#and her “not understanding her dad’s plight” is what makes her that way

[trashogram]

Ugh

[ambrossart]

Out of the Loop

summary: eddie went home with someone after prom, and gareth is determined to figure out who it was.

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 11k warnings: language, new relationship, eddie's girlfriend is gareth's arch nemesis, silly childhood rivalries, eddie being happy and stupidly in love, jason being an overprotective ass, chrissy being an adorable little cupcake, the reader is chrissy's best friend, the unnamed freak is named grant in this series

series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist

On Monday morning, Gareth peddled to school like a man on a mission.

Nothing was getting in his way today, not his mother, who had accidentally washed his Hellfire Club shirt with all his little sister’s dance clothes,

“You know what, honey, I think it looks better this way…”

not his sister, who had been hogging the bathroom all morning because she couldn’t get her hair right,

“Look, you don’t understand the pressure I’m under right now. Becca Singer is finalizing her birthday party guest list today. I have to look my best if I wanna make the cut.”

not the weatherman, who was painfully misinformed when he called for clear, sunny skies today…

and certainly not the piece of crap Chevy that just cut him off in the middle of the crosswalk.

Gareth swerved out of the way and kept on peddling. The rain pelted his face in a spray of ice-cold bullets.

Behind him, the driver yelled, “Hey, watch where you’re going, you little shit!”  

It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Because Gareth was sitting on a goldmine of information right now. It was truly the scoop of the century. Eddie Munson—that’s right, Eddie “the Freak” Munson—had gone home with somebody after the senior prom.

Who was this mysterious (not to mention incredibly lucky) woman? A curious cheerleader desperate to defy her clique? A rich girl trying to piss off her dad? A shy bookworm who wanted to act out the plot of her favorite romance novel? Who? Who? Gareth’s head was spinning! The question hungrily devoured the rest of his weekend (something Gareth wasn’t too proud to admit, of course, but hey, Sundays were always uneventful days for him). He had to get to school quickly and consult his most trusted sources.

He found Jeff and Grant sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria. Grant was eating the school’s hot breakfast while Jeff sat with his head in his hands, lamenting the sorry state of his love life.

“Tara’s still not talking to me. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna dump me for Patrick McKinney.”

Grant put down his fork. “Wait, you two were dating?”

“No…” Jeff heaved a quiet sigh. “But if we were, she’d definitely dump me for Patrick.”

Grant frowned, sympathetic yet envious of his friend’s plight. “Man, I wish Meg would stop talking to me. She had me on the phone all night yesterday. I think she wants me to be her boyfriend or something.” Grant cringed at the thought. He didn’t have the strength to put up with her. He’d barely survived prom. 

“You don’t like her?” Jeff asked.

“Not really,” Grant answered. “I mean, yeah, she’s pretty and all, but as soon as she starts talking—”

Gareth slammed a wrinkled piece of notebook paper onto the table. The loud bang echoed through the entire cafeteria, making a few students gasp and flinch in their chairs. Jeff and Grant didn’t move in the slightest. This was typical Monday morning behavior for Gareth.

“What’s with the pink shirt?” Grant asked, unfazed. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Gareth said. They had more pressing matters to discuss. He sat down and folded his hands in front of him, his blue eyes clear and focused. He wasted no time getting straight to the point: “Who’d Eddie go home with after prom?”

Jeff and Grant exchanged a subtle, secret glance.

“How do you know Eddie went home with someone after prom?” Jeff asked.

“Because I called him that night.”

“Why’d you call him?”

“Because I’m a good friend, unlike some people.” Nobody had called him asking how his night went. Gareth sat home alone on Saturday night, eating popcorn and watching old sci-fi movies in his basement, while the rest of his friends had a blast at prom. It wasn’t fair. “I wanted to check in on him because I figured he might be a little depressed after getting rejected by Chrissy. Because let’s be honest here, there was no way that Chrissy was ever gonna dance with him. You all agree with me, right? I’m not just being a dick here. Like, yeah, I know Eddie’s riding high right now because he thinks this year is his year and everything, but… yeah, he was aiming a bit too high with that goal.” 

“Can you get to the point, please?” Grant said. “My breakfast is getting cold.” 

“Well, multitask, man!” Gareth grabbed Grant’s fork and threw it back onto his tray. “What, you can’t listen and eat at the same time?”

Grant rolled his eyes and went back to his breakfast. Gareth carried on with his story:

“So anyway, when I called him on Saturday, I expected him to sound all mopey and depressed, but he wasn’t. Yeah, Eddie wasn’t depressed at all. In fact, he sounded oddly… happy, but also a little bit distracted. You guys see where I’m going with this, right?”

“I hate that I do,” Grant said, struggling to enjoy his food.

“Well, that’s when I started getting suspicious. See, I could tell I didn’t have his full attention, and that’s just so unlike Eddie because he’s normally really good at maintaining proper phone etiquette. Weird, right? So then I got curious and I started listening, and… and I can’t be sure, but I think I heard a girl talking in the background.”

“Maybe it was just the TV,” Grant said.

Gareth shook his head. “No way… I know the difference between a TV voice and a live human voice. Someone was definitely with him.”

“Well, did you recognize the voice?” Jeff asked.

“No, I couldn’t hear well enough.”

Grant’s eyes narrowed. “And yet you’re sure it wasn’t the TV…”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t the TV, you guys. Wake up and smell the coffee! Eddie brought a girl to his house. He brought a girl to his house. She was with him in the room while he was on the phone with me. I could hear her talking. Then Eddie started acting really weird, said he had to go, and rushed me off the phone.”

“Gross,” Grant muttered, sickened. “Yeah, these are details I did not need.” 

Gareth’s mouth fell open in a silent gasp. “Wait, do you guys think he slept with her?” and that was more than Jeff could handle.

He buried his face in his hands and said, “Please stop. I don’t wanna go to class with these images in my head.”

Grant shrugged. “Maybe it was just a one-night stand.”

Jeff threw him a sharp, side-eyed glare. 

“Just saying,” Grant finished, smirking.

“No, I seriously doubt it,” Gareth went on, completely unaware. “Eddie’s not really a one-night stand kinda guy… not by choice, anyway. No, I think this might be the real deal, you guys, ‘cause listen to this: I went to go see him yesterday. Eddie wasn’t home.”

“So?”

“So I think he was with her. I called him last night and asked him where he was all day. He said he was out running errands.” Gareth scrunched up his face at that, doubtful. “Since when does Eddie run errands? So I said, ‘What sort of errands were you running?’ He said he had to swing by the drugstore. I said, ‘Well, what did you need at the drugstore?’ but he wouldn’t answer that. Yeah, he was being awfully mum.”

“Mum?” Jeff repeated to himself, mystified by his friend’s bizarre word choice.

Grant said, “He was probably annoyed that you were digging around in his business. I know I would be.”

“Oh yeah, he was definitely getting annoyed,” Gareth said. “Then he cut the conversation short and told me he was stepping out for the night. That’s when I knew this was serious. Eddie doesn’t just ‘step out’ on a Sunday night. He hardly goes out any night. If he’s not with us, he’s sitting at home and playing songs on his guitar. Yeah, he was definitely with her last night.”

Grant sighed, hoping they’d finally reached the end of this long-winded story. “Well, I guess you cracked the case then, Gareth.”

“But that’s just it, I haven’t!” Gareth said. Grant let out an exhausted moan. “I still don’t know who this girl is. You guys swear you didn’t see Eddie go home with anybody after prom?”

Another secret glance.

“Nope,” Jeff said. “I didn’t see him go home with anyone that night.”

Gareth nodded, disappointed but not yet defeated. “Yeah, I thought you might say that. That’s why I made this.”

He gestured toward the piece of paper on the table. Jeff picked it up and read it over. Then he passed it to Grant so he could do the same.

“Okay, what exactly am I looking at here?” Grant asked.

“It’s a list of suspects,” Gareth said, a proud smile on his face. “Yeah, last night I compiled a list of every girl I’ve ever seen Eddie interact with at school, and then this morning I whittled that list down to what I think are the most likely suspects.”

“Not a very long list,” Jeff said.

“Really?” said Grant. “I was gonna say it’s too long.” 

They shared a little chuckle over that. Gareth glowered at them, unamused. He didn’t appreciate them making little jabs about their Dungeon Master’s love life, stagnant as it was.

“You know,” Grant began with ominous deliberation, “I can’t help but notice there’s a name missing from this list.”

Gareth's head snapped back in surprise. “Who?”

“You know who,” Grant said. Beside him, Jeff was holding in a grin.

A disturbing chill crept up Gareth's spine. Then—

BAM!

Your name cracked down from above like a fiendish lightning bolt, striking Gareth and making all the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. For a second, he could see your name so clearly. It loomed before him, ugly and terrible, festering with puss and crawling with maggots, getting pecked savagely by vultures and other scavengers. It made him retch with disgust.

“Oh, very funny…”

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Grant said, “there’s no denying that she’s a likely suspect.” 

“In fact,” Jeff continued, “some might say she’s the most likely suspect.” 

“Yeah, maybe back in middle school,” Gareth said, “but Eddie hasn’t so much as looked at her in years.”

Except for that one time, he thought, remembering the mournful look on his friend’s face that day.

They were all eating lunch when your laughter suddenly sprang up from the other side of the cafeteria, obnoxious and shrill. Eddie glanced your way and his eyes darkened with such hollow sadness. It was as if someone had died.

But that didn’t mean anything, Gareth decided, so he shoved the memory away.

“All right, look, I’ll admit we lost him briefly for that one summer. I dunno how she did it, but somehow she got her claws in him real deep and he was completely under her spell. I won’t deny that. But then Eddie woke up and saw her for what she really is—an ugly green hag! At first, she appears as this beautiful, enchanting woman, but underneath that guise, she’s a wretched old witch who thrives on torment. Yeah, Eddie got over her a long time ago,” and Gareth refused to waste another thought on it.

He snatched the paper from Grant and laid it out in front of him. “Now, here’s what I’m thinking: if we split this up among the three of us, we can get through this list by lunch and then confront Eddie with our findings.”

“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” Grant said.

Gareth frowned. “Why not?”

“Because we already know who it is.”

Gareth’s eyes widened in surprised anger. “I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT! I knew you two were messing with me this whole time. Sitting there with your smug little faces. Making your little jokes. You know what, screw you guys, I don’t even want your help anymore.”

He stuffed the paper back into his bag, climbed to his feet, and stomped off.

Over his shoulder, Jeff said, “Shoulda gone to prom, man.”

Gareth paused, dejected. “Well, no one would go with me…” He pushed through the double doors and was gone.

Afterward, Grant picked up his milk carton and took a few slow slips.

“You know what,” he said thoughtfully, “Gareth should’ve asked Y/N to prom.”

Jeff chuckled to himself. “Well, she did need a date… Shit, should we have just told him?”

“No,” Grant said. “No, this is something Gareth needs to see with his own eyes.”

Now Gareth, his resolve reignited and burning brighter than ever, was prowling the senior locker area with his suspect list in hand. 

Let them keep their secrets, he thought. I don’t need their help. A lot of help they would’ve been, anyway. Yeah, I can solve this mystery all on my own.

And he would. 

Gareth was a fantastic investigator, you see. He could win a game of Guess Who? in less than five turns and had a lifetime record of fifty-three wins and only fifteen losses (such losses were unavoidable when you drew an easily guessable character like Anita. Ugh, Anita… with those rosy cheeks and annoying blonde pigtails. His little sister beat him in only two moves after that unlucky draw). Now Gareth would apply those same deductive reasoning skills to this. Ask careful, complex questions. Gather information. Cross those ladies off one by one.

There was only one problem: the girls at Hawkins High weren’t exactly forthcoming about their personal lives, especially when it involved Eddie Munson. In fact, most girls denied ever having spoken to the guy. 

Claire Dunnock, the most recent inductee into the popular clique, was being especially difficult.

Her blue eyes shifted back and forth anxiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, and then leaned forward to make sure none of her new friends were eavesdropping. Claire had to be very careful. One misstep and she would slide all the way back down the social ladder. She couldn’t afford to let that happen.

Gareth sensed her unease. “Hey, relax,” he told her, “I’m not here to ruin your reputation, okay? This conversation stays between us. You have my word.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Claire said. “I wouldn’t be caught dead with that freak.”

“Hey, that freak is my best friend,” Gareth said. “And you and I both know that’s not true, Claire. I saw you get into his van that one—”    

Claire seized him by the arm and hissed, “Shut up!” Her eyes blazed with fearful, self-protective rage. “Look, that was a year ago, okay? I was a stupid junior who didn’t know any better. Eddie and I had a class together. I guess I got a little curious, but that’s it. We hung out once and I never spoke to him again.” Loosening her grip, she said, “Besides, he was nothing but a big disappointment, anyway.”

Anger flared in Gareth’s chest. “All right, that's it. I’m not gonna stand here and listen to you slander my friend.” 

“It’s not slander if it’s true,” Claire said. 

Gareth didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Look, just answer my question, okay? Did you go home with Eddie after prom or not?”

“Of course not,” Claire answered, practically cackling at the thought. 

(Why were high school girls so needlessly cruel?)

“I went to prom with my boyfriend. I was with him all night. Ask anyone.” Claire swung her locker door closed, put her hand on her hip, and raised her eyebrows impatiently. “Are we done now?” She walked off to join the rest of her friends. 

Gareth glared at her back, his insides boiling with indignation and righteous fury.

You got curious and Eddie got his heart broken. Again. 

He crossed out Claire’s name with his pen. 

Two suspects down. Eight more to go. 

He tucked his pen behind his ear, turned, and suddenly the hallway froze over! Okay, that didn’t actually happen, but a bitter wind did blow. Gareth felt it on his face as soon as he saw you step out from around the corner. 

Coincidence? 

Doubtful.

You were wearing blue jeans and a Fleetwood Mac shirt. Yeah, you would like Fleetwood Mac, Gareth thought, scoffing. As usual, you were walking side by side with Chrissy Cunningham, your best friend since elementary school. She was smiling and laughing at one of your jokes. Laughing out of politeness, probably. Why you two were friends, Gareth would never know. Chrissy was sweet like cotton candy and you were so… so…

(evil, pure evil)

rotten to the core, like moldy fruit.

“I swear,” you said with a groan, “it’ll be weeks before your mom lets me into the house again. God, she’s such a prude. How was I supposed to know she was gonna invite the whole family over for Sunday brunch? At least I was dressed up for the occasion.”

Chrissy looked at you in baffled amusement. “You were still wearing your prom dress.”

“And it was a very nice prom dress. Your grandma even complimented it. She said it made me look like Madonna.” You weren’t too thrilled about that comparison, but who were you to pass up a free compliment? “Now your mom, on the other hand… man, if looks could kill… I probably would’ve choked on one of those blueberry scones she was serving, which were a tad overbaked if I’m being honest.”

Chrissy went to her locker and fiddled with the padlock for a second before opening it. You stood patiently beside her, the wall clock barely within view. 

It was a quarter past eight, you noted with a frown. Was Eddie here already or…? 

While hanging up her pink backpack, Chrissy said, “Yeah, she definitely had some colorful words to describe you last night.” 

You turned your attention back to her. “Your mom called me a slut, didn’t she?”

Chrissy didn’t answer at first. She was busy unloading her homework. While she was doing that, one of her fellow cheerleaders snuck up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, and gave a cheerful, heartfelt hello. Chrissy hugged her and asked how her weekend was. The two chatted casually for a minute and then the girl went on her way. Never so much as glanced at you. 

“Umm, I believe she used the word harlot,” Chrissy said to you afterward. 

“Oh, she got biblical, huh?” Great, you thought, as if that woman didn’t despise you enough already. “You know, I don’t understand your mom. First I’m too fat to be your friend. Now I’m too much of a slut. That lady needs to pick a lane and stay in it… and then drive herself right off a cliff.”  

Chrissy threw you a friendly glare.

“Just kidding,” you said. “You know I love your mom. She keeps me grounded. Without her, I might develop a healthy self-esteem, and we all know how dangerous that is. Yeah, that might lead to confidence and success… perhaps even lifelong happiness.” 

Ignoring you (or pretending to), Chrissy started digging through her backpack again. “Dammit,” she said under her breath, “I think I left my pencil case at home.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Jason has a pencil for you.” You smiled inwardly—a willful, wicked smile. “Then again…”  

Chrissy pushed her locker closed, grabbed both your hands, backed you up against the lockers, and brought her face really close to yours. “Shut up,” she whispered in half-hearted anger, a rosy blush blooming on the apples of her cheeks. 

You took one look at her and busted out laughing. Chrissy started laughing, too. 

“I hate you so much,” she said, and released you. 

“I know,” you replied affectionately. “But see, this is why the whole situation with your mom is so funny to me. I’m the one who’s still a virgin, yet somehow it’s me who gets labeled the…” 

You spotted a familiar face down the hall. 

“Gareth?” You leaned toward him, squinting. “What are you doing in the senior locker area?”

The sound of your voice made him flinch. “Nothing,” he said, acting strangely defensive for some reason.

That’s when you noticed the piece of paper in his hand. You gestured toward it with your chin and said, “What’s that you got there? Is that a love letter? You finally asking someone out on a date? Will you go out with me? Check yes or no. Who’s the lucky lady? Wait, aren’t you a little young to be dating?”

Gareth hid the paper behind his back and glared at you. “We’re the same age.” 

“And yet I’m a senior and you’re a junior. Hmm, how did that happen?” You tipped your head and smiled at him. “You’ve got company, by the way.” 

“Huh?” Gareth stepped back and—

A hand landed on his shoulder, closed around his flannel shirt, and spun him around. Gareth jumped back, swallowing a scream. He was now standing nose to chest with Ben Jabruski, outside linebacker and two-time defensive player of the year. Eric Kordell stood beside him, smaller but no less intimidating. His brown eyes gleamed with feral, territorial aggression. 

“Get outta here, freak,” Eric said. 

Gareth squared up to him, unafraid. “Last time I checked this was a free country.” He wrenched his shirt out of Ben’s grip, careful not to tear his favorite flannel. It was a Christmas gift from his mother. 

While he was distracted, Eric reached out and ripped the paper out of Gareth’s hand. 

“Hey, give that back!” 

“What’s this?” Eric asked. He opened the paper and studied it for a minute. His expression went from amused to curious to downright furious. He crushed the list in his fist. “Why’s my girlfriend on here?” 

“Oh…” Panic shot up Gareth’s spine. He took a step back and let loose a nervous chuckle. “Oh… you must be Claire’s boyfriend. You know, I heard you two had a lovely time at prom.” 

He turned on his heel and took off running down the hallway. 

“Bye, Gareth!” you said, fluttering your fingers as he passed. Then you looked back at Chrissy with a smile. “God, I love that kid…”

You went to your locker after that, ignoring all the busy little voices, the occasional odd glance and stifled giggle you received from the other students. Chrissy followed with her first-period textbook cradled in her arms. 

“Just ignore them,” she told you. 

“I already am,” you said… but then you saw Sarah, Sally, and Stacy huddled around Stacy’s locker. Talking about their hair. Talking about their clothes. Stirring their black cauldron of boiling bones and animal guts. Sarah looked at you, whispered something to Sally, who passed the same message on to Stacy, and all three of them tittered gleefully at your expense. 

