#does tilly look good? no. but do I love them? Yes

[raindropren]

Here's some sketches of my AU Pearl

cause. i don't have any fully done pieces :'3

If u want context

well most of it's there

but like in au context!!!

send me an ask i'd love to talk about it lol

anyways

the file names are silly and fun so here they are

1 Sun favoring Moon God

2 They broke her nose and she still won

3 I love making her accidentally concerning!!

4 pet the t i l l y

and for reasons to u unknown(so the file name makes no sense oopsie)

5 Peaarrll That's not normal!!!!!

I have fun with image names on IBIS now so the files are fun aswell

also!! Cameo from AU Grian and Tilly!!! I think they're silly :]

all of the sketches may look weird together cause i think i forgot to put her necklace in ALL of them and there are differences in how i draw her in general but um

ya

I can't believe i forgot her necklace :'[

[russellsppttemplates]

Lando being obsessed with poking your baby bump cause he just loves how matilda always kicks his hand when he does it🫠

Cw: reader's pregnant

"I had to spend the whole meeting standing up because she kept kicking if I sat down", you groaned as Lando poked your baby bump, fingers tapping the skin as Matilda kicked back.

"She's a very excited little lady, aren't you?", he spoke just above your belly button, kissing the skin as she kicked everytime he touched you somewhere, "but you have to behave for mummy, okay? She's doing such a great job at making sure you're growing well and she's keeping you safe. So no kicking, okay? At least no kicking unless daddy is near", he said as she kicked into his palm that settled near your hip.

.

"Enough of hogging my wife, please!", Lando said to his mother, who as soon as she walked into your living room proceeded to hug you and ask you all the questions.

"We're not hogging", Flo defended them, "we just want to know how our two favourite Norris are doing", she teased him, sitting next to you.

"Me and baby girl haven't even had our greeting today", Lando recalled. Because he had picked them up from the airport, he left you asleep on the bed, not touching the baby bump because he knew it would cause you to wake up, and right now, you should get all the rest you could get.

Landing his palm soflty by your belly button, the baby was quick to kick, wiggling around at the voices around her, "Oh, look at that!", Cisca cooed, noticing the movements since the strappy top your were was thin enough for them to see the movements, "Hi, Matilda, good morning, beautiful girl", Lando cooed.

.

Lando made sure that you were as comfortable as you could be in the garage so you could watch the race from there. The chair had padding everywhere you needed, a cup holder for your bottle of water and strategically placed so the fan would keep you cool but not cause you to get a sore throat or chills.

"LANDO!", one of the mechanics called, "we need you in the car in two minutes!". It was enough for him to approach you, letting you kiss his lips good luck along with him kissing your left ring finger, a little pre race tradition you started on the first race you watched on the paddock.

"And you, little one, one last kick and wiggle before daddy goes and wins this race for you and mummy, okay?", he said as he poked your baby bump, Matilda kicking back immediately, "daddy loves you so much, Tilly", he cooed, kissing the top of your head one last time.

"Is she having a dance party of her own again?", Adam asked you as he replaced your bottle of water with a new one, "thank you, and yes, yes, she is. She actually slows down a little when the cars start going on the track, but until then it's Matilda Norris' dancing and kicking party, isn't it, my love?", you poked your bump back.

(Thank you for your submission ✨️)

[thewritingofspencerrose]

Crumbling Down

carlos sainz x Piquet!wife oc & secret family

this is meant with no real negativity to cs55's girlfriend rebecca, and only discusses her in a slight poor light due to plot reasons.

Private Account

verity.sainz a perfect break with my whole world before flying is restricted once more by baby #4 🤍

carlossainz55 mi corazon ❤️

f1wags and we're back to race week with the first public appearance of Carlos Sainz's new girlfriend!

fan1 WHY DOES HE HAVE HIS EYES OPEN WHEN THEY KISS?

"Carlo," I can't help the crack in my voice when I say his name, "You said you would say no to them. You said you wouldn't abuse our desire to keep our private life private like this."

"Mi amor," The pet name hurts, something that used to make my body buzz with joy making me want to cry harder as I wrap my arm around my rounded stomach. "They were insistent, I've never had a woman come to the paddock outside my family and they say I needed to change that."

"You haven't gone with a woman because we decided to remain private! We didn't want to pressures of the world! So we got married, and then we had Carlos and Junie and then they were each too young to go, and just as we were about to announce the family, I got pregnant with Flora and now with Tilly-"

"Tilly? As in Matilda?" He asks, interrupting my emotional rate with a tone that is too close to joy. "You found out the baby's gender?"

We had picked out names. This wasn't how he was supposed to find out.

"Yes, she's a little girl," I admit, "The kids and I had a whole plan how to announce it once you got home."

"I can't wait to see what you have planned," Is his answer, the sounds of the garage around him getting slowly quieter as I can only assume he moves towards his drivers room.

The idea of him coming home after kissing her to kiss me, to kiss our children's foreheads, makes me want to be sick.

"At the moment Carlos, I can't promise the kids and I will be here when you get home," I whisper, the truth slipping out like razorblades. "I think we're going to go see my parents."

"Vera, you're not meant to be flying. We were cutting it close with out trip as it is," He answers, voice strong and commanding.

"That's what's upsetting you? The fact that I will be traveling and not that I've just told you that your wife and children won't be home to greet you when you return because you're parading around another woman? Because when Carlos and Junie put on the race to see their father they'll see her name with yours underneath?"

"Verity, you know that's not what I want-"

"Then why did you agree? Why did you agree after I cried to you about how the idea of you with another woman made me ill?"

"It was for a good reason," His answer is hesitant, and you can tell he doesn't mean it.

"I hope the reason was enough for you, Carlos, because I can't keep letting you love us in the dark. We'll be with a friend since you're so concerned about me traveling." He did have a good point on that matter, but I can't help but say it before hanging up, not giving him a moment to respond as I waddle my way to the living room, dropping myself on the couch.

"Mamá?" Carlos III's voice calls, his head of hair like his fathers sticking out from behind the hallway wall, "Que occure? (What happened?)"

"Oh my baby, nothing happened," I try to assure, attempting to get all the tears off my cheeks before he can really notice.

"Mamá," He prompts this time, sounding entirely fed up with my response as he moves into the room, such a serious look for a seven year old. "I heard you on the phone with Papá. What has he done?"

"Something that you do not need to worry yourself about mi mundo (my world)," I assure, pulling him into my side as he gets close. He curls into my side, hand resting on my stomach as he's done with his other sisters.

"Hola Tilly," He greets her, placing a quick kiss to where he feels her kick before looking up to me, his father's spitting image. "We're going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"No, you're father made the point that I can't travel anymore, so we're going to go see if tia Kelly and prima Penelope are up for some visitors, yeah?"

"I'll go get my suitcase and start packing," He agrees, giving me a small smile as he moves to get up. I know I'll have to repack his suitcase later, but as he runs off, all I can be is grateful for this little angel who blessed us when we were young and unprepared, much to my fathers chagrin. But my kids are who keep me together as I dial my sister's number, tears coming to my eyes when I hear her voice.

"Vera? Honey are you crying?"

"Kel, can the kids and I come visit?"

"Always. P will prep her toys and I will prep the guest rooms."

"What the fuck were you thinking," The angered Red Bull driver shouts across the paddock, storming towards the Ferrari drivers who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Max, what's-"

"This doesn't involve you, Charlie," The Dutchman silences, eyes blazes of fire as they move to the Spaniard who's practically his brother-in-law. "You brought your girlfriend to a race and expected that to go well with your wife? The mother of your four children?"

"Tell me you did not," Charles chimes in, unable to keep the words from slipping out of his mouth at news. He had seen Carlos with a woman earlier, but had only assumed her to be a new member of his media team.

"It is none of your concern, Verstappen. What happens between my wife and I is just that."

"And I'll respect that when your actions aren't broadcasted to the entire world and having Vera call Kelly sobbing saying she's packing up the kids and leaving," Max fumes, Carlos's expression dropping at the knowledge. He had known that she was upset, that she had threatened to leave, but he thought it was just that, a threat. Not that she would actually leave the home they had designed together in Nice.

"After this race you better fix your fucking mess, because I will enforce whatever Verity wants, whether that is keeping you away from her and the kids or not."

And the Dutchman storms off, not waiting for a response.

"Kelly, I am only here to see my family."

"Carlos, you've been in our family for nine years, by law seven, but I can promise you that if Vera doesn't want you here, you will not be entering this apartment," The elder Piquet daughter warns, eyes angered by the mans simple presence.

"Kel, can I come in?" Max questions, not wanting to answer her more but also hoping to embrace her and Penelope, any week without them feeling too long.

She smiles at him, having missed him as well but her expression quickly steels. "Not if you are bringing him in with you."

"Kelly," I finally interrupt, having enough of seeing her scold my husband through the door as I breastfeed Flora. "You can just let them in, but please warn Max that I'm feeding Flora," I request, hating the idea of making the man uncomfortable in his home.

"You're okay, Ver," Max offers, his eyes immediately meeting my own and not leaving as Kelly opens the door, him and Carlos entering. "Kelly and I are actually going to go say hi to the kids, I've missed P and all of them," he says, kissing my sisters lips in a quick peck.

"Is Flora done? We could take her with us?" And it's like Flor could understand her aunt's question, because she's unlatching on cue, allowing me to pull up the piece of my top to cover myself and nod to Kel.

"Would you please? She just needs to be-"

"Burped," Max finished, taking my current youngest into his arms, kissing her head as he moves her to his shoulder. "Between P and my nephews, we've got this covered. Just let us know when you're done," He offers, kissing the side of my head.

"Thank you."

"Anything for family," He just smiles, the expression falling when he turns to Carlos who has been frozen in place. "Say the wrong things and your ass will be on the street before you can say forza ferrari."

"Sí- I mean, yes, of course," His eyes meeting mine before his next words leave his mouth. "I just want to talk apologize my wife."

"Right then, let's go say his to the kids," Kelly prompts, the two walking out with Flora in hand, the cheers of the kids upon seeing their uncle and P seeing her father figure making my heart warm.

"Mi amor, you have no idea how sorry I am for agree to the teams request for even a moment," Carlo apologizes, his body moving towards mine, taking the spot beside me and my hands into his own. "I went back to the team, they've posted an announcement saying that Rebecca and I are not together, and I gave them a photo of us from our wedding."

My heart beat fastens, his eyes meeting mine as his fingers start to fiddle with my wedding band. "Why would you do that?"

"I am having it announced that before my start in formula one I have been madly in love with you. That over those years we have married and created a family in private that I love," He explains, a hand coming to cup my cheek, running his calloused thumb to wipe away the tears that have begun slowly running from my eyes. "I no longer want to hide you. We can keep the kids to ourselves until they're older, but now everyone knows I am taken by the love of my life."

"Carlo," I can't help but whimper, flinging myself at him in a hug. "Te amaré hasta que ya no respire (i will love you until i am no longer breathing)."

"And I, you, mi amor," He assures, kissing the top of my head. "I am more sorry than I could ever put into words."

"You've fixed the situation, Carlo, we can work from this," I smile, little giggles alerting us to our observers.

And wrapped around the corner, piled on top of each other, our children's heads and niece's head are stacked, Junie's under her brothers and Penelope's in between. It's only a moment later thought that Flora appears to be floating on top of Carlos III, Max and Kelly's heads slowly appearing as well.

"Estan bien mamá y papá? (Are you okay mama and papa?)" Juniper questions us, Carlos III placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Sí," Carlos Jr answers, pulling us into a sitting position. "Ven aquí nuestros amores (Come here our loves)." Their little feet carry them strong and fast towards us, gently climbing on top of us, minding my stomach as Kelly approaches us, now holding Flora and resting her gently against my chest with a smile. "We are okay, Papa made a mistake but he has started fixing it and I will be working to so for a time."

"As you should," Carlos III digs, making me smile slightly.

"We love you all," I remind, kissing eaches head, including Penelope. "And we love each other. No matter what, things will work out and we will love you all," my little girl giggling brightly.

"Nosotros tambien te amamos mama (we love you too mama)."

