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recreancyrpg · 2 years

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Welcome to Recreancy, Emmy!

You have been accepted for the role of LILY EVANS!

Lily got him killed. The guilt from that unavoidable fact drove the grief darker, honed its edge so it cut deeper, the wound it left as raw as the first day of his absence, even months later when James was no longer dead but looking at her with new eyes, broken and lonely and wanting. Like he didn’t hate her the way he should. Lily has no doubt that she still loves James, but she no longer wonders if that is enough. She knows it isn’t.

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OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME & PRONOUNS: Emmy, she/her

AGE: 25+ (Old)

TIMEZONE: EST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Variable, but available for posts at least every weekend

ANYTHING ELSE: I don’t like clowns

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Lily Ruth Evans

AGE: 24

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Female, She/Her. Panromantic, Roughly Heterosexual

Lily has a very porous barrier between platonic and romantic love for those people who are close to her. I'm also a strong believer that all sorts of unexpected, sexual and romantic things can happen when you mix hormonal twenty-somethings in high stress, life-or-death situations. However, Lily has only very rarely developed a sexual interest in women in all the time I have played her, and probably hasn't had that experience within her lifetime in this game canon.

BLOOD STATUS: Muggleborn

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

As someone who is at her best when connected to people, Lily strives so hard for the comfort and happiness of all those around her. Her empathetic nature thrives off that, and she struggles to be comfortable and at peace when she knows others aren’t. That connection to other people can sometimes slip into dangerous territory when she starts defining herself by those relationships. It leaves her open to taking on their woes as her own, overburdening herself, as well as putting her in a position where being pushed away or having her help refused can deeply damage her sense of self-worth, depending on how close she is to a person.

Of course, being in the middle of a war for so long—longer than plenty of even the older Order members—she has had to grapple with not being able to help everyone, be there for everyone. It has worn Lily down, damaged the cheerfully optimistic outlook of her childhood, leaving her calloused, a bit jaded, and thoroughly exhausted with trying. She has had to become more careful with her inner self and what she gives away.

Her sense of closeness with someone is a large factor with Lily for the simple reason that there aren’t a huge number of people who she is really close with. While always a friendly, welcoming person, she has never had a great many actual friends; people she would confide in, lean on for support, turn to for the sort of help she so readily offers others. Thus the few she has are a big deal, and she clings to them, because she knows what it is to lose those precious few. As much as that steadfast loyalty is a defense against the outside world, it leaves her innerly vulnerable to the faults she overlooks in those loved ones. They slip past her judgment, and she will make excuses for them, justify their actions even against her own moral instinct, to a very far limit. That too is something the war has strained, with mere existence pushing her towards those limits, let alone having to grapple with the less savory parts of her friends.

It would be easy to think that Lily, by virtue of being ‘the pretty one’ in the family, was blessed with not having to concern herself with her appearance. In one way at least, that is true; she isn’t concerned with her hair or her face, doesn’t spend time fretting over the less than easy things to change. Yet she grew up in a bored factory town, where everyone knew everyone and appearances mattered within the strict hierarchy built around the factory company. What you wore, how you behaved: these things were taken as reflecting on the family as a whole. Don’t talk back to the child of your father’s superior, that will get you in trouble! Let the foreman’s wife take the last eggs at the grocery, lest your husband lose a shift at work.

That awareness of what other people think and perceive only sharpened for Lily at Hogwarts, under the constant scrutiny a Muggleborn endures. It took her a long time to be able to break free of trying to earn that approval of her peers by being the best, well behaved, friendly person she could be in the eyes of others. That approval, being well liked, keeping things genial and going smoothly is something she craved until she was forced to realize it simply isn’t feasible because of who she is, unless she wanted to sacrifice a large part of who she is. Lily had to grow up and let go of a lot of her insecurities, and build a defensive shield around the others, as a matter of survival.

With that awareness of perceptions and the judgments that come with it, it has to be said that Lily applies different standards to herself than she does other people. She values her actions, what she does, over what she says. Perhaps because she is aware of her flaw of not always thinking before speaking. Yet with others, she tries so hard to take them at their word, believe that shows their true intent over what actions they take. She wants to believe people, trust in them, adhere to her idea that people are good.

This is why, in part, she turned a blind eye to Severus Snape’s questionable actions for so long. He would explain himself, manage to make it sound not so bad, and Lily would discard her judgment because he didn’t mean to do bad, he told her as much! And she knew him, deep down.

Understandably, that instinct to take words at surface value has been scorched and damaged. She's wary, cautious of doing so, but oh, how she wishes she could once more. Instead, she has had to become more realistic in her estimations of people.

A desire to believe people innately tend towards goodness does not mean Lily is free of judgment. She can, and does, scrutinize people and weigh what they say and do and judge the goodness of that for herself. Her empathy doesn’t always extend to others that she sees as being in direct conflict to her morals and ideals and goals, and that leaves her open to dismiss people out of hand for those differences. Granted, a lot of that is tied to her ideals being forged in the fire of a life as a Muggleborn, of an existence of constantly being attacked. It leads to her stubbornly digging her heels in at a challenge, to get defensive rather than hear another side out when she’s already pre-emptively passed judgment based on what she thinks she sees.

One of the worst ways these critical evaluations can surface is in her deep rooted capacity for envy and jealousy. Regardless of whether it is because she believes she deserves the thing she is envious of or thinks herself unworthy of it, getting a handle on the streak of irrationality and pettiness that can erupt from her when faced with self-discontentment is something she struggles with. Partly because she would prefer to pretend it doesn’t exist. Everything is justified, even in the depths of those irrationalities. Lily would never even think of herself as a jealous person.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

While the Evans may have fallen in the middle class of Cokeworth, that placed them only at the upper edge of poor in the larger scheme of society. A shift manager might be someone in the hierarchy of a small factory town, but meant very little outside of it. Lily grew up with that dichotomy of existence, always aware of that dual standing, of the expectations and visibility. It was something she deeply internalized and operates on her subtly, never so much a conscious influence, but powerful all the same.

The Evans were a warm, close, essentially good family. They were helpful to their neighbors, went to church, were charitable. They didn’t really think twice about Lily’s friendship with a boy from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’; it was only Petunia who worried about these things that would only be a source of concern for the parental Evans if the pair had been older. Of course, by then Lily and Severus were beyond the pale, wonderous others. In many ways, Jonathan and Fiona Evans stopped trying to parent their younger daughter once they knew she was a witch. How could they impose morals on their daughter who half-inhabited a world they knew nothing about, and were frankly in awe of? To be fair, they took a largely equal laissez-faire attitude towards their older daughter once she reached teenagedom as well. Thankfully they’d instilled a sturdy moral foundation and compass in their daughter, so she could largely self-regulate through their passive parenting.

Both of her parents are now dead, leaving her sister as her only blood family alive. It is a highly strained, estranged relationship. Lily has barely spoken to her sister in the last few years, outside of a few holiday letters, and congratulations on the birth of her nephew. It’s a long way to fall from their once extremely close friendship as girls, when Petunia was her idol, her best friend, her everything. If she were to stop and think about it, Lily might be liable to blame magic for that change; another casualty to the way it divides and discriminates.

OCCUPATION:

Unemployed. As the war has deepened, it has become clear that employing a Muggleborn can be a steep liability, with businesses who employ them being targeted and attacked. Job hunting in the muggle world proved equally difficult, with few willing to, in these financially stressed times, take on someone with no evidence of education beyond the age of 10.

LIVING SITUATION:

Until recently, Lily lived in a flat she shared with James; their flat, together, where their lives melded together in a way that shouldn’t have been so easy, but James had made it so by sheer force of charm. Their flat, but a constant pass-through for the others, the Marauders, who could be found on the couch or in their bed at any time with no warning, all the boundaries blurred. She stayed there even after James was gone, because it was convenient, because it was something to cling to, a way to hold on to what had been. Since James’s return and the break-up, she has been crashing with Sirius elsewhere, a different flat, a crummier flat, one that doesn’t have any of the good sort of memories, only the grim, determined ones.

(subject to change based on plotting with other players)

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX:

The Order was never part of Lily’s plans. Oh, she’s known for a decade that she’d have no choice about fighting, but this way, the Order’s way was never something she would have sought out on her own. No, the Order was entirely her boys’ doing. And now she’s been here for years and has never stopped asking if what they were doing was even effective. They’ve been losing almost from the start, always on the back foot, being pushed further and further towards some dark chasm behind them. (Not to mention the always present, just below the skin, thought of if they were fighting for their own sort of pride, or for the people who truly had the most to lose here?)

After James was killed taken, any qualms about taking more extreme measures disappeared; she was thoroughly aligned with Sirius on that point. Moral quibbling about ends justifying means seem petty when the only ends available are genocide or survival.

(Again, maybe others don’t have to see it that clear cut. But maybe they should start to, after four precious purebloods are struck down.)

RELATIONSHIPS:

JAMES POTTER | Lily has no doubt that she loved James, but she always wondered if that was enough. It was for him, she knows; at least up until it got him killed. Lily got him killed. The guilt from that unavoidable fact drove the grief darker, honed its edge so it cut deeper, the wound it left as raw as the first day of his absence, even months later when James was no longer dead but looking at her with new eyes, broken and lonely and wanting. Like he didn’t hate her the way he should. Lily has no doubt that she still loves James, but she no longer wonders if that is enough. She knows it isn’t.

SIRIUS BLACK | Lily and Sirius didn’t break in the same way when James died, but they both broke. It wasn’t really so strange that they cleaved closer together along those shattered edges. Maybe he didn’t fully understand everything that was at stake, the depth of it, but he shared her determination to do anything to put a stop to it, use any tool at their advantage. For the first time in a long time, Lily felt powerful, with Sirius at her back. Now things have gotten a little uneasy with James coming back, but she can only hope Sirius can come to understand that it’s better for James to have a broken heart than be dead; she’s only trying to protect him.

REMUS LUPIN | Unlike so many others, Lily hasn’t the slightly flicker of doubt in Remus’s faithfulness to the Order (to the Marauders). Perhaps it is their shared otherness, even if it comes in different shades, that lets her see him without the suspicion the clouds the view of everyone else. The difference which set them apart brought them closer. She only wishes that he could extend as much understanding to her in turn, as she uses every tool at her disposal to fight for survival. Why can’t he appreciate that?

PETER PETTIGREW | It is a shame that it took not only a war but James dying for Peter to come into his own; that doesn’t make Lily any less proud and in awe of him for it. Sometimes she thinks that he alone has managed to do what the rest of them have failed at: he has grown up and become the fully fledged adult he was meant to be, rather than the stunted, trapped people the war made them. At the very least, he’s come the closest to managing it. Not that she’s had the time or opportunity to tell him any of that. He is still James’s friend, and that has put a little bit of a distance between them.

SEVERUS SNAPE | Lily has never been able to truly tell anyone just how much losing Severus hurt. Ending her friendship with him was like cutting off a part of herself. It was necessary to do, lest she slip past making excuses for his increasingly unsettling, unacceptable behavior and start participating in it herself, and Lily doesn’t regret it. But she still missed him. Having him come back after James’s death may have seemed too convenient to some people, but Lily couldn’t believe he was anything but sincere in his professed desire to help. Besides, this was what she’d always dreamt of; getting her best friend back, having him save himself from that darkness she’d lost him to. That doesn’t mean that the realities of this dream-come-true aren’t still messy and fraught with pain buried and unspoken.

DORCAS MEADOWES | Was it fate that saw the only two Muggleborns in an entire class-year at Hogwarts become best friends? Perhaps it was a survival tactic. Either way, is was a relief to have someone with which she could gush over the majesty of this new world they were being brought into—someone who could understand the thousand slights and bruises dealt by this world couldn’t decide if it wanted them. Dorc has been her rock, her support, a constant through everything else, and she hopes that she never discovers what it would take to come between them.

DIRK CRESSWELL | Lily has always had a smile for Dirk and his eternal starry-eyed optimism, his hero worship of James; a smile that was brittle around the edges, carefully covering up the fear for how sharp his broken pieces would be when something nasty in this world snagged at him and pulled him down from the clouds he was always floating on. Now every time she thinks she sees his smile come a fractional second slow, his laugh end a heartbeat sooner, she’s left wondering if there will ever be enough to make up for its loss.

MARY MACDONALD | There was always a sense of responsibility towards the younger Muggleborns that weighed heavily on Lily; the urge to try and protect them from all the worst things in the Wizarding world. An impossible thing to manage, but Lily felt that she never failed at it as profoundly as she did with Mary. From Hogwarts to the Order, she got the worst of worst and though Lily knows it isn’t her fault the remorse and guilt is still there.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS: I am not devoted to endgame Jily. As much as I love them and their dynamic, I’m also a realist who sees that they are a couple of kids, with big differences, in the middle of a war. It’s entirely reasonable that they might never get back together, and I am open to that. I won’t rule out anything happening with any character, honestly. There is a lot of room for things to develop, happily or healthily or otherwise.

