#((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?

[newlacesleeves]

okay fine fine i'll take the silly karate show seriously for a second.

i have spent most of the day talking about what i liked about it because, well, there was a lot i did like. remember, the bar wasn't just on the floor. it was buried in mariana's trench. but to say it exceeded my expectations is still an understatement. i really did like it.

putting this under a cut. spoiler warning obv. (also me talking in stream of consciousness.)

as for criticisms, yeah i have some. the first being the same one everyone else has: there were almost no johnny & robby moments. robby beats miguel for captain and johnny chooses to comfort miguel for his loss. he gives them both the exact same speech before they fight. literally word for word. now, sure, we can imagine their relationship is still pretty fraught but this would have been a good opportunity for johnny to show how proud he is of robby and instead we got...nothing. huh. okay then.

the next would be tory. i cannot fucking fathom why they set up this friendship between sam and tory and everyone only for NONE OF HER FRIENDS to comfort her or go to her when her fucking mom dies. (on a positive note, that episode won the whole season for me. more on that later.) obviously the idea is to set up tory running straight into kreese's arms but also we could have had that set up and still shown some fucking sympathy for her. (another positive: peyton list can act her ass off.) it felt out of character for all of them. sam spends all of the third episode befriending tory. they have that million minute hug. what do you mean sam didn't run after her and instead just accepted her captain position?

also. samtory. i kinda wish they dragged it out just a little longer. especially considering what transpires in ep. 5 (or doesn't?)

devon and kenny. what devon did to kenny was fucked up and just. wow not okay. i didn't like it. i didn't find it funny. again, it's a set up for conflict between kenny and anthony but 1. is that really necessary at this point? and 2. why THAT? it was cruel and unnecessary. devon trained for like 6 weeks she's not as good as the others use that as a character development tool instead of her cheating to win. i liked devon when she was introduced. i don't know if i like her at all now. she came off as petulant and entitled and it left me feeling so disappointed in her.

and the miyagi secret. look, i think it's ridiculous that they added this plotline in the first place but besides that, what exactly did we learn? he may have robbed a guy and he was a boxer? and he fought in the sekai talkai? (that part might be intersting let's see where that goes.) it just didn't really land for me personally. we could probably do without it entirely and the season wouldn't change.

okay some positives now. guess what they're almost all about johnny i'm not even sorry if you're following me you should be expecting this from me.

from the fucking beginning we get to see some actual growth from him. the whole naming the dojo thing in previous seasons would have been the cause for the dojo divorce but johnny and daniel both handled it so well and so mature i could cry.

the fact that they made him a car salesman and not like a mechanic or a janitor was also great. i feel like this season they really gave johnny some positive pride in himself. the way he talks about eagle fang and how he built it himself. how he learns from chozen when they go house hunting. and him being a GOOD car salesman not just pretending to do it for laughs. i loved that. i loved it so fucking much. that's what i want to see going forward. to that end, they finally eased up on the "johnny is a moron" shtick. thank god. because he's actually not a moron, he's not a complete idiot he has thoughtful ideas and can create lesson plans that have deeper meanings and all of that is innate in his character and should be played up more rather than "here's the himbo from the 80s who doesn't know what pandora's box is or how public parks work."

episode 5 really nailed it for me. tory's grief is palpable. her fighting through it literally is beautiful to me. and yes, YES, it was the right thing to do to stop the fight okay i'm not saying they shouldn't have. but what we get out of that is a real and emotional and RAW fight between daniel and johnny. not about fighting styles or who has the better dojo. they are both coming at this situation from their own trauma and past and johnny explains that (bonus points for the laura mention THANK YOU WRITERS) and daniel isn't hearing him so he goes for the jugular and daniel reacts in the MOST DANIEL LARUSSO WAY I HAVE SEEN SINCE SEASON 3. he punches johnny right there and doesn't hold back even if you can see the regret on his face a moment later. and johnny -- the GROWTH is in the way he doesn't react. he doesn't punch back. it's a real fucking moment for the two of them. we aren't talking about defense vs. offense. we're talking about GRIEF and all of johnny's bottled rage about feeling sidelined by daniel this whole time (which has been sort of daniel's default stage for the last few seasons) comes spilling over the top and it was such a good moment of catharsis i will be thinking about it forever.

there were other things i liked: johnny leaning into his girl dad-ness, the fights (always the fights!!), the return of shawn, sleeveless gi my beloved, johnny prom king confirmation (never ever getting over it). but these were the stand out moments for me on my first watch.

and look. these were the first FIVE of FIFTEEN episodes for this season. a lot of y'all are acting like this is the whole thing when this is literally just the beginning. so i understand what you're saying about what the show lacked but it's not like they're ending it here. we have ten more episodes to go let's hope they continue the trajectory they're on in the next drop.

TL/DR: I LIKED IT A LOT.

[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.”

[d4rkshad0w]

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.

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

[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.”

[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-

[lorata]

I’m now just imagining Lyme and Brutus comparing stats and mocking each other over how many capitolites think they could take them in a fight. Misha definitely fans the flames somehow

re: this post

I wanted to get this done before the holidays, but my brain took a vacation, so. here's a late gift for everyone. enjoy!

It starts, as with so many things, with an envelope. Delivered with the monthly mail, wrapped in a crimson ribbon, containing a scant few sheafs of paper. Ronan, designated handler of unassigned packages deemed safe by the VA, slides his bone-handled knife along the top edge and removes the contents. He pauses while everyone in the room pretends they’re not trying to peek.

