#also if you have trouble finding my ask box from my blog

[redgoldsparks]

I wrote a 12 page epilogue to my 2019 comic "Harry Potter and The Problematic Author" because I found, in 2023, that I had more to say. You can also find this comic on my website, and I have PDF copies available on etsy. I may sell print copies at some point in the future.

instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

Full transcript below the cut.

PAGE 1

Part one: Ruddy Owls!

I was in fourth grade when the first Harry Potter Book was released in the US.

Panel 1: Sometimes our teacher would read it aloud in class. “Mr and Mrs Dursley of number 4 Privat Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”

Panel 2: I was 11 years old when Harry Potter finally broke through my dyslexia and turned me into a reader.

Panel 3: Every night in the summer before sixth grade I waited for the owl carrying my Hogwarts Letter. I cried when it didn’t come. “I have to go to Muggle school!”

PAGE 2

Part Two: Hats

I dedicated myself to being a fan.

Panel 1: I began collecting Harry Potter News article.

Panel 2: I asked my relatives to mail me ones from their local papers. I filled a thick binder with clippings.

Panel 3: I wrote my own trivia quiz

Panel 4: and participated in the one held annually at the county fair. “Next contestant!”

Panel 5: I usually got into one of. the top five spots. I won boxes of candy, posters, stationary, and once a baseball cap. (Hat reads: I survived the battle of Hogwarts).

Panel 6: In high school I sewed a black velvet cape and knitted many stripped scarves.

PAGE 3

Part Three: Double Trouble

Watching the last film in 2011 felt like the final note of my childhood. 

Panel 1: I remember driving home from the midnight showing thinking about the end of 13 years of waiting; wondering what would define the next chapter of my life. 

Panel 2: That same month I heard of something called Pottermore. “Okay, so there’s a sorting quiz… I already know my house! Patronus assignment? Mine’s a barn owl. Duh!" 

Panel 3: You can read the books again but with GIFs? Why? 

Panel 4: I lived in a place with very slow and limited internet at the time. Pottermore sounded inaccessible, but also boring. I never joined. 

Panel 5: "I’ll just read the actual books again, thanks." 

PAGE 4

Part Four: Sweets

In 2016, a series of short stories titled "History of Magic in North America” were released on Pottermore to pave the way for the first Fantastic Beasts Film. These stories display an extreme ignorance of American history, culture, and geography, but the worst parts are the casual misuse of indigenous beliefs and stories. Fans and critics immediately spoke up against this appropriation. Some of the most quoted voices included Nambe Pueblo scholar Dr. Debbie Reese who runs the site “American Indians In Children’s Literature”; Navajo writer Brian Young; Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of A Tribe Called Geek; Dr Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), a Professor at Brown University who runs the blog “Native Appropriations”, and writers N.K. Jemison and Paula Young Lee.

PAGE 5

Rowling is famous for responding to fans directly on twitter, yet she did not respond to anyone calling out the damaging aspects of “Magic in North America.” Her representatives refused to comment for March 9 2016 article in the Guardian. She has never apologized. All of this, plus the casting of Johnny Depp and the specific declarations of support by JKR, Warner Brothers, and director David Yates left a sour taste in my mouth.

For further thoughts on the new films read The Crimes of Grindelwald is a Mess by Alanna Bennett for Buzzfeed News, November 16, 2018.

PAGE 6

Excerpt from Colonialism in Wizarding American: JK Rowling’s History of Magic in North America Through an Indigenous Lens by Allison Mills, MFA, MAS/MLIS (Cree and Settler French Canadian)

Although Rowling is certainly not the first white author to misstep in her treatment of Indigenous cultures, she has an unprecedented level of visibility and fame, […] One of the most glaring problems with Rowling’s story is her treatment of the many Indigenous nations in North America as one monolithic group. […It] flattens out the diversity of languages, belief systems, and cultures that exist in Indigenous communities, allowing stereotyping to persist. […] It continues a long history of colonial texts which ignore that Indigenous peoples still exist. […] In the Wizarding world, as in the real world, Indigenous histories have been over-written and our cultures erased.

from The Looking Glass: New Perspectives in Children’s Literature Volumn 19, Issue 1

PAGE 7

Part 5: Music

Panel 1: Also in 2016 I discovered two podcasts which radically altered my experience of being an HP fan. The first was Witch Please created by two Canadian feminist literary scholars Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman.

Panel 2: “If it’s not in the text it doesn’t count!” “Close reading ONLY!”

Panel 3: They talk about Harry Potter at the level you’d expect in a college class with particular focus on gender, race, class, and the troubling fatphobia, fear of othered and queer coded bodies, violence against women, white feminism, gaslighting and failed pedagogy in the books. They bring up these issues not because they hate the series, but because they LOVE it.

PAGE 8

These passionate, joyful conversations went off like fireworks in my mind. I had never taken a feminist class before. I gained a whole new vocabulary to talk about the books- and the world.

PAGE 9

Panel 1: The second podcast I started that year was Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, created by two graduates of the Harvard Divinity School, Vanessa Zoltan and Casper Ter Kuile.

Panel 2: They read one chapter per episode through a theme such as love, control, curiosity, shame, responsibility, hospitality, destruction, or mystery. Like Witch Please, they are interested only in the information on the page, not thoughts from the author. The delights and failures of the text are examined in the context of the present day, and new meanings constantly arise.

PAGE 10

What does it mean to treat a text as sacred?

Trusting that the more time we give to it, the more blessings it has to give us.

Reading the text repeatedly with concentrated attention. Our effort is part of what makes it sacred. The text is not in and of itself sacred, but is made so by rigorously engaging in the ritual of reading.

Experiencing it in community.

“To me, the goal of treating the text as sacred is that we learn to treat each other as sacred.” -Vanessa Zoltan

PAGE 11

Part 6: Tooth and Claw

In October 2017, Rowling liked a tweet linking to an article arguing that trans women should be kept out of women’s bathrooms because of cisgender women’s fears. In March 2018, she liked a tweet about the problem of misogyny in the UK Labour Party which included the line “Men in dresses get brosocialist solidarity I never had.” The author of the tweet had previously posted many blatantly anti-trans statements.

Rowlings publicist claimed she had liked the posted by accident in a “clumsy and middle-aged moment.” Yet, in September 2018 she liked a link posted by Janice Turner to her column in the Times UK titled “Trans Rapists Are A Danger In Women’s Jails.”

Screencaps of these tweets can be found in the article “The Mysterious Case of JK Rowling and her Transphobic Twitter History”, January 10 2019 by Gwendolyn Smith (a trans journalist), LGBTQNation.com

PAGE 12

Excerpt from: Is JK Rowling Transphobic? A Trans Woman Investigates by Katelyn Burns

Ultimately, the answer is yes, she is transphobic […] I think it’s fair that she receives criticism from trans people, especially given her advocacy on behalf of queer people in general, but also because she has a huge platform. Many people look up to her for creating a singular piece of popular culture that holds deep meaning for fans from different walks of life, and she has a responsibility to handle that platform wisely. (Published on them.us March 28, 2018)

PAGE 13

Part 7: Home

At age 30, I’m still not over Harry Potter.

Panel 1: I’ve recently found a local bar that does HP trivia nights. “Poppy or Pomona?” “Poppy!”

Panel 2: I currently own an annual pass to Universal Studios so I can visit Hogsmeade.

Panel 3: I love talking to kids who are reading the books for the first time. “Who’s your favorite character?” “Ginny!”

Panel 4: And I’m planning a relisten to the audio books to next year to help me get through the election cycle. “Jim Dale, I’m going to need you more than ever…”

Spoiler from 2023: I did not do this. By mid-2020 JKR had posted her transphobic essay; we were in covid; I never visited Universal Studios again.

PAGE 14

But I do want to learn from her mistakes. I never want to repeat “Magic in North America.” As I write, I will do my research. I will consult experts and compensate them. If a reader from a different culture/background than me speaks up about my work, I will listen and apologize. I KNOW I WILL MAKE MISTAKES. But I will own up to them and I will do better.

PAGE 15

Excerpt from Diversity Is Not Enough: Race, Power and Publishing by Daniel José Older

We can love a thing and still critique it. In fact, that’s the only way to really love a thing. Let’s be critical lovers and loving critics and open ourselves to the truth about where we are and where we’ve been. Instead of holding tight to the same old, failed patriarchies, let’s walk a new road, speak new languages. Today, let’s imagine a literature, a literary world, that carries this struggle for equity in its very essence, so that tomorrow it can cease to be necessary, and disappear. (Buzzfeed, April 14, 2017) 

PAGE 16

Harry Potter is flawed, & JK Rowling is problematic. But the books helped me learn a lot: 

*One of the greatest dangers facing the modern world is the rise of fascism 

*The government cannot be trusted 

*Read and think critically

*Question the news: who paid the journalist? Who owns the paper? 

*Trust and support your friends through good times and bad

*Organize for resistance

*Educate and share resources with peers

*The revolution must be diverse and intersectional

* We are only as strong as we are united

*The weapon we have is love 

MK 2019

PAGE 17

PART 8: EPILOGUE

In 2021 I removed a Harry Potter patch I sewed to my book bag over a decade ago. I took 15 pieces of Harry Potter fanart off my walls. I got rid of my paperback book set, 2 board games, and 8 t-shirt. [images: a Hogwarts a patch with loose threads, a pair of scissors and a seam ripper]

Panel 1: Maia holding up a shirt with the Deathly Hallows logo on it. Maia thinks: “Damn, this really used to be my entire personality.”

Panel 2: The t-shirt gets thrown into the Goodwill box.

PAGE 18

I wrote my zine wrestling with JKR’s legacy in 2019, after her dismissive and racist reaction to indigenous fans and critics of “Magic in North America” and after she had liked a couple transphobic tweets. Since then, she has gotten so much worse.

A Brief Timeline (mostly from this Vox article)

June 2020- JKR posts a 3600 word essay making her anti-trans position clear

August 2020- The Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Org issues a statement about her transphobia, JKR doubles down on her position and returns an award they gave her

December 2020- JKR claims 90% of HP fans secretly agree with her anti-trans views

December 2021- JKR mocks Scottish Police for recognizing transgender identities

March 2022- JKR criticizes gender-inclusive language and legislation

December 2022- JKR retweets trans youtuber Jessie Earl’s critical review of Hogwarts Legacy, starting an onslaught of transphobic harassment towards Earl

December 2022- JKR removes her support from an Edinburgh center for survivors of sexual violence with a trans-inclusive policy and funds her own center which explicitly excludes trans sexual assault survivors

January 2023- JKR tweets “Deeply amused by those telling me I’ve lost their admiration due to disrespect I show violent, duplicitous rapists.” It got nearly 300K likes

March 2023- One the podcast “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling”, hosted by a former Westboro Baptist Church Member, JKR compares the trans rights movement to Death Eaters.

PAGE 19

What are The Witch Trials of JK Rowling?

Panel 1: Maia speaking. “It’s a 7 episode documentary style podcast hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper. Nearly every episode contains interviews with JKR as well as critics, journalists, historians, protestors and fans.

Panel 2: Maia speaking. “In episode 1, JKR speaks more candidly than she has previously about being in an abusive marriage. Her ex-husband hit her, stalked her, broke into her house overlapping with the time she was writing the first three HP books.”

Panel 3: Maia speaking. “What she went through genuinely sounds horrific. I have a lot of sympathy for the kind of life-long traumas those experiences leave.”

PAGE 20

HOWEVER.

It is clear from reading the June 2020 essay on her blog and listening to the podcast, that JKR still to this day feels unsafe. Despite her wealth and privilege she moves through the world with the mindset of a victim. And the group of people she finds most threatening are trans women.

Or rather, she is afraid that allowing trans women in women’s spaces invites the possibility of male predators entering those spaces.

Here’s a direct quote: The problem is male violence. All a predator wants is access and to open the doors of changing rooms, rape centers, domestic violence centers [...] to any male who says “I’m a woman and I have a right to be here” will constitute a risk to women and girls. - from The Witch Trials episode 4 as transcribed by therowlinglibrary.com, March 2023

Image: A stem of Belladonna with flowers and berries.

PAGE 21

Let me introduce here the term: TRANSMISOGYNY. The intersection of transphobia and misogyny, this term was coined by Julia Serano in 2007. Scout Tran, on tiktok as Queersneverdie said: “Transmisogyny occurs in people who have been previously hurt by traditional misogyny. Who have been driven to hate men or at the very least to be scared of men. They will sometimes take out that rage on trans women. (March 2023)

JKR claims to care for trans women and understand they are extremely vulnerable to assault and violence. In her 2020 Essay she wrote: “I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe.”

So she cares about trans women… just less than cis women, and she’s willing to throw all trans women under the bus because of her unfounded, prejudice fears.

PAGE 22

Panel 1: Maia speaking. “JKR claims to have seen data that proves trans women have presented physical threats to other women in intimate spaces, but never cites sources. She also uses “producer of the large gametes” as a definition of “woman”.

What about transmen and nonbinary folks?

Panel 2: Maia leaning on a stack of all seven HP books, the first four Cormorant Strike books and The Casual Vacancy, gesturing to a series of quotes with a tired and disgusted expression.

I’m concerned about the huge explosion of young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning. * [...] If I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. -June 10 2020 essay

I don’t believe a 14 year old can truly understand what the loss of their fertility is.

-Witch Trials episode 4

I haven’t yet found a study that hasn’t found that the majority of young people experiencing gender dysphoria grow out of it*. -Witch Trials episode 7

*No sources cited

PAGE 23

It’s hard to over emphasize how fixated JKR has become on these topics. As of the date I’m writing this, 14 out of her 20 most recent tweets (70%) are in some way anti-trans. She tweets against Mermaids (a UK based trans youth charity), against trans athletes, against gender neutral bathrooms, and in support of LBG Alliance- a UK org that denies trans rights while upholding gay rights. Here are some gems from her archive:

“People who menstruate.” I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? -June 2020

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman. - December 2021

And in response to someone asking “How do you sleep at night knowing you lost a whole audience?”

I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly. -October 2022

PAGE 24

Hashtag Ruthless Productions a queer nerd podcast company created a great guide on ethical engagement with HP. Image: the two hosts of Hashtag Ruthless productions, Jessie (They/she) and Lark (he/him).

Stop buying all official HP Products: books, movies, games, toys, etc, Universal Studios tickets, food, merch.* Boycott any new TV series or movies. Instead: buy the books and DVDs used. If you still want to wear HP merch, buy fan-made. Engage only with fan content: fic, podcasts, fanart, wizard rock, etc. Show transphobia is bad for business. None of this will change JKR’s mind. But the Fantastic Beast series was canceled and after record Pottermore sales in 2020, they fell in 2022 by 40%.

*She gets a portion of ALL tickets. In 2019, this was her largest income source. Read the full guide: hashtagruthless.com/resourceguide

PAGE 25

As late as 2019, I was still reading JKR’s murder mystery series. But by the fourth book my experience began to sour.

Panel 1: Maia holding a copy of Lethal White. “The only gay character in this book is a government official who gropes his staff?”

Panel 2: “The only genderqueer character is misgendered and portrayed as a whiny faker?”

Panel 3: “The only Muslim character is disowned by his family over gay rumors?”

Panel 4: “Even the women aren’t portrayed very well…”

Panel 5: “Why is the main female character defined by the rape in her past?”

Panel 6: “Wait, what happens in the rest of this series…?” Maia scrolls on eir phone.

Panel 7: “Is the series heading towards an employee/boss relationship?”

Panel 8: “And has a man wearing women’s clothes to commit assault?”

Panel 9: “Yeah, I’m done. I’m never reading a new JKR book ever again.”

PAGE 26

And as for JKR herself?

As tempting as it might be to tweet your frustrations at her, I don’t recommend it. In 2021, she tweeted, “Hundreds of trans activists have threatened to beat, rape, assassinate and bomb me.” Getting hate online feeds her sense of victimhood and she waves it as proof of her moral high ground. Instead I suggest you block her on twitter, then delete twitter, go to the library and try to find a new book that feels magical.

Stack of books: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Gifts by Ursula K Le Guin, Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir.

PAGE 27

In “Emergent Strategy” adrienne maree brown writes: You do not have the right to traumatize abusive people, to attack them, personally or publicly, or to sabotage anyone else’s health. The behaviors of abuse are also survival-based, learned behaviors rooted in pain. If you can look through the lens of compassion, you will find hurt and trauma there. If you are the abused party, healing that hurt is not your responsibility and exacerbating that pain is not your justified right.

PAGE 28

Seeing anyone over age 12 wearing HP merch now makes me uncomfortable. Are they ignorant or actively a TERF? I hate wondering how much money JKR has probably poured into anti-trans legislation… This zine is a culmination of my slow breakup with a story that once brought me joy. Now it just makes me angry, tired and sad.

Image: Candle in a fancy holder burned down to less than an inch.

Maia Kobabe, 2023

[silenceofthewave]

[A SOUNDWAVE ROLEPLAY BLOG]

– This is a multi-verse roleplay and ask blog.

– Soundwave's character is a mixture between TF Prime and TF One. It's frame is consistent with Prime, which means it has the visor, datacables and creature like quality (hence the it/its pronouns).

– This blog does not shy away from shitposting, but don't let that scare you! I enjoy literature RP just as much, and always welcome discussion when opening new threads.

– Feel free to DM me! I am open to DM RPs as well as discussion! I'm here to make friends and have a good time :)

– Author is 24 years old, and does not shy away from NSFW topics. This includes smut, but also extends to violence, robogore, and the like. I understand I interact with minors, and I am always very careful to ensure they are not exposed to anything explicit. If you are interested in explicit RP, it MUST be kept to DMs for this purpose. I also need assurance that you Are above 18+ in order to engage in this way.

– Due to the multiverse nature of the blog, this is also multi-ship! I am willing to consider anyone who has good chemistry with Soundwave, but my otps are MegaSound, SoundOP, StarSound and WaveWave.

- Header image by kibermonakh

[RULES]

– Please put as much effort as I do into our RPs. It's frustrating writing out a big reply only to get a paragraph back. (This ofc does not apply to shitposting.)

– Minors are free to interact, but please keep in mind that I am particular and reserve the right to stop a RP if its veering into territory I'm not comfortable with. (as are you!! and this applies to all RPs)

– Please reach out to me before starting a big thread, and please keep in contact throughout so we can stay on the same page.

– OCs are welcome!

– Please send asks! Soundwave loves them. But, please do not flood my ask box. I assure you, I've seen it, and it will be answered.

– If you want to start an RP through an ask, please make sure we are mutuals. My notifications get flooded very easily and I am currently trying to work out a management system for them.

– To piggyback off that, if I missed a response from you please either Tag me in the comments of the thread, OR send me a DM with the link to your response. Like I said, my notifications are a MESS, and I know it's very likely for me to miss something.

– Since this has been a problem before, please please please don't purposefully flood my notifications. While I am Committed to the Bit, it's very overwhelming and buries replies. I appreciate the humor, but it's one of the few times I'll say something is unnecessary.

[UNIVERSES]

– 1024.14 Tau: The Chaos Verse

Lovingly called The Chaos Universe, this is where Soundwave gets to shitpost for fun and free. Soundwave has never known peace a day in its life in this universe. Soundwave speaks freely, using the typical "Soundwave: [sentence]" format.

Tagged as u 1024.14

Shipped with @/Lord-Starscream

- 1024.15 Tau: Revival

The Revival Universe currently focuses on the journey to bring Soundwave's cassettes back, utilizing Shockwave's cloning techniques. Angst and grief abound, Soundwave finds itself questioning everything thing it knows about itself. Soundwave has gone mute due to the grief of losing its beloved Cassettes, and instead uses others voices to speak. Still, it finds it has trouble voicing its true thoughts and feelings.

Tagged as u 1024.15

Eventually to be shipped with @/dailydoseoflogic

[HEADCANONS]

Soundwave thoroughly enjoys human music and art. It even has a hacked Spotify account and will listen to music while its flying, alone, or even share it with those closest to it.

Soundwave has managed to get itself connected to the internet, and will regularly do internet searches on things it is unfamiliar with. It also enjoys watching movies and videos.

Soundwave has a strong EM field, which it uses to hone its telepathy, and occasionally share emotions it cannot express.

Soundwave is not emotionless. It feels a lot, actually, but cannot express that.

It uses many emoticons to express what it's feeling, all with their own different meanings.

Soundwave's telepathy is touch based.

Before the war, Soundwave was a gladiator with Megatron. It honed its skills and life long friendship with the Decepticon leader in the pits of Kaon. It trusts Megatron with its life because of their shared experiences. Its loyalty to the Decepticon cause runs deeper than politics.

Soundwave loves its Cassettes. It will put itself in the line of fire to protect them, and will protect them even if it means certain death. In the universes where its Cassettes have gone offline, it's extremely vengeful and will stoop to murder to avenge its beloveds.

The Cassettes were built by Soundwave's own servos. A sliver of its spark splits off, and it only has a few days to build a spark chamber, the beginnings of a protoform and install an internal repair system. The process is extremely time and resource intensive, hence why it has not made new Cassettes during the war.

Further headcanons that appear on the blog are tagged as #soundwave lore

[TAGS]

#u 1024.14 - The Chaos Verse

#u 1024.15 - Revival

#Soundwave: <3 - usually used on neat artwork that i, and by extension soundwave, enjoys

#TheWaves - wavewave art, headcanons, general posting

#SoundAmongTheStars - StarSound art, headcanons, general posting

#Soundwave: >:( - usually used in RP to denote displeasure or anger

#Soundwave: Loves Its Cassettes - exactly what it sounds like, mostly artwork ft the Cassettes

#Soundwave: :( - Usually used in RP to denote some kind of sadness

#nightlygreeting - my sign off posts

#admin babbles - i enjoy yapping sometimes

[thorough-witness-enjoyer]

Hi hi!

I loved your rants on the Traveler and read your pinned post and was just curious to hear about your destiny OCs (or anything else you want to talk about honestly)! Please ramble as it's always a good time to read to have someone go on in detail about their interests.

Light be with you!

Greetings!!!

This was such a sweet message and I’m delighted that you found an interest in the things I discuss on this blog!!! Thank you so much for the kind words and for wanting to hear about my ocs!!

Okay so we have- *I fall down a comically long flight of stairs with my box of ocs as they go everywhere* Sorry, sorry!

Truth be told, I have a LOT of ocs from all the different species and societies of Destiny as I have been into the game for practically two-thirds of my life, more than I can possibly disclose in just one post (especially because I can talk forever about these things!!)

So, I thought it would be fun if I described my many characters and their stories as silly blog/news titles and opening statements! This is only a small handful of my ocs, but if you guys want more or see one idea you’d like to hear more of, I’ll consider posting additional content of them!

Here we go:

Infamous deathsinger-school drop out meets agoraphobic Eliksni captain at Eliksni-Hive bar, requires his and his sardonic, elder dreg‘s protection against her vengeful knight sister.

Small Uluran girl tends to her family farm with her Psion in-house caretaker, finds out the only thing more troubling than a poor harvest is Torobatl politics as her caretaker brings his fragile partner into the household.

Local Last City ghost sees success at the opening of her new therapy café despite not having hands and only employing other guardian-less ghosts.

Top ten activities to do with the goat your Witness does not approve of, but your acolytes adore! (Number 4 will certainly unleash its rage!)

BREAKING: Awoken guardian and her exo best friend are kicked out of Spider‘s Palace after starting a drunken fight over a gambling dispute for the 20th time. “I remember being young, desired, out until dawn, and unbothered by responsibilities” says their middle-aged Psion fiduciary.

This Vex harpy enjoys listening to a vagrant exo hunter play his flute and doesn’t enjoy Minotaurs at all according to the vagrant hunter that menacingly approached us.

EXCLUSIVE: We interviewed the Young Wolf on why they continue to slay gods and they said “There really isn’t much else to do and my only friends are Ghost and Crow”.

Hundreds dead and thousands more injured after a fairy betrayal in the Court of Understanding left the Great Navigator paranoid that necromancy was spreading amongst his closest circle (A fairy is a Hive class I invented that is akin to court jesters for the upper class, especially the Osmium siblings. They are light-weight and agile, possessing the ability to float, while also wielding long-range weaponry. I definitely plan to explain this concept in the future and perhaps provide artwork for them!)

Long lost sibling of the architect of The Witness found in reclusive cabin with non-verbal child, told us to “Fuck off” and “Tell that disturbed prophet I want nothing to do with them”.

How to answer your young child when they start asking questions like “Why do our neighbors have four arms?” and “If the Final Shape happens, do I still have to go to school?”: A guide written by an average Last City dad with a curious daughter.

Whats better than the daughter of a baron and a cynical knight running away to live a life of piracy and blasphemy together? Studies show it’s the daughter of a baron and a cynical knight doing all of that AND being lesbians.

Renowned Hive romantic novelist takes acolyte playwright under his wing after their work reaches acclaim in the Court of War for its depiction of the Eater of Hope’s trials with redemption and love. “This will definitely win back the hat loving wizard that I had spawn with” the novelist claimed as he flipped his decadent cape.

Old Psion yells “All paracasual beings need to die in their rotting entitlement, especially that red bloated bastard and that big eyed freak he calls ‘My Mistress’!”and immediately dies after telling his aids about his time spent directly under Nezarec.

HEARTWARMING: This Lubraen stalker welcomes newcomers by giving them a tour around the city and making their bigotry apparent.

Is this the style of the summer? Qugu person sports new curled tendril mane as they embrace the end of everything.

She’s a beefy wizard, he’s a scrawny knight, they are irritating rivals: The couple that fell in love again after becoming lucent thanks to their devoted spawn.

Potential assassin of the Witness found and held under that black liquid it comes out of until their will falters. “I had to do something to protect them. No one protected my planet. I didn’t care how much I’d pay for it” stated the now-disciple fish creature.

I have tons of concepts remaining and I thoroughly love all these characters, but I don’t want this post to be too long!! I adore expanding on unexplored areas of Destiny lore and I wish I had the time to make content for my ideas!!

Thank you again for the question and I hope I adequately answered it!! Light be with you too!!

[stealingyourbones]

The starter profile picture on tumblr can be a square. One might even say, a box. Would Boxy, Lord of the Rectangular, The Box Ghost Himself, be able to intrude upon Technus's domain and seize control of the bot army of Tumblr?

@bonebrokebuddy responding because twin showed this to me and I became enraptured with this ask.

It really depends on what you consider a box, or the abstraction of a box. In my opinion, The Box Ghost would be able to force his control of boxes upon whatever he perceives to be a box.

The real issue is that nearly all bots I find have profilers of random women. So I’d imagine that a good portion of the bots would remain untouched.

But again, we must ask the question, “what would the box ghost consider a box?”

I’d argue personally that Boxy would be able to control not just the blogs of tumblr users or bots with the standard starter profile images, but every ask box that is enabled on the site.

I’d imagine it would open a “hey pee brain, you teleport?” type timeline where tumblr users would at first be confused to this flood of similar messages invading their askbox, then discover that this mysterious ‘virus’ that’s been taking over people’s blogs to use their ask boxes seems to have an actual person behind it and isn’t just a bot.

A massive surge of users would likely try to uncover the mystery behind who is behind it all, getting slowly pieces of information from the person behind the ‘virus’ who’s obsessed with boxes and all things rectangular. Eventually, bits of personal information releases, that the man behind the virus is dead and died in a box related incident (y’all can choose how, I’d imagine there’s multiple hc backstories for boxy), and the town & GZ he lives in. People would praise this absolutely insane ARG (and condemn. To many the ‘Box Ghost’ was a hacker that took over blogs and rendered them unusable for a period of time. rightly so, a good section of the website would dislike Boxy, especially of their blog or mutuals of theirs got affected.) until a user leaked that The Box Ghost was in fact, an actual being sighted often in Amity Park.

Then another user found a website of a government department funded to hunt ghost that listed a ‘box ghost’ as a dangerous ectoentity.

The discoveries from there came rapidly.

- papers by the Drs Fenton were found outlining how ghosts functioned

- posts from people in Amity Park complaining about frequent ghost attacks and drills

- social media that condemned and praised a ghost named “Inviso-Bill” for destroying public property, stealing, saving, and fending off ghosts.

- the mysterious election of the town’s recent mayor

- stories of the Box Ghost’s past encounters with Amity Park citizens

- information of other ghosts that also existed within Amity Park began being revealed and discovered

- attempts at contacting Amity Park citizens to discover more information, often yielding confused responses from those wholly unaware that those asking thought that the ghost attacks their town experienced were apart of an ARG

- the ‘#only in amity park’ tag revealing Loads of information about the town and their ghost troubles

then, an announcement on the GIW website thanking tumblr users for their help in providing information to capture the Box Ghost.

Immediately all asks from Boxy ceased. Panic and horror began to spread. What had they done?

[monstersholygrail]

Do you have any monster OCs? or any OCs at all? :o

You are opening Pandora’s box with this question, my love. Goodness gracious, I’m gonna put it all under the cut because the answer is yes, I have many OCs both monster, cyborg, and otherwise!

Thank you so much for asking btw, it was super sweet of you <33

If anyone would like to send in any asks about these then I’d be more than happy to talk about them 👉🏼👈🏼

Tumblr OCs

So, starting off with on my blog, I have 2 OCs! I have Demon Prist, my special boy. His story is that he is a fallen angel who is desperately trying to get back into Heaven and God’s good graces when you come into his life. He’s convinced you’re a gift from God for his devotion all these millennia as you take his pain away.

I also have Ghost bf whose name is yet to be revealed although I do have one! His story (lore drop!) is that when moving to a new city, you’re looking for an apartment and you find him! The two of you talk for weeks before agreeing to a sort of trial run. But before you can get there, Ghost bf dies and you show up to an empty apartment and you expect him to be back soon. When he reveals himself to you the two of you contact each other in weird ways and fall in love along the way.

More to come too!

Book OCs

Then I also have Monster OCs that I would like to introduce here and later possibly turn into books! The first being Wren and Emery. Wren is a bigender Eldritch monster whose favorite show is a monster hunter show where they find monsters and study them. Not actual hunting. Emery was the host of this show with her bf Jonah when a bad werewolf accident happens and Jonah kind of takes over the show. Wren decides to invite the show to his manor to essentially… catch him. All in order to help Emery. It’s very rom-com vibes. Wren and Emery are the main couple (Jonah is bad)

I have Delilah and Augustine with their friends Ivory and Sivan. I want to write their story through an anthology. It’s basically flustered vampire x bimbo human. Delilah is insanely smart, she’s a mortician ironically. But she misses a lot of things right in front of her, hence the bimbo type personality. So it’s a collection of like Augustine constantly getting caught being a vampire bc he’s not smooth or sneaky (anymore) and it just doesn’t click for Delilah. Which makes Ivory, her best friend that’s also a secret vampire, insane. She’s a hypocrite but her and Auggie have a fun dynamic.

Thirdly, I also have Zella and Senén. Sen is a hybrid wolf who ran his own mafia when his men thinks he betrayed them and the cops are on his tail. So hides as a puppy hybrid in England with an American woman named Zella who’s there looking after her sick grandmother. He has to maintain his facade even as he finds it all super demeaning. But he falls for Zella and starts getting comfortable in this new life when trouble turns its head back around on him.

Next I also have this idea for a futuristic serial fiction that would span over at least 100 chapters. It’s sci-fi fantasy. Think Nimona-ish but darker. It’s ultimately kinda cyberpunk but from the opposite perspective of it for the most part. It follows Nora or Noor and she’s in the II (Iridium Imperium) also known as the eyes. It’s a guild that protects the city like law enforcement and they’re all cyborgs with special magical gifts. Their whole city runs on guilds it’s a requirement to be in one within city limits. Only those with magical gifts can join The II. The story covers the climatic and intense downfall of The II and ultimately Nora herself as everything she’s ever known is destroyed and she’s the last to accept it if she ever really does. She has at least 3 romantic partners over the course of the series but I’m unsure if I want her to end up Ren, her enemies to lovers man from outside the city limits who understands her far too well, her ex Gio who abandoned her in order to join the resistance but always comes back for her whenever she needs him, end up with them both in a throuple, or if she should end up alone! It’s a huge world and many OCs within this world.

The working title of this next one is called Grimoire Gargoyles! It features Giselle who’s a librarian working in France at a super old library. She finds herself in the restricted section and reads out loud from a book. Accidentally releasing two French Revolution Gargoyles from their prison stuck on top of the library. Now that Francois and Bastien are free they try and leave but find themselves drawn back to Giselle. Revealing themselves to her she isn’t afraid given that monsters are a normal sight in their world. Though Gargoyles have been extinct since the Revolution. Together they work together to try and finish the spell to release them from their curse and fall in love along the way.

More include a heist trilogy with a Dragon jeweler for the King and a thief, a dryad who accidentally performs a mating ritual with an ancient dragon at a festival celebrating his supposed vanquishing, a vampire stalker who stalks a human after tasting her blood for the first time but then stops and she starts stalking him bc she’s upset he stopped stalking her, a dragon hybrid and a griffin hybrid who exchange mating symbols as kids and basically betroth themselves to each other but he’s meant to marry her sister and years later they go through the marriage trials together not knowing it’s impossible for him to marry someone else.

Other Book OCs

My oldest OCs are from last November and it’s called Crafting Constellations. It’s an elf world and all high fantasy. The first book follows Soleil and Peracles. Peracles is the heir to a Kingdom that’s only ever had female rulers and Soleil is his general. They have a forbidden romance going on and have to work together to figure out the evil plot against the crown by an unknown force. See art of them here. Its sequel features Cane, Peracles’ royal advisor and Soleil’s ex, in his heartbreak when he saves Pera from being poisoned. He gets into an enemies to lovers with Pera’s assassin named Astraea. Then the third book features the antagonist as the main character Nova and she kidnaps Viyan, a co-worker of sorts with Astraea in order to get revenge. Then I have a secondary series featuring all 4 of Peracles’ brothers with love interests. Also a prequel that’s a sapphic tragedy with Peracles mother and her own general.

Then my second oldest OCs named Prudence and Narada. It’s another sci-fi fantasy series. Prudence is a part of a faction that has the power to get into another persons mind and read it and control it. A long time ago her faction was deemed too dangerous to stay alive so they made them extinct. And for over 100 years they’ve been living in secret and pulling the strings of their entire world Janeus. Her coven sees into the future and ensures fate stays on course. So they kill the emperor of one of the empires so that his son takes over: Narada. Prue goes there, hiding her eyes as their powers are revealed through eye color. And she successfully manipulates him but they fall for each other along the way and she ends up betraying her coven and revealing herself and their plan for the young emperor. Prue is convinced that she can fix things and manipulate fate all on her own but their world slowly begins to perish and she realizes her mistake. When she gets a “chosen one” prophecy with herself as the one to defeat, she learns to accept fate and that you can’t control it as she thought.

More include a fae hunter x fae lord that’s kinda similar to Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride lol, two demons and a human working at a casino and underground fighting ring that helps them hide from the world when their pasts catch up to them, and a biblical apocalypse where the world is split into the seven deadly sins and the Lord of Greed and a man working for the Lord of Lust inadvertently work to bring the second coming of Christ.

And I’m sure there’s even more that I’ve forgotten or that have slipped my mind!! I have so many plots in my head that it’s hard to focus on any of them lol.

[lemotmo]

First time I've seen them be, deservedly and understandably, short with someone. The ask was vile but I love the answer so enjoy! You will have no trouble figuring out what the ask was.

A. Anon, I debated long and hard about answering your ask because, to be frank, it's rude as hell. But I decided to answer it because there are a couple of points I would like to make and you gave me an opening. I will be more polite to you than your ask was to me, but this is my third draft of this response and it's still not as polite as I strive to be to people, but it's clearly as polite as I can be on this one. Enjoy.

It's not possible to 'turn on Tommy'. He is a plot device. His character is whatever the plot needs him to be. I said from day one I liked the intended purpose of Tommy as far as present Buck is concerned. I get what the show is doing with him and I like it, right now, for Buck. I never pretended it was more than that. You are correct, my blog has lots of pro Eddie/Buddie posts. I've watched from the beginning. If you actually watch the show it is hard to not like him/them. You're also correct in that I view Buck/Eddie/Christopher as a family unit. That's the way they're written. We're supposed to see them that way, again watch the show for context. I love Eddie. He deserves better than the neverending Shannon go round. Ryan's recent interviews seem to imply he would also like to get off that particular ride. That doesn't make me or anyone else a Tommy traitor, because again, can't betray a plot device.

As for the Lou part of your ask, I have made no secret of my personal issues with him. I don't feel the need to reference it in every single answer I give, but they're easy to find on my blog. Screaming at me that we have no proof he's supported trump since 2016 is not the character win you seem to think it is. He was just as misogynistic, homophobic and racist then. So not a point in Lou's favor. I also have issues with the Cameo videos. It's gross to charge fans to talk to you. Did he have every right to capitalize on his fandom moment, sure, but I can still think it's icky. I can also acknowledge the nightmare it has caused for Oliver and Tim, and even more disgustingly so, Ryan. Most of us figured out it was the same 8 or 9 blogs purchasing the videos (no surprise who those blogs were) which I'm also sure Lou eventually figured out. He wasn't talking to a wide audience. The view count told you that. Which is why I stress that people have to stop pretending that Buck and Tommy are some wide spread loved couple. Reality doesn't support that. Shouting into a vacuum of like minded people is not the same thing as being an audience favorite and most of the people shouting know this. The videos served no purpose except financial. Which again, he had every right to do, but i have the right to be grossed out by it. I try very hard to be respectful of everyone's opinions. I am an adult. I don't need everyone to agree with my every thought. I expect the same basic level of politeness in my ask box. Your misunderstanding or deliberate ignorance of what is very clearly displayed on my blog is not my responsibility. I understand what I think the show is trying to do with the character of Tommy. I get it, and I don't hate it. I like the idea. Voicing that was never stating I'm anti Eddie or Buddie. And understanding and voicing where I think the show is going doesn't make me a Tommy traitor. Because once more, he's a plot device.

Louder for the people in back!

Oh wow. What a truth bomb. Slay! OP your ability to stay calm and collected when obviously answering a very rude and disrespectful ask is remarkable and commendable. I always strive to do the same on my blog, but even I sometimes lose my patience when it comes to the more 'rude' messages in my inbox.

What can I say about this? It's the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. Enough said.

Remember, no hate in comments or reblogs. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of the anonymous OP’s posts, you can find all of their posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[scriptstructure]

About & Guidelines

About the Blog:

In the fashion of ScriptMedic and cohort, this blog is here to answer questions about how to structure your story, and develop your narrative, and themes. If you’ve got your research, and you’ve got your plot, and then you’re stuck on how to make it fit together, or how to use your awesome research, then this is the blog for you!

This blog can provide assistance from simple tips regarding writing itself, through to recommendations for further reading and research. If I’m able I will provide links to relevant texts, or at least attempt to provide ways to find them.

Guidelines for Asking:

FIRST! An important note: I will not read your manuscript!

MS reading is time-intensive and is the sort of thing better left to dedicated beta readers or paid editors, please do not submit part/ all of your MS, and ask me to ‘tell you what’s wrong with it’ or ‘help fix it’.

Sending your ask:

ask box is preferred! Submit box is available if you absolutely can’t fit your question into the ask

I’ll be keeping messenger open in case I need to ask clarifying questions, but I would prefer that initial questions NOT be sent via messenger.

You’ll probably need to put 1-2 sentences of context about your story, and ask about the specific issue you’re having difficulty with

Generally speaking, the more specific your question is the better I will be able to help you – figure out the area that you’re having difficulty with and ask about that in particular. Sending a long rehash of your MS and then simply asking how to make it work is impossible to answer. Tell me what You think the problem you’re having is, and we can work from there.

As this blog grows, there will no doubt be posts related to troubles you’re having, I’ll be making sure to keep up a consistent tagging system so that all previous posts should be simple to find, simply head to the navigation page and look to see if your question has already been answered. If it hasn’t? Then ask away! If I’ve answered something similar to the question you have but haven’t quite hit the nail on the head? Ask away!

Also, you might notice that I’ll often advise people to read certain texts, or recommend stories, shows, films, novels, etc that are similar to what they’re working on. Reading is the best practice for writing, you’ll learn a lot about writing by reading attentively, and it is a process – all writing is a process! There’s no quick fix or cheat sheet that will work for everyone.

If you must send a question longer than the ask box allows, use a browser to access:

www.scriptstructure.tumblr/submit

About the Blogger:

My name is Mason and I’m all about character and narrative development, I’ll be doing my best to try and work through the thorny problems that come with the writing part of writing!

I have a degree in Creative Writing, a minor in English Literature, and an honours degree in Creative Writing (thesis focused on character structure and narrative). I’ve lectured on Character development in adaptation, and I’ve taught general creative writing, as well as writing for the stage.

I have several short stories published, as well as a self published novella, you can find my personal/ author blog [HERE]

[barrenclan]

I think catabolic seed by the scary jokes is very slugpelt, maybe about her life in general?

Yeah, I think so! I like the themes in this song about trying to take control of your life by reaching out to other people, but getting denied. That's very Slugpelt.

Also, check out this awesome PMV with Catabolic Seed, which I just have to show off cause I love it so much.

"But is bad luck really such a crime? If you won't be my valentine, could you at least give me a little bit of sympathy?"

"I don't care if I'm losing myself in the garden of earthly delights I could drop dead right where I stand, and I wouldn't mind"

You guys always find such interesting songs. I like this one. It's definitely got good Rainhaze energy.

"even through the pain animals cannot change dance with the skeletons and float away"

"eat and then die all your siblings cast aside too"

"see with new eyes a world ready to despise you"

No, no one's recommended this Hannibal fansong yet. But nice call for Ranger talking to Rainhaze!

"So look in the mirror And tell me, who do you see? Is it still you? Or is it me?"

"Do you feel the hunger Does it howl inside? Does it terrify you? Or do you feel alive?"

That's a good classic ask, back from the beginning of the blog. Never forget Christmas music Daff.

"Underground, boxed and glum Left you there for rot All my fears are overgrown Will someone burn this grove?"

"Welcome home! It's been a while Do you miss your head? With your tattered clothes and your bloody nose?"

I LOVE Vulture Culture! That song is great. I've been wanting to do a version of its animation meme for years now with a fandom I'm in. Maybe someday.

It can be a Rainhaze song and a Defiance song. They're so interlinked now, right?

"We live and die in a vulture culture We crucify anyone we hunger Gemini and a broken brother We live and die, my friend"

"Well, I guess I made my bed Now I gotta lie in it Like a suicidal kiss I got a guilty conscience"

BarrenClan is a cursed land!...

"The curse ruled from the underground, down by the shore And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before"

"If they called on every soul in the land, on the moon Only then would they know a blessing in disguise"

Asphodelpaw's themesong is a MARINA song, so you're already halfway there! I also agree with you about the idea of Asphodel feeling like she has to put on a strong front and pretend like she doesn't have any genuine feelings.

"It's okay to say you've got a weak spot You don't always have to be on top Better to be hated Than loved loved loved for what your not"

"You're vulnerable, you're vulnerable You are not a robot You're lovable, so lovable But you're just troubled"

What a wonderful title for a song. I also love mashing my OCs into any vaguely related song to them.

"I bid the sunshine adieu! In 1872 When the girl that I liked Made me a creature of the night"

"On the shortest night of the year I told him he’d nothing to fear As I bit his throat and crooned as he choked “Together forever my dear”

I'm certain this song has been suggested before, but that's only because any song from The Crane Wives discography could fit into PATFW.

"He taught me that the hand that feeds Deserves to be bitten when it beats He taught me how to break my chains And that money ain't worth a thing"

"Reminding me how little I have But as for time, as for time It's mine, it's mine"

Poor Pinepaw! He really does know too much, often envious of who he used to be.

...yeah, that's going on the playlist.

"Everything here is built on bones

Everything everything everything

And men will do as they’re foretold

Everything everything everything

Visions you don’t want to see

Everything everything everything

Hide your face from prophecy"

If I'm being real - since this song is so desert-themed, it's giving much bigger Saltburn's Clan energy, especially with the line about "mountain cats". (Blasting beams into the 3 people who read this's head to go read SBC at @nanistar)

If you want my opinion, I would say Slugpelt.

"So, if I can wait five more In this shape that I abhor I'll sleep with an open door Knowing you haven't touched a cell on my body"

"Now, my love carries the task Of handling the aftermath Can you smooth the looping lines Of fingerprints before your time?"

Lol I ran out of video embeds

[kz-i-co]

Don’t Fall In Love: Part 2

Summary: You are one of the most popular bloggers on your campus, telling enriching stories of your personal heartbreaks anonymously. But your readers are not ready to handle the newest heartbreak of finding out your best friend dating your ex.

Pairing: Lee Haechan (Donghyuk) x f!reader

Genre: college au | angst (eventual fluff x smutt)

Warnings: story may contain strong language, mentions of drugs and alcohol - sexual references - reader discretion advise.

Words: 4.6k

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Masterlist | Nct 127 Masterlist | Nct Dream Masterlist

Taglist: @lovingvoidgoatee, @lunaryoongie, @matchahyuck, @yixingtion, @mosviqu, @ohmyhuenings, @nctzennikki09​

::: LoveAboveMyPinkClouds: blog post #51 Please understand that my short hiatus was necessary as I can firmly say....I'm going through hell. And those of you still accusing me for bullshitting fake news....then shame on you - but also honored you think my creativity is this impressive, thanks I guess. I will gladly get to your questions as my DM box is officially full - also thanks again....I guess - but please let me vent on my own because this is all too real and once again....NOT okay with it. I never seen this coming. It's bad enough I had to confront my oh so famous ex on the matter and thought I was crazy to split up his new found relationship. The jerk didn't take it well since he brought up my relationship with J - his best friend. Oops did I forget to mention that? Call me slut or hypocrite - what ever floats your boat but I as well was under a lack of information and I would take it back if I could. I have more regrets than I would like to admit and people reading who are close to me will probably connect the dots eventually and my identity will soon be blown but as of right now I'm venting and this is the only place I can comfortably do it. I will get to my session on D soon but right now I'm pissed and rather not talk about it. Thanks for being here anyway. Xoxo peace :::

"(Y/N), help me hang this." Minjeong asked letting one side of the banner dangle. It's been a few days since you've found out about Donghyuck and Minjeong and you still couldn't deal with it, but at least you played nice.

"Why are we doing this?" You sounded uninterested.

"Jimin's birthday." She sounded offended.

"I know that.....she said not to make a big deal out of it." You shrugged taping the other side.

"That's the best part." She smiled once again. "You okay? You seem down lately."

"I'm just drowning in school work, exhausted." You lied.

"You need more sleep and to stop partying."

"I've only been to two this week." You made your way to the kitchen and pulled out a can of soda.

"And stripped in front of the whole fraternity." She giggled. "And can't forget trashing your ex's."

"Must we keep talking about this? I was drunk and stupid and I said I was sorry."

"Alright." She began, following you. "Actually....can I ask you for dating advice?" She said, changing the subject.

"Trouble with catfish already?" You tried not to smile.

"It's not that....and stop calling him that." She smiled sarcastically. "How long did you date Jaemin until you guys started.....you know, sleeping together."

You didn't lie that the question alone caused your stomach to sink. "Well, first of all, he was a fuck buddy so the first date technically."

"Well then, your other ex...."

You sighed avoiding her question. "Min, you just started dating this guy and you want him to fuck you already." Your eyebrows furrowed.

You can tell she was uncomfortable. "I'm just getting impatient and I thought guys in college dived right into that stuff."

"I mean you ain't wrong. College guys are horn dogs." You giggled. "But I don't know, maybe he's a gentleman."

You chuckled to yourself because you knew that was the farthest from the truth. Donghyuck was no gentleman, at least not anymore....or maybe this was somehow an act to look innocent to get girl to fall for boy faster - what an evil genius.

"So am I wrong to worry? All we've done is kiss and hold hands. I want more." She sounded defeated and you as her best friend would feel bad and want this douche to pay but this was Donghyuck we're talking about, you didn't want happiness for him. Cruel yes but maybe he deserved it.

"Break up with him." You said nonchalantly.

"Not this again (Y/N). You act like you don't like him but you met him once, can't you try a little harder."

You heard a knock on the door ending your conversation thankfully. "I hope that's not Riri, I told her to distract Jimin, we're not done." She panicked as she opened the door.

"Speak of the devil." She squealed hugging the person on the other side and of course it had to be none other than your ex himself. "You came early to help?"

"Of course." He spoke and you couldn't help but laugh to yourself in the kitchen. His tone sounding unfamiliar.

"(Y/N) be nice." She warned as she passed you in the kitchen. "I have some balloons here that need to be filled up and I still have the punch that needs to be made and oh the snacks."

You and Donghyuck both shook your head at Minjeong's pacing as she needed everything to be perfect.

"I'll stay here with the snacks." You offered, already grabbing the bowls from the cabinets.

"Okay great. I'll blow up balloons." She grabbed the bag. "Oh shit, I left the cake in the car." She panicked and made her way to the door. "Channie, can you make the punch, you do it the best."

"A-huh." He nodded feeling overwhelmed and as soon as she left he sighed.

"Channie." You mocked as soon as he made his way over. "I love you Channie....you're so cute Channie."

"Please shut up." He grabbed the bowl, not caring he basically pushed you out of the way.

"What's wrong, no love in paradise?" You teased.

He just glared at you as you continued your fun. "I'm surprised you haven't told her yet....seems unlike you."

"Like I said, you tend to ruin relationships all on your own." You shrugged pouring the chips in the bowl.

"Yep, that was all me." He said sarcastically.

"I'm surprised you haven't slept with her yet, come on Hyukie, you're better than that.....have you lost your touch?"

"How do you even know what we've done."

"Did you forget Minjeong is my best friend? She tells me things....and she is upset."

"Upset huh?" He turned towards you with a smirk. "She really wants me that bad?.....I was waiting for her to beg.....virgin's especially can't wait long enough."

"You're sick. Maybe she's just desperate."

"You let me know when you hear next door." He remarked as Minjeong opened the door cutting off your conversation.

You crumbled the rest of the chip bag and threw it aggressively in the trash.

"Cakes fine." She smiled and sensed the awkward tension. "How's the snacks coming."

"Everything is dandy." You smiled and Donghyuck nodded and continued his punch.

You grabbed the completed bowls and made your way to the living room to place on the coffee table. You really tried not to show your disturbed emotion as you turned to grab more bowls seeing the two embraced in a sweet kiss and giggling together.

It hurt....it hurt because that was you once.

"Um....can I add liquor to this?" Donghyuck was quick to pull away, wiping off his smile as he saw you grabbing another bowl close by.

"This isn't that kind of party." Minjeong giggled.

"Not a lot, just enough to take off some edge." You knew he met you but you didn't turn around to show you were listening. You were done listening.

"Half a bottle." She said and made her way to the living room blowing up balloons.

Then you finally looked back as he gave you a rueful smile and then suddenly emptying the whole bottle causing you to softly giggle. Not a party if Donghyuck isn't spiking the punch, typical.

....

"Guys, they're gonna be here any minute." Minjeong announced as the talking started to die down.

"Isn't that your ex?" Yetak spoke next to you as Donghyuck was practically hiding in the kitchen, engaged in a conversation with Mark and Renjun. You could tell he was anxious to even be in this situation that you so happened to make worse by lying to everyone.

"Nope, they just look alike." She looked at you puzzled and then back at him. "I'll explain later but for now just pretend you don't know him okay?"

"Shhhh....she's coming." Minjeong had everyone quiet and as as the door opened....

"Surprise!" Everyone cheered as soon as Jimin and Riri walked through the door. You didn't invite a lot of people to your apartment, just some close friends and of course Minjeong allowed Donghyuck to invite some of his friends and bless your soul Jeno and Jaemin decided not to come saving you a night of disaster.

"Oh wow....thank you everyone." She smiled and leaned next to Minjeong. "I said no party."

"It's not a party....it's a gathering." She smiled cutely.

"It's a party." She smiled but you could sense the anxiety in her.

"It's not even big enough to be a party.....I only invited a few people." She remarked. "We have drinks and food....just a hang out - you only turn 23 once."

She nodded looking at you for help. "If you're really concerned Channie made some special punch if you need to relax."

"Or Mark bought some drinks, since we're all adults." He spoke up and Jimin locked eyes with him and immediately looked to you causing you to shake your head.

"Some of us." You smirked trying to get rid of any suspicion.

"Oh Jimin.....I didn't introduce you yet." Minjeong dragged him closer and he couldn't help but fake a smile as Jimin was already set up to cause disaster. "Jimin this is Haechan."

"You're the catfish?" She spoke and you combed through your hair panicked.

"Catfish?" He questioned.

"Don't take it personal Hy-Haechan.....we knew Min met you online and you know it's hard to trust anyone. Most of them lie and cheat and hide who they really are."

He glared towards you but quickly pulled off a fake laugh. "You're right....there's a bunch of crazy people on those sites, lucky Minjeong didn't meet one."

"Nope I didn't." She held his arm leaning closer.

Jimin locked eyes with you again shrewdly. "Nice to meet you."

"Do you mind if I get dressed real quick, Min?" She made a beeline through to her room. "(Y/N), Riri.....help me." She signaled and you were quick to follow.

"Can you be any more suspicious." You shouted in a hushed whisper.

"What the fuck is going on? Why is he here?"

You sighed. "That's Minjeong's new boyfriend."

"Very funny." Riri laughed.

"I'm not lying, it's been him all along -the catfish."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jimin practically yelled.

"Keep your voice down. Can you see why I've been so pissy lately."

"Oh my god, she don't know? You didn't tell her?"

"How am I suppose to tell her. She liked him before I even knew who he really was. I can't do that to her."

"But you're gonna let her do this to you?" Riri spoke up.

"It's not her fault, she never met "my ex" before." You shrugged defeated.

"So what is this? Is this his way of getting back at you." Jimin asked.

"He swears he didn't know she was our friend."

"Bullshit." She shook her head.

"Well, he seemed pretty startled when he first met me."

"And you just played it off like you didn't know him?"

"What was I suppose to do Ri....say hey ummm you know this is my ex that broke my heart into a million pieces."

"Yes."

Jimin looked more angry than you. "I don't know who I should be more pissed at...you or her or him."

"Trust me I'm pissed at myself as it is." You put your hands on your hips, taking a deep breath.

"And he's not in anyway consider breaking it off with her?"

"I tried.....he doesn't care about me anymore."

"You have to tell her." Jimin said with more sympathy.

"Let her be happy with that jerk."

"I don't mean for her, for you. This is not healthy (Y/N)....not after what he put your through - is still putting you through."

"Well, it's too late.....she's already sunk in deep."

"I don't care. She deserves to know, unless you're gonna keep lying to her."

"Besides - if she knew she was doing this to you, she would be upset." Riri spoke up after Jimin.

"Okay fine, but not yet."

"Sooner is better than later, she can't fall farther than she already has."

"I know, I'll handle it. I mean.....if she still wants to date him after then it's whatever."

"Why would you do that when you're still in love with him?"

"I'm not still in love- I'm not." You could tell they didn't believe you. "I'm fine - I promise."

"Guys. Everything alright?" Minjeong opened the door and Jimin quickly changed her shirt, avoiding suspension.

"Everythings great, I love the party."

Minjeong rolled her eyes playfully. "I know I know, I just want your birthday to be special."

"It is, thank you." She gave a genuine smile as you all looted back to the rest of the apartment.

"Drinks you say?" Jimin grabbed you and headed towards the kitchen. "Nice to see you again Hyuck- oops I mean Haechan." She smirked and you couldn't help but giggle as you both grabbed some drinks off the counter.

He gave a look of annoyance. "Hmm, what did she tell you?"

"Oh nothing.....I just think that if neither of you are gonna tell Minjeong than I will." She warned causing you both to look at each other timidly.

"Go ahead, I already told (Y/N) to tell her.......I did nothing wrong here."

"That's priceless." She laughed.

"What did she tell you about us.....I'm dying to know." He leaned on the counter.

"More than enough."

"I bet my life it wasn't the truth." He said causing you to laugh causing the attention of Minjeong from across the room.

"Let's not do this here....it's Minjeongs party after all." You said and Jimin took a sip in agreement.

"Have the punch it's stronger." Donghyuck smirked before walking away.

"Still in love huh?" She asked as she walked away as well. You took a deep breath grabbing a cup of his poisoned punch.

He definitely put more than one bottle in here. And it showed after three cups, but at least you weren't the only one.

::: LoveAboveMyPinkClouds: blog post #52 I wouldn't say I'm a messy drunk but you may be fooled once you're a witness. I tried to contain my emotions, I tried to contain my actions but when your love life is this much of a mess than wouldn't you agree I deserve it - a little medicine to forget my past and apparently my present. It hurts and booze is all I have. Relax - it doesn't mean I'm turning myself into an alcoholic but every now and then I need something to ease the pain. Let's just hope I don't say anything I regret the next day. :::

"I'm so curious yeah.....sajin sok niga!!!!" You sang along drunkenly with Minjeong. "Georeo nawa wae!"

"Psst.....how long are you going to let this go on?" Mark spoke next to Donghyuck as he watched you and Minjeong sing and Dance to the music.

"You want to turn the music off?" He took a sip of his  drink.

"I mean this girlfriend - ex girlfriend thing."

"(Y/N) is gonna tell her anyway, so I'll just wait it out."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know her."

"I need a refill." Minjeong made her way to the kitchen. "I love your punch Channie.....I can't get enough."

"Oh but you will." He pulled her away as she practically collapsed into his arms.

"But it's so good." She whined.

"You can have more tomorrow." He said sweetly as he guided her to her room.

The party was pretty much cleared out by this point. "It's getting late I guess we'll head out." Renjun spoke as he stood up.

"You guys can't go yet. We're not done singing." You slurred your words. "Oof, it's hot." You started taking off your shirt.

"She has a habit of stripping when she's drunk." Jimin laughed and Donghyuck combed his fingers through his hair in annoyance as soon as he stepped out of Minjeong's room.

"I'll put her to bed, you can go." Jimin offered as Mark and Renjun approached the door.

"Thank you for inviting us, happy birthday Jimin." Mark spoke before making an exit.

"We didn't even sing happy birth-" You puked before finishing your sentence.

"You guys go, I'll meet you back." Donghyuck said to Mark and Renjun and he grabbed you gently, guiding you to the bathroom.

He leaned over the tub, turning on the shower to warm. He started unzipping your puke filled jeans helping you out of them as you just stared at him apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"Maybe I should of listened to Minjeong and only put half a bottle." He showed a slight smile.

"I'm sorry for ruining our relationship." He was caught off guard from your statement. You always accused him first for ruining the relationship but now it was the other way around. What changed with you and when did you feel this way?

"What do you mean (Y/N)." He looked at you puzzled.

"I'm sorry I was a horrible girlfriend to make you cheat." You teared and he sighed taking a moment to comprehend your confession.

"You weren't a horrible girlfriend (Y/N)."

"I bet Minjeong is better than me." You looked up at him. "Does she make you happy?"

"Let's just get you cleaned up, okay." He turned you around and unclipped your bra and guide you to the shower, closing the curtain as he faced away from you respectfully. Even though he's seen all of you before, he knew it wasn't his right anymore.

Once you were done, he handed you a towel and helped you to your room picking out some simple sweats, getting you ready for bed.

"Drink this whole glass before falling asleep." You nodded taking the water as he headed towards your door.

"Hyuck."

"Yeah?" He turned around.

"Can you stay with me?" You begged softly.

"You know I can't do that." It was his turn to look at you apologetic.

"Oh....yeah." You said quietly. "Well, thank you for taking care of me."

"Sure." He smiled softly. "Goodnight (Y/N)."

"Happy birthday to me." Jimin spoke as she got up from cleaning the puke off the floor.

"Well technically..." He pulled out his phone. "It's 1:47.....it's not your birthday anymore."

"Har har......thanks old friend." She threw the rag at him.

"Ew." He dodged.

"It's your ex's puke." She laughed. "So.....about that."

"I don't want to talk about it." He started towards the door. "She's a mess."

"Well, can you blame her?" She started making the mood more tense.

"I didn't cheat on her Jimin, I don't know what she told you but she caught something and she took it way out of proportion."

"Then why don't you explain that to her."

"I tried, she won't listen to me."

"Well, maybe she's willing to listen now." She crossed her arms.

"It's too late now.....I moved on, now it's her turn." He opened the door. "I really didn't know about Minjeong if she believes that or not but I can't lose sleep over this. I'm sorry."

"It's not just that." Jimin spoke as he took his hand off the door knob, alerting his attention back. "She's not over you, can't you see that?"

He shrugged. "What do you want me to do.....she broke up with me."

"I think the answer is pretty simple." She said softly.

"It's not my fault she didn't tell her, she's the one that lied."

"But it doesn't make it right." He sighed at her answer.

"Look, I don't owe her anything, she decided to push me out. If she chooses to tell her the truth than fine, but for now I'm going to continue on with my life and she needs to do the same."

"Alright....I get it, it's none of my business - I just care about my friends that's all. But she will know eventually and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Have any of you considered that it's not just (Y/N) that is hurt?" He confessed before walking out the door. "Happy Birthday Jimin."

She softly smiled in return and let out a long groan as soon as she locked the door behind him.

::: LoveAboveMyPinkClouds: blog post #52 Okay so I admit....I fucked up. Pretending I didn't know my best friends new boyfriend is probably the dumbest decision I have ever made but what can I say - I panicked. I saw him and my mind went blank.....because the truth be told.....I'm not over you D - there I said it. Most of you called it anyway. Why do I even bother hiding anything. Those two damn years we have spent together was the best two damn years of my life - even if I still think it was wasted. D was the one I was so sure I wanted to marry, to eventually have kids with, to grow old with - my everything. But what changed? I know you guys are still dying to know.....but I'm just not ready. I got drunk last night and poured my heart out just to be shot down. Regrets regrets regrets - now he knows how I feel, I showed him weakness and now he's probably gloating in his victory. Probably even telling J of how much of a mess I am at this very moment. I'm in for a treat that's for sure. Well I guess that's all for now. Xoxo peace :::

-

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He arched his eyebrows in confusion as you were the one knocking on his door.

"I don't want to be rude (Y/N) but I'm leaving soon to meet up with Minjeong."

"I know, it will just be a second." Your tone was serious and he opened his door to let you in. Mark was nowhere to be seen, leaving you and Donghyuck alone for your disliking.

"So what's up?" He sat down on his wheelie chair, gently rocking back and fourth. You couldn't help but admire his comfy state - hair slightly a mess - slight dark circles forming under his eyes from his lack of sleep caused by late night video games and - sweats to top it all off. You missed that.

What were you doing? This is your ex you are thinking about. He wasn't yours anymore - stop staring at him like that. "(Y/N)? Are you still hungover?"

"Um- yes definitely hungover." He smirked at your stumble. "I just wanted you to know that, that wasn't me last night.....I was clearly drunk and I said some thing's I didn't mean and I'm sorry."

"You didn't say anything upsetting." He grew confused.

"Yeah but I still said some things I regret....I don't remember every little piece but I do know you helped me to bed and I just wanted to thank you."

"Sure but for you sake, let's not do it again." He leaned forward resting on his knees. "You made poor Jimin clean up your vomit on her birthday."

"I threw up?"

"All over the place.....even on yourself."

Your eyes grew wide trying to recall the events that happened. He cleaned you up? Does that mean he undressed you?

"I know what you're thinking." He stood up. "I had no intention of seeing you naked so get those dirty thoughts out of your head. I just helped you in the shower."

"How am I suppose to believe you when I was drunk."

His expression turned sour. "You should know me better than that.....and besides it's not like I haven't seen you before."

"But you don't have that right anymore." You snickered. "Who am I kidding, it wouldn't be the first time looking at other women when you're in a relationship."

He sighed clenching his teeth. "This is what I get for helping you?......Why don't you do everyone a favor and don't get wasted anymore because no one is going to help you."

"I didn't ask for you to help me."

"Why are you even here if you were just gonna harass me?"

"I just wanted to tell you to forget last night even happened."

"Forgotten." He held open the door and you walked out, you turned around thinking more words were going to be said but instead - a door slammed in your face.

::: LoveAboveMyPinkClouds: blog post #53 Transferring was becoming more and more clear as I live day to day. I am just making everything worse.....aren't I. Every time I open my mouth I find myself regretting what comes pouring out - drunk or sober. I don't know what to do by this point. My heart is like a balloon - slowly being deflated. :::

"What's wrong with you?" Jimin said as you burst through the door and collapsed on the couch.

"I hate everything."

"What happened now?"

"I went over to thank Hyuck for helping me last night but it turned into an argument like always."

"You went over to his dorm?" She asked.

"Yeah." You shrugged nonchalantly.

"Minjeong is on her way over there now, what if she saw you?"

"He said he was meeting her - never mind, I don't care.....I didn't see her it's fine."

"If you're gonna hold up this secret of yours, you need to be more careful because what if she thinks you two are hooking up behind her back, that would be worse than lying."

"That wouldn't happen." You shook your head.

"Why because you're gonna tell her the truth?" She forced.

"No because every time we're together we argue. No love connection what's-so-ever." She glared at you. "I'll tell her jeez, no worries I'm just waiting for the right time."

"There's never a good time, that's why you should just get it over with."

"I know." You sighed finally sitting up right, turning on the tv. "I've literally been rehearsing what I'm going to say."

"Just make it short and simple. Haechan is Donghyuck and you're having a hard time accepting them together."

"I'm not having a hard time-"

"Stop bullshitting (Y/N).....you can lie to yourself all you want but you're not fooling the rest of us."

You rolled your eyes but you knew she was right. "I'm just gonna go drown myself in alcohol."

"(Y/N), no more drinking." She laughed.

"Honestly I'm done talking about this right now." You snipped. "I just want to forget about him for one damn second."

"So....we ordering food, then."

"Yes please." You faked whined causing each other to laugh breaking the tension.

::: LoveAboveMyPinkClouds: blog post #53 Yep.....I should have most definitely kept my mouth shut, because I might have pissed him off worse than I thought. But I should have learned that if you mess with a snake, you're gonna get bit but I flinched and now the venom is traveling down to take me out for good this time. :::

"(Y/N) get dressed." Minjeong burst through the door being dramatically over excited.

"Why?" You groaned not wanting to get up.

"You and I are going on a double date." She said and Jimin sucked in her lips trying to not say anything.

"Huh?" You leaned up.

"Come on.......it will be fun. Dancing and dinner - hot sexy date."

"With who?" You were beyond puzzled.

"Okay so maybe I'm not really sure.....but Haechan says he has this friend that wants to hang out and he's single so...." She shrugged.

Donghyuck selecting a date for you? This can't be good. You pissed him off this morning and now he is in some way, taking revenge. Who could it be? Maybe he payed some desperate nerd to hook you up with. The thought just made your skin crawl. He was definitely up to no good.

"I'm sick."

"(Y/N) please...let's have fun." She pouted.

"Okay but the second I'm uncomfortable, I'm leaving." You'll be surprised if you last the first 5 minutes, to be honest.

.....

"Will you stop pacing, they will be here any minute."

"I thought this place was a lounge not a club."

"It is a lounge, I guess they are just packed tonight." She shrugged.

"I swear if he brings some creep to hit on me-"

"Look they're here." You glanced over seeing Donghyuck entered first and you already hated him for looking the way he did. He may be the type to wear sweats all day if he wanted to but when it came down to business, he knew how to dress nicely and you grew angry from just how attractive he is.

He glanced at you but by the way he eyed you up and down made your question what he was really thinking. He almost seemed speechless. You just hoped he wasn't thinking anything negative.

He did love me once?.....

You tried to shake off the thought of him, looking behind to see who he thought would distract you for the night on this oh so exciting double and you almost thought your eyes deceived you. What an asshole! You knew he was out for revenge and he couldn't sink any lower.

"Hey (Y/N)."

"Hey Jaemin."

-

>> Next Part

©property.of.kz-i-co

[miiilowo]

May I ask for some info on characters in your gay boy summer drawing (Idk names sorry)

GRINS EVILLY. yes u may ( vvv pictures for people who havent seen em)

human dudes named finn, big monsters named arthur. arthurs not his actual name, but ill get to that in a minute. theyre ocs ive had for quite some time now but i've been renovating because i wanna make an actual digital horror series sometime in the coming years (everything would be posted to an in-universe youtube channel 'owned' by finn)

Finn is a shoddy paranormal investigator who lives alone in an RV out by the woods. While he's not too far from town, he's out there enough to get in trouble and not have anyone find out for ... A longer period of time than what would be preferable, let's just say that. Loves ghoul hunting. loves ghouls. ghosts and demons and whatnot. Uploads everything to a youtube channel.

One day, he decides to check out an abandoned house thats rumored to have demonic rituals and summonings happening within it, cause why wouldn't he? He gets there. snaps a photo down the hall. sees a numerous amount of red eyes staring back at him, and immediately books it back home! naturally he immediately gets followed home by the Thing he found. this is not preferable.

Arthur, when summoned, only has one way he can get back home. He needs a willing blood sacrifice in order to draw the portal and return- Emphasis on the word "willing". Typically, he would manipulate the summoner into being that sacrifice, by getting them emotionally attached in some way; making them reliant on him. Whoever summoned him last was aware of this, however, and booked it before he could do anything. With Finn being his first human contact in years, he's desperate, and tracks him down-So he can lure him in and use him.

issue one: there's been a string of murders in the woods nearby where he lives issue two: he's kinda thick skulled. since the murders happened recently, there might be some weird paranormal activity happening, right? issue three: the killer was visiting the scene of the crime when finn showed up, as killers tend to do. now he has a murderer coming for his ass

now, you can't really have a "willing blood sacrifice" if someone kills them before you do, right?

the series would follow the two as arthur tries his absolute best to keep finn from getting killed, and over time, arthur realizes he isn't being kind and loving to finn just because he needs to use him to get back home anymore.

anyways. handful misc information:

finn nicknamed arthur out of fear when he saw it staring at him through his window in the dark at like 2 am and it stuck

arthur cannot form words because of the way his mouth is, so he primarily communicates through technology, sort of forcing finn to be constantly recording. think of that one scare in the mandela catalogue where the date displaying on the recording changes to the words 'bad idea, mark' or whatever it says

eventually i want finn to strap a modified spirit box to arthurs neck so he can communicate like that. ideally this will resemble withered chicas voicelines in ultimate custom night

everything about them you can find in the #redux tag on my blog and also on @reduxblog cause i RB everything there :3

[wardenparker]

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dating Your Ex - ch 8

Marcus Pike x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

When Marcus unexpectedly runs into his ex-wife he is plunged into a world of complications where rekindled attraction and deep-seated insecurities reign. Unfortunately for him, it is also a world where his ex-wife is not the only ‘ex’ around, as a new case crosses his desk that will require all hands on deck. ✨💖Inspired by and based upon absurdthirst’s Tequila. 💖✨  

Rating: Mature, but this blog is always18+ Word Count: 9.7k Warnings: **Blanket warnings for this series include: divorce, break ups, collegiate Greek life, underage drinking, food/alcohol consumption.** Some graphic flirting. Mentions of cannibalism and pregnancy. I promise it’s not in the same paragraph. Summary: An important shopping trip, a break in the case, a dinner with the Janes, and plans interrupted make for a very eventful day. Notes: All I’m saying, is that if I were Angie, I would have so much trouble keeping my mouth shut.

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7

You’re starting to go cross-eyed with Marcus’s case. And probably also from being a little tired, if you’re honest. Every night after work the two of you go to the apartment to pack boxes and then pick up dinner on your way back to the house to crash in each other’s arms after dinner. You wake up in the morning to espressos and shower sex like you’ve been doing it every day for years. Everything in your relationship is going well, and you’ve been communicating clearly and honestly about everything as you go. Except for one thing. Today you begged off of your normal lunch in the office with Marcus under the claim that Angie asked you for some girl time. In reality, Angie is meeting you downtown to do some shopping. It’s time to start looking for Marcus’s engagement ring.

For days Marcus has poured over websites to try to find the perfect ring for you. Except, it’s not the same as looking at it in person, holding it. When you beg off of lunch, he finds himself looking forward to the time alone so he can browse some jewelry stores. Knowing that he wants to get you a new ring when he proposes, he grabs his keys about ten minutes after you call him and heads out.

Angie promised to meet you on New York Avenue at noon sharp and she’s as good as her word. When you park your little car and hop out to find your best friend waiting for you, it gives you an extra boost of confidence that you didn’t know you needed. “Okay.” You Throw your arms around her and hug her tight. “I’ve got an hour before I have to get back to the lab and I don’t care about actually eating lunch. This is way more important.”

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Her hug back to you is equally as fierce and she looks at you over the rim of her Gucci sunglasses. “Lingerie?” She wiggles her brows playfully. “Toys?”

“Not quite.” Glancing behind her, you bite your lip and point to the elegantly simple storefront windows with glittering jewelry and signature blue logos on display. “We’re jewelry shopping.”

“Jewelry shopping?” Angie’s eyes narrow slightly. “I know that man is not making you get your own ring.” It’s very off brand for Marcus but she would ring his neck if he was trying to pull a stunt like this with you.

“Oh god no.” You shake your head vehemently and nudge her toward the store. “I decided…I’m going to propose to him this time. Ring and all.” Since first having the thought, it had stuck to you like glue. There is nothing in the world that could convince you otherwise at this point, short of Marcus himself beating you to the punch. “When we were in college…do you remember me telling you about the night around a month after he proposed when he kept drunkenly apologizing for not being able to get me the best ring and me not having any clue what he was talking about?” It had been a whole confusing night and few days afterward, especially since you had loved the engagement ring that he did give you. “He meant he wished he could have afforded a Tiffany ring. Like his Dad got for his Mom. That’s what he considered the best. So…this time he’s going to get the best.”

“So you’re going to buy him a ring from Tiffany’s?” Angie could melt right here on the street. There has always been something so fucking loving and adorable about your relationship with Marcus and she’s glad to see that it’s back to that state again. “Moving in, proposing, next you’re going to be popping out babies.”

“Fastest pregnancy in human history.” Is the joke you make, knowing that to anyone on the outside the pace of your relationship seemed insane the first time and it does all over again. “I’ve been sneaking looks at their website and they just released a line of men’s engagement rings. So I need you to help me stay on track and not just get him something insane because it’s pretty.”

“I mean— it’s a man’s engagement ring.” She grins, looping her arm through yours to eagerly move towards the double doors. “They are all going to be insane.”

The gentleman who offers to help you once you’re inside the store is probably twice your age and extremely kind, probably assuming you’ve come in to choose a gift or to spoil yourself somehow. When you tell him that you want to pick out a ring for your boyfriend he nearly melts. You and Angie are ushered to a case across the store and given chairs to sit in so you can talk through your ideas with the salesman. Up front, all you really know is that you want Marcus to feel spectacularly spoiled. You want to make a fuss.

******

Marcus starts with some other jewelry stores, just to give them a chance. He's picked out other jewelry from the chains and it's been wonderful. He's just always dreamed of getting you a ring from Tiffany's like his father had with his mother. Her ring was probably her most prized possession, not in an unhealthy or greedy way, but the sentimental 'I'll wear it always' kind of way. Still, the practical side of him makes him stop into the other stores along the way and browse.

Tucked away in your corner with Angie and the kind salesman, you never even notice the front door of the store open again and you definitely don’t see Marcus step inside. You’re politely chattering away, beginning to look at the new collection of engagement rings just for men, and deeply in your own little world.

“Good afternoon, sir.” A young woman standing behind one of the front cases offers him a smile. “What can we help you with today?”

“Yes, I—” His eyes widen when he spots you across the showroom floor. “Uh, yes—” he quickly points to a case on the opposite side of the room where he will have to have his back to you. “Show me whatever’s in that case.”

“Certainly.” It’s an odd way to make a request, but she wears a professional smile and ushers him over to a collection of ladies’ rings. “Were you looking for a gift for someone special today?” She asks, trying to get a read on him.

“I am, but I also just realized the woman I am shopping for is in your store.” He knows he came off as odd when he insisted on coming over to this case. Turning his head, he sneaks a look at you over his shoulder. Wondering if you are dream shopping with Angie. The thought makes him smile.

“I see.” She smiles, a little bemused. “Would you like to proceed anyway? Or come back another time?” It is definitely the first time she’s been in this position, but she’s not afraid of a challenge in the least. “Perhaps I can go and have a subtle look at what she is browsing to give you ideas if you need them?”

“I—” he bites his lip, almost tempted to have the associate look, but he doesn’t want to do that. “No.” He decides. “I want her to dream and hope that I get something she will love.”

“Alright.” She smiles, seeing the clear determination and softness in this man’s face. He’s unmistakably in love, and proud. It’s an encouraging combination. “We won’t spy.” She asks the usual questions about ring size and metal preference, please when he knows both pieces of information. “And have you ever shopped with us before?”

“Window shopped.” Marcus admits. “My father shopped here a lot for my mother, but I’ve never purchased anything.”

“Well maybe we can change that today.” It’s not hard to be nice to this man, and her sunny smile for once isn’t forced. “What do you think she would like?”

“Something classic.” Marcus smiles. “Asscher or Emerald cut. Maybe a solitaire, or just a few stones on the band. Nothing too overwhelming. Something she can wear with jeans or for a formal night.”

“We can customize anything you like, of course.” He knows what he’s looking for, and that speaks to care. “Both cuts stack beautifully, as well, so you would have plenty of options for wedding and anniversary bands down the line.”

******

“I want it to be special,” you explain to the man helping you and Angie. “I know that sounds silly since it will be special just for existing, but…something a little out of the ordinary? His first wedding band was so simple because it’s all we could afford then.”

“It’s not silly, it’s charming.” Angie insists, smiling at how excited you are for this. She glances around and freezes when she sees a very familiar back across the store. The only reason it’s familiar is because she had just had dinner with him two days ago. “Marcus.” She murmurs, catching herself when you turn towards her. “Will love it.” She gushes.

“You think so?” You know that this is something that you want to do but it is unconventional, so encouragement helps.

“Yes.” She nods eagerly and glances back over at Marcus, just in time to catch his eye as he glances over his shoulder. Grinning, she winks at him and gives a small nod, promising to keep his secret.

“Okay.” Blowing out a steadying breath and reaching for your best friend’s hand, you rally your confidence and give your salesman a smile. “There was one I saw on your website which I’m curious to see in person.”

******

Back at the office, Marcus bites his lip as he looks down at the file. Of course he would nearly run into you and Angie. Curiosity has him wondering what had you so excited but he will try to get some answers out of your friend. See if it aligns with the ring he has fallen in love with.

Trying to keep from smiling too hard while you look at evidence for a murder case is not something you ever thought you would have to deal with, but here you are. Through a vast series of lucky accidents, the salesman at Tiffany had been able to help you find the perfect ring for Marcus and found it in stock in the store at that very moment. Angie and her infinite good taste had agreed it was perfect, so it is now burning a hole at the bottom of your purse in its signature blue box inside the matching blue shopping bag. Marcus would never guess in a thousand years what you had done and that made it all the better. You only needed to figure out where and when to ask.

“Hey.” He couldn’t stay away for the day, knocking on your doorframe and smiling when you look up from your work. “Brought you an afternoon pick me up.” He holds up the coffee tray with two drinks on it.

“Hey.” He is an absolute sight for sore eyes after staring at prints and lists for hours after getting back from your lunch break. “How’s your day been, love?”

“It’s been good.” Marcus comes into your office and plucks a cup out of the tray to hand to you. “How was your lunch with Angie?”

“It was good!” For a split second you almost sound too excited and you have to reel yourself back in. “There was a new place she wanted to try out.” Yep. Certainly not any place you’ve been before. “What did you end up having?”

“I stopped and grabbed a sandwich.” He shrugs his shoulders as if he hadn’t been picking out a life changing thing for you today, all while you were giggling in the corner.

“How about Indian take out tonight? Something kind of different? Special?” The cup he brought for you is your regular coffee order with just a little something different added to it and you hum happily when you take your first sip. “Ooo, that’s tasty!” Alright, maybe you’re not doing too great at playing it cool…

Marcus nods, knowing that he can’t just propose over some fancy dinner. It would ruin the surprise. Plus, he does want to wait until the case is over. Get the Jane’s out of D.C. “That sounds good to me. I could go for a curry.”

“Perfect.” The hall bordering your office is deserted so you lean over to give him a kiss, savoring the short show of affection. “Any progress on your end of the case?”

“A couple of leads that I actually wanted to follow up with you on.” Bringing you coffee hadn’t been completely selfless. He sets the tray down and digs out his notebook. “Does this make any sense to you?” He asks, handing it to you.

“Let’s see.” His notes are lists of names organized by family, with numbers beside each one – 1, 2, 3, 4, or an X. Beside each X is what appears to be a date, all in 1846 or 1847. All in the winter months between 1846 and 1847. “Where did these names come from?” You ask him, starting to pull file after file containing every printed image of the daguerreotypes you have out and laying them out in the top of your desk. It covers the entire surface but it’s worth it. “Was it a journal? A travel manifest?” It’s a thorough listing of a very large group of people.

Eighty-seven in total.

“I—I might…I recognize some of these names from a book I read…” And if you’re right, this isn’t just important to the case, it’s important to American history.

“It came from a family journal? Didn’t know those were a thing.” Marcus hadn’t fed it into the system yet, he couldn’t quite place it but it felt like important times in history.

“They weren’t always a thing.” You clear off your keyboard and start typing frantically, then pull up one of the images that was most clearly marked with numbers that Teresa - because you were now on a first name basis - considered likely to be location coordinates. Plugging the coordinates into your computer pulls up the Google Maps page for Donner Lake in California, and you sink back into your desk chair with awe on your face. “It’s the Donner Party.” You tell Marcus, wondering if that name even registers with him. He likes history, but not always the macabre stuff. And this is definitely macabre.

“The Donner Party….” He frowns, unable to place it but he’s heard of it. “It’s— I know that it was taught in history class on high school. But, I’m drawing a blank.”

“My brother-in-law gave me a bunch of nonfiction books for my birthday last year,” you explain, as if Marcus isn’t used to you pulling random facts out of thin air. He used to call it your X-Man power. “One of them was this book called The Indifferent Stars Above which was all about this particular journey west.” Rambling is a side effect of getting excited, but he’ll understand why you’re getting so worked up in a second. “In 1846, eighty-seven people including sixteen members of a family called Donner set out for California from Missouri. It’s one of the most disastrous, tragic tales in American history because…” All of a sudden you’re not thinking about dinner anymore. “The survivors had to turn to cannibalism to survive the brutal weather and traveling conditions they got stuck in.”

“Shit.” Marcus winces and shuffles uncomfortably. He’s never liked thinking about choices like that. The sheer desperation it would take to resort to cannibalism.

“Yeah.” That’s putting it mildly, and you nod your head. “The thing is…the settlement they were heading toward? I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it right away.” If you had, this might have been days of investigating instead of weeks, but there’s no use in dwelling on that right now. “Was Johnson’s Ranch, California. It doesn’t exist anymore, but it was right at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas back then. These coordinates…these pictures…whoever took the daguerreotypes and wrote that journal? They must have been on the journey.”

“So why would this be worth killing over?” Marcus frowns as he looks down at the information again. “There’s, what? Buried treasure?”

“Kind of? Maybe?” You look down at all the images and list of names again and can feel your head swimming. “The book said that families brought everything they had with them on the journey. That included assets, and in those days assets would have been not just paper money but actual silver and gold. Like bars of it. I think one of the families had it built into their wagon so it couldn’t be stolen. It was everything these people had. And there were multiple rescue missions. The last rescue mission was going out there for the last survivors, yes, but also for everybody’s stuff. It’s not impossible that this survivor, whoever they were, was hoarding or hiding or burying the wealth of some of the dead and made themself a map in photographs.”

“Now that might be worth killing to some.” Marcus’s eyes light up. “Do you think now that we have a location, we can pinpoint the area?” He asks you.

“I mean I’m no cartographer but the search area is a hell of a lot smaller now. We just need to remember that the terrain has changed in the last almost two hundred years.” He looks so excited and relieved, and you grab his hand to squeeze instead of giving him a hug because people are outside your door again. “Do you think people are going to have to go out there and dig? To see if they can find something?”

“It might be a possibility.” Marcus admits. “But that’s not up to me.” He grins. “That would be up to Agent Jane, back in Texas.”

“Let it never be said that the Smithsonian was not a friend of the FBI.” The way he lights up at your - and his - special involvement in the case so suddenly coming to a close has you grinning. “Do you think this is enough help that they can continue the case from Austin?”

“I can’t imagine why they would need to stay.” It’s been nearly three weeks of Patrick and Teresa being camped out in his office and conference room and he cannot wait for them to get on a plane. No hard feelings, but space is needed. Plus, it felt like Teresa was going to pop any day now.

“The sooner she’s back in Austin, the better for the baby,” you nearly read his mind as you sit back in your desk chair.

“Exactly.” Marcus sighs. “The last thing I want is for my ex to deliver her baby in my office.”

"She's not that far along." Even so, you can't help but laugh. "But they've been here for a while already, and I have to imagine she'll be more comfortable at home. A hotel bed is never as good as your own." It's a lot to process, the idea that this case will hopefully be out of his hands again soon, and you push back from your desk. "Do you want me to come with you to deliver the news? I'm still the FBI's official consultant until the case leaves Washington, so it's your call."

“Of course you can come with me.” Marcus knows that you and Teresa are on fairly good terms. “We can tell them, pick up food and then lock ourselves in our house in our comfortable bed.”

“Oo, are we skipping packing tonight? What a splurge.” There isn’t that much left to do at the apartment, but it’s at least an entire weekend’s worth of dedicated work. “How positively indulgent of us.”

“If you want to give up a long, luxurious soak in the bath with a large glass of wine to celebrate the end of our assistance on this case and instead go pack boxes, I won’t stop you.” Marcus teases.

Sticking your tongue out at your boyfriend is exactly the kind of mature behavior he expects, and Marcus laughs as you turn off your computer and tidy your desk. Last thing is having purse and coffee in hand to follow him out of your office as you wonder if popping the question tonight would be a little too eager.

“Maybe we can be done with this before the traffic gets bad.” He offers eagerly. Completely unconcerned with ducking out a little early today, considering how many man hours he had put into a case that wasn’t his.

“Look who’s got so much pep in his step now that we have a good lead.” He’s positively giddy, a fact that makes you grin.

“I’m imagining my office empty.” He moans. “Void of one particular person. Of course I’m happy.” Things had been better since he had left Patrick with the bill at the club, but the man still sets his teeth on edge at times.

“You’re going to sit in silence the whole first day after they leave, aren’t you?” The sight of Marcus Pike is familiar in your office now and a few people wave or say hello as you pass through the halls and head for the stairwell. “Beautiful, glorious silence. I don’t know how Teresa does it. He’s always talking.”

“Blissful silence.” Marcus agrees, hand on your back even though you know the office better than he does. He still likes to touch you as you’re walking. “If I start talking that much, stuff something in my mouth.”

There are a half dozen dirty comebacks on your lips but you just chuckle under your breath and promise him that you will. “My usual paperwork and grant work will feel positively boring compared to helping in an FBI case.”

“Well now that I know what good work you do, I’m sure I will come up with other ways for you to help us out.” He teases.

“Yes, sir,” you murmur under your breath, making sure to flutter your eyelashes at him for good measure.

“You are such a brat.” He huffs, knowing that you know what that does to him. You’re doing it on purpose.

“Maybe a little.” With your tongue firmly planted in your cheek, you head out the front door of your office building with Marcus and pop through the parking lot to find his car parked beside yours. “I’ll follow you to your office so we don’t have to come back for my car later.” Normally you drive together, but lunch with Angie had meant needing your own car today.

“That works.” He can’t help but kiss you again, leaning against the car as he presses his lips to yours. “I love you baby.” He murmurs softly.

"I love you, too." The butterflies in your stomach are giddy, screaming for you to whip out the ring right now just so you can see him wearing it, but you tamp the feeling down and just enjoy kissing him back. Soon enough, you tell yourself. Soon enough.

Marcus opens your door for you, smirking when you roll your eyes at him playfully before he climbs behind the wheel of his own car. Pulling out of the spot and starting towards his offices to kick Patrick Jane out of his life for the foreseeable future.

******

"Ah! Our leader has returned!" Patrick Jane sits up from his reclining position in one of the rolling chairs in the conference room with his signature lazy smirk scrolled across his face. He's toned down his behaviour at his wife's request, but only slightly. "And with his lady. How lucky we are."

“How lucky indeed.” Not even that smug smirk can dampen Marcus’s buoyed mood. “Especially considering my lady has discovered the lead to send you on your way to solve the case.” It’s also a point of pride that you discovered things that the amazing Patrick Jane couldn’t. Call him petty, but it was exceedingly poignant for him.

"You found something?" Teresa looks up from her pages upon pages of notes with her eyebrows nearly hitting her hairline.

"That list of names." You nod, shutting the conference room door behind you and coming up to the table to look at the scans of the actual pages that had been sent from the Austin office. "I think if we fact check it, we'll find that the dates are death dates and the numbers one through four correspond to the four rescue teams that brought the stranded members of the Donner Party out across the mountains in the winter of 1847." Moving one of the pages in front of the Janes, you point to the list of names written out. "Look. Donner, and then the names of every member of the family that was on the journey to California."

Marcus is just petty enough to enjoy the astonishment on Patrick Jane’s face as he digests the information. Possibly wallowing in the fact that he hadn’t thought of it. “Huh.” He all he manages, sitting back and looking like the wind has been blown out of his sails.

"The first settlement on the California side of the Sierra Nevadas at the time was called Johnson's Ranch." The name that had been stumping you for weeks finally makes sense, and Teresa nearly facepalms when you say it. "I think the daguerreotypes might be clues that one of the members of the party took for himself to remember the location of hidden valuables. So many people died on the journey, it would have been easy to take and hideaway some of their belongings."

"And didn't go back for it." Teresa reasons. "So the wealth stayed buried and became a family legend."

“It does seem to lead that way.” It’s a completely extraordinary situation of that is what happened, but that will be what the Jane’s are left to figure out over the course of the rest of the case. Your part - helping to decipher the secrets in those daguerreotypes - has turned up much more than just some analyzed images.

“Huh.” Patrick leans back in his chair and sends you a look that is both shocked and intrigued that you wrapped it up so neatly into history.

“Of course,” you smile demurely, not even looking at Marcus so that you won’t laugh. “I’m no investigator. I’m sure there will be more of the mystery for you to unravel.”

“So I guess that means we should go home.” Patrick smirks knowingly, his eyes floating between you and Marcus, knowing you want him gone.

“Austin office will be thrilled to hear it.” Teresa has been the only one fielding phone calls from their superiors in Texas wondering what the holdup is, not Patrick. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to help. I know that this has been an…unconventional situation.”

Marcus shoves his hands into his pockets and nods. “Happy to be able to assist.” He offers, wondering if they will update him on the outcome but not wanting to ask.

“I imagine they’ll have us on the first flight home in the morning.” Living in a perpetual state of one-hand-on-belly, Teresa unconsciously soothes that hand over where the baby is currently sitting and leans back. “I don’t suppose you two would be up for a victory dinner tonight? Our treat.” The last is said definitely, giving her husband no room to make noise about the offer.

There’s no good way to politely decline the invitation and both of them know it. The plans for the night twirl down the drain as Marcus turns towards you, eyes on yours in silent communication.

Marcus’s expression would be unreadable to anyone else, but you can see the disappointment in the tightness of his smile. One more night with the Janes seems to be the sacrifice you’ll make together. Oh well – at least there’s no danger of you becoming overwhelmed with emotion and proposing at dinner now. “That would be nice,” you put on a smile. Teresa really isn’t so bad. You’ll just talk to her and block out her husband.

“Great!” Patrick leaps up out of his seat and moves over to where Teresa is rubbing her belly. “One last evening with ‘frenemies’.” He jokes, grinning at Marcus even though his hands on Teresa’s shoulders are soothing and supportive.

“I’ll find someplace nice.” Teresa decides, looking at the three of you before moving her eyes back to the table again. “It will take us a while to pack everything up and be ready to go. We’ll file the paperwork we need to before we leave DC, and I’ll make us a reservation.”

“Okay.” Marcus will have to make this up to you, but at least it’s only dinner and then they will be on their way back to Texas tomorrow. “Let us know. We’ve got some things to wrap up so I’ll give you my office to take care of things.”

You and Marcus beat a hasty retreat, leaving the conference room before Patrick can make a smart remark about whatever you may or may not be wrapping. “We’ll do Indian this weekend,” you murmur, reaching to briefly squeeze his hand.

“What’s one more night?” Marcus reassures you with a small smile. It will be ever better giving you what he bought when there’s no Patrick Jane to immediately needle you about it.

“Nothing we can’t handle.” After all, if you’ve survived nearly three weeks of it, one more night will be a cinch. “We’ll eat, we’ll suffer through one more awkward conversation, and we’ll come home to a relaxing hot bath. How does that sound?”

“A bottle of wine too?” Marcus asks with a grin. “Or tequila? Either one is good with me.”

“We’ve got that bottle of Prosecco that Angie’s husband recommended.” Marcus has been so excited about the recommendation that he’d popped out the next day and gotten a bottle to try. “Two days in the fridge is enough time to chill, right? We can have bubbly and a bath.”

“That sounds like the perfect way to end our adventure on this case.” Marcus smirks, imagining proposing to you in a bubble bath with bubbly.

"That is what we'll do, then." It sounds perfectly romantic, and if it just so happens to be a celebration of more than just your involvement in the case ending, then so be it.

“We can go to the apartment and grab a load to take over to the house if you want?” Marcus offers. “Or we can go home a little early and have sex so we are in a good mood at dinner.”

“I really don’t think you understand how to give choices,” you tease, knowing that it’s completely obvious which one you’ll choose. “There’s no contest there. At all.”

“I don’t know.” Marcus rolls his eyes playfully. “You might be all sexed out.” You’ve rarely had a night where sex didn’t happen. Only when one of you had put in long hours and where exhausted. He doesn’t want you to think sex is all he thinks about.

“Maybe someday.” A little shake of your head and a grin tucked up in the corner of your mouth tell him that it’s not likely, though. “Definitely not today.”

“At least we’ll be mellowed out for dinner.” He chuckles, looking forward to getting it over with.

“Let’s go home for a little bit.” You nod toward the elevators and offer him your hand. “Relax. Mentally stay ourselves for dinner.”

******

“Well, at least it’s not McDonald’s.” Marcus jokes as the two of you pull up to the valet station. “I didn’t expect anything this nice when they said dinner, but I’m sure Teresa is proving a point to her husband.”

"Either that or she's got a craving." The steakhouse has an exceptional reputation and you're not upset for one second about having a very nice dinner before what you're going to do when you go home. You had excused yourself to the bathroom right before leaving the house and used the time to choose a bath bomb with dried rose petals and a gorgeous rose-jasmine scent for when you get home again. Two of your big, fluffy luxury towels sit on the edge of the counter with the bath bomb on top. It sits right beside a little box of chocolate covered strawberries that you also picked up on the way back to the office from your lunch break - and the little Tiffany box all tied up in silver ribbon. When you follow Marcus into the bathroom for your wine soaked bath, the ring will be right in front of him. And hopefully you'll have timed it right, so that you'll be standing in front of him with the bottle of prosecco in hand when he turns around. You've never been so nervous in your entire fucking life.

“A craving, huh?” Marcus smirks as he slides his hand around your body to rest on your lower back after handing the keys over. “I guess that’s acceptable. It’s pretty much whatever you want when you’re growing a human.”

"Do you think there's a way you can preprogram your cravings?" You muse, scrunching up your nose as you grin at him and let him lead you into the restaurant. "Spending nine months craving steak or chocolate or fresh fruit sounds great."

“Whatever you crave, you’ll get it.” Marcus promises indulgently, smirking as he imagines you whining for something specific and he’s running to the store. “Has to be local though. I can’t fly to France for pastries every week.”

"If the craving turns out to be French pastries, I know a bakery on Wisconsin Avenue." And it is definitely a place you visit at least once a month like clockwork, so you can see your cravings tending that way easily. "I promise I won't make you get on an airplane for a snack."

“I would.” He admits that easily, grinning as he walks up to the host stand and gives the name. Not rolling his eyes when giving the name ‘Jane’.

“Oh yes, the other two members of your party arrived just a few minutes ago.” The well-put-together young woman smiles dreamily, either entirely taken in by Patrick Jane’s false charm or mooning over the pregnant Agent Jane as you had seen others do over the last few weeks. “Right this way.”

Marcus lets you walk in front of him, making sure that he does watch where he’s going in addition to staring at your ass. Taken to a table that is off to the side, the overall atmosphere screams intimate and if the menu is good, he might have to bring you back here.

“How lovely.” Patrick Jane lays it on thick when he sees the hostess walking you toward the table. He stands and pulls out your chair as though he were actually a gentleman and you can see the tick of displeasure in Marcus’s jaw but say nothing. “You both look divine. Find the place okay?”

“Perfectly.” Marcus nods towards Patrick and flashes a slightly warmer look towards Teresa before he is sitting down beside you. “This is very kind of you. And unnecessary.” He adds.

“A little something to show our appreciation.” Teresa contends. “You cracked the case today. That deserves celebrating.”

“Hopefully the rest of the case will be easy.” Marcus offers. “Might be your last one before the baby comes.”

“The last big one, I think.” Teresa has that otherworldly glow always associated with pregnant women and she sighs happily as she settles back in her seat. “Although we all know I’ll be playing armchair detective on maternity leave. No rest for the wicked.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, you had a hell of a team behind you.” Marcus’s Austin team had been good, although they were a little green on the field ops side. But Teresa’s department was much more hands on.

“She just can’t stand to be idle.” Patrick smiles at her like it’s the biggest compliment in the world and flags the nearest passing waiter to ask for a wine list.

Marcus raises his brows slightly and glances over at you. He wouldn’t order wine while you were pregnant, but that was just him.

“Just because I can’t, doesn’t mean you all shouldn’t.” Teresa shrugs, as if reading the silence at the table were that easy.

“How about a spritzer?” Marcus suggests. “Wine can be added on, but you can have the spritzer with us to celebrate?”

“Perfect.” It shouldn’t have been down to Marcus to be thoughtful of the situation, but you squeeze his leg under the table in quiet pride. He is always going to be the person to think of others’ comfort in any situation. It’s one of the things you love about him.

Patrick grins, obviously about to say something but the waiter comes to the table to take the drink orders.

Drink service is quick here, apparently, and it's apparent fairly quickly that the choice of restaurant was due to Teresa's cravings. Seafood appetizers are her top mouthwatering options and Patrick sits back, encouraging her to order as much as will please her for the whole table to share in the offerings. It's nice to see them actually be a little playful together, you can't deny that at all.

It’s amazing that Marcus doesn’t feel the sting of loss like he might have before. He doesn’t wish that it was him with her when Patrick rubs her belly or leans over to kiss her. Instead, he finds himself tangling his fingers with yours under the table and bringing them up to kiss your hand, thinking about the day when that’s you heavy with his child.

"So how is the moving going?" Teresa asks, deciding on a topic that should be solely happy.

Marcus looks over at you with a grin. “Surprisingly quick.” He admits. ��I honestly was a little skeptical, considering she had lived in her apartment for so long, but we are blending things together very nicely.”

"The house is perfect." And even though some people might think it should bother you that he had bought it with Teresa in mind, it was never her home so the thought barely ever enters your mind. "I think we'll be ready to hire a truck for the furniture and the end of the boxes very soon." Fitting your lives together has been as easy as breathing, and you're just praying that the next step goes just as well.

“It’s a lovely home.” Teresa offers, having seen it when Patrick insisting on showing up one night to talk about the case. Of course he had snooped and a tour had been given. “We are looking for bigger than my apartment. The cabin isn’t practical for every day.”

"I'm sure you'll find something fantastic. Austin is a beautiful city." The one time you had been there was a flight layover, but you'd left the airport to meet a colleague for lunch and what you saw of the area was vibrant and lively.

Marcus nods in agreement. “It is, plus the school system is actually pretty good, so there’s that.” He might have looked into it before he was offered the position in D.C. He had never been shy about wanting a family, but he’s happy that it’s now going to be with the first woman he ever imagined having kids with.

“Already planning for it?” Patrick smirks as though he hasn’t eavesdropped on every morsel of information he could get from the two of you. It’s like catnip to him.

Marcus just glances over at you and squeezes your hand. “One day. If she wants.” He wants kids, never made that a secret, but it was and will always be your decision to have them. Or to decide how many you wanted to have.

“So one day soon, then.” It eases Teresa’s guilt in a way that she’s not terribly proud of, to know that Marcus has found someone - or found someone back again - who wants a family as badly as he does. When Marcus looks at you curiously, you shrug a little with feigned innocence. “I may have been picking Teresa’s brain about pregnancy,” you admit with a grin.

“You always did get giggly around pregnant women.” Marcus hums, remembering all the times you would coo over ladies out in public. It had helped feed that perfect image of how life would go, and made it devastating when it was ripped away.

“Well, I figured it would be nice to get a more comprehensive image of pregnancy.” Gathering information is an essential step in decision making, as you’ve discussed with your therapist, and it’s helped you not jump to conclusions as much in your adult life. “Teresa’s had a slightly different experience than my sister and it’s been really fun to talk about.” Under the table, you gently squeeze Marcus’s leg again to tell him everything is okay.

“I’m sure every woman has a slightly different experience.” Marcus flashes you a smile. “At least it’s not us carrying the babies, as much as we whine when we’re sick? The species would be doomed.”

“Nah, you’d be a champ.” Even though Marcus hates to be sick and would pitifully beg you to make him tea with too much honey whenever he has so much as a sniffle, you know he would be so proud to carry his children if that were the case. “I do have to wonder what men’s maternity suits would look like though. Do wide lapels compliment a baby bump?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Maybe I’ll gain those sympathy pounds with you.” He jokes, patting his stomach. “Wouldn’t take much to convince me to stop running.”

“Actually,” Teresa chuckles, finding the whole calmness of this dinner very therapeutic. “We talked a little about exercise routines and low impact workouts. So you might switch from running to walking once you’re expecting.”

You tilt your head at Marcus and send him a smirk as you reach for your drink. “Exercise is important for fertility, too.”

“I think I’m getting plenty of exercise.” Marcus smirks back at you and sends you a subtle wink. “But if working out more is what is needed, then….” He shrugs playfully.

That has you almost choking on a sip of your drink, and Teresa nearly snorts as Patrick snickers under his breath. Yes, you are four very mature adults. “It’s good to know you’re enthusiastic, baby,” you laugh, shaking your head slightly at everyone’s reactions.

Marcus grins and picks up his own glass. “So is this one the only baby? Or have you talked about more?” He asks the other couple, showing an interest in the workings of their relationship now that the awkwardness of it all had firmly been buried.

“We’re thinking so.” The habitually soothing hand that Teresa has on her stomach is nice, but some other aspects of the pregnancy have been less than ideal.

“Just our little prince.” Patrick boasts, puffing up like he somehow consciously influenced the fact that the baby is a boy.

Marcus understands, and he nods towards Patrick seriously. Having a daughter would probably terrify the man after losing his first in such a shockingly violent way. “Well, I hope everything goes smoothly.”

******

Without the tension of the case and with the promise of soon being separated, dinner isn’t the arduous task that you had feared it might be. Patrick only got on Marcus’s nerves lightly and Teresa’s good mood seemed to buoy her husband, so by the time you’re standing from the table to go leave with bellies full of steak and seafood, everyone is still smiling. Of anyone you’re probably the most off kilter, but that is only because the ticking clock on one of the most important moments of your life has hit the eleventh hour. As soon as you get home, you’ll hopefully have a whole new reason to celebrate.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Marcus can feel the tension dripping off of you as the four of you start to wind your way through the restaurant to say your final goodbyes. The two of you trail behind Patrick and Teresa slightly and Marcus keeps his voice down to not alert Patrick to any potential issues.

“I’m okay.” As much as you hate technically fibbing to him, you flash Marcus a sideways smile as you walk. “I think I’m just sleepy from having a full belly. Maybe…when we get home, do you want to have that bath?”

"That sounds perfect." He relaxes slightly, just on edge for any sign of unhappiness now that a second ring for you is waiting in drawer in the bathroom. He hadn't been able to open the small safe without you noticing and he didn't want to draw attention to himself before leaving for dinner.

You say your last goodbyes at the valet stand, giving Teresa a careful hug and shaking Patrick’s hand out of an abundance of manners, and watching as they pull away in their rental car. “That’s it,” you laugh as the next car to pull up to the curb is Marcus’s. “We’re free.”

“We are free.” Marcus can share your relief and chuckles. “Is it safe to admit now that I’m so fucking happy I didn’t end up with Teresa?” He confesses as he opens the door for you. “I’d much rather be with you and not put up with Patrick Jane intruding on my life every opportunity he gets.”

“I don’t think you would have to deal with him for that long, honey.” The expression on your face is cheeky as you get into the car and you’re still smirking when he gets in beside you and buckles his seatbelt. “You’d either be in prison or a mental health facility for going crazy and killing him.”

Marcus barks out a laugh and shakes his head. “You’re right.” He laughs, looking over at you. “I’d be howling at the moon.”

“I’m glad you didn’t end up with Teresa, too.” You lean over the center console to kiss him before he can turn the engine over. “But that’s purely selfish.”

“Selfish on my part too.” Marcus admits, grinning at you. “You like liquor licked off your body. And I like that.”

“Teresa wasn’t into body shots?” Helpfully, your mind conjures the idea of him drinking bubbly off you in the bath.

“No.” It’s not badmouthing his ex, but he doesn’t elaborate beyond that. “You are though. You love me licking anything off your body.”

"Your love of whipped cream had nothing to do with the actual cream." You giggle, sitting back and tangling your hand in his as he pulls out into traffic. The drive home won't take long at your heart is pounding just a little bit harder with every passing minute.

“Of course.” Marcus smirks and looks over at you with a lecherous grin. “But would you have it any other way?”

"Never." After just a second of deliberation, you pick up his hand in yours and bring it to your lips, grinning evilly as you press a kiss to his palm before slipping his middle finger into your mouth to swirl your tongue around the digit in perfect imitation of the way he likes his cock licked. It's too good to not tease him.

“Fuuuuuuuck.” Marcus groans, cock twitching and he wishes he could just snap his fingers and have the two of you home and naked. “That’s mean.”

"It's not mean," you're giggling again as you kiss the back of his hand again. "It's a preview."

“It is mean.” Marcus pouts. “Because we aren’t home.”

"Don't be sad, baby." The dramatic frown on his face and the big, puppy eyes he aims your way at the stop light make you pout right back at him. "I'd offer to give you road head but I don't think we could escape DC traffic without getting noticed or even pulled over."

“I have a badge.” Marcus argues, although he would never let you do that. The word would get out and he won’t risk your reputation.

"We'll take a long drive through the Virginia countryside some weekend and find a nice place to fuck on a picnic blanket, how about that?" A favourite date of yours back in the early days could enjoy a very nice revival now, as long as you find the right place to do it. "Road head, too." You promise with a giggle. "It'll be very romantic."

“Road head is romantic, huh?” Marcus laughs and shakes his head. “We should find a little place to park. More room in the back of the SUV than my old college car.”

"Sounds like fun. I guess we know what we're doing next weekend, huh?" Sitting back, you watch the streets go by as it starts to drizzle rain and allow yourself a soft, contented sigh. "I love you, baby."

“I love you too.” He promises with a full heart. Your relationship, while not glossing over the past, was even better than it had been back then. Both of you knowing where you stand and what you want out of life.

******

By the time he pulls into the garage beside your little Mini Cooper, your heart is pounding. Optimistically you have maybe five minutes until he walks into that bathroom upstairs and you ask the most important question of your life. Not that you aren't ninety-nine percent sure that you know what his answer will be, but the anticipation is still nerve-wracking.

As soon as Marcus hits the button for the garage door to close, his phone starts to ring. “God, I hope this isn’t my parents.” He groans, although he’s fairly certain it isn’t. It’s too late for his parents.

Whoever he thought it might be, he definitely didn't expect to see the caller ID for the INTERPOL Paris office splashed across his phone, and Marcus shoots you an apologetic look when he answers the phone. "Director Pike?" The man on the other end of the line has a thick Parisian accent but speaks perfect English, thought his voice is very obviously agitated. "René Ducasse, INTERPOL cultural heritage unit. I apologize for the hour, monsieur, but things are moving quickly here."

“Monsieur Ducasse, how may I help you?” Marcus’s tone takes on a professional edge, polite yet brimming with authority. He frowns, calculating the time in Paris and blanching when he realizes it would be four-thirty in the morning.

"There has been a break in the case concerning the pair of missing Cassatt paintings that your Federal Bureau of Investigation has been searching for." Ducasse is a gum chewer as a form of nervous habit, and Marcus can hear him unwrap a piece on the other end of the phone. "We have less than forty-eight hours to prepare the sting, and hoped you might be interested in having the operation be a collaboration between our offices. We would send you in undercover to participate in the auction, as your face is far less well known here." He chuckles under his breath, knowing the cover is an easy one. "A wealthy American throwing their money around, you know?"

Marcus’s brain is rapidly processing this situation and he nods, shaking his wrist to look at his watch. “We should be able to catch a flight tonight.” He knows it might be tight, but he grins. “I will call you back with my itinerary.”

"Merci, Director Pike, I will watch for your call." The relief in Ducasse's voice is audible, along with the first smack of bubble gum being chewed. "And I will brief you myself when you arrive."

“Thank you.” Marcus ends the call and looks at you with both apology and excitement in his eyes. “So, um…I have to go to Paris. For a case. Do you want to come with me?”

"Seriously?" You're starting to not believe what he had told you about his job being less exciting than other FBI offices, especially if impromptu trips to France are a real-life possibility. "Yeah. Absolutely. I'll use a vacation day for tomorrow. Unless..." The nearly giddy look on his face makes you laugh. "Am I being asked to consult on this case as well, sir?"

Marcus opens his mouth and then closes it. “Actually…” he tilts his head thoughtfully. “This is about a pair of missing Cassatt paintings. A Smithsonian director would be useful on the team.” It might be a slight misappropriation of your title, but it would work.

"I suddenly feel very fancy and very lucky." And very much like you want to sprint up to the bathroom immediately to grab his ring and stash it away before he can see it - if you have a chance to propose to Marcus in Paris? Oh yeah, you're absolutely going to take it. "Why don't you tell me what you can of the case while we're packing and I'll send an e-mail to my boss with an update before we take off." Sometimes the convenience of a cell phone for things like big last-minute events is very helpful. "But first." You lean over the center console in the car and peck a kiss on his cheek. "I really need to pee, so I'm going to run upstairs."

“Okay. I’m going to book us some flights.” He’ll also make a call to his boss, getting the go ahead to bring you so there aren’t any issues with that later on, but he doubts there will be.

"Okay." One more quick kiss and you bolt into the house and straight upstairs. The stack of towels and bath things you had set up on the counter are still sitting there proudly along with the candles that you had pulled out, and you snatch up the little Tiffany box with a relieved sigh - like a part of you was something worried that it wouldn't be there when you got home. Without knowing what to expect, the first things you can do are wipe off your make up from dinner and pack up your toiletries. Luckily you had used your two suitcases to bring over clothing from the apartment last week and now you use the smaller one to start packing up some professional yet fashionable clothing and one really beautiful cocktail dress for a nice dinner out. Even if you're going there for work, you will take time for at least one dinner with Marcus in the city. You want to show him your old neighborhood in Montmartre and have drinks at Harry's. Sort of a greatest hits tour of your years there as a graduate student.

It takes about twenty minutes to get everything settled and flights booked before Marcus is bounding up the stairs. “Sorry. I know we had plans tonight but I upgraded our tickets to first class.” He offers, shooting you a grin. “Didn’t cost an arm and a leg when I just have to pay the difference between what the bureau would have booked.”

"We had plans for a bath." You're carefully folding the dress you selected from your shared closet when he comes upstairs, and you shake your head at him for the little extra of upgrading your tickets. It's good thinking, you'll both sleep much better on the flight. "We can have a bath in the hotel in Paris tomorrow and it will be just as romantic."

“I don’t know if I could ever get more romantic than a bath in Paris.” Marcus snorts. “That’s prime romance. Especially since we are going to be posing as a wealthy couple so our room is the Versailles Suite at Le Meurice.”

"It is not." The way your jaw nearly unhinges in surprise makes your voice drop and you gasp. "What the hell kind of cover are we supposed to have, royalty?" He's told you what he can of other undercover jobs he's done before, but nothing had sounded as opulent as this. "I better rethink what I'm packing if you want us to pass for ultra wealthy. Office clothes don't scream opulence."

“We can buy what we need and expense it out.” Marcus informs you with a grin, sending you a small wink. “So leave room to bring clothes home.”

"Do you have any idea how long we'll be there?" Not that you have any objection to staying just as long as the FBI could possibly need. It's a welcome working vacation. To go to France right after the Janes leave is like a gift from the universe.

“According to Monsieur Ducasse, it will be at least forty-eight hours, possibly a week to wrap up.” Marcus theorizes. “We are to pose as wealthy Americans attending a black-market art auction.”

"Living out my caper movie dreams." You flash him a grin as you scoop up all the responsible workwear trousers and blouses that you had chosen and plop them back in the dresser to replace with dresses. "Do we get to come up with our own cover?" Okay, you might be a little excited about this...

“We will have some guidelines to work inside, but details of the background are normally created by the people going undercover based on what they can keep straight.” Marcus explains, pulling out his own clothes to pack.

"That makes sense." The two of you talk through things while you pack, with Marcus outlining the standard way that operations like this are normally run and giving you a little background on his INTERPOL colleague that has called him in. By the time you're toting your suitcases downstairs to get back in the car, you have enough information to fire off an e-mail to your boss and to start thinking about places you might want to be when you bring out that ring again. This won't be pure vacation - you're not naive enough to believe that - but you're determined to find a moment to make special.

“Shit.” Marcus realizes that he’s almost fucked up. “Let me run back inside.” He tells you after closing the trunk. “Just stay here.” He bolts for the door, cursing himself for almost forgetting to grab your ring.

What better time to propose than in Paris?

------ Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @hardc0rehaylz @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101

tCIGtDYE: @missmarmaladeth  @afro-hispwriter  @rosmarinus @mythrielofsolitude @jxvipike @avaleineandafryingpan @hnt-escape @supernaturalgirl20 @scorpio-marionette @bobafvcker @midnightevermore @dinoflower   @pearl-aqua-tears @itsbaehyungbitch   @pepperminticedcoffee @anticipayosbot @girlofchaos @speedynana @loveslide @noisynaia @just-here-for-the-moment @goodgriefitsawildworld @curiouskeyboard @iarellanouus @mymistery09-blog @seasonschange-butpeopledont @thenightdreamsballad @pondsofravenclaw  @sherlock221b114679797 @pimmyxyone @theredwritingwitch @ghostinhours @timpletance @strawberryjamcheesecake @amb11 @a-little-shade-of-kiki @wildemaven @tuquoquebrute @supernaturalgirl @ellenmunn @iceclaw101 @toxicfrankenstein @catsandgeekyandnerd @missmarmaladeth   @theincredibleinkspitter @agiroflee98 @lyonessofnarnia @we-could-have-been @totostits @scorpio-marionette @kikis-writing-world @trappistmonksofthefuture @danichz  @88dragon06  @scorpionerd @myrealmofchaos @movievillainess721 @firekissed13 @qseomik @acollectionofcells1 @captain-of-my-game1992 @alician87 @lovesbiggerthanpride @justgonewild @hiyorinatsuki   @pinkrosethorne @apocalypticwafflekitten @groovycass @rebel-fanfare    @d0cthunder @gooddaykate @purplerain04 @astridflowers @frasmotic @dornish-queen​

My Masterlist!

[tonydaddingham]

ok it's not actually as epic✨ as i thought it would be but here is my episode-title prediction but it's very rough and in note form and no doubt is all over the place and pls feel free to discuss in the replies and ill amend accordingly,,, PLUS i need to go through it again in more detail cross referencing my sideburn theory bc some things might actually belong in other episodes and yeah im exhausted from the sheer speed at which i pulled this together fucking enJOY

(note: now contains mention of the leak, proceed w caution)

1. THE ARRIVAL

main storyline summary:

OKAY SO LETS START with this article on mr g's blog - scroll to the last two paragraphs - potentially see pre-fall heaven or the immediate moments before/after the fall which when you consider the opening credits begin with crowley climbing out of the pit/aziraphale descending from heaven, AND the BEAUTIFUL (this isn't being discussed enough imo) fall sequence in the hillywood parody, im tentatively suggesting that we might have a cold open of the fall

✨✨MURIEL PERSPECTIVE ON THE FALL?????✨✨

sosososo in the trailer obvs crowley and muriel are jn heaven and muriel says "you're a demon!!! // im going to get into so much trouble!!!" so WHAT IF DURING THE FALL THEY SMUGGLED CROWLEY OUT OF HEAVEN TO AVOID THE CONFLICT???? and crowley took like the back staircase down so he didn't fall so violently and got to keep his wings and *GUNSHOT* ok so im only like maybe 5% certain it's a flashback after ive rewatched that bit of the trailer oooh maybe 26 times but sTILL imaGINE yeah don't think this anymore, send me an ask if you want to know why bc i cba to write a post explaining

and then presumably a segue? into the first few events ive listed in this post about the start of the second coming idk it might actually be a flashback in another episode hmm yeah actually that seems more likely but anyway

then - present day, gabriel arrives on earth, lost memory/human, "something terrible" in the box that he was meant to deliver to aziraphale (?) that going by that second coming (SC) post i think literally contains jesus

ok update after the gumshoe az pics: so if gabriel is connected to the pub, and by the extension the jukebox, it must be the record that arrives in the box with the address attached, and aziraphale starts looking into it from there????? idk see ep 2

crowley gets evicted, then crowley and shax interaction in the park

presumably an introduction to maggie and nina, plus the "naked man friend" clip

discovery of gabriel at the bookshop, and ensuing argument leading to crowley summoning lightning, and the boys going no contact sob

2. THE CLUE

main storyline summary:

*edit because my draft didn't save properly and ive only just noticed - believe that this ep has the job minisode

SO following the newest pic release of crowley and aziraphale and the record, which ive gone off about here, i think that the skip doesn't quite happen yet BUT aziraphale obvs has the record which i think god has sent him as a clue and then goes to find crowley to talk about it ✨A cLuE✨ but crowley tells him to fuck off

also crowley is a bartender

THEN we have a present-day time skip, gabriel being a very good assistant in the shop

again after the SC theory i think that gabriel lost the box and instead god somehow sends aziraphale the record and address as a clue

aziraphale (unsure of the genesis here) starts researching the jukebox and the everyday song, presumably buys the record from maggie

aziraphale in the bookshop, looking at the jukebox articles, crowley storms in, "im back" see below!!!

THEN second time aziraphale approaches crowley, pub drink ft crowley in jeans and a nice top™ which i think is actually his work top™, then the clip ✨a cLuE✨

crowley and shax in the bentley having a heart to heart, and i worry that she essentially tempts him into luring goob out of the shop so hell can get to him and crowley can get back his precious 😭 peaceful 😭 existence with aziraphale EDIT FOLLOWING THIS!!! I think she definitely tells him to get chummy with aziraphale again

AND NOW we have the "im back" scene

possibly the beelzebub clip from them in hell? possibly an interaction between them and shax? beelzebub manifests as a fly and plays a game of tag in the bookshop with goob, trying to make up for their failure in losing track of jesus

at some point the other angels come to the bookshop to interrogate aziraphale for if he has seen gabriel, believes he's lying, and resolve to send in their ✨top agent✨

3. I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING

main storyline summary:

✨MURIEL MY BELOVED✨

whole "cup of tea" scene, plus crowley removing plants from the bentley "why don't you go by train? you love trains"

possibly muriel feeding back to heaven with her report about aziraphale, his grumpy friend, and his assistant 💓

aziraphale off up to edinburgh in the bentley, possibly crowley has stayed behind to babysit gabriel? (i feel like the 'are you a bookseller too? / not even at gunpoint' interaction was a bit foreshadow-y)

UPDATE: WHY IS GABRIEL CONNECTED TO THE JUKEBOX MYSTERY?? WAS THE RECORD IN FACT IN THE BOX??? AND ITS SOMEHOW LINKED TO HOW GABRIEL LOST HIS MEMORY??? IM SO CONFUSED

still confused but see above SC theory

was the resurrectionist address already taped to the record when it arrived in the box? NOBODY KNOWSSS

UPDATE 2 re: the meme template prime just gave us: so what IF AZIRAPHALE goes to the pub, asks if theyve seen goob, the pub owner (who is in the meme) says "shhhhh I have some intel meet me at the graveyard at 6", aziraphale goes and they show him a pic of gabriel in the pub like removing the everyday record from the jukebox? bc gabriel removed it and that's why the jukebox is now stuck on that song??? AGHHH now I'm wondering if the pub people got a video of the graveyard fight or a pic of the box or something and that gives aziraphale the indication that the whole thing is centred around the second coming

shax possibly knows that crowley is there, and calls the bookshop? or crowley calls heaven to narc on gabriel? OR aziraphale calls him from the phone crowley possibly lent him and idk but a conversation along the lines "hey crowley so i think a fight with demons caused goob to lose his memory and lmao but i think he also lost jesus!!!

either way crowley uses aziraphale's phone specifically and is obviously looking intently at something

and lastly again i think this has the resurrectionist minisode - fitting given that they decked out a pub in edinburgh with resurrectionist signs etc so that probably triggers a flashback for az when he goes there for the jukebox mystery

4. THE HITCHHIKER

no official press photos for this one as far as i know , but possibly????

main storyline summary:

first, *SLAMS HAND ON TABLE* 🚨40s MINISODE🚨

i think however that this is where muriel is back on earth, potentially rooting around greek street trying to be as nosy as possible

and crowley now loaded in with info hot off the press (lmao aziraphale) knows that the second coming is involved and realises he needs to get into heaven to find out more info which is so james bond of him what a legend

and then WELL WHADDAYA KNOW muriel turns up and therefore im wondering if the above is from crowley's pov - muriel spots him in the shop and gets a tad excited

then - bless their soul - muriel gets coerced into helping crowley infiltrate heaven, or he follows them back to the heaven entrance they're using, and jumps in the lift with them last minute (ie the hitchhiker)

god knows why he's going to heaven in disguise but he's living his best life bless*

ALTERNATIVELY see ep1 about the muriel/crowley scene

5. THE BALL

okay i admittedly have no idea on this wtf happens in this one

do they DANCE

is aziraphale checking off a GUESTLIST for their disco ball?????? WHAT IF ITS MAGGIES BIRTHDAY OR A FUNDRAISER AND THATS WHY THERES RECORD GARLANDS ON THE SHOP IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE????

rap battle

a lil SMOOCHY SMOOCH??? (NOT the leak one, a different one)

6. EVERY DAY

✨everything goes to shit lmao✨

i can't even be bothered write out everything that happens in this episode because i think we can guess the bare essentials - crowley is on the throne in hell, demons attack the bookshop, metatron appears and declares war, aziraphale sharts himself, DEMONS destroy said bookshop and aziraphale's FUCKING HOME

i do feel like EVERY is in here because i reckon aziraphale finds out crowley was betraying him to hell, even if for a good reason, and crowley desperately tries to make aziraphale see that it was "for us, for you aziraphale!!!!", SNOG, and aziraphale tells him to get fucked bc now he can never trust him, crowley said hed never lie to him "obviously, you're a demon" from s1, and the cliffhanger is them being on their OWN own sides @azirafuck back me up here

Update 19/07: and what if aziraphale can't forgive crowley and literally tells him he can't forgive him... and fallssssss?

like I'm SORRY but i need heartbreak like THIS

IF AZIRAPHALE FALLS THO IM GOING TO KILL EVERYONE ON EARTH AND THEN MYSELF💓✨

ACTUALLY MAYBE THIS???? IM GOING INSANE NOW

[kissbentennyson]

Hello there, how do you do? ＼⁠(⁠^⁠o⁠^⁠)⁠／

I recently found your blog and got to say I was so excited to explore it, hehe! Nowadays it's hard to find some Ben 10 account so I was really happy when I come across yours.

Anyways though I wanted to request but since I got no idea for now I think might interact with you since you sound like any interactive person (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠)

Yk what made you write for Ben 10 fandom since you know not many fall in love with their childhood interest later in life. Honestly I get into Ben 10 again when few days earlier my cousin was watching Ben 10 online and I end up watching one episode with him too and thus my old love for series and character rise again 🐀

Would like to see your answer. Anyways have a wonderful day ahead and don't forget to eat your meal. Byeeee!

Hi! I am so sorry it took me so long to see this! I have no idea how long this has been sitting in my ask box, I'm not active on this blog anymore. I was unaware that it's still getting just as much attention as it did when I was in high school. Just a warning, this is a very long response.

To answer your question, It's not that I fell in love with it later in life, but that I never stopped loving it.

I am autistic, and have had the same handful of interests since I was younger. Ben 10, Transformers, DC, Marvel, Devil May Cry, to name a few. Most of my interests were influenced by the people I grew up around. like my abusers. I also have a biological who is only two years younger than me. The two of us have always had the most of the same interests our entire life, but my interest in these things was always more intense than his. To the point my bio family found it annoying.

For context, we didn't know I was autistic growing up. We didn't have health insurance for most of my developmental years. It took being taken into foster care for my most of my health- mental and physical- to be cared about, addressed, and treated. It also doesn't help that my cousin (son of a very close family friend) is also autistic and we have different care needs. Because I didn't present exactly like him, my behavior was ignored. Written off as me being quirky, whiney, needy, annoying, antisocial, and stupid/ditsy.

Having the same interests as your younger brother is a doubled edged sword. On one hand, you always have someone to talk to. On the other, despite being more into something than him my interest wasn't taken seriously (because I am AFAB) and he was always got the toys and books (that he would never even read) about said interests. I always had to sit and watch as he got to enjoy things about our shared interest- and I was always left out.

I remember when my grandmother got him an Omnitrix toy that came with these tiny plastic figures of all of the aliens, and when you placed it on the Omnitrix, the toy would say the alien's name. I was so jealous, I wanted that toy so badly. But, siblings being siblings, if my brother found me playing with it he would throw a fit and get me in trouble. This caused me a lot of stress and anxiety growing up. Not just because It was invalidating, but also because I was being denied access to my special interest in a way.

However, there is one thing that my brother and I don't share. I love to read and write. To the point it was an actual problem when I was growing up. I would stay up on our bunk bed, reading and writing for so long that I would miss meals entirely. But, It was something they could never take away from me for force me to share with my brother. I have been writing about my special interests since I was in the 6th grade. Of course, my mother threw away most of it, and its all in notebooks rotting in some landfill now.

When I was 16, I made this blog and started posting reader insert fanfiction here- which I had already done for another fandom once before (@honeydew-mel0n). Actually, I was posting on both blogs at the same time! Before that, I had a Wattpad that I posted on (Still do, actually, haha.) I stopped posting on this blog after I graduated high school as I had collage classes to focus on, and eventually a job.

I no longer post here, not because it's no longer a special interest, but because I'm going to be 20 soon. I don't feel it's appropriate for me, as an adult, to continue to write such content about characters that are minors. It now makes me uncomfortable to do so. However, I am going to keep the blog up because many people like it and continue to read it. I'd never want to take that away from anyone. I do have a bunch of old drafts saved that I might post, but only if people would want to read my unfinished drafts. There is also a part of me that wants to keep exploring the Benzarro plot I was writing- but I probably won't

I hope this makes sense, thank you for asking!

-Sunshine

[small-duckie]

Credit to @fizzscrafts for the dividers!

Hi! Welcome to small-duckie! This blog is run by Goomy who is a age regressor and enjoyer of Hazbin Hotel amongst other things. Down below you’ll find more information!

About Goomy (big age)

Im 25, so I do not like having minors interact on here! It’s for both of our safety, I do not want anyone to get into trouble!

I am very shy so messages might not be answered right away. I also suffers from anxiety, ptsd, depression, and autism. So please be patient!

I am mostly using this blog to post about their little space fixations (posted below), and re blogging from similar blogs!

About Goomy (little space)

I will go by a few different nicknames such as Jupiter (little space sona!), Luci, or Duckie!! But I’ll always respond to Goomy!

My age range is 4-6, but depending on how stressed they are, it can go a little lower. Though I mainly go non verbal and fussy if distressed in little space.

I also doesn’t talk much in little space, I prefer to keep to myself while coloring or cuddling plushies!

Things I enjoy in little space (that you’ll see on this blog):

Hazbin Hotel/ Hevulla Boss (main content)

Paw Patrol

Bluey

Dinosaurs

Studio Ghibli

Blues clues

Inside out

Do interact if:

You are a sfw age blog

An adult

Enjoy similar interests to mine (though this doesn’t really matter!)

DNI if

You are a kink blog, TERF, minor, or just generally gross person! You’ll be blocked and black listed on my blog!

My ask box is open for the following

Little space question post I shared (I love answering it)

Making friends

Edits for outfit boards, mood boards, and paci edits!

On an ending note: I try to be kind to everyone here but PLEASE DO NOT share too much personal info with me or ask me for mine, I’ve always been a bit wary about tumblr, but I’m trying really hard to become more social within the agere community.

[lemotmo]

Hello lovely, I am the anon blog and I am so sorry! I feel your pain because life in the trenches sucks. I don't allow my stuff to be posted to Twitter either, that place is a dumpster fire of vileness. I never know what people are sending to you but I have posted a message on my blog asking everyone to take a break for a bit. I'm not sure how this became a big deal in the first place, lol, but it can be very overwhelming and is very much why I go out of my way these days to be harder to find. My ask box is a lot. I do check in on your blog from time to time and will be happy to tell people to stop sharing with you at any time. I think we're close to the end though so hopefully peace will be restored relatively soon to both our blogs. I am so sorry for any trouble, that any of my followers might have caused. You seem so lovely and I don't want to be a party to anything that is troubling or upsetting. I hope your break is peaceful 💗

Hi dear! I'm so happy to hear from you.

I have thought so much about you today. I cannot even imagine what your inbox must look like. I so sympathise.

I very much agree on the Twitter thing. I lurk there once in a while, but never participate. It's a scary place.

As you probably already read on my blog, the lovely anons that send me your messages have reached out to me asking if I wanted them to stop sending them. I told them to keep on sending them, but that I wouldn't be posting them yet. I'm just going to be laying low for a couple of days, before I resume posting them. I refuse to back down because of some bullies. I have been in fandom for too long at this point. I'm too old to be pushed into a corner. xD

Listen, the reason why your posts have become such a big thing is because Tumblr has always been a fairly quiet and peaceful place to ship Buddie. Then episode 7x04 came along and brought utter chaos. Most of us had no idea what was going on. We were flabbergasted. I just remember thinking: 'Yes, Buck is bi now. It's obvious this Tommy guy isn't going to last, so maybe we'll finally get buddie. Everyone will be happy about that.' Anyway, you know what happened next. LOL

We were all over the place during that first hiatus and 7b, never sure what to expect from the whole BT relationship or the obvious Buddie they were still pushing on the show. We needed some stability and common sense back in this fandom and your posts have partly brought that back. I have so many people in my asks talking about your posts in a constructive, meaningful and sensible way. That is exactly what this fandom needs. It doesn't need negativity and spewing hatred and slurs, but it needs logical thinking and the deconstruction of patterns. Next to that you also give us a great insight into the inner workings of fandom. I find it all utterly fascinating.

Thank you for checking in on my blog once in a while. That's really sweet. If it ever comes to a point where I need a break from posting all together, I'll make sure to let you know. But I really don't think I'll ever get to that point, because I too have a feeling that the end of all of this is near.

And don't worry. Don't feel bad about any trouble you or your followers might have caused. I made the choice to post these asks in the first place. I could have backed down at any point, but I didn't. So, no one to blame here. Don't worry.

Have a great week! Feel free to check in once in a while. Oh, when all this is over and done with, don't hesitate to jump into my DMs. I'd love to say 'hi' to the real you one day. I have a feeling we could have some interesting conversations. ;)

❤️❤️❤️

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

well tweam, i never thought my life would come to this. but i am bringing you a conclusion to today's debacle, so read on if you've been following this.

evan peters, if you're out there reading, just know i really love you and care about your reputation because what i just had to do, as a lesbian, amounts to a hate crime.

with the diligent help of @evanboodaddy we have sourced all three of the explicit photos used in what we now know was a doctored image masquerading as a screenshot of frances' patreon page. i'm sparing you all but just know that i went to the trouble of creating a gif of the photos overlaid on top of each other to confirm this with certainty. hell, they're not even the same wiener in all 3 photos. my google image searches were a nightmare (photoshopper was lazy, if you google d pics and click a few ''related images'' you will immediately find two of them), but anyway, it's sufficiently proven that those images are not of evan.

now, let's get to the source. up to this point, i have not spoken with anyone who has openly claimed to, with their own eyes, have seen frances' posts on patreon and/or tumblr, except this user (24hrcunt) who messaged me this morning. what i have seen is numerous users who have viewed screenshots, which makes sense; we know it's been circulating in group chats because rosa is the one who brought it to light via twitter, and her photos are screenshots of the screenshots posted in a group chat she's in.

this person claims to have taken screenshots which she shared in an ask sent to me. you can see the timestamps on top from when i first viewed them, though they had likely been in my ask box for maybe 15-20 minutes at this point as i was busy. this user did not follow me on here. they wrote a longer message seen in the 2nd photo, claiming that they viewed a message from frances on her patreon accompanying the explicit photos, that they conveniently did not get a screenshot of.

as i started to get suspicious of this story (see time of 5:19pm est) i went back to this page and viewed their tumblr. they had multiple aesthetic type posts such as the one you can partially see in the third screenshot, however, upon checking the timestamps my suspicion was confirmed: all of their posts were from today. the first post on their blog was made at around 10am est and as you can see, these messages followed shortly after. if they had merely created a burner account to share information, they would have had no reason to not say as much, and they wouldn't have quickly reblogged a bunch of random shit to make their page look legitimate. they have since deleted their account. @evanboodaddy also brought to my attention that in the screenshot of the patreon page, the pop-up window showing you must join to unlock posts is rounded on the corners of the actual page. in the edited version showing the explicit photos, you can see that they weren't able to replicate this design.

so, to anyone who was worried, you can rest assured this story is completely falsified. the photos are not of evan, and frances never posted any of this to her patreon nor tumblr.

not the tweam investigative journalism post i wanted to bring to you, but.... it was necessary.