#(( And hey he made a brief cameo!! ))

[hellizens]

"Fuck."

[sfznyxio]

-ˋˏ HEADLINES ˎˊ

SYNOPSIS. following the success of the recruitment process and their first concert, this odd combination of a band becomes busy these days. thus, they hired a manager to keep track of their schedules. and to an extent, deal with their shenanigans that may or may not feature on the news.

CHARACTERS. argenti, aventurine, jingliu, kafka, robin

CONTENT. gn!reader. celebrity au, musician au, modern au. comedy, fluff. 1.1k wc. inspired by the concert animated commercial: “before the show begins”. canon elements (jingliu - powers; aventurine - cake cats; robin - halovian features). reader’s the straight man in this chaos. cameos from yanqing (argenti, jingliu), stelle (argenti, jingliu, kafka) and caelus (aventurine, robin). brief mentions of ruan mei (aventurine) and sunday (robin). word vomit for the most part.

VERA. happy pride month, bitches. what a good way to start off the month watching the haikyuu movie, seeing volleyball boys stare at each other intensely and metaphorically stab their friends in the neck. all i can say is that the animation was insane. speaking of insane, the hsr concert was released to celebrate the game’s first anniversary. “sway to the cosmos” is my favorite out of the setlist, and i even made it as my train jam. imagine seeing it live though… i die. i had to look up what instrument jingliu plays and i strongly believe it’s an erhu based on how it looks. i kinda don’t like this; i have no idea what i wrote. it’s my worst attempt at being funny lol.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ARGENTI

drummer argenti preaches ‘scripture of beauty’ to fans

“hey! what’s the ‘scripture’ supposed to be? actually, who is idrila? look, you can’t spout names like that and not expect a scandal to not happen.” argenti seems to be in the zone while dancing with his fans at the park, so he most likely didn’t hear what you just said. you glance at stelle and yanqing to get him to snap out of it, but they’re completely drained, on the floor from being dragged into the spotlight earlier.

“my lovely manager! since you’re here, you must be interested in being a follower?” not at the very slightest, but the name argenti throws out and about drives news outlets and his fans up on the walls. that may put the drummer at risk of being a subject of misunderstandings and fanwars, which is why you’re here in the first place. you can feel the stares of his audience burning into your skull, so you extend your hand to “express” your interest.

“wonderful. now, let us dance under the name of beauty!” throughout it all, everything blurs out. not even five minutes in, you’re exhausted out of your mind, unsure if argenti has given you useful information about his charade. in the end, you gather more questions than answers, and practically leave the drummer to handle the potential messy aftermath. he’s an enigma; anyone can tell you he’s the eighth wonder of the world, and you’ll believe it.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. AVENTURINE

guitarist aventurine adopts scientist’s ‘sweet’ creations

“rise and shine. your cats won’t stop bothering me until you wake up, by the way.” all the feline pastry lifeforms on your head, shoulder, and feet mew in agreement. caelus somehow has collaborated with the scientist who created them, making some that resemble his friends, one of which is aventurine. the guitarist adopts his lookalike for fun at first, and now his house is their haven, which makes his issue of organization worse.

“hey, pretty boy! you better wake up, or i’ll sit on your face and suffocate you!” the synesthesia beacon in your phone picks up a translation from under aventurine’s arms. there’s a cake cat that resembles you, but do you actually sound like that when you’re upset? never mind that; the most important question here is why does he have a cake cat version of you here? well, he’s already behind schedule, so out of curiosity, you try out its suggestion. 

“okay, okay. i’m up.” the cat cake version of yourself huffs at him taking forever to get ready, but seems proud of making its threat happen with your help. aventurine sees five pairs of eyes staring at him, with one in particular full of disappointment for being inconsiderate. he promises to keep track next time, but you aren’t sure he’ll truly follow through if he’s convinced to expand his cake cat kingdom.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. JINGLIU

erhu player jingliu unleashes ice blades at passersby

“for the last time, the people who watched you perform gave you strales because they appreciate your talent. this is the fourth time this week of scaring them with your sword.” you note a careful distance between the passerby and jingliu, who resumes playing her erhu like it’s none of her business. stelle has learned it the hard way so luckily she has you to deal with the erhu player. the first victim of her powers slips out from a tree to wish you luck with a thumbs up.

“ah, has that young man come yet? i would like to have a spar with him.” jingliu’s referring to yanqing, another swordsman. he loves competition, so this entire street, or the entire city even, is screwed into becoming an icy wonderland. telling her that he’s not here, she returns to performing. you notice a brilliant idea coming into fruition as soon as she stops her bow halfway, and it already doesn’t sound good.

“manager, why don’t you spar with me? let’s see who will fall first.” you immediately refuse without a second thought. jingliu would win anyway as she’s more skilled with the sword and you have no powers, so it isn’t a fair fight to begin with. you’re just relieved that she didn’t unleash her icy blades for the fifth time, and that you make it alive throughout the confrontation.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. KAFKA

violinist kafka sends many clothes stores bankrupt

“listen… i get that you look great in everything and all, but do you think this is way too much?” you gesture to the cart overflowing with concert outfits. kafka hums in contemplation as she examines her next purchase in the mirror, then nods in approval which seals the deal.

“oh, you think so too? alright then, i’ll have stelle handle all payments as usual.” stelle averts her gaze away to avoid your temper, pretending as if she didn’t enable the violinist’s unlimited shopping spree. you can sense the employees fearing for their livelihoods that are at stake, and you can feel like yours will be at the state soon if this keeps up. scolding kafka to unload everything in the cart, the wave of relief in the staff washes away when she reveals a special trick up her sleeve.

“what about your wardrobe? surely you can’t wear the same exact thing everyday, don’t you think?” kafka jabs into one of your weaknesses: the lack of variety in your closet. it’s important to appear presentable as the band manager, but your uniformity gives you not a lot of room to try out different combinations. the only hope of this store is gone, and so is the store itself as soon as the credit card is swiped.

𝄞༉‧₊˚. ROBIN

singer robin disappears once again from photoshoot

“when your brother finds out you snuck out again, he will kill me in the most painful way possible.” whenever you bring that man up, always in the worst case scenario, robin responds with a smile as reassurance that he won’t hurt you when she’s around. but it’s more like she won’t get in trouble, leaving you to shoulder the blame.

“don’t worry! caelus will take care of everything. ah, i hope i wasn’t too late.” the self-proclaimed master of stalling strikes again. knowing that man, robin’s confidence in caelus is astounding. because sooner or later, he’ll find out that she’s at a toy store with you to buy the limited edition of a clockie figurine. the singer will be happy, and you’ll end up dead in a ditch probably.

“oh no, photographers are here. can you cover for me?” robin tucks her wings beside her face so they can fit under her mask. while she browses through the aisles, you direct the photoshoot team outside, hopefully far enough from the store to remain off radar from her brother’s watch. you pray that caelus comes back in one piece as well as yourself. the cost of making a halovian’s day brighter, especially if she’s a famous singer and has a control freak of a sibling, is quite risky.

[edsbug]

I just realized I don’t think I've ever requested a fic from you and I'm???? appalled???? Please forgib 🥺🖤 I'd love to see how Eddie x reader deal with a big storm coming into Hawkins; currently holed up bc of Hurricane Beryl at the moment. 🌀🌩

hii steph!! i hope you made it through the hurricane alright. thank you so much for requesting this, it was so fun to write! i hope you like it<3

thunderstruck

pairing: eddie munson x gn!reader.

summary: eddie and reader prepares for a storm. (wc. 1.1k)

contains: horror films, uncle wayne makes a cameo, pure fluff.

The first rumbles of thunder rolled through Hawkins as the sky darkened, heavy clouds gathering in an ominous, bruised mass. You looked out the window of Eddie's trailer, watching the branches of the old oak tree sway in the rising wind. Eddie sat at the small kitchen table, fiddling with a string on his acoustic guitar, his usual energetic demeanor subdued by the approaching storm.

“Hey,” you said softly, stepping away from the window. “Need any help with that?”

Eddie looked up, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Nah, just trying to get this thing to stay in tune. But thanks baby.” He set the guitar aside and reached for your hand, pulling you gently into his lap.

As you settled against him, the first drops of rain began pounding the roof of the trailer. “Looks like we're in for a big one,” you remarked.

Eddie glanced up, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Perfect night for a horror movie, don't you think?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “You're impossible. But yeah, sounds good.”

The two of you spent the next hour fortifying the trailer for the incoming storm. Eddie found a stack of old towels and you helped him roll them up, pressing them against the bottoms of the doors to prevent any water from seeping in. You checked the windows, making sure they were securely latched, while Eddie double-checked the flashlights and gathered some candles and matches, just in case the power went out.

As you worked, the wind picked up, howling through the trees and rattling the metal siding of the trailer. The sky was almost black now, flashes of lightning illuminating the landscape in brief, eerie bursts.

You and Eddie settled on the worn-out couch, a stack of VHS tapes and snacks spread out on the coffee table in front of you. The opening credits of Nightmare on Elm Street had just started when the phone rang. Eddie jumped up, nearly tripping over the coffee table in his haste to answer it.

“Hello?” he said softly. “Oh, hey, Wayne.”

You could hear Wayne's voice faintly on the other end, his tone filled with concern. Eddie glanced at you, his expression softening.

“Yeah, we're okay. Just getting ready for the storm,” he said, his voice reassuring. “I've got everything under control. Don't worry about us.”

Wayne's voice rose slightly, and you could make out the words “stay safe” and “call me if you need anything.” Eddie nodded, even though his uncle couldn't see him.

“Thanks, Wayne. We'll be fine. You stay safe at work, okay? Yeah, talk to you later.”

Eddie hung up the phone and turned back to you, a sheepish smile on his face. “My uncle wanted to make sure we were alright. He's stuck at work until the storm passes.”

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you at the concern in Wayne's voice. “That's sweet of him.”

“Yeah, he's a good guy,” Eddie said, plopping back down beside you. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Freddy Krueger.”

As the movie played, the storm raged outside, the sound of rain pounding against the thin roof and thunder cracking in the distance creating an eerie soundtrack. You and Eddie huddled together under a thick blanket, his arm wrapped around your shoulders. The flickering light from the TV cast strange shadows on the walls, adding to the spooky atmosphere.

Every now and then, the power would flicker, the screen going black for a few seconds before the backup generator kicked in. Each time, Eddie would squeeze your hand, his touch reassuring.

“I've got you, sweetheart” he'd whisper, as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head.

As the last credits of Nightmare on Elm Street rolled off the screen, the exhaustion from the night caught up with both of you. Eddie's arm around your shoulders felt warm and comforting, and the rhythm of his breathing lulled you into a peaceful state. The flickering TV screen provided a gentle glow as you and Eddie drifted off to sleep on the couch, wrapped in the warm, thick blanket.

Outside, the storm continued to rumble, but it was a distant sound now, more soothing than threatening. The rain had lessened to a gentle drizzle, and the occasional flash of lightning was just a dim flicker on the horizon.

The first light of dawn seeped through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the drenched landscape. Wayne pulled his truck up by the trailer, the engine’s low rumble mixing with the distant sounds of birds starting their morning calls. He stepped out, stretching his tired limbs after a long shift, and glanced at the trailer. The sight of it standing unharmed brought a sense of relief.

Wayne quietly let himself in, careful not to make too much noise. He walked into the living room, a smile creeping onto his face as he saw the two of you on the couch.

Eddie's head was tilted back, mouth slightly open, one arm draped protectively around you. You were curled into his side, your head resting on his chest, the blanket cocooning you both. The TV was still on, a static-filled screen casting a dim light over the room.

Wayne shook his head fondly, moving to switch off the TV. The sudden silence was almost jarring, but neither of you stirred. He then picked up the empty snack bowls and soda cans, placing them quietly on the kitchen counter.

He stood for a moment, just watching the two of you sleep, a sense of pride and affection filling his chest. Eddie had always been a handful, but seeing him like this, so caring and protective, made Wayne’s heart swell.

When you woke up, it was to the smell of coffee and bacon. You blinked, momentarily disoriented, before realizing you were still on the couch, nestled against Eddie.

Eddie stirred next to you, his eyes fluttering open. He gave you a sleepy smile, his hair a wild mess. “Morning,” he mumbled, his voice rough from sleep.

“Morning,” you replied, stretching. “I think your uncle's home.”

As if on cue, Wayne appeared, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. “Morning, kids,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “Hope you two slept well.”

Eddie sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Yeah, we did. Thanks, Wayne.”

Wayne nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “Good. There's breakfast in the kitchen. Figured you'd be hungry after a night like that.”

You and Eddie exchanged a grateful look before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

“Think it's safe to say we survived?” you asked, a teasing note in your voice.

Eddie chuckled, pulling you closer. “Survived Freddy Krueger and a thunderstorm. Not bad for a night in Hawkins.”

