#either taylor or linc

[cowboybirdie]

i wanted to write an angsty normal fic a couple months ago about how i was perceiving his character arc going. i was hoping id be wrong, but i ended up being totally right and im upset!

bc he’s finally seeing how undervalued he is to the team. he’s realizing that linc, taylor, and scary—really linc/taylor and linc/scary—are tight and he’s forgotten. he’s rarely included, his ideas get shot down, they make fun of him for always wanting to be kind and loving hard and wanting what’s best for the people he cares about. linc is like… perpetually putting normal down bc i think he has a morality superiority complex. like none of you, NONE OF YOU! would have made it this far on your “heroes journey” without normal!!!!

he CHOSE to take his sisters place even though he found out the cost, that he wasnt wanted, and that he was just a disappointment for not being special. he CHOSE to stay and support all of you even when he was constantly rejected and put down by friends and crushes and parents. he CHOSE all of them, regardless.

they’re setting up the scary/normal arcs how they set up awakening the doodler and it’s fucking killing me. scary is learning to open up with love, while normal is learning to shut down with hate.

im worried about normal.

[live-from-new-york-its]

i’m not ready to say goodbye to the teens… i feel like yeah, not every episode’s a winner, but the characters are improving every. single. episode. and if i have to say goodbye to any of them i’ll cry

[ike-mcswains-mortician]

i went to a roller rink today with friends and now i am thinking of dndads characters at a roller rink so here you go

-

henry: absolutely horrible at roller skating. coordination of a baby deer. he considers it a personal victory if he can make it one lap around the rink without eating shit or clinging onto darryl. the twins mock him endlessly for this.

darryl: you can’t convince me darryl didn’t get bored one day and join a roller skating league. he is a little out of practice (and henry isn’t helping) but he has a ball. he’s the designated “help you up when you eat shit” guy.

glenn: is at best mediocre, he doesn’t fall but he also only goes a couple of laps before just hanging out by the wall the rest of the night. makes frequent trips to the dj to complain about the music choice. also spends more time at the arcade than on the rink, and wins a LOT of tickets.

ron: inexplicably amazing at roller skating. the pants were holding him back and he is just sailing around the rink. terry jr doesn’t know whether to be embarrassed or impressed.

-

lark and sparrow: also quite good. they’re the type to switch and skate backward, to spin each other around, to throw each other and conveniently hit henry, etc. lark is a little more coordinated than sparrow when it comes to the tricks, but sparrow wins the limbo game.

nick: spends a lot of time with glenn at the arcade. he gets on the rink for YMCA and some of the games, but that’s about it.

grant: a little out of it while he skates, cause it makes him think of yeet. he doesn’t let darryl help him up when he falls either. sits on the sideline after a while and joins the close boys at the arcade.

terry: takes it slow with grant for a while, but when grant leaves terry is actually REALLY good at skating, sometimes joining the twins in their antics and sometimes trying to keep up with ron.

-

scary: is also really good, apparently it’s a stampler-marlowe thing to be cracked at skating. but she stays by the wall for most of the night cause skating is lame. but she does kick ass when she wants to.

taylor: eats shit a lot. im sorry but he talks a big game up until he tries to actually stand in the skates and then his gusto is gone. he uses the provided walker and sometimes linc gives him a ride with it.

linc: boss kicks? roller rink master. he’s got shins of steel and though it takes him a minute to get used to the feel of skating, once he does he’s unstoppable.

normal: i want normal to be a great roller skater so bad but i just can’t see it. athletically he should be able to but i just think the wheels throw him off. but that doesn’t stop him from trying and by the end of the night he’s actually pretty solid.

(bonus, hermie: is god awful at roller skating until he pretends to be a character from a skating movie. switches between skating with normal and keeping him upright when he slips, and laughing when normal eats shit from across the rink.)

[nat-without-a-g]

Paeden in D.A.D.D.I.E.S AU : Relationships with peers and relationships with the teens.

I drew the first one before the finale but didn’t want to post it until I knew it wouldn’t be buried under other posts lol— just some different relationships between Paeden and different characters, or at least the basics of what I think of when I have interactions between them. Things of note to me is Paeden getting along better with Lark than Sparrow (a difference in the same man twice :0c), Paeden and Scary going to have Tension bc of who her patron is, and Paeden not really clicking with Any of the spouses.

Also Grant and Paeden essentially being family meaning Linc at least has a family figure who he can actually confide in during the early episodes. I also think that Paeden would have made the gun that was used to shoot off Nicholas’s arm, so that possibly causes a point of contention between Taylor and Paeden when it comes up.

(Paeden probably sees Dood as either Willy or Barry. Or a horrific amalgamation of the worst aspects of both.)

