#UNTIL it’s revealed William is her dad in the movie

[chloesimaginationthings]

What FNAF movie Vanessa’s REAL job is..

[theitgirlnetwork]

Earn It

Ch. 3 :

Heaven being a hot tennis (sorta) gf before she saw her (sorta) man lose:

Note: Okay, once again, thank you so much for the love you guys have shown this story. I'm really inspired by Challengers right now and think I have a lot of ideas for this story. Once again, this oc is not meant to be perfect, she is just as messy and just as young as the characters in the movie. She is a college student and will act like an (albeit messy) one. I'm very grateful for all of the replies, likes, reblogs and interaction in general. It really inspires me to see what you all think and see that people are enjoying it. Regarding the tag list, I am going to try this again, but for some reason, every time I do it seems to not work for people, so let me know if it works this time. Finally, MDNI, like for real, not playing, stay out of grown folks business, if I find out you'll be blocked. Love you all and hope you enjoy! <3

Warnings: Sexual content, strong language, slight themes of cheating(idk if it counts yet)

Taglist: @spookystitchery @anehkael @fkaams @butterflyybabe @sun2flower @holierthancunt @silkenthusiasts @wolflover384

“Holy shit.” Tashi murmurs under her breath as she climbs the cobblestone walkway to the address Heaven had given her. This was gonna be their first time hanging outside of the gym or school. Tashi knew they lived in different neighborhoods, but they share a school zone, she hadn’t realized Heaven’s family had money. The girl didn’t seem different from her. They both liked the same games, same music minus the classical that she kept playing that Tashi found herself falling asleep to recently. 

She turns and waves to her dad, trying to encourage him to pull off before she rings the doorbell, sighing as he stubbornly remains still, watching her get up to the door from his car window. 

The large, wooden door opens as some obnoxious bell rings into the house, the noise spilling outside. The sound of heels clacking gets closer and closer until the door opens revealing a woman with a stern look on her face. Her brown hair is slicked back into a bun and she’s wearing a crisp white button down shirt with pressed jeans and heels. Tashi can’t remember the last time she’d seen her own mother wear heels. She looked so…put together. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Tashi Duncan. I’m Heaven’s friend, we go to school together. She hasn’t been in school the last few days, so I have her make-up work. I called and asked her if it was okay if I dropped it off and she said yes-”

“Heaven is training right now. I can take that, and she’ll be back in school when we get back from our trip.” The woman offers a smile but otherwise quickly takes the binder from Tashi’s hands and goes to retreat into the house only to be stopped by a voice behind her.

“Mom, wait-” Out from behind the woman comes Heaven. Her skin is glistening from sweat and her hair is curling at the nape. She’s dressed in a black leotard with worn, tan ballet shoes on her feet. She smiles brightly as she sees Tashi, pulling her into a hug despite her unkempt state. “Tashi, hey, thank you.” 

Tashi is almost hesitant to hug the girl back in front of her no nonsense appearing mother, but opts to return the hug regardless, letting Heaven intertwine their fingers as she pulls back. “No problem.”

Heaven’s brown eyes scan Tashi’s own outfit and her smile drops a little. “Were you about to go play tennis? Mom, Tashi’s the best tennis player ever. She’s gonna be like Serena Williams.” 

“Is that so?”  Heaven’s mom’s brow raises as she looks down at the girl standing at her door. 

Tashi got it. It sounds like a lofty goal. Even at such a young age, Tashi was confident in her abilities. She knows what she can do. But Mrs. Whitlock had never seen her play. If she did, she’d know that Tashi Duncan is tennis. For now, Heaven stating it like it’s a fact is enough to satisfy her. “I just got back from practicing. And yes, ma’am. I’m the best.” 

Mrs. Whitlock looks impressed at that, pursing her lips and nodding in approval before nudging her own daughter. “I’d bet she’s the best because she trains. Which is what you’re supposed to be doing.” 

Heaven bites her lip, rocking on her feet, causing her shoes to make a clack sound on the floor. “Can Tashi watch?” she grabs her mom’s sleeve and pleads harder at the disapproving look on her face. “Please? She’ll help. She helps me run drills at the gym all of the time. I haven’t gotten to see any friends all week. I’ll keep practicing, mom.” Her fingers tighten around Tashi’s in a way that has her clenching back, glancing at her Dad’s car to see him climbing out, noting that he probably hadn’t expected this to take so long. “Please, mom.”

“I can help, Mrs. Whitlock.” Tashi adds. “I promise, I won’t distract her.”

After some begging, from Heaven and promises to be useful from Tashi, Mrs. Whitlock allowed them 90 minutes. As long as Heaven kept practicing while Tashi was there.

Apparently, Heaven’s dance company was putting on Sleeping Beauty and this was the first year that Heaven has been old enough to play Aurora. Tashi learned that last year Heaven had been snubbed for Cinderella and made a Season Fairy instead. In Heaven’s words, if she ‘earned Cinderella, she should’ve been Cinderella’. But this year, there was no excuse. She was a little taller, she was 13 and she wouldn’t let them take it from her. 

“Again.” Tashi says, stepping away from Heaven, folding her arms. 

If she’d thought Heaven’s family had money from outside the house, she knows they do now. Here she stood in Heaven’s ‘dance studio’. She concedes that it’s just a room with mirrors, ballet bars and wooden floors, it looked pretty damn official to her. It’s not like her parents had failed to provide. She’s a member of a tennis team, has two coaches, and frequently attends the courts in town. But to have it in her home? She’d give anything. 

“Water. Then again.” Heaven huffs, walking over to one of the mirrors and grabbing her water bottle. 

The Rose Adage. Arguably the hardest part of Sleeping Beauty the ballet. Heaven showed a video of a professional performance to Tashi and still pointed out mistakes. The dance is all about stamina and balance. As far as Tashi could tell, Heaven had mastered all of it except the last part.

The balance. 

She’s hitting every beautiful move, every pose. But the last part.  The very last part of the dance where Aurora has to rely completely on her partner to be steady enough to guide her as she’s en pointe in attitude pose. She’s essentially meant to be a figure in a music box. Heaven had done it at least 20 times since Tashi had arrived and started being her stand-in partner. 

But her leg. Her damn leg kept quivering in the last few seconds. She doesn’t fall out. She doesn’t lose her position. But her goddamn leg quivers in the turn. Tashi sees it. She sees it. 

Neither of them are satisfied.

“Talk to me about something else. I’m getting annoyed.” Heaven says, taking a deep swig of her drink. She hands the bottle to Tashi, leaving the mouthpiece up for the other girl to get a drink too as she walks off to grab her towel.

Swallowing a gulp of water, Tashi shrugs, sitting on the floor and criss-crossing her legs. “Jacob and Tammy broke up again.”

“Really?” Heaven tosses her towel to the corner and goes over the bar closest to Tashi, perching one leg up on it. Holding true to what she promised her mother and continuing to practice. “They just got back together last week. That means Jacob’s gonna ask you to go to the dance with him next week.”

“Shut up.” Tashi scoffs with a smile, watching her friend stretch. 

“He will.” Heaven hums. “You gonna say yes?”

Tashi laughs, stretching her own back before laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “Why would I do that? I don’t like Jacob, he’s boring.” She turns her head to look at Heaven again. “I figured we were going together.”

“Why would you think that?” Heaven grunts as she switches legs. “You haven’t asked me.”

Tashi rolls her eyes, pushing off of the floor and moving back to the middle of the room. “Break time’s over, let's go.” 

“I didn’t take a damn break.” Heaven laughs, nonetheless moving over and getting into position. “You’re not gonna ask me?”

“Straighten your back.”

“It’s straight.” Heaven says, going up onto her single foots, eyes following Tashi as she spins her in place, not even noticing how much time is passing. “Fine. I’ll do it then, come to the dance with me.”

Tashi stops spinning the girl, stepping back once again, this time with a smug smile on her face. “Sure why not. It’ll be fun dancing with a princess.” 

Heaven lowers her foot slowly and as the realization hits her, her own smirk forms on her face. She’d done it. And her leg didn’t shake.

“Let’s show your mom, maybe she’ll let me come hang out more when she sees that I’m basically teaching you ballet.” Tashi jokes, only to be pushed by Heaven.

“Shut up and spin me again.”

“Call me when you make it back, okay?” Heaven smiles, removing her arms from Tashi’s neck and stepping back. “Love you.”

“You call me when you get the lead.” the girl smiles back, pulling Heaven in for a brief peck before walking over to get back into Patrick’s car. “And I know.”

Art doesn't manage to look away in time for that one, but quickly turns his head away as Patrick pulls the girl in, teeth grinding as he hears their lips separate. 

“I’ll visit after the first leg of my tour.” His friend mumbles behind him. Art can feel his lip curling as he tries to work a neutral expression onto his face. As he looks at the car he can see Tashi looking back at him with a pensive stare and immediately turns his back to say his own goodbye. 

He tries to wait until Patrick is standing at the window of the passenger seat, speaking to Tashi to pull Heaven a little further away. “Hey, are we gonna talk about before?”

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

“Heaven.” Art says, a pleading in his voice that drags her gaze back to him.

The girl shifts on her feet, glancing over his shoulder at the car and back at him. “Okay, we kissed. So what?”

“So what? Is that how you feel about it? So what?” Art asks, the hurt in his voice is clear as he looks down at the girl, brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m just saying we had a moment.”

“Fuck.” Heaven breathes, shaking her head. “Yeah. Okay. Are you gonna tell them?”

He straightens at that. He wants to say yes. He wants to be selfish, and ruin whatever the fuck is going on between the three of them. He doesn’t even know what he’d do once he did, he just knows he wants whatever this is, with them, to stop. 

But how can he? Looking at her face, pleading up at him. Watching her all morning, curling into Tashi and Patrick like it would undo what happened the night before. Like it would change the looks they’ve been sharing over their shoulders all morning. “You asked me not to.” he says softly.

Heaven nods quietly at that. “Thank you.” And with that she turns, arms wrapped around herself as she goes to climb the steps to get to her building door. Art watches her back. When he gets in the car he’ll make something up. He’ll say he just wanted to make sure she got inside safe. He definitely wasn’t waiting, hoping, praying she’d look back. Give him one more look. Something. 

She doesn’t.

But a few days later while he’s on the court practicing with one of the guys from the team, thinking for the twentieth time that Patrick may have been a little right wasting time considering he was absolutely destroying the kid with about half of his effort, he gets a text from an unknown number. 

12:41 p.m. : I got the lead.

He can’t help the smile that starts forming when he sees it on his screen.

“Donaldson, are you up for another set or what?” 

Heaven huffs in irritation as her leg bounces on the bleachers. Shifting in her seat again her cheek dimples with a frown as she watches Patrick’s racket go flying. “Fucking ridiculous.” she sighs, crossing her legs.

She’d been in school for a couple of weeks now and Patrick had a match not too far from her. She’d decided to be a good..whatever she is to him and come out and show some support. Tashi is preparing for her own match coming up, and to be honest, his performance on this leg hadn’t been impressive enough to encourage her to want to come see. 

Heaven was trying to be supportive. Despite his broke boy act, he had sent her flowers to her dorm the week of her auditions. So had Art, something that the girls in the dorm had been scandalized by when they realized the cards were not addressed by the same person. Tashi had called her to remind her of her schedule that week, meditated with her over the phone. She wanted to give the same support to them.

When the match ends she’s already reaching for her phone and sure enough, its vibrating in her purse. “I know.”

“Did you see that shit?”

“I know. I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing. Seriously.” Heaven stands from her seat, scooting passed the small crowds of peeople and making her way down the bleachers.

“Fucking around. He gets lazy-”

“In the third, yeah. He was better than this guy.” She squints to see him storming his way into the building to go the locker room and starts following him. “He’s pissed.”

“He should be embarrassed.” There’s the sound of something snapping closed on the other end and Heaven knows Tashi slams her laptop. “He was off screen for me, how are you seeing him?”

“I drove out here, it’s pretty close.” She says, balancing her phone on her shoulder with her cheek as she pushes the door to the building open and starts looking around for the men’s locker rooms. “Figured he could use the support.”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone for a moment and Heaven pauses in her steps, waiting for Tashi to say something. “Hm.”

“What?” Heaven sighs, leaning against the hallway, waving away an employee politely that seemed alarmed that she was on her way into the men’s locker room. “Babe, what?”

“Nothing, I’m sorry you didn’t get to see a win. He wasted our time. You could be rehearsing.” 

“S’fine, he just needs to get his shit together before-”

“I’ve gotta go.” Tashi cuts in. “I’m gonna hit the ball with Art. Hang out a little, we’ve been busy. Tell Patrick to call me later.”

Tashi hangs up before Heaven can say anything else. Breathing out in irritation, she pushes off of the wall and enters the locker room, putting a hand over her eyes and laughing at the men either scrambling to cover up or pausing to check her out.

The guy Patrick just played against wraps a towel around himself, making his way over to her with a smile. “You lost, sweetheart?”

Keeping her hand over her eyes she giggles, making her voice sickly sweet. “No, I’m a really big tennis fan, and I wanted to see if I could get that really hot guy Patrick Zweig’s number.”

“What?” He asks. 

One of Patrick's tourmates peaks his head out from behind a locker and rolls his eyes. “Zweig, your girlfriend’s here.”

Heaven can’t help but think to herself that as Patrick rounds the corner he doesn’t know exactly who he’s talking about. It makes her wonder, is that what she is? She, Tashi and Patrick have been hooking up since after his match with Art and it’s been fun. She likes him. He’s funny, and snarky, talking to him has been like…being with a male Tashi. 

But does she consider herself his girlfriend? Does he? She knows he dumped the girl he’d been seeing when he’d met them, but does he still hook up with girls while he’s on tour. And even then, is she a stop on his tour? 

Suddenly, she’s feeling a little like what she was just pretending to be. A groupie.

“Oh fuck yeah, hey.” He grins when he sees her. He’s changed out of his clothes from before into a ‘fuck you’ t-shirtand sweats. He immediately throws his arm over her shoulders, knocking her hand from in front of her eyes and replacing it with his own. “What do you think this is? A peep show? Huh? I missed you.”

Heaven laughs as she lets him guide her out of the humid room out into the hallway again, once they’re there, pulling his hand away and hugging him. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He smiles, pressing his lips to hers. Heaven pushes up onto her toes to meet him, giving him a few more pecks before pulling back. “You came up here by yourself?”

Translation: where’s Tashi. “Yeah…but, um, she wants you to call her later.”

“She was watching?” He asks, placing his arm back around Heaven and walking them back outside toward concessions. “Okay, so you both saw, that was bullshit, right?”

Yeah, we saw some bullshit. Heaven squints, trying to read the menu at the stand despite the sun beating down, trying not to look Patrick in the face. “Did you get tired or something?”

“No, but the calls were fucking stupid, they were robbing me.” 

“Hm.” Heaven raises one shoulder and drops it, turning back to the man at the stand. “Small vanilla ice cream please. 

Patrick laughs humorously, reaching in his pocket and pulling out his wallet. “Large.” Turning back to Heaven he shakes his head in disbelief. “You guys are just alike, you know? What does ‘hm’ mean?”

“I just think you could’ve beat him, he was fuckin’ scared of you the first half of the match.”

“I should’ve won.”

“I agree.” Heaven huffs, crossing her arms. 

Patrick, raises his eyebrows and throws his arms out a little, “Okay, so…”

“I just think you didn’t because you didn’t care to. It got hard so you made the decision to give up.” 

The older man in the stand clears his throat, holding out the cup of ice cream out with one spoon, eyeing the arguing pair. “Did you all need another one?”

“No.” Patrick says, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning to leave. “She can have the whole damn thing.”

Heaven’s eyes widen as she watches him walking away toward the building. She grabs the ice cream from the man walking over to a bench just outside of the courts. 

He’s walking slowly. He doesn’t wanna really leave. He’s just fucking like her. 

“I’m not fucking gonna chase you, Patrick.” Heaven chuckles, scooping some of the ice cream into her mouth. She watches from her seat as he stops. “And you’re proving my point. But I drove all the way here to see you. Are you gonna leave me on this bench?”  When he doesn’t immediately turn, Heaven nods to herself, taking another bite. “M’not getting up, Patrick.”

She watches as his shoulders rise and fall with his deep breath and he turns to face her again, marching back over and sitting roughly on the bench, jostling her a little but she keeps her face neutral. “I should have won.”