“Just ignore them,” Chrissy said.   

“I will,” you said, but first—

You whipped around and burst out: “So which one of you got knocked up after prom? My money’s on you, Stacy.” 

Chrissy, dismayed but secretly delighted, tugged gently on your right elbow. Before going with her, you tossed Satan’s mistress (AKA Stacy Raab) a snide little wink. Stacy rolled her eyes in disgust. 

“Stop it,” Chrissy said. 

“They started it.” 

“I know… but stop it. You’re better than that.” 

At the end of the hallway, you spotted Chance Gallagher standing in front of his open locker, wearing the same green letterman jacket that he wore when he asked you to prom six weeks ago. Chance closed his locker and caught your eye for a moment. Then he gave you a small, apologetic smile. 

What was he apologizing for? For asking you to prom, getting your hopes up, and then humiliating you in front of the entire senior class? You weren’t sorry he did it. In fact, you were glad he did it. Yeah, you wanted to go up to him, shake his hand, and thank him for being such a spineless little worm. If he were a decent guy, your night might have gone differently, and you were quite pleased with how your night went. So thank you, Chance. Thank you for being a complete scumbag. Maybe I should write him a thank-you note. 

Smiling, you turned back around. As you did, you stole another quick glance at the clock on the wall. 

Eight-nineteen… 

You sighed. 

… and now eight-twenty. 

“He’s running late, huh?” Chrissy said. You looked her way and she flashed you a sweet, teasing smile. “I know you’re waiting for him.”

A small flush of heat tickled your cheeks, threatening to set your whole face on fire. Resisting it, you grabbed your padlock and started spinning the dial: three turns to the right, one full turn to the left, another quick turn to the right, and

“Are you nervous about seeing him?”

you missed the last number and had to start all over again. 

“Kind of,” you admitted. “Is that weird?”

Chrissy shook her head, her smile growing brighter and brighter. “Nope, it’s totally normal and absolutely adorable.” Giggling, she hugged her book tightly to her chest. If her hands were free, she probably would have hugged you instead. “I’m so happy for you. I really, really am. I swear, I feel like my heart’s about to burst right now.” 

“Well, you should probably see a doctor about that.” 

Chrissy stuck her tongue out at you. You did it right back, popped off your lock, and pulled on the handle. The locker door swung outward, squeaking on its hinges, and almost smacked Chrissy in the face. “Hey!” she said, laughing. She stepped back, skipped around you, and planted herself comfortably on your left side.

“So did you see him last night?” she asked, practically beaming. 

“Nope.” You slipped off your messenger bag and hung it on the hook. 

Chrissy squinted at you suspiciously. “Why do I feel like you’re lying right now?” 

“I’m not lying,” you told her, only to be betrayed by your blushing face. “I didn’t see him last night… technically it was this morning.” 

Twelve-o-two, to be exact. That’s when you saw the headlights flashing through your bedroom window blinds.

“Oh my god,” Chrissy said.  

“What? He just stopped by to say goodnight.” You smiled softly to yourself. “It was kind of romantic, actually.” 

“Uh-huh,” Chrissy said, laughing at you. “And how long did you two say goodnight?”

“Only for an hour… and a half.”

It was raining last night. You couldn’t invite Eddie into the house, so you two hung out in his van for a while. A very long while. W.A.S.P. was playing on the stereo. Eddie had found the cassette tape while cleaning out his van that afternoon. He was very proud of this accomplishment. It was adorable. He had you listen to a few of his favorite songs, asked you about your day, told you about his, and during “Cries In the Night,” he leaned over the center console and kissed you. Everything after that was a bit of a blur. The last thing you remembered was the horn blaring. You had accidentally pressed it with your elbow.  

“Oh my god,” Chrissy said.

“Stop saying, ‘Oh my god.’ You sound like my mom.”  

She had said the exact same thing after confronting you about it in the kitchen this morning. Turns out, the car horn had woken her up. Then she caught you creeping back inside through the front door. It was an awkward breakfast, to say the least. 

Chrissy poked your shoulder playfully. “That’s how it starts, you know. Late-night visits. Long, drawn-out goodbyes. You two are gonna be inseparable this summer.” She breathed a long, lovesick sigh. “Jason and I used to be like that.” 

“You’re still like that.” 

“Yeah,” she said, smiling. 

“Speaking of…” You saw Jason Carver coming down the hallway, his pants ironed and creased, white collared shirt tucked in, a brand new Rolex glinting on his left wrist (an early graduation present from his father, apparently). He looked like a Ralph Lauren catalog model. “Is it weird that I’m picturing him naked right now?”   

Chrissy hid her face in embarrassment. “I swear to God, if you say anything…” 

“What am I gonna say to him? ‘Thank you for deflowering my best friend’? ‘I heard your penis is rather pleasing’? I don’t wanna talk to him about that. I don’t even wanna think about that.”

Prior to this weekend, you couldn’t even imagine Jason Carver having genitals. You always figured he was like a Ken doll down there. Nothing but smooth plastic.

Chrissy looked at you, mortified. “Why do I tell you anything?”  

“I have no idea,” you said. Then you checked the clock again. 

Eight twenty-three. 

Where the hell’s Eddie? you wondered, starting to get a little worried.

Jason’s arrival reclaimed your attention. 

“Hey, guys,” he said in that smooth drawl that made all the girls swoon. 

You expected to find him standing with his million-dollar smile, but he wasn’t. No, today Jason seemed different—humble, approachable, perhaps even a little shy. It was as if he’d reverted back to his ten-year-old self. Little Jason Carver, who could barely dribble a basketball. The boy who stammered when he introduced himself to the rest of the class. The boy who sat down next to you, smiled, and said he liked the character on your favorite shirt. The boy who talked to you every day. Encouraged you. Defended you. The boy you caught staring at your best friend way too many times to be a coincidence. 

Then you looked at Chrissy and she seemed younger, too. A blushing, fidgeting ten-year-old who always forgot to stand up straight. She got so excited when Jason offered to walk her home from school. He even carried my books!

Back then, your happiness for them had been counterfeit, complicated, but not anymore. Yeah, now you could say you were genuinely happy for both of them. 

This was still awkward as hell, though.

“Hey, Chrissy needs to borrow a pencil,” you blurted out, breaking their amorous trance.

A soft pink flush rose to Jason’s cheeks. “What?”

“Just ignore her,” Chrissy said, struggling to keep a straight face. 

Meanwhile, you punched Jason on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t forget about our deal, buddy.” 

“I haven’t,” he told you. “I’ll buy your lunch, as promised. It’s the least I can do.” 

“What if I want two lunches? And a whole plate of cookies?”

“Then I guess I’m buying you two lunches and a whole plate of cookies.” 

Jason smiled at you… but then his demeanor changed, hardening like armor. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

You blinked at him. “Am I okay?” you repeated slowly, a little taken aback. “Well, I did wake up with a strange tattoo on my wrist. It’s like a crucifix, except it’s upside down. Weird… Also, I can’t be sure, but I think I might be dealing with a Rosemary’s Baby scenario. Yeah, I’m definitely gonna be giving birth to the Antichrist in about nine months. Buy something black.” 

Jason’s eyes widened in confused horror. 

“Oh my god, I’m kidding!” you said. “Eddie was a complete gentleman. He even asked for permission before he impregnated me with his hellseed. Naturally, I gave him the green light because… well, have you seen his face? It’s kinda perfect.” 

Chrissy put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Jason didn’t appreciate your joke. 

“Come on, be serious.” 

“I am being serious. Believe it or not, I actually find him insanely attractive. He’s like a discount version of Eddie Van Halen, and I can’t afford the real thing, so…” 

“So you actually slept with him?” Jason sounded disappointed and ashamed. He reminded you of your father. 

No, worse than your father.

“Well, no, I was kidding about that. I mean, I did sleep with him, but not in the way you’re assuming. And are you seriously gonna judge me for having sex? It’s been a while since I’ve been to church, but I’m pretty sure the bible condemns hypocrisy. You might wanna reread those sections. I think you’ll find them very enlightening.”

Jason ground his jaw in irritation. “Stop making jokes!” 

“I don’t want to,” you said finally, your voice breaking, “because then I’m just gonna get really, really mad like I’m doing right now, and I don’t wanna be mad at you, Jason. I was having a really good morning until you showed up.” 

By now, Chrissy had stopped laughing. Her shoulders drooped and she looked at you with a sick, sorry expression. 

Jason said, “Look, I just think you’re undervaluing yourself, okay? You can do so much better than that—”

“Oh, please don’t do that. Don’t try to talk to me like you’re my friend.” 

“I am your friend.” 

“Then be my friend, Jason. Stop trying to ruin my happiness!”

The school bell dinged and students began making their way to class. Jason went, too. Didn’t even bother saying goodbye. Chrissy told you not to worry about him. “Jason’ll come around eventually.” Then she smiled, waved goodbye, and ran to catch up with him. 

You weren’t half as optimistic as she was. 

This is gonna be a huge problem, isn’t it? 

You groaned, dreading it. 

Behind you, another wave of students came rushing down the hallway. Brittany Wirth was among them. You knew because you could hear her shrill voice piercing through the dull chatter around her. She was ranting about prom, complaining about the flowers, complaining about the food, about the music, about—

“YOU!” 

You flinched and turned around, thinking she was talking to you. 

What you saw made your eyes light up with glee. Brittany Wirth had Eddie Munson pinned up against the lockers, and she was jabbing him in the chest with her index finger. 

“You, sir, are a total asshole! Do you have any idea how hard I worked on that event? I was planning it for months, planning it to perfection, and then YOU had to go and make it all about yourself, as usual.” She stepped back and huffed, exhausted. “I hope you’re proud of yourself.” 

“I’m a little proud of myself,” Eddie replied candidly. 

Brittany shot him a deadly glare. “Oh, shut up!” She swept her hair off her shoulder and walked away.

You stopped her as she passed. “You know what, Brittany, all things considered, I thought it was a very successful night.” 

Brittany’s jaw dropped and got stuck like that, locked in befuddled rage. Not a single sound came out, but you could tell she was trying to speak. Was this it? Had it finally happened? Did Brittany Wirth actually crack? She worked her lips unsuccessfully for a minute and then closed them again, steaming in her hatred, screaming internally like a boiling teapot. She brushed past you and continued on her way. 

Then you heard Eddie approach you.  

“Did I really make the night all about me?” 

His question made you giggle. “A little bit.” You turned around with a smile, glad to see him, relieved to see him. “I still had a good time, though.” 

“Well, that’s all that matters,” Eddie said, but there was something in your eyes that made him frown with concern. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” you said, and blinked that silly little worry away. “Jason’s just being… well, Jason.” 

“I take it he doesn’t approve of me.” 

“Yeah, you’ve really got him clutching his bible. He thinks you’re gonna drain my blood and sacrifice me to the devil.” 

“Really?” Eddie said, his eyes widening in false astonishment. “Well, he just spoiled our next date.” 

“Oh, really?” you replied, giggling. “Well, I guess that explains why I’m still a virgin.” 

Eddie winced, looked down at his shoes, and grinned bashfully. “Okay, I walked right into that one.”

“Yeah, you did,” you said; and God, it drove you crazy seeing him get so flustered.

Kinda like last night, you thought, startling yourself, and immediately shooed that dangerous thought away. Now was not the time for that, young lady. You still had a full day of school to get through. Somehow.

“You’re late,” you said.   

“Yeah, I uh…” Eddie brought his hand to his face and started rubbing it. “I got pulled over for speeding.”

You gasped. “No, you didn’t.” 

“Yeah, I did.” 

“Prove it.”

Eddie pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to you. You opened it and immediately busted out laughing. 

“Oh, wow… going fifty-five in a forty-five.” 

“Eh, they went easy on me… I was going at least sixty.” 

“Wow…” 

“Yeah…” Eddie said, tilting his head. “The one time I’m in a rush to get to school.” 

His brown eyes sought yours and settled there for a moment, his lips curling into a tender, captivated smile. You smiled back helplessly, feeling girly, feeling giddy, feeling like you were probably grinning like an idiot right now. Embarrassed, you pressed the paper to your mouth in a vain attempt to hide it. When that didn’t work, you thrust the ticket back into Eddie’s hand and turned away, pretending to pull books from your locker. 

You felt along the spines like someone fumbling around in the dark. What class were you going to again? History? English? French? 

No, you weren’t even taking French.

You spoke to Eddie in a frazzled voice: “Well, since you’re not in handcuffs right now, I’m assuming they didn’t find anything when they searched your van, huh?” 

“Luckily, no…” 

“Good thing you cleaned out your van yesterday.”

“Mhm…” Eddie said, his voice seeming much closer than before.

Your roaming fingers slowed, then stopped, sliding all the way down the stack of books. With one more step, his presence had consumed you, making you blind and deaf to everything else, everything except Eddie. You could feel him standing next to you, leaning into you, his left hand outstretched and resting against the locker beside you. His voice sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.

“Find what you’re looking for yet?”

You gazed into his eyes and got lost in them. “… I can’t remember what class I’m going to.”

You laughed at yourself sheepishly, senselessly, and saw Eddie crack a small smile: half amused and half… something else, something that brought you back to last night—that quiet, rainy night. Sitting in the dark and listening to music. Eddie humming softly beside you, drumming his right hand on the steering wheel, watching the tiny droplets race down his windshield. You sitting in your seat nervously. Fidgeting restlessly. Running your fingers over the plastic cassette case on your lap. Pretending to take interest in it while secretly watching Eddie out of the corner of your eye. Waiting for him to kiss you. Hoping he’d kiss you. Catching him staring at you with that smile… the same smile he was giving you now… right before he leaned in and…

“Ahem.” 

Another student appeared behind you, tapping her foot impatiently. “Uhh, can I get to my locker, please?”

Eddie drew away from you, embarrassed and a little frustrated, and took two giant steps back.

The girl assumed his place without a word, opened her locker, hung up her backpack, her jacket, grabbed her textbook and notebook, snatched a few pens from her bag, and closed her locker again. Before leaving, she motioned between you and Eddie and said, “So is this like a thing now?”

You caught Eddie’s eye for a second. “Uhh, yes,” you said while he fought back a huge smile.

The girl shook her head as if dizzy. “Weird,” she said, and left. 

Afterward, you turned to Eddie with a puzzled frown. “Wait, is it weird that I’m dating you or that you’re dating me? I need to know where I rank in this relationship.”

“Maybe you should ask her.” 

“Maybe I will…” 

Giggling, you stepped past him, spotted your locker neighbor at the end of the hallway, cupped your hands over your mouth, and shouted, “Hey, Carmen!” but you never got a chance to finish. Eddie had grabbed your hand and dragged you back to him, pulling you into his arms, putting you right where he wanted you, intending to pick up exactly where he left off.

The second bell rang before you could even feel his breath on your lips. Eddie closed his eyes tightly, as if pained. 

“I really hate that I have to be in school right now.” 

“Me too,” you said, staring up at him, your heart still pounding in your chest. “We should probably get to class.”  

Eddie wrapped his arms around your waist and held you tighter against him. “Or we could just, y’know, skip first period altogether… since you don’t know where you’re supposed to be anyway.” 

He swooped down and placed a few chaste kisses along the side of your head. Blushing, you buried your face into his chest. 

“Are you trying to get me to cut class, sir?”

“No, just giving you options.” 

“Mhm,” you said, giggling. 

While you contemplated his offer, you traced your hand over the button pocket of his denim vest, feeling the fabric, flicking each of his treasured pins one by one: Judas Priest, Accept, Mercyful Fate. You found the W.A.S.P. pin last and focused on it, teasing it with your finger. 

“And then what?” you asked, lifting your head to look at him. “We go back to your van and finish what you started last night?” 

Eddie’s eyes brightened in surprise. “Finish what you started, if I remember correctly.”  

“Was I the one who started it?” You frowned, pretending not to remember. 

Meanwhile, your hand had drifted up to the collar of his leather jacket. You nudged it out of the way and started tugging along the neckline of his shirt, revealing a faint pink bruise on the base of his collarbone. Eddie winced as your finger brushed over it. You smiled softly, remembering how his breath hitched when your lips made the first budding mark, how he cursed and moaned while you planted all the others, his hands slipping underneath your shirt and sliding across your skin. 

“I may have gotten a little carried away…”   

“Yeah, you definitely did,” Eddie said, smiling at you.  

“I just really like W.A.S.P.”

“Do you?” 

“Mhm…”

Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he laughed. “Well, I still have the tape in my van. We can go listen to it right now if you want.” 

You bit your lip hard, unable to answer right away. God dammit, what had you gotten yourself into? You weren’t seriously considering his proposition before, but now…

“Go to class, please.” 

Now Ms. Kelley had come out of her office and was sweeping away the last few stragglers, you and Eddie included.

“I know we’re all a little sluggish this morning, but let’s start this week off strong, okay? There’s still another month before graduation. Don’t lose your focus now.” She looked at you and Eddie tiredly. “You two. Class. Now.”   

You sighed as you saw your window of opportunity close. Eddie peeled himself away from you and started down the hallway.  

“See ya later,” he said over his shoulder. 

“Bye,” you said back, hiding your disappointment behind a smile. 

Upon returning to your locker, you grabbed your textbook—the right textbook—and wedged it in the crook of your left elbow. While hunting around for the matching notebook and folder, you heard Eddie’s voice behind you again, catching you completely by surprise.

“Oh, wait,” he said hurriedly, “I forgot to tell you something.” 

“Hmm?”

You turned around and felt Eddie’s hands cup the sides of your face, drawing you in for a soft, sweet kiss. You closed your eyes, savoring it. A moment later, he broke the kiss and pulled away.   

“See you in third period,” he said, departing with a smile. 

It took you a second to recover from that. When you finally did, you clutched your textbook to your chest and smiled uncontrollably, tears brimming in your eyes, your heart racing, stomach fluttering, face glowing with pure, radiant joy. 

Under your breath, you whispered, “I hate so much that I have to be in school right now.”

Gareth, on the other hand, was glad to be in school today. Admittedly, his morning had gotten off to a rough start, but things were finally starting to look up for him, and now he felt like he was on the verge of a major breakthrough. 

Maybe. 

Hopefully.

But he didn’t wanna jinx it. 

In first period, Gareth snuck into the library and talked to Matilda Gunn: salutatorian, captain of the debate team, and the third name on Gareth’s list (his new list, of course; the original list was long gone, probably lying in a trashcan somewhere).

Matilda, anyway, was sitting at the back table and studying for her upcoming physics test. Matilda preferred studying in the library over her study hall class because she couldn’t stand the sound of her neighbor chewing and slurping his nails. She wasn’t too happy when Gareth pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. She was even less happy when he brought up Eddie Munson. 

“First of all, I’m offended that you would even think I would associate with that moron. I hate the guy. He ruined my GPA. Stupid group projects… God, I hate them!” Enraged, Matilda tore a random leaf out of her notebook and ripped the poor thing to shreds. Gareth watched her do it, horrified, and hoped there was nothing important written on that page. “You know, if I’d known he was gonna slack off like he did, I would’ve just done the whole thing myself. But no… I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I gave him the easiest task and he couldn’t even do that. He said he forgot about it. Said he was busy working on a campaign or something.”

