#did you guys know that i love the lakes timeline

[calamitoustide]

thinking about history fic james in the current timeline scribbling poetry on the edges of his papers for work after meeting regulus not knowing where that urge came from he never had it before

thinking about history fic regulus in the canon timeline hiding away in his room afraid to go outside and face the world dreaming up visions of brushstrokes and simple melodies not knowing where those good dreams come from he never had anything like that before

[shadowbriar]

Five Hargreeves - Back To You

Pairing : Five Hargreeves x (she/her) Reader Word Count : 2.8k Warning : Angst. Season 4 references. Synopsis : After one too many subway trips, Five's plan of temporal refuge extended as he met someone he refuse to lose. Notes : I refuse to acknowledge what happened in Episode 5 and 6 though I use the gif of said episodes. Don't come at me if you don't agree. If you like this story and would like to support me, please visit my kofi page and perhaps get me a coffee?☕

Living in a small cottage by the lake has never been in his cards. To settle down and watch the sun sets everyday, hearing the rocking chair creak as he takes a sip of his coffee. This was beyond anything he could ever hoped for, anything he could afford. He knew that this wasn’t the life he’s supposed to lead. Lord, this wasn’t even a life he owns to begin with. But with each second passed in this universe, Five finds it hard to drag himself back to that subway and return to his own timeline.

“Enjoying the scenery, are we?” She whispers as she sits on his lap, clinging her arms around his neck “You know, I could really use the help stuffing that chicken. It is afterall your special request.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t I be off of any chores since it is my special request?”

“Just because it’s your birthday, doesn’t mean you’re having a vacation, big guy,” She reasoned “We’ve only got two hands and this house is only getting bigger than smaller.”

The boy couldn’t bite his grin when he leaned in to kiss her. His heart swells. She was right. The house feels like it’s growing along with them. They might not have much, certainly far from the wealth his father possesses, but it was much more than enough. Having her was much more than enough.

“You know that I love you, right?” Five asks as he pulls away, his left hand still cupping her cheek as his thumb caresses her gently.

“I know,” She nods, smiling “But you can’t sweet talk your way out of kitchen duty, Mister.”

Five chuckles, standing from his seat as he carried her in his arms, “Alright, Missy, let’s see what this chicken fuss is all about.”

—-

The muscles on his cheeks were aching but he couldn’t fight the need to grin as wide as he could. He was happy, watching her carry that awful looking cake out of the oven. The icing that supposedly spelled ‘happy birthday’ was crooked, its colour pale compared to the bright fondant covering it. Thank God the candles were their only source of light, otherwise she wouldn’t even bring it out, he reckons.

“It’s ugly, I know,” She says as she lets it rest on the table “But it tastes better than it looks, I promise.”

Five shakes his head, disagreeing with her discouraging comments as he steals a kiss, “It’s perfect.”

“Well, go on and make a wish!”

The boy closes his eyes. His hands holding hers as he whispers his wish: I wish for this to last forever. Her squeals of excitement was music to his ears as he blew the candles. It is indeed the best birthday of his life.

“I’d ask but I know you wouldn’t tell me your wish.”

“Who said I made any wish?”

“You did,” She says as she helps him cut the cake “You make that little frown everytime you say your little prayer, do you know that?”

“I don’t pray, Love.”

“You do. Well, not religiously, but sometimes you do. You say your little prayer, your hopes. You whisper them sometimes, but most times you just close your eyes and do that little frown thing.”

Five raised an eyebrow, “Have you been watching me?”

“I might,” She teases “I mean who wouldn’t watch such a handsome man like you?”

The night continues as the couple finishes their dinner. Fulfilled would be such an understatement for what he feels right now. Everything he ever wanted, everything he ever dreamed of, is served right in that room. He wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.

“So can I take a guess about what you wished for?”

“Really, Love?” He asked, putting down his glass of wine.

She shrugs, “We’ve talked about everything else, haven’t we?”

“You know, there’s a belief that if you say your prayers, it won’t happen.”

“Well, you’re not saying what it was, I’m just taking a guess what it’s about.” She argues, still persistent “And what’s so bad with it not happening? Do you really want it that bad?”

“I— Nothing, I just don’t—”

“What is it that you could wish for? What is it that you don’t have?”

“Nothing, I’m not saying that I want anything, I just—”

“Is it your family?”

Five pauses. It was as if he was stupefied. He hadn’t thought about his family in a while. Shameful of him, sure, but after one too many subway trips, he figured that a little rest shouldn’t be so bad. He just had to find a timeline where there weren't that many people shooting at him. Perhaps take a week or two to rest and gather his strength before jumping into another subway.

It just had to be her. The girl he bumped into right after he got out of the station. He remembers vividly the concerned look on her face when she saw him. He was littered with bruises, dirt and dust covering his body. He looked more like trouble than a lover yet she still found it in her heart to ask if he needed any help.

And here he was, feeling the happiness in his heart wither as the thought of his family returned to his consciousness. He knew that the universe is cruel, that he couldn’t have the best of both worlds in this lifetime, that he had to choose between his lover or his family. Some nights he wonders if his family had succeeded in preventing another apocalypse without him. Some nights he wonders if his family had found a way to another timeline. Some nights he wonders if his family were still alive. But most nights he tried his best to ignore these wonders. His family must have found a way to stop the apocalypse, or at least escape another one.

Taking a deep breath, Five reaches for her hands. Guilt and regret were evident on her face. He knew that she didn’t mean to sound as cruel. Perhaps it was the wine that made their blood more sensitive or that the fatigue of the day had clouded their minds. Either way he knew that they both would be sorry when the morning came.

“I love you,” He starts gently “I love you more than anything in this and every timeline.”

A tear left her eye. It was painful. To love someone you know doesn’t belong to you. To desperately grasp into the moments you knew would end anytime soon. To selfishly stay in a relationship that was doom from the start. Neither of them deserved this, yet neither of them wanted to let go.

“It’s been six years, Five,” She reasoned “As much as I love you.. We can’t keep living like this.”

“Time works differently there, my love. Six years here might only mean a couple hours there.”

“That doesn’t make it any less wrong for you to stay. Those couple hours might be the most crucial hours for your family. They might be fighting for their lives right now, they might be dying, for all we know! You need to come back to them, Five. You have to.”

Five forces a laugh, “Wait, what are you saying?”

She remained silent. Her tears were falling, biting her lips to conceal her tremble. A bitter feeling is brewing in his stomach now.

“Your family needs you and—”

“Okay, stop,” He stood from his seat with an offended look “Are you breaking up with me? On my birthday?”

She looks away, unable to meet his eyes.

“Goodness, you can’t be serious.”

“What choice do we have, Five? One way or another, you’d have to go back to your family. They need you—”

“And you? You don’t need me anymore?”

Her jaw clenches, “That’s beside the point.”

“No, that is the whole point, actually,” He argues, this time coming close to her “I love you, alright? Why is it so wrong for me to want to be with the person that I love? I’ve lived more than a lifetime alone, why can’t I have someone for once?”

“You don’t belong in this timeline. I—”

“I belong with you,” He cuts in “It’s not the timeline that matters, it’s where you are. I belong with you.”

If there’s anything she loves most about Five other than his gentle and caring nature towards her, it would be how adamant he is once he’s set his mind into something. There’s no doubt in her heart about the genuinity of his words. But as much as she’s grateful and touched over it, she knew that they could only spend so long before the guilt eats them whole.

She lets go of his hands softly, placing them on his cheeks instead. She admires him. The beautiful man that’s now standing in front of her with his heart on his sleeves, announcing his devotion to her on the day when he’s supposed to be the one showered with attention and love. His eyes were glossy, clearly conflicted.

“I love you, Five,” She whispers, gently caressing his skin as if it was their last goodbye “But I can’t keep you here, I can’t. I can’t keep you from your family.”

Five looks defeated, silent.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to them? If they’re okay? If they’ve figured out how to stop the apocalypse? Don’t you want to know?”

“I— I don’t know.” He answers “What I know is that I want to be with you.”

“I’ll always be with you, Love,” She reassures, kissing his cheek “I might not understand how this whole different timelines work, but I know that whichever timeline it is, whatever universe we live in, I will always belong to you. I will always be with you.”

And he finally cries. His tears flowing and wetting her palms. His heart shatters, finally succumbing to the guilt he’s tried so hard to bury and forget. He misses his family, he wanted so badly to get back and pick up where he left off, but would it be worth it? Would leaving everything here be worth it? Would leaving her be worth it?

“We’ll find our way,” She reassures, pulling the broken man into her embrace “You’ll find me in your timeline. Maybe we’ll meet at the grocery store, or at a bar, or perhaps at another train station.”

Five chuckles a little, letting a shaky breath as he asks, “And if we don’t?”

“We will,” She says firmly, giving a little space between them so they could gaze into each other’s face “I’m too much of a troublemaker and you’re too much of a problem solver for us to not meet. It’ll be too hard to ignore each other with our nature, Love. We’re bound to meet each other, in any timeline, in any universe. Trust me.”

The boy forces a smile. He leans in, kissing his lover gently as if she’d burst into petals if he pushed too much. Her hold around his neck feels different. Like she wasn’t looking for support but giving one instead. He could feel her trembling a little as his hands pulled her closer by the waist. Her heart is breaking too, as much as his is, but they knew that it’s inevitable. It’s only a matter of time before time pulls them apart and it certainly would be much more painful then.

“I’ll find you,” He whispers “I promise.”

—-

Canada is certainly much colder than home. Five rubs his hands and blows some air to his palms in hope to gain some warmth, but it’s obvious that the only comfort he’ll find in this weather is to get in Viktor’s bar and ask for some drink. That is, if Diego could start the car and get them going.

“It says here that Viktor’s bar is only five minutes by foot,” Klaus says “Who wants to run to the bar with me?”

“No one is getting out of this car!” Diego says in frustration, irritatedly trying his best to start the engine “We’re going to get to his bar together, in this car. That’s the whole point of a family road trip. We go to the bar by car, not by foot!”

“Yes, but it’s freezing here, Diego! The heater is not even on!” Alison argues.

“Well, it won’t be unless the engine is on.”

“No shit, Luther,” Ben says “I vote to run.”

Lila raises her hand, “Second to run.”

“No! No one is getting out of this car!” Diego yells once more, hitting the steering wheel frustratedly “I just need to—”

And by God’s miracle, the engine turns back on. Though their trip would soon reach its main destination, the bicker done by the family persists. The coldness of Canadian weather and how the heater broke almost twenty kilometres ago has made the seven heads’ temper raise. They really need to get to Viktor’s bar before they start to kill each other.

“I’m out of here,” Five announce as the car gets into the parking space of the bar. He space jumped inside, finding himself on one of the empty stools “Good to see you, Viktor.”

“Five,” VIktor greets, a little startled but his smile grows “You’re here. Where are the others?”

“Still figuring their way out to get here. Can I get whiskey on rocks?”

“On it.”

Five taps on the wooden table as he waits for his drink. His heart was content, as much as it might mean now. Their plan to stop the apocalypse worked. Viktor managed to take the marigold off of Ben before the Cleanse happened and now they’re trying to get back or rebuild their life. For once they finally managed to stop the apocalypse from happening.

Right after they succeeded in preventing the cleanse, Five found himself running to the subway station. He could still feel his feet burning from how fast he tried to get back to the station, wanting to jump in the train and go back to her timeline, but once he got there, the station vanished. There was no trace of it, no matter how many times he tried to run around and look for it. The subway is gone. She is gone.

Perhaps it was the price he has to pay for saving the universe. One’s happiness in exchange for the lives of millions doesn’t seem to be a hard sacrifice to make, but it’s still a tough pill for him to swallow. He knew that she would be proud. That she would hug and kiss him for doing all the hard work in saving the world. But the more he thinks about it, the more it stings for such touch would only be as good as a dream now.

“You ordered whiskey on rocks?” A voice asked, breaking his train of thoughts.

Five’s mouth went agape. He couldn’t tell if he was daydreaming or if this was some sick new power he gained from the marigold, but she was there. Standing right in front of him with a glass of whiskey in her hand.

“Viktor said his brother ordered whiskey on rocks, I assume that’s you?”

“I— Uh, yes,” He stammers, getting off the stool “You’re here.”

Five couldn’t believe his eyes. In his heart he knew that they would meet again, that somehow the universe would let him keep both her and his family, but he never expected that it was true. He never expected that he would meet her again. Not this fast, not this way.

“Sorry?” She asks, raising an eyebrow “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes. Yes, I’m fine,” Five said, shaking his head and taking the glass “Thank you.”

The girl smiles. It was a different smile than what he’s used to seeing. There wasn’t much love in her eyes, but he wasn’t in the position to complain. The girl he’s staring at and his lover might be the same person but she’s yet to know him here. She’s yet to know that he’s hers. She’s yet to know that he loves her. She’s yet to know that he belongs to her.

“Sorry, but have we met before?” She asks, still staring back at him “You look very familiar.”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so,” He lied, offering his hand “I’m Five. Five Hargreeves. Viktor’s brother.”

She took his hand, telling him her name, “I didn’t know Viktor had a baby brother.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really his baby brother. It’s— It’s complicated.” Five could feel his cheeks burning like a little boy, bashful “It’s a long story.”

“You mind telling me about it?” She asks, leaning on the table “I’ve got time. I love hearing stories.”

“I know you do,” He says with a big smile “Well, where do I start..”

[starsandhughes]

Penalty Box Series— Imagines Edition: Best Friend Number Twos

request: “Sissy and Cole! Okay so, Cole just goes dibs one day? Like rocks up to the lake house of even to Anaheim and is basically like *scoop up sissy* "I'm borrowing this. Mental health day bye." And everyone is like can he do that? That's an option?”

warnings: cursing, we*d (underage)

word count: 1.3k

SERIES MASTERLIST

a/n: when i tell y’all idk timeline of their life, i mean that shit. ik alex lived with them at some point (from what i put together from context clues) and trevor said he lived with them at one point (idk if that’s separate from the 5 weeks) but this is DIY timeline so trevor isn’t living with them but he visits a lot bc he’s dating sissy (duh) during NTDP days

ps i high key hate this and i am so sorry but every time i hate something it does well soooo here it is :) lmk what you think (i wrote in inebriated)

— — — — —

Sunday afternoons tended to be the calmest of all the days of the week. It was mainly spent with catching up on homework assignments, running errands, or just relaxing on the couch with your boyfriend, Jack, and Luke. Today was one of those days.

“Sissy, I love you, and if you weren’t Quinny’s entire world, you’d be mine. But I am—“

“Why can’t I be both of your entire worlds?” you cut him off. Jack tilted his head and gave you a ‘really?’ look, “Shut up, nobody asked you. Anyways, as I was saying, I love you, but I do not want to watch Catching Fire again.”

“But you love it!” you whined.

“Yes, but I don’t want to watch it every week! I don’t care how in love with Finnick you are, I’m picking the movie,” Jack stated. You crossed your arms and pouted, “Fine. Cars?”

Jack sighed and slammed his head down on the arm of the couch, “fucking dammit, fine!”

