#either way our kids are adorable and i'm crying

[semperama]

trick or treat! happy halloween!! 🎃

I know this is late, but it's still Halloween here! I wrote you a little something. <3

------

It was...ambitious of them, thinking they could take a eight week old to a Halloween party, even if it is just the rest of the 118. Everyone does their best. Karen walks her around Bobby and Athena's backyard, mouth close to her ear, talking about the moon and the stars. Bobby patiently feeds her a bottle, stuck on the couch for twenty minutes while she sucks it down slowly. Chim bounces her against his shoulder until she spits up all down his back. Jee sings the sweetest version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star they've ever heard, and Buck would cry if he wasn't so incredibly exhausted.

"The witching hour," Athena says when she deposits the poor screaming baby back in Eddie's arms. "I promise it passes."

They end up leaving early, despite everyone's efforts. Ava falls asleep in her car seat, and when Buck's about to take the exit for home, Eddie puts a hand on his arm and says, quietly, "Let's drive around a little."

She was dressed as a ladybug to start the night, but three spit-ups and one poop later, she's on her second back-up outfit, a plain purple footie. Her face is sweet with sleep when Buck glances back at her in the mirror. They could drive all night, he thinks. Circle LA as many times as it takes. Anything to let her sleep, because this can't be fun for her either, her little body still trying to adjust to the outside world. Even exhausted and feeling like a failure, Buck loves her so damn much.

"You okay?" he asks Eddie after a few minutes of silence. When he glances over, Eddie's head is tipped back against the seat, his eyes shut, shadows fanned across his cheeks, the antennae from his bee costume askew. "Sorry. Sleep. You should sleep."

"I'm not asleep," Eddie says without opening his eyes. When Buck reaches for his hand, he threads their fingers together, and his mouth curves into a grin.

"I know it's been hard." Sometimes Buck feels—bad. Guilty. Like he talked Eddie into something he didn't really want, and now it's all Buck's fault. The middle-of-the-night feeds, the diaper blowouts, these periods of inconsolable crying—all his fault. "Regrets?" he asks, and he hopes it sounds like he's kidding, but he also hopes Eddie answers.

The silence stretches just long enough to make his anxiety that much worse. But then Eddie extricates his hand from Buck's and slides it up his arm, up to the side of his face, sweeping his thumb across Buck's cheekbone. "Never," he says, quiet and sincere. "I was just thinking about how lucky we are."

"Hmm?" Buck asks, leaning into the touch.

"Our friends. Our family. The way she's going to grow up with all these people who love her." Eddie slips his fingers up into Buck's hair, massages his skull in a way that makes him groan. "I have no regrets, Buck. I love our life."

Now Buck is going to cry. He's on a hair trigger these days anyway, thanks to the sleep deprivation. The tears are already threatening to spill over. "I love you," he says, almost a whisper.

"I love you too," Eddie says. He lets his hand drop to the back of Buck's neck and squeezes. "Just—don't stop driving."

Buck chuckles, even as he reaches up to swipe at his eyes. "Take a nap, babe," he says. He looks over again, Eddie's beautiful face painted orange by the streetlights. Eddie, tired and trusting. Buck adores him. "I got this. You sleep."

Eddie shuts his eyes again, a smile on his face. His hand stays curled around Buck's neck.

[rotting-ink]

This ask is a bit different from the “wanting kids” one. What about a surprise pregnancy for the ROs? (For the ones who can’t, let’s say magic was involved).

~ 🦇

L Rawlins: Quietly over the moon. Wants your confirmation that you wanna keep it before allowing them to grow attached to the tiny bump. Talks to it, cares for you, protectiveness goes up a thousand percent more. Loves them already so so much. Does get out their own kid's old stuff and dusts it off and is quietly so excited. You can tell by their tail in wolf form and by their pleased little smile in human form.

S Della Rovere- ASTOUNDED. "babe, im dead. not supposed to have any working bits." also scared shitless. they're not built for taking care of tiny things like a baby. Needs a pep talk and then they're in. Starts immediately baby proofing a section of the manor. "Babe, they get three whole rooms to tumble around in, i refuse to alter our horny rooms."

Z Chambers- Horrified. "But... What will it be? I'm a reaper, i'm a specter... What if it comes out as some sort of ghoul?" Demands excessive checks on it from Starling before they relax. Yes, it has a heartbeat, yes, it's growing well. Yes, Starling doesn't think that it's some sort of undead abomination. Then they're in awe. Whispers to it. So happy.

V De Winters- Terrified. Will not listen to you. Starts setting up a new apartment for you to stay in, close to their home, organises private doctor visits, lots of baby clothes but you won't see a lot of them. They're too busy. You need to flag them down and sit by them and hold them. You need to confirm that you'll be okay, the child is okay, and they'll be okay. V will have to cry a lot for a while and then they suit up. Quietly pleased. Gets to set up an account just for baby money so you can spend things on the lil one too.

Seir-"... Ehe." Smug. You're riddled with their demon spawn and they cannot WAIT for the thing to pop out and help bring around the end of the world bit by bit. But for now, they're curled up like a happy cat around you, purring away and nuzzling at you in their human form.

Saleos- Oh fuck yeah, their dominion needed an heir. Pampers you, treating you with a decree of pleased adoration. Their spawn is on the way, you're an excellent parent to share your genetics with it, their dominion is safe, Seir is seething and they get to bind you forever to them. Wonderful.

Starling Knight- Another grey hair sprouts. Head in hands. Does asks you what you want to do. Then they take a shot of whiskey and gets to work. Flatly cuts half their time at whichever of their jobs pays worse, so they can start prepping their tiny house, or prepping your cottage. Fine with splitting their time between their own house and yours, unless you want to move in together. Works out what you gotta be eating and your resting time. Becomes a helicopter parent early but only for the pregnancy. Is soft tho. You can see it in the way they quietly makes plans for you three to visit Egypt for a long while as they fully believe their childhood was made better for being there. That and getting out some of their old childhood things.

A Lancaster- Worried. They're in the hunter, they're not supposed to have kids or long standing romances, etc. Would either quit the hunters or pay for you to follow them back to head quarters and sequester you in the city. But if you lean on them, they'd quit and stay in South Hollow with you. They become saddened but after a week or two, they snap into parental mode, throwing them into this new life long endeavor to look after you and their child.

E Rawlins- INSANELY HAPPY. RUNS IN A CIRCLE AROUND YOU, PANTING AND WIGGLING. SO EXICTED. Finally would let L back in their life full time, they're not afraid of you being stolen away. Waits on you hand and foot, already so excited. Also hornier than ever.

Quincy Beaumont- Struck dumb for a moment. "... R... Really? Huh." Shocked, didn't think they'd be able to have kids. Is at a cross roads. They want to still do their work but the tour would take them away from you. Wants you to move to Kaer Llundain, they prefer the city and they have a larger home there! Also, needs an actual support system as they dont believe they won't be a good parent. If you insist on staying in South Hollow, they'd struggle a bit more. Needs a lot of talks between you two. But reassures you of them staying with you by coming by, holding very pretty little baby outfits to give you to you.

D Woolf- Might pass out. Are you kidding them? They... They.... They... They need a long sit down. A tea. No, a coffee. No, a brandy. No, a hug. They will need a long moment, head in hands. They're happy! Just stunned! Can they be a parent? A good parent? What do they do? Needs to go to A and Z and Starling and ask for tips, fidgeting all the way. Does start getting books they want to start reading to the tiny bump that is the baby already. They're never too young to hear about Heidi! He loves Heidi. Does reread Der Struwwelpeter, decides its way too scary for your baby bump and hides it away. Seir fuckin finds it so cool though.

[whatbigotspost]

On being real mean and then less mean

Long post incoming........I've been chipping away at writing this for like a month now and (unlike my usual self) I've stalled out a few times unsure of what all I want to say. But I think I've got it squared up the way I would like to. Unfortunately, I need a long context laying preamble. Sorry this will feel like an online recipe experience 😅

As the 5 of you who usually read my blocks of text will know well, I grew up in a very toxic, abusive, high-control environment. If you wanted to intentionally produce kids who would have anxiety, shame, self-loathing, aggression, be overly-competitive, angry, and equipped with little-to-no social skills, you should be parented like I was. In my nuclear family, we couldn't have had worse life lessons or role modeling when it comes to building healthy relationships, strong friendships, and harmonious existence with others. Violence was often normalized. Manipulation was encouraged. Specific conditions and rules were put on receiving love and/or affection. We weren't seen as independent humans who had their own lives and thoughts and ambitions--we were seen as extensions of my father, brought into the world to be his unquestioning cheerleaders and adoring team, to do our best to become his clones, to live out his unrealized dreams, and to combat his grievances w/ the world.

In short, it sucked.

Above all, I was taught in a very deep and real way to hate myself, not that this was explicitly acknowledged mind you, but it was the implication of everything. This self loathing was an extension of my father's own insecurities and full inability to grow the fuck up and build a life for himself that was emotionally mature, resilience, and self-caring. This mentality, if truly internalized, creates ugliness from the inside that radiates outward. I can see that so clearly now, but back then, I didn't understand it at all.

I was implicitly taught a thought process like, "the best way to 'own' someone is to shit talk them into crying" or "you can make yourself look stronger and distract from your own shortcomings by staying 1 step ahead of everyone through making THEM feel like shit about their shortcomings."

