#he said 'before we get to the latter half of the season and i start acting up let me remind you i am a great friend and pseudo boyfriend'

[destinygoldenstar]

Ninjago Dragons Rising Season 2 - Is It Good Or Nah?

So, I'm late to the party, aren't I?

Well I've had so much work that I think I'm having an existential crisis. So I had to wait till I had a free day to watch this season because I wanted to watch it with my GF.

We got to Episode 6, and then what did my boss do?

Slap me in the face with long work hours several days of the week.

I feel like I'm in a spiral of work after work after work with no purpose to life besides failure cause I can't trust myself to be capable at anything-

ANYWAY. We finished it now.

You know what the insane part about the season is? That it got the show trending on Tumblr.

That's an INSANE level of hype right there.

So I seriously had to ask myself "What the actual f**k happened in the show that caused THIS much hype?!"

So... here are my thoughts on the season.

SPOILER WARNING

Okay, so this may be a factor of my judgement, but due to my schedule, I was forced to watch only 6 Episodes one day, and then the last 4 Episodes today. Keep that in mind.

When it came to the first half of the season, was it good?

Yes. Obviously.

Was it living up to the insane level of hype?

Uh... not really for me??

Now, don't take that as a negative. This season is still REALLY good.

After the first season took awhile to get started as it needed to set up its characters and this new world, it makes sense for this season to throw the punches immediately.

The season gets started with its main plot right away with Ras immediately putting his plan into action, and by Episode 2, it's very clear the threat level he opposes and it's believable that we should be intimidated by what he wants.

Even though in Episode 2's fight, while AMAZINGLY choreographed, I was just screaming at the screen "HIT THE PERSON HOLDING THE GONG."

Like seriously, more than one of the characters in this fight can use projectiles with their powers AND they have a blaster in the Bounty, and the show never says that Ras has some sort of armor defense preventing him from getting blasted. He's literally standing out in the open. And the gong is clearly what's giving Cinder power. So HIT THE PERSON WITH THE GONG.

GOSH.

Anyway, that's not important. What's important is that this season's fight choreo is genuinely AMAZING. I am obsessed with the way the camera moves with the characters in these fights you have no idea. I was genuinely blown away by the last episode's fight in particular. But more on the ending later.

What also shocked me was how BRUTAL some of the stuff that happens here is, which caught me off guard.

I mean, Episode 2 has Euphrasia getting ambushed and crashed off the Cloud Kingdom with clear injuries, and Wyldfyre getting her leg SHATTERED. Like, WHAT?! HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?!! (Even though the latter's healing was unrealistic. Like, it would realistically take months for an injury like that to heal. Not a critique, just saying.)

Ras body slams Jordanna at one point. He puts Arin in a CHOKEHOLD. And also beats him up so brutally... like OMG this guy does not mess around.

The Fear Cave Trial also REALLY got me tripping. Not only was it such a visually appealing moment, but it also, as the same suggests, showed several character psyches that were insane.

Except Kai for some reason. That's gonna drive me NUTS until I get an answer. WHAT DID HE SEE-?!

Then we get to the dragon mentors, and...

Yeah the season kinda loses me in the middle.

Don't get me wrong, I love the character bits here as much as anyone. But with how dyer they made the threat of Ras before, Ras and his forces take a backseat in the middle portion of the season and we're mostly just sitting at these training grounds talking. And for four episodes of it? It's a little grating, even if it is important.

The middle is mostly where most of my issues with the season stand. And here's where I get all my negatives out of the way:

Like I said, because this season is so long, there's an awkward pause in the conflict on the dragons plotline to learn this Rising Dragon Technique. Which I wouldn't mind if it wasn't FOUR EPISODES of it.

With the exception of the attack at the Land of Lost Things ONCE, Ras's army doesn't go after the ninja at all. I can kinda get the dragons group since they didn't have Bonzle, but he has to know that they ARE a threat, right? They're obviously trying to figure out how to stop you.

And even with the group that has Bonzle, what they NEED, the forces that go after that group is the Administration and the one off magician man villain, the former really didn't need to be in this season even if it was for a compelling Jay cameo, and the latter has overstayed his welcome at this point and I just rolled my eyes when he showed up on screen.

I'm all for Cole being a badass as much as the next guy, but WHY this magician man, who at this point, is so disconnected with the main antagonistic forces that he serves no purpose?

Why not, I don't know, use this screen time instead to explain what in the world happened with Cole when he left?

Seriously, the first season had this huge cliffhanger with Cole's character and him going after Wu's ghost. I wonder what's gonna happen to him and what he's gonna find out-

Oh. He's just back.

That to me is a huge disappointment. What was the point of him leaving the Lost Family in the first place if this journey was basically nothing? He doesn't even talk about it! COME ON NOW.

Also I think Zane should get slay pass on the Administration guy that called him equipment. What do y'all think?

I don't like Egot. Or whatever his name was. He's very condescending and cryptic and talks down to his only hope of the world being saved. But I think I'm supposed to dislike him for it, and there's gonna be more of his characterization revealed later, so don't take this one as a critique. The female one is great though.

The sorceress lady was... a choice in the narrative. My one critique for the ending was the potion shenanigans. Not because they were bad, but because they just felt so out of place among everything else. Like, "Oh, this finale is too dark and intense! We need to occasionally cut to wacky shenanigans with this sorceress's magic to prevent kids from feeling too much dread!"

I don't know, for me, I would've placed this stuff with the Administration instead, and instead have the group fight Jordanna, lose, and have her get away and flow that to Arin getting to her. Especially since the Administration posed such little threat to them and they even say such.

(I also have a theory that this sorceress is Wyldfyre's birth mom. I have no evidence to back this up besides "They both have red hair and similar facial structure")

With Cloud Kingdom getting taken over and Euphrasia captured, I thought she would have more of a role to play in this since this is, you know, her HOME and she's their guardian.

But nope. She does next to nothing up until the very end and plays prisoner and waits for the ninja to save her.

For gosh sake girl, you're the master of wind. FLY.

And finally, my last critique, Cinder.

Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not buying this character so far. Not that I don't think he'll have anything to do in the second part, but for how threatening he was in Episode 2, that threat level kinda vanishes in the middle and only comes back at the end. He does next to nothing and we learn nothing about him other than "He likes power". Jordanna is probably more unlikeable, but at least she has conflict going on with Ras and her magic, and she still serves more of a role in the plan besides being a foot soldier.

And... yep. That's all my critiques for this season. Which all seem pretty minor.

You know what this season is real good at? Characters.

As though that wasn't obvious already.

I did NOT expect Bonzle to play any major role at all, I thought she was just gonna be the dry and cynical side character. But no. She has a history. She has a life. She has emotions. All of which REALLY shine through at the end when you hear her voice have more range in it. The VA killed it. I ended up feeling so bad for her.

Especially considering what happens to her.

They're also not even hiding it anymore with Geo x Cole. They're just NOT. I love them and I hope we see more of their relationship in the future.

I genuinely don't understand the critique of "Geo is so selfish referring to him as Cole's family when it's obvious Cole has other people in his life."

Well no shit, you ever heard of a character flaw?

But it's also a completely understandable flaw. You guys aren't forgetting the part where Geo was abandoned for being a mixed race, right? Of course he's gonna cling to someone as compassionate and encouraging as Cole.

The Jay cameo was nice. I expect him to play no role in this season, but it's really compelling what they showed and I was satisfied with it.

Lloyd's conflict was handled very well in my opinion.

What's it called when it's PTSD, but it's about future events rather than past events? Foresight Traumatic Stress Disorder? FTSD? Yeah let's go with that.

For a kids show that glosses over trauma, (That's not a Ninjago problem, that's a kids show problem), it was really refreshing for them to not do that for once. It's actually explored and talked about and Lloyd is given advice on how to cope with it, and he freezes up in panic attacks when these visions happen and-THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR NOT IGNORING HOW HARD SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS.

Seriously, as someone who is going through stuff like this, minus the magic element, it spoke to me a lot. It really shows that this show grew up with me, and I both love and hate that.

I do think this sort of arc is going to hit hard for adults much more than kids.

Are kids constantly terrified of the future and getting paralyzed with these fears and finding it difficult to cope with the traumas that is time and human life?

No?

Kai is also a standout in this, especially towards the end. This is by far the best Kai has been in a long time in terms of quality. I love how one of his most significant flaws gets addressed here, that being his overreliance on himself and his own abilities over the others, who he feels responsible to protect.

And the way he grasps with that and learns to let loose like he did as a child back in the old days through what he loves the most, that being his family. And the flashbacks with him and his sister. And the whole sequence of him learning Rising Dragon - AUGH ITS SO GOOD.

How poetic is it that the character most devoted to family since childhood is only cocky and angry because of his own desire to be the one with power to keep them safe, gets power by letting that go, being a kid again, and joining the same roots as his own family?

AND THEN HE GIVES UP HIS LIFE FOR THEM-

And finally, Arin.

Oh you poor sweet, sweet child.

First of all, yes, I am completely subscribed to the theory that the show is building up Arin turning on the ninja and becoming a villain. It's all there. It all fits. The amount of times they say how sweet he is as though that's gonna get lost. The dragons, the creators of the world, the gods basically, telling him he's not good enough. Ras confronting him. Sora's stunt even after she's been the most encouraging of him, like the BETRAYAL there. It's all there. And I will be posting my theory scenario on this don't you worry.

BUT, I don't think that's the route they're gonna go. Kids show and all of that. They wouldn't do that to one of their main characters. Unless you're Star Wars. At most I think Arin will be tempted by Ras's master's power in an episode and even do it, but then with the power of love and friendship, it'll get fixed.

So instead I'd rather say that Arin, by far, has the BEST power crisis arc of the entire show so far.

I LOVE that he doesn't get powers. That's something the original show would've done. I LOVE that he doesn't figure anything out in the end and his inner doubts get proven correct. That's something the original show would not have the guts to do.

I liked Arin in the first season, but he didn't interest me too much. Mostly because Sora had the lion share of focus in the first season. Here though? He might just take the crown for THE most relatable character. And I both love and hate it so much.

Like, seeing everyone else succeed in mastery while you can't even figure out your own thing. You get told you have a natural talent and a lot of potential and that you're good at a lot of things, only for that to be put to the test in the real world and you end up letting everyone down. Even when your loved ones encourage you that you are good enough and you're special in your own way, you can't get those voices out of your head and you mess up again and again and again to try and meet the world's expectations. Then those in charge tell you you're not good enough and wasted potential. Then you try everything out in the real world anyway and you FAIL, and those that doubt you and your own insecurities get proven correct as you're left a broken mess of a young child who doesn't know what the hell they're doing-

I'M IN THIS SHOW AND I DON'T LIKE IT.

I probably love Sora more as a character, but I will admit I grasp towards Arin more right now. Sora's a great trans allegory in a world that hates trans people. But I'm not trans so I relate to it a bit less. Arin's a great autistic allegory in a world that doesn't know how to help autistic people. And I am autistic so I relate to it more. That's just a me situation.

I am so invested in where Arin's story goes from here. Evil or not.

So yeah, the season was good, but didn't completely live up to the insane hype, which, to be fair, is a high bar.

UNTIL THE LAST FOUR EPISODES.

And then all of a sudden, I AM SHOCKED AND SHAKEN TO MY CORE.

These last four episodes are an absolute emotional roller coaster that left me shaking and screaming the whole time.

I actually SCREAMED at multiple occasions.

I actually screamed so many times watching this that I am now HOARSE.

THAT'S how hard it hit me.

The story goes from 0 to 100 the moment the Blood Moon shows up. Which was what the whole season was building up to. And it did NOT disappoint.

The race to try and protect Bonzle. The intense visions and paralysis Lloyd suffers from. Ras and the army coming back to the plot to be absolute powerhouses. The last episode of DREAD the entire time to desperately try to stop this ritual.

HUMAN SACRIFICES?! AM I WATCHING A KIDS SHOW RIGHT NOW?!?!

I was begging for Arin to succeed at getting Bonzle to safety, even though I knew he stood no chance against Ras. "Come on Arin! You got this!! YOU GOT THIS, SWEETIE!!"

And then Ras just goes to TOWN on the poor boy and taunts his utter failure, which HURTS SO BAD MAN.

The entire fight with the army, Cinder, and Ras. The destruction of the mechs which knocks them unconscious for a bit. Kai figuring out Rising Dragon again when his family gets put in danger. The way Nya avenges her brother afterwards.

When Bonzle was getting morphed back into spell form, BEGGING, I was begging too.

But they still do it!

And KAI?!?!

I couldn't even process what happened other than me screaming. From the moment Ras alluded to sacrificing Kai against his consent, I was screaming "NO. DON'T DO IT."

AND THEN THEY SACRIFICE HIM.

LIKE HOLY GOSH THIS FINALE DID NOT MESS AROUND.