[risetherivermoon]

heres another bunch of random specific dndads headcanons, this time its teen addition! ft. Hermie, D00d and Hero

- After everything was done and solved Lincoln and Normal remade the yellow bracelets from early s1, now they're braided friendship bracelets

- Taylor has surprisingly never broken a bone

- Normal took gymnastics before getting into Mascot stuff,

- Scary makes Terry Jr. drive her to hot topic and makes him wait outside while she takes like four hours (terry is just happy shes kinda spending time with him)

- Lincoln has a photographic memory

- In elementary school Taylor tried to hide Cassandra's kitchen knives all around the house 'for survival and easy weapon access.' she still finds random knives around the house

- Hermie did ballet

- Whenever Scary is ACTUALLY mad at any of the other teens she will just call them by their full name instead of either a nickname or an insult, (ex. instead of Linc, Tay, Herm, or Norm; Normally, Taylor, Lincoln, and Herman)

- Scary/Terri's favorite food used to be baked potatoes, but Terry ruined it for her bc they had it in common

- D00d thought Hermie was just some weird guy that walked around and stalked the teens without saying anything, for like...a while, because of how much they all forgot about them

- Hermie was genderless and built like a barbie/ken doll (goofs are beyond gender)

- Lincoln was such a lonely kid when he was younger that he'd make sculptures and give them names and talk to them, notably he had a sculpture of a soccer ball he called Soccie (sock-e)

- Scary has a collection of monster energy cans, especially after everything had happened, she would drink energy drinks to not go to sleep in the paranoid fear she'd meet willy again

- Normal has an extra toe

- Taylor has a life times supply of pocky

- Lincoln makes way too much eye contact

- Hero worked at Swallows Ice Cream part time before switching to the pizza delivery job

- Hermie would have never admitted it out loud but he preferred Teen High's theatre program to Chapperal

- Normal has made and ordered so much Teeny the Teen merch that he cannot do anything without something having Teenys face on it

- D00d tried to make friends with Lark at one point, it was not successful not because Lark got mad at them, but his anti-social behavior (he has never made a friend before in his life) mixed with his fear of the doodler lead him to just kind of try to ignore them

- At one point Hermie had a big cartoonish hammer that they would smack Normal's head with whenever they thought it was funny (the hammer felt like getting hit with a balloon)

- Hero convinced Normal he was adopted like ten different times growing up, Sparrow would usually be the one to have to calm him down

- Scary cut up one of her Mom's dresses to wear for herself at one point and after everything was resolved Veronica randomly asked Scary if she'd seen the dress and Scary said the dog ate it (they don't have a dog)

- Lincoln admitted at one point that he'd never had a slurpee before so all the teens went and got them and he had such a bad brain freeze that he started crying

[tiredwiredanduninspired]

y'know how everyone was going all out with the pink for the barbie movie? do you think linc will make the gang do that for the garfield movie but orange?

i'm thinking:

linc- either a garish orange tux, or a normal tux with an orange bowtie and pocket square

norm- orange and yellow outfit, it's very layered in my head. he finds like a cap or bucket hat with garfield on it specifically for this

taylor- garfield the anime tshirt or something, but overall still pretty normal for him. also quite layered as well

scary- im picturing very orange scene outfit. like she re-dyed her hair for this just to be on theme but if you ask she says she was gonna do it anyway

hermie- garish orange tux, but pulls it off infuriatingly well

[tech-sapphy]

hi dndads fans

…okay y’all here’s how oakworthy can still win-

---

Normal was sobbing. 

His son was sobbing over the body of this other kid, holding tightly onto him. A kid who Sparrow had only ever heard about in passing.

Sparrow wasn’t stupid, he knew his son… and he knew that look. It's not just grief.

Plus, it doesn’t take a genius to piece it all together after hearing that kid’s parting words.

Seeing a kid who was his son’s age lying on the ground, cold, pale, and unmoving… for a split second he almost pictured Normal in his place. It hit him, now, just how wrong it was to ever let his kids get dragged into this mess he created. He couldn’t undo all the trauma that was done to them. Their kids were too deeply implicated now. He knew that he and the guys wouldn’t be able to fix all of this on their own.

… But Sparrow could still fix something.

And when he saw his son put his head to this kid’s chest, clearly trying to hear a heartbeat, something, anything? And saw the way that Normal only cried more as the seconds passed?

It was a nearly instantaneous decision on Sparrow’s part. Thank everything he still had a couple spell slots left.

He didn't notice normal glare at him, nor did he notice the way it shifted into shock when Sparrow put a hand on Hermie’s shoulder and cast revivify.

——

He was breathing. 

Hermie was breathing and the color was returning to his face.

Sighs and looks of relief from Scary, Linc, and Taylor were loud and evident, and Normal felt his dad putting a hand on his shoulder and felt a little better. But all of it was an afterthought. Nothing else mattered as he now had the energy to pull Hermie into a hug. A gentle one, considering how weak he was, but a hug nonetheless. One where he could feel and hear Hermie breathing.

It’d be too awkward to put his head on his chest again now that he was conscious, as tempting as it was, so Normal settled for putting his head in the crook of his shoulder, feeling his pulse and listening to the sound of his breathing.

He had one spell slot left, and his dad’s healing is what gave him the dredges of strength he needed to cast cure wounds on hermie. Normal felt him start to breathe a little more steadily. He felt Hermie's head moving around slightly, probably trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe it was selfish for him to still be holding onto him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He was alive. 

Would it be nice to know if he actually meant what he said? If they could kiss and have this trauma all go away? Yeah. But after seeing Hermie lying cold and dead in his arms, Normal would take whatever he could get, as long as he was okay. 

So he started to move away from the hug and gently set Hermie down.

But then he caught a glance of a smirk-adjacent smile on Hermie’s face, right before Normal felt Hermie's arms wrap around him and pull him back in.

He felt a hand on the back of his head, and then heard a whisper; meant only for the two of them to hear.

"We have seriously gotta stop meeting like this."

Normal broke out into laughter, crinkling his eyes shut. Of course he’d bring this back.

When he opened his eyes again, his heart started racing even more. They’re so close together. It’d be so easy to put a hand on his cheek, and just lean in a little more.

He doesn’t want to hesitate anymore.