[callmelola111]

my summer of you ♡ part two

✄ - - - -   part 1 , part 2   - - - -   inspo track (till there was you)

synopsis: being sent to your grandparents for the summer was supposed to be a punishment, but when you came face-to-face with your neighbor, you knew it’d be quite the opposite.

      | 𓆣 | pairing & wc: loser!ellie williams x neighbor!reader. wc: 4.5k

      | ❀ | cw (by part): 18+ themes (MDNI), modern au, fem reader, lots of fluff, marajuana use, profane language, mentions of tense family relations and childhood trauma (brief), joel cameo, ellie is so loser nerd it's actually adorable, ⭑ SMUT ⭑ … soft dom!reader, sub!ellie, mommy kink, fingering (e receiving), oral (e receiving), pet names (baby, special girl, etc.). MINORS DNI !!

a/n: hi lovelies, last part!!! ellie is just a sweet little angel baby who deserves to be taken care of!! sorry not sorry. i know dom!ellie is a fan favorite (trust me i love her too) but i feel obligated to write loser!ellie as an actual inexperienced, obsessed, space loving loser. kinda unplanned, but the end just turned into me living out my mommy fantasies tbh. ha i need her so bad, anyways... thanks 4 the love ♡~ lola

A twinge of anxiety hit the pits of your stomach as you stood, fist at the ready, face-to-face with your neighbors white front door. A deep exhale finally sent your hand into motion producing a loud knock on the wood— one you repeated 4 times before finally being answered.

The door handle rattled a bit before completely twisting to the right and revealing an older gentleman. His hair was brown, short and messy. The man's face was shrouded in a thick beard full of grays and his brows seemed permanently furrowed. You would’ve been a little fearful if it wasn’t for his sweet southern greeting that immediately softened you.

“Well, hello there little lady. What can I do for you?”

“Uh, hi… I live next door. You’re Ellie’s dad right?” you questioned.

“Mmm… kinda, I’m Joel. But um, if you’re looking for Ellie she’s still at work.” he replied, quickly moving past your question. It felt odd but you could see that asking him to elaborate wouldn’t be in your best interest- or his for that matter. 

“Oh okay… do you know when she gets off?”

“Six I think. I’m sure she’d love to see you though. Girl hasn’t stopped smiling since you moved in next door.” His answer made your cheeks hurt from the widest grin you’d ever made. 

“I guess that makes two of us.” You looked at the ground feeling somewhat bashful as you admitted how smitten you were with his “kinda” daughter. “Well uh, thanks Joel, it was really nice to meet you.”

“No problem kiddo, you too.” The man waved you off down the concrete steps and you waved back before he shut the door behind him.

Without a 2nd thought you trekked 4 blocks over to the bookstore where Ellie works, practically skipping the whole way. That sweet little bell rang once more as you pranced inside. A comforting smell of old paper immediately wafted through your senses.

Running your fingers along the yellowed edges of tattered books, you waited for Ellie to detect your presence. The girl seemed to be completely consumed by the small paperback resting against the edge of the counter she was positioned behind. The intentional clearing of your throat is what finally broke her focus with a slight startle. 

“Hi Els.” 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” she attempted to question nonchalantly, but the excitement behind her voice was clear. The frantic taming of her auburn locks and crimson colored cheeks was also a dead giveaway, and just as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, it quickly fell back to its rightful place- in front of her lovely face.

“Wanted to see if you’d wanna go to the boardwalk after your shift?”

“With you?” Ellie could hardly believe it.

“Of course with me… But, I mean that’s only if you wanna go.”

“Yesyesyesyesyes.” she slurred out frantically at a volume that was definitely not suited for a bookstore.

“Knew I could count on my special girl. You’ll be done at six right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” You almost lied to Ellie, as the topic seemed like the kinda thing that was supposed to go unsaid. But you didn’t.

“Uh, Joel told me…” 

“Oh? You talked to Joel?” Ellie seemed to withdraw at his mention, fidgeting with the pages of her book.

“Yeah… just for a second. I went over to see you and he answered the door.”

“Gotcha…” She lingered on her words like there was more to say but ultimately refrained from speaking out. You couldn’t help but pry just a little, it was in your nature.

“You seem kinda off when he’s brought up. Can I ask why?” Your bold question made you wanna squeeze your eye’s shut until the moment was over, and the growing silence made it even worse.

“Another time?” Ellie answered begrudgingly. You felt bad for even asking.

“Yeah yeah of course. I- I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” All the sudden your hands were clammy and the long thread hanging from your top was wrapped around your index finger, restricting circulation. Anything to distract from your social slip-up.

“No, no, don't feel bad! I promise you did nothing, I- it’s just me.” She gave you an apologetic smile and suddenly everything felt okay again.

“We’re still on for the boardwalk though, right?” you questioned, motivated by the need of reassurance. 

“Yes. Please.” she affirmed. “If you want you can just hang here with me until then? I’ve still got like half an hour left.”

“Okay, yeah.” you gave a shy smile feeling less in control than in your usual interactions with Ellie. The fast growing feelings had suddenly clouded your incessant need to flirt and tease 24/7. What was this girl doing to you?

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - - 

As the sun set south in the watercolor sky, the green tinted waves crashed just past the dock where you stood. Ellie was positioned beside you with both hands awkwardly in the pockets of her distressed jeans. Nerves were obviously eating her up.

“Chill out Els, this is gonna be fun!!” you smiled all teeth and nudged at her tattooed arm which she eventually released from the denims tight hold. You snatched her free hand, which was concerningly wet, and dragged her through the crowds of people. Ellie didn’t complain once and if you had asked her to jump off a cliff too she probably would have done it right then and there. 

You looked up at the towering ride in front of you and then turned to give Ellie some puppy dog eyes, “Can we pleaseee ride the ferris wheel?”

“Yeah of course, whatever you want.” And she meant it. The only thing Ellie asked of this night was to see your gorgeous smile and hear the symphony that was your giggles. She wanted you to be happy– happy with her.

After waiting in a short line of babbling kids and adults, a small blue pod sheltered by white, plastic roofing swooped down to load in more passengers. You slid onto the bench attached to the left side and Ellie situated herself opposite, hand anxiously gripping the edge of the seat. The wheel began to move as you sat face-to-face, only a thin white pole separating the two of you. You gripped it between your hands before peaking around to question her.

“Are you scared of me or of heights?”

“Huh? Wha- what do you mean?” 

“I meannnn… you’re huddled up in that corner like I’ve got Covid or something. Come sit with me Els. I miss you.” You batted your eyelashes and gave a pout like you were a sick puppy who only Ellie could cure. She could barely keep her composure when you flirted like this and was of course already embarrassed enough for sitting so far away. But how could you blame her? The poor girl was so anxious and had basically zero play to go off of.

In frantics, she scurried over to the other bench causing the apparatus to rock back and forth with a screech and you let out a little squeal in return. Ellie came to your protection leaving only centimeters between each other and you essentially lost all brain function.

With a sheepish laugh she apologized, “Sorry I’m so fucking stupid sometimes.” 

“Hey don’t say that!” You scooted to the right, closing the gap between her jean-clad thigh and yours. “You are not stupid Ellie Williams.” 

“I kinda am.”

“What makes you think that?” you asked, placing a comforting hand to her tense shoulders.

“I don’t think you wanna know…”

“I do Ellie. Seriously, you can tell me.” 

“Well, uh- I guess I just feel stupid cause… I can’t tell if this is supposed to be a date.” She looked down in shame at her confession. “And I- I feel even more stupid for wondering that.” 

Moving your hand to her thigh you gave a long sigh, “Oh els, don’t feel stupid for my shortcomings. I know it’s childish, but even now I can never seem to find the courage to say how I really feel.” Ellie’s face was teetering on the verge of surprise at your admission.

“Well, how do you really feel?” she appealed.

With slight hestance you spoke the truth, “I feel like… I also want this to be a date.” The girl smiled wide and patted your knee with care.

“I guess we’re on a date then, huh?”

“Yeah I guess we are.” you poked back. But before you could even take in the view from your spot on the ferris wheel, your pod had already reached bottom and the metal door swung open to exit. Maybe another time when you weren’t so captivated by the girl in front of you.

After a few games and an ice cream stop, the sun had set and crowds dissipated. Although it was obvious that neither you or Ellie were ready for the night to end.

“Sooo, what now?” you looked all around trying to think of an excuse to stay out longer.

“I have a joint in my bag… if you’re up to smoking. We can light up on the beach.”

“Ellie– I’m always up for smoking.” Problem solved.

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - -

Sitting cozy in the sand, Ellie reached into her navy blue backpack to grab the weed and you watched dotingly. As she zipped the front pouch back up you noticed a small pin– a rocket ship

“What’s that?” 

“Just a pin. I’m into space shit.” she answered, pulling out a forest green lighter from her back pocket.

“Ooo tell me more!” Ellie released the joint that was about to be lit, genuinely stunned at your interest in her nerdy fixation. 

“Well, I wanna be an astronaut. Kinda like Sally Ride. That’s why I’m a STEM major.”

“Hell yeah, women in STEM! But ummm, who’s Sally Ride though?”

Her eyes went wide, “You don't know who Sally Ride is??” This spun her into a long tangent about the famous astronaut, and the strides she made for women, and how it’s even cooler because as Ellie put it, “she was gay!!”. As she rambled on you felt your feelings multiply. You had never seen her talk so much, and with so much passion too. It was a sight to see– one that you’d save to memory.  

“Sorry, am I talking too much?” she questioned.

“No, not at all Els! I love it. I love hearing you talk.” You gave a reassuring beam as Ellie finally lit the joint that had been rolling around in her lap after the conversational detour. The salty air picked up making it hard to ignite the paper so you offered a helping hand to shield the wind. Ellie accepted graciously, eventually taking the first inhale and passing it over to you. Sitting criss-cross in the sand, you held the burning substance between your pointer and thumb before taking a savory puff. 

“God, it feels like ages since I last smoked.” 

“Have you not been able to find a good plug here?” Ellie wondered.

“Not exactly…” you took a pregnant pause considering if you even wanted to mention it. “I haven’t been completely honest about the real reason I’m staying with my grandparents.” Ellie didn’t seem to phased at this. She had suspected something was up after the odd cigarette incident with your grandma. 

“You know I’d never judge you ____. You can tell me, really.” 

“It’s embarrassing but… my parents banished me here for acting out at school.” you admitted.

“Really? What’d you do?” she questioned, taking another drag from the lit joint.

“My smoking and drinking habits were a little ‘out of whack’. And apparently so were the little escapades that those habits got me into.”

“What do you mean by… ‘escapades’?”

“Umm, sex. With girls.” You plummeted your finger into the sand, feeling way over the situation already. “My parents swear they’re not homophobic but sometimes I wonder if they would’ve reacted the same if I was hooking up with some frat dude instead.”

“Damn I’m sorry. So they must be really mad then?”

“I guess, they rarely even call. But I’m not sad about it anymore so it’s okay.” Ellie noticed a gloss form on your eyes and refused to believe that there wasn’t at least a little part of you that was still hurt. Like instinct she roped you into a tender hug and you reciprocated with your hand around her neck. When she pulled back a small tear fell to your cheek and you quickly wiped it trying to stay tough.

“Now you owe me an explanation after that one.” you sniffled once more, eventually moving past the momentary sadness.

“Fine.” Ellie almost had to convince herself to keep talking. “Joel isn’t my dad, but he’s like my dad, and everyone thinks he’s my dad which just makes things weird.”

“Not to pry, but uh could you maybe elaborate?” Ellie stared off into the sea as she dumped her heart out.

“My real parents didn’t stick around for long. I was bouncing from home to home for a while until I turned 14. Joel found me, he was a family friend, and we’ve kinda been inseparable since. I hate when it’s brought up though. It’s a reminder that the people who were made to love me just didn’t. I had to find it elsewhere. And even now, years later with Joel, I still sometimes feel so void of worth.” Finally looking back to you she was met with streams of your tears. 

“Ellie what the fuck. That’s heavy... I’m so fucking sorry.” You just wanted to hold her for eternity and tell her that everything was gonna be okay. Tell her that she was worth something– she was worth everything.

“Hey, hey no need to cry. I’m alright now, I promise. Joel is awesome.” she reassured, using a rough thumb to brush away the drops littering the apples of your cheeks. You placed your hand on top of hers feeling the comforting warmth. 

“Els, I-” Before you could even finish her lips had met yours in a spur of the moment kiss. You reciprocated as both of her hands flew to the sides of your face to pull you in deeper.

It felt like you were the only 2 people in the world and this moment was all that mattered. Passion rose as you slid your tongue into Ellie's mouth, playing a game of tag with her own pink muscle. The girl—more confident than you had ever seen—found your wrists and sent you back into the sand with purchase, obviously hungry for something.

But just as things were getting good your phone began going off like crazy. After about 7 buzzes and Ellie’s lips traveling down your neck, you had to swiftly roll out from under her to see what was up. The poor girl looked like a kicked puppy at the loss of your touch. She watched as you read through messages and immediately jumped to your feet, grabbing your bag along the way. It was Grams. And she was mad.

“Fuck fuck fuck!! I’m sorry Ellie, I have to leave. Like now.” you blurted anxiously.

“Wait what?” 

“I’m sorry! I promise to explain later but I have to go.” Ellie sat confused and unresolved as she watched you disappear into the darkness with only the moonlight to guide.

