#YOU PROBABLY ALSO HATE THE GRINCH

[ieatpeoplelotsofpeople]

SHUT UP, THE LONG SLEEVES ARE AWESOME

Here we can see a BASTARD in disguise, hidden behind anonimity. You DISGUST me. Long sleeves are so, SO bad. They make you hot and stick to your skin. They get in the way because they're stupid. AND YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE THEM OFF WHEN YOU'RE OUTSIDE AND IT'S TOO HOT.

I bet you also like Santa, don't you? God. You people make me sick.

[kangals]

what does the grooming process look like for stellina and kep?

my 'process" for grooming is very much what i would call 'poor man's dog training':

get a silicone lick-mat

apply peanut butter very generously

slap that bad boy onto the front of the fridge/kitchen appliances at dog eye-level

groom while they're distracted

i start this process day 1 as puppies and continue it through their whole lives. should i actually be putting in the effort to actually train them to stand still and quietly for grooming without the need for food distraction? yes. do i? no i'm lazy.

or if you're asking about like, what grooming i'm actually doing:

hair: i do an all-over brush at least once a week (should do twice but again, lazy and not needed). takes like 20-30 mins. my 'schedule' for brushing is basically this:

red areas (behind ears, arm/legpits) are high-friction and very prone to matting. these you have to brush out at least once a week, no exceptions, or you will get mats. this is also very sensitive skin so it's good to desensitize them to brushing as much as you can.

yellow areas should be brushed at least once weekly to comb out any tangles and debris, but are less prone to matting.

and then the rest of them i'll brush through but that's about it, that part pretty much never tangles.

i normally just use a pin brush and slicker brush, and a metal comb for the yellow/red areas. sometimes an undercoat rake if they're very sheddy.

collies are 'dry' dogs - they don't really drool, and they don't have the oily waterproof coat that breeds like a lab or hound does, so they're naturally low-odor without much of a 'doggy' smell. i'll bathe every 4-8 weeks depending on what the weather's like and if their skin seems like it's getting cruddy. 2-3 times a year i'll take them to a groomer to have them do a 'deshed' treatment where they really blow out the undercoat, because this makes a huge difference in keeping them comfortable in the heat, and in how much hair i have to vacuum.

for stellina i've also been getting an outline trim (shortening up the yellow areas on the pic with long feathering) in spring and fall, it just keeps things cleaner and it makes a huge difference in the amount of time i have to spend brushing.

feet: i dremel nails every week, same PB-mat method as with brushing. every week is probably overkill but i think it's good desensitization and also i hate long nails on dogs so i'm a bit anal about it. collies tend to get long hair on the feet/between the pads, some people like the 'grinch feet' look but personally i fucking hate it so every 4-6 weeks i just take round-tip scissors and clean them up.

other: the rest i do as needed, e.g. if i see any wax/debris in the ears i'll do a clean with OTC ear cleaner and a cotton ball. one of stellina's eyes tends to be teary, so about once a week i take a warm washcloth and wipe them down to prevent tear stains. and then i vacuum my house weekly, sometimes every 2 weeks if it's not too bad.

honestly i'm writing a lot but what i've listed here is way less than 1 hour a week on average, collies IMO are not particularly high-grooming needs dogs (compared to, say, a doodle or OES that needs daily brushing and regular professional grooming). i find the grooming and hair totally manageable. i honestly prefer dealing with long hair because it tends to clump together on the ground, rather than short hairs that fly and scatter into everything. people tend to see roughs and go 'oh no way too much hair' but like, it is super manageable as long as you've got half an hour at some point each week to brush your dog. i'm very obsessive about my pets being 'neat' and i do fine.

sorry for the incredibly overly-long answer to your very simple ask lmao

[adelarsims]

SPELLS CHALLENGE FINAL RESULTS

posts: group 1, group 2, group 3, group 4

i'm very sorry, as you can already see, i won't be able to finish the tournament in october, so it'll take probably about a week of november, too. between health complications and relatives invasion, my october is absolutely hectic, i constantly want to sleep and don't have the time for anything. please don't hate me, i already feel like a pumpkin grinch that is stealing halloween.

under cut you can find the full list by points gained, and also the full list by alphabet with spells learned, in case anyone is curious :)

@x-digitaldollhouse-x @aliengirl @hashimasims @witchywhims @partheniasimblr @smilingmoon @adoringsentiment @syntacticerrortxt @bloomingkyras @llamatail @royal-teabag @nova-kim @applesaucesims @invisiblequeen @riverofjazzsims @lupinkforreal @rainmustfallts4 @lessathxhi @honeysylvan @vampirictrait @piupiowa @eldritch-simmer @merofthefae @mokoszkokosz @simsinfinitylt @jaigny @igotsnothing @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants @knightofwounds @agena87 @thebramblewood @kari-sims

[basiccortez]

The Man in the Red Suit

pairing: Rip Wheeler x female!Dutton warnings: minor Yellowstone spoilers ahead (Lee's death, season five things), mentions of grief and death, Rip being a grinch Rip Wheeler Masterlist | Yellowstone Masterlist Yellowstone Taglist Form

Note: Merry Christmas to all! :)

“Why do I have to dress up?” Rip asked for probably the thousandth time since you pulled out the red santa suit, beard and hat. 

“Because it’s Evelyn’s first Christmas and I want her to take a picture with Santa Clause,” You said, curling your hair in the mirror. It was Christmas Eve and your sister had invited the whole family to the house for dinner, drinks and gifts. It was yours and Rip's first Christmas as parents and you wanted it to be perfect. Evelyn was only seven months old so she wouldn’t be able to know if anything went wrong or not, but you would know. 

“And your dad or Kayce can’t but on the ridiculous-” 

“No! It has to be you!” You sighed, putting down the hot iron, “Evelyn won’t sit on my dads or Kayce’s lap. You saw how she acted when we took her to see Santa at the coffee shop.” 

“Well he was a bit-” Rip shut up when you gave him a glare through the reflection of the mirror. He knew better than to argue with a Dutton woman, it was one sure way to get a fist to the face. Rip opened his mouth to say something just as Evelyn let out a cry, “We’ll discuss later.” 

You smiled to yourself as you finished getting ready for the Christmas party. When you walked downstairs your heart warmed in your chest seeing Rip holding Evelyn and looking at the ornaments on the tree. She had his big brown eyes and dark curls, you were amazed how much hair she had at such a young age. She was really her father’s twin, there was no mistaking who she belonged to. 

It was also amazing to see how quickly Rip took on the role of being a father. He had his reservations about it, he was young when his mother died and his father was a monster. It kept him up at night thinking about the type of parent he would be. Would he be mean like his old man? Would his child grow up to hate him? To be afraid of him? For those nine months you were carrying Evelyn, Rip read every single parenting book he could get his hands on. He asked Kayce and John for advice. None of it really made sense to him, but then he saw his babygirl for the first time, and it did. Rip was an amazing dad. 

“Momma is staring at us again,” Rip whispered to Evelyn and kissed her cheek. She giggled at the feeling of his beard on her soft little cheek, “You ready? It’s cold out, and I don’t want her to sweat in the car seat and then go outside. That’s how kids get sick.”

“I am ready,” You nodded, “I just gotta get the baby bag, the gift for Dad and Beth, and the cookies for Tate.” 

“All of that is in the car and it’s running,” Rip said. 

“What would I do without you?” You asked with a smile on your face. You leaned up on your tiptoes and kissed his lips, “Can you put her in the car seat? I’ll grab the Santa suit.” 

Rip rolled his eyes as you skipped back down the hall towards the bedroom, “Your mom is crazy,” He whispered to Evelyn and the little girl turned to face her father, showing him a gummy smile. Rip smiled at his daughter, kissing her cheek again and then going to put her in her car seat. 

The Dutton house was decorated from floor to ceiling for Christmas, which was probably Beth’s doing. She may lie to your face and say she hates kids, but she would do anything to make her niece and nephew smile. Christmas also made her happy, despite what she says, it was the one time of year where all the Dutton siblings seemed to put their bullshit aside for a couple hours. Rip parked as close to the door as he could get, he didn’t want to carry Evelyn that far in the cold weather. 

“You can put the Santa suit on after dinner,” You said as you  walked up the path towards the front door, “While we’re cleaning up and setting up gifts, it will be perfect.” You opened the front door, and walked into the warm smelling house. 

“Yeah,” Rip said as he walked in behind you. 

“Aunt Y/N, you’re here!” Tate yelled running up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

“Hey bud,” You kissed the top of his head, “Have you grown again?” 

“Probably,” Kayce said, and greeted you with a quick kiss on your head, “Wakes up five inches taller than the night before. Where’s the little one?” 

“Rip’s got her,” You said and nodded your head over to the living room where Rip was taking Evelyn out of her car seat, Monica waiting for her chance at baby snuggles, “How is she?” 

“Better,” Kayce sighed, “I think having Evelyn on Wednesdays helps. She might have gone a tad overboard with the gifts for her, but it’s her first Christmas.” 

“If you think Monica has spoiled her, wait until you see what Beth has put under the tree,” Your dad said, also giving you a kiss on the head in greeting, “Gator is ready to serve dinner.” 

“Sounds good, daddy,” You said and then walked over to your husband, who was watching Monica hold his daughter. Monica was slowly looking better since the loss of her son John. It was actually her that asked if she could babysit Evelyn for you while you were spending time going back to work for your dad’s new role as governor. It was nice to see her smile again. 

“Dad wants us at the table,” You said to them. 

“Thanks Y/N,” Monica said, and handed you your daughter, “She looks like she’s feeling better.” 

“She is. Thank you very much for those tips,” You smiled at the woman before she walked off to go find her own family. 

Gator probably spent the whole day working on the Christmas dinner for the Duttons. The table was stocked full of ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, all the fixings. John sat at the head of the table like he usually did, you and Beth on either side of him. Rip sat next to you, and Tate on the other side of him. Kayce sat on the other end, with Monica on his left. There usually was one more person at the table, but Jamie had turned down Beth’s (not so nice) invite. John had dug around in the basement for the high chair that they’ve had since you were a baby to put Evelyn in. She sat between you and John. 

“So, Tate,” Beth said, taking a sip of her wine and looking up at you with a glint in her eye. She knew of your plan to get Rip into the Santa costume and hopefully telling Tate outloud will help seal the deal, “I hear Santa is coming by.” 

“He’s not real,” Tate answered and Rip looked at you with a shit eating grin, “I’m not five anymore.” 

“See, he’s not five, and Evelyn is too-” 

“You are putting on the damn Santa outfit,” You harshly whispered to him, “If I have to stuff you in it myself, you’re putting it on.” 

“I’d like to see you try,” Rip challenged and you glared at him. Kayce watched as the small stare down between you and Rip was broken up by Evelyn throwing a piece of bread on the floor. He could see that the whole Santa thing was somewhat bothering you, he knew you well enough to know how much Christmas means to you. You only got to spend one Christmas with your mother before her death, and you cherished the family moments like this. 

“Act surprised when he gets here,” Kayce whispered to his son, “For Evelyn.” 

“Why?” Tate asked, “She’s just a baby.” 

“Because it means alot to Aunt Y/N,” Kayce said and then cleared his throat, “She only had one Christmas with our mom, and it meant a lot to her. The only pictures she really has are of her, Santa and our mom.” 

Tate looked down at his food, and then up at his dad. In his short life, he had gone through a lot, and had witnessed loss at first hand. He looked over at his aunt who excused herself from the table to take care of his younger cousin. He thought to himself that there would’ve been two babies at Christmas, but instead, there’s just one. 

Tate nodded, “Okay. I will, I promise.” Kayce smiled at his son and patted his shoulder. 

When everyone's bellies were full, the family retired to the living room, where they started opening gifts from the large pile underneath the Christmas tree. You sat on the floor with Evelyn on your lap, helping her tear into the packages that Tate was handing her. She was having more fun sticking the wrapping paper in her mouth than trying to open the gifts. Both Beth and Monica had their phones out making sure to take pictures to capture the moments. The men all sat back with drinks in their hands, talking about cattle and giving the occasional “oh that’s cool” when it was needed. 