INTERPERSONAL STRUGGLES:

‘Good for a Muggleborn’ sums up a large portion of Lily’s interpersonal struggles with the Order. The sense that she’s always starting from lower, the constant astonishment from even the most well-meaning that she reaches the basic levels of wix-competency, let along exceeding it. How out of touch is the Order, really, with those people who have the most to lose in this war? How much of the fight is some disconnected sense of duty, because it’s the right thing to do, and not an understanding and true empathy for the most vulnerable. They can judge her for going to extremes, because it’s not a knockdown, drag out scramble for the right to exist for them; they have other choices. Lily doesn’t resent them for those choices, but she does wish that they’d try a little harder to understand.

Right now, Lily is in a place where she is scared, she feels guilty about James, about all the things they haven’t done and the people they haven’t saved. The war is starting to feel like an impossible, futile thing, and she’s been backed up to the edge of a cliff with no way to escape anymore. Something drastic is bound to happen one way or another.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? Another fabulous Nicky/Karli production with all its attendant brilliance and thrills.

PLOT DROP IDEAS (OPTIONAL): Lily has a personal crusade to visit every Muggleborn child who has just received their Hogwart’s letter and try to convince them and their parents that it’s in their best interest to leave the UK, now. She’s a strong advocate for the Canadian and Australian wizarding schools, and has a good understanding of the mechanics of emigration, especially to other Commonwealth states.

ANYTHING ELSE? Personal request for threads with me: don’t use all lowercase, and don’t use double small text. Both are very hard on my eyes and brain.

#recreancyaccepted #lily evans app

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1800-slayyyden · 1 year

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Happy Valentine's- *GUNSHOT*

For as much as I've bitched and moaned about being bitter and single today, there's something very refreshing about it being another Tuesday in February.

And despite the day having it's own trials and tribulations, it was quite frankly refreshing to allow my love life to take a backseat this year and not beat myself up for not partaking in the celebrations. I didn't wish anyone a Happy Valentine's Day this year. (besides a couple family members, they're the only ones who deserved it haha)

I have an intense desire to love and to be loved, often times in ways that are all-consuming and possibly destructive. Even simple crushes somehow manage to rob me of my sanity and I find myself intensely pining over boys who don't really understand me.

Other times I let myself be seen as a sex symbol of some kind, or a manic pixie dream boy that they can project their fantasies on. I get an odd feeling of fulfilment knowing that I can match somebody's vibe perfectly and make them happy, even if it's at the cost of my own happiness.

Maybe it's just a defence mechanism to stop myself from getting hurt by putting up walls so high they can't be reached. That's not to say that my sexuality and relationship with sex isn't an integral part of my personality, to the contrary actually. My sexuality is just one of the forms of my own expression, as you'll often see by the content on this blog. But it's not my entirety. I, like any other human, contain multitudes. And the older I get, the more I find that the guys I encounter aren't emotionally mature enough to grasp that concept. A lot of the time it feels like I'm being put into a box that fits their preconceived notions of me. It shatters their illusions. Hahahahah. And then they wonder why I seem disinterested after a couple weeks.

Regardless, I digress. I've never had a good Valentine's Day. Even when I was in a relationship, we only celebrated at my behest. And the effort that I put in has never been matched. Single or taken, I always felt like an afterthought on VDAY, an obligation to be taken care of rather than someone to be celebrated or cherished. Perhaps that's just my own perspective, but more importantly that is how I felt. I've been unlucky in love.

I don't lose faith though! I still believe in love. platonic, romantic and otherwise. There's a conversation between Emma Frost and Dani Moonstar in X-Factor where Emma questions why she continues to be hurt and Dani offers a very simple yet powerful answer.

She is hurt because she cares. and because she loves relentlessly, the kind of selfless love that comes unconditionally because she cares for the good of another person more than herself. I've never had the best role models when it comes to love, but if there was ever a love that I strove to emulate it would be that.

The unconditional, supportive love that everyone spends their life searching for. Perhaps if we all treated each other like that, we wouldn't spend so much of our lives searching for it. I can't believe these are sober thoughts.

P.S. I'm halfway through Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek. It's an indie pop fever dream that builds very elegantly off her previous bodies of works and the singles that she's released so far. I enjoy it a lot hahah. If I ever come back and re-read this, how did the album age?? Was it that kind that I never touched again? or did it define this next era of life? I guess I'll find out.

Happy Valentine's Day! <3 (no gunshots)

#1800slayyyden-archive #valentines day #valentines

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scfrozenover · 3 years

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Underrepresented Frozen Over 2021 Prompts – Gen, WLW, WLM, Throuple, & Additional MLM

We are super excited to see such a diverse array of prompts for Frozen Over! In addition to many sweet, seasonal, romantic, and spicy prompts for everyone's favorite married husbands, there are many prompts featuring gen, WLW, WLM, throuple, and additional MLM ships.

You can view all of the prompts here. Claim prompts any time!

Below the cut are the list of prompts for underrepresented areas of fandom. We defined "gen" as prompts that are primarily oriented around platonic relationships, and all ships are listed in alphabetical order as they would be listed in AO3. If romantic ship prompts asked for multiple ships, we listed them multiple times.

Gen Prompts

It's an unseasonably warm winter in Schitt's Creek and all Alexis wants is snow. Someone makes that happen for her.

Patrick is an indie folk singer who records a Christmas album for charity (a la Bright Eyes). It gets amplified through social media and thrusts him into the spotlight.

Every year, Marcy knits her son a new scarf. Now she has two.

David and Stevie get dragged into caroling. Turns out, that can be pretty fun... when you're drunk.

(Nope, those are not the real lyrics.)

Remember that episode of Friends where they throw a Christmas party, but the radiator breaks so it ends up HOT AS HELL in the apartment and they turn it into a tropical theme? Yeah. That. Open to interpretation, but I imagine things might get a little steamy in more ways than one.

Schitt’s Creek was the place they became a family, so despite the remote location and potential difficulty in getting there in winter, that is where they always end up celebrating the holidays after most (or all) of them leave. The cast changes over the years but the town is a constant.

(Dark takes are welcome.)

Alexis used to avoid winter by hopping hemispheres every time it turned cool, but when her family lost their money, she found herself confronted by the first winter she'd experienced in years. (And it was a Canadian winter, ugh.)

The rivalry between the two SC baseball teams can only be matched by the rivalry between the curling teams.

It turns out that Maureen owned a little cabin on the lake, which is now Stevie's. How does she use it in the winter? Holiday parties? Escapism? Ice fishing? Romantic getaways?

How has Stevie celebrated Christmas in Schitt's Creek before the Roses?

The friends all decide to have a contest as to who can curate the ultimate holiday Playlist. The winner's Playlist will be played at the Apothecary on their last day before they close for the holiday break. OR the winner's Playlist is played at the cafés holiday party. Either way, one Mr. David Rose has a lot of opinions.

The gang gets together for a White Elephant gift exchange. How does that go? Who gets what? Who steals from someone else at the last minute?

During or post-canon, dealer's choice.

Slowly but surely, over the nears that follow the end of the show, Alexis and David start to revisit their Jewish roots and involve their friends & family in their celebrations.

(Would love this to be primarily focused on the sibling relationships between Alexis & David as well as Johnny and Moira's adopted daughter, Stevie, but if you want to throw ships into this, would love this to be found family for David/Patrick, Alexis/Twyla, and Stevie/Ruth.)

Rose Apothecary hosts a Letters to Santa writing workshop where the town gets together and makes wish-lists, all in good fun. They then go to the Café for cocoa, Twyla collecting the letters to send.

But instead she uses some of the lottery money no one knows about and anonymously buys everyone what they most wanted for Christmas.

Rose Apothecary has a 'Meet Santa' event, and use Ray's newest Part Characters service to hire Santa.

Who shows up? Roland!

There's a sprig of mistletoe hanging just inside the Café Tropical, and many couples pause under it to kiss.

Twyla sees them all, and this fic is her observations.

Schitt's Creek develops rival Christmas carol groups, and the competition between them is cut-throat. Does Patrick go head-to-head with Ronnie? Is a new, completely unexpected rivalry formed (Say Twyla vs Patrick? Perhaps Stevie vs Ted?)? Or maybe an Enemies to Lovers AU (or post-canon, I don't make the rules), writer's choice for pairing. Can they maintain their pitch *and* the Christmas spirit?

David and Clint form a long-distance bond over sharing knitting patterns.

The Rose family celebrates Hanukkah over Zoom calls. Did Johnny give David their menorah and Alexis is jealous? Are they taste-testing different store-bought latkes? Does anyone know the rules to dreidel?

Twyla hosts a winter solstice event for the Schitt's Creek community. Dark, cold, snowy, starry night vibes -- pausing to take a moment to reflect and mark the longest night of the year.

(Maybe Twyla's a witch, maybe she's just spiritual).

At least one of the Roses attempts to go on a winter vacation - but it's not the Aspen resort they're used to.

This can go in many directions! Perhaps Patrick devises the plan for his new husband and in-laws. Or Alexis tries to humor Ted with a ski trip. Or Johnny plans a vacation on a budget. Do they find joy in not!Aspen, or go home?

I would love to see Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose from another character's POV - perhaps after realizing they've let Johnny down, or during the party. Can also feature their own memory of the party Johnny recalls.

Doctor Who Christmas Special: Schitt's Creek style.

Does one version of the Doctor end up in Schitt's Creek and take on one (or more) of our characters on as a temporary Companion? Or has one of our characters actually been a time traveler this whole time? Can follow Doctor Who as closely or loosely as you'd like.

Bonus points if you do "Runaway Bride" with Alexis or David as a Donna stand-in.

Home Alone, but make it Schitt's Creek.

Someone gets left behind in the Creek, due to no reason other than being forgotten. They can (but don't have to!) have an argument/conflict with the people who leave them behind, but then find out that they have to deal with some "unsavoury" characters while all alone over the holidays. How do the others who have left them behind react when they discover one of them is missing and have to go to "great lengths" to return?

Take it how ever you want- you can recast the movie (young Alexis for the female reboot of the original?) or just use the premise as a prompt, for example- Jocelyn is left behind by the Jazzagals bus on the way to the Elmdale and has to deal with Roland's cousin trying to (comically) break into their house because Roland did NOT leave a key under the mat and she just wants to be left alone rather than set out a holiday meal, or Johnny has to manage the whole motel on his own on a Holiday night because Stevie thought she closed the place for the night, and now there are several quirky guests with nowhere else to go, Patrick gets his words crossed and shows up at the airport early while David is at home waiting for his husband to pick him up for their winter trip, whatever gets your sled going!

Twyla did once say that she wishes she could get randomly "gifted" some other kids' family, so what happens when one Christmas, she wishes for this, and ends up with the Roses- celebrating the holidays like she's always been a part of their family?

Can be pre-canon, where she gets this opulent and unhappy life beyond her wildest dreams, or during canon, where she perhaps finds that the Roses don't "celebrate" not because they don't celebrate Christmas, but because as Johnny said, their first couple years in Schitt's Creek were horribly depressing, or even Post-Canon, however that would look.

Post-canon, Johnny and Moira come up to Schitt's Creek to celebrate the holidays with David and Patrick, but they got their dates mixed up - the boys are going to be away at the Brewers' for half the time the Roses are planning to be in town. The Schitts catch wind of the Roses plight and refuse to even entertain the idea of Johnny and Moira sitting in a motel room or an empty cottage for the holidays - they invite the Roses to stay with them until D&P get back. Holiday shenanigans with the Schitts!

25 days of...

Jake's Special holiday Projects?

Twyla's cold-weather recipes?

Sweaters from David that Patrick wears because it's too cold and he keeps forgetting to go shopping?

Texts from Moira to Johnny about what to get their kids?

[insert ship here] smut?

... and so on.

Can be 25 wintry drabbles, 25 moments for your chosen ship/character, or simply reference an advent calendar or similar in the fic!

Stuck inside on a snow day, SOMEONE tries to teach David to play chess. Is it patient Patrick and they have fun? Is it Stevie and things get off track and they leave to get high? Is it Alexis and we discover that she's actually a grandmaster who once had to beat some sketchy world power to get herself out of trouble? Who is it? What happens?

Alexis is invited to an ugly sweater party and just doesn't *get* it. Feel free to pair her with your fave.

Ray expands his holiday businesses to include Hanukkah, and starts selling menorahs, dreidels, etc.

Maybe it’s not as lucrative as he hoped because the Roses are the only (half half) Jews around, so he tries to convince all his friends to buy the products. Or maybe it’s wildly successful because he’s catering to an untapped market in the Greater Elms area.

AU - it's the winter holidays, and Stevie, Twyla, and Alexis are some of the only students spending the break at their boarding school's campus.

Frenemy shenanigans, friendly shenanigans, or shippy ot3 shenanigans - dealer's choice!

Two or more characters go ice-skating. Romantic? Funny? Nostalgic? The choice is up to you.

Patrick and Ted have a unique position as guardians of the Rose siblings hearts.

Christmas is already difficult for both David and Alexis, Johnny's insistence on a last minute party has their anxiety manifest as (your choice).

