#angela is like what a pretty tree!!

[bunnithechubs]

broke tingz

[xetlynn]

Twilight- Youngest Shadow: Chapter Six, Confirming Us

(Alice X Reader X Jasper)

[five] [six] [seven]

Bella stands by me, getting herself ready for what she’s about to do. It’s the end of the school day and I suck in a deep breath for her. I can not believe she’s actually going through with this.

She starts walking towards the Cullen’s. She makes eye contact with Edward and he immediately gets the message but Rosalie grabs his arm. Bella already disappeared in the trees that bordered the school property. Rosalie says something to him but Alice shakes her head and removes her hand, also speaking. I obviously can’t hear them from here.

Biting the dead skin off my bottom lip nervously I try my best not to cough. Of course I’m still sick, not as bad as yesterday but still up there. Just without the fever.

I watch Edward finally get away from his foster siblings and go to my sister. It feels like my breathing has been shortened. I have a feeling he won’t do anything to her but there’s always a thought in the back of my mind.

“Hey, you okay?” I turn and it was just Angela. “Hm?” I raise a brow. “Oh I was just asking if you’re okay. Since you were pretty sick yesterday.” She smiles, putting her hand on my back causing me to shutter. “I’m better, still sick.” I look away to cough. Her touch makes my chest squeeze and I don’t notice the two staring at me from across the lawn. Or at least I act like I don’t.

“Aw, I’m sorry.” She pouts moving her hand to my shoulder and I nervously laugh. “It’s okay, did you find your prom dress?” I change the subject, her eyes light up in response. “Yes I did. Did you? I wasn’t able to ask since you were so bad yesterday.” She takes her hand back and I felt like a corset was being taken off and I could actually breathe again. “Ah, that’s amazing. I don’t know if I’m going.” I shrug.

She takes my hand and that one feeling comes back. “You have to it will be so fun. And since we don’t have Bella coming we need at least one Swan sister to come.” She tries to convince me. That sentence throws me the wrong way though, I know she didn’t intend it to but I don’t know.

“We could even match colors. My dress is like light pink.”

“I mean if you’d like me to I will.” I tell her with a small smile. “Light pink is such a good choice.” Another voice rings to my right side and both of us jump from the person. I mentally curse once I see who it is. “Oh, um… thank you Alice.” Angela grins at the other girl as I glare at her.

“So, [Name] how’d you sleep last night?” She turns to me and my lips press together angrily. Angela seems confused.

“What an odd question to ask.” I say through my teeth.

“Really? I just wanted to make sure it was nice since Jasper and I left before you woke up.” She sweetly says, my eyes widen.

“I slept fine.” I roll my eyes.

“That’s good! Angela? That’s your name right? I’m going to steal [Name] here for a second.” She doesn’t even let the girl answer nor give me the chance to deny. Taking my arm and dragging me away. I look back at Angela apologetically.

She waves me goodbye, furrowing her eyebrows as she was just as confused as me.

We get into a car where I’m in the backseat, Jasper was in the driver seat. “What was that!?” I pull away from her, my face scrunched with anger.

“Shh.” She tells me and I grunt as I push myself backwards on the seat. “Is this a fucking AA or something? Here to tell each other secrets?” I cross my arms.

“Why are you so mad at us, darling?” Jasper turns to look at me.

“Why are you so obsessed with me?” I rebuttal.

“Well, you obviously know what we are is that your reason?” He ignores what I had just said. “No I’m just- I’m confused!” I exclaim.

“You’re both together, in a relationship. Immortal I might add that I am not. What do you want from me?”

Their gazes soften. “[Name], you’re our missing piece. You’re ours. You have been for years we only now found you, again” Alice tells, still smiling. I think back to my dream.

Their missing piece…

“You still aren’t answering me correctly. Give me an explanation, a good one that doesn’t sound like you’re crazy!” I exasperated.

“I’m some missing piece, whatever! But why me? You don’t know me!” I hold myself trying not to get emotional from how overwhelmed I feel.

“We know more than you think, love.” Jasper says, i glance over to him, motioning for him to keep talking.

“We’ve had this feeling for years, we knew you as humans, [Name]. Years and years ago. You’re the one who would get through our fingers. Your past lives have popped up. And they will continue to do so until you fall for us. You won’t remember until you-“ he cuts himself off, Alice’s eyes bored onto me. “You won’t remember.”

I sit there for a minute in complete silence.

Then I start laughing. “Okay I played into this for a little bit. I actually believed it, I believed my sister too! Is this some sort of prank or something?” I shake my head. “This is good, really. You had me. But knock it off.” I go to open the door but it won’t open.

“Hey, let me out.” I play with the handle and the two just sit there. “I said let me out.” I order, now using to hands.

“[Name],” Alice goes to touch me but I go up against the door. “Don’t touch me.” I smack her away from me and a shock goes through my arm. I gasp not only from how cold she is, even though I already know she is. But something actually shocked me. Not a normal metal shock but like a taser went through my arm.

“We’re telling the truth.” Jasper says lowly, I just scoff.

“Okay, sure and I’m a fucking werewolf. Do you know how crazy this sounds!?” I throw my hands into the air.

“Yes, yes we know.” Alice sadly replied.

“I want proof.” I simply say. “I want to see the speed shit or whatever.”

They look between each other, nodding.

“We can do that but we have to go to an excluded place. Do you trust us enough?” Alice asks me. I sit there for a moment.

“Sure.”

“We need a yes if we leave this parking lot.”

I roll my eyes, “yes.”

And in a quick notion we’re on the road, exhilarating passed the speed limits.

I grip onto the handle above me.

Then we come to a stop, we’re in the forest. “We gotta do some walking.” Jasper warns me, I just nod.

He finally unlocks the child lock he had put on and I get out. I leave my backpack inside the vehicle. Alice and Jasper stand next to me on either side. We start up on this hike trail. We walk in silence. None of us tried to start up a conversation.

“Watch your step.” Jasper warns me and even with that warning I somehow trip. Luckily I don’t fall. My face warms up in embarrassment. They don’t say anything, don’t even crack a smirk or anything. Sort of making me feel better about it.

Then Jasper starts going off trail and I stop in place. “What are you doing?”

“Excluded place, remember, Darling?” Jasper reminds me, I look around trying to think of a way to get out of this. “Right.” I whisper, realizing there isn’t going to be one. I buried my own grave here.

“I’ll be right behind you to make sure you don’t fall.” Alice tells me, trying to reassure me.

I don’t acknowledge what she said, just following Jasper.

It was long until we get to this small spot. “No one’s around.” Alice tells Jasper who nods shortly.

My nerves start rising, I play with the sleeves of my sweater.

“Okay do you have anything else to ask?” Jasper asks and I shake my head. “Just do the speed shit.” I tell trying not to sound panicked but that doesn’t work.

He snickers and Alice stands next to him. Then he’s gone and I feel a tap on my shoulder. When I turned he was gone again. I look straight and Alice was gone too. A tap on my back this time and they’re both behind me. I squint at them and then Jasper is gone again. Now hanging on a tree branch.

Alice grins.

He jumps down, it was a high branch so I gasp. Almost going to run to him but he stands with perfect posture.

“Do you believe it now?” Alice teases me, my mouth opens to speak but nothing comes out. “I… I um”

“Are you scared?” Jasper questions me, going back next to his lover.

“Would you be in my position?”

The two laugh. “Yeah, we would.” Alice sighs.

“Well, oddly enough I’m not. I want to know more.” I tell them.

And for the next few days that’s what we do. I learn more about them.

Barely passing by Bella but we both subconsciously knew that each other got our answers.

And with learning about them came.. loving them. Both of them. I never thought I’d be with two people- vampires?

I guess no one thinks they will be with a vampire.

I knew I’d be in a relationship no one would understand in my family. Like being with a woman most likely. But in this odd polyamory love affair I would’ve never guessed.

They were gentle with me. Like a doll.

“Jasper usually has trouble around humans. That’s why he kind of looks like he’s in pain. But with you. It’s like you’re one of us. We still have to treat you with fragile care. Nonetheless you’re made for us.” Alice grins, holding my hand as we walked together on that same trail. Jasper had to help Rosalie and Emmett with something so he couldn’t join us today.

“Do you think there’s something with my blood?” I look at her and she gives me a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Well you guys drink blood. What’s so different about mine?”

She breaks out into a small laugh. “Nothings different it’s just how we are with you. It’s been like that in all of your lifetimes. It’s how we know it’s you. Well we normally know because you always look the same. Same first name too.” She explains, my mouth going into the form of an ‘o’.

“You’re cute.” She gently bumps into me.

And no matter how many times I ask them about my past lives, about how I acted they never answered.

Always saying “you’ll find out when you do.”

It was very frustrating.

“I can see into the future, visions. I can see what a persons up to at this very moment. The future can change though. It’s not always accurate.” Alice tells me and I raise an eyebrow.

“Did you know about Bella and your brother before they came about?” I tilt my head.

“Sort of. I didn’t want to pry.” She says. “Can you do anything special?” I turn to Jasper.

“I can manipulate your emotions. Sort of like an empathetic person. I feel your emotion instead of you.” He explains.

I tilt my head, wanting to know more.

“How come you didn’t do that to me when I was angry with you guys?”

“I didn’t want to have this relationship based off of me manipulating you. I wanted you to feel everything, think for yourself. Make your choice. You’re worth waiting a million years for.” He takes me hand like Alice is but takes it up and kisses it.

I smile to myself, glancing down at the ground.

“We want you to come over and meet everyone.” Alice suddenly says.

“Your sister will be there too.” She adds.

I blink a few times, my chest tightening. “Uh… are you sure?”

“Of course.” Jasper chimes in.

And I felt like throwing up.

The thought of meeting their family made my heart thump quicker than normal.

“Okay… I’ll do it if my sister is there.”

“Great, we will pick you up tomorrow.”

Today I brought my motorcycle myself this time. So I drove home myself. And getting there Jacob and Billy stood outside talking to my dad. Well Billy sat in the car as Jacob was going to get out. I’m guessing to take out the wheelchair.

Getting off my bike, I take my helmet off as I walked over to them. “Hey, squirt!” My dad shouts over to me and I wave.

“Hey guys!” I smile. Jacob comes over and pulls me into a hug. Billy was a bit standoffish but he smiles and greets me as well.

Jacob walks away and goes to set up the wheelchair, Billy gets himself up to sit in it.

That’s when Bella gets dropped off by Edward, Billy and him make eye contact and Billy seemed nervous.

Okay this chapter is a little shorter than normal. I had some things happen so I’ve been busy. But I’m hoping to have two chapters out on Sunday.

And a few requests done.

[disappearinginq]

I really wish I could be convinced that more people would be interested in non-ship stuff for fandoms I'm in.

Look, we all know we write for ourselves. I get it. I do. But my desire (ability) to finish things is hinged on feedback. My two longest fics that I wrote the fastest were because of audience engagement. And because I knew I had people I respected and liked reading, and I wanted them to enjoy the read, I wrote better.

Now I feel like I'm just stuck in No Man's Land of fandom, and while I have like a dozen things half finished, they never seem to actually BE finished because if the audience is me, then I know how it ends. There's not much point writing it down.

So this is basically my To Do List.

The Rookie - I just don't care about what 90% of the fandom cares about

1. Series of one shots that establish Angela and Tim's BFF status that may or may not lean Tim aspec because I'm me.

2. Pre series flashbacks to Tim in his time in service when he survives an airstrike that kills two of his friends and almost kills him.

3. Trauma Tim post season 6, because in rapid succession, he loses his job on metro, he witnesses his old team die in a way eerily similar to the way he was almost killed in the airstrike, had a friend commit suicide in front of him after confessing to being dirty, gets accused of being dirty himself, and is again almost killed in close quarter combat (among other things that will remain unmentioned here)

Slow Horses

1. Do not ask me why but I love the idea that Lamb potentially met River was he was a kid because he had to work closely with David Cartwright and River is always where he's not supposed to be

2. River goes missing, and for once, not his fault. Lamb has to come to terms that just because he pretends not to care, doesn't mean anyone buys it

3. Post season 4, somebody finds out that River is the last remaining son of Frank's assassin cult, and it goes about as well as can be expected. I fully intend to have Lamb use this line: "trying to detain you is like trying to nail jello to a tree".

