#((and now only having the one she's made with him and devon left!))

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"Well, I can understand that," Wilhelm replied with a little, sitting Randall down beside Emily as he resumed his own seat-as he sat down, Randall couldn't help but think to himself, You don't even know the half of it, Pa...

"I like to hope those hooligans weren't hanging around, looking to get even, but I'm also glad both of you were vigilant," June sighed with relief, trying not to think of what might've happened had they not flagged down that taxi when they did. "Even if there wasn't anyone there, you still did the right thing, leaving when you did!"

She'd had those bad "gut feelings" before, that unshakable pit in the bottom of her stomach that told her she needed to leave, to take her family elsewhere, to just get away from the area, and even if nothing came of leaving, that no disaster struck after they left, it still made her feel better, and so she understood where Emily was coming from. Especially after what happened a couple of weeks ago-the last thing she wanted was to see her son hurt like that again.

"You want me to watch the window for a little bit?" Wilhelm asked-if those muggers who'd attacked his boy were lurking out there, looking to get a little payback, then he'd gladly sit vigil for a while by the window; he had a permit for these sorts of situations. However, Randall put his hand up and said gently, "I-I really don't think that'll be necessary, Pa, I...I'm sure it's fine..."

"You sure? It's no problem for me," Wilhelm reassured, as Randall looked to Emily with a bit of uncertainty-would it bring them a little peace of mind, if nothing else, having him keep watch for a little while?

[illuminatedquill]

SPOILERS FOR 2x09!!!

-

-

-

So that’s it. The endgame is set.

Dylan G is gone. Miss Huang is gone. Irving is gone. Milchick snapped (a little) but hasn’t been completely radicalized.

Every other storyline has seemingly been wrapped up . . . except for the big one.

The Mark/Helly/Gemma dilemma.

Helly is the only one left fighting for her friends and the truth at Lumon now. Everyone else she has depended on to back her up has left. They’re gone.

The appearance of her father on the severed floor is catastrophically bad news. “You tricked me, my Helly”, bro what the fuck does that mean. Why did he call her that. It’s a level of familiarity that suggests something sinister and I realize there’s a whole new angle on that messed up relationship that we’re just being shown.

Helly is in big trouble. No doubt about it. Curious to see what punishment awaits her.

And Gemma, my GOD. Seeing her hunched in that chair, somehow even more beaten down and quiet than how she was in 2x07. But she’s still alive! I am taking this win, god damn it! Hang in there, Mark is coming (please for the love of God, LOCK IN MARK).

Mark, Devon, and Cobel should prove to be a match made in hell. Mark’s not wrong to be distrustful of her but Devon, as always, is right: they need to do as Cobel says because this is for Gemma. So glad she’s here to keep Mark in line and remind him who’s at stake.

So - innie Mark and outie Mark are finally going to talk. This conversation is going to be an intense one, I expect with both Marks going to bat about the agonizing decisions before them. Innie Mark is surely not going to be happy about the whole reintegration choice and Cobel, as I theorized before, probably has her own designs for Helly.

This will probably lead to a conflict for both Marks. Outie Mark is solely focused on getting Gemma out, whereas innie Mark does not want to do it at the expense of Helly’s life (at least that’s my theory).

(I suspect the fandom is going to be extremely normal about this conversation and be impartial.) But, from what I’ve heard, both Marks argue with great passion and there’s no clear winner - as it should be.

It’s my belief that Devon will be the deciding vote in whatever plan they come up with. Again, I’m so glad she’s there. Mark needs someone to watch his back and remind him that all of this is for Gemma. Innie Mark has every right to be pissed, though.

Decisions, decisions. Men plan; fate laughs.

All bets are off from here on out. I find it laughably hilarious that, yes, the show isn’t about shipping yet here we are: a man, caught between two great loves, forced to make a decision on which to save. Oh, we have to laugh otherwise we’d go mad.

At this point, I need the following to happen in the finale:

1. Gemma lives and escapes Lumon.

2. Dr. Mauer dies (preferably by Gemma’s hand).

3. Outie Mark and Gemma reunion scene. We need this. Has to happen. Non-negotiable.

4. Devon and Gemma reunion scene. Those women are sisters. They both deserve it.

So many more thoughts but I’m sure smarter people here will articulate it better on their own posts. I’m just gonna enjoy this break before the finale.

And don’t forget. First day of spring next week. Same day as the season finale. Take that as you will.

[eyesteeth]

loved the severance ending. i'm a massive fan of deeply fucked up endings framed as good ones, and by god did this not disappoint.

like. what even was mark s' fucking plan. there is no reality where he exists and mark scout doesn't. and with the stunt they just pulled, lumon has no qualms about killing them both. both marks fucked up cold harbor, lumon's crowning jewel, and they murdered drummond, a key lumon employee. lumon has every reason to kill them and cover it up as a freak accident, and because gemma's safety was not secured, devon and cobel on the outside have no way to prove it.

and speaking of, cobel was right. it was stated as such in the beginning of the season - mark s would not work without helly r, so they 'gave her to him'. as we know, this was actually helena, but that was because lumon genuinely did not want helly down there - and for good reason, she tried to kill the lumon heiress. if irving hadn't found her out, helena would have stayed down there, pushing mark to complete the file. helly's only purpose in this season was to make mark finish cold harbor, and now that it's completed, they don't need her anymore. jame can easily access helly and her spark of kier from one of his birthing cabins. if someone activates the glasgow block again, that's it, no more helly.

and to make matters worse, gemma is now at risk. there's practically no chance she can make it out of the building without detection. everyone's looking for her, alarms are blaring, and she's not familiar with the layout. the stairwell mark s leaves her at is not on the ground floor. and even if she does miraculously manage to get out of the building, she'll have to find her way to safety from there on foot.

to me, the most likely scenario is this: mark s and helly r are found together. mark, covered in blood, is easily identified as a murderer and the one responsible for gemma escaping. with no more reason to keep him on staff, he is either killed or kept alive to undergo a fate worse than death. helly never wakes up on the severed floor again. if she does wake up, it's to jame eagan leering over her in a birthing cabin. helena is told a lie about mark in the hopes that she'll get over him. if she's pregnant with his child, too fucking bad for her. dylan g is fired, and dylan george has to see if he can truly become the man gretchen fell in love with. irving bailiff finds whatever secret burt sent him to see on that long train ride. gemma is either captured and dragged back to cold harbor, or is forced to play against the odds in an attempt to make it to safety. devon and cobel are left to do what they can to take lumon down. milchick digs a deeper hole for himself or leaves. if any move is made to take lumon down, it happens without mark and helly, and in spite of their choices together.

but hey, at least they got to skip down the hallway together, holding hands. truly, they deserve each other in their selfishness.

[sc0tters]

Saviour | Devon Levi

summary: at a halloween party when Devon is late his arrival isn't a second too soon as he comes to save you.

request: yes/no

warnings: creepy guy, mentions of drinking.

word count: 1.0k

authors note: we are now half way through the goalie dedication and we’re gonna have a break with a Timo fic tomorrow but after that we are right back on this train! Devon was also like so much fun to write for so I like love him now!

Tonight was meant to be fun.

Coming out to the local bar with your friends to the Halloween party. It was meant to be a night that you hoped you would be one of your best nights in your life.

You and your friends came to the conclusion that you were all going to dress up as different element fairies and you had been given fire. All of the men in the bar watched as your red dress clung to your curves and ended just below your ass “I’ll get whatever she is having.” A boy smiled as he moved to stand next to you.

It made you raise your eyebrows “and get the pretty girl a refill whilst you’re at it.” He winked causing you to scoff “I’m good alone thanks.” You shook your head taking a step back as you tried to avoid him.

The bartender sent you a sorry look as the boy didn’t let up “I think she told you to leave her alone.” A deep voice came from behind you as it made you let out a sigh of relief “who are you?” The guy from beside you scoffed.

Oh how it made you feel sick as the thought of your older brother Owen who was most likely in the crowd somewhere “I’m actually her date tonight.” Even as Devon lied through his teeth you couldn’t help it as your heart did flips in your chest.

It was stupid how you only seemed to have eyes for your brothers teammate yet as he stood there in his race car driver suit “think you need to put her on a tighter leash bro.” The drunken dude who stood a few inches taller than the goalie raised his hands in surrender “what’s that supposed to mean?” Devon took a few steps closer to him highlighting the fact that he was now your time to step between them both.

You didn’t hesitate to press your hands against his chest as you shook your head “he isn’t worth it Dev.” You mumbled praying that it was going to be enough for him to listen.

Devon smiled as he looked down to see you staring back at him “you look gorgeous tonight.” He confessed causing a blush to creep onto your cheeks “thank you.” A smile formed on your lips.

Your fingers tucked your hair behind your ear “for saving me from him too.” You added motioning to the guy who was now walking off.

The goalie nodded tapping his fingers around the rim of your glass “I’d always protect you little P.” All of the guys begun calling you that when they realised that Owen had a sister and they just didn’t look back from it.

But of course you took that from the other guys yet you always felt Devon chip away at your heart when he did that “let me get you a drink to make up for it?” You proposed with a shrug causing him to nod “I’d love that.” Devon smiled locking his hand in yours as he hoped to not lose you on the short trip.

In all honesty you truly had no clue how you ended up forming that crush on Devon, it just sort of happened as he always treated you like an equal. After games whilst all the boys just said hello, Devon was the only one who wanted to know what you thought of the games and his performance.

So for the two of you getting the chance to finally speak about things that hadn’t had room in previous conversations. Everything from you to him and everything in between was brought up as you laughed watching him drive you back to your place.

His hand barely left the small of your back as he walked you back to apartment “I had fun tonight y/n.” Devon said your name letting it roll off of his tongue like butter as it sounded silky “I did too.” You were glad that you hadn’t seen any sights of Owen throughout the night as it meant he stayed home.

Your door teased you as it stared at the two of you “this is me.” You sighed looking down at your bag as you begin to search for your keys.

Devon seemed to feel your disappointment as he shoved his hands into his pockets “good night p.” His voice was soft as you unlocked your door. The goalie felt brave when he leaned down and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

The world seemed quiet as you smiled stepping into your apartment. You let the door shut behind you as you pressed your fingers against where his lips had been on your cheek “fuck me.” You mumbled hitting your head against your door.

Quickly you turned yourself to open the door “Devon wait!” You called out running down to catch up with him “you okay?” Devon furrowed his brows as he wrapped his hand around your arm to help slow you down as you came to him “I just couldn’t let you leave just yet.” You explained chewing at the inside of your cheek looking up to see his blown pupils staring back at you.

His smile put your mind at ease as you licked your lips “thanks for a good night Devon.” You leaned up kissing his lips as your hand pressed at his chin. Devon didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around your waist pulling you in close when your lips perfectly went against his.

