#I’m gonna be honest I forget the lion name

[cyle-stuff]

First off, I’m Sorry, But someone had to do it

Second off:

LEGO MONKIE KID SEASON 4 SPECIAL SPOILERS!!

[punkscowardschampions]

Ruster pt.3 & Bea

Rio: Sorry for hanging up

Buster: [the longest pause ever to the point you’d assume he’s already back on his bullshit and isn’t gonna reply but really he’s just had a lil drunk pass out and now he’s back in the room after however long it takes hence proving he also needed a minute and that’s why he’s saying what he does]

Buster: Don’t be

Rio: Okay, yeah, I’m not sorry at all

Buster: Good

Rio: In a word

Buster: Are you ready to put words to it?

Rio: You can’t have already forgot how many words I put to it

Buster: I meant better adjectives, unless I’ve made you forget what those are and how many others you know

Rio: Hm, well you are yet to completely reprogram me

Rio: all of that was just what I already wanted, believe it or not 

Buster: I’m not struggling to believe you got what you wanted

Rio: You too, don’t lie

Buster: Me too

Rio: I can’t believe that just happened

Rio: did it?

Buster: I’m in bed, perhaps I dreamt it

Rio: Alone?

Buster: [the name of his childhood toy lion, shoutout to you sir] doesn’t count

Rio: Let me see him

Buster: [take a pic that you’re shamelessly also in because an excuse to be that he’s obviously gonna take]

Rio: Stop 🥺

Rio: he’s so cute

Buster: [a mem of you losing him somewhere as a kid or my boo’s of Ted’s head getting ripped off, we know the vibes, cos remember when, he’d have been fuming in either scenario and she’d have been helpful in either scenario]

Rio: I’m happy you still have him

Rio: does Nancy have [whatever her equivalent was whether it was a lion or otherwise, which I tell you the answer is a firm no]?

Buster: [tell her about however and whenever Nancy decided to get rid of her equivalent toy because everything she does is dramatic and this would’ve been too]

Rio: Oh, that’s sad

Rio: maybe I need to get rid of some of my old things, I don’t want to live in a museum of myself but I could never get rid of [whatever your tiger is called]

Buster: Donate some to the baby, Ava had [whatever you decided to give her when she was born because you’re not the heartless bitch you pretend to be and you’re drunk enough still to reveal that well known fact]

Rio: That’s a good idea, yeah

Rio: you were always so sweet with her

Buster: We couldn’t both make her life hell, one of us had to be or she wouldn’t stand a chance

Rio: And she was pretty cute, you can be honest

Buster: Alright, alright, I admit it, she’s an exception to the ugly newborn rule

Rio: 😊

Buster: But it’s fine, you can’t tell her I said so

Rio: As if I would

Rio: and I’m hiding right now, no one can see me 😊

Buster: Let me see you

Rio: [send him an adorably flustered selfie, whether you’re in the flat, if that’s currently empty or in the cellar or anywhere else where you could feel comfortably left alone for as long as you want here]

Buster: You’re properly hiding

Rio: I didn’t want to have to talk to anyone else

Buster: Do you think they’re looking for you yet?

Rio: Hope not

Rio: I can’t hear anyone calling me

Buster: You’d definitely hear Grace, no question

Buster: Nance as well

Rio: Quite the pairing there

Buster: [make some kind of comment re the suits and pairs of cards that I cannot because I literally don’t understand poker however many times my father and brother have tried to make me, soz we’re lowkey calling you flops with this but where’s the lie]

Rio: Such a cute nerd

Buster: I can’t decide which word is more offensive

Rio: You can’t be offended when all I can think about is that I never want to hear my name again unless you’re saying it

Buster: Excellent save

Rio: ⚽️🥇

Rio: but I mean it

Buster: When did you last watch me play?

Rio: God

Rio: years ago, you weren’t on the team you are now

Buster: Which means you’ve as good as never seen me, I didn’t have any of the skills I do now

Rio: You wouldn’t want me there cheering you on from the sidelines

Buster: You’d lose your voice

Rio: Really?

Buster: By the time I’d scored my [whatever her lucky number was/is if it hasn’t changed from when she was younger] goal for you

Rio: Your kit is really nice colours…

Buster: There isn’t a colour that doesn’t look nice on you

Rio: I would hate to distract you

Buster: You’d hate to be in the audience for a fight

Rio: I would cry if you got hurt

Buster: I don’t, I’ve set a record at my gym for the number of rounds gone without getting hit

Rio: Wow

Rio: you promise you’re not just being brave?

Buster: Truth, I promise

Rio: Then maybe I would like to be there

Buster: Wearing [whatever those colours are]

Rio: I am proud of you like that

Buster: [tell her the date of your next fight because they aren’t gonna be as often as football matches, it’s more of a big deal and we’re in the fantasy again rn]

Rio: I’m going to come

Rio: do your parents come to your fights?

Buster: They’re [doing something for work clearly] for that one

Buster: but they come as often as they can

Rio: You need someone to fill in then

Buster: I need you cheering me on

Rio: Isn’t going to be hard for me, how often you win

Buster: I’ll speak for you if you can’t talk

Rio: I will get carried away with getting to be as loud as I want about you

Buster: Show me how loud you can be

Rio: I already missed you

Rio: my head is all you

Buster: I’ll show you how safe you are, no matter what

Rio: No one else worries about me as much as you

Buster: [an anecdote that’s giving some little boy being mean to her and making her cry when they were younger and him stepping in]

Buster: I was taught I should, to take responsibility for you when the adults weren’t around

Rio: I’d want a son just like you

Rio: you make me feel that small, still

Buster: Promise you won’t have a son like anyone else

Buster: especially not [the boy we hate from before]

Rio: I promise

Rio: you promise to be there, to teach him 

Buster: And to take care of both of you

Rio: [a voicenote ‘please’ because we know you are shook to your core rn]

Buster: But not yet

Buster: when you’re older, so you don’t miss out on anything

Rio: It wouldn’t feel like missing out, not with you

Rio: but we need to be alone first, we’ve got time to make up for

Buster: You wouldn’t want to be jealous of your own kid

Rio: No, that’d be so mean

Rio: I am so jealous when it comes to you already

Buster: It needs to be perfect, your future, then I won’t worry for you

Rio: You think I have one really, right

Buster: You could be or do anything you want

Buster: I told you, you’re so smart

Rio: I just want to make my own money, so I can live how I want and give my family the best, that’s it

Buster: An achievable goal, however many kids you have

Rio: I’m undecided on that front

Buster: I’ve never thought about it before

Rio: I used to, when I was younger, I wanted lots and lots

Buster: More than your mum?

Rio: Yeah

Rio: I had names and everything

Buster: Tell me

Rio: [do tell him all 10 names you thought of as a lil girl because you absolutely would you were so that girly, you probably thought you could get a totally even split too, giving perfect family vibes]

Buster: Another 1 and you’ve got a family football team

Rio: Okay, you choose

Buster: Well, that’s blatantly obvious

Buster: you should name him after me

Rio: After his daddy

Rio: the favouritism would be too blatant

Buster: Is that why you didn’t choose it?

Rio: That’s why I stopped thinking about it for a while, when I realised they aren’t allowed to be yours

Rio: then I wasn’t so sure if it was what I wanted 

Buster: Like my American wife

Rio: Exactly

Buster: You’d be too good of a mother not to though

Rio: I just had it all planned out with you

Rio: but you’ll be a very good husband too, even if it drives me slightly insane

Buster: I can’t make you watch me

Rio: Would it be so bad to be us in secret

Rio: you still get everything else you want

Buster: Would you want your mum to do that, in a world where Johnny’s wife had stayed?

Rio: If she wanted to, I think so

Rio: doing the whole family and partner thing with anyone else didn’t make her any happier

Buster: What about the baby?

Rio: That complicates things

Rio: you probably shouldn’t make children be a part of secrets

Rio: even if it’s a nice one, and plenty of dads aren’t in the home full time anyway, still…

Buster: Yeah

Rio: It’s not even illegal, it’s just about what people will think

Buster: And say to your kid’s face

Rio: You understand that better than most

Buster: I know that’s at least partly why Nance is how she is

Buster: you don’t want a daughter like her

Rio: She’ll see one day, what matters, when it’s less of an issue, real life keeps people busier than school, if you live right

Buster: But she won’t live right, not with her fucked priorities

Rio: There’s still time for her to change

Buster: She thinks you exist for her entertainment, that it’s fun

Rio: I know, I can tell she doesn’t properly care

Buster: I’m sorry I told her

Rio: I sort of expected it

Rio: you’re trying to stop me talking to you, liking you

Buster: My anger just takes over everything, before I can stop it

Rio: Bringing her on side was, in theory, a good idea to get her to stay with you

Rio: she obviously wanted all that real-time gossip too badly though

Buster: She truly doesn’t care, if I didn’t I could have you

Rio: It’s good that you do

Rio: even if I want that, I can’t say you shouldn’t

Buster: It doesn’t feel good

Rio: It doesn’t

Buster: There’s no comparison to being on the phone with you, or to lying here talking now

Rio: Nothing is you

Rio: I just so badly want to make it okay

Buster: I hate the powerlessness of not knowing how I can fix this, I always find solutions, figure out what my best options are, end up getting what I want

Rio: Me too

Rio: I didn’t know I was that spoilt, that this one thing could unravel me if I couldn’t have it 

Buster: I’ve failed this time, when it matters the most to me

Rio: We can’t

Rio: if we can’t live without each other then we will just have to work it out, there’s no other option, yeah?

Buster: We can’t give each other the futures we want

Rio: I want you

Buster: You want a family, yours not just the one that we’d try and make as a replacement, we aren’t nan and granddad

Rio: Don’t, don’t start telling me what I want again

Buster: Don’t start lying to me

Rio: I’m not

Buster: I’ve never met anyone else as family-orientated as you, you even care about your dad and other nan, you reached out to the kids he probably doesn’t remember the names of

Rio: Don’t I ever get to make a decision for me

Buster: I can’t let you chose me over all of them, hate me because you did

Rio: I’ll never hate you

Buster: You might be hated by people you love

Rio: No one who loves me would hate me for being happy

Rio: not even Edie actually hates mum for this, not really, that’s not how it works

Buster: I know how it works, my parents lived it

Buster: and it isn’t even the same

Rio: Who hates them?

Buster: Okay, maybe hate is a strong word

Buster: but I need you to understand

Rio: I do, I just don’t think it has to be this way

Buster: I want them to be proud of me, not because I followed in their footsteps and selfishly said fuck it, but because I really did something

Rio: Okay

Buster: If we do this, we’re freaks and outcasts

Rio: I understand

Rio: I can’t take that away from you

Buster: I can’t put those labels on 10 kids, or be the reason they aren’t born at all

Rio: I was only a kid

Rio: forget it

Buster: I was only a kid when I decided to become a lawyer, I’m still going to

Buster: I know you

Rio: You knew me

Buster: I know you, Rio

Rio: Like I said, forget it

Buster: Like I said, no

Rio: There’s no point

Rio: I’m not going to be anyone to you, you aren’t going to be anyone to me

Buster: You’re the love of my life, that’s the fucking point

Buster: you deserve better than this, everything you want

Buster: all or nothing, no bullshit compromises

Rio: It doesn’t get to be both

Buster: Exactly, if you have to give up as much as I’m able to give you, we shouldn’t be together

Rio: No

Rio: I’ve told you what I want, you don’t want it

Rio: so I’m not the love of your life, you don’t get to say it

Buster: You’re 14, of course you don’t want a baby now

Buster: and sneaking around sounds really fun

Rio: Jesus

Rio: yeah so are you so don’t talk to me like that

Buster: It’ll get harder, the older we are and longer it’s been

Buster: to stop

Rio: So stop, go

Rio: I’ve said I understand, what else do you want from me

Buster: Listen to me

Rio: You want me to act like you’re doing me a massive favour, I’m not going to do that

Buster: So what are you going to do?

Rio: I haven’t got a clue

Rio: because I don’t know what I want now

Buster: You need to, we can’t undo crossing a line

Rio: We already have

Rio: it just happened when we were wasted for plausible deniability for you

Buster: Not publicly we haven’t

Rio: When were we ever going to

Buster: We weren’t going to keep it a secret for the rest of our lives, that’s ridiculous

Rio: So you’ve said

Buster: Fine, it’s all my fault

Rio: I’m not blaming you, I’m just not agreeing with you

Buster: You are

Rio: People have successful affairs, you’re acting as if it’s impossible

Buster: People who don’t look further than an hour ahead, like you

Rio: No, people have second families turning up to funerals, being found on DNA searches

Rio: your worldview is so damn narrow, it’s not all cliche workplace romances and au pairs, thank you

Buster: A second family isn’t aspirational, regardless of how undetected it is or isn’t

Buster: I don’t define success as managing to get away with giving you half of me

Rio: I didn’t say you have to have one, just that it does happen

Buster: We can’t just wing this and see how it goes, the stakes are too high

Rio: You can’t do it

Rio: You’ve explained yourself perfectly by this point

Buster: And you’ve said your piece

Rio: I guess so

Buster: We fundamentally don’t and won’t agree, at least we know that now

Rio: Wow, yeah, what a lucky escape for you

Buster: That’s the reality, we’ll never work outside of fantasy

Rio: Thanks for clarifying

Buster: You’re welcome, babe

Rio: Ha

Rio: Have a nice night then

Buster: I’ll do my best

Rio: You can even be smug about that, like you’re doing something so much more mature than [xyz drugs] with your friends

Buster: Do you want me to act my age or don’t you?

Buster: Make up your mind

Rio: You make up yours

Rio: are you above it all or are you not?

Buster: Do you like me taking responsibility for you or don’t you?

Rio: Is that a serious question?

Buster: It isn’t a trick question, either I care what happens to you or I don’t

Buster: you can’t have it both ways

Rio: It is a trick question because you can’t do it, we’ve been over it

Buster: I am doing it, protecting you, that includes from yourself

Rio: Precisely

Rio: there is no option, don’t present it like there is

Buster: You’re allowed to present all the options you want, pretend they’re feasible when they just aren’t, make me the prick, again

Rio: You aren’t a prick, that’s the problem

Buster: The problem was letting myself believe things could be true because I wish they were

Rio: I can’t do this with you

Buster: Have a nice night then

Rio: Fat fucking chance, Buster

Buster: Try

Rio: No

Rio: if all you wanted was to save me from myself, then tough luck

Buster: I’ve told you what I want, over and fucking over

Rio: You want me to make this easy for you

Rio: as if I can

Buster: Bullshit, you make me weak but you don’t make me that weak

Rio: Because if I go along with all your plans and say yeah, you’re so right, then you haven’t lost and you get to keep your title

Rio: all I have to do is pretend I’m happy

Buster: If you do as you’re told, for once, you won’t lose anything either

Rio: I don’t want what you’re selling

Buster: You want to sell me a lie

Rio: Back at you

Buster: You’re my fucking cousin, no amount of happiness makes that okay in anyone’s eyes but yours

Rio: Stop trying to shame me for my answer because yours won’t make you happy

Buster: Said like you’ve ever put your happiness first before tonight, you hypocrite

Rio: And you said you cared about my happiness, that you’d prioritise it

Buster: I do

Buster: longterm, not just until you cum

Rio: You’re unbelievable, in the worst way

Buster: Go back to hating me, you’ll clearly barely struggle with the idea

Rio: I love you so badly that I’m not giving up

Buster: We both know what you’d be giving up, I’m not going to keep repeating myself

Rio: Because you don’t respect me as a person

Rio: and that is what it all comes down to, whatever way we split it

Buster: I respect you so much, why would you say that?

Rio: Because you only respect me when I put everyone else first

Buster: I’m acknowledging how important your family is to you, not praising your martyrdom for them

Rio: Any time I’ve tried to pick you, it’s disgusted you

Buster: Because I can’t fill a void left by [however many people this entire family consists of rn when we’re deliberately including everyone she cares about, mcvickers and all, not just Ali kids] people, my ego isn’t that big

Rio: You want to impress your parents, make them proud

Rio: there’s nothing wrong with that but it is nothing to do with me and my supposed martyrdom 

Buster: So you’re really going to throw back in my face whatever I say, are you?

Rio: Because we’re just talking around the fact it is about your family specifically 

Rio: No one would care for me, they would you, can we just be real about that?

Buster: Your family are the weird ones for letting everything slide, are you happy now?

Rio: You’re so ashamed of wanting it

Rio: and if we’re both sufficiently guilty then it’ll never happen again; are you happy?

Buster: Stop normalising it, we’re related

Rio: I’ve tried much harder than you to like anyone else, for it to even come close, close enough to work

Buster: You don’t know how hard I’ve tried, the difference is, it doesn’t ever come close for me the way it blatantly has for you

Rio: You haven’t got a clue, if you honestly believe that

Buster: Seeing’s believing and you’ve made me watch you romanticisise and gaslight yourself into each relationship

Rio: Because trying means letting them take me out, getting to know them, trying to find things to like about them

Rio: not just shoving your tongue down someone’s throat and calling it a day

Buster: I can’t help already knowing them and there being nothing to like, deluding myself about it is just that

Rio: And what else can I do, I’m not allowed to like you

Buster: I’m not allowed to tell you what to do, remember

Rio: Maybe if you had a single clue you could

Buster: Maybe, but I fucking don’t, do I?

Rio: Welcome to the club

Buster: My parents chose to segregate us from the extended family the majority of the time and that means they’re all I have

Buster: Nancy is useless and Ava’s a little kid

Buster: you don’t live in this nonsense postcode bubble, of course you don’t understand how lonely it is

Rio: I mean, you do know that everyone left

Rio: except my mum and Tommy

Rio: sorry to say you’re the rule not the exception but think about it

Buster: Your mum’s populating her own postcode

Rio: There’s 3 more of us than yous

Rio: the baby doesn’t count yet, she’s barely a few cells

Buster: She doesn’t expect anything of you, like you said, your happiness is all that matters

Rio: You want to feel like you belong there

Rio: and in Harvard when you go there, that’s to be expected

Buster: I need to be a success, they are, against much greater odds

Rio: Bottom line, they moved away so you’d not be damaged and fucking your cousin is pretty damaged

Rio: that’s all that needed to be said, like

Buster: Well, yeah, but I don’t want to say that

Rio: No doubt you can find another inventive way to blame me

Buster: For god’s sake, shut up, will you

Rio: Obviously not

Rio: but I know, they’ll never be okay with it, you can’t

Buster: And living a double life will never be okay with me, it shouldn’t be with you, kids or not

Rio: Hanging around nobility has really rubbed off on you, you’re so gentlemanly

Buster: Chivalry isn’t dead because your boyfriends don’t know the meaning of the word

Rio: Hm, maybe I’ll have to marry one of yours

Rio: Get the title your parents can’t buy, as revenge

Buster: That’s not funny, it makes my chest hurt

Rio: It’s not a very funny situation

Rio: I meant it, I really don’t know what else to do now

Buster: Neither do I

Buster: but you’re flawless, I meant that, you can aim a lot higher than wife to any of my friends

Rio: Can’t get better than you though, can I

Buster: Except in the sense you can fully have them

Rio: Trust me, it makes absolutely no difference when they can’t fully have me

Buster: And it offers very little consolation that I can still think about having you in all the ways I want, but I will nonetheless

Rio: Hey, that’s kind of rude

Rio: I wasn’t insulting you with my point

Buster: You’re constantly insulting me with your points

Rio: You start it

Buster: Because otherwise you finish me off

Rio: I did, didn’t I

Buster: Everything you do

Rio: Tell me what to do right now, watch how easily it happens

Buster: Touch yourself where you’d let me right now

Rio: [send him a photo that allows him to see that you’re touching yourself but doesn’t actually show him anything explicit so you’ve technically not crossed that line yet]

Buster: Tell me what it feels like

Rio: I wish I was better with words so you could feel how my body is pulling my fingers inside me just by me telling you how wet I am

Buster: You don’t need words to express yourself, if you’re loud enough, I’ll hear you

Rio: Did you hear everything before, when I was being quiet for you?

Buster: Yes

Rio: I’m going to think about how you sounded forever

Buster: I’ll say your name in my head forever

Rio: Don’t make me cry too

Buster: If I could get away with saying it out loud too, I would, whenever I’m touched

Rio: You can when you’re touching yourself, like now

Buster: The music’s loud but no competition, I shouldn’t start that

Rio: It isn’t anyone’s business though

Buster: Beg me again and I’ll make it my business to say whatever you want to hear

Rio: You know that it’s you, only you

Rio: I’ll make my pleases prettier than anyone elses’

Buster: You know they already are

Rio: You know I need you 

Buster: You know how immediately I’d break every single one of my rules for you as if they’re nothing, in spite of what I’ve said

Rio: That’s what makes it hard to behave

Buster: If you’re an angel you get to go to heaven

Rio: I want to make you happy, I swear

Rio: tell me how to be an angel for you and I’ll do it

Buster: I want to make you happy too

Buster: I’ll admit I was wrong and let you be right if that’s what it takes

Rio: You better send me something so I know this is definitely you

Rio: I don’t know who else you let borrow your phone

Buster: [send her a voice note saying her name obviously, not that loud yet but not as quiet as you should be being]

Rio: [send your reaction back because could not be more thrilled to hear you and hear you say our name ofc]

Rio: I’m going to stop being mean to you, I’m just so used to having to be but you don’t deserve it

Buster: I deserved that, to be able to listen to you react to me as though you aren’t in another country

Rio: You get me like this wherever you are and wherever I am

Buster: Even in church, that’s why you want to give me your total devotion like you do to God

Rio: I need to worship you, be your favourite daughter

Buster: Kneel for me

Rio: [send him a clip of you kneeling, wherever the hell you are]

Buster: You look angelic

Rio: I don’t feel it

Buster: I feel like I won’t be allowed to show my face down the gym because you’re going to knock me out

Rio: 😳

Rio: We can keep it between us, you can be weak with me

Buster: Until everyone watches me hand my [trophy/medal idk whatever he would win] to you and pick you up instead

Rio: [shameless audio of you being more frantic in how you are touching yourself rn]

Rio: Can I keep it?

Buster: It’s yours

Rio: I’m yours

Buster: You’re my favourite and you always will be

Rio: No matter what?

Buster: No-one could ever make me chose another, it’s you

Rio: No one can take your place, I don’t want anyone to even try

Buster: Trying to take my place would be the last thing they did

Rio: I’ve already been thinking about you in the ring, I can’t cope thinking about you fighting for me

Buster: I’d end up in court for the entirely opposite reason, you’d have to defend me

Rio: I defend you all the time

Rio: you’re allowed to do whatever you want, when I make the rules

Buster: I’ve heard you, when the rest of the family are on my case

Rio: You deserve credit, how hard you try

Buster: I appreciate everything you do for me, you know that, don’t you?

Rio: I do

Buster: You can feel it

Rio: You can’t hide some things, not from me

Buster: We could move somewhere full of strangers, hide

Rio: Hide so we don’t have to

Rio: I want to be seen with you

Buster: You could be seen in court every day, cheering me on

Buster: come to America with me

Rio: Let me follow you

Buster: Anywhere, but you won’t have to, I’ll carry you

Rio: It’s so far away, I feel every mile

Rio: in your arms is where I should be

Buster: I need to hold you

Rio: We can cuddle, even if someone is there when we next see each other

Buster: You can be in my lap whenever we next see each other, I’ll think of a reason

Rio: There’s never enough seats for everyone

Buster: And you’re small, they won’t notice

Rio: You’re so big, I know it

Rio: I promise I’ll sit still

Buster: I know you’ve done the maths, how big am I?

Rio: You want me to find something and show you?

Buster: Show me how we’d fit together

Rio: How often do you think about it?

Buster: Whenever I have time to think

Rio: [find something, which truly, what are you finding, I dread to think lmao but you think it’s accurate so showing him like ?]

Buster: That answers how often you’ve thought about it

Rio: Sorry for objectifying you

Buster: Don’t be, the object you’ve chosen as a result is almost perfect

Rio: 🤓

Rio: I’m a bit scared though

Buster: I’d never let you get hurt, you’re ready, it won’t

Rio: How do you do that, know what to say

Buster: Because you’re mine, letting you down isn’t an option

Buster: and you aren’t letting me down by taking it slow, it’s okay

Rio: I haven’t gone this far

Rio: I’m memorising it, for me and for you

Buster: Don’t forget to breathe

Rio: Show me again?

