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callmebrycelee · 1 month

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9-1-1 REACTION

After last week’s 100th episode, I am back with a reaction to our latest episode. I do want to acknowledge my last reaction got a bit wordy so it’s my goal to keep things nice and tight. Like Lou Ferrigno Jr.'s body. Okay, focus! Ahem. This reaction is for the season 7, fifth episode “You Don’t Know Me” which originally aired April 11, 2024. The episode was written by Lyndsey Beaulieu and Taylor Wong and directed by Brenna Mallow. Spoilers ahead!

“I’m the boss of me.” – Terry and audience

We begin the episode in a hotel conference room where speaker Terry (played by John Milhiser) is talking to a small audience about the importance of having self-control. He tells his captive audience the secret to self-control is one simple thing; however, before he can reveal that simple thing, his right hand seizes up and starts going all Devon Sawa in Idle Hands on Terry. The audience is aghast as Terry starts beating the shit out of himself. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so horrifying.

Cue title card.

“Get it off!” – Eddie Diaz, to anyone who will listen

The 118 arrive on the scene and find Terry slapping himself. Hen reminds us that once upon a time she went to med school and suggests Terry is suffering from something called alien hand syndrome. Eddie doesn’t believe such a thing exists but Hen schools him by explaining that it’s a rare neurological condition that causes a person’s limbs to act out, seemingly of their own will. This condition usually indicates urgent brain danger. Bobby tells Buck and Eddie to restrain Terry while Hen and Chimney prepare to administer some lorazepam and lidocaine. Buck and Eddie struggle to restrain the guy which is funny considering they’re both big dudes and this guy doesn’t seem like he would be that strong. Hen asks Terry if he’s recently been treated for epilepsy or blood clots. He tells her no and Chimney asks if he’s been treated for an irregular heartbeat. Terry tells him he had an operation four weeks ago for his AFib. Hen thinks it’s possible his heart has grown a blood clot that went to his brain. Basically, Terry is having a stroke and it’s imperative they get him to the hospital immediately before there’s any brain damage.

Terry’s hand reaches for Buck’s throat and starts choking him. Bobby manages to pry his hand off Buck’s throat, but it immediately grabs Eddie’s (ahem) privates. Yup, you read that correctly. Terry’s hand gropes Eddie’s package. Eddie is basically S.A.-ed in a room full of people. Bobby pries his hand off, again, and Eddie collapses to the floor. The hand goes for Buck’s throat again and Chimney sneaks in to administer the lidocaine which numbs Terry’s arm and hand. At this point, Buck’s face is beet-red, and his eyes are bulging out. Terry goes to apologize to Buck and Eddie, but neither are very receptive to his apology.

“How perfect is this little face?” – Karen Wilson, to Maddie Buckley

We head over to the Buckley-Han residence where Maddie and Chimney are giving some of Jee-Yun’s baby clothes to Hen and Karen who are excited about the arrival of a new foster child. Karen gets a call from the social worker asking to meet with them. When they meet with Dierdra (played by Andi Chapman) she tells them the little girl they were planning on fostering is being taken in by her grandmother. What I like most about this scene, it shows how much Hen and Karen have grown since the whole Nia situation back in season 3. They’re disappointed about not being able to foster the little girl, but Hen says that at least the girl gets to stay with her family.

Dierdra tells them there’s another girl who needs a home but she’s older. Both the girl’s parents are deceased and she’s currently living in a group home which is not an ideal living situation for a 9-year-old. Dierdra tells Hen and Karen that this girl is very special, and she wants her to have a fighting chance at having a good life. She believes her best chance is with Hen and Karen. Hen looks at Karen who gives her a look that indicates her interest in giving this child a home. Hen asks Dierdra when she and Karen will get to meet her.

“I’m an ally. Every Pride Month, I put a rainbow on my Instagram.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

Meanwhile, Buck and Tommy (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.) go out on their first date. While Tommy pays their bill, Buck asks him what time the movie starts. Tommy tells him the movie theater has 18 screens so they can pick a movie when they get there. Buck glances around the restaurant, nervously, and Tommy assures him that no one is looking at them. I love that Tommy is one of the only characters in the show who calls him Evan. Tommy reminds him that no one cares that they’re having dinner together. Buck, of course, plays coy, and Tommy tells him he’s a little tense. He tells Buck that he gets it. The two of them are in a pretty macho line of work,. He tells Buck that he’d be surprised by how accepting most people are.

Buck asks Tommy if he’s always been out at work. Tommy tells him ‘no’ and says that the 118 was a pretty regressive place back when it was under the leadership of Captain Gerrard. Tommy says that back then he was still figuring himself out. When he transferred to Harbor, he stopped lying about who he was. Buck says he’s not lying about who he is and Tommy says he didn’t say Buck was. He was talking about himself. Buck tells Tommy this is his first date with a guy but assures him he’s not weirded out. I cackled when Buck told Tommy he was an ally and that he posts a rainbow on his Instagram during Pride Month. Tommy says that it must be him that makes Buck nervous.

“Evan, I think you’re adorable.” – Tommy Kinard, to Evan Buckley

Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Eddie and his girlfriend, Marisol (played by Edy Ganem). Eddie greets them both, very loudly, and is excited to see his two friends hanging out. Tommy tells them they just had dinner and are on their way to see a movie. Buck says that afterwards they’re going to go pick up hot chicks because women like firefighters. Eddie, of course, is oblivious and makes a comment about Marisol being a hot chick and finding her firefighter. I don’t know who’s cringier in this scene – Buck or Eddie. Eddie tells Buck and Tommy that Marisol agreed to move in with him and they both tell him congratulations. Marisol makes a comment about moving her armoire into Eddie’s house and he says that you can never have too much closet space. Tommy says, ain’t that the truth – right, Evan? I hollered!!!! Buck looks like he wants to disappear. Eddie and Marisol leave, and Tommy asks if Buck’s ready to go. Buck says yes. Outside, Tommy orders a Lyft just for himself. He tells Buck he’s going to skip the movie. When Buck asks why, Tommy tells him that he doesn’t think Buck is ready. Before he gets in the car, he tells Buck he’ll see him around. I felt so bad for Buck in this scene, but I totally understand where Tommy is coming from.

“Can we go back to the pronoun?” – Maddie Buckley, to Evan Buckley

Dierdra introduces Hen, Karen, and Denny to a Mara Driskell (played by Askyler Bell). Mara is non-verbal and seems withdrawn. Hen tells her to make herself at home and Denny gives her his favorite teddy bear. Meanwhile, Buck goes to see Maddie and tells her about his date. He describes his date in vague terms which leads Maddie to believe he’s seeing a married woman. Buck says he’s not seeing a married woman and tells her he feels guilty for lying to Eddie. Maddie asks him why he did it and Buck says he doesn’t know. Buck tells her that his date left him standing outside the restaurant. Maddie picks up on the specific pronoun he used to describe his date and to Buck’s credit, he tells her he was on a date with a guy.

Maddie is so supportive in this scene which I knew she’d been. In fact, I don’t think anyone is going to have a problem with Buck being interested in men. Maddie asks him how long it’s been since he’s been leaning in the other direction. He tells her he hasn’t been leaning in that direction; however, he will, from time to time, check out a hot guy’s ass. Buck considers this normal behavior, and you know what, I agree with him. We should all, regardless of who were are attracted to, take the time to check out a hot guy’s ass. Buck tells his sister about Tommy. I thought it was so cute when Buck lists all the things he finds attractive about Tommy Kinard. He’s confident, interesting, and no one has a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston Tommy. Maddie asks if this is the same Tommy who is Eddie’s friend. Buck gets defensive and reminds her that Tommy is a recent friend that he and Eddie most definitely met at the same time. I love when Buck gets jealous. Maddie tells Buck that she doesn’t think he’s a fraud and she follows that up with some amazing, sisterly advice. She reminds him that he’s still processing these new feelings and when he’s ready to tell Eddie the truth, he will do it in his own time. We end the scene with Maddie asking Buck to tell her more about the hot pilot.

“You’re not gonna spank me with a ruler, are you?” – Eddie Diaz, to Marisol

We next head over to the Diaz residence where we see Eddie and Marisol in bed together presumably after sexytimes. I found this transition jarring because we haven’t seen this side of Eddie since season 2. It’s so funny to me that Ryan Guzman is one of this show’s sex symbols, but we rarely get intimate scenes with his character. In fact, all of the other characters have been shown to have very active and satisfying sex lives within the show. Even Bobby and Athena like to mix it up with some roleplay from time to time. Anywho, Marisol heads into the bathroom to take the world’s fastest shower while Eddie snoops through her things. He finds a crucifix and a photo of her in a nun’s habit. He asks her when she was a nun for Halloween. Marisol exits the bathroom wearing a towel and tells him the photo was taken when she was with the Sisters of the Holy Order. She passes off this information like it’s the most normal explanation in the world before heading back into the bathroom. He asks he if she was really a month and she lets him know she only made it to novice and never took her final vows. Eddie tells her he’s having flash backs to being back in middle school. He asks if he she plans on spanking him with a ruler and she jokes that she’ll only do that if he asks nicely. When Marisol leaves the bathroom this time, Eddie sees her dressed in a habit with a celestial glow around her. Yeah, Buck may be dealing with his sexuality, but our boy Eddie has some good old-fashioned Catholic guilt.

“Is something wrong?” – Karen Wilson, to Mara Driskell

Back over at the Wilsons, Karen helps Mara get ready for bed. As she goes to leave the room, she finds the bear that Denny gave Mara lying on the floor with its head ripped off. Karen is rightfully disturbed by this and quickly exits the room. Later on, Karen wakes up to find Mara standing at the end of her bed. She wakes Hen up and they ask if something is wrong. Mara just stands there and glares at them in the creepiest way. Hen gets up and tells Mara she will go back to her room with her. When she goes to put her hand on Mara’s shoulder, the child starts screaming bloody murder which wakes Denny up. Hen and Karen exchange horrified looks.

