#anyways eric the beloved <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[upslapmeal]

Space Babies

Ok so I've been hopeless at doing my usual Episode Thoughts during s14 but if I don't get them posted before the finale then I never will. SO. the next few days will be a trip down memory lane to a whole 6 weeks ago before I'm off to the cinema on friday night!

here we goooo

no cold open we’re going straight in babes (heh)

I know we had it last ep but I do love a good seeing-the-tardis-for-the-first-time face

‘I’m the doctor’ yes you are!!

man I wasn’t a huge fan of 15's theme just hearing on its own in the concert but hearing it in context with him it works SO well

‘kinda posh’

‘they used titles’ and then i kidnapped a couple of teachers, told one to drop the 'Foreman' and the rest is history

ngl I've totally lost track of the gallifrey sitch

the master was going to blow it up then he didn't then the Doctor was going to then some guy stayed behind instead and then flux??

whatever we're back to last-of-my-kind square one

this is gallifrey theme my beloved how I have missed you

Martha and Bill yelling I told you so in the distance about the butterfly

‘Rubathon Blue of the 57th hemisphere hatchlings’ good to know I've got my Ruby tag sorted early doors!

anyway alien companion when

ooh they're going for a flying tardis

love fifteens energy!!

‘most of the universe is knackered babes’

‘the question is why did I run’ Doctor running is a key part of your whole deal. you know this right

‘yet again push the button’………when was the first time

(I have since learned there was meant to be a song on the jukebox that tied to this...would have been nice to see the jukebox being used. and also would have made these comments make sense)

…..baby looms?

‘food????? they’re not tomatoes!!’ lmao Fifteen is SO outraged

oh Ruby’s getting an End of the World moment <3

‘no boss or rent or taxes’ yeah forget time and space travel, NOW Ruby's thinking she's gotta get in on this

oh that baby is unsettling

oh no that baby mouth does not match that voice 

‘mummy and daddy are here!’ Ruby and Fifteen: 😬

it's so weird having fairly confident small child voices paired with very vacant baby faces

.....do these babies have nappies? that they change??

aww you can really see Ruby is used to kids, lifetime as a foster sister <3

ok Captain Poppy is the only voice so far that kinda works

‘oh popsicle’ naww Fifteen is so sweet with them

Fifteen and Poppy are so cute!!

also lol I love RTD going hard with the timeless child at every opportunity

‘nappies are changed at 1800h’ ok well that explains that

Ruby: ‘I didn’t mean to scare you 💞’ Fifteen: 'hey kids it's the BOGEYMAN!!!!!!' Ruby: 😠

ok listen. I know this is not it. but the boots and the length of the trousers.......Ruby's mum kinda looks like Thirteen

oh that's very much a hug-is-a-way-to-hide-your-face hug there

‘that’s the fate of every refugee, you have to physically turn up on someone’s shore’

Eric and the world’s most tiny and useless sword

‘a crock of waste product'

‘nice plan but what now' Ruby hon. this was your plan

you can really tell Ruby is used to looking after kids

‘don’t you touch them you illegitimate person’

FLAMETHROWER BABIES

oh Fifteen knows Ruby’s a keeper

‘oh babes…space babes’ lol Fifteen's just here to have fun (space) baby

‘it’s snot’ ‘it’s not’ the beauty of the english langauge

‘it is one of your children!!’ :(

even the (space) babies think that death by airlock disintegration a bit much

awooooooo!

I guess seeing the doctor save the bogey monster made them less scared??

appreciate RTD's commitment to getting some good fart work in both his first series of this show lol

but what will happen to the monster on the new planet??

like sure it's their sibling but.....does it know that?

‘I’m very very happy’ says the baby with the most sorrowful eyes I’ve ever seen

tardis key!!

Ruby letting 15 into the tardis <3

RIP Carla Sunday's kitchen ceiling 

first a crack and now this......at least the Doctor's giving the local plasterer good work

‘what the blinking flip’ Cherry Sunday's got a nanny filter on her

‘tell your mum not to slap me’ Thirteen got off light with Yaz’s mum

now when are we meeting the timelord called The Saggy Sheet??

the Doc's just going around giving their name willy nilly now lmao

as it should be I never enjoyed their name being a Big Mystery

kinda wish we got to see Ruby's family react to learning more about the Doctor!

hmmmm the dna scan is giving me v s6 vibes (derogatory)

Well that was a weird one, but since when hasn't DW been weird! Ngl it took me watching a second time to enjoy it a bit more because I was just SO thrown off by the baby voices lmao, but it was just generally a fun time, nothing too serious and just a chance to see a bit more of Fifteen and Ruby's dynamic! And it did tie in nicely to the ideas of Ruby and the Doctor both being abandoned, Ruby being a foster sister and the Doctor being the last of their kind. Two baby episodes in a row is enough for me though, glad it looks like next ep is baby-free, space or otherwise 😅

[juyeonszn]

your moots as tbz members and why?

slay i love getting these 😍🤞 also bear with for any typos i have a bqndqid on my thumb bc i cut it at work 😋a Anyway hoing in chronological order (some are gonna be doubled up btw!!!!!!):

ꕤ @winterchimez as mr. lee sangyeon. obviously. there honestly is no explanation needed. number one sangyeon fan right here! yup! (like svt right here but #1 sangyeon fan right here lehrjahr pls laugh at my joke)

ꕤ @zzoguri as jacob bae! idk i kind of associate jacob with moni now bc of they are the reason why i have so many jacob fics!!!

ꕤ @kumoseiza as kim younghoon bc of all of the random lore we come up with �� just recently we were plotting background lore for my juhak smau wip and younghoon’s lore is hilarious

ꕤ @itsbeeble as lee hyunjae bc i hate him so much (no i dont) and i also hate reese (no i dont) both are on the receiving end of my enemies to lovers arc

ꕤ @littleroaes as lee juyeon bc it just makes sense!! plus i know that dora has a good amountof juyeon fics and i need to get around to readinf them soon!

ꕤ @kumoseiza as kevin moon BC THAT IS MY BFF kevin and rina are both my bffs.

ꕤ @heemingyu as choi chanhee. another that doesn’t need an explanation. ITS SANA GUYS. sana is THE chanhee stan. nobody loves chanhee like sana loves chanhee.

ꕤ @sungbeam as ji changmin. i love how half of these don’t need any explanations!!!!! changmin is beam’s beloved tree rat, as she likes to call him 😭 another case of “i associate blank with blank” bc i can’t see a picture of jichang withiut thinking of beam

ꕤ @winterchimez as ju haknyeon BC THAT IS OUR MAN 🥹🥹🥹 me and ally being the resident juhak lovers for real <3

ꕤ @zzoguri & @itsbeeble as kim sunwoo bc OK both of u are delusional (affectionate) but u both always make the point to state that u will never be as delusional as kim sunwoo and i think that’s something we should all live by 🙏

ꕤ @mosviqu / @sohnric as eric sohn AND HERE WE HAVE SNOTHER OBVIOUS CHOICE!!! like it’s bar. u think of bar u think of eric??? be fr???? also bc i saw bar threatening beam on the tl bc she thought beam was trying to come for her spot as number one eric lover 😭😭😭

[thelonelybrilliance]

Ugh, your FNL posting has me thinking about Tim returning the camera his dad stole and also not thinking twice before throwing himself on top of Julie during the tornado

OMG JAYCEE YES I AM NEVER NOT THINKING ABOUT THE CAMERA MOMENT SPECIFICALLY

FNL is unequivocally my favorite show of all time, I first binged it in the summer of 2015 in a single week when I was getting over being sick and about to start law school, I've rewatched it entirely 3+ times since then but I return periodically to experience individual episodes or arcs or even full seasons... I just ordered the remaining 3 dvds so I can have physical possession of every deleted scene (just need to figure out how to play them in this cursed streaming age lol) and yeah. I have written 75 fanfics for it. My love for it just RECURS especially when @itspileofgoodthings comes to visit me.

