#eventually this obviously leads to Penelope realizing she still has feelings for him

[darcyfangirlsfrequently]

Luke and Penelope being besties and just hanging out before becoming a couple

[alisonsfics]

Change Our Fates (Part One)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: Y/N has always been head over heels for Spencer. The team decides to go out for drinks after finishing a case. When Spencer drunkenly kisses Y/N, will it change her life for better, or for worse?

Word Count: 3.7k

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

You were sitting at your desk at work. You had just finished your paperwork for the day, and it was finally the weekend. “Hey Y/N, you got plans tonight?” Emily asked you, walking over to your desk.

“If drinking wine at home alone is plans, then yes” you replied, giggling to yourself. “That is just sad, let’s all go out. It’s been a long week” Derek said, joining the two of you around your desk.

“I don’t know Derek, my pajamas are kind of calling my name” you said, hesitating. “Come on Y/N, let’s go have fun! You’re my wing woman” Emily pleaded, grabbing both of your hands. “Y/N, when was the last time you had a date?” Derek asked you.

You thought about it for a second. Derek was right, it had been a while. It was just so hard to date with the crazy work schedule that came with working at the BAU.

“Uhhhh” you said, stalling. “Exactly” Emily and Derek said in unison. You wracked your brain, trying to come up with an excuse to stay at home.

“Are we going out?” Penelope asked, walking up to us. “Yeah, we’re trying to convince Y/N to come with us” Emily explained. Penelope frowned at you. “Y/N, you are coming with us, no buts” Penelope said, crossing her arms.

You sighed and leaned further back into your chair. “And you, you’re coming too” Penelope said, pointing at Spencer. He had his bag and was on his way to leave. “Wait what?” He asked, joining our group.

“We’ve both been roped into going out with the rest of the team tonight” you said, standing up and then leaning your head on Spencer’s shoulder. “But guys—” Spencer said, starting to complain.

Derek stopped him before he could say anything else. “I don’t want to hear it, pretty boy. You two never go out with us, so it’s time to change that” Derek said.

You all started to leave the building together. “I will be picking you both up, so that you can’t try to cancel. Now, go home and get ready” Derek told you and Spencer. You rolled your eyes, causing Spencer to laugh.

“What’re you laughing at, pretty boy?” Derek asked him, curiously. You and Spencer immediately made eye contact. “Oh umm, nothing” he lied, unconvincingly. Derek gave the both of you a confused look.

“I don’t know what’s going on with two, but I’ll pick you up in an hour” Derek told you. You walked out the front door and were almost to your car when you heard someone’s footsteps behind you.

You glanced behind you, you saw Spencer trying to catch up to you. “What’s wrong?” You asked him. He caught up to you and you both walked together towards your car. “Do we really have to go to this thing tonight? I mean, the two of us could hang out and watch a movie or something” He suggested to you.

You smiled to yourself. It made you feel all warm inside. Spencer would rather have a night in with you then go out and hang out with the team.

You two were best friends, but it still made you happy to know that Spencer enjoyed your company.

You knew that a night in with Spencer would be much better than a night on the town. You both loved to hang out and order pizza. But, you knew the team would never let you not come out with them.

“I don’t think they’ll take no for answer, Spence. Even though, a movie night sounds like a much better plan for tonight” you said, and then realized you had arrived at your car.

“So, I’ll see you later?” Spencer asked, hopefully. “I’ll be there” you said, smiling and then driving home. Spencer waved to you as you drove off.

What Spencer didn’t know was that despite the fact that you both were best friends, you had a bit of a crush on the handsome doctor. You would never act on it though, there was no way you’d risk your friendship.

A while later, you were at home. You completely dressed and had your makeup done. Technically, you were ready to leave, but you were standing and staring in to the mirror. You weren’t sure if you looked good in your outfit. If you were going out and Spencer was going to be there, you wanted to look good.

Before you could even think about changing, you heard a knock at your door. You grabbed your phone and your purse and opened the front door. You saw Spencer standing there, looking absolutely handsome.

“Hi, wow...umm” he said, looking down at your outfit. “Thank you, Spencer” you said, smiling. It didn’t take a genius to know what those stutters and hesitation meant.

You had a good feeling about tonight. It had started with Spencer being speechless, just by looking at your outfit. That had to be a good sign.

Spencer cleared his throat and collected himself. “They’re all—ummm in the car” he said, gesturing towards the car in the driveway. “Well then, let’s go” you said, smiling at him.

Spencer had never acted nervous around you before, but you were going to take it as a good sign.

You both walked over to the car. Spencer instinctually went to grab the door of the passenger seat. You assumed that was where he had been sitting, but then you saw Penelope in the front seat.

He opened the door and was shocked to see her sitting there. “I started getting car sick in the back, so I call shotgun. You two lovebirds are in the back” Penelope told you both. You felt your cheeks heat up when she said lovebirds.

Penelope knew about your not so subtle crush on Spencer. So, you were constantly hoping that she wouldn’t tell him.

The car that you guys were in had three rows of seats. Derek was driving with Penelope next to him. JJ and Emily were in the middle seats. And now, you and Spencer were sitting in the very back.

Derek pulled out of your driveway and Penelope started to talk about something she saw on television. Spencer leaned over to you. “What did mean when she said lovebirds?” He whispered in your ear, not wanting anyone else to hear him.

You just shrugged your shoulders and lied. “I don’t know, it was probably just Penelope being weird” you lied, obviously not telling him about your crush. You could feel your cheeks heat up, hoping Spencer wouldn’t notice.

Emily turned around to face you. She smirked when she saw how embarrassed you looked. You could almost see her brain coming up with a way to embarrass you further.

Then she smiled to herself. Uh-oh

“See Y/N, look how nice you look when you go out with us. You look amazing, right Spencer? Doesn’t Y/N look gorgeous?” She teased, and your heart dropped. Now, she wasn’t just embarrassing you, but also Spencer.

You saw Spencer’s eyes widen, out of the corner of your eye. “I—ummm. Yeah, you look— really nice” he said, giving you a small smile while his cheeks flushed red.

You just wanted to hide.

“Somebody is flustered” Derek mentioned, and then smiled to himself. You felt so bad for Spencer, he looked mortified. “So where are we going any way?” You asked, changing the subject.

You swore you actually heard Spencer breathe a sigh of relief. You looked over at him and he gave you an appreciative smile. You smiled back at him.

“There’s some new bar that Emily has been begging to go to for weeks” JJ told you. Then, you felt Derek slam on the brakes and honk the horn. You looked up and saw that a car had swerved in front of you. “Why does nobody in this city know how to drive?” Derek muttered to himself.

You looked down and saw that Spencer had grabbed your hand when Derek slammed on the brakes. You both made eye contact and his cheeks flushed red again. He instantly pulled his hand away. “Sorry” he quickly muttered, and then looked out the window.

Eventually, you all pulled up to the bar. Once Emily and JJ had gotten out of the car, Spencer helped you out of the car. It was a tight squeeze to get out of the back row of the car.

You adjusted your dress once you got out of the car. “We are going to have fun tonight, especially you two” Derek said, pointing at you and Spencer as you all walked inside.

The six of you all walked over to a booth and sat down.

Emily was sitting next to the window, with Penelope next to her, and then Derek. JJ was by the window on the other side, with Spencer next to her. and then you.

“I’m going to go get some drinks for us. Who is our designated driver?” You asked, standing up from the table. “I’ll drive” Emily volunteered. “Okay. Spence, do you want anything to drink?” You asked him, knowing most of the time he preferred not to drink.

“Ummmm—” he said, thinking. “Why don’t you go with her, kid? Then, you can decide” Derek suggested, and smirking at you.

Apparently, everyone on the team was going to make it their mission to get you and Spencer together tonight.

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to” you assured Spencer, not wanting him to feel pressured just because Derek wanting to tease you. Spencer looked unsure of what to do. “No, it’s fine. I’ll go with you” Spencer said, getting out of the booth seat.

You both started to walk towards the bar and you had to walk through a big group of people. Spencer was in front of you, leading you through the crowd.

Then, you felt someone grab your hand. You were ready to have to pull your hand away from some creepy guy, but you looked down and saw that Spencer had reached back and grabbed your hand. It was like he was trying to make sure that he didn’t lose you in the crowd.

You felt a smile creep onto your face as you thought about his very sweet gesture. You both eventually reached the bar. You ordered a few shots for everyone. Then, you turned to Spencer and he ordered a beer for himself.

Spencer rarely drank, and when he did, it was very tame. He was never the person who was downing shot after shot.

You turned towards Spencer as the bartender made your drinks. “Has the team seemed weird to you today?” Spencer asked you, glancing back over at the table. “You mean weirder than normal?” You asked, giggling. You were really trying to avoid that conversation, because you couldn’t tell him why they were acting weird. Because then he would know you liked him and he wouldn’t want to be friends anymore.

“I guess they’re not any weirder than normal, but something just feels off. Like they’re all hinting at something I don’t know about” he said, honestly. Then, the bartender saved you and placed your drinks down in front of you both.

You looked at the amount of shots and there were too many. “This is two too many shots” you told the bartender. He chuckled to himself. “Those two are on me” he said, and then winked at you.

You laughed to yourself and then grabbed the drinks into your hands. “Why did he give you extras?” Spencer asked you, after the bartender had moved on to someone else. You just stared back at Spencer, did he really not know why he did it.

“I’ll explain it to you when you’re older” you teased, and turned to walk back to the table. Spencer followed you and you kept hearing him ask you what the bartender meant.

You both sat back down in your original spots at the booth. “Why won’t you just tell me?” Spencer asked you, as you handed out the shots. “What won’t she tell you?” Emily asked, curiously. You giggled at how clueless Spencer was. “Spencer wants to know why the bartender gave me extra shots on the house” you said, still giggling.

The entire team started laughing. “What? I don’t get it” Spencer complained. “Come on pretty boy. It means the bartender thought Y/N was hot and bought her some drinks” Derek explained, chuckling to himself.

Spencer’s mood changed almost instantaneously. “Oh” he said, sounding disappointed.

“Cheer up kid, you still have a chance” Derek joked. Your eyes widened and you kicked Derek under the table. He winced. “I mean, have a chance at getting a free drink. You just have to go up and talk to the female bartender” Derek said, covering for you.

You downed a shot because apparently it was going to be a long night.

After a few minutes of talking, you felt Spencer tap your shoulder. You turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?” You asked, quietly. “Can I try one?” He asked you politely.

The only problem was you didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. “Try one of what?” You asked him, cluelessly. He pointed at one of the shots that was sitting in the middle of the table.

“A shot? Oh—ummm —of course. Go ahead” you asked, completely shocked. He picked one up and examined it for a second. “It’s best to just do it fast” you advised.