I predicted a while back, in the first season actually, that Kai was gonna get sacrificed at some point. Who's laughing now? I DID NOT WANT TO BE RIGHT.

Like, usually in Ninjago the character would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the others. But here? This is without Kai's consent at all. Ras might as well have killed him right here.

It definitely felt that way with the way the others react and BEG for his safety. The way Nya avenges him.

And Kai giving up his shot at escape for the sake of his family? BRO. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

It hurts even more when you realize that when the Merge happened, Lloyd was ALONE thinking only he survived. He only gained hope again because of his reunion with Kai. His beloved surrogate brother!

AND NOW HE'S GONE.

NYA AND LLOYD LOST THEIR BROTHER.

WYLDFYRE LOST HER SURROGATE FATHER.

THEY THINK HE'S BASICALLY DEAD.

BRO. THAT'S SOUL CRUSHING.

And then Sora?! Why you gotta betray Arin like that?!

The most encouraging friend towards Arin, the person who held onto hope and praises for him the most, betrays that hope and doesn't trust him enough to get the winning blow himself. Then LIES about it.

GIRL. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

That's going to be SO compelling once that gets outed. Like, morally, that was messed up and she was definitely in the wrong, BUT it led to the best possible outcome for them at the moment. They WON because she did NOT believe in Arin's abilities. Which only proves that the doubts about Arin's said abilities are correct.

And I have a gut feeling she's gonna learn Spinjitsu on top of that. And once that happens... double ouch.

Again, Evil Arin Theory.

I really hate to say it, but this reminds way too much of Arcane. If you know what I'm talking about.

I am totally imagining a situation similar to that in my head, that being a rescue mission for Kai, they decide to leave Arin out of it because of the lack of faith in him, he tags along anyway and he ruins their plan and Kai stays trapped there, Lloyd and Sora lash out on him for it, and before they can apologize they get thrusted back by something and Ras and Ras's master find Arin and take him in-

Again, I'll make a post about that.

The finale was by far the best part of this season. It has been a long time since Ninjago has made me HOARSE from being too invested.

That has not happened to me since Sons of Garmadon.

Because, yeah, I actually have NO IDEA where any of this is headed. How are they gonna save Kai and Bonzle? Why did some of Lloyd's visions not come true? What in the world is going on with Ras? Will the Administration help with that? Will the source dragons help with that?

What I probably do know is that Part 2 of this season is going to turn this into the best Ninjago Product since Tournament of Elements. Maybe even top it depending on my rewatches if my problems are still problems.

So... yeah. Good or Nah? Good. Obviously.

The hype is a little overblown to me, but it still deserves the hype.

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #dragons rising #dragons rising spoilers #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #ninjago sora #ninjago wyldfyre #ninjago kai #kai jiang #kai smith #ninjago nya #nya smith #nya jiang #ninjago zane #zane julien #ninjago arin #ninjago cole #cole brookstone #ninjago ras

[lisbonsteresa]

[vibrates at a frequency only dogs and dolphins can hear]

#I NEED TO YELL ABOUT IT AGAIN #he said 'before we get to the latter half of the season and i start acting up let me remind you i am a great friend and pseudo boyfriend' #it's not just that he does it completely unprompted it's not just that it's proof of how much he cares for his cbi girls #it's how focused it is on lisbon - underrated theme of this season is how much good lisbon brings out of jane #not in a 'good influence' kind of way in a...their history and the way they care about each other... #his love for her brings out the love he has for others (idk don't make me pull out the dawsons creek quote) #it's lisbon's delighted surprise when she learns what he's done #(she loves seeing him help people because she knows how much he loves it even when he tries to bury it under bluster and jokes) #it's the way she thanks him so sincerely (it's the way her 'thank you' here sounds so much like her 'thank you for the letters') #it's the way he's been shutting himself away for like half this season but here he is sitting in her office waiting for her #so he can spend more time (flirt) with her and it's another quiet cute little moment for them #it's the way you can see glimpses of the person buried underneath all that pain and trauma and history #the person that he could grow into if he lets himself heal in a post red john world - a person that could be really truly happy #(and it's the fact that with the benefit of this rewatch i know for sure he DOES grow towards it's just delightful thanks for indulging me) #tm

[mostnormalaziraphaleliker]

Okay now that I'm calmer and have time to think about good omens season 2 properly and am not engulfed in gay despair I need to talk about the latter portion of episode 6. (So spoilers. Obviously.)

I kind of believe in the Coffee theory. If you haven't heard about it, there are much better descriptions of it out there, but I'll summarize it for you to the best of my abilities.

So the coffee theory stems from the coffee that the Metatron bought Aziraphale at the end of episode 6. How I understand it, is that he performed a miracle on it and by getting Aziraphale to take it, it kind of brainwashed him into going along with it. That's why he was so out of character, because he literally was out of character.

Although I feel like this has a part to play in it, I feel like there's a bit more under that. The Metatron straight up used many manipulation tactics to get Aziraphale to go along with him. I reblogged a post about it earlier (I think) but pretty much he originally made it seem like Aziraphale had a choice but after what went down with Crowley (which I will also get into in a bit) he didn't let Aziraphale actually choose if he was going to go. He said "are you ready to proceed?" rather than asking what he decided. AZIRAPHALE WAS STRESSED THE FUCK OUT AT THIS POINT AND DIDN'T HAVE HALF A MIND TO ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

Also, to circle back to what happened with Crowley, I'm very upset, as are many other people, but what happened makes sense to me. Firstly, their relationship had been seen as pretty much taboo since the beginning of everything. Of course Aziraphale wouldn't reciprocate after what had just happened. He, again, WAS STRESSED THE FUCK OUT. Also, he had just had the shitshow of a conversation with Crowley and he wasn't expecting the kiss. He had pretty much turned Crowley down at this point. Don't misunderstand, however, I don't think that the kiss was not wanted (you can literally see Aziraphale fighting with himself over to reciprocate or not; hence his hands going to like caress Crowley's back for a moment at the start, about to pull him closer before he decides against it and just lets his hands hover) but it really just didn't come at a good time.

Anyways, this was all to say, Aziraphale did do a lot of wrong in the last 15 minutes, but it wasn't his fault. Crowley very much did NOT deserve that (poor love just wanted to have breakfast at the ritz with the ethereal being he'd loved for 60 centuries) but please PLEASE do not frame Aziraphale as a villain of any kind. If we get a season 3, he will realize what the fuck is up. I'm sure of it. And if he doesn't, well fuck me I guess.

#holy shit Anthony's actually doing some genuine analytical shit! #Who would have thought #Good Omens #GOS2Spoilers #GOS2 spoilers #Good Omens Season 2 Spoilers #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #good omens 2 #gos2 #good omens season 2 #good omens season two #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #good omens s2

[immabitqueer]

Watching House MD for the first time in 2024 full SEASON 1 Review-

- I had learned from his Wiki page before I even started the show that he had a couple of divorces, but Wilson is really bad at marriage, isn't he? His wife is having company and she makes dinner. House calls once and he totally abandons those plans to meet him at a bar. Wilson lies to his wife and says he's working on christmas and then he goes to Houses apartment instead. House continuously implies that wilson is having affairs around the hospital. He's very funny, he's clever, and he can be sweet, but I would NOT want that man as a partner. That being said, whenever House and Cameron were going on a date and he goes to Cameron to tell her not to hurt House was crazy. Everyone is just so worried about Cameron getting hurt and he does NOT care about her. He's like "huh?? why would I care about you i'm here about house??"

- Cameron's crush on House hit me like a ton of bricks. Even before it was revealed that she had a crush. I thought that they were so good as friends. It seems that now at the end of the season. It's kind of been packed up? And i'm glad for that I hope they can go back to being just besties. You kind of begin to see some of the more flawed parts of Cameron in the latter half of this season, which I appreciate. Such as her need to fix things or people. It makes her feel a bit more human and not just a very angelic being.

- Chase also has a lot of flaws shown in the latter half of the season, and a lot more than Cameron. Don't get me wrong, I still love him, but he was one sidedly enemies with a ten year old girl because she was overweight? Also I picked up on a consistent habit that Chase seems to have where in general he's a pretty nice guy, but when things start to go wrong for him, he will say the most out of pocket things to patients. It's a writing quirk that showed up early in the season with the nuns and has been a constant part of his character since. Also, I made a post about this when I watched the episode. But canonically has seen a dominatrix???? More and more ragged pieces of fabric are stitching themselves together to show me a quilt of Chase.

- I hope in the future we get more focus on Foreman as a character. I would like to know everything about this man. And I know that it was a joke at the beginning, but this man really does try to tie every case back to neurology. Him stepping in to tell House not to hurt Cameron by being nice and giving her hope was nice.

- Time for Mister Gregory House himself. Noticing a pattern of him very much being good with children and having no room for idiot parents who are hurting their kids or are weary of medicine. Love to see it. He has a very distinct relationship with everyone on screen. Every person he interacts with, he interacts with the differently. He's pretty hard on Chase, especially after the Vogler incident. He is continuously hard on Foreman as well with an unhealthy dose of micro-aggression mixed in. Generally, he's hard on Chase in a fatherly way and hard on Foreman in a motherly way, if that makes any sense. He is much softer with Cameron. He and Wilson are co-dependent and at the same time can be very cruel to each other, while also supporting each other. It's very interesting to see these dynamics play out.

- Stacy is complicated. Her trying to convince House to do a treatment her husband doesn't want him to do, mirroring how Housebecame disabled was painful. I can see why she would want the treatment for them in both scenarios and I can also see why it can be selfish or wrong. She found someone that doesn't make her feel alone and is willing to forgive her, so in the end I guess she found her way to a happier life. I still think House has the right to be angry, of course and she isn't owed House's forgiveness but she's at least understandable.

Random extra thoughts and things I've noticed:

- THE KID FROM SPY KIDS WAS IN AN EPISODE??

- So was the girl from mean girls, les mis, mama mia, and Jennifer's body, can you tell I don't know peoples names?

- House has the saddest little eyes but they also pierce my soul and make me feel horrible for him, almost like I did something

- House has an array of toys all over his desk, and he plays with his cane or rubber bands all the time

- I could not STAND Vogler. I'm glad they wrapped up his arch this season because I was getting tired of him

Some context:

I'm watching the show mostly because my Twitter and Tumblr were very adamant that I do, but also because I have a running thing where I very rarely finish a show that I start. I've started several shows and finished very few of them. I started watching House on New Year's Eve The day before the first day of 2024 and plan to finish it before the first day of 2025. This is actually a big deal for me because usually I can't finish a show over 3 seasons and the farthest I've gotten is five seasons. I will be posting as I go and also doing a halfway point and a full season review of all 8 seasons.

#house md #hate crimes md #please interact and tell me what you think but no MAJOR spoilers #gregory house #james wilson #allison cameron #robert chase #eric foreman #season review #character study #kind of #house md season 1

[princesssmars]

in the darkened forest, i see you.

some stiles stilinski x witch reader headcanons

your whole life you knew you had a destiny to fulfill. its hard to juggle your magical heritage and your nosy best friends, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

wc: 1.328

contains : fluff. reader is a witch. mentions of some of season ones violence.

a/n : very self-indulgent and based on my very. very long and detailed teen wolf script. enjoy.

the name of your hometown always made you laugh inside your head. beacon hills, a sprawling town in northern california. by the title and looks you'd think the only things gravitating here would be families preparing for the future and seniors looking to settle down.

but there was so much hidden beneath the surface that almost every resident had no idea about.

when you were but seven years old you realized your family wasn't like other childrens.

where heathers dad worked in a home office, yours worked in a dingy but atmospheric antique shop selling various artifacts you've never seen before, ranging from "eye of newt" to "crushed cricket leg powder" to a bundle of weird-looking talismans.

where benjamins mom spoke english as her first language, you found out those funny words your mom would say when reading from her big book was her second language which was called latin. and how sometimes when she spoke it while cooking your food always came out tastier and you'd go to sleep feeling stronger than ever.

its on your 13th birthday when your parents sit you down and tell you the truth, how you've been born into a long line of witches from both your mother and father's side. how they can tell you've been curious as they were as kids, but they see something in you that pushed them to decide to let you in sooner to the lifestyle than other witchlings, who normally started learning before a witches becoming ceremony on their 16th.