You cheered and fell into Trevor in celebration when the doorbell rang. Jack got up to open the door, “Oh hey! What are you doing here? Come on in.”

You and Trevor looked over and saw Cole entering the house. You both perked up and smiled at his arrival, “Cole!”

Trevor stood up to greet his friend in one of their weird handshakes they refuse to let you in on, “Hey! Whatcha doing here, buddy?”

Instead of answering immediately, Cole voted to just pick you up right off the couch and into his arms.

“I’m taking her,” Cole stated as if it were the most obvious thing int the world.

Jack, Luke, and Trevor all exchanged confused glances.

“Can he do that?” Trevor asked.

“Well, none of us are Quinn,” Luke said perplexed.

“Can I ask why you’re taking Sissy?” Jack turned to Cole, who was slowly walking to the door to keep conversation.

“I’ve been stressed, so I thought a Y/N day would solve all my problems,” Cole answered. “It works out great for you guys, I thought I’d give it a try.

“She is good at that,” Jack agreed. “Is this just a thing now? We can take her wherever?”

“Not when I’m—“

“With Quinn! Yeah, yeah, we know,” Jack interrupted.

Cole started walking closer to the door with you still i’m his arms. You situated yourself so that your legs were wrapped around his waist and your arms wrapped around his neck.

“Cole! Where are you taking her?!” Trevor shouted at his best friend.

“Anywhere she wants!”

“Can we come?”

“I can’t have a detox with Y/N day with her brothers and boyfriend hanging around!” Cole called out while he opened the front door.

“Bring her back by 6 for dinner!” Jack told him. You saluted him and allowed yourself to be carried out the door to Cole’s car.

“Alright, Caufield. You got 5 hours with me, what’s your game plan?” you asked as you placed your elbow on the middle console to prop your head up to look at him.

“I thought I’d take you out to lunch and then back to my dorm for some video games and maybe smoke a little?” Cole answered.

You quirked and eyebrow, “Where did you acquire bud?”

Instead of answering, Cole reached into his pocket and held up a disposable pen.

“That’s not smoking,” you rolled your eyes.

“Do you want it or not?”

You snatched it out of his hand and inhaled, relaxing back into your seat on the exhale.

“Good?” Cole smiled.

“Hella.”

Cole took you to Chipotle, which you both voted to take it back to Cole’s room to eat so he could rant. You sat perpendicular to the head of his bed and had him lay his head down in your lap so you could play with his hair as he spoke. Most of it was stress handling school and hockey practice four days a week, plus games. Other parts of it was little things, such as missing home and a much comfier bed.

“What if once a week we all get together and do assignments together? And we can get you a comfier mattress topper for your bed to try and make it comfier, and I’d have to ask mom but maybe you can stay in Quinn’s room every once in a while. I sleep in his bed all the time when I miss him so I can confirm it is a top notch bed to sleep in,” you said.

“How do I know if it’s actually top notch or if you just miss your best friend so much you gaslit yourself into liking it?” Cole inquired.

“Do you really think Ellen would let her favorite child sleep on an uncomfortable bed?”

“Good point,” he laughed.

This started to make Cole feel better, so you both decided it was time to play some video games and get a little high for further nerve easing.

“Cole-Baby,” you said after a hit, “it’s time to go.”

“One more round,” he said.

“Uh huh, you are not ten and I am not your mother that you bargain with. Rap it up, pretty boy.”

Cole turned off the game and looked over at you smirking, “you think I’m pretty?”

“I think it got you to turn the game off,” you smirked back and kissed his cheek as you stood up.

You spent the entire car ride practically inhaling water. It won’t sober you up completely, but it’ll ease it. It wasn’t the first time you’d come home a little high, and it certainly won’t be the last, so you didn’t worry. Plus, it wasn’t bud.

You skipped through the door and jumped on top of your boyfriend on the couch when you and Cole walked in.

“Trevy!” you screamed.

“Well hello to you, too, Princess,” Trevor laughed.

“Kiss,” you said, lifting your head up. Trevor gave you a small kiss, since you didn’t like to put on a show when your entire family was around.

Jack eyed you suspiciously. You knew he was onto you, so you snapped twice to signal ‘yes, I am high’ so that he could help cover for you if need be, which was hardly ever needed. He, however, needed it frequently, which is why you two created the signal.

“What was that?” Trevor asked.

“Hugheslepathy. We’ve been over this,” you stated as if it were obvious.

“As your newly declared best friend I would like in on this Hugheslepathy signals,” Cole said.

Everyone looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Buddy, Quinn’s her best friend,” Trevor said.

“Since she was 6,” Luke added.

“They’re Hugheslepathy is so much crazier than ours that I don’t even understand it,” Jack said.

“Plus, I’m your best friend,” Trevor finished the back and forth.

“You can have more than one best friend!” Cole exclaimed.

“Clearly, you haven’t been around Sissy and Quinn enough,” Jack laughed. “They’re a different breed of best friend.”

“You can be best friend number two, Coley, but only if I’m yours!” you exclaimed as you sat up.

“Alright, I’ll settle for number two best friend,” Cole laughed. “Shall we legalize it?”

“We shall,” you nodded. You held out your pinky finger to Cole and he looped his around it and you shook hands. “That’s a pink promise! It’s legally binding!”

Cole smiled and agreed with you.

“Dinner’s ready!” Ellen called out.

Jack walked by you as you got up, “How bad?”

“I barely feel it,” you answered. “My best friend number two does not have strong stuff.”

Cole came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, “Last time I share with you, then.”

You gasped and escaped out of his hold, “We’re best friend number twos! That means something!”

“Best friend number twos?” Ellen asked. “What about Quinn?”

“That’s why Cole’s number two, Mom,” you laughed.

Ellen smiled at Cole, “Best friend number two, huh? That’s a big role to fill. Are you ready for it?”

Cole slung his arm around you, “I think I can handle it.”

[eco-lite]

Finally got to read Volume 6! I didn’t think anything could top Volume 4, but this one is a very close contender for my favorite. Here are my unedited thoughts:

“Sinhalite Beckons, Part 1”

* An extra case first??? Okay then.

* Who is this female version of Seigi? This is hilarious, they’re way too similar!

* Very curious where in the timeline this story takes place…

“The Wandering Conch Pearl”

* WAIT WTF?? That was Seigi’s dream? Did he dream of himself as a woman interacting with Richard in Sri Lanka??????

* Not the milkman omgggg.

* Oooh Richard’s assistant in Hong Kong. That’s probably the sleezy guy he was talking about in the last story. Can Seigi see into other peoples’ pasts now? Didn’t know there was going to be a supernatural element lol.

* “I couldn’t decide if I should serve tea or not, so my brain cells had a meeting and came to the unanimous conclusion not to” (34). I love Seigi so much. 😂

* “I couldn’t stop smiling. Richard thanked me. He said he thought I was dependable. His smile was beautiful enough to start, but boy, a direct hit from his charm sure packed a punch. I was glad he’s withdrawn to the back room, because I was pretty sure my face wasn’t going to go back to normal for a while” (42). Oh, honey… 😌

* Wow, I did not think I would be learning so much about post-WWII politics between Japan and the Dominican Republic from this series, but here we are.

* This conversation between Richard and Seigi from page 62-67 is all over the place. Richard shutting Seigi down when he invites Richard over, but obviously still wanting to let Seigi in. And he ends up asking Seigi to dinner even though he just made the argument that Seigi should go home and go to bed early. And then he gets frustrated that Seigi is being so amenable to going out to dinner with him?? Bro, get your emotions together! You of all people should know that Seigi is not a mind reader. Let him know how you feel, for fuck’s sake!

* “To me, Richard’s beauty was like Mount Fuji at sunrise or the windswept sand dunes in a desert. Anyone else’s beauty was…very human. When I looked at Richard, I felt a mysterious calm, like if I were looking at a lake or the sky or the sea. Normal human features weren’t even in the same category. But if I said any of that out loud, I was pretty sure I’d offend literally everyone” (67). Yes, would would offend literally everyone. You’re learning, Seigi!

* “To have someone look upon the grain of truth hidden within the most tender part of yourself, and tell you their unvarnished opinion of it—I thought that would, without question, be cause for joy” (69). Okay well then you better tell Richard how you feel about having to leave Étranger in the next story, Seigi! Expose that grain of truth!!

“Resplendent Spinel”

* Seigi is really too nice. Filling in for someone in a club where you don’t know any of the other members? Could never be me.

* Ayame describing the “insincere drivel” her boyfriend spouts at her and Seigi’s reaction is “I felt like I was about to go into cardiac arrest” (93). 😅 Is he finally gaining some self-awareness about how ostentatious his compliments of Richard are?

* Ayame: “‘And if you think that a compliment can’t cut as deeply as an insult, you’re terribly naive’” (93). Seigi: “I felt like I’d been sent flying by a body blow” (94). Seigi is really going through it…

* “‘But you are different. Your words are different. When your words brush my face, it’s like a playful wind. With your absurd vocabulary, you are expressly telling me that my appearance brings you joy. It does feel a bit peculiar at times, but perhaps I find that peculiarity oddly endearing, Seigi.’ And then he smiled. I was struck dumb for a while” (96). Holy shit… 😳

* “‘I have a hard time understanding the nature of your love for me. It’s be a great help if you could give me a rundown, as if you were briefing me for a job’” (101). I wish Richard would ask Seigi to do this. But I think Seigi needs to complete his “self assessment” first. He doesn’t even understand the nature of his own love for Richard.

* Wow, Itagaki is actually pretty mature. Good for him.

* “‘Well, I just want you to know there has been a lot of diversity in body type in the industry lately, and I would love you even if you put on a hundred kilos, so don’t overdo it’” (110). It’s really nice to see a male character so adamant that his girlfriend shouldn’t have to worry about losing weight, especially since she’s in the entertainment industry. I hope we see even more diverse body types in Japanese entertainment in the future.

* I hope we get to see this “long talk” they’re going to have in the next story.

“Paraíba Tourmaline Romance”

* Omg Tanimoto is back! And she’s finally meeting Richard!! The two of them ganging up on Seigi is so funny.

* “Once again, it was Seigi Nakata versus the allied forces of Richard and Tanimoto. Honestly, I was probably the happiest if ever been in my life, but I was also just as embarrassed” (135). This is so cute.

* “‘I agree that romance might just be a stone I don’t know yet, but it feels so removed from me—like that planet made from diamonds orbiting a distant star. Maybe I just don’t have the courage for interstellar travel’” (153). This is so ace. I’m so so glad Tanimoto decided to be true to herself and not force herself into a romantic relationship she didn’t actually want. Sometimes you don’t need to experiment. You just know yourself. I’m so proud of her!

* Wow, I really teared up seeing Richard talk about queerness and fluctuations in identity so directly. I’m so happy Tsujimura had the courage to include frank conversations about queer issues. Richard’s perspective here truly is “like a spring breeze rushing through a window that no one remembered opening” (153).

* “‘What really matters is that you never forget that while you possess the potential to change, your present self continues to become your future self… I know it’s hard to decide what choice will be best for you, if I were in your position, I would not think forcing myself into a romantic relationship would be that choice… While dying on your feet is all well and good, one wrong step might make it nothing g more than foolhardy and reckless. And perhaps in the same way, a strategic retreat isn’t running away so much as it is a change of course’” (157). Ace ally Richard is so important to me. This is why he’s my comfort character.

* “‘When Seigi told me about this place, I thought it was a shop run by a foreign man who would show his customers wonderful gemstones. I see it’s actually a shop that provides kindness and comfort to those who see themselves as Étranger’” (158). fUCK.

* I’m so glad Seigi apologized for what he said to Tanimoto at the museum. I know it’s hard for him to let go of the fact that Tanimoto doesn’t feel romantic love since he has a crush on her, but I think he’s more understanding of her feelings now, thanks to the conversation with Richard.

* Omg Seigi and Tanimoto having a mature conversation about why they wouldn’t work out romantically. So nice to see. I think Tanimoto still kind of misunderstood why Seigi wanted to ask her out before, but that’s very on brand for her lol.

* “‘I feel like having you around has made me a better person than I was before’” (173). Richard!!! 💘💘💘

* Tanimoto defending Seigi and telling Richard to never hurt him again! I love her so much!

* I love this story so much! It was great to learn more about Tanimoto’s past and see her finally interact with Richard, who was just so thoughtful here. I can’t believe he felt bad for telling her not to worry about romantic love because he thought it might hurt Seigi. That’s sweet, but I’m glad he was true to himself and what Tanimoto needed to hear in that moment. And Seigi got just a bit more mature, too. I have such intense affection for everyone in this situation. But not Seigi’s father coming to ruin the vibes at the end. 🤬🤬🤬

“The Tanzanite of Rebirth”

* Seigi’s father is such a disgusting manipulator. I always say I want to learn more about Seigi, but learning how awful this man was to him and Hiromi, and how dark Seigi’s thoughts were at that time… How dark they are now… It’s really distressing.

* The fucking tonal shift from this melancholy last dinner together to Jeffrey showing up in the hotel room is so funny. For real though, what did Seigi think would happen when he followed Richard to his room?? 👀 But it’s really concerning that Seigi felt he had no choice but to follow Richard to his room. Obviously that’s Seigi’s extremely negative headspace talking, but please have some self-respect!

* “‘Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I spent a long time stalking you within the realm of what’s legal, of course. Obviously, I’ve repented of my actions—please, God, forgive me for my trespasses. And since I’ve repented, I hope you’ll forgive me for reoffending. It’s plain for anyone to see that something’s been eating at you’” (228). JEFFREY. It’s kind of sweet that Jeffrey has been keeping an eye on Seigi, but did he have to get this intense about it? This kidnapping situation is so chaotic lol. That is his style, though.

* “‘Why do you treat me like some rock on the side of the road? What do you think I am? A doll that’s not good for anything but being on display? I’ve been on this Earth longer than you have. I possess more knowledge than you, and I have enough free time to be able to afford to spend some on you. And yet you had the audacity to try to abandon me and walk off into the darkness. It’s beyond asinine and irrational’” (230). YOU TELL HIM, RICHARD! (Not to even mention Richard told Seigi he loves him just before this rant.) But I feel like Seigi could have said this exact speech when Richard ran away to England before. They both feel that the other should rely on them more, but wouldn’t want to be a burden. After the England debacle, Richard learned that it’s okay to rely on people who love you. Now Seigi has to learn that lesson too.

* “There was a large dam inside my heart, and what it was holding back wasn’t water but sludge. And I didn’t want any of that getting on Richard. It’s the sort of thing that you let out into a drainage ditch in secret” (232-233). Oh, honey, no. First of all, Richard is a human being who loves you and can withstand hearing bad things. You’re not tainting him. He’s asking you to trust him with this. Second of all, please go to therapy…

* It’s really concerning to see how Seigi thinks of himself as having the potential for violence against people he loves. It’s really common for witnesses of domestic abuse to think that way, but it’s so clear in Seigi’s actions that he could never do that. He has such a good heart. But he’s really clouded by dark thoughts from interacting with his father. It’s not like he was thinking this when he wanted to date Tanimoto. These thoughts resurfaced very recently. Thankfully Richard has done enough self-reflection to throw his own situation in Seigi’s face to show him how ridiculous he’s being.