It looks like Hermie doesn’t either.

It only takes a slight move forward for them to finally meet in a kiss. Just like a musical reprise. They had gone through literal hell and back and finally found a way back to each other.

It was messy, they were covered in blood and surrounded by hellfire for a little while back there… 

But at this point, that mess was starting to feel like home. 

Maybe Hermie would, too.

——

That night, Normal was tossing and turning.

Finally back in San Dimas, he was in his own bed. But he couldn’t sleep.

He knew Hermie was alive and fine, staying over with Taylor for now, but… all he could see and think about was his slumped over, cold body. 

Yeah, he wasn’t sleeping tonight. Unless-

He plucked his phone from his nightstand. No notifications, but for once, he didn’t care that there wasn’t anyone reaching out to him. Because he was going to do it himself.

hermie 🎭💕

hermie!! are you awake?

He stared, waiting for a response. 

…

Maybe he shouldn’t have reached out at all. of course Hermie was sleeping, or maybe he wasn’t, after everything, and yeah, they kissed, but maybe he wanted to be alone after everything, oh god he was being clingy again, why couldn’t he just-

Of course

Oh. okay. So he probably wasn’t angry at him, even if he did wake him up. That's good. 

Now he just has to figure out how to ask him if he can come over without it sounding weird. Maybe when he has reassurance that he really is still alive, normal will finally be able to rest a little. 

can’t sleep :(

After all of -that-, who possibly could?

can i come over?

darn it, he couldn't help it, he just had to ask. quickly, he sent a clarifying text.

if you're okay with it!!! i just wanna see you and make sure you’re okay!! 

Well, I'm texting you, so clearly I'm okay.

But maybe I want to see you too

That was all the affirmative Normal needed. He grabbed his jacket which had his house keys already in the pocket, glad Taylor’s house was within walking distance.

be there in five!!

Door will be unlocked. I’ll be there.

Or maybe I won’t. You’ll have to come here to see.

—

Normal rushed over, antsy and anxious, only to pause at the front door.

He hadn’t thought this far ahead- what was he supposed to do?

Definitely not ring the doorbell. Knock? No, Taylor's a light sleeper. 

Uhh…. 

He would go throw rocks at Hermie's window, if only he knew which window was his.

He was starting to write out a text to Hermie letting him know he was there, but the door opened while he was writing it.

Hermie, looking bedraggled and tired, was smiling. it wasn’t a grin or a smirk. A smile. A small one, but it looked genuine, and he held the door open to invite him in. 

Hermie's smile was infectious, and he grabbed Normal’s hand, leading him to sit down on the couch.

Normal resisted every urge to just hug him right then and there, instead holding out his arms as a gesture.

Hermie must’ve been exhausted, because he fell into Normal’s arms immediately. 

As they cuddled up together, Normal leaning back on the arm of the couch so Hermie had more room to comfortably lay down, he finally gathered his nerves. Hermie wanted him there, after all, so… he liked him. it was mutual.

“Can I listen to your heartbeat?”

Silence. Normal’s nerves twisted back together.

‘Oh no, that’s stupid, That must be weird, you can say no if you want, I’m sorry Hermie, I know you’re having a hard time, I don’t want you to feel like-‘

Hermie just looked up at him and pointed upstairs.

“Shush, you’re getting loud. They’re still asleep.”

Normal’s heart dropped a little. 

“Right, sorry-”

“And stop apologizing.” Hermie said as he scooted back up, holding out his arms to Normal. An invitation of his own.

It would’ve been embarrassing how quickly Normal hugged him, if not for the pure relief he felt hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat again. He was alive, and here, and alright.

That's what gave him the strength to lean back into the arm of the couch and pull Hermie back into a position where he was laying down in Normal’s arms. As a reassurance.

“I’m sorry-”

“I told you to stop apologiziiiing.” Hermie sang in his little sing-song cadence. Normal let him, but continued with his apology regardless.

“I’m sorry for letting that happen to you, Hermie. I promise, I'll notice you next time. And I won't let that happen again.”

Silence, again. 

…Hermie hugged him tighter. 

“Well, well, well. A true knight, you are.”

Normal caught a little waver in his voice when he said that. He smiled, happy that Hermie liked him back and that he was helping Hermie by being there. In a surge of affection, he kissed him on the forehead.

“For you? Always.”

—

And if Cassandra found them asleep on the couch in the morning, cuddled close together?

Well, considering everything Taylor had told her about what went down yesterday… that was no one else’s business. She just put a blanket over them before leaving.

[dreamyrosebuds]

Time for Some Littlespace Taylor headcannons!! Part 2!!! It’s been forever. But it’s time!!!!

Much longer too ^^ more parts to come in the futureeeeee

———

•Taylor has so much gear, like he has this tub that’s dedicated to his things like toys & blankets, a smaller box with like special plates, bottles, a few deco pacifiers. Then has like a drawer of clothes & jammies that makes Taylor feel very comfortable and nothing icky feeling.

•Has Little regressed playdates with like scary & normal often in my heart. I do think Linc regresses too but not as often is the often caregiver over watcher of the trio. Cause trouble happens with being unsupervised.

•Often has Pokémon, pretty cure, studio ghibli movies playing in the background or like anything hello kitty too.

•may need a back pack leash for outings , Taylor will wander especially if he sees something he likes or wants.

• Speaking of wanting things Linc or Cassandra often have Taylor’s bank card or Visa card from stopping any sporadic little purchases. If they know Taylor is regressed. Because Taylor would buy so much , either for himself or for gifts for his friends.