Spencer took a deep breath and then quickly downed the shot. You were impressed to say the least. “Woah pretty boy, guess who just got serious” Derek started to tease.

No one knew what to say. You had all seen Spencer drink beer or wine on occasion, but none of you had ever seen him do a shot.

“What? Did I do it wrong?” Spencer asked, getting self conscious as he felt his friends’ stares on him.

“We’ve just never seen you drink a shot” JJ said, stunned. You couldn’t believe your eyes. You had known Spencer for years and you were very close. So close that sometimes you could almost predict what he was going to do. But, you never would have expected him to down a shot just out of the blue.

It was about an hour later and all of you were pretty drunk, except for Emily, who was the designated driver. “Another round” Penelope cheered. “I’ll get it” you volunteered, standing up.

“I’ll help carry” Emily said, following you up to the bar. Once you got to the bar and ordered, Emily turned to face you. She gave you a look that meant she wanted to talk about something. “So?” Emily said, smirking and you knew you were in trouble.

“What?” You asked, confused. She rolled her eyes at how oblivious you were. “When are you finally going to make a move on Spencer?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. You should have known that’s what she was going to say.

“Come on Emily, you know that I can’t” you told her, stubbornly. She didn’t seem to like your answer. “You always say that, but I don’t see why you can’t just ask him out. He’s clearly into you, and you are totally head over heels for him. The whole team can see it. Just ask him out, then we can all stop dealing with you two pining over each other” she told you, like it was obvious.

“He doesn’t like me like that. We’re just friends, and it would ruin our work relationship” you argued, not wanting to get your hopes up that he could possibly like you. You had been dreaming of going on a date with Spencer for as long as you could remember, and you didn’t want to crush your hope.

“Well I disagree, and I also think you should look over at the table” Emily said, subtly. You quickly glanced over her shoulder to see what she was talking about. Derek had his arm around Spencer’s shoulders and they were both looking in your direction. Derek was telling Spencer something, but you couldn’t tell what it was. “What are they doing?” You asked, confused.

Emily just stared at you for a second. You knew that meant that you were supposed to know what they were talking about. “Well they’re clearly talking about you. And we all know that Spencer likes you, so Derek is probably telling him how to ask you out” Emily suggested.

You felt all your blood rush to your cheeks, you suddenly felt really embarrassed. Could they really be talking about you? You didn’t feel prepared. What if Spencer did come and ask you out? You didn’t know what you were supposed to say. What if you completely embarrassed yourself?

“This can’t be happening” you said, almost to yourself. “Oh it is, and Spencer is coming over here. I’m going to bring the drinks to the table” Emily said, smirking at you as she left you stranded.

Spencer was on his way over and you were fully panicking. Alcohol was supposed to give you courage. You weren’t completely drunk, but you didn’t feel brave at all.

You felt like you were going to puke on his shoes as soon as he came near you. You didn’t know what to do. You really liked Spencer, but was now really the moment that he might ask you out?

Then, he was standing in front of you. You felt like he could probably hear your heartbeat. “Hi” you said, bashfully. He looked like he was struggling to come up with words as well. You could tell he was really thinking about what he was going to say.

Then, all of a sudden, you felt his hands on your waist and his lips on yours. You were in complete shock. Spencer was kissing you right now. The one and only Spencer Reid was kissing you.

You didn’t know what to do. In your shock, you completely blanked and didn’t kiss Spencer back.

You felt his touch leave you, and he looked apologetic. “I’m so sorry, I—ummm” he stuttered, thinking that you didn’t want to kiss him. You had to do something fast if you ever wanted to have a romantic relationship with Spencer.

You grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to you. You felt the familiar warmth of his lips on yours. This time, you felt him smiled as he kissed you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and you felt safe and secure.

All the worries you had were completely gone. It was just you and him, in the moment. You both pulled away and you both had huge smiles on your face. You happened to look over his shoulder at the rest of the team. They all had either smiles or smirks on their face. Derek even wolf whistled at the two of you.

Spencer interlaced your fingers and you both walked to the table. All your friends congratulated the two of you, and told you that it took you both long enough.

It felt magical. You felt like you were in a dream, or on cloud nine. This seemed too good to be true. Once you left the bar, you all got back in the car to drive home.

Spencer’s hand never left yours at any point during the drive. And when you got dropped off at your house, Spencer kissed you goodnight. Everything in your life finally felt right, you finally had the guy of your dreams.

It felt perfect.

It took you hours to fall asleep. You were too giddy. You couldn’t get the smile off of your face. You had the image of Spencer’s face after the kiss plastered in your mind. The giant smile that had been on his face.

That moment had felt like pure bliss. You were actually really excited to go into work tomorrow. You were excited to see him again. You just wanted to be around him and hold his hand again.

You finally fell asleep, and woke up feeling refreshed and ecstatic. You put more effort into your outfit in the morning. You were practically skipping around your house.

Once you got to the office, you had butterflies in your stomach. You were going to see him again, see his smile again.

You walked to your desk and you were looking around for him, but trying to not make it obvious. You didn’t see him at his desk, you figured he was probably in the bathroom or something. You sat down at your desk, not even trying to get rid of the smile on your face at this point.

Then, you heard footsteps behind you. You turned around eagerly, and you saw Spencer walk past you, on his way to his desk. You felt your face light up when you saw him.

“Oh...hey Y/N. Good morning” he greeted you, just like he did every morning. You didn’t know why, but you felt disappointed. You had hoped for something more, you didn’t know what that something was though. “Morning Spence” you said, trying to hide your disappointment.

You started to think about it, and you could only come up with one conclusion. Spencer probably just didn’t want to act affectionate in front of anyone. Maybe he was worried because you worked together. By lunch time, you were convinced that this was the reason.

All day, Spencer hadn’t acted even a little bit different. A few times, you were convinced that last night was a dream and you had in fact imagined it.

Most of the team had left for lunch and you saw Spencer head toward the kitchen. You decided you would follow him and talk to him one on one.

“Hey Spence” you said, cheerfully. You saw Spencer pouring coffee into his mug. He looked at you with a confused glance. “You seem happy today” he said, confused. “Well yeah, duh” you said, thinking that he was kidding.

His expression didn’t change. “So what has you so happy?” He asked you, curiously. You could tell from his tone that he was serious. “Because of last night, come on Spence” you told him, getting more nervous by the second. His face still had no glimmer of realization.

“What happened last night? I don’t remember anything from last night. I think I had too much to drink and my body wasn’t used to it” he told you, honestly.

Your heart stopped.

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[happilyeverbridgerton]

my thoughts on bridgerton season 3

(reposted from my main account, oops lol)

Like everyone else, with the news of the season 3 plot of Bridgerton, I've decided to share my thoughts! This will also include some of my opinions regarding on the direction of how the show is going compared to the books. I hope you enjoy and that we can have a discussion in the comments.

I should preface this my saying, that I was initially not very excited to learn that Colin and Penelope were the main couple for season 3. Benedict and Sophie are my favorite couple out of the entire series, so I was obviously disappointed. Especially after reading here on Shondaland's article that "it feels only appropriate in the third season of Bridgerton for a third son and a third daughter to take the lead."

No, it actually does not. Because by that logic, Benedict should have been the lead of season 2. I really do believe this change in which couple stars as the lead boils down to the reveal of Lady Whistledown at the end of the first season, and the hole it seems like the writers of the show have written themselves into.

But, I digress. I'm learning to separate the tv show from the books, and I will get there eventually.

Immediately, I wasn't sure how to feel about Colin helping Penelope to find a husband. As the article states "Pen values her independence," so I'm not so sure why she is eager to find a husband. Though she was not exactly thrilled at the idea of being a spinster in the books, I feel like it still gave her a sense of freedom and allowed her more room to continue to operate as Lady Whistledown.

However, I do think this plot does allow for some potentially great moments to see Colin slowly start to realize his feelings for Penelope. Similarly, it should allow for Penelope to also realize that her feelings are still there for Colin and have been for a while. I'm interested to see how the new suitors will be introduced and what sort of dynamic they will have with Penelope.

What I'm not necessarily excited about is the way the Lady Whistledown plot is panning out. I am, personally, not a fan of the way the Queen has been involved with this plot of the show. Making the stakes so high that the Queen wants Penelope killed is very extreme, and also just doesn't make sense to me. It seems as though it has the potential to be very 'witch-hunty,' and I'm not sure how it will pan out.

I am interested to see how they go about resolving the fight between Elosie and Penelope. Will this happen in the first few episodes or only at the very end of the season? I'm also curious to know if there will still be some scenes with Penelope helping and encouraging Colin about his writing. I think it provides a sweet connection between the two of them and helps to add to Colin's character.

My last thought does not actually relate to Penelope or Colin, but instead - Benedict. One of my original gripes about the reveal of the leads for season 3 is that it seemed as though Benedict was in the perfect place in terms of his character for when he meets Sophie at the end of season 2.

So far, we have seen Benedict see situations around him of people living outside the norms of society, and he himself has started to adopt the attitude that being outside the ton is not a bad thing (as seen in the first season). Not only that, but Benedict seems very lost at the end of the second season. This is especially present when he learns that he got into art school because of his family/money rather than based on his merit.

All of this to say is what will Benedict do this season? I know many hope that Benedict will at least meet Sophie before she disappears for 2 years, but I'm not so sure. And if that doesn't happen, I hope he is not completely ignored or reduced to comedic relief.

All in all, I am excited for season 3 and what will happen between Colin and Penelope. I adore a friends-to-lovers trope, so I am excited to see this on the big screen. In the meantime, I will work on managing my expectations when it comes to tv/film adaptions and the original material.