Buster: [ring her and breathe again, you simply must, if only because of how insane we all know his breathing is rn]

Rio: [oh lads, the absolute state we are in, it would sound like you’re doing a terrible job of copying him on purpose but you’re just that !! and not okay, blurting out ‘I missed you’ like you haven’t been talking this whole time even if arguing for a lot of it]

Buster: [actually unhinged breathing happening here anyway so you don’t wanna copy him gal, couldn’t calm down if his life depended on it in this moment ‘I need you closer’ in every sense, likewise blurting that out because yet again has been trying his hardest to put distance between them for an age]

Rio: [‘yes’ even though it was already a statement you are just here confirming that is correct and he needs you as close as possible lol, hitting not quite as a moan but close enough because you’re still here being saucy even if you got to talk to him right now ‘you know I won’t leave’ with a hot lol because had those desperate allegations]

Buster: [echoing her yes with his own which is a moan, a ridiculously breathless one which is the only reason it’s quiet at all ‘you know I don’t want you to’ because where’s the lie, whatever he says, letting her hear how hardcore he’s touching himself about this]

Rio: [when the ‘fuck you’ hits so different because it is pure pleasure and I am so into you please never stop because hearing him sound like that has you once again so mad he is not here ‘you’re so-’ and just letting him hear you too instead of using your words]

Buster: [‘you are’ because she’s got her stand in of him and neither of them are okay about it in any way, hence a literal ‘don’t stop’ coming out as all the possible encouragement she could ever need, not to mention how indecently all of it is being said ‘I’m so proud of you’ because he is for how she sounds and everything she’s up to]

Rio: [🥺 noises at being reminded that you are in fact and endeavouring to carry on even though it’s really getting to you so hard and you really can’t take much of this with all his daddy behaviour and encouragement ‘don’t stop’ back at him for all the reasons you could possibly need to say it]

Buster: [a ‘good girl’ that’s such a moan it’s incoherent because of all her noises she’s making and the fact she’s clearly not stopping despite clearly dying about it, nothing could get to him more ‘you’re doing really well, angel’ for further daddy encouragement she doesn’t need but also does]

Rio: [likewise incoherently attempting to ask him if you’re allowed to go to heaven but you truly aren’t getting the words out in any semblance of an order, not to mention the pauses that are punctuated by you desperately trying not to cum LOUDLY, you’ll catch the word heaven in there but how much more is unclear]

Buster: [‘you’re almost there’ heaven and cumming and taking all of whatever this object is, clearly, all 3 are true and mutually exclusive here and now, the way it would take him forever to get those 3 words out because he’s as !! as she is and making the most unhinged sounds atm through his clenched jaw because the determination to say this ‘you can do it, baby, you want to please me, don’t you? just take a little more’ in contrast then as a rush of words that are once again only vaguely coherent]

Rio: [here sounding like you are in pain truly because he’s making this so agonising for you by saying everything you could possibly want him to and then some, not to mention HOW he is saying it, the ‘yes’ in reply getting lost between some ferocious nodding and pushing what you are doing just that bit further which then has you repeating the yes with less and less coherency as you pick up the pace to fully losing all control and saying his name as you cum]

Buster: [catch him making encouraging noises only because words have become impossible when he knows damn well that she is pushing herself like he told her to and where it’s gonna lead to, those sounds turning into SOUNDS eventually because ofc he’s losing control at the same time she is and her cumming will immediately make him after she has, say her name too as you do, you absolutely HAVE TO]

Rio: [being SO overwhelmed with happiness and !! when you realise he is too, frantically telling him to cum for you, very much begging like you don’t know he already is but you gotta whilst you’re still here riding out your own orgasm ‘til you’re back panting again and trying to not die from lack of oxygen, but you haven’t accidentally hung up this time so that’s something ‘well’ because wellity well well well indeed]

Buster: [as frantically telling her that he’s going to as if they both don’t already know it’s happening because a chatty Kath and he just wants to say it and let her hear how he’s saying it, when it’s over and he’s said her name and likewise not accidentally hung up, joining her in breathing down the phone like he can remotely calm down because we love a full circle moment, even if how immediately he feels like he has to get back under control after losing it makes me feel a bit sad, that’s who he is rn in this era and this moment alas is therefore no exception, it’s the silence for me though because despite his best efforts he is in no way recovered ASAP and is instead very much speechless for a sec]

Rio: [y’all here just breathing, me like IS IT CASUAL NOW lmao, oh lads, like is there anything to say, not really but we’re also not just hanging up out of principle/we do not want to, not soz]

Buster: [mhmm, he should hang up but he isn’t and doesn’t want to because you know that when you do he’s gotta start his shut down of all this because it’s already gone on longer than planned with the 2nd phonecall saucy antics and he isn’t enough of a cunt or sociopath to be looking forward to blanking her again, when the silence is stretching to the point you can hear the muffled antics of this boy moving in bed etc to get more comfortable, doing a sigh, just shamelessly prolonging the inevitable] 

Rio: [the way I was also going to sigh because simply the vibe lmao, gonna make y’all do it at the same time so you can be like oh and do a small lol even though it is very tentative and you’re probably thinking this will be the beginning of the end but there we are]

Buster: [I love that, hence him doing a barely audible oh about this, because it’s more his mouth moving to do the shape than letting it be a thing, because equally tentative vibes, catch this boy lowkey now apprehensive to make a sound in contrast to mere moments before when y’all were being loud af, everything feels very fragile rn and like you’ve stretched things to their absolute breaking point so the tipping point is coming and neither of you wanna be the ones to do something to abruptly end the phonecall and thus the entire thing, all that said, he can’t help but join in with the laugh though, which would feel odd cos when have y’all laughed together]

Rio: [both here to afraid to speak but also unwilling to hang up, you love/hate to see it honestly, still, this girl will find the bravery to ask, as if this has been just a normal phonecall the whole time and that’s totally normal in and of itself, ‘are you going to bed?’ because can hear the sounds in the background]

Buster: [when she’s given you a lifeline because this is something you can easily answer ‘the party isn’t over’ because it clearly isn’t whatever o clock it may be and regardless of how long he’s spent in his room at this point]

Rio: [ya welcome boy, murmuring your mhmm because obviously not, your friends are not well-behaved enough to just head off if they have not been told to fuck off lol ‘okay’ because even if you want to, you aren’t going to tell him to stay with you instead ‘best check everythings still standing then’]

Buster: [‘I have to end it’ when you meant the party but that’s also true of ruster and you know it so that sentence is just hanging there SO heavy]

Rio: [not meaning to but making a tiny sad noise about it, like barely audible but nevertheless feeling like you were just SO dramatic because you did not intend for it to happen so you’re like oh well great ‘I’ll go fight with your sister instead of you then’ saying this just a little too quickly to attempt to cover that awkward moment]

Buster: [also not meaning but nevertheless doing the kind of swallow/throat clear you do when there’s a lump there you’re trying to get rid of because her sad noise made him emotional in such a hard hitting way because it brings home the reality that this genuinely is gonna happen now instead of being the empty threat it was earlier, which would feel equally dramatic to him like wtf am I actually going to cry ?? which he obvs isn’t used to and realistically isn’t drunk enough at this point of the night anymore after those sobering feral antics to be able to completely blame that, so hanging up too quickly without saying anything because CANNOT deal, but it seems like he’s giving permission to her to fuck off/mad at her for her dismissal in favour of Nancy like oh okay then bye] 

Rio: [this reply is giving later as in we did not message you immediately but not even an hour later because can’t just leave it entirely]

Rio: I won’t prolong this, I know what you’re gonna do now, how it’ll be

Rio: so, bye, I guess? I don’t know what word would work

Buster: [when you can’t even read this never mind reply because his response to being a pussy, as he would see it after almost breaking down, is to go and do the absolute most at this party to ‘prove’ to himself he isn’t and be out of control in an ‘acceptable’ way, I dread to think how high and seriously blackout drunk he’ll be, but at least that means you aren’t gonna sleep with anyone (stay away Chlo thank you) because no, RIP to this boy but not baze’s gaff because I’m not letting any of his friends trash it no matter what]

Bea: [The next AM when y’all are assumedly getting ready to leave Dublin and this boy is in GOD knows what state]

Bea: Your sister has taken the liberty of showing us the mess you were in last night

Buster: Of course she has

Bea: Your friends with guaranteed positions at daddy’s company probably aren’t concerned about their online footprint but you have to be 

Bea: There’s some stuff you’re going to want taken down, before you make a start on cleaning up the house before we’re home

Buster: I know, but thanks for your concern

Bea: Would it kill you to act like you know

Buster: Apparently so

Bea: Come on, what was that even about

Bea: Obviously you were going to have a party, we’re not stupid but you didn’t need to take the piss like that

Buster: What do you want me to say?

Bea: You want your independence but you are still going to have to come to Dublin sometimes

Bea: Your dad and grandad were disappointed you skipped last night, you know`

Buster: I’m going to come to Dublin sometimes

Buster: When have I ever avoided a single one of my obligations?

Bea: It’s not meant to be an obligation, they’re your family

Bea: besides, you like St Paddys

Buster: Then you and dad should work harder to treat it as though you don’t see it as one, because that’s exactly how it comes across

Bea: We have careers and clients that take up the majority of our time, anything outside of that is one for us

Bea: You, meanwhile, were clearly perfectly free last night and could’ve made the effort 

Buster: If you care that much about me spending time in Dublin, move us back there

Bea: Do you think you’re in quite that much trouble?

Buster: I think you’re full of it, but I’m hardly going to do more than strongly imply the fact, am I? Given whatever trouble I am in

Bea: No, no, carry on

Bea: the fact you’re still drunk enough to be digging this hole is concerning enough

Buster: I’m angry enough, at least

Bea: Oh YOU’RE angry

Bea: why are you angry, exactly?

Buster: Take your pick, maybe because Nance is a fucking snitch or perhaps because you aren’t actually worried beyond my online footprint and your soft furnishings, either/or

Bea: Your sister having no loyalty beyond the type that comes with high-interest cards isn’t new, nor something to concern yourself with, she made a fool of herself as per last night too

Bea: If all I wanted was to bollock you, I could wait until I got back

Buster: A small consolation considering how inevitable Nance making a fool of herself is, but I’ll take it

Bea: It looks like we have Paris Hilton in the back of the car

Bea: but do you plan on telling me what’s wrong or am I meant to guess? Because I don’t think either of us would enjoy that as far as games go

Buster: Do send her to some wilderness camp

Buster: and no, I’m handling it, obviously

Bea: At this point, we’ll try anything

Bea: Handling it now or last night’s little soiree was your attempt at handing it?

Buster: I mishandled it last night, as you’ve already pointed out

Bea: We just want you to be happy, obviously

Bea: happy people do not get in that kind of state, except by accident

Buster: I’m the wrong twin to claim accidental poisoning, I can read the labels

Bea: Exactly

Buster: There’s no need for guessing games, you’ve already filled in the necessary blanks

Bea: As long as you’re happy you’ve got it under control

Bea: because I really can’t hack if you’re going to be this moody all the time

Buster: I have

Buster: which doesn’t mean I can guarantee my mood for you

Bea: Not now, I’m sure

Bea: the damage is done

Buster: Very inspiring in regards to the optimism you’re expecting me to otherwise pull from nowhere

Bea: If you’re having teenage angst that’s none of our business but anything beyond that is

Bea: it’s an awkward line to toe, you try it

Buster: It’s your line, you drew it

Buster: I’m not going to start telling you how to parent

Bea: No one does

Buster: Nan definitely does, I’ve heard her

Bea: She has plenty of cautionary tales at her disposal 

Buster: So do you, about getting wasted especially

Bea: Honestly, you make it sound like I had a Problem ™ 

Buster: I took a lot of things too far last night, I’m aware of that

Buster: but it won’t become a problem

Bea: And you’ll call grandad?

Buster: Are you asking me to or telling me to?

Bea: You were missed, for God’s sake

Buster: Fine, I’ll call him later

Bea: Jesus, like pulling teeth with you this morning

Bea: We should have made you come, and you should probably be in more trouble now, again, act like you know you’re getting off lightly, please

Buster: I don’t like disappointing people, so, take comfort in my discomfort there if you want

Bea: I really don’t

Bea: like I said, if you were just wanting to spend time with your friends, this wouldn’t be a conversation

Bea: you’re so… serious, lately

Buster: Would you rather I wasn’t? Like Nancy

Bea: I already said, happy, all of you

Buster: Don’t

Bea: What? Is that suddenly an awful thing to say?

Buster: It’s bullshit, you know it is

Bea: Why because I’m some kind of dragon woman

Buster: She’s perfectly happy, but in no world do you want any of the nonsense she does for her

Bea: I don’t think she is

Buster: You think she should work as hard as she plays, preferably harder, that’s what you taught us

Bea: I think she needs a purpose, for herself, not for arbitrary productivity 

Buster: Her purpose on any given night is to ruin everyone else’s

Bea: Because she doesn’t know her real one yet

Buster: Well, I know mine, don’t worry

Bea: Okay, if you’re sure

Buster: Since I was [whatever age he decided he wanted to be a lawyer]

Buster: I’ve always been serious, it isn’t new

Bea: I’m not saying it’s a bad thing

Bea: but you know you can talk to us

Buster: I already know what you’d say

Bea: Try me

Buster: I don’t want you to be disappointed, remember

Bea: We aren’t

Buster: You would be

Bea: Don’t make me repeat myself already

Buster: Repetition makes a lie sound more believable, allegedly 

Bea: Whatever you’ve done, cannot be that bad, okay

Bea: you’ve just got the fear

Buster: Why can’t it? 

Buster: the only reason you think any different is because I’m me and I don’t usually make mistakes

Bea: Because nothing is, in my experience

Bea: especially not at your age

Buster: Don’t patronise me, mum

Bea: I’m pointing out that everything feels heightened, that’s it

Buster: I’ve ruined everything

Bea: Tell me what happened

Buster: You can’t fix it

Bea: Of course we can

Buster: No, you think you have all the answers but you don’t

Bea: I can’t possibly help you if you aren’t going to tell me anything

Buster: I can’t tell you

Bea: Why not

Buster: Because I don’t even know how to

Bea: Whatever it is, we can handle it

Buster: I’ll handle it, like I said

Bea: You don’t have to handle it alone

Buster: It’s my problem

Bea: Your problems are our problem

Buster: That’s really nice in theory, but I don’t want to be a problem for you to have to solve

Bea: None of us want to be but it happens

Buster: Not to me, I’m supposed to do better, be better

Bea: Buster, give yourself a break

Buster: I’m meant to be a success story, that’s what you want, what all of this is for

Buster: the point of living here, the point of everything

Bea: Slow down

Bea: you can be successful, you can make plenty of mistakes along the way and have it still happen, trust me

Buster: Until I do something I can’t undo

Bea: There are very few things that fall into that category

Buster: But there are things, fuck ups that aren’t allowed to happen

Bea: Even most of those are things you can work with

Buster: I wish I had murdered someone instead, like Nance said

Bea: What?

Buster: It doesn’t matter, the point is, I’d know what to do then

Bea: So you don’t know how to move forward

Buster: What I should do is blatantly obvious, hence it’s what I’m going to

Buster: but it doesn’t change what I’ve done, nothing will

Bea: You regret what you’ve done?

Buster: Exactly the opposite

Buster: I’d do it again in a heartbeat, I want to

Buster: How am I supposed to live with not being sorry at all for something I should be?

Bea: I don’t know, I’d be the last person to ask

Buster: Do you have any regrets?

Bea: Sometimes I think I could have done more for Ro

Bea: but that could be bullshit, I wasn’t the only one trying and none of it worked so

Buster: Maybe the trick is when to stop trying

Bea: You don’t stop

Bea: but if the person doesn’t help themselves then there’s only so much to be done

Buster: Yeah, I need to help myself, that’s good advice

Bea: Well, you’re hardly like Ro 

Buster: I’m not exempt from giving into shit that’s destructive

Buster: but I can stop before I sabotage my entire future

Bea: Do you think you have substance issues?

Buster: God no, trust me, that’s not it

Bea: If it is, the help isn’t all heavy-handed, there are plenty of steps before a rehab stay

Buster: Mum, come on, you know that’s not who I am

Bea: How many things am I meant to infer from sabotaging your future

Buster: Don’t guess, it’s okay, I’ll be okay

Bea: Okay then, I won’t

Buster: I just need to take your advice and keep moving forward, focus on what I know are the right things to do

Bea: I’m glad you feel clearer-headed 

Bea: I remain entirely in the dark and more confused than when we started but I’ll live

Buster: I’m calm now, forget about what I said when I wasn’t

Bea: Whatever you say, kid

Buster: I’ll go clean up, the sight of a less trashed house’ll distract you, if nothing else

Bea: Hmm

Bea: We should be back around [a time], providing Lindsay Lohan doesn’t get us chucked off the plane with any further antics

Buster: Tell Ava her room’s totally untouched, since I don’t have an addiction to fund

Bea: What lovely news for her

Buster: Yours too, I’m not an idiot, a ban on bedrooms is one of my rules when I’m the host

Bea: Well you know my feeling on the matter 

Buster: Yeah

Bea: Still, I suppose you can’t be the only one not allowed to ‘host’

Buster: I don’t give a fuck where I am in the popularity rankings, after last night or before, people pleasing is only for climbing the career ladder not a school extracurricular 

Bea: You’re allowed to care

Buster: It wasn’t about impressing my friends, I’m already impressive

Bea: Alright

Buster: Try and have a good flight

Bea: I’ve got work to get on with, thus a valid reason to ignore any more hassle so I will

Buster: My homework’s all done, can’t relate

Buster: you should probably ask them to hand out more so I don’t spiral into daily doses of [the hilariously posh drug slang of the era for heroin and crack because you know she hates chelsea slang too]

Bea: That’s the thing about work, you only get more

Bea: Too predictable that people here can’t even do addiction well

Buster: True, but let me savour you being hilariously wrong, for once

Buster: such a thing is the opposite of predictable

Bea: Nice save

Buster: Thanks for offering to try and save me

Bea: Pretty standard parents isn’t it

Buster: I know I can be a prick, have been, will be again

Bea: Don’t worry, it’s genetic

Buster: Beginning and end of my every problem, yeah

Bea: So it goes

Buster: When do I have to go to Dublin?

Bea: You really don’t want to go that much?

Buster: Not unless there’s really no room for negotiation 

Bea: August, at the latest

Buster: For how long?

Bea: We haven’t really planned that far ahead yet

Buster: Alright

Bea: Has something happened in Dublin?

Buster: I want to stay here, that’s all

Bea: I don’t think it has to be before August, for you

Bea: we’ll go back before then

Buster: I’ll earn your trust back, so you don’t mind leaving me behind

Buster: I don’t belong there, whatever grandad believes

Bea: They’re family, you can’t just opt-out

Buster: I agreed to call him

Bea: Yes, I know

Bea: I’m just telling you, in general, that’s not how it works

Buster: I know too, you don’t need to tell me

Buster: How angry is dad?

Bea: He’s not thrilled but you’re not the only target so

Bea: it’ll be fine, probably

Buster: How angry are you still?

Bea: I’m more concerned than angry

Buster: It was just a blip, I promise

Buster: I have everything under control now, I’ll even go to Dublin if it seriously means that much to you

Bea: It’s not about what it means to me

Bea: you don’t want to end up like Ro for real, no one to her name and living on the other side of the world with complete strangers

Buster: I’m going to America but we have nothing else in common

Bea: Of course you don’t, but you have to care about the rest of us, stay tethered

Buster: I do care about my family, that’s you, dad and my sisters

Bea: The more the better

Buster: You and dad didn’t live by that

Bea: That’s not true

Buster: When you think you have to set a good example it isn’t, but you did, you are

Bea: It isn’t, we always went home

Bea: you have to go to the best Uni for you, no matter where it is

Buster: I know what’s best for me

Buster: and I also know I don’t need to rely on anyone, how to take care of myself, because of you

Bea: Self-reliance is good to have if you need it, it’s not how anyone prefers to live

Buster: I wouldn’t prefer to live on a giant commune with everyone

Bea: There’s a happy medium between the two

Buster: I’ve said I’ll go if it makes you happy

Bea: We’re going in circles now, you go sort your head out and get cleaning

Buster: Because you can’t talk me into being happy there, I’m not

Bea: You’re a teenager, you’re not happy anywhere

Bea: this just isn’t a productive conversation to have

Buster: When you don’t listen no conversation is productive, it’s barely a conversation in the first place

Bea: Buster, I have listened

Bea: there’s no good reason for you not to see your family, it’s not as if we make you go every weekend or something

Buster: What would you consider a good enough reason? You told me my happiness matters, you practically did a whole little speech

Bea: A reason to not make an effort with your family?

Bea: Think about it, how many reasons do you really think there are

Buster: This is my home, that’s what you fucking decided

Bea: We can’t all live on the same street, like I said, there’s a happy medium 

Bea: that doesn’t mean they’re nothing to do with you

Buster: They’re almost strangers to me, most of them

Bea: Making the effort will get easier as you get older

Buster: Or it’ll prove to be a wasted effort, and the same for my time

Bea: If you’re going to be this ignorant and ungrateful, I can talk to your sister and get the same headache

Buster: Whatever you think forcing me to do something is going to achieve, it won’t

Bea: Just do whatever you like then, I’m sick of hearing you talk like this

Buster: I’m sick of everyone acting like we’re a big, happy family when the only part about that which is accurate is the numbers

Bea: Fucking hell, welcome to the real world, darling

Bea: everyone’s doing their best, how ‘happy’ anyone is moment to moment is irrelevant

Buster: Dublin is only ever going to bring out my worst, I’m trying my best to avoid that

Bea: August is months away

Bea: A little putting up and shutting up will do you the world of good, honestly

Buster: Great

[fruitcoops]

Have you ever seen where they get kids to ask the players tough questions and there all dress up and have fake beards and stuff. Maybe you could do that with Jules and Katie asking the team all these really hard questions?????

Thank you for giving me an excuse to spend an hour and a half watching adorable kids ask questions and melt the hearts of celebrities. You’re my hero. There are no fake beards here, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Sweater Weather characters belong to the incredible @lumosinlove!

“These chairs are so small,” James said as he scooted closer to the table. He nearly knocked Talker over with his elbow as the four of them squeezed in; the two kids on the other side shared a look.

“Ready, everyone?” Dorcas asked. When she received six thumbs up, she turned to the camera with a cheerful smile. “Hello, Lions fans, and welcome to Lion Pride! We have a couple of very special guests today to do the introductions.”

“Hello! I’m Katie and I’m six!” She held up six fingers and all four hockey players melted a little bit.

“I’m Julian, and I’m ten.” He waved, a little shy.

Dorcas smiled. “And how are you two related to our favorite Lions?”

Katie lit up and pointed behind the camera. “That’s my dad!”

There was a chuckle in the background. “Can you tell them my name, mon chou?”

“Pascal Dumais, but everyone calls you Dumo.” She swung her legs and her tulle skirt fluffed out.

“Remus Lupin is my older brother,” Jules said with a grin. “But Finn thought he was my dad.”

“It was an honest mistake!” Finn protested around a laugh. “Cut me some slack, Little Loops!”

“Do you want to do the intros for the guys, too?” Dorcas asked. Katie tugged on Jules’ sleeve.

“Can I go first?” she whispered. When he nodded, she hopped out of her chair and ran to the other side of the table, tapping each player on the shoulder. “This is Pots, Talker, Harzy, and Sirius.”

“Aw, man, I didn’t get to do any of them,” Jules pouted.

“You can ask the first question,” Dorcas said, hiding her smile behind her clipboard. “A quick reminder for our Lions: if you refuse to answer any of these, it means you hate children. Take it away, Jules!”

“Okay.” He cleared his throat and looked across the table with a solemn expression. “How many sticks have each of you broken?”

“Oh, that’s a tough one,” James mused. “A lot, but not always on purpose.”

“I haven’t broken that many,” Talker said. “I’ve forgotten to return quite a few to the rink after games, though. I think I have about five in my trunk that I keep meaning to put back.”

“Maybe…ten? Fifteen?” Finn rested his chin on his hand. “I should start a tally board.”