But you weren't just mean to someone to stay ahead of them, you were also mean as a way to ingratiate others to you. "Telling it like it is" even if what you said was unnecessarily cruel, was a virtue. Like, "what? I'm just saying what we're all thinking!" kind of stuff. I was taught that "teasing" is a way you show someone you love them, where "teasing" means saying all kinds of awful things that are quite hurtful. I was taught that being funny was one of the most important qualities and it didn't matter if those laughs came at the expense of others' feelings and if, over time, your comments began to destroy those around you.

It's "just teasing." It's "just joking." It was a lot of "oh come, on grow a thicker skin" over "maybe saying cruel shit for fun is bad?" It was "God, I can dish it and I can take it, why can't you?" over "maybe I want friends who support one another instead of digging at our insecurities."

Some recent nostalgia I've been wallowing in this summer reminded me of my grossest self who lived by these rules.

Those worst moments, where I was a bully and an asshole, all occurred for me at school, when I was probably around 11/12 and older. School was a very interesting place for me. When I try to paint an efficient picture of what my childhood home was like for others, I often say, my family existed in a weird liminal someplace between mainstream, mid western white suburban society and a survivalist/separatist/cult/fringe culture (like Tara Westover describes in Educated or as seen in Captain Fantastic if you're familiar w/ either of those.) We were a cult of 4 and there were many things We Did Not Do, all my dad's rules. (My grandparent's house was a safe harbor unlike my home, but that's a tangent for another time.) That said, accessing education was something my father DID trust the local government to do (as long as he could emphasize over and over how we can't trust everything they say, we could trust their lessons of math, music, English, etc.) He strategically chose a place to live where I could get the best "free" education possible in Central Indiana. My social life existed fully in a traditional school setting, where it took me all of 2 seconds to clock that other kids' lives weren't like mine, and that was compelling to me. I became a lifelong student of interpersonal relationship dynamics far before I realized I had become a lifelong student of relationships. I remember when I was in elementary school journaling about and thinking about and talking about all the friend groups and dynamics, etc. Writing stories about friend groups. Creating Barbie universes and dramas with 2 neighborhood friends. Trying to spend more and more time w/ peers instead of family.

Beyond that, I loved school because I would receive praise and love at home for A's and praise and love from my teachers for being "so good" (aka offering 100% deference to adult authority as I been told to do, even if I could question them inside.) This all means when I was very young, I did SO WELL at figuring out school...how to make friends...how to get an A+...how to get teachers to love me...how to be The Good Kid...how to reduce my value to my grades and what I produced, which is a mentality I've still only begun to unweave from within me, some 30 years later.

Anyway, point is, despite the hand I was dealt, I somehow never had trouble making friends and with a lot of my closest friends, I wasn't all that mean to in the way I describe above, at least initially. But when I did apply that behavior, god damn was it ugly. I get that now, but back then, I felt cool as fuck.

The more it (temporarily worked for me) the more I used meanness. By the time I was like 17, I literally was known as mean and wore it as a badge of honor. Lacking emotional intelligence and an overtly loving home environment, I thought it was normal? cool? idk...to "not be able to handle mushy emotional stuff." I would (LITERALLY) run if friends were telling me they loved me. It became more and more common for me to apply, "witty mean girl" quips to even my closest friends. Stuff was said about me like, "oh, if she makes fun of you, it means she really loves you." I was always saying shit to gain laughs from others that really hurt some people and I would act like that was a THEM thing like "god, they're so sensitive, poor widdle baby."

NOT GOOD. Nothing to be proud of. Signs of someone who deep down hates themselves and hopes you don't notice because of a big, bad exterior. In this era, I was someone who attracted and accepted other toxic people and was abusive toward and accepted abuse from friends who had these same issues. How I met and fell in love w/ my partner who is not at all like this during that period of time back when sometimes confounds me. His boundaries and feelings are why I started really looking inward. His patience and willingness to understand what was going on for me was immense (as I was similarly patient for things related to his baggage.) FOR YEARS we had a dynamic where I'd "make fun of" "tease" "just joke" about him too harshly in front of others and he would ask me over and over to stop. I'd get better for a while, then I'd backslide and make him feel like shit in a group setting again--but hey! everyone laughed at my ~*~*just oh so hilarious comment*~*~ and so that makes it fine right?? Obviously, not, and the older I got the more I started to FINALLY see "mean" as mean and not "telling it like it is" or being a core part of my humor.

How I REALLY know that this toxic coping mechanism I used to my benefit was a thinly veiled defense mechanism style behavior to cloud my deep deep deep self loathing is because when I'd be talking w/ my partner about his very reasonable and normal request that I not say unnecessarily cruel things about him for fun in front of others, I would be afraid of things like, "But that's part of who I am? It's my humor."

I really thought so lowly of myself that I believed that if I wasn't witty-mean, people wouldn't love me. That I wouldn't still be funny. That I wouldn't be ME unless I was being MEAN. It was so backwards and upside down because my meanness did make me harder to be around, and people were right there loving me anyway, not because of it, but despite it.

It's so sad to realize this! Looking back and describing this girl now feels in both parts foreign to me and also like looking in a mirror. I've been in 20 years of some form or another of "recovery" from this kind of childhood now, and I'm about 15 years into true healing and re-parenting myself. Almost 14 years ago, I made the biggest shift toward killing this old mentality...I moved away from my home town and the people I spent my days around to that point. I had an opportunity for a hard reset in my social life and behaviors, leaving behind old reputations that didn't serve me. And I’m still me. I’m spicy and I’m real and I’m blunt and I’m funny but I’m not cruel or mean anymore. The old me sometimes still rears her ugly head, especially when I'm tired, stress, or dysregulated. But it's less "how I am" now than ever in my life.

As I've been thinking about this whole topic for quite a few weeks now, and I tried to articulate what I did that really changed me and allowed me to shed that mean girl shell of armor I was wearing that I had so thoroughly needed to outgrow. If these things resonate with you, I do have some pieces of advice.

Speak from your personal values 100% of the time. That means defining your personal values first, not just accepting what you think is valuable you've been told by others. Once I grew the maturity to understand I needed my own life values, it was very simple to grasp that I was not in line with them. My top 5 personal life values are: love, equity, humor, loyalty, and open communication. Mean jokes don't check many of those boxes.

Become your own best friend first. My behaviors were driven by self-hatred I did not choose. When I choose how I want to feel about myself, I choose self-compassion, and I actively cultivate this mentality and practice all. the. time so that I don't backslide.

Stop "telling it like it is." This is not helpful. No one needs something obvious and cruel pointed out. This is basic "THINK" acronym stuff. It's a classic because it works. Is what you're about to say.... "true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, kind." Telling it like it is is only TRUE, it's rarely -HINK.

Never "just joke" about something someone could possibly be vulnerable about. If someone has a physical wound, you don't jab your finger into it for fun. When someone has an emotional tenderness, you similarly don't jab a mean comment into it. When in doubt, just don't joke about it.

Have actual hard conversations and "call outs" in the right times/spaces. Sometimes behavior that one friend may call "mean" is actually a very necessary hard conversation to the other person. So it's helpful to just remember that those kind of real-deal communications are rarely done effectively or productively with an audience or by using humor. Real shit deserves a real shit tone.

Push yourself to say the nicest stuff and just be fucking sincere and genuine. Tell your friends you love them. Tell your friends when you are obsessed with what they are achieving/doing/saying. Tell your friends WHAT you love about them. Make an effort for your most important relationships to have far, far more "positive bids" than negative.

Use "teasing" or "self deprecating" humor selectively and strategically. Sometimes, my partner and I DO tease each other by having open communication and actually knowing one another's boundaries, I now understand what's fine and what's not. So I can proceed w/o hurting him. But I don't know most people to that level, so I'm not going to try to tease someone else in front of others w/o that knowledge anymore. Self deprecating humor has also been a go-to for me in the past and one of the people I could be meanest to was myself. I realized I should use it sparingly with people who I don't know well, too, because I don't necessarily need to give them a cheat sheet to what my baggage is. And lastly, in general, I think that we should ALL be very very careful to spare strangers our sarcasm, deadpan comments, or whatever. Many folks are neurodiverse or otherwise don't get your sarcasm and your implications can be lost in translation. You never know what topics, with strangers, might be a hornet's nest you stumble into.

PFEW! Ok, I think that's plenty for now! If you've got similar tips or thoughts, LMK! Of course, I still fuck up my practice of not being mean all the time, but the best thing about having done this work and shared it with those around me is that my friends are much more like to say something like, "OW! Was that your dad talking for a sec?" and help me than to just go on assuming I'm an asshole. 😆

[the-phantom-author]

The idea of having 3+ separate children terrifies me BUT imagine Hasan with twin boys. They’re a struggle, they’re loud and extra but they’re also not super destructive and are obviously the most amazing thing in either of your lives. But you’re *stressed*. Because you LOVE your boys and you’ve adored them for every second of their 3 years of life. But the world is tough, and there is *something missing*. Then you find out your pregnant again, then you find out it’s a girl, and then you find out that not all babies are loud. And you also see your boys as big brothers. And it’s on her first birthday that you realize you haven’t felt like anything is missing from your world since she was born.

Like obviously no favorites. I just like the idea of you and Hasan with crazy twin boys and then a sweet quiet little girl. I dunno i think I’m projecting.