* “‘You don’t think of me as normal or expected. You don’t think of me as tangible, something that is always by your side. That is why I remain someone distant and unreachable to you… You never attempt to close the distance between us. And you never allow me to pay your price, the affection, you are worth’” (243-244). Wow. This reflective Richard is extremely powerful…

* “The moment I realized that he had been watching over me and accepting me for who I was on a much deeper level than I could even have imagined, I felt like I’d been tossed into the middle of the ocean—it was salty, and I struggled to breathe. I was such a loser, such a thoughtless person, a timid child crying in the dark with his knees held tightly to his chest, and yet it felt like he took it all in and said that it was fine. But it wasn’t just a feeling, he believed in me, more than I could ever believe” (247-248). Yes, Seigi, that’s what you do when you love someone. You did the same for him.

* Omg punk Jeffrey?! I wish I could see all those photos Richard keeps as blackmail. 😂

* I’m glad Richard brought up “what floor?” Seriously, Seigi not feeling able to reject him was scary. For both of them, I think.

* Seigi’s stepdad is an absolute legend! King of positive masculinity! “‘I don’t think being strong or not has anything to do with whether you’re okay’” (272). Fuck yes. Hiromi did so well marrying this man.

* “‘I don’t want an apology, I want you to reflect on your behavior. I imagine you understand this by now, but your number-one assignment at the moment is learning to value yourself more’” (274). The fact Richard is able to say this to Seigi is a reflection of his own growth as well. I’m so glad they’re in each other’s lives. They make each other better. 🥹

* Seigi trying to tell Richard he wants to keep being around him even if he doesn’t work at Étranger anymore but it keeps coming out likes he’s proposing or asking him on a date. I think his first statement was the truest to how he feels: ‘“I want to be by your side from now on, if you’ll let me’” (280). I think Richard was ready to accept that as a proposal until Seigi made a bunch of qualifying statements lol.

* Wow, this story means so much to me. Everything that came out of Richard’s mouth was something both Seigi and I (and so many other people, I’m sure) needed to hear. Their relationship got so much deeper. And I can’t wait to see what shenanigans Seigi gets up to in this hotel lol. Especially if Richard is staying there as well. Very excited for the next volume. This one had better come out on time! 😤

“Sinhalite Beckons, Part 2”

* OKAY this is wild! I swear to god the person on the motorcycle in part 1 is Richard, but it seems to be Seigi now???? And he and Richard seem to live together in this nice house in Sri Lanka???????

* Omg she’s the sister of the airport lady from “Flourite By Your Side!” 😲 Glad she’s feeling better!

* Okay so it’s been three years? And there are pictures of the shop in Ginza and their families on the coffee table?? This is so fucking domestic. Is this their future???

* It’s refreshing to see someone call Seigi attractive for once! RIP Keiko’s love life though lol.

* “‘But you know, you really surprised me. You speak textbook-perfect English, but your Japanese sounds like someone from a local convenience store.’ I told him I thought is was a very interesting gap, and he smiled bashfully. ‘He always tells me that—“At this point, the language you might be the least eloquent in might be Japanese.” It is the one language he didn’t teach me, after all’” (301). This is so funny. And it’s making more sense why I thought Seigi was actually Richard in the first part. I can’t believe Seigi speaks English with a British accent! 😂

* Lol once again somebody’s first assumption is that Seigi and Richard are a couple, and it’s still not hard to see why. Love that Keiko immediately asked Seigi out after learning they’re not together, though. You go, girl! But Seigi’s heart belongs to someone else, huh? For real, please tell me he knows it’s Richard at this point!

* I find it so interesting that Tsujimura decided to show us this glimpse of Seigi and Richard’s future. What was the purpose?? It’s a fun and cute story, but not very satisfying if you’re routing for them to get together. And it weirdly feels like an ending even though I know there are at least two more volumes after this…

“Afterward”

* This isn’t a story but I need to record my reaction to the sentence “the first part of the story has now come to a close with Volume 6—though there is still more to tell.” 😲😲😲 Okay, I didn’t realize this story was in parts! Maybe “Sinhalite Beckons” is a way to transition into this new future chapter of Seigi and Richard’s life. 🤔

* Tsujimura actually knows a jeweler who taught them how to make royal milk tea lol. That’s adorable. They do say to write why you know.

* “It would make me very happy if you would keep me company on their journey for a little while.” Tsujimura, I am with you for the long haul. 🫡 Let’s do this!

[sheepispink]

A Pearl (1/2)

based on the song by mitski because i love mitski and hot traumatised men

Summary: Years of horrific memories still weigh down on him even as he promises to let you help him move on. All you want to do is help, but its not enough.

Part 2 Masterlist

tags: Leon Kennedy/Reader, Hurt/No comfort, Angst, fem! reader, mentions of re4 (no specific spoilers dw guys), mentions of ptsd, heart wrenching angst 😘

other notes: for clarification, the timeline goes— after the raccoon city incident, then he goes on the re4 mission, then it’s like the smaller missions like damnation etc. Towards the end and next chapter it’s basically vendetta. But theres no actual spoilers bcus tbh.. i haven’t watched any of the movies except id 💀

Ch1: Before it Ended

Like a dream is how you’d always describe it. His coworkers, your friends —anyone who had heard of his name— would come up to you, fawning over your pretty looks and lovely personality. They’d ask you every time, “How did it happen?” And always, you’d replay that memory in your head.

“It was winter,” You’d begin by recounting the snow that fell upon your face that day, the breeze that bristled your bones, and the way his hair looked frozen in place. You’d remember the laughter that bubbled in your throat when you saw that and how his lips curved ever so slightly for what you believe was the first time. Some of the soft strands of your hair had itched your skin; It was messy from having been shaken from the depths of sleep, and now your fingers tuck the rogue locks behind your ear. Eyes like a pretty lake, hair like wheat, with his random strands and dirty blonde roots you would soon learn to run your fingers through. He stood before you, only the dim porch light illuminating him on that winter night. “Why are you out so late?” You had asked him, your hand reaching forward to tug him into the warmth of your apartment. Little did you know that’d tug him into your life as well.

The refusal was clear; he shook his head, puffs of warm air escaping as he explained that he had something to tell you. His clothes were dirty, scratched in places, and his combat knife was only hastily put away—just work, he explains, desperate to leave a good impression on you. He had finished, and he was sure that now that he’d have time, he’d be free from the shackles of the years that would creep up on him. Cheeks flushed and Adam’s apple bobbing—you still aren’t sure whether the cold or a blush caused that. “I know I’m always gone, and we dont see each other as often anymore, but I swear- I’ve sorted everything out. I’ve fixed it.” He says his words rushed and mumbled, like his heart was spilling out then and there.“I know this is sudden- i know, but- i just.. Will you marry me?” He blurts out and every puff of air that leaves his mouth feels like another log added to the fire you didn’t know was built in your heart for him. A campfire, as you’d always describe it, is comforting and warm, the perfect reassurance in cold times. Perhaps you should’ve chosen something detrimental to life, but you preferred the romantic speech.

Everyone loved the tale as you did, enamoured with how you managed to get the stoic agent to fall head over heels with you. He’d walk over right then, slinging an arm around your waist, giving you a tender kiss to your cheek, and plastering a smirk on his lips. “Still telling everyone that story?” He’d tease as his fingertips gently rubbed your side, the silver band on his ring finger twinkling with the same light his wine glass did. “As usual.” You’d reply, that same bubble of happiness rising in your throat again as you tilted your head upwards, waiting for the small peck that always came.

Always.

A year would go by, and you’d been learning more and more about each other. Nothing seemed to be too big of a step for you. Opposing voices, loud huffs, doors slamming shut until the other would open it quietly, apologise, crawl into the warmth of their shared bed, and work things out with sweet reassurances. Work was tough; he was on more missions than ever, being considered one of the greatest men to serve your country. Warmth that you always described as adoration filled your heart whenever you heard that phrase; you couldn’t be more proud of him for it.

Besides, not even that could tear you down; nothing could break the delicate encasing that surrounded the pair of you. A greenhouse, you’d say, because it held all the things that grew only with a person’s own nurture and care. Like your relationship, crafted and melded by your kind words and your soft voice. It’s a shame greenhouses are made of glass.

Weekends were quieter now, something you had decided to take in stride; you decided to plan something nice for when he returned. The he anniversary he had missed too. It’s been so long since you’ve seen him now, resorting to spraying his cologne on the pillows in that cold bed to retrieve some imaginary warmth. Then it came—the day he’d return. Open arms is what you welcomed him with; he had always loved to hug you, and holding you close was a remedy for his mind, he’d say. But those words stopped forming after some time. You ushered him into the shared bed that night, your arms curling around him after the nice surprise you had set up earlier had gone well. Perfect, you had thought. The bed was still cold, though. You thought about bringing it up with him but decided against it; the warmth of his arms was enough for you.

You should’ve brought it up with him, for the time would have entered where he couldn’t handle it. He had awoken with a jolt, sweat trickling like beads down his temples. Eyes wide and chest pounding, he sat there with eyes darting for a threat and hands searching for yours. Your fingers would intertwine with his, warm against his cold palms, as you sat up beside him. It’d be over soon; thats what you promised— you’d do this together.

Nights like those started occurring more often than ever, until one day, he’s awoken with a sharp jolt again. His movements are much more frantic, his hands searching and searching.

Though, this time, it doesn’t find itself in yours.

It’s tightly wrapped around your neck, his mind screaming to murder you. Bloodshot eyes and prominent streaks of black down your arms— the horrors he had tried so desperately to push away— return to his mind. Your breath wont come. No sweet words, and he looks down to see his hand contaminated with that same murky colour. The sink of his chest feels like a knife as he sees your arm grab out at him, like they did everywhere he went. Those creatures who would grab him, claw at him, and still threatened to take his life. They had destroyed his mind instead.

But there is no mutant, no bloodshot eyes and no streaks on your skin. All he sees is what he’s done to you, his body weight pressing on you as his hand keeps a firm grip around your neck. Your mouth begs for air, denying the sweet reassurance he needed as he sees you turn pale, your eyes flickering with tears. There’s no threat in here; not even the cold breeze from the open window chills his bones. Nothing can hurt more than the desperation in your eyes as your hands claw—No—plead at him for relief. He immediately lets go, scrambling to the other end of the bed as he watches you pant, his heart filled with fear. Fear of himself. You quickly turn to him, mustering out your honeyed phrases through choked breaths. But they’re just letters dancing about, barely going near his ears in the walls he had built between the two of you. Ignorance is bliss, but he can’t break his gaze when he sees the deep streaks of scarlet he left on your neck. Frozen in regret and shame, you tentatively wrap your arms around him to comfort the pair of you. But he feels your tears on his neck; the fear you felt eats at his gut and his conscience. You had never felt so cold before.

The days he had left for missions were the worst nights of your life, you’d say, having been away from your heart for so long. But even as you see him drinking his morning coffee, those eye bags prominent, you think your heart might be buried in Spain, infected with the plagas of love that died out.

Unspoken was what had happened that night— a silent promise between the pair of you with small random affections to bandage up the wound he had inflicted. He was still going on the small missions, but they were shorter, and he was back to fill the bed every night. The flowers in the vase never died—a different shade, flower, or even scent every week. A different kind of love.

This continued for weeks, up until you were out with some friends, each talking about their love lives, which was always a topic between the three of you. One of them gushes about how their husband’s love language is gift-giving, describing each and every homemade affection they receive on the daily. Soon it gets around to your turn, and when you speak about his love language, physical touch comes to mind again. Whether it was playing with your hair, rubbing your hands as you walked in the cold, or leaning on you after hard days, he always wanted to be near you. Your mouth fails to respond; no words form yet no examples are recalled in your brain either. You laugh sheepishly, trying hard to wrack your head for something sweet he’s done, until you just laugh it off and talk about how you love him again.

The bed’s empty when you slip inside it; he hasn’t returned yet and he won’t be back for another hour or so. The ceiling accompanies you as you desperately try to remember an act of affection in the last few weeks. It’s only now that it finally hits you, like a tonne of bricks through your skull—

He’s been distancing himself from you.

Knowing that you get caught up in little things, he occupied your mind with flowers and sweet notes. Not once have you actually heard him say any of it or felt his touch, if not accidental. He sleeps at a distance at night, and even when you shuffle closer somehow, you wake up further apart than before. You havent had a meal with him in weeks and you haven’t actually heard that raspy voice you remember as he complains about his day. You cannot remember the last time you felt warmth, and you can’t remember when you last cried this hard.

You’re in the bathroom, wiping away the stray tears as you look at yourself in the mirror. A heavy ache that still scrapes against the walls of your heart, unsure if you feel better or worse after coming to terms with this. Every pump feels like it’s dragging you down instead of keeping you alive. The rush of blood is like-

The front door clicks open.

You almost freak out and you’re not even sure why you would. Why are you scared of this? Why are you suddenly scared of him? Your feet hurries you back to your shared bed, settling under the covers once more to try to play it off as just tiredness. You still can’t figure out why you’re doing all this or why you start to form excuses for your behaviour in your mind. He never does. So why would you? The footsteps draw closer; they’re just slightly heavy, much softer than when he wears his boots. You hear the bedroom door unclick and your shoulders tense with every second.

But you dont see him enter. Slow breathing and closed eyes— you’re even lying on your side as you pretend to be asleep.

————————————————————————

Leon breathes out a heavy sigh, his chest sinking to drain out all his exhaustion from today. There’s a rustle of clothing as he undresses, pulling on some random sweatpants and a spare shirt for the night. Why should he even care if its clean or not? He walks over to his side of the bed, rummaging around the bedside table for something. Then he pauses, his eyes catching onto something in his peripheral view. Tear stains?

You hear the creak on the bed as he leans half his weight on it, about to reach out to you. Your heart beats faster. Is it because you dont want to worry him with your tears, or are you afraid of him? You don’t know. His fingers brush your cheek ever so gently, his voice echoing out your name so, so softly.

“Hey.. you awake?” He asks, and even though your heart is melting into a little puddle so easily, some stubborn stick clogs your throat. His sigh fills the room again and he pulls the blanket over you, tucking it snugly over you before brushing the hair out of your face. Maybe he’s just tired these days, you think. He’s been through a lot after all; it explains all of it. Really, you shouldn’t have been so upset at all—his work and life are on an entirely different level for you.

You’re about to open your eyes, pretend you woke up, and give him a sleepy smile. Images of him giving you a tight hug and one hand rubbing the small of your back as he tells you to fall asleep again fills your mind.

Then he speaks again, the bed creaking as he steps back off of the bed, the warmth leaving as fast as it came. “She’s really knocked out.? Phew.. I do not want to deal with some stupid tears..” He mutters out, his raspy voice much lower and breathless—almost exasperated. A low groan leaves him as he dumps his work clothes somewhere. Then, the bed screams again as he lays his weight on it before he shuffles himself to the end of the bed. He looks back at the space between them, another huff of air leaving his lips.