[supercantaloupe]

on Aelwyn Abernant, the Reformed Villain Squad, and redeeming teenage antagonists

an analysis on antagonist character development in Fantasy High. spoilers through sophomore year and (mildly so) the most recent roll20 oneshot. essay under the cut bc i am very long winded

the turnaround with Aelwyn in s2 is handled so well  i cant get over it. she was such a major antagonist in the first season and just. despicable. she had no pathos. we hated this bitchy older sister who tried to kill Adaine and her friends and raise an evil dragon, and when she gets knocked on her ass and thrown in jail, we cheer.

and then s2 fucking starts saying “hey she’s in jail still if you’d like to look into that” and pursuing that thread ends up being almost as comedic an idea as it is a reluctant one; it’s also quickly shunted to the background as soon as more pressing leads present themselves, to the point where we almost forget about her until Adaine is kidnapped and then the first time you see her it’s just. viscerally upsetting.

she’s bad. she did evil. she got what she deserved.

but she already got what she deserved. last season.

she got her ass handed to her by a bunch of 14 year olds including her little sister (how embarrassing!). her plans were thwarted. she got punched in the face and made fun of. she already got her punishment.

it just……immediately registers as over-the-top Wrong to be told “hey, remember that antagonist you beat last season? she’s still being punished for that, except it’s way worse than just going to mumple.”

and there’s that reminder that like…this is a teenager. a child. who has been manipulated and abused. which is a really fascinating look at this character we used to see pretty much unilaterally as a one dimensional bitchy villain.

i mean we got a more in depth look at Penelope’s and Biz’s motivations in s1 (Penelope being the popular rich girl sorceress obviously hungry for power and the alllure of the high school clout that is being prom queen, but also we know that her having to turn on her best friend Sam Nightingale as part of the scheme was something she was reluctant and not happy to do; and Biz being that predatory incel creeper type dude besides just a nerd with computers and a lack of social graces). and they were as much willingly active in the plot as Aelwyn was. yet in s1 they really never do bother to explore Aelwyn’s motivations. i remember after watching s1 but before s2 that was one of my biggest lingering questions: why tf was Aelwyn involved?

well. she was manipulated and abused. her terrible parents raised her in an awful environment that conditioned her to Listen and Obey and Behave and Be Perfect, and then Kalina helped cinch the noose around her neck with threats and coersion into the KVS Kaper and the NMK crown debacle. she doesn’t freely choose any of it; she’s coerced, manipulated, abused.

and she already got justifiably punished for her bad actions in s1. the torture is almost literal overkill. it’s just……there’s this immediate turnaround in sympathy and view of the character. on first watch, it’s viscerally upsetting to see her getting so brutally punished for actions she already faced consequences for, and on rewatch, it makes your skin crawl to know she’s being tortured for terrible things she had little choice in carrying out. and tortured by some of the very same people who coerced her to behave terribly in the first place, to add insult to injury.

and it’s still fucking frustrating when they rescue her and her memory gets reset and she goes back to her parents because it’s like “well shit, she’s evil again, and we just wasted all that effort for nothing” but it’s also sad cause we know she’s running back to her abusers and she isn’t happy about it but doesn’t feel like she has a choice. and it’s sadder still that what eventually inevitably gets her to turn to good for good (i.e. away from her parents) is just. a full dissociative mental breakdown.

(but then she survives and it’s gonna be good!!! until Adaine dies in her fucking arms. which is. almost funny. she’s been through so much shit and that isn’t something that Brennan would have just. preplanned. like a written in plot point. no, that was just an unpredictable consequence of the battle. what a juicy fucking moment. she’s been through All That Shit™️ and has finally turned to fight for good and her sister just fully dies in front of her. yeowch)

and she turns out okay in the end. she comes out the other side alive and whole and supported by her sister and her friends, with the hope of a future and recovery. there is an acknowledgement that A) she can and will grow from her mistakes and damage, B) it’s going to be really hard, and C) the post-s2 one shots both prove that she’s doing okay now. hell, she has a whole squad now of other former-teenage-villains-turned-good-guys. she has friends now, Ragh and Zayn, with common ground, and a secret handshake and everything. they’ve all grown from the mistakes of their past into better, happier, healthier people

and about Zayn and Ragh. we’ve seen a lot of characters, protagonist and antagonist, teenage and adult, PC and NPC do some really fucked up shit and get punished for it. but why do they get happy endings? why are Aelwyn, Ragh, and Zayn the only members of the RVS and not someone else like Biz or Penelope or Dayne? 

well, the latter two are dead by then; but then again, Biz and Ragh were also killed by the Bad Kids in s1, and subsequently resurrected. (Zayn died too, but was neither killed nor revived at the Bad Kids’ hands, so i’ll get to him in a sec.) and there are plenty of adult antagonists the Bad Kids face who are killed and left that way by the Bad Kids without second thought: Johnny Spells, Coach Daybreak, Captain Wicklaw, the Abernant parents (presuming Arianwen doesn’t survive in the forest for very long, which i doubt). why do some characters get second chances while others don’t?

in the case of Zayn, his death was pretty much out of the Bad Kids’ hands, and they later found out he was manipulated by Daybreak into being bad anyway because of his sad living situation. he was a pretty minor antagonist in the scheme of things, and when we re-meet him as a ghost in the s1 epilogue, he’s pretty obviously remorseful for his actions. and dying seems like a steep enough punishment to me for the shit he did to contribute to the KVX caper; returning as a ghost, free from the trappings of his unfortunate living life, he now has the room and freedom to grow into a better person.

in the cases of Daybreak, Spells, Wicklaw, and the Abernant parents: these are bad people who should know better. these are fully grown adults who actively choose to do evil. whether they think it’s the right thing to do or not (in Daybreak’s case), whether they think it will benefit them and don’t care about anyone else (in the Abernants’ case), or whether they don’t care much at all and are just doing shit because they feel like it (in the cases of Spells and Wicklaw), these are all adults who consciously make the decision to do terrible things and hurt other people. of course Johnny Spells, who is generally a punk thief and thug, is not on the same level of bad as Angwyn, who kidnaps and tortures his own daughters for political gain, but the point remains. these fuckers should know better. they’re grown ups. they had their chances to be good and they chose not to heed them. their minds are set on bad actions and they are a continued danger to other people as long as they are alive. when they die, the Bad Kids do their damndest to make sure it stays that way.

now, in the cases of Penelope and Dayne: these are teenagers who actively chose to participate in an evil plot. Penelope, Dayne, and Biz were all fully cognizant of what they were doing trying to raise KVX back to his former power. why? well, to some extent, we can only speculate. i suspect Penelope was just one of those Regina George bitches who is rich and popular and powerful and obsessed with power and popularity within high school as if that’s the end-all-be-all of existence (which, like, when you’re currently in high school, is a somewhat understandable worldview i think). Dayne being her boyfriend and a musclehead jock probably falls into a similar line of thinking. they are actively and willingly trying to cause harm, and teenager or not, must be stopped. they’re killed, anyway, during the Climactic Battle™️ anyhow; it’s not like the Bad Kids were going to gain anything at that point by keeping them alive.

now, Biz: Biz is the creepy Nice Guy incel type, sees woman as a prize he deserves to win, yadda yadda. he does, like Penelope and Dayne, actively choose to help KVX. there might be something to be said about his motivation the Bad Kids discover after the arcade battle by detecting his thoughts (that being to upload the captured maidens from the palimpsests to “call the shots” himself) is an altered memory; whether this was his original motivation from the start or not, i’m not sure. but the Bad Kids do kill him – and then resurrect him for important, time-sensitive information. and they beat it out of him – he gets two of his fucking fingers blown off. and Riz reattaches them once they have their info, and they realize his memory is altered. of course, the Bad Kids don’t know at this point that the altered memory was something he, Penelope, and Aelwyn had planned and agreed on and done to themselves, but this points to something important in my opinion: the Bad Kids, and the narrative/show as a whole by extension, acknowledge that external manipulation affects how guilty someone is in a crime.

which brings us to Ragh. Ragh, introduced from episode 1 as the meathead jock. Ragh the archetypical one-dimensional high school bully. Ragh who works with the harvestmen in effort to (ostensibly) end the world/provoke international war. Ragh, whose low intelligence but high loyalty and internalized homophobia led him to be fully swayed and blindly led by his coach and captain, who have actively chosen to do evil. Ragh who is killed in combat by the Bad Kids and resurrected for information, not Daybreak. Ragh, who the Bad Kids realize was probably not aware of exactly what he was being made to do and how bad it really was. Ragh, who by their kindness in sparing his life and directing him on a better path, becomes a well-rounded character and an active ally to the Bad Kids during and after prom, an invaluable companion during their quest in sophomore year, and overall a really good friend and person. 

(it might also be worth considering the case of Jawbone here, too, who started out a very minor antagonist in a fight but ended up becoming a major NPC because the Bad Kids talked to him, found out he came from an unfortunate situation and set of circumstances, and showed him kindness in offering the school guidance counselor position, a kindness that isn’t really owed but given anyway and ends up changing his entire life for good.)

and then, Aelwyn, whose case is already discussed above. so, why is the RVS what it is, why them but not others?

if you’re familiar with Avatar: the Last Airbender, you’re probably familiar with Zuko’s character arc, and how it’s often lauded as a masterful example of developing a villain into a hero over the course of a narrative. what makes Zuko’s arc so well done and exceptional is that he starts out as a kid in a bad situation under the influence of bad adults seeking to do bad deeds, but he later realizes the error of those ways, actively removes himself from that situation despite the difficulty and danger in doing so, goes through a lot of shit and reflects on his past mistakes and learns from them, and then actively chooses to fight for good in the end with the help of close, trusted friends, found family. 

this, i believe, is the same in the case of Fantasy High and its treatment of the RVS. its members, like Zuko, are all teenagers who came from shitty situations and were manipulated by evil adults to do bad. they are punished for their bad actions, and they learn from their errors and mistakes. with the kindness and help of good people, friends and chosen family, they are able to escape their abusers and bad situations and grow into their own people. and they actively choose to improve themselves with that help and fight for good.

Fantasy High, through the arcs of Jawbone, Zayn, Ragh, and especially Aelwyn, asserts that it is not your fault if you come from a bad situation and are forced to behave badly as a result. it does not pretend that you are absolved of any responsibility for those actions; quite the opposite, as even though they were externally manipulated into their evil actions, all of those mentioned characters face tangible consequences for their actions and later express remorse for their mistakes. but Fantasy High also asserts that even if you have made great mistakes in your past, even if you came from a bad situation beyond your control, even if you were manipulated and abused, with care and love and support and a hell of a lot of work and effort, you can improve your situation and find good, happiness, peace, you can thrive. evil adults who should know better don’t get redeemed. teenagers who aren’t coerced but actively choose evil don’t get redeemed. but abused kids deserve another shot at happiness. with enough work, and some love and help along the way, they can get there, even from the lowest imaginable point, from rock fucking buttom. it’s possible. 

[wishuhadstayed]

Sweeter than Fiction

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Summary: Reader meets the BAU team, but not the quite the way she expected. A third part to Begin Again with assistance from @ange-must-die and @yes-sir-hotchner

Warnings: None. Another fluff fest.

Author’s Note: Yep, it’s a full blown series. Hold on to your pants folks.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist

The last several months of your life had passed by in almost a dream-like haze of bliss. You and Aaron had spent every moment you could possibly get together. From picnics at the park where you had your second date, to holding hands at the movies like two lovesick kids, you were falling for him hard and fast. Could things really be this amazing? You pinched yourself every morning when you woke, just to be sure.

Definitely awake. Rolling over in bed, you check your phone to find a text from Aaron.