“Yeah, he gets like that sometimes,” Gareth said. “Like last month, he spent the whole weekend learning ‘Master of Puppets.’ Have you heard that song?” 

Matilda shook her head, her eyes glazed with boredom. 

“Well, doesn’t matter. It’s a very hard song to play. That’s all you need to know. And Eddie became obsessed with it. He locked himself in his room all weekend and practiced over and over and—” 

Matilda pressed her hand to her temple and hissed, “Listen, junior freak, I don’t give a shit about Eddie Munson and his fucking guitar. Okay? Second of all, I didn’t even go to prom on Saturday. I was studying all weekend, studying for this test, and if I don’t get an A, I’m gonna hold you personally responsible. Now get lost.”

Gareth lurched back in his seat and felt his mouth go dry. 

(Once again, why were high school girls so needlessly cruel?)   

“Okay,” he said in a small voice. “I’m, uhh, sorry for bothering you.” 

He got up to leave. 

“Wait,” Matilda said with a sigh; then after a moment of careful, painful deliberation, she put out her hand. “Gimme your stupid list.”

Gareth held the list against his chest, protecting it. “You’re not gonna rip it up, are you?” he asked, observing the tattered remains of her last victim. “Because I’m getting kinda tired of writing all these names out.”

And some of those girls had really long names.  

“I’m not gonna rip it up.” Matilda’s voice was strained with frustration and fatigue, but there was still some warmth hiding in there, dimly glowing beneath the cold black coals of her heart. “I’m gonna help you narrow it down, okay? Otherwise, you’ll never figure it out.” She motioned impatiently with her hand. “Come on, hurry up.” 

Gareth handed her the list and she looked it over for a minute, vaguely amused.  

“Not a very long list,” she said while uncapping her highlighter with her teeth. 

“Well, Eddie’s very picky.” 

As he should be, Gareth thought. That man deserved the best.

(much better than you) 

Matilda snorted under her breath. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” She rolled her eyes, bent her head, and began marking up the list with her highlighter. Her hand was calm and controlled, each movement deliberate, precise, as to be expected of an advanced test taker. “Okay, she has a boyfriend… she, I’m pretty sure, has a girlfriend… boyfriend… boyfriend… boyfriend… she’s been out of town for a funeral… and she… doesn’t even live in this state anymore.”

She crossed off the last name and slid the paper across the table. 

Gareth gaped at it, speechless. “You just eliminated everyone.” 

Matilda shrugged. “Like I said, not a long list.” 

It was a major setback, the kind of setback that made you want to tear the whole thing to pieces, cut your losses, and give up. Gareth seriously considered it. He almost did it while sitting in his second-period class. 

But then an angel appeared. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel named Olivia Kent.

She peered over his shoulder during class. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked, sitting with her chin on her palm. 

Gareth considered lying, saying he was working on his assignment or something, but in his current state, he didn’t have the heart to deceive anyone, especially not Olivia, who was so innocent and kind.

“I’m trying to figure out who my friend went home with after prom.” 

“Oh? Who’s your friend?”

“Eddie Munson.” 

“Oh...” Olivia giggled a silly, unaffected giggle. “Yeah, he had quite the night.” 

Gareth turned around in his seat. “You were at prom, Livvy?” 

“Mhm! It was a lotta fun.” 

“And you saw Eddie there?”

“Sure. I saw him lots of times.” 

“Did you see him leave with anybody?”

“Sure did… I saw everything.” 

“You saw everything?” Gareth sat back, awestruck, and felt tears come to his eyes. This was it. This was finally it. This was the breakthrough that Gareth had been waiting for. An eye witness—a star witness—had emerged at last, willing and eager to cooperate. “Oh, Livvy, you beautiful, beautiful, heavenly creature, tell me everything.” 

“About what?”

“About prom, Livvy.” 

“Oh, you wanna hear about prom?” Olivia shrugged, smiled, and said, “Okay! Philip Cuthbert asked me. I didn’t think he was going to, but then he totally surprised me! I wore a frilly pink dress and matching pink heels. Phillip wore a dark blue tux and a black bowtie. I think it was black, but it might’ve been blue, too. Then Philip got me one of those really pretty flower bracelets… What are those called again? Oh, right, corsages! Anyway, we took pictures on the front lawn of my house, then we took pictures at his house, and then we took more pictures in front of City Hall. I don’t normally like taking so many pictures, but I didn’t mind so much in this case. It was a special occasion. Phillip said I looked very pretty. He was really nice to me all night. He held my hand. He bought me dinner. He got me some cake. I actually ate two slices of cake that night, but don’t tell anybody, okay? I was only supposed to have one. And then we danced and drank punch and we danced again—”

Gareth put his hand on top of hers, making Olivia blush and look at him in doe-eyed wonderment. “Livvy, I’m glad you had such a fun time at prom, but since class is gonna be ending soon, do you think you could speed things up and get to the part where you saw Eddie? Is that okay?”

“Sure,” Olivia said, smiling. “I saw him talking to Chrissy.” 

“Yeah, he went there to ask her to dance. I told him it was a terrible idea, but he refused to listen to me.” 

“Yeah, that was a bad idea. Why would he do that?” 

“Because Eddie’s a hopeless romantic.” 

“Really?" Olivia frowned, considering it. “He doesn’t seem like one.” 

“He hides it behind a mask of cynicism, and he hides it very well.” 

“Oh,” Livvy said, mystified by the concept. “Well, I guess that explains why he got up on stage then.”

“Wait, Eddie got up on stage?” 

Damn, Gareth thought, that’s actually really impressive. 

“Mhm! He gave this long speech and everything. My friends said it was really weird and embarrassing, but honestly, I thought it was kinda sweet. Super embarrassing, but sweet. It was kind of like a… hmm… well, I guess you could call it a love confession. I don’t remember what he said exactly, but it was really adorable, and normally I wouldn’t use that word to describe Eddie—you know, ‘cause he’s so mean and scary-looking—but at that moment, he really was adorable. Kinda like a puppy. And then he played Journey and—” 

Gareth’s head rocked back. “He played Journey? Eddie played Journey? Eddie doesn’t like Journey. Nobody likes Journey. Nobody except…” 

(you)

Gareth’s eyes widened. His stomach plummeted to the floor. Then he shook his head and the thought was gone. 

“Okay, maybe it’s just a coincidence,” he said. “Maybe the DJ suggested Journey. Do you remember what song it was, Livvy?” 

“No, I don’t. Sorry, I’m not very good with song titles.” 

“Was it ‘Separate Ways’? ‘Any Way You Want It’? ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’? ‘Faithfully’? ‘Open Arms’?” 

“You know, for someone who doesn’t like Journey, you sure know a lot of Journey songs.” 

And for someone who seemed like such an airhead, Olivia Kent was shockingly observant. Gareth was rather impressed. He couldn’t help but tip his head to her. Touché, fair lady. 

“I think it was the last one,” Olivia said. 

“‘Open Arms’?” 

“I think so.” 

“So Eddie played a sappy love song,” Gareth concluded while rubbing his chin. “Makes sense.” 

“Mhm… and it must’ve worked ‘cause she left with him right after.” 

“You saw the girl who left with him?”  

“Yep.” 

“You saw her face?”

“Of course I did. She walked right past me.” 

“And did you recognize her?”

“Uh-huh!” 

“YES!” Gareth pumped his fists excitedly. He almost leaped out of his chair and kissed her, he was so happy. “Who was it, Livvy? Tell me who it was!”

Olivia sighed. “I don’t remember.” 

“What?” Gareth’s heart shattered. “But you just said you recognized her.”

“I did recognize her face, but I don’t remember her name… Sorry, Gareth, I’m not very good with names.” 

“You’re not good with names,” Gareth repeated softly, beside himself. “She’s not good with names. She’s not good with names. My star witness isn’t good with names.” 

He laughed madly to himself, feeling dizzy and delirious, feeling like the whole room was spinning like a turntable. A turntable playing Journey. Journey! Of all the bands in the world, Eddie, why Journey? Why? Why?

Meanwhile, Olivia rested her cheek against her palm and smiled at him. “You have really pretty eyes. Do you want my number?”  

Gareth paused, considering it. His face turned bright red. 

“Yes, Livvy. Yes, I’d love to get your number.” 

“Cool!” She scribbled it on a piece of notebook paper and handed it to him. “Call me sometime, okay?” 

So now Gareth was strolling away from his third-period class with a laminated hall pass in hand, Olivia Kent’s phone number in his pocket, a massive pit in his stomach, and Steve Perry’s annoying voice in his head. 

Journey. 

Eddie had requested Journey.  

It wasn’t a coincidence, was it? 

Gareth walked past Mr. Prichard’s math class, stopped, and backpedaled a few paces. He pressed his face against the glass and peered inside. 

Eddie was sitting at his desk with his assignment out and textbook open in front of him. He had his pencil in his hand, but he had yet to write a single answer. He was just tapping it against his notebook while he stared absently at the chalkboard, stared with a faraway look in his eyes. Gareth knew that look. It meant Eddie was lost in thought, usually about D&D or whatever new song he was learning, but today Gareth had a sneaking suspicion that Eddie was thinking about something else—or rather someone else. 

But not you. Please, God, not you. 

You were sitting behind him and quietly working on your assignment, just working on your assignment, and that caught Gareth a little off guard. If you had gone home with Eddie (as Gareth begrudgingly suspected now), shouldn’t you have been acting a little… happy? excited? Shouldn’t you have been staring at the back of his head with a dumb, lovesick expression? Daydreaming and doodling about him in your notebook? Naming your future children and planning your destination wedding?

Gareth expected to feel something when he peeked into that classroom. A change in energy. A shift in the natural balance of the universe. Call it whatever you want, but there should have been a noticeable difference in the air, right? Right?  

But there wasn’t.  

Everything was totally normal. 

You and Eddie were acting totally normal. 

And that filled Gareth with an exhilarating sense of relief. 

It wasn’t you. Thank God, it wasn’t you. 

Gareth backed away with a smile. If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have seen the exact change in energy he had been waiting for. If he had stayed a minute longer, he would have seen Eddie turn around and start talking to you. He would have seen you smile and blush and tell him to go back to his assignment (even though you didn’t really want him to go back to his assignment). Then he would have seen Eddie turn back to the front, try to do his work, give up, and turn around again five minutes later. 

But Gareth didn’t stay. Instead, he continued down the hallway in blissful ignorance, pulled out his list, ripped it up, and tossed the pieces into the trash. 

If it wasn’t any of them and it wasn’t you, there was only one logical conclusion. 

“She doesn’t go to school here, does she?”

Gareth forced this treasonous charge onto Eddie as soon as he arrived at the cafeteria. He had found his target sitting at his usual place at the head of the table. The seat of high honor. Eddie’s chair. The king’s chair. Gareth, a once-honorable and faithful soldier, slammed down his tray, leaned forward, pressed his palms into the table, and looked Eddie Munson square in the eye. Unblinking. Unflinching. Unyielding against his Dungeon Master’s powerful, intimidating aura.  

A moment of tense silence passed. Jeff and Grant looked at each other and immediately stopped eating. Jeff put down his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Grant screwed on the lid of his soup thermos and set the container aside. There was no telling how long this would take. Gareth had a talent for prolonging his inevitable demise. It was like watching a slow hanging. 

Oh, but what a show it would be. 

“Who is she, Eddie?” Gareth thrust out his finger accusingly. “Huh? Is she a teacher? A townie? Some drunk chick you picked up at the bar while drowning your pathetic sorrows away?” 

“Yikes,” Jeff said, cringing. 

And Grant said, “That is quite the allegation.”  

Indeed it was, and Eddie didn’t seem to appreciate the open assault on his character. His brown eyes sharpened into a steely glare. They reflected Gareth’s destruction like a black crystal ball. Doom. Doom. Doom. 

“Get your finger outta my face,” Eddie said, and that was all he needed to say.  

“I’m so sorry,” Gareth said, and fell back into his chair with a thump. His heart thudded in his chest while the color slowly returned to his face. That was as close to death as Gareth had ever come. It was a miracle he’d survived. He bent his head and capitulated: “I sincerely apologize for my previous statement. It was malicious and rude, completely unbecoming of my position.”

Grant squinted his eyes curiously. “And what is your position, exactly?” 

“I’m Eddie’s best friend, obviously.” 

“Obviously,” Jeff echoed, snickering. 

Grant, wryly amused, said, “Uhh, I’m pretty sure Scottie’s his best friend.” 

Eddie, having dropped his tyrannous facade, was pretending to listen while absentmindedly picking through his snack bag, his thoughts elsewhere, eyes elsewhere. But where, Gareth couldn’t say. He had strained his neck to see who Eddie was looking at, but it was impossible to tell with so many people in the cafeteria. He could have been looking at anyone, anyone, anyone except you.

“He’s right,” Eddie murmured. “Scottie’s my best friend.” 

Gareth shrugged, unconcerned with such trivial technicalities. “Well, then I’m your second best friend, Eddie, and since Scottie’s in prison right now, I have to step in and assume the role in his stead.” 

“Ah, the interim best friend. So that’s the imaginary position you gave yourself.” 

“Oh, shut up and eat your soup, Grant.” 

“I will eat my soup,” Grant said, “and I’ll enjoy it while you continue to embarrass yourself.” 

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Gareth grumbled nonsensically. He stabbed a piece of broccoli with his fork, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. It tasted like dirt. “I’m having a really horrible day.”   

“Well, that’s too bad,” Eddie said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Mine’s actually going pretty well.”

Another cryptic response. Gareth simply couldn’t take it anymore.

“You know,” Jeff began, “speaking of Scottie—” 

Gareth flung down his fork angrily, sending a spear of broccoli whizzing past Grant’s left shoulder. 

“Oh, come on, just tell me who it is already! Enough with the hints and the coded language. I swear to God, you’re driving me crazy, Eddie! You’ve been torturing me for days with this mystery. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t think about anything else. As your friend, I’m begging you to stop. Please, for my sanity, stop.” 

Eddie popped a pretzel into his mouth and chewed. “I’ve been torturing you?”

Grant said, “He’s been torturing himself, honestly.” 

Jeff nodded, seeming on the verge of laughter. “Yeah, he made a list and everything.”

Eddie grimaced. “Wait, there’s a list? Why is there a list?” 

“Because you’ve driven me to madness, Eddie!” Gareth blurted out in blind white rage. “I hope you’re happy because you’ve driven me to complete madness! Who were you with on Saturday? Don’t even try to deny it because I heard a girl talking in the background. It wasn’t the TV. It was a girl. A living, breathing girl. I know you were with her that night, and I know you were with her yesterday.” 

“I wasn’t with her yesterday,” Eddie replied, his eyelids heavy with annoyance. “I already told you, I was out running errands.” 

“Oh, you’re sticking with that story, huh? Okay, Eddie, let’s assume you were out running errands. Let’s assume you spent your whole Sunday exactly as you said. You got up bright and early, stopped by the drugstore for God knows what, and then spent the rest of the day by yourself at home, cleaning out your van.” 

“I did clean out my van yesterday. That’s how I found my lost W.A.S.P. tape.”  

“Oh, which album?” Grant asked. 

“The Last Command,” Eddie answered, a soft smile touching his face. 

Wait, was that another clue?

“Nice,” Grant said. “That’s a solid album.” 

Eddie nodded, agreeing, but now there was a distant glimmer in his eyes that wasn’t there before. Gareth couldn’t take his eyes off it. It was as if his friend was lost in a cherished memory. 

What significance did this W.A.S.P. tape hold?

Was there any significance? 

These questions twisted Gareth’s mind into a pretzel. 

And speaking of pretzels, Eddie had set down his snack bag and stopped eating. Weird. He now sat with his arms folded over his chest, fingers drumming impatiently against his right bicep. His wandering eyes kept going back to the clock. Counting down the minutes. What had him so restless all of a sudden? What was he waiting for? His next class? English? Was that significant? Eddie hated English. He dreaded English. He complained about it every day because it meant he had to see— 

Eddie pushed off the table and stood up. Gareth climbed up from his chair, too. 

“Where are you going, Eddie?” 

“Dude,” Jeff said, looking up at him. “You need to calm down.” 

“Otherwise,” Grant went on, “you might get demoted to third best friend.”

The two of them dissolved into laughter. Gareth didn’t even hear them.  

“It’s happening,” he muttered. “Something’s happening.”

“Yeah, you annoyed Eddie so much that he had to leave to get away from you.” 

But that wasn’t it. Eddie wasn’t fleeing for the exit like a coward. No, he was marching straight through the middle of the cafeteria like a lone soldier charging through the battlefield. Charging to victory or to death. He was infiltrating the enemy’s stronghold, impervious to their hostile glares and raised eyebrows. Even Jason Carver himself, who had begun to get out of his chair, could not stop him today. Eddie was a man determined, a man determined to get to

(of course)

you. 

He wedged himself between two basketball players, pushed his palms into the table, and greeted you with a charming smile. You gazed up at him in sweet surprise. 

“Hi,” you said. 

“Hi,” he said back. “You wanna skip next period?”

Chrissy’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god,” she said while you blushed, buried your face in your hands, and giggled. 

Gareth, dumbstruck, slumped back into his chair with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth. 

That bitch, he thought. That Journey-loving bitch, she actually did it. 

Grant regarded him with an impressed frown. “You know, you’re handling this a lot better than I thought you would. When did you figure it out?” 

Gareth sighed. “Second period.” 

Eddie just had to play Journey.

There was a moment of solemn silence after that. Then Grant unscrewed his soup thermos and lunch resumed as usual. Jeff took a bite of his sandwich. Gareth, now resigned to his grim fate, stuck his fork into his meatloaf and cut himself a modest slice. The meat looked dry and grey. What a horrible new world he lived in. 

But, he supposed, there was something to look forward to. 

“I got Olivia Kent’s number today. I think I’m gonna ask her out this weekend.” 

SERIES MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

unfortunately, i no longer do taglists. if you want to stay updated on my fics, you can follow me and/or subscribe to my posts. thank you!

[proffesionalalpaca]

I need more theories about Avatar 3 because I'm going to go crazy until the premiere 😭 I'm so curious how Spider will react if Quaritch really joins Ash's na'vi or worse kidnaps him again and forces him to join too

Let me just get my hat on *rustles of foil*

-

To put it simply I think if Spider was to find out Quaritch had joined the Ash clans, he’d be a mess of conflicting emotions: both pride at the fact his ‘not-dad’ is capable of connecting with Pandora and the Na’vi like that but also, from the nature of the ash people, be disappointed in who he has decided to connect with.

But for comedic effect here’s the initial reaction:

‘Quaritch joined the Na’vi’

Spider: YES!

‘It’s the Ash people’

Spider: FUCK!

-

Quaritch would, in my mind, definitely try to make his ‘totallynotmyson-son’ live with him, because being accepted by a group of Na’vi is what Spider wants right? But of course spider is a gentle person whose closest friend maybe the embodiment of Eywa herself, he wouldn’t want to be apart of a culture that values cruelty like severing and wearing kurus as trophies, or potentially having any affiliation with the RDA/human side of the war - who the ash people may be allying with.

I feel like the Metkayina will be where spider finds himself as a man and their pacifistic way of life being antithetical to his biological father would only attract him further.

