#but Nope it only got stronger!! and i haven't even been Trying to do that hfbvhsf

[keeps-ache]

disembodied haaands ~+~♥~+~♥~+~♥~+~

[punsmaster69]

1/OCT/20XX

it's officially october now, so me and paps are putting out the halloween decor.

feels hard to believe it's even autumn at all already, but maybe that's 'cuz the leaves haven't changed yet. guess they missed the memo.

after the events of last wednesday, it's been kinda hard to message tori myself. she's a stronger monster than me though, 'cuz now she's casually texting me, talking about these little paper ghosts frisk made.

"Perhaps they would be willing to show you and Papyrus how to make some. ]:)"

"don't know how much they'd wanna see me again right now"

"Then.. they do not have to see 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

"?"

"If Frisk is not here, I may need an extra set of hands to help finish decorating."

somehow, i agreed to come over before having the chance to even give it a second thought.

she must've asked frisk pretty quickly about the ghosts thing, 'cuz the kid was long gone by the time i got to tori's house.

tori was carrying these giant boxes labelled "halloween" out onto the yard.

"heya tori."

"Ah! Sans, hello! There are a few boxes left that I think you can manage, they are in the living room."

"got it."

i got the boxes from the living room and set them by the front door.

trying to detangle a black and orange garland, tori called me over.

"Sans, could you help me with these?"

nearly tripped on a vine going down the porch steps, but when i went to go see where the vine was, it was gone.

i grabbed one end, and tori untwisted the other. she wrapped the detangled garland into the branches of the biggest tree in her front yard.

we repeated the process a few more times until most of the smaller nearby trees were also thoroughly halloween-ified.

"Now we have just got to do the house!..But, it is a bit taller than either of us, is it not?"

"you got a ladder?"

"Yes,"

she pointed at a folded step-ladder resting against the house.

"but it is a human one, so I'm afraid it doesn't quite hold my weight."

she unfolded it, and set the step-ladder in front of me.

"You are about human sized, will it work for you?"

standing on the ladder, i was only as tall as toriel is while standing on the ground.

at this fact, she had to try and (unsuccessfully) stifle a laugh.

"Hehe! Is the weather much better up here?"

i poked her in the forehead.

"nope, but i can do that now."

tori leaned towards me until she was about two inches from my face.

"You know what else you can do now?"

so i leaned forward....

lightly bonking my forehead off of hers.

"headbutt you at equal height."

"Ah! You-"

"𝗛𝗘𝗬, 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗚!!"

flowey suddenly shouted from behind a closed window.

tori opened the window and scolded him.

"You should not use insults! If you wanted the window opened, a simple 'please' will do."

he just rolled his eyes.

"Please apologize to Sans."

flowey glared at me, then looked at tori, then mumbled out a small 'sorry'.

"Thank you."

she stepped back onto the yard.

"Now, what of this roof situation?"

"someone around here probably has a ladder-"

"I know! I could lift you up, and you can string the garland!"

from the window, vines suddenly shot across the yard.

they grabbed the decorations, hastily hanging them from the roof.

"Ah... thank you, Flowey."

he just glared at me.

tori opened a box containing many yard standees. me, tori, and flowey stuck 'em all across the yard.

a zombie by the tree, werewolf prowling the treeline, ghosts haunting the stairs, and... a skeleton buried head-down in the dirt.

toriel put all the empty boxes on the porch, doing one more sweep of the area to make sure she didn't miss any.

i sat myself on the porch railing near the window flowey was in.

"that everything?"

"It would appear to be! Thank you for the help, Sans."

flowey loudly fake-coughed.

"...And thank you too, Flowey. Would you two like some hot chocolate?"

"yeah, but... can flowers even drink hot chocolate?"

"YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙈𝘼𝘾𝙃!"

she paused in the front door frame.

"If you can't get along, nobody is getting any."

"hey, it was a genuine question."

flowey did something that resembled crossing his arms with his vines, but stayed quiet.

"Thank you."

she went inside, leaving me and flowey alone on the porch.

he watched as she went inside, making sure she was out of earshot before speaking.

"What's your deal, anyway?"

"bout five bucks."

"I- ...What?"

"take it or leave it."

"No, like what do you want with Toriel?"

"i don't have some secret ulterior motive, if that's what you're trying to imply."

"Well you can't just be 'friends'!"

"why not?"

"FRIENDS don't start taking off their clothes as soon as they're alone!"

"guess frisk has started spreading rumors, then."

i sighed and turned to face flowey on the windowsill.

"my shirt got caught and tore. 𝙩𝙝𝙖��'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡."

"Yeah, right."

"you can ask her yourself."

"Fine! I will! ...Later!"

he went surprisingly quiet for a bit.

".....What do you see in that old lady, anyway?"

"a friend."

"Why?"

"well, she's someone i can depend on."

"Can't Papyrus be that?"

"sure. and he is."

"Then what makes her any different from him?"

"papyrus is.. very high energy."

"Duh-"

"he's got a lotta big ideas. 'head in the stars,' and all. 'course, i love him for it, but sometimes...."

"you need someone a little more down to earth. balance it out, y'know?"

flowey was silent.

"..... she's a good lady. treat her well, alright?"

"You're making it sound like you're leaving."

"guess it did come across that way."

"...nah. i'm plannin' on hanging around a while longer."

"Yeah, you're too in love with Toriel to leave anywhere even a mile away!"

"nuh uh."

"Wh- 'nuh uh'?? Are you four?"

"turned five last april."

"THIRTY-five, maybe! You look ancient."

"hey, for a thirty five year old, i'd say i'm aging pretty well. i still don't have a single wrinkle."

"You're ACTUALLY thirty five?? Jeez, you really 𝘈𝘙𝘌 ancient!!"

"right within tori's age range, though."

he socked me in the chest with a heavy vine, knocking me into the bush just below the railing.

"STOP. UN-HAVE A CRUSH."

"haven't anything of the sort."

"BACK OFF MY MOM THIS INSTANT."

"..You consider me to be your mother?"

i heard tori's voice approach.

"Y-You must've. Misheard me."

"ok mama's boy."

"CAN IT, TRASHBAG."

"..If you wanted to refer to me as your mother, I would certainly not mind."

she leaned over the railing, spotting me in her bush.

"Is that more comfortable?"

"i fell."

i got up from the bush and went back up the stairs onto the porch. tori handed me a warm cup of hot chocolate.

"Yeah, fell 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦! He totally has a giant-"

i shut the window, drowning out the sound of his voice.

"...a giant love for cocoa."

"?"

"I-I see.. I did not know you had such a fondness for hot chocolate."

flowey banged on the window, and tori opened it again.

"You 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲!"

"Flowey!"

"yeah, you better watch your damn language."

"Sans! Both of you need to watch your language. Do not make me rinse your mouths with soap!"

"i mean. you can try."

"Then.. a grounding?"

"flowey's already pretty 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. kinda 𝘴𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 that idea."

flowey grimaced, and tori laughed.

"I suppose I will let you two off the hook, just this once. I hope this will not become the 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 of a swearing problem!"

"Eugh. Nevermind. Close the window back."

he used two vines to lift himself off the windowsill back into the house, taking his mug with him.

me and tori chatted until it started getting dark.

"...I suppose you have to get home soon, do you not?"

"i'd stay longer, but i'm pretty sure frisk'll probably be here soon."

"Thank you again for your help today."

"bug me anytime, ok?"

"..Have a safe walk home, Sans."

she brushed my hand with hers.

i suddenly became aware of how close together we were sitting; aware of the strange fluttering in my chest.

".....seeya, tori."

i got up and rushed home before i could say something stupid.

...

flowey's words about crushes 'n love and whatnot..

.....

..........

nah.

he probably just hit my ribs too hard.

[luna-rainbow]

I feel as if it’s extremely unfair to say that in TFATWS Bucky was characterized as a basic and like every other male lead, and that he was different than his previous appearances because he really wasn’t. He was still shown to be very socially awkward, and outside of fighting scenarios, he was very much had a softer way of carrying himself, especially compared to other characters. He was still insecure and I’d even go as far as to say he was pretty sensitive for a male (I only say that because of the toxic masculinity discussion). While I do agree that the writers didn’t do him justice, I still think it’s not complete accurate to say he was a whole different character than before. Yes he was grumpier, but I think it was a fair choice considering he was at his worst and it was mainly a defense mechanism that was very easy for other characters to break down and reveal that soft sadness he has, which is why it happened multiple times. I don’t really think he was just made into this alpha male type. I think that he was overall decently in character.

Thanks for the ask. It's been about a year since I last ranted about TFATWS so my memory's starting to get hazy about the story beats, which is...also something I intend to let stay that way. I think other users have stronger opinions on the toxic masculinity aspect of Bucky's portrayal in TFATWS than I do.

My focus has always been less on the masculinity aspect of Bucky than the rewriting of his victimhood -- the framing of scenes and dialogue that suggests Bucky had choice in his time in Hydra and that he needs to make amends for his "villainy". The script also assigned Bucky out of character decisions - going to Zemo was very much a forced plot device made to set up the 3-way fight with Wakanda, and I've had at least 3 rants about it so I won't do it again here - that does not benefit him and is not adequately explained by his motivations. You can try to fill in with head-canons about why he'd do that, but the series makes the audience do so much heavylifting with head-canons to fill their plot holes that at some point you need to step back and say "nope, you just haven't written the story properly".

If I did talk about toxic masculinity, I would have been talking about the authorial intent in the script. The mildness, the hesitation, the heartfelt worry and the genuine smiles - that's something Sebastian brought to the table, because he knows Bucky is capable of it. What people have pointed to toxic masculinity is his insensitive abrasiveness towards Sam, and the fact that the resolution to his 70 years of horrendous trauma is "you've got to do the work". Which then involved him personally confronting victims of the Winter Soldier, without any training or forewarning or support for either parties. It was a thoughtless endnote to something that had been built up for years in the movies.

That said, as other people have pointed out, the very rewriting of Bucky's victimhood is rooted in toxic masculinity. In the idea that men can't be acknowledged as powerless victims of abuse, that to be an acceptable male-presenting protagonist, masculinity has to be restored by rewriting him as having a choice in the violence, even if it makes him villainous, and that his pathway to regaining his "hero" status is not through healing and coming to terms with his helplessness, but to deny that it had been the case and to "redeem" himself by confronting other victims.

There is also a lot of other discussion about why Bucky, a POW who fought against Nazis in WW2 (and based on a comics Jewish character), is consistently made to take the fall for Hydra, a Nazi organisation while none of the victims (including Tony Stark) ever sought to make actual Hydra agents pay.

So yes...the criticism about TFATWS!Bucky wasn't simply about his masculinity.

[colorfuldream]

It's crazy that even now people still are mitigated on Frye like they literally have her everything to be a fan favorite?? Girlie is an amalgam of the best traits of the previous idols but people got stuck on her forehead

Droopy but big eyes, nice body, fun and bubbly personality with the hints of a more feisty/harsh temper along with being cunning whenever she's being a bandit, kicks ass, overall loving person and very silly, cool boss fight... And she still has some sassy comebacks to round her up

The difference between her popularity and the others' is crazy, they gave her everything to win everyone over. Genuinely if they hadn't given her such a big forehead as they had planned, she'd be a fan favorite or a string contestant. Even her beta designs have a stronger feel than Shiver's who got a more mellow vibe (side note but it did fit her wanting to be edgy and cool along with her being into fashion! They haven't shown it yet but the early designs, particularly the punk-ish one, did. Her being able to create a desired image of herself through her style would have been a great detail!)

Another thing is how Frye's flaws are underplayed, a bit like Big Man's, and just played as her being silly, cute, and a bit feisty. Shiver's are obvious. She's greedy, jealous, petty, passive aggressive but still quick to anger, and prone to violence. Her personality is properly displayed at all times, though personally I think we should see more of it as Deep Cut are supposed to be villains and not as prim and proper as the other idols, and her flaws are a big part of it. The same goes for Big Man.

So even when Frye is the least obviously flawed of the three and the closest to a regular idol, she's the least popular. Her Splatfest options are often the "obvious" ones (either to her character or to the question).

The devs really, reaaaally tried to make her liked and they miserably failed. Yes, they can't force it but by trying so hard, they set her up for failure. You know why people love Shiver? Because she's flawed, bitchy at times, boasting when she wins, lying to make her team more popular. When she said who she would be without Deep Cuts in the dialogue instrument Splatfest, it was believable. Ofc same with Big Man. Yeah, with everything we know about them, I can believe that she would be a loner and getting into fights and that he would stay far away from the spotlight.

