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popculturebuffet · 5 years

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Comics Corner: Child’s Play #1 “Night of the Living Doll”

Happy days before Halloween everybody. While I have an X-tra Spooky treat planned for the day itself, I thought i’d start branching out from X-Men Comics (though that will be my primary focus), with a comic i’ve been dying to read since I found out it existed: The Child’s Play mini series from innovation comic, one of only two series and 10 comics overall starring your faviorite murder doll and mine: Charles “Chucky” Lee Ray. Also contains a slasher off to see who would win between Chucky and some classsic killers because the comic put the idea in my brain. Wanna Play? Then join me after the cut.

WARNING: This review contains scenes of Gore. While I did try to cut it down being a horror comic about a slasher villain, this was inevitable, Discretion is advised.

Child’s Play is a horror franchise I absoltuley love. While i’ve procastinated on seeing the DTV sequels, not that I think their bad i’m just a forgetful mess sometimes, and Seed, because no amount of Jennifer Tilly or intresting gender identity issue stuff will compensate for me having to watch Chucky masturbate, I have followed the series for years, afraid to watch it because I wasn’t a huge horror fan at the time and Chucky scared the shit out of me as a kid. Eventually I realized that despite my fear I loved the franchise for it’s thoroughly interesting killer, entertaining kills, and at it’s best great stories and at it’s worst so bad it’s good royalty. Even the Don Manncini, creator of the series and writer of every film and director of three, disowned remake is pretty good if thoroughly it’s own thing. So naturally a Mini-Series taking place between 2 and 3 that may fit neatly into continuity, this is my shit and i’m so happy to finally read it.

For the lapsed and unintiated, the Chucky/Child’s Play series, the original anyway the remake is it’s own thing and has it’s own backstory, follows Charles Lee Ray, aka Chucky, a serial killer who in desperation to get away from the cop perusing him after his partner ratted him out, used his vodoo knowledge, because every serial killer knows voodoo apparently, to put himself in the nearest vessel, a doll. The rest of the backstory can be covered as we go as the first issue does a really good job of organically explaning it for the unaware. Granted I don’t know if most non child’s play watchers would be intrested in this comic but it’s a nice gesture.

This mini comes to us from innovation entertainment, a 90′s publishing company that made tie in comics for a number of things, and from writer Andy Mangels who also wrote Innovation’s Nightmare on Elm Street comics, which Linkara has covered in detail if your curious and which i’ll probably cover myself at some point, especially since this issue made a strong impression on me. Speaking of which, the mini as mentioned takes place between the second and third films, both of which have their own adaptations that i’ll cover eventually, but I felt the original story was more appealing. As far as I can tell there have only been really three bits of media outside the franchise, not counting the aborted video game: A , from all accounts, terrible endless runner game, this mini series, and another mini series from Hack/Slash creator and former Nightwing Maestro Tim Seely, as well as a crossover between Hack/Slash and Chucky from Seely. And having read said crossover and found it excellent and feeling just like the movies in regards to the little shit, I hope to find the mini one day and share it with you lovely people. But even if I had i’d probably be covering this one first since chronological order combined with the fact it seems that mini dosen’t fit into canon anymore and this one might. Now the exposition is out of the way let’s get to the good stuff.

Since I didn’t really cover the covers in my first two X-Men reviews, and feel I really should going issue by issue it just hadn’t occured to me, let’s look at the cover. It’s decent, kinda a parody of old horror comics covers or old horror movie covers and a nice start to things.. although frankly I would’ve preffered the splash page instead.

I love it. It’s a nice little gag, and while the blood splatter is partly nonsensical and looks like Chucky just killed a guy to splatter some extra blood about to make his collection look more badass.. though given who we’re dealing with it wouldn’t suprise me, so it dosen’t really detract. That being said being a burgeoning horror fan and having seen films from most of these franchises and knowing enough about those I don’t from other reviewers reviews, i’d be remiss if I didn’t speculate about if Chucky could win against these other titans of terror. PLACE YOUR BETS BITCHES, IT’S A SLASHER OFF.

Chucky Versus Micheal Meyers: He’d stab him for the love guru. Easy joke aside the horror of haddonefield does have size and strength, even in his old man version from the recent movie and upcoming sequels, over Chucky and while I thought this would be easily him... Chucky has him in speed and agility. He could climb that fucker and stab him up and down, shadow of colossus style, until even Micheal would have to buckle over, or just as likely set an elaborate trap like 2k18 Laurie. Micheal has some intellegence and a Chuck’s own drive not to give up, but that won’t save him from an opponent who’s faster, smarter and just as piss angry stubborn. Chucky wins. Chucky Versus the Creature from the Black Lagoon: Chucky. The creature is strong but chucky’s craftier and would poison a lake just to kill a bastard. Chucky Versus Jason: Tough call. Like Micheal, Jason is slow.. but he’s also 20 times more durrable, stronger and way more likely to get Chucky off him. He’s also more likely to use the environment meaning even if I vastly prefer Chucky, it’s a more even fight and more likely to go in Jason’s favor, as any trap Chucky set would likely get walked off. Jason wins. Chucky Vs The Phantom of the Opera: Not really a traditional slasher and I don’t really know the version that is or the version that isn’t to be frank, but it seems like Erik could take chucky in cleverness and ruthlessness and combined with having home field advantage, i’m calling advantage Erik. He wins. Chucky Vs Dracula: Okay 1, make this a movie yesterday Mancini and 2, this is a tough one. On the one hand Drac has mist, a horde of brides, wolves and transformation. If it’s home court, Chucky’s gonna die, especially if the count simply uses his brides to seduce him as Chucky is kinda easy that way. But in the US? Chucky is an onry bastard and Dracula has a ton of weakness, so I could see Chucky loosing round one then coming back to kill the bastard at dawn and anyone dumb enough to defend his coffin. Plus Chucky isn’t alone having Tiffany and the ablity to split himself among good guy dolls, so I could see Chucky creating another army of himself to do a suicide run on Drac’s castle. It’d hurt but Chucky is a vengeful dick. Chucky wins. Seriously Mancni get on this. Chucky Vs Freddy: Depends on the setting: In the Dream World, it’s likely Freddy as he can throw Chuck off guard by giving him his body back or using former survivors, while in the real world it’s Chucky’s turf but Freddy still has knife hands with more reach than his lumbering opponents, so even with prep I expect Chucky to eat that one, so I give it to Freddy. But honestly I prefer Don Mancini’s ACTUAL pitch for a crossover he’s trying to get happening: Chucky and Freddy meet up, and actually admire each other’s style but realize that two killers in town will dry up all the victims so they wage a dirty rotten scoundrel’s style looser leaves town contest: whoever chops up the most teens by dawn stays. I want that yesterday too. Chucky Vs Xenomorph: If it’s a facehugger as shown, Chucky, it probably woudln’t be able to bond with him and he’d stab it. But a proper showdown.. xenomorph. It matches Chucky’s speed, ferocity and while not as intelligent is still far stronger and just as ruthless. Chucky Vs Leatherface: Chucky. While Leatherface has the better weapon and matching speed, Chucky can outthink him. Chucky wins but while I haven’t seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre, against the whole clan Chucky probably woudln’t win.. but would probably throw in with them long enough to survive since he’s a murderous bastard too and as long as he dosen’t have to join in dinner, it’s essentially his MO with help and family. He’d probably grow to either love them or get annoyed enough to kill em all. Chucky Vs The Tall Man: Tall Man. The Phantasm Ball is just too powerful and Chucky too vunerable and stubborn for a teamup. Chucky vs Pinhead: Pinhead. I may be too squeamish for hellraiser but he’s FAR above Chucky’s paygrade. So overall it’s 4 to 6 with Chucky loosing, but he still put up a far better fight than you’d think. And for funsies before we move on to the actual meat of the comic at long fucking last. Chucky Vs Ash: Ash. Ash is dumb sometimes sure, but he’s just as stubborn, has dealt with being accused of murder before so framing him won’t work, and unlike the Slashers he’s got a shot gun, which while chucky can dodge, I could see Ash pining him. Dumb dosen’t mean he isn’t clever. However I do want to see the hyjinks that would insue so please, Mancini, do this one if you either can’t get freddy or if you can after that. Please? Okay so with ALLLL of that out of the way, let’s dive in.