Anyway. You did not ask for this fulsome history lol. But Tim. TIM!!!!! MY MOST BELOVED! The embodiment of futile teenage rage sublimated into grief sublimated into acceptance, longing, and abiding love... I think about the resonance of his broken family arcs all the time, I think about how he told Tyra at the end that he went to prison for Billy so that he could break the cycle of paternal abandonment, I think about how he loved and admired Eric sooo much but wouldn't always accept his help... I think about how he protected Julie (my belOATHED) and then didn't rat her out even though she contributed to him being homeless yet again... he's just everything to me. Not so much the love-interest in a Taylor song as the perspective Taylor herself is taking. TTDS/dorothea will always be Tim Riggins essence. (You did not ask for these Swifty takes either but I had to share obviously :D)

Thank you for appreciating my dash spam :D

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

current thoughts i'm having about Lout of Count's Family (currently on Chapter 64 of the manhwa)

defo planning to read the novel too since that seems to be recommended

i really love the lack of romance and focus on found family. it's so refreshing and i hope that Cale remains without a love interest. he's an aroace icon. to me

THE WOMEN. SURPRISED ME?? since it appeared to be a story that'd revolve mostly around the male characters (protagonist and many of his major allies being such) i didn't really have... high expectations for female characters? so i've been really shocked at how many have been introduced- and how interesting and important they are shown to be?? that has really impressed me. Rosalyn, Cage and Violan are all pretty powerful in their own ways. when Cale's little sister Lily asked for a sword, no one tried to discourage her. in fact, Cale's only brief, initial, confusion upon hearing Lily's request wasn't even due to her gender, just the fact that she's a literal seven year old. and he immediately decided to get her the sword anyway, agreeing that she has potential

ROSALYN MY QUEEN

however. on a much less positive note... Taylor's writing felt rather ableist. both the fact that other people treated his disability as "pitiful," and then later, his legs were magically cured. i hate that trope. it would've been so much more interesting if we were shown him able to regain respect while being a wheelchair user

at least Taylor and Cage's friendship is fun!! platonic M/F relationships for the win

the art style is really pretty. Cale goes through so many different outfits, it actually feels realistic, rather than having him stuck in just one generic one

i like Cale's fellow noble friends. Eric got a bit annoying sometimes but i love him anyway, he's cute <33 AND AMIR MY BELOVED, SHE'S SO <33333

Lark. my son who is only four years younger than me

I'M SO EXCITED TO READ WHEN THE WHALE TRIBE APPEARS CAUSE I KNOW ONE OF THEM IS AN ORCA TEEHEE <3

[chai-dye]

long story short. in part 3 (VERY MUCH WORKING ON IT THIS MAY COMPLETELY BE DISREGARD LATER ON) i know i say that with ALL of them but. this is the most propable one to get abandoned, so for now think of this as ideas exploration rather than concrete lol

long story short in a new horror reality theyre being forced to become performers against their will. Chris becomes the Masker and Eric becomes the Puppet (both representing each of their own arc, chris trying to be more truer to himself and stop living to a faux hero facade and eric trying to be his own person not controlled by anyone and carve his own path) but obviously theyre not getting that here ^_^

their worst fears and bad habbits said above has formed into objects that clung to them and force them to “perform” for a ceaseless audience that will hurt them if they ever stop

rn, ill introduce yout to…

The Chris mask! ^_^

A dearfully wonderful mask! Fits everybody’s face no matter what face size, shape nor features! This mask boost your confidence and let you indulge in wonderful fantasies and forget your real life struggle! You’ll forget all the dull lifeless meaningless person you were and instead be the awesome and beloved famous actor that is Chris!

As long as you keep performing. Do not stop dancing. They continue watching you, eyes unblinking.

Comfortably snug, as its insides are full of helpful dark slime hands clinging and securing to your face, and helpfully guide you to merge your own face with the mask! Don’t worry, why wouldn’t you want that? What else do you want to be but the dear beloved attractive Chris!

**DISCLAIMER**

Do not under any circumstances take off the mask. It is there to protect you from THEIR CEASELESS WATCH. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE HURT AGAIN DO YOU. Any self-destructive attempt to remove it will have your hands friends try to disway you from continuing. May or may not include skin and flesh tearing, disembodiment, poison and acid injections for liquidifying the bad destructive parts in yourself trying to hurt your own body! Let the hands do this and do not fight. No one, not even you like your “past face” anyways. Stop clinging to it, the past never matters.

So shed your own flesh and wear this mask with a wide smile, and bask in the limelight ad you gaze right back into the crowd, straight back at THEM!

Disregard your past and buy the Chris mask NOW!! Order today for a limited discount of 70% OFF!!! FREE SHIPPING INCLUDED!! 🌟🌟✨✨

dont u hate it when that happens pensive emoji 😔/silly

Wow, trauma AND free shipping?? /silly

[janeway-lover]

did you know that the first time we talked, in dms, i felt crippling social anxiety? dunno why but I Perceived you as Eric's mother here to see if I'm a good companion for her kid 💀💀 and then you DID become Eric's mother -

anyways im really glad we started talking bcs you're beloved to me <3

love ya too ro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sungbeam]

describe your favorite mutuals & their bias/biases <3

omg i always feel so much pressure for these cuz i have quite a handful of moots but i shall try my best !! thanks for ur ask anonie o7

@justalildumpling & na jaemin — both just uber delulu and mutual orgasm donors 😭😭 their astrology/horoscope reading says they'd be good for marriage, but i think WE r a much better match 😚 anyways, i love u j my beloved wife and soulmate !!

@jaehunnyy & jung wooyoung — bro i didn't know which teezer to pick for u 😭😭 but since the craze lately has been mr wooyo 😗 chip is just the sweetest and most wholesome bean ever?? (except lately 🤡 woosan is getting to her) but she deserves the absolute world

@winterchimez & lee sangyeon — my parents !!! absolutely adore ally :')) she's always encouraging my shenanigans and one of the most supportive people on this app. i feel like every day i learn that we have another thing in common w each other LOL

@ethereal-engene & lee jihoon — NO CUZ EKFNEKDK when i tell u ash looks like woozi (゜-゜) im not even kidding, they both look SO good in specs and i love ash sm, she GETS ME and im so convinced we're like actually long lost relatives 😭😭 the way she puts up w my shit and supports me all the time :')

@loveliestfelix & choi yeonjun — omg no because nana is supermodel material?? supermodel gf and bf say HUH???? her writing is something to fall head over heels in love w !! my beloved angst queen 🫂 ilysm im always thinking of u <3

@tranquilpetrichor & (i wanna say) yoon keeho??? — eris i just realized i don't really stan some of the groups u do and i haven't seen u talk abt ur biases recently 😔 SO PLS DO TELL ME ABT THEM !! but i wanted to include u here bc it didn't feel right without u 😭 but she's so underrated and one of the chillest people ever, and a literal ballerina like 😳 that shits hard bro

@zzoguri & ji changmin/kim sunwoo — MY FELLOW KYUBODAN MONI AHHWHDINEJDJD they are AMAZING at writing??? i guarantee u will fall in love w their style, and they're also just so easy to vibe w and talk to 🤧🤧 hope to get to know u even better bestie :'))

@haet-sal & ju haknyeon �� CAKECEYYYYY 😩😩😩 ik the ship name is hakcey/hickey LMAO but cake 😎 anyways LMAO lacey is prob who i aspire to be?? 😭 like u guys don't understand how pretty this girl is and the fact that she's SO COOL TOO?? i feel like i'd be so intimidated by u irl tbh 😳

@goldenhypen & jake sim — my canadian counterpart and chinese 04 twin 💖💖💖 i miss u sm omg i will always uphold that em is one of, if not, THEE nicest person on this app. like if u touch her I HURT YOU 😐🔪 she is sooo so compassionate and caring and just wah i love u sm i hope ur doing alright :'))

@sseastar & byun euijoo (i think? im sorry i don't stan &team 😔) — yet another author here who's style of writing absolutely blows me away skdnkendk like the slice of life ghibli movie vibe of her writing makes me SING and she's also a very cool woman in stem™ </3 she's also so soft and sweet, and i only have the most tender of thoughts toward her

@hqrana & omg im so bad i know eric sohn for sure 😭 — we actually haven't talked about many other groups besides tbz and svt skdnekdk OKAY BUT MY MARVEL MOOT !!! i treasure noa so much, like what a star and the way we literally have so many fandoms in common??? for the longest time (and still) i look forward to interacting w her just cuz she is absolutely SO fun to talk to 💖 ly bff

[modernmanblues]

chances

CH 3: TIT-FOR-TAT

plot: American photographer Leah Walker is ecstatic when she’s presented with the opportunity to spend the summer of 1975 in Stockport, UK to take photographs of local English groups. Given her history of taking photos of big acts such as The Rolling Stones and The Doors, she is taken by surprise when told that her first clients will be the up and coming Manchester-based group, 10cc, who have kept a low-profile until recently, after gaining worldwide stardom from their hit I’m Not In Love. Leah knows little about the group and gets acquainted fairly quickly, but what she doesn’t know is how much trouble she’s about to get herself into with the group’s beloved lead guitarist, Eric Stewart. She has all summer, come to think of it. The possibilities are endless.

themes: moody eric, eric’s love for food :3, feisty leah, venting, consoling, first mention of eric’s divorce, first date!, whole lotta fluff

a/n: After spending one month in Europe, I finally found inspiration to write this chapter. I had the pleasure of visiting Mr. Stewart’s pride and joy, Strawberry Recording Studios. I was over the moon! I am still in disbelief that I went. But enough about that, everything I’ve written so far is almost historically accurate based on interviewing a few individuals who know the boys personally (so grateful for that opportunity). Spending a few weeks in England, including one week in Stockport where this lovely tale takes place really brought on some much needed inspiration into writing this chapter. I’ve also been cooped up in my feelings lately so I really poured my heart out into this one. Cheers!

