#(and Ed visits when she can and they’re all happy the end)

[ghostbeam]

Faye makes me so fucking sad I hate everything

[poppadom0912]

🥐 jay halstead fic where reader is kim's or sylvie's younger sister and she meets jay at kim or sylvie birthday party at molly's and takes liking to jay and her sister notices it and makes it her mission to get them together

maybe with some playful cheeky teasing from jay before he makes a move 🤭

A/N: Thank you so much for ordering. I ended up writing much more than I intended and I kinda struggled to put in some teasing but I hope it's okay. Please enjoy!!

🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐

You were a little tipsy.

Work had been horrible. Today had probably been a record-breaking day in the labour and delivery ward but somehow, all of your patients had faced an ailment and some babies also struggled. You and your team were confident in your abilities but there was still the unease of what could happen overnight.

But today was your sisters birthday and nothing was going to get in your way of celebrating and making tonight all about her.

All the people important to her were in the firehouse and so tonight would be a big celebration with everyone and you’d take her out later in the week.

She hadn’t paid for any of her drinks, the one rule you had placed because obviously, its her birthday.

As the night progressed, Sylvie got more and more drunk but she deserved to have fun. And as the night went on, Molly’s got more and more busy as all the first responders started piling in after their shifts.

You recognised a few of the doctors and nurses from the ED and you heard Matt greeting a few men who you remember being part of ‘Intelligence.’

At one point, you found yourself talking with April and Maggie before you heard Sylvie calling for you across the bar.

Adhering to her calls, you made your way towards your sister who had the giddiest smile on her face, cheeks rosy and hair still somehow perfectly intact.

“Hey hey hey, can you pleeeassse get me some rosé?” She asked nicely, the most innocent expression on her face.

“Sure!” You nodded, feigning agreement as you turned to Hermann. “Can we have some water please. I think we’re done now Hermann.”

You pretended not to hear Sylvie’s ‘cries’ in despair, melodramatically acting as if it was the worst thing in the world you had inflicted on her.

You only received a sound of acknowledgement from Hermann who was swamped in orders.

“Oh hey, happy birthday Sylvie.” A sudden presence at your side appeared out of literal nowhere, smiling at your sister who was slowly getting out of it.

“Aww, thank you so much Jay- Omg Jay this is my sister Y/N, she works at Med.”

You turned to look at this ‘Jay’ and-

Oh wow- what a handsome looking specimen.

“Hi-“

“His brother is Will, they’re brothers Y/N.” Sylvie stressed, as if that idea was unbelievable.

“Oh, hey I’m Y/N. I think Will’s mentioned you a few times, you’re the accident-prone brother right?”

Jay chuckled, rolling his eyes at your words but there was no harm behind it. “Yeah, he’s exaggerating but yep, that’s me, nice to meet you. Sylvie’s mentioned you a few times as well.”

You were not expecting that. When on earth did Sylvie ever have the time to have full on conversations with a detective?

“All nice things I hope.”

“Don’t worry.” Jay assured you, his eyes not leaving yours even as he spoke of your sister. “She’s only said the best things and anyone related to Sylvie is definitely going to be an angel.”

You were speechless. A man who was technically still a stranger was being the nicest any stranger could be. You couldn’t help but feel heat rush up to your cheeks.

You giggled, trying to ignore your reddening cheeks. “That’s so sweet, thank you so much.”

This back-and-forth exchange only continued and the water you ordered went forgotten. Unbeknownst to both of you, Sylvie who was still sat next to you, was watching all of this unfold and despite her drunkenness, she took everything you-related very seriously.

And by the looks of it, she was about to play matchmaker again.

🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐

You were visiting Sylvie at the firehouse on one of your days off. Everything had been normal, Sylvie was being her usual self until the firehouse received some visitors.

You recognised the three detectives walking into the firehouse, one of which increased your intrigue.

Sylvie didn’t miss your straying eyes as the passed by the bunk rooms.

Sylvie gasped in her usual dramatic style, scaring you to bits.

“Oh my gosh Sylvie!” You slapped her on the arm, shoving her face away when she kept coming towards you. “Sylvie you weirdo!”

“Y/N!” She shook you, probably jostling your brain while she was at it.

“You have a crush~” She said in song, the most stupidest smile on her face.

“You’re such a child.” You tutted, slapping her again on the shoulder. “Stop it you weird child.”

So she listened and stopped… for now at least.

Her smile remained stuck on her face and the blush remained on your cheeks.

Oh, this was getting good. Sylvie knew exactly what to do.

🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐

Sylvie just so happened to be at Med then next time you saw Jay.

You were taking a break and went outside the emergency department where they had a really expensive coffee cart when you bumped into Jay.

Apparently, he had just finished interviewing a suspect who just had an accident, he caught up with his brother and was now waiting for his partner to finish up inside.

That left the two of you outside alone.

He kept you company in the line and when you went to pay for your coffee, his hand equipped with his card came flying out of nowhere, paying for your coffee.

The audacity of this man.

“Ah- excuse me.” You scoffed, almost frozen in shock as he took the coffee when you didn’t move, gently ushering you away so the line could keep moving. He hand on your waist totally didn’t do anything to you.

Jay hummed, raising an eyebrow with that smirk on his face, imploring you to try it.

You wanted to smack that stupid smirk off his face for good. This silly man had such a grip of the butterflies in your stomach just with his facial expressions.

You were speechless. You had no words to say to him so instead, you went to go grab the coffee cup out of his hand when he took a sip, eye contact maintained the entire time and gave it to you with a smug smile on his face as that single sip of coffee from your cup had fulfilled him.

You failed to pick up your jaw. You simply took a sip from the coffee that was yours.

Sylvie also failed to pick up her jaw from the ground, stood frozen several feet away from you two.

Maybe she didn’t have to intervene after all.  

🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐

Sylvie had one goal to achieve today and it wasn’t for this party to be perfect. No, Sylvie was going to get you and Jay to finally make a proper move and get you guys to start dating.

She was sick and tired of the endless flirting that went nowhere and she couldn’t look at your lovesick face whenever Jay was in your vicinity.

All would be fixed today, on your birthday.

Sylvie wanted to go all out because you were her sister and an amazing party with friends is the least you deserved. So yes, she still wanted this party to be perfect, but that was on the side for the meantime.

Sylvie had this all planned out so meticulously that even Matt side eyed her warily.

She claimed that she was too busy setting everything up at her apartment and needed someone to go pick you up. It ‘just so happened’ that she invited Jay and incidentally told him to come earlier than when the party was actually meant to start.

She was the perfect actor, gasping in near horror when she saw the time in the living room where she was surrounded by unfinished wrapped presents and decorations that were half done.

It was so easy to get Jay to do exactly what she wanted and deep down, Sylvie knew that he would’ve done so without her even asking.

Just like that, Jay was on his way to pick you up and Sylvie could drop the act and get down to business.

Fast forward two hours later and the party is in full swing. You had been thoroughly surprised and you happiness continued increasing as Sylvie did more and more as the evening unfolded.

Your cheeks were hurting from how much you were laughing and Sylvie couldn’t help but keep an eye on Jay who hadn’t looked away from you for more than a few seconds.

This was perfect.

During dinner, she sneakily got you to sit down besides where Jay was already sat. You had been so distracted talking to her that you didn’t even notice her physically pushing you towards that specific chair.

Sylvie also purposefully put your favourite dish the further away from you so that when you inevitably noticed its presence, you would have to ask if someone could serve you and the first person to take your plate was easily going to be Jay, Sylvie had no doubt about it.

And she was proved correct as said man wasted no time in serving you the perfect portion size.

Your giddiness was practically palpable at this rate.

The rest of the night went equally as smoothly. As everyone was leaving, tidying ensued and Jay was still here.

Everything was still going according to plan.

Elbowing Matt, ignoring his grunt at the sudden motion, Sylvie stood up straight from loading the dishwasher. “We’re all done in here so we’re going to get going.”

Before you could say anything, she went on, “I know I said I’d sleepover but Matt had this thing really early in the morning and he needs my help.”

Matt was caught very off guard, he spluttered as he realised what was happening and didn’t want to be blamed for preventing the two sisters from being together.

Sylvie elbowed him even harder this time, her smile tightening. “I promise, next time I’m staying and we’re doing brunch.”

Your disappointment was quickly eased at her suggestion and in less than five minutes, Sylvie was ushering a very confused Matt out the door, leaving you and Jay alone.

“Love you so much Y/N! Have a good night you two!” Sylvie waved at you two, closing the door behind her with a content smile on her face, sighing in satisfaction and fulfilment.

“Sylvie-“

“Shhh.” She shushed him, her finger at his lips. “Let’s get you home Matt. I’ve got everything under control, trust me.”

Sylvie had no doubt about it. She went to sleep the happiest she had been in a long time.

When she got up the next morning to your text messages with some very unkind words, calling her some very nice names, her smile widened.

Plan to get Jay and Y/N together was officially successful.

[presidentcircles-assistant]

some OCs i don’t mention quite as much:

Vincent- A Circle, the son of Dean and Carmen, who are both very vain and stuck up. Vincent has their snobbish nature, but is a lot more reserved, mostly as a result of the fact that when he was born, his Sides regressed from his parent’s; his father had 45, while he had 28. Such a giant step backwards doesn’t give him the brightest reputation. Most Circles are content with choosing any wife, no matter the family she comes from, but Dean hadn’t been. He refused to marry anybody unless she proved her heritage to be 100% perfectly regular. As a result, he was alone for a very long time until a rich Line named Carmen heard about him and proved that her ancestry was completely regular, and they married. When Vincent was born, they were both in disbelief, unable to accept that they had spent all their lives abstaining from anyone who wasn’t perfectly regular just to get repaid like this, and they both blamed the other, saying they had been deceived. Still, though, neither of them would be caught dead with a child that went against everything they stood for, and they hid his side count from the world, maintaining a good enough façade of a happy marriage. At least, until he turned 12, when a doctor that couldn’t be bribed into silence ending up revealing their secret. It completely wrecked Vincent and his family’s status, and any political job he might have taken to follow in his father’s sidesteps rejected him, not wanting his kind to represent them. Vincent now works as an archivist, an easy enough job that he’s passionate in. He’s content, and his family’s riches keep him afloat (if anything, just because they feel bad for what they created). He hasn’t married yet, giving the reasoning that nobody in their right mind would want to marry someone who would send a family’s sides backwards. Though he keeps to himself, he isn’t at a complete loss for acquaintances; he can always be seen hanging around Fraser, an old Pentagon that served as a medic in a war, who knew Vincent when he was just a young Circle. He can also always be seen visiting a merchant called Equilateris, who owns an old, family run clothing shop.

Equilateris: An Equilateral, coming from a long line of similar Shapes who have been desperately trying to break into the Square class. His two older brothers were born Squares, much to the delight of his father, Ed, and he was born as an Equilateral, much to the disappointment of his father. After having 2 other, better children, Ed couldn’t be bothered to give him any sort of meaningful name. And besides, ‘Equilateris’ reminds him to always think about how much of a dead weight he was to the family tree, motivation to make something of his life. Equilateris doesn’t care much for the family business, but carries it on, if only because his brothers are all lawyers and he has no other relatives who would swap places with him. Although, he has always taken an interest in radios, and makes side money with a radio repair business. He tries his angle at other electronics as well, and is well versed in them, but they don’t interest him quite as much. His eldest brother often drops off his kids at Equilateris’ shop while he’s off at his own job; Jamie, Sam, two Squares, and Virgil, an adopted Equilateral from an Isosceles family; and they’re a constant presence, usually causing trouble. Well, mostly the Squares; Virgil is always silently watching, never uttering a word more than required of him. The most notable customer there is Vincent, though he doesn’t seem to actually have any real reason to be there so often.

[ss-aquarium]

SDV Bachelors + Fatherhood >--)))°< (PT.1)

●☆○°☆ How the Bachelors are as Fathers ☆°○☆● || Paring : {Alex, Harvey, Shane x reader} || Wordcount : [918] || Tags : (Fluff, slight Angst, Headcannons, Established Relationship) || Warnings : *Diets & Food, Sobriety & Relapsing in Shane’s section*

Alex

Enrolls your child in every available physical extra-curricular, specifically gridball 

Probably asked Haley to take baby pics with your kid holding a gridball or draped in his varsity jacket 

Basically wants to create a mini-Alex to fulfill his dreams (will most likely have some difficulty accepting his kid might not share his passion for gridball or sports in general)

If your kid isn’t physically gifted or doesn’t have an inclination toward physical activity, he’ll go out of his way to ensure they get at least an hour of outdoors time and is more likely to care about their grades 

If your kid is as enthusiastic about sports as him, he’s over the moon, I’m talking coaching all their little league games, training them at home, basically becoming your kid’s #1 fan

Occasionally asks Haley to babysit if you two want a date night or just a break from the kid, it takes a lot of convincing / payment and most likely ends in something broken  

Tries to educate himself alongside your kid as they grow up and enter high school, if your kid is in AP or honors classes good luck because the most he can confidently help with is Phys. Ed. or Health & Nutrition

He’s extremely thankful if your kid is born/adopted before his grandparents pass and frequently visits them with child in tow (Evelyn sneaks your kid cookies and teaches them her botany skills, George is giving them non-stop lessons and criticizing your kid’s TV shows- lovingly)

Monitors your child’s nutrition and keeps junk food/sugar to a minimum in the house (unless it’s a special occasion like a birthday or other holidays)

Makes a conscious effort to love and support your child no matter their life path, the last thing he ever wants is to do is treat your child how he was treated as a kid

Harvey

Most likely read several parenting guides before your child was born/adopted, possibly owned a few before the topic of children was even brought up

He isn’t as fussy as you’d think about your kid’s activities, as long as they slap on some sunscreen and hydrate properly he lets them run around to their heart’s content (light scolding if they injure themselves)

Monitors your child’s nutrition and eating habits, makes sure they receive their daily vitamins and minerals with a healthy diet

Teaches your kid the importance of mental health and wellness, encourages lots of open communication

Your kid will rarely struggle in the sciences or geography, Harvey is happy to tutor your kid and finds the process of teaching to be a great bonding experience (also really enjoys the awed expression your kid makes at his knowledge)

He might ask Maru to keep an eye on your kid when you’re both busy and it’s either really awkward or she becomes “Aunty Maru,” if your kid is a little nerd then good luck keeping them away from the clinic on her scheduled days because they’re going to geek out 

(Your kid is probably going to be valedictorian with all this brainpower surrounding them) 

If your kid ever showed interest in planes or aeronautics, he is immediately showing them how to work his radio, teaching them aviator lingo, and describing the make and model of all his planes- probably buys a new set to build with your kid

Imagine you two swaying to the jazz Harvey put on and your kid is tugging at your legs asking to dance too, he probably puts them on top of his feet or lifts them up and wraps them around his torso taking their tiny hand like they’re waltzing 

Shane

He is definitely fighting to name your kid child “Charlie” or something chicken-related like “Henrietta”

Makes the corniest dad jokes known to man, your kid is probably eye-rolling 50% of the time they’re with him

If your kid is into sports, specifically gridball, Shane is deeply invested in their team and them as a player (those varsity days may be over but your kid’s days are just beginning)

Encourages your kid to do well in school, he doesn’t want them working a  Joja job like him because Yoba knows how much he hated working at the store

Teaches your kid how important it is to respect the farm animals and how to properly retrieve chicken eggs, it wouldn’t take a lot of begging if your kid wanted their own chicken- it’d make Shane really proud to know his kids loves the birds as much as he does

May or may not tell Jas and your kid where to find all the eggs for the egg hunt

Jas takes a lot of pride in being the older cousin and practically puffs her chest out every time she mentions it, she’s actually really helpful with calming down the fussy baby or entertaining them (Vincent is an honorary cousin and he’s the “cooler” of the two, meaning he’s not trying to teach your kid anything except how cool bugs are)

Your kid probably won’t touch a vegetable unless you serve it to them or it comes in the form of frozen convenience food so take charge with meal time unless you don’t mind another pizza and pepper popper-lover in the house

He might start drinking again if the stress of parenting gets to him but he recognizes that relapsing would be bad for the kid and him, help him out and keep him honest because the last thing he wants to do is hurt his family

[mrvlbimbo]

first of all, i must say i adore your bimbo! reader eddie fics. i myself am not really like that, but i always enjoy imagining myself in those scenarios because that’s what x reader fic is for!!

my headcanon for the series is that our dear bimbo sleeps with like…a gazillion stuffed animals. like eddie visits her room for the first time and he’s just like 😳😵‍💫 because there’s just SO MANY. unicorns, bunnies, teddy bears, you name it, our bimbo queen has got it. maybe she like goes through all of them and tells eddie the name and backstory of every single one and he’s just like so in love with how soft and sweet she is. she would 100% almost cry if one fell off the bed at night, or get pouty with ed if he knocked one off.