Neither one of you cared how you were in the hallway as you moaned against his lips “wait baby.” Devon was quick to pull away before he got too carried away “if we do this then I want to do it right.” His words made you whine as you rolled your eyes.

It made the goalie laugh as he pecked your lips once more “I’ll pick you up at nine for breakfast tomorrow.”

[waternilly]

No Tricks (George Weasley x OC) - Part 9

Fandom: Harry Potter Ship: George Weasley x OC Word count: 2k Warnings: None Ao3 link: here Summary: A tattoo shop opens across from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, immediately catching the eye of the youngest twin. The intriguing owner, though well-versed in the magical world, doesn’t quite belong to it herself. As they navigate their differences, their mutual curiosity blooms into something deeper. No Tricks Masterlist

As always, the end of the summer was a busy time in Diagon Alley. Witches and wizards of all ages packed the street, shuffling past one another to reach the various shops. Olive Tree Art & Tattoo welcomed a lot of curious families, resulting in hundreds of bookmarks sold, both to children and nostalgic parents alike. A handful of Muggle-style painting orders were also placed by the most enthusiastic patrons, while watercolour prints were bought by the dozen. When the cobblestones were emptied at last, Oli dropped into the couch with a loud huff, letting her head roll back.

She knew opening a tattoo parlor in Diagon Alley had been a curious endeavour to say the least. Many had tried to convince her not to, but she had persevered, only to wind up a painter much more than a tattoo artist.

Huffing, she remembered she should get the paperwork started on getting a new front door on the Muggle side of the building. It had cost her a pretty penny, but Oli was convinced a double-sided shop had potential. Right now though? It was barely even habitable.

A series of quick knocks hit the window, and Oli opened a tired eye. From outside, George was smiling at her. He held up a kraft paper bag and, pointing at it, shouted through the window: “Wanna eat something?”

Oli chuckled, rolling on the couch lightly. She raised a hand and motioned for him to enter. Dropping his hand to his side, he made quick work of the distance separating him from the door and entered.

“How did you enjoy your first day of ‘back to school’ season?” George wondered with a chuckle as he sat down on the couch next to Oli.

“I’m dead,” she groaned.

“Aw don’t worry, love, these will get you back on your feet,” he commented as he opened the bag.

Eyeing the contents as George laid them out over the coffee table, Oli’s stomach suddenly emitted a loud rumble. Small containers filled with various salads, a handful of fresh bread and a large bottle of her favourite juice.

“Did you eat anything today?” he wondered, eyebrows furrowed but smiling lightly.

Oli stopped to think for a moment, face scrunched up.

“Not since breakfast,” she confessed.

“Well,” George declared as he unwrapped the last package, “dive right in. I’ll go get us some glasses.”

Before she could protest, he was back on his feet and climbing the stairs two by two. Sighing, Oli smiled at the sight of George disappearing to the top floor. She could get used to this.

He was always so attentionate with her, she had almost run her mouth multiple times by now, forgetting that she had a secret to keep if she wanted to make it in this world. While she liked to imagine that George would not resent her for being a Squibb, she could not help the knot that formed in both her stomach and throat whenever she considered telling him fair and square.

“Do you have any plans for the third weekend of September?” George asked, rushing down the stairs and interrupting Oli’s train of thoughts.

He sat down by her side and filled the glasses with juice.

“None so far,” she explained. “Why?”

Handing her a glass, George angled himself to face her better on the cushions.

“My family organizes big reunions a few times a year, back in Devon,” he explained. “There’s a lot of us and you know how parents can be once the birds have left the nest.”

“Especially when the nest was very full to begin with, I imagine.”

“Indeed.”

Oli offered her glass to cheer and George gently clinked them against each other. They both took a sip before he continued.

“Would you like to join us?”

She coughed on the juice, loudly and unexpectedly. Sitting up, Oli held the shaking glass away from the leather all while attempting to breathe again.

Brows furrowed, George picked up the cup to lay it on the coffee table, then, gently, he rubbed her back.

“I promise I’m not trying to poison you, the juice is harmless.”

He recognized a chuckle between the fits of coughing and it lightened his spirits.

“Does the prospect of spending a weekend with my family terrify you so much?” he joked once Oli’s breathing was under control.

“You basically just said there’s a ton of you!”

“Not a ton,” his face scrunched up, “only like… twenty.”

—

Nothing George told Oli about the Burrow actually managed to prepare her for the stay. She had been informed that it was tall, somewhat mismatched, that additional parts had been built as was deemed necessary, but the micro-village that lay in the distance was beyond her wildest dreams.

She swallowed hard, still steadying from apparating. George’s arm was an anchor to hold onto as her spinning head came to a slow still. A grateful thought crossed her mind, thanking her mother and father for having prepared her for the effects of apparition and trained her to resist them.

“Wow,” Oli whispered under her breath.

George turned to her, corners of his lips rising.

“I know, right?”

Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, before a smile bloomed onto her features.

“You’re gonna think this is stupid,” Oli began. “But my first thought was that this would make for a great painting.” 

She chuckled nervously.

Eyeing George from the corner of her line of sight, she noticed his gaze was steadily planted on her. Abruptly, Oli let go of his arm, only to wring her fingers instead.

“You can’t help yourself, huh?” George joked, crinkles speckling the corners of his eyes. “Always the artist.”

“I can’t just pretend I’m not!” she objected.

“I never said you should.”

A blanket of silence fell over them as their gazes finally locked properly. The sun was low in the late afternoon sky, clouds peppered the blue with white and grey. Grass fields all around were decorated with tall trees that bent gently under the breeze. George noticed for the first time how warm Oli’s brown irises were, reminding him of honey and whiskey.

A breathy laugh escaped him.

Shaking her head while smiling, Oli wondered: “What?”

“Nothing.”

She was looking at him so tenderly, so playfully, the same way she often did, like she fully trusted him. By Merlin, George hoped his mind was not playing tricks on him; he hoped she was reading him the same way too.

A shout in the distance distracted them, and nearby the Burrow, they spotted two children running after each other.

George licked his lips, while Oli cleared her throat.

“Shall we?” he suggested in a hurry, offering up his arm again.

Grinning, Oli returned her hand to the familiar position.

“Let’s go.”

The walk took roughly five minutes, spent in comfortable silence as the sounds of the Burrow became more clear with every step.

Molly and Arthur met them outside, the older woman wrapping her son then Oli, in tight embraces, while his father was more relaxed but just as welcoming.

“Did you have a safe trip, dears? No trouble on the way?” Molly wondered, still holding onto Oli’s shoulder.

“All good, George apparated us perfectly,” Oli complimented, squeezing his elbow.

“Oh, how wonderful,” Molly said. She stood next to the door and ushered them further: “Come in, you two, come in.”

Shoulders folded into themselves, Oli took tentative steps inside the Burrow, followed closely by George and his parents. Her gaze traveled from one enchanted object to another, the room being covered in knick knacks from floor to ceiling. Oli bit her lip, attempting to not look overly amazed.

“George, you still know where your room is, I believe,” Arthur joked, pointing to the stairs with an extended arm. “Will you show our guest to Ginny’s?”

“Everything is ready, you only have to drop your bag, dearie,” Molly added for good measure.

Oli thanked the Weasleys for the attention.

“It’s only natural, George has been nothing but positive about you.”

The younger woman’s eyebrows shot up while her smile froze in place. She shot a glance towards the stairs, where George was waiting. However, she could not pass up on an opportunity to hear more about this.

“Oh really?” she wondered, hoping her surprise was camouflaged sufficiently. “What has he sa-”

“I can tell you myself later if you’d like, love,” George interjected before she could finish.

Silence fell over the room, heavy and unexpected, as all heads turned to the redhead halfway up the stairs. He was grinning, eyes fixed on Oli, who met his gaze defiantly. She noted the use of the recently adopted nickname, the dropped jaws of his parents.

“Very well,” she concluded.

“Come,” George nodded, inviting her to follow behind him, “I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

Molly blinked rapidly as her son and Oli disappeared upstairs.

“I know he said they were friends,” Arthur pointed out, “but I cannot help but wonder if we should have prepared a large bed instead.”

—

“You do realise your parents are gonna think we’re dating, right?” Oli pointed out, smirking as she dropped the bag by the door of her appointed bedroom before entering further in.

“They already did anyway.”

“Now is when you tell me that?” she asked, mouth agape.

“Would you have said ‘no’ if you’d known sooner?”

Oli paused to think, eyebrows furrowed.

“Maybe…” she teased.

The redhead scoffed, shaking his head, but a clear smile tugging at his lips. He leaned against the wall by the door, hands in his pockets, his own bag by his feet. Oli was reminded once more of how tall George was, and in that instant, she could not quieten the voice that noted how handsome he was – wearing a casual white blouse, brown trousers held up by matching suspenders and a dark green tailored jacket.

The floor creaked under every step that Oli took towards him to reduce the distance. The bed then squeaked as she sat down facing him, shoulder against the metal bed frame that had seen better days.

“You told your parents about me?” Oli asked seriously.

She hoped he had not noticed the way her voice had strained as she wondered aloud. Her heart tightened in her chest as she awaited his answer. She liked that he told his parents about her, it meant that she mattered to him, that they wanted to know more perhaps. But the prospect also terrified her. She still had not told him that she was a Squibb, and now his family was involved in this secret, in this lie. Oli hated to see it that way, but she could not deny it. A lie was a lie, even by omission.

“Of course,” George answered.

Oli swallowed.

“What did you say?”

“After they barged into your place, I asked them not to do it again.” His tone was unusually serious. “I said they’d get to meet you more in the future, but only once I’d had the chance to get to know you better first.”

George looked down to his feet, a bashful smile plastered on his face.

“They’ve been asking about you every chance they got since,” he admitted. “Though Fred has been entertaining their fantasies of us ending up together much more than I ever did.”

Oli chuckled but did not dare to meet his gaze.

“I ought to give him a good scolding,” she joked.

And just like that, they were back to their usual selves.

“Please, be my guest.”

“I’m sure Angelina has her hands full with him.”

“Trust me, she does.”

Their eyes met, circled by crinkles. A brief silence settled over them, comfortable.

“I’ll go put my bag away,” George said, pushing himself off the wall and picking his belongings off the floor. “My room is across the hall, I’ll be right back.” He turned to leave.

“Your dad said it was your old room?”

Stopping, he peaked over his shoulder.

Eyebrows raised, he answered: “Yes, it is. Well, mine and Fred’s.”

Oli remained silent, wringing her fingers in her lap.

“You wanna see?” he wondered.

Nodding quickly, Oli practically jumped off the bed. Smiling, George held out a hand, which she took gingerly, and he led her to his childhood bedroom. Another piece for her to add to the puzzle that was George Weasley.

[nonbinairyboi]

Nothing Left: Chapter 14

Chapter Summary: The silence creeps up on you.