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - -

The night after coming home late, Grams had smelt the weed and in turn confiscated your phone, along with all freedoms you once possessed. “As much as it hurts to do this, I promised your parents I’d enforce some rules” she had told you as you pleaded for mercy. You were officially fucked and didn’t even have your phone to explain it to Ellie. What was she gonna think? How could you get around this? But as you lay on your bed a certain book catches your eye and that’s when it hits you. 

With a pen and a brightly colored index card you scribbled out a simple note. It read...

Dear Ellie, if you’re receiving this then my plan has worked. I’m currently writing from the confines of my bedroom which I will be isolated in for the next week. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to communicate this but my grandparents weren’t too happy about breaking curfew to go “smoke pot” (which i reeked of). I don’t have my phone either, but god I miss you Els. So… if you can ever forgive me, come knock on my window late tonight and maybe I’ll let you in ;).

You slipped the small, highlighter-yellow note into the pages of The Bell Jar and handed it off to Grams to run next door, arguing that “Ellie needs it back immediately” and “it just can’t wait”. She eventually gave in after some well thought out begging and delivered the borrowed book to Joel. He then handed it back to the green-eyed girl who at first didn’t even wanna touch it.

Ellie was convinced you’d purposefully abandoned her– just like everyone else in her life. Her heart was broken and all she had done since that night was play Valorant, high out of her mind, while ignoring the rest of the world. Luckily, Joel noticed the bright yellow peaking from the paper and urged her to crack it open and take a second look. And after a quick thumb of the pages she fell upon your note which practically gave her a heart attack as she read. Ellie instantly dropped the controller at your whim and hopped in the shower to get ready for that night.

✄ - - - -   ♡   - - - -

The girl sported some heather gray Champion sweats and an oversized band tee as she slipped through the back door of her house. She opened the back gate to a small strip of grass that was the space between your house and hers, but just as the clock hit 12:00, the automatic sprinklers shot up to do their duty. Ellie was pinned to the edge of the fence as water began spraying at all points of the yard. There was no way she was getting to your window– at least, not dry. Assessing the situation, the only thing left to do was run straight through the line of fire and hope you were keeping a close ear. 

She bent her knees, digging the toe of her converse into the moist dirt and then bolted over to the glass. Ellie was being pelted left and right as she knocked on your window to be let in, but you were taking your sweet damn time, and those polite taps soon became desperate ones. After about 8 chaotic bangs you eventually opened up, scolding Ellie for the loud noise and then taking note of her current state.

“Sprinklers–” she gasped, out of breath. “You never told me about the sprinklers.” 

“Ellie- oh my god.” you put a hand to your mouth trying not to laugh but miserably failing. She climbed inside, rolling her eyes.

“Hey! I did this for you, fuck off.” 

“Sorry, sorry I know!” You traveled to your closet still laughing as you grabbed a spare towel and clothes. “Sit. Let’s get you changed” you commanded.

Ellie placed herself on the very edge of the bed, eyes locked on your figure. She raised her arms up and peeled off the drenched T-shirt leaving her in a simple sports bra which you couldn’t help but ogle at. Then followed her sweats which stuck to the flesh of her toned thighs before finally dropping at her ankles. She wore the sweetest plaid boxers, and now naked before you, she looked so shy.

Towel in hand, you straddled her knees which dangled off the mattress just slightly. Any thoughts of self doubt had left and all she could think about was you and how close you were to her heat. You ruffed up her dripping locks of hair with the soft linen and soaked up what you could. Ellie’s arms fell back into the bed, trying to fight the urge to grip both of your thighs in her strong hands, right then and there. The silky, sheer pajama shorts adorning those thighs were not helping her case either. 

“There, all better.” you smiled, doing some final scrunches to the ends of her hair. “Wanna put on some dry clothes now?” Ellie gulped down some fear and slipped her hands to your waist.

“No, not really.” she muttered.

“Oh yeah?” you teased, slinging your hands over her shoulders and connecting them at the back of her neck. 

“Yeah.” Ellie affirmed and then slid her hands down to the fat bunching at the crease of your thighs. She pulled forward till your crotch was on hers and breaths became irregular. 

“I missed you Els.” you said, before planting a juicy kiss onto her slightly chapped lips. 

“Missed you too ___” she murmured between lips locking. “I was starting to think you hated me.” You pulled back quickly, both hands on her face. How could you ever dislike someone as perfect as Ellie? And how could you ever let her think that?

“Never baby, never.” you said, smooching the damp hairs on her head. “Let me make it up to you, okay?”

“Okay.” She agreed and the kissing resumed but this time on her neck. Wet, purple marks of your doing sent butterflies to Ellie’s stomach, and as you started to roll your hips her head flew back with a gasp. She quickly caught on, gripping your sides to assist the fervent grinding. Your fingers traveled down her abs, tracing the v-line, before finding themselves in the vats of her boxers. 

“Is this okay Els?”

“Yes, yes please” she gasped. You dipped down further and were greeted with strings of slick and Ellie already bumping against you for pressure. 

You gave a sly smile, “All this for me?” She nodded, almost proud at her quick arousal. “Here lie back and let's take these off. I’m gonna take care of you tonight.” Ellie of course followed in suit, scooching against the headboard and revealing her bare cunt. On all fours, you climbed towards her with the intent to please and only that. She slammed her lips into yours as soon as you were in reach, it was impatient and primal– a side you rarely saw from Ellie. Through breaks of tongue, teeth, and spit you discarded any and all clothes covering your flesh.

The sight of your breasts quickly shifted Ellie’s attention. Goosebumps exploded up your body when she soon took them in her grabby hands. She twisted at your hard nipples as your hands found their way back down to her anticipating folds. Your fingers split between middle and ring then gliding through Ellie’s slick, capturing her bundle of nerves with each pass. The pleasure was indescribable except through the gasps and moans she was making into your mouth. Coated in Ellie, you couldn’t help wiping her mess across the expanse of your tongue and sucking it clean.

“You taste fucking perfect.” you elated and Ellie went red. She wasn’t used to dirty talk like this. In all honesty, she wasn’t used to any of it. But god was she willing to learn. With a short preview of her taste, you inched down to try the real thing. You couldn’t wait any longer and pushed up and open at the girls knees to get a better angle. Her hole clenched in prospect as you playfully ghosted your lips past her clit a couple of times.

Finally taking it between your lips Ellie’s eyes completely rolled back, jaw going slack. You gave a gentle suck before sticking out your tongue to make slow, tight circles. This one really drove her wild which you noted from the arch of her back and guttural moans echoing off the walls.

“Els baby, you gotta be quiet for me.” She whined at your request, however complied. There’s no way you were getting caught with your tongue inside the next door neighbor, but god were her little noises music to your ears. 

Next came your fingers and she squirmed with the insertion of the middle one. You pumped in and out slowly and it was obvious that Ellie was trying her best to keep quiet. She was practically drawing blood from the strong bite she had on her bottom lip, whimpering ever so often.

Rubbing circles at her thigh and adding another finger, you praised, “You’re being such a good girl for mommy.” Ellie’s hips jolted, and olive-colored eyes went wide at the name– something she never thought would turn her on. It was something that had just slipped from your lips, too caught up in the moment, but now that it was out in the air it just made you all the more wet. Your pace picked up and it grew harder to penetrate through the desperate clenches of her walls. You took it as a challenge and added your mouth back into the mix, really trying to push her to the limits.

“Ahh f- fuck” she cursed out with ramblings of your name. Knowing how good you made her feel drove you crazy, and through swipes of tongue and fingers you found yourself grinding into the stiff mattress below. Ellie was obsessed with the way you rocked your hips and even sat up a little bit to get a better view. This, combined with the work you were doing on her core, forced her to the brink of satisfaction. Her stomach sucked in tight, feeling the build-up of pleasure inside. 

“J- just like that, a- almost there-” she sobbed through the wet squelches of her folds.

“You gonna say please for me?” you questioned, slowing down your movements just enough to make her listen.

Stuttering through it she obeyed, “P-please mommy, please c- can I cum?”

“Go ahead baby.” Just hearing those words made you almost gush right along with her so you rewarded the girl with an unfaltering pace. Ellie was right where you wanted her, clenching every muscle at the bliss you so graciously gave her. With your thumb on her clit and fingers curling up to hit just the right spot, she buckled along with attempts to muffle the groans she couldn't hold in any longer.

“Shit, I- I’m cu-cumming.” Her thighs flew shut but you quickly parted them back as you coached her through the euphoric feeling.

“You’re doing so fucking amazing Els.” You planted kisses across her thighs as she rode out her orgasm to a limp state. Ellie had yet to open her eye’s after the second finger and was still coming back down to Earth. Climbing up the bed to lay next to her, you brushed all the hair stuck in the girl's freckles, occasionally giving a slight peck of comfort. She finally fluttered her lids open and her pupils exploded with love. No one had ever taken care of her so well, and she’d thank you for it until the end of time.

✄ - - - -   masterlist   - - - -   ♡

taglist...

@endureher @gold-dustwomxn @alexpritch @4rt3m1ss @robinismywifee @sophlovesbooks @97cityy

(taglist is for all callmelola111 works, if you'd like to be removed just kindly lmk)

[colibrie]

Mosaic Moments

Prompt 3, Leo: Not made of stone.

Art by @trilobitepunch

3. Not made of stone (Leo, Casey Jr, brief Donnie cameo)

"Woooowe! Now that was a great run!" Leo exclaimed, chest heaving gently as he skidded to a stop. His muscles throbbed with a pleasant burn, chest gently heaving with the welcome effort of exertion. A thin veneer of sweat cleansed his skin, gently pulling at the slight breeze that blew by the roof.

"Hah yeah," Casy huffed as he came up from behind, face flushed and hair stuck to his face. The humans thin shoulders jumped as he folded over, hands braced on his knees as he sucked in deep breaths of air.

"You good bro?" Leo asked, only half teasing as he stretched his arms above his head, casually nudging Casey Jr with the side of his foot. "Way you're sucking wind someone would think you were the one stuck in bed for over a month and a half."

"Hey, not all of us get to be freaky strong mutants," Casey shot back, a broad grin taking any away any heat that may of existed as he pushed himself upright. "You definitely don't run like someone whose been bed ridden. Then again, you always did heal fast. It was useful for the resistance but it drove uncle Tello and Master Michelangelo crazy trying to keep Sensei in bed long enough to meet minimum rest standards."

The shift was barely perceptible. If he hadn't been raised by older versions of the turtle he was sure he would have missed it. The suble tightness that crept into the corners of Leo's smile, forcing them wider in a way that was to plastic to be genuine. The way the light in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly, even as he let out the perfectly light chuckle to cover.

"Yeah, future me is like six kinds of amazing. Must have been a crazy time."

"It was the apocalypse," Casey replied slowly, mentally trying to make sense of these shifts.

Had it been mentioning sensei? In the aftermath of the Krang invasion Leo had initially had a hard time hearing Casey mention his future counterpart. But they had worked through that. They had talked, under the cover of night when the rest of the lair had been at rest. He'd apologised to the younger turtle for putting so much pressure on him. Leo had accepted with apologies of his own, and had eventually coaxed him to give more details about his life with sensei, stories both good and bad. They'd laughed, they'd cried. They were good...weren't they?

"Must all seem pretty tame now in comparison," Leo said casually as he leaned into his stretch.

"Yes and no," Casey responded, watching carefully as he pushed his hair away from his face. "There's certainly less explosions, and the lack of zombie krang chasing us on our morning run is nice. But other things are crazy. Like how rich everyone is. Uncle Tello used to tell me stories about it, and he had a million folders of ideas and inventions that he'd imagined but lacked the materials to make. Seeing how easy it is to get things here, I get it now. He'd be over the moon, and probably lock himself in the lab for a whole year!"

There. A slight flinch, shoulders hiking a few centimeters up towards his tympanum.

"Heh, once an egghead always an egghead I guess. Anyway, we should-"

"Leo, what's wrong?"

"Uh...Nothing?" Leo replied questioningly. "I mean, I'm kinda hungry. Wanna swing by Run of the Mill on the way back? We can-"

"I thought we were past lying to each other," Casey challenged, a tiny bud of frustration building beneath his ribs as he pinned the turtle with a look.

"I'm not lying Cas, everything is fine now, right? Apocalypse averted, city is in repairs, everyone is healing, and Donnie finally paused updating the security system long enough to eat something other than caffeine and applesauce. Everyone is happy."

"You're avoiding my question. Master Michelangelo said you'd..."

He did not even need to look for the flinch this time. Leo turned away.

There was something here he was missing. Something in his words. But what? It wasn't like he'd never told red eared slider about the future. About the family he'd lost.

About Master Michelangelo.

About Uncle Tello.

About how...

"They all die!"

His heart hit the floor, stomach doing flips as he stared at the mosaic of barely healed pain spiderwebbed across Leonardo's shell. They had talked about a lot of things in the aftermath of the apocalypse, but they had never discussed what had happened in the tunnels beneath the tower. About the fate he'd revealed.

"They all die!"

"Every single one of them."

"The world needs Master Leonardo, and all we have is this guy."

"Leo, I... I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what man? Everything is fine." Leo replied, voice smoothly polished. He did not turn around.

"I've been talking about the future this whole time and..and we never really talked about it like that."

