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virginsexgod69 · 1 month

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REQUEST ‼️‼️‼️

I’ve always wanted to read one where the reader is one of Hershel’s daughters (set in season 2). When Daryl and the group show up the reader won’t stop teasing Daryl and eventually he can’t take it anymore. Please make my dreams come true 😭😭🤘. (p.s virgin reader would be +50 points ;)

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pairing (S2) Daryl Dixon x virgin!fem!Reader

cw loss of virginity, unprotected p in v, lowkey inexperienced daryl, but also not really?, teasing, some pining, daryl kinda being a boob man, reader being a little pervy at times

note i am so sorry i kept you waiting 32 days for this request @mygrandmaschinacabinet, i really hope you like this and thank you for your patience and kind comment on my other post!

p.s. just bc reader is hershel's daughter does not imply anything ab her appearence

~5.k words

Living on a farm that was fairly far from society, it was a given that you wouldn't see good looking guys too often. But being a good looking girl, the guys you didn't want were always the ones after you, and you'd always have to turn them down. When she gets older, she's gonna have to fight off boys with a stick, was something your grandma would often tease your father, Hershel, about. You laughed it off, not paying any mind to it, but boy did she end up being right. You spent a good portion of your high school years rejecting your suitors, none of which were good enough for you, and none of which you really wanted. But when you finally laid eyes on the most beautiful man you've ever seen, he happened to be one who seemed to pay you no attention.

Odd circumstances brought the beautiful man, whom you quickly learned was named Daryl Dixon, to your farm. Otis shot a kid, Hershel took him in to care for, and his dad's group eventually made a home on your father's land. You couldn’t help but ogle at him from your bedroom window whenever you got the chance. The way his biceps flexed whenever he worked with his arms had your virgin pussy aching to be filled by him. He was a man who you’d let do things to you that you’d let no other man before even think he had a chance of doing.

“Not this again,” Maggie complained upon entering your room. You were perched at your window -like you have been since the group first arrived- watching Daryl skin some squirrels. No one could look as good as he did while doing such a grisly task.

“Can you blame me? Jus’ look at him,” you replied dreamily.

“No thanks.”

“Whatever. You have your eye candy, I have mine.”

“Eye candy? What’re you talkin’ about?” She asked defensively.

“Glenn. I’ve seen the way you look at him, like he’s a piece of meat,” you teased.

“Whatever! Do you need anythin’? I’m goin’ out on a run.”

“With Glenn?”

She let out an annoyed huff and exited the room, not awaiting your response. But you didn’t need anything anyway. You went back to watching Daryl. The sweltering Georgia heat caused sweat to drench his sleeveless shirt and drip from his short, dark hair. He looked like he walked out of one of your many wet dreams. Just then, an idea popped into your head. You hurried down to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, cooling it with the scoops of ice you added. Surely this kind deed would put you on his radar.

“Hey, Daryl,” you cheerily greeted as you approached the rugged man. He sat on a stump, now gutting the squirrels he already skinned. He grunted in response, not looking up from his work. Your smile dropped, not that it mattered, considering he wasn’t even looking at you.

“Brought you some water. It’s pretty hot out here and I wouldn’t want ya gettin’ dehydrated,” you said as you held out the cold glass, now dripping with condensation. “Thanks.” He grabbed the glass, his fingers slightly brushing yours, sending a tingling through your spine. He threw his head back, downing the water. A small stream of water dripped down his chin, then his neck, sliding down his shirt no longer in your vision. You squeezed your thighs together. Every little thing he did drove you crazy. You felt like a victorian man who’d just seen a peek of a woman’s ankle whenever you were around Daryl.

“You uh… Ya need somethin’?” He asked when he noticed you haven’t left yet. You froze. You didn’t need anything, but you didn’t want to leave either.

“Jus’ came to check on ya, I guess,” you muttered.

“ ‘M fine?” He tossed the squirrel’s guts into a bucket.

“Well, alright. My work here is done!” You cringed as the words left your mouth. You grabbed the emptied glass and walked back into the house, chastising yourself the entire way. You wanted nothing more than to have him look at you the way other guys do, but he barely give you the time of day.

The glimmer of sunbeams on your face woke you up the next morning. You glanced at the analog clock on your nightstand that read 11:36. You hopped out of bed and eagerly hurried to your window, hoping Daryl would be back from hunting or looking for that little girl or whatever else it was he did when he wasn’t in his usual spot. He was sat on that stump again, but this time he was cleaning his crossbow with that red rag he kept on him. You couldn’t take it anymore, you had to do something. He couldn’t keep getting away with being so hot and so uninterested in you.

You readied yourself in the bathroom, making sure every hair was in place and every tooth was brushed. You debated putting on makeup. You had some leftover from before, but never had a reason to use it, not until now. You layered on some mascara until your lashes looked twice as long and twice as full and coated your lips with some tinted gloss. You stared into your closet debating on what you thought Daryl’d like better. Your tightest, shortest shorts and a nearly see-through tank top.

“What’re doin’ all dolled up like that?” Your younger sister, Beth asked upon entering the kitchen.

“Makin’ lunch for D-,” you stopped yourself, not wanting another sister catching onto your thing for Daryl, “for the group out there.”

“Daddy doesn’t want us wastin’ all our stuff on them,” she protested. You rolled your eyes at her. She could be such a goody-two-shoes sometimes. “What he don’ know won’ hurt him.” You cut a piece of the sandwich you made and handed it to Beth.

“Eat this and keep quiet.”

You assembled the sandwich and a glass of lemonade on a tray and carried it over to his lone camp. He didn’t look at you until you were standing before him holding the tray of food. His eyes slowly made their way up to yours, lingering on your bare legs and exposed cleavage on their way up. You couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged the corners of your mouth at this small victory. He quickly averted his gaze and set his crossbow down.

“Wha’s all this?” He asked, nodding his head toward the tray in your arms.

“Made ya lunch. Figured you’d be hungry after all that huntin’ and searchin’ you been doin’,” you answered as you set down the tray.

“Uh, thanks?” He seemed confused, but grateful nonetheless. “Of course,” you replied with a bright smile before sauntering off, swaying your hips more than usual. Unbeknownst to you, he watched you until the door closed behind you.

In the days that passed, you upped the ante on your teasing. Daryl noticed. At noon almost everyday, you’d bring him lunch in risqué little outfits. Not quite skimpy, but just enough to tease him. And tease him they did. He already was too nervous to look at you, afraid he might scare you off with his gruff nature and lack of experience with women. He’d choose, instead, to catch glimpses of you when you weren’t watching. Like when you’d leave after bringing him something, or when you’d be around doing farm-work or interacting with the other members of his group. But when you started wearing those revealing outfits, it became harder for him to keep from looking at you. But when he made eye contact with you, he became so nervous and shy that he had to look away. You were the sun. He could feel your warmth, even when he couldn’t see you. You were so bright and beautiful that he felt pulled to look at you, but whenever he did, it couldn’t be for long because he’d forcibly look away, your bright smile burning his sensitive retinas.

Speaking of the sun, there you were. “Daryl!” You called as you ran to him. The actual sun glowed behind you, making you look even more like an angel. He was atop one of your horses ready to leave the farm to look for Sophia. He was shocked to see you since you usually weren’t up until noon. He’d know since that’s around the time he sees you watching him through your window.

“Yeah?” He grunted.

“Ya goin’ out to look for that little girl?” Once you were out of the sunlight, he could actually get a good look at you. Something in him stirred when he saw you in the little dress you had on. It was a cream color with ruffles at the bottom and it gave him a good view of your breasts from his position on the horse. He quickly tore his eyes away and looked at the view ahead of him, which was nowhere near as beautiful as you.

“I figure you’ll be gone for a bit, so I brought you a little bite to eat,” you said holding up a few muffins you made the other night wrapped in cheesecloth.

“T-thanks,” he stuttered. Despite how frequent it was, he was always taken aback by the kindness you show him. He’s never been treated the way you treat him before and it caught him off guard.

“Be back by dinner, okay?” It wasn’t a command, more of a hopeful question, but made his heart flutter.

