#1x10: not all who wander are lost

[thewayhomehallmark]

CHYLER LEIGH as KAT LANDRY The Way Home - 1x10: Not All Who Wander Are Lost

#the way home #the way home hallmark #chyler leigh #kat landry #hallmarkedit #1x10: not all who wander are lost

[sixstepsaway]

hi! been thinking a lot about izzy’s maiming... bit early/too tired for me to put together more clear thoughts on the subject now. but: how do you think the injury will (or will not) impact the next season? specifically, izzy and ed’s relationship, as well as izzy and the crew’s relationship. will things get infected, like with lucius’s finger? what is stede going to think when (or if) he returns? if ed is willing to maim someone like izzy, who he’s ostensibly very close to, or was close to at some point, what does that mean for stede, especially when he and edward have some kind of conflict with each other? do you think it’s likely for stede to brush off izzy’s maiming, simply because he (presumably) doesnt like the guy? especially because it seems like stede fully endorses (or at least romanticizes) violence, as long as it isnt him directly doing the deed?

this got a bit rambling and long and slightly off topic, but would love your thoughts regardless. hope you have a good day/night/etc!

Before I get into this I want to say thanks for the ask, I love having food for thought and this really did get my brain wandering.

So, I think the first thing to address here is the show length itself and what that means for the plot. David Jenkins has said he wants three seasons, presumably at 10 x 30 minute episodes. That's about 15 hours of content total, which is devastating and I would like 1500 hours of OFMD thanks, but we can't always get what we want.

That means that there is a lot less time to develop character and sub-plots in the show than there is in a show that, for example, runs for 7 seasons with 20 episodes each. It's the reason why we don't get to see a lot of Lucius and Pete hooking up and it's shown through the gaze of Izzy's subplot of that episode, it's a good combination, two birds with one stone, and allows for getting through multiple plots without having to sacrifice any of it. Same reason we don't see Frenchie and Wee John agreeing to give up the room before 1x10. Time.

All that said, judging by the fact Izzy is limping and using a cane at the end of 1x10, I don't think the toe is going to be brushed off and forgotten. I think the writers have made a commitment to it and will follow through in whatever way that requires (this is also why I believe Izzy will get more screen time in season 2 - this is a big thing to give to the character to carry, I think he'll take the slot of Jim being the main sub plot, because Jim's sub plot is mostly done (but Jim will still be a big part! It's just that until something new develops there, their plot has been finished? I'm hoping we'll get more of Fang, too, for similar other-characters-had-their-moment reasons)).

So, now on to answer your questions.

I think the injury will impact the next season, probably as a way of developing Izzy's character somewhat. From what people have been saying, losing a pinkie toe is a much bigger deal than I realized (and, potentially, than Ed realized, as we're not super conscious of our pinkie toes and the effect they have on our gait and our balance and our skillsets).

If I was writing the show, I would have some big raid go wrong in early season 2 while Ed is still in Kraken mode, and I would make Ed watch as Izzy lost a fight because his balance was fucked up and his fighting stances were no longer viable, and it fucked up everything about his excellent fencing abilities, and then I would make it that Ed had to step in and save him and suddenly have the realization of what he did, of what he caused, of how, because of him, Izzy would be dead if Ed hadn't been there to save him at the last moment. Throw in some nice injury for spice too, have Ed sitting over Izzy's bedside as he fought for his life. Parallels. I'd use that to snap Ed out of Kraken mode, rather than Stede. Izzy is what snapped him into it, Izzy should snap him out of it.

But I am not writing the show. I am, instead, probably going to turn that into a fanfic, so keep an eye out for that.

Realistically, I think it'll affect their relationship, yes, because before Izzy could say whatever the fuck he wanted to Ed, you know? In 1x03 when Ed is demanding they invite Stede aboard, Izzy does this adorable little whiny, "Oh, Edward, can't I just send the boys?" and pouts up a storm and Ed is like, "Nooooo Izzy, I want you to handle this," and Izzy is like "Ugh, finEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee" and stompies off in a huff and it's god damn cute and makes me laugh every time because he's so casual with him, even while standing in a sort of military attention stance? And he keeps cutting his gaze over to him like "D: D: D: really? D: really edward? D: really? you do this to me? D:" (I actually think Ed was enjoying fucking with him a little in this scene, teasing him for losing to Stede, teasing him about handling it himself etc. It breaks up the boredom and it's harmless.)

Then, in 1x04, Izzy goes on a real tizzy; he tells Edward he's an insane shell of a man, a twat, he flips him off, he storms away. And Edward... mutters that he needs to deal with the Izzy situation, goes on down there, basically praises him for his abilities and knowledge, talks gently to him (listen to the way he says Izzy's name to get his attention, it's really sweet), is potentially manipulative depending on how much he meant the Kill-Stede plan, which is up for debate in fandom (I think he meant it 100%, though intended to put it off a long time and forget about it like an abandoned knitting project, but I also think he came up with the plan on the fly to keep Izzy with him, which I don't think was necessary really; he only had to ask. He didn't know that though), offers him a ship, says he needs him to stay.

The other part you should focus on is how Izzy responds. He went on a tirade against Edward, a real doozy! If my friends spoke to me like that I'd be pissed for days, and I'm not scary Blackbeard man. But Izzy went on this tirade, called him a twat, flipped him off, and then... does not cringe or flinch. He apologizes (though he doesn't use the word sorry, he does apologize! Not all apologies need the word sorry. He says he regrets what he said and that he didn't mean it and doesn't think those things - that's an apology, and Edward accepts it as such) but he doesn't simper or beg for forgiveness. He doesn't expect to be hit or punished, doesn't expect to be forced off the ship, doesn't anticipate any real blowback, actually. There is no hesitance or distress when Ed comes over. He does not expect puishment.

Now, compare that with 1x10 when he, again, launches on a tirade against Ed which is honestly pretty much similar to the one in 1x04. He says Ed is batshit and fucked up, that he serves Blackbeard not whatever this mess is, and that he's done, in one way or another. The only major difference is the fact he says, "Ed better watch his fucking back," but considering in 1x04 he was flipping him off, calling him a twat and actively quitting, I don't feel like this was more of a threat than his declaration of being done and the middle fingers of rage. He also knew that Ed wasn't going to hurt him over the betrayal that nearly got Stede killed. He got one punch and continued to not flinch or cringe or be worried about further punishment. He knew he was safe. He knew he was right (see: the speech he makes about looking after his captain first and foremost, being loyal to Ed and no one else).

Except in 1x10, Izzy gets punished. Izzy gets really punished. Which is not just jarring because this behavior has been not just tolerated but generally expected from the seems of it (Edward is not shocked that Izzy gets tizzy in 1x04, he's just like, "Yep another day of this! Let it out, pal.") because Izzy gets in tizzies and that's just. izzy's personality. and Ed likes Izzy, so he likes all of him. It's okay.

But suddenly getting punished for that behavior, to the point of permanent maiming? Holy fuck that's a shockwave and a half. There is no freaking way that Izzy is going to feel comfortable or safe speaking his mind to Ed. There's no way there's going to be the little, "Oh, Edward, can't I just send the boys D:", there's no way Izzy will feel okay being his rough-around-the-edges moody self, there's no way he will feel good or comfortable calling Ed on his shit.

(hi yes i just devastated myself, actually)

Which actually puts Ed (and everyone else) in a boatload of danger, because when Izzy calls Ed on his shit he's usually right. Ed even admits it at the end of 1x04: Izzy was right. They would have died right there. They were all expecting to, because Ed fucked it up. Context clues tell me that Izzy has been spinning Ed's plates for a long fucking time, and that by virtue of the flag being so scary people just surrender and how god damn smart and on the money Izzy is, they've been scraping by with their plans panning out without a hitch. Ed is a brilliant strategical mind, but I read him as having ADHD, and you know what ADHDers (especially unmedicated ones) do? We fuck up the details. We make fantastic plans but we mess up the minutiae. And that is where, in situations like these, people like Izzy come in, because he sees the details and makes the necessary adjustments.

In fact, I can cite a proving source: the full moon. Edward knew the way the tides go, that the fog would roll in, he knew when the full moon would be, he knew everything he needed to know for his grand plan to go off perfectly!

...but he forgot it was a leap year.

You know who didn't forget it was a leap year? Izzy Hands. No one else said, "Um, it's not the date you think it is." Izzy did. Izzy spoke up.

If Izzy is no longer comfortable speaking up? Whew. They're in trouble now.

And if Ed notices that Izzy cringes, flinches, is hesitant, loses his brashness, doesn't speak up etc, that could, depending on Ed's mental state, go one way or the other: option A is that it cracks Ed because fuck, this guy has always felt completely comfortable being a twat to Blackbeard himself and now Ed has even broken him? He's even managed to make Izzy terrified of him? Fuck! Option B is that he will get angry. Angry Izzy didn't say, "Boss it's a leap year," and so they ended up in trouble. Angry Izzy didn't pull his weight by questioning the minutiae as he expects him to.

Continuing with your questions: I don't see the toe getting infected. We've been there and done that and the solution to the infection was amputation, so I don't see us going back there. Plus, Lucius's finger was directly related to Buttons having his summer teeth, or whatever it was, which were wooden, iirc, and soaking in the disgusting juices of his mouth, which is why Lucius got an infection in that bite. Edward used very clean-looking scissors, and I imagine Izzy treated the fuck out of the wound.

I'd be more concerned about Izzy getting food poisoning, actually.

I feel like Stede, too, could go one of two ways, and I'm hoping it'll be a sub-third option. One way is he's horrified because what the fuck ed, and that's one of the things that makes Ed realize he's gone way too far. The other way is he's like, "Meh, it's Izzy, Izzy deserves worse," because...? I don't actually know? Izzy did nothing wrong in 1x02 lmao, he bought the hostages fairly, and Stede stole them off him, and then in 1x03 Stede was just, weirdly aggressive towards him in Spanish Jackie's bar?

(My feeling that will likely never be confirmed or denied in canon is that I feel like there was an attraction and Stede didn't know what the fuck to do with that now he was in a situation where that could actually be explored and so he lashed out (which also made handling his attraction to Edward later easier; he'd already done the frightened lashing at Izzy, so Edward got the acceptance).)

But either way, Stede was just. oddly aggro against Izzy from the beginning. Izzy did fuck all to Stede, and was in fact actively fucked over by Stede (and his buddies, one of which broke Ivan's nose? Poor Ivan???) and yet it's Stede who's like "Ed, do you know this guy? He's a real dick!"

(That could be a product of a small slice of poor writing? Eg, the writer knew Izzy was characterized as a dick and thusly Stede did too? But I don't really buy that. And I prefer my "Hot pirate, oh fuck" reasoning for Stede's weird amount of aggro when he's so placid towards pretty much everyone else, even the woman with a knife to his nose.)

(Nonny, you thought your ask was long, wait until you get this response LMAO)

My hope is that Stede doesn't really need to think much about it at all? Here's how I would like to see it go (though not word-for-word because this is garbage. I mean the vibes):

Stede: I love you and I want to be with you Edward: Stede, you don't want that, I'm a monster. Stede: You're not a monster. Edward: I marooned our crew on a desert island to die. Stede: They're fine! I scooped 'em up! No worries there. Edward: I killed Lucius. Stede: Oh, no, he's fine! Fang tackled him the second we came aboard, so you might have missed him, but no he clutched onto one of my beefier books and used it as a raft and we found him on the way here! Edward: I CUT OFF IZZY'S TOE!!!!!!!!!! Stede:

Stede: Did he deserve it? Edward: Edward: Edward, devastated, his voice cracking: No.

"Did he deserve it?" feels like something Stede would ask. And it feels like that kind of question might be what makes Ed realize that no, Izzy did not deserve it.

(This may be getting written into one of my fics too lmao)

Point being, Stede's opinion on the toe might not matter all that much, but rather what Ed feels Stede might think about it and how it makes him question his own actions might matter more instead.

Further into your questions: Ed being willing to maim Izzy says buckets about how he's willing to treat people he loves (in whatever way) if they get on the wrong side of him, and Ed absolutely has to make peace with and set that aside before he can be with Stede!

Izzy was a dick but Stede abandoned him. There is no fucking way that Ed isn't misdirecting his rage at Stede towards the closest person he can take it out on: Izzy. It's Stede that he wanted to maim, because Stede maimed him. But Stede is gone. There's no closure, no absolution, no figuring it out. Stede just upped and left and so Edward was left with grief, and then rage, which got pointed at Izzy, the crew and Stede's items.

I think I said this in another meta, actually, but Ed needs to learn restraint when he's angry before he gets into a lover's spat with Stede. So far they haven't had any actual fights, and people do fight, especially when they inhabit close quarters with no escape for long periods of time (look at how many relationships dissolved during the pandemic, and how domestic abuse cases went up) and if this is how Ed reacts to someone chewing him out for honestly quite valid reasons and being a bit of a dick?

Stede's in actual danger.

Which I think is also why some people act like Izzy deserved it, brought it on himself and that Ed wasn't actually doing it, Izzy manipulated him into it: then they don't have to admit that right now, in the frame of mind and mental instability that Ed is showing? Ed is a danger to Stede. That needs work before they can be in an intimate relationship, imo.

I think if Stede's feelings on Izzy's toe are approached, he will brush it off, yeah. I think that's one of his character flaws (Izzy is a dick so he will not care what happened to him, rip my steddyhands/gentlehands heart when s2 comes), that he doesn't really care much about what violence is done to people he deems as deserving or, simply, does not care about.

I think the biggest conflict will come more from Ed having willfully killed Lucius, whether Lucius survives or not (and I hope that he does survive, but I also hope that the majority of the cast don't know that for a good chunk of time, because I want that reality to be addressed: Ed made the choice to kill Lucius. There will have to be consequences for that, especially considering how fond Stede is of Lucius, how fond everyone is of Lucius, and how Buttons isn't...the same close kind of character? Stede and Buttons are not as close as Stede and Lucius, but when Calico Jack killed Buttons' bird companion and devastated him, Stede acted immediately in Buttons' defense. I want that to be a precursor to how he acts about Lucius).

This is so long holy shit, I hope you enjoy the read. Also halfway through I knocked something on my keyboard and thankfully it didn't delete my post but I did nearly leave it as "inse3e3ebility" instead of instability.

#i write essays now #izzy hands meta #ofmd #ofmd meta #izzy hands #our flag means death #ask #anonymous #edward teach #edward teach meta #stede bonnet #stede bonnet meta

[lambourngb]

re: your tags on that one post abt plotholes in rnm: what are the plotholes that make you lose the most sleep?

(this is my main btw, my rnm blog is @curlyguerin )

Hi! Okay... strap in, because there are a lot of little and big things that wiggle into my thoughts and makes me wonder ...am I the only one who couldn't follow that plotline?