“Too many,” Sirius laughed. “I need to be more careful.”

Katie wiggled in her seat as she picked up the question card. “Why do you swear so much?”

Matching expressions of shock painted all four players’ faces. “Have we sworn in front of you?” Finn asked in a small voice.

“Yeah.”

“Mon dieu, I’m the worst person on earth,” Sirius murmured as Talker leaned his forehead on the table.

James opened and closed his mouth a couple times before answering. “Uh. Well. I don’t know, Katie. Instead of answering, I’m going to take this time to personally apologize to you and your dad, who is laughing his a—his rear end off in the back, as well as promising to form better habits.”

“If you could be any superhero, who would it be?” Jules asked, seemingly unfazed by the previous question. Wordlessly, Sirius gestured to his Captain America t-shirt.

“Spiderman,” Finn said without hesitation. “He’s the coolest.”

James unzipped his jacket to reveal a Superman shirt. “We didn’t coordinate this,” he said, tilting his head toward Sirius. “But yeah, Superman’s the best.”

Talker thought for a moment. “I really like Hawkeye. Are we talking Marvel or DC here?”

“Anything.”

“Anything? Hmm. I’m going to go with the Flash, then.”

“Nice.” Jules reached over to give him a high-five.

“I got Jules’ approval, everyone else can go home.”

“What’s your greatest fear?” Katie asked, still swinging her legs.

The table went silent. Sirius turned to Dorcas. “Is this the plan? Get us rolling with fun stuff and then give the hard ones to the five-year-old in a princess dress?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Cool. Well, munchkin, I don’t like bugs and I’m not a huge fan of the dark.”

“Vegetables,” Finn said sagely, which sent both kids into a fit of giggles and made all the adults break into sunny smiles. “God, you guys are cute.”

“Pomeranians freak me out,” Talker answered once they had calmed down a bit. “They have those tiny little eyes and sharp teeth.”

James shrugged. “I’m not a fan of heights.”

“I thought you wanted to be Superman?” Jules frowned. “He flies all the time.”

“I think I’d be less afraid of heights if I knew I could fly.”

“So you’re afraid of falling, not heights.”

James looked to the camera. “And now I’m getting psychoanalyzed by a ten-year-old. Uh, yeah buddy, I guess so.”

“Hmm.” Jules looked back to the question card. “Who would win in a fight, you or our moms?”

“Your moms,” Talker said immediately as the others nodded. “No contest.”

“How would we even get in that situation?” Sirius asked. “What the did we do to make the nicest women in the world that mad?”

“Stole brownies,” Katie said with great gravity for one so young. “Mom says you four are the worst about it.”

“Mom wouldn’t even have to fight you.” Jules cocked his head to the side. “I feel like she could just give you a disappointed look and that would be enough. Katie, your turn.”

“Yay!” She brightened again. “What is your favorite cereal?”

Sirius smiled. “Fruit Loops.”

“Cheerios,” Talker said. “They’re good for you physically and emotionally.”

“I’m with Talkie on this one,” James agreed.

Finn gave them all disappointed looks. “You’re so old. Mine’s Lucky Charms.”

“Okay, Leprechaun Boy,” James snorted. Finn reached over and smacked the back of his head. “Hey!”

“Do you ever play hockey at home?” Jules asked. “I feel like Sirius doesn’t have to answer this one since it’s so obvious.”

Finn laughed. “Does tapping a puck around on the carpet with brooms counts?”

“Yeah, that counts.”

“Then yeah, sometimes.”

“I have no space in my apartment to play hockey,” Talker said. “Though I plan on moving someday and then the answer will be yes.”

“I made a rink in my backyard.” James smiled slightly. “Lily likes to skate sometimes while I run drills.”

“My turn, my turn!” Katie scooted her chair closer. “Okay. Out of everyone on the team, what two people would you take with you on a dessert island?”

“Desert,” Jules corrected quietly.

“Desert island. Are there deserts on islands?”

“I think they mean like super sandy beaches with no people on them.”

“Oooooohhh.”

James mouthed a thank you to Dorcas, who gave him a thumbs-up in return. The other three looked at the kids with unbearable softness. “Well, I’d feel awful if I took your dad with me, so I think I’m going to go with Finn and maybe Kasey. We’d have a blast.”

“Nice, dude.” Finn fist-bumped him. “Unfortunately for you, my choices are going to be Leo and Logan, since I already know we could live together without starting a war on the third day.”

Sirius thought for a second. “I think Nado would actually be able to survive on a desert island, so I’ll bring him along, and for the second one…maybe Kasey? Yeah, Kasey’s cool.”

In the ensuing silence, Jules gave him a significant look. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

“You’re not on the t—” The realization hit him like a truck; his eyes went wide and he slumped in his seat as the others burst out laughing. “Oh no. Oh, no, no, no.”

“Your own fiancé.”

“Please don’t tell him.”

“He’s gonna laugh so hard,” Jules cackled, leaning back in his chair. Even the camera crew was losing it in the background. Dorcas had to step out of frame. “You’re never going to live it down.”

“Well, the first person I would bring with me is Remus Lupin, because he’s read a lot of books and definitely knows how to survive on a desert island,” Talker said around his snickering. “And then I’d bring Cap, because God knows that would get entertaining after Loops finds out about this. The sarcasm would be off the charts.”

“Okay, next question.” Dorcas came back into view, still grinning. “Jules, go for it.”

“Can I ask Katie’s question again so Sirius can give a better answer?” he asked gleefully. Dorcas hesitated, then shook her head. “Bummer. What was cool when you were young that isn’t cool now?”

“When?” Finn looked scandalized. “I’m 24!”

“Yeah, and?”

“Ugh. Um, maybe Furbies? People were really into Furbies when I was in high school, though I can’t say I’m sorry to see them go out of style.”

James bit his lip in thought. “Tamagotchis.”

“I loved those things!” Talker said excitedly. “My sisters and I used to go nuts with those things!”

Sirius smiled. “Lite Brites.”

Finn’s eyes went wide. “I forgot about those!”

“Regulus and I each had one and we loved them. That was the only thing we agreed on and we used to sit—” He paused for a second to laugh. “—we used to sit in the middle of the ice rink in the backyard, still in our skates and everything, and do Lite Brites for literal hours.”

“That’s so cute, oh my god.” Talker shook his head. “What a nostalgia trip.”

Katie knelt on her seat and rested her arms on the table. “Who skates faster, you or me?”

“You,” all four answered in unison.

Jules rolled his eyes, but he was clearly hiding a smile. “How many push ups can you do?”

“How many can you do?” James countered. A flash of competition lit on Jules’ face and all the guys grinned. “Uh-oh, there’s the Lupin glare.”

“How about we have a little competition?” Dorcas suggested. “See how many everyone can do in thirty seconds?”

“Absolutely,” Finn said. The four of them had a little bit of trouble getting their knees out from under the kid-sized table, but eventually they succeeded and gathered in the middle of the room. “Katie, are you joining us?”

She smiled innocently. “No, I know I’d win.”

“Get ready.” Dorcas pulled her phone out as they knelt. “On your marks, get set, go!”

The guys went easy on Jules from the outset, but they made it look like those pushups were the hardest exercise they had ever done in their lives. Talker took a second to dramatically wipe his forehead and James’ wheezing was almost comical; Jules, however, was giving it his best shot. When the timer finally went off, Finn collapsed with a groan. “I forfeit.”

“Did I win?” Jules panted, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

“You did, congratulations!” Dorcas put her timer away and winked at the camera as they headed back to the table. “Great job, everyone. Katie, your turn.”

“Do you live in a mansion?”

“I live in an apartment,” Finn said.

“Same.”

Sirius shook his head. “My house might be big, but it’s not a mansion.”

“Does a two-story house count as a mansion?” James asked. “No? Then no, I don’t.”

“Who is your least favorite person on the team and why?” Jules turned to Sirius with raised eyebrows. “Are we going to have another desert island problem?”

Sirius threw his hands in the air, speechless, as the other three cracked up. “Jules, can I adopt you?” James begged around his laughter. “Please?”

“You’ll have to fight my mom for that, I think.”

“My least favorite person on the team is James Potter,” Sirius sighed. “Not the person I’m getting married to.”

“We could get married. Lily might mind, though.”

“Full offense, but I know way too much about you to ever consider that.”

James ruffled his hair and turned back to the kids. “My least favorite person on the team is Remus Lupin, because he ran me over in practice the other day.”

Finn side-eyed him. “Didn’t you trip him after he stole the puck from you?”

“He ran me over.”

“Sure, Pots. Um, my least favorite is Kasey Winter. He threw ice at me while we were in the ice baths.”

“Logan took my Gatorade last week and hid it all over the rink,” Talker said. “I’ll never forgive him for such a crime.”

“Oh, I like this one!” Katie exclaimed as she looked at her card. “What’s the best birthday party you’ve ever had?”

“My tenth birthday was at Red Robin and I got a Power Ranger outfit.” Talker grinned. “I was the coolest kid on the block.”

“My eighteenth birthday was pretty fun,” Finn said. “There was a bouncy house and Alex almost broke it because we were jumping too hard.”

“Does it have to be my birthday?” James asked. “Because my son’s first birthday party was awesome.”

“Why?”

“He threw cake in Sirius’ face and a food fight broke out in the backyard.”

“That was a pretty great day,” Sirius agreed. “My last birthday party was my favorite.”

“You spent the night with us!” Katie said happily.

“I did, yeah,” he laughed. “And I had a really good time.”

Jules perked up when he read the next question. “I love this one! Do you have a lucky pair of underwear?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, totally.”

“Of course I do.”

“Is there a superstition I don’t have?”

Jules looked especially pleased with those answers as Katie picked up her card. “This is the last one,” she warned. “And it’s super important and super hard. What kind of dog would you be and why? You can take your time, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you, Katie, we’ll need it,” Talker said as he desperately tried to contain his smile. “I’ll go first, if nobody minds. I would be a border collie because one, I love them; two, they have a lot of energy; and three, they love making friends.”

“That’s a good one,” she said seriously. “They’re also very soft.”

“Yes, they are.”

Once Finn managed to suppress his quiet laughter, he raised his hand. “Can I go next?” Katie nodded. “I’d be an Irish setter. They have red hair and they’re really affectionate. Plus, I met one the other day at the park and haven’t stopped thinking about him.”

“This was a tough question, Katie, but I think I’m going to go with a golden retriever,” James said after a moment. “They’re good family dogs and they like to be on the ice with those big ol’ paws.”

“That’s what I was going to say!” She beamed at him. “Sirius, you don’t have to go. I already know what you’d be.”

He raised his eyebrows, looking highly amused. “Do you now? Can everyone else know, too?”

“Well, it’s obvious,” she said. “You’d be Hattie. She looks just like you and she gives the best hugs.”

A small puff of air left Sirius’ lungs and he blinked as James reached over and patted his shoulder. “Oh. Okay.”

“That wraps us up,” Dorcas said, looking between them with a soft smile. “Any closing statements from our guest stars?”

“Ready?” Jules muttered to Katie, who nodded rapidly. “On three. One, two, three!”

“Go Lions!” they shouted in unison with matching grins. The camera crew cheered and the players applauded, all laughing.

“Thank you for tuning in, everyone! Remember to like and subscribe for more content.”

[twstedbeauty]

hi! can I request some hc's for the dorm leaders finding out that their s/o is ticklish please? thank you! ;w;

Disclaimer: This is going off the assumption that their s/o enjoys being tickled. Our bois are respectful and would never touch their love without permission~

Riddle Rosehearts 

This boy is so shy oml. 

I highly doubt this poor child got any sort of physical affection as a child, given how beastly his mother is, so the act of tickling is kind of lost on him. 

I’m gonna say it right now: the only time he would ever tickle you is when you two are alone. He’s not the type to tease you and do it in front of other people. 

When you two are alone, the best way I can describe Riddle would be....awkward. It’s gonna take him a while to warm up to the idea, but he’ll do it only because it makes you happy. 

He gets very blushy and his heart flutters in his chest when you start giggling and squirming underneath him. Every once in a while, he stops to check in and make sure you’re alright. He doesn’t want to overwhelm you!

He gets more and more comfortable with the idea the more you two do it, but it still is only something you do in private. 

Overall, Riddle tickles are very cute and sweet and very fluffy. He’s a bit awkward, but he’s trying~

Leona Kingscholar

*takes in a deep breath* 

Hoo boy....ya’ll are in for it. 

I’mma just say for all ya’ll out there who are extremely ticklish? RUN. RUN AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN. (And be prepared for him to chase you...) 

Why? Oh well, y’know...Leona Kingscholar just doesn’t know what this one little word called ‘mercy’ means.

Listen, I’m not saying that he would tickle you to the point of pissing yourself...but he’d get pretty damn close. 

Your first mistake? Telling him you were ticklish. Your second mistake? TELLING HIM YOU LIKE IT.

As soon as he figures out you like being tickled, that’s it. You’ve sealed your fate. You just set yourself up to be teased about it until the day you die. 

He will hold you down and tickle you to the point of begging, to the point where you’re gasping for breath and screeching his name in between your laughter.

Oh, and he’ll let you know you can’t go anywhere. He’ll lean in close to your ear and growl about how he’s got you trapped, how helpless you are underneath him. His little herbivore caught in the clutches of the hungry lion. 

Unlike Riddle, Leona IS the type to exploit your weakness when you’re around others. He hold you on his lap and pinch at your hips, squeeze your knees, nibble on your neck...nothing’s off the table for him!

That tail of his? EVIL. EVIL. He can and WILL use it as a tool against you. You two could be cuddling in his bed and you’ll feel his tail slip up underneath your shirt, gently brushing over your stomach as he pretends to be asleep behind you. 

You better watch yourself. Tickling you will become Leona’s favorite thing to do when he’s bored and there’s nothing you can do to stop him. RUN.

Azul Ashengrotto 

How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh? Ten-tickles.

Ohhh, Azul is all too familiar with the act of tickling. 

Truth be told? He hates being tickled himself. The twins used to gang up on him all the time when they were younger and tickle him to the point of inking himself. It was humiliating. That’s why NO ONE but them knows that he’s ticklish. 

So to hear that you, his love, enjoys it? He’s honestly a little shocked. 

Now, Azul is a gentleman and also an easily flustered bby, so tickles will be in private. 

Like Riddle, he’s a bit shy about it and a little awkward at first for the same reasons. He doesn’t want to overwhelm you or accidentally hurt you!

But the difference between him and Riddle? Once he gets a feel for it, Azul can be sadistic. 

oHOHO yes, dO NOT let his gentleman facade fool you. He is just as RUTHLESS as Leona. 

It mostly stems from that pent up frustration of getting tickled as a child. Not being able to fight and get back at the ones who humiliated him. So...now you’re the target for that. 

Physical strength isn’t really one of his strong suits, so if you’re okay with it, he’ll tie you up so that he doesn’t have to hold you down. 

You know that unhinged smile he gets in the game? He’ll be looking down at you like THAT the whole time while he coos about how adorable you are trying to escape. 

He enjoys watching you squirm around and scream every time he digs into a sensitive place on your body. It fuels that sadistic streak in him. 

Would he exploit your weakness in public? Mmmm....only sometimes. 

If you’re sitting on his lap while he’s working, he might pinch your sides or your hip just to get you snickering. He’ll just smile that ‘polite smile’ of his and ask you what’s so funny, much to the utter conclusion of his poor client. 

And before any of you ask, yes, he will tickle you in his merform. He’s stronger in that form and those tentacles can both hold you down and tickle you at the same time. Lucky you!

Oh, and don’t let the twins find out that you’re ticklish. Azul is sadistic, but he knows when to show mercy. The twins do not. 

Kalim Al-Asim 

Oh my goodness, this boy is PRECIOUS. 

He would think that you being ticklish is the most adorable thing in the world and would love tickling you if it made you happy!

Kalim can get a little silly when he’s tickling you. He’ll coo about how cute you are and use that ‘tickle talk’ that people do that just seems to make it tickle more, but he’s laughing just as much with you. 

THE ULTIMATE INSTIGATOR OF TICKLE FIGHTS. This boy is a menace and he is NOT above chasing you around the Scarabia dorm.

Don’t let him fool you though. You can easily thwart him in a tickle fight by tickling him back. He’s just as ticklish. 

Any time you’re feeling sad or down about something, tickles are Kalim’s go-to when words don’t seem to help. 

He just loves hearing you laugh and seeing you smile! It lights up his whole world!

Vil Schoenheit

This man isn’t ticklish. At all. So any hope you may have for getting him back is dead on arrival.

Vil wasn’t tickled much as a child, if at all, and doesn’t much care for it. Who would want to get worked up to the point of laughing so much, it makes their face all splotchy and their body all sweaty? It sounds positively awful to him!

So when you confess that you like it, he’s honest with you. He doesn’t get it. 

If you want Vil to tickle you, the best chance you have is at the end of the day when he’s got all his makeup off and is relaxing in his room. 

Is Vil sadistic? He can be. Definitely. If he’s in the mood for it, he can positively evil with how easy it is to get you a blushing, giggling mess with just the slightest touch of his hand. 

He’s not sadistic in the way the same way that Leona and Azul are. He won’t make you almost piss yourself. He won’t even get you close to that point. But he’s capable of holding you down (or tying you down) and making you beg with how light his tickles are. 

They are the agonizingly slow, tantalizing tickles that send shivers all along your body, the kind that tickle so bad. He almost lazily just trace his fingers and nails along your exposed skin, cooing about how sweet your face is all flushed like that and asking if it tickles that badly. 

That’s the thing about Vil. He’ll commentate on your reactions and his own tickling methods as he’s tickling you. 

Outside the privacy of his bedroom? No tickles. None. He’s a busy man and he’s got a hectic schedule. Plus, doing something like that in public is unbecoming of someone of his status! 

Idia Shroud 

Another shy boi!

I don’t think Idia has much experience with tickling either, neither with himself or Ortho. (I don’t think Ortho can even be tickled? Can he??)

Either way, Idia’s stance on tickling is neutral, but don’t you DARE try to tickle him. He’s not very ticklish, but being touched like that freaks him out and makes him embarrassed. 

Now tickling you on the other hand....that’s a very different story. 

Granted, he’s tentative at first and a bit embarrassed by the thought, so it might take him a bit to get used to it. 

After that though? Oh, it’s over for you. 

Do I even need to say it? We’ve all seen that crazy smile he gets when he gets fired up about something. He’s sadistic as hell. 

I’m gonna say it: Ya’ll might need a safeword. When Idia starts, it’s pretty hard to get him to stop once he’s fired up, so safeword is KEY.

He’s VERY experimental. He’ll use different types of tools on you and keep record of what works best. He may not be the most talkative type, but his memory is like a steel trap. Once he learns something, he’s not going to forget it. 

So that means he’s gonna remember every single one of your worst tickle spots and use them against you. 

All I can say is good luck. 

Malleus Draconia 

Oh Malleus, sweet sweet Malleus.

If there’s any boy on this list that is MOST afraid of hurting you during this process, it’s Malleus. 

You’re such a tiny little thing! It would be so easy for him to accidentally hurt you without realizing and that scares him more than anything. 

He is so careful with you. It so cute. He’ll barely even touch you and when you flinch, he freaks out and apologizes profusely, momentarily forgetting that’s the whole point of tickling. 

The first couple of times are gonna be a slow go, but just be patient with him. He’s just gotta warm up to it. 

Once he’s more comfortable with it and sure he’s not hurting you in anyway, that’s when he might delve into his more...sadistic tendencies. 

He can’t help it. You’re just so helpless underneath him and the way you squeal and giggle every time he touches you is just so precious. 

Malleus won’t do anything too crazy though. The moment you start to look like you can’t breathe, he stops and gives you a break. 

He’s not the type to exploit it in public...but Lilia is. He gets a kick out of watching Malleus get all flustered any time he comes up behind you and ‘accidentally’ tickles you. 

Bonus: Dire Crowley

Birb dad! Who doesn’t love the thought of cute parental tickles? 

If you tell him that you’re ticklish and that you like being tickled, he might just die from how cute you are. 

This man is a dork. A sheer dork. Definitely the type to use the silly ‘tickle talk’ while he’s tickling you. He’ll make it extra silly just to make you laugh harder.

He’ll just gush over you as he tickles you, telling you how adorable you are and how sweet your giggles sound. He just can’t help it! His little bird is just too cute!!

Raspberries? Raspberries. He’s the King of Raspberries and WILL NOT HESITATE to use them as his final blow.

He’s giggling just as much as you are. It warms his heart that you trust him enough to let him do this and he just lights up as you smile and laugh. 

He’s very merciful though! As soon as you’ve had enough, he’ll stop immediately and bring you up in a hug, helping you to come down from the high. 

10/10 for Birb dad tickles. Would definitely reccomend. 

Psst, if you wanna get him back though, he’s so VERY ticklish. Wreck him whenever you feel like. 

[thealexchen]

One Year On: Life is Strange 2 Critique

December 3rd, 2020 marks a year since Life is Strange 2 ended. I was inspired by @smitethepatriarchy‘s text posts (here, but there are several other answered asks worth reading) and @suhaplays’s text post (here) criticizing Life is Strange 2 to write a critique about how Life is Strange 2 handled certain themes and social issues.

(tw: gun violence, police brutality, animal death, incarceration, racism. In this essay, I use the word “queer” in a reclaimed sense, as a queer person myself. Of course, spoiler warning for all five episodes of Life is Strange 1 and 2).

A year on, my feelings about this game have soured... a lot. When the game was first announced, I was overjoyed that our new protagonists would be two Latino boys. Finally, we would have a culturally meaningful, groundbreaking video game with people of color and their experiences at the forefront! 

Then the game was met with immediate backlash and I utterly exhausted myself defending it for weeks on Reddit and Tumblr. Throughout 2019, as the episodes came out I became increasingly disillusioned, frustrated, and disappointed with where the story was going. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so damn miserable while playing this game.

Then in the summer of 2020, when Tell Me Why began rolling out pre-release material, I noticed that they posted a Q&A about transphobia, gave content warnings, and discussed at length about their collaboration with GLAAD, Checkpoint, and the Huna Heritage Foundation to make the game with sensitivity and proper research. I cannot speak for trans and gender non-conforming people on whether Dontnod succeeded at doing so with Tell Me Why. But Life is Strange 2 did… none of that.

Essentially, I realized that the reason why I was so frustrated with LiS2 is because it focuses way too heavily on a trauma narrative. This comes off as insensitive to players of color without any content warnings or extensive research.

Sean didn’t have to get kidnapped, kicked in the face, and called a racial slur by a gas station owner. Daniel did not need to watch his puppy get mauled by a mountain lion for the sake of a “difficult choice.” Sean didn’t have to lose his eye for the sake of heightened drama. Sean didn’t need to get called a racial slur and humiliated by his native language/beaten in the desert for refusing to sing. Daniel didn’t need to get shot— twice. Hell, all of “Faith” probably could’ve been cut— how is a church cult that brainwashes Daniel and beats Sean half to death relevant at all to the story?

Even if not all of the game’s violence was racially motivated, the consistent trauma that Sean and Daniel endure does not make for positive representation— or even good characterization. There is a difference between sympathetic characters and well-written characters, and trauma does not make Sean and Daniel any more complex or likable-- just more fucking traumatized.

LiS2 is more grounded in reality, but that also makes plot holes that much harder to excuse (Daniel’s powers being spotted, most of the Parting Ways ending, Sean’s prison sentence). But most of all, it grounds all of Sean and Daniel’s pain and trauma in reality. 

There is no magicking away a town-destroying storm with time travel. Sean can’t keep his dad alive by ripping up a Polaroid. After Max unlocked her powers, she was still a Blackwell student, reconnecting with Chloe, taking photos, saving lives, and uncovering a murder mystery. After Daniel unlocked his powers, the Diaz brothers lost everything. 

The game never lets you forget that Sean and Daniel are homeless, wanted, constantly in danger, and that they are never getting their old lives back. It permeates the entire game, and for players of color, just reinforces a sad, miserable, grim reality about living in the United States. It is, as @smitethepatriarchy said, potentially triggering for players of color, and it is certainly not something I needed to be reminded of.