[agendabymooner]

stop the world i wanna get off with you ! kimi r. x ofc (coppola!ofc)

“with the exception of you, i dislike everyone in the room.”

summary: vera jones ‘coppa’ coppola-raikkonen happens to be one of the three original it girls of formula one. funnily enough, she’s also the one to give birth to the loudest/messiest versions of the iceman as she continues her journey as a mother and a wife (all while she’s a director of the most iconic movies to have existed).

content warning: fictional raikkonen kids, mentions of breakups, mentions of tilly hearth and trish alonso (ofc) use of explicit language, family banters in social media

note: i know i have the most random selection of drivers on my masterlist but i swear i’m just tryna indulge in my lil bubble of happiness.

masterlist

tagged romaraikkonen, kimimatiasraikkonen

liked by arthurleclerc, olliebearman, charles_leclerc

user1 icegirl on fire as always 🧊🔥

user2 real hot girl shit of you roma 😩

arthurleclerc aroma, you’re supporting the wrong leclerc 😀 liked by veracopparaikko

romaraikkonen i can tell you that my shirts are nothing of an inchident. trust. liked by veracopparaikko

charles_leclerc i cannot believe i am being picked on by my favourite icegirl 😠

romaraikkonen hardly picking on you when i got ur name and face on my shirts??? smh i didn’t ask mum to get them for me to get called a h8r

rooraikkonen cool story maniac, can you run over jolauriraikkonen next?

romaraikkonen i’ll start with you first then i go target johann next, yes?

jolauriraikkonen what did i do??? i didn’t leave your pc plugged in, akka rooraikkonen witch

veracopparaikko kimimatiasraikkonen your kids are at it again, kimi.

kimimatiasraikkonen not my problem

veracopparaikko 😠

jolauriraikkonen it’s okie mum i’ll make sure dad sleeps on the couch tonight 😉

jolauriraikkonen dad did say 3 sprint races win = i get to go to the next three races too 😍 thank you for the team effort romaraikkonen liked by veracopparaikko

romaraikkonen omagaaaaa these are officially the worst races ever

ferraridriveracademy how are we going to put you two together in one room then?

romaraikkonen don’t.

jolauriraikkonen i’m gonna sob, this is a w for me

romaraikkonen what are you even doing up??? aren’t u like 14?

veracopparaikko question is: why are you even on your instagram? 🤨

jolauriraikkonen oh so when dad does it, it’s okay? he has to get up early too you know???

kimimatiasraikkonen please don’t involve me in this

user3 we love an unproblematic king 😭😭

user4 why are these kids so funny 🥲

kimimatiasraikkonen so proud of my girl 🧊❤️ liked by veracopparaikko

romaraikkonen like father like daughter 😉❤️🤝

tagged rooraikkonen, kimimatiasraikkonen

liked by landonorris, tillywolff, valterribottas

jolauriraikkonen 1/10. she looked more like the bottom of beetlejuice’s foot than the lady herself.

user1 naw johann-lauri got kimi’s humour for sure

rooraikkonen i’m gonna crash to your kart next time and you’re going to be crying to dad and dad will literally just laugh at you

kimimatiasraikkonen no, i won’t.

user2 LMFAO KIMI PLEASE

jolauriraikkonen hahahahahahaha cry

kimimatiasraikkonen second time this day, johann. next time i’m taking the switch. liked by veracopparaikko

user3 ruh-roh raikkonen is at it

jolauriraikkonen my bad g 🤝

kimimatiasraikkonen all good g 🤝

user4 a proof that johann is kimi-coded ^^

rooraikkonen thank you sooooo much mummy !!! i thought i was going to cry for a minute then i realized how much of a baddie my mummy-producer-writer-director is 😭😩 liked by veracopparaikko

veracopparaikko you fluster me, rooney tunes! ❤️

kimimatiasraikkonen your performance is very good, rooroo! henrik and betty were excited to see you on stage 😍 liked by veracopparaikko

rooraikkonen dad, betty-elina can barely hear from that headphones we got her.

rooraikkonen though i could hear henrik’s screaming during the intermission. 😂

rooraikkonen thank you daddy !! i’m glad i’m making the iceman proud 🧊💕 liked by veracopparaikko

tagged kimimatiasraikkonen, jolaurisraikkonen

liked by arthurleclerc, olliebearman, fernandoalo_oficial

jolauriraikkonen y’all cannot one up my mother because her resume is long as heck. she’s: mother, director, writer, actor, producer, photographer 😎 liked by veracopparaikko

jolauriraikkonen look at me and the boys though 😎

user1 you’re the coolest brother ever

rooraikkonen bc he’s the only brother henrik got 😂😂😂

user2 iceman and his iceboys and his ice cream

user3 too cold in here lads 🥶

romaraikkonen look at my cool lil man and dad 😍 oh and johann liked by veracopparaikko

jolauriraikkonen count ur days bestie

user4 where did the american-italian look go, vera?? 😭

rooraikkonen speaking on behalf of mum. the coppola genes had gone away as soon as romania came out, but uncle nicolas cage definitely did not leave

user4 subtle flex but okay pop off bestie 🔥

kimimatiasraikkonen such handsome boys liked by veracopparaikko

veracopparaikko i agree

romaraikkonen so do i

rooraikkonen me too

jolauriraikkonen i agree too

[wildflowerdoeeyed]

𝑀𝑜𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒪’𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒶

(the character overlook)

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆

these are all my opinions, totally open to the conversation about molly’s character also totally fine with people fact checking me, anyways i’m starting to fw o’shones

in the words of @krayzie-jelli the autism is autisming (don’t cancel me i have referrals to get tested 😔😔)

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧⋆⭒˚｡⋆

small credit;

the red dead fan wiki

@/reaperqween on tik tok (for the almost ten minute tik tok about mollys outfits which i ate up)

^ her tumblr is @river-of-wine send some love yall want 💕

colour analysis & general observations

🪞💋🍓🌹🍰

colour theory is heavily used based on honor, the best example of this is dutch, he consistently wearing red, mostly on his back until guarma when the red is on the front, when dutch’s true intentions become more apparent, anyways onto molly.

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

COLTER

(i went quite quick through colter so im actually unsure how she is with dutch, but from what i remember she doted on him a whole ton, constantly staying at his side and at one point saying “dutch is all the company i need”)

💋though a lot of people relate the red in different characters with low honor i think the fabric, the pattern itself points back to her privileged past

💋the necks scarf being green, i feel like it doesn’t imply much at this point but as the game continues it implies way more

💋the rest of the outfit being blue means a lot to me, there’s never anytime molly oversteps or is aggressive to anyone (obviously except from the obvious with karen, i’ll go back to this later)

💋i’d like to note that she’s still doing her makeup freezing and starving in the mountains

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

HORSESHOE OUTLOOK & CLEMENTS POINT

(i honestly will end up mixing these up so i grouped them together)

(tbh my honest opinion is horseshoe is one of the best chapters based on the relationships in camp (tho sadie’s still going through it, you can’t have everything))

💋her first outfit has a good amount of blue in this outfit, her necklace has its first appearance with the red (i always got the vibe that dutch had gifted it to her as it’s more shiny than a lot of the metal in her outfits and it’s like a part of him)

💋she wears a thick belt with this outfit and the brass (?) seems worn, even coming from a wealthy background she holds onto clothes that look old and worn

💋she always wears white boots, she’s doesn’t have to do any work, and she’s not expected to do anything

💋the majority of the mornings in game, molly is constantly checking herself in a mirror

💋i’m going to be honest i hate this shirt

💋but i’d like to think this shawl has always been with her and that she holds it close to her

💋her outfit is quite shapeless, and i think that’s how she liked to dress personally

💋i would love to talk about this outfit

💋does this eat? yes, but i don’t think this was a honest choice for her

💋this outfit mirror mary-beth’s a lot, who seems to be dutch’s new interest

sorry for the bad quality i used my own screenshot for this

💋this outfit particularly ^

💋there’s now a lot of cleavage in her outfit and she’s dressing more akin to other girls in the camp

💋and the gold in her outfits bright, and with mirroring marybeth, I also think this mirrors dutch’s style, with more red and gold incorporated

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

💋her relationship with dutch is starting to crumble, i heard a voice line where she says that she loves him and he thanks her (?!) you wouldn’t see me again personally

💋but to contrast that there’s some scenes were dutch kisses her hands and they’re all giddy and cuddly, and they eventually dance when sean’s rescued from blackwater

💋she’s also not well received by a lot of the gang, we get the first glimpse of that when you take mary-beth, tilly and karen to valentiene and karen says that molly’s “too high and mighty” to come with them

💋she attempts a to interact with numerous members

💋she also attempts to talk to tilly, tilly quickly brushes her off as she’s working and molly isn’t attempting to help her

💋i also saw an encounter with dutch and molly where, he approaches, and honestly he could be covered in shit and molly would still look up to him like he’s a messiah. dutch says “should i compare thee to…” he quickly cuts himself off asking her what he should compare her with, even asking arthur if you pass by (he actually says that dutch could compare her to an idiot if she actually believes dutch cares about her)

💋 throughout clements point, dutch talks down to molly as if she’s a child and then will quickly back himself up by calling her dear (to which if arthur intervenes when she goes off at him, dutch says she’s just leaving and she’s stomps away)

💋when she approaches abigail about the subject of dutch, abigail tells her “dutch don’t love you, not in the way you want to be loved”, molly gets defensive saying that she doesn’t get what she’s talking about, to which abigail says she does (implying drunk john?) and molly stomps away

💋i think this is the first time molly actually goes a bit crazy about dutch, she calls him a degenerate liar and stomps off when dutch wont argue back and (i think) goes to sleep, he at least turns away from her

💋i think people who discredit mollys character (men) don’t realise that her and dutch’s relationship show early signs about how manipulative dutch can be, he dumbs down what she says then calls her dear, eventually he only calls her miss o’shea, which she obviously goes off at him for

💋adding onto this i’d love to talk about her character item request of a pocket mirror and her asking arthur if bad lucks a thing, i feel like this is meant to reflect how young she actually is, like how kieran still referred to his parents as ma and pa, and that she genuinely seems nervous asking arthur for a mirror and the superstition of a broken mirror giving bad luck (which i guess you could say she had

💋and i feel like her vanity that the gang and from an outsiders perspective that she’s self absorbed but i think she’s more conscious about how she looks, she doesn’t have to lift a finger and not having much to do around camp because everyone distances themselves from her (i’ll obviously elaborate more when i get to writing about shady bell) i think she’s left alone with a mirror, which i feel is more implied that she’s had for a long time, i’d say since childhood, you become more conscious the more you look at yourself and if your man seemed to be going for someone younger than you, you’d loose it too

(tl:dr - molly doesn’t deserve any hate, the girls that get it, get it, men don’t, im so ready to talk about chapter 4&6)

The poem

-

Uaibhreach

(the irish gaelic word which means “being proud and arrogant to the extent that it alienates & isolates you from those around you, leading to loneliness)

I was a girl - until your call

(i’m not going to annotate this everytime but the religion of this actually makes me feel like my hearts being ripped out)

Commanded me to cross the sea.

(she was driven out of ireland looking for freedom and adventure and she was enthralled by dutch’s charm, to be honest i always saw her “privileged upbringing” being her family owning a big farm, or in a big industry, a lot of irish people immigrated to canada after the potato famine, then crossed to america)

I've nothing left. I gave you all.

(i think she means this in, like, every sense)

My darling Liffey was so small.

Your land and love are vast and free.

(‘MERICA)

I was a girl until your call.

You stood so strong, and dark and tall.

You stole the heartbeat out of me.

I've nothing left. I gave you all.

Your lips enchant, your eyes enthrall,

Your empire is of ecstasy.

I was a girl until your call.

Your parasites and lackeys crawl,

(now do i think this is the gang or her fault that they don’t like her, i think its a mutual thing, they see her as a spoiled woman and she doesn’t help that opinion but i think she’s a young woman manipulated by an older guy, and that she thinks they’re all just jealous (which im sure she even says a few times)

Mocking a love they dare not see.

(going back to when she try’s to seek abigail’s help, or when she confronts karen later on and that she can’t see that he’s really not interested in her)

I've nothing left. I gave you all.

I sit in solitude and scrawl

These wretched words, and wait for thee.

I was a girl until your call.

I've nothing left. I gave you all.

[choster33]

Bridgerton S3 Episode 4 Reaction

So I finally watched the last episode of Part 1 and it was everything I wanted it to be! It was so steamy and full of Colin angst. I am going to write and react about what I saw so if you want to read on!

First off, the rest of the Featheringtons are trash. They're hilarious, but horrible sisters and mother to Penelope. I will one day write an essay about the trauma that Pen has gone through and etc. because ugh. Now on to Lord Debling who is adorable with his plant present.

Yes a nod to Penelope sitting at that settee and enjoying the view of Bridgerton House aka where her love Colin is at. I think she isn't leading Lord Debling on here, she genuinely is getting tired of being in the corner, playing what if and ready for a real relationship. She's not in love with Lord Debling, but ready to accept something real over her years of fantasizing over Colin for nothing.

I agree with people who wrote that the scene that Colin is rereading his journal, he's going over what Penelope has read so that he knows what she read and enjoyed and what would be going through her mind. Lady Bridgerton for sure knows that Colin is in love with Penelope! She knows he's in love and he couldn't take his eyes off of Penelope. And she's no idiot, the boy is acting love sick and she can smell that a mile away.

Tillie Arnold is an amusement, but not endgame.

Is it just me or is Lord Anderson not that funny or charming? I don't mind him courting Violet or anything to do with his person, but I don't get it. Maybe I'm taking cues from Lady Danbury who is an impeccable judge of character, but I'm meh about him.

LOL! I love Queen Charlotte and Brimsley! The step another pace backwards comment was gold. "You read me too well."

Awww look at Francesca's little face! She likes John so much! They just get each other and the two actors portray that so well. The joy they have when together, the unspoken silences, and the chemistry they have is evident and I like them!

Lord Samadani is portrayed perfectly as well- he is handsome and dashing and everything that a traditional girl would have wanted. But not what Francesca wants.

Aw, poor Cressida. I never thought I would think or say that, but here we are. The writers have reframed her into a victim of the ton and has tried to free her from the trope of Mean Blonde Bitch.

Oh, Pen it's so obvious you're staring at Colin. Even Lord Debling can tell something's up. I really like Lord Debling, I think he's so cute! I know he's not endgame, but he's doing everything right so far. Asking her how he would secure her hand and putting out feelers of her reaction to a proposal.

Oho the infamous prostitute scene! Yes, he seems incredibly disinterested. Of course his enthusiasm is elsewhere it's with Penelope! I don't mind this scene so much because it just heightens Colin's disinterest with any woman except for Penelope.

Ha! I love how Francesca just accosted Lord Kilmartin! She knows what she wants and it's this man! They are so cute and awkward and adorable! Francesca wants love, but doesn't want to or know how to play games like Daphne did. They are the on the spectrum romance I didn't know I wanted or needed.