“You know I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you left the studio that night.”

It is morning. The past couple days have been such a whirlwind, I haven’t got a clue what time or day it is. The telephone on the nightstand rings unmercifully loud, waking me from my deep slumber. My eyes feel heavy, and I can only manage to open them halfway as I struggle to sit up to answer this call. I turn to my side and lean on my elbow as my other hand reaches for the phone. I bring the device up to my ear.

“H-hello?” my voice is soft, with undertones of confusion and anxiety as I await to identify the caller.

“Hi. It’s Eric.” the man on the other line is curt. I sense tension in his voice.

Understandably, given the amount of people I’ve encountered these past couple days, I struggle to remember who this “Eric” is.

“Eric? Oh dear..I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong num—“

“I am speaking to Miss Leah Walker, yeah?” The man interjects, his tone now growing slightly irritable. It suddenly hits me like a freight train. A wave of embarrassment crashes into me the moment I realize who it is. It’s Eric Stewart of 10cc.

“Oh, Eric! Hello..I..Christ, I am so sorry I didn’t recog—“

“That’s alright, no need to explain yourself.” He says this matter-of-factly. He sounds aggravated. But, what about?

I sit dumbfounded in silence and wait for him to supplement his response.

“Right. Anyway, I’m calling because a young man hand delivered your pictures to me last night just before I left the studio and I thought I’d give you a call this morning to talk about some thoughts I have about them.” Oh dear..am I in trouble?

He now has my full attention and I am properly awake. I finally manage to sit up against my pillow, clutching onto the phone. I twirl the cord around my finger to ease my anxiety as I mentally develop a response.

“Of course, absolutely..I’m all ears.”

“Hmph. Well, I thought I’d let you know how atrocious these pictures turned out. There’s too much exposure in most of them, you can hardly see our faces! We look like the bloody ghosts of Christmas past! And for fuck’s sake, do you even know how to get your point of interest in frame?! I’ve done photography for years, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to get your focal point in center view. You know, for someone who claims to be a seasoned photographer, you’ve made some very amateur mistakes here. Perhaps, it would behoove you to take a refresher course.”

I can feel my blood boiling. I don’t think I have ever met anyone so irreverent, so condescending, so..unnerving.     

You little arrogant son-of-a-bitch! Just who the hell do you think you are, talking down on me like I’m an imbecile?!

At this point, my temper has reached its peak and I decide to give him a piece of my mind. I struggle to maintain composure.

“Eric. Mr. Stewart. Perhaps it would behoove you to give those photos another look. My work has not faltered me, and I am confident that I captured your group’s pictures with great finesse. If I am wrong, feel free to reach out to me again and I will rectify my mistakes. Oh, and might I suggest that you be a little less rash towards people who are doing you a favor? Then perhaps people wouldn’t find you so unlikeable.”

I said the word unlikeable through almost gritted my teeth. I slam the phone down with such force, I can feel the nightstand tremble.

I am fuming, absolutely livid. That might’ve been the very first proper insult I have ever received from a client. I suppose I’ve been spoiled with how mild Americans are with their insults compared to these Brits, but I was not expecting this degree of aloofness from anyone I would meet here. And especially not from someone like Eric Stewart.

God, where is a cigarette when I need one? After only recently having smoked one cigarette for the first time in my life, I am already finding myself craving for another. I should bear in mind the addicting properties that cigarettes have. Most people in my family smoke, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise just how easily people get addicted. I feel my anger beginning to subside as I preoccupy myself with this random thought. It is too early in the day to be stressed, to be flustered, to be worked up about a man who otherwise seems..just..so wonderful, so wonderful. I ought to call him, Mr. Wonderful.

I roll my eyes and sneer at this utterly ridiculous deviation in my thoughts. He’s probably got a girlfriend..or worse, a wife even! Stay out of other people’s turf, Leah. You’re here to work with clients, not sleep with them. I give myself a gentle reminder that I shouldn’t meddle with what belongs to other people.

I jerk slightly as I hear the phone blaring once again. Hmph. It must be that bloody arrogant bastard again..I roll my eyes, crossing my arms as I make a presumption about who is calling. I let the phone ring a few more times before answering. You’re going to have to wait for me to pick up, your highness. What an annoying little thing this Eric is.

I finally decide to reward him for his patience.

“Hello, this is Leah Walk—”

“Hi.” A familiar voice interjects.

“Hi..erm..may I ask who is speaking?” Playing possum. A smirk breaks across my face.

“Oi, have you forgotten all about me already?” Eric stifles a laugh at my response.

Oh why do you have to be so gosh darn adorable? Makes it hard to stay mad at you.

“Oh it’s just you..” I speak sarcastically American.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah..it’s me, your favorite person.” Eric says with such overinflated confidence. The nerve. The audacity. After relentlessly insulting me, he hits me with ‘it’s me, your favorite person.’

“How can I help you?” I am curt with him. My tone quickly switches to one that is rather business-like. I am not here to play games with you, Eric.

“Leah, listen..I—” he pauses briefly and I hear him sigh deeply on the other line, “I am sorry to disturb you again but I just wanted to apologize for how irrational I was on the previous phone call.” Oh? It’s impressive how quickly an epiphany can occur to someone.

I listen quietly as I await for him to finish his soliloquy.

“Erm..I know you’ve just met me but..I have just been so desperate for some form of consolation from anyone, and I hope you don’t mind me saying this but..I feel like I can comfortably express my feelings to you without fear of judgement. I feel that I can trust you enough to keep this conversation between us. Have you got a free second? May I vent a little?”

My heart sinks at his willingness to be vulnerable to me. Our working relationship is only in its embryonic stage, but that certainly doesn’t mean that I cannot sympathize with him. I refuse to be cold-hearted. It makes people feel uneasy around you when you’re cold. It makes me feel uneasy at even just the thought of being cold. I devote to giving him my full, undivided attention at this very moment. I sense pain in his voice. I want to know more about you, Eric Stewart.

“Well carry on, I’m listening.” I sound a bit whimsical, I hope I am not coming off aloof.

Just for this moment, I would like to forget about our professional relationship and be a friend to him with open and patient ears..to be a shoulder to cry on.

“Right. Erm..where do I even start?” he lets out a nervous laugh. There are undertones of frustration in his voice. A damsel-in-distress

“Start wherever you feel comfortable, Eric.”

“Right. Okay, thank you..” he sighs deeply then continues his monologue, “I’m just one man, Leah. Yet people that I work with, the same people that use the studio that I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears in feel that it’s alright to toy me around. They expect me to function as if I’m made up of five people. If I could clone multiples of myself, I would. To keep these people happy. They all know very well how hard I work at recording and producing music, and they’ve used that to their advantage. And even after all my efforts and all that I’ve done for them, I’m still not good enough. Not a single ounce of acknowledgement from any of them. Pity, isn’t it?”

I sense bitterness in his voice. I attempt to process all that he’s said to me so far. That angry feeling I had for him has now been lifted. Or perhaps he’s just trying to gain my sympathy so I can forget about how upset he made me this morning. Eric, whatever you’re doing it’s working.

“Are you still listening to me, love? Or am I boring you to death?” he lets out a soft laugh. Am I allowed to swoon a little?

“Yes Eric, continue. Please.”

“Well no, I don’t think you understand how this works. You see, I speak my mind then you’re supposed to validate my feelings.”

“Oh, is that right? So you’ve called me up just to get a free counseling session? You know I oughta charge you extra for this.” Again, sarcastically American.