And the representation of POC? It feels shallow and ill-researched. It would only take a Google search to find out that Dia de Muertos (a holiday to honor the dead, no less) was from October 31 to November 2 in 2016, the year the game takes place, but Daniel only talks about Halloween in episode 1. Sean and Daniel never discuss any Mexican customs, foods, or holidays. Sean doesn’t speak Spanish with his immigrant father, only during a scene when he’s traumatized (again!) by two racists, and again when talking to Mexican immigrants— in jail. Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish at all. Most of their allies throughout the game are white, including Finn and Cassidy, who appropriate Black culture with their dreadlocks.

So what’s left? Sean and Daniel’s existence as people of color is, at worst, just a narrative prop to justify everything that happens to them. They are people of color on the surface only. In a meta-sense, the game only considers the color of their skin and their last names as what is narratively important… yikes.

I don’t have anything against people who genuinely loved the game and were moved by its messages and story. But I can’t help but feel bitter that white players have the luxury of only thinking of this game as a work of fiction and not feeling any personal reliability to Sean and Daniel’s racialized trauma.

I don’t regret playing LiS2, but I do regret all the time and energy I spent defending it in the beginning. I understand now that I shouldn’t let people’s opinions get to me, nor should I feel obligated to like or defend a game for its attempts at representation. But now, I think I understand how queer fans must have felt in late 2015 when Polarized released. After following the game for 10 months, to see that Chloe’s ultimate destiny was to die and Pricefield is another ship plagued by the Bury Your Gays trope (in the ending that the devs clearly put more work into) must have been just as disillusioning and infuriating. I understand why some fans were so quick to unfollow LiS or develop mixed feelings about the series, because that’s how I feel too after following LiS2’s development from September 2018 to December 2019.

Before I end, I will admit that Life is Strange 2 arrived at a time when I needed it. I still stand by my belief that DN did a great job characterizing Sean, Daniel, and Chris without toxic masculinity, which is the best thing they could’ve done for a male-focused follow-up to a game about queer women. I love that Sean is still a canonically bisexual man of color in a major video game and that DN didn’t forget their queer audience. I love the world and characters that DN built, but I still prefer AU fanfictions of their normal lives, without all that trauma. 

So, I will continue to treasure Lyla and her 10 minutes of screentime (aka the only shred of Asian American representation I can get from this series). I still reblog LiS2 fanart to support the artists. I still support Dontnod, because as Tell Me Why has shown, they are capable of researching and writing stories with more sensitivity. And let’s be honest-- I’m still gonna be hella excited if Life is Strange 3 is announced.

But so many aspects of Life is Strange 2 were bungled that it came off as a remarkably average and forgettable experience. A year on, I don’t hate Life is Strange 2, but I am writing this to move on from it.

Thank you for reading.

[a-crimson-lion]

My Thoughts On Chapter 257 and Why I Think The Bakudeku Dynamic Is Still Fundamentally Broken

[Spoilers and Bakugo-Bashing ahead. Long post. Avoid if you don't want to see.]

Look, I can kind of see why people enjoy the idea of Izuku and Katsuki making up and being friends again after all the crap Katsuki did. Honestly, if Horikoshi had set it up right, I might have been rooting for them, too. Of course, I don't root for it, because I don't see much improvement in the dynamic, especially on Katsuki's part.

Before I get started, remember: if you like the dynamic between Izuku and Bakugo, that's fine. This post probably isn't for you, and that's fine, too. I'm not writing this post to attack anyone personally, but if you feel offended, feel free to ignore this post and go about your day. I'd like it if we could be respectful of one another's opinions. Sound good? Good.

Now, let's begin...

So the big thing in this chapter (257 chapters, dear God...) is that we're finally learning a bit more about the OFA Holders. For starters, we now know the Black Whip user's name: Banjo Daigoro (heads up, the "Go (五)" in Daigoro means "Five," continuing the trend of OFA Holders having their wielder number in their names). We've also learned that Nana's Quirk was "Float" or "Levitation," which makes a lot of sense.

(I mean, Flight is one of the most iconic superpowers besides super strength, and since Nana is Izuku's metaphorical grandmother, it's incredible for her to be using such a by the book super power. Plus, it only compliments her friendship with Gran Torino, another hero with a flight Quirk.)

I'm rambling at this point. As intriguing as the Quirks of the previous holders is, my attention (as well as other readers' attention) was pulled towards Katsuki. Most say that the relationship between Katsuki and Izuku was adorable in this chapter. Others say Katsuki was a gremlin, but they still love him for it.

Well, pardon my pessimism, but if I'm using the phrase right, it looks like I'm gonna be playing devil's advocate.

[Keep in mind, the official translations haven't dropped yet, so this might screw up my analysis a bit.]

There's another meeting about OFA between Izuku, Toshinori, and of course Katsuki. Toshinori talks a bit about how he couldn't find everything for the previous holders, and what does Katsuki say?

If you don't know it then just leave it at that, I'm waisting my precious time on you guys.

There are a handful of other rude/passive-aggressive ways Katsuki could have phrased that. He could have made it sound like "That's nice and all, but could we skip to the important stuff?" But no, even though this information is crucial to Izuku, even though Katsuki has every right to just stay out of the room since the conversation won't benefit him, he says they're wasting his "precious time." Once again, Katsuki is being self-centered, but that isn't anything new.

A little later, Katsuki is taking a loom at the notebook, and he remarks that all the Quirks Izuku got must have been lame. Katsuki is immediately writing the Quirks off just because they aren't upfront with their badassery. Izuku appreciates all Quirks because he wasn't born with one, but Katsuki only appreciates strong Quirks because that's what society and his own self image have taught him up to this point.

Think of it this way: A man with diamonds can't understand why a man is happy with silver, but a man with nothing understands the value of both.

Katsuki's Quirk is admittedly versatile and efficient, and I can respect the work he put into it. However, immediately dissing less flashy Quirk's might be his downfall. Characters like Sir Nighteye don't have "powerful" Quirks, but are still capable adversaries thanks to how they use them in tandem with their other abilities. Foresight might not be a powerful Quirk in a fight, but Nighteye's own strategy, deceivingly ripped physique, and his high-density stamps help round him out as a capable opponent. We've seen Izuku utilize Black Whip in ways which can be definitely declared badass. Even Nana's Quirk can be used in incredible ways, especially considering Izuku's strategy and relentnesses.

Speaking of Nana's Quirk, here comes the part I hate the most...

Lots of readers talk about how Katsuki and Izuku's dynamic has grown a lot since their middle school days. That's not to say the statement isn't true, because there has been some growth, but I feel like most of it is exaggerated. Katsuki and Izuku haven't had an introspection (or at least a meaningful one) on themselves where they've come to grips with their faults and have vowed to change for the better. Izuku doesn't stop to think that maybe Katsuki shouldn't have treated him the way he did since they were kids, because Izuku's more concerned about heroism, mastering OFA, and (ugh) proving to Katsuki that he'll surpass him, being his image of victory. Katsuki hasn't really thought about his actions aside from that one time after the Provisional License Exams that ultimately amounted to nothing. It's been said time and time again by several in the fandom that Katsuki hasn't really changed, and for as much growth (or lack thereof) as he's had throughout the entire course of the series, the statement is not without merit. Case and point: the very first thing Katsuki spits out to Izuku when All Might reveals Nana's Quirk?

I WON!

He's more concerned about his own image and pride then about Izuku's progress. He's already got flight down, so instead of leaving it at that or (highly unlikely) offering to help Izuku figure out the whole flight thing, he decides it's a great thing that Izuku will waste his time learning something Katsuki already knows so Katsuki can make sure he can beat Izuku yet again. He's not adding anything to the conversation, and while Izuku isn't personally bothered, Katsuki's next words are not okay, even if they're relatively tame.

Before you tell me that Katsuki is just trying to encourage Izuku or something like that along those lines, let's take a look at their proceeding dialogue:

T-that's not true! I'll just master it and catch up to you!!

You're just going to panic again! Explode and go to Hell!

Buy I managed to get the gist of Blackwhip, so...

DIE!!

No hesitation...!

...Katsuki is not being encouraging in any way, shape, or form. He's being discouraging; in spite of Izuku's protest, Katsuki insists that Izuku is going to crash and burn once more. Never mind that Izuku isn't bothered by it, what Katsuki is saying is not okay. No one can be the best but him, so no one can improve... including Izuku. Forget about Izuku's previous feats, forget the fact that he learned to use the base Quirk without damaging himself AND a second Quirk in less than a year. As long as Katsuki can pull ahead, stupid Deku won't be able to catch up and he'll prove that he'll forever be the best.

...can you feel my frustration with this character?

And then there are the panels where Izuku looks like he reading the journal, and Katsuki is making a gremlin face while make the "kill" gesture across his neck, and All Might's looking at it like it's something precious. Other people called this scene adorable, but for me, it only proves that Katsuki hasn't changed and WHY he hasn't changed. He still treats Izuku as someone lesser instead of as an equal; he might not be Quirkless anymore, but for Katsuki, Izuku just another extra to surpass. And then Izuku tries to be civil with Katsuki, but... the boy really does not care about him. And then people like All Might don't know the full depth of their relationship and consider this a massive improvement, and see no reason to confront Katsuki or Izuku about their issues.

Seriously, the narrative is so contrived in Katsuki's favor, I'm losing hope that Horikoshi will ever try to fix it properly.

And before you give me Izuku's whole spiel about:

I never thought the day would come where I could speak so naturally with Kacchan.

NARRATORS! CAN! BE! BIASED!!!

Just because Izuku is the protagonist and overall honest does not mean his views/relationship with Katsuki are ultimately well. I'm not saying he's an unreliable narrator, since he hasn't really gone to Delusion City as he's told us the story, but it's very clear that he doesn't give Katsuki's actions too much thought. Him suddenly being able to talk casually with Katsuki is not a major feat: EVERYONE ELSE can casually talk to Katsuki just as well even if his personality is, quoting Denki, "flaming crap mixed with sewage." At this point, I'm just tuning out all the times the narrative tries to claim that Izuku is completely mentally sound, or that Katsuki has made significant progress.

You can keep shouting it from every roof top you want to, but unless you're showing CONSISTENCY, you're not showing substance.

So, TL;DR This chapter continues to push the Bakudeku rival dynamic while instead showing how Katsuki has ultimately barely changed and is continually enabled by other characters and the narrative to continue his behavior because virtually everyone around him has an abnormally high tolerance for his bulls***.

That's all I can write right now. Thank you for reading.

-Crimson Lion (18 January 2020)

[saccmaass]

Writing prompts List:

Hey guys! During this crazy pandemic I listened to A LOT of music, and I found myself thinking “wow this sentence would be a great prompt” so I made a list!

Note: For further inspiration you can find under the cut the name of the song and the name of the singer. 

“I’m ready for someone to love me”

“I’m talking to myself at night because I cant forget”

“You’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece”

“It’s maturity that I’m lacking”

“I’m not one to stick around”

“The autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place”

“I’m God and the Lord forgives”

“All I seem to do is break this things”

“You almost ran the red cause you were looking over me”

“I don’t wanna be alone in the darkness anymore”

“I’m not anything like I used to be”

“You taught me about your past thinking your future was me”

“There is so much you haven’t seen in me”

“Maybe I’m just too tired to keep running”

“But I crumble completely when you cry”

“I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to”  

“She is broken and won’t ask for help”

“Faces from my past return”

“Maybe you’re all I ever wanted”

“So casually cruel in the name of being honest”

“You need to calm down, you’re being too loud”

“Cause for every lie I tell them, they tell me three”

“Frightened by the bite though it’s no harsher than the bark”

“Now all he thinks about is me”

“So what are you gonna do when the world don’t orbit around you?”

“Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone”

“I don’t regret it one bit, ‘cause he had it coming”

“Just need you to tell me we’re alright, tell me we’re okay”

“Her eyes invite you to approach”

“They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one”

“I notice your eyes are always glued to me”

“It’s not like I’m falling in love I just want you to do me no good, And you look like you could”

“I’m writing this letter and wishing you well”

“I had a dream I got everything I wanted”

“I don’t relax very often, as often as I could”

“The devil wakes up in my head”

“And when you go don’t return to mt my love”

“Won’t somebody help me help me chase the shadows away?” 

“There’s rain clouds out there that you don’t wanna feel”  

“As long as I’m here no one can hurt you”

“Through fortune and flame we fall”

“I won’t hesitate for you”

“Hoping for the best but expecting the worst”

“I can’t regret the things I don’t try”

“They don’t deserve you”

“All I’ve ever known is how to hide a secret”

“You really know how to make me cry”

“I tend to freak myself out”

“Only fools fall for you”

“With you by my side I will fight and defend”

“I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me”

“I say the wrong shit at the right times” 

“You knew it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart” 

“I never learned to read your mind”

“It’s a lonely night in my bed in the heat of the summer”

“When you are young they assume you know nothing”

“I just wanna how beautiful you are” 

“I had a marvelous time ruining everything”

“No reason to stay is a good reason to go” 

“And isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me”

“It kills to know that you have been defeated”

“Don’t want no other shade of blue but you”

“A dark world aches for a splash of the sun”

“When you can’t sleep at night you hear my stolen lullabies” 

“It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small”

“A friend to all is a friend to none”

“Say I’m sorry without a sound”

“If I had a voice I would sing”

“I’ll be the actress starring in your bad dreams”

“I can fake a smile”

“If you never bleed, you’re never gonna learn”

“Tell me the words you long to hear and I’ll sing them loud and clear”

“Chase two girls, lose the one”

“I can feel you take control of who I am” 

“I don’t trust nobody and nobody trust me”

“Those windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry”

“Taking steps is easy, standing still is hard”

“With you I serve, with you I fall down”

“Men fight great, but women are great fighters”

“Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die”

“Just one single glimpse of relief to make some sense of what you’ve seen”

“Loving you is a losing game”

“Darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a day dream”

“My power flurries through the air into the ground”

“I wish I could lay down beside you when the day is done” 

“There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have”

“Loving you forever can’t be wrong”

“Haven’t you heard what becomes of curious minds?” 

“Big girls cry when their heart is breaking”

“Love is a fragile little flame, it could burn out”

“Yeah let’s be clear I trust no one”

“They say she was seen on occasion pacing the rocks, staring at the midnight sea”

“You and I have history or don’y you remember”

“A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer”

“Next time I’ll be braver, I’ll be my own savor”

“See, I ain’t as cruel and vicious as I seem” 

“I struggled on the ground” 

“Mysterious as the dark side of the moon”

“All that time, never even knowing just how blind I’ve been”

“We’ve got a long way to go”

                                                         ~~~

 I’m Ready // Sam Smith and Demi Lovato

Seven Nation Army // The White Stripes

Colors // Halsey

Sad Song // Christina Perry

Stuck with U // Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber

All Too Well // Taylor Swift

Unaccommodating // Eminem

Wild Enough // Elina

All Too Well // Taylor Swift

Darkness // Eminem

She Used To Be Mine // Sara Bareilles

All Too Well // Taylor Swift

Wild Enough // Elina

Lost My Mind // Finneas

505 // Arctic Monkeys

All Too Well // Taylor Swift

She Used To Be Mine // Sara Bareilles

No Time To Die // Billie Eilish

Lost My Mind // Finneas

All Too Well // Taylor Swift

You Need To Calm Down // Taylor Swift

I did Something Bad // Taylor Swift

505 // Arctic Monkeys

I did Something Bad // Taylor Swift

Ain’t It Fun // Paramore

Crushcrushcrush // Paramore

I did Something Bad // Taylor Swift

Level Of Concern // Twenty One Pilots

No. 1 Party Anthem // Arctic Monkeys

I did Something Bad // Taylor Swift 

Crushcrushcrush // Paramore

No. 1 Party Anthem // Arctic Monkeys

Mama // My Chemical Romance

Everything I Wanted // Billie Eilish 

Chaos And Piss // Pink

Coffin // Jessie Reyez

Mama // My Chemical Romance

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) // ABBA

Chaos And Piss // Pink

Everything I Wanted // Billie Eilish 

Mama // My Chemical Romance

Hesitate // Jonas Brothers

Forever Young // Alphaville

Scrawny // Wallows

Everything I Wanted // Billie Eilish 

Empty Handed // Lea Michele 

Ocean Eyes // Billie Eilish

Scrawny // Wallows

FOOLS // Troye Sivan

Keep Holding On // Avril Laving

Mirrorball // Taylor Swift

Scrawny // Wallows

 Hoax // Taylor Swift

Exile// Taylor Swift

I’m Ready // Sam Smith and Demi Lovato

Cardigan // Taylor Swift

Best Part // H.E.R (ft. Daniel Caesar)

The Last Great American Dynasty // Taylor Swift

Something Gotta Give // Camila Cabello

Invisible String // Taylor Swift

Wires // The Neighborhood 

Hoax // Taylor Swift

Cough Syrup // Young The Giant

My Tears Ricochet // Taylor Swift

Let It Go // Frozen

Cardigan // Taylor Swift

Hold On For Dear Love // Bridgit Mendler

If I Had A Heart // Fever Roy

Look What You Made Me Do // Taylor Swift

Human // Christina Perry

The 1 // Taylor Swift

Break The Cycle // You + Me

Cardigan // Taylor Swift

Golden // Harry Styles

Look What You Made Me Do // Taylor Swift

The Lakes // Taylor Swift

You’ve Got Time // Regina Spektor

Epiphany // Taylor Swift

Salute // Little Mix

The Lakes // Taylor Swift

Epiphany // Taylor Swift

Arcade // Duncan Laurence

Blank Space // Taylor Swift

Let It Go // Frozen

Hiding My Heart // Adele

Gorgeous // Taylor Swift

Dark Paradise // Lana Del Ray

Wonderland // Taylor swift

Big Girls Cry // Sia

I Know Places // Taylor Swift

Elastic Heart // Sia

The Last Great American Dynasty // Taylor Swift

Rumor Has It // Adele

Be Prepared // The lion King

Turning Tables // Adele

I’ve Got A Dream // Tangled

Birds Set Free // Sia

I’ll Make A Man Out Of You // Mulan

I See The Light // Tangled

Capsized // You + Me

[euphoricalethan]

Waited part one

🌻🌻🌻

He sat by the phone everyday....he waited, waited and waited everyday since she left to go back home, a summer fling he will never forget with y/n, when she came to L.A for summer vacation.

Ethan sat by the phone pondering what it would be like if she stayed in L.A with him and they built a relationship, that's when it happened...it rang once, twice finally three times before he picked up.

"Hello?" a female was heard on the other side as he smiled at the sound of her voice

"Y/n?"

"Ethan, hi how—uhm—how are you?"

"I'm fine, just miss having you around and hanging out with each other."

"Yeah, I—uhm—I miss you too listen..." y/n hesitated as she thought of what to say, what she was about to say wasn't really easy to be honest

"I called to tell you that I sent out an invitation but I don't think you got it." She sighed as she thought about the incident between her and the boy on the other side of the phone that happened over the summer

"Yeah I haven't gotten anything in the mail—what's the invitation for?" Ethan let out a chuckle as he looked through the pile of mail that sat on the table

"it's for my wedding actually." The female voice spoke once more except this time it was words Ethan wasn't expecting to hear

"oh—you're engaged?" He didn't know how exactly to take the news, the girl he fell in love with over the summer getting married.

"Yeah—I got engaged after I got back." She felt tears fall down her face as she wiped them away with the ring clad finger

"You didn't mention anything about uhm—about a boyfriend." Ethan felt himself choke on his own tears the feeling of his heart sinking into his stomach

"It was in the heat of the moment—I was having too much fun and I guess it slipped my mind." She let out a small laugh followed by a sob as she shook her head placing her thumb and forefinger on the bridge of her nose

She didn't want to get married to another man she wanted Ethan yet again she wanted to make her parents happy, that's all she's ever wanted to do was make them happy.

"Y/n—don't cry...please." Ethan begged her as he heard her sobs through the other side of the phone

She couldn't hold them back anymore, she let them all go as she heard Ethan's pleads she couldn't deny him but she once more thought about her parents.

"Listen, I gotta—I gotta go." She sighed before hanging up only to leave Ethan dazed and confused not even getting to say goodbye.

He thought back to the night the two first realized they had feelings for each other.

"I had fun—I've never gone to the boardwalk here, I've never actually been to Cali in general." Y/n smiled as she moved a piece of her hair and pushed it behind her ear.

"Uhm do you maybe wanna come over, I mean unless you have to be b—" Ethan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as his cheeks turned red

"I'd love too." She laughed as she wrapped her arm around his placing a kiss on his cheek

The two soon made it back to the twins house, before Ethan could even say anything y/n worked up the courage and pulled his face close to hers their lips colliding and moving slowly in synch, Ethan walked backwards as they made it into his bedroom—y/n kicked the door close before her hands found their way onto his torso.

"You look—Hmm—pretty tonight y/n." Ethan spoke into the kiss only for y/n to shush him unbuttoning his shirt she laughed as she felt it slide down his arms before she threw it to the side

"You look handsome tonight, E." She pushed him backwards causing him to fall on his back and she straddled him and placed small kisses onto his chest

His hands found their way under her shirt lifting it up and throwing it to the side watching as it landed on his desk chair—his hands snake around her waist swiftly undoing her bra watching it slip down her arms he took a second to take in the sight in front of him, his fingers running over her sternum tattoo tracing every detail, followed by her tattoo on her hip.

"You're so fucking beautiful." Ethan hummed before he placed gentle kisses onto her collar bone and down her chest

"Stop lying." She shook her head as she ran her hands through his hair taking in his features, the bright hazel eyes, the scruff, his messy hair.

"I'm not lying—you're beautiful."

She once more shook her head before her hands trailed down his body fumbling with the large lion head belt and yanking it off, next she worked on the button followed by the zipper, she eventually got his pants and boxers off she watched as his cock sprung up and hit his stomach—Ethan worked fast to get y/n's jeans off her legs causing her to squeak

"So fucking gorgeous." He sighed as he ran his hands up her thighs, onto her hips followed by her breasts running his thumb over the small nubs

"Kiss me." Y/n whispered as she bent down hovering her lips above his and of course Ethan didn't hesitate before his lips were on hers once more moving together slowly nothing about this night was rough or sloppy—it was slow and soft.

"You're so—so pretty y/n." Ethan's hand rested on her cheek as she grabbed his wrist moving his hand closer to her mouth and placed a kiss onto his palm as her eyes fluttered closed before opening and looking at him once more.

"Can I ride you?" Ethan nodded vigorously as y/n reached behind her grabbing his cock and lining him with her entrance before slowly sinking down on too his cock causing her to let out a moan

"My fucking god, you're—so big." She hummed as she began to move her hips in a circular motion, letting out a small moan she felt Ethan's hands land harshly on her ass before he gripped her ass cheeks and began moving her up and down on his cock while thrusting into her.

"Jesus Christ, such a tight—pussy." Ethan chuckled as y/n leaned forward placing a kiss onto his lips their tongues dancing together as she ran her hands through his now messy hair

“Fuck Ethan...I’m gonna cum.” Y/n moaned as she felt herself release all over Ethan’s cock followed by the feeling of him releasing hot spurts of cum inside her

"I wish we could stay like this forever." Y/n sighed as she laid her head on Ethan's chest as his hand ran up and down her back

"Me too." Ethan placed a kiss onto y/n's head as light snores fell from her lips

Ethan waited for so long for y/n to call and when it finally did, he didn't expect to get his heart broken.

——————

——————

Yes this is based off a scene in CMBYN deal with it bitches

(Call me by your name) for those who are uncultured 😪

Please don’t yell at me for spelling mistakes🥺

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Poor Little Anxious Crybaby (Pt.13)

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

Virgil seemed to be spending more and more time with Remus and Roman, not that anyone involved minded this change. But it wasnt the only thing that seemed to be changing.

This was the third week in a row in which Virgil seemed to be kept up for most of the night by dreams he couldnt understand. Sometimes he could make out the shapes of rabbits cats or mice, but rarely could he understand them.

"Maybe you just wanna be a mountain lion, I mean mountain lions could literally get away with ripping someone limb from limb, I'd wanna be a mountain lion," Remus said, running his fingers through Virgil's hair as Virgil lay across the couch.

"What I don't understand is why it would be waking you up, I mean, it's not like being a mountain lion is generally upsetting, right?" Roman said, pulling the hem of his sweater over his knees.