“I’ll try.” He didn’t want to make any promises he couldn’t keep. You stood there fiddling with your dress about to say something but deciding against it each time.

“Wha’ is it?”

“B-be safe out there!” You blurted before scampering off. He found it odd how you could be so bold with your teasing, yet shy when it came to actually talking to him.

Your words echoed in his head as he searched for any sign of Carol’s lost daughter. Your request of be back by dinner, okay? motivated him to get back to the farm, despite his injuries from the horse tossing him down a cliff making it difficult for him to move. But what really stuck with him was your horrified scream when you saw Andrea shoot him. That scream haunted his dreams while he was unconscious. The terror of it being the last thing he’d hear from you was his real nightmare. So when he heard your soft “Hey,” he felt relief wash over him, despite the pain everywhere else. He blinked his dry eyes open only for the first thing for him to see being your tits. You had on a loose t-shirt with no bra underneath. He didn’t know if this was a part of your teasing or a pure mistake, but either way, his cock stirred at the sight. You leaned down further to look into his eyes.

“How ya feelin’?” You ask, placing the back of your hand to his forehead. He tried to croak out a response, but his throat was too dry. You quickly grabbed the glass of water at his bedside and helped him drink it.

“Better?”

“ ‘M fine,” he said. You gave him a look that said you didn’t believe him, but were humoring him anyway. “You were injured pretty badly, Daryl,” you said as you gently stroked his hair. He caught himself before he could fully melt into your touch. In fact, he moved away from it.

“I know, ‘m fine,” he snapped before trying to roll over, away from you. He didn’t like you seeing him like this. So weak and frail, having to depend on those around him. He didn’t see the hurt expression that took over your pretty face. But, to his luck, you didn’t let him push you away. Instead, you toed off your shoes and got into the bed beside him, facing him. He hoped to the high heavens that you couldn’t see the redness that blossomed on his face when you flashed your bright smile at him.

“I’ll keep ya company,” you promised.

“Don’ need no company, said ‘m fine.” He didn’t know why he was so adamant about pushing you away. The minute he realized you were in here, he brightened up. He didn’t want his sunshine to leave, but he couldn’t help the storm that was brewing inside him.

“Well, if you really want me to leave, I’ll go.” You were almost out of the bed before his clammy hand grabbed your wrist.

“Nah, you can stay,” he said, prompting the return of that bright smile.

When you woke up, the sun was setting and Daryl’s arm was around your waist, holding you close. Your heart swelled, this was all you ever wanted, to be in Daryl’s arms. Okay, well you wanted more than just his arm around you, but small victories! You gently moved his arm off you so you could get up and get some dinner from him and yourself.

“What were you doin’ in there?” Your father asked as soon as you stepped out of the room. He stood outside, about to come in, holding a tray of food for the bowman.

“Nothin’, Daddy, I was jus’ checkin up on our patient!” It was the truth, but it felt like a lie.

“Since earlier this afternoon?” He pressed.

“Lost track of time,” you explained.

“Now, honey, I know you’re just lookin’ out for him, but-“

“I know, I know, you don’t really trust them, but I’m just lovin’ thy neighbor, so to speak.” You bargained.

That response seemed to satisfy him for now. He handed you the tray of food to give you Daryl.

“Daryl, dinner,” you called softly upon reentering the room. He groaned, but woke up anyway. He tried to sit up, but winced in pain. You set the tray down and quickly ran to his side to help him out. You adjusted his pillows and helped him to a sitting position.

“Wha’s fer dinner?” He asked, glancing at the bowl of soup on the tray beside him on the bed. You hummed in thought before dipping your finger into the bowl and sucking it clean, making sure your lips were pouty as you did so, hoping to tease Daryl.

“Tomato.” He hummed noncommittally before reaching for the spoon. You swatted his hand away. “Nuh uh, you’re still healing, let me feed you.”

“I can feed myself,” he protested. You furrowed your brows and pouted at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes, but opened his mouth slightly, waiting for a bite. You smiled, scooping up some soup and spooning it into his mouth, making sure to lean forward as to give him a front row seat to the view down your shirt. You saw him avoid looking the first few times, but soon he was unable to resist taking a peek, and soon his peeking became staring (however, he pretended not to be whenever you looked back up at him).

“Enjoy the soup?” You asked once the bowl was mostly empty.

“S’alright,” he said as he nibbled on a cracker. You grabbed the bowl and drank the rest of the soup directly from it.

“Goddammit!” You cursed when a glob of soup fell onto your white t-shirt. But maybe it was a blessing in disguise, a chance to drive Daryl crazy. You grabbed a random t-shirt from one of the drawers and set it down before taking off the one you had, tossing it aside. You put the new one on as if you didn't just give him a strip show. His face was beet red and he hurried to adjust the blankets on his lap.

"Daryl, you okay? You look a little hot?"

"S'just w-warm in here."

"Let me jus' check your temperature." Instead of pressing the back of your hand to his forehead like before, you placed a gentle kiss to it.

"Feels a little warm." You stayed close to his face. If he moved, even a centimeter, his lips would touch yours, which is what you were hoping for. You glanced down at his lips, then up at his blue eyes, waiting for him to lean in. Despite all this teasing, you kinda wished he'd make a move, too. When he didn't, you pulled away, kissing him on the cheek instead.

"Get well soon, okay?" you said before taking the tray and leaving.

Daryl had been mentally punching himself since that night. He was an idiot for not kissing you when he had the chance. You were right there and so obviously waiting for him to do something, anything. But he couldn't. It'd been so long since he'd done anything with a woman, and even then, he didn't think he was any good. He was almost embarrassed about how inexperienced he was at his age. And someone as beautiful as you obviously would have some experience, so why waste time on him. He didn't want to be the cloud that dulled your shine.

He was now well enough to be released from Hershel’s care, but not well enough to resume about his usual ways. He’d normally disobey orders to take it easy, but when you made him promise to rest, he couldn’t break it. Subconsciously, he glanced over to your window. It wasn’t something he did often, considering you were usually the one watching him, but you were weighing heavily on his mind. He saw you up in your room, assuming you’d just woken up since it was almost noon. You were at your window, rummaging through your dresser -he knew where it was when he caught a glimpse of your room when he was inside the house. You held up a few shirts, probably deciding on which to wear, before pulling your pajama shirt off over your head. This was now the second, no, third time he’s gotten a perfect view of your tits. God they would feel so good in his hands, better yet, they’d look so good bouncing in unison with his thrusts as he fucked you into your mattress. Your teasing and mischievous ways only fueled his fantasies, causing his pants to tighten uncomfortably. The little wave you gave him from your window pulled him out of his own head. You, still topless, blew him a kiss before stepping out of frame.

His heart rate increased expeditiously as he nearly came in his pants. He couldn’t handle your teasing anymore, it was driving him crazy. He wanted you, not just the fantasies in his head and the company of his hand. He wanted to feel your walls squeeze his cock, hear your little moans as he pleasured you until your mind went numb, become one with you as you came in unison. He hurried into his tent and zipped it all the way up before collapsing onto his sleeping bag and hurrying to undo his pants. He liberated his aching cock from its confines and spat on his hand. He rubbed himself up and down, from base to tip, imagining it was your pretty mouth swallowing him whole. He ignored the sound of distant footsteps approaching his tent and instead chased his climax, which was coming embarrassingly fast.

“Daryl?” Your distant voice called, but all he heard in his mind was you moaning his name as your nails scratched down his back.

“You in here?” You asked. Daryl came in his hand, taking extra care to stifle the moan that threatened to spill from his mouth. Reality set in when he saw your shadow standing outside his tent. He quickly wiped his hand off on the closest piece of fabric and shoved himself back in his pants.

“Need somethin’? He asked. He willed you not to notice his flushed, sweaty face.

“Watcha doin’ in there?” You asked, trying to peek into his tent. He moved to block your vision. He didn’t need you finding any trace of his earlier activity. Although, the little dress you had on had him ready to continue said activities.

“Nothin’.”

“Anyway, I came to check on you, make sure you’re takin’ it easy.”

“I am, was jus’ takin’ a nap,” he lied.

