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nikethestatue · 1 year

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Princess Tea Party

Summary: Single father Azriel Night and his son are invited to a Princess Tea Party where they meet single mother Elain Archeron and her daughter. Will sparks ignite between the two singletons or will their histories catch up with them and stop them in their tracks?

Elain Archeron Week 2023 'Dreamer' @elainarcheronweek

For Dragzilla and Orio, who were my light in the darkness

Chapter One

Azriel Night

“Dada…dad…dada…wake up! Wake up, dada! We have to go! Wake up!”

Azriel Night was already kind of awake, though he lay in bed with his eyes closed and pretended to be deep asleep. His son’s solid, but soft body bumped along his, and he listened to the laboured grunting that his son emitted, as he tried to climb onto the bed. Azriel did not assist him, because his baby boy wouldn’t want him to, but he opened his eye just a little, to watch the struggle. And the struggle was real. The short little legs couldn’t reach the edge of the bed, so the short little arms were grabbing at everything in sight, as his baby was attempting to pull himself up. Azriel moved his arm just a little, and his son grabbed on immediately, not recognising that dad threw him a lifeline.

“You need help, big guy?” Azriel asked at last, to which he immediately received an unequivocal,

“No dad! I do it.”

“Okay…Your tongue is hanging out,” Azriel noted, trying to stifle his laughter.

The baby’s brow furrowed and he asked, “what?”

“Nothing, nothing. Come on, a little more,” he encouraged and somehow, as it always happened, the kid was able to finally climb on the bed. He was panting dramatically with exertion, though that didn’t stop him from immediately demanding, “dada, let’s go!”

“Where are we going to go, Dari?” Azriel asked, stroking the small round head, running his fingers through the silken curls. “It’s seven in the morning.”

“To party!” Darius nodded confidently. “We go today.”

“We will,” Azriel assured him, “but it’s a little early. The party is at 3 o’clock.”

Darius frowned and inquired, “when this be?”

“In a few hours. Meanwhile, do you want to have breakfast?”

“Yeah, I wanna eat,” the baby nodded. “All stuffs.”

Azriel smiled—all stuffs indeed. His barely 3-year-old son looked like he was pushing six. He was big, robust and yet, still full of baby rolls. His fatty arms looked like those of a Michelin Man, and the soft, pinkish cheeks puffed out in a way that absolutely required that they be pinched.

“Dada what we do at party?” Darius asked, his gaze curious. As it stood right now, this would be his first party.

“Have some treats,” Azriel explained. “Fun. Maybe music.”

“Baboons?”

“Don’t know about balloons, but maybe.”

Azriel would’ve wanted for his boy to have had other party experiences, but up until about 4 months ago, life’s been hectic.

He clicked a button on his phone and the shades on his floor-to-ceiling windows slowly rose, revealing a beautiful view of Denver’s Washington Park. Another cloudless day. That was one thing that Azriel loved about his new residence—300 days of sunshine. Blue skies. Cloudless mornings such as this just about every morning.

He’d plunked down about half a million on this penthouse, snatching it right after the pandemic for a steal. Now the place appraised for 1.3 million. He couldn’t complain. It’s the least he could expect, considering that he had to move to Denver. From NYC. Denver. Provincial and unexciting Denver, full of bearded men, flannel, and entirely too many Subarus. But his only living and close relative made Denver his home, so he packed Darius and just…moved. Without looking back. Ripped off the band aid and started a new life. And he couldn’t complain, if he was being honest. Denver’s proven to be kind of nice. It was chill and green, and though unlike his brother Cassian, he wasn’t insanely enamoured with the mountains and the bicycling and skiing and snowboarding, he came to enjoy the slower lifestyle.

They walked around Wash Park every evening, and Darius fed the ducks and chased birds like a savage. Ladies in running gear with calves of steel and 3% body fat gave Azriel and Darius curious and often very needy glances. But Azriel knew that he only looked good ‘on paper’. He might’ve been pretty good looking, tall and athletic, with sleeves of tattoos and the cutest, chonkiest kid in the world, but he was also a single father to just-barely a 3-year-old. No one really wanted a guy with a kid. Because Darius was always going to be his priority, and no woman could ever take precedence in his life over his son. And women needed and wanted attention. Which was fine. He was doing well without them. He was busy creating fun routines and experiences for his son. Their fancy building had three pools, a game room, a bocce court, a ton of grilling spaces, chefs who came to give cooking lessons, and a playground for the kids located on the 30th floor. Darius fucking ate it all up—he loved the pool, he loved all the games, he liked to watch the chefs, because they usually called him to the counter and asked him to ‘help’, which he did eagerly. The kid wasn’t exactly shy. And he adored attention and all the oohing and aahing that came from the audience.

There was a coffee shop where the two of them went on weekends, and a couple of times a month, they had brunch with Cassian. They had their little Italian place where the pasta was handmade and the atmosphere was nice, and they dined there a few times a week.

Azriel knew that Cass was happy with having him and Darius around now. It felt like they were a family again, and that was nice. And even though Azriel was unsure at first whether he’d made the right decision about moving here, he was beginning to realise that perhaps, it was actually for the best.

A week ago Darius started preschool. He only went 3 times a week for 3 hours a day, but even that had Azriel spiralling. He’d never been apart from his boy, so he spent half an hour in the car, after he dropped his baby off, and actually fucking cried. He cried. It wasn’t his proudest moment, but Darius was Azriel’s entire life. His love. So watching his boy walk away just about broke him in half. Thankfully, a little girl skipped towards his son and started saying something animatedly, before taking him by the hand and tugging him along. And Azriel was grateful to the little girl, somehow trusting her to take care of his boy. So, Darius went off with a new friend, and Azriel went back to the car and cried. The second day was a tad easier, because his boy gave him the tightest, warmest hug before he ran inside and whispered ‘love too, dada’. Azriel only cried for 15 minutes afterwards.

…They brushed their teeth and washed their faces together, side by side, and then Azriel brushed Darius’s thick, black curls until they shone.

“We have to shave, dada,” Darius reminded him seriously, standing on his stool, somehow already wet up to his shoulders.

“Yeah, we gotta look good for the party,” Azriel agreed, as he covered his face with shaving cream and then dabbed some on Darius’s chubby cheeks. His son fancied himself to be very old and mature, so he had a wooden ice cream stick, which Azriel told him was his ‘blade’, so he could ‘shave’ with it, which resulted in Darius smearing the shaving cream all over his face with the stick.

“I shave good?”

Azriel dragged his own razor over his cheek, wondering why he was even bothering, since it was the weekend, but whatever.

“You are an ace shaver, bud,” he said. “You’ve got the smoothest cheeks!”

“Uncle Cass have a beard,” Darius announced. Uncle Cass also had long hair and rocked the mountain man look so well, and he got laid multiple times a week. Azriel didn’t have a beard, nor as much game as his brother. His lack of any kind of love life was an endless source of pestering on behalf of Cassian, who constantly volunteered to babysit, so Azriel could get out and hit the clubs. Or bars. Or the gym. Or anything. The idea of it all made Azriel slightly nauseous. He was completely unmotivated to pull anything or anyone, and though he feared that his dick might actually wither and fall off from lack of use, it was not enough motivation to go and get laid by some random girl. He wasn’t boring. He just didn’t want to do it. He was a solitary man by nature, and while his 20s were pretty wild by all accounts, he had no desire to relive any of it.

“Maybe you’ll have a beard one day too.”

Darius nodded and added, ‘like Cass! I want it.’

Azriel dried his soaking wet baby, and then they walked down the corridor to the kitchen.

“What do you want to eat, bud?”

Darius climbed onto his highchair and proposed ‘cookies’, definitely testing the waters.

Azriel chuckled and told him ‘nice try’.

Darius frowned, and then propped his cheek on his hand and demanded, “what then, dada?”

“How about eggs? Or oatmeal?”

“Okay, I eated eggs,” he decided, while Azriel poured him some juice. Settled in, Darius—who, unlike his father, was rather talkative—asked, “so what we do at party, dada? It’s fun? Is Cass gonna come?”

Since Cassian was literally the only other person that Darius knew with any degree of familiarity, Cassian featured quite often in all his questions.

“We’ll see. I am not sure,” Azriel admitted honestly, as he cracked the eggs into a bowl, at which point, Darius demanded, “I do it, dada! Give it.”

Azriel handed him a whisk and the bowl, saying, “Do it carefully, without splattering. And no, Cass isn’t coming.”

“Why no?”

“Because he wasn’t invited. Only you were invited,”

“Oh yeah,” Darius smiled happily. “Only me.”

“And I don’t think that Cass would do good at a Princess Tea Party,” Azriel said thoughtfully.

A Princess Tea Party is in fact where they were invited.

Yesterday, when Azriel came to pick Darius from preschool, Darius ran to him all excited, his shirt askew, his hair messy, waving a piece of paper in his hand. He ran into Azriel’s arms, and gave him a long tight hug, almost suffocating him. Which was totally fine by Azriel.

“I miss you, dada!”

“I missed you too, my boy. Was the school good?”

“Yeah, I love. Here dada, you read it,” Darius handed the paper to him.

Azriel took a surprisingly nice quality paper and unfolded it. It was an invitation.

You Are Cordially Invited

Isabella Archeron’s Princess Tea Party

Dress in your prettiest attire and prepare to enjoy delicious pastries and yummy tea

“Who gave this to you?” Azriel asked, confused by the invitation. Why was Darius invited to a Princess Tea Party?

“Girl!”

“What girl?”

“She is friend,” Darius said confidently. “Isa. She nice. I love it.”

“You like her?” Azriel straightened his son’s shirt, and then took his hand.

“Yeah, she is so good. What this paper, dada?”

“She invited you to a party tomorrow.”

“Ohhhh!” Darius looked at him with a giant happy grin and yelled “we go, dada?!?! We go to party?! I want it so!”

“You’ve never been to a party,” Azriel reminded him reasonably. Darius skipped by his side nodding in agreement, while saying, “but I wanna go.”

“To a Princess Tea party?” Azriel confirmed.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Alright. I suppose we can go. It will be mostly girls, you know,” he warned him.

Darius shrugged and said, “okay. I like girls.”

Darius was too young to have friends, and up until they moved to Denver, there wasn’t even much family to speak of. Now, at last, he had an uncle that he adored, and he was going to school where he was meeting other children and forming some kind of relationships with them. But he also had no prejudices and Azriel would’ve liked to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Elain Archeron

The doorbell rang once, almost immediately followed by a firm knock.

Elain Archeron hurried to the door, with her daughter Isabella skipping excitedly behind her. The rest of the girls were already in the den, giggling and putting on plastic tiaras and costume jewellery.

“Ma, who is it? It’s Dari?” Isa asked, rocking on her feet, her already huge eyes lighting up with happiness.

“I don’t know, let’s see,” Elain smiled and opened the door.

She gasped and immediately stepped back. A veritable giant stood on her porch—a man so tall, he blocked out the sun. He was dressed in all black—black jeans, expensive by the look of them, stylish black boots, a thin black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up and showcasing powerful forearms covered in tattoos and extensive scars. Besides this whole ‘sexy/dangerous/brooding/hot’ package that he was presenting from the very get-go, the man was…breathtakingly beautiful.

Elain stared dumbly at him.

Who was this? And why was he here? And she had six girls in the house. And ohmagod what was she even wearing? And why was she worrying about that? And how was her hair? And was there a smear of icing or powdered sugar on her face? Who was he? Why was he so handsome? He looked like a cross between an Armani model and someone from the set of Sons of Anarchy. Tattoos? She didn’t even like tattoos! Why was she looking at a tattooed man?! Why did his tattoos extend to his neck and why did she want to see them when he was without his black t-shirt? And how can a t-shirt stretch like this over a man’s shoulders anyway? And for the love of god, why was there a Maybach parked in her driveway?!!?

Yes, that was a thing too now. A Maybach in front of her modest craftsman. It looked about as inconspicuous as a peacock in a chicken coop.

“Azriel,” the man said, his voice sexual and quiet.

“Yes.”

Yep, that’s what she went with. Yes. And then, she blurted out,

“I am not Azriel.”

“I would’ve guessed,” he smiled an amused smile that was breathtaking in its beauty.

Elain was literally hyperventilating.

The man’s gorgeous amber eyes regarded her slowly and thoroughly. Very, very thoroughly. He studied every inch of her, taking everything in, calculating and chronicling something in his mind as he looked her over.

What was she wearing?!?! She absolutely could not recall and couldn’t look down to check, because that would just be weird.

“I am Azriel,” he clarified.

“Okay.”

“Are you,” he paused for a second, “Isabella’s mother?”

Elain finally managed to snap out of her stupor and nodded, “I am. Can I help you?”

“We are here for the Princess Tea Party,” he explained, and it sounded as absurd as it looked. Elain attempted to translate what he was saying inside her head.

“Dari!” he called out. “Come here…Oh my god, why did you rip that poor flower?”

The next moment, a most comical looking kid bounded over. He was…big. He was probably half a head taller than Isa, though he looked like a big baby. He was portly in a baby sort of way and had puffy, soft cheeks and a gently rounded body. He was also…beautiful. Lovely colouring, huge dark eyes with thick, long lashes, and perfectly arranged features. Basically, he looked like Azriel. Unlike Azriel, he also looked like an escapee from the set of Peaky Blinders. He was sporting a white shirt, wore a bow tie (no less!), Burberry pants with suspenders, and a chequered flat cap. He was a tiny little English stud muffin from the 1920s. In one hand, he held a flower, which he clearly ripped out of Elain’s flower bed. In another, he held a paper bag from Whole Foods.

The moment was interrupted by Isabella, who yelled ‘Dari! You came to my party!’

It finally dawned on Elain and she gasped, “oh my god. I am so sorry. You are Dari?” she squatted in front of the boy and stroked his shoulder.

“Yeah, I Daris,” he announced and then handed Isabella the flower, while she rushed to give him a hug.

“Dari thank you!” she chirped, taking the flower, which still had the roots attached and was sprinkling soil on the floor.

“This for you, lady,” he then handed the Whole Foods bag to Elain and Isa dragged him by the hand to the den.

Which left Elain in an enviable and highly nerve-racking position of facing the ridiculously handsome Azriel.

“His name is Darius, by the way,” Azriel chuckled. “We are still working on it…him remembering what his name is.”

Elain snorted a laugh, and then choked back a mortified huff. Azriel smiled. He still hadn’t crossed the threshold and she scrambled to invite him in.

“Please. Forgive my manners.”

“We weren’t sure what the proper attire was for a Princess Tea Party, so,” Azriel explained, as he finally stepped inside the house.

“He is the most stylish baby I’ve ever seen,” Elain laughed. “I mean, he is wearing suspenders and a bow tie!”

“Please, if you hold your sanity dear, don’t call him a baby!” Azriel warned with mock horror. “He tells me multiple times a day that he is ‘very big’,” he made air quotes with his fingers.