Patrick or Ted reach out to the other before or after the party (you decide) and confide/find comfort/ask for tips on handling the fallout.

EP 4x13

Patrick and David hire a seasonal worker for the Apothecary, much to David's chagrin.

Is it a townie they already know? Is it a new original character? Do they fit right in, or is it a disaster?

Two proud dads take a walk Christmas morning. That's it. That's the prompt.

Twyla or someone else at the Café comes up with new seasonal menu items. Are they good? Bad? A mixed bag? Who tries them? Who is afraid to? What does this mean for the Café's Yelp rating?

Pick whoever and whatever you want!

One or both of them get the other the perfect gift. Because they (no so) secretly love each other a lot. Maybe when they are kids? Or post canon?

Stevie and David's friendship in the winter time

something with a dog in the snow

Patrick and Stevie take a winter hike together, and Stevie seizes the opportunity to tell Patrick something. (Queer feelings and friendship, please!)

The first holiday season Patrick and Rachel are apart. Bittersweet would be an understatement.

Patrick and Twyla team up their musical abilities to rewrite Baby Its Cold Outside so its not misogynistic. Is it for charity? A holiday talent show? Performed at a party?

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WLW Prompts

Stevie/Ruth

Stevie spends her first Christmas in New York when she, David, Patrick, and Twyla spend the holidays in the city with Alexis. Ruth shows her all of the many things that make an NYC winter so special. Visiting Rockefeller Center (ice skating, checking out the tree, the Rockettes), maybe? A snowy Central Park? Bryant Park? Christmas markets? IDK, go nuts.

Primarily Ruthie with a dash of Patrick/David and/or Twylexis if you'd like.

David knows Stevie better than anyone in the world, and he KNOWS she's into Ruth. He and Patrick scheme to use their winter vacation to give them some gentle nudges. How many cute holiday tropes will it take for these awesome business ladies to get their shit together?

Stevie and Ruth go on a skiing holiday. Can either of them ski? Is one of them a whiz? Do they spend the whole time in the chalet? Does someone get hurt?!

To Stevie, Christmas means alcohol, terrible Secret Santa exchanges, and Boxing Day deals. To Ruth, it means Midnight Mass and family dinner. How do they handle their first Christmas together?

Pre-relationship (at the start of the fic): Stevie's stuck in New York over the holidays thanks to the weather. Ruth promises to show her how wonderful the holidays can really be.

Stevie and her girlfriend go ice skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

(I couldn't pick between Stevie/Ruth and Stevie/Twyla so you can pick!)

It's the Rosebud Motel Group's holiday party so of course she's attending. Stevie thinks it's weird that both Alexis and Ruth asked if she was going. When Stevie finds out they were both actually asking her as a date AND that she agreed, she knows she's screwed. Will she pretend to be on a date with both of them at the party or how can she possibly choose?

To save Stevie the awkwardness of having to deal with Mr. Rose and his "professional" "relationship advice" after she and Ruth start dating, Twyla agrees to take on Hannukah, and the following week of Rosebud Motel Group holiday parties, as Stevie's girlfriend, which surprises absolutely no one, except for David, who delights in trolling his best friend every chance he gets during the eight nights with his family and husband, since he's known for months now that not only are Stevie and Ruth together and disgustingly in love- but "suddenly single" Alexis has actually been seeing Twyla, and even planned to take their relationship to the next level over the holidays.

A prompt for all the lovers of comedic miscommunication and lovingly crossed wires!

What that next level is- buying Twy a puppy, saying first I love yous, a proposal, a gift, even just offering to cook dinner- is totally up to you!

Stevie and Ruth are on a business trip when the heat goes out at the hotel they’re staying at. The weather outside makes it too dangerous to go out and find another hotel, so their only option is to huddle for warmth.

The holidays are the perfect time to A) realize just how serious your relationship is, and B) decide that you're all-in with your girlfriend. Fluffy, happy ending, please, although some 'am I ready for a committed relationship?' angst is more than fine in the middle!

Stevie/Alexis

Stevie and Alexis spend Christmas in New York together.

Alexis loves Christmas, she loves everything about it. Stevie is a little less enthused, especially when Alexis wakes her up at 2 am to make Christmas cookies.

When it's too cold for Baseball, naturally, the Creek turns to Hockey!

While everyone can play, there's a rivalry between one of the couples above, who are on opposing teams since each team needed another player.

Extra bonus points if Moira and Jocelyn get roped into it too, either as players/alternates, or as referees, snack sellers, ice girls, zamboni drivers... anything!

Stevie/Twyla

Stevie and her girlfriend go ice skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

(I couldn't pick between Stevie/Ruth and Stevie/Twyla so you can pick!)

When it's too cold for Baseball, naturally, the Creek turns to Hockey!

While everyone can play, there's a rivalry between one of the couples above, who are on opposing teams since each team needed another player.

Extra bonus points if Moira and Jocelyn get roped into it too, either as players/alternates, or as referees, snack sellers, ice girls, zamboni drivers... anything!

Stevie hates winter - she's always cold and snow is gross. Twyla, knitter extraordinaire, takes it upon herself to make things for Stevie that might make winter a little less terrible.

Rachel/Heather

What does winter at Warner Farms look like? Maybe Rachel dresses up the goats? Do they host their first holiday brunch together? Are there special cheeses for this time of year?

Anything Goats- I mean Goes!

Alexis/Twyla

David, Patrick and Twyla visit Alexis in New York during the holidays. When Twyla and David are left alone in Alexis's apartment (where Patrick and Alexis go is up to you), Twyla tells David all about her plans to propose to Alexis. He helps steer her in the right direction.

(Remember, Twyla almost sang to Mutt, so maybe her gesture isn't 100% on point?)

(Feel free to include Patrick/Alexis bonding, whatever they're up to out there, too.)

Alexis and Twyla have been dancing around... something... since David and Patrick's wedding two years ago. When Alexis comes back to the Creek for the holidays and joins a Secret Santa exchange held at the café, guess whose name she pulls?

AKA: "I got you for Secret Santa, so I bought you this really expensive (but sentimental) gift that I know you’ve always wanted, hoping you’ll never find out it’s from me - or, y'know, that I’ve been in love with you 1234567 years."

Alexis needs a date to the Interflix new year's eve party so she can avoid her ex (ew, Jared Leto!). Luckily, her best friend, Twyla, will be in town. They're just gals being pals, right? And what happens when the new year's countdown starts?

The lack of actual holiday family bonding affected Alexis more than she realizes, even today. For their first holiday season together, Twyla plans something special for the two of them. Whether she goes all out and does twelve days of holidays or scales things down into something more contained, let's give these two the holiday happiness they deserve!

(Would love for the holidays featured to not just be Christmas-centric since Alexis is half-Jewish!)

As Alexis herself says, she's a naughty elf AND she's a little bit go-girl when she touches herself. Maybe Twyla dresses up as Santa Claus in Schitt's Creek so Alexis takes it upon herself to dress up as her naughty elf. Maybe Alexis gives her a lap dance to Santa Baby. Who knows!!

When it's too cold for Baseball, naturally, the Creek turns to Hockey!

While everyone can play, there's a rivalry between one of the couples above, who are on opposing teams since each team needed another player.

Extra bonus points if Moira and Jocelyn get roped into it too, either as players/alternates, or as referees, snack sellers, ice girls, zamboni drivers... anything!

A prompt for all the lovers of comedic miscommunication and lovingly crossed wires!

What that next level is- buying Twy a puppy, saying first I love yous, a proposal, a gift, even just offering to cook dinner- is totally up to you!

Twyla & Alexis meet auditioning for the Christmas Spectacular.

What does a secret millionnaire get her girlfriend for the holidays? I don't know, you tell me! I just want some sugar mama!Twyla, please. (If you want to take this in a saucy direction, feel free!)

Since all of Alexis' Interflix income is eaten up by city-living expenses, Twyla proposes they should get each other homemade gifts for Hanukkah/Christmas/Winter Solstice [choose your fighter, or all three also work!] What does Alexis manage to pull together? Can be pre-relationship or established relationship.

Alexis has to spend the holidays in [insert country here] for work, which means she's spending the season away from her girlfriend. One of them sends the other an app-controlled sex toy, and they still manage to have some holiday fun.

AU: Twyla and Alexis are not-entirely-friendly co-anchors on a popular news network (think The Morning Show vibes). But after they do their NYE coverage, they stay up late together, taking in the city while it snows, and things start to shift between them...

In an extremely embarrassing turn of events, Alexis tunelessly sings "All I Want for Christmas is You" to Twyla at karaoke, and means it.

Twyla's car breaks down on the highway in the middle of a blizzard. A mysterious blonde who knows a lot about engines comes to her rescue. Bonus points if the ~road conditions~ mean they need to spend the night in a random motel where there is - you guessed it - only one bed.

Twyla teaches Alexis how to make Nanaimo bars. It gets messy, and then it gets sexy.

Twyla catches Alexis trying to figure out where all the presents are hidden, and punishes her appropriately.

Throuple Prompts

Stevie/Alexis/Twyla

AU - it's the winter holidays, and Stevie, Twyla, and Alexis are some of the only students spending the break at their boarding school's campus.

Frenemy shenanigans, friendly shenanigans, or shippy ot3 shenanigans - dealer's choice!

Ted/Alexis/Twyla

Ted invites Alexis to visit him in Ecuador over the winter holidays. Nervous about seeing him, she asks Twyla to come with her. In the Galapagos, she realizes she's not over Ted, and that her feelings for Twyla aren't strictly platonic. What happens on New Year's Eve, when she wants to kiss them both? Make it a throuple, please.

MLW Prompts

Ted/Alexis

Christmas in the Galapagos. That's it. That's the prompt.

Ted and Alexis make holiday cookies over FaceTime.

Additional MLM Prompts

Jake/Mutt

Mutt comes back to town for the winter and finds the barn uninhabitable. Faced with sleeping on his parents' couch for the next few months, he jumps on Jake's offer of his spare room in exchange for some help around the woodshop. Between holidays and through storms, they discover that they have a lot more in common than they ever thought.

(Preferably Jake/Mutt, but Jake & Mutt is also acceptable.)

Jocelyn asks Mutt to use his woodworking talents to create a holiday gift for Rollie Jr., but Mutt is so out of practice after his time away, he needs to consult with Jake. It turns out that Jake has actually been hand-carving holiday gifts for local kids for years, but has always kept it a secret. Sparks fly, wood gets polished, etc.

(Jake/Mutt, please!)

Schitt's Creek is raising funds for a town project by selling Christmas trees. Mutt and Jake are both roped into helping chop down the trees. Do they get competitive about their chopping speed? Do they become distracted by each other's well-toned arms? Does one of them help the other pick out the perfect tree to take home? Do they leave together for some further "wood-working" at Jake's woodshop?

Any rating and any dynamic (enmity, friendship, hook-up, budding romance) - whatever floats your canoe, dear writer!

Jake and Mutt drink pine cone wine together at a Holiday party and bond over remarkably few words. Go with that where you will.

Alexis rents a cabin for the holidays and invites a bunch of friends. When it turns out that the cabin is heated by a wood stove, Alexis asks for help cutting wood. Jake and Mutt are eager to show off their wood chopping skills to impress her, but just end up impressing each other. Things heat up, alright.

Jake/Mutt, please.

Ted/Miguel

Ted and Miguel captain rival curling teams.

(Maybe it turns sexy? Maybe it stays as an intense abs-related rivalry)

Ted has to go to Miguel’s vet practice to help him out with something (maybe Miguel is short-staffed for the day and reluctantly calls Ted for help?). While he’s there, a huge snowstorm hits and they get snowed in together.

AU of the gay hallmark movie classic… You decide which vet is hesitant to be home for the holidays, and which is the handsome ranch hand with a big heart.