In my opinion RNM suffers more from abandoned narratives and continuity errors than plot holes I guess, since we only have 2 seasons, with at least 2 more to go I guess I can hope they come back to these issues... but: [Under the cut plus some spoilers for season 3]

Things I would like explained :

1. What did Jesse Manes fund with family money in 1x08 ? I'm guessing it was surveillance of the town and the search for more aliens that could have escaped the military in 1947-1948. The idea that Jesse funded Caulfield is just laughable to me, along with how he was able to get his Army-assigned son moved from Germany to New Mexico for 5 years and no one noticed?? Caulfield has to be separate from whatever Jesse was doing in Roswell. Clearly there is still an ACTIVE military project focused on aliens because Flint isn't AWOL, Flint also takes Noah's body to Area 51, so where was Jesse in violation of his orders (Alex's threat to Jesse in 1x08 and then shipping him to Niger)? Surveilling citizens and setting up cameras all over town?

2. Did they ever build an Air Force base on the Fosters Homestead Ranch? (1x01-1x02) ...then it's never mentioned again.

3. I am aware I am the only one who cares about this little bit, but the show seemed to set up a narrative in season 1 about the spotlight Roswell shined white victims of crimes - like Katie and Jasmine, that the town of Roswell holds quite a lot of racism regarding justice- vilifying Rosa for over 10 years, ignoring the deaths of people around Ranchero Night, and then Noah kills Wyatt Long's best friend Hank Gibbons in 1x13. I dunno, I was expecting more from Wyatt in season 2 about this than picking a fight with Michael over Mimi's missing persons sheet and showing up with a crossbow in 2x04. And like, there was a theme of people going missing in season 2!! Mimi, Jenna, the weird twins from 2x06, Charlie -- but yet, no closer scrutiny by Sheriff Valenti other than her focus on Max Evans and the story about Mexico- Like this felt not like a plot hole, but a dropped narrative -- to wrap up the fate of Racist Hank in a missing persons sheet in 2x01. To treat him weirdly like all of Noah's other victims (who were women and men of color and poor), but for a few factors like he was white, he had actual lines in the show over a couple of episodes, and he's one of the few townspeople we learn his first and last name still sticks out in my mind as strange. The Doylist explanation is the actor wasn't available for season 2, but the Watson-perspective of this is just someone the in-show universe doesn't care about ...? Okay. I will keep that in mind, and try to ignore the fact that the town of Roswell swings wildly back to caring about white victims again in 2x13 with Jesse Manes.

4. The Alighting from 1x13 - just how far away was it from happening? Noah was ready to stick a sheriff's deputy, the town event planner and Michael (who probably would be been the only one to go missing without much fanfare, except maybe by Alex) into a pod...for how long? Months? Years? What was his endgame? how did he expect to go unnoticed by the town while he waited for his alien salvation/alien UBER to arrive? Could he just mindwarp everyone into forgetting about the pod squad? Since we didn't see any alien ships show up in the six months from 1x13 to 2x13, and no further follow up by any of our heroes about what Noah was babbling about... I'm going to say this should come back into play for season 3, otherwise it's the most egregious plot hole from season 1.

5. Why did Flint want to work with Helena? Jesse had this master plan that Helena knew all about apparently but she never shares the plan with Flint? Jesse never shares this plan with Flint either? Why? As far as I can tell from the plot of season 2, Jesse takes the console piece from Alex, he was going to kill Alex to keep him out of the way, use the console to blow up civilians, he created a paper trail that pointed the finger at Max, and then when everyone knew the truth about aliens, he was going to use HIS atomizer bomb to release the toxin that Charlie had already developed for Project Shepherd to kill all the aliens.... WHY would Flint want to stop that, especially since they fight in 2x11 over how slow Jesse was moving in his plans? Other than objecting to killing Alex, why would Flint turn Alex over to Helena to blackmail Michael into building a second atomizer bomb? He should have just kept Alex out of the way until it was all over and let Jesse proceed with his plans. Flint's desire to work with Helena Ortecho remains a plot hole to me, that is explained in the most flimsy way of he thinks his dad isn't serious about killing all the aliens even though he has the means? And if he takes Alex from Jesse's control so easily, why not steal the bomb Jesse had too?

6. These are more gripes about continuity, not really plot holes, but the fact we have this loose timeline of events but it doesn't match the weather of filming.... Like Heather Hemmens looked so gorgeous in that little silk outfit in 2x01, but she's wandering outside in Dec in Roswell New Mexico looking like that. I get that it was filmed in August/Sept of 2019 but come on... so my main frustration is I have no idea what season and month is supposed to be on screen. Universe timeline says Winter but filming schedule meant it was early fall with still having the heat of summer there...then the show ends in May/June in the universe, but we all know RNM wrapped in Dec 2019/Jan 2020 so they are all bundled up in winter again.

7. Also on continuity, small things like Rosa's birthday being wrong, the fact her astrological sign isn't Pieces for either date, openly letting Greg Manes see Rosa, not seeming to care that Liz's ex-fiance hears that Rosa is alive - like i'm sure her "dead" sister came up in conversation between Liz/Diego

- the show gives us this beautiful conversation with Michael sharing his background with Alex in 1x10, but then Alex completely forgets it in 2x04 by dropping some line like "this is what you do with family" when Michael expresses confusion about a height chart. Also, on the same note- the jabs about the Library being a dive bar, also felt like a drop in continuity because Alex knows that Michael just lost his mom (1x12) , the government IS studying aliens, and his brother is in a pod, so like, he has some very valid reasons to drink if that's what he wanted to do with in his life in early season 2!! but, also he knows Michael is a genius??

- Why Alex never mentions Rosa, Isobel's blackouts/why Michael gave up UNM, or even hint about what happened with his dad in the shed during his conversation with Maria in 2x05 is also beyond bizarre to me. It was an "information" dump conversation that Alex still doesn't share all the information he has about a situation and just ends up looking kind of judgmental in my opinion.

- the truck conversation in 2x06 between Maria and Alex, why Maria prompts a girl's name when Alex says he's never been in a real relationship INSTEAD of addressing the very real elephant in the room, Michael Guerin, that they had a conversation about in 2x05- also feels like a gap in continuity.

8. Science wise- the pathogen that Charlie developed? It was supposed to be so specific that it could kill a leader of Al Quada and all of their direct descendants but leave the rest of the population unharmed. [Which um, that's a war crime, but whatever!] How was Maria affected? the DNA they had at Caulfield to develop it - like, Maria was descended from Louise and Louise lived free. The only person that pathogen SHOULD have affected was Michael (if they used Nora to base it on) Unless you're telling me that there's some protein in "alien dna" that is so specific to aliens, that no other human shares it, but also so completely undetectable that Kyle couldn't find it in Maria's blood... ? I suppose it's possible. I hope we get more explanation about that in season 3. It makes me wonder why Caulfield/Project Shepherd ever let Patty Harris go after she volunteered for some study then, and remained content to just pay her medical bills through a fake insurance company? [But also didn't flag Mimi and all the doctors that Maria took her to???]

9. Michael's hand. I'm going to reserve judgment about this, because some of my salt on this is based on season 3 promo pictures, but I really thought that moment in 2x13 when he takes off his hat, while Alex is singing, you see him without the wrapping on his hand, that maybe he found some peace with Jesse dead and demolishing the shed with Alex. But then it looks like the hand-danna is all over season 3, right up until the finale of season 3, so... was that a mistake in wardrobe AND not a beautiful moment of character growth??? I wish I could extend some grace to RNM about that, but alas... see above for why I have trust issues.

10. Perhaps I wasn't watching season 1 closely, but I thought Noah's madness was brought on by the fact he was stuck in his pod? That it was "lower class travel accommodations" and Isobel's scream at 13 got his attention? I assumed that he stayed in the pod, possessing Isobel on and off, right up until he used her body to kill Rosa in 2008, absorbing enough power to break out. So how did Noah find Jim Valenti so quickly? If it was through Isobel's memories, then why did Jim not immediately have Noah, some random alien approaching him about his recently dead daughter, hauled off to Caulfield? Jim pays $1,000 for Rosa's body, putting her in a pod [Noah's broken pod??] and stores her, waiting for...something? An alien to come along to bring her back. So did Jim know about The Savior? Why would Jim work with Noah and vice versa? Again, I'm hoping we get more about this in season 3.

11. Was there a point of keeping Alex in the Air Force? He arranges a place for them to work on bringing Max back, but I feel like anyone could have done that? Like Isobel had money, she could have rented a storage facility. All of the equipment was borrowed from the hospital, not the military. The information about 1947-1948 was from the drives decoded from Caulfield or the AAR report left by Flint in the Project Shepherd bunker (which again was decommissioned, not an active military installation). I could support the decision if it had provided some richness to the plot or some conflict within the character, neither of which really happened. Alex hacking the government and going undercover in the Air Force to protect Michael is basically fanon. I love that fanon, but alas...

12. Finally, the time jump. What year are we jumping into? 2020? 2021? Why does it make me think none of those questions above will be answered.

#rnm thoughts #season 3 thoughts #very long post #season 2 had tons of important conversations happen off screen #and tons of ooc conversations happen on screen #hopefully that changes in season 3

[northcarolinanative]

𝐈𝐟 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 - Boxer!JJ

Requested by anon: Can you write about boxer!JJ, with or without the outer banks’ plot. JJ enjoys boxing and you can’t go to matches because they scare you. But you always prepare with him before and he always comes to see you after. One night something happens and they confess their feelings whatever you want haha I just thought it would be a cool idea (:

Description: After the disappearance of their best friends the pogues all search for different ways to cope. Some working too hard, some fighting, some just blocking it all out. JJ puts himself in danger too often for Y/N’s liking. She finds him an alternative, but in typical JJ fashion he moves too much too fast and gets out in a tricky situation. 

A/N: This is so different from what I normally write. I got a bit carried away per usual:) I chose to put it in the OBX plot, this is all after 1x10 because we all know that I am a sucker for that at this point let's be honest. I tried to do my research but the more I read the more confused I got so I am sorry if it is inaccurate. I have ZERO experience with boxing and stuff. As I said this is so different for me so ANY feedback would be FANTASTIC!! MY asks/requests/messages are always open! ALSO, italics are flashbacks. // TW: This talks about character death, panic/anxiety, abuse, and violence.// 

*pic courtesy of pinterest*  

After the disappearance of John B and Sarah, each of the pogues had their own unique way of dealing with the major loss. The unknown ate them from the inside out until it was turned to grief, washing over them the moment the pair was presumed dead. Over the next few days, they went into denial, finally understanding why John B had been so desperate to hold onto clues about his father when the group had thought that he was grasping at straws. They understood why John B led them on the hunt for the gold because he thought it would lead to his dad. They understood because now they too would follow any lead, risk anything, or go anywhere to find John B and Sarah. 

Each of the Pogues were dealing with their feelings in its respective way. Pope was trying his hardest to prove to his parents that he had not messed up his chance to get off the Island. He applied for every academic scholarship on the east coast. Pope was scared. Kie, while the two of us helped Pope when we could, worked countless hours at the Wreck. After running from her parents and being brought into question with the police she was in hot water with her parents. She allowed herself to stay focused on her work and earn back the trust and respect of her parents so that when the time came that John B and Sarah needed them, we could help. Kie was hopeful. JJ was starting fights with everyone that looked at him wrong. He threw punch after punch at the one boneyard party that we tried to attend in an attempt to make things feel normal. He kept going home and picking fights with his dad, he said that he deserved the torment for letting John B get on that boat. JJ blamed himself for pushing John B to his death. JJ was Angry. I let myself get swept up in my art, going to the docks, or sitting in the dunes, drawing. This where the other Pogues found me when I was not working my shift at the Wreck. When I sat down to create I let my thoughts go and wander to whatever I needed to try and process. This was the only time I let myself think about the things that happened between the pogues, or what was ahead for us. I let myself think about both the options, whether they were dead or they were alive somewhere. Outside of that, I shut it off and tried to help the other pogues, as much as I could, to get back to something normal. I was numb. 

Kie and Pope had a lot to figure out between the two of them. It took them a while to actually begin to talk about what was going on between the two of them since they kept defecting. That left JJ and I alone rather often. Not that I was complaining. The two of us had never been super close when it came to the group. I was always Kie’s best friend first, pogue second, until now. The disappearance had brought all of us closer. Though I appreciated the closeness with JJ, I was worried about him. He showed up on my doorstep night after night bruised and broken. More often than not it was a fight with some rando that has looked at him on the side of the road. JJ didn’t care who felt his wrath anymore, he would fight anyone, kooks, and pogues alike. The worst nights were those that he came back from his house. Those nights were always the worst because the injuries on his body and the way that his soul sat shattered in front of me told me that he didn’t fight back. 

JJ was sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes not daring to look up at me. His face covered in red splotches and bruised from the other fights he had gotten in over the week. Tonight was different though. Normally JJ talked about the way that he handed the Kook a can of whoop-ass or the guy had it coming and that he had ‘totally won’ the fight. Every other night he would boast saying “Y/N, don’t worry about me! You should see the other guy.” He would try to soothe my nerves, but tonight there didn’t seem to be another guy. Just JJ fighting himself, the thoughts raging war in his head, making him beat himself up. 

I moved to sit beside him. Finally deciding to break the rooms heavy silence. “JJ, did you go home again?” 

His breath caught in his throat as he slowly nodded his head. I saw his jaw clenched as he fought back the urge to let tears fall down his face. He rested his head in his open palms. I wrapped one of my arms loosely around the boy before laying my head on his shoulder. “Why do you go home JJ? Every time you come back you end up so broken?” 

“It’s just a few bruises and split lips Y/N, nothing I’m not used to.” He said shaking his head. 

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” I spoke. I moved my hand so that I could rub his back. I moved softly up and down his spine, trying to comfort the broken boy in front of me. 

“I deserve everything he says to me.” He started, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Every time

 I go I know he’s ready for a fight.” 

I took a moment to collect my thoughts. I took a deep breath before speaking. “JJ, getting into fights with your dad like that, the things he says to you.” I paused, looking over his face, trying to figure out what was going through his mind. “You know that they aren’t true right? He’s saying those things to hurt you?” 

“I know that, but deep down I’m so scared that everyone else sees what he sees.” He signed leaning back and falling onto the bed. “I’m just so angry. I am angry at the system for screwing up so bad that they ran JB away.” My breath caught in my throat as he began his rant. “I am mad that we couldn’t do anything to help him after his dad left. I’m mad that we lost him and have no way to contact him or even know if he’s alive!’ He stood up beginning to pace, and raising his voice. “I’m mad that I pushed him on that boat to sail straight to his death Y/N!” 

I stood up on my feet, moving so that I can be in his direct line of vision. “Hey!” I called to him, even though he was right in front of me, he felt a thousand miles away. “You did not push John B to do anything that he would not have done on his own! You have got to stop blaming yourself for all the unfortunate events that lead to John B’s disappearance. This on Ward Cameron and you know it!” I said pointing at him. He locked his eyes with mine for a moment. 