“Tate, why don’t you help Evelyn open the gifts from us,” Monica and moved down on the floor next to the kids. 

“I noticed you don’t have the Santa costume on,” You whispered to Rip. 

“There’s no need to put the ridiculous suit on,” Rip said, sipping his whisky, “She’s not going to remember it.” You clenched your jaw as you looked at the ground, “She’s a baby. It can wait until-” 

“It can’t wait!” You yelled and the eyes of your family members looked at you. You sucked in a breath to compose yourself and stood up from the floor, “I’m sorry. It’s just. . . its tradition.” 

“Y/N,” Rip called out to you, trying to grab your hand as you walked away from the living room. He sighed and ran a hand over his beard. 

“She believed in Santa until she was about fourteen,” John said, “Might’ve been partially my fault. I paid Paul Adler to dress up as Santa and come to the house. I guess it was my way of holding on to the things my Evelyn used to do.” John looked at the last family portrait that was sitting on the mantel above the fireplace. It was taken on Christmas eve of 1996. You were in your mothers arm with Lee looking over her shoulder at you. You were the closest with Lee growing up, and his death affected you much harder than anyone else. 

“I never realized how much it meant,” Rip answered, “I just thought it was something silly that she wanted to do for the kids.” 

“Everything that girl does has meaning to it. She just doesn’t do things ‘just because’. You’ll learn that soon enough.” 

Rip nodded and then stood up from the couch, going down the hall after you. Monica smiled at her father-in-law. They hadn’t ever had a close relationship, John saw Monica as the woman who was going to take his son away from him, but they had bonded over the horrible shared grief between them. John looked at Monica, and the woman handed her his granddaughter. 

“C’mere, Evie,” John said, lifting the baby from Monica’s arms, “How about you open this?” He grabbed the small box from the side table and helped the little one open it. It was her very first pair of cowboy boots, “Every girl needs a pair of boots.” He kissed her forehead and helped her put them on her feet. 

You were laying on your childhood bed, staring up at the ceiling where there were once glow in the dark stars that Lee helped you put up. Your father was livid and worried that they would pull the paint off the ceiling, but Lee assured him that it wouldn’t. The next person in this house who loved the Christmas traditions besides you was Lee. He would stay up late with you to wrap presents as you would write in fancy handwriting ‘To who, from Santa.” When you were younger, he would be the one to eat the cookies, and leave “snowy” (which was actually flour) footprints by the fireplace as if good Ol’ Saint Nick had actually come down the chimney to leave gifts. One time, he even brought a horse up from the barn to leave “reindeer” prints in the fresh snow (however, you knew a horse track when you saw one). 

You thought that overtime, the grief of losing your mother and brother would slowly start to subside, but it seemed as if this Christmas, it had come back in full blast. Maybe it was because you were a mother now, and you knew how fragile life could be and change with a snap of a finger.

“Baby?” You heard Rip’s voice before you saw him. You just sighed, and listened as his heavy boots walked over to you, “I’m sorry about the Santa stuff.” 

“My dad tell you I believed in Santa until I was thirteen.” 

“He said fourteen.” 

“He’s a fucking liar. Jamie told me on my thirteenth birthday that I can’t believe Santa was real anymore,” You said and sat up from your bed, “I should be apologizing to you.” 

“For what?” Rip asked, and sat next to you on the bed. 

“I know the holidays aren’t your thing,” You said and grabbed his hand. Your nervous habit was playing with his hands, “And I shouldn’t have pushed you so much into doing it.” 

Rip smiled sadly at you, and grabbed your hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it, “The holidays are my thing because they are your thing. They make you happy, and anything that makes you happy makes me happy. Besides, Evelyn seems to love it.” 

You giggled and shook your head, moving closer to your husband. He wrapped his strong arms around you, “You’re right, Evelyn won’t remember this. She’s spending more time shoving wrapping paper in her mouth than knowing what's going on.” 

“But we will remember,” Rip said and kissed your cheek, “We will remember Evelyn’s first Christmas and that’s what matters.” 

“Thank you,” You said, looking up at him. 

“For what, baby? I nearly ruined this shit.” 

“For giving me the best Christmas present ever,” You smiled up at him. He caressed your face and then placed a kiss on your lips. You hummed into the kiss, and ran your fingers through his brown curls. He moved you in his lap, so you were straddling him, and he laid back against the bed. His hands roamed your body, going down to your hips. Your tongues moved against one another, you being able to taste the whiskey on his tongue. 

A knock on the door startled you both as you lifted your head up to see Beth standing in the doorway, “Oh don’t stop on my account,” She had a smirk on her face and you rolled your eyes, “But there’s someone here to see you.” 

You furrowed your eyebrows and climbed off of Rip and your bed. You walked down towards the living room and stopped in your tracks seeing, 

“Santa?” 

“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!” Santa said, standing in the middle of your living room. You looked at your sister and Rip. 

“I made a call,” Beth smiled, and you threw your arms around her, hugging her tightly, “Oh-” 

“Thank you, Bethy,” You said and then went towards your child who was back in Monica’s arms. Rip looked a bit confused as he watched you place Evelyn in Santa’s arms. He looked around the living room spotting Kayce, John, and Gator all standing around. 

“Who did-” Rip asked Beth but then he heard Santa speak again, “Lloyd?” 

Beth shrugged, “He owed me a favor.” 

Rip shook his head, and then walked towards his family. Beth let out a breath in relief as she watched her family gather around to talk to “Santa���. Evelyn surprisingly didn’t cry when she was set on Santa’s lap, probably because she was too distracted by all the movement around her. 

“Get together you three,” Monica said, grabbing your phone from you, “I’ll take a picture.” 

“Rip, sit on the other side of Santa’s lap,” You said and he gave you a deadpanned look, “It’s for the memories, sweetheart.” 

“Only for you, honey,” Rip gave you a fake smile as he carefully sat on Lloyd’s other knee. 

“Don’t break me bossman,” Lloyd said and Rip also gave him a glare, “It’s for the kid, don’t be a grinch! Smile!” 

“Call me a grinch again and I’ll have you scrapping shit-” 

“Okay, smile!” Monica said, “1. . . 2. . . 3!” 

You, Rip and “Santa” smiled at the camera as Evelyn was still looking up amazed at Santa. You took her from Santa’s lap and looked at the pictures Monica took. 

“They’re perfect!” You cheered, “Thank you so much, Santa.” 

“No problem! Ho, ho, ho!” Santa said and Beth led him out the front door. 

Rip put his arm around your shoulders, “You know what they say about Mistletoe.” 

You looked up above your head to see the green twig hanging above you. You smiled and grabbed Rip’s face, bringing him down to you for a kiss, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Wheeler.” 

“Merry Christmas to you, Mrs. Wheeler.

[alwaysaslutforfic]

Kyoutani Headcanons ❤️ - NSFW

Guess who’s back with some more headcanons 😏 Apparently I have a thing for mean, blond boys

Warnings: again nothing super explicit, mentions of costumes, oral, recording videos

Minors DNI! There is nothing for you under the cut! I MEAN IT!

Unbeta’d cos 🤷🏾

Despite his aesthetic, he’s actually pretty smart. (I mean he did transfer into an academy so) and is also a pretty gentle tutor. He knows what it’s like to be discouraged from doing something you enjoy so he would never make you feel bad for trying even though your answers are just so very wrong

Very high-key low-key scared of heights. You once got trapped on the 20th floor in an elevator with him and seriously considered knocking him out. If you go to a theme park, he will gladly Watch you ride the rollercoasters. (He loves the teacups though)

Actually has a really charming, boyish smile but it only ever comes out around you

Summer freckles. There aren’t a lot of them, but they are prominent. And a gorgeous tan. If it weren’t for the RBF you’d be more worried with how handsome he is in summertime

Loves to push your buttons but would also never want to disrespect you, so you have a lot of random consent talks; “Can I smack your ass?” “…Like right now?” “Just whenever.” “Sure?” “Cool, lemme know if you want me to stop.” — Proceeds to smack your ass literally every time you walk past him, no matter where you are. You nearly slapped him once when he happened to see you in public cos you thought it was a stranger

Says the sweetest shit with the most deadpan of expressions. Has zero shame or reservations about how much he loves you. He’s a straightforward person through and through. Just wanders into the room you’re in and hits you with “You know your my reason for breathing, right?” 😠

Posts gym thirst traps, but without the intent of them being thirst traps. He just likes to track and share his progress but dude is so buff that it just works out that way (he sends all his actual thirst traps to you directly)

Sweaty, sweaty boy but he doesn’t really smell. Probably sweats so much cos he’s always warm and for that reason winter is his favourite season. He doesn’t sweat as much and you’re always cuddling up to him for warmth

Loves anime. Will watch it for hours with you. And not just Shounen too, this man is an anime connoisseur and has the best recommendations no matter the genre. But beware, cos he waits for no one. If you miss an episode that’s on you

Oh shit and his grime selection! Elite!! He heard one song and he was hooked. Started calling Oikawa a wasteman and is endlessly amused by it

Outside of that though, he will listen to any and everything. Music is music and as such his Spotify is a trash heap. Like shit is jarring, and is predominately yelling. Boy doesn’t know the meaning of the word playlist

Be his jetpack 😭 he loves being the little spoon. He nuzzles when he’s sleepy

An early riser but not a morning person. And even worse, he hates the taste of coffee so he’ll just glare blearily for at least an hour whenever he wakes up

But he really enjoys herbal tea. Him showing you his collection is what prompted your biweekly selfcare nights. He doesn’t really know what’s happening, but he’s content to spend time with you and let you do whatever. (He also never knew skin could feel that fucking soft)

Oh and good luck waking him up. There’s a video in the OG Seijoh group chat of him sleeping through 4 different foghorn alarms. He was banned from naps after he slept through lunch and missed his next class and was 15 minutes late to practise cos he just wouldn’t wake up. Just dead to the world once his head hits a pillow

He likes when you wear trashy, slutty outfits. Naughty firewoman/man, naughty nurse, naughty cheerleader, naughty grinch. He likes it even more when you play it up. The naughty teacher fulfilled fantasies he didn’t even know he had

He calls you puppy during sex when he’s feeling particulary dominant and you surprised him with a costume on his birthday compete with ears and a tail. He went three rounds that night and you lost count of how many times you came

He gets worked up being ignored by you, likes having to work for your attention. He could spend hours kissing up and down your neck as you read, ignoring the hard on he’s grinding into your ass. It’s only when he’s manhandling you that you break the ruse

Goes gooey eyed for some head. I’m talking knees shaking, toes curled. Man turns to straight mush. The first blowjob you gave him lasted mere minutes, but it was so hot listening to him whimper as he came in your mouth that you weren’t that upset

(Speaking of whimpers) Deep, growling moans, and pretty little whimpers when he cums. He just sounds so good during sex that you actually get a little excited when he has to go to away games cos that means hearing it directly in your ear through the phone

Loves taking videos of the two of you. He just loves having the view of you and him together on hand. And if he plays them in the background while you fuck once or twice, well your embarrassment only makes it hotter

Will eat you out after the gym. He actually gets upset if you shower first cos you washed off the ✨sparkle✨. He just loves the way you taste in general. He mouths wet kisses into your skin when you fuck just so he can taste you

I have one more of these in the works atm 😜 can you guess who it is?

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 50 - Red Dawn

Summary: A tense car ride is full of twists and turns. Josie gets an upsetting message. Craig softens and he and Jo seem to bond as they share another long talk. A phone call leaves Jo with more questions than answers.

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst, anxiety, drinking,

Chapter characters: Luke, Josie, Craig, Lee

Chapter word count: 7,953

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

Salem, Massachusetts

March 22, 2022

The tedious drive back to Salem seemed like an eternity and it was deafly quiet, except for the cat-like purr of Luke's Charger. As soothing as the subtle sound was, it still couldn't calm the seething tension between you and the law abiding bad boy that consistently chewed on his thumb nail, for it was much too close for comfort in the compacted side by side space.

But as the cruising car entered Essex county, your focus then went to the mile long monster that lied up ahead. The Salem Harbor Bay bridge that you had recently drove over with Orlando with no choice, for time had been of the essence to get to Dave and this time, your reaction was not much different as your anxiety began to rise, but at least that time, you were in the driver seat. You had control and had someone with you that you trusted and felt safe with and that got you through it. Now, you were literally bound by your wrists and at the mercy of a man who's personality was all over the place. Hot, cold, gentle, savage. It was mood swing madness and you had been stupid enough to wake the lion.

The no speaking agreement was now over for you as you became desperate. "Can you please go another way?"

Luke's tone was cold and his words were straight to the point. "Nope. Freeway. Nowhere to turn around. This way is faster. The sooner I get you out of my car and my sight, the better."

You supposed you couldn't blame his anger after shoving him like you did. You were angry with yourself too, for look where it had landed you. In cuffs and facing prison time for assaulting a cop. Jesus, how were you going to get out of this one? You hated to admit it but Luke was probably right. Gerry couldn't do anything for you. Not without jeopardizing his job and his morals, but...it didn't mean he wouldn't try and you had to hold out hope for that, for if anyone could find some loophole to free you, it was your ex-fiance. You also knew that his guilt over his drunken one-nighter with your sister would give him the extra incentive, not to mention, he still loved you and now you were the one who felt guilty for even thinking of using that against him. BUT, you had the same issue you recently had with Dave. Gerry was M.I.A. and now with that added onto the Brobdingnagian bridge rapidly approaching, your nerves might just send you into a code blue.

Seconds before the wheels thumped over the divide from stable ground to an abyss of lung filling liquid, Luke couldn't help but notice your fear through his random side eyed glances at you as your body stiffened up, your breathing ceased and your eyes clenched shut. He pretended not to notice as he stared straight ahead and tried not to care but deep below the hardened shell of a man, the Grinch's small heart grew 3 sizes that day.

"What's going on Jo?"

"Just shut up and drive. Faster would be great." you muttered, eyes still closed.

"Can't. There's a truck in front of me and I can't pass. Double lines."

Your left eye peeked at Luke. "Oh my god mister holier than thou. Trying to make up for the shitty things you've done by being a model citizen now? What happened to the skillful driver who perfectly whipped my Monte Carlo around every turn in town like he was Luke Duke in the General Lee trying to outrun Rosco P. Coltrane?'

"But Bo always drove the majority of the time."

"Yeah I know that! I just thought it was more fitting to say Luke since that's your name and your hair is dark like his."

"True I suppose. I didn't care for Bo anyways. I don't like blonde hair."

There was silence as both of your eyes were now open and glaring at him as he stared straight ahead with that curled smug smirk of his.

You then raised a smart ass brow. "So that's why you cuffed and stuffed me."

Luke's eyes swung right over to yours and now you were giving the smug smirk.

"I cuffed you because that blonde hair of yours caused you to do something extremely stupid. Now, I thought we weren't talking?"

Your lips pursed and your eyes slitted. "We're NOT! So just hurry up and get us over this bridge already."

"We've been over it for the past 30 seconds."

"What?"

You straightened up in your seat and looked around to see that you were now on a rural road surrounded by forestry.

"Hmmph." you marveled as you burrowed back into your heated leather seat. "Guess I was distracted."

Luke grinned as he glanced at you. "Exactly. It usually does the trick."

"Wait, so...you only engaged in conversation with me to distract me from my fear??"

"Yep and it worked like a charm. Guess I' m not such a bad guy after all."

"Says you."

His eyes snapped to you as he grimaced. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question??? Can you please just STOP talking now??"

"Whatever." he mumbled and sped up.

Not even a minute passed and Luke was speaking again. "So...you're afraid of bridges huh? Why's that?"

Rolling your eyes, you sighed and continued to gaze out the window as you reluctantly replied.

"I'm not afraid of bridges. I'm afraid of heights. There's a difference."

"So, more so, you're afraid of falling really."

"Well duhhhh...and falling into what lies beneath it. All the weight of that water, just pulling me down further and further into it's ice cold depths where there's nothing but darkness and it fills my lungs as my panic forces me to suck it in, trying to breathe."

"Or...you could always swim."

Your eyes lowered as you became quiet and began fidgeting with your fingers.

As Luke looked at you, awaiting your usual mordant riposte, he quickly realized why you hadn't.

"You...you can't swim?"

"Does this even matter? Why can't you just leave me alone and quietly revel in my misery? I got my just deserves. But hey, if you do happen to find a heartbeat under that cold and austere armor, could you not mention this to my mother for the time being? This is the last thing she needs right now."

You wriggled your hips in the skintight seatbelt so you could turn towards the window to hide the oncoming tears of shame and once Luke couldn't see you, they poured out of your eyes like a waterfall. What you didn't consider was that he could see your emotional reflection in the glass as you silently sobbed.

5 minutes of faint intermittent whimpers and sniffles were unwillingly heard loud and clear by Luke. As he came to a stop at a red light, he looked over at you and that's when his own anxiety got the better of him.

Seeing you all vulnerable and huddled against the door like a child sent a stinging twinge of empathy through his heart and made him question if what he was doing was right, even if you did break the law, for he had goaded you and not only that, your anger was justified about Lee. He wasn't going to tell you that though or the fact that he spent many nights weeping and beating himself up over what happened between him and his once upon a time good friend. It was extremely hard for him to speak about just as it was for Lee, for Luke knew it was all of his own fault by intentionally knocking over the first domino, he just never knew the chain of events would lead up to what it did. What he did know is that someday, you would know the ugly truth.

As Luke neared the road that led straight into downtown Salem, the guilt trip he was on forced him to abruptly stop and turn around.

As he pulled to the side of the road and parked, you were already sitting straight up with wet and wildly confused eyes.

"What are you doing? The police station is the other way?"

"I'm not going there. Give me your hands."

"What??"

"Jo, just give me your hands before I change my mind."

As you slowly and unsurely swayed your hands in his direction, he grabbed them, startling you as he vigorously unlocked the cuffs, then yanked your seatbelt off.

"There. Go on. Get out of here."

You sat speechless for a moment, staring at him as he stared out of his window, chewing his thumb nail once again.

"You...you're letting me go...just like that??"

"Did I not just take the cuffs off and tell you to go?"

"Ok but...here? You want me to walk? It's at least another mile to get back to my apartment."

"Can't you just thank me and get out?"

"Why won't you look at me and WHY are you doing this?"

"God damn it." he grumbled and side eyed you. "Why are you such a pain in the ass??!! Just fucking go!"

"Not until you tell me why you changed your mind and are freeing me into the wild like some caged bird??!!"

His palms slapped over his face and then he roughly dragged them down as he groaned in frustration.

"If I tell you, will you fly away???"

"Depends on what the answer is."

"Holy fucking hel..." he began as his fuming eyes met yours, but abruptly paused when he saw the remnants of your tears, then popped the glove box open, ripped a tissue out and held it in front of you as he continued, refusing to look at you once again.

"It's what you said about your mum. You're right. She don't need this. I spoke with her briefly last night and she was quite distraught about Megan so, I just feel with all her grief over one daughter, she don't need the added stress from another."

"So you're telling me you're doing this for my mom??"

"You sound like that's incredibly hard to believe."

"I don't know what to believe from you anymore Luke. One minute, you're this sweet and caring man that seems to have a heart, like the one who once came to my mom's house and comforted me through an anxiety attack and even defended me against my sister and stopped me from strangling her, WHICH ironically I was doing for you with Landy only 24 hours prior when you morphed into robot Arnie the freaking terminator...and the next minute, you're back to being human again, helping me back there on the bridge and now you're claiming to let me go out of sympathy for my mom."

You sat back in a huff, realizing that Lee was behaving the exact same way and you were at a crossroads, literally, on what to do anymore about either of these messed up men.

Luke sighed and softened up a bit. "Look Jo. I don't know what else to say. I pushed you over the edge, waving a red flag at you. If I hadn't done that, I don't think we would be sitting here right now."

And so you softened up a bit too. "Yeah well, I pretty much came at you sideways and got you all riled up."

Luke chuckled and shook his head, then looked right at you with a disbelieving smile.

"What?" you asked, returning a half smile as your eyes curiously tried to figure him out.

"You. You're so afraid of all these things that are bigger than you and here I am, at least 3 times your size, yet you weren't afraid to shove me on my ass. I'm not sure what shocks me more. The fact that you did it or the fact that you were even able to do it. I admire that fire in you Jo. Don't ever let anyone try to put it out. With that said though, use that fire on those other than authority. If it were anyone other than myself or Gerry, you'd be at the station right now being booked as we speak."

You gasped. "Oh god, speaking of, I better call Dave and tell him because I guarantee he's already on his way to bail me out and you'll be busted. I mean, it's the least I can do so you don't lose your job over me."

Luke sat quietly stunned as you made the call, telling Dave to turn around and asking him to keep what he knew under wraps.

"There. He won't say anything. I really hope you are going to lay off of him now."

"As long as these ferry tickets he gave me and the ferryman's words all coincide, he should be good. Thank you Jo and... for the record, I wouldn't have just left you out here. I would have let you sweat for about 5 minutes and then came back." Luke teased with the usual curled grin, then put the car in drive.

Your riposte came out of left field and definitely struck a nerve. "Thanks for sparing me from being another victim of love em and leave em Luke."

Luke gritted his teeth, appalled by knowing that either Orlando or Lee had told you about his notorious moniker of his younger days that he had long forgotten about and wanted to keep it that way.

"This joy ride is over. It's time for you to go home and...about Lee. Just stop asking me. It's his story to tell. Put your seatbelt on."

"It's not just his story when you're involved."

"Wasting...your...breath." he firmly certified and slid a cd in, hoping to shut you up.

You buckled your belt then crossed your arms and scoffed as you sank back into the seat. When a song came on, Luke cranked it up and began mumbling the words as he tapped his fingers upon the wheel and both the singing and the choice of music had your eyes gaping at him with an severely raised brow.

"There'll be no strings to bind your hands..." he began and then snickered as he glanced at you. "How fitting eh?"

"Seriously? You have a Juice Newton cd? Why am I not all that surprised."

"You're mocking me when you clearly know who she is?"

"Nope. Not at all. It's just that the night you drove my car, your choice of music was quite different and frankly much better."

"Oh, you mean Radar Love. Yeah well it was fitting for the occasion just like this one because now here we are with you, a cheery oh angel of the morning." he razzed and then beamed a snarky smile full of teeth.

Shaking your head, you heavily sighed and looked away, trying to ignore the overgrown infant beside you, but that quickly became impossible when he began crooning out the chorus, which you knew was solely just to annoy you.

"JUST CALL ME ANGEL OF THE MORNING BABY! JUST TOUCH MY CHEEK BEFORE YOU LEAVE ME BABY! Then slowly turn away...from meeeee."

"Whad'ya think? Next American Idol winner?" he gloated and howled on with his karaoke session, which if you were to be honest, Luke had a damn good set of pipes but you wouldn't dare tell him that because then he would certainly never shut up.

"Goblin king, take this baby away from me!" you irrationally jeered, then flung your head back against the seat and closed your eyes to try and zone him out, hoping he would take the hint to leave you alone, but you should have known better than that.

Luke's speedy riposte was a breath stealing punch to the gut and you had pretty much had set yourself up for it.

"Oooo ouch. That's rich coming from you. You know Jo, you should really be careful what you wish for since children seem to go missing when you're around."

Just as your eyes snapped open from the sting of his tongue, Luke was pulling up in front of your apartment and low and behold, Craig was outside speaking with what appeared to be a gardener.

"What a coinkydink. Daddy dearest in the flesh. So, does he know that Blaise was right within his reach that night and you knew and didn't...."

"He knows alright! I..I told him yesterday and now, I guess I'll be moving back in with my mom."

"Oh? Why not move in with Lee? You're basically at his place and up his arse all the time anyways aren't you?"

"Now you're the one wasting their breath. We're done here Luke. And if I were you, I'd get out of here before Craig sees you. Besides me, you're not exactly his favorite person."

"Not worried in the least."

As you opened the door, Luke touched your shoulder. "Hey Jo."

"What now??"

"Just be careful around him ok? You're probably better off to get away from him."

"And that's rich coming from YOU." you argued and got out.

Before you could close the door, Luke had more to say.

"Oh and Jo."

"Oh my god, what Luke??"

"Don't let the door hit you in that cute ass."

You shot a death glare at the derogative detective, then slammed the door and heard the blacked out window roll down.

With an arrogant wink, Luke put on a pair of mirrored sunglasses and attempted his best terminator voice. "I'll be bock."

Your eyes rolled so hard, it made you dizzy. "Ughhhh!"

As you stormed off, he revved the engine and sped off which then alerted Craig to your arrival. The last thing you wanted was another confrontation, especially with your rightfully pissed and soon to be ex-landlord, so you kept your head down and moved quickly, feeling his eyes upon you the entire time as you trekked up the sidewalk and into the building, but he never said a word.

You were now safe inside your apartment, all alone to finally gather and process all of your scattered thoughts, but first, you needed to call your mom and see how Megan was.

Slipping off your coat, you let it fall to the floor and went straight to the fridge for some wine, not caring that it was only 10 in the morning, the same time Craig had been drinking yesterday that you hypocritically gave him a lecture about. As you sat down on your bed with your full glass and turned your phone screen on, there was a text from Lee.

When you opened it and read his woeful words, your heart dropped down to your stomach as if you were falling.

Lee always expressed himself with such endearing words from his heart, but sometimes, he let poetry and music speak for him and this time, it was lyrics from a song you knew.

"I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met. I don't know what I'm supposed to do haunted by the ghost of you. Take me back to the night we met when the night was full of terrors and your eyes were filled with tears. When you had not touched me yet. Take me back to the night we met and then I can tell myself what the hell I'm supposed to do. And then I can tell myself not to ride along with you."

Your heart began to pound, for Lee was basically telling you he wished he could go back to that day in the hospital and never visit your room and that meant you never would have found his bracelet under your bed and took it to his house where your love story all began. You knew he wasn't trying to hurt you. He was just being honest about how he was feeling, but it still hurt. It hurt immensely.

You didn't reply. You didn't even know what to say to that, so you just picked up your wine and let the entire contents of the glass roll down your throat as you fought back the burning tears.

Desperately trying to distract yourself, you called your mom. She told you Megan was doing well but was still too groggy to speak. She also told you that she saw Lee that morning when she came down for coffee. He was on the phone with someone, seemingly upset, so she respectfully kept her distance but she couldn't help overhearing his scolding tone to the unlucky recipient. He spoke about his father's one month of passing and that he was going to his grave to pay his respects after attending the evening mass and told the other person that they should be going too, then Lee abruptly hung up and stormed out. You knew instantly it had to be Gordon and had something to do with the farm dispute between the two bitter brothers.

You told your mom you would be there later to sit with Megan so she could go home, eat and shower. When you hung up, you then nervously wondered if you should still go to the cemetery too, like you and Lee had planned, for if you saw him, you might not be able to walk away again.

Undecided, you got up to begin packing up some things since Craig had given you till the end of the month to move out and that was now only 7 days away. Luke's words haunted you about moving in with Lee as you sorted through your clothes. Yes, you were there all the time and everything was perfect in that area. You were so happy there with him. You would have been happy anywhere with him because Lee was home to you.

Your distraction tactic of keeping busy was failing miserably and it was quickly blown to bits when you were going through clothes you hadn't laundered yet and found a shirt of Lee's that you wore home a few mornings ago. And if that wasn't gut wrenching enough, it was still saturated in his Drakkar cologne and all you could do was scrunch it up against your nose and inhale his intoxicating essence as you laid down and cried your exhausted eyes to sleep.

Meanwhile, Craig was on his way up to your apartment to give you back your deposit and as he approached your door, he raised his hand to knock, but humbly lowered it when he could hear your muffled laments from within. Whatever you were going through, he felt that he should not add to it and it aggravated him that he even cared. Was any of it due to how he had treated you?, for he just witnessed you had rushed to avoid him at all costs or was it because of the depraved detective he had come to despise?, solely because he was Ethan's brother. Craig's street smarts told him Luke was still a red flag, no matter what surname he took on to disassociate himself with the flyblown Bloom blood and if Luke became a threat to you as Ethan had, he would handle him too. Regardless of what was ailing you, Craig decided to leave you alone for the time being and slipped the check under the door, then left, feeling rather disheartened over making you leave.

3 hours later.

You awoke in the same position that you fell asleep in, still tightly clutching Lee's shirt against you and now, not only did his sweet succulent scent seep from your pores, it was also imbedded in your purple satin sheets. You had to get rid of it. ASAP.

The bed was torn apart as you ripped the sheets from it and threw them in the basket along with the perpetrator, Lee's guilty shirt and then headed to the door to take them all down to the laundry room which is when you discovered the check laying on the floor.

Upon picking it up, the amount floored you, for it was hundreds more than what you had given Craig and attached on the back was a sticky note, scribbled in red ink with incredibly perfect penmanship for a man.

Craig certainly seemed to be on the wealthy side but this was too much and was clearly not about your clothes. It was his guilt over kicking you out and you weren't about to accept a payoff apology, especially when he didn't even have anything to be sorry about. You were the reason his 4 year old daughter was missing, even when you weren't the one who snatched her.

Exasperated over that and everything else, you hurried downstairs and packed the washer full of clothes along with an undetermined amount of soap while sobbing the entire time, then went back up to cry some more in the shower, a shower that was cut short by a burst of water as cold as the Atlantic and rust as red as blood....just like what happened to Dave. AND...you had the same reaction as he did.

Gasping and frantically rubbing your eyes, you huddled in the corner waiting for your sight and the water to clear. What was happening?? You did not believe that to be a coincidence all in a matter of 8 hours at two far away different locations, especially when that had never happened in your shower before. Was it some kind of sign, more so an omen or was it merely a plumbing issue like Dave believed his was?

Now that you were all primed and primped for the day, you resumed your packing while debating on calling Craig about his demonic shower needing an exorcist and to come get his money, or...you could just simply shove it back under his door with your own note attached so you didn't have to interact with him. Option 2 seemed best.

You scrawled out a note on the back of his and reattached it to the check, then quietly creeped down the hall to his studio where all was silent inside. Hoping he wasn't in there, you bent down and slipped it under the door, cringing at loud the sound was. Just as you stood up to tiptoe off undetected, footsteps swiftly approached the door.

Spinning around with a gasp, you rushed off only to freeze solid at his shout from directly within the door.

"Just Josie. Come on in!"

With a gulp, you hesitated then slowly made your way back to the door and walked in. There he stood, dressed in all black attire as usual and wickedly grinning while holding your check.

He then turned it over and began reading your note out loud in a trenchant, yet amused tone.

"Thank you but no thank you. My outfit only cost twenty bucks at a thrift shop."

"Well, if that's so." he continued, "then you obviously like deals and that's what this is. A hell of a bargain actually."

"Craig, the added amount is almost as much as one months rent. All you needed to give me was my deposit."

"I was trying to apologize for my wine induced behavior and the harsh things I said to you and a simple "I'm sorry" just didn't seem to cut it."

"You don't owe me an apology Craig. I deserved all of it and the paint bath too."

"You were only trying to help my drunk ass up and even after the first failed attempt that ruined your clothing, you still tried again. And no, you didn't deserve my spontaneous misguided anger. You didn't kidnap my child and you certainly couldn't have known that it was going to happen."

"How could I have not?? I witnesses Elizabeth drop her off at Angel's in a panic over Ethan harassing her about paternity. I should have tried a hell of a lot harder to reach you, end of story... and for that, I will forever be so damn sorry, but as you said, those words just don't seem to cut it. I..I pray that you find Blaise safe, sound and soon. I really do and I will do whatever I can to help make that happen and make things right for you and her. Now, I have to go finish packing. Your apology is accepted and please just keep the money."

"Alright." Craig agreed with astonished disappointment all over his face as he watched you walk out.

His agreement was short lived though and he chased after you, squeezing in your door just before you turned to close it.

"Craig, what the..."

"Just hear me out. Please?"

"Do I even have a choice since you barged right in?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Ok fine, but whatever you have to say, you'll have to say it while watching me pack. I have a lot to do today."

"Fair enough. I guess I'll start with Jason. Are we even now?"

"Even?? Craig, I swear I didn't use Blaise to get back at you for..."

"No no no. Jo, I know you didn't and I'm sorry I ever said that. What I meant was, well...if I forgive you, can you forgive me for not telling you your brother was alive? I mean, you were pretty rabid mad that day. Just a little bit scary." he teased with a smile.

You chuckled as you thought of what you just did to Luke. "Yeah umm...I guess I too had spontaneous misguided anger. It was meant for Jason, not you. I know you were just trying to keep him safe and you did. You saved his life, so how can I not forgive you?"

"Sweet. So we're square now. Well, except for one thing."

Craig walked over to your suitcase and began tearing your clothes out of it.

"What are you doing??"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm unpacking your clothes."

"What...wait...why?? Put those back!"

"I will not. I don't want you to leave. I kinda like you a little bit if I'm honest AND I think you kinda like it here and maybe even me too and..."

He held up a long blue dress and placed it against his brawny body. "And oooh wow. Smokin hot."

"Give me that!" you barked and grabbed it, but Craig laughed and wouldn't let go.

"Nope. Not until you agree to stay." he demanded as you both were now playing tug of war...until the dress split right down the middle.

"Oh, well THAT'S great. It's all yours!" you huffed and plopped down on the edge of the bed.

Craig sat down too and slowly handed you the ripped remnants.

"Sorry." he whispered.

You couldn't even be mad, especially when he had the shameful expression of dog who got busted for chewing up a pair of shoes. Instead, you did what you were becoming a pro at lately. Broke down crying with your face buried in your hands.

"Whoaaa, hey now sweetheart. What's this??"

"Everything!" you squeaked and then rambled on. "My sister was hurt really bad and is in the hospital. She could have, would have died if she hadn't been found and I know Ethan did it, and I was almost arrested today for what you described as my rabid madness and Jason took off with Britt because of your creepy ass father and Lee, he is...I don't even know anymore with that and then everyone's showers are spraying blood and..."

"Alright slowwww down and breathe love. Let's start with the psycho scene. Showers are spraying blood??"

"Yes, mine and Dave's. Well, he said it was rust but with all this ghost shit, I don't know what to think."

"Ghosts??"

"Long story. Is your shower doing that?"

"No...and what did you do to almost land yourself behind bars?"

You mumbled your answer in shame. "I...assaulted a cop."

Craig's eyes popped wide open as he released a titter out of is grinning lips. "Oh how I would have loved to have had a front row seat to that event. What a little baddy you are. Remind me to never piss you off."

"Not funny." you sniffled.

"Ok, maybe not then, but you're obviously not in jail. So, how'd you get out of that mess? Oh wait, was it your ex-fiance cop?"

"Let's just skip this part ok? I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Considering Craig saw Luke drop you off and how fired up you both seemed, he knew it was him you spoke of, but per your request, he would drop it and the overwhelming desire to take the little piggy to market...for now.

"Yeah cops aren't exactly my favorite subject either. Ok so...what's going on with your sister? Ethan attacked her?"

"It certainly appears that way but she hasn't been alert enough to finger him. I'm going to the hospital later to see if she's talking, but I just know it was him. I think he did it because she told Luke that she thinks Ethan took Blaise because he thinks he is her father or maybe he did it to scare me because he hates me and wants Lee all to himself."

"That measly inbred maggot. I should have just taken care of that problem when..."

Craig stopped himself but, it was too late.

"When? Does that have something to do with what you said yesterday? About something you did for me involving him??"

Craig seemed stunned and he was. "I...said that??"

"Yes..I...I just forgot with all that was going on. Craig, what did you mean?"

"Jo, I was quite sauced yesterday remember? I tend to say a lot of things when I drink. What...exactly...did I say?" he probed with an curious brow so he could figure out if he had to tell you what he knew about Ethan and Lee.

"You said you protected me from him but never said why or how."

Craig made sure that his explanation wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the entire truth because he felt you didn't need to know Lee was still Ethan's husband during a meltdown.

"Ohhh...that. Yes, well...I...I saw him once and I basically told him to stay away from you or he'd be fish food." he paraphrased as his heart began to beat again.

"You did that for me?"

Craig suddenly felt awkward. Not in a bad way, but more in a "too close for comfort" kind of way, so he gave a logical answer instead of admitting he had taken a sweet fancy to you, which was the last thing he wanted. He had vowed to himself after Elizabeth's destruction that he would never allow himself to become close to another woman ever again.

"Well...you're my best friend's little sister, so, you know. What's important to Jason is important to me."

"Well thank you and well... I wish you HAD fed Ethan to a mosh pit of sharks, still ALIVE and baited in a pool of his own blood and then let me watch so I could hear his screeching screams and the satisfying crunch of his bones as the angry aquatic vampires with a thousand razor sharp teeth chomped him to death in a splashing feeding frenzy of pure diabolical rage."

"Yeeesh. Easy there Annie Wilkes. Tell me how you really feel, minus the Stephen King synopsis. Horrifying image."

"Arrrgh. Jason was supposed to have taken care of him by now and for saying that, I feel like such a fucking hypocrite for giving him and Lee such a hard time about Liz when she was no better than Ethan."

"And I married the black widow. Even had a kid with her, or so I thought. Creator of life, destroyer of mine. "

'"So did Lee basically. She fooled everyone, EVEN Ethan. God Craig, how could she do that to her own son??? That little boy was my nephew and now Ethan has your daughter and I know he's not just going to forget about Lee. So much keeps happening. No wonder I ended up in the hospital."

"I...I heard about that and...I wanted to maybe send you some flowers or come visit but...I..I didn't think my presence would have been appropriate, you know, just being your landlord and all and well...there's the little tidbit of my primary profession as well that I'm sure Lee isn't too fond of. Anywhoooo...I'm really glad you're ok. You're...ok..right?"

"For the most part yeah. Just gotta keep my iron intake up and stress levels down, which you can see is damn near impossible with the life I'm stuck in."

"You're only stuck if you choose to be."

"It doesn't feel like a choice anymore, even when I try to...ugh, it doesn't even matter."

Craig's ocean-like eyes were consoling as his hand went to your cheek. "Hey, it does matter. What else is bothering you? I have really good listening ears like that of a faithful family dog, only much less hair and a strong but soft shoulder to lean on and even comforting arms if you recall."

"I don't know. Like, for one thing, I'm supposed to hate my sister after all the horrible shit she's done to me and yet, I'm having a hard time hating her after what happened. Like, why...why do I care about people that don't deserve it???"

"Because you have a good heart which can sometimes be a curse really. You're supposed to be able to trust the people closest to you and when they go and give you a reason not to, it's a total mind fuck. It's hard to let them go even when you know it's what's best for you. I get it Jo."

"What I don't get is why I'm not good enough for the truth. I'm always being lied to. It's become nothing but a pattern and how am I supposed to trust someone when I don't know what they're holding back?"

"Ok first of all, you are good enough and if someone doesn't see that, then they are the ones not good enough and second of all, why do I feel this is not about your sister?"

"I appreciate what you're trying to do Craig, but...it doesn't matter."

"It does matter because you're clearly not happy. Tears don't lie. Are...you happy?"

Your eyes fell. "No. No I'm not. I'm miserable."

"Me too. Why don't you stay. We can be miserable neighbors together and drink wine every day and night to the point of inebriation, creating terrible art as a hobby while being covered in a rainbow of paint. You know, kind of like I already do? It's actually kinda fun and therapeutic. A little bit of good trouble..per se. I could use some inspiration as you well know."

You giggled. "Right...because we would actually be the artwork. How inspiring."

"Exactly! Except you'd be a firework. Oh, and you still owe me a viewing of your own masterpieces. So...whad'ya say?"

Craig got down on one knee and took your hand as he gave you a pathetic puppy face.

"Will you be my neighbor?"

"Oh my god you're such a nerd. Get up." you chortled and stood up.

"Well, I've been called much worse. Things I cannot even pronounce. You don't want to know, trust me. Sooooo, is that a yes?"

"I'll think about it."

"YES!" he jeered like an old lady at a bingo game winning the jackpot.

"So now, I'm really sorry but I need to get going. Thank you Craig...for listening and for the advice. It was nice. I want you to know I'm thinking of Blaise everyday and if I can help, I will. You'll never convince me that it wasn't my fault."

In the blink of an eye, Craig became all serious as he placed his hands on your arms. "Alright but, before I go, I need you to listen to me. Don't be letting your guilt cause you to do something dangerous. You let me handle this ok?? I don't want anything happening to you. Let me know what you decide on the apartment and...I'm really glad you're ok Jo and I...I hope you will stay. I like having you around."

He softly smiled and headed to the door, then turned back around.

"Oh and...I'm also glad you don't hate me."

"Ditto." you smiled. "Talk soon."

Craig left and you felt terrible for him. The formidable mafia man, always full of quirky humor wasn't so tough on the inside and was clearly lonely, but even so, you had to do what was best for you and if you stayed, would it really be a good idea? Had you known when you first moved in that Craig was one of Sonny's men and Jason's bff, you most likely would have ran away as fast and as far as you could. On the other hand, he could protect you and he wanted to and you felt safe around him. BUT, that didn't mean you would be. Things could always go wrong, especially in his world, which was now your world. Although, hadn't it always been your world because of Jason? And things always went wrong then, no matter where you were. Even your own brother couldn't keep you safe.

In your confliction, you knew you may still need to leave on a temporary basis because of your sister. No one knew yet what happened to her or where Ethan was, so she could still be in danger and that put your mom in danger as well with Megan living with her.

As you carried on with packing the rest of the one suitcase for the time being, once again you were interrupted. This time by the cordless phone ringing that Lee had talked you into getting for extra ways of communication. You decided to let the answering machine get it because you were in a hurry to get to the hospital, but when Lee's hypnotizing voice was heard, you stood frozen in time.

"Hey sweet girl. I tried your cell but...I don't know, it must be on silent or maybe you just don't want to talk to me. I wish you would. I'm sorry about my text. I didn't mean it in the way you must think. If you're there, could you please pick up? I'd really love to hear your voice."

He paused and waited a few moments, then continued.

"Ok, well, I...I'll just say what I need to say and leave you alone. Jo, I know I've said this so many times and it just sounds so meaningless, but I mean it, with every ounce of my being. I'm so sorry baby. For all of this. For all I have put you through. It's only been a single day and I miss you in ways that there are no words for. You are a mental and physical ache. A longing woven deep into my DNA and I...I don't know how to live like this. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm nothing without you. I'm inside out. I merely exist in this soulless shell and because I know you exist, there's no going back for me. There will never be anyone else for me but you. No one else could ever do. The heart wants what it wants and mine wants you and I knew it. I knew you were the right one from the get go and I still know it because the word "forever" does not sound like enough time."

As your heart was being torn in two and devoured by his agony, you walked over to the phone and picked it up, letting your finger hover over the call button, but you couldn't bring yourself to answer, so you just kept listening to his unintentional torture.

"I know I have no one else to blame but myself. I know I'm broken. We were both broken. By life. By others. By our own serious dysfunctions, but we finally found each other after a decade of near misses. We were so close to each other all that time, yet so far apart and when destiny finally stepped in and we finally came together like the sun and moon during a total eclipse, all of the jagged edges of our broken pieces fit together like a puzzle, as if all that time, we were being broken for that purpose, to be a perfect fit for each other. But now I feel like I don't fit anywhere at all. Not anymore. Life goes on around me as i sit here and watch the boats sail by on the bay and I feel like I'm just a spectator, watching from the sidelines. You were...are my life. You are where I belong. You are my purpose, my reason. God Jo. Without you, all I want to do is drown my sorrows away and Lord knows I've tried, but even then, a sea full of whiskey couldn't intoxicate me as much as a drop of you. Because of you, I believe in love and fairytales and soulmates and everything that is magic. I followed the signs because you showed them to me. Just tell me it's not too late. Don't give up on me. I want to tell you everything and if I can bring myself to do that, maybe then you'll understand. I guess I've wrote a novel here and I should go. I still wish you would come today...to the cemetery. I'll be there around 4. If you don't come, it's ok. I will understand. Ok well..."

There was a pause and then he finished as his voice became very shaky. "I...I love you Miss Massachusetts. God I love you."

Lee quickly hung up and sat down. He had too. The 3 Red Bulls he downed earlier paired with the threat of an oncoming panic attack had him jittery, weak and breathless.

"Lee wait!" you shouted as you punched the red button, but there was nothing but a dial tone.

Should you call him back? It would be so much easier than speaking to him in person because he had this wicked way of breaking you down and getting what he wanted from you that no one else had ever possessed, but of course he could say the same thing about you. Now the real question was, should you go? Lee clearly needed you and you were worried about him. You could hear it in his voice, the fear, the destitution and desperation...the love. And just because you and he were having problems didn't mean you would abandon him, but were you strong enough to uphold your boundaries in his presence? The mere sight of him was like some invisible magic in itself. You felt so guilty because he was fighting like hell for you and you were keeping him at arms length and just running away. Fight or flight? That was the all out question now and you knew exactly who to go to for the answers. Someone who had been through it all. Your mother.

@redeemer46

[britany1997]

Holiday traditions and celebrations the Lost Boys enjoy

(Not my gifs)

David:

•David claims to hate Christmas and the other boys call him the grinch behind his back

•But he low key appreciates Christmas because the boardwalk gets much more crowded which means more food

•He’s not the guy to bake cookies or watch movies with, but he does like decorating

•Mainly because he gets to be in charge

•He sits back and tells the boys where to put stuff, how to hang stuff, etc etc without actually doing anything

•EXCEPT when it comes time to put the star on the tree which he ALWAYS does himself

•He’s the leader, it’s a rank thing

•He gets the boys presents but they’re always practical gifts

•Practical for them AND him

•One year he got Paul a stick of deodorant and Paul was just like, “thanks bud” :)

•Trust me, it was definitely a gift for David too

Dwayne:

•Dwayne is a hopeless romantic at heart and he loves watching romantic Christmas movies (with his s/o or if he’s single, he can usually convince Star to watch them with him)

•Not the Hallmark movies though, he’s a man of taste

•His favorites are Love Actually, The Holiday, and Four Christmases

•He also loves Edward Scissorhands and Little Women which he will argue to the death are Christmas movies he’s a Meg but thinks he’s a Jo

•He sheds a single tear everytime Kim asks Edward to hold her and he can’t (shh don’t tell the boys)

•True to his Native American roots, he also observes the Winter Solstice with the boys

•Traditionally, there are sunset bonfires to celebrate

•Theirs happen a little bit after sunset (for obvious reasons)

•They share people food on the beach, and Dwayne will tell stories about his past and his ancestry

•He loves that the boys want to celebrate the holiday with him <3

Marko:

•I definitely believe @luv4fandoms’s headcanon that Marko is Italian, so he celebrates Christmas

•He makes Panettone and Pandoro every year to share with the boys

•Paul doesn’t like it but he eats it anyway because Marko made it

•Marko tells Laddie about La Befana, so now the boys have to get Laddie presents on Christmas AND Jan. 5th because thats when La Befana comes

•It’s ok though, they love him:) and its not like they pay for them anyway

•Marko’s also ethnically Jewish! So he celebrates Hanukkah as well

•Paul grumbles like “how come Marko gets 8 presents and I only get one?” >:(

•The boys watch while he lights the candles each of the eight days

•They also gladly partake in the fried food part of Hanukkah and eat Latkes and Donuts with Marko

•The first time they celebrated, Marko explained the history of Hanukkah with the story of the Maccabees, the restoration of the temple, and the miracle behind the menorah and the eight nights

•Marko’s glad he can share this part of his culture with the boys

Paul:

•Paul lovesssss mistletoe

•Mans has it up ALL OVER the cave, its ridiculous

•Well kinda, he doesn’t have access to much mistletoe so he hangs stuff that sorta looks like it and hopes nobody notices

• “Paul is this lettuce?” “Paul is this Rosemary?” “Paul is this WEED?” No. It’s mistletoe. Shut up.

•He has the genius idea to just take some to the boardwalk with him so he can kiss random babes

•The boys kinda look at each other and Dwayne sits him down

• “Paul, most girls will find that creepy.” “Ok so I’ll only kiss boys! Problem solved” :)

• Dwayne hides his mistletoe

•Paul also likes Santa

•He always says ‘Santa probably doesn’t exist.’ And the boys are like, uh what do you mean “probably.”

•And after a lot of concerned prodding he gets kinda fed up

•He’s like, ‘so you’re tellin’ me immortal guys who have to feed on the blood of humans to survive exist and an immortal guy who leaves presents for good people doesn’t???’ He’s like, bffr

•The guys are ok with this logic but then David says, “you know you’ll never get anything from Santa right? We’re pretty much all naughty.”

•Paul smirks and says, “only in the best way.”

•The boys all groan

Happy Holidays!

[mxviko]

To cope with somethings and to stay in reality

Welcome to

Foreign kids Christmas themed headcanons

Damien is favored for his body heat. It’s too cold? Stand near him and you’ll already start to get warmer. He doesn’t like being touched for too long or sometimes at all depending who it is, but feed his ego and he’ll be like “very well, have the warmth you are deprived of, but do not think I shall spare you.”

Pip hasn’t ever had a proper Christmas, maybe one year with Estella but I can’t imagine he’d ever have the full experience even when in South Park. If he spends the holidays with the other foreign kids, it’ll be something he’s so excited about and feels more festive then ever and can feel magic for the very first time. Totally gets told to chill with how excited he is but doesn’t.

Speaking of Pip, him and Gregory are on decorations no matter where they may celebrate. Pip doesn’t know how to pair colors well, so it’ll look like a hallmark movie but someone tripped with the box and it just fell. Gregory on the other hand doesn’t care much for quality or looks, it just needs to feel cozy and warm. So those two together are quite good for the decoration and both enjoy it, despite Gregory just annoyed by Pips presence but it’s the holidays they’re fine.

Christophe is your typical grump, he’ll put on the damn sweater but he’s not jolly. But that’s only on the outside. If he really didn’t like it he would be there or say anything when someone asked about the holiday…but expect a dramatic monologue about how horrible and stupid the holiday is and how bad god is. Has a fucking great hot coco recipe though.

Estella if she’s involved will not just be grumpy, we all know her. But goodness, this seasons colors were made for her. She won’t mind dressing the part. Estella will also tell Christmas stories, but her favorite and one she actually cares to tell is Krampus. She hates the grinch because Krampus is just so much better and more children should know him. Pip is traumatized.

If you’d want some shippy stuff Christophe is on a mission and paranoid of mistletoe. He’d rather hit someone with a shovel, but it’s not kissing a random person that scares him it’s possibly getting under with Gregory (who may or may not be around it a little to long a little to often..). The idea makes him die from embarrassment, he can only keep his composure for so long in certain situations..

Damien’s father usually held Christmas parties or events in hell he wasn’t invited to and doesn’t have the biggest opinion on Christmas. He claims to hate it, and uses the reason because it’s Jesus’ birthday, he’s the Antichrist why would he like such a thing. But when he began to spend more time in South Park or be around Pip during this time, the snow and whole process of experiencing it, it felt different then ever before. And his father has since improved since then, so now he enjoys the holiday but will always deny.

Gregory is a good gift giver and the worst to give to, he’ll give you what you need or something he knows you want, both of these things are the same in his head since he knows. He can see what you need or you’ve said so, so he’ll get it. You say you want something or he sees you want it, he’ll get it. He’s not someone who tries and guesses the perfect gift or worries over it. He’s never struggled with the “what do you get the one who has everything?” Issue, but unbeknownst to him, he’s caused that issue for many others to give him anything. I imagine his family is wealthy or high-class so it always seems he has everything. But he’s more of a giver then a receiver and appreciates anything given to him.

Estella doesn’t like mistletoe, she’ll probably kick you if you get near her with it. But, if she’s feeling nice, she won’t mind giving a peck on the cheek…she probably wore staining lipstick that will not get off your cheek without a fight.

Pip is sensitive to spice so all the cinnamon and gingerbread kinda drives him crazy, he likes it but gosh a bite from one cookie and he needs a break. I think he’ll love fruity candy canes the most and marshmallows.

Throwing pocket in there, I imagine he’d enjoy doing stockings for others, he’s very thoughtful and probably has been mistaken for an elf before outside of Christmas so it’s perfect. He’s spent many holidays with Estella and he’s aware technically she’s probably on the bad list but will give her nice treats anyway including those chocolate lumps of coal. Also will put his bunnies in cute bows and take pictures..will make them as Christmas cards.

Christophe enjoys the tree. He didn’t help with it unless it was lifting Pip to put the star on the tree or whatever topper they have, but finds peace in looking at it. Has fallen asleep under it. Many pictures taken of it.

I enjoy headcanons so may do more, and request of headcanons are also welcome

[icarus-suraki]

Asks: 3, 24, 28 :D

Questions I Think Would Be Fun To Be Asked ask game!

3) 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

You probably want me to say The Crow but I'm not gonna because that one's more of a seasonal thing, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas but for Halloween.

There are a lot of good movies out there and I'm kind of listing them off in my mind to answer this. The irony is that I don't think of myself as much of a movie-watcher. The adhd makes it hard and it took me years to figure that out. I'll watch 15, 20 minutes, then get bored, stop it, walk away, maybe come back, maybe not. I couldn't figure out why I kind of hated "movie night" with my family for ages. Turns out it was the adhd--who'da thought??? Okay, anyway:

I could probably watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for the rest of my life. I love that movie for so many different reasons.

Kiki's Delivery Service is "my" Studio Ghibli movie. I saw Princess Mononoke first but Kiki is the one that really sings to me.

I should probably throw something random in here, like the uncut version of some MST3k movie or maybe Amelie. I could also watch episodes 4, 5, and/or 6 of Star Wars endlessly too.

Well, that's two and some thoughts on a third.

24) what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

I hate this question. I have no idea how to answer it. We'd have half-assed "mental health" lessons in school and it was all about "setting goals" and stuff and I'm like, damn, I don't have anything that requires a "goal" to be "set." Everything I'm doing is what's necessary, not something that's above and beyond, not something that's like a big achievement. Gotta do this, gotta do that. Yeah, I've got no answer here.

28) do you collect anything?

I've kind of had a Thing for tiny gashapon toys lately. I mean, you understand a love of miniatures. If it's a small version of a real thing, I love it. If it's a small and cute version of a real thing, I love it. If it's a small cute thing real or imaginary, I love it. I just don't need to clutter up my life with tiny trinkets, you know?

Even more recently, since I've started collaging and scrapping, I've been collecting little pieces of paper and images--both physical and digital. These, fortunately, are flat and easy to store, unlike tiny lemonade stands run by the Sanrio character Cinnamoroll.

Even so: look at it. Loooooooooook.

Rement has gotten so much of my money oh my gawd...

[writerfae]

The Knights of the Alder Christmas Romance Movie AU

Here’s this year’s Christmas special! I really wanted to write something for Christmas this year, especially after coming up with this very fun au.

“I swear, Halea, this town is like out of one of those Christmas movies,” Talon complained over the phone as he made his way through the small-town center.

The streets were busy as always, full of people running (most likely Christmas related) errands.

“Aw, that sounds adorable, I wish I would’ve been able to come with you.”

His friend sounded wistful, as if she would really want to see the town.

Knowing Halea’s love for all things Christmas-y, he assumed that she would probably actually love it here.

“It’s not adorable, it’s annoying.” That was only half true.

It was nice, in a way, an interesting contrast to the stressful city life. But it was also entirely too much.

“These people make Christmas their whole personality. As if they don’t have better things to do.”

Halea laughed. “Easy now, Mr. Grinch, your grumpiness is showing. What happened to the boy that used to love Christmas, huh?”

“He has grown up,” Talon grumbled.

That was also only half the truth, but he didn’t want to elaborate.

He didn’t have to; Halea knew very well how her friend lost his joy in the holiday.

She sighed.

“Grown up too much, it seems. You act like an old man these days. Lighten up a little, Talon. It’s Christmas! And you’re in an adorable little town miles away from your father, you should use the opportunity and let loose a little.”

Talon sidestepped a man carrying a small Christmas tree. “I am here for work, Halea.”

Halea’s voice softened. “But you always work, Tal. Try to have some fun once in a while.”

The last time Talon really had time to “have fun” was when he was still in college. Now that he worked with his father, he didn’t have time for that.

It was always just work, work, work. And they both knew it. Halea hadn’t managed to talk him into going out in months.

“You make me sound like I’m a boring workaholic.”

His friend laughed. “Aren’t you?”

“I will not dignify this with a response.”

Another laugh. “Don’t worry, I know the answer already. And I love you anyway.”

Talon snorted. “What a great best friend you are.”

“I am,” Halea responded merrily, ignoring the sarcasm clear in his statement.

“Speaking of love,” she continued, and Talon knew whatever would come next couldn’t be good.

“How are things going with your hot farmer boy?”

He was right. Annoyed, he huffed. “He’s not my farmer boy.”

Talon hated the amusement in Halea’s voice as she spoke.

“You immediately knew who I was talking about though. And you didn’t deny the hot part, either.”

Talon’s ears colored red. If anyone would’ve been around to see, he’d blame it on the freezing cold.

“So?” Halea asked.

Talon rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you want to hear. There’s nothing to tell, really.”

“Did you run into him again?”

It would’ve been impossible not to, in a small town like this. That guy was everywhere. Or maybe Talon just had a talent for bumping into him.

“He showed me around town yesterday,” he admitted.

Halea on the other end of the line gasped. “And you call that not worth telling? I want to know everything.”

A long sigh escaped Talon’s lips. Why was his best friend so invested in this, really?

She acted as if this was one of those cheesy Christmas romance movies, which it really wasn’t.

Yes, him and Aiden seemed to run into each other a lot (sometimes quite literally), but there was nothing romantic happening between him and the Christmas tree farm helper and there would never be.

Yet he told Halea everything about what happened yesterday, just to get her off his back.

“Sounds pretty romantic to me,” Halea teased as he finished.

“It really was not.”

The girl hummed. “I wonder when you’ll run into each other again.”

“I’m actually on my way to the Christmas tree farm now, so probably soon.”

“Uhhh, to see him?” Halea asked, again sounding too amused for Talon’s liking.

He rolled his eyes once again. “To investigate so I can find a way to get Mr. Hunter to sell his property, my job here can be done, and I can finally go home again.”

He could almost hear Halea’s pout. “Now you ruined it.”

“It’s not my fault that you watch too many Hallmark movies. I have to do it. You know how father is, if I don’t deliver soon, he won’t like it.”

A scoff was what he got as an answer.

“Your father needs to learn what work-life-balance means. It’s Christmas time and instead of spending the holidays with his family he barricades himself in his office and sends you off to some small town to spy on some poor man.”

Talon sighed. He didn’t approve of his father’s behavior either, but what was he to do? He was used to it by now.

“You know how he is. I don’t think he will ever change.”

Halea agreed. “You’re probably right. I just hope you won’t end up like him. Take care of yourself, Tal. And try to have some fun, yeah? Maybe hot farmer boy can help with that.”

Ignoring the last half of her sentence, he promised to try and ended the phone call with Halea, just as he almost reached the farm.

And like Talon suspected, there he was, too.

Aiden, in all his glory, wearing a dark green vest with a plaid flannel shirt underneath. He was chopping wood near the barn.

As he got closer, Talon couldn’t help but notice the strength with that he did it. He made it look so easy, as if the axe weighted nothing more than a twig.

The muscles of his arms flexed with every movement; the motion visible even through the long-sleeved shirt that snug around his arms tightly.

Talon hated how Aiden could make even something like making firewood look so attractive.

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help but stare. Unfortunately, that meant he didn’t see the Christmas tree by the farm’s gate that he was just headed towards.

When he finally managed to tear his eyes away from Aiden, the tree was already fast approaching and his reflexes weren’t quick enough to stop himself from walking straight into it, face colliding with the fir.

The impact caused him to stumble and in a miserable attempt of keeping himself from falling, he held on to the branches, almost taking the tree down with him as he landed in the snow.

Loudly cursing, Talon picked himself off the ground, which took him an embarrassing amount of time, especially since he had to look for his glasses first.

It must’ve looked quite pathetic, even from afar, because suddenly he felt someone stand next to him, grabbing his arm to help him get up.

“Everything okay?” The worried face of Aiden entered his field of vision and Talon’s face heated up immediately.

He just wanted to die. Too bad the Christmas tree didn’t fall and crush him.

I tried my best but tbh it’s not all that good.

I’m too embarrassed about this to actually tag my tag list so I’m only gonna tag @deadlycupid and @bunnymermaidsblog (I know you guys won’t judge 🙈)

Like I said, it’s not my best work. I hope you liked this anyway ^^ happy holidays!

[moonsheen]

fic writer meme

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 112. And thank god that doesn't include the REAL old stuff.

2. what's your total ao3 wordcount? 552,904 ...that's...both more and less than I was expecting

3. what fandoms do you write for?

...a...lot. Most recently? MDZS/SVSSS, Trigun (er, sorry for the weird stuff), and 13 Sentinels (PLAY 13 SENTINELS). Long term oldies but goodies? Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, Overwatch, Supergiant games, Evangelion

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Recovery (SVSS, Qijiu --woah, that one pulled ahead in the last few months) Husband x Husband (Hunter x Hunter -- I did this as a yuletide treat to make up for defaulting one year and it's the gift that keeps giving) Minor Delays (SVSS, Qijiu -- wait really?) The Way Back Home (SVSS, Qijiu -- ....Qijiu nation represent. This one doesn't surprise me though, Chira did an amazing comic for it) Hold the Baby (MDZS -- okay this one was just where I was dumping the old twitter threads of a VERY specific Xiyao fix-it AU but you know what, thanks everyone)

5. do you respond to comments?

I try to. If I don't succeed it's often because life kicked my ass.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Probably On Your Six (Reaper & Soldier 76, Overwatch)

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is hard mostly because all of my fic tends to be some kind of fix-it in some way to give someone an obscenely happy ending. If you had to have me narrow it down based on what my most blatant fix-it to some miserable canon character ending was? I'd go with either Happiness Exists (As Long As You Believe in the Possibility) (Qijiu again!), and the Recovery-verse as a whole, or maybe Abstraction White Rose (Revolutionary Girl Utena), because by god I needed Utena and Anthy to kiss and I MADE THEM DO THAT, A LOT.

8. do you get hate on fics?

Xiyao troll hit me once or twice and I got a few cranky dudebros who got mad at me for my Eva fic on a message board once, but nothing all that bad if I'm honest.

9. do you write smut?

...well, I've tried but the plot gets in the way.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you have written?

The first that come to mind are the MDZS/TGCF crossovers, but those are the same authors so I don't know that that counts. I DID write a very silly How The Grinch Stole Christmas/Nightmare Before Christmas short once upon an internet. It has since been lost to the great yawning of time and collapse of several social media platforms.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Someone once scraped the awful Naruto fic I wrote when I was like 15 and changed the names to make it a Samurai Champloo fic which, um. Why? But that was pretty damn funny in hindsight.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! In Russian, Chinese, and French. And I love every time it happens.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

My dayjob these days is cowriting with people. But on the fanfic side -- well, in short, yes. With the usual suspect (that would be Chira) and with my wife, who has once or twice dictated an entire story outline to me which I write in a day.

14. what's your all time favorite ship? Internet, I am old and you cannot expect me to pick one. Utena/Anthy maybe?

15. what is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I still need to do the last story for the A Troublesome Charge series which I SWEAR will happen it's just I had a literal baby.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Character voice. I love character voice and I am told I am good at it.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Smut.

18. thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

To be honest if I don't know it I don't try. But I like bilingual writing when it's done well (see also: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once) -- but when it comes to fangirl Japanese or Chinese, I tend to leave that to the experts.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

mumblesBeastWars and thank god that was on a platform that crashed and burned. The Beast Wars fic I wrote for Yuletide was way better.

20. favorite fic you have written?

On Your Six, despite how I feel about Overwatch nowadays, I feel was probably one of the punchiest stories I've ever written. I would have absolutely used this story to audition to write for Blizzard's tie-in novellas if Blizzard hadn't...well, read the news on what happened at Blizzard.

The other one I'd probably say is Ghost Roads in my Troublesome Charge series (MDZS). I just feel like I nailed all the multiple plotlines and characters involved in that one and I'm super proud of it. I'm not tagging anyone because I have anxiety about this kind of thing, but please feel free to do this meme yourself if it crosses your dash!

[seiya-starsniper]

Shipper Tag Game

Tagged by the wonderful @4typercent 💖💖💖

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

Sasuke x Naruto lol. I absolutely LOVED this ship, wrote fic about, got into shipping wars, I was the absolutely worst kind of teenage obsessed with them ahahaha. I even met one of my longterm best friends though a Yahoo Groups ship forum for them aosidjaiod.

Now? I could care less lmaooooo. But I still hold fondness for the ship regardless.

Which ship would you consider your first one?

My first ship was definitely Mamoru x Usagi in Sailor Moon! I still love them to this day 💖

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

Yami x Yugi was the first ship I wrote for. I think. It may have also been Lena x Cloud from Zoids New Century, I am UNCLEAR on the details and my ff.net account is lost to time lmao.

The first one I ready was something Sailor Moon related I believe.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

Usagi x Mamoru from Sailor Moon, definitely.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

SO. DAMN. MUCH. AOSiasjdasidaiodasoidasdjiasdjs. I've almost never gone looking for it, it just found me. The last bout I ended up in I actually ended up actually went okay though! Way better of an experience than any other ship discourse I've gotten into by far.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

I have plenty of NOTPs, none in my current fandom though! I just...there are some ships whose fandoms have ruined the ship for me, so I try very hard to avoid and/or block. Liberally.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

Dreamling! My beloved pet ship that I've written over 100k words (200k+ across all my Sandman ships) for and counting! 💖

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I mean...not really? I've always been a multi-shipper at heart, you are going to be hard pressed to find me a ship where that particular combination is the only one I'll accept. I love the idea of an OTP, I just don't have one lmao.

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Not really, no. There's some fandoms I WISH I could get into, but either I didn't like the source material (sorry good omens fans, I tried twice D:) or I didn't really like the quality of fic in the fandom just due to characterization differences. But nothing I'm like upset I didn't get into before lol.

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

Hmmmmm, can't think of one no.

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

Oh lord, yeah probably. Cannot think of any off the top of my head, but there were some weird ships back in the day.

What is your favourite crack ship?

Ooooooo! Great question. I'm currently trying to think of the most outlandish thing and all I can think of now is that Tony the Tiger x The Grinch fanfic! 🤣

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Probably Dreamling right now! That's mostly due to sheer volume compared to other Sandman ships though.

What do most of your ships have in common?

Feral 4 Feral, and/or Soft Idiots in Love. Sometimes both!

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

In a ship dynamic? When miscommunication is treated as something romantic, instead of something that needs to be worked on. Also when crossing clearly set boundaries is considered romantic.

In a ship fandom? There's too much to list, but I think the big one is when a ship fandom considers their ship "better" than the other ships in the fandom. Even the canon ship lmao. It just takes away the fun of shipping!

tagging: @softest-punk @bazzybelle @rriavian @aisalynn @five-and-dimes @kydrogendragon @athymelyreply @tj-dragonblade

[bisluthq]

I’ve been very busy and not checking the blog lately so I tried to read through it today but the anons I saw bored me. Why are we still going in circles about Joe, Taylor and Matty. Why do people care so much about him and Gabbi (or however you spell that)? I had fun talking about this when TTPD came out or when Joe did that one interview, and I’m not saying it isn’t fun to talk about it sometimes. But we go over the same things constantly. Maybe there were some good and new takes somewhere that I didn’t see. But I don’t need to talk about cardigan being about Matty (I don’t believe it is) or about what he will or won’t write about Taylor. We’ll see that when it comes out. I’m also tired of the whole “poor Joe” shtick (and I don’t mean that money wise). Yes, if sucks that she cheated on him and her fans hate him. But I honestly don’t see swifties talking about him that much anymore? Most people have moved on and I need you guys to move on too. I think my heart grows darker every time I see someone complaining about what swifties do o do not say about Joe. It’s an opposite Grinch.

I think there probably are some interesting conversations and perspectives going on explore with all that went down, and I think it’s interesting if you see, say, a Reddit post that sounds like a similar situation and you compare both and draw conclusions or share your thoughts. But it’s the same thing every fucking time. Joe moved on, Taylor moved on, Matty moved on.

Also, that “I hope Taylor isn’t still in love with Joe” or whatever they said didn’t sound AT ALL like a fan that’s actually worried, it sounded like someone who wants her to be obsessed with Joe when she isn’t anymore. Let’s all move on

THANK YOU!!! THIS!!! I AM BORED

[every-aj-needs-an-angel]

Rules: post 10 of your favourite comfort movies then tag 10 people.

Thank you for the tag @its-all-ineffable 💖

The Holiday. Hot people Christmassy romcom, what's not to like? What Jack Black does with his character!! Beautiful!! And do I need to say more than Kate Winslet? Also single dad Jude Law in glasses!! Cameron Diaz rocking out to The Killers!! And driving a Mini down a country road and nearly getting wiped out by a lorry. So accurate it's *chefs kisses* Favourite scenes include: Arthur's moment to shine, Miles and Iris in Blockbuster and the tent scene with the kids with an honourable mention for Mr Napkinhead 😂 It's my go-to movie whenever I'm sad because it's just so stupidly funny and adorable.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Jim Carrey. That's all I have to say. Honestly, I've seen this film a million times. I can quote it by heart and do so regularly much to my mums annoyance. The schedule scene is very me anytime I'm invited anywhere 😂 some favourite quotes "Am I just eating because I'm bored" "Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!" "We're gonna die! I'm going to throw up, and then I'm gonna die!" "The insolence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall!" "Nice kid... bad judge of character" (absolutely me with my niblings) It's just the perfect remedy whenever I'm ill.

The Muppets Christmas Carol. I love all the adaptations but this one is my favourite. Me and my mum snuggle up every Christmas Eve and sing along. It reminds me of the magic of childhood Christmases and soothes something deep in my soul.

The Old Guard. This is the only adrenaliney one cos I have anxiety and I need chill shit if I watch a film but Joe & Nicky are my perfect Immortal Husbands and the tiny details of their relationship are all-encompassing and easily distract from all the murder and kidnap 😂

Mary Poppins. Do I need to say more than Julie Andrews? Dick Van Dyke. The outfits. The songs. Suffragettes. Tea parties on the ceiling. Dancing penguins. The merry-go-round horses. When I was a kid my mum used to foster so our house was always full of kids who needed someone to love them, make them feel safe and bring them some joy. That's probably why Poppins is one of my comfort characters, my mum was her.

Alice In Wonderland. Any of the adaptations. They're all brilliant. I do love the 1951 animation though mainly bc I adore the dormouse scene but becoming BFFs with a load of weird and wonderful creatures in a dreamstate is just *chefs kisses* Any scene with The Mad Hatter in any of the adaptations is my favourite but I am a sucker for the clean cup move down scene.

Sherlock Gnomes. I also love any Sherlock adaption but this one's just hysterical. Watson is just done™️. Sherlock and Juliet's squirrel disguise when sneaking through the park kills me every time. Moriarty as a pastry mascot and the fact he has dumb gargoyles as his assistants. Perfection really. Honestly, this film is just so fucking stupid you can't possibly feel sad when you watch it.

Monsters, Inc. bc it might've been like twenty years but I still want a Sully hug!! Also the pure beautiful hilarious chaos that is this film cracks me up. "Mike Wazowski", "Always watching" and "Put that thing back where it came from or so help me" are just killer lines. I absolutely adore The Abominable Snowman too he's just too sweet.

The Addams Family. Any of the films. All of the films. Gomez and Morticia are ultimate couple goals. They adore each other. Support their kids unconditionally. So kind and generous it often gets them in trouble. They're just perfect.

Red, White And Royal Blue. Last but not least, only because it's the newest. This film was amazing!! I adored the book and although the film is different I love that it's basically a 'what if' fanfic of itself. It was genuinely lovely to be able to watch a queer story and be able to relax with it!! Don't get me wrong I love how profound queer films can be but they either have me gripped in anxiety waiting for the shoe to drop or have me reaching for a comedian to brush away the deep-seated sadness. I felt so safe and yeah they have their ups and downs like every couple but I think I'd have felt the same safety with those characters even if I hadn't read the book first. 5* 10/10 highly recommend. Will be watching this on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Absolutely no pressure tags @mickalaem @flowercrowngods @auroraplume @estrellami-1 @i-less-than-three-you @mentallyundone @hbyrde36 @penny00dreadful @adhdsummer @writingfanficsfan 💖

[huntingteeth]

hey, a thing, i love a thing, thanks @dafuq-lyrehc, i love doing things

last song/album:

für immer frühling - akustik version by soffie this place will become your tomb - sleep token

but also i made a playlist on spotify that i've been slowly adding songs to that's all women softly singing about being angry that's called 'and a rage, simmering' and it's only four songs long right now but it's scratching an itch for me

favorite color:

like a forest green. a hunter green. my comforter is a hunter green and it really does it for me

spicy, sweet, or savory:

mmm, probably savory. or like sour-savory, like the tom yum soup i had last night for dinner. like a good kosher dill pickle. maybe a little spicy

last tv show:

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, does dimension 20 count because if dimension 20 counts, then either fantasy high: junior year or the unsleeping city 2. if that doesn't count, idk because i'm not out here watching tv that often. maybe letterkenny because that's a comfort show lmao or drunk history because that's also a comfort show lmao. or, i did just watch the most recent episode of mystery files from watcher, does that count as a tv show?

last film

the last movie i watched for me was the fear street trilogy last year lmao. the last movie i played in my classroom was the grinch (2018) which is coincidentally the last film i saw in theaters because i actually hate going to the theater. i really don't watch movies lmao. i'm wayyyyyy more likely to watch ending explained videos for horror movies i'm never going to watch

last thing i googled:

"time change 2024" uh because thinking about the time change makes my head want to explode. google tried to be helpful but my brain can't math the math so i had to ask my friends about it instead of looking at google and boy was it a trial but we eventually got there, kind of

relationship status:

single, head of household; uninterested in dating/being in a relationship

current obsession:

i hate to break this to you guys but i'm two hours and ten minutes into two hour and half hour deep dive video (part one) of teen wolf from a person whose opinions on teen wolf i do not agree with even if i, an intellectual who has written 33 fics in the teen wolf fandom, know that it's objectively not a great show lol so i guess it's that because it kind of makes me want to watch teen wolf again

or maybe sleep token is my obsession since the fic is nearing almost 50k! that's wild to me tbh. i take it back my obsession is building out the lore on this fic lol. i mean i have a draft with all my commentary on the fic lined up for when the fic finishes so i can share it with you all which is wild and maybe more indicative of an obsession lol

uh @branches-in-a-flood @shatterthefragments @vamprlestat @unfoldingsky uhh if you wanna, no pressure

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch

Jumping ahead by two years now into 2020 (figured I wouldn't have much to say about Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, sue me), to when VoicePlay released their cover of You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch. This wasn't actually released in December, but in fact the 27th of November! (eh, close enough).

You might have heard at some point in your life that the original singer of You're A Mean One Mr Grinch was also the voice of Tony The Tiger, the Frosties Cereal mascot. Well that man was Thurl Ravenscroft, a name you should be at least somewhat familiar with if you know Geoff's solo content (see my post (linked here) on Headless Horseman for a little more info). And so who better to sing lead vocals on this than the modern-day Thurl Ravenscroft himself, Geoff Castellucci? Geoff was also in charge of both the song arrangement and the video for this! Good for him! And of course this features the lovely Adriana Arellano, in her second ever VP collaboration since the Frozen 2 Medley in December 2019.

There's a strong chance I may hit image limit for this one - so much to screenshot and talk about! But let's get started and see how I go!

Let's start off by acknowledging the obvious: The VoicePlay 'Who's'! I.e. the guys plus Adriana done up like residents of Whoville, just like in the movie! (Or movies, I suppose, since there are 3 film iterations of the Grinch movie now)

I've seen/heard a range of opinions on the "Whoville Look" from reactors. Some were like "aww how cute/cool! Just like the movie!" Whereas some think it's just a bit strange (myself included, lol rip). But regardless, it's very professionally done, and shoutout to Makeup and Creative Arts (which I believe includes Rick Underwood?) for it!

Also I'll leave my thoughts on clothing for later screenshots, but I happened to be looking at their footwear here, and it's a little amusing to me that I commented on Eli wearing black sneakers with thick white soles in Mission Jingle Bells (just like in Creep and In The Air Tonight), because guess what shoes he's wearing here!

(Also is it just me or does Geoff wear boots a lot? I'm gonna have to start paying more attention to his footwear in videos, lol)

"Hey Grinch, you're a triple-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich... with arsenic sauce!!"

Not a visual thing but I couldn't help but call attention to the fact that J's line here is in fact lifted almost fully verbatim from the last line of the original version, from a verse that's not included in VoicePlay's cover (though they include all the rest of it, more than the live action movie does).

Okay I probably could grab some additional amusing screenshots from this opening banter bit, but eh, there's plenty of other stuff in this video to talk about anyway.

Okay, outfit talk time!

Layne: Not sure what the deal is with the pink and black shirt is but I don't totally hate it, and the white suit jacket is nice (and becomes especially fitting later in the video). And of course I have to mention the little carrot pin on the lapel! Carrot Lord for life! 🥕

Eli: I like the jumper! (Or "sweater" if you will). I kinda want it ngl, except I'm much more of a jacket person, and I wouldn't be able to wear it in December anyway - too hot!

Adriana: Am I only just now noticing that her top thing shows her midriff? Maybe. The makeup is cute (makes the 'Whoville' makeup stuff look a bit less weird), and the knee-high boots with the jeans are a Look ngl.

J None: Aqua/turquoise jumper (or sweater) with blue jeans and black boots. What can I say? Next!

Geoff: This dude loves wearing scarves, apparently! Wore one in Baby Its Cold Outside, in the Frozen 2 Medley, and also in his cover of White Christmas, which I'll be eventually be getting to! Also a green scarf over an orange shirt? This is colourful for him! 😁 (Oh and obligatory tick for both smartwatch and wristbands!)

(Also the fact that they didn't include the Welcome Christmas bit in the MP3 track or make it its own mini track is a crime ngl)

The big green man (creature...thing...) is here! Time for the actual song to begin!

Also Geoff looks so confused here pfft

From confused to scared? You good there Geoff? 😂

"Well you were flat! And... stinky!"

We have no clue who The Grinch is, just that he was "provided by Makeup And Creative Arts", and he's a hired actor or something? Whoever he is, he did so good in this video - utterly hilarious, absolutely nailed it!

That's a bit more like it!

Also Geoff wearing something red! Another rarity! (And like most times, he looks fantastic)

I love the grin that Geoff has for most of this video, makes me so happy 💜

That cake was real, apparently - there's a credit for it in the description, says it was provided by "Quarantine Dessert Company" (so a fairly young business then, given this video was made in 2020)

Apologies for the blur shot but I wanted to point out how The Grinch taps Adriana on the shoulder, and then very quickly his hands come up from the bottom of the frame and grab the cake, so quickly in fact that there's a few frames, like this one, where both The Grinch and his hands are in the shot at the same time! How? Is it editing trickery? Nope! It's actually just one of the VoicePlay guys (can't remember who - it might've even been Kathy) wearing "Grinch gloves" to do the stealing (the benefits of me now being a VP Patron! Access to BTS knowledge!)

Eli Eyebrow Raise! It's been a while <3

Also he's definitely worn that hat in a fair few videos - Top 10 Disney Villains, Frozen 2 Medley, Rich Man/Girl, just off the top of my head (new photo compilation idea - recent-ish appearances of Eli's bucket hat turned fedora /j )

ELI! Why would you smell it?? 🤣

When Mortius reacted to this video, he made a comparison between this scene and the "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" scene (from Arrested Development??) that became a meme, and yeah that's pretty much it! What did you expect?

Aw, shoutout to Layne <3

(Also nope not doing a screenshot for the "termites in your smile" line, I don't care that they're fake!)

Pfft, Grinch looks so happy with himself!

Also give the rubiks cube to me! I'll solve it in like 2-3 minutes! Hell, I often solve a 5x5 Rubiks Cube for fun and relaxation while watching YouTube, and I can sometimes get it solved in under 7 minutes!

"More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and they whistled and shouted and called them by name!" "..."

This bit is of course not from the original Grinch song, but actually part of the poem A Visit From St Nicholas, aka The Night Before Christmas. Given this was Geoff's arrangement, I have to assume this was Geoff's addition (and let's be honest, it's on brand, lol)

(Also I love how Eli and Adriana are looking to the left, in the Grinch's actual direction, but J and Layne are still looking ahead, and Geoff is looking to the right 😂)

Ayyyy

"Oh, erm, *ahem*, On Max!"

(Also if I had a nickel for everytime VoicePlay did a song from an animated movie where Geoff was on lead and Layne dressed up as the movie protagonist's dog, I'd have two nickels? Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice)

"You need a baaaathhh! Yeah!"

Oh these idiots, god I love them 😂💜

"Your heart's a dead tomato, splashed with moldy purple spots" (yes, also lyrics from the original version)

(AND if I had a nickel for everytime Voiceplay released a video in 2020 where Layne pretended to be a silly chef/waiter, complete with silly French accent, I'd again have two nickels)

If you know my posts, you should know that I love when Geoff gets to belt out a line in a video, and well, I definitely do! 😁

Yes! Sing it!

Grinchy has had ENOUGH! 😝

(Also I only just realized when planning out the post in my head earlier today that Geoff is the only onethat The Grinch doesn't really mess with (despite him being the lead singer of the song!)

Ah bless <3

"Alright get off me... Too long!... This is embarassing."

(Grinch honey I would happily swap places with you in a heartbeat! Embrace the embrace!)

Okay, I just managed to scrape in underneath the maximum image limit for a post, with no need to "economize", thank goodness! More fun posts to come! Until next time!