“May I then say that he is seriously adorable and maybe the handsomest very big boy I’ve ever seen. Suppose he takes after his father,” at that, she laughed nervously, silently berating herself for her stupid big mouth. It’s been five minutes and she is already calling this man ‘handsome’. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting like a complete freak in his company?

Azriel politely ignored her words and dutifully followed her inside the house, taking in her nicely updated craftsman. The kitchen was open to the living room, and from there, they could see the den, where six girls and one boy were currently squealing, laughing and giggling.

She sat the bag that Darius gave her on the counter, and turned only to see Azriel propping himself against the refrigerator, arms crossed on his wide chest, a smile on his full, beautiful lips.

God his lips looked delicious.

And what the hell was wrong with her?

She couldn’t stop herself, before her eyes slid to his hands. Covered in scars, and absolutely massive, she couldn’t help but wonder what his touch would feel like, what the texture of his skin was like. Oh yeah, and no ring.

“I don’t mind calling you ‘Isa’s mom’ if you’d like me to,” he said with a smirk, “but I would like a name to go with the beautiful face.”

Elain stopped abruptly, actually freezing in place at his words. He thought that she was beautiful? He just…said it? He just told her that she was beautiful?

“Elain,” she whispered at last. “Without an E.”

He frowned and clarified, “so Lain?”

“No. Elain, no E at the end.”

“Ahhh, sorry. Nice to meet you, Elain without an E.”

She laughed nervously.

He ate up so much space, her whole house seemed smaller. He was like a demonic presence, only the handsomest and the tallest demonic presence ever. She simply could not stop looking at him. It was physically impossible to avert her eyes. So she forced herself to at least open the bag,

“We weren’t sure what to bring,” he told her, “so we settled on bakery cookies.”

“Oh god, I love bakery cookies,” she moaned. How did he know?! Bakery cookies were her favourite treat. The one thing she always craved and went back for. One of a few things that reminded her of her childhood. The happier days of her childhood.

“Oh, well, then you and Darius can bond over your love for bakery cookies. I didn’t mean to buy so much, but then he had some strong opinions on the subject, so here we are…” he opened his hands apologetically.

Elain laughed.

“Darius has great taste, I’ll give him that. But you shouldn’t have…”

“No, we really should’ve,” Azriel insisted. “Your house is very nice. Homey.” He looked around, and Elain blushed softly. She took great pride in her home, in how she decorated it, in its elegance and it pleased her that he saw it too, even if he probably was just trying to be nice. “We don’t have many friends,” he continued, “we recently moved here, so this is…well, this is the first Denver outing we’ve come to,”

Swallowing hard, Elain decided that minute that she needed to rip off the band aid.

“You and…your wife?” he asked, not looking at him and trying to act nonchalant, as she began arranging the cookies on the platter.

Meanwhile, in the den, the party was in full swing, with all toddlers apparently dancing to ‘Dancing in the Dark’.

Azriel chuckled and commented, “this is quite the eclectic playlist,”

Elain smiled, noticing that he’d avoided the question.

“Springsteen…and ABBA before that. And was it Prince that was playing when we came in?”

“Isa made the playlist. She is an old soul.”

“A beautiful soul,” Azriel said. “She was the one who took Darius under her wing on his first day at school. It…meant a lot to me,” his voice dropped and when Elain glanced at him, she saw vulnerability in his expression. A softness that she didn’t see before.

Smiling, Elain began arranging tiny pasties on a tri-level platter. “Can I confess something?”

“Sure,” he approached the counter and said, “and while you are laying it all out for me, why don’t I help you? All the other moms bailed I am guessing?”

“Oh yeah,” Elain seemingly just realised that the kids were dropped off with her, and the moms indeed all bailed. “I guess they did…You can help by arranging the sandwiches.”

She placed a tray of perfectly neat finger sandwiches in front of him. Azriel washed his hands and then set to work.

“I thought Dari was a girl,” Elain giggled. “I am sorry.”

He chuckled. “It’s alright. I figured. Not often boys get invited to a Princess Tea Party.”

“Isa didn’t tell me,” she glanced at the children, and added, “but it seems like they are getting on very well.”

Darius and Isa were holding hands and dancing together. The other girls were dancing around them, all decked out in fake jewels and tiaras.

“Yeah, he is not allergic to attention or anything,” Azriel agreed with a shake of his head, as he smirked to himself.

“Oh, I should’ve asked if there is something Darius doesn’t like,” Elain worried. “Is he allergic to anything?”

“Does he look like he doesn’t like something?” Azriel raised a brow at her and she snorted a laugh. “He eats everything. But only normal, grown-up food. None of that chicken nugget shit or fries. I like for him not to develop any bad habits,”

“I am the same with Isa! We’ve never been to a fast-food restaurant!” Elain exclaimed, surprised that they seemed to share the same philosophy about their children.

“Does this look okay?” Azriel asked, pointing at the neat row of sandwiches.

It was surprisingly easy being with him. Despite his intimidating gorgeousness, Elain didn’t feel any tension, other than her own instant and debilitating attraction to him. But she figured that he was used to attention—99.9% of world’s female population were probably attracted to him. Yet he was capable, fast, and absolutely adept at being in the kitchen. Efficient. Also, he smelled so enticingly, she needed to hold herself back and not try to sniff him and appear like she’d completely lost her mind. But she did. She’d never been attracted to anyone like this. It was instant and so powerful that it actually concerned her. It surely wasn’t healthy that she fought the urge to run her hands over his strong forearms, or that she wanted to press her lips to his beautiful neck. Or rub her cheek against his. Or do other things which she didn’t dare think about now.

He was the type of aggressively masculine handsome male, with an aura of danger and rebellion about him that most women dreamt of. When they were married to their quiet, slightly paunchy, slightly balding account manager or operations supervisor husbands, they dreamt that a man like Azriel would suddenly appear, fall madly in love with them and sweep them off their feet. So it was surreal to watch him arrange finger sandwiches in her kitchen.

“Perfect! There is iced tea in the fridge, if you can get it,” she requested. “And fill the teapot.”

“This really is a perfect little tea party,” he complimented her, as he followed her orders.

Everything was finally ready, and Elain set all the platters and the teapot, a bowl with cubed sugar, another with jam and clotted cream for the scones, on a large tray and Azriel stepped forward and said, ‘allow me’. For that, she was grateful, because the tray was heavy and laden with food, and she whispered ‘thank you’ as Azriel picked the whole thing up easily.

“The tea is served!” she announced, “take your seats!”

The seven hyper toddlers gathered around the low coffee table and squeaked with excitement when Azriel arrived with the treats. He and Elain placed everything on the table, and then poured everyone their tea.

Darius was bouncing in his seat, clapping his chubby hands together, his tongue hanging out like usual when he was excited.

“Hey big guy,” Azriel bent and kissed his son’s head. “Are you having a good time?”

“Dada! I love it so much,” Darius roared with sheer ecstatic delight. “This party is so good!”

“You treating the girls nicely? You are being a gentleman?”

Nodding his consent aggressively, Darius said, “I be nice and good. I like dance and it’s fun.”

Meanwhile, Elain was instructing in the correct way of partaking in the tea, and everyone listened with rapt attention.

“Sandwiches first. Scones next,” she said. “There is jam and cream, if you’d like. Finally, pastries and cookies. Everyone behave like proper ladies and a gentleman, alright?”

Darius immediately reached for the scone, but Azriel stooped next to him and wrapped his arm around his son’s body and whispered quietly into his ear, ‘Dari, remember how Elain said to start with the sandwiches? You should do that,”

“Dada, I don’t want sandwich!” Darius pouted. “I want cake.” He mistook the scone for cake, and already held a spoon heaping with clotted cream. He was clearly liking being independent and making his own decisions.

“I think you should start with the yummy sandwiches,” Azriel proposed. “There is delicious chicken salad in this one, and egg salad in this…and I think it would make Elain very happy if you tried them first,”

Darius looked up at Elain, who was watching his dad closely, and nodded, “oh, okay. Lain, you want me to eat sandwich?”

She smiled and nodded, “I would love for you to try my sandwiches, Dari.”

“Okay, I eat it then.”

Azriel took one of the linen napkins and tied it around Darius’s neck.

“Dada, I don’t want bip! Why I have to have it?!” his son protested and Elain couldn’t help but smile at his indignation.

Azriel immediately said, “oh, it’s not a bib, Dar. It’s a napkin—it’s a must for High Tea!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, totally.”

Elain helped out and stated, “Absolutely. You ought to wear a napkin for tea.”

That seemed to placate him, and he left the napkin in place.

Azriel mouthed ‘thank you’ to her and she gave him a nod of understanding.

The way Azriel was with his baby boy was incredible. It’s not just Elain watching an attractive man with a baby that was making her ovaries explode. It’s how Azriel made Darius feel—heard. Azriel didn’t order. He wasn’t impatient or annoyed. He was kind and loving and Elain was awed by their relationship. In just about one sentence, Azriel could convince Darius of what he wanted him to do without any pressure or anger, and Darius was pretty happy to do it.

What Elain didn’t expect was what happened next. Azriel kissed the top of Darius’s head, leaving the kids to their own devices, straightened, and suddenly, extended his hand to Elain. She just stood there, not sure of what she was supposed to do, but then he stepped towards her and took her by the hand, tugging her gently alongside him. Elain followed.

His hand was massive. It was rough with scars, the palm easily covering the entirety of her hand, the fingers long and strong.

“I know the other parents dumped the kids on you,” he said, his voice low, as they returned to the kitchen. “And fucked right out of here,”

At that Elain laughed. Azriel cursing was kind of…funny.

“But,” he moistened his lips, as if he was nervous for some reason. “Do you mind if I stay here? For the duration?”

He looked almost unsure of himself, which was in great contrast to how he generally came off.

Elain didn’t even know how to answer. She wanted to shout ‘yes, OF COURSE YOU CAN STAY!!!’ but she settled for a more reasonable, “of course.”

He pursed his lips for a moment and then sat down on the bar stool by the counter, and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

“I…” he sighed. “I feel like I should explain,”

“No, you don’t have to.”

But he proceeded to tell her, “I’ve never been apart from Darius.”

Elain blinked and exhaled a soft ‘oh’.

He continued, “To answer your earlier question, no, I don’t have a wife and he doesn’t have a mother. It’s just me and him. Always been. Therefore, I am the definition of what you would call a ‘helicopter father’. I’ve never been without him since he was born, and I can’t…” he swallowed. Hard. His voice was dry. “Darius is my life. I had a nervous breakdown earlier this week, when I sent him to school. I sat in the car for the three hours that he was there, because I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I don’t know why I am telling you this. You probably think that I am mental,”

“No,” Elain said firmly, reaching for him and placing her hand on his. “No. I don’t think that at all. And I am not just saying that either to placate you.”

He glanced at her, his gorgeous hazel-amber eyes shining with an untold emotion. But it was his hand beneath her that made her own breath quicken. He lightly drew his thumb back and forth over hers, touching her lightly.

Now it was her turn to swallow.

But she managed to say, “Love is complicated. People don’t seem to understand how complicated parental love is sometimes. Especially when you don’t have anyone else to share it with and it’s all on you. To be the sole provider of all the love and support and kindness to your child,”

“I guess there is no Mr. Elain Without an E at the End then,” Azriel huffed under his breath.

The comment made her blush, but she nodded curtly.

“There isn’t.”

He exhaled what could be described as a relieved sigh.

“You are pleased?” She challenged him.

He hummed to himself and said at last, “it’s not that I am pleased, per se. But I don’t hate the idea of you being single.”

Now breathless, Elain whispered, “why?”

There was a long pause.

The silence was interrupted by the exclamations, giggles and conversations taking place in the den. Sinatra was singing ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. The house smelled of pasty and lemons.

“Because you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he said at last, his eyes boring into hers. There was no pretence in his expression. No falseness.

“We’ve just met,” she mumbled, her heart beating so hard, she was sure that he could probably see it. “You can’t say such things to me.”

“Why not?” his gargantuan hand migrated from underneath hers on top of her palm, and he lightly stroked her pulse, and then her wrist with his fingers. “You are. Exceptionally beautiful. You aren’t what I expected to meet when I came here for the Princess Tea Party. Your lovely, kind daughter isn’t what I expected either. You are both kind and welcoming and funny.

“I’ve wasted a lot of fucking time, Elain. So much time spent on the wrong relationships, on women who didn’t deserve my attention, on people and things that brought me nothing in return, but took up a lot of space in my head and sucked out a lot of my energy.

“And then I got Darius and I realised that life’s too short for half-truths and waiting. So I am direct. You might not like that and I get it. But I am what I am. And if I think that you are beautiful, then you are.”

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. She was considered beautiful, it wasn’t exactly news, but she hasn’t been called that before. Not to her face, not by a man such as Azriel. Older people waxed poetic about her ‘pre-Raphaelite’ features. Her golden hair. Her expressive eyes. Her strawberry-and-cream complexion. However, modern men didn’t appreciate the delicacy of her features. They wanted the overly-done, spackled Instagram ‘influencers’. And Elain wasn’t that. Though she was an Instagram influencer.

“And you being single,” he continued, “opens up a world of possibilities for me.”

“What sort of possibilities?” she murmured, her heart pounding in her chest. Was he for real? Did he really find her…attractive? Desirable? It wasn't impossible, but it was so bizarre that she couldn’t really wrap her mind around the fact. Simply because Elain was never desired by anyone before.

He drummed his fingers on the counter and searched for some truth in her face, for something that only he was privy to. Naturally he avoided her question, like he did the marriage question before and she had a feeling that he’d answer it in due time.

“Do you want to eat?” he asked suddenly.

“Sorry?”

“Eat. Do you want to eat something? While our kids are gorging themselves on pastries, do you want to eat something more grownup? I can make us something,” he offered.

This was the most confusing man Elain’s ever met. He got up and went to the refrigerator, acting like he’s been here a million times before.

“What do you feel like?” he asked without looking at her. Then he turned around and said, “let me guess…” he seized her up, while she crossed her arms on her chest and stared down at him.

“I think…” he tsked, still considering something in his head, “I think you look like a girl who’d like a nice big salad with everything.”

Elain’s mouth popped open into a surprised ‘O’.

“How,” she began saying, but he cut in,

“How did I know that you’d like a nice salad? I have a gift, lovely Elain. I see things. Things that others miss,”

“What do you do?” she demanded, now worried that he was some unsavoury character who was trying to fleece her for information, though it was preposterous. He was driving a Maybach! What did she have that he could possibly want or need?

Meanwhile, Azriel began pulling out lettuces, herbs, a red pepper, jalapenos, scallions and olives from the fridge.