“So, she dropped out of nun school?” – Evan Buckley, to Eddie Diaz

The next day, Buck walks into work, looking nervous and trepidatious. He sees Eddie at the bench-press and heads over to talk to him. He starts things off by telling Eddie he’s there early. Eddie says he’s been there since 6:00 even though their shift doesn’t start till 9:00. Eddie tells Buck he left the house early to avoid having sex with Marisol. Eddie asks Buck if his family was very religious when he was growing up which, no offense to the writers, seems like a conversation they would’ve maybe had by now considering how close they are. Buck says they were Episcopalian so basically no. I laughed at this line because I’ve always thought of Episcopalian as diet Catholicism. Many of the same rituals without all the pomp and pageantry. Eddie says he comes from Latin Catholics which apparently is even more hardcore than regular Catholics. Rosary beads. Catholic schools. Confessions. Mass every Sunday. He tells Buck he went until he was old enough to let tell his parents it wasn’t for him. Eddie calls himself as a Manchurian Catholic with a reservoir of Catholic guilt lying dormant just waiting to be activated.

Eddie goes on to say that everything was going great with Marisol moving in until he found out she was a nun. Buck’s follow-up question to hearing all of this is asking if she wears the outfit meaning the nun’s habit. Eddie explains that she’s not a nun currently, but she was once upon a time. Buck asks if she dropped out or was expelled. Eddie says that Marisol left of her own volition. Buck asks him what the problem is. Eddie says the problem is that he can’t look at her without wanting to do the Sign of the Cross instead of … other things. Eddie says he hasn’t been able to get a boner since she told him which explains why he’s so pent up. Buck tells him that Episcopalians don’t have guilt which is something he doesn’t exactly feel great about and suggests that Eddie appeal to a higher power. Eddie asks Buck if he thinks he should go to confession. Buck tells him ‘no’ and says he thinks he should go talk to Bobby since he’s a practicing Catholic. Eddie thinks this is a good idea since Bobby has never made him feel judged. He tells Buck that’s good advice. He goes to leave but pauses. He turns to Buck and says that it looked like he wanted to tell him something when he walked in. Buck lies and says he was just going to see if needed someone to spot him.

“One minute, Denny’s setting the table and the next, he’s bleeding.” – Karen Wilson, to Hen Wilson

Upstairs, Bobby brings Hen coffee. She tells him she need a handful of ibuprofen. He asks her if she has a headache, she tells him she has an everything ache. He asks her how thing are going with Mara, and she tells him that something happened to her. Before she got to Hen and Karen. Hen tells him that Mara had an episode the previous night. A night terror. She tells Bobby that she’s been with a day and a night but so far hasn’t spoken a single word. Bobby tells her that once Mara feels safe, she will eventually open up. Hen gets a text from Karen with a photo of Denny. Denny had a bruise over his right eye and the two of them are at the emergency room. Hen gets up and tells Bobby she needs to call Karen.

She learns that during breakfast, Mara chucked a coffee mug at Denny’s head. Hen asks if Denny is okay, and Karen says that he swears he’s fine. Denny tells Karen and Hen that Mara didn’t mean to hurt him which is awfully mature of him to say. Hen starts freaking out and asking about x-rays and stitches and checking for a concussion. Karen lets her know she is handling things. Hen apologizes and says she wishes she was there. Hen asks how all of this happened and Karen tells her she thinks it’s because Denny moved her blanket. Hen tells Karen that she’ll be home soon and when she gets there they have a lot to talk about. Karen agrees. When Hen gets home, the two of them make a phone call to Dierdra.

“I’m not gonna tell you how you feel about Marisol, Eddie. Only you know that.” – Bobby Nash, to Eddie Diaz

Meanwhile, back at the 118, Eddie shows Bobby a photo of Marisol wearing her nun’s habit. Bobby says that Marisol doesn’t look like any of the nuns he had back when he was in Minnesota. Bobby tells Eddie he understands why he’s unnerved by the knowledge that Marisol used to be a nun. He says that the imagery from their faith is very powerful. Eddie says he’s not sure if he can say that it is their faith. He tells Bobby he doesn’t know what he believes in anymore. Bobby reminds him that a lapsed Catholic is still a Catholic. He wonders if Eddie’s reaction is just him having second thoughts about Marisol moving in with him. He says that Eddie hasn’t talked about Marisol in a way that would make Bobby think he was considering cohabitating with her. Eddie tells Bobby that he really likes Marisol. Bobby tells Eddie he remembers the last time he said something similar. It was about Ana and he tells Eddie that shortly thereafter he started having panic attacks. Eddie asks Bobby if he thinks he’s a commitment-phobe. Bobby says he doesn’t think that’s the case considering Eddie has no problem committing to other things like the military, being a firefighter, his son, and Shannon. Eddie tells Bobby that the Church is a lot of the reason why he and Shannon got married. When she got pregnant, they both felt pressured into getting married. Eddie says that he’s never regretted marrying Shannon. Even when things got really bad, there was a part of him that loved being married to her. Bobby tells Eddie that only he knows how he feels about Marisol. Eddie asks Bobby what he would do if he were in his position. Bobby says as a practicing, confession-going Catholic he would go to confession because he wouldn’t want to piss off Marisol’s ex … the Lord.

“I was supposed to take care of her. She was finally supposed to be safe with me.” – Cynthia, to Hen Wilson

In our next scene, the 118 respond to an emergency involving a structure fire and a firefighter named Brunson who has been bitten by the homeowner’s dog. While Chimney sees to Brunson (played by Anthony Starke), the homeowner Cynthia (played by Sandra Thigpen) explains that the dog is a rescue who was once used for fighting. She is more upset about the dog being trapped inside her home which is currently on fire than she is her home. Brunson says he’s sorry he couldn’t get the dog out of the house and Cynthia apologizes for her dog biting him. Hen, being an avid animal lover, goes to check on the dog after she’s carried out of the house by another fireman. She detects movement and begins administering compressions to the dog. Okay, so maybe I’m late to the party but I didn’t know CPR worked on dogs. The dog regains consciousness and Cynthia is so happy. Brunson says to Hen that she doesn’t give up and Chimney tells him that giving up is not in her vocabulary.

“Everybody’s given up on her. I don’t want to be another name in a long list of people who have failed her.” – Hen Wilson, to Athena Grant

Hen goes to see Athena who has done some digging into Mara’s background. They learn that Mara’s parents were high school sweethearts who have criminal records going all the way back to when they were teenagers. They were both into drugs which ultimately led to their demise. They both died on the same night due to an opioid overdose. They’d been dead several hours by the time paramedics arrived. Hen asks Athena how the paramedics found them. Athena tells her someone called 911.

Hen and Karen head over to the 911 dispatch center to see Maddie. I love how we keep getting more scenes between these Maddie and Hen. I would argue that we’ve seen Hen and Maddie together more in just this season alone than the other seasons combined. Maddie plays the 911 call from the night Mara’s parents overdosed. At first no one responds to the dispatcher but eventually Mara starts talking. Mara tells him that her parents went to sleep and now they will not wake up. It was absolutely heartbreaking listening to Mara tell the dispatcher that she couldn’t feel her parents breathing. She tells him that sometimes her parents take pills that make them sleepy but they always wakeup. She wonders why they aren’t waking up this time. She begs for them to wake up. When the recording ends, Hen realizes aloud that Mara wasn’t just watching her and Karen sleep. She was worried they weren’t going to wake up. Karen says she was trying to protect them. I mean that still doesn’t make what she did to Denny okay but at least we have an explanation as to why she’s acting out and not speaking to anyone.

Eddie heads over to Buck’s to avoid going home to his own place. Buck tells him he’s going to have to go home at some point. Eddie asks if he has to. Buck reminds him that’s where he and his son lives. Eddie says that Christopher is away for the next couple of days. Speaking of Christopher, I was hoping that with him being a main part of the cast now that we’d see him more this season. Maybe he’ll factor in towards the latter half of the season. Anywho, Eddie is worried that if he goes home, Marisol will want to have sex with him. Buck tells him he’ll get through it. Eddie is worried about God watching them knock boots and Buck asks him if God was watching before Eddie learned about Marisol being a nun. Eddie says that he’s going to have to break up with her. Buck asks him if that is what he wants. Eddie says no and reminds Buck that he just asked Marisol to move in with him. He tells Buck that he and Tommy have the right idea staying single and hanging out with the boys. Oh, Eddie. You don’t know the half of it.

“This doesn’t change a thing between us. Okay?” – Eddie Diaz, to Evan Buckley

Buck finally comes clean and tells Eddie he was on a date with Tommy. Eddie is shocked that Tommy’s gay which is funny to me because one would think his first thought would be, wow, Buck, you’re bisexual? Buck figured that Tommy’s sexuality would’ve come up at some point while they were hanging out. Eddie says Tommy hasn’t said anything to him, not that it would matter. Buck says that Tommy doesn’t volunteer his sexuality, but he doesn’t hide it. Buck asks Eddie if it’s weird that he and Tommy were on a date and Eddie says absolutely not. Eddie tells Buck that nothing will change between the two of them and Buck is visibly relieved by hearing this. Buck tells him that Tommy dumped him but then remembers that he can’t be dumped if they were never together. Buck tells him that Tommy doesn’t think he’s ready to be in a relationship with a guy. Eddie asks him what he thinks. Buck says he can’t stop thinking about Tommy. Eddie tells Buck he needs to call Tommy. Eddie reminds him that Tommy doesn’t know he’s an idiot but once he does get to know him, he’ll love Buck – like they all do. But what if he says no, Buck asks. Then he’s an idiot, Eddie says. Eddie tells him not to walk away from something before he even knows what it is. Buck echoes what Eddie said earlier in the episode and tells him that’s good advice. Eddie agrees and tells Buck he needs to talk to Marisol. He gets up and heads to the door. Before he leaves, he tells Buck to come here, and the two besties hug it out. This scene was so precious. I love the chemistry between these two. I’m still not 100% sold on them being anything other than friends but I can see why others would see a scene like this and ship these two romantically. Before Eddie leaves, he reminds Buck to call Tommy. If only you could be as good of a boyfriend as you are a friend, Eddie. You would be as close to perfect as a person could get.