(…oh and also she turns them around when she and eddie fuck because she doesn’t want to ruin their innocence…)

Awe I love this

And I love her

And I bought another squishmallow yesterday so I’m here for the stuffed animal girlie appreciation.

Before they’re dating imagine he sleeps over at her house and there’s no room on her bed because of all the stuffed animals and he looses his mind bc they’re soooo close together.

And she usually holds one while she sleeps but she gets restless in the night and she reaches for him instead, pulling his body against hers with surprising strength.

With her this close he can hear that she talks in her sleep. Muttering softly about something he doesn’t quite understand.

But then he hears her say his name. His mind instantly goes somewhere very dirty. But her voice just sounds sweet and happy, like she’s calling out for him in her sleep.

She keeps saying his name, her voice starting to get distressed. He wraps his arms around her in turn, as if it would protect her from whatever was in her mind.

Apparently it worked because she just snuggled up to his chest and went back into a deep sleep.

Ok BUT after they start dating this is where the fun stuff comes in.

He always teases her abt the stuffed animals, saying she likes them more than him.

She’ll always reply “Eddieeeee how could I like a stuffed animal more than my boyfriend, silly.”

And it just melts his heart because she’s giving him the sweetest little pout and he can’t even be mad that she’s holding said stuffed animal like she should be holding him.

Ok maybe he can be a little mad bc he snatches it out of her hands and tosses it onto the floor.

Pulling her into his arms and kissing all over her face to soothe her grumbling. “Edddieee. You hurt him!” She whines, frantically pushing away from him and scrambling to the end of the bed to pick up the discarded stuffed animal.

He’s sitting on the bed, arms crossed with a scowl on his face as she ignores him in favor of a toy.

He gets so fed up that he decides to buy her a new stuffed animal so atleast she’ll be thinking of him when she holds that stupid teddy bear.

He made a tiny hellfire shirt for one of the standard golden teddy bears and doused it in his cologne and then gave it to her as an anniversary gift. She calls it her eddy-bear and she refuses to sleep without it.

Now for the smutty moment bc let’s talk abt the logistics of getting down with all those stuffed animals on the bed.

She would insist on turning them around and he would agree (all their eyes scare him a little bit)

But he thinks it’s absurdly cute how she apologizes to each and every one of them for the inconvenience as she goes around the room and turns them to face the wall.

She almost feels guiltily but that guilt is soon replaced with the feeling of her boyfriend absolutely railing her into the silly sheets of her bed. (He got really impatient waiting for her to move all the stuffed animals)

Eddie x bimbo!reader masterlist

[itsclydebitches]

Post-canon universe where Mary ends up becoming a tattoo artist.

It starts when Ed winds up visiting the Bonnet household. Maybe he went there after Stede’s “death” only to learn that the Gentleman Pirate is out looking for him. Maybe this is post-reunion and they’ve just popped by to check on the kids. Whatever the reason, Ed ends up hitting it off with Mary and is particularly enamored with her art studio because holy shit you did the lighthouse painting!

He needs a version of that on his body. Now.

And Mary is like, I’m sorry, Mr. Blackbeard sir, but the human body is a slightly different canvas from what I’m used to and I’ve never—

But Ed is already waving her off. You think pirates know what the fuck they’re doing either? Nah. You get a buddy sloshed on rum, promise him it’s gonna look great, tattoo something on his ass, and then keep out of reach when he first sees it in a shaving mirror. It looks like shit. Of course it does! But then you do it to someone else and it looks a little less shitty. Then again and again until hey, that’s some talent right there! So go to town. Can’t look any worse than what Izzy first put on his back.

By this point Ed has hopped up onto a table and pulled a kit seemingly out of nowhere. He’s also got his shirt off—this is fine—and Mary has to admit, some of his tats really are awful. Not all of them! But enough that she can precisely pick out where some drunk sailor was trying out a needle for the first time. And yeah, she could easily justify this through fear, telling herself that it’s not like she can say no to the intimidating, legendary Blackbeard. Dating Stede or not, the guy could slash her throat in an instant. Actually, dating Stede is a mark against any mental stability.

The reality though is that it isn’t fear that convinces her. Mary just looks at the spots of crappy ink and thinks, Fuck. I could do better than that.

So she does. 

Mary might not know tattooing yet, but she’s got an eye for art and she picks up the mechanics quickly. At her request Alma brings in a bottle of something far nicer than rum—casting an interested look towards the pirate that reminds Mary, with a trickle of worry, that she always was her father’s daughter—and they spend a surprisingly pleasant afternoon with Mary experimenting and Ed commenting on her paintings. Is that flower a vagina, Mary? Yes it is, god, no one else gets that!

Mary tattoos a lighthouse onto Ed’s arm, entwining it with one of his tentacles. It’s nothing fancy, but Ed leaves the Bonnet household pleased as fucking punch.

Which means, of course, that a few months later Stede shows back up (in a terrible disguise) begging her to give him his own lighthouse on the opposite arm.

Stede Bonnet, are you really asking for the symbol of our now defunct marriage after you left me, came back, came out as gay, and then had the gall to fall in love with the most dangerous pirate on the seven seas?

…Yes?

Yeah, alright, fine. Get on the table.

Mary has been practicing since she last saw Ed, discovering that she loves the permanence of tattooing—putting her art on a moving canvas; a part of someone’s very identity, not just their home. Though it’s hardly considered good form in their community, she even managed to find a tutor after promising Doug that she wouldn’t fall in love with this one. Or if she does, she’s not going to throw him over for the new guy. You should really talk to Stede’s friend Lucius, Doug. He has fantastic ideas about the whole thing.

Stede tells Mary all about their lighthouse fuckery while she works and she finds that this story is a damn bit more romantic than their awkward wedding vows. In the end, this lighthouse is far more detailed than Ed’s, with steadier lines and a bit of shading, and Mary can’t help but think that it fits their personalities quite well. Stede is so happy he forgets himself and plants an exuberant kiss on Mary’s cheek. She just laughs.

From there other members of The Revenge show up when it’s safe for them to sneak into town, all of them wanting ink from a member of their Captain’s family. Their family, now. After she’s given Jim a pair of crossed knives and Oluwande a small orange tree on his back; Frenchie a recreation of his lute and the Swede the notes of his favorite song, word starts to spread to other crews. Wherever The Revenge goes they show off their ink. Even when they don’t, Mary’s developing a style that’s noticeable in any tavern or seedy alleyway—far nicer work than what anyone else has got.

The first time an unknown pirate shows up on their doorstep in the dead of night, Mary very nearly stabs him with one of the knives Jim gifted her. She whisper-yells at the poor bastard about manners and coming during business hours, really, what is wrong with you? After a sheepish apology, she brews an obscene amount of coffee and inks a child’s portrait onto the man’s arm. It’s by far the most challenging tat she’s done to date and somewhere around 4:00am, bleary-eyed and energized, Mary thinks that she’ll never want to do anything else again.

More pirates come after that. Doug worries. Mary reassures. As a compromise, she starts taking clients while her widow group meets. The presences of nine or so women who have nothing to lose—alongside Evelyn glaring from the corner—is more than enough to keep even the toughest ruffian in line.

Which isn’t to say that every client is a good experience. Oh no. Mary learns and more importantly, she listens, figuring out which pirates have beef with an ally of The Revenge, or who would sooner sell out their own than part with a single coin. On the truly worrisome visitors, the ones who do nothing to endear themselves during the long session or any of the repeat visits, Mary adds a small flower to their designs. Just her signature, she assures them, but everyone on The Revenge knows that it’s a message: don’t trust this one, watch your back.

Most though are surprisingly pleasant to spend time with. Sweethearts just dealing with a fair bit of trauma, as her ex-husband might say. When they thank her and try to press purses into her hand, Mary just shakes her head. It’s not like she needs the money. Instead, she draws out promises that they’ll do right by The Revenge and its co-captains, should they ever cross paths. When her family visits, Mary hears many tales about the crews that unexpectedly assisted during a tough raid, offered a good deal on supplies, bought them all drinks when they came into port.

Mary is the laughingstock of the town. She’s the woman whose husband ran out on her to become a criminal and then didn’t even have the decency to stay away, instead dying in a thoroughly tactless fashion. She’s the woman who gave up a lucrative painting career to instead take up a lowlife’s art form—if it could even be called such—with all manner of scoundrels calling on her. She’ll end badly, wait and see.

Mary is beloved by the pirate community. She’s the darling of Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate, more than capable of holding her own with both. She’s the woman whose ink you want etched into your skin—always safe to visit, always compassionate, and unspeakably talented. She’ll go far, wait and see.

Of course, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Mary teaches Louis how to draw and makes Alma promise that she’ll finish her education before following her father to sea; she takes Doug to bed each night and with his encouragement visits Evelyn many afternoons. She’s happy.

Shockingly, so is everyone else. Mary isn’t entirely sure what to make of the waspish man who shows up on her doorstep one afternoon, but he’s easily recognizable based on Stede and Ed’s descriptions. Israel Hands has just three tattoos: the ace of spades to mark his time in the Navy, the swallow for a well-traveled pirate, and a lopsided cross on his cheek that Mary almost asks about, before thinking better of it.

He wants a fourth tattoo. A lighthouse on the back of his neck.

It’s been a long time since Mary first started tattooing. It’s not that she forgot about her previous lighthouses, of course not, but any additional meaning doesn’t register as she works up a design to show Izzy. After all, he’s a sailor. A pirate. Most of them want something to connect them to the sea and there are only so many objects that do that.

The placement is a bit odd though. Mary warns him that he’ll have to keep his hair short for the tattoo to show, shaving the fine hairs regularly. Izzy just grunts and mutters for her to get to it. Mary doesn’t realize the significance of him allowing her to hold a razor to his neck, in his blind-spot no less. At this point, she’s considered an extension of the only two allowed to do the same.

This lighthouse is perfect. After years of work Mary is easily able to navigate the muscles in Izzy’s neck; the thin scar that—she shivers—is just a little too close to his jugular. Mary knows how to make her art catch the eye when Izzy stands tall and how to keep it from looking absurd whenever he twists his head. She doesn’t know this man well, but Mary senses that this piece should be meticulous and detailed, not a single line out of place. So she pours everything into the image, holding Izzy steady with a grip he doesn’t flinch from.

It's only months later, when the family comes back to visit, that Mary realizes what she’s helped accomplish. Izzy stands between his two captains and from the back she sees that all the lighthouses are balanced, like the top of a nautical star.

Oh, Mary thinks as Ed slips a hand onto the small of Izzy’s back; Izzy leans his shoulder into Stede’s. There it is. 

[whatagirlwants]

Here it goes…this will be long 

bare with me the first time i typed everything i accidentally deleted it all. so this might be all over the place there might be typos. my reason for this is no reason just to jot down my thoughts so if you are reading this and offended dont take this personal.

 I think part of me feels the need to make this clear is because i’ve seen people not understand why she’d feel that about Joshua why does she describe him as vicious? where did it all go wrong. i’ve also seen Joshua fans undermine her feelings and bring up his traumas and what he went through to excuse him but what about what she went through? we dont have to compare but dont undermine her feelings and invalidate her. a certain comment struck me and it was a Joshua fan saying “she wouldnt pull an olivia write and release vicious about him and put him through it, she knows what he went through he doesnt deserve it he almost died” like they’re missing the whole point, i think sabrina has waited long enough and she tried to stay by him and it just didnt work, if she describe what he put her through as cruel then just accept it. yes his heart failed it isnt her fault? she tried to be there, how did u think she felt? he pushed her away too and he said it himself in his snippet of a song called Never and Sabrina sings about him pushing her away in Space and Dust which sh posted 2 months after dl was out.

To be honest with you the whole situation is complicated and you might not understand or if you’re biased towards any certain parties in this case joshua you will turn a blind eye and dismiss her feelings like you did vicious. Sabrina has never spoken about him or their relationship or put him on blast, she isn’t making this about her break up with him she’s simply letting the music find its people. What people make of it isn’t her fault, she didnt release vicious because she’s angry and wants revenge i mean its simply what she’s been through at this point she’s had a lot of people tell her how to feel its time we hear her out.

i’m not writing this as an expose i wish all well to Joshua and i know sabrina does too or she wouldn’t have written skinny dipping and imagine a day where it all wouldn’t hurt and she can put this past her. At the end of the day all 3 involved (sabrina, olivia, and joshua) have received hate in different ways.  part of me hates when someone defends sabrina and talks about what she went through and someone would bring up what Joshua went through. i dont like that we always have to bring him up maybe thats me and i hold some resentment of my own? maybe its cause im simply sick of seeing him be brought up and constantly baby-ed by his fans? which i understand. you wouldn’t turn on your favorite celebrity but i think its okay to accept he did Sabrina wrong and the only way to describe what he did to her is unfortunately is cruel. Sabrina herself said that she wouldn’t always feel like that and its just where she is now. 

I want to add im glad this is all over and sabrina doesn’t seem to be where she was last year and that makes me happy.

1. Why does she describe him as Vicious? 

I think in order to know that you must understand the timeline of their breakup and quite literally how he loved her and pretend he didn’t. because i don’t only want to show you the tl i want to be able to provide lyrics as proof and my own interpretation of it all this will be all over the place.

January 8th 2021 Drivers License was released, the whole cast of hsmtmts were filming the show in Salt Lake City and Sabrina was there visiting Joshua. Sabrina was spotted a week after Drivers License in Salt Lake. When Sabrina says in the song because i liked a boy “when everything went down we’d already broken up” is because thats what happened. He broke up with her after DL came out (it’ll make sense if you put it in this perspective, so stay with me). She even sings in the same song “was only trying to hold you close while your heart was failing. you said im too late to be you first love but i’ll always be your favorite” To me, it sounds like he’s breaking up with her although she was only trying to be there for him because she loved him. This all ties up to love me then pretend you didnt crush my heart and wreck my image in the song Vicious. The thing is i dont believe wrote Vicious around the same time she wrote because i liked a boy i think it took her time to understand how she feels and actually reflect on how things went down and how he handled it. 

It’s funny cause Joshua has a song coming out called Used To It and the first verse is about Olivia not caring when his heart failed (due to septic shock) This could imply to thats where his mind was at which makes sense to why Sabrina finds him cruel as well as if you look at the 2nd verse in Vicious she sings “when you’re insecure could be me, could be her you just run to whoever is winning”. Joshua has a song coming out too called Would You Love Me Now? and his fans think its about olivia based on a few lines the song is not out yet.

2. Sabrina stayed. 

i’ve seen this here on Tumblr and someone said the way sabrina describe their relationship was sweet or something like that but i feel like it was sweet at one point but the songs are all about AFTER their breakup in January 2021 and there is nothing sweet about a man who cant make up his mind. Regardless i understand things were out of control and to be honest yes he’s also been through a lot in his personal life but i dont think that should excuse anything. We hear Sabrina sing about Tornado Warnings and if you read my page you know it is about Joshua. Late March 2021 Sabrina and Joshua were at a park during a tornado warning (NOT BACK TOGETHER just to talk most probably). Lets focus on the lyrics, sabrina knows its a bad idea and that LOGICALLY she shouldn’t have him on her mind and she shouldnt be seeing someone who left her. In the song she’s saying she’s convincing her therapist it didnt happen and that she’s over that son of a bitch. 