Pairing: Joel Miller x nonbinary!Reader/OC (afab, dimples, has multiple nicknames but none are their name)

Word Count: ~2.5

A/N: It’s been a rough one kids so I wrote this within a week instead of 2. This one was one of the harder ones to fully flesh out.

Series Masterlist (w/ASL) | Playlist | Read on AO3

Chapter Warnings: Reference to injury. Gender dysphoria. Self-destructive thoughts. Angst? Kissing? Who knows?

Previous Chapter |

Chapter 14

The weather had decided to settle in for the long haul, the gusts of wind rushing down the streets of Jackson alongside the residents. The banks of snow in yards formed small rolling hills, perfect for sledding if you were just the right height.

The cold had dug its fingers into your joints, your recently aggravated shoulder sitting in a makeshift sling to relieve some of the ache on the worst days, forcing you to introduce Ellie to the idea of signing with only one hand. It reminded you of when your cousin, Devon, would stuff his face at the family cookout while frantically signing to you about his latest Matchbox cars. A long-frayed string pulled at your heart at the thought of his big round eyes. He had been one of your only family members to bother keeping in touch with you after you started seeing Grace. He was resourceful. If you closed your eyes, you could imagine his kind face, aged with time like yours, leading his own Jackson-like settlement. You preferred to think of him that way instead of imagining the other possibilities.

Joel had made himself scarce in the days since your return. It twisted in your stomach, a coil of shame slithering up your spine. You could have meaningless sex, that wasn’t exactly the problem. You just… expected him to keep interacting with you as he had before at least. Now it felt like all the time you had spent together before was just a means to an end. An end where he got what he wanted and moved on.

A tug from somewhere inside you turned your thoughts to his face after your joke to Ellie, but in your mind it felt like it was deeper than that.

A dysphoric poison was also bubbling up within you, refusing to be ignored any longer. It made you want to throw up, cry, and scream. Instead, you stood in front of the small mirror in the bathroom, pulling at the skin of your face, pushing it to see if there could ever have been a way for your outside to match how you felt inside. You imagined an electric grinder smoothing the jut of your hips, accentuating the cut of your jaw. It felt real for a moment, like you could truly see it in the smudges of the glass before reality shattered the illusion.

You took a shaky breath in to calm yourself. You had promised to go over to Ellie’s tonight to look over her latest drawings. Based on the last few days, you assumed Joel would suddenly make himself scarce as soon as he saw you enter the home, grumbling about something he forgot to give to Tommy. You decided against bringing your sling, as you doubted you would irritate your shoulder much.

Arriving at the Miller’s front porch, you waited, centering yourself before plastering on a small smile as you knocked. The lights were on inside. A minute passed with no sign of movement. You knocked again, slightly louder this time. After a few more moments, you heard the stomp of feet and the jiggle of the lock. Ellie appeared a second later, a slightly crooked look of embarrassment or regret on her face. You furrowed your eyebrows at her in question.

“Don’t hate me.” She said as she let you in. “Jesse invited a few people over tonight so I’m gonna go to that in a second. But can you still look over a few things quickly?”

You smiled and nodded at her, genuinely happy that she was getting to actually hang out with people her own age. After kicking off your shoes, you let her lead you to the couch, settling down beside her as she shuffled around some papers. A fire was lit in front of you both, filling the room with warmth and soft light.

Pulling out three pieces of paper, she laid them on the coffee table in front of you, looking a little nervous.

“These are just sketches but Maria had thought these might be a good start to put up for everyone on patrol to learn.” She said hurriedly, looking a little nervous.

Each paper had words in block letters with a sketch of the sign with movement above. The words were ‘stop’ ‘wait’ and ‘voice-lock / no talking’. They were perfect. Very straightforward and easy to read.

Your smile grew as you nodded at her before signing ‘perfect’. Ellie seemed to understand the sign without needing it to be explained and beamed at you.

“Awesome!” She exclaimed, leaning into you lightly before standing up. “I’m gonna go now then… sorry.”

You laughed at her antics, about to get up when a voice came down the stairs, its owner not far behind.

“Ellie, you better not be forgetting your gloves this time. I don’t want to hear-“ Joel’s voice ground to a halt as he caught sight of you.

“Charlie is here cause I forgot to tell them I’m leaving.” Ellie said, not looking up as she pulled on her boots and coat, her gloves hanging from her teeth. “I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

“Don’t stay out too late!” He yelled as she opened the door and slammed it behind her.

“And there better be more people than just Jesse there.” He added, though she was already gone.

Silence hung like a slowly melting icicle in the room. You hadn’t been prepared to see him and he obviously was not prepared to see you.

Uncomfortable, you slapped your hands on your thighs lightly in the universal ‘welp, time to leave’ gesture, pushing yourself up and sending a tight smile Joel’s way as you made your way to the door.

“D’ya eat yet?”

His voice cut through the thick silence of the room. You turned to face him, slightly bewildered by his sudden need to interact with you after avoiding you so blatantly.

You searched his eyes, unsure what you were looking for. You hesitantly shook your head.

“C’mon then.” He said, brushing you slightly as he passed you on his way to the kitchen, immediately beginning to pull things out in preparation.

“Chicken sandwich okay?” He asked, stopping his puttering about and turning to you expectantly.

You were still frozen in your spot by the door, shaking yourself out of it with a quick nod, pushing yourself to follow him into the other room.

Unsure of what to do, you put your hand lightly on Joel’s shoulder to get his attention. He startled hard, jerking away from you in surprise.

Jesus, you weren’t that bad were you?

“Sorry. Didn’t hear you come over.” He grunted, clearing his throat.

‘Need help?’ You signed, slightly annoyed and slightly embarrassed.

“Uh, no, thank you. Sit down, I’ll grab you something.” He replied.

You signed that you just wanted water and made your way to the chair.

The next minutes ticked by slowly. You found yourself mentally spiraling as he seemed reluctant to start a conversation despite his invitation of dinner. Your thumb rubbed a pattern on your hand as you tried desperately to calm yourself down.

Joel pulled up a chair next to you, setting your food down in front of you and motioning for you to start.

After a few more minutes, your apprehension, frustration, and fear couldn’t be contained anymore.

‘Do you have a problem with me now?’ You signed, putting your sandwich down.

“What?” He said, lamely.

‘You said you didn’t regret it.’ You signed more slowly.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, shifting his eyes to the ground.

“I don’t.” He mumbled

You looked at him incredulously. ‘You’ve been avoiding me’ you signed, grateful when he seemed to get the gist of what you were saying without you having to fingerspell.

A tired sigh escaped him as he ran his hand along his brow, clearly out of his depth.

“I haven’t been meaning to.” He said, finally.

Still avoiding your eyes, Joel pushed his plate toward the center of the table in defeat.

“I keep getting you hurt.”

The words hung in the air a moment as you processed them.

‘What?’ You signed, still confused.

“You said it yourself.” He said, his body slightly deflated. “Every time you’ve gone on patrol with me, you’ve ended up hurt.”

The energy in the room shifted. Whether he fully realized it or not, he was laying his insecurities bare.

‘That wasn’t you. It was other people, and then infected’ you responded slowly in sign.

He didn’t seem to believe you. It annoyed you. You could take care of yourself for the most part. Shaking your head, you huffed in irritation.

“It's not just that.” He rushed out, sensing your mood. “I scared you.”

‘I was fine.’ You signed decisively.

“Then why do I feel like you’re still holding something back?” He asked.

You just stared at him, raising your eyebrows. You hadn’t taken him for the type to need to know everything.

“Something big. Something that might be important.” He clarified.

Tears sprung unwillingly to your eyes. Were you that transparent? Wasn’t it bad enough that no matter how hard you tried, your voice had shut off? Now you’d have to lay out your sexual and gender trauma too? Shame pulsed hot in your veins.

“Maybe if you talked to me.” He started, hesitantly.

Your face fell, unsure if his choice of words was purposeful. Angry tears filled your vision.

“That… came out wrong.” He added.

Restless, you pushed away from the table, walking to the living room. You could hear Joel’s heavy footfalls following you as you plopped yourself back onto the couch.

He sat down cautiously at the other end of the couch. He didn’t speak for a long time, obviously wrestling with what he knew of you.

“Is there anything I could do to uh - make you more comfortable?” Joel blurted suddenly.

You stared into the fire, finally psyching yourself up to say what you hadn’t expressed to anyone in over 20 years, wishing you could see into the future to his reaction.

Biting your lip slightly in nervousness, you slowly turned to him.

‘I’m not a man’ you signed at him.

“I caught that much.” He chuckled.

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. That was the easy part. The next part was the hard part.

‘I’m not a woman’ you signed, clenching the fist furthest from him to ground you.

An immediate look of confusion flooded his face before he glanced further down you, as if trying to remember what you’d looked like under your clothes.

You scoffed at his reaction, squeezing your eyes shut and shaking your head. What the fuck had you been thinking?

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand” you heard him rush out, trying to backtrack.

‘I’m both. I’m neither.’ You signed, grasping at straws with his limited vocabulary.

His expression was still confused, but you could see that he was at least trying to understand, that something the back of his mind about how Eugene referred to you clicked.

‘The assumption that I’m a woman because I have a vagina is wrong’ you signed.

“That one may have gone over my head there.” Joel said after a beat. “The sign, I mean.”

You huffed in slight frustration. Your walls started to build back up, your hands clenched in fists. Communication seemed impossible as you dug your nails into your hand, fighting the urge to punch your thigh to distract yourself from the whole situation. When had something in you so fundamentally changed? Why was expressing yourself fifteen times more terrifying than it used to be? You needed to get out. Frantically, your eyes glanced at the door, seeking an escape.

“I can- respect you without understanding, though.”

His words made you freeze. Lifting your eyes to his, you searched for deceit and found only determination and sincerity.

All the tension in your body seemed to roll out of you, deflating you. A goofy, relieved smile spread onto your face despite your best efforts as you settled into the couch.

You scrunched up your shoulders as the smile grew and signed extra slowly: ‘ok. I can work with that.’

A smile of his own started to grow across his face in response as he realized he understood the whole sentence.

Behind the crackle of the fire you could hear the wind still singing its song outside.

You both seemed to decide that you had time; that you could figure this out. There wasn’t pressure for it to mean more than it currently did, only an understanding that hung delicately in the air.

You both surged towards each other, Joel pushing you back slightly on the couch before climbing over you.

His mouth met yours insistently, pressing warm and firm against you as he moved, his hands refusing to stay in one place long as they lightly ran against your sides, up your back, grabbed your ass.

Your mouth parted in a gasp and he took full advantage, his tongue softly probing between your lips. A breathy whine just barely escaped his lips as your hands ran up his stomach and over his chest, filling you with the confidence you needed. Opening your legs, you pulled his clothed body fully on top of you, his arms crumpling beneath him at your insistence.