"Yeah. . . ." Virgil said, burying his face in Remus' stomach.

"Careful there bud, I gotta use that to digest stuff," Remus said, letting out a cackle as Virgil blew a raspberry against the skin.

"Well we dont need to focus on dreams now, anyone up for a game?" Roman said, shaking a controller.

"Ooohhh! I'll order pizza!" Remus said, bolting up off the couch. Virgil let out a whine at the loss of contact as his head landed on the couch pillows.

"Aaaawwweee, sorry Vivi, I'll come back in a little, but can you give me your order, Ro? You're usual?" Remus said, looking at both boys in turn.

"Cheese,,," Virgil mumbled.

"I'm not hungry," Roman said, bringing his legs closer to his chest. Remus seemed slightly upset by the response, but simply nodded and went to call the pizza place. Virgil moved closer to Roman, who draped an arm around him.

"Roro?. . ." Virgil said quietly.

"Hm?" Roman leaned his head on Virgil's.

"When we get back to school are you still gonna have to be friends with 'You-know-who' are you?" Virgil said, he hadnt thought about the kids at school for most of the summer, but it was nearly September, so the memory was slowly creeping back in.

Roman sat there for a few seconds, rubbing circle's into Virgil's back.

"I dont know Vivi. . . He's not exactly easy to get away from y'know?" Roman said sadly, Virgil buried his head in Roman's shoulder.

Virgil had known Inigo since they were kids, and they had never been friendly. But since becoming friends with Roman, Virgil had learned of even more reasons to despise the boy.

"I hope he and Brennan get together," Virgil muttered, casting a distinct glance at the sewing kit on the coffee table. Roman let out a soft chuckle, burying his head in Virgil's hair.

"That can be arranged," Remus said, sitting down next to the pair and draping himself across Virgil's back.

"Guuuyyyssss- you're crushing meeeeee," Virgil said, pouting.

"Not my fault you're so tiny," Remus said, resting his head in the crook of Virgil's neck.

"I'm only 4'8!" Virgil whined.

"Tinyyyyyy~" the twins chimed in unison.

Virgil had to admit that the feeling was nice, he was warm and happy, and for once in his life, he felt safe.

He and the twins spent a good portion of the day beating the crap out of fictional characters in a video game and stuffing their faces with pizza, Remus had taught Virgil how to make a volcano out of melted metal and an ant hill, much to Roman's distress.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow ok?" Virgil said as he stepped out the door to go home.

"Did you have fun kiddo?" Patton said as Virgil walked into the kitchen.

"Mhm," Virgil smiled as he rested his head on the kitchen counter.

"Dont forget to take your medication before dinner Virgil, I'm hoping the doctor will be right about it helping you sleep easier," Emile said, setting the bottle down next to Virgil.

"I wish they made this stuff in liquid form more often- how do you take all your stuff so easily?" Virgil said, raising an eyebrow at Emile.

"Its hard for me to, but usually if I take the water first and slip the medicine in after it's easier because it's already floating," Emile said, shrugging.

Virgil thought on this for a moment before nodding slightly. Virgil liked Emile a lot more than he'd first expected, of course sometimes he was a little different, but usually he and Virgil could just sit on the couch and talk about cartoons, and Virgil could even tell him about his nightmares without getting scared.

Of course there were some things he still didnt know about Emile, but if Patton or Emile didnt want to tell him things, he wasnt about to ask for information he shouldnt need.

Settling down for bed that night still felt bad, but Virgil didnt mention it, he didnt want to bother anyone.

Virgil awoke in a patch of soft grass, which upon closer inspection, seemed to be more of a dull teal color than the green it ought to have been.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Said a voice, Virgil looked up to see what looked to be a girl with white rabbit ears, wearing a waist coat and khaki shorts, a boy with a hat, a tux, and hair that varied from shades of brown and blonde on one side, and various other colors on the other, between the two was a girl with brown bunny ears, her outfit seemed to be an attempt at formality which only ended in the tattered remains of what could have once been a met gala dress.

"Who are you?-" Virgil said, sitting up and shaking his head slightly in confusion.

"Aaawww, you dont recognize us?" Said the brown bunny.

"Well of course he doesnt! When's the last time you saw him at the tea party! I mean look at his clothes! Hardly appropriate for such a special event." Said the man with the hat. Virgil looked down at his clothes, he was still in his pajamas.

"Come on- we have to get you dressed first, I cant imagine what would happen if we brought you to the king dressed like that!" Said the white rabbit, dragging Virgil off the ground and marching toward a small house on a hill.

It seemed like hours before the mission the three people seemed so set on completing was finished, and by the end of it Virgil found himself in a dusty purple dress with white sleeves, a black bow and buttons on the chest, white lace on the skirt hem, white stockings, and black boots. If he was being honest with himself, he'd never been happier to look at his reflection.

"Well come on then! The king is waiting for you!" Said the boy with the hate.

"Now hold on a second- I dont even know your names, how am I supposed to trust that you'll take me to the right place?" Virgil said.

The three figures in front of him exchanged glances.

"Hes right you know, I'd never trust someone without a name,"

"I made friends with a nameless person once, they stole my cat,"

"But if we give him our names outright then it's no fun!"

Virgil looked between the three of them in confusion, waiting for the conversation to end.

"Ok, we wont tell you our names, but you can guess them," said the boy with the hat.

The white rabbit stepped up first, she mimicked placing a crown on her head, and then mimicked a sword being pulled from something and swinging it around.

"Well- it cant be Arthur, you dont strike me as an Arthur- so is it. . . Gwenivere?" Virgil said, the girl shook her head but made a motion of begging him on.

"Gwendolyn?" Virgil said.

"You got it!" Gwendolyn said excitedly, clasping her hands together and bouncing from foot to foot. She stepped back and allowed the second rabbit to take her place.

This one held out two fingers first, dropped one, and began to imitate what seemed to be waves.

"Waverly?" Virgil said, the girl nodded and held up two fingers again, proceeding to drop them and hold up a full hand, pointing to calendar that had floated down from the ceiling.

"Waverly-Mae?" Virgil said, the girl nodded and spun on her heel to walk back next to Gwendolyn.

"And that leaves me for last I suppose," said the boy with the hat, making a sort of disappointed face to the girls as he walked up to Virgil. He mimicked both a face that Virgil would describe as angry, and one he would describe as having a few screws out of place.

"Mad?" Virgil said, the boy nodded and kept going, placing one finger on either side of his head and digging his foot into the ground.

"Maddox?" Virgil said, tilting his head. Maddox smiled and nodded.

"Well now that you know our names, you'll have to meet our king!" Gwendolyn said, grabbing Virgil by the arm and rushing off.

It took ages for them to reach what Virgil believed to be the palace. It was large and black with red and green accents along the sides, this left a sinking feeling in Virgil's chest.

"I present to you, his most gracious majesty, King Rhea!" Gwendolyn said, backing into a line with several guards dressed in red and white. Maddox and Waverly-Mae fell in line with the knights in black and green.

Virgil looked forward, in front of him and sitting on a throne was a man who shared much to many similarities with the twins to be comforting.

Though one eye was green and one eye was red, and rather than red or dark brown hair, his was black and white, but he still had the same smirk, the same demeanor Remus and Roman had when out on the town.

"So glad you could finally make it, your excellency," said Rhea, now turning his head to look at Virgil.

"I-" Rhea held his hand up, Virgil's mouth closed almost immediately.

"I know what you're going to say, and you are absolutely correct, you are not royalty, you are something much more important,"

Virgil woke up in a cold sweat, and it wasnt until he looked at himself in the mirror that he realized, he was still wearing the very same dress as before.

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

Tag list:

@frawkeye

@meowthefluffy

@thefivecalls

@luna--28

@deathcanbegreat

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@sleepless-emo

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@melodiread

@cemmy

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[swanqueeneverafter]

The Once & Future Queen Pt.16

Camelot. Tournament Grounds. (Lancelot rides a practice joust. He catches the decorated ring and the crowd cheers. Guinevere sits in the royal box with Agravaine. Lancelot rides to the box and Guinevere steps down to take the ring off of his lance with a smile. He smiles back. The tournament continues in much the same fashion, Sir Bedivere catches his ring and Guinevere accepting it gracefully.) Guinevere: “Thank you very much.” (Bedivere rides off smiling. Guinevere sits back down happily. Trumpets announce another rider.) Lancelot: “Who on earth is that?” Sir Gwaine: “No idea.” (The rider runs the practice joust and catches the ring. The crowd cheers and Guinevere politely applauds the stranger. She steps down and takes the decorated ring with a furrowed brow. The knight pulls off his helmet to reveal Arthur Pendragon. Guinevere is visibly disturbed by this. Lancelot charges towards him but is outmaneuvered as Arthur sidesteps him and sweeps the leg, causing Lancelot to fall to the ground. The crowd are stunned but begin cheering when Arthur turns and waves to them.)

Storybrooke. The Dragon's Lair. (With Maria dozing in her carrier on the bar, Regina and Emma are spending the day together.) Emma: "Wasn't Ella supposed to start today?" Regina: "She was, but with Robin and Zelena travelling to Oz, there's no one left to show Ella how things are done around here." Emma: "Well, you could show her." Regina: "I could, but then Ella would have to leave early anyway for her date with Henry. So I told her to start tomorrow." Emma: "Good thinking." Regina: "Plus, I've already got my hands full training you." Emma: (Scoffs:) "It's serving drinks at a bar, how difficult can it be?" Regina: (Winks:) "You'll see." (Emma watches Regina closely while she sets up the bar before asking the question that's been playing on her mind.) Emma: "So, back in the Enchanted Forest..." Regina: (Smirks:) "Here we go." Emma: (Chuckles:) "What?" Regina: "You want to talk about the fact that you were... my first." Emma: "How could you not tell me you and Daniel never slept together?" Regina: "Well I don't know how things were like in Juvie..." Emma: "Hey!" Regina: (Continues:) "But the way I was raised, young women my age didn't sleep around. Especially before marriage." Emma: (Smiles:) "Don't get defensive. I was just surprised is all. I think it's sweet." Regina: "Thank you." Emma: "Not as sweet as the fact that I was your first, but sweet nonetheless." Regina: (Chuckles:) "Well not to burst your bubble, but that doesn't mean you were my only." Emma: "Yeah, I know. I get that there were others. But, you know what they say..." Regina: (Nods:) "You never forget your first." Emma: "Yep!" Regina: "Okay, well gloat all you want. At least now I can put the blame for all those times we've been caught in compromising positions squarely on your shoulders." Emma: "And how do you figure that?" Regina: "Clearly I've been corrupted by the sexual deviancy of the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. I never stood a chance." Emma: "Uh huh. You had plenty of deviancy yourself back then. I mean that thing you did with your pinkie finger-" Regina: "Hey, I said I was a virgin. I never said I didn't have plenty of practice." Camelot. Dining Hall. (The Round Table members sit at a rectangular one. Arthur at the head of the table, Guinevere on his right, Lancelot observing at the other end.) Arthur: “I fear I remember very little as to how I happen to be back among the living. My story will not be as illuminating as I would like.” Guinevere: “We’re just amazed to see you.” Lancelot: “Although to say pleased would be pushing it.” Arthur: (Smiles:) “I deserve that. After everything I put you through, I am humbled by your hospitality. (To Guinevere:) Despite it all, when I returned, I knew I had to see you. To make things right between us.”

Lancelot: “Things were fine between all of us, just as they were.” Agravaine: “Oh come now, Lancelot. Do you not see the miracle that sits among us? Camelot’s former King has returned from the other side to dine with us. Surely the time is right to put the past aside?” Arthur: (Sigh:) “Thank you. It is, indeed, good to see you once again. I would like to propose a toast. (He stands:) To the people I hold most dear. To Camelot.” (They all raise their glasses.) All: “To Camelot.” Lancelot: “To Camelot.” (Arthur smiles and drinks. Guinevere watches him, clearly still unsettled.) The Land of Oz. Past. (Walking arm in arm, Zelena helps Stanum onto the podium as they find what they’ve been searching for.) Stanum: (Zelena opens the box:) “The Crimson Heart. So, what now?” Zelena: “There's only one way to find out. Ready?”

Stanum: “Yes. (Zelena takes the heart out of the box and holds it in her outstretched hand. Suddenly, the heart begins to glow and appears to be drawing from Zelena’s powers. Quickly placing the heart back in the box, Zelena breathes heavily:) What's wrong?” Zelena: “That thing... it was draining my magic.” Stanum: “What? Why?” Zelena: “Because there's no magic in that heart. It's just a worthless piece of glass. For it to work, it needs someone else's magic. My magic. (Glowers at him:) You knew about this.” Stanum: (Shaking his head:) “Zelena, I swear I had no idea.” Zelena: “You're lying. Who put you up to this? Was it Dorothy? I never should have let that gingham-clad Goody-Two-shoes go back to her wretched little farm.” Stanum: “I don't know anyone named Dorothy, and I promise you, I-I would never trick you like that. (Groans in pain:) You want to know how to find what it is you're searching for? This is it.” Zelena: “What are you talking about?!” Stanum: “It's what I was trying to tell you before the lion attack. You don't need a time-travel spell so you won't be alone. You just need some friends.” Zelena: (Laughs:) “Let me guess, like you? Do you actually think I would give up my magic to save you?” Stanum: “So you could have a friend that would accept you when no one else did? Yes.” (He groans again as the curse consumes him.) Zelena: “No. Weren't you the one who told me magic made me special?” Stanum: “Magic isn't what made you special. Your willingness to use it for good is. (More and more of his body turns to tin:) If you leave me here to rust, you might walk away from here with your power, but you'll be alone a very long time.” Zelena: “That's a risk I'll just have to take. (The curse consumes Stanum completely, leaving him as a tin statue:) Sorry, Stanum. You're wrong. Magic is what made me special. (Voice breaking:) And I won't give it up.” Stanum: (Muffled voice:) “Zelena. (Zelena picks up the Crimson Heart and walks away:) Zelena.” Zelena: “Enjoy life as a statue. Maybe Dorothy will come back and save you.” Forest. Present. Night. (Agravaine rides through the woods and dismounts. He walks slowly, searching for someone. Morgana appears behind him.) Morgana: “I’m keen to hear your news.” Agravaine: “I’m sure you’d be very proud, my lady. Lancelot naturally had his reservations, but the knights were completely taken in.” Morgana: “And Guin? This must be the last thing she hoped for." Agravaine: “If she was flustered, she certainly didn’t show it. I fear she truly does love Lancelot. Any feelings she had for Arthur are in the past.” Morgana: “I had considered that eventuality. (Agravaine is confused. Morgana pulls out a bracelet. She begins to enchant it:) Beclyppe þinne idese þæt heo hine lyste! (Morgana’s eyes glow and the bracelet shines unnaturally for a moment:) I think it’s time to reawaken those feelings.” (Morgana smirks as Agravaine takes the bracelet.)

Storybrooke. Rollin' Bayou. (Will stands watching Tiana take the beignets out of the fryer and place them on the cooling tray.) Will: "I thought that was Alice's job?" Tiana: "Yeah, well, it turns out our girl was born to do sales. (Will looks over to see Alice hand over a huge tray of orders to a satisfied looking customer:) She had the brilliant idea of handing out samples, and the customers love her.” Will: “And why wouldn’t they? She’s a Scarlett.” Alice: (Joining them:) “They all know my name now.” Will: “As well they should.” Tiana: “So, what brings you out here, Will?” Will: “Does a man need a reason to visit his two favourite girls? (Alice and Tiana exchange looks:) All right, here it is. Ever since I got back from Wonderland and then Robin’s sacrifice and that business with Morgana, I’ve been trying to take things a little easier. So, after doing a little light reading in the self-help section, I sat back and thought about what’s really important in my life. Well, for me, the answer to that is simple. It’s you two.” TIana: “It took reading a book for you to figure that out?” Will: (While Alice giggles:) “No, but it did remind me of all the little things I should be doing to show my appreciation once in awhile. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m taking my two best girls out to dinner and you know what? I’m even gonna bloody pay for it. Now you can’t say fairer than that, can ya?” Alice: (Smiles:) “Sounds great.” Tiana: “Mm. Well I have one last batch of beignets to sell then we can close up for the night. Do you think the Scarlett siblings can sell them all while I close up?” Will: “Oh I think we’re up to the challenge, right Alice?” Alice: (Beams:) “Consider it done.” Flynn’s Barcade. (Henry and Ella are on their date and Henry is failing miserably... at the game of space invaders he is currently playing.) Ella: “I've got to be honest, watching you get crushed playing that game isn’t my idea of being wooed.” Henry: “Yeah, I'm sorry. Enough mashing buttons, let’s go eat some hot wings.” Ella: “Ugh, finally. I’m starving.” Henry: “Hey you were the one who didn’t want to go to a restaurant.”

Ella: (Taking a seat at the bar:) “I know, but I think this is exactly where I needed to be tonight.” Henry: “Yeah, me too. I mean, tonight's our last night of freedom, right? You've got a job waiting for you at the Lair and I've got my taxi service..." Ella: "Hm. I think we need some drinks." Henry: "Definitely." Some Drinks Later. Ella: (Slurring her words slightly:) “You know what we need right now is a way to test fate.” Henry: (Swaying a little:) “Okay.” Ella: (Stands:) “Wait here.” Henry: “You got it.” (Ella walks to the end of the bar, while Henry tries to stay upright on his stool.) Two Minutes Later. (Henry looks at an empty beer glass at the opposite end of the bar.) Henry: “That's an impossible shot. Nobody can make that.” Ella: “Well, that's the whole point. You and I both know that going back to our steady jobs is the sensible thing to do, but you sinking in this token... is truly a million to one. (Henry gives her a quizzical look:) Mm-hmm.” Henry: “All right, so, if it lands in the mug, then we go for it. One last big adventure, you and me.” Ella: (Holds up the token:) “Good luck, my prince.” Henry: (Takes the token:) “All right.” (Henry stands and readies himself.) Ella: “Okay.” (Chuckles nervously.) Henry: (Takes a deep breath:) “Phew. (Henry flips the coin and it sails across the bar. Unfortunately, at the very last second, the barman clears away the glass:) Did it... Did he just? Did you- Did you just see?” Ella: (Sighs:) “Settled that once and for all. (Kisses his cheek:) Come on, your Mom just texted, she wants us to pick up Maria on our way home.” Henry: “All right.” (Henry gazes longingly at the place the coin landed before turning and following Ella out of the barcade.)

The Dragon's Lair. (It's past closing time and Regina and Emma have successfully emptied the bar of patrons. All except one.) Emma: "Come on Leroy, closing time was ten minutes ago." (Leroy mutters something unintelligible.) Regina: "All right, Grumpy, out!" Leroy: "I'm going, I'm going. (He slides from his bar stool and staggers to the door before turning back:) Word on the street says there's someone out there who can stop Morgana." Emma: "Yeah, and you're looking at 'em." Leroy: (Gives a patronising grin:) "Seriously sister, if you two haven't dealt with Ms. Doom and Gloom by now, then something's up." Regina: "Nothing is up, Leroy, we just don't go around using our magic to blast people out of existence because you're feeling a little scared." Leroy: "Scared ain't the word for what I am, Madam Mayor. Morgana tore a hole in the earth and let the spirits of the dead roam among us. Other than a God, who else has powers like that?" Emma: "The void has already been sealed and the last time we saw Morgana, she was in no shape to bother anyone." Leroy: "For now. What about the next time she tries something? Are you two just gonna let her go again? You know you have an obligation to-" Regina: (Cutting in, her voice raised:) "I am obligated to tell you that if you don't leave in the next five seconds, you'll be seeing spirits again." Emma: (Folding her arms:) "Only this time as one of them." Leroy: "Fine. But the word's out, ladies. Merlin's the one fated to destroy Morgana, right? (Both women look uncomfortable:) Well maybe you should consider busting him out of his tree again before Morgana does something you can't come back from. (He reaches the door:) And by the way, if you do decide to free Merlin, why don't you do something about Dopey while you're at it." (Leroy leaves and Regina locks the door behind him with a flick of her wrist.) Emma: "Well, news sure travels fast." Regina: "Drizella. I bet she spoke to that new Reporter your mother hired at the paper." Emma: (Sighs:) "Great. Do you really think we'll have to release Merlin?" Regina: "If we do, it won't be tonight. Now come on, sooner we get started, the sooner we can get out of here." (Standing back to back, Regina and Emma use their magic to clear away the debris, stack chairs and sweep the floors.) Emma: "All done." Regina: "And in record time, too." Emma: "You know was going to ask you something earlier and then I forgot about it, but I've just remembered." Regina: "All right..." Emma: (Smiles:) "Well I was thinking of asking whether you've ever done it on a bar before but then I sorta did the math in my head." Regina: "Oh yeah?" Emma: "Well, despite the numerous people you claim to have slept with between your first lover - me - and your wife - also me, I figured there's no way you could have." Regina: "What makes you so sure?" Emma: "The only bars in the Enchanted Forest were to be found in taverns and there's no chance the Evil Queen would ever lower herself to such behaviour." Regina: "Hm. You're forgetting that I found you in a tavern." Emma: "Actually you found me outside one, but fair point. So...?" Regina: "So, what?" Emma: "Have you ever done it on a bar?!" Regina: "You think you're so clever." Emma: (Smiling:) "Answer the question." Regina: (Bites her lip:) "Oh shut up and take your pants off." Emma: "Way ahead of you." (Emma quickly unbuttons her jeans and hops up onto the bar while Regina uses her magic to close the blinds.) The Land of Oz. Past. (Zelena strides through the double doors of her palace carrying the Crimson Heart. Placing it on the table, she lifts the cloche on her dinner and returns to her seat. After a moment's quiet reflection, Zelena realises what a terrible mistake she's made.)

[crazywritingbug]

Dreamers (Part Ten)

So I’m back and to be honest I have no idea how much longer this fic is gonna be....

Soulmate AU

Raphael x Fem!Reader

Y/N wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or not as Raph led the way through the sewers, her hand tightly clasped in his. The smell was what assured her that this was real.

“How do you live down here?” She asked, jumping as a rat scrambled across her foot. 

“Ya get used to it,” He muttered, shame coating the words. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked that question. Before an apology could properly form on her lips Raph spoke.

“Listen, I...I haven’t told my brothers about ya. Donnie knows but he’s the only one.” Raph wasn’t quite looking at her, his gaze on the space ahead. Why hadn’t he told his family? Y/N understood why she shouldn’t have told anybody, but he could have told his family. So why keep it all a secret? Keep her a secret?

“So they’ll be surprised to see me?” She asked and he nodded. Well this was going to be interesting. 

Before long, Y/N found herself standing in the doorway to his home. Nearly standing that is. Raph took up most of the frame, blocking her view of whatever or whoever had brought him to a standstill.

“Where have you been Raph?” The tone was sharp. Yeah it was a who.

“Out,” Raph’s reply was sharper. She could see him tense. Who could irritate him like this? She racked her memory of what he’d told her about his family and one name stood out clearly. Leonardo. She did not have the best feeling about being caught in an argument between Raph and the leader. That would not be the best first impression.

“Out where?” Leonardo’s question was demanding. 

“None of yer business!” There was that temper Raph said he had. He pushed forward without another word, brushing past a turtle just a bit taller than him. Did he forget she was there? Nevermind that, she did not want to be stuck alone with his brother. Not yet.

“Excuse me…”She muttered, going to follow Raph. At least until Leo’s hand caught her by the arm. A surprised yelp escaped her lips at his tight grip. Before she could process what was happening, Raph was back at her side, arm catching her around the waist as he shoved Leonardo away from her.

“Don’t touch her.” He snarled it in a way that had her confused. Should she be frightened or touched that he was protecting her, even from his own family?

“Who is she?” Leonardo leveled a glare at her with eyes that were just as blue as the mask he wore. “Why did you bring her here?” How were they supposed to explain that? Would he believe the only explanation they had? Wait...why was she thinking of her and Raph as they and them? They weren’t a couple...were they? Now was not the time to be thinking about this…

“Y/N?” Another voice caught her attention, bringing her gaze to a lankier brother, this one just about dripping with technology. He offered a smile as he crossed the space between them. He was either immune to the tension that was crackling between Raph and Leonardo or chose to ignore it as he offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Donnie.”