Toad, what have you done?? Twin boy dad Hasan, my heart. 🥺🥺

This is the canon.

They'd be so very much like Hasan on personality, they're loud, a bit all over the place, I imagine one is better at talking his way out of trouble and the other is better at just not getting caught, they're so much trouble but they also just love so much.

Like they're always bringing you stuff, cause they though of you, they actually listen to you and Hasan more than most children would listen to their parents, they always want to share their stuff, be it toys, blankets, or food. And just like their dad, they are obsessed with you.

And then you have your daughter. I still imagine it as Hasan being there one to mention it, like the boys are asleep and you're getting there as well, and he just say "I think we should have another" and you know he's been thinking about for a while, you also know that he has a whole power point ready to try and convince you with. Up until you've found of the gender he's just spouting about "look at my family tree, I'm a boy, I have a brother, both our kids are boys, this one is also bound to be a boy. It just runs in my genes." He's bawling when he finds out it's a girl. Cause he secretly wanted a girl to spoil and dote on. And when she's born 😭😭, she's so itty bitty, like the twins were small, but there were two of them, but she's just so tiny.

And she always stays small even when she grows up, but she's so adorable. She's just small and quiet, and likes to with her parents. Even as a baby if she can't see one of you she'll start crying. She grows out of that, but she'll still stand right next to you two, hold one of not both of your hands. And her brothers are so protective of her, like that's their sister who they get poke at and make fun of but no one else can. They'll even get upset if you or Hasan joke about her with her. They force you to her and them.

[pandorkful]

Replaying Lunar on stream has been kinda wild, like man there are some things I either missed 20 years ago or completely forgot about.

Like how rotten these punk kids are! I feel like a mortified chaperone leading a field trip that's gone completely off the rails, half the time I'm reading out their dialog. Kyle and Nash are definitely the worst offenders, but Jessica's earned herself a slap on the wrist a couple times too.

Nall can be annoyingly childish, but he's not dipped into the abhorrent social behavior nearly as much. Mia and Alex remain on good terms with me, by being blessedly quiet most of the time.

I miss Ramus, he was my good boy! The one braincell that held the party together! He gets a bad rap for some misogynistic comments he makes, but those get completely blown out of the water by Kyle's toxic 90's "it's funny to hate women" masculinity. And to be honest, Ramus' two points of character flaw effectively cancel themselves out:

Whines that Luna shouldn't come on the adventure because "girls just keep guys from having fun." (A very mild and childish form of misogyny. )

Later hires a squad of bunnygirls to work in his store, proving that maybe he's grown and learned that his prior protestations were unfounded. (And his employees adore him, so he's definitely not mistreating them!)

And then there's Luna. Dear sweet, angry and tormented Luna. She also earned a few slaps on the wrist due to some carelessly judemental comments, but was mostly well behaved while she was with us.

Some of her dialog was written to be nagging, but I chose to interpret those moment as raw anger and it really adds to her character I think. She has every right to be angry, growing up in the worst village on Lunar!! Surrounded by weirdos who shipped her with her brother-by-adoption from the moment she showed up!!!

Oof, that's a plot quirk that I didn't pick up on the first time I played the game. WD did a decent job trying to bury it, but there are a few moments of "I miss OUR parents, Alex" that really had me feeling the Folger's holiday awkwardness.

Tbh, the main thing WD did to hide the lede was avoid publishing that Luna and Alex have the same surname (something that later game localizers didn't bother hiding,) and calling Luna a foundling as often as possible. Idk, maybe it's just me, but if you grow up from infanthood together, nursed by the same woman, and call the adults raising you "mom and dad".... you're siblings. It doesn't matter that you're not related by blood, you experienced the sibling relationship dynamic and therefore it is still incestuous to date eachother. Ew.

More worryingly, there's the argument that the Noah's didn't raise Luna as their daughter, but just as a "foundling." What does that entail? A cold, emotionally neglectful distance. An orphan kept close at hand only for her miraculous ability to keep their "real" kid from crying 24/7. (According to one early tie-in manga.) That's worse, I hate that. Though.... that would explain a lot of Luna's anger and frustration.

Does the second scenario make a romantic relationship between Luna and Alex okay? No. If anything, it makes it even worse.

It's too bad there's basically no mental health support on Lunar, because all these kids need intensive counseling of one sort or another.

Last night was the first appearance of Tempest and Fresca, two kids that I always forget, like, exist in the game. They're introduced like they matter, but, well... if you stick with my streams, we'll probably uncover why I'm so lukewarm on those characters either this upcoming Sunday or the Sunday after that (depending on whether Myght's tower is as annoying as I remember it being or not.)

For all my grousing, I still love the cast of Lunar so much. They are an absolute mess, in a way I don't see from other rpgs of that era or any other era if I'm honest. An endearing mess. I could just use a little less of some of the worst stuff that was mostly left behind in the 90's and early 00's.

On the other hand, sometimes it's good to be reminded of the things society has grown past. Because nostalgia can be a very dangerous thing.

(Also, I really need to work on writing out my Queer Lunar Thesis. Because I've got a queer reading for every one of these characters. Maybe even Tempest and Fresca? We'll have to get through their story before I can make up my mind on them. It'll be hilarious if they turn out to be the only hetero cis characters on the moon.)

[vpalmersfootballgloves]

yellowjackets 206 thoughts

no one hears anyone crying but y'all will hear these spoilers if you don't scroll past. spoilers below

SOPHIE NELISSE EMMY TONY OSCAR GRAMMY NOBEL PEACE PRIZE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE PULITZER PRIZE BRAVERY MEDAL CAMPAIGN

precrash!taivan with their desks together during sex ed and tagteaming randy. this was the last time i was seen happy and carefree.

VAN EATING A LOLLY MIDDAY WHILE REARRANGING VHS TAPES, VAN'S SCREAM POSTER, VAN NOT ADMITTING TAI ACTUALLY KISSED HER, VAN STOPPING FOR COFFEE FOR TAI, VAN'S PESSIMISTIC OUTLOOK ON LOVE AND LIFE, VAN ON BUMBLE, VAN'S SNARKY CULT COMMENTS, VAN EATING HER OWN WORDS UPON SEEING HER EX-GOD, LOTTIE MATTHEWS.

"youre married taissa, there's no us anymore" honestly simone is probably already done filing the papers dw honey we're good.

i know some will take tai minding into van's broke and bitchless business as a whole pot calling kettle black situation etc, BUT i'm arguing that she cares about her loved ones (nat, van) so much that she's willing to ignore the shitload of problems on her own plate to help out where she can

the dream birth sequence was so creepy from the start til end. personally, i think its either shauna placenta previaed and postpartum hemorrhaged into her obligatory near death dream/hallucination sequence. OR she just passed out and the dream was a manifestation of all her insecurities, worries and grief.

tai is seriously shauna's RIDE AND DIE. shoving the van's deer bone into her hand and giving her the Lottie special. tai LOVES shauna SO HARD.

travis you have 5 litres of blood to donate with no monthly bleeds and yet you only gave the gods THREE DROPS????? lottie dont lie to him we can BARELY see his sacrifice.

still better than ben i guess. dude just dipped and went to his mind palace

"i love you so much" "it's you and me kid" shauna i dont need a reminder of my mommy issues rn

lottie turning shauna's son into a communal baby like wdym OUR???!?!?!!?

natalie :C she has so much survivor's guilt and remorse that she genuinely believes she's an irredeemable, irreparable Very Very Bad person incapable to be loved because everything she touches hurts one way or another.

lisa and 14th gilly will remind natalie she is so capable of love and to be love. TRUST.

misty praising natalie among lottie's acolytes. she's rooting for natalie so hard. its adorable how much she loves natalie in all the weirdest ways

simone kessell you are a STAR. the lottie-psychiatrist scene MOVED MOUNTAINS

speaking of psychiatrist, that woman is not your psychiatrist. she is switching your meds, egging you on and praying on your downfall.

"what is... IT?" BITTTCH STAY AWAY FROM LOTTIE!!!

teen shauna's sincere, pure and unadulterated love thesis for her son versus adult shauna's nonchalantly saying why didn't callie have sex WITH A FUCKING GROWN ASS MAN PREDATOR to nullify the evidence... the wilderness really did a number on her huh

thank fuck some maternal instincts kicked in during the pornstache interrogation

day 8349 of pornstache saracusa not being dead or tortured. its honestly upsetting

nat staring at van during the milf avengers line up bc nat's just shocked to see van in the flesh ever since these two childhood bestfriends lost contact postrescue.

[mysticstarlightduck]

OC Interview Tag

Thank you so much for the tag, @mk-writes-stuff!!!

Rules: answer the questions as an OC

I'll go with Maryon from my WIP Of Starlight and Beasts for this one!

Are you named after anyone?

"I'm not exactly sure, if I'm being honest. I vaguely remember reading something about someone named 'Maryan' being a popular character in a beloved folk tale in the kingdom where I was born, so I think that could be where I got my name from. It's not like I can ask my biological family that, though. They've been dead since forever - maybe if the roads weren't so godsdamned riddled with bandits that wouldn't be so. But noo, the King of Tirawen has 'more pressing' matters, or so I've been told. Well he can shove those 'pressing matters' up his royal arse, nothing will ever be an excuse to neglect his citizens' needs - ! But I digress, do move on."