Good morning, beautiful. I hope you slept well. I have to get to work, but I’ll call you tonight. Have a great day.

~~~~~~~

Entering the BAU that same morning, Aaron finds himself met at the door to his office by your best friend, Penelope Garcia.

“Sir, can I speak with you in your office? It’s important.”

“Of course, Garcia. Come in,” he says, closing the door. “What’s this about?”

“When are you gonna tell them?”

“I’m sorry? Tell who what, exactly?”

“The team, Sir. When are you going to tell the rest of the team that you’re dating my best friend? They deserve to know. And Y/N deserves to know them too. They’re like family.”

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it quite yet, Garcia. Right now I’m very busy. I care about her and of course I want to introduce her. I want my favorite people together, but I’ll tell them when the time is right.”

“With all due respect sir, you’ve been dating several months. They’re profilers. They’re smart, they’re putting the pieces together. If you don’t tell them, I will. She has to meet them eventually.”

“You wouldn’t dare. I fully intend to tell everyone in due time. I’m just not ready yet. Now, would you please drop it? We’ve got work to do.”

And with that, the subject was officially closed.

~~~~~~~

Later that evening as you were relaxing on the couch after dinner, your cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey babe, how are you?”

“I’m good. Long day. How are you, honey?”

“Tired as usual, but otherwise okay. I was calling to see if you might want to meet me for a drink after work tomorrow.”

“I’d love to. Been a long week and I could use it. I miss you, Aaron.”

“I miss you too, baby. So much. I’ll pick you up tomorrow night around 8, okay?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, Aaron. Good night.”

“Sweet dreams dear.”

~~~~~~~

The next night found Aaron at your door at exactly 8. Still wearing his work suit, he hadn’t bothered to change lest he keep you waiting. Damn, he looks good in a suit. You had chosen a knee length fitted black dress and heels.

Looking you up and down with a mischievous smile he says, “ You look stunning as always, darling.”

“Not half bad yourself, Mister.”

He offers his arm and you accept, placing your hand in the crook of his elbow as he leads you to the car. His right hand rests on your left knee the whole ride to the bar, making your heart skip a few beats. The two of you enter, his arm wrapped around your waist and your head on his shoulder.

The two of you are seated quickly and immediately fall into conversation. Eyes locked and holding hands across the table, everything around you seems to disappear. Aaron would never notice that seated just across room was his team, who had apparently had identical plans as you for Friday night.

~~~~~~~

Spotting the two of you from across the room, the team tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

“Is that Hotch?” Morgan asked.

“That’s definitely Hotch,” Rossi said.

“Who’s the babe?” Emily wondered. “She’s gorgeous.”

“Maybe they’re just friends?” suggested Reid.

Shaking her head JJ replied, “Spence there’s NO WAY that’s just friends.”

Dreamy look on her face Garcia mused, “Aren’t they so perfect together?”

Those words caught the attention of the whole team.

“Crap! She exclaimed, lowering her head to her hands. “I did not mean to say that out loud!”

“Woman, I know you are not keeping secrets from me,” says Morgan. “Tell us what you know.”

“Yeah tell us what you know!” Emily and JJ chime in.

“Okay, okay, you got me! Maybe Hotch has been dating my very best friend in the entire world for the past few months and maybe they’re the cutest couple on the face of the planet. And maybe I was definitely not supposed to tell you guys. He’s gonna kill me,” Penelope rambled.

“He’s been seeing someone for months and didn’t tell us?” questioned Reid.

“He said he wanted to wait until the time was right,” Garcia mentions.