“That’s good enough. I fucking hate being woken to push her away from me..” Eventually, his breathing evens out, and his shoulders are still tight and tense as his body relaxes into the bed. The night falls quieter, and your mind feels blank.

You don’t know when you fell asleep or if he saw your fresh tears when he woke that morning.

Next

[hockeyandhrsepwr]

Insufferable

Luke Hughes x reader

Basic Premise : your dating one of the Michigan Guys who went to WJ’s, but youre Canadian. After the tourney, you (& Adam) proceed to annoy your bf & the rest of the guys with the Team Canada goal song, partly because it slaps, but also because its annoying as fuck. you & Luke are childhood friends from Toronto, but you moved to Halifax after he moved to Michigan. Now you go to Mich & you’re a year older so third year, but you’ve been involved with the hockey team since your first, & youre good friends with most of the guys

Note: this is based on a random thought I had around World Juniors that I was just reminded of. Please note I am drunk as a skunk as I write this so there will be mistakes & probably things that dont make sense (timeline math wise)

January 2023, Halifax

Is it bad if I’m hoping they lose? I text my besties. Like I love Luke but I want Canada to go back to back

It takes 2 seconds for my phone start buzzing

Anne (bestie from Michigan): Fuck that you traitor!!

Mel (Hometown bestie): Haha, no. Canada for the dub baby!!!!

A: I hate both of you. Just you wait y/n, I’m showing this to Luke when I see him!

Y/n: he knows how serious I take this. I still havent forgiven Jack for 2021.

M: As much as I love supporting our boys, you have got to give that up babe. Its been 2 years

A: And wasnt it his friend who scored anyway?

Y/n: We also dont talk about him

M: Yeah, until you need someone to do Taylor Swift karaoke with at the Lake house in the summer

Y/n: fuck off, games starting, I hate you

As hard as both teams played, Canada wins & the crowd goes wild! I’m over the moon, but I know Luke will be disappointed. After the game, I make my way down towards the locker rooms with the rest of the family members that are here (not like there’s many) to wait for the boys. As they slowly make their way out & head for the bus, I spot Luke. I run over & wrap my arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to his chest.

“Sorry babe, you played so well though.”

He pulls back and raises an eyebrow “are you really that sorry?… Anne texted me.”

“Bitch” He chuckles so I know he’s not that mad “ I really did want you guys to do well. It ws just awkward that its to get to the gold medal game. If you were both in the final it be better but it didn’t work out that way this year. You’ll get that bronze though, and then im going to show you how we have a good time in Hali.”

Dropping a kiss on my nose, I see him crack a smile before something slams into my back and arms go around me.

“Hey Rut, you played great out there!”

“Not good enough”

“Hey! Dont talk like that. Time to get that bronze & then well go back to AA & get that Natty.”

“HUGHES, McGroatry, get your asses on the BUS!!! Duker I see you heading towards them. NO”

I giggle as their coach yells at Duke, but grab him for a quick hug before he can get in trouble.

“God you really are the team mom.”

“What?” “Thats what the guys say but I’ve never really noticed it before”

“That’s nice, I guess? But go babe, before you get in trouble. Tomorrow night though, youre all mine” I kiss him quickly and let him go.

Team mom? Have I somehow adopted a hockey team & not realized?

The Next Day

Team USA gets the bronze with a couple of beautiful goals from our Michigan boys. After the game, I catch up with the boys.

“Congrats!!! here’s the plan. Now I’ve got a game to watch, you’ve got shit to do, and I’ll pick you up at 10 after your team dinner & bonding shit. Get ready I’m showing you the real Halifax.”

“Love you Lukey. I’m so proud of you. I’ve got to get back to my seat but I’ll see you later”

The game is crazy but we take the gold!!! I text Luca since I know he’s here somewhere & we finally mange to find each other before making our way to the ice to congratulate Adam & the rest of the guys.

“By the way, youre coming with me tonight” I nudge Luca while Adams talking to someone else. “I’m showing the boys Halifax

“Y/n, my flight is early tomorrow morning.”

“Bro were all on the same flight. Grow a pair & come out. I need more people since the other frosh are underage”

“Hey, why can’t I come?” Adam has apparently been listening. ‘I’ve never been to Halifax before!”

“How have you been here for 2 weeks and not seen anything”

“Not with a local!! I want to see the secrets”

“Were going drinking and youre a child so you won’t be let in moron. Also dont you have team stuff?”

He’s dragged away before he can respond but I know we won’t see him for the rest of the night. Luca agrees to come, but he has to find his parents first.

My phone buzzes with a text from Luke Hey babe, think you’ll be much longer, some of the guys are tired & not sure they’ll last much longer

I text him back 30 more minutes. Tell them to take a power nap, but the only ones that’ll need to rally are you & Duker. The rest of them will be back with an hour & a half.

L: Okay babe, see you soon.

After fighting my way through the crowds, I manage to make it to the hotel the teams staying at. I enter the lobby & hear my name, since I texted Luke that I was near. There’s about fifteen of the USA guys waiting for me and I make my way over.

“First things first, who’s 19?” About half of the guys hands go up. “Okay, do you have your IDs?” Everyone nods & I clap my hands. “Alright, for those who dont know me, I’m y/n & this idiot is my boyfriend” I gesture to Luke & he wraps his arms around me. “I’m going to show you how we do shit here on the East Coast, especially those of you who are legal. For the children, I’ve got some cool stuff for you too but your night will come to an end sooner than the rest of us. Ready?”

A cheer goes up as everyone gets up & ready to go.

“One last thing, Duker needs a place to sleep tonight” “HEY!” “But you can sort that out among yourselves. Lets go!!”

The streets of Halifax are absolutely wild, but I manage to show the guys around a lot before we make our way back to the hotel. In the lobby, I give the Michigan kiddos a hug & tell them that ill see them tomorrow for the flight. “For the rest of you, Nice meeting you, im sure ill see you around!!”

We pick up Luca then make our way around downtown. once we make it to the designated bar I see a familiar face.

“MEL!!” “Ah, you made it!! congrsts on the bronze boys, but RED & WHITE TAKES THE WIN BABY!!”

“Sorry about that, she’s a bit drunk. Have fun boys, everyone has my number so text me if you can’t find me!”
“she’ll be in a corner with Luke!” “ Shut it Duke.”

Two hours later, the drinks have been flowing & were all having a great time. Luke & I are out on the dance floor, tearing it up, when the bar goes wild. Luke groans as the opening bars of an East Coast Classic start playing. “ I’m gonna hear this song in my nightmares for the next little bit”

“I mean that sucks for you but COME GET YOUR DUDS IN ORDER” I scream with the rest of the bar.

Sorry, I mouth to Luke

As the night comes to a close, I manage to round up the boys and make our way back to the hotel. All in all, a great few days here at home, but I’m ready to head back to Michigan and get on with the year.

End of January

We’ve been back for a couple of weeks & life is going well. We’re having a party for the team & various friends at one of the houses. Luke & I are chilling on one of the couches, im on his lap chatting to Anne as he talks to Duke, when Luca comes running up

“Y/n what’s the name of that song?” I have no idea what he’s talking about “Could you be any less specific? Give me something Luca”

“You know, du du dud dud” “How does that make sense Anne mutters beside me. “Yeah duh. Why?” “ Adams on the music next & needs a good lineup. He can’t remember the name”

I sit up, “oh, ill text him a playlist, I’ve got a couple of good ones to go along with it”

Luca runs off and Luke pulls me back into his chest “What are you up to?” I give him a kiss “nothing:)”

Ten minutes later, I can see that Adam is hooking his phone up, so I hop up on the coffee table & yell

“Attention folks, Adam, thanks for the tunes. It’s time I introduce you all to a couple of good old fashioned Canadian classics. I expect full enthusiasm okay? Take it Away Adam” The opening bars play and then “Twas the night that Patty Murphy died….”

By the time we get through 5 of the songs, the whole room is bumping. Luke & I are dancing, and he leans down & whispers “I know its coming, and I’m going to get you back for this” I smile up at him, “no idea what you’re talking about”

I dance my way over to Adam & Luca as the opening bars begin

“Hey boys, ready?” “Hell yeah”

“I know you know it, so sing it with me - COME GET YOUR DUDS IN ORDER….. HEAVE AWAY!!” At this point I’m back on the table doing some weird attempt at line dancing with Eddy. Of course the albertan knows how to do it. Were about halfway through the song when im thrown over Lukes shoulder, to cheers from the room

“Thank you, thank you!! Ill be back next week!” I wave as Im pulled from the room. Luke drops me on the swing on the porch before sitting down & leaning on me. “Youre infuriating”, “but you love it’ I grin and kiss him. We stay on the swing making out & cuddling for a while, looking at the stars & people watching. There’s no shortage of interesting incidents to see in a college town on a Saturday night. The the night starts dying down so I round up the boys that dont live here & start making our way back to my place across campus, dropping everyone off & making sure they get home safe before Luke & I get to mine.

All in all a great night.

Mid February

“What’s up everybody!!!!” I skate onto the ice to get the crowd going

“All right, its loud in here tonight!! So I’ve got some news for you. I know you were expecting to see our wolverines playing some of Team USA’s development guys. Unfortunately they had to pull out, but weve got something better for you all tonight! Before I let you in on it, Here are YOUR MICHIGAN WOLVERINES!!!”

The Music starts as most of the guys come rushing out of the tunnel doing a lap in front of the crowd before lining up in front of our net. Smiles all around as the crowd goes wild. Once they settle down, I start back up. 
“Thank you boys for that dramatic entrance!! Now, some of you may know me as that annoying girl who’s been on the mic at Yost for the past three years, which is valid. But what some of you might not know, is that I’m Canadian.” BOO. I hear from behind “Zip it Duker” The rest of you, Stop your booing!!! I’ve brought it up for a reason - For those of you that know me, you know that I came here for a boy. I know what youre thinking, what a dumb move, moving to another country for a boy, but I couldn’t help myself. You all know and love him, from the wolverines, number 43” The crowd starts making some noise, “QUINN HUGHES.”

The boys behind me start laughing & glance at Luke, but he knows im joking (or am I?…)

“Nah, Nah, in all seriousness, Q is like an older brother to me, so when I was figuring my life out four years ago he brought me here & I knew it was the place for me. But there is a boy, who followed me here cause im that awesome ‘hair flip’, and since there’s a very special holiday coming up”, I turn around and skate over to stand in front of Luke, looking into his eyes before turning my head

“Duker, will you be my Valentine” The arena burst out into laughter & cheers as Luke drops his stick & I try & race away from him. He grabs me by the waist before I make it more than a few metres, swinging me around before setting me back down on the ice.

“Youre going to pay for that” he whispers before dropping a kiss on my lips as a collective EW goes up from the crowd.

“Yeah yeah, get back in line lukey.” I blow him a kiss as he skates back.

“Now that thats out of the way” The crowd laughs “Duke im free at 7, you know where to find me”

“In all seriousness, you may be noticing that were missing quite a few players. Now there’s nothing wrong with them, but first let me tell you what’s about to go down. We have a couple of special guests coming to join us for this game, so lets get into it. We’re hosting the first, and probably last, USA vs Canada game, Michigan style!!”

I can tell that people are confused, so why dont we just show you?” Cheers & Boos start up, but thats alright, I. Think they’ll be pretty happy once they see what’s planned.

“First up, they may look a little different tonight, but please welcome, your Canadian wolverines!!
Starting us off tonight, you all know & love them, an inseparable duo, the bros LUCA & ADAM!!” They come out wearing Adams jerseys, pumping up the crowd & do a lap before standing behind me, just opposite their teammates.

“Next up, from the single worst province, number 73, ETHAN EDWARDS!!” The crowd roars as Eddy pretends to flip me off.

“And the last of our Ontario boys, Eric & TJ!!”

“All right, I dont know about you guys, but I’m thinking our Canadian boys need a little colour with a u” The boys snicker & Eddy fist bumps me “So please welcome some very special gents with a delivery for us. From last years championship winning team” The crowd gets so much louder “Mr ‘no one can spell your province’ Jimmy Lambert, Mr British Columbia Kent Johnson, and the big dog Owen power!!” Jimmy, KJ & OP skate out, the crowd cheering as they hold a bunch of Team Canada jerseys.

I’m glad they’re willing to play along. When Kent messaged me earlier in the year & mentioned that him & Owen were going to try & stop by for a game during the all star break, I knew it could turn into something super fun. Once I got my boss & the two guys on board, & the NTDP had pulled out a few weeks ago due to something, I started my mission. The Michigan boys had no idea what was going on until getting ready tonight, so I think it’ll be an awesome time for everyone. It also gives me an opportunity to fuck with Luke a bit which I’ll never pass up. He thinks he know what I’m up to, but I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.

“Now Owen & Kent have generously donated some of their old jerseys for the players to wear tonight, so we can really represent. Will they all have the same names on the back? Yes, but they’re big kids, they’ll figure it out.” Sweeping my hands out, the boys start grabbing jerseys.

“We’ll have a quick break so that the boys can change”

“I mean they can start stripping out here, we won’t complain” I hear from the stands as laughter erupts & I point towards the children of Yost section.

“I like you, but unfortunately the on ice strip tease portion of this evening has been cancelled. It will take place in the locker room, tickets are ten dollars” I wink at the camera before turning back towards Luke. “But lets continue. we can’t play a full game with only a few on our team, so please welcome some more special guests. One of your former wolverines, Mr has lived in Vancouver so long he’s basically Canadian, Quinn Hughes!! (Bum Bum bum bummmm noise)” Lukes eyes go wide as the arena explodes with noise and Quinn comes out. I open my arms and grab him for a hug before having him stand next to me.

“Alright Quinny, how are you feeling being back?’
“honestly y/n im wondering what you have planned because if I know you, there’s something else that going to surprise me.”

“Ladies & gents, he’s known me since I was 3 so I’d say he’s got a pretty good read on me. Now number 43” “Hey!” Luke pipes up and I wave my hand in his direction to shush him, “I’m going to have you stand over there until everyones here & we can split you up.

“You’re wondering who’s next, I’m wondering why he’s here at all” Laughter & cheers from the crowd and the boys on the ice bang their sticks “we have Mr ‘ive never met anyone with greater middle child syndrome, he didn’t even go to college but refused to be left out’ from New Jersey Jack Hughes!” Jack skates out & leans towards the mic

“I would like it on the record that you asked me….” I hip check him away “That’s false. Anyway” He skates over to Luke & grabs him in one of those weird bro hugs then heads over to Quinn.

“Alright, last one then we can get going with some hockey!” The crowd roars

“Since they seem to come as a pair these days, your other favourite boy from Columbus, Nick Blakenberg!”

The crowds going wild, the boys are having a good time seeing each other & I think were about ready to get going.

“So here’s everyone. Now rapid fire, its time to split them up. We’ve got our Canadian boys. Jack, get your butt over there” He starts to protest but I hold up my hand “you know why, remember?” Raising an eyebrow at him, I see the recognition dawn. his face falls into a pout as he heads over to stand next to Owen.