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cloveroctobers · 3 years

Text

ANNA-JULIA “AJ” (JONES) JARLETT

IG bio/info: @/annajj9x_ | 20.1k followers| Athlete | hey peeps can you stop asking me to throw it back cuz the answer will always be no! K thx take it easy 🏳️‍🌈🌻🏒🐶

21 years old

From bath, England

Hockey player as her profession for the past three years

Her position is defense

Their team name is “rowdy alphas”...yeah some team names just didn’t make sense or they’re cringe for no reason at all

Was raised by her mom,(her mom was a teen mom & had her at 17) maternal grandmother, and her paternal aunt (dad’s younger sister, who’s more like a big sister to her at 28)

They’ve made her into the person she is, literally

Her grandmother has a bed and breakfast that they all live in

the house is Victorian style—almost as if they walked right out of charmed! Instead of a big pink house, think yellow AND purple. It was hideous but homey and charming on the inside

growing up in a house with multiple temporary strangers wasn’t odd to aj at all, in fact it felt like the norm. There was always someone around to socialize with so that was quite nice

Her father was a pro baseball player & passed away due to a automobile accident

she has his smile & freckles

aj was also involved in the accident at the age of 6 & miraculously survived with intense injuries

Has scars as a reminder

used to have night terrors because of the accident...it took awhile—years!!! for them to subside

they’re all vague memories now (but the pain is something she’ll always remember) but she preferred it that way

she’s named “Anna” after her mother’s old best friend/roommate and was supposed to be aj’s god mother but she went missing during their uni years

the name“Julia” came from her paternal grandmother who she gets her wide doe eyes from

her athleticism definitely came from her dad

Her mother luckily liked to document things so there’s a bunch of home videos of her dad in them & pictures/scrapbooks that her mom has for safe keeping

She’s more of a klutz, tiny, and wears huge prescription glasses

extremely close to the three most important ladies in her life, so she’s always been able to be open with them about anything!

when she first expressed her interest in liking both genders around 17-18 her paternal aunt was all smirks, “i knew Britney Spears was so your type, yeah?”

more like shakira but Brit was just as pretty

her mother was a “cry baby” so ofc she burst out into tears squeezing aj’s limbs and peppering her face with kisses. She didn’t view her child as anything different... as she shouldn’t & was glad that her daughter trusted them with this significant moment in her life and wanted to be as supportive as she could

got books, watched Ted talks and everything but knew she could come to the source even tho aj was still figuring it out herself

her grandma dipped her head at the new info sitting at the round kitchen table, “been there. had a few broads in my life after and during my marriage with your no good grandad. Thank goodness the bastard died before you even got to meet ‘em.” “Mum!”

what felt like the biggest weight on her chest was lifted. She knew they’d understand but a part of her had a little bit of doubt, she’s heard so many horror stories where those like her didn’t have the support she has and that made her extremely sad to think about

i see her as a person that has/had many friends in secondary. She’s always open to chat and her being on a few sports teams helped her out in her case

very competitive in anything that she does & will guarantee that she’ll beat you. (“ You wanna race to the car from here?”wins. “Who ever cleans the most dishes the fastest gets the last slice of pie.”) majority of the time she’s right but if she loses?? oh don’t let her lose to you, it’s a pity party for the rest of the time ur in her space. Such a sore loser omg

stays active, always working out + has a gym membership and makes sure she goes at least five times a week

she’s very strong, loves leg day & working on her core

she’s about 5’10

loves wearing “gf jeans” since they’re super comfy but doesn’t mind skinny Jeans with rips in the knees every now and then

trainers and chucks are her go-to sneakers

has no issue shopping in the men’s section ‘cause who’s gonna stop her? Nobody that’s who

owner of over a 100 graphic tees + vertical stripped shirts are also her favs, SWEATPANTS/joggers?! How many does she have? A lot. Snapbacks? Plenty. Will she wear them backwards? Obviously.

Physical touch is her love language. She’s comes from a family that has no issue showing their affection by touch. There is NO such thing as personal space and that still stands with aj when it comes to relationships, she sees no other way

It’s what she shows and what she wants in return, if you’re not touching her in some sort of way, then automatically she thinks there’s something wrong or that she did something

Is the jealous type. It has shown in relationships and ruined a relationship or two

Has cheated on a significant other out of pure jealousy & is not proud to admit that

Does have a wandering eye but feels now that she truly understands herself when it comes to relationships, she’ll never act on it again

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I get libra tendencies from her so that’s what I’m sticking with. She likes to keep the peace (unless she’s jealous) , idealistic — always looking on the bright side of things, outgoing, romantic, and professional— especially when it comes to her team; her true leadership comes out, yet she can be indecisive, hates confrontation, self pitying — if things don’t go perfectly how she imagined/planned it to, the world is ending and everyone is out to get her, and can be unreliable—never on time

September libra to be exact

if she’s really in love/taken a interest in you then she gets nervous: blushing, sweaty palms, cracking her knuckles, tongue tied—the whole 9

she’s already defined as a puppy by her coach but when she’s in love? She’s a lovesick puppy!

her fav holiday is Valentine’s Day

thought she was going to be a pro skateboarder growing up but it took one bad fall where she thought she was paralyzed for her to choose something else

she likes her weed on occasion

Obsessed with all types of cheese except cottage, “can I put cheese on this?”

more of a jumpsuit kinda girl or dressy top with jeans & hoops on a night out

has a solid group of mates outside of the hockey team, they’ve all met and hung out a couple of times, as they should since aj feels they’re going to be stuck with her for awhile so why not?

They’re a riot when they all go out, let’s just say that there’s never a dull moment

fav color is periwinkle

enjoys ASMR, mostly in the mornings when she’s waking up. You know how people love podcasts? (Sorry seb & Nicky, she still wants to be on the show soon!) ASMR is her thing

loves tangerines, you can count on it that she’ll have one on her, “where did you pull that from?” “I’ll never share my master plan.” “You’re such a tit.”

Definitely prefers “fresh squeezed” orange juice & will make her own, she has the tools & the strength 😏

Very rare for her to get sick ;) & if she does she’s a complete baby about it

Will fight that she’s sick before she admits it, trying all sorts of horrid remedies & vitamins

loves summer & all things that come with it, the number one thing is leaving bath for however long she can for a new place to enjoy

when she arrived to love island, she was thrilled for the weather. Yes she was looking for love but most importantly a nice get away & that it was (depending on your route that is lol)

closest with seb, vieve, elladine, and tai but don’t tell the others that! (She doesn’t care if you tell Yasmin, honestly)

just because her & seb “dated” and it didn’t work out doesn’t mean they can’t be friends right? It was almost automatic for them to be platonic after it was determined there would be no romance between them, almost like sibs! like those celebs like to say—except this time these two won’t turn around and actually find romance

vieve came with seb so...but no shade aj did like vieve. She gave great advice (while seb sometimes didn’t say the right things unintentionally or what aj needed to hear) when needed, especially from a medical view and is very sweet

elladine was the one who had all the tea & ideas to match, she’s quite organized and always down for DIY’s and could suggest almost anything. If you needed someone to help you get things tidy or match/find your Aesthetic, she’s the friend you call to help

tai was the one she could be a “bro” with, sure elladine has her competive side (or controlling, depends on how you view it) but tai was the one you can run to for much needed “bro hugs”, partying, going to the pubs, playing sports with or against, checking out/flirting with babes, etc...

it was not long after the villa that aj had a revelation with her sexuality & fully owned and labeled herself as a lesbian

She was happy being in relationship with someone else or with herself, life was short and she was young so there wasn’t time to dwell and stress over things so what the hell?! Live your truth the best way you know how ya know?

probably smells like sweet citrus, almond flower, and sea salt

on chest days, she’s a sweets snacker. Loves gummy bears (also with vodka) , swedish fish, sour patch kids, etc...basically shit that sticks to ur teeth

put all her chips into hockey, while it was advised by her Counselors & mum not to do so, aj went about it anyway. She thought about the pros and cons but knew there was nothing else for her. So there were more pros than cons. She was meant to play sports, its what felt right in her soul

Made her feel connected to her father, when she’s on the field she feels that he is with her

scrunches up her nose when she’s frustrated or confused about something

Doesn’t always grasp concepts right away, she’s a soft dummy but most of us are and that’s okay! We’re all smart in our own ways

Feels like sunflowers are always around her especially if she sees them wherever she is. They must symbolize SOMETHING, therefore she loves them

spf queen. All about it, get with it or let the sunrays ruin ur skin that’s on u

loves a good filet mignon medium-well & is probably the only good thing she knows how to make alongside a salad, baked potatoes, & her oj

sucker for romantic-comedies...it’s basically her life duh!

If she has a dog, it’s a Dalmatian or Great Dane. She needs a companion that’ll keep up with her

loves kissing, it’s her favorite form of intimacy

Quarantine life included the push up challenge for her. Gaining a few pounds in muscle and fat, bothering seb via ft, viewing old letters she wrote to her dad, spending time with her fav ladies since they were now restricted from having guests in their home, and letting boredom consume her + she hated the whole lockdown that came with it, she hated being indoors for long periods of time but she knew that’s what partly needed to be done

Posts a lot of beach, park, outings with her friends & team, moments with her fav ladies, workout videos, and guests at the b&b with their permission and if only she befriends them along the way. She’s just as active on the socials as she is in rl but she’s not obsessed with it, she knows how to live in the now. She’s all about balance!

I also feel like she never keeps her phone charged and it’s always dying on her! She had a car charger but...that’s a jungle. She needs to invest in a portable charger stat

crushing on/finds attractive: Jared Padalecki, Keanu Reeves, Barrett Doss, Camilla Luddington, Sandra Bullock, Adrian Kempe, Harry Kirton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Naomi Osaka, Ming & Aoki Lee Simmons

who does she listen to? Shakira lol!! Bea Miller, Dua Lipa, Daya, XYLØ, Elley Duhé, Stela Cole, Aloe Blacc, Maroon 5, Lewis capaldi, Charlie Puth, girl in red, Hayley kiyoko, king princess, dodie, & tessa violet

Anthem: Icona Pop — we got the world

#litg #litg3 #litg s3 #litg aj #litg mc #litg oc #litg seb #litg genevieve #litg elladine #litg tai #litg yasmin #litg headcanon #litg moodboard #I felt like the pressure was on for her so sorry if this sucked lol #litg headcanons

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wallofweird · 4 years

Note

hi fae, how do you feel about people saying that kevin only tolerates madison bc of kate and therefore they won't work? :/

Hi! Well, I think these people are definitely not watching This Is Us (or any type of television, for that matter) or living on Earth. Or seeing and unseeing things according to their pre-established opinions. Either way, that’s absolutely not true. On most of their interactions Kevin is polite, as you can see it here:

I love this part because there are at least three other guests closer to him but she is the first person he offers a glass of champagne... If you pay attention to the scene, he is holding THREE glasses. He gives one to Madison and he puts another on a shelf, I don’t know about the third, but there were definitely more women in the room that could’ve had that(those) glass(es), he just didn’t care, lol. Also, Rebecca is looking and smiling at him, but he doesn’t even notice it because he is too busy looking at Madi... I mean, another direction.

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com (all the gifs above)

Kevin doesn’t look very happy with the idea of dancing and still he doesn’t protest.

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/616600065662926848/kevin-x-madison-height-difference

This gif doesn’t show it, but he turns his head and watches Madison as she walks away just like on gif number 4.

Siding with her during a conversation with Kate.

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com (all the gifs above)

Comforting Madison.

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/618991372262916096/kevin-looking-at-madison-nothing-but-blue-skies

He isn’t smiling here, but does this seem to be a person that is annoyed with the other? He has soft, delicate, gentle eyes while looking at her.

And this whole thing about Kevin despising Madison and only tolerating her because of Kate is even more ridiculous because on this scene he is basically begging her to invite him to come inside.

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/616600065662926848/kevin-x-madison-height-difference

If he thought her company was so unpleasant, why would he accept it in the first place? He could’ve left and gone to Rebecca’s house instead, or come back after Toby got back from work, he could’ve called Randall, or Nicky, or simply gone somewhere else to make new friends because it’s not like struggles when he socializes with strangers.

And here is what Madison had to say about her night with him:

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com/post/617836054621339648/do-you-want-to-know-why-i-think-i-slept-with

He made her feel comfortable enough to be her true self and he ended up spending at least a few hours with Madison. He spent the night at her place and only left the next morning... If her presence were so repellent, why didn’t he leave after the sex? Madison didn’t point a gun at him and forced him to stay. Even after he woke up, he kept lying next to her on the bed without a shirt on... Plus, there was the option of leaving without saying anything while she was asleep, but he didn’t do that.

Actually, the only time I believe Kevin was rude to her was at the hospital, but you have to analyze the context: his sister went into early labor, there was an endless list of possible complications to the baby and herself, it took hours until Kevin got some information, Kevin had been drinking, he was dealing with his failed attempt to connect with his uncle, the frustration of having relapsed after an entire year of being sober, feeling guilty for lying to everyone about it and the fear of losing Zoe because of those lies. He was going through A LOT. Those were probably some of the hardest hours of his life. Yet, at first he treated her just fine, it was the fact she wouldn’t stop talking (because that’s the way she was coping with the situation and usually what he does too when he’s sober, btw) that he said those things to her. Now, I don’t drink, but as far as I know people on hangover usually have headaches so it’s not weird that they will avoid noises and I remember Kevin saying a few minutes before that he was on hangover.

I also remember that he immediately regretted it and apologized to Madison, but she didn’t listen and left (I don’t blame her). And when she walked away he was hit by a dose of consciousness and realized his was being “an ass” and apologized to his family. She wasn’t the only one, he was snapping at everybody, because it wasn’t Madison, Randall or anyone else that was annoying him. It wasn’t personal. It was the stress of the entire situation that was making Kevin take it out on everybody. Plus, even though he didn’t specifically snap at Zoe, when he went outside to get some air and clear his head, she offered him company and Kevin shut her out.

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com/post/618572824853069824/im-sorry-what-exactly-are-you-doing-here

By the way, Kevin bumped into Madison when he was getting out of the elevator and attempted to apologize for a second time.

Another scene people use as an ‘example’ of rudeness is this moment on the season finale, but I sincerely disagree. Here’s why:

Kevin was in the middle of a heated fight with his brother and that was almost getting physical when Madison arrived for the party.