He ripped his glance from mine, his jaw still clenched and nostrils flaring as he tried to even out his breathing. It took a few moments and several paces across the length of my room, but he seemed to calm down. “I’m-” He started, looking around the room and taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’m just so angry. All the time.” He confessed. “I’m honestly scared, it’s like all I can think about is how pissed off I am and the smallest things just add on top of it until I explode for what seems like no reason.” He stopped rubbing his hands over his face. “I just don’t know how to channel it, make it die down.” He confessed, moving to join me back at the end of my bed. 

“You know, whenever my brother is upset he goes to the gym-” I started 

“You are not seriously telling me to work out right now, are you?” He huffed rolling his eyes.

  “Let me finish.” I scolded him before continuing. “He’s a boxer, the have matches and fight, but it is in a safe environment. One where you can let your anger out with out going home or exploding on some rando on the side of the street.” I said. I laughed awkwardly, trying to fill the silence as I gauged his reaction. 

“You really think that would help?” He said, the softness in his eyes returning. 

“It helped my brother” 

It had become routine over the past few weeks that JJ came to my house so that I could help him prepare for whatever match he had lined up for that night. When he first started all the Pogues were supportive of JJ’s new interest, but after the first match, Kie and I decided that we would support him from afar. Neither of us could stomach the blows that JJ took in his first fight. I was happy that he was able to find a more acceptable outlet for his anger, it was still just as painful to clean JJ up after, or to hear from Pope about the hits that JJ landed or had taken. Pope always attended, Kie and I chalked it up to him being a boy and into that stuff, but we both know that he watched because he wanted to be there in case something went wrong. 

Tonight was one of JJ’s biggest matches. He had been talking about it for weeks. The guy was from the mainland and was supposed to drag in a huge audience with him. He was being scouted as a professional, bordering on going pro. That bothered me because it had only been a short time since JJ had started boxing. While he had grown up his entire life fighting, boxing against people like this was much different than landing a few punches on Topper. 

JJ was sitting on my kitchen table, I was right in front of him with his left hand in my own. I wrapped the sticky red tape around his hands, knuckles, and wrists. I pulled it tighter after each pass around his hand. “Please be careful tonight. These guys got a really good record.” I spoke softly, but the concern coating my voice was evident. 

“I think I’ve got it though Y/N!” He said, happiness coating his voice. I just shook my head and switched his hands, beginning to wrap the right one. I was weary when JJ first mentioned the idea of the match, and still am, because the guy was well known and it just did not make sense that he wanted to come down to the OBX to fight a Newby. Things didn’t add up. Of course, none of us dared to tell JJ, because he was so happy, and he finally seemed to be getting back normal, no one wanted to set him off. 

I finished wrapping his hands and handed him his gym shorts. I had got him some with his name on the waistband for his birthday the week before. While I couldn’t stomach to sit through the fights and watch them, I wanted him to know that I was supportive of him finding a healthy outlet for his feelings and grief. I had washed the shorts for him so that they would be fresh for him. 

“All done.” I smiled, handing them to him. He took them into his newly wrapped hands. “So you look all spiffy when you win the fight tonight.” 

“Spiffy?” He questioned causing us both to laugh. He reached forward pulling me into a hug. Whenever I touched JJ I melted into the warmth that his body gave off. He smelled like pine, I assumed it was from his deodorant, but it captivated me every time. He let me go after squeezing me tighter. “Thanks for, you know.” He said scratching the back of his neck. “Helping me with all of this. I wouldn’t even be doing this if it weren’t for you.” He said with a smile. 

“Stop being so sappy Maybank!” I said and I turned him to the door. I put my hands on his broad shoulder pushing him softly towards the door. “Now go! You don’t want to be late.” He made his way to the door opening it and standing for a second to look back and smile. 

“I’ll see you after right?” He questioned, the hope in his eyes was hard to miss. 

“Wouldn’t want anyone else cleaning you up would we?” I joked, before answering him. “Yes I will, just make sure Pope tells me when you're finishing up and I’ll head that way to pick you up okay?” As I finished the car horn outside honked. It seemed to reverberate off the walls. “Now go! You know how Kie gets when you're running late!” I shooed him out the door. I stood watching them back out of the driveway as I waved to Kie and Pope in the car. 

I walked to the TV, flipping it onto a random TV show before grabbing my sketchbook and settling into the couch. I had been working on a piece of a deer skull and a floral pattern. I was using ink to draw it. I got lost in stippling the dots on the paged, shading in the sides of the skull, and forming the cracked texture of the bone. I barely noticed the buzzing that came from my phone beside me. When I looked up the sun was setting, almost disappearing behind the horizon. The name flashed across my phone and sent me into an immediate panic. “Popey” was read across the screen, my stomach dropping when I set my eyes on the time. It was way too soon for the fight to be over. I quickly slide my finger across the bottom of the screen, seeing it click open. 

I held the phone to my ear, “Hello, Pope? What’s wrong?” I could hear the panic in my voice. My body was moving so fast as I swiped my keys across the counter with a screech, and started through the garage to my car. 

“Y/N.” I hear him say on my way out the door. There was pause filled with chants and yelling in the background, signaling that the fight was still happening. “Things don’t look good, Kie’s on her way, but JJ needs you to be here when he gets out.” I was nodding my head, but Pope couldn’t see me. “If he gets out.” My breath stopped in my throat, making me choke slightly on my own air. “ Y/N it’s bad, I don’t know why they won’t call the fight.” 

I let out a shaky breath as I pulled myself into the driver seat of my car, slamming the door behind me with a thud. “I’ll be there as fast as I can Pope, Promise.” 

“Hurry!” was all he said before the line went static. I pulled the phone down slowly, looking at it. JJ was really hurt. It was my fault, I wanted him to do this professionally. I snapped myself out of my guilty haze, picking my keys up from my lap with my shaking hands. I struggled to get the key into the ignition, before turning it to start it up. I turned out of the driveway as quickly as my mind would let me, leaving a cloud of dust behind me as pulled from the driveway. 

I tapped the steering wheel with my thumb, my eyes flicking between the road and the number growing on the speedometer. The words of JJ and I’s conversation from just hours before replaying over and over in my head. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.” Over and over again. I felt a warmth fall down my cheek. I touched my hand to my cheek only to find the warm wetness of tears falling from my eyes. I was shocked at the reaction that this event had on me. I felt like I was back to the night that we watched John B drive off on that boat. I felt that same sense of panic wash over me. What if this was it? “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.” JJ was a fighter, literally, no matter what punches were thrown at him, he was always able to fight back. Part of me wanted to think rationally that Pope was overreacting and when I got there JJ might have a concussion and a bruised ego. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.” If it was that bad why had they not stopped the fight, right? Pope had to be overreacting, it was Pope. He likes to be careful. 

My fingers kept tapping a quick pace on the back of the I kept telling myself that over and over in my head. I was driving but everything around me was a blur. I was glad that I had the roads of the cut memorized so that I could get there in my haze of worry. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.” I know what he meant by this, he meant that I had helped him, but I just didn’t feel helpful at that moment. I was the reason that he was fighting and trained a skillful fighter. This guy hardly ever lost a fight, but none of us wanted JJ’s improvement with his anger to stop, so we let him continue. 

I hit the pothole in the gyms driveway, jolting me out of my thoughts. I fell back into the seat from the rough jump and dirt that was kicked up around me once again. I pulled into a spot at a dangerous speed. I practically threw the car in park and yanked my keys from the ignition. The sun seemed to paint the air around us a beautiful shade of orange, but my worry made me look past the beautiful sunset that was illustrated in the sky. Instead I approached the gym. I hadn’t stepped foot in for months now. The one that was seemingly making my worst fears come to life. 

I scanned the parking lot looking for Kie. When our eyes met, I started making my way toward her. I broke into a jog, but quickly came to a halt, when I looked behind her. The red and white lights behind her become blinding. I stuttered stepped, coming face to face with her, but I could not look at her face. I was focused on the broken boy that was laid in front of me on a gurney. The blood on his face made him almost unrecognizable. I clenched my teeth so hard that I hurt. Pope was by his side, struggling to keep up with the boy on the gurney. Pope’s worried eyes met with mine that barely held back the tears. He said something that I couldn’t make out before pointing to us. I followed my eyes down to JJ, who’s eyes I met. Even from this distance, I could see the spark still in them. I felt my stomach drop and a wave of nausea hit me. I felt myself physically fall back and feel weak. He weekly raised his hand to wave at me weakly before they began wheeling him into the emergency vehicle. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.”  My arm felt like my shaking hand to wave at him, The barrier broke and the warm tears fell down my face. I felt the sob make it way up my throat, catching Kie’s attention once again. Her expression was a little shocked at my reaction but wrapped an arm around me pulling me into her. I glanced over to see her worried expression as she watched Pope.

Pope quickly made his way over to us after talking briefly with the medics. As soon as he was turned away from JJ, his expression turned to anger. Kie and I looked at each other, both silently questioning the boy’s actions. He got to us, visibly angry, his breath was heavy as he started walking back and forth. He threw his hat on the ground and ran a hand across his head in distress. 

“What happened there?” Kie said being the first to break the tension. 

“We shouldn’t have let him fight that guy!” He said, raising his voice making me visibly flinch. “There’s a reason that he always wins! He knocked JJ out in the 7th round!” He spoke looking me straight in the eye. I felt two inches tall and wanted nothing more than to disappear in that moment. 

“I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.” 

“I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.” 

I stepped back, it felt the air had been knocked out of my lungs. I heard the conversation that Pope and Kie continued to have, but they still felt miles away. I tried to listen and regain the ability to breathe. 

“He had plaster in his gloves” Pope spoke loudly, as people walking outta the gym snickered, only making Pope’s anger grow. I snapped my head up at the tall boy, before looking at Kie, whose face held a confused expression. I knitted my eyebrows looking at Pope who just nodded, silently reinforcing his last statement. 

“They caught on, but I’m gonna go back to talk to the fight manager, but y’all should go and meet him at the hospital.” He said, looking between me and Kiara. 

Kie was quick to act, while I felt like I was still frozen in place. “Here,” she said, holding her keys out to Pope. “I’ll ride with Y/N and you can meet us there after you talk to whoever you need to?” She questioned, but she had alright dropped the keys in his hand. Pope nodded at the two of us before turning back to the gym. 

I looked at Kie just as she placed her shaking hand on my wrist pulling me to the car. “Are you okay to drive? I mean do you think-” He started to mumble on. 

“Yea, yea. I can. I think I got it.” I said send her a tight lipped smile. I could tell in her eyes that she knew neither of us believed me. Nonetheless, we both got into the car and made our way to a small emergency hospital on the Island, both of us praying that they had enough space for JJ. The entire car ride was filled with silent, sad, tension. The two of us stuck in our own thoughts, filled with worries about JJ’s health. Kie was the first to break the car’s heart-wrenching tension. 

“What did Pope mean, when he said that he had plaster in his gloves?” Kie asked. She hadn’t been privy to the boxing world, much like me. My brother had told me that it was illegal. He knew a kid that got kicked out of his gym for doing it and had told me about it. 

“It’s when boxer’s wrap plaster in their wraps and gloves and stuff.” I started, I stuttered over my words a bit, because I was unsure of what I was talking about. “As they sweat it makes the plaster harden or something,” I said shaking my head. The image of JJ getting hit over and over without a chance to fight back made me push the accelerator down and speed up on the long stretch to the hospital. “It essentially makes their hands like stone,” I said recalling the words my brother had used to tell me. 

Kiara looked over at me with wide eyes. “That’s seriously fucked up!” She exclaimed. She let out a deep sign before falling back into the passenger seat. The rest of the ride remained silent, except for the news that was faintly being spoken from the radio. 

When we pulled up to the hospital, it was all a blur from there. Kie could tell that I was worried and in a state of panic. She seemed to be rather calm about the situation, because of this she took the lead on speaking to the front desk. They pointed us to a waiting room saying that the doctor would come out after they examined him. 

We sat in the cold metal chair in the waiting room. I tried to blame my shaking on the chill air that seemed to always be contained in hospitals, but I knew it was nerves. Kie placed her hand on my bouncing leg to stop it before looking up at me. 

“Hey, It’s JJ.” She said moving to hold my hand in hers, giving me a soft smile. “He’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach, alright?” 

I laughed slightly at her joke, looking up to her with a hopeful smile on her face. “You’re oddly calm.” I stated, looking over her relaxed figure, slightly laid back in the chair, her hand resting still on the chair handle, the other firmly grasped in mine. 

“Eh, like it said, JJ’s gonna be fine.” She smiled. She leaned forward a bit, resting her weight on the armrest that sat between us. “I am more interested in what is going on inside your head?” She said nudging me with her shoulders. 

I took a deep breath, my eyes lining with tears once again. “Over the last few months JJ and I have gotten so close, and after everything with John B and Sarah I just-” I was cut off by a sob, which came out more like a cough. Kie was quick to move her hand to my back, rubbing small, comforting circles on my back. “I am scared to lose him too.” I said quietly, tears falling still, but at a much less rapid pace. Kiara pulled me into a tight hug. I took a deep breath, letting the scent of her coconut shampoo ground me. I closed my arms around her tightly before we split. Kie pushed a piece of hair out of my face softly. 

“You’ve got it bad.” She said with a soft chuckle. I looked at her knitting my eyebrows together in confusion causing her to laugh. “You and JJ are so blindly in love with each other that neither of you can see it.” She spoke. Suddenly, things started to make a lot of sense. The way that my stomach dropped whenever JJ was getting into a fight or how I wanted to end Luke Maybank for the things that he did to his son. The most important thing that I had become accustomed to was the way that my stomach erupted in butterflies every time we were close to each other, the way my skin broke into goosebumps when we bumped into each other, or the way that I smiled every time he cracked a joke or showed up at work. I played with my fingers letting a smile spread across my face.I looked up at Kie sheepishly. 

“I told you.” She smiled at me, causing me to roll my eyes at her. 

We were taken from the serenity of our moment by the doctor calling for those that were here with ‘Maybank.” She informed us that JJ took a lot of hard hits but managed to leave fairly unscathed from such a brutal fight. She let us know that JJ had had a lot of minor injuries, a broken lower rib, and that he passed out due to a pretty serious concussion. It took Kie and I a moment to soak in the abundance of information. “With his current state, we think it would be best if you all went in one at a time.” The doctor spoke, looking between you and Kie. 

Kie pushed my shoulder lightly. “I’ll wait here for Pope and fill him in. “She said, a cheesy smile plastering her face. “Go get your man,” She joked causing me to roll my eyes before following the doctor back through the long hallway. The fluorescent lighting made the hallway look and feel more daunting than it should have. The doctor stopped in front of the room letting me know that he was inside. 

I smiled and nodded at her. I took a deep breath before preparing myself to enter. I walked through the doorway to see JJ playing with the IV cable that was hooked up to his arm. I was wrapped and tangled around the opposite hand. I laughed involuntarily at the blonde boys antics. He looked up at me, smiling when he realized that it was me. I felt a tsunami of relief wash over me, just seeing that, while he wasn’t completely unharmed, that he was going to be okay. 