You both flowed so seamlessly together. He was attuned to every nuance of your posture, recognizing immediately what made you uncomfortable at times and what made a delicious noise escape you.

Your emotions felt freer in this state, like your body suddenly had a way to communicate. Once in a while a touch would surprise you and make you tense, but Joel moved on immediately each time, distracting you easily before your body could go into fight or flight.

You explored each other, the push and pull that you exchanged ending with you laying on top of him as he grasped your hips, desperate for friction. You pulled back, his mouth chasing yours making you break into a wide smile of mischief. Panting loudly, he dropped his head back in defeat.

Sitting up fully, you let your head lull to the back of the couch, your shoulder protesting the overuse you had just made it endure.

As he sat up, Joel registered the look of discomfort on your face as you brought your opposite hand up to massage your shoulder.

Before he could open his mouth and blame this on himself, you pushed his shoulder playfully, catching him off guard before you signed ‘I’m fine’ with a pointed look before getting up.

“Where are you going?” He asked, getting to his feet surprisingly swiftly.

You turned to him, walking backwards as you signed ‘I’m hungry’ with a smirk.

A soft laugh left his mouth, his hands on his hips as he looked to the floor in disbelief.

“Alright then.” He exhaled, moving to join you. “Let me heat that back up for you. Can’t have you eating my cookin’ cold. And I’m making you another damn sling.”

Taglist:

@powellssaturn

@silas-aeiou

[pip3dream]

quotes/poems/lyrics that remind me of KitTy

“now i have to remember you for longer than i’ve known you” - (couldn’t find credits)

Ty and Kit only knew each other for two months maybe less, anyways Kit already knew he liked Ty since that moment in his basement and then they broke apart at the end of qoaad and then met again in sobh but i’m pretty sure that he was always in Kits mind in that 3 year gap between qoaad and twp

“but everything is shattering, and it’s my mistake, only fools fall for you” (FOOLS by Troye Sivan)

this lyric feels like Kit and Ty’s relationship after Kit said i love you because like livvy got brought back either way so wether Kit said i love you or not she would still be here which means that he said it and now their relationship is “shattering” since Kit left to Devon without talking to Ty and then that scene where they were both tied to the tree where Kit told Ty “i wish i’d never known you” so he technically ruined their relationship and it was technically his fault

“you thought that it would wash away

the bitter taste of my fury

and all the messes you made

yeah, you think you got away

but i’m in the trees, i’m in the breeze”

(can’t catch me now, olivia rodrigo )

the first two lines remind me of when Ty asked Kit if he was angry at him—when they were tied up to the tree—and Kit just responded with something cold (can’t remember) and the next two lines i feel like Ty thought that no one knew what he did besides Kit and he would just forget it but Magnus knew and sent him to the scholomance because he thought it was “good for him” and the last line reminds me of Kit and Ty after qoaad because although they’ve both “moved on” they’re always thinking about each other but it also reminds me of Livvy and Ty, Ty feels guilty abt what he did but he can’t forget it because Livvy is tied to him and she’ll always be there

i have like 10 more of these little lyrics so if this gets more that 50 likes i’ll probably most them 😭

[bayofwolves]

Rereading The Evertree

We've come to the end. I'm finally at the last book of the first arc! Hopefully I can stop explaining what these posts are now, but one more time for anyone unaware: These posts are a compilation of notes taken from my rereads of the Spirit Animals books. They include interesting details, stuff I missed and how I plan to change certain things in my retelling of the series, A Revised History of Erdas. Shall we begin?

"I know you were supposed to be your village's Rain Dancer and all, but can you lighten up on all the dancing?" I know Rain Dancers have to engage in rituals and meditate extensively before they can produce rain, but Abeke influencing the weather with her emotions is a fun idea. Imagine the ceaseless rain is brought down by her pain and sorrow over Shane, Meilin, Tarik and her family.

It definitely feels to me like Tarik was one of the Greencloak leaders, alongside Lenori and underneath Olvan. His role in training the Four Heroes themselves, him having a seat at the table with the other leaders and a place at their important meetings, et cetera... it all seems like his rank was higher than he let on in-text. (Also, my two cents: I would nominate Finn to take his place as the third Greencloak leader.)

"The image of Gerathon's smiling jaws and slithering body disappeared, replaced instead with Rollan's lopsided grin and Conor's encouraging voice, Abeke's clear laugh." I am crying.

The typos in this one are funny. Kalani's dolphin, Katoa, is referred to as female even though he was introduced as male in Against the Tide. And Devin is mistakenly called Devon.

I don't like how Kalani and Rollan made up by completely forsaking the cultural beliefs of Kalani's people. If Hundred Islanders believe something is tapu and want nothing to do with it, they shouldn't be forced to go against that. They already introduced the concept of a ceremony to rid someone or something or tapu (noa), so they could have simply had Kalani perform this for Rollan. I've been saying this, but I'll say it again.

Finn should have been the leader of the Greencloak expedition from the beginning. He already has experience with these kids, and placing him back in a position of authority would be much less likely to spark resentment than a completely new person like Dorian would. Narratively, I do think it was necessary to see more of how Tarik's death affected the Four. But logically...

The Conquerors are monitoring their own people for signs of disloyalty. Interesting.

It seems some records of Stetriolan wildlife survived after all -- Finn knows that the animal who stole their provisions is a dingo. Since it was established earlier that the Greencloaks know next to nothing about Stetriol, I would have liked it better if Abeke was one of their only sources of information. She could use whatever she learned about the continent from Shane and the Conquerors to help guide them in their quest. And she identified a dingo in Against the Tide, so she could have done the same here instead of Finn.

Strange how the party just left the dead horse behind and continued on, instead of using it for meat. Between the meat from the horse and the water bulbs Abeke found, they would have been set to last for even longer.

Abeke swinging up onto her horse's back reminds me of that scene in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers where Legolas does that crazy mounting technique. I'm willing to bet that was done on purpose; both characters are great archers, after all.

Shane's intense reaction to Gerathon entering his mind must mean that this is the first time she has controlled him. It makes sense, given that she probably wanted to make him feel like he was the one in charge. Oh, what I would give to get inside Shane's head during this battle. Edit: Gerathon did in fact possess him prior to this in The Book of Shane, but I prefer the idea that she had never stolen his agency before this battle.

Gerathon forcing Shane to aim for Abeke specifically was definitely intentional. Her method of reading people and then turning them against the ones they love the most is the highest form of torture.

I know I've mentioned that Sundown in Rise and Fall may be my favourite chapter in all of Spirit Animals, but Duel is a strong contender, too. The contrast between the raw pain and rage of Duel and the peacefulness, the gentleness, the emotional vulnerability of Sundown is incredible. It makes sense why both are so close to my heart; they go together, hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.

Everything I read about the Four Heroes' travels is telling me that Erdas is a remarkably small planet.

Conor is sorely mistaken about the crater around the Evertree being caused by an ancient volcano. Additionally, when Abeke later sees a vision in the sky of how the world came to be, including the birth of the Evertree and the Great Beasts, there is not even a hint about the Wyrm. It makes me wonder if the authors had conceived of the Wyrm's landing at this point (or if they were purposefully covering up this plot point to surprise the readers).

Only the Great Beasts know the location of the Evertree. I wonder how it has remained hidden to the rest of the creatures on Erdas. Surely there are tribes living in southern Nilo, yes? It would be cool if the Great Beasts were able to conceal it with their combined magic, making the crater and everything inside it invisible to the human eye.

The Evertree bears fruit! Its description of "pure white" and, well, the fact that it comes from the Evertree itself makes me imagine it has magical properties of some kind. What could this fruit bestow upon you if you were to eat it? Good health? Eternal life? If humans knew how to find the Evertree, I'm sure wars would have been waged over this very question. (It could have made for an interesting storyline if Shane had managed to steal one of the fruits before he fled. Perhaps he would eat it, perhaps sell it, perhaps keep it to look at. I imagine it would stay fresh even after being plucked and never spoil.)

In ARHoE, Arax appears at the Evertree with a broken horn from when Barlow threw him off the cliff. Just a cool detail I thought to mention.

Tellun sacrificing himself is supposed to be seen as a noble act, but at a closer look it actually works against our protagonists. Kovo has made his intent to rule the whole world quite clear. While the Great Beasts dying might sadden him, it won't stop him. By taking themselves out of the battle, Tellun and the first few are leaving it all up to a bunch of kids (warriors, yes, but still kids) to bring down this age-old, godlike gorilla, instead of using their combined might to stop him and save the world they swore to protect. If Tellun had learned something from the last Great War and decided to fight this time, aided our heroes in driving Kovo into the Evertree and died in the process, it would have been so much better! On the flip side, though, it could be read as a testament to how selfish the Great Beasts actually are -- how they are shown time and time again to care more about themselves and their talismans than upholding their oath.

I would have preferred it if the brief moment when the Four Fallen appear as Great Beasts once more happened at the Evertree and not Muttering Rock. Like, if being in the presence of the tree that created them temporarily restored them to their old forms. Great Beast-sized Briggan, Uraza, Jhi and Essix fighting Kovo, Gerathon and Halawir with the rest of their brethren, a more hopeful and heartbreaking rendition of their last battle all those years ago, would have been amazing.

Something about Shane presumably fleeing further into Nilo, home of the friend he betrayed, and perhaps wandering there a while in the wake of his defeat... and many months later, Abeke restoring her bond with Uraza in Stetriol, home of the friend she forgave. Everything is connected.

Wow. This was a powerful finale -- high stakes, epic final battle, emotional climax, descriptions I could see in my mind's eye. There were quite a few things I didn't like about this one, though. Outside of what I've already mentioned: The ending should have been heartwarming, and for the most part it was, but Abeke reconciling with her abusive family soured it for me. I wish the Four had reconvened with Finn, Maya, Kalani and the rest of their party at some point, instead of them vanishing in the middle of a battle and never being heard from again. And once again, I protest the exclusion of Irtike! Aside from all that, though, The Evertree was a great read and a solid conclusion to arc one of Spirit Animals. There are a lot of loose ends to be tied, but for now, the war is over, and our protagonists can finally breathe.

It's been a good run. I plan to take a short break here, but I'm excited to turn the page and begin a new arc soon!

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[animationstarlover1983]

Five Night’s at Freddy’s: System Reboot AU.

Vanuary/@Vanessaverse-Official.

Day 24: Arts and Crafts.

Description: A Little Fnaf Fan Short Story for the Vanuary Event, Specifically for Day 24: Arts and Crafts.

Please Enjoy.