• I think Taylor likes making those Kandi bracelets and has made a few for the other teens , Linc Has one that says best caregiver ever.

•Taylor also has this themed ita bag of hello kitty & miku that is his age regression gear for on the go, if he’s like sleeping over at a friend’s or going on a play date.

•Has a personalize playlist for morning and bedtime too when he just wants background noise or noise to fall asleep too. The bedtime playlist is mostly anime themes but music box versions of them.

•Has splurged on build-a-bear one time for his birthday of like a hello kitty one, she’s scented,she has 4 different outfits, plays sounds. His favourite toy for when he’s regressed.

• A call back to being cuddly and huggy when he’s regressed, Taylor is basically tackle hugging the others or his mom and just starts blathering bout anything and everything.

• Though there is days where Taylor just is more mellow and just wants to be held and have a snack ,make bracelets,color,etc

[thefandom-casserole]

Dndads Teen Headcanons

(It got kinda outta hand, and these aren’t even the angst ones…)

Hermie curls their hair and Taylor straightens his (but because of the adventures neither of them have been able to do it so they’re slowly reverting back to their original state)

Hermie uses they/them pronouns when not in a roll and Dood uses they/it

Normal and Hero have watched Adult Swim shows from a really young age (Lark, Sparrow, and Rebecca either didn’t care enough to turn off Cartoon Network, or just didn’t realize)

Linc and Hermie were PBS kids

Taylor is always playing games on his Chromebook at school (coolmathgames rules)

Taylor has a ton of pins on his jacket and hat

Scary has a TON of birthmarks, freckles, moles all over her body. It’s gorgeous

Dood‘s Teen body rotates between four outfits that all seem too large and slightly too old for it… (it’s Hildy, Robert, Meryl, and Stud’s outfits) (even if It never technically met Meryl)

FUNFACT: none of the Teens have a nuclear family

Hero’s first language is Spanish (Lark and Sparrow decided that forcing her to go through an almost entirely English-speaking school without knowing English would help “toughen her up”)

All of the Oak’s are fluent in Spanish and English

Scary is afraid of going under tunnels (when she was Terri she’d close her eyes and squeeze someone’s hand)

Linc types like an old man but can game really really well

Hermie does cosplays and posts them on the future equivalent to TikTok

Everytime they go to a mall of something Normal tries reallllly hard to convince them to all squeeze into a Photo Booth (it has not happened yet)

Hermie loves Starkid

Taylor really likes FNAF

Scary’s favorite season is winter

Linc’s favorite is spring (even though soccer season is autumn)

Normal likes all of the seasons (he takes after his grandpa!!)

Dood loves everything (all the seasons), though they absolutely despise the mosquitos and gnats…

Taylor’s favorite season is probably summer

Scary was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age (not autism though), but when she started being Scary she tried to stop taking her medication (she started taking it again)

Taylor used to LOVE dinosaurs. He had every Jurassic Park movie, the book, everything. He still has the anime and the original downloaded for bad days

Scary is tall without shoes (only shorter than Linc and about the same as Hermie) but she wears platforms to make herself taller (queen <3)

Hermie has a younger brother and a younger sister (like, 6 years old) who were not born by Scam and Jodie, and Hermie has no idea where they’re from

Hermie’s two favorite people are their siblings (they would do anything for them)

All the Teens but Dood and Linc had Amino at some point </3 (but for completely different fandoms/communities)

The only class Normal has consistently had an A/100 in has been GYM

Normal, Scary, and Linc are very very athletic

Hermie is more athletic than people would think they are (you run a LOT in theater, and singing takes a ton of energy)

Normal constantly plays the Zip Game throughout their travels (everytime you see a horse you yell ‘zip’ and keep track of how many horses you’ve called, everytime you see a cemetery you yell ‘cemetery’ and everyone else loses their horses)

Normal and Hermie know a ton of car games (though Hermie wouldn’t admit it) because of looong car rides with their sibling/s

Hermie works at a Haunted Attraction during Autumn

Hermie is freakishly worried about their siblings after coming home and not finding their parents (has not mentioned it to anyone though…)

Scary uses her notes app for everything (song lyrics, poems, reminders, etc.)

Dood is the shortest out of them all, then Taylor

Taylor has a ton of stickers on his cane (anime, survival, etc.)

They’re all autistic and queer <3

Scary has a vent notebook and a lyric notebook

Linc doesn’t really get cold, which is why he always wears shorts and tanktops

Scary only eats the Oreos with the orange filling

Taylor either sleeps with a TON of blankets or with only a sheet. No in between

[cccccasperghost]

Does anyone else feel a little icky about oakworthy rn?

Especially after this episode it just doesn't feel right. Like at first it was fucking sweet to see a queer person in the main cast, like "oh an awkward quirky boy crushing on an overly confident drama dweeb, sick."

After the comedy standup episode and learning that no he didn't steal the mascot costume for school spirit and no he doesn't actually like Normal I was like ok cool, not ideal but certainly salvageable. Maybe an friends to enemies to lovers kind of thing, I still have hope for them.

Them after that is was just all downhill. It feels more like Hermie's just using the fact that Normal likes him for his own gain and that just doesn't sit right.

Like yeah Hermie has his own shit with his dad's going on as well as obvious mental health issues to deal with but that shouldn't be an excuse. And it certainly shouldn't be Normal's job to fix that.

