yes so does my mother so they're both weird there) and while we were together would alternate between putting me on a SUPER high pedestal where I was this amazing, fantastic, beautiful person, best person he's ever known etc AND making me feel like absolute shit so I guess he also gaslights me on top of everything else?? My mum does that too.

looking at it this way, both are fucking twats lol and I need to spend some time getting my shit in order and then we'll see on the other side of all this when I've had time to recalibrate.

anddddd that's my day.

if you did, thanks for reading this far and always open to your feedback because often you girls/boys/thems know me better than people irl because I'm VERY unfiltered here for the most part and I DO try and act in "acceptable" ways with irl people.