“Q, I may have said youre basically Canadian but since I do love your brother, you can head over there” The smile on Lukes face as Quinn skates over & stands next to him is just adorable. God hes so cute. A mixture of Aws & Ews makes me realize that I may have said that out loud. My cheeks feel like theyre on fire as he skates over, wraps his arms around my waist & rests his chin on my head after pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Youre cute too” he whispers

“Anyway, next up, since we appear to be missing a goalie, its only fair that we get Ports! So get on over here!” Boos ring out “hey, he’s not American. That’s the literal criteria. Now here’s where it get tricky. The rest of these fine gentlemen are proud Americans, but the teams are pretty uneven. To keep things fair, we have a couple of guys who played in the BC leagues, so they’re hopping over the border for this one. So please temporarily welcome to team Canada, Holtzy, Phil, Grano Kienan & TShea!!!. Were about even now.“

The players are starting t organize themselves “Now we’ll take a five minute break so the guys can switch jerseys. Then its go time!!!” Noise inside the arena grows as I wrap my arms around Luke & he drags me off the ice.

“I love you so much, but youre absolutely insane.”

“Aw thanks babe, love you too. Now get your ass in the change room & get back out there”

I grab my Canada Hoodie that I hid next to the door earlier this morning and pull it on before hopping back on the ice. “How are we feeling? Excited?!” I pump up the crowd as I skate around. “So this is how tonights gonna go. We wont be playing a full game, since were ’not allowed to tire out the NHL guys on their break’ boo We also dont want any injuries since this is just for fun. So we won’t be too rough tonight, but instead of that final period, we’ve got a fun little game to play with the players. But first, while the rest of the boys are away I have one more visitor” I spin & open my arms up, gesturing towards the tunnel, “everyone’s favourite fashionable frenchman, Thommy B!” Bordy comes skating out and yells, “dont ever call me that again” “What, French?” Laughing,I shout back as he waves to the crowd. “So Bordy, welcome. You know a little bit about what’s going on tonight. I know youre used to wearing the red white & blue, but now its time to represent the superior country.” He laughs and sticks out his tongue. “Here come the rest of our players!!” The music gets going again as the boys come out. They cheer as they see Bordy before splitting up into their teams.

“ALL RIGHT ARE WE READY?” The noise is deafening as the boys head to their benches, but jack skates towards me. “Just so you know, Z, Turcs & a bunch of the other guys are here so it might get a bit rowdy”

“Cleary you’ve never been to a game here haha. There’s no one rowdier than the children, but I’ll keep that in mind. Where even are they?”

“They’re in the away dressing room, Quinn helped me get them in there but they’re going to come into the tunnel to watch”

“Fucking Zebras, messing up my plans. I hope they know that they’re not getting away with being here & not participating. Ive got to do some shuffling” “Y/n they dont have any gear” “Well they should have though of that before gatecrashing” I pat him on the shoulder, “dont worry jacky, I’ll sort it out, now get over there”.

“NOW, Can I please get my two representatives to centre for the puck drop, then I promise we’ll be on our way”

Luke & Adam skate up to me and get into position. We get the picture & then,

“Hey y/n, I think were missing something” Adam pipes up

“I think youre absolutely right Adam. Everyone please rise”, the crowd stands up, “it would be a shame to start without this, Lukes favourite song” He groans as the smile on my face grows infinitely bigger “Take it away” I point to the sound guys & Heave Away starts to blare from the system.

I skate around pumping up the crowd as everyone gets into it. I see a few faces from the US WJC team look like they’re trying not to enjoy themselves, but I know they like the song. Between Adam & I, We’ve played it enough. A ripple of laughter comes from the crowd as I hear skating behind me. Luke grabs me and pulls me over to the box I normally sit in, stealing my mic in the process.

“Think that’ll stop me babe? I can yell pretty loud too”

“Oh I know” he winks, “and so does the rest of the house” My mouth drops as I know what he’s insinuating. 
“Now Ive got a game to win” he says as the final notes of the song play. He turns around but I grab his jersey before he can get away, “think youre forgetting something” He kisses me quickly before getting back to centre ice.

The crowd at Yost is absolutely electric through out the game, and the boys are having a blast. Throughout the first period, I’m texting my friends & the others who work in the arena to see what they think about my plan for our gatecrashers.

(I can’t describe a game to save my life, despite having watched hockey since I was a kid, so just use your imagination for whats actually going on on the ice:) )

First intermission comes up, and the Canada side is leading, obviously. The boys head to the dressing rooms, and the music starts going. I head back to the dressing rooms to deal with the new guys. I crack the door to the away room & Yell

“You better be decent, im coming in” before pushing the door. A few guys my ass, I think as I take in half of the team jack played with in the program & a bunch of young NHL guys.

“Sup Mase” I stick out my fist. “Long time. Matty, Briss, Beech, nice to see you.”

“Trevor” I narrow my eyes at him

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting any of you but I have something for you. Since you idiots, Zegras & Cole im looking at you, didnt assume that I’d make you participate, none of you have gear. Luckily for you, we’ll be able to scrounge some stuff up. Follow ME!” I walk out and they file out behind me. Over to the Michigan dressing room, which is a little bit full right now.

“Hey boys, im coming in” I dont bother checking before opening the door, they’re pretty used to it by now.

“Jesus Christ its like a minefield in here” I have tp jump over a couple of things and dodge equipment as I make my way over to Luke before plopping on his lap. “Apparently we have some additional guests” I sweep my hands towards to door as heads poke in. “& We need some equipment. Ive talked to Joe (equipment manager) & he’s seeing what he can find. But I wanted to ask if anyone minds letting them borrow a stick?” Luke rests his head on my shoulder as we watch the chaos, as guys jump up to say hey, chat & just have a good time. “Is it bad that I’m excited to see what you make them do?” He says. “Nope” I grin, “ they have no idea what’s coming”.

The horn blares and the gatecrashers leave so the rest of the guys can head back to the ice.

“Just to remind you guys” I say once the cheering had died down “ were only going to be playing 2 periods of hockey, but We have something pretty fun to replace that third period. Now Lets get back to it!!”

Th game restarts and its awesome to watch. Its face paced but still clearly a fun game. Watching Luke & Quinn play on the same line has me smiling like an idiot since I know how much Luke had wanted to play with him in a game setting. Its pretty special & I’m glad I could make it happen.

The final horn sounds, and ‘Canada’ wins, but all the guys are joking around & having fun so I know there not taking it too seriously. Which is good.

“Alright alright, how was that?” Roars from the crowd tell me that they liked it. “First I want to say thank you to all of our players for being such good sports about this, and a huge thanks to everyone who came back. Thanks for going along with my crazy idea, I think we’ve made tonight pretty memorable for everyone!” Yells of agreement come from all around me.

“I promised you a replacement for the third period, so lets get into it

The reason that so many of our hockey alumni can be here tonight is because of the NHL All Star break! Since none of them were invited to the All Star weekend, except Jack, who is still here for some inexplicable reason, I decided that we’ll give them a chance to show off their skills here, just like the skills competition but with no prep. Who needs Florida when you can be here? !” Cheers come from the crowd as they agree with me.

“Originally We had a couple of our Michigan guys & our Alumni who were going to be doing this, not that they knew that, but in true middle child fashion,” more laughs, “Jack had to make it about him & bring a few friends. So please welcome some of the most annoying guys ive ever met, Trevor Zegras, Cole Caulfield and Alex Turcotte”, cheers & boos ring out. “ I know, Wisconsin & BU suck, but since they decided to crash my event, they have to participate. We’ve also got special appearances from DUNDUDUUH Mason McTavish, reuniting him with is bestie Kent, go team Canada! And MAKE SOME NOISE FOR YOUR FORMER WOLVERINES, Matty Beniers, Brendan Brission, Jonny Beecher, Cam York & Josh Norris!!” The boys make their way onto the ice, sliding around & The noise turn deafening.

“Well I guess we know who the favourites are huh? Now you may be noticing, none of these gentlemen have any gear Again, they decided to crash but didn’t plan ahead, so they’re at a disadvantage. We’ve managed to find some sticks of them but that’s about it. Back to what’s happening next. The teams, Canada & US, will each pick five players to show off their skills. A few exceptions, KJ, Jacky, Blanks & Mackie have to do it, as do all of our interlopers. Portillo will be in net. Sort it out boys, you’ve got until I finish with our judges. Judging today, We’ve got Joe the equipment manager, the real star of this team, representing the student section, Annie & Tim, both 4th year students who work as Student trainers, and A woman who has who know exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to hockey, and is used to wrangling boys, its Mama Hughes!!” Our judges come out to one of the benches waving.

“Gentlemen, ARE YOU READY?” Nods all around. “If youre participating, line up single file at centre, everyone else, get out of the way!”

The crowd gets going again as the players split up. “I’m sure youre all a bit sick of me, so I’m going to pass the mic to my colleague Bob, who you may recognize. He’s going to be commenting on this portion of the evening, but I’lll be back soon!” I skate over & give Ellen a hug before handing out whiteboards & markers as the competition gets underway. I’m pretty impressed by what some of these guys have managed to come up with given the time crunch. I’m doodling on my own whiteboard, creating my masterpiece. Im also keeping track of the scores. Luckily Jack & Trevor are going last so I have some time. I lean my head on Ellen’s shoulder as she laughs at Mackies performance. “Thanks for doing this, I know it was a bit random” I say, & she wraps an arm around me

“I’m having a blast & I know all the boys are too. Youre coming to dinner tomorrow right?” “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“I’ve never been more glad that we moved next door to you in Toronto. You make him so happy” I look up & lock eyes with Luke as she says this, a dopey grin on his face. holy shit I’m gonna cry. “You can’t make me cry right now Ellen, I haven’t embarrassed jack & Z yet. I can’t be crying when I do that.” We both laugh as Bill says, “& here come our final contestants, a dynamic duo Hughes number 2 & Zegras” they do pull off something pretty sweet, but I hold up my board when the rest of the judges do.

(Drawing of the Ducks Mascot saying “you suck Z”)

He laughs at it so I know he doesn’t think I’m too serious, and I stand up. That’s my cue.

“Alright how was that?!” The crowd goes nuts.

“Thanks to our four judges for your time. And now, the winner of the 2023 skills comp is “drumroll please”, number 11, Mackie!!!”

Bob skates out with the prize, which I think is pretty dope. We found a vintage Michigan Hockey sweat set & letterman jacket which looks cool as fuck, so im glad they were willing to let us give it away. I pass it to him & he takes a victory lap, taunting the other boys.

“Since this is a game, We’ve got something for our winners. The NHL gives a million dollars, but that boring (and im poor) so instead, we have something else for our boys!” The crowd cheers & bill skates towards me with a box. The teams line up opposite each others, & we skate in between them. I pass out the trophies, adorned with little maple leafs & filled with chocolate. “You were confident eh?” Kent says when I pass him his. “Duh” everyone laughs. we finish passing them then I address the crowd again.

“If you’ll direct your attention towards the screens,” everyone turns “ I have a special message from a couple of our participants.” A video of Cam, Jack, Trevor & Beecher pops up from when they were like 17. They’re wearing their USA jerseys and everyone laughs. Not them though. They know what’s coming. I press play & the singing starts “we Aren’t the champions, we aren’t the champions” Ive been sitting on this one for years. Its from the summer that year when I visited & we had some kind of competition. Their team lost, so Quinn & I made them change the lyrics to reflect that they lost. (I have no idea, Just need something that would be embarrassing).

‘Thank you gentlemen for that, I needed an occasion to play that & this seems like everyone enjoyed it” The crowd laughs along.

“Now, we need to crown an MVP. The way I’m going to to this is: each team pick 3 players, & then you, the crowd, will determine our MVP based on how loud you cheer. Teams you have 1 minute to offer your sacrifices.”

I skate over to the bench. “Now some of you may know that the NHL MVP gets a car, so we decided to stay on theme, but you know we do things better here at Michigan! Thanks to a donation from a generous alumni **Cough cough quinny** the 2023 MVP of our game will get, drumroll please” Everyone in the arena starts making noise and the boys start banging sticks and hollering, The Zamboni door opens & out drives Bill, in a little navy blue jeep (Like the ones for kids to drive) as laugher breaks out from everyone.

“So boys, can I get your top three please! Join me at centre ice.” Owen, Luke, Luca, Rutger, Ethan & Nick come towards me & line up in that order.

Alright, its up to you.” I skate over to Nick & hold my hand above his head Listening as the noise grows. “Decent. Next up” Im make my way down the line, each boy getting the crowd going. They’re all a bit taller, but I can still reach above them, until I get to Luke. I jump on his back & the crowd goes wild. “Last up, Owen! I think ill need some help here, Luke care to contribute?” He scoops me up & lifts me “im a bird!” People laugh & I hold my hand above Owen. Noise grows again. “So to avoid being called out for bias” “YOU ARE” a couple of the players yell “and giving it to my boy OP” Luke pretends to stumble & drops me back onto the ice as laughter rings out. I lean over & whisper, “ill get you for that” I right myself and continue “I’ve asked our skills judges to determine who the crowd got loudest for. On the count of three, please hold up your boards. 1, 2,3!!”They flip them around and I see one for Owen, one for Rutger, one for Luke & then Ellen flips hers, displaying Rutgers name. “Mom seriously!” I snicker as Luke yells in indignation & Ellen shrugs “Alright folks, there you have it. Your MVP!Rutger, Bill has the keys. Now you can stop stealing Luca’s Moped and drive this bad boy around campus.” He goes to sit in it & everyone laughs. “Okay, Thats all from me tonight. I just want to say a massive thank you again to all our alumni for participating and giving up part of your break to be here. To my boss & the rest of the team staff, thanks for trusting me on this & basically giving me free reign.” “Bad idea” one of the boys chirps “Thanks for going along with what was a bit of a harebrained idea that I think turned out pretty fun for all” the crowd agrees with me, “And thanks to all our guys for being such good sports about the change in programming. I’m not going to keep you here any longer, so Thank you & Goodnight!!” The crowd screams & cheers as I wrap my arms around Luke. “Oh before I forget, allow us to play you out with this teams favourite party playlist. Once more, for CANADA, Billy you know what I want” A thumbs up from the sound guy “COME GET YOUR DUDS IN ORDER!!”

I pass the mic to someone as they skate past, and Luke & I skate in a circle. “Youre incredible, you know that?’ He drops his forehead to mine. “Glad you finally see it” I chuckle. “Did you have fun” “are you kidding babe? I dont think ive ever had as much fun playing a game, & playing with Quinn was awesome. I can’t believe you pulled this off” Suddenly my song cuts out & he breathes a sigh or relief “oh thank god”

I lift my head to see who’s messing with it, when Luke spins me around & I see Quinn with the mic, Bordy & Duke skating towards me. Now that I look, none of the boys have left the ice.