And the fact that Normal is now developing actual feelings for Hermie and genuinely trying to help someone who (for lack of a better word because it feels too little to say crush) he loves just breaks me to see him get treated like this.

Hermie knows Normal likes him and he's actively using that to try and get Normal to first kill his dad then get with two of his friends.

Maybe if Hermie sees how much pain he's putting Normal through, or I don't know like Normal being doodlerised or something and he starts either trying or move on maybe then they can build a relationship or friendship.

I just want Normal to be happy, maybe it's just my own baggage filling into this or something but this isn't right. The amount of stress that Normal's under has got to stop.

I mean first your dad goes missing, then you realize your dad has been running some organization to fight monsters, turns out he isn't proud of you, one of you're friends alliance herself with a murderer, they kill your principal Infront of you, your dad fucked with the world up, you have to go into another dimension to save your dad, a weird monster thing from that world is the only person to see how hurt you are right now, you're finally able to go home, now your friends going through some shit that you have to help with. After that you learn that the boy you've been crushing on scammed you for your mascot costume, something you love very dearly, but that's fine you think its awesome that someone has that much school spirit- SIKE. Turns out he didn't do it for any reason you thought, actually he couldn't give less of a shit about you, now he's asking you to kill his dad for a date, then goes directly to you for advise to get with your friends after you learn that your very cruelty free very vegan and consent enforcing parents have been forcing your sister to fight and kill animals because she has to be the chosen one.

Like dude can't catch a break, so much is out of his control and none of the kids or adults seem to be doing anything about it or care. This is probably one of the only things he can control in his life and yet he's still getting hurt by it.

It would make sense if he got doodlerised and honestly that might have to be the thing that get his family and friends to care about it. I'm not saying all the other teens traumas and struggles aren't valid but you can't compare them.

Taylor has always had a good life, he's had a caring, rich, and financially stable mother.

Linc has two wonderful dads who care about his mental health and supports his interest, sure grant hasn't always been truthful about his really dangerous job but even when they were trying to keep the teens in the d.a.d.d.i.e.s building he cared about his sons wellbeing.

Scary is the only one out of them who stands a chance against the emotional pain scale against normal. Shehas a wonderful mother, but she struggles with not having her dad around and doesn't feel like she fits in her own family and now the fact that her step father has been shot in front of her which I'm not saying isn't as bad as what Normal's going through just hold on. All of the teens struggle don't even touch the generational pain that normal is going through with his entire life and the lives of his dad and uncle and his grandfather.

It's clear he's trying so hard to carry everyone else's pain and Hermie is deliberately using his kind and caring nature and it feels so wrong. He's not blind he can see how much normal is holding and using his emotions and Normal's knowledge on how he views him and using it against him.

I want so badly for it to work but I don't know how it can.

Anyways this was more stream of consciousness than I wanted but let me know your ideas on it, maybe I'm thinking about it wrong I don't know.

[hermanunworthy]

I didn’t think I had a lot of hermie thoughts and now I think I maybe had too many, this is horrendously disorganized and I am dumping it on your doorstep with Glee <3

it’s like this- you take the hand that’s offered and you give the eyes that see. you look at him, say “who IS hermie?”, encourage self-discovery and get affirmed and think you’re both doing the other some good. he is loyal and he puts himself in a place that isn’t entirely shaped for him, and you are eager to accept this because you do the same.

and then he’s an actor. “nothing personal”- you’re falling out the window after the boy you thought you kissed in hell, you’re on the ground, you’re surrounded by guns and fire and shouting.

okay. o-a-kay. so he’s an actor. he’s a rival. no one has ever been on your level in so many ways before. you are always too much too loud too passionate trying too hard, and everyone can see it all over your face all the time, how much you want to be loved, how hungry you are for it, and they hold it just out of reach all the time, over your head. lincoln in the distance bonding with taylor… wasn’t taylor supposed to be hermie’s best friend? wasn’t linc supposed to be yours? when he came in for his first day of school, there was your chance! you still don’t know what went wrong, you tried just as hard as you always do.

at least with hermie, following taylor was an act. you get up, spit the grass out of your teeth. no, that’s not entirely true. you could see it all over his face as well. you’re just kids after all, that constant refrain. he’s not loved at chapperall either, something in you says- he can’t be. not if he’s like you, and he must be. it’s so similar to what you would’ve planned.

enemies-to-lovers, isn’t that just delicious? a story you can both be sold on.

it is not fair, you think later. he scoffs at school spirit. he throws it back in your face, the thing you thought was an equal exchange, a mutual kindness. how selfish are you, to only take the validation, to only see the mirror reflecting the light and not the person in it? is he right? you encouraged him to look for himself. the answers he’s coming up with now are all sharp edges cutting at the bark.

now he leads you on scraps, openly admitting to it, showing you his hand and playing you anyway. and you are trying to be something good, trying to give grace and leave space and let him come to you, let him be what he needs to be in this crazy time of his life, but you are both of you in this madness and you hope you never feel this way again, not about him and not about anyone.

how much can someone change before it is a kind of murder? before you can be forgiven for not loving the person you said you would? you promised yourself- both of you, really- that you wanted and accepted him, in all his shifting faces. but if you never really knew him…? do you want this person in front of you? how cruel are you willing to let him be? he will not want you, if you are only a dog easily kicked and summoned. you will not want him, if he is the spiteful hand tugging at your collar, laughing at your passion.