Misha has gotten better at her poker face. Not that she was ever bad at lying — she won her Games with the best damn grift the Arena had seen in a decade — but for a dedicated con artist who can, and has, literally fooled everyone around her to save her life, a ridiculous urge to gloat passes over her when the stakes are low. Devon will catch her peeking around corners or spying from the windows or cackling like a cartoon villain from behind the sofa just because it’s funny.

“You could get away with it if you didn’t do this,” he said once, when her wide grinning over a prank on Callista got her resigned to cat-box duty for an entire week. “I watched your Games in Residential. You even had the trainers fooled. Do you want to get caught?”

“Yes,” Misha said with exaggerated patience. “It’s half the fun. Some tricks are good when they’re anonymous, but most of them are better when they know who played them.” Then she snapped the top of the garbage bag open and closed so the scent of cat turds wafted up into Devon’s face, and he kicked her in the shin.

They agreed ahead of time, though. This one is only funny if it’s organic, and he made Misha swear. No gloating, no grinning, not a hint that they’re involved.

“Uh, okay, sure, but you’re the one who confesses to Daddy any time you think you’ll get in trouble,” Misha scoffed. “So maybe worry less about me.”

Sometimes he thinks Misha hit her head in the Arena.

But for now, Misha’s sneaking glances like the rest of them but also using the distraction to nick one of Callista’s brandy chocolates (which are also … BDSM-themed? one of them has handcuff-shaped drizzle, and that one is, okay well that’s just a buttplug). Devon definitely stares at Misha too long, which would usually be a tell, but this time it’s because she took the strawberry vibrator truffle and his brain refuses to process the entire scenario.

(Earlier Emory ate the vanilla clitoris Callista offered her without even blinking, and he knows he and Misha will be debating whether she recognized it for the next three days.)

“Fascinating,” Ronan says, blank-faced to the end, and passes the envelope to his left without another word. Devon wants to be him when he grows up.

Brutus, next in line — perfect, excellent, thank you Ronan — stares at the paper for a long time. Turns it over, holds it close to squint at it (he will never get glasses, but probably should have five years ago), before finally recoiling like a wet cat and exploding: “Well this is some bullshit!”

Devon loves his mentor so much.

“Give me that.” Lyme snatches the paper away, then reads aloud in an incredulous voice: “‘Which of the following Victors, if any, do you think you could beat in a fight if you were unarmed?’ … What the fuck?”

“It’s a Capitol poll.” Ronan, placidly signing a stack of photographs, adds. “They aggregated the data. You can see the full methodology on the last page. It’s quite fascinating.”

“Social science,” Adessa sniffs dismissively.

“7% of Capitol citizens think they could beat you barehanded,” Ronan continues in the same helpful tone, to which Adessa sits bolt upright and hisses out I beg your fucking pardon in a tone of such icy poison that everyone in the room reflexively sits back.

Devon does not make eye contact with Misha — if he does they’re made, they’re done for, it’s the end of the fucking line — but she has to know. They cannot get caught now. Adessa will skin them and use their hide for tasteful sofa cushion covers. It’s the most fun he’s had in months.

“Poor Seeder is at the bottom,” Lyme says, which, yeah, okay. There are older Victors, but she’s the only one who never made a single kill. “Respect to the 33% who think they couldn’t take her, though. Some decent self-reflection there.”

Brutus has his thundercloud face on, and Misha cocks her head to the side. “Who’s at the top?”

Lyme’s grin turns sharp. Claudius, not an idiot, catches on. “Oh, hey, yeah, boss, who’s at the top? Who’s the one nobody says they can fight?”

“Nobody, technically.” Lyme tosses the envelope to Claudius. “2% of Capitol citizens think they can win a fight against me.” She pauses long enough to give it significant weight. “Without weapons. But five percent think they can take the big guy over there.”

Misha lets out a laugh so startled and delighted it’s obvious she didn’t fix the numbers. Devon watches as Brutus squints at her, then huffs in irritation, satisfied at her genuine reaction.

And he’s right, is the thing. Misha didn’t sabotage Brutus’ numbers — Devon did.

Each of them agreed to a limit of one interference, and made a pact not to boost their own mentor in the ranks, as that would be far too obvious. What Misha clearly did not understand, but Devon does, is that as much as he idolizes his mentor, killing Brutus’ results is far, far funnier.

And now it’s Claudius’ turn to frown at the results. “Huh,” he says slowly. “More people think they can fight me than —“

To his credit, he stops, but nobody in this room was Reaped yesterday. Petra pushes herself off her chair and snatches the papers out of his hands without a word. “Interesting,” she says crisply. “Innnnteresting. 45% for Claudius, 38% for me.”

Huh indeed. Petra is very much a badass, but Devon would swear that nobody in the Capitol remembers the girl with the mace, covered with blood and screaming for survival —

Misha catches his eye and twitches her eyelid in the briefest of winks before turning back to her autographs.

Huh. Looks like both of them did something unexpected with their given sabotage.

“Okay look.” Claudius holds up both hands. “You are a stone-cold badass. You hold the kill record, I am not arguing your numbers. But forty-five? Half? Half the Capitol thinks they could take me?”

“Perhaps they read the question incorrectly,” Callista suggests. Lyme chokes on her brandy and gives her an absolutely murderous glare, but Claudius only blinks at her. And yeah, the day Claudius gets a sex joke on the first try is the day Lyme dances ballet in a tutu. “Never mind, darling.”