Magnum PI (yes, I still work on these)

1. Finish Wrong Side. I actually have like another 10-15k words on it, but it's not in order or complete scenes, but it does include Thomas’s recovery and discovery that Hannah is the one who sold them out

2. I have like 6 other chapters to Bad Things Happen that I half wrote but then retired the card

3. Crossover with MacGyver because I thought Mac could use some down time in Hawaii after season 4 and the last half of season 3

Tracker 1. Colter goes missing during one of his cases, and I borrow heavily from an episode of Lethal Weapon wherein Colter will be held hostage in an illegal drug trial that he stumbled into and now finds himself an unwilling participant, and I drag Russell into it because that is how big brothers work

Hudson & Rex - honestly, I have the most written for this fandom, even though the fandom itself is pretty quiet, but it's most of a bingo card 1. Finish Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful because damn son it's been years

2. In no particular order, I have Bad Things Happen Bingo It's Not My Blood, Stitches, Caught in a Snare, Falls Through the Ice and three others that fit other prompts - a boating accident, Charlie finally finds himself at the bottom of a well (sort of) and completes his "Timmy and Lassie Scenario" bingo card, and where Charlie realizes he's developed claustrophobia after having a mine collapse on him, being locked in a freezer storage, almost crushed by a shipping container, buried alive, etc and gets stuck in an elevator with Jesse

[pumpkinsy0]

im feeling the spirit so do u have any christmas hcs?🤭

i love getting holiday asks in the middle of august, it really gets me ready❤️

•two bit and curly love snowglobes however ik theyve broken so many and arent allowed to hold them

•pony loves making gingerbread houses and is so QUIET and FOCUSED when he is but SOMEONE keeps being rowdy and fucking it up

•soda has like always been in charge of the music and that will never ever change

•ik pony hate to see curly w a mistletoe comin

•I WILL ALWAYS BRING THIS UP, PLEASE LET THEM MAKE HAITIAN FANALS THEY LOOK SO PRETTY😢😢😢, pony stares at them and loves the way they look, especially in the snow at night and how they reflect on it (yes ik tulsa rlly doesnt snow that much but shhhhh)

•the shepards WILL be bringing out that kremas, TRUST🙏🏽🙏🏽

•dallys throwing snowballs w rocks, dont even try and hide it

•soda loves peppermint chocolate and that will never fail to disgust steve

•ugly christmas sweaters,,,aw yea,,,,

•the curtis mom had this tradition of making gingerbread men and the gang could decorate themselves onto it and soda and darrys carried that tradition along

•the curtis’ and shepard’s would bring food over to each other

•steve has a talent for making hot chocolate, speaking of hot chocolate, idk WHO did it, but the curtis’ had to b taught how to make actual hot chocolate and not just the powdered packet one

•two bit and dally have definitely got kicked out a mall for gawking at the santas helpers girls

•pony and curly have broke SOMETHING trying to sled (the hill was rocky and there wasnt that much snow but they had hope and a dream), then again maybe they just, had one on the sled while the other pulled, but the one pulling was just doin too much😭

•the shepards dont get a tree, but the curtis’ kinda do???certainly not a big tree, but A tree regardless, maybe its just one of those tree ls that sit outside their house that they decorated

•the shepards r forced to go to church by their mom😭

•curly and angela were those kids who fucked w the nativity scene, tim knew but was too tired to rlly care and he found it a lil funny at times

•like barely of them have a scarf, so many of em have gotten a cold for sure

•they all prefer warm christmas, to them all white christmas is just dead, even for the ones that dont particularly love christmas, its either u go for a warm and colorful christmas or else ur just being extra annoying

•its johnnys fav holiday but also his loneliest bc hes reminded of what he doesnt have

•angela CANNOT dress for winter, like its an actual problem shes not used to it at all and she hates when shes restricted in what she has to wear all bc of the weather, tim usually had to give her his jacket

[theoceantot]

Caregiver Mercy drabbles

Babbling~

You were rested on Mercys hip as she walked around the overwatch base. Mama knew it's important to get fresh air every day so this was apart of your routine. There were beautiful flowers and trees that seemed so big to your little mind.

Mercy chuckled softly as you babbled about how pretty everything was.

"You don't say angel? *more babbles. "Is that so baby?"

Of course she couldn't understand exactly what you were saying but she had a general idea.

Clingy~

Since Mercy was the first one to wake up she decided to make breakfast for everyone. But being the clingy baby you are you wouldn't let her leave your nursery without crying. So she put your play pen in the kitchen while she began making breakfast. As she was flipping pancakes Mercy heard a whine coming from the play pen. You reached your arms out wanting to be held.

"Not now dear, mommy is busy"

You didn't like that

At all

You started crying loudly. Loud enough where Genji woke up and came to the kitchen with his blade out thinking they were being attacked. But it was just you crying hitting the ground in frustration.

"Whats wrong little one?" Genji asked and picked you up out of the play pen. Usually you loved being held by Genji but right now you just wanted Mercy. You still continued to reach for your caregiver while trying to get out of Genji's hold.

Mercy sighed and stopped cooking to hold and rock you hoping that would calm you down. Now the loud crying was just sniffles.

"Genji do you mind finishing up breakfast?"

"Not at all Angela"

Mercy carried you back to your nursery and laid down next to you in your crib putting the gates down.

Accidents~

The whole overwatch team was having a get together in the living room. You were fine at first. Kiriko was playing with your stuffed toys with you making you giggle and clap your hands. But after awhile everything was getting too loud. Too many noises and too much going on for your tiny mind to comprehend. You didn't even realized you used your diaper becasue you were so pre occupied.

Mercy went to check on you while you were clinging onto Brig burying your face in her stomach.

"Y/n, is everything alright?"

You shook your head and covered your ears. Brig looked at you with a worried glance and picked you up. That's when she realized your bottom was damp. Who knows how long you needed to be changed. Brig hoped you didn't have a rash.

"Kitten, how long have you needed a change?" Brig asked while bouncing you in her arms.

You shrugged not even knowing yourself.

Mercy took carefully took you from Brig and brought you to your nursery and layed you on the changing table. Already being overstimulated from the night you began to cry as she took the diaper off.

"Its alright my little angel shhhh" Mercy quietly said as she quickly finished and put you in a new diaper and onsie. Mercy texted the group chat and said she needed to take care of you and wasn't coming back down. 5 minutes later right after Mercy put you in your crib there was a small knock on the door and then Kiriko opened the door holding an orange fox plushie.

Kiriko put the fox plushy on her stomach and began making the toy dance making you laugh and reach out for it.

"I'm glad I made you feel better baby fox" Kiriko said and booped your nose. Mercy thanked Kiriko and tucked you in turning on your night light.

"Sleep well, mama loves you" Mercy whispered

(I hope you all liked this. I've never written about diapers before so I hope it's not too bad)

[nikibogwater]

I watched The Last Unicorn (1982) with very, very little prior knowledge of the film. And I wasn't planning to, but I ended up taking notes because wow. This movie. It's something.

The very little prior knowledge I had was as follows: it's an old animated film about a unicorn and I've occasionally heard people talk about it fondly. That's it, that's literally all I had going into this thing. It was not nearly enough to prepare me.

Ohhhh I love the scenery! Man, nothing hits quite like a traditional hand-drawn backgrou--OH MY WORD WHAT IS THAT WHY IS IT MOVING LIKE THAT STOP IT

Ohhh, this is a Rankin-Bass production? Well, that explains the animation.

Yeah that is not a unicorn, that's a llama with a table-knife glued to its head.

Ooh, the opening credits play over a lightly animated medieval tapestry! That's so coo--aaaaand they picked the most 80's sounding song I can imagine to go over it, okay.

Yo this butterfly is stoned out of his little buggy mind, maybe he should get some rehab.

Love that it's not immediately clear what the "red bull" actually is yet. Is it a literal bull? Is it a raging fire? Is it the inescapable march of industrial progress?? Gotta stay tuned to find out. (edit: it was literally just a bull and I need to stop reading symbolism into every little thing).

Ok ngl, the "Man's Road" sequence was actually fire, despite (or perhaps because of) the 80's cheese.

Angela Lansbury!!! Man, she just ate this role. Who'd've thought Mrs. Pots could sound so threatening?

I would die for Shmendrick.

Oh that is a very lore-accurate harpy right there. (⊙_⊙;)

Love how the witch's carnival arc touches on the idea of truth vs. wishful delusion. There's a beautiful irony in a movie about a literal unicorn talking about the importance of staying grounded in what is real and truly beautiful.

No, seriously, I would die for Shmendrick. Protect this precious man at all costs.

Can we pretty please stop calling the witch Mommy

"That's my immortality!" eyo this witch is actually a great villain. Really wish she could've stuck around for the whole movie.

Awww, the unicorn is taking care of Shmendrick! That's so sweet! God knows he needs it.

Shmendrick: Run! We'll find each other later! *immediately gets captured*

Have I mentioned that I would die for Shmendrick.

I feel like the entire bit with the outlaws had a lot of connecting shots cut out for time because I really couldn't follow any of what was happening.

Hehehe...That tree looks like a butt. I wonder if they did that on purpo--WHAT THE HELL

*nervously glancing over my shoulder to make sure my family doesn't see me watching this*

Unicorn to the rescue!! Thank heavens.

"That was true magic." Then please don't ever do true magic again.

"How dare you come to me now, when I am this?!" H-hey, nobody told me this movie was gonna go that hard...

Mom-friend acquired! Just in time, too. Unicorn looked like she was getting real tired of being the only one with two brain cells to rub together.

Our heroes: *bracing themselves for what may be the darkest, most dangerous part of their journey* Freakin' Gerry Beckley from "America:" 🎵MOON RISIN'! DISGUISIN'!! 🎵 Gotta love that tonal dissonance.

Oooh hey the animation on the Red Bull is actually kind of good!

Molly: DO SOME MAGIC! Shmendrick: I CAN'T! Molly: YES U CAN I BELIEVE IN U Shmendrick: *does some magic* Molly: NOOOOO WHAT HAVE U DONE Molly I love you, but make up your darn mind.

Love that being turned into a human being is like, the worst thing that could ever happen to the unicorn. Yeah, being human is a pretty awful experience.

Boy there is just empty static behind Prince Lir's eyes. Homeboy doesn't have a thought in his head and probably never will.

Lir: babe look I got u a severed dragon head pls love me

Oh yeah. Marry this one, Unicorn. He's a keeper.

Molly: Shmendrick will help! Unicorn: I hope for no help from him. He is no magician now, but the king's clown.

GURL SAY THAT AGAIN! U KEEP DISRESPECTING MY BOI SHMENDRICK AND U WILL GET THESE HANDS!

The pirate cat is now my second-favorite character. I've known him for all of 10 seconds, but I love him.

He doesn't actually purr. He just says, "Purr, purr." I love him even more now.

"No cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer." Most accurate line ever put to film.

Unicorn, please marry Prince Lir, you well never find a purer source of Himbo Energy than him. Look at him, he's even singing badly for you, you gotta take this one.

"I mean you can't really be that ridiculous magician's niece--" BETRAYAL. OUTRAGE. SCANDAL. I DISOWN YOU, LIR, YOU FOUL SERPENT WHO SPEAKS NOTHING BUT FILTH. I HOPE THE UNICORN BREAKS YOUR STUPID LITTLE HEART

Dang. This guy voicing the skeleton is putting his entire heart and soul into that laugh.

Prince "I love whom I love" Lir will not be stopped even by the threat of potential bestiality. I'd say Husband Goals, but first of all, ew, and second, he insulted Shmendrick so he is dead to me.

"I wish to God I didn't care about anything but my magic, but I do!" Oh Shmendrick, honey... 🥺

Yooo, that transformation back into her unicorn form was actually sick. For a Rankin-Bass made-for-tv movie, this thing pulls off some surprisingly good animation every once in a while.

Yeah, kick his magical red butt, little unicorn! Go save your boyfriend and your family!!!

What is it with Christopher Lee and playing creepy old guys who get thrown off of towers at the end

Wait, no, I only sort of meant it when I said the unicorn should break Lir's heart, I didn't think they'd actually do it!

Molly ditched her outlaw husband to travel the world with Shmendrick and honestly, I'd do the same if I was in her place.

Oh wow. She chose to save her own kind and return to her forest even though she loved Lir. This is actually very bittersweet and--GOTDANGIT GERRY BECKLEY, NOT NOW!!!

Closing thoughts: This movie was an absolute trip and I'm probably going to think it was a fever dream I once had after some time has passed. It's also the only movie I can think of that I would actually want a remake/remaster of. The story was great, though it jumped around from place to place so quickly that it was sometimes hard to follow what was happening. I like the characters a lot (mostly Shmendrick tbh but they're all good), and I wish there had been more time to let them interact with each other. You can see the potential for chemistry between the different personalities, but it's stifled by moments of awkward voice acting and the strange, jittery character animation. With more time to breathe and better animation, this story would really be something amazing. I'm actually very interested in reading the original novel it was based on now, I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a copy. All in all, The Last Unicorn (1982) is a mind-boggling experience with surprisingly deep themes combined with what I can only assume is what you see when you're on acid. If you have any interest, I would highly recommend seeing this thing for yourself.

Yes. Even the Boob Tree. Please. I don't want to be the only one who is cursed to have that scene in my brain.

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday evening all :) Another non Chenford ep BUT good separate SL’s once again. After this this won’t be an issue for a long while ha Good scenes with Harper training Lucy for UC. Which I LOVE basically female version of Tim and I love it. Good moments with Nolan and Tim. You read that right haha Nolan still mainly a putz but their scenes are good. Second to last ep of the season. Woo here we go.

3x13 Triple Duty

Tim and Nolan are paired together in this one. Their dynamic changes a little more each time they are paired. Last time was 2x12 when Lucy was with Harper. We start the episode off on lovely note. Tim asking how Henry is? Ugh love this man’s heart. Look at him asking Nolan of all people a personal question. AND he’s being genuine about it. Be still my heart Mr. Bradford.

Tim asks about his interest in T.O. once he’s graduated as well. Look at our boy creating conversation with John. I love it so much. I think it's partly to see his reason but mostly genuine. Nolan asks Tim if he has any advice he could share he would appreciate it. Tim saying ‘Sure’ is the best. Look how he’s grown. Being a fountain of info for Nolan. How times have changed.

Their convo is interrupted by hearing multiple gun shots. Assault rifles from the sounds of it. They pull up to cemetery and are shot at immediately. They follow the guy deep into the cemetery and find his body. Looks like he was shot to hell and couldn’t make it any farther. They investigate more and stumble upon a massacre. I love the look they share as they hear backup arriving. Pretty grim.

Looks like the war that was created last ep with La Fiera has begun. Crazy brutal way to start it but she is a VERY angry grieving mother. She is taking swift action and justice on the late Tomas’s business. His son clearly her target for what happened to Diego. A turf war has begun and doesn’t look like there are signs of it letting up.