“Well she’s gotta meet us sometime and now seems like as good a time as any,” says Morgan. “Let’s go guys.”

~~~~~~~

The two of you are so enamored with each other that it hardly registers when a large group appears to be approaching your table. Then you realized one of them was none other than Penelope Garcia.

“Aaron,” you say nudging his hand and directing his attention “Is that your team heading this way?”

He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Unfortunately yes.”

“Unfortunately?”

“Well a surprise attack isn’t quite what I had in mind for your first meeting and they can be quite a handful.”

When the entourage finally makes it to your table there’s an awkward silence until Garcia speaks up.

“Sir, I am so sorry. Like, SO SO sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to tell them, it just kinda slipped out. And I couldn’t stop them. You know how they are.”

“It’s okay, Penelope,” you reassure. “I’ve heard so much about you all. It’s a pleasure.”

Morgan is the first to introduce himself. Taking your hand he says, “Hello beautiful, it is so nice to meet you. Most people call me Morgan, but YOU can call me Derek.”

Smacking Morgan on the shoulder, JJ butts in. “Hotch I can’t believe you didn’t tell us sooner.”

“Yeah Hotch” says Emily “How could you keep her hidden away from us? You’ve got great taste, she’s hot!”

Reid stands by quietly observing the dynamic between you and Hotch. “I like her,” he says “She makes you smile. You could use more of that in your life.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you,” says Rossi, gloating, “But I knew something was up when he started going home on time and wearing a scarf into the office.”

You glance at Aaron and his face is red as a beet, obviously embarrassed by the onslaught of the group.

Finally able to get a word in edgewise you say, “I’m so flattered. It’s so great to finally meet all of you. You’re like his second family.” Giving Aaron a playful slap on the arm, you admonish him, “Aaron, you should have introduced them to me sooner, they’re amazing!”

“How do you feel about karaoke?” Emily asks.

“Karaoke with you guys? I’d love to.”

“Sorry to break up your date boss, but we’re stealing her,” Emily says, dragging you by the hand.

Watching you from across the room, Aaron had never seen anything so wonderful. You were dancing with Morgan, tipsy singing with Emily and JJ, teaming up with Garcia to force Reid into the spotlight and laughing with Rossi.

You glanced back to the table to catch his eye, and he gives you a loving smile and a wave. This is how things should be. A loving boyfriend and a newfound group of amazing friends.

This life is truly sweeter than fiction.

Tag list: @ange-must-die @agenthotchner @yes-sir-hotchner @hotchner-carisi @hotchners-slut @arganfics @ladyreapermc @dr-reid-ismyspiritanimal @rousethemouse @tgibstan @themanip

[rainy-day-gracie]

Old Friends 1

spencer reid x reader

Chapter 2 has been posted!!

Chapter 1: 

Walking into the BAU on my first day felt like walking into kindergarten on the first day of school. Butterflies filled my stomach, and the elevator felt too small. 

   Walking through the glass doors of the BAU, my first impression was calm. No one seemed to notice my existence, and the large box full of my stuff in my hands. 

    I made a beeline for Agent Hotchner’s office and quickly knocked on the door. “Come in.” 

    “Um, hello, Agent Hotchner-“ 

    He looked up at me from his desk, suddenly realizing who I was. “Ah, yes, Agent YLN. I’ll show you to your desk right away.” He put a reassuring pat on my shoulder before guiding me back down the stairs into the bullpen. 

    “Attention everyone, this is SSA Dr. YFN YLN. She will be joining the team today, and will be with us on future cases.”

    A friendly blonde woman stepped forward and kindly shook my hand after I placed the large box on the empty desk. “I’m SSA Jennifer Jareau, but everyone here just calls me JJ.”

   I smiled nervously. “Very nice to meet you, JJ.”

   I scanned the group of people beginning to get up from their desks. A muscled, dark skinned man. A woman with dark black hair. An older man I recognized as David Rossi. And the person I knew all too well. 

    “Oh, hello, new person!” A voice called from up the stairs. A blonde woman wearing a bright pink dress stood there holding a stack of files. “Hate to interrupt introductions, but we have a case.” 

     The team started filing up the stairs, and a warm hand pulled me aside. 

     “Hey,” Spencer said quietly, as if in a trance. 

     “Hey, Spencer,” I replied. “I would love to catch up later, but we have to get upstairs. Is that cool?” 

      He snapped out of the daze he seemed to be in. “Oh, oh, yeah totally fine.” 

     I laughed quietly as we hurried slightly up the stairs. Same old Spencer. 

  “Four women in Birmingham, Alabama, electrocuted on chain link fences. All married with children, and all of them have lived in Birmingham their whole lives.” The woman in the pink dress I now know as Penelope explained as the images popped up on the screen. 

     “Odd method of death, but very effective. After a certain amount of time of being electrocuted, the heart and body just can’t take the shock anymore and shut down.” Spencer added, talking quickly. 

     “The restraints and clean method of killing suggest an organized killer. Any sign of sexual assault?” I asked Penelope. 

     “None.”

     “A note was left in the last victim’s mouth, however,” Hotchner added. “The note had read, ‘Quite a shock it must be to find out the Earth Mother isn’t so noble’. This taunt leads us to believe the killer isn’t going to stop until we catch him. Wheels up in 20.”

The jet was even nicer than I expected. And so were the people on the jet. 

   “So, we do we make of the message that was left? Is it truly simply a taunt, or does it mean something more?” Morgan asked. 

    “Well, the use of the phrase ‘Earth Mother’ suggests that the killer doesn’t believe the victims are as innocent as everyone claims that they are. The use of the word ‘shock’ means that the killer is most likely deriving pleasure and satisfaction from the electrocution.” Spencer explained, moving his hands animatedly. Same ramblings since college. 

    “Okay, so I know I’m knew here,” I started out. “But could this killer be a woman? The clean murders and organized targets suggest a more feminine killer. The note talking about the Earth Mother could be a jealous way of punishing these mothers for their supposed crimes. Also, there wasn’t any sexual assault.” 

    The team thought for a second. “That fits with the nature of the crimes. I agree with YLN,” Hotchner agreed. 

   “Not bad, newbie,” Morgan chuckled. “What are some other things about you?”

    Oh boy. I had to be careful about this question. Spencer looked down at his case file next to me, trying not to laugh. 

    “Well, I have three PhDs in psychology, sociology, and mathematics, and two BAs in philosophy and linguistics.” Just by looking at the faces of the people around you, they were beyond impressed. “I can speak Latin, French, Spanish, Russian, and obviously English. And I am very grateful to have gotten a job with the BAU.” 

   Everyone was speechless until Rossi piped, “Damn, kid. She could give you a run for your money.”

   Spencer smiled. “Oh, trust me, I know.” Oh god. 

   “What?” JJ questioned. “Do you guys know each other?” 

   Both Spencer and I turned red. “Um, well, we went to college together for a while. Just old friends.” And maybe a little bit more. Just a little bit. 

   “Landing in 10 minutes. And we are very grateful to have you here, Agent YLN,” Hotchner said.

   “Thank you, Agent Hotchner.”

   “Please, call me Hotch.” 

Since I was new to the team and “old friends” with Spencer, we wound up at the Birmingham police station together as a first assignment. 

   While working on the geographic profile and victimology, Spencer spoke up. “So, uh, it’s been a while.”

   I smiled shyly. “Yes it has. You are definitely different than I remember you being in college.” In college he was this scrawny, brainy, awkward sixteen year old, too afraid of girls to talk to the only other person his age on the MIT campus. Until I eventually made him talk because we were both lonely out of our minds. “But I still feel like I know you better than anyone.” 

   He sat casually on the large table we were working at. “That’s probably true, I haven’t really had any relationships since... you.” 

   “Same here, my friend.” 

   Spencer nervously cleared his throat. “I know I haven’t seen you in almost ten years, and I don’t even know how long this case is going to take, but when we get back... do you wanna go out to dinner with me? You know... to catch up?” 

   He may be different but he still has the same awkward charm as in college. I chuckled. “I would love that.” 

   We both smile. “Great... well, it’s a date.” 

Our unsub turns out to be Michelle Collins, a 39 year old woman who had her baby taken away after being declared an unfit mother. 

    “Great, we know who, but we don’t know the where.” Morgan groaned. “Garcia, what’s her work and home addresses?” 

    “Both of which sent to your phones, my loves!” Penelope called over speakerphone. “Be safe!”

     She wasn’t at either address. 

     “If she’s not at either address, then she’s probably with her next victim,” Hotch pointed. “Call Garcia, see if she can find anything.” 

     “Hello, new and the beautiful! What can I do for you?” She called over speakerphone. 

      “Garcia, have there been any reports of a mother being abducted? Most likely in the last hour or so?”

      I heard her typing frantically over the phone. “Yes, Fiona Hillman was abducted twenty minutes ago from a supermarket two blocks from Michelle’s work.”

     Hotch looked at you, Spencer and Prentiss. “We’re closer to where Fiona was abducted. Search the surrounding area until we find Michelle’s car and go on foot from there.” 

      It took all of ten minutes to find her car. Fiona was already tied to the metal fence outside a warehouse, Michelle holding a small revolver to her head.

      “Michelle Collins! FBI!” Spencer yelled across the field to the ware house. 

      “Drop the gun and put your hands on your head!” I called out, making sure to aim my gun as close to her chest as I could get. 

      “Profile says that we can’t talk her down,” Spencer mumbled to me. 

     “No, no, no! You don’t understand! She doesn’t deserve to be a mother!” Michelle screamed frantically, pressing the gun further into Fiona’s temple. “I saw her abuse her poor child! She needs to die!”

     “Michelle, I know that they took your baby away, and I know that you desperately wanted to be the perfect mother, but this is not the way to do it!” I yelled back. 

     “What do you know?” She stepped back from Fiona, switching the aim of her gun to me. “You’re just a-“

    BANG! 

    Shot went right into her shoulder. Spencer fired before I got the chance, both of us running to the two women. Michelle was on the ground, crying hysterically. Fiona was quickly untied from the fence, almost collapsing into my arms while Spencer put pressure on Michelle’s wound. 

    He looked back at me as the medics started flooding the scene. “We make a pretty good team, YFN. I’m really glad you’re here.” 

    I smiled, and Hotch walked up with a pleased expression. “Exceptional work, Agents. Head back to the station and we can head back to DC in a few hours.”

   On the ride back to the station, we were both quiet. “Cases don’t always turn out so good.” Spencer finally said. 

   “Does it ever feel as if you’re stuck?” I asked quietly. “Constantly in this cycle of catching monsters.” 

    Spencer was quiet for a long time before he answered. “It feels like that all the time. But the lives we save makes everything worth it.” 

I sat on the right side of the jet, listening to classical music and staring out the window. I almost didn’t notice Prentiss and JJ sit next to and across from me. 

  “Hey guys, what’s up?” 

  JJ gave me a smile. “What’s up is that Spencer has never been this happy on a case before.” 

  “Is there something you wanna tell us about your “old friend” from college?” Prentiss looked at me expectantly. 

   I chuckled into the book I was reading. “Well- um, I was Spencer’s first real girlfriend. We dated for almost two years when we were at MIT together.”

   “Oh my god, I knew it!” JJ laughed into her hand. “Wait until we tell Garcia. She’s going to lose it.”

   “Does anyone know?” Prentiss whispered, glancing over the plane. Hotch was the only one up, immersed in paperwork. I shook my head, my face bright red. 

   JJ turned to me. “He’s never been this happy on a case before, so whatever effect you have in him is welcome. We’re glad you’re here, YFN.”

   I smiled brightly. “It’s good to be here.” 

Back at Quantico, Spencer ran up to me as I was walking into the elevator. “Hey, um, I know it’s a little late but... are we still on for dinner?” 

  This day just keeps getting better and better. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  The night ended with Spencer’s face covered in ice cream and a peck on his cheek. 

[princess-of-the-corner]

So I totally forgot to drop the fifth part of the Thieves in Time Rewrite months ago. Whoops. 

I think it’s because I wasn’t super happy with it but fuck it. Let’s do this. 

Finally, onto the Thieves in Time Rewrite: Episode 5; It Ends at the Beginning. 

Like Episode 3, I’m replacing the Cooper that they end up with. If y’all have kept up with my old posts, you know what’s coming >:3c

So! Actual story!

The gang lands in this Time but don't know when they are just that they were following anomalies in Time. They start trying to figure out when they are.

Sly's first out of the van, and is looking at a house in a normal neighborhood. However, he immediately recognizes it. This also sends him into a straight up ptsd flashback and he just scrambles back into the van, curled up and hyperventilating. The rest of the gang is confused and trying to calm him down. Completely forgetting about the question of 'when are they', until Murray comments that Sly hasn't had an attack this bad since the early days of the orphanage. Which makes Bently put the pieces together like "oh shit!!"

Right then, they hear a knock on the van door and a voice asking "are you having some car trouble?"

Because sure it's the middle of the night but Conner Cooper is going to notice a van parked in his driveway and come to investigate. 