The ash people will likely be the Opposite to everything the reef people & tulkun represent, much like their opposing elements - and while spider is a warrior at heart with an ever burning fire that may endear him to the ash people, I just can’t think he would be on board, though he would again feel conflicted if they were completely ready to accept him despite of all his differences. Everything he wants if he leaves behind who he is.

If Quaritch forced Spider to join the ash clans (which I don’t think it’d get quite that far but not for lack of trying on Mile’s part), Spider would resent his father for making him join the clan that’s trying to kill his ‘people’ (kiri, Lo’ak & etc…). It would, from in spider’s point of view, be little different from being forced to join the RDA directly.

-

Extra theory:

Themes of this film will likely be about war, forgiveness & rebirth.

War - obvious reasons but specifically about the cycle of violence of being wronged so you must take revenge which then creates the feedback loop of conflict that never ends. The ash people were likely on the losing side of a conflict/ many conflicts a long time ago and they still hold one hell of a grudge - which is why they’ll join the humans to defeat their ‘shared’ enemies.

Forgiveness - this is Neytiri’s theme, she needs to learn to let the past go in order to achieve inner peace and move on in her life without holding onto all that pain and anger. Especially towards Spider, where she’ll see that the ash people are the result of this blind hatred for the actions of one’s ancestors being put upon an innocent party. How petty & pointless it really is, especially how it can poison a person’s soul overtime. She doesn’t need to forget but to recognise that Spider and many humans are not all guilty of the crimes of a few terrible people. Maybe this will even aid in her journey to understanding humanities plight on Earth?

Rebirth - I’ve said before with project phoenix and the cultural symbolism of fire, there are huge indicators for rebirth to be a major theme and I think that will be Quaritch’s theme going forward as he sheds the identity of the human Quaritch and becomes the Na’vi man he lives as now, whether that is with the ash people or not is another matter but I think they will be crucial in finding his connection with Pandora, with Varang as a key point in this journey.

I also think from the leaks of spider that rebirth will be apart of his character arc, overcoming the limitations of his human body to truly be apart of Pandora. And kiri who could be reborn as the Avatar of Eywa herself.

[eepylesbean]

Just a lil stucky WIP I pooped out just now, tell me how we feeling about it

Steve quickly made his way down the ornate castle halls, making sure to keep his dress from tripping him. He zipped past servants going on about their work, heels clacking loudly on the marble floors before coming to face a large intrequit door.

He slammed it open, chest heaving as he came to a stop. His mother and a very familiar face stood at the foot of the throne, two guards by each person.

"Bucky?" He said breathlessly, the man in question turned from the queen Sarah--Steve's mother-- and grinned. "Hey stevie" He said as he held out his arms, inviting the blond in.

Steve quickly took the hint and pushed himself from the door and into the brunet alphas arms. He jumped and bucky quickly caught him in air and spun him around, Steve's dress and bucky coat tails dramatically spinning with them.

Bucky sat Steve back down on the floor looking down at him with an even bigger smile on his handsome face. "Long time no see, huh?" He said kiddingly, Steve still in his embrace.

Steve's bright expression quickly turned to anger, "You jerk!" He said sternly as he broke from his embrace and punched the much larger man's shoulder.

Bucky laughed and held a gloved hand up to one of his, frankly, confused guards--a heavier set man with a bushy mustache, as moved towards them.

"I haven't seen you in forever and I have to find out through servant gossip that you were here?!" Not lowering his voice any but there was no real malice in his tone.

"Sorry doll, my dad was working me to the bone, trying to get me ready for the throne." He explains, " hardly any time to write or visit." He put his hands on Steve's shoulders as to stop his flailing.

Steve huffed at the explanation but stopped his movements. "Can I tell you why I'm here?" Bucky ducked down to meet Steve's eyes, who looked back up at him through his lashes and nodded with a pout.

"Well, I've got news and I of course wanted you to be the first to know." Steve perked up, wondering what it could possibly be.

"I'm getting married." Bucky said with a smile.

Steve's heart dropped, he blinked a couple of times in confusion. "What?" He barely heard himself over the blood rushing to his ears.

He quickly recovered and cleared his throat. "That... is great." He tried his best to look and sound excited for the alpha, but even to him it didn't sound right. "Do I... do I know them? What are they like?" He knew he shouldn't be but he was curious to find who would be taking the spot by Bucky's side he had been wanting since he was a pup.

Bucky seemed to get more excited at the question. "You know them very well, I promise, and they're probably the prettiest omega I've ever met, little spitfire too, always quick to put me in my place when I need it." Bucky gushed about the omega, not knowing about Steve's plight happening in front of him.

Steve swallowed and numbly pushed from Bucky loose embrace, nodding along to what Bucky was saying.

"Well, I'm sure they'll be great for you... I think I might just..." He trailed off trying to find an excuse, looking to his mother who was holding her hand over her mouth, trying to cover a smile. "Steve, dear, did you hear a thing he said?" She asked with a smile and an eye roll aimed at Bucky.

Steve looked back at the alpha even more confused. Bucky was biting his lip trying to hold back laughter like his mother was a few seconds ago.  "Steve, I was talking about you, I want to marry you, if you'll have me of course."

It seemed everything Bucky was saying was a different language, because Steve froze again, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand." He said slowly, looking between the two older alphas.

"That's why I'm here, I was asking your mother for your hand in marriage." And when that explanation didn't work Bucky sighed deeply. "Here how about this," he lowered down on one knee in front of the blonde. " Steven Grant Rogers of TBD, will you marry me?" He held Steve's much smaller and colder hands in his own large warm hands as he smiled up at the omega.

Something finally clicked in Steve as he gasped and tear rushed to his eyes for a different reason.

He looked up at his mother and even the guards around excitedly before making his way back down to Bucky, who was looking back with affection.

"Yes! Yes of course I'll marry you, you jerk!" He said excitedly and found himself back into the alphas arms, almost knocking him over. Bucky laughed as he hefted himself and Steve from off the floor.

Bucky brought out a small box that held an even smaller band of silver and shinging diamonds in it. "Now I know it's not much but I figured we'd go together and pick something else out before the---." He tried to explain sheepishly before he was cut off. "Shut up, I love it, I'll keep it forever." Steve said while admiring the ring that was placed on his finger.

Bucky chuckled and brought the blonds hands to his mouth and kissed his knuckles. "Of course, doll." He smiled from under his lashes.

[theflowerofthecommonwealth]

Power Armor Punch Part Fifty Five

Masterlist

Gardio: *nods with deep understanding for their plight* I used to take in kids for a settlement I ran all the time. I know how hard it can be. *sad smile* Do what you can in the moment to help… that’s all any of us can do.

Nick: *not letting her win this round. He’ll keep that bottle in until she’s drunk every drop of broth*

Donovan: (Opens his eyes again, flashing Gardio a thankful smile) “Yeah, you’re absolutely right.” (Looks to Jas again, grateful she’s too distracted to hear this conversation so she doesn’t get triggered)

Jasmine: (Growls again at Nick but she starts drinking the broth as she can see that he’s not giving in to her demands anytime soon)

Ma: (Returns with tray that’s has a large pot of tea and some cups with the baby bottle full of warm formula in her apron pocket) “Here, some herbal tea if anyone wants some, and some honey or milk to add if that’s your style.”

Gardio: *takes a cup with a smile and nods again at Donny*

Ma: (Hands Nick the new baby bottle) “I’ll take Lucille her cup tea now.” (Walks back out of the room)

Jasmine: (Had gotten about ¾ of the bottle in her stomach when she sees the new one, making her get all hissy, huffy, and squirmy once more)

Donovan: (It’s still taking him off guard that Jas has reverted to communicating like a wild animal, or more accurately a feral kitten who’s just been picked up from the side of the road and being given healthcare while they hiss and mewl in protest)

Ma: (Comes into Lucille’s little nook, happy to find that it’s staying warm inside thanks to her improvised insulation) “Lucille, honey? I have your tea…” (Sets it down on her nightstand, smiling warmly again at the younger woman) “Do ya need anything else?”

Lucille: *wiggles enough to look up at Ma* Not to sound like a kid, but could my dad come and keep me company? *takes some of the tea and sips it. It helps her feel a little more at ease. Just a little*

Nick: *holds her still as he keeps the bottle in her mouth* Stop this, Jas. You’re not an animal.

Jasmine: (Keeps huffing and snarling while trying to break free from her swaddling, sipping down the rest of the broth in the process)

Ma: (Nods her head at Lucile’s request) “There’s nothing childish about wanting to be with your parent, especially after a long and hard day. I’ll go fetch him for ya.” (Starts heading down back into the guest room and she walks over to Gardio with a beaming smile) “Your daughter would like you to keep her company up in the attic, I think she’s feeling a bit better now.”

Gardio: Oh- I’ll be right up. *gets up and heads there immediately. As he climbs up he knocks on the floorboard* Lucille, sweetie? 

Lucille: Come in, Dad. Behind the curtain. 

Gardio: *peeks in and beams at his daughter before ducking in and sitting on the edge of the bed* How’s my little light? 

Lucille: …A little better���

Teshteal: *gathered everything and walks out, throwing the shirt and outfit he wore in the hamper and the remaining bath stuff in the basket* 

Nick: *to Jas* You don’t have to answer this but do you think I’d be doing this if I were trying to hurt you? Hm? 

Jasmine: (Clicks her tongue, pulling away from the empty bottle and snapping her mouth shut. She’s just in rebellious and stubborn mode as she almost always is in, if she was afraid of Nick harming her she’d be completely frozen in fear)

Donovan: (To Nick) “Unfortunately for you, when Rosie doesn’t want to do something, she’s hellbent on getting her way and wouldn’t back down until she could do as she wished. Don’t know what’s her reasoning now because Ro-Ro has decided to be one with the feral cats and speak their language but I can tell ya that she’s not exactly used to being told “No” and having an adult stand their ground.”

Jasmine: (Aggressively hisses at Donny)

Donovan: (She reminds him of a small child throwing a tantrum because they are too tired and fussy) “Trust me, her mom really tried when she finally caught on. Then when she was gone and Rosie got more rebellious, her aunt took it up a notch but couldn’t even get her to stay inside to keep her grounded. She’d jump out of her damn window if she was confined in her room.”

Ma: (Heads back downstairs to finish washing the clothes as the first load should be ready. She gathers Teshteals outfit from the hamper on her way there, frowning at all the holes)

Nick: *to Don* Hold her. *shoves the baby formula bottle in her mouth as soon as she hisses again, resorting to prying her mouth open just enough to get it in there* 

Jasmine: (Goes absolutely feral and ballistic with whatever energy she has left in her weak and tired body. Hissing, screeching, yowling, kicking, the whole package. She even tried to bite Nick while he pried open her mouth to send the message that she does not want to take this bottle with baby formula)

Donovan: (Has to pull Jas in his lap and lock her in a bear hug with one of his legs over hers in order to keep her still) “Rosalinda! This is getting ridiculous! For crying out loud, calm down before you hurt yourself!” (Again, he’s never seen her act so untamed and wild in a hysterical sense, she was at least verbal and somewhat level headed when snapping back at adults)

Jasmine: (Is actually so damned tired and feels like she’s about to collapse at any moment, but she’ll keep up is masquerade as long as she can hold)

Nick: *snaps* Just take the damn bottle already and stop fighting us! You’re only making this more difficult on yourself! *keeping the bottle in her mouth*

Teshteal: *climbs back in the pool with the baby chicks because they’re cute and he likes them* 

Ma: (Smiles at Teshteal on her way to the laundry room) “You can feed them if you wish.” (Points to a small bag of chick feed on the table that has two small dishes besides it, one that’s filled with water and one that’s empty for food)

Teshteal: *eyes turn into saucers in awe of this permission before he grabs the feed and fills the bowl, gently setting them down for the chicks to eat* 

Baby Chicks: (Peep with happiness and they all bounce on over to their bowl to start pecking at their food and water, stumbling over each other in the process)

Teshteal: Aaww… *dopiest grin as the little fluff balls get their food* 

Jasmine: (Makes a desperate noise of struggle when she still can’t get it her way)

Donovan: (Blinks down at Jas, feeling her muscles relax several times throughout her kicking and fighting, watching as her bottom lip starts to tremble) “Hold on….” (Guides the bottle away from her mouth and he takes her pillow and fluffs it up with one hand, keeping the other arm tightly wrapped around her)

Jasmine: (Shrieks when the bottle is finally out of her mouth, trying extra hard to pull free now that she’s not being restrained so much)

Donovan: (Uses his strength to lay back with Jasmine still held close, forcing her to lay down as well)

Jasmine: (Her entire body relaxes and the fight starts to drain out of her when it hits the luxurious soft sheets and the goose down pillow, a small whimper leaving her mouth as her eyes partly close)

Donovan: (Sits up but keeps a hand on her as she’s still struggling, but she’s now obviously showing signs of exhaustion that she had kept hidden earlier) “Listen to your father and drink your milk, Rosie-Posie. You’re by far worn out to the bone and sleepy, you don’t have the energy to fight us anymore.” (Nods at Nick, sitting up Jas so she’s reclined back and not flat on the mattress)

Jasmine: (Lightly fussing like a tired toddler who’s being settled down for the night, still wrapped in a burrito. The more she fusses, the more the mattress and blankets eats her and brings her closer into its warmth and coziness)

Nick: *holds the bottle out to Donovan* Maybe she’ll take it better now that she’s relaxed.

Donovan: (Takes the bottle from Nick and gently prods the girls lips with it to coax her into opening her mouth) “Cmon Rosie, you need this.” (Squeezes her jaw slightly)

Jasmine: (Whines as the bottle is put back in her mouth, but she finally gives up and starts willingly drinking as tears go down her cheeks from how tired and frustrated she is)

Donovan: (Almost starts laughing with relief) “There you go Rosalinda… Take it slow.” (Would wipe her eyes and the little milk that’s dribbling out of her mouth but he has to keep a hold on her and the bottle)

Jasmine: (Finishes the entire thing in no time, whimpering and sniffling with tears as she pulls away. Her stomach twists with all the liquid that was put in it and her mind blares alarms, but she feels a little better now that she’s not dehydrated or starving)

Donovan: (Puts the bottle aside on the table) “I think we can unwrap her now, she probably doesn’t even have the strength to move.” (Lays the trembling teen back down completely and stands to allow Nick to take over)

Nick: *carefully loosens the blanket so it’s merely draped over her* There, kiddo. Get some sleep. *doesn’t get in the bed and walks over to the regular bed next to hers* 

Lucille: Sorry I’m not much conversation. 

Gardio: It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re doing better… 

Jasmine: (Quietly whimpers and she would reach out for her Dad to come back but she can’t move her arms anymore. Hell, she can’t even cry out that loud, it’s barely audible)

Donovan: (Kisses her head, tucking in the other pink blanket over her so she isn’t cold while she sleeps. He wipes her eyes and mouth with his handkerchief, so glad she took the bottles) “Good night Rosalinda, I’ll see you tomorrow.” (Gives a tired wave to Nick as he heads off to his own room to get some much needed rest. He would want to sleep on one of the spare beds to be near Rosie but he doesn’t want to intrude)

Jasmine: (Panicking on the inside because she feels trapped in her own body and can’t move or speak. She starts to fall into deep sleep anyways, the ringing in her ears slowly fading)

Lucille: *passes out again, this time for the night* 

Gardio: *kisses her forehead. Softly* Good night, starlight. *switches the light off and goes back to the guest room and heads to bed*

Teshteal: *sneaks back in, curling up in the top bunk of the other bunk bed, snoozing away and for once dreaming of something sweet, laying a among baby chicks and for some reason the face of a girl standing over him and smiling sweetly. He’s not sure who she is- seems really familiar* 

Lucille: *sleeps well into morning the next day*

Donovan: (Blacked out on his bed the moment he dumped himself on it without even changing first, he’s as worn out as Jasmine and still has to do clean up in the morning)

Jasmine: (Ma’s prediction from the previous night has unfortunately come true, she’s fussing restlessly on the bed and burning with a new fever in the morning. Sweat is glistening on her forehead while she whimpers and groans quietly, throwing the blanket over her face in her half sleep so she’s hidden)

Ma: (Downstairs making brunch for everyone with the radio on. She got the laundry done last night before she went to bed, now all that’s left is patching up the clothes and ironing it which she already gotten a head start on. A heavenly aroma of sausage, eggs, and pancakes drifts throughout the house, the sizzling from the pan and the gurgle of the coffee maker practically screaming, “hella tasty breakfast on the way!”)

Lucille: *comes down, rubbing her eyes* Is that prewar sausage I smell…? 

Gardio: *helping by doing the dishes* Not exactly. More like unmutated sausage. *smiles* 

Lucille: Can I help-?

Gardio: *stops doing the dishes and pours her coffee and gives her one of the first pancakes to munch on* You can by sitting and relaxing. 

Lucille: I can do small things. Please- I don’t want to be a burden. 

Teshteal: *helping Joyce with the chickens and some of the live stock* 

Nick: *treating Jas’s feaver with a damp cloth. Frowns* 

Ma: (Wipes her hands on her apron and sets the table with canned berries, butter, whipped cream, syrup, a pitcher of coffee, a pitcher of chocolate milk, and large bowls and plates of the prepped food so everyone else can serve themselves. The pancakes are all adorably heart shaped as she finds them cuter to serve that way) “Yes, you can start helping by eating all this dang food before it gets cold! Donny is always going on and on that I make too much and we end up having leftovers for days on end!” (Winks at the young woman then turns back around to start scrubbing the kitchen down) “Just eat for now my dear, then maybe we can find some small chores for ya to help with if that’s what you really want.”

Pirate: (Sitting like a good girl on the floor by her food bowl, waiting for her breakfast)

Joyce: (Went outside a little while back and left the strange devil man with the chicks and chickens. A few minutes later she casually strolls back in through the front door with a whole ass baby cow in tow that miraculously only has one head) “Mama, she’s cold again!” (Pats the poor shivering thing that looks a little too small and frail)

Ma: (Looks over at her daughter and the little calf in her living room, nodding) “Get some blankets for her then bring her close to the fireplace, I’ll get the milk and you come to sit down and eat.”

Joyce: (Opens the closet and pulls out a blanket that’s used for their cattle and a pair of knitted ear coverings. She tenderly drapes the blanket over the calf and places the ear muffs on its head, leading it to be closer to the fireplace)

Jasmine: (Whines as she sniffles, her nose feeling as stuffy as her head and her entire body feels like its on fire)

Donovan: (Walks into the guest room fully dressed and washed, his face filling with concern when he sees the little girl shuffling uncomfortably on the bed) “Oh no, is Rosie alright?” (Moves closer so he’s standing by Nick, flicking on the lamp and examining her) “Fever? Did you take her temperature?”

Nick: Pushing about 100 degrees. *filling a clean baby bottle with water to give it to her* 

Lucille: *through a mouthful of pancake her dad gave her* Well, that’s a start. *starts to dish up, making sure to get plenty of sausage and eggs along with a few pancakes* 

Gardio: *whipes his hands on a towel, just finishing up the first round of breakfast dishes* Now where did Teshteal run off to? Does anyone know? 