"Sure we have. You were telling me about it yesterday."

"I was talking about Sensei yesterday," Casey corrected, "we've only discussed the...others... once."

A falling pin could have sounded like a gun shot in the quiet that followed.

"There's nothing to talk about there," Leo said eventually.

Gone was the polish, the glitz and the glamorous glow of humor. Leo's tone was flat, a blank slate for this single fact to be engraved.

"I think there is," Casey replied carefully, biting his lower lip hard as he sought the for words that would fix the situation. "The way I told you about what happened to them was... not ideal..."

"Hey, you did what you needed to do to get the message through my thick skull. I don't hold it against you Casey. "

"Yeah, that's partially why I did it. But...I think I also did it because I was mad at you."

The atmosphere between them felt tense enough to explode, and Casey found himself tripping over his words in the haste to get them our before the fireworks could begin.

"I was angry at you for not being Sensei, and I was scared that I was going to fail the mission he and Master Michelangelo sacrificed everything to give me. The mission that could make uncle Tello and Raphel's death mean something. I threw their deaths in your face, and it was...I didn't mean to... I didn't think it would still be effecting you this badly..."

"You didn't think learning my whole family died because of my stupidity would effect me? Jeez Casey, I know I'm an self-centered idiot sometimes, but I'm not made of stone either. "

The words were light, but underneath them was brittleness, fine cracks poised to shatter at the next misstep.

"No!" Casey panicked, desperately backpedaling for the a way to sooth the hurts he'd intentionally and unintentionally afflicted. "I just meant that-"

The soft beeping of Leo's com cut him off mid sentance, and the young terrapin answered it before he could regather his scrambled thoughts.

"What's good Dee?"

"I need to go to the junkyard for some parts, but Raph won't let me go alone incase Repomantis "shows up for a showdown". To appease him I volunteered you for the buddy system. Tell Junior to head home and meet me there in ten minutes," Donatello replied, his voice that perfectly painful bend of familiar irritation, excitement, and affected disinterest.

There was something else there too. Something Casey had never had a name for beyond donnieandleo. He'd grown up hearing donnieandleo in good times and in bad. In the early hours when Sensei would grumble and drag the soft shell into his own bed to ensure he got at least four hours of uninterrupted rest. In the curses that had flown from his uncles lips when he'd fought to keep Sensei from bleeding out after amputating his arm. It was like a secrect code that only they could speak, one that remained uncracked up until the day his uncle had died.

Whatever Donnie was saying now, Leo read loud and clear.

"Fine, but you owe me a smoothie after. Extra large."

"Says the guy who still owes me pizza for that bet from last week."

"Uuuugg fine, but I'm gonna need some serious food to make up for this. On my way."

"Leo, we need to-"

"Sorry Case, duty calls," Leo cut in, never looking back as he walked towards the edge of the roof. "You head back and get some lunch. I know Mikey has a new recipe for you."

"Leo stop! Just let me explain."

"No need. Heard it loud and clear, I promise."

[dailyhogz]

YESSSSS GIVE ME UR MERHOG IDEASSSSSSSSSSSSSS PLSSSS I NEEDD THEM GRRRRR

alright guys. dailyhogz account is over. this is all i’ve been wanting this entire time. pack it up

JKJK!!!!!! But. Oh my gosh. You’ve opened so many floodgates w ur words HEHE

so basically this is meant to be a sonic-unleashed inspired game, taking aspects of some of my favorite pieces of sonic media & transforming them into something i want to see. when this idea spawned it had been me wanting to make an au and shit around in vc for a few hours with my friends when this idea just spawned up.

wayyy more under the cut

it’s the fear of water i think that made me really wanna do this. sonic, forced to adventure into the thing he hates the most: water! sonic unleashed is my second favorite sonic game, and that game was almost entirely building the world of sonic, how earth is in his dimension & the different nations and people you’d find. i wanted to do that, but underwater!

so base plot: there’s this goddess . there’s a lot of sea-gods that sea based mobians typically worship depending on which city you live in. i wanted to have some kind of unmanageable dark force corrupt the gods of these subsections, influencing them to destroy their cities & injure their people. who that is yet?? absolutely no fuckin clue. but they’re definitely out there

anyway—goddess of the southern sea, aka coral, before she can be fully corrupted she transfers the last bit of her power to someone she’d only really heard about in legends. Sonic T Hedgin Hog. and he’s sleeping when he finds this out LOL.

he wakes up and he’s like i feel like something happened but idk what and then he sees coral herself in front of him like hey so sorry to do this to you but like if you go into water now you’ll become a mermaid. and he’s like wasn’t planning on going into water anyway but like why??? and she’s like wellll. Okay. So. you kind of have too. because like billions of underwater mobians and underwater wildlife is going to die if you don’t and he’s like ????????? who the fuck starts a conversation like this i just woke up

in these pictures you can see corals main form & her goddess form ! she typically takes shape of a fish. although i ended up changing this fish design later down the line as seen in the most recent merhog sketches

i wanted to flesh out the world of underwater earth by introducing all these different creatures that mobians CAN be. don’t bring up archie’s sea creatures i will cry infront of you i think building their world similarly to the way sonic unleashed built the surface land would be a really intriguing game idea. and i thought water zones (subtracting some actual water physics and giving him awesome fuckin Tail Slash powers & w/e) would be pretty fun. high speed zones in gorgeous waterscapes??? yes please

the other characters that can be found in this world are tails the fox (he follows sonic in a submarine the entire game and its fox shaped its adorable), amy rose, and rouge + shadow have brief cameos. other then that it’s all villagers & underwater mobians & also Coral and sonic himself just kind of fucking around and finding out

with that as well sonic is even more avoidant of water then before because of suffocation if he’s out of the water in merhog form and w/e. coral is kind of like caliburn in this sense where he’s like hey is there any way i can opt out of this mission? and she’s like no sorry. must suck being u though and he’s like :( ok i guess . but he ends up gaining a new respect for the water afterwards, even if he is still afraid of it LOL

[softplushiee]

DAY 2: FLOWERS (COVE HOLDEN/MARLEE LAST (MC))

a/n: brief use of marlee’s deadname, lots of yearning, and derek and liz make a cameo ,,

——

the white line poppy; a symbol of grace and purity

sunflowers; these flowers represent all sorts of things like strength, loyalty, and admiration.

-

white line poppies were cove’s favorite flowers. he had decided that when he was young, though he didn’t know the name of the flower until a certain kid came along.

they met when they were both just little boys, at the age of eight.

it was dark out, cove was sitting on top of a hill, almost completely hidden because of the tall grass. he had his head buried in his knees, staring into nothing.

the boy stared at cove for a while, admiring his features. he was immediately fond of his green hair since they matched his green eyes, though his eyes were of a darker shade.

the boy slowly approached the green-haired fellow, step by step. cove finally gave the stranger a glance, his blue eyes locking with the boy’s green ones.

suddenly feeling a heavy amount of nervousness, the stranger shyly mustered up a hello.

he also introduced himself as ‘oliver’, but it was obvious that the boy didn’t like how that name rolled off of his tongue.

-

a few days passed, now they were sitting on that same very hill they met on and were chatting.

“mm, i like sunflowers..” cove heard oliver say in response to him telling the other what his favorite flower was. cove nodded, approving of his friend’s favorite flower choice. “yeah. those are nice too. they’re bright and awesome. you match with them.” the boy beside him perked up, “..i’m awesome?”

cove’s cheeks flushed, “oh, uh, yeah.” feeling too shy, he ended the conversation there.

oliver stretched and laid back into the grass and cove joined him. oliver admired the clouds in the darkening sky. he smiled to himself when he saw a cloud resembling a dolphin, reminding him of the balloon animal cove had bought him.

he nudged cove and pointed at the cloud, “look! a dolphin!”

“yeah, i see it.”

“really?”

“no, but i like dolphins.” cove’s response made oliver pout, but, hey, at least he learned another thing that cove liked.

cove chuckled at his reaction.

-

five years have gone by in a flash. summer has returned.

‘oliver’ has since bloomed into a young girl named marlee.

she liked the way the name rolls off her tongue.

cove had changed too, in different ways.

he had gotten his cast taken off.

he grew tall; him and marlee were almost the same height. the latter was only slightly shorter. she felt comfort in that, in some odd way.

he grew more extroverted and he became interested in sports.

marlee couldn’t relate to the sports part, she’d much rather collect seashells and other valuables (you should see her collection, it’s rather impressive).

and there cove was, one fateful morning, standing at her doorway. all in his flustered glory while marlee was still fighting off sleep.

cove looked really nervous, marlee managed to register. he was holding something in his hands, it looked like a bouquet.

a bouquet of fruit to be exact.

the pineapple in it was cut into the shape of a flower, there were skewers that held four juicy grapes, the strawberries looked bright red, and there were melons that were shaped into stars.

cove smiled at the sight of her, “hey, marlee.” her heart skipping a beat, marlee smiled back. it was strange, she has heard cove say her name a thousands of times but she couldn’t help feeling giddy hearing him say it.

maybe it was because he was saying her true name, not the name she once went by.

Though, he had always had this effect on her, ever since they were little kids. there was just something about him that made her feel so special to have him in her life.

cove broke eye contact, settling on staring at the ground beneath him.

“hey. it’s nice to see you.” marlee finally replied. “yeah… i mean, it’s nice to see you too. not that it's nice for you to see me.”

they both share a laugh and the day continues on.

-

after a rough encounter with a bowl-cut kid, marlee decided it would be best to just eat the fruit. yeah, it was supposed to be shared with her and her family, but it wouldn’t hurt to indulge, right?

derek and cove are technically family, so it’s perfectly fine.

marlee’s first choice was the flower shaped pineapple, it immediately grabbed her eye when she first saw it.

the sweet and tart taste filled her mouth. derek was right, it did make her feel better.

after finishing eating the fruit, marlee chatted away with cove and derek.

“hey, marlee.” she heard cove say, “thanks for what you said back then… it’s nice not everybody thinks like that guy.” he had a soft smile on his face.

that kid with the bowl cut they had encountered earlier had made a rude comment about cove’s eyebrows and marlee had defended him, stating that they looked cool.

they do look cool, marlee thought, they look like green caterpillars.

“oh. it’s okay. he was just being a jerk.” it’s too bad, marlee was hoping to make a new friend, even if he did have a horrendous haircut. derek chimed in. “don’t listen to it, cove. he’s the problem. people shouldn’t say those kinds of things.”

the conversation trailed off from there and derek changed the subject, “so! are you both ready for summer break?”

“yeah.” more time to spend with cove and less time worrying about grades.

wait, she still has schoolwork to do over the summer. fuck.

“cool on you. wish i could say the same. it feels like there’s a lot to plan for.” derek replied, “and what about you, cove? are you ready?” he turned his attention to cove.

“mm. i think that depends.” before cove had a chance to elaborate on that, a certain someone appeared and shattered the light atmosphere.

elizabeth last.

marlee’s dear older sister.

“hey! marlee!”

she didn’t look pleased, she looked quite the opposite. she asked where the gift was and marlee grew nervous. the bouquet was still in her hands with only skewers populating it.

elizabeth’s mouth dropped open and she began to get onto her little sister, which quickly turned to elizabeth teasing her about the fact cove gives her special priority.

both cove’s and marlee’s cheeks started to flush, but they didn’t deny it.

“sorry, elizabeth…” marlee meekly apologized. elizabeth narrowed her eyes, not accepting the apology.

they were backed into a corner.

until.

“uuh… oh no. i think i hear the mean kid coming back. we better get out of here!” derek didn’t bother explaining before he ran off. cove hopped up too, taking the opportunity to flee the scene but not before giving marlee a final glance.

her eyes glanced back at elizabeth before she decided to follow her friends’ trail and book it.

oh, marlee was so getting in trouble later.

-

another five years have gone by.

marlee started to truly feel comfortable in her body. she gained a bit of weight due to her hormone pills but she can’t help to think she looks even more gorgeous now.

marlee and cove finally gotten together after a good ten years of pining after each other.

summer was coming to a close.

and here they were, once again. laying on that same poppy hill where they had met all those years ago.

the sun was slowly peeking out of the horizon. it had been dark out when marlee came to see cove but time went by quick. they were really up late at night.

marlee was snuggled against cove’s side and had an arm wrapped over his chest.

even with the sun coming up, marlee still wanted to get some sleep in. after whispering goodnight to her boyfriend, she made herself comfortable and closed her eyes.

“goodnight, marlee.”

and with that marlee drifted off.

-

marlee groggily opened her eyes, wincing at the sudden brightness of the blue sky. it wasn’t the best idea to fall asleep on the ground beneath her..

she sat up, sighing to herself.

marlee heard a familiar voice call out her name and she turnt to face him.

cove holden. the man she had loved for so many years. and recently, he became hers and she became his.

he was lying on his stomach with a flower in hand.

a white linen poppy.

you know, over the years, marlee grew fonder and fonder of the flower. of course, sunflowers would always be her favorite but those poppies come in at a close second.

“good morning.”

marlee hummed, “good morning to you, too.”

“told you i’d see you tomorrow.” cove grinned. she huffed, “pretty safe bet. we see each other nearly every day.”