but your heart beat so fast, watching him at work over the matter of surviving space. you looked at this boy you were married to, a steady intelligent force taking care of all of you, working to get everyone out alive. he can’t be entirely selfish, can he, and neither can you. half his face is burned. for what? not for chapperall. he followed a trail into blood and ruin just as you did, chasing a legacy and paternal love that was never going to fit or be enough.

those journals warned you about his father, a creature only out for his own ends and amusement. hermie never read about your father, never had the chance to judge you for someone you hope to never be, so you will not do the same. you saw how angry he was, scrabbling at the concept of patricide. he didn’t mean it. it’s another link between the two of you, that anger simmering so hot in your blood. neither of you can help it.

and there he is, disguised as scary, directing the black parade and buying her a few minutes for grief without question. there he is at your side marching to the church of the doodler. a flash of the glasses and his eyes are meeting yours as your uncle lowers the gun. he is here. he is with you.

so he’s an actor. so he’s a liar. so he’s a traitor. so he doesn’t have half the qualities you kissed him for in the pride layer. so every time he let you down, you turned the coin to catch the light just for him to scuff it up again. so he leads you on and believes you used him just as much as he used you.

you think of him waiting at your locker, in a skirt on a soccer field, in an apron at papa john’s trusting you to come back for him. it was an act but that mask had been cracking for a while. you don’t want whoever’s behind it to shape himself to anything else for you. it’s out in the open now, all these terrible things between the two of you.

he looks different, under the blue sky.

HOLY SHITTTTTT I GOT SO EXCITED SEEING U GAVE ME A NEW PIECE AND ITS OAKWORTHY??? OMG. EXPLODES. THIS IS SO. OH MY LORDY I AM SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS. i am thinking about them forever and ever its so fascinating to read and write about them also ty bc im in the middle of struggling to write some dialogue between the two of them and this has inspired me a bit. U GET THEM u get me

[justablah56]

thoughts on taylor swift?

yeah that is in fact a things that I have ,, ,

he's my beloved baby boy and I love him dearly <33 personally, I think we as a fandom kinda favor norm and scary since their issues seem to be more visible and they're kinda the big focus rn so to speak , so sure people enjoy linc and Taylor , they don't often *think* about them as often as people might about scary or normal . I think Taylor (much like Glenn) is a character who represses a *lot* , in Taylor's case however , it's a lot less conscious of a decision . I think Glenn realizes when something bad and big emotionally is creeping up on him and consciously decides to not think about it . whereas Taylor experiences something that *should* cause a big bad emotion but he kinda subconsciously sees it as something that's not as big a deal as it actually is . he sees everything as though he's the protagonist in an anime , so obviously nothing bad can *actually* happen to him because he's the good guy obviously . and so then he kinda convinces himself that it'll all be okay because he's on a fun anime adventure and so he must get a happy ending , right ? so he doesn't need to worry about anything *that* bad happening . see but then there's times where that breaks . I think when something really bad actually happens and doesn't immediately resolve itself that's when he starts to break down . like I think to him , the big bad things happen and then the character grows from it and it's fine ! so when something bad happens to him and either it doesn't immediately become better or he himself doesn't immediately become better from it and he still finds himself upset about it , he has a break down . and it's a big one . because he's not used to actually feeling any kind of big negative emotion , so when he experiences even a little bit it completely overwhelms him , since he represses so much , so when something does break through to him so does every other bit of upset that he's repressed .

anyways , I could probably talk about more things that just Taylor and his emotions bcs I also have quite a few headcannons but this is already kinda long so I'll stop here bdnsdkdkd I love Taylor so much <333

[babacontainsmultitudes]

I genuinely can't recall if I or anyone else have brought this up in recent times so apologies if this post ends up being redundant but- have we thought about the prospect of teeny being the next anchor? Particularly the anchor of betrayal.

It would make enough sense timeline-wise, since iirc Normal has not had the mascot suit on him since becoming an anchor detector... This logic is a bit holed I admit, since he surely still would have been close to the suit during the 2 months they were back on earth, but hey maybe the anchor needs to be in the right plane to be recognized as such I don't fucking know something something weird Goofs rules.

Potential continuity issues with this idea aside, I think teeny would work great as an anchor honestly. Consider firstly the position it puts the teens (and of course particularly Normal) in.

Choosing violence? I don't think any of the teens want to use violence at this point in time, Scary *might* try if she really feels backed into a corner, but on top of all that like. It's teeny. Norm literally was upset that his mom *washed* the suit, destroying it feels out of the question, for Normal obviously, but I really don't see any of the other teens feeling inclined or willing to break it either, all the more so given that they understand how much it means to Normal.

An act of betrayal???? Very fun to me when we consider all of what teeny represents, and specifically how all of it could tie into an act of betrayal that is worthy enough (or should I say unworthy hehe) such that it is sufficient for solving the anchor. I'm specifically thinking of Hermie inciting Normal to renounce his loyalty to Teen High, maybe concede that Chaparral is the better high school, something to that effect. Given all that Normal stands for, it somehow seems *more* difficult than breaking the suit (implications for the Doodler aside). It also has the added benefit of properly tying Hermie into things, in kind of in a fun sorta way wherein he does scam the teens (such that there is a clear benefit for him! Hence a proper scam!), but is also deliberately trying to help them, and could conceivably rejoin the group (or at least stay on their side) post Goofs. Hermie took Teeny with him to Goofs, and that feels pretty important is all! Mechanically, it would also presumably have some important ramifications for Normal to chose this route? But I don't know shit about clerics, to be honest. It would also recenter Normal's school spirit and mascot troubles vis-a-vis his character arc, which I have to say I kinda really want for him.