Ooh more Cressida backstory and it is grim. Her family and house are so cold. Yeesh. No wonder she is who she is and does what she does. Eloise is sweet to come by and check up on Cressida, she's a good friend. Her father seems like a pill.

I like the Mondrich's and understand them having class/adjustment issues about suddenly becoming part of the ton. It's good to have some contrast and real people part of the main story, but I also don't understand Will's determination to not see how it looks for him to be serving as bartender. With that act he seemingly doesn't understand the whole have/have not system the ton is based on. Wake up, Will!

These assholes. I never liked these puffed up men of the ton who parade about as rakes, but are more likely just assholes who've slept with a girl or two, who they've most likely had to pay. I'm not a prude or judgmental, but I am with Colin and would be sick of them too.

Penelope being wary of her engagement with Lord Debling makes sense. The girl has been in love with Colin Bridgerton for years and still is and so it would be hard for her to just throw that all away and go with Lord Debling, whom she is not in love with. She's not opposed to him, but also waiting for true love.

Ha! We get more love sick and pining Colin! It's sad to see him like this, but also sweet poetic justice for all the years Penelope was pining alone for him. Lady Bridgerton is such a good mother! She knows Colin like the back of her hand and I love the part where she talks about armor. She knows he's been playing a part lately and wants him to be his Cinnamon Roll self.

She knew exactly what she was doing when she mentions Penelope and getting a proposal! That minx! She's sharp and sly and knows exactly what to say to get a response from her children. Lol.

The ballet was gorgeous! That hair piece OMG it was stunning! I like the Queen, but no Francesca will not end up with Lord Samadani!

The ballet sequence is interesting because of Penelope's reaction to it. The ballet is a romance story and Penelope is wrapped up in it. Other people are admiring the artistry and appreciating the dancers, but Penelope is swept up in it. Which proves that a loveless marriage will not do for her.

See, back to Lord Anderson and I get why he would like Violet, but not why she would like him back. They are reading friends to me than late in life love match. I just don't see instant chemistry or anything.

Tillie is beautiful and amusing, but eventually Benedict is going to chafe at the hiding things and lack of romance. Clearly Tillie is her own woman and not needing a man, which will turn Benedict off eventually I believe.

I actually like the Cressida and Eloise relationship. What am I saying? But I do! I think it's cute. Cressida is in sore need of a friend to soften her and Eloise needs one that listens to her.

Yes! Colin thinking back to that one day and the glass and the looks and the comments about eyes. They were so close and comfortable with each other because they were friends before feelings and etc got in the way.

More Francesca and John and they are very cute. She's abrupt with him at first because she thinks he doesn't like her, but lights up when she sees his gesture. This man gets her to her very soul and it's very cute. Lemonade isn't going to cut it man! She has someone who reads her very soul! The queen's face lol!

Excuse me! Colin is here for a purpose, boys, out of the way!

Oof, you were being honest, but way to fumble the ball Lord Debling. He knows that Penelope loves romance and romance novels and couldn't throw her a bone about one day being in love. Maybe that's what it is and wasn't meant to be, but oof.

Here comes unhinged Colin and I love it! I have been spoiled by this from all over and here it is! Yes walking right up to a dancing couple like that quite scandalous! This is going to be good.

Eros and Psyche indeed! Cressida can be a cow at times, but she's right here. Everything she's putting out here is right. They are old friends, but something is going on between them and directly across the street of that window Penelope's obsessed with. She gives Lord Debling all the answers and clues to put the pieces together.

I feel for Penelope because she feels like Lord Debling is her one and only shot at a husband, but Lord Debling is not a fool and has figured out about her and Colin. He's not wrong and the two of them would not have been a good match, but I feel bad for Penelope.

Colin running down this carriage, yes very unhinged behavior indeed! The boy is lovestruck! Those eyes when he says he cannot leave her alone! They are so in love and the total opposite reaction we see from him with the prostitutes. He is all emotion, all heart on his sleeve and I love to see it.

They're getting it on, they're doing it! Eeek, squee, all the feels! That moment after they start kissing where they look at each other to see if this is real and yes, yes it is! Then they get back into it hot and heavy. He's going for more and she gives the nod of consent. Yes, let's do this Colin! I've been spoiled about the fingering but it is hot! Yes Go get it girl!

Aww that moment of laughter between the two so cute! I've seen other posts on this and it's a moment where they are two old friends and giggling together and that is the nature of their romance and relationship and I agree. It's utterly adorable.

Ok!!! Ugh now I know why so many people can't wait for part 2. Fortunately for me, it's only a couple more days and I can't wait!!!! We're going to have Lady Whistledown drama, Eloise drama, a lot of Polin sex, and a marriage! I can't wait I can't wait!

[percervall]

chocolate chip

Player: Mats Hummels Words: 520 Warnings: Mats being a dad, fluff, no beta; we die like my hopes for UCL qualification

In which Mats helps his daughter bake

---

“Alright sweetpea, do you know what you want to make for mama?” Mats asks as he pulls his wife’s baking cookbook from the shelf. Their six year old daughter is already sitting at the kitchen island, apron on and ready to go.

“Yes! The choco chip ones! Mama loves those,” Ottilie replies. Mats smiles and opens the book to the recipe of his wife’s favourite chocolate chip cookies. He knows that even if they made sugar cookies and decorated those, she’d be happy, but he knows she’ll be touched that their daughter specifically wanted to make her favourite. 

“I think we’re in luck, Tils; we might just have all the ingredients already,” he muses as he looks over the recipe, “Could you go and get the purple mixing bowl for daddy?” Ottilie nods and jumps down from the stool. Mats digs through the baking cupboard to get all of the dry ingredients. It’s not the part of the kitchen he’s most familiar with, Ottilie’s mum usually does all the baking in their house, but for Mother’s Day, Mats is more than happy to make an attempt. 

“Okay, let’s see. We need to measure the butter and sugar,” Mats reads out loud as he pulls both ingredients closer to the scales, “we need 120 grams of butter, can you help me Tillie? We need to look for a 1, a 2 and a 0.” 

“Almost there daddy!” the little girl says as she peers at the screen, “too much! That’s 1, 2, and a 5!” 

“Well spotted sweetpea, how about now?” 

“1, 2, 0. Good job daddy!” Mats has to bite his lip to refrain from laughing as his daughter praises his measuring skills. “Okay, in the mixing bowl it goes. Now we need 75 grams of sugar, so a 7 and a 5.” Mats helps his little girl through the recipe step by step, breaking down the larger numbers so she can read them on the digital kitchen scales. It doesn’t take long before the dough is ready to be chilled in the fridge. Ottilie happily runs off to play with her Duplo while Mats tidies up the kitchen. It worked out perfectly; his wife wouldn’t be home until later that day after going out with her mother and sister for an early Mother’s Day brunch, giving them plenty of time to set up the gifts. Unfortunately, they’re not able to celebrate it on Sunday due to a match. Mats knows he’s lucky that there’s few holidays he misses out on comparatively speaking, but it still sucks; she does so much for the both of them and often has to be a solo parent while he’s away for matches or training camps and he often feels guilty for the unequal division of parenting tasks. She would shrug, cuddle further into him and whisper I know what I signed up for when I married you. And I would choose it a thousand times over every time he brought up his worries as soon as they found out she was pregnant. And if that isn’t unconditional love, Mats isn’t sure what is.

Inspired by a prompt sent in by @curiousthyme as part of this. If there's a fic you'd wish I'd write, please send it in!

I have not forgotten about my football babies, don't worry!

[sushisocks]

Do you have any Sean x Lenny headcanons? I’m so desperate for more of their content, lol.

DO I HAVE SEAN X LENNY HEADCANONS?!??! Dear anon I could talk about macsummers FOREVEEERRRR!!!! We are truly STARVED for content about them but yes yes let me share some THOUGHTS I have lolol (sorry for the late reply, this week has been kicking my ass aklsdjf)

Okay see I think MacSummers have such good potential to be real 'one fell first, the other fell harder', in that sense of the second person falling suddenly having to catch up on all the feelings, yknow? And it works EITHER way, which I LOVE abt them, so let's talk about what their crushes would look like njbhnjbhmk

Lenny's first to fall:

Lenny ABSOLUTELY has a crush foreveeerrr, pining HARD because he can't bring himself to make a move. Half of that is also reckoning with the fact that he HAS a crush, and on Sean of all people.

Sean is an oblivious idiot; a bi king so busy with the thrill of the chase he doesn't realize what's right in front of him at first, and also, in his mind the possibility of Lenny being interested in him is so small it barely connects.

It's a mess; people DEFINITELY start noticing - it's Lenny's first time having feelings as intense as these about someone and he is NOT as subtle as he'd like to believe he is.

Truly painful for anyone to witness; no, Lenny, that joke was not that funny, stop staring wistfully across the camp like that, everyone knows you're just sitting at the campfire because Sean is there, your book is upside down.

The girls swing back and forth between gently teasing him about it or trying to cheer him up after witnessing some horrendous attempt at flirting from Sean with one of them - they're all rolling their eyes at him for it.

Jenny is def the one who notices first, and the one Lenny goes to for advice. She does NOT give him good advice. Thankfully Lenny is smart enough to realize as much when she tells him to take Sean fishing during a moonlit night, like that's 1) romantic in any sense of the word or 2) something normal for them to do.

Hosea also catches on but it just makes him more grumpy when dealing with Sean, very fatherly 'youre not good enough for my child' vibes off him. Sean still has 0 clue, but now sometimes he catches Hosea giving him the deathstare, and there's a high chance that every time Hosea sees Sean even look in Lenny's direction, he's considering pulling his gun on him.

Tilly is the most sympathetic to Lenny out of the whole lot, when she's not laughing at him. Tbf they're all laughing at him.

The 'Let me teach you how to read!' thing is very much an excuse just to hang out with Sean more. Mind you Lenny is very serious in his effort to teach Sean, he definitely thinks Sean deserves someone making the effort for him, but he's very internally giddy about 'hihi spending time with crush!!' And he probably does have to go debrief with Jenny and Tilly about it.

He only FINALLY gets the nerve to make a move at the end of a long night of drinking. Liquid courage has Lenny grabbing a loud and laughing Sean by the wrist after he says or does something that makes Lenny want to vomit his heart out, dragging Sean out of camp past the treeline, and kissing him square on the mouth, if only for his sanity. Sean, once the shock passes, goes, verbatim "oh. OH! well, ya couldve told me earlier!" before proceeding to snog Lenny senseless <3

Sean's first to fall:

It takes a minute for Sean to actually realize he has a crush, but then Lenny looks at him in a certain way, smiling and gazing at him with those shrewd eyes of his, shining in the light of the campfire, and Sean feels like he's been struck by fucking lightning.

Who has eyes like that anyway?? Sean will not be able to stop thinking about them, ever, now.

He's upping the ante on silly goofy behavior by 11, just to make Lenny smile. Even better if he laughs!!

He agrees to be tutored in reading just to spend time with Lenny and promptly spends all that time vacillating between doing his utmost to distract Lenny away from the lesson with jokes or trying very hard to listen to him just to get lost in his eyes. Lenny doesn't really mind but they get nothing done.

Sean has a fucking army on his ass in seconds; Arthur, John, Tilly, Mary-Beth, and Karen all seem to know out of NOWHERE and Sean has to sit through a fucking impromptu roast while wondering if all his closest friends are fucking mind-readers.

It's funny to them all at first but there IS some sympathy for poor Sean. Doesn't stop them from teasing him mercilessly.

Those that know him, know he's fucked when he switches the 'I love ya!' to 'Ya love me!' with Lenny. It's harder to say to the people he has actual persistent non-platonic feelings for, and almost self-soothing to instead say the reverse as a substitute.

Thing is; if Lenny having a crush is unsubtle, Sean is a fucking bull in a china-shop by comparison. Lenny sure as hell has his suspicions from very early on.

IT DOESN'T HELP THAT WHEN SEAN GETS DRUNK HE'S FLIRTING WITH LENNY IN THE EXACT SAME WAY HE DOES WITH THE GIRLS.

Lenny is very good-humored about the whole thing but it comparatively to when Lenny's the one with the crush, it sure as hell doesn't take very long from Sean realizing his crush to Lenny also realizing Sean's crush.

It helps Lenny getting over his own nerves, if nothing else.

Everyone in camp knows by the time Lenny decides to end Sean's suffering. They walk down to the river near camp, find a spot which is a bit more secluded, and Lenny very gently cups Sean's face, tells him to stop him if he doesn't want this, and kisses him. Sean is grinning like the cat who got the cream afterwards, and Lenny v fondly calls him a fool.

There's like several relieved sighs when they return to camp holding hands. Like Sean isn't gonna be way more of a menace WITH a boyfriend than he is without.

Here's some general headcanons too, bcz I LOVE thinking and talking abt this ship lmfaoo

They're both very talkative - very much the types to stay up all night talking, discussing their thoughts and feelings, camp gossip, their childhoods, the most fucked up death they saw besides their dads', their favorite colors, etc etc. They've had SEVERAL items thrown at them for waking up their fellow gangmembers in the dead of night.

Lenny reads as very acts of service-y to me. Throwing a blanket over Sean when he's knocked out, bringing him food or snacks when he's on guard shift, teaching him how to read, etc etc.

Meanwhile Sean is very touchy; he likes the reassurance of Lenny's physical presence, and it can be as small as just feeling the press of their thighs while sitting next to each other, but they're not exactly strangers to other things like hugging or holding hands.