“I still agree.” Heaven says, scooping some of the treat onto the spoon and holding it to his mouth, knowing he was cooling off when he accepts it. “So why didn’t you?”

The brown haired man just sighs, dropping her head back against the bench with a thunk, staring up at the sky. “I dunno.”

“He was pissed at me.”

Art nods his head along as he steps out of the shower, wiping the condensation gathered on his phone on the towel before wrapping it around his waist and bringing the phone back to his ear. He knocks his hand on his suitemate’s door to let him know he’s out of the bathroom before he makes his way to his own room, closing the door. “He didn’t leave you out there, right?”

“No, he just did that thing he does, you know, storms off. But he calmed down and we had some fun. Could’ve done without the fight though.” 

Art wets his lip as he places the phone on speaker on his desk, letting Heaven’s voice fill his room. He never asked her what made her get his number from Tashi’s phone. He figured he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. They’d been texting every day since he’d gotten it, talking on the phone every other day. They’ve talked about everything. 

Where they’re both from, their families, interests outside of tennis and dance. He learned her favorite colors are baby blue and bright orange. That she used to want to cheerlead too but her mother made her choose ballet because she preferred it and said she couldn’t do both at the same time. That her dad left when she was two but she has a great relationship with her stepfather. 

She learned that while Art loved tennis, he’d tried to quit his boarding school three different times when he first got there, but each time he’d won a match and the sport pulled him back in. That he, despite complaining, loves seeing his grandma because she was the one who really raised him because his parents were busy. That he always wanted a younger sibling but never got one, so when he was still at the school, he and Patrick would help teach the younger students tennis when they weren’t dicking around. 

What she doesn’t know is that he could do without talking to her about dating his best friend.

 “I’d bet.”

Heaven laughs ruefully on the other side of the phone, and the sound has him melting immediately. Sits at his desk, letting himself air dry as he listens to her giggles ring out. “I’m being shitty. How’s school, Arthur?”

And that sends a shiver down his spine. He clears his throat, sitting up as he stares at the phone as if she was in its place. “It’s good, you know, I’ve been staying busy. Between classes and tennis. The guys here are kinda shitty, beating them doesn’t really mean shit.” 

“Well, not everyone can be Art Donaldson. You must be hanging out with Tashi too much, you’re sounding cocky over there.” 

“Nah, it’s just that bad,” he says. Determined to steer the conversation away from Tashi, Art thinks hard. “What ballet are you doing? I gotta make sure I know what I’m watching when I come watch you.”

“You’re supposed to watch everyone so you can understand the story.” she says. He can hear the sound of creaking letting him know that she’s climbing into her bed. Art follows suit, pulling on his boxers and pushing up into his own twin sized bed.

“Heaven, if you’re there, I’m gonna be watching you.” he breathes, smiling to no one but himself.

There’s a soft, ‘Okay’ on the other side of the line, and then nothing. Just the soft sound of her breathing. When they have moments like these Art feels the sting of knowing that he lost to Patrick and in a way Tashi, that day in a different way. I should’ve won. I don’t know why I didn’t win. All I’ve done since then is win. “So, um, we’re doing Romeo and Juliet. Off the record I think the choice is corny, but as a principal dancer, Juliet, I love it and can’t wait to do it.” 

“Lucky Romeo.” he jokes, earning him another breathy laugh. He can’t help it. He tries not to say anything and clenches his jaw tightly, kicking himself for opening his mouth again. “I’m sorry, did you tell them that you got the lead?”

“Art-”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. It’s just…you drove out there for his match. I couldn’t even go. Did he ask you how your auditions went? Did she?” 

“She told me I should rehearse, that’s how we talk to each other.” she says.

“And him? Did he ask?” 

“I’m not talking about this with you, that’s not why I called, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t vent to you about him. Or her. I know how you feel about her.” Heaven sighs.

“Do you know how I feel about you?” He asks. Silence. “Heaven, come on-”

“What would you do differently?” 

“Wh-” At first he doesn’t know what she’s asking. And once he realizes it, he knows she’s made it vague on purpose. Giving him an out. Giving herself an out. Asking too upfront would make it too real. But he wants it to be real. And he’s not gonna miss this opportunity. “I’d have been there the day you auditioned. You have a process and I know that, so I’d have called you before. Wish you luck. Tell you that you were beautiful. That I knew you’d get whatever part you wanted. And then I would have been there when you got out. I would’ve given you flowers. I’d tell you I’m proud of you. And I’d take you to get dinner.”

“Okay. Where?”

“We’d get your cheat food. And I couldn’t have it because I’m starting my season and I know you wouldn’t let me, but we’d get seafood and ice cream, and take it back to your room because you were probably so tired.” Art pauses then, waiting to see if she wants him to stop. He would stop, if she wanted him to stop, he would stop. This could be innocent. This could be advice from a friend who thinks she deserves better. But, that’s not what he wants. That’s all he thinks he has to offer her. “Heaven?”

“I’m…still here.”

“And…” Art thinks back ironically to all of the times Patrick has told him to take what he wants. To be forward and put himself first. “We’d take a shower together. I’d kiss you and massage you while I got you clean. Because, you deserve to relax, and you worked hard. And you were probably so sore, baby.” He hears Heaven’s breath hitch and shifts on his bed, continuing tentatively. “I’d touch you so good, Hev. I’d massage your breasts and kiss your neck. I’d mark your perfect skin. I…I’d want people to see it. To know who made you feel like that. To know who took care of you. I would put my fingers between your legs and make you feel so good. I’d hold you up so you don’t have to do anything. And I’d watch your face while you come for me.”

Art can feel his own labored breathing. He tries to tune the sound of himself out, only wanting to hear the whimpers that have started to come from his phone. He swallows back the last ounce of guilt he has as his hand slides down into his shorts, grabbing himself and biting back a moan as he thinks about his hands on Heaven, hearing her in his ear, feeling her under him. On top of him. Any way she wanted. 

“Fuck.” she gasps.

Art bites his lip briefly, willing away the jolt in his lower abdomen that comes from her sound, muscles flexing as he seizes upward slightly. He slows his hand on himself to a stop, pulling his hand out. Not until I hear it. Not until I get her there. “I’d carry you to your bed and lay you down. And I’d start at your feet. I’d kiss my way up your beautiful legs. People dream about your legs, Heaven, I dream about them. When you dance, when you walk, the way they look…fuck-” he groans, digging the hand that hadn’t grabbed the phone into his hair. “I’d push them apart and put them on my shoulders, and I’d taste you. I know you taste amazing, baby. I’d do anything to taste your cum.”

“Art-” she whines, and he lets his eyes slip closed. Behind his eyelids he can see her. In the bed, touching herself to him. Biting her pillow and crying out his name. Arching her back because it feels so good.

“Tell me it feels good, Heaven, please.”

“I…it feels good, Art.” 

He’s close. He can tell, with every sound she gives him, he gets closer, barely holding it together. He needs more. Just a little more. “Again.” he demands softly.

“You feel so good, Art.” she cries before dissolving into gasps and whimpers of his name.

He almost feels like he blacks out. Art doesn’t think he’s ever come so hard in his entire life. He literally rolls over onto his side to try to catch his breath and quiet his moans. He doesn’t think he could live it down if his suitemates came knocking at his door and he had to explain that he was trying to get his friends’ girlfriend off and accidentally worked himself up to the thought of taking her on a date and eating her out. 

Then there’s quiet again. The only noise is their shared rapid breathing crackling through the phone. They stay like that for a few minutes and Art thinks about how badly he wishes that it wouldn’t be absolutely crazy to tell her he wanted to drive the hours to UCLA, do exactly what he said on the phone and then hold her while they fall asleep. But, he knows better. And she speaks.

“I have to go.”

“Yeah.” Art breathes, sitting up grabbing tissues from his desk and starting to clean himself up. “I know.” 

He’s not gonna be the one to hang up. He wants more. He wants her voice. He wants her breaths. He wants to falling asleep on the phone. If she’s ready for the call to end, she’s gonna have to end it.

But she’s still here. 

“Art, I did tell them and…I don’t really know why but…I told you first.” 

Click.

[loveisadagger-or-hammer]

FNAF BRAIN ROT IS BACK:

I know I’ll never get it BUT I would love if the first time we see Henry in the movie is him going to see William trapped in the suit; But he can’t find him until he hears something. From a distance he can hear William whistling the tune of ‘you are my teddy bear’ which he follows obviously revealing William.

Then towards the end while Mike (or whoever) distracts William we hear someone whistling ‘run rabbit run’. William immediately recognises it as Henry and kinda smiles at it.

ALSO MY GIRLFRIEND WANTS TO ADD A BIT:

During Vanessa’s coma Henry would visit her when Mike wasn’t there (Mike wouldn’t ever notice though). He would bring her things as well, most likely teddies. The reason he does is because he sees Vanessa as a daughter figure (even after the murders he kept in contact with her because he knew she would need someone like him). William does know about how Henry feels for his daughter and is kinda okay with it (He also often “accidentally” refers to Henry as Vanessa’s “another dad”)

[panickedpenguin]

@shieldofiron gifted us with a list of soulmate ideas, here is my expansion on one.

Soulmates are rare but have matching fingerprints. Doctors obtain fingerprints at one year of age, where they are government regulated and cross-checked between countries. If a print match is found, the parents will be notified. No further information is revealed until the younger match is eighteen. In the event you have a soulmate who is a criminal, you are monitored by the government for public safety.

Steve had known he had a soulmate for as long as he could remember. His mom would hug him tight and say "oh your soulmate will love you so much" and his dad would say, "be good, still have a soulmate to meet" and Steve would just beam. He couldn't help but to be ecstatic. He was the only kid in his entire school to have a soulmate until the fifth grade when some kindergartener came. But everyone in his grade was jealous, and that felt good, he felt so cool. Girls would giggle about how he is destined for someone and then they would suck him off at parties to prove they are better than any ol soulmate. Boys would tease and laugh about what Steve's perfect soulmate must be like, the size of her boobs and forehead and teeth. Steve gobbled it up, basked in the attention, the popularity.

When Steve's eighteenth birthday came around, he was ready to receive the official letter of soulmate introduction, to learn who his soulmate was. He wanted to know if they liked scary movies or comedies, if they failed any of their high school classes too, if they were sweet or stubborn or smart. He wanted to know if they would be on top during sex and kiss him softly at night. But the letter didn't arrive on the day of his birthday, or the next day, or the day after that.

His mom said "you know she is probably just younger than you. you won't get to meet her until after her eighteenth" and his dad said "hopefully you won't have to wait too much longer son, you're pacing a hole in the grass to the mailbox"

So Steve got a job while he waited, figured he could save up some money of his own to set up a future for him and his soulmate. He spent much of his day thinking about who it could be, what kind of house they would want, how many kids they will have. Steve smiled and smiled just thinking about it.

Finally, many months later, Steve got the letter he'd been waiting for. He got home from work and his mom was right at the door, holding out the thick envelope with his name on it. Steve yelped and cheered and ran to his room to open it. He kicked off his shoes and threw himself onto his bed, ripped open the envelope and skimmed past all the jargon to reach his goal. The name of his perfect soulmate! His soulmate--

William "Billy" Hargrove

Born to Neil and Sarah Hargrove in Santa Cruz, California

Wanted for the murder of Neil Hargrove

What?

Steve continued to read, re-reading again, confused and then horrified and then firmly denying every word in front of him and then reading it again. His soulmate, Billy, had been arrested for breaking and entering, theft and destruction of private property on multiple occasions. He has a skull tattoo on his shoulder and two long scars across his back. He has blue eyes. He is wanted for the murder of his father, killed four months ago with a gun. Three shots to the body, dead.

Steve didn't come out of his room for a long time. He closed the door and cried and fought with the letter in his hand, trying to reason with its atrocities, it's lies. When he showed it to his mom three days later, she cried too. His dad said "that isn't your soulmate son" and went away to make phone calls.

It was awful. But Steve still thought to himself, they're my soulmate, I was made for them. I was made for Billy. Maybe-- maybe-- one day, I can visit him in prison and we can--

He didn't know. He didn't have time to figure it out. Not even a week after receiving his soulmate letter, he stopped at a gas station just out of town, ready to drive and drive and hopefully clear his head, when he met a boy. A boy with blond curls cut short and ocean blue eyes and a skull tattoo just under the sleeve of his ratty tshirt, asking for a ride to anywhere.

Anywhere is just where Steve was going.

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

FNAF Theory: Cassie's Father Was Springlocked And Became Burntrap...

[Note: Reading This Theory Is Optional, also spoilers will be mentioned from the FNAF Movie. but will talk about the theory about Cassie's Father. this will be for Mature Audience Readers Only. also do NOT reblog this without permission.]

it is possible that Cassie's Dad never came home after leaving her a note, which could possibly be that note we find when we are wearing that Security Mask that looks like Vanny.

Cassie's Father is likely The Bully that had on The Bonnie Mask, and were friends with Michael Afton/Bully Who Wears The Foxy Mask.

the friends of Michael Afton, likely tried to change and no longer be like what they were when the accident happen at Fredbear's Diner.

it could be possible that each of Michael's friends, ended up losing their lives while working at The Mega Pizzaplex or half of them did so when working at The Old Pizzeria.

if the other former bullies also had children, besides Cassie's Father & Gregory's Father...

then the other children who could be friends with Cassie, but didn't go to her party because their parents stop them because of the disappearances that were happening...

the bully that wears the Freddy Mask, could of been the elder brother of Charlie Emily.

each of the bullies that were involved in the bite of 83, and got jobs at the Mega Pizzaplex maybe as early as 202X.

each of them could of had their remnant and memories placed into Glamrock Foxy, Bonnie, Chica and Freddy.

I still can't seem to get to the place where Glamrock Bonnie is suppose to be in the Ruin DLC, it seems to be difficult at the moment, but at least I was able to get the Scooper Ending in my first time beating that FNAF-SB's Ruin DLC.

for all we know, the Glamrock Bonnie that looks destroyed, could be a Prototype, and it lets The Real Glamrock Bonnie along with Foxy, to fake their "deaths" so they can move around the Pizzaplex and turn off the cameras so they wont be found out.

even if Cassie's Father had been Springlocked when ending up in the old Spring Bonnie's suit, his remnant and memories possibly went into the Glamrock Bonnie, who was his favorite.

half of him was still trapped in the Spring Bonnie suit, while the other half was trapped in Glamrock Bonnie.

the room that we find in the mini-game, where the Purple-Guy is cornered by the ghost children, and ends up trying to hide in a Spring Bonnie suit....it is possible that that was NEVER William Afton, that it may have been Cassie's Father who was trying to help free the ghosts of those children, only for them to mistake him for someone else.

the three machines in that room, were likely The Princess Quests 1, 2 & 3.

William Afton could of still ended up being springlocked, but it was in a different location.

there could be different types of dark secrets yet to be revealed about the FNAF Timeline.

that blonde ghost boy from the FNAF Movie, is suspicious.

he is likely a bit more powerful than the other ghost children, and he likely went to get the man who was known as "William Afton".

I can't help but find that ghost boy very suspicious, and he isn't as innocent as he appears to be. in theory, it was him that may have talked the other ghost children into trying to make Abby into one of them.

because of the strong influence that the ghost boy who controls Golden Freddy has on the other ghost children, he is able to corrupt them and make them agree without questioning what they are doing is wrong.

if the FNAF Movie's Timeline also took place in the same world as FNAF-SB's Timeline, then the animatronics that are seen in the FNAF Movie could be moved to the Pizzaplex after it is fully rebuild and fixed.

they could end up being kept in a different part of the pizzaplex, like a storage location until they can be moved to a more permanent location for them.

Vanessa Shelly and Vanessa A. could be two different people, and for all we know, it could of been Vanessa Shelly who was Vanny this whole time.

the story that was being told by the Candy-Cadet, is possibly about Gregory and Vanessa, and the monster could be the mimic...

the mimic might of not of been the first one to lure Cassie to the Pizzaplex, and it might of been Gregory the whole time.

when Cassie was wearing the mask, some of her memories were likely being projected, both her best and worst moments.

one of the best memories was her bonding with Roxy,

and one of her worst moments was when no one came to her birthday party, and while it might seem Gregory was part of the best memories that comfort her, but there could be more to meets the eye to it and he may have been the reason why her friends didn't show up in the first place.

even if we do try to do a Pacifist Route in FNAF-SB, where Gregory doesn't harm the other Glamrocks and take their upgrades and give them to Freddy...

the true timeline that leads to the Ruin's Future events, will always be where Gregory took their upgrades and gave them to Freddy.

so no matter if we choose to not take the other Glamrocks own upgrades or if we do take them anyway, in Ruin DLC the outcome will always be with Gregory taking their upgrades.

the mini-games could be stories that are being told through Arcade games that are in the Pizzaplex, and the stories could be memories from the remnant taking from their original sources.

which would mean that the mini-game that shows the Crying Child, are made up of memories of the remnant that came from the Crying Child.

remnant could hold copies of the memories of the original person that it came from, the soul that owns that remnant will either be together or separate in the same or different vessel.