Conner also eavesdropped a bit before announcing his presence. So he heard them wondering 'when they are', and has already put together that Time Travel is involved, and they're probably not innocent road trippers. But he doesn't know if they're friend or foe. 

Until he looks in the van and sees Sly. Because everything about Sly screams "Cooper", from the outfit to the cane(that he is currently gripping like a lifeline).

However, Conner has yet to pinpoint how far in the future they're from or what triggered Sly's flashback. Still, realizing this is another Cooper and his Gang, he invites them inside. 

It takes a little while because Sly needs to calm down enough, but Conner is patient because he knows what ptsd is like. 

Oddly enough, the one that helps the most is Penelope. Not that the others don't help. But with Carmelita, Sly gets that guilt/shame 'I don't want you to see me like this' feeling. That's less with Bently and Murray since they've seen this before, but since he's known them for so long the flashback memories are melding and mixing in his panicked state, and it's hard to remember that he's here now and not that little kid in the orphanage waking up from a nightmare. 

Penelope, on the other hand, is a newer face that Sly isn't in any way intimate with. Seeing her helps ground him in remembering what's going on and helps pull him out of spiraling memories. 

Sly's panic goes up and down as they enter the house. Seeing the livingroom definitely hits hard. It looks so normal, but it overlaps with his memory of upturned and bloodsoaked furniture. And god he fully freezes as they pass the closet. It gets better once the group enters the dining room. 

At this point, Dahlia, Conner’s wife and Sly’s mom, has come downstairs as well. She was concerned at how long Conner was taking and was fully prepared to throwdown with whoever. Seeing the group though...

Dahlia knows something is up. She has seen enough stuff from her days running with Conner's crew to be used to it. And she's intrigued to see another Cooper. 

But yeah Sly's still in panic and Dahlia's mom instincts kick in and she starts making tea to help calm him. 

Once Sly's calm enough to talk again, they begin to explain why they're here. An enemy is using Time Travel to mess with Cooper history. The gang tracked an anomaly to this Time. They even start discussing the ancestors that they already met. 

Then Conner and Dahlia ask how far in the future they're from, and everyone hesitates, wondering how to break it to them. 

They're sidetracked by a new voice, sleepily asking what's going on. Everyone looks over to see a six-year-old!Sly standing in the doorway, having been woken up by the noise. 

Past!Sly realizes there are five new people and is super excited to meet them!! And asks a million questions! 

It's when Past!Sly gets to Future!Sly that things go a little heartbreaking. The conversation is like:

Past!Sly: "My name's Sly! Are you a Cooper? You look like a Cooper! You're a raccoon and you have the cane and everything! Are you a cousin or something?

Future!Sly: "Actually, I'm from the future! And my name's also Sly!"

Past!Sly: "Wow that's cool! Isn't it cool mom and dad?!"

Future!Sly: "Yeah, mom and dad. Isn't that cool?"

And yeah they don't even have to say it because as soon as both Slys were side-by-side with nearly identical grins… it clicked. 

It takes a little bit to put Past!Sly to bed. Then they go back to talking. 

However, Dahlia realized something. The way Sly had reacted to them, to this house. She knows something happens. And she asks. 

At first, the gang refuses to tell them. Because Timelines. But Conner and Dahlia say that while they're not going down without a fight, they're not going to change it. Just tell them how long. 

Of course once Sly starts confessing to that, pretty much most of the incident gets discussed. Including some things Carmelita and Penelope didn't know about because Sly hadn't felt up to sharing (like, they knew how his parents died but they didn't know Sly was there).

Sly mentions Clockwerk and we hints to things about Clockwerk. Even Conner doesn’t 100% know what’s up with Clockwerk’s hatred of Coopers, as that got lost over time. But he does know that Clockwerk is dangerous and isn’t surprised that’s how he gets killed. 

After that, it turns into recapping everything else in Sly's life. Like how he met the rest of the Gang and all their adventures. Not every detail, but some of the bigger jobs or more fun anecdotes. Or really stupid decisions. And the fact that Sly and Carmelita are planning a wedding and baby is already on the way.

Eventually they get around to what they're supposed to be doing here. Apparently, this is right before Conner pulled that job that Le Paradox's dad was arrested over. 

They assume that Le Paradox is teaming up with his own father and intending to turn the tables on what happened that night, solidifying their legacy and getting Conner arrested. 

Well two can play at that game! They have a whole team to take them on. 

For now they get some sleep because its like 3 am now.

The next day they meet two new people. Alice LaChance and her daughter Daphne, the Cooper's Rabbit neighbors. Sly is hit with nostalgia and a little guilt for kind of forgetting about them because of the trauma and being dumped in an orphanage but you know. Daphne is the same age as Past!Sly and was his best friend back then. Alice was mostly the babysitter when Conner and Dahlia were working, and isn't super involved in the heists, but does have a few tricks up her sleeves. 

The whole group plans and bonds together and goes through all the hoops casing the joint and getting past security and eventually Sly and Conner face off against LeParadox and his father. Obviously they win. 

But there are complications. The changes in the Timeline that LeParadox caused made the cops show up early. The place is surrounded and the usual escape routes are covered. Again, LeParadox wanted to make sure Conner couldn't slip away even if he failed the heist. But that's backfired now. 

They're panicking and trying to think of a plan when Carmelita spies the one leading the arrest. She just laughs at their luck before saying they have a plan. 

The Cooper gang all hide, with only Carmelita and the handcuffed LeParadoxes in plain view for Inspector Diego Fox.

Carmelita explains the truth. That she's his daughter from the future and was chasing a gang of criminals put together by LeParadox. 

But she also tells him that to preserve that future, he has to let the Coopers go. Even emphasizing that without the Coopers, the world would be even more fucked in the future. Also letting a "if you don't help this future exist then you're also erasing your future grandkid" slip in. 

Diego is, understandably, thrown for a loop. But after Carmelita proves she's really who she says she is, he does listen. 

The cop in him really doesn't want to let the Coopers go. But… much like Carmelita, he knows that the world isn't all black and white. If he has to let them go for the greater good, then, well, as far as anyone else will know, only LeParadox Sr. was involved in tonight's heist.

There's no cliffhanger damn it(Other than the potential hints about Clockwerk’s past that could be used for another game)! Everyone goes back to the Future, LeParadox is thrown in jail, much to the super confusion of Carmita's superiors.

The Gang gets back to smaller heists and busts, along with wedding planning and a baby. 

The last thing is an epilogue: Sly reconnecting with Alice and Daphne. 

Alice is still in that same house. Sly takes a quick visit to his old house too. It's abandoned now, and run down. Violent deaths of criminals don't help real estate sales.

Alice is shocked but happy to see Sly. One of the first things she does is apologize though. For not being able to help. Not with the fact that Conner and Dahlia were killed, because she couldn't have done much that night. But for what happened after. 

After that night, when she found out that Sly was spared, she tried to find him. But he was already lost in the system. 

Sly reassures her that it's okay. He knows she tried and honestly, after all the Timeline Shenanigans, he's really come to terms with the fact that despite the bad things in this Timeline, he wouldn't trade it for anything.

The epilogue ends with Alice telling Sly about Daphne and her wife, and Sly inviting all of them to the wedding.

[popculturebuffet]

Reviewcaps: Star Vs: Club Snubbed

Dance week kicks off!  I finally advance in the tomtrospective as Star makes the critical mistake of listening to ponyhead and causes a dad fight that threatens to spill into an international incident unless she and Tom can get along. Tom dosen’t know how to be nice under the cut. 

And we’re back! As I put in my latest amphibia review a combination of a busy few weeks and other things to cover has kept me from doing more reviews, and as such I left this on the backburner. But I decided that just ain’t right so this week, i’m not only bringing back the tomtrospective, but i’m doing a whole bundle of dance themed episodes because as i’ve made clear in the past, and making clear for you I love em. I never went to my own school dances and the one dance I went to for Demolay was fun enough, so that mixed with the shipping, hilariaty and usual good quality brought to these affairs made me want to do a theme week after Owl House last week, but ennui made me reconsider. So now i’m re-reconsidering. Lucky you! With that we can move on.  Unlike the last few tom reviews, this one.. takes place after about 80 pounds of plot have happened, so it’s time for a fuck ton of exposition to refresh your memories:  PREVIOUSLY ON STAR VS:

OH GOD WHY OKAY i GET IT THE GAG’S OVER... MOVING ON TO THE ACTUAL EXPOSITION. YEESH But yeah since we could largely sidestep the main story since tom came in literally before it in season 1 and it was irrelvant to him in season 2, I have a lot to cover.  Over the last two seasons, Toffee, a septarian warrior who assinated moon’s mom despite her almost brokering peace between monsters and mewman when Moon was just a teenager, plotted and schemed to destroy all magic, having star nuke the wand to spilit it in half, manupliating ludo from the inside of his half and then using his new existance as pure magic to slowly destroy it from the inside while using ludo as a puppet when necessary. Meanwhile , Star started to catch feelings for Marco just as Marco was getting somewhere with his crush Jackie Lynn Thomas, who star was being his wing man with unaware of her own feelings. This came to a head when a dance, yes another one, happened where Jackie asked Marco out on their first proper date, Star was jealous but couldn’t figure out why and this distracted her enough to let Ludo sneak in with his army of rats and then take the book.  Stars parents, in a suprising move for her mom more than her dad, accepted what happened and trusted her, though Moon started covertly working to get the book back under the nose of her allies in the magical high comission. Meanwhile Toffee revealed himself, while Star finally did realize her feelings for marco and proceded to supress them.  This all came to a head in the last two episodes of season 2: First Star had her song day, which meant having a song wirtten about her which was honest.. a bit too honest as it revealed her parents hiding the book, leading to the people being upset with our king and queen and the commission understadanbly being pissed Moon didn’t tell them sooner. Oh and the song also, without star’s consent, revealed she’s intrested in marco... right in front of Marco. And this part is actually really important to today’s episode but we’ll get to that.  Star continued to deny having feelings for Marco instead of working through them as the school year ended, while Moon and the comisson lead a raid on the monster castle, which will also be important later, TOffe was headquartered in. Things quickly went pear shaped, with Toffee easily murdering most of the comission, including moon by sucking out their life force to increase his own power, since their all made of magic, and only lekmet, the comisson’s wise sorta leader and team healer, surivived, using the last of his own life force to save moon before ending up as a pile of dust and a horn with Moon quickly escaping with the rest of her allies.. and Toffee omniously saying he was coming for Star and his finger.  Moon naturally panicked and told star they were leaving, possibly forever, for her own saftey, and Star confessed how she felt to Marco.. in front of Jackie> Which is never dealt with even when Jackie comes back. 

Also this confession isn’t dealt with until near the tail fucking end of season 3. God dammit star vs , just god damn. Anyways Moon tried to both hide star and ressurect her commrades, while a miserable Marco headed back to mewnit o find her only to get captured with river when Ludo, under toffe’s advisment, took hte castle.. and not under his advisment destroyed the book and it’s keeper and local asshat glossaryck.  Star eventually said “Fuck that” to “Hide and hope he never finds us” moon learned some lessons about racial tolerance she promptly unlearned next season, and Star dove into her wand with Ludo’s help, as Ludo had started to catch on to the frequent blackouts. Turns out that was toffe’s plan as he apparently kills star, and finished off magic and now restored, just casually walks off after easily taking out star’s allies.. including a greiving moon and marco. Also marco punches a whole in his chest. 

But STar manages to restore magic, unlock her butterfly form and reduce Toffee to a puddle of goo which Ludo finished off.. which also means moon’s attempt to dicker Eclipsa out of freedom just got undone. Yayyyy! I mean oh no.. no no I mean yay. She’s the best part of season 3.  So ALLL of that was to get to the status quo at this point: Marco goes home after a few weeks where again, the confession thing? Never brought up, while Star vows to stay to be a better princess. And yeah this does bring up one of Season 3′s biggest issues as despite Marco having dimensional scissors, the show constnatly acts like he can’t you know visit or vice versa. They just use the other dimension thing as a lazy excuse to write the earth side cast out even though....