In that vein it's not uncommon to find Lenny like, doing his own thing, reading or writing, with Sean amusing himself by tracing the lines in Lenny's free hand, or dozing against his back or something.

They have that honeymoon period where you can't find one without the other and they're hard to separate for anything. Sean complains if they're set to different tasks during a job. They manage to be regular about it eventually, but there's an acclimation period for both them and everyone surrounding them -- baby's first proper relationship, y'know?

They're still prone to joining each other on their guard shifts though, even if just for a little while.

You know that comic that's like "I'm gonna kiss you stupid" "But I'm already so dumb!" "Youre gonna be such an idiot when I'm through with you" That Is Very Them imo lolol

Aaaannddd this is already so long I think I'll stop now before we're here all night kmjnhbjnbh

[lovesosweeet]

KNOW IT ALL x THE BAND CAMINO

part 9

a calum hood songfic

read 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Michael has been watching Tillie’s location for a week. 

He’d checked up with Calum after the Halloween party, given that he figured he’d feel like absolute shit. Calum was fuming when he’d picked up the call, saying he had nothing nice to say about Tillie right then and that’s all he had on his mind, so he hung up after a brief rant. That’s how Michael knew something had gone down at Tillie’s place the next morning.

Michael knew his best friends very well. He knew Calum would need to talk about it, but he wouldn’t talk about it with him, and he couldn’t talk about it when he was angry. Tillie was somewhat unpredictable in that there were two options. One would be to go out and get wasted, hook up with someone new every night, and do everything possible to not have to think about things. The other option? Hole up in her bedroom and avoid living life at all. 

Tillie’s blue dot hasn’t left her condo once. 

He’s well aware that she won’t pick up if he calls, so he does what he know Tillie would do if roles were reversed. He lets himself into her place.

Tillie can hear her door open from inside her bedroom.

“I’m not home!” She yells.

He laughs quietly, popping his head into the doorway of her bedroom. The first thing he notices? She dyed her hair purple. She’s propped up on a mountain of pillows and a throw blanket is awkwardly strewn around her. There’s an empty pizza box on the edge of the bed and a few things of cup noodles on the nightstand.

“Permission to enter?” Michael asks. 

“If you clear the shit from my bed and come cuddle, yes.”

He rolls his eyes and enters the room. He tosses the pizza box onto the floor and kicks off his shoes before he climbs into Tillie’s messy bed.

She won’t say it, but she’s glad he’s there. 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Tillie sighs. “I broke up with Nick.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t act so surprised,” she mutters. 

Tillie liked Nick. He was nice. He was attractive and fun to be around. Deep down though, she knew it wasn’t more than a few months, maybe a year or two at best, of just coasting by and having a relatively good time. It would’ve been settling for something that works, rather than something that she actually enjoys.

After the fight with Cal, she decided it was wrong to be in any sort of “relationship,” regardless of how casual, with anyone who wasn’t Calum. She decided she’d go back to being emotionally unavailable and just live her life, find one night stands when she wanted one, and… mourn. Both her sister, and whatever she thought she could have had with Calum.

“He was nice!” Michael says. He might know Tillie better than anyone else does, but he still couldn’t ever fully read her. That’s part of why people are so drawn to her: she’s a mystery.

She sighs. She has no doubt now that Michael knows how she feels about Calum. He may not have admitted it to anyone, but surely he knows that she loves him. Surely he saw what she saw in Nick. He’s great, but he’s not perfect for her.

Not that anyone is perfect for her. 

“Tillie, to be fair, you’re kind of unpredictable.”

Tillie rolls her eyes and runs her fingers through her purple locks. “Not really.”

“You pick people and drop them. You end up going after Cal for fuck’s sake, and everyone thought that was going well, then you drop that suddenly and disappear. Then there’s another revolving door of people, and then there’s Nick, and, I guess, now there’s not.”

When Michael looks over at her after he speaks, his heart sinks. Tillie is crying. She doesn’t cry. Tillie never cries.

“Woah, Tills, what’s wrong?”

He knows the answer to the question. It’s Calum. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispers.

“Clearly it does. You’re upset, and you aren’t exactly known for getting upset.”

Tillie doesn’t know what to say, and she debates dropping everything altogether. She’d offer to order another pizza for delivery and they could play video games for hours. She knows she can’t. The truth of everything that happened is clawing at her insides.

“Will you ever tell me what happened, T? I know it’s something big. You loved him and then just left.”

“What?” Tillie asks, her head snapping to look at him. He didn’t think he’d say it out loud.

“What do you mean?”

“You said I loved him.”

Michae shrugs. “Yeah, I mean, I think that we all know that you did.”

Tillie is floored. Was it that obvious? Apparently it was.

“I do.”

“What?”

“I do love him,” she admits. She’s never said it. It feels like somewhat of a relief to say it. 

“So, what happened?”

How can she explain it all? The blood on her hands, the running away, her fear of doing something awful to Calum… how does she put it in words and tell Michael why she broke his best friend’s heart?

“You don’t have to tell me, you know?” Mike adds, sensing that she’s possibly incapable of putting words to her thoughts. “I’m sure Calum would like to hear whatever you have to say, though.”

“He’s mad at me.”

“Tillie, if what you have to say to him is that you love him, he’ll suck it up and listen to your explanation.”

read next part (last chapter)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

So with Clementine Book Two coming out in October, I decided to do another reread of Book One. Though, I'll be honest, the bigger reason for this reread was out of spite; I follow Tillie Walden on instagram, and while I don't go on there often, I usually check her page when I do so I can see any new artwork or Clementine updates. Her latest post is from one of her other graphic novels, and I guess I just... don't get it.

I don't understand why people are like this:

This is on a post that has nothing to do with the Clementine comics. As for ones that are about Clementine-

Those are just a handful from a few Clementine-related posts, but there's so much of this all over Tillie's posts and I don't understand.

What does this accomplish? Other than making you look like an asshole? Like... no one is impressed by this. No one is applauding you for repeatedly commenting "lol we didn't want a forced gay romance ew," which by the way? Repeating that in every single paragraph you comment? Tell me you're homophobic without saying you're homophobic, y'know?

There are legit criticisms to be had of Clementine Book One- The pacing is all over the place where it starts very slow and then goes into whiplash mode after Amos dies. Georgia as a villain is a weak point in the story. Clementine naming her leg after Kenny is a bit icky considering in canon, he physically and verbally abused a disabled person with a brace on his leg in S2. I don't think there was much thought behind that decision past "Hey, the fans like Kenny," and I think that's worth pointing out as "Hey... maybe don't?"

Some of the dialogue is a bit stilted, but some of it is actually pretty good. My personal favorite is when Clementine and Amos are fixing a roof-

Amos: Lord, this roof is... Clementine: ...fucked? Amos: SHH, don't say that! It's... troubled.

I'm sorry- that's funny! And it actually says a lot about who these characters are and the kind of friendship they have.

And yeah, Ricca is just okay. She's clearly the love interest, and I'm hoping we get more development of her character. And yes, the "baby" thing is still weird.

There's a lot about the art style that I'm not crazy about, specifically Clementine's face and expressions, and I hope to see an improvement in that for Book Two.

And then the obvious: Clementine leaving because she was unhappy and felt everyone thought she was a liability doesn't match up with the end of TFS.

I don't think it's mean to say that Tillie wasn't the best fit for this project, but that's on Skybound. They're the ones who reached out to her and hired her. I think Tillie's a great artist and her graphic novels have great queer, wlw representation in them. Just because she wasn't the perfect fit for Clementine that doesn't mean she's bad, it means that maybe she should've been considered for a different project.

And honestly...? Y'all, Book One isn't THAT bad. It's not great or anything, but the comics can't take the games away from you. If you want to say canon ends with the TFS, then that's where it ends. That's where it ends for me; these comics are more of a "what if" scenario than anything.

No one is forcing you to accept this as canon, and if you're so pathetically butt hurt over the existence of a comic that you feel like you have to go on Tillie's instagram, the artist who is only doing the job she's obligated to do, and comment shit like this on every. single. post-

Maybe, just maybe, you need to go outside. I'm serious.

This isn't the only comment about grooming on Tillie's posts, or that I've seen on reddit. Like... do you understand what grooming actually is and how serious it is? Or are you just using it as a buzzword that you know is bad and triggering as a means of insult and convincing others that she's bad, too?

Also, I don't think you really understand how creativity and writing work. Maybe it's just me, though I doubt it, but when I create characters or write already established characters in my fanfiction, they all have a piece of me that's apart of them. My life experiences and who I am as a person influences everything I write, and that bleeds into the characters, for better or worse.

What, you think Louis having a random pillow collecting problem was something I just pulled out of my ass? No, it's because I have a pillow collecting problem! Do you know why I've always had a such a hard time writing for Violet? It's because I see a lot of myself in her and that scares me and I'd rather just not unpack all of that, okay?

I mean, how many times on this hellsite have you come across someone saying, "lol my otp is just Person A is my type and Person B is the one I project onto" and it has thousands of notes because, on some level, we all get it.

Tillie has talked about Ricca before and like most creative people, she's drawn from her own life to create her characters. Ricca isn't some self-insert character just because they both wear glasses, I'm-

You are just being an asshole! I just- I'm getting pissed off because this shouldn't even be a thing. WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS? WHO HURT ALL OF YOU?

I love Clementine, too! She's important to me! I have replayed TWDG more times than I can count! I was pissed about the comics in the beginning! You can go back on my blog and I probably said stupid shit, too!

But Clementine isn't real. She's a fictional video game character. She isn't going to reward your bullying or white-knighting because she doesn't exist. You're not doing this because you're a "true fan" that loves Clementine. Honestly, if you were a true fan, you would know that if Clementine was real, she would find you and this behavior disgusting. Tillie Walden is a real person and I don't give a flying fuck if you hate her work. By all means, hate the comic! Criticize the comic and Skybound for continuing the series, but leave Tillie out of it.

And I think the part that sucks the most is it doesn't matter what I say, you can't rationalize with irrational people intent on being assholes so they're not going to stop.

I guess what I'm trying to show with all of this is when Book Two comes out, and y'all start reading it and making posts... please don't be these people.

Whatever you may feel about Clementine Book Two, try to remember that Tillie Walden is a real person and she's just doing the job that Skybound hired her for. Tillie's an artist just trying to live her life in Vermont with her wife and their cats, and she's gotta deal with all of these people harassing her posts. She can't even post something non-Clementine related without a bunch of #notmyclementine shit in the comments.

I don't even know what else to say... Uhm, I guess if anyone from those screenshots sees this, then... I don't feel that bad about calling you an asshole. We all learned in kindergarten to treat others the way we want to be treated, but maybe you were sick that day, I don't know. Go outside. Get your life together. We have a short time on this planet and maybe you should try to actually accomplish something while you're here. Eat a kitkat or something👍

[mothtarts]

Just wanted to say that you are so real over your post about Cleo and Pearl and their weird ass homo relationship. Their relationship is just weird. I mean that in a good, kind of makes me insane type of way when I look at it from a narrative perspective

Okay. You. Walk with me, walk with me. I truly believe that if we rank duos and groups and yadda yadda based on popularity, Cleo and Pearl’s dynamic is one that is not talked about enough and is definitely underrated. Thats my genuine opinion

I enjoy the angst between Scott and Pearl in DL as much as the next person but I wish theres more discussion and just insane blabbering posts [like me right now] talking about Cleo and Pearl’s dynamic

Cleo became a part of Scott and Pearl’s group in LL, forming the 3Gs. Theyve established a bond, through the heist, the trust that Pearl showed to her fellow teammates to inform them of the rigged boogie [HA] dance room. Pearl is a very loyal person, all of the three are

And it’s this bond, this loyalty and joy over their previous group that Pearl got so excited over possibly teaming up with both Scott and Cleo after turning Martyn away, only to be shocked and hurt over Gatekeep and Gaslight refusing to let Girlboss join. The break up of the 3Gs, the birth of Divorce Duo and the beginning emergence of Scarlet Pearl

Thats something I dont see much acknowledged as well or like you know, be insane over. That while yes, Scott rejected and refused to team up with the person he is soulbounded with, may it be because of pride or just continuously being petty or both. The hurt cut deeper with how Cleo went along with it

The loyalty between Scott and Cleo and their shared disregard and rejection of Pearl are the first thorns to dig within her heart

And it just makes me think. Does Cleo get haunted with the fact that she had a hand in Pearl’s insanity? Do silent apologies in her mind play whenever she is around Pearl, never to be said and the words that do come out only cuts Pearl deeper with how sharp her tongue is? Does Cleo’s heart feel? Does is it ache as they watched Scott wince and grimace and complain over the pain in his shoulders?