I also just... Eheh well as I see it Scary and Linc got their little anchor moments, and so I guess I'd really really like for Norm and Taylor to get the same thing, and in Norm's case I just think we've got a really great opportunity ahead of us here!

[lakes-mistakes]

horrific dndads episode today i have. so many thoughts. in no particular order because i just listened and am shocked

spoilers after the read more!

THE ENDING WITH LINC NEVER WANTING TO SEE GRANT AGAIN .

swiftli win?????

normal talking abt the fact theyre in love ??? kinda a win right ????

normal is not okay at all

NICKY SENDING TAYLOR THAT TEXT WAS LOVELY

scary.. i have so many thoughts about scary

scary finally stood up to willy !! (a little bit)

her trying to tell herself to stop caring before going after the anchor ruined me

scary just got brought back from insanity to directly after her stepdad died, she barely even knew him but still loved him so much that later in the episode shes willing to bargain the final anchor in order for him to be brought back

“im sorry you were infertile i guess.,” the fact that she didnt get the chance to know him that well so she had to tell him about the little bit she learned from sparrow is heart breaking

sparrow trying to comfort normal when he cried was so sad

sparrow isnt a great parent, with all the hero stuff, but she still tried for normal in that tiny way, even though she wasnt really good to normal either

in a more lighthearted note, i loved the feet-controler-ratatouille bit !

also, ARSONIST HERMIE !!

i have so many other thoughts but this is it for now

[abeinginsand]

Swiftli + videogames for the hc ask? (are videogames one word or two...?)

Thank you for the ask and, yes, videogames works as a one-word prompt! :) Ao3 ---- "Hey, Link..."

"Hm?"

"Link, c'mon, let me ask you something."

Lincoln's half asleep, watching Taylor play some persona series game in the Swift family living room on a Friday evening. Was it persona 3? 4? ...Or maybe 5? There were probably other numbers, either way, something about watching Taylor stubbornly replay a dungeon fight for the sixth time was quite the effective lullaby.

"Liiiinnnkkk"

At least, it would be if his friend stopped trying to get his attention.

"Yes," The athlete says after a few minutes, closing his eyes and resting heavier against Taylor's side.

"You haven't heard the question yet! What if i asked you something weird?"

"Weirder than that time I carried you on my shoulders and used your feet to signal you when to strike?"

"It's not weird if it's cool."

"Mhm, fair point, rule of cool....is cool, yeah, dude."

His head is resting on his shorter friend's own as he talks in an increasingly quieter way. It would be a lie to say their hair was soft and comfortable. The grease prevented that but at least the somewhat messy hair smelled nice. Like a mix of cherry blossoms and honey, a side effect of Taylor's want to try a new perfume and body wash out each month. Personally Linc preferred sticking to generic non-scented brands for himself (or whatever was available).

He's picturing a soccer team full of walking and talking body care products when Taylor, having enough of being ignored, pauses his game and squeezes one of Lincoln's hands. His tail was wrapped around one of the soccer player's legs before. Now it was lightly smacking against the couch. Linc gets the signal that this may be something more important than he assumed. He sits up, eyes opening, and looks over to his friend.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Really tired today, but you've got me now, Tay. What's up?"

"Can I stay over at your house next week?"

"Yeah, of course," Lincoln replies, making sure to squeeze Taylor's hand back now. Though its not combat, he finds himself switching quickly over to protective paladin mode. Looking Taylor over for scrapes or other signs of discomfort. Its not the first time the anime-lover asked to come over, but it is one of the rare times Taylor's happy tone doesn't match his gaze. "Is your mom okay?" "Yeah, she's good. I got a text from her earlier and--" Taylor smiles, because he loves his mom and will take most opportunities to talk about her and her work. The text sits heavy in his stomach anyway. Feels like the expired bag of pocky he had one time at a con and he was hoping gaming would help get rid of the feeling. (It hadn't) "She said there were technical issues with the recording equipment and stuff, so she'll be gone for another week." "Oh, that's..." "And I don't mind. Mom seems really happy with this gig and we're going to voice call on Monday too." Taylor lets go of Linc's hand now, arms crossed as he presses into the arm rest. He's got his arms resting on his knees now, legs pulled close to himself as he keeps on talking. "It'll be great and we'll go out to eat when she gets back. I'm thinking about sending her a cake today." "Shouldn't she be sending you one? It's your birthday on Monday." Whatever smile Taylor had on falls completely and Lincoln regrets blurting that out right away. He really did like Ms. Swift a lot, but sometimes Linc...felt frustrated with her on his friend's behalf. She'd missed his birthday last year too--and like fair, there was a whole apocalypse going on. But how many other birthdays had she missed before all of that? There's a sound of a sniffle and Lincoln refrains from saying anything else on the topic. He watches Taylor rub at his face with a hoodie sleeve. The athlete moves over to his companion's side of the couch and offers a hug. His friend is quick to tackle him, leading both to fall and lay onto the couch cushions fully. The game controller topples to the floor and seems some button got pressed to resume the fight. Music plays as the sniffling turns to muffled sobs. "Better think about your game. Are you sure your next move's the right one for you?"