“Because no man has ever looked at me the same after they found out.” – Marisol, to Eddie Diaz

Eddie finally makes it back to his house right about the same time Marisol gets there. He apologizes for not coming home sooner. He asks her if she’s had anything to eat and she tells him she ate with her brother. This made me laugh because I’ve seen people on Reddit and Tumblr joke about how Marisol has more chemistry with her brother than she does with Eddie. Anywho, Marisol tells Eddie they should talk and he agrees. She tells him she have told him sooner about being a nun. He asks her why she didn’t, and she tells him that whenever she tells a guy about her past, one of two things happen. Either they get freaked out or turned on. Eddie suggests there may be a third option – the kind of guy who just needs a minute. Marisol tells him if he’s not ready for them to cohabitate, she understands. Eddie tells her he doesn’t think he’s ready for them to leave together … yet. He tells her something about him. He confesses that he has the tendency to move too fast in his relationships. He goes with his gut and lets his head catch up later. Marisol asks if that usually works out for him and he tells her no. However, this time he would really like it if it did. Eddie asks Marisol if they can start over, and she says yes. This time he wants them to take time getting to know each other. They kiss and Marisol says she can’t wait to move out. Eddie says he can’t wait either.

“Night, night.” – Mara, to Karen Wilson

At the Wilson residence, Karen goes into Mara’s room to talk to her. She says she can’t imagine how hard it is for her being in a new house with strangers. Karen says she would be scared all the time which is how she knows Mara is a very brave girl. Karen tells Mara she doesn’t have to be brave all the time. She tells her she is safe there with her, Hen, and Denny – even if she doesn’t feel like she is. She gives Mara a monitor so she can see that Karen and Hen are there and know that she is safe. She tells Mara goodnight and tells her goodnight. Hen and Karen are delighted to hear this.

“I don’t know what I’m ready for, but I am ready for something. And I think maybe that something could be with you.” – Evan Buckley, to Tommy Kinard

The next day, Buck meet up with Tommy. They exchange hellos and Buck thanks Tommy for agreeing to meet him. He tells Tommy he got him a coffee. He didn’t know how he took his coffee, so he just guessed. Tommy takes a sip and says, not like that. I love how honest Tommy is. It’s what I find so endearing about him. They both laugh and Buck says there’s a lot of things they don’t know about each other. Tommy says practically everything. Buck wants to change that but first he apologizes for how he behaved on their date. Tommy assures him he has nothing to apologize for, but Buck says he does. Tommy tells him no again and explains that he didn’t cut their date short because Buck behaved badly. He cut it short because he didn’t want to pressure Buck. Buck admits that how he acted is not one of his proudest moments. Buck brings up how Tommy said he wasn’t ready. He tells Tommy that he doesn’t know what he’s ready for but he is ready for something. He believes that maybe that something could be with Tommy. Tommy says that Buck already knows he’s interested. Buck invites him to come to Maddie’s wedding. Tommy laughs but quickly realizes that Buck is serious. Buck tells him that he wants him to be his date. When Tommy said Evan, I swooned. Buck tells him that he already knows half the people that will be at the wedding and says that Maddie is eager to meet him. I love how Tommy is always checking to make sure Buck is okay with everything they are doing. He asks Buck if he’s sure and Buck says he is. He tells Tommy he’ll need someone to dance with. Tommy says okay. They hold hands and Buck looks so happy I could just scream. “What was it, pastel and puke?” – Maddie Buckley, to Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz

In our final scene, we flash-forward to Maddie and Chimney’s wedding. We see Athena looking absolutely radiant seated next to Bobby. We see Maddie in her wedding dress freaking out over Chimney, Buck, and Eddie being a half an hour late. Maddie’s dad (played by Gregory Harrison) is trying to call Buck but keeps getting his voicemail. Hen arrives in looking absolutely stunning in a black tux. She tells Maddie that Buck’s car just pulled up. Maddie is relieved and asks if Chimney is with them. Hen tells her she isn’t sure. She didn’t see. Buck and Eddie arrive looking like something the proverbial cat drug in. I love their pastel blazer. Eddie’s in a pink suit with no shirt on for some reason. Not that I’m complaining. Buck has on all white with a green blazer. Maddie asks them why they’re dressed like that. Buck says they were at a themed party. Eddie says the puke on his jacket isn’t his. Maddie tells them to get changed and asks them about Chimney. Buck tells her it’s complicated.

Wow, what another incredible episode. I like how the theme of not knowing someone carried out throughout the episode. This season continues to deliver on the character development front. Some have complained that there’s not enough emergencies this season, but I don’t care. I’ve always preferred the drama of the characters over the actual emergencies. I think the show does a good job of balancing those two things. Hell, it’s only been five episodes and we’ve dealt with a drunk driver, an airplane crashing into a house, a cruise ship capsizing and a guy going ape shit on himself. That’s plenty of emergency for me.

Speaking of balance, I think the show is doing a good job of balancing our main characters’ storyline. The first three episodes dealt with Athena and Buck. The last two episodes have been about Buck, Hen, and Eddie. I feel like the next episodes will deal with Maddie and Chimney. Speaking of Buck, I am very pleased with the direction his character is going. I was watching an episode from season one and it’s remarkable how far he’s come since then. The same goes with Hen. In season one, I wasn’t sure if her relationship with Karen was going to go the distance but here we are seven years later and they’re still together, better than ever, and fostering kids in addition to raising Denny. Then we have Eddie. I am so happy Bobby called him out on his bullshit. I’ve watched people online make excuses for Eddie’s behavior while pointing the finger at Shannon. I’ve never understood how people could be so angry at Shannon for leaving Christopher but turn a blind eye to the fact that Eddie has openly admitted to signing up for another tour of duty because he wasn’t ready to deal with being a husband and a father. Having Marisol move out is a good decision although I wish he never asked her to move in to begin with. It creates more baggage for her. Hopefully, Eddie will take additional steps to figure out why he sucks at relationships. It's so funny to me because I see so many folks online who swear up and down that Eddie and Buck are going to be together by the end of this season. Yet, none of them have ever taken the time to consider that if Eddie is bad with Shannon, Ana, and now with Marisol, why would things be any different with Buck? Also, I do not want Eddie to interfere with Buck’s bisexual awakening. In fact, outside of them being just two friends supporting each other, I would like to see them embark on their separate journeys alone and maybe rely on others for advice.

Well, unfortunately it looks like we will not be getting a new episode until May 2nd. I checked my calendar and May 2nd isn’t as far away as I thought. Having 9-1-1 on a brief hiatus will allow me some time to revisit some older episodes and rewatch the five episodes from this season. The thing about 9-1-1, much like Golden Girls and Schitt’s Creek, it will never get old to me. So, maybe I’ll start at the very beginning (again) so I can better appreciate how far our beloved characters have come. Until next time …

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depressed-teacup-inc · 11 months

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Ok what was that play

Ok hi everyone, episode 24 out (yes I’m aware episode 23 isn’t out so we lack a whole bunch of fucking context) but let’s try to analyze this anyways.

So. Let’s try to take this a little bit at a time.

Episode starts, and Adrien is in London (probably happened in episode 23) and clearly had a bad falling out with marinette, courtesy of abuse mcbusive dad. Great.

Listen Adrien this episode was a mixed bag for me, because on one side I’m so happy that he finally got to stand up to his dad and tell him shit as it is (especially considering what happens in the season 5 finale which I will not spoil for those who didn’t see the leaks, but let’s just say he doesn’t get the chance to ever stand up to that man again) but the fact that all of that eventually boils down to “I’m done with you because you won’t let me be with marinette” is kinda upsetting?

And that’s really my biggest disappointment with Adrien’s character this season! Adrien was always a compelling and sweet protagonist that beyond romance, held friendship and support above everything, and craved freedom to live his own life, but all of this is kinda gone? He’s just a reward for marinette to win and save now, and everything he does (rebelling for his freedom) is only because of marinette.

If Gabriel decided to suddenly approve of Marinette or Marinette grew up to become just as bad as Gabriel (which frankly, considering the dynamic ladybug has with Chat Noir, where she constantly screamed at him until he became her yes man is unfortunately likely), Adrien would let it be, because he and marinette can be together! He would let himself be abused because he never actually grew as a person! If anything, he was downgraded by the show to purely Marinette’s love interest and it’s just such a disappointment because I genuinely enjoyed Adrien’s character (for all his flaws and bad writing in the show).

Anyways Adrien tangent aside, marinette goes looking for him during the end of year party (which just sidenote, a trampoline on the Eiffel Tower sounds super dangerous, and Marinette’s dress? Ugly as hell, for the dress that’s supposed to represent how much she’s grown and her talent in capturing people’s hearts with her designs, it is really bad, and I would have just put her in that concept art gown they had for her with the butterflies and warm pink gradient) and ends up in the art room of her school, where Felix and Kagami reveal to her the entire truth about the Agreste family!

…ok so several notes on this entire situation:

1. I’m sorry but for the life of me I couldn’t take this fucking play seriously. The masks and the poor props (the pillow for the baby bump) and Felix and Kagami’s super stiff abstract acting made me lose my shit and laugh, they could have literally just used the camera amok to make something with a bit more of a budget and an interesting art style, and had Felix and Kagami be the narrators instead of this shit

2. The sheer absurdity of this show to reveal all the biggest plot points and the entire catalyst for this story (if Emilie never made the sentibabies she would have lived and peacock miraculous wouldn’t have been broken, hence Gabriel wouldn’t be Hawkmoth) through a fucking play is beyond me and shows how little care the writers put into the plot of this show that doesn’t revolve marinette and true love, we should have figured this out not from two side characters but rather through Gabriel himself (bonus points IF ADRIEN GETS TO KNOW THE FUCKING TRUTH RATHER THEN HAVE MARINETTE KNOW IT AND CONTROL ADRIEN)

3. Felix and Kagami’s motives

Ok so this is a bit of a longer point, so let’s break this down. So I don’t understand Felix and Kagami’s motive change at all? I thought Felix all this time was working towards getting the peacock miraculous and stealing all the rings from the abusive parents because it was a moral thing for him? Like he is a sentimonster and he knows Adrien is a sentimonster, and therefore he keeps fighting to protect and save his cousin?