We open on the above, what’s left of Chucky after Child’s Play 2, being reforged into a fresh body. It’s exactly as pleasant as you’d think.

Maybe he just says that because the sight of him with lipstick gives grown men heart attacks.

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See? Unsuprisingly, that’s one of my faviorite Child’s Play moments. Or maybe he just needs a pair of fresh eyes to stop being so hetronormative.

I do love this bit, it’s a nice bit of comedy that dosen’t feel too broad and fits right into the franchise, even before the outright horror comedies. And now for you ladies and gentleman and other’s pleasure...LIVE NUDE CHUCKY!

Granted Bride would later retcon in a penis, but given he’s in a third body by then. Or maybe it’s the fact his body gets more human the longer he’s in one, so maybe he grows one or fused a strapon to himself. I dunno. I’m not an expert in Chucky’s Penis. That’s Don Mancini’s job. So Chucky puts some pants on, because wether it’s because you love somebody or want to stab them silly, you put your pants on for them, and wonders if he should wear something more inconspicuous before realizing he’s a 3 foot animate doll.. he’s always going to be conspicuous, another inspired bit of comedy. This is something I like about the issue: Regognizing how ludicrious the two sequels at the time were, Mangels leans into the comedy a little, but without overriding the horror, as you’ll soon see, somehow correctly predicting the direction of the franchise. But chucky made a mistake.. the last page showed him triggering an alarm by accident and well.

As you can see in a neat stylistic choice, the siren blares over the entire page as Chucky makes a run for it and a mysterious observer sees a slight against god running about, decides cool and follows. He accidently slams into chucky in another funny bit. He offers a ride and while Chucky balks at this weirdo, said weirdo points out that how’s he’s going to outrun the cops otherwise and Chucky reluctantly gets in. And it says something if the guy with a bigger body count than a heart attack still has reservations going with you. The teen says Chucky reminds him of a kid who was in the papers for claming a doll killed some people and his mother who backed up the story, was suspected to have did it and put her in an insane asylum, or as this little shit calls it “Electro-Shock Pallace” as someone who himself is mentally ill, and afraid of asylums and lives in a world two decades removed where mass killings happen often and are often pinned on mental illness, fuck this twerp and I can’t wait for his commupance. Chucky sets him straight.

See this is why I didn’t jsut do a big infodump on everything right up front, the comic does a good cjob recapping child’s play 1, and 2 isn’t relevant to the plot aside from the intro. They explain things quick and fast and chucky himself gives a good chunk of the film’s backstory pretty quickly once he and shades here get back to his house.

This is also interesting as even the films haven’t really gone into how Charles Lee Ray felt as he became a doll or if he was conscious when Karen first got him. There’s more of course, and while it’s not necessary to this story, Karen does show up in this series, so i’ll fill you in on where the story went from there, as well as what Chucky left out or wasn’t there for. Here we go... Karen Barclay was the struggling mother of young Andy, who wanted a Good Guy doll for his birthday. Karen, not having much, found one second hand... Chucky. Chucky started manipulating the young kid, offscreen though that just makes it more unsettling even if the mystery of if Chucky’s real or not is kinda pointless when we saw a guy explode himself into a doll. I also like the nod that Chucky knows about as much as the fans do as to why their was a mega explosion. He first kills Karen’s best friend and Andy’s babysitter for the night, which Andy blames Chucky. No one belivies him.. which is understandable.. what’s not is when Chucky kills next, having andy take him to his acomplice’s house and blowing it up, NO ONE seems to question why a little child blew up a known criminal, how he knew where the house was, or why, when the previous crime was done in the home with motive, he killed some random guy. I do love this film but this bit feels especially dumb on the cops part not even bending a LITTLE. But this isn’t a review of the first movie so let’s move on. Andy is comitted, which as sad as it is to see an innocent child thrown in an institution does make at least some sense so they can find out if he’s really seeing things or not, and Karen returns.. and finds that the Good Guy dolls don’t come with batteries, yet Chucky has been talking like any other toy. As a result we get one of the best scenes in the franchise history if not it’s best, and really, as much as I try I can’t do it justice. Though if you can’t watch in short he does an exorcist when she checks the batteries, she threatens to burn him, and he reveals himself. In long... it’s worth a watch.