“Then why are you so red? And sweaty? Are you comin’ down with somethin’?!” You were starting to sound worried, making Daryl feel guilty. You reached up to feel his forehead and check for a fever, but he stepped back, avoiding your touch. If he felt your skin on his, in any capacity, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold back anymore.

“Daryl, don’t be so stubborn!” You stepped closer only for him to step back again.

“Ain’ got no fever, girl! S’just hot out here!” He insisted.

“Don’ know that for sure. If it is one, it could mean one of your wounds is infected.”

“S’not a fever, ‘m sweaty from workin’ out.” You looked at him with an eyebrow skeptically raised and a hand on your hip. So much for takin’ a nap, you thought. Your eyes traveled down his body before meeting his again, this time with look more mischievous than usual in your eyes.

“Your fly’s down.” He quickly zipped it up, cursing himself for the dumb mistake.

“Anythin’ to do with your ‘work out’?”

“Dunno what yer gettin’ at.” His heart was beating faster in his chest, this time because of anxiety. You were onto him and he was about to get caught, humiliated under your scrutinizing gaze.

“Flushed, sweaty face.” You took a step closer and he took one back. “Dilated pupils.” Another step forward and another one back. “Unzipped fly.” He stepped back, not looking where he was going and stumbled onto the grassy ground. You sat down next to him. “Took forever to open your tent.” Your face split into a grin like the Cheshire Cat. “I’d say you were in there masturbatin’.” He stumbled over his words, looking for what to say in denial of your observation accusation. You pressed your pointer finger to his lips.

“Shh, it’s okay.” You leaned over him and slid your hand down his chest. “I touch myself, too.” His sparkling blue eyes went wide. “Usually thinkin’ ‘bout you when I do it.” You could feel his breathing change as you slid your hand further down his toned stomach. “Were you thinkin’ ‘bout me?” His face was beet read and breathing shallow. You had him and he was more than ready, willing, and able to give in. He nodded his head, confirming your suspicions.

“Well, next time I’m on your mind,” you leaned down, lips ghosting his parted ones, “don’t just settle for your hand.” His lips finally met yours in a heated kiss. The built up tension from his days of pining and yours of teasing finally being released in that kiss. You tangled your fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss, slipping your tongue inside and drinking in all his pleasured groans.

“Wanna go back to my room?” You asked after pulling away.

“Nah, too far. Let’s go inside my tent.” You happily agreed and hurried inside, zipping it up behind Daryl. His mouth was back on yours in an instant, passionately exploring it with his tongue. He kissed his way down to your neck, roughly sucking marks.

“Oh, Daryl!” You shouted when he reached a certain spot on your neck, just beneath your ear. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him impossibly close. Nervously, Daryl’s hand experimented with touching your body, his hands firmly gripping your hips. They were comfortable there and not daring enough to try anything else. He wanted to impress you, but at the same time he didn’t want you to notice that he had no clue what he was doing or what to do next, using the pirated porn and one night stands of his past as reference. Your hands grabbed his and placed them on your tits.

“Touch me, Daryl!” You whined. His hands groped and kneaded at the soft mounds of flesh hidden behind the thin fabric of your dress. He pulled down the front of your dress, freeing your tits then recapturing one by putting it in his mouth. His large hand toyed with the right while his mouth suckled the other. Your little wanton whimpers egged him on, giving him the confidence to try more. Your squirmed beneath him, squeezing your thighs together. His cock was also painfully hard, once again, and yearning to feel your warm walls around him. He pulled away and undid his pants before pulling out his cock, stroking it a few times. He looked up at you, but you looked less excited. Your eyes wouldn’t meet his and your arms were crossed over your chest, hiding yourself from him.

“Wha’s the matter, Sunshine?” He asked, the nickname rolling of his tongue naturally. He was more than excited to sleep with you, but his worry regarding your sudden change outweighed that.

“N-nothin’. Jus’ put it in,” you said hoarsely.

“Nah, we ain’ doin’ nothin’ unless ya tell me wha’s wrong.” It sounded harsh, but it came from a place of genuine concern.

You sat up, readjusting your dress as you did so. “I-it’s jus’,” you nervously fiddled with the hem of your dress, something Daryl noticed you did a lot around him. “C-can we go slow? I haven’t done any of this stuff before,” you admitted.

“You a virgin?” He asked, astonished. You glumly nodded your head as if you were accepting defeat. In a twisted way, that relieved him a bit. Maybe since you’ve never had sex, you wouldn’t notice his own lack of experience. He put himself in his boxers before patting the spot in front of him. You crawled over to him and sat between his legs, your back against his chest. His lips found that spot on your neck again and began sucking there as his hand slid underneath your panties. He rubbed your clit in tight circles, causing your thighs to clamp shut over his hand.

“Jus’ relax,” he coaxed. You relaxed the best you could, but the pleasure kept you from staying still.

“F-faster,” you whimpered. He obeyed your command, rubbing you at a quicker pace. Your head fell back against his shoulder and you moaned in his ear. His other hand slipped beneath your panties and gathered your arousal on his finger, before he slowly slid it inside you, giving you time to adjust. He pumped it in and out of you as he continued to rub your clit. Your back arched off him as you moaned his name. He easily slipped in a second finger with how wet you were. Your velvety walls were so soft around his thick digits. He couldn’t wait to feel them with his cock. He moved his fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion, hitting you in a spot that had you babbling nonsense. You squeezed his fingers with your soaking cunt as your first orgasm overtook your body.

“Daryl, I’m ready. Need ta feel ya inside me,” you slurred. He helped you lay down on your back and slid your panties off before pulling his painfully hard cock out again. Your legs rested over his thighs as he coated his member in your juices before lining it up with your entrance. He slid in as slowly as he could, making sure this would be as painless as it could be for you. You were so soft, slippery, and smooth around him, the best pussy he’s ever had. Once he was all the way in, he stopped to give you time to adjust. He leaned down and connected your lips in another kiss, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled held him close.

“You can move now.” His hands gripped your hips as he started slowly thrusting in and out of you, not wanting to give you too much too soon. His pleasured grunts mingled with your moans as he slid in and out of you.

“More, need more!” You whined. He adjusted your position, placing your legs over his broad shoulders. The new position allowed him to fill you even better. As he pounded in and out of you, the erotic sounds of damp skin slapping damp skin filled the tent, harmonizing with his and your sounds of pleasure. He lifted your dress over your head, getting rid of the barrier between you and him, and tossed it aside. His own fantasies came true as he watched your tits bounce in unison with his thrusts. He took them in his hands again, rolling your nipples between his finger and thumb, bringing you closer to your climax.

“Daryl I think I’ma-” Your sentence trailed off into a moan as you came around his cock. He fucked you through your orgasm as his own approached. He pulled out of you just as he was about to finish and came all over your tits and stomach, like a firehose. You let out a satisfied hum, barely able to keep your eyes open. He grabbed one of his discarded shirts and cleaned you off before laying beside you in the sleeping bag. You rolled over to face him and hugged him close in your arms.

“You were the best first I coulda asked for,” you confessed. Your words soothed his worries that he didn’t perform well enough while also making his heart flutter.

“Guess all yer teasin’ paid off.” You giggled against his chest.

He pulled you closer to him and pulled you in for another kiss, a sweeter, gentler one this time. You dozed off in his comforting arms, wishing you’d never have to leave.

i proofread it, yaaay! anyway, thanks for reading! <3

i wrote this instead of doing my homework, mwahahahah >=]

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o-wild-west-wind · 6 months

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okay, here’s my actual thoughtful post: I get why people are upset about the finale…I really do. but I want to mention that there’s a bigger picture to this story that’s missing if you’re zooming too close onto Izzy as a character, and I’m honestly so grateful that the show stuck to the thematic arc it introduced in season 1 because, as per usual, it’s about the themes 🤌 and this show never skimps on the symbolism!!

so here’s the thing: the primary themes are toxic masculinity (& it’s opposite, queer joy); trauma; love as a healing force for the above; and, title alert—DEATH. because it’s so much more than a cool title!

now, Izzy has always represented something metaphorical about all of these points; most directly, he’s always represented masculinity, and s2 has been an arc of toxicity deconstruction. but crucially, he’s also represented all that for Ed, who is the deuteragonist of this show. because—don’t forget—Stede and Ed are the show.