Petra scans the rest of the page, nose wrinkled. “23% think they could defeat Odair. It’s an even spread of 30% for the One siblings. Did they even watch the Games, or just buy the fashion spreads?”

A shared look flickers across the gathering, quick as lightning, before Petra glances up. “The people remember what they want to remember,” Odin says, an understatement for the century, but Petra screws up her face in distaste and does not argue. He glances over her shoulder, eyebrows creeping into his hair. “And we must assume there is something of the ego, as well. 12% for me, my goodness.”

The packet makes it around the circle with mostly predictable results, a few outliers — far too many people think they could fight Emory, a fact she takes with good grace and Petra with outrage, and Johanna Mason apparently has the Capitol unduly terrified for a woman her size. There’s a tense moment when Enobaria learns she’s second on the list to Lyme and everyone braces for a scrap, but she only scoffs.

“They’re afraid of carbs.” Enobaria rolls her eyes. “They think a seven-minute workout will give them muscles like Nero. They don’t know anything. If we really want to know who’s stronger we can take it outside anytime.” Lyme raises her glass in salute, a rare moment of camaraderie.

“So,” Devon says that night, curled around Misha under the quilt. They’ve cracked the window for air, and crickets sing in the grass below. “Did you tank Claudius, or boost Petra?”

Her cheek stretches in a smile against his forehead. “I’m not telling.”

“I can’t believe people actually think they can beat any of us in a fight, though. Even Caleb, or Woof. Have you seen him when he’s sleeping?” Devon yawns. “You walk past his chair and he’ll crack your kneecap with that truncheon he keeps in his cupholder.”

“Eh. It was good fun. Plus it’s nice to remind everyone we’re dangerous.” Misha runs her fingers through Devon’s hair, nails dragging lightly across his scalp. “We could kill them all, if we wanted. We just choose not to. That’s why they pretend like they could fight us.”

There’s something about that, Devon thinks, something Brutus wouldn’t like, but Misha’s hand is soothing and his blanket cocoon is warm, and he sinks into sleep before the thought can fully form. If he forgets in the morning it can’t be that important, anyway.

[knight-rider-fan-2000]

Mutuality

Summary: Kitt freezes during situations that Michael is sure an AI touted to be smarter than he is shouldn't be freezing in. Michael takes this complaint to Bonnie and eventually to Kitt himself.

(Takes place early season 1)

Word count: 1774

“Bonnie, could you take a look at Kitt’s. . . I don’t know, situational awareness?”

Bonnie gave Michael a rather strange look and stood up from her chair. The debrief was over anyway, (Devon having just left), so it would make sense for her to be leaving, but the timing still felt threatening.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Oh, just uh, something out during the last mission.”

“Like what?”

Okay, so maybe he’d skimped the full extent of the danger during his recount of mission events. “Well, you see, Kitt and I ended up off the roadway. We were racing towards certain doom for me and he seemed to. . . freeze up. I’m lucky I thought of a way to stop our momentum before we reached the cliffside. Isn’t he programmed to protect me from accidents?”

“A cliffside? How steep was the incline down to it?”

“Steep, trust me.”

“Too steep for the brakes?”

“Oh, definitely.”

“And you’re saying that Kitt wasn’t responding?”

“Well, he was, but he was only saying things like ‘look at that cliff’ and ‘that fall will kill you’. Real helpful stuff!” Michael snapped. “You said this car would protect me and he has so far, but if this kinda thing keeps up, I can’t be so sure anymore. So fix him, would you?”

Bonnie let her mouth fall open, before fixing her expression into a glare. “First of all, don’t use that tone with me.”

“Well sorry, but when my life is on the line-!”

“Second of all, you don’t know the full story, so before you go blaming Kitt for not being omniscient, why don’t you think long and hard about how you can prevent yourself from hurtling off cliffs in the future!”

Bonnie stormed from the office. Michael didn’t follow. Instead, he lingered around the main office. He’d already been settled into this new job for a few months now, but the mansion still held many surprises and interesting choices of decor. Not that he was that interested in furniture, but it was better than following too close to the fuming mechanic.

Eventually, though, his comm beeped. He answered it.

“Michael, could you come down to the garage for a moment?” Kitt’s voice came through.

“Is Bonnie asking for me?” 

“No, Bonnie isn’t here right now, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Michael ended the call. He paused for a good, long moment before he made his way to the main garage. Sure enough, Kitt was telling the truth. Bonnie was gone, leaving Kitt sitting alone, glimmering under the harsh ceiling lights.

“There you are. There’s a chair on the left for you, or you can sit inside my cabin. Whichever you prefer.” Kitt greeted him.

Michael forgot his anger for a moment and almost snorted at the idea of the chair. He shook his head and gestured to the driver door. Kitt opened it without a word and Michael slid in.

“Bonnie told me that you needed to be informed in greater detail of my abilities, specifically my processing capabilities, but first I wanted to apologize.”

Kitt’s interior lights were dimmed somehow, and Michael wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not. Either way, it made him feel guilty in a way that he didn’t understand. He found the button for controlling the dash lights and adjusted the interior back to its usual glow. 

“Apologize for what?”

“I’d been meaning to apologize ever since the incident, I just wasn’t sure how. I wasn’t sure how angry you would be and I was hoping that if I didn’t mention it, you would forget about it. You haven’t. Most dangers in your life you seem to ignore, but this one has rattled you more than you let on.” 

“We were hurtling off a cliff and you didn’t do a thing about it.”