"your magic can be a blessing and a curse," they said, sitting with you on the couch while your father showed you the family picturebook holding portraits of ancestors dating back hundreds of years. "but in our family, we've always put the greater good of witch kind before others. we protect our own and they protect us. you'll always have someone in your corner when things seem impossible. "

your parents were kidding, with you being introduced to some of the other witch kids in town. contrary to what you were thinking they were pretty popular, and welcomed you into their circle nearly immediately.

being popular means meeting many types of people though, and that's what led you to meet the one and only stiles stilinski.

he was a bit nerdy, and definitely less popular than you were but that didnt really matter. your first conversation was in english class freshman year, when you asked him for a pencil and he accidentally gave out four at once. you laughed at him and he told you that you had the prettiest smile he'd ever seen, and that since smiling made people live longer he hoped you live to be 110. it was weird but cute.

since that day you'd been friends, hanging out with stiles and scott often. you'd even show up to cheer at their lacrosse games even if they sucked. you tried giving them small luck charms before games which luckily seemed to work.

even if you found yourself growing close to them, you still kept the knowledge of your heritage close to your chest. even if stiles, being the mini detective he was, seemed to nearly figure it out multiple times.

but it's during the latter end of your sophomore year when things take a turn. stiles shows up to your house in the dead of night asking you to come with him to get some snacks and chill. figuring you had nothing else to do, you agreed and decided to walk the short trek with him to scott's house.

what he didnt tell you was that the three of you were going into the woods to find half of a damn dead body, the boys ignoring your complaints from behind them as they searched the forest floor. sure you could've gone home, but it'd be a lie to say you weren't just a bit interested yourself. and scared they'd get themselves killed.

the funs cut short when you and stiles are caught by his dad, who on the drive home awkwardly insinuates that he thought you two had snuck away to fool around in the woods, making the both of you loudly deny it. but after you get dropped off at home you start thinking if it'd be the worst thing in the world to date the stilnksi boy.

the next few weeks are chaos, with you finding out that not only are werewolves back in beacon hills but the newest addition is scott himself. you try to give him as much help as you can without seeming too suspicious.

but it's one afternoon when stiles comes up to you acting the calmest you've ever seen him and tells you he's taking you out for burgers, his treat. you agree because one free burgers and two alone time with your...best friend stiles. win-win situation, right?

wrong, because as soon as you're settled in the passenger seat and ready to eat a burger after the crappy school lunch, stiles turns in his seat and asks "are you supernatural too?"

you looked at him and knew you couldn't lie to his face, the truth spilling from your mouth faster than you could comprehend. he seemed more excited to hear about you being a witch than you did when you found out you were one.

you swear him and scott to secrecy, telling him it's already dangerous enough that they know. your secret is safe with them but god are they annoying about it.

what spells can you do? do you have a cauldron? do you have any family members who died in salem? could you put a curse on jackson? not a super serious one just so he...ok nevermind.

as irritating as it could be, you knew that they meant well.

sometimes when you're in your room studying your grimoire, stiles will ask you to translate the little latin notes on the sides to him. when you start to get annoyed you'll explain one to him and tell him that whatever you just said is a curse and because he asked you to say it its now on him. his face is priceless every time.

the day of your becoming ceremony is pure chaos to put it simply. your parents wake you up and give you your favorite breakfast foods which is always nice. the stiles picks you up from school while he and scott are acting completely suspicious about a surprise they have for you.

you find out what it is when you get to school and see a giant banner at the front of the school that reads "happy birthday y/n!". it's almost enough to make you cry.

once the school day is over you have to head home for the ceremony, but not before your best friends beg you to tag along, not knowing that you haven't exactly told your parents that you told them your secret.

its safe to say they were pissed off when you got home, but we're more understanding (and slightly shocked and scared) when you told them that scott was a werewolf. but the more supernatural the better!

the ceremony goes off without a problem, and by the end you already feel stronger. the new power surging through your veins gives you a boost of confidence.

you drive with stiles as he drops scott off, before he takes you up to your favorite spot overlooking the city. its one of your favorite ways to end a night, looking out at your home and talking to your favorite person in the world. with your newfound confidence, you admire stiles as he rants about something before grabbing his face and bringing him in for a kiss.

you pull away after a few seconds, looking at his dazed face to see if he reciprocates your feelings or not. when he gives you that signature dopy smile of his and kisses you, its more magical than you could've hoped for.

#stiles stilinksi x reader #stiles stilinski fluff #stiles stilinski #scott mcall #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf #stiles stilinski x witch reader #witch reader

[epickiya722]

Hello, I'm new to the jujutsu fandom, I've already watched season 1 of the movie and I'm in season 2 of jujutsu, I also follow the jujutsu manga, I liked your tumblr and started following you, I like your analyzes and you make me understand more jujutsu, thank you. I have a question, don't you think Sukuna is a boring villain, sorry, but he's too annoying, even Mahito is more interesting than him and it's impressive that Mahito gave more weight to the work than Sukuna, Sukuna killed Gojo and his death It had no significance in the work, it's something terrible, I think the author got lost.

Hi back at you, Anon! I'm, too, new to the fandom myself. I was already interested in the anime when it first released and then read the manga, but it's only since the latter half of 2023 I became more active in the fandom.

I said it before, but it does still shock me to have people tell me they like my posts. Half of the time, I'm surprised folks understand them because I ramble in them since I write on whim. I do my best to be clear about what I'm saying though!

Thank you for that, glad you're enjoying them.

**

I don't think Sukuna is boring. He's actually my favorite villain to the story. And honestly, I don't think any of the JJK villains are boring.

Now for a second, I'm going into writer Kiya mode and without the bias of "Gege hates Gojo and favors Sukuna", like, throwing that outside for a second here.

Mahito definitely played his part well as a villain. He was a major problem in the first season and during the Shibuya Incident. And he did hold a lot more weight than Sukuna did in those arcs.

But on Gege's part, I think it was on purpose. I don't think Gege actually wanted to show Sukuna a lot, especially during the first half. Mahito and the other Disaster Curses, I think of them as obstacles that needed to get over first. They were the big bad villains during their time of the story until it was time for their parts to come to a close.

Had Gege put a lot of Sukuna in the first couple of arcs, it would have been too much going on. Imagine him randomly taking over Yuji's body to kill people while at the same time Yuji had to deal with Mahito.

Instead, Sukuna was more in the backseat and would often pop up to antagonize Yuji like an annoying sound in his ear while commentating about Megumi in his thoughts, that setting up for what he will later in the story.

Also, it wouldn't have made sense when Sukuna was regaining his strength. The Finger Bearer Curse, rethinking is now... I don't think that was just a display of what he can do. It felt more in setting up for how Yuji was going to change and Sukuna's plans for Megumi. Sukuna needed his fingers to get that power back.

Unlike the Disaster Curses who weren't tied to any objects. They could actively go about causing destruction while growing in strength, as we seen with Mahito during Shibuya.

Something told me that Mahito and the Disaster Curses weren't going to last in the story because how they were set up. But they did leave an impression on me.

With the Gojo's death, maybe Gege did get lost. I write, so I understand that feeling. (It also doesn't help that fandoms tend to not help at all with being how they are. You know, their judgments and harrassments putting pressure on the creators.)

People would say it has to do with Gege not liking Gojo, but again, factoring that out. What if it was supposed to feel disappointing?

I think about the reactions of how Toji died, who died similarly to how Gojo did. By the hands of "the strongest", standing up, wearing the tight black shirt and white pants combo, upper half gone and thinking about the people they care about.

Fans were disappointed Toji died because he was such a great character to have. When Gojo died, I saw the same thing.

Thinking about it, would it have made sense for Gojo to have killed Sukuna? When Yuji is still present, the actual protagonist?

Gojo's death, disappointing it is (I like Gojo), it may have been written to be the closing for his character (if he stays dead). Gojo was often the "tool" of jujutsu society. He was used to clear problems because he was the strongest. Him dying, it was almost as if the characters now had to get used to not having to rely on one person. It's why they discussed a plan beforehand to deal with Sukuna.

Sometimes, I feel like that what Gege aims for. Certain reactions to the audience and if we'll catch onto what is going on. Honestly, now that Gojo's death happened, it did feel like to me that Toji's death may have foreshadowed that. Coincidence or on purpose, I don't know.

Gege probably does want the audience to be annoyed with Sukuna. Gege wants us to be agitated not for a laugh, but to feel how Yuji and the others feel about him. Anytime Sukuna goes out his way to put down Yuji, I feel annoyed. I feel irritated.

It's how stories are written. It's how stories work. To get the audience to feel a certain way based on what's happening and the tone. I have seen people get mad that JJK is getting so dark and depressing. But one, it's always been that way. Two, it's not showcased as some slice of life comedy. This is the same story where a bullied kid dies.

How the fandom reacts reminds me of how the non-sorcerers are written. Their negative emotions cause problems for those who work to handle those problems. In real life, people will read JJK and not handle their emotions causing problems. Be it arguing with others or going as far as to violently threating the mangaka.

Over fiction.

People got so comfortable now with using KYS to things that they don't like, it's their immediate reaction. I just saw it yesterday with an artist I follow.

It's pathetic, it's sad, it's disgusting.

Ooh, I rambled a little off topic for a bit there, sorry about that.

That's all I really have to say for now!

#kiya answers #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #sukuna #ryomen sukuna #sukuna ryomen #mahito #gojo satoru #satoru gojo

[luciehercndale]

TLH/TDA Cover Parallels and Analysis

The TSC cover poll by @kaitcreates made me realize how the TSC covers are so well intertextually connected between each other, especially the TLH and the TDA ones. So, I analyzed them.

We have Cordelia on the cover of Chain of Gold, while Emma, who is her descendant, is on the cover of Lady Midnight. The tone of TLH is warmer autumn colors compared to the blue and green (like the sea, an important symbol of the series and LA) hues of TDA. Also, the way the characters pose is different: Cordelia is standing before a palace's gate, supposedly, the London Institute, and she's starting her new life, Cortana ready to slash whatever comes her way. Emma, on the other hand, seems like drowning and Cortana is slipping from her hands. At some point of the story, both had to give up on their precious weapon.

Chain of Iron features Lucie facing a forest at night which has colors I associate with winter, the season in which it should be set. The moths are a symbol of change, mystery of the night, and death/endings and you can understand why they were on her cover. Coi ends with Jesse's soul disappearing after Belial is cast out of his body. But it's also a beginning because Jesse comes back to life by the end. And it all matches perfectly with the cover of Lord of Shadows, with Julian on it. I think we can safely say that Julian is Lucie and Jesse's descendant. The mood is very dark and he's also underwater like Emma. Water is a symbol of life but also of chaos and healing. In Qoaad, Julian turned off his emotions in order not to fall deeper for his parabatai Emma and endanger both their lives because of the parabatai curse. He holds the Blackthorn sword which we know it's destroyed in CoT, while Lucie holds the Blackthorn locket. The LoS ending matches the CoI one because in the former Jesse comes back to life, while in the latter, Livvy dies. She was the Blackthorn character that until her death wore the Blackthorn locket, which was worn by Jesse before he gave it to Lucie. Full circle, again with the descendants!

Cordelia faces a pretty London palace on CoG. Lucie faces a dark forest full of unknown creatures. On the Chain of Thorns cover, Grace faces a place in ruins (Blackthorn Manor?). The colors of this cover give spring vibes and in fact, if we consider the epilogue, it ends in spring, the season of new beginnings and where everything blooms again. While Emma and Julian are in a place underwater where they can be saved (they aren't too deep), the last character featured on the Queen of air and darkness cover, Annabel Blackthorn, has pretty much sunk to the bottom of the ocean and she is beyond saving. We can tell from the Titanic-esque ruins behind her feet that she's hit the bottom, literally and figuratively. Annabel was angry because she was brought back against her will, and in her fit of anger, she ended up killing Livvy and she lost her life for good after. Grace has the opposite features as Annabel, and for good reason. While Annabel can only go back to the world of the dead, Grace has a change at getting her life back and start anew. We can say both Annabel and Grace shared a similar fate: their so called Blackthorn "parents" manipulated and abused them and they both lived half a life. Unlike Annabel, who, I said, is at the bottom and is hopeless and gone for good, Grace facing the ruins of the place were she used to live also means starting anew. Starting from the bottom, from the ashes, but in the hopeful way. It means finally living the life she wants to live.

I know that "the last hours" is taken from Great Expectations and is also a quote Magnus says. But this quick analysis also brings to the surface how the last hours could indeed be the last moments of sadness and desperation, before getting through and making it out alive. In comparison, TDA's tone is darker but it also shows that humans are able to survive the worst and going above water to breathe again after tragedy and tough life choices they have to face.

#tsc #tsc parallels #tlh #tda #cordelia carstairs #lucie herondale #grace blackthorn #emma carstairs #julian blackthorn #annabel blackthorn #tsc meta #chain of gold #chain of iron #chain of thorns #lady midnight #lord of shadows #queen of air and darkness #tweety writes analysis

[runnning-outof-time]

Redemption | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: no - for @madame-wilsonn ‘s Grand Ball

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: When a woman comes to the Shelby brothers seeking help, Tommy first finds intrigue in her story. Then he finds himself needing to make sure that she stays safe.

Warnings: language, smoking, threats of violence, weapons, violence (typical to series), death

Word Count: 5914

A/N: this fic had a mind of its own. I had already started a different fic for this celebration, but then lost interest in it, so I came up with this idea. I couldn’t stop writing once I started it. Although this doesn’t really follow canon of season 5, I could really see this happening within the show/season.