The 2nd verse to me could be interrupted 2 ways 1. is Sabrina is justifying lying to her therapist in her therapy session “i deserve an hour in a week to focus on my thoughts not so obsessed with yours i cant hear myself speak” and she also is putting herself first and recognise that it is what she should be doing “i deserve my own consideration”. 

The lyrics “i deserve my own consideration” remind me of her song how many things. In this song, sabrina portrays her vulnerable side, she feels worthless in his eyes. although she’s not his priority anymore she constantly thinks of him “theres no hiding in the thought of us i got ways to find you anywhere” . Sabrina is aware once again she shouldnt be considerate of him yet she cant help herself “i consider you im not trying to it doesnt matter whether or not i want to i cant help it”  she also sings i wonder how many things you wanna do you think im in between Sabrina feels like this thing he has to deal with or in-between what he really wants yet she still went to see him during a tornado warning, she still considers his feelings “i feel myself falling further down your priorities and i still make excuses for you constantly” .

The sad part is he left and she touches on this in the second verse she sings “remember when you left once? that never made too much sense to me well it hurt you so bad hurting me you really came to me for sympathy” and in her song Bet Ya Wanna “i bet you hate the way you said goodbye and you still cant even tell me why i hate the way you left me dry but ill keep that between you and i” how did he say goodbye? i mentioned earlier it was around the weeks after drivers license was released in the lyrics she says he left her dry which means leaving someone high and dry which means to leave someone in a difficult situation without any help. and when was that? january 2021 now back to Vicious crush my heart and wreck my image.

Sabrina stayed and thats highlighted in songs like Tornado Warnings, Already Over, Decode and a song she wrote and posted in March 2021 called Space and Dust.

in space and dust sabrina says she’ll always be there “if no ones there to hear u scream you can still reach out your hand to me and im floating there ill always be the brightest star in your galaxy”

3. Theres nothing left here to decode

in decode Sabrina touches on his behavior of how he didn’t stay, confused her, and walked away and eventually choosing to walk away herself. Now that she stopped trying to understand him or the situation and walked away from it all she feels the weight off her shoulders “theres a weight off my shoulders now that i don’t chase you being myself, did that emasculate you? learning from you that i can walk away too”

In an interview sabrina talks about her favorite line which is learning from u i can walk away too and she said walking away wasnt an option to her because she thought walking away is a negative thing you dont walk away from someone you love but then she learned to realize it could be a good option and it is the better option. 

4. In conclusion

i promise im done but i wanted to go into details so this is a long ass post. point is someone can hurt someone and do something wrong regardless of what they’ve been through. sabrina releasing vicious is valid why shouldn’t she sing about him and what he put her through, its insane to me how his fans will vilify her or find her bringing up his heart failure in because i liked a boy yet his own fans bring it up every second to defend his actions. you dont find that weird? we’re all glad he’s okay and he’s made it but she knows him more than you and you might not be able to understand how she feels because regardless your his fans and she’s his ex and someone he pushed completely to the side when in reality she ended up in this mess cause of him cause she even gave him a chance letting him in her world. if sabrina fans dont like him or feel some way about him its justified too.

Dont make sabrina releasing Vicious a negative thing or “bringing” him up for attention when he only writes about OR which he knows will get 10x more attention than singing about SC. Sabrina released Skinny Dipping which is how she wants it to be in the future “water under the bridge”

This is how sabrina described Decode:

“When you finally stop hurting yourself trying to understand why someone didn’t love you the way you thought they did, it all becomes so much more clear” and based on his songs he’s releasing right now that are assumed to be about Olivia, sabrina’s feelings in vicious are valid. 

[hogwartsfirebolt]

Hello everyone! I’m back for my (omg time flies) third yearly drarry rec list, in which I share with you my 30 favorite drarry fics I read in the year, divided in three parts. What a year 2020 was. It was challenging, scary and confusing, and it was also an amazing reading year for me, I read so, so much more than I ever had before, and I’m really excited to share these masterpieces with you! The banner art is by @dragontamerdame who is one of my favorite artists and was kind enough to let me use this beautiful piece, which you can (and totally should) reblog right here. Now, with nothing else to add and in no particular order, here’s my

FAVORITE FICS I READ IN 2020 PART ONE

1. Who we are in the shadows - @quicksilvermaid - 100k - E - What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life. When he comes across Draco Malfoy in the criminal underbelly of Wizarding London and in need of protection, Harry figures bringing him in to face the Ministry's justice is his ticket back to everything he's lost. But nothing is exactly as it seems. Not even Harry himself. And as he gets drawn further and further into Malfoy's world of honour and deception he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew—about his childhood nemesis, the Ministry job he misses so much, and most of all, about himself. What happens when you’re forced to see that you were wrong?

THIS FIC!!! It was the first one I read in 2020, and it immediately became my favorite fic of the entire year, and one of my favorites of all time. I have since read it two more times, the entire 100k of it. There are absolutely no words to describe how amazing it is, how much it floored me to read their characterizations, their jobs and the roads life took them on to end up where they end up, the connection between them in a time when they don’t even know how to relate to anyone, their sorrow and struggles which, despite being so rooted in the magical world, are painfully human, just... wow. It’s a masterpiece. It changed the way I view their characters, forever, and I suspect I will read it many, many more times in the years to come. It’s that kind of story. If for whatever reason you haven’t read it, this is your sign to take that chance and embark on this amazing journey. 

2. Every Kingdom - @thistle-verse - 7k - E - Every kingdom needs a prince. Every prince needs a good and useful knight. Draco and Harry play their parts and renegotiate some borders while they’re at it.

So, so lovely. Even though I don’t read them very often, alternate universes fascinate me so much, and I am in awe of the author for being able to pack so, so much story, so neatly into 7k words. This features a princely, lonesome Draco, a charming, golden Harry, and a blossoming love that could change everything. It’s beautiful, and I recommend it deeply.

3. The Bucket List - GallaPlacidia - 32k - Draco will die in six months if he can't get Harry Potter to fall in love with him. Since that's not going to happen, he might as well spend his last days working through his Bucket List. Tap-dancing lessons? Rock climbing? Poetry-writing? Threesomes? Cocaine? Getting to know his adorable cousin, Teddy Lupin? Draco will try them all! Feat. Cheerily pessimistic Draco, devoted bitch queen Pansy Parkinson, and a Harry who can't help but notice that something seems DIFFERENT about Draco, these days.

I’m positive that many, many of us got acquainted with GallaPlacidia’s writing this year, and I, too, fell in love with it. This story aches in the most beautiful of ways, the humor happens to be somehow light in such a difficult circumstance that it ends up hurting when you laugh, it hurts when everything is right because it’s also wrong, it aches when it’s supposed to be a happy moment and feels tender and sweet when it’s not. I can’t even imagine the challenge of writing this kind of story, and they pulled it off beautifully. It’s a lovely story, one you will take with you long after you finish it, and, personally, I think it’s a great introduction to the author’s writing. 

4. halcyon days - @the-starryknight - 1.3k - T - Sleepy mornings caught while the sun rises are reserved for silly word games and soft touches and feelings.

Oh my god, the amount of tenderness in such a low wordcount made me weak in the knees. I almost couldn’t take it. Being able to convey such a deep emotional connection in a short story seems like such a daunting task, and the author makes it seem almost effortless. I guarantee that this will make you bring your hands to your chest and sigh with how lovely it is. Reading it will be the best ten minutes of your day. 

5. Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon - @drarrytrash - 37k - E - According to Harry’s personal narrative regarding the incident, he’d hooked up with Draco Malfoy for purely self-destructive reasons, or out of convenience, or by some unlucky accident. Looking at him, sprawled in the moonlight, Harry is devastated to recall that he’d hooked up with Draco Malfoy because he’s hot. Draco is a secret werewolf and Harry is doing his best and they've got criminals to catch, darn it.

Reading this, I found myself laughing out loud, nodding profusely with how freaking spot on the characterizations are. The dialogue is amazing, so hilarious and real and Harry’s inner monologue is so, so him. I love everything about this story. I have a soft spot for werewolf fic, and this one hit everything I love about it, the case is interesting and engaging, the incidental characters, the OCs, Ron and Hermione, everyone and everything is absolutely perfect and I had an absolute blast reading it. You HAVE to read this and see for yourself what I’m talking about. 

6. Sex Ed for Aurors - curiouslyfic - 8k - M - Some things, you need to learn on the job.

Oh my god this is so freaking good. The premise is, basically, that Harry is accidentally doused with a lust potion while in the vicinity of Draco, and suddenly wants him more than anything. I loved this take on that trope, we’re in Harry’s head, and it’s absolutely hilarious and endearing to experience the near childish glee he feels whenever Draco looks his way, when he smiles, when he feels he’s made him happy, meanwhile Draco and Ron are horrified and doing whatever they can to correct it. This is so funny and such a good time, I can’t recommend it enough! While you’re at it, you should definitely read megyal’s remix of this, which is also a blast. 

7. plasticine porters with looking-glass ties - @bonesliketambourines - 15K - E - Lately, Harry thinks things don’t seem the same between him and Draco. His head is in the clouds when he thinks about what their relationship is now, and where it might be headed—he’s happy with their friendship, but he wants something else. A potions accident over a lunchtime visit to Draco’s lab (what does he get up to in there, anyway?) changes things, though, and accelerates their relationship faster than either of them had ever expected. How are they going to get through this new development together?

Atmospheric, beautifully-written and delicious. Their relationship is tender, just on the edge of something more, when they’re forced to quarantine together and face the effects of a potion that makes them see and feel things differently, which makes for the most intense, visual, gorgeous sex scene I think I’ve ever read. It’s just absolutely phenomenal. 

8. i wake up falling - warmfoothills - 9k - M - Draco’s always leaving, one way or another. Harry’s usually 240 thousand miles too late.

In trying to come up with a way to summarize this story, I’m feeling the overwhelming urge to cry again, just like I did when I read it. It’s just so, so, beautiful, every single word of it aches in the best way, the longing feels deeply authentic and just, the setting and the jobs and everything is so unique and gorgeous. Every single work by this author is beyond beautiful, but especially this one is incredibly close to my heart and I think everyone should read it. It’s a gem. 

9. In Every Universe - @skeptiquewrites - 27k - M - They sent Professor Harry Potter to search for Unspeakable Draco Malfoy. Draco has stolen a Firebird, an experimental magical device from the Department of Mysteries that lets you enter parallel universes as yourself. As Harry traverses from universe to universe, he begins to think Draco might be the one searching for him. A story about whether knowing what's possible makes it possible.

Stories where the characters find themselves somehow hopping from one reality to another are always so, so fascinating to me, and this one is incredibly creative and well-written, so entertaining all around. The mystery of it kept me on my toes, and every single reality was a joy to read. 10/10

10. Life goes not backward - @shealwaysreads - 8k - T - Harry still isn’t used to gifts, but this one is different. A story of coming home, finding safe ground, and the wild courage of putting down roots. Leaving one life behind isn’t always a sacrifice, and sometimes the greatest good comes from embracing the people you love.

My god, there are not enough words to describe how much this story means to me, how beautiful it is, how every single time I’ve read it, I’ve cried. Bella has undoubtedly become one of my absolute favorite writers in fandom. She has such a way with words, there is not one of her stories that hasn’t touched me, that doesn’t feel like an actual, full-length novel no matter the word count. I read so many of them this year, so many of the masterpieces she’s gifted us, but this one especially is so tender, so dear, that I ended up choosing it as my favorite of hers this year. Harry’s charactertization, the unbelievable warmth of their relationship, absolutely everything about this is gorgeous. Go read it, right now, and then binge all her other works!! You won’t regret it.

---------------------------------

Each of these fics is incredibly close to my heart and I enjoyed them immensely. In the midst of everything changing, I really found comfort and solace in the amazing works of the people of this fandom. I hope they give you the same amount of warmth and comfort they gave me, and I’m ALWAYS here to gush about any of them ❤️ Happy New Year! 

[eunoiaflow3r]

i hate u, i love u // spencer reid x fem!reader

spencer reid x reader

aaron hotchner x reader

part one - part two

a/n: did i damn near put this entire song in this fic? yes, yes i did i’m so sorry....highly unedited.

how was your guys’ holiday?

warning(s): language. angst. fluff....

word count: 2.6k

request(ed): yes.

summary: old things try to get fixed, while new feelings and places...arise and get mixed.

(wtf am i dr. seuss now??)

——————————————&———————————

feeling used, but i’m still missing you. and i can’t see the end of this, just wanna feel your kiss, against my lips

and now all this time, is passing by.... but i can’t seem to tell you why. it hurts me every time i see you realize how much i need you...

Seeing Spencer and actually letting all of that out did a number on you. You apologized to Aaron countless times and he said it was okay countless times but you still felt so bad. He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve your drama, and not to mention how embarrassing it’s been. You felt like you ruined his whole night. It was supposed to be fun and yet you didn’t have any. He said he did but you know Hotch didn’t.

You’d have to make it up to him somehow soon but you didn’t know how. How are you supposed to fix this? Any of this??

It feels like you’re being sucked into the eye of a tornado little by little and you just can’t get out. It feels like everyone else is safe on the ground feet planted and they’re all just staring at you and laughing. Staring and not helping.

Your chest hurt. You hated feeling like this. So helpless...and stuck. You were stuck and not ready to fix it...well...part of it. You could still fix one thing. You didn’t have to be stuck here. Here in this small apartment with no room for anything let alone breathe. You needed space. You needed change. You needed control. Everything is spinning in circles and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t stop it.

So why not do something that could help you? That you’ve been meaning to do but never had the time for?

Apartment searching. Well...bigger apartment searching.

Where you were staying now was a studio apartment. You loved the open concept except for how small it was. You just need room.

Before...

“I like it here. It’s so small and cute.”

You could tell cute was a foreign word to Spencer when it came to describing a building. But he was trying. You thought he was cute.

“Thanks Spencer but I’m thinking something different. Maybe another bedroom for a roommate...or just a bigger one for y’know...another person.”

You never really brought up the idea of moving in together before. Sure, it’d be easier...his job was nearby, and there was a bus stop at the end of the street, and there was you....so his reaction kind of put you...off.

“Roommate sounds good. One of your friends maybe? Although I wouldn’t want her to y’know...interrupt us.” He had that cute seductive tone to his voice but he wasn’t sounding very cute and seductive.

You weren’t going to argue. “Yeah...a roommate. Who do you think I should ask?” you paused. “Sara or Malia?”

Spencer was quiet for a moment, like he was thinking. “Malia maybe?”

You didn’t have a friend named Malia.

And that’s what hurt the most you think. The fact that you still thought about him 24/7 even though what you had with him wasn’t perfect. You thought it was before..you thought he was before..but now you’re realizing nothing about it was perfect but at least it was something. Now you have nothing.

It was only the afternoon so you decided to look for some places. You found 3 places suitable for what you were looking for. All 3 were good sizes, good prices, and a good amount away from your job and college. You felt almost lucky. This felt almost too easy.

Until you saw the first two places in person. They were okay, but not really what you were looking for.

The last place though...the place was great, the location was great, the neighborhood was great, hell even the yard. Hell, you’d have no use for it, you didn’t have a kid but it was still a nice looking yard. You could tell that someone in the apartment, hopefully your new neighbor, took great care of the gardens.

You looked around at the surrounding mix of apartments and houses (mostly houses) and saw 2 little kids playing in the house 2 houses over. One of them looked like Jack. It couldn’t be, right? Hotch’s house wasn’t over here.

Nevertheless you watched for a few seconds and it was Jack. You decided to go over and say hi.

Jack stopped playing and immediately ran towards you.

“Y/N!!” He grinned. You got down to his level and hugged him back just as enthusiastically.

“Hey Jackie! Whatcha doin?” He only let you call him that. Only you.

“Sleepover. This is Sam. It’s almost time for Ana to drop me off at home though.”