But with Frye? Nope. I don't buy that she'd hop from band to band, from project to project. The only thing that makes it work is that she's bubbly. We don't know enough about her to imagine how she could be and how she normally acts. At most, her look when she was in school hints that she was popular/outgoing but nothing more.

All Frye gets is hints. She hints that she also gets into fights herself and possibly with Shiver, though Shiver has a need to prove herself and do it alone, but she doesn't get caught. She was said to not have been good at stealing at first, which in itself hints that Shiver taught her and was good at a young age (worrying, she doesn't seem to have a good childhood!), but now she's hinted at being the better of the three. She can use the smoke bombs, she's actually threatening, she wants to fight and doesn't goof around (even if she gets distracted before the rematch but by then you aren't enemies). She's greedy, less than Shiver and possibly not because she wants money (Shiver is highly implied to want money for the sake of it and not (just?) because they donate it (and are constantly broke)), she's resentful and petty, she's quick to anger but hides it for a while. This last thing? Implied. We get hints that she puts on a persona, possibly amplifying certain traits, to be more idol-like. She slips up sometimes but nothing bad. One could theorize that she started it when she was young, putting on an innocent and sweet persona to cover her misdeeds and that it made her well-liked/not as isolated as the other two, but it has little to no proof to justify it. One could theorize she's not the most emotionally stable person but apart from Marina's statement in Side Order and how quickly she gets angry there isn't much to back it up.

Frye is thus flat. Information about her is too scarce and too vague to properly build her up as a character. Not to mention that her flip-flopping on things like her hatred of Inkopolis. It makes her inconsistent, which is a problem that applies to the entire group but not to this extent, instead of nuanced. She doesn't have to be as obvious as Shiver but my God just give us details and let her flaws shine through. Deep Cut barely having any development impacts her the most, in my opinion. At least it's obvious that Shiver's silliness doesn't show in the Anarchy Splatcast because it's a more controlled environment, she doesn't want to appear cool in the same way, and she's more natural (though still a try-hard) and it's obvious that Big Man's not just a softie but also a coward and doesn't think of warning/communicating with his friends and frequently goes behind their backs. We get to see just enough of them to have an idea of who they are while Frye is just... Silly hot-headed woman who's cute but gets into (dance) fights. Her biggest accomplishments are her picking fights with OTH with Shiver on her tail.

It isn't helped with the news dialogue: what do we learn about her? She likes food. She has a big family that she adores (which took a LONG time to be talked about, the dialogues were so dry at the beginning!) and, while this is realistic, it makes up for most of her lines. What about her friends? Pearl, for example, had a devastating line about having a best friend... While Marina thought she was her best friend, implying that Pearl is HER best friend but SHE isn't. That's such a nice tidbit of information! We get similar details about Shiver and Big Man: Shiver doesn't have any other friends, never has, and it's stated a few times; Big Man is open to other people but shy, and a bit afraid because Shiver is possessive and one could argue that so is Frye, but he sometimes tries to reach out and succeeds (yay Big Man and Mariana friendship!). But we don't get squat about Frye. Does she have a lot of friends? Acquaintances? Has she narrowed her circle to Deep Cut and family? Since she gets angry easily and they're all competitive but somehow not for Splatfests (except Shiver who gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss to victory), are her friends an exception or is she keeping it in? Can't we have a line along the lines of "you're lucky it's you" while the other two rag on her choice (or when one of them boasts about something) or something like "Splatfests are about having fun and partying!" to show that she doesn't care about results? We do have a small hint that she sees them as parties (and it makes sense with her being influenced by Indian culture and Splatfests in Splatsville having religious connotations). Just a little quip to get more information out. The Splatfest dialogue is so dry, I get that they don't care and there's no stakes for them but jeez, please come to another conclusion that "yay all three options are nice" and "let's do them all!"

Deep Cut has a lot of information about them repeated but not a lot of additions. With the end drawing near, I really hope the next few events drop some information about them before they inevitably get pushed aside for the new idols (or OTH again. Please Nintendo, give us a Deep Cut DLC. I don't care if it doesn't make sense for them not to be in the Splatslands, give us ANYTHING)

Side note, they keep switching which yellow Frye is even in things that use her 3D model. I get that the main 2D art is more orange-y/less bright because it was made before and then there's an orange hue on the concert image but why is the Anarchy Splatcast segment in the latest concert has her colors be different?? It's a lot more pleasant to the eyes. I get they (originally) meant for her to be on the same side of the color wheel as Marie and Marina but gosh they could have done something to make her less bright. Their refusal to use her canon colors just goes to show that it wasn't the best choice,,

[acefaun]

9 days you aren't here??? 😭😭😭

Only 9? 😵��💫 well. Over a week is long, yee. 🥺

I'm not ready. 😞 Lemme hide longer. I didn't wanna come on Tumblr and be sad. Tumblr is my happy fandom space where I can fangirl over husbands and wifeys. My depression is eating me alive and I can't blame it on my anxiety anymore. I haven't written or drawn anything since some time in August I think???

Everytime I try and look at something, I'll look at it for 15 seconds and then go "Nope". Other people's works too. Most of the time, I get 2 sentences into a fic and my brains like, "NoOoOoaaaaAAAAH".

The worst part is that it's spooky season! 😭 And my soul is screaming HALLOWEEN! I got Hocus Pocus gods to finish drawing! And- and a fanfic to go with it because Hocus Pocus 2 was amazing! 🥺

I'm not too hot. But don’t worry, my spite for the gods is more powerful than my urge to unexist. I’m too spiteful to die. Those guys will have to take me to the Heavens kicking and screaming before I go anywhere. 😤

Um. But I did go out and touch grass. Literally. And I found a cool treasure. But it turned out my treasure was alive... So I had to bring it back where I found it. Ahem... treasure👇🏻 🐌

And of course I’ve been distracting myself with making husbands stronger. So if you want to add me on Genshin to make sure I’m doing my daily commissions and maybe just verify my existence is still going on strong: UID638426690

Because I got Zhongli 2 days ago and I want to replace Baizhu on my team with him 😭 but every time any of my characters get even 1k of damage I'm treating them like fragile babies that can die at any second. BUT ZHONGLI CAN PROTECT DILUC FROM HIS OWN FLAMES SO HE NEEDS TO BE HERE WHILE DILUC, TIGHNARI, AND WANDERER BURN THE WORLD DOWN.

So I’m saving for Neuvillette at the end of the month and these are my main guys right now:

I appreciate all the niceness, though I don’t have the energy to do anything with it all and there’s just an accumulation of it. And that I can’t answer many asks or dig in my messages.😵‍💫 I might feel strong enough to go into my inbox someday.

Thank you for coming to Groundhog Day. I saw my shadow. I’m going back in my hole. 🍃

[landinoandco]

|Shutter speed|

Chapter one : A staring contest with an attractive stranger

{Lando Norris x Reader}

Summary: A photographer. A pair of F1 drivers. Triangles. A sticky situation of morals and fighting fate. What could go wrong?

Warnings: None :)

Rating: Teen and up

Word count: 1.5k

A/n: hey guys, welcome to Shutter Speed!! A love triangle between LN DR and reader (in this story reader is called Georgie.) This is my first f1 fanfiction so any feedback/suggestions are very welcome or if you just want to add comments, reactions - anything goes!! Thank you for reading and enjoy :)

Chapter one: A staring contest with an attractive stranger ...

It was raining in London. Not that that was out of the ordinary - even in the beginning days of July. Today the weather had decided to imitate that of mid-March, the rain crashing down like the heavens had opened up above and the wind cheekily chasing tourists and commuters indoors then proceeding to race eagerly through the streets, nipping at any ankles of those who were lagging behind the rest.

Lando Norris was out with his trainer when the rain started, enjoying the freedom of a 2 week break before the highly anticipated British Grand Prix. They rushed down the alleyway they had found themselves on; until they came across a little coffee shop tucked away in the corner - 'The Little London Stop.' Jon nodded to confirm to Lando that this would be just fine - as he opened the door, a small bell rang just above his head and instantly they were hit by a comforting warmth and the smell of freshly made coffee.

He quickly slid onto one of the benches, facing out onto the shop. It was typically London, designed with someone's Instagram feed in mind, plants hung precariously from the rafters along with many singular light bulbs that casted at atmospheric glow around the room.

Opposite him, on the other side of the room sat the only other person in the shop, she sat with her back to them. Her messy mousy brown hair tumbled in waves down her back, her gaze on the rain rushing down the alleyway - her chin resting on the heel of her hand.

Georgie had been sitting in that exact spot for longer than she would care to admit. Escaping the pestering grasp of her best friend and roommate Maisie; they were both photographers - partners in an online business they set up when they first left college as they prepared to take on the world. Pre-covid it had flourished and the pair had been travelling up and down the country, from events like weddings to festivals. Post-covid however - this was where their problems had started and why Georgie was currently hiding in a coffee shop. Work had become as dry as her love life, events had been cancelled for another year and wedding guest numbers had been limited. For weeks they had been sending their portfolios to any event organiser they could find and for weeks they kept being turned away.

She tore her eyes from the flooding streets and back to her open laptop - she was completely stuck, where to even start? Georgie nibbled on the on her bottom lip and sighed before rubbing her hands over her face - she was really looking for a miracle to happen.

Lando was completely intrigued by the girl. It wasn't until Jon snapped his fingers in front of Lando's face that he realised he had been staring.

"Right, sorry." Lando mumbled, a red flush creeping up his neck and he moved his gaze to the wooden table, wringing his fingers together. "What were you saying?"

Jon chuckled at his young boy antics and shook his head, "I wasn't, you were staring and it was weird. I picked you up this green smoothie - lots of vitamins and-" But Lando had switched off again, he couldn't help himself as his eyes locked back onto where they had been before. It was like something was drawing him to her - hell, he didn't even know what she looked like.

"Are you going to go and speak to her?" Jon's voice broke his trance yet again.

"Wha-what?" Lando looked up at his trainer, his innocent eyes widening at the thought. "I-I-"

Jon scoffed and rolled his eyes, "You are such a teenager."

"I'm not a teenager." Lando hit back, "I'm 21. I can drink in the US now, you know."

"Then start acting like it." Jon scolded but the corners of his mouth quirked up, he had known Lando for years and he had not changed once. A hopeless romantic at heart but acted like a deer caught in the headlights as soon as anyone of the opposite gender even glanced his way. Any girl would be lucky to have him but unfortunately for Lando he always found himself drawn to the type that would take his heart whole and would leave, shattering it into millions of pieces for Jon to find and piece back together again. It was through no fault of the girls in question, they would make their intentions very clear but Lando - being who he was - would always jump head first without looking ahead or the consequences of his actions.

On the plus side, Lando came back stronger each time but it left him with an even stronger longing for that care and affection that everyone around him seemed to have.

His heart raced as he looked over at Jon, a determined look was set on his face. "Fine. I'll do it." He stood up, legs wobbling slightly as the adrenaline flooded through his veins - he had cleared the table when reality decided to walk through the door. He turned on his heels and sat back down. "Nope. Maybe another day." His voice wavered slightly.

Jon looked at him with sympathy and slight second hand embarrassment - not that Lando needed to know that.

Georgie looked over her shoulder at the commotion happening behind her - there were two young men sitting across the room from her. One was clearly older than the other and was looking at him in utter bemusement - she followed his gaze...

Georgie inhaled sharply, she was met by a pair of crystal blue eyes - of which lit up when he realised that she had looked over. Georgie simply didn't know what to do with herself as she seemed to be stuck in a staring contest with an incredibly attractive stranger. She managed to tear her eyes away to look at him properly; a mop of dark brown curls sat dripping onto the table (still wet from the torrential downpour), an olive complexion and an innocent sparkle in his crystal blue eyes. She offered him a shy smile, a rose tinge coating her cheeks. He gave her a lopsided grin in response.

There was an overwhelming feeling that drew Georgie to this stranger, it wasnt anything she had experienced before - not even when she had been with him.

A cold chilling suddenly rushed down her spine, almost like she had been standing in the rain falling outside. A pang of guilt filled her stomach, she dropped her gaze and bit her lip. How could she ever think of him like that, compare him to a stranger she didnt even know the name of.

A ring broke her train of thought, her phone lit up with Maisie's name. She inhaled slowly to ground her feelings before answering, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Hey Maise -"

"I've done it." She heard Maisie shout down the phone, followed by a relieved laugh.