Angela shows up on scene to confer with Grey, Tim and Nolan. La Fiera flew back to Guatemala to bury Diego. She has since returned to take care of unfinished business. She is camping out at a hotel downtown. Rented out the entire floor for her time in L.A. Grey tells Angela to go and see her. Cesar has gone to ground and Narcotics can’t find him. Tim says he could ask Mack he worked for his dad. Now that he’s in rehab will have a clearer head to help out. Look at the good that came from him helping Mack out. Full circle goodness already. Good job Tim.

We catch Lucy and Jackson fighting over who’s going to do paperwork. Jackson is winning until Grey calls her into his office. Leaving him with the dreaded paperwork haha When she enters his office Harper is there. Grey asks her if she heard about the mass casualties from this morning? Lucy tells him yes that they expected as much after what happened at the hospital.

Harper then steps in and says this has created an opportunity for them. Saying how when bosses are murdered/die it changes things. UC’s get upended from their covers due to it. She then says it lets them bring new UC’s into the field. We watch Lucy light up like a Christmas Tree. She could not be more excited about this news. Ready to jump in and do whatever Nyla wants to be apart of this.

If Tim could hear all this he would be having a coronary. LOL Lucy is so excited to have another crack at a UC OP. Saying she is so ready to do this again if they need it. Harper tells her not so fast. This won’t be a sting operation like last time. It's going to be be a long term placement instead. Much different than the one time OP she did back in 3x06. Her character remains the same the operation not so much.

Grey lets her know she would be on her own. No backup or surveillance like last time. That he’s told Harper to test her readiness today. That if she doesn’t sign off with confidence it’s not happening. You can tell Lucy is chomping at the bit to prove herself. I do love Grey telling her it’s ok if by end of day she isn’t prepared. No shame in the game. Harper tells Lucy to go get changed they’re throwing her in the deep end ASAP.

Tim gets the info he needs from Mack. Yay good job Mack ha Tim and Nolan roll up to Cesar’s hideout. Tim is confident and leading the charge in the convo. Quite sexy to watch. Telling Cesar if he just honors the deal his father made La Fiera might let him live. Otherwise she’s coming for him hard and won’t let up till he’s dead.

Cesar is pig headed and refuses to do this of course. Saying what belonged to the father will be inherited by the son. Ok but no LOL They warn him if his men believe the deal is legit they’ll bail on him. Leaving him exposed and alone by not cutting this off at the pass. Cesar continues his cocky act. No wonder she ends up offing you my man….Nolan asks Tim what they do from here? He tells him they can only hope Angela having better luck with La Fiera…

In their downtime Angela has assigned Tim the task of cop RSVPs and getting the number down. They haven’t replied so he has to track them down for numbers or if they have to reduce that number. He’s battling with someone with the amount they want to bring. Tim is so over being a MOH LOL Nolan motions for him to hand over the phone. John throws Tim under the bus. Saying he miscalculated the venue cap. That she can’t have a plus 4.

When he hands the phone back my lord. If looks could kill LMAO Asking if he’s proud of himself? Throwing a fellow officer under the bus? John’s reply is pretty solid(even if he's schmuck). Tim can’t even refute it since it got results haha Ballsy of him to do tbh. If you weren’t friends with Lucy... You'd be dead man John.

Angela calls Tim and her ringtone is the wedding march. I love this little detail so much. It's adorable. He asks how her meeting went? She tells the guys she can stop the war. Tim ask how? Angela lets them know through giving her the recording from hospital. She can take control after that. I adore Tim teaching Nolan something during this. Always in T.O. Mode I love it. Basically telling him live today fight tomorrow mentality with this. They keep citizens safe today go after her tomorrow.

We catch back up with Harper and Lucy. Lucy looks ready for her first test. Harper tells her she can’t cram 100 hours worth of training in one day. So all she can do is teach her what she needs to know in order to survive. Asking her the three things she needs to know to make it. Lucy tells her about being aware of the law, always stay in character and can’t remember the last one. Harper fills in the blank above.

Nyla emphasizes how much multi tasking she has to do just mentally. I couldn’t do it personally. She then asks Lucy if she’s worked on her backstory at all? Our wonderful dork says 4 notebooks. Harper laughs. Oh Lucy never change my friend never change. She gives Lucy 5 minutes to get into character before they go to this party. Gah love this dynamic so much. How far we’ve come from the dark days of the sewer.

Harper has invited her to a party with a test involved. Clearly someone tied to her UC life. Wants to see how she does. Lucy is slick af talking with this guy. Talking in double speak about ‘cooking’ and the big orders she can handle. Even calls him out for asking about where she learned to cook. She is crushing it until she see’s Tamara then you watch her demeanor change completely.

Channeling Lucy Chen in this moment and not Nova. Like she’s supposed to be doing. One of the cardinal rules of UC. This guy she is with is laying hands on her. Takes everything in her power not to kill this kid. Lucy plays it off as not liking how he’s treating her. That she can’t stand to see it. He says he can take care of that for her then. To watch the grill.

He walks over and shouts at the boy with Tamara. I love the silent communication between her and Tamara. She takes a step forward and Lucy stops her. He tells him to make his way over. Harper is asking wtf is going on? He tells her Nova didn’t like how the kid was treating that girl. Harper does some double speak of her own talking about how the girl needs some better focus.

The little snot is a cocky putz when he comes over. Lucy tells him he needs to treat her better. Shows him her gun when he tries to be a turd back. He cowers and says won’t happen again. Lucy telling him 'Good now piss off.' Amazing. UC Lucy is always a delight to watch. That confidence radiating off her when she's in character.

Tim and Nolan are waiting on Smitty for civilian clothes and a unmarked car. They need to follow Cesar but can’t in their shop and uniforms. He was supposed to pull clothes from their lockers. He ended up pulling them from lost and found LOL Tim holding up the ‘Hugs 4 life’ shirt is everything. Nolan complains they gave him their combinations for their clothes. Smitty says 'Yeah but he didn't do that' My god. Tim asks why they rely on him for anything? Haha

Their scene follows up with hilarious continuation of the guest list. It’s like Nolan wants to die. Tim has been incredibly chill and patient. More so than he's ever been with him. Maybe don’t test that boundary John. Smh. Always takes it too far. I do like him re-instilling fear in him a bit. He was a little too cocky last time he stood up to Tim about this guest list lol.

Also plain clothes Tim is my fav kind of Tim. Well until we get 'Metro Tim' but that is a long ways off. You think I’m thirsty for him now. Phew lord you all just wait... Tim’s death glare gets interrupted. They see Cesar take off and notify dispatch for backup as they pursue him. The way Tim says ‘Cesar’ hot damn. Take me now sir. *fans self* That inflection he does I can not get over it. Mmm.

We soon find out Harper planted Tamara there as a distraction. Lucy pretends she knew it was a test. Uh huh sure you did.... Protective mama Lucy comes out quickly after. Saying she should be in school. Tamara tells she Nyla wrote her a note. Lucy then asks about the guy. She just walks away from her without a word LOL Nyla's reaction is too cute. Lucy in none too pleased with that reply but doesn't have time to delve deeper.

We then meet the man from the BBQ. He’s another UC an expert in Narcotics. His Name is Shay and Nyla set her up there for a reason. He tells her what a good job she did with the kid. That it was a nice save. He is also an expert in making all kind of drugs while being UC. He tests her and she CRUSHES it. I love the proud face on Nyla. She knows the superstar she has ahold of. Couldn’t be prouder if she tried.

Shay tells her 'Good.' That they’re going to spend the afternoon cooking. Telling her it’s one thing to know what to do when everything is good. It’s another skill set to know what to do when it’s not. That’s what’s going to keep Lucy alive should shit hit the fan. (which it will) That skill will end up saving her life. We will see that in the next episode.

Tim and Nolan roll up and see he’s left his hideout for a booty call. To see his baby mama. No wonder his father has no faith in him. Man is putting this first during a drug war. After he leaves they go and knock on the door to talk to her. Saying they need to talk to her about Cesar and anything he's hiding here. Angela calls Tim saying she thinks La Fiera’s plan isn’t to kill him, but to kill his kid. For him to feel the same suffering she is feeling.

As she says this a car rolls up five shooters ready to go. Tim is sexy af as he talks Nolan through his plan. The plain clothes are adding to said sexiness. But yummy the way he says they’re about to find out how steep the price of admission is. Good god man you truly are sex on two legs walking. The way he exits the house confident as hell. Pass me the ice water. Confidence is an attractive thing on its own. It’s insanely so on Tim Bradford.

I do love the banter between John and Tim in this scene. Definitely found a little groove at this point. Also we got a shot of Tim’s ass in jeans. Wins all around. Talking about how much money they’d need to walk away. They make a joke about being Batman rich. Nolan takes an impressive shot at the main heavy. Yes I complimented Nolan. I must be high off of Tim in Plain clothes being authoritative. Probably won’t happen again.

I do enjoy how the scene unfolds in the house. How Tim and Nolan slowly take apart her crew. Each taking out a couple guys each. Watching Tim in the field being all competent always a delight to behold. The ending scene is pretty cute. Tim may not always like Nolan personally but he respects him as a cop. This is a good bonding moment for them. Tim’s proud of how he handled himself in his knife fight. It’s all over his face. Nolan actually impressed him. There's a first time for everything they say.

We see Lucy at the station waiting on word about the operation. Nyla comes over with exciting news. She got a glowing recommendation from Shay. Saying she is more knowledgeable than most of his own people. Nyla also approves and says Grey has officially given her the go of being in this operation. Nyla tells her to get personal life squared away before tomorrow. No telling how long she will be gone. That she can’t let her guard down ever but to go home for now. To rest up tomorrow the real work begins.

We rejoin the guys at the station. Filling out a mountain of paperwork. Nolan asks if Tim wants to order Thai food? Tim doesn’t answer his question but does say he’s a good cop he will give him that. John looks confused and is like so food? My god Nolan. LOL You’re about to get a serious lesson my good man. I love how passionate Tim is about teaching the next generation. It shows in his training and how he is about it with everyone. He has to make sure he really wants this.

Tim calling Nolan on his crap for being indecisive is AMAZING. He doesn’t want the next generation taught by someone apathetic. Or as Tim says views it as a consolation prize. He takes so much pride in being a T.O. He’s making sure Nolan is doing it for the best of reasons. So very Tim to feel it is his duty to vet anyone wanting to be a teacher. Put them through his paces see if they're worthy.

John has never had a Tim test before. You better believe he’s doing it now for him. To see how he’ll react to him goading him. Pushing his buttons about his intentions. Nolan passionately defends himself and why he wants to be one. You can see on Tim’s face he accepts John's answer. Then it’s the most guy way to end their convo. Tim answering his previous question about food. Nolan says 'Love it' and it’s over. No emotions just food. Men. LOL

Lucy is on her way home when she is kidnapped. I can only imagine the Caleb PTSD she is going through in this moment. Her being overpowered instantly. Her yelling ‘No no’ ugh my heart. She’s brought to a rooftop where Harper is also bound and gagged. She is bleeding profusely from her head.

Lucy holds her own from the jump though. Saying Coco was being tortured so of course she said that. The killer instinct holding up. The one Harper saw in her from day one. She doesn’t let the fact this guy is accusing her, Coco and Harper of all being cops. Then he douses Harper in gas and says he isn’t asking. He knows they are cops. All he wants to know is what the cops know about Salonga and his future plans. That whatever they know will affect future deals.

It’s intense af as he starts a lighter up. It’s then we really watch Lucy dig deep. Rely heavily on that killer instinct of hers. How she walks her way out of this with just her words. That if he sets that fire Salonga is good as dead. Recalling he is in debt to some bad people.

That she’s the only one that can relieve him of that debt. Cook him up a fortune. But if he kills Harper all that goes down the drain and she won't cook him a damn thing. Emphasizing he needs her more than she needs him. That he needs to pull his head out of his ass and let them go. Such a BAMF in this scene. Holds her own with a fiery performance.

We find out it was another test set up by Harper. Nyla having the most Tim-like reply when Shay sings her praises. Lucy is livid and calls him a full service asshat LOL He takes no offense and says she will thank him later for this. (I mean she will...) Lucy is vibrating with anger for the both of them. Like a cornered animal ready to strike at any provocation. She is insanely revved up finding this final test insane.

Lucy goes after Harper pretty hard regarding her PTSD about being abducted. Nyla is on point per usual and says that’s why she did it. I mean it’s a great way to see how she would react. To see if Lucy could push past the PTSD and still function. Stay in character and keep herself and Harper alive. She passed with flying colors. Even if Lucy is raging at the moment.