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Chucky runs for it, Karen tries to tell Mike who dosen’t belivie her.. until Chucky comes for him. Chucky then heads for Dr.Death, his vodoo 101 teacher, who refuses to help him viewing him an abomination but stupidly left a vodoo fetish of himself around and you can guess the rest. He reveals Chucky can only transfer to the first person he revealed himself too so he heads for Andy with .. this.

Mancini had to know what he was doing right? Right? Anyway. Karen and Mike find a dying Death who tells them to aim for the heart and who his target is. Andy dodges Chucky and escapes the Aslyum heading home where we get a final confrontation between the Barclay’s, Mike and Chucky, which is damn good and ends with Andy burning the fucker with a badass response to his claim of being his friend to the end “This is the end friend”. This dosen’t quite finish him but a shot to the heart, with Mike to blame, kills the bastard.. for now. Now we’re all caught up, let’s get back to the story.

Dipshit has called his friends to see Chucky and as seen above, Chucky is wondering why he shoudln’t kill the guy.. but Dumbass has a good point for once: his one friend is studying magic, presumibly at Durmstrang since Hogwarts dosen’t tolerate that kinda shit, and could help summon dr. death to see if they can fix his situation. Granted Death viewed him as an abomination and wanted nothing to do with Chucky, but he might let something slip or have no choice and it’s better than the nothing Chucky has to go on. Chucky gives exposition to Fuckwit’s friends and claims he killed Dr.Death in self defense, which isn’t entirely innacurate and Steaming Bowl of Elephant Piss suggests holding a seance. But one of his friends, Burt, who seems to be the only one to see Chucky for the red flag he is, calls an audible and Chucky grumbles off while they talk in private.

As you can see, Fuckbucket sets the intellgence standard for his group. However their not SO obnoxious that it distracts from how horrible what’s about to happen will them will be. Except shitty shitty bang bang. Since It’s hard to remember all of the dead meets names i’ll be calling the girl Molly Ringwald, Burt by his name since he’s being sensiable, the moron drinking his own blood Edgelord, and Numbnuts MCGee my current barrage of creative insults. But yeah none of them take Chucky as a threat seriously, which is a nice little meta commentary on how most people think they could take Chucky, even though the guy is nigh unkillable, smart and fast and stronger, if not heavier, than him being a doll would make you think. Burt is the ONLY one here who seems to think harboring a serial killing doll is a terrible idea and thus the only one I respect. And “Most LIkely To Run Into A Wall” has the genius observation seen above where he asks “we’re helping him why would he hurt us”... when he’s already threatned to kill him and has no use for any of them once he has any info they can scrape up, with Burt pointing out even if their sucessful they’ll be responsible for more killing. Sadly he’s outvoted. Seriously while I do like Mangels, I question his opinon on teenagers and horror fans, especially given his long screed about the horrors of the world at the front of the issue and how his comics horrors don’t compare to racisim or homphobia, though the latter is a nice touch considering this was the early 90′s and some horror audiences could be homphobic morons, when the horror fans he portray are a darwin award of the decade winner, a moron who cuts himself not because he has serious issues with depression but to drink his own blood, a witch who goes along with their stupidity, and ... one likeable guy who’s coded as a wuss but is the only sane one here.

So morons r us, plus burt and chucky, call Dr.Death’s spirit forth in a very moody and atmospheric scene. Naturally it goes GREAT.

Dr.Death’s form dissolves terrifyingly and awesomely and our morons, and Burt, are left, literally since they turned the light’s down in the dark> Burt is freaking out and has shards of crap in him thanks to all this.. couldn’t of killed fuckaround could you John? Burt is lead to the bathroom, while Fuckwit and Edgelord head downstairs, Fuckwit heading further down to check the breakers since the power is out for the whole house while Edgelord actually says something smart and wonders what they ALL shoudlv’e been thinking about: Where’s chucky? He has a response in this AWESOME looking panel.

And here’s where the it dosen’t undercut the tragedy bit comes into play. Sure these kids are kinda dumb.. but most teens are, and they might not belivie he actually killed peope or even if they did, think they can take him as foolishly stated. They had their whole lives to become better people, and Mollly Ringwald and Burt seemed like decent enough people while Edgelord was probably going though a phase. Dum Dum Dumbassigan dosen’t really get a huge repreive but the point is NONE of them deserve to die and they aren’t dialed up to obnoxious, except assface, to be that unsympathetic. Their being stupid sure, but again MOST TEENS ARE or will at least be easily talked into doing something that all common sense says should kill them. And sadly in David, aka edgelord’s case...

Yeah it took a while but I had that gore warning for a reason. And he then decides to fill David with knives. I also stopped calling him edgelord because well. .look at it. The death is horrifying, well drawn and only made worse when Chucky decides to play “pin cushion” and fill him with knives off screen. His next target is sadly my man burt. He does complain A LOT and while a little whiny, given he’s covered in cuts, about to die and was the ONLY ONE here to excercise caution.. yeah he has a right to be. And then.. this happens to Burt in the bathroom...

Yup, THAT just happened. But I like it a lot.. it’s done with style, humor.. but not without horror either. A nicely done little parody. Molly, or wendy as the comic calls her, wonders around the Darkness for a bit.. and then finds David’s corpse.. which I own’t show as holy shit it’s as graphic as it is horrifying. And given what I showed you of his death earlier, that’s saying something.She tells an approaching Moron to stay back.. and well..

In order....... I am so angry at that first panel “I don’t know what happened here....” I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

BITCHCAKES, YOU LET A SERIAL KILLER INTO YOUR HOUSE WHO VANISHED ON YOU AFTER A SPOOKY GHOST TOLD YOU TO KILL HIM OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. WHAT IN THE STAR SPANGLED, CHERRY COATED MARSHMELLOW FUCK DID YOU THINK HAPPENED. Second, while I get her logic, Fartnugget isn’t capable of working out basic sequence of events let alone killing a person. And finally.. there is no amount of gifs that can convey how happy I am at that last panel.

Wendy goes mad from the shock and Chucky, whos’ been lurking under the table this whole time with a Freddy Glove, strikes.

It’s no “welcome to prime time BITCH”, but I think Freddy would dig it. Naturally, the glove dosen’t kill her but she snaps her neck.. and then chucky , of all things, calls the police.