It was a Calm and Peaceful day at the Faz-Sanctuary, which is honestly a miracle all on its own considering the amount of Animatronics that live here

Inside of Eclipse Room they were having a Arts and Crafts class, everyone were in seats at tables all trying to create something from their materials they were given

Eclipse: ok, is everybody ready

Everyone: Yes

Eclipse Alright then

Eclipses: 3

Eclipse: 2

Eclipse: 1

Eclipse: GO

Everyone got to work on their Crafts Project, they all had 30 minutes, everyone was focused on and Excited about what they were gonna make

Eclipse walked around room closely Inspecting everyone’s Crafts while making sure to give them space

(A couple of Minutes Later)

Eclipse then checked their timer and saw their were 2 minutes left

Eclipse: 2 More Minutes Guys

Everyone began finishing up their Crafts as soon as they can, soon enough the timer Dinged and time was up

Eclipse: Alright Times Up, Time for Results

Eclipse started by from 1 table to the other, he first Inspected Helpy

Eclipse: Ok Helpy, show me what you made

Helpy then shows his Craft, it was a Miniature Version of Himself

Helpy: I made a Tinier me

Eclipse: very good

Eclipse: Next

They then inspected Roxy’s Craft, she had made a Sculpture of a Motorcycle

Eclipse: Impressive

Roxy: I know 😏

Eclipse: Next

Next was Monty, he was Smiling with a Look of Confidence and Pride as she showed what he made

Mont: I made

Monty: A WOODEN MINI-GUN

Everyone was taken aback by his craft, eclipse himself was dumbfounded, they didn’t even give Monty that many Materials to make a Mini gun

Eclipse: Monty, what did we talk about

Monty: (Loud/Heavy Sigh) no Weapons, or anything that’s not appropriate

Eclipse: Exactly

Gregory: how did he even make that thing, we were only given like 30 minutes

Cassie: let’s not question it

Vanessa: and how did no one even notice him building that large thing

Quinn: again, let’s not question it

Eclipse: (Heavy Sigh) ok, Next

Next was Chica’s turn

She showed a Paper Chicken Family with the Daddy Rooster, the Mommy Hen and 3 Baby Chicks

Eclipse: Wow, Very Nice Chica

Eclipse: Next

It was Bonnie’s turn and he showed what looked to be a Makeshift Bunny Plush

Eclipse: Impressive

Eclipse: Next

Tony was Next, his Craft was a Paper Detectives Hat

Eclipse: Ooh, Fancy

Eclipse: Next

Up next was Amelia

She made a Cardboard Cupcake

Eclipse: wow, looks amazing

Eclipse: Next

Up Next was Jackie and she had made what looked to be a Clown Mask

Eclipse: nice job Jackie

Jackie: Thanks 😁☺️

Eclipse: Next

Next was Devon and he made a Cardboard Alligator Mask

Eclipse: Wow, Amazing Work

Devon: Hehe, yeah

Eclipse: Next

Ellis was Next and he made a Makeshift T-Shirt with a Orange Cat on it with the Words Meow

Eclipse: Wow, very Spiffy

Eclipse: Next

It was then Quinns Turn, she showed her Craft and it was a Paper Makeshift Video Tape Rainbow Colored

Eclipse: Incredible, Very Analog-gy

Eclipse: Next

Next was Cassie’s Turn

She showed her Craft and it was a Paper Puppet with Fazbear Themes Buttons of all the Original Characters

Eclipse: Oh man, this thing is giving me a bit of Nostalgia

Eclipse: Next

Gregory was next

Gregory: Feast your eyes on this

He had made a little wooden Robot, that could do a little dance

Eclipse: wow, very nice

Eclipse: Next

Next was Freddy and he showed a Makeshift Rocket Ship

Eclipse: Wow, Really cool

Freddy: thanks 😁

Eclipse: Next

And last but not least was Vanessa

Vanessa: hope you like it

She showed her Crafts and it was a Picture Frame with a Picture of all of them

Eclipse: Aw how Sweet, you never Cease to Amaze me with your Work

Vanessa: hehe

(Next)

Eclipse: Alright, now we’re gonna list the top 3 Crafts, is everyone ready

Everyone: yes

Eclipse then read his notes

Eclipse: Ahem, the Craft for 3rd Place goes too

Eclipse: JACKIE

Jackie : Woohoo, yay

Everyone clapped as they watched her Mask get put in the 3rd place Podium

(Next)

Eclipse: the Craft for 2nd Place goes too

Eclipse: ELLIS

Ellis: ALL-RIGHT (as he jump with joy)

Everyone clapped again as Eclispe put his Shirt on the 2nd Place Podium

(Next)

Eclipse: and now, the Craft for 1st place goes too

Everyone was a bit Nervous and Excited to hear who would be picked

Eclipse: VANESSA

Vanessa was shocked to hear that she got first place

Vanessa: wait, me

Eclipse: Yup, Congratulations

Everyone Clapped for Vanessa and Congratulated her as Exclipse put her Picture Frame on the 1st Place Podium.

The End.

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, May 12, 2024

My posts

Your head is hurting and your wifi is out because the biggest solar flare/geomagnetic storm in 20 years hit this weekend. I didn’t actually get to see the aurora borealis, but apparently it really did come down as far as Alabama. 

I admit that this was an extremely glib reply. But like, Athena specifically doesn’t like people claiming they’re better than her, so you can imagine the carnage when you throw in two more goddesses as well.  

(I feel like that post happened a month ago. This week has felt so ungodly long.)

Reblogs of interest

Hot Vintage Lady Bracket: Round 6. Eight polls. Poll Mod immediately chose violence and put Marilyn Monroe against Hedy Lamarr. Since Ava Gardner is out (actual shockers: Greta Garbo and Rita Hayworth are also gone), I was going to say “I’m just Chaos Elmo Flames Dot Gif about it all” but now I’m just scared. 

(Why would you ask us, a hot vintage poll blog, this)

Dracula Daily is in full swing again, and you can eat along!

The Met Gala was honestly decent this year! I reblogged only (some of) the ones I liked, including some of the construction details and a lot of Zendaya, although my favorite might have been Rebecca Ferguson with the crows. 

A while back and not what he wore to the Gala, but: Lil Nas X looking beautiful in a rose garden.

Hozier Watch 2024: I really thought there wasn’t going to be anything else and then he was like, “Oh I should probably put out a video for my accidental international #1.” I am entirely disgruntled that he was here last weekend and I couldn’t go. 

From the top of the week, Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar: An explainer. Also, Kendrick recs.

MrBeast is living in a joyless hell of his own making, and I at least understand now why he has always freaked me out. 

So anyway noted plagiarist James Somerton is alive and well on Twitter, where he’s... well, he sure is there. The words “hole posting” are involved. Another explainer for you. 

Lynda Carter proves she’s on Tumblr

We put our faith in BLAST HARDCHEESE

Peace and love on planet Earth and also in the Uber

“thinking about middle aged gay love is like. we have a future and we have time”

While there are merits to this concern, “Writers should all clown on Americans by making up places in THEIR country” doesn’t really sting when we’re all like “Yeah we love doing that!!!” I personally give you all permission to make up as many wackadoodle state names as you want. You can have West Mainolina for free. 

Meanwhile in Alabama: Bad, bad Leroy Brown, the baddest fish in the whole damn town

RIP Walnut the crane: “The Bride”

Dinosaurs are terrible lizards

Teaching consent is a many-faceted thing

Become ungovernable: grill edition

Video

Galadriel’s opening Fellowship of the Ring monologue, but it’s the Deep South (U.S.). “Across the county line in Mordor, the Dark Lord Sauron made his self another ring outta everything mean the devil put in him.” Absolutely pitch perfect. 

Also pitch perfect: Wellness influencers with terrible advice

“Mooom, the chocolate alchemist has an accomplice now!”

I will always reblog cheetah sounds

The Collage Atlas: a hand-drawn game on Steam

The sacred texts

South Canada. South South Canada. Canada A Bit to the Left

I think I’ve listed this compilation of parody lyrics (”I’m sorry Ms. Jackson/I am four eels”) before, but there’s more now

“Roses are red, that much is true, but violets are purple, not fucking blue”

Personal tags of the week

Scrungly and, as a related topic, Belphegor the Devon rex kitten.

[rysingsun]

Hypothetical Quest for Camelot sequel

I know Quest for Camelot isn’t the most well-known movie, but it’s a nostalgic favorite of my childhood.

I’d love to see a sequel one day. Would be great if blind people and conjoined twins were writers or at least significantly consulted. I’ve read and watched a few reviews on the disability rep in it over the last couple years, revisiting after each rewatch. Here are two I revisited after today’s rewatch of the movie here and here. What I’ve gathered is while the rep is not the best ever, it’s not the worst ever either. Some lines could have been left out or changed and the movie would’ve been better for it (“Frankly we’re the reason cousins shouldn’t marry,” about the conjoined twins. “I wish you could see it,” proceeds to not bother to describe the view to the blind man).

As I said, I am very nostalgic for the movie. Though I better understand some of the movie’s flaws now than I did as a child, I would like to keep this conversation as a “Yes, and” sequel to the original film rather than a reboot of the original movie.

(my thoughts below)

Things I would NOT want to see:

- a new romance storyline (please god no not every movie needs one they’re always rushed at best, plus the first movie already had a decent one, we’re good). If the two leads are married in this movie, that’s fine. If it builds to them getting married, sure. Unless they’re expanding on the Garett and Kayley relationship (they did NOT marry at the end of the first, they were knighted), I would prefer the focus is kept on platonic relationships.

- A “i hate my spouse” or “stupid marital misunderstanding” storyline (narrows eyes at Mulan and Frozen sequels).

- Trying to force Kayley into a feminine or maternal role she doesn’t want only to prove to everyone that it’s okay if she’s different and doesn’t wear dresses. This wasn’t an issue in the first movie. It doesn’t need to be a whole thing in the sequel. She’s a knight, it’s already feminist. She doesn’t need to “prove herself” or call attention to how feminine or tomboy she is in that way. I just don’t want the sequel to be dedicated to any of these characters needing to justify their identity/existence. The first movie already established they were “outcasts” and the ending symbolizes acceptance and community and all that jazz. Don’t retread this ground.

Things I would like to see:

- Another blind character or maybe multiple. One review I read pointed out that although it made sense given the setting and his backstory that he didn’t, Garrett would have benefitted from knowing other blind people. I’d love to see that in a sequel. Maybe Garrett has become the mentor to a blind child, as Kayley’s dad was for him (not caused by an accident— that was done last movie). Or maybe now that Camelot has become more accepting he’s gotten to know other low-vision and blind people in the city and countryside. Maybe they all meet up regularly, would be great to see since he was so isolated in the first movie. He may not be a social butterfly but we introverts do still like to have friends haha.