You said hi to Sam and asked if Ana was his mom. She was and as soon as you told Sam your name, Ana came out of the house and waved you over.

“Hey, I’m Y/N. Friend of Jack’s and Hotch.”

She smiled. And shook your hand.

“I’m Ana. I’ve heard about you! Jack talks about you quite a lot.”

You and Ana talked for a while. She seemed like a really amazing person. If you end up getting the place you could see you and her becoming great friends, and since she seemed really busy you offered to take Jack home. She protested but you insisted. It wasn’t like you were doing much anyway. The landlord had already left and you were just going to go home anyway.

On the way to Hotch’s you bought Jack his favorite ice cream. You couldn’t help it.

The whole car ride Jack’s conversation thankfully distracted you but when you got to his house you couldn’t help but remember that night and how embarrassed you felt.

Seeing Hotch only made it worse. Especially since he wasn’t wearing his work clothes- just a shirt and sweatpants, and you couldn’t help but look because he looked incredibly.....good. He looked so great and you were so mad at yourself for how that night ended with him. You were supposed to be having fun and neither of you did.

He hugged you when you got to the door anyway. You explained to him what happened- even the apartment searching while he invited you in for coffee.

A whole year with Spence and he never invited you in. Ever.

Do you miss me like I miss you? Fucked around and got attached to you Friends can break your heart too And I’m always tired but never of you

If I pulled a you on you, you wouldn’t like that shit I put this reel out, but you wouldn’t bite that shit I type a text but then I never mind that shit I got these feelings but you never mind that shit

“Mom, please, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Your mom gave you a look over her mug that said, ‘Do I look like I’m dumb?’ And she wasn’t. Perhaps you weren’t any good at hiding your feelings. Could everyone tell?

You were doing better now.

It’s been a month? Maybe two.

Either way it’s been a while and you weren’t as hurt as you were before. Some nights you woke up heart aching, tears falling, but you aren’t as bad as you were those first few weeks.

Truth is, you missed Spencer. You spent those weeks blaming yourself and wondering why you why you?

But you accepted that you weren’t ready for that answer. A part of you had forgiven Spencer. A part.

You were still heartbroken. You were still angry and hurt. But you’ve been trying to move on. In fact, you’d be moving entirely. Yesterday you finished all the paperwork with your new landlord. You were going to finish packing after visiting your mom.

“Momma I’m fine there’s just a lot going on right now.”

She wouldn’t accept that answer. She persisted you told her what was wrong. So you did. You told her about Spencer...and about Hotch...

Aaron.

You had been spending some weekends with him. Some were alone, just the two of you, and other times it was the three of you. Him, Jack, and you. Whenever you thought about Hotch you had the feeling in your stomach you got whenever you heard from Spencer.

But you still have that feeling for Spencer.

Things were so confusing right now - you weren’t sure if you wanted to move on from Spencer. You didn’t want to rush in with Aaron either though. That’d hurt the both of you.

Last weekend...

“Y/N you cannot tell me you think New Girl is better than Friends.”

Aaron was in a gray shirt and sweatpants while you were in relatively the same. You both sat together on his couch each a cup of coffee in your hands. You had promised you’d help him shop with Jack for new clothes and you had just agreed to stay the night since it had gotten so late.

“Oh a hundred percent. New Girl is way better.”

Hotch laughed.

“Friends is a classic. There wouldn’t be a New Girl without Friends.”

“There wouldn’t be a Friends without Living Single Aaron.”

He rolled his eyes but conceded. “True but still. Friends is better.”

You hadn’t been that happy in a while. You were breathing...you were living. Out in the open. Unbidden.

You ever wonder what we could have been? You said you wouldn’t and you fucking did Lie to me, lie with me, get your fucking fix Now all my drinks and all my feelings are fucking mixed

Always missing people that I shouldn’t be missing Sometimes you gotta burn some bridges just to create some distance I know that I control my thoughts and I should stop reminiscing But I learned from my dad that it’s good to have feelings

There was a bottle of liquor in your hand

You would have gone to the bar but you were too sad for it. You didn’t have the will.

Earlier today you decided that you should get a muffin from the coffee shop and see how Em was doing. Right when you got to the door, who was in the window caught your eye.

Spencer.

Spencer and JJ.

Laughing, and eating, and kissing...

In the open. Out in public.

Were you just not good enough? Was that it? Could you not understand him because you didn’t work in the BAU? Was what you had all one sided?

Unanswered questions and half a bottle later you were passed out on your couch crying.

You thought you were over it for sure this time. But it still fucking hurts. Is keeping your heart open waiting for him even worth it?

The next morning you took a hot shower. The hottest shower you could handle. You were hungover, and you felt like shit but you still had to pack the rest of your things to move. You still had to move.

Your speakers were on the highest level and your music was so loud you didn’t hear the door knock. You only screamed when you felt someone behind you.

It was Aaron.

“Jesus christ!!” You went to turn down the music.

“You could have killed me!”

“Yes I very well could have!” His arms were crossed. He was upset but still in a playful mood. You could tell. “I could have been a serial killer, you have to lock your doors!”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll lock my doors next time.”

He nodded approval as you went to the refrigerator to get him a bottle of water.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh I didn’t tell you?” How had that slipped your mind?

He shook his head.

“I’m moving.”

“You’re moving?” He looked disappointed.

“Yeah not far. A few houses down from Ana actually.”

“Oh good.” He said relieved.”

After that, he decided he wanted to help you. It was nice not being alone even though you told him he didn’t have to stay. He wanted to.

He even helped you transfer the boxes to your new apartment. You didn’t know Aaron had a voice on him...but he did.

“We built this city!” he sang/shouted.

“We built this city on rock and -“

“We built this city!” he answered.

“We built this city on rock and -“

“Rollllllllll” you sang together.

You giggled when the song was over and he grabbed your hand for the rest of the drive. You didn’t pull away. It felt too nice. It felt too right.

After helping you put your boxes into your next place it was time for him to head home. He told you that he could stay and help some more if you wanted but you could tell he was tired. You were tired. You told him you’d call if you needed any more help.

He made you promise you would because he knows you won’t if you feel like you absolutely can do it yourself even when you shouldn’t.

You promised.

On his way out there was a moment where you could have kissed him. Where you were saying goodbye and you were in the doorway and you were close enough to...but you didn’t. You weren’t ready. He knew you weren’t ready. He knew.

The feelings you have for Hotch keep growing but the feelings you have for Spencer stay the same. Spencer used to be your everything. But you weren’t his. You needed someone who would put you first. Well...close to first. Jack should always come first. Always.

You need to come first when it comes to women. Spencer didn’t put you first. Would he ever?

All alone I watch you watch her Like she’s the only girl you’ve ever seen You don’t care you never did You don’t give a damn about me

Yeah, all alone I watch you watch her She is the only thing you ever see How is it you never notice That you are slowly killing me?

Your phones ringtone was blaring and when you opened your tired eyes to read the time on your bedside table it read ‘3 AM.’ Who would call this late? Or...early? Either way you didn’t check the screen and just decided to click green and put the phone to your ear.

“Hello?” Your voice was groggy and you were a little annoyed to be woken up so early. It’s rude to do that to someone. Especially someone who only went to bed three hours ago.

“Y/N.” It wasn’t a question and it wasn’t in command. It was a sigh of relief followed by sniffles and a hiccup. It was Spencer.

“I didn’t think you’d pick up.” he said.

“You’re lucky I didn’t check my screen I should just -“

The only form of communication you’ve had with him since the incident was a few texts. Dry texts. On both ends.

“No!” he panicked. “Please don’t hang up please, please, I - I couldn’t sleep.”

You shut your eyes in frustration. “You called me at three in the morning because you couldn’t sleep?”

“No, I - I’m apologizing because I couldn’t sleep, no I - I’m apologizing because I was - I don’t know -“

“Spencer I really don’t have time for this. I have things to do tomorrow. What’s today Tuesday? We’ll have coffee or something Friday, okay?”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “I have a date, no I mean plans Friday..uhm, Sunday?”

“Sunday.”

And you hung up the phone. You didn’t mean to sound bitter, you didn’t but seriously? You were actually willing to see him for once - maybe a decision your unconscious, pining, mind made - but still, and he can’t because of a date? A date?

With JJ no doubt. Of course it was JJ. It’s always been JJ. Every single time. “I can’t today Y/N JJ needs,” or “JJ called I gotta go,” or “Shoot I’m sorry I know we had plans but JJ -“

Will it always be JJ? Will she always be number one? Has she always been number one and you just never realized it? Have you been the girl he just hung out with because he couldn’t with her?

A few months ago...

“I bought chinese.” You grinned.

“Smells so good.” Spencer took the bags from your hands and kissed you on the cheek.

Spencer picked the movie this time since you picked it last time. He was sitting in the middle of the couch while you had your legs draped across his. Occasionally he’d bring his hand down to rub your legs.

Things were fine. Things were content. Until his phone rang.

“Y/N, It’s JJ I have to go.”

“What does she need?” you ask genuinely worried.

“Nothing I don’t think. I just gotta go.”

I hate you, I love you I hate that I love you You want her, you need her And I’ll never be her

———————————-—&—————————————-

i literally have no idea what this is i -

team hotch or spence?

if you have any ideas or scene ideas PLEASE tell me

i’m really trying on this happy ending thing

a spencer apology/talk scene is cominggg

i’m liking the idea of two endings? maybe?

spencer tag list: @hotchsbabygirl @pinkdiamond1016 @thefemalestorywriter @sizzlingclamturtlesludge @samyilf123 @mathchampagne @studywithrosie01 @reniescarlett @drreidsconverse @eveliiinnn27 @bweakmybonez

comments tag list: @yeah-just-ignore-me-thanks @geekgirleve @jhiddles03 @carlgrxmes @dreatine @meowiemari @thedaughterofhotchniss @we-are-dreamers42 @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @silverchains9182 @realalpacorn @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @matthew-gray-g @minami97 @mgg-th1996 @peculiarinsomniac @secondratecomplaint @fallinallinmendes @fantastic-fans @eldahae @psych0crybaby @tclaerh @ashwarren32 @spenciegoob @mustbeaweasleyginger @abschaffer2

[kaypeace21]

Analyzing the 5 plays in this drama club poster .From the bts pics of stranger things 4.

So... some of ya’ll know I'm going through the st s4 films given to us by the official st twitter + the films reffed in the show itself or mentioned by the Duffers in interviews .

So I decided to look at the plays mentioned here. Because even if we don't see the monologues in the show directly - the Duffers wouldn't name drop anything unless it inspired them in some way. Similar to films name dropped in the show. Tw : for some dark themes .

This is just a quick little analysis I decided to do since we probably won't get any new st content today (3/22). Nothing too deep. Just mentioning things that caught my interest especially cause these plays have a lot of narrative connections to the st s4 movies I've been watching.

Invitation to a march (Authur laurents)

Reminds me of the stancy/jancy love triangle. "A young woman is having second thoughts about doing the right thing and marrying a respectable , rich, kind, young man with good prospects.By way of a prewedding diversion, this woman becomes interested in the passionate but poor and entirely unsuitable son of a local landlord.Basically, the plot concerns the efforts of Norma Brown to choose between a conventional fiance who "puts her to sleep" but is wealthy (like what her own mother did) or go for this new-poor guy. The play is principally interested in how this youthful love triangle affects the three mothers involved (whether the kids like it or not)

12th night (Shakespeare)

 - viola (el) wrongly assumes a family member (hopper) is dead. She dresses up as a man named 'cesario'. A girl named Olivia falls for 'cesario' (violet dressed as a man). "Finally, when 'Cesario' and Sebastian (violet's twin brother: assumed to have drowned - Will) appear in the presence of Olivia there is more wonder and confusion at their physical similarity. Taking Sebastian for 'Cesario', Olivia asks him to marry her, and they are secretly married in a church. Cough if Olivia is 'straight' cause she fell for Viola (as a doppleganger dressed like her twin brother).Mike being into el who multiple characters in s1 said looked like a boy and specifically like Will is...suspish and a hint he's not straight lol. just like Olivia they're both into guys . plus, this play just has a butt load of love triangles (ugh i hated that aspect). There was also romantically coded letters (which was in the s4 films) . One character is also thrown into an insane asylum and framed as 'insane'.'Pretending that Malvolio is insane, they lock him up in a dark chamber. Feste visits him to mock his insanity'. We all know the psych hospital will be narratively important- talked about it more here.

The seagull (Anton Chekhov-russian)

similar to how I believed s4 will show m*#even already broken up since the months between s3-4 : act 3 (s3) ends with Nina begging for one last chance to be with Trigorin before he leaves/moves away. They kiss and make plans to meet again in Moscow.And in act 4 there's a timeskip where it shows they've been broken up for a long time between acts- and its established they never actually loved eachother. Do i even have to spell out why this parallels the m*#even ending in s3? There is also a play within the play (this is common in a lot of the st films- they have plays- or a story within a story- which illustrate certain themes or emotions of the characters within said film : blackswan, children of paradise, highschool musical, Rushmore, book of Henry, welcome to marwen, never ending story, romancing the stone, wet hot American summer, etc).The play is Konstantin's latest attempt at creating a dense symbolist work. There is also alot of love triangles in the seagull. TW!: for se#ual ab*se/su*cidal thoughts/ inc*st (here and in other play segments). The seagull motif reminds me a lot of Jonathan's rabbit story.Konstantin romantically into Nina shows up to give her a gull that he has shot. Nina is confused and horrified . Trigorin sees the gull that Konstantin has shot and muses to Nina on how he could use it as a subject for a short story: "The plot for the short story: a young girl lives all her life on the shore of a lake. She loves the lake, like a gull, and she's happy and free, like a gull. But a man arrives by chance, and when he sees her, he destroys her, out of sheer boredom. Like this gull."  This immediately reminded me of jon's rabbit story and some of the movies on the s4 list . Like in forrest gump- Jenny (who is poor) was se*ually ab*sed as a very young girl by her father. As a child she runs away into a field-away from her alcoholic father yelling at her -there she prays that she can "be a bird so I can fly far far away" .

Jenny as an adult struggles with this unresolved trauma- being with ab*sive partners, doing dr*gs, and having su*cidal thoughts . She as an adult when contemplating su*icide, jokes 'you think i can fly like a bird ?' while looking down at a bridge.God-i'm worried about jonathan (Jenny was also a musician sort of like jon). In another s4 movie example ' mystic river ' :(in the 80s) a preteen baseball playing boy is r*ped by men in the woods. He later says he wishes he could become an undead monster to not feel the pain of that experience - cause quote " if I'm not human anymore maybe the pain will stop" (Will) . slightly off topic but he also has another personality, imagines a alternate word that dissappears when he turns his head. And as a less direct animal parallel to the play - the boy from the film also imagined his perpetrators as monsters and wolves to cope.In 'getout' the photographer character sees a dead deer in the woods and it represents a parent/his own childhood tra*ma relating to his past. similarly in 'prince of tides' the 2 siblings as kids were ra*ed by men. The older brother remembered it and the younger sibling developed DID (so didn't remember but she would draw wolves- as the perpetrators/villains in her picture stories she created . In the film they also had an ab*sive dad and were very poor. She also tried k*ling herself multiple times-but started to get better after remembering the source of her pain and trauma.  There is also the theme of multiple attempted su*cides in the play- and the play ends with yet another attempt- and the audience is left unaware of the artist's fate at the end of the play.

The tempest (Shakespeare)

Prospereo - (the perceived antagonist) is a wizard with monstrous looks, storm powers , and ability to create monster-dogs

He wants revenge on a man who tried ra*ing his family member & revenge on his other family member who wronged him years ago. I mean... pretty much my did theory.But in the end.Prospero decides to show his enemies the mercy that they did not show him twelve years earlier. He tells Ariel to bring the men to him, he will restore their sanity and then renounce magic forever.Prospero breaks the spell that the men are under .