“so?” cove simply responded. marlee relented, letting cove have his victory.

“looks like it’s gonna be a nice day. we’ll have to come up with something to do to make the most of it…” he returned his gaze back to the flower, “someday, when we’re even older than we are now, i wonder what we’ll remember this moment for?”

he continued on, “i can’t see what the future is gonna look like again, but… i think that’s alright.” marlee smiled, “i don't know, but i’m looking forward to finding out.” cove nodded in agreement.

-

a delicate bouquet of sunflowers was handed over to marlee.

after five years of dating, cove popped the question. marlee said yes, of course. why would she currently be in a white wedding gown and have her light brown hair in a bun if she wasn’t getting married?

marlee took hold of the base of the bouquet and held it tight.

the perfume of the bouquet only slightly lightened her nerves.

she had chosen these flowers not because they were her favorite, but because of what they represented.

sunflowers symbolize adoration and loyalty. and how marlee admired cove.

once she finally heard her cue, she took a deep breath and began to make her way down the aisle.

when she reached her desistation, her gaze fell onto her soon-to-be husband. cove holden.

soon, that last name would be hers as well.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 2: Super Hero (3/5)

"What are any of us doing here? We're not even in this movie!"

So the Red Ribbon Army is trying to stage a comeback with a fresh crop of new androids, and Goku isn't around to stop them, because he's on Beerus' planet training with Vegeta and Broly. While Piccolo figures out what to do without them, the movie just goes ahead and shows us what Goku is up to. For about ten minutes.

I'm pretty sure this part of the movie is a concession to Goku's fans. Let's face it, the people love Goku, and to do a Dragon Ball movie with no Goku at all would be a risky proposition, no matter how good that movie is. Looking back at the old DBZ films, Movies 9, 10, and 11 were mostly Goku-free, but he still put in a brief appearance in each one. But those are also regarded as some of the worst entries in the series, and I don't think that's a coincidence.

Now, I'm a fan of Dragon Ball in general, so the idea of a Piccolo and Gohan movie is not only appealing to me, but I'd say it's long overdue. I'd take a Yamcha/Tien movie any day. Or a Launch standalone film. I sat through GT, so it'd take a lot to keep me out of the theater. But Toei's trying to run a business here, and they can't just depend on die-hards like me to bring in the ticket revenue. So I'm sure the decision to focus on Piccolo was a controversial one in the home office. But they probably reached a compromise by giving Goku a decent chunk of screentime as a make-good.

One thing that makes this movie so good is that they don't just toss out a character for the sake of having them in the movie. They actually take a moment to show what that character is doing these days, even if it doesn't affect the plot that much. That's important, because it lets the viewer come away feeling like they got something out of the cameo they just saw. For example, we've seen Goku and Vegeta on Beerus' planet before. This is nothing new, but this time Goku's trying to help Broly control his power. And Vegeta's trying to meditate so he can learn how to imitate Jiren's power. Goku doesn't really understand his approach, which goes to show that Vegeta's trying to push beyond the scope of the training they've done on Beerus's planet before now. Gohan is studying ants, Videl has her combat sports class, Piccolo's a homeowner, etc.

Compare this to Battle of Gods, for example. Now BoG's a good movie, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the characters who appear in the film are utterly wasted. Tien shows up but he looks and acts exactly the same as he did the last several times we've seen him. Then he shows up in Resurrection F and nothing's changed either. He says he left Chiaotzu and Yamcha behind for the big fight, but would it matter either way? If they showed up, they wouldn't do anything new with those guys either.

The trick is to not just put Ox King in your movie, but to have him mention something that he's gotten up to lately, something Ox King fans can mull over later. "Oh, hey, remember how Ox King said he was going back to school to get a sociology degree?" You can sink your teeth into that, even if that's the only thing that you find out about from him. It's a lot better than "It's Bulma's birthday, and one of the guests is Ox King, a character who certainly exists."

Let's talk about Vegeta's revelation in this movie, since it caused some commotion among the fans. Goku complains that Vegeta had just been sitting still lately, which he thinks is a waste of time. Vegeta explains that he's been studying the way Jiren fought during the Tournament of Power. While he dominated Goku and Vegeta--sometimes both at once-- Vegeta is certain that Jiren isn't that much stronger than they are. What made Jiren so tough to deal with was that he was completely relaxed until the very moment he chose to strike, which allowed him to put all of his power into those brief offensive moments. But since Vegeta can't do that himself, he's trying to train his mind to conceptualize it before he tries to make his body learn how.

So a lot of fans saw this and concluded that the studio hates Goku, or they think Goku's an idiot, or that the studio is stupid for failing to remember that Goku has meditated before in the past. There has always been a subset of the fanbase that tries to turn everything into a Manichean conflict between Goku and Vegeta. In this case, if Vegeta figures something out before Goku does, then it means that Toei or Shueisha or Akira Toriyama himself must hate Goku.

This is stupid on the face of it, because Akira Toriyama literally created the character and he's credited with the screenplay for this movie. If he truly despised Goku, why would he even have Goku in the movie at all? He could have killed him off a long time ago. Why even make a Dragon Ball movie when he could have been working on some Dr. Slump project instead?

All this scene is... and I promise you, it's nothing more to it..., is a exploration of what the boys are doing on Beerus' planet. They train here, of course. We've seen that before, but why are they training here? Well, they need to receive instructions and guidance from Whis, and this is where Whis lives. Okay, and why is Whis so important to the process? Why can't they just stay on Earth and spar like they used to do? Because that only gets them so far. They need to learn new ways of thinking in order to surpass the level they're already at.

And what does that mean exactly? Well, they can't just do a million pushups. It doesn't work that way. There's other things they have to figure out, and that requires them to think of things they hadn't thought of before. And Whis is already beyond them in terms of power, so he knows things that they're still struggling to grasp. But Whis can't just spell it out for them. He can describe what they need to do, but it's still up to Goku and Vegeta to understand and internalize it.

And that's what they're doing here. They're basically brainstorming ways to get stronger. This time, Vegeta had an idea, and he's following it to see where it leads. Whis approves, so he seems to be on the right track. Tomorrow, maybe Goku will have another good idea, and so on.

But it's not always going to be one or the other who has the breakthrough. And it would be stupid for them both to have the same idea at the same time, just so the partisan fans won't feel slighted. Goku seems to think he can get a lot out of working with Broly, but that hasn't paid off just yet. It might prove more productive than what Vegeta is working on at the moment, but there's only one way to find out.

As far as Goku failing to recognize the value of meditation, well, he's had to re-learn that lesson several times. People will point to the time he meditated in Otherworld, or the time he meditated during his training with Mr. Popo, but they forget that this sort of focus and concentration was part of his training with Master Roshi as well. Whis scolded both Goku and Vegeta on this point when they first trained with him in Resurrection F. We can draw one of two conclusions here.

Goku's quest for greater strength is a flat circle. He just keeps re-discovering the same fundamentals, making a big gain in power, and then forgetting how he achieved that improvement.

Akira Toriyama is recycling the same martial arts hokum over and over again, because he only needs to show the characters working for greater strength. He does not need to design a genuine and internally consistent system for fantasy martial arts, any more than the writers of Star Trek need to explain how dilithium crystals make the ship go.

Anyway, Whis proposes a Goku/Broly/Vegeta three-way match, but no one wants Broly to fight in case he flips out and wrecks the entire planet. Then Beerus wakes up and finds out he has new houseguests. Goku explains that this is a good place to hide Broly from Frieza, and before Beerus can object, he meets Lemo and samples his cooking. It's good, so Beerus decides he can stay. Then Cheelai walks by with a bag full of loot she stole from Beerus' home. But Beerus decides he likes Cheelai's looks, so he agrees to let her stay too. So that's decided.

I've also seen some fans gripe about how Cheelai didn't spend much time with Broly in this movie, and Beerus' crush on Cheelai muddies the waters further. Look, none of these characters got a lot of screen time in this movie. This scene could be cut entirely and you wouldn't miss a thing. Half of it is Goku sparring with Vegeta, so of course Broly and Cheelai weren't going to have a whirlwind romance in this thing.

All I know for certain is that Cheelai walked by Broly and went out of her way to say he was "looking good", which is a lot more than she complimented anyone else on this planet. I mean, she's stealing Beerus' stuff, which ought to tell you how much she's into his lanky purple ass.

Moving on, Whis still wants to do that sparring match, if only so Broly can learn to appreciate a high-level battle with the fighters maintaining control of their powers. But Goku wants to eat first and so they stop for lunch.

And yeah, then this movie up and decides to give us Goku/Vegeta III, just like that. I don't want to oversell it, but it's an excellent fight. Whis sets the ground rules to that transformations and ki blasts are forbidden, so in a lot of ways this looks a lot like the kind of battle they might have had at the 25th Budokai before Babidi's henchmen got involved. We only get to see a few minutes of it, but they're so evenly matched that the fight takes a really long time to settle, so maybe it's just as well.

Beerus notes that Vegeta's moves have changed in an almost imperceptible way, due to his recent meditation training. Still, he loses interest in the fight and decides to get ice cream while the boys slug it out. I'm pretty sure Cheelai never cared in the first place, but Broly is enthralled with this action. He's getting to watch two of the greatest Saiyans ever put on a clinic, and he's soaking it up like a sponge.

But the important thing, at least as far as this movie goes, is that Beerus tosses an empty ice cream carton onto Whis' staff, so no one notice it flashing when Bulma tries to call him.

Which means Piccolo's on his own, at least for the time being. He gets the news from Bulma while he's picking up some senzu beans from Korin. The situation looks pretty bad, since Piccolo estimates that the Gammas' power is roughly on par with Goku and Vegeta's. And Dr. Hedo might know 17 and 18's weak spots, so they might not be able to help either. There is Majin Buu, though...

.... ha ha ha! No, did you think this one was going to be any different? Buu's sleeping through this crisis too. Seriously, why did they keep him alive at the end of the Buu Saga if no one had any plans to use him for anything?

So what about Gohan? That's what Korin asks, but Piccolo just says they can't count on Gohan right now, which... ouch.

But Piccolo does have one other idea, and so he flies up to see Dende on the Lookout and asks him to draw out his hidden power. See, the Kami of Planet Namek, Grand Elder Guru, was able to power up Krillin and Gohan way back in the day. Now, Dende is the Kami of Earth, so Piccolo figures Dende could do the same for him.

Only, no, it doesn't work that way. Turns out a Dragon-Type Namekian has to reach a certain age before they can use that sort of ability, and Dende's too young. On the other hand, Dende suggests using the Dragon Balls to solve the problem. They could simply wish away the Red Ribbon Army, but Piccolo doesn't care for that idea. Okay, well what about using Shenron to draw out Piccolo's hidden power? Can Shenron do that? Dende's like "gimme a minute."

So Dende wheels out the cart with the model of Shenron on it, and he powers a flask of water on the model. This makes it glow, and somehow upgrades Shenron so that he can grant a wish to draw out a person's hidden powers. Piccolo remarks that he had no idea any of this was possible when he was Kami. To be fair, when Piccolo was Kami, he didn't even know he was a Namekian, so there's a lot of stuff he was out of the loop for.

Now all Piccolo needs is the Dragon Balls, but Dende tells him that Bulma probably has them already. Ever since Frieza came back, Bulma's been gathering up the Dragon Balls every year, using the wishes up so that they'll be inactive in case any bad guys try to use them. Piccolo calls to ask her and yes, she has the whole set. In the dub, he asks her how many she has and she's like "Oh, uh.... All of them?!" I can't be sure, but I think that's a reference to the "All of them?" line from the dub of Dragon Ball, when Piccolo tried to zap Goku, but he missed all his vital organs. Anyway, Piccolo tells her to hang on to the balls until he gets there.

So they summon Shenron and it works. Piccolo gets stronger, and the Dragon promises that he threw in "a little extra".

That still leaves two wishes to use, so Bulma asks for a nicer ass and slightly longer eyelashes. Then she realizes -- too late-- that they could have wished to bring Goku and Vegeta back to Earth. Whoops.

"Shenron, I wish for you to bring Goku and Vegeta to Earth, so that they might bear witness to all this junk within my trunk."

So Piccolo returns to the Red Ribbon base and just walks right back to the line of soldiers there in Magenta's command room. They're still talking, and Piccolo tells the other soldiers he had to go potty. No one suspects a thing.

Magenta's trying to figure out what to do next. He'd like to target Goku and Vegeta, but no one knows where they are. Mr. Satan is too risky, since no one seems to know what his powers are, exactly. Then Carmine suggests Gohan be the next target. His intel says that it was Gohan who defeated Cell, and he has lots of spy footage of Piccolo going to his house to visit, which suggests that Gohan is a "shadow boss" in Bulma's organization. Magenta likes the idea of taking Gohan out, but he doesn't want Red Ribbon guys operating in the city, since it's too soon to reveal their presence to the wider public.

But if they could kidnap Gohan's daughter and lure him to the Red Ribbon base, then they could fight him on their own turf. Carmine finds that to be a good idea, as it would improve troop morale. Magenta orders a two-man team go to fetch Pan, and Piccolo volunteers, saying that he lives in the same neighborhood and knows Pan's face, because she's the granddaughter of Mr. Satan.