A/N 2: congrats on your amazing milestone, Anna! I hope everyone enjoys the story! :)

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR THOUGHTS & COMMENTS HELP ME WRITE!

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

The line of people waiting to get into the small room tucked into the corner of the Garrison seemed endless, but (Y/N) still made the choice to wait in it. She had something dire to ask of the man who presided over Small Heath and represented the city in Parliament.

"Next!" the youngest of the Shelby brothers called, and (Y/N) stepped forward. She smiled at the man as he opened the door and let her inside.

Immediately to her left, she was able to see the two eldest Shelby brothers and to her right was an empty chair that she guessed she'd be sitting in. Arthur and Tommy were quiet as the latter motioned for her to sit down in the chair. She nodded and took the seat, setting her purse in her lap and holding onto it tightly. "Good afternoon," she felt the need to greet them, a small smile forming on her face in an attempt to alleviate the nervousness she was feeling. She watched as they nodded their heads in a silent greeting before she took a deep breath: "Mr. Shelby, I have a problem," she started, ringing her hands together as she waited for a response.

"And what may that problem be?" the younger of the two Shelbys, Tommy, asked, his hands clasped over his abdomen as he leaned back in his seat.

"There are men who are coming for me...for my family, and..."

"We don't deal with those problems here anymore, love," the other brother, Arthur, cut her off, about ready to dismiss her for the next person.

Tommy held his hand up towards his brother, a silent gesture for him to stop talking. "Continue, please," he then said to the woman as he leaned forward in his seat.

(Y/N) took another deep breath before continuing. Half of her nerves had been washed away when Mr. Thomas Shelby O.B.E, M.P decided to listen to what her problem was. Now all she had to do was explain it. "There are men that are coming for me. They had business with my brother but now they're coming after me since he’s died."

"Do you know who these men are?" Tommy asked her, his eyebrows raised in intrigue.

"I...I don't know, and I'm sorry for that. I just know that they're dealers, and that my brother was going to them for drugs to help manage the pain he was feeling. He had this pain from his injuries sustained in a factory accident, and he recently passed away from those injuries. I've found out that he owes them money, and now those men are coming for me," she explained, feeling bad that she couldn't provide specifics. At least she had some background information though.

She watched on baited breath for the brothers' responses. After what felt like hours, Tommy nodded his head. "We'll look into it," he assured her.

"Oh thank you, Mr. Shelby," she breathed a sigh of relief, almost wanting to reach forward and grab his hands to physically show her praise, but she restrained herself.

"What is your name, ma'am?" he asked her then.

"It's (Y/N) (Y/L/N)," she happily gave him the information he was looking for.

Tommy nodded again. "Ok, Ms. (Y/L/N), I will send someone to your house soon," he informed her.

"Thank you," she expressed her gratitude again as she stood from the chair to go to the door. Tommy only nodded, his way of accepting her kind words.

(Y/N) sent both men a smile before she opened the door and exited the small room. She walked out of the pub and began the trek back to her home. There was a sense of relief that washed over her as she entered the dwelling.

Later that evening, there was a knock on (Y/N)'s door. She hurried to open it, and gasped when she saw who was waiting for her. "Mr. Shelby," she greeted in a surprised manner.

"I wanted to come speak to you about the men," he told her, clearing his throat after speaking.

"Of course," she nodded her head before stepping aside so that he could enter, "I didn't think that you yourself would be showing up," she commented as she led him into the sitting room.

"Your problem is important to me," Tommy responded as they sat down in chairs across from each other, "and this is my city."

He then asked her to tell him everything she knew about these men, and why she thought that they would be coming after her now. She was able to recount what she'd told him back at the Garrison, along with adding the encounter that she had with the men just a week ago. Two men had stopped her outside the seamstress shop where she was employed and told her that she had now inherited her brother's debts to them. She knew about her brother's drug use; he'd been using because of the accident that ultimately took him from this world, but she didn't know that he owed these people so much money. The men used intimidation and told her that she'd also meet a violent end if their debt was not paid.

Tommy listened intently to everything she told him, and when she was finished speaking, he took a deep breath and leaned forward in his seat. "If you see these men again, please let me know, ok? If they come to you either at work, or here, or anywhere else, you need to tell me right away. I will have men on your street, but they could still find a way to..."

"Mummy?" a child's voice cut into Tommy's statement.

Both (Y/N) and Tommy's heads turned to the girl who was standing in the archway of the sitting room. Tommy watched on as (Y/N) stood up and walked over to the child. "Yes, Mia?" she asked in a soft voice.

"I woke up and now I can't go back to sleep," the girl explained the reason behind her presence.

"Would you like a warm glass of milk?" (Y/N) asked her, knowing that it always did the trick in getting her back to sleep. The child nodded, a sleepy smile on her face. "Ok, go back to your room and I'll bring it up to you," she instructed her, then watching as the girl peered around her side, her eyes falling onto Tommy. "It's ok," (Y/N) assured her, noticing that her eyes had widened slightly at the sight of the unknown man.

She watched as the child made her way back up the steps before turning to face Tommy once more. "I'm going to warm up some milk for her. I should only be a few minutes," she told Tommy, who nodded. She then hurried into the kitchen and made quick work of putting the milk-filled kettle on the stove. She didn't want to have him sitting by himself for so long while she did this. The milk was soon finished, and (Y/N) transferred it to a cup so that she could quickly take it to her daughter.

Once she'd done so, she joined Tommy in the living room. "May I smoke?" Tommy asked her once she was sitting on the chair she'd been occupying earlier.

(Y/N) only nodded her head, watching as he fished a tin out of his suit jacket's pocket and took a cigarette out of it. He offered it to her and she accepted it, leaning forward so that he could light it. She then sat back, took a drag, and watched as he went through the motions of lighting one for himself.

"She's your daughter?" Tommy questioned then, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Yes. Her name's Amelia. She's six," (Y/N) explained as she exhaled some smoke. She then watched as Tommy's eyes dropped to analyze the hand that was sitting on her lap. "Her father was a traveller," she began to explain, knowing he was searching for her wedding ring, "he promised me love, pulled me in and then left. You must think I'm a fool," she finished her statement by dropping her head slightly in embarrassment.

"Not a fool, no," Tommy shook his head, making her look back up at him, "everything happens for a reason," he continued, taking a drag from his cigarette then.

"She's the reason why I came to ask for help. It wouldn't matter if it was just me...but I can't have her get hurt or end up alone," (Y/N) admitted, exhaling a deep breath, "you must understand…surely you have family, Mr. Shelby," she then looked to him, waiting to see what his answer would be.

"Not anymore no," he shook his head while fiddling with the cigarette between his fingers, "My wife left me and my two kids decided to follow her," he gave her some background into his life. It was only fair in his eyes...she'd been so transparent with him that he felt like he could be with her.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, I..."

"No," he stopped her, shaking his head slightly, "everything happens for a reason," he repeated the mantra he'd uttered earlier. (Y/N) didn't know what to say to his statement, and thankfully she didn't have to fill the void with words, because Tommy had leaned forward to stub the cigarette out in the ashtray sitting on the coffee table. "I will find these men, (Y/N). I'll keep you and your daughter safe," he told her with sincerity in his voice as his eyes found hers.

"Thank you, Mr. Shelby," she expressed her gratitude as they both stood up to walk to the door.

"Like I said before...let me know if you see or hear from them again," he reminded her as he stepped onto the home's stoop. (Y/N) nodded her head and took his business card, making a mental note to put it in a safe place for if she ever needed it.

A week later, another knock sounded on (Y/N)'s door. She glanced out the front window to see a familiar man with a peaked cap on, so she moved to the door and opened it.

"Good morning, Mr. Shelby," she greeted him with a smile, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"May I come in?" Tommy asked, gesturing to her home. (Y/N) nodded and allowed him to step inside, the two then walking into the sitting room.

"Pardon the mess...Amelia's working on an art project for school," she commented on the papers and crayons that were scattered around the coffee table and surrounding floor.

"It's not a bother," Tommy waved it off as he sat on the same chair he used last visit. (Y/N) sat across from him and waited expectantly for him to share news with her. "We believe that we've found the men who are targeting you," he started off, and (Y/N) almost wanted to let out a sigh of relief just in hearing that, but she let him continue: "they used to work with your brother. They're on the same factory's payroll...names are Wes and Henry," he paused for a moment, "we have not made contact with them yet, but we have insight into the factory and know their jobs, schedules, and whereabouts. Using that, we will be able to keep eyes on them from a distance first, and move in if necessary," he finished his explanation of what they'd learned and where they were with everything so far by leaning back in the chair and lighting a cigarette.

(Y/N) was about to answer, but the door to the home opened just as her mouth did. "Mummy! I'm home from playing with Sidney!" it was her daughter. She let out a breath of relief in knowing that.

"Oh, that's good, sweetie," (Y/N) nodded while still trying to calm her breathing. Tommy noticed this and turned his head to watch as the young girl entered the room.

"Who's this, mum?" she asked, her eyes on the man who was unfamiliar to her.

"This is Mr. Shelby, Amelia. He's our MP, and he's here to talk about the city," (Y/N) explained the reason behind Tommy's presence without delving much into the real details.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Shelby," Amelia smiled over at him, "I would like to let you know that this city has a great number of stray dogs and cats that I believe you, as our MP, are responsible for. You need to find them homes, Mr. Shelby," she then laid out a grievance with him.

Tommy cracked a smile at the child's request. "I will certainly look into that, Miss (Y/L/N). Thanks for bringing the issue to light," he nodded his head at her, "and please feel free to call me Tommy. Mr. Shelby's too formal for this type of meeting."

(Y/N)'s cheeks heated up at the fact that her daughter had addressed this powerful man like it was nothing. She also couldn't ignore the swelling of her heart at how kindly and attentively Tommy had responded to her. "Why don't you take your art things up to your room and continue working so that Mr. Shelby and I can continue our conversation, Mia?" she suggested.

"Ok," Amelia nodded her head before she grabbed her tools, "it was nice meeting you, Tommy," she sent him a smile before she exited the room.

(Y/N) let out a breath once they were alone again. "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Shelby. She always needs to speak her mind," she immediately apologized to him.

Tommy waved her off. "It's not a problem. She's got important things on her mind," he said with a slight smile. "You could also call me Tommy...as this meeting really shouldn't be formal," he added, and (Y/N) nodded as she tried to keep her blush from being noticed.

"Back to what we were speaking about earlier...thank you for finding those things out for me. It relieves me to know that you know who these men are, and that you have eyes on them," she called back to their earlier conversation.

Tommy nodded his head, "we'll work to the best of our ability to keep tabs on them, but I need you to know that they can still contact you. If that happens, please let me know. They might want to escalate things, and if they do, we will be there to protect you," he told her, stressing his final words to ensure her that he'd keep her family safe.

"I still have your card. You will be the first that I call," she agreed with his plan. "Would you like some tea?" she offered him then. She felt like she needed to offer him something for him coming to address the problem himself.

Tommy thought about it for a moment before nodding his head, "please," he agreed to her offer and she smiled before standing to go and put a pot on.

She brewed up enough for two cups and then brought them back to the sitting room; handing one to Tommy before she sat across from him again. What ensued was a good hour of the two of them talking about what Tommy saw as his plans within the Labor Party. (Y/N) knew a lot about factory life (being that her brother worked, and got injured, in one), and she had some strong views on how to improve workplace safety. Tommy agreed with her points, and ensured her that he would find a way to bring them up to his party members. Then the conversation steered in the direction of (Y/N). They spoke about her past, to which she found some comfort in knowing that his upbringing was much like hers.

She didn't know much about Tommy before they'd had this conversation, and it felt good to get to learn about him organically rather than through the grapevine. Tommy also liked to know that his influences and past actions hadn't quite reached her. It was nice for him to be able to speak to her like an ordinary person would.

Time passed by quickly as they talked, and at some point, (Y/N) had noticed that it'd gotten dark out. "I've kept you here far past your desired time, I'm sure," she said as she reached forward to grab the empty cups so that she could take them to the kitchen.

"That's not a problem," Tommy waved her concern off for the second time that day, "I quite liked spending the time with you."

"That's very nice of you to say, Mr. Shelby," (Y/N) couldn't help but feel flattered by his words. She returned to the entry hall and smiled at the look he was giving her. "Tommy, sorry," she corrected herself, a soft giggle escaping her lips. Tommy nodded at her change, a smile on his face also.

"Please let me know if anything happens," he reminded her, bringing their conversation back to a more serious topic.

"I will, Mr. Shelby," she assured her, laughing now as he pulled the face again, "it's gonna take some getting used to, I'm sorry," she said between her giggles, holding her hands up in defense.

Tommy just shook his head at her statement as he stepped onto the stoop. "Have a nice night, (Y/N)," he bid his goodbye to her.

"Good night, Tommy," she smiled at him before he placed his peaked cap back atop his head and began walking down the sidewalk.