I’ll not explode with rage again btu the david’s dead line tempted me, as HE JUST KILLED YOUR FRIEND OF COURSE HE DID. As for his threat... Chucky is unimpressed. See this was his plan. At least once they stopped being useful. Gee who could’ve predicted that? Chucky has decided to frame ponytailed idiot for it, a real brilliant way of going about things, and to me WHY Chucky is such a threat. Even if you beat him, if you don’t have proof.. he still gets you locked up and then comes back stronger than ever. This ending also actually helps with a plot hole some might have with the series.

Chucky dosen’t leave fingerprints. He MIGHT as he turns more human, bud odds are he dosen’t, thus it’s easy enough to frame whoever’s left.. though it was neat to see him do so intentionally. Truck Nuts breaks down, Chucky flees and we end on a teaser for the next issue as some mysterious Doctor has come to Karen Barclay with promises to help go after Chucky. But that’s for another day. For now our story is done. There’s also a page for a “Stuck On Chuck” contest, with the winners getting to be in issue 5. Just bringing that up so if I ever get there, I won’t have missed it. And with that we finally close out.

Final Thoughts:

This issue is excellent. I was expecting something slightly cheesy and not great, and while there are narmy elements: the commentary on horror being a media scapegoat seems out of place and as I made abdundantly clear on second read the lead is insufferable. His fate is still tragic, but he’s such a moron I can’t help but feel he brought it on himself, but his friends aren’t so obnoxious that you don’t feel bad when they do die, a mistake full on horror movies make too often. The kills are gory, as shown there’s some nice visual flair here and there, and chucky is drawn amazingly, especially for the time. There’s an awkward shot here or there but for the most part the artist really captures him well. This comic is a hidden Gem and if your a fan of the films or even just the first one, I strongly recommend it, or if nothing else as I haven’t gotten to the rest, this issue. If you liked this review, feel free to like or reblog, and if you want one like it for the issue or graphic novel of your choice, just pm and slip 5 bucks into my paypal and i’ll get right on it as soon as the first week of november. Until then, i’m your friend to the end.

#Child's Play #Chucky #halloween #horror #comics #reviews #Andy Barclay #Karen Barclay #freddy kruger #leatherface #jason vorhees #phantom of the opera #the creature from the black lagoon #dracula #pinhead #the tall man #xenomorphs #alien #don mancini

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icypantherwrites · 6 years

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Fundraiser Fic List and Statistics

I would like to thank everyone once more for their support of my friend and special shoutouts and love to the individuals who purchased fanfiction commissions from me through my fundraiser and helped me raise over $300 that went straight to my friend. Thank you!

I have officially finished all of the purchased fundraiser commissions so thought it’d be fun to do a little by the numbers post along with links to all of the fics. For the record I am now taking fic commissions due to the furthered interest (you guys ♥) and you can find details here if you want to commission your own.

The full fic list will be below the keep reading tab as it got a little long. ^^; All right. Here we go.

Total number of fics: 13

Total number of words written: 95,713

Start date of first published fic: March 11, 2018

Finish date of thirteenth published fic: April 10, 2018

Longest fic: So Much to Offer* (10,361 words)

Shortest fic: Poison (2,876 words)

Lance as main/second main character: 13/13 (yup ;p)

Hunk appearances as main/second main: 5/13

Pidge appearances as main/second main: 2/13

Shiro appearances as main/second main: 1/13**

Keith/Coran/Allura appearances as main/second main: 0/13**

*In the Name of Love is technically the longest but that is because I went and added a second chapter. Commissioned wise it is not the longest one.

**I give Keith two third spots though for his roles in Smile and The Price of Peace, Coran one third spot for Smile and Shiro one third spot for Passing Grade. Allura sadly got passed over for all of these cept for a small role in The Price of Peace. So sorry, hun. I love you though ♥

Most Popular Fics -- Top Two

(deigned by a combination of hits, comments, kudos and bookmarks)

1. The runaway winner was The Cost of Winning with 2,601 hits, 37 comment threads, 356 kudos and 78 bookmarks. This one featured Lance and Pidge captured and forced to fight in the arena. Lots of platonic Plance and some BAMF moments for both. (it has a sequel too for the aftermath which would appreciate some love ♥!)

2. The runner-up was Sounds of Darkness with 1,841 hits, 32 comment threads, 282 kudos and 70 bookmarks. More Langst abound featuring sensory deprivation but some soft and warm platonic Shance to make you not want to sob in a corner by the end all while making sure you can hear yourself crying.

Fics that Need More Love -- Bottom Two

(deigned by a combination of hits, comments, kudos and bookmarks)

There is not enough Hunk love in this fandom. Please. Give my ray of sunshine more of it. He deserves all of the happiness... even if both of these involve him in pain. Whoops.

12. Please know that If the World Should Freeze was one of my favorites because it features the best relationship there is in VLD, platonic Hance ♥ The boys find themselves in an icy wasteland with a happy serving of Hunk!whump. Yesss. Rang in with 517 hits, 19 comment threads, 92 kudos and 14 bookmarks.

13. The other Hunk!whump fic of Strength of Your Word rounds out the bottom here.This is another adventure between him and Lance involving some less than savory weasel aliens and a jewel that everyone wants to get their paws, er, hands on. Totaled in at 483 hits, 22 comment threads, 86 kudos and 13 bookmarks.

And that rounds out the stat lines! You can find all thirteen fics below to peruse at your leisure. Please do be sure to leave a comment on them if you read and enjoyed; I really appreciate them ♥ Thank you and enjoy!

Tumblr Poll!

Last thing before you head off. These stats were all compiled via AO3 (which has taken over as my main platform) but I’d love to hear from the Tumblr audience for an informal poll rather than data stats. Which fic of the thirteen was your favorite? Feel free to comment below or send it via an ask! If majority was my favorite fic of the set I’ll do a little something ♥

Fic List

Posted in order of publish date, oldest first.

Poison

Summary: Lance is fine. Or, at least he keeps telling himself that. He’s most definitely not a victim of the unknown disease with no cure sweeping through the city. Nope. But now he’s coughing up blood? Maybe… maybe he isn’t so fine after all. / “H-Hunk,” he whispered. “I… I think I’m s-sick.” Hunk let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Yeah, Lance. You are.“ Alternate universe, Langst

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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The Cost of Winning

This fic will have a sequel follow-up focusing on a recovery arc. Date TBD. Story is complete as is though.