“Which leads me into this discussion,” Kitt’s interior lights dimmed me again, “about my capabilities.”

“Did Bonnie fix you up?”

“There was nothing to fix. I’m operating exactly as I was intended to. Therein lies the problem. I’ll try not to get too technical, but Bonnie and I believe that helping you understand how it is that I operate will prevent further misunderstandings on missions.”

“So she put you up to this. She couldn’t even chew me out herself?”

“No, I was the one who suggested the idea.” Kitt said forcefully. “Bonnie did want to ‘chew you out’, as you say, but I didn’t want her to. You’re perfectly within reason for being upset at me and you deserve to know why. May I explain?”

Michael blinked once at the center console. In all their time together so far, Kitt never conceded to anything, at least never without significant arguing or teasing. After a few more moments of silence, he realized Kitt was waiting for his approval. He nodded.

Kitt wasted no time. “My operating system is heavily reliant on something called advanced machine learning. In essence, it allows me to learn from experience, similar to how a human would. It also allows me to react to situations outside of any programmed parameters, drawing on any relevant prior experiences to make the correct judgment.”

“Okay, yeah, you think like a human. Got it.” He nodded again.

“No, I don’t.” Kitt contradicted. “I think like a computer, because I am a computer. Such a learning matrix simply allows me to be constantly rewriting myself to fit with the situation at hand.”

“Sounds busy.” Michael cracked an attempt to lighten the mood, but Kitt did not seem to register his comment at all.

“Michael, I draw from previous experience and current inputs in order to make decisions. If one of those two things are lacking, then. . .”

Kitt’s voice faded out, something which disturbed Michael. He fought to suppress a shiver, and, before he knew it, he put a hand on the steering wheel.

“If one of those two things are lacking,” Kitt started again, “I can’t effectively respond to the situation at hand. I’m compromised. That’s what happened on our way to the cliffside the other day.”

Michael didn’t know what to say. He’d always known that he was the better one at improvisation, and that Kitt was a horrible guesser sometimes, but this. . . this didn’t seem right.

“I’m programmed with a variety of parameters to which I can rely on in a dangerous situation, but like any other computer, I’m limited to the oversight of my programmer in those scenarios.” Kitt’s voice tried to regain a more clinical tone, but it still grew quieter in volume. 

“. . . I see.” 

“I’ve gotten Bonnie to print out a manual that further details the exacts of my automated responses. I want you to read it so you know how I will respond in certain scenarios. Being prepared for my-”

“Kitt, I know you.” Michael interrupted. 

The AI was silent for a moment. “Knowing how I operate will-”

Michael couldn’t place it, but the way Kitt was talking about himself as if he was just another computer was just flat-out incorrect, so he spat, “No, I know you!”

Kitt’s voice modulator froze mid-flash before resuming its normal resting position. Michael put his other hand on the steering wheel and grasped it firmly.

“I don’t need to read about you in some manual,” he sighed, “because I know you. You’re my car. And now that we’ve had this little chat, I know a little bit more, so I’ll be prepared for next time.”

“But Michael, I don’t understand. My limitations put you in danger. Surely you’d want to know of all the other circumstances where my behavior could threaten your well-being?”

The words hurt worse than a well-placed gut punch, and Michael suddenly realized how stupid he’d been.

“You’re not a threat to me. If anything, my own human stupidity puts us in danger more than anything.” Michael lowered his hands from the steering wheel. “And just because you think a different way doesn’t mean it’s bad, or putting me in danger, or anything.”

“Go on.”

“I mean, you understand things and do things that I can’t wrap my head around. It’s the same for you then, right?”

“Correct, but-”

“Then it isn’t fair to ask you to be like I am. You’ve had to catch up on all my ‘human’ stuff; who’s to say I can’t adapt to all your. . .” Michael vaguely gestured to Kitt’s dashboard, “this.”

“Is that feasible? I mean, you’re certainly not my technician.”

“Partners cover each others’ weaknesses.” The assertion spilled out of Michael’s mouth before he even had a chance to think about it.

“I’m not supposed to have any.”

“Hey, I have to stay useful somehow.”

“I never meant to imply you weren’t.”

“Good! I’d have started to feel real out-classed if you did.” Michael patted the dashboard. “You’ve got my back, and I’ve got yours. Good chat?”

Kitt hummed. “Yes, Michael. ‘Good chat’.”

Michael smiled. He reached for the door handle, but before he could grab it the door opened the perfect amount to allow him to slide out. At some point, Kitt has learned his preference. Michael now wondered if there were little things about Kitt that he could learn in return. They were partners, after all, even if the idea of being partnered with a car still sat somewhat awkward in his head.

He paused in the doorway out of the garage and looked back at the black Trans Am. The molecular something-or-another bounced the light right off of its surface, but if he squinted he could perhaps see a bit of a smudge just off the hood.

“Say, you like getting waxed, right? Do cars like wax?”

“I don’t need such care. My molecular-bonded shell will never get a scratch.”

“Didn’t answer my question. Would you like it?”

“Can’t say. As I said, I’ve never needed such care. Though I suppose having such attention directed at my bodywork couldn’t be a bad thing.”

Michael shrugged, before turning back into the garage. “Let’s find out.”

—

Thirty minutes in, Bonnie entered the garage. She lost any huff she had about her. She jokingly scoffed at the rag he was holding, handed him a buffer that had been tucked away on one of the back shelves, and left.