When was the last time you cried?

"Oh, that's a rather interesting question! I don't quite remember, if I'm being honest. It's not like I'm bottling up my feelings or anything like that - far from it. I just that I haven't had a reason to cry in a while. Things have been going pretty great. Despite the, you know, looming war that's on the brink of changing the continent forever and all."

Do you have kids?

"Goodness, no, there's far too many things I want to pursue before even thinking about having children. It's an endearing thought, sure, but certaintly not enough to be one of my top priorities within the next ten years or so."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"Only when I'm severely annoyed. I think that, while irony and sarcasm can surely add an interesting layer to any communication, there are more effective ways of making your words sting. Like speaking them while pointing a poison dagger to one's throat, for example! Just kidding. Or am I? (winks) We'll never know. But in all seriousness, I prefer keeping those kinds of confrontations to a minimum - being polite and kind often solves more disputes than rage, and those are words I try to live by."

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"I'm quite perceptive - being the adoptive daughter of the most powerful spymaster in all of the Frosts has definetly given me an edge when it comes to reading people and deciphering their true intentions without even needing much effort on my part. People usually do all the hard work themelves - their choice of words and body language reads like an open book to me after just a simple conversation. So there's quite a lot I can notice about someone after first meeting them - but their intentions, feelings and morality are definetly the main ones."

What’s your eye colour?

"Dark forest green. Or so I'm told - Eidan, my boyfriend, can be quite the romantic. Either way, I rather like that color and I find his description of it to be very sweet!"

Scary movies or happy endings?

"I adore reading any kind of book, the more intriguing the story is the merrier! I usually don't have a strong preference as long as the tale is gripping enough to keep my attention focused after the first ten pages of the book and especially if there are deeper meanings to be found beyond just pretty words. If I had to choose, I would say a balanced mix of scariness and happiness in a story is ideal, though I do lean more towards the scary!"

Any special talents?

"Oh, many! I've been trained in the arts of espionage, dyplomacy and politics from a young age, and I've also learned quite a lot of fighting techniques, poison recipes, and languages! I'm also an expert knife thrower, and know how to survive in the wild. I know how to manipulate an enemy to fall into a trap I've laid out for them, just as I know how to persuade a potential ally to help with our cause, with just my words as my tools. Currently, I'm still working on learning how to cook without causing a potential fire in the castles, but I'm getting better at baking!!!"

Where were you born?

"I was born in one of the many provinces along the outskirst of the capital kingdom of Tirawen. My birth parents - from what vague childhood memories I can still remember - were very successful merchants. However, one of their many trips out of the kingdom's main road would prove to be our last - bandits, you see, as I mentioned before. A very tricky sort. I don't remember much of what transpired, if I'm being quite honest. What I can remember is being lost in the woods of the Frost for a while before being saved by the man who would go on to become my adoptive father, a spymaster otherwise known as the 'Serpent of the Frosts'. He took me, then a lost child of around five years of age, under his wing as his own child, and gave me a chance at the life I have today."

Do you have any pets?

"I have a 10 year old cat whom I named Sir Thurston who seems to love randomly appearing and disappearing at random places around the castles at will. I've also got twin pet snakes named Knack and Snap, one purple and the other white. And though they're highly venomous (and capable of breathing out ice shards like a dragon does fire) they've only ever bitten my enemies. They're also real cuddle buddies and very sweet if you give them something tasty to eat!"

What sort of sports do you play?

"Well, if these count as sport where you come from: swordfighting, archery, knife throwing, martial arts, tavern brawling (on occasion, but don't tell Father, haha), climbing random stuff so I can get to high places. If you count chess as a sport of sorts - though it is more of a competive, strategic tabletop game - I'm rather good at it!"

How tall are you?

"Shorter than most of my friends, or so it seems. Eidan especially. But no matter. Being smaller has its advantages too - it makes sneaking around easier and makes spooking my friends by randomly appearing behind them that much fun!"

What was your favourite subject in school?

"I had private tutors, other than my own adoptive father himself, so not exactly a school in the traditional sense of the word, but my favorite 'subjects' were politics, foreign ancient languages and botany (especially when it comes to rare plants and their effects). I also really like poetry, especially the ones from the fallen kingdom of Idraven - its very interesting to see how that society saw the world, though their demise never fails to bring me a strong sense of sorrow whenever I think about it for too long."

What is your dream job?

"Becoming a spymaster, like my adoptive father. Not only have I been trained for this since I was a child, but I also really look forward to being able to serve the land which took me in when I had nothing else in the world. Being a spymaster is a high honor in the Frosts, and nothing could fill me with more pride than being deemed worthy of serving our Queens and protecting the realm from behind the scenes."

Tagging (gently, no pressure) @eccaia, @cowboybrunch, @tabswrites, @littleladymab, @little-peril-stories, @oh-no-another-idea, @rickie-the-storyteller, @thepeculiarbird, @cabbojage, @the-ellia-west, @clairelsonao3, @crowandmoonwriting, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @winterandwords, @willtheweaver, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @gummybugg, @doublegoblin, @autumnalwalker, @moonandris and OPEN TAG

[writer-and-thrasher]

I can't decide on characters, but the six characters game for the main protagonists of the last six pieces of media you consumed

Ooh, that's a super fun one! To keep things fair, I'll choose either the titular character or, if it's a genuine ensemble, my favorite of the main protagonists.

Push off a Cliff: Ted Lasso from Ted Lasso; Look, I love Ted. But sometimes, he drives me nuts in a way that hits really close to home. I'm from the midwest, and he tends to remind me of people who mean a lot to me -- but also that I'd like to push off a cliff. And also, I think he should've gotten an arc that allows him to see how he negatively impacted others. Just saying.

Kiss: Parker from Leverage; not only am I a lesbian, but I adore Parker. I don't think I'd have as much stability with her, but I think she'd be fun to kiss and hang out with.

Marry: Alex from Modern Family; very similar to Alex from RWRB (below)! She's intelligent and independent, but in a way where I wouldn't be competing with her (she's into science and I'm into politics). Instead, I think we could build each other up and listen to one another ramble about our interests over a nice meal. Perfect!

Set on Fire: Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians; I love that kid, so it's not malicious at all. He has magic water healing, so he'll be fine, plus I think he'd think it was fun.

Wrap in a Blanket: Riz Gukgak from Dimension 20's Fantasy High; I would wrap any of those kids in a blanket, but he needs some rest. Every time he takes stress for his friends or can only talk to his mom about work, I cry so hard. He needs a break.

Be Roommates With: Alex Claremont-Diaz from Red, White, and Royal Blue; I think we'd get along great! Both super into politics, both care a lot about the world, both ambitious. He's a decent gossip and I don't think he'd lie to me. No notes.

[anewp0tat0]

Chapter 198

I've wanted a Christmas filler chapter for a while, just because I think it would have some great phantomfam interactions + some snide comments from Sebastian about how useless God is or whatever he likes to brag about... but I know we may never get that, so I am over the moon with this image here. this is all I need😫 Ciel's scarf bow is our Christmas present.

and Ciel gets a muff too FINALLY☺️. it seems that once again yana really doesn't care about the fact that she's giving him predominantly female gendered clothing for the time era(as far as I know), but when has she ever cared. let's just congratulate Sebastian on his good parenting and feminism. or rather in this case, traditional values?.... mhm

it's just adorable.

...

we also got weird interactions like this:

yea Theo knows. and he angry. the real question is if in the end, he'll help the others escape their fledging day(most likely O!ciel's aptitude) or simply work to save himself(most likely R!ciel's aptitude).

finny is the best possible boy though, and who knows maybe this will all be solved by the power of friendship and Theo will ultimately put his trust in team O!ciel. that would be great!

...

;_;

this truly makes me so upset, it's not fair for Mabel to feel anything other than bittersweetness that her friend is leaving, rather than agony. same goes for everyone else.

....

these 2 kids are strong and it's is pretty odd, but I guess when compared to other characters like Jane, it's not too surprising...

maybe Doll gave them circus training, who knows. Mabel most likely, since Doll spends most time with her group, at least I'm assuming from the clothes.

also, I'm not a knife expert but those look like something they probably just plucked from the kitchen. if doll is with them, she isn't giving them special weapons like Layla owned. that's probably just a kitchen knife the "collie class" have access to.

...

honestly, I've tried so far to be very suspicious and hostile towards these kids in the hope that they'll get to walk away into the sunset like the possible side antagonists they are. but really, I'm just very much hoping that they don't end up going through any pain. I don't want any more serious moments where children cry, please...

so the ambush, why did this happen: I'm guessing that these kids don't just guarding the hallway regularly, and they just so happened to run into Finny today. my guess is that they knew/found out that Finny would sneak around(probably with Doll's insight? cause this is his first night!) and quickly prepared for him. but most importantly, they must know one way or another that the orphanage staff(or Doll?) is prepared to kill Finny soon.

what's most surprising to me is that these kids want Finny alive. idk about the other kids, but I think plenty of us assumed that Theo would rather have Finny(and snake) disposed of. so either I was wrong, or what's going on here is a manipulation scheme where Theo makes Finny think that he's in danger, simply so that he can use him. this makes more sense to me because if both Finny and Snake were in immediate danger, they would probably wake up Snake, too. after all, Theo is a pomeranian, he could think of such a thing. in this case the kids may be working for Doll.

if however this isn't a scheme and instead a genuine attempt to help finny and Snake, then they probably aren't working with Doll, since she probably wouldn't want to sneak them into the inner working of the facility.

ah idk, well find out next chapter. or, the whole next chapter will be spent walking to the meet up room. maybe finny will start flashbacks right there right now. who knows.

where should I place my bets, that these kids are gonna take Finny back to some secret hide out room(possible blood drawing), or are they gonna take him back to where Doll is cause they're working with her...