"Done what, sorry." Georgie prompted, rubbing her eyes. She could feel the boys' eyes on her, resisting the urge to turn around; she closed the lid of her laptop and placed it in her bag.

"I've only gone and gotten us an event to go to this weekend." Maisie replied as casually as she could muster. Georgie paused. A large grin that would challenge the Cheshire cats'.

"Where and how?" Georgie felt a weight lift from her shoulders, it didn't matter what Maisie had signed them up for, it was a start. A fresh start.

"Look, I have a call with them any minute so I'll have to explain when you get back. It's at the Goodwood festival of speed." Maisie paused.

"Goodwood Festival of speed." Georgie echoed - she could hear ringing in the background.

"Got to go, final things to sort out. I'll see you later." With that she hung up, leaving a delighted Georgie frozen in place, until she found her senses and packed up as fast as she could. All thoughts of the boy across the room - gone.

He sat, puzzled, as he watched her rush out the door and into the rain - calling out a muffled 'thank you' as the door swung shut behind her. His brows drew together as he looked into his lap, before saying quietly to Jon: "It was the Goodwood Festival of Speed she just said, didn't she?"

"Yes." Jon answered shortly, looking down at him in fascination.

"Isn't that where I am this weekend?" Lando looked up, hope swelled in his chest.

"Yes, it is."

Lando looked longingly out of the window, beaming. He knew it was silly to get so hopeful - there were going to be thousands upon thousands swarming around Goodwood. He stood up and turned to Jon - "Lets go."

"But you haven't drank your smoothie -"

Lando was already at the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jon grabbed the smoothie and tittered, following after him.

You only live once, Lando thought. As it turns out he would get another chance this Saturday and this time he wasn't blowing it.

Chapter two: A new beginning

[emillow]

Author's Note: This story includes family drama, mysteries, slight homophobia, and GAY ROMANCE!! If you don't like it. Don't Read It. Based on my headcanon for the ending of QB Book, 2 cause PB sucks. Didn't have time to edit...too much school work...

"It's Now or Never"

After I got home. I was surprised to see my parents waiting for me outside the gate mansion, with smiles on their faces.

I haven't seen them this happy since we left Farmville.

"Bea, Anak. I'm so proud of you." My mom came rushing to me giving me a crushing hug. While my dad followed after.

"I heard from Sebastien, that you graduated as Summa Cum Laude. Congratulations! Sweetie. I'm proud of you." Am I hearing things or is this some kind of dream? My father whom I haven't spoken to in nearly two years came to congratulate me on the day of my graduation.

When my dear Aunt Bella passed away. Dad was devastated about losing his only twin sister. They were inseparable, even when he got married. Their relationship as siblings remained stronger than ever. Now that she was gone. My Dad immediately took over my aunt's company, with the help of my mom to continue her legacy.

Both of my parents graduated with a business degree in the same institution in Europe where they met and fell in love. When I was born they decided to migrate to the U.S and start a new life. Soon, my aunt followed to expand her business and help my family with the farm.

Growing up my aunt was pretty much involved with my life. She would frequently visit us whenever she wanted. She never got married nor have any kids. Instead, she spends her time showering me with lavish gifts on my birthday, telling me tales about her and dad as kids, and strangely hires a very strict private tutor to teach me about proper etiquette and manners for young ladies. I was even taught how to do martial arts, just in case, I got in a bad situation. Naturally, I passed with flying colors, even if I hated taking those lessons I did it for my aunt. After everything she's done to help me and my family, it's the least I could do.

Besides it's not like taking those lessons were in vain. It made me learn how to adapt and be smart around my surroundings, especially when I entered Belvoire University. Dealing with snobby, mean rich kids was a total pain in the ass. I had to fight and defend myself just so I could be on top. Once I was declared the new Queen B of Belvoire (More like the new student body president). I made sure to be fair with everyone, including the nerds and social outcasts.

Yeesh! That didn't sound right. I was once like them too. Maybe hanging out with the rich kids has been rubbing me off lately.

I only had one year to change things at Belvoir, since a certain she-devil made everyone grovel at her feet like some kind of goddess and messed up their lives if they dare to oppose her. And here I thought after dethroning Poppy from her position things would get easier for me, but nope another plastic poser...I mean new enemy has popped up out of nowhere to seek revenge against Poppy and take the throne for herself.

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X/Selene Mont- something,a.k.a Persephone Dalton.

The fake-ginger butchered her face with plastic surgery and faked her whole identity to destroy Poppy and unexpectedly me for her so called-revenge. I'll admit she's good at what she does but I was better. I played her own game against her by exposing her minions, her schemes, and turning her hacker into my ally. In the end, Persy's family opted to put her in therapy after her psychotic outburst at the Oculus Ball. Since then, her therapist and psychiatrist have deemed her "unstable" for the time being.

I kind of feel sorry for her.

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My celebration was held at home. Nothing too fancy, just a simple family dinner with my parents. We've talked for hours, trying to make up for lost time. I discovered that my aunt's manufacturing company was thriving throughout the agribusiness community. In turn, I told them about the majority of my time at Belvoire, excluding all of my troubles and late-night rendezvous.

"Is that all?" My father looked me straight in the eye. I gulped looking sideways.

"Yes, sir no trouble or anything." I lied. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Bea, I know we haven't been the best parents lately, but we've always kept tabs on you"

My jaw dropped. What? But How? He must have seen my reaction.

"I have my ways, sweetie. Don't look so shocked." I felt heavier when my mom puts her hand around my shoulder.

"Beatrice Gomez Hughes." She called my full name with her sweet Filipino accent, indicating I'd done something wrong. My heart was beating fast and my head was beading with sweat. This woman was scarier than my father.

"I've heard you slept with one of your professors, not to mention hooking up with your other schoolmates; what if you got STD? And What is the T? Some kind of internet thing you used for clouts in social media?" Okay, she wasn't wrong there, her mother's instincts are spot on.

My mother breathe deeply, she looked guilty for some reason while giving me a stern look.

She wasn't done talking yet.

"And what's with you getting into fights with other people? You almost got expelled. If I'd known earlier I would've pulled you out of that school and transferred you to another university." I stayed silent as I nodded to all my mother's nagging.

"Relax mom, I made sure to use protection. For The T thing, it's simply a blog site for students to stay updated on the latest news and drama around campus. As for the fighting, I only did it to defend myself from bullies, they got what they deserved."Talking about my sex life with my parents was weird enough. Now opening up my past in Belvoir makes me want to sit up and leave the dining table. My father saw my discomfort and tried to console my mother.

"Stella, I think she's had enough. I, myself am dissatisfied with some of her recent activities, but she did well for herself. Remember where here to celebrate our daughter's graduation. She graduated Suma Cum Laude in her batch. Isn't that something to be proud of?"

My father gently massaged my mother's shoulder to ease her up. She sighed and breathe deeply.

"That's the problem with you Beau, you're too lenient with her." I gave my father a smile thanking him for rescuing me from mom's never-ending nagging.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet young lady. As punishment, you're prohibited to use the internet for a month." My jaw dropped.

Punishment? What am I four? And no internet for a month!? Hell no! How will I contact Poppy at this point that girl must be losing her marbles right now.

"Mom! One month is too much. I need a new phone and the internet to talk to a girl. It's an emergency."

"Not my problem. What happened to your phone?"

"I dropped it along the way, that's why I need a new one. Please this is important"

"That's perfect.No phone and internet for the whole month."

"Mom, you don't get it this is important to me." She eyed me with a questioning look on her face.

"How so?"

"Look I confessed and kissed a girl in front of everyone, and when you guys called I packed my things and leave immediately without saying goodbye to her," I explained, hoping she would reconsider my punishment.

"Alright, I'll lessen your sentence for only two weeks. Take it or leave it."

"Two weeks, but Mo--------" My mother glared at me.

"Fine two weeks then" I slumped down the chair in defeat.

"Now back to our topic. I believe this is the time to tell her Beau. She's old enough to know what's going on."

The atmosphere suddenly got heavier and serious than before.

"Bea, sweetie. There's something you need to know...about our family.

Sebastien was right. This was the biggest surprise that would change my life forever.

_____________________________________________________________

2 weeks later...

"Yes, Daddy I'm all set...Yes, everything is in check...Don't worry too much I've got everything under control...I promise I won't let you down...Okay... Bye, I love you." Poppy said as she hung her phone and tossed it in her queen-size bed, ever since graduation. She decided to move out of her parent's mansion and lived in a high-end apartment near her parent's working place.

Just about months ago, her father's company was on the verge of bankruptcy, her family struggled to pay their debts and Poppy feared she would no longer live the life she was used to, what she feared most was losing her main goal and that is to prove to her family, especially her father (more like step-father) that she was worthy of living up to the Min-Sinclair name.

She did everything she could to be perfect, to be everything she was expected to be as the heiress of both her family's company.

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Flashback

When she was young she heard her parents fighting in the dining room, her mother solemnly cried while her father was shouting furiously at her, showing her a piece of paper.

"She's not mine, is she?"

"Piers, I can explain please calm down. Poppy will wake up."

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ANNA GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T KICK YOU OUT RIGHT NOW!!" Her "father" slammed his hand on the table, gnashing in anger. Little Poppy never heard her father scream like that before. Usually, he would smile, bring her gifts, and act as the doting father he was.

"For Pete's sake Piers you're sterile. We've been trying to get pregnant for years. The doctors told me I wasn't the one with fertility issues, it's you." Hearing this enraged Piers, he grabbed the wine glass he was drinking and smashed it against the wall.

"HOW DARE YOU? AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! YOU LIED TO ME! YOU CHEATED ON ME WITH A FUCKING NOBODY!"

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT ART LIKE THAT! AND DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT ME LIKE YOU DID NOTHING WRONG! I SAW YOU SLEEPING WITH ANOTHER MAN PIERS, A MAN! YOU'VE BEEN GAY THIS WHOLE TIME SINCE THE START OF OUR MARRIAGE! HOW WILL YOUR FAMILY REACT WHEN THEY LEARNED THAT THE GREAT PIERS SINCLAIR IS HOMOSEXUAL?"

This made Piers shut up.

Little Poppy gasped, as she listen to her parent's dispute.

".... POPPY NEEDS HER REAL FATHER, NOT YOU!" It broke Poppy's heart to know that Piers wasn't her real dad. She closed her eyes, desperately praying that this was all a nightmare, but it wasn't. She slowly opened her eyes and saw her "father" raise his hand ready to hit her mother, and that was when Poppy had, had enough.

".....You little-" Piers was about to slap Anna when-

"DADDY STOP IT!" When Piers noticed Poppy in front of him, he stopped.

"Please, Daddy stop. I don't want to see you and Mommy fight anymore." She said as she tried to wipe her tears away. Piers look ashamed and guilty for letting his anger get the best of him, he assumed Poppy heard everything and kneeled to her level.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, honey, whatever you heard from me and your mother means nothing. You're still my daughter. You're still a Min-Sinclair." He reassured her as he hugged her tightly and gently stroked his little girl's hair.

Anna silently cried. She felt ashamed for letting her daughter see them like this. She went to her family's side and apologized.

Since that day the family of three went into counseling and therapy to fix their relationship, and it worked for the most part. Piers and Anna reconciled and act as if nothing happened, and Poppy was relieved to have her family back. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned as Poppy hoped they would.

Years later, Piers rose to become one of America's most prominent businessmen. He prioritized his work over his family. He constantly pushes Poppy to do well in school, never associate with commoners, unless necessary, always be at top of the social hierarchy, and, most importantly, never tarnish the Min-Sinclair name.

Poppy took this by heart and followed her father's orders to be the 'perfect' daughter she was. Eventually, it took a toll on her mental health. She felt drained from her father's demands and expectations. He was more concerned with his reputation and social status rather than her well-being.

She decided to find her biological father since Piers wasn't acting like the father he was years ago. All the counseling and therapies they went through were wasted. She tried to convince Piers to return to counseling but he dismissed her, thinking it was a waste of time and money.

She sneaked into her father's office to get all the information she needs, regarding her biological father, when she finally did. She planned a trip to New Jersey to meet him, it didn't take too long before her parents believed her lies. So, she set on her journey to meet Art Nakumara.

When she arrived at her location, she was filled with apprehension and dread. She would meet the man she had wanted to see for years. So, why was she hesitating? After all the work she'd been through just to get here.

Poppy breathe deeply and was determined to introduce herself, she wanted to see his reaction if she wanted her or even think about her, she needed answers.

A handsome Japanese man in his late thirties stumbled upon a young girl who claims to be his daughter. He was confused at first, but he let the girl explain by showing him pictures, and documents to prove she was his. Once he was convinced he welcomed his daughter into his life.