And when she showed up at the door he just told her the truth: it wasn’t a good time.

Now, does that look like an angry, utterly annoyed and disdainful face for you? Because the way I see it, it’s just a guy who’s weary and not in his best state of mind, which is comprehensible since he was in a middle of an argument, his mother’s health is deteriorating, Randall had talked her into doing a clinical trial in the other side of the country despite her previous refusal and that’s just SOME of the heavy stuff he was dealing with at that specific moment.

However, Madison doesn’t bother and enters the place anyway.

And Kevin doesn’t yell at her, protest or leaves, he just lets her in and closes the door.

Again: does this look like he hates Madison so much like some people make it seem?

THIS is being annoyed and/or angry:

CREDIT: https://rostovarps.tumblr.com/post/165520445651/kevin-pearson-in-this-is-us-01x07-the-best

CREDIT: https://adyadintheforce.tumblr.com/post/177326964546/shame-on-all-of-us

And this is just being upset, tired, feeling like all your energy has been drained out of your body:

If you watch the scene, his face on the picture above and on this gif has identical expressions:

CREDIT: https://ltbelanna.tumblr.com/post/189147462109/this-is-us-4x08-sorry-im-sorry-me-too-see

And really, how did these people expect him to react? Did they expect him to smile, kiss her and propose a second round of hookup? His reaction made perfect sense to everything that was happening at the time.

Do they believe things would’ve been different if it had been someone else at the door, like Kate’s neighbor Gregory or somebody from her support group? Do they think that if it had been another person he would’ve hugged them, offer coffee and crack jokes? That the problem was Madison and not the situation he was in with Randall and Rebecca?

Anywaaaay, by the end of their conversation he had already softened up and was even slightly smiling at her.

CREDIT: https://millennial-mess.tumblr.com/post/613565105725194240/im-so-sick-of-chasing-ghosts-im-tired-of

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/620438418688704513/you-da-best

Sure, it wan’t a wide smile because it wasn’t like his problems had disappeared all of a sudden, but he had found a silver lining in the midst of everything.

And being exhausted, upset, annoyed, stressed or angry is part of the human experience and part of being in a relationship of ANY KIND: romantic, platonic, familial. Taking it out on someone can happen sometimes as well. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. People are not perfect. People are not robots. They navigate through negative feelings and emotions too. It’s how things are in real life and also how things are on television, specially on This Is Us, which is a show that focuses on relationships and emotions.

Jack and Rebecca, Beth and Randall, Kate and Toby, Randall and Kevin, Kevin and Kate, Nicky and Kevin, Kevin and Sophie, William and Randall, Kevin and Cassidy all had moments like this... The list goes on. Would the same people define these relationships/friendships as unsuccessful and fake because of a few unfriendly moments? I doubt it, because what really defines a relationship as healthy and successful is the people’s ability to recognize their own mistakes, forgive each other, work on themselves as individuals and as friends/a couple/a family and getting even closer and stronger after facing the hardships. It’s not smiling, talking, hugging and kissing 24/7 because nobody does that. Maybe for a few days and weeks, but you won’t last even a month behaving like this, let alone YEARS.

And the complications are also what keep the story interesting and engaging. I don’t mean something like toxicity and abuse, but if couples, relatives and friends don’t disagree, argue and face problems out and within their relationship, the show doesn’t go anywhere. There must be conflict. There must be drama. And there must be happiness. It’s about balancing these aspects out.

If they want to watch something that’s always sunshine and rainbows and where the characters are always happy, they should watch a TV show targeted to three-year-old children, because honestly This Is Us has never been and will never be this kind of show.

And we know Kevin has a pregnant fiancee on season 5 and since This Is Us is not a soap opera, I seriously doubt Kevin will go out there impregnating multiple women with multiple children and multiple sets of twins. I reckon it’s safe to say it’s Madison. That means they will go through one of the most amazing and yet vulnerable and challenging experiences two people can ever face and instead of pulling them apart, it will only bring them closer to the point they will get engaged. For me, this sounds like a relationship that is DEFINITELY WORKING.

#kevin pearson #kevison #this is us #sorry I didn't have gifs for everything and this is long lol #anon

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takaraphoenix · 3 years

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Grey’s Anatomy: Review

Took me four months, but I have successfully watched all 16 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy - and what there is of season 17. Figured it deserves some words.

HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS SHOW? SO MUCH?

(To set the appropriate mood for this and give you a TL;DR.)

That being said to open it up, it is most definitely not flawless. So let’s start there. For me, the one big flaw it has is really the writers’ cuckolding kink. So. Much. Cheating. And - worse than the cheating plots - the cheating apologism. They echo the exact same sentiment so often, that cheating is only one mistake and humans make mistakes. That’s... at one point, that stops being a plot device and starts to be very telling about the writer, to be quite frank.

That being said, let’s roll out the positive. And let’s kick it off with something that relates to all the cheating; so many forced love-triangles, but they usually don’t include toxic rivalries. It’d be so easy to have the men throw punches over the women or the women pull hair and scratch each other’s eyes... so many other rom-drama shows do it already, after all. But, honestly, the two lose ends on the love V (because these things ain’t triangles) usually have such a good dynamic with each other, ranging from civil to friendships to deep mentor ships - Meredith and Addison, Mark and Jackson, Cristina and Teddy? Seeing these dynamics, quite frankly, makes having to sit through a love-triangle-nonsense actually more than bearable.

The most impressive thing about the show is, to me, the amount of rep on it. I mean sure, the main lead is white and I’d estimate half the overall cast are white, but even from the get go - in 2005 - the ratio of white actors versus actors of color in the main cast was five to four. And they’re not background or side characters - I mean, two of them are, aside from Meredith, the only ones to still be around on season 17. They all have their own plotlines, their own relationships and troubles and struggles. It’s not just the Meredith show, not by far.

And beyond that, the queer rep on this show is... honestly mindblowing? I mean, seriously?

They introduced their first queer character in season 2, in 2005, when other procedual dramas that aired then in large parts just... never... added queer characters. And sure! Joe was only a recurring character and not a main character, but he was recurring for six seasons, he recurred a lot, he got established, he and his husband partook in the plot. And, again, this was just the beginning, back in 2005.

They’ve since then steadily broadened their horizon and become more inclusive.

Recurring and main character wise, we’ve had 5 lesbians, 5 bisexual women, 4 gay men and 2 trans characters over these 17 seasons. That’s a very solid list, honestly. If I look at other shows, again especially procedual dramas that are still largely aimed at a more conservative audience, the fact that we’ve had actual queer storylines in every single season since season 2? That’s amazing.

Even more so on the one-off characters, to be quite honest. Just... casually, this patient has two moms, this man is visited by his husband, here the child of the patient is nonbinary, look this patient is in a polyamorous relationship. Sure, those are only the one-off episodical characters, but you have no idea how much that matters too.

I know I’m repeating myself with this, but especially when compared to other procedual dramas, where the characters are often only queer when it’s important to the plot. He got beaten up and ended up in the hospital because he was gay. She got killed because she was trans. They’re motivational and important to the plot (and also usually used to victimize the characters).

The fact that this show, even 10+ years ago already, just... included queerness as part of our reality, included it casually, positively and repeatedly - really, it’s not just like it’s one episode per season like it’s some obligation, it happens a lot? For no actual needed plot reason, she just has a wife and she’s just happily married to her wife and that’s it, because queer people exist.

And I just, I struggle to express how much this casual rep means to me? And how it becomes even more amazing if you consider how long ago it started? And if you add to it the steady prominent recurring/main character rep?

Sure, it’s not perfect - the majority of their characters of color are black; it’s not overly diverse when it comes to what characters of color it included, it took forever to include the second Asian character and the first Muslim character and it could feature a broader variety of ethnicities, just like it could offer a broader variety of queer experiences, I mean it took them forever to introduce the first mlm main character and they have yet to include a bisexual man, I’d also just love to see an ace character or a polyamorous character, to paint a contrast to the sex-obsession and cheating plotlines - but... it’s doing more than many others and I do think it deserves praise for that and it keeps improving. They didn’t just add Erica and Callie as the first wlw couple and then stuck to only having two queer ladies on screen at the same time and never more, just constantly replacing Callie’s girlfriend. They kept adding more, they keep adding more.

Now, on to my absolute favorite thing about this show.

Because, let’s make one thing clear, I hate cheating and under other circumstances the amount of cheating on this show would have driven me off it ten seasons ago. But despite all of the very forced romance drama and sex obsessed allos on the show, that is not the show’s main focus.

This was never mainly about the romance. It’s always been about the platonic relationships first and foremost. Romances changed and broke up and got complicated, but what prospered were the friendships and found family relationships.

Cristina and Meredith are the defining relationship of this show. They are... friendship portrayed in a way I have never seen friendship portrayed before. The writing on their dynamic is just amazing.

And when Cristina leaves the show, the shift to Meredith-Alex and to the sister-dynamic between Meredith, Maggie and Amelia really works.

Personally, after watching the show, I’ve come to divide it into three arcs, each with a Part A and a Part B.

The first arc of the show - spanning seasons 1 to 5 - are about Meredith, Cristina, George, Izzie and Alex. And they explore the dynamic between those five and the individual relationships between them all, so very well. This was really found family done right.

Arc 2 is what I dubbed the rebranding arc - seasons 6 to 10. In Part A (s6 to s8), we got the focus on the Mercy West merger, ending in the horrific plane crash. While Part B is what I call the outfall, season 9 dealing with the outfall from the plane crash and season 10 being all about that Meredith-Cristina outfall.

I love Arc 1 a whole lot, it’s really good. I think Arc 2 is good too, especially the plane crash and its outfall were very gripping and well done, but I do think that this middle part earns the dub as rebranding because it feels like the show itself is trying to find its footing, trying to figure out a direction after MAGIC graduated into residents (and, inevitably, fell apart with the death of George and the departure of Izzie). It’s a bit unfocused on where it wants to go and I still loathe the big misunderstanding nonsense of season 10 (but am glad that Meredith and Cristina rekindled before Cristina’s departure).

Arc 3 is the sisters arc, where the Meredith-Maggie-Amelia dynamic rules, with a more uneven split between A and B, because A spans seasons 11 to 16 for me and is lovingly dubbed the Merlex arc by me, while B is just... season 17; the corona pandemic is really shifting the tone and focus and it coincides with the departure of Alex.

I’m more mixed on it than I am on the other two. For me, Cristina and Meredith just are the heart and soul of the show, so despite just how brilliantly they handled that all, I still miss them (though I greatly appreciate the fact that she still regularly comes up through phone calls, texts, etc). I greatly disliked Alex’s departure (which is a rant of its own).

On the overall, I would actually rank them in order - the first five seasons were my favorite, followed by the awkward middle because it still added brilliant things to it regardless, and despite coming in last, I do also love the second half of the show with the sisters in the focus.

I do admit that I had high hopes that Jo would become Meredith’s new person in season 17, considering the tremendous growth their relationship had - especially considering how Meredith crawled into Jo’s bed and was the one to coax what had happened with her mother out of her; that was “my person” behavior, quite frankly, and I also thought that Alex’s departure might bring them closer. I truly did not like Alex’s parting words to Meredith that she’s always been her own person.

Well, duh. Meredith Grey is an absolute badass. Which, also a thing I love a lot about this show. She is so incredibly strong and brilliant and takes care of herself.

But the point of her having her person was never that she needed someone else to stand in for her; it was to have someone around whom she didn’t have to be that strong. Someone she could come to to be weak around, someone to have her back when everything became too much. You just... can’t do that for yourself. So that sentiment was just incredible rubbish and I will be very mad if they truly have her embrace that nonsense, because she deserves someone like that.

Lastly, let’s talk romantic relationships. Very broadly, I assure you - I wouldn’t even have the patience to tackle them all, I mean seriously everyone has had sex on this show, or so it feels (no but seriously, the amount of overlapping ships on this show is ridiculous).

The only note I do have on that is that... nothing lasts forever. Quite frankly, the most “endgame” ships on this show are Richard/Catherine and Ben/Miranda (which, bless them, those two are literally my favorite of the canon ships). Everything else is just... fair game? They change, they break up, even if you absolutely hate a ship - don’t worry, it’s gonna end soon.

And occasionally, that... is even more rewarding than seeing a couple you do like get together? I mean, honestly, watching a ship you dislike for x reasons and then having them break up on screen and a character actually listing x reasons to the other’s face? Very carthatic.

I also have to mention the adoption positivity; Meredith and Derek adopt a child, not as a last resort after all else has failed, but simply because they fell in love with that little girl, Ben and Bailey took in Joey, because they have big hearts. So often, adoption is only shown as that very, very last option after you wasted thousands of dollars on all other biological options and then it is like a tragic compromise or something. Seeing them just... fall in love with this baby and adopt her and love her is so refreshing?

This show is just... really, really good? The writing is brilliant. I mean, this show made me laugh more than some comedies have? It’s funny, poignant and... not overly dramatic? I mean, of course it’s dramatic - it’s a drama. But it’s more... grounded. Even with some outstandingly extreme things happening, it is still very down to Earth, compared to other dramas that feel the need to go higher and more bizarre each season. It’s incredibly consistent, it includes so much rep and actual plotlines for every character, it really draws out relationships - familiar, platonic, romantic - in such great details.