...

also, it's really interesting how these two stay in "character" right here, both in the typical pose of the person/role they're mocking.

...

actually you know what, Theo probably figured that Finny was worth being recruited after this right here:

sorry, long post today, lots to worry about, and if you read all this then you mean the world to me! have a great day!

[this-is-krikkit]

Uh uh uh, character ask game sounds like a great chance to ramble about Vitya!! Please 5, 12, and 25 for our beloved russian cinnamon roll ⛸️🥇

send me a character (hint: i don't mind getting victor again!!!) + one or more of these question!

VITYAAAAAA OMG THANK YOU FOR PICKING HIM AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!! I'M TOTALLY normal about this ask wow.

okay, okay i'm calm. i'm fine. i can reply. deep breaths.

5. what's the first song that comes to mind when you think about him?

that's a good question! i have several songs that come to mind considering how his character and his relationship with Yuuri grow over the course of the anime, but during the first few eps, i totally feel like (if you're wondering if i want you to) i want you to by weezer fits Victor's time in Hasetsu! starting when he realized Yuuri wouldn't respond to his aggressive come-on tactics, and therefore spent the whole summer pining after him and dropping hints and still not getting what he'd initially come for x)

12. what's a headcanon you have for this character?

in a future AU where Victuuri has children, Victor is the strict dad!! to his human kids but not the pups obviously

don't get me wrong, he goofs around a lot and he adores playing and messing with his kids, he loves them soooo much and he shows them every single damn day, unlike his own parents (i hc them either as dead when he was young, or emotionally distant).

but imo, he's also very intent on not leaving them to their own devices to figure out shit on their own from an early age (like he had to do himself). these kids are going to be sat down and given multiple chances to explain themselves when they did something wrong, they're gonna get grounded (with a hug and a kiss, always, because proofs of love and affection are unconditional) when they deserve to, they're going to get a very extensive and absolutely mortifying Sex Talk with multiple hand picked recommendations for resources to find out more that Victor spent a whole ass month putting together, and they're not going to be (too) spoiled no matter how much it hurts Vitya's heart to stop himself from buying all the silly stuff he wants to (don't tell the kids, but he spoils Yuuri instead). i love picturing him being this unexpectedly responsible, and imagining Yurio continuously telling him that, of all the shit he pulled off in his life, this is by far the most surprising of the lot! *crying in Soft Victuuri Parents AU*

25. what was your first impression of this character? how about now?

well to be honest, i first thought he was basically a hot Himbo who was bored out of his mind and took the first excuse/flight he found to flee out of a life he couldn't stand anymore and get some adorable fan's dick on the other side of the world. which imo was equal parts Extra™️ + irresponsibly silly considering his career + incredibly brave... and then he needed like one week to fall in love and started pining like a fucking moron, which i found so, so damn endearing.

and THEN EPISODE TEN HAPPENED AND I- do i need to repeat the novel-length message i sent you about this the other day when we talked about this?? i don't think so. but i will say that this ep definitely made me fall even more in love with him, because it hints at so much unhappiness in his life before he met Yuuri??? and that only accentuates how brave he was to get himself out of that darkness and towards Yuuri's light (when he had no actual way of knowing how he'd be received, and was even severely rebuffed when he did get to Japan), i just.. i'm tearing up. he's a fucking legend, and i don't mean in the figure skating community only. i love him so much Nube!!!! *crying harder now*

[thesevenwondersofawitch]

I watched the Picard series finale

Going into this, I have chills 👀

Holy shit Seven looks hot as hell

AHHHHHHHH

She's so bad ass

Raffi my beloved 😍

Seven and Raffi looked at each other👀

Seven looks so done while the poor cook dude is explaining how his mom got sick and his brother got a hernia

"You got this." Just gonna think of her saying this whenever I feel like I'm struggling

AHHHH SHE'S ALL CAPTAINY AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW RAFFI HASN'T JUMPED HER😂

Oh shit

Jack is consumed by the collective 👀

The little smile Beverly exchanged with Jean-Luc

Worf: "And I will make it a threesome."

Will Riker: "Do you even hear yourself?" Oh my god😂😂 I'm dead

That look between Deanna and Will😭

If anything happens to either of them I'm gonna cry

Aw, Beverly is gripping that computer so hard

"I can no longer be your captain. I have to be a father"

Oh no

Does that mean he's gonna take Jack's place and die😭

Picard: "Beverly. Lead me to our son."

I'm crying "You did everything right." Oh damn 😭

OH SHIT VOX

Jack looks kinda awesome as Vox

OH SHIT

BORG QUEEN

I got chills

I am so creeped out rn

AHHHHHHHH

Raffi is Seven's number one

I'm so happy

The looks they keep sharing

I'm screaming with how they're finishing each other's train of thought

That poor Cook 😭😂

OOOOOOO SEVEN IS GIVING A SPEECH

I will fight under her

Raffi called Seven captain

Picard to Borg Queen: "You are not his mother!" AWWWWWWWWWWWW HE WON'T LET BEVERLY BE FORGOTTEN

Damn, this queen is bitter

HOLY SHIT

Oh no

Worf. He got zapped

Hope he still lives

"I had no idea it was that heavy." 😂

"We can't do this forever." Feels like she could be talking about more than their ship fighting

But I could be reaching

The way that Beverly fought so well and ruthlessly, and everyone turned slowly to look at her 😂

Beverly: "A lots happened in the last 20 years"😂

"Swords are fun." They really are

"no computer not even my daughter could navigate us through this." Love how proud he(Geordi) is of his kid

YEAH DATA!

Data: *tells them to trust him*

Also Data, seconds later: "Here goes nothing."

Deanna: "Wait what do you mean here goes nothing." Oh I'd hold on if I were you Deanna

The way Deanna is confused about why she senses enjoyment, meanwhile Data is living the dream 😂

OH SHIT

The earth is undefended 👀

Oh. Shit.

THE TITAN IS EXPOSED 👀

Sisters that assimilate together stick together (the La Forge sisters moving around the ship)

Seven's look of defeat 😭

Aw, the look between Saffi

Oh hell😭

"destroy the cube we kill everyone on there." Shit, Deanna is gonna need so much therapy

Beverly looks so freaking heartbroken I want to hug her 😭

"Will, the moment we fire, you'll have a minute at most." The emotion in her voice 😭

OH MY GOD

Oh MY GOD

OH MY GOD

OH. MY. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

Damn, it hurts even more watching this knowing that if Will, Picard, Jack and Worf die, Deanna will feel it

Picard to his son: "If you won't leave, I'll stay with you till the end. You have changed my life. Forever." Oh damn😭

HOLY SHIT THE way Jack starts ripping out everything to save his dad

Will to Deanna: "I love you Imazati. We'll be waiting, me and our boy."😭

I'm sobbing

"I know where they are." oh thank God

I'm loving how Deanna goes to the console

Me at Jack: You're not alone, together we stand, I'll be by your side, and I'll take your hand. KEEEP HOOOOLDING OONNNNNNNN

OH MY GOD

Awwwww, Seven giving Sydney a hug😭

Pretty awesome looking armor jack is wearing 😂

Deanna and Will are adorable

Awww, three bros, chilling in spinny chairs

TO SAY I'M SCREAMING AT THE CLIP OF RAFFI, SEVEN, AND THE LA FORGE GIRLS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

I love how Worf is just snoozing away 😂

There's still like 22 minutes left, so plenty of time for something to go wrong, but I'm gonna bask in this brief moment of happiness

Oh my god

BEVERLY IS AN ADMIRAL

TUVOK MY BOY

AHHHHHHHH

Seven and Tuvok are talking

Acting Captain Seven of Nine: "I'm resigning from Starfleet." Aw😭

Aw, Shaw was a lil bit, kinda nice😭

Seven's crying 😭

My girl

AHHHHHHHH

Chills

Tuvok: "Resignation denied, Captain"

Raffi got to video chat with her grandbaby🥺

"Strangest thing. My son Gabe, wants me to meet my granddaughter." I'm sobbing😭

Worf leaked the info for her😭

Hell, I'm sobbing

So hard

AWWWWWWWWWWWW he's hugging her😭

Deanna is counseling Data😭

Wonder if he'll meet Daj

Deanna: "We've gone by our time over an hour. Again."😂😂😂

I love how Deanna is searching for beach vacation spots while Data is going on and on 😭😂

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes. Can't wait." Oh she's dreading it a bit

"Still batshit?"

"Stop it." I love them 😂

I wonder if Picard is gonna join Laris wherever she is

"I miss that voice." So do I 😭

"Admiral Picard, Admiral Crusher" AHHHHHHHHH

Ah, Jack is joining Starfleet, I'm sure that'll be a wise and interesting decision

"This is all you son, I'm very proud." AHHHHH

I just slapped my leg so hard

"We know your aversion to fanfare."😂

OH MY GOD

She's beautiful (the ship)

"Out." 😂

"Thank you Number One."