Harper tells her it’s the last test. Lucy is still full of spit and vinegar in her reply. Saying the last test was the last one. Nyla telling her that’s why she wasn’t expecting this one. Then gets really real with her. Asking if she wants an out? Still wants to do this Even after what she just experienced? Lucy brimming with an immense amount of adrenaline and says ‘Yeah. I do.’ The ep ends there. Hell of a day for our girl my god.

~~~~~~

Side notes-non chenford

Not a ton. It is nice to see Stanton get his come-up in’s after he’s reinstated. That’s about it for non chenford stuff really.

Holy crap we’re hitting the finale next. I swear I just started s3. Blinked and we’re at 3x14 now it’s a shortened season but still.

As always thank you thank you. To all who support these reviews with likes, comments (oh how I love comments don’t be shy ha), and reblogs. Makes all the work I put into them so very worth it. Shall see you all in 3x14 :)

[totaltrashmammall13]

Total Trash Mammal Base-Game Friendly Save

The plan is to have the three main towns done upon release, but I plan on upgrading the packs one by one as well in the future.

Let me show you what this is about

Remodeling Pre-existing Homes and Families

Pictured Left: The Spencer-Kim-Lewis Home remodeled Pictured Right: Alice and her daughter Olivia

Some of the homes made in the early days of the Sims 4 were god-awful, and I think we can all agree on that. For example, the Spencer-Kim-Lewis home was a monstrosity. Many of the child sims, much like in Sims 3, seem to have been made without anyone looking at their future life stages. This leads to some very odd-looking people in your next generation (and not just the newly generated townies.) The pre-existing sims have now gotten a bit of a refresh, both in their homes and their mirrors.

Recreating Families from Previous Titles

Pictured Left: Holly Alto brought into the base game Pictured Right: Teens Angela Pleasant and Dustin Broke

Many beloved families from previous titles were seemingly missing in the Sims 4 "Alternate Universe" when the game came out. Later on, certain sims were brought back locked behind expensive expansion packs, and completely unrecognizable. This save brings classics to the base game! The Alto's, the Burb's, the Pleasant's, the Broke's, and more! I also chose to stick to the idea of an alternate universe to bring back from the dead some sims further back in these family trees.

Established Stories and Skills

Pictured Left: Darren Dreamer working on a pop-art painting Pictured Right: Nancy Landgraab arguing with her estranged son Johnny

"What do you mean there's a love triangle, these people don't even know each other! And why does nobody in the game know how to cook?!" If that sounds like something you've said before then this is the save for you! It's hard for story-loving sims players to jump into a pre-made household just to learn that they might as well have started from scratch. In the TTM save, pre-made sims have pre-established friends, lovers, enemies, skills, and careers. There are also some new stories to be played you may or may not have expected from your favorite characters.

Updated and Simplified Public Lots

Pictured Left: A new toddler-inclusive kids section in the library Pictured Right: A base game wedding chapel in downtown Willow Creek

Now, you may be thinking; "Why do I want the lots to be simplified? Some of them are pretty sparse already!" And I have an answer for you. The game will only spawn in so many Sims once you enter a public lot, yet their builds are often very large with everything spread out. Not to mention they had strict item limits when the base worlds were first being created. This leads to these places feeling empty, both with people and decor.

Many of these family-friendly lots now also accommodate infants and toddlers, who they neglected to add before release. We've also added base lot types that weren't originally included, such as wedding venues.

Please follow my tumblr and youtube for updates if you are interested!

[femmmie]

THE ISLAND

Chapter 3: Spork

Note: this is quite a standalone chapter 😁 so you could only read this one. Or read the entire fic on AO3.

Amanda and Trevor are on a mission to be the first to report a story about an eccentric artist.

Chapter word count: 2.137

Rating: general or teen (alcohol)

Amanda was in a hurry.

The only one who could keep up with her was Trevor. He was her bandana wearing photographer and just as tall as her.

“This could be a big scoop,” she said while walking determinately to her car.

“Isn’t that Giarratana lady the artist who made that huge controversial 9/11 memorial in LA and did a whole performance art thing with it, but she got the year wrong somehow?”

“Yes! She’s crazy. But she’s apparently a genius and we need to get there fast before anyone else is tipped off!”

“Where are we going?”

“Silver Lake dog park.”

“Alright, let’s go!” Trevor threw his gear in the trunk and sat down in the passenger’s seat of the 1995 Portaro, one of the last of its kind.

“I wish new cars were this low-tech,” Trevor mused while playing with the manual window crank.

Amanda sped along the 110.

“I know! I wish they were too! I mean, we’d boil alive without AC, I had to let that be built in. But for the rest, I prefer this old timer over any malfunctioning crap they make these days.”

“Yeah, like at least this one works. Mine doesn’t do shit. Oh well. At least I still have my cars in GTA.”

“In what?”

“Never mind.”

Amanda glanced sideways at Trevor with a smirk on her face.

“I’m just playing with you, I know GTA. I used to watch my sister play, she was a nightmare oh my god. She kept jumping out of a helicopter close to the water, just to see if she could do it without dying, only to die again and again. It was SOMETHING I tell ya. So yeah, I know my games, I am down with the youth and everything.”

Trevor lost it.

“Amanda, there isn’t anyone who is less down with the youth that I know of, than you. And I say this lovingly!”

“HEY! That’s just because you don’t tell me anything!”

They joked back and forth.

“And that’s because I know you won’t understand!”

“TRY ME!”

“Alright, alright, sheesh!” Trevor fondly looked at his colleague. Amanda was so full of enthusiasm, giving it her all every day. They might work at a silly outlet, but she always pursued stories that had a social or environmental impact. And her sharp questioning made the articles so much better. It made Trevor want to follow her anywhere. To the end of the world if need be. Of course, the end of the world wasn’t far off anyway.

“I swear Amanda, we HAVE to play GTA together sometime.”

“Okay! We will!”

“It’s pretty much a Millennial game anyway.”

“Oh shit, I have to take a left here…”

Amanda drove them all the way to a parking lot which faced the entrance of the park. A couple of ancient proud pine trees encircled it.

“Okay, grab your stuff! I think I see something going on already.”

As Amanda and Trevor walked into the park, there was a small group of people standing huddled together. They approached in tall strides.

“Hi! We’re from People.com. Wow, you all look so nice, what an iconic shirt you have! But yeah, we are looking for Angela Giarratana. Do you know where she is?” Amanda asked the group.

“Hii, welcome! Awesome that you’ve come! But she’s already on the lake,” said the guy with the iconic shirt. He had curly, bleached hair, ripped jeans and retro Vans.

“Shit! Trevor, come on, we gotta go!”

“Yes ma’am!”

They reached the lake in no time. It was a nice park, a bit provincial and uninspired maybe, but the lake provided the trees, shrubs and plants with enough water to hold on and create an oasis in the middle of the city.

“ANGELA??”

They spotted a flounder in the middle of the lake, apparently with Angela on it. She was busy doing something, Amanda and Trevor couldn’t make out what.

“HI! YOU CAN USE THAT BOAT OVER THERE!”

Angela gestured to a bowrider a couple of yards away. They scuttled towards it.

“You can leave your stuff, Trev, nobody is gonna steal it and you won’t need it on the lake.”

“I guess...”

Trevor looked unsure. But he put his gear down, took his camera and held Amanda’s hand, helping her step onto the boat.

“Thanks. Oooh this is so wobbly…”

Trevor climbed in too and tried to start the motor. It was dead.

Amanda panicked. “Shit shit SHIT! What if the whole thing’s already up and we’re still here!”

“I saw some oars lying around on the shore. Shall I get them?”

Amanda blinked. “Yes. Yes, of course, that’s genius. Trevor, what would I do without you?” She spontaneously kissed him on the cheek.

Smiling abashedly, Trevor rowed them towards Angela’s boat.

“Hi! You guys are right on time!”

A woman with a wild bob-cut, big eyes and an even bigger smile stood up and bowed over to shake their hands above the water.

“I’m Amanda and this is Trevor,” Amanda matched Angela’s smile. “Thank you so much for letting People.com know of this amazing new project you’re revealing today.”

“Oh! Any time! You know, I just want people to hear my message. And you have a lot of readers. So, see this?” Angela gestured to some kind of contraption next to her on the flounder. “This thingy- this motor, will inflate my doggy. I just checked everything. We’re ready to go.”

“Okay alright! Wait! Trevor, do you have a good shot?”

“Maybe we should back up a little?”

“Probably a good idea!” Angela confirmed. “It’s a big girl!”

“I love big girls,” Trevor joked.

Amanda widened her eyes in fake-shock.

Trevor paddled them a bit backwards. When they were in position, Amanda got out her phone.

“I’m also going to live-stream it to our website!”

“Great idea!” Angela shouted from her boat. She started the motor. Trevor had his camera ready.

Angela was shouting even louder now. She had to, because the motor was roaring with an angry fervor. A small crowd had gathered on the shore of the lake.

“OKAY! HERE WE GO! WELCOME EVERYONE! THIS IS ABOUT LIFE! ABOUT FRIENDSHIP! ABOUT LOVE AND LOYALTY! IF WE FIND LOVE, THAT’S GREAT AND RARE! MOST PEOPLE, HOWEVER, NEVER FIND IT! BUT JUST LOOK AROUND AND PET YOUR NEAREST DOG! YOU’LL SEE THEY ARE THE FULL PACKAGE! THEY TEACH US ABOUT HUMANITY EVERY DAY….”

Something stirred in the lake. Slowly, a shape emerged from the water.

“WE ALL KNOW THAT PETS HAVE IT HARD THESE DAYS AND DOGS CAN ONLY GO OUTSIDE IN THE NIGHT AND THE MORNING. SO, TO HONOR MAN’S GREATEST COMPANION, I PRESENT TO YOU: SPORK!”

The shape turned into a giant dog. It wasn’t exactly realistic, but it certainly was an artistic impression of a dog.

“This is incredible,” Amanda said, looking at the hovering canine. She got a bit teary-eyed. She filmed for a couple more moments and then ended the stream.

“Why is it called Spork?” Trevor asked.

“MY DOG IS CALLED SPORK, I NAMED THIS AFTER HIM.”

“Awww,” Amanda wiped her tears, but more were flowing down. “That’s so precious.”

“COULD YOU GIVE ME A LIFT BACK?”

“Yes, sure, hop in!”

Amanda helped Angela into their boat and Trevor got them back to shore safely. The crowd applauded.

“How long will Spork stay here?” Amanda asked Angela when they stood firmly back on land.

“I hope for at least a year. I got a license for that period.” Angela’s voice was a little raspy from all the shouting.

“You kept everything secret for a long time. Why?”

“Well, you know, there’s always people who try and tell our stories for us. I want to do it with my voice, when I think the time is right.”

“I loved your speech. There’s hardly anything more human than to love a pet, isn’t there?”

“Yeah… Angela looked over Amanda’s shoulder. Amanda turned around.

“There he is!”

The guy Amanda talked to earlier came, carrying a small doggy.

“Oh my god, he’s so cute!” Amanda exclaimed. “Can we take a picture of you and Spork, and big Spork?”

“Of course!” Angela posed and Trevor took a couple of shots.

“You can stay here with us if you want, we’re going to have a picnic.”

Amanda and Trevor looked at each other.

“Yeah, sure, why not!” Trevor answered.

They all sat down on the grass, looking at mega-Spork floating in the warm but gentle evening breeze.

“Angela, have you checked that she’s secured, in case of extreme weather?”

“Of course, we’ve taken all appropriate safety measures and gotten the license from the city.”

“I had to ask, I’ll add it to the piece,” Amanda was already typing on her phone.

“You write your articles with your thumbs?” Angela asked, tilting her head and frowning, bemused.

“Honestly, it’s what works fastest for me,” Amanda answered without looking up. “There, I’m finished. Trevor, did you upload the pictures?”

“Of course.”

“Okay… and here we go! Published! Haha, we did it again!”

Amanda and Trevor high-fived.

Angela looked at them excitedly. “That’s amazing!” She said. “You’re so fast, oh my god!”

“The business of getting scoops is cut-throat,” Amanda explained.

“I bet!”

“And I can always add to it, if new stuff comes up. Speaking of…”

A woman in a pink pantsuit and a guy holding her umbrella walked up to the group of people.

“Very good, very impressive,” she said. Her long hair waived in the gentle breeze.

Angela quickly got up and shook the woman’s hand. “Thank you, mayor Catanese!”

Trevor took more pictures.

“I think this piece of art will inspire the people around Silver Lake to treat their pets and each other kindly and help each other out in these trying times.”

“I hope it will.”

The mayor posed for a couple more pictures, shook some hands and then left.

Angela sat down again.

“Politicians always want to be part of other people’s hard work, don’t they,” Trevor joked.

“I mean of course they do, that’s their job basically,” Angela answered. “But it does give me even more publicity.”

“You’re right, I’ve added the mayoral visit to the story just now.” Amanda winked. Angela blushed.

“And according to the statistics, this really bumped up the numbers,” Trevor added.

“You guys. You’re a great duo,” Angela said.

“We do work great together! Did you know we were wannabe actors at first?”

“Isn’t everyone in LA?”

“True. But yeah, I worked with the Groundlings, that was fun. And after I got this job, I randomly met Trevor at a restaurant, and we started talking. He also wanted to be an actor. But he became a chef instead.”

“Yeah, and that was nice for a while, but I just really love cameras and editing… Amanda really came through for me and landed me this photographer spot!”

Amanda smiled and rubbed Trevor’s arm fondly.

“He’s the best!”

Angela was beaming. “Wow, that’s so awesome! Did you know I also perform at our improv theater downtown?”

As it was getting a little cooler, the energy in the park got more and more excited.

“You do? Well, we’d love to come watch your show sometime!”

“You should join me! We could do a little something together maybe?”

“Yeah!”

“Hello again!” The guy with the curls sat down next to them and handed them a bottle of wine. “Let’s celebrate, right?”

“Yes! Today was a good day.” Angela leaned back and took a deep breath.

“This is Chanse by the way, he’s also an artist AND an improv actor.”

“Nice to meet you, Chanse!”

“Nice to meet you too, oh my god! Do you cuties want some cheese or nuts or something?”

“It’s like you read my mind!” Amanda exclaimed.

“I got you,” Chanse winked.

They had a great time at the picnic, and it was getting darker.

More people came into the park, finally daring to get out of their air-conditioned homes. They largely seemed to love the brand-new piece of art gracing their neighborhood.

“Wow, no way!” Amanda noticed that giant Spork had glow in the dark lines on it, spelling the word ‘friendship’.

Trevor took some extra pictures.

“Today was a good day indeed,” Amanda sighed as she laid her head on Trevor’s shoulder. She was drunk.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home,” he said softly. He helped Amanda up. She heavily leaned on him.

“Thank you two again for coming and for writing the article and taking pictures!” Angela also stood up. Amanda launched a big hug on Angela.

“Anytime, love!”

“Alright, alright, time to go.” Trevor ushered Amanda back to the car. It was her turn to sit in the passenger seat.