“There you are, come here!” He said patting the bed beside his legs. I walked into the room slowly, making my way to his bedside. I sat down and turned to look at his bright, smiling face. He scanned over my face, his smile quickly fading. “Wait, are you crying? “ He asked, reaching up to wipe the stale tears from my face. 

“Yes JJ,” I said laughing at the boy's oblivious nature. “You looked terrible when they took you out on that gurney at the gym,” I said looking down at the crinkled white bed sheet in front of the two of us. “You scared me. I can’t lose you too.” I said quietly. 

JJ hand came up once again cupping the side of my face, pushing me to look at me. “Hey now. You know better than anyone that it's gonna take more than some cheating ring rat to take me out.” Both of us laughed at the statement. I met his bright blue eyes, and instantly felt drawn in. 

I didn’t think much about it before I did it. I leaned forward and pressed my lips into JJ's. The kiss started off still and innocent. JJ’s hand moved from my face to the back of my head pulling me in closer. I moved my hands to his shoulders, placing them softly trying not to hurt him. The kiss was passionate and heated, our lips molding together, allowing us to melt into one another. I felt light headed just from the kiss itself. I could feel JJ’s emotion poured into the way that he kissed me back and the way that his hands caressed my sides and the way that he held me close to him. 

We were interrupted by the loud beeping of the monitor beside him. I pulled away looking at the machine that ruined the moment. The warning flashing “High Heart Rate”. I looked at JJ and saw the same warning causing us to laugh slightly. 

“What was that about?” JJ asked, a blush creeping up his cheeks. 

“After John B and Sarah I thought I would have learned that time is finite, but I guess it took you, at least in my mind, almost dying for me to realize that I should just say something,” I said, laughing nervously. “Oh and Kie made me realize just how in love with you I am” I spoke rolling my eyes before realizing what I said. I felt my face heat up, as I looked over at JJ with wide eyes trying to gauge his reaction. 

JJ grabbed my hand. Struggling slightly because of the awkward tangled IV that was stuck in the back of his hand. He huffed as he tugged at it trying to pull it out of the way. His hand was wrapped around mine when he started speaking. “You know, I’m glad she did because I’ve been in love with you all summer.”

Masterlist

Tagging b/c I asked:) @tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar​ @write-from-the-heart​ @jjmaybanksbaby​ @kikifromtheblock​

#jj maybank #boxer!jj #jj outer banks #jj fic #jj imagine #jj x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank fic #jj mayback x reader #outer banks #outer banks imagine #outerbanks imagine #outer banks netflix #obx #obx imagine #obx netflix #outerbanks #outerbanks netflix #outerbanks pogues #pogue life #outer banks pogues #pogue style #the pogues

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Once Upon a Time 3x01 “The Heart of the Truest Believer” Review

Reviews 1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10 1x111x12 1x13 1x14 1x15 1x16 1x17 1x18 1x19 1x20 1x21 1x22 2x01 2x02 2x032x04 2x05 2x06 2x07 2x08 2x09 2x10 2x11 2x12 2x13 2x14 2x152x16 2x17 2x18 2x19 2x20 2x21 2x22

Well, here we are. Season 3! And we are in Neverland! And Peter Pan is an evil little sucker. And Rumple has some emotional connection that we don’t know about. Plus a lot of fighting, evil mermaids, flying, and some things going on in the EF. This episode deals heavily with the idea of belief and believing, so I think we’ll be seeing a lot of that in this story arc. So batten down the hatches, we’ve got an unbelievable season ahead (see what I did there? Huh? Huh? Whatever.)!

Summary: While Emma tries to dissuade her parents, Regina, and Hook from tearing each other apart, Henry encounters a scared Lost Boy on Neverland and reminds him of the power of belief. In the Enchanted Forest, Neal goes to his father’s castle to figure out what’s going on with Emma.

Opening: Henry and Peter Pan flying.

New Characters: 

Peter Pan: Although we don’t know he’s Peter Pan until the end; he finds Henry when he’s running away from the Lost Boys and pretends to be another scared boy. My only problem with this is that the actor playing Pan looks at least 16, so him pretending to be scared to an 11-year-old Henry is a little odd. Maybe it’s supposed to be believable because Felix (Lost Boy Leader’s name according to the credits) is creepy as fuck. Also, why are the Lost Boys so old? Wasn’t the whole point of coming to Neverland to never grow up and be a kid forever? Wendy (in the Disney version) wanted to go there because she was being kicked out of the nursery because she was almost 13. So why are the Lost Boys teenagers? This makes no sense to me. But I digress. Henry tells him how Pan sent people to kidnap and the boy tells him if Pan sent for him he wants him for something. The basic gist of this whole ‘game’ is that Pan is pretending, he wants to make sure that Henry’s belief in magic(?) is real, and tricks him into using pixie dust in order to fly. Only then does Pan reveal himself to Henry and that he basically needs him because he has the heart of the truest believer. And then, in the most menacing way, he calls the Lost Boys and says they’re going to play. Yikes! What has Henry got himself into?

Character Observations:

Emma: We start with Emma giving birth to Henry 11 years ago. Her leg is shackled to the hospital bed and there is a prison guard watching over her. She absolutely refuses to see the baby when it’s born and says she can’t be a mother. But she’s absolutely devastated. We then move to the Jolly Roger where they are going through the portal, a true picture of a mother going after her son. Mary Margaret and David try to cheer her up, but instead, she blames them for giving her hope, for telling her that life is a fairy tale when that’s not her experience, and she can only go off of her experiences when saving Henry. She is just letting them have it while trying to keep herself together, and it’s some of the best acting I’ve seen Jennifer Morrison do on this show. She is so tired of the optimism that David and Mary Margaret have about everything and just wants them to realize that so many bad things have happened to them and to deal with that.  But they refuse to deal with reality and still hold on to hope, aggravating Emma even more. Gold comes out, now dressed like Rumple, and tells everyone that he is going to get Henry back. Emma, still upset from her talk with her parents, wants to know why Gold doesn’t think she can get Henry back. He tells her she doesn’t believe in her parents, magic, or herself. Emma says she’s pretty sure she believes in magic after everything they’ve seen, and that’s exactly the point. She only believes in what’s in front of her, she can’t talk a leap of faith without evidence, and since Neverland runs on imagination, that’s not going to fly. He basically tells her she’s the same person who came to Storybrooke and she can’t do anything without a little hand holding. Emma takes her stress out Sarah Connor style by doing pull ups down in the crew’s quarters, delighting Hook to no end. Hook gives her Bae’s old cutlass to fight with. They toast to Neal with some rum before their lovely moment is interrupted by a mermaid attack.  Everyone attacks them in different ways, but Mary Margaret and Emma catch one in a net and decide to bring it on board the ship. Everything starts going to hell when they bring her aboard. She calls a storm and everyone starts arguing with each other. You can see that Emma is finding this very strange and that this isn’t normal fighting. Regina finally turns the mermaid into a wooden statue and Emma is freaking the fuck out, especially because a wall of water comes at them after she does that. Emma and Hook are desperately trying to regain control of the ship while Mary Margaret and Regina duke it out. Hook and David end up fighting as well and Emma finally realizes that their fighting is causing the storm. She can’t get their attention, so, in a leap of faith, she jumps off the ship, which probably would’ve gotten them to stop fighting even without the rigging that flies off and hits her in the head, knocking her out under the water. Luckily, everyone works together to save her, and they get her back on the ship and she doesn’t have any type of head injury (not even a bruise!). But their working together gets the storm to stop and Emma gets in an ‘I told you so’ after she coughs up the water that could have drowned her. They finally make it onto Neverland and Emma goes into leader mode. She even admits that she was wrong and Gold was right about belief. Her parents think there’s a right way to find Henry, but Emma wants them to be who they are and do whatever it takes, no matter the consequences to save Henry and just cooperate with each other. Regina questions Emma’s role as something other than the Savior. She tells Regina she is a mother and their leader. She’s pretty much had enough of Regina’s lip and basically tells her to keep out of her way as they try to save Henry. They head off into the jungles of Neverland. So Emma has finally accepted her role as Henry’s mother and is finally taking a leadership role instead of letting everything just fall in her lap. We’ll see how she fares with Henry’s other mother.

Gold: He’s not very helpful to anyone. He does decide to dress more Enchanted Forest appropriate by wearing his crocodile skin outfit. He tells Emma that he’ll be the one to get Henry back since she doesn’t have enough belief. His speech borders on religious when he talks about taking a leap of faith (something Emma does later by jumping into the water and Henry does with the pixie dust), and then he vanishes from the ship, leaving his cane behind (I guess being back in a magical place makes it so he doesn’t need his cane anymore).  First he comes across the carnage that is Greg and Tamara. She is still alive so he makes it so she can tell him what happened to Henry. Tamara tells him that Henry ran, and then tries to justify her actions by saying she didn’t know she was working for Pan. She also apologizes for killing Neal. She asks for his forgiveness and Gold is done with this. He almost looks like he’s sympathetic to her plight, but then rips out her heart and crushes it. Bye bye, Tamara. You really did get what you deserved. He wanders around the island until he senses Felix nearby and tells him to come out. Felix addresses him as Rumplestiltskin and Gold does his little Rumple hand gesture with the biggest expression of disdain on his face. It’s hilarious. Felix tells him Pan welcomes him to the island and is happy to see him again. So now we know that Pan and Rumple have some sort of past together. What it is remains to be seen. Gold finds it hard to believe Pan wants him there. Felix tells him as long as he’s not there for the boy, he’s welcome, otherwise he’s Pan’s enemy. So I guess he’s Pan’s enemy.  Gold tells him nothing’s changed then. So I guess they’re already enemies. Felix tells him he won’t survive against Pan. Gold isn’t particularly disturbed by this. He’s more concerned about how many Lost Boys he can take with him when he goes down. Gold thinks their confrontation is over until Felix throws him a straw doll which instantly reduces Gold to tears. Holy crap! Who knew Gold could be so emotional when it didn’t have to do with Belle or Neal? Felix says something about things they haven’t thought about in years having the ability to make them cry, so I’m assuming his doll has something to do with Gold’s childhood. Felix leaves Gold crying over the doll in the middle of the jungle. Well that took a turn.

Regina: Annoying as ever, she immediately lays into Hook for the ship slowing down, and if he didn’t realize what the purpose of their trip was, it was to go rescue Henry (because they went through a portal just for the hell of it?). Like this whole conversation is completely ridiculous. Then she tells Hook about how Greg called her a villain, which she seems incredulous about (does she really not think she’s a villain, she is the Evil Queen after all), and that Greg said villains don’t get happy endings. Hook and Regina reflect on this and how they might have been wasting their lives if that’s true. Didn’t they have a similar conversation when they were below the library in The Evil Queen? Where Hook asked if their pursuit of vengeance was basically an ending and not a beginning? So, Regina doesn’t see herself as a villain, and she continues this belief throughout their journey. When the mermaids are attacking, she’s not a villain by sending fireballs after them. When Emma and Mary Margaret capture one, she yells at her (and is not above torturing her) for information, eventually causing a fight between herself and Mary Margaret (Regina wants to kill her or torture her for information, whereas Mary Margaret wants to free her), and Regina turns the mermaid into a wooden statue satisfied that that will end the storm. Except it brings a huge tidal wave upon them instead. She seems genuinely shocked that this plan didn’t work. Listen to Emma and think things through, Regina!!! Always thinking in the short term and never looking at the whole picture. Mary Margaret and Regina continue to go at it with each other (involving an actual fistfight between the two of them) and Regina, once again, plays the victim when Mary Margaret tells her to stop ruining her life. When Emma jumps off the ship she tells Mary Margaret she can’t see her in the storm to bring her back up. But they all end up working together to save Emma which stops the storm. Once they dock, Regina says she can fix the Jolly Roger and they can go with Hook’s original plan, but Emma tells her to save her magic and says that Pan already knows they’re there. Emma makes a moving speech about believing in each other and Regina poo poos this as her wanting them all to be friends. That’s not even close to what she said. Emma says they just need to be who they are to succeed and she calls Regina a villain in this speech. Regina keeps a very cool facade when Emma goes on about being a mother and their leader (both roles that are usually Regina’s forte), but seems to be on board when they go further into the jungle.

David/Mary Margaret: I just want to roll my eyes at their optimism like Emma does. Their unwavering belief that everything will work out is very annoying. They are genuinely shocked that Emma doesn’t share their optimism. You can see that Mary Margaret is doing all she can to not dissolve into tears when she tells Emma that her experience is all she has to go on and she could share some of her wisdom with her. But Emma reminds them that they are the same age with the same amount of experience. Ok, I see where Emma is coming from, but being the same age does not give them the same level of experience. They both have different experiences that they can both learn from. Mary Margaret is doing everything she can to placate Emma, but Emma is pissed off. Mary Margaret tells her that the moment she lets go of her belief the moment things will ultimately get worse (how much worse can it get? You’ve already been cursed, lost your daughter, Johanna was killed, and now your grandson has been kidnapped?). I’d be frustrated too.  David and Mary Margaret are trying to control the ship when the mermaids attack, and David’s the first to do something useful by making explosives and shooting the mermaids with the mini cannons (I will not be capsized by fish). And he looks hot doing it. Whew! Mary Margaret gets the idea to catch the mermaids, I’m not really sure what the thought process there was. Later on she thinks that talking to them and seeing if they can make some sort of deal with them will work, but all in all, the capturing a mermaid plan basically almost killed them all. When questioning the mermaid, David first goes from the yell and threaten approach (even bringing a sword to her throat, and Mary Margaret looks horrified at this), while Mary Margaret thinks that killing them with kindness is the way to go (she thinks they are scared of Pan and doing his bidding, even though Hook tells her mermaids are liars and just want to kill them). Regina continues to try and kill the mermaid even though everyone else tells her not to and she brings on a huge tidal wave when she turns her into wood. Mary Margaret blames Regina who doesn’t think this is her fault. She wants her to undo the spell and Regina calls Mary Margaret a naive princess, so Mary Margaret punches her! Damn girl! Get out all that pent up frustration! They continue punching each other so David goes to break them up, but Hook tells him to let them fight because he needs him to help with the ship, but he uses a derogatory term for women and David punches him. So now they’re fighting. He even tries to stab Hook with his own hook. Talk about cold blooded. They finally all get their acts together when Emma jumps in the water to stop them from fighting. Mary Margaret and David are terrified.  They all work together, with David jumping into the water to save her and the others pulling them up with rope. Once on the island, Emma tells them all they need to work together and David and Mary Margaret don’t want to work with Regina and Hook. I’m confused as to why they think they’re there then if they weren’t all going to work with each other. David wants to do things the right way (which is what exactly?), but Emma says they just need to be heroes while Regina is a villain and Hook is a pirate. They need those skills to get Henry back. When Emma says her skill is being a mother, Mary Margaret gets the proudest look on her face. Like Emma’s finally understanding what being a parent is all about. And then after she tells Regina to either help or get out of her way, David is the first to follow with a proud daddy smirk on his face.

Henry: Basically, he’s running from the Lost Boys. He has belief in magic and flies. And now Peter Pan and the Lost Boys have him surrounded.