"You're so very welcome, Captain." I. Am. So HAPPY

I AM SO HAPPY

SO HAPPY

Jack's the special counselor to the Captain 😂 this is great

Raffi: "Your first official act of command."

Jack: "Writing the opening line to your legacy, so then, what will it be?"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME

I WANT TO KNOW MORE

Beverly is so drunk😂

Worf has an adorable voice 😂

A different planet vs Orlando?😂 How random

Oh my god I'm screaming

They're gonna play poker!!!

*slams down on table* I fold OK?

So ... Is Laris just chilling in a restaurant, waiting on Picard? 🤔

Feels like they forgot about her

HOLY SHIT

HoLy ShIt

The way it's an old pic of Gates and Patrick 😂

I love that Q is still alive 👀

Oh, I'm screaming. Like so much

This was so good and idk what I'm gonna do with myself now.

[oh-surprise-its-me]

So I'm writing of chris not remembering Ron, but!! The opposite.

Maybe an accident during a mission, or perhaps when he's home. Bad enough that Ron forgets pretty much everything.

He sees Chris and Tom (maybe Jake too, or everyone, depending on when it happens), he says Tom's name and they're like well, It makes sense, he knew him the most, before realizing the name is on the tag of his uniform, and that was why. He read it.

They try to be hopeful, he will remember, at one point or another, but damn-- it's painful to have your boyfriend/husband (in Tom's case his platonic, once upon a time not so much, soulmate) not remembering you.

Omg I can’t wait to read your version. I love how we hurt them <3

It’s like 1995 when this happens so Jake is 7ish.

He hits his head again. That’s the first thing Tom knows when they eject. Ron is conscious this time when they fall into the water. He throws up as soon as they stop rocking. “Tired Tommy. Head hurts gonna sleep for a while.” Tom starts screaming. He can’t help it.

-

When Chris gets the call he drops a glass in the middle of the kitchen. Jake comes running from the other room. “It’s okay. It’s fine. Sorry baby. We’re gonna clean this up and then drive to the base okay? Your dad just got back with Uncle Tom.”

Jake let’s out a cheer. “Baby.” Jake turns. “Your dad got a bit hurt this last time okay? We need to see how he is before tackling him.” Jake’s eyes go wide. He nods. “Go back a bag hon.” He takes off.

Chris doesn’t want to lie to Jake but he can’t help it.

Ron had been surrounded by people. The tiny brown haired one kicked them all out with a promise of coming back eventually. He knows the tall blond is the one he was in a plane with. Knows his name is Tom and he got excited when Ron said his name and then crushed when he pointed at the name tag. Tom’s been crying a lot. Ron also knows he has a wedding ring on, he doesn’t know who he’s married to.

He doesn’t know a whole lot right now. A small blond child sticks their head into the room. “Dad?” Oh Tom must have a kid. God that had to of been terrifying for Tom to leave his kid. He’s proven right when Tom picks the kid up with a kiss to the head.

“Who’s this Tommy?” Ron watches as Tom flinched at the name. Odd. “This here is Jake Seresin. Isn’t he adorable.”

Ron nods, he’s a cute kid. Small. But cute. He waves.

Ron doesn’t know why but there’s a sensation of joy when he looks at Jake. He must be happy for Tom.

A smaller blond man walks into the room. Ron gets that tug of joy again. But he has no clue who the man is. Clearly he’s been crying. “Are you okay?” The man blinks at him. “Tommy take Jake down to get a cookie please.” Tom looks around for a second and this kisses the blond’s head. “You got it Chris.”

Oh. Oh.

Now the feeling in Ron’s chest is pain. He can’t place why. He definitely likes Tom, he seems like a great guy. He should be happy for him that he’s able to have a family.

The man, who’s name is apparently Chris, sits on the chair closest to the bed. “You remember me at all?”

Ron shakes his head. “No. But you caused the heart monitor to beep faster so I think I should.”

Chris laughs. God this is insane. “You know who Jake is?” Another head shake no. “My kid. Your kid. Fuck. Our kid.”

Ron blinks. “You’re lying. I could never score someone like you and have a kid.”

Chris opens and closes his hands. “Frankly I’m not sure you’re allowed to have opinions about what you think right now considering you didn’t even remember Tommy.”

Ron guesses that’s a fair point if he knew what it meant. “Docs say you can come home in a week. You might remember by then or you won’t. It will be fine either way. I’ll take care of you.”

Ron smiles. He trusts Chris. Can’t place why but knows he can.

Jake comes back into the room with Tom trailing behind him. Jake stands next to the bed looking at Ron. He has a weird sense of déjà vu where he thinks this isn’t the first time Jake’s stood there like that.

He picks him up and tucks him under his arm. Jake lights up. Chris has a cute kid.

They have a cute kid.

God Ron has a kid.

“Wanna color my Spider-Man book?” Ron come out of his panic. “Absolutely kiddo.” Jake smiles up at him. Chris has slid over and is whispering with Tom.

They color almost all the pages until Jake stars to crash. Ron lays down more. Jake crawls onto him. He’s fully laying on Ron’s chest tiny as hell. Ron smiles and kisses his head. “Sleep chickie.”

He doesn’t know why he says it. He just knows it’s right. He drifts off listening to Jake breathe.

He misses Chris’s gasp in the corner and how Tom has to catch him from collapsing.

————

Six weeks after the crash it’s all mostly back to him. He can’t believe he forgot Chris and Jake. Fuck, and Tom.

He’s foggy on names still but the doctors said that’s to be expected. He can remember names of things in polish and not English. Jake has to play translator at the store some times, Ron’s suddenly thankful they live in a smaller town. Most people know what happened. They all try to help him if he struggles for too long.

Chris sobbed when Ron kissed him and said he loved him. To be fair that was in the first two weeks. Ron didn’t totally remember him but he knew how much he loved this man.

Fortunately Jake is very go with the flow. He helps around and likes to tell stories if Ron forgets things.

The doctors say he’ll be fine eventually. He knows he might never get everything back but he’ll have what’s most important.

[theintrovertbean]

Can we get… Nadia as a grandmother :0 PLEASE! We have headcanons for Nadia as a parent, but none of how she would be as a grandma.

Hi, Anon! I think I've seen grandma headcanons for Nadia before, but I'm not really sure. Either way, I came up with a few!

If we weren't all so gay and horny for Nadi, we'd all want her to be our grandma. I'm certain she'd be an amazing grandparent, one that does her best to make the grandkiddos happy.

Also, I loved this. Now I want a grandma like Nadia.

Grandma Nadi headcanons

Grandparents are like parents except much cooler. But Nadia would be the coolest grandma to ever exist.

Whenever her child(ren) announce(s) a pregnancy, Nadia is overjoyed but also quite worried. She wants everything to be perfect and does everything in her power to help. But ultimately, she just wants her child(ren) and grandchild(ren) to be healthy.

She gives her child(ren) parenting advice about kids. If there's anything, they can always count on her to help.

It's canon that Nadia doesn't cry often, but she can't help those tears whenever she gets to hold her grandchildren for the first time.

You can bet your sweet ass that grandma Nadi is present in her grandchildren's lives. She always shows up for special events and makes sure she spends as much time with the babies as possible.

There's nothing like grandma Nadi singing her grandbabies to sleep and reading them bedtime stories.

When they're younger, Nadia lets them sit on her lap during meetings.

They braid her hair and do her makeup. It doesn't look the best, but the kids are smiling, Nadia is smiling, everyone is smiling, so it's all good.

She would make them cute little trinkets to play with.

Lunch with grandma Nadi and grandparent MC every Sunday is a must.

Sleepovers at her palace are a blast.

TEA PARTIES!!!!

When the children are smaller, they all sleep with Nadia and MC in their bedroom, but they all get their separate rooms during their early teens.

Nadia redesigns a whole wing for her grandkids.

She is very, very proud of them whenever they achieve something. But even when they fail, she lets them know that they're enough and that she loves them more than anything. They did their best, and she's proud either way.

While she doesn't stuff her grandchildren with food, she does make sure that they eat enough. She may or may not give them some extra sweets, tho.

Grandma Nadi gives forehead kisses and pinches her grandchildren's cheeks because she thinks they're adorable.

She tells them everything she knows about Prakra and Vesuvia, from the tales to the historical events. Those children are going to be experts.

[queerfables]

911 season 4 liveblog part 4x07 through to the end

4x07

Ok I'm obsessed with this "mother plague" band I want to go to all their shows and maybe hook up with them

Oh boy Buck is not having a good date. Come on lady, be nice. It's not like Buck held you at gunpoint to get you to the table. If you're having a bad time just go home.

Ok seriously you cannot order dessert on a date where you're clearly having a bad time and then continue to be bitchy to the person you're there with. Just go home!

LMFAO THEY'RE NEIGHBOURS

Hen saying "Have either of you ever seen me in a dress?" and the random guy chiming in with "I think you'd look lovely in a dress" lmfao not the correct response my dude

Buck and Eddie facing off against a turkey together amazing

I'm enjoying Michael's Rear Window arc

Crying with laughter. I love that when Athena asks Bobby to check on Michael he immediately gets sucked into Michael's nonsense

Bobby is TERRIBLE at undercover operating

"Michael did help me break into a bank vault once" I really love their team ups

Oh my god Michael just snuck into the guy's house??