Dogmeat: *just following along Pirate. Doesn’t know if he’ll get fed but he’s hopeful at least* 

Joyce: (Shrugs her shoulders at Gardio) “He was just by the chick pool watching the chicks and me with fascination. I’m gonna go upstairs to wash my hands.” (Heads up the stairs to the bathroom there despite there being a bathroom right besides her)

Ma: (Takes out a giant bottle meant for cattle that’s filled with cows milk, walking over to the little calf) “Donny is probably up checking on Rosie, I should call them down to join us for a group brunch. Perhaps we can get some proper introductions done as yesterday was too hectic for those.”

Calf: (Eagerly starts chugging down her milk with little adorable moos of approval)

Ma: (Gently encourages her to drink all her milk, giving her lots of pets when she does. She rises to her feet again and heads up the stairs in search of everyone else, frowning when she gets to the guest room and finds the two men standing over a feverish Rosalinda)

Jasmine: (Whimpers again on her bed, tossing around with how miserably burning hot she is. Again, she’s so used to being freezing cold all the time so this is torture. Thankfully the cool rag is helping a great deal)

Ma: (Comes over to stand by them) “Oh the poor child.” (Puts a hand to the girls forehead, feeling how dreadfully warm she is) “Brunch is served downstairs, why don’t you two head on down and I’ll stay to tend to Rosie for a bit?” (To Nick) “She’s still drowsy, and considering how much she panics when you’re not near her you may not get another chance later to take a breather.”

Nick: I’ll leave her in your care. She needs to get used to other people caring for her in order to grow. 

Gardio: *notices her choice in bathrooms but doesn’t say anything about it. Could just be preference. He heads out to the coop* Having fun, Tesh? 

Teshteal: *looks up* Tesh? *tilts his head in confusion* 

Gardio: I get tired of saying Teshteal but if that’s what you prefer- 

Teshteal: No, no. It’s fine. Sorry, I just really like the chickens.

Gardio: Is that all?

Teahteal: What do you mean? 

Gardio: You were staring at Joyce earlier. 

Teshteal: I- er… I was just watching her work. *looking away* 

Gardio: *quietly smirking at him*

Teshteal: What?!

Gardio: Oh nothing. Breakfast is ready, come in and eat when you’re reading. *walks away* 

Ma: (Nods and takes the baby bottle with water from Nick. She sits on the edge of the bed and starts stroking the girls hair to soothe her) “Shh, little Rosie. You have a fever, but don’t worry, we’ll put the pep back in your step in no time.”

Jasmine: (Whines and kicks her feet, tossing her arms and legs around like a restless toddler)

Donovan: (As he heads out of the room) “She’s got this, Mama Evie is one of the greatest caretakers and nurtures on this blasted planet. I’d like to hear someone say otherwise.” (Starts heading downstairs, following the aroma of delicious food)

Nick: I believe it. *walks down to kitchen, only briefly glancing up at Lucille as he gets his pancakes* 

Gardio: *sitting across from his daughter, happily dishing up himself a big plate of eggs, pancakes, and sausage* 

Teshteal: *comes bounding in and sits next to Lucille at the table, ready to get his food* 

Gardio: Teshteal, please wash up before you eat. 

Teshteal: *pouts and quickly does so then runs over to dish up, taking his share of food* 

Joyce: (Took a little too long in the bathroom for someone who was just washing their hands. Her eyes are now red and puffy, she’s obviously been crying but she smiles at the group as she starts to pile her plate with food)

Donovan: (Starts serving himself a plate also, but stops in his tracks when he sees the look on Joyce’s face) “Joyce…? Is there something wrong?”

Joyce: (Pouring herself some coffee) “Nope!” (Takes a seat next to Teshteal)

Donovan: (Gives his sister a knowing look) “Are you sure?”

Joyce: (Forced smile while she waves her hand) “Yes, it’s silly and stupid issue, no biggie!” (Lays a napkin on her lap. However, instead of eating she starts stalling by picking at her food or rearranging her beverages and utensils)

Jasmine: (Starts crying when she wakes a little more and senses that her father is no longer in the room with her, the crippling weight of anxiety from being separated from him comes pounding down)

Ma: (Gently unbraids the girls hair so she can flair it over the pillow so her sweaty scalp can breathe) “Ssh, sweetie. Detective Valentine just went downstairs for a bit, he hasn’t left you.” (Carefully blots her forehead with a cool rag)

Gardio: *looks at Teshteal pointedly as if suggesting he should apologize* 

Teshteal: *looks even more guilty cause he already feels like he made her cry. Apologetic smile while looking at Joyce nervously* I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier. I didn’t mean to make you cry- *suddenly really nervous and doesn’t understand why* 

Lucille: *just eating, watching this unfold* 

Nick: Wait- have I missed something…? Do we even know why she was crying? 

Gardio: Come to think of it, not exactly. I assumed it was Teshteal’s doing. 

Teshteal: *hadn’t considered that* I- if it’s not that, I promise if it made you cry it isn’t as silly as you think. What’s wrong? *gone into supportive mode, particularly because he’s still kind of unsure if it’s his fault* 

Joyce: (Nervously) “I wasn’t crying… Uh-…” (To Teshteal) “It’s not you at all. Like I said, it’s just some stupid guy…” (Halts and stares off at nothing)

Donovan: (She’s not a very good lier) “Jojo…?”

Joyce: (Gets even more teary all of a sudden) “I’m a homewrecker!!!” (Slams her face down on the table dramatically, causing a dull thud) “My God, what have I done?!?!”

Donovan: (Walks over with concern and confusion on his face, setting down his plate in the spot besides her) “What?”

Joyce: (Runs her hands through her hair without lifting her head) “And now those poor kids are out in the Wasteland scared and confused while their parents marriage is ripped apart before their eyes! What if when they grow up they decide to hunt me down for ruining their lives!?!”

Donovan: “Wait, slow down for a moment.” (Missing so many pieces because he’s certain that Joyce broke up with her previous boyfriend awhile back and based off the way she acted it was on good terms. But now he’s starting to doubt that, and this ex-boyfriend definitely didn’t have a family of his own to speak of so he’s unsure if who Joyce is even talking about)

Joyce: “I’m never gonna get their faces out of my head! They’ll haunt my dreams for the rest of my damn life!”

Jasmine: (Squirms uncomfortably on the bed and crosses her legs, motioning to the door)

Ma: (Notices and puts it together quickly what’s wrong) “Do you need to use the restroom, sweetheart?”

Jasmine: (Weakly nods, tugging on her hair)

Ma: (Carefully lifts the girl in her arms and carries her into the small half bathroom just across the hall)

Jasmine: (Grabs onto the counter when she’s set down to keep herself upright, swatting Ma away when she attempts to help her with her nightgown)

Ma: “Okay, I’ll be waiting outside. Knock if you need some help, alright?” (Closes the door but leaves it unlocked and leans on the wall with her hand, listening for trouble)

Jasmine: (Finishes up quickly before she limps over to the sink to wash her hands, wincing and gasping at each movement she makes. Her whole body feels like it’s being stabbed with burning pins and needles, and her head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton balls)

Teshteal: *stunned at the outburst then calmly extends his hand and very lightly places it on her shoulder* Joyce, was it? Look at me and just take a moment to close your eyes and breathe, okay? *takes a deep breath, trying to help her calm down* Can you do this for me? *very practiced, slow and deep breaths* 

Nick: *watching this unfold* 

Lucille: *also watching this play out. She’s not going to say anything until she’s got more information* 

Joyce: (Sniffs, then turns her head to look at Teshteal, smiling at him warmly) “Aw, you’re so adorably sweet. Why can’t every guy be like you? Slays mutants to protect a little girl, handles animals with love and care, then comforts strangers while they have a crisis?” (Pats his hand affectionately) “I’d give you a kiss but I’m all icky now.” (Sits up straight and adjusts her clothes) “I’m cool. I’ll be fine.” (Lowers her head again with a heavy sigh, not even convincing herself)

Donovan: (Still trying to figure out what the hell is going on with his sister) “Brody didn’t have kids, though. And I don’t think I believe the part on you being a homewrecker, that does not sound like you.”

Joyce: (Groans at that name, like its a whole other open wound and subject) “I’m gonna have bad karma for life!”

Donovan: (Puts an arm around her) “Do you want to go talk about it outside?”

Joyce: (Shake her head as she eyes the feast in front of her) “I just want food…” (Reaches over and confiscates the bottle of syrup, dousing her entire plate with the sticky sweet goodness, getting the eggs and sausages soaked too. After that she slathers whipped cream on everything as well, never mind how unhealthy it is. She snatches her fork and starts shoving forkfuls in her mouth, chewing slowly)

Pirate: (Whines and puts her head on Joyce’s lap, staring up at her with puppy eyes)

Ma: (Knocks on the door) “Rosalinda? Are you alright, sweetie? Do you need some help?”

Jasmine: (Knocks on the countertop to signal that she’s fine while turning on the faucet. She looks up, catching her dreaded reflection and her breathing hitches)

Ma: (Hears the water running but can’t hear Jas moving. She knocks again) “Rosie?”

Jasmine: (Doesn’t respond this time as she turns off the faucet, she’s too repelled and disgusted by her own reflection. She feels herself lurch forwards while her stomach flops)

Ma: (Listening intently for noises of trouble as she frowns, hand on the doorknob)

Jasmine: (Horrified when she starts puking up up vile on her pretty nightgown as she buckles and falls to her knees, having no reaction time to at least lean over the sink)

Ma: (Quickly opens the door and guides the girl over to kneel over the toilet, swirling her hair back so it doesn’t get in her way) “Sshh, it’s alright, let it all out.”

Teshteal: *blushes at the compliment* Thank you. *eyes dilate subconsciously. Suddenly remembers food exists and puts whatever on his plate again, not even paying attention. He’s too distracted by the fact a complete stranger just said something NICE to him* 

Gardio and Nick: *share a glance, both silently agreeing there’s more here than she’s letting on* 

Donovan: (Sits down besides her on his seat, patting her shoulder) “Do I have to be worried?”

Joyce: (Picks up her plate and tilts it in her mouth so she can drink all the syrup that has formed an ocean at the bottom)

Donovan: (Sighs and takes a forkful of eggs off his own plate to eat) “I’ll take that as a maybe.”

Joyce: (Wipes her mouth with a napkin) “I have bigger things to worry about.” (Pats Pirates head)

Donovan: (Gets up to finally feed the dogs, knowing immediately what she’s talking about) “I told ya not to worry about that.” (Takes out two dog bowls and fills it with food, sprinkling some sausage on top as a reward for finding Jas yesterday)

Pirate: (Barks excitedly and spins in circles, chowing down on her share when Donny sets the bowls on the ground)

Joyce: (Doesn’t answer her brother and continues to stuff her face with her now sugary sweet breakfast while staring off in deep thought)

Jasmine: (Pukes out whatever is in her twisting and knotting stomach which is mostly liquid, bracing herself on the top of the toilet)

Ma: (Rubs small circles on her back, gently encouraging her to relax and breathe steadily as she starts dry heaving) “There we go sweetheart. All done.” (Kisses the top of her head assuredly)

Jasmine: (Gags and coughs over the toilet bowl as she finally finishes, her mouth and throat burning from the foul taste of vile. Her ears start to ring and her eyes water while she stares off at nothing like a zombie)

Ma: (Flushes the toilet and closes the lid, lifting the girl up from under her arms and setting her down on the closed lid. She helps her take off the now solid nightgown, tossing it in the laundry hamper to be washed)

Jasmine: (Puts her arms around her waist and whimpers, rocking from side to side slowly while she softly cries out for her Dad)

Ma: (Helps the poor shivering and sniffling girl wash up and rinse out her mouth, stopping her from picking at her arms whenever she tries to do so) “Let’s not do that to ourselves, hm?”

Jasmine: (Croaking out weakly now that her throat no longer hurts) “Daddy!” (Reaches for the door while trying to stand up to leave)

Ma: (Sighs and kneels back down, gently rubbing Jas’s shoulder as she pushes her back down) “Your father is busy at the moment, Rosie. Don’t worry, he’s still nearby and would never leave you….”

Jasmine: (Dramatically) “Nooooo!!!” (Claws midair for the door and her father like a kitten)

Ma: “Shh, Rosa-Marie. C’mere sweetheart.” (Pulls the feverish girl into her embrace, carefully rocking her)

Jasmine: (Initially fights the embrace but she tiredly gives up after a few failed swats and clings onto Ma as she blubbers a couple of incoherent words that may be insults at herself, but it’s hard to tell)

Teshteal: *suddenly feels like an idiot for getting wrapped up in his ego because of a compliment. Also remembers most people don’t eat the way she’s doing right now unless they’re stressed. Very calmly* Joyce, would it be alright if you, Donovan, and I talked about this later? 

Nick: *raises both eyebrows at how tactful Teshteal’s being* Look at you being the mature mediator. One would think you were a therapist. 

Teshteal: *forced laugh and a grin, suddenly remembering that his training involved lowering people’s guard to get information out of them* Just another fxcked up prewar mad person, hehe! *eyes have gone to slits in his panic. The question “Am I trying to hurt her?” Starts playing on repeat in his head* 

Donovan: (Sits back down again) “I’ll get it out of her later, she’s still new to this whole freedom and being her own person thing.” (Notices Teshteals sudden change but doesn’t say anything, remembering that Jas did the same thing)

Joyce: (Rests her cheek on her left hand, picking at her food again. She doesn’t seem to have heard Teshteal, she’s lost in her own little world) “Those Teen Life magazines were right…“

Donovan: (Turns to Joyce again when she speaks, setting down his cup of coffee) “Hm? What was that?”

Joyce: (Staring off at nothing blankly, looking like a zombie or a robot) “Fries before Guys…”

Donovan: “…Are you talking about the breakup or what you just said now about being a homewrecker?” (Still very confused on that part)

Joyce: (Doesn’t answer, she’s stuck in a trance) “Sisters before Misters….”

Donovan: (Shakes his head, holding up a hand) “Wait a second Jojo-…”

Joyce: (Cuts him off) “All Foods before Dudes…”

Ma: (Gathers the teen in her arms and stands, walking out of the bathroom. But instead of taking her back to the guest room she walks into her own bedroom so nobody accidentally comes in and so she can hold the girl while sitting on a chair)

Jasmine: (Doesn’t notice that they aren’t going back to the guest room, she’s weeping too hard for her Dad to come and get her)

Ma: (Sits down on her plush rocking chair with the fevered girl cradled in her lap, gently tucking Jas’s hair behind her ears) “Shhh, little one… You’re alright now. It was just a small spit up, you’ll be okay and your father will be here for you soon.”

Jasmine: (Shakes her head and trembles as she covers her face with her hands, still disoriented and dizzy) “Daddy! I want Dad…”

Ma: (Pats her back and slowly coaxes the sobbing girls hands off her face so she can breathe properly)

Jasmine: (Puts her thumb in her mouth in an attempt to self soothe, kicking her feet midair)

Ma: (Blots the teens face again with a cool rag, planning on trying to give her the baby bottle of water once she’s calmed down)

Teshteal: *eyes widen, briefly catching the new person bit before his mind is flooded with self doubt again. What if he IS trying to hurt an innocent person? Should he keep his distance from her? Is he a bad person-?*

Lucille: *sweetly* So you’re a synth, then. Did you come here in search of Acadia? *pops a forkful of egg in her mouth* 

Nick: *close to being done with his breakfast. He glances up at the mention of Acadia briefly* 

Donovan: (Answering for Joyce because she’s dead inside) “Actually no, we found her a little ways south from here and didn’t even know about Acadia when we first moved here until about six months ago. Heck, I’m not even sure if anyone else is aware Joyce is a synth, not that we’re hiding it.”

Joyce: (Continues her sayings without acknowledging anyone, sounding more and more defeated with each line) “Bras before Brahs.”

Donovan: (Turns his focus back to Joyce, frowning) “How many more of these do you have? And what’s the point you’re trying to make here?” 

Joyce: “Snickers before you take off your knickers….”

Donovan: “Please stop and just tell me what happened, it’ll be easier on everyone. Where the hell did you even read these from?” (Wonders if he needs to get Ma to give Joyce a pep talk)

Joyce: “Bros before Hoes…”

Donovan: (Rubs his temples tiredly when he hears that one) “Oh dear lord have mercy, she’s broken again and I don’t even know why.”

Donovan: (Shoves a forkful of eggs from off his own non-contaminated plate into Joyce’s mouth to stop her from finishing) “Okay that’s enough from you. There’s a child upstairs.” (Gives her a look while putting another forkful of pancakes in her mouth) “We need to work on your people skills.”

Ma: (Tenderly pulls the girl into another hug, placing a kiss on the top of her head)

Jasmine: (Ends up snuggled close to Ma with her head under the sweet woman’s chin, catching the scent of lavender and laundry detergent on Ma’s house dress. She whimpers and sniffles on her tears, biting down on her thumb a little)

Ma: (Rubs some floral scented lotion on her hands, warming them up) “Hush now, precious child. All will be well in the end… You’ll see.” (Starts rubbing Jazzy’s stomach in a soothing clockwise motion with the lotion, avoiding putting pressure on any of her wounds while she hums a soft tune)

Jasmine: (Tears up more and absolutely melts at the comforting gesture that her own mother used to do whenever she had the chance, especially when one of her kids was sick with something. She relaxes as she sobs, enjoying the close physical contact and gesture while her eyes shut again)

Ma: (Not aware that Jasmine often throws up her food after eating it. To her, Jas puking is just part of the fever she has)

Teshteal: *stuck in his own hell* 

Gardio: Teshteal…? Are you okay? 

Teshteal: *sing songy joking voice* Of course- the jester of the court is always okay! Wouldn’t you say? 

Gardio: That forced smile doesn’t full me, officer. What’s going on? 

Teshteal: A meal! A good one! *pulls a heart shaped pancake in front of him* Practically heart warming- 

Gardio: Linus-

Teshteal: *cowers and squeaks hearing his old name.* I’m sorry. I’ll stop. 

Joyce: (Through her mouthful of food at her brother) “I’m four!”

Donovan: (Partly distracted by Teshteal and Gardio) “And that’s why I’m patient with you, you’re still learning. Do ya want some milk?” (Holds out a glass of chocolate milk)

Joyce: (Nods and take the offered glass of milk, chugging it down to clear her sticky and sugar coated throat)

Donovan: (Frowns when he sees Teshteal droop down and give in quickly)

Jasmine: (Chokes on a cry when she thinks of her Mamá who’s now forever gone, the fear and guilt getting its deep claws back into her again)

Ma: (Syncs her gentle shushes with each pat on the back she gives the girl, making a soothing rhythm) “Ssh, Ssh, Ssh….” (A little worried that Jas is crying too much, she’s already puked and is still severely anemic with almost no fluid intake. Maybe sending Donny to buy fluid from the Doc in Far Harbor is still a good move to make)

Jasmine: (Cuddles closer to Ma when she feels the weight of terror push down on her even further, making it harder to breathe. She starts back up whimpering for her Dad)

Ma: (Takes the baby bottle and gently tries to coax the girls mouth open so she can drink)

Jasmine: (Whines in protest when the bottle is offered to her, turning her face away while she starts kicking the air again)

Ma: (Frowns and continues to rub the teens stomach to get her to settle down again, wondering if she should call up Nick now in desperation. She can eventually get Jazzy to drink from the bottle with gentle massages and soft words, but she can’t stop her from crying for her father. And right now Jas needs to preserve all tears and energy so she can get stronger)

Nick: Better go check on things upstairs. *heads up. He frowns when he doesn’t find jas in bed, then checks the bathroom. Then finally finds the two in Ma’s room* I’m gathering there was an incident. I think we may have to hook her up to an IV if she can’t keep anything down. 

Teshteal: *stopped eating* I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry-

Gardio: Teshteal, where are we right now? 

Teshteal: I- *looks at the food then around him* A house. 

Gardio: And what are we doing? *takes a bite of a pancake* 

Teshteal: *eyes lock on the pancake* Eating breakfast. *nods and relaxes some* 

Gardio: Good! You have a plate of delicious food in front of you, don’t you? 

Teshteal: Yeah. Yeah I do. *smiles* Thanks for the reminder. *shoves a whole sausage in his mouth*

Gardio: Now, what was bothering you so much a moment ago? 

Teshteal: *swallows* I was worried I was trying to hurt someone innocent without intending to. *pokes his food* Like the monster I am. *stabs a pancake right through the center with his fork* 

Lucille: *finishes her food then gets up and washes her dishware* I’ll be in the attic if anyone needs me. 

Ma: (Sighs and looks down at the sobbing, mewling and trembling girl in her arms, still rubbing her stomach and patting her back) “Unfortunately yes, Rosie vomited not too long after you left and I can’t get her to take the bottle of water.”

Jasmine: (Cries out louder and reaches for her Dad when she hears him enter the room under her haze) “Daddy!”

Ma: (Stands to hand the girl off to her father) “She’s been crying for you since you left for breakfast, I can’t get her stop for long before she picks it up again. Not that it’s a surprise, children often develop extreme separation anxiety after a traumatic event occurs in their life.” (Rocks Jas as she holds her out to Nick) “I don’t think being abandoned twice in her life is helping Rosalinda’s situation all that much.”

Calf: (Came over to the table with the blanket still on her back, sniffing at Gardio curiously with a moo)

Donovan: (Still has his arm around Joyce, keeping quiet for now)

Joyce: (Now aware of her surroundings and she looks at Teshteal, noticing that he’s poking at the pancake) “Ma’s food is the best, isn’t it?” (Smiles at him, having no idea that he just had mini breakdown too) “Although, I don’t really have anything to compare it to.”

Gardio: *turns to pet the back of the calf’s neck* Hello there, dear. 

Calf: (Moos with approval, sniffing for the syrup on the table)

Teshteal: *looks up at Joyce and smiles* Very. Shame I suddenly lost my appetite to my nerves. *chuckles. He did also grab a lot of food and made a sizeable dent in his portion. So he did get plenty to eat* 

Joyce: “Aww, that’s too bad. But we can always save the leftovers to eat later.” (Looks down when the small satchel she’s wearing around her chest starts moving. She opens it and out pops a little ferret who yawns sleepily) “At least you haven’t forsaken me, Gilbert.” (Holds the noodle raccoon to her face, kissing his head)

Donovan: “Ouch. What about me and Ma?”

Joyce: (Turns to her older brother) “She’s my mother and you’re my brother, you’re obligated to love me no matter how many times I make you carry me home when my feet hurt.”

Donovan: “I wouldn’t have to carry you so much do you didn’t insist on wearing those ridiculous heels all the time.”

Joyce: “But they’re pretty!”

Donovan: “I don’t think pretty is worth pain, you can’t even walk in them properly.” (Notices the calf trying to get on the table) “Why is Milly inside?”

Joyce: (Takes out her ferret and holds him like a potato sack) “Because she’s cold and she’s too skinny to keep warm. We’re waiting for the sun to heat the pasture back up before taking her back.”

Teahteal: That’ tr- *eyes turn into saucers to match his pupils at the sight of the noodle in her satchel* A ferret…! Aww. He’s just a wittle baby! *absolutely fawning over the animal* 

Nick: *holding his daughter* Can we send someone to get some IV bags? 

Jasmine: (Clinging to her Dad while she whimpers and whines from the pain of the wounds and the misery from her fever)

Ma: (Nods as she leaves the room, handing him the bottle on her way out) “I’ll send Donny into town to pick up the fluid, but we can do a blood transfusion immediately.”

Joyce: (Holds out Gilbert to Teshteal) “Wanna hold him?”

Gilbert: (A very looooong noodle baby)

Teshteal: *eyes nearly sparkle and he immediately expends his arms to recieve one wiggly long boy* Of course! *makes grabby hands at the ferret* 

Ma: (Comes down the stairs, a serious expression on her face) “Donny, love? Can you be a dear and run down to the harbor to pick up some fluid for Rosie?”

Donovan: (Immediately rises from the table and rushes over to grab his coat when he hears that) “Yeah, of course. Is Rosie doing alright?”

Ma: (Rubs her hands together) “She’s still responsive, but she can’t keep anything down at the moment.”

Donny: (Taking out some caps from the bin in the closet, gathering his gun and the keys to the boat) “I’ll be quick, and if that Allen punk gives me trouble I swear I’m throwing his ass into the sea.”

Nick: Ssh, doll. Ssh… *pops the bottle in her mouth the moment he sees an opportunity* Here. Drink this- it’ll help cool ya down. *sits in the chair* 

Jasmine: (Willingly starts to drink from the bottle after a few noises of complaint, being too tired and burning hot to argue with her Dad. She squirms and cries out when her mind and body don’t agree with this decision, but she keeps slowly drinking anyways)

Joyce: (Hands Teshteal Gilbert and sits back on her chair with a bright smile)

Gilbert: (Yawns lazily, it’s take a lot of work to be this squiggly and noodly 24/7)

Teshteal: *holds his long fluffy body up and beams at the long rat of a creature* Fluffy noodle! Cute wittle guy! *does a little shake, making Gilbert’s lower body sway*

Donovan: (Opens the side door and pats his side to summon his faithful pup) “Pirate! Cmon girl! We’re making an emergency run!”

Pirate: (Perks up and rushes to follow Donovan out the front door as he heads to the boat)

Ma: (Starts cleaning up after breakfast, putting away the leftovers from the big plates into containers as she mutters under her breath worriedly for the little girl upstairs)

Dogmeat: *watching them about to leave* 

Nick: There you go. That’s my girl… 

Jasmine: (Not drinking much, she’s only getting a few droplets at a time. She grips onto Nicks dress shirt while she mumbles, feeling miserable again but at least she’s with Dad finally)

Gardio: Would you like me to come with, Donovan? 

Donovan: (Stops at the doorway) “Ah, no thank you I think I’ve got it…” (Looks at Ma who’s rushing about like a busy bee, then at Gardio to silently ask him to lend her a hand)

Ma: (Has to clean the kitchen then the living room that had housed the chickens followed by the med room that’s still bloody and disorganized from yesterday. She’ll leave the outside cleanup to her kids, but there’s still so much work to split. She turns on the radio to help ease her nerves, tying on a new apron to get started)

Gardio: Understood. *nods and starts clearing the table to start on dishes again* 

Gilbert: (Licks his nose, his eyes partly closed)

Joyce: (Stands suddenly, remembering that she has chores to do) “Aw crap, the animals!” (Glances at Milly who’s going for the syrup again) “Milly! No!”

Donovan: (Over his shoulder to his sister as he leaves) “Don’t try milking the cows! It was a disaster for you last time.”

Teshteal: I can help! *stands and carefully slinks Gilbert back in his pouch* 

Gilbert: (Curls up in his snuggly pouch, going back to sleep as he only briefly woke up at the smell of food)

Joyce: (Getting ready to lead Milly back outside to the pasture, frowning at the realization that she has to clean it after the storm probably blew gunk into it. They can’t have any of their prized animals munching on whatever blew in from the sea or forest)

Donovan: (Gets to his boat at their dock and turns it on, pulling out of the docks to head up to the harbor)

Jasmine: (Quivers and cuddles close to Nick with her weak arms gripping him tighter, a sharp pang going through her heart when there’s a string of sudden thoughts that bursts through all the cotton balls that are stuffed in her head. That damned voice telling her she’s worthless and deserves all this shit is yelling stronger… It’s making her feel more sick and queasy. “Worthless” and “Mistake” are still the loudest, and there’s hard evidence to back it up and say that it’s true…)

Nick: *figured the second abandonment probably had to do with her aunt cropping her out of the photos so he didn’t think much of it when Ma said so. Now that he thinks of it, he’s not exactly sure if that’s what she meant. At this point, he’s not surprised that she’s been abandoned multiple times. The girl hasn’t been able to catch a break since day one*

Ma: (Smiles gratefully at Gardio as she sways along with the radio playing “Happy Times”) “Well aren’t you a darling with good manners, your daughter takes after you.” (Smirks and gestures to a hanger with several frilly and floral aprons) “You need one?”

Gardio: Yes, thank you, ma'am. *puts on one with cartoonish flowers on it and continues cleaning it up*

Ma: (Chuckles at Gardio and wipes her hands, suddenly remembering something she left in the laundry room) “I’ll be right back.” (Heads off to the laundry room and goes up to the shelf, taking a soft and clean Winnie off from one of the drying shelves. She takes out a special perfume bottle and sprays the bear thoroughly, making sure the scent isn’t too strong. Next she goes into the med room to grabs Jasmines Pipboy that was left in there during the chaos, giving it a good wipe down. With those items in hand she heads up the stairs to find Nick and Jas who are still in her room) “I have this for her, I hope you don’t mind that I went poking through her bag while I was searching for her clothes.” (Gently places the stuffed bear in Jasmines arms)

Jasmine: (Hugs the stuffed toy to her face with one hand while the other remains around her Dad, taking the familiar scent of perfume and the clean laundry detergent)

Ma: (Smiles at her, a hint of sadness in her eyes) “The perfume, it’s the one her mother would use. Rosie had a bottle in her bag as well, I assume she found it and would put it on her bear. Heh, clever girl, its an old soothing technique.”

Jasmine: (Opens her tear filled eyes and blinks at her stuffed toy, then softly sniffles and hides away in Nicks shirt again with both of her arms around his neck and Winnie cuddled in her lap. She stopped drinking from the bottle when those thoughts came to attack her)

Teshteal: *walking out with the calf* How do you guys have prewar animals running around? *starts picking up a bunch of seaweed, drift wood, and sticks the storm blew in from the pasture. Wonders if he can make something out of them*

Joyce: (Shrugs her shoulders as she opens the gate) “You’ll have to ask Ma or Donny about that, something about having tight connections with people who breed them from vaults I think. Take my words with a grain of salt as I’m not too sure.” (Looks around at the cleared area thats littered with salty whatnot, setting her sights on the barn and the coop) “Lets get Milly inside so she doesn’t try to lick anything.”

Teshteal: Yeah, all that irradiated salt can’t be good for her. *flicks his tail to exaggerate his point*

Joyce: (Opens the barn door and carefully shoves Milly inside, closing the door quickly so no animals rush out) “There, she’ll go with her Mama and sister on her own.” (Turns to Teshteal) “You can go inside with the others, I have to start cleaning up.” (Starts walking to the shed to grab a rake)

Teshteal: I can help clean. I don’t mind. *grinning from ear to ear at the thought of helping a new friend*

Joyce: (Grins right back at Teshteal, grateful for the help as Donny isn’t here to lend a hand) “That’s wonderful, you’re such a sweetheart! Grab a rake then. We can start by getting all the sludge into one pile to roll out of here.” (Takes a rake for herself and starts doing just that, her nose wrinkling at the stench of rotten sea muck)

Gardio: *put up the food and cleaning the kitchen for Ma*

Nick: I figured as much… *looks up at Ma. He’s not removing the bottle. Perhaps she’ll suck on it to soothe her anxiety causing her to drink more water in the process* What did you mean when you said she’d been abandoned twice?

Ma: (Gets a somber look on her face when Nick asks the question) ”Her Auntie Debbie, she was so tired after losing-…”

Jasmine: (Wails loudly at the mention of her other aunt whom she hates the most right now, kicking her feet while she trembles and tries to desperately scratch at her arms and sides)

Ma: (Reaches out to stop the girl from kicking her feet by holding her legs down) “Maybe now isn’t the best time to talk about this. Poor baby is having a rough enough time as it is even without the news, she just needs to be comforted.”

Nick: *nods at the mention of her aunt. He had a feeling it might have been her based on the photos he saw. He begins to rub her stomach gently with his other hand to help soothe her just as Ma did*

Jasmine: (Hums a soft note under her sobs and settles down when she feels this comforting gesture, halting her kicking and scratching completely. She closes her eyes tightly and nuzzles closer to her father with her arms back around him, matching her breathing with the calming motions of his rubs)

Ma: (Lets go of Jas and leans forwards to wipe the girls face with a handkerchief) “It’s alright Rosie, you can relax now. You’re safe here.” (Smiles warmly at Nick) “You are a wonderful father, Detective Valentine.”

@lucilleandherrobots

[wonderpommey]

“I wasn't crying about mothers," he said rather indignantly. "I was crying because I can't get my shadow to stick on. Besides, I wasn't crying.” J-M Barrie, Peter Pan

Help! Roman seems to be irremediably stuck in the denial stage.

He denies Logan's death and his subsequent grief, rewrites the fact that he’s partly to blame for Logan souring on Gerri and in fact wasn’t he helping the old gal actually, he can’t face up to the unsavoury dealings that the realities of being in charge entail etc.

He’s also completely unable not to see his own plight in others; Rushing over to Kerri, {the jilted shadow chosen one who displays her uncontrollable pain because Logan promised her the world and taking her side against the older arguably wronged woman who’s exacting her revenge} is the thing getting his most pained whines of this episode. His most selfless act is also his most self-centred one... "Oh this I can understand, I too was dad’s to fuck. He also promised me things he didn’t make good on and when I lost him, I didn’t even get the comfort I deserved from the person I’ve wronged”.

This season is hailing honesty as the single redeeming feature for enduring relationships within that universe. 

Connor and Willa of all pairings have gotten there. 

The sibs manage an imperfect version of it. 

Shiv and Tom keep trying to say something real to each other.

Roman and Gerri? No, she doesn’t care about getting fired, it’s fine. He didn’t hurt her at all. They, who have always used the shadows of business talk to live their romance, are utterly failing at honesty and openness.

Unless Roman starts facing up to reality in general, this will end tragically for him. Do pills and transferring caring skills to random Logan-approved people help keep a genuinely loving personality at bay?

It’s all incredibly ominous by the way the mounting tension of the dangers facing Roman. The guard dog arriving, the nazi watch, the blowup at Shiv about Mencken, conveniently ignoring his role in Gerri’s fragility (of course nazism and masculinity are the only things that allow him to ignore what he’s done). There are also outspoke references to paedophilia in the obit and the Gauguin paintings. Roman is fine, he’s smiling, he’s moving on, he’s 'pre-grieved'. And frankly, who notices the cracks? Ken maybe…

Yeah there’s no way this doesn’t end taunting a progressive crowd, T-posing for his sins.

Gerri will be fine reassuringly. Roman is proving with every minute that passes that not allowing herself to be wooed by him had been the right call all along. She’s proving how the tiniest sliver of impropriety could have been her death - including at Roman’s hands. And she’s acting every bit as smug as she should.

But of course now she loses CEO and he gets the leverage of knowing Logan was going to fire her. They both have prejudicial information about each other they’re not currently using...

So was a sham marriage better than a romance that wouldn’t say its name? In succession? Welcome to our era of fearing the answer…

[alexissara]

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady Quick Review

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady or as we'll be calling it for the rest of this review, Magirevo is an amazing yuri anime series. It made a lot of interesting choices in it's adaptation to make the 12 episodes very punchy, fast paced and really get to the heart of the series without spending a lot of time pondering. I do wish the series was longer and we had more time for getting into people's feelings, the lives of the side characters, etc but the 12 episodes we did get are superub. The anime starts a little slow and it's jokes don't land nearly as well as the manga but the comedy in this series is mostly pushed away for action.

It was a really smart choice to turn Magirevo into more of an action yuri in terms of having it reach a wider audience. The action looks very cool and it makes a lot of sense with the ending they were building to with a dramatic fight that decides what will happen with the future of the kingdom. Everything is very intentionally building to the ending and it makes a lot of the choices make a ton of sense.

Our Protagonist Anis is charming, she is funny, she's very relatable to me even as a dumb ass because she feels very real to a lesbian who is living in a fantasy world. Euphy is very much tied into the royalty, nobility, the sense of duty but the show is also super empathic to her plight and her feeling like she had a role and it was taken form her and the grief she felt about it. The side characters Tilty, Lainie and Ilia are both really good side characters whom I really wish got much more attention but at the very least every scene with them in it was a banger, when they get to talk, it's good. A lot of the other characters I found more annoying or like they were serving their role in the story.

I think the show's politics were lacking in the detail and care they needed and it is something I really hope we could see that expanded if the show were to magically gain a second season. As for the first season I think the politics were at play were all there to serve the plot and more important to serve directly as an oppressive structure for Anis who feels like she can escape it only to be dragged in again more and more. We see that system slowly killing her soul and I think that is an effective way to show the problems with the system. The main issue is that our main villain does wish to tear down the system but we aren't given a really appropriate counter weight till like epilogue scenes wrapping up the anime.

I think another place I would have loved just a bit more care in is the queer politics of the show. The anime is explicitly gay, like we get 3 gay kisses in the 12 episode run which I mean I can't say about most other shows ever. Yet, Magirevo kinda plays off Anis's dad's homophobia is a bit, a little joke and it was upsetting to like humanize him without resolving that. We jut kinda hand waved it completely. There is some implication that maybe he is bisexual later but it's all like subtext, there is no exploring that, there is no slow moment of like understanding or whatever. We understand that the politics by the elders is like very heteronormative and we show that as like a traumatic instrument but we don't get a lot of time to really explore the queerness even just on it's own merit.

All that critical stuff said OMG I love it, the animation is so good, it's very gay, the girls are super cute, I do wish Tilly and Anis got together but like that is shipper shit [in a poly waym not in a replacing Euphie way], I the pacing is great, the action scenes are so cool, I love this anime. This is for sure going in my list of favorite animes of all time, for sure.

[hyperfixation-hopper]

WHY I HATE JANE CROCKER IN HS^2

Jane is a sad character. This is quite redundant considering all the other plights of the Harleyberts and Strilondes but she is truly tragic from a storytelling sense as she is truly missed potential, however to effectively address this we must talk about the Harleyberts as a whole compared to the Strilondes

The Strilondes are troubled, duh, these issues however are very Surface level compared to the Harleyberts (not to diminish the nuance in the way they overcome and deal with them). Rose has issues with meeting people she respects- resorting to alcoholism as a coping method- she also has a tenuous relationship with death, attempting suicide three times before sburb and once trying to reach the green sun. She also thinks that she is a burden to her mother, preventing her from reaching greatness.

Dave has a harsh relationship with his brother, the rest of the beta kids at heart love their guardians just show a resentment towards them in strife- Dave, however doesn’t and loathes the fact that he ended up with the awful abusive one, he also has been influenced by his brother’s irony roughly, leaving him unsure how to reach the topic of sexuality from a non ironic perspective. Dirk is super interesting as he treats every version of himself and just another splinter, holding himself accountable for all of them. He is a compleetttlyyyyy different can of worms for another day. Roxy is the best of all, to paraphrase dirk “she knew she had a problem and fixed it”, She was rather overbearing with her love life, either hitting on Jake or Dirk or talking about said hitting on to Jane but she changed herself for the better and was the true leader of the alpha team.

Finally! Our main girl! What makes her so special? Her direct ties to the villain, but before that just understand her situation: she has been promised all of her life that she will own a flourishing baking enterprise, she desired it so severely that she uses technology that actively damaged her (bettybother, tiaratop) in order to be Betty’s golden girl. Seriously this company becoming hers is literally her livelihood other than detectives and her friends - speaking of which! She only ever converses with 6 people, 1 is her dad, 2 are aliens, another 2 are from the future and the last one is living on an island in the deadass middle of nowhere. She has sacrificed pretty much all opportunities to make and maintain relationships (outside of these few) all for the sake of Betty Crocker™️. She Trust all of these people (except for Caliborn) and appreciates all of them greatly but still chooses crocker corp if given the chance, for example, Roxy does want to play sburb but desperately tries to stop Jane from doing it just for the chance that the batterwitch wouldn’t win, Roxy is willing to miss the chance to meet all her closest friends just so that she won’t win. Yet they all eventually end up on their planets.

So why is this important? Because Jane is presented as a character that could easily become a capitalist drone for CrockerCorp™️ or a hero for the alpha kids. At this point in time. That is crucial. Eventually she goes through her ‘ wtf even was trickster mode’ arc, blowing up at Jake, wooo trickster shenanigans, regret and then venting and lamenting to everyone but the person she hurt most ( I get her mindset in that situation but she only ever apologised to Roxy afterward and that really sucks, thats Hussie’s fault not hers). After that everyone Godtiers, great right? Take a guess at this point. )(IC transforms her into Crockertier Jane (Wow what a sick design) someone who is completely willing to do her bidding at any chance she gets. Crockertier Jane is essentially ‘the bad ending’ for where she could’ve gone in life on earth. So when she is reflecting with Callie and Jade, she recognises all of her problems, all of )(IC’s issues, how everything she’s ever wanted has been created by the same hands of the one who took so much away from everyone. And after she recovers from it in the finale, she just kinda takes a backseat, just healing everyone and helping out where she can, I truly truly wish there was a scene where she just apologises to everyone for her stuck up trust in BettyCrocker or where she confronts the batterwitch herself and cries out about all of the harm she has caused, the most loyal, most patient servant finally finds the value in the one thing that hasn’t and won’t be corrupted by her influence, her friends and their strengths, how impactful would that be? Well still I’m content with the Jane we got but she could’ve been so, so much more.

So why, after all of this hardship, after seeing her friends and family be hurt time after time by )(IC. Why would she END UP BECOMING THE EXACT SAME KIND OF PERSON THAT SHE IS???????? This already happened in a sense with Crockertier, BUT TO TURN HER INTO A RACIST DICTATOR WHEN SHE HAD LITERALLY 0 HATRED TOWARDS TROLLS??? This could’ve worked had she still have small, minimal conflict between crockercorp or her friends then maybe, just maybe it could have worked but that just isn’t there at all. Jane in Homestuck^2 is too righteous, always thinking that her family is the victim, Tavros could never do anything wrong! He must be brainwashed!

Honestly, I am not entirely against the idea of her rebuilding CrockerCorp but based upon integrity, using her knowladge and finally giving her the thing she had to wait so patiently for, but at that point in her life, seeing the consequences of ruthless megalomania and prejudice, it doesn’t seem plausible for her to fall into the same hole that she does in HS^2. Idk man I just really like this character and I hate to see people disregard her just because of how she is in HS^2 when she never acts like this in Homestuck in the first place.

[fivekrystalpetals]

I am almost at the end of the Head Hunter Arc and there are a hundred story threads all running parallel so I would def have to re-read once again to fit in the sequence of events. Anyway, I will make a longer post about all my thoughts later,, but now I really really wanna get this off my chest.

warning: rant underneath, please check the tags for the subject of rant, proceed with caution—don’t come @ me if this is your favorite character

Reim died—and I did not feel a single thing. In fact, I am more frustrated he died just like that than his oh-dear-poor-guy plight being shown to me. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him? I just can’t.

He is the worst kind of character—the ones who always want to maintain the status quo, the ones who think they can get away with anything because they are on the side of self-proclaimed ‘Good’, and whatever they do is ‘needed for the greater good’.

This guy single handedly, with one bullet, ruined whatever positive interactions might have occurred between the Baskervilles and the heroes (Break at least? Because Vincent, who is already working with the Baskervilles, is on... idk what side?)

I still maintain the Baskervilles were pulled into some major political conspiracy and they were forced to kill all those people in Sablier in order to ‘save’ them from getting turned into chains.

[The more the author shows me their flashbacks and how happy they were as a family—

look at them, they are the literal essence of found family ;-;—

shedding happy tears rn ;-; Fang, Doug and Lottie were best Dads/Big bro/Mom/Big Sis to Lily. 

—the more I feel like they were never sadistic cold-blooded mass murderers in the first place.]

See, Break and Lottie were making baby steps towards coming to work together for a common cause. On their next meeting, when Break put his sword to Lottie’s throat, she, whether fearing his power and deciding to buy time or what, did make an attempt to understand him rather than trying to jump in for a fight at once.

And then, when the ‘false’ Baskervilles came onto the scene, they were forced to make an unwilling alliance to defeat them albeit for a moment.

I had hoped—one more meeting and then maybe, hopefully, at least, these two would put aside their differences and misunderstandings and start working together to exchange information and unravel all the mystery of the Tragedy; in the process, the heroes start to slowly realize the true nature of the Baskervilles.

But no. Reim just had to ruin everything. He heard Lily’s story, came to the realization that Baskervilles weren’t monsters but ‘laughed just like us’, and decided... ok this child is innocent but she will definitely kill many more people in the future so let me shoot her right through her head now and finish her off.

I had been reading with a smile on my face because their interactions were so cute, the way she tried to console him and relate to him, the way she squealed on seeing the March Hare (March Hare really is cute btw)—and then, bam! I was more shocked when he ‘killed’ her than when Fang announced Reim was dead.

I can’t put this in a better way either so here we go—Reim is an idiot. 

Here is a child that spills out everything unprompted if you simply humor her for a bit. She is a literal goldmine of information about the elusive Baskervilles. All you have to do is pretend-play with her that you are her ‘friend’ and she will tell you all tidbits from her life. All ‘truths’ because she has no reason to lie to a friend. “Family is good of course, but friends are good too.” She trusts her family, she trusts her friends. 

Instead, what Reim does is go for the kill.

Without even understanding the basic nature of Baskervilles. 

He didn’t know or even bother to find out Baskervilles could heal before playing his trump card. 

Is he not Rufus Barma’s apprentice? Did he not learn a thing from the tenacious information broker, who deals with even life-and-death matters using information?

Has he never heard of the saying—half knowledge is a dangerous thing? Does he not know of buying time? Never heard of humoring someone? If she wants to see your chain, show her that, play with her till you manage to pass information to your friends and then when Break or someone strong enough to handle her hellhound arrives on scene, capture her alive, gdi! (I remember that scene from Dark Era when Dazai got frustrated that Akutagawa killed off half a dozen hopeful sources of information. Now, I understand his frustration.) 

In fact, he did not even wait to hear her full story, asked a question or two, came to the conclusion that they are gonna reenact the Tragedy of Sablier—(after listening to a gullible child, btw. She is ofc gonna listen to her elders. If they say yes, then yes; if they say no, then no. How in the world do you make such a major decision after listening to the words of a child? And once again, I am not so sure if the Baskervilles indeed enacted the First Tragedy of Sablier in the first place. He is jumping to conclusions there too.)

—and shoots her through her head. Whether she died or not doesn’t matter here. She survived because of her super healing power. What matters here is that yes, Reim did have full killing intention when he shot her. Had she been a normal human, she’d have died. It was her brains that he intended to blow out. No way she was gonna survive that if she were a human. 

He is the one that betrayed her budding trust. Sorry but I have no sympathy for him. If she used her chain to rip his throat, that’s on him. He shot the first bullet. Whatever she does afterwards counts as self-defense for me.

Well, here comes another idiot, Break, who doesn’t know any of this. Without even finding out what transpired there, he directly jumped in to fight against two self-healing Baskervilles all by himself, spitting blood, lost eyesight, can’t-last-too-long-in-a-battle and all as he is, in order to ‘avenge’ his friend.

Lottie, please come and talk all of this out—is what I wanted to say, because she seems the only one with brain cells among this bunch of idiots. 

see, I can even draw up the parallels between the Break-Lottie 'friendship' and Reim-Lily 'friendship'. 

When Break offered her to be his ‘friend’ (Break being a way more powerful opponent compared to Lottie, she was completely overpowered and at his mercy), she got through alright. Even on their second meeting when Break wanted to ‘shred her to pieces’ for killing Reim (which she probs has no idea of. It’s Lily who found him.), she managed to buy time if only with the appearance of the ‘fake’ Baskervilles and later escape.

Whereas when Lily, a child with a bit stronger chain than Reim’s (or so he says, for idk what his chain does) asked Reim to be her ‘friend’, he goes for the kill. oh no, poor guy doesn’t know how to buy time with a talkative, gullible child who has long given up on wanting to kill him and wanted to simply chat with him *sigh*

Same situation, different brains, different outcomes.

But because of that one stupid brain, all is gone to waste. No way an alliance between Break and the Baskervilles is gonna take place after this. I mean, I don't know if he meant it when he said this--

what are the many things he wanted to tell her please i wanna know i am dying for more interactions between them please

But it is too late now. It has turned into a kill-or-be-killed situation. 

As of the present, it is Break vs Fang and Lily; and istg if something happens to any one of them, I will personally kill Reim. all over, once again. painfully.

I love all the three and I can’t see even one of them die over an idiot who caused his own death because he is an idiot. 

[fierceawakening]

You know, the more I think about my mom’s behavior, the more the thing Forbidden YouTube calls “vulnerable narcissism” makes sense to me as an explanation, whether or not there is such a thing above and beyond stuff this one person I am related to does.

That being that literally everything is bad to or for her. My dad got implants put in his mouth and now she struggles to hear him, but instead of “oh fuck, this is an unfortunate confluence of disabilities it’s “I can’t understand him! Fierce, can you understand him! It’s just SO UPSETTING THAT I CANT UNDERSTAND MY OWN HUSBAND clearly the guy doing the implants is a HORRIBLE RIP OFF. I tried to convince him NOT TO SEE THAT GUY but NO.”

Or worse, “WHY doesn’t he pronounce words CLEARLY,” knowing he had speech therapy. Which is just mean, and would be even if people with normal hearing struggled to understand him too. But we don’t. Or at least I don’t.

All this when he’s in the middle of a surgery procedure with stages so switching dentists is a bad idea unless he’s doing it wrong or something.

Like it’s unfair she’s hearing impaired, just like it’s unfair I have impaired mobility. But no one failed to put a curb cut in a useful place AT me. I Can be annoyed at whoever designed or built it, but I shouldn’t lament my plight in ways that make other people feel bad but can’t be solved. All I can do is decide if I want to walk around to find a cut or if I don’t.

On some level my attitude is my responsibility. I have to decide to deal, or to make a change.

Which is likely why The Forbidden YouTubes say not to try to convince your family member or partner to change. Because if they’re fundamentally convinced things are bad AT them, that’s a distortion that no one can undistort but them. By choice.

Which is a thing I did by choice when I decided to work on my own mental health. I tried very hard to ask myself what I could expect from other people and what I’d need to provide to them for our relationships to be positive, and thought really hard about how to get what I needed if I was asking too much.

It was kind of painful to withdraw when I still felt hurt, and it took a lot of getting used to. Now, though? “Hey Fierce, I feel for you but I’m overwhelmed myself/I need to go for dinner with friends/blah” “Oh okay, I’m gonna talk to another friend/play video games/exercise until im too exhausted to feel like shit. Thanks for listening.” And I still feel kinda bad but that’s not a betrayal. Friend left because Friend has own life. Which is just as scary and confusing as mine is.

When I see Tumblr saying that people just GET to not show empathy, or just GET to offer non reciprocal relationships, it really sounds to me like what’s being said is “you don’t have to bother trying not to hurt others, you poor baby.”

And I just… no. You get to think about whether someone’s demands are too much, sure. You get to decide the answer is yes.

But that may actually mean “the compassionate thing to do is cut this person off, because I’m unable to be the kind of partner or friend they need unless I become better at reciprocal relationships, which is hard for me.”

[ambrossart]

Out of the Loop (Preview)

summary: eddie went home with someone after prom, and gareth is determined to figure out who it was.

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: -- warnings: language, new relationship, eddie's girlfriend is gareth's arch nemesis, silly childhood rivalries, eddie being happy and stupidly in love, jason being an overprotective ass, chrissy being an adorable little cupcake, the reader is chrissy's best friend, the unnamed freak is named grant in this series

series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist

On Monday morning, Gareth peddled to school like a man on a mission. 

Nothing was getting in his way today, not his mother, who had accidentally washed his Hellfire Club shirt with all his little sister’s dance clothes,

“You know what, honey, I think it looks better this way…”

not his sister, who had been hogging the bathroom all morning because she couldn’t get her hair right, 

“Look, you don’t understand the pressure I’m under right now. Becca Singer is finalizing her birthday party guest list today. I have to look my best if I wanna make the cut.”

not the weatherman, who was painfully misinformed when he called for clear, sunny skies today… 

and certainly not the piece of crap Chevy that just cut him off in the middle of the crosswalk. 

Gareth swerved out of the way and kept on peddling. The rain pelted his face in a spray of ice-cold bullets. 

Behind him, the driver yelled, “Hey, watch where you’re going, you little shit!”  

It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Because Gareth was sitting on a goldmine of information right now. It was truly the scoop of the century. Eddie Munson—that’s right, Eddie “the Freak” Munson—had gone home with somebody after the senior prom. 

Who was this mysterious (not to mention incredibly lucky) woman? A curious cheerleader desperate to defy her clique? A rich girl trying to piss off her dad? A shy bookworm who wanted to act out the plot of her favorite romance novel? Who? Who? Gareth’s head was spinning! The question hungrily devoured the rest of his weekend (something Gareth wasn’t too proud to admit, of course, but hey, Sundays were always uneventful days for him). He had to get to school quickly and consult his most trusted sources. 

He found Jeff and Grant sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria. Grant was eating the school’s hot breakfast while Jeff sat with his head in his hands, lamenting the sorry state of his love life. 

“Tara’s still not talking to me. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna dump me for Patrick McKinney.” 

Grant put down his fork. “Wait, you two were dating?”

“No…” Jeff heaved a quiet sigh. “But if we were, she’d definitely dump me for Patrick.” 

Grant frowned, sympathetic yet envious of his friend’s plight. “Man, I wish Meg would stop talking to me. She had me on the phone all night yesterday. I think she wants me to be her boyfriend or something.” Grant cringed at the thought. He didn’t have the strength to put up with her. He’d barely survived prom.   

“You don’t like her?” Jeff asked. 

“Not really,” Grant answered. “I mean, yeah, she’s pretty and all, but as soon as she starts talking—”

Gareth slammed a wrinkled piece of notebook paper onto the table. The loud bang echoed through the entire cafeteria, making a few students gasp and flinch in their chairs. Jeff and Grant didn’t move in the slightest. This was typical Monday morning behavior for Gareth.

“What’s with the pink shirt?” Grant asked, unfazed 

“Doesn’t matter,” Gareth said. They had more pressing matters to discuss. He sat down and folded his hands in front of him, his blue eyes clear and focused. He wasted no time getting straight to the point: “Who’d Eddie go home with after prom?”

Jeff and Grant exchanged a subtle, secret glance. 

“How do you know Eddie went home with someone after prom?” Jeff asked. 

“Because I called him that night.” 

“Why’d you call him?” 

“Because I’m a good friend, unlike some people.” Nobody had called him asking how his night went. Gareth sat home alone on Saturday night, eating popcorn and watching old sci-fi movies in his basement, while the rest of his friends danced and had a blast at prom. It wasn’t fair. “I wanted to check in on him because I figured he might be a little depressed after getting rejected by Chrissy. Because let’s be honest here, there was no way that Chrissy was ever gonna dance with him. You all agree with me, right? I’m not just being a dick here. Like, yeah, I know Eddie’s riding high right now because he thinks this year is his year and everything, but… yeah, he was aiming a bit too high with that goal.” 

“Can you get to the point, please?” Grant said. “My breakfast is getting cold.” 

“Well, multitask, man!” Gareth grabbed Grant’s fork and threw it back onto his tray. “What, you can’t listen and eat at the same time?” 

Grant rolled his eyes and went back to his breakfast. Gareth carried on with his story: 

“So anyway, when I called him on Saturday, I expected him to sound all mopey and depressed, but he wasn’t. Yeah, Eddie wasn’t depressed at all. In fact, he sounded oddly… happy, but also a little bit distracted. You guys see where I’m going with this, right?” 

“I hate that I do,” Grant said, struggling to enjoy his food.  

“Well, that’s when I started getting suspicious. See, I could tell I didn’t have his full attention, and that’s just so unlike Eddie because he’s normally really good at maintaining proper phone etiquette. Weird, right? So then I got curious and I started listening, and… and I can’t be sure, but I think I heard a girl talking in the background.” 

“Maybe it was just the TV,” Grant said. 

Gareth shook his head. “No way… I know the difference between a TV voice and a live human voice. Someone was definitely with him.” 

“Well, did you recognize the voice?” Jeff asked. 

“No, I couldn’t hear well enough.” 

Grant’s eyes narrowed with skepticism. “And yet you’re sure it wasn’t the TV…” 

“Oh come on, it wasn’t the TV, you guys. Wake up and smell the coffee! Eddie brought a girl to his house. He brought a girl to his house. She was with him in the room while he was on the phone with me. I could hear her talking. Then Eddie started acting really weird, said he had to go, and rushed me off the phone.”

“Gross,” Grant muttered, sickened. “Yeah, these are details I did not need.” 

Gareth’s mouth fell open in a silent gasp. “Wait, do you guys think he slept with her?” and that was more than Jeff could handle. 

He buried his face in his hands and said, “Please stop. I don’t wanna go to class with these images in my head.” 

Grant shrugged. “Maybe it was just a one-night stand.” 

Jeff threw him a sharp, disapproving glare.  

“Just saying,” Grant finished, smirking. 

“No, I seriously doubt it,” Gareth went on, completely unaware. “Eddie’s not really a one-night stand kinda guy… not by choice, anyway. No, I think this might be the real deal, you guys, ‘cause listen to this: I went to go see him yesterday. Eddie wasn’t home.” 

“So?”

“So I think he was with her. I called him last night and asked him where he was all day. He said he was out running errands.” Gareth scrunched up his face, doubtful. “Since when does Eddie run errands? So I said, ‘What sort of errands were you running?’ He said he had to swing by the drugstore. I said, ‘Well, what did you need at the drugstore?’ but he wouldn’t answer that. Yeah, he was being awfully mum.” 

“Mum?” Jeff repeated to himself, mystified by his friend’s bizarre word choice. 

Grant said, “He was probably annoyed that you were digging around in his business. I know I would be.” 

“Oh yeah, he was definitely getting annoyed,” Gareth said. “Then he cut the conversation short and told me he was stepping out for the night. That’s when I knew this was serious. Eddie doesn’t just ‘step out’ on a Sunday night. He hardly goes out any night. If he’s not with us, he’s sitting at home and playing songs on his guitar. Yeah, he was definitely with her last night.” 

Grant sighed, hoping they’d finally reached the end of this long-winded story. “Well, I guess you cracked the case then, Gareth.” 

“But that’s just it, I haven’t!” Gareth said. Grant let out an exhausted moan. “I still don’t know who this girl is. You guys swear you didn’t see Eddie go home with anybody after prom?”

Another secret glance. 

“Nope,” Jeff said. “I didn’t see him go home with anyone that night.”

Gareth nodded, disappointed but not yet defeated. “Yeah, I thought you might say that. That’s why I made this.” 

He gestured toward the piece of paper on the table. Jeff picked it up and read it over. Then he passed it to Grant so he could do the same. 

“Okay, what exactly am I looking at here?” Grant asked.  

“It’s a list of suspects,” Gareth said, a proud smile on his face. “Yeah, last night I compiled a list of every girl I’ve ever seen Eddie interact with at school, and then this morning I whittled that list down to what I think are the most likely suspects.”

“Not a very long list,” Jeff said. 

“Really?” said Grant. “I was gonna say it’s too long.” 

They shared a little chuckle over that. Gareth glowered at them, unamused. He didn’t appreciate them making little jabs about their Dungeon Master’s love life, stagnant as it was. 

“You know,” Grant began with ominous deliberation, “I can’t help but notice there’s a name missing from this list.” 

Gareth's head snapped back in surprise. “Who?” 

“You know who,” Grant said. Beside him, Jeff was holding in a smile. 

A disturbing chill crept up Gareth's spine. Then—

BAM!

Your name cracked down from above like a fiendish lightning bolt, striking Gareth and making all the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. For a second, he could see your name so clearly. It loomed before him, ugly and terrible, festering with puss and crawling with maggots, getting pecked savagely by vultures and other scavengers. It made him retch with disgust. 

“Oh, very funny…” 

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Grant said, “there’s no denying that she’s a likely suspect.” 

“In fact,” Jeff continued, “some might say she’s the most likely suspect.” 

“Yeah, maybe back in middle school,” Gareth said, scoffing, “but Eddie hasn’t so much as looked at her in years.” 

Except for that one time, Gareth thought, remembering the mournful look on his friend’s face that day. They were all eating lunch when your laughter suddenly sprang up from the other side of the cafeteria, obnoxious and shrill. Eddie glanced your way and his eyes darkened with such hollow sadness. It was as if someone had died.   

But that didn’t mean anything, Gareth decided, so he shoved the memory away. 

“All right, look, I’ll admit we lost him briefly for that one summer. I dunno how she did it, but somehow she got her claws in him real deep and he was completely under her spell. I won’t deny that. But then Eddie woke up and saw her for what she really is—an ugly green hag. At first, she appears as this beautiful, enchanting woman, but underneath that guise, she’s a wretched old witch who thrives on torment. Yeah, Eddie got over her a long time ago,” and Gareth refused to waste another thought on it.

He snatched the paper from Grant and laid it out in front of him. “Now, here’s what I’m thinking: if we split this up among the three of us, we can get through this list by lunch and then confront Eddie with our findings.” 

“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” Grant said. 

Gareth frowned. “Why not?” 

“Because we already know who it is.”

Gareth’s eyes widened in surprised anger. “I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT! I knew you two were messing with me this whole time. Sitting there with your smug little faces. Making your little jokes. You know what, screw you guys, I don’t even want your help anymore.” 

He stuffed the paper back into his bag, climbed to his feet, and stomped off.

Jeff said, “Shoulda gone to prom, man.”

“Well, no one would go with me,” Gareth replied, dejected. He pushed through the double doors and was gone. 

Afterward, Grant picked up his milk carton and took a few slow slips.

“You know what,” he said thoughtfully, “Gareth should’ve asked Y/N to prom.” 

Jeff chuckled quietly to himself. “Well, she did need a date… Shit, should we have just told him?”

“No,” Grant said. “No, this is something Gareth needs to see with his own eyes.”

⏩ preview #2

SERIES MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

unfortunately, i no longer do taglists. if you want to stay updated on my fics, you can follow me and/or subscribe to my posts. thank you!

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | The Spell (Phillips, 1977)

This movie involves a teenage girl being bullied for her weight, and I realize that the average American in the '70s was in better shape, but she's not even that fat. Like, I understand that her classmates will bully her because children can be little monsters, and certainly I experienced my share of exclusionary treatment and subtle cruelty growing up, so I can definitely relate to her plight in that respect. And were I in her place I'd cry all the way to my giant mansion because have you seen this girl's house? (I did not live in a mansion for the record.) And certainly I can expect her sister can give her a hard time because children can be little monsters. But it's kind of messed up what a huge jerk her dad is about the whole thing, making a big deal about hiring a governess to get her to lose weight and eventually proposing to ship her off to England. Perhaps she would benefit from a loving father, but such an idea escapes him.

Anyway, her mother is the only person in the movie aside from her gym teacher who treats her like an actual person, so we view the proceedings from her vantage point. So there is a bit of plausible deniability when the daughter starts running around in a cape and the ill she wishes on her classmates and others manifests with her desired results. But not a lot because the TV-movie direction isn't too big on subtlety, and some of the acts are more obviously the result of magical powers. Perhaps a classmate falling off a rope can be a genuine accident, but it's a little harder to buy that an old lady just happened to have steam shoot from her ears. Although the shade of red her face turned did match my complexion when I tried that scorpion pepper hot sauce that my Trinidadian coworker brought to work one time, so perhaps there is some ambiguity here. I got what I deserved, it even had "Scorpion" in the name if I recall correctly, so I don't know what else I expected.

Anyway, as a Carrie remix, this is pretty enjoyable. I've enjoyed what I've seen of TV movies of this era thanks to their sturdy sense of dramatics, and I think this one nicely foregrounds the performances of Lee Grant and Susan Myers as the mother and possible witch daughter. Grant's popped up on the Criterion Channel before, not just with her acting credits but also her directorial work. I unfortunately missed seeing most of the films that were featured, but I found Down and Out in America to be a pretty powerful documentary. Myers I've apparently seen before in Revenge of the Nerds, where she played one of the Pis, the sorority against whom the boys inflict what would now be rightfully recognized as sex crimes, and not one of the Omega Mus, the sorority the boys team up with in the musical finale, and not one of the Lambda Lambda Lambdas, which is the boys' fraternity so no girls allowed. Man, remember Revenge of the Nerds? What a movie.

As this the '70s, the brownest of the decades (which I assume is what President Carter's "Malaise" speech was referring to), we get the big collars, loud yet somehow clashing earth tones and overly busy decor, which all make for a pretty cozy aesthetic to curl up into. And while the witchiness isn't given the same extravagance or explicitness as De Palma's film, this substitutes those things for some effective small screen style, placing the emphasis on editing and lo fi trickery during the climactic witchy showdown.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (909): Sat 14th Sep 2024

Tonight I rang up Dad and asked if he fancied heading over to Boldon to try out Tim Horton’s a fast food place I’ve known about for a while but never gotten round to try it. I picked him up and found that he was still in incredibly high spirits after watching Trump make a fucking buffoon of himself in his debate against Kamala Harris. It’s still unbelievable to me that he would agree to debate someone without cognitive impairment because it was only ever going to lead to disaster. apparently his aides told him not to go near her ethnicity and not to resort to personal attacks during the debate and that’s why he performed so badly because that’s all he knows how to do in debates (plus he wasn’t even able to stick to his advisors plan as he DID mention her race and resort to personal attacks during the debate). I largely find Trump to be a tragic figure now and the humour doesn’t come from him any more it comes from his staunch defenders, some of whom are now legitimately saying that Trump said what he said about immigrants eating pets in order to get people to look closer into the plight of the people in Springfield, Ohio which, according to the MAGA supporters people cared about until Trump pushed them in that direction. I hate having to give Tucker Carlson the oxygen of publicity but after the debate he said that PETA should now fully enforce Trump since he’s anti-pet eating and if they don’t that means they must be all for the consumption of pets. If this is that case Tucker should rally behind Kamala Harris if she comes out and say she’s anti-paedophila or else by Carlson’s logic that means he’s pro paedophila right? Anywho the Tim Hortons was…okay I guess but nothing I would go out of my way to have again. This Tim Hortons is right next door to a McDonalds which I have to say is right up there with TNA going head to head with Monday Night Raw in terms of brain dead business strategies. I understand Tim Hortons is popular in Canada but given that they’re still relatively unknown in the UK maybe it’s not the best strategy to try to sell people burgers and fries right next to the most populated burgers and fries company in the world. When I got home I discovered that Lucy had climbed into my bed and had a piss which seeped all the way brought so blanket, the mattress cover be onto the fucking mattress. Good god her piss must be more powerful than the acidic Xenomorph blood from Alien. I had to go to the supermarket to buy some new blankets and I’ll probably have to buy a new mattress now. Although you could argue this is my fault for not letting the dog out for a piss before I went for food the blame can’t be focused squarely on me because I have it on good authority via a Facebook user with no profile picture that the citizens of Sunderland are eating the pets and that’s why I didn’t let Lucy out. 

[whileiamdying]

I’m Still Here review – loving family negotiates the horror of Brazil’s military rule Walter Salles’s first drama feature since 2012 tells the story of the Paivas, whose sunny 70s existence is wrecked by the arrest and disappearance of their father

I'm Still Here. Photograph: Alile Onawale

The Paivas are a liberal middle-class household in sun-splashed Rio de Janeiro, generally joyous in the way of all happy families. They like laughing and dancing and playing volleyball by the sea. But it’s the early 1970s; Brazil is under military rule and anyone deemed a threat risks immediate arrest. When the Paivas (mum, dad, five kids) huddle together for a photo on the beach it’s a safe bet that what they are recording is the end of an era.

Possibly director Walter Salles makes a little too much of the family’s good cheer, emphasising the sunshine so that we feel more acutely the cold rain when it falls. The Brazilian film-maker knew the Paivas as a child and therefore his fact-based account of their plight is understandably compromised and prone to a streak of sentimentality. Nonetheless, I’m Still Here (which is emphatically not to be confused with the spoof Joaquin Phoenix documentary of the same name) remains a sombre, heartfelt drama about the nation’s disappeared. Incredibly, it’s Salles’s first dramatic feature since 2012’s On the Road. The man has been missed, although not as much as some others.

Brazilian actor Selton Mello initially takes centre stage as Rubens Paiva, a former Labour Party congressman who is active in the underground opposition, organising safe houses and briefing foreign journalists. In the grand scheme of things his crimes aren’t so great, but the country runs on fear and everyone is a suspect. The Paivas discuss getting out, but that’s a big step, and to what end? Most likely, says Rubens, this particular storm will blow through.

The central abduction scene superbly shows the way in which eternal horror can invade every domesticity - not bursting upon it like a B-movie monster but sidling in with a faintly apologetic air. The oblivious children continue clumping up and down the stairs, while three goons loiter in the kitchen, not quite sure where to put themselves. They explain that Rubens is needed for a few hours at most. Rubens’ wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres) asks them if they’ve had any lunch.

Once Rubens has been whisked away for questioning, it is Eunice’s turn to step to the front. Torres gives a terrific, layered performance as the Paivas’ Mother Courage, straining to keep the household ticking over and constantly fighting for her husband’s return – or, failing that, official acknowledgement of his death. It’s not Torres’s fault that the drama loses some of its shape and velocity in the second half, because it’s hard to sustain the suspense around an absence and difficult to tell a tale that has no decisive resolution. Yet it is here perhaps that Salles’s closeness to the Paivas pays off. He cares for these people and makes us care for them, too.

Based on the book by Rubens and Eunice’s son Marcelo, I’m Still Here opens to the sight of checkpoints and army lorries and from there proceeds to follow its ill-starred family down the years, all the way to a lovely, moving coda in 2014. The Paivas continue to gather for photos and try to find enjoyment where they can. When a visiting news photographer asks them to look sad for the camera, they not only refuse, they can barely contain their amusement. Salles’s imperfect, hobbled film tells us that hope springs eternal and that joy is a given and that most happy families will find a way to survive.

I’m Still Here screened at the Venice film festival.

[ducknotinarow]

@aflockoffeathers said: MM MikeyDon -[🎄] our muses decorate a christmas tree together

| SEND AN EMOJI FOR A STARTER ! ↳ winter season & holiday based [part 1]

Mikey like all his brothers? Of course also loved Christmas it was always a special day for them Dad always did what he could to make the day special for them. And they always loved it. They look forward to even one of the few times they weren't always looking for an excuse to sneak up to the surface really either but. Mikey had notice this time? Well things seemed a bit different. Dad, was a bit hm scattered he feels was a decent word to use. trying to juggle the old traditions and find ways to inculcate everyone else in on it too and be open to other things. But then there were his brothers, Leo wasn't too bad really. Then you had Raph. Raph didn't seem to be holding the same spirit. Seeming a bit moody these day's lately considering he snapped over the tree. Don? he seemed to be in a whole other world himself. Not all to present in their usual traditions. All lost to some project he been working on.

That wasn't too out there for Donnie of course, Donnie was known to zero in when something grabs his attention. It was fine over all Mikey guessed it made sense this year was bond to be different after all. They weren't just the smaller family after all. They now had Mondo, Ray, Bepbop and Rocksteady, wingnut, leatherhead, Genghis, and well of course uh Scumbug as well. That was cool too he was happy that Dad seemed so happy with her. But Mikey had to admit the family didn't feel all that together this year. And sure changes will do that but it was like they were being pulled apart. Something he and Mondo had spoken about in the tunnels together. When he voiced his worries over all the changes. Mondo helping to reassure him everything was fine. Far as Mikey was concerned Mondo was the smarts mutant he knew.

Because the mutant he once thought fit that was currently being the biggest idiot of them all. Well Raph might be more so. Maybe they were the same equal level of idiot? Whatever he could understand his brother plight here but still. Leaning over to look at the paper Donnie was hunched over right now. Mikey felt it looked pretty good. It looked better than anything else he seen Donnie draw hell far better than the manga he and Von made that for some reason featured Casey in it? Or someone that was like Casey? Sometimes it truly was better not to question his brothers and just go with the flow like Mondo always said. But right now? Mikey didn't see how going with flow was the answer. Quirking his beak a little.

"Donnie, your being stupid." Mikey went on to state his tone was even and his brown was knitted into a unimpressed expression when he said it. "It looks great! And if anything that is the perfect gift for you to give to Von!" He went to add on. "You guys spend time drawing together you made your own story even? And now your making a drawing of Von" He paused a second "A portrait" He corrected. "You know something you went and pour all this time and effort into? And you wanna sit here and think it'd not good?"

He questions trying to see if Donnies was smart enough to follow on his line of thought of course he wasn't so Mikey rolled his eyes a little. "Dude Dad loves are dinky ordenaments so much he wraps them in news paper I wouldn't be surpised if Von frames that or something. You day she this great girl right?" It likely pointless for Mikey to keep trying but damn it he wasn't going to give up. They were going to gather and watch the tree together one way or another!

"Donnie, let me ask you something if Von Is as great a person as you claim her to be" his wording may be hard but it was on pu4pose, these improve games were really paying off. "Are you telling me she would be happy that you spent your family time working on her gift that you have poured your heart out into already but she apperntly wouldn't like now?" Mikey poses "I dunno Don makes me wonder what kind of girl your dating now." He waits a moment feeling pretty good about where he stands.

"Do you see how insane thar aounds!" He yells suddenly. "That's clearly not who she is or how she be Donnie." He sighs put dropping the role he assigned himself. Letting his face fall a bit. "Could you please Donnie? It's always been a thing for use todo and we still need Raph too I think it be nice to get every together for the tree." He pleads a little hoping one of his two methods gets through his brother. But Donnie might just be that much of an idiot.

"Donnie, seriously, your being worse than Leo. And least you have Rizz." Something Leo will never live down. "Von gonna love thar I think it looks amazing it's like your best work! There's no reason to waste the whole of our holiday stuff on this. Von likely gonna love anything I mean your first date was just spent drawing and such right? So course shell llve this it's like a whole display of your relationship I a gift! What could be a better gift than that?" Hope mlre lole praying and wishing at once that finally he'll get through to Donnie maybe even a little.

[bleeding-star-heart]

Holy shit- you're not the only one when it comes to Anora. I mean:

The fact that she is surprised and confused by the Alienage riots shows that she doesn't know any more about the city elves' plight than Cailan did. (And Cailan is canonically a bad ruler)

Even a cursory glance at the Alienage/the way elves are treated in general tells you the elves have plenty of reasons to riot. Anora can take her pick.

And Anora demonstrates this ignorance/lack of compassion by "coming down hard" on "elven rioters" when there's a food shortage.

Anora, by her own words and the narrative's, is supposed to have secretly ruled for years; she should be able to deal with a food shortage without violence or curbing freedoms.

Despite the lack of heirs being one of her biggest political weaknesses, if she's sole ruler she makes no steps towards securing a successor. She doesn't have to give birth if she doesn't want to, but she could at least adopt or name a close ally as her heir.

I get it; she loves her dad. But wasting taxpayer money on a statue on a now-loathed political figure-especially since she knows EXACTLY what Loghain was up to-is perhaps not the wisest course of action.

She does this regardless of what happens to him, and if he's popular she builds it overlooking the Orlesian embassy. Which is not the best move if she's trying to avoid things escalating between Orlais and Ferelden.

Which she should; because if there's one thing Loghain proves, allowing collective/national trauma to take over leads to BAD governance and more problems.

That being said, the epilogue does write her as funding a university, rebuilding Denerim, and supporting agriculture and trade. But that doesn't change the fact that she:

is shown to make zero attempts to even understand the plight of the in-game minorities, never mind change it for the better

allows her personal connection to Loghain to guide her decisions, to everyone's possible detriment (even though she should definitely know better)

doesn't think about Ferelden's future after her inevitable demise

Ultimately, Anora is not the more progressive choice just because of gender. She is a privileged white woman competing against a privileged white man (a.k.a. Arl Eamon) for control of Ferelden. And I will prefer Alistair because he a) doesn't pretend he's a perfect choice for king, b) has just as much capacity to be competent if you harden him and c) actually tries to help the in-game minorities.

If dragon age writers weren't cowards they'd make Thedas ripe with misandry based on the Chantry's beliefs and Alistair wouldn't be able to ascend to the throne without marrying a woman first 😒

And if you aren't playing a female Cousland specifically you'd NEED Anora...( For the record I think she actually wasn't a good ruler and that adds so much spice to this. Especially if you play as Tabris - an elf who suffered under her rule. )