Poppy was happy coming to New Jersey. She had a great time spending and getting to know her real father. He was more open-minded, kinder, and gentle than Piers. The next few days came to a blur when she had to go home, but before she left Piers gave her all his contact information, just in case something happens, and a necklace to remember him by. The father-daughter had a tearful goodbye and promise to stay in touch.

Once Poppy got home, her parents were waiting for her outside their home with disappointment and anger in their eyes, especially Piers. They found out that Poppy had lied to them and went to see her biological father in New Jersey. How did they know? Before Poppy would leave home, Piers hired a secret bodyguard to look after her. And of course, the bodyguard told Piers what Poppy was up to.

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The family of three had a heated argument about this, Piers scolding Poppy and threatening to disown her if she ever sees him again, and Anna stayed silent, disappointed at Poppy for not telling them.

Haven't they fixed this problem years ago? Piers thought but he was unaware of Poppy's feelings. Poppy cried and promised her parents to never do something like that again. As punishment Poppy was grounded for months and wasn't allowed to be alone, without someone supervising her.

-------------------------------

Poppy's punishment was lifted, and she was free to roam around New York. However, she was still restricted from leaving the city without her parent's consent, just to ensure she doesn't pull another stunt as she did months ago, but that didn't stop her from writing to her biological father, via email and letters. Thank God, her parents were horrible at technology.

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Present

It had only been a week since Poppy started working under her parent's tutelage, her parents showed her how things were done in their company. Mostly, it was how to deal with employees, wealthy business partners, clients, and possible investors. In just days she was accustomed to working at her parent's company, she did an incredible job managing the place. However, that wasn't the biggest challenge she had to face. Piers assigned her to take the lead in presenting their company to partner with one of the best directors in Hollywood for an upcoming film.

The meeting was a big success Poppy did her presentation flawlessly and convinced the director to work with them. She felt guilty all of a sudden, Piers doesn't have a clue that Poppy is contacting her biological father.

Piers was giving her the chance to show what she was capable of, and she exceeded beyond expectations. He was finally proud of her, she waited for this moment to come, and that's all she ever wanted, but the guilt is weighing her down.

Poppy flopped down in her queen-size bed, groaning in frustration, during these times she would text a certain brunette to come over to her dorm, for some important "matters". And in no time a tall girl would climb to her back window to make her feel better.

Whenever she was around Poppy always complained about her problems, she was always there to listen and sympathize with her, after they were done talking, they would end up in bed, clothes off, touching and kissing, fighting for dominance, due to her small stature she was always the bottom of their unique relationship, and surprisingly she didn't complain.

It became a routine for them, outside campus they were at each other's throats, inside her dorm they were enemies with benefits. That's how things were between them, nothing more than a fling, but deep down Poppy knew she wanted more.

Unfortunately, she was in denial of her feelings. Besides, Farmsville has reputation for being the school's idol/player, she's loved by students and faculties alike, and to be honest, who could blame them.

She was beautiful inside and out. She's the school's savior from her reign of tyranny, and she was always there helping people without expecting anything in return. She was selfless, kind, patient, diligent, and intelligent, she was like that to most people. However, she can be two-faced, depending on the situation she's in, and she's not afraid to play dirty if it meant protecting those she cared about.

For the past two years, she made her life a living hell to the point where she stoop so low to ruin her, despite her many attempts to bring Farmsville down she would always fight back and win in the end. However, she wasn't as cruel as her, when Farmsville learned her family's dirty secret she kept her mouth shut for her sake,

When she betrayed her, and hurt her, she would get revenge sure, but she wasn't evil. She was a goody-two-shoes saint who was the hero of the underdogs, and people love her.

Truth be told, she felt bad and remorseful, they were times she wanted to apologize to the younger girl, but she was too prideful. Farmsville was too forgiving, even if she was the cruelest person in the world, she believes that all people even the bad ones have good inside of them.

Any sane person would despise her by now, but she was different and it " infuriated" her.

Out of all the people she "dated" Farmsville was the only one who can handle her, and satisfy her. For some reason, Farmsvile can read her like an open book, and it feels like she's the only person who knows her and sees her for who she is: A vulnerable, lonely girl who wants to be appreciated.

She knows she wasn't the only person she slept with: There's Zoey, Veronica, Chloe, Luis, heck even her ex- Carter, Professor Kingsley, Plastic Fake Persy, and many more. She heard rumors that she was a "Sex Goddess" in bed.

A theory proved to be true by yours truly.

She felt jealous and angry that she wasn't the only one, wait why would she feel jealous? They weren't dating in the first place, her feelings were nothing to her, she only used her as one of her amusements, she was only a toy to be played with. After she was done with her she would find someone else to be her plaything.

She tried to convince herself many time that that's how she felt about Farmsville, but she knew better, she was confused with her feelings, and she didn't know what to do; it only got worse when Farmsville confessed in their graduation ceremony that "she was the one", Poppy being Poppy, turned red and denied everything, to prove Farmsville point she went down to the podium and kissed Poppy in front of the entire campus and whispered.

"Come on Poptart, we know this is what you want." She winked and went back to the stage to finish her speech. That was the last time she ever saw her, and speak to her.

Time went like a blur. After their graduation party, she suddenly left without saying a word to her. She called and texted her many times but there was no reply.

She went to Thomas and asked where Bea was, and he told her that her parents were calling her.

She asked Veronica, Chloe, and Carter, but they didn't know the full details of her so-called "emergency".

Next, she asked Zoey, she didn't know either.

Two weeks have passed and still no sign of Bea.

Veronica, Chloe, and especially Zoey have tried contacting her through social media, and her number, even they can't reach her. It's like she disappeared.

In just a short amount of time, things were changing too fast for Poppy. After graduation, she left Belvoire to start working for her parent's company. With the help of some secret business partners, her parent's company was saved from bankruptcy. Whoever they were Poppy's family was grateful to them.

For the past two weeks, Bea never left Poppy's mind. What did she mean by what she said back in their graduation ceremony? Was it a confession? Did she mean it? Even, after all, she put her through, did Farm Girl still want to be with her? She didn't know.

Poppy scrolled her phone digging through her Bea's Snapchat, Pictagram, and Tiktok. There was something about her social media account that made her feel a lot of things:

Jealous for seeing her flirt and make out with girls and boys in random places, well she is a player, but still, people keep coming back to her for more.

Awe and Attraction for seeing her pose like a professional model in one of Octavia Olivier's fashion show, she looked naturally beautiful (and handsome when she cross-dresses as a guy). Her figure was perfect not too skinny, nor fat. She was slender yet toned, and you can see her slightly defined abs when she worked out. She was tall about 5'8ft tall or slightly taller, the way she threads her short wavy brown hair, and the way she looks at the camera with her hazel eyes. God! her eyes were too mesmerizing and hypnotic.

And Sadness, loneliness, anger, and bitterness, were piled up in a bucket of emotions.

That's all she knew about Bea, but Bea knows more about her than her own self. To Poppy, Bea was still a mystery to her. She only knew the Bea from Belvoire. What was she like before and after she came to New York? She wanted to know.

It was already evening when Poppy realized she'd been thinking about Bea again.

"Shit! It's past eight, I better get the papers done before Daddy sends me another one tomorrow." She went out of her bed to get ready for work when all of a sudden her phone rang.

"Who would call me at this hour?". She went to her bed and picked up her phone. It was a random number.

"What the-? What is this some kind of prank?" Poppy had no time for jokes. She answered her phone with an annoying voice.

"Whoever the hell you are I don't have time for any of your-" Her heart dropped when she heard that familiar voice with a slight Midwestern accent.

"Hey! Pops you need to work on your anger and here I thought I was going to give you a surprise call."

Seriously!? After contacting her for two weeks and leaving her behind, she has the nerve to suddenly call her out of blue? Didn't Farm Girl know she sobbed her eyes out every night thinking she deserted her?

Poppy inhaled and exhaled to calm herself, it was only two weeks, yet it felt like forever. It was now or ever, Farm Girl will hear a lot from and she means "a lot" so her ears would bleed.

Author's Note: Sorry it took a while, chapter 3 and 4 are on the way.

[cherrycheridarling]

chemistry test | t.h.

tom holland x actress!reader

warnings: fluff and acting..?

summary: you're auditioning for the role of silk in the new marvel film. they've already chosen their spider-man and now it's time to see how much chemistry you two have.

wc: 1.9k

"Hi! I'm here for the Marvel auditions?" you greeted the lady who sat at the front desk.

"Hello! What's your name?"

"Y/N Y/L/N."

Nerves were running through your veins at lightning speed. The lady gave you a kind smile and told you to head to room three hundred and sixteen. You returned the smile before heading to the elevators.

Upon entering, you were faced with at least fifteen other women who were also auditioning. All with black locks and brown eyes. You'd be lying if you said you weren't slightly intimidated. Sure, you had done some small films here and there, but looking at the competition now was frightening. A lady came and handed all of you a small script. At least it was a distraction. You spent the entire time reading your lines and trying your hardest to memorize them.

You sat in the waiting room for at least fourty-five minutes before your name was finally called and you were escorted into another space. Once you entered, your eyes were immediately drawn to the long table where the producers, casting crew and directors - who you've met hundreds of times in your previous auditions - were sat. You shook hands and gave greetings, the usual.

"Y/N, meet our new Spider-Man." Kevin gestured to the brunette boy at the front of the room.

He was cute. Dangerously cute. His small curls that laid messily only seemed to add to his appeal.

You smiled and walked over to him, "Hi. I'm Y/N Y/L/N. It's great to meet you." you offered your hand.

He returned the grin before shaking your hand, "Tom Holland. It's a pleasure." you noticed his British accent and couldn't stop yourself from the confused expression that took over your features.

"You're British?"

He nodded with a smile, "That I am, but," he switched to an American accent, "I can turn it off, too."

Your smile grew, impressed by his ability, "That's so cool. I would try a British accent, but I feel like I might offend you."

He laughed with you for a bit, his hand still holding yours. You both noticed the predicament and quickly withdrew your hands. Sheepish grins showed on both your lips.

Joe Russo cleared his throat, "A little background information in case you're not familiar with Cindy Moon's story."

You silently thanked him for this since you were not at all familiar with whatever the character entailed. Only getting small glimpses of her personality and behaviour before you got thrown into the mix of auditions.

"Cindy and Peter went to the same school and got bitten by the same radioactive spider. A man took Cindy and trained her, but also hid her in a bunker when her powers became too much for her to control. Her Silk Sense – which is her version of a Spider Sense – is incredibly powerful. Stronger than Peter's. In this scene, Peter is saving her from the bunker. Understood?" he spoke so quickly that you nearly didn't catch it all, but nevertheless, you nodded your head.

"Got it." you put the script to the side and took off your jacket.

"Now," Kevin spoke, "Remember, this is a chemistry test. So we want to see – not just how compatible your characters are – but you guys, as well."

Your palms began to sweat. You already knew that they were looking for chemistry, but being put on the spot made your anxiety sky rocket. You nodded again in understanding.

"Sounds good." Tom went to the other side of the room, "Good luck." he sent you another frustratingly attractive smile.

You nodded with your own grin, "Thanks, Spidey."

You spotted a small cot beside you and made your way over, laying with your back to Tom. Ready to start the scene.

"Action!"

Before any lines were given, you lifted your head, but kept it facing the wall. As if you were listening for something, waiting for something.

"Spider- Boy? Guy? Spider-something." you spoke to the wall and a second later, Tom's footsteps were heard behind you.

"I prefer Spider-Man." Tom's voice filled your ears as he leaned against the wall. "Nice to meet you, Cindy Moon."

You held a hand to your head, as if a painful migraine had just arrived. "Your presence is causing me pain. Who-" you looked up at the man, recognition dawning on your features, "Peter."

"W-what? N-n-no, no, no. Who's Peter? I'm Spider-Man." he insisted rather poorly. Deepening his voice.

You turned your body around, hanging your legs off of the cot, "I-I feel it. I remember you. Parker from my science class. Left row, three seats behind me. And my math and history. Front row in history. Middle in math. You always had a new backpack every week."

"Eidetic memory." he mumbled under his breath.

"Hm?" you furrowed your eyebrows.

"Nothing. Never mind. We can discuss this later. You need to get out of here. And I have come to save you from whatever this place is." he eyed the space with disgust.

You eyed him suspiciously, "Is this some Disney movie? Is there a magical horse drawn carriage waiting outside?"