[these are just things I think over the headcanons I have, basically feeling each other’s pain not only with the game’s mechanic but in a story sense that even just little things like getting a papercut, accidentally burning yourself while cooking and your soulbond feeling that pain. In this case, I’m referring to my headcanon that Pearl doesnt mind the bite of the snow but it gets to her that shes alone in her tower, in her lonesome with no one to fall back on. Having Tilly helps but only for so long before she cant stand it anymore. So sometimes she cant help but hug herself, try to bring herself comfort but unknowingly digs her nails in through her hoodie, there is pain in her jaw being clenched so tight in an attempt to not let herself be wrecked with sobs only for her to struggle to breathe through her nose because the ball in her throat is making it clogged with the effort shes trying to exert to just not break down from not only losing one friend but two]

So yes does Cleo wonder? Do they think about Pearl alone in her tower? Does she know Pearl does this? No she doesnt. They think that Pearl is probably doing something else that makes Scott also hurt and not get a good night’s sleep. Hahaha you know just thoughts to bring up the angst more

Welp. Anyways this was a lot. I can honestly go on and on about the dynamic and angst and feels between them but I feel embarrassed with how much I already typed. Apologies that you have to be the unfortunate soul to receive this ramble of mine [I’m actually just a lurker and dont really post anything but here have a smidge of my thoughts]

OMGGG FUXK YEA WOAOWOWKWKWKJWWINQOOOOOO WOOOOOOOO YEAA

but like on a more serious note woa anon you fucking put it into words perfectly

a huggeee reason i love the dynamic of this season is because pearl has specifically been targeting cleo, no she is out for blood and it’s so fun. the fact that cleo burns her dog pack, the same kind of pack she had in dl makes me go crazy.

cleo remembers scarlet pearl vividly, more than anyone else since (from what i remember) she got murdured by pearl. she probably got triggered by the dog pack and acted in pure instinct. pearl doesn’t know that tho, she took that personally.

the person that encouraged her soulmate to never trust her again, who made her alone and vulnerable, now coming back to destroy the one lifeline she has in this series??? it’s perfect

cleo has watched pearl through her worst, seen her through her most wretched and evil moments and came out of it stronger, while pearl became a husk of her former self, now longing for the day she becomes a red life and can snap and wreck havoc again.

it’s also not lost on me that cleo has a huge ducking chance of winning, and she’ll prob fight pearl at some point since shell wanna get revenge

[ricard-blythe-ffxiv]

An Exercise in Curiosity

There were certain aspects of Ricard Blythe’s personality that had, throughout his life, been easily attributable to his parents. His easy affinity for numbers and the way he’d  taken to the financial advisor position? Attributed to his father - the man was well established within the field and had an affinity for numbers himself. His hard-headedness and often single minded nature were also attributed to his father, who once focused on something was rarely deviated to anything else. 

But Ricard’s curiosity? His attention to detail?  

That came from his mother - and Catherine Blythe was not one to let things go, particularly once her curiosity was piqued. And unfortunately for her ‘grown ass’ son, her curiosity was piqued. 

It was also unfortunate for her son that his staff used to be her staff, and so she knew exactly how to get the information she wanted to from them, in this case, the last name of the woman who Ricard had so unceremoniously disclosed he’d spent an evening with. 

From there, discovering the woman’s home address had taken just a little legwork which Catherine was more than happy to do. 

Ricard should have known better than to play this game with her.

Catherine looked up at the estate, giving it a critical once over before approaching - adjusting her cloak to ward off the afternoon chill, and gave the door a firm knock, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she was arriving to a stranger’s house unannounced. When the door was cracked open she offered the staff member a charming smile - ever polite, “Good afternoon. I’m Lady Catherine Blythe, I was hoping to speak with Lady Cordelia Gray, if she’s available. I’m quite curious to meet her.” 

The small statured midlander who had opened the door to the looming unfamiliar woman gazed up at Catherine with big doe eyes and curiosity. “Is Lady Gray expecting you, Lady Blythe?” She asked, tilting her head just enough to notice the movement.

Before an answer was allowed, a voice called out from within the house nearby which preluded the arrival of the pale skinned, dark haired woman of the estate. “It’s quite alright, Tilly, please allow Lady Blythe in.” Cordelia stood a few feet beyond the doorway, gloved hands clasped together at her abdomen, bundled up in an elegant warm coat. “You caught me just in time, I was just about to leave for the day. Cordelia Gray, a pleasure.” 

Steel gray eyes leveled onto the older woman, a brow quirked just so. “So, aside from your… curiosity to meet me, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, just a chat would be lovely if you’ve the time. We could walk and talk if that’s preferable. I’d hate to keep you from your business this afternoon.” 

Catherine’s appraising gaze shifted over the woman quickly, her dark blue eyes very much like her son’s, curious - though there was an extra something behind hers that Ricard’s did not have. “You see, Lady Gray, your name happened to be mentioned at a family breakfast not terribly long ago, and since my son - the terribly secretive boy that he is - rarely discusses business acquaintances I found myself inclined to find out a bit more about you.”

She tilted her head with a small, easy smile, “And who better to learn from than from the individual themselves, hm? You are, of course, his business acquaintance - yes?” If she knew more than what she relayed, it was difficult to tell from her body language and tone of voice, as the woman appeared to be nothing if not genuinely curious about the younger woman before her.

Lids lowered in a curious stare as Cordelia began tugging one by one at the tips of the fur lined leather gloves. “It’s no interruption at all, please come in out of the cold.” She gestured for Catherine to come in and would walk out of the foyer to guide her to a nice seating room to the side. A fireplace nearly in every room, a staple in many Ishgardian homes, and this one was no different. 

“Yes, I am your son’s business acquaintance.” Cordelia finally quipped, walking toward the multiple options of seating. The young woman who had opened the door prior followed behind them at a slower pace, awaiting in requests they might have as well as offering to take Lady Blythe’s coat. “Could I interest you in a drink to help warm you? Tea, wine?” 

She nodded to the housemaid, a quiet request for her usual cup of tea she often had when accepting company. “Mm, you mentioned my name coming up at a family dinner is what spiked your curiosity? Consider mine piqued as well.” 

Carefully removing and handing off both her gloves and cloak to the handmaiden, Catherine hummed thoughtfully for a moment, “Tea would be lovely, dear. Thank you.” 

With both requests given and Catherine’s coat taken, Tilly scurried off to fulfill her duties. 

A quiet note of her surroundings was made as she followed Cordelia, eventually finding her way to one of the available seats and easing down, “It was mentioned that a woman was seen leaving his estate. A rarity in the last several months - since the end of his betrothal, really.”

Her hands settled in her lap as she watched the younger woman carefully. “Rarely does he conduct business from the estate, to my knowledge, at least, and so to hear of a woman leaving the estate outside of business hours, well I was curious as to whole this woman could be and needed to make sure that my son was not getting himself or anyone else into trouble, as he does have a tendency to do.”

Cordelia had settled in a large cushioned chair, gesturing for Catherine to take her choice of seating at her leisure. The woman had a poker face of grand proportions but often did little hide her intentions or thoughts. She was rather straightforward and in this, Cordelia simply smiled at the remark regarding a woman having visited Ricard. “Ah, yes, I had heard about the dissolution of the betrothal. Very unfortunate.”

By now, Tilly had returned with a cart carrying a warmed teapot, cups, and the necessary additives one might use in the beverage. As Cordelia went about making her tea, pouring the steaming water over the bag and adding a single sugar cube, she continued. “As for trouble, I can assure you Ricard is not causing any for myself. Though, I imagine it’s not truly my wellbeing you’re concerned with, hm?” Another faint smile flashed to Catherine as she nodded to the tea. “Do enjoy.” 

Attentive blue eyes watched the younger woman’s movements and her facial expressions, waiting for Cordelia to finish before moving to prepare her own cup. “Well, dear, you can’t fault a mother for being concerned about her son’s wellbeing and a bit curious as to who he is spending his time with. No matter how old the boy gets, he is still my child. Despite this, and despite your understandable doubt, there is some concern for your wellbeing present as well.” 

Sitting up straight, she did not appear to be the least bit uncomfortable in a stranger’s home. “The dissolution of the betrothal was quite unfortunate, and while I have been pushing Ricard to consider other arrangements he has outright refused, indicating that he - at this point in time - has no interest. But the people of this city love to talk, and word reached me then that likely means that others have heard as well.” Never mind that she was better informed than a majority of individuals, but that wasn’t something that needed to be discussed. “And so when I speak of my son getting others into trouble, I do hope that being involved with him truly isn’t leading to trouble, Lady Gray.”

She tilted her head for a moment, now in pure curiosity. “On a different note - I was quite certain I knew of most of the houses within the city, and yet the Grays were an unknown entity. How is it that you came to know my son, exactly?” 

Slow and steady, Cordelia stirred the tea in hand, delicate fingers holding the saucer as the spoon mixed the tea and sugar together. She listened, offering slight microexpressions as Catherine continued. “Surely Ricard will come around the idea of a new arrangement at his own pace. Of course, I understand the politics of it all and how it cannot always be so alluring when making those choices. We do what we must at the end of the day, however.”

The teacup was brought to her darkened lips, allowing a brief moment of silence as she enjoyed the warmth. Once it was lowered, Cordelia continued. “Mm, the Grays seemed to mostly prefer a bit of the quieter side of life. My late husband and his brother slipped beneath the radar to carry out their business, but I have taken more to being in the public eye a bit more with inheriting the name. It has worked in my favor…” Her head tilted so very slightly as she lifted a single brow at Catherine. “...so far. As for how I know your son, as you said, Ishgard speaks and those who listen find what they seek. I was in need of some help with tying up a bit of paperwork and he received good praise.”

Late husband, a widow then. “He does pride himself on his work. There are other matters he could be putting as much work into and would do him quite a bit of good, but I digress.” Catherine licked her lips quickly as she adjusted her hold on her cup between her hands. “But enough of him for the time being, as he’s not present at the moment, hm? Tell me a bit about yourself, dear - your late husband may have preferred the quieter side of life, but what of the woman who remains?”

“I would say putting effort into your work is admirable, especially if it was what your name relies on.” Cordelia replied, taking another sip of her tea before deciding to set it back down to the cart that rested between the women. “Myself? Well, I do enjoy the quiet that my name has afforded me, though branching out has also opened doors to further my own lines of business. The shadows are comforting, but stepping out of them can be refreshing from time to time.” 

Cordelia was curious and weary of the elder Blythe, though she kept those concerns practically to herself for the time being. She had no need to be rude, yet. 

Catherine offered another thoughtful hum as she took a sip from her cup, lowering it slowly as she considered the younger woman. “I imagine so. Change, as a whole, is said to be quite invigorating from time to time. When necessary, of course. What lines of business have you moved to open, if you don’t mind me asking.”

She looked up with an easy smile, non-threatening, relaxed, it was - after all - casual conversation. “And what about before your marriage to the late lord Gray. Have you always lived within the city? Pardon the twenty questions. Perpetual curiosity, a family failing I’m afraid.”

“Mm, not so much as new lines of business as I have just begun to expand where the business takes us. My family as well as my marital family have both always been in Ishgard, the Grays see to the procurement of materials where the Corvins see to the manufacturing of goods. Jewelry, cut gems, textiles of various sorts.” As she spoke, Cordelia waved a hand absently through the air before allowing it to fall back to it’s partner in her lap. Another brief smile graced her lips, her eyes narrowed just as quickly. “It is quite alright, though I find myself curious if this is regulatory for all of Ricard’s business aspects?”

The older woman didn’t miss a beat, “Me finding myself within their homes having a conversation with them and wanting to know more about them? No, not at all. And to be quite frank, Lady Gray, had you been of the demographic that typically reaches out to Ricard for assistance in various matters there would be no reason for my interest to be piqued in the first place. And yet you are not, so here I am.” 

She took a small sip of her tea before gently setting her cup down, blue eyes glancing across to the younger woman. “As brief as this conversation has been, it doesn’t need to have been extensive for one to recognize that you have thoughts regarding your future, Lady Gray. Well - my thoughts concern my son, and while I don’t generally concern myself with his business, I do have concerns for what will become of him and of my house in the years to come. And as I said when I arrived - I found myself curious about the woman that Ricard saw fit to entertain. Now, may I have been overzealous in my approach, perhaps. And if all there is to it is a business arrangement and nothing more, then I will consider my curiosity sated and leave you to your afternoon with a thank you for the tea and an apology for taking up your time.”

Cordelia’s features twisted into further curiosity, eyes blinking with the tilt of her head. Her lips pressed together, tongue just barely running over the bottom before she pursed them. How was she any different from Ricard’s usual clientele and why did that matter? However as Catherine continued on, the younger woman couldn’t help but chuckle softly as her demeanor now turned surprised mixed with amusement. “Oh…I see. Lady Blythe, I currently have no alternative intentions with you son, we’ve only just began speaking further than simple correspondence for my original work. In fact, there were months between when I initially reached out to him and to now.  Are you expecting something specific from this conversation?”

“Not at all - as I said I was simply curious and now that curiosity has been sated.” There was a hint of something behind her dark blue eyes, as though the older woman wanted to say something more, but she stopped herself, instead brushing off some imaginary something from the front of her dress and offering Cordelia a small smile. “Well, since I have invaded your home uninvited, I believe that I should extend the same courtesy to you - also so that you be allowed to see a home that is not the bachelor’s living that Ricard calls home. Should you wish to visit the Blythe estate at any time, you would be welcome to do so. While my husband is away at work most days, I am present a majority of the time and would be happy to welcome you.” 

Lowering her head, Cordelia offered a simple nod. “Lady Blythe, you have been no intrusion, I assure you, though your offer is appreciated.” She took a slow breath in before pushing to standing. The woman was more than often rather cold but she gave off somewhat of a kinder interaction despite her intrigue in the woman’s true intentions. “I could only imagine how your son might disapprove of my further appearances currently, though perhaps that could make it all the more enjoyable, hm?” A hand lifted to wave in Tilly from the doorway to fetch Catherine’s coat and return it to her. 

Catherine gave a small laugh as she stood. “Many of my actions are met with my son’s disapproval, Lady Gray. I imagine that if he knew I was here the melodramatic meltdown that might follow.” Her smile took on an impish edge. “That alone would have made it worth the trip. But, I would agree that seeing Ricard squirm a bit would make things a bit more enjoyable - the estate has been far too quiet in recent months. Perhaps you’d be interested in stopping by during the Starlight Festivities? It could be quite entertaining.”