Cassie's Father who was likely the Bonnie Masked Bully in his Youth, his Soul may have became trapped in the Spring Bonnie Suit, while his remnant that had a copy of his memories ended up becoming a part of Glamrock Bonnie.

we could think of parts of Cassie's Father was cleaved into different places, one of them being with the original body that would become Burntrap, the other became a part of Glamrock Bonnie.

and another would end up becoming Mxes with no memories of who he originally was but only that he needed to keep Cassie from freeing the Mimic, he could have no memories of Cassie so he might not feel anything when placing Cassie in some form of danger when calling either Chica or Monty or Roxy to where she is.

but if the Mxes did have some part of the remnant that came from Cassie's Father, then it might take time for some of those memories and emotions to appear in Mxes if it ends up being brought back.

Cassie's Father likely found out about what happen to the Missing Children and the Missing Therapist, and tried to free them.

the ones he wanted to start with freeing was the children, but something went wrong when they tried to do this and it ended up causing him to try to hide in a Spring Bonnie suit and he would end up becoming trapped and not going back home to Cassie.

Glamrock Bonnie could have the Remnant of Love, Burntrap could have the Remnant of Determination or Perseverance and Mxes may have some of the Remnant that make up Justice.

if this theory proves to be true, and Cassie found out, the truth might end up hurting her and even finding out that Gregory knew what happen to her father and never told her.

we only know very little about Cassie's Father, we know that he worked at the Pizzaplex and he had a Faz-Wrench.

and the possibility that he and the Bonnie Mask Bully are one in the same person.

some fans have already theorized this, possibly from Cassie talking about how Bonnie was her Father's Favorite.

for all we know, there was always going to be some plot twists that had to do with some hidden secrets that would be later revealed as the story of the FNAF Game progressed.

Gregory could turn out to be the son of the Freddy Mask Bully, who might of not been a very good person and may have a dark secret about them, seeing as their mas was the only one that didn't show those white pupils like the Bullies who wear the Foxy, Chica and Bonnie Masks.

the one who might be deeper linked to what happens around the Pizzaplex and even at the other locations, might be Gregory's Possible Father who was The Freddy Mask Bully.

Gregory might be working with The Freddy Mask Bully, who's true name is unknown but for all we know, he could be a Emily or Afton.

it could be possible that the Foxy Bully and The Crying Child, may be a Afton but they could also be a Schmidt.

the Foxy Mask Bully could be Mike Schmidt, while the Freddy Mask Bully could be Michael Afton or Michael Emily.

both William Afton and Henry Emily, could of both named their sons Michael, and only one of them ends up going by the nicknames Mike and Mikey.

and the Michael that may have been working at the Sister Location, could of been Michael Emily and the one he was speaking to may have been Henry Emily, his Father...but then again that theory may end up being debunked and that's okay.

but Gregory could of been involved in Cassie's Father going missing and him ending up becoming a victim of the Sprinlocks.

we know there are some secrets about Gregory that might end up being revealed one piece at a time, just not fully all at once.

and for all we know, the theory about him being the son of the Freddy Mask Bully could be correct.

even if it might seem that the Mask-Bot might have the spirit of Cassie's Father, but it could be someone else who could of been close to Cassie's Father.

I might not have much to go by other than the stuff I already mentioned about the theory that Cassie's Father may be the Burntrap in the FNAF-SB's Games own Timeline, and parts of himself ended up separated, like both his Soul and Remnant may have stayed in the Burntrap, while other parts ended up becoming a part of Glamrock Bonnie and Mxes.

Gregory's Father "The Freddy Mask Bully" could of had his Soul and Remnant either end up in the Prototype Glamrock Freddy or the Real Glamrock Freddy.

Gregory might not be as innocent as he appears to be, even if we could keep him from doing any harm to Roxy, Chica and Monty but the True Timeline will always be where he ends up doing harm to them, no matter if we allow it to happen or not at the starting events that take place before Ruin.

for all we know, it might of not been Mxes that was calling Monty, Chica and Roxy to where Cassie was, and it may have been Gregory the whole time.

and Gregory could of been lying to Cassie and he was the one who was controlling the other Glamrocks and making them chase after her.

if we were able to give all the Glamrocks their upgraded parts back, like not just Chica's beak and voice-box...

but also Roxy's Eyes and Monty's claws & legs.

then that could be a interesting concept, maybe in another part of the FNAF Security Breach's story, where Cassie helps Roxy and Monty.

Monty being so aggressive like a feral animal, could be from the control that Gregory might have on him when making him go after Cassie.

there could be more to Gregory than meets the eye, and the only way he becomes "Good" is if the Player makes sure to not have him hurt Roxy, Monty and Chica and take their upgrades to use on Freddy.

but once again no matter if we choose a Paciest Route when playing FNAF Security Breach, Gregory in the Ruin's Future events will always end up hurting Freddy's friends and taken their upgrades.

Gregory could of been the one that caused Cassie's Father to end up as Burntrap, or him having knowledge of who caused it...

possibly being Henry Emily who caused Cassie's Father to become Burntrap.

for all we know, Henry Emily might be Gregory's Grandfather and it could also mean that Charlotte Emily is Gregory's Aunt.

Cassie could of been placed in Foster Care after her Father never came home, if it was just him and her.

or she may have been with her Mother the whole time after Cassie's Father went missing.

if Cassie's Father did end up becoming Burntrap and did try to free the ghost children, if the theory ends up being true then maybe it will be revealed in the future or maybe debunked.

not everyone has to agree about the theory, that Cassie's Father while trying to free the ghost children from the animatronics from the old location under the pizzaplex but only ended up becoming Burntrap and not being able to return to Cassie.

not all theories have to be correct and with how some theories are, and how some could end up being debunked, well the original fan theories that do end up being debunked can end up working in a Fanon Timeline...

not sure what else to say about the theory about Cassie's Father being mistaken for the "Purple-Guy" and even appearing as the Purple-Guy to both the Player and The Ghost Children, but it turning out it wasn't him but a man who will possibly never see his daughter again, or even if he did it would be what he had become and not the man he once was.

I can agree that Cassie's Father may be Bonnie Mask Bully, but it's okay that not everyone agrees that I believe that Cassie's Father might be Burntrap that is seen in FNAF Security Breach.

and that Gregory may have been involved in the accident that would cause Cassie's Father to become trapped in a Spring Bonnie Suit and then transforming into Burntrap...

[earthwormstew]

FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS AND THOUGHTS

i see that some are saying that michael and abby are not related to william, and while abby definitely isn’t, why doesn’t michael have the potential to be? i feel like it was assumed that william and his wife definitely divorced at some point during michael’s childhood in the games, so would it be farfetched to theorize that michael’s movie ‘dad’ was really just his step father, and michael possibly was too young to have known that, seeing as william was probably at freddy’s a majority of the time?

this is my guess for the movie’s cannon

william and his wife had michael

william and his wife split when michael was an infant, and michael hadn’t remembered.

vanessa is kinda a mystery to me, as she’s definitely around the age of michael, so either william got some poor woman knocked up or she’s a robot either when the marriage was still together or newly split up (vanessa bleeds so idk ab robot theory, but also she’s doing william’s bidding and says she ‘wouldn’t be able to harm him’ which makes it seem like even with her willpower she just can’t, which is obviously proven false with gun shot at him)

william had stalked his ex wife’s family, waiting until he could kidnap garrett to ‘get back at her’. he obviously killed garrett, as william states it.

it seems that william didn’t actually want michael dead unless he discovered something he wasn’t supposed to see, but it also seems like william had malicious plans for michael one way or another, possibly trying to reconnect with his son and make him a bloodthirsty monster like himself.

idk. i feel like it would be very odd if scott decided to suddenly make a totally different michael be the focus of the movie. Part of the allure of the lore is that it’s this big fucked up family torn apart by their murderous father, so if they side-swiped it that would be weird.

alternatively, movie michael is henry’s son, really confusing the game lore. but at least it would have a motive for william to drive out to a forest and kidnap a child in the middle of the day.

there’s definitely a second one to come with the cliffhanger of vanessa in the hospital.

if they make a weird vanessa-michael romance subplot in the second, even if they actually reveal michael to not be williams son, i’m dropping fnaf as a whole.

(ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED THEORY: even after william and his wife’s divorce, they kept meeting. i feel like garett probably isn’t william’s son, but i feel like abby has the potential, particularly with the fact that she seems to recognize freddy’s a bit, possibly meaning she had been taken there by her mom at a young age)

idk i need to rewatch it already. please don’t rip me a new one 🙏🙏

[voidoflotusblooms]

I feel like I'm the only og fnaf fan that didn't really enjoy the movie 💀

In my opinion, it was just really boring. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the movie was actually horror, like advertised?? Personally, i find horror movies to be really slow at first, but a lot of the time, they tend to pick up towards the middle. However, this movie just never picked up for me until pretty much the very end. I think it was just bc there was a lack of jumpscares imo. Like the BB jumpscares were affective, don't get me wrong, but I wish there was more from the others? I would've happily gone in with a different mindset if it was advertised as a thriller tbh. Also, a little bit more gore would've been nice. There were so many scenes that would've been awesome if they hadn't cut away right as a victim was about to die. Also, I didn't really see any lore confirmations that everyone keeps going on about? I feel like Scott just retconned stuff more than he confirmed it? It just seemed like Scott had so many ideas he wanted to do, and instead of picking one, he threw them altogether and hoped for the best

Spoilers ahead from this point on 👉🏼

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Final warning... scroll past quickly if you don't want spoilers

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Ok so here are my disappointments:

What was the purpose of not confirming Mike was Mike Schmidt until pretty much the end of the movie? I feel that was really unnecessary as it wasn't a huge plot twist or anything. Like I understand why Afton cut himself off when reading the name, but to me, it just felt like it was leading to a big reveal that never happened. Maybe it was to help reveal Vanessa was an Afton, but it wasn't pulled off well if that was the case imo

I understand the purpose of the fort scene with animatronics, but that personally ruined the immersion for me. It genuinely just took me right out of the movie bc it was too silly imo. I did think it was cute af how they all interacted in that scene, but I feel there could've been better ways to show that these are dead kids

Where was Afton this whole movie?? I knew Steve was him the whole time, but I wish they developed his character a bit more. A sad short story from Vanessa was not enough for me to really hate William in this movie

Another thing about Afton is that I wish he showed more fear once he lost control of animatronics. Hell, if not more fearful than at least have him be more threatening?? The lack of character development really hindered this scene imo. Matthew Lillard definitely needed more screen time

Back to first thing kinda, the whole Vanessa Afton reveal was confusing for me. Why make her his child when Mike was in the movie? Michael Afton was such a huge part of the lore, and not being a part of the movie franchise was a bit of letdown for me. It doesn't help I just did not have a reason to care for Vanessa till she revealed who she really was. Like William, I wish we could've gone more in-depth with her character

Mike's dreams were kinda dumb. I get it was a way for him to communicate to the dead children, and so we can see his trauma, but imo it wasn't done very well. It also felt like a slap in the face since the majority of the fan base dogged on the dream theory in the past. Like it seemed like a mean way of teasing more than it felt like a lighthearted kind

Lastly, William having literal control of the kids was really disappointing. Especially with only a picture. Again, the whole picture thing could've worked out a lot better if Afton was in the movie more. Maybe if we could've somehow seen Vanessa drawing the image as a kid and William putting up the artwork to seem like a good dad when in reality it was for his own personal gain or at least something to show he had some part in it. If done correctly, this movie could've really used some flashbacks

To sum it up a bit, I just really wish there was more character development. It was really hard to care or even relate to majority of these characters bc we brushed past things so quickly

Ok, now on to things I liked! ->

Mike Schmidt's character. I thought he was very well developed actually (despite my previous complaints). He (and Abby as well) was one of the couple of characters I really cared for

The actors/actresses. They all played their parts so well. Especially Abby's actress, Josh Hutcherson, and Matthew Lillard (at least when he was on screen lol). I was actually satisfied by their performances

The animatronics. They were stunning. It really was as if they were pulled straight from the game. Jim Henson company really pulled it off. I also loved how expressive they are. Also, SPARKY!! Never thought he would be an Easter egg in the movie, so that was a really cool surprise. From fake screenshot to being on the big screen :')

The Balloon Boy jumpscares. Got me twice and had me giggling. I just know this was Scott being the troll that we all know he is. It so fucking funny. Really brought out the intense hate we all tend to have for that lil fucker 😂

The springlock scene itself. Tho I wish it was a bit more gorey as well as had more expressive emotions, I still really enjoyed it. The animatronics dragging him away to rot for god knows how long movie wise was such a nice touch

Matpat and Corey's cameos. I was so excited seeing them! Esp Matpat. The dude's acting in that one livestream of his had me fully convinced he wasn't in the movie. Then boom, there he was as waiter. A waiter whose name was NESS, btw. Whoever came up with that is a fucking legend 👏🏻

Og TLT fnaf song as the end credits theme. That was such a nice nod to the fans. I'm so glad they added that in. So deserving

THE PUPPETS THEME. Look, I'm a huge fnaf 2 fan, so hearing that had me ascending lmaoooo

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SPOILERS DONE

Overall, the movie was meh, and this is coming from someone who went in with low expectations. I'd advise just watching on Peacock (or 🏴‍☠️ it) personally. Don't go in expecting it to be anything similar to the games or even the books cause it's not. Treat it as a separate project. I went in expecting at least some of the basic things we've had confirmed, so I'd enjoy the movie more, but that just didn't work out for me, which is fine 🤷

Also, these are just my thoughts after my first watch. I could totally have a change of heart after another watch or 2. Unfortunately, the first impression was just not a good one, and that happens sometimes. So please don't take what I say to heart as, again, my opinion could change 😅

Overall rating: 5/10

I'm going to watch again at some point, so I'll update if my opinion changes in another post

[a-very-moist-crayon]

MAJOR FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS, JUST GETTING SOME THOUGHTS OUT BC IM GOING INSANE

I wasn't sure about it at first, but the more I think ab it, the more I actually really love the whole "Vanessa being Afton's daughter" thing???

I mean, it was basically clued in from the moment she turned up-she had a knowledge of the pizzeria and a love for it. She knew of the history and its happenings, she knew what springlocks were and was clearly letting on more than she said. She was always concerned ab Abby's safety, to the point where she literally threatened to shoot Mike if he brought her around the pizzeria again. It was all so obvious, and yet I never even put two and two together until after the movie.

When the two of them (Mike and Vanessa) are both sitting near the river/creek/whatever the hell it is, the camera lingers on her as Mike talks ab what he and his family did before all went to hell. You just know exactly what she's thinking.

The reveal, god the reveal. Not even just the reveal that her father was Afton, the reveal of that the kids' bodies were inside the animatronics. Of course she would know-she's a cop, and she knows her father better than anyone else. The screaming of children as the camera shows each of the animatronics is simply so haunting.

The shots of her staring at the childrens' drawings, that's when you see the tragedy and devastation of all that's happened really hit her. It's all dawning on her, something she's ignored and locked away, it's all coming to light and hitting her.

Then the reunion. The reunion of a sick man and his daughter. She's been covering his horrific misdeeds for years now, still loyal to him as most children are to their parents, but seeing the bond between Mike and Abby and the toll Garrett's kidnapping has taken on Mike, she stands up to him.

As he turns around she grabs his arm, determined to not let him take another child's life.

And he stabs her.

And all she can do it whisper "dad", then fall to the ground.

But Matthew Lillard does smth absolutely amazing-he has a very small look of regret and remorse, before snapping back to what he was doing. But that look of regret, the look of a father realizing he just stabbed his own daughter before going back to his original plan-it's haunting.

Even though he was angry at her for her lies, her relationship to the man who took his brother, and everything in between, Mike still gets her up and to a hospital.