Two hours later, Kitt emerged from the garage almost unbearably shiny. Michael had thought it impossible for a car to preen in sunlight, but Kitt was sure managing to make it seem that way. Was that overly imaginative? Maybe not.

“Now, let’s make sure to not go hurtling off any more cliffs, huh, partner?” Michael said.

“Partner. I do like how that sounds.”

“Me too. Me too.”

[staysaneathome]

Five Ways Gertrude Robinson Didn’t Die (And One Way She Did)

(TW for Murder)

1) Martin

Martin doesn’t know why the Archivist has called him down here.

He’s just a library assistant, not even one of the good ones. Sure, Diana has a soft spot for him, his willing ear and eagerness to please, but he knows that she’s still quietly correcting his misfilings, his mistakes, making excuses whenever someone else asks why he’s so useless.

Martin has taken great pains to ensure he’s never ever anything more interesting than a kind smile and a cheery word.

There is no reason for the Archivist to call him down to the Archives.

“He-hello?” The Archives seem to swallow the word, stacks upon stacks of files and loose paper and— “Mrs, Mrs. Robinson? Is. Is anyone here?”

“Ah, Mr. Blackwood.”

Martin can’t help it. He yelps at the sound of the voice behind him, spinning on his heel and almost knocking over an entire stack of folders.

Mrs. Robinson smiles genially, her age wearing her like the particularly fluffy cardigan she’s got on.

“Apologies, Mr. Blackwood, didn’t mean to startle you. If you’d just come with me to my office, it’s just through here. Please, watch your step, we’re a bit of a mess down here.”

“A bit of a mess” is a bit of an understatement, if Martin’s putting it kindly. Still, he does his best to navigate his way after Mrs. Robinson to the Head Archivist’s office.

“Sit down, Mr. Blackwood.” Mrs. Robinson says.

Martin sits.

There’s a tape recorder on the desk. Martin doesn’t think he’s seen one of those since…gosh, maybe his teens? And even then that’d been on the shelf of a pawn shop as he tried to see if their nice plates could fetch anything to contribute to the bills.

“So, Mr. Blackwood,” Mrs. Robinson says, interrupting his gawking. “Is this your first time down in the Archives? What do you think?”

“Oh! Oh, it’s,” He laughs nervously, hating himself for the habit. “It’s very, ah? Impressive? Size wise? I don’t think we have half as many books in the library as you do down here—not that you have. Books. I meant. Files, by comparison. Yep.”

Mrs. Robinson nods sagely. “The Institute’s Archives contain material that dates back to 1816. As you can imagine, it’s quite a lot for me to try to manage now my previous assistants have…retired. I’m afraid I could use some help down here, Mr. Blackwood.”

She peers up at him from behind her glasses, reminding him of his Nan before Dad left and Mum cut off contact with his side of the family, all frail and sweet. “And Diane speaks very highly of you and your work ethic. Would you be interested in transferring to the Archives?”

There’s a large part of Martin that urges him to help this poor old lady. She clearly, desperately needs it. He’s almost surprised she hasn’t had a box or ten fall on her already.

But there’s another part of him that stops his immediate agreement. One that’s kept his head above water before.

“U,um.” Martin fidgets, knowing what he wants to ask but blushing at needing to do so. “Could, could, I? Hm, sorry, but, can I ask how much a, an archival assistant, uh, makes? As, as a wage?”

Does Mrs. Robinson’s smile twitch a bit, or was that his imagination?

“It is only £17,500 per year.” She demurs, “But I’m sure I could have a word with Director Bouchard, add another thousand or so onto that.”

Martin, who currently earns £23,490 per year as a library assistant and pours most of it into his Mum’s care home in Devon, has regrettably already made his mind up with that.

“Tha-thank you for the offer, Mrs. Robinson.” Martin says, timidly. “But, but I’m afraid I don’t think I’ve got the, the skills to be an archival assistant. An, and I, I’m not sure I could afford to move down to a lower salary, not with, with my Mum, and, um, yeah. I, I’m sorry?”

Mrs. Robinson nods, frowning understandingly.

Then she leans forward and presses the “record” button on the machine between them. “Statement of Martin Blackwood, regarding his education and work experience. Statement begins.”

And Martin speaks.

He speaks about things he’d never tell anyone about. Has never told anyone about. He speaks about his Dad leaving, there one day and gone the next. He speaks about his Mum, and her illness, how it took and took and took from her until her smiles turned brittle, and her words turned sharp, and her company turned sour as Martin grew. He speaks about not having enough to eat, to waking up one day to the water being shut off, to trying to calculate the budget and bills again and again and always, always ending up in the red. He speaks about realizing that homework and school and friends were not luxuries he could afford anymore, about searching for someone, anyone who would employ a boy of thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years for something more substantial than a few pounds.

And he speaks about lying. About lying about his age first. He’s a big lad, everyone’s always said so, so what if he can pass for seventeen, eighteen, twenty? At least he can earn minimum wage, keep their heads above water. About lying about his qualifications. Small ones at first, pretending he has a high school diploma. But you can’t get far on that anymore, not like you could in his mum’s day, so small lies become bigger. A technical degree. A bachelor’s. A master’s in parapsychology. Whatever will make him the ideal candidate, the best person for the job, the one who can keep paying for that expensive care home in Devon that Mum wanted.

He speaks even when tears begin pooling in his eyes and spilling down his cheeks. He speaks even as he tries to bite through his own tongue to halt the damning truths, to get rid of the burning gaze fixing him in place, to make it stop.