Greg/Tamara: They know they’re in Neverland because it’s the mother lode of magic. They want to destroy it. Henry asks them who they work for that works on Neverland, but Greg says it’s none of his business. The Home Office takes care of them. Henry wonders how they’ll get back home once they destroy magic, but Greg is deep into the ‘it doesn’t matter as long as it gets done’ belief to worry about little things like getting home. They immediately realize something is wrong when their communicator is filled with sand. Tamara even wonders if it’s a toy and Henry remarks that it’s a good thing they don’t ask questions. Greg just gets angry while Tamara starts getting worried. Greg builds a fire to send a signal, but Tamara thinks the broken communicator was intentional. That’s when the Lost Boys emerge. They tell Greg and Tamara they’re the Home Office, and Tamara is getting really frightened now that they know the Home Office is run by teenagers. Henry clarifies that they’re the Lost Boys. Henry’s confused as to why the Lost Boys want to destroy magic, and Greg reminds him that that was their mission. Felix tells him they only told him what he wanted to hear so they could get Henry. Tamara finally gets some balls and asks how they’re getting home and Felix tells her they aren’t getting home. Greg tells them they aren’t getting Henry, but Felix summons the Shadow who rips Greg’s shadow from his body and kills him. Tamara tells Henry to run and gets shot with an arrow from a Lost Boy. Now, I have to admit, I really didn’t like Greg, but this was an awful way for him to die. After everything he went through as a kid he just wanted some justification in destroying magic, and unfortunately, he found the wrong organization who just used him for their own means.  Tamara manages not to die right off the bat and is found by Rumple later. He heals her so she can tell him where Henry went. She apologizes for everything and asks him for forgiveness over what she did to Neal. But Rumple don’t play that game and takes her heart and crushes it.  RIP Greg and Tamara, you will not be missed in the slightest.

Neal/Mulan: Ugh! I really wish Neal was just dead and I didn’t have to deal with all this. First off, we get no explanation about how they rescued Phillip from the wraith, he’s just there with them. Neal wakes up and is bandaged pretty modernly for being in the EF. Mulan immediately thinks he’s lying about being from the EF since he’s wearing clothes like Emma and Snow did. Which makes no sense because she knows about the curse and how they were all from the EF, so of course he’d be wearing modern clothes if he was from the same place they were. Once Mulan mentions Emma and Snow, Neal wants them to help him find her because Emma’s in danger. He also mentions Henry and Aurora quickly comes to the conclusion that he’s Henry’s father. Mulan questions how Neal got there, but he explains about the portal. He tells her they’re all considered fairy tale characters, or legends. When Aurora can’t make contact she thinks the worst. Neal realizes he needs to go to his father’s castle and reveals his father is the Dark One. Mulan and Neal have a deep discussion about why Emma never mentioned him when she was there. Neal says he broke her heart and then never came back for her even though he loved her and he regrets it. He claims he didn’t try because he didn’t want to be rejected. Or, maybe because you were engaged to Tamara up until she shot you? Seriously, what is up with all the Neal retconning. He didn’t want to risk seeing his father so he let Emma go to jail for him and then didn’t ever look for her once the curse broke because he’d moved on and still didn’t want to deal with his father. This whole still loving Emma thing is bullshit! Mulan seems to understand his regret more than she should. Still wondering if she’s in love with Phillip or Aurora. They get to the castle and Neal realizes that someone is there because they left out a goblet of wine. Then an arrow comes shooting near his head and Robin Hook makes his entrance. Neal is in disbelief. He tells Robin he can have the castle, he just needs to find something first and Robin believes he is the son of the Dark One, because who would admit to that if they weren’t.  He also tells Neal that Rumplestiltskin spared his life and Neal wants him to help him find whatever he needs to pay for that debt. Neal is looking for something magical that his father would have hidden away. Neal finds his father’s old cane, swings it around, and uncovers a magical cabinet. Convenient. Neal claims it’s blood magic that made it so he could uncloak the cabinet. Neal finds a crystal ball and laments about how he’s been running from magic most of his life and now it’s the only thing that can help him. Boo hoo. But he can’t make the crystal ball work. Like your father said, you have to believe. Mulan tells him he needs to think of Emma and not a place. And when he does he recognizes that she’s in Neverland. Uh oh!

Questions:

I get having a guard while Emma is giving birth, but shackled? I’ve given birth three times and trying to move without help after you’ve given birth is almost near impossible. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t break the cuff with the sheer force that is necessary to give birth.

With the way Henry fell out of that portal (and that he couldn’t brace himself since his hands are tied), shouldn’t he have broken something? That was a pretty high fall from the portal. 

Why didn’t Greg and Tamara’s portal spit them out in water since they went into it in water?

Why does Regina ask Hook about the ship slowing down? He hasn’t cast anchor, it’s not a car, it doesn’t just slow down. That’s not how it works. If Hook hasn’t put the anchor down then the ship is slowing down most likely due to lack of wind, or the fact that they just shot out of a portal, not because of anything he’s doing.

How is Aurora’s dress not shredded by now? She’s in the same dress that she was wearing in Broken.

Why is Aurora’s first reaction to not being able to reach Henry in her dream that he’s in trouble and not that he’s not asleep?

How does Neal a) know about his father’s castle (he left the EF before Rumplestiltskin owned a castle), and b) know where this castle is?

Doesn’t wearing a bag crossed over where Neal just got shot hurt? He’s acting like he was never shot at all.

Anyone else think David’s face is a little too close to the mini cannon? I was afraid he was going to at least burn his eyebrows off.

Why are Mary Margaret and Regina still wearing their suit jackets in the middle of a storm? Emma took off her turtleneck and David rolled up his sleeves. Having that extra soaking layer must suck.

First of all, Robin Hood says he arrived at Rumple’s castle shortly after the curse (I’m assuming after it ended) to find it already looted by thieves. Did it get looted after Rumple was taken captive by Snow and Charming?  Secondly, why did he decide to go back to Rumple’s castle after he was tortured and nearly killed the last time he was there? Did he know Rumple had been imprisoned beforehand?

I thought Felix was with the Lost Boys chasing Henry. Did he decide to take a break when they discovered Gold was on the island?

Where did Mary Margaret’s bow and quiver full of arrows come from? She only had a backpack when she came aboard the Jolly Roger in And Straight on ‘Til Morning.

Why is David questioning working with Regina and Hook to get Henry back? They all made the journey to Neverland. Were they just going to leave Regina and Hook on the ship?

Observations:

The lights flicker when Emma gives birth to Henry. The last time we saw this was in the Pilot. It seems this is a manifestation of Emma’s magic in our world.

It looks like Gold lost all the gray in his hair when he had his wardrobe change.

Apparently getting your shadow ripped from you will kill you.

Snow didn’t teach Aurora how to control the dreams and walk the dream world. Henry had the amulet that Gold gave him that let him control things (and David later broke). Not that they ever used it after the first dream.

Neal explains how portals work. You have to think about the place you want to go to.

I don’t know if it’s because of the difference between filming a live ship and then greenscreening a background when filming the actors, but the ship looks like it’s barely moving when it’s just a ship shot, and then it’s speeding along when you see the water behind the actors.

Robin Hood is played by a different actor than when we last saw him in Lacey.

I’ve decided that the forest that we saw in Cora’s bubble must be Sherwood Forest, as that’s the only explanation for Robin Hood to still be in the EF, and why he hasn’t aged.

So that’s the season premiere for season 3! We are officially in Neverland. We don’t even see Storybrooke. And we have to deal with characters we don’t particularly care for in the Enchanted Forest (although I like the smarminess of this Robin Hood). We’ll see how this all comes together. Some other thoughts: Regina is still Evil Queen Bitch. She seems to have learned nothing from her brushes with death just that morning. David and Mary Margaret also seem to think that if they just do the right thing then everything will be alright, when we’ve yet to see that work out for them. Emma is the only one who seems to have made any growth by calling herself Henry’s mother and finally taking a leadership role in finding him. And Hook just fancies Emma when she’s not yelling at him.

Please leave comments and reblog! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future reviews.

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#once upon a time #once upon a time review #once upon a time rewatch #once upon a time 3x01 #once upon a time the heart of the truest believer

[cynically-optimistic]

Haunting of Hill House Theory

The Olivia hallucination that lives with Hugh is a true sprinkle of her, not a grief hallucination.

In the Red Room, Nellie says that when the people we love die, they continue to live on, sprinkled on our lives like confetti. I think she meant this literally and that this version of Olivia is one such piece of confetti. When we see Olivia’s ghost appear to different members of the family she takes on different demeanors and different personalities at different times, like fractures and shards of who she was, but never complete.

For example, when she appears in the funeral home to Steve, this version of her also places buttons on Nell’s eyes in the casket as a mark of love for her youngest child, trying to give her peace. And then there is the truely primal version of Olivia that appears under Shirley’s desk to Hugh and Theo, after smashing the forever house diorama which probably signifies her smashing the previous dreams she had for her family and instead she is now trying to get them back to Hill House.

Different figments of Olivia compell different behaviors from her family like the version of her through the window at the OBGYN clinic to Steve that forces him to tell Leigh the truth, or the bowler hat version that appears to Luke that tells him to “come home, my love.”

I truly believe the best parts Olivia are with Hugh and sometimes her kids even if they can’t see her - case in point being Nell seeing her mom at her wedding which is the only time we see any of the kids see this version of Olivia. And this apparition that appears to Hugh is the piece of her that is most like how she was before the House, it’s manipulations, and Poppy’s influence. Of course, these happenings did change Olivia and she still exists that way in some parts of herself, like the part of her that still resides in the house or the truly horrific parts of her (like at the graveyard) that we see throughout the season.

Back in the house, when Hugh is talking to Olivia in 1x10, and he tells her about carrying her with him and she says “that wasn’t me, that was just you,” I think she is wrong.

THAT Olivia wouldn’t even recognize the resembling past version of herself if she were standing right in front of her. The House has dissected that part of her psyche from the Olivia that still walks the house and it resides in the only place it can - with her husband and her children (even if her kids can’t see her), or the only place that truly feels like home. This “hallucination” of her always knows what her kids need and coaches Hugh through interacting with them as adults. Hugh has no clue how to talk to and mend bridges with his adult children, for example he tries to congratulate Luke on his sobriety at Nellie’s funeral. Olivia tells Hugh that Luke doesn’t want to “make today about him,” and that it’s okay to just sit and be with him. Hugh would have kept talking and furthering that divide between him and his youngest son. Theo and Luke are the first ones to open up a little bit to their father, with the assistance of Olivia. Even with Shirley and Hugh is continuing to tell her to forgive her sister, and we see her reject her father’s concern AFTER Olivia told him not to push her. The ways in which he fails with his children is when he follows his own instinct rather than Olivia’s. He was apart from his kids for so long that he never learned how to navigate a relationship with any of them but Olivia still knows her kids in their simplicities while Hugh tends to over complicate and overcompensate.

This version of her knows her kids and her husband and tries as best she can to help them navigate their healing, meanwhile the other versions of her in the house are still trying kill her children to keep them “safe.” She is so lost and fractured into various pieces, but they are all still Olivia - the good and the bad.

To add to this theory, we see this “fracturing” of sorts with William Hill, having his ghost as the “tall man” with his bowler hat wandering the halls tapping his cane on the floor but he is also in the basement, scratching the bricks behind the wall.

The only ghost we don’t really see this with is Nellie (other than her normal self and the Bent Neck Lady but she was still navigating her death) which I suspect is largely due to her being the achetype of “Acceptance” in the 5 stages of grief. Had it been one of the other Crain siblings to die in the house, we definitely would have see this broken glass effect be more apparent. Nell may have been clinically depressed and had a horrible, traumatic life but when it mattered most she knew why and she knew who mattered to her most. Even her revelations after death gave her more clarity instead of breaking her further.

If the writers were to ever continue the Crain family’s story, I would love to see Steve, Shirley, Theo, and Luke be able to bring their mother back together and give her a little bit of peace.

#olivia crain #nell crain #netflix #steve crain #theo crain #luke crain #hugh crain #hill house #the haunting of hill house #the haunting of hill house spoilers #thohh theories #fan theories

[tomeandflickcorner]

Umbrella Academy Recap 2x09

1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10

2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05 2x06 2x07 2x08

We’re nearing the end of the season now, and things are heating up!  Number 5 convinced Luther to help him make a bargain with Old Number 5, who was also walking around 1963 Dallas to ensure President Kennedy’s assassination occurred as it was supposed to.  This bargain involved Old Number 5 handing over his time traveling briefcase so the Hargreeves Siblings could return home to their time in exchange for the correct equation that would allow Old Number 5 to timejump back to the day of Reginald’s funeral and prevent the 2019 apocalypse, without undergoing an age regression. However, both Number 5 and Old Number 5 began to display the symptoms of paradox psychosis, an unfortunate sickness that could occur when a person interacts with their past or future selves while time traveling.  And it’s possible that the two Number 5s might try to kill each other as a result of it.  At the same time, because Lila abducted Diego and brought him to The Commission’s headquarters in the hopes of making him part of her security team, Diego was able to determine that the new apocalypse of 1963 would occur because the FBI captured and interrogated Vanya, whom they suspected of being a Russian spy.  The FBI’s interrogation methods would ultimately result in the amnesiac Vanya’s memories to come flooding back, which would lead to Vanya’s powers bursting out of her, causing an explosion that would be blamed on the Russians, cumulating in a nuclear war. In the hopes of stopping this from happening, Diego, Allison and Klaus hurry over to the FBI building in order to save Vanya from the FBI.  But it appears as if they may have arrived too late, as Vanya’s powers are already spiraling out of control.

Because of Vanya’s powers going out of control, Diego, Klaus and Allison are faced with the challenge of how to reach her without getting themselves killed.  Eventually, Allison gets sick of Diego and Klaus’ whole ‘not it’ bit and decides to volunteer herself.  Which is very fitting, given the sisterly bond the last season had been setting up.  However, Allison ends up getting knocked out.  Diego also fails to make it to Vanya, so it’s up to Klaus.  And he almost makes it, due to the improvised firehose rope that Diego managed to set up before he was knocked out, too.  But Klaus also gets thrown back.  Of course, there’s still one last hope left.  Because Ben is also there.  And because he’s a ghost without a physical body, he isn’t affected by Vanya’s powers.  Upon entering the room where Vanya was strapped to the interrogation chair, Ben manages to possess her, indicating the power of possession was actually tied to Ben and not Klaus. 