Mike visiting her in the hospital is heartbreaking. He can only hold her hand and hope she gets better. Abby-who has formed an almost sisterlike relationship with Vanessa-asks Mike if he told Vanessa hi for her. (Fuck I'm gonna start crying if I keep talking ab it)

I wasn't sure ab not having Mike be William's child at first. But seeing this and really thinking ab it, I think making Vanessa his daughter was a great choice. I really hope Vanessa comes back for the almost-nearly-guaranteed sequel. I have a very good feeling that she will (I mean she's basically the Michael Afton of this iteration) but either way I need her back.

There's so much I can say ab this movie as it was absolutely incredible, but this dichotomy of Vanessa and William and the tolls that William's actions have taken on Mike truly stuck out to me.

Anyway Vanessa is the character of the FNAF movie and I love her and I support both her rights and her wrongs. Elizabeth Lail you are amazing and ACAB for everyone except for Vanessa and Judy Hopps

(Also that part after Foxy is hunting Abby and Vanessa pulls Abby out of the ballpit into a hug, relieved that nothing has happened to her? Heartwarming af)

[wired-mk]

Saw the FNAF movie w/ my best friend!! Spoilers ofc

Mike and Abby were great characters! Original enough to stand on their own but still having similar personalities to their game counterparts (Mike being obsessed w/ fixing his mistakes, Abby loving the animatronics)

That dad Mike beat up was abusing his kid nobody can change my mind. I'll die on this hill

The aunt augghhh grrrr I hate the aunt. I flipped off the screen once when she said something nasty abt Mike

Matpat being a random annoying waiter is such a fitting cameo. Cory rly stole the show w/ his cameo as the cabbie tho

Don't have much opinions on Max and her friends other than Max's death caught me off-guard compared to the rest, lol

They actually let the animatronics act like children from time to time!! It's so good!! I love how they helped make a pillow fort for Abby and just wanted to be her friend :D

ACAB for Vanessa here, especially since for whatever fucking reason SHE'S William's daughter instead and helped cover up his crimes. That plot twist blows for SO many reasons I wanted to scream.

Was a bit mixed on the animatronics wanting to kill Abby until Vanessa revealed that William tricked them into thinking he "made them better" or whatever, then when Abby puts it in plain sight that William's the bad guy they immediately get his ass >:)

People bitch abt the springlock scene not being as gory as the game, but honestly it's more fitting for the springlocks to not all activate at the same time. Plus William having a much slower, painful death is much more entertaining 😈

Also ORIGINAL THE LIVING TOMBSTONE FNAF 1 SONG AT THE END HELL YEAHHHH

Also at the end: C.O.M.E.F.I.N.D.M.E 👀

[stone-97]

Elizabeth BIO

Elizabeth was always suspicious of her father's refusal to show her Circus Baby but it was overshadowed by her need to see the animatronic. Even before fusing into Circus Baby's circuit board, she always felt she needed to be perfect for her dad. Constantly paranoid that she wasn't making him proud of her work, his neglect of her, and never showing that what she did was enough. This truth was revealed to her two days before she went to see Circus Baby, she overheard William venting in his office about their family, how worthless they were, how much he regrets having kids because they were hindering him, and how pathetic his wife was for caring about them. Something broke inside her, resulting in her developing a depressed, and cynical split personality, Liza, towards him.

After being killed by and possessing Circus Baby, a third personality came into being from their traumatic death. This one's personality merged with Circus Baby's murderous programming, Beth. Unlike Eli and Liza, both of whom want nothing to do with the Funtimes, murdering people, and escaping A.R. Underground Warehouse, Beth wants to make William proud, convincing the other Funtimes to kill guards, techs, and others for William. Despite successfully killing dozens of people, William gave none of the Funtimes a modicum of his attention beyond ensuring their tanks were empty of evidence before the cops arrived. Beth deluded herself into thinking that by killing someone William hated, he would be proud of her, using her position as leader of the Funtimes to override their autonomy and ensure her orders were followed to the letter.

The night she murdered Michael using Ennard as the means to do so, she lost Ballora in the subsequent revolt by their mother, Eli and Liza took the chance to escape, using the spare endos Beth kept for her backup body. Stealing prototype Eleanors and tearing the elevator floor to escape; they wandered around Hurricane until they found Henry's home, taking up residence and adjusting their bodies in his workshop. discovering the abandoned humanoid casings left behind by Henry after he lost his sanity. Liza decided that a makeover for them would help them both cope with their undead life.

Liza loved to dance, when they were trapped below, she'd steal Ballora's tapes and try to copy the dances on them while in soul form. Although she hated how tutu's look, preferring pants to dresses for more freedom to move around hence her outfit consisting of leggings and leotards when she practiced at Henry's home. Being the more mature of the two, Liza suggested that they sneak into their old home to steal everyday attire for themselves to go out in. After altering one of the Charlie casings to her liking, she made plans to ensure that Eli would live peacefully, staying as far away from Beth, William, and Henry as possible to keep her safe.

Eli is essentially a loving child trapped in a child Charlie casing; Liza altered her appearance so Eli would feel more comfortable in it, she loves to have tea parties, play dress-up, cute animals, and learning about nature. Liza set her up with online school to keep her entertained and satisfy her need for learning nature; occasionally they go out to play at the park and go to the movies. Eli is aware that Liza keeps her hidden away from their father, sister, and Henry as her way of keeping her safe. Eli has seen the missing children, and doesn't like them, not because they killed William, but because they senselessly slaughtered people in the name of vengeance. She is friends with Charlie, although Liza gave Charlie a strong scolding after learning what happened with Michael and Vanessa.

Beth was left to wither and rust after being ejected by the remnants of the Funtimes and Ennard. She wandered around in a mishmash of Eleanor and Scrapbaby; swearing that she'd have her revenge on those who abandoned her, joined forces with Junklock to kill all that stood against them. Their failure came from their distrust of each other, while Beth indeed desired her father's praise and attention, the echoes of Circus Baby's realistic views reminded her to never trust a psychopath to watch her back, they'd be quicker to stab her before helping her fulfil her plans. Beth felt even more distrust when Junklock proved Baby right by bringing on Molten Freddy and Scrapnerd, two of the biggest plan breakers to exist. Trapping them altogether accelerated the deteriorating partnership. Beth was quick to accept Junklock's manipulation and careless actions to be detrimental to her own health.

Backing up her own soul onto an arcade machine circuit board, she hid herself away in an unused party room an hour before the flames consumed the labyrinth. She had a laugh at overhearing William and Henry demand Michael release them from their torment, as it was blatantly obvious that Michael had long since been gone from the premises as the flames consumed everything. She was well aware of what awaited her in the afterlife, choosing to face her punishment like the mature soul she grew to be. Purgatory declared she be a guide to the dead as penance for her transgressions, a lesser punishment than what they ordered Cassidy to enact upon William and Henry.

Liza and Eli had unearthed Beth's corpse after the flames were extinguished. They buried her in the Afton Family lot, ensuring that she be given her own funeral, and allowed to rest finally. To those two, who lost all but their brother and his family, their sister's death was the hardest to accept. She was always coming back from certain death from the scooper and electrocution; despite all she did, she was still their sister, and they'd treat her as such with a proper burial and service.

Eli has started high school while Liza has taken a job from home as a customer service operator, their peaceful lives intact and the Cultists are unaware of their existence. Only time will tell if it remains the same or will an ambitious, power-hungry follower pull them into the nightmare as well.

[tinyboxxtink]

"...So I Married A Monster" *Chapter 1*

[Yes I know it's absolutely inappropriate/irrelevant but this gif was too priceless not to use it, okay?]

Chapter 2 is HERE!

So, I gotta shout out the anon who asked me to explore this idea from a one-shot I wrote. Which actually was a request from @word-scribbless, so really this was a team effort. LoL.

Alright so here's the sitch:

You're dating Rafael Barba, and you finally decide to introduce him to your kids. Everything's going fine, until he figures out your ex-husband "Billy Loomis" is actually William Lewis!

Chaos ensues.

RIGHT?

Alright so I just decided to elaborate on the one shot, so I hope you enjoy this introduction.

Yes, I don't know why we're going back into the dark dark depths of angsty, dark storylines, but here we go. It's William Lewis once again, so you already know it's not going to be some fun fluff piece.

Plan your expectations accordingly.

Also, @storiesofsvu said they might read this one, so there's that. Eeep.

Obviously my lovelies are the best as well.

Tag List

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

@objection-argumentative

@thatesqcrush

@shittanyy

@mrsrafaelbarba

—————

You twirled your hair nervously, pacing back and forth in your living room. Rafael Barba, the man you were seeing, was on his way over, it was just a normal day. Except that it wasn’t. Today was the day you were going to introduce him to your kids. Something he wasn’t even aware you had.

You had your reservations about dating guys without kids, as it never really worked out. Men without kids didn’t tend to understand the problems that came along with it, like having to cancel plans at a moment’s notice if one of your kids got sick or something. But Rafael seemed like a really good man, and though he didn’t seem like the “I love kids” type, you had gotten to know him enough to know he came from a good family, and that he might be open to at least meeting yours. You hoped you were right.

Soon your doorbell was ringing, your toddler Kylie came bounding towards the door.

“I’ll get it!!!!” She squealed.

“Uh– No no, Kylie!” You intercepted her on her way to the door, snatching her up in your arms.

“Maggie!” You tried to call her softly, not wanting Rafael to hear you. Your eleven year old came strolling out of the living room while on her phone.

“What?” She barely looked up at you.

“Can you take her? Please?” You asked her sweetly, causing her to move her phone down from her face.

“Why? Who’s at the door?” She raised a skeptical eyebrow at you.

“Just…a friend,” You looked towards the front door nervously. Maggie noticed your hesitance, it finally made her forget about whatever she was doing on her phone.

“Who is it, mom?” She pressed.

“I’ll explain everything, okay?” You gave her a pleading look. “Just take her in the living room and I’ll be there in a minute,”

“…It’s a guy, isn’t it?” She crossed her arms in a sassy manner.

“Maggie!” You pleaded.

“Ok fine…” She rolled her eyes and took Kylie from your arms. “Come on Ky, let’s go find a snack,”

“Thank you,” You kissed her head and ruffled Kylie’s hair as they walked towards the kitchen. You fixed your hair once more and swung the door open, revealing Rafael standing there holding flowers for you.

“Hey baby,” He kissed you softly while handing you the flowers. “I can’t believe I’ve never been to your house, it’s gorgeous,”

“Probably because we’re in New Jersey,” You teased him. You knew how much he hated Jersey, so the fact that he came all the way out here on his day off, really meant something.

“Probably,” He nodded with a teasing smile.

“So…there’s also another reason, I’ve never asked you here,” You ran your fingers through your hair as he entered your foyer.

“Oh?” He asked, curiously.

“I um, so– remember when I told you about my ex husband…?” Your voice trailed off.

“Yeah, that he was a real douche,” Rafael rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but there’s a good thing about him,” Your eyes glanced over to where the girls had run off to.

“…Oh?” Rafael had a hint of worry in his voice.

“He’s a…” You looked down. “He’s a good dad,”

“….A good dad?” You heard Rafael’s voice shift an octave higher.

“Yes…” You forced yourself to look up at him. “In fact, he’s been keeping the girls all summer,”

“The girls?” He blinked, trying to wrap his head around it. “As in, multiple?”

“…Yes,” You bit your lip. “….You can run screaming now, it’s okay,”

“Ay, carino…” He put both hands on either of your face. “…Where are they?”

“Really?” You bit your lip with a relieved smile.

“Of course!” He kissed you and wiped a few tears that started dropping down your face as he spoke.

“…Okay, come with me,” You took his hand and let him into the kitchen. Maggie was handing Kylie a pudding cup and a juice box when you walked hand in hand with Rafael. Maggie gave him a side eye, while Kylie instantly bounded over with her snacks and a huge smile.

“Hi!!!!” She beamed at Rafael, sticking out her left hand which of course made the snacks fall out of her hand onto the floor. Maggie groaned in frustration as she ran over and picked up the snacks, now eyeing Rafael up and down.

“…Who’s this, mom?” She asked you, not taking an eye off Rafael. He didn’t seem phased at all, he just stuck out his hand to Kylie, since she addressed him first.

“Hi, I’m Rafael. And what’s your name?” He smiled warmly at her, making her eyes sparkle.

“I’m Kylie!” She shook Rafael’s hand furiously with a huge grin. Maggie snatched her up quickly, breaking their handshake.

“I’m Maggie,” She said curtly.

“Maggie,��� You said through gritted teeth. “Be nice,”

“Oh it’s fine, carino,” He chuckled, smiling at Maggie. “I was protective of my mami when she’d bring strange men home too,”

“So you’re saying you’re a strange man?” Maggie smirked.

“Maggie!” You hissed.

“I guess you’ll have to figure that out yourself, chica,” He smirked back.

“…Guess we shall, amigo,” She narrowed her eyes, but quickly smiled. She liked this guy.

“Wow…I’m impressed,” you whispered to Rafael as the girls got more snacks for you and him.

“Thank you, mi amor,” He smiled before kissing you on the cheek. “And thank you, for trusting me enough with your kids,”

“Anytime,” You smiled warmly as you pulled him into a real kiss.

“Gross!!!!!” Kylie made a gagging sound before collapsing into giggles. This had gone better than you could have imagined.

-----------

After you and the kids all had snacks, you set up a movie for them to watch while you and Rafael went to your kitchen table to have coffee and talk more about the situation.

“So...I guess this is a stupid question, but why haven’t mentioned you had kids before this, carino?” Rafael ask while he sipped his coffee.

“Well..” You nervously stirred your coffee with your spoon. “I guess I was selfish,”

“Explain,” He pressed.

“Well I don’t typically start a first date with ‘hey by the way I have kids, so you might wanna run now’,” Your explanation caused him to chuckle in amusement.

“Yes I can see that,”

“And honestly by the second or third date, I don’t even like the guy anymore so it’s just pointless,” Your voice lowered even more as you started to allude to your feelings for him.

“...I see,” His chuckle turned into an amused smile. “And with me…?”

“With you...I wanted to introduce you,” You looked up to meet his eyes, hoping that would be enough explanation. His growing smile made it obvious it was.

“Well, I’m glad you did,” He put a hand over yours. “So I guess you want to keep me around, huh?”

“For now,” You teased him with a small giggle. He leaned over to give you a kiss, but your phone began going off. You looked down to see the screen:

BILLY CALLING

“Oooh, one sec baby,” You grabbed the phone. “It’s my ex,”

Rafael nodded in understanding as you turned from him to have the conversation.

"Hey Billy, what’s up?” The mention of their father’s name caught Maggie’s attention.

“Is that daddy?!” She called across the room. “Tell him WICKED was so fun!!!!”

“Wicked?” You repeated into the phone with a sharp tone. “Billy...did you take them into the City?”

“Daddy lives in the City now,” Kylie added to the conversation.

“He WHAT?!” You stood up and moved away from Rafael as your voice raised. “Billy, when were you going to tell me you moved to New York City?”

“No, I think it is a pretty big fucking deal,” You growled into the phone.

“Swear jar!!” Kylie giggled.

“You know how I feel about the City,” You ignored her as you lectured your ex.

“...And how is that?” Rafael raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up, you know I love it,” You rolled your eyes at him. “I just don’t want my children--” You were cut off by Billy’s questioning.

“What? It’s nobody, Billy,” You saw the hurt in Rafael’s eyes when you called him a “nobody”. You walked back over and squeezed his hand.

“I don’t want to get into ‘the talk’ with my ex on the phone, baby,” You explained softly.

“Well I was pretty sure you introducing me to the kiddos was ‘the talk’, but clearly I was wrong,” He shook his head and stood up to go, but you squeezed his hand tighter preventing him from walking away.

“I’m sorry Billy, that was my boyfriend,” You gave Rafael a small smile, hoping for his approval. His grin back gave you all the approval you needed.

“...What?” Your brows furrowed. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know I needed your permission to have a boyfriend, Billy,”

“No, he just met the girls today. In fact it wasn’t even like fifteen minutes ago--” Billy’s voice was rising, Rafael could hear obscenities through the phone.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business--” You bit your lip in nervousness.

You hated it when he got like this, he had quite the temper on him. It was one of the reasons you got divorced. That, and the fact that he was constantly absent from your lives for work. It was like raising the girls on your own anyway, so you figured you’d make it official.