By the time Mrs. Robinson leans forward to press “stop” on the tape recorder, Martin’s gasping for air, face hot and sticky.

She somehow doesn’t look quite so soft and fluffy anymore.

“Thank you, Mr. Blackwood.” She says, brusquely. “Now, here is what is going to happen. I am going to send Diana and Director Bouchard an email, stating that you have agreed to a department transfer. You will be called up to Director Bouchard’s office to sign the requisite paperwork, and begin work in the Archives next Monday. If you don’t, or attempt to breathe any word of what happened here today to anyone, I’m afraid I will have to release the contents of this tape to HR, and then where will your mother be, Mr. Blackwood? Why with this evidence, would you be able to even get a minimum wage position after this? Think of your mother, Mr. Blackwood.”

Martin is, Martin is, Martin can hardly think of anything else at the moment, his head pounding as his eyes burn and tears continue to pour down his cheeks with every sob.

“Do you understand, Mr. Blackwood? Mr. Black—?”

Martin doesn’t quite know what happens next.

One moment, he’s listening to an old woman attempting to blackmail him into accepting a department transfer.

The next, he’s standing with a tape recorder covered in blood and hair clutched in one fist, breathing hard, staring down at—at—!

Oh god.

Oh, god.

What’s he done?

What has he done?

Martin’s a practical lad. He’s had to be, ever since he realized doing what he was supposed to wouldn’t make Mum better or sort their money problems.

So the first thing he does is fish the tape out of the recorder, shoving it in his pocket.

He desperately wants to throw the damn thing to the floor and stamp on it, but what if the police have some way to read it? No, no, something in the back of his head says, best to take it with him and find a more permanent way to destroy it later.

Then he gathers up the recorder and the corpse of Gertrude Robinson, trying his best not to gag, and takes it with him to the Archives’ breakroom.

There’s not much in the office fridge. Just an egg and cress sandwich, which very easily joins the bottle of milk in the fridge door. Thankfully the shelving slides out easily enough, and can be propped up against the back wall.

It’s hard to corral all of Gertrude Robinson’s limbs into behaving, but eventually she’s part jammed, part squashed into the empty cavity and all Martin has to do is turn the fridge down to as low as it will go.

He spares a final look at the old woman. “I’m. I’m sorry, I, I didn’t want—I, I, never, I didn’t mean—!”

Her corpse grants him no forgiveness. So Martin closes the fridge with a heavy heart.

Making the tea relaxes him a bit, even as he knows the second cup will never be drunk. Still, he at least tries to enjoy half of the first before splattering his jumper as best he can with the second.

It doesn’t cover the bloodstains quite as he’d hoped. Still, the pungent smell of over-brewed Assam and flecks of tea on his shirt collar should waylay some suspicion as he pulls his jumper off, turns it inside out, and carefully ties it around his waist, making sure no incriminating marks are easily visible.

He washes up the cups and his face, leaves the crockery on the drying board behind him as he hunts for the final things he needs.

Luck seems to be on his side, as something in him directs him to grab a box of files which has a second tape and recorder containing just what he needs at the end. He shoves the mangled murder weapon to the bottom.

Lying to the cameras is just like lying to people, Martin tries to tell himself. Just show them what they expect to see—useless, bumbling Martin Blackwood being shooed away from a mess he’s made again—and no one will be any the wiser. It’ll be fine. Mum will be fine.

“Sorry again about the documents, Mrs. Robinson!” He blusters at the entrance to the Archives, turning to look down the empty stairwell as if he’s speaking to someone standing there. “Are, are you sure, is there anything else I could help with before I go?”

“Mm.” Goes Gertrude Robinson on the tape recorder, condescending and dismissive. “No, no, not at the moment, thank you.”

Martin presses the stop button as quietly as he can before the hapless “Michael” can reply on the tape, hopes the camera didn’t catch the movement of his hand. “Right! Right, I’ll just…right. See you later!”

He turns away from the door and walks down the hallway at his normal pace, listening to it bang shut behind him as if closed by an irate archivist.

It’s borderline torture, making himself go back up to the library and go about work as usual, pausing only to stuff the incriminating jumper, tape, and recorder into his backpack. He keeps thinking, with every glance that Diana and Hannah and Rosie, and all the people on the street and on tube on the way home shoot him, they know, they know, they’re just waiting for the right time to accuse him, they know, they Know.

Still, Martin’s spent most of his life operating with this mantra on repeat in his ears. So he thinks he does an alright job of pretending everything’s normal as he journeys home at the end of the day.

He’s just got to get to his flat. He can get in, destroy the last of the evidence, and even if the police call him in for questioning, hopefully enough time will have gone by that with his improvised alibi on the CCTV, he won’t remain under suspicion for long.

He finds Director Elias Bouchard waiting outside his door.

“Ah, Martin.” The Head of the Magnus Institute says, with gleaming, piercing, all-knowing eyes and a smile that’s all teeth. “Just the man I was hoping to see. Why don’t you and I have a little chat?”

Martin can’t keep back a whimper.

[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)

[galindathegay]

...But if I had to indulge my feelings for a bit. If I had to react at all to what Lore told me.

It's absolute fucking shock.

She said that she realized after Devon's and my wedding that "things between us weren't going to work out" so she panicked and broke up with me to save her own marriage. I asked for clarification, "Things between you and me wouldn't work out, right?"

"No. Between me and [wife's name]."

"...Oh," was how I responded. And then we moved forward in the conversation.