Summary: “The Blue and Green Paladins serve no purpose to the Empire,“ the Galran commander smirked at his bound captives. “And as such you have no use except as arena fodder.” He chuckled. “Give us a good show before you die.” / Lance is determined to protect Pidge and save her from the arena. She will not die here. Over his dead body. Hopefully it’s not quite that literal of a promise.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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In the Name of Love

Summary: Lance just wanted to buy a flower. Instead he's now the newest victim of a serial killer who has no plans to release him until he has served his purpose. Lance may be a Paladin but he's got a higher calling in life now. And it starts with his death. / "Do not try and resist again," his captor warned, "You will not like the consequences." Lance's voice cracked. "Like being eaten?"

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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Passing Grade

Summary: If Lance stayed in the shower long enough maybe the water would wash everything away. Maybe it would make him forget unwanted hands and the scratchy couch. Maybe… A sob tore through his throat. No. There was no forgetting. But he did have to paste on a smile and try to because no one could find out. Otherwise it was all over. AU - College

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.Net

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Faces of Home

Summary: There were murmured, familiar voices when Lance awoke that quieted almost immediately when he blinked open his eyes. “Easy, easy,” someone soothed as he tried to sit up. Someone familiar. Lance gasped. “Mamá?” Because somehow… somehow he was home. / Lance is injured in a fight against the Galra and wakes to find himself in the care of his family. But… how did he wind up back on Earth? Something wasn’t quite right…

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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Sounds of Darkness

Summary: Lance couldn’t see. Or hear. Or move. The silent darkness was all encompassing and it was pressing in; choking him, drowning him, blinding him. He screamed but it was swallowed whole into the void of nothingness. Lance trembled, pain shaking his limbs, and faintly wondered if he’d even made a sound at all.

Read it on: Ao3 Fanfiction.net

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Smile

Summary: Lance glanced at the mirror. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he was remembering. Like, the first glance had freaked him out but it really wasn’t that noticeable. He worried his lip in indecision before finally making his way over to the mirror. He had to know. Just… just a peek. Without further ado Lance gave a tentative smile. And despair crashed down once more.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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Nothing to Be Afraid Of

Summary: Hunk will admit it. He’s afraid of many things and being captured by the Galra alongside Lance ranks at the top. But it’s the Galra who should be afraid. After all, they just unleashed a brilliant engineer and a quick-witted sharpshooter in their base. Better watch out. – “Uh, Hunk, what are you doing?” “Making bombs,” Hunk replied cheerfully. “Oh, okay- bombs?” Lance squeaked.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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So Much to Offer

Summary: “I suppose though I should see what we’re working with, hm?” the slaver mused. “A pretty face is only part of the package after all.” His dark eyes met Lance’s and he shivered at the absolute depravity that stared back at him. “Let’s see what you have to offer.” / While trying to save his dying team, Lance is captured and sold into the slave trade. Time is running out… for everyone.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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If the World Should Freeze

Summary: "Lance, st-stop," Hunk moaned, stumbling and splattering crimson upon the snow. "I c-can't…" The rest of his words trailed off as dark spots danced in his vision. "No!" Lance dug his hands into Hunk's vest as though that could keep him upright. "Don't you dare. Keep moving!" / Hunk and Lance are stranded in an icy wasteland but the cold is quickly becoming the least of their problems. Because the huge, hungry creature chasing them? Yeah. They're in trouble.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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The Price of Peace

Summary: (Sequel to The Cost of Winning) They may have escaped the arena but things back home are far from all right. Keith is struggling. Shiro is hiding. Lance is suffering violent flashbacks and she’s having nightmares too. It’s wrong. It’s all wrong. Pidge hates it. She wants her space family back. Not this broken version of them. It looks like she’s just going to have to fix it. And Lance is going to help.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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Strength of Your Word

Summary: “Open his mouth,” Hunk heard the order and Lance’s chokes turned to a low moan. “Let’s make him smile nice and red,” came the hiss. And Hunk? He’s had enough. / Lance saves Hunk. Hunk saves Lance. Rinse and repeat. It’s what they do. So when a simple mission turns deadly these two are going to have each other’s backs. No matter the consequences.

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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Disjointed Soul

Summary: Lance falls victim to a Soul Leecher, a dark spirit that is drawn to disjointed souls to steal them for itself. The Paladins must go into Lance’s very soul to save him, uncovering truths about themselves and Lance in the process. Time is of the essence before Lance is lost forever. Good thing they have such helpful soul guides.

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“Hi there baby Lance,” Hunk greeted.

“Ohwah,” Lance burbled back. “¡Ohwah!”

“Ohwah?” Pidge repeated.

“I think he’s saying ”hola,’“ Hunk grinned. "You know, "hello” in Spanish. Hola, baby Lance.“

”¡Ohwah! ¡Ohwah!“

Read it on: AO3 Fanfiction.net

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fragmentedroots · 7 years

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My grandpa always taught me to fear rainy days. He would tell me these stories about Redvark, the local maximum security prison. He would tell me about the violent criminals, and the deeds they did to end up there. He would explain to me how some of these men were so dangerous that they couldn’t be trusted to live in normal jails cells, that they needed to be chained to the stone walls. My grandpa would tell me about rainy days and stormy nights. How the rain would weaken the stone, and how these men could pull the chains right out of the wall, if it the weather was bad enough. He showed me newspaper clippings of escapees. There was always a handful per year. He would tell me that, to a T, the prison breaks always coincided with rainy weather. Most escapees would flee to the surrounding neighborhoods. They would try to hide in people’s garages and basements. Under their porches, waiting for the rain to pass. Sometimes the men would break into the houses. Sometimes the men would do unspeakable things to people residing in those houses. We lived only about 8 miles from Redvark. And on rainy days, my grandpa would remind me of this.

My grandpa would tell me that on rainy days it was best to just stay in my room. To lock my door. To put some music on low, grab a comic book, and get my head somewhere else. He even taught me how to turn my closet into a fortress of solitude. We threw a blanket and couple of pillows in there. I had a few posters of superheroes on the closet wall. I kept a box of comic books and baseball cards in one corner, and a metallic foot locker filled with junk food and cassette tapes in the other. My grandpa would encourage me to get in the closet when it rained. Especially when it stormed. I would sit in there, listening to my Walkman. I would finger through comic books. I would bundle myself up against the pillows and drift to sleep. I felt safe in my closet. And I enjoyed the hours that I would spend in there on rainy days.