Link's only sure of his worry at the moment and tries to ignore the noisy song. Taylor's laying his head on his chest and Linc has one arm around him, the other gently combing through his hair. A few more verses pass them by as the shorter teen calms down. "You'll never see it coming. You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes!" The taller boy looks up at the ceiling, trying to think of what to say to cheer his friend up. "...Hey, Taylor," He says in a similar tone as when the other teen called to him earlier and then adds, "I have a question." Link feels a little squeeze of his shirt in the hug and continues talking. "Its about the game and I figured you're the best person to ask." His friend's demon tail is now moving again, swaying in the air from side to side though Taylor keeps their face hidden in the fabric of Link's garfield comic strip patterned hoodie. Lincoln hears the gamer take a shaky breath. "What do you wanna know?" "If we could army of two beat up the...phantom...phantom uh insert name here. Could we take the whole group down? If we met them in some place like goofs realm. Instead of that evil baby, we have a kitty with a sword to fight. How would that go?" Taylor starts laughing a little at the 'insert name here' and 'evil baby' comments. Link grins at the sound (and the feeling of the vibration too). Success The song lyrics fade into the background. Afterward, the ranger lifts his head up. Any tear tracks are overshadowed by the passionate twinkle now back in his gaze and tone. He rambles about how they'd take on the phantom thieves properly together. Lincoln still doesn't know much about the game, but its always nice to hear Taylor talk about something he loves. He listens mostly and adds in his thoughts or more laughter here and there. Eventually, the two end up falling asleep, this time Taylor dozing off first. Disappointment, frustration, and the game itself all but forgotten for the moment. .

.

. Lincoln wakes up the next morning to find a blanket wrapped around them both and the game screen on a paused battle success image. There's the sound of Mr. Foster very loudly bumping into stuff in the kitchen too. Probably due to wings if Lincoln had to guess. Its easy to notice who it is anyway based on the familiar low voice sputtering curse words and pondering 'where the hell does Cass keep the sugar again?' After all the chaos of the world was mostly dealt with, Taylor's dad was making more efforts to visit more. Especially when Cass had to go on long trips like currently. The revelation of the hell prince being there leads to him nudging Taylor awake. He's about to offer his companion their cane until Taylor winces. Its easy to carry him into the kitchen instead though and nice to get the chance to hold onto Taylor a little longer. After some hugs and other greetings, the three have a nice breakfast. All of this may not make Taylor miss his mom any less; however, its a heartwarming reminder that he isn't alone this time. That he's still surrounded with his loved ones. He will have that chance to celebrate next week whether it be through the phone, sharing breakfast with his dad before he heads to work, or with an exciting week-long sleepover with his best bud.

[aurorasw33tcat]

Dungeons and daddies has decided to live in my head rent free for the rime being, so let us discuss our hermie unworthy options after the last episode:

1. The most commited chaperel high school student who just wanted to steal the mascot costume, no matter the cost

Supporting evidence:

- known method actor

- child of Scam Likely, enough said

- keeps showing up unexpectedly, like he's keeping an eye on them

- has a chaperel high student id

- We know nothing about him, other then his bio parents are Scam and Joadie and that he is a theatre kid/method actor

Arguments against:

- Normal took off the costume at the dance. Hermy absolutely could have disappeared with it, especially since the teens immediately started to fight someone who got gooped . (Linc did put it on at some point, but there probably still would have been time, right?) (Haven't listened in a minute)

- If Hermie is that commited to stealing the costume, why follow them to our world when Normal no longer had it with him? After everything Hermie has commited to for the bit, you want to tell me he wouldn't know where the mascot kid lived? He could have made up an excuse to take it from the Oak-Swallows-Garcia Household

-Normal mentions seeing him at the school play

-He is initially seen most frequently at teen high. Doesn't he have school? (Admittedly the weakest argument)

*Note: alot of the arguments can be excuses by just saying Anthony hadn't thought of the twist yet

2. Hermie is scamming them so they can access the goof realm

Supporting Evidence:

-the "I do" when Nick says he doesn't know how to get to the goof realm (I think later that episode we had confirmation that to access the goof realm you have to pull a scam or be scammed as well)

- Hermie seems to genuinely like teens. After all, Taylor is his uncle cousin nephew and Normal is his will-they-won't-they partner

- He has helped the teens multiple time

- His method acting and ability to pull costumes out of seemingly nowhere definitely indicates the skills necessary to create a fake school id

-Normal mentions seeing him in the school play

Arguments:

- Has been getting more annoyed about the teens forgetting him (arguably also Anthony's fault. He forgets Hermie too)

*Note: this could also be used as motivation to commit the scam as a way to help the teens (getting them to the goof realm). He could be desperate to help them so they stop forgetting him

- despite my previous explanation for the ID, we know nothing for certain yet

(The next 2 are kind of the same)

A mix of both. Chaperel high student Hermie Unworthy who started out just trying to get the mascot costume, then genuinely became friends with the teens.

3. Either is now trying to help them like in theory 2 or

4.is bitter about them forgetting him all the time

In both cases, any argument or supporting evidence comes from a mix of both theories 1 and 2

Last and definitely least is purely a crack theory:

5. Hermie has actually been Scam Likely the whole time

Supporting evidence:

-None really. Scam just seems the sort

-Nothing about Hermie makes sense

- The pure commitment to the bit can only come from an expert

-Scam has been suspiciously quiet the whole time

Arguments:

- It makes no sense

- It feels narratively unsatisfactory

- Scam Is probably in the goof realm

- Jodie has confirmed he and Scam had a kid who Scam ran off with. Hermie is either real or he is in on the scam

I'm definitely missing things, but either way hopefully we'll find out next episode :)