But she said that she loved me. She was happy with me. She was happier with me than she was with her wife. But she wanted to salvage her marriage, so she ended things with me and cut contact.

Which led me down my path of shame because I thought I was the one who fucked everything up. But I was innocent. I did nothing. If anything, I actually fucking encouraged them to work on things while Lore and I were dating. I believed they would work out.

And none of it fucking mattered. Because her marriage still ended, and I still cheated on my husband in a fit of... what. Grief? Loneliness? Self-sabotage? Over lies other people told me to fill in the gaps Lore left behind.¹

My therapist said that what Lore did to me was brutal. It's a miracle she isn't asking for a second chance. To own her mistakes that much means that what she did weighs a lot on her. But it was still traumatic, and it's something that warrants attention.

Part of me thinks that what she did was a mercy. I'm happy she shut me out if it meant she was trying to work on her relationship with her wife. It would have gutted me if she had left L for me.

But could she have at least fucking told me? That's all I want from people. To talk to me! Why do people praise me for being kind and understanding only to avoid being fucking honest with me? And if she loved me!!

Mind you, I'm juggling this alongside - and I want to reiterate this - understanding that she felt like she needed to make a choice. If Devon had told me he wanted a divorce because Lore (or, fuck it, Joe) was a distraction, I'd most likely do the same thing because Devon has been in my life longer, and I love him. So while this whole situation makes my head spin when I closely examine it, I'm mainly just happy I have my friend back. I'm actually honestly much happier in general now.

...

¹Speaking of lies. Apparently I got duped by someone who supposedly was someone I could trust! Big surprise! In October 2021, the shadowcast we were both a part of was doing a local show. I brought my (now ex-)friend Talia and her girlfriend Scarlet with me because they loved Rocky. I was honestly just there to have fun. Little did I know, there's this whole thing about exes not supposed to be within 50 miles of each other (sounds made up to me), so things were awkward. Even though I was still technically a cast member. Whatever.

After the show, Talia excitedly ran up to me and said, "Lore wants to talk to you!" Which got me really hyped up because finally, I would get an answer from Lore about why things ended and maybe get my friend back. I wasn't expecting it. It sounded too perfect. But I ran backstage, where I found Lore on her own.

I couldn't decipher the expression in her eyes, especially since she was wearing a mask. I just instantly knew I had done something wrong.

A week later was when we had a very tense conversation, which only left me with more questions. (At the time she said that she broke up with me because of communication issues in her marriage, but what she and I had was "just a lot of fun". So...was I really meant to be a fling? Why did she pick the Human Heart to have a fling with? Was she a sadist?)

Umm. Turns out Lore wasn't even ready to have that conversation in October 2021. She had told another cast member explicitly she was not ready to talk to me. (Which I would have respected. A good dog knows when to heel.) That cast member, though, told my friend - someone who, by the way, was a complete and total stranger except to the one Jewish queer person in the cast, and they were nowhere in sight - that Lore did want to talk to me! Why? Because "the break-up was tearing the cast apart". NO IT WASN'T!!! YOU WERE JUST BEING NOSEY!!

She couldn't have picked the worst person to play Telephone with, either. Talia suddenly had all the ammo she needed to try to coerce me into a relationship with her after Lore cut me deeper.

People really seem to love competing in the Bullshit Olympics on my behalf. Wish they'd stop.

[backmaskcd]

(Devon Bostick) [THE FOLLOW THROUGH]. Please welcome [BAILEY STONE (HE/HIM)] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [33]-year-old [VISITOR] who lives in [TOWN]. You may see them around working as a [MANAGER AT COIN LAUNDRY]. They are looking for [CADENCE & CRIMSON STONE] their [SISTERS] Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive. 

Full Name: Bailey Sargent Stone Birthday: November 13 Age: 33 Hunter or Gatherer: Hunter Sexuality: It's complicated (but bisexual) Height: 6'0 Relationship Status: Single

Being a Stone had a lot of ups and downs - and even from a young age, Bailey was just doing his best to keep his head above water. He loved his siblings, but it was hard to deny the fact that their parents were rarely around, and when they were, everything became a competition. If you weren't the best, it didn't really feel like the love was distributed evenly.

Exceedingly bright, a lot of his education was fast tracked; whether that was for his benefit or that of his parents, it was best left unsaid. However, that also meant that at eighteen, Bailey found himself positioned just so to start working for his parents while still taking a few classes online.

He very strategically placed himself just a few steps behind Cadence in many ways, partly because he figured this way, he would have a smidge more freedom than she had, and this was partly true - he got to go into public relations, however it was still pretty contained to people in their net. Bailey didn't mind, for the most part - it meant he didn't have to worry about when he'd have work.

There was a particular client that Cadence sent his way; they were a B list actor for sure, but they had the most difficult time making decisions. Bailey was excellent at making decisions, so after whatever mess she had to tidy up was finished, it was up to Bailey to keep them in line. Which worked just fine for him.

While working for this celebrity, Bailey met his first (and only) serious boyfriend. He'd dated around a little, but this was different. He feel hard, and the pair of them were nearly inseparable. However, as time went one, he slowly started forcing small changes within who Bailey was. Anything Bailey wanted to do was frivolous, or silly, and everything his boyfriend wanted to do was correct. Bailey's feelings took a backseat to what his boyfriend needed, and soon something that brought him immense joy made him absolutely miserable. Things got more and more controlling, and Bailey practically lost himself in the mindless agreements and passive care role he'd been forced into.