Rafael noticed the fear in your voice, and he went into a protective mode. He grabbed the phone from you and spoke to Billy with an eerily calm voice.

“Listen Billy, I don’t know who you are, but I don’t appreciate you calling here and intimidating my girlfriend when we were having a perfectly nice day,”

“.....Barba?” A very familiar, terrifying voice came through the ear piece.

“E-Excuse me?” His voice wavered.

“Rafael Barba, is that you?” The voice half laughed; all of the color drained from Rafael’s face.

“...Lewis?” Rafael barely whispered, causing your eyebrows to furrow again.

“Loomis,” You told him, causing him to furrow his own eyebrows. “His last name is Loomis,” You clarified.

“You have some balls, detective,” His evil chuckle made Rafael’s blood run cold. “First you and the red headed bitch try and put me away, and now you’re fucking my wife?”

“She is NOT--” Rafael clenched his fists.

“You know what, as much as I enjoyed this trip down memory lane, I think I’d like to talk to my wife,” William quickly tried to avoid any more detection.

“Like hell you will--” Rafael started to growl, causing you to snap the phone out of his grasp.

“Um, Billy,” You gave Rafael an accusatory look as you spoke to your ex. “Can I call you back?”

“I don’t want that man near my kids,” Billy stated angrily.

“What?” You blinked in surprise. “Why?”

“He’s a bad man, Y/N,” William lied.

“W-What are you talking about?” You looked at Rafael cautiously.

“What is he saying?” Rafael questioned angrily. “Whatever he says, he’s lying,”

“No I’m not, he’s the one who’s lying to you sweetheart,” William quickly shut Rafael down as he heard his accusations through the phone.

“I-I have to go,” Your voice quivered as you hung up on Billy.

Your mind was racing. Who could you trust?

-----------

After you hung up, you just sat there for a second trying to process what had just happened. You didn’t have much time, as Rafael started throwing a million questions at you almost immediately.

“You were married to William Lewis?” He hissed. “Do you have any idea what that man did to me? My squad? My best friend?!”

You suddenly snapped to attention as the familiar feeling of being interrogated kicked in. “Dining room, NOW,” You grabbed his arm and pulled him into the other room, away from your children’s ear shot.

“What the FUCK are you talking about, Rafael?” You now raised your voice a bit. “I don’t know who the hell you’re talking about, but I married Billy Loomis, not this-- William Lewis,”

“Oh please,” Rafael scoffed with a dry laugh. “That’s barely an alias!”

“I’m sorry, are you insinuating I’m a moron?” You crossed your arms. “You think I’m that stupid not to know my husband is a...whatever you think he is?”

“He’s a MONSTER, Y/N!”

“What are you talking about?!” You tried keeping your voice below a roar, but this was getting to be a lot. “You just heard his voice, you don’t even know if it’s the same--”

“He knew my name,” Rafael simply said. “He knew who I was, and he taunted me about it,”

“He taunted you?” You laughed sarcastically. “How did he ‘taunt you’?”

“He’s rubbing in the fact that he escaped NYPD, and now he’s upset I’m fucking--” He paused at the offended look on your face. “...Dating, his ex wife,”

“Wow,” You exhaled exasperatedly. “Wow,”

“Look I’m sorry to be crass, but those are the words he used,” He put a hand to your face, but you stepped back. “Except he used wife,” He added.

“What are you talking about?”

“He still thinks you're his,” Rafael explained. “He thinks of women as things, as property. And he clearly thinks he still ‘owns’ you,”

“Look I-- I don’t know who you think Billy is,” You shook your head as you walked towards a cabinet full of family photos on display. You picked one up and handed it to Rafael: A family photo at the beach.

Billy’s arms were around you, his gorgeous smile at it’s full power. That smile was heart melting, you fell in love with it as soon as he had flashed it your way in a coffee shop. Maggie’s arms were around his neck, and Kylie was in your lap with her hands raised in glee. It was a few years ago, Kylie was a baby and Maggie was nine.

“But this man isn’t a monster,” You finished your thought. “He’s a kind, generous man. He’s a wonderful father, even if he wasn’t that great of a husband--”

Rafael’s eyes were wide and horrified as he saw Lewis’s arms around you, that sick evil grin looking at him as if he was taunting him through the frame. He snapped his head up when you mentioned him not being a great husband.

“Why do you say that?” He cut you off. “Did he hurt you?”

“What?” You laughed, as if thinking that Billy could ever be violent was the funniest thing in the world. “No, he never hurt me Rafael. That’s why I don’t understand--”

“Look, I don’t want to scare you Y/N,” Rafael put the photo down and put his hands on your shoulders. “But this…’Billy’, he isn’t who you think he is,”

“And who is he?” You gave him a curious look.

“He’s a…” He looked into the other room, making sure the girls weren’t listening. “He’s a serial killer and a rapist,”

“What?!” You yelled rather loudly, stepping out of his grip. “Alright, that’s it--” You started leading him to the door.

“W-What are you doing?” Rafael began to panic as you showed him out. “Y/N please, you have to listen to me--”

“No, I’m not going to sit here and listen to you say such vile things about the father of my children,” You narrowed your eyes.

“Why would I make this up?!” He cried, trying to stop you from shutting the door on his face.

“I-I don’t know,” You looked down, thinking about it. Why would he make up such terrible things about Billy? Then you thought about what Billy had said: Rafael was the bad man.

“Maybe because YOU’RE the monster,” You suddenly glared.

“W-What?” Rafael’s voice fell to a whisper, hurt tears came to his eyes.

“Billy said you were a bad man, maybe you’re trying to flip all of this on him. Maybe Billy was trying to warn me, and you’re trying to get to me first,” The more you said it out loud, the more it made sense to you.

“NO!!!!” He almost screamed, tears now dripping down his cheek. He tried desperately getting back into the house, causing you to put more pressure on the door to keep him out. You had never seen him this...unhinged, before.

“No, Y/N please,” He pleaded with you. “You have to listen to me. Please, for the love of God baby you HAVE to listen to me--”

“No, I don’t have to do anything Rafael,” Tears stung your own eyes.

“I-- I thought we had something,” Your heart was breaking as you spoke.

You had thought you were really falling for this man. This kind, sweet, amazing man. And now it was all unravelling, his true colors were coming out. You almost let this psychopath into your children’s lives.

“We did-- we DO!” He was shaking; he was so upset. “Why do you think I’m being so adamant about this? I-- I love you!”

“Shut up!” You barked at him. How dare he say that to you for the first time, at this of all times?

“You-- You need to leave, Rafael,” You pointed to the driveway. “And don’t come back. Don’t call me, don’t text me,” Your voice was stern but filled with tears.

“No,” Rafael barely whispered, his eyes filled to the brim with fresh tears. “Don’t do this, Y/N. Please don’t do this--”

“NOW,”

“Look-- I’ll go,” He put his hands up in defeat and started to walk backwards off your porch. “But for the love of God-- PLEASE, just--- Just google the name ��William Lewis’,”

“...Why?”

“You’ll see I’m telling the truth, I swear you will,” He looked at you with serious eyes. He was really convinced of what he was saying to you. Your heart started winning over your head, but just for a moment. You had to think about your children’s safety, you couldn’t listen to the ramblings of a crazy man.

“I don’t need to do that Rafael, you’re clearly the psycho,” You snapped before slamming the door in his face. As soon as it was closed, you sank to the floor and pulled your knees to your chest as you silently sobbed, trying to not alert the girls about the chaos that had just erupted.

Why did this have to happen?

[yakocchi]

Becoming a Family With Him, Part 3 // Shuichi, Hikaru, Rhion, Luke, Eisuke

so this came out, as further celebration for the anni. VERY GOOD, much more appreciated than the prior story set lol that one was kind of boring but i get it

they made the kids for all the... kid-less ones, and the eisuke one that used to be VIP-exclusive is now here for everyone to buy (rip those ppl who gacha for it)

my rambling behind the cut (spoilers!!)

shuichi // as ud expect, shuichi has a literal hime ass looking girl (kikyo) for a daughter. she’s only 6, but is pretty calm and ladylike. She even calls her parents with –sama so... ok luckily shuichi does not strip down all the way in the presence of her daughter and only takes off his suit coat. thanks dad

anyway since shuichi has a break coming up, he wants to have a family trip how nice. but then the dang girl wants to go over to see eisuke WHAT when soryu exists and lives a block away? unrelatable, im closing the app anyway eisuke is her first love, which wtf he’s like 20 yrs older than u. even worse, mc says she’s been in love since she was like 3.

shuichi is reconsidering the benefits of democracy in his mind but eventually relents. but then they’re still following the fucc-days rule they set years ago. well, as he says in the story, RULES ARE RULES

blah blah i don’t want to go over everything bc then it’ll be boring reading the story when it comes out in engl right? also im tired bc it’s 1 am and i just want to play toontown in bed but nothing really bad happens. they are a v cute family bc shuichi is a pleasant and mature dad. kikyo and mc even do a little surprise for him at the end and it is very sweet. i feel like out of all the families, this is the most ideal

mad hatter // so they have twin sons named Rui and Kai. Rui is the childlike one that resembles Rhion in personality, Kai is the more mature one that resembles Al. man i forget that boy’s name but u get me i know they only can use stock bgs but it’s killing me that these dang kids get to sleep in what looks like separate king sized beds.

even though rhion is now a father of two, he still acts like... 10. i mean he still horni but it makes me feel weird

later it’s revealed that Ota teaches them both as an art tutor bc they both showed an interest in art. this is cute bc ota is bad with kids in this universe LOL

the ending on this one was weird cuz the kids didn’t show up in the entirety of the last ep bc it was about WORK. so uh... interesting

hikaru // so their son is named akari. haha get it because it means light. like how hikaru also means light. can mc name her kids unrelated to their father or is that against the Geneva convention

this kid actually acts like an actual little boy. like what hikaru would’ve probably turned into if not for the whole sad backstory. the story starts with akari just bringing a dog randomly home one day. he actually saved the dog (it is very cute bc he did not want the dog to cry), and then after a talk they decide to keep the dog as long as akari knows the responsibility of taking care of an animal.

so next day, the bidders come over to their house and everyone’s like woaw a dog. lol they come into their house as guests and eisuke and mamo still demand for beverages, they all suck

akari names the dog... “Light” (Raito) and i want out of this nightmare. Naturally bc Light is an abandoned dog it’s still kind of bad with interacting with things. But then Light suddenly be giving the ( ╹ਊ╹) to soryu bc remember, animals love him. everyone clowns on soryu for being an unintentional dog whisperer and then akari is like “soryu san pls make me ur apprentice” and he gives some advice like approaching it slowly, and talking to it from the front instead of back.

blah blah there’s a situation where Light goes YEET after a Doberman gets all angry and then hides bc then another dog is scaring it. hikaru swoops in to the save the day as the Real Dog Whisperer. ok it’s cute when hikaru actually gets to look cool  for once LOL

luke // luke is cute on the bc “pre-story” scene he’s actually pretty open to the idea of having kids; he actually goes “well imo we should think abt it pretty soon, but i wanted to hear ur opinion on it” but then he gets horni. and then he’s like “our kids are going to have your collarbones. awesomeee im looking forward to that” ....ok

ok cut to the actual story and they’re in Japan. Luke’s kid looks... strange versus the others. why are his eyes so big? omg voltage his eyes arent going to be saucers just cuz he half white also the kid’s name is Yuri (Or Urey). They couldn’t think of any other Brit-styled names? Like Harry? Henry? William? Wilfred? hey stan be my princess btw he’s pretty cute, though he gives serious “timid kid that gets bullied in the children’s movie” vibes. He calls Luke “daddy” and mc “mammy/mommy”.

so luke talks about his relationship w/ soryu and eisuke and then yuri is like “i want friends like that” wow cute but also find less ethically-complicated friends

so luke lets yuri meet a young patient of his (haru) so they can be friends. they get along so it’s good. haru gets in critical condition later so luke zooms outta there to do the operation.

LOL but at the end yuri is like, “i want to make more friends. (...) can i go to the bidder’s room from now on?” this boy works fast

And then he’s like “Eisuke-san... please be my friend.” HIS POWER. even eisuke was like :O so then eisuke orders a whole bunch of food and books up to the penthouse. But then yuri’s like “...i like eisuke’s eyes” and everyone’s like oh man that’s gonna be his fetish

Baba: why have u started to have an interest in eyes Yuri: I read it from one of daddy’s medical books Hikaru: wtf u can read that at 4??? (...) Soryu: wat Yuri: um... i want soryu to be my friend too Yuri: bc soryu’s eyes are also powerfully cool...

eisuke // ok this gets an extended ramble bc the more annoying the story the longer i must complain

so you might be thinking, “oh so this is gonna be a flashback in some in media res styled story with your 2 kids, u know in the style of the others” and well, no you just go straight to white screen into the flashback, back when eito was smaller and thus a little more cute. well it’s not really false advertising bc they did say “reminisce” in the description. but i wanted to see eito be a good big brother for a moment! or... less good? man i wanted to see kaito go waaaah like a baby idk i wanted to see him exist

so back to the story they cut to small eito. even as a smaller punk he does fight with his dad a little, just w/ a more narrow vocabulary to work with. tho at this point he’s still pretty sweet so clearly eisuke clowning him day and night was a negative effect on his development. (doesn’t treat his child like a child) (child grows up to a punk that doesn’t respect him) (surprised pikachu) being the son of a billionaire means that this child has to go study at a very young age and listen to MOZART. no child of eisuke ichinomiya will be listening to degenerate bops like lee taemin’s criminal next day they all go to the very fancy school that eito will be attending. eisuke does a speech, but then eito is all like “why is papa over there all the time” in reference to how all the other parents in attendance are having fun with their children, but eisuke is busy talking to other people for business and connections etc. etc. mc kind of has a hard time trying to explain it to eito bc... it’s honestly poor parenting... eiji shows up after arriving late, and he’s like “gramps is gonna be with ya today! instead of papa” which is cute but then she’s like psst thanks for coming and im like oh... so grandpa just didn’t randomly come to the open house for fun he’s just gonna be surrogate dad while real dad is busy... aw... and then at the end eito’s like FUC THIS KINDERGARTEN. eisuke is like “(smh) don’t yell in public. (despite everything) you are still the eldest son of the Ichinomiya family”

and so afterwards it’s clear that eito does not want anything to do with this school. he just sits in the classroom until mc is there to pick him up instead of playing in the courtyard or w/e, wanting nothing to do with the other kids.

so later there’s a hiking trip for the students and both of their parents, and mc asks eisuke if he’ll be available for it. eisuke is like, “i have a business trip that day, so I’ll have to adjust my schedule” and he’s been very busy in the opening of a new business or w/e. mc tells him to not do so much for something like that and that it’s ok if she goes alone with eito on the trip.

it’s the day of the trip, and mc goes alone with eito. she notes that a lot of dads did indeed come along for the trip. she apologizes to eito and says that she did talk to eisuke about the trip before, but he’s simply busy for this day. and im like... but girl, you were the one who told him not to change his schedule for the trip. yes a trip may seem less important than business ventures, but don’t make it sound like you weren’t the one who stopped him. lol. idk why im pressed abt this single line of dialogue bc later she does realize she fucced up there well eito is just like w/e about it and has pretty much accepted that sort of thing

anyway eito goes missing later and one of the kids said that he told eito that his dad (eisuke) didn’t come bc his dad thinks that his work is more important than his son. so eito got mad and ran off somewhere

and then mc finally gets the lightbulb moment that eito... wants to see his dad!! he ran off to go try to see him somehow??? !! wow so sweet

it’s raining like a mf but then in her search for eito eisuke randomly pops out of nowhere. He’s like “ho i did not remember saying that i wasn’t coming” and she’s like “im sorrryyy” and both me and him are like “just find the dang kid”

ok yea they find eito, he starts being a good student, and u start to see where he starts being antagonistic towards his dad LOL etc. etc. lol this story annoyed me so i don’t feel like doing the rest of the play by play orz

anyway thanks for reading my garbage LOL

[shiramoonshadow]

This is the last part of the vip panel with Jason, Luc and Adrian. 

What’s your favorite character you didn’t voice?

Adrian: Oh, I don’t know, everybody. Seriously, everybody’s so amazing. You know, I’m exciting to eventually be...I’m not there yet, just in the countenance of my voice and the age of my voice quite yet, but one day I aspire to voice a Viren like character, now I’m a dad I just find that fascinating, the very complex relationships he has with his children and his own ambitions. Yeah, I’m not jealous, I love what Jason does but I can’t wait to play a Viren character.