I went with a Picard  one because why not. I get it being HARD for either ot make time for the other.. but make that a PLOT POINT instead of saying “oh you have to pick one”. Because it makes no fucking sense. Especially since star can still CALL THEM, so there’s no sense in them being absent from each other’s lives. Just schedule. Jesus. And it only gets WORSE from there.  Yeah see Season 3 is where the quality starts to get... 50/50. And unlike Amphibia where the last few weeks before marcy have been more one mediocre episode and one great episode the qulaity here is more “some great episodes, some utter abominations of episodes that destroy character or any semblance of plot” and some just okay ones too. Thankfully the first few from the season we have to cover for Tom, for the boy, are really good.. but we’ll get into the shit soon enough.. and somebody’s gotta shovel it. And so it might as well be me. But for now instead of shoveling horse crap we’re shoveling giant piles of sugar so pitter patter, let’s get at er, this is club snubbed.  It’s 2017, a winter’s ball and the butterfly family.. is actually not doing great, as most of the other kingdoms seem to view them as week for the whole rat invasion thing.. or at least the spider bites do. Yup this is where we meet the king, queen and daughter penelope. Aka two assholes who are dumb and I hate them and their precious daughter who I hope overthrows them. To thorw back to my loud house reviews, I hate them more than rusty. And look at him. LOOK AT HIM. 

The one in the center. Look at him. LOOK AT HIM.  Okay my irational hatred of the little prick, which isn’t entirely irrational aside the spider bites are rude, condescending, and really need to be overthrown so Penelope can take their throne. I just hate htem.. but unlike Rusty they don’t show up as much and that’s literally all I can say nice about htem. Penelope seems nice and I wish she got more screentime and she has an intresting romance we’ll get into in a few episodes, but  they are just.. their the kind of people you don’t want to be trapped in a room with alone for a prolonged amount of time. The kind of married couple other married couples, I conjecture i’m single and very lonely mind, are awkwardly roped into spending time with and then have to get drunk to ignore them sniping at each other or that ends in a who’s afraid of virginia wolfe situation. Thankfully their barely in this episode I just felt like getting my hate out at them since i’m probably not covering surviving the spider-bites for a while.  Anyways while they snipe at River who fires back “They were really big rats’ and I mean.. who does that.. who comes to someone elses house and tells htem they suck under their breath.. I mean rich assholes obviously, I answered my own question there but at least do it at your own house or on the carraige ride home sheesh. Your lucky river didn’t elbow drop both of you. It’s what you deserved.  Okay enough bitching about this stuff, the asshole kingdom, and penelope, along with all the other kingdoms of mewni are here for the silver bell ball, an annual tradition to reinvgorate the ties between kingdoms. It’s also how star and tom met, and that’s the topic of discussion with Star and her best friend, Pony Head... of the pony heads. Why yes a major chacter on this show is a talking horses head who acts like a mean teenage girl. And why no I have no idea where her species food goes or how she digests it, I frankly don’t want to know. Some things are better left unknown.  Anywho yeah this is my first review with ponyhead in it and she’s a divisive character to say the least. Some hate her , some love her, some REALLY hate her.. me.. I find her 50/50. Sometimes she can be really funny and entertaining and a good counterpoint to star, other time she’s obnoxious and a waste of hte wonderful Jenny Slate’s talents. This time she’s more obnoxious as this entire plot is partly her fault, btu we’ll get to that. We do get her and star scoping out the other royals, though Star’s unintresteds since she knows all of them, and Pony is only intersted because Larry kelpbotom got hot.. just like archie. And he’s got abs, just like archie. Two sentences I never would’ve said for years and years but that’s what Riverdale does to you. Back on topic the two talk Tom’s transparent absence and them having met and ponyhead having predicted drama. the two then horse around a bit before moon dickishly shushes them. Star only goes along with it because she’s trying to be a better princess, hence her staying on mewni at all now the danger’s passed, but yeah... even with moon’s backstory this moment just.. isn’t every plesant. Because while her backstory explains al ot, it dosen’t forgive how she treats star at times, as all star was doing here was being a normal teenage girl and not kicking her door down or anything. Star greets the other princes and princesses, including penelope, all of who I wish had more screentime. “Sigh” It’s then we get TOM. Horay!. And his family! Double horay, Queen Wrathmelor Lucitor and King Dave Lucitor. And yes I love how , just like the prince of the underworld is named Tom, the king, even if by marraige presumibly, is named dave. King Dave. I love it. Dave is a normal sized guy while his wife is giant.. and I can conjecture how they had tom but this isn’t hte place for that. The point is their perfectly lovely people, and I like that they zigged from where they were likelky orignally going with tom having abusive parents. INstead as far as I can figure they merley spoiled him and that combined with growing up in the unusual enviroment of the underworld and their own unresolved anger issues meaning they never thought to teach him how to deal with them properly. More on this later.  Anyways tom is here and in shades, because his parents are good people and River warmly greets the lucitors. IT’s time for the ball to get underway. 

Glad you asked. Basically each prince or princess asks each other prine or princess to dance, until everyone's dance with everyone. Simple. However suprisingly for him, Tom picks princess Jags to dance first. It’s then Pony ruins everything because she’s Ponyhead, and i’ts her special life skill. She tells Star tom’s “Club Snubbing” her... basically showing intrest in other girls to specifically act like he isn’t intrested.. which to be fair....

DOES sound like something Tom would do.. and what Pony’s doing to Larry because she’s a terrible person. It isn’t what he’s doing, we’ll get to the why at the right time, but it’s not unfair of star to suspect that. 

So Star decides to get even, pettily, by dancing with rich and talking him up and each keeps picking the other royals.. which worries dave and river because of course it does. And yeah star is being petty here... but I get it and sympahtise with it. Tom’s pulled some really manipulative shit the last few times he’s been around and she’s likely sick of it. She probably even got second hand sick of hearing what he did to marco. 

So she’s probably just fed up with his bullshit.. and she still DOES think he’s cute, as was made clear by his first proper apperance, she’s just tired of him being a jackass about perusing her when she’s no longer intrested. Which is fair. Tom is trying to be better.. but i’ts understandable why Star thinks he’s just still doing the same old shit just on a diffrent day.  So it comes down to both of htem with Moon hoping star dances with tom.. and naturally, still pissy she dances with Manfried , the butterflies butler, who’se delighted.. a bit too happy.. someone call the police.  Anyways Dave and River start to argue over whose club snubbing who.. as I said Tom has his dad, and his moms but again future episodes, anger. Dave is more controlled because he’s had more life experince but it’s clear enough stress can cause him to snap, as we see here.. he just dosen’t have his son’s demonic powers thank god.. he is clearly built under those robes though.. or at least you know skinny but a bit muscular. I mean otherwise Wrath would be a widow after tom’s conception. 

But tom just.. walks out sadly instead of reacting which further pisses star off and she follows. But this time as i’ve been making clear.. Tom has genuinely changed. He’s NOT doing some creepy scheme to manipulate her into taking him back, he learned from last time.. and from song day. See I told you it was important. He figured she was with Marco now, and isn’t mad as he puts it.. he saw it as a wake up call. She’s not into him and probably won’t be.. granted I thought he’d already learned that lesson, but i’ll let it pass. The point is he decided to give her space by not asking her and would’ve if she asked him. He was genuinely trying to be nice and respectful to her. And here’s where I can finally stop shit talking tom for the most part which thank god. I love the guy, I wouldn’t be retrospectiving him if I didn’t love this character and see him as my own surrogate fictoinal son. But I had to be honest and who Tom is at first, isn’t a good person.. but this episode and others give more weight as to the why, as well as show him genuinely TRYING. He wants to be better he just dosen’t know how... as is highlighed with star not wanting to be ignored, and Tom flipping out in a demonic rage  “I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE NICE, AT LEAST GIVE ME CREDIT FOR TRYING”.  Which is what I put a pen in earlier with his parents; His parents are genuinely nice good people.. but the underworld is a diffrent, dangerous place with diffrent standards. So they likely didn’t realize their son had a troubling anger problem because of that, because a lot of the underworld is wild and vicious, until he started harassing star and doing something that raised a real red flag passed normal underworld standards. The two then quack quack bicker bicker in the sky, with an extra sized extra angry cloudy. CLOUDY YAY.. until a chair passes throught he window.  Our heroes run in to see the dad fight as esccalated to a wrestling match, and is about to esclate to an international incident. Star, seeing this can’t possibly end well, finally asks tom to dance which he agrees to not wanting to see a large bearded man beat up his dad. Probably how Domink Mysterio felt a few weeks ago honestly. And his entire life.  And then we get the dance.. and it’s fucking gorgeous. It’s slow and methodical, with the two at first doing this reluctnatly.. but as it goes on their walls break and the two genuinely have fun and it turns from two exes stiffly doing a dance to keep their dads from killing each other,... to somethin genuinely romantic and visually gorgeous as butterflies and flames errupt from their repsective feet before carrying them into the air and creating a beautiful tornado together. Disney really knows how to do a good dance sequence... maybe not gay representation until last week, and even then they had to be dragged into it more on that another time, but .. damn if they can’t animate pretty. It’s a genuinely beautiful sequence and easily tops the one from Blood Moon Ball.. not an easy feat mind as I say this with no bisas. I may not LIKE starco, at least not without some heavy continuity revisions.. but that dance was objectively good and so’s this one. The two land, moon rings the fucking bell to end things because again sh’es kind of a dick, and Wrathmelor causes earthquakes with her claps and reign of lava mom tearfs. Aww what a sweetheart. 

So Tom asks star for a corn shake, which she accepts, aww and Ponyhead is carried out by an entorauge. Eugh. The two laugh adorably together at her shenanigans, for some reason, to close out the episode.  Final Thoughts: Excellent even better than I remembered.. though it still has one or two problems, like what tom’s really doing being kinda obvious based on his body laungauge and middle part being mildly repeititive. But it’s all overridden by great character work, goregous animation and some neat world building as we meet the rest of mewni , most for the first time. I do genuinely wished they’d done more with them. And honestly.. tom and star are more adorable than I remembered. I think a combinaton of star’s later actions and the fact i wanted my starco dammit and figured tom wouldn’t last, I was mostly wrong as it took almost two full seasons for them to break up and we’ll get to that, so I had no real investment. I was annoyed he was seemingly just being throwni n the way as an obstacle to the main ship hwen they clearly changed their minds and he became more.. and then exactly that later because I can’t have nice things. We’ll get to that. But yeah a solid, enchanting episode and a good start to dance week. If you have a star vs episode you want me to review, just hit me up in akss or subits or comission it directly using those same options, or any other cartoon for that matter and follow me for more reviews as I cover Amphibia every week and will return to regular ducktales coverage at the end of september. Tom will return shortly. Until then stay safe, wear a mask, and later days. 

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Calm before the Storm

@grotesquegabby @post-itpenny

Your characters are pretty much in this fic. uwu There is of course a reason why I asked for names for the Squishies, that which will be written here now. However, this family event will have an unfortunate turn of events...

I just gotta warn you guys that this is pretty long and I mean long, that being because I wanted to include as many interactions/thoughts as possible while adding small hints and details. Also, I apologize if there are any mistakes and such.

“Hi there! I’m so glad you guys could come over!”

“Hello Jelly!”

“You did promise there would be cake.”

“Pepper!”

“Oh shut up Pepper.” Jelly rolled her eyes as she let Pepper, Belinda, and all of their children into her house before they were soon greeted by the others who had already arrived. 

“Besides, why are we even here?” Pepper asked his sister as he stayed behind, watching her close the front door before she gave a slight frown. “I literally just wanted a day with our family and friends idiot.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Are you pregnant again?”

“No!” Jelly exclaimed before Pepper gave a goofy laugh. “I just want a day for family fun. When’s the last time we did that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Exactly.”Jelly made a face at her brother before escorting him to where everybody else was. “Now go greet everybody and then you can get some cake.”

Pepper dd as he was told, going over to the living room as he found his brother, deciding to jump into the conversation being held by Cosmos and a now surprised Cuckoo. Jelly on the other hand, went over to the kitchen where she found Lennie, eating one of the sandwiches previously prepared.