I’ve always doubted myself for feeling this after seeing how fandom saw Izzy as a third romantic figure (which like by all means have a blast in your fanfics I don’t care it’s about joy at the end of the day and pursue that as you want to), but after hearing something about djenks referring to Izzy as a father figure, it confirms a major point for me—Izzy is also in a lot of ways a parallel to Ed’s dad, and a representation of the trauma and guilt Ed felt from that formative killing. for so long, Izzy was an aggressive shadow in Ed’s life, and a tangible reminder of those daddy issues—someone telling him what to do, keeping him Blackbeard—and the beautiful thing is how that changed this season, how Izzy became a version of masculinity that could love and be beautiful and make good from the hurt, the literal poison into positivity. someone antithetical to his own paternalistic force, healing our daddy issues one drag show at a time. BUT, Izzy is still thematically representative within Ed’s arc—and by also representing the trauma that made Ed “Blackbeard,” it does make smart writing sense as to why Izzy died (NOT saying you can’t be sad about it—stick with me for a moment).

because here’s the thing—as aforementioned, this show is also about DEATH. killing is the root of everyone’s trauma, and reconciling a relationship with death is the ultimate arc Ed and Stede are both on, with the ultimate path of learning to live despite its inevitability. there’s a reason it was such a huge thing that Ed couldn’t personally kill, and then in this episode killed so many people with his bare hands in the name of love—and there’s a reason that was framed as a good thing. and there’s also Ed’s (and arguably Stede’s) active suicidality, which has been a huge force driving this season. these are characters who see death as this all-consuming thing, and they see their own deaths as the only solution. death is the traumatic force driving almost everything about their being for so long—and its reconciliation is everything for them, the greatest sign of growth. so Izzy’s death, and everyone beginning again with love—healing each other with love—is a cap to it all. it’s death as a positive force, for once. it’s death as love, not trauma. it’s death as something that will always happen, but this time not forced by your own hand. it’s a death to everything toxic, to what “Blackbeard” represented, and all the while a sort of rebirth. it’s kind of a death to…death? it’s functionally like the real physical moon replacing the giant romantic imaginary orb: it’s taking the thing that’s been artificially morphed in Stede and Ed’s heads and making it real this time, with all the bittersweet emotions that come with tangible reality.

and honestly, I’m glad that it was tragic and emotional. I didn’t think I’d be so devastated to see Izzy die, but it really did get to me, especially because of everything he said to Ricky and then to Ed. but think of it this way: Izzy and Ed might be romantically compelling because they were toxic and charged (and I hope people still enjoy everything they get from that dynamic in fan work), but imagine if the show had actually gone in that direction—where would it take us thematically? it would kill the thesis; it would be love as chaos and entertainment, but not healing. instead, this show gave us something so much more powerful: a legitimate, fully-fleshed trauma arc.

trauma hurts. Izzy’s death hurts. but that’s okay. that’s great, actually! it means the storytelling was effective—that Izzy’s arc made you feel something. and i know this won’t be every viewer’s experience, but honestly? I’m glad I can have this grieving process in such a beautifully framed light in the safe space ship of this show, because let’s be real—death, real life death, fucks you up. and let me tell you, I could’ve used this show during so many episodes of grief in my life. but here it is now, reminding us that our grief and trauma doesn’t define us—and WHAT a powerful thing for queer love, especially, to be presented as the thing that heals us all. ESPECIALLY when so much grief and death in this community is woven so deeply with the trauma of our identity.

so grieve as you need to, but don’t forget to turn the poison into positivity 💛 because that’s what the show is telling us—choose live, despite!

#djenks out here paying my therapy bill yet again #I feel like I need a million disclaimers for this post so just assume I’ve said all of them #and remember that art that hurts isn’t always a bad thing!#I didn’t think I’d have coherent thoughts yet I swear I blacked out and wrote this here we are #ofmd #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd meta #tw: death #death #tw: suicide #suicide

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 2 months

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02/19/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew; Rhys Darby; Con O'Neil; Kristian Nairn; Samba Schutte; Wee John Wondays; LubeAsACrew; Stats/Trends; Fan Spotlight; Engagement Prompts; LoveNotes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika

Hey All, today's been an off day for me, so please let me know if I've missed something. Hope you all had fun!

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

== Rhys Darby ==

Well, our goofball of a captain is back with more Red Dead Redemption II, check out Part 2 below:

youtube

Rhys also did comedy at Bourbon Room Hollywood last week, and = tmiddendorfphoto on IG captured quite a lot of photos of his set. Feel free to visit them:

== Con O ' Neill ==

Whoops! I had this prepped for yesterday then completely forgot, sorry Con! Con was out seeing BettyRules in NYC!

== Wee John Wonday ==

Kristian had Samba on WJW Today! Lots of cool stuff they chatted above! If you're unable to watch right now, there's a small breakdown of various high points below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

instagram

Highlights/Things We Learned:

Samba baby's name is Ocean

Samba was kind enough to stand in for WJW when someone else had to drop off for work.

Samba loves giving Kristian middle names: Kristian Victoria Nairn / Kristian Alexander Nairn / Kristian Valaria Nairn, Kristian Venereal Disease Nairn / Kristian Damien Nairn / Kristian Nicholas Nairn / Kristian Tabitha Nairn

There were live doves that would shit on you on set, and they shat on Samson

Kristian was a professional Chef

Samba wants to do Cryptic Factor w/Rhys

Samba is big into ufo's and cryptids

Kristian is also into paranormal stuff

Kristian - In New Zealand saw weird things on the lawn of his rental place (weird creatures focused on the balcony of his room)

David Fane - ate all the cheese in Calypso's Birthday

They really appreciate all the fans trying to save OFMD and would LOVE to get a season 3, even if only for 2 hours.

Samba would like ot do a bts/blooper combo but has to get permission first

For the wrap party, the cast members got each other gifts:

Samson got everyone crocs

EDIT: David Fane gave them Samoan necklaces (ty @denizbevan)!

Kristian said his "Gifts got stolen"

Samba gave them pictures / BTS videos

Q: Who was most elusive in regards to BTS?

Joel - also Ewan

Q: Favorite Soup?

Sambas favorite Soup - Chicken Noodle (chicken soup)

Kristian's favorite Soup - Cream of Tomato

Q: Did anything change with Roach in S2?

Yes, he became softer / trusting

Q: Lots of great energy and hanging out between crew members and family, (not something often seen) what do you think led to that?

Casting director Alison Jones - awesome at casting

Energy on set was positive and acceptance from the get go that helped

Sailing training, stunt training, sword fighting together helped bonding

Everyone on the cast was odd, and people moved out together so lots of small found family situations

Long hours together

Note: Stede's story time everyone is actually asleep, cause they've been up for like 18 hrs

Q: What's your favourite dessert, that you could live off forever?

Roach - Chocolate Mousse, really fluffy and airy

Kristian - Black Forest Cake

Q: What was best part of working in New Zealand?

8 hr days instead of 18 hrs days

Nature was gorgeous

Maori Elders did a land blessing

Q: Roach played a lot of roles, what do you think was his main role?

Cook, Doctor, therapist in that order.

Q: Would Aamba release a cookbook?

If enough interest, Yes - OFMD Cast Favorite Cookbook

And Mac and cheese recipe

Cakes and desserts

Q: What's it like being a new dad?

Amazing , no time to catch breath, feeling a lot of protectiveness and excitement and energy to step up and take care of the kiddo So fulfilling, Sambas a great dad.

Original Script / Deleted Scene Stuff:

In original script: Roach was going to end up with the crew of revenge, but then changed the script cause Samba would look like a kid who stole his dads jacket, so Frenchie was cap

Originally Zheng called the crew "beta" instead of "tender" but they changed it.

Innkeeper deleted scenes:

Everyone's eating soup on deck, roach was supposed to be serving people soup, and Fang says "Ah, Leroy, I'm so glad you're alive?" and Lucius goes "I'm sorry do you think my name is Leroy?"