“Sorry everyone, We’ll be quick. There’s one person who is entirely responsible for tonight, and we think that she needs some applause! Give it up for y/n l/n” I think im going to go deaf with how loud the barn gets, or maybe its just from Luke yelling in my ear. My face is bright red & I try to turn into Lukes chest, but he keeps me in position. Bordy grabs the mic “You’ve been an important part of this team for the past three years, even before Luke, and We wanted to do something to show our thanks. since some of us had a bit more notice” “We found out 30 minutes before you guys” duke pipes up gesturing to the crowd “Anyway, we have a little something for you to show our thanks” Duke pulls out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and passes them to me. “I knew you were in love with me Duker. Does this mean you accept my valentine?” The boys that can hear me laugh, and Bordy keeps going “ you can thank Quinn for organizing this one, but Drumroll please” Banging from around the arena grows “Your very own Michigan jersey” He holds it up & flips it around to show my name on the back. My mouth drops, “Thats dope! Holy shit!’ I pass Luke the flowers & take it, pulling it on over my hoodie. “Guys this is awesome, thank you!” “One last thing,” Quinn says, as he produces a jacket from behind his back, the same kind that we used as the skills prize. Apparently there were two of them laying around. “Oh hell yeah! Mackie & I are going to look so much cooler than all of you!” They all laugh as I try to hug the three of them at once, before pulling back. “Alright, thats really all that we have for you tonight,’ Quinn says, addressing the crowd, “so well let you get out of here. Billy, lets get the music back on!” The next song plays as im grabbed by Luke & suddenly surrounded by the whole team. I’m crushed into a hug with most of them, laughing. I get out & manage to give everyone a quick hug before I make my way back to Luke, who’s now chatting to his mum & brothers. “What’s the plan now y/n?” Jack asks. “Man I dont know, do I have to plan everything?” He laughs. “The boys were talking about a party at the senior house, but im not sure if well fit everyone.” “We can try babe” Luke says “I’m going to go get changed & see what they’re thinking” he kisses me before heading towards the dressing room About thirty minutes lates, we’re finally leaving the arena. Luke & I are grabbing dinner but then its to the house to party. Some of the boys are doing the booze run, but everyones heading over there pretty soon. We grab a quick bite at one of the places we love and make our way down the road. We get to the house but the doors locked. I text one of the boys and they come, but the music cuts out once the door opens. “Ladies & gentlemen,” Nolan, who opened the door yells “The woman of the hour, Y/N!!!” The boys cheer as we step into the house & I laugh. Half of them are blasted already, but we catch up pretty quick. By the time the end of the night rolls around, I’ve seen thing I never wanted to (Shudder), but I’ve had fun, and I know this is the kind of night that ill remember forever.

ESPN Broadcast:

The biggest news coming out of the hockey world this week is surprisingly not the All star weekend. Absolutely everyone has been talking about the University of Michigan. On Friday night, fans were treated to a different kind of show. When introducing the night, host y/n l/n, a close family friend of the Hughes family, declared that it was a “Canada vs USA’ game, filled with the current roster & various alumni. I think a lot of people were sceptical, but once the night go going the crowd were really into it. We saw some of the leagues young stars I dont know about you but I absolutely loved the idea and the fans did too. A 2 period game took place, and If you want to see more, check the broadcast from that night, it was great, fun hockey, not too serious but very entertaining. Fans were shocked as more young stars made their way onto the ice, as they replaced the final period with a mini skills competition.

The event was live-streamed on social media & got fans around the country interested. Comments on social media included:

The NHL could really take some tips from the Michigan game this weekend. Ten times more entertaining than All Star.

Y/N has to be one of the most chaotic commentators that Ive ever seen, but She makes it work. Absolutely hilarious.

Luke Hughes Girlfriend, Y/n, doing nothing but roast jack was hilarious. I need to know what he did to get “punished” by wearing a Canada jersey though

I need to see y/n commentating the All Star game in the future, she ws great!

Fuck the All Star weekend, I need a repeat of that Michigan game next year!

I go to OSU but I would’ve loved to be in Yost last night.

Y/n putting on a whole ass game just so her boyfriend can play on the same line as his favourite brother. I see you girl.

NHLers even got involved, with stars like Dylan Larkin tweeting “can’t believe I didn’t get an invite @/YnLn” and other notable alumni echoed the sentiment. Former Captain & Goalie Strauss Mann got in on it, commenting “ damn thats what I get for taking care of you your first year huh? I’ll remember this”.

“HOLY SHIT. LUKE!! They’re talking about me on ESPN! What the fuck? “

Bonus:

Frozen four finals

Broadcaster:

We’ve just been informed of one last change to tonights final game, the University of Michigan have decided to switch their goal song for tonight to pay tribute to someone. You know as much as we do, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to hear it tonight as our game gets underway.

Xx

[ninjastar107]

[Catch Me, If you Can] - a Chronological Taizo Hori centered Playlist

TRACK 01: 'Dog In The Desert' - LAKE (2013) [X] TRACK 02: 'The Man' - The Killers (2017) [X] TRACK 03: 'Sole Survivor' - Asia (1982) [X] TRACK 04: 'Here I Stand and Face the Rain' - A-HA (1985) [X] TRACK 05: 'Baby's Coming Back' - Jellyfish (1990) [X] TRACK 06: 'Take My Place' - Nik Kershaw (1989) [X] TRACK 07: 'Field Work' - Ryuichi Sakamoto (1986) [X]

(Track by Track breakdown under the cut!)

Hey, Thanks for taking the time out of your day to listen. Taizo Hori, aka the main protagonist of Dig Dug(1982), is a character who exists in the Mr Driller series as Susumu's father. He had 3 kids with Masuyo Toby(protagonist of Baraduke(1985), whom they aren't on the same terms.

He's a character with a large ego, who's never home, and who often has his thoughts elsewhere during serious situations. This selection of songs is both a dissection, as well as a fun head canon exercise, into his life. The progression of this playlist assumes that the arcade game Dig Dug, the Namco x Capcom game, and the Mr.Driller games all exist as one linear timeline.

Without further ado, lets get into it!

TRACK 01: 'Dog In The Desert' - LAKE (2013) -- It is not really known how or why Taizo was selected to handle what would be known later as the 'Dig Dug Incident'. It was a situation in Tokyo where monsters came up from the underground and were causing problems, and he was deployed solely to handle it. Taizo was "About [Susumus] age" when it occurred, and I like to think it was pretty rocky.

-- Themes of this song is about being abandoned or alone, but having a goal that's needed to be accomplished.

TRACK 02: 'The Man' - The Killers (2017) -- So after he defeats all of the monsters, he's a world renown hero! Certainly this does nothing for his ego and most definitely doesn't inflate it.

TRACK 03: 'Sole Survivor' - Asia (1982) -- In NxC, Taizo and Masuyo know each other due to their involvement during the disaster that was Baraduke. Taizo was in the Special Engineering Corps, and was the only survivor of that deployed division. Masuyo is mad at him for, what I assume, just how bad the operation went in total. BUT, they agree to work together again.....

TRACK 04: 'Here I Stand and Face the Rain' - A-HA --....and even fall in love. However, this relationship does not last. Their firstborn, Ataru, runs away. Susumu follows his dad's foosteps in becoming a driller, and Taiyo becomes a pilot(due to his claustrophobia). Somewhere between the two, Taizo and Masuyo Separate. (Its not known if they are divorced officially, or if they are simply separated).

TRACK 05: 'Baby's Coming Back' - Jellyfish (1990) --Taizo has a habit of never being around. This Annoys Masuyo(who has her own set of problems) and there's a general agreement for the two to meet at least once a week. I'm always a little crazy about how they are both so incompatible, but cannot get enough of each other. I like to think the Baraduke Disaster did a large number on both of their psyches.

--This song is about love, arguments, and the need for one another. It's not the healthiest but, it seems to be a cycle.

TRACK 06: 'Take My Place' - Nik Kershaw (1989) --There seems to be a sort of back and fourth with whether he's okay with Susumu being more famous and overall better than him. Hes constantly flipping between 'I'M the best, I'M the OG' and 'He's the best, and I trust him to handle himself okay'. I presume being Mr. Driller has a lot of responsibilities and skill, seeing that there's only a few people in the world with that title. Taizo just has to fight his ego, his need for recognition, and his laziness all the time, haha!

--This song is about 'passing on the crown' so to speak, and everything that comes with it.

TRACK 07: 'Field Work' - Ryuichi Sakamoto (1986) -- Dig dug Digging Strike, the main reason why this song is in this list. He's complaining at the TV when the phone rings and the guy on the line asks for his son to handle a situation. Fueled by his already bad mood, he decides to take it upon himself to prove that he's still capable of being a hero. Through the game he goes from 'I can handle it, don't worry about me!' to 'uggghhh do I have to..? uugghhh' to 'Okay. Susumu, this looks like its going to be tough, be ready for me'. which is very sweet.

[queer-ragnelle]

Hi! Your flowchart is amazing, and I'm so excited by the literature list you made. However, I was wondering if you know which book is best to start reading more about Arthurian legend? I have only collected knowledge through osmosis, so I have no clue where or how to start learning more. Thank you for your time and have a nice day!

hello!

thank you, i'm glad they're helpful for you! i did answer a similar ask about what medieval texts to begin with here and link to free resources, but the formatting is hard on the eyes, and now that my own collection is available, i'll reiterate. all suggested translations are available on my blog.

le morte d'arthur by sir thomas malory: you'll get the most mileage out of this book as malory sourced a broad spectrum of stories to incorporate them into a single text, which includes arthur's conception, pulling the sword from the stone, receiving excalibur from the lady of the lake, marrying to guinevere, young gawain's knighting and first quest, tristan and isolde's romance, the grail quest, final battle at camlann etc. plus malory himself invented some of the most iconic stories, such as gareth's time as the kitchen boy, beaumains. with this book alone, the majority of retellings will make sense to you. but be warned it can be extremely dry (and confusing timeline wise, calogrenant dies twice bc malory couldn't keep his own story straight!), i recommend the keith baines translation as it's rewritten into prose like a novel.

the vulgate cycle: it's 10 books. i know it's 10 books. but it's simply the best. the truncated nature of malory's le morte d'arthur leaves the majority of characters reduced to singular traits (orkney bros the mindless killers, priggish grail knights etc.) which has negatively influenced many retellings since imo. this is not an issue with the vulgate where everyone has a little more nuance and depth, even the bad guys, but especially the characters we're supposed to root for like lancelot and gawain. many fun characters who were cut from le morte d'arthur are fully developed here like half-giant galehaut and gawain's baby mama the lady of lys. i'm putting it high on the list bc i simply think more people should try it. i recommend the translation edited by norris j. lacy. he's incredible and i love all of his translation work. footnotes right in the margin will remind the reader of past references and explain language subtleties lost in translation (like puns) or indicate what was changed for ease of understanding (sometimes the scribes made mistakes and named the wrong character, which lacy will fix and then note he fixed). so if one can get past the sheer volume of text, it's a wonderful read, and i even have specific stories within it i could recommend. but i digress...

sir gawain and the green knight: it goes without saying this poem is iconic. the pearl poet (as the anonymous author is called) wrote beautifully and the version of gawain here is a much kinder portrayal than what he appears in the post vulgate, which was a major source for malory's le morte d'arthur. the beheading exchange/game is the focus here, although this motif will appear in many other texts, such as perlesvaus, and the sgatgk story appears in the majority of retellings that include gawain, so it's a must read. i recommend the j. r. r. tolkien translation (the audiobook version of this translation is phenomenal, like music).

four arthurian romances + the story of the grail by chrétien de troyes: except you can skip cligés bc its mediocre at best. really what you'll need from this is knight of the cart (the first ever story in which lancelot appears and he's very pathetic and weepy and insane and lovable haters dni), knight with the lion (gawain's cousin yvain gets a pet lion, fights a dragon, gets married, gets divorced, goes mad, recovers, gets married again...), erec and enide (worst husband in the universe), and the story of the grail (perceval and gawain adventures). a version of these stories were adapted into le morte d'arthur and the vulgate (except for yvain's lion which is a bummer!). i recommend the nigel bryant translation of perceval and william kibler translations for the rest. when you reach the end of the story of the grail and it cuts mid-sentence...well, sadly we don't know what happened to poor chrétien that kept him from completing his story. but there are four continuations written by other people, plus the german parzival is great as well (and has one of my favorite of gawain's wives, the haughty maiden of logres, orgeluse).

the mabinogion: some of the same stories as chrétien but of welsh origin plus extras. haters will try to pit two bad bitches against each other, but these texts go hand in hand. i like the whimsical vibes of this version and the magical powers given to the characters, such as kay's ability to grow to the size of a tree and set things on fire with his hands or bedwyr's ability to strike faster than all other knights despite having only one hand. it also gives owain (welsh version of yvain) an army of ravens that kill people in addition to his lion, arthur has an invisibility mantle (also referenced in the welsh triads), and the whole gang fights the demon boar twrch trwyth to steal the golden comb off his head. good stuff. i recommend the translation by lady charlotte guest.

the wedding of sir gawain and dame ragnelle: obviously this has to be included. i'm biased but at the same time, it is supposed that sir thomas malory actually wrote this poem! which i think is pretty neat. additionally, 99% of retellings include ragnelle as gawain's wife. in fact, excluding the ones in which he doesn't have a partner at all, i can only think of one in which he marries someone else. dame ragnelle is the people's darling, all of us arthurian authors agreed that in spite of our differing opinions about everything else in the stories, she is the wife of all time. and we're right. a thing of beauty. this text does not have a translation, it's just in middle english, which can be challenging to read. this version edited by thomas hahn has footnotes to help or otherwise i recommend the version retold by selina hastings and illustrated by juan wijngaard, it's gorgeous, and includes all the fun supporting cast like kay and guinevere.

this was a long list with probably more explanation than necessary but it can be difficult to narrow down a single place to begin with arthuriana as each story builds on the literary tradition that came before. everyone is sharing and influencing one another so stories and motifs are repeated, each author writes for their time, slightly altering the technology and culture to reflect their own lived experience, so the narrative evolved as the centuries passed into what we have today. thanks for this ask and hope you enjoy reading!

[canonically47]

post-DCAS character ranking

18. yul. the worst dsvc character to ever grace our screens. i should not have to explain myself for this, i feel like it goes without saying he's the worst of every cast ever

17. riya. a one-dimensional character who refuses to change. the only reason she's ranked higher than yul is because she's not racist which (virgil sanders voice) that CANNOT be where the bar is.

16. ashley. her entire development was becoming jake's friends and helping in a very small way to get tomjake together. she did nothing for herself, her entire character was just jake's bff and that goes to show how little ONC cares for their female characters

15. ally. the worst development of the season, with the most boring ending, with the least pay-off. how she made finale is beyond me

14. hunter. somehow higher than ally because he was funny

13. tess. higher than both of them but she just existed to me

12. tom. he existed and i still dislike him despite the finale desperately trying to make me not to.

11. connor. a whiny manbaby who achieved nothing this season, whose only role was being there for riya’s drama. genuinely, why did they bring him back if this was all they were going to do with him? only ranked this high because the others behind him are somehow worse or even more boring.

10. lake. similarly to tess, she also just existed. they brought her back just to nerf her like idiots. because guess what if the drama doesn't revolve around a mlm couple then it's not interesting to ONC!

9. miriam. poor queen how you have fallen. decent but deserved more

8. james. consistently funny and good, just wish he had more screentime. others rank higher than him because they actually got some type of development.