Once he’d possessed Vanya, Ben is able to wander about inside Vanya’s mind, where he eventually makes contact with Vanya’s subconscious. Vanya’s Subconscious is clearly scared and upset, having remembered everything and knowing that she might end up destroying the world all over again.  She bemoans over how she can’t control her powers like her siblings, and admits she doesn’t feel like she deserves to live, as she killed Pogo and almost killed Allison.  Ben, however, isn’t deterred and begins to reassure her. He tells her that it’s not her fault she can’t control it, as Reginald hadn’t given her the chance to learn.  Instead, he treated her like a bomb and forced her to keep it bottled up by drugging her and keeping her locked up.  He goes on to tell her she has every right to be angry about how she was treated, but that she’s not a monster.  She’s his sister, and the others are risking their lives at that very moment for her sake.  He also tells her that’s she’s not alone anymore.  In the end, Ben’s words are enough to reassure Vanya’s Subconscious and she begins to smile.  But as she gets to her feet, they notice that Ben is starting to glow.  Ben realizes that he’s finally crossing over.  Vanya’s Subconscious is upset by this, feeling that this is her fault as well, but Ben tells her it’s okay.  After all, he’d died 17 years ago.  At least now, he can say goodbye properly. Before Ben can fade away, he asks Vanya’s Subconscious if she could hug him before he went, and she complies to the request without hesitation.  As they hug, Ben gives Vanya’s Subconscious one final request.  He wants her to pass on a message to Klaus, which he whispers into her ear.

Over at the farmhouse, Sissy notices that Harlan is acting strangely.  Because, as last episode revealed, he and Vanya somehow have some sort of psychic link now.  And therefore, Harlan is experiencing everything Vanya is right now.  Of course, Sissy doesn’t realize this, but she is still alarmed when she sees Harlan sitting stock still in his chair, with his head tilted backward.  As Sissy kneels down next to him, Harlan utters a single word- Vanya’s name.  Obviously, this is a big deal, as this is quite possibly the first time Harlan has ever spoken in his life.  But Carl, who had also witnessed this, doesn’t focus on how miraculous it is that his son is finally speaking.  Instead, he accuses Vanya of doing something to him and immediately starts bringing him to the car with the intention of taking him to an institution.  Sissy, on the other hand, is dead set against this, and she moves in front of the car, aiming her shotgun at Carl.  She tells him that she’s not going to let him take her son from her, because if Harlan is brought to an institution, then they’ll never give him back.  In response, Carl suggests Sissy doesn’t deserve him anymore.  Of course, that was the wrong thing for him to say, as Sissy has had enough of the way Carl has treated her, and she does not back down.

The moment Ben crosses over, Vanya snaps out of her trance at the FBI building.  Likewise, Harlan also snaps out of it in time to witness Sissy and Carl’s confrontation, with Sissy finally admitting that she’d fallen in love with Vanya, and she wants more than what she’d had with Carl.  When Harlan gets out of the car, Sissy gets momentarily distracted, which allows Carl to try and wrestle the shotgun out of her hands.  In the struggle, the trigger gets squeezed and the gun goes off.  The bullet heads right towards Harlan, but right before impact, a sudden shockwave bursts out of the boy, which is eerily similar to Vanya’s power.  The shockwave throws the bullet backwards, and it instead flies clean through Carl’s chest, killing him instantly.

Back at the FBI building, Vanya wakes up to take in the scene around her, with the bodies of the dead FBI agents lying around.  After a pause, she hurries out into the hall, just in time to see Allison, Diego and Klaus also coming around.  But then Diego consults his watch and concludes there’s still time to save President Kennedy, who will be driving by shortly.  Allison tries to stop him, but he can’t be reasoned with, as he believes that, since they’d already stopped the explosion from happening, they’re npw in the clear, and President Kennedy doesn’t have to die.

Elsewhere, Luther is making his way to the grassy knoll with Number 5 and Old Number 5.  And Luther is talking to Old Number 5 about his plan to kill Number 5, whom he claims is only a faulty doppelganger and not the real Number 5.  Of course, our Number 5 already knows about Old Number 5′s plot.  After all, he WAS Old Number 5, and he knows how his older-younger self thinks.  And he doesn’t hesitate to confront Luther over how they’re conspiring against him.  Which leads to his iconic ‘I'm the daddy here!’ line.  (You gotta watch this clip for yourself.  It’s classic.)  Before long, they make it to their destination, where Luther notices that Old Number 5 is also experiencing paradox psychosis.  Meaning his plan to kill our Number 5 may not have come from a sound mind.

As Old Number 5 gets ready to fire the bullet that will kill President Kennedy as his motorcade drives by, Number 5, due to the final stages of paradox psychosis, makes a mad lunge for Old Number 5′s briefcase, believing he can teleport over and grab it in time.  But Old Number 5 spots Number 5′s movements in the reflection of the lens on his shotgun’s sight, so he is able to react in time.  For a moment, it looks like the two Number 5s will turn on each other, but Luther steps in between them, trying to calm them both down.  Of course, this has no effect, as Number 5 simply kicks him in the groin.  And with Luther momentarily incapacitated, Number 5 and Old Number 5 begin to go at it.  Eventually, Luther is able to break up the fight and gains possession of the shotgun.  Immediately, Number 5 and Old Number 5 begin shouting at him, both ordering him to kill the other one.  After some deliberation, Luther ends up aiming the shotgun at our Number 5.  But after a tense moment, Luther turns and knocks Old Number 5 out with the butt of the shotgun.  He then orders our Number 5 to open the time vortex portal that would lead back to the day of Reginald’s funeral.

At The Commission headquarters, Lila, having realized she’s lost Diego, heads into The Handler’s office.  Upon arriving, she learns The Handler has already found out about how Diego broke into the Infinite Switchboard room and stole a time traveling briefcase, as she’d threatened Herb and forced him to tell her.  The Handler reminds Lila about her earlier agreement, which stated that Lila would have to kill Diego herself if he stepped out of line.  Lila instantly realizes that this was The Handler’s plan all along.  As they begin to argue over the matter, Herb notices AJ the fish in a nearby fish bowl and tries to discreetly scooch over towards him, which enables AJ to silently give him a message.  AJ has managed to write out the number 743 with the colored pebbles at the bottom of the fishbowl.  The Handler then orders everyone out of the room so she and Lila could speak privately.  Once they’re alone, The Handler tells Lila that she’s about to become the most powerful woman of all time, and she wants Lila to be her right hand.  But she needs to know if she can trust her adopted daughter.  And as she says this, she grips Lila's chin in an obviously threatening manner, making her meaning clear.  So Lila assures The Handler that she can trust her.

Meanwhile, Herb, following the tip he got from AJ, finds Case File 743.  Inside, he finds information that he clearly finds important, as he removes a paper from the file before placing it back in the filing cabinet.  After leaving the case file room, Herb is confronted by Lila.  She demands to know where Diego went, and Herb admits he’d helped him escape and return to his siblings.  Herb also asks Lila if she’s really going to kill Diego, and Lila says she won’t.  Because she loves him.  (Though she also threatens to hurt Herb if he ever blabbed that to anyone.)  Before Lila walked off, Herb showed her the paper he’d found in Case File 743.  The information on the paper is enough to make Lila drop to her knees in shock.

Upon recovering from the shock, Lila storms into The Handler’s office to confront her.  It turns out she’s now learned the truth.  That her parents hadn’t died in a robbery, but had been executed by The Commission.  The paper in her hand is a kill order against Lila’s parents.  A kill order that Old Number 5 had carried out.  But sadly, Lila seems she hasn’t figured out the full truth.  Because The Handler had used AJ’s signature to approve the kill order, thereby covering up her involvement.  Taking advantage of the fact that Lila doesn’t know she was the one who ordered their deaths, The Handler suggests that Diego might have been snooping around to get rid of the evidence that tied Number 5 to Lila’s parents’ deaths.  At first, Lila doesn’t buy it, but The Handler is able to place a small seed of doubt in Lila’s mind, suggesting that Number 5 has been behind everything and Diego had been following his orders all along.  As Lila numbly walks off, The Handler retaliates against AJ for his efforts at revealing the truth by killing him.

As the episode comes to a close, Old Number 5 comes to in time to watch our Number 5 opening up the time vortex portal back to 2019.  So Old Number 5 gets ready to jump into the time vortex, with our Number 5 telling him what he’d got wrong about the equation, which involved a misplaced decimal.  But unfortunately, right before Old Number 5 could depart with his math error corrected, Luther gets hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.  (For those who have forgotten, Klaus threw it into the time vortex when it had appeared at the Umbrella Academy mansion in the pilot episode.)  This results in Luther dropping the shotgun.  And with Luther unarmed, Old Number 5 tries to make a dive for the briefcase.  At the last second, fortunately, Luther gets back up and dropkicks Old Number 5 through the portal right before it disappears.  So it looks as if things might work out, as Old Number 5 went back in time like he was supposed to, this time with the correct mathematical formula.  And he also knows that the way to stop the 2019 apocalypse involves being nice to Vanya.  But unfortunately, the time traveling briefcase was damaged when the time portal closed around it, so it’s now completely useless to Luther and our Number 5.  Number 5 is not pleased by this, but there’s no time to worry about that now.  President Kennedy’s motorcade is driving past right now, and they hurry over to the fence to watch.  Likewise, Allison, Klaus and Vanya watch from the window of the FBI building.

Down on the street, Diego practically bulrushes 1963 Reginald, who has appeared on the scene as well.  But he discovers too late that it’s not really 1963 Reginald, but someone who had been dressed up to look like him.  The moment Diego realizes his mistake, the infamous gunshots are heard.  Horrified over how he failed to prevent the assassination, Diego demands to know where the real 1963 Reginald is.  In response, the Reginald impersonator hands him a note that simply says ‘I told you so.’

That evening, the real 1963 Reginald confronts the other members of the Majestic 12.  It comes out that he’d made a deal with them that President Kennedy was not to be touched.  And he is livid that they went back on their word and lied to him.  He tells them that they are never to contact him ever again and turns to leave.  However, the leader of the Majestic 12 isn’t bothered, simply saying that he expects 1963 Reginald to continue supplying them with his advanced technology.  If he doesn’t, they’ll expose him for what he really is- an alien from another planet.  1963 Reginald doesn’t take kindly to the attempt at blackmail.  In response, he sheds his skin a la Men in Black style, revealing his alien face (which we only see the back of) and proceeds to kill everyone in the room.  Again, while we don’t actually see it happening, the sounds we hear are enough to conclude that their deaths were quite painful.

At The Commission’s headquarters, The Handler is notified of the appearance of an anomaly appearing in the timeline.  When she goes down to the Infinite Switchboard room to see what’s up, she watches the footage of the new anomaly and promptly kills the man with her, after determining he hasn’t shown the footage to anyone else.  She then makes an announcement to the rest of The Commission, stating that they’re going to war.  And the episode ends with the reveal of what the anomaly is.  It’s Harlan.  Somehow, he now possesses the same sort of powers as Vanya.  And it’s clear he can’t control them.

Closing thoughts/questions:

How did Harlan get Vanya’s powers?

What’s Lila going to do now that she knows Number 5 was the one who ended her parents’ lives?  Does Number 5 even know?  And will Lila figure out that it was The Handler who gave the kill order and not AJ?

So Reginald IS an alien!  I thought so, as it was rather obvious since 1x10.  But I never guessed he actually looked like one.  I wonder if we’ll ever get to see what he really looks like without the human mask,

It appears 1963 Reginald didn’t want President Kennedy to actually be killed after all.  But what exactly did he expect was going to happen?  They said the plan was to get him out of the way, but how were they planning to do that without actually assassinating him?  I’m genuinely curious.

I’m really proud of Sissy.  She finally stood up to Carl and displayed the full extent of her strength at last.   And while Carl’s death is unfortunate, he did sorta bring it on himself.  I just hope Sissy doesn’t get in trouble for it.  Because people are going to notice his sudden disappearance.

I’m also sad to see Ben go.  But at least he’s at peace now.  And he got to have one last moment and hug with both Diego and Vanya before he crossed over.  It’s just a shame he didn’t also get to say goodbye to Allison, Luther and Number 5.  I do wonder what their relationship to Ben had been.  (Considering Ben was one of the people Number 5 called out for when he found the ruins of the Umbrella Academy mansion in the post-2019 apocalypse future, I’m guessing Ben and Number 5 had been somewhat close.)

#umbrella acedmy #umbrella academy 2x09 #tua

[carneaderuntold]

THE TURNING POINT (1X10).

“Whoa there, Kenn.” He held her by her shoulders, careful not to grip her neck where the blood was pooling near her collar bone and soaking into the material of her tank top. He didn’t stop to question why she was wearing so little clothing in the beginnings of winter. Instead, he pushed some of the hair that had fallen from her ponytail away from her wound, finding a round set of indentions—teeth marks—open and still bleeding.

Kennedy blinked, trying to stay focused on him. She looked like she would drop any minute. How long had she been wandering the forest alone before he found her? How much blood had she already lost?

“—Damon…” she mumbled, hand fumbling for his shoulder. Her chocolate brown eyes searched his face for clarity, answers to what was going on. “What are you—where did you—” A whimper escaped past her lips. “—It hurts.”

She heard him sigh and watched his breath form a fog-like vapor as it mingled with the air. “I know, Kenn. I know, but I’m going to fix you right up, okay?”

“’kay,” she mumbled, slumping a bit in his hold. Her eyes fluttered, but she kept them open.

He shifted her so she was being held up by one arm before pushing up the sleeve of his leather jacket and biting into his free wrist. He held it up to her lips, and Kennedy stared at it dumbfounded. “What—?”

“You’re gonna have to drink it, Kenn.” He placed it closer to her. “It’ll heal you.”

He could see her eyes clear up at his words. He could almost see the gears churn behind the brown orbs. He could tell that somewhere along the line, even if it had only been right when she was attacked, she had figured it out, and the rational part of her brain was still in denial.

“You’re crazy, Damon.” She tried to straighten in his hold, only to lose her footing and fall onto the ground. On instinct, she pushed her hands out to catch herself and managed only to cut them on the rocky dirt and broken twigs.

Damon dropped down, pulling her against him. “Crazy? Is my blood healing you crazier than you being attacked by—”

“By a vampire?” she asked, voice flat. The fall to the forest floor seemed to have awaken some coherency into Kennedy, and she was suddenly more aware of the blood trickling down her neck. Using her scrapped hand, she held it against the wound, hoping to stop some of the blood flow. She hissed, cursing under her breath. The bite seemed to hurt a lot more now that there wasn’t a set of teeth latched to it. “Than you being a vampire?”

“You know? About me?”

“Well, I’d be stupid to mistake a person attached to my neck as an animal.” She groaned, pressing her hand harder against her neck. “As for you, m’kinda mad it took me this long actually—I mean, it’s so obvious now, and there you were, day three already dropping hints—oh, can I borrow a copy of The Vampire Chronicles? And then you left it in a dumpster at the back of an alley for me to find, which by the way is not the proper way to take care of a library book.”

Damon made to stop her, but she persisted on. “—And the animal attacks with the people drained of blood in both Mystic Falls and the surrounding areas. Those have been going on for the past three months. And when did you and Stefan come to town? Three months ago. Now, Logan Fell being a vampire…I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve been pretty sure for about a week now that you and Stefan were vampires, so I was a little shocked when it was the guy who can’t take a hint that Jenna isn’t interested in him that attacked me. But, I guess that’s what I get for deciding to take a late night jog in the forest.”