The breakup was hard, and Bailey just needed to take some time to himself after that entire situation. Being fairly turned off by the idea of dating someone who could control him so much, he all but decided he would never date a man again. He needed to get out, and that's how, in the fall of 2015, he wound up in Huntsville, and found Cadence again who he hadn't heard from in almost a year.

Huntsville is very slow and boring compared to the life Bailey was used to, but he's almost completely adjusted by now. Balancing a goofy personality with the serious nature he was brought up with, he misses the ability to micromanage someone, but out of fear of turning into the man who all but ruined him, he hasn't tried dating at all, though he insists he isn't lonely.

[eviexstratford]

So Watch Me Fly | Self-Para

Evelyn was terrified. Which she knew was to be expected. It had been a wonderful visit, even though she had actually missed Gray’s presence at their home. She could at least be happy in the fact that she was indeed giving her poor sister a break from their parent’s relentless bothering. And, now that they had seen for themselves that she was happy and healthy and doing well, they would ease up. So that had been good, and seeing her friends again? Nothing could have been more perfect. She and Landry continued on as if no time at all had past, as best friends did. And Devon? After a bit of awkwardness and obvious lingering guilt on his part, they went on much the same as well. Like the life-long friends that they all were. But too quickly those wonderfully rare few days of catching up were gone, and now it was time. And Evie wondered if she could really do this..

Don't know why I'm frightened I know my way around here

It was time. They had done as they’d planned, Devon going out first and a small bit on his own before she was ‘introduced’ and joined him. In those precious few moments, she took that time to collect herself.

But I'm not in any hurry And I need a moment

To look down at the exquisite costume that Elijah had lovingly and perfectly made, it’s vibrant reds and oranges designed to complement the Flamenco music that she and Dev had chosen. And she had been right, it was almost like he was there with her. Before she knew it though, it was time. One more deep breath and then she was gliding towards Devon on the ice, her smile wide as her ears nearly throbbed from the deafening applause. That was all for her ‘big’ intro, as there would be time for bows later. Now, without missing a beat, she took his hand as they went into the routine that they had been practicing (under the watchful eye of their coach this time) for months. And..it was perfect. Flawless, just as their countless practices had led up to. It made it all worth it, the rushed pain in the butt weekends that she had spent, flying from school to the rink only to fly back again before she felt like they had even accomplished anything. Obviously they had, as Evie was in her element. Shimmering and sparkling, and not just her costume. She herself sparkled as she always had, becoming one with the sounds of Charo’s Caliente’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QgrirVDH1Y

She and Dev locked eyes and hands, flying apart only to come together again, the chemistry that had always been between them even more evident as they completed the more sensual steps towards the end. Then it was over, at once almost as fast as it started while also seeming to last forever. Devon dipped her before bringing them nose-to-nose as the music ended with the same flourish as they did, laughing and breathless. They parted then, Dev keeping hold of her hand as they took their bows. Her name was chanted, yelled. Signs were held up and roses were already being tossed onto the ice. It really was almost as if she had never left.. The two of them, still hand and hand, then glided off the rink and into the waiting arms of their coaches and friends.

I'm trembling now You can't know how I've missed you

The break was a short one but she enjoyed it. Watching Landry work her magic on the ice was always something special, and she had a moment to text her parents and Jason in the crowds before it was time to go change for her solo skate. This one..it was special. She had designed her costume herself, a confection of ice blue velvet shot through with silver threads that cascaded onto the flowing chiffon skirt. It would make her shimmer once again but in way this time. This was the Evie people were used to seeing: fragile but strong, delicate but capable. Charming and captivating and maybe even a bit theatrical. ‘Flamenco Evelyn’ had given them something different but this was what they were all here to see. The two sides of her; fire and ice. It was ice’s time now, and she was ready. Music that she had carefully chosen swelled as she glided onto the ice once more, the ice her home and the crowds her family.

I'm coming out of make-up The lights already burning Not long until the cameras will start turning And the early morning madness And the magic in the making Yes, everything is as if we never said goodbye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5erci6mNvQ

The words of the song resonated with her, as did the emotional tone of the singer. Which was why she had picked this version, though it may not have been one of the more common or popular ones. It suited her and that made it hers. Evie started strong and stayed strong, the routine that she had a hand in choreographing like second nature to her now. She knew what was coming, and what’s more..she knew that she was ready for her. Closing her eyes, she sent a prayer to whoever happened to be listening and then simply..went for it. Small body torquing and turning at her will, Evelyn counted the rotations. One, two, three, and then, miraculously..four. She had done it; she had landed a quad! Tears of joy and pride streamed down her face as she finished the routine, this time ending with a soft and graceful bow. Yes, she had done it. She had reached past the pain and darkness of that first year or so after her accident, reached into a place of light and strength and accomplished something she never dreamt that she would. 

And this time will be bigger And brighter than we knew it So watch me fly, we all know I can do it

Pale eyes shimmered with tears as Evelyn looked into the crowds once more, the faces of her friends and family coming into focus as if they were the ones spot lit. She made her waves and blew her kisses, then simply stood and took it all in. Basking in the love of not only those who were there but those who couldn’t be, but whose love had still just as much brought here there. They had brought her to this point and she would be nothing without any of them. After mouthing a final ‘thank you’, she once more skated off the rink and into Landry and Dev’s waiting arms. Yes she was home, but there was also another home in her life now. And she couldn’t wait to get back to it and share her triumph with the new family in her life. She could do that now, knowing she would be back. Her life..was just where it was supposed to be.

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