“I mean, are you going to tell me that I am wrong?” he teased, as he piled the greens on the counter, “you have four varieties of lettuce, you have a daikon radish, you have two…no, three bags of various kale, what the hell is that? Spirulina?! Who has spirulina powder?!”

“I have spirulina!” she almost shouted, but he was laughing.

“Oh, chill, beautiful, I love the variety!” He then grabbed tomatoes, a jar of hearts of palm, and a bag of shelled edamame from the freezer, as well as a bunch of radishes. “I mean daikon? Seriously?!”

“I love daikon!” she exclaimed.

“Clearly…”

Still pouting at his humorous critique, she nevertheless got up and went to the walk-in pantry, before returning a minute later with a large platter.

And all the while, she’s been thinking about how he called her ‘beautiful’. Like it was the most natural thing for him to say. Like he actually thought that and meant it.

“Do you always come to strangers’ homes and start cooking for them?” she inquired tartly, though she definitely didn’t mind watching him take his hoodie off and expose his monstrously gorgeous physique to her in his form-fitting black t-shirt.

“No,” he said simply, as he lined a cucumber on the cutting board and diced it like a professional chef–fast, with precise, perfect movements, which produced perfectly uniform cubes of cucumber. “But then you aren’t a stranger. And I don’t want to be a stranger to you.” He looked up from the cutting board and his luminous eyes bored into hers. “And I think it’s quite normal for a man to want to feed his woman,”

His woman?!?!

Internally screaming, Elain was now panting like a golden retriever. She had no words. Just emotions.

His woman.

His. Woman.

What?

How did she become his woman?

Oh, and the bastard knew that he was completely throwing her, judging by his indecently sexy smirk, as he began on the radishes, but he played it so cool…just so cool, and continued as if he didn’t just say something totally outrageous.

“You know, we’ve been killing mammoths back in the day,”

“Of course, and you remember, huh?” she finally managed to ask.

“I remember that it’s my pleasure and honour to provide you with a little sustenance. Why the veg though?” Now he was curious.

Elain, discombobulated emotionally and psychologically, needed a moment to gather herself and her thoughts. He was giving her the biggest whiplash of her life.

He went from stroking her hand, to calling her ‘beautiful’ as an endearment, to telling her she was his woman, to now raiding her fridge and making them a salad all in a span of less than 20 minutes.

This was more excitement than she’d experienced in the past 3 years!

She looked down, her hands cupped on her lap. She finally recalled what she was wearing–a pretty white boho dress with some white embroidery and a generously revealing neckline. Okay, she didn’t know that he would storm into her life and turn it upside down when she was dressing for the tea party. But it also didn’t escape her entirely that he admired her dress and perhaps some other things more than once.

“I was an overweight child–which in my mother’s eyes was the greatest sin imaginable–while my two sisters were willow thin. Up until I was about fifteen, my relationship with food was messy, mostly because of the fat shaming that my mother subjected me to,”

Azriel did not pause his slicing and dicing, but his brow was deeply furrowed with a grim expression. He didn’t comment though. And Elain didn't know why she was telling him these personal, painful things.

“Anyway,” she shrugged it off, and concluded, “I decided that I wanted to change my attitude towards food. I no longer wanted to punish or reward myself with it. I simply wanted to eat and be healthy. And I discovered that I loved vegetables. Changing how I ate, how I thought, how I viewed myself gave me a new outlook on life–vegetables, fruits, sunshine, walks, gardening–it gave me energy, strength, and a better attitude.

“And when I had my daughter, I swore that I’d instil her with confidence and a much brighter and healthier relationship with food.”

Azriel dumped the first batch of sliced and chopped veggies into the bowl, and began on the rest of the ingredients. The salad was already looking mouthwatering.

“The veggies paid off,” he said at last, looking at her. “You are stunning.”

At that, Elain gasped and he smiled at her.

“Please don’t bother protesting,” he ordered.

She slapped her hands on the counter, and then announced sternly, “Okay, I can’t take anymore compliments!”

Azriel barked a loud and amused laugh.

“You’ve reached your compliments quota, beautiful?”

“Tell me about Darius,” she demanded, ignoring the ‘beautiful’ quip.

“Darius? What do you want to know? He is not exactly very complicated,” Azriel chuckled.

Elain insisted though. “No. I want to know about you and Darius. What happened to his mother? Where is she? Tell me.”

Azriel hummed and Elain wondered if she’d pushed him too far. She really had no right to ask him personal questions. He’d asked her about vegetables and she then suddenly developed verbal and emotional diarrhoea. It wasn’t his fault that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. But she didn’t have to ask him about his kid.

“Where she is,” he suddenly answered, “I have no idea.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed, remembering something and then said,

“Honestly, when I said that Darius is my son, I meant it. He is mine. He is my baby, my friend, my son. It’s me and him. There is no mother,”

“Oh, was he born via a surrogate?” it dawned on Elain that that might have been the case, but Azriel shook his head and huffed a bitter sort of snort.

“No. Not at all. His mother is a famous model–now more known with her erratic behaviour and alcohol binges than her career–but when I knew her, she was in her prime. We had a very, and I mean, very fleeting relationship,”

He began salting the salad, squeezing lemon all over, swishing a healthy helping of olive oil on top and then began tossing it with two spoons.

“I don’t know…I hardly even remember hooking up with her,” he admitted and that made Elain squirm in her seat a bit. Azriel talking so openly about his sex life was unsettling. It also made something pinch inside her chest. Something unpleasant and sharp.

Jealousy.

She had no right to be jealous, and it was an irrational feeling towards a man she just met, but she couldn’t help herself.

“I dunno,” he leaned on his elbows and propped his cheek, thinking. “Like I said, there isn’t much to say. One day–it was Wednesday, I remember that very well–my doorbell rang. I went to open it, and there she stood, with a tiny bundle in her arms. It was late April, but fucking cold outside, and all I saw was this tiny bare foot that poked out of the blanket. And then a bare arm. And I was horrified that this kid wasn’t dressed for the weather.”

There was a touch of anger in his voice, but he pushed it down and then said,

“She literally handed me this bundle with a child in it and said that it was mine and he was three days old. She apparently came straight from the hospital? I am not sure why he wasn’t dressed better, but whatever. She told me that she couldn’t take care of ‘it’--she kept calling him ‘it’--and then she simply turned around and walked away. Oh, and she handed me his birth certificate. He was nameless too.

“That was a weird Wednesday,” he chuckled dryly.

Elain stared at him, horrified. This was the most insane story, considering that he and this mysterious model weren’t even in a relationship.

“And? Then what?” she whispered, her hand covering her mouth.

“And then what?” Azriel’s massive shoulders moved in another shrug, and then he straightened and expelled a heavy sight. “What do you think? Got a bit of a mental walloping. That’s some mindfuck, when someone suddenly hands you a baby! And says good luck. I didn’t even know the sex! I had no diapers, no formula, no clothes, no place for him to sleep–ah, I finally discovered that he was a he–no wipes, and oh, no freakin’ name! And I didn’t actually know that he was in fact mine. Plates?”

“What?”

“Where are the plates? It’s time to eat,”

She pointed to a cupboard, but also snapped, “you can’t just leave me hanging here! Tell me the rest of the story! Come on,”

He seemed entertained by her demands, and said, “well, if I tell you my story, you tell me yours too.”

“Fine! Not much to tell,” she muttered.

He looked at her, brow raised in a dare, and said, “you are absolutely telling me the story. And why someone like you isn’t taken. You legit have the perfect little house, with white trim and shutters, this perfect kitchen, perfect floors, and a white picket fence. Where is Mr. Perfect then? Not to mention that you have the most perfect beauty of a daughter!”

Elain smiled shyly and looked out to the den. From this angle, she could see Isa–her sweet, actually perfect little girl. Isa, with her pretty ringlets and her gorgeous soulful eyes, was someone who had the biggest heart and truly was one of the best people she knew. It wasn’t because Isa was her daughter–some kids were assholes and their age didn’t prevent them from being that. But Isa was curious and smart, giving and friendly. Even without asking, Elain knew that Isa took it upon herself to befriend little Darius, and made him feel welcome in their school. Darius seemed like someone who could stand up for himself–his size alone would probably intimidate any bratty kid–but he was also young and innocent, and truly was still more of a baby than a child. He didn’t even know how to speak properly yet. And Elain figured that Isa wouldn’t let anyone hurt him.

“How did you get on with raising him?” she inquired at last.

Azriel meanwhile piled a good amount of salad onto a plate, and then speared his fork through it. Elain was a little surprised, and yes, miffed, that he didn’t give her any, but then she shouldn’t have expected him to serve her. He already cooked! That was enough.

Azriel stepped closer to her, but didn’t sit down, and towered over her, as he thrust the fork towards her mouth and whispered, “open up”.

Bewildered by the request, Elain just stared at him, completely confused.

“Come on,” he prompted her, pushing the salad against her slightly parted lips. She opened up and he pushed the salad inside, and smiled, watching her chew.

“What are you doing?” she asked at last, once she swallowed. This salad was freakin’ amazing! It was delicious. Perfectly dressed, with a delectable combination of textures and flavours.

“Feeding you,” he said simply and then took a bite of the salad himself, from the same plate, not changing forks or anything.

“Why?” she asked, feeling hot and bothered, and…sexual. Why was she so bothered by him? He was not the first man she’d ever come in contact with, but even despite his blatantly indescribable attractiveness this felt different somehow. It felt like a possibility. And Elain wasn't sure what to make of it. What exactly was she hoping for here? “I can feed myself, you know,” she added tersely.

“I am aware,” his tone was the same–calm and reasonable–”but I like the idea of feeding my woman.”

With that, he fed her another mouthful of salad, and she barely avoided choking on it.

“Your woman?” she repeated, her cheeks heating, her hands trembling on her lap. “Since when exactly did I become your woman?”

“You haven’t yet,” he answered patiently. “But I am hoping that that’s where this is leading. For now, though, you will be my good girl and let me feed you. Now, open up,”

The words ‘good girl’ scrambled Elain’s insides into an absolute frenzy–there was fluttering, squeezing, palpitations, achy feels between her legs, and all sorts of engorgements…in various parts of her body. And the bastard knew and saw it all, judging by the satisfied, salacious smirk on his disgustingly perfect lips.

This was either the worst or the best Princess Tea Party in history. Elain wasn’t sure which one it was. She also didn’t know what to do with this man. Was he everything that she’d ever dreamed of and hoped for? Probably. But now, faced with an actual man of her dreams, she was stumped. She wished that her sister Nesta was here to help out and try to figure this out, and what her next steps should be, but she was all alone facing this sublime beast of a male.

But, no…

Azriel leaned back on his forearms on the counter, eating lazily, and feeding her, though he still towered over her, even in this position. There was something dominating about his stance, but Elain didn’t find it in herself to care. He also didn’t seem to expect an answer from her–he simply fed them both, and then went back to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of Pinot Grigio and poured them both a glass.

“Dada! Dada!” they heard the familiar call, and the next moment, Darius sprinted into the kitchen, his face smeared with chocolate and jam, his black curls kind of wild atop of his round head.

He stopped and then extended his chunky hands, a small cake in each palm.

“Dada, I bringed cakes for you,” he explained. “And Lain too. You eat it,” he nudged them, and then dropped the cakes into their outstretched hands.

“Aww thanks big guy,” Azriel said softly, “you are the best boy.”

“Yeah,” Darius accepted the praise easily and didn’t argue. He was the best boy.

He stood on his toes and tried to see what the adults were eating.

“What you eat, dada?” he demanded.

“Salad,” Azriel said, and then offered, “you want some?”

Darius made a face and shook his head no.

“No, dada, no salad,” he frowned. “I don’t like it.”

“I figured,” Azriel chuckled and then fed some more to Elain. Darius observed them both, his head cocked to the side, watching.

“Lain, you love salad?”

“I do. Your dada made a very very delicious salad for us,” Elain said, while Azriel stepped closer to her and she was just about overwhelmed by the scent of masculine pheromones in the air. He smelled of cedar, sharp and crisp, and there was something so attractive about the scent of his skin that she fought the urge to moan out loud. It absolutely didn’t help that Azriel’s finger lightly skimmed over the side of her neck. Leisurely and with strange familiarity, as if he’d done this a million times before with her.

“Yeah, dada always make good stuffs,” Darius agreed, and Elain held herself together by a thin thread, trying not to alarm a toddler while she was mentally lusting over his father.

“How’s it going with you guys there?” Azriel asked.

“Is good!” Darius reported enthusiastically. “We eated all cakes and stuffs, I want milk and we gonna watch a movie.”

“Ahhh…got it. Can you ask Elain nicely for milk? And may I wash your face?”

“Oh, sorry Lain. Can I have milk please?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” she got up and poured him a glass of milk, while Azriel grabbed him under his arm and dangled him over the sink.

“I flied!” Darius yelled, spreading his arms, while Azriel tried to stifle a laugh at his antics, and Elain filled her palm with water and began washing Darius’s sticky face.

“Thank you,” Azriel whispered, while Darius attempted to thrust his arms under the faucet.

“Why are you so jacked up? No more sugar for you,” he warned his son. “Quiet time with the movie.”

“Yeah, I want movie,” Darius agreed. “Do plane, dada!”

Azriel sighed, while Elain laughed at the two of them and chased Darius’s face with a paper towel to wipe him clean and dry. Then Azriel lifted Darius with one arm all the way above his head, and Darius screeched loudly with excitement, as he flapped his arms.

All this commotion called the rest of the children to the kitchen, and Isa watched ‘the plane’ enviously, before saying, “I want this too!”

Azriel put Darius down and said, “Alright. I’ll give everyone a plane ride, while we get the movie going.”

“They can watch ‘Cinderella’ or ‘Snow White’,” Elain told him, while he lifted Isa high above his head and she yelled and hooted with delight screaming ‘mama, look at me!’ Everyone headed back to the den, and Elain watched Azriel with her daughter and it did something to her. Despite his size and his somewhat menacing appearance, Azriel was such a gentle man. He was incredibly thoughtful and good with children, and they seemed to trust him instantly. But there was something wild and untamed about him as well. Like he’d never been in the company of a female who domesticated him a bit.

“Lain,” Darius tugged on her skirt, and she looked down, and stroked her fingers through his hair. “Do you want hug?” he offered. “I give good hug. Dada say and Cass too.”

She grinned and nodded, “Yes, Dari, I’d love a good hug from you.”

“Oh good!” he opened his arms and she squatted, and he immediately threw his fatty arms around her neck. She wrapped him in her embrace and sat down, with him straddling her.

“Who is Cass?” she asked, gently rubbing his back, as he tucked into her body and pressed his face between her breasts.

“Cass is uncle,” he said, and then exhaled deeply, settling in for a hug.

Elain rocked him slowly on her lap, enjoying his (substantial) weight and his solid sturdiness. He was so much denser than Isa, yet she loved that he was still a baby. Elain loved babies and once in her life imagined that she’d have a large family–four, maybe five, children–a husband who’d love her and whom she’d adore. But none of it happened. Nothing’s happened the way she planned.