(Y/N) tried to keep her breathing steady as she rushed through the marble corridors of the House of Commons. She clutched a paper in her hand as she began walking even faster, knowing that her destination wasn't far.

"I need to speak with Mr. Shelby, please," she quickly announced to the man sitting in the receptionist's desk as soon as she entered the atrium. She'd almost called him 'Tommy', but caught herself when she remembered that this indeed was a formal environment, unlike the times they've met in her sitting room over the past few weeks.

"Do you have an appointment with him?" the man asked, his eyebrow quirked.

"I don't, but I've called him, and I..."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I cannot let you back to see Mr. Shelby without an appointment," the man cut her off, his statement almost making her jaw drop.

"But I...I need to see him and get this into his hands. It's important," she stammered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You need to have an appointment, ma'am," the man held his stance, "I can take the..."

"Let her back, Percy," Tommy's voice cut in from the door to his office, making (Y/N)'s eyes snap over to him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him, knowing that she may just be saved.

The newly named 'Percy' turned to look at Tommy with wide eyes. "But sir, you have..."

"Let her back," Tommy stopped him again, his voice sounding more demanding now. It was all that was needed for Percy to nod and then wave (Y/N) on to walk past his desk and to where Tommy was standing. (Y/N) thanked Tommy, and he nodded as he allowed her to walk past him into his grand office. "You said you have something?" he wasted no time in asking.

"I do," (Y/N) nodded as she raised her hand. "They came to my house," she told him, her shoulders shuddering as she took a deep breath and got ready to recount her encounter with them. "They brought this. It's the record of my brother's debts. They...they told me that I had a week to collect everything, and that if I sought out any legal assistance, it would only get worse for me and my daughter," her voice broke at the mention of Amelia. "They know about my daughter, Tommy," she said, tears running down her cheeks as she spoke in a whisper.

Tommy felt his heart leap into his throat at the display of emotion in front of him. The fact that these men were bringing in her daughter did not sit right with him at all. It made him want to hunt the men down and finish them off himself, but he knew that he couldn't do that. He had a reputation to uphold. His men were trying hard to track them down, but these two were smarter than he thought. So, for now, he needed to find a way to calm her down.

"I'm willing to bet that they're bluffing, (Y/N)," he told her, his words making (Y/N) look up.

"Bluffing?" she repeated the word, hoping that he'd elaborate.

"They've brought this on all of a sudden. My men have been watching them. They don't work with any haste. Odds are, they're just trying to scare you into bringing them the money so that they could put it into more products," he explained his logic to her.

"And if they're not?" (Y/N) couldn't get the possibility out of her mind.

"I'll have men sitting on your house as well as watching them," Tommy assured her, hoping that his plan would make her feel more safe.

(Y/N) nodded her head as she listened to what he had to say. There was something about him and how he spoke that made her worries dissipate. She didn't know what she'd do without his steady hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Tommy, that means a lot," she said, sniffling back her tears.

"You are not going to be harmed by them," he assured her, his eyes boring into hers. (Y/N) nodded along with his statement before she found herself collapsing into his chest and wrapping her arms around his body. This caught Tommy by surprise, but he returned the embrace, his one hand finding her back while the other settled against the back of her head, keeping her tight against his chest. "You're not going to be harmed by them," he assured her, his voice soft as he held their embrace.

(Y/N) nodded against his chest, allowing his steady heartbeat and strong arms to calm her down significantly. She took a deep breath before pulling away from him. "I'm sorry for that, Mr. Shelby," she said as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Don't be," he shook his head, "and call me Tommy, eh?" he reminded her, a hint of a smile on his lips as she laughed at his statement.

"I should let you get back to work...to more important things."

"Your problems are important," he stressed to her, allowing her to go to the door.

"Thanks again, Tommy," she sent a smile in his direction as she reached for the doorknob.

"You're welcome," he nodded his head, the corner of his lips curving upwards as she then opened the door and left his office.

Tommy exhaled a deep breath as he walked through the halls of the Shelby Company Ltd.'s main offices. He opened the door to the office he was looking for and entered it without asking permission.

"Do you need something, Thomas?" the woman behind the desk asked without even looking up from the ledger she'd been studying. Only one person would ever walk into her office without knocking.

"I have a problem, Pol," he stated as he fished out his cigarettes and stuck one between his lips before striking it.

"And you've decided to come to me with your problems again?" Polly was now looking up at Tommy, her one eyebrow raised.

Tommy exhaled and stared at the ceiling, as if he was taking a moment to compose himself before speaking: "with this matter, yes," he huffed, not needing a lecture from her.

"Let me hear it then," she said as she leaned back against her chair.

"I have this woman, (Y/N), and she's in a bad spot. Some men are after her because her brother owed them money, and since he's now passed, that debt has fallen onto her. They've recently made contact with her, and they're threatening her with consequences if the debt isn't paid back within a week," he laid his dilemma out.

"And what have you told her?" Polly asked.

"I've told her that they're bluffing; that they're just wanting the money," Tommy paused and sighed before taking a drag from his cigarette, "but I don't know that for sure, and I can't have her get hurt because of this...because I told her that I'd keep her safe," he then outlined his worries.

Polly pursed her lips for a moment before speaking: "you're seeking redemption."

"What?" Tommy was confused by her words, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Redemption," Polly repeated.

"From what?"

"From Grace," she was quick in telling him.

"No, Pol..." Tommy trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut as he shook his head.

Polly was able to see that she'd struck a chord in him, but she kept going, "you couldn't control those circumstances when she died, but now you can...and you're doing to make sure that this woman stays safe. You're going to do that because you care about her."

"How can you be so sure?" Tommy questioned, now feeling like he was in defense mode.

"Because I'm never wrong in affairs of the heart..." Polly trailed off, gauging her nephew's reaction before continuing, "and I can see that you've let this woman get into your heart...whether you've expressed it to her or not, she's there, and you're going to do whatever you can to keep her safe."

Tommy took a pause and let her words sink in for a few moments. Maybe she had seen what he hadn't. "So what do I do?" he asked.

"Be there for her. Follow through on your promises of keeping her safe," she laid the groundwork for him before continuing, "and then let her know. Let her know your heart...because you wouldn't be beating yourself up like this if she wasn't any other ordinary woman."

Tommy nodded as she spoke. It was time for him to come to grips with what he'd been pushing away. Each time he visited (Y/N), he started to care more and more about who she was as a person, rather than just the situation that she was in.

"Thank you, Pol," he finally said after a few silent moments. Polly just smiled at him, one of those knowing smiles that graced her face whenever it was clear that she'd gotten through to him.

Tommy walked through the rain to get to (Y/N)'s door. He had other obligations that he needed to attend to, but he had just gotten some important information that (Y/N) had to be told as soon as possible. He knocked on her door multiple times before she opened it, clad in just a nightgown.

"Tommy?" she spoke in shock, clearly not expecting him. She stepped aside and let him in anyway. "What's the matter?" she asked him then as they stood in the entryway.

"I've gotten information that Henry has been killed. My men were able to move in on him and take him out earlier today," he relayed the information he'd received only several minutes ago.

(Y/N)'s jaw dropped slightly as she heard what he had to say. "He's dead?"

"Yes," Tommy nodded, then taking the soaked peaked cap off of his head as he noticed the water dripping from it.

"That's good news, right?" she still wasn't sure how to react to it.

"Yes. I have men out now looking for Wes. He wasn't with Henry at the time, but I believe he's close," he assured her, nodding his head again. His breathing still hadn't slowed, and it felt like his nerves were frazzled. "I have to go now," he said as he began to walk to the door.

"Wait, Tommy, I..."

"What?" he spun to face her, his question coming out a bit more harsh than he wanted it to. "I can't stay today. I've got obligations to get to. I'm sorry that I'm leaving so soon,” he softened his voice as he continued speaking.

(Y/N) was a bit taken back by his mood shift. She'd never seen him this on edge before. "Why did you come here then if you had other obligations?" she dared to ask him.

"Because I care about you, (Y/N)," he didn't yell his declaration, but his voice was certainly raised.

"Mum?!" Amelia called from upstairs, surely because she heard Tommy's voice.

"Don't worry, Mia!" (Y/N) called back, her wide eyes not leaving Tommy's.

"I care about you, (Y/N). I wanted you to know about Henry because it may have given you some comfort. I want you to feel safe, and I keep coming here because I feel like only I can provide that safety for you," Tommy explained the reasons behind his previous declaration, his eyes not leaving hers.

Much like last time, (Y/N) couldn't stop herself from stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Tommy. She didn't care if he was soaking wet, she needed him to know that she was touched by his words and that he hadn't scared her off.

Tommy accepted the embrace, his arms wrapping around her securely. "You've found a way into my heart, (Y/N). I can't let anything happen to you now," he told her, his voice soft as he came right next to her ear.

(Y/N) pulled back to look at him. She searched his eyes for a few moments before reaching up to take his face into her hands. She then stood on her toes and closed the gap between them. Tommy met her in the middle, their lips finding each others' for a kiss that held all of their emotions, said and unsaid, wrapped up into it.

They pulled away seconds later with breathless smiles on their faces. "Go on and do your important work, Mr. Shelby," (Y/N) said, her smile widening as she looked up at Tommy, "but please make sure you find your way back here," she added, her words making Tommy's smile grow.

"I will," he promised her, unable to stop himself from leaning down for another kiss before he broke their embrace to go to the door. "I will keep you safe," he told her one more time before opening the door and exiting the house.

(Y/N) tried to keep down her giddiness as she walked into the sitting room and continued reading her book. She didn't think that her interest in Tommy would be reciprocated, and that it would instead stay a companionship. That's why she wasted no time in making a move when she learned his feelings.

Only a few minutes passed before another knock sounded off of her door. (Y/N) jumped from the couch and hastily went to open it, thinking it was Tommy again. Her smile dropped when she opened the door, as the person on the other side was the last she was expecting it to be.

"You thought that I wouldn't find out, huh?" Wes questioned with a wicked smirk as he forced his way into her home, "you thought that you could have Henry killed, and that this would go away...that I would turn tail and run?" he continued as he backed her up further into the house. "Well it doesn't work like that, sweetheart."

"Wes, please, no," (Y/N) stammered out, fear in her eyes as she thought the worst.

“You better have that fucking money, or it’s your life now,” he continued, pulling a gun from the back of his waistband. (Y/N)’s eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, and immediately she began thinking of ways out of the situation. Wes was one step ahead of her though. “You scream and you’re dead,” he told her, waving the revolver around in a taunting manner. “So where’s the money?”

“I...I don’t have all of it yet,” she managed to say as she looked around the room for an escape. After finding nothing promising, she realized that the door was still wide open. Her only hope now was that Wes was just bluffing and that he wouldn’t shoot her the second that she screamed out. She just hoped that Amelia would stay in her place if anything did happen instead of coming down to investigate. “Help!” she screamed at the top of her lungs before squeezing her eyes shut tight.

“You stupid bitch...you’ve signed your death note now,” she heard Wes say before a gunshot rang out throughout the house.

“(Y/N)?!” she heard a frantic voice call out, making her realize that she was still breathing and very much alive. “(Y/N), are you ok?!” the voice asked again, and upon opening her eyes, (Y/N) saw Tommy rushing over to where she was laying on the ground.

“I...I’m fine,” she struggled to get out as she watched him drop down to the floor and scramble to take her into his arms.

“Are you shot, love?” he asked her, his hands and eyes roaming around her body in hopes that he’d be able to see any apparent injuries.

“I don’t think I am...I think his bullet hit the wall,” she answered before she saw Wes’ lifeless body out of the corner of her eye. “How did you...?” she trailed off, unsure of what to even say.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Tommy told her instead of giving any details. He didn’t want to tell her of how he was still in earshot when she screamed out, or of how he ran like a bat out of hell to her house to manage to shoot and kill Wes before he shot her. He was just happy that he had her in his arms.

“You’ve saved me,” she said then, a smile forming on her face.

“I told you that I’d keep you safe,” he said, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead before (Y/N) reached up and matched her lips with his.

They shared a kiss that was cut short by her daughter’s worried voice coming from the stairway. “Mummy’s alright, Mia,” she told her before coaxing the little girl over to where she was in Tommy’s arms. “Tommy’s here. He’s made sure we’re safe,” she assured her.

Amelia glanced between her mother and the man whom she had perceived as someone who’d protect her family from the first moment she saw him. “Thank you, Tommy,” she said quietly, but Tommy heard her.

Her gentle nature instantly brought a smile to his face. “You’re welcome, darling,” he responded to her before the little girl dropped into (Y/N)’s open arms. (Y/N) effectively hid her daughter’s eyes from the body that was still in the entryway as she held her tight against her body.

Tommy couldn’t help but wrap his arms around the two figures he had resting against him. Polly was right. He’d now found his redemption in (Y/N) and her daughter. He had them in his arms now, and he wasn’t planning on letting go for as long as he lived.