“You best believe I will pay you however much quid you wa—”

“Eric, you know I’m joking, right?” I chuckle as I interrupt him, “okay, so let me get this straight..it sounds to me that you’re not getting along with your band mates, yeah?”

“Sure seems that way.”

“Right so, I don’t know if I am the right person to be giving you advice on how you can rectify your situation as I am not a licensed psychologist, however do you think it would benefit you and the rest of the group to talk it out?”

“Well you see, that’s what we’re struggle with at the moment. All four us—myself, Graham, Lol and Kev usually have these ‘truth sessions’ throughout the day while working in the studio. These are opportunities for us to take a break from songwriting and recording and talk about our strengths and weaknesses as musicians. What we like and don’t like about our progress on a record, for example. But lately, it seems that these sessions have become less..frequent. I don’t understand it, I mean why the sudden change in routine?”

“I see. Well in that case, have you tried to initiate these sessions?”

“No. I don’t know if I want to. I’m just—”

“Afraid of rejection?

He remains silent for a brief moment then produces a response.

“Yes.”

“Tell you what. From what I observed during our initial encounter, you seem very competent in your musical abilities, Eric. Do you agree?”

“Yes, but—”

“Hm. See? There’s the problem. You’re full of doubt. The word but says to me that you are doubtful about your abilities to create initiative. Not even as the leader of the group, but just as an equal member.”

He is mute on the other line.

“Eric? You see, the way this works is that I give you my two cents, and you give me yours. Tit-for-tat.”

“Tit-for-tat.” He chuckles.

“So..?”

“What are you doing right now? Are you free?” Funny how he changes the subject.

“Well let’s see..it’s 8:30 in the morning and you’re lucky you’ve caught me during my day off so to answer your question, yes I am free. Why do you ask?”

“Erm..I was just thinking..would you mind if we carried on this conversation in person? I’m not really fond of long telephone calls, you see?”

My goodness, bossy AND primadonna.

“It’s gonna cost ya.”

“I’ll pay for breakfast. Please say yes?” He’s ignoring my sarcasm this time. Begging, are we?

“Fine. You’re only getting an hour and a half out of me. Two hours if you’re well behaved.” I smile through my words.

“Hm..I promise to be on my best behavior.” The bastard’s probably smirking right now. Bet you’re proud of yourself. Jerk. He’s lucky he’s cute.  

“I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m about one block away from your studio. 11 Alberta Street. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I know Alberta Street. Give me 10?”

“Great. See you in 10.”

“Fantastic. See you soon. Goodbye.”

“Bye.” I hang up and I don’t quite know what to do with myself at the moment. I feel happy, giddy even. A date? With Eric Stewart of 10cc? However, I do not consider this a date as I am just helping to console an emotionally distressed client.

For some strange reason, I feel I am doing something wrong agreeing to go out with a client. However, this man seems like he is in peril and is in need of a friend to comfort him.

“Gosh, what do I even wear?” I mutter to myself as I get myself sorted.

It seems as though we will blessed with lovely weather again today so I settle for something more casual and weather appropriate. I dig through my closet to find my yellow sleeveless sundress and scoop it out. I stride over to the mirror and lean the dress against myself, mentally critiquing whether this will be a good fit. I smile as I gander at the mirror, picturing myself with the dress on. This should do.

I slip the dress on and flatten out any wrinkles with my hands. I take another look in the mirror and not meaning to toot my own horn, but this dress looks rather fetching on me. What will he think of it?

I quickly apply some mascara and a little cherry red lipstick for good measure. My hair has maintained its curls from the day before so I decide to leave it be. And just as I am finishing up with the beauty works, the doorbell rings. My heart begins to pound. I snatch my purse then make my way downstairs and open the front door slightly at first to make sure it is who I think it is. I proceed to open the door all the way to ogle at the Adonis that’s standing right before me. I scan him from head to toe—black button down shirt, a navy blue suit jacket, denim bell bottoms and a pair of light brown platforms. He could be doubling as a runway model!

“Hi, Eric.” A teethy grin spreads across my face as I look at him in his eyes.

He examines me from head to toe, his eyes pausing briefly at my bust (eyes up here, pal!), then our eyes collide.

“Hello, Leah.” His voice is soft. It’s so comforting. “You look really lovely.”  

“Why thank you sir, you don’t look too bad yourself.” We both stand in silence for a brief moment, then simultaneously chuckle at our unspoken banter.

“So are we just going to stand here, then? I’m a hungry boy. I need fuel.” He rests his hands on his stomach, indicating his need for food.

“Well show us the way then, sir!” I chirp.

“Aren’t you going lock your door?” he looks at me with a boyish smile.

“Oh, you’re right. Where’s my mind?” It’s all your fault for being so uncanningly attractive. It’s so distracting.

“Would you like me to lock it for you? After all, you’ve done more than enough for me thus far this morning. It’s the least I can do.”

“Erm..if you insist, go right ahead.” I smile as I hand him the house keys.

“Right..er..” he swipes the keys from my hand and somehow correctly selects the key to the front door. He proceeds to close and lock, then hands me back the keys.

“Why thank you, kind sir.” I curtsy in front of him.

“Pleasure is mine, my fair lady.” He bows, then just before he straightens up, he takes my hand and plants a gentle kiss on my knuckles.

“Shall we, love?” He stands erect, smirking at me.

“Please, lead the way.” I gesture to the open road in front of us.

“Yes, madame.” He links his arm with mine and we proceed to stroll towards the alley way leading to the main road.

The smell of his cologne lingers against my nose. It’s gentle to the sensitive nose—a fresh clean linen scent, so it appears. I pat his upper arm gently as we continue to pace.

“So where are we going?” I smile up at him.

“The Red Bull. It’s this pub just around the corner from the studio. Me and the guys usually go there for lunch but I like to go there for breakfast as well on the days I’m working in the studio. Their full english breakfast is to die for!” he says those last words with such enthusiasm.

“So I take it breakfast food is your favorite kind of food?”

“Well I don’t discriminate when it comes to food, love. Breakfast, lunch and dinner food all sound appealing to me. I’ll have you know, I’m a bit of a foodie. Food makes me happy.”

I giggle at his vivacity in discussing food.

“Well then you wouldn’t have any second thoughts about finishing my leftovers? In case I don’t finish my meal this morning?” I raise an eyebrow at him, a girlish smile broadening across my face.  

“Say no more, love!” he widens his gaze at me, leaning his face into me.

I chuckle at his playfulness. I admire his quirky tendencies. I take note of how he hasn’t peeled his gaze off me. I feel my face growing warm. I look at him from the corner of my eye then tilt my head slightly as I gaze up at him.

“Eric, why do you keep looking at me like that?”

We take a brief pause in our walk. He looks at me earnestly.

“Like what? Like you’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen today?” he lets out a tiny smile, maintaining his gaze on me.

I gaze up at him dumbfounded, my mouth ajar.

“Erm..” I can only manage to let out a nervous laugh as I am at a loss for words. I feel my face growing warmer.

We lock eyes with each other, not saying a word. He smiles at me meekly.   

“You know, I was once asked how I would define the word ‘beauty’ and I simply said ‘woman.’ So pardon me for saying this but, I think you’re the most beautiful woman I have seen in a long time. And believe me, I’ve seen plenty in my lifetime. I think I’m entitled to that opinion.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too early for this kind of talk?” I bite my lower lip as I attempt to stifle my smile.

“Right. We’re stalling and I’m hungry. You must be hungry, too.”

“Not as hungry as you, Mr. foodie.”

“Well let’s quit larking about and get a move on!”

We quicken our pace through the alley way, then he grabs my hand as we turn right and make our way towards the crosswalk. We both look left and right to gander at oncoming cars, and clasping his hand with mine, we run across the street. Just from that short excursion, we’re both now filled with exhilaration and adrenaline.

He shakes his head, chuckling as he catches his breath.

“You alright?” I look at him a bit perturbed.

“Yes..” He responds breathlessly, “I’m..just..out of shape.”

“Ah, that means less food, more exercise for you, young man.” I tease him.

“Oi, keep it up you’ll see what happens.”

“What are you going to do to me, hm?” I smile at him girlishly.

“I don’t think you want to know my answer to that.” He smirks.

I playfully smack his arm. “Eric!”

“Oi! What was that for? You ask a guy a question like that, you will get a guy answer.” He says matter-of-factly.

I shake my head at him, chuckling. “Unbelievable..”