“Pepper and Belinda are here.”

“Oh nice. What about Ace and Ferry?”

“They said they’re on their way. Probably some hold up with the pregnancy.”Jelly shrugged before taking a large platter with sandwiches. “I’m gonna go give these to the younglings.”

“Heheh, okay. I’m gonna go right ahead and be with Billy if you need anything.” Lennie told Jelly before they parted ways, going to where it was they said they would be going. Soon enough, Jelly reached the area where all the children were gathered.

“I brought some sandwiches for you guys.”Jelly announced as she set down the plate, hearing a series of voices speak at once while several hands reached in and before Jelly knew it, all the sandwiches were gone. “Alright. I’ll go get some more.”

“Don’t worry about it mom, we’re saving some space for pizza and burgers.” Ula called out while waving a hand, then turning back to her friends who sat with her. “Anyways, as I was saying, Robyn nearly shit himself when the alien popped out.”

“Who nearly shit themselves?” came Phoebe’s voice as she joined the table, all the older clowns looking at her with wide eyes. Dante even giving a gasp.

“Phoebe!”

“No cursing!”

“Language!”

“Well I’m sorry.”Phoebe shrugged before taking a bite of her sandwich. “Are you guys talking about Dead Space?”

“Yeah. How do you know about that game?” Rayden asked as he took a final sip from his soda can to then crush it at Phoebe’s amazement. 

“I watch my space dad play it late at night when he thinks we’re all asleep.” Phoebe once again shrugged, finishing the rest of her sandwich. “Oh Ula, Atlas is here.”

“Great, where’s he at?” Ula stood up from her chair, her hand being held by Phoebe who lead the way. “I’ll be right back guys, tell Ama I just went to brin Atlas.”

“Got it!”

Phoebe and Ula traveled through the crowd that was their family before reaching the dining room where Atlas was, having a brief conversation with Vespers, Billy, and Lennie.

“Hey there Bambi.”Ula greeted before Atlas smiled at her, embracing her before kissing her forehead. “You’re late.”

“Hey Shortcake.”Atlas shrugged before turning to Phoebe. “Hey there Phoebe.”

“Hi there, Bambi.” she giggled before prancing away to find Rory and Clara, leaving the pair alone as they excused themselves from Ula’s uncles and dad. As they walked through the crowd and towards the table where their friends were, Atlas exclaimed in pain.

“Ow!” he held his cheek, holding and feeling it as he realized there was a wetness to it.

“What is it?”

“A...spitball.”

“What? Where did that come from?” Ula raised an eyebrow in confusion while Atlas scanned the house, shrugging despite very well knowing just where it came from.

“Good shot.”

“How’d you learn to do that?”

“Mom and dad’s friend James has been teaching me how to better my aim.”shared out the voice belonging to Davey as his eyes glared right at Atlas who walked with an arm right around Ula. Ugh. He wanted to do so much right now but, there were too many people, and Ula. 

“Why do you even hate Atlas?” Benjamin turned to his cousin with a plain expression that stared at Davey’s reddened one, having been sitting on one side of him while Harper was on the other.

“He stole my sister, duh.”

“I mean, makes sense.”Harper shrugged, not really knowing what else to say. “Do it again Davey.”

“You don’t even have to tell me.”Davey mumbled out while preparing his next spitball, pointing it at Atlas who was now sitting next to Ula and Ama. Davey got ready and made sure to aim for a spot that wouldn’t be obvious for Ula to know, and so Davey spit before a gasp was heard.

“Davey! Ew! What is this!?”

“Cordie, you made me miss my shot.” Davey frowned deeply as he moved to the side for Cordelia and Penelope were now blocking his view. He huffed as he noticed Atlas and the others stand up from the table before walking out into the backyard.

“I’m gonna tell mom you shot me with a spitball.”

“It wasn’t meant for you though!”

“Then who was it meant for?”

“Uh-”

“Mom!” Cordelia ran away before Davey gave a groan, being watched by his cousins who watched him run after his sister. Harper and Benjamin looked at each other, giving shrugs before they stood up from their seats and went over with their mothers who were having a conversation, even Calliope was there. 

The two sat by them on the couch before being noticed.

“Hi Benji, everything okay?” Belinda asked before Benjamin gave a nod. “Where’s Greta?”

“I haven’t seen her.” Benjamin replied before Maggie asked a similar question to Harper.

“Where’s you sister?”

“She was with Cordelia.”he shrugged, now looking to the side where he saw Cordelia finally reach her mother with Davey right behind, both obviously trying to talk first. “Or she’s with the moth girl.

“Her name is Phoebe, Harper.”Maggie ruffled his hair, then turning to the front door as the bell rang. She turned to the other women as she stood up.

“I’ll be right back, must be Ferry.” she spoke, then walking away as Harper followed behind her. Maggie opened the door and smiled as she caught sight of who was indeed Ferry with Ace besides her, carrying Ally while Bingo and Carney were in front of the couple.

“Hi Maggie!” Ferry exclaimed before hugging Maggie, surprisingly tightly before pulling away. “I’m so happy to see you! Hello Harper!”

“Hi.”Harper plainly replied before Maggie nudged him. “Hi Mrs. Ferry and...Ace.”

“Hi Bird Boy and Bird Mom.” Ace gave a smile as Ally gave a shy wave at the redheads. “Are we the last ones to get here?”

“Uh, I think so. But it doesn’t matter, come on in. Wouldn’t want Ferry standing for so long with that belly.”

“Oh Maggie I’m fine. Already went through it once.”Ferry giggled while rubbing her growing belly, following after Maggie as Ace closed the door behind them. “Where are Jelly and Lennie?”

“Uh, I don’t know.” Maggie shrugged as she didn’t find Jelly anywhere. “Maybe she’s in the backyard with her parents. Wanna check?”

“Oh sure. Ace, I’m going with Maggie, okay?”

“Sure thing.”Ace nodded before the women went their own way, and he looked at Ally who held on tightly to him. “Your friends are over there, wanna go hang out with them?”

Ally gave a nod before being carefully put down, and she walked away towards the group of kids while Ace made his way to the drinks table where he saw Cuckoo.

“Good afternoon Ace, how are things at home?” they asked while sipping on a drink of their own, Ace giving a shrug.

“Pretty great I’d say. It’s just a struggle with Bingo sometimes, and then there’s Ferry with the pregnancy.”

“Oooh I see. Is Bingo displaying said powers once again?”

“Yeah, and...I don’t like ‘em one bit.”Ace confessed before chugging down his drink, Cuckoo watching as they nodded. “It’s almost like...that bitch is back.

“Well, let us focus on the positives.”Cuckoo pat Ace’s shoulder before chuckling. “Ferry and her pregnancy, what if she were to have triplets again?”

Ace choked on air before Cuckoo patted his back once again, giving a small laugh.

“I apologize, I had no intention of startling you.”

“I know, it’s just that...triplets again...that would be...three kids, three babies…” Ace shivered at the thought before grabbing another drink and chugging it down again. “How are your kids and wife?”

“Very well I would say. Rory and Clara have a wonderful friendship with Cosmos and Vespers’ daughter.

“Ally also likes to hang out with her a lot, just how....ugh...she has a crush on Green Goblin’s son.”

“Now that’s a nickname I haven’t heard in a while.” Cuckoo and Ace looked down to see Lennie stand next to them, eating another sandwich before he reached out a hand to Ace which he accepted and shook. “Nice to see ya big guy.”

“You too. Where’s Jells?”

“Getting some stuff ready. Apparently has a surprise.” Lennie shrugged as Cuckoo and Ace turned to each other, then at Lennie. “What?”

“May it be what Pepper suggested was the reason for our being here?” Cuckoo smiled a bit slyly as Lennie looked confused. “Never mind Lennie. Are we to gather somewhere?”

“Yeah just over at the dining table...tables, where she and her parents are serving stuff.” Lennie stated before Cuckoo and Ace followed him into the dining room which was now filled with guests all trying to find their seats. Lennie eventually found his which was right in between Jelly and Ula, but Jelly was still setting things up on the table. He sat down next to Ula who was talking with Davey and Cordelia, telling them to stop arguing, while Lennie watched Jelly as she now stood in front of her seat.

“Hey, what’s with those two empty seats?”whispered Cordelia to Davey before he gave a shrug. It didn’t seem like there was anybody missing, so it didn’t really matter to him.

“Alright, can I have everybody’s attention please?” Jelly’s voice called out as everybody now quieted down, staring at her before she cleared her throat. “I know that there have been certain rumors as to why I asked you to gather here with us.

Lennie noticed as Jelly shot a glance at Pepper who was excitedly breathing something out that was mostly being repeated.

“No, I am not pregnant.”

“Aw shit.” came Pepper’s voice before Belinda nudged him.

“Hunny, there are children here!”

“Language!”

“Come on Ginger Boy!”

“Shoot! I said aw shoot!”

“Anyways.”Jelly continued before looking at everybody else now. “One day while I was traveling through planets, I decided to visit one of my favorite ones which is entirely aquatic. Or at least, that is what is what before my last visit to it. Unfortunately once I got there, I found nothing but dry land and…”

Jelly looked over at Cordelia who stared at her intently, so Jelly decided to change her words to not break her little heart.

“Life had moved on elsewhere, all life but a pair that remained near a puddle. And in this puddle, I found a sack containing eggs. So, I took these eggs so that they wouldn’t be forced to survive alone on a dry planet.” Jelly grinned before reaching into her hair, moving it a bit. “After a while, these eggs thrived and survived here with me and, they hatched into small creatures I like to call Squishies.”

Everybody watched as a tendril poked out from Jelly’s hair, a small blue-ish light emitting before another tendril followed. Soon enough, the body that the tendrils were connected to poked out as Cordelia gave a loud gasp upon seeing the lavender colored creature completely pop out with a chirp.

“Besides the fact that I wanted some family time, I wanted to ask for your guys’ help in naming these little guys.” Jelly chuckled, right before a plethora of more of the creatures came out from her hair and hovered above everybody.

“Mom oh my gosh!” Cordelia exclaimed as she slammed her fists on the table, smiling widely as one of the Squishies approached her face. 

“Just sign the small notecard I’ve placed in front of you and hand it over to whatever Squishie has chosen you, they like to carry things.”Jelly mentioned before looking over at Lennie and their kids.

“Mom, what are these?” Davey asked while looking over the Squishie that was right in front of him, caressing his cheek with one of its tendrils before he carefully poked it. “Can I...hold it?”

“Of course.”Jelly nodded before Davey held out his hands, the Squishie placing itself on his hands before happily chirping. She looked over at Lennie who did the same, smiling at the Squishie before talking to it.

“You...you’re gonna be...Peanut Blobter.”

“This one’s Captain Pinky.” 

“My is gonna be named Alpha Destructor the All Powerful the First! Or, or, or Denizen of all that is Pink!” Cordelia shouted as her sister looked over at her with a laugh. “ Or Denzi for short.”

“Ula, Ula oh my god.” came Ama’s voice before Ula turned to look at her from across the table, watching her best friend contain her gushing over the Squishie floating in front of her. “Ula!”

“What?” Ula laughed, feeling one of the critters seat itself on her head while the one with Ama sat on her shoulder.

“I’m naming it Mr. Squibbles.”Ama bit her lip while glancing at the creature, feeling its tendril on her cheek which made her squeal. “They’re so cute! Aren’t they dad!?”

“They sure are.”Billy agreed while his Squishie sat on his hat, chirping at Billy quite victoriously. “You are a cute one, Jam.”

“Jam and Peanut Butter.~” Maggie chuckled while her Squishie carefully touched one of her feathers in curiosity, then floating over to Harper to do the same which made him back away quite offended yet..he also did find the creature a little cute.

“Those go well with Lennie’s.” they heard Jelly speak as the Squishie now went over to her, affectionately touching her face. “He’s naming his Peanut Blobter.”

Maggie and Billy laughed to themselves before Jelly was on her way to her brothers, first coming across Cosmos and Vespers who had their twins sitting far apart from each other. 

“What names are you guys using?”

“Star Destroyer!”

“Death Star!” suggested the twins with a giggle, Phoebe shaking her head. 

“No! Let’s name it Galaxy!”

“We like our names better.~” the twins giggled again while Cosmos and Vespers shook their heads. 

“Vesp, you come up with something with Orion. I’ll do something with Hunter and Phoebe.”

“Sounds good.”

“From the front side of the table, Lennie watched Jelly as he got an idea that he would suggest to her, so he got down from his chair. While he made his way and ‘Peanut Blobter’ remained on his shoulder, he heard other names come around like ‘Ducky’ and ‘Marshmallow’ and ‘Holly’. He smiled even more when he reached Calliope where Jelly now was.

“These little ones do look quite familiar if I do say so myself. I haven’t seen anything like these in a long time however.”

“Yeah, I mean, the other times I visited their home planet I never saw such a species which surprised me. It must have been how well they camouflaged with certain areas.”

“Well Jelly, I must say that it’s good that you found them, otherwise these creatures would be extinct.”Calliope smiled at the Squishie touching the lines on her mouth. “This makes me rather proud.”

“Aw, thank you Calliope. That means so much.”Jelly grinned before noticing Lennie who was beside her. “Lennie! I see you’ve already taken a liking to Peanut Blobter.”

“I sure have.”Lennie nodded before taking Jelly’s hand, about to open his mouth to speak before they heard the sound of a doorbell. “I’ll get it.”

“I’ll go with you.”Jelly followed Lennie before turning to him. “Were you going to tell me something?”

“Oh