Dr. Hedo objects to the kidnapping angle, but Magenta tells him to mind his own business. Hmmm...

So Piccolo will be picking up Pan from preschool after all, just a bit later than planned. I don't know why Pan can't just run home by herself. She made it all the way here from Piccolo's house, didn't she?

One thing I like about this scene is how there's one other kid here who gets picked up, and that kid's mom apologizes for being late, so it's pretty clear that it's well after 1pm. Pan's been here a while. Her teacher assures here that someone will show up soon, but Pan's still kind of disappointed.

The other Red Ribbon soldier sent to do the kidnapping thinks this will be easy, so he just walks right up to Pan and tells her his mom sent him, but she demolishes him with a single blow.

Then Piccolo reveals himself and Pan recognizes him by his ki and calms down. The teacher already knows Piccolo, so she's cool with him, and Piccolo explains that this was all a security drill arranged by Mr. Satan. Now, in the dub, Piccolo addresses the teacher as "Janet", implying that he knows her as well as she knows him, and I think this is what led to the genesis of the Piccolo/Janet ship. I don't have a lot to say about it that hasn't already been said, but I'm all for Piccolo and Janet getting together. Janet's a fine foxy lady, and Piccolo's reputation speaks for itself.

Of course, Piccolo now has to fly the Red Ribbon airship back to base. He's a pretty crappy pilot, but he manages. I like to think Janet is still impressed, though. "Wow," she thinks as he flies away, crashing into a billboard. "Is there anything he can't do?"

Piccolo's plan is pretty simple. He explains the situation to Pan, and convinces her to play along with the kidnapping. When Gohan shows up to rescue her, he'll kick everyone's ass and that'll take care of everything. Actually, that sounds a little half-baked to me. Piccolo got a power up from Shenron, but is that enough? Anyway, they bring Pan to the base and take a video of her acting scared, then Magenta sends Piccolo and the other guy back to the city to show it to Gohan. Wait, why is that Namekian chair back there? What's that about.

Well, it doesn't matter because Pan sees some cookies and she's like "Don't mind if I do!" but then...

Carmine takes the plate away! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

You suck, Carmine!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Pan would probably attack him right there, except Piccolo's behind him trying to calm her down.

So Piccolo and 15 go to Gohan's house, and Piccolo takes him to the window since he knows Gohan won't answer the door. Notably, Gohan doesn't recognize Piccolo through his disguise, even though Pan saw through it immediately. Also, Gohan hasn't bothered to change out of the clothes Piccolo put him in this morning. Those must be fascinating ants he's working on.

15 shows Gohan the video of Pan and RIP the windowsill.

He turns Super Saiyan and scares the shit out of 15, who promises Pan will be fine if he just returns with him to the base. Gohan gets so mad he makes a crater in the ground...

... and the house starts to list down into the hole. But Piccolo doesn't mind because his plan is working. Gohan's back in a fighting mood and he can clobber the Gammas!

Or can he...?

[tennessoui]

Hey Kit!! This past year when the Acolyte came out, my heart broke and I decided to step away from Star Wars. It’s fine that others liked it but personally I didn’t; actually to be frank, I REALLY didn’t like it. Star Wars and Anakin got me through a lot, so watching Disney take an actual shit on his origin and then his redemption ark by half-assing the lore, felt like a punch to the gut, and I had to step away. (This is my personal opinion, if you or others liked it that’s great! I just didn’t). However, when I saw that u published the body politics au, I decided to sit down and catch up on all your fics (btw I love the Hanahaki one!), and it got me back into the fandom. I’m glad one shitty (imo) show didn’t push me away permanently and I have you to thank for that. I’ve met so many great people thru Star Wars and made a lot friends so it had really been kind of hard to turn away from it. I just really wanted to say thank you. your writing is, as always, too beautiful and inspiring to ignore. Star Wars means so much, and I’m so thankful that your work was able to help me look past all the stuff that made me unhappy with it. I hope you have a wonderful day!!

this is very kind to send to me and a very nice morning read! i admit, i actually have not watched the acolyte, though not for any particular reason. i've definitely heard mixed reviews about the show and its take on the jedi order and the sith, which have been sorta sad to read cause i do like the jedi (though i guess i never label myself as pro-jedi cause like? they're the good guys? you're not like. pro-percy jackson or something right? pro-katniss everdeen? you just sorta read the book and you're like oh yeah these are the good guys. might find aspects of a character annoying but i'm definitely not supposed to be rooting for the Capitol or smething right)

but i've also heard from other people that as a pew-pew show, it delivers on that front! lightsaber fights are cool and everyone has a funky haircut that they pull off somehow which does feel quintessentially star wars

my general view of the disney plus star wars shows is that i'll watch the ones that strike my fancy, and if one of them doesn't then i won't. the star wars disney execs produce a lot of content (and i truly mean content, i.e. material to be consumed - not necessarily art) and a lot of it i'm probably never going to watch. it wasn't made for me, and i definitely get the lurch and disappointment you may feel if you look forward to something for ages and then it's not what you wanted in a thousand small ways or a handful of big ways. i think that's especially hard to guard against nowadays when trailers for tv shows rely more on aesthetic and punchy one-liners and brief second cameos than they do explaining the actual story of the show

but you can be a fan without loving the direction some shows go in or the choices directors make!! if that looks like only watching shows that have been peer-reviewed, or if that looks like ignoring everything but a small corner/subset of a massive fandom, or if that looks like turning from the media itself and diving further into fanart and fanfiction and interacting with people online then that's what it looks like! especially now that the world of canon star wars media isn't just 6-9 movies + 2(?) non trilogy movies, you should absolutely go about watching star wars content with a you-first mindset 100%

you know how many people were disappointed in the obi-wan kenobi series?? soooo many because he was a sad little pathetic and broken man with greasy hair. but that's exactly how i like my obi-wan kenobis, so i was thrilled every episode lol but i'm sure other people hated it and boycotted and whatever. but i found my corner of the fandom who also enjoyed that and it's been wonderful <3

so anyway thankyou so much for your very kind words i hope none of that sounded too preachy i was mostly trying to agree with you that it's really great that one (shitty) show did not keep you away from the fandom forever and that you're back!!

welcome back :)

[viceroywrites]

dropping another gravity falls oc!

my other gf oc can be found here

art credit to mischa-makowka / link to picrew here

name: celeste harvey

age: 25 during the 80s / 55 in present day gravity falls

notable features: has multiple piercings (double lobes, helix & nose ring), has naturally blonde hair but dyed it black - ended up dying it ash gray around age 40, has heterochromia (right eye is green, left eye is brown)

backstory:

works as an embalmer at the valentino funeral home

had brief interactions with ford during his time researching gravity falls - he saw her in passing when he would run errands in town or go to the diner to write in his journal, theorized that she might be a vampire.

met stan in the 80s - she discovered his secret as she was working as a mortician apprentice under robbie's grandparents when he tried to arrange his own funeral & broke down while looking at headstones.

comforted him to the point where he ended spilling his guts to her as she was the first person that had listened and showed him care in years.

didn't question stan's story about the portal, had her own conspiracy theories about what ford was researching anyways.

helped stan occasionally steal chemicals and materials he needed for the portal throughout the years.

relationship with characters:

annoying older brother/younger sister dynamic with stan - they bicker over trivial shit all the time, make stupid bets, have surprisingly a lot of existential conversations about death. she got stan into taxidermy and she'll occasionally contribute a taxidermy piece for him to use for the mystery shack. they try to one up each other during summerween on who can scare the most kids.

uses this video as blackmail against stan all the time (you probably already know what it is before clicking on it)

is like a cool aunt to robbie - helped watch him growing up, dyed his hair black for the first time and taught him how to do his eyeliner. she sewed on the heart patch on his black hoodie and has one of her own on her leather jacket.

mabel initially assumes that celeste and stan have a thing going on and attempts to match make them. celeste appreciates mabel's moxie and free spiritedness, teaches her how to sew patches after mabel compliments the patches on celeste's leather jacket.

dipper kinda avoids her at first bc she's pretty much robbie's family and wonders if she hates him as much as the moody teen does since he has a crush on wendy. they get closer after the events of scaryoke, coming up with the zombie cure (a lot of formaldehyde and cinnamon) together. the two bond over their shared interest in ghost hunting.

acts as a positive female figure in wendy's life even after her and robbie break up, lets wendy come over to her place vent about high school and growing up in a household full of boys.

relationship with ford:

so. like i mentioned, ford had a theory back in the day that she might be a vampire.

there's a entry about her in journal 1 which obviously stan owned. he showed the journal entry to her ("hey, you made a cameo in sixer's journal, he thought you were a vampire.") and she felt... kinda flattered.

she has conflicted feelings about ford, feeling that his dismissal of stanley's rough life after getting kicked out was a bit harsh. she tries to give him the benefit of the doubt though, knowing how badly stan wants to reunite with his brother.

all bets are off when she finds out ford's first reaction to his brother bringing him back was to punch him in the face.

she lays into ford the moment she meets him, stan holding her back from returning the favor with a punch of her own and he's flabbergasted at this complete stranger standing up to him and fuming that stan told another person about the portal... but can't help but be intrigued.

one, her heterochromia is fascinating from a scientific standpoint, mesmerized by her eyes even as she was berating him.

two, it's very rare that someone has called him out on his shit, not sugar-coating it at all. he had to admit while she may have biased points in her argument due to her apparent close relationship with his brother, she had some valid points.

it takes celeste some time to warm up to ford afterwards, she still holds a grudge

celeste visits the shack during roadside attraction, only to find that ford is the only one home - potential story for another day of how they got closer but he realizes she's the vampire girl from journal 1.

[youcantdateosmosisjones]

thoughts on the fable reboot

-until proven wrong, I'm like 98% sure this fable reboot loosely takes place after fable 1. it's got that fable: legends whimsical style to it (think that's the new artistic direction they're going for with this series- still getting used to it), magic is still around, and technology is at a minimum (hey! bows and arrows are back!). The vibe and stylization is very different than what I'm used to for albion, but no complaints.

-the only reason I confidently think it takes place after fable 1 is because of the castle. think it could be fun if we get to explore the lore behind all the shit that went down there before fable 2. mysteryyyyyyy oh yeah also bowerstone is huge now. not city-huge like fable 2, but the reign of terror has fo sho ended, and civilization is expanding... i think... it makes sense to me

-I do know for a fact that the heroes guild is/was up and running. Humphrey's got his pendent thingy, but I still dunno if this reboot is full-on retconning the lore. I hope not- because sometime after Fable 1, when guild dissipated and heroes became somewhat resented, the place got burnt to a crisp. don't think that's happened just yet- but i don't think the guild is all that popular at the moment And hey- the heroes falling from public grace is in the trailers... kind of (lots on emphasis on the people being sick of them). Would make a cool plot-point to see the guild's fall.

-dunno about the hero of oakvale, tho. he's probably dead. is only memorialized by a number of books, songs, and small easter eggs... maybe a statue if we get really lucky. wouldn't surprise me if this game takes place a few hundred years after fable 1 (there's 500 years between fable and fable 2- there's plenty of time to spare) and he's simply faded from the public consciousness. this Humphrey guy is probably the latest, greatest joe-schmo who just got off the pedestal ...actually the implications of past heroes fading out of favor soon as their glory days are over, and being replaced the next "savior" of albion is kind of depressing

-but also! Oakvale could very well still be thriving if i'm right. No shadow court (yet. would be cool if they made a guest appearance ig), possible location to visit, etc

-not gonna get my hopes up with this one- but potential cameos, or little easter eggs for beloved characters are always awesome. seeing theresa minding her own business for once... he-who-shall-not-be-named as a farmboy... one can dream. pulling up on the side of the road to help a blind lady- possibly a random encounter- only to get a brief, cryptic fortune reading from eldritch gma... ohhhh, the potential... .............but jack of blades reference..? any kind of reference to the court at all? pretty please??? all I need is a random poster on a wall commemorating their defeat, and I'll be happy

-I'm very interested in seeing what story this game's gonna tell. I have a feeling it's gonna lean further into player choice, like how bg3 has wonderfully showcased (not that extent, of course). We might actually get multiple endings, too. Least I hope so. With this new stylistic shift, new studio handling this, it'd be nice to see the narrative truly be affected by our decisions.

-im already kinda loving this villain

so yeah

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

Staged 2 thoughts!! (this will take a Year because I have a Lot of feelings)

tl; dr at the end

Hmmm I don’t see how it’s a love story yet

Staged 1 works well enough on its own but the second season is really essential as a companion piece upping the emotional ante (which is exactly how I feel about Good Omens 1 & 2 lol)

The opening scene mindfuck; The meta! We have reached levels of irony not previously seen possible

Who do I thank for the tacky Zoom interview show background? It deserves top billing

HE DOESN’T WANT THE GOLDFISH TO BE LONELY (metaphor) and then it FUCKING DIES

Celeb cameos in season 1 being all “hey! I like you!” in season 2 like “you are tearing them apart. I hate you. scum

Also the themeing of Michael Sheen and David Tennant being on their own “side” VS everyone else……….. Simon Mr. Writer Sir i see u and unfortunately i am in your walls

The writing feeling less theater-y works for the meta and I’m wondering whether they always had a second season in mind or if it’s just that well written

Was really hoping for a Colin Firth & Hugh Grant cameo ngl :/

The music didn’t annoy me as much this season since it was more of the horn oomp-pah-pah than the piano. Idk maybe my mind just changed

I didn’t know Whoopie Goldberg could be terrifying but here we are (also I forgot her name isn’t Whoopie)

“I think the wizard fucked your ass” ???