Luc: First, let me just say that once again I love everyone on the show and I don’t just say that to make everyone feel good, like I watch every episode and I’m blown away and sometimes even the small characters I have to pause and be like “who was that? who did that?” That was fantastic. Um...it’s Amaya, she’s got me right from the beginning. I think I’ve always had a thing for female like warriors for some reason? Like she is just the ultimate badass warrior. She’s caring, she’s protective and she’s strong and all the fight sequences are just so dope. She gets the one up on Harrow, even on Harrow she’s like “this dude”, you know? I just love her. I think she’s fantastic.

Jason: That’s the same for me. Episode six on s1 where they’re at the statue and they’re sharing a lovely moment, Viren and Amaya but she still says “listen let’s cut the bs, I don’t trust you”. She’s just written so well.

Jason, what movie or tv show would your characters love?

Jason: This is interesting. I’ve done this sort of thing I just wrote down, you know, music shows...Loves...Um...loves classical music and heavy metal. I think a really good comedy like a belly laugh sort of comedy, just a sitcom that’s good, so like 30 Rock or The office.

Luc: I think he likes looks to other great leaders and people of history stuff, right? So he’s like watching James Earl Jones do some Shakespeare, like play Othello or something like that, you know, he’s downloaded illegally or something, like the 1996 production of the globe theatre or something like “ah, this is it” or like The West Wing or something like that.

Adrian: I would say The Golden Girls.

Is there a favorite theory that you have for what happened to Harrow?

Luc: So right in the middle of s1, right after we finished recording those first three episodes. My personal theory is that Viren actually sacrificed himself and used the soulfang to switch their bodies and that Harrow is now inside of Viren’s body and we just didn’t know. Now, since watching more episodes I realized that is obviously not. Like right after we recorded those I was like “oh yeah, it’s going to be this great actual sacrifice and we’ll find out at the end of the first season that Viren has actually sacrificed himself and Harrow lives inside of…” No, that’s not the case. Honestly? After I realized that I was wrong I stopped trying to guess and I know all the fan theories but when I work on a show and something like this happens I try not to create these theories for myself until I see the scripts because it’s just either going to be disappointment or...I don’t know, it’s like I like to wait till the writers actually-

Tell you what happened?

Luc: Yeah. Otherwise I just like to believe that what they say is the truth and he was assassinated. Until we know differently, you know?

One of my favorite things that Jack revealed was that he always shipped Rayla with Callum and so he performed as if that was the end, even with the whole Claudia thing, he said he always... in his head his goal was to get with Rayla. I was like “I think he made it happen” like he literally changed like how confident he was because he is like this person showed up to kill his brother, so like he had to be very strong and in charge and have it together and so there was like such a great version of Callum with Rayla that eventually they just wrote it that way. I'm just trowing that out there in case you want to guide this reveal. You're more than welcome to pick your favorite fan theory and just make it happen.

Jason: I have favorite theories but I'm not going to say what I actually think. Only because I like to...I will certainly share my opinions if it’s really against something strong that I disbelieve, but because I know... the three of us, we look at our scripts and we prepare characters and we prepare...we know stuff that we’ve been told by writer, director, creators. We know stuff that we’ve talked about and I don’t like to let any of that stuff go because I’d like to keep it for myself. I love to throw lines out there, to throw people off and mess around but… One that I heard was that Harrow is out wandering somewhere and that’s my favorite theory, he’s just sort of gone and he’ll be back someday.

Luc: How do you explain the bracelet falling off?

Jason: Exactly, but I like the idea of Viren and Harrow looking at each other saying “brother, I will see you again one day” and Harrow puts his backpack on and walks out into the...he’s on a boat somewhere.

We’re gonna ask you again I’m gonna have you back on when we...to see how close where you are at personally turns into. You know, what I’m saying like, because you’re gonna keep that close to the chest and I think it’s part of what’s again, I really think Jack shaped what happened and it’s clear that the writers are that “this is a participatory story that’s being told and you guys are really…” So what do you think Adrian?

Adrian: Somebody blew my mind and said that Harrow became the bird? Like switched souls at the bird. I thought that was pretty crazy. That kind of blew my mind, yeah.

Luc: That’s the biggest fan theory.

Adrian: Is that the biggest one? Okay. I had never heard it, someone brought that up and then I was like “okay, that’s actually kind of cool”.

Jason: Justin and Aaron have debunked that. They’ve said that’s not the case.

Adrian: But what do they know?

Jason, do you think Viren still has an avenue to redemption?

Jason: Do I think he has an avenue to redemption? Yes. Do I want the very last thing people to see is Viren holding dead body over the planes and Eric’s voice over saying “and they lived in harmony, forever”.

Luc: And then he pulls off his mask and he’s actually just Jason.

Jason: Or Harrow.

If you were picking your live-action actor who played your character?

Jason: Michael Fassbender.

Adrian: I think Tom Holland would actually be a great choice. He’s just got a ton of heart and I think he could convincingly play that naivete and wholesomeness.

Luc: The looks wise I would say like Makhi Phifer? I want him to play but I don’t know if Makhi fighter has the gravitas to handle like a live-action Harrow? So I think like Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Adrian: I would do Idris Elba as Aaravos.

Luc: There you go.

Jason: Michael K. Williams as Harrow.

Luc: Michael can play anyone.

If someday we get a flashback with Callum meeting Harrow. What do you think? Because we haven’t seen that, right?

Luc: No, we get a couple flashbacks to when their relationship is first kind of building and Harrow gives him his sketchbook and you know, he sees him as a child but I wonder about that. I wonder how old Callum was? If he knew him before him and Sarai got together? Like if he knew them as a family unit or if he had to be introduced to him after him and Sarai had already been seeing each other? I kind of see it like he falls in love with Sarai and she kind of keeps that relationship separate, like a mother who doesn't know if this new thing is really going to take off and that eventually introduces him and I imagine it's pretty awkward at first, like Harrow's trying to drop his best dad jokes and they're like “no” and Harrow tries so hard and he realizes “oh this isn't going very well” and kind of backs off and takes some space. Harrow talks about how he wishes that he would have reached out a little more. He didn't want to disrespect the memory of his dad, so I think there was definitely some separation at first and some awkwardness and then it took some time for them to really be able to build their relationship and get to this point where they're basically like blood father and son.

What other character that you played would love to see interact with your character from tdp?

Jason: Rengar from the league of legends. Can you imagine him just sidling up to Viren? I've never thought of that ever! But now I’m excited about it. 

Luc: Live action… I was recently in Apple TV See and my character Arca is this warrior with these long dreadlocks and I imagine that they would just get on like that, like Arca would become Harrow’s crownguard immediately.  

Adrian: I think it’d be cool to see the chemistry between Gren and Adam from The Hollow. Adam’s got a temper and I could see like Gren getting sucked into the hollow, if you don’t know it’s like a game world that they’re all in and they’re trying to escape and yeah, I could see those guys linking up.

Jason, Viren’ ex-wife. What is she like?

Jason: 6 '4. Opinionated. Okay, 6 '2. Psychically strong, doesn’t take any crap off anyone but also tender and...Is that where you want me to go with that?

[sambergscott]

your son is going to love you

Summary: Peralta dads are cursed, destined to have terrible relationships with their sons. When Jake finds out *he's* going to have a son, he spirals. Amy helps.

goes without saying that if you haven’t watched 7x10 yet maybe don’t read this

She wakes up at 2am needing to pee.

She’s been waking up needing to pee a lot lately.

It’s like their baby has no respect for her sleeping pattern, perfectly honed over the years to maximise productivity, while still fitting in the full 8 hours of sleep needed a day. Their baby doesn’t care about the 8 hour recommendation, he laughs in the face of scientists. With the bad back and heart burn and constant kick, kick, kicking of her bladder, she’s averaging 4.7. She thought babies didn’t start keeping you up all night until they were born but, oh, how wrong she was.

She pats her husband to wake him up and come keep her company. If she’s awake because of their baby, then damn it, he’s going to be awake, too. But he’s not there, leaving her hand awkwardly patting a bare mattress.

“Jake?” She murmurs groggily, sitting up and switching on her bedside lamp. She’s half-expecting him to be sitting in the armchair playing Mario Party on his Switch (he has become a little bit addicted in the last few months and it wouldn’t be the first time she’s found him trying to beat Wario in the early hours of the morning) or have left a note beside her bed that he had a lead on a case and needed to go in with a scribbled ‘love you’ underneath and a lopsided heart. The armchair is empty, but there’s a light on down the hall and since there’s no way she forgot to turn it off before bed (she triple checks), she figures that it must be Jake.

Forgetting the whole reason why she woke up in the first place, she grabs Jake’s hoodie from the floor for warmth and pads into their living-kitchen-dining area. It’s the open plan-ness that made her fall in love with the apartment upon first visit and submit all her paperwork as soon as she was out the door. It’s the open plan-ness that would make the Property Brothers proud and the dumb people who go on that show foam at the mouth with jealousy. It’s the open plan-ness that allows her to see her husband straight away, snacking on the unfinished party food.

(Apparently people don’t feel like eating after a man cuts his thumb off and spurts blood everywhere. Who’d have thought?)

There’s a weird, pensive look on his face that draws her towards him.

“You OK, babe?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he responds. He pops a tomato from the salad bowl in his mouth, then another, then another.

She narrows her eyes. He never eats tomatoes unless they’re in ketchup or on top of a famous Sal’s pizza. Something is wrong.

She thinks back on their day, mentally rewinding the events from waking up to the morning briefing to their private sex reveal in the break room and finding out they’re having a boy (the empty cake box and blue frosting around Scully’s mouth was very surprising indeed). They were both floating on Cloud 9 all afternoon, came home and Zoomed the entire family, falling asleep on the couch around 9.30pm because pregnancy is exhausting.

Nothing particularly awful stands out.

Unless...

“Are you thinking about your Grandpa?”

He’d been so excited to see him again, so excited to reunite Walter Peralta  with Roger, The Admiral with the Captain. To be honest, Amy was less than impressed. He’d been nice enough to her, asked her about her job, about the baby, small talked about the weather. But he never asked her about Jake, probed about the 20 odd years of his grandson’s life that he’d missed out on. Which is frustrating because she has a lot of embarrassing stories ready to tell and a whole photo album of Jake on her phone. He couldn’t care less about Roger or Jake, storming out of the sex reveal party after calling his son a screw up and turning off his phone so they couldn’t get in contact with him. He’s a selfish dick and her husband deserves better. Still, he won’t be thinking about what a monster Walter turned out to be, he’ll be finding ways to blame himself that yet another father walked out of his life again.

He nods silently and she leads him to the couch.

“Talk to me, Jake.”

He releases a shaky breath. “The Peralta’s are cursed.”

“With devastatingly handsome good looks?” She half-jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Because, hello, her husband is hot; she constantly overhears other women in the precinct talking about his glow up and it would be impossible to ignore the female attention he gets in bars and even just walking down the street before he scratches his face to show off his wedding band and wraps one arm proudly around his wife’s shoulders. She’s seen the pictures of a young Roger Peralta, too, and with that charm smile... she gets it.

“Thank you,” he smiles briefly, “but no. Peralta dads are cursed with terrible relationships with their sons.”

“That’s not going to be you,” she says without hesitation, without a shred of doubt.

“How do you know?” He launches into a scathing personal indictment that leaves his cheeks stinging with tears. “I’m immature, obsessed with my work, messy, always late. My dad was never around when I was a kid. I don’t even know what dads do with their sons! And what if it’s in my genes? To be a crappy dad, abandon my kid like a dozen Peralta fathers before me. Your parents still don’t think I’m good enough. You didn’t even like me at first. It only makes sense that our baby would hate me, too.”

“Woah, babe. Slow down. Let’s unpack that one at a time.” She wipes away his tears with his hoodie sleeve and squeezes his hand. “First of all, you are way more mature now than you used to be. We bought a family friendly Sedan. You read parenting books. You were eating fruit, like, two minutes ago.”

“Tomatoes are fruits?”

“What? Yes, how do you not - not the point.” She shakes her head. “And so what, you enjoy your job. That’s a good thing, Jake! Do you understand how rare that is? You’re doing the thing you love while providing a decent income for our family. And besides, I’m way more obsessed than you. I have FOMOW, but that doesn’t mean I won’t love our kid more than anything. And as for the messy, late thing, if I can look past it because of how much I love you, so will our son.”

“Love you, too,” he mumbles.

“Now onto your point about not knowing what dads do, that is a straight up lie and we both know it, Peralta. You’re always hanging out with Charles and Nikolaj and Lord Knows Terry doesn’t shut up about all the activities he does with his girls.”

“I know what they do when I’m around, but what do you do when it’s 5am and they won’t go back to sleep?” He frets. “At what age do you introduce them to Die Hard? In Cry Hard With A Vengeance,” he quotes the parenting book she originally bought him as a joke but has kind of become his Torah, “Bruce Willis says right away, but what if he’s not ready to understand the complex plots? What if he prefers Timothy Olyphant to William Atherton? Oh my God, what if our son doesn’t think Die Hard is a Christmas movie?”

He’s spiralling and it’s a good job he’s with the only person who can truly calm him down.

“I think Bruce Willis is just trying to promote his franchise and that we’ll be watching more Paw Patrol than Die Hard for the next few years, babe, but I’m sure when he is old enough, he will love the movies as much as you.”

“Right,” he agrees, “you’re totally right. Action thrillers aren’t very baby friendly. I’ll just watch it on mute with subtitles.”

She laughs, her eyes crinkling in the corners. She loves him so much. Which segways them nicely onto his final two points.

“My parents do love you. Sure, they’re critical, but that’s just the way they are. They’re the same way to all of us. My mom complains to everyone she meets about how I can’t cook, how Tony hasn’t settled down and made her any beautiful grandbabies yet, even Perfect David faces her wrath when he goes a week without phoning her. If the worst thing my mom has to say about you is that you’re below average in height, you’re doing OK. And as for me apparently not liking you at first, I did like you.”

He furrows his brow. “But you said you found me annoying and difficult to be around.”

“Yet I didn’t ask to switch desks, continued working cases with you and went to Shaw’s whenever I was invited.” She stares at him pointedly. “If I really found you difficult to be around, I wouldn’t have stayed. I thought you were cute and funny and good at your job and yeah, you were annoying too, but,” she shrugs, “it never put me off.”

“So what you’re saying is that you had a crush on me first,” he grins.

“No. You obviously had a crush on me back then, too. What I’m saying is that I love you, our son loves you and you’re going to be a great dad.”

He blushes, ducking his head. “My dad said the same thing. About our son loving me.”

“He’s right,” she replies. “I feel him kick every time you get home from work, every time you sing to Taylor Swift in the car, every time I mention your name. Why didn’t you believe him?”

“I don’t know, still nervous about the curse, I guess.” He twists his wedding band on his finger.

Amy bites her lip. “Are you not excited about us having a boy?”

She has to ask. His excitement looked genuine in the break room, but it’s no secret that he was hoping for a girl. A mini-Amy, he said. While she’s always been more accustomed to boys considering the Santiago’s have, like, a million of them, Jake couldn’t get over the image of a little girl in dresses and doing ballet and with long, dark hair that he eventually learns to braid.

“Of course I am,” he’s quick to assure her. “Stupid excited. Never been more excited for anything. Not even the Ninja Turtles reboot. But still... nervous.” He rubs his hand over his face, muffling his voice. “Everyone is assuming what kind of dad I’m going to be. Whether I’m going to be good at it or not. To be fair, the only person who doubted me is that murderer I arrested last week, obviously not my biggest fan. Everyone else is convinced I can do it. What if I can’t? What if I’m genetically wired to be a bad dad? What if I disappoint you and our baby and Charles who has been dreaming about this forever?”

“Jake,” she softens her voice, pulling his hand away from his face, “the fact you are so worried about being a bad dad proves that you will not be one. Nor could you ever disappoint us.”

“But you’re my wife. You have to say that.”

“I would never have married you and become your wife if I thought you were the kind of person who could abandon your kid,” she promises him. “You have been perfect so far, dealing with all the vitamins and over-scheduled sex and washing my clothes when I sweat through them and holding my hair back when I’m being sick. You’ve been to every doctor’s appointment, read every binder, bought me every weird food craving. You hang out with the bump every night, talking and singing to it. I know you’re going to be a great dad, Jake, because you already are one.”