Oluwande was crying, Jim asks if he was, he says no he gets that thing when he's around grass, and Jim says "A yeah lots of grass around here"

Other deleted scene:

Kristian saying "its sizest" doing big guy stuff

And roach says he's stuck doing tall skinnhy guy stuff

Pete asks if he's stuck doing bald guy stuff

More Deleted scenes:

Ewan zip lines over first and yells: "I was born to fly"

Roach zip line screams quietly cause they tell him to be quiet, and then he lands and says, "why its so sticky I wanna go back", and he tries to get back on the rope but Frenchie flys in and knocks him over.

Another Delete scene:

Wee John was going to dress up as cupid, would have encouraged Stede and Ed, who would have danced to "At Last" and then when and boned.

== Samba BTS ==

In honor of Wee John Wonday's, Samba added some more BTS starring Kristian, and shared the video he talked about in WJW regarding Kristian's birthday.

== Lube As A Crew ==

Astroglide sent @Seven_Sugars a carepackage for a lovely review!

== Stats Stats Stats / Trends ==

Thank you @meowzawowza_ as usual for the awesome insight!

Trends! Thank you @merryfinches and @debphotog for catching these!

== Fan Spotlight ==

For those of you not on twitter, you may not have seen @wndrngnomad's collage's she's been doing each day for the cast members! They go back quite a while so I'll add them all to the repo, but they kind enough to give me permission to share them with the everyone outside of twitter!

== Engagement Prompts ==

Over on Instagram @saveofmdcrewmates have some engagement prompts for tomorrow: #CrossoverCruesday. Time to switch it up! What is your fantasy crossover beween another show and OFMD? Crossover AU anyone?

== Articles ==

Special thanks to @heide79728 on Twitter for sharing all these international headlines!

HBO MAX "praised the loyal audience that engaged with the series and contributed to building an interactive community around it." - Article in Arabic

"14 Recommended Series-fans are already deeply engaged in a massive campaign to encourage another network to buy the rights and produce another season to give the story the ending it deserves" - Article in Hebrew

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies.

Have you had any water lately? Did you get to go outside and take a walk? Please remember that you need breaks sometimes, even if they're only a few minutes here or there.

You deserve rest-- and when things get rough, your brain needs a couple minutes to reset. Remember to take care of yourself and practice some self-care.

Self care means fun too!

Do something you enjoy that makes you smile. I'm not a fan of sticker/sticky things-- but I know a lot of people who love googly-eyes so I figured this was appropriate.

Anyway, gnight/gday crew, have a lovely one.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

I think I've done this Darby one on these recaps before, but I needed to have a theme tonight, and the them is well, I think you know. Yes that is Taika in the stash, from "Boy".

#Instagram #ofmd daily recap #ofmd daily recaps #daily ofmd recap #daily ofmd recaps #our flag means death #adopt our crew #save ofmd #ofmd #taika waititi #samba schutte #con o'neill #david fane #joel fry #ewen bremner #rhys darby #ofmd bts

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diientedegato · 3 months

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I'm curious if you have any thoughts on what Ben Paul would look like if he was alive years after S1 of TWDG :> I honestly prefer to imagine both him & Kenny going off on their own adventures after S1, because Idk if I'd've had Kenny as part of S2, it felt like when he returned it became less Clem's story & more his. That might be controversial among fans but it's how I feel :s I like to imagine Ben, Kenny & Sarita forming their own little family in fact <3 I'd expect Ben would end up with shaggier hair after a while but I wouldn't mind knowing what he'd look like with short, spiked up hair ;>

IM SORRY BOTH THE ASK AND DRAWING ARE OLD- but I came across the sketch I had eugeugeh. I do not have many headcanons but behind the cut is just a rant about. Kenny mostly. Too much should I warn? But yah I'm sorry it took me like 5 months lol

The only headcanon (regarding Ben's appearance) is that he'd keep his school jacket for as long as possible. Until it thorns apart. Or until he dies.

I'm big fan of Ben lives possibility btw I've gotta draw sum about that sometime (I say, about every twdg character i like,)

And dude, do I agree about Kenny. Man doesn't belong in season 2. The character they made him to be in the second season is not Kenny, it's just a nostalgia element. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, I'm biased as hell, I break that hug choice every time. But it made the character development in the first season just.... pointless. "For some reason, I saved that piece of shit Ben", man, that quote just disappoints me. Kenny lost everything. Father and husband of none no more, which was pretty much the arc of Kenny on the first season?? I think? . Everything he loved and he had he lost, and he killed the person responsible for it. But not as revenge, he killed a kid out of mercy. He saved the boy from suffering a painful death, and that was forgiveness, to the reason he hadn't any. He took a decision he would be fully responsible of, when it was time for him to go. And he was perfect.

Hell, if he had appeared during season 2, I do prefer the Kenny as Carver idea. Clementine wasn't even that close to Kenny in the past, the player was, so even then it feels... off, off to be forced to care about a man that says so much he wants to protect you. (They're not really family, but is as if Kenny tries to protect and have Clem on his side, to have Clem's loyalty through and through. Though he does let her go and is proud of her on her individuality... hm.) But still, I mean, second season Kenny is not first season Kenny, and it isn't even a change that made sense. If he had been antagonist (which pretty much feels like it in the Canon story already), he should have had some other background story, no Sarita or company. Maybe then the cynical view he has would have mattered. The violence and anger and whatever else. For him to change that way was a consequence of him losing what he represented, protection of family? Wasn't failure and grief and acceptance meant to be important after all?

But otherwise yea I think it would've been pretty cool if Ben survived :3 I am a sucker for tales of redemption, forgiveness, and found family. And I hadn't thought about Kenny, Ben, and Sarita, but hell yeah. Man, even if they appeared in the second season, it would've been interesting if the choice wasn't between two individuals, but between two families. Ben already had a relationship with Clem! He appreciated her and calls her his only friend during season 1, he did leave her behind during that scene, -but the point of Ben was that- He was a coward all the season, until when he wasn't. He wanted to help Lee help Clem. They would've had an interesting sibling relationship-? also Ben had a young sister before the apocalypse so ooooh projection and parallels and shi. And if Ben had lived, he would've completed his development to something close to bravery-?

Well, I don't know, at least I think that'd be one interesting way to bring back old characters. Otherwise, Kenny should only be mentioned on dialogue maximum. The way I see it.

(I repeat the same thing over and over when I talk about something I'm sorry

(I've developed no language skills whatsoever in my life

(Yippee

#twdg #twdg fanart #twdg s1 #ben paul twdg #ben twdg #digital art #digital illustration #my art

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dragonfly0808 · 3 months

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The Sibling Squad (Roxy’s Crew)

This particular thingy was something I came up with at some point at the very end of s1/very beginning of s2 (which is why the ages were retconned every so slightly at this point and Shirley didn’t start at Cloud Tower till season 3).

This is something I was very excited about and, even if very few of you care, I thought I might let you take a peek into my brain and see why I chose the siblings I chose for Roxy’s squad and what each one of them kinda represents/is a foil for.

I’ll go in the order that they were introduced in the series.

Starting off with!!!! Shirley.

I chose Shirley after building up her personality and I feel like she fits flawlessly in as the oldest of the squad. One reason I really wanted her there is for being a witch, to have a good witch tm (and also a fairy-witch romance but that’s neither here nor there) to show off the differences in the way they work.

Of course, there’s also the fact that Shirley has been really dependent on Riven for most her life and, aside from her brother, she’s been pretty much on her own and she’s also the youngest of her coven, so I thought that the dynamic of her suddenly being the oldest of a group she loves and feels responsible for could be very interesting.

Shirley is very protective, she wants to be the protector and not the protected when it comes to this squad, and I thought that could be a cool thing to explore, even if it’s more implied/observed than anything else.

I chose Shirley to be, perhaps not the leader, but the oldest and most protective of the group. You could say she’s almost the Stella of the group… but obviously not really.

Next up, Alexa. Alexa is Brandon’s little sister and I think I’d mentioned previously that she’s ever so slightly inspired by Alisson Argent from Teen Wolf, cause I loved her growing up and it just kinda fit with the character I pictured for Brandon’s sister.