“I don’t want to go home yet…” Amanda mumbled. A moment later she was fast asleep.

[milfjagger]

okay so... give us the list of folk horror films that are good please. 🤲

ok this took a while but here we go! it ended up being more than 10 lol

the wicker man (1973) - the definitive british folk horror film. midsommar wants to be the wicker man soooo bad it's embarrassing

the blood on satan's claw (1971) - i haven't seen this one in a long time but it's a pretty chilling early 70s british film centring around a demonic cult in 18th century england

night of the demon (1957) - ok so you know the sample at the beginning of hounds of love by kate bush, where a voice says "it's in the trees! it's coming!" that's from this film!!!! just barely in the folk horror category but it's based on a story by m.r. james who is one of THE iconic folk horror writers so imo it counts

a warning to the curious (1972) - also based on a story by m.r. james, this was part of a long-running annual bbc series called 'a ghost story for christmas'. it's only about 30 minutes long and very dated but I think that gives it extra charm and even a bit of extra creepiness

the juniper tree (1990) - icelandic retelling of the grimm's fairy tale, starring björk and featuring an incredibly beautiful soundtrack

the company of wolves (1984) - based on the short stories of angela carter in her compilation 'the bloody chamber'. this is probably more fairytale horror than folk horror but i LOVE this film and if you like intense psychosexual overtones and incredible practical effects then you will too

the devil rides out (1968) - classic hammer horror with christopher lee so you know it's gonna be a banger

wake wood (2009) - probably the most underrated irish horror film of all time (and that's saying a lot bc there really aren't many). really scary film with the "came back but wrong" premise. watch this one

the hallow (2013) - another one from ireland. it's not amazing but including it bc i don't think i've ever seen another horror film fully embrace the idea that faeries are actually terrifying. practical effects are also cool as hell

kill list (2011) - i'll be honest with you I didn't understand half of what was happening in this film and it's been on my to-rewatch list for ages. it starts out as a cerebral cop drama and descends into absolute madness like it literally has to be seen to be believed

a field in england (2013) - probably the modern folk horror film that comes closest to what british directors were doing with the genre in the 70s. it's trippy, impenetrable and often kinda funny, i really recommend this one

pyewacket (2017) - offbeat canadian indie film that you will either find really creepy or really boring. i thought the ending in particular was incredibly chilling

the ritual (2017) - i feel like everyone has seen this film at this point but i had to recommend it anyway bc it blends folk horror with monster movie and it's super fucking terrifying. i also highly recommend the novel by adam neville which if anything is even scarier

the witch (2015) - again everyone has seen this and has an opinion but it's one of my favourite horror films of all time

pet sematary (1989) - the iconic stephen king classic that is still really scary to this day

pumpkinhead (1988) - another film that is super underrated imo. people who love the creature design in the ritual should remember the OG

men (2022) - controversial opinion perhaps but i think this film was actually kinda brilliant. if nothing else it is super twisted and horrifying

on my list of i haven't watched this yet but people say it's really good: penda's fen (1974), witchfinder general (1968), the lair of the white worm (1988) (i know i know i call myself a ken russell fan and i haven't even seen lair of the white worm)

a radio play: children of the stones on bbc radio 4 (available on spotify hee hee)

and a couple of books: fairy tale (1996) by alice thomas ellis, and the owl service (1967) by alan garner. the owl service is for kids but it really did a number on me aged 12 and it still holds up as a classic. I think there's an old bbc series but i haven't got round to watching it yet :)

[duhragonball]

JoJolion Ch. 109-110

Maybe the real JoJo Lion was the GUARDRAIL FROM 1941.

So, this is the "Radio Gaga Incident" a two-part arc that closes out Part 8. Like the mad lad he is, Hirohiko Araki ends the longest Jojo part ever by flashing back seventy years before the story's setting. What can we possibly gain from this? Well, it pissed off a lot of fans, and it kind of annoyed me too at the time, but I've made peace with it. Let's see if we can find the meaning together.

So it's 1941, and Lucy Steel from Part 7 has just arrived in Morioh. She was 14 in Steel Ball Run, which would make her 65 here. She's looking good, but not too good. Araki keeps introducing these older women in his stories and forgetting to make them look old, like Holly Kira and Caato Higashikata. That might be because Araki himself is getting up there in years, so maybe he's developed a blind spot with this sort of thing. But with Lucy, he seemed to get it right. She's got that Angela Lansbury face going on. She doesn't turn as many heads these days, but that guy at the train station who's here to pick her up? Yeah, he's checking her out. He won't carry her luggage to the car, so he's not that interested, but he's checking her out.

Some guy offers to carry her stuff, but he actually steals it instead, and no one will help. But the thief bumps into a young man as he runs, and then...

Coming through, coming through, coming through now

Coming through, coming through, coming through now

Coming through, coming through, coming through

Shake it like it's heat, Overdrive!

Yeah, it's Joseph Joestar. This doesn't quite get revealed until Chapter 110, but come on. It's 1941, and we all saw his name on the family tree. From the beginning of Part 8, I wondered if we'd get a flashback to other Joestars besides Johnny, and since Holly's already in the story and George was seen in Johnny's dead scene, that just leaves the one option. So as soon as a young man appeared in this flashback, I was wondering if it could be Joseph, and this bit where he foils a thief with his shoe basically clinched it.

And you know, Part 2's my favorite, so I can't get too mad at Part 8 for ending on a flashback to some Part Two-y goodness. Just the setting it nice. Battle Tendency never went anywhere near Japan, but the late 30's/early 40's aesthetic is still there.

Joseph carries her luggage to the car too, because he's such a nice young man, but he balks when Lucy offers him a part time job assisting her with her research. She wants to check out this orchard because she learned about some weird new fruit and she thinks people are bringing it to Japan. But Joseph is here to pick up his date from the train station, and besides, that place is the site of the "Radio Gaga incident". He doesn't think she needs to be snooping around there, regardless of whether he helps her or not.

But when he goes to meet his date, he suddenly realizes his wallet is missing. That thief grabbed it when he bumped into Joseph earlier, and Joseph was so focused on saving Lucy's stuff that he didn't bother to stop the thief from getting away. So now he wants the job. I'm not sure if his date canceled on him or if he's still got time to make enough money to make it up to her, but he's all in on Lucy's offer now. What confuses him, though, is that she's not with the police or any other authorities. She's with the Speedwagon Foundation, and she's here to study the land the orchard is growing on. Joseph is amazed that she didn't come here to investigate a crime, since the Radio Gaga incident might as well be a crime.

I like this bit here, where she explains that as you get older, you find a purpose for yourself in life. Not a job, but something chosen for you by heaven, or the universe, or fate, or whatever you want to call it. "Something you do for the world at large or for the sake of one particular person". That captures the spirit of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure pretty well, and Part 8 in particular.

So what was the Radio Gaga Incident? On the way to the site in the photograph, Joseph explains that there was a young couple on this road, near that guardrail, and the woman thought she heard someone calling out to her. Then she approached the guardrail, apparently took off all her clothes, and vanished. I don't think Lucy particularly cares much about this story, since she only came her to investigate the land, and this just happens to offer a great view of the orchard for photography, but as she starts setting up her equipment, the chauffeur starts hearing things and he approaches the guardrail, just like the woman in the story.

Then he loses his clothes, and vanishes. A truck drove by, so they couldn't see what happened to him, but it just doesn't make sense.

Joseph wants to leave immediately, but Lucy is fascinated. She came here looking for the Locacaca plant, but finding something else weird in this place is familiar to her. But as she ponders this mystery, she hears a strange voice calling to her, and it leads her closer to the guardrail. At first she thinks it's Joseph, but he's calling her to the car, so they can leave. Also, there seems to be some sort of siren song aspect to the voice, where Lucy can't resist its call.

Turns out, the guardrail itself is the culprit behind all this. It lures its victims toward it, then it sucks them into the thin gap where one section of rail is bolded to another. The victims lose their clothes first because this suction is powerful enough to rip the clothes right off a person. Then they get pulled in themselves, as we see in this page with the interior view of the driver's mangled body inside the guardrail.

So yeah, it's another bullshit Rock Animal. Well, this one's probably a Rock Insect, like the ones Toru used against Josuke. I mean, there's nothing insect-like about this thing, but that goes for the other Rock Insects as well. They just seem to disguise themselves as other objects and completely fuck up their prey with mind powers and other crazy powers.

Joseph pulls Lucy to safety before it's too late, but then something comes out of the guardrail to try to pull her back in. To their horror, they realize it's the driver.

Somehow, against all reason, the Guardrail creature is keeping the driver's body alive, and even using him as a proxy to recapture Lucy. That seems pretty far-fetched, even for Rock Insects, but then again, I'm still trying to figure out if Josuke ever pulled out a big wad of asbestos from his butt.

Somehow, Lucy gets clear, but Joseph is getting pulled in, and as his clothes are shredded, she notices a star-shaped birthmark on him. That gives her a clue, so she tells Joseph to use the car to save himself. She doesn't know how he can start the car from so far away, but she's sure he can do it, and she knows he knows it too.

So he flings his shoe at the car's trunk, which causes a bunch of stuff to spill out of it, and then...

HERMIT PURPLE FUCK YEAH!

Lucy can't even see it, but she's still making out for this. As far as I can tell, Part 8 Joseph needs a physical cable to make Hermit Purple work. Part 3 Joseph would have just sent the thorny vines to the car, but here it's like he had to pop the trunk first, get that power cord and channel Hermit Purple through it in order to reach the car with it. Maybe this is just how Hermit Purple works when you're just starting out. Part 3 Joseph might have had the same issues with it until he learned how to extend his range without a rope.

The end result is classic Joseph, though. Guardrail monster got you down? Just hit it with an entire car! That's how we do things in Part Two, you silicon-based motherfucker!

But Joseph's not done yet. It's called "Overdrive" not "A regular amount of drive". We achieved that with the car, of course, but Joseph needs to put an exclamation point on this. He briefly spots a pair of balls on a string? Like, this is supposed to be a reference to his Clacker Volley technique from Part 2, and that's awesome, but I have no idea what that would be here in Lucy's luggage. Joseph doesn't know either so he tosses 'em away and attacks the guardrail with some Part 2 beef. Also, Hermit Purple has a face in Part 8. Well good for him. I'm glad Hermit Purple is trying new things.

But we're still not done, because there's one more technique Joseph needs to employ...

Nigerundayo! Lucy!

As they flee, Lucy asks Joseph his name again, since he introduced himself as "Fumi-kun" earlier, but the birthmark identifies him as a relative of Johnny Joestar. Joseph explains that he's Johnny's grandson, and his grandmother Rina named him "Joseph", which in Japanese is "Josefu", and so people call him "Fumi-kun".

Lucy gets wistful over this, since the last time she saw Johnny was when she followed him here in 1901 to retrieve the Saint Corpse, and he was already dead by that point.

Actually, now that I think of it, this starts to add up. I thought it was Lucy who chased after Johnny in 1901, but the scanlation I read at the time left me thinking she was working for the government. But now we know she was with Speedwagon, and that makes more sense. At the end of Part 7, there was this big vault that the Saint Corpse was supposed to be hidden in, but Lucy stopped Dio from using it, and it was unclear what happened to it afterward. But maybe in the aftermath, Lucy searched for someone to help her decide how to deal with the Saint Corpse, and ended up getting to know the Speedwagon Foundation. It makes more sense for them to be the ones keeping the Saint Corpse, since leaving it in the hands of the U.S. government was Funny Valentine's plan from the beginning.

Anyway, as Lucy rides Joseph to safety, she catches a glimpse of Toru planting Locacaca plants in the orchard. Well, sure, it makes sense that he was around back then, but if he was bringing Locacaca fruit into Japan for seventy years straight...

I mean, the smuggling ring seemed like a recent operation. They needed Jobin to launder their profits, and that didn't happen until 2009 or so. And the research at TGU Hospital probably didn't start until 2001, when Toru began posing as Dr. Akefu.

I guess what confuses me is that he was at this for decades, but why did it take so long for him to execute this plan? Maybe he got sidetracked with some other project? Anyway, it's possible that Toru put the Radio Gaga creature out there on the highway to keep people away from his work, but it also might have been living their naturally. And Lucy does start bleeding from the mouth after she sees Toru, but she already had a lung disease leading into this story, so I'm not sure if she experienced a calamity.

Joseph leaves his sandals behind, and he was so worried about Holly that he accompanied her back home to New York. Then World War II happened, so they couldn't return to Japan. Holly died in 1944, and Joseph got a job in America and eventually became a naturalized citizen. Years later, Joseph would marry Suzie Q and have a daughter, Holly, who would become a doctor in Morioh, etc. etc.

Then we return to the present. Josuke and Yasuho are leaving the hospital after visiting Holly. Now that Kei is dead, Josuke is the only family she has left. Yasuho asks Josuke if there's any hope for Holly now that the Locacaca branch is gone. Josuke doesn't think so. Maybe someone could find a Locacaca plant in New Guinea, but there's no one left who would know where to look.

And this bothered me a lot, because it seemed like the whole point of JoJolion was Josuke's mission to save Holly, and it looks like he's failed. I think fans held out some hope that this would get picked up in Part 9, except JoJoLands is set about a decade later, and there's no way Holly could have survived that long in her 2011 condition.

I think it might have been easier to take if Holly simply died in this story. That would have provided some closure, but instead she's still in a coma. And maybe the hospital will have to move her to palliative care, like they tried to do after Kira's payments stopped, but her only chance was the Locacaca and that's gone now. Part 8 ends with her no better off than when she started, and it's implied that she'll just continue to deteriorate until she finally dies.

In the parking lot, they notice Josefumi Kujo's mother, and Yasuho points her own. Josuke knows her name and face by now, because he learned about her from Karera. But he no longer cares about connecting with her, or anyone else Kira or Josefumi may have known. He's spent this whole story trying to recover their memories, but there are none. That's because he's not Kira or Josefumi, no matter how badly he might wish it were otherwise.

And this is the true conclusion of Josuke's character arc. He only took up the quest to save Holly because he wanted to continue the mission Kira and Josefumi had begun before they got merged together. If he couldn't have their memories, he could at least take up their cause. It's like Lucy said earlier, as you live, you find a mission for yourself, something you do for a person or the whole world. The other JoJo's each found their own cause, and had to give up parts of their former lives to take up those causes. But Josuke had no former life. For him, the cause was all he had. He used it to try to define his identity.

And now that quest is over. Yes, he failed to save Holly, but he still saw it through. The truth is that the Locacaca fruit never would have saved Holly. It was the cause of her illness, not the cure, so I think that's one reason Josuke isn't sorry that it's lost forever. Maybe he would have sacrificed himself to save Holly with the New Locacaca's power, but I don't think Holly would have wanted that. In the end, all Josuke could do was avenge Holly, and Yoshikage, and Josefumi, and everyone else who died in opposition to the Rock Humans. That'll have to be enough.

But in pursuing that quest, even if Josuke didn't accomplish what he set out to do, he discovered himself. He has a past now, even if its only a few weeks' worth. He has friends and family, and dead to mourn. That's what this is really all about. Instead of trying to learn more about the men he used to be, he can focus on the man he is today, and live that life with people like Yasuho.

Speaking of Yasuho, she uses her power to go through Josefumi's mother's phone, and finds old baby photos of Josefumi. So even though it seems like she never cared about her son, it looks like she did have some feelings for him, and that must mean something, right?

Also, Yasuho discovers that Josefumi was named for a sandal his grandfather found by the side of the road, and it had "Josefu" carved into the wood. I know what Araki's going for here, but it sounds really awkward for Yasuho to bring this up to Josuke when even she doesn't know what it means.

Finally, Josuke and Yasuho arrive at the Higashikata Fruit Parlor, where the surviving Higashikata family are trying to pick out a cake for when Norisuke gets out of the hospital. He's going to be okay, although you have to imagine he'll never be quite the same after this. I mean, Jobin attacked him, and that's bad enough, but Jobin and Caato are dead now, and that has to be tough on him.

Anyway, there's plenty of cakes to choose from, but they're all too emotional to decide, so Tsurugi asks Josuke to choose. I'm not sure why Tsurugi is still dressing up like a girl if the curse is broken, but maybe Araki didn't feel like redesigning the character so late in the final chapter.

Josuke is surprised that they want him to make the decision, but they all agree, even Joshuu, who usually would be licking every person in the room and talking about his mom's boobs. I guess losing that arm did him some good after all. So Josuke goes to join them, and Yasuho sheds a tear as she leaves him with his family.

And that's the end. I was disappointed with this scene in 2021, mainly because I've resented the Higashikata family all along. They're all dipshits, and it just so happens that some of them are creepier and dipshittier than others. The idea of Josuke hanging out with them instead of Yasuho irked me. I think it irked a lot of people.

But the Higashikata Family was a throughline for this Part, and again, Josuke's character arc was about him finding a new identity for himself. Part of that is his integration into the Higashikata family. At first, it seemed like they only took him in as a means to an end, but then they became allies, and then friends. Now, after all they've been through, they begin to see one another as family.

The thought occurred to me that Josuke might just have taken Jobin's place in the family. Think about it. Jobin was set to inherit the Fruit Parlor, and now he's dead. Tsurugi can still take over one day. Notice how he was the one who asked Josuke to choose the cake. The little guy is already exerting a certain authority over his aunts and uncle.

But Norisuke's 59, and he's probably not going to be quite as exuberant after this whole ordeal. He'll need someone like Jobin to run things, and he can't wait for Tsurugi to grow up. And as I keep pointing out, Joshuu, Hato, and Daiya are completely unqualified to handle such responsibility. Josuke's the only option.

Early on, Tsurugi told Yasuho about the curse, and how the Higashikata family would sometimes adopt people to continue the family line. I think that's what Norisuke just did with Josuke, although he didn't realize it at the time. Josuke can become Norisuke Higashikata V, run the fruit parlor for a few decades, and then pass it on to Tsurugi once he's ready to become Norisuke VI.

That's why Yasuho left the parlor on the final page. She's Josuke's girlfriend, no doubt, and she's definitely part of his life, but she's not part of Josuke, and that's what this final scene is about. At long last, he has a place to belong, and a life to live, and a home of his own, just like Yasuho has. Going forward, they can have a relationship on equal footing. That's what this is all about.

So yeah... that's it. Part 8 is done. I gotta say, I'm pleased to finally wrap up a complete liveblog of this one, but I didn't expect to have this much fun with it. Maybe I should do another Part one of these days...

Not Part 4, though, because I am sick of typing out "Higashikata".

[no-quit-lucy]

Chenford + "you're the love of my life"

Read on Ao3 - Rated M W/C: 1,851

On the third Thursday of every month, whether they had the day off or not, Tim and Lucy planned a stress-relieving activity. Sometimes it was a hike, axe throwing, laser tag, batting cages, mini golf (once), go-karts, bowling (also once)— whatever it was, it had to be fun and it had to be competitive.

They’d been doing this since she was his rookie and the tradition continued until the present, where it was their first third Thursday of the month since they started sleeping together. (Re: they’d had two third Thursdays since they started dating, the first the day before their first (make-up) date, and the second was bulldozed by work, opting instead for a quick game of darts at a bar after shift. This would be their first big activity since they started sleeping together ).

Tim opted for paintball, an activity they’d only done once together. The weather was nice and they hadn’t gone since before her training was over. He’d invited a few people from the station, accidentally roping in Nolan who convinced Bailey to join thus resulting in a major rival event showdown between the LAPD and the LAFD renting out the entire terrain for their competition.

“Chen!” Tim barked, “On your left!”

Lucy ducked the red paintball flying in her direction and popped off two blue shots square in the firefighter’s chest.

She ran to catch up with Tim, pretty sure they were two of the last surviving four on their team. If her calculations were right, Nyla and Angela still roamed the edges of the park, securing the perimeter and pushing the LAFD in, while Tim and Lucy covered the centerfield, pushing them out.

“I’m out,” Nyla’s voice came over their earpieces. “They shot me in the back, you take ‘em down, and you take ‘em down hard.” Her voice punctuated her anger. Despite the air of competition, all parties involved were known to take things a little too seriously.

“Shit, I’m out too,” Angela’s voice called over the comms just a few minutes later. “My source says they’ve got three people left and one’s taken the high ground. Keep your eyes up, show them no mercy.”

Tim and Lucy exchanged looks and quickly, devised a plan of attack to rebalance the score and to then finally settle it once and for all. There was no way they were going to let the LAFD win a competition about shooting and tactical advantages.

“We need to lure them all here, take them out at once,” Lucy told Tim, seeing the fight in his eyes and feeling the adrenaline and oxytocin flood her system as it was likely flooding his too. All she wanted to do was rip his clothes off and fuck him hoarse, but of course, they needed to win the damn game first.

“How do you suggest we do that, Chen?” Tim stepped closer to her, dropping his gun and letting it swing from the strap on his shoulder. 

She had an idea of how they could get their attention and she knew Tim would be on board for her obfuscation.

Lucy eyed their surroundings, assessing the tactical disadvantage they had found themselves in. Essentially, they were standing in a pit. The terrain sloped down to where they were, allowing for the surrounding trees and rocks to provide perfect cover for an oncoming attack. There was one way out of the pit alive and it required shooting everyone else first.

“If one’s in the trees, that one–” Lucy pointed to the old-growth redwood which had sturdy enough and close enough branches to climb and take cover in, “gives them the best shot.”

“And the bushes at the base provide good cover for their backup, a misdirect to where in the tree they’re shooting from,” Tim finished for her.

“Exactly. So if we assume two are coming from there– 12 o'clock, then the third would be between 5 and 7, in that area,” Lucy pointed to the respective position. It had little to no cover, meaning the opposing team would have to plan a calculated attack with all three of them at once.

“So, what’s your plan, Chen?” Tim nodded, feeling blood rush through his entire body from the activity. He was impressed with how good Chen was at all this, how her natural talent for these things went far beyond anything he could have taught her. Finally, he had found his perfect match in her, so much better than he ever thought.

“We make out,” Lucy dropped her gun too, and stepped into Tim’s personal space.

His hands were bracketed on his hips, giving Lucy the perfect space to slip her hands between them and wind them around his waist. She pulled his lips in for a kiss, biting at his bottom lip and pulling back to gauge how receptive he was to her plan. He was very receptive, she noted, as he leaned forward to recapture her mouth before speaking again.

“As much as I like kissing you, how’s that going to distract them?” Tim asked, finding his eyes caught on the bead of sweat gathered on her upper lip and fighting the temptation to suck it off.

Wait, why was he fighting the impulse? That’s exactly what they both wanted.

Leaning into her and pulling her in closer, Tim claimed her lips, wiping any trace of sweat from her mouth and replacing it with his saliva.

“While we’re making out,” Lucy breathed into his ear, now that he was giving the same treatment to her neck, “they’ll think we aren’t paying attention,” Lucy kept her eyes trained on 5 to 7 range while Tim was in perfect position to clock oncoming combatants in the tree. “But really, we’re watching their every move and shooting before they have a chance to set up their shot.”

“I like how you think, Chen. Sharp– Smart– Sexy– Scintillating–” Each word was precipitated with a wet kiss somewhere on Lucy– her neck, her chin, her cheek, her lips…

“Wow, Bradford cracked a dictionary,” Lucy teased, feeling her system flood with a new rush of endorphins. She couldn’t wait to win this game and take Tim home to fuck him.

Tim casually looked up when he heard rustling in the distance.

“Here they come,” He said, making a show of pulling her leg up on his hip next to his gun, making it seem like he was going to pick up her other leg when in fact it gave him the perfect cover to quickly aim his weapon.

Lucy let out a louder than necessary moan, hoping to sell the scene that she and Tim had gotten sidetracked by each other and were too caught up in the heat of the moment to pay attention to the firefighters on their approach. It was easy since Tim was such an excellent multi-tasker and the way he pressed his pelvis against her actually did make her moan.

“I see Bailey,” Lucy gasped, feeling Tim dig his fingers into her hip.

“I’ve got Lang and Kersh,” Tim confirmed his sightings.

“On three?” Lucy gave him one last big, wet, sloppy kiss, using the tapping of her tongue against his as the counter.

Just as Tim raised his weapon to shoot Lang in the tree and Kersh from the bushes with two blue pellets each, Bailey was quick to avoid Lucy’s three shots in the opposite direction.

Bailey got off a round of red paint and watched it splatter with a grin as it would have pierced Tim in the heart had it been a real round.

Dramatically, Tim slumped onto Lucy, now acting as her cover (pretending to have actually died) as Lucy angrily screamed and sent off the rest of her blue paint pellets in Baliey’s direction. She was unable to dodge them all and was hit with three, one on her shoulder and two on her chest. She dropped her gun in defeat and announced over the radio that the LAFD was down their final player with one LAPD still standing.

Tim, still messing around, leaned his full weight into Lucy’s arms as they pretend played a death scene.

“Thank you,” Tim gasped, watching Lucy’s fake tears fall from her cheeks, “you revenged me honorably, Chen.”

“Tim, no,” Lucy palmed his face, turning it toward her and landing a kiss on his lips, “Tim, stay with me, Tim!”

“Lucy,” He rasped, fluttering his eyes shut, “I always knew you were the love of my life, since that first day,” Tim sputtered, cracking the fake blood capsule he had saved just in case this exact moment happened.

“Tim, don’t die on me! I love you!” Lucy shouted, cradling his limp body in his arms.

Bailey approached with the rest of their players coming up behind her, having all witnessed most if not all of the display before them.

“Really Bradford? Fake blood?”

“And scene!” Lucy called as Tim jumped back up to life and spit the fake blood from his mouth.

“Come on, Bailey, we totally had you,”

Bailey crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “I shot you with a fucking paintball.”

“What I miss?” Nolan asked, panting as he ran up to the group, he was the second on their team to get shot and was then in charge of reconvening the other out players on both teams. Now that he was there, everyone who played was present in the field.

“Just Tim and Lucy being dramatic as fuck, as usual, nothing new.” Angela scoffed, arms crossed and still angry she and Nyla hadn’t gotten their moment of glory. It should have been them, playing out the fake death scene with an audience.

“That was badass,” Tim admitted quietly to Lucy. She had shot at Bailey at the same time he had shot at his targets, and could only imagine how cool it looked from an outsider’s perspective to see the couple going from making out to tandem shooting. In fact, he might intimidate the park into giving him the security footage to watch back for later… not that they needed more material to get them hot for each other. Tim was about ready to rip off her scarf and army green jacket she had stolen from his closet in front of all their friends (and rivals).

“Do you really think I’m the love of your life, or was that just a line from your script?” Lucy asked, fear poking through the corners of her words.

Tim answered her with a kiss so hot they’d have to call the fire department if they weren’t already there. Whoops and hollers from the crowd broke them apart sooner than they liked. “You are the love of my life, Lucy Chen,” He said before kissing her again.

With a grin brighter than a thousand suns, Lucy beamed up at him before hiding her blushing face in his chest and pulling on the lapels of his shirt. “Let’s go home. I’ve got big plans for you, lover.”

“As you wish,” Tim said, blissfully being led away by the best woman for him.

[chenfordsbby]

"The Roundup"

Season 1 Episode 5: “The Roundup”

“Nolan, the rookies and their training officers get involved in a competition that pits them against each other; officer Lucy Chen notices officer Tim Bradford is obsessed with winning at all costs”

Original Air Date: November 20th, 2018

Directed By: Nelson McCormick

Written By: Elizabeth Beall

_____________________________________________________________

A new episode! Im ready to get right into it!! This was a fun episode to do!!!!

The episode starts with our favorite trio out in the field, at some type of fair/event and we are introduced to a new Lucy hairstyle, her iconic braided buns and it is one of my favorite ones.  There is visible tension between John and Lucy as they are freshly broken up, but that tension is oblivious to Jackson as he isn’t picking up on it, like at all.  The break-up is one that was for the better but seeing John being all mopey as he is literally a grown man is an ick. Like get it together man!  It doesn’t help with his longing pining as he overlooks Lucy talking to a firefighter, Antonio, who is by far better suited for her, mainly in the age range.

The premise of this show is about an older than average guy joining the police academy so it is to be expected that this first season would primarily revolve around John.  I appreciate how he can be the hero and the comedic relief at the same time.  For all the times he isn’t our favorite, we have to give credit where credit is due.  John has some of the best one-liners and funny bits, that we have seen from everybody! I like that for him.  On the complete opposite spectrum, he also shows heroic acts.  I don’t know what made him wander into the side yard by those kids to quickly rush into the back yard, but thankful he did because he rescued the little boy who fell into the pool.  

We have the introduction of a new character, John’s friend, Ben, who is also the owner of the house that John has been staying in.  I mean, lets be real, did any of us think that  house actually belonged to John!

In the roll call room, spirits are high as everyone knows what day it is: Roundup Day!  I think this is the first time since episode 1, we’ve seen Tim excited and with a smile on his face. Angela and Jackson are just as excited and ready for this competition day.  The rules are explained and the game is on.  

We have not seen any previous Roundup days, but we know that Tim hasn’t lost in the past 5 years and he wants to continue his streak, so he makes sure that doesn’t happen.  Enter Nell, another new character we are introduced to this episode.  She is the precincts 9-1-1 dispatcher and Tim knows how to woo her to get what he wants: the first one she calls for any incoming calls and she does exactly that.

Angela and Jackson are returning to the precinct booking 2 felons before Tim and Lucy have even left the station…let the games begin.  

Jackson and Angela respond to a call for a wellness check for a hospital disappearance.  After checking in on the elderly gentleman, Mr. Walker, Jackson was too quick to dismiss the call and leaver after speaking to him where as Angela knows.  She tells Jackson there’s something up with Mr. Walker and wander around to the side of the house and they witness him with a bag full of stolen drugs.  Angela knows the signs and what to look for, that’s not say Jackson won’t, he will, he just needs to learn them through his training.

John is itching to get in on this game, so he makes the executive decision to enter into it himself but only after getting highly annoyed by firefighter Antonio who asks him about Lucy.  I mean, you can’t fault the guy, he is young and Lucy is pretty.

Side Note: My fellow One Tree Hill fans!!! Skills!!!!! I love seeing other favorite actors on different shows!

Back in the “7-Adam-19” shop, Lucy initiates, or at least tries too, a personal conversation with Tim about Nell.  He quickly shuts it down with his infamous, “I’m married, Officer Chen and this isn’t something you and I talk about”. (Again, I’m trying so hard to act as if I haven’t watched any other episodes/seasons but little does Tim know….) Stoic, emotionless Tim is activated as he tells her to keep her eyes out for the DUI suspect, much to Lucy’s dismay, as I think she’s just whole heartedly trying to get to know Tim, with no other ulterior motives, and he isn’t being receptive towards it.  They come up on the DUI suspect and Lucy is taken aback with Tim as he is reading him his Miranda rights as well as demanding a blood sample while basically bleeding out before the ambulance takes him away.  Lucy is associating the DUI suspect as a human who was severely injured and not as a drunk driver who possibly killed a child and committed a serious crime.  I think this is where we start to see her empathy start to show.  No matter TIm’s feelings or not towards this suspect, he’s being a police officer.  He needs to demand and obtain the blood sample before its too late for the drivers victim or else it will all be for nothing.  Lucy will eventually learn that.  

In the shop again, Lucy is clearly annoyed with Tim after his behavior and actions with the DUI suspect. Tim picks up on it as well based on her attitude towards him that she isn’t happy, but he explains it needed to happen.  Her annoyance continues as she thinks he seems more interested in racking up points on the scoreboard than prioritizing the arrests of the bank robbers in front of them, which is not the case per Tim, because he can do both!  Tim is smarter than them, as he proves it when he pepper sprays them out of the money truck.  As good as Lucy is, her methods of policing still reflect naively.  Lucy would’ve just waited around for back up if it weren’t for Tims quick thinking methods and they both gain points making 2 more arrests.  Let us all just very much appreciate the bickering of Tim and Lucy literally bickering like an old married couple so early on, and it is only the beginning of this beautiful relationship!

It’s a nice sight to see Captain Anderson again!  

Getting closer to the end of the episode, is usually when all of the separate storylines wrap up and merge into one larger one, as we see visible when John, Talia, Tim and Lucy come together to take down these Mob bosses.  I don’t think Lucy meant to trip and fall, but it helped with all of the arrests, so Go Lucy!!  It seems to be a trend, but I like this way of ending episodes, with some, if not all of the characters working together to achieve the common goal!! A great way to include the entire ensemble!

This is the first time we really see Lucy interact with Angela and again with Talia.  So far, we’ve only really seen her mainly with Jackson and John, personally and Tim, professionally.  Lucy overhears the girls trying to decide what to do with their own points and how to divvy them up and when she puts things together, she realizes that they are doing it all in the sake for Tim so he can win.  It’s brought full circle because of Isabel. Tim and Isabel used to excel as partners in the Roundup, so of course this would be a sensitive day for Tim.  Angela and Talia were witnesses to those years prior and know how different this year looks so they need to too this for him.  Lucy took note how much this competition means to Tim but Talia and Angela knew the importance and meaning all along. 

Angela announces Tim and Lucy as the winners, now 6 years for Tim and the first for Lucy and Tim is thrilled.  He remains the reigning champion, yes, it probably boosts his ego a little, but at the end of the day, he needed to win it for his own mental health.  A reminder of what was once good between the relationship that once was with him and Isabel. 

Jackson is still struggling with, I suppose, his self worth of being a cop.  He knows that he got to where he is at because of his dad, but Angela encourages him to prove where he can go in spite of his dad. I love that for them.  This friendship is quickly growing on me!

John and Lucy still seemingly pining for each other is becoming old quick.  It is clear as day that Lucy is so far out of Johns league.  She doesn’t need him and she really never did.  I think the relationship started out of convenience and maybe even boredom while in the academy.  At this point, just be done, and move on. 

The episode ends with John (of course) and his friend Ben, who may be the best thing that The Rookie introduced us to so far.  Ben and his wise words is what John needs to hear: maybe its time for him to be alone for a while and see where that gets him….only time and watching more episodes will tell!

______________________________________________________________

Honorable Mention: Lucy’s Braids! I wish they kept this hairstyle longer!

Episode Peak:  Tim winning The Roundup. 

Episode Pit: There really wasn’t anything that bad in this episode, so none for this week!

Quote of the Episode: “We’re not robots, Officer Nolan.  We all have our bad days but our bad days pale in comparison to the people we meet” - Talia Bishop

Episode Rating: 8/10.  This episode was a quick and easy watch.  Nothing too major happening but not too slow either.  We got some solid baby Chenford crumbs in it as well! I liked it!

___________________________________________________________

I decided to start adding pictures throughout the blog! I'm thinking it add a little extra spice to it!

Another one down! I definitely took a different approach to this recap, I don’t know why, it just felt way better to recap it in episode order, rather than by the parings and relationships.  I guess it will all depend on the episodes for my blog style, but I am not minding it!  They are also getting way easier and more fun to do! 5 down, 15 to go for season 1! My god I am flying through these!! This one also is probably my shortest review but that’s okay!! They all don’t have to be super long!!!

Until next time in “Get in the Shop”… ;)

[pumpkinsy0]

Do you have any Haitian Shepherds hc of any kind to share? Your enthusiasm about them is contagious :)

WOOOOO HAITIAN SHEPARDS ASK IN MY INBOX RAHHHHHH🌺🌺🌺🌺🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🥥🥥🥥

I HAVE A FEW I WAS THINKING ABOUT

•since in kreyòl the word for pony is just like “pone” and its said basically the same, if curly and angela wanna talk about pony they kinda just have to say “ti chwal” which translates to “small horse” so pony doesnt know theyre talking about him, but now anyone who speaks kreyòl or idk maybe a lick of french think theyre weird asf bc mf r u romantically involved w a humanoid horse?????

•angela can patch up tim and curly so well after fights is bc she has steady hands, partially bc shes done it sm she just knows what to do but also bc shes rlly into this thing called “peinture à l’eau”, its where u paint someones body for a celebration and she used to do it a lot when they used to live in haiti

•another pet name curly and tim have for angela is “anj”, just angel in kreyòl

•part of the reason why curly actually got pretty high on that telephone pole is bc in haiti he used to climb trees for fruits so he can climb things pretty fine, but now his climbing skills also got him in the hospital w a broken arm so now look at him

•I SAID IT BEFORE BUT ILL SAY IT AGAIN, THE SHEPARDS ARE SO INTO NOIRISME, in my eyes the shepards r literally pan africanist, its the 60S LISTEN TO ME PLEASE

•tim fucking loves anything coconuts, especially when he was in haiti like my god, give him anything coconut flavored and hes eating it so fast, curly and angela nicknamed him coco

•okok last one so i dont lose my mind saying any more hcs but once during a carnival in haiti angela was allowed onto one of the parade float and shes never forgotten that

[strawberrybaat]

Beauty and the Beast au thing?

Legit, idk what or where I was doing/going with this. I got inspired by watching the beauty and the beast movies. It's Hella unfinished, and kinda filled with Silver/Sebek abuse.

Maybe a part one? Idk if I'll ever continue/finish it, ngl.

It's supposed to be a Malleus X Reader, but I gave no description to anything relating to the reader, so it can also be done as a Malleus ship.

So Beauty and the Beast, but mix it with Aladdin.

Except Malleus isn't cursed, and s/o is basically Aladdin, homeless thief trynna survive.

Instead of the father breaking and entering/stealing, it's the s/o hiding in the mansion cause they think it's abandoned.

There's like 7 people in there, at most. That being the Diasomnia crew, Maleficent on occasion, and 2 other servants. Place looks decrepit, vines/thorns covering everything, especially in the place s/o hides, and some of the building has cracks and chunks missing.

S/o lasts for several months, maybe to a year or two, without running into any of the seven, or hearing them. Further solidifying that they're alone.

They stay on one side of the mansion, only traveling to like one or two rooms

Since they think it's empty, obviously there's no food in the building. So they scour for food outside their little area. Mostly finding berries.

After, at most, two years of that, either Sebek or Silver, or both, finally catch them on one of their rounds.

Sebek would to kill them, cause he thinks they're a threat(which they very well could be).

Silver just tries to make them leave. He either tries to threaten or scare them away.

A chase ensues, and, surprisingly, s/o can out run the two for a pretty long while.

Does the cartoon gag where they hide behind a window/wall. And it fuckin works.

It doesn't work because the two are dumb, it just works cause they were pretty far ahead, and the hall had many other adjacent halls and doors/windows.

If s/o runs into one of the rooms, it's one of the more barren rooms, and they're hiding in the closet or on the lighting fixture(if there's a chandelier, at least).

Bed's too cliche, and it's one of those shitty, run down beds so you can immediately see if someone's under it. Plus, it's facing the door, so it'd get a lot of light.

When either of them look into the room, they don't check it super thoroughly, since it's been out of use so long and there's nothing to hide behind.

If s/o ends up hiding with the window trick, they're on like the second floor, and the knight duo thinks this homeless person is sane.

But no, s/o is hanging off the railing or standing on the thick ass ledge out of sight. They don't wanna jump just yet.

So when they check the rooms they never check the big ass fuckin windows, unless they see a fuckin tree that's particularly close, then they'll look.

When s/o leaves the room, running the opposite way of the duo, they run into either Malleus or Lilia, or both.

Like literally run into. And since s/o is still running on flight or fight, that just got heightened, they fuckin punch whoever was in front of them hard as hell.

The old fae just stands in shock at what happened. Meanwhile, s/o is bolting off after realizing they punched a scary ass mother fucker.

A minute later, the one that got punched poofs in front of s/o.

If it was Malleus that got punched, he's fuckin pissed and looks fuckin pissed. Standing there, with his arms crossed, angry pout on his face.

If it was Lilia, man poofs upsidedown, and an annoyed and mischievous look on his face.

Whoever is was, they grab s/o, poof away, and ragdoll the mother fucker into a cell/room(but the prison is like Glimmer and Angela's "prison")

Sebek wants them dead, Lilia and Malleus just say to kick them out/send them home, and Silver just says "Sebek, stfu omg, just imprison them for a couple years. Not only were they intruding, but we don't know what they could've stolen" in the most formal way.

Meanwhile, s/o is just trynna escape whatever room they've been placed in.

Before they were literally thrown into their cell, s/o managed to swipe something sharp off the one that threw them.

Think like Ruggie, they did that.

They use whatever they took to break out/unlock the door. Cause what good thief doesn't know how, lol.

If s/o is in an actual cell, it's one of those hinge locks that's so fuckin old I broke because they were so rough with it.

If it's the guest room prison? All s/o needs is a coin. it's like the normal/very common bedroom locks, but the handles are switched.

Now they're in an unfamiliar area, so they follow where they heard their footsteps went.

However, they didn't expect the four to be super close, they kinda weren't, only two doors down.

So when they hear Sebek say they should kill s/o, thinking he was in charge cause they didn't pay attention to who had what voice, s/o immediately fuckin books it, slightly stumbling at the start.

Lilia definitely heard them trip, Malleus thought the trip was branch, and Sebek and Silver heard absolutely nothing.

S/o is running like hell, makes it outside the mansion, damn near making it out of the forest before Lilia captures them in vines.

Lilia's now treating this as a game, and the other three are just confused as fuck as to where he poofed to.

S/o, who's in such a fuckin panic, shouts "don't eat me!", because now they definitely see his fangs. And they are terrified.

This takes Lilia so far back, that once he registers what they said, he's laughs so fuckin hard he's wheezing. It's a he can barely breathe laugh fit.

That's around the time Malleus poofs over, and it gives s/o even worse of a panic attack. Meanwhile Malleus is just standing there, wondering why s/o is in a panic, and why Lilia is laughing his ass off, confused as hell.

"What. The fuck. Are they doing out of their prison?" And that's when Lilia finally calms down, hearing Malleus, mocks s/o, and tells Malleus that they escaped.

They poof back over to the cell, scaring the absolute shit out of Silver and Sebek. Then they literally ragdoll s/o into a new room, while they're still tied in the vines.

After they leave, and s/o calms down enough to think rationally. They come up with two plans.

Getting out of the vines, which takes quite a while, as they're thick as hell.

When they're finally untangled it's sometime during the night, and the only two up are Lilia, and Sebek(who's training), they put the first plan into action.

Pick the lock again, and escape like a ninja.

They mostly succeed. Until a maid finds them and informs the less scary of the two. Sebek.

When he's told, he screams out "what?!" so fuckin loud that it damn near deafens the poor girl. However, it does alert Lilia, almost wakes up Silver, and makes Malleus wake up like "huh? Wha?" before promptly passing out again.

S/o heard it as well, or more like feels his fucking echo, and realizes that they are in deep fuckin shit.

Trying to book it again, they run to the nearest open door. Before they can even reach it, however, they're poofed into a new room. They scream in frustration.

Fuck it, second plan.

The second plan is to attack the next person who comes in to bring their food, jumps out the window, and run like fuckin hell to the next village.

God help the poor soul who brings in their meal(spoiler alert. It's Silver and the maid who snitched).

When Silver opens the door, he gets conked in the head hella fuckin hard, Tangled style. Someone come check on this poor boy, cause s/o did damage with that once harmless item that was left in the room(another spoiler alert, they left nothing in the room. S/o is running on adrenaline, and legit tore a piece of trim off).

The maid was frightened, screamed bloody murder, and ran away.

As soon as they saw the maid run, s/o did too. Right to the first window they saw, and jumped it.

The floor they were on was fourth floor, and with the way they jumped, they definitely would've broken some bones.

However, they managed to grab a railing to a window patio that was on the second floor, almost slipping and dislocating their shoulder because of how abrupt the grab was.

After they got up, and situated better to see below them, s/o jumped/fell into a bush pile that looked way more comfy than it actually was. Fucking up their ankle, knees and back, and now they're in hella pain.

They don't even think about it, and can't really feel any of it, to some degree, because they're running off adrenaline still trying to get away.

Getting up and running away after that jump definitely worsened whatever condition they were in, and almost halfway to the village they were escaping to, s/o just collapsed.

They collapsed because they can finally feel all the pain that they're in. Trying to move again, and s/o just screams in pain.

They scream even louder as they try to pop their shoulder back into place, any one who was near, camping or otherwise, was able to hear it.

Their ankle just got worse as they were running for a couple hours, trying to escape what they thought was death, now it's swollen and hurts so bad they actually think they broke it.

While Malleus and Sebek are getting closer to s/o, Lilia is tending to Silver. Silver definitely ends up with the worst headache known to man, probably a fuckin concussion too.

Climax point now, wolves! Like 3 wolves show up, and in s/o's panic they look for the largest stick/branch they can lift and swing at the fellas.

The bigger one of the small pack goes in for an attack, only to get swatted as hard as s/o can in their state. Which is enough to knock it about like 3 feet and make it stumble.

The other 2 also try to go for an attack, but s/o is still trying to swat them away, noticeably getting weaker.

They can only really swing the branch about 4 times before basically giving up and accepting their fate. At least this death would, mostly, be on their own terms and they fought to survive.

Low and behold, Malleus appears literally out of no where, Sebek a good ways behind him(about 20 feet). Man just poofing in and blowing the wolves away with wind magic.

S/o(now with quite a bit of scratch and claw marks on them) sees Malleus in front of them(likely with a deadly aura), sees that they're still alive, absolutely fuckin passes out after a nervous/panicky chuckle. Absolutely terrified and traumatized.

Malleus picks them up bridal style, and almost poofs away until Sebek pops up, and he's just- "oh. Yeah. I brought him/the annoyance with me". You can't tell me this man doesn't get at least slightly

Cue Sebek complaining and questioning why Malleus is carrying this assumedly dangerous person, very much forgetting/ignoring the facts that Malleus is super fuckin and could/would easily overpower this mortal in his arms in an instant.

Ignoring Sebek, Malleus just poofs them back to the mansion, Sebek to his room and Malleus and s/o to a new, "non threatening" guest room.

As Malleus is setting s/o down, Lilia comes into the room as he heard them with his good ass Fae hearing, and he's was literally three rooms down with Silver.

The two are talking about what to do with them, as they've attempted(and almost succeeded) escaping and committed three felonies(I think, I didn't keep count) against them at this point.

They eventually decided to make s/o pay off a debt, ouran style, except without money being involved cause it's kinda useless to them.

So, for now, they'll have another servant, when s/o's healed up. on that note, s/o doesn't wake up until a while later. Their escape plan started about 1 am, and they woke up around 7 pm the following evening.

Malleus is tending to ther scratches and marks again, making sure the bigger sratches aren't fusing to the bandages.

He had just finished removing them as Silver and Lilia walked in. One carrying new bandages and antiseptic, the other holding a washcloth and clean water.

As Malleus is grabbing the new bandages, s/o starts waking up.

Their entire thought process as they're waking up is

"mmmm, comfy.... wait. This isn't my bed... OH SHIT! I DON'T HAVE A BED!"

They jump straight up, almost kicking Malleus and Silver, trampling off the bed and promptly falling flat on their ass.

They're backing into the wall, pleading with the three to not kill them.

"What are you talking about? Who said that we would kill you?"

All three of them are confused, Silver eventually remembering Sebek suggested they execute them.

Malleus and Lilia start asking s/o questions, and s/o eventually starts to calm down when recognizing neither of their voices as Sebeks.

S/o answers all their questions truthfully, except anything they might ask about their past. S/o doesn't trust them very well yet.(imagine anything you want, i literally didn't think about it, lol)

S/o ends up being very sarcastic, or sassy, with some of their answers

"For what reason do you have being in my home?" "I thought it was abandoned." "And why ever would you think that?" "...Have you seen the exterior of this place? What inhabited home has vines crawling all around it? Not to mention some areas have holes and broken bricks." "..."

Malleus ends up pouting, with Lilia fucking cackling in the background. He's slightly offended, but less so than Malleus is with that answer.

Silver left somewhere in the middle of this, fearing he'd get decked again. He may be a guard, but damn did s/o have a hard swing.

Lilia ends up asking why they're there, insisting that their family must be worried sick. Immediately following that question s/o goes quiet and he knows.

Lilia's first thought is just "You're my child now, no questions."

Malleus would either press on with the question and fail at getting any answer out, only annoying s/o. Or he'd just be slightly confused about their change in demeanor and change the subject.

Either way, he and Lilia give them the offer to stay.

S/o's confused, yet hesitantly agrees, asking for what they'd want in return.

"All we ask is that you don't harm us again." "Oh, I'm sorry, but I was kinda being chased!"

Malleus decided to take care of s/o, tending to the marks that would surely scar and making sure they stay off their injured foot. While not broken, it'll definitely need time to heal.

Less so than normally with magic, but he can't do it all in one day, as he's not proficient with healing magic and he just wants to be a smug bastard.(On that note, I like to think healing magic does exist in the test universe, it just works like the school nurse in MHA. Yeah, it'll heal you, but your energy will be drained.)

"Ow! That hurts!" "Hm? Well then maybe you shouldn't, I don't know, jump out of a window that's on the fourth floor?" "...>:( I wouldn't have to if someone didn't threaten to kill me..."

Malleus finds amusement in everything s/o does and talks about, even though they are very, very reserved in the first couple of weeks.

Definitely gets a Florence Nightingale effect, and it doesn't help that s/o doesn't seem absolutely fucking terrified of him(they are, but they're good at hiding it)

There's two people who notice it, and that's Lilia and Maleficent.

When s/o and Sebek meet up, s/o instantly recognizes his voice and wants to punch him

"You!" "You wanted them to kill me!"/"You broke into the mansion!" "It's decrepit!" "HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT-"

Sebek gets fucking slapped.

Malleus, who was showing them around, is wide-eyed in shock.

Lilia and Silver, who were just walking around and ended up seeing Sebek get slapped, laugh at him. Silver's trying to hide it, a chuckle escaping. Lilia, on the other hand, not so much. He almost fell over seeing his shocked and furious face.

Sebek and s/o get into a fight after that. Sebek, surprisingly doesn't have his magic pen/rapier on him. And s/o is dodging whatever attacks he throws at them, trying to tire him out.

Eventually, s/o just kicks the back of his knees in, tripping him up, and pins Sebek down for a solid minute.

Sebek is appalled that someone without his training was able to pin him down, and the other three are very impressed at their show.

However, Sebek does overpower s/o after getting over his initial shock. Pinning them on their stomach, with their hands crossed behind their back.

if this reads like ass, I'm sorry, but I have zero writing experience. I just thought this would've been cute, lol. this is where I stopped, and had no more motivation/ideas, lol.

[harmonyckrs]

Day 8 in Twisted Pleasantview: They're Here for Us

THE PREVIOUS DAY

NAME: DUSTIN BROKE

LIFE STAGE: TEEN

STATUS: ALIVE, POSSESSED FUNCTIONAL

SPECIAL NOTES: Never make a deal with fairies.

---

Dear Diary,

Mom went missing today.

The last time I saw her she was going to visit Cassandra to probably have a make-out session. Angela thinks she probably stayed the night, but I feel like she definitely would've told us if she did. Dad's still at the hospital because apparently there were some complications with the birth, so I don't know if he knows.

Dirk and Aunt Jen both gave me their condolences today, but I don't really feel anything. I did dream of this happening after Dina disappeared, but I never really thought it would happen. Grandma and Grandpa also moved in with us temporarily until Dad came back from the hospital, which feels unnecessary but I'd take them over either Mom or Dad any day. Am I allowed to say that? I'm sure Mom will be fine, anyway.

Anyway, I tried to ask Angela about how her report was going but she said she wanted to keep it secret. I know deep down she hasn't done shit, because I haven't seen her make any effort to try to talk to the Specters at all. Once I asked her about it more she snapped and said she overheard me talking to Pascal and was afraid that whatever I had in that report would end up undermining hers.

I don't know why she was so upset when the Specters have a good reputation while mine is on the guy that they fucked over with the help of all the influential people in town, but I told her that we can compare reports and she seemed to calm down after that.

We dropped by the Broke trailer after school to visit Dustin but it turns out he went missing and Ms. Broke was in a frenzy. I genuinely don't think I've ever seen her that panicked tbh, or at all really. We offered to help her look around, before we eventually found Dustin inside of what seemed to be a circle of flowers that formed around one of trees near the trailer. He seemed really dazed and just stared up at the sky, so we decided to play some good old-fashioned Punch You Punch Me as we waited for him to come back to his senses.

Once he left the ring he said he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but Angela was able to talk to him while I went to take a shit in their bathroom. The Broke walls were hella thin, so I heard everything. Dustin claimed that he got transported to another realm by a fairy and that he saw an Asian man with long hair and green tinted glasses staring at him from behind a cold, glass wall. He also mentioned seeing a hall of mirrors which reflected the people who went missing, including Beau and Mom, but that he was sent back before he could do anything about them. He seemed kinda frazzled the entire time, so we decided to just let him go to sleep and return home.

I guess I can ask Ripp if he could introduce me to Puck, one of our other classmates who's a fairy. He seems pretty chill but he's super shy, so it's hard to talk to him because of that. I'm guessing he might know something about it, or at least direct me to someone who has. I'm not entirely sure if I believe Dustin, but considering how he just magically appeared in that flower ring I'm certain fairies probably had something to do with it.

I wonder if Strangetown ever had fairy incidents, like they do with aliens. I did hear that they're mainly from Veronaville, due to it the environment being more friendly towards fairies, but I don't think it's impossible for fairies to be found elsewhere. I guess I can ask someone from Strangetown about it later.

THE NEXT DAY