- Let the brothers thrive! I wanna see Devon and Cornwall living their best lives (or at least trying to). Now that they can actually pursue their dreams, maybe there’re scheduling conflicts or they otherwise are trying to juggle both of their wants. Not as antagonistically as in the first movie, but I would think they can still be frustrated siblings sometimes. Devon can actually join a theatre troupe now. Cornwall can… do whatever it is he wanted to do. All I really saw in rereading the song lyrics of their “I Want” song was that he wanted to be a cool/powerful dragon. How would that translate? Join the knights? A frat group? Be homesick for Dragon Country? Devon clearly knows who he is and wants to be but maybe Corny’s still on that journey. I want them to be a decently strong B-plot of the movie. They deserve to be more than just a constant butt of jokes. I want to see what they do now that the dream is attainable and not in some far off land.

- What’s the griffin up to? Even if it’s just a cameo I’d be curious what he’s doing after Ruber’s death.

- Musical. Apparently some people don’t jive with the musical aspect. I loved it about the first movie though and think it’d be fitting for the sequel to also have a solid repertoire of original songs. Hell, maybe Merlin will be more relevant and have a song. I dunno. Spitballing.

—

I’m pretty sure a sequel isn’t planned on happening. But what would you guys like to see if one did happen?

[barclaysangel]

Junior Wheeler if he was 9 years old during season 1 of Chucky (oneshot)

Hey y’all! I could not for the life of me figure out a proper name for this oneshot, so this is what we got. This AU totally escalated and I needed to write something involving it. In this AU, Junior is 9 and the younger cousin to Jake. Caroline and Lexy are also twins and 9 years old in this AU, but they won’t be mentioned in this oneshot.

Idk if I’ll continue writing this AU because I hate following the show’s timelines. But if y’all just want fun found family stuff where Junior’s 9 and doesn’t follow any timeline, then maybe I’ll do that instead. Also I wrote this within 3 days and without rewatching 1x08 so this is all by memory. Pls lemme know what you thought about this! Comments help fuel and motivate me!

Enjoy :)

Tags: @series-thoughts @zelinksupporter @streets-in-paradise

Word count: 2.3K

Junior didn’t mean for things to get this far. 

Chucky wanted him to kill his dad but he couldn’t. How could he? Sure, his dad was mean sometimes. Sure, he put Junior on a diet and was constantly having him run laps. Sure, if his dad was angry he would grip onto Junior’s shoulders so tightly that he would leave bruises—bruises that would be obvious right now if he didn’t have a shirt on. But that didn’t mean that he wanted to kill the only adult left in his family. 

And then his dad called him and his mom a “quitter”. 

What happened next was something he couldn’t quite process just yet. 

His dad started to go downstairs and without thinking, Junior’s temper got the best of him. 

He pushed him down the stairs. 

His dad stumbled forward and then fell, smacking his head what looked like a hundred times before finally making it to the bottom…

…and a pool of blood began forming from his skull and slowly surrounding his body. 

After that, it was like a blur.

Everything seemed to go far too fast for Junior to control and the next thing he knew, he was at Chucky’s house with that blonde woman that looked so familiar, Tiffany.

Wasn’t he supposed to feel different now? His dad was dead, Junior was finally free…but why didn’t he feel free? He didn’t feel safe. He couldn’t even eat the chocolate chip cookies that Tiffany gave him, his stomach was just twisting in knots. 

One door, one…two…three…four windows. He noted in his head, going back to a habit he had whenever his dad yelled at him, counting every single exit strategy he could find. 

It felt like he might need it, with all the Chucky dolls that were in the room and the other woman that called herself Chucky. Something about her seemed so bold yet also mean. But it’s not like Junior had anywhere else to go. He had no parents and he doubted that Jake would want to be around him. Junior was always a brat to him. Jake would rather be with Devon. 

Except Devon was tied to a chair right now and kept staring at Junior, wanting him to help him. But there wasn’t anything Junior could do, he was too afraid. He just had to keep looking away. 

At least Tiffany was nice to him, he could accept that. There was something almost motherly about her, but it made him want to cry if he focused too hard on that. 

He missed his mom so much…

“Well, I don’t see a lady.” Junior suddenly heard the woman Chucky say to Tiffany, having been so distracted that he missed almost the entire conversation. The way woman Chucky stood up and faced off to Tiffany reminded Junior far too much of his father’s intimidating stance. 

Before he had time to really try and find more similarities, Tiffany smacked the woman Chucky so hard she fell to the floor and the slap was almost loud enough to echo in the entire room. 

Junior gasped and jumped, his eyes now locked on the fallen woman. Then, it was like something strange happened. She seemed to have woken up, looked around the room in both confusion and horror, and then looked right at him. 

Suddenly, she didn’t look like she did before. She looked almost afraid and panicked. 

Maybe it was because Tiffany hit her? He thought to himself. 

Then Chucky, the one in the doll that Junior had been carrying on him until he got to the house, told Tiffany to kill her. 

Tiffany looked like she was about to cry but the woman Chucky didn’t look at her. She kept looking at Junior instead, staring at him in a way as if she was trying to figure out why he was here. But she should’ve known that since he had been there for almost an hour, right? 

“Junior, kill her!” 

Junior was snapped out of it, blinking a few times as he stared at the doll. “W…what?”

“Come on, you already bumped your dad off already! She shouldn’t be any different, she can’t even move!” Chucky snapped at him, once again reminiscent of his father. 

Junior looked down at the woman again and she was shaking her head just slightly. This time instead of looking fearful, she held a comforting gaze, whispering something to him about how it was going to be okay. He wasn’t sure if that was actually what she was saying, there was a roaring in his ears and his heart was racing far too fast. He couldn’t breathe and soon his vision blurred with tears filling his eyes. 

I don’t want to do this! 

I don’t want to kill anyone!

I just want Jake! 

I want my mom! 

I want to go home!

A small squeak of distress left Junior’s lips and then Tiffany was lunging at the doll Chucky with what looked to be a small knife in her hand. Before he could keep watching, the woman Chucky’s hand grasped onto his shirt and tugged him down, moving to his knees. Then her hands were around his face, a gentle grip on him to keep his face right in front of hers. 

“Look at me, okay?” She said quickly. “Don’t look behind me, just look at me. You don’t need to see that.” 

She was probably right because Junior wasn’t sure if he did want to see since he could hear both Tiffany and doll Chucky screaming, so he kept his eyes on the other woman. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Huh?” 

“What’s your name, kiddo?” 

“J-Junior…Junior Wheeler.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Junior. I’m Nica, Nica Pierce.” 

“I thought your name was Chu—” 

“I’m not him,” Nica quickly said, “He…he’s not here right now, I am. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” She spoke in a reassuring tone and even though Junior wasn’t sure if he believed her, something about her genuine eyes made him think that he’ll be okay. 

“How old are you?” She asked this time. 

“Nine.” 

“You’re so young…are you in fourth grade?” 

Junior shook his head. “Third.” 

“What’s your favorite subject?” 

“English…I like reading.” 

“That’s good, reading is really important.” Nica smiled softly at him and Junior couldn’t help but to return the smile. 

“Do you like music?” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

“What’s your favorite song?” 

“...‘We Got The Beat’ by The Go-Go’s.” 

“The Go-Go’s? You got good taste, kid.” She chuckled a little. 

Chucky’s voice screaming out cut off the questions, “YOU FUCKI–!” 

Nica’s hands moved up from his cheeks to his ears, cupping them in an attempt to block the sound of the angry doll’s cursing. Junior couldn’t hear what exactly she was saying but through the muffled noise, he could understand enough that she was telling him that it’ll be okay and to breathe. 

He didn’t understand the “breathe” part at first until he noticed that his breathing had picked up again. Junior kept looking at Nica and started mimicking her own breathing, in through his nose and out through his mouth. The more he looked at her, the more he realized that her eyes were gentle and comforting, as if all she cared about in that moment was him. 

It reminded him so much of the way his mom would look at him. 

And somehow, in all that chaos, he started to feel safe. 

For just a brief moment, Junior looked over Nica’s shoulder to see Tiffany starting to approach them, a needle in her hand. “What are you doing?” He blurted out without thinking, not entirely sure if the needle was meant for him or for her. 

Nica seemed to know the answer because she whipped and immediately moved herself up enough–somehow not moving her legs despite Junior having seen her walking before–to shield him with her own body, and even had her arms out to make sure he stayed behind her. “Tiffany, please. Let Junior go. He’s just a child.” 

“I’m not gonna hurt him! I’d never hurt him,” Tiffany said as she waved around the needle, certainly not making Junior feel relieved over her comment, “besides, he has no father anymore. No mother. And every little boy needs a mother.” 

“And you think you’ll be a good enough mother for him? Tiffany, you’re a murderer.” Nica spat out, venom in her voice. 

“So is he,” Tiffany retorted in a casual tone, “he pushed his daddy down the stairs. He already has such great potential!” 

“I didn’t mean to…” Junior whispered so quietly he barely heard himself. But Nica must have, because she didn’t move away from him at all. In fact, she moved herself just enough that she almost completely blocked his view of Tiffany with her head. 

“You manipulated him,” Nica started, “you and Chucky both did. What he needs is stability and he sure isn’t going to get it from you.” 

“Of course he will! He’ll be with us!” Tiffany replied enthusiastically and took another step closer to the both of them. “My twins are getting older, they’ll be adults soon and they’re off doing their own things. But with you…we can start over! We can raise Junior and be a happy little family!” 

Twins? Junior thought to himself, unaware that Tiffany and possibly even Chucky had children. What did that mean? Were they humans like Tiffany? Or dolls like Chucky? Junior doubted he’d get an answer nor did he fully believe that he wanted an answer anyway. 

Once again looking over someone’s shoulder, there was a man. He didn’t recognize him but there was a gun in his hand, looking at Devon and then at the three of them. Junior opened his mouth to say something but Nica beat him to it. 

“You really think that you’re capable of having a family and being happy?” Nica laughed sarcastically, almost sounding like Chucky for a moment. “You’re not. Everything you touch, you destroy. You don’t know how to love…and you certainly don’t deserve love either.” 

Tiffany looked at Nica as if she had been the one to get slapped, shaking her head with tears now in her eyes. “No…that’s not you saying that, Nica baby. That’s Chucky.”

Nica leaned a little more forward to face Tiffany, away from Junior and he was now able to see the man getting closer as quietly as he could until he was almost right behind Tiffany. “Oh no, Tiff…this is all me. Not Chucky. Me.” She said strongly, keeping herself in front of Junior. 

Before Tiffany could do anything, the other end of the gun that the man was holding connected to her head. He must have hit her much harder than when she hit Nica just a few minutes ago because she was unconscious before hitting the ground. 

There was silence for maybe a second or two before the man pointed his gun at Nica. “Kid, get away from her!”

Junior’s eyes widened and he tried to throw himself in front of Nica. “No!” 

His attempt failed because Nica immediately used her arm to push him back behind her. “Junior, stay back!” She told him quickly and kept herself in front of him in a protective manner. 