I haven’t gotten to explore Alexa very much, I think she’s probably the least ‘known’ and with less ‘screentime’ in the sibling squad. I did however have her establish kinda what her main goal is in her first appearance in s4, that being to carve out her own place in Red Fountain and not just be recognized for her brother.

She wants to be her own person and, whilst she is incredibly proud of her brother, she doesn’t want to live in his shadow, thus why, she picks the bow as her main weapon, since her brother never excelled in that area, he was only ever ‘okay’ with the bow.

Alexa is probably one of the more outgoing in the group, she is very extroverted and she’s unapolagetic about who she is and what she wants. She grew up with Stella and Sky and learned a lot from both of them on how to just keep going and, just by watching them and her brother, she knows how to deal with different people.

Alexa is a leader, ambitious yet kind, and she will be (at least in battle) the leader of the sibling squad.

Then there’s Naten, who I think is one of the most beloved OC in the series.

Naten is the glue and heart of the group I feel, a farm boy with a heart of gold and more love than he knows what to do with.

He’s a jokester who hides a lot of his complexity behind his soft exterior. It’s not something he really does on purpose, he just doesn’t care how people may think of him or if they underestimate him for liking to joke around.

Like I’ve mentioned before he’s a bit of a jack of all trades and if there are 2 things that define him in Red Fountain it’s his versatility and his dedication. In his character moodboard, I mention that he has dyspraxia, and, despite having occupational therapy with his mom, who also has dyspraxia, he still struggles with it, so he tends to practice a lot to completely master every technique he can in Red Fountain.

Naten has layers, but his main traits are his dedication/stuborness and his love.

^All of them were introduced and had their personalities kinda written in profiles before I even had the idea for the sibling squad, so their ‘roles’ in the group felt very organic to me and were mostly happy coincidences.

The final two are the ones that were written already knowing that they would be a part of this group.

I loved coming up with my version of Chimera. Making her a vulnerable, insecure girl and having her almost be a foil to Stella was just… ugh, light bulb moment for me, truly.

If you payed attention last chapter you may have noticed that Chimera seems to be getting more powerful. A lot of it is thanks to Stella giving her the staff but it’s also thanks to Chimera constantly practicing to be better.

Chimera has a dual role in the group. First, she’s the tank, the one with the power crawl that’ll eventually be a force to be reckoned with. She may seem a bit overpowered this last chapter but it was a very calm situation in which she had full control and already knew the environment and had created similar illusions there before, it wouldn’t exactly be the same in a fight.

Second, she’s the quiet one. She’s naturally introverted and a quite shy/socially awkward. Traits that were made worse after Valtor’s curse.

She’s 1 of the 2 introverts to balance out all the extroverts. She’s the studious one, the soft spoken one, that doesn’t always know how to stand her ground.

She’s also the one who was the loneliest and most isolated before joining the group, she feels a bit insecure about her spot in the group and is just happy to be included.

She’s learning to be a part of the group and is terrified of losing them.

Finally, the one I know you’ve all been waiting for, even though she isn’t technically a sibling, Roxy.

Roxy is the last to join the squad, and she’s the one who will truly bring them together. Cause, at the moment Alexa and Naten are the closest, and the others are more friendly than besties.

Roxy will be the missing piece to fully pull the group together.

Roxy will be the catalyst for the squad to truly become their own thing, to go from being the Sibling Squad, to Roxy’s Crew.

I won’t explain Roxy as much as the others since she’s already gotten a lot more screentime in 10 chapters than the others have had in 3 seasons.

Finally, some of you may or may not wonder why the whole Naten/Chimera mutual crush.

That’s mostly cause it’s cute and I came up with it on the spot when planning out their summer chronicle.

Then I truly stopped to think about it and realized once more, I am a fucking genius.

Chimera is insecure and doesn’t think much of herself, she’s working on herself and being true to herself, it’s logical she’d fall for a soft boy, a boy who wears his heart on his sleeve and is unapologetic about who he is.

Naten has more heart than anything else, yes, he at first glance, falls for Chimera’s looks (which by the way I thought it’d be adorable to have him fall for her first for her looks when Chimera has never felt pretty) and then he falls for yet another soft soul that is trying to be true. Who is just as dedicated as he is.

They’re both triers. Both kids who have to practice time and time again because they don’t have natural talent, but they have an insane amount of determination. That’s something they can understand about each other.

So, going in age order; Shirley is the oldest and the protector.

Naten is the glue.

Chimera is the tank and the quiet one.

Alexa is the leader.

And Roxy is the missing piece.

And I… am very excited to explore them further and… their very first, full appearance, all 5 of them together will be in just two chapters, in chapter 17!!!

#Veiled wings anniversary #veiled wings and shattered panoramas #winx club #winx rewrite #winx #winx headcannon #winx fanfic #winx headcanons #winx roxy #winx chimera #winx club rewrite

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cas---2y5 · 3 months

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This scene from s2 is so so underrated and so so IMPORTANT to me. Like, we see Jo, who wants to hunt to be close to her father, grew up adjacent to the life, but has other options and a way out. She has zero experience and goes into a hunt with all this theoretical knowledge, feeling confident in her research and her knowledge of how to hunt spirits.

And in this scene, reality really sets in for her and we get to see it. The hunting life she imagined, not perfect but romanticized in its violence and dusty backroads and gross motels, is destroyed and replaced by the grim truth that it is grotesque and horrifying and deadly in a very real way.

She ends up still wanting to hunt afterwards, but it changes her. She finally sees that hunting is an awful, terrifying, excruciatingly painful way to live. I feel like we really lose this throughout the show. By like s12 hunting is sort of portrayed as this cool club that Claire and Alex and Patience and Jody and Donna choose to join as a family and it just feels...wrong. It feels like the writers completely missed the part where hunting is something you're either born into or forced into, and not something you choose to do if you have literally any other choice.

#idk I just feel like there is such a stark difference between how in early seasons #hunting is this dark life lived in the underbelly of everywhere and nowhere that only ends in an early grave #and in the later seasons #its like a secret society or special club that you can join to prove how tough you are while keeping a semi-normal life #just some thoughts as i go through my #spn timeloop #s2 ep10 no exit #jo harvelle

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tanoraqui · 1 year

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I COMPLETELY FORGOT A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF CROWNLESS (the Young Aragorn show that lives in my, and apparently many of your, hearts): Each season opens with the framing device of middle-aged Sam Gamgee sitting by the fire in Bag End, telling his kids stories about the King. If you don’t have a (historical inaccuracy-excusing) narrative frame in a Middle Earth story, wtf are you even doing?

Also, the theme song in my mind is "All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter" by Clamavi de Profundis, but I'm open to some other group doing their own arrangement of the poem.

so, key elements of season 3 (s1 and 2 here):

A couple times in s2, including notably in the season finale?, Rohirrim were involved…so at the very end of that season, King Thengel invited Aragorn to come serve in his court/armed forces. That’s right, it’s time for UNMITIGATED HORSE GIRL!ARAGORN HOURS!

(confession: I could be persuaded to combine s2 and s3, with some elements of s3 going into s4)

(and clarification: Aragorn isn't deliberately using a false name, but he's also not presenting himself as anything more than a random northern Dúnedain ranger, son of nobody in particular.)

The show starts to shift in this season: in addition to/in place of some monster of the week episodes, we get political drama of the week, and more ongoing plotlines. Also, I realized it’s as much ‘location of the week’ as ‘monster of the week’—that continues, centered around Rohan (which means we’ll retread some locations from s2)

First trip to Minas Tirith, on some diplomatic excursion!

fun canon LotR info: Thengel, Theoden's father, was a total Gondor stan - he lived there from his teens until he had to come home to take up the crown, he married a woman from Lossarnach, as King of Rohan he spoke Sindarin and Westernesse and not Rohirric...

so I'm gonna say that teenage Theoden is kind of resentful of that? He was born in Lossarnach, came to Rohan at age 5...but Rohan is his home and he loves it, and he wonders if his father is too enamored of Gondor to be the best king of Rohan. He's skeptical of Thengel recruiting this random Ranger to be a captain of the Riders. On the flip side, Aragorn is SO COOL, and superb with horses. and Theoden wants to be him when he grows up. It's hard, being a teenager and a prince, with 4 sisters. It's hard and nobody understands

Sauruman is there for an episode, being genuinely helpful but his vibes are faintly rancid. He's about to start building up Isengard as an armed power. If the season finale involves something like a proper battle again, he might pitch in.