At least one brother was introducing himself nicely. “Hi, I’m Y/N...but you already knew that…” What was she saying? This is not exactly how she thought this would play out. Then again, how was meeting three turtles and a rat supposed to play out when they had very little idea of her existence?

Donnie laughed it off, but Leo still glowered. “What are you doing here?”

“Calm down Leo,” Donnie was calm and collected. “She’s Raph’s soulmate.” Well there it was. At least she didn’t have to be the one to say it. Raph’s grip on her waist tightened slightly as Leonardo glanced between them. There was something in the leader's gaze that suggested disbelief.

“I think soulmate is a bit of a stretch.” Yeah, there it was. Doubt, disbelief, and irritation. Was it his words or was it something else that had her wanting to press against Raph’s side? 

“We met in a dream…” She attempted to explain but her words fell short.

“It’s not a joke Leo,” Donnie to the rescue once again. “I checked, when Raph dreams somehow two sets of brain waves show up on the monitor, I’d need to study hers, but I am fairly certain that they would be a perfect match.” 

“See? Science.” Raph had a challenge in his voice, one that Leonardo didn’t answer. The silence that filled the space was thick with a tension that had her heart pounding like a drum.

“Whoa!” A new voice and an orange clad turtle joined the mix. “Who’s the hottie?” 

“Mikey!” Raph scolded but Y/N couldn’t help a light laugh.

***

Watching Y/N move through the kitchen was like being in a dream all over again. He had never thought he would actually see her in his home, nevermind making some kind of snack alongside Mikey. But this was something he wouldn’t trade for anything. Leaning against the doorway he fought a smile. Yes the circumstances might not be the best, but that didn’t change the fact that she was here, or that for even a few minutes he felt her leaning into his side. Somehow, even just that small thing, made the argument with Leo and the scolding he’d gotten from Sensei about keeping secrets all worth it.

“Y/N,” Speaking of Leo...He shot his brother a look as Leo brushed past him. “Can we talk?” Wait, what was going on here? Raph tensed, uncertain as to if he should jump in.

“Okay.” She said it almost hesitantly, setting down the plate she held. “What is it Leonardo?”

“Just call him Leo, you family now girl.” Mikey claimed and Raph’s heart picked up the pace. Family...Why was Mikey claiming her as family? They may have been soulmates but they weren’t a couple...were they?

“Do you think you could still get that meeting with Stockman?” Leo asked and Raph straightened. What was Leo thinking? Using Y/N for information, for bait? No way, not happening.

“I don’t like where you’re going with this.” Y/N shook her head, “but yes I suppose I could.”

“We need more information on the machine, you could get that.” Leo claimed. Y/N paused, thoughts flickering through her eyes. She was scared, Raph could see it in the way she wrapped her arms around herself, in the way she bit her lip, and in the way her gaze dropped to her feet. She shouldn’t need to do this. He didn’t want her to do this. To walk into the lion’s den was not something he wanted her to do, but...Leo had a point. She was probably the only one who could get close to Stockman to do it.

“I don’t think so Leo” Y/N shook her head. “I don’t think I could do that.” Smart move.

“And why not?” Leo snapped it in a way that had even Mikey glaring and Raph’s blood boiling. Leo did not get to talk to her that way. He crossed the space in two steps, placing himself at her side, an arm around her shoulders. He almost melted at the way she leaned into him, so why did he feel so much stronger with her there? Strong enough to look Leo in the eye as he spoke.

“She said no, back off.” He wasn’t going to let Leo push her, but maybe...he’d ask her later. She really was their best chance at getting to Stockman. 

“Yeah dude,” Mikey spoke up. “You gotta respect it when a girl says they don’t wanna do something.” Huh, so Splinter’s talks about respecting women had gotten through Mikey’s head.

“Fine,” Leo huffed and walked away. What was his deal with this?

“Thank you.” Y/N’s voice brought his gaze back down to her. He liked this view, his arm around her as she looked up at him. He tried to hold back a smile, but the corner of his mouth still tilted up.

“Not a problem.” He got the answer out just before Donnie’s voice rang out. “April and the new guy are here!” Jones...this was gonna be interesting.

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[twoidiotwriters1]

Starcrossed Losers (Josh Wheeler xReader)

A/N: Cause no one was doing it so I might as well go do it. If you like it and want part two don’t forget to leave feedback! 

Words: 1,892

Warnings: Blood, this is an apocalyptic world so, plenty of gross. Swearing and bad writing cause I did this in a hurry to get it out of my system, this is a series so the end of this chapter isn’t the end of the story uwu

Next chapter

Oh. Hi. How’s life?

Well, I guess that if you’re reading this, life isn’t exactly going fine. You looked for this, you know what’s up, with the apocalypse, I mean. Not with me, so I guess I’ll start with that.

My name is Y/N L/N and my life is great. Kinda. 

Okay, my life is good enough. The problem is that before this whole thing I wasn’t popular. No, I wasn’t a loser either; or an outcast that only played by her own rules. I was just a kid. 

I was the right amount of friendly, I was an “ok” student at school, I was free to go to parties and I did, but I also spent plenty of Friday nights binge-watching Netflix at home until I couldn’t feel my butt. No one ever watched me up-close, and now I don’t even have parents that look after me or to talk about how my day was. And I really wish I had someone that I can tell how my fucking day was. If I’m honest, these last few weeks have been nothing but a lonely existence.

“But Y/N!” you say, “Didn’t you mention you had friends?”

Well, yeah. Emphasis on “had”. See, even if I had plenty not all of them wanted to form a new group: two of them left with the cheeramazons, others found their home with the gamers, some even were brave enough to leave the city and go look for relatives their age that might still be alive. I was one of them. I went looking for my sister with my ex-best friend to her college hoping that I would find her; which I did. Turns out being twenty years old is enough for you to turn into a ghoulie. So I parted ways with my best friend and I went back to Glendale, the only place where I know my way around because I’ve lived here since I was a baby, and I’ll probably die here in about a month or so, let’s face it.

Since most of the tribes intimidate me, I quietly made my way into the far lines of the jocks. I wasn’t noticed, kind of like the backstage crew, I did things here and there whenever they asked me to do them and got no recognition from that. I was fine with it, honestly. That until Turbo finally lost it and started to kill kids for fun. Like we didn’t have enough with Baron Triumph!

So I left the place and nobody stopped me, of course, no one really cared. My normal life was quiet; my post-apocalyptic one is just that, but with a bit more of freedom. I’ve been living on my own for like three months now, and I think I’m doing pretty good so far. Adapt and survive, right? Just like in Highschool.

And I was doing just that until Josh wheeler decided to crash into me.

“Hey!” I growled from where I was laying on the floor, my knee and elbow scraped and burning, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“No time! The jocks are chasing me, c’mon!” 

Now, I could’ve said ‘No thanks! I’ll leave you to it!’ but the guy was scared shitless and he didn’t wait for a reply, He stood up and pulled me with him. He got on his skateboard without letting go of my hand and I had no choice but to move along, my roller-skates were going so fast against the asphalt, that I was sure they’d be ruined once we reached… wherever it is Josh is taking me. 

At some point, he let go of my hand and I simply decided to stick around for a moment. If he was actually in trouble, he could need a hand.

“Wait, here…” 

Josh gave a sharp turn to the right and into an alley, I followed. Once he made sure no one was there he leaned against the wall and sighed deeply, eyes closed. I stood there with my arms crossed, waiting for the explanation he owed me. When he opened his eyes and realized I was still there, he tilted his head.

“Y/N, right?”

We knew each other, barely though. We got paired up for a school project and that was it. Josh was the typical new kid that no one really pays attention to. He didn’t have any specific traits or amazing talent. He did manage to date Sam Dean I think, I don’t know how did he manage to do it, but I guess the thing is that he’s nice. A good guy overall. He was just Josh.

“Josh,” I frowned, “care to tell me what the hell did you do to piss off Turbo?”

“Nothing!” He scoffed, “It’s all fault of the golf team, I thought they had Sam and I went after them… turns out it was Angelica.”

“Bummer,” I said, though I didn’t really care, “so it was your fault.”

“I just said-”

“You went out of your way to annoy the golf team cause you thought they had Sam Dean kidnapped or whatever, and now you’re saying it’s their fault that you’re being chased down?”

“Yeah?” He stopped for a second, then continued, “okay so it was kinda my fault…”

“Yeah,” I scoffed, “you probably messed up a bit.”

He let out a dry laugh, then stared at me for a moment.

“So what are you doing? are you part of any tribe?”

“Me?” I raised my eyebrows, “I used to, now it’s just me.”

“Yeah, same,” He nodded, “well, I never belonged to a tribe but, I mean, it’s easier, isn’t it? On your own”

“I don’t know… I guess” I looked down at my shoes and whimper at the sight of them. They were most definitely ruined.

“Roller-skates?” He asked with a smirk, “seriously, Y/N?”

“Who are you to judge?” I replied with a frown, “a shitty skateboard against the monster trucks that Turbo drives around? Yes, that’ll definitely gonna leave them biting the dust”

“Hey, my skate is great! And I have a car,” He defended himself, “but… fuck, I guess I left it on jock territory”

“We should keep going,” I replied, deciding not to comment on what he had said, “they might be getting close.”

“You could leave if you want,” Josh shrugged, “after all this whole thing is not your fault”

“I could, but I just left my place cause it got destroyed, my skates are fucked and if the jocks don’t find you they’ll be on the hunt for something else to play with so to be honest, I think that staying with you for a couple of hours won’t hurt.”

“Cool,” He sighed, moving away from the wall.

“Good,” I moved beside him, “ so, where are we going, exactly?”

“Uh,” Josh rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously, “the mall?”

I stopped dead in my tracks, looking at him in disbelief.

“Are you trying to make all the wrong choices today?” I huffed, “Do you have a death wish?”

“No,” He rolled his eyes, stopping in front of me, “Someone told me Sam might be there, so I’m going”

“Do you realize that is Baron Triumph’s territory?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you for reminding me.”

“What is up with you and Sam Dean anyway?” I asked in annoyance, “Were you two together during this mess and then one day you fought, she left the house and now she’s missing?”

I was trying to be sarcastic, I wasn’t expecting him to reply with:

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“Oh,” I blushed in embarrassment, “sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t think…”

“It wasn’t exactly like that,” He lowered his eyes to the ground, kicking the dirt, “we weren’t together when it happened, but we did fight before. I haven’t seen her since the whole apocalypse stuff.”

We stayed silent for a moment, I didn’t know what to say, not because I didn’t understand the situation, I did. I also had someone important that I wanted to find desperately, and when I finally did, it was too late. I think that I was surprised, I never saw Josh Wheeler as the type of guy who would stand alone in front of Turbo and his crew just to find a girl. If he could be that stubborn about love, he certainly had to be it for surviving. 

“Alright,” I said in a defeated voice.

Josh looked at me in confusion.

“Alright what?”

“Let’s go then, to the mall.”

“You coming?” He smiled, “seriously?”

“I know you don’t need me,” I moved until I was standing face to face, “but I think that we can make a good team, for a few hours though. I hate group projects.”

Josh laughed, giving me a simple nod.

“Don’t worry, we’ll finish this in no time.”

And boy, was he wrong about that.

We hurry our asses off to get to the mall fast and unnoticed, once there I saw two kids cornered by a woman against the doors and I pointed towards them, Josh hurriedly pulled out his sword and stabbed the ghoulie, the woman turned around and ran away, revealing two familiar faces that I was definitely not expecting to see.

“Ah, shit! My sword!” Exclaimed Josh, losing grip of his weapon.

“Y/N?” Asked the boy.

I looked at Josh with a stern face.

“Wesley Fists?” I said, “you ally with Wesley Fists and our school’s drug dealer?”

“I didn’t get much of a choice,” He grumbled.

“You suck at heroing,” Said the blonde girl.

Josh turned around to look at her.

“I saved your stupid lives. Twice.” Then he leaned to grab his skateboard from the ground and added, “now hurry, Turbo’s on our ass.”

I moved to a side and waited for him to open the door when Wesley spoke up again.

“Uhm, no. He’s not,” We all looked back, facing the empty street, “Why aren’t they chasing you?”

Almost as if to answer the question the sound of an engine coming closer made us quiet down, and a black figure appeared in front of us.

“Baron Triumph,” mumbled Josh, probably about to shit his pants like the rest of us, “oh, shit…”

He stepped back and pulled me with him by the hem of my shirt, my skates moving easily against the dusty road.

“Anyone know who the hell this idiot really is?” Angelica, the little blonde girl on my left asks in an upset tone.

“I heard is Marco Lions, that gearhead that lived in Hollywood?” Offered Wesley.

“Didn’t your bestie, Jayden Hoyles ride a motorcycle like that?” Asked Josh in a bitter voice.

“Well,” Wesley nodded without looking back, “Hoyles is a real prick.”

“And you just figured that out?” I asked.

“Whoever he is,” Interrupted Angelica, “here he comes…”

Everyone prepared their weapons for the fight, and it was then when I realized…

“Fuck!” I whispered, “I don’t have anything to defend myself!”

“Don’t worry, we got you” Josh whispered back.

“You literally just lost your sword on a ghoulie’s back.”

Josh was about to reply when Baron got off the motorcycle and we all froze once more. He swiftly took off his helmet, and…

“What the…”

So what’s my life like during the apocalypse?

It’s never what I want it to be.

[archonssun]

Writing Prompts

UPDATED 05-24-20

This list WILL be getting longer eventually, and if you guys see any repeating ones, please tell me... Here is the list of prompts that you can request (or ya can use a prompt of your own if you’d like...):

“I’m fading. And all I want is to know that I’m going to be okay.”

 A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

 “I’m sorry that you were not truly loved and that it made you cruel.”

 Being strangled/choked, but not being able to call out for help.

 Instead of using cash, people pay for things with their dreams.

 “I got you. It’s gonna be okay, you’re going to be okay.”

 “Leave.”

 “I will milk your spleen.”

 “Don’t touch me.”

 “By the time anyone finds you, it’ll be too late.”

 “If I disappear will you look for me?”

 “People can do worse things than kill you.”

 “How many times do you think a heart can break?”

 “Do you trust her?” “No… but I trust her anger.”

 “When a child is punished for their honesty, they begin to lie.”

 “So tell me little wolf, do you want to punish those who have wronged you?”

 “You’re a monster,” he hissed; she laughed and said, “better a monster than an arrogant god.”

 Something went wrong. I really tried. I’d like to try again.

 “If I disappear, will you look for me?”

“We’ll never be those kids again.”

 “The trouble is, you think you have time.”

 “Whatever is wrong, I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it, for you.”

 “Someday you’ll just be a memory.”

“War does not determine who is right, it determines who is left.”

 “I forgot my name again.”

 “It can take a very long time to realize you’re immortal.”

 Hungry dogs are never loyal.

 “The chains are broken, but are you truly free?”

 “Demons run when a good man goes to war.”

 “Say that one more time and you’re grounded.” “I am the prophesied hero of all realms. You can’t ground me.” “Watch me.”

 “Aren’t you going to stop him?” “Nope. I’ve given up on trying.”

 “The hunter has become -- oh no, he’s free.”

 “I did something cool and you can’t handle it. I get it.”

 “Warning: You are about to enter someone else’s dream.”

 You are a murderer, no matter how beloved.

 But first, some rebellion.

 If Karma doesn’t hit you, I fucking will.

 We all eat lies when our hearts are hungry.

Death too must be earned.

 Oh, cruel fate.

 A wolf is a wolf, even in a cage, even dressed in silk.

 Choke them on the ashes of the dreams they burned.

 I survived, but it’s not a happy ending.

 To insanity.

 I remember.

 This is my confession.

 You’re playing my game now.

 Though I saw it coming, it still hurts.

 “I’m just here to cause a little trouble.”

 Everything, in time.

 Sometimes you have to remind people that you can be an asshole too.

 Deep beneath the ground a rumble moved the mountains and woke the heavens.

 “I will never belong to you.” “Don’t kid yourself, you always have.”

 “A death changes lives forever and nothing will ever take away the pain.”

 We won’t forget each other, right?

 “I don’t care if you are panicking - just do it quietly.”

 The worst thing you ever did to me was save my life.

 He wasn’t an ally, that was for sure, but he was the only fighter among us.

 “You really are a piece of trash.”

 The rain is full of ghosts tonight.

 “I think we overdid it.”

 You’re an attention starved narcissist.

 I wasn’t born to be soft and quiet. I was born to make the world shatter and shake at my fingertips.

 I hold his sword and wonder if he was a good man.

 I think I’ve seized the wrong fucking day…

 “I’d rather be honest than impressive.”

 “I’m going to snipe you.” “You’ll miss.”

How long has it been since the pain began?

 In that moment, he saw eternity, and was driven mad.

 I was fixing my life.

 This is a game and we are the pawns.

“One of these days the clocks will stop and time won’t mean a thing.”

Like any unloved thing, I don’t know I’m real if I’m not being touched.

What is the fucking point?

You were alone before they left you.

I’m just tired; I just want the world to be quiet for a bit.

I sometimes wonder if things only get better so that they can get worse again.

“I broke my rules for you.”

How do I stop the guilt?

Hit it until it breaks.

You already know how this will end.

I am ruination.

A memory like a knife.

It’s all a bit tragic, really, isn’t it?

P.S. I never told you, but I was falling in love.

I killed a part of me to keep you alive.

You are losing my interest, and that is very dangerous.

“You always smile like you’re about to cry.”

Ocean not lost.

“Facts don’t care about your feelings.”

“I don’t know where I am. Help me.”

“Is everything supposed to go dark?”

“You’re my friend, of course I fucking care.”

“By the time anyone finds you, it’ll be too late.”

“Death and destruction is hilarious.”

“Don’t touch me.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to love me.”

“I wanted to be ruined a little more than I wanted to be loved.”

“And you’ll remember me, whether you want to or not.”

Looking up at the man about to kill me, I realized something. I wasn’t the hero in this story. I was the villain. And no one would mourn when I was gone. They would dance and sing on my grave.

I screwed up.

Welcome to the Garbage.

Fuck, I’m tired.

Disappointed but not surprised.

You’re a functional moron at best.

“I’m still here, breathing, aren’t I?”

He will do what it takes to survive.

“Well, that’s just perfect. I was running out of nightmare fuel for a moment there.”

“You’re safe now. I won’t let them hurt you. Not ever again. I got you … I got you.”

“I find peace in the rain.”

“How dangerous,” she thought, “to finally have something worth losing.”

Poison only tastes like poison after you’ve swallowed it.

“I’ve discovered I love you.” “When did you discover this?” “Since all my decisions started to revolve around you.”

Our little, stupid conversation means more to me than you think.

“Use me.”

And I watch as she slips into the darkness.

Every man must play a part.

Chip away the bloody marble.

Give form to the formless.

You run, but do you know the way?

A hungry animal does not think.

Brave the storm of teeth and claws.

You just … don’t look quite yourself.

It’s so much to ask, but for all of our lives, would you do it? Could you give yourself?

But if the future is always behind her, how will she find the strength to confront it?

“You can’t just set people on fire -- no, stop! You can’t poison them either!”

“If you’re going to get in trouble for hitting someone, might as well hit them hard.”

“I am not above slashing my own tires to avoid going to this family brunch.”

“I don’t know how to put this nicely. So I won’t.”

Dying, she gives her last little smile to the world that has been so unkind.

“I love it when someone insults me. It means I don’t have to be nice anymore.”

“I’m going into the woods to scream for a while, anybody wanna come with?”

“I heard that!” “You were supposed to!”

“Miss, what’s the sweet you like the most?”

Every King needs a Queen in his bed.

“Why aren’t you dating him?” “Because I’d destroy him.” “He’d be into that.”

People in glass houses don’t throw stones.

“Lying is wrong.” “Unless it helps you get out of a pinch.”

“You’re a foolish girl. But you’re my foolish girl.”

“What’s it like being trash?”

“If you don’t like the rules, turn ‘em off.”

“Silence, wench! I will not fall for your trickery and douchebaggery!”

“I always wanted to find you, but not like this. Not like this…”

A lion shouldn’t concern himself with the opinions of sheep.

“Red is the perfect color on your skin.”

“Are you safe?” “I-I don’t know.”

“It’s me! It’s me! Calm down, baby, please.“

“You deserve someone who values you.”

“Pay attention to me.”

“I’m not going to leave you.”

You kneel before my throne unaware that it was born of lies.

Piece by piece, the world will crumble around you.

“That shouldn’t have worked, but it did.”

“If you want to learn what someone fears losing, watch what they photograph.”

You are a murderer, no matter how beloved.

“We must accept the end of something in order to begin something new.”

“I’m everything you can’t control.”

Turn the pain into power.

“Would you die for me?” “Again?”

“I’d make a great lunatic.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen them argue. They’re amateurs.”

“Can I at least buy you a coffee? For old times sake.”

“It’s fun, seeing all that you worked for crash and burn.”

“It feels like everyone just forgot I exist…”

“Are you happy now? Huh?! DOES THIS MAKE YOU HAPPY?!”

“Sometimes it just gets too hard to keep pretending.”

“You. Cuddle. Me. Now.”

“Can’t you pretend to love me? Just once.”

“Why am I always the one carrying you?”

“You’re kind of turning me on.”

“That was … in-tents.”

“Beauty slew the beast.”

“I accept no responsibility and would do it all again.”

“I mean, stupider stuff has worked.”

It wasn’t supposed to happen; not like this.

“Oh, the pain.”

“Trust me, I was an extremely irritating child.”

“I remember kissing you. Why do I remember kissing you?”

“That’s not cooking, it’s sorcery.”

“You know you’re my favorite, right?” “I better be.”

“You here to finish me off, sweetheart?”

The world hasn’t stopped. Why should we?

“All of these people are alive right now - because of her.”

“Hear my heartbeat? Just focus on that.”

“It wasn’t meant to go this far. I swear.”

“I think I might be falling in love with you.”

“It’s a real shame nobody asked for your opinion.”

“Tell me a story.”

“How do you do it?” “How do I do what?” “Pretend you’re okay.” “I’m not pretending.” “Yes you are, every single day. And it breaks my heart.”

“We watched it in the attic.”

“I love physical violence!”

“Does it even matter? We’ve been through this...”

“There is a tremble in you hand...”

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Cardcaptor Sakura S1

For faithfulness reasons, I’ll forgo rewatching in English even though I’m Jared 19 and never learned how to read 

I will say the original English dub had a BANGER of a theme song and I do miss that

"I’m a Fourth Grader at Tomoeda Elementary” I know I watched this like when I was age 7 or smth but SHE’S LIKE 10?? OH MY GOD who is letting this ten-year-old roam the streets

“I’m gonna stomp on him” [Lucille Bluth voice] good for her

I fully forgot Sakura had a dad I was ready to accept her Grade 11 brother raising her

Sakura’s roller blades give me visceral memories of my barbie skates

Lmao is Yuki’s ability to throw a piece of candy at a child from a moving bicycle backwards foreshadowing his superhero abilities

Okay having checked this scene in both English versions and Japanese, my opinion no one asked for: the Aminax version is bad voices on all counts, Japanese has a better voice for Toya and original English dub has a better voice for Sakura and Yukito (who they called Julian lmao) I am not accepting constructive criticism 

Tomoyo and Sakura sound so similar I could not even tell that Tomoyo was speaking omg

“There isn’t anything cuter or more interesting than you Sakura-chan” Tomoyo is really honest with her feelings I guess ten-year-olds be like that sometimes

“Is someone there” home invasions are what happens when you don’t lock your front door

This is not a study lmao this is a personal library there is hardly a workspace just aisles of shelves

Oh shit The Clow WIND RAIN SHADOW WOOD SWORD POWER THUNDER SLEEP CARD CAPTORS OF THE CLOW EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED NOW

Wait if this is hanging out in her dad’s study was her dad the last Cardcaptor lmao

Or probs her mom, since she’s gone the way of all anime moms

Sakura is accepting this whole “tiny magical flying lion” thing p well

“I accidentally fell asleep” “For how long” “30 years” same

“Stand right over there” Kerberos does not ask permission before magical girl transforming you lmao

“Why are you acting so wimpy” bc she’s 10 and you’re asking her to fight a giant ghost bird???