The man still had the gun pointed at them, more at Nica but Junior was right behind her, but she began speaking to the man. “You’re Andy, right?” Nica asked him and Junior supposed that she took his silence for a yes. “I’m Nica. Chucky, he-he possessed me but I’m not him, I’m me. I’m in control right now.” 

The man—Andy—didn’t seem to believe her so Junior managed to speak up. “It’s-it’s true…Tiffany hit her and then she was Nica. She’s nice to me…please don’t kill her…please…” 

Junior started to find it hard to breathe, tears filling his eyes once more just as Nica spoke again. “Andy, please. I’m not going to hurt anyone, just please put the gun down…you’re scaring him.” 

Andy looked right at Junior, not saying anything before he slowly lowered his gun and Junior felt like he could breathe again. “Are you Junior?” Andy asked him and he nodded after a moment. “Your cousin, Jake, told me to find you.” 

Jake’s okay…he wanted to find me…I’m not a brat to him! He must love me then! Junior thought to himself but decided not to voice them out loud. Instead, he looked over at Devon and pointed at him. “Chucky tied Devon up. He needs help.” 

Andy nodded and put his gun in his pocket, going over to untie Devon. Junior managed to hear Nica quietly say something along the lines of, “Did I do that?” before she turned her attention back to Junior and cupped his face softly. “You okay, honey?” 

“Uh huh.” He nodded, no longer feeling like he was about to burst into tears. That was a good thing, his father would complain about him not being a man if he did end up crying. 

Nica smiled gently at him, her eyes so caring. “We’re going to get you out of here, okay? You’re gonna be back with your cousin and be safe and sound before you know it.”

“But…what about you? You’re coming with me, right?” 

“I can’t stay here, I don’t know what Tiffany will do to me. So I’ll be leaving too,” Nica reassured him and smiled at Junior again, “we’ll figure everything out together. You ready to go, Jun?” 

He didn’t know what was going to happen next. Where he or Jake will go, what will happen to Nica. He hated not knowing. But he didn’t have any other choice. He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t stay with killers even though he was one now. 

So Junior nodded and looked at Nica as bravely as he could. 

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

[bluelily0728]

Fanfic Nath x OC : New beginnings (Part 3)

Here's the third part and I finally came up with a name for the story!! I decided to make this part Lilian's POV. I wanted her to be a character quite the opposite of Marta, more introverted and inexperienced in romance (I based this part of romantic inexperience on Yor from Spy Family). I also couldn't resist putting her working at Goldreamz because I love Jason so much XD (And I plan to write another story with him as the protagonist)

Part 1 Part 2

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CHAPTER 2

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Since I was a kid, I’ve always been a lonely person. Partly because my parents were always busy working, and, being an only child, I learned early on how to be my own best company.

At school, it was the same story. I was always that classmate who was there, but barely anyone noticed. Partly because of my shyness, partly because I would end up isolating myself. Some thought I was just a cold and unfriendly girl, others figured out that I was just… different. A background character among so many main characters.

The few friendships I made (and I could count them on one hand) almost always ended the same way: either with a betrayal of trust or by simply being forgotten. Every time the classes changed, I was left behind, easily replaced by someone louder and more outgoing.

As for my love life… well, that part was even simpler.

I never felt that desperate urgency everyone seems to have about falling in love. I never really fell in love. I didn’t even want to. Sometimes, I wonder if there was something wrong with me… but deep down, I knew there wasn’t.

Today, I still live with my parents and we’re very close. It's one of the pure bits of happiness in my life, and I truly recognize how lucky I am. At work, I’m lucky too, I work at Goldreamz, an event planning company (the best in town, according to my boss Jason Mendal) so I don't have problems with money (I am not rich either).

In my free time, I write… or, well, tried to write, until the writer’s block settled in about six months ago…

The truth is, day after day, I watch life happen all around me: loves blooming, friendships growing, stories unfolding like the pages of the books I try to write.

And there I am, either reading or trying to write.

A background character in a world full of protagonists.

Not that I hate my life, far from it. Actually, part of me is even proud of never having gone through one of those love stories that end in complete disaster!

But sometimes… just sometimes... I wonder what it would be like to be the main character.

What would it feel like to be the protagonist, even if only for just a moment?

“Lilian!” Danica’s cheerful voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I hadn’t even noticed her and Spencer sitting down near me. They were my coworkers and usually chatted with me now and then, especially during lunch breaks like this one. I smiled softly, more out of politeness than actual enthusiasm.

“You’re the quiet one who notices all the little details...” Danica said dramatically. “Our dear boss Jason… Besides being totally handsome and totally drool-worthy, I’m starting to think he might be gay. I wanted your opinion. I mean, the guy lives for his revenge plot against Devon!! That’s obsession right there!”

I widened my eyes a bit, surprised by her bluntness, but couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Spencer, who looked way more interested in his phone than in the conversation, lifted his eyes just enough to say in his usual dry tone:

“Or maybe he just has priorities. Not everyone needs to be desperately chasing after a romance.”

“True...” I said. It felt good to hear someone else who preferred peace over jumping into messy relationships. “And isn’t he kind of interested in Ysaline? The new girl from Devenementiel?”

Danica laughed.

“He’s trying, but she’s way more into Thomas than our CEO.” — I had no idea who Thomas was. I only knew Ysaline and Devon from hearing Danica gossip about our boss’s life and her old coworkers at Devenementiel.

“You shouldn’t be gossiping about the boss... If he hears you, you’ll get yourself fired. You know how grumpy he is,” Spencer pointed out, and I nodded along. Jason might be good-looking, but he was a pretty strict boss and had no patience for people talking behind his back.

“You guys are so serious! Guess I’m the only dreamer around here today! But okay! Enought about our sexy boss... Speaking of dating, Lilian!” Danica suddenly turned to me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Are you seeing anyone? You hardly ever talk about yourself!”

The fork slipped from my fingers and clinked awkwardly against the plate, making a loud little noise. I immediately blushed and lowered my eyes to my rice, wishing I could just disappear into the plate. Ugh… Here we go again, being judged for being single! It wasn’t exactly shame I felt. It was more… that bitter feeling of being different, out of sync with everyone else.

“N-no...” I said, gripping the fork tightly. “I’ve... never dated.”

The silence that followed felt deafening.

Why didn't I lie??

Danica blinked, clearly surprised, but quickly shrugged and smiled warmly:

“Ohhh! You’re just waiting for the right person, aren’t you?”

“Maybe…” I mumbled, mostly to move the conversation along.

“I’ve never dated either,” Spencer chimed in, probably trying to make me feel less awkward.

I gave him a small, grateful smile.

“Yeah, but with you, that’s hardly shocking,” Danica teased, rolling her eyes. Spencer looked mock-offended, and I let out a small laugh.

(...)

The clock tower struck 5:30 in the afternoon.

It was that time of day when the sun began to set, although the days were slowly starting to stretch longer. The cold was beginning to creep in too, but luckily, I had my warm coat wrapped around me. I wandered through the streets without much urgency, taking in the world around me. I saw couples holding hands, groups of friends laughing loudly, children playing.

Little moments of life that I could only admire from afar.

Sudently I felt something bump against my leg. A small white kitten with light brown patches was rubbing its head against me. It was skinny, its fur a bit messy, and it had striking orange-tinted eyes.

I knelt down and gently petted it. It meowed at me and pulled away slightly for a second, I had the strange sensation that it was calling me, or maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me again.

I hesitated for a moment.

The kitten turned slowly and walked a few steps ahead, then looked back at me, as if asking, "Well? Are you coming or not?"

I smiled, feeling my heart warm in a way I hadn't felt in a long time, and decided to follow it. Who knows, maybe it would even spark an idea for a new story?

It didn’t walk very far. It led me to a vacant lot near a high school , my old high school, to be exact.

Also a place I didn't exactly feel nostalgic about...

My little guide stopped next to a small group of kittens, looking back at me as if to say, "We’ve arrived." I knelt down again, reaching out my fingers. One of the kittens sniffed them before curling up against my hand, purring softly.

“You brought me here for food, didn’t you?” I murmured, speaking to the kitten that had led me there. But it quickly trotted off, probably in search of someone else carrying something more substantial than leftovers. I looked around and sighed.

“Let’s see what I can find for you guys...”

Luckily, I still had some scraps from my lunch — a piece of bread and a few strips of chicken. I tore them into tiny pieces and scattered them on the ground, watching with a fond smile as the kittens eagerly devoured everything with real, honest hunger.

“Sadly, that's all I’ve got…” I said in a sad tone, stroking an orange kitten that had come up to nuzzle against my hand, purring “But I’ll come back tomorrow. I promise!"

I spent a little more time there, simply playing with them. A meow here, a paw reaching for my fingers. I wish I can take them with me... But I can't.

Sudently I heard a snap of a branch breaking under someone's weight.

I tensed slightly, alert. A shadow approached. My heart jumped in my chest.

I turned slowly and there was a blond guy, standing a few meters away, looking at me.

He didn’t seem threatening.

He took a few slow steps forward, carrying a small bag of cat food in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

His blond hair was a little messy from the wind, and there was something about his expression... a kind of melancholy that made me lower my guard almost instantly. I gave him a timid smile.

Our eyes met, and for a moment, time itself seemed to freeze.

His eyes were light, a soft honey color, but filled with a deep, unmistakable sadness.

I sat there awkwardly, absentmindedly stroking a gray kitten, not sure what to do.

He moved closer, slowly, and knelt down beside me without saying a word, scattering some of the food near the playful kittens still milling around us.

The air filled with little, happy meows.

“Do you come here often to feed them?” I asked in a low voice, almost afraid to break the magic of the moment.

But I knew I had to say something.

He looked at me and gave me a small smile sad, but real. Up close, he was even more handsome, and I noticed a small scar near his mouth. I couldn't help but wonder how he got it...

“It’s been a while since I last came here,” he said, his voice soft and steady “But I plan to come more often.” For some reason, those words made my heart beat faster “What about you?”

“I just needed to clear my head… and somehow ended up here,” I replied, quickly looking away, focusing instead on the gray kitten now playing with my shoelaces.

“Seems like we had the same idea then...”

We fell into a comfortable silence. Not the kind of awkward silence I was so used to when talking to people. It was different.

The wind blew softly again, playing with my curls and his hair as well. Without thinking, I let out a small smile.

“I’m Nathaniel,” he said finally, his voice even softer than I expected.

“Lilian,” I replied, feeling my heart skip a beat again.

He nodded slowly, still wearing that discreet, almost hidden smile.

“That’s a beautiful name,” he murmured.

I lowered my gaze, trying (and failing) to hide how flustered I was, but the truth was...

I felt strangely good around this stranger.

____________________

Now the romance between these two officially begins!! 💖

[the-carlos-cow-eyes]

Some of y'all really need to get off of Jake's back, man

Like, Is he perfect? No. Has he made mistakes? Yes. But to me, his heart has always been In the right place. Bro just wants to protect his friends and his boyfriend

Plus, a lot of y'all seem to forget that Jake's also a victim of both physical AND mental abuse. And, his whole family Is dead. Literally every single one of them.