Tagged: @alreadybroken-ts @magicalxdaydream @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings

MASTERLIST

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x yn #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #Anna’s Grand Ball

[laf-outloud]

https://www.tumblr.com/laf-outloud/719599290829389824

Jensen Ackles seems too forced when he does anger, too obvious when peeved, too heavy with sarcasm. What kind of acting is that? Maybe it is that it is acting. I don't get the sense that there is anything beneath the surface to explore. He plays a part, rather than becomes the character. I believe the acting Jensen does is considered over-acting without any consideration for the character... it does seem very one-note, at least from what I've seen since SPN. I know he can do better, as even his Dean from early seasons of SPN had a layer of nuance that can only happen by truly understanding the character and his motivations... Unfortunately, the long stretch of SPN either made him lazy or forgetful when it comes to crafting characters and stories.

He's very histrionic when he acts, and it started in the later half of spn. He played Dean so much more nuanced and layered in the early seasons, and more subtle - although Dean as a character was never really "subtle" and that's ok because that's who the character was and it worked for him. As the seasons went on he seemed to get too comfortable and then when the writing took a nosedive, instead of trying to work with the script and still make Dean recognizable as the character we knew, he just went with the script as is and overdid it.

He got comfortable and therefore complacent. He never worked on his craft because he knew he had reliable steady employment for the foreseeable future. Then when spn was coming to an end I think he thought the popularity he found as Dean was going to continue on and he was just going to get offered roles so again, he didn't put any work in (outside of the awful s15 audition reel he tried to work into the show). And now we see where that has gotten him. If he wasn't conventionally good looking and as charismatic as he is, I don't think he would be getting the jobs he's gotten since spn - and he even got all of those by working his connections, but those are going to dry up or move to other positions where they can't help him anymore sooner or later.

I say this all the time when I see his acting nowadays (I watch TB and saw clips from both BS and BG2 online) - when I watch Jensen act I feel like I am watching him think through what he is about to do the second before he does it. I don't see the character, I see Jensen acting (I feel like I am literally watching him do the job rather than play the part). And even then its all mostly just different versions of Dean (which is funny because he seems to have forgotten how to play Dean...).

You're not the first to mention all this, and I doubt the last. I completely agree about the lack of care he took with Dean in the latter seasons of SPN. I think the only times I saw him return to early-seasons Dean were when he was acting against Sam Smith and JDM (and occasionally Jared, though I think he let Jared do most of the heavy lifting when they had emotional scenes).With everyone else, it was just business as usual.

And since then? It's just as you said: "I feel like I am literally watching him do the job rather than play the part." I get the feeling that Jensen also sees these roles as jobs and not an art form, which is why the work he puts into them is so lackluster. The problem is, while putting in the minimum amount of work in other industries can be hidden from future employers, that's not the case with the entertainment industry, where everyone can see how much or how little you care about the "job."

#ask box #anti jensen #jensen's acting

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episode 105 Subbed (Finalized)

(Previously: Episodes 102-104 Subbed [Finalized])

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-105: The New School Year Starts! A Premonition of Turmoil

As the new school year closes in, Manjoume spends the day prior painting blue the building made white by the Society of Light. Elsewhere, Judai reflects on his battles thus far with Neos after fighting together against Saiou--from the experience of losing to Ed and his cards all becoming white, then meeting the Neo-Spacians and acquiring the Neo-Spacian cards before taking Ed head-on one more time, to his forming a tag-team with Ed to battle Mizuchi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We're so back. and ready for some finalized emotional hits

(EDIT, 1/26: Reuploaded due to forgetting a name in the In-Between Animation credits during the ending; I'll be posting the corrected hardsub with 106-107 in the next 2-ish weeks)

After my hiatus once I finished finalizing my Season 2 subs in early October, in which I was able to get some other special stuff worked on, what better way to come back to things for Season 3 than with a recap episode? Episode 105's all done, as we get a little downtime after the end of the battle with Saiou for Manjoume to get some repainting going (which he bails on), Chronos and Napoleon grilling Samejima for his choice to let Ojin and his laser satellite participate in GeneX, and Judai taking us down the Season 2 memory lane to reflect on his second and third duels with Ed and learning about the Neo-Spacians and Light of Destruction in between (the latter is worth holding onto...), as well as their Tag Duel together with Mizuchi, while Manjoume thinks to his last duel with Judai and resolves to defeat him eventually as he walks back to the Red dorm--only to find an unexpected guest hogging up the bath in his special room. It was always a nice shake-up to have Rei rejoin the cast here after GeneX, and though she doesn't duel much (Mystic cards when), she does get her moments here/there in Season 3's first half. But other than that, not much to really think on; Samejima ends the episode by setting out to bring in Professor Cobra, who "quickly raised the level of the Duel Academia's West Campus," to help Judai grow--and knowing what comes next, that sounds like an A+ move...

On a side-note, it always amused me how the only clipshows here to be kept the same in the dub were the Ed/Judai rematch and the Mizuchi one; for some reason, 4Kids thought to add back a ton of footage for the other ones that wasn't really needed. If I had to guess, it was to help time commercial breaks better (and also padding since they cut Manjoume's bumping into Rei in the bath), but just a quick lol. (Also, the change from Samejima being grilled about letting in Ojin and effectively aiding the world's destruction to some fake lawsuit Crowler and Bonaparte were bringing up on him... why. [also also awkward Syrus-in-Blue OP edit my beloved])

That all said, a new season means a new set of OP/ENs, and this time it's a new set of songs too! Saying goodbye to 99% and Wake Up Your Heart after 80 episodes, we're given one of the best OP/EN combos in Teardrop and The Sun (aka "Taiyou"). Teardrop, also by 99%'s BOWL, is more on the melancholic side (helped by the shots of Judai being in a funk himself yet still putting on a brave front; this version of the OP was never released textless, and I'd had a textless edit I worked on previously, but was able to revamp it nicely) and ends up being appropriate for how this season ultimately goes, while The Sun is a great rock song from BITE THE LUNG (that maybe could've used slightly more dynamic visuals for the ED) and arguably could've been a good OP too. I'll be uploading the subbed and textless versions of these over onto NAC with this episode soon, and also my YouTube/Videa accounts.

Animation error-wise, with this being mostly a clipshow, there wasn't too much in new animation to pick up any errors on. I mostly reprised some corrections I made previously, though there was a small one with Manjoume and his megaphone early on, as well as one during the Today's Best Card segment at the end. Details below the cut if interested!

Anywho, enjoy! Think I'll delve back into some double releases for a bit since the next couple episodes are two-parters, so I'll start work on 106 and 107 in a bit, as best boy Johan is introduced and duels Judai, and as we learn about a certain someone behind the scenes. Stay tuned!

Fixes/Edits! (105)

As Manjoume shouts at the Blues painting their dorm blue again, he laughs and haughtily said that they'll repaint it blue to reclaim their pride, but as he does, the megaphone he was holding to his side during the panning shot as he laughs disappears the frame after the pan ends and he starts turning--even though he didn't move his arm enough for it to vanish under the screen. I fixed this by masking out his megaphone and then moving it slightly as he turns forward, then again as he turns to face Asuka as she walks towards him near the end of the shot.

During Judai's flashback to his loss against Ed, I recycled my previous fix to Hero Kid being shown as a Normal Monster by making it an Effect Monster, using the footage I edited in for it.

During Judai's flashback to his/Ed's duel against Mizuchi, I recycled my previous fix to the scene as the Mizuchis acknowledge that Infinite Demon Mirror will destroy all the Dark God Tokens out upon Dark God’s destruction, where Mizuchi #2′s side of their split-screen starts to split away a frame before #1's does, fixed by just holding their split-screen over that early-move frame so that they move simultaneously.

During the Today's Best Card segment at the end, we see Neo-Spacian Gran Mole where Winged Kuriboh's card would normally be, switched in because Winged Kuriboh is this episode's card highlight pick--but as its card spins upward, it ends up randomly disappearing, leaving a blank space where it should be for the duration of when it should be visible. I thought of making a proxy and adding it back in, but it would've been too hard to do with the JP text and the glowing on it, so I fixed this by just removing it and masking in the background over it. For the translated screen in the hardsub, I also placed E-Hero Burstlady where Winged Kuriboh would be just for this episode. (Incidentally, I thought they'd changed some of the rotating cards for Season 3, but they're actually all the same as Season 2's; I think they're changed up for Season 4.)

#yugioh #gx #yugioh gx #ygo #ygo gx #yu-gi-oh gx #yu-gi-oh! gx #my subs #Judai Yuki #[when will a solid English cover of 'The Sun' join the war]

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

It’s Always Sonny in Texas

Featuring TCU Coach, Sonny Dykes

This summer, six months after Sonny Dykes was introduced as the new coach at TCU, I met him when he walked into Dutch's, a burger joint directly across the street from campus. He was just my type, early to mid-50’s, dad bod and handsome as fuck. I had to snap out of my day dreaming because I was about to make a tent out of my pants.

After his order is called, Dykes eats without interruption from other patrons while my eyes were glued to him all the while. Sitting across from him, I thought I would shoot off in my jeans when I saw the outline of his bulge between his legs in his pants. And what a bulge! His polyester shorts hugged his crotch and it didn't leave much at all to the imagination.

Plain as day he saw me eyeing him when he happen to look in my direction which brought a smile on his face. Since he was alone, I decided to make a bold move. I got up and sat at his table. He looked  at me, nodded, and we introduced ourselves. We talked about his season, so the conversation flowed easily.

Well, one thing led to another, and our conversation turned into how I would satisfy him if I got him into my bed.

“Yeah, um. I'm not gay." Dykes said.

"Not saying you are. All you have to do is sit back and let the guy do the work to pleasure you.” I said as he laughs it off and drinks his drink nervously.

"Just think about." I told him as I got up to leave making sure you brush your hard bulge up against his arm. he doesn’t pull away. a good sign.

I was in the parking lot, heading for my car, feeling good about myself. And just as I'm about to open my car door, I hear, “Wait.”

Turning around, it's Sonny walking briskly to catch up with me with his junk jiggling all the way.

Well, it didn’t take long before we both were in a motel room and found ourselves naked with my hands around his cock. It was about 7 inches, thick, veiny and most importantly, hard. I licked from the bottom of his shaft to the tip as he shuddered in pleasure. I took in his musky smell and it felt so erotic.

"Suck it." He ordered as I slipped my lips over his manhood and went to work.

I could feel the veins on his swollen cock as my lips glided up and down. His salty precum hit my tongue and I looked up at him. His glazed over eyes told me everything I needed to know. I had him right where I wanted him. He's going to be my fuck buddy for life.

After a few more moment of letting me suck his dick, I let Sonny's cock pop free from my lips. I slowly stroked his cock as I kissed my way down it. I got to his balls and lightly licked them. A moan escaped his mouth and I took that opportunity to ask, "Do you want to fuck me?"

"Yeah, I'll fuck you. Fuck you like a paid whore." Sonny said as we quickly got to out feet.

I wanted Sonny to fuck me. I wanted to feel his cock inside of me. But I paused long enough to get some KY that I keep for these situations.

"Here put some of this on your dick." I told the old man. Then I got on the bed on all fours, jetting my butt in his direction.

Sonny smacked my ass and pulled me closer to him. A moment latter I felt his slippery dick head pressing against my asshole.

"Take my dick your fucking queer." The old man said almost angrily as he rammed his dick into me.

Then Sonny pulled his dick half way out of me and slammed it back inside my asshole. I called out and tightened my grip on the sheets as 52-year-old Texan started fucking me as hard and fast as I could ever remember being fucked.

"Damn you've got one hot ass." The old man said as he slapped my ass while he pumped his dick in and out of me.

Then he was fucking me harder than I had ever fucked my wife. The coach pumped his plump man meat into me over and over again as I moaned and grunted like a whore getting fucked. I would have never thought that my day would have me being fucked by Sonny Dykes.

"Tell me how bad you want my cock in your ass! Beg me to cum in your ass!"

"I love it, I need it. I need it SO bad. Fuck my ass, own it!" I said as I was pushing back against his thrusts enjoying the sound of skin slapping together, and that hard dick pounding my ass.

Hearing that, spurred him to pump into me faster and harder forcing more moans and gasps from me. Then he grabbed my by the shoulders, slammed his dick deep inside of me and grunted. He began spraying my insides with his hot cum. I could feel it in me. I too shot off. Cum squirted out of my dick onto the bed. And this without me even touching it.

#It’s Always Sonny in Texas #Sonny Dykes #fan fiction #college football coach #football coach

[boyfriendsmalec]

I am a firm believer that episode 6 was not a dream sequence (I'm not saying certain scenes couldn't be, but the episode as a whole is definitely not). People can theorize as they choose but every theory that seems to say it's a dream thinks it's to do with the lighting choices and the way scenes are cut.