It was Damon’s turn to blink. He had heard Kennedy ramble before, but all the previous times it had been out of nervousness. It had been her way to fill in the awkward silence that had settled between them anytime he had appeared, but this was different. It was a comfortable rambling, as if she had been waiting for this moment,  had prepared a speech, and was now rushing through the words in fear she would forget everything she had wanted to say. She inhaled, breath shallow, and he took his opportunity to step in.

“Logan is the one who attacked you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, Logan Fell, the, uh, douche from the news.” She let out another whine, moving her hand away to see it covered in blood. “But someone else stopped him. Another vampire, I think, some girl. I didn’t—I didn’t see her face, but she was—she was fast like him. Threw him off me.”

He held back a frustrated groan. Whoever had stopped Logan must have been the vampire who had turned the reporter as well, but if this female vampire had been so concerned with saving Kennedy from Logan, then why hadn’t she bothered to heal her? What had been the point of saving her if they were just going to leave her to bleed out on the forest floor? Damon looked down to where his wrist had closed back up.

“I gotta heal you, Kenn.” He bit into his wrist again, bringing it up to her lips. She shook her head.

“No—I don’t, I don’t wanna become a vampire.”

A chuckle left his lips at how pathetic she sounded. “It’s not going to turn you into a vampire. It’s just going to heal you.”

She stared at it for a moment, and he was beginning to fear she would pass out before he could convince her to drink the blood voluntarily. “Promise?” she asked. Her voice had lost some of its volume and sounded scratchy.

“Promise. Now drink. Before I make you.” He placed his wrist against her mouth and watched as she hesitantly wrapped her fingers around his arm to keep it in place as she began to suck at the blood.

He shifted them until they were sitting more comfortably on the forest floor with Kennedy in his lap. He stroked her hair, letting out a sigh of relief he didn’t realize he had been holding back.

“Good girl, that’s it.” He glanced down at the wound on her neck as it started to close up. “Just a bit more, and you’ll be good as new.”

She took a few more sips before Damon pulled his wrist away, wiping the blood off her cheek with his sleeve. They sat there for a few minutes, listening to the leaves rustle and the crickets chirp. His mind wandered back to 1864 when he and Eliza Gilbert had sat like this in a meadow not far from where he and Kennedy were. They would sit for hours like this, pointing out constellations and just enjoying each other’s company. It was a friendship he truly missed.

He shook the thoughts from his head. That was then, and this was now, and now, he had to think about what to do with Kennedy. He could compel her, erase her mind of the vampire attack, but that could potentially leave her vulnerable to another attack. Besides, he had a feeling Kennedy knowing about vampires could be a good thing. For one, she had proven herself rather handy when it came to digging up information. Maybe she could help him find another way to get Katherine out of the tomb. And maybe he wasn’t opposed to having a friend in this town for once, especially one he could be himself with.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked.

#☾ ┆ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. ⁽ drabble ⁾ #☾ ┆ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ sʜᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅ sᴋɪɴs. ⁽ v: reborn ⁾ #[ so i redid this & i love it so much more ! ]

[jugandbettsdetectiveagency]

hey babe! i absolutely love your writing & was wondering if you could write a fic based around 1x10, jugs party? where betty and jughead decide to have their first time at his party? or maybe they leave the party early and head over to betty's house for a more quiet setting. could be sweet sex or not ;)

Thank you, honey! I hope you enjoy :)Warning: aaaall the smut, if you hadn’t already guessed from the prompt that is…

***

So it wasn’t exactly going to plan. The bass was thumping throughout Betty’s entire body, drowning out her pounding heart as she twisted her hips to the beat. What she’d planned for was a quiet little gathering for Jughead’s birthday, his closest friends - the people who cared about him - and maybe some music and presents. She’d gone to so much care with the planning, finding the perfect sweater she knew would earn her an amused smirk, making the burger cake, hanging every blue and gold balloon and streamer so that they fell perfectly. Half of which were now torn and trampled as thrashing bodies fell through them wildly.

She’d been slightly perturbed, yes, but she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the infectious joy of her peers as they lost themselves in the thrill of sweaty bodies grinding against one another, underage drinking, and much needed relief from the daily grind of high school. It had pulled her in like a magnet, encircling her in carefree abandon until she was surrounded, succumbing to delinquency.

It was a long shot to try and drag Jughead into the throngs with her, pulling gently on his hands as his feet stayed firmly planted beneath the living room doorway. She wanted him to feel as free as she was beginning to, adrenaline buzzing beneath her skin.

“Come on, Juggie, dance with me?” she pleaded as a song she recognised began to play, throwing him her most seductive smile and looking up at him beneath thick fluttering lashes. Butterflies erupted in the pit of his stomach at how beautiful she looked beneath the dim flashing lights, strobes highlighting her golden hair like a halo. She looked dangerously angelic - the devil was a fallen angel, he thought sardonically to himself as he offered her a small smile.

“It’s not really my scene, Betts,” he shrugged, gut twisting at the way her plump bottom lip pushed out slightly, begging to be bitten. As much as the thought of holding her impossibly close to his body sent unfamiliar shockwaves along his every nerve, the idea of being surrounded by the hoard of people that were no strangers to his torment felt suffocating. “But you go, have fun. I’ll be waiting for you,” he promised, rubbing small circles against the back of her hand with his thumb. She held his gaze a while longer, torn, searching the sincerity in his bright blue eyes before nodding slowly. She leant in for a sweet peck against his lips, the public display causing him to blush and duck his head slightly, before slipping into the masses.

Betty had to admit, a while later, that she might have gotten slightly carried away by it all. It just felt so wonderful to not have to think about murder, or Polly, or her parents for just one blissful moment. She paused in her dancing as sweat began to drip down her temples, breathing heavily as her eyes scanned the edges of the makeshift dance floor.

He wasn’t difficult to spot, sitting perched on the edge of the table set up for drinks by the front window. He was watching her, a soft, enamoured expression planted firmly on his features. She looked so beautifully happy, so wildly free. He could have watched her all night and this party would have been worth it. Jughead was still there, like he promised he’d be, always waiting for her, always understanding when she needed room to breathe or wanted him close at hand.

Betty started towards him, pushing gracefully through the crowd until she was standing before him, hands slipping up his thighs. She parted them slightly as he gulped, placing herself between them and leaning forward. Her slightly dry lips pressed a kiss against his jawline, continuing down his neck, covering his quickening pulse point with her mouth, swiping her tongue over it. Jughead swallowed thickly, shifting slightly in his seat. He eyed the red cup she’d placed next to him on the table. Taking a steadying breath he placed his palms on her shoulders to hold her back for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

“Betty… maybe, do you think there’s another force in control right now?” he asked, nodding slightly to the cup. She followed his gaze, mouth parting in confusion. Realisation dawned on her, quickly being replaced by a menacing grin as her fingers dug more firmly into the dark denim of his jeans, grazing the crease at his groin. All the air left his lungs as a rush of blood travelled south. She balanced on tiptoes to rest her lips against the shell of his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

“It’s just soda, Jug,” she whispered, imparting her secret for his ears only. “I am completely,” she bit his earlobe gently, high on adrenaline, “one hundred percent in control.” He’d never seen this side of her before, unable to chalk it up to intoxication any longer it completely baffled him. He definitely wasn’t complaining though. She pulled back to meet his eyes, brilliant green shining with excitement, hints of nervousness peeking through as she scanned his face. His hands wrapped themselves around her waist, holding her warm body close, breathing in her scent of sweat mixed with vanilla perfume.

The moment was broken when Betty was suddenly jostled from behind, unconcerned party-goer falling into her in a drunken haze and throwing her further into Jughead’s hold. He caught her as she stumbled, throwing a sharp glance over her shoulder at the offender before turning back to check she was alright.

“You ok?” he asked, smoothing her hair with a short caress. She nodded, waving a dismissive hand and cuddling up closer to him.

“A lot more crowded than I wanted in here…” she said, rolling her eyes. “Maybe we could take some time out at my place? It’s a lot quieter over there,” she mumbled bashfully, bright pink flush coating the tops of her cheeks, travelling down beneath the collar of her shirt. Jughead wished he could follow the pretty colour on it’s decent. He nodded, mouth suddenly numb at what he was sure she was implying. He followed her on wobbling legs as she led him quickly out of the room, gratefully sucking in a lungful of fresh, cold air from the night outside.

They were comfortably quiet as they crossed the street to Betty’s house, hands fit tightly together, a nervous energy sparking between them.

“Nobody home?” Jughead asked as she opened the door to a still, silent darkness. He wasn’t sure if his tone was wary or hopeful; he couldn’t even begin to sort out the mess of emotions that were turning about his head right now. She shook her head, kicking off her shoes by the door. He followed suit, feeling her eyes on him the whole time.

“Nope,” she sighed, with a vague gesturing around her. “Mom took Polly into the city for the weekend - she wanted them to spend some ‘quality time’ together now she knows Polly is spying on the Blossoms,” Betty explained, quote marks heavy in her voice as she shook her head slightly. He chuckled at her sarcasm, both of them staring at one another as the conversation drew to a close. He smiled at her, small and unsure, shifting his feet awkwardly, like he did under her gaze that day in her bedroom, the morning of Jason’s funeral. Betty squared her shoulders. This was ridiculous, it was Jughead standing before her. He was still just her Jughead, despite the faint notes of promise that hung in their air above them, the slight shift in the atmosphere that teased that something more was about to happen. She tilted her head towards the stairs. “Shall we?” she asked innocently.

The question hung heavily around them, loaded with meaning. Shall they? He could see the tender understanding in her eyes. He’d told her, in a barely audible whisper beneath the sanctity of a hastily constructed fort of blankets and pillows, one night after he climbed through her window seeking the comfort of her arms, that he loved her. That he’d been in love with her for as long as he could remember, never dreaming that he would get to hold her the way he was now, not even close. Her eyes had shone with unshed tears and she pressed a shaky kiss to his lips, confessing her own love against the curve of his mouth. He’d gone on to describe the ache he felt at the thought of having her so close, but never getting to touch. He’d never felt that for anyone but her, didn’t think it even possible, he had no interest in anyone else ever. But now they were finally together she’d awakened something within him that he didn’t even know lay dormant. He wanted to explore every inch, try everything new, if it was with Betty.

He nodded, smile warm and determined, as he picked up her outstretched hand once more and followed her up the staircase.

The thumping bass of the party could be heard faintly through Betty’s closed window still. Jughead wandered over, looking out with a tired amusement at the flashing lights and stumbling bodies he could see pouring out from within his new residence. Betty walked up behind him silently, slipping her hands around his waist and resting her palms on his chest, chin finding its place on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry your party turned into… that,” she whispered in the quiet of her room, grimacing as another person stumbled onto the Andrews’ front lawn. Jughead shook his head, turning in her grip to rest his hands on her cheeks, turning away from the party for one final time. “I just wanted to celebrate-” He cut off her worrying with a deep kiss, pulling every last breath from her lungs. He released her slowly, only moving back an inch to gaze into her eyes with the strongest sincerity.

“It’s ok, Betty, I know what it meant. It’s not your fault that Cheryl descended, flying monkeys in tow,” he smirked. She allowed herself a giggle before she bit her lip at the renewed intensity in his eyes. “I’m just happy I get to spend my birthday here, now, with you.” Betty felt herself melt into him, leaning back in to place her lips over his once more. It didn’t matter how many times she experienced this feeling, it would never be enough to sate the desire that flared up in the pit of her stomach, rising up until it flowed throughout her entire body and she felt like she was floating.

She walked them back, never breaking the kiss, until her knees hit the mattress behind her, falling into a mess of uncoordinated limbs. He hovered over her, content to stare down at the heavenly beauty that lay beneath him. He didn’t believe in god but if he did then only he could have made something as perfect as Betty Cooper. She squirmed under his gaze, and he was more than happy to continue at the sweet pink blush it caused to form over her cheeks. Once more he followed it down her neck to where it dipped teasingly below her shirt. She followed his eyes, leaning up before her nerves got the better of her and pulled the shirt and jumper over her head in one fluid motion.

Jughead swallowed, feeling almost naughty as he let his eyes trail down her torso, the smooth skin of her stomach, the pretty blue lace cupping her breasts where they heaved with her every anticipatory breath before him. He’d barely blinked before she was reaching behind her to release the clasps of her bra, shimmying the straps down her arms and throwing it away to join her other discarded clothes on the floor. He’d never been this close to a woman’s bare chest in real life before but he was pretty certain the Betty’s was perfect. He lifted a trembling hand, dancing his fingers up her side with a feather light touch that made her shift and giggle musically, until he was closing his palm was squeezing the soft mound gently. Her shaky inhale was encouraging, spurring him to knead her breast gently, thumb rubbing across the hardening pink peak. A low whine left her throat and he repeated the action, sure he’d never tire of eliciting that sound. His confidence grew with every moment, leaning forward to trail wet, opening mouthed kisses down her neck, across her chest, until his lips sealed around her nipple. Betty gasped, hands coming up to pull at his hair, back arching into his face. Her hips jerked as he swiped his tongue across the flesh, alternating between gentle sucks and teasing bites. Her thigh jolted, rubbing against the ever growing bulge in Jughead’s pants. The involuntary groan he let out vibrated through her chest, causing her to flush with heat, beads of sweat gathering in the valley of her breast which he quickly licked away as he moved to give the same attention to the other side.

He would have been happy to spend forever worshipping every part of her chest, her body, but the pleasurable bruising sensation was becoming too much for Betty to handle, pulling him back by his ebony waves so she could paw at the hem of his shirt, catching his eye in a silent request for permission. He lifted his arms, both laughing breathlessly as the offending material got caught over his head, Jughead emerging looking more dishevelled than before. Bare chests pressed against each other for the first time as their lips connected once more, tingling sensation heightened by their already swollen lips.

Jughead’s hips circled almost subconsciously against Betty’s as he sucked a blossoming purple bruise against the side of her neck, a swell of unusual pride flourishing in his chest at the thought of her walking round school with his marks on her skin, sneakily trying to hide the bites he left on her, running her fingers over it as she daydreamed about the feel of his touch on her skin. His wandering thoughts only served to turn him on further, hard-on feeling suffocated by the tight zipper on his jeans.

Fumbling fingers battled with the button of her jeans. He shot her a withering look as she giggled, every inch of her looking sinful beneath him, hair falling from her ponytail, pupils blown wide with lust, lips bee-stung and enticing. He peeled the material off her legs, following the reveal of tanned skin with kisses to her abdomen, hipbone, thigh, his cool breath fanning over her core as she rubbed her legs together in anticipation. His jeans were the next to go, black boxers doing little to hide his arousal above her.

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t done a little 'research’ over the past couple of weeks. Thoughts of being this intimate with Betty had become a constant invasion in his mind as of late, interrupting him every time he smelt the strawberry of her shampoo or saw her crack her neck during a study session. He wanted to be able to make her feel as good as possible, she deserved to have the best first time he could possibly give her. His fingers dipped over the top of her sinfully small panties as he tore his eyes away to meet her gaze, eyebrow raised in question. Her breath caught as she nodded her consent, lifting her hips slightly to help him pull the lace down her legs.