He showed a boyish grin, "I guess you can call me your knight in red and blue spandex."

You scoffed and stood up, "Okay, Parker. How'd you know I was here?"

"Oh! This awesome dude, Tony Stark, he knows, like, everything! A-and he told me that you were here and sent me on a mission– Which is so cool! But yeah, he told me to come and save you. And that is what I am doing." he jumped up and down like an excited child.

You eyed the space around you, "Wait. M-my powers. I can't control them. I-I mean, I'm trying, b-but it's still—"

"—We can focus on that later! Right now, the richest and sickest guy on the planet is requesting you. C'mon." he grabbed your hand and, as scripted, you both locked eyes immediately.

You tried your best to look like you were falling in love. And as you stared into his deep brown eyes, you found that it wasn't that difficult. He stared back into yours. His hand still wrapped around your fingers. Your free hand travelled to his face, as if you were about to pull his mask up. Resting your palm on his jawline. His other hand that wasn't grasping yours, rested on your hip. A light pressure that nearly sent you into a haze. You both began to lean in and it no longer felt like acting until you squeezed your eyes shut, shook your head and pushed him away rather aggressively.

You put a hand on the wall, drawing heavy breaths in and out, "W-what are you doing to me?" you looked at him through heavy eyelids.

Tom was in a similar position, back against the wall, hand over his chest, "Mister Stark said that m-might h-happen." his head was thrown back against the wall, showing off the expanse of his neck as he swallowed. "Something- Something about our senses causes a strong- How do I say this? I-Intimate attraction between us."

Your eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing, "A-an attraction? An intimate attraction? To you? Ew."

He pushed himself off the wall, "Glad to see you haven't changed one bit, Moon." he walked away from you, "We really need to get going. You- Oh! I've been wondering this: Where's your webbing?" he looked around as if he was searching for it.

You stuck your hand out and pretended to shoot a string of silk out of your finger and onto the wall. Tom followed your movements with a starstruck expression.

"That's sick! I have to make mine." he frowned, "We got bit by the same fricking spider and yours is in your hands? Let me see!" he came closer and attempted to grab your hand again before you quickly put it behind your back.

"Don't touch me." you spoke slowly, "I-if this attraction is caused by physical touch. Please, do not touch me."

He plastered on a playful smirk, "Oh, it's more than physical, Moon."

You rolled your eyes and stepped away from the wall, "Dream on, Parker. Are we going to this Mister Stank or whatever?" you waved your hand with a limp wrist.

Tom gasped, "He's Iron Man! It's Mister Stark! Stark! Not stank! And you need a suit. Mister Stark has one ready for you at the compound, but you need something to wear on the way there." he looked around for one.

As if it had just dawned on your character that you were finally leaving the bunker, your attitude changed. A smile gracing your lips.

"I think I can do a little something."

You gestured your hands around yourself, pretending to create a suit from your silk. Tom watched with amazement, "Hey, how are you doing that?" he bent down and examined your body from head to toe.

"I had a lot of free time on my hands. Costume on-the-go. You like?" you smirked as you continued your movements.

Tom nodded his head as he came back up to stand beside you, "I could've saved so much time and money by doing that."

You finally completed your gesturing with a grin, "Ta-da! A bit sticky, but I think it'll do." you pretended to stretch around in the costume.

"Okay, let's go, Moon—"

"—Nope. Nuh-uh. When I'm webbed up like this, call me Silk." you smiled triumphantly.

And with that, the scene came to an end. The producers and casting directors all stood and clapped for you and Tom. You smiled widely at how successful it had gone. Before you could even react, Tom pulled you into a hug. Arms wrapped around your waist. Without a second thought, you wrapped yours around his neck with a laugh.

"You were amazing!" Tom praised you with a wide grin.

You couldn't help but to smile, "Thank you! It helps when you have an awesome scene partner."

His cheeks turned a shade of scarlet at your compliment before Anthony Russo spoke, "That was amazing! Thank you, Y/N."

You shook your head, "Thank you for having me."

Joe came and shook your hand, "Expect a call on Monday. Keep your ringer on." he smiled.

"And that wraps up the chemistry tests! Great job, everyone!" Anthony announced as you handed the script back to them and threw your jacket on.

You swung your bag over your shoulder and made your way to the door.

"Wait!" Tom called from behind you.

You stopped in your steps and turned around with a kind smile.

He held out his phone, "Since we're going to be working together, might as well get to know one another." he had a timid grin.

"Don't jinx it, Holland." you let a light chuckle fall from your lips.

He shook his head, "It's not jinxing, it's manifesting and you were by far the best Cindy Moon. You've already got the part." he insisted making you shake your head.

"We'll see about that." you punched in your number and before you could add your name, Tom took his phone back.

"Wait." he quickly typed away.

'silk'

You smiled at the contact name before offering your phone. He typed in his number and took it upon himself to put the name.

'spidey'

"I'll see you around, Y/L/N." he gave you a little salute making you laugh.

You nodded, "Definitely, Holland." you turned around and walked out of the door.

Both of you were so engrossed in your interaction that you didn't notice the producers and casting directors watching from afar. Proud smiles dawning their lips.

They found their Cindy Moon.

[the-avengers-ate-my-tongue]

The Storm

Summary: You work with Jack Crawford and Alana is your cousin, both of you live together for a long time. She gets caught up with a flat tire far away and asks you to let Will in, for he's expecting her. A storm is coming, and she keeps taking longer and longer to show up. Will the universe conspire in your favor?

Pairing: Will Graham x reader

Warnings: swearing, insinuation of smut, fluff.

Word count: 4.328

A/n: I'm starting to consider changing this tumblr for a Hannibal one, mostly Will Graham, so some requests from other fandoms would be nice haha hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing ♥️

*not my gif

There wasn't a thing such as a boring day at the BAU. 

At least not when you're part of Jack Crawford's crew. There was always an interesting case to focus on, a disfigured body to study the reason of death, it was always a thrilling hunt for evidence. The best experience I've ever had so far in my career, and I could only thank my cousin Alana for putting me on the Guru's radar. I was a great crime scene investigator, albeit a little younger than people gave me credit for. I taught people not to underestimate me over the years, though. I got here by my own effort, being a tenacious, hard-working woman who wouldn't get a no for an answer. 

I got along well with my crewmates, Beverly Katz, Brian Zeller and Jimmy Price, though our relationship hardly extended for life outside work. Except for Beverly, we went out for a couple of beers sometimes, she was fun, witty and I really liked our conversations. Jack was the big boss, and that was it. I had a lot of respect for him, and I knew he didn't regret bringing me to his team, I could see it in his eyes in the first case I've got. I was very cunning when I shared my insights about the cases, sometimes I saw things no one else could, no one but…

Of course, I was far, far away from being a Will Graham. But ever since I was younger, I've had this sort of intuition that helped me to solve problems, I would solve riddles easily and when people asked me how I got to the answer, I wouldn't know the steps, I just knew deep in my bones I was right. That happened a lot when I was growing up and was even stronger now that I knew how to use it. It was some artifice of my inconscient, something I could always count on. It included everything in my life, math, logical thinking, riddles. My brain picked things I couldn't perceive clearly, bringing them to the clear waters of my conscience. 

Will Graham was a curious man. He intrigued me from the very first moment I saw him at the house of one of the last victims of The Minnesota Shrike, Garret Jacob Hobbs, now dead. He was practically hiding in a corner, his eyes closed behind the lens of his glasses, dark wavy hair, jawline for days. He seemed highly focused until Beverly started to talk to him, pulling him out of his daze. He could barely look at her, or at me, and although he looked socially awkward and troubled, he still managed to look like a daydream. I studied every inch of his face, lowering my gaze when he seemed to get uncomfortable, after smiling lightly. I was a bit shy myself. I lived with Alana and, when I got home that night, I absentmindedly asked her about that curious handsome man who seemed to be out of place, yet so connected to that scene. She started to talk about him, but stopped once she noticed my interest. Then, she told me he was a very unstable person, that she wouldn't even be alone in the room with him because of her professional curiosity. As time passed and he solved more and more cases, I could see how people looked at him like an attraction of the zoo. However, not me, and later, not Beverly. Brian didn't seem to like him very much, I could see. Envy, perhaps? Nevertheless, the more I saw Will, the more intrigued I got. He avoided eye contact like the plague, but as I was always friendly and tried my best to treat him like a normal person, not focusing only on work, dead bodies and serial killers, I saw more of those beautiful blue eyes. He knew I was Alana's cousin, and I sooner realized he had a fling for her. 

And boy, did that break my silly little heart. I wasn't surprised, though. Who could blame him? Alana was amazing. I never felt resentful for that, but as time passed, I started to detach from the idea of Will being somewhat more than a simple acquaintance. That afternoon, I was going home from work when I got a call from Alana.

"Speak fast, I'm driving." I said, keeping one hand on the wheel and the other holding my phone.

"You're going home? Great. I invited Will so we could talk about a profile I'm building, but I got caught up here. I already spoke to him, he's almost there, can you let him in? He said he'll wait, and I'll be home in about fifty minutes, no more than that, hopefully." She said in a hurry, and I felt my cheeks burn a little. Will and me? Home alone? 

"I…" I hesitated, chewing my bottom lip nervously. "You won't be long, right? Heard on the radio there’s a storm for later."

"I won't, promise. Just let him in, he's already aware I'll take a little longer to be there. See you soon. Thanks, Y/n!" She hung up, not leaving me any time to answer. I put the phone down, still chewing on my bottom lip. I could feel excitement rising on my stomach, making me feel slightly nauseated, and noticed my hands starting to sweat.

Please. That was ridiculous. What was I, a teenager? I was a grown-up, well-succeeded woman, for God's sake. I rubbed my hands on my jeans, driving a little faster than I usually did almost unconsciously. I got home after twenty minutes, parking outside the pretty house. Will was already there, leaning against his car, so lost in his thoughts he barely noticed I'd arrived. I looked at my reflection at the mirror hurriedly, fixing my hair, pinching my cheeks to look less pale, brushing my eyebrows with my fingers to make them look neat. I wasn't even wearing any lipstick today. It had been a long day at work. 

I opened the car door, exiting the vehicle, the noise from shutting the door finally bringing him out of his daze, and he finally seemed to notice me. He smiled lightly, lowering his eyes. He had his glasses on, but as soon as he saw me, he took them off, hanging them on his shirt.

"Hey, Will. I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. There was a little bit of traffic." I justified, walking to the porch and waiting for him to follow me. 

"Y/n. Not at all, I just got here. Alana explained what happened, thanks for coming to let me in. Hope I didn't ruin any appointment you may have had." He waited until I unlocked the door, and we finally were engulfed with the warm air of the heater.

"Nope, I was coming home, no appointments lost. Please, come in. I'm not sure you've ever been here before, but make yourself home." I hung my trench coat, sighing with the pleasure of being home. I loved the atmosphere of that place. "Can I get you anything? Water, soda, beer…"

"Thank you. I'm fine. And no, I haven't been here before." I held back the temptation of saying "good", biting my bottom lip as I watched him sit on the couch. I just stood there for a while, not sure of what to do next. 

He frowned a little, probably thinking why I was acting so weird, and that made me nervous, because it was just an easy step to realize my silly crush on him. Did he know? What if Alana said something? Said something? For fuck's sake, he was Will Graham, he could probably see that written across my stupid face! Shit, he knows. I'm making a fool of myself. Why do I even…

"Is everything okay?" His voice startled me a little, pulling me out of my neurotic breakdown, and I wondered how my facial expressions looked. Was I blinking only one eye like the stereotyped madness of cartoons? I certainly didn't look normal. I cleared my throat, laughing lightly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I'm not really used to having people over anymore. I've been working a lot lately. People are dying like flies." I sat on the armchair in front of him, sighing. 

"What we do can be overwhelming sometimes. What we see every day. It just… stains you." He said, with a dark look on his serious eyes. 

I nodded. I felt that way sometimes, but I was used to it. I stopped feeling that sense of inadequacy on my chest years ago. 

"I guess you just begin to cope with it, though. Our brain adapts to that harsh reality. But it's always nice to vent somehow. What do you do in your free time?" I asked, wondering if I was getting too personal. Did I sound like I was probing to ask him out?  I felt my face getting warm. Damn it.

Either he didn't realize, or he was just too chivalrous to point, but he didn't mention anything.

"I fish." He said, simply. I nodded with a light smile.

"And you play with your doggies." I pointed, smiling wider. I loved dogs. He'd mentioned them before, so I just brought the subject up, trying to shift the attention from me to them. Will smiled back, his eyes with a subtle glow. He really loved them, and that was so sweet. "Fishing sounds nice. Unfortunately, I could never. I'm too restless. I'd probably startle all the fish and wouldn't catch anything."

He laughed, and that was the first time I ever heard that sound coming out of him. I felt like I was someone deaf that was able to hear the sound of Mozart's symphonies for the first time, and I just knew. There was never detachment from the idea of Will being more than an acquaintance. It was tackled down inside my brain somewhere, for the brain tends to adapt to harsh realities, but it was still there, just waiting for some incentive. 

"It's just a matter of training, getting used to it. I could teach you someday… if you want." He blinked a few times, as if he was surprised with his own boldness, smiling lightly. "And you? What do you do to vent?" He asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Well, I read a lot. Maybe I could read by the riverside while I watch you fish." I said, shrugging with a subtle smile.

"It's a date, then?" Will inquired, making me mortified. Caught me by total surprise, and when I was about to say something, my phone rang.

"Excuse me." I answered the phone. It was Alana. "Hey. We're already here waiting for you."

Not that I wanted her to arrive any time sooner, but she didn't have to know that.

"You won't believe me; I've got a flat tire. There's a guy helping me out, I was lucky, I'm in the middle of nowhere. But I'll get there in about fifty more minutes, more or less. Can you put Will on the phone? I'll explain everything to him."

"Do you need one of us to pick you up? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, I wouldn't…"

"No, he's almost done. Thank you. Let me talk to Will, I'll be there soon. The storm is about to catch me, I wanna hurry."

I sighed, grimacing at him. 

"She wants to talk to you." I passed him the phone, studying his expressions while he talked to her. As I looked at the window, I could see the dark clouds gathering up, making the end of the afternoon murky. The storm was about to hit hard. I could see a few thin drops of rain starting to wet the glass.

"I can stay a little longer, no problem. I'm being well attended." He traded looks with me, biting his lip slightly. "Okay. I'll see you soon, Alana."

He gave me the phone, but Alana was already gone. I put it on the coffee table, getting up.

"I think I'll pour myself some wine. Do you want some?" I asked politely. "It's one of the fanciest ones; Hannibal gave us a bottle when we dined at his house a few days ago."

"Yes. Thank you." He waited for me to come back with the beverages, and I did my best not to spill anything, sitting on the couch beside him while I gave him the glass. "So you're acquainted with Dr. Lecter?"

"Oh yeah, he's an old friend of Alana's, sometimes he invites us to dinner. He cooks the best meals I've ever had in my entire life, so I don't exactly decline the invitations. And he's one of the most brilliant people I've ever met, so it's always interesting." I took a sip of the crimson liquid, moaning low in pleasure. Good wine. I preferred a good cup of hot oolong, but it was impossible not to appreciate the quality of that drink. 

A few glasses after and a lot of talks about dogs, fishing and other hobbies, he finally felt safe to bring back the topic. The rain had started really pouring, the now thicker drops hitting the windows loudly. Alana hadn't called again. It was nighttime now, the sky seeming to be darker than usual. I was low-key worried about her, but the conversation was too great to interrupt. She was a good driver. She would be just fine. 

"I've been seeing Hannibal Lecter in his office. Not exactly his patient, though. A courtesy of Jack Crawford to keep an eye on the coping of my brain functions." He sounded a bit bitter, drinking a few sips of his wine.

I could see he didn't like therapy. Must be hard with someone with a mind like his.

"You know, sometimes, Alana psychoanalyses me. Like, she doesn't even notice. It's cute, but sometimes it creeps me out." 

"She has a professional curiosity about me, but she's too polite and considerate to let it slip out. We've never even been alone in the same room together."

I held back a bitter comment, not wanting to talk shit about my cousin, but he saw it right through me. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to put you in a complicated position."

"I know. You're sweet." The word slipped through my tongue before I could contain it. Will blinked a few times, seeming surprised, and I felt my cheeks burn, starting to stutter. "I meant… I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, no. It's just… no one's ever called me that before." It was my time to get surprised. He didn't seem to be complimented much, and that just made me flabbergasted. I couldn't be the only one who saw how fantastic Will was.

"... Ah. Well, some people are just shy. I'm shy as hell, don't even know how I had the nerve to say that, it's probably the wine starting to kick in. Hope I really didn't make you uncomfortable, though. Don't need to be polite, it's okay to tell me."

"Actually, I'm curious to know what else you think of me. I sense it's not the only word you have to define me." He sounded bolder, and his eyes were on mine, giving me shivers down my spine. 

"Well… I think you're too exceptional to be defined with a few words. You're… Kind, brilliant… I see how seeing what you see, doing what you do, how it wrecks you sometimes, and you just keep doing it because you're saving lives. That's so selfless, Will. That's…" I was going to say more, but at that very moment, a loud thunder just made the house practically tremble, and I let out a real inelegant weep, coming closer to Will and holding his arm firmly, my fingers grabbing on the fabric of his shirt. He could've thought it was an artifice to get closer to him, but he could see how frightened I was, trembling like a cornered wild little beast. I hated thunders, fireworks, anything loud. Feeling ridiculous, I released his shirt, apologizing with embarrassment.

"It's okay. It's just noise. I'm here." He put some of my hair that had fallen to my face behind my ear with such a tenderness that I felt my stomach twitch, realizing suddenly how close we were. He was looking at me as if it was the first time he was actually seeing me. 

The phone rang again. Alana! I grabbed it from the coffee table, turning to face Will. He wasn't avoiding eye contact anymore, his pupils were dilated. My breathing was accelerated, and I knew it had little to do with the thunder.

"Lana, is everything okay?" I asked with genuine concern. "Are you close?"

"Ah, Y/n. I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll make it in time, I'm driving slow, the roads are slippery because of the storm and it's pretty foggy. I'll stop at a motel and spend the night, or at least wait for the storm to pass. I'm so furious with myself!"

"It's okay cuz, do what's safer for you. I'm sure Will will understand. I'll pass him the phone." I gave him the phone and he talked to Alana for a few minutes, but I wasn't listening. She'd ruined the moment unintentionally, and now he was probably going home. When would I have an opportunity like that again? 

"Okay. Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Alana. Take care." He gave me the phone and I put it on the coffee table again. Before any of us could say anything, another thunder cracked the sky, and this time, Will held me so I wouldn't be afraid. The lights went out, and he held me against his chest protectively, making me smell his aftershave and some perfume. He smelled so good. For a moment, I just stood there in his arms, feeling his warmth, his breath, the steady beats of his heart. 

I moved away just a little to see his face, very close to mine, but it was so dark I could only see shadows. A lightning lit up the room and, just for a little moment, I could see his gorgeous eyes staring at me. After a soft touch of his thumb on my lips, he finally kissed me, so gentle, like I could break as fine china with any rougher move. I touched his neck with both my hands, playing with his hair, feeling how soft they were. He pulled me closer, his hands on my waist, and the kiss started to get deeper, voracious, as if we were hungry for each other. Maybe the wine was helping to raise the lust; all I know is that I've wanted that to happen for a long time. Will's kiss was everything I imagined it would be, but entirely different at the same time. All I could say was that he was great at it. His hands traveled through my body, and I grabbed his hair, pulling it slightly. That made a low growl echo through his chest, and I started to feel my body fervent as a bonfire.

I couldn't say much because I was breathless and I didn't want to stop what we were doing, so a single word left my lips as I kept my forehead on his.

"Stay."

Will bit his lip, kissing me again, and that was all the answer I needed.

xx 

Morning. Thin sunrays illuminated my bedroom floor through the curtains, waking me up. The storm was gone. I haven't had a nice night of sleep like that in ages. I looked at the other side of my bed and there was Will, sleeping heavily. It wasn't a dream, after all. Last night really happened. I smiled, staring at the roof with disbelief in my eyes.

I stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Should I just let him sleep? He looked so heavenly, his hair was messy, his breathing steady, he seemed so less troubled than he usually was. I touched his hair lightly, caressing it with tenderness, and he started to move. I could see his neck, and a few hickies we marked on his albescent skin. That made me blush a little bit, and I laughed silently. 

He opened his eyes while I still touched his hair, but I didn't stop, and he didn't seem to want me to. We stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and he smiled, a different smile than the usual ones he gave me.

"Hi." He said, pulling me closer by my waist, stroking the skin under the sheets. I pecked him on the lips, then kissing his forehead, his cheek, his jawline. 

"Hey there. Good morning. I'm starving, are you having breakfast with me?"

"Actually, I gotta go home. Feed the dogs." He said, stroking my nude shoulder with his finger.

"Of course. Your dogs. I won't keep you then, poor babies must be so hungry." I kissed his cheek and was about to get up when he pulled me again, gently kissing my lips. I smiled, probably looking like an idiot. A joyful idiot. "I'll let you get dressed. I'll be in the kitchen."

I dressed up in my long and black robe, smiling at him before I left the room, going to the kitchen, where I started to make some french toasts. After a few minutes, I heard the front door open, and an exhausted Alana came in, her hair frizzy and her coat looking still a bit wet.

"Oh, Lana! Go change, you'll get a cold!" I stopped what I was doing, going to her and helping to take off her coat.

"That storm was a nightmare. I swear I won't ignore the warnings ever again. I'm so sorry, I had no idea it would get this bad, yesterday was one of those days where everything just goes wrong. Hope Will arrived well at home, did he seem disappointed or annoyed before he left? I was so inconvenient…"

I didn't even have time to answer, because Will opened my bedroom door, coming out while buttoning his shirt, suddenly realizing Alana was there.

"Oh." Alana said, looking so flabbergasted I almost laughed at her. Will rose his eyebrows at the sight of her, seeming a bit unsure of what to do or say. I wasn't planning for her to find out like this, it was a bit early, I wasn't expecting her to arrive so soon. "Hi, Will."

"Alana. Hi." He avoided looking at her, staring at me, and his eyes immediately softened. I smiled, he smiled back, and that was it, Alana was forgotten.

"Off you go to feed your children." I joked, biting my bottom lip. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Definitely." He simply said, kissing my forehead while caressing my hair, certainly a little embarrassed to kiss me in front of Alana. "See you later, Y/n. Bye, Alana."

"Bye, Will." I waved with a soft smile, and he grabbed his jacket, leaving the house.

My smile grew larger and I left my head fall back, squeaking low in commemoration. What a night! What a morning! I never thought I would thank a storm so much, let alone a bloody thunder.

Before Alana could say anything, I realized Will had left his glasses at the coffee table, and I picked it up in a hurry, bursting through the front door and calling him before he left, waving in front of the car.

"You forgot your glasses!" I said, and he opened the car windows, raising his hand to pick them.

I leaned against the car window, putting the glasses on him, and kissing his lips fiercely. He moaned in surprise, holding my face to deepen the kiss. After a moment, I pulled away, appreciating the view of his lips so reddish. 

"Go back inside, it's cold." He said with a cheeky smile, and before I could say he actually made me hotter, he took off with the car.

I went back inside, where Alana was waiting for me with her arms crossed. 

"What the hell did you do to Will Graham?" She asked, sounding severe, but a smile was trying to escape her lips "I mean, besides trying to suck his soul with your mouth a few moments ago."

"Oh, shut up!" I laughed, blushing violently. "You made that happen, you know? Thank you. Was that a set up or did the universe actually conspire in my favor?"

"I wish I'd planned this. That would mean I would've had a plan b and I wouldn't have stayed at that disgusting mote… Y/n, you're full of hickies, I can't believe you!"

"You're starting to sound like my mom, Lana. I'm gonna wear a turtleneck, don't worry, I don't want Beverly all over me like a bloodhound and Brian and Jimmy's witty comments today. In fact, keep it to yourself, okay? Will's discreet. I won't even tell Beverly, if she finds out, the whole bureau will know, hell, maybe even Freddie Lounds."

"I told you to let it go, Y/n. Will's very unstable right now. I… I only want what's best for you." She said with concern in her bright blue eyes. I sighed, walking to her and kissing her cheek with affection.

"You're a good cousin. But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, okay? Unless this isn't only about me, unless it concerns something else." I raised an eyebrow while staring at her, more confident that I've ever been. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

She hesitated, clenching her jaw, but never spoke. 

I smiled, tapping her cheek very lightly in approval.

"I gotta get ready to work. Wanna grab lunch with me later?" I asked in a casual tone, a cynical smile on my face. She shrugged. "See you later then, cuz."

[symphonyofthewrite]

Saw your post, getting stuff off your chest, I just wanted to say that I haven't seen the thing with the kids mentioned by anyone and it really stood out to me, I feel what you mean to some extent, because for me it was a stronger reaction, albeit you probably won't feel the same and that's, obviously, perfectly fine. I have an instant recoil these days whenever a character is around kids for like one second and everyone instantly goes "THEY LITERALLY ADOPTED THEM/THAT'S THEIR CHILD/THEY'RE A PARENT"... genuinely sick of it, and I went white as a sheet when I heard it, I wanted to pluck my eyes out. I don't know if it's an American thing but English speaking fandoms (well, those teeming with fancops that is) seem like they cannot process adult looking characters being in any near proximity to childlike characters without automatically imposing parenthood and family dynamics and it's becoming distressing to me. I feel like Alucard needed to process his trauma and learn to trust and be whole again, he's young himself too, why he needed to be a "father figure" all of a sudden is beyond me.

Thank you so much for the ask!! I don’t get many asks so it makes me happy when I can talk meta with people 💛💛 (Sorry I’m a bit late in answering.)

Funnily enough I actually do agree with you. I didn’t have quite so strong a reaction, but I definitely had a very similar one when I first hear it.

My feelings were and are a bit mixed. I was saying in my other post that I would have preferred that I got to actually see this interaction; see the kids run by him and call him father, and him smile when no ones looking. I still think that would have been a better, more touching way to do the scene, and would have had more chance of me liking it (though I probably still would have felt very weird about it). (I think it especially would have been better because it would show that Alucard himself liked it, not that Greta was forcing the role on him.) I know that it was meant to be something touching, and pretty much everyone seems to like it (and I have seen some cute posts about it), so I just tried to like it too, and focus on the fact that all they were really trying to say was he was having a nice relationship with the kids, and that was indeed sweet.

But yeah, when I heard Greta say “I heard some of them calling you father” for me it was less a reaction of horror, and more a “HUH??!!”moment. When I heard it I was like “Alucard...you agree with this???!! This is how you see yourself??!!” I almost expected Alucard to refute it and say he didn’t see himself as a father to them. Like I seriously do not see Alucard as anything remotely close to a father figure, and it felt weird and wrong to me.

Like when I saw him interacting with the kids the first time, I didn’t think “oh he’s a father figure to them.” I just thought “yay, Alucard’s playing with some kids, and getting out of his bubble!!” I didn’t have any thoughts as to what his relationship role was with them, I just thought that first interaction was lovely.

And if I saw him interacting with the kids again, I still wouldn’t go “father figure” I’d just be like “yay, Alucard’s playing with the kids again, how sweet!!”

Sometimes the relationship doesn’t need a role or a label, ya know?

And I thought it was especially strange because…he literally just met them?? Like how can they possibly start calling him father when he’s played with them once or twice? Regardless of Alucard’s side or things, what group of kids would randomly call a nice man they just met ‘father’? Is...Is this a normal thing??

Anyways, back to Alucard’s side of things, Sypha’s line about Alucard being a teenager trapped an adults body has always been something that stuck with me and shaped how I view Alucard. I definitely view him as internally much younger than he looks. No matter how much I might hate them for what they did to him, I think Sumi and Take are about the age he actually is, and their relationship with him made sense to me. He’s still a kid—or at least young—he still needs his parents in his life, really. (That’s part of why I didn’t like that Drac and Lisa don’t go to him at the end. I personally don’t think Alucard really got closure, and in my mind I think he still very much needed them, and that would have been the perfect ending to his story in my mind, where everything comes full circle; He was forced to lose his parents and grow up too early, and only when he’s started to truly grow up does he get them back.) So yeah, I really don’t see him like a father at all. One of my main focuses in my Castlevania fanfiction is his relationship with Dracula, so I very much see him as the son, not as the dad, even when Drac isn’t around.

(Sidenote, come to think of it, I think this is another reason why Greta x Alucard is a nope from me. She’s very much an adult, so I just see a discrepancy between them that makes me feel weird about them being in a romantic relationship. If we need a label I feel like she fits as an older sister for him, guiding him and giving him support. Him unloading all his problems on her within just meeting her makes more sense if he’s like a younger brother who needs to cry to his sister. I felt weird about it in a romantic context when it was so fast. I mean I know he was desperate to talk to someone, and I probably would have done the same, but still).

“I feel like Alucard needed to process his trauma and learn to trust and be whole again, he's young himself too, why he needed to be a "father figure" all of a sudden is beyond me”

^^ THIS. EXACTLY THIS.

I was honestly really hoping they’d go in depth into him dealing with his trauma, and how he’s still hurting from the wounds of it, and how he needs to heal. I thought that’s what his S4 arc would be about. I don’t think they gave him the chance to really process and work through everything that happened. (Again, I don’t think him just unloading all his problems on a nice stranger is truly working through his trauma. I would have much rather watched him struggle to trust her, and him telling her about his trauma happen later, and be difficult for him, and a deep, heartfelt moment).

Like I was saying in my other post, I think if they framed his arc in how he dealt with the town collectively, I think that would have fit better, and been more touching and satisfying. I would have liked to see him struggling to trust humans, and then see as time progressed how several different people in the town liked him and meant him no harm, and how he realized he could trust them, and that he liked them too. It wasn’t that he had a bad romantic partner and needed a new one. He believed he needed to be punished for killing his father, and in his deep loneliness he let these kids into his house and heart, and they turned on him because he was half vampire. That’s something pretty deeply ingrained, and not something a new romance just fixes by existing. He needed to work through that in a much deeper way.

I know this is gonna be a very unpopular opinion, and it's totally cool if you disagree, but in a weird way... I sort of disliked Alucard’s ending. Don’t get me wrong, Im glad he’s happy, and I’d certainly prefer it to him just getting more trauma like last season (*shudders*), and I don’t think him opening up his castle (and his heart) to humanity is a bad way to end his story, certainly not. I think that fits. And my heart did melt a bit at the "I'm weirdly happy" scene. But, where everyone else is like “*sobbing* happy endings for all our faves” ...I see the creators of the show trying to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, and while that’s certainly not all bad, I don’t love every aspect of that. Theres a time and place for that, but a show based on video games, for which there’s more content in these storylines isn’t one of them in my mind.

Sometimes some of the sadness needs to linger. At the very least, let it linger at the beginning of the season so you can work through it in a powerful way, you know? It may have been tough to see Alucard be more closed off, but I think it would have been more satisfying to see him open up his heart and go back to his old self if we saw his trauma leave lingering effects at the beginning.

To me it didn’t feel like a satisfying arc, it felt like the fairytale ending of “oh look he’s not apprehensive about humanity even after what happened! Oh look he got the girl! And the Castle’s a happy place now! Look he’s not sad anymore! He’s even a father figure to these kids! He’s totally moved on!” And all those things can be awesome when done properly, and when they have depth to them. But they didn’t work through the trauma to get there, so it felt surface level to me, and too fast. I really liked that first episode, and how we saw the two sides of him—one that's become more closed off, and the other that still buries the human despite his comments—and I also really liked the first interaction with the kids, and thought that was one of the few interactions that had depth to it and fit with his arc well. Having it go beyond “they’re helping him learn to like and trust humanity again, and displaying who he really is inside” ended up detracting from the power of his relationship with them in my mind.

Having played SOTN, I think an ingrained loneliness and sadness are, in a way, a key part of Alucard’s character. That sounds really sad and awful out loud but…there are some people that just have a sadness or a loneliness to them, and that's not entirely bad. Here’s the thing…it can make them that much more beautiful. The fact that they still fight for good, even when they see all the dark, those moments when they find true friends, despite how alone they are, those moments when they are happy, are so much more powerful. They just are always a bit…separate from other people. One of my favorite lines in anything is the line "We are connected by our darkness, not by our light" in Pandora Hearts. I think it's a line that fits Alucard well, and it’s always something that’s drawn me personally to him. Don't get me wrong, I don’t think Alucard’s all dark and sad and lonely, he’s definitely got a bright side to him too, of course he does. But I also don't think he ever is able to fully accept the vampire side of himself, and I find that interesting, and worth exploring. Personally I was honestly hoping for the show makers to come up with a bittersweet reason for why he went to sleep for 300 years, (and I thought that's why they set things up with Sumi and Taka that he’d have something against his vampire nature). Personally it felt like they were trying to say “oh he’s all better now, he’ll never be sad or lonely again” and while that’s nice I suppose…for me it sort of…stops feeling like Alucard, in a way? I don't know if I'm explaining it right, or if that sounds terrible...😅

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I do agree that’s very common of fandom that people are like “boom! Just add water! Instant father figure!” and I don’t love it either. Sometimes it can be cute if it truly fits, but it doesn’t fit every relationship between an adult-looking character and a kid character, and shouldn't be the first place people go to. In the same way every relationship doesn’t have to be romantic, not every relationship has to be parental/familial either. Sometimes it feels like fandom culture isn't really okay to have some characters just be good friends. A good friendship can be more wonderful than a romance sometimes.

If we have to put a label on it, I think he seemed like a nice older brother figure to them? I think that fits who he is in my mind. But father? Nope. Not for me. And again, I don’t think it needs a label.

Thanks again for sending me this ask!! It was nice to get the chance to work through some more of my feelings here too. Sorry if I went too overboard. And I hope I don’t sound too terribly negative, it really was a great season, and I definitely liked some parts of his arc, just not all of it.

If you or anyone else reading would like to discuss with me more, be my guest!! 💕

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon and ah, its just me than. Links on tumblr break half the time for me sorry bout that!

1: Mostly how it looks in the actual episode but with some changes. Its gaint, even has multiple floors, most rooms have a glass dome roof with iron railings (3-4) lining the bottom of the glass. The hallway typically have windows leading up to the roof, but the roof and both floor are a mix of materials like iron, copper, wood, and even gold. The most complex room is the Council room, which has a a higher roof than the rest, with mostly wood railings that go all the way up and lead to a circle at the top. The Council is the group that leads Mizu, they have 1 leader of every Idol to represent the different opinions of the citizens, with 1 special member that doesnt belong to any Idol, and is instead used to represent the opinions of people who either haven't chosen a idol yet, got kicked out of a idol following, and just to give a unbiased opinion most of the time. They do make most decisions, mostly those relating to topics like construction, farming, money distribution, where people can live, etc. And they also mostly agree on most subjects and don't agure, but they do have massive disagreements on topics and problems like Representation in other Cities/Kingdoms, trading, visitors and immigrants, and sometimes supply missions. 

3: Situations like taking care of his siblings (I have decided Benjamin shall have siblings) and friends, and he was also put under extreme stress as a kid in school and family life, but unlike Ranbob, he managed to successfully communicate his struggle and find coping mechanisms. Also when he went off to live by himself for a bit, he was under sudden extreme situations where he had to make split second decision. So he just learned from everything thats happened to him over time. 

8: Levi exists purely to make Watson and others go insane. People claimed it was made up because they claimed most events as unrealistic (like Doomsday, Techno escaping a death trial, Pandoras Vault (they believed it impossible for something to be inescapable)). Plus the fact it seemed cruel such young people where faced with such trauma that no sane person would let it happen, and the fact most historical important items couldn't be found, people claiming that they where made up (also cause if the land was that exposed to such devastation, it would've collapsed on itself). No to both of those, by this point their to far away from Dream for him to have a direct meaningful affect on the group, and while the residents of Kelalen know it was Dreams sword, the group does not know. Nope! Mizu came about years after Kelalen was forgotten about and shamed. And Mizu was only made because of the growing number of believers in the SMP history was causing disruptions in both the political sense and educational sense, so it was made to separate the "outcasts". Though Mizu eventually grew as big as most cities, and greatly civilized and advanced, though they where still often "forgotten" about and basically seperate from the Kingdom that set them up and became their own place (though not officially). 

They do have a friendship! Its not super close but their definitely friends. Ranbob is definitely a worrier, he heard that two of his friends almost died he immediately goes to them and fuses over them. And when their recovering he doesnt leave their side, infact Benjamin has to drag him away from the two just to get him to eat. And he refuses to sleep unless he's like directly on top of them. Yeah, Cletus challenges Grievous to a parkour challenge over a Delta Basalt, and he happily accepts. They end up giving everyone a heart attack after Cletus slips and almost falls onto a magma block. Jackie plays in soul sand and dumps a handful down Rans shirt, Watson teaches Charles and Isaac how to make gold from gold nuggets and more Piglin culture. When Cletus is cleared to be ok and Jackie stops getting soul sand in areas he didn't even know existed. They all sit in a circle and decide what they should try first, with Ran and Watson watching carefully and preventing them from drinking anything that they recognized as harmful. But other than that they just let the others do whatever. 

10: Because he couldn't use it, when Dream was a full human he used to be able to access his powers at his own will. But after his spirit got linked to his mask his power greatly reduced. To the point he relies on others for his powers, more specifically, he needs them to be exposed to him for a certain amount of time (like 2 weeks) until he can use their own essence/spirit to help his powers. When the group of people came after Ranbob left, they stayed for a long time, especially after they took the mask with them. Dream got the power back. Cause it is a "I worked to hard to give this up." Type situation. Ranbob was his first victim and the first person he had control over in decades, he considers Ranbob the puppet he was meant to have and refuses to let him go. Everyone is the nat to him, but specifically Ran. Cause Ran was the only person who survived the murders, so Dream sees him as a kill that was taken from him that he needs to fix. Everyone else to him is nothing more than an annoyance, and he's more than happy to use them as nothing more than a stepping stone to kill once he's done with them. 

13: Ran is stronger than everyone else, Jackie is faster than everyone else, and Watson is more acrobatic than everyone else. Sorry can you reword "Is Jackie considered stronger than them aside from shared tactics, or is it the other way around?"? I dont completely understand sorry. Kind of, I'll say. There can only be 3 ranking members, but it can also be 2 Corporals and 1 Sergeant. 

14: They where caught off guard, but also knew something must be going on due to the fishermen staying closer to Ranbob than normal. He never got too far, as he isnt very fast and Charles and both Isaac tend to be fast enough to get him. If the episode is really bad bringing him back can lead into physical fights but it rarely gets into that, as it seems like Ranbob really doesn't want to fight them most of the time, and holds himself back.

Well, I hope it’s working for you now, cause that sounds less than ideal, honestly.

1: Well, Mizu sounds gorgeous, quite frankly. As for the council having a member of no idol, what about that? People can get kicked out from an idol group? Why? Do some just never choose an idol? Also, how’s the housing situation there? Are there like, apartments on one of the floors, or something? Why does the council not really agree on outside affairs?

3: Not gonna lie, I’m rather curious. What kind of life did Benjamin lead to be under such heavy stress? Does he relate to Ranbob because of this? And what was he doing when he lived on his own to need to make fast-paced decisions? Also, siblings! What’re his siblings like?

8: He sounds like it.

And hm. There are several things I’ve taken from this. 

Do totems no longer exist, if they don’t believe Techno could have survived, or did that particular piece of the story just get left out over time?

Has Pandora’s vault fallen? And why would people find it unbelievable? If it’s the future, shouldn’t they have even more advanced technology than that? Or is it simply the lack of evidence that leads them to disagreeing about it’s existence? 

They don’t believe people would have been so cruel to the younger ones? Oof, um. Well, at least that says something about the future, I guess. 

Mizu sounds like it has an interesting history in it’s self. How do Ran and Ranbob feel about being in a world that basically shunned the people of what would eventually become their home? Do they ever have issues when people find out they originate from Mizu, or worship an idol? From how you put it, it seems like that wasn’t really looked upon well, since they shunted the people who did it to Mizu.

Friendships for the win! Maybe not close, but it sounds like an interesting dynamic. Charles honestly seems pretty mild, and as you said, shy, so putting him with Mr.Random And Chaotic certainly sounds like something. How did these two become friends?

And honestly, it sounds like everyone had a lot of unique experiences in the Nether. It also sounds like Ran and Ranbob were probably an inch from a heart-attack the entire time, considering the shenanigans ongoing. It sounds kind of cute that Ranbob was only sleeping when he was close to them though, and it gives me the image of a giant fluffy cat, so win-win there.

10: Interesting. Was Ranbob not enough to fully return that power to him when the Fishermen first came and took him? Or did Dream just not think they’d get that far and not react in time, when he still had that power from his puppet?

And, uh, wow. Dream was certainly off his rocker before, but that’s definitely cemented now. Is anyone aware he thinks of Ranbob in such a way? Does Ranbob know? How are everyone’s feelings on that-besides y’know, ‘gonna murder Mr.Mask Man’. How does everyone feel about being considered as ‘nats’?

13: Huh. And yeah, I confused myself rereading that. Basically, is Jackie considered stronger than those two? You said they were mostly on par, because of the shared tactics, so when it comes to cutting those shared tactics out of the picture, does Jackie come out on top?

14: So the gang could tell? If I may ask, what were the tells that gave Ranbob away?

[intrepidmare]

MARE'S RECAPS ~ THE MANDALORIAN: CHAPTER 9 "THE MARSHALL"

Oh wow! It's been a while since I've done something like this. Last year, I caught up with season 1 about 2 days before the finale, so I didn't have the opportunity to write reviews/recaps. This season, though, I'm going to 😀 so here it is the first one! 

For the folks that haven't seen the premiere and don't want spoilers, scroll past this, fast and furious, because it's full of them. If you want to blacklist tags to avoid spoilers from me, I suggest that you add #mando spoilers, #the mandalorian season 2 spoilers, and #mare's mando recaps to the list.

I've seen the episode a few times (yeah, I'm that obsessed with the show) so some of my reactions are more visceral than others since I was too excited the few first times I watched it and I missed a lot of details (another reason to rewatch the episode more than once). This recap is loooooong, which is an indication of how amazing it was.

So this my final warning to those avoiding spoilers. Stop reading, right now. The rest of you… enjoy and let me know if you share some of my opinions. I'm always open to chat 😊

Chapter 9 ~ The Marshall

So it begins! It's so exciting!

I knew that Mando and baby Yoda walking in the street at night was going to be the opening scene. I started to think about it after watching the second trailer, and I'm glad that I was right.

It turns out that the red-eyed creatures were not jawas as I saw some people saying.

Baby Yoda was not happy with the little excursion to the fighting arena. Not walking on the streets nor inside watching the fight. I still laughed when he locked himself up in the pram, even if I've watched the trailer like a gazillion times by now and I knew he was going to do it.

And talking about the baby, he's getting more vocal I think. He's making a few new noises, whimpering more, which I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. That he complains more means that he feels safe with his buir and isn't afraid of retaliation for it as he probably was with others in the past and the reason he didn't cry much in season 1. But it breaks my heart that he is stressed. And that child is anxious, I can tell you that much.

The fight with Gor Koresh's thugs was awesome! The gamorrean flying to squash Mando and failing had me cracking up. And omg! Din'd moves! Using his helmet as a weapon and throwing his vibroblade. And leaving Gor Koresh to be eaten! Man of his word, he didn't kill the guy.

On a side note, I would've never guessed it was John Leguizamo who gave voice to Koresh until I saw the credits. Of all the actors who could play the part, I never thought of him.

Umm, I'm curious about the time Mando has spent in Tatooine, which according to him it's been a lot and it makes sense since he knows so much about the Tuskens, their language and culture. I'm guessing he spent a while among them. He had to learn all that somehow. 

When I speculated that Mando was going back to Tatooine after watching the trailers, I said that I was going to riot if he didn't visit his favorite mechanic. Thankfully, I didn't need to worry. I loved Peli in episode 5 of season 1 and I loved her even more now remarking on Din's dislike of droids and trying to keep the baby for herself. Not to mention she complaining about not getting good help these days 🤣

And I ADORE the (improvised?) Birikad Din got for the baby. Of course, the baby is safer in the pram, right (guessing that's why he used it when he met Gor Koresh), but there's something sweet watching him carrying his son so close to him.

And I tell you, Mando has been spending credits lately in baby stuff. I mean, he got a new pram (which I initially thought it was the original that he had somehow retrieved from the garbage in Nevarro, but no, it's not the same, and neither it's the one that Kuiil made) and he also got the bag/birikad thing, which looks brand-new. I wonder what else he bought.

Watching the droids doing maintenance of the Razor Crest makes me think it's all for nothing, knowing that in a few episodes (it might be even in the next one) Mando is going to crash the ship. More than once perhaps.

😆 The baby still loves speed! I think riding on the speeder bike was the only moment that he truly enjoyed in this episode. Look at that happy face 

When they arrived at Mos Pelgo and Din went into the cantina, leaving the baby outside, I was like: Din! That's not responsible. How can you leave your son out in the inclement sun, alone! Then baby Yoda peeked in and I went: never mind. I take back what I said.

Oooh. Cobb Vanth! I love him! For a moment, I thought it could actually be Boba but it seemed illogical and that's what Mr. Feloni and Mr. Favreau wanted us to think. I was correct.

My gawd! Din's shock when Vanth took the helmet off. I just knew he would freak out the moment Cobb asked for drinks and I said to drink they need to remove their helmets and Mando is going to lose it when this guy does. And the standoff! Was so good! "Take it off or I will" is going to become a quite popular phrase in fics from now on, not in the same context, but yeah…

The krayt dragon… oh shit! Or rather Dank farrik! We can't see Mando's face or expression but I can imagine which one was when he saw the dragon eating the bantha the first time.

Oh my goodness. The baby hiding in the pot! Too adorable! 

I know every hardcore SW fan lost it watching Vanth modified speeder because is a callback to the Phantom Menace and Anakin but my first thought was: is he compensating for something? Sorry, I couldn't help it 

The dog-lizard creatures were kinda scary at first but then became adorable. Almost as much as baby Yoda getting out of hiding

Baby Yoda doesn't like dog-lizards things. He looked afraid to be eaten I think. Poor little guy.

And look at that! Din showing such growth! To think he was the one incensing others in negotiation 😆 this is a total callback to the jawas in Arvala-7. And I gotta tell you, Din freaking loves his flamethrower. He doesn't waste the opportunity to use it.

The krayt dragon eating the Tusken raider instead of the bantha was quite of a plot twist 😆

When they were planning the attack on the dragon, Cobb Vanth's face when Din told him that the bones and pebbles were to scale, and then when he had volunteered the villagers to help… priceless! 

I like the fact of banding together with others for a greater good, relying on others to accomplish something is going to continue being the theme of this season. It started last season but I think it's going to be stronger this time around along all of the episodes.

😳😲😳😲 this thing vomits acid?! What. The. FUCK?!!!

Cobb: I don't think it's dead

Mando: me neither

Me, at the same time as Din: yeah, nope it's not dead

Oh yeah! Teaming up with jetpacks!

When they showed the bantha with the remaining explosives my first thought was why didn't they use all those before?! That's why they didn't kill it!! Of course, it was just an excuse to grant Din a more grand win in the end, but you know, it's stupid not to use everything you have to kill the monster on the first try. Just saying

Wait, what? Din! What are you going to do? No! Taking care of the child is your responsibility, not Cobb Vanth's! I hate this plan of yours, Din Djarin!! Whichever it is!

Oh! Nice callback to the flaw on that jetpack. But makes me wonder, do all the rising Phoenixes have the same flaw? Cuz unless Din knows Boba in person and that it's his armor with that particular flaw, it means it's a common problem for all and I don't like it.

Get away, Din! Get away, Din!! FLY AWAY!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH! NOOOOOO! 

There he is! Damn, Mando! Don't scare me like that! Altho, it was a nice move.

Okay, but now I want someone to explain something to me. If the dragon's acid melted people at contact before, how the hell is Din so whole? I mean, sure for argument' sake let's say his beskar armor provides some protection, but he's not entirely covered in it. His cape and undersuit seem just fine, albeit sticky. Where's the logic in that?

The tuskens getting the pearl reminded me of the jawas and the mudhorn's egg, chanting zukka, zukka (or however egg is spelled in Jawa).

That's quite a piece of meat. The baby is going to be happy eating off it for days🤣

😮😮😳😳 BOBA FETT!!!!! Yesssssss!!

Okay, I've seen other people's thoughts and some think that Boba was after Cobb Vanth because he had the armor, but I don't know. If that was true then why he hadn't gone to Mos Pelgo and got it? It seems to me that it's more likely that Boba is following Din somehow because it's the second time in as many Mando's visits to the planet that they sort of cross paths. Could they know each other? Have some score to settle? It's possible. Din has spent much time on Tatooine -his words, not mine- so it wouldn't be so out of consideration that they actually know each other. That if Mando knows Boba is (fake?) Mando, I don't know. Probably not, but who knows?

Extra thoughts

I gotta say that Ludwig Göransson is killing it with the score music! Oh. My. God! So so so so good! I could tell from the trailers that it was going to be awesome this season but it astounded me in chapter 9. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! My favorite piece is when they're going to the dragon's cave to kill it. The orchestral sound of the already familiar music blew my mind!