He would tell me that most of the time during escapes, the convicts would usually only hurt people they happened to come across. If they broke into a home to avoid police, and there was a family sitting around the TV in the living room, they would strike. He would tell me that if a Redvark prisoner escaped, and if they came to our neighborhood, and if they broke into our house, that as long as I stayed in my closet, I’d be okay. It would be possible for a convict to find me and hurt me. But as long as I stayed in my closet fort, I would be as safe as anyone in town. I would remind myself of this on rainy days. I would sit in my closet and think about it and it would make me feel safe.

My grandpa disappeared one June. I lived with him alone. My parents had died years earlier. My grandpa disappeared and I was afraid to call the police. I knew if something happened to my grandpa, the police would take me away and force me to live in a home. I didn’t want to live in a home. I had a home. I kept his disappearance to myself for over a week. I would walk myself to school. I knew where grandpa kept emergency cash, and so I would take a little here and there to the corner bodega and buy some milk and sandwich meats. One day, about eight days after his disappearance they let us out of school early. Storm of the century, they said. Thunder and lightning, and heavy rain all night. The rain was so heavy that night, the local streets flooded over. On the walk home from school, the water was up to my ankles. By 9 o'clock the water was coming up to people’s knees. I got home, climbed into my little hiding space and covered myself in a blanket. Thunder clapped outside. I was very afraid. The storm itself unsettled me, but thinking about Redvark and how easy it would be to escape during a storm like this terrified me.

We lost power after a little while. I sat in the closet in darkness. I turned to my Walkman for solace. After a few hours, the music started to stutter. After a few more minutes it stopped altogether. Batteries. Dead as doornails. I continued to sit in silence. The power hadn’t come back on yet. The darkness and silence enveloped me. Then the silence was broken. By a scratching noise some distance away. I ignored it at first. But it grew louder and more insistent. Finally, I reluctantly left the safety of my fort. In the upstairs hallway I stopped and listened. The noise was clearly coming from downstairs. I descended the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest. I got to the kitchen and stopped to listen again. The noise still sounded as if it were coming from below me. We had no basement, so the fact that the noises were coming from beneath me was unsettling. There were more noises now, too, not just the scraping. I thought I heard moaning. I crouched low to the floor, listening. The noises got louder as I entered the living room; louder still as I entered the main corridor. I stopped on a throw rug at the end of the hallway. The noises were at their loudest here, below me. I pulled the throw rug away and saw a trap door. It must have led to a basement or crawl space. I had no idea it existed. I had no idea there was anything under that rug. I wondered why it was padlocked. I grabbed a ring of old keys that hung on a hook in the mud room. I tried the keys in the padlock one after another. The fourth key slid in to the lock like a base runner sliding in to… Something pounded against the bottom of the trap door. FTHWAAAAP! FTHWAAAAP! It was followed by muffled voices. “Ullo. Ebby dare.” I could barely make out the voices. FWTHWAAAAP! “Help us!!!” I understood that. I turned the key and lifted up trap door.

The worst smell I’ve ever known wafted up and hit me in the chest. I instantly heard women crying and a man’s voice sobbing “Thank God, oh thank God.” And then another. “Water. Please, we need water.”

The next few days were a whirlwind. Police, media, and gawkers descended on the house. Our small town in Arizona never saw much excitement. The news of a home-grown serial killer sent an electric jolt through the populace. The media was relentless. The police had a million questions. “Where is your grandfather?” I don’t know. “Did you know what he was doing?” “Did you help him hide his secret?” No, I’d said. No, never. “Did you help your grandfather bury the bodies in the backyard?” No. “You must have helped.” They’d said. No. “You must have helped. An old man like that wouldn’t be able to dig in the Arizona clay all by himself.” And then it hit me. “Rain.” I’d said. The policemen looked at me blankly. “What?” “He’d wait for it to rain.”

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thefinalprose · 6 years

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Episode One: I Lost to a Chicken.

Well, here I am. Again. Long story short, I wrote recaps for several seasons and needed a breather. Good thing I took one because from what I’ve heard Arie’s season was about as exciting as the intro paragraph to this recap.

When the Bachelor suitor bios came out, I just couldn’t resist and decided to write about them. The response was enough of an ego stroke that I have decided to recap Becca’s season, just a little differently. This time, no one will edit for me; they may take a week to post (sorry this took so long, I was out of town) and I might write whilst enjoying a cocktail. Regardless, I promise the same judgmental snark.

The first episode of the season is always a fan favorite. We get to re-live the new lead’s sad story of heartbreak; we’ll likely see past contestants show up to offer advice on finding everlasting love on national television in less than 90 days and it’s our first official look at the new suitors as they arrive at the mansion. A few will do something over the top for attention; a few will be too nervous to form a sentence that makes sense and one will definitely get blitzed. And probably half naked.

As though I’ve watched this before, the episode starts with the (first) reminder that Arie dicked Becca over last season. He proposed, she said yes and during one of their secret romantic getaways before they could officially go public as a couple, he breaks up with her with cameras rolling so he could go be with the runner up from his season. Who he had already spoken to about the idea. I want to say I’m surprised ABC let this happen, but they stopped surprising me with bad ideas when they let Nick try (and fail) at love 107 times.

Becca arrives at the mansion to be greeted by Kaitlyn, JoJo and Rachel; the most recent Bachelorette’s who are there to inspire success as they are all still engaged to the winner of their seasons. JoJo says, “it’s about to be bigger and better” and I hope that’s a dig at fantasy suite Arie.

The Bachelorette’s sage the mansion and I wonder if anyone outside of LA knows what that means.

SUITOR PREVIEWS

Before all 25ish suitors step out of the limo, we are made privy to a few of the standouts from the season. A little teaser, if you will.

First up is Clay, a professional football player who doesn’t fucking cuss. As unsure as I am about a person that doesn’t swear, I’m more leery of an NFL player that needs The Bachelorette to find “love”.

Garrett, the guy who does Chris Farley impressions, is next and guess what? He does a Chris Farley impression that I bet you can’t guess I hate.

I do.

He lists off a bunch of made up winter activities he enjoys because, you know, Becca is from Minnesota and it’s always winter there.