She kisses him and it’s soft and tender and filled with love, only interrupted by the kick, kick, kicking of their son.

“Hey,” Jake says in his best authoritative dad voice/John McClane dealing with German terrorists voice (he’s been practising in front of the mirror following Bruce’s advice), pointing a warning finger at the bump. “I’m going to kiss your mom as much as I want, Peralta. I loved her first.”

Amy giggles, stroking her fingers through Jake’s unruly curls. His bedhead is always wild and it’s maybe her favourite thing in the entire world. She silently sends a message of her own to their son to inherit his dad’s hair. And eyes. And handsome smile.

He kicks again as if to say ‘OK, mom’.

And then she really needs to pee.

[bananaofswifts]

By : Callie Ahlgrim and Courteney Larocca

Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, "Folklore," on Friday.

Swift surprised fans by announcing its release just one day in advance — and less than one year after the release of her acclaimed seventh album "Lover."

"Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I had planned that DID happen," she wrote on social media. "And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise!"

She described "Folklore," stylized in all lowercase, as "an entire brand new album of songs I've poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into."

Much of the 16-song tracklist — 17 on the deluxe edition — was cowritten and produced by The National's Aaron Dessner. Smaller pieces were cowritten by Bon Iver, Jack Antonoff, and someone named William Bowery. Antonoff also produced five songs.

Insider's music team (reporter Callie Ahlgrim and celebrity and music editor Courteney Larocca) listened to the new album on our own, jotting down our initial thoughts track by track.

Almost immediately, we were forced to reckon with the fact that "Folklore" might be Swift's best album yet — potentially even better than "Red," which previously seemed like it couldn't be topped. We were stunned with the mature, poetic, stunningly understated collection of new songs.

Here is what we thought of each song on "Folklore" upon first listen. (Skip to the end to see the only songs worth listening to and the album's final score.)

"The 1" is the best album opener Swift has had in years.

Ahlgrim: "I'm doing good, I'm on some new s---" is a wild way to begin a new Taylor Swift album. This is going to be different.

This is easily the best intro song she's released in years. "The 1" far surpasses "I Forgot That You Existed" on "Lover," "...Ready for It?" on "Reputation," and "Welcome to New York" on "1989" in terms of sheer quality.

It's also an engaging scene-setter; I find myself gently rocking back and forth, eyes closed, smiling without realizing. It's only the first song and so far, I am totally grasping the woodsy aesthetic of this album. I'm already ready for more.

Larocca: I would argue that there hasn't been a strong album opener on one of Swift's albums since "State of Grace" on "Red" in 2012. "The 1" breaks that curse.

I was vibing from that very first piano note, but when Swift comes in and warmly delivers the first line of the album — "I'm doing good, I'm on some new s---" — it became evident this project wouldn't be anything like the rest of her discography.

As far as "The 1" goes as a standalone song, it's incredibly solid. Swift has a breezy attention to rhythm as she paints a tale of a the-one-who-got-away romance. I truly, truly love it. This might end up being an all-time favorite track.

"Cardigan" is beautifully influenced by Lana Del Rey.

Ahlgrim: I heard "Cardigan" first because I watched the music video before I listened to the album.

Right off the bat, I was struck by the Lana Del Rey melody in the chorus; I jotted down "folksy 'Blue Jeans.'"

Swift has actually cited Del Rey as an inspiration in the past, so this makes sense — and that particular shade of nostalgic, haunting glamour really works for Swift's voice, so I'm overall very impressed with this direction. I am more than amenable to a "Red" meets "Norman F---ing Rockwell!" album experience. On my second time around listening, sans music video, "Cardigan" already feels richer coming after "The 1."

This time, I'm struck by small lyrical details like "Sequined smile, black lipstick," a clear callback to her past eras, and "Tried to change the ending / Peter losing Wendy," an effective way to evoke young love and innocence lost.

I also think the song's central refrain, "When you are young they assume you know nothing," is clean and sharp and — especially given Swift's public struggles with sexism and years-old contracts — extremely poignant.

Larocca: I had the thought that Swift listens to Lana Del Rey after hearing "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" on last year's "Lover," but now I know for sure that Del Rey is an influence on Swift.

While "Cardigan" isn't what I thought this album would be like sonically, I'm overjoyed at how clearly singer-songwriter this album already is. I've been waiting years for Swift to make a lyrical marvel set to acoustic, warm, folksy instrumentals and it's here.

(And while I expected something different sonically, I am not mad at all by the backing instrumental choices here.)

"The Last Great American Dynasty" proves Swift is a natural storyteller.

Ahlgrim: Personally, I love Storyteller Taylor, so this is quite literally music to my ears.

There are so many delicious details here to unpack. The first verse, with its subtle sexist whisperings about Rebekah Harkness ("How did a middle-class divorcée do it?" and "It must have been her fault his heart gave out"), is a truly savvy way to set up for the song's eventual reveal.

Rebekah spent her time partying with friends, funding the ballet, playing card games with Salvador Dalí, somehow "ruining everything" — and her Holiday House was "free of women with madness" until Swift herself moved in.

That twist in the bridge is poetic genius. When the final chorus adjusts to the present day, underscoring the parallels between Rebekah and Swift, I'm forcefully reminded of an iconic bridge when Romeo finally proposed and changed everything — but Swift has evolved past daydreams of pure white dresses and fathers giving permission.

Larocca: I'm immediately taken back to 2012's "Starlight" when "The Last Great American Dynasty" starts. Thankfully, this song ends up being a lot better than "Starlight," which always felt more like a filler track on "Red" to me.

I love a lot here: the casual use of "b----," the acute attention to detail ("She stole his dog and dyed it key lime green"), and every version of this line: "There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen."

I had a marvelous time listening to this song.

"Exile," featuring Bon Iver, is one of Swift's most successful duets to date.

Ahlgrim: Swift and Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, are two of the best songwriters alive today, so this song was destined to be breathtaking.

Swift has historically had difficulty allowing her voice and vision to coexist with a featured artist; her collaborations often leave me feeling like she should've just delivered the whole song herself.

But Swift and Vernon were able to weave their lyrics together so gracefully, I was left feeling grateful for his presence. His rich, rustic tone and those iconic hummed harmonies lends the regretful song an added coat of sincerity.

The production here is generally fine, but the layered instrumentals in the ending really bring the song together. I love a dramatic exit.

Larocca: When I see a "featuring Bon Iver" on a track, I instantly assume Vernon is going to come in with his high falsetto. So it was almost jarring that the song starts with Vernon sounding like a lumberjack dad who hasn't left the woods in a decade.

That didn't end up being a detriment, though. Swift sounds delicate on her verse, and their vocals contrast nicely later on the track.

This one also brings to mind her collab "The Last Time" with Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody. The line "I think I've seen this film before and I didn't like the ending" is also reminiscent of "If This Was a Movie."

I'm obsessed with the clear influences Swift's previous discography had on these tracks, which have also so far felt completely unique to her catalog.

"My Tears Ricochet" is an extraordinary display of Swift's songwriting powers.

Ahlgrim: First of all, "My Tears Ricochet" is an incredible song title. Let's take a moment to appreciate that.

In fact, pretty much every line of this song is arresting.

Much of it feels both familiar and rare, like you know exactly what Swift is singing about, but hadn't thought to put it in those words before — which is, in my opinion, the mark of any good piece of writing but especially a breakup song. You can relate to the emotion, if not the particular details. You can hear the pain. It almost plays like a funeral march.

What a gift it is, what an exhilarating experience, to feel like you're listening to a poem being recited in real-time.

Larocca: Any true Swiftie knows that track five is reserved for the most vulnerable moment on the record, so I went into "My Tears Ricochet" ready to be sad.

I am endlessly impressed with how Swift managed to bake the word "ricochet" into this song so effectively. She also ditched her traditional song structure for this one, and instead built the track from peak to peak, utilizing clever lyrics along the way to tell an epic, devastating story, almost obviously calling back to the most beloved track five of "All Too Well."

I'm calling it now — this one is going to age like a fine wine. As all of Swift's best breakup ballads do.

"Mirrorball" is several strokes of genius.

Ahlgrim: This song gives me intense Clairo vibes, and I mean that as a very high compliment.

It's so fun and refreshing to hear Swift slip into different musical styles, and this shimmery take on alternative-bedroom-pop highlights her soft vocals and nuanced songwriting supremely well.

Also, my Leo sensibilities are fully under attack by this bridge: "I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try / I'm still on that trapeze / I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me." Oof! Just tag me next time.

Larocca: This one is so pretty! Swift's vocals sound better than ever as she spins on her highest heels across a glittery daydream.

"I'm a mirrorball / I'll show you every version of yourself tonight" might be the thesis statement of this entire album. So far, "Folklore" feels both diaristic and vague; detailed and completely anonymous.

Fans will be debating for years whether this album is about Swift's own life, or if it's simply really great storytelling pulled directly from her own mind. In the end, it doesn't really matter.

Because as all of Swift's best songs do, these songs will attach themselves to listeners in completely new ways, showing them elements and stories from their own lives.

"Seven" is pure whimsical magic.

Ahlgrim: This is playing make-believe in the garden when you're too young to feel self-conscious; it's poetic and nostalgic and full of awe in such an unpretentious way.

I wouldn't change one thing about this song. Swift's whispery high register sounds divine, and at this point in the tracklist, her rhythmic delivery in the chorus hits like a shot of espresso.

Right now, I'm wondering if it's possible for Swift to maintain this intrigue and momentum for another nine songs. There hasn't been a misstep to speak of, and I remain wholly beguiled. Can it last?

Larocca: The beginning of "Seven" sounds like Swift listened to Marina's "Orange Trees" on repeat before showing up to her songwriting session. Fortunately, "Orange Trees" is the only song I like on Marina's "Love + Fear" so I will gladly accept this inspiration.

Swift continues to impress with both her vocals and her sense of rhythm on "Seven." I also personally love space imagery so the line "Love you to the moon and to Saturn" is a standout line.

"August" will go down as one of the best songs in Swift's extensive repertoire.

Ahlgrim: I'm immediately catching hints of Phoebe Bridgers and girl in red in Swift's delivery. And I simply adore the idea that Swift has spent the last few months sitting at home, daydreaming about summertime humidity and listening to music by queer indie-pop girls. 

In an album full of songwriting expertise, this song has some of Swift's best lines yet: "August sipped away like a bottle of wine / 'Cause you were never mine" actually hurts me.

In my notes, there simply sits this valuable insight (yes, in all-caps): "WANTING WAS ENOUGH. FOR ME IT WAS ENOUGH TO LIVE FOR THE HOPE OF IT ALL." This song has my favorite bridge on the album so far.

In terms of production, "August" is exquisite. It's lush and layered without feeling overwhelming at any point. It builds to the perfect level then recedes, like a wave. 

Also worth mentioning: It can now be considered a historical fact that any time Swift mentions a car or driving in one of her songs, it's a perfect song.

Larocca: While listening to "August," I texted Callie and said, "I can't wait to finish the album so I can relisten to 'August.'" It's an instant favorite. 

This is also the first track on the album that seems directly inspired by our current state. Not because she's expressing fear or singing about being bored at home, but because she so easily slips into a reflection of a relationship that ended years ago with a newfound wave of wistful nostalgia. 

When quarantine started, it seemed like a million lifestyle articles came out explaining why everyone suddenly felt compelled to text their exes and why we're so invested in looking back instead of forward right now. 

"August" validates those feelings with zero judgment, letting its listener know that yes, it's totally normal for you to be overanalyzing that quasi-relationship you were in back in college that never made it past graduation. Am I projecting? Maybe, but that's debatably what Swift's music is best utilized for.

I'm also going to be thinking about this song's bridge and outro for the rest of my life.

The National's influence can be felt on the stunning "This Is Me Trying."

Ahlgrim: "This Is Me Trying" quickly strikes a more sinister tone than its predecessors — still nostalgic and wistful, but carrying an edge, like a threatening secret.

Ironically, this one was co-written and co-produced by Jack Antonoff, not Aaron Dessner, though I can really hear The National's influence here. I'm getting strong wafts of songs like "Pink Rabbits" and "Dark Side of the Gym."

Based on Swift's own words, we can speculate that "This Is Me Trying" is a fictional tale, built around the image of "a 17-year-old standing on a porch, learning to apologize." And, as previously stated, I'm a big fan of Storyteller Taylor, so I'm into it.

The song's darker tone mingles really well with Swift's imagery; when you're a teenager, and you make a mistake, it can feel like the end of the world.

Larocca: "This Is Me Trying" is precisely what I imagined this album sounding like when I found out Swift collaborated with the National's Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver.

But I'm glad she was strategic about her use of echo and also finally paid attention to the tracklisting from a sonic standpoint. This haunting soundscape is reminiscent of 2014's "This Love" and comes in right when you need it after the yearning daydream of "August."  

I'd also like it to be on the record that the line "I got wasted like all my potential" ruined me and this song is a win for that lyric alone.

"Illicit Affairs" is a glowing example of what sets Swift apart from her peers as a songwriter.

Ahlgrim: The expert songwriting on "Illicit Affairs" reminds me of the as-yet unseated queen in Swift's discography: "All Too Well."

Swift is a master of wielding specific details like weapons: "What started in beautiful rooms / Ends with meetings in parking lots," she sings. "Leave the perfume on the shelf / That you picked out just for him." These are the sorts of images that set Swift apart, and they're especially strong when she punctuates their delivery with a little growl in her voice.

This song has real power. I have chills.

That power is magnified in the third verse, similar to how "All Too Well" builds to a crescendo: "Don't call me 'kid,' don't call me 'baby' / Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me."

Certainly, "Illicit Affairs" is more restrained than Swift's iconic arena rock ballad, but goddamn that last verse hits hard.

Larocca: The way that she says "him" in the second verse shook me out of my skin in the very best way. And "Don't call me 'kid,' don't call me 'baby' / Look at this idiotic fool that you made me" will go down as one of her best breakup lines of all time.  

It's been a minute since Swift delivered a painstakingly beautiful breakup ballad, and the fact that this album is littered with them is, simply, a gift.  

"Illicit Affairs" has growing power and will likely become one of those tracks that fans form a strong emotional attachment to over time.

"Invisible String" is Taylor Swift at her most Taylor Swift.

Ahlgrim: "Invisible String" is a feast of Easter eggs and callbacks.

"Teal was the color of your shirt" reminds me of the line about Joe Alwyn's blue eyes on "Delicate," and her reference to a dive bar is similarly familiar. "Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs" recalls the push-and-pull on "Exile."

"Bad was the blood of the song in the cab" is undoubtedly a reference to Swift's 2015 single "Bad Blood," while "One single thread of gold / Tied me to you" feels like a nod to Swift's description of love's "golden" hue on the "Lover" album closer "Daylight."

This song is sprightly and sparkly and certainly nice to listen to, but its real strength lies in these details.

Swift is weaving many different stories on this album, many connected by a sort of "Invisible String," tying different pieces of her life and your life and other lives together. It ends up feeling like a growing plant with far-reaching roots, or a sentient treasure map.

Larocca: I'd be lying if I said there weren't multiple points throughout this album where I worried that Swift and her boyfriend Joe Alwyn had broken up. 

Thankfully, "Invisible String" is a rosy, wide-eyed ode to love. The plucky guitar paired with Swift's soft vocals is a sound I want to live in, which is fitting since this track feels like coming home. 

Every small detail, from the nod to Alwyn's time spent working at a frozen yogurt shop in his youth, to the color imagery that paints every inflection of Swift's adoration (especially the single thread of gold) come together to lay the holy ground Swift's relationship walks on. 

Also, the image of Swift mailing Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner gifts for their expectant first child brings about an unbridled sense of joy.

"Mad Woman" is yet another highlight.

Ahlgrim: Every time I think I've heard the peak of this album's songwriting potential, Swift manages to surprise me. 

Case in point: "Do you see my face in the neighbor's lawn? / Does she smile? / Or does she mouth, 'F--- you forever?'" Whoa.

And another, for good measure: "It's obvious that wanting me dead / Has really brought you two together." I texted Courteney, "Did she really just say that??"

This song is sublime on its own, but the way it ties back into the perception of female freedom and "madness" on "The Last Great American Dynasty" makes it even better. "Mad Woman" is definitely a personal favorite so far on this album, if not in Swift's entire catalog.