Holy fuck is he stealing organs??

Oh this is a nice scene with Hen and her mum

LMFAO LMFAO Buck's bad date is dating Albert now that's hilarious

4x08

Crying with laughter over the bitingly false cheer in this flight attendant's voice as she says "you betcha". Poor friend she's having a terrible time.

Why is everyone acting like she specifically is antagonising them on purpose

Honestly her breakdown is totally warranted everyone on that plane was terrible. No jury would convict her.

Oh the cork embedded in the guy's neck had me gasp out loud at the screen love when this show gets me like that

Aw Buck babysitting Christopher makes me :pleading-eyes:

Buck is such a family guy ugh it's soft. it's been super obvious ever since he met Christopher that he is someone who needs to be around kids and one day have his own (and that he adores Christopher in particular ofc). He and Eddie are so alike. This isn't the only way but it's definitely one that stands out to me, because of course Eddie just completely lights up around his kid.

Man, I rode out the worst of the pandemic in one of the most isolated cities in the world (by total coincidence, we had moved there the year before it hit) so we weren't hit too hard by it. But this season is really driving home how lucky I got.

Omg Taylor and Buck gossiping about Buck's love life is really funny. Maybe they'll hook up again but I would love if she just hung around as his bitchy ex who gets drunk with him and dunks on all his life choices

Chanting for the guy to jump? Classy.

"I've met the people you work with. Your life is nothing but meaningful relationships." Only Taylor could make that sound like an insult. I love her.

Oh Eddie. I know that conversation didn't go the way you hoped but the fact that your kid is able to say the words "I'm mad at you" and walk off to get some space speaks volumes about what an excellent parent you are. It's gonna be ok.

Okay when Taylor knocked on the door I thought she only showed up so she could watch the train wreck but actually she had no idea what she was walking into and in revenge she intends to BE the train wreck? That's hilarious.

oh no Taylor you're showing human emotions and vulnerability stop that immediately before I fall in love with you

Oh my god I'm gonna cry, Eddie panicking over Christopher going missing, answering the call from Buck in a total freak out, but it's all OK and Buck is calling because when Christopher is feeling upset and alone and mad at his dad, the person he trusts to go to is Buck? Gosh that's a lot T_T

Feeling very 🥺 about Taylor & Buck friendship

Oh no, Hen and Karen, that is super rough news. I'm sorry, that aspect of fostering must be so rough.

4x09

Omg this is so familiar. My family had pretty much the same experience when our little one was born. "Today's the day" I'm sorry Maddie, today is not the day.

Oh my god I hate seeing kids in distress this car driving the wrong way down the highway is tough

Oh jeeze this accident is pushing everyone's buttons

Chimney and Maddie are so cute

Oh no Albert!!

He better not die I'll be big mad

Then again if he's anything like his brother he'll be fine

Their music choice is not filling me with confidence

Oh thank God

Oh that is a beautiful baby

Oh Hen. "Nia's damn near crying her eyes out and you act like it happens every day" in fairness, she's a toddler, it probably does happen every day. Put yourself in her mother's shoes for a moment. You experienced first hand the fear of losing your kid, this mother actually experienced it. You don't know what she went through that she had her kid taken and you don't know what she's done to get back to a place where she can look after her again.

"You are nothing like that woman" "I am exactly like that woman" Yeah, he is, and as terrible as the accident she caused is, she's still a person just like Bobby is.

Wow this show really can do Themes when it wants to

4x10

Oh, ouch. I know I was tough on Hen for being angry and trying to fight their foster kid leaving, but I also have a lot of empathy. This sucks, and I'm really sad for their son too.

Oh oof I'm crying

This is too sad

Oh now I'm sad about Hen being happy for Chimney even though she's going through something so painful

Oh that baby is soooo tiny

Ugh I love Ann

Oh no Chimney you put your foot in it a bit there

Athena you really need to learn to react to your kids doing things you don't like with a little more chill

Especially if you want them to tell you things and take your advice and such

This is such an emotional episode

Ugh Chimney calling Ann "Grandma"

Oh no Denny is suuuuch a good kid T_T

A big part of the reason I think this show is aimed at people in a slightly older demographic is that every time they do an episode about kids and parenthood it just completely turns on the waterworks for me lol. and I don't think it would have affected me this way before I was a parent but now that I am, it's just really clear that the people making this show know what they're talking about.

4x11

Aw Athena you're learning! That was a great response to May asking for more independence

Josh backstory! I'm so happy

And Sue backstory too!!

This scene between Hen and Athena about their kids and the missing girl and May wanting to move out is a really lovely scene, I have missed Hen and Athena's interactions.

Also it passes both the Bechdel test and several related tests about race, and I appreciate that that isn't even particularly noteworthy for the show. The only reason I thought about it was because I was trying to figure out how to describe the scene and when I laid it out like "the one where Hen and Athena talk about May" it made me smile

Another thing I like about this show is that it's one of the only shows filmed during the pandemic where full scenes are conducted with masks being worn. Other shows I've seen during that time usually gestured to the use of masks but had the characters take them off as soon as they started talking.

Lmfao love Athena showing up like "don't even think about it Buck"

Aaaah Josh just saved their lives!! Listen I don't find this scenario completely plausible but it's so cool it doesn't matter. Heck yeah I'll suspend my disbelief for this.

I really love Josh. He reminds me of a very old friend of mine whose name was actually also Josh

4x12

Message in a bottle is a fun premise

Lmfao Buck is so sad about missing out on the helicopter

Is ok Buck, my kid loves helicopters too

LOL at this guy whose foot is three times the size it should be being like "no no I can tough it out"

Are Taylor and Buck gonna go looking for this treasure together? Amazing

I love the dispatch betting pool

OMG EDDIE WANTS TO TEAM UP TOO THAT'S SO CUTE

I love Taylor so much (though I stand by my initial impression that she is a terrible person) I'm keen for some Buck/Eddie/Taylor screentime

Omg now a Hen and Chimney team up too? I'm so into this

Oh we are so getting a Bobby and Athena team up too

Come on Athena have some fun

Otherwise he's gonna go team up with Michael and you'll have to arrest them both

LMFAO HE WAS NEVER ACTUALLY DEAD THAT'S GREAT

This guy is an ass it's hilarious

Heeee everyone showing up at the same place to find the treasure, delightful

HEN'S EXPLANATION FOR HOW THEY FOUND IT IS THE BEST ONE

"My wife wrote an algorithm that detects changes in satellite images"

Big "what like it's hard" energy

"What, the unnamed cameraman gets a cut?"

"I'm glad we're friends" honestly I wish Taylor and Buck really could be friends because again I think that would be a great dynamic for them

That said I do actually enjoy their relationship as a romance too

4x13

Alright, Suspicion and then Survivors, you're up! I've been informed these are good Buddie-sodes so I'm keen!

Omg they're spoofing that bride who tried to subject her guests to lie detector tests heh

Oh I am SO charmed by the fact that Bobby and Michael usually team up for family game night. Their friendship is everything to me.

Don't be douchey about allergen free food. "What's it made of, air?" If I had a gluten free cookie for every time I heard that 🙄

CARLA!! Christopher's reaction is mine

Eddie stop flirting with the lady falling through the balcony

(Tbh this supports my low-key gay!Eddie agenda. He's jumping from one woman to the next and his primary criteria seems to be whether or not they'd be a good parent to Christopher. Of course that will feature in his calculations but idk. Carla asking him to think about what he wants too was important)

This kid moves around a lot, always going to different doctors, oh jeeze this is a Munchausen by proxy case isn't it?

Either that or they're fleeing abuse or something because otherwise the first thing you want for a chronically sick kid is continuity of care

Oh Maddie is really struggling huh

I bet Bobby is someone's sponsor! I wonder why he's lying about it though

Oh no Maddie, Chimney isn't talking about you, you are a good parent you're just sick and need support

Ah, that's why he's lying about it

Holy fuck, Bobby, that is a huge wrecking ball of a statement to make.

"Who says this marriage is working" do not pull that shit without thinking it through in the middle of a fight because that is the kind of thing that's hard to take back

Oh holy SHIT

No listen I've seen a million gifs of that moment it's the first thing that put this ship on my radar I've been waiting for it forever

I did NOT expect it to manage to blindside me so completely even so!!!

Holy fuck

Ok what's next I am AMPED

4x14

Wow how have I not seen gifs of Buck dragging him to safety

Eddie's glazed "Are you hurt?" looking at his own blood all over Buck

THAT is what I'm talking about

"Are you ok, Buckley?"

Not even a little bit

Oh my god he even said it

That dead eyed "No."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Woah, was Eddie the target? I guessed that maybe it was a terrorism thing. Targeting emergency workers seems like a great way to inspire panic

"No comment" ok I'm obsessed with the fact that this is Buck's first instinct when confronted with Taylor under these circumstances. I'm really glad that's not why she's there but I love that he thought it could be. Ah, my cut-throat girlfriend 🥰

"You can't go see his son looking like this" I'm really glad that Taylor is there to tell Buck sensible things like that

Oh it absolutely was targeting firefighters

Aw I'm happy Albert is doing better

Oof this is a ROUGH conversation to have with Christopher. Buck is doing a great job but I wonder if he should really have been the one to do it, only because he's so shaken up himself.