I just really love this show.

#Grey's Anatomy #Phoe's Random Show Rants

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latibulx · 3 years

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Gaeul - anemone, angelica, begonia, chamomile, edelweiss, gladiolus, heliotrope, holly, hydrangea, lavender, lotus, pansy, peony, poppy, rhododendron, rose, salvia, sunflower, willow

❥ 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 [ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃𝚂 ] ㅡ closed ㅡ @jaebbongi

anemone : how does your muse view the world ; as a cruel & unforgiving place , a land full of wonders , or something in - between ? where does that world view come from ( what experiences , life lessons , etc . ) ?

In spite of what happened to her family and the people she has lost over the course of the years, Gaeul remains an unbelievable optimistic kind of girl and sees the world as something beautiful and filled with wonders and magic that goes beyond her understanding. There’s always so much more to experience and discover and learn and she thinks that it beats every bad happening in her life. Even though it wasn’t the case a couple of years ago after the loss of her parents, she’s definitely thankful that she is alive and that she is able to experience so much in her daily life.

angelica : where does your muse draw inspiration in life ? what motivates them ?

The world inspires her, and not only the world around her but also the worlds from the books she reads. Imaginary worlds, real worlds, all of them inspire her - but also the persons she meets whether they’re alive or fictional. For Gaeul, they all are a source of inspiration. As for her motivation, it’s also the world, and the wish to share her views of the many worlds in her head with others.

begonia : how cautious is your muse ? are they prone to noticing red flags , or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ? why or why not ?

Gaeul isn’t one to be cautious at all. She’s far too curious and adventurous for her own good and that can obviously lead her to risky situations. I’d like to say that the older she gets, the less adventurous she is, but that’s not exactly true because she is thirsty for knowledge and for such experiences that take her breath away.

( I believe she’ll have different kind of experiences once she becomes a mother, though! )

chamomile : what is your muse likely to take away from a painful experience ? are they one to be haunted by adversity , or to use what they’ve gone through to become stronger ?

Painful experiences teach her as much as they haunt her. She’ll reflect on what happened and use it for the future but she’s also likely to think about it more times than necessary, overthink and get doubts and insecurities and fears from it. That’s why she distracts herself by reading so many books, because at least it quiets her mind for a little while.

edelweiss : what was the bravest moment in your muse’s life ? are they known to be courageous from then on ?

The bravest moment in Gaeul’s life was when she had to keep on living and being a bright young girl after her little brother passed away. Being by her parents’ side even though they were broken beyond repair, reminding them that she was still here, that they still had a daughter to care for, it was when she had to be the bravest. And her courage has definitely stemmed from that moment on, especially when she has then moved into her grandparents’ house for her parents weren’t able to take care of her anymore. Keeping this experience in the back of her mind at all times, but also the fact that there were hands to hold her when she needed it was kept her going during her difficult teenage years.

gladiolus : describe a moment from your muse’s life that they will never forget .

I’ll go with the first time she has stepped into the library that will then become her workplace. She was in her first year of middle school and for some reason she was unable to make friends easily. Perhaps it was because she looked closed off, or because she was always the nose in a big book, but she spent most of her time on her own whether it was at shcool or during her free time; she didn’t mind much because it felt comfortable like this. Gaeul didn’t want to be a burden for her grandparents, and living near Myungdeong she was often wandering around the market and the busy streets; until one day she just happened to see a couple of wooden doors, almost concealed in between two large buildings. Curious as ever, she clutched the book she had been reading against her chest and went to open the door: that’s when her life changed for the better, because it was an old, gorgeous library like the ones you can imagine in fantasy books/movies. Immediately, she marvelled at the wooden shelves, at the old scent that surrounded her and for the first time in a long, long time, a wide smile pulled at her mouth and lightened up her whole face. Almost as if she had finally found her real home.

heliotrope : does your muse believe in soulmates ?

Absolutely! Whether it’s platonic or romantic soulmates, she absolutely loves the idea that some people are just meant to be in each other’s life. It’s a heartwarming thought and she also believes that someone can have several soulmates in their life. There’s no limitations when it comes to soulmates, at least in Gaeul’s mind.

<holly : how strong is your muse’s sense of intuition ? are they aware of it ? do they ever fear that it is only paranoia ?

She’s pretty intuitive but isn’t completely aware of it. She does follow her guts a lot of times but sometimes will think that it’s simply her curiosity acting or just out of sheer luck.

hydrangea : how much does your muse value communication in their relationships with others ? are they prone to being misunderstood ?

Gaeul talks a lot and thinks communication is important, especially because she always has a lot going on in her mind and she wants to make sure that she is on the same page as the person she’s talking with. She tries not to let misunderstandings happen but sometimes it’s just inevitable and all she can do is try to communicate better to ease both heart and mind.

lavender : how easy is it to gain your muse’s trust ? once their trust is broken , how might one go about mending it ?

It’s very easy to gain Gaeul’s trust because she’s someone who likes people, who likes to hear and share stories. She can be incredibly friendly and always tries to remain optimistic and have a positive mindset no matter what happensㅡ and if that trust happens to be broken at some point, they honestly just have to talk it out to mend it. Gaeul will just accept it without a second thought because if the person made an effort then it means that they regret it and that they want to do better. There’s no reason to reject them in that case.

lotus : has your muse ever felt as though they’ve been reborn ? have they ever desired the feeling of a fresh start , or a better understanding of themself and/or the world around them ?

She hasn’t felt like she was reborn but she isn’t against the idea, it’s actually a thought that she finds to be lovely. And she’s had her fresh start, after the loss of her parents, Gaeul went to a trip around the world to find herself, to heal her broken heart, and to meet new people. Not only was it healing but it was also eye-opening about how many people were constantly struggling on a daily basis but also trying their best no matter what. It gave her the courage to come back to Seoul and to stop running away from the pain she had attempted to ignore all this time.

pansy : does your muse often reflect on their own actions ? do they ever think a lot about the past , and what they could have done differently ?

It isn’t rare for Gaeul to be caught in the past. Her memories, her past actions and experiences are often what drives her to keep moving forward. She knows that it’s pointless to think of what ifs, but she simply can’t help herself. The past has built her into the woman that she is in the present and she cannot stop herself from looking back from often than necessary. And the past, for Gaeul, can be as far as when she was a little girl, but also just the past day.

peony : what would a ‘ happy life ’ look like in your muse’s eyes ?

A happy life for Gaeul would be a life where she has her own family (probably several kids coughs) and they’re living in a house close to the countryside but also close enough to the city so she can go to work. Ideally, she’d be a writer with some published books since it’s a longtime dream she has yet to make come true, but what truly matters to her is to have a loving family of her own.

poppy : what comforts your muse ?

Books, her cats, writing, a rainy day, being at the library, Teddy.

rhododendron : is your muse receptive to warnings & advice given by others ?

Yes, quite. She believes that if she is warned about something or if someone is given her some advice then it must be for a reason and it would be rude to ignore them and not take their words into account. It doesn’t mean that she’ll entirely follow them, but she’ll still keep them in mind.

rose : how much does your muse value other people ? do they wish to have many friends , lovers , and/or associates ? are they an easy person to love ?

Gaeul does value other people, especially if they become a part of her life. And she is also pretty aware that every life, whether she knows them or not, is important on this planet. However, she doesn’t seek to have many people in her life, she’s happy with just having a small group of friends, with having just one lover. The number of people she has in her life doesn’t define who she is as a person, after all. Regardless, she is easy to love, she is lovable and endearing, and she also loves easily despite the risks of getting hurt in the way.

salvia : is your muse possessive over people or things that matter a lot to them ? how do they express that possessiveness , or lack thereof ?

I can’t say that she is very possessive. She knows that people come and go, and the same applies to things. However, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care or that she doesn’t feel even a bit of possessiveness because she does. I’d say she’d express it in subtle ways, in ways she wouldn’t be even aware of: if it’s over someone, I can see it in questions she’d ask the other, in expressing some of her concerns and probably in being a bit more touchy than usual without overstepping her boundaries.

sunflower : what brings your muse the most joy in life ?

Being alive. Feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin. Reading a book on her couch or in her bed and having her cat curled up on her lap or close to her. Loving someone who returns her feelings.

willow : how does your muse handle sadness & depression ?

Not well, obviously as it led her to leave everything behind to go on a trip around the world by herself. She tends to close off and retreat into where she feels the safest, aka in the world of books. And it might take a while before she comes out of it feeling better.

#( gaeul: answer. )#( gaeul: about. )#jaebbongi #( thank you for sending this! )

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dogbearinggifts · 4 years

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Did you see the last episode of The Good Place?? I know you haven't posted about it for a while but you were part of the reason I got interested in the show and I LOVED it so I wanted to hear your thoughts.

****SPOILERS FOR THE GOOD PLACE SERIES FINALE BELOW.**** If you have not yet seen the series finale and don’t want spoilers, stop reading now.

I did see it, and overall, I thought it was the perfect finale—simultaneously what I knew was inevitable and not what I expected. Each character got a perfect ending that fit them and sent them out on a high note.

The one thing I think I loved the most about it, though, was how they concluded Tahani’s arc. Her central conflict has always revolved around her family: her jealousy of Kamilah and resentment toward her parents. I wouldn’t say the other characters’ conflicts are all about romance, but it does play a pivotal role in their development. Eleanor and Chidi’s romance helped refine them both and made them into better people; and Janet’s forays into romance with Jason, then Derek, then Jason again both showed how human she was becoming and introduced her to the heartaches of that humanity. From the beginning, romance hasn’t just been something added in to keep the viewers watching and shipping; it’s been a tool that brought out the best and worst in everyone and forced them to overcome their flaws for the sake of those they loved.

Tahani, on the other hand, hasn’t really had a romantic subplot (unless you count her affair with Larry Hemsworth, who deserves the universe). She’s always been defined by her platonic relationships—her friendship with Eleanor, her troubled relationship (and eventual reconciliation) with Kamilah and her parents, her attempts to reform John by making him feel like a part of the upper crust. We see how her low self-esteem leads her to slyly put others down, and we see her treat others better as she learns to treat herself better. Throughout the series, Tahani learns to accept herself as she is and, by extension, accept others as they are. She learns to build herself up by doing good things simply for the sake of doing good; and she slowly loses the need to tear others down to achieve the same result. Tahani’s arc has always been about her learning to be comfortable in her own skin, and to help others learn to be comfortable in theirs. Romance was never involved because she had to learn to draw confidence from her own worth, not from outside affirmations.

It would have been easy to reward her with a romance in the Good Place and have that be her happy ending. Instead, we see her using her time to learn useful things (from Ron Swanson! you thought you were sneaky, Michael Schur) and to build a better relationship with her sister. And when her parents arrive, apologizing for how they were on Earth and wanting nothing more than to reconcile with their daughters, Tahani accepts. These are the people whose insistence she compete with her sister paved her road to the Bad Place, and yet when they beg her forgiveness, she gives it.

This is when what we learn what Tahani has wanted more than anything: a good relationship with her parents. I always suspected it, but the finale confirmed it. She wanted one lovely day with her parents, and she got thousands. The system she helped design transformed emotionally abusive social climbers into a warm and caring couple eager to get to know their children again.

It’s fitting, then, that she chooses to become an Architect. She knew the system worked—she saw thousands of people enter and leave the Good Place after it was instigated—but she probably never realized how well it worked until she saw the change it wrought in her parents. And this isn’t the same Tahani we met in the first episode. This is a Tahani who throws parties to make others feel special, not to impress the world with her hostessing skills; a Tahani who worked for thousands of Bearimys to improve herself simply for the satisfaction of learning a new skill. She’s done all the good she can in the Good Place, but there’s still another area where she can be of use. Of course she can’t leave. She’s still needed, and if she’s still needed, then she’ll gladly start as an intern and work her way up to a position that earns her little to no recognition among those she helps.

That, more than anything, demonstrates how far she’s come. The Tahani of the first two seasons was easily tortured by the knowledge that Vicki and her crew were hosting a better party elsewhere in the neighborhood. She died seeking a piece of the recognition Kamilah enjoyed. And here she is, spending her eternity designing tests that will barely be remembered for people who might not even know her name. The Tahani we meet in Season 1 did good works to earn praise. This Tahani does good works that few people will ever see simply because she wants to give them the second chance that saved her.

#the good place #tgp #the good place spoilers #tgp spoilers #tahani al jamil #eleanor shellstrop #chidi anagonye #janet #jason mendoza #michael #kamilah al jamil #abuse mention #the good place finale #the good place finale spoilers #god-shuffled-his-feet #answered

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madamhatter · 3 years

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4. Does your muse initiate a lot of physical contact? + 9. Is your muse attracted to any features in particular?

Vanilla “Sunday” Headcanon Ask Meme | accepting

“Hmpf.” [Sophie grumpily sweeps the office without further comment. She fails to realize everyone can notice her foul mood when she’s cursing out the dust bunnies under her breath.]