Setting up the awards and the baby was peak *pops P* comedy 🤌 Definitely needed since it gets Sad as it goes on

Welsh kink spotted!!! And so fucking blantant I was scandalized

“I’ll shove it up my ass where the rest of the excrement goes” Michael casually asking David to peg him. Nice

More bad magic. More pls and ty

Also moar Nina pls. T’was but a brief beautiful bluster in the wind

Tbh missed a lot of Michael & David’s back-and-forths VS season 1 but I get that’s… the point

Everyone agreeing David is whiney and annoying lmao get wreck’t

Also I forgot they don’t have air conditioning in Englandland ‘cause my man is sweating in every scene he’s in (unless that was intentional in which case… go on…)

The ladies!! That meta ending with the Bechdel test… I see you…

Still love Georgia and Simon’s sister (who I apparently don’t respect enough to google her name); I like Anna now too! She’s got this kinda quiet sarcastic edge I didn’t notice the first time. They all played off each other well in their 3 some (phrasing) scenes

Big amongus sus react that Anna has better chemistry with the two of them than with Michael of which there is literally zero chemistry. Compared to Georgia and David who are just electric with each other it’s honestly distracting

Actual torture watching them break down as other actors play them and drive their friendship apart, it’s fascinating to watch especially on top of it being themselves but, like, not we swear

“Am I your best friend” “No” Fuckin REJECTED !! looser!!!

Oh huh I can see how this is a love story, interesting

The David Tennant fanboy (he is a Real actor I just can’t think of his name) served juicy vomiting SFX realness

“So you’ve made love with him” BROTHER

It took me 87 years to realize warthog and mongoose were in reference to Timon and Pumbah lol <- I am not looking up how to spell this

The bannister being part of the bookshelf why did this make me laugh this hard

Ken Jeong actually reaching into the heart of everything and casually tearing into it Temple of Doom style and leaving everything to ruin lmao

I miss people getting too close to me (feral noises)

Ewan McGregor is cute and I am shallow 🥰

AU where Simon Pegg and Nick Frost did Staged and honestly it would still work aside from being dangerously heterosexual

Simon & Nick doing the Staged 1 back and forth but literally? mmmm that’s sum gud meta

Oh right I forgot the actual writer Simon’s in it too. He’s still good. I like his Zoom tantrum

Jim Parsons unconvincingly looking for his phone after he casually tells David that he and Michael are obviously in love and everyone sees it lmao

David Tennant has the unique ability to make this absolutely insane face reserved specifically for the emotion “oh shit I’m in love with Michael Sheen” which like

I could kill the Good Omens costume department rn I stg take off those fucking sunglasses I’m so mad

Ohhhhhhhh yeah this is a love story

The Frozen snowman being the big bad final boss of cunt, oof you gotta love a good villain

Michael’s monologue the only one not in the kitchen area just breaking down completely I mean *claps until my hands fall off* he put his whole pussy into it. The frustration? The despair? I mean it felt like an audition monologue (in a good way) he walked through the valley in the shadow and death and came back a broken man with a fuzzier beard

CATE BLANCHETT ZOOM SNIPE

Apparently people didn’t like Phoebe Waller Bridge in the new Indiana Jones movie which I haven’t seen but idk I thought she was pretty funny and hot here. *ding*

MOOMIN MUG SPOTTED

The use of travel as a metaphor for feeling stuck emotionally *clenches fist*

“I like silence” *screaming from the other room*

“It’s like gas filling a room” <- fascinating way to describe their dynamic, it’s specifically referring to aimless conversations that snowball and “fill up a room” but it could also refer to the palpable energy between them— like even through the abstraction of a computer screen there’s this magnetic force that’s just riveting, it’s hard to describe

“We haven’t talked about love” > Seen at 2:17 PM LMAO

Michael alone with the black frame lingering shot. Acting and editing and directing choices so simple and on point. everything hurts

Struggling to say goodbye on Zoom physically reaching out unable to leave the frame that whole scene was just. You can just feel the love through the screen, it’s so layered and intimate despite essentially being “No you hang up first”

Zoom wedding! He stayed!!

I wonder if that’s Michael Sheen’s actual best friend. That would be cute

Anna whispering and telling him “nah I know your bestie is literally an hour away but he can’t come over lol” like??? why? let them love each other I cannot handle this villain arc

“I have to bring that one otherwise my tits will explode” Wait wasn’t she drinking earlier though? #ShivRoyMoment

“I was standing outside your job for four hours because I love you” <- dog from Up moment

Yes he is legally a Hobbit

The car window as an abstraction like the Zoom boxes *continued feral noises*

The direction of David putting his hand on the window and Michael walking away only then revealing Anna and the baby far in the background? We’re in 3 dimensions and they are all painful!!

Okay yeah I get it it’s a love story but I thought this was a comedy haha right guys why does everything hurt

It ends on that meta moment between David and Georgia which I can only assume is to set up for the third season although I dunno if that was planned at the time as well. It’s ambiguous but not distracting if they didn’t make another one

tl; dr: Staged 2 is a unique and excellent addition to Staged 1. The added meta textual layer of the other celebrities breaking down their relationship based on Staged 1 allows for a lot of “hiding behind my hands so embarrassed” moments, but also by pitting them against each other, it reveals their actual love for each other through the bickering. Season 1 on its own is a nice vignette of its time but season 2 with it adds a tension and intimacy that really takes both over the top

Kinda dreading watching Staged 3 since it seems like people overwhelmingly like it less than the other two because of the loss of the Zoom format and constant arguing, but I’m already in this far deep so I’ll stick the landing

To wit— awwwwwww, they love each other!

[the-fandom-queenxox]

Okay so what if Martyn isn't in the cast but he does show up as cameo like they did in the first rats

Like hear me out in this little scenario I made up for a second.

He shows up at the new place, he is like "I am a rat again?!" He learns that there is another L.O.O.T shard in the rat world that needs to be dealt. He goes to explore the new place, he sees the og cast is also here and is like "I can't reveal myself to them" (but whilst searching around in his head he is like "I wonder how they are doing" "Do they miss me" "Do they think that I am dead" "Are they mad at me" "Would they be mad at me" etc.) He comes across the new cast of rats but he keeps his interactions with them brief and mostly asks them questions to figure out where the shard is (and mostly cause he thinks the new cast will tell the og cast that he is here) anyways fast forward he finds the shard he is leaving to go find the return portal, but uh oh the new cast does tell the og cast that he was here: "Oh hey also there is a new rat around" "Oh really" "Yeah but he doesn't look like he will be staying for awhile, he looked like he was in a rush" "Hmm that's strange what does he look like?" "*Gives Martyn's exact description*" "WHERE?!" So this whole chase sequence ensues and it's really angsty and blah blah blah. Martyn just barely loses all of them and goes through the portal with no one else following him in, leaving the rats behind once more to complete his mission to get out of the datastream...

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Minific request filled for @idiotwithanipad , featuring her OC Amy (brief cameo of my own OC Silver).

Emotional hurt/comfort, Humphrey POV, featuring Robin. Hope it’s what you were after, hun.

The front reception desk was one of the better spots to be dumped at, Humphrey had quickly realised since the hotel had opened. It was the best place to people watch most of the guests, get a good look above shoe-level at the new faces coming in, and he always got the best gossip between the staff muttering about people while thinking there was no one in earshot. It also gave him a good view of the computer and he would be the first to spot whenever Alison’s name was added to a future booking.

It would get a bit boring, usually during lunch and especially after eleven when they’d lock up for the night. But lately he’d been forgotten there less often after their most recently added member of their dead family.

Strange. He usually spotted those large boots thumping down the stairs in the corner of his vision by now. He’d seen all the others pass him at least once or twice, he’d watched Kitty rush excitedly to the aerobics club, he’d had a quick gossip with Fanny about some drama that had happened between a rich couple and the man’s mistress the night before and he’d seen Thomas swoon over his latest infatuation, a bellhop girl with hair very similar to Isabelle’s and Alison’s.

No Amy yet? Maybe she didn’t feel like leaving her room today, whichever empty one she had claimed for the night.

“‘Ey! Hey, Robin!” He called when he saw the caveman walking through the wall, stretching his neck and rubbing his joints, probably having just come out of Zumba. “You seen Amy today?”

“Stompy?” His oldest friend replied; “No.”

“Was she with you guys in the room last night?”

‘The Room’ was technically Kitty’s room, as she always had first dibs on the bed and had been named after her, but had become a sort of common room for all of them, especially as it Alison’s usual room. Kitty had made it clear they were all welcome to sleep over, though most of them crashed on the sofa or the floor.

“No. Pat invite her for Music Club but she say she no come, wanted quiet, so we not get pushy.” A thoughtful look came over Robin’s face; “She seem quiet already. Odd because she laugh with me just couple hour before when we watch guy get mad his club stuck in ground and he get all red face.”

“You dunno why her mood changed then?”

Robin shook his head; “Me assumed she tired?”

“The girl is ninety percent caffeine! She’s hardly ever tired. Unless she’s crashed out…” It wasn’t as if the girl was incapable of sleep, his head had laid in her arms during some sleepover nights, “I’d like to just check on her. I mean even if it’s just to make sure she hasn’t…y’know. Whoosh, and all that.” Not that he wouldn’t be thrilled for her, but given that she’d been the most to spend much time with him lately, he would miss her. “Can you sniff her out or something?”

“Me not hound!” He replied, offended, then flared his nostrils; “Wait…can pick up of trail of icky demon drink.”

“Monster.”

“That what I said!”

Humphrey rolled his eyes as Robin lifted him up off the desk and followed his nose to hopefully find where Amy had disappeared to. He grew concerned when Robin started to head towards the gardens rather than upstairs.

“None of you saw her leave a room?” He asked.

“Many rooms, many guests, can’t keep track of all, especially when we walk through walls!” The great furball defended; “Big nosy head watch all who come and go, you not see either.”

True, but he’d assumed she’d come down the other staircase, the same one where Annie had met her yeasty end all those years ago.

Venturing out onto the golf course, they dodged a few balls swung across their path before they reached the wood. Humphrey grew more curious as to what she would be doing all the way out here on her own, almost at the boarder.

Finally, he spots that familiar black hoodie on a figure sat beside what appeared to be a small mound next to a collapsed old grotto. A gap in the trees above allowed a beam of sunlight to enter down and rest atop the mound, where unseen to any living eyes lay the body of a young woman in early two thousands alternate clothing and a fringe of pink hair against the black. A contented smile remained on her face as she slept, a necklace with a five-pointed star resting atop her clavicle.

Amy was sat in the dirt with her knees to her chest, her back against the natural resting place of the sleeping Neo-Pagan ghost.

“Hey, Poppet. Everything all right?” Humphrey ventured.

The girl sprang up in surprise. They hadn’t exactly crept up on her, but it wasn’t as if ghosts footsteps made a sound.

“How did you find me?” She asked, sniffling and rubbing her face with the bulky sleeve of her hoodie.

Had she been crying?

“You easier to track than deer with giant hole in belly.” Robin said, “Remind me to teach you to hide that.”

Humphrey wasn’t sure ghost odours were something that could be covered up. Or maybe Robin made a conscious effort to smell that way.

“Did you just wanna come visit Silver? You know she only wakes a few days a month on the full moon, right?” He asked, gently.

“Yeah, Moonah only waxing, still got fortnight.”

“I know that! Just…wanted to be near her for a moment, that’s all.” Amy scuffled her heavy boot against the ground, “No offence to the rest of you but she’s the closest thing I have to a mate, you know. A girl mate.”

“You and her mates? Oh, me not know, congrat-.”

“NO! Not like that! Just friends. I just needed someone to talk to who gets me, you know. About things I’m not comfortable talking to men about. Kinda hoped that even if she’s asleep she can still hear me a little and would want me to rant to her.”

Humphrey could respect that, though he felt a little guilty that there were things she didn’t felt comfortable confiding to him about. That shouldn’t sting all that much, he had known the girl less than six months, but he couldn’t help but feel oddly protective of her.

“You don’t wanna talk to Kitty or…?” The other female option sounded unlikely before he’d even said her name.

“Kitty’s sweet but she’s really naïve. Can’t really talk to her about any….difficult stuff. She still thinks babies are made by pressing ears together. As for Lady B, she’d probably say it was my fault for showing too much ankle or something.”

“What your fault?” Asked Robin.

Amy’s lips pinched together as if she’d been caught out.

“N-nothing.” Her hand reached up to adjust the now defunct headphones permanently attached to her head.

He exchanged a look with Robin. They might not have much women’s intuition but they had eyes. There was something a lot more introverted about the way Amy was acting, in everything from her body language to not making eye contact with them.