A soft hum came in response as Cordelia found herself gazing off into the fireplace. “Ah, I cannot quite recall the last time I truly celebrated Starlight in any capacity… perhaps I will take you up on that offer. As you said, if only to see Ricard in a bit of unease.” She smirked as she looked back to Catherine, Tilly now arriving with the woman’s coat. “Until then, I wish you and yours well nonetheless. I will see you out?” She opened her arms, one gesturing to the doorway. “Oh and Catherine… give Ricard my best, hm?” 

There was another low hum as Catherine went about easing back into her coat. “Oh I don’t know that I could present the message quite as well as you could, dear, but I shall pass it along regardless. I’m sure it will be well received.” The cheeky grin she held indicated otherwise. “Until next time, Cordelia…take care, dear.” She offered a small nod before turning towards the door and making her way out preparing for the interrogation she was sure was awaiting her at home.

Collab with @promethea-silk

[chillychive]

Episode 1 {SEASON TWO BABY!!}

SPOCK

"I expect you to be friends." -Sarek, oddest dad of the year.

Tilly yelling LMAO

yet again, being a transporter guy is awkward lmaoooo

Do not covet thy neighbor's star ship. LMAO

he's hilarious omg.

think of all the syllables that wasted their lives im dying.

his interaction with Tilly I'm dying

He's such a good Captain

poor paull

OH!! The engine room is the spore drive room but they moved it at the beginning of season two and they're converting the room back to a standard engineering room! Thanks Tilly for explaining! lmao.

poor paulll :(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

that was sweet until the last thing he said and now im sad. poor tilly. They need to stop telling her to be quiet. :(

"I was expecting a red thing. Where's my damn red thing?" LMAO

Nhan's so pretty.

I feel like I should stop writing down every funny thing Pike says... I'm not trying to become a transcription lmao.

Also Connolly... dude. Just stop.

I wish there was a closed captions mode that only captioned dialogue, not sound. The sound captions can be rather annoying if you are hearing and don't need them, but you also can't delete them for the people who are hard of hearing or deaf.

Connolly you idiot. and he jeopardized everyone else's lives as well.

The "we have him, right ladies?" and Owo and Detmer looking at each other like ????? before saying "absolutely"

I love Nhan

The fact that Pike didn't die here is truly remarkable.

Poor Saru was so worried. oof.

Eww Tellerites have purple blood.

why did the main screen on the bridge crack when the asteroid hit it?? Are you telling me they made a bridge where a single pane of glass is all that protects from space.

OWWWW. i love that they let her scream at the pain and all of that. like points.

oh my gosh nerdssssssssssssssssssssssssss i love them alll

not them catching an asteroid. I love them.

yes pike :) i love him

I love a lot of these people, as I'm sure you can't tell lmao

I love Tilly <3

DID YOU SEE THAT {ofc ik you didn't im the one watching it but like ahh} The fortune cookie Pike was holding said "Not every cage is a prison, nor every loss eternal." They knew exactly what they were doing when they zoomed in on that. POINTS!

ahhh I love this episode.

How does she have clearance to be there???

And to listen to his personal log?????

the signals.

That's why it's called brother!

[marvelmaniac715]

What if Andy talked to Glenda, what would that conversation be like? They were both together in an episode, but not a word was exchanged between them. I aim to correct that with this fic.

————————————————————

The kid had bright red hair. That was a dead giveaway. Not to mention the piercing blue eyes and the chilling smirk, so similar to the one that haunted his nightmares. This had to be his child.

All of his instincts told him to attack, to end this cursed bloodline in one fell swoop, but they were just a kid. They didn’t personally kill a bunch of people, they were innocent… hopefully.

He was sure that the teen’s Ray blood was crying out for revenge against it’s dreaded nemesis, but the two of them remained civil for the sake of the other people there, also remembering that they were in a place of God and it would be disrespectful.

————————————————————-

When everyone else was busy, Andy and Glenda sat down together, unable to speak for a good few minutes. They both looked down at the floor, unsure how to begin this conversation that their entire lives had been leading up to. It was Glenda who eventually broke the ice.

“So… I gather you knew- uh, know my father?”

Their voice was shaky, clearly unused to being so nervous, but Andy knew that the responsibility of speech now fell on him. So reluctantly, he met the teen’s gaze.

“Yeah, we met when I was six. Your old man… certainly did a number on me.”

He laughed nervously, Glenda joined him, a little awkwardly but not knowing what else to do.

“My dad said on the drive over here that… he hated you, and that I, as his child and therefore his ‘legacy’ or whatever, am meant to hate you as well. But you seem like a nice guy, and… I’m not really in the habit of hating people, are you?”

Andy’s polite smile dropped.

“I hate your dad for sure. He messed up my life and I will kill him for it. I hate your mother because she supports him in all he does. But I don’t hate you… so far at least.”

Glenda smirked, a little more honesty leaking into her carefully built facade of cool, polite indifference.

“If it makes you feel any better pal, I hate my mom too. She’s a self-centred, arrogant, entitled bitch. And my sperm donor ain’t much better. My mom isn’t even my mom, my mom was Jennifer Tilly, but Tiffany Valentine took over her body. My Aunt Meg said that my real mom was so nice, and smart, and funny, and just… cool. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up with my real mom? I hear that one of the last things she wanted to do before the soul transfer was hold her babies. I bet she would have loved both of us much more than Tiffany ever did.”

That little emotional outpouring was unexpected, but tensions were high, and who could blame them? They were a kid who’s life was falling apart at the seams, all because of one killer doll. Andy knew how that felt.

“I love my mom, but your… sperm donor landed her in a mental hospital. She wasn’t crazy, but nobody believed her story. I testified for her, but the courts said that I was just a little boy with an overactive imagination siding with my mother. I wish that justice could have been served, but you can’t change the past, can you?”

Glenda shook their head sadly, smiling softly in agreement.

“No, you can’t, no matter how much you want to. I’d love to see what I was like as a doll, to make sense of these flashbacks I keep having. Every time that bastard calls me Shitface all of these images come flooding back in great tidal waves of information I’m barely given time to process. I think I might have killed someone, but I’m not sure why, how or who. Does that make me a bad person, like my parents?”

Part of Andy wanted to indignantly shout “yes!” But he had no room to talk. He was almost devoid of sanity at this point. Kyle was the only person left who could keep him grounded long enough so that he didn’t end up going on a killing spree. That was just Chucky’s influence, he guessed. He filled you with this burning anger that made you want to destroy everything and everyone in your path. Glenda was his spawn, it was surprising that they were grounded enough to not go on a killing spree like their father.

“No kid, you’re not a bad person. There are very few truly good, decent people left in this world. Chucky probably killed a lot of ‘em.”

Glenda shook their head, frowning.

“My twin Glen is a truly good person. I regret leaving them behind, but they begged to stay with mom, and I was in a rush. I wish they were here with me now, they always know what to say and do. They’re the more empathetic twin, they keep me grounded when I start to go off the rails. I just don’t feel completely… whole, with them gone, y’know? Then again, I never feel entirely whole. It’s like there’s… something missing from me.”

Andy could relate to this completely.

“I totally get what you mean. I haven’t felt whole since my sixth birthday. Chucky stole my childhood, and with it any joy that I might have known. I don’t even remember much of my happy childhood days, I was so young back then. All I know is blood and darkness, and part of me is missing.”

Glenda put a tentative hand on top of Andy’s clenched fist and smiled a little.

“I hope you find the missing part of your soul one day.”

Andy smiled back, unclenching his fist and squeezing Glenda’s hand in return.

“Thanks, I hope you find the missing part of your soul one day too.”

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the steady ticking of the clock, then Glenda chuckled, a low, almost familiar sound that didn’t sound half as sinister as their father’s trademark cackle. Andy wasn’t sure why they were laughing until their face broke out into a wide, joyful, genuine grin.

“My dad would be pissed if he saw us talking like this. He’d be screeching at me to strangle you or tear your arm off or something. That guy has serious issues.”

Andy laughed as well, finally getting the joke. He grabbed the teapot that was resting on the table between them and poured two cups of tea.

“To the final death of Charles Lee Ray, who fucked both of us up real good.”

Glenda snorted and raised their cup at the same time Andy did.

“I’ll drink to that. Cheers!”

[fruit-teeth]

Chronicles of Love and War (chapter 28)

Zhanna bit down on a piece of the marinated and grilled chicken cutlet, tearing with her teeth as if it was the last thing she was ever going to eat. Soldier watched her do so, heart full of love.

“Look at you,” he remarked. “Look at you! You beautiful maggot-bear, you eat like a true American champion! God, I love you, woman,”

Zhanna stopped to wipe her mouth with a napkin, before grinning up at Soldier. “You are sweetest man!”

“So I take it you feel better?” Medic asked as he stepped into the room, looking Zhanna up and down.

Zhanna nodded. “Yes! I feel good— and baby is okay, too,”

“Good…very good,” Medic took a breath and glanced around, before saying, “I don’t mean to alarm you, but i just got a very concerning phone call,”

Soldier glanced up, alert in an instant. “What!? What’s happening?”

“Bea and a group of people she’s assembled may already be on their way to the base,” Medic walked over to the window and parted the blinds slightly, though he relaxed somewhat when he didn’t see any intruders outside. “We’re unsure of just how many other people she’s with.”

Zhanna’s eyes widened, but she took in a long breath, just giving a nod. “Does everyone else know this?”

“Yes,” Medic nodded. “And preparations are being made. Soon, we’re going to barricade this room in order to keep you safe. We can’t be too sure of anything…do you understand?”

Zhanna nodded, her prosthetic hand coming to rest on her belly. “Yes…yes, I do. I know you will all destroy them,”

Soldier kissed her cheek, and then kissed her stomach before rising up. “Don’t worry! I’ll blow those hippies to kingdom come so quickly, they won’t even know what hit them!”

Zhanna managed to smile at that, and she kissed him in return. “Thank you, my love…”

With that, Soldier went off to join the others, who were busying themselves with readying the base’s defenses.

Outside, Demoman walked around with the pieces to his recent detonator. He was sure this would be enough to protect the base, while also being safe enough for the search party to pass through upon their return. However, it was obvious that not everyone was going to agree with this.

“Tavish?” A familiar voice called out, and Demo stopped what he was doing to turn around.

“Mum? You should stay inside!” Demo advised, running to greet his mother and taking her by the arm. “I told you to stay in your cottage and lock the door!”

Tilly waved him off, reaching into a knit bag slung around her shoulder. “Ach, I’ll be fine. I wanted to bring you something…”

She pulled out a handful of strange, small items. They looked like black ping-pong balls, but when Demo took one into his hand, they felt strangely heavy and metallic.

“What are these?” He asked, brow furrowing as he examined them.

“Handle them carefully, lad!” Tilly advised. “Those are entanglement bombs. They were your Da’s first, I’ve been saving them ever since. You wanna keep some bastards away from this place? Use these! They work fast!”

Demo considered the prospect, staring down at the bombs. “I dunno, mum,” he said after a moment. “If these really are powerful, shouldn’t we save them just in case? This battle might not be so bad!”

“Lad,” Tilly reached up, grabbing her son by the collar of his shirt and tugging him to her level so she could talk to him easier. “With all the shite that’s been happening recently, you are in no position to be worrying about ‘what ifs’! Bombs are meant to be used! I thought you knew that,”

“Aye, of course!” Demo assured, placing his hand over his mother’s ancient one. “Look: if these things are as powerful as you say, I will plant three of them and save the rest. All right?”

Tilly huffed, clearly annoyed, but she agreed. “Fine. But you hold onto them!” She felt around with her hand, finding Demo’s pocket and slipping the rest of the bombs inside. “Ach, when you act like this, you remind me of your uncle Hamish…”

Demo’s eyebrows raised at that. He knew that name: Hamish was his mother’s older brother, who had passed away during her childhood. She almost never mentioned him, so he was rather caught off guard by this comparison.

“Aye?” He smiled a little. “We probably would have gotten on well,”

Tilly just hummed an agreement and patted her son's hand, before turning around and slowly making her way back to her cottage.

“Ye need help?” Demo called after her, watching her hobble away.

“Nah!” She shouted back.

In the workshop, Engineer finally finished getting all of his machinery ready when he heard the familiar clanking footsteps of his father’s metallic legs. He turned around, seeing Fred in the doorway.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Engie commented.

“I ain’t gonna sleep normally again, not after everything,” Fred shrugged, his eyes falling on the robots. “Whatcha got going on here?”

“Well, let me show you,” Dell walked up and ushered his father further into the workshop, pointing out all his creations. “I’m gonna set up these sentries around the outside, and then this thing’s gonna be hooked up,” he gestured to the hydro-pump. “And that should be enough to hold any intruders off!”

Fred nodded, looking over each robot and machine. “Good work, son,” he said after a moment. “These look great! I’m proud of you,”

The warmth of recognition flared in Dell’s heart, and he beamed. “Really, pa? Well…thank you!”

“Yeah,” Fred said quietly, looking at the hydro-pump. He then turned to look at Engie. “Hey,”

“Yeah?” Engineer glanced up, meeting his father’s eyes.

Fred didn’t speak for a moment, as if carefully weighing what he was about to say. “These people who are coming,” he began finally. “Bea’s with them, right?”

Engineer nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“I was just thinking…” Fred took a breath. “Maybe I could talk to her and get her to stop all this nonsense. I mean, she’s doing this because she thinks our whole team is dead, but I’m still alive!”

“I don’t…” Dell started to say, but Fred went on.