7. ellie. pains me to put her this low, she's one of my favorites ever, but i gotta do what i gotta do. she should've gotten better and more believable development. i dearly miss her season one self

6. aiden. he and jake were gay and i don't remember anything else that he did. only ranked this high because he made it far again, played fair, was super entertaining, and his VA is my all-time fav. sue me, i got biases.

5. fiore. she managed to not be ruined my baby <3 she escaped the bad writing so proud of her

4. gabby. it's okay gabby we all know in the better timeline you won the money and helped ellie pursue her dreams. you did your best. yes gabby we are all ignoring how weird the whole evil shadow realm you thing is. we love you too much to blame you for it. that's all ONC. you're innocent. we love you gabby we all say in unison

3. grett. i am sooo happy she got her development this season but by GOD did she need to get her justice earlier. she should've killed yul tbh

2. alec. he was at his worst mid-season, but fuck it, i'm biased and he actually bounced back. he was not likable from beginning to end, but he was a strong player with a consistent and (somewhat) believable character arc. in a better timeline, we got an alec - rosa-maria - grett finale and alec won.

jake. this will come as a shock to anyone who's followed me for a longer time/has seen my early reviews, and even to myself. i never expected myself to like jake as much as i did, but credit is due where credit is due: ONC did something with him this season. he got his development. he became a better person, outgrew his mistakes, befriended those that did him/he did wrong, forgave them and/or made it up to them, and he even got the guy in the end. never thought i'd say this, but jake is probably the best written character in this show, and will be one of the only characters or overall things i will miss about disventure camp seasons 1 & 3.

thank GOD it's over

[angelpuns]

In order to show you that we love your Rural Au as much as you do, i have compiled a bunch of asks.

Sorry if you have already answered any of these, i am going to read you IFTW comic after.

How did they become mutants and where is Draxum in this Au?

Did Yoshi work in the navy bc you metioned him working on the farm in his naval uniform?

Why did Yoshi leave? In Raphs ref, it said that he took over most of the out door labour after he left.

Does Yoshi ever go by the name of Splinter?

Is the farm on the outskirts of Tokyo?

Is the farm within human communities or is it in Yokai Villiage?

If it is do the turtles ever have to hide from human passers by?

How do they enter the Yokai Village on their first entry? Assuming that it is above ground, unlike the Hidden City.

Do humans know of it?

Are they welcome/welcomed in Yokai Village as they are mutants and does anyone know that they are?

How do Leo and Usagi first meet? Is it through one of his brothers first?

Why are they frenemies? Other than their catching frogs game?

Is Leo suspicious of him or anyone else in the Yokai Village, like he is in canon?

Do the brothers still learn martial arts/ ninjitsu?

Do they use their training, other than to practice?

Do they use any mystic weapons/have any powers?

Do they know of they anscestors and their destiny?

My apologies that this is super long, you do not need to answer them all in one go. Thank you.

P.S I will most likely have more questions for you once i get these answer and will definitely ask about each one of the brother.

NGL I AM SO EXCITED TO ANSWER ALL OF THESE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE AHHHHHHHHH

I am silly and love this au and I'm glad someone wants to hear me talk about it >:33333OKAY SO SO SO SO In this timeline, there's also a hidden city underneath Tokyo - since Tokyo was one of the bigger cities in Japan at the time ( there's also one underneath the old capital, but it's gotten smaller due to yokai moving to Tokyo).

Draxum is sort of same situation as canon, he's a scientist, he is silly etc etc. Rather than a prophecy though, Draxum (along with lots of other yokai) heard the stirrings of war in the 20s and 30s and decided ' I'm gonna make some super soldiers just in case the human war becomes the yokai's war too '. Captain America type beat. So he illegally made these four mutant turtles and the yokai council did NOT like that at ALL so they have a warrant out for his arrestr (v similar to rise ) and basically Draxum dropped those guys off far, far away from Tokyo and just hoped for the best. I haven't decided if he makes any sort of comeback, I wanna say no because the nature of the au and all but who knows :3333

Yes! So Yoshi acutally is one of the youngest captain's of the navy - which btw fun fact!! After WWI, Britain stepped in and helped Japan build their Navy up a bit since they didn't really have on! So Yoshi ends up being pretty decently ranked while also being fairly young. It helps that he comes from somewhat of a military family, though I haven't really gone too far on his fam's backstory just yet.

He actually ended up being called for duty because Japan was entering WWII, so he just literally leaves to go back to his original posting and all that. He did not end up telling any of the kids except Raph about it because he wanted to protect them but it kinda ends up biting him in the ass later :(

Yoshi himself never actually goes by the name Splinter, but the yokai villagers call him that because they just hate humans ( more on that later, I've actually got a comic for that :D)

The farm is actually pretty far from Tokyo, it's in Northern Japan! They live in the mountains near Aomori prefecture, probably somewhat near Lake Towada but not near enough that there is regular human traffic. The farm itself is up on a nice big hill, so typically they don't have to hide too much. They live sort of in a human farming community, but the neighbors are 15-30 minutes down the road so they truly don't have to hide too often. Yoshi's family owns the land/farmhouse they live in so they don't have to deal with trespassing and all that either.

So the yokai village is surrounded by a huge huge foret, it's kind of like a valley in the middle of the forest that was cleared by Yuichi's family like wayyyy way back. It's only hidden by the forest, I think Yoshi may have found it because of stories talking about a yokai village or just by chance. The boys first went when they were very very very young (with Yoshi) So they all know the way pretty easily!

Humans don't know if it/visit the village but I think there are definitely some stories going around.

The yokai welcome the turtles, they believe they are yokai as well ( the boys also think they are yokai), however Yoshi is not entirely welcome. The village really does not trust him and they sort of pity the boys for 'having to live with him'.

I actually have a comic for their first meeting: here. they're just frenemies because they didn't exactly like each other upon first meeting, plus Leo knows Yuichi doesn't like Yoshi and all that. However, Leo likes spending time with Yuicihi and considers him his best friend! They have a complicated friendship and also Leo might just have a crush on him later :3

Leo is a lot more trustworthy of other people in this au, probably because of the nature of how Yoshi found them and all. Raph is the more suspicious one of the group. Leo also grew up around the yokai village so he finds it a very nice, friendly place!

they don't know any martial arts, have mystic powers or do any training. Truly their lives are just ' farm, have fun and enjoy life as it is'. Plot wise, they all have their own goals and perception of their life. They all have complicated feelings about Yoshi not being around, about the war ( whn they learn about it) and about their futures. They don't really have any destiny to speak of (except for what Draxum wanted for them). They also don't know anything about their family - Yoshi has kept it from them on purpose because he doesn't want what remains of his family to find out about them. He also had a wife that passed away and they don't know anything about her

SORRY FOR THE HUGE HUGE HUGE WALL OF TEXT I GOT SO SO SO EXCITED TO ANSWER THESE BECAUSE AUFREJNEF this au lives in my head RENT FUCKING FREEEE

I fr frr have been developing this au in my brain for MONTHS but haven't really been able to discuss it :D

[lexiloos-currentobsession]

Memorable moments, lines, and my observations from season 4:

Smoke

-Howard saying “Jimmy, don’t” while standing in front of the coroner van right before it drove off made me gasp

-Jimmy’s reply to Howard bearing his soul about causing Chuck’s suicide sent a chill down my spine

Breathe

-Lmao at Jimmy fawning shock over the printer being so good it could counterfeit money. Bob played that so well.

-Kim goes OFF on Howard, like DAMN. I would watch this woman scream the phone book

-Kim kissing Jimmy on the couch 🥹

Something Beautiful

-Me when Jimmy opened the door for the twins at the Vet’s 😳

-I feel confident the Vet saying “can you not hit every damn pothole, please!?” was a Joe DeRosa ad lib

-The printer shop guy sleeping in his office specifies he wants his pizza sliced- in my head cannon that’s a Breaking Bad call back to the pizza place that doesn’t slice their pie

-HEY GALE!!!

Talk

-The cell phone store aesthetic is spot on. My dad had a few Nextel/Sprint stores in the early 00’s and like Jimmy I had to make my own fun while hanging out there for hours on end

-The twins raiding the compound was v Breaking Bad-esq

-Just realized the advice Mike gives Jimmy after Bag Man about realizing you can forget came from Stacy talking about Matty in group!

Quite a Ride

-We get our first flashback to the Breaking Bad timeline!

-Jimmy’s hair is SO fucking cute in phone selling montage

-I did not enjoy seeing Howard so broken in the courthouse bathroom

Piñata

-Fuck you, Jimmy

Something Stupid

-The “Need to call? Buy from Saul!” business card we see in the opening montage is just the next step in his catchphrase evolution. I wholeheartedly appreciate the attention and care that went into showing us exactly how Jimmy got to Breaking Bad Saul

-I love that you don’t know who Jimmy is giving the office tour to and it’s Huel lol

-You’ve been selling drop phones? On the street?

-KIM’S FACE when Suzanne Erickson refers to Jimmy as a scumbag disbarred lawyer

Coushatta

-SO many silly one liners:

-I’ll leave the bottle

-Are you prosecuting Santa Clause!?

-Clarence is going at the organ, I’m gonna step into the vestibule

-I will be with you PRESENTLY!!!

-The fake donations on the church website is some tasteful foreshadowing/calling back to Saul laundering Walt’s money through fake online donations

-The staircase kiss!!

-I love the painting in the boardroom at Mesa Verde. It’s called The Blue Rigi: Lake of Lucerne Sunrise

-PACA PACA PACA it’s LALO!!!

-Overall this episode is a 10/10. It’s silly and entertaining but also feels so pivotal on a rewatch because it sets the stage for everything else that will happen. The entire show can kinda be divided into pre and post Coushatta

Wiedersehen

-Slow down, I’m wearin flip flops!

-I didn’t know I needed an origin story for that fucking bell until I got it

-The! … suspense… ! They really make you think Werner is gonna explode and then he does but not how you expected

-Jimmy driving like a bat out of hell through the S&C parking garage is a vibe

-The way Jimmy’s voice quivers when he says to Kim “you look at me and you see Slippin Jimmy” 😭I just want to comfort him

Winner

-ICONIC karaoke scene

-Mike’s gum trick was so slick. What can I say the man knows parking

-Two details about Kristy Esposito reinforce Jimmy seeing himself in her: Howard’s question to her was about working with elders and she’s the only candidate wearing a fun funky shirt

-Michael, is that you? 😏

-I’ll do everything in my power to be worthy of the name McGill… changes his name 5 minutes later

[dimitrscu]

Is it just me or is the relationship between Malenia and Her Teacher, The blind swordsman not talked about Enough? The dude basically sealed away an outer god and when it showed back up in the body of a demigod child not only did he not kill her he took it upon himself to train her. Did they go on misadventures together? Did he show her the lake of rot underground? Do they still keep it touch lol? Their relationship is honestly underrated and it sucks we don’t know more about them

Hello anon, sorry for the late reply!

Yeah it is strange that we don’t know much about this guy. He must have been something though considering he was strong enough to banish and seal away an Outer God. I wonder how easy or difficult a feat that was to pull off? I’ve seen theories that he could have been one of the Nox which I find quite interesting, especially as the Nox Monk and Swordstress both use the same dodge and sidestep animations Malenia uses. I love the idea that he too would do that and she picked it up while training with him. I always imagine the two of them being a little like Syrio Forel and Arya Stark from Game of Thrones which I’m sure they took some inspiration from. After learning about him and the whole ‘water dancing’ thing it definitely stood out to me.

But something else I also wonder about is the God of Rot itself. Does it have a physical form? I mean I assume so, but I often wonder what it might look like. I’ve seen a few people depicting it as a giant scorpion creature before, mainly because of the Scorpion Stinger weapon found in the Grand Cloister. The description on the weapon certainly makes it sound that way at least.

So yeah, this guy battles a giant scorpion god and wins, sealing it away somewhere only for it to later return in the form of a curse within Malenia. And yet, like you said, he doesn’t kill her and instead chooses to helps her. Maybe he couldn’t bring himself to kill an innocent girl over something that’s not her fault and also out of her control, so instead he teaches her how to control her affliction.

I also wonder when they could have met? Malenia’s described as being a young girl in the Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom description, so I’m guessing she was possibly in her teens. The timeline is, well, non-existent really so I would guess that she and Miquella were still living in Leyndell at that time. I’m not entirely sure when they left and moved to the Haligtree. So if she were living in the capital did he seek her out or was he summoned by Marika? Probably the former, but I do wonder if Marika and Radagon ever spoke with him at all. I know it’s popular among the fandom to think her parents don’t care about her, but memes aside I like to think they were at least doing something to try and help her.

The two of them may very well have travelled together a little. He could have taken her out to see the world and put her new skills to the test as part of her training. I'm not really sure if she's ever been to the Lake of Rot though, only because if the Outer God itself is buried down there somewhere then there's a chance Malenia being within close proximity could result in disaster. I don't fully understand the extent of the God of Rots influence on Malenia, but if there's a chance being close to it could have it take over and control her in some way then perhaps it would be better to keep her out of it's reach. I don’t know exactly the extent of it's influence on her like I said, but given that with each bloom Malenia loses part of herself, part of her identity, and starts to take on a new personality (the Goddess of Rot), and that she has to constantly fight off it’s presence, then I imagine if given half a chance it most likely would take control of her.

And as for if they keep in touch, well I guess that depends on whether he’s still around. If he’s mortal then he could well be dead from old age by now. But then again I’m not really sure what the life span of some of these characters are. There are some who think Miquella and Malenia for instance are in their 20’s and then there are those who think they are a few centuries old, so I guess it’s all up for the individuals interpretation. Maybe he is still around and every year he stops by the Haligtree on the twins birthday to give them a gift, and like wise she sends him a card of Father’s Day because lord knows he was probably a better father to her than Radagon was lol

Overall though I do feel he is a little underrated and I would love to learn more about him. Who knows maybe in the future they will do a comic series much like they are doing for Bloodborne and he might feature in one. His story is definitely an interesting one and ties in directly with one of the main characters after all.

Thanks for the message anon, hope you are well and are having a nice day!

[primnroses]

what are your thoughts after sasuke retsuden anime? did you enjoy it?

I enjoyed it. I had low expectations because seeing it was only gonna be 5 episodes and knowing it's SP adapting it I knew it wasn't gonna be perfect. Rushed and left with much to be desired in terms of content from the novel.

First of all, they cut out Sakura's sensing technique, her Fire Release (manga did too) and her barrier-type ninjutsu was so randomly animated that I had trouble discovering where it was coming from and who had done it. I will compile all of the jutsu that Sakura used in Sasuke Retsuden when the manga ends but you can see it here too. That was the worst thing they did in my opinion.

They prioritized sasusaku moments more than others in terms of animation and art quality, some of which included some original dialogue like the ring scene; but they also cut other sasusaku moments like "this doctor is my wife" and Sasuke caressing Sakura's face at the lake, among others, while others without sasusaku had really bad animation and art like Sasuke freeing Menou from the Edo-tensei.

Congratulations to the freelance animators, but this ain't it. Inconsistent animation and weird art style made some scenes look very goofy. They don't have enough money or what?