Diary of a scoundrel (Alexander Ostrovsky-Russian)

-  I suppose this could loosely relate to Jonathan? Glumov, is a young man from an impoverished family lacking status seeking entrance into society's pampered class. A 19th-century Russian scoundrel must scheme his way out of his meager life in a small apartment -whatever it takes.He has a quick mind and some talent for seeing through the hypocrisies of people around him ( Jonathan does make a lot of social critiques about society). That gives him some advantages. A tale of one man's mission to finagle his way into upper-class society and find a cushy job. Set in 1874, this social comedy follows Glumov, a Russian youth who begins his ambitious ascent to social esteem. He progresses by wit, guile and rhetoric. Pitting one stupid person against another, he soon gains his ends. To reach these goals, Glumov will lie, flatter, and cater to the vanities of the wealthy. Unable to contain his disgust with his victims, Glumov decides to relieve his unvoiced satirical comments by recording his schemes in a diary. But he is tripped up by his uncle's wife, to whom he has made passionate love on his way to success. At the end of the play, his diary is stolen and his duplicity exposed, but he can nevertheless suceeds. The author is much more critical about the high society itself than about the main character, so the play keeps attracting generations of directors by opening possibilities for political criticism while also avoiding naming names of the current rulers.The play's aim was to overthrow bourgeois tradition and establish a class-conscious art called eccentricism giving a deliberately comic portrayal of reality.

I suppose I notice some possible commonalities-  besides s3 critiquing the wealthy/capitalism in comedic ways . jonathan since s1 has worried about his family's finances / had some resentment toward the rich . In some of the s4 movies ‘orphan’ & ‘ girl interrupted’ someone reads their diary out loud to get at them (in girl interrupted the winona character’s diary even had critiques of her new friends).  Alot of movies also have someone (usually a teen/young adult) making a documentary about their life -which could narratively replace said diary? A few movies have a poor guy adjusting to snobby rich social circles (or being poor and then getting money)- titanic, kingsmen, karate kid, the craft , godfather,  wardogs,into the spiderverse,flashdance, and many others . And movies like wardogs has a poor-young-character do shady things to finacially support his family . There’s also that whole uncle’s wife thing- which makes me uncomfortable for obvious reasons (but I’m just thinking of Lonnie’s creepy gf who was into him). A few movies had the guy’s step mom innappropriately hit on him- orange county & you got mail. And him trying to avoid her advances. Or...not to mention ... it may be a problematic coincidence /trope. But in enter the void -the guy who needs to finacially support his sibling/ does dr*gs -hooks up with his dr*g dealing friend’s married mom (who would give him money).  Or in gilbert grape- the poor teen-who has to finacially support his siblings/single mom-has his endgame relationship be a girl his own age. But before that he h*oked up with a married woman -who would give him money. Don’s plum -young film guy-propositioned by older female film director (for dream job). Not even mentioning the other films that have the guy hooking up with toxic older women (like ‘the graduate’). Or analyze this-where the therapist accuses him of having an Oedipus complex (not touching that one... but the guy in ‘enter the void’ a 100% had one). It’s possible those movies were just- inspo for s3?  A coincidence? Or s3 was foreshadowing for this in s4- but unlike s3 it will accurately be played as wrong  and a sign of Jonathan recreating past tra*ma caused by Lonnie (cough like the photos) /being desperate for money. And not played ‘comedically’ like how it mostly was in s3. But shown as self destructive  (for Jon) and immoral on the Woman’s end. Like... Billy and Jon are character foils. Both are older siblings into rock music, with ab*sive dads who shoved them into walls. Both lose it (and beat steve to a pulp when Steve accidentally triggers their daddy issues). In s3 it’s established womanizer Billy has mommy issues, than he tries ho*king up with someone his mom’s age, and the characters ref ‘back to the future ‘ and Steve incorrectly says it’s about “alex p keaton trying to bang his mom.” This could illustrate his subconscious issues with parental figures/adults cause of Lonnie’s  possible past se*ual ab*se . One film the friend even says to the guy “you don’t have friends!” guy b: i have friends! him:  no you have acquaintances! ADMIT IT! YOU’RE AFRAID OF MEN!I mean-Jonathan liked Nancy- but he initially hooked up with her cause he wanted to prove he didn’t have ‘trust issues’ from his dad. Also it’s prob a bit of a reach (and maybe a coincidence)- but the fact Murray in the same breath compares Steve (Nancy’s then bf) and Lonnie  ... uh... if you think too long about it ... it’s very sinister .  Especially because in s3: muray tells Joyce  that despite her wanting to be with a nice guy, she’s curious about “the brute” Hopper despite him reminding her of a past “bad relationship”(aka Lonnie). Like- yeah connect some dots.  Quite a few films (other than forrest gump) also have the character who (as a kid) was  r*ped by their dad/parent-  begin to do dr*gs/be pr*miscuous as adults since they never learned to properly cope with their trauma (’girl with the dragon tattoo’,  ‘black swan’, and ‘magnolia’). Unfortunately the whole relative doing such things to kid-relatives is in at least 30+ movies. 

Personally, i would be MUCH happier if Jon had a age appropriate romance- and had not a single creepy adult near him. A few movies actually imply Lonnie gets yet another ‘new model’  replacing his gf in her 20s with a new gf- who is ‘barely l*gal” and just turned 18. so there’s that possibility as well- that she’s jonathan’s age.I just want Jonathan-happy &safe. GOD. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

[goldenpixel]

The scene with Wilbur in Quackity’s latest lore stream made me Think some Thoughts, and I wanted to get all of my SBI family headcanons together in one place, so here’s this post

First thing, this is their age order:

Philza -> Techno/Wilbur -> Tubbo -> Ranboo -> Tommy

- Techno and Wilbur were born on the same day, so most of the family refers to them as “the twins” but they are not blood related

- Philza did not know how old Techno was when they were ruling the Antarctic Empire, he thought that Techno was around 21 when he was actually around 14-16

- this is a fact that haunts Phil to this day, because he committed a massive amount of war crimes with an actual child, and also for reasons that will soon become very clear

Philza and Techno

- they’re married

- they got married with them each thinking that the other was close to their own age (Phil thought Techno was in his early 20’s, Techno thought Phil was in his late teens)

- for more on their marriage, check out this post

- despite Techno and Wilbur being the same age, Techno is mentally much older due to his past and his general status as the Blood God

- Phil did most of the work raising the older kids, but Techno did his fair share, and you can definitely see his influence when you look at the kid’s behaviors

- both of them are immortal

- Techno is a new immortal, the Blood God has only just come into existence, but he isn't leaving anytime soon

- Philza is an old immortal, he was there when the world was born, and he'll be there when it dies

Wilbur

- Wilbur and Philza are the only blood relatives in the whole family

- as much as he loves him, Wilbur has always been a bit bitter towards Techno, because when they were teenagers, Techno was off ruling and adventuring and having fun with Phil during the AE, and Wil was left home with a young Tommy to look after

- Wilbur’s hair is naturally blond, just like Phil and Tommy’s

- no one knows who Wilbur’s mom is (unfortunately mpreg is the norm on this server, so Phil carried him, and he’s got some ideas on who Wil’s mom is, but he honestly doesn’t care enough to look into it)

- Wilbur has wings

- they’re much smaller than Phil’s, he can barely fly with them, but they’re the same color and shape as Phil’s

- because of how fragile his wings are, Wilbur should not technically be able to fly, but he literally sheer force of will-ed it and threw himself off the roof of their house so many times that he can glide when he jumps from high places, and if it’s a really high place, he can get in a few good flaps of his wings to get him some extra distance

- Phil doesn’t learn that Wilbur can semi-fly/glide until one day they’re off adventuring together and Wil is being dramatic and theatrical and walking backwards while he talks, and he falls off a cliff

Tommy

- Tommy has been with them since he was a few days old

- because of his light features, most people assume that he is Phil’s son by blood, and he just didn’t inherit the wings

- (at ages 10 and 16, Tommy and Wilbur did the blood-brothers handshake where they cut their palms and then shook hands, so if you ask them, they’re blood brothers through and through)

- Techno taught Tommy how to sew

- Tommy is a young god, but he hasn’t grown into most of his powers yet

- Tommy is a god of death, the future Death himself, Kristen is his mother

- (this is how Phil comes into possession of him. Phil, being the Angel of Death, was really the only reasonable choice when it came to Death herself finding someone to raise her son)

- Tommy has light features, even though Mumza has dark features, because she purposefully made him out of the light, she wanted him to be good and kind, so she created him from the literal light that you see when you're dying

- because he was born from the actual moment of death, despite Tommy's eyes being blue, they hold the void itself in them

- if you look too closely into Tommy's eyes, it can be easy to lose yourself and fall right in

- sometimes Mumza comes to visit, these are very bittersweet moments for Tommy

- he loves his mom, and he loves seeing her and seeing Phil happy to see her, and she usually takes him along on her next trip, ever so slowly teaching him how to be Death, but he also hates that that is his future

- he doesn't want to be the next Death, he doesn't want to outlive all of his friends and his brother, he just wants to be normal

- because of this, Tommy represses pretty much all of his godly powers, trying to seem as normal as possible, the one he represses the most is his automatic healing, when he gets hurt, he wants to stay hurt

- he represses everything so well that its years before Tubbo finds out that his best friend is a god

Ranboo

- Techno raised Ranboo more than Phil did

- (because of this, he’s the only kid who actually views Techno as his father. Despite him literally being their stepdad, the others see Techno as more of a brother or an uncle)

- Techno found Ranboo when he was around 12 years old on the edge of a warped forest in the nether (if you want some more nether-boys hc’s, check out this post)

- at that age, Ranboo hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet due to malnutrition, so he was much smaller than the average human 12 year old, and everyone thought he was around 8-10 (because of his memory issues, Ranboo thought the same thing until Tommy kept pestering him about when his birthday was and he remembered the year)

- Ranboo is brought into the family when he’s 12, Tommy is 11, and Wilbur and Techno are 17

- as I said before, Techno may have been 17 when he took in Ranboo, but he was definitely a father to this anxious amnesiac preteen

- because of his height, Ranboo is constantly slouching to fit through doorways, inside houses, and to make himself appear smaller, so he grows to need a cane

Tubbo (and Dream)

- street cat

- they fed him once and he just kept coming back

- sometimes he’ll disappear for a few weeks, but he always turns up eventually

- boy’s got some family issues, some real bad family issues

- his dad is Schlatt, who left him and big brother Dream to fend for themselves when he and Dream were 6 and 11

- luckily Dream has an excellent sense of direction and memory, and got them to Aunt Puffy’s current port before she pushed off on her next adventure (but not before getting briefly separated and making some friends)

- (the few weeks they spend separated are when Tubbo first gets found by Wilbur and Tommy and forcibly adopted by Phil, and Bad lures Dream home with food and he meets Sapnap)

- both boys have ram features - floppy ears, horns, etc., Dream also inherited their Aunt Puffy's rainbow hair (he dyes it blonde semi-regularly. It's dyed when he meets sbi, and Wilbur and Techno have the exact same reaction to it when they finally see his natural hair: relentless teasing. Like father like son amiright?)

- Tubbo and Dream are half brothers (same dad, different moms), Tubbo is 1/2 ram and 1/2 human, Dream is 1/2 human, 1/4 ram, and 1/4 what he and Sapnap think is demon (basically Dream had a human-ram hybrid dad, and a human-demon(?) hybrid mom)

- when Tubbo introduces Dream to his new brother-in-law, Dream feels a bit of a kindred spirit, but he quickly brushes it off

- Dream spends most of his time either with Bad, Skeppy, and Sapnap, or on the sea with Puffy, so Tubbo mostly fends for himself

- Tubbo is more than happy to fend for himself, he actually prefers it most of the time. He doesn't like people fussing over him and sheltering him, so whenever his mood switches and he decides that he does, actually, want some family time, he just appears on sbi’s front porch

- Tubbo first meets Ranboo when he comes to visit after a few months away. No one told him that Tommy was with Mumza for the weekend, so when he arrived at 3am, 2 days before he told Phil he’d be there, he just let himself in and threw himself on top of the sleeping figure in Tommy’s bed, only to be met with a startled enderman screech that woke the whole house

- (Ranboo was in Tommy’s bed because he might not be a part of the official Clingy Duo, but the boy is as clingy as they come. He regularly sleeps in his family’s beds, both when they’re home and when they’re away, because his sense of smell is heightened as an enderman and he needs to be surrounded in their scent when he misses them or when he’s feeling sad (especially because these are the only scents he knows, he doesn’t remember any of the scents from before Techno found him))

Big brothers being friends

- one day, after Tubbo’s near-constant raving about how great the Minecraft family is, Dream agrees to visit with him

- this visit happens to fall during the AE, so the only ones home are Wilbur and Tommy

- Dream and Wilbur take one look at each other and their similar situations in raising their chaotic, problem-child little brothers, and never let go

- the four of them live together for a good 5-6 months before Dream gets a letter and he and Tubbo need to leave

- after this visit, Dream and Wilbur stay in contact, and they visit each other even without their brothers around to drag them along

- I know I said that Wilbur makes fun of Dream for dying his hair, but that’s only in public

- in private, Wilbur confesses to Dream that he also dyes his hair, that his hair is naturally blond and he dyes it darker. After this, Dream and Wilbur start dying their hair together, it becomes something scheduled that they both look forward to immensely each month

- the next time Dream and Tubbo visit together, Wilbur is off with a water spirit who stole his heart (I refuse to write about fish Sally, fight me), and Phil is showing Ranboo some cool builds in his current hardcore world, so it's Techno and Tommy who welcome them in

- Techno starts out pretty hesitant of Dream, but Dream almost instantly is like

- "I'm gonna annoy the blood god into being my best friend"

- and whatever Dream sets his mind to, he achieves

- so the visit sort of ends with Dream and Techno making Tommy and Tubbo promise not to burn the house down, and leaving them home alone to go off to cause some chaos together

Father/son relationships

- As I said earlier, Phil primarily raised Wilbur and Tommy, and Techno primarily raised Ranboo, with Tubbo coming in and out like a feral cat

- to Wilbur and Tommy, Techno is more of a cool uncle who brings them valuable trinkets from his adventures, and they want to be like him one day

- Ranboo and Phil’s relationship is almost exactly the same as Wilbur and Tommy’s relationship with Techno

- when Techno brought Ranboo home, Phil pretty much decided that he had his hands full enough with raising his two chaotic boys, and he declared that it was finders-keepers, Techno found Ranboo, so he gets to raise him

- after L’Manburg, Ghostbur and Phil learn sign language, because the explosion blew out Phil’s hearing in his left ear, and Ghostbur’s so soft-spoken that it’s sometimes really difficult for him to hear his son speaking

For more random hc’s I have about these characters and the characters of the smp in general, check out this post

Some quick tags for people who commented on my post asking who wants this post, thanks for the support guys :’) @anotherweirdohere @haveadayasgreatasyou @jupiterjordan

[feetoffire]

Captain Christopher Pike, the rec list

I had this almost finished and ready to post, and then the kitten wiped everything, so here it is, a gazillion years later than I wanted. Yay. 

Ongoing - the fic is complete, but not all chapters are posted

WIP - fic isn’t finished

Incomplete - last-updated-more-than-a-year-ago WIPs

recs under the cut; spoilers abound

AOS

Gen

Pike’s Office by AnxiouslyGoing. Poor Jim has a Tarsus related panic attack, and ends up sleeping in Pike’s office/on Pike’s lap. Academy Era, bonus appearance by Spock, dad!Pike. 2k oneshot.

Another Life by LullabyKnell. Time travel fix it for ST2009. As ever, LullabyKnell gave us a spectacular, delightfully well-written fic. Dadmiral Pike, even if he’s technically a captain at this point. No pairings, everything is platonic. 12 chapters, 61k, T. Complete. 

Watching the Cloud of Dust by AngelQueen. Pike runs into Spock Prime while seeing the Enterprise off. Cue melancholy fluff (it follows Spock Prime around like a dog). 1.7k oneshot, G.