We see Jordan, the guy who is definitely a self-proclaimed “Instagram model”, having a photo shoot. He shares that his “brand” is “the pensive gentleman” and I’m going to guess that’s also his Grindr handle. He claims being a male model is taxing because he has to go to the gym year round. I don’t see modeling in my future and I, too have to go to the gym year round. Check out my Instagram page; I talk about it every once in a while. He also says he can see him and Becca, in sweats, on a couch with a tub of chocolate and a chick flick which is definitely the rest of his Grindr bio.

Lincoln, who apparently was named after honest Abe, is seen walking along Hollywood Boulevard with a huge smile on his face. If you’ve ever walked along Hollywood Boulevard, you know that no one should be smiling. I don’t trust him.

Joe, the grocery store owner, has been practicing his grocery store humor and I’d like to check out.

I’m not even sorry for that terrible joke.

Jean Blanc, the guy who loves cologne enough to call himself a Colognoisseur, tells us he’s going to blow Becca’s nose away and I hope it’s because he’s bringing an eight ball to the mansion.

I was certain that the joke about Colton, another pro football player, would be about his YouTube date ask to Aly Raisman out but oh, was I wrong. The joke is that he’s wearing a velour hooded vest over a shirt with leather sleeves. You know those men who make too much money too early on so they spend it on really dumb shit? That’s Colton. Who let him wear this? Who recorded this video for him letting him wear this? Why does he own this? What is happening?

LIMO EXITS + INTRO’S

It’s time for the men to arrive at the mansion and of the first five men, three of them have said, “Let’s do the damn thing” which became annoying even before the season aired.

The next five all make a joke about Arie, because every woman wants to talk about her shitty ex with a potential new love interest.

The five after that are the five that met her at After the Finale Rose when she was announced The Bachelorette.

We are fifteen dudes deep and I’m pretty sure only one of these guys is wearing socks with his loafers. Is this a thing men do? Is there a reason for it? Gross.

David, the guy that loves guacamole but hates avocados, comes out in a chicken costume and makes more chicken jokes than I knew even possible and yet none of them are cock jokes. Impressive or disappointing?

Disappointing.

The rest of the entrances were actually pretty lame and I suddenly remember that there is a drink limit on this show now.

Once everyone has arrived, Becca enters the house to greet the suitors for the first time and the drama among the men begins. The Bachelorette is way more fun than The Bachelor because dude drama is so much more entertaining. Remember Shawn and Nick? JJ and Clint? Chad? Oh, Chad.

Clay, a professional football player who doesn’t fucking cuss, takes Becca aside to make dolls or something weird like that. John, the guy who created Venmo, immediately shares that he is the creator of Venmo because in San Francisco that definitely gets him laid every single time.

It’s Christon’s, the guy with a made up job and name, turn and he takes her outside to a basketball hoop, has her hold the ball above her head and then pulls a Harlem Globetrotter dunk move. I’m pretty sure every dude in the house has a semi after watching. I kinda do too, tbh.

Becca and Blake, the ‘modern romantic’, sit in front of the fire and do that thing where they hold hands, but not just with one pair of hands with both pairs of hands and I’m super annoyed by it. He wins her over by saying, “I just know that if I could love the wrong person so much [his ex], imagine how much I can love the right person” and I wonder how many times he Googled “quotes about love” before choosing that one to use.

Chris Harrison arrives with the first impression rose and now it’s time for the men to step up their game. And by stepping up their game I mean:

Lincoln, who apparently was named after honest Abe, gives her an ancient Nigerian bracelet and tells her she’s now part of the family. Nick, aspiring lead singer of a boy band, has a vibrating back massager that I am completely certain he uses for other things. David, the guy who showed up with chicken jokes wearing a chicken costume, asks Becca to do the chicken dance with him because this fucking guy still hasn’t run out of chicken jokes. Garrett, who showed up in a minivan, takes Becca to the pool to teach her to fly fish and what do ya know (said in an exaggerated midwestern accent) it makes Becca feel at home.

Chris, whose life goal is to retire by 40, has a dilemma and needs the advice of three dudes he just met. Apparently he knows Chase’s ex girlfriend who told him that Chase isn’t there for the right reasons. Chris is perplexed -- should he confront Chase about it? Remember when I said dude drama is hilarious? Exhibit A.

They have a boring confrontation about it and Chase runs to Becca to tell her. This is the least dramatic drama I’ve ever watched. Becca doesn’t understand the context, Chase brings Chris into the conversation and this is so dumb.

That conversation brought light to Becca that there may be men here with ill intentions and she shares that someone rubbed her the wrong way earlier in the night. Like all of us, she’s there to be rubbed the right way, so she wants to address it.

She asks Jake, a guy that she already knows as they have a shared friend group in Minnesota, to step aside to chat. She tries to send him home because in their several times of meeting he never pursued her and now wants to on national TV. He doesn’t make it easy for her and I’m afraid Minnesota will ban him for life like they did Arie.

There is a guy with a Harry Potter tattoo and this is why I feel badly for people who are trying to date. You have to worry about finding the perfect person only to realize he has a fucking Harry Potter tattoo.

Becca finally picks up the first impression rose and gives it to Garrett, the guy who showed up in a minivan. She leans in to kiss him and he goes for the cheek. She grabs him by the neck and he finally gets it. Maybe he really is Chris Farley.

ROSE CEREMONY

The only thing I don’t understand about the rose ceremony is how Joe was sent home. I still hope he’s the next Bachelor.

LINE OF THE NIGHT

“There are so many balls here” -- Becca, during the impromptu basketball game.

ELIMINATED

Jake, a guy that she already knows as they have a shared friend group in Minnesota,

Joe, the love of my life

Chase, a could-be serial killer

Kamil -- social media participant who I’m guessing won’t be participating in social media for a while after being sent home night one

Darius, who lives in the Valley

Grant, the electrician with electrician jokes

Christian, whose head was too small for his body

Okay, now I am going to watch episode two so the recap doesn’t take as long to post.