I think the lighting choices and cuts are intentional but not indicating that it's a dream sequence, rather they're either editorial/directorial preference or it may be that we're supposed to be seeing from Jaewon's point of view. Perhaps episode 6 being very dreamy is because it is a dream for Jaewon. I don't mean a literal dream. I mean that this trip with Jihyun is like a dream to Jaewon because he gets to be entirely removed from reality. The whole episode is practically the two of them together without any outside influence. Jaewon feels lighter by the water, happier, it's his safe space, and Jihyun has become his safe person.

The lighting is soft and light, in contrast to near constant darkness that was in the latter half of episode 5. Also while we do see Jaewon talk about getting medications in the end of episode 5 (which was actually part of a flashback from episode 4), we never saw him take this medicine on-screen yet, and to be honest I think it'll be reserved for a later episode (probably ep 8/9) where this will come more into play.

Other reasons I don't think episode 6 is a dream (below the cut because this gets long):

Jaewon's conversation opening up to Jihyun about his brother -- that whole conversation is a dream? A hallucination? Him telling Jihyun about his dream of being a photographer? I find it a bit hard to believe all of this was part of a dream sequence.

This would be a complete backtrack of their relationship and from everything we've seen in the trailers (Jihyun and Jaewon lying in Jihyun's dorm room together cuddling, them holding hands in the car during the scene driving through the tunnel + the voiceover of them agreeing to start a relationship despite the fears they have, Jaewon wrapping a jacket around Jihyun [which sidenote, it just occurred to me that Jaewon does this because Jihyun complains about getting cold easily, so sweet!])

Given we only have 4 more episodes left my best guess is episode 7 will be pretty fluffy with them in a relationship together, episode 8 will be focused on building up tension again (with Jihyun's friends and family), episode 9 will be the climax with Jihyun's actual drowning scene (I've said before in other posts but I think the hotel scene [maybe] and drowning scene take place together in a separate trip during a flash forward), and episode 10 will be the fall out. I could see the timeline being altered a little but this is the format most shows would play. If episode 6 was a dream, they would have to do a re-do of Jaewon and Jihyun's relationship building that they just did in episode 6. Which frankly, seems kinda odd for a show that's already got a limited runtime (10, 30-minute episodes is more than most KBLs, but it's still a short show overall)

Again with the above point, relationship building between our two leads was such an important element in episode 6, and to take that away and essentially retcon the whole thing to being a dream/hallucination of Jaewon's would really make a lot of the audience upset (including myself to be honest). I really don't think the writers would have characters enter a relationship and undergo so much character/relationship development to just do away with it. For what purpose? Dream sequences can happen in a show yes, but a whole episode? That means 10% of this show's season would be used for a dream sequence. Most writers wouldn't do that because a whole 30-minute dream sequence episode like this would serve ultimately no purpose. And this doesn't seem to be the type of show to spend their runtime on an episode that accomplishes nothing for the overall plot/story/characters.

While people have talked about the character development of Jaewon in this episode, it also had a lot of character building for Jihyun too. We finally find out why Jihyun never swam before and why he seemed in the beginning of the show to be a bit scared of the ocean. I highly doubt Jaewon would make up a story in his head about Jihyun getting hazed in the water. Or make up such details about Jihyun like him having a tendency to get cold.

This may be the strongest contender for why this whole episode is not a dream sequence: Jihyun talks to Jaewon about his interactions with Aeri and says she taught him how to take photos. Jaewon had no idea about that!

Another major reason why I think episode 6 is definitely real is: Taekyung asks Jaewon in the trailer why he would go on a trip with Jihyun when he barely knows him. Why would Taekyung ask Jaewon this if the beach trip isn't real?

Also about the gear of the camping trip: I know people say it has to be a dream/hallucination that they suddenly had all the gear they needed. But to me I just personally thought that Jaewon had all this stuff in his trunk already. I get a feeling that Jaewon has run away to the beach before by himself. Like yes he had to chairs, but besides that he only had one sleeping bag that they had to share, so he likely has camped out by himself before.

As for the rest stop guy, I don't know what to tell you guys but to be honest I didn't think much of him when I saw it. Like yes he gave things away for free but they seemed like random things he had in the back. Like random old songs on a USB? That didn't seem a big gift or anything to me. Most likely something no one ever purchased. Plus lots of Korean dramas have funny little side characters like him so it didn't seem anything out of the ordinary to me.

Anyway feel free to share your thoughts!

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense theories #the eighth sense speculation

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

About a month ago (I thought it was longer!) I posted some ficlets with the promise that a longer Lancelot Lives Alt Season 4 full fic was coming. It has been going slowly. Like, "less than 15k words since then" slow. I started alt Servant of Two Masters literally with Mercelot Week and they've just found out that he's trying to kill Arthur slow. And I thought, you know, I could post another sneak peek.

A few days ago, I made myself sad writing the first conversation between Lancelot and Merlin since the latter went missing (not that the scene itself comes off as all that sad, it is from Fomorroh!Merlin, but I thought of how sad Lancelot would've been and well). Yesterday, I made this fic into a comedy:

“It’s probably best that we get there first,” Gwen tried to demur.

“We think Merlin might have been enchanted to kill Arthur,” Gaius said.

Gwen made a sound like a mix between a boiling kettle and a cat whose tail had been stepped on, but Lancelot didn’t pay it any mind.

“What?” he yelped and didn’t wait for an actual answer before breaking into a run. 

Fortunately, while the physician’s chambers were on the top of a tower, isolated from the rest of the castle, they’d also been placed close to the Royal Chambers. He burst through the doors not a minute later, just in time to see Merlin pull an arrow out of a pillar. Thinking only of that weapon in his hand (the danger to Arthur’s life, to Merlin’s life if he was caught after the act, how it’d break his heart if he hurt Arthur or worse) and not the startled look on his face or the bewildered question from behind the privacy screen, Lancelot launched himself at him.

They went down in a tangle of limbs.

“What on earth— Lancelot?!” Arthur exclaimed, running over. “What is going on?!”

“Get off me!” Merlin struggled like a fish on land.

“I just… hadn’t seen him since he came back!” Lancelot said, barely dodging an elbow to the face. “I’m so happy he’s alive!” he insisted, finally managing to wrap his arms around his torso to immobilize him.

“What are you talking about? We just saw each other in the Armoury!” It was a good thing Merlin had dropped the arrow when they fell, because Lancelot was pretty sure he’d have been stabbed by now otherwise. 

“I think you imagined that.” Lancelot was half trying to pin Merlin’s legs under his own, half trying to avoid a kick to any sensitive spot when Gwen arrived at the door, out of breath.

“Arthur, they need you at the Throne Room,” she gasped out. “You have to go.”

“Why would I ever torture myself by imagining more conversations with you? The ones I have to suffer through in reality are more than enough for any sane being,” Merlin said, still wriggling.

Lancelot shot Arthur a wide beam. “He’s so funny.”

Merlin took that moment of distraction to twist suddenly, getting his legs under himself. He might have gotten enough leverage to shake Lancelot off and stand up if Gwen hadn’t jumped on him as well.

“You too?!” Arthur demanded, arms spread. “You saw him this morning!”

“I missed him so much,” she explained, holding on for dear life.

Gaius appeared at the door and Arthur turned to him.

“Let me guess.” Arthur gestured wildly. “Do you want to drop to my floor?”

“No, sire,” Gaius answered, eyes narrowed. “Do you?”

Arthur made a strangled noise that choked itself into a laugh.

“Back to normal, then,” he sighed. He walked across the room, past the wrestling figures in the floor that became a lot more active when Merlin saw Arthur come within reach, and grabbed his ceremonial sword. “I better get going. You” —he waved a hand— “have fun.”

“Wait,” Merlin shouted after him. “Don’t you need me to—?”

Arthur slammed the door behind himself pointedly.

#Merlin BBC #alt season 4 #lancelot lives au #WLWAAOD #(that's When Love Was An Act Of Defiance btw) #Merlin #Lancelot #Mercelot #this is not the first time this has happened #the funny 'sneak around the camp base to get the triskelion and climb to the tower of ashkanar' was directly preceded by a heavy convo abou #dragonlord culture and how much had been lost and destroyed beyond repair #Arthur Pendragon #Gwen #guinevere pendragon

[noemitenshi]

Second Chances

a post season 8 story by

NoemiTenshi and rebelbravado

Chapter 3 - Blood

Ri was pacing the room, which was a hard thing to do with a needle up your arm and a tube attached to it. When Dasha found it already at her fingertips, she looked very unhappy with Ri. 

“No.” Not only Dasha’s tone but her entire demeanor felt like a threat. “Sit!” she hissed at Ri, making River –who had just re-entered the room to bring fresh towels and water and take the bloodied ones out– flinch a little.

Ri looked from Dasha to Troy –she had learned his name while Lee got the blood transfusion ready– and back several times. Shifting from one foot to the other because she needed to do something. He was still losing blood, and the metal was still not completely out of his body. 

A string of Russian words came out of Dasha (who was the only one with a classical surgical background – one obtained in the old world, in a hospital) as she went back and concentrated on her patient, her body curved over the man to see better. Miguel however, was perfectly calm while he helped her, having learned in much more chaotic circumstances by Dasha’s side, years ago when they were still traveling around and hadn’t had even a fraction of the medical equipment they now had.

“She’s right, love. You should sit.” Lee broke through Ri’s conflicting thoughts and gently pushed her to the chair next to the operating table. He was proud to say they had managed to build a pretty decent med bay over the years on their compound. 

“I’ll get you something to drink and eat, hm?” he offered now too. “Just sit. You’re doing more than enough.” 

And so Ri did sit. She watched her own blood move through a narrow tube, on it’s way to a stranger’s body. It wasn’t the first time she’d done this, since her blood was the most viable option most times, but it was the first time she was doing it while the receiver’s guts were still out. She hoped it would be enough, what she could give.

Every so often Adam, another medically trained group member, checked both Troy’s and Ri’s vitals, especially once they neared the limits of what was safe. Troy’s breathing, heartbeat, the amount of blood loss. Ri’s heartbeat, blood pressure and responsiveness. 

After a while Lee helped Ri tilt her chair so she was lying down before going back to assist Dasha in whatever she needed. 

They found Dasha at a trading post years ago, when Ri was pregnant and she offered to at least oversee the birth. It wasn’t long before she stole Taqa’s heart, a task only achievable by someone who’s heart was just as hard to attain apparently. The two of them were and odd pair at first, both stern and quiet, moody at times. (At the group but also each other). But it soon got clear to the rest that there was a calm and strong love there. Something practical yet deep, maybe not as passionate on the outside as Lee and Ri’s marriage, but unwavering nonetheless. 

When Dasha asked Adam to check on Ri’s blood pressure for the third time, Adam made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a thinking sound. This had both Lee and Dasha on high alert, the latter put her instruments down to look at Ri over her glasses. 

“Okay, I think that’s enough.” 

“Will he make it?” Ri asked, her own face as stern as the doctor’s. A sign to Lee that she was still okay, for now. 

“Unlikely.” Dasha was anything if not honest. At that River rushed out of the room again, carrying more bloodied rags out.

“Well then get back to work,” Ri said, as she positioned herself comfortably in her seat again, resting her head back, concentrating on her body. Observing how much would actually be too much. She could feel Lee squeeze her hand. Feel Adam’s eyes on her more than on Troy. They should be on fucking Troy! 

“You sure you’re alright, love?” he asked, quietly. 

“How much are we at?” Ri asked without looking at him, staring at the ceiling of what was once most likely a pigsty. 

“Just over a pint and a half,” Adam answered.

“That’s...” Lee started but was interrupted by Ri.

“I’m fine.” 

Lee knew better than to fight with his wife when she got that determined look about her, but there was no way he was losing her or risking her health for a stunt like this. That has always been the rule. Especially now that they had a son. So, instead of questioning her, he kept an eye on her, observing every slight change in her. The color of her warm skin paling, her eyes looking far off, her blinking slowing or her breathing fastening. None of it was there just yet, and as long as it wasn’t, he trusted her judgment. 

When Ri started to look tired, and her head dipped just the slightest, Lee sat up, his entire being tense. 

“Adam...!” he warned. 

“I see it. Take her off.” 

“No, I’m fine, I can—” 

“Shut up,” Lee growled low, getting up to take the needle out of Ri. 

“Trust me.” Ri had grabbed Lee’s wrist, making him look at her. Her eyes were still clear, fighting. Always fighting. Lee held his arm up as Adam approached, making him halt his actions.

“You get one more minute and then I’m unhooking you,” Lee grumbled.

Ri nodded in thanks, smiling a little even as she swallowed and that concentrated look returned to her face. Lee kissed the palm of her hand and put it to his cheek as he turned his head to glance at Troy.

Dasha was sweating with the effort of helping him, her hands swift and precise as Miguel assisted her with practiced ease. River honored her name by flowing around the room making sure they had clean instruments and rags, fresh bandages and hot clean water while Adam surveyed the patient and his donor. And organized chaos.