4) Does your muse initiate a lot of physical contact?

Answered here!

As I answered this question on a previous ask, I decided to instead list certain contact that Sophie would make with her partnter whenever she’s comfortable! Again, these are actions that she initiates and she may not receive that well from most anyone. S.O.s are usual exception because getting to that point in a relationship with her means a lot of boundaries have been settled + she’s actually comfortable with herself).

-Kisses on the side of one’s forehead, cheeks, back of hand (+ knuckles), back of (or on top of) shoulders, back of (or on the side of) neck. If the kissing intensifies or she’s teasing, expect them to go along someone’s jaw, behind their ear, trailing up their neck, directly on the lips, down their collar bone, and much more!

-Holding someone’s hand, linking arms with them, or keeping a hold on their sleeve or back of their jacket. Seen as a gesture of comfort for herself but also a testament to her trust in the person. Being able to lean on someone is strange, but welcomed when with a most trusted person. Ends up doing this publicy, yet also privately. The latter happens more when she’s shy but wants to ask them (or inform them of something) that she may not be keen on + has overthought on.

-Playing with hair by either styling or running her hands through. It is bound to happen if you’re with her or she feels any way towards you (romantically, platonically, etc) it can happen. She always has a careful touch and delicateness when handling locks of hair. Not all hair can be played with -- and not all people may like it and she’s very quick to ask the first time before making it a habit.

-Being the “big spoon” in cuddling/wanting to be the person leaned on. Self-imposing herself as the “lead” for her partner, she will not hestitate to hold them and nestle against them. It doesn’t matter that they can particularly crush her from their weight or height. She accomodates as much as she can and, really, just likes the warmth of someone being against her. In those times, she can also fall asleep and hug the person close to her. Though, admittedly, she very much enjoys being the little spoon/leaning on someone, but it takes some time for her to do that!

9) Is your muse attracted to any features in particular?

Himbos, bastards, chaotically (self-)destructive people, family-oriented, hardasses with hearts of gold, dumb of ass soft of heart, morally ambigious or questionable types, people who don’t talk down + insult kids, eccentrics, appreciates food/is a foodie/cooks, able to make her laugh +/or banters with her/has a lot of wit, --

Sophie doesn’t have a particular set of physical features that she is realy interested in! The person she envisioned she’d fall in love with, while she was daydreaming as a child/teenager, never had a set appearance to them. This goes from every range of possible traits that can be visible on a person; she hasn’t really noticed a commonality between these past figments when young. She doesn’t recall much of them, or the specifics, but she can fairly recall that this person never was definitively presenting in any gender. ( Basically, nothing traditionally/socially defined as ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ and there wasn’t ever a hard lean into one of the other. There’s been combinations of presentation or absences of presentation if you believe in the binary. )

There has been a certain pattern of people she has dated, but the physical appearances are more coincidences compared to the personalities. She is generally attracted to traits that better reflect her idyllic dream of a life she wants altogether but also traits she really appreciates and sometimes wishes she has. This can be from a range of things like self-confidence, ability to speak up/do whatever they want, appreciating and making a family (how you define it, not through traditiona means), passion (trust me, it does a LOT for her), good leadership, adaptability (because she can’t do it well but wants to), and other things.

As sad as it sounds, Sophie just really wants someone that makes her feel wanted and she can be open with. Anyone who can make her feel unexpectedly and genuinely without a second thought on the current matter or her fate is meant to be. Sometimes, someone just wants to be loved and they will take what the can at the first taste of it. That bar is questionably low and can be easily manipulatey by someone, however, if they figure this out about Sophie.

She wants a relationship that breaks the barriers of expectations that her life has (not meaning much, fated for nothing, etc). But, she has to first realize that a relationship doesn’t break that; it has to be her who breaks the perceptions and views forced onto her young. Any relationship, however, would help motivate her and moving into a romantic one means that she is moving in a direction away from these views.

#( checkbooks inquiries and much ; answered asks )#( in which we learn about the eldest ; headcanons )#artificile #[ tyvm for sending lynn!! ]#[ :'^) my doter just needs to grow n' blossom before finding love. ]#long post tw #long post

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reconditarmonia · 4 years

Text

Dear Yuletide Writer 2020

Hi! Thank you for writing for me! I’m reconditarmonia here and on AO3. I have anon messaging off, but mods can contact me with any questions.

Fiddler on the Roof (2018 Folksbiene Production) | The Psychology of Time Travel - Kate Mascarenhas | Simoun | Where the Sky is Silver and the Earth is Brass - Sonya Taaffe

General likes:

– Relationships that aren’t built on romance or attraction. They can be romantic or sexual as well, but my favorite ships are all ones where it would still be interesting or compelling if the romantic component never materialized.

– Loyalty kink! Trust, affectionate or loving use of titles, gestures of loyalty, replacing one’s situational or ethical judgment with someone else’s, risking oneself (physically or otherwise) for someone else, not doing so on their orders. Can be commander-subordinate or comrades-in-arms.

– Heists, or other stories where there’s a lot of planning and then we see how the plan goes.

– Femslash, complicated or intense relationships between women, and female-centric gen. Women doing “male” stuff (possibly while crossdressing).

– Stories whose emotional climax or resolution isn’t the sex scene, if there is one.

– Uniforms/costumes/clothing.

– Stories, history, and performance. What gets told and how, what doesn’t get told or written down, behavior in a society where everyone’s consuming media and aware of its tropes, how people create their personas and script their own lines.

General DNW: rape/dubcon, torture, other creative gore; unrequested AUs, including “same setting, different rules” AUs such as soulmates/soulbonds; PWP; food sex; embarrassment; focus on pregnancy; Christmas/Christian themes; focus on unrequested canon or non-canon ships; unrequested trans versions of characters.

—

Fandom: Fiddler on the Roof (2018 Folksbiene Production)

Character(s): Any (The Fiddler, Hodl, Pertshik, Shprintze)

I would love to read about the Fiddler from the recent Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, understanding him/her/them as a real person with a backstory, present and future rather than a symbol. They seem to be female (and their actor describes them as female) but wear men’s clothes and are on the men’s side at the wedding, and everyone seems cool with that? I’m 100% on board with any gender identity you decide you’d like to write them with. How did he/she/they come to be who they are, and what are their interpersonal relationships (platonic, familial, romantic, any gender) like? What might an encounter between them and the supernatural (dybbuks, demons, witches?) be or have been like? Have they always lived in Anatevka or do they wander from village to village? What happens to them after the play ends?

Or, Hodl and Pertshik! I maintain a headcanon (which you don't have to share) that Hodl reads a lot of anarchist books and pamphlets while she's in Siberia and comes around to Emma Goldman-esque views on marriage, and she and Pertshik stay together but never marry. I'd be so interested in something about their future! (Or f/f with genderswapped Pertshik??) But I'd also be happy with fic about either of them individually - Pertshik pre-play or Hodl (post-play) on her own without him on screen.

Or, Shprintze! (Or Bielke.) I love the expansion in this production of Pertshik's lessons to the younger girls, and I'd be super interested to read about one or both of them growing up in America, a very different life, having maybe absorbed some of those political beliefs as children. I also headcanon that - following the play's plot trajectory of increasingly unsuitable matches - she's got to be a lesbian, right? Bring on the Shprintze/OFC! yes, I know what happened in Sholem Aleichem's original stories

For that matter, feel free to do the supernatural plots with the non-fiddler characters too! Someone talking politics with a dybbuk? I'd also be really interested in digging into the language aspect, which I'd never really thought about before seeing this production - when do or don't they speak Yiddish, in their past or future?

Fandom-Specific DNW/Opt-In: I'm explicitly okaying antisemitism appearing in the story as part of the world the characters live in, although I do not want a character's personally facing antisemitism to be the focus of the plot. I don't really want to hear much about Khave/Fyedke.

—

Fandom: The Psychology of Time Travel - Kate Mascarenhas

Character(s): Any (none nominated)

This novel is so carefully worldbuilt, yet with such amazing potential for unusual character interactions, life stories, and relationships as shaped by time travel as well. I nominated this without characters because I would be delighted to receive fic that focused on worldbuilding, whether through the stories of OCs, or through any of the canon characters. I’m most interested in:

the Conclave and more broadly in social interactions and (romantic or friendly) relationships between multiple characters who are time travelers (rather than a time traveler and their non-time-traveling partner or family)

art that might be created with time travel (like Grace’s exhibitions or Angharad’s dance; what about novels or other fiction somehow created using time travel?)

the rules and customs of time travel (in-world documents? habits or observances that develop on a mass level beyond people’s individual compulsions or visits to significant dates within their own timeline? what fictional stories do time travelers write about time travel?)

more about the Conclave as a workplace, its social dynamics and logistics

interactive fiction?!

but really I’d love to read anything in this fandom. I'd be happy with fiction and/or in-world documents!

—

Fandom: Simoun

Character(s): Neviril

I've just completed a rewatch of this show, and it has reaffirmed for me that I love Neviril. She's a leader in both a military and a religious sense, respected by her squad and by the populace, but figuring out what that means to her is such a personal journey. I still love her scene in the hearing where she speaks aloud what no one has wanted to admit or talk about - that they're soldiers now, this is war, can they still call themselves priestessses? - but I was also struck on this rewatch by how Chor Tempest increasingly becomes a player in itself in the politicking (the bit in Episode 21 where the whole lot of them fly out against orders, because it's what they, with Neviril leading and giving voice to the group, think is what their role is about), and by the scenes of her blessing the people (when iirc she is needed elsewhere by the military governor for flight purposes) and Paraietta (after what Paraietta did to her).

I love the military aspects of this canon in general (and the associated tropes of loyalty and trust and bravery and positive/negative relationship to authority) and that definitely ties in to Neviril figuring out what her role is as the squad leader, but I'm also just here for that very process of figuring it out and defining it for herself.

So...what happens to her post-canon? What is the "new world" and her travel in it like? If she makes it back to the main world when war is brewing again, but her old cohort can't fly anymore, what does she see her role as being - a leader for peace, for war, something else? How do she and Aer interact with Paraietta, Rodoreamon, Floef, and/or Vyuraf?

Ship-wise, Aer/Neviril grew on me a lot! I appreciated Aer more as the determined bit-of-a-loose-cannon type than as the manic pixie this time, and noted Neviril's comments about how she was drawn to Aer's determination. But I'd also be up for a poly situation where she's involved with both Aer and Paraietta, who are friends, or, I guess, one where it's a three-way relationship, although I don't personally know what the Aer/Paraietta side would be like! (I do like how they work together in battle even when they're shown as having personal issues.)

I think this is the only fandom I could be interested in explict fic for this time around, as an option - the series is, on some level, about the contrast between the reality and physicality of their bodies and the general perception of what they do (which even in its non-spiritual military capacity is removed from a connection to their bodies via the Simoun aircraft), about becoming an adult, and of course about gender.

Fandom-Specific DNW: I'm not really interested in Kaim and Alty and would prefer for them not to appear or for their backstory to come up. I would also not like to see pre-timeskip Dominuura/Limone.

—

Fandom: Where the Sky is Silver and the Earth is Brass - Sonya Taaffe

Character(s): Any (Chaye Roznatovsky, Demon)

Anything expanding on this story would make me really happy. Chaye's years with the partisans, the comrades-in-arms she had and loved then and who else's memory she holds or makes into a weapon, her journey to America, going by the surname of "no one." The demon's mirror world, its loss of that world (what exactly happened on the other side?) and its need to be where Jews are, demon Judaism? Or the future of both of them now that they've found each other!

Fandom-Specific DNW/Opt-In: DNW Chaye/demon. The premise of the story being what it is, I'm explicitly okay with antisemitism being a prominent feature of the story if you write something that covers either or both characters' backstory, but would prefer post-war antisemitism not to be a focus.

#dear author letters #fiddler on the roof #simoun #the psychology of time travel #yuletide

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chicagocityofclans · 3 years

Photo

Maxine Vanes → Lupita Nyong'o → Rat Animal Shifter

→ Basic Information

Age: 62

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight

Born or Made: Made

Birthday: December 28th

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Religion: Deism

→ Her Personality Max has always been secretive and closed off. She has strong opinions and will not let them fall silent nor back away from what she knows is the right thing. That’s normal for most rats but what sets her apart is her elegant stance and gracefulness. Despite being loyal to the Rat Clan of Chicago and having their best interests in mind always, Max disapproved of their secretive ways. Seeing it as obstacles holding them back from making the world a better place, and uniting the supernatural world as it once was before humans became the dominant population. She sees every person for their actions and beliefs rather than assigning them a label based on their species or family reputation. Even with her duties as the Pack Fixer and Cyber Exploitation Officer, she consistently gets involved in conflicts for the good of other species, adamant to use her abilities to help those in need. Thanks to her position she is often able to negotiate nearly every social situation to her advantage. Her stance and headstrong attitude often have her coming to idealistic clashes with Jo, despite both having clear respect for each other and a strong friendship.