Halbarad and Dúnawen might actually stay in Ithilien? Or they come along to Rohan but they just join the Riders without getting involved in court stuff at all. Aragorn is going to start doing more things on his own. They presumably have their own B/C-plot character arcs btw, I just don't know what

Roddis definitely stayed behind in Ithilien/Gondor. New in the cast, however, not from quite the start but maybe like ep7/22, or the midseason onward? Is a perfectly normal human woman with dark hair and grey eyes...

Arwen. It's Arwen.

Aragorn: Why are you here? Arwen: I am the daughter of Elrond Half-Elven. My grandparents include the Evening Star, White-Winged Elwing, and Galadriel, student of Melian who on separate occasions told both Fëanor and Eonwë to fuck off. Everyone who met her agrees that I look just like my great-great-grandmother Lúthien Tinúviel. The distant echo of the Doom of the Exiles runs in my veins, as do the Songs of Lúthien and the Light of a Silmaril. I know the weight of Fate when it settles on my shoulders like a mantle, as it did when you called me 'Tinúviel' beneath Imladris's twilit trees—but the Choice of the Peredhel remains mine and mine alone. So I have come, Elessar, Isildur's heir, to see if I actually like you. Arwen: Curiosity. Aragorn: [vividly remembering how in s1 his mom said, "She's way out of your league" and Elrond said, "You won't get married until you're king." (Aragorn: "...married to your daughter?" Elrond: "To anyone. Period.")] Aragorn: Cool. Curiosity is cool. I'm gonna be so normal about this.

(Spoilers: he was not entirely normal about this.)

(Spoilers: they super do like each other, though)

Idk what the backup rangers are doing overall, but I do want Aragorn and Dúnawen to still have some sort of romantic Thing in s2, maybe off and on again, as Aragorn thought Arwen wasn't interested and was trying not to just be moping about it... Then Arwen arrives and Aragorn is So Conflicted for like 1 episode, before Dúnawen comes to him like, "Aragorn, I love you as a friend and comrade-in-arms and I love you as my chieftain and king-to-be, and I could probably love you as a wife if we really tried...but you clearly have not just a crush but some sort of Destiny thing with Lady Arwen, so I'm going to go back to Ithilien for a bit, maybe get drunk and laid with a handsome barmaid, and get over you. While I'm gone, you should try, like, talking to her."

A thing that Aragorn and Arwen...do bond over, but more it's there to demonstrate their compatibility to the audience, is: ...So, we (the writers/producers) don't have the rights to The Silmarillion, right, just The Lord of the Rings and its Appendices, and The Hobbit. These do periodically namedrop people, however, with dashes of elaboration mostly in the Appendices...and Aragorn is established from the start to be a bit of a history nerd, because that's what happens when you're raised by Elrond...so periodically, Aragorn and his friends will be in a Situation and Aragorn will whisper, like, "This is just like when [Fëanor/Túrin/Tar-Minastir/etc...]—" and Halbarad or Dúnawen hisses, "Does that actually help us right now?" and Aragorn will say, "Sure!" and start doing something that Silmarillion nerds can recognize is inspired by whatever the person in question did in a similar situation (note: sometimes Aragorn deliberately does the opposite of what the historical figure did, and it works much better.) The writers very carefully do not explicitly reference anything not explicitly in the permitted texts. If they need/get to elaborate on a historical figure, they'll toe a careful line of Silmarillion canon and blatantly made-up things.

That happened more in s1, when the show needed to make good with the old fans, but also in s2. Aragorn remains the only one referencing this stuff. Then in s3, he and Arwen are...let's say captured by bandits, and Arwen murmurs in his ear, "I have an idea. You know in the Lay of Lúthien..." Aragorn's eyes widen. "Beren and Lúthien or Beren and Finrod?" Arwen: "Finrod." Aragorn nods, and they proceed to bullshit their way out of being captive with flawless teamwork and yes-and-ing (and maybe fight a wolf on their way out, just to be thorough).

No idea what this season finale is. Like I said, you could probably weave parts of most of this season into s2 and s4? But that would ruin the "a different significant geographical area every season" thing we've got going on.

[s4 here!]

#aragorn #arwen #theoden #lotr #lord of the rings #ficlet #fanfiction #my fic

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ceruleanwhore · 3 months

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I know it’s been almost 20 years since AtLA came out but something that still bugs the shit out of me about it is the stuff with Aang, his crush on Katara, and the avatar state. It’s not just that Aang should’ve given her up in s2, it’s also all the ways they could’ve written that without putting kataang in that position, and I feel like I haven’t seen people talk about that as much, so I’m going to.

The first option I see, which I really like, is that they could’ve given Aang a different crush at that point in time, like how other characters got to have crushes on characters who weren’t their endgame love interests. Personally, I love the idea of this actually being Toph because that would give most of the season to set it up and there would be the same proximity he has with Katara. In the end, he’d have to give up this crush and all of the stuff at the end of s2 would actually contribute to significant growth and maturation in Aang which, paired with continued growth throughout s3, would set him up to actually be mature enough to end up with Katara.

Another option that I also think would’ve been really good would for the thing he needs to let go of to actually be his past/the air nation he left behind that’s gone now. So, I know nuance definitely is not a thing with the chakras in the show, but my takeaway has always been that the last chakra is just about relinquishing the power that earthly attachments have over you, not permanently yeeting them out of your life. For example, with giving up Katara, he was just being asked to give up his desire for her, the earthly attachment, but not to kick her out of the group and send her home. With this idea of it being about his past, it wouldn’t be about abandoning Appa or anything but, rather, giving up the ways he is tethered to his past and his underdeveloped ideas of what it means to be an air nomad that he constantly throws around to justify literally anything he wants. In this case, I’d really love for his past at the air temple or leaving it to come up in every single chakra (correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think it does in the show). It would also be really cool to have a visual representation of how his past with the air nation connects to his present in how he views the world around him.

The third option is to just have it be something else entirely that Aang has to do in order to unlock the avatar state. Honestly, the chakra stuff ended up not really adding anything to the show since it was mishandled so badly and Pathik was never more than a throwaway side character and a racist stereotype played for laughs, so I don’t think the chakras are necessary at all. I think what might have made more sense would be for Aang to go to the nearest air temple and enter that inner sanctum like we saw in s1 e17 that Teo’s dad fucked up. He could connect with his past lives and unlock the avatar state there, no racist, out of place guru needed.

But yeah, I think putting in all that stuff about the chakras just to end up throwing it out the window completely because of how they wrote themselves into a corner was an issue that could have easily been avoided. Also, I do think that part of the issue is that they didn’t spend enough time on the chakras so it felt like things weren’t explained very well to Aang, especially with the love vs earthly attachment debacle, because they didn’t take the time to explain it. Had they both taken a minute to have Pathik explain the difference between love, like Aang unlocked with the 4th chakra, and his crush on Katara and then also not had that scene with Iroh validating Aang’s decision since he had no context for it, they also could’ve avoided a lot of the issues we see with this in canon. Regardless, I feel like there’s multiple ways the creators could’ve very easily avoided the whole mess they created at the end of s2.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #atla critical #anti bryke

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vestaclinicpod · 3 months

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Audio Drama Sunday - 28th January ✨

Hours of data collection 😤👎 Hours of data collection with audio drama 🤭🫶

👻 @tellnotalespod (S2E2) If I had a ghost in my life, I’d want what Gemma and Micah have 🥺 I really hate this back and forth between Leo and Frank! HEY! Frank! That’s ~my~ Leo to be fond of, not yours! I’m so excited to catch up with Julia and Riley next week!

🦀 @thesiltverses (38) Oh my god, what an incredible episode! The exploration of a dementia-like process as being stalked by a god of death - PLEASE. The sound design was fantastic, I felt like I could really see the surroundings - the encroaching woods, the smudged prayer marks on the floor, the murky silt of the river - it was a beautiful experience. And I wish I could show you my face when I heard that Faulkner had got his testosterone from the CHURCH. NO! No no no. The manipulation! Show me a character in this show that isn’t so supremely messed up!! I want to help them all 😭

🧳 Travelling Light by @monstrousproductions (10) Another lovely instalment from my favourite wholesome sci-fi show. I couldn’t agree more with the description of home-sickness, you truly can’t predict what will set off the pangs for home!