BUT APPARENTLY THATS NOT THE SITUATION ANYMORE??? So apparently Kagami is a sentimonster too (tho she never before season 5 gave that impression at all? If anything she seems very headstrong and independent, and her mom was never villain levels abusive, BUT I GUESS SHE IS NOW?!) and Adrien is not (this I believe is purely Felix being misinformed and not having the full picture, because there’s no way in hell this show would literally use the same visuals they used on Adrien to describe Felix being controlled by the ring without wanting people to draw a connection, but I thought Felix knew? I mean he was saying how he did all of this in hopes of freeing his dear cousin, so I assumed Felix knew all this time)

And because of that? Felix’s motive? True loveeeee.

…ok listen I don’t hate Felix and Kagami together but holy shit I hate that motive

Cuz it’s not like Felix can have a compelling motive for doing less then ok things because of devotion to family and protecting someone who’s the same as him (tho I will concede Kagami and Felix are apparently in love for being sentikids together and they are a cute dynamic so good for them) NO YOU GUYS WE NEED A HETEROSEXUAL ROMANCE, AND SCREW FELIX TAKING DIRECT ACTION TO SAVE ADRIEN AND TELLING HIM THE TRUTH, LETS JUST TELL MARINETTE EVERYTHING AND SHE’LL SAVE ADRIEN WITHOUT TELLING HIM ANY OF THE TRUTH BECAUSE SHES MARINETTE!

…but yeah I thought that entire debacle was a lot.

Also the way they removed akuma alerts this episode so Marinette can just not go to battle and be justified for chasing Adrien crazily, because otherwise she would have looked like a hypocrite? They literally had to remove something they had from day one of this show (an emergency alert for akumas) just to justify the fact marinette didn’t go to battle and chased Adrien so she wouldn’t seem like an awful person (and the way she’s literally not even feeling bad about missing a whole battle, and Chat Noir was berated for missing battles for not being able to escape his civilian life, BUT YEAH YOU GUYS ITS FINE LETS NOT THINK ABOUT THE DOUBLE STANDARD TOO MUCH)

Also Natalie’s hair going white to show she’s dying was kinda weird (was it supposed to show how she’s so sick she’s not even dyeing her hair red anymore?) and Gabriel’s akuma design was ugly as fuck.

But yeah I’m dreading the finale as I already know what is happening there and im fucking scareddd

(P.S. can everyone calm down saying Kagami and Felix are fucked up for how they got Marinette’s attention? They literally did the one thing they knew she’d care about aka she’s obsessed with Adrien she’d follow if Adrien is involved, this isn’t bringing up her trauma settle down girlies)

#miraculous ladybug #mlb fandom #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #felix graham de vanily #kagami tsurugi #ml season 5 #ml spoilers #ml representation #I am having a funeral for Adrien’s character and Felix’s motives #still find Felix and Kagami cute tho so good for them

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kalena-henden · 7 months

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Destined With You Final Thoughts

THE GOOD

Rowoon - Every new role I see him in (Extraordinary You and Tomorrow), I feel like he's grown leaps and bounds as an actor. Here he got to be literally be EVERYTHING. He was an arrogant emotionless jerk, a lovesick puppy who says the cutest most ridiculously things, a serious no-nonsense professional who's great at his job, a man struggling with his feelings and choices, a devoted protective lover, gutted and sobbing over life or death circumstances, respectful patient attentive boyfriend, an impulsive and passionate lover. I know we say ALL THE EMOTIONS sometimes but he literally when through them all.

Jo Bo Ah - Hongjo was a hard character for me because she was so passive and let everyone walk all over her again and again. Her saving grace is she always stood up to Shinyu and eventually learned to stand up to those around her. I could easily be annoyed with this character if it was played by a less competent actress.

Ha Joon - I enjoyed his turn as a suave lawyer who's actually a total dork in his personal life so much so that I started watching his new 50-episode family drama, Live Your Own Life, where he's finally the male lead with his own romance. Jaekyung came as Hongjo's sage guide when she needed him and happily exited when she was settled. Honestly, not a bad arc for a SML.

Shinyu's mom, Shinyu's lawyer friend, Hongjo's Landlady, Uram and his grandfather, and Shinyu's assistant - These characters were alot of fun and added to the depth of the story. I wish we had actually gotten more development from them which would have filled out this story a bit better.

Symbolism & Magic - This show is rife with well thought out symbolism. Love all the flower/plant stuff around Hongjo (Bloom) and Shinyu (Groot) equating to a blossoming and thriving relationship. The magic is actually pretty well explained and is there if you're interested in it.

THE BAD

Dropping the Magic Halfway Through - I am EXTREMELY disappointed in a show billed as a FANTASY ROMANCE that went to painstaking care to introduce the spells and curses to be like oops! don't care if the spells worked or not but we kinda care if the big curse is real cause we want to keep Shinyu in perpetual danger. Like I have ZERO respect that the FANTASTY aspect was dropped (and no the reincarnation plotline doesn't count). I feel hoodwinked and things make even less sense now. It's basically a JJ Abrams Mystery Box level of non-sensical bulls*t which is one of the main reasons I stopped watching most Western shows. It also leaves MASSIVE holes about how and why the Gardener and Nayeon started working together as well how did they learn about and come to believe the curses would even work. It was just she's a backstabbing two-faced bully and he's an insane murderer but zilch on their motivations. I really wanted a mini-montage of the black magic curses that were so well foreshadowed. I'm unsure if this was a writing call or directing call because in Korea the directors have final edit rights, not the writers. What got left on the cutting room floor?

Hongjo's coworkers - Why were they so terrible and unfunny the entire time? They were also irrelevant to the plot. The only good thing was her boss stopping the others from bullying Hongjo. It wasted time that could have been given to the side characters l liked (see above).

Noble Idiocracy & Repetitive Danger - I'm not sure which is worse that they repeatedly put themselves in danger time after time (even when bad things kept happening to them) or they broke up or stayed apart for the other person's 'benefit'. *face palm* If it was a great story, I can forgive some of this but...

The Pacing/Editing - If they had done a big reveal of the magic and other stuff at the end that really brought things to a climax, I would be like yeah it was slow at points but look at the payoff! Instead, I'm looking back at this going, if this is the story you wanted to tell, it could use a serious overhaul in HOW it was told. Even though there was stuff I liked about this drama, I wasn't that emotionally invested.

VERDICT

I would only recommend watching this to see Rowoon act his heart out and be in a ridiculously cute and sexy romance. That's it.

I'm sad because I really loved deep diving into this show. It could have been so much more like Goblin, Doom At Your Service, or Alchemy of Souls.

#destined with you #kdrama #kalenapost #kalenameta #destinedwithyoutmeta #kalena watches kdramas #tv

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writercole · 1 year

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Five Minutes More

Summary: Dean may have developed a crush on one of the girls he plays his mmorpg with. When she comes to town for work, feelings take over. Squares: Gamers spnfluffbingo Words: 2413 Warnings: Fluff, sweet Dean Credits: @princessmisery666 for looking this over ages ago. I'm lowering my expectations and posting it now. A/N: This was going to be a very long series but it's honestly a lot and I can't handle expanding it but it's so sweet that I have to share it.

Likes are loved but reblogs are golden. Patreon is gone. Tipping is available through Tumblr if you're so inclined.

Wednesday

“Alright guys, keep your focus. Another two percent,” the raid leader, Dean, better known in game as DWImpala, called over the voice chat. The only thing that could be heard over comms was the steady click-clack of key presses for spells and attacks. The numbers steadily decreased, chunks of the boss’s health falling off as the eighteen players gave their all.

The boss went down and everyone cheered, congratulating the lucky players who got loot and lamenting that they didn’t think the stupid horse existed since another week had gone by without a drop.

“Alright, I’m calling it here for the night,” he announced to his guild. “Next week we’re going to do a full clear, then go on raid break until we get new content.”

Players said their goodbyes and logged off the game and the voice server, leaving their officers alone.

“So, uh, I’m going to be out next week,” Scuttle announced. She was the healer lead and the few people who knew her well enough called her Y/N.

“Oh yeah? Hot date?” Demonfall, a DPS known as Ash, teased.

“Out of town for work, sadly,” she replied with a sigh.

“Anywhere fun, at least?” Dean questioned, disappointed that she’d be gone. She was great at her class, sure, but he’d also developed a bit of a crush on her.

“Not unless you count a tiny town in Kansas as fun,” she scoffed.

Dean’s heart skipped a beat when she said Kansas. He’d grown up there, hell, he still lived in Kansas. He knew the odds of her coming to his tiny town were slim.

But if he were honest, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to meet her. His crush was probably nothing; he didn’t even know what she looked like. But she was an awesome person from what he could tell.

He was vaguely aware of continuing conversation between the other two people but he wasn’t paying attention. His mind had gotten lost in fantasies and what ifs, trying to come up with a reason to find out more about what she did and where she’d be just to get a glimpse of her. He knew it was creepy to manipulate the conversation for information. So he kept his mouth shut.

The sound of a user disconnecting snapped his attention back to the present, his heart falling at the thought that he’d lost his chance to talk to her more. But when he saw that they were the only two left in chat, his mouth went dry.

“De? You still there?” she asked.

“Oh, uh, y-yeah,” he stuttered and cleared his throat. “Sorry, I kinda zoned out after you mentioned you were coming to Kansas.”

“Coming to Kansas? Is that where you are?” she questioned eagerly, anxious to get some kind of information from the private man she had started to have feelings for.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, “Lawrence.”

“You’re kidding,” she deadpanned, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“Uh, no,” he replied, confusion evident in his voice.

“That’s where I’ll be. If you have some time one day, maybe, if you want, you can show me where to get a decent burger?” Her voice held a lightness, a hope that he’d accept.

“I’d love to,” he answered enthusiastically. She’d been the first one to ask. She actually wanted to meet him.

“Really?! I mean, I’m there all week so it’s whenever you’re free but that would be amazing,” she babbled.

“So when are you getting in?”

“Sunday evening. I’m driving down and should be there somewhere around 5 or 6,” she informed, doing the math in her head about what time she needed to leave and how long the drive was.