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: BOND - Pack Fixer and Cyber Exploitation Officer

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Fashion and Bright Colors

Two Dislikes: Red Meat and Airports

Two Fears: Being Caught and Unknown/Poisonous Frogs

Two Hobbies: Programming/Scripting and Shopping

Three Positive Traits: Elegant, Sincere, Immutable

Three Negative Traits: Secretive, Unabashed, Opinionated

→ Her Connections

Parent Names:

Jamie Vanes (Father): Max does not remember a lot about Jamie, Trudy or Egypt. She tries to keep the tragedy of their deaths and her life as a human tucked away.

Trudy Vanes (Mother): Max does not remember a lot about her mother. She tries to keep the tragedy of their deaths and her life as a human tucked away.

Sibling Names:

Egypt Vanes (Sister): Max does not remember a lot about Jamie, Trudy or Egypt. She tries to keep the tragedy of their deaths and her life as a human tucked away.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Henry Dean (Ex-Boyfriend): Henry and Max had known of each other for years before actually speaking with each other about 5 years ago. There was some fluke with BOND and the two were pulled in to deal with the situation. Had Max known that they would hit it off like they did, she would have sought him out earlier. Henry asked her out for dinner at the end of their case and they dated for 3 years until Henry proposed to Max. Max was still unsure if Henry was the final answer and said no. Henry broke things off soon after instead of giving Max more time. Max and Henry’s relationship was private, Max is thankful no one has ever found out about the two of them or Max refusal of Henry’s proposal.

James ‘Jim’ Montgomery (Something): When Max could not return home because she had no family to return home to, she found solace in Ray and Jim. They were the only ones Max would allow near her as she and Nick continuously bumped heads. Jim is usually the one Max talks to first when she is unsure on a subject before bringing anything to Nick or Mills. Jim and Max had grown a part throughout the years, but she still found comfort in him when she needed it. However, since the RED massacre, Max and Jim’s friendship have taken a turn towards something more. Jim kissed Max during a heated argument 6 months ago which led to them having passionate sex at the SKIN headquarters. They went about their day afterwards and Max gave Jim a few days to approach her but he never did. When Max finally approached Jim 3 days later for clarification they agreed to take things slow. Max has recently started spending the weekend at Jim’s place.

Platonic Connections:

Josephine ‘Jo’ Floyd (Best Friend): Max met Jo only four years after Max was mistakenly changed when Jo was brought in from a rival pack that was abusing their woman. Their pack has always been diverse but for a while Max was one of the few changed African American females; especially one who was outspoken. Jo was a sweet relief, someone else that looked like 16-year-old Max, whose company was mainly Ray, Jim or Ben. While Max was already in training, Jo had just joined and had to start from the beginning. Max took to Jo like a moth to a flame. They were inseparable and still are.

Conrad Kale (Best Friend): Max and Conrad have been friends for years, but their relationship had become a lot closer since Conrad second of RED and started attending meetings. They would sit together and talk after joking about whatever happened in their respective groups. Max was there for Conrad when RED was massacred and when Conrad was promoted to third. Just like Ray in the past, Max thought she was developing feelings for Conrad and wanted to act on them, but Henry asked her out the day before Max thought about making her move.

Ray Hamelin (Old Friend): When Max could not return home because she had no family to return home to, she found solace in Ray and Jim. They were the only ones Max would allow near her as she and Nick continuously bumped heads. Ray became Max's family although she was not blind that Nick is Ray's only family. There was one point where Max was confused on whether or not she was romantically in love with Ray or if she loved the protector he had become of her. Ray and Max work side by side as liaison for their Clan and BOND.

Nick Hamelin (Unknown): Nick has always been hard on Max and in turn Max has given him Hell. Max had forgiven Nick a long time ago for the bite that changed her into a rat, but it has been clear to Max that Nick has yet to forgive himself. Instead of becoming the father and protector Max needed at the time Nick her enemy. Nick had threatened to kill her on numerous occasions. Nick had gone out of his way to embarrass her and degrade her worth. Max had survived his attacks and returned them tenfold. Everyone had ensured her that Nick saw potential in her and was only doing it for her own good, but she knew better. Nick either hated her or was intimidated by her. It took years of going back and forth but they have worked out somewhat of an understanding and friendship over the years. Max knows that Nick still believes that she has not forgiven him and tries to guilt him but Max knows it is Nick’s own way of self-pity and blame. Max cannot define their relationship but she does not hate Nick. She does not care for him either, at least, not in the way she cares for and loves Ray and Jim.

Mary Lang (Friend): Max and Jo took Mary out on the town a few days after Mary’s mom had passed. They helped Mary get dressed up, did her hair, and overall helped Mary become herself again. The three of them are incredibly close but Max enjoys her one on one time with Mary too.

Maya Morris (Friend): Max is not blind, she can tell that Maya looks up to her and sees Max as a role model. Max is flattered and tries her best to live up to Maya expectations. Max thinks Maya becoming friends with Mary and Conrad was a big step in the direction of personal growth for them all.

Achilles Idris (Good Friend): Max was surprised when she found out that Achilles was Jaxson's older brother. Achilles is a sweetheart and Max enjoys his company. They have settled into an easy friendship. There is something off about Achilles but Max had put it off as Achilles settling in and trying to separate himself from Jaxson. Max has her theories but has kept them to herself and imply that she is always there if Achilles needs someone to talk to about anything.

Vincent Kane (Liaison): Max has only recently reached out to Vincent after hearing about the increased hostility between Clan Rat and the human shifters. Max knows getting on the human shifters ‘shit list’ would not be beneficial but no one seems to be listening to her. Vincent and Max have met a few times and Max is hoping she can talk some sense into Jim and Ray for results.

Shannon Harris (Liaison): Max was happy when Ray told her that Shannon will be training as liaison. Max has been going easy on Shannon, helping her with the learning process and giving her suggestions whenever Shannon gets flustered or overwhelmed. They have been meeting outside of pack business for lunch.

Clara Fields (Contact): Max still does not know how Clara got her number, probably was Sam Thompson but everytime someone crosses the line at the Fields Hotel, Max gets a phone call instead of Mary or Nick. Max always helps out without much fuss and gets to the bottom of which rat is messing up.

Churchill Darling (Contact): Max befriended Church by mistake but has yet to end whatever it is that they have going on. Jim has warned her against using Church as a contact but Max is hoping opening another line of communication with the human shifters may be somewhat beneficial.

Lillian Pickford (Contact): Max has exchanged information with Lillian on multiple cases regarding the local supernaturals. Max would not call Lillian a friend but they are business friendly and professional with each other.

Milton Rod Jackman (Contact): Max is Milton’s contact when he is investigating supernatural events. Besides hashing out details or coming up with journalist coverup suggestions, Max and Milton barely talk and keep it strictly business.

Hostile Connections:

Jaxson Idris (Unsure): Jaxson and Max have never gotten along. Max does not know what it is about Jaxson but she couldn’t care less about anyone more than Jaxson. She has seen a change in him lately for the better. She isn’t putting her money in his pot and keeping her distance.

Keith ‘West’ Freeman (Annoyance): Keith is a liability that Max does not understand. If anyone else would have pulled the stunts that Keith had, Nick would have had them by the balls. Keith gets zero sympathy from Max.

Pets:

None

#Max Vanes #Taken #lupita nyong'o

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davetheshady · 5 years

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callout post for toy story 4

‘cause that was some bad storytelling and amatonormative bullshit, yo

(spoilers, cw: discussions of toy suicide???)

so, like, the central conflict is that woody can only define himself by his caregiving relationships. he’s still grieving andy and he throws himself into helping bonnie behind the scenes when he’s apparently lost her love and attention. it’s clearly an obsession for him and an unhealthy coping mechanism, and it makes sense as a conflict for a toy that can also resonate for the audience. so far, so good.

however, the first issue is that though his friends sense something is wrong, they ONLY criticize his actions, and his actions not only aren’t the problem, but are presented as the correct thing to do.

like, stowing away with bonnie to her kindergarten orientation? she was having problems she couldn’t deal with by herself: she was alone and some kid took her art supplies, and she was too scared to do anything about it. woody doesn’t try to solve her problems by inserting himself into the situation so she can play with him; instead, he secretly gets some of the art supplies back. he provides the basic tools, and bonnie solves the problem herself, by creating forky to keep her company and relieve her anxiety. woody’s not being overprotective, but actually helped her take advantage of an opportunity to grow.

then we have woody’s mission to keep forky from succumbing to his existential horror and returning to the trash from whence he came. woody repeatedly puts himself at risk because bonnie needs forky... and, once again, it seems like that was the right thing to do. we see bonnie get genuinely upset each and every time she loses track of forky; losing him permanently WOULD be pretty traumatizing for her. and meanwhile, given the time to adjust forky DOES come around to the concept of being a toy! their heart-to-heart on the road to the RV park may have been woody mainly spilling all his issues, but it actually helped. by the end, forky seems excited about being bonnie’s toy, looks up to woody as a friend and mentor, and is able to form connections with other toys like gabby gabby. (side note: does it count as stockholm syndrome if someone doesn’t know they’ve been kidnapped...?) this is all presented as unambiguously positive, and none of it could’ve happened if woody had listened to his friends and let forky commit toy suicide. and while woody was engaging in risky behavior, it’s still not any worse than stunts he’s pulled before. no one would blink twice if he defenestrated himself from a moving RV to rescue buzz lightyear. the problem is his unhealthy mindset and resulting impulsivity.

the satisfying resolution to this conflict would be woody’s friends acknowledging that he needs help mentally AND physically. woody’s right that bonnie and forky need assistance, but woody doesn’t necessarily have to be the one to provide it, and at the very least he doesn’t have to provide it alone. he’s got a ton of friends who presumably want to support him and would be willing to step up once the issue was identified. working as a team lessens the burden for everyone. and as for woody’s personal journey: defining himself solely by his relationship to his kids is really unhealthy, which means he needs to define himself as an individual. the positive conclusion for his story arc is him accepting this and either doing it or taking steps to begin the process.

the second issue is that none of this happens.

the third issue is that they actually did have the bones of a satisfying conclusion in his relationship with bo peep. the movie starts with her accepting that it’s time to move on when she’s being given away, and when she turns up again, it’s clear that she’s been living her life on her own terms. she’s basically a well-adjusted post-apocalyptic wanderer, a lost toy who roams free in her sweet skunkmobile ride and offering help to other lost toys. she’s dealt with the same issues woody is going through now, her lifestyle is full of the stuff he excels at – helping friends, often with wild stunts – and most importantly, she has freedom and self-determination.

but the movie never bothers to show woody acknowledging these are things he wants or even needs. (the movie doesn’t even have woody acknowledge his issues obliquely. a perfect opportunity would have been the conclusion to gabby’s arc, since she’s his dramatic foil in the film. he gives up an organ and risks his chance to return to his home to help her – if she acknowledges and works out her issues while we see him looking on approvingly, then by the transitive property we can assume he’s done the same. but instead, we see gabby deal with potentially becoming obsolete when she gets rejected by a kid by... getting a new kid... which already didn’t work for woody...)

woody’s personal conflict is entirely subsumed by him wanting bo. them getting together is romantic, but it never finishes his story arc. all the emphasis is placed on the guy getting the girl, not the guy being with a girl who has valuable lessons to impart about his struggles while they can both support each other in their mutual missions of exploration and aid.

this is then promptly compounded by even more heteronormative nonsense throughout the denouement. bonnie makes forky an extremely stereotypically female-coded trash girl counterpart that basically screams ‘love interest’, and the camera pans lovingly across mr. and mrs. potato head’s clasped hands. they used archival recordings as a tribute to don rickles to make sure he was in the movie, but THAT’S what they want to go out on?? a silent salute to the fact that his character was married???

the only narrative purpose these beats serve in the conclusion of the movie is to reinforce an apparent message of ‘haha we were kidding about the power of friendship in the first three movies, what we were REALLY missing was some hetero relationships’. woody giving up all of his familial and platonic relationships is a huge sacrifice, for both him (they HIJACKED A FUCKING RV FULL OF PEOPLE to come save him!) and the audience. we’ve been invested in these friendships for four movies! their fucking theme song is “you’ve got a friend in me”! there’s a ton of emotional weight there. woody’s friends never finished their own arc – figuring out what’s really wrong with woody while learning all the important lessons about toyhood he has to share. had that happened, and had everyone realized that the price of woody best finding happiness and fulfillment was that he has to leave, and had everyone acknowledged that this was, in fact, an ENORMOUS sacrifice for all of them – that would have been satisfying, if very bittersweet. (so, like: totally on brand for toy story.) instead, they shove everything under the rug of ‘yay he’s in a romantic relationship!’ and completely gloss over the emotional ramifications of THE ENTIRE SERIES.

in conclusion, the movie’s solution to woody’s unhealthy tendency to define himself solely by his caregiving relationships is to instead have him completely abandon his family and friends forever so he can define himself by his romantic relationship instead!!!! hahahahahahahahahahaha what the fuck.

#toy story 4 #toy story 4 spoilers #toy story #long post #meta

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