Phil Boyce/Chris Pike

horizons universe by gracieminabox. Massive, massive series spanning the whole of Chris’ life. Not canon compliant, i.e. Pike Lives. “Christopher Pike, in word and in deed.” Series, 263k in seventeen parts, G-E. 

Altered Horizons by InsaneSociopath. The bar fight goes very differently because Chris gets elbowed in the face. Featuring depressed!bipolar!Chris, who is Not Having A Good Time, Emergency Department (ED) doc Bones, and mother-hen!Jim. Phil is essentially Sir Not Appearing In This Fic, but he and Chris are married. Seven chapters, 14k, G. Incomplete. I adore this one. 

When Darkness Drifts by InsaneSociopath. Tarsus fic. Jim gets adopted by Starfleet but still ends up on Tarsus, except Chris is there. All Tarsus-related warnings apply. Jim and Chris centric; Phil is most present in the last few chapters. Six chapters, 44k, M. Complete. 

Kinktober 2017 by nerdqueenenterprise. What it says on the tin. Series, 13k in eight parts, T-E. Complete. 

A Vacation Long Overdue by nerdqueenenterprise. Reunion sex, mostly. They haven’t seen each other in six months, so they take leave on a remote beach. ~9k oneshot, E. 

The Weight of a Man by imachar. Another huge series charting the evolution of Chris and Phil’s relationship. Both canon compliant and canon non-compliant, so there’s a choice if you want it. Series, 174k in sixteen parts, M-E. Complete. 

shatterproof by gracieminabox. Will Make You Cry. Phil’s POV, STID compliant, featuring a picture from their early days. 4.3k oneshot, M.

Winged Desires and Veiled Persuasions by imachar. Post-Narada, ignores/was written before STID. Bones ends up hanging out with Phil and Chris at Spuhura’s wedding reception, and then the three of them have sex in Phil and Chris’ hotel suite. Pretty much pure smut. 12k oneshot, E. 

McPike

The Wind and Its Satellite by severinne. Long series, some BDSM, eventual Bones/Jim/Pike. Something of a McPike classic. Series, 186k in twenty parts, M-E.

Partridge Fallen From the Pear Tree by severinne. Post-divorce Bones works as a prostitute to make ends meet. Pike comes to town to recruit him, ends up paying for a night without knowing Bones is Bones, and then they both freak the fuck out when Pike realizes who he is. More-or-less just smut and angst. Pre-canon. Three chapters, 12k, E. Complete.

Singularities Verse by FrancescaMonterone. Bones and Pike fall in love, Pike adopts Chekov, Jim is Jim. Bonus Admirals Archer and Reed, and Archer/Reed. Mostly pre-canon, ace Pike. Series, 81k in six parts, T. WIP. 

Need by Noranem. Post STID, Pike and Bones invite Jim into their relationship and their bed. Established McPike, early days Bones/Jim/Pike. Four chapters, 12k, E. Complete. 

Pirk

See All The Stars by HoneyBeeBritt. Chris and Jim fell in love some time before Daystrom. Fluff and angst, with a happy ending promised in part four. I come back to this one regularly, especially part one. Series, 6.2k in three parts, T-M. Ongoing.

Shining On The Quay by topaz. Post-Narada through Beyond, ignores STID. Chris and Jim fall in love, get together, and figure out how to keep a relationship going when one of them is in space and the other is an admiral. Series, 32k in three parts, E. Complete. 

You Still Got Wheels, Kid by withthepilot. Yes, this is partially on here because it’s one of the few (good) fem!Pike fics. Pre-canon, Pike finds out Jim’s alive because she (not Winona or Sam) is listed as his emergency contact. Prostitute Jim. Takes place two years before canon, I think. 12k oneshot, E. 

Moments along the path by InsaneSociopath. Jim, through no fault of his own, is assigned to Pike as an aide bc Command thinks he’s a loose cannon. Pike is delighted /s. (he warms up eventually.) Some Tarsus PTSD; also a fair amount of fluff. Academy Era slow burn that goes right through to (immediately) post-Narada. 46k oneshot, M. Second chapter is artwork. Long but 100% worth it. 

How Do You Want Me, How Do You Want Me? by babykid528. Get together via smut. Feelings abound but talking about them does not. 3k oneshot, E. 

The Ocean Between Us by severinne. They get a drink in a bar. They’re both dead. Something of a get-together fic. Can and Will sucker punch you with feels. STID compliant. 1k oneshot, T.

Mutual Profusion of Good Feeling (aka Wherein the Aliens have a Flair for Mood Lighting) by kayliemalinza. This doesn’t really count as Pirk, but it’s not platonic enough for the gen category. Away mission, the premise is ‘aliens made them do it’ but there’s no sex or fade to black. Romantic, I guess? I really don’t know, but the prose is gorgeous. Also a Pike Lives/returns to the Enterprise AU. 5k oneshot, T.

Timeline Shenanigans

In plain view by IceCream_Junkie, Killermanatee. Pike/Pike. What can I say? The image of Greenwood’s Pike and Mount’s Pike together is very pretty. 2k oneshot, E.

Out of This World by TheAsexualofSpades. Space Puns. That is all. 1.1k oneshot, G. 

Discovery/quasi-SNW

Gen

A Small Storm by EKthered. Spock goes to visit his captain and ends up comforting him instead. Post Boreth. 2.3k oneshot. 

you were never broken by ordinary things by SiderumInCaelo. Michael Burnham & Chris Pike. Michael has only an inkling of what’s going on, but she manages to comfort Chris anyway. Post Boreth. 1.2k oneshot. 

Piler | Chris Pike/Ash Tyler

the chair and the badge by ninjamcgarrett. The boys are soft and in love. Lots of smut, but a fair amount of plot. Their respective traumas are addressed too, so there’s plenty of h/c. Honestly? My favorite from this pairing. Series, 59k in five parts, M-E. Ongoing. 

Reality by aishahiwatari. Initially a take on how these two idiots settled their differences, and evolution from there. Part two is post-season two of Disco. Series, 5k in two parts, E. Complete.

survival is insufficient by topaz. Post-Disco; they get together to remember Discovery’s crew, and then they get together. Traumas are addressed. Part two is a sort-of case fic, TW starvation. Series, 33k in two parts, E. WIP.

Feeling Too Deeply by NightOfTheLand. Established Piler, post-Disco season two couch sex. 6k oneshot, E. 

dancing to a beat of our own, flying with the speakers blown by wolfhalls. Neither of them want to talk about anything, aka Horrible Coping Mechanisms TM. Bottom Pike, quasi-hurt/comfort. 2.7k oneshot, E. 

Christmas in Sickbay by lah_mrh. Chris is accident- and injury-prone and has a new reason to hate spiders. Ash just wants to spend time with his boyfriend. 1k oneshot, G. 

The Pillow Will Disappear When I Forget I Put a Pillow There, Worry Not by prototype_malice. Sleepy fluff and cuddles. (they deserve it.) 665 words, oneshot, G. 

Chris Pike/Una | Number One 

it will take place without witnesses by love_in_the_time_of_kohlinahr. Post Disco, Pike is struggling with the knowledge of his future, so he and Una play chess until stupid o’clock in the morning (as one does), and then he lowkey has a panic attack. Una POV. Also features sleepy sex, but it isn’t plot-important and can be skipped over, if you wish. 2k oneshot, E. 

Overtime by Astronoddingoff. Una has Thoughts about Chris working doubles for the better part of a week. Also men get pegged. Definite sub!Chris. 7k oneshot, E. 

Terminal Velocity by Astronoddingoff. Una pegs Chris and drags his favorite fantasy out of him. Chris is On Board with all of this. Implied poly!Chris (i.e. Boyce/Pike) and hardcore switch/sub vibes from Chris. 6.8k oneshot, E. 

All for One by knightinmourning. D/s universe, where Pike had/has to hide the fact that he’s a sub to make (and stay) captain. Mostly reccing for part two, which has a fair amount of hurt/comfort (and also hints at threatened sexual assault and definite torture; be forewarned). Technically also Chris/Phil and Chris/Spock, but there’s no pairing sex, and part two is entirely Una’s POV. Series, 4.2k in two parts, M-E. Probably incomplete. 

A Gentle Touch by jedi_harkness. Chris and Una shower together. Body worship, no sex. So Much Fluff (and also happy tears). It’s super sweet. 1.7k oneshot, T.

Phil Boyce/Chris Pike

Decompression by Astronoddingoff. Chris is elated by a recent treaty success and the time spent dirtside. Phil does his best to make him even happier. Lowkey sub Pike. Implied poly!Chris (i.e. Pike/One). 3.5k oneshot, E. 

Most Pike/Boyce fics fall under the AOS tags

Una/Phil/Chris

Triangulate by Astronoddingoff. Sex pollen, but they’re already-kind-of-mostly in an established relationship. Recent miscommunications lead to angst. They all love each other and they’re all idiots. Lowkey sub Pike. Two chapters, 20k, E. 

Holy by Astronoddingoff. Self-actualizing featuring religious guilt/conflict, i.e. Pike is a sub and religion is weird about enjoying yourself. 2.7k oneshot, E. 

Happy Birthday by MeganMoonlight. It’s Phil’s birthday. Cue breakfast in bed. 530 word oneshot, G. 

[laurenwritesfics]

The Pieces We Leave Behind

CHAPTER ONE: FRANK

Mary had buried herself in books again. She was a curious and intelligent young girl, but her love of reading was turning into obsession. So much so that Frank was beginning to worry about Vitamin D deficiency. She looked a little too pale. He usually hauled her out of her chair – met with screams and slaps of protestation – and took her to the beach or the park for ice cream, but today, he was piling her into the car to meet with the school principal. Mary had been accused of bullying, and Frank wasn’t going to let it stand.

“This is so stupid.” Mary huffed and crossed her arms. “I didn’t do anything.”

“I know, just get in the car.”

She rolled her eyes, slipping her backpack off her shoulder, throwing it onto the seat beside her. The engine of Frank’s 1974 sedan sputtered to life. Frank’s mother Evelyn called it a rickety rust-bucket, but it was his pride and joy – second only to his sweet, silly niece, who was currently sulking in the back seat.

That was the thing about Frank Adler. He didn’t fix broken things, he just knew when something was worth saving. He saw potential that nobody else could.

He was the first to break away from the family. He was tired, he said, of living a Stepford lie.

This was how he came to be Mary’s guardian. After the death of his sister Diane, the Adler family was irreparably splintered. In the midst of Evelyn’s grief, she had swept Mary up into a life she would never become accustomed to - piano lessons, private school, badminton, early bedtime and absolutely no television.

At just seven years old, Mary was wide-eyed and wise. A headstrong child who sometimes alarmed Evelyn with her ability to face the world fearlessly. Her teachers referred to her as ‘gifted’, which made Evelyn’s eyes light up. She was just like Diane. That was the beginning of the end of Mary’s childhood. Night after night, she would be tucked into bed with a book. As the months went by, childhood favorites were replaced with educational textbooks. Mornings started with a pop quiz. Her social circle grew smaller. She eventually found herself so frustrated by her restrictive life with Evelyn that she once threatened to run away, as children often do. But Evelyn knew that Mary meant it. So when it did finally happen, the thing that shocked her the most was not the act itself, but the fact that, of all people, Mary ran to Frank for help.

At ten years old, Diane scored her first grade A in mathematics. From that moment on, Evelyn decided to live vicariously through her daughter. She had devoted her youth to solving the Navier–Stokes problem (one of the unsolved Millennium Prize Problems), but had never been successful. Frank was the only one who saw her slowly disappear. Forced into a mold that didn’t fit her. He watched Diane suffer through countless socialite soirées, nodding politely, eyes glazed. He was the last person to call her. He found her. He blamed Evelyn.

She would never believe that the cause of death was suicide. Diane was so happy, she said. So intelligent. So perfect. Of course, perfection didn’t exist. She learned this a mere month later when her marriage fell apart.

Mary was the only piece of Diane that was left.

Frank knew that if Mary stayed in Boston with his mother, history would repeat itself. So he intervened. He sent care packages all the way from Florida. They called each other weekly. Six months into what Frank referred to as her kidnapping, he received a phone call in the middle of the night. She was uncharacteristically subdued. Whispering. Her voice trembled. She was trapped. Four hours later he was bundling her into a taxi. It wasn’t going to happen again. Not on his watch.

Evelyn would never forgive him, but he didn’t care. Frank loved his mother – he always would – he just didn’t like her.

The more time Mary spent in Florida, the more she began to dislike Evelyn, too.

It was an unspoken rule that Evelyn was informed of Mary’s achievements. She didn’t much care for the other things – the friendships, the slumber parties, the times she cried herself to sleep from stress and in fear of bullies – those were Frank’s problems. The only problems she cared about were mathematical. She didn’t visit on Mary’s seventh birthday, but she did attend the parent-teacher conference that came after it. Frank was sure that if Evelyn set foot in the principal’s office she would have a heart attack on the spot. So, here he was, driving Mary to school to correct the misinformed adults who believed that his niece was capable of hurting another child.

“Slow down!” Mary caught Frank’s eye in the rear-view mirror. “Mom said never go to bed or drive angry.”

“I’m not angry.” He said, almost flatly enough to mask his frustration.

“Yes you are.”

Frank tapped his index finger on the steering wheel. He counted to ten in his head, exhaling slowly.

“Fine, I’m angry.” He admitted. “These stuck-up bastards don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Don’t swear.” Mary chided.

“Sorry.”

A short woman with a thin, pinched face emerged from the principal’s office.

Mary was leaning against the window, chin in her palm, counting the trees that passed by, partly to keep herself occupied, partly to quell the anxiety that was swirling inside her. She was always quiet, focussed, and polite. She went out of her way to make friends with the other children. This was entirely unfair. Back in Boston, she had spent time in almost every school in the city – co-ed, prep school, all-girls, but she never stayed too long. She was either too inquisitive, too restless, or – ironically – too smart. Sometimes it felt as though she didn’t belong anywhere at all.

Weaving through the long line of cars in the school parking lot, Frank stopped awkwardly and swung himself out of the car, keeping tight hold of Mary’s hand as they made their way inside. The occasional echo of chatter and footsteps cut through the otherwise silent hallway. The closer they got to the office, the easier it was for Mary to breathe. It was going to work out. Frank would take care of it. He had a talent for charming people into submission.

“Who’s that?” Frank straightened his shirt, still stained with oil and sweat from an afternoon spent fixing up a boat for a local fisherman.

“Mrs Weston.” Mary half-whispered, shrinking in her chair a little. “We hate her.”

Frank huffed, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “Yes we do.”

Then, an interruption from a harsh, husky voice.

“Mary Adler?”

Frank turned to Mary, slapping the arm of the chair. “Looks like we���re up, kiddo. You okay?” He tilted his head in concern.

“I guess.” Mary shrugged, her shoulders sinking for a moment before she pushed herself forward and took hold of Frank’s hand again.

The woman’s eyes narrowed and roamed over the two of them. She pursed her lips, paused, and finally spoke.

“Principal Mitchell is unavailable this morning.” She said curtly. “Vice-Principal Madeline Weston. Come in.”

Rustling papers. The pronounced tick-tick-tock of the clock on the wall. An awkward cough. Frank shifted in his seat, a creak eliciting from beneath the adult weight it clearly wasn’t made to support. Leaning out of a slouch, elbows resting on his knees, he tented his fingers and waited for the inevitable stretching of the truth. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, locking eyes with the woman who clearly didn’t know Mary at all.

“Do your worst.” Frank muttered not quite far enough under his breath.

“I take it you’ve done this before, Mr Adler?”

“Once or twice.”

A judgemental hum. “Then I’m sure you know why you’re here today. Mr Adler, your daughter-“

“She’s my niece.”

Madeline crossed her legs and adjusted her lapels. “Your niece is disruptive. She is preventing the other students from learning.”

“How, exactly?”

“Interruptions. Selfishness. Questions in math class are answered almost exclusively by Miss Adler.”

“Yeah, probably because she’s the only one who knows the answer.” Frank scoffed.

“Do not insult the quality of education provided at this school, Mr Adler.”