#thebachelor #thebachelorette #funny #tvrecap #humor #realitytv #beccakufrin #nickviall #comedy #writing

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themomsandthecity · 7 years

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How to Get Back to "Feeling Yourself" After Becoming a Mom

The following story, "How to Get Yourself Back" by Lyz Lenz, was originally published on Boomdash. If you had asked me who I was the day I turned 28, I could have told you with clarity - book reader, cheese eater, runner, writer, the loudest person in every room, and a good pizza-crust-maker. Four months after my 28th birthday, I became a mother, giving birth to the chubbiest, happiest little baby girl I'd ever seen. A couple of weeks after bringing my baby home, my mother came to visit. "How does it feel to be a mom?" she asked. I began crying. "I don't even know how it feels to be me anymore." Pregnancy creates a crisis between the woman within and the woman without. French writer and psychotherapist Eugénie Lemoine-Luccioni wrote in The Dividing of Women or Women's Lot, "Pregnancy is a narcissistic crisis . . . because the ego-ideal, the specular image, is massively altered, putting to the test the she-narcissus who wants to remain the same, unchanging and outside of time." And yet, we all change. Some of us lose the ability to hold our pee, others lose the ability to watch crime shows - the careful become careless, the once careless are now fastidious. Whether physically or internally, motherhood creates irreparable wounds and shifts the core of ourselves that are both astounding and earth-shattering. When I first became pregnant, I was told that pregnancy would change me. It's a narrative I resisted, even as I found myself doing things I would have never done previously, like eating caramel or reading internet message boards for hours. Change, I insisted was a choice, you could always stay yourself. But after two births in two and a half years, I wasn't myself - I lost my ability to read. I don't mean I became illiterate; it's just that I couldn't consume books at the rate I once had. I had once read Bleak House in two days. I'd read Unbearable Lightness of Being in a matter of hours. Even while giving birth to my daughter, I read the entirety of two New Yorkers and Chris Adrian's novel The Great Night. "Read while you can," said a nurse. I rolled my eyes, annoyed that everyone said things would be different. After that, however, everything was different. When I came home from the hospital, I was too tired, too busy staring at the pink-skinned creation before me. I had made myself a meticulous reading list for the late-night nursing sessions, but it took me six months to muddle through Cutting for Stone. I tried reading to my baby during the day, I picked easy stories like fairy tales and my favorite children's classics. I barely made it through A Bridge to Terabithia, not from sorrow but because my mind was filled with the detritus of motherhood. I became obsessed with things I had never even thought about before, like the size of the carpet fibers and the number of people who didn't take their shoes off in our home. Sitting down to read took a focus I no longer had. After one sentence, my mind was already gone: Was the baby OK? Could she eat that grass? Did I have something thawing for dinner? Had I answered all my work email? Would she fall and smash her face on the concrete? Did she need a sweater? Did I need a sweater? Why did my back hurt? What was that wet spot on the floor? Could she swallow a carpet fiber? If you had asked me at the time if I felt different, I would have told you staunchly that I felt like myself only a little fatter. It was important for me to claim this. If I didn't admit the truth of my lost identity, it wouldn't be true. Claiming I was still a person I no longer was, was prosperity gospel promise for my soul. I would name it and claim it, and surely that essence would return. But I no longer made pizza, I was a lot quieter in rooms, cheese made me feel sick, and I didn't read. I still wrote, but not as much as I had before. The only part of my previous identity I could still claim was running. Running was the only thing that could quiet my anxious mind. I found myself staring out of windows a lot, imagining myself running away down the tree-lined street. But then, I would need to put on shoes and perhaps grab some money, but I wouldn't get too far before my milk would come in and someone would need to be fed. I didn't even recognize myself in my own daydreams. My nose made grease spots on the glass panels. I didn't think I would ever be the same. In Wuthering Heights, Catherine Linton goes mad from pregnancy - the dissonance between who she wanted to be and who she has become overtakes her mind. Staring in a mirror, she is unable to recognize her own reflection. "Don't you see that face?" she asks. Even after the mirror is covered, she cries out to Nelly Dean, the main narrator, "Who is it? I hope it will not come out when you are gone! Oh! Nelly, the room is haunted! I'm afraid of being alone." Both literally and metaphorically, Cathy is split in two. After giving birth, Cathy dies. A body divided against herself, she could not survive. Some days, I felt as if I too had suffered a death, as if a self or an idea of a self was gone forever. Two weeks ago, my husband and I took our children on vacation. I brought my usual stack of books, a futile promise since I was averaging a book every two to three weeks. I armed myself with toys, iPads, snacks, and surprise candy for my children, now 6 and 3, to ease us along the 18-hour car trip. We had taken trips like this before to visit family in Denver, a 12-hour trip. I knew the misery. I knew I would be staring out the window, imagining my family living in different houses as different people, unable to focus on the book in my lap because of the constant barrage of demands for crackers, blankies, cars, a different movie, a different game. But something happened on this trip: My kids handled their sh*t. By which I mean, when they wanted a snack, they reached into the snack bag between them and retrieved it. They entertained each other, compromised, swapping toys and screens. They played games, laughed, asked for music and napped. I read one full book in a day and began another. Elated, I read another and another. I could focus. My kids were fine. They played with friends, they grabbed cheese sticks, they snuggled by me on a towel as we watched the waves. I put the books down, and we went on water slides and swam in a wave pool. I picked the books up again when they played games of mermaids. I didn't worry about sweaters or shoes; they could manage those. If they were hungry, they'd tell me. If they needed to use the bathroom, well then, they'd just go. By the time we came home from the vacation, I had read five books in seven days. When we got home, I read two academic books in four days. Looking in the mirror was like coming home. I wanted to kiss that dumb face with her dark circles and the shadows of sags around her neck. Maybe she'd always been there. Maybe she had never left. Or maybe she'd left and had only returned out of force of will. Maybe I was a faster reader now. I wondered what I had ever been worried about in the first place. The tides of parenting are the hardest to explain. They can immerse you and pull you out to a foreign and flailing sea, or they can toss you up on a warm familiar shore. Some things are so hard and then in a year, they are suddenly easy. Easy things quickly become insurmountable and then, one day, they are simple again. And you wonder if it happened. Did you really cry and clean poop off the walls? Were you really googling "pink underarm rashes" or "can my toddler be a serial killer?" for hours after you should have been asleep? Surely not. Years become small fleeting moments, turning midnight terror into funny stories that you occasionally remember and tell your partner, "Oh remember when I took her to the ER because I thought the marker on her skin was meningitis?" And then you laugh like it was nothing, because it was once everything. I can read now. I run. I'm loud again. I still need to pace myself on cheese. I'm not making pizza, but maybe soon. Maybe I'm who I once was, or maybe I've just managed to fuse together whatever fractured when I divided myself and became a mother. http://bit.ly/2nJqPJq

#Staying Sane #Motherhood #Identity

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