She held her breath as he stared down at her, fully naked before him for the first time. He thought his heart might burst at the privilege. Her pulse quickened as his fingers trailed up her skin, legs falling apart slightly as they reached the apex of her thighs, hovering above her. The first swipe of his fingers through her wet heat had her head falling back against the pillows, eyes sliding shut with a moan. His teeth dug into his lower lip as the sound, the sensation, shot straight to his groin, hips jolting as he tried to steady himself, refusing to let his eyes close and miss a moment of this. His middle finger found her entrance, pushing an inch inside before halting.

“Jug…” His pause was too much for Betty, hips thrusting forward until the digit slid inside her fully. The feeling of her dripping, silken walls clenching around him was almost too much - he couldn’t help but imagine how she’d feel around other parts of his anatomy. Carefully he pulled his hand back, almost all the way, before pushing back in, starting to build a steady rhythm. She was writhing beneath him, high pitched whimpers causing a pleasant buzz to simmer beneath his skin, before he remembered her neglected bundle of nerves. He brought his thumb up to rub in small quick circles, delighting in her reaction. Her hips flew up at the new touch, his other hand coming to steady her as he continued his motions. All telltale signs of her impending orgasm began, thighs quivering, muscles tightening, before stars exploded behind her eyelids. Her mouth dropped open in a delicate o as she rode out the high, his fingers unrelenting until she began to soften, limbs falling heavily against the mattress. He withdrew his hand with a pleased grin, her eyes fluttering open. She smirked.

“What are you looking so smug about?” she quipped, humour glowing in her sparklingly eyes as she trailed a finger down his stomach, hooking it over the waistband of his boxers. He shivered, neglected erection giving a painful twitch as Jughead pulled in a sharp breath through his nose. She leant up on still weak elbows, fishing in her bedside table for the condom she’d stolen from Archie’s stash a little while ago - just in case.

“Betty… it’s ok, we don’t have to-” he began, perfectly content to just pleasure her tonight, despite his betraying body. She cut him off, pulling him down till his face was inches from hers.

“I want to feel you, Jughead. All of you,” she whispered fiercely. His groan was swallowed by her mouth as she attacked his lips once more, fingers creeping lower to pull the last article of clothing that separated them down. He kicked the boxers off his ankles, pulling back as he watched her eyes wander, taking in his manhood for the first time. She tore the foil packet, reaching forward to roll the condom down his member. He blew out a breath at the intoxicating feeling of her warm hands encircling him.

She lay back, opening her legs wider to accommodate him, breath leaving her in unsteady gasps. He lined himself up against her opening, leaning down to kiss her as he began to push forwards. It was slow and so pleasurable it was almost to the point of pain but eventually he stilled, fully sheathed within her.

“Are you ok?” he breathed, muscles shaking as he forced himself to remain still while she grew accustomed to this new intrusion. She shifted slightly, face twisted in thought.

“Yeah… yeah, you can move now,” she nodded, stroking the backs of her fingers across his forehead, down his cheek, hooking her ankles around the backs of his thighs to pull him deeper. Jughead began his movements, pumping in and out of her as she clenched deliciously around him, the sensation dizzying. Her moans propelled him forward, picking up the pace, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing throughout the room in no time, as they hurtled towards their ends, each bringing one another to the edge.

“I don’t think I’ll last much longer,” he confessed a while later, dipping his head into the crook of her neck as his thrusts became uneven. She hushed him, digging her fingers into the short hairs at the base of his neck.

“It’s ok, Juggie, come on,” she encouraged, figuring out how to clench in time with his thrusts. His mouth dropped open in a silent shout, tendons in his neck standing out as his hips stuttered, releasing inside of her. She guided him through it, hands stroking down the damp muscles of his back as his arms gave out, collapsing on top of her.

The sounds of their harsh breathing was all the filled the room, both of them wrapping their heads around what just took place between them. When Jughead thought he could finally regain control of his limbs he rolled off her, not having to wait long before she curled into his side. The sweet silence stretched on between them for some time before he hummed in contentment.

It was awkward, and messy, and there was very little finesse, but neither of them could imagine their first time going any other way. Jughead didn’t know if he would ever get the grin off his face, slow warmth pooling in his stomach as he still felt every touch of her skin against his with an electric spark. Betty was glowing, a light shining brightly from within her as she relaxed, truly, for the first time in months.

“Was that… was I good?” she asked eventually, voice small. The fingers that were stroking up and down her arm halted in shock, disbelieving chuckle bursting from his lips.

“I can definitely say, with complete certainty, that was the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” he murmured, looking down at her in awe. She met his mischievous eyes, giggling at his words before tucking herself more firmly against him, her every curve fitting perfectly against his side. Yeah, it was the best one she’d ever given too.

#bughead #bughead fanfiction #betty cooper #jughead jones #betty x jughead #riverdale #riverdale fanfiction #bughead fan fiction #bughead prompts #bughead smut #jetty #writing

[gilmoremovies]

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Date Watched: 17th October 2016

Referenced in: 1x10, 1x13, 2x07, 2x17, 2x19, 3x04, 3x05, 3x08, 3x17, 3x21, 4x01, 4x04, 4x08, 4x19, 4x20, 5x04, 5x22, 6x01, 6x03, 6x10, 6x11 and Fall (this is referenced 5 billion times so forgive me if I miss one and let me know if I have!)

Rating:  ★★★★★

SPOILER-ISH

I’m the last of 4 kids so if my older siblings didn’t like a film, I didn’t watch it. This film is an example of that so at the age of 21 I watched Wizard of Oz for the first time. It’s obviously a very popular film so it’s not like I didn’t know the story or the songs but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole witch melting by accident was a bit shit though but other than that Judy you talented thing and her little comrades too #squadgoals. Also Toto is the same dog as Bright Eyes and I loved him even more than I did before.

(Other GG Movies I’ve watched so far)

(Full references under the cut)

1x10, Forgiveness and Stuff (2000) Lorelai says that she needs the Scarecrow to help her when she and Luke are lost in the hospital. LUKE: Ok, we’re supposed to follow the blue line, around the corner and then we should be - LORELAI: Where’s the scarecrow when you need him? LUKE: Ok, we have to ask someone else. LORELAI: No! No! We just have to pick one. LUKE: Ah, well can’t just wander around here aimlessly.    

1x13, Concert Interruptus (2001) Lorelai says, “I’m the good witch of the …” and is cut off. LORELAI: Think fast [throws them a t-shirt each] T-shirts for all the girls because I’m the good witch of the - hey, aren’t you missing a couple of kids?

2x07, Like Mother, Like Daughter (2001) Rory mentions a famous line from the film when asking to sit with the Puffs. FRANCIE: Hey. RORY: There’s a bad draft over there where I usually sit. It’s kind of like a big downward gust. It’s not exactly ‘Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore’, but it’s still pretty darn uncomfortable, especially when you’re just gotten your hair to behave. So can I sit here? FRANCIE: Uhh, yeah.

2x17, Dead Uncles and Vegetables (2002) Kirk mentions his dog named Toto when talking about disliking Louie. KIRK: He kicked my dog when I was a kid. SY: He hit on my wife repeatedly. KIRK: Toto was always different after that. SY: My wife was much affected as well. KIRK: I’d toss her something to fetch and she’d start to run after it and halfway there she’d forget what she was doing. SY: She never enjoyed her soap operas the same after that. KIRK: She’d just lie down and go to sleep. LUKE: This is an exaggeration. BERT: We’re not exaggerating. We threw a big party when he left town! SY: I made love to my life that night like I never have. KIRK: My Toto barked a happy bark, then quietly stopped breathing. She was old.  

2x19, Teach Me Tonight (2002) Lorelai suggests it as a Movie in the Square Night contender.

3x04, One’s Got Class and the Other One Dyes (2002) Lane mentions a song the scarecrow sings from this movie after bleaching her hair.  LANE: It’s weird. RORY: Like straw. LANE: I feel like I should be singing ‘If I Only Had a Brain.’

3x05, Eight O'Clock at the Oasis (2002) Lorelai mentions the name of Dwight’s old house. RORY: ‘First of all, thank you for this very kind favor you’re doing me. I still can’t believe that any one person would be so kind to someone they just met.’ LORELAI: Yeah, apparently Dwight’s last home was Oz, and not as in ‘The Wizard Of.’

3x08, Let the Games Begin (2002) Lorelai and Rory quote the “lions and tigers and bears” chant when walking into Yale. RORY: Wow. LORELAI: Lions and tigers and bears… RORY: Oh my. RICHARD: It’s impressive, isn’t it?

3x17, A Tale of Poes and Fire (2003) Michel mentions the Good Witch when looking for spare rooms to house the guests after the fire. MICHEL: Everything is booked. LORELAI: You checked the Cheshire Cat, the Maiden’s Teacup, the Cookie House, the Sugarbear Inn? MICHEL: Every place that sounds like Glinda the Good Witch threw up, yes – all booked.

3x21, Here Comes the Son (2003) Sasha describes the scene between Dorothy and the gatekeeper at the Emerald City. JESS: I just wanna see Jimmy, okay? SASHA: Hey, did you ever see The Wizard of Oz? JESS: Yes. SASHA: Remember when they go to the Emerald City and they ring the bell and the guy with the beard stuck his head out and they said that they wanted to see the wizard, and he said no, and they said, 'She’s got the ruby slippers’, and he said 'Well, that’s a horse of a different color. Come on in.’ JESS: Yes. SASHA: Well, I’m the guy with the beard and I’m saying the no unless you can come up with the ruby slippers. JESS: I’m his son. SASHA: His son? JESS: Yes, his son. SASHA: Well, that’s a horse of a different color. Come on in.

4x01, Ballrooms and Biscotti (2003) Rory pretends she’s had a dream and quotes Dorothy’s “you were there, and you, and you” line. RORY: [to her clothes] I had a dream about you in Copenhagen. You were there, and you, and you, and you.

4x04, Chicken or Beef? (2003) Rory’s response to Lorelai laying a path of Post-It notes through the house references the film. LORELAI: We’re good as long as we stay on the path. RORY: So I should follow the yellow stick road? LORELAI: We’ll be here all week, try the veal. Stop.

4x08, Die, Jerk (2003) Paris says that the idea of Rory making somebody angry is as absurd as Dorothy pissing off the Tin Man. TANNA: What about you? RORY: Me? JANET: Made anyone mad lately? PARIS: Oh, please, that would be like Dorothy pissing off the Tin Man. It’s impossible.

4x19,  Afterboom (2004) Rory references the lions and tigers and bears oh my! line. RORY: What are you doing here? LORELAI: Inn stuff. I had to pick up hinges and doorknobs and faucets. RORY: Oh, my.

4x20, Luke Can See Her Face (2004) Lorelai makes a reference to watching Toto from The Wizard of Oz. LUKE: No, Roy, I know what I’m talking about. I’m looking for stalks of wheat, not processed wheat, stalks. That’s putting it another way. I need bare-ass stalks. [to customer] Sorry. [to Roy] I know you can’t eat it like that. I just need it for decoration. No, I’m not going poofy on you, damn it! [to another customer] Sorry. [to Roy] I just need to know whether you have it or not. No? Okay, whatever. Thanks. [hangs up] Is there no wheat left in this country? What happened to Kansas? Isn’t Kansas lousy with wheat? LORELAI: I do recall Toto running through fields of it. Coffee to go, please.

5x04, Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too (2004) Lorelai compares Taylor to the Tin Man, calling him heartless. LORELAI: Come on, Taylor. This is ridiculous. TAYLOR: This issue is not open for debate. LORELAI: This is a nice man who is growing some very nice tomatoes, and you just need to oil your knees and go see the wizard and get a heart and drop this!

5x22, A House Is Not a Home (2005) Zach refers to himself and the other band members as various characters from the film when asked if he’ll come on tour. LANE: Zach? ZACH: Well, geez, Dorothy, if Tinman and Lion are going to go, I guess I have to go too. [He pulls himself up like the Scarecrow.]

6x01, New and Improved Lorelai (2005) Paris jokes about the Lollipop Guild while talking about Doyle’s family all being unusually short. PARIS: I’m meeting more of Doyle’s family tonight. I’ve been meeting people for months. (she goes through Rory’s clothes) He’s got like five hundred cousins, and you know what? He’s the tallest one in the family. RORY: Really? PARIS: Yup. Family get-together is like a Lollipop guild convention. I have to stop myself from asking how it’s going at the chocolate factory.

6x03, The UnGraduate (2005) Michel hums the Wicked Witch of the West’s musical theme while talking about Paris. MICHEL: (runs in the kitchen) She’s back! She’s coming back! SOOKIE: No! LORELAI: Why?! MICHEL: I don’t know why. Maybe she left her phone or her spell book. All I know is she’s heading back toward the Inn, and I’m not going out until she leaves.  

MICHEL: Very well. I’ll leave the….wait. Do you feel that? LORELAI: Feel what? MICHEL: An icy chill as if something sinister is approaching. SOOKIE: What? MICHEL: (hums the witch’s theme from “The Wizard Of Oz”) Ta-ta-ra-ta-ra-ra-Taraaaaaa LORELAI: Gee, Michel, is Paris here?

6x10, He’s Slippin’ 'Em Bread… Dig? (2005) Lorelai says she uses the Wash & Brush Up Co. from Wizard of Oz to stay pretty. CHRIS [looking at Lorelai]: I don’t know how you do it, I mean, you always look… LORELAI: Yeah, well, I get the girls from the Wash & Brush Up company from the Wizard of Oz working for me now. CHRIS [chuckles]: Good deal.

6x11, The Perfect Dress (2006) Paris says she hasn’t slept through the night since the first time she saw Wizard of Oz. PARIS: Now, Doyle sleeps very deeply, so don’t worry about the hours. I, as you know, haven’t slept through the night since the first time I saw “The Wizard Of Oz”, thank you Mum, so I tend to do my crafts in the middle of the night, but the walls are very thick. You won’t hear a thing. Oh, now, the hot water in the bathroom…

A Year in the Life: Fall (2016) Several references to this film when Rory says goodbye to The Life and Death Brigade ROBERT: I said he was from New Zealand FINN: Only a man with no heart would say that to me /…/ RORY: Oh Robert don’t cry, your eye will swell up terribly. Here, take your steak. ROBERT: Now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking. RORY: Goodbye, Colin. I'm going to miss the way that you get drunk and randomly buy things you don't need, like clubs and cars COLIN: And bed and breakfasts? Oh, yeah. RORY: Oh, Colin. RORY: [to finn] You know I think I’ll miss you most of all.  COLIN: Hey, we heard that!  ROBERT: yeh. Thanks a lot!  FINN: Stay photogenic I beg of you.

#the wizard of oz #r1 #r1x10 #r1x13 #r2 #r2x07 #r2x17 #r2x19 #r3 #r3x04 #r3x05 #r3x08 #r3x17 #r3x21 #so many references #r4x19 #gg movie list