Oh no now he's crying T________T

Jesus he must have thought Eddie was dead

Oh the show is doing Themes again

"As scared as we are, it's going to be worse for the people who love us. They're the ones who have to watch us go to work and worry we might not come home."

"There's that thing people say, 'I don't know what I'd do without you' because losing someone you love is such an alien concept you don't want to imagine what it's like"

"And I was sitting in that engine thinking I was listening to you dying and I didn't need to imagine anything"

Right after Buck was violently confronted with the prospect of losing Eddie

Oof

I'm happy Bobby and Athena are finally talking about this though. They really needed to.

The fact that Buck is staying with Christopher through this T_T

Lmfao fucking Buck of course he's already halfway up the crane

Buck's gonna Buck

Oh fuck that glint of light scared the shit out of me

Man this scene between Bobby and Buck about Buck's apparent death wish was really good

Aw that's a pretty cute Taylor/Buck moment

I gotta be honest I really kind of like them

Aaaaah Eddie's ok

"Still, I think it might have been better for Christopher if I was the one who got shot" Oh Buck you're really in it now

And Eddie's face when he said that

Oh no Bobby!!

Oh I love Chimney taking over the scene since Bobby is trapped inside and can't

Athena walking through fire to save her husband is pretty romantic <3

Oh they got to see Nia again T_T what a lovely coincidence

Oh it's The Scene!!

This is the other one I've been waiting for

Oh holy fuck

yeah

Everything about that was Extremely.

Obsessed with the fact that Eddie did not tell Buck about any of this

Why the hell would you make someone your kid's godparent and not SAY something that's truly unhinged

But Eddie saying no one would fight harder for Christopher than Buck T-T and Eddie saying Buck is not expendable!!!!!!

That is like. The thing that Buck wants to hear the most. And doesn't ever fully believe.

So that is a lot

FIREFIGHTER ALBERT oh I'm emotional

[stargazer-sims]

15 OC Questions!

I was also tagged by @van-yangyin - thank you! I love how many times I've been tagged for this. I'll happily do as many as I get!

Anya (Baranova) Pavlenko

Are you named after anyone?

I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. My real name is Anna-Valentina Alexandrovna (The first part is pronounced like Anna from the movie "Frozen" if you're curious). "Alexandrovna" is the patronymic from my father, Alexander, so I suppose technically I'm named after him, but I don't think it really counts because all Russian names are like that. Anya is a diminutive of Anna, although it's my preferred way to be addressed.

Anyway, there's a family rumour that my father named me after his first crush which, if it's true, must've absolutely thrilled my mom. Her name's Yevgenia; Zhenya or Jenny for short.

When was the last time you cried?

I try to cry as little as possible. The last time was quite recently, though. It was a couple of weeks ago, at the airport, just before I boarded the first leg of my flight home. Kolya — you know him as Nikolai. He'd never tolerate that particular diminutive from anyone who's not close to him — came to say goodbye to me. He was trying so hard to be brave, poor thing, but he was crying a little bit and trying desperately to hide it, and that set me off. He doesn't cry often either, but it absolutely breaks my heart when he does. I had to hurry off so we didn't embarrass ourselves by giving away our weaknesses in front of each other like that. I cried my eyes out on the plane, though. I love him so much, and saying goodbye is always hard, no matter what I may claim is the "official story".

Do you have kids?

Thankfully, no. Children would definitely cramp my lifestyle. I don't think my darling Kolya wants kids either, so I'm sure that even if we do manage to settle down at some point, I'll still be able to dodge that particular bullet.

Do you use sarcasm?

I do, but not excessively.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

I tend to notice little imperfections; asymmetry in a face, birthmarks, moles, wrinkles, scars... that sort of thing. Those are the things that make faces unique and interesting and beautiful. The little creases between Nikolai's eyebrows, for example? I love those. I'm a professional photographer, and I think I've always had an eye for fascinating physical details.

What’s your eye colour?

My eyes are blue.

Scary movies or happy endings?

I'll admit, I enjoy scary movies. Not the ones with senseless, gratuitous violence, but the ones that have the potential to be truly scary. Psychological thrillers and films that are scary enough to make me look over my shoulder for a few days afterward. When we're together, Nikolai watches them with me sometimes, but I know he doesn't like them. When the really scary or messy parts come up, he just wants to be cuddled and doesn't really want to look. I won't lie... I like scary movies for that reason, too. I'm a bit enamoured with the idea of him needing me to protect him from something. He's typically the strong one, or at least that's what he'd like everyone to think, so it's oddly nice when he lets himself be even a little vulnerable with me.

Any special talents?

Ooh... I don't think I should say what those are on a PG-13 blog. Ask my Kolya what my special talents are. Watch him blush. It'll be adorable and amusing, I promise.

Where were you born?

Brindleton Bay

What are your hobbies?

I would say photography, but that's also my job, so probably that doesn't count. My main hobby is painting and drawing. I also enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. I absolutely love to dance. I think that could be considered a hobby as well. Oh, and I like to knit.

Have you any pets?

No, I don't. My job requires a lot of travelling, and it wouldn't be fair to the pet if I constantly had to leave them with someone else while I'm away.

What sports do you play/have played?

I used to be a competitive figure skater. I also did gymnastics when I was young. One of my favourite sports is skiing, and I also enjoy weight training and yoga.

How tall are you?

165cm

Favourite subject in school?

My favourite subject in school was always art. I also liked physical education and history.

Dream job?

I'm lucky enough to have my dream job right now. I'm a professional photographer, and I specialize in sports and entertainment. My studio is called Shooting Stars, and I've gotten contracts from all over the world to do shoots for actors, musicians, athletes and performing artists. My photos have been in magazines, on the internet, and in loads of advertising and promotional materials. Between contracts, I actually do have a physical studio in Brindleton Bay, where I do both corporate and private portrait shoots for clients. It's just a little hole-in-the-wall place, but it's mine and I love it. My flat is above the studio, so it's convenient to be so close to my work when I'm at home. I can't possibly imagine anything better. Not everyone can say they're living their dream, but I'm proud to say I am.

______

I've tagged so many people already, but this time I'll tag @van-yangyin (because you tagged me), @bl-sims-anime @akitasimblr @enniewritesathing

As always, feel free to ignore if you've already done it, or don't want to do it!

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 153

Chapter 153: "Coward"

I dunno why but I'm kinda bummed Norman's kill happened off-panel. Yeah it wouldn't feel right to see one one of the sweetest boys to take a life but that's exactly why it would work so well under his WM persona. And I just wanted to see Yverk perish, honestly. I don't like him. At least we got to see Norman attack Vylk in the second season, which is better than nothing, I suppose.

Norman would know that eradication is certainly not the only way to achieve peace if he would stop sounding like a broken record and listen to Emma's idea about the new promise and using the evil blood to save the demons. Also, I love how surprised the Lambda boys are upon hearing Emma rejecting Norman's orders/suggestion so easily. Her short & quick response is a nice callback to when she refused Ray's idea to leave all the GF kids behind back during ch4.

The WM facade that Norman is so confident with means nothing when our girl knows him so darn well, even to the point where he's lying to himself about his true feelings.

Gotta say that I prefer the anime's take on this panel much better as well. Definitely makes me feel sorry for this sad, terrified child more than a chessmaster with a god complex.

The manga does toss a whole bunch of flashbacks our way though so that does help pull some heartstrings here. I can also never remember that Norman & Vincent had the chance to meet casually while at Lambda. For a while I thought they only communicated via the rubix cube their entire time there. The Lambda staff should've never let these boys socialize.

They're both pretty stubborn when it comes to their own ideas but Norman has gotta know to yield once Emma has her heart set on something. You can't go against our leading lady. And how convenient that there's now a clear path between all the dead demons so she can march her way right up to him.

I love her so much for calling him out like this.

This trio is so darn precious with how much they care for each other and see each other as equals aaahh! Ray's words kinda remind me of ch178 when Norman said they would refuse to cross over to the human world if it means that Emma would have to sacrifice herself. And ch27 with Emma's famous speech about how they'll all live together and won't accept a future unless everyone is part of it. Look at that, all three of 'em having their own moments.

I don't even care if the anime switched up Ray's lines, it feels more personal to him when he draws on his own experiences and their relationship to remind Norman who he really is. I also love that someone is shown to be frustrated with Norman's actions. Emma is too, deep down somewhere I'm sure, but her voice is a lot more calming and hopeful during this scene, as usual.

Can't praise the anime for too long though since it doesn't include Ray offering his hand out to Norman like the manga does. (though perhaps it took inspiration from the following chapter since we don't see his hand there either when this moment is shown again.)

Anime also leaves Ray out of the hug for whatever reason. Maybe to match this chapter's extra page of Emma comforting a small, crying Norman, but c'mon, trio hugs are the best kind of hugs! (even though I personally prefer the hug shown next chapter a little bit more.) I can appreciate how the anime had Norman's hood fall down once Emma caught him as he fell to his knees, kinda like how his entire cape flew off here.

Favorite panel/moment:

Yeesss sweetie! Put that boy in his place!! I imagine she would've been just as angry if she had learned any sooner that Ray was sacrificing their siblings back at GF, so he's lucky all he got was a death glare in ch15.

Their faces are SO ADORABLE HERE!! HELP! I LOVE THEM!