“I mean, I know her,” Fred pulled up a footstool and carefully sat down on it. “She ain’t the type to just link up with some random team! She must be so angry, under a lot of stress and loneliness…”

Dell finally found his words. “Pa, she’s trying to kill us! She and her sister both, and their main target is Zhanna — you know, Zhanna? The one who’s pregnant right now?”

“Her sister’s gotta be influencing her,” Fred insisted, and he shuddered. “I remember that lady…terrifying woman.”

“I get she’s your friend, but…” Dell took a long breath. “She’s an enemy.”

“You were my enemy, too,” Fred muttered, looking away.

A pause followed. Finally, Fred said, “Do you need me to do anything?”

“Have you called Ma yet?” Dell wanted to know, going back to his machinery.

Fred huffed. “No. Please, just…don’t bring that up right now,”

Dell turned back around, a glare crossing his face as he looked at his father. “So, you’d rather talk to Bea, the woman who wants us all dead, over the woman you were married to for nearly three decades? Is that what you’re tellin’ me, Pa?”

“Oh, come on,” Fred muttered, making a face.

Dell was so caught up in his irritation that he didn't even hear the footsteps approaching the workshop. “You seem awful focused on talking to her instead of gunning her down like you would anyone else! You know what it's like in this business, you know that there are times to form alliances and times to break them! This is one of those times where you just gotta break whatever loyalty you had to her!”

Fred scoffed. “Oh, that’s rich, considering you’re still pals with the guy that shot me and left me in a coma for almost a full goddamn year!”

“I wouldn’t be if you hadn’t—!” Before Dell could finish, the workshop door suddenly slammed shut. He turned around, and his stomach dropped instantly.

It was Zelda. Her hair was a wreck, whatever makeup she had on practically melted off to reveal her rough and aged face, and her entire body was covered in some kind of thick goo. Her eyes glared at both Fred and Dell, sunken in and filled with nothing except a venomous malice.

“Shit!” Fred managed to say, taking in the sight of Zelda.

She stumbled towards the two men, flicking a hand behind her. Instantly, the door could be heard locking.

“How the hell did you get out!?” Dell exclaimed, instantly grabbing his gun and aiming at Zelda.

Zelda came and stopped just inches before Dell’s gun, eyes locked on him. “I’m not sure,” she admitted after a moment. “Somebody let me out…she said she’d free me, in exchange for…something,” she let out a raspy giggle, focusing back on Fred. “You’re still alive? I was hoping you would rot in that hospital…”

“Well, I didn’t!” Fred crossed his arms and approached Zelda, staring her down with a wrath Dell hadn’t seen in him before. “What’s the meaning of all this, hm? What’s the point? You gonna get into a grudge match with everyone on earth and drag Bea down with you?”

Dell’s finger poised near the trigger of the gun, preparing to blow Zelda’s head off. All of the sudden, there was a loud knock at the door.

“What was noise!?” Heavy’s loud voice boomed.

Zelda suddenly seized the wrench from Fred, yanking it from his hand and holding it to his throat. “Tell him everything’s fine,” she hissed to him.

“No can do!” Dell shouted, holding up his gun and firing.

Zelda used a blast of magic to send the gun flying back. It clattered into the wall, and with a screech, Zelda attacked.

Dell yelled in alarm as Zelda jumped on him and threw her hands around his neck, though rather than choking him, she sent a wave of magic through to stun him. As he jolted in pain, laying on the workshop floor frozen, he was aware of Heavy trying to break the door down while yelling to the others for help, all while Fred pulled Zelda off of him in a flurry of movement.

“The Hell’s the matter with you!?” Fred exclaimed, picking Zelda up and throwing her into a pile of scrap metal. “I don’t care what you do to me, but leave my son alone, you freak!”

“Freak?” Zelda repeated, before letting loose another loud laugh and sending the scrap metal flying towards him. Fred managed to dodge the attack, but yelled in pain when the metal scraped up the side of his right arm.

Dell managed to get his arms to move, and in an instant, he spotted the hydro-pump in the corner. Dragging himself to it, he pulled it closer and grabbed the hose, aiming it in Zelda’s direction while turning the pump up to its highest setting.

Zelda stood over Fred, and for a moment, she considered mercy.

“Maybe I should take you with me,” she suggested, eyes focused on his form beneath her, watching as he sat up and stared into her face. “You don’t have to stay with these idiots…besides: Bea would be over the moon to see you…”

Fred stared coldly at her, before stating, “You lied to her. You told her I was dead. You left me to rot in that hospital…if you really think I’m going with you, your head is thicker than I thought!”

Zelda’s eye twitched, and she hummed, “I see,” she brought up her hand, a purple haze beginning to build around it. “Goodbye, Fred—!”

Suddenly, the sound of rushing water filled the room. Before Zelda had any time to react, a harsh jet of water slammed into her at a devastatingly high speed. It blew her across the room so hard that her body collided with the wall, smashing a large hole right beside the door.

Heavy, who was just about to break the door down, was instead greeted by the sight of Zelda smashing directly through the plaster and landing face down on the floor outside the workshop.

There was a long pause as Dell managed to switch the hydro-pump off and stagger to his feet. He ran to where Fred lay, taking a moment to examine him. “You okay!?”

Fred winced at the sight of blood dripping down his arm from the scrap metal, but he nodded, prosthetic legs clacking on the floor as he rose up. “I’m all good, thanks…that’s some invention you got there!” He gestured to the hydro-pump, managing a slight laugh.

Heavy bent over to look at Zelda, assuming such a blast would have killed her, but he froze instantly.

“She is not dead,” he called out to Fred and Dell, getting their attention.

“What?” Dell asked, sure Heavy was mistaken. He stepped through the fresh hole in the wall, coming to meet Heavy beside Zelda’s crumpled form. “But that ain’t possible! She—!”

Before he could finish, Zelda suddenly rose back up and stood, as if she were being controlled like a puppet. She let out another laugh, lips parting into a twisted grin.

“You’re too late!” She exclaimed, though her voice suddenly sounded off. “My revenge is in motion! Merasmus’s stupidity allowed this!”

Dell tensed up, taking a step back. “The hell are you talking about!?”

“I met her,” Zelda went on, her eyes going blank. “Merasmus should not have used his own magic to seal me! He was a fool! The Kingpin’s mind found mine, and she made a deal with me…”

Without warning, Zelda ripped the front of her dress open, revealing what looked like a black thorn buried deep within the center of her chest.

The commotion brought Medic rushing out of his office, but he skidded to a stop just as his eyes landed on the sight of the thorn. “Oh, God, no!”

Outside, rain began pouring hard. The base was in Bea’s sight, and she thumbed her weapon with a tight hand as she walked alongside this group of younger agents. She didn’t particularly care for these people — she’d hoped maybe the dynamic would be more friendly, but they barely looked at her and seemed more interested in getting information from her than anything else.

Of course, of course that was how it was, and she felt silly for thinking this was some kind of new team. Nothing could replace what she’d lost…or, rather, what being brought back into the world of the living had stripped from her. It was strange, she realized as she nodded to the people alongside her to affirm that this was indeed the right place. It was strange how she did not remember being in the afterlife…it all felt like a distant memory, a dream, something once so vivid but now forgotten. Had she even been in an afterlife?

“How do we get in?” A female agent named Agent Yancy asked Bea, her tone sharp and business-like.

Bea kept her distance from the base, standing just on the threshold. “Usually there’s a backdoor,” she confirmed after a moment. “But the Administrator keeps cameras everywhere. Chances are, we’ve already been spotted by her,”

Agent Yancy turned to a male agent standing by, and she gestured to the base. “Jones! Try walking up there, but be careful!”

Agent Jones gave a nod, and with his gun in hand, he approached the base. What happened next happened very quickly: there was a sudden commotion from the base, which caused Jones to pause and look towards the building in confusion. His foot absently touched a nearby bush, and within seconds, a loud explosion rang out.

Bea could only blink in shock as she realized Agent Jones had seemingly evaporated, and beside her, Agent Yancy shrieked.

“They’ve planted bombs!” She exclaimed, and then turned to the rest of her bewildered team in a frenzy. “Quickly, get on your protective boots and—!”

Out of nowhere, a blast of light knocked Yancy to her knees, and a voice boomed, “Fools! Leave, now!”

Bea looked up, and she grit her teeth in rage at the sight of Merasmus’s form approaching. “Shit!”

Beside Merasmus, Sniper looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Really? ‘Leave now’? That’s the most intimidating thing you could think of to say?”

“Silence!” Merasmus hissed at him, before looking back to the group of agents. “This ends now!”

“You’re right, it does!” Bea positioned her gun, eyes fixated on the wizard.

The rest of the search party was now present, and it looked as though things were about to reach a conclusion right there, outside of the base. However, one of the base windows suddenly opened, and Demoman shouted, “Merasmus! We need help!”

“In a moment, we are going to kill these mortals!” Merasmus shouted back at him, raising his staff up.

Soldier soon appeared over Demo’s shoulder, shouting, “Hello, Merasmus! The witch lady is destroying everything, Medic says she has a demon thorn in her!”

Merasmus’s face dropped, and he lowered the staff, eyes going wide. “What!?”

“Dude, she’s right there! Kill her or I will!” Scout prodded Merasmus with one hand, the other gripping his gun as he gestured towards Bea.

“Oh, I’d like to see you try—!” Bea started to say, only to freeze when Merasmus sprinted towards the base. “Where are you going!?”

“Your sister is Corrupted! I don’t know how, but she is!” Merasmus shouted back at her as he ran, only to set off one of the bombs. It didn’t have the same effect it would on a mortal, but it blasted him against the building and shattered one of the windows.

“Shite! Uh…sorry about that!” Demo shouted down at him from the window.

Not knowing what else to do, most of the agents trailed after Merasmus, following him as he managed to get back on his feet and hop through the window he’d broken. Bea followed suit, heart pounding, although she didn’t entirely know what was going on.

Agent Yancy stood behind, blinking in confusion. “What— what’s going on!?”

Spy just put his hand on her shoulder, advising, “You should leave, madam, let us handle this!”

Enraged, Yancy whirled towards him and pressed her gun into his chest, exclaiming, “No way in hell! One of your bombs just got a teammate of mine killed, and—!”

Before she could finish, Bronislava walked up behind her and punched her in the back of the head. Yancy dropped like a sack of potatoes, and Spy sighed. “Thank you.”

“Yes,” was all Bronislava said, before she turned around and ran for the base.

The others trailed after her, with Sniper shouting out the reminder, “Watch for the bombs, watch for the bombs!”

Merasmus made her way through the base in a daze, pushing past the agents and following the sound of the shouting and breaking glass. Finally, she came to the safe room where she knew Zhanna was being held, only to see Heavy, Soldier, Sonya, Yana, Demoman and Medic standing before the door fending Zelda off.

Zelda’s eyes were blank and glazed over, yet her body moved as though it had a mind of its own. She lunged for Soldier, hissing, but Soldier grabbed her by the hand and twisted her neck until it snapped.

However, when Zelda simply popped her neck back into place and let out a horrible shrieking laugh, Soldier shouted, “Why won’t you die!?” Judging by how warped Zelda’s neck looked, Soldier had clearly attempted this several times already.

“Because she’s been taken over by The Corrupt!” Merasmus shouted, digging around in her pocket. “The dark magic is so powerful, it keeps her body alive for as long as it can!” He pulled out a gold pocket watch and waved it around, getting Zelda’s attention. As Zelda stumbled towards him, Merasmus took a moment to look her up and down.

“Soon, you won’t even appear human,” he snarled in disgust, shaking his head. “How on earth did you get Corrupted when I sealed the Corrupt away!?”

Zelda let out another cackle, her head tipping back as a bit of blood dripped down her chin. “Your magic created a bridge, dear wizard,” The voice she spoke with was not her own, but rather the eerily familiar voice of the Kingpin. “I sensed Zelda and invited her into the Hivemind…” she looked back up at Merasmus, a look of melancholic intensity crossing her features. “This woman…the pain she’s in is immense. I felt it all, I saw her memories, how she gave up her childhood to protect her sister, how it was snatched away from her…she deserves her revenge. The broken are trapped in a miserable existence, crying out for help that never comes. I free them from their suffering. Now, I ask you, who deserves a happier fate than the woman who has suffered unending agony? Who deserves revenge more than her?”

Standing before the door, holding one of her son’s guns in her hand, Sonya blurted out, “You will not kill my daughter! I do not care what happened in this woman’s past, my children are everything! You do not scare me, I will rip the jaws from demons before you lay a hand on my child!”

Zelda’s head seemingly turned all the way around to look at Sonya. “Then you will be the first to die!”

“You will have to kill me first!” Yana roared, stepping in front of her mother.

“Sister, stop!” Heavy quickly put his hand on Yana’s shoulder, attempting to pull her back.

“Zelda!?” Bea’s voice carried over the sound of the fray, getting the possessed woman’s attention.

Bea stood in the hallway, staring at Zelda’s harrowing new appearance. Finally, she managed to ask, “What…happened!?”

“She gave her soul up to the Corrupt, just to get revenge over what happened to you!” Merasmus shouted back at Bea. “Now you’ll be lucky if you ever get the original version of your sister back— she’s nothing more than a puppet for the Kingpin!”

“That’s not true!” Zelda’s voice returned, and she stumbled towards Bea. “I did this for us…for you!”

Disturbed, Bea stepped back when Zelda tried to touch her arm, and Heavy growled out, “You are so stupid…”

“Yes,” Merasmus agreed, reaching for his staff. “Now I’m going to have to send her to the cave with the rest of the Corrupt!”