She pressed her cheek to Darius’s head and hugged him a little tighter. For some reason, her own failures made her sad. She was a lifegiver by nature–she loved children, baking, gardening, she loved watching things grow: flowers, plants, herbs and even bread. She loved to experience the mystery of creation, loved watching things blossom and grow and come to life. Even despite all the challenges, she loved her pregnancy, loved giving birth to Isabella and nurturing her every day of her life.

“Dari, what does your dad do?” Elain asked.

Darius thought for a moment and then said, “Dada make pictures.”

‘He makes pictures?” she repeated, a little uncertain about what he meant. “Like an artist?”

“I dunno,” Darius admitted with a sigh.

“No,” they heard Azriel’s voice. “I am a photographer.”

Elain looked up, lifting her cheek from Darius’s head and saw Azriel standing in the doorway, his arms folded on his chest. But it was his gaze that jolted her. His eyes were hungry. Ravenous. Like he was looking at his next meal. Elain froze under that gaze: the way his hazel eyes devoured her. Devoured her with his son in her lap.

“Well, I stepped away for ten minutes and he certainly found a way to make himself very comfortable.”

Darius didn’t even turn his head, firmly attached to every curve of Elain’s body.

“He wanted to give me a hug,” Elain explained.

“I bet he did,” Azriel chuckled. “I’d like to give you a hug too…”

He winked at her and Elain blushed as usual, because she did that a lot with him. Seemed to her that the kind of hugs Azriel wanted from her involved a lot less clothing and a lot more…hugging. Though she couldn’t say that she hadn't imagined how those huge scarred hands would feel on her naked skin–about a dozen times now.

“You wanna give Lain hug, dada?”

“I would. Run and watch the movie with the girls, big guy. It just started.”

“But I wanna be with Lain,” Darius protested, pouting. Then he finally tore his head away from her chest and looked up at her, “Lain, you wanna be with me?”

She stroked his soft fluffy cheek and kissed his little hand,

“I do, Dari. I like you very much, sweet boy.”

“Yeah? I like too, Lain. You and Isa. I like a lot.”

Then he finally climbed off her lap and rushed back to the den.

Azriel watched him, and then his eyes transferred back to Elain. He rubbed his chin and drew his thumb over his lower lip.

“Forgive him. He has no experience with women at all.”

“I understand. And it’s no problem. I already adore him,” she admitted. “And I want to give him hugs and kisses. He is too cute.”

“He is cute,” Azriel agreed. “My heart. Life of my life.”

Azriel moved smoothly, walking to the electric kettle and turning it on. Then he took out a couple of tea cups and set them on the counter.

“I have a few questions,” he said, busying himself with tea. His voice was firm, with a touch of demand in it. “And I’d like for you to answer them truthfully.”

“O-kay,” Elain allowed, squeezing her laced fingers together.

Azriel poured hot water over the loose tea leaves in a pretty English teapot and brought it to the counter. He sat down and stretched his long, muscular legs before him, relaxing into the back of the chair.

“Relax,” he told her.

“I haven’t been relaxed since you stepped into my house,” she blurted out.

“Why? Do I make you uncomfortable?” He looked serious, and a bit tense now.

She shook her head, “no. Not uncomfortable.”

“What then?”

“Confused.”

He didn’t respond and then poured them both tea, once it steeped long enough.

“You know how to make tea,” she commented, sort of puzzled by that. How would a man like this know how to make a proper cup of tea?

“Lived in London for almost four years,” he explained. “Learned there.”

Well, that explained it.

“Why are you confused?” he pushed.

“You are confounding,” Elain sipped her tea, trying to find something to do with her hands and being grateful for the cup.

“In what way?”

“Your manner…the way you seem to dominate the space around you. The way you are with me.”

“How am I with you?” he pressed, drumming his fingers slowly on the white quartz, his eyes never leaving her face.

“I am not sure. But unlike any man before. You are forward and challenging. But also thrilling. And I don’t know how to deal with you. I…I am not,” she sipped again, now burning her mouth, but terrified of admitting her truths to him.

“You’ve been dealing with me very well up to now,” he argued.

“Yet inside, I am dazed and confused.”

Suddenly, he reached towards her and his enormous, warm, rough palm cupped her cheek. She stiffened in place, almost clutching at the edge of the counter, but she didn’t want to look too dramatic.

“You don’t need to be confused. But I like that you are dazed,” he murmured, lightly brushing his thumb over her cheekbone. “God you are so fucking beautiful…” he gasped, as if disbeliving that fact. “I’d love to kiss you.”

She was feeling faint. Truly, if she was going to collapse now and faint like some 19th century damsel, she wouldn’t be surprised.

Who said things like these?!?!

“I…what? No. No, you can’t.”

“Why?” he inquired, his brow furrowed.

“I,” she felt like she was hyperventilating.

“Is there a man in the picture?” he asked then, his tone dry.

“No. No man.”

He smiled a quick, pleased smile.

“Then that’s good.”

Elain didn’t bother asking him about a woman in his life. It didn't seem like he had one. And his comment about Darius not being used to women only confirmed that. But, that wasn’t enough.

“What I am trying to say,” she whispered, while he still held her face in his palm, and his touch was gentle and warm, as he listened attentively, and in the background Gus the Mouse was singing a song, “is that I’m not experienced. Not at all,” she hurried, wishing to get this out. “I am…I don’t have experience with men. I am not experienced with sex. I don’t know how to do this,” she waved her hand between their bodies. “This fancy banter. This…You! I don’t know how to do you,”

“You can do me very easily,” he chuckled a husky, sexy chuckle. “I’d love for you to do me.”

“No, no!” she slapped his other hand in frustration. “You think I am kidding, but I am not! I am not kinky,”

“I didn’t say I was kinky,” he reminded her with that impossible smirk of his. “Why did you assume I was kinky? And what’s kinky, exactly?”

“That’s the thing!” she exclaimed in frustration. “I don’t know! I have Isa and my business, and that’s it. I don’t know the modern lingo. I don’t know what people are into. I am not into spanking and choking,”

“Seems like you do know what people are into,” he teased.

“I only know a little because I read books,”

“Naughty books, it seems like,”

But at last, he dropped his hand from her face, and she thought that he was annoyed with her, but he only covered her hands with his and squeezed lightly.

“Calm down and breathe.”

Elain realised that she was panting loudly, and she felt extremely hot. She was sweating beneath her dress, and her hands were shaking.

“Elain, please,” he said kindly. “Please…I am sorry if I’ve upset you. It’s not my intention at all. But you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,”

“I’ve only had sex once,” she shot out in one breath.

He had no visible reaction for a few seconds. Then, confusion. Then, he asked,

“You mean…wait…what do you mean? You,”

“Basically a virgin,” she admitted bitterly, hanging her head.

They were both silent for a few moments, before she continued,

“I was a senior in university–twenty-one years old. Almost twenty-two. Never had a real boyfriend. Never even been kissed other than by Bobby Sands when we were nine. And don’t tell me that I am ‘pretty and how could that be’,” she warned him.

“But you are pretty and how could that be?” he said immediately and she smiled weakly at him. He was smiling back.

“Anyway, I went to a party and met this guy Graysen Nolan–I mean, I knew who he was–he was a football superstar. He was the quarterback for the Buffaloes and he was at the party and he was paying me attention. Like, a lot of attention. And he was laughing with me and joking, and telling stories and slipping me Margaritas,”

“Did he rape you?” Azriel’s tone was deadly, and Elain saw that moment in his expression that he was capable of some dark deeds.

“No,” she shook her head no. “I was willing. I mean, I don’t know–he wasn’t violent. He wasn’t mean. But I was drunk. I mean, I guess I consented. I am not sure…”

“So he took advantage of you at the very least.”

“Yes. And he also took my virginity. Which I don’t even remember happening, or feeling it. I don’t even know if he took it entirely, to be honest. And he didn’t use a condom. And because I was a hopeless virgin, I wasn’t on any kind of birth control. And I guess I was too stupid to go to Walgreens the next day and get Plan B. Then three weeks later, I realised that my period was late. And late. And I was terrified, because things like these don’t happen, right? They don’t happen to good girls who are virgins. It couldn’t happen to me. I went and I got a pregnancy test and it was positive.”

“And you kept her,” Azriel said simply.

“I considered it. I really did. I considered getting an abortion and just chucking it off to a bad, drunk decision in college. But then I also always wanted to be a mother and as I thought about it, I was more and more petrified that somehow, I was given this option and if I didn’t take it, I might ever have it again. Looking back, it seems very juvenile…almost religious. And I am not religious at all.

“I think deep down, I just wanted to have her. I don’t think I could ever actually go through with an abortion.

“And as difficult as it’s been at times, I never regretted my decision. Never. I never thought what my life would have been without her…it just wasn’t an option any longer. And in some ways, some doors closed for me, but others opened. I became a caterer, and now I have a side business that does flowers as well, and I am doing…pretty good. Financially, I am more successful than I thought I would be.

“I started with making cakes and cupcakes and children’s parties and birthdays and anniversaries and then I began expanding further, and I have a hugely successful Instagram account, with recipes and videos. And that led to paid sponsorships and advertisements. So I don’t know how, but somewhere along the way, I became successful.

“But when I say that I am inexperienced, I mean it. I’ve only had sex once. And I got pregnant. And I’ve never been with a man since.”

He was back leaning in his chair, watching her, lightly licking his lower lip.

“So,” he said at last, “I have a question for you.”

Elain wiped her brow with her hand, feeling raw and exposed.

This was definitely the worst Princess Tea Party in history. Definitely.

“Yeah?” she breathed.

“Do you find me attractive?”

The question was not what she was expecting. Shocker. The least shocking thing about this was that he shocked her.

“I…what? Why are you asking me this?” she demanded.

“It’s a simple question,” he said calmly. “Am I attractive to you?”

YES. 10000% yes.

“Everyone would find you attractive,” she said instead.

“That wasn’t the question,” he reminded her.

He poured himself more wine from the open bottle and sipped it slowly.

“Because I find you very attractive. Beautiful, in fact. And I’d like to kiss you, at the very least,”

“No,” she gasped. “You can’t kiss me!”

He bobbed his head side to side, and then decided,

“Okay. Well, if you won’t let me kiss you, then can you climb on my lap so I can finger you until you come. Because I really, really want to watch you come.

“I think you’d come beautifully for me. And maybe then I can kiss you.”

The thundering shock that roiled the entirety of Elain’s body was unlike anything she'd experienced before. Because that could not be what she just heard. He could not have said these words.

She murmured, absolutely floored, “you did not just say this to me.”

“Oh no, I definitely did,” he insisted, without taking his crazy eyes off of her.

That’s what it was. He must have been insane. There was no other explanation.

“I did say it,” he repeated with that maddening calmness of his. “Because from the moment I saw you, I wanted to watch you come for me. Usually I am not this forward,”

“I find that hard to believe!” she hissed hysterically, but he ignored her,

“But I feel like you are a little sad, probably tired, and doing your best. And you haven’t been loved, or admired for a long time. And you deserve it. So, climb on my lap, while they watch the cartoon, and I will make you come.

“I am good at it,” he assured her needlessly.

“Oh, oh, oh,” she was trying to form a thought and failing miserably. “I am sure you are!”

“I am,” he confirmed. “If you prefer, I will gladly eat your pussy, which I am sure is as sweet as a strawberry…though for that, maybe we should go to the bathroom?”

Elain was shaking her head mutely.

She was lost. And her ability to speak was gone. As was her ability to think.

Who dared say such things to someone they just met?

“Well, Mr…I am sorry, I don’t know your last name,” she said, her voice trembling with tension and embarrassment.

“Night,” he offered sweetly.

“Of course. Mr. Night. This has been a very entertaining day. I’ve enjoyed meeting you, I think. But no, I will not sit on your lap and allow you to do…all that,” she waved her hand, refusing to actually repeat his words.

“I apologise if I embarrassed you,” he said seriously. “It was not my intention.”

She pursed her lips and didn't say anything.

“Truly, Elain, I guess I am sorry.”

She huffed, “You guess?”

“I mean, I am not sorry at all, but I suppose it’s the right thing to say under the circumstances. I am supposed to be contrite,”

Elain threw her hands up in the air helplessly.

“Why are you so weird?!” she cried out. “Do you just say the first thing that comes into your head and you have zero self-control?”

“I have plenty of self-control,” he argued. “I am not presently bending you over the counter and filling you with my dick. No matter how much I want to. No matter how much you want to.”

“I don’t want that!” she argued, but her voice came out kind of breathy.

“Okay. But you are lying. And maybe scared. But you definitely have given it some serious thought. I don't know much, but I do know when a woman wants me.”

He got up from the chair and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Here it is–I want you. Like, a lot. The way I haven’t wanted anyone probably ever. And if I am reading you right, and I think that I am, you want me too. But, now that I understand a little more about your background, I imagine that you’d prefer a relationship, as opposed to just a sweaty, hot, passionate fuck.”

Elain just blinked at him, while he continued,

“But I am not going to pressure you or go all crazy stalker on you.”

“Thank you?”

“Don’t thank me yet. Darius and I go for a walk in Wash Park, around the pond, every night at around 5:15pm. I get him nice and tired out for dinner and then hopefully, it will be quiet time for the night.

“Anyway, like I said, I am not going to pressure you into anything. But if you want to see me again–see us–then hopefully you and Isa will come and join us for a walk. And then we’ll go back to my place and I’ll cook dinner. And then, you can stay over. Or not.

“Like I said, I am not one to waste time.”

The movie was almost over, and Elain got up, straightening her dress.

Azriel stayed behind in the kitchen, watching her from his spot.

“Hey guys!” Elain greeted them. “Did you have so much fun?”

“Yes! Yes!”

“Well, I have a little parting gift for all of you,” she took something out from a little bag and announced, “friendship bracelets! You seven are all friends now, so choose a bracelet that you want to give your new friend.”

Little Darius got really confused by the instructions, taking a bracelet for himself, which he did not want to give up, and then someone else wanted it, so there was a decent amount of fighting that descended into tears.

Elain caught Azriel’s amused grin, as he watched the commotion, while cleaning up in the kitchen. He wasn’t helping her calm the masses, but he was washing the dishes, which was just as good.

At last, Isa gave Darius his bracelet and he was placated. Elain took his delightfully fat arm and wrapped the bracelet over the fold around his wrist. He was watching intently as she lined the clasps and closed the bracelet on his hand.

“Dada!” came the familiar call, and Darius took off, waving his arm around. “Dada! Look at! You love it? Isa give it to me.”

“This is a great friendship bracelet.” Azriel approved. “Who did you give yours to?”

“Tay!”

“Did she like it?”