Honestly I love a good quest-to-collect-important-items maybe Inuyasha and DBZ ruined my taste but it’s a great formula 

“You’ll be a better adult if you have all sorts of experiences in your life” r u going to take career counselling advice from a tiny flying lion Sakura

I do kind of miss Kero’s slightly unhinged young man energy

I like that whenever Sakura’s brother is rude she steps on his foot or kicks him fkjhjgkh excellent little sister depiction

I was expecting more secrecy but it is very funny to see Tomoyo try to convince her friend to be a superhero

“Do a flashy one” kfhkjdhkj Kero supports the use of magic powers for showing off

“Trademark poses and skills are the basic parts of being a magical girl” oh my gooood

I mean if I walked into my school and there was a mountain of haphazard desks waiting there I too would be threatened 

Sakura is the only one in this group who has a reasonable understanding of what ten-year-olds should be allowed to do

LMAO @ Tomoyo’s team of bodyguards dropping her off to break into the school ONLY TO DRIVE AWAY

Tomoyo and Kero’s friendship is killing me the SHENANIGANS

I’m not sure I accept this light logic bc you need light to cast a shadow

Sakura’s “heart-racing first date” ur TEN oh my god

I mean it’s nice that Sakura wants to save the penguin but why did it take that for her to get upset it was going to drown a whole adult woman

Did Toya just RIP APART a WHIRLPOOL with his BARE HANDS

I wonder how Toya feels that his little sister has a crush on his boyfriend lmao

This cell phone is really top of the line for 1999 lmao I love it 

U know if I were a high school student and my friend asked my 10 year old sibling out to lunch instead of me I’d be confused

"They’re not even gonna hold hands? Kids these days” This is a VERY weird vibe for an episode

You know I guess if you never watch the second episode you never have context for all of these superhero outfits LMAO

None of these locations have security cameras I guess the 1990s was a lawless time

Will all of Yuki’s magical advice be delivered in the form of mysterious field trips

LMAO @ YUKITO ALWAYS TAKING SAKURA TO TOYA’S TEMP JOBS

Say what you will about the ominous influence of the other card, I think Wood is being fairly polite since it’s contorting around her house instead of destroying it lmao

“I was planning to film ‘Sakura Dances in the Jungle’ in the park today” I love Tomoyo 

Every little girl in this show sounds so similar lmao this is not good for my distracted watching style 

Wow Ms Maki is really unloading on these two fourth grade girls 

Since Tomoyo clearly interacts with even the more spirit-like Clow Cards I really have to wonder why no one else in this town is seeing these giant ghost monsters loom around the city

Well I guess this episode is a direct response to my previous comment 

“I can’t stand scary stories” says the girl who spends her nights going into isolated areas and fighting magical ghosts

Seeing Sakura activate her Fly card really gives me overwhelming nostalgia for the days I wanted nothing more than to be a Cardcaptor I used to wave around a toy broom like that magic key ahhhhhhhh

In the absence of the first English voice and with the added gentle Japanese intonation for his speaking, I am constantly forgetting that Yukito’s character is a 16-year-old boy 

Toya is really casually bomb-dropping the fact that he used to see ghosts and Yuki’s just like ‘dope are there ghosts around now’

Omg Kero’s sad face as he dropped the flower in Sakura’s lap 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

“I want to see if she wants to tell me something” like maybe ‘don’t run around town at night chasing ghosts ur 10!!!’ 

UHHHH AGAIN TOYA REAL CASUAL ABOUT THE GHOST THING 

Yukito Tsukishiro: Chronic Aid-er and Abet-er of Pre-teen Mischief 

Also if I’m right his name means something like “Ice White Moon?” Very heavy-handed foreshadowing lmao

“After we left, I went to the museum again and borrowed one” TOMOYO U CASED THE JOINT KJDHFKJHF

WHY IS EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KID IN THIS TOWN ABLE TO BREAK INTO THIS MUSEUM SO EASILY

Tomoyo is eerily well-prepared for this mission it’s like she has been planning to burgle a museum all her life

They really made an executive choice to have both a Yuuki and a Yuki that was a decision that someone made

Oh hey it’s the other pre-teen supehero!!! That guy!!

The more I think about it, the stranger the height difference between Sakura and her brother becomes bc compared to him she’s really like 2.5 feet tall they did not pick a proportion scale

U see this what I mean by gentle intonation, Syaoran somehow sounds older than Yuki simple by roughness of voice

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TOYA U DEFEND UR SISTER

“Here, a steamed pork bun” Yuki sure nows how to de-escalate lmao 

“That is made out of an insulator as well” Tomoyo is really prepared for any and every situation

It’s not fair of Li to compare what is probably years of magical training from his family to ‘trial by fire for eight weeks with a plush toy who doesn’t explain anything important until critical moments’

I’m really not sure what’s happening with Rika and the teacher but I DON’T LIKE IT

“I just want to be with you as long as possible” [cut to floral pattern] Tomoyo is aiming to supersede Yuki as Gentle Shojo Protagonist Sakura Fixates On looool

I’m sure there’s NOTHING significant about this familiar-looking sword brooch

Kero biting Li whenever whenever he says something rude to Sakura kghkjghk direct feminist action

What IS THIS business with Li running away flustered like that are pre-teen Cardcaptors ONLY allowed to have a crush on Yukito

“I guess I’ll have to beat him up once” Toya has zero qualms about fighting a ten-year-old

Two fourth graders giving Yukito chocolate while he peacefully hangs out with his boyfriend is the funniest version of executing this weirdness that could happen

What I’m really wondering is how the hell they cut out or explained away Li’s crush in the first English anime

“You were just a fledgling teacher and you married one of your [high school] students!!” u did WHAT what the FUCK MR. KINOMOTO I’m on Sonomi’s side

“Mother got married when she was 16″ MR. KINOMOTO CANCELLED! BANNED! THE HELL IS THIS!

“It was I who was granted time with Nadeshiko from her 16th to 27th birthdays” GO 2 JAIL DO NOT PASS GO 

This episode has added a lot of layers to this show none of which I like

“What kind of person was my dad” someone who should be banned from teaching

“Your father is a disgusting person” WELL

SONOMI I KNOW UR TRYING TO BE NICE BUT HE HAS AT LEAST ONE MAJOR FLAW

Lmao they’re not even giving context why Yuki is around anymore he’s just an accepted artifact of the Kinomoto household

How is that the Time card is Li’s but not Thunder since he also returned that one to its original form

“Their fastest confirmed speed is over 100km/h” Yamazaki leave Li alone he just wants to adore the sloths jhfkhgjhgkhg

Ahhhhhh Li helping Sakura get the Power card?? These motives are quite hard to read but it seems sweet

OMGGG @ TOMOYO MAKING SAKURA DEADLIFT A PLAYGROUND

“I heard a rumour that everyone who asked Kinomoto out has been denied.” Well. [x]

“It’s one of the seven strangest things at this school, that both Kinomoto and Tsukishiro don’t have girlfriends.” WELL. [x]

AWWWWW YUKI DOESN’T LEAVE THE OTHER PRE-TEEN FAN CLUB MEMBERS OUT OF HIS KIND GESTURES

[Hannibal Buress voice] I was so caught up in euphoria of festival arcs, that for like a minute I lived in a world where the rest of this anime didn’t exist 

TOYA BEING THE STAR OF DRAG CINDERELLA... OP UR MIND

I have no idea what the premise of the next Clow Card is but I really hope it’s “turn u into whatever ur acting as” bc I will LOSE my mind

I have not heard Yuki once intone as passionately as he did when he thought Toya was going to fall 

“You like someone else” 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

“I didn’t promise anyone else a dance” Can I just say I LOVE TOYA?

The moment of stillness before Yukito revealed who he was asking to dance lmao... the repressed teenage wlw inside me LIVES

Yuki and Toya tag-teaming as the Sakura Support Team my heart!!

Geolocating someone from a fax... the incredible 90sness of this act....

I seriously don’t understand this world in which you leave 5- and 10-year-olds unattended for hours where are your child welfare laws

I am really choosing to ignore how absolutely bananas the concept of Tomoyo having a hidden Sakura Movie Theatre is

Speaking of weird, are we just trusting that this old man is normal? Is everyone doing that? I’m still not ready to trust yet the Sakura’s dad situation really burned me

“Girls look their best when they smile” a sweet thought that would not fly if an old man I just met told me that lmao

I’m REALLY not trusting this old man dressing up this girl in his dead (missing?) granddaughter’s clothes and staring broodily when she mentions there is a parent with her

“My great-granddaughter seemed happy” YOUR WHAT NOW 

Their school trips seem much more fun than ours were we never went to the beach or fishing or got disappeared briefly in a cave

It continues to be funny how Sakura and Li have 0% tension re: Clow Cards, 99% tension re: Yukito who is already in a committed Something or the Other with Sakura’s brother

“Why were you on the roof” “Because it’s nice out today” LOL YUKITO

There’s no rhyme or reason to these card types huh some are like “I will destroy an entire zoo for fun” and other ones are like “mood lighting :)”

Sakura really isn’t out here to teach us any lessons lol it’s really a ‘get others to do your homework if you can get away with it’ episode

Rounding out the triad of superpowered pre-teens with Meilin I suppose

“Syaoran is my fiance” I have had it up to HERE with this anime cousinfuckery I don’t CARE if it’s cool in Japan or Hong Kong or whatever STOP BEING WEIRD WITH YOUR COUSINS

Poor Syaoran he was doing so well with getting along with Sakura until Meilin got here

"It was done by a girl again?” Oh my god is Meilin beating up grown men in parks for street cred

“It seems our relationship chart has gotten rather complicated” Tomoyo probably means astrology chart but here’s my understanding so far:

Speaking of complex relationships I wonder how Meilin will react to Syaoran’s crush on Yuki

This rivalry between Sakura and Meilin could not be more one-sided

I really was wondering for a second if the card was going to split in half

I love the vibe of Sakura and Toya teaming up to help their creepy dad but even MORE SO I love that Yukito is In This Household

“The contents are already up here” This episode really doesn’t hit the same way now that cloud storage exists and also what were all those floppy disks for if not to save your work Mr. Kinomoto

I love that Tomoyo always pulls her weight in her superhero sidekick role like she is here to support and help whenever needed 

Sakura using her powers to impress her crush with a ghost duet lmao these priorities 

“Sakura’s Little Adventure” I see what u did there

Kero’s little shoulder pat with his paw to let Sakura know he’s there aw

Omg this Clow Card is so cute “Is it your fault I’m so small now?” [nods pleasantly]

It is very bold of Sakura to be doing magic so casually when her brother and Yuki are right downstairs 

I like that this show recognizes the inherent intimacy of allowing someone to cut your hair

“Information about you has gotten around to the cards” well this is an ominous start to this funky tarot reading

Well the experience of seeing his little sister try to murder him has got to be traumatizing for Toya I hope he doesn’t remember this

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM DID TOYA JUST FALL OFF OF A CLIFF

“Can you give me a break... and stop looking like Sakura” EXCUSE ME

“My mom’s up there too, so say hi to her for me” OH MY GOOOOD TOYA REALLY DOES SEE GHOSTS AHHHHHHHHHHH

WAIT SO IT WAS A CLOW CARD DOES TOYA HAVE MAGICAL POWERS TOO

Omg @ Toya feeding Yuki from his bed this really is an intimate episode

I kind of appreciate the slow build of this show like it took them 25 episodes to introduce meaningful stakes

“But it might be tougher than the earth going ‘boom!’ Depending on who you are...” Well hello threatening figure in sunglasses standing outside Sakura’s house what’s up

“I’ll look the other way” Ms Mizuki is literally this meme:

I can only assume that if Toya knows Ms. Mizuki then she must be a ghost

Personally if Mizuki gives Syaoran the heebie jeebies I trust his instincts

“Um... do you like Yukito too?” Oh my goooood they’re sincerely discussing being Not Straight in middle school in this 90s anime that I watched when I was 7 I cannot believe

“And it’s been a year since you told me you loved me here” WHY DOES EVERYONE IN THIS FAMILY WANT TO DATE SOMEONE TOO OLD FOR THEM WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING DATING SOMEONE TOYA’S AGE MIZUKI

Also I have to rethink every thought I had about Toya being gay. I mean bi is great too but my thoughts..... racing...........

“Because the next time I see you, you’ll have someone else that you’ll be in love with” Yukito BF confirmed but oh my GOD this relationship chart IS complicated good lord

If there’s anything the episode “Sakura and Her Shrine of Memories” has taught me it’s that everyone in this show is bisexual and all teachers in their neighbourhood should be in jail

I understand that Meilin is a kid but poor Syaoran he is constantly being harassed 

I love Yuki’s bottomless stomach lmao

Syaoran and Sakura have such a genuinely supportive relationship but it is very funny how they try simultaneously to get Yuki’s attention with the exact same words

“I’ve been thinking for a while that Mr. Terada is a lot like my dad” oh thank you Rika for someone finally being normal in this show

“Well it’s a harmless one” You see this is what I mean the dichotomy of Clow Cards is like... “I’m going trap you in a maze until you perish” or “I’m gonna give you a sugar rush :]”

I like that Sakura and Syaoran are starting to partner up as a duo on purpose like yessss I love a 1-2 finish and friendship development

Ahhh poor Syaoran he’s realizing that Yukito’s #1 in his life is the Kinomoto fam

We’re all familiar with the eternal struggle of whether using ur superpowers for school sports is cheating 

AWWW SYAORAN USING HIS POWERS FOR MAGICAL PEP TALKS AFTER HE HELPED TURN REI’S PET FOX INTO A POKEMON CARD THAT’S MY BOOOOY

“I will stomp on him” it’s been 31 episodes let Sakura stomp on her brother

Oh my GOOOD does this Big card mean that Sakura WILL FINALLY STOMP ON TOYA LMAO

Ur telling me that no one else in this ENTIRE TOWN notices this altercation of a giant preteen vs a dragon

Why does the logic for how voices travel based on size apply for the Little card (when Toya was speaking) and not for the Big card (when Sakura is speaking)

Sgskdhgkhkgjh honestly body switching as a trope will never not be funny

Syaoran blushing and running away from Sakura oh how the turn tables

Every domestic scene that Yuki and Toya have adds ten years to my life we love some gay/bi teens about to be gay/bi adults

Ffskhhfkj I absolutely cannot relate to this Southern Hemisphere nonsense of finding ten degrees celsius arctic cold like BRO that is a normal spring day here

“We’re not frozen because we have magical powers” I know that cutaway was to confirm Mizuki’s magical powers again but this would’ve been a hilarious time to reveal that like Yamazaki the Compulsively Lying Classmate had powers

Awwww he likes her now that’s cute 

“I got work that day” I will bet someone ten dollars that Toya is working at that quiz rally

Update from 5 minutes later: PAYPAL ME $10

Kero keeps whispering to the moon when in fact some iteration of the moon is right around the corner (literally)

GOOOOOOOOD SYAORAN REALIZING HE HAS A CRUSH ON BOTH HALVES OF THAT TEAM KILLS ME SWEET BOY

Shared Gaze of People Who Have Dated* Toya and Have Magical Powers They Haven’t Revealed Yet

*Go to jail Mizuki

I am really going crazy wondering when they’re gonna reveal stuff about Yukito like bitchhhhhhh I know you’re a moon man when will u tellll usss

How many more times will Sakura have this same threatening dream before she realizes her math teacher is probably going to try to kill her

Update from one minute later: I guess it was exactly one more time

“That’s right, Yukito’s birthday is on Christmas day” is this coming to be a coming of age where he like suddenly sprouts wings at age 17

I’ve been thinking this for a while but this show makes it seem like Japan has a much more fun approach to athletics than my school experiences

Yukito really is unflappable about hanging out with a bunch of kids half his height huh he’s like the Fourth Grader Whisperer

I KNEW IT YUKITO NEVER GOES WITH SAKURA ANYWHERE UNLESS HER BROTHER WILL ALSO BE WORKING THERE DFHKDFHKJ every time it’s just “Hey Toya :)”

“This kid...” HAHAH TOYA HAS JUST REALIZED THAT SYAORAN HAS A CRUSH ON HIS LITTLE SISTER AND HIS BOYFRIEND THE UTTER SUSPICION IN HIS TONE

“Wind become a binding chain” Whoops Sakura foiled by 4th grade knowledge of the elements

Oh shiiiit love a world-building moment now we have two card combos in play ayyyyy

Lmao @ Kero using his returned powers immediately for fireworks mood lighting is a serious Clow Card priority

“I would like to come again this year” everything in this show feels like foreshadowing for dramatic irony

[rosethesongbird]

The Nurse, the Witch, and the Witchfinder

(Yes, that is a play on “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,” I’m terribly sorry, I couldn’t resist. This fic was rolling around in my head last night, and is really just a very self-indulgent exercise to try and practice writing for different illnesses; it’s also stemming from the fact that I couldn’t find many fics about Newt and Anathema, which makes sense as Azi and Crowley are really much more interesting characters--but why not give the American witch and her Witchfinder some more love? Anathema needs a friend!! Anyways, enjoy it, and enjoy me trying to flesh out my OC. I may try to write another part, if I feel so inclined. -R)

“Good morning, Dawn,”

“Mornin’, Ana.” 

Dawn’s neighbor peeked over the shrub “fence” separating their gardens. 

“Can I ask you a weird question?”

“Sure, long as you don’t mind me answering your weird question while I’m elbow deep in hydrangeas.” It was mid-morning, about ten, and Dawn’s short brown curls were pulled back into a half ponytail, concealed under a wide brimmed straw hat. A perfect day for gardening, it was, and she needed to unwind after five days of hosting two celestial beings at her home followed by a rough work week. 

“Are you working today?” Anathema looked like she had just woken up. Her long hair was piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun. 

“No, I’ve got the day off.” Dawn stopped for a moment, thinking. “That’s not a very weird question.”

“Well, no, that was a… preliminary question. The weird question is, would you mind coming by later today and taking a look at Newt?” 

Dawn’s focus returned to her planter. “Shouldn’t be a problem. Why, what’s wrong with him?” She picked up a small grasshopper, frowning and squishing it between two gloved fingers. 

“Well, all day yesterday he had a migraine, and barely left the bed. Usually he can sleep them off just fine, but he was up all night tossing and turning, and this morning he’s worse,” Anathema yawned. “I just want to make sure it’s not the flu or anything.” 

“Does he have a fever?” 

Anathema shrugged. “He feels pretty warm, but… he broke our thermometer.” Dawn chuckled. “Plus, my hands are always cold anyway.” 

“Hm… alright. Do you think it can wait a couple of hours? Tell you what, I’ll come by around lunchtime, and I’ll bring lunch, if you don’t mind hosting.” she patted her hands together, brushing off the extra soil, and stood up. She stood several inches shorter than Anathema, despite her yard being on the “higher” side of the hill. “Jack’s on travel, so I’m by myself for the next few days. Might as well have lunch with a friend,” she smiled. 

“Sounds good to me! How about I’ll make some tea. Iced, to remind us of home.” 

“Perfect.” Dawn grinned. “It’ll be our little Yankee secret.” 

—

Dawn knocked cautiously on the front door, carrying a lunch bag, her usual handbag looped over her shoulder. The door opened with a squeak after a few seconds, revealing a still tired-looking but washed and dressed Anathema. 

“Hey! Sorry,” her voice was hushed. “Newt’s asleep.”

“Oh, no worries,” said Dawn, voice quieted to match. “Poor guy probably needs the rest, anyway.” She walked in, setting her handbag down, and slipping off her shoes. “I totally came here in my house slippers,” she said, grinning. 

Anathema struggled to suppress a laugh. “Stop, I’m gonna laugh and wake him up!” 

“Oh,” Dawn dug around in her handbag before pulling out a small glass thermometer. “I brought this, too. You can keep it, since your man’s so technologically challenged,” Dawn snickered. 

The two women made their way into the kitchen, sharing a quiet conversation about the domesticity of everyday life in Tadfield. Anathema poured them both a glass of ice cold tea. 

“There isn’t any witchy magic in this tea, is there?” Dawn said, opening the lunch bag. 

“Nope. Just good old fashioned regular tea. Although I can’t say I didn’t try to get Newt to drink a few… remedies." 

Dawn laughed, handing the taller brunette a small sandwich wrapped in paper. 

“Gourmet cookin’,” she said, taking a bite. 

“Mm, just like Mom used to make,” Anathema remarked, smirking. They shared a beat of silence, just “munching,” as Dawn would say. 

“So, how’s Newt? Any better in the past couple of hours?” Dawn said, having already eaten three-quarters of her sandwich. 

“Not really,” said the witch. She finished chewing before speaking again. “He fell asleep while I was out in the garden, and hasn’t really woken up since. He still seems really warm, too.” 

As if on cue, a noise came from the room upstairs, sounding somewhat between a high-pitched whine and a moan. “Anathema,” Newt cried out. 

“Oh, poor thing,” Dawn said sympathetically. 

“Here, come on up,” Anathema set down her sandwich and gestured warmly to the shorter woman. As the two made their way to the stairwell, the man in the bedroom cried out again, with some urgency. “I’m coming, Newt,” Anathema yelled up the stairs. “Dawn’s here, to take a look at you, too.” Anathema looked back at Dawn, brown eyes meeting each other with a knowing glance. They climbed the stairs, Anathema quietly opening the door to the bedroom, entering first. 

“Hey, you OK?” Newt groaned in response. Dawn entered the room in silence, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. She took a moment, transferring her thoughts into “work mode,” taking in the sight of her patient. 

The man was lying on his back in the bed he shared with Anathema, head propped up slightly on a well-loved pillow. He was holding himself stiffly, almost as if he was afraid to move, and his eyes were shut tight, despite the curtains still being shut in the room. His chest was bare but for the hair that grew there, and his skin was pale yet tinged with the telltale flush of fever, shining with a cast of sweat. His hair stuck to his forehead, and his glasses lay on the nightstand, untouched since the night before. 

“Hey, Newt,” Dawn said, softly. “Can I take a look at you?” His eyes, now opened, were glassy; illness shrouding the usual robin’s egg blue.

“Anathema,” he said, slurring. 

“I’m right here, babe,” she said, crouching by his side, face betraying her sudden surge of worry. “How are you feeling?” 

“Mh. Hot,” he breathed. 

“Here,” she picked up a glass of water from the nightstand, supporting him as he struggled to sit up. 

“Hold on,” Dawn interrupted. “Let me take his temp first. It won’t be accurate if he’s had anything to drink.” She sat down next to the man in the bed. 

“But ‘m thirsty,” he whined, leaning back on the pillow. 

“I know, sweetheart. It’ll only take a few minutes, I promise,” Dawn allowed the pet name to slip from her lips. It was a force of habit she retained from work, when dealing with someone so ill. 

Newt relented and allowed her to place the thermometer in his mouth. “There you go. Ana, will you set a timer for three minutes? I know I’m gonna forget that glass ones don’t beep.” 

“Three minutes, got it,” she said, fiddling with her phone before looking back up to her boyfriend, clasping his shaking hand in hers, strong and cool. 

“Can I feel around for your lymph nodes, Newt?” 

He shrugged weakly, giving a small noise of approval. “Alright, look up for me?” Her hands gently began feeling around his neck. His skin was not warm to the touch, but hot; and to be honest, she hardly needed to touch him—his glands were visibly swollen and angry-looking. She pushed lightly up on his chin to be met with a groan of pain—causing her to instantly pull her hands away. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! Is your neck a little sore?” 

“Mhm,” he hummed. “Stiff,” he struggled to form the word around the thermometer. 

Anathema shushed him. “Don’t talk,” she said, comfortingly. 

“Well, I won’t touch those again,” said Dawn. “Let me check somewhere else. Can you raise your arms just a little bit?” The man complied, albeit feebly. She pressed gently under his arms, finding more swelling. 

“Are these tender at all?” He shook his head slowly, shutting his eyes tightly at the motion. 

“Hm. Still have a headache?” he hummed in affirmation. 

“Oh, poor baby,” Anathema gently stroked his hair, pushing it off of his forehead. 

Dawn turned away from him and frowned, thinking. “Have you been up and walking around at all since you started feeling bad?” 

He opened his eyes, looking at Anathema. “Mmh,” he tapped her hand lightly. 