“I’m insulting the students. Mary can do so much better than here. She’s so smart – too smart.” His voice deepened, even and impassioned. “If you just took the time to get to know her-“

Madeline cut him off. “We don’t get to know the children here, Mr Adler. We encourage their talents.”

Frank tried and failed to fight the push in his calves compelling him to stand up. He tapped Mary’s shoulder and made his way to the door. Whether she liked it or not, Evelyn was going to hear about this.

“This is bullshit. Mary, we’re done here.”

Launching herself out of her chair with a scowl, Mary followed Frank back into the hallway.

“So that’s the Wicked Witch of the West, huh?”

Mary exploded into laughter.

The sun beat down on the asphalt as they re-entered the parking lot, hands pressing against searing metal, the air thick and musty inside the car. Frank adjusted the rear-view mirror, turned the key and hooked his arm around the passenger seat as he pulled away.

“Buckle up, genius. Let’s go get some ice cream.”

Read chapter one HERE. Read the full series on AO3.

Permanent taglist: @hiddelstannerbarnes  @redlipstickandblacktea @just-one-ordinary-fangirl​ @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho​ @djeniiscorner​ @its-tortle​ @k347​ @ixalit​ @iguessweallcrazyithinktho​ @cevansfics​ @capchrisevaans​ @hawkeyeandthewintersoldier​ @musette22​ @mcubabydotcom​ @worksby-d​ @chuckbass-love​ @bluemusickid​ @fallinforevans​ @hellobeautworld​ @katiew1973​ @just-dreaming-marvel​ @disaster-dean​ @rebthom89​ @navybrat817​ @just-dreaming-marvel-2​

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[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

If Glee did a Taylor Swift Tribute Episode...

Just my opinions, feel free to add on to them. I know I have some fellow gleek swifties following me. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Obviously they have to do some of the hits but I think some people would have some out of the box picks.

*This post assumes all Taylor songs are available to choose from as of May 14th 2021 but focuses on Taylor’s first 6 albums (if you want more glee and Taylor I have fics with that; LOVER and FOLKLORE) and takes liberties with where this episode’s placement is in terms of canon. But since it’s all made up anyway who cares (but Blaine’s involved so I guess season 3 idk).*

Okay, trying to do a full plot here (completely inspired by @kurtdeservesbetter head canon posts. I hope this lives up to her fabulous posts). This will be my version of glee so everyone gets solos and Rachel can’t hog the spotlight. Also, this is about to be super long (both post wise and episode wise).

Let’s open the first episode with

...Ready For It because the New Directions are in their reputation era. Santana does the opening cough centerstage. Everyone in black and/or camo green outfits (can you just see Kurt in a dark green bedazzled snake jacket, Santana in a black leather dress, and Tina digging out some goth clothes for people to borrow?), snakes everywhere, but probably no Karyn (she just wouldn’t fit on the auditorium stage). Santana takes the first verse but we have Blaine step up for verse 2. (I just love their friendship in the Michael tribute, cute little badasses are BACK. Also him singing “Burton to this Taylor” is such a Klaine thing to do).

Everyone is still dressed in their rep outfits but we’re in the choir room now. Mr. Schue is talking about why Taylor had to disappear and clap back with rep, how rough the industry is for women and tries to uplift the ladies in the room and encourage them to not silence their voices (cue snarky comment from Santana about Rachel needing to be silent).

Then, Mr. Schue goes on about how you can only understand how Taylor got to her rep era by studying her earlier music. So we have a performance of Tim McGraw. Simple, front of the choir room performance, maybe Puck does guitar, and sitting on stools.

Everyone is surprised to find out how pumped Sam is for this assignment but he is all over it. “It's about time we did some country in this room.” Cue Sam and Quinn at her locker talking about their ‘date’ last night, Sam’s all cute and teasing and Quinn is not into it. She tells him it was fun but she was wrong, they shouldn’t do this again. In turn, he does a wonderful performance of Bye Bye Baby. He thought it was more but clearly he’s “a part of her past.”

Then, we’re in the empty choir room. Tina and Mike are there. (I love their cutesy duets) They sing Everything Has Changed and it’s utterly adorable. Can’t you hear Mike asking Tina if she’s “good to go” like Ed does? And while we’re on the subject of cute duets and RED, we flash to the courtyard to see Santana and Brittany. They turn Stay Stay Stay into a duet. “I’ve been loving you for quite some time,” “before you I only dated self-indulgent takers who took all their problems out on me,” “no one else is gonna love me when I’m mad, mad, mad,” and “it’s occurring to me that I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life” it’s perfect for them. Adorable ladies kisses are had.

Let’s toss in some boy drama for fun. Idk shit about football but somehow Puck is praised by their coach over Finn, which gets him all pissy, and Puck’s upset and jealous because Finn is back with Quinn now (this is why Quinn shut Sam now earlier, she changed her mind). Can we say duet of Bad Blood? “So if you’re coming my way...just don’t.”

After their dramatics, we have a Brittany solo in the choir room. It’s after school at this point (or whenever glee club is). Brittany does You’ll Always Find You Way Back Home.

When she finishes Mr. Schue tries to explain that it’s a Hannah Montana song. Britt injects that it’s confusing how she’s really Miley Cryus “like how can you be two people at once?”. Before Mr. Schue can continue, Kurt pipes up “you never specified that the songs had to be sung by Taylor Swift, just that they were her songs.” Mercedes adds, “yeah, Mr. Schue, Taylor wrote that song.” Mr. Schue concedes that he has once again been outwitted by Kurtcedes. The friends do their little hand shake thing.

With a sigh, Mr. Schue asks Mike if he’s ready to go and Mike asks to take things to the auditorium for some dancing room. Everyone’s on stage with him and it’s kind of a group number but Mike is the focus. It’s Shake It Off. All inspired by the music video. He’s tried to fit in elsewhere (i.e. football, with the smart kids, etc..) but he’s really himself in glee when he’s dancing.

Part 2 of Taylor Tribute Episodes

We begin with an ALL GIRL NUMBER of A Place In This World. Just because.

Glee is dismissed and we zoom in on Artie. He’s watching Tina with Mike and Brittany with Santana. Both Tina and Britt have broken his heart by this point. So, he’s rolling down the halls singing A Perfectly Good Heart. While Artie’s soloing, we cut to Rachel watching Finn and Quinn chatting. Artie’s song playing over this scene. Rachel is feeling similar to him at the moment.

She’s pretty sure Finn dumped her to be with Quinn again even though Kurt and Blaine told her they saw Quinn and Sam at the movies last night together making out in the back row. Fine, if that’s how he’s going to be, she doesn’t need him anyway. Cue Mr. Perfectly Fine. Uber dramatic solo performance walking around McKinley’s halls watching Finn and Quinn together ending in the auditorium alone. (see what I did there, both broken hearted peeps singing a song with Perfectly in it (this was not at all planned, actually, happy accident))

After some good old heartbreak, we have Kurt and Blaine on screen. Blaine walks into the auditorium to see Kurt sitting on the edge of the stage. “What’s all the fuss?” he asks from the door. Kurt had texted him “EMERGENCY.” The band starts to play and Kurt just starts singing, Enchanted. It’s time to profess their love for each other, just like they sing Perfect together in the car, this duet needs no audience. Blaine catches up and sings while walking towards his boyfriend. It’s very reminiscent of past New Directions competitions where they come in from the back and make their way to the stage. “Wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you?” Kurt and Blaine both know the answer to that question now but just a few months ago they were both wondering that exact thing.

They kiss before we cut to Kurt and Blaine walking hand in hand into the choir room where everyone else is already. Mr. Schue is praising the performances thus far and of course asks Rachel if she’s ready to solo (some practice for her completion solo). This causes an uproar from Mercedes and Santana. Another classic argument of how she gets too many solos. Mr. Schue tries to shut them both down but Santana tells Rachel to watch her back, and we get three very different reactions to this. 

All three girls storm out.

First, we visit Mercedes alone in the courtyard. This solo is all about being hurt over this great thing in her life (glee) and her being denied happiness within that club. Thus, Cold As You. (mostly to indulge myself because she’d blow us away with this song).

Next, Rachel in the auditorium. A huge bridge on stage (very Speak Now Tour of her), belting out Better Than Revenge. Santana’s dropped the last straw (the humiliation, name calling, Finn at one point and now solos,) it’s too much this time.

And finally, Santana walking around McKinley, showing us flashes of Rachel ‘outshining’ her and the rest of glee and Mr. Schue being unfair, while singing Look What You Made Me Do.

Tina walks out at the same time as Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana but no one seems to put two and two together. She feels just as underutilized as the latter two do. She ends up in an empty classroom and sings The Outside. “Nobody ever lets me in” and “on the outside looking in.”

Once the 3, err 4, divas have left the room, Finn sticks up for Rachel. Quinn, of course, has something to say about this along the lines of “you always defend her.” Finn, intimated by her ‘scary Quinn’ fumbles and blurts “because she’s my girlfriend” WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT THIS POINT. Quinn dumps him on the spot, cuts quickly to Blaine and Kurt sharing some ‘oh my god, can you believe this’ expressions, and vanishes from the room.

By this point, Rachel is long gone from the auditorium but the bridge is still there.

Here’s where we go way off script but imagine, Quinn has decided to just quit boys. They’ve all failed her anyway, she’s better off being alone. She walks up the bridge and thinks to herself “god Rachel’s so dramatic, where did this thing even come from” before it hits her “fuck, I’m as bad as Finn. I want her.” Then, she starts singing Clean to herself in the auditorium, likely tearing up throughout and ending with a good cry. (Because Dianna would DELIVER with Clean.)

While Quinn is having a sexuality crisis, the rest of glee is still happening. They’re discussing upcoming competition and debating solos and songs.

Kurt’s all: “Mr. Schue, if I may” and performs a lovely rendition of Call It What You Want. Those opening lines are too good. “My castle (ie McKinley) crumbled overnight, brought a knife to a gun fight (ie couldn’t fight off Dave Karofsky), “I’m doing better than I ever was ‘cause my baby’s fit like a daydream,” and “at least I did one thing right.” When he’s done, Blaine’s a mess in the back of the choir room, and Mr. Schue says: “not really what we’re looking for but very nice, Kurt” however, Kurt’s too busy sitting beside Blaine teasing him about blushing.  

Then, the missing girls return to the room having sung out their emotions. Quinn, having realized her feelings for Rachel, ends up soloing You Belong With Me to the New Directions in the choir room. Odd looks all around, no one knows what’s up with her and why does she keep glancing at Rachel? (Faberry just fit so well I had to add it, don’t know if I’m a shipper or not but it’s here now) (also thanks to @spicygemini for pointing out the obvious “Quinn would have ate YBWY”).

Mr. Schue wants to move the group to the audition to perform their final number of the Taylor Swift tribute well but Tina asks to sing first. He’s surprised but allows it, taking a seat with the rest of the New Directions.

Tina sings Beautiful Ghosts. “Watch from the dark, wait for my life to start” because New Directions is refusing to use her talents AGAIN. She’s singing this to Rachel and the girls who were in the Treble Tones. Because she absolutely SMASHES this number, the glee kids agree she gets solo for their next competition (and they deliver on that promise).

To conclude Part 2 of the Taylor tribute episode, we have a group performance of Long Live. “One day we will be remembered”, “all the years we stood there on the sidelines wishing for right now”, “for a moment a band of thrives in ripped up jeans got to rule the world” ie wining completions, “when they look at the pictures please tell them my name...”

[jerbric]

I’m saying it now just to get it out there but imagine, a goldric and lumity combined AU. Anastasia and Tangled AUs, respectively.

BUT Edric and Emira and Luz all work together as conmen/scammers for the fun of it, but also have their own reasons. Edric and Emira are looking for deals, money, anything that could convince Odalia to take Amity out of that godforsaken tower. She trapped Amity in there ages ago without any real reason, and the twins are set on helping free her. Luz wants to help out her family, it’s her, Camila and Vee, and they can only make ends meet for so long. So she goes into scamming, learned from Eda and King. Then she turned 18, and went off on her own for bigger things, where she met Edric and Emira and decided to stick with them. They don’t really ask each other about their personal reasons, so Luz doesn’t know about Amity.

Anastasia Verse Goldric is basically: Emperor Below’ castle got attacked years ago, but he was able to escape with his nephew, Hunter. Unfortunately, Hunter had fallen behind and gotten lost, cue Anastasia backstory. Now, thirteen years later, Belos is offering a big reward for anyone who brings him his supposedly alive nephew. Upon hearing this, Edric and Emira decide to take on the challenge, believing that maybe this money will convince their mom somewhat. So, they split up with Luz, who’s like not chill about it, kind of upset actually, but that’s okay. Because evil moments, she steals an amulet from them with the intention of selling it and getting as much as she possibly could. The twins don’t notice this, yet, too caught up in their GG scam.

Edric and Emira hold auditions to fake a Sir William, someone to pass as the lost prince. Eventually, they come in contact with Hunter, an orphan with amnesia that is trying to find a way home, who’s only memory of home comes from a key that’s his only possession. Ed and Em convince Hunter that he’s the lost prince, and they take him to the Emperor. (A lot happens during their journey but I won’t go into detail.) when they get to the castle, Belos immediately recognizes Hunter, and he orders the scouts to give the twins their money, and pushes them out the door. He begins to reconnect with Hunter, talks about the “good old days” and “oh how I’ve missed you William” and eventually, it’s revealed that the original attack years ago, was set up by Belos and Kikimora. An attempt to kill the rest of the family and Hunter, an attempt to get a hold of the key. (The key that was given to him by his actual father, and not Belos. Belos wants it because it’s supposed to open a portal to another world and Belos is still mad with power.)

Tangled Verse Lumity: after stealing the moon pendant from the twins, Luz runs away as far as she can do the twins won’t be able to catch up once they realize it’s gone. She finds herself into a woodland area, then in a clearing with this forty foot tower. Trying to hide, Luz climbs the tower, deciding to rest there for a while until she comes up with a proper plan. But things don’t always go to plan, and she gets attacked by a mysterious girl that lives in the tower. When she wakes up, she’s confronted by Amity, a girl locked away because she’s got immeasurable power and her mother told her that she had to be protected. It was for her safety.

Amity doesn’t quite remember her life before the tower, but she remembers her siblings and her dad (not personally, but she remembers him being a family member). She lives alone now, in the tower, with occasional visits from her mother and very rare visits from her siblings. Her dad never visits. She wears a purple amulet now, one that allows her mother to contact her, control her. She doesn’t like it but her mother says that it’s for her safety. Anyway, for years, she’s been trying to prove to her mother that she can handle herself in the world and now that she has an intruder held hostage, she knows that this is the year. Especially with her eighteenth birthday in two days.

But Odalia doesn’t listen, simply retells Amity of all the horrors of the world and that she’s not ready, can’t handle it. So Amity stays, and her mother promises to visit in two days, for her birthday. But Amity doesn’t want it, simply smiles and waves goodbye. When Odalia leaves, Amity strikes a deal with Luz. Luz takes her out into the world, shows her some of the sights, a tour, really. And when they safely return home, Amity will return Luz’s pendant. With no choice, Luz agrees. She takes Amity out, blah blah, they fall in love and Amity decides that she never wants to go back to the tower. She thought that maybe just one day would be enough for her, pacify her yearning, but it’s only made it grow. She wants to stay outside, wants to find her siblings and such.

Eventually, she gets confronted by her mother, who tries to get her back to the tower, but Amity argues, fights back, and in the end, when she wins, Odalia practically disowns her. But Amity could care less when she’s got Luz, and her siblings, and people like Eda and King and eventually Raine and Lilith. Anyway, after that, she and Luz soon run into Ed and Em, who all celebrate Amity’s freedom. The twins confront Luz about the pendant, but they don’t really care anymore because Amity has it, and it’s hers, and they’re just happy that she’s not locked in the tower anymore.

But something about Edric is off. He’s distanced and such. When Emira asks him about it, he admits that he can’t stop thinking about Hunter. Hates how they were forced out without a goodbye. Emira convinced him to go back, that if he’s so sure of it, then he should pursue Hunter. So Edric does. He and the girls go back to the castle, when they find out that Belos was in the wrong and Hunter’s trapped. Then there’s this whole thing where they rescue Hunter, and he’s the one that takes Belos out and ummmmm I lost my train of thought actually so the post ends here. But they all get their happy ending. In the end.

[sergeantsporks]

Do You Want the Knife You Left in My Back, or Can I Keep It?

Rating: Teen and up, Gen

An injured Hunter wanders into Hexside. What was Luz supposed to do, just let him bleed out on the floor?

Ch 6/6: Separate Paths

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5

Ao3

Hunter lifted one arm slowly. “Ow.” He lifted it a little more. “Ow.” C’mon—just—a little bit—“Ow.”

“Y’know, if it hurts that much, maybe you shouldn’t do it,” King commented from where he was curled up in Hunter’s lap, “Seems pretty obvious to me.”

“They’re just sore muscles. I have to move them, or they won’t get better.”

“What’re you in such a rush for? Are we really that bad?”

“I can’t be away this long.” Hunter rolled his shoulders with a wince. “What if—what if the emperor is mad that I’ve been away?”

“You got stabbed. I think it’s excusable.”

“Doesn’t matter. I should have found a way to check in.”

King tilted his head, looking up at Hunter. “You have one messed-up life.”

“I do not! I should have called in, told him what happened, or at least let him know that I would be a while. He’ll get worried, he—he needs me for something, he wants to keep me safe.”

“Right. So he sent you off into the woods alone with a stab-happy demon. Certainly sounds like he cares about your well-being.”

Hunter snorted. “Kikimora’s wanted me dead for a while. Belos never finds out, and without any evidence, it’s just my word versus hers. She’s never succeeded, so it doesn’t matter.”

“She almost did this time. Are you sure that your emperor doesn’t want you dead and is looking the other way?”

Kikimora has her intricate little schemes.

Did he know? Was he letting her get away with it for some reason?

Hunter shook his head. “No. You don’t know him at all, you can’t judge him!”

“I can judge him all I want, he tried to kill Eda and Luz! And me!”

“Well, he’s different to me, okay?” He had to stop letting people like Eda and King get into his head—they were the enemy, of course they would say the worst of Belos.

King put his head back down, closing his eyes. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

Xxx

Luz slammed open the door to the owl house, dashing towards the stairs. “I’m going to the library,” she called, “I’ll be back in time for dinner!” Wait. Something had been off down there. She pounded back down the stairs to see King curled up on the couch. “Hey, where’d Hunter go?!”

“Busy breaking his promises,” King grumbled from his spot, “He’s been running around, trying to make himself heal faster by stretching and whatnot.”

“Running around? Viney said—”

“Viney didn’t take into account that he’s stubborn, lives for the emperor, and has a bit of a usefulness complex.”

Luz heard a thump and an ow from upstairs. “…I’m guessing that was him?”

“All day, Luz. All. Day. Thump. ‘Ow.’ Thump. ‘Ow.’ ‘Ow. Ow this hurts.’ If it hurts so much, why doesn’t he just stop!”

“I think that applies to a lot of things in his life,” Luz muttered, thumping back up the stairs. Hunter was hauling himself off of the ground using a doorframe. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Getting better.” Hunter yipped as he lost his grip on the doorframe and fell back down. He held up one finger. “Don’t! Say anything.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Luz replied serenely, “Got somewhere to be?”

“Yeah. Back where I belong.”

Right. She wasn’t even going to get into it this time—even if she didn’t want him going back to the emperor’s coven, she knew that she’d just scare him off if she kept arguing the point. Luz offered him a hand up. “If you’re looking to get some exercise, I was gonna visit Amity in the library. You want to come?”

Hunter accepted her hand, but snorted. “Be in a room with you two lovebirds? Blech. I’d rather dangle above the boiling sea while King sat on my shoulder and begged for crackers.”

Luz pushed his shoulder. “Hey! You could have just said no thank you!” She hopped from one foot to another. “Look, Hunter, I know the last few days have been… odd. I know that being in the Owl House is just about the opposite of what your old life was like. And I know, I know, I know that you want to go back.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Okay. Yeah. I just… you can come here. If you want. If you need.”

Hunter walked stiffly back towards the stairs. “It doesn’t matter. Because I’m going back home. And I’m not going to come back.”

“But—”

“I get it, okay, Luz, you’re the hero, Belos is the evil tyrant, and I’m—I don’t know—”

“Tragic-faced antihero?” Luz offered.

“Whatever! But I don’t need—” His voice cracked, and he looked down at the ground. “I don’t need your pity or your therapy or whatever it is you’re trying to do here. I have a place where I belong, and maybe it’s not perfect, maybe someone there is trying to kill me, but at least I have a purpose, and people listen to me. I appreciate you saving my life, Luz, I really do. But just… leave me alone, okay?”

Luz rubbed her arms. “Okay,” she said softly, walking past him to go back down the stairs, “If that’s what you want. I just… hoped that maybe we could be friends. But if you just want to be the Golden Guard instead… then I guess keep healing, keep on trying to get yourself back to normal. Because you wouldn’t want to stay away from the coven to hang out with a bunch of criminals, now would you?” She bit her wobbling lip. What had she expected? She’d said it wasn’t a business transaction, she wasn’t supposed to expect friendship from him.

But she’d hoped—just maybe…

“Luz—”

Luz hurried down the stairs while he followed more slowly. “I’m going to go visit Amity. I’ll see you at dinner. If you still want to be here.”

Xxx

Hunter groaned as Luz slammed the door shut behind her. “What did I do now?!”

His palisman twittered that it was actually pretty obvious, and likely had something to do with the fact that he’d literally just told her to leave him alone.

“I—okay, yeah, fine. But she had to know—I can’t just abandon everything for her! And… I don’t want her to get it into her head that I will. She’d end up more hurt that way. No. It’s way better that I establish that we’re not friends and let her down now, before she… before…”

The cardinal pecked his ear affectionately, chirping.

“I am NOT self-projecting! I never self-project! Name one time I’ve self-projected!”

One low chirp.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hunter opened the door to a room he’d never been in before, shuffling in to see—

“My staff!” he blurted, limping across the room to grab it, “So this is where they’ve been hiding you!” He glanced around. This room was chock full to the brim with weapons, wow.

One knife caught Hunter’s attention, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. He leaned his staff back up against the wall and gingerly picked up a knife, carved with runes. Its surface glittered up at him, cold and merciless, and his back ached as if he’d been stabbed all over again.

The knife fell to the floor with a clatter, and Hunter followed pretty fast, the events of the last few days all playing through his mind at lightning speed. He felt sick. Kikimora had come so close to killing him. And Luz would have taken the fall. It was a bit surprising how much that second thought upset him.

“Hunter?” Eda’s voice called, “Was that you?”

Hunter shoved the knife under his shirt, wrapping it up in the loose end. “Are you stockpiling for war in here?”

His palisman tweeted scoldingly at him. “Shhhh,” he hissed, “It’s not their knife either! I mean, Kikimora did give it to me.”

The bird chirped again, and Hunter caught the meaning perfectly.

Not funny.

Eda poked her head in. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She peered down at him. “You okay? You’re looking a little pale.”

“Your skin is literally the color of paper.”

“Touché. Have you seen Luz?”

“She’s at the library.”

Eda “ah”ed knowingly. “Gotcha.”

“Why did you hide my staff?” Hunter blurted the words before he could think about it.

Eda sighed. “Honestly? At first it was because I wasn’t sure you wouldn’t use it to hurt Luz.”

“And… now?”

She eyed him. “Now I think I’m more worried about you hurting yourself. I wasn’t really hiding it, I just… wasn’t leaving it lying around.” She crossed the room and hefted the staff, giving it a twirl. “Handy. Reeks of Belos, though.”

Hunter snatched it away. “Belos gave me magic. Without him I’d be dead.”

Eda flicked the end of the staff. “Ever ask yourself how he made it? Who he had to squash to make something like this?”

Hunter collapsed the staff and tucked it in his belt, uncomfortably close to the hidden knife. “Do you usually spend this much of your time denouncing the emperor?”

“Only when I’m trying to convince someone that the Emperor’s Coven is a bad career track. Which it is.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, government bad, living like a crazy criminal in the woods good. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Xxx

“And I thought, y’know, since he was completely dependent on me for a few days he’d be a little bit more willing to be friends, but he’s not and—Amity, am I the bad guy for being upset?”

“No, of course not. He just…” Amity sighed. “When we were at eclipse lake, he said… well, he said a lot of stuff. But he said something about how everyone had a use, and if you didn’t… well, then you were out on your ear.”

“But I don’t need him to be useful!” Luz almost yelled, getting shushes from other library patrons. “Sorry,” she whispered, “I don’t need him to be useful,” she repeated more quietly, “And he shouldn’t have to feel that way! I don’t want to make him feel that way! But it seems like when I try to let him know that, he thinks it’s a personal attack!”

Amity laced her hand through Luz’s. “Just… give him time. Keep being nice. It worked on me. Worked a little too well. He’ll come around, too.”

Luz smiled a little bit at that. “Heh. Guess that’s true. Thanks, Amity.”

“Of course.” Amity held up a book. “Want to help me do voices in the next reading circle?”

“You know it!”

Xxx

Luz raced through the streets. Oh, she was late. She was so, so late! She made it to the forest, but halfway through, she slammed into a magic barrier. Luz touched it gently. “What the—”

“Human!”

Luz whirled around to see Kikimora standing there, breathing heavily, leaves in her hand-hair and mud and twigs caught in her robes. “Wow, you do not look so good.”

Kikimora took in a deep breath. “Human. I propose a trade. If you release the Golden Guard to me, I will speak on your behalf to the emperor. I will attempt to get you first access through our portal. You will be able to return home, no other strings attached.”

Luz shook her head. “You really don’t get it, do you? There is absolutely nothing that you can offer me that will get me to hand Hunter over. Maybe you’d sell someone out for one corn chip, but I wouldn’t.”

“Isn’t that noble.” Kikimora’s eyes flashed. “You know, you may have prompted my basilisk to run away. But using the real you as bait… Oh, well, I think that would be just as effective.”

Luz brought out her glyphs. “I’d like to see you try.”

Xxx

Hunter paced the floor. It was late—an hour past when the Owl House usually had dinner, if he had figured out their schedule right. “Eda? Luz didn’t sneak in a window, did she?”

Eda poked her head out of the kitchen. “Ah, geeze, is she still not back? She probably lost track of the time staring into Amity’s eyes again.” The wild witch opened the door, summoning her staff. “Alright, I’ll go get her.” She made an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture at King and Hunter. “Stay in the house. Both of you.”

She hopped on her staff and flew off. Hunter started pacing again. “Do you think she’s okay?”

“She’s probably fine. Geeze, when did you start getting all worried about her?”

“I just—” Hunter expanded his staff, inching towards the door. “I’ve got this feeling. I’m going to check. Just in case. Don’t tell Eda?”

King eyed him. “You’re being weird. But fine. I won’t tell her. You’d better hurry, though, it won’t take her long to check the library and come back.”

Hunter nodded and bolted out of the door, his palisman fluttering to his shoulder with a chirp.

“It’s just—Kikimora’s still out there. What if…”

Another chirp.

“I know she can handle herself, I just… I need to check, okay?” Hunter lit the tip of his staff. “Eda and King are probably right, it’s probably fine, but if it’s not… no one should have to face Kikimora alone.”

Xxx

Luz ducked behind a tree, panting, as Kikimora shot another magic blast at her. She really hadn’t anticipated how strong the little demon was, and she was running out of pre-drawn glyphs. She took in a deep breath, pulled out a glyph, and ducked around the tree, shooting a bolt of fire at Kikimora. The emperor’s assistant absorbed it in a magical shield, and responded with a blast of her own. Luz rolled to the side, but the blast shifted into a whip of golden energy that wrapped around her ankle, yanking her to the side and slamming her into a tree.

“It’s over,” Kikimora hissed.

Then a familiar red shape dive-bombed the demon, pecking at her head. Luz squinted. “…Lil Rascal?”

Hunter jumped over her, swinging his staff at Kikimora. The demon dodged to the side, her eyes wide.

“How?! You shouldn’t be able to—”

Hunter blasted magic at her. “Found a healer more clever than you.”

“You—you traitor, you’re working with the human?!”

Luz started to sketch in the dirt, tracing glyph after glyph in a sequence.

“What? Oh, Belos wants her alive, I’m making sure you don’t kill her.” Hunter zipped around her, scoring a hit with his staff, sending Kikimora flying. “Besides, you’ve got a lot of nerve calling me a traitor.”

“Enough!” Kikimora howled. She drew a circle, and a blast of magic caught Hunter squarely in the chest, knocking him back into a tree. She held out her hand, and his staff zoomed through the air to her. “You don’t deserve this,” she hissed, “I’ll deal with you in a moment.”

Lil Rascal dove back down, pecking at her head again, and she swatted them to the side. “Stupid bird.” She turned to Luz. “Now, where were—”

Luz slapped the glyph sequence, and a massive block of ice rose up, flying towards Kikimora. The demon blasted it with magic, cracking it open.

“You can’t hit me so—”

Luz grinned as the ice block started to glow. “Your mistake.”

The block exploded, throwing Kikimora backwards. Luz slumped backwards, drained. Wow, that had really taken a lot out of her. She winced. Plus, she was pretty sure she’d bruised a rib or two.

Kikimora staggered out of the crater. “I—will—end—you!” she howled, drawing another circle. Luz winced, bracing herself.

Kikimora fell forward with a scream. Luz blinked, then scrambled forward. The demon had a knife buried in her back.

An awfully familiar knife.

Hunter limped forward, Lil Rascal perched on his shoulder. He picked up his staff. “Good thing—I can throw a knife.” He nudged Kikimora with one foot. “Hey, are you dead? C’mon, I’m sure you can handle a knife in your back, I did.” Kikimora let out a guttural groan, and he nodded. “Good. Because you’re going to get to tell Belos what you did!”

“That’s it, then?” Luz panted, “You’re going back?”

He nodded. “Time I got a move on. Now that I don’t have to worry about her… no reason to stay away.”

Luz looked down at the ground. “Look. I… don’t have any glyphs left—and I don’t want to fight you. But if you try to capture me—”

He looked off back towards Bonesborough, eyes distant. “Wild magic is just. So strong and unpredictable.”

“What does that have to do with any—”

“I was so busy fighting Kikimora, it’s such a shame you got away while I was fighting for my life. But I just couldn’t handle two fights at once.”

“Huh?” Wait. “Oh! Are you—are you sure? What about Belos? Won’t he be mad if you come back without me?”

Hunter winced. “He’ll be angrier about Kikimora’s betrayal. I think. Hopefully.”

“What will you tell him? About what happened when you got stabbed, I mean.”

“The truth. That Kikimora attacked me. I was found by a kind Hexside student who took me in and brought me to a healer. Kikimora attacked me again on the way back, but I was able to defeat her this time.” He picked the demon up and slung her over one shoulder. “Just… go. Before I change my mind.”

Luz got up, a warm, fuzzy feeling blooming in her chest. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

Hunter bit his lip. “Uh—no. You—you don’t owe me anything.” He looked up at the sky, one foot tapping. “F-friends don’t… expect anything back.”

Luz thought she might just have to pick her jaw off of the ground. “Oh! I—”

He turned to go. “I’ve got to go. Eda’s looking for you, you might want to get back to the Owl House.”

“H-Hunter?”

He twisted back to look at her. “What?”

Luz rubbed her arms. “You think… that when all of this is over… no matter which side wins… you think we can still be friends?”

He turned away again. “That’s… it’s a nice thought, but I… I’m not sure this fight can end with both of us alive.”

“I wouldn’t kill you,” Luz called after him, “If we come out on top.”

“I’m not sure I have that same luxury,” he responded softly, “Goodbye, Luz. And… good luck.”