“Yeah,” Darius nodded, twisting his hand and admiring his bracelet. “Now I have many friends.”

Moms started coming over right about then, to pick up their daughters. They all, without fail, gave Azriel curious, somewhat frightened, but very intrigued looks.

Meanwhile, Darius began cleaning up after the party, gathering all the spoons and forks, and bringing them to the kitchen without being prompted. Isabella followed suit, getting the cups, two at a time, while Darius returned to the den, and stacked the saucers and the plates in neat piles, tongue hanging out from concentration, while he stopped once in a while to admire his bracelet.

“Your son is unreal,” Elain whispered as she passed Azriel.

He chuckled.

“What is he even? A damn miracle kid,” she continued, though she avoided any other topics of conversation, especially those of a more intimate nature, and only stuck to admiring the adorable toddler.

Azriel was washing the dishes methodically, his inked forearms wet and glistening, and somehow, extra attractive right now.

“He does chores,” he said, while Darius ambled with three plates in his hands. “Somewhat badly, but he does them.”

“I think he does them perfectly!” Elain announced firmly.

Once the dishes were washed, dried and put away, Azriel wiped his hands and called, “Dar, time to go, buddy.”

“We can’t stay, da?” Darius asked sadly.

“I think we need to let Elain rest. She’s been working really hard and made this gorgeous party for you guys.”

“Yes! Thank you, Lain!” Darius yelled.

“You are welcome, sweet boy,” Elain stroked his head. “Go get your cap.”

“No friendship bracelet for me?” Azriel’s low, sexual voice was suddenly right behind her, and Elain jumped, realising that he was standing behind her. His face dipped lower and his nose made a long, gentle swipe along her cheek.

Heart pounding, she felt her nipples harden and Azriel’s proximity made her pant-y. She was stifling the urgent need to moan.

“I have one for you,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear softly. Then he reached and took her wrist in his huge hand, before slipping a plain silver band from his wrist, and closing it over hers. He wore a bunch of bracelets–mostly silver, some leather, some linked and knotted, others just bands, and this one was from his collection.

“Very nice,” he admired his bracelet on her hand and then stepped around, facing her.

They looked at each other for a long moment, his eyes hooded and warm.

He slowly lifted his hands and cupped her face between them.

“I was honest when I said that I would not push you,” he murmured huskily. “But until you tell me ‘no’ and until I hear it from your own lips that you are not interested, I will remain as into you as I am right now. Infatuated. Flabbergasted. You brought me to my knees without even trying. And until you tell me otherwise, I would want to fuck you and make you mine. I promise you that your tight little pussy will be mine. And this fucking glorious ass. And your pink mouth, which looks like a half-open tulip. I want every hole. Every crevice. Every damn fucking bit of you, down to your soul. And I will have it. Because we’ve been written in the stars, baby.”

He looked down at her, and just when Elain thought that he was going to kiss her, he softly pressed his lips to her forehead and then let go of her.

Darius arrived with his flat cap on his head and then he took Azriel’s hand.

“Bye Lain! Bye Isa. You be good.”

Elain, who could barely breathe since Azriel’s wildly inappropriate and heated words, only managed to nod, as she watched the father and son open the door and walk out.

To be continued

#elriel #elain archeron #azriel #azriel and elain #elain #pro elriel #elain x azriel #elainarcheronweek2023 #elainarcheronweek #Princess Tea Party #Elriel fanfiction #Elain Archeron fanfiction #ACOTAR fanfic #Modern AU

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daryfromthefuture · 4 months

Note

Dary, I would very much like to hear about the angsty miitopia au unfolding. :)

*takes a deep breath* Okay. I shall provide you with the basic information. This will take forever but I AM READY (just transferred a bunch of screenshots from my Switch to my phone to give visuals lmao)

Under the cut because this includes massive spoilers for Miitopia

Marty is the hero of our game, just a regular guy from a place called Greenhorne. He came to Greenhorne town only to find it attacked by the so called Dark Lord (who I made Edna in this game). Edna steals the faces off Miis and plants them on monsters so they gain power and fight Marty. Marty agrees to go on a quest to find and defeat the Dark Lord. So far, so good.

On the quest, he meets other Miis willing to help him. Those are Jennifer, Paul (from the Pinheads) and Linda. They fight and stuff (and rescue King Sam and Princess Lorraine as well as help Lorraine convince her dad to marry her childhood friend George instead of the prince Biff that Sam wants her to marry. Guys those roles were PERFECT for them I swear. George was spineless in this game and had the perfect color scheme, and Biff ws absolutely useless. 10/10 casting from my part), but as soon as they get to the next kingdom, the Dark Lord straight up kidnaps Marty's friends and he's all alone again :(

Here's some screenshots from the castle before we move on

Marty watching his parents. Yeah.

I said Marty was left alone? Well, not completely. He's not alone in spirit - because in Greenhorne, he has had an encounter with the Great Sage Doc, who has saved his life with his magic (you can see where this is going). Marty meets him again in Neksdor, as well as his new party members - Dave, young Emmett, and 1986B Jennifer (I was legit running out of BTTF characters because I had a lot of the townspeople be characters like Seamus and Maggie. And Clara is my horse. She's a purple unicorn. Oh and my quizmaster is Bill Nye which, also, is 10/10 casting. I am proud of myself)

In this new desert land called Neksdor (pun of "next door"), Marty and team fight a pharaoh before having to move on to the next kingdom. Oh and unhinged versions of my OCs because, again, I was running out of BTTF characters. I even gave Western Union Guy and Terry the car mechanic roles.

Edward Cobra.

Citizen Valley Jen being possessed

An impression of Neksdor (ft. Clara)

Next up, we had to go through the Realm Of The Fey, a fairy/elf kindgom. Once again, Edna kidnapped all my friends so I had to cast my OCs as new party members.

(absolutely no context screenshot but welcome Helen, Anthony, and Marion)

I cast server friends as the Fab Fairies because I SWEAr Bobby G doesn't have enough female characters in this franchise.

@bg-sparrow was the eldest Fab Fairy and I had to fight her as an owl. I'm so sorry BG lmao

After finishing off this kingdom, Marty got to head to Krakaton, where the Dark Lord hides out. His friends are once again kidnapped, and - much worse - Edna stole their faces, too!!

Marty discovers his friends with no faces and is absolutely devastated.

Enter the Great Sage.

The best part began: Doc joined Marty's team! Yay! Together, they went to rescue Marty's friends and had some endearing moments along the way :)

Look at them. They're buddies. I love them.

In the end of this mission, they manage to rescue all of Marty's friends and Doc leaves again. And now, we are approaching the final battle against the Dark Lord in Edna's castle retreat.

That battle was surprisingly easy and BOOM, Marty wins!! Congrats!

But the game is far from over. It turns out that Edns was in fact possessed by the so called Dark Curse, and now the Curse is looking for a new body. Naturally, it attacks Marty, being angry with him for defeating the Dark Lord.

And then Doc appears and saves Marty once again.

Sacrificing himself in the process.

Yep - Doc is a villain now. And he's even more powerful than ever before, due to his Great Sage powers. This is heavy, am I right?

Marty is absolutely heartbroken :( But Jennifer hypes him up jsgfdjhs

Now, Marty, his team and this kind dragon named Dominic have to chase Darker Lord Doc and defeat him to free the Great Sage

After Marty had to do a bunch of side quests collecting jewels that open the entrance to Doc's hideout, the Sky Scraper...

(More no context images)

...he stood in front of its gates, wondering whether he was making the right choice...

(I clicked No. Marty, being the selfless guy he is, did not think about himself afer a moment of consideration. It's funny, Marty never refers to the Darker Lord and Doc as the same person. It's so wholesome)

And now, here we are. I'm on my way to the final FINAL boss of this game, but this plot is absolutely destroying me. This Mii RPG game has no right to be this angsty like. Why.

As a reward for going through all this, have a sketch of them I made yesterday :]

I can't wait to rescue Doc from his misery 🫡 Thank you for reading, this game has me in a chokehold lmao

And thanks Nikki for the ask! It was fun rambling about all this

#back to the future #bttf #marty mcfly #doc brown #miitopia #ask reply #silly rpg game is emotionally destroying me #how did it get this far #also i had a bttf marathon yesterday so im already having big feelings #this is not helping at all but hey #its a good kind of emotional torture lmfao

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havin-fun-imagining-twd · 2 years

Text

A measure of reverence, Pt. 2

When - about an hour and a half after you and Daryl headed off for another day of searching for Sophia, the morning of season 2′s Chupacabra. Part 2 is somewhat heavier than Part 1.

What - you get to a boarded up house and something isn’t right about it. That reveal from ‘What were your nightmares about?’ starts to come to a head.

Who - You and our mangy hick. I attempted a whisper of sensual tension and yes, y’all fight

Perspective - POV Daryl, POV You only twice. He takes over completely in the next one.

Pronouns - she/her

TWs - strong language, arguing, discussion of break-in, a child walker spotted, Daryl makes a sexist comment because he’s still learning and unlearning

Word count - it’s shorter like the Part 1

Be sure to read - What were your nightmares about?, and Part 1 of course. Why not cannonball into the whole series by checking out the Masterlist, slowpoke?

but are there terrible pictures? - always!

.............................

Mid-morning

.............................

Him

He didn’t end up nabbing a horse, he and Y/N took the motorcycle instead. It was the road they were searching first and the bike was way faster. And he didn’t want to ask Dr. Farmer about borrowing a horse because Dr. Farmer was probably gonna say ‘no,’ and Y/N was like “Dude, don’t steal a horse like it’s the 1800s. Let me go ask for you?”

Except, she was all hesitant to get on the bike at first. Kept staring at the gas tank for some reason. He didn’t think riding scared her. Didn’t she mention she’d learned how?

At any rate, they were off within a few minutes of the horse/bike debate.

Once they got there, he walked the bike to reduce the noise and save on gas...

...and the search was coming up emp-ty.

Empty houses, empty road.

Nothing but birds twittering and Y/N’s and his bits of conversation here and there. They called “Sophia!” every few minutes, and every few minutes they were let down again.

They didn’t search for supplies so much as cover as much ground as possible to try find any hint of somebody having come through.

“Those must’ve been the ones Otis checked,” she’d said, finally breaking what had mostly been silence for about half an hour. “Mr. Greene said he’d gone through to see if anybody was alive and bring back any survivors and to bury those that died. Not sure where the graves are, we saw, like, one,” she thought out loud. “But maybe most of them survived so went to a safe zone or evac spot?”

“It’s weird how there ain’t even geeks, though.” For this brief sec, he started to get creeped out. Where were the bodies? There had to be some.

“We’re callin’ them ‘walkers,’ remember. Way cooler than ‘geeks,’ like, literally.”

Always trying to lighten the mood, that one.

He actually knew (maybe?) how that nickname happened. “D’you know where that name came from?”

“Nah. Gotta say it confused me.”

“Came from the name for this crazy sumbitch at circuses who’d bite the heads off chickens.”

She didn’t even slow down, she full-on stopped walking and blurted out “What the fuck?”

“Yep.”

“Daryl, tell me you just made that up, that’s vile.”

“You didn’t hear Dale explain it around the fire that first night?” It was right after he told people about how he saw that chupacabra (he did see one, damn it) but people thought he was full of it.

She’d shivered as she tied a white strip to the telephone pole to mark the area. “Amy, Glenn and I got to talking about cryptid stuff with the kids after you said the thing about the chupacabra.” A smile. “Amy knew so much about mermaids and sirens.”

“How are we for time?”

She looked at her wrist. Dale lent her his watch again. “It’s only 9:31. High-five for this mighty good team right here, Dary-bear.”

After that, Y/N rested her hand on her stitches and looked at the property about half a football field away. “I think that’s the…that’s the one Mr. Greene mentioned.” She pointed. “Boarded up, closest to the road northside.”

From behind a big fir tree, he peered at the old house. The windows and doors were boarded on the bottom floor, clear on the top floor and attic. There were fruit trees in the big, woodsy yard. A large, faded shed. A tire swing and a metal slide. A kiddie pool. Overgrown tomato plants in what looked like a neglected garden.

A firepit. A compost heap. A chicken coop and run with a (ugh, that won’t be pretty) big gaping hole in the fencing. “What’s special about it, the fruit trees?”

“The family might, uh, they might could be inside the house. Alive or otherwise.”

A sensation like nausea swept over him for a moment, so he willed it down and he adjusted his grip on his crossbow.

“I’m guessin’ by the looks of it, it’s ‘otherwise.’ C’mon, let’s check it out,” he said. “They got fruit trees and kid stuff in the yard. If Sophia came by here, she prolly would’ve tried to go in the shed, at least.”

Y/N nodded and jogged toward the place—then shouted “Hello?”—and then started waving. Waving!

“Why you doin’ that?” he grated. He immediately started to pull her by her good arm back into the trees so they could approach less damn obviously.

Wrong move, because she wrenched it away and snipped, “Don’t you dare go grabbin’ people like that.”

He mumbled an apology (sort of) to be polite since she was his friend, but that’s it; because what was she doing? Fucking idiot. Since when was she that stupid? It would’ve been more to the damn point to superglue a target on their heads!

He said that to her, in fact, word-for-word.

Y/N’s muscles tensed up, just like before when her brother started spouting off about the search efforts. She licked her teeth, he heard her let out an exhale through her nose as if she were a bull about to charge, and the only way to accurately describe how her voice came out was ‘growl.’

“You better apologize, r-right fuckin’ now, you sorry piece of shit.”

Unfortunately, he let this fly out of his mouth: “You on the rag or somethin’?”

And she flung that shit right back at him: “Why? Lookin’ to get a used tampon shoved up your ass, bitch?”

He didn’t even realize she’d gotten up in his face until he felt her breath on his neck and under his chin. Hell, he could even feel the heat radiating off her body, she’d gotten real damn close.

But instead of looking all pissed off, her eyes got all wide like she was either alarmed or confused about something. They stared at each other.

Stared.

Swallowed.

Stared.

And it was the tiny, quiet, deer-in-headlights, shocked way she whispered, “Oh Moses, that comeback was disgustin’,” that despite his wishes made him lose it and start cackling.

............................

You

Of all things, his head bumped against yours when he burst out laughing.

It’s all good, though, it only served to break the tension more. You didn’t even realize you’d gotten so close until you felt his breath on your forehead but you were too taken aback at what had erupted out of your mouth.

Might as well make it more awkward, right? “For the record, I use pads and don’t have my period right now, though I finally did get it like two weeks ago,” you filled him in, letting yourself crack up a bit. At least the two of you weren’t having a catfight.

He groaned, “Goddamn,” and scratched the back of his head.

“Say, pookie?” you sassed, and earned a grumble in response. On second thought, you decided to leave ‘pookie’ more to Carol and stick with ‘mangy hick’ yourself. “Don’t go sayin’ stuff about girls and their periods, yeah?”

.........................

Him

That the following words out of her mouth would be a friendly, not-fake sounding: “You’re a good man, I know you’re better than that,” threw him off. Being that this wasn’t the direction he assumed the conversation would take, he looked down at the ground and shuffled slightly while he wracked his brain for a response.

‘You’re a good man, I know you’re better than that.’

But before he figured out what to say back, she muttered, “And I named-called you and got in your face, that wasn’t right, but please don’t…c’mon, man, don’t call me stupid.”

It wasn’t just the imaginary knee that kicked him in the dick that time, an imaginary fist punched him right in the ribs, too. He’d been an asshole, a big fucking asshole. Part of him is wished he really did get punched when he managed to hush, “You ain’t stupid.”

He also apologized for the thing where he asked if she was on the rag, that was shitty. He was sorry he grabbed her arm and started to pull her, too, that was way more shitty.

But hell if a civil-ass conversation didn’t follow.

Story is: she wanted anyone who ‘might could’ be in the house who ain’t a geek walker to know she and him were friendly so that they wouldn’t shoot, and that the guy who just died Otis had gone by already and wasn’t shot at.

Y/N had seemed so sad. “They live right off a connecting route, how many people must’ve seen it, stopped, tried their luck?”

“That’s why I’m sayin’ go careful and quiet,” he stressed. “Outta sight.”

“We’ll still need to trespass and potentially break and enter.”

“And if they’re alive in there, you’re still a big-ass target when you wave.”

She nodded and exhaled. Wait, why were her eyes wet?

“When we get there, I’ll knock and ask if anybody’s home. If nothing, it’ll attract any walkers might could be in there, that way they’ll all be in one place so we can put them out of their misery easier.”

Interesting way to phrase it, he guessed. Why this whole schtick was such a big deal, he didn’t get, but ‘put them out of their misery’ stuck with him as they crept smoothly through the side-yard.

It stuck with him when he noticed trails of feathers all over, starting with one leading right from the clumsy hole in the chicken pen.

It stuck with him as they saw the side-door with a sturdy wood slab covering the knobs.

It stuck with him as he peeked through a plank to look in a window and saw what must’ve been the pantry.

He had to make sure about something. “That thing you said before,” he asked under his breath, “Y’realize there ain’t nobody ‘in there,’ right? That’s gone.”

“Dr. Jenner explained what happens, and we all saw the brain scan.” Her voice got quieter. “I-I’m trying’ to maintain a measure of reverence, I guess, for who they was.”

“A measure of reverence,” he repeated.

She huffed and whispered, “Don’t,” as she firmly tapped on glass. “Hello? We ain’t—” she paused and turned down her accent. “We’re not here to hurt anybody or rob anybody, we’re only looking for supplies and a lost girl. We can’t tell if this house is occupied or not.”

She banged on the window again. Called again. “We are going to come into the house if we don’t receive some kind of response that there’s people inside.”

Following this, he thought he was having a stroke for a second before he realized Y/N said something in another language. “Was that Spanish?”

“Just giving this my due diligence,” she mumbled, then rapped on the siding yet again, and loud. “Three people are going to break in unless we know we should not! If there is someone in there, make yourself known, please!”

Smart to add a fake third person and to stay pressed against the house to remain out of sight.

Annoyed as he was at all that bullshit, he found himself stopping from making any comments because her voice had cracked a little. He looked over at them.

His annoyance shifted into something softer. “You okay?”

“What? Yeah, I’m just bein’ an idiot.”

He took it on himself to knock and call “We’ll leave if we know you’re in there, just give a shout. We don’t want no trouble.” He hoped his voice sounded somewhat gentle when looked at his friend and shrugged. “Due diligence, right?”

Her expression was tense. “Was this how you felt before you saw the chupacabra? Th-there’s somethin’ not right here, and it ain’t just that all the chickens been attacked, there’s—” A few, loud bangs on the siding and one final “Hello!” and she looked at him, not bothering to finish whatever her thought was. Then she took a few running steps back to that window to look in between the planks like he did and suddenly jolted.

“What’d you see?”

“I just—I think it was a squirrel or a rat?”

Ah. “Guess that answers if anyone’s home,” he said, talking at a normal level now.

“How did those get in? All the windows are accounted for.” She started sprinting around the house, so he jogged along. “All three doors are shut or planked, too. Roof looks fine…”

That was a little weird, he had to admit.

“Daryl? I-I don’t like this.”

Curiosity took over as he squinted up at the top floor, where all windows were either closed or had an unbroken screen. He continued to walk around, checking the top floor and attic space, but everything was intact. “I’ma check out the sheds and the well, then let’s go. We’re wastin’ time.”

Well, the first one was a woodshed, so that was a bust. Nothing else could fit in there but a few more logs. In the second, bigger shed, it was pretty tidy and had the usual stuff in there like a lawnmower, storage bins, shovels, tools, old paint cans.

The way some of the storage bins weren’t flush against the wall made him pause. That thing Y/N said the yesterday about how they’d found foster kids sleeping hidden between furniture and a wall to feel safer popped back into his head.

Wouldn’t you know it, when he looked behind, there was a tarp positioned around two of the bins to make what looked like a small, concealed sleeping area.

It was good, it was real good! And based on the map, this house was close enough to the woods by the highway to have made sense!

He called Y/N’s name and started trying to clue together any other indication of what that was and if it really could’ve been Sophia and for how long she might’ve stayed. Again, he shouted, “Y/N, I’m in the shed!”

The high he was feeling felt as if five espressos were buzzing through him. Must’ve be what Y/N felt like after that coffee mix-up this morning, ha. Where was she? She had to get in there and see it!

He called her name a third time.

It was the way she croaked back “Daryl,” that had his bolt was notched and ready before he’d even left the shed.

“Y/N? What’s goin’ on?” He aimed his sights all around when he saw her.

But his friend was simply standing there, panting, and holding a giant (and unfamiliar?) pair of bolt cutters while she stared at something.

“Y/N?”

The word “the” was repeated five times when lifted her chin toward it and was able to finally spit out the word “hatch.”

He walked closer and looked down at the basement hatch.

“I l-looked in the window again and there was a dead one inside and—” she paused to breathe, and a slow string of words that didn’t connect enough followed. “I didn’t know how the, w-with the squirrel, so I, um, the, it’s—”

“Y/N, hey. Zen.”

Her whole demeanor had changed, especially from how damn cheerful she’d been this morning. Eyes wide, she waved him closer with her good arm and crouched at the hatchway. “Th-the pachysandra was coverin’ it, but the handle,” she held up the bolt cutters, “It’s red, it-it stuck out.”

It took him a few moments to see what she was talking about.

The cellar hatch wasn’t shut. A brick was holding it open. By the looks of it, it had been broken from the outside. The latch was snapped.

“Cockroaches always find a way in,” Y/N whispered.

Nausea splashed through him again when he reached for the crowbar that had been lost in the overgrown ivy stuff and put two and two together, along with what she meant when she said ‘cockroaches always find a way in.’

“You saw just the one walker inside, Y/N?”

A nod. “I stopped looking when I saw him. He was very young. I don’t reckon he would’ve been alone when…” She trailed off and drew her gun.

“Why do you need that?”

“Just checkin’ it again,” she faltered.

“That a silencer on there?” he asked in reference to the extra thing on the end.

She shook her head. “A compensator.”

He had no idea what that meant, but he did know she was most likely fixing to go inside and use that gun. Why, he wasn’t so sure of.

“Sophia ain’t in there.”

She ejected the magazine to check the cartridges. “I know.”

“Then what are you doin’?”

With a slide and a click, she loaded it back up. “Giving them rest and buryin’ them. I don’t know exactly what happened or w-what we’re gonna find, but I can give them rest.”

Giving ‘them’ rest. There was no ‘them.’

But instead of saying that or arguing further at what he should have considered bullshit and a waste of time, he was nodding.

“We go in quiet,” he said to her. Why, he wasn’t so sure of.

“You’ll help me?”

“Quietly.”

Y/N looked back at her gun and flicked off the safety. “I want this ready when we first go in,” she stated softly. “Please trust me.”

A firm “I do,” came out of his mouth. Why, he wasn’t so sure of.

Their eyes met. She nodded and rummaged through her backpack. Took out a flashlight. Her lips wobbled when she said, “I’ll take care of the little one, okay? You don’t need to see that.”

Looking back, it should’ve seemed foreign and absolutely batshit that he would be busting into a house just to put down geeks. And yet, he gripped the hatchway with one hand, gripped his crossbow with the other, and at her go, flipped the doors open.

........................

You

Time did that thing where it sped up and slowed down, and the strangely comforting feeling of nothing took over.

It was what you feared: home invasion. The residents had been alive at the time, or at least some.

The family in that house loved each other very much, that was plain. Seems they’d all caught the fever, too, unfortunately. The perps must’ve been sick, too, because they’d also turned. Everyone in the home had.

The grandma wrote a note, but the handwriting was hard to decipher, plus it was in Spanish, so you couldn’t make out too much of it. You’d folded it up and put it in your backpack.

While you and Daryl put them to rest, you counted the ones you put down yourself, thought of your mother, thought of the memories of doing this for your middle sister and her family, and prayed that you and Daryl wouldn’t get bitten in the process. You prayed the family in the house was in a better place, and you…you battled back and forth between inwardly telling the two who broke into the house that they were trash and deserved how they went out versus hoping that they found some kind of redemption before the end.

Maybe it was all a horrible mistake and they didn’t realize anyone was still living there. It didn’t appear at first glance that they surrendered once they found out, but...still, you couldn’t know.

Dale’s watch is ticking away, reminding you that you need to get up from the chair you’d sunk into.

It’s time to bury those poor people, and get back out there.

............................

teeny-tiny taglist :D

@spenciepoo338 @its-freaking-bats @whistlesalot @bitterteapot

(don’t sweat if you want off or on the taglist, my mailbox is open either way)

#twd #twd fanfiction #The Walking Dead #the walking dead fanfiction #slow burn #found family #canon compliant #daryl dixon fanfiction #reader insert #reader-insert #reader insert fanfiction #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon #daryl x you #daryl x reader #the slowpoke series

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danceofmyimpressions · 5 days

Text

Heartstopper S3 Countdown

11 days left until the third season!

Favourite things - Season 1 Episode 6 "Girls"

1. Nick and his mum's film night tradition is so cute

2. I love how realistic it is in many aspects - of course Nick would google stuff and watch Youtube vids to figure things out

3. So many important moments with Tara and Dary and Nick and Charlie this episode about everyone's journey and identity 💛

4. Their outfits at the park date are so cute and their flirting is adorable

5. Tara and Nick's friendship 🥰

6. Nick and Charlie waving at each other is also so cute

7. Charlie's little dance - they are so happy about being with each other

8. Tao and Elle's dynamic 💜

9. The soft golden light when Charlie teaches Nick the drums

10. The school orchestra - flashbacks to my school years 😅

11. The whole gang running down the hallway and holding hands 🥺 Nick is starting to become part of the group

#my posts #heartstopper #heartstopper season 3 countdown

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twdmusicboxmystery · 1 year

Text

Mork and Mindy in DD Ep 2

So, this isn't truly going to say anything much different than I already said in my analysis (that the episode was about romance and it was placed purposely to hint at Daryl's coming relationship, and that he had to be thinking about Beth) but now we actually have confirmation of it.

First off, everyone should go read this article:

Done? Good. Guys, they're drawing the parallels FOR us. This is one of those sites that would have posted this not only with Gimple's permission but at his direction. They want us to know what this was for and that it was oh-so-appropriate for Daryl's upcoming story.

Inside this article, there is also the Youtube video of the entire episode if you want to watch it. I'll repost it here as well:

youtube

The thing is, when you watch it, you see that the entire thing isn't just about romance. It's about MARRIAGE. What it takes to make a marriage work, and such.

So, I think it's safe to say that all our claims about the marriage symbolism that happened around Beth and Daryl in S4 was real.

I would recommend everyone read the article and watch the Mork and Mindy episode. I'll put our discussion about it below.

But I just love that they put this in the episode. I love where it's obviously going, and that it's so on-the-nose. Love everything about it!

Our Discussion:

@wdway:

You have got to read this Comicbook article about the Mork and Mindy episode. It makes my speculation about the reason they actually used Mork & Mindy (and Who's The Boss) very possible. They even bring up the the scene in Still where Daryl talks about Merle to Beth. They don't mention Beth but it's definitely a call back to Still.

I am so excited about this article. Can't wait to read your reactions.

@galadrieljones

Omg I read it so fast at first, I missed the part where he references the story with Merle and the cartoon with the talking dog. This is so interesting. Why did they feel the need to include that? They could have said literally anything else, like actual stuff that we saw Merle do, not a story we heard secondhand through Daryl in Still. Also, the four tenets of a successful marriage? Why include that as well?

@twdmusicboxmystery

Love it! I love that they’re making these connections for us. Gimple and Kang probably told the site exactly what to write. They’re calling back to Still and also telling us that this all about marriage. You know, in case anyone hadn’t figured that out on their own.

@wdway

I can't help but think that when Daryl goes all sad while he's watching the episode that that's when Mork was making his report and that when Mork starts talking about what makes a good marriage Daryl reminded of, if only.... with Beth. I may cry.

@galadrieljones

Seeing as Alone has the makings of a total wedding/marriage allegory I think she would be the only person he could possibly be thinking of

@wdway

I've been meaning to talk to you guys about this for a while. And I was actually purposely waiting to read some of the reviews of this second episode by Comicbook. I haven't checked it completely out, although in checking information out that is such a @galadrieljones skill. Have I mentioned you look really lovely this evening Galadriel, haha.

I believe Comicbook and Kirkman has some kind of connection. It seems like years ago I heard about some type of connection with them. Which means they probably have inside information from Gimple. They are fed certain things that other articles do not seem to have. In reading the review that they did before the show started remember it was Comicbook that mentioned Beth in the first paragraph.

They also refer to Carol as Dary's best friend. They've done that numerous times in different articles. My theory in waiting to mention this was to see if there was some kind of mention of Beth or to one of their episodes and sure enough it's right in this article. The mention of Merle and the story about the dog cartoon confirmed my suspicions.

I will never be able to see that scene and Daryl going so sad suddenly without believing in my heart he's listening to Mork talking about marriage.

@galadrieljones

Thank you. I appreciate the compliment as I am feeling quite grungy tonight so this is the confidence boost I crave. I will try to see if I can find anything!

I tried to do some reading on comicbook. There's no like, immediate link between them that I can find, other than that there are a TON of stories about him on that site. The one kind of interesting thing about comicbook that I found though is that it is owned by Paramount Global, which is obviously a huge media conglomerate. Like it owns a LOT of everything. I scanned its assets and it has several formal partnerships with AMC. In their "about" section, they state overtly that they have direct contact with "tainers and creators of the industry" and their executive editor worked in PR for Marvel for 7 years before taking over comicbook.

The president and founder of comicbook, Joe Blackmon, is a director for Paramount and also serves as the executive editor for popculture.com, another Paramount venture. Kirkman has worked with Marvel several times and is generally one of the most well-known comic book writers and creators in the entire industry. Walking Dead is his most famous work, but he's had a bunch of other important comics and also has his own comic book imprint, Skybound.

Idk I think it's safe to say that comicbook.com is a fairly reputable publication, and just based on how often you guys have cited it as a reliable source of information for TWD, it seems particularly noteworthy. Also, the guy who wrote the article about Mork and Mindy, Cameron Bonomolo, is the same guy who wrote the review for Daryl Dixon that you're citing. He's been on TWDU beat for comicbook since 2017, so it's fair to say he'd be a trusted ally by tptb at this point. Anyway, sorry I can't verify any direct involvement by Kirkman lol. But I will say I'm honestly pleased that this is a Paramount Global brand because it just means they have a legit footprint in the industry, and their information can most likely be trusted above other sources.

@wdway

Thanks so much for doing that research. When I was reading all of your information skybound stood out to me. For some reason I think that might be the connection, but I don't know for sure. Surely it would have showed up when you were going through.

And yes, the writer Cameron Bonomolo is always the one I make sure had written the articles. I always find most of his writing to align with our view of the show.

I went back to reread the article again because I wanted to really look at the four things to have for a successful marriage. You guys might have already discovered it, but I didn't realize that the episode actually can be accessed through the article. So, I watch the whole thing and it's worth at least skipping to the end of it, the last few minutes where Mork gives his final report.

You'll have to go and watch because the last part is the knife to the heart with a twist. In hearing Mork explain the four elements, it so screams what Daryl probably felt with Beth. I wish I had written it down and probably will go back to rewatch the end to get that last couple of minutes. It was about making someone feel they are of value. I just know it must be the feeling that Beth gave Daryl about himself. Then I also noticed when I went back that this is from Mork & Mindy season 4. I just thought because of it being from s4 that makes another suspicious eye roll. Now it would have been fantastic if it was s4 e13 like Alone, it was not, it was e22. I mean seriously, what is it about the number 22.

@galadrieljones

Omg I love that. I will have to watch it tomorrow! I did love that show as a child, so I’m sure it will be a neat little bit of nostalgia. Also something else that stuck out to me in the article is the fact that they worked really hard to get the rights to the episode. They must have really really wanted this one specific thing.

@wdway

I went back and watched the last of the Mork & Mindy episode where Mork is giving his report to his supervisor, who ask Mork why bother with marriage, this is Mork's reply. The work is hard and the hours are long. When I look at Mindy I see warmth, I see love, I see someone who makes me feel that I matter in this vast lonely world. It's so simple but at the same time so very moving. You will never be able to convince me that this is not what Daryl is hearing when suddenly he looks so sad. I feel that he personalized it thinking of his time with Beth. When I look at Beth I see warmth, I see love, I see someone who makes me feel that I matter in this vast lonely universe. Daryl wants to matter to someone in this vast and lonely universe.

@twdmusicboxmystery

So beautiful!

@galadrieljones

Of course that is what he felt. It draws attention to the idea that no matter how much love and support he has from the ppl around him, to Daryl, it doesn’t feel specialized or “just for him.” I think this is not important to all ppl or characters but to Daryl who has been basically starving for love his whole life, the idea of having one person who loves him more than they love anybody else and who understands him through and despite his faults while making him want to be better so that he can better care for that person in return is perhaps the ultimate dream

I agree it’s so beautiful and thanks Ann for watching and reporting back!

@wdway

I wish we would have heard it in the episode. Of course it would have been in French but I would have taken subtitles. The article seems very purposeful though and to include the episode very important.

It was very enjoyable to see Robin Williams so young and lively. This is what helped really launch his career and made him such a beloved comedian. You may not be as familiar with the comedian Jonathan Winters who plays Mork and Mindy son. He is like a Benjamin Button character on Mork's planet they start out old and grow young. When their son was delivered in an egg he was an old man. If you thinking while watching but Jonathan is trying to act like Robin Williams that is a wrong impression because Jonathan Winters was Robin Williams comedic idol and a lot of how Robin used comedy was taken from Jonathan. In this episode you'll see two other characters, one is an older man which is Mindy's father and the woman is if I'm not mistaken her grandmother I think it might have been her mother's mother.

@galadrieljones

I am watching the episode! It's so wholesome. I also looked up some information on this episode and I was interested to learn that it's the last episode of the entire series. The show was unexpectedly cancelled, or not renewed, and even though this episode was filmed prior to the original final three episodes of the season, they moved this one to the end because it felt like an appropriate way to close the series, which is ultimately about their true love and relationship.

A happy ending to foreshadow a happy ending, perhaps?

@twdmusicboxmystery

I watched the Mork and Mindy episode. I don’t have anything to add that you both haven’t already said. I just couldn’t help but he struck by the fact that the entire episode is about marriage. No way that’s not purposeful. Which means Daryl is headed for a happy marriage, one way or the other. All those who think it’s with Carol stand on your head.

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #team delusional #team defiance #td theories #td theory #beth is almost here #bethyl #daryl dixon spinoff #dd spinoff #mork and mindy #daryl is getting married #Youtube

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becquerelian · 8 months

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tagged by: @asha-mage

last song I listened to: Oh god. Just listened to The Sailor Song by Autoheart on the way to school because it's on one of my OC playlists. I quite like Autoheart, I like Jody's voice and the angsty queer overtones.

currently reading: Very slowly making my way through Harrow the Ninth. I love it so much, just don't have a ton of time to read these days... But this book feels very made for me, with the blood and bones and horrible unreliable narration and insanity. Tamsyn Muir's prose also hits such a great balance of technical and casual, I really admire it.

currently watching: I just started both Dungeon Meshi and Black Sails, and I'm enjoying them both. I feel like I hardly know what's going on enough to really commentate on either of them yet, but having fun.

currently obsessed with: It's the OCs. This is the unifying factor in my taste in media these days. I really love not just pulling inspiration but also seeing how different writers and artists spin similar themes to what I'm working with. I haven't been super consistent in posting my art recently, but my art blog @saturns-rings-robins-wings is where the bulk of my OC lore and stuff goes. I also just convinced my mom to start playing my favorite Fire Emblem game, FE Echoes, hahaha. It's been a couple years since I played it for the first time, so I'm really excited to get back into that world again. The art and writing and music are all really stunning, it was hugely influential for me for a good while there.

Tagging: @tibialtybalt @insomnia-productions @squaggansalada @misskriemhilds @sun-dari @nynaeve-almeara

#thanks for the tag!#been spending a lot of time working away at the physics major so it's fun to have a reason to break away for a minute #wish I had more time to make OC stuff haha

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asmrtist-brainrot · 2 years

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To add to Chester's social media your totally right, I feel like there'd also be a lot to do with normalizing werewolf stuff like explanation videos and qna's about stuff which would be nice! He'd probably get a big following tbh if follow that would be awesome. Also there's totally a video where Conner shows up labeled "estranged uncle" and is never mentioned again. It's a running gag on there to just not mention it and act confused I just know this. I say that cause Connor does hang out with them a good bit and keeps an eye out when Caleb is gone lol

Deacon and Little One being called the fancy/high class in-laws.

I imagine the video where they're introduced: Just Deacon in his suit, with a glass of wine in hand while chilling on the outdoor bench. Little One is perched on one of the arms, dressed in the somewhat expensive looking outfit he probably bought them and holding onto his shoulder to stay balanced.

And it's just captioned: "How our in-laws show up to a pack barbeque."

They're quite fond of Chester as well so they let it slide, they find him funny too.

Deacon also takes pleasure in ruffling Caleb's feathers so will be involved in a few pranks.

I think Chester also makes videos specifically about how awesome each member of the pack is.

Of course he talks a plethora about how amazing his mate is too but he runs the account so he can and no one is going to stop him if they know what's good for them.

He also spotlights the others' social media to promote them if they ask too.

"Go watch Alana make cosplays!!" "Check out Jonah's gaming channel too!!" etc. etc.

He's such a softie.

I'd like to think Chester's mate runs one of them aesthetic cooking TikToks. Where the lighting is dreamy and nice and there's just the soft music under the sounds of them working. It's all from the neck down and focused mostly on their hands as they work.

Ooh and they love getting Chester and the pack's reaction to the food they make too.

~ Dari

#dari blabs #response asks #nomad's asks #frosthaven storyline #frosthaven pack

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tfros · 6 months

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29 my age, ya.

(please play this song on Spotify while you reading my blog, I'd appreciate it ^^)

I'm 29 years old, damn it! And I want to sit in a comfortable chair, and watch television and go to bed at a reasonable hour!

AAAA aku nulis tentang ulang tahun kayaknya dari 26 tahun di platform ini. now that I'm turning 29, how many years I've spent writing something absurd like this, huh? (yet I'm happy tho)

Sejujurnya ini adalah umur yang kutunggu-tunggu, selain umur 34 tahun. Selain karena umur ini adalah umur Vicky Prasetyo waktu bilang '29 my age, ya' (hahahaha mana masih ketawa lagi inget ekspresinya dia waktu ngomong gini, sesepuh bahasa jaksel kayaknya), umur ini juga kuanggap sebagai penentu apakah nanti aku akan maju jadi powerful woman yang bisa masuk Top 100 Forbes (nggak juga sih, ini ngayal), ataukah aku akan give up dengan kehidupan yang melelahkan ini? Tentu sampai malam aku menulis ini, belum nemu jawabannya ya, teman-teman. Hehe.

Well, to be honest, aku lagi ngerasa capek banget (perasaan tiap hari capek terus). Kurasa karena aku merasa khawatir, nggak mampu akan berhasil, atau karena aku nggak cukup percaya diri atas kemampuanku sendiri. Kemarin sempet daftar beasiswa dengan segala macam persyaratannya dan ternyata nggak lolos. Nangis? Banget. Ngerasa bodoh karena bahkan sekolah pun sulit sekali diterimanya. Terus sebenernya aku ini bisanya ngapain? Yah, pikiran semacam itu muncul berkali-kali.

FYI, kerjaanku yang sekarang sepertinya sudah menemukan titik terang, dan kurasa sudah waktunya mereka bisa jalan dengan orang yang lebih baik. Kata mereka, aku baik dalam mendengarkan, tapi bukankah di posisi yang sekarang mendengarkan saja nggak cukup? Ya, itu masalahnya- aku merasa nggak cukup.

Perasaan 'nggak cukup' ini nggak hanya mengganggu di pekerjaanku lho. Seringnya, bahkan mengganggu relationship, friendship, dan family stuff, yang akhirnya bikin aku mudah menyerah dan memilih mundur aja, yakin bahwa mereka akan menemukan sosok yang lebih baik lagi. Aku yang toxic, selalu begitu. Mungkin orang lain lihatnya, ih ngapain sih dia begitu, tapi ternyata perasaan ini baru saja kuakui dengan sangat rendah hati saat membaca 'Welcome to Hyunam-dong Bookshop'. (spoiler alert!). Dalam buku itu, diceritakan bahwa pemilik toko buku itu dulu berpisah dengan pasangannya karena dia merasa kurang lebih sama denganku, dia juga sama impulsifnya denganku. Melihat wataknya sangat mirip denganku, jadi aku menganggap dia adalah aku. Hehe. Yaaa intinya begitu ya, kalau lanjut ini jadi cerita panjang lebar kali tinggi. Di post selanjutnya ajalah ya.

Next, aku sepertinya masih ingin jadi kutu loncat; mencoba ini itu, lari kesana kemari untuk menemukan jati diri. Umur 29 dan belum menemukan hal pasti adalah hal wajar dan aku nggak memaksa diriku untuk harus menemukannya sekarang, tapi at least berusaha jujur dengan diriku dan berharap bahwa Tuhan akan membantu meringankan langkahku menemukan hal-hal yang dapat kutuju. Dengan berusaha, aku yakin umur ini bisa jadi penentu kehidupanku selanjutnya, meskipun worst case-nya adalah aku belum nemu yang paling sreg.

At least, di umur ini Tuhan sudah memberiku jiwa petualang kembali.

At least, di umur ini aku masih sehat dan diberi kekuatan untuk menerima penolakan-penolakan lagi.

At least, di umur ini ada orang-orang yang masih mau menerima sebagaimana adanya.

And, last but not least, di umur ini aku sudah berusaha berdamai dengan diriku sendiri.

I'm welcoming my 29 era with all of pressure that may come, yet I'm ready to run again! Let's vibin', shall we? :)

#29birthday #life update #books #Spotify

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dvriaxe · 10 months

Text

THE scene

#six of crows #shadow and bone #dari watches stuff #kaz brekker #wylan hendriks #wylan van eck

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theoneandonlytruejack · 10 months

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After much anticipation, the choose your own logo feature is live! Go to this thread to find out how it works and get the results of the create a logo contest!

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials |OT| Across the Whoniverse

Thread starterDwebble

Start dateNov 17, 2023

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Wrexis

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He/Him

Today at 9:52 PM

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#1,501

None of 13's companions were mentioned in that puppet scene. She made it without killing any of them then? :D

Regeneration scene is up.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2MFwLn-SmA

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Dary

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Today at 9:54 PM

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#1,502

OneTrueJack said:

View: https://twitter.com/WilliamWhoDW/status/1733592582909726773?t=FJYoTo_uw68tMfZ1rGLbPA&s=19

"So the whole timeline regenerated then".

I'm gonna go ahead and ignore this since it was in a commentary and not the episode, but Davies seems to think that the bi-generation travelled backwards along the timeline. So every Doctor just lives on instead of changing, I guess in branching timelines.

Which does explain Tales from the Tardis where all the old Doctors are still travelling. Davies said that would make more sense after the 60th, so I guess that's the explanation.

Click to expand...

It's Schrodinger's Doctor?!

Quantum suicide and immortality - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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GrimGrinningGuy

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Today at 9:55 PM

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#1,503

Ashes of Dreams said:

Think they are setting up that Toymaker actively messed with history as some kind of retcon?

It's some kind of set up for sure

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TheGamingNewsGuy

One Winged Slayer

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Today at 9:58 PM

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#1,504

Wrexis said:

None of 13's companions were mentioned in that puppet scene. She made it without killing any of them then? :D

Regeneration scene is up.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2MFwLn-SmA

Click to expand...

Yeppp,Companion Exits were less dramatic during 13s run

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Grue

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Today at 10:03 PM

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#1,505

Exclusive footage of 15 calling a returning character:

SPOILER

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Joqu

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Today at 10:04 PM

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#1,506

Edit: Hmmm. So I went back to rewatch that scene after posting this and you know... right after when the Toymaker is talking about all he did when he came to this reality, he says "I made a jigsaw out of your history, did you like it?" and the Doctor furrows his brows to indicate he doesn't know what he means but then we move on to the Master bit. Do you think that's referring to the Timeless Child and Fugitive Doctor stuff? Think they are setting up that Toymaker actively messed with history as some kind of retcon? Or am I reading too much into this line? lol

Click to expand...

I don''t think it's so much setup as much as it's a nod to how the doctor has had multiple histories and origins at this point, but I guess we'll see if it comes up again.

There's Big Finish stuff out there that gets into how the time war has had similar effects too, I just see it as more of this whole "Everything can be canon in doctor who" thing. Which I think is fun, lol

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pikachief

Prophet of Truth

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Today at 10:09 PM

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#1,507

I wasn't a fan of most of the episode (aside from the part with licensed music, that was great) as I felt like it had zero time to breath. The whole thing felt like a fever dream, which I usually like, but there was no time for any of the emotional moments to really set in and there was zero build up to anything that happened.

I was a HUGE fan of how it ended though. After the first special I turned to my wife and said how I wish David Tennant's run would end and his last scene was almost *exactly* how I described it to her. Down to him being an uncle to the family. But I figured there would be no way to get that ending because of who the doctor is. I cried and was very happy 😊

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batti

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Today at 10:11 PM

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#1,508

RepairmanJack said:

Thet ball scene felt so goofy.

It kinda lacked another contestant that could play off them both. Maybe the Toymaker could've roped in some ringer to make the game 2v2, along with a change of scenery.

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MrKlaw

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Today at 10:12 PM

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#1,509

Someone tell me I'm not crazy for thinking when the toy maker is sitting on the genesis cannon or whatever and he's doing his fake German accent going 'ze laser cannon viz de bang und ze boom' he was channeling Danny kaye

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Grue

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Today at 10:17 PM

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#1,510

MrKlaw said:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13lVvAANQss

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VorpalNonsense

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Today at 10:19 PM

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#1,511

Just finished the episode. Unfortunately some jackass on twitter last night was publicly posting leaks disguised as "speculation" so I wasnt as surprised by the regeneration as I would have liked to be, but this was a rockin episode and I loved it.

The Toymaker was great, NPH hit a home run. Really fun performance, and I loved how creepy they got with it. The conclusion with him was underwhelming, but the journey there was great. The Toymaker gloated about making a jigsaw of the Doctor's past. Is he... taking credit for the timeless child? Is that implying that he warped reality to fuck with the Doctor? Or am I reading too much into things...

What did the Doctor say about his bigeneration, that it was therapy out of order, or something like that? It seems like the 15th Doctor has complete memories but does not carry with him the trauma anymore, while the 14th Doctor has kept the trauma in order to go on holiday and work through it. The Doctor became so internally conflicted that it affected his regeneration. I wonder if after he's healed up sometime in the future, there might be a sort of reunification between the two, convergent regeneration. Anything could happen after what we saw today.

I wonder what the endgame for the 14th doctor is though. For now they can coast, let him recover, bring him in for the cameo assist every now and then, but like...then what? Feels like something that needs to be addressed, not now, maybe not even soon, but eventually. Today the doctor bigenerated. But after the 14th doctor recovers, will there be a convergent regeneration? Or is there just...two doctors forever now? seems like that would be a problem long term because you basically cant tell stories in modern london for as long as he's still around, unless david tennant is available for a cameo, because like...he may not be traveling around looking for trouble anymore, but if it came to his doorstep, he wouldnt sit it out, right? So this arrangement probably won't be permanent. Unless...he retires and becomes the Curator. But I'd rather leave the Curator forever as the far far unknown future as was intended.

I felt like I could see a hint of the 12th doctor in the 14th doctor today. At one point he was really slamming the human race as a bunch of violent apes in a way that felt like a 12th doctor takedown (or the 9th). I think the 10th doctor tended to be a little more positive than that. I enjoy the distinction.

I was surprised that the master got a mention at all, i figured they'd leave him on the toybox for a while. That's fun.

My lady and I are instantly in love with the 15th doctor. He's so good, so instantly. I am so excited for his era. Love his sassy attitude, and that his first order of business was a jukebox and mood lighting. This is gonna be a lot of fun. I'm already eager for Christmas. Lol@ him starting off his tenure in his underwear.

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MrKlaw

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Today at 10:23 PM

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#1,512

Grue said:

I dunno.

Needs a re-watch and I don't want to be the debbie downer in the thread

But the hairs on the back on my neck aren't up to be honest.

- I think I'm going to have to learn to accept Davies ex-machina endings again. Playing super-catch was definitely a bit anticlimactic as a conclusion to all the villain build-up. And smacking a whole new TARDIS out with a big mallet was, forgive me, just a bit Looney Tunes - and not in a good way.

- I wish there was a more conclusive wrap-up to Fourteen's arc. The reason for the face coming back was to 'come home'? To live with Donna? This makes zero sense to me; and I say that as someone who has greatly enjoyed Tennant's vulnerable portrayal this time around.

- Yes, in the meta-narrative I hate the fact there are two Doctors rocking around now. I know it happened before, I didn't like it then much either; but mostly I worry it's going to leave everyone thinking 'bring Tennant back!' whenever the show is perceived to have a dip in quality.

NPH was great though, I've enjoyed Tennant this time around far more than the last time, and I remain excited for Gatwa. Onwards!

Click to expand...

I read it not just coming back to Donna but to heal, to recover etc. slow down and take some time - which he can do knowing he's also still out there I guess

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Magister Xehanort

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Today at 10:23 PM

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#1,513

APOEERA said:

The former Lord President of Gallifrey could work as the big bad the Toymaker doesn't want to face since we haven't heard from him after Capaldi Doctor sent him away on a shuttle.

He would be pissed that he got sent away, Gallifrey got destroyed again and the Doctor is the Timeless Child which wasn't to have gotten leaked out.

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TheGamingNewsGuy said:

Or it could be Omega

Or maybe it could be The Great Vampires.

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apocat

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Today at 10:26 PM

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#1,514

So I wonder if the one who waits is actually a later regeneration of the Tennant Doctor. Having lost his human family, and having confronted the loss of a linear life as an immortal being, thus driven to a far darker place. That would make Mels inclusion make a lot of sense, since I believe she faced the Valeyard (I've never watched Trials myself) in her run?

That would certainly make the ending less of a happy one, mind, but would also make the Valeyard actually make more sense in the canon.

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MrKlaw

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Today at 10:27 PM

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#1,515

WhySoDevious said:

I was tearing up watching him start regenerating... but also excited that we were gonna end with a nice chunk of the episode with Gatwa.

I got the best of both worlds.

But NPH stole the show here. Absolutely brilliant.

Can't wait for the Christmas Special!

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When he started I was saying out loud 'wait but he hasn't done whatever he came back for so how can he just regenerate now?'

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YorkshireDaveUK

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Today at 10:29 PM

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#1,516

My head canon until I am told otherwise is that Ncuti is the doctors future generation pulled back to this point in time. it allows David's doctor to rest and heal, and for Nucti to start his run with a fresh perspective.

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TheGamingNewsGuy

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Today at 10:32 PM

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#1,517

apocat said:

That would certainly make the ending less of a happy one, mind, but would also make the Valeyard actually make more sense in the canon.

Click to expand...

What's also possible is that an outside force (like a cosmic entity) corrupts the 14th Doctor and becomes the Valeyard who later interacts with the Doctor's timeline in various forms hence him being in the 6th. The "Valeyard" Persona goes out of the 14th and he gets to live back with Donna, would still introduce the Valeyard as an element without ruining the 14th Doctor ending.

Not sure how i would feel about any of the Doctors becoming the Valeyard without outside inteference

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liquidtmd

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Today at 10:33 PM

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#1,518

YorkshireDaveUK said:

I thought that entirely was the implication of what they went with?

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YorkshireDaveUK

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Today at 10:34 PM

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#1,519

liquidtmd said:

I thought that entirely was the implication of what they went with?

It you watch it again it isn't explained terribly well, hence the rampant speculation here and online. I also took it as what I posted at first, then questioned myself.

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NewtonNextDoor

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Today at 10:40 PM

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#1,520

OneTrueJack said:

View: https://twitter.com/WilliamWhoDW/status/1733592582909726773?t=FJYoTo_uw68tMfZ1rGLbPA&s=19

"So the whole timeline regenerated then".

Which does explain Tales from the Tardis where all the old Doctors are still travelling. Davies said that would make more sense after the 60th, so I guess that's the explanation.

Click to expand...

Does that mean all generations of doctor instead of dying, survived the regeneration and get to do something else? They rested and healed themselves. Some became a curator. Some might go into a different type of adventure. Some could become evil (Valeyard) This would explain why new doctor usually feels like a reset.

I dont think that David Tennant is coming back anytime soon. However this leaves the door open for other doctors (older ones) to come back. I believe that multiple doctor meetings are special and should be very rare (Even Capaldi said that). I imagine Davies understands that.

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SixtyTwoMike

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Today at 10:46 PM

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#1,521

RepairmanJack said:

It felt more like he came off as a very confident and sure of himself Doctor, not necessarily just nice. He literally comes off as someone who's been through therapy like the line says of doing therapy in reverse.

Some quoting weirdness going on here - I never posted that!

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shan780

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Today at 10:47 PM

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#1,522

I enjoyed the episode a lot.

I do think it was a bit too fast-paced, and probably could've done with a longer episode or something like that. The Toymaker's demise fumbling a ball was a bit lame - I imagined the Doctor(s) would outwit him (like Geralt vs Gaunter O' Dimm, who's very similar to the Toymaker conceptually, in The Witcher 3).

The symbolism of Gatwa leaving his trauma behind was nice, and I'm excited for his series given the energy and charisma he showed in his short time this episode.

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RepairmanJack

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Today at 10:49 PM

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#1,523

SixtyTwoMike said:

Some quoting weirdness going on here - I never posted that!

Oh wow, so weird, going back to try to correct lol

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Parthenios

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Today at 10:50 PM

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#1,524

If you're universe has time travel, it can't have a multiverse, and if it has a multiverse it can't have time travel. Doctor Who wisely avoids a multiverse, and Rick and Morty knows to stay away from time travel (with rare exceptions for each).

Not super thrilled with the idea of a Doctor Who multiverse (when the Doctor can simply simultaneously exist in different places and time without it). Weird time to jump into the multiverse fad, when it's been worn out for a bit too. Hopefully that's just banter for the commentary.

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OneTrueJack

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#1,525

The more I think about it, the more my biggest problem with the bi-generation is just how poorly explained the whole thing is. The dialogue just seems so...confused?

The Doctor says it's a myth...except they also may have just made the name up in the moment...except the Toymakes also seems to say it was his fault?? Fourteen and Fifteen split apart, except Fifteen still says that Fourteen still has to become him? The recent leaks said that Fifteen gets pulled from the future and the whole thing is a closed time loop, which seems to be an understanding taken from their dialogue in the Tardis (that Fourteen has to mentally heal so Fifteen can be at peace) but again that doesn't line up with the visuals or the actual events. Fifteen doesn't mention being from the future? Or does Fouteen's future experiences feed back into Fifteen...somehow?

And then we have Davies bts comments saying that this is supposed to be a complete shakeup that affects every previous Doctor despite nothing indicating that on screen...but it does line up with Tales from the Tardis so it's clearly something he had been thinking about...what?

It feels like a half-formed idea. Like something major got lost in rewrites.

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MrKlaw

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Today at 10:51 PM

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#1,526

Parthenios said:

Click to expand...

But the timeless child explicitly calls out multiple universes

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TheGamingNewsGuy

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Today at 10:53 PM

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#1,527

Parthenios said:

Click to expand...

I mean you can have both, we canonically know there is a MV hence Pete's world also the Toymaker lives in another universe

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Lexad

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Today at 10:54 PM

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#1,528

OneTrueJack said:

The more I think about it, the more my biggest problem with the bi-generation is just how poorly explained the whole thing is. The dialogue just seems so...confused?

It feels like a half-formed idea. Like something major got lost in rewrites.

Click to expand...

It is kind of awful all things considered

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The_Iceman2288

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59 minutes ago

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#1,529

Is The Curator the Fourth Doctor's bigeneration?

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Guppeth

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58 minutes ago

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#1,530

MrKlaw said:

But the timeless child explicitly calls out multiple universes

Yeah but I don't think it was in a "many variations of this universe" kinda way. More a "this universe isn't the whole of reality" way.

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Serif

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57 minutes ago

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#1,531

I don't see why we need retroactive bigeneration as a way to bring back old Doctors. They've been doing that for years already...

liquidtmd said:

I thought that entirely was the implication of what they went with?

YorkshireDaveUK said:

It you watch it again it isn't explained terribly well, hence the rampant speculation here and online. I also took it as what I posted at first, then questioned myself.

They call the 15th Doctor the 'older' one, which imo only makes sense if he literally has more years lived, since if it was just the Doctor 'cloning' himself they'd both be the same age. He also says they're doing rehab 'out of order' - i.e. 15 encourages 14 to get the necessary rest to eventually 'become' him.

But I agree - it's not super clear that it's timey wimey. They could just say 'bigeneration happens when a future regeneration is forcefully brought back' or something something. An unnatural regeneration, where 14 was always going to regenerate to 15, but the Toymaker's meddling meant he showed up much earlier. I find this more preferable to the idea that the Doctor split himself like a starfish and there's a duplicate of him, down to there being duplicate TARDISes.

The_Iceman2288 said:

Is The Curator the Fourth Doctor's bigeneration?

The Curator specifically talks about revisiting faces to the 11th Doctor and has an awareness about the events of DotD based on his remarks about Gallifrey. As far as I know only later Doctors retain the memory when meeting their other selves, so if it were the 4th Doctor he wouldn't remember anything or make a reference to revisiting the old favorites.

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Kinsei

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56 minutes ago

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#1,532

Guppeth said:

Yeah but I don't think it was in a "many variations of this universe" kinda way. More a "this universe isn't the whole of reality" way.

Forgetting the alternate universe from series 2? The one The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey fell into and encountered the new Cybermen?

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Guppeth

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54 minutes ago

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#1,533

Kinsei said:

Forgetting the alternate universe from series 2? The one The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey fell into and encountered the new Cybermen?

Aye that was a parallel universe. And we've seen that kind of thing before, way back in the Pertwee era when everyone in the other universe was a nazi with an evil moustache. But with the Timeless Child, the implication was they came from somewhere outside the known universe.

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liquidtmd

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54 minutes ago

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#1,534

The more I think about it, the more my biggest problem with the bi-generation is just how poorly explained the whole thing is. The dialogue just seems so...confused?

It feels like a half-formed idea. Like something major got lost in rewrites.

#doctor who #60th anniversary #14th doctor #15th doctor #the giggle

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