They revealed that Jiji was a bad guy as early as episode 3, which killed one of the best moments of the manga in my opinion. If they had animated Jiji stabbing Sakura just like the novel, it would have been the perfect plot twist.

The last episode had some major fighting scenes that were cut out and done terribly.

Lastly, the timeline. If they wanted to follow the novel suit, it should have been animated before the Kawaki arc and with the three novels included or animate it right after Kurama was killed and make it a disease product of Naruto not being a jinchūriki anymore. Being made a flashback of many years back but adding scenes of Sarada was wrong.

I appreciate the adaptation, I have great screenshots and people loved the ring scene and the lake scene. The great majority of the fandom didn't want the adaptation because we know what kind of studio SP is, so there was disappointment in some aspects I mentioned before.

Other than that, Sakura and Sasuke demonstrated to be the most powerful couple in the battlefield, not only in strength but they were also in sync. Sakura's intelligence at solving the mysteries and Sasuke's talent to find clues all around him was unmatched, they complement each other perfectly. They also show that despite the distance, they love and care for each other deeply and it was nice to see it animated for everyone to see.

[msmargaretmurry]

ok first i have to come in by saying tnno is one of the best things i've ever read. anyways this is a super super indulgent request so feel free to ignore but would you happen to have anything else in your wonder twins activate doc that you wouldn't mind sharing 👀

hi anon, sorry for taking a few weeks to get to this! i don't have a lot more shareable content in the wonder twins gdoc, but could i interest you in some wonder twins backstory? and i'll put a little snippet from a scene after that ❤

kev is a middle child (older brother, younger sister, all pretty close in age); he is from small-town alberta and played his junior hockey in saskatoon. he was drafted high in the second round. of the pair, he is both the more fastidious and the more chaotic one. he has a tendency to care more about other people than about himself.

tanner is from the ottawa suburbs and he played his junior hockey with the 67s. he has one older sister who is several years older than him; she also lives in toronto now, for work, so they get to hang out sometimes, which is nice. he was a fifth-round draft pick who had a big breakout season in his draft+1 year. of the pair, he's messier but a better cook, and quieter and more introspective in comparison. he's slow to anger but if provoked (say, if someone takes a headshot at his bestie) can occasionally go apeshit.

they met when they were on the canadian world juniors team together (tanner did not attend the draft) and just clicked immediately. their world juniors team does not correlate to a real world juniors team because i'm too lazy for that, but they won silver in a heartbreaker, and promised each other they'd both be on the leafs the following season so they could play together again. kev had been having kind of a slump of a season but was :) somehow inspired :) to step it up and had a great run in the second half. both their teams went to the memorial cup, where neither won the tournament but tanner's team beat kev's, so he has bragging rights, but he doesn't use them too often.

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“You’re still up,” Kev says, sounding surprised even though he’s the one who called. “It’s like three in the morning there.”

“Yeah, the guys are all passed out, but I couldn’t sleep.” Feeling his way through the dark cabin, Tanner finds the den, then follows the wall until he hits the side of the sofa. He flops onto it, letting his feet dangle over the arm. “I’ve been really restless lately. Thinking about the season starting and stuff.”

“You’re restless?” Kevin laughs. “At least you got rookie camp! I’ve been wasting away alone in bumfuck nowhere Alberta since May.”

This is not strictly true. In June, Kev went on vacation in Miami with some buddies from junior, and he’s regularly made the 90-minute drive to Edmonton to see a PT specialist there. He’s been on several trips to Banff to go hiking and get drunk on Lake Minnewanka. Also, Kevin loves bumfuck nowhere Alberta. He owns more Carhartt than anyone else Tanner knows. 

“Okay but, speaking of, how is the shoulder?” asks Tanner.

“So much better,” Kevin says, and launches into an explanation of the training and therapy he’s been doing. He’s very upbeat about it all, detailing everything his doctors have said, his timelines and prognoses, and some excruciating specifics about the ligaments in his shoulder. They thought at first he might need surgery, but he decided to try rehabilitation; Tanner fielded a lot of early-summer facetime calls to talk through his concerns that it wouldn’t work and the team would be pissed he wasn't ready for the season. But he’s feeling good — he’s started doing some light stickwork, and he’s confident he’ll be ready to go come training camp.

“You better be,” Tanner says. “Rookie camp sucked without you.”

“I don’t know why you even had to go. Everyone knows you’ve got a roster spot already. Well, I guess it’s good for the kids to have a grizzled vet around to teach them how to be.” Kevin sounds so genuinely thoughtful as he works through this that it makes Tanner grin up at the ceiling. 

“Most of those guys are older than me, idiot,” he says. “Except like, the brand new ones. And I do have to earn my spot, you know.”

“No, you don’t. Your spot’s on my line.”

“Oh, you’ve already decided that?”

“Yes,” Kev says. “I’ve had a lot of downtime this summer. I decided on the whole roster.”

“You know McDavid’s not coming out of retirement to center you, right?”

Kevin huffs. “Obviously not. Stromer is centering us.”

Tanner is struck by the urge to ask if Kevin has seen the picture Dylan posted from France. Except Tanner was just looking at the comment he left on it, so it’s a stupid question. He shoves it aside and says, “Sounds good so far. Tell me the rest.”

[marypsue]

On a lighter note, I’ve now finished three chapters of former heroes who quit too late (the upcoming third and final part of the AU where (almost) all the main kids from Stranger Things have powers), solved (I think) a conflict between my outline and my timeline that I hadn’t realised was there until I got there in the writing, and finished outlining up to the end of chapter nine. It’s looking like it’s going to be more than eleven chapters in total, and I’m hazarding a guess it’ll be fifteen or more before I’m finished.

In celebration of another chapter finished, and also because I’m stealing @daddygrandpaandthebeaver‘s very wise idea for Sneak Peek Sundays, here is a tiny little sample from that fic!

...

They make it to the movie with barely seconds to spare, slipping through the mall’s service hallways and into the theatre once the coast is clear. Mike’s ears are still burning from the way too knowing – and way too judgmental, considering his love life – look Steve gave the three of them before he let them through Scoops Ahoy’s service entrance and into the hidden maze of hallways running all through the mall. And Dustin did not have to make such a big hairy deal about how he wasn’t going with them, when El asked. All that winking and grinning? Unnecessary.

Part of Mike’s wishing he hadn’t chickened out at the last minute and invited Will as well as El just so he wouldn’t have to admit that this was supposed to be a date. But mostly, he’s just desperately grateful Will’s here to be a buffer. Being alone, in the dark, with a girl he likes – that’s way scarier than any zombie movie could ever be.

There’s also the tiny little fact that Mike needed to invite Will over, too, for cover. And it would’ve been pretty shitty to just leave him at Mike’s house alone while Mike and El snuck out to the movie. Not to mention, then Mike’s mom would’ve asked questions, and the whole thing would’ve fallen apart.

Because El’s so not supposed to be here.

Hopper and Mrs. Byers have been giving her more leeway, since last fall, since all that shit went down and she came back with a sister who definitely can’t – and definitely won’t – be locked up in a little cabin somewhere deep in the woods her whole life. Mike’s still not totally clear on what Sara’s whole deal is, but apparently, if she doesn’t spend time around crowds pretty regularly, she’ll die. Or somebody will, anyway. Mike’s pretty sure El already tried that argument on Hopper, with no results, but whatever.

Anyway. El had managed to successfully argue that, if Sara gets to go pretty much where she wants when she wants, it should be safe enough for El to have some more freedom too. She gets to visit the guys and Max at their houses, now, if she wants, and Hopper and Mrs. Byers have even let her stay the night a couple times when Mike’s got the whole Party staying over. And El can go out to the woods or the lake with them, so long as she’s ‘careful’.

But they’re supposed to avoid anywhere where government goons could easily blend in, anywhere where somebody’s likely to recognise El. Crowds, and big events, and public places.

The special preview of Day of the Dead at the theatre in the new mall, Mike’s pretty sure, counts as all three.

But the awed look El’s turning on the enormous screen as they settle into three empty seats, her huge eyes reflecting back the glow of the FEATURE PRESENTATION screen, is totally worth whatever trouble Mike might get into for this.

“Have you ever been to a movie theatre before?” he whispers, leaning over so he can talk more directly into El’s ear. He still gets shushed by some annoyed old lady in the row behind them, though.

El doesn’t say anything, just shakes her head. She doesn’t look away from the screen, enraptured.

For a second, Mike feels a twinge of uncertainty. Maybe he should’ve picked out something tamer for her first movie on the big screen. What if the larger-than-life zombies freak her out, and she accidentally uses her powers, and the whole theatre sees, and then they get caught and taken away by the government? Or, they don’t get caught and taken away, but it’s a near miss, and then El hates him so much for putting her in danger that she never forgives him and Hopper never lets Mike speak to her again and everything is ruined –

Mike forces himself to take a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth. It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s going to be fine. El knows the difference between movies and real life. Obviously. And if she gets too scared – Mike’s here to calm her down. Reassure her. With, like Lucas had said when they’d come up with this plan in the first place, a warm, strong arm to put around her to protect her. And then, one thing leads to another, and –

Mike glances down at his right arm, lying on the armrest, only inches from where El’s leaning forward with both hands clasped between her knees, still gazing in awe at the screen. He’s never really thought about how scrawny his arms are, before.

He turns to his left, to ask Will to share out the snacks they snuck in. But Will’s staring at the screen, too. For a second, Mike thinks he’s just already really interested in the movie. But there’s nothing about the featureless white room and the girl sitting in the middle of it that would explain why the frozen stare on Will’s face is slowly shading into fear. Nothing that would explain the arctic chill of dread that’s spreading out from him, like a ripple in the pool of excitement and nervousness all around them.

Whatever’s going on with him, it looks – familiar. Too familiar. And now some of that dread is Mike’s, too.

“Will?” Mike says, reaching out to put a hand over Will’s wrist.

There’s a snap, and a flash of light. Mike yanks his stinging hand back with a yelp. Will yelps, too, pulling away from Mike with wild eyes, like – like for a second, he doesn’t recognise Mike.

And the lights go out.

[katyspersonal]

Hm 9 for Edgar and 10 for Caryll ?

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

9) Headcanons about their past (for Edgar)

Jeez... You got me with this one, huh. I have like, two timelines for him in my head, depending on whether he was one of the original Byrgenwerth scholars, or only joined the Church/Choir later on.

- If in Byrgenwerth from the start: arrived from foreign land at the hunch that in Yharnam they found some historical relics that could change lives, was one of the top scholars; tended to put trust in 'solid' scientific fields like geometry, astrology, math, biology etc, prepared to be sceptical towards all that divine stuff ('Great One or human, if it is a nonsensical, I am not the one to put my trust in it'); had Rom crush on him; documented most of the stuff that went down properly (without him having visited Byrgenwerth, Yharnam has much less ways to unravel what happened); did not fit into Choir too well as someone too individualist nearly trying to boss Ebrietas herself around, however Choir was more or less happy when Edgar pretended to separate the Choir with Micolash (but actually has been slipping info to them) - that cracked his bond with Rom massively as she has been devoted to protect Micolash no matter what for some time now; Micolash has been aware though and been giving him information to deliberately confuse the Choir all along; Edgar ended up losing his sanity and under his control when involved in Nightmare of Mensis and protecting him.

- If joins in only later: arrived from foreign land hearing about wonders happening in Yharnam and seeing potential in working in this city; became a teacher in the school under control of Healing Church (having seen some younger generation of people, such as Adella, Henriett, Alfred and Viola - they were kids/teens that time!); he was interested in going further though so he done his best to win trust of the Healing Church for his services and intellect (and amazing actor skills I guess); became white Church doctor and soon, member of the Choir; became friends with Rom and Yurie as he finally felt like being himself at least around them; Fauxsefka, himself, Yurie and few others ended up invading Byrgenwerth years later trying to find trace of Micolash or WHAT did he do; he entered Nightmare of Mensis through lake portal (that used to be open) and pretended to be an innocent wayward scholar - while giving information back to his friends while Micolash was not looking; as time vent by, Edgar ended up feeling sympathy for Micolash and understanding him, in fact feeling even more kindred spirit in him than Rom and Yurie were combined, let alone the rest of the Choir; he ended up betraying the Choir telling Micolash what has been going on all along; by now he sticks with Micolash as he 'makes more sense' but on his own terms and not 100% synched (notice him not wearing the cage).

Soooo... Yeahhhh he has an interesting life one way or the other. If I was to make a serious project and HAD to choose only one, I don't even know which ;-; Perhaps the latter one, but... still...

As for the rest, he did not have very happy or loving past. Edgar has been a very smart person, top of the class, but had to deal with the bullies. Some kept stealing his glasses and calling him a nerd, others tried to peer-pressure him into letting them copy his homework - so Edgar learned the skills of both physical combat and orchestrating petty revenge early. Guy got at least a few troublesome students expelled in his lifetime ffs, calling it 'doing institution a favor' (he was right in his own ruthless way, though).

Had a close friend, but he was visiting his house often, and Edgar's (somewhat negligent) parents seemed to treat that friend as their son moreso than Edgar ;-; Naturally, leaving his home and town did not break his heart all too much. If anything, Yharnam felt like more of a home early on in either timeline.

Had two attempts at dating. One with a girl that ended up not working out with him. Edgar was serious, unintentionally appearing as if 'disinterested' in feelings/lives of others, rude without knowing why others find him rude, introverted person. Well, she expected him to 'change' in intimate relationship - but not only that didn't happen, but only showed up more when he felt safe. Another was with a guy that seemed cool and all friendly and all fascinated with Edgar... but he kept urging him to do crimes, and then some day got into trouble and disappeared. Godspeed you dumbass, hope Valtr will never catch you fdsjhdhsd Naturally, in Byrgenwerth timeline, Edgar had trouble trusting Rom's crush at first.

Left notes and blueprints of some ahead-of-time inventions back at home that he never felt confident enough to go through; he is as talented as Archibald, but without finding magic within beasts to "spark" his inspiration. He never learned about it, but that 'friend' found his shit and proceeded to make those invention reality, passing them as his own ;-;

Had favorite extremely niche book series he has been invested in since childhood and that were his big source of comfort. Never learned they were written by Gascoigne under a pseudonym, before he even became a Father.

There are people who remember him fondly and were sad that he left without a goodbye - some teachers, people in his town's library and orphanage that he volunteered for a lot and helped to resolve some financial difficulties, the couple he protected from getting robbed... It just never really hit him. (Also yes, transition from someone caring a lot about children to someone withstanding Choir using orphaned kids' 'empty canvas' mind to get Great Ones better would be rather insanity-inducing if he ever thought about it)

10) Content about them I'd like to see more of (For Caryll)

Going to be boring and say 'basically anything'! xD Honestly though? Rom, who is not even a Byrgenwerth scholar in canon (her being scholar is just something fans agreed on), gets more attention as a scholar than Caryll, who canonically was studying in Byrgenwerth o_o" Just give this character a role... Like okay, fiiiine, Yurie and Patches get ignored as scholars, but why Caryll does? dssdg