They had all been put through the wringer over the years, saving one another and so many others that they were now a well trained team and still the task at hand seemed impossible.

Dasha had been complaining about the state her patient was in when they had arrived home, and Lee had had no answers or information to help her with. What happened to him? God, if only he knew. 

When his gaze turned back to his wife the minute was not yet up but he dropped her hand anyway. He did not like the way she looked somewhat drowsy. When he checked her blood pressure, he said;

“Okay, that’s it. You’re done.” He kissed her forehead before carefully removing the needle from her skin, gently, so gently, putting a band-aid on the little puncture there. “You did good, honey. Let’s get you to lie down, hm?” 

“How is he?” Ri asked, not answering him when he scooped her up into his arms and helped her onto a bed not far from where Dasha was still working on Troy. 

“They’ve got him,” he chanted soothingly as he took Ri away a little from the chaos. He looked over his shoulder as he started to undo Ri’s dirty jacket and boots. Helping her into a new shirt, making a mental note to come back and help wash her later, after he was done helping Dasha and the others.

“How is he?” Ri repeated.

“Eh...” Lee wiggled his head, uncomfortable with the cold hard truth that things still weren’t looking up for Troy. “It’ll be touch and go.” 

Ri’s hand was on his arm then as she stretched her neck to try and see for herself. “I should...” 

“You should rest. Finish your drink and eat a little. I’ll go help them, alright?” Lee’s hands were on the sides of her face now, making his wife look at him. His eyes tender as he pressed one, two, three kisses along her forehead. “I promise I’ll do everything I can.” 

Ri nodded softly, blinking slowly as a faint smile tugged at those pretty lips. 

“I know, baby. You always do.” 

“Get some sleep.” 

And after one final kiss, Lee joined the others in what would turn out to be a several hour long fight for Troy’s life.  

* 

“Ssh, quiet, quiet...let her sleep,” Lee gently whispered to his son as he helped him up onto the edge of the bed. The six-year-old carefully –so carefully– curled up against his mom, who was fast asleep now. Chase’s small hand gently played with the end of her braid, twirling that soft hair around his little fingers over and over. 

“Your mom saved someone today, she needs lots of rest now,” Lee said quietly as he kissed the top of Chase’s head. The kid turned his head and looked up at his father, eyes beaming with pride before he snuggled back up to his mother. It had been the first time he’d seen her since they left that morning and Lee couldn’t blame him for wanting to. Couldn’t blame their son for wanting to be close to his mom when it was all Lee wanted too. 

Lee sat down in a chair besides in between two beds. Ri to his left, Troy to his left. He opened the curtain that separated their two beds. Troy was still out, of course he was, probably would be for a while, if he’d even make it through the night. And Ri...Ri had gotten much closer to that line of what was safe than Lee was comfortable with. He hoped it hadn’t been too close. Hoped the effects wouldn’t be long lasting.

He’d never forgive himself if they were.

And as he sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to relax after the day’s events, he was haunted by the look in Troy’s eyes that had cried out help me.

He hoped they had done just that. Troy’s condition, even after all that hard work, wasn’t promising in the least.

#troy otto #crazy dog #ri #fanfic #ftwd fanfic #ftwd #medical inaccuracies #whump #fix-it #amnesiac!troy #my fic #second chances

[thatone-highlighter]

A SINGLE PALE ROSE GRGRHDHDBDHSH,, I don’t have a ton to say (especially since it’s been years since I’ve watched most of su) but PLEASE rant about a single pale rose I beg

Man A Single Pale Rose. That episode was such a turning point it was huge when it came out. For ages one of the biggest debates in the fandom was between the people who thought Rose was Pink Diamond, and the people who thought that the people who thought Rose was PD were idiots. I was part of the latter group i thought there was no way that could possibly be true its just one of those crazy theories that doesn’t make any sense. And then Single Pale Rose happened and shook Everything

Single Pale Rose Single Handedly causes the entire rest of the season, if Steven hadn’t decided then and there to push on it if Pearl hadn’t managed to find a way to actually tell him. If it hadnt have happened the diamonds would have shown up and the crystal gems would have lost, the only reason they don’t is that Steven manages to tell them hes PD, if it had of been a little later the diamonds would have arrived in the middle of That emotional debacle

One part of the episode i really like is how it builds up, it gives you hints and implications as the episode goes on so by the time the actual reveal happens and you see Rose shapeshift into PD you pretty much already know where the scene is going. I just think its a clever way to do it and also the whole pearl-ception thing with pearl inside pearl inside pearl inside pearl inside pearl’s pearl, its played for a joke but has some interesting implications about how gems memories work and weather it applies to all gems or if Pearl is specific in that way

The way Rose is portrayed throughout the series is really interesting to me, people have said it before but her arc really is shown in reverse. The first mentions the audience gets of her is characters praising her and making her look like the most perfect person in the world, placing her high up on this pedestal that everyone put her on and making Steven think he has to try to live up to what everyone else says about Rose, then as season 1 and 2 go on theres little bits and pieces, we find out maybe she wasn’t completely perfect and had some flaws but she was still really really good. And then come season 3 the real cracks start to show, she poofed and bubbled Bismuth and hid it from everyone for some unclear reason, i feel like theres smthn else but im blanking, and then in the last three eps of the season, Beta, Back To The Moon, and Bubbled, its all shattered (he) when we find out Rose Killed somebody, also retroactively making the Bismuth thing worse. And then barely a season and a half later it’s revealed that Rose and the person she killed, are the same person. And that messes with everything. Now she looks like this awful person who lied to everyone who ever cared about her and caused the deaths of thousands of people by staging a stupid war where she was the head of both sides. And then with the movie and future we learn about Pink Pearl and Spinel and how theyve been treated.

And thats the order her arc is presented in because thats the order Steven learns about it in. And so Rose goes from a saint Steven could never dream of living up to, to someone Steven never wants to be anything like. But if you reorganise everything into chronological order, while shes still not a great person and still did some awful awful things, you can see her intentions and that she really wasnt a malicious party in all this. She starts off a kid, and being treated like one by the people she craves to be seen as a equal by. Shes mistreated by the people around her and so tries to get their attention the only way she knows how, by throwing tantrums. Eventually she manages to get her own colony and almost instantly she sees whats wrong with what they’re doing, shes likely never had the chance to see the process in action so she never got it until then. She tries and tries to go back on what shes said but the other diamonds wont let her, so she makes a drastic choice that then has consequences she hadn’t considered. And an all out war breaks out, but shes too deep by now, she can just come out and say what shes done nobody will ever take her seriously ever again, so she has to end it on her own. And she does the war ends. She didnt know what the diamonds would do after she didnt know about the cluster or the gem experiments or the corruption song, if she’d known maybe she would have made a different choice, maybe she wouldnt have who knows. And then she spends the rest of her days loving and protecting the world she fought so hard for, living with the knowledge of the things shes done, and she tries to be better.

#i love su sm fr fr #i didnt know if be able to write that much about single pale rose but ig i scammed it by going on about rose herself instead #sgdjdhgsgsgsghd #considering its such a HUGE episode i really couldnt think of much to say about SPR #id have a lot more to say about the fallout of SPR but as a stand alone not much #the ending is so funny tho like. what was going on ghe other two were there #imagine if they hadnt been. imagine if steven had of dropped back out into an empty room and then had to go tell pol #do u think he would have waited. would pearl have been able to help him or is him knowing not enough the others needed to know too #the end of that episode is so funny tho just Amethyst’s ‘whaaaaa’ and the ep cuts to credits #especially since on the airings the credits olayed over a trailer for the next episodes #and the trailed had Amethyst’s line from NWOFA of ‘so youre telling me rose quarts leader of the crystal gems was actually pink diamond???!’ #peak comedy shout out #Tree Man Posts #asks #steven universe #single pale rose

[miss-andromeda]

1, 2, 6, and 8 for All's Fair 🥰

Favorite scene or line?

I'll answer both!

Scene: Definitely the end of 'Gravity of It All,' where Andi and April are talking to the boys about saving Kirby on the fire escape. I think I aced the feeling I was going for, and I loved Andi taking April's hand and comforting her. I think I really aced her loyalty and her protectiveness over her best friend. 🩷

Line: Hmmm...I'm gonna cheat and say a few lines, from 'It's Nice To Have A Friend':

"Gah, if only she could love someone like me!" He exclaimed, then sighed to himself as he calmed down. "She'd make me the happiest turtle this side of the Atlantic...and I'd do everything to make her the happiest girl, no questions asked..." Out of instinct, he picked up the controller again, his gaze averting to it. "But, to be fair, Donatello, your feelings for her aren't gonna change the fact that she's always gonna be a friend to you. You know darn well that at the end of the day, even if she never loves you back, she's still gonna be your lab partner and especially your friend."

I really love this part, and this chapter, in particular. This is what separates canon Don from my Don; the latter, I feel like, is more emotionally mature and is more accepting of heartache - and clearly wants Andi regardless of the type of relationship - lovers, best friends, whatever. Canon Don can be a little too creepy with his feelings towards April (granted, the writers never really gave him a chance to experience heartbreak with April turning him down,) while I feel like my Don is more aware of the possibility that Andi wouldn't reciprocate his feelings, but as he said, he still sees her as a friend no matter what.

2. Did you have any ideas that didn't make the final cut?

I did! So without going into spoiler territory, let me explain:

Season 2's finale is gonna be a consecutive set of gut punches, we obviously know that. But along with Leo getting beaten half to death, Andi's also gonna have a fight with a recurring antagonist - who is gonna stab her and leave her to bleed out. This is still confirmed, but who finds her is different.

Originally, it was Donnie that was gonna find her. He was going to let his anxiety about her leaving April's apartment get the better of him and go searching for her, where he would find her bleeding out and seeing little snowflakes get on her body. He would frantically try and patch her up, before starting to sob and hit his fist against the rooftop asphalt in pain, all while freaking out who could've done this.

But I scrapped it for a different route - one that not only expands upon two other characters, but also makes Donnie patching her up have more sense to it, as he'll do it at April's apartment, where a first aid kit is readily available.

So in the final cut, Raph and Casey are the ones who find her right before they get to April's apartment. Raph is shocked and absolutely livid, immediately going to tie off Andi's wound to stop it from bleeding further with his bandana - all while fighting back tears at seeing his little sister like this (obviously they're not actually siblings, but their dynamic has already been established at this point.)

Casey is admittedly more shocked. He's never seen Andi be this vulnerable before, so to see it happen is crazy to him. He'll do his best to try and get her to talk to them and ask what happened to her (and even better, who did it,) but when Andi weakly tells them who (no spoilers as to who,) that's when she's goes unconscious. He'll look at Raph with confusion (like, 'who's she talking about?') and Raph will grimly tell him as he's picking up Andi - and admittedly, he's gonna feel guilty about assuming she's annoying because she just wants to be. Her life isn't all it's cracked up to be, and he's gonna gain a little bit of respect for her.

Granted, they're still not gonna be best friends, but there will be a mutual, almost grudging, kind of respect.

6. What character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

Hm...that's an interesting question. I think because she's the new addition to the cast and I have to imagine her part in each scene she's in, I'd have to say Andi, funny enough. It's only because I grew up with the canon story that I know it so well and I feel like I can read the minds of each character, but Andi's a different story, because all of her dialogue is my own and I have to consider her part in whatever scene she's in.

8. Which fic/headcanon do you feel most proud of?

By fic, I'm gonna interpret that as chapter 😅

So admittedly, I'm most proud of both 'The Very First Night' and 'It's Nice To Have A Friend'. I think both have really solid dialogue and action sequences, and have some of my favorite Andi moments. 'Very First Night' has Andi's concussion and her meeting Donnie for the first time, and 'It's Nice' has some really sweet Don/Andi moments, Andi being protective over April (I especially like her panicking over April leaving to storm the Kraang base,) and my favorite line in the series, 'The one who is called your mother wears the boots that are made for combat.'

And for headcanon? Probably the idea that Don and Andi are major fans of Stranger Things. Obviously the show wouldn't exist when the story takes place (All's Fair is in 2012, Stranger Things came out in 2016), but in my mind, they're both huge fans; constantly quoting their favorite scenes, commentating over each episode (giving theories, cheering or booing certain characters, etc.), and losing their minds when the new season comes out. And I'll finish it off with; every time a new season comes out, they claim the living room for themselves, get a ton of snacks, make a pillow fort for good measure, and binge the whole thing in one go.

----------

Lord, that was a lot 😅 But regardless, thank you for the ask! Love you ❤️

@android-cap-007 @happymoonangel @kikithedreamerwriter @jasminarts01 @thelaundrybitch @m1dnyt3-w0lf @raphsmuneca @margoteve

#all's fair in love and science #oc andi rhodes #tmnt 2012 #tagged! #fic tag game