“Amy, sweetheart, did something happen?” He asked, cautiously.

“No! Like what?” She snapped back like a defensive animal.

“Someone…say bad thing or…try bad touch?” Robin asked, awkwardly; “Was it Julian? Because me had words with him already, if he say more disgusting thing then me will rip his-.”

“Stop! Stop! Julian didn’t do or say anything to me.” She got to her feet before them; “He’s actually been on good behaviour lately. Though he did say hashtag-me-too in the wrong context the other day. But at least he’s trying.”

“Someone else though?”

That the young woman didn’t deny, just continued to rub her arms and look away.

“Other ghost?” Robin asked, “Thomas not always take no for-.”

“Not Thomas either. Or Captain or Pat or even the Spa ghosts.”

She sat atop one of the fallen logs, turning her eyes back to her sleeping friend.

Humphrey and Robin shared a look before taking a seat beside her, Humphrey still held in Robin’s lap.

“A living then? Wasn’t a guy who brings a load of dogs with him?”

“They my friends. The dogs, not the guy, he sucks.” Clarified Robin.

“I know who you mean and not that guy. You don’t know him. He booked in yesterday, him and his wife.” Amy began to explain, “He used to live down the street from my house growing up. When I’d walk to school, he’d always be out in his front garden, working on something. It started with him just telling me to have a good day, not work too hard, all that stuff…Thought he was just being friendly. Mum and his wife were good friends.”

Already Humphrey didn’t like the direction this was heading in. He wished he had his body so he could put an arm around the girl.

“Then, when I began Secondary, he started giving me compliments…first on my hair, then my bag, then my…my skirt. It made me really uncomfortable when he kept saying I was ‘maturing nicely’. I started wearing trousers instead and he said it was a shame for me to hide such a…’great set of pins’. I told Mum and she just said that he was an old fashioned guy and I shouldn’t take it the wrong way.” She squirmed in her seat, “S’my fault. I should have just asked him to not say things like that.”

“Shouldn’t need asking. Why grown man care what young girl look like? Especially when he have wife, monogamy being scam or no. It his fault.” Robin defended.

“He’s right, Poppet.” Humphrey assured; “He didn’t…do anything else, did he?”

She gulped, looking down at her hands.

“One time my mum asked me to go round and fetch a strimmer that his wife had narrowed. She weren’t home but he was…I said I was happy to wait outside while he fetched it but he insisted I come in.” She explained, voice shaking; “He said I could sit in his garden if I wanted, take my hoodie off, get a tan because I was ‘far too pale’. I kept saying I had to get back home to do my homework. I refused to sit, refused to accept anything to drink.”

Sensible girl, he thought.

“Getting fed up I think, he went and got the strimmer and handed it to me. Then he stroked his fingers over my leggings and picked at the hole there. I stepped back and he was laughing like ‘Oh sorry, just wanted to see how they felt! You should get that rip stitched up.’” She shuddered, as if he were there right now with his filthy hand on her, “I took the strimmer and ran back home, told Mum I was gonna walk the longer way around to school and didn’t wanna be near him again.”

“You told her what happened?”

Amy nodded; “Think she had a word with his wife. They moved house within a few months. She must have divorced him because the wife he came with today was a different woman.”

Humphrey cleared his throat and looked Robin, gesturing with his eyebrows. Having been able to form something of their own language whenever he was headless over the past four hundred years, Robin got the hint and passed Humphrey into Amy’s arms.

She seemed hesitant at first, then wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her belly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come find you today.” She mumbled, voice breaking.

“That’s all right, poppet. You were clearly going through something. I’m sorry you didn’t think we’d be much help. I know we’re just blokes but we do care about you and wanna listen when you’re upset.”

Robin grunted in agreement and reached to put his paw around her shoulder, squeezing it a little.

“What is strimmer?”

“That thing they use to cut the grass, the big stick with the spinning blades.” Humphrey tried to explain.

“Oh. Should have used to cut off his balls.” He said, jovially; “But guess might not be best decision. Stompy very brave not letting him touch and telling mother truth. Otherwise might have gotten worse.” He tried to praise her.

Amy ran her hands through Humphrey’s hair.

“He might have just harassed some other poor girl in their new neighbourhood.” She said, as if it had been playing on her mind for a long while.

“Fingers crossed he’s never taken it that far. There’s nothing more that could be done, much as I think we’d all prefer blokes like him to have their hands cut off and be castrated.” He reassured.

“Hmm. That eerily close to punishment for touching girls without consent in my tribe. We throw genitals onto fire as sacrifice to Earth Mother.”

“Guess you savages were more enlightened than us lot in some ways.” Humphrey chuckled.

Amy clearly wasn’t in the mood for jokes, her face creasing after having revealed something so personal.

“There, there, Poppet, you’re all right now, you’re safe with us. You don’t have to go anywhere near him while he’s there.” He comforted.

Robin gently tugged her close to curl against his furs, she brought her knees up a little, almost cocooning her body around Humphrey as she shed a few tears. Humphrey could understand why Silver would probably be better equipped to talk to about this, the stoner Wiccan would probably be fuelled with enough rage to cast some sort of curse upon the bastard, or make him choke on the scent of sage.

“Thanks, guys. For listening…” Amy mumbled after a while, thumb stroking against Humphrey’s cheek.

“Not problem. You sure you no want me to try give him shock? Maybe burst his lamp when he try to read at night?” Robin offered, smiling with his chin atop her head.

Amy managed a small laugh; “Thanks but, don’t want any risk of him dying and staying here with us. Think he’s just here for the weekend.”

“We can stay and camp out here with you if you wanna stay near Silver?” It would be far better than being left anywhere alone.

“No…You’re right, she can’t wake up, so it’s pointless. She wouldn’t want me moping out here like he’d forced me to be away from my home.”

Home. It was the first time Humphrey had heard the girl call it that. It made his estranged heart feel warm.

Robin released the girl and jumped to his feet, like he’d suddenly had an idea.

“Think me go find Julian. We can make plan for guy with bad hands.” He said, mischievously.

“Robin, I said I didn’t-.”

“No, no shocky shocky, me promise.” The caveman assured; “But maybe we annoy him by ruining his golf game and making drink spill in lap. Will not share Amy story, just say that he asshole. Julian never need much excuse. Little bit of karma, yes?”

“Oh let him, Poppet, he just wants to do something to feel better after what you just told us.” Humphrey whispered from her arms.

He know because he felt exactly the same, unfortunately he lacked any ability to haunt, or else he’d also be on his way to make the man’s stay here a misery until he got fed up and decided to leave early.

Amy smiled and nodded, dismissing the caveman who jogged off in both excitement but also a thirst for vengeance.

“Listen, love,” Humphrey said, seriously, “It really isn’t any of your fault, what he did or said to you. You know that right?”

She shrugged; “I guess but…doesn’t take any of it away. Nearly forgot it till I saw him again and it all came back.”

“I know. Trust me, even though we’re the dead ones, we still manage to get haunted as much as livings. You don’t have to rush back there, we can go for a walk around the woods and to the boarder if you want? You can tell me more about those music bands you were into, that you miss playing on that ear armour of yours.”

The fact that he referred to them as that always amused her.

“But you have no idea who I’m on about when I mention them!” She laughed.

“Doesn’t matter. Still more interesting than listening to Cap talk about that time he won a game of Risk.”

He was happy to see a slight glow reappear on Amy’s cheeks as she stood. She wished a brief goodbye to the sleeping Silver, promising to come back on the full moon, before slowly walking away, telling Humphrey about the first concert she ever went to. In return he told her about the time he went to watch one of Shakespear’s plays performed for the first time at the Globe, which he fell asleep during.

They barely made it out of the woods before a bumbling shape moved across from them and they both let out a cry of surprise before recognising who it was.

“Oh, where the ‘ell have you been? It’s been a week!” He chided his own corpse; “Amy, sweetheart, do you mind?”

Amy leaned up on her tiptoes and placed his head upon the stump.

He clicked his neck, feeling it connect like a loose hinge. He grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

“Ah, thank you! If I hadn’t needed to come find you out here, I might not have come across him for who knows how long.” He smiled.

Amy then surprised him further by throwing herself forward, wrapping her arms around his torso, hands clinging to his robes. This time he was able to truly feel his heart swell at the contact. He put his arms around her, one hand patting her head. He couldn’t explain the connection he felt to the girl, despite the hundreds of generations that separated them, despite not having a clue about half the things she talked to him about. Even in her darker moments, she had a way of lighting up his existence.

[mayasdeluca]

Let's do a little Station 19 math. Mason was in season 1 with CC playing him when Stacy McKee was in charge. Mason came back in season 3 when KV was running things and she opted to age down Danielle to play teen Maya but recast CC with a younger actor.

Danielle kept pushing for a Mason (CC) come back but a "higher up" shot her down. Until that is season 7 when KV is no longer in charge and they brought CC back as Mason.🤔

I am still trying to wrap my head around why they chose to bring him back in that kind of storyline though after all the times Maya brought him up so lovingly. "I've never said I love you to anyone but my brother so it means something" or when Carina asked about inviting family to the wedding her first thought was that she didn't know where Mason was. He could've been part of a clinic storyline or the story in 7x06 with the homeless vet. Plot twist he was Nannette's baby daddy 🤯. Any of these could've have been more feasible to bring him back into the fold.

But you are so right that Mason would not have fit in a future vision with the storyline he did have since they left things so finite especially what he said about their kids.

Mama Bishop however deserved a brief comeback playing with her grandkids. Hey, if they got Tracie Thoms for a 30 second cameo why not Mama Bishop

Hmm you may be onto something! But I still don't know why she (if it was her) wouldn't want him back...it's a weird thing to be so against but 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's definitely interesting that this is the way they chose to bring him back. I guess once they knew they were going to do a Pride episode and Danielle pitched wanting Mason back as something she wanted to have done with her character before the season/show was over, they came up with the idea? They took the more impactful storyline route I suppose and showed a realistic scenario for queer people as sad as it was.

It really is sad that they never thought to bring her back. Even last season when Maya was going through so much with her mental health and the healing she was doing...it would have been so nice if we saw even just a phone call or some kind of check in with them so Maya at least had someone while going through such a rough time. But then especially once they made the decision to adopt Liam...I don't know why they wouldn't think to have that moment of Maya introducing her son to her mother and letting her have that healing and comforting moment with a family member after all the trauma and pain they both went through with Lane.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

FICTIONAL CHARACTER ASK: SAL MINELLA

Asked by @princesssarisa

@softlytowardthesun @moonbeamelf @fragglesesamemuppetz2 @amalthea9 @themousefromfantasyland

Favorite Thing About Them: He is funny and energetic, yet has great inteligence, and while he loves Johnny Fiama to acompany him whenever he goes, Sal Minella is also a character with his own dreams and desires, pursuing a study of osteopathy and acunputure so he can (at least try to) help other people when they feel in pain.

Least Favorite Thing About Them: When trying to make way and protect Johnny Fiama, he can either be unproportinally violent to innocent bistanders, or put himself in unnecessary physical danger to amuse Johnny Fiama and receive his validation as a worthy assistant.

Three Things I Have In Common With Them:

* My voice can get loud;

* I love cake;

* I sometimes enjoy wearing a vest;

Three Things I Don't Have In Common With Them:

* I'm not a chimpanzee;

* I don't work as the security guard and assistant of a singer;

* I'm not pursuing the medicine fields of osteopathy and acunpulture;

Favorite Line:

This dialogue exchange in Muppets Tonight after he kicks Bean Bunny to make way for Johnny Fiama:

"Sal Minella: Johnny Fiama's just arrived! Make way for the one and only Johnny Fiama! (to a little boy) Hey, outta the way, you!

Bean Bunny: Hello, sir. I am selling chocolates so that my school can buy new books.

Sal Minella: Hey hey hey hey hey! Over my dead body Johnny Fiama buys one of them chocolates! Now get outta here, ya punk!

Johnny Fiama: Hey, hey, Sal, what'd you drop-kick him for? He's just a kid selling chocolates.

Sal Minella: Yeah, right, Johnny, and I'm a monkey."

This brief exchange he has with Johnny Fiama when they made a cameo in the comic Muppet Snow White during the audio for the role of Seventh Dwarf:

"Johnny Fiama: Sal, you told me this was an audition for a Sinatra cover band.

Sal Minella: We need the work, Johnny!"

brOTP: Bad Polly the Lobster, Clueless Morgan, Mad Monty, Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Clifford, Bobo the Bear, Big Mean Carl, Rizzo the Rat, Dr. Phil van Neuter, Seymour the Elephant, Pepe the King Prawn.

OTP: Johnny Fiama, Quongo.

nOTP: Mama Fiama, Bean Bunny.

Random Headcanon: He was born captive in a lab and separated from his parents as a baby to another lab cell, but whe he grewed up he escaped, and started working as the assistant of a street barrel organ player, before moving to working as a security guard and meeting Johnny Fiama.

Unpopular Opinion: I hope that he and Johnny Fiama return to be a part of the main cast of Muppets, because they are both very interesting characters.

Song I Associate With Them:

Shiver My Timbers

The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Favorite Picture of Them: