#also the miss movin on became this whole thing

[ohithankyou]

back like years ago i had a crush on this boy and my bold ass back then couldn’t ever keep anything to myself so i had told him i liked him and he basically said “hey that’s sweet and you’re cute but i’m not looking for a relationship right now.” i was sad but ya know, chill about it bc what could i do. cut to not even a week later and this dude is walking hand in hand at school with a girl and now i’m like hurt and incredibly jealous like ok dude, i guess you’re a lying liar who lies. anyway. i attempted to act really nonchalant about it but if there’s one thing young me never had it’s a nonchalant bone in her body so what i proceeded to do to show this dude that i was incredibly over him and that i did not at all care about his girlfriend was change my twitter name to “miss movin’ on” after the fifth harmony song which i had playing on REPEAT (and now felt like i could personally resonate with after the insane betrayal) and added “single” in my bio as if i had ever been “taken”…..

[iscariotsdeputy]

Staci Pratt’s Lines From The FC5 Script

THE SCRIPT IS FOUND HERE ON THIS POST GIVE THAT POST THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES

now to our regular scheduled staci content under the read more!

[Surprise reactions, yes I’m naming these]

Good Lord! 

What the- 

Jesus! 

God almighty! 

Christ almighty! 

Whoa!

What was that? 

I heard something. 

You hear that? 

What? 

What's that?

[FUN BATTLE CRIES]

Enough! 

No more! 

I'm done with this!

Goin' in! 

Cover me! 

You're dead! 

You're mine! 

Kill them! Let them die for the Father!   (ZOINKS)

Kill them all! They don't deserve to live! 

The weak must be culled! 

We've got this! 

Mercy is for the weak! 

Show them no weakness! 

Cull the herd! 

You don't deserve to live! 

You'll pay! You're all gonna pay! 

You're all gonna die! 

You don't deserve to live!

Is that it? 

You started it! 

I didn't want this! 

We don't forgive unbelievers! 

This didn't have to happen! 

[That feel when the grenades hit]

Move, move, move! 

Move, go! 

Grenade! 

Grenade, move! 

[This boy is on fire!]

Oh God, the fire's gettin' bigger! 

Fire's growing! 

The fire! It's out of control!  

Good Lord that fire's getting big! 

The fire's spreading!

[Lad on the run]

Moving, cover me! 

Runnin' for it! 

Hey, cover me! 

Movin' positions! 

Gonna try to get higher up. 

Gonna climb higher. 

Cover me, I'm heading down. 

Moving down, cover me! 

For sure! 

Better go fast! 

Got it! 

Okay! 

Got ya!

[When he wants to run but he’s like me trying not to infodump: suppressed]

I can't move! 

They've got me pinned! 

I'm pinned down! 

I'm taking fire over here! 

They've got me pinned down! 

[Staci hearing threats]

Jesus! Where was that?! Damn!

Lord! Jesus, what was that? What the hell! 

[Staci underfire]

Damn! 

Dammit, dammit! 

Lord Jesus Christ! 

This is bad!

God, no!

Ah shit! 

[Staci when he sees them enemies]

Look, over there! 

Over there! 

There they are! 

There! I see them! 

Gonna do some Cullin'...      (staci excuse me?)

Don't move! 

Dammit, watch out! 

Hey, watch out! 

[Wounded Staci]

Ah. 

Ow. 

Ah! 

God! 

Jesus! 

I'm hit! 

They shot me! 

They got me!

[HE’S RELOADIN’]

Reloading! 

I'm reloading! 

Reloading! Cover me! 

Gotta reload!

[SALUTATIONS FELLOW NORMAL NOT BRAINWASHED PEOPLE]

Hey. 

Hi there.

What's up. 

Hey, man. 

Hey sister. 

Hey there.

Hey!

Hey Brother.

Brother, how are you?

Miss. Nice to see you. 

Hey there Miss. 

[Sights on Staci, a sniper with the same values as me]

Sniper! 

Sniper's got me in his sights! 

Got a sniper on me! 

[Funky Fresh Idle Filler]

Gotta look after your gear, keep it clean. Out here your weapon is your life. 

The Father keeps all the best stuff for his Chosen. Leaves us the scraps. 

No one is going to take anything from me again. Ever.

The night hides many sins. 

It gets cold at night. 

Even in the dark, they can see ya. 

[Sneeze] [Clear Throat] [Sigh]

[Happy sigh. Like the Blue Jays won another world series recently.] (I shit you not this is how it’s in the script)

I'm not weak. I'm not weak. 

They're gonna pay. 

No mercy. Show no mercy. 

Some say the sun is life. In the cages it brings only death. 

I wasn't sure I'd ever see the sun again. 

[Deep breath] Just smell that fresh air. 

Jacob took me on one of his hunts, only we weren't huntin' any animals. A couple of prisoners had escaped... they didn't get far. I had to help round up the wolves.. you know... to be made into Judges. They were so scared... so scared. I had a dream once that Jacob took me on a hunt. We shot some deer and he asked me to skin them. As I was cutting them open they changed... it wasn't deer. I... I don't think it was a dream.

Good idea to be ready for anythin'. From what I saw Eden's Gate isn't foolin' around.

I was locked down in Jacob's Gate for days. I can't imagine living down there for years. 

Jacob had one thing right. Things are only goin' to get worse and you gotta be ready for it.

[Friendly Fire]

Watch it!

We're on the same side! 

Watch where you point that! 

Do you mind? 

Don't test me!

You trying to kill me?! 

You tryin' to make me angry? 

I wouldn't do that, if I were you.

You doing that on purpose? 

Trying to get me killed?! 

Watch it! 

Be more careful! 

Careful! 

Hey! Watch it!

[DON’T LET HIM USE THE MOUNTED GUN]

Goin' for the machine gun! 

Gonna take the machine gun! 

Cover me I'm going for the machine gun! 

I'm taking the machine gun, cover me! 

Leave the machine gun to me!

[If a friend is down I think, or maybe you, who knows?]

Good lord! 

Jesus! 

God, no! 

Father save us! 

[SO IF STACI KILLS YOU???]

Now who's weak? 

I'm sorry. I really am. 

[Staci death pleas]

Father! Forgive me! 

Oh God oh God! 

[Filler after Staci kills someone AKA post-combat]

Culling the herd. It's just culling the herd. 

Did you see that Jacob? Who's weak now? 

For sure. 

You okay over there? 

You can't let it get to you. 

It.. It'll be okay.  (i love him,,,,,,,,,,)

[Battle Filler!]

They deserve what they get! 

Show no weakness! 

Kill them all! 

Death is too good for them! 

[Reviving]

Going to help! I got 'em! I'll get 'em! I got this! 

Hold on, I got you! Be right there! Don't die on me! 

[You Revive Him! Gold Star!]

It just wasn't my time. Thanks, friend. 

You are a God-send. Thank you. 

You're like my guardian angel. 

[Battle Taunts]

Whatta you gonna do? What, having trouble standing? What's wrong? How do you like it? 

[Staci asking for help]

Oh God! Save me, please!

Oh god, it hurts! Make it stop!

Please, Father. No more!

[If you aim your gun at Stace oh n o]

You don't want to test me.

That's enough.

You wanna see what happens? 

You're not gonna like what comes next... 

You think that scares me after what I've been through? 

Don't be testin' me, Brother. 

Don't push me. Not now. 

I'm warning you. 

I'm not goin' to put up with this, Miss. 

[Staci and Boomer]

You got that dog under control, right? 

Yeah, I'm not sure I'm good with dogs. 

Dogs remind me too much of those damned Judge wolves. 

I don't like the way that dog is looking at me. 

Just keep that dog away from me. 

[Staci and Cheeseburger]

I don't trust bears. 

Keep that thing away from me. 

Bears are dangerous. 

Bears should be in the wild. 

Bears are killers.

[Staci and Peaches]

Now that's a cat.

Big cat.

Big claws on that sucker. 

Nice kitty. 

Beauty coat on that cougar. 

[More Filler, But Longer And Contextual!]

Sometimes it's all just too much...then I remember my purpose. Our purpose. 

Jacob, he's knows everything that I'm thinking. He's got the key to my mind and he twists... and twists... and twists. 

Jacob... he's in control. He controls everything. 

I don't know how much more of this I can take. 

I would've rotted in Jacob's Gate if it wasn't for you. 

Good to see things gettin' back to normal. 

Jacob has got eyes everywhere. He knows your thoughts, before you think 'em. He's inside your head right now. 

Jacob's plan worked. I tried to warn them. I told them not to go back. 

I don't know how much more I can take of this. 

If Jacob gets his way, we're all dead. 

I... I don't know what to think anymore. It's.. it's so hard to keep it straight. 

That goddamn cage, it's like my wires are crossed. 

I can't believe he's really dead. 

No more sacrifices. No more. 

No one can take Jacob on. It's just not possible. 

Jacob's going to win. He always wins. 

Whitetails are honest, decent people. They're fightin' the good fight, and they deserve any success that comes their way. No place is safe, but the Wolf's Den gives you a good chance at livin'. 

Empires fall. The weak.. the world is full of them. They're going to to cull the weak.

I... maybe we shouldn't waste time talking right now.

There's no time. No time!

Jacob... his experiments... he takes us... owns us, speaks to us. He hears us.

They'll find us. They always find people. We gotta leave... before they find us! Before they punish us!

No... keep goin! We move or we die!

Jacob knows. He knows!

You're strong. You're not weak. That's good... good.

I'm alive but I'm weak.. weak. Need to be strong. We are meat. We are all meat.

We could have died. And maybe... maybe I deserved... no, stop, stop! The weak... must be culled!

I... I don't know what we're supposed to do now. Protect and serve? Out here? There's no law anymore, Rook. Look around. Someone should have been here by now. Nobody gives a shit about what's happening here. We're on our own. Survival of the fittest. The weak and strong...

Maybe we didn't survive that crash. Maybe all this is purgatory. We have to atone for all the shit we've done before we can leave this place... we have to suffer before God will grant us salvation.

The whole time I was locked in that room I just kept thinking about how I got here. You know why I became a cop? To get laid. That was it. It was a whim. And then... after awhile, I tried to convince myself that I did it for the greater good. To help people. But I can't. I know that now. Jacob taught me that... I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore... I don't even know who I am.

[STACI DIALOGUE WITH PHIL, THE PEGGIE, IDK]

Stace: I.. I was told to feed the Judges but I didn't know where their food was.

Phil: Jesus, Pratt. Does nothing stick in that brain of yours? Over there, where it's always kept.

Stace: Right! Th..thanks Phil! It won't happen again!

Phil: It better not.

[Also there’s no confirmation this is Staci, but it was right under the above dialogue]

Stace: Hey... I need to get in.

Peggie: Seriously? Didn't I just let you out?

Stace: There's a new prisoner. I got to go get him. For Jacob.

Peggie: Fine. Get goin'. Just leave me the fuck alone.

[sanders-specs]

Patton’s Playlist Analysis

A/N: I’m back again with Patton’s playlist analysis!

So this is definitely my favorite playlist. I know at this point both Logan’s and Virgil’s have come out, and i still just like Patton's the best, and honestly i think this analysis reflects that. It’s also very long, so I apologize for that. And again, disclaimer: This is entirely my own opinions. I’m not trying to speak for Thomas or Joan or anyone else who helped put together the playlist. it’s okay if you don’t agree with me! In fact, I’d like to hear your thoughts if you don’t!! 

It does go song by song, like with Roman’s, so you can divide it up if you want. but for those who don’t want to/can’t read an analysis of 20 songs, I’ll put the summary above the cut and those who want to dive deeper can enjoy. 

Let me know if you want to see Logan’s! 

Roman’s Analysis 

Analysis summary/conclusion(?): 

Patton is a bright, bubbly optimist. he sees the best in everyone and in the entire world. He believes in kindness and love and wants to make the world a better place with it. 

But he also wants to be loved and feel loved. By the other sides, by Thomas’s friends and family, romantically. He craves that affection and attention almost as much as Roman does. He wants so badly to help (like with Virgil), but he feels like he doesn’t quite do enough. 

Still, though, he’s determined to spread that love and kindness, even if he doesn’t get much in return for it. 

Like with Roman’s we’re going to start with the first song sooo here we go!

Camp Fire Song Song.

None of us should be surprised and honestly, I had forgotten Patton’s answer to the favorite song question in the Q&A video until I hit play on the playlist.

There’s not too much to analyze here. It’s a really short song with only a few lyrics (if also iconic).

Honestly, though, listening to it for analyzing purposes, it reminded me of Learning New Things, when Patton and the others were trying to get Logan to sing along with them and join in on the bit. Also, in the Christmas episode when Patton and Roman are trying to get Virgil to sing his line with them. Squidward being a good representation of both of them in the moment in their respective videos.

After all, Spongebob and Patrick were just trying to have a little fun, and they wanted Squidward to join in, even if it was obvious that he didn’t want to. Still, though, Spongebob wasn’t deterred by his silence. He just kept going and having fun.

Patton’s a bit of the same way. Even though he wants the others to join him in his ideas of fun, they don’t always do. Still, though, Patton keeps trying and smiling through it all and having his own fun. Making puppet puns, doing impressions, mixing up the way he was singing his part in the twelve days of Christmas. he has his own fun, even when the others don’t really participate but you know…

It’ll help if you just sing along

Turnaround is so cute. I haven’t watched The Little Prince, but if the whole soundtrack is as good as this song then I just might.

This song, like many on Patton’s playlist, is about living life and enjoying the good things. Everything from the lyrics to the happy-go-lucky music to the scat singing just has a tone of optimism and happiness.

Straight (Straight), how can you be so straight? (Straight) Life is everything but straight (Straight) It's going up and down

Life has its ups and downs, so you shouldn’t be so focused on one path or one plan. Not everything is going to go right, sure, but there are so many things that will. Focusing too much on making things go the way you want them to will prevent you from learning and living life how it’s supposed to be lived.

Far (Far) Happiness isn't far (Far) Not far from where you are (Are)

A lot of people live like their looking for happiness, when in reality if they stopped looking, they’d find they would be much happier.

Now, of course I can’t speak for everyone or their situations. In this particular instance, I’m talking about the people who go through life thinking “as long as I do/have/accomplish this then I’ll be happy” when they already have so much or have people around them that could give them the happiness that they want so badly.  

It goes well with the Growing Up video. What Patton was trying to tell the others all along, and what the ultimate conclusion of the video was. Happiness isn’t far.

Watching your life go by (By, by by) Now, why don't you sing out loud? The tune you keep inside?

Really most of this song is saying to enjoy the now. Who you are, what you like, the person that you are. Not to hide yourself.

Shy (Shy) How can you be so shy? (Shy) Hiding below the stars (Stars) Under your neon light (Light) Hi (Hi) Don't say hello, say hi (Hi) Hi to a higher sky (Sky) Hi to a higher ground Loud, why don't you sing out loud? The words you keep inside?

Listening to this verse in the context of Patton is super interesting to me. We all know those people who are all “Just be happy! You’re alive, the sun is out, what else could you need?” While I don’t really think Patton is too in that category, he’s up there. He loves rainbows and sunshine and everything about life (see: his verse in Recipe for Me). He’s excited-able and very Maira-running-through-the-hills-singing-about-how-the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music.

All that being said, comparing this to, say Virgil, who is arguably the polar opposite is interesting. Patton being the way he is, really doesn’t understand being shy or social anxious. Of course he would want you to sing out loud! Why would you want to hold that in when you can just let it all out and have fun with it? He’s much more likely to give a stranger a hug than he is to duck his head and look the other way.

But he doesn’t want you to just suddenly change. He wants to help! The very first lyric of the song says just that.

Turn around, I’m right behind you

He’s there, he’s with you, he’s going to help you break out of your shell and be free. He wants you to turn your views of life around to be as happy as you can be.

 All of the songs on this playlist are super chill and it’s really nice. Jim Croce has such a nice voice which makes I Got a Name just really nice to listen to. Also, the music itself is amazing (I’m huge on aesthetically pleasing things, especially in songs so I have to gush. There will be a lot of that in this one).

This one goes along with Turnaround a bit in the sense that it’s about living. Moving through life like you move easily (in…some places) down a highway.

Like the pine trees lining the winding road I got a name, I got a name Like the singing bird and the croaking toad I got a name, I got a name

Everything in the world has a name, a title, something that we call it by. If it doesn’t, we give them one. It’s part of just being alive on this earth, having a name. In so many cultures, names are some of the most important things. They mean things, for some, they define who they are. Honestly, look into why we have middle names, or all the different titles the Greeks have for love, or why Queen Elizabeth had to full on change her name when she became queen.

Maybe I’m just song analyzing at this point instead of putting it to Patton Context or heck, maybe I’m just taking the lyrics too literally. But, I mean, he is the side who cares the most about….everything. Thomas is an incredibly caring person and all of that is Patton. He’s the one who would have names for every single toy he has, because names are important, everyone has to have a name! it’s something he would care about.

Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by

I find this…ironic. I don’t know if it’s meant to be, honestly. But when you’re on the highway you are…literally rolling past life. The trees, the birds, other people. You are literally passing by entire towns and neighborhoods.

I dunno, I just find irony in this, intentionally or not. I know it means trying to get ahead of life so you can properly live it or something, but…you’re still missing it.

Huh. Maybe that is what it means.

Like the north wind whistlin' down the sky I got a song, I got a song Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry I got a song, I got a song And I carry it with me and I sing it loud If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud

I love the comparisons here, because it’s not talking about an actual song, but the sounds of life. The wind, a baby’s cry, a whirlpool. There’s quote that I love be Cecily Morgan (at least according to Google), “Music is life and that’s why our hearts have beats.” We all have a song inside of us, the way our hearts beats (don’t science me, that’s for Logan’s Playlist). The phrase “follow your heart” is what I’m pretty sure this verse is referencing. Even if you follow your heart and it leads you nowhere, at least you can be proud that you got there, which not many people can say.

Patton is a huge part of Thomas. I’m not saying the others aren’t, because they are, but he holds his morals very highly. Patton’s input in anything, especially the big life decisions, is one of the most important next to maybe Logan. He knows what Thomas wants maybe even more than Roman. Sure, Roman holds Thomas’s hopes and dreams, but Patton gives him the motivation to go after them, to act on them.

Thomas’s choice to pursue Vine and then YouTube could have lead him nowhere. It really could’ve. But he followed the song of his heart and got there.

That’s allllll Patton.

Like the fool I am and I'll always be I got a dream, I got a dream

There’s some self-awareness here with the fool line. Patton’s not an idiot. He knows the others don’t think much of him. He’s the perfect definition of someone who may not be book smart, and therefore everyone else thinks he’s stupid. When in reality, he’s just not very good with words, so he expresses things the best way he knows how. This song is a really good example, because of all the nature comparisons in it. It doesn’t get too literal until this verse

They can change their minds but they can't change me I got a dream, I got a dream Oh, I know I could share it if you'd want me to If you're goin' my way, I'll go with you

Thomas has big dreams. We’ve all seen Roman, we know that. But like I said before, Patton is the one who can really get Thomas to go for those dreams. Like in Learning New Things, when Thomas was feeling self conscious because of one comment an old friend made, and Patton led the conversation that helped him to understand that there was nothing wrong with Thomas or his dreams, there was nothing wrong with feeling sad about the comment. How, in the end, it takes a lot to figure ourselves out and that without his YouTube career, he wouldn’t be where he is now.

So, yeah, others can change what they think about him, his career, and his dreams, but that’s not going to change what he does or the fact that he loves it. In fact, he’s willing to share that dream with others, and to help them on theirs, as he has done. Look at his team (or, I suppose, what we know of of Character Thomas’s team). It’s full of his friends and it seems like whenever they bring someone on, they’re welcomed with open arms. Now, I’m only talking from a fan’s perspective here. That’s just how it looks to me. He’ll help others achieve their dreams as much as they’ll help him achieve his.

 So from what I’ve seen around, people really like Oranges. Or, well, me. I really love Oranges. The song, not the fruit. Not a big fan of the fruit (the texture is eugh).

And it’s such a Patton song!

That thing about him not being book smart? It applies here too. It’s a bit of a nonsense song at first listen, I’m not going to lie. A really fun nonsense song.

But then, I have to read the lyrics along with listening to the song when I do these because otherwise I just can’t pick up on every word. My attention span and memory is not that good, and I tend to focus a lot more on the music part than the singing part the first few times around. So maybe this is just my experience.

It's funny how nobody sings about oranges The reason's no rhyme, I'm starting to mind How we take our ideas and put them in storage But peel back the rind, who knows what you'll find

Take the same risks as if you're afraid If life gave you an orange, would you make lemonade And it's funny how nobody sings about oranges When you've got one in the palm of your hand

Lots of metaphors here. I think Patton just lives in a state of metaphors.

I’m pretty sure we’re talking about suppression here. Suppressing ideas, feelings, whatever, because of pretty superficial reasons. Once you strip those reason away, you can be unstoppable. We’re back to that idea of living the life you want, going where your heart takes you. Using what life gives you and running with it. Take some risks with it, if you must. But you have it. Use it! I mean if you’re given an orange, would you make lemonade?

No.

No.

You’d make orange juice.

Crazy how nobody sings about chocolate Seems there would be nothing so sweet Like we're living in the boxes of someone who's locked it How can that be, it just ain't for me

Is…is the chocolate metaphor referencing Forest Gump?

Anyway, people like pushing others into “boxes.” Titles, positions, identities, whatever. They don’t like it when you step out of that box.

Which this is interesting to me, because as we’ve seen in the videos, Patton doesn’t like change too much. Stepping out of that box would involve change. He has gotten better at it since the changes video, but that’s not really something that goes away.

But on the other hand, the heart changes it’s mind all the time. It can be fleeting as much as it can be stubborn. When it comes to your wants and needs and dreams, that can change all the time. That’s why Thomas is a creator. Not just a YouTuber or a singer or an actor. He’s all of those things, all of which would have involved individual decisions on what to pursue and focus on. Which motivation would be the focus of the day or hour or minuet.

We're curving our motions and faking our bets If you don't open a chocolate, who knows what you get And it's crazy how nobody sings about chocolate When you've got it in the palm of your hand

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s a Forest Gump reference.

Which is a reference to life. How you’re never going to know what you’re going to get, what life is going to throw at you. But until you take it and uncover it, you really won’t know what it is.

I think this is a bit of Patton accepting that life is unpredictable and throws curveballs. Accepting that he needs to take whatever flavor of chocolate he’s going to get, whatever filling, no matter if it’s one he’s going to like or not.

We run in circles and just like this stay Now purple's got us blue and silver's going grey, hey hey Is there nothing else to say

Staying in the same place, always doing the same things, gets old. Without taking those risks or making what you can out of what you have, even if it’s not something that fits exactly what you think you need, just makes life fade away.

When you follow your heart through life, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be thrown some curveballs. Actually, it almost guaranteed that you’re thrown curveballs. That’s something that Patton has to be ready for, and ready to deal with, and not just making Thomas stay in the same state of mind.

It's funny how nobody sings about oranges Yeah it's funny how nobody sings about oranges Oh, imagine a world where we don't play this game With apples and oranges, nothing's the same

This game of staying still, comparing apples to oranges when they’re inherently the same (or at the very least have a lot in common). Where people follow their hearts and don’t duck away when things start to get a little tough.

While we know that Patton doesn’t like change, he is also the heart and he has to help Thomas deal with those changes as they come. It’s not easy or fun, but it’s something that he has to do.

 I Don’t Wanna Pray is a song that grew on me the more I listened to it. It’s definitely got a fun tempo to it.

Also I want to go ahead and say that I have a kinda complicated relationship with religion. I have grown up with a religious family and have been to church a fair few times (we weren’t the kind of family that went every week, it was really only when I spent the night with my grandmother that I went). So I have some familiarity with the teachings of Christianity. If I don’t hit every beat on this, then I’m sorry. I did my best.

It’s not too surprising that a religious song like this made it onto Patton’s playlist. After all, we’ve seen how Thomas’s religion means a lot to him and how he lives his life by his morals. It wouldn’t make much sense if this type of song wasn’t on the playlist.

I love my God, God made love I love my God, God made love I love my God, God made hate I love my God, God made hate I love my God, God made good I love my God, God made good I love my God, God made bad I love my God, God made me (Yeah)

Normally I wouldn’t include so many repeats for the sake of length, but the one word changes here is worth looking at. It goes from love to hate to good to bad and then instead of repeating bad, it says “me.”

Could it be that the singer thinks they’re bad? Maybe, but I think the point of all these repeats is to say that “me” (humans) are composed of love, hate, good, and bad. That God made all of those things and then made man with them. And despite that, the singer still loves God, because He made all those things, even if it’s something we consider to be bad.

And everything listed goes under morals and feelings. Love, hate, good, bad. Everything that Patton is (“I’m the core of a lot of your feelings”) is those things, and then some.

But I don't wanna pray to my maker I just wanna be what I see Not just who I am but the pink and darling land And that fiery wild sky over me Help me through the sun Hey I'm lookin' everywhere See I'm looking to become not the pray-er but the prayer

---

I don't wanna pray to my maker I just wanna be feelin' free Not like in a book, or the leaves of trees that shook From a word that means only not a thing Pardon god and mom, what I'm sayin' isn't fair See I'm looking to become, not the prayer but the prayer

I pretty much translate this to “I want to be the good I see in the world.” That instead of praying and hope that God will fix something or make something better, that they want to go and do what they would pray for. To take all the good and love and bad and hate that God made them out of and do something worthwhile with it.

Not much good to talk, better to walk it Not much good to take, better to give We are gone forgiven and forgotten of our sins I promise you my friend all that dies will live again Pardon god and mom, what I'm sayin' isn't fair See I'm looking to become, not the prayer but the prayer

This verse really drives home that idea. Better to give the good than to take it from others. That, yeah, you’ll sin (bad and hate are included in that beginning verse, remember), but God will forgive them.

Honestly this whole song just reinforces a lot of what we already know. Patton, out of all the other sides, holds the religious teachings Thomas had closely. It’s how he has determined to live his life. And Thomas is a good person. He wants to do what is right and do exactly what the song says: give good and love, practice what he preaches. Maybe it’s not always fair, but he firmly believes in how he lives, maybe even to a fault.

  I personally relate to New Soul and honestly this is another song that’s a very obvious Patton song and why it would be on this playlist. I know that’s the point, but still. It’s good.

I'm a new soul I came to this strange world Hoping I could learn a bit about how to give and take But since I came here Felt the joy and the fear Finding myself making every possible mistake

Gosh, we’ve all been here right? Going into a new situation or stepping into a new part of our lives and just messing it all up and tripping over ourselves as we go along.

Yeah, I know that’s how life works, but I’m still going to complain about it.

I don’t know if it’s the voice or the way it’s sung or the music but this song just reminds me of those scenes in movies where the MC or someone makes this new creature and the creature comes out and we have to watch them stumble through the world and learn about all the good and bad things about life.

But, like I said, we’ve all been there. Where we’re just feel like we’re thrown into this unknown world and have to stumble through it blindly.

I'm a young soul in this very strange world Hoping I could learn a bit bout what is true and fake But why all this hate? Try to communicate Finding trust and love is not always easy to make

This is a super hard lesson. There are people out there (myself included) who are just very trusting. We want to see the best in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. But it’s so hard, because other people see that and take advantage of that. It’s a hard lesson to learn and it sucks.

We’ve seen that Patton is like this. In Accepting Anxiety, he didn’t think anyone would break into Thomas’s car, even though it’s a very real possibility. He’s a bit like a little kid who doesn’t understand the “don’t talk to strangers” rule in that regard.

And as Logan said in that episode, it’s good for him to trust people, but he’ can’t always afford to. And man, sometimes you have to learn that the hard way.

This is a happy end Cause' you don't understand Everything you have done Why's everything so wrong This is a happy end Come and give me your hand I'll take you far away

There’s a bit of naivety here. Of being oblivious to the bad stuff and thinking that everything is still good and happy, but things are still wrong. The last part of it makes me think that it’s the singer telling another new soul to come with them, that they’ll protect the other new soul.

Another thing that just so Patton. He can be naïve, but he also wants to protect those around him from the horrors he’s endured (however sever those horrors may be).

And he makes mistakes. Sometimes irreversible mistakes. Remember, sometimes the heart leads us nowhere.

 I can’t decide if Better Together is on there as a song to all the sides and Thomas or if it’s just to Roman or just to Thomas.

Now, yes, it’s a love song. No, we’re not going to talk about shipping in these, since I highly doubt that’s what Thomas and Joan were thinking when they put these together.

There is no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard No song that I could sing but I can try for your heart Our dreams and they are made out of real things Like a shoebox of photographs With sepia-toned loving

Love is the answer At least for most of the questions in my heart Like why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard? It's not always easy and Sometimes life can be deceiving I'll tell you one thing It's always better when we're together

See, my first thought is Roman.

Patton and Roman have to work together in order for Thomas to be happy. Without Roman’s ideas and his hopes and dreams, there’s not much Patton can do to make Thomas happy. And without Patton giving Thomas motivation and having that love, Roman can give idea after idea, but Thomas can’t act on them.

They’re an important pair.

And in that second verse? It makes me think of Why Do We get Out of Bed in the Morning. All those questions? Why are we here, where do we go, why is it so hard? Of course Patton’s answer to that would be love. Thomas’s love for his job, his friends, his family, his fans. But Roman couldn’t really see that because he and Logan negated Patton’s input. I bet you that conversation would have gone differently if Patton had been there.

You can’t really have dreams and aspirations without having heart behind them, right?

And all of these moments Just might find their way into my dreams tonight But I know that they'll be gone When the morning light sings Or brings new things For tomorrow night you see That they'll be gone too Too many things I have to do But if all of these dreams might find their way Into my day to day scene I'd be under the impression I was somewhere in between With only two Just me and you Not so many things we got to do Or places we got to be We'll sit beneath the mango tree now

Okay so I’ve sat here listening to this part over and over again trying to get a read on it. Here’s what I think, and you know, I could be totally wrong.

There’s a balance between dreams being realistic and then them just being fantasies. We know that Roman doesn’t really know where that line is. Patton does. He helps to keep Roman in check and brings him back down to Earth when he needs to. But’s it’s good for them to be somewhere in between. Sometimes having crazy dreams and aspirations is good, just as long as you don’t get too lost in them.

I believe in memories They look so... So pretty when I sleep --- But there is Not enough time And there is no... No song I could sing And there is no Combination of words I could say But I will still Tell you one thing We're better together

Patton is big on memories. This has been made very clear in his room. Thomas can use those memories in order to want to continue to follow his dreams. Like the first time he saw a Broadway show, or the first time he stared in a production, and using that nostalgia and fondness to pursue his acting career. Roman goes crazy over those memories in Patton’s room, and we saw that at the end of it, he was psyched up to get back to the theater. Patton holding onto those memories did that. They can act as inspiration and motivation.

Patton and Roman can work so well together. They’re a creative team, they need each other in order for the other to strive. They help to balance each other out and keep Thomas creating and passionate.

 And now, Vienna.

I almost feel like I don’t need to analyze this one. Everyone seems to have already done it.

But you know what, I love it so I’m going to dive into it.

After I gush about it.

The piano, the tempo, the softness of it. It’s an amazing song.

Okay okay I’m good.

So.

This song isn’t even about Patton. It’s about the others. It’s him talking to each of the other three sides. It’s him trying to tell them what he sees in them. Does it make me emotional? Yes.

So as always, let’s start at the beginning

Slow down, you crazy child You're so ambitious for a juvenile But then if you're so smart, tell me Why are you still so afraid, hmm? Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? You'd better cool it off before you burn it out You've got so much to do and only so many hours in a day-ay But you know that when the truth is told That you can get what you want or you could just get old You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, ooh When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Logan. He is ambitious. He wants order and structure in Thomas’s life, and he works so hard to get there. But he’s afraid of failing. So he works harder. Patton’s trying to tell him to slow down. Don’t try to get everything done at once and to take his time. That it’s not the end of the world if Thomas doesn’t accomplish everything on his To-Do list. And if he keeps pushing, Thomas isn’t going to have any energy left for anything at the end of the day.

Slow down, you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be before your time Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Tonight Too bad but it's the life you lead You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need Though you can see when you're wrong You know you can't always see when you're right You're right

You've got your passion, you've got your pride But don't you know that only fools are satisfied? Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, ooh When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Roman. Oh Roman, Roman, Roman. This one is my favorite.

He’s so ready to get to where he wants to be. He just wants to go go go, do everything so he can finally achieve what he’s been working on for so long.

But he’s ambitious. He needs to stop, take a step back, and breathe.

And Patton sees his self-confidence issues. He sees that Roman acts like a big brave prince but underneath it all he’s scared. He’s so hard on himself when he’s wrong, but he doesn’t celebrate when he’s right, when he’s on a roll.

Like I said before, Patton keeps Roman grounded. The passion, the pride, he helps to keep that in check. And as much as Roman may hate it, he has to be realistic about Thomas’s dreams.

Slow down, you crazy child And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two, ooh When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

This one is short, but I think it speaks a lot for Virgil. He has kind of been the side that determines he’s on his phone a lot, maybe checking Tumblr and twitter to see what people are saying about Thomas, who stays by his phone to make sure that Thomas doesn’t miss anything, that he responds to emails and texts and phone calls right away so no one will be upset. So they don’t think any less of him.

But Patton wants him to realize that he can take a break. It’s not the end of the world. Like Logan, Virgil stresses about Thomas being on time and keeping to his schedule. Not because of order or structure, but because he doesn’t want Thomas to be a failure or to lose what he’s worked so hard for.

In a way this one goes with Logan’s. taking a break isn’t the end of the world. His friends and family will be okay if he doesn’t respond right away. It’s okay.

 It’s You I Like is another song that I feel like it just Patton talk to the other sides. I don’t really know if Thomas and Joan had an idea of who. My first impression was Roman (what with his confidence issues) but looking at the lyrics I can really see it being to anyone.

It's you I like Not the things you wear Not the way you do your hair But it's you I like

The way you are right now Way down deep inside you Not the things that hurt you Not your toys; they're just beside

You

'Cause it's you I like Every part of you Your skin, your eyes, your feelings Whether old or new

Hope you will remember Even when you're feelin' blue It's you I like It's you yourself It's you It's you I like

It’s supper short song, so there’s not too much to break down. Honestly I think this is just Patton saying…yeah, he loves the other sides. He loves Thomas. No matter what any of them decide to wear, he’ll be supportive. No matter how they choose to present themselves, he’ll be there. No matter how they feel or think, he’s not going to go anywhere or turn against them. He likes them for them, no matter what.

 Thomas and Joan have already said that Little Shadow is about Virgil. But they didn’t say why so that’s what I’m going to try to do.

Have you ever had a younger friend, maybe at school or as a neighbor, who kinda follows you around because they don’t know what else to do? Heck, have you ever been that friend? Or maybe you have a little cousin or sibling who watches your every move to learn how to be.

That’s kinda how I see the start of Patton’s and Virgil’s relationship. Virgil is new to the “Light” sides and he just got Thomas to start really listening to him and taking him seriously, but he’s still unsure of his place. So Patton guides him a little by being completely and undoubtedly supportive of him. To a fault, as we’ve seen.

But this song reminds me of that beginning, of Patton reaching out hand to Virgil and helping to lead him.

Patience, shadow For all your sight, there's no sight to see Little shadow, little shadow To the night, will you follow me? Pardon, shadow Hold on tight to your darkened key Little shadow, little shadow To the night, will you follow me? Closer, shadow For all your strikes, still, we're caught between All this sorrow, little shadow To the night, will you follow me? Every shape and size Deep and deep, we dive Turn and turn aside To a fantasy Little shadow Into the night, will you follow me? Little shadow To the night, will you follow me?

This whole song just makes me reinforces the “Patton wants to protect Virgil” thing. For a while there, yeah, Virgil needed Patton’s support and probably even relied on it. If this song is Patton’s point of view of Virgil (Thomas’s words) then we can really see why Patton treats Virgil the way he does. The song has this little shadow who needs a guide into the scary unknown. Maybe Virgil was like that at one point, but he’s not anymore. Patton still sees him like that, though, which is why he was still treating Virgil the way he was in the Phases video.

 That brings us to Sad.

Thomas has said that this is the song that inspired him to make the playlist. That he imagined Patton singing it about Virgil. So to go along with the last one then…well.

You're just too good at being sad I'm just a Band-Aid on a broken heart Yeah, I'm the best at making you laugh For a breath, and you're back in your head, you're so sad You're so sad

Don't know if I'm hurting or helping It's just so damn hard to tell when You're just too good at being sad

Virgil is anxiety. He’s a huge part of Thomas and the fact that he’s there at all means that Thomas does have anxiety issues. He’s been open abut his social anxiety before, and Virgil encompasses that (among other things).

Patton tries to help. He wants to make Virgil comfortable, to get a laugh or even just a smile out of him. And maybe he does, but Virgil always ends up back to where he started. Anxious and sad.

All I wanna do is take the sad from you, but I can't and you wouldn't let me anyways

I think Patton feels a little helpless. His job, in his mind, is to keep Thomas happy, and to do that the others need to be happy as well. That’s why he tries so so hard. But in Virgil’s case, that’s hard. Not only can he not change who Virgil is or Thomas’s anxiety (and depression? We’re unsure at the moment), but Virgil wouldn’t let him change it. Either out of stubbornness or a fear of the huge change that would be.

The song goes on to repeat, so I won’t put any more lyrics here. I just think this song sheds so much light on how Patton is feeling right now, after Virgil’s rejection of the nicknames and the ask that Patton completely change the way he treats Virgil.

Then there was the whole thing with Deceit and Remus. The two haven’t really had much of a chance to reconcile. Virgil got his feelings out to Patton, but Patton is still sitting on his own.

There’s still a lot those two need to work on and talk about. Thomas seems to be in the middle of reevaluating himself and that includes the relationship his has with his anxiety. I, for one, am looking forward to see how it plays out.

 Oh Heart is one of those nonsense songs I was talking about earlier. I love it, it’s so fun, but it’s also kkiinndddaaa hard to analyze. For me, anyway.

But looking at the lyrics literally all I can think is that it’s Patton singing to Logan, trying to get his attention.

I'm a bee. You're a tree on a moon cloud in the sea. --- Oh heart, Oh Heart, stop making a fool of me. (fool fool fool fool fool fool of me) Maybe I'm a monkey in the a tree running with the hope and possibility Throwing pennies down the wishing well Hoping and wishing Male monkey just to look at me. Look how quickly i can climb a purple tree. I’m gymnast, chemist, centric mathematician. You should look at me. Look at me!

This honestly looks like it’s Patton saying stuff to get Logan’ attention. Like saying “I know big words too!” and trying to impress him. And I can’t blame him! If there’s one side that ignores Patton the most, it’s Logan. He doesn’t think Patton is serious enough, when really he just doesn’t understand Patton’s reasoning. I'm great. I'm green. I'm gorgeous. I'm every thing that starts with a "G" I'm goofy. I'm gargantuan. I'm going to make you laugh again. Got one smile and I'm gone. I live in a horn

Again, a lot of him trying to show off his own knowledge in his own Patton-y way. He wants to get Logan to loosen up and have fun too, which is why he gets so excited whenever Logan makes a pun. I'm everything that a flower is I plan to make about 30 kids I got sink for his and hers and hers for his. One well where my cotton is I'm a Baby and I'm basically The B girl who's been baking your heart in my stove hungry for your love

Patton’s desperate for Logan’s approval. He wants the validation by the embodiment of knowledge, to know that who he is is okay. That his feelings and everything he feels is normal. If anyone would know that, it’s Logan. One day you have to show me How you do that thing when you ignore your heart. Oh, One day you'll have to teach me how you do that thing when you forget about the Sun Sun Sun Sun?

Logan’s able to ignore his own emotions so well, and Patton being the embodiment of emotions, likely doesn’t understand it. How Logan is able to just ignore those things. To ignore Patton. Those two have had such a silent tug-o-war going on, and they have been since Heart vs. Mind. No wonder Patton snapped at him in Moving On, Logan had been ignoring him for so long. Why couldn’t he understand the feelings were too hard to deal with?

 The Flame is the type of song that is so soft it can easily put me to sleep.

You know I think this is my favorite playlist so far.

Anyway, The Flame is definitely about Roman.

Hold on to the flame That only you can hold That keeps at bay the darkest cold Another light could never make you whole

The flame here could be passion, motivation, an idea. Something that keeps the light of creativity alive. Roman, being pride, is easily able to be discouraged and dissuaded. Patton acts a bit like a cheerleader in that regard. I know I’ve said this before on a few other songs, but those two really would not be whole without the other. Their jobs would be a lot harder.

Softly but sure The story that you weave Will be the gift that sets you free The ashes of a tapestry

Patton knows that the creative process takes a long time. He’s there for all of it. But Roman’s the one who weaves the stories, so he sees the work put into it, helps with it.

There will be times That it seems your world and wants collide But hold on for your heart to beat inside To be your guide

Roman has to learn to let Patton really help him. They’ve worked together before, on the Mind Palace, on the Christmas sweaters. So we know that they work well together. It just seems to be on Roman’s terms. Patton is telling him here to let him help, especially when the world throws a bunch of stuff at them. The good and bad.

Hold on to the flame That only you can touch That lights the path it must The journey is a game of trust

Roman has to trust him. Learn to accept the help of others and humble himself a little.

There will be times that grow darker with the dusk But light will still remain in us The longest night is but a shadow's blush

Creating is hard. It takes up so much brain power and a lot of times you fall into this slump and you feel like maybe this time is it. I won’t be able to find that spark of creativity again. And it seems like it takes forever, but eventually it comes back to you.

Patton doesn’t want Roman to burn himself up. He doesn’t want that burn out to happen, because that affects not only Roman, but Patton too. So he wants him to hold onto the flame, don’t let it go so they can keep going.

Is Landslide considered country? I think so? I dunno. I don’t know why people were mad about it, it’s a good song (says someone who grew up in the south).

But like? Listen to the lyrics. Thomas and Joan didn’t put it on the playlist for no reason. You people want angst and this song provides it.

When I looked into what this song meant to the songwriter, I honestly couldn’t think of another reason it would be on Patton’s playlist. This was a song written after a breakup, and I don’t know if Thomas and Joan knew that or not, but after Moving On, I think it’s perfect.

I took my love, took it down I climbed a mountain, and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills Till the landslide brought me down

Patton puts his love out there for all. We know this. We see it. Thomas loves so much and so hard, because of Patton. So when that love isn’t recuperated or the love that was given back and taken away, it’s crushing. Heartbreaking, literally. So when the breakup happen, imagine how he felt. I mean, I know we saw a bit of it in Moving On, but that was months after the fact. I imagine that, yeah, it felt like the ground came out from under his feet and pulled him down.

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changing 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder, even children get older And I'm getting older too

This verse more than anything else in the song just screams Patton to me. He is the children within Thomas’s heart, for one. Heartbreak is hard, and reminding yourself of being a child, when such a thing didn’t happen (I’m talking serious heartbreak, here. And also just in general. To those of you who did have to go through heartbreak as a child, I’m so sorry and I hope you’re doing okay). Moving through a big change in life, standing on the borderline, you could say, is difficult. For someone like Thomas, whose morality keeps literally everything in Thomas’s life he can’t let go of which is to say…everything, it’s super hard for a big change to happen. To having to relearn how to live again, basically.

We saw it, in Patton’s two parter. How hard it was for him to accept that he needed to move on, and that it was okay to be sad. But as time went on, as he got older and learned how to live without his ex, it got easier. Or it will, I should say. I don’t really know the time period in which all this took place between episodes since apparently we’re on a timeline now that’s different to just present day.

Life can be a bitch and sometimes it crashes down on you and hard. Patton, out of all of the others, can and will feel the biggest impact of it.

If Roman was the bruised ego in Logan and Virgil’s debate episode, I’m not really sure what Patton would be like right after a heartbreak (as opposed to months after).

 I feel like we all need the optimism that Float On has in our lives.

But yeah, this strikes me as Patton too. He tries to find the good in everything, even really shitty situations.

Backed my car into a cop car the other day Well he just drove off sometimes life's ok I ran my mouth off a bit too much oh what did i say Well you just laughed it off it was all ok

Oh the optimism. I feel like if this were Virgil’s POV he would be freaking out, but Patton’s just trying to keep things calm and look on the Bright Side. We all have these kind of people in our lives right? Either they’re really helpful or really annoying?

And we'll all float on any way well

Well, a fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam It was worth it just to learn some sleight-of-hand Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands Good news will work its way to all them plans We both got fired on the exactly the same day Well we'll float on good news is on the way

Again, the optimism. Taking the chance to remind yourself that yeah, you learned something out of this shitty situation. Good news comes with bad. Something good will happen even if something bad does as well.

And we'll all float on alright Already we'll all float on Alright don't worry even if things end up a bit to heavy We'll all float on alright Already we'll all float on Alright already we'll all float on Ok don't worry we'll all float on Even if things get heavy we'll all float on Alright already we'll all float on Don't you worry we'll all float on All float on

At this point, I don’t know if this is supposed to be Patton comforting Virgil or himself. Or both.

But in the context of the sides, this is really just how you have to calm your anxiety. It’s just constantly what my therapist tells me to do when I start to feel anxious, just tell myself “it’s okay, I’m okay for xyz reasons, this’ll be okay, it’s all good, that situation didn’t go as bad as you think it did, it was actually pretty chill, it’s fine” while doing some deep breathing.

So Patton being like this with Virgil makes total sense to me. Him being Thomas’s morality also makes him be the “dad’ friend and therefore the more comforting side. When Thomas gives comfort, it’s the Patton shining through, so this song is one that definitely highlights that.

 You know, I’m not sure if putting a Beatles song on here was purposeful, or if the lyrics just fit, but The Beatles is such a dad band. And I don’t mean that as an insult to anyone who like The Beatles, they’re a good song but like…how many of us have parents that grew up with The Beatles in their prime? I swear there’s a club of Parent Artist: The Beatles, Elvis, early Michele Jackson. There’s probably more.

A n y w a y

With a Little Help from My Friends is a cute and fun song, honestly. I guess you can’t have a Patton playlist without having at least one song about friends. We all know how much Thomas loves his friends (*insert gif of Logan saying “I think he cares about his friends* here)

What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song And I'll try not to sing out of key

Back to Patton being a dad character, this verse just kinda reminds me of a dad. Someone who would randomly burst into song and it probably be a little off key just to either 1) embarrass their kid or 2) make them laugh.

And I don’t mean an actual parent, necessarily. A friend or partner can be the same way. It also shows a bit of insecurity, like trying to make sure that the person he’s singing this to doesn’t leave if he ends up not singing that well.

What do I do when my love is away? Does it worry you to be alone? How do I feel by the end of the day? Are you sad because you're on your own?

This is another show of insecurities. Thomas’s lack of a romantic partner not only affects Roman, but Patton as well (see: the Moving On two parter). Roman wouldn’t be the only side feeling sad and lonely. Patton, needing that attention and validation just as much or maybe more than Roman, shares some of the same feelings.

No, I get by with a little help from my friends Mh, get high with a little help from my friends Mh, gonna try with a little help from my friends

I’m just going to go ahead and say that I’m not sure Patton would understand the high joke. I’m not even sure I understand the high joke.

But anyway, unlike Roman, Patton—being the source of Thomas’s love for his friends—would absolutely find that solace and validation through his friends. There’s a difference between platonic and romantic love, but as we see in the next verse, Patton just needs the love. He needs to be loved by other people in order to feel happy. Not to go all Logan, but looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, that kind of support is something you literally need in order to function as a human being.

Do you need anybody? I need somebody to love Could it be anybody? I want somebody to love

Would you believe in a love at first sight? Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine

I…really don’t want to talk about that last line. I’ll leave it there for your own interpretation.

Let’s just focus on the love at first sight line. Again, very Patton. He seems to me like someone who falls in love easily. And in this case, love at first sight doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic. Meeting someone who you just immediately click with is something that, yeah, happens all the time. Some of those people end up being lifelong friends (hi Kai).

Also I may be talking just from an ace perspective. It’s always been easy for me to love my friends (I relate very highly to Thomas in this regard).

But from a romantic (and I guess sexual??? But in my mind, that’s sorta Roman/Remus’s area. Also very uncomfy for me to talk about so we’re just not going to touch on it) perspective, yeah. Wanting romantic love is a hell of a drug. And in my opinion, romantic love at first sight is 100% possible and happens more than we probably think it does. And again, Patton (Thomas) strikes me as someone who falls in love easily, so it makes sense to me that he would relate to this idea.

Do you need anybody? I just need someone to love Could it be anybody? I want somebody to love

I feel that it’s important to note that at this point in the song, the singer sounds very tired. Like yes I just want somebody to love stop asking. It also strikes me as an affirmative to the questions asked. Yeah, it can be anybody. But in the repeated chorus that comes after, they also reiterate that they get by with help from their friends. Their friends are there and they help, even if they don’t fill the romantic hole. They still provide that support and love that can fuel someone who loves as strongly as Thomas does.

 What Makes The World is another song I just love. It’s so fun to sing along with and it’s catchy and fun and it’s just great.

Also, and I know I probably sound like a broken record here, but it’s such a Patton song! And like, I know that’s the point! But still! It’s so good!

Oh, I heard that spreading hate is easy And kindness is beneath me But that ain't so And I heard that God ain’t worth believing And hearts are made for keeping But that ain't so Fear can be found in the heart of the proud Peace runs it out without making a sound

Patton’s such an optimist. He’s also stubborn, as hears can be. So believing in what these lyrics are saying is 100% him. Believing that kindness is easier than spreading hate, believing in God and knowing when to let go of someone, living in peace instead of fear. It’s all so Patton. It makes so much sense to his character and that these lyrics would speak to him.

What makes the world What makes the world What makes the world What makes the world keep spinning? What makes it all What makes it all What makes a life worth living now? Love makes the world go 'round

This is the only time I’m going to put the chorus, so let’s talk about it.

For someone like Thomas, who, as we’ve established, seems to love so easily, believing that love and kindness is what makes up the world and gives life worth makes a lot of sense. Thomas, as people would say, has a kind heart. He reminds me of characters like Steven Universe or Mable Pines, both characters who care a lot about those around them, their friends especially.

Also, just for lyrics themselves, they have a ring of truth to them. Being cynical and full of hate gets no one anywhere. Spreading love and kindness and happiness makes life a lot better, both for you and those around you. And it’s a mindset Patton has. It’s why he tries to keep the peace between the other sides. Having inner peace and inner kindness is super important, and I think it’s something he tries hard to keep up, even when things get rocky.

Oh, I heard to turn away a neighbor Is living without danger But that ain’t so Love is so much more than just a feeling It's comforting and it's healing For our souls

It’s really hard to analyze where there’s not much to analyze. Or sounding more of a broken record than I already am.

This just furthers the idea that Patton holds this kindness mindset close. Helping others is an important part of that, even and especially a neighbor. And maybe it does show a little bit of him being quick to trust, because while helping a neighbor out can be good, you should also be cautious because people are crazy. But in Patton’s mind, of course you should help! They are your neighbor after all!

Now the next verse is something that strikes me as something directed at Virgil and Logan, both of whom are reluctant to admit they love someone. But love is more than a feeling, it’s something that can encompass all of us. it’s a strong power, one that can be wielded for lots and lots of good.

And hey, loving oneself is important. Being loved by others is important. It’s really not something any of us could live without.

I could know the future I could tell you what it holds I could own the world And all its glitter and its gold I could have the faith To move mountains and the sea Without love, I don't have anything

This is a verse that pretty much translate to the last line in it. You can have all the power in the world, but without love, do you really have anything? It your life really whole?

And you know, I think Patton would remind himself of this a lot. Especially when Thomas is having another one of his dilemmas and Roman and Virgil or Roman and Logan are fighting again, when Thomas (and himself) start to feel down and doubtful. It’s a small thing, to some. After all, love can’t cure anxiety or depression. Love can’t solve every problem.

But it helps, even a little bit.

 Do I even really need to put the lyrics here for Somewhere Over the Rainbow/It’s a Wonderful World? Don’t most of us just know these lyrics already?

Also can we just all appreciate the amazing talent of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole??? Such an amazing voice.

Anyway yeah I’m going to put the lyrics, because I know most of you aren’t going to want to look them up. Which is valid.

Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high And the dreams that you dreamed of Once in a lullaby Somewhere over the rainbow Blue birds fly And the dreams that you dreamed of Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh Someday I'll wish upon a star Wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where trouble melts like lemon drops High above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me Oh somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly And the dream that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?

The Wizard of Oz honestly feels like a movie/show Patton would really like. Dorthy seems like someone he would relate to. Her kindness and optimism I feel like would speak to him. Also, she has a super cute dog.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a very wistful song. It’s a song that promises that things will be better, one day. That you will achieve your dreams, even if those dreams aren’t wild. I think it really shows that Patton has dreams too, but not necessarily as big as Roman. This song is a lot more chill than the multiple on Roman’s playlist that talked about achieving your dreams. And this is the only song on here that really talks about dreams. And honestly in Patton’s case, it seems like his dream is to just be happy, however that may be.

Well I see trees of green and red roses too I'll watch them bloom for me and you And I think to myself What a wonderful world Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white And the brightness of day highlight the dark and I think to myself What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people passing by I see friends shaking hands Saying, "How do you do?" They're really saying, "I...I love you" I hear babies cry and I watch them grow They'll learn much more Than we'll know And I think to myself What a wonderful world, world

The entire meaning of What a Wonderful World is to marvel at all the little things that exist, like flowers blooming, the rainbow, the kindness people show one another. Of seeing the good in the world and really appreciating it.

That’s something Patton absolutely reminds Thomas to do. Think about how the generations after him will learn so much more about the world, everything that had to have happened for the sun to shine today, the beauty of everything around him. Really “stop and smell the roses” kind of vibe.

And maybe because it’s such a chill song, but it makes me think of sitting outside on a warm but not too warm spring day, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the sounds of nature. Or driving down a winding road in the mountains, appreciating the beauty of everything around you, how big the world is and how vast. Watching the birds fly overhead, watching people as you sit at a red light as you pass through a town. Wondering what their lives are like, if they’re doing okay, hoping that they’re in a good place.

Okay, I may have some experience with this.

But it’s also something I can imagine Thomas doing with some goading from Patton. Logan might be the “there’s a ton of stuff that had to have happened in order for you to exist so you should appreciate that” but Patton is the one who actually appreciates this (and the more I think about it, the more I think it’s a tragedy that Patton couldn’t be in Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning).

Besides, if anything can appreciate being alive, it’s the heart.

 Alright everyone, last two songs here we go

I honestly had no idea what Golden Slumbers brought to the playlist, other than it being a nice soft song that goes well with the transition to the end. then I realized this version of it was a cover of a Beatles song (I’m not that familiar with them okay?). So I wondered why they didn’t’ just put the original song on the playlist (I know there’s already a Beatles song on there, but they went to the trouble of putting the original version of I Need a Hero on Roman’s playlist and YES I am still salty it’s not the Shrek 2 version).

Turns out the cover is from a movie called I am Sam, and it’s about a disabled father raising his daughter to the best of his abilities. Now, I haven’t seen the movie, and I did just a little bit of research, so it could be totally missing the mark here. But the fact that the movie is about a father-child relationship felt a little too on the nose to ignore.

Now, as we all know, Patton is not really a father nor is he disabled. But a movie with such a moving plot and a high focus on the father’s determination to be a good one for his daughter seems to me like something Patton would very much, well, take to heart.

Once there was a way To get back homeward Once there was a way To get back home Sleep pretty darlin' Do not cry And I will sing a lullaby Golden Slumbers fill your eyes Smiles await you when you rise

These lyrics just repeat so…really this is all there is.

This song just brings comfort to the mind. I mean, that’s what lullabies are, right? Something to sing to your child when they can’t sleep in order to soothe their mind.

However, and allow me to get a little angsty and kinda headed into headcannon territory, it also seems like something one would use to comfort oneself. Maybe when they’re crying at night because some emotions are just too overwhelming, or they had a really bad day. A soft and sweet song to soothe the mind could be really helpful.

Now I’m not saying that that’s even remotely what Thomas and co were thinking when adding this song, but it was just something that popped into my head.

 It’s so fitting that the last song is from Winnie the Pooh. I just love that. And be honest, how many of you are just now realizing it’s from Winnie the Pooh because you didn’t see the cover art at first? Huh? Huh? Just me? Okay.

I can’t decide if So Long is talking about Virgil or not. Like, I want it to be, but I don’t know if that’s actually it’s purpose.

It's not complicated but very hard to grasp But every time I see you I laugh I won't get too sappy, I've had no epiphany I just enjoy your company

See? Seems like Patton’s version of his friendship with Virgil. I mean, really, Virgil is the only one out of the other sides who Patton actively calls his friend. It’s clear he wants that relationship with Logan and Roman, but Patton and Virgil are really the only ones with any kind of clear friendship

You test my nerves, it makes me stronger So can you bother me a little bit longer? Hate to say goodbye, goodbye Hate to see the end, the end 'Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend

I feel like in the beginning, Virgil really did test Patton’s nerves. Patton wasn’t the number one Virgil fan until after Accepting Anxiety. Likely because Thomas had made the realization Virgil wasn’t the bad guy, but we’re getting off topic. Looking back at times before that arc, Patton seemed to only tolerate Virgil like the others did, though he did grow to Virgil faster than the others, even Thomas.

Hate to say goodbye, goodbye Hate to see the end, the end 'Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend like you Well, I could dot the I's and you could cross the T's 'Cause letters alone are lonely

God that’s so cute.

Anyway, yeah, very Patton imagery there. Kinda reminds me of the puppet episode, the simplicity of it. But giving the letters a “buddy” makes me think of Patton being Virgil’s buddy. It also makes them complete, and Virgil completes their little group.

Well, I could be the blossom and you could be the bee And then I could call you honey

Again, two things that go together, making something better.

Also, again with the very cute imagery.

You test my nerves, it makes me stronger So can you bother me a little bit longer? Hate to say goodbye, goodbye Hate to see the end, the end 'Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend Hate to say goodbye, goodbye Hate to see the end, the end 'Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend like you Some like to be alone, independent and on their own All alone, I guess they're free but not me, not me

Yeah, Patton being a loner isn’t really something that adds up. He’s very sociable and likes to be around the others. I mean, Thomas loves being around his friends, so it makes sense that Patton would be bored being alone, or just straight up dislike it.

Hate to say goodbye, goodbye Hate to see the end, the end 'Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend Hate to say goodbye, goodbye Hate to see the end, the end 'Cause it's been so long since I've made a friend like you

Okay i’m actually going to address the phrase that’s repeated a thousand times.

Remember how Patton said he likes to leave his room when they have to have a T party because he gets to see the others? Well it was kinda implied that he doesn’t always like going back. He likes interacting with the others and hanging out with them. A lot of times in the episodes, he seems excited to see the others when they come up (or appear, in Virgil’s case).

Or, there is one more conclusion I can make to this song.

This is Patton talking to…well, us. the listeners. We’ve spent the past hour listening to his songs, ones he put together (look at the descriptions of the playlists. They’re all implied to have been together by each side). So, after to listening to all these songs he “used to listen to when {he} was {our} age…and {his} age now” it would make sense in my mind that he would then consider us friends and this is his way of saying goodbye.

“I had a good time with you, kiddos, I hate to see you go! Come back some time. So long!”

[katekarnage7]

Ugh, man, I gotta go to beddd... but just before I do, I'm requesting Destiel and B, please! No rush, obvs

Eeeh! Thank you!

I call this little number: Words Said in Darkness.

Psst! AO3 link.

—

The air inside the bar was warm and stifling and the clang of human chatter was almost too much for Dean. The choked feeling in his throat wouldn’t dissipate. His hands were sweaty and his heart was beating far too fast for comfort. It had been far too long since he’d walked the floors of the Roadhouse, but even now, with the suffocating number of people around him and his buddies in their uniforms already dispersing to find lovely ladies to entice for the night, there was only one face he was looking for.

He traversed through the chaos of tables, chairs, and drunkards to the bar. If possible, his heartbeat sped up as a mop of raven hair came into view. The owner of this inky black hair currently had his neck bent and was so focused on drying a glass, Dean thought he might shatter it with his piercing gaze alone.

There was a moment, just a single moment, where Dean thought to turn and run the other way. Of course, he would never do that. Not even if you paid him, because just the possibility of seeing that gorgeous, gummy smile had his heart soaring. He swept over to the bar and leaned on it, clearing his throat to get the attention of the dark-haired man before him. “Evenin’, sunshine. I could use a whiskey. Neat, if you don’t mind.” 

Castiel’s head shot up, his blue eyes wide in astonishment. He breathed a single word, “Dean.”

—

Castiel was, simply put, exhausted. He’d already had a steady stream of soldiers on leave from their assorted bases, all of them boasting about how they’d soon be “kicking some Nazi ass” or “showing Mr. Hitler who’s boss”. In actuality, he knew that as soon as they set foot on the battlefield, they would be terrified. Perhaps, he thought, it was better that they at least had their confidence to hide behind.

The night was going well, he supposed. His popularity with the ladies that frequented the bar could not be understated which usually resulted in some… interesting chats. In the moment at hand though, all of his energy was being focused onto one glass. He idly wondered how Dean was doing - idly, as if he didn’t always wonder about that exact thing - and if he was in good health.

As Castiel was about to put the glass down, a deep voice laced with bravado that inhabited so many of his dreams called out, “Evenin’, sunshine. I could use a whiskey. Neat, if you don’t mind.”

His head had never shot up so fast. In front of him, clad in his army uniform, with his light brown, teetering on blonde hair glinting in the light of the bar, green eyes focused on him and only him, stood Dean Winchester. “Dean,” Castiel whispered into the empty space. The words came out reverently. Nearly like a prayer. Truthfully, that what Dean’s name was; a prayer. Or, rather, the answer to one.

Vaguely, Castiel realized that Dean’s mouth was moving but he didn’t register a single word. Before he knew what was happening, he was being led outside of the bar at a respectable distance. The second they made it out into the fresh night air, Castiel found himself pushed up against a wall, Dean’s face inches from his own.

Dean’s emerald eyes looked mystical, nearly magical in the moonlight. The air between them was filled with tension and unspoken words. “Cas,” Dean whispered.

Castiel tangled his fingers in Dean’s hair, not caring that he was getting hair gel on his fingers. He stared into the emerald oceans before him, searching for the comfort he’d been missing since the second Dean left him months ago, and finding it. The staring continued for what seemed like seconds and eons at the same time. Then, as if they had reached some sort of unspoken agreement, Castiel allowed himself to lean in and press his lips to Dean’s soft, warm ones.

Dean reacted as passionately as he did the first time they did this, pushing back and giving as good as he got. Dean’s whole body radiated warmth, making Castiel’s skin dance with heat, even in the cool air of that spring night. He wanted nothing better than to allow Dean to swallow him whole, pull him closer than he ever thought possible. Sparks danced between their lips as they both desperately tried to make up for lost time. Castiel nipped and Dean’s lips and at some point, it became a heated clash of teeth and tongues.

Eventually, Castiel lost track of time and allowed himself to become completely absorbed in the kiss. The effect was spell-binding. And, after what seemed like forever, and yet not long enough, Dean pulled away, gasping for air. “Holy shit,” he mumbled.

Castiel’s lips twitched upwards. “There was nothing holy about that, Dean,” he said, running his thumb over Dean’s cheek.

Dean huffed a breathless laugh. “Fuck you.”

“Here?” Castiel asked.

Dean hit Castiel’s arm, obviously not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to get his point across. Though, Dean’s eyes twinkled with pride. He knew that he had a hand in teaching Castiel how to include this many innuendos in his speech.

Castiel tipped his head back and drank in the cool air. It sent refreshing blades of ice running through his lungs. “I didn’t know you were coming back,” he mumbled. 

Dean sighed, his breathing a little uneven. “Neither did I.”

They shared a moment where Dean was just holding Castiel like nothing else mattered. Silent and grateful to be together.

Castiel eyed Dean carefully. “How long until you ship out?”

“No idea,” Dean replied, moving to rest his forehead on Castiel’s shoulder. “Could be days, weeks, or months. Bosses are still planning it out but it looks like I’ll be stationed somewhere over in Britain for a while before movin’ out.”

Castiel nodded silently. Ever since he met Dean when the man was first on leave and stopped in at the Roadhouse for a drink, he had known the day would come when he would ship out. It just terrified him. After all, Castiel felt so attached to the man and there were… words that he couldn’t - shouldn’t - say to someone who could die in the next few months. These were also words that he certainly shouldn’t say to a man. It could get them both killed and they knew it.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by Dean’s knuckles softly brushing over his cheek. “You back with me yet, sunshine?”

He nodded, swallowing thickly. “How have you been?” he asked, doing his best to divert Dean’s attention from his jumbled up mess of feelings.

Dean sighed and leaned closer, pressing his forehead to Castiel’s. “Been okay. I mostly… I mostly missed you, I guess,” he mumbled bashfully. That was the thing about Dean Winchester, he could say the most vulgar things without batting an eye, but if you asked him to say how he felt, he turned into a blushing grade-schooler. However, the endearing nature of this was not to be understated.

Castiel managed a gentle, soft smile, despite his tumultuous thoughts and feelings that begged to be heard. “I missed you too, Dean.” 

Dean let out a strained breath. “This is so fucked up. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Cas.” He stepped back, away from Castiel and out of his space.

Castiel fought away the choked, rejected feeling that bubbled up in his chest. “For what, Dean?” he asked gently. It was hard to get information out of Dean without causing him to burst, though, Castiel considered himself an expert on the subject by now.

Dean turned his back on Castiel and tilted his head up towards the sky as if he was searching for some answers that only the moon and stars could provide him. Castiel reached out and placed a gentle hand on Dean’s shoulder. Instead of recoiling, like he half expected Dean to, the other man stayed put under his gentle touch.“I’m… God, I’m sorry for doing this to you. You deserve so much fucking better,” Dean whispered. 

This… this confused Castiel more than anything the man had ever said. This included Dean’s references to music and singers that Castiel didn’t know. “Better…? Dean, I-”

Before he could say another word, Dean turned around and cut him off, sentences spilling out, rushed, as if he needed to say it before he lost the nerve, “You deserve better than this! I came back into your life after weeks of not seeing you and then pushed you into the first available alley and used you- Fuck! You deserve someone who won’t be leaving to go off and fight and possibly die in France or Germany or wherever the hell we’re storming! Someone who will stay here and make you breakfast in bed and just… Be able to say and be everything you deserve.” Dean’s eyes were frantic, desperate, and searching. 

Castiel took Dean’s hands, offering a calming presence. “Dean, it’s not of import to me whether you’ll be here for a month, a week, a day, an hour, a minute, or even just one more second. All that matters to me is that you mean the world to me. I’ve had much time to think and dream and the conclusion that I came to is that… I love you. And I will wait for you until the war is over and you come home. All that I ask is that you make it back to me safely, understand? Your safety is the most crucial thing for me.”

A pregnant pause filled the air. Dean’s eyes were wide in astonishment, taking in Castiel’s words as if he couldn’t quite believe them. Then, moments later, he pressed his lips to Castiel’s again but, unlike their first kiss in the alley, it was just a soft press of lips. No heat or urgency, just two people memorizing each other, desperate to hold onto a single memory before it would be lost to the night.

Dean’s lips soon moved to Castiel’s neck and in between soft kisses, the whispered words, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” were pressed into Castiel’s skin. Soon, the two would have to part. Soon, Dean Winchester would be sent to Normandy and would nearly lose his life on Omaha Beach. Soon, Hitler would perish and the war would be over. But before any of that could happen, the two of them stood in an alleyway under the cover of darkness, saying words they would never be brave enough to speak in the light of day.

After all, words said in the dark are often the most secretive, the most precious, and the most dangerous. But, even years after, when Dean would return to Castiel’s arms after the war, Castiel would still hold the memory of that alleyway close, because it was the first time Dean truly allowed him to see every inch of his bared soul. At last, there were no secrets and no lies, just two people, fighting for a love that would never be recognized or appreciated. A love that could easily get both of them killed.

Words said under the cover of darkness and the cover of night are truly the most beautiful and the most truthful.

[pippiessweathogs]

What Happens in Point Place…

That 70s Show/Welcome Back Kotter crossover

Summary: When Epstein goes to visit Jackie, the other Sweathogs decide they must bring him back home before he decides on a permanent move.

 Chapter Six

                 Donna sat with Jackie on the Forman’s front porch. She rubbed her hands across the top of her jeans while thinking about what she should say. She had made a couple false starts at a conversation, but Jackie quickly stopped her.

               “Donna are you trying to say something?”

               “Yeah. Ok, Jackie here’s the thing. You and Epstein… Well I feel things are moving a bit too fast. And according to the other guys, Epstein has a bad track record when it comes to dating. You’re not the first girl he had fallen in love with. I mean, Vinnie even told me he was once wiling to move to Nebraska to be with their teacher’s sister-in-law.”

               “Eeeeeewww!”

               “Exactly. And now he’s claiming he’s in love with you and he wants to move here. And the two of you had only met this summer.”

               Jackie frowned slightly, not wanting to admit Donna was right. “Yeah.” She smiled a little. “But isn’t it romantic he came all this way to be with me?”

               “Well… yeah! But listen. You both are still in high school. And by the looks of things, he is going to be in high school for next ten years.”

               “So what’s your point?”

               “My point is, you are both too young and have only been together a short time. If you move in together now, it would only be a disaster. For one thing, he’s poor. It took all the money he had saved up just to take a bus here. If you move in together, who’s going to pay the rent? Who’s going to support you the way that you want? Jackie, you’ll have to get a job.”

               Jackie grimaced “Eeew! Donna I can’t live with a poor person! I need someone who can take care of me. And buy me stuff. And lavish me in a life of luxury!”

               “Yeah and being with Epstein will get you the opposite of that. You’ll be lucky if the two of you aren’t living on the street in a month. In fact this is what I see for your future with Epstein.”’

Jackie’s face was nearly frozen as her teeth chattered. Snow blew around her and the wind whistled. A ratty shawl covered her shoulders. She shivered and pulled it tighter around her, smiling at the person standing beside her.

Epstein stood next to her, shivering as well. He adjusted his scarf and rubbed his hands together. As he did this, he gave Jackie a hopeful grin. Near their feet was a tin can and a sign begging for money so that they could eat.

A couple people walked by them, dropping something into the can. Excitement befell Jackie and Epstein before they dove for the can. Epstein grabbed the can and dropped the contents into his lap. Nothing but a single nickel and a button fell from the can.

               Epstein and Jackie both frown in disgust. Epstein took to his feet, ready to fight the person who tossed them the button, but Jackie stopped him. They embraced each other and then looked up hopefully as the next group of people start to walk toward them. They smiled and motion toward the can, pleading for change.

Fez, dressed in a tux, walked over to them. He pulled out his wallet, which was bursting with cash. He took out a single well-worn dollar bill and slipped it into the can. He then patted both Jackie and Epstein on the head before walking away. Jackie and Epstein snatched up the can and tore the dollar from it. As they held the dollar, they appeared completely overjoyed.

                 “Oh my God. Oh my God, Donna. I can’t live on the street! The street is dirty and littered with bums!”

               “Yeah and you’ll be one of them.”

               “Eeeew! No I can’t have that, Donna. No, Donna, thank you for opening my eyes.”

               “So, what are you going to do?”

               “I have to talk to Juan.”

               Jackie patted Donna’s leg and then stood up. She then walked away in search of Epstein. Donna stood as well and followed her.

               “Jackie wait!” Donna called causing Jackie to stop walking. “Hold on. I, um, I kind of need to talk to you some more. But you can’t tell anyone.”

               Jackie spun around, a smile on her face. “Ooh Donna do you have dirt? Tell me, tell me!”

               A sinking feeling suddenly came over Donna and it showed on her face. “I think I change my mind.”

               Jackie frowned “Oh this sounds bad.” Her expression brightened some with intrigue. “Well now you have to tell me!”

               “Ok Jackie, promise me you won’t tell anybody.”

               “I promise. What is it?”

               “Well… Jackie… Oh I’m just going to say it. When I was working in Brooklyn… Freddie and I sort of…”

               “You sort of what?” Jackie gasped “Donna did you shoplift? I knew it!”

               “No! No. Jackie listen. This has been eating me up inside since I came back home. Freddie and I kissed.”

               Jackie gasped, shocked. “You kissed?”

               Donna quickly shushed her. Jackie lowered her voice to a near whisper.

               “You kissed? And you didn’t tell me sooner?”

               “Well you didn’t tell me you’ve been dating Epstein this whole time.”

               “You’re right. I know. So,” she smirked “what was it like?”

               “The kiss? Well It was… Freddie is a great kisser, what can I say?”

               “Better than Eric?”

               Donna frowned. “Oh God yeah! There’s no comparison.”

               “How many times did you kiss him?”

               “I dunno. Not like we counted. It was a few times.” She hesitated. “We made out a couple times and things got a little heated.”

               “Donna!” Jackie lowered her voice to a whisper again, this time with an accusatory tone “Did you two have sex?”

               “What? Jackie no!” Donna sighed. “Most we did was make out. Nothing… nothing below the waist.”

               “Oh my God Donna!” Jackie’s tone became must more amused. “This is exciting! Hey! If I marry Juan and you marry Freddie we would be like sisters-in-law!” She clapped her hands. “Yay!”

               “Jackie they’re not brothers.”

               “Well Juan has so many siblings, you don’t know that for sure.”

               “One of his brothers could actually be a brother?” Donna joked.

               “Right. It could happen! I mean, look at Steven. His father’s black.”

               “So because Hyde’s father is black, that means Freddie’s mother could be a Puerto Rican? Or Jewish?”

               “Now you’re getting it, Donna!”

               “Well, even if they happened to be brothers, you and I aren’t going to marry them.”

               “Play along, Donna!”

               Donna laughed. “Jackie, you’re crazy.” She looked up and saw a few of the guys, one of them Epstein, coming up from the basement. “Listen, we’ll talk more about this later. I’m going to go see Eric.”

               Donna walked away, heading down to the basement. Epstein walked away from the other guys and went over to Jackie. As they stood with each other, they went right into their thoughts, in perfect unison.

               “We need to talk.”          

“Listen, Jackie. I, ah, I’ve been thinkin’. About us.”

               “I’ve been thinking too. Well, actually, Donna and I were just talking and she had me realize some things.”

               “Right.” Epstein nodded. “Mr. and Mrs. Forman made me do some thinkin’ as well. And, ah, the other guys pretty much told me I was crazy and stupid for wanting to move here, got me thinkin’ some more.”

               They were silent for a moment before continuing, again in unison.

               “I think we should break up.”

               “I’m not movin’ here.”

               They looked at each other puzzled. Once again, they spoke at the same time.

               “Wait. What?”

               Epstein motioned to her. “You first.”

               “Juan, I think we should break up.” Jackie confessed, a little uneasily. “As nice it is to be with you in person, and as nice as our relationship has been, albeit being long distance…. I just don’t think it would be a good idea for us to continue being together.”

               Epstein looked down in silence as he thought about what she said. “That’s, ah, that’s probably for the best since I’m not movin’ here after all. But, why can’t we still be together?”

               “Let me put it this way. Juan, I expect a certain kind of future. One that you simply would never be able to provide for me.”

Epstein frowned “What are you getting at?”

“I was born rich, and I need someone equally rich to support me ad lavish me in gifts.”

               “Hey now I brought you my most prized possession. If that ain’t love then I don’t know what is.”

               “Juan you gave me a dirty old baseball card.”

               “Hey that card could be worth a lot of money one day!”

               “It wasn’t even yours! You stole it from Arnold!”

               “Bah! Details!”

               They looked at each other, sadly but in understanding. Moving in closer, they wrapped their arms around each other.

               “Well I guess this is goodbye.” Epstein said

               “Yeah, I guess so.”

               He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. “Hey, I’ll just have you know, all this, that we had, it was all real.”

               She grinned softly. “I know.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll miss it.” She turned her eyes up to look at his face. “I’ll miss you.”

               “Hey, hey. Let’s not make this sad. Listen, in another time, another place, maybe we’ll get together again and it’ll be able to work out.”

               She grinned. “Yeah. Yeah I’d like that.”

               Epstein placed a finger beneath her chin, lifting it up a little. He leaned in and kissed her sweet and smooth. The kiss may have said “goodbye” but it wasn’t sad. In a way, they both knew their romance wasn’t one built to last. It was, however, one they both would come to cherish as they would one day look back on their younger days.

 …

                 The Sweathogs hung out in the hallway waiting for the very last possible moment to enter the classroom. As they hung out and talked, everything seemed like normal. But that didn’t stop curious minds to bring up the subject of Epstein and Jackie.

               “So Epstein,” Vinnie started. “You and Jackie somehow were together all summer and nobody knew about it.”

               Epstein nodded. “Yeah. What of it?”

               “How did you go steady with someone several states away and not let any of us in on it?” Freddie asked. “So there any reason you didn’t want us to know?”

               “Nah, no reason really.” Epstein shrugged “I guess having it on the down low sorta made things more exciting. More, ah, more romantic, y’know?”

               “But little Juan,” Horshack spoke up. “How did you manage to keep a long distance relationship this whole time?”

               “Simple. We talked on the phone a lot and we wrote letters.” He smirked a little. “See, I ain’t just a master of excuse notes. I’m also a master at love letters.”

               “Well ain’t you Mr. Romantic?” Vinnie said. “And my best move is having the girl meet me behind the billboard on 81st street.”

               “And that’s why you ain’t ever been in a real relationship, Vinnie.” Epstein stood up. “See the girls, they love romance. They eat it up. It’s what keeps them stickin’ around and it’s what gives you more opportunities for makin’ it.” He finished with a crude hand gesture and a small laugh.

               Gabe stood in the doorway of his classroom. He cleared his throat to get the students’ attention. “Conducting business in the hallway again, gentlemen? And I see your chairman of the board is back!”

               Epstein turned to face his friends, confused. “What, what is he talking about?”

               “Man, I don’t ever know what he’s talking about.” Freddie said, waving Gabe off.

               “So, gentlemen it is past time for class to start. I would really enjoy it if the four of you were to actually come in and join the rest of class.”

               “Yeah, yeah we’re comin’.” Epstein said, walking towards the room. “Nice seein’ you again, Mr. Kotter.”

               “Same to you, Epstein. By the way, how was your trip?”

               “Well, ah, y’know. It was good, but like all good things it had to come to an end. I really liked it out there, Mr. Kotter. But, ah, let’s just say, I got my head back on straight and figured out where I really belong.”

               “Good for you, Epstein. I’m glad to hear that. And I’m glad to have you back.”

               “I’m glad to be back. And, ah, I don’t see any chances of me strayin’ again in the future. I was born in Brooklyn, I’m gonna die in Brooklyn.”

               “Hey you think I could get Laurie to come visit me here?” Vinnie asked “Because I could go for another round with her.”

               “Not sure if she’d be willin’ to go all that way.” Epstein remarked. “Besides, there’s plenty of guys in Wisconsin that would have her in a heartbeat.”

               “Besides, from the way I hear it, even if she did come all the way here to see you, then you’d die. Ain’t no messin’n with a chick whose daddy fought in two wars.” Freddie shook his head. “I’m surprised you managed to get with her in the first place with Red around.”

               “It wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.” Vinnie smiled, causing Horshack to laugh. “Cut it!”

               Horshack stopped laughing immediately, ending with a small cough.

               “Alright,” Gabe said, ushering them towards the door, “time to get in class. You can save your talk about… romantic conquests for later.”

               The Sweathogs began walking past Gabe, entering the classroom. Gabe watched them enter and then he shook his head before looking away to talk to himself.

               “Looks like everything is back to normal.”

               He turned to head into the classroom, only to have the door shut in his face.

               “Definitely back to normal.” He shook his head and entered the room, confident that this Wisconsin adventure was going to be the last of its kind for any of his students.

[themagiciian]

Floral Fluster - Ch. 2

Title: Floral Fluster Warnings: Contains mentions of gambling and vague alcohol abuse Chapters: 1/2/? Word count: 4,543 Relationship: Mugman/Cagney Carnation (relationship) Other characters: Cuphead, Elder Kettle, Rumor Honeybottoms (briefly mentioned), Hilda Berg (briefly mentioned).

Summary: Inkwell Festival is in a few weeks time, and Rumor insists that Cagney goes to it. Perhaps insisting he goes with Mugman might be the encouragement he needs to come out of his shell?

Author’s notes: I’m so so sorry this took a while. I really am. University sucks, life sucks, everything sucks. However... I am rather proud of this part. I sifted through and edited out all my mistakes this time. 

As mentioned in the first part, if you are new here, Cuphead and Mugman are both, in fact, older. They are at least 17. I suppose this can be read as a one-shot, like the first part, perhaps...? Also, has the name for this ship changed? I’ve seen the tag “tea leaf” being thrown around here and there. I’ll use both, regardless, but ah well.

Also, I do apologise if Cuphead or Elder Kettle seem a little out of character. I wasn’t exactly sure how to write them. I’m so sorry.

But, without further ado... once again, please enjoy! 

Mugman gave a heavy sigh as he practically burst through the door, panting a little as he had ran home. “I'm so sorry I'm late, pops!” He exclaimed, Cuphead and Elder Kettle looking up as he walked in. His cheeks were deep blue after having sped home, hurriedly removing his coat and hanging it up. “Sorry, sorry - hope I didn't miss nothin’…”

Cuphead rested his head in the palm of his hand as Mugman sat down opposite from him at the table. “Mugs, you almost missed dinner!” Elder Kettle exclaimed, clearly worried as he turned to the two brothers.

“Well- th’ keyword there is almost, gramps,” Mugman gave a little chuckle. Elder Kettle only tutted and rolled his eyes as his innocent playfulness, giving him a look that said ‘what am I gonna do with you?’. Mugman only smiled back before he glanced at Cuphead who seemed rather bored, playing with his fork idly. He didn't seem in the best of moods. The three went quiet, the only sound between the three were sounds of vegetables boiling, and the little thud of the fork hitting the table.

Mugman cleared his throat quietly to gently break the silence, before he piped up. “Slow day at work, Cups? You don't look too happy.”

“Oh, was it ever,” He began with a groan, shaking his head, “never been so bored in my fuckin’ life.” Cuphead quickly followed that up with a quiet 'sorry’ for the use of vulgar language. Kettle hated it when he swore. “We was jus’ movin’ around a buncha stuff today. Reorganising…” There was a pause for a shrug. “Total bore but, eh, it works. I get money outta it anyway.”

The final statement was followed up by brief smirk on his face, looking away for a split second. In a flash, it was gone. Mugman frowned a bit, suspicions roused, but didn't question. He wouldn’t touch on it at the dinner table- least of all in front of their grandfather.

“...Right,” was Mugman's only response, seeming a little hesitant, but his frown eased a little.

Before another silence could settle in, Cuphead sat up in his seat, looking up at his brother with a smirk. “So, where've you been? Y’ don’t normally go out, Mugs. Nearly fainted when I was told y’ were meetin’ up with somebody,” Cuphead joked, the smirk turning into a grin, “so who’s the lovely lady, 'en? Don't tell me you pulled Cala- you wouldn't break the bro-code.”

“I wouldn’t even dream a’ breakin’ the bro-code. But it ain't a girl,” Mugman answered, instantly blushing when Cuphead let out a loud 'oooooh’, that grin on his face only growing and Mugman couldn't help but giggle a little. “It ain't romantic… He's just a friend.”

Both Elder Kettle and Cuphead raised their brows at that. “What? I'm serious!” Mugman stammered, face still flushed blue.

“Mhmmmm, o’ course,” Cuphead looked like a Cheshire cat with how wide his snarky smile was, “so, who's your 'friend’?”

Mugman smiled a little to himself, looking down at the floor, before meeting Cuphead’s expectant gaze. “...Cagney.”

“Cagney?!” Cuphead suddenly yelled out, causing the other two to jump up as the tone of conversation took a u-turn. “You're hanging around with- with Cagney?!”

“Oh, I remember when that flower was just a little sprout,” Kettle mused adoringly, beginning to plate up their dinners, “he was so sweet. Hilda used to carry 'im around in this little flower pot. It was always so cute to see her runnin’ around with that little flower.”

“Y’ gotta be joshin’ me! Cagney Carnation, of all people? He’s the rudest resident this side of Inkwell! He's horrible!” Cuphead grumbled, very clearly displeased, muttering a 'thanks’ as a plate of food was put infront of him. “I don't like 'im.”

Kettle sat down at the head of the table, hands folded infront of him. Mugman had only rolled his eyes at Cuphead's comment. “He's nice to me, Cups! He's actually kinda charming,” Mugman replied with a little shrug, “and I'm going to meet him tomorrow.”

“I think that's sweet,” Kettle spoke softly, patting Mugman on the shoulder, “don't y’ think, Cuphead? Cagney’s a nice fellow. You should give him a chance.”

“Yuck,” Cuphead scrunched up his nose, clearly he had a distaste for the said flower. He scooped up a mouthful of food, shuffling a bit in his seat. “There is no way that- that dandelion is gettin’ another chance outta me! He was so rude about the whole soul contract thing. That big old weed is just… he's just… grumpy! And he's mean. He hit me with a vine once.”

“Wh- he did?” Mugman instantly became concerned, taken aback, suddenly beginning to have second thoughts. Cagney wouldn't do that, would he? “Why?”

“Well, y’know I was jus' passin’ through,” Cuphead  started, “and this little flower kid is following me around so I tell it to buzz off, y’know? But it didn't… So I shot at it.”

“Well there's your answer,” Kettle interjected, shaking his head a little, “you shouldn't attack things like that.”

“It didn't leave me alone though!” Cuphead quickly came to defend himself, his expression turning sour. “I didn't wanna do it, it wasn't even that hurt... It was jus’ one dumb flower.”

“Those are his children, Cups!” Mugman argued, reaching out to poke at Cuphead's hand, to which the older brother grunted. “He's really protective of 'em, y’know? You'd be mad too if you had kids.”

Cuphead glared at that, teeth clenched a little. “Good thing that I don't,” Cuphead growled back, cutting the conversation off there. His now foul mood made the quiet air that fell upon them awkward. It wasn't like Cuphead to get in such a bitter state so quickly. Mugman's previous suspicions were roused again...

Kettle gave a look to Mugman, shaking his head a little, his expression one of concern. Kettle must've had the same thought he had. Thankfully Cuphead didn't notice them both roll their eyes.

Once dinner was over, Cuphead hastily got up with his own plate and cutlery. He dumped it into the sink, before stomping upstairs, his footsteps quickly becoming distant as he sulked off. Mugman flinched a little when he heard the bedroom door slam. He let out a soft sigh, picking up his own plate and Kettle’s, making his way over to the sink and began to clean up.

He paused from washing up when he heard Kettle stand up and begin to head up the stairs. “Wait, p-pops!” Mugman called, quickly running over, “I- I’ll talk to him. Don't worry about it.”

Kettle let out a frustrated huff, but he turned around and came back downstairs. Mugman smiled, relieved, reaching out and taking his grandfather's hand to guide him to his chair in the living room.

“I just don't know what's wrong with him, Mugs,” Kettle spoke softly, leaning back in his seat, “he's been so… grouchy recently…”

“I know, I know,” Mugman pat his shoulder gently, trying his best to be reassuring. Internally, his concern grew for his brother, recalling his earlier conversation with Cagney about Cuphead's gambling habit. He quickly decided not to mention it to Kettle. He didn't want him to worry, feeling guilt weigh down on his chest as he didn't like hiding things from his grandfather. But… He felt like he had a responsibility, to protect Cuphead from getting in trouble…

“It might jus’ be the change of seasons. He always gets grumpy in the cold,” Mugman reasoned, giving a shrug. Kettle seemed to be somewhat satisfied with that response.

Kettle’s arms folded across his chest, shaking his head a little. “I don't know, Mugs. Whatever it is… I'm sure he'll get over it,” He spoke softly, and before Mugman could turn away he caught his hand, “thank you…fer’ everything. You're so selfless and I… I can't thank you enough, Mugsy. Y’ better enjoy yourself out tomorrow with that Carnation. You deserve it.”

Mugman gave a little smile, gently squeezing his hand, his face becoming a bit blue at the mention of Cagney. “I’m sure I will. I’ll go see Cuphead after I clean up… Thanks, pops.”

“You're very welcome, son.”

With that, Mugman rushed back to the kitchen and turned away to finish washing up the dishes. He quietly hummed to himself as he cleaned up. Washing up was always therapeutic to him, and he found himself becoming lost in thought.

His mind slowly wandered back to Cagney as he scrubbed, leaning onto the counter a little as he looked out of the window just above the sink. It provided a view into the beginning of the forest where Cagney resided, though he couldn't really see it as it was so dark (neither did he have his glasses on, so it was difficult to see very far- he cursed himself a bit for forgetting to wear them when he really should).

‘Are we friends?’ Mugman found himself wondering, frowning a bit in thought as he began to scrub the dishes. He frowned a little in thought, staring out of the window at the dark forest right ahead. If he were a little younger, a little more naive, it would've been a definite yes, but now… He couldn't shake the feeling that Cagney might've just been tolerating him because he had to… especially after Cuphead's comments about the flower...

His lips curled down a bit. Cagney was always like that though, right? He just never really enjoyed people being around, and that was that.

Maybe it had just been too long. 'I probably should've been a better friend in the first place and kept in contact with him,’ he thought, 'then I wouldn't have this problem at all.’

'...It sure felt nice when I hugged him, though.’

Mugman's frown twitched into a smile, face flushing a little as he stifled a giggle. Then when he hugged back, even though his arms were really too long to hug properly... And when he put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him… It was sweet. He meant well. He shouldn't doubt Cagney so much.

'I guess it was kinda cute when I surprised him as well,’ Mugman pondered with a smile, 'was he sleeping? Hm… his petals felt nice to touch. I wonder if he liked it… What would that even feel like…?”

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door upstairs creak open, the floorboards groaning a little as someone stomped on them. His train of thought was promptly interrupted, hurrying to clean up the last of the dishes and cutlery before putting them aside to dry.

'Cuphead.’

In a hurry he just shook off his wet hands, flicking off the beads of water, before hastily making his way upstairs. As soon as Mugman saw him, Cuphead jolted, quickly shifting so his hands were behind his back. He couldn't look more guilty.

“Cups?” Mugman blinked, and Cuphead only stared back, shifting backwards to put more distance between them. “What are you hiding…?” Mugman quietly asked as he stepped up onto the landing, eyes slowly narrowing as Cuphead glanced about uncomfortably. He looked ready to run away- that was affirmed when Cuphead finally made eye contact and let out a nervous chuckle.

“Oh, nothin’, Mugs,” he answered, clearly trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, swaying playfully as if trying to look natural, “I dunno what yer on about.”

But it wasn't going to fool him. “What's in your hand?”

“I told ya. Nothin',” Cuphead chuckled again, “Dunno why yer even--”

“Prove it,” Mugman demanded, cutting him off. The faux look of innocence was quickly replaced by surprise, then irritation. “I wasn't born yesterday, Cups.”

There was silence, Cuphead glaring at him for a moment, before finally the elder brother spoke. “Fine,” he hissed, bitterness lacing his tone as he held out his hands. Mugman blinked, looking down at the item in his palm. It took him a moment to identify it, but it was undoubtedly a silver flask. Upon further inspection, that was undoubtedly King Dice’s brand etched onto the face of it...

Mugman’s own expression slipped into shock, before falling into disappointment. There was only one place he could've gotten it from... Why had he gone back to Inkwell Hell? What was he doing in that filthy casino again? Hadn't he learned from last time?

His mind swam with thoughts, but all he could utter was; “why?”

“...I… I dunno, Mugsy,” Came the quiet response, scowl fading into shame, “I- I’m sorry.”

“You've said that before, Cuphead,” Mugman exclaimed, “you said sorry but... you didn't do anything…” Much to his own dismay, Mugman’s eyes began to water, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. His throat and chest felt tight, but he forced himself to continue. “And- and you even went back t-there! What were you thinking? Do you even know what they put in that? They coulda’ spiked it, knowing that shady place--”

“I don't know why I went there, okay?! I jus’ wanted to- I thought it’d be fun! But I lost every single fuckin’ round against that stupid Dice anyway,” Cuphead gave a huff, pocketing the flask, “an’ he said he put bourbon in it. I had some, tasted fine. So I'm fine, okay? I'm fine.”

Mugman sniffled a bit, bottom lip quivering lightly. Without a word, Cuphead pulled him into an embrace, nuzzling softly against his shoulder as he heard Mugman begin to sob, clearly overwhelmed by emotion. The younger brother quickly returned the hug, gripping onto the back of Cuphead's t-shirt.

“Look, Mugsy… I'm sorry… I really am.” Cuphead said softly, one hand reaching up to stroke down his back gently. Mugman’s breath hitched, holding onto him tighter. “Please… You don't gotta be so worried 'bout me. I promise I'll be alright.”

“B-But- but what if you aren't, C-Cups…?” Came the meek response, followed by a gentle hiccup. “I j-just don't want to see you get h-hurt… I don't want anything b-bad to happen again…”

Cuphead moved away from the hug, reaching up to wipe away Mugman's tears. “I-Is that why you were so mad tonight? C-Cos’ you lost?” He asked quietly as his brother thumbed away the tears that spilled down his face. His question was answered when Cuphead looked away for a few seconds, before making eye contact again. “H-How much?”

“...All 'f it…” Cuphead hesitantly replied, “I didn't mean to take it out on ya…”

“No… I know,” Mugman gave a little smile, reaching up to brush away the last of the tears that leaked out of his eyes, “it’s… okay... It'll be okay,” he reassured himself, taking a deep breath, before exhaling. “I'm… sorry for gettin’ so upset…”

Cuphead smiled weakly in return, moving to wrap his arm around Mugman's shoulder with a light pat. “That's alright, lil’ brother,” he said, gently clinking his head against his brothers, “look... I'm so… so, so sorry… I wasn't thinkin’… I promise, I'll get better.”

Mugman gave a little nod. “Y-yeah…” He murmured, his own arm wrapping around Cuphead's waist. His crying had made him rather sleepy, leaning against the other a bit. “I… I'm tired. I better go to bed. I gotta get up early.”

He slipped away from his brother, turning to give him one last smile, before disappearing into his room with one last “goodnight”. Cuphead smiled back, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

Once the door had clicked shut however, Cuphead let out a loud sigh.

'Might as well finish it whilst I can,’ he mused internally, reaching for the flask in his pocket and promptly chugging down the last of its contents.

“Um, sorry I didn't really bring you much, Mister Carnation…” Mugman scratched the side of his porcelain head, stopping just before him, “I don't really know what flowers… um… eat.”

Much to his relief, Cagney wasn't offended or disappointed by this. Instead, he merely shrugged. “We don't really eat, so to speak,” he answered, “it’s hard to explain. I mean, I could probably eat 'normal’ food, but… I've never tried it.”

Cagney quickly patted the ground beside him as an invitation for him to come over and sit beside him, and Mugman quickly obliged. He took extra care to step over any flowers, before quietly sitting down on the grass next to him. He pulled his messenger bag up onto his lap, pulling it open from its buckles. “Well, today's your lucky day,” Mugman chirruped, reaching into his bag. Cagney leant down a little curiously, blinking when he pulled out his lunchbox.

Inside, Mugman felt a little bit embarrassed... He'd had this lunchbox since he was very young. The face of it had tacky stickers plastered all over it, and his name was clumsily written in the corner. The writing, as well as the stickers, had gotten worn away over the years but… he still felt fond of them, which was why he never made the effort to remove them. A bit childish, he knew, and now he was regretting not switching his lunchbox with Cuphead's just this once. He dismissed the thought, however, as he quickly clinked the box open, feeling Cagney’s gaze fixed on him. The thought of Cagney staring at him made his cheeks flush a little… but he soon shook his head, clinking the box open.

Cagney leant in further once it was open, head turning a little to see what was inside. Mugman smiled at the interest he'd taken. “By the look on y’ face, I would've thought you've never seen food before,” he mused aloud, and the flower actually gave a nod in response.

“I have a handful of times, but that was back when I lived with Hilda,” Cagney answered, “it's… kinda weird seeing it up close, actually. I don't know what I expected.”

Mugman actually giggled at him in return, not expecting such a response. This earned him a bit of a frown, but he didn't mind, and instead, he reached out to pat one of his petals playfully. “Well… since it's your first time…” he smirked, “you get first pick.”

The other had only flinched a bit in response to the pat, having not expected the contact, but didn't move away (which Mugman assumed was a good thing, since Cagney seemed a bit weird about touching). There was a hum of thought from him, eyes darting around the box, before hooking a donut on the end of his finger.

“What the heck is this?” He asked bluntly, bringing it to his face to inspect it. He didn't seem to like the feeling of the sugar that fell off as he picked it up, scowling at the residue it left on his finger, before promptly brushing it off.

“That's a donut- well, it's a sugar donut,” he explained, “it's sweet. Really sweet. Try it- y’ might like it.”

There was still a hint of confusion on Cagney’s face, his head tilting a bit. “I just…” he gave a little sigh, pulling it off the end of his finger and into his palm, “it's looks weird. What if I don't like it?”

“Then you don't eat it,” Mugman answered simply, shrugging, “I'm not gonna be mad if y’ don't like 'em... Just a donut, y'know? It's not gourmet.”

There was a second of hesitation, and he looked a little uncertain. Mugman was going to say something, however Cagney had already quickly scoffed it down in one go, swallowing hard without chewing. He cringed a little at the sight, eyes widening a little at the sudden motion, before nervously chuckling. Cagney probably grew up without table manners, after all, so he supposed it made sense that he'd just hawk it down without thinking twice.

“Well, was it alright or not?” Mugman asked quietly after a moment.

“To be honest, Mugman... I didn't really taste anything,” The response was as blunt and as flat as anything, stroking his chin in thought. Mugman brought a hand up to his forehead, laughing at how ridiculous he was. It only brought confusion to Cagney, however. “Wh-what's so funny?”

“You! You’re supposed to chew it first- n-not just wolf it down,” Mugman continued to giggle, much to the others embarrassment, “I've never seen somebody eat wrong before but you’ve managed t’ pull it off…”

Cagney’s arms crossed, looking embarrassed now. “W-Well, I'm sorry that I don't know how to eat properly,” he grumbled, face going red which only prompted another laugh out of Mugman. “Hey… hey! Stop laughing! It's not funny!”

“It is! It’s funny- no, it's hilarious,” Mugman continued to laugh, slapping his leg, face flushed blue from laughter. Cagney let out a snort of frustration, which only made him giggle even harder. “Oh c’mon, lighten up! I'm just messin’ wit’ ya!”

Mugman’s teasing laughter began to fade when Cagney gave a glare, face reddened, before sharply turning and pulling down two of his petals hard in embarrassment. He could hear the frustrated huff that came from him. Mugman soon reached out to take a hold of his hand, trying to stop him from pulling at himself. “W-Wait! Cagney, don't do that- you'll hurt yourself!” He cried, voice gripped with urgency as he tried to pull his hands away.

Cagney tensed up visibly, and Mugman could hear him grumble a bit. His needle-like thorns began to emerge from his body. Obviously, he was very agitated. “Mister Carnation…” Mugman's voice was low now, hoping he hadn't upset him too much, now being careful of those thorns, “I'm sorry. I was kiddin’. I promise… I don't mean it.”

Despite Cagney’s strained form, his hand didn't move from Cagney’s, his thumb gently tracing over his knuckles. He could feel him begin to relax, before he slowly let go of himself. Mugman smiled as he turned his head back to him, hand slipping into his palm and gave a gentle squeeze. Cagney wore a bit of a sheepish look, face still dyed a little red, before clasping his larger hand around his.

“Why d’ya do that?” Mugman asked, voice laced with soft concern, allowing him to hold his hand. He smiled sweetly at him- Cagney seemed a little anxious, after all. He went quiet as his thorns slowly withdrew- that was good thing, at least. “It's okay, Mister Carnation. I'm sorry for makin’ fun of you.”

“Ah, really, Mugman, just Cagney is fine. Sorry for getting so… flustered,” He mumbled in response, “...I, er, um... it's a habit. I used to do it when I was little, when I got scared.”

Mugman frowned in worry. “Have y’ ever pulled out a petal on accident?”

“...Yeah,” he let out a little 'tch’ to himself, “a lot of times, actually, heh. It really hurts when it happens… they don't grow back so quick anymore, either.”

“Golly, what am I gonna do with you?” Mugman sighed, moving his lunchbox and bag aside so he could scoot closer to him. “What if they don't grow back one day, mister- I mean, Cagney? What will you do?”

“We... nothing. I’ll live with it. I mean, I'll have to,” the answer was flat, and unsatisfying, followed up by a shrug. Mugman frowned a bit, leaning onto his shoulder.

“I think you worry too much,” Cagney commented idly after a moment, “you should relax a little.”

Mugman let out a 'pfft'. “...You sound like my brother.”

“Oh God forbid,” Cagney groaned, the sarcasm in his voice exaggerated, which made Mugman chuckle. Cagney gave a small smile at his laughter. “Oh, hey, did you talk to Cuphead after? ...What's up with him?”

Mugman's face dropped a bit, shaking his head. “He wasted his earnings down Inkwell Hell yesterday…” he began, his unoccupied hand reaching to rub his neck out of nervousness, “and he had a flask with 'im. I- I dunno. He said he'd stop but- but I dunno, Cagney. I don't know if I should believe him… what do you think?”

There was a hum of thought, before Cagney gave a nod. “I think he will. You're worried sick about him. Anyone can see that,” he reassured, “he'd be stupid not to.”

“Well he's been making a lot of stupid decisions recently,” Mugman grunted, letting out a deep huff of frustration. He then shook his head. This wasn't a very good topic for conversation. “I shouldn't… I shouldn't think about it. I shouldn't put my problems on you. Sorry, Cagney…”

“Uh, hey, don't worry about it! It's okay, I promise,” He quickly chimed back. The light response was a pleasant surprise. Finally, Mugman felt himself relax, the tenseness in his shoulders leaving and he slacked a little.

“Thank you,” he breathed, head still resting on his shoulder. In fact, he was talking so much, that he'd forgotten their hands were linked. That brought colour to his face again. He could felt his heart beat a little quicker... Cagney seriously didn't mind this? His chest felt like little flowers were growing and blooming inside of him. 'Th-this is so nice…’

“Mugman? Um… we are friends,” Cagney piped up after a moment, before glancing down at Mugman, “right?”

There was a pause. Mugman was taken aback by the question. But soon, he nodded, smiled up at him, and shifted closer. “Yes- without a doubt, Cagney.”

Cagney had mumbled a 'thanks’, and looked away. He assumed it was to conceal that smile, but he'd caught sight of it before he turned. He really was shy, wasn't he? Mugman stifled a giggle, nuzzling against his arm. That was one thing Rumor was right about… he really was just a big dork...

The silence was peaceful. He felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. Resting against his stem wasn't particularly comfy, but the closeness… it was pleasant. Maybe a bit more than pleasant, actually. He'd never been so close to another like this before. It genuinely felt nice. He felt more at ease than he had in awhile. No gramps to worry about, no Cuphead to worry about, no errands to get to.

He felt his eyes begin to shut, drowsiness growing. Maybe five minutes wouldn't hurt...

He was jolted awake as Cagney’s hand withdrew from his before he slipped into slumber, letting out a mumble of protest as he was pulled away from sleep so suddenly. “Tired?” Cagney asked, and Mugman nodded back. He smirked, “it’s because you stress yourself out, like I said, see? You get tired easily… let me help you into a more comfortable position.”

Cagney summoned a vine with a large leaf attached to it, curling it on the ground beside him. He shooed away some of his brood, making some space for their guest. Gently, Mugman was lifted, his head resting on the leaf. It was a make-shift pillow; though it was much better to rest against rather than Cagney’s shoulder, he found himself missing being at his side. But he feeling too sleepy to argue.

“Th-thank you…” Mugman murmured, eyes fluttering closed again. Another couple of vines popped up, some with leaves and little buds on them, gently wrapping around his body to act as a blanket. Before he drifted to sleep, he felt Cagney’s finger gently stroke his cheek, before he leant down to nuzzle against the rim of his head.

“You're more than welcome, my little bluebell...”

[cartoonfan7]

I have another probably lame AU to Ducktales.

I have a new Ductales AU idea, and I promise it’s better than this one, specifically because I have expansive ideas about it.

It’s a Ducktales AU based on Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and it’s currently upcoming 2018 cinematic film adaptation. Now because I’m only ideas with almost zero writing skill, I’m hoping that @i-restuff​ and/or any other Duckfan tumblr user(s) who write Ducktales fanfiction can write stories or help me expand/flesh out the following ideas.

So first things first, we should explain where this idea came from. I was listening to the version of Sweet Dreams (Are made of this) that Mark Hadley made for the 2018 Film trailer, when I decided to listen to the original and realized how fitting the lyrics to the full song are to Scrooge McDuck’s character/life experiences.

Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world And the seven seas, Everybody’s looking for something. Some of them want to use you Some of them want to get used by you Some of them want to abuse you Some of them want to be abused. Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world And the seven seas Everybody’s looking for something Hold your head up Keep your head up, movin’ on Hold your head up, movin’ on Keep your head up, movin’ on Hold your head up Keep your head up, movin’ on Hold your head up, movin’ on Keep your head up, movin’ on Some of them want to use you Some of them want to get used by you Some of them want to abuse you Some of them want to be abused. Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world And the seven seas Everybody’s looking for something Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world And the seven seas Everybody’s looking for something Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world And the seven seas Everybody’s looking for something Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world And the seven seas Everybody’s looking for something

Tell me I’m not crazy for thinking this. The trailer version gives off a grand, epic adventurous vibe that wouldn’t be out of place in Ducktales.

Now to give an idea of what will happen in this AU, and because I literally can’t summarize it any better, here’s a concise plot summary of A Wrinkle in Time, feel free to stop the video when it gets to the analysis.

So the premise/summary I have for the AU is this: the Triplets (Huey, Dewey, and Louie) are beginning to feel like their lives are in a rut. Their mother, Della’s, been missing for a good portion of their lives and while their uncle, Donald Duck, has been doing his best, acting as their legal guardian, they can’t seem to completely shake the “something’s missing” feeling. On top of that, the private school they go to (which is meant to be the same one that Gosalyn goes to in the Darkwing Duck comics) has come down with a MAJOR bullying problem, leading Huey, Dewey, and Louie to become ostracized for their status as triplets (being made fun of for being “the same”, so to speak.) So the bros, are chilling in their house boat one night, unable to sleep, when they’re visited by I-actually-haven’t-worked-that-out-yet and when Donald comes to investigate, he’s told the whole, “There is such a thing as a Tesseract,” and promptly faints. He soon after goes to visit Scrooge, and takes the kids and the currently-to-be-determined-entity since he has no one to watch them, and manages to get alone time with Scrooge to talk. HDL temporarily escape the CTBDE when they run into Webby, who’s backstory hasn’t really changed in this AU. They wind up overhearing Scrooge, Donald, and Gyro and bring up a secret collaboration with S.H.U.S.H. involving interdimensional travel and teleportation, powered by some of the magic artifacts that Scrooge has donated to science. Confronting the Mrs Whatsit stand-in about this, they reveal that HDL’s mom, Della, as well as Gyro Gearloose, among others of potential note, were involved in experimenting with magic and that Della was a test pilot for the teleportation portion. They also reveal that Della’s actually still alive, held on a distant planet, Camaztoz, and that they came to HDL (and now Webby, given that she and HDL became fast friends) because they believe that they’ll be ready to save Della. HDL are given a day to decide if they want to undergo this truly perilous quest and they stay over at McDuck Manor overnight. The kids get to know Scrooge during a particularly awkward family dinner. They then talk with both each other and Webby, getting to know her better and learning more about their family’s history. Each of the triplets has a different stance on whether they want to go on this quest or not and why, but they ultimately decide to go for it. As Donald and Scrooge convince Gyro and his intern, Fenton, to restart the teleportation/portal project, HDLW manipulate Scrooge’s chauffeur, Launchpad, into taking them to an address that entity #1 told them to go if they accepted. Telling, Launchpad to wait for them, HDLW go in, meet the other two entities-meant-to-stand-in for Mrs Who and Mrs Which, and are taken via bifrost-esque warping through spacetime to Uriel. While there, they kids have some fun before they get some info about the BLACK THING, a primordial illness that is attracted to negativity and evil and encourages them, creating a cycle for it to feed. They also learn of creatures made of the BLACK THING,  the Heartless. A similar backstory to the one in the book is explained, where one of the entities used to be a star, but went supernova to kill the BLACK THING. They’re then ferried to whoever the Happy Medium is this AU (They could look like Fethry Duck?) and get briefed on what they need to do. Basically, break Della out of space prison. The entities then put the kids through Trials involving space-time fuckery, including a bit in the book where a Tessering incident briefly turns everyone 2D. They’re teleported to Camazotz after they pass and are given ‘gifts’ to help them on the quest, meant to last until the quest is fufilled, i.e. Della is free and everyone can party it up on Earth over they’re success. Huey gets the gift of knowledge, Dewey choice, Louie creation, and Webby destruction. (Possible spoilers for RWBY, but if you’re following me, I’m assuming you’re watching and are caught up or don’t watch and just don’t care.)

While all of the above is happening, Lauchpad tells the Duck Uncles™ about what happened. After Donald, Scrooge, and Beakly manage to get over the initial shock, they have Launchpad take them to the teleporting site and have Gyro examine the residual energy left behind as it might provide a clue to perfecting the teleporting experiment and provide a way to save HDLW (The Duckles™ don’t know about the Della Retrieval Arc that they signed up for.) Gyro manages to make the portal successful enough to track down locations that HDLW have been to and Donald, Scrooge, Beakly, Launchpad, Gyro (who has the controls to the Portal Gun (think the Other Dimension-inator from PnF or Rick Sanchez’s Portal Gun), and Fenton (who’s bringing Project Blatherskite with them incase something happens that Scrooge, Donald, and Beakly can’t handle). They have their own adventures following the kids, including a brief jump in-between dimensions where they encounter wild Heartless.

HDLW land on Camazotz, which initially seems normal, too normal. The creepy, synchronized citizenry soon make themselves apparent and HDLW make their way to a structure called “Central Cental Intelligence”, a massive Space Elevator/Citadel-Tower that reaches into the sky, lording over all. They also make note of the “domesticated” Heartless acting as the planet’s enforcers. Managing to infiltrate the Central Central Intelligence, they are eventually confronted by a Man with Red Eyes who briefly gets into a strife with them before inviting them to dinner and a tour. They hold their own for a while, but they are ultimately unable to keep up with his seemingly infinite stamina and ability to seemingly control the planet itself, rivaling the gifts the previously-discussed-and-still-currently-undecided-entities gave them. Taking him up on his offer, The Man with Red Eyes exposition dumps the story that Camaztoz used to be a REALLY shitty place until the man’s master, IT (Not to be confused for the Titular entity of Steven King’s Book and it’s two film adaptations of the same name) (this story is also kind of a darker version of Unity’s story with the nipple people planet, in-case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m also a big Rick and Morty fan), and actually sells some of it to DLW, but Huey’s gift of knowledge let’s him see through the smoke and mirrors. It gets worse when they eat dinner as Huey sees through the mental illusions that make the food look and taste edible to the other people and even openly brings up the concern that Della might have been indoctrinated into this society and that the food could be laced with some type of chemical to brainwash them, a point Webby instantly agrees with. The Man assures the kids that no such things have happened, but he is capable of controlling them all if he wanted to. Huey then offers the Man a challenge (or should it be vice versa): he wants to use his gift, allowing a form of telepathy to see if he can find Della (as the man earlier confessed to knowing where she is) before the Man can affect his mind. Against the objections of the others, Huey takes the massive risk and engages in the most epic staring contest. He loses. Succumbing to the Hive Mind of IT, Huey guides the horrified-at-what-they-just-had-to-witness DLW to Della, all the while they try snapping him out of it with classic anti-hypnotism gags like physical violence, water, and literal snapping. Reaching and releasing Della, she’s initially confused over who saved her until the kids introduce themselves. Huey then claims to want to show them the way out with DLW rightfully suspicious of this claim. They all wind up in the chamber with IT, which resembles a massive brain (think Andross from Star Fox 64). Getting into close proximity to IT causes their minds to be assaulted telepathically by the Hive Mind’s full power. Della, who still has some teleporting power left (the only place it couldn’t work was in her prison cell), tessers the gang, sans Huey, away to Ixchel, a neighboring planet. Unable to completely protect herself or the kids as they pass through The Black Thing, they fall ill when they land. Luckily for them, the natives of the planet decide to look after them, nursing them back to health. It’s here when Scrooge and the others catch up the party.

Heartfelt reunions are had all around as the group worries about how to save Huey. The three entities that earlier guided HDLW return to give the kids some guidance and the entire reunited party tessers to Camazotz in order to storm the Central Central Intelligence. This results in an epic climax that almost gets everyone killed, when Dewey realizes what they need to do. In a moment reminiscent of Moana’s climax, the family focuses their love to Huey, breaking him free from the Hive Mind. IT is stunned allowing, them all to warp back to Earth. The entities take their gifts back, leaving the group to catch Della back up to speed.

I have some other ideas, but this went on for long enough. I’ll make a different post for those other ideas.

[thecrimsonarcher]

The Zion Mountain Chronicles--Roselyn's Story

“Back then, everyone in Zion Mountain was required to go to church every Sunday and every Wednesday, both morning and evening sermons. There were no exceptions to this rule, unless you were on your deathbed or expecting a child. Even us old folks who couldn’t get around very well had to go, no matter in how bad of shape we were in, whether our arthritis was bad enough to keep us from movin’ or in the case of some people, they had to carry their oxygen tanks with them. That’s how it was and no one questioned it or gave it any thought. They obeyed, doing as they were told, doing as their parents before them were told, and doing as their grandparents, great-grandparents. When that’s all you’ve ever known, you see no other alternative. It’s imprinted into your very being from the moment you were born and until the day you die. On occasion, there would be a vocal minority who expressed doubts about the cult and they’d go so far as to say, "Hey, you’re being duped. You’ve been duped your whole life and we have evidence to back that up” and once word got out about them, they drop off the face of the earth just like that. No one ever knew what happened to them, but some would say they’d see the cops banging on the person’s door the day they disappeared. Now that I look back on it….it just makes me so angry, even as I’m writing this out. For the crime of speaking out against the many injustices our town was facing, these brave people were murdered by the police department, the people who had sworn to protect and serve us. They were killed for the simple fact they knew too much. That’s all it was. You weren’t allowed to express your doubts here. You were only required to keep your mouth shut and agree with everything they said. Back then, I would’ve said the cops were in the right because they were doing everything they could for our best interest. But now….they were nothing more than the cult’s guard dogs, silencing those whose voices were bigger than those of us who obeyed in silence for years. It was never about us. It was always about them. They wanted to keep up with the status quo, to keep all of us in line so we wouldn’t give them any problems.

Perhaps you weren’t aware of this, but the Zion Mountain Order of the Southern Sky acted as a financial backer for the police department. The police department’s sole purpose in Zion Mountain was not to protect and serve, but to make sure they placed the cult’s doctrine as their top priority. They were known as the Legion, soldiers in God’s army. They followed the church’s orders and enforced the rules. Preacher Yearwood more than likely used the money he embezzled to fund the police. For a small town department, they were awfully…well equipped, shall we say. They didn’t wear regular police uniforms like how the Grundy PD and Sheriff’s Department did. They looked like soldiers, almost. They wore all black, head to toe, and had a white band around their upper left biceps with the Order of the Southern Sky’s logo. They wore helmets and bulletproof vests, along with armor on their knees and elbows. I never saw their faces. They’d always wear gas masks. They never spoke to anyone or even interacted with them. They’d just stand there, completely still and completely silent. They were a truly terrifying sight to behold. Not once did I ever feel safe with them being a constant presence in town. Just between you and me, I always thought there was something off about them, like they weren’t exactly human. They had this strange air about them, like they didn’t belong in this world. Years after the fact, Zachariah and I were discussing it one day and he admitted to me he felt the same way. Just what were they? You could smell them well before you can see them. It was a dead smell, like roadkill on the asphalt during a hot summer day, a scent so horrible it would make your eyes water and stomach churn. They'd be chased around by blow flies, even while indoors, and they wouldn't do so much as react. A normal person would try to swat at them, but not the Legion soldiers. They'd do nothing but just stand there, completely silent and covered in hundreds of swarming flies.

Our “warden” was a young man named Justin. He was a tall, stocky boy who was built like a linebacker. In fact, he was on the football team in high school. He was about 20-21 years old at the time, I believe. He was assigned to us about a year before the Zion Mountain Incident.

He was the only decent cop out of all of them, along with Sheriff Yearwood. When they first assigned him to keep tabs on us, he had a bit of a cocky attitude about him, like he was better than us. Over time, he started warming up to all of us in the congregation, even joining us in worship and dinners after the afternoon services on Sunday were over with. On occasion, he’d help William with whatever repairs needed to be made to the church, which there wasn’t a shortage of. There was also something that needed to be done and Justin was always more than happy to help. Within that short time, we learned so much about him, about his life and the dreams he was hoping to accomplish. At the time, he had just gotten engaged to his girlfriend, Heather, who worked at the Bank of Zion Mountain. The only reason why he was working for them was for the benefits. I had always heard the higher ups in the church were paid good money and were always well taken care of, something that would definitely appeal to a young person such as himself. Justin wanted to save money to buy a house after he and Heather were married the following July.

Why Justin would get himself involved with the Legion is beyond me. He was a sensitive, caring young man with so much potential to do some good in this world, not spend whatever was left of his short life on the side of the oppressors. He could see that. He recognized there being a problem with how things worked here and instead of passively accepting it for what it was, he helped us. Maybe he didn’t realize it, but Justin had a much greater impact than he would’ve ever known.

A few days before the Incident happened, Justin wasn’t acting like himself. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, withdrawn even. He kept staring up at the Unicoi Range, not taking his eyes off of it.

I asked him, I said, “Honey, what’s going on with you? You’re not acting like yourself today.”

He kept brushing it off like it was nothing, but I kept pressing it. Bless me for acting like a nagging mother, but that’s just how I am, you know? Besides, he became very dear to us, as strange as that may seem.

We asked him what it was and for a while, he stayed quiet and kept whatever he was thinking to himself as he ate during the after sermon dinner. He finally looked at us and said with tears in his eyes, “I was given orders to purge everyone in this church, but I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.”

We were all mortified by what he had just said. Purge? Back then, we honestly believed that Kalona loved us all, no matter our skin color or social standing. Why would he want us dead, if we were all equal in his eyes? As far as we were concerned, those orders came from him because the Legion were a part of God’s army and thus, were closest to him. Understandably, we were all terrified. It wasn’t just the fact we had a potential killer sitting at the same table we were eating at, but the fact that our own religion that we had followed so blindly over the years, would advocate this systematic act of violence on Kalona’s behalf. But Justin refused to do it. Justin was not that kind of person. He was kind, gentle, smart, and had such a bright future ahead of him with Heather.

We never saw Justin again after that. I wonder what happened to him? It broke our hearts when he had heard a couple of weeks later that Heather’s body was found in what was left of their apartment.

It wasn’t until Kevin told us a few years later that the orders came from Pastor Yearwood himself, that the mass purging was implemented to rid Zion Mountain of the “undesirables” and use them as sacrifices to Kalona. Kevin said to us that it was planned to be carried out on the night of June 17, 2013 when everyone would be in church. He claimed that a handful of the smaller churches were attacked first by the Legion, followed by the “middle class” congregations. They would’ve succeeded in their goal had Kalona not appeared and destroyed whatever was left of Zion Mountain. By some twist of fate, we were spared from the initial purge that night. There was a pipe that busted and flooded the interior of the church, stopping our services early for the evening. However, that didn’t do much to protect all of us in our congregation. Our church family was comprised of 40 people in 2013. Out of those 40, only 5 of us made it out alive–My husband Zachariah, myself, William Campbell, Vanessa Matthews, and her little girl, Haley. William missed it by shear luck. He was a fireman in the Grundy Fire Department and on that night, he had to work. I can’t imagine how he must have felt, getting that call. Used to, I would say we were saved by the grace of Kalona himself, but now….I can tell you that praying on our knees wouldn’t have helped us out of the situation. Praying with our feet worked wonders. If not, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you this.

Do I have regrets? Yes, I do. I have a lot of them. I wake up every morning with the knowledge that everyone I ever known and loved in Zion Mountain died completely pointless deaths all because of one man’s greed and his need for control. There were over 900 people in Zion Mountain and not one of us could stand up to them. We were afraid. We were always afraid, whether we knew it or not. Fear was the driving force behind our blind worship of Kalona. It had been imprinted into our minds for generations. We weren’t free, you see. If we would’ve just thought about it, we were being held captive while this thing watched over us like sheep in a pen. That’s just how things were.

I believe we survived so we can tell you our stories, so that Zion Mountain won’t have to fade away in vain. Despite all the bad times, we shared wonderful memories together in our little church, memories we’ll cherish for as long as we still live and breathe. I have cried until all of my tears have run dry, leaving only my past recollections as comfort.“

–Testimony from Roselyn Moses, the wife of Zachariah Moses, and one of the oldest survivors of the Zion Mountain Incident

[kittykat-creations]

Mullet Man: Home is Where the Heart Is

Previous Chapter --- Next Chapter

-----

Bella yawned as she opened her eyes, squinting in the bright light. Stan, who was already awake, smiled and lightly kissed her nose.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said quietly.

"Hehe, mornin'," Bella smiled. She yawned again and rolled onto her back to stretch. "Time?"

"A little after 10:30," Stan answered.

"Thanks," Bella said. "I got two whole chapters done las' night."

"Wow, impressive," Stan chuckled.

"Right?" Bella grinned. "Ugh, my hand hurts from writin'. I miss my typewriter sometimes."

"Well maybe once we have an apartment, you could get your friend to send it over or somethin'," Stan suggested.

"Ugh, that's right," Bella grimaced, setting a hand on her stomach. "Ah almost fergot I was pregnant." She chuckled, smiling widely. "Wow. Ah've wanted ta be a mom since... forever! Heh, it's finally happenin'."

"It is pretty exciting, huh?" Stan agreed. "We're gonna be parents. I'm gonna be a dad!" He frowned slightly, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna be a dad..."

"Hey, how 'bout we get some breakfast?" Bella suggested. "I'm starvin'."

"Heh, well you are eatin' for two there," Stan joked, poking Bella's stomach. The woman giggled and rolled over to kiss her boyfriend.

"Ah love ya," she murmured.

"I love you, too," Stan smiled.

-----

"Hey, now that Ah'm pregnant, maybe I should try eatin' healthy," Bella said when they were in the car. "Ier. Is that a thing?"

"I don't know," Stan answered, driving out of the hotel parking lot. "It sounds like it would be real."

"Oh well. Just in case," Bella shrugged. "Can we see if we can get some'a those cute lil' fruit cups?  With strawberries and watermelon and grapes? Don' they have those in grocery stores?"

"I'm sure we could get some," Stan nodded. "But is that really all you want for breakfast? You usually eat a lot more."

"Maybe a donut, too," Bella added with a smile. "Or a few donuts."

"Ha! Fruit and donuts it is," Stan grinned. Bella cheered and then the car became quiet. Stan frowned slightly as he began to think. "Hey babe?"

"Hm?"

"Do you... do you think I'd even be a good dad?" Stan asked nervously.

"Of course," Bella shot Stan a confused looked. "Why wouldn' ya be?"

"I dunno. I didn't exactly have the best example," Stan mumbled. "What if I do somethin' wrong?"

"Then it'll be an honest mistake and... ye can fix it," Bella answered. "Yer not... trying ta be an asshole. An' ya do have an example of what not ta do."

"Heh. Yeah, guess I do," Stan smiled lightly. "Thanks."

"Anytime, hon," Bella smiled back.

-----

"Hey Fidds!"

"Howdy, Bella," Fiddleford greeted. "How are ya?"

"I'm pretty great," Bella giggled. "But guess who's gonna be an uncle?"

"Wha- yer pregnant?" Fiddleford exclaimed.

"Yup!" Bella gave a small squeal.

"Well congratulations!" Fiddleford said. "Do ya have a place ta stay? Yer welcome ta stay here, Elizabeth is nearly all moved out."

"Me an' Stan are lookin' fer a place," Bella explained. "There's still a good, nine months a'fore the baby's born."

"What if ya can' find a good place?" Fiddleford asked.

"How about, if we... can' find an, apartment... by the time Ah'm... eight months, then we'll come stay with you," Bella said.

"Alright," Fiddleford agreed. "That's fine by me."

"So how's Tate?" Bella asked. "How's he been doin'?"

"Tate's been doin' great!" Fiddleford said. "He's been growin' so much. Started walkin' not too long ago."

"Aww!" Bella cooed. "Nice! Tell 'im Aunt Bella says hi."

"Ah will," Fiddleford chuckled. "Ah should get goin', though. Good luck with findin' a place ta say. 'Member, Ah'm always here ta ask fer help."

"Don' worry Fidds, I ain't gonna forget," Bella laughed. "I'll talk to ya later. Love ya."

"Love ya too," Fiddleford repeated the two kissing noises before hanging up.

-----

"Can I open my eyes now?" Bella giggled.

"No, keep 'em closed," Stan instructed. Bella followed his hand that led her to wherever they were going. There were stairs involved, and they had to take a few breaks, since she was four months pregnant and tired easily, but Stan still wouldn't let her open her eyes. Bella heard the sound of keys and a door opening.

"Alright, now you can open your eyes," Stan allowed. Bella did so, looking around in excitement at the apartment. She gasped happily.

"Is it-?"

"All ours," Stan grinned. "Well, y'know, as 'ours' as it can get, being a rented apartment. It's small, but it's got a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. It's... the best we could afford around here."

"It may be small, but it's ours," Bella smiled. "And it's perfect."

She turned to hug and kiss Stan, giggling. He smiled and kissed her back.

"Really all we need is some furniture, and... it'll be good," Bella said. "I could probably get Fidds ta... send up some'a my furniture from... my old house. Ooh, an' he could visit!"

"That sounds good," Stan nodded. "That way we wouldn't have to pay for any new stuff."

"I still can' believe we have our own place!" Bella squealed.

-----

Once. Twice. Three times. The usual.

"Hello?"

"Guess who has their own apartment!" Bella beamed.

"Ya foun' a place?" Fiddleford asked happily. "Congrats! Where is it?"

"New Mexico," Bella answered. "It's a nice little town, too. Grocery store, park... any other store ya might need."

"Sounds great fer raisin' a kid," Fiddleford said.

"I sure hope so," Bella giggled. "Ah was wonderin' if you could like, get a movin' van and, send up some'a my old stuff? We need furniture."

"Ah think Ah could."

"Great!" Bella grinned. "Also, see if you can get my car up here somehow?"

"Ah could drive it ta New Mexico, yeah," Fiddleford said. "Ah'll bring Tate, too."

"Awesome!" Bella said. "Thank you, Fidds."

"Ain't a problem. What're best friends for?"

[zombierunfiction]

Season 1 Mission 18: Eavesdropping

Following day found Charlotte in the coms shack with Sam watching him as he led Jody and Owen back from a run.  She always enjoyed watching Sam work.  The big head phones on his head as he flipped through the cameras on his screens and checking the scanner for zombies.  She smiled as he took off his head set then grabbed a clip board writing a few notes on it.

"What are you doing now?"  Charlotte questioned.

"Oh?  It's something Janine likes me to do.  Write down who was runner, any injuries, anything happen, or what was said of importanace.  It also has the list of runners set to run today.  By the way you will be running soon as well."  Sam said with a smile.

"Oh?  Now where am I going this time?  To another hospital?  Or crash site?  Please don't tell me I'm going to another game store again."  Charlotte said with a grin.

Sam gave her a pursed look.  "Oh ha ha.  Very funny.  Didn't I already apologise enough for that?"

"Yes the not nearly dead daisies you have Simon go pick up for me while on his bi-weekly run for medical supplies was very sweet and made up for it."  Charlotte said leaning over kissing his lips sweetly.

Sam smiles when she pulls back.  "You know I've only had one girlfriend that I was comfortable with like we are."  

"Oh and who was that?"

"Ester Bromsby.  She was in my grade 4 class.  She had brown hair and always played rugby with the boys.  I thought she was so cool.  She threw mud at me and said I looked like a pig whistle."  Sam said looking up remembering.

Charlotte couldn't help the full belly laugh that erupted from her as she imagined young Sam with mud on his face with a girl playing rugby.  "Pig whistle?  That was your first girlfriend?"

"Well things did get better after that.  She was fun to be around and very adventurous.  She even shared her ice cream with me during lunch time."  Sam said smiling.

"So what happened with her?"  Charlotte asked gently running her fingers over his hand.

Sam shrugs.  "She just told me she didn't want to be my girlfriend anymore.  After that she moved away with her family.  We were only together for like 4 months."

"Whirl wind romance."  Charlotte said chuckling as Sam nodded with a smile.

The door opened as Janine stepped in giving them a slight smile.  "Sorry to break up this tender moment but we do have a mission for Charlotte."

"Oh yeah, sorry about that Janine."  Sam said as Charlotte kissed his lips quickly then walked out of the comms shack.  

She quickly went to the pack area and pulled on her pack and headset.  The boy handing out the packs also handed her the headset she had been given by the New Canton Runner Lem.  She blinked raising an eyebrow looking at him oddly.  She walked over to the comms shack as she lifted one side of her headset and wrap the New Canton ear piece around her ear.  She adjusted it so that it was comfortable before adjusting her pack.  

"Ready to go Sam."  Charlotte said.

"Alright then.  Raise the gates!"  The gate siren blares as it starts to raise.  "Gates are open, covering fire..."  The snipers take out a few zombies near the gates.  "And... go!"  Sam shouted as Charlotte took off past the dead zombies as the gate lowers.

"Have you told Runner Five what's happening today, Mr. Yao?"  Janine asked.

"Well, no.  I thought about it, but then I remembered how you seemed pretty convinced I didn't explain things properly on that last electronics run with Runner Two."  Sam said almost bitterly.

"Yes, I hear the delightful David Robinson will be coming out of hospital soon."  Janine said sternly.

"I was not responsible for that."

"If you argue with my direct order, Mr. Yao, then you're going to confuse the runners, making it more likelly that they'll run into hostile territory."  Janine scolded.

"Or another way of putting that, Janine, is that if you don't let me do my job properly-"

Janine jumpped over Sam on the mic.  "Runner Five, we've fitted you out with the radio you took from the New Canton base in addition to our own radio, and we're hoping that-"

"Hey! No snatching the mic while I'm talking!"  Sam shouts.

"-we're hoping that you might be able to pick up some useful intel while on yoru regular run for tech supplies.  It's a simple mission, Runner Five, and if you get confused at any time, just listen to my voice-"

"-or my voice!" Sam interjects.

"MY voice!"  Janine shouts.  "Runner Five, Run!"  

"Won't they hear you through my headset?"  Charlotte questioned.

"No we disabled the mic on the headset so you can hear them but they won't hear you."  Janine said as Sam seemed to grumble.  

Charlotte shook her head feeling it starting to twinge.  Janine was so hard on Sam who did a very good job at being a Radio operator.  She might be bias but if one was given a job and they did rather well at it others shouldn't nose into their business.

After a while Janine came back onto the headset.  "You're doing well, Runner Five."

"Hey, that's my-!"  Sam sighs heavily.  "Yeah, you're doing very well, Runner Five.  Everything within normal mission parameters, speed's good, two zoms behind you, but you're outpacing them  See?"  Sam says as Janine sighed softly.

"Yes, movin on.  It is rather troubling that we should have to resort to subterfuge to spy on other humans, as I'm sure Runner Five agrees."  Janine says.

"I don't like tricking people if that's what you mean."  Charlotte said.

"Nonetheless, we have no option.  New Canton set a deliberate trap for Runner Five.  We need to find out what their plans are." Janine continued.

Charlotte ran around a tree looking around.  "Janine how do you know it was me specifically they were trying to trap?  To me it seems like they were wanting to trap any runner."

"That's why we are doing this.  If they intentionally targeted you then we need to know why.  If they were just targeting runners in general, we still need to know why."  

"Hey, Janine?  As you keep reminding me, this was your house before it became Abel Township.  Didn't you uh, know anyone in the New Canton compound, then?"  Old castle... the lord and lady of the place didn't invite you over for tea?"  Sam questioned.

"I kept to myself, Mr. Yao.  Before the apocalypse, it was just about possible to live a quiet life.  I suppose it was too much to hope that I'd be able to live alone in an old farmhouse with thick stone walls for long.  Wasn't long before the hordes descended." Janine said bitterly.

"Mmm.  Zombies..."  Sam said.

"No, you!  And all these other people seeking shelter."  Janine corrected.

"Hey!"  Sam snapped.  "We've helped out around here, haven't we?  We've grown stuff, built stuff."  He chuckled slightly.  "Anyway, you're totally lying about that quiet life time.  I know your secret."  

Janine paused for a moment.  "My... secret?"

"Yeah, I hear things, you know?  I meet a lot of people in this position.  Talk to a lot of people?  And some of those runners, when I save their lives, they're really greatful."  Sam said with a smirk.

"Grateful enough to thank you politely, Mr. Yao?"

"Yeah. Very grateful."

"And they told you my... secret?"  Janine questioned.

"Yup!  We found your old photos.  You had a boyfriend!"  Sam laughs.  "And you wore a bikini."

The sigh that escaped Janine seemed almost relief.  "Ah, yes.  Quite the deepest, darkest secret you could possibly imagine.  I don't suppose you go on imagining it, Mr. Yao, for your own sake."  

"Or what?"  Sam questioned.

"Or I will be forced to shoot you in the head."  Janine said with a sweet smile.

"Uh... okay?  And Runner Five, you should be coming up on that warehouse with tech supplies now."  Half way through Sam's words static started to come through the New Canton head set when that voice appears that she heard when Lem first gave it to her.

"Runner Forty-three and Forty-Nine, fall back! Fall back and fire the flares, there's a swarm heading for you!"  The sound of flares going off are heard making Charlotte hide behind a tree.  "That's great, guys!  Runner Forty-three, those flares are working just like we hoped.  the zoms are attracted to the light and the noise, and away from you!"

Sam sighs heavily.  "Are they doing that on purpose?"

"I suspect not.  They're using a rather clever concelment strategy.  I wish I'd thought of it first." Janine said as the flares were burning on spots near by.

"But they're all landing by Runner Five.  Five, the whole swarm's heading straight for you!" Sam shouted as Charlotte saw the swarm heading right for her.  She took off as Janine started speaking.

"Runner Five, don't panic - do run!"

"Run!"  Sam shouted as Charlotte continued down the path trying to keep ahead of  the swarm.

Suddenly a flare goes off with a zombie shout following it before the New Canton operator came back on.  "Whoa, good shot, Runner Forty-Nine!  Took out a zombie with a zombie glare, which then attracted other zombies to it!  Way to go!  Just like Lem woulda wanted!"  She called out before a pause came.  "Yeah... I miss him too.  We're not gonna put in a new Runner Thirty-Eight, you know.  We're retireing his number.  He..."  Her voice catches slightly.  "He was quite a guy."  

"They're still behind you, Runner Five.  Keep running!  If those New Canton bastards aren't targeting Runner five on purpose..."  Sam says softly.

"Why would they do that?"  Charlotte questions as she continued to run.

"I don't know?  Because they're evil?"  Sam supplies.

"No one's evil, Mr. Yao."  Janine said.

"I beg to differ Janine."  Charlotte said as she slid down an embankment and took off.

"Well, how about those billionaires who went to the private island at the outbreak of the plague and shot anyone who tried to come near them, even obviously harmless refugees?"  Sam questions.

"Very few people are evil.  Our best hope is to try to understand - if they're targeting us, they're doing it for a reason."  Janine said as the woman came back.

"Good work, guys.  Zombie decoyed into empty territory.  They're all heading away from you."  

"Runner Five, there are more heading towards you."  Sam said.

"Run towards the New Canton runners, it's the only way to escape!"  Janine said.

"Are you crazy?  Run away - AWAY from New Canton!" Sam shouted.

"This is exactly how Runner Two ended up in the hospital, Mr. Yao!"  Janine shouted.

"I..."

Their voices suddenly became very soft.  "-the same thing will happen again!"  JAnine whispered hastilly.

"You know very well that was not my fault, we've been through this."  Sam hisses softly.

"Guys!  Stop fighting!  Alright!  Sam is a great operator so let him do his damn job Janine!"  Charlotte snapped as she ran through what looked like an old graveyard.

There was silence for a moment before they both sighed.  "Just run away from the zombies."  They both said.

"Gee what wonderful advice."  Charlotte whispered sarcasticly as she continued to run.

Once she exited the graveyard, she chanced a look back seeing the majority of the group was stuck amongst the graves.  She continues to run not wanting to lose her lead.

"Okay, okay, you seem to be getting clear of them."  Sam said.

"While staying in transmitter distance of New Canton, that's good work, Runner Five!"  Janine said happily. Sam sighs heavily.  "That's hardly the main point, here!"  

"On the contrary, it's mission critical!"

The static comes back as the woman's voice returns again.  "Runner Fourty-nine.  Looks like these flares will be a useful tool to us in the future.  Yeah, the council says we're running low on some supplies they're hoarding up at Abel Township."  She said as Charlotte slowed down seeing that the zombies had left her alone.  "No, I don't trust those bastards, either.  They're probably the ones who let Lem get bitten.  Yeah, we'll be raiding them next week."

Charlotte's eyes widen as she breathed heavily.

New Canton was coming to attack Abel.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

<     20    >

Season 1 Beginning

[murvinetaylor-blog]

Movin' in With Quagmire: Ch. 9 and 10 (final chapters)

Ch. 9: 1st Brian, Now Stewie

The next morning, Brian and Quagmire woke up with a surprise..

"Stewie? What the hell are you doing here?" Brian wondered at the sight of Stewie laying wide awake.

Stewie responded, "Oh, hey Brian. Did you miss me?"

Quagmire then asked, "Stewie what are you doing here?"

The baby explained, "I decided to move in with you because I need Brian, but he will never move back in with us. Please, Mr. Quagmire, Brian is my only friend and the only one to make my life bearable. He was always there for me and I want to be there for him."

Quagmire did not know what to say. Looking at the expression on Stewie's face made it hard for him to say "no" but he knew he could not take care of both an injured dog and a baby. Sure he did have a baby at some point, but even it was too hard for him to care for, which was why he ended up putting her for adoption.

Quagmire finally said, "Stewie, I know how much you miss Brian, but sometimes we have to move on."

Stewie then teared up, "I can't move on. I can't knowing that he's hurt and I'm not there for him. Like I said before, he was always there for me. In fact, he was there for the whole family."

Quagmire replied, "And I'm there for him too. Trust me Stewie, it's going to get better."

"I just want my friend back and I want everything to be normal again. I mean, not that our family was ever normal, but you know what I mean," Stewie said still crying.

Brian and Quagmire could not help but feel bad for Stewie.

"Man, poor Stewie," Brian said to Quagmire.

Quagmire replied, "I know. He doesn't seem to be taking this very well."

Stewie continued to cry even longer. Finally, Quagmire wrapped an arm around him and consoled, "Stewie, everything will be okay."

Brian added, "Quagmire's right. Everything will be fine. I would hug you if I wasn't all casted up."

"Wait," responded Stewie, "You want to hug me?"

"Yes," Brian said, "I know how much you miss me."

Stewie replied, "How about I hug you?"

"Sure," Brian said and Stewie hugged him.

Meanwhile, back at the Griffins' house, Lois found the letter that Stewie left in his crib.

"What is this?" Lois said, in response to the letter. After reading it, she finally said, "Oh no. Stewie ran away. First it was Brian and now my little Stewie. Oh, this family is falling apart."

Lois then walked to the bathroom, where Peter was blow-drying his Miley Cyrus haircut.

"PETER!" Lois shouted, as she knocked on the door, "COME OUT!"

"HOLD ON LADY!" Peter shouted, "I'm still fixing my hair."

"PETER! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! OUR SON, STEWIE RAN AWAY!"

Peter finally cut off the blow-dryer and shouted, "WHAT?"

Lois replied, "STEWIE RAN AWAY!"

Peter then opened the door.

Lois then said, "We will discuss your hair later, but right now we need to notify Chris and Meg of the news.

As soon as everyone gathered into the living room, Lois finally began to break the news to their adolescent kids.

"We have some bad news," Lois began.

"Is the world ending?" Chris wondered.

"Are there going to be more episodes where I get tortured?" Asked Meg.

"No, it's not that," Lois answered, "You know how Brian moved out, right?"

"Right," Chris said.

"Right," Meg added.

"Well," Lois began, "Stewie has also done the same. He ran away to Mr. Quagmire's house to be with Brian."

"WHAT?!" The two shouted.

"I get that Stewie misses Brian," Chris added, "But why would he run away?"

Peter finally stood up and confessed, "This was all because of me. If I hadn't been so selfish and caught up with pretending to be a celebrity that I am not nor hurt my best friend, our pet, and our family member; none of this would have happened. Stewie ran away because he needs Brian, and so do we."

Lois then said, in amazement, "Peter, I'm so glad that you are actually feeling remorse."

Peter replied, "That's because I realized I messed up big time and I need to make it up to him."

Lois suggested, "Well, I think we should go back to Quagmire's house and try to get Brian to come home, which would also get Stewie to come home as well."

"Great idea," Peter remarked.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Meg replied, "Let's Go."

Peter then replied, "Shut up, Meg."

And so the Griffins went to Quagmire's house and Peter was the one to ring the doorbell.

"Oh, hello, Peter," Quagmire said.

"Hey Quagmire," Peter said, "Is Brian here?"

"He is," Quagmire answered. He then led the Griffins to the bed, where Brian and Stewie were laying in.

"Hey Brian," Peter said.

"Oh hey Peter," Brian replied.

"Hey fatman," Stewie added, rather jokingly.

Peter began, "Brian, you know why we came here today or why I came here?"

"No," Brian replied.

Peter continued, "It's because I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you and never cared for you when you needed it the most. I should have never done that. I should have taken care of you, considering I was the one that injured you. Brian, our family is a wreck and we can't live without you. You made our lives great and we miss that."

Brian then replied, "Peter, I forgive you."

Peter couldn't believe his ears, "You forgive me?"

"Yes," Brian said, "I forgive you because I know I'm going to get better and I know you feel remorse. I also forgive you because you are the reason the feud between me and Quagmire ended. You brought us together. I don't know if I will ever be my old self again, but I know that I'm not forever destroyed."

Peter then said, "So does that mean you will move back in with us?"

Quagmire added, "I think that you should. Your family needs you and guess what. I will come to visit and you can come and visit me again anytime."

Brian finally said, "You know what? I'm moving back in and Quagmire, I have something to say to you."

"What is it?" Quagmire asked.

"Thank you," Brian began, "Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for helping me cope with my condition. Thank you for keeping me happy. You are a really good friend and one day, I will repay you."

Quagmire then hugged Brian and the two began to cry.

"I'm going to miss you," Quagmire said.

"And I will miss you too," Brian replied, "And I will visit you sometime."

The whole family then began to cry and not a single eye was dry. It was a very emotional moment for everyone.

Ch. 10: Not so Status Quo

After Brian returned home, the Griffins chipped in to take care of him. They did all the things that Quagmire did for him: fed him, took him to get surgery, etc. Peter also stopped pretending to be Miley Cyrus, had his hair changed back, and helped take care of Brian.

As for Quagmire, he felt a sense of both freedom and emptiness, but mostly emptiness. He felt free because he no longer had to take care of Brian, but empty because his new friend and somewhat of a roommate, was now gone. To Quagmire, Brian began to feel like a brother he never had, that finally entered his life, but left again.

Six months later, Brian, who was finally out of the cast, yet on crutches, said to himself, "I don't know how to ever return the favor."

Stewie then chimed, "What favor?"

Brian explained, "The favor of Quagmire helping me while I was casted up."

"Oh that," Stewie replied, "I know what you should do."

Later on, that same day, Quagmire received a letter in the mail. Quagmire opened it up and it read,

Dear Quagmire,

Meet us at our place, Friday at six PM.

Signed,

The Griffins.

That said day and time, Quagmire arrived, but when he entered, the lights were out.

"What is this?" Quagmire wondered.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and a lot of people popped out shouting,

"SURPRISE!"

"What's going on?" Quagmire wondered.

Just then, Brian walked out saying, "It's a surprise party, to celebrate our friendship and to repay you for what you have done for me."

"Wow," Quagmire responded, "That was so sweet of you."

Everyone then surrounded, the two.

"We are very glad that you became friends the past year," Lois said.

"Thanks, Lois," Quagmire replied.

Brian threw off his crutches for a while and Quagmire crouched down to him. The two then hugged each other.

"Brian," Quagmire began, "Thank you for the party and I'm glad that you are okay."

"No, Quagmire," Brian replied, "Thank you."

Stewie then said, "Okay, enough with the huggies. LET'S PARTY!"

And that is what everyone did. They partied to celebrate this amazing and life changing event that happened between Brian and Quagmire.

A year and a half later, Brian finally got off his crutches and was back to how he was before, except no longer enemies with Quagmire.

[thebluejay1994]

~Song of the Week~

Been rediscovering a lot of my favorite jazz tracks lately! So glad The Oasis 103.7 HD-2 is still around~ 💙

Retrospective Note 2020: And funny enough, about a month later, The Oasis was revived. It’s had quite a hard history. In fact, TONS of smooth jazz stations suffered in one way or another due to inaccurate technology. I’ll get into that in a minute.

I’m not going to give you the WHOLE Oasis story, but I will start with how my love for the genre came to be. I discovered the world of smooth jazz from the womb. Like, that’s not a metaphor. My Mom had Kenny G’s “Breathless” album and would place her headphones over her stomach so it would calm me down (she must have read that somewhere haha). It obviously effected me, because from a very young age, I ADORED that album in particular. Still do. It brings me a feeling that I just can’t describe. It’s almost existential.

In 2002, I got my first radio/CD player. This was a big deal, for it was then I discovered all the music that has led me to where I am today, and is a big part as to why I love music as much as I do. I would spend HOURS going through my Dad’s seemingly endless collection of CDs, and more were always being added. I discovered my love of drums through his Phil Collins and Genesis albums. I fell in love with the powerful vocals of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, wishing I could sing as gracefully as they do. I grasped the concepts of my faith, through the insightful lyrics of Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. I could go on.

“But Bluejay, the subject is smooth jazz” you may be saying. And you’re right. I digress. There was a girl in my 2nd grade class who came here from New York. She was one of my lunch table pals, and the ONLY person I could talk smooth jazz with, which is probably very random, but it was a sweet thing to relate on. I actually tried to reach out to her recently to see if she remembered me. She didn’t, but most of my elementary school friends don’t unfortunately. Bummer, cause I remember them. I miss those peeps... ANYWAYS. She hooked me up to 107.5 The Oasis. I had NO idea there was a smooth jazz radio station. All I listened to was Radio Disney, KLTY (our local Christian music station), and KSCS (our local Country station). This was BIG news. First thing I did after school was put that station on, and I. Was. AMAZED.

A whole new world had opened up to me. Bryan Culbertson. Mindi Abair. Norman Brown. Chris Botti. Dave Koz. Peter White. Richard Elliot. SO MANY ARTISTS that I had no idea existed, making more of the music that I only heard Kenny G do. I just couldn’t get enough of it. I listened to that station all day, and all night when I was able. ESPECIALLY at night, which helped me sleep very well, for I was prone to nightmares. It was a Godsend of a station.

And then it happened. I tuned in one day, and it was playing something else. WHERE’D THE SMOOTH JAZZ GO?! It had been replaced, and for the longest time, I never knew what happened, and went without hearing those wonderful songs for years. From what I read, after 14 years, it turned into Movin 107. 5 in 2006 (a pop radio station), and later in 2009, it became MEGA (a Spanish station), which is what it still plays to this day, although rebranded once again in 2013. There was a SLIGHT glimmer of hope, for 103. 7 LITE FM did this thing called, “The Sunday Brunch”, which had one of the OG Oasis hosts play smooth jazz on Sunday Mornings. Not only was it short lived though, I couldn’t listen to it anyways, because my Dad insisted I only listen to Christian music on Sundays, and by the time I got out of church, the show was over. It really felt like I would never hear these songs ever again...

So, what did happen to the Oasis? Well, it took me until I got my own computer in 2011 to find out it never TRULY went away. The Oasis was moved over to the HD-2 signal, which you could only get access to by way of the internet, or with an HD-2 receiver, which I’ve NEVER seen someone own before. It was pretty much a death sentence if you didn’t have a way to know that’s where they went. The station for the longest time, just rotated songs non-stop, and though I was thrilled to finally hear these songs again, in some way, there was something strangely haunting about it. A station abandoned, but still playing the same setlist of songs like nothing ever happened. No DJ. No ads. Just smooth jazz echoing into the void... sounds pretty vaporwave.

It was good I rediscovered it then, for I was able to find a lot of songs that were preserved in my head for years. It’s not like I could easily look those songs up. All I had were melodies to go off of. No lyrics. Thank GOD I was able to find these songs again, and with the dawn of Spotify, the algorithm there was able to lead me further into finding MORE songs I had forgotten about, which I still find to this day thanks to Spotify.

In the end, The Oasis was rebooted in 2017, and is still going strong, not only playing the songs I grew up listening to, but also, new songs and artists from the smooth jazz scene. I’ll NEVER lose these songs again. I just won’t let go. You can listen to the new Oasis here!

But what happened that killed the station and others like it in the first place? Well if you’ve read this far, thank you for caring firstly, and secondly, there’s actually an answer, and it’s a bizarre one at that. Watch this video. It explains EVERYTHING. It shows corporate out of touchiness at its best (I should say worst, but you know what I mean).

Ultimately, yep, smooth jazz means a lot to me. It’s cool to be able to gush about it here. Thanks for your time~ 💙