Larocca: "Mad Woman" will forever hold the honor of being the first song in which Swift says "f---" and for that, we should all be thankful. 

I was also so wrapped up in the storytelling of this album, that it took a minute for this to even register that this is likely about the Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta / Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West ordeals of Swift's past. These callouts used to be so obvious, that I greatly appreciate the subtlety and restraint here. 

It almost feels like these feuds were a lifetime ago, but this track does an excellent job at showcasing how anger and pain can leave an indelible mark on you. Swift went mad years ago, and that's just an accepted part of her narrative now. 

But for the first time, her rage sounds like freedom.

"Epiphany" doesn't stand out.

Ahlgrim: There are some really interesting vocal moments on "Epiphany," but so far, this is the only song I haven't felt captivated by. It's a bit snoozy, and a bit too long.

This song clearly references war, the loss of a loved one, and the coronavirus pandemic, which makes it lyrically intriguing at best — but distressing at worst. I don't mind letting the overall effect waft over me, but this won't be a song I revisit outside the context of the album.

Larocca: "Epiphany" is the only track on "Folklore" that didn't immediately grab me. It's essentially a war drama in song format, so some people might like it, but I truly couldn't care less about war movies or war songs! So it's not my favorite, but it makes for pretty background music. 

"Epiphany" does have another benefit though: Now, whenever some random dude erroneously claims Swift "only writes songs about her exes," fans have a clear song in her discography that they can point to and be like, "That's not true. This one's about war." 

That's not to say Swift needed that — anyone who has been paying attention understands she's quite possibly the best songwriter of her generation.  

This just happens to be further proof of that fact.

"Betty" is a charming callback to Swift's country roots.

Ahlgrim: "Betty" is like the best, sauciest song from Swift's 2006 debut country album that no one got to hear. It has sonic and lyrical similarities to hits like "Our Song" and "Tim McGraw," plus some name-dropping stuff like 2008's "Hey Stephen," plus a little harmonica thrown in for good measure! I love that for us.

"Betty" also appears to complete a three-song story, recalling details from "Cardigan" and "August" to close the loop on Betty and James, a couple in high school with some infidelity issues.

Looking back, it feels like "Cardigan" was told from Betty's perspective, while "August" was told from the perspective of a sort of "other woman" character. Now, we get James' side of the story. This is high art, folks! This is peak Storytelling Taylor!

"Betty" is also, like, very gay? I know it's easy to assume that James is a male character, but Swift herself was named after James Taylor, so she could be referring to herself. The song also references someone named Inez; James and Inez are the names of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's daughters.

Plus, in retrospect, the idea of whispering "Are you sure? Never have I ever before" during a summer fling seems pretty gay to me.

I'm not saying the story of Betty and James would be better if it was written about sapphic lovers, but I'm not not saying that.

Larocca: This one is gay, and if you try to tell me otherwise, I will simply ignore you. 

But Courteney, it's from the perspective of a guy named James. James and the other character, Inez, share the same names as Reynolds and Lively's kids (will leave it up to you to decide if that means their third daughter's name is Betty). James is their daughter. Get out of here with your antiquated ideas about which names connotate which genders. 

To me, the James named in this song is a woman and a lesbian and this song is for the gays. I will not be saying anything else or accepting any feedback on this opinion, thank you.

"Peace" is honest and raw.

Ahlgrim: This song's intro sounds like LCD Soundsystem had a baby with "The Archer." The gentle guitar riff is also lovely.

With Dessner's echoey production, Swift's voice sounds like a warm little fire in a cave — fitting, since she sings in the chorus, "I'm a fire and I'll keep your brittle heart warm."

OK damn, I'm getting really emotional. This songwriting is beautiful and haunting. "Peace" perfectly captures the ambient dread of feeling your partner slip away, of wondering whether love can be enough. 

Larocca: If you're a "Call It What You Want" stan, you're going to love its mature older sister "Peace." 

I will hereby forever be thinking about the parallels between "But I'm a fire and I'll keep your brittle heart warm" with "He built a fire just to keep me warm" and between "Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother" with "Trust him like a brother."

Also, "Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?" has the same emotional impact as when Swift changes the lyric in "The Archer" to "I see right through me" and that's meant as the highest form of compliment. 

Swift's vocals are so crisp, that guitar riff is so stunning, and these lyrics are so gut-wrenchingly vulnerable. A perfect song, through and through.

"Hoax" is unlike any other album closer in Swift's catalog.

Ahlgrim: I don't know if Swift is going through a traumatic breakup, but if she isn't, the woman is one convincing creative writer.

The National makes some of my favorite music to cry to, so when I heard Aaron Dessner had co-written and produced much of this album, I knew I was in for some glossy cheeks. Until now, I think I've felt too captivated by Swift's artistry to really let myself get there.

But finally, "Hoax" is making me cry.

This is heart-wrenching stuff for anyone, but for a fan and student of Swift's work, this is like reading a friend's diary entry.

"Don't want no other shade of blue, but you" must be a reference to "Delicate," in which Swift sings: "Dark jeans and your Nikes, look at you / Oh damn, never seen that color blue." Later, she croons, "You know I left a part of me back in New York," perhaps regretting the move to London that she detailed throughout "Lover." 

"You knew it still hurts underneath my scars / From when they pulled me apart," recalling the public shaming she endured and demons she exorcised on "Reputation." "But what you did was just as dark." Like I said before: Whoa.

Personally, I love having a good cry set to moody music, so I appreciate Swift's soul-bearing. "Hoax" is one gut-punch of an album closer.

Larocca: Swift has a habit of ending her albums on an uplifting, hopeful note and I always eat it up. But if "Folklore" hadn't made it clear by now that it should be consumed differently than any of her previous works, "Hoax" brings that message home.  

Instead of reveling in all the ways that love has made her stronger, happier, or more whole, "Hoax" deconstructs everything Swift has learned about love and leaves a bleaker picture about how maybe even the best of relationships hurt. 

But at its most tragic, this love still isn't something Swift will ever let go of: "Don't want no other shade of blue but you / No other sadness in the world would do."  

Finishing a Taylor Swift album has never been so devastating.

Final Grade: 9.7/10

[multi-fandom-shipper-20]

Realisation - MerlinXReader (Kingsman)

A/N: Just a little something I cooked up for Merlin (Mark Strong) Fans. 

Word Count: 2,258

You were in your room in the vast Kingsman Mansion, preparing to go on a mission with Eggsy and Roxy, your music blaring from your bluetooth speaker on your vanity, laptop open to the mission statement for you to memorize it. The plan was simple, something you had done a million times before but for some reason this mission felt a little different, you were apprehensive, tense even. A voice came over your glasses that startled you to begin with however you relaxed once you realized that it was just Merlin. “Everything alright, Y/N?” he questioned as you pulled on your tights. “Why wouldn’t it be?” You chirped trying to convince him as much as yourself. Without you noticing the track changed on the speaker from a gentle blues number to Paloma Faith. It wasn’t unusual for that change to happen since you always kept your playlist on shuffle yet the title of the song hit you within the first few bars. Focusing on the task at hand you tried to ignore the feeling of betrayal you felt towards your playlist as you looked down, checking to see if the tights had gathered at the waist. “Y/N! I wish you would warn me!” Merlin squeaked in embarrassment. “Shit! Sorry Merlin! I forgot you were there!” You cursed as you put your eyes to the wall. “Were you even listening, Y/N?” Merlin sighed. You imagined him leaning against the console in the comms room, head in his hands. “I got distracted” You admitted sheepishly. Yet again you heard the hiccup of your playlist changing over the speaker, this time it was a Robbie Williams song. “How ironic” you thought to yourself. “Y/N, if you three are going to make it to the mission on time, you need to stop getting distracted and actually get dressed. The car leaves in 15.” Merlin grumbled as he shut off the video/audio link. You quickly threw on your chosen dress for the evening, then you spent the next 10 minutes placing your wig on before shutting off the speaker and slipping into your heels almost forgetting to grab your cardigan and clutch bag. You were greeted by Eggsy, Roxy and Merlin at the front door to the mansion. “Ready to go, kid?” Eggsy questioned his smirk plastered on his face. “I’m only a few weeks younger than you, Gary” you remarked as his smirk faltered, you knew he preferred his nickname to his given name. “You look glamorous Y/N” Roxy smiled genuinely as she pulled you in for a hug. “Likewise, Rox” you smiled back, embracing the other woman. It got quiet as your gazed turned to Merlin. “Well?” You questioned as the silence became unbearable. “You look mission ready.” Merlin nodded his approval. “Where’s Harry when you need a compliment?” You teased, a giant grin playing at your lips. “Just remember the mission. All should go without a hitch if you follow the plan” Merlin grumbled as he rolled his eyes at your comment. Turning to face Eggsy and Roxy, you waited for them to head into the car before you joined them. “And for god sake, DON’T GET KILLED!” Merlin yelled as the heavy doors closed. The car ride to the mission was peaceful for the first 5 minutes, that was until Eggsy had to open his mouth. “So Y/N, you’ve been awfully distant lately. After missions you tend to head to bed straight away instead of joining us for the debriefing and a drink to wind down.” “I’ve just been tired, that’s all Eggsy” you countered as you flicked open your compact mirror to check over your make-up. “Are you sure it has nothing to do with a certain well dressed man back at mission control?” he tried seeing through your lie almost immediately. “Eggsy! He could hear you, you know!” Roxy squealed as she clasped her hand over his mouth. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Eggsy.” You grumbled as you turned your head away from him. Now wasn’t the time to be having this discussion, you needed to focus on the mission and not get distracted by thoughts of Merlin running through your head. When you arrived to the venue of your mission, you diverted straight to the powder room. “Maybe I shouldn’t have downed that glass of squash before I left” You thought to yourself on the other hand that wasn’t the only thing that was bugging you. Was it that obvious that you had a thing for Merlin? If Eggsy and Roxy had picked up on it who else knew? Washing your hands for what felt like the 100th time in the space of a few minutes. “Focus Y/N! This is a big mission and if this goes well you can go back home, pour yourself a glass of Apple and Blackcurrant squash then settle down to watch Family Guy and American Dad before drifting off to sleep” You mentally slapped yourself in an attempt to get your priorities straight. Thankfully, once you had returned to the task at hand and rejoined both Eggsy and Roxy, the mission went without a hitch. Your target was acquired meaning once Eggsy or Roxy had interrogated them they would probably have a cooling off period in one of the ice boxes before being released into general police custody. The card ride back to the mansion was coated in adrenaline fueled silence, the previous interrogation into your private affairs seemingly forgotten. “Our little discussion isn’t over, Y/N. I will get answers.” Eggsy commented as though he had read your thoughts. “Let it go, Eggsy. We have more urgent matters at hand” Roxy snapped as her foot jabbed into the leg of the target. “I don’t ask you about the things you and Princess Tilde get up to, Unwin. So butt out” you hissed, he was slowly getting on your last nerve. You were the first one to exit the car and enter the mansion, stopping in your tracks as your eyes met Merlin’s as he descended the staircase. For a second, you thought you saw the one thing you had been wanting to see for months now, but it had gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I’ll be in my room if you need me” you spoke with a little more anger than you had expected. “Duly noted” Merlin nodded, his eyes leaving yours once the doors reopened behind you to reveal Eggsy, Roxy and your target. Throwing your heels into the wardrobe you let the bedroom door slam shut. “Dammit Eggsy. Why do you always seem to get on my last nerve?” You asked no one in particular. Spying your speaker, you picked it up and reconnected your phone before walking over to the vanity to take the evenings outfit off. As soon as you hit play on your phone a silly Boyzone song began to play but that didn’t stop you from singing along. While you danced around your room to the song, you changed into your favourite nightwear, Disney Pajamas and a silk chemise. There was an occasion where you would swap out the chemise for a kimono or a fluffy dressing gown but that one was primarily for the winter. As song after song played through your speaker, you continued to dance until your anger towards Eggsy had all but dissipated. Falling on your bed, you laughed at your childishness. You laid there for a moment, just catching your breath. It had occurred to you to turn off the speaker and ultimately the music but your movements were interrupted by a soft knock at your door. At first you thought you had imagined it so you ignored it until you heard it again, this time a little bit louder. Still unsure about whether or not it was really happening you finally opened the door to find Merlin standing there, still dressed to the nines in his “penguin suit” as he often called it. “To what do I owe the pleasure to your presence at my door at this time of night?” you questioned, pleasantly surprised. Before he could speak, your playlist skipped into a Sister Sledge song, causing your eyes to widen in shock and dive head first to where your phone lay to shut it off, but Merlin’s hand caught yours before you could take the leap. “Y/N, we need to talk.” he spoke sternly as he turned you to face him. “Oh?” was all you could utter as your eyes met his again, your free hand colliding with his broad chest in an attempt to steady yourself. “Why weren’t you with Eggsy and Roxy interrogating the target?” he question, unphased by the compromising position. You felt the vibrations of his voice though his chest as he spoke but your eyes didn’t leave his. Your ears picked up the change of song yet again, this time to a Sir Tom Jones number which caused a faint blush to dust your cheeks. You knew Merlin could hear it as well however his demeanor wasn’t affected and his green/grey ones staring into your darker oceanic blue ones, not flickering, almost as though he was daring you to blink first. “I asked you a question, Y/N.” he spoke again, breaking the silence, a low groan emanating from his throat. “God damn! That has to be the most sexiest sound to ever come out of that man’s mouth! Besides his voice-. Shit, Y/N! Focus for christ sake! Right he asked a question. What was it?!” you asked yourself a frown appearing on your face as you attempted to remember the question. Merlin waited patiently for you to recall the question, unmoving and quietly breathing. Click. The song had changed again this time to a song more suitable for a nightclub than a bedroom, you recognised it as a Riton and Oliver Heldens collaboration with the help of Vula. You didn’t entirely hate the song but ever since Merlin had walked into your room, it had seemed to have decided to pick the most inappropriate songs in your playlist. “Y/N, don’t make me ask you again” Merlin grumbled, his grip on your wrist tightening enough to get your attention but not hard enough to leave a bruise. “I don’t like doing interrogations. Besides, those two have a whole good cop/bad cop routine going for them, if I tried to hone in on that I could end up ruining it.” you shrugged as you pulled away from him. Each step you took towards your bed, he matched it however instead of going to your bed he went to sit on the stool by the vanity. It went quiet again for a moment, long enough for you to hear the track change again, this time to a movie soundtrack, one where there’s a dance scene that you had always wanted to recreate. “You know, if you really don’t like interrogations that much, I could always pull you out of field operations and you could help me out here” Merlin suggested, though his voice was quiet as if his mouth was beginning to dry up. Your eyes left your hands that lay in your lap to meet his again. “Me? Help you?” you questioned, your brows furrowing in confusion. As far as you knew no one in the history of Kingsman had helped the tech wiz. That had always been a solo operation until the previous tech wiz had brought in a trainee before retirement. “Are you looking to retire, Merlin?” you asked before you could stop yourself. His eyes lit up at that question and you thought that he was going to start laughing as his stoic facade had cracked allowing the hint of a smile to shine through. “Not for a few good years yet, Y/N. I just thought it was a better option than staying in the field and having to deal with interrogations.” he shrugged, as he bought his hands to grab yours that still sat in your lap. “Can I sleep on it?” you hummed a twinkle in your eyes as they rose from both of your hands entwined together. “Sure, let me know by the end of the week and we’ll get the transfer sorted, ready for Monday” he spoke, reassuringly. This time the smile reached the corner of his eyes so you knew that it was genuine. “There it is again. Silence. Neither of us moving or saying a word” you thought to yourself. Click. Another new song started playing. This time it was a Robbie Williams song but he wasn’t alone he had a woman with him. It took you a few minutes to recognize it as Nicole Kidman. Still neither of you moving, you just allowed the song to speak for you both. Towards the climax of the song, Merlin stood and headed towards the door. You followed his lead, holding the door for him to step out of. “Well I guess, I’ll let you get some rest. It’s getting late” Merlin hummed as he turned to face you once again. “Goodnight, Merlin” you smiled as you leant against the door, ready to close it as soon as he disappeared down the hall. “It’s Hamish” you looked at him with confusion as clear as day on your face. “My real name. It’s Hamish” he clarified as he backed away from the door “Well, goodnight Hamish.” you corrected, popping your head out so that he could hear you. “Goodnight, Y/N” he smiled to himself as he turned to walk down the hall.