I begin to walk ahead of him, leaving him behind.

“Hey! Where are you going?!” he runs up behind me.

“I thought you were hungry? I’m growing hungry myself with all this stalling we’re doing.”

“Ah, we’ve got to feed the girl then. Come on.” He snakes his fingers through mine and he leads the way to the pub.

We climb the steps that lead to the front door and enter the abode. From first glance, I only see a couple sitting in the corner and eating their meal in silence.

“There he is! The man of the hour!” A voice echoes through the pub in that sing-songy Mancunian accent. A woman with long, flowy strawberry blonde hair gracefully walks towards Eric and I.

“It is I indeed and today I have company.” Eric snakes his arm across my shoulders and pulls me closer to him, smiling at me.

“Ellie, this is Leah our talented photographer. Leah, this is my good friend Ellie. She runs the pub and the kitchen. Power woman, she is.”

“Oh, you stop it.” she giggles at Eric’s remark and extends a handshake to me. “Lovely to meet you, Leah.”  

“Lovely to meet you as well, Ellie.” I shake her hand, a tiny smile breaking across my face.

She smiles at me briefly then turns her attention back to Eric.

“Table for two, is it Stewart?”

“Right on, El.”

“Well go on, you know where to sit. Are we doing the usual brekkie, Stewart?”

Judging by the way this woman talks, she knows Eric like the back of her hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a history together. I want to roll my eyes at the thought.

“For me, yes. And for the lady..” Eric turns to me, prompting me to respond with my food order.

“You mentioned you were getting the full english breakfast, yeah?”

“Yes, madame.”

“Then that’s what I’ll have. Please and thank you.” I turn to Ellie, smiling meekly.

“Right. Eric knows where to sit. Make yourselves at home. I will bring you your breakfast shortly.”

“Cheers, El!” Eric chirps.

He weaves his fingers into mine and leads us to an isolated corner booth adjacent to the window.

“After you, madame.” He gestures for me to sit in the booth.

I slide into the booth and he follows suit. He rests his arm over my shoulder then gazes at me with admiration.

“What do you think?”

“Of this place?” I take a second to glance at my surroundings. “I like it. It’s quite cozy, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. One of the reasons me and the guys love coming here. And the workers here are all just lovely.”

“Hmph..I bet they are.” You don’t say. You seem to get on well with little miss blonde there.

“You alright, then? You’ve been quiet since we got here.”

I gaze up at him and study his eyes. “Eric, can I ask you a personal question?”

“You can ask me anything. It seems I’ve been doing most of the talking this morning, I think it’s time I hear from you.”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

He chuckles. “Is that what’s got you worried? No, love. I’m single. Divorced.”

What? Divorced?

He leans into my ear, seeing the deer-in-headlight look on my face. “That may be a story for another time. Today, I just want to get to know you more and to pick up where we left off in our conversation from earlier.”

“Okay. Sure.” I smile at him modestly.

“As I was saying earlier—”

“Eric, listen. You’ve got to stand up for yourself and show that you’re more than just a man with all these tricks up his sleeves. People will continue to take advantage of your good work ethic and kind heart. Sometimes, it’s good to let people know what’s on your mind so they understand you better.”  

He gazes at me with a demure smile. “Now where have you been all my life? Where were you when I was at my lowest?”

I lean into him. “Quit doubting yourself.”

“Right, you two. Make way for brekkie. Leah, I made this just the way Eric loves it. I think you’re going to love it as well.” Ellie deftly slides our breakfast platters in front of us. I can see our food steaming. Now I’m hungry.

“Thank you, Ellie. So lovely of you to do that!” I smile at her broadly.

“Cheers! Right, drinks. Eric, would you like your Guinness this morning?”

“No, thanks. I would like to take it easy today. Thanks, El. Perhaps Leah would like one?”

“Oh no, thank you. This is too early for beer. A glass of water would be nice.”

“Make that two, El.” Eric adds.

“On it!” Ellie scurries off into the pub then quickly comes back with a couple glasses of water and places them in front of us.

“Are you sorted now, then?” Ellie inquires.

“Sorted. Cheers, El!” Eric proclaims.

“Cheers! Enjoy breakfast, you two.” Ellie smiles at us both briefly then hurries back into the kitchen.

I take a gander at my plate and decide where to start. Everything looks delicious. Two hearty looking sausages, over easy fried eggs, baked beans, juicy red tomatoes, fried mushrooms, two slices of wheat toast and two dark patties that I’m assuming are what the English call ‘black pudding.’ I take a tiny scoop of the baked beans and nibble on them. Perfect. Just the right amount of flavor in the sauce. I proceed to slice into a sausage and take a bite. Mm..delightful. I turn to Eric who’s almost halfway finished with his meal.

He looks at me. Face stuffed with food like a chipmunk. Brilliant.

“Wait. Don’t move.” I snatch my smaller back up camera from my purse then snap a picture of him, giggling.

“Oi!” he groans through his food. He swallows his food quickly. “I’m going to get you for that one!”

“Your face..it looked cute. I couldn’t help it."

“You just can’t help yourself sometimes, can you?” His smile is demure again. He examines my face. His drops his silverware onto his plate then proceeds to caress my face, tracing my jawline his thumb.

“You know I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you left the studio that night.” His tone has become more gentle, more vulnerable. Not aggravated, and rash like he was over the phone earlier.

“Is that right?” I’m imploring.

“Listen, Leah. The main reason I called you again was to apologize for being so harsh on you earlier. I went on a deep dive with my emotions this morning for you to understand why I may have acted the way I did. I’ve just had so much shit to deal with lately and not enough guidance. Regardless, it was not right of me to act that way towards you. Please, forgive me.” He’s genuine in his apology I can tell. But there’s more here that I don’t know about. I will let him decide when he feels comfortable to open himself up to me. When he’s ready. For now like he said, we should just try to get to know each other.

“Eric, I’ve already forgotten all about what happened this morning. Please, eat up. I love watching you eat. The joy on your face..it’s priceless. The delight of my day.” I place my hand against his rosy red cheek and I feel the full weight of his head as he rests his head against the palm of my hand. He plants a kiss on my palm then turns to me with a boyish smile.

“May I ask a favor from you?”

“Hm? And what does this favor entail?”

“Will you come to the studio again and do another photoshoot of me and the guys? I’m not going to tell King about it. It’s just for us as a group. For keepsake. I am willing to pay ext—”

“On one condition.” I interject.

“Eh? condition? what condition?”

“I get front row seating to one of your upcoming shows. I want to see you and the guys perform.”

He grins broadly at me. “Well that’s easy enough, love. Consider it done! We will be in London next week. We’d love to have you there. Me especially, I would love to see you again. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

A sudden wave of excitement and elation crashes into me. “Eric, you’re kidding! You mean you’re serious?! I can come to one of your shows?!”

“Am I bluffing, love?” he smirks.

Without hesitation, I scoop him into me, embracing him like he’s a lover of mine who’s been away far too long. And without hesitation on his part he returns the favor, embracing and almost melting into me. It quickly occurs to me that this may have been a very bold move on my part so I peel away from his hold.

“Eh? You alright, love?” he sounds concerned.

“Yes..er..I hope that wasn’t too forward. I’m just so ecstatic to be seeing you all in concert. This may be one of the few I will have gone to since seeing the Beach Boys back in my teens.”

He chuckles. “Well not to burst your bubble, love, but we’re nothing like The Beach Boys. A few of our songs may have that sort of sound, but overall it’s like apples to oranges.”  

“Sadly, I do not listen to The Beach Boys as much as I used to. I’m all grown up now and it’s the 70’s. The music is hip, and bands these days are all just far out!”

“Far out!” he says mockingly in his best midwestern American accent. “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing?”

“You know you could pass for an American with that accent. It’s pretty darn good!”

“Well you see, that’s the way we do it out here in good ‘ole midwestern America.” he says maintaining his pseudoamerican accent.

I fail to stifle a giggle at his little commentary. “Talented. Mr. Stewart. It’s as simple as that.”

“Eh, I was really enjoying our hug. May I have another one?”

My smile is demure this time and without hesitation, I scoop him into my arms again. We sit in this silent embrace. Feeling each other’s warmth. In this booth. In this pub. In this glorious place called Stockport. Life can’t get any better.

———————————————————————————

<<previous chapter next chapter>>

please visit my masterlist if you would like to see some of my other work :))

[killerandhealerqueen]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

No no, you can ask away! I love answering stuff like this.

Majority of these will be Killer and Healer characters but there are three from CSI: Miami

1. Jiang Yuelou

Oh, my angry police chief who just needs a fucking break. He's such a little shit/gremlin and also a bitch when he wants to be and I love characters like that. I love bitchy, sassy characters and he's just so...god. I also like him because while he puts up this tough bitch persona, deep down he is a deeply traumatized man who just wants to be loved and even though he puts on an air of "i don't give a fuck" this man...this man gives all the fucks. All the fucks are given with him. And I love that about him.

2. Chen Yuzhi

My beloved doctor. This man is just so kind and good and always sees the best in people and he's someone that I want to emulate. I want to always try to see the best in people and I want to help everyone, no matter their background/past. This man wears his heart on his fucking sleeve and he's just such a good person. And he, like Jiang Yuelou, gives all the fucks. He's just...I love him, alright?

3. Horatio Caine

I've been rewatching CSI: Miami recently and he's a lot like Jiang Yuelou, a bitch and a sarcastic little shit but my god does he try to get justice for the victim and the victim's family, especially when it comes to kids. God, he's so gentle and kind around children and yeah. I like him a lot

4. Ryan Wolfe

He was always my favorite in CSI: Miami. He, Horatio, and Eric (who's next on my list). I like him because he, like Horatio, is a sarcastic little shit and a bit of a bitch and I swear to god the show threw fucking everything at him but he took it all in stride and his character growth was just...yes. He grew up from being this cute, bright-eyed bushy-tailed beat cop to a competent CSI who could fucking kick ass. Even though Calleigh was the day shift supervisor, it was always him, Eric, and Horatio. Those three

5. Eric Delko

Again, he's a sarcastic little shit and I like him because he, like Ryan, went through a lot of character growth. Could I have done without the romance between him and Calleigh? Yeah because I think he and Ryan had better chemistry than him and Calleigh but that's just me. Anyways, I like him because who doesn't like Adam Rodriguez and because he has a strong sense of justice and gets pissy when the system allows people who should get caught get off scott free and he's just like me fr

6. Chu Ran

Chu Ran my beloved. The only female reporter that I don't fucking hate and do you know how many female reporters I fucking hate? A lot. I like her because she don't need no man, she's good at her fucking job, she's fearless, has a kind heart...and is over all just a good person. One of the best female characters I've ever had the pleasure of watching on screen and I need more characters written like her

7. Zhan Junbai

Yes he's a villain but I don't care. He's a classy bitch who, when not listening to his fucking cunt of an uncle, is a rather kind person who just wants to listen to opera and live his life with Yu Tangchun. And while yes he's a villain, he's a smart villain. You don't think he's a villain till it's revealed and you're just staring at the screen like you son of a bitch. You had me fooled. I like a villain with brains and style and this bitch has both

8. Yu Tangchun

I love him because 1) he's pretty (he's so fucking pretty my fucking god) and 2) he's cunning. It's why he and Zhan Junbai are perfect for each other because they're both cunning bitches who put on "airs" of innocence when they ain't so fucking innocent. But he's also a good friend to both Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi and the best big brother to Zining. He's a complicated character but god do I love him

9. Song Rong

Song Rong, my beloved. Honestly, he's the best wingman fucking ever as well as the best subordinate. He trusts Jiang Yuelou explicitly as well as Chen Yuzhi because if Jiang Yuelou trusts him then fuck, Song Rong's gonna trust him too. And like I said, best wingman, fucking president of the Yuezhi fanclub. And he cares. My fucking god does he care.

10. Bai Jinbo

The dad to end all dads. This man fucking stepped up when Jiang Yuelou's father basically fucked off and died from an opium overdose and took Jiang Yuelou in, when he didn't have to, and raised him as his own fucking son. Did he let Jiang Yuelou down in the end? Yes, but we don't talk about that, we only talk about the good things and this man was a good fucking dad. Who cared a fucking lot about Jiang Yuelou

Thank you for asking! I enjoyed doing this!

[light-lanterne]

Hi Angel!! 💕

How about... Top 5 of your all-time favourite characters? Either shows and films, or Top 5 shows and Top 5 for films? :D

soso !! dearest beloved, you give me impossible tasks u.u i'll try my best, but chances are i'll miss someone so this list might change if you ask me again in a week >.<

*･ﾟ: shows *:･ﾟ

stranger things — mike wheelie (of course ~)

heartstopper — nick nelson

criminal minds — spencer reid

bones — zack addy (guess what hyperfixation came back -_- )

the end of the f***ing world — james

*･ﾟ: movies *:･ﾟ

the crow — eric draven

fear street — sarah fier

the turning — miles fairchild

bones and all — maren and lee (can't choose >.< )

edward scissorhands — edward

(also, i didn't want to add them on the shows list (because the anime sucked), but kaneki and hide from tokyo ghoul have a special place in my heart ;-; )

anyway, that's it. i clearly have a thing for angsty, kind-hearted boys but i feel that was already quite obvious x.x oh well,,, thanks for the ask !! hope you're having a beautiful evening ~! <3

ask game thingy 💌

[sigcorp]

I've always loved Eric's character design, but admittedly didn't care much abt the musical or alan before reading this incredible fic with them on Ao3 akjsdjsdjk PLEASE DONT HATE ME LMAO (now I see why they are so loved. I've always loved eric tho I didn't care for the musical or slingphries prior)

i assume this was meant for my kuro blog haha excuse the cringe on main my beloved mutuals

anyways yeah i get that!! they arent super popular characters despite being so beloved to a small group of people. also would love to know the fic (ive probably already read it lmao but just in case)

ironically i used to hate eric like i despised him i was so mad at him for the end of the musical HAHA i love him now though obvi <3

[engbergsinfinland]

Hello for Monday!

Hey everyone! Or, hei, kaikille!

We have had a nice last few days and the weather's been rather mild, but the temperature dropped about ten degrees from Saturday to Sunday, and now the highs are in the 30s and it feels damp and cold. It was totally dark, basically, by 4:50 p.m. today, so the darkness is setting in. It hasn't bothered us too much, though!

Since I last wrote, we continued with "the usual" -- kids' after-school activities, our Finnish class, my course planning, prep, and grading, and lots of cooking, and some scheming over Christmas decorations. We may be in a temporary home, but we are going to get our Christmas on, and soon! Some people have told me that since it is dark here in November, and people find it to be a gloomy month, they often decorate for Christmas and get lots of lights up. We may do that same. At one of our favorite stores, Tokmanni, I found a 14 euro Christmas tree, that is spindly like I like, and would sit on our low credenza table in the living room. This is similar to our set-up in the US, where our tree sits on a side table, and thus looks much taller than its actual 4 feet. So, I am eyeing that tree and I have looked into seeing whether anyone on Facebook marketplace is selling a load of ornaments at a decent price. But, of course, with Tokmanni nearby and Flying Tiger across the street, we can buy cheep ornaments a-plenty and everything will be cheerful and bedecked before too long. I have to figure out our Scandinavian paper window star situation somehow, so that is another phenomenon I am looking into.

On Sunday, Cece and went back to the trampoline park at Kauppi and tried to make some progress on her front handsprings on the tumble track, with the goal of moving towards a front flip on the trampoline, and then we aimed to do some work on the Level 3 beam routine. We did really make some good progress on the front handspring, but something is just not working out with it when she moves it to the floor. Though I really wish I could spot her and help her that way, I cannot spot her because, a) I don't know how (I was always on the other end of that situation), and b) I have for five years had a bad right shoulder and it has atrophied considerably, so I don't have the strength to spot her even if I knew how. So, all of my coaching is verbal, except for handstands on beam. Anyway, there is a pit there, and so we worked on front flips into the pit and that really, really helped, because she was finally able to grasp the concept of flipping up. When I've watched her at the gymnastic center on Tuesdays when I go, I clasp my hands in worry every time she just tries a front flip with her classmates, one after another, on the tumble track, because she flips down and goes like spread eagle in the air. It is not the way it is supposed to go. I think we made considerable progress getting her to feel, with developing "air sense," the right body shape and movement. And then, by the end, she did some great front flips on the trampoline! Yay!

The kids had skating Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and they had piano Friday night, so things were a bit moved around. We did not do any real outdoor exploring or go to any events this weekend, so there is nothing huge to report. We did go to a more suburban part of Tampere on Saturday afternoon, so Eric could take us to one of his favorite sporting good stores (XXL), because we needed to get a few things for skiing, because we have a small lil' ski trip to Ruka coming up in a few weeks. I did not bring ski pants and the kids need actually two pairs of snow pants, so we looked for these things. I found green Scott ski pants, so I was very stoked about that.

But get this! Albuquerque's local ski area, my beloved Sandia Peak, got three feet of snow last weekend and opened this week! It is unprecedented! I don't think they've ever opened in early November in all of my life. First, people in New Mexico were able to see the aurora borealis once the Engbergs moved to Finland, and now, epic snow?? What is going on here?

OK, in the interest of sharing Finland-specific information and tidbits with you, I want to tell you about Finland's epic -- the Kalevala. I was given a copy by the Fulbright Foundation and I had heard of it before. I do love a good epic (I mean, the Odyssey is a real trip, no?). So, my college roommate and friend, Halima, and I decided we'd have a reading group where we read the Kalevala and discuss it in monthly meetings. We had our first meeting today and we'd read through the first 10 sections. This is a real epic, a founding story, for this land, and, actually, it is not "ancient," having only been compiled in the 1830s, but the songs from which is was assembled are very old, these Finnish folk songs. I will share more of what I learn in coming weeks, and I got some books about the Kalevala at the library today, so I should be able to understand the verse style and meter, the references, and more, so much better now that I have some supplemental texts to help me. And, you know Quora has had some really, really helpful information (such as this string about how old the component parts of the Kalevala are; the string also contains some interesting side notes about Finnish people's love of Donald Duck, something I did not know, and even this gets tied to the Kalevala). But, the main star of the Kalevala is Väinämöinen. Väinämöinen sings the world into being and he basically wins a singing battle against this young upstart Joukahainen, who gives Väinämöinen his sister Aino, and then Aino perishes in the waters by her own design, because she'd rather do that than be married off to "old Väinämöinen." Then, Väinämöinen tries to find himself a wife while traveling into the north of Finland (on his mother's advice). He encounters many an obstacle, as all epic heroes do, and --long story short--he establishes a founding narrative and worldview for Finnish people. The establishment of the Kalevala as the Finnish epic story is super important; the story had great utility in allowing a sensibility of Finnishness, for the Finnish people, to proliferate in the country, building evermore, until the country's independence in 1917.

One work-related thing I did not mention was that I gave a guest lecture last Thursday in a colleague's class and that was so fun! I am just loving having opportunities like that -- and I hope I get more, including some guest lecturing opportunities in other EU countries! We shall see if those come together :)

[dark-twist-fairytales]

hello dark twist fairytales, so. Do you have any dark twist of fairytales… (not obligated to answer !!)

I DON'T KNOW WHY I REMEMBERED THIS NOW, BUT I DID

So, kind of inspired by Lydia the Bard's villain princess songs on YouTube, but instead of the princesses themselves, what about their children? Because, think about it:

-"Beauty and the Beast", what if the beast 'gene' (curse) could be passed down through generation?

-Anna and Elsa from "Frozen", what if nature gifted Anna's children magic? Or Elsa adopted a child that had magic?

-Merida's child from "Brave" (she may not like being forced to throne, but I feel like she would want to be a mom (headcanon moment, my bad)) would absolutely take on Merida's hunter/adventurer thinking

-Pocahontas, from the movie of the same name, would absolutely teach her child her roots, where she came from, all that was sacrificed, and so so much more, and her child? Absolutely, would try to keep those true.

-Cinderella and Prince Charming from "Cinderella", my my my, where do I begin? Honestly, I feel like they would have a son (kind of like.. Charming from "Shrek 2"? But less bratty and more smug, if that makes sense) and he would want to be in the spotlight, but not for the reason of being crowned a prince

-Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty", back to the point of Belle and Beast, what if the curse stayed, but in.. A different way?

-"The Little Mermaid", Ariel my dear. Now, it is confirmed (the second movie) that Melody is Ariel's and Eric's child, but let's just- We're ignoring canon here, alright? Melody is here, but the events of the second movie didn't happen, and that in and of itself is important and all you need.

-Jasmine and Aladdin from "Aladdin". Honestly, that duo in a child will be Something, but just those two being how they are, their child wouldn't be too much of a... Menace, in a way

-Mulan (my boy Ping!!) and Shang- Woosh! I know she's not an official princess (by blood or marriage), but let's be honest? With what I'm thinking about, their child(ren) would go to some sort of knight deal

-Tiana and Naveen, "The Princess and the Frog", my absolutely beloved movie of all time, there are many possibilities for a little magic

-RAPUNZEL (from "Tangled") PLEASE, There still has to be some magic in her blood, or else Eugene wouldn't be alive, so their children would have magic in their blood. And going by the series (from edits and as such I've seen, I've never actually watched the series), there's different incantations for different things. I'm keeping that there.

I didn't stick with my own questioning deal, but anyways, point being: What if their children didn't like being tied to royalty? What if their curses or bloodlines made it difficult to control? What if the twist to their fairytales didn't happen in their fairytale? It would be twisted, to see their efforts they tried to raise suddenly riot against the world they knew? What is fairytale perfect for them, was truly a nightmare in disguise for their kids?

I don't have a working title, semi-"Descendants" like but no villain kids and probably better, focusing on what would be the "good kids". Pulling inspiration from the Disney Princess movies (a few excluded either on purpose or no ideas right now), the Shrek movies (specifically 2 and 3), Lydia the Bard villain songs, and my own dark thinking of "You know what would be fucked?"

[i-aint-here-man]

I'm halfway through Johns' first JSA run. Some issue were better, other were worse. Nonetheless, imo one of the most interesting plot thread happened to be centered around Doctor Fate, although it didn't seem so visible till its nexus point in JSA #48.

In this series the mantle of Doctor Fate has been assumed by Hector Hall. Yes, Hector Hall, son of Carter Hall aka Hawkman. Some readers might know him from Gaiman's Sandman, where he appeared as a ghost.

In this run, Hector technically first appeared in JSA #2 as a nameless, reincarnated infant destined to become the next Dr Fate. The actual reveal happened in JSA #4, when Hector (magically grown up) assumed his role and defeated Mordru - a Lord of Chaos, trapping him in Fate's Amulet.

JSA #4

In #14th, Hector sought help in fighting Extant. Kent Nelson's ghost advised him to turn to Mordru. The Lord of Chaos told Hector, that "Hourman is the key!" and that "Dove is the key!", simultaneously hinting that he knew Lyta Hall's whereabouts.

JSA #13

Who the hell is she? Well, Lyta was Hector's wife; as well as a superhero - Fury; she's also mostly known from Gaiman's Sandman

Several issues later, in #19, Hector decides to visit his "new mother" in order to wake her from coma only to discover she was actually Lyta Hall - Hector's late wife.

Doctor Fate, clearly and justifiably agitated, tries to come up with anything that could help his beloved.

JSA #19

Later on, in JSA: All Stars #3 Hector conversates with Nabu in a bar. There, Hector witnesses his own fate, which is to kill Kendra Summers - the reincarnated Hawkgirl. Hector refuses to let it happen. Nabu tries to reason with the guy, but he has already sweared to prevent the destiny itself.

JSA: All Stars #3

In the meantime, in JSA #24 a reunion happens between father and son

JSA #24

Flash forward, in #32, "Nabu" advises Hector to head to Gemworld as if the cure for Lyta lies there. Keep in mind this scene, it's gonna come back.

JSA #41

So, Hector, fully determined, travels to Gemworld in #41st, where he meets those two enigmatic fellas - Flaw and Cutter. The latter explains why Mordru wanted Fate's amulet so badly and how he had come to be. In #43th, the three of them visit Lord Wrynn's place of death. Wrynn had tried to acquire Mordru's power, eventually becoming overpowered with it. Despite that, his remains still hold a great deal of mana, so Hector takes his skull.

In the following issue, hopeful Fate uses that skull, only to find out that...Lyta was actually reincarnated Dawn Granger [aka Dove]

She reveals a big retcon surrounding her partner and a former super hero - Hawk. So, this guy went mad and killed some JSA members as Extant, 'cause he was being manipulated by someone. That someone was *taratamtataaam* Mordru

As he hears that name, Hector leaves in rush. He reappers before District Court, where JSA handles the mess with Cobra's accolytes. But something feels off - Doctor Fate anatgonizes other members. While taking off the helmet, he reveals the concealed visage, not Hector's - but Mordru's!

Oh, right; Cutter actually is some child-looking guy called...Child? Anyway, he was helping Mordru this whole time.

In #47 we find out that Mordru swapped places with Hector; while the first one was up and running around, the other one remained trapped in Fate's Amulet. Hector meets other people who wore Fate's helmet: Kent Nelson, Inza Nelson, Jared Stevens, Christopher Freeman and even Eric & Linda Strauss. To everybody's surprise [mine too] they are just Hall's imagination. Nabu reveals that back in the #32th issue it wasn't him talking to Hector, but Mordru [and so the devil came to collect].

That's when the crucial moment happens; Hector is told to get his shit together, to let go, to relinquish his mission of bringing Lyta back. And although it's not easy [it never is], he's not left alone - Nabu supports him.

JSA #48

Hector contacts Dove and tells her to find Arion, whose body was possesed by Mordru. Mission accomplished, soul has been found, the bad guy's got distracted, so now Hector can finally beat the stars out of that lord-of-mud.

JSA #50

So how does he do that? Well, Fate humiliates his foe by showing the future, proving that Mordru is destined to eternally fail.

He later imprisons Mordru into the Rock of Eternity and rejoins the rest of JSA. And everyone lived happily ever after [or rather - for now everyone lived happily ever after]

JSA #51

And so, despite Mordru being a forgettable antagonist (who shares some similarities, both physically and characteristically with Vandal Savage); damn, that whole JSA run having ups and downs, it managed to create a story about a man, who after constantly fighting fate, learns to move on...to let her go

And so, perhaps we could derive two very different meanings from Passengers' most popular song. Maybe

you only love her

when you let her go

doesn't only mean your realisation of how much you loved someone when you miss them

A person interprates and shows love in various ways, whether it's by giving gifts or saying "I love u"; but sometimes...

sometimes the greatest act of love one can show to the other is to let them go, let them live their life...

...

Ehhh, and then the "Black Reign" arc happened, which left me so upset; as it ruined nearly everything from issue #48

Hey, *uhhhh* so actually Nabu inserted the souls of the previous Fates inside the amulet, *uhhh* but that's "okay", since now Hector can resurect Lyta *"yeaaaay"*

Hawkman #25

I'm just...I'm fuckin' disappointed in the end; that's all

La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo

[foxgirlontherun]

"his death was cheap and served no purpose" Yes, and I kinda hated the whole thing with them taking the death angel with them accidentally anyway. I mean it wasn't unrealistic but I still hated it. I also loved how they showed us he would be a good leader. (When he told Eric on the boat that he was safe I felt safe, I swear. He's got some serious charisma.)

"i too would probably follow the cat in that situation." same, 100%

"if this guy didn't have the face of everybody's beloved Eddie Munster, a much greater percentage of the audience would've been creeped the fuck out" absolutely! I've been followed home by a creep at night once and it was terrifying, and to be honest, it wouldn't have helped if he looked like Joe, so now that you've brought this to my attention, I can honestly say it only works in this very specific stuation with the end of the world and the cat AND the cute face!

"strangers bonding and caring for each other (and a cat) in the wake of devastation and destruction. the moments of levity they carve out together, the beauty in that, the small sacrifices and then the bigger ones" ALL OF THIS! <3

I have only seen the first trailer, and I think that was really vague, so I'm lucky. I went in knowing very little. I would have been a bit pissed off if the ending was spoiled for me, so I feel for you!

I agree with you about the ending, about how Eric shouldn't have survived that part the way he did. I also thought Sam would scream to save him. I mean she could see how close they were to catch him. I thought that was gonne be her ending scene, screaming to get their attention off of Eric and dying to save him.

I also would've loved them staying together even if that meant Eric would die.

I thought I was just so stressed that I couldn't remember when he lost his shoe! :'D But then I wasn't. And I don't think I knew that Denis O'Hare should have been in it. They could really surprise us with a director's cut (with a lot more scenes)! <3

"i was simultaneously aching for Eric mid-panic attack and jealous of Joseph Quinn bc i want Lupita Nyong'o to hold my face like that" that scene will live in my head rent-free until I'll take my last breath in a nursing home. and I can understand your jealousy. <3

good evening, foxy! please tell me all your thoughts and feelings on AQP:D1! but only if you want, no pressure. 👾

Ahhh, thank you for this ask! I just loved it so much. 🧡 I was excited to watch it on the big screen; it was so worth it.

I know, I know, some things just don't make sense in the franchise, but I'm gonna just ignore that, because I'm in for the feels and cool monsters, not for science.

I love deep, emotional themes so Sam being in hospice really got the story off on the right foot for me. I instantly fell in love with Frodo, too, (and thought about how @lucdarling must love him, too). I could totally feel Sam when she risked both her and her "not friend's" life, too, to save him. I would do the same for my dog. The part where Henri accidentally killed the guy on the roof was a memorable scene, too, it stuck with me. Then off to the part where Eric entered. Gosh, the way my heart went !!! when he noticed Frodo, and Frodo adopted him and took him to Sam and went mom, can we keep him? and he was just standing there being so miserable and sweet. It was so endearing how he just followed the duo even though Sam tried to shoo him away. I got teary-eyed when they stopped in the rain and he was so scared to speak, and then just told Sam how he was really scared and didn't wanna die there. Aggghhh! And Sam just gave up and took him in. That was it for me. I was totally sold.

The part where Sam told Eric to kick in the door, and Eric just looked at her like really, do I look like an action hero? but then he did it made me laugh a little. The part where Eric shows up at the bookstore and just stands there again, too.

Then I was so freaking anxious when they were in the tunnels and Eric had a panic attack, but also felt so freaking soft for them. When Sam went over to try to ground him, to hold him, to save him. She was never gonna leave him behind. <3 gaaah

Then I cried when Eric gave Sam the pain patch thing and they agreed that Sam won't die until after they ate pizza. And cried when they held each other at the flaming hole in the ground. And when Sam gave him the sweater. And when he started crying when Sam gave him Frodo and sent him off to run. I was crying a lot.

I knew he was gonna make it, but my heart was still racing. My heart was breaking for the both of them, I wanted them to stay together longer, you know. (Your fic was perfectly soul-wrenching!)

I just loved the three of them so much! Sam and Eric felt so real, so human! The beauty was in the small things, I didn't need more action. I'm a sucker for found family themes, and with the sci-fi/horror backdrop, it was even more my cup of tee.

But the ending was badass with Sam exiting with that song in that way! I mean at the beginning she was just existing, waiting for death in that hospice being either angry or numb most of the time, probably mourning a lot of what could have been. And in the end she was at peace, she saved Eric and Frodo and she was ready to go.

I know I was all over the place, I'm sorry. ---- What did you think?

[sungbeam]

wanted to ask literally all of them but i had to stop myself somewhere so.

1, 3, 9, 12, 14, 21 for the ask game :p

my beloved bar, tysm for sending these in !!! :'))) 💖

end of the year ff asks!

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

hands down, night terrors has to be my favorite 🤧 i think it's this blog's pièce de résistance LOL and i really don't think i will be able to top it, but i hope to write more things like it in the near future!!

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

oh gosh,,, what a hard question TT but i really like a few of the lines from moon river:

— "Like this wouldn't lead to his heart getting broken again when all that was left of you in the morning was your perfume on his clothes and bandaid wrappers in the trash."

— "'I love you. You can break my heart when you leave in the morning, but let me have this at least.'"

and def many other scenes from other fics of course!!! on of the notable ones that come to mind is the scene from swing my way where yn's friends/coworkers are watching hers and eric's date from the golf cart LMAO

9. longest wip of the year

OKAY WAIT DOES NIGHT TERRORS COUNT???? if it doesn't 💔 then i think it's still bird hunt at 22k :0

12. favorite character to write about this year

but ofc it's night terrors changmin 😚😚😚 my muse forever and ever, i think i fall asleep thinking about him......... literally whenever i hear certain songs, my brain immediately flips to thinking abt him like turning on a light switch 💀 i have. Problems

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

i actually didn't expect to write flight risk! i wrote the initial drabble that inspired it randomly too, but i never even expected to expand the party people universe, especially this much haha flight risk was never something i expected to write, but i'm glad i did it :'))

21. most memorable comment/review

bro,, i always go back to the night terrors rbs and read ur reblog bar <///3 like im convinced we understand each other on such a deep creative level like ksnckdnf and it just makes me have a greater appreciation for my own fic?? like thank u??? for always supporting me?? and being so cool??? anyways 💖😚 kisses