His parents? Dead. His aunt & uncle? Dead. His cousin? Fucking dead. Most of which were killed by Chucky or had some kind of Involvement with Chucky and were then labeled as freak accidents.

Chucky electrocuted his Dad and It was made out to be a drunken mishap, he pushed his aunt out of a window and It was made out to be a suicide, he manipulated his cousin Into killing his uncle before fucking stabbing his cousin, to which his cousin was then BLAMED for all of those murders only AFTER Jake was accused of killing his father and another boy!

Hell, Chucky even killed his fucking FOSTER BROTHER and then Jake was blamed for that too!

Literally the only family member of Jake's that Chucky DIDN'T kill was his mother, who died In a car accident a few years prior after a drunk driver hit her

Granted, his Dad and uncle were pieces of shit and the boy whose murder Jake was accused of was an asshole. But Jake still went through a lot of shit just like the rest of the kids

Now, should he have listened to Devon about the whole Good Chucky thing? Yes. But am I gonna blame him for not doing so? Honestly, no. Y'all seem to forget that Gary literally JUST died by the time the whole brainwashing thing came Into play, so Jake was still pretty devastated and shook up over his foster brother's death, something that he felt and probably still feels he was responsible for.

But when the brainwashing worked (and yes, It DID work!), Jake saw an opportunity In Good Chucky. An opportunity to not fail him like he felt he did with Gary. Again, should he have considered the possibility of the brainwashing wearing off? Yes, he should have. But quite frankly, not even Devon was all like “Hey, It's wearing off” after Good Chucky killed a fly and didn't throw up at the blood. So, that wasn't just on Jake

But like I was saying, Jake saw Good Chucky as a second chance. He's a hopeful kid with a lot of survivor's guilt, so what the fuck else were y'all expecting? Common sense? From a kid that's been blinded with a shit ton of guilt over the murders of his family members? Really? I mean, yeah, Jake Is a really smart kid, but even smart kids can make choices based on what they think Is the right or best thing to do despite those choices not being In everyone's better Interest or judgement

And no, Nadine's death was NOT Jake's fault and y'all need to stop acting like It was

And yes, he should have probably also come up with a better Idea than going Into the spirit realm to find Good Chucky again, but he wanted to do It to help Lexy find Caroline, so his heart was still In the right place and he had good Intentions. Granted, Caroline obviously didn't want to be found, but we all know that Lexy wasn't going to let up until they found her. She even gave Jake & Devon shit for leaving the hotel for the night despite the fact that the whole reason why they left In the first place was to get vital Information about Chucky. And even then, she was STILL pissed because Chucky dying before they found him meant that they wouldn't find out where Caroline was. So, that's more on Lexy than anyone else

All I'm saying Is that a lot of y'all are being WAY too hard on Jake when he's just another traumatized kid that wants to do right by whatever loved ones he has left. Yeah, he doesn't make the best of decisions at times, but he usually has everyone's best Interest at heart

Leave my son ALONE-

[macrodatum]

Devon has assigned Melissa the most important task of them all during that day: keeping Mark distracted and away from his home, where his surprise birthday party was being organized. The youngest Scout insisted that only Melissa had the power to ask Mark for something and get him to do precisely that (instead of the opposite).

So the aspiring actress abused that skill: she dragged the poor man all over campus over the most ridiculous tasks for her drama classes, then convinced him to give her a ride for some shopping around town, then finally to stop at a bakery so she could pick up a package for Devon, who coincidentally called her on the way (it was the cake, smuggled right under his nose into his own party).

By the time Mark walked over the steps to his own house so Melissa could drop her things with Devon, he was welcomed by the traditional screaming and party popper sounds (including the excited cheer from his friend at his back). The actress-in-the-making turned out to be the first one to hug him and wish a happy birthday (finally putting an end to the charade as to whether she had forgotten about the occasion or not), then getting inside to help Devon set up the cake.

Mark took the time to speak to the other guests then - old college friends, some other people he knew through his sister, a couple of colleagues from his recent teaching position. Melissa found him eventually, grinning wildly and pulling him into another hug before kissing the man on his left cheek and pressing an envelope against his chest upon separation.

"That is my actual birthday gift for you - tickets to a double David Fincher session at the old drive-in. 'Seven' and 'Fight Club' back to back with a lot of popcorn. It's all on me - it starts at midnight," the girl winked, fully aware of what it meant - he would need to ditch his own birthday party, but something told her that Mark would welcome the way out, "I will come steal you half an hour before it," the brunette's hand moved up, pressing a finger to Mark's lips, "Don't tell Devon." // @stingslikeabee

Ever since Devon started her part-time job, she’d made a point to begin spoiling him. Mark now received invitations to join her for dinner (where Devon promised to beat the shit out of him if he pulled his wallet out), no longer gave her gas money, and constantly argued with her over who paid for what when they hung out—a pain in the ass, certainly, but he was glad that his sister was confident enough to assert herself.

When Melissa invited him to go with her on his birthday, he wasn’t totally blind to what that might mean. Last year, Devon’s first birthday treat for him had been a stack of gift cards for his favourite ice cream place in town (and considering it was a Mum ‘n Pop shop that didn’t even make gift cards regularly, Mark knew Devon had to have done something to convince them to do it). And because he knew his sister was competitive enough to enjoy one-upping herself, he was prepared to be suitably surprised with whatever she came up with today. What better distraction was there than the woman Mark had begun daydreaming more regularly about? Devon had teasingly warned him before not to go breaking her best friend’s heart; Mark, refusing to accept his little sister was right about anything, had only wrinkled his nose and said he was innocent.

The hours spent by Melissa’s side really were a gift on their own, though. Most people rued busy days like these, but for Mark (who had gone on leave from his job at the local high school at Devon’s insistence), running around Ganz College again was as nostalgic as it was fun. It took a significant level of intimacy to join someone on their day-to-day goings on; Mark didn’t care that Melissa wasn’t treating him special, not when he felt special to have the whole day with her, just the two of them, to begin with.

Though he recognised Devon’s efforts later to throw him a surprise party, it hadn’t affected him nearly as much as getting to see Melissa with her friends, and colleagues, and simply running errands as a person should. Even as he spoke with people (and he really was grateful they came), in the back of his mind all he could think about was Melissa’s laugh, and Melissa’s hand pulling his arm, and how everyone in the room could fuck off if it meant he could get Melissa to hang out on the couch and watch movies with him.

That said, it made her gift seem like fate.

Their fingers brushed when Mark moved to take the envelope against his chest, just as gentle as her mouth had been on his cheek. Mark didn't have the time to think about that contact, though; the promise of movies for the two of them, alone, made him smile too big, too happy.

Damn it.

"Melissa--" There was a thank you there somewhere, caught in his throat as she stepped away and disappeared back into the bustling living room. Mark watched her go with a question in his chest-- would you go out with me for real?-- but jammed the side of his fist against it in an attempt to push all those words down.

Movies with Melissa didn't have to be any more than what they were, he decided, carefully slipping the envelope into the pocket of his jacket. All that mattered was they were together, and that he'd end his day with her in the same way he started it.

That would be enough.

[bluektw]

MORE TORY/EDWIN/BIG RED HC'S

(now featuring Kyler) (because the trailer and Reddit ruined my hopes for a decent arc for my girl)

- Tory was the last one to acknowledge Kyler as an actual friend, only after she saw his relationship with his dad first hand she made up her mind about him.

- After Kyler joined the group Edwin was slightly favoring him over Tory and Red, and that made those two get closer than they had ever been

- But Edwin stopped doing that when he realized it was happening and they're still a really close trio

- Tory and Red have a weird need to make Edwin feel included in everything they do, cause the in previous trio (Rickenberger, Big Red and Edwin), Ricken and Red were quite closer to each other than with him. When Tory joined and they became quartet things got even, but after Ricken left both feel the need to make him feel included with them.

- Edwin knows he deserves better than Kyler and he doesn't care, but Tory and Red care and threaten to murder Kyler if he wrongs Edwin pretty much every day

- Tory has a button up she got from Red, a T-shirt she got from Kyler and a hoodie she got from Edwin.

- Whenever she shows up wearing one them, the previous owner gets all smug and cocky. The others just accept that. (And maybe the one she wears the most is Red's and Edwin and Kyler are sick of his bs already but that's not the point ok?)

- Little Red has already joined them in some movie/game nights (against his will, dad forced him), ended up liking it, but hid this from everyone at Miyagi Fang (and the four of them) like he was fearing for his life

- Tory was the first person to notice Kenny's kinda crush on Devon. Edwin noticed Devon's kinda crush on Kenny. And now every time the four see them together Edwin or Kyler start singing "Sweet Home Alabama" (I shipp them and I will not be accepting criticism)

- Red plays with Tory's hair a lot. Edwin likes to braid her hair. Kyler is not allowed to touch her hair.

- Red is a master at hockey. Edwin plays the piano really well. Tory is an amazing skater obv. Kyler is surprisingly good in laser tag.

- That being said, Kyler is really shitty at hockey, Tory couldn't play the piano to save her life, Red is a terrible skater (in rollers) and Edwin hates laser tag.

- Red tried, failed and gave up teaching Kyler to play hockey. Edwin gave up teaching music to Tory. Tory succeed (the only one that did) in teaching Red skate in rollers. Kyler gave up trying to make Edwin enjoy laser tag

- They have duos (T/BR and E/K), but they mix them up sometimes (Ex: Tory and Edwin can cook and know their way in the kitchen, Kyler and Red are great gamers, Tory and Kyler have drinks knowledge, Red and Edwin love murder mystery stuff)

- Tory, Red and Edwin prefer Kreese over Silver (Though Red liked Kim a little). Kyler prefers Silver and they argue because of that (especially him and Tory)

- Edwin is the only one of them who has a good relationship with both of his parents (Red and his mom have issues because his brother is the golden child to her, but him and Little Red are mostly good. Kyler and his dad have a slightly toxic relationship. Tory doesn't "have" her father)

- Edwin's mom is, in fact, a maternal figure to Red, while his dad is one to Kyler, none of them are to Tory cause she had Kreese and her mom, but both really like her a lot

- Big Red, Edwin and Kyler LOVE to go the restaurant Tory works now (I like to think is an Italian restaurant) and the rink. She likes depending on the day they come and likes them better if they don't annoy her during her shifts

- One time Kyler forced them to go to a karaoke bar of some sort. four sang Livin' La Vida Loca (by Ricky Martin) together

- Robby doesn't really like hanging out with the three boys cause he feels they still want to kill him (they do), Tory always asks if he wants to hang out with them, even after realizing he usually denied, and he likes she keeps asking even knowing he'll say no. (The others HATE that she keeps asking)