“Okay, well how about we meet up Sunday evening? I can take you out for a late dinner,” he offered.

“That sounds great,” she agreed with a smile evident in her voice.

“Awesome. I’ll DM you my number and you can just text me when you’re close?” Dean suggested as he typed his cell into the chat box.

“I’ll text you from my phone so you can save my number, too. Just make sure your girlfriend knows who I am,” she chuckled.

“No girlfriend, sweetheart,” Dean clarified, “but you make sure your boyfriend is cool with it.”

“Yeah, about that,” she said softly, “we broke up two weeks ago.”

“What? Scuttle, why didn’t you say anything?” Dean scolded.

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like I was in love with the guy. So what if I caught him in his car with some redhead? It’s not a big deal.” Her voice contained a venom that Dean never wanted to be on the receiving end of.

“Where does this guy live?” Dean practically growled, anger at the man who treated her so badly burning in his chest.

She laughed then, a sweet giggle that doused the fire and diverted his attention.

“I’m serious, sweetheart. Say the word and I’ll take care of him,” he repeated.

“That’s sweet, De. But I’m fine, really. It’s getting late, though, and I have to work tomorrow and pack. I’ll see you Sunday?”

“Five minutes more?” he pleaded.

“Five minutes,” she confirmed.

Sunday

Five minutes turned into an hour. That hour turned into texting back and forth over the next few days, nearly all day long, and talking every night for hours. By the time Sunday came around, Dean was sure that he was falling for her.

As sure as Dean was that he was falling hard, so was she. Her ex had said that she cared more about that game and people she’d never met than him. In hindsight, he may not have been wrong. He was still a dick, though.

She texted Dean when she was leaving home and starting her drive. He smiled at his phone before slipping it back in his pocket and sliding back under his car, whistling as he worked. It was just a simple oil change and he was done in no time, deciding to wash and detail the car while he had time.

He sang along to Metallica as he dried the water, not realizing that he had a smile on his face until Benny walked over from next door.

“Wha’s gaht yah smilin’ like dat?” he teased in his thick Cajun accent.

“Nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean quickly denied.

“Who’z dah guhl?”

“What girl?”

Benny fixed him with a look, letting him know that he wasn’t buying it. Dean sighed and Benny smirked, knowing that he’d won that battle.

“Okay, so you know how I’ve told you about that girl I game with, Scuttle?” Dean started.

“Oh yeah, tha one you sweet on,” Benny replied.

“I’m not five, Benny. I’m not ‘sweet’ on her.” Dean rolled his eyes and Benny laughed before Dean continued. “Anyway, she’s coming to town for work and I’m taking her to dinner tonight.”

“You gonna tell Cher yah like her?”

“No. I mean, I don’t really even know her. She doesn’t even know me. And she just broke up with her boyfriend because she caught him cheating on her.” Dean returned to his work polishing the chrome trim on his car, pretending to ignore his friend standing behind him.

“Dean, she jus’ broke up wit’ her boyfriend. Don’ you think’ tha’ you should say somethin’ before some otha man does?” Benny chided as he shifted to see Dean’s face instead of the back of his head. “Girl like dat won’ be lonely long, brotha.”

“Jesus, Benny. Can’t I meet the girl before you give me the speech?” Dean whined as he stood up, his phone pinging in his pocket. He pulled it out without breaking eye contact with his friend, then looked down to see a message from her. He opened his phone quickly, finding a picture of a sign advertising Lebanon, Center of the Continental United States - 50 miles.

“How long?” Benny asked, not giving any other context.

“About an hour,” Dean replied without thinking, typing out a message and slipping his phone back in his pocket. He cringed when he realized what Benny had asked and saw the smug look on his friend’s face.

“Ah’m gonna go. See yah at work tomorrah. Gonna wanna hear all ‘bout th’date.” Benny strode away to his yard, leaving Dean to finish up the car and get ready to go out.

She texted Dean once she’d checked in and told him where she was. When he responded that he was on his way, her palms started sweating and her heart started pounding. She tried taking deep, calming breaths but nothing was helping the nerves.

A knock sounded on the door and she froze, panicked that he was already at the hotel. She was second guessing everything from her wardrobe to her hair to even meeting up with him. Another knock echoed through the room and she moved towards the door automatically, taking a deep breath as she turned the knob and pulled the door open.

Her breath caught in her chest when she laid eyes on him for the first time. There had to have been a mistake. There's no way this is…"Dean?" she asked as she met his gaze.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a wide grin. "It's nice to meet you, Y/N."

“Wow, I…you look nothing like I pictured,” she blurted out, quickly following up with “that’s not a bad thing! I just didn’t expect…you know…a model.”

He chuckled at her candor, ducking his head while the tips of his ears turned red. “You flatter me, sweetheart, but you’re the one who could be a model. I knew you’d be gorgeous but I didn’t expect to have the wind knocked out of me.”

“That’s sweet, De,” she giggled. “Do you want to come in? Five minutes and I’ll be ready,” she told him as she backed into the room.

“Yeah, five minutes. No problem,” he replied.

Dean took her to a small diner where they had burgers and pie, laughing and talking until they were the only two people left in the restaurant. It was still early so they opted for a ride around town with the windows down, the cooling air blowing around in their hair as Dean drove down quiet roads.

He kept stealing glances at her, drawn to the way the moonlight surrounded her in an ethereal light, making her glow. He pulled down a dirt road and turned off the headlights, letting the full moon be his guide.

“Is this where you kill and bury me?” she joked as he parked the car.

“Nah,” he chuckled, “this here is the best part of Lawrence.”

Dean stepped out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door and offering his hand to help her out of the car. He kept a hold on it as he started to walk through the trees ahead of them.

She followed him quietly, trusting him completely. They stepped through the trees and she gasped at the sight before her.

Inside a quiet clearing was a small pond, barely big enough for a boat to float comfortably. Moonlight reflected off of the water, sparkling as the small waves moved in the breeze. A little dock led to a small gazebo over the water.

Dean took her to the gazebo and she looked around in awe; the roof was made of a clear material, allowing her to see the stars shining in the sky. Thick benches lined the walls of the wooden structure, a waist-high railing surrounding the edge, the rest of the space open, allowing the cool breeze of the night to pass through.

Dean watched as she took in the space, her eyes wide and her jaw slack. He knew this was the right spot. It’s where his brother took his wife for their first date, where Benny took his fiancee’, where his parents had their first date. The hope that something could bloom here lifted his heart and drove out the nagging thoughts of her leaving again.

She turned around to face Dean, finding him standing next to a pile of blankets and pillows that she was sure hadn’t been laid out when they got there. He reached out his hand and she accepted it, following his lead and settling into the soft mountain to watch the stars.

As the pair talked and laughed, they drifted closer to one another, lying on their sides facing each other when Y/N started to yawn.

“We should get you back to the hotel,” Dean told her quietly.

“No, no, I’m fine,” she insisted. “Five minutes more.”

“Five minutes then we head back,” he promised.

“Five minutes.”

Monday

Dean woke to sunlight streaming in his face and a heavy warmth across his chest. He stretched, thinking he was in his bed, only to be met with wooden planks surrounding him. Memories of last night came flooding back and his eyes fluttered open to find Y/N sleeping soundly on his chest, still in the gazebo over the small pond.

His gaze had found a home on her peaceful face and he stared unabashedly, counting the barely there freckles across her cheekbones, admiring the way her lashes brushed her cheeks, resisting the urge to trace the soft lines around her mouth and eyes. She began to stir and cuddled closer to him.

Dean prayed she couldn’t tell how fast his heart was beating beneath her ear in her half-awake state. His arm tightened around her, holding her close. He closed his eyes and wished for time to stop, to be able to stay in this moment forever. His hopes were dashed when his phone started vibrating in his pocket, the alarm he had set for work blaring through the silence.

Scuttle groaned and swiped towards the sound while Dean fished in his pocket for the offending device. He turned it off and gave his attention back to her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Hey, sweetheart, it’s time to wake up,” he coaxed, his hand trailing up the arm tossed over his chest.

“Noo, five more minutes,” she mumbled as she wiggled next to him.

“Five more minutes,” he agreed quietly, a soft smile gracing his face, the possibilities of the upcoming week shrinking under the impending end of their fling. He would enjoy the next five minutes of her in his arms as if it were the last.

#writercole #dean winchester #jensen ackles #five minutes more

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thebroccolination · 1 year

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⭐ star~

Heeeehehehe, thank you for indulging me, Anon!

Okay, so, one of my favorite fics that I've ever written is A Life of Abundance, which has Arthit trying to help Kongphob tell his mother that they've decided not to have children. Since the inability to bear biological children someday was one of Arthit's canon worries in SOTUS, I wanted to explore a future where they've mutually decided that's not something either of them actually want. But of course, breaking that to a parent who ardently wants grandkids is another battle entirely – and a much more grown-up couple problem.

Despite the sadness on the side of Kongphob's mother, I wanted the tone of Arthit's POV to be sort of light and almost serene to reflect how far he's grown from the end of Our Skyy. So much of the SOTUS trifecta is focused on Arthit's anxieties, so I wanted to give Arthit the confidence and Kongphob the anxiety for once.

Arthit opens his eyes and takes in the guilt on Kongphob’s face. “You’re impossible,” he groans, rubbing his face with both hands. “Kong, we talked about kids before we got married. Why haven’t you told her yet?” Kongphob pries Arthit’s hands from his face, holds them at an awkward angle on top of Arthit’s chest, and says, “Because I know she’ll be sad,” and then has the grace to wince sheepishly, presumably at how it sounds aloud.

I think Kongphob's the kind of person who has firm ideals and stands by them, but he'll put his own needs aside if he decides someone else is more deserving. Arthit calls him out on having a hero complex in SOTUS, and it's a flaw that Kongphob always kind of carries with him throughout SOTUS, SOTUS S, and Our Skyy. (He won't cry in front of Arthit, for example, and he keeps his worries and fears from Arthit until he's at his breaking point.)

The few scenes we get of Kongphob with his parents in SOTUS S show that he's a dutiful son and he's very affectionate with his mother, but he also doesn't seem to confide in them the way, say, Pete does with his father in Dark Blue Kiss, or Gun with his mother in My School President. He has a lot of respect for his parents, and he's The Only Boy in a wealthy Asian family, so I imagine he has a decent amount of pressure on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Kongphob seems to see his relationship with Arthit as a subject too precious and intimate to ever discuss openly. If you watch him in canon, he never really opens up to anyone about Arthit – even before they start dating. So I think there's a good likelihood that Kongphob's Good Son role would clash hard with his Good Partner role to the point where he'd have no idea how to handle it.

Cue his husband, former head hazer Arthit Rojnapat, the first one to call out Kongphob on most of his personality flaws.

Afterward, Kongphob claims that he tried to bring it up and his mother smoothly segued into sending him a list of adoption agencies that explicitly welcome applications from same-sex couples. Kongphob doesn’t tell Arthit that he forced a smile and thanked her for the gesture, but Arthit really doesn’t need him to; the sheepish wince says it all. Truly, there’s no coward on Earth equal to a mama’s boy who’s been asked to disappoint his mama.

Above all, I didn't want to make Kongphob's mother a villain in this story. I think parents don't always mean to put pressure on their children, especially older parents or just parents from family-oriented backgrounds and cultures. We don't have much to go on for Kongphob's mother, but based on the little we see, I think she's the kind of person who would just assume her son wants to hit all the traditional milestones, even if he's married to a man.

“But you love kids,” Supinya says to Kongphob miserably. Arthit bites his tongue. It’s clearly a last-ditch effort because Kongphob has never interacted casually with a human child in his entire life, not even when he was a child. Arthit knows this even without having been there himself.

I added this bit because it amused me and because Kongphob himself never actually seems that interested in kids, let alone in raising their own one day. Also, Arthit knows Kongphob better now than he did when they were students and he had a penchant for sending himself into doom spirals over problems he invented by himself. (I love you, my sweet trainwreck of a son.)

This fic also has maybe my favorite ending to any fic I've ever written.

Kongphob hums, petting his hair with smooth, even strokes of his hand. “I like your whole family. They’ve always been so nice to me.” “They love you,” Kongphob says. “Who wouldn’t?” “You didn’t, early on.” “Not true. There’s never been a day I haven’t loved you, P’Arthit.” “Even though I can’t give you kids?” He doesn’t open his eyes, but he does curl a playful smile. “Even so,” Kongphob says. He bends and kisses Arthit’s forehead. “This life is for us. We can have kids next time.” A quip catches in Arthit’s throat. Instead, he catches Kongphob’s hand and holds it to his chest. His life has overfilled with light time and time again, summoned by the simple honesty of a man who never learned to do anything but love him unabashedly with every iota of his being. They fall asleep on the sofa, that hum of energy singing between them.

I think it's the closest I've ever gotten to encapsulating why I love them and how much. They're such a special pairing to me, and I never get tired of revisiting their story because of how much they adore and respect each other. The way they use formal language with each other even though the literal beginning of their relationship is all about power dynamics and hierarchy. Arthit still calls his younger partner "khun" and treats him with utter equality, and Kongphob is obviously enamored from the word "go".

I love them a lot, and I think this fic is the closest I got to portraying why.

#kiranokira answers #kiranokira fic #kongart #sotus the series #sotus #kongarthit

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madokasoratsugu · 2 years

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dug this out from the deep deep depths of my drafts. it made me laugh so have at it: cindphenon LIs as dads + bonus mom lucette

Rod: surprisingly sensible and steady. is nervous and antsy in the beginning but admires both his fathers A Ton so tries his best to bring their best qualities to the forefront: ever present and very loving. quiet but very supportive parent, encourages his child’s pursuits of any interest (be it a hobby or a person). will fucking snide anyone who talks smack about his kid being a fine arts major. may be a little overbearing and critical at times but only because he wants the best for his child.

Karma: pta mum. throws hands every weekend with karen and her disgusting brownies. will let you know how his kid is better than yours in a very smug and ‘oh did you hear’ kind of way. lets his kid know all the time that they deserve the whole fucking world. maybe spoils them a bit too much. meddles in the kid’s love life all the time. the weaker parent to the puppy eyes. doesnt like to play bad cop, tends to give in to the kid a lot lmao.

Rumpel: super straight laced parent in the streets, absolute mess in the sheets. gives kid unsolicited advice 24/7. workaholic dad but always makes it in home for dinner and keeps his weekends free. slides a cake into their room when theyre sad bc he doesnt want to force them to talk but Also doesnt want them to be sad alone. definitely disappointed when kids dont want to follow in his footsteps but very enthusiastic in seeing what they want to forge for themselves.

Fritz: must call if staying past curfew or he’ll call the cops and make them put out an amber alert. overprotective and can be smothering but very, very loving and never gives his children a reason to doubt that love. 100% behind his kid and is proud of them no matter what - from acing a test to egging a house. will say ‘i love you’ and tuck them in every night, even when they’re grown, and will fucking Cry when they move out/leave his side. definitely punched another dad once.

Waltz: actually the best dad. a natural with handling people, a safe figure to confide in, knows when to pry, and when to leave his kid alone. showers kids with lots of love, never lets them go without. the type to read bedtimes stories at night and puts peeled oranges into their lunch boxes. last day of school its an unpeeled orange and a note that says “its time to learn how to peel your own oranges :”(”. can be too nice/soft, but stern when it comes to necessary discipline.

bonus:

Lucette: stern but fair mother, always encouraging and kind but will scold her child if needed. talks to her children like theyre adults, but always expects them to behave like kids. plays bad cop as often as she tells them ‘i love you’. an unsure parents and lots of self-doubt in the beginning, but never fails to put her child first. shows her love through actions more than words. trying her best to be better every day.

#cinderella phenomenon #melon writes #i dont want to tag everyone bc its late and im sleepy lol

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iriswestallenn · 1 year

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The final season of Ted Lasso wasn't good

Long Post Warning

In my opinion of course, it was just wasn't very good and the finale was bad.

They didn't know what to do with Keeley. Her friend, Shandy, didn't add anything. Her relationship with Jack was stupid. Jack fucking with Keeley's business didn't matter because it was resolved in one episode thanks to Rebecca. Then they decided to make the love triangle a thing again. We'll come back to that later.

Nate lmao you can forgive people. They don't need to bend the knee or buy you flowers for you to forgive them or to prove they are worthy of forgiveness. All they need to do is show they've changed, grown, and learned from their mistakes. The problem with Nate is not that they ALL forgave his slimy ass. The problem is we never see the change. He cries to his dad, he gets a gf, he realizes Rupert is an asshole. We spend no time with Nate being worthy of forgiveness to THE RICHMOND TEAM. He gets the girl and he's cured of his asshole-ness. The girl in question btw? Bland. No personality, we don't know why they like each other. The end.

Sam and Zava. Nonsense. Colin's storyline was cool. I like that he didn't want to be an out player because he didn't want to be the spokesperson for that or for that to be his main identity. A good amount of time was spent on that story and I liked it (see I can like things) but the same can't be said for Sam and Zava. They gave Sam a racism storyline which resulted in his restaurant getting vandalized and the end. No, wait, I'm sorry! Sam is gonna keep shattered glass in the restaurant as a reminder of the criminal act because... believe??? Never mind that could injure the guests, we're an inspirational show people we gotta keep inspiring! All Zava did was get Jamie to want to be better. That's it. So much of Zava should have been cut, oh my god.

Ted. Who? Barely in the final season. Apparently has had panic attacks since his father passed away and his mom knew and just ignored them? Episode 3 (I think) Ted reached for alcohol and we just skated past that. I have no idea how Ted is doing lmao if he's "obviously" doing well, I couldn't tell you how he got there. We got so many fucking shots of his therapist during the finale. More than we did the entirety of season 3. Oh well I guess hope he's happier back home

Maybe I'm being dramatic but Beard and his gfs relationship came off super toxic but they're married now so who cares I guess

Rebecca spent the whole show obsessed with Rupert and when we finally got away from that, surprise! She wants kids. Okay... sure. It's not easy to get over a man you loved who treated you like shit and who you felt robbed you of so many years. I'm not saying she should have gotten over it quicker. I just feel disappointed this was her whole story. There could have been so much more for Rebecca but instead all we got was her getting back at her ex and finding a new man on a boat and kids and blah blah blah

Roy and Jamie. My favorite part of the season. Jamie's arc was excellent and the actor did a fantastic job. Brett Goldstein is also great and has been at this acting/writing thing since 2005! I am so happy he finally got this huge show. Roy is such a cool fucking character. Too bad they went to shit in ONE EPISODE. Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic, I'm glad Roy went to therapy in the end there but that bar scene irritated me. - Actually we fucked last month. - Well that video was sent to me! What the fuck??? Gross gross gross. They put Keeley back in the love triangle and then gave no real resolution? She chose herself? Okay. Can we get a scene of her realizing both these dudes need to work on themselves and she doesn't want either of them ever again or? No? We're just gonna shut the door? Oh okay.

Overall, I'm just disappointed. I know no one will read this but Ted Lasso was a comfort show for me at one point. It premiered in 2020 when we all needed something wholesome and funny. Shame it couldn't stick the landing for me.

#ted lasso tv #ted lasso season 3 #ted lasso #long post #ted lasso spoilers

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monsterintheballroom · 1 year

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Interview under the cut :-)

Penelope Wilton: ‘I was never a starlet – I wasn’t cast because of a pretty face’

Ahead of her stint in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Penelope Winton speaks to Fiona Sturges about her 55-year career in the industry

In a career spanning nearly 55 years, Penelope Wilton has cornered the market in quiet disappointment. As Anne Bryce in the popular 80s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles, her eyeballs were permanently rotating at the childish antics of her on-screen husband Martin, played by Richard Briers, while in the film Clockwise she was the long-suffering spouse of John Cleese’s calamity-prone headmaster. In Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads series, she played a housewife who couldn’t bring herself to tell her husband she didn’t want to move to Marbella.

In her new film, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, she plays another wife bottling up her feelings. Wilton is retiree Maureen, whose husband, Harold (Jim Broadbent), receives a letter from an ex-colleague informing him that she is dying. Overcome with unexplained guilt, Harold pledges to travel on foot from his home in south Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland (500 miles, give or take), where his friend is in a hospice, leaving Maureen alone at home.

“First of all, she thinks he’s mad, and then gets very angry, and then very anxious and upset,” says Wilton. “But slowly she starts to recognise how much her marriage means to her, which she hasn’t in the immediate past because this sadness has thrown them apart.” The sadness relates to their late son, David (Earl Cave), who struggled with drug abuse and who, we learn through flashbacks, died years earlier from suicide. Unlike Harold, Wilton’s Maureen isn’t given the catharsis of an epic journey. Instead, her devastation is conveyed through intense bouts of vacuuming and in clipped phone exchanges with Harold. “You never walk,” she tells him, indignantly. “The only time you walk is to the car.”

Wilton and I are talking on the phone: she doesn’t do Zoom and rarely does in-person interviews nowadays. Though she is never less than polite, I sense that, if she had her way, she wouldn’t do interviews at all.

Nonetheless, at 76, she is showing little sign of slowing down, and isstill averaging a movie a year: last year she reprised her role as Isobel Crawley, mother-in-law of Lady Mary, in the second Downton Abbey spin-off film, A New Era, while in 2021 she appeared in Operation Mincemeat as Hester Leggett, formidable head of the MI5 secretarial unit. She still does bits and pieces of TV, most recently appearing in Netflix’s After Life, where she played a widow sharing a graveyard bench with Ricky Gervais’s grief-stricken Tony. Add to that her distinguished career in theatre and it is no wonder that, in 2016, Wilton was made a dame for services to drama.

When I mention her ability to convey deep disappointment with the subtlest of expressions, Wilton bats away the compliment. “If I get a part that requires me to do that, then I’ll do that,” she says. “But it’s also the case that people don’t go around bursting into tears. Most of the time we try to stop the tears coming and we tend to apologise when emotion overtakes us. It’s an English trait. I have to say I don’t have that trait as a person, but a lot of people have grown up learning to hold their emotions in.” She adds that she is pleased to see younger generations being more vocal about their feelings. “It’s great that they’re not holding it all in, as I think that is unhealthy. This silent world that Harold and Maureen live in, it’s very sad.”

Wilton is known for keeping her private life private, often delivering a stock reply to prying interviewers about it being better if audiences don’t know “my inside leg measurement”. What is known is that she has been married twice: first to actor Daniel Massey, with whom she had a daughter before they divorced in 1984 (he went on to marry Wilton’s sister, Linda), and then to Ian Holm, her co-star on The Borrowers, whom she divorced in 2001.

Wilton says she became an actor “because I wasn’t very good at anything else, and I liked stories and storytelling”. Her father, a businessman, had no interest in the performing arts, but her mother, Alice Travers, had been an actor and dancer. Wilton began going to the theatre at 15 and quickly realised she would “prefer to be on the stage than in the audience”.

But it was Ever Decreasing Circles, one of the biggest sitcoms of its era, that made her famous and which, she says, “I enjoyed more than I can say. People still have a soft spot for it, and so do I. Ricky Gervais loved that series and that’s why he cast me in After Life and why he called my character Anne, as a homage.”Ever Decreasing Circles was at its height in the 80s, when industry sexism meant actresses were often faded out after reaching middle age, but Wilton endured. Was that through tenacity on her part, or luck? “It was probably a bit of both,” she replies. “By the time I began doing film and television, I was already [in my thirties]. But before that I was doing theatre, and the parts for women in the theatre were plentiful. But also, I wasn’t ever a starlet. I played real people. I wasn’t cast because of a pretty face.”

Wilton also attributes her longevity to her ability to get on with people (“I can count on one hand the people I’ve really disliked”), and to play close attention to scripts and go “not for the big parts but the smaller and often more interesting ones that might have one or two really good scenes. It’s a good thing to learn, not to think about the size of the role. A smaller role can change a career.” She once told the theatre critic Michael Billington that, when giving masterclasses, she would tell students to do less acting. Watch any number of Wilton’s performances, and it is clear what she means. “I’m not a fan of big acting,” she reflects now. “I have always found you can achieve just as much by showing less and being real.”

#i know she hates it but I love it that she has to make some much promo for harold fry :-D #penelope wilton #the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry #downton abbey

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rozieramati · 5 months

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12/17/23

every moment is a love story. i've been rotting in bed all day. trying to make sense of my life, the characters i've met this past year. the characters i've let go this past year. i've never felt so detached from connection before. i can't tell if it's good or bad. i've just become privy to how things work, how people work, how things are never really to be taken personally, and yes there are inherently bad people but most of the time no one is completely bad or completely good. just human. while all of this is not news to anyone, including me, to really understand this at a core level is different. i can't bring myself to form close connections with most people. maybe i am but it's not in the way i used to. i've been treating life as if i have more time. more time to see how things unfold, time to live, time to experience. i've never done that before. i've never lived in the now.

i've, i've, I've.

everyone i felt strongly towards in one way or another has popped up this month. i had a crying fit about it saturday night. it was a long night. a night filled with both old and new characters. a night where my heart was both broken and full at the same time. what does this mean? what does any of this mean. stupid questions that stupid humans spend their whole life trying to answer.

i went out last night. i had a lovely time with someone i can't belong to. life is so funny that way. with me. every time. i watched "The Age of Adeline" half an hour ago and it moved me. she spent most of her life not being able to live it. i feel the same. i don't really know why though. i do and i don't.

music is meant to be my ticket to freedom. before music it was rowing, and before rowing it was synchronized swimming. both of those were stripped away from me due to injury. maybe that's why i'm so afraid of finishing my album. i'm scared the freedom that it might grant me will be taken from me somehow. every time i reached the end of almost accomplishing a dream of mine that's what has happened. i would've made national team that year for synchronized swimming, i got recruited into Berkeley that other year for rowing. it wasn't in my control, losing it all. that's why i'm so adamant on having my hand on everything with music. if i'm doing everything myself, with the promotion and videos and stuff, then i won't have to rely on anyone. and if i work alone i won't be hurt, no one can take these things away from me. it's been a long time. 7 years of practice and obsession. that's how long it was for synchronized swimming before i was kicked in the head and sentenced to 7 years of concussions. seven seems to love me. i broke a tall mirror at the ripe age of eight and was horrified the moment it happened. glass shards covered the tan carpet floor and my mind was infected with intrusive thoughts about the bad luck i'd endure over the coming seven years. i wasn't wrong, but i also didn't predict it to last beyond those seven years.

my life is great. i fell asleep around 1pm and had a dream about people congratulating me for my achievements. it felt good until i began to dream about every character i've had to face this month. then i felt alone. then i wanted to recoil more.

the truth is yes, i have become detached; detached from the new characters that is. i know how to keep my distance. but that doesn't excuse the old characters from impacting me. i guess i'm just going outside more. i guess that's why i'm running into them all. i don't know. it seems all too coincidental. like the universe wants to show me something. maybe it's just how far i've come! how much i've grown. what everything has aligned to, and how it all turned out so much differently than i could have ever expected. i suppose that's it. nothing is really predictable. i spent too many years worrying about the outcome. only for me to set myself up to be in a constant state of grave disappointment because i was too attached to what i thought was best. now i accept i do not know what's best for anyone other than myself in this moment. that's why i've been detached. i've recognized there is truly no anxiety to be had in wondering about other people, their intentions, their feelings, etc. people will do what people do, and they will unveil it with time. whether that be in two weeks, two months, or seven years is not my problem. my reaction is all the weight i need to carry.

i suppose i've found my freedom outside of my occupation. 24, the year of liberation.

#diary entry

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thefangirlrant · 2 years

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Now that we’re five episodes into Tokyo Mew Mew New, I have a few thoughts I wanted to get out there, and no, they are not all about Ryou (but he is staying rent free in my mind 😆). The first thing I’m going to say (because I’m going to have to admit it eventually), I’m really liking the “new” Aoyama; I put “new” in quotes because he’s not really new, they just made the more subtle parts of his personality more prominent this time around, and I really like that.

He’s actually showing that he’s just as nervous and awkward as Ichigo, and I think it makes them more appealing as a couple; like I’ve said before, I also really like that their initial attraction to each other isn’t based on shallow features, like it was in old anime and even the manga.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’ve switched to team Ichiyama, I’m still hopelessly rooting for my boy Ryou (team ichiryou!), and speaking of Ryou and Ichigo, I’m so happy we got the rice ball scene!

😭 Keep giving me false hope, please! I also noticed there’s a bit of a pattern to the “triangle;” episode 1 focused on Ichigo and Aoyama, episode 2 switched to Ichigo and Ryou, episode 3 we went back to Ichigo and Aoyama, and then it switched again to Ichigo and Ryou for episode 4. 5 kind of gypped both boys, but we got see my new love, Seiji! ❤️ He is everything I’ve ever wanted in Minto’s brother.

Speaking of episode 5, let’s just talk about that for second.

First of all, Minto, while I totally get where you are coming from, it sucks when no one wants to listen to what you have to say, but you are in high school, which, in fact, means you are still a child. I was you, girl, I thought I was “grown up” in high school, but let me tell you, you are not, you are a child, when you actually grow up and become an actual adult, your parents and your brother will start treating you like one (trust me, this phase will pass). I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get a more detailed account of Minto becoming a Mew, but maybe that will come later (I hope).

Also, it’s a bit concerning that Minto literally agreed to work with Ryou and Keiichiro just because they said they “needed” her, and she was like, “no one’s ever said that to me before!” Umm, Minto, you don’t know these guys, you can’t just go giving your life away because they say they “need you.” I love my boys Ryou and Keiichiro, but Minto, have some better judgement, girl. I know Minto is trying to “prove herself,” but I have a feeling that’s going to blow up in her face.

Which brings me to my theory for the next episode. I’m assuming this will be the episode when Zakuro finally joins the team, and if we’re following the manga, it’s also when Ichigo uses the StrawBell Bell Version Up.

So let’s look at this from Minto’s perspective: you’re supposed to be the leader, you want to be the leader, but someone else gets the upgraded weapon, instead of you.... (The only thing that will soften that blow is Zakuro agreeing to join the team 😆) Something tells me once Ichigo uses the stronger weapon, that’s when the hierarchy will change, and Ichigo will be pushed as the leader.

Finally, the subject I’ve been putting off because it is possibly the most controversial: Quiche. Now, Quiche is a character that had a lot of potential in the original series (anime and manga), he had a lot of room to grow as a character, but then he.... didn’t. 😒 This new Quiche... well he’s bad and he likes it 😆 and honestly, I like him better as a character this way.

There’s not a lot of ambiguity, and it’s made very obvious that he is not good for Ichigo (and he’s only been in 3 episodes so far!). Something tells me there’s not going to be a lot of new QuichexIchigo shippers; what I mean is, new fans that this is their first exposure to TMM won’t be seeing Quiche as a good fit for Ichigo because it’s made very obvious that he does not care about her at all. (Then again, Quiche seems to have some kind of way with certain fan girls, so he might wrangle in some new ones 😅 something about the crop top, green hair, or the pointy ears 🤔).

One more thing, can I just say I love the word choice in this scene:

😆 If there is ever an English dub for this, can we please use these exact words! Ryou, you rascal 😆😂🤣

#ichigo momomiya #ryou shirogane #tokyo mew mew #tokyo mew mew new #masaya aoyama #quiche #kishu #minto aizawa #seiji aizawa

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alwaysthepessimist · 1 year

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The fact that all the members of Jeong-suk's family knew about the affair and decided to keep it a secret from her annoys me so much. I mean i was expected it from her husband and her mother in law since they are trash but from her children? Not at all. Well okay, i wasn't completly surprised her daughter would decide to keep it a secret from her either, tho i have to admit, i was surprised she did it for Jeong-suk's sake and not her own. She is afterall pretty self-absorbed. But her son... her son really disappointed me. I understand that he wanted to protect her, but at the same time, I'm like she is a grown woman. Tell her the truth and let her decide what she'll do with the information. Again, I get it, she just went through a really important surgery and yes the residency is already difficult as it is, but she's strong enough to handle it. We've seen her handle quite enough in her quest to become a doctor and doing it with a smile on her face most of the times . She is probably the stongest person on the show. I wish both of her children would realised that and not let her look like boo boo the fool while almost all the people closed to her are aware of what's been going on behind her back.

#doctor cha #kdrama

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nirikeehan · 2 years

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happy friday and dadwc!! for cullen/thalia, a prompt from the dictionary of obscure sorrows list: "anecdoche n. a conversation in which everyone is talking but nobody is listening." ??

Oh, I loved this prompt, thank you!!

A little while ago @inquisimer gave me the seed of an idea about an AU where Cullen is hired as a private templar for Thalia instead of the Trevelyans sending her to the Ostwick Circle. This was the perfect opportunity to try it out and unleash all my headcanon about Thalia's terrible family on the world.

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 1399

---

“Rutherford,” said Bann Oswald Trevelyan upon their introduction. “That’s an interesting name for a Fereldan.”

He spoke the word Fereldan the way one might say a nug. Cullen could tell he was fishing; perhaps his surname connected to some obscure or fallen line of nobility, one that the bann had simply never heard of.

“I grew up near a river,” Cullen explained lightly. “A grandfather some generations back was named Ruther, so I’m told. People paid him to ferry them across.”

“Ah. I see. Ruther’s Ford, yes.” The disappointment was evident in Bann Trevelyan’s face, but he offered a hand to shake regardless. “Welcome to Ostwick.”

He retired to his study shortly thereafter, but the Lady Florence herself gave Cullen a tour of the manor. As it was the height of summer, the family would be spending the next few months at the country estate — to escape the choking heat that permeated Ostwick proper this time of year. “It’s those damnable city walls,” Lady Florence complained. “There’s just no circulation of air in the entire city.”

Cullen thought, but did not say, that perhaps the ancient Ostwickans had a different opinion of their now-famed double walls, as they were the only force that had been able to repel the Qunari invaders. As advised by his Knight-Commander, he nodded along and kept his mouth shut.

He could not complain about the accommodations. As Lady Florence led him down the corridors, showing off gargantuan room after gargantuan room, it became difficult to keep track of them all — the parlor, the downstairs study, not to be confused with the Bann’s private one, the main library (implying there were others?), the conservatory, the billiard room, and on and on. Each had tall, sunny windows that looked out upon the sprawling grounds, and beyond that, the cliffs and the sparkling sea. While Cullen had long ago grown used to the splendor of Chantry architecture, the Templars’ living quarters were much more austere than this. Even though he would be considered one of the household staff, this was by far the most extravagant place he’d ever stepped foot in.

As they roamed the hallways, Lady Florence spoke at length about her children: their son, Micah, heir to House Trevelyan, was apparently an accomplished fencer. Cullen heard so much about the beauty and grace of Laela, the eldest daughter, it made him vaguely uncomfortable. And Charlotte, of which her parents were so proud, was not living at home, having gone to study to become a Chantry sister.

The names flew by Cullen with little consequence; none of them were the person he was hired to protect.

Florence lapsed into silence after speaking of child number three, leaving Cullen feeling disquieted. He had expected some explanation of his duties, but once they had passed the kitchens and reached the servants’ staircase, Florence merely ground to a halt like a failing clockwork automaton.

“Follow me upstairs,” she added brightly, wringing her hands, “and I’ll show you to your room!”

Cullen hesitated. “Of course,” he said, because one did not question the intention of his betters, especially not if he was in their employ. Following her up the narrow staircase, with as much politeness as he could muster, he asked, “And when may I meet the Lady Thalia?”

Florence froze on the landing. “Dinner,” she said, the iciness to her tone unmistakable. “You’ll see her tonight at dinner.”

—

Lady Thalia did not appear at dinner. This seemed to bother no one but Cullen.

The dining hall was wood-paneled with a high ceiling, and looked out onto the sea as the sun sank toward the horizon. Golden light filled the room, lending it an ethereal glow. Cullen knew he should savor a chance to dine with the Trevelyans, as it was a gesture of generosity. Yet he kept glancing at the place set for his charge, and felt increasingly apprehensive the longer it remained empty.

In the meantime, he studied the other family members. Micah had a long face, carrot-colored hair, and an air of self-importance Cullen had come to expect from the aristocracy. Lady Laela had inherited her mother’s blond tresses, done up and secured behind a gauzy veil. The look was apparently all the rage in Ostwick this season, he recalled from the carriage ride through the city. Laela was quite pretty, with lively green eyes that glanced his way too often to be an accident. That she had been seated directly adjacent to Cullen was also difficult to ignore.

“Ser Cullen, as a templar you must have the most fascinating stories,” said Laela.

“Ah, it’s a less glamorous profession than it sounds,” Cullen said, trying to remember which utensil was the salad fork. “May I ask, when will your sister be joining us?”

Ignoring the question, Micah cut in. “Have you ever been on a hunt, ser?”

“A hunt?” Cullen wondered if the Trevelyan siblings wanted him to regale them with tales of tracking down apostates, which was grim dinner fare. “I’m not sure what you mean, my lord.”

“Boar,” Micah intoned slowly, as if Cullen might not understand the common tongue. “Or perhaps stags. Fennecs?”

“Oh, er. No. Can’t say that I have.”

“A pity. It’s good hunting in these seaside forests.” Micah swirled the wine in his glass. “I could take you, if you’re inclined.”

“I’m more concerned with my duties to the Lady Thalia,” Cullen said, trying to steer the conversation back on course. “Is she often late to table like this?”

Laela waved dismissively with a soft, manicured hand. “Oh, who knows what that one gets up to?”

“A templar might like to learn,” Cullen said, praying to Andraste to save his patience. “It is what I’ve been hired to do.”

By the look Laela gave him, one might suspect Cullen had relieved himself into her cold cucumber soup. “Mother. Mother, our new templar would like to know where Thalia is.”

Lady Florence, who had been droning on to her husband about paint swatches for the guest wing renovation, looked up sharply. “Must we ruin dinner with such an unflattering tone, darling?”

“I’m just saying. He wants to know.”

“He— er, I,” Cullen said, clearing his throat, “am only asking out of concern, for Lady Thalia and the rest of the household. As you may know, it is often perilous to leave a mage alone for long stretches of time.” Especially one who did not have the benefit of a Circle education.

Four pairs of eyes swiveled to him, each gaze more withering than the last.

“Are you suggesting, Ser Cullen,” Bann Oswald hissed, “that my daughter is a danger to herself and others?”

Yes, Cullen wanted to say, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting. This was his third private assignment, an arrangement common enough for families like the Trevelyans, who could afford to pay for such services. What these families did not know was that the Templar Order’s top priority was not to coddle their magically inclined relative — it was to ensure the safety of the society around that person. As Knight-Commander Greagoir had told Cullen when he took this position: his goal should always be to convince the mages they were better off in a Circle. Things had gone smoothly enough with the first two, but neither previous family had shone such obtuseness as this pack of noble fools.

“Of course not,” Cullen forced himself to say. “My lord.”

“Good. See to it such an unfortunate insinuation never passes your lips again.” Oswald turned to the roast pheasant on his plate and muttered, “Fereldans. Always so crass.”

Cullen white-knuckled the polished silver fork in his hand and willed himself to calm down. Losing his temper would do no good here — it was Thalia he needed to deal with, not her vile family.

A great crash sounded from upstairs, startling a dinner roll from his hand. His gaze darted about in alarm, but the Trevelyans didn’t even look up.

“Well,” said Laela, taking a sip of wine, “she’s at it again.”

Cullen had had enough. None too gently, he demanded, “What exactly is she ‘at’?”

“Ser Cullen, it seems your opportunity has arisen. Be a dear and go see what Thalia’s got herself into this time.” Lady Florence’s voice dripped with saccharine venom. “And please make sure she’s dressed properly for dinner.”

Cullen had never left a table so quickly in his life.

#cullen rutherford #thalia trevelyan #house trevelyan #cullen x trevelyan #bodyguard au #dragon age drunk writing circle #fics

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