🏛 @the-mistholme-museum (INEVITABLE) I have been hanging off the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happen with the Beast. I love Not Eagle popping up as a contradictory voice and ATG’s completely cool, calm and collected response to it. I’m so unsure about the HoRestoration taking the Beast in . . . I used to trust her but after these cards . . . I’m less sure.

🌨️ @thewhitevault (6) I feel like I need to listen to this episode again to really let that Family timeline stick in my mind. Everything seems to be ramping up in Goshawk, and I suspected that there might be a few more unexpected, unwelcome guests soon!

❤️‍🔥 The Love Talker (7) This episode took us back in time to fill in some of the blanks regarding the main characters’ pasts. It’s very interesting to see how different Ren’s ability seems from the outside - it makes you wonder how it’s taken her so long to realise that the affect she has on people isn’t ‘normal’?? Is she a victim or a monster? I suspect it's gonna be both.

🏢 @somewhereohio (S2E7) Ooooh!! I was wondering when we’d get the answer regarding why Jasmine/Olivia was seen in that truck in Scarlet’s memory in S1!!! I feel like I need to go back and listen to their first encounter again to see if there’s any glimmer of a sign that Scarlet remembered her! The way Orange describes his variance sounds like a bit of a curse - but I have faith that he can do some good with it before the end of the season!!

🍾 I finished S2 of @ameliapodcast and it was so much fun! I loved the reveal that Amelia is a real, living person with an active role in the Project and I love that it’s Julia Morizawa!

🌫️ @souloperatorpod (2) I’ll be honest, I don’t really have a solid grasp on what’s happening here yet but the writing is very compelling, and I adore the music! I’m looking forward for the fog to lift a little!

♦️The Grotto (4) I went into this episode forewarned but definitely not forearmed… goddamn. Can I have a new episode soon, please?

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (3) .jmj error HM? REALLY. I really am hoping that this will end with our TMA faves hopping out of the computers but I would also be satisfied with an explanation that whatever this thing is has listened to them read so many statements that it’s taken their voices, if nothing else… Also, I love Colin - it’s so rare that a piece of media gives us a character who is sooo batshit right from the word go. I love him. He’s 1000% going to die.

Hoping for a good week for everyone!!

#audio drama sunday #audiodramasunday #tell no tales #travelling light #the silt verses #soul operator #tmagp #the grotto #the amelia project #mistholme #the mistholme museum of mystery morbidity and mortality #the department of variance of somewhere ohio #the white vault

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doctorhelena · 4 months

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I can't believe it's canon that Steve becomes an obsessive workaholic with no self-preservation instinct in every universe where he's separated from Peggy or loses her. Scratch that, I CAN believe it's canon, I'm just deeply concerned for Steve and his 'my wiwwwfie wife is running an espionage agency/saving the world/went through a wormhole and i miss her' work ethic

Good news, I don't think you have to be worried! I'm pretty sure your first instinct, not to believe it's canon, was in fact correct.

Let's examine the Steves we've seen thus far. We have:

1) MCU Steve. Who yes, lost Peggy (twice, once when he was frozen, and once when she died of old age). But, I don't think we can say that his self-sacrificing streak and his not feeling like he can stop working comes from not having Peggy.

a) His self-sacrificing streak showed up well before he even met Peggy in CA:TFA. He was always picking fights he couldn't win, risking serious injury for people he didn't even know (eg. the fight he got into in the alley after telling that guy to shut up at the movies during the newsreel), and he risked jail time by applying to the army using false information, multiple times (after being previously rejected for being medically unfit) because, despite having a ridiculous number of medical reasons why he shouldn't, he wanted to go do his part to fight in Europe against the Nazis.

b) He hadn't only lost Peggy when he woke up nearly 70 years in the future. He'd lost everybody. Almost everybody he'd ever known and loved, every friend, every casual acquaintance, everyone he looked up to, everyone he disliked, EVERYONE. And the very few who were still there (including Peggy) were very old, and maybe, like Peggy, not completely there. The world was very, very different. He'd lost his cultural touchstones. He'd lost his sense of how he fit into the world. He was, quite literally, a man out of time. (And yeah, maybe he could have adjusted better to his new circumstances, but Steve is a very stoic guy, who is the type of person to tell himself that he's not doing so bad, that others have it worse, that he doesn't need help. That he can figure this out on his own, and if he can't, then he might as well keep helping others. And how many other WWII veterans were never quite the same again after the war? Were haunted by their experiences and who found that the world they came back to, their family and friends, had changed too, over the time they were away?) When Steve went back to 1949 at the end of Endgame, he wasn't only going back to Peggy (although of course, yes, he was going back to her), he was going back to an entire world that he'd lost.

2) Hydra Stomper Steve. Yeah, this Steve dealt with the loss of Peggy by teaming up with Bucky to try to wipe out the rest of Hydra. But - so did Bucky. Bucky was with him the whole time, they both put their lives on hold to fight Hydra. And after eliminating the last known Hydra base (the mission on which they believed Steve had died), Bucky moved on, got married, had kids, became Secretary of State (all of which we know happened after Steve was captured, because Steve didn't know that Bucky had settled down until Peggy told him in the What If S2 Winter Soldier episode). But, despite what Steve told Peggy in that episode (that he didn't see much point in "a wife, kids, the whole white picket fence life" if it wasn't with her), we don't know what he would have ended up doing after wiping out Hydra. We, and he, never had the chance to find out.

3) Rogers Hood. Yeah, this Steve was drawn to Captain Carter, another universe's version of his lost Lady Margaret, and she was drawn to him. But I wouldn't say that, before Peggy showed up, he was "an obsessive workaholic with no self-preservation instinct" in this universe. He actually seemed to be having a pretty good time stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, living in a cool treehouse village with his buddies/band of merry men. I guess you can say he lived on the job, but - would you call Robin Hood an "obsessive workaholic"? I wouldn't.

4) Zombie Steve. No real data here. We have no idea what his personality was like before he was zombified (we only know that he was a member of the Avengers).

5) Steve Dressed as Christmas Elf. This guy was a very cheerful version of Steve. Yeah, he looked a little concerned about the soccer moms cornering him, and unknown to him he was about to get socks for Christmas from Tony, but he was really excited that he'd correctly identified Happy Hogan in purple monster form! I don't think there's any real evidence that this particular universe's Steve is "an obsessive workaholic with no self-preservation instinct".

6) President Steve! No real data here either. Okay, I guess leaders of countries are usually workaholics to some degree (well, they are if they take the job seriously, anyway), but we don't know whether this particular Steve has Peggy or not, nor anything about him, really.

7) Steve who was unfrozen by Fury after Hank Pym killed most of the other Avengers (and then who Natasha from the Ultron universe ended up fighting alongside after the Watcher didn't send her back to her own universe at the end of S1). No real data here either: we don't know much about this Steve except that he was fighting on a helicarrier at one point in his life.

In conclusion, I don't see evidence that it's canon in any universe we've seen so far that it's Peggy's absence alone that makes Steve into "an obsessive workaholic with no self-preservation instinct".

And I also don't see evidence that it's canon that Steve is "an obsessive workaholic with no self-preservation instinct" in every universe where he's not with Peggy, either.

It turns out that Steve Rogers is an independent, complicated, three dimensional character whose sense of self-preservation and ability to enjoy life are not, in fact, solely based on whether or not he's with Peggy.

Steve chooses Peggy in many of the universes we've seen him in. But it's a big multiverse. If you would rather see him be happy with someone else, I'm sure it happens! And if you do like him with Peggy, then that happens a lot too, over and over again.

Peggy and Steve love each other. They miss each other when they're apart. But they don't need each other in order to be whole people. (That said, they do choose each other, it seems, whenever they possibly can.)

#asks #answered #what if spoilers #what if season 2 #steve rogers #peggy carter #steggy #what if

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