Zelda’s head snapped back around again, and she grinned a wide grin at Merasmus. “Oh, that won’t be necessary,” the Kingpin’s voice spoke up this time. “You see, now that I have another Corrupted one on the outside, we will escape and do unto this world all that was done to us…and your darling daughter will join us!”

Merasmus’s face paled, and he shook his head, gripping his staff. “No…no! We will not let you!”

A rumbling, almost like thunder, radiated in the distance. Demo ran to the window and looked outside, his heart dropping when he noticed the dark clouds gathering in the direction of Coldwater Cave. These were not storm clouds, and in a panic, Demo looked back to the others. “We have a problem! Oh, god, we have a bloody problem!”

[queenxxxsupreme]

Defender, Protector, Keeper (Arthur Morgan x f!reader)

A/N: This is one of those things I write that should have a first part but.... It doesn’t.... I do plan on making more within this little.... world??? With this mom!reader and her son Ben. So sorry for this mess. 

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: violence, nothing out of canon, Micah is mean to children, mute child (is that a warning?) fluff, Arthur being a father figureish thing, soft Arthur, I don’t know what else to tag, blood? it’s all canon to the game

Summary: Arthur steps in to help you with your son after a run in with Micah.

***

“Miss Y/L/N! Miss Y/L/N!”

You moved out of the tent upon hearing Mrs. Grimshaw calling your name. 

“Right here, Mrs. Grimshaw.” 

“There you are. Where is that boy of yours?” She looked around as if trying to peek into the tent. I’ve got a little chore for him and Jack.”

“He was just in here helping me with laundry, but he wouldn’t mind giving you a hand.” You turned to go into the tent. “Ben? Mrs. Grimshaw needs your help.”

Ben, your five-year-old son, put the clothing in his hand down and looked at you. 

“Come on with me, Ben. I’ve already got Jack over by the woods.” Susan gestured for him to follow her.

“What are the boys going to do?” You asked her. 

“Help Lenny and Sean pick some firewood. The little fellas ain’t gonna pick nothin’ but some small kindling. The fellas– Well, Lenny won’t let the boys hurt themselves.”

You fought the urge to volunteer to follow your son. It was just little kindling sticks and twigs. It wasn’t like they were going to chop down entire trees.

Susan, sensing your hesitation, stopped just at the edge of your tent.

“They aren’t going far into the woods at all, Y/N. Charles and Bill are on guard duty and Sean and Lenny are going to be with them. Nothin’s gonna happen to those boys.” She assured you.

You nodded your head, reaching down to run your fingers over Ben’s hair. 

“Go on and help Mrs. Grimshaw, Ben.”

He silently followed alongside her. 

You continued to fold laundry until it was finished. Once that was complete, you decided to go out and see if there was anything else around camp you could help with. 

It seemed to be a rather mellow evening. No one was out doing any jobs nor was anyone talking about any jobs, which was a rarity. In the three months that you had been staying with the Van Der Linde Gang, you had quickly realized their lifestyle was fast paced and there was almost always something to do. 

You made your way over towards the tent the girls in camp stayed in. 

“Hi, Y/N.” Tilly greeted you first. She was reading a book.

“Hey, Y/N!” Mary-Beth was also reading. Karen sat on a chair next to the two singing. “You wanna sit with us for a bit? You’ve been working hard all day.”

“That’s okay, Mary-Beth. I think I should go see if Ben is doing okay with Sean and Lenny.” You looked around towards the woods.

“What’s he doing with those two fools?” Tilly put her book down in her lap. 

“Mrs. Grimshaw had him and Jack helping them with firewood.”

“Last I saw, Lenny and Sean were sitting over by the fire.”

A knot began to form in your stomach. Why hadn’t your son returned to you?

You moved to search for Lenny and Sean, but they proved to be easy to find. They were sitting at a fire with a few other gang members. 

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” You cut off Sean. “Where is Ben at?”

“Hi, Miss Y/L/N.” Lenny gave you a charming smile. “Ben and Jack went over towards John and Abigail’s tent. Jack said they were going to play.”

“Thank you, Mr. Summers.” 

***

You did indeed find your son at John and Abigail’s tent. He sat outside of it with Jack. Jack was talking about some sort of story that Hosea had told him about a bear while your little Benny just kept playing with his half of the deck of cards. 

“Y/N.”

You looked up to Abigail. 

“Hi, Abigail.”

“I hope you don’t mind that Jack brought Ben over. I know Susan had them working earlier.”

“I don’t mind.” You shook your head, smiling. You crossed your arms as you watched Ben. Jack didn’t seem to care that Ben was silent and wasn’t responding to him. Jack had learned since you both arrived at camp that talking wasn’t something Ben did, so he usually did all of the talking for Jack. You were thankful for this. In the beginning, you weren’t sure how young Jack would react to your quiet son. 

“Do you want to sit down and have a cup of coffee with me?” Abigail asked. “I don’t usually get much down time, but neither do you. You’re always running around.”

“Have to keep busy, you know.” You chuckled a little. “Coffee sounds nice.”

The both of you got your drinks and then sat down at a table not too far from the boys. 

“They grow like weeds.” She thought out loud, shaking her head softly. “I’m gonna have to get Jack some new clothes soon. He’s about to be too big for nearly all the pants he’s got. Maybe Ben could fit into what Jack can’t wear. Ben is a little thing. That way you don’t have to go out and waste money. I mean, the clothes aren’t perfect. Jack has needed them patched more than once. But they work.”

“That’s very kind of you, Abigail. Thank you.”

She gave you a smile.

“Momma! Momma!” Jack called as he ran over to Abigail. 

Ben rushed up to you, a smile on his lips. His hair fell into his face and he tried to wipe it out of his eyes but he didn’t do too good of a job.

“Hi, love.” You smiled down at him, brushing your fingers through his hair. “Are you having fun?”

He nodded, looking over to Jack. 

“Momma, can we go give Sean his cards back?”

“Where is Sean at?” Abigail asked, looking around the camp. 

“He’s just on the other side of camp at one of the other fires.” You told her, recalling where you had seen him earlier.  

“If Miss Y/L/N says that Ben can go, then yes. You can. But you have to ask her.”

Ben tugged on your skirt as if to ask you.

“Miss Y/L/N! Can we take Sean his cards?” Jack waved the stack of cards around.

“I don’t see why not.”

“I’ll race you over there!” 

You watched as Jack took off first with Ben just behind him. 

“I’m glad Jack finally has someone to play with and keep him company.” Abigail smiled. 

“They get along so well.” You nodded. “I was a little…. worried at first, if I’m honest.”

“Oh really?”

“Just because…. Well, sometimes it’s hard for Ben.”

Abigail nodded her head understandingly. 

“He’s a sweet boy, Y/N. You raised him well.”

“Thank you-,”

“You dumb little rat! Watch where you’re going next time!”

You stood up upon hearing the sound of shouting. Feeling the urge to find out what had happened, you ventured across camp until you found your son and Micah Bell. Micah had a hold of Ben’s arm and was holding him at an awkward angle. 

“When someone speaks to you, little boy, you’re supposed to answer them!”

“Micah!” You raised your voice. 

Micah turned his head to look at you but didn’t let your son’s arm go. 

Anger bubbled in your veins. 

“Ah, the whore. Maybe someone better teach this boy manners before he ends up worse than his ma.”

You pushed against Micah’s chest. Ben was crying at this point, trying to grab onto your skirt anywhere he could but Micah was finding amusement in pulling the boy away from you. 

“Micah! Get your hands off of that boy!” Abigail shouted. 

The next few moments happened all too quickly for you to know what exactly happened. But Micah released Ben and he fell backwards to the ground. Your hand flew up to smack him and you landed a nice hit on his cheek, but he was quicker than you and far more skilled in fighting so the backhand to your cheek came out of seemingly nowhere. 

You took a few steps back to keep from falling flat on your ass. You ended up hitting something solid. A hand found your side and another your arm. 

It was Arthur Morgan. He only took a couple seconds to make sure you were steady on your feet before moving around you to deliver two punches to Micah. The nasty man fell back as blood began to pour out of his nose. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” Abigail rushed to one side of you and Mary-Beth came to the other. 

You didn’t answer them. You only pushed them away to get to your son. 

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sat in the dirt where he had fallen. 

There was a hand on your wrist that stopped you just before you could get to him. 

Arthur turned you back around to face him. You pulled against him, wanting desperately to get to your son.

“You’ve got blood on ya, pumpkin.” He murmured quietly, using his thumb to wipe away the little bit of blood from your busted lip. “He don’t need to see that.”

“Th-Thank you.” You whispered. 

“Can I pick him up? Move him somewhere else for you?”

You nodded. 

Arthur let you go and moved towards Ben. 

“Come here, Benny. You alright?”

Ben nodded his head, shyly tucking his face into Arthur’s neck.

Arthur took him to a table and sat him down on it, then pulled out a chair for you. But you couldn’t sit down just yet. You had to make sure he was okay. 

Your hands cupped his face and tilted his head up so you could check him over for any marks. 

“Are you okay, love? Does anything hurt?”

He held up his hands to you, showing that his palms were scraped up and bleeding a little. He sniffled, his bottom lip quivering. 

“I’ll get somethin’ to clean those up, Y/N.” Mary-Beth spoke, moving towards Strauss’s wagon.

Upon seeing the scratches and bleeding scrapes from Ben falling back and catching himself on his hands, anger welled up inside of Arthur. 

He turned and started to make his way towards Micah. 

“Arthur! Arthur Morgan!” Abigail called after him, but she couldn’t stop him herself. “John! Mr. Smith! Please!”

You couldn’t pay attention to what was happening with Arthur right now. Ben was important and took priority. 

You brushed his hair back and sat down in front of him. 

“I’m so sorry you got hurt, love.” You leaned forward to kiss his cheek. 

He wrapped his arms around your neck, careful not to touch you with his injured hands, and then slid down into your lap. 

A few moments later, Mary-Beth returned with a bowl of water and a few rags. Tilly was with her too, helping to carry bandages. 

“Are you alright, Benji?” Tilly asked. He nodded his head without lifting it from your chest. “He didn’t get too hurt by that nasty Micah, did he?”

“Think it just spooked him more than anything.” You answered her. “Thank you, girls.”

The items were placed on the table and then they left. 

“Ben, I need you to sit on the table so I can reach you, love.”

He shook his head. 

“We’ve got to get these scratches cleaned up, okay? We don’t want them to get yucky.”

A hand found your shoulder. You looked to see Arthur moving around your chair. 

“Lemme give ya some help. That way Benny can stay on your lap where he’s comfortable.”

You nodded your head, giving him a little smile as a thank you. 

“Hey, Benny? Can I see your hands?”

Benny shifted around on your lap so that he could easily face Arthur. He gave Arthur one hand. 

“This might sting just a bit, but I promise it’ll be over soon.” 

Arthur got a rag wet and began to clean the dirt and little bit of blood from Ben’s small palm. 

“You’re a strong fella, Benny. You know that?”

Ben sniffled. 

“I heard you helped Sean and Lenny with getting firewood. Did you carry all the big logs by yourself?”

A little grin tugged at your son’s lips. He shook his head. 

Once he was cleaned up and Arthur had carefully wrapped up his hands, Ben looked around for Jack. He was with Hosea. The two weren’t very far away at all. Ben shimmied down from your lap but stayed by you. His eyes were focused on Jack. He wanted to go play with his friend. 

“You can go on, love.” You told him. He flashed you a little toothy smile before taking off in the direction of Hosea and Jack. 

Arthur stayed on his knees beside you for a few moments, watching Ben go. He let out a breath through his nose and shook his head. 

“That bastard is lucky I don’t put a bullet in him.” He rose to his feet, shaking his head. 

“Ben is okay, Arthur.” You turned your head to look at him. “He just…. He was just shaken up a bit. But he’s okay.”

“He hit you too. No man should ever treat a lady like that.” 

You admired his words, the way he viewed things. 

A little smile came to your lips and you watched him sit down next to you. 

“Well, Mr. Morgan. Not everyone has the same ideals as you.”

Arthur shook his head, fingers curling into a fist. He was still worked up over the situation. 

“It’ll be okay, Arthur.” You reached over to place your hand on his. “I can take a hit just fine. But I do appreciate you stepping in. It was really kind of you to help clean up Ben.”

He became a bit sheepish at your words, tipping his head down so you couldn’t see his eyes completely thanks to the brim of his hat. He cleared his throat. 

“Just-Just hate seein’ the little guy cry is all.”

You smiled a bit and gave his hand a squeeze before moving away from the table he sat at. 

Arthur watched you leave, then turned his head to watch the two youngest members of the gang with Hosea. Hosea was telling a story while Jack and Ben listened. 

Arthur turned his head back to see where you had gone off to. You were standing with Abigail near Pearson’s tent. Abigail said something that caused you to look at Arthur, a smile pulling at your lips then you looked back at her, shaking your head and bringing your hand up to cover your mouth. It was a poor attempt to hide a giggle. 

Arthur fixed the hat on his head and decided to go towards his horse. 

“When are you gonna tell her?” Charles spoke from his horse. He was messing with a strap of Taima’s saddle. 

“Tell her what?”

Charles rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“I’m not oblivious to it, Arthur. I don’t think any of us in camp are.”

“To what?”

“That you fancy her.”

Arthur mounted his horse, shifting around in the saddle a bit.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Mr. Smith.” He adjusted his hat. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you don’t.”

“You wanna come with me? Or keep standing there goin’ on about it?”

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