“Oh, he did get up yesterday, but he got dizzy and almost fell over, so I had to help him,” she said, Newt moaning again through closed lips in agreement. Anathema’s phone started chiming, loudly, and he groaned again at the sound, shutting his eyes tightly. 

“Alright, let’s see,” said Dawn, taking the thermometer from the man’s chapped lips. His face paled suddenly as Dawn was distracted, holding the small glass rod up to the small amount of light coming through the curtain. 

“You okay?” Anathema checked in again. 

“Nauseous,” Newt sat forward from the pillows, breathing quickly and heavily. 

“Do you think you’re gonna throw up?” The witch started rubbing his back in small, gentle circles. 

“No,” he said, managing to slur a single syllable word. He immediately retched, a small amount of vomit coming from his mouth and nose. 

“Oh, sweetie,” Anathema cooed. “Hold on for just a second, I’ll be right back with a rag.” 

Dawn took her place rubbing his back as she left the room. She smiled warmly, meeting eyes with the man for a moment, before his eyes slid closed. 

“S’rry,” he coughed, as his stomach contents bubbled up and out of gently parted lips; his body had used all of its energy on the single contraction of his belly, forcing him to swallow the bulk of it again to avoid choking.

“Don’t be,” said Dawn, wiping his lips with a balled-up tissue. “Ana, would you bring some more rags and some cool water?” She yelled down the stairs, trying to be loud enough for the other woman to hear her while not hurting her patient’s sensitive ears. 

“Got it,” the witch’s voice was followed by the sound of tap turning on. 

The nurse turned her attention back to her patient. The rise and fall of his chest was shaky but even, his neck muscles stood out in tension. The witch entered the room, carrying a bowl of water and a stack of washcloths. She wet one of the cloths in the water, wringing it out;  then wiped his chin, neck, and chest clean of any remains of his prior sickness. 

“Will you give me a couple, Ana?” 

“Sure,” she obliged. “What was his temperature?”

“Pretty high,” the nurse frowned. “40.4 C, so… like 104-and-a-half Fahrenheit? Approximately?” 

“Oh, wow,” said Anathema, with concern. “Isn’t that dangerous?” she brushed Newt’s hair off of his face again, allowing her hand to comfortingly linger in the dark brown curls. 

“Well, it can be,” Dawn applied one of her cloths to the base of the man’s neck. “As long as it responds to treatment, it shouldn’t cause any harm, but we’ll keep a close eye on it.” She lifted the man’s arm, rolling up another rag, then wedging it in the pit of his arm, next to the sensitive swollen glands. He didn’t move as she applied the same technique to the opposite arm, both arms falling limp by his side. His body jerked suddenly, a trickle of bile escaping his lips; breath catching, and an involuntary cough, the rest of his body still completely limp. 

“You okay, Newt?” said Dawn, eyebrows furrowed. The man didn’t respond. “Hey, c’mon, wake up,” she gently patted his cheek with an open hand, the skin still pyretic under her palm. His head lolled toward Anathema before his body suddenly stiffened—back arching, hands clenching into fists, a choked cry. His body began to shake violently. 

“Oh, my god!” Anathema cried out, pulling her arms away, second-guessing, then returning her hands to his shaking body. 

“Turn him on his side,” said Dawn, lifting one side of the man’s body and turning him toward the witch. “It shouldn’t last more than a few minutes.” Newt continued to shake, Anathema gently stroking his upper arm, Dawn looking at her watch. After about two minutes (by Dawn’s count,) the tremors ceased, and he once again went limp. 

“Oh, Newt,” said Anathema, softly. 

“We should be safe to put him on his back again. He’ll probably be really disoriented when he wakes up, though,” Dawn made eye contact with her. “Just a fair warning.” 

The two women sat silently there for a moment, a heavy feeling of worry coming over the room, both of them lost in thought. Newt suddenly took a breath, gasping, moaning. His eyes slid halfway open, neck tensing again. 

“Hey, sweetie,” Anathema’s hand moved to his cheek. “You okay?” 

He moaned again, pushing his face into her palm, eyes squeezing shut once again before relaxing. 

Dawn suddenly noticed an odd feeling pooling in her stomach, realizing she was tensing her jaw. Her gift of discernment was sometimes almost like a sixth sense in times like this, her unconscious mind tipping off her thought process that something wasn’t right. 

“Newt, let me see your eyes,” she pulled a pen light out of her pocket. He turned his head toward the sound of her voice, almost as if he was moving in slow motion. His eyelids twitched, too little energy left to even open a fraction, and he let out a small “Mh” sound. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” she said, voice measured and calming. Anathema’s hand moved to rub the back of his head. Dawn reached out to pull up on one eyelid, flashing the small light into the blown-out pupil, which didn’t budge in response. She let out a curse, and moved to the other eye, which reacted in the same way—which is to say, not at all. 

“Shit, Ana, he needs to get to the ER like, now,” Dawn said, sitting back. “No pupillary light reflex. Something’s going on with his brain.” 

Anathema stiffened, eyes darting around Newt’s now unresponsive body in the bed. “How are we going to get him in the car? There’s no way he could get down the stairs.” 

“Call 999, it’s faster,” Dawn pulled the covers off of Newt’s legs. His pajama pants were soaked through with sweat. “Tell them he had a seizure, and had a head ache yesterday, and now he’s not responding,” she said, as the witch pulled out her cell phone. She stood up, beginning to pace around the room, frantically speaking to the emergency services operator. 

Far off, a siren started, ambulance tyres peeling out of a parking lot. The nurse held the hand of the unconscious man, rubbing comfortingly up and down his arm, as the witch collected some of her things in a large tote bag, still holding the cell phone to her ear. 

“Do you want me to come?” Dawn whispered. 

“Yes,” Anathema let out all the breath in her lungs at once, anxious. “Yes, please come along. I wouldn’t know what to do otherwise.” Just then, they heard a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Dawn said, jumping up from the bed. “You stay here with him.” 

—

The double doors in A&E burst open with a flurry of activity. A gurney, surrounded by several nurses and a doctor, followed by two women—one tall, tears pricking at her eyes, one short, jaw set, determined, in her element. 

“What have we got?” 

“Temp 40.5 and rising, Doctor,” 

“Let’s get him on ice. Paramedics place that IV?” 

“Yes, sir. They suspect meningitis,”

“Any neuro symptoms?” 

“Patient suffered a seizure at home, and another during the ambulance ride. Pupils are nonreactive.” 

“Alright. Let’s get a cranial CT, start IV antibiotics and corticosteroids, and get a lumbar puncture ordered pending CT results.” 

“Yes, Doctor,” one of the nurses split off of the still-moving mass of people, toward a desk. Another nurse joined up in her place, laying blue gel packs around Newt’s motionless body.

“Oh, Dawn, I thought you were off today,” said the doctor, looking up at the two women closely following the man in the gurney.

“I am. This is a friend,” she said, confidently. “And you forgot to order labs, sir,” 

“Of course,” the doctor gestured to one of the other nurses, who rushed over to join the other woman at the desk.

“Let’s go straight to ICU, no wasting time.” One of the nurses pushed open a door to an empty room, rushing inside. 

“You still with us, Newt?” 

Newt groaned behind his oxygen mask, half-lidded blue eyes glassy and unseeing. One of the nurses pulled away the gel packs with the blanket, opening a paper envelope with a loud crinkling sound and applying leads to his body. 

“We’re gonna transfer you to a bed, mate, so stay still for a minute for us,” a male nurse remarked as they picked Newt up, lying him gently on the bed, pulling a pair of socks onto his feet and half-covering him with a blanket, in one swift and well-practiced motion. Anathema sat down in a seat near the bed, putting her head in her hands. Most of the nurses left the room, the two remaining finished up placing the leads on Newt’s body and beginning their usual checks, the noise in the room mostly quieting except for the beeps of machines being set up and the two pairs of women speaking softly to each other. 

“You okay?” Dawn placed a hand on Anathema’s shoulder. “He’s in good hands, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” 

“I know,” Anathema’s voice cracked with emotion. “I just can’t help but wonder…if I had read what Agnes sent, would I have been able to…” 

“To prevent this?” Ana nodded, wiping her eyes. “Well,” Dawn said with an exhale. “There’s no way of knowing now, and no sense getting wound up over it all. What’s best is for us to be strong. For him,” she said, leaning down to eye level with the seated woman. 

“I guess you’re right,” she said, sniffling. 

“Knowing what you told me, she probably predicted you would burn them.” 

Anathema chuckled. “That may be true.” She sighed. “It’s just that… he trusted me. When I decided to burn them. We’d barely known each other a day, and he trusted my judgment. Now I just feel like maybe he shouldn’t have blindly gone along with the crazy witch lady.” 

“Didn’t the ‘crazy witch lady’ kinda save his life?” Dawn gave her a half smile. “Oh, I don’t know. The crazy witch lady and the nerdy guy sort of helped save the world and all. No big deal.” 

Anathema smiled. 

“Look, I’m just saying. He trusted you then, and now? He trusted your judgment to let me come take a look, and here we are,” Dawn stood to full height, crossing her arms, watching the nurses do their work. “If you hadn’t asked me to come by, I don’t know what would have happened.” Anathema nodded. 

“Thank you, by the way.” 

“Hm?” Dawn turned her head to look at her friend.

“For coming to help, I mean.”

“Oh, no problem. It’s sort of my thing.” 

The two women were silent for a moment, listening to the nurses. 

“What was the temp?” said the nurse at the computer.

“I got 40.8,” said the other woman. “Oh, and put down GCS 9. E3 V2 M4 at 13:52,” 

“Got it.” She leaned over to another machine. “Sats look good,” 

“Yep,” the other nurse fiddled with the IV bag. “Heart rate’s a little high, though, about 103.” 

“Do you ladies need anything? Water, an extra chair?” 

“An extra chair would be great,” Dawn remarked. 

“Not a problem. We’ll be right back with that, and we should be getting our tests set up shortly,” 

“Sounds good.” 

The nurses left, the three neighbors now alone in the hospital room.  

They sat there all through the rest of visiting hours, watching Newt be pricked and poked and carted around to various tests. He had awoken a few times, never lucid, always exhausted. They had at least gotten a confirming diagnosis, bacterial meningitis, and were reassured that the man should recover after a few days in hospital, although the fever had not come close to breaking. The attending physician had also prescribed some preemptive antibiotics for Anathema, who was eventually persuaded by Dawn to take them, alongside some old home remedies, of course. 

Dawn had left at the end of visiting time, going home to prepare for a day of work ahead. “I’ll try to see if I can’t get in here tomorrow,” she said, before leaving. “The attending is a buddy of mine, so I bet I can weasel my way in. And,” she laid her hand on Anathema’s shoulder, “try to get some rest.” 

“I’ll do my best.” The witch smiled. 

“See you tomorrow,” said Dawn, flippantly raising a hand as she walked out the door. 

[kpop-rambles]

Goodbye 2019. Hello 2020.

To celebrate the new year - which a lot of people are celebrating right now, I’m sure, unfortunately not me yet - I decided to create this post. I don’t know how to explain it but if you like kpop, keep reading!

My Top 3 Songs of 2019

1. SKZ - Miroh

This song got me into my now ult group, Stray Kids. Those 9 boys have honestly made this year 10x better for me. Chan’s VLives definitely helped me when I was upset, and the members made me feel emotions by their side. I’m so glad that add of Miroh appeared and I chose to watch it because I may have not gotten into Stray Kids without it. 

2. ATEEZ - Wave

Again, another song that got me into the group. I heard the song in a video where they played huge jenga at Kcon... I think? Anyways, this song is another banger and you completely fall in love with it first listen. You won’t regret listening to this.

3. TWICE - Fancy

I got into TWICE when they released YES OR YES, but FANCY is the song that you can’t not fall in love with. I did on my 2nd listen and man, if you’re saying you didn’t learn the dance and bopped to this song, you are LYING because- let’s be honest - everyone said FANCY SOTY. 

Groups I began stanning in 2019 its felt like forever tho

Stray Kids - March 26th. You think I would forget? 

ATEEZ - August 18th. Another date I remember, because I spent a good 2 hours getting to memorize the members name and faces. Was so happy when I finally did it. 

iKON - Honestly, I was more of a Double B stan since January until Hanbin left. I loved their songs but I never got to know the rest of the members, except for Jinhwan. 

ChungHa - Snapping dragged me in. That’s all I gotta say. Although, ngl, Gotta Go was something I always tried to dance to. 

KARD - Again, Bomb Bomb just pulled me into the fandom. The rest of their discography made me stay. I sang along to Bomb Bomb everyday for a good 3 months. It was honestly EVERYTHING to me and then Dumb Litty came and stole my heart and KARD did it AGAIN.

Mamamoo - gogobebe. Do I really need to say anything else?

GOT7 - I’m pretty sure I got into them because, well everyone knows GOT7. They’re a name everyone knows if you like kpop, so I just wanted to get into them. Eclipse and You Calling My Name are songs I’ll dance and singalong to in the right mood and right part of the song. But their personalities dragged me in. I’m pretty sure BamBam also attracted me when he was on Stray Kids reality show. 

Day6 - Time Of Our Life. I decided to listen to it because Seungmin of Stray Kids was a big fan of them and I was like, it shouldn’t hurt to try. Seungmin made me want to watch and Day6 made me want to stay. They don’t make ANY bad songs. 

Everglow - March 18. Listened to Bon Bon Chocolat when it came out, and I was honestly scared ppl were gonna sleep on them cause ITZY debuted a month before. Fortunately, everyone noticed their talent. 

BigBang - I dunno just listened to one of their songs. And, of course, I fell in love. Too late to stan them while they were active, but I’m expecting something in 2020... just saaying.

NCT - All of the subunits. Honestly there were so many of them, I spent time taking tests to tell them apart. The struggle to stan these boys. Instantly fell in with the Dreamies. And then I found out they weren’t a fixed unit... My heart shattered. It’s still breaking because 4 OF THEM ARE LEAVING. or left. I dunno. 

Tomorrow by Together - They were probably the most anticipated group of this year. I remember ppl hyping them up in October of 2018! Predebut stan right here. (I just remembered that I thought the preview of each member was coming out in age order and thinking that Beomgyu was the youngest. And I was just like WHERE IS HEUNINGKAI FROM?!?!)

ITZY - remember when everyone thought that itzy’s debut was rushed because info about them was leaked. yeah, i forgot too. anyways, again I was a predebut stan. 

(G)- idle - i always listened to their title tracks and I began stanning them during Queendom after their Fire cover im listening to 2ne1 2015 mama fire performance rn lol.... omg bom’s han cover just started playing. spotify is watching me guys.

Somi - Birthday was a bop. fight me. outfits sucked, gotta agree with that opinion I didn’t rlly know much about IOI but I started stanning because Jenchu were fangirling to it i mean jennie twerked for it!

Jimin Park - I’m out here still streaming STAY BEAUTIFUL. honestly she’s so loveable. her personality and her voice are everything. how can you not like her

My Top 5 Groups of the Year

1. STRAY KIDS - A lot of the reasons I luv them are the same as ATEEZ. That’s why ateez are close to being my number one, but honestly these 9 boys are everything to me. 9 or NONE FOREVER. They have been through so much this year and I hope they STAY strong for 2020. In their 2020 seasons greeting they announced a full album next year, so I’m ready to follow these boys on their journey no matter how many stay or leave. I’m a STAY for a reason. 

2. ATEEZ - PERSONALITY. I’m also a sucker for groups that shove their love for each other in your face. 8 makes 1 team, y’know? Hongjoong and Mingi are amazing rappers, Jongho, Wooyoung and San’s vocals tho, Yunho and Seonghwa’s deep voices are the death of me, and Yeosang dancing. They’re talented and luvable and that’s all I need for an ult group. also all their songs are bops

3. Mamamoo - Honestly would’ve tied with Twice but these I’m a sucker for them as ppl as well, and I need that to luv a group. they ain’t fake, they slap information in your face and they are POWERFUL WOMAN. (Not saying twice aren’t ofcourse) And these girls vocals are on POINT. Moonbyul is rapper material, but have you heard the girl song? What an angel. Their songs are all slaps, especially the most recent ones. 

4. TWICE - This was their year? yes or yes. Fancy soty. Feel Special was a great title track, don’t get me wrong, bUT HAVE YOU HEARD THE FULL ALBUM. Every song is my AMAZING. omg rainbow is playing

5. NCT DREAM - These boys stole my heart, I only stanned nct because of them. Honestly seeing the 00 line leave breaks my heart.

My Top 5 girl group and boy group songs

gg songs were honestly so hard to pick, they thrived and SO many good songs were made in 2019. But here is my list. 

1. Fancy - soty

2. Hip - this song was everything from the choreo to the song itself to the girls energy performing it

3. Psycho - came out like last week but it’s in everyone's top 10 of this year. Beautiful song that won’t get outta my head. getwellsoonwendy.

4.Violeta - this is another song that won’t get out of my head. honestly none of these songs will. ok so the final dance part after the drop of violeta pisses me off because the dance could is so powerful and that part comes and it’s such a disappointment but it’s the only part I can do so i shouldn't complain  but the song itself is very catchy. I don’t want these girls to disband even if the votes were rigged because they make a good group and sing bangers. i don't want them to leeeave.

5.Lion - the song is just so powerful. other songs they’ve made are good, but the chorus is usually a disappointment because the pre chorus is so good but EVERYTHING is great about Lion. Didn’t like it at first for some reason, i dunno why, but once you give it a few more listens you’ll fall in love. 

Now onto the boy groups. They made quite a few bangers this year as well.

1. Miroh - It’s my no.1 of the year. watchu expect?

2. Wave - and this is my no.2. Again, what else would I put here?

3. Run Away - what. a. bop. still can’t get out of my head. Crown was a disappointment to me after 1000 listens but not Run Away. A bonus is the Harry Potter references. With that I just was head over heels in love. Txt didn’t fail to disappoint with their comeback even if it was pushed back. 

4. Boom - This song made me fall in love with the talent that NCT DREAM holds despite being so young. Sang along for a few months. Actually, it’s still in my head. 

5. Make It Right - I was doing title tracks for all these but then I realised there has to be an exception because I just really like this song, especially the one featuring Lauv. Boy with luv wasn’t it for me but every other song on Persona is a straight up masterpiece (ok an exaggeration but u get what i mean)

Now onto the soloists (they’re all female, sry not sry)

1. Chica - I was debating whether to put Snapping or this but decided with Chica. Honestly the vocals, the song, the dance, the MESSAGE, is everything. I love it, it empowers woman, it makes ME feel good, and it’s what some people really need sometimes. So, thank you ChungHa. 

2. Gotta Go - another bop by our queen ChungHa, she really ruled this year. I didn’t stan her when it came out but that doesn’t mean I didn’t do the ‘deulshi’ part whenever I heard it. iconic.

3. Twit - Again another iconic bop from this year. (i thought this masterpiece came out last year, i dunno why but it just is so 2018 for some reason? I dunno) Hwasa’s solo debut really was everything. So was Moonbyul’s which unfortunately didn't make it on the list but I would say it’s in between 5th to 7th for me. 

4. Stay Beautiful - Such a beautiful song, it was a shame Jamie had to leave but she left JYP saying that they lost smth PRECIOUS and they would regret it and she conveyed all that in one song without hinting at it. So many quote worthy lyrics were in the song and it just bring up my mood and my standard for vocals. Don’t sleep on this girl, y’all. 

5. Birthday - the song brought out mixed reactions from everyone but i LOVED IT. It did get a bit old but it’s still something you’ll find me singing along to every now and then. 

ARTISTS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME THIS YEAR 

1. Bang Chan of Stray Kids. I love him. He’s such a great leader, he’s a loveable person, he’s all rounded and he fucks up sometimes but he acknowledges it and fixes it. He went through so much shit this year and he deserves so much more. I, along with many other STAYs are gonna make 2020 a better year for him and all of his group. Stay strong Chan! But besides his personality his stage presence, his rapping, his singing, his producing, his energy, his personality, it all made him someone who was always on my mind. 

2. Yeonjun of Tomorrow x Together. He’s also very well rounded and he really stands out to me from all the other 4th gens. Whenever I see a performance by TXT he always grabs my attention even when he’s not the main focus. I love his dancing, it’s very eye catching to me, along with his stage presence. He never loses his energy on stage and I expect a lot from him in 2020! His rapping and singing are amazing as well, especially for a rookie. Also when they first debuted he cried a lot, which was very heartwarming to me because idols showing emotion other than happy is something I appreciate, because it lets me remember they’re human too.

3. Seulgi of Red Velvet. She’s, again, very well rounded. I’m not really a Reveluv, but Wendy and Seulgi are vocalists who really stand out to me so those to kind of make me want to listen to Red Velvet’s songs. She’s an amazing vocalist, like words can’t express how much a love this woman's voice. Her stage presence is amazing as well, she’s just a really good performer imo.

4. Jihyo and Nayeon of TWICE. First of all I really like their personality and how powerful they are. Honestly a wink from them and I’m falling of my chair. Secondly, I don’t know if anyone's noticed but I really like powerful female vocals, and these two have extremely POWERFUL vocals. Have you heard them sing? Just... POWERFUL, that’s all I can really say to describe their voices. 

5. Mingi and Hongjoong of ATEEZ. They are rapper that are gonna blow away the whole industry with 3racha, I mean they already have. Did y’all see their performance in MAMA. The RAWEST vocals I heard that whole show. They were obviously not lip syncing, you could hear Mingi panting and he didn’t rap a whole line, and I LOVE that because it is RAW and we need more raw vocals or atleast breaths heard when the artists are dancing because it makes the performance more REAL. also stage presence is amazing from these two, they really know how to hype up a crowd. 

ROOKIE GROUPS I EXPECT A LOT FROM NEXT YEAR

sorry my expectations are high for them, but they have stood out tome so much and i couldn’t stand to see them flop. 

1. TOMORROW X TOGETHER - they’ve been on this list quite a lot, and I really appreciate their individual talents along with them as a group. I REALLY want to see them improve and grow more next year because they were really pushed this year, being BTS’s juniors. I’m sure they were really stressed but I want them to become TOMORROW BY TOGETHER not BTS’s juniors. Probably won’t happen in a year but hopefully in the next decade.

2. ITZY - another group really known for theing the juniors of TWICE this time. The title tracks they released so far have all been listen to it the first time, you don;t like it, but listen to it the 2nd time and it’s stuck in your head for the next 7 months. Honestly if they keep going like this, it would be like a ITZY thing, and I honestly wouldn’t mind. 

3. EVERGLOW - i think everyone just saw bon bon chocolat, gave it a listen, and loved it. but i also heard it was produced by someone who helped produce Crown by TXT and Spring Day by BTS, so there’s another reason ppl may have liked it so much. Adios wasn’t a disappointment at all.  Of course, I would also love it if Everglow kept up the “nanana” thing in each of their title tracks.

4. ATEEZ - I don’t think they’ll flop at all next year. I know they just had their 1st year anniversary, but I wouldn’t mind a full album... either way, Imma stick with them because they’ve only released that good shit so far and I’m honestly expecting a somewhat mediocre song at least once in their career next year. Not expecting it though. 

5. ONEUS - I haven’t’t talked about them yet but all of oneus’s title tracks are absolute gold. I am a mess for Valkyrie, Twilight AND Lit. They’re all just AMAZING songs. I mean, what did we expect from Mamamoo’s juniors but. They are REALLY good. Just go listen to all their title tracks rn. 

And finally, wishes for 2020

- Of course, Wendy to recover after her tragic incident at SBS. Again, I hope she recovers well

- Mina to come back from her hiatus, only if she’s ready to, of course

- BLACKPINK FULL ALBUM. ROSE SOLO. PLEASE.

- Of course, 4th gen to thrive along with 3rd gen and 2nd gen groups

- A full album from stray kids (which was confirmed) and again, maybe for ATEEZ? just maybe? 

- More attention for Mamamoo. They are underrated queens. 

- Less hate for Tomorrow By Together. People bash them just because they’re BTS’s juniors. they would be praised a less but definitely not doubted way more if they weren’t under Bighit. Yeah, they get luxuries other groups won’t but that doesn’t mean people should degrade them for it. 

And with that

I wish everyone a Happy New Year. May your next decade be filled with happiness and joy! omg fancy started playing

also i didn’t have time to properly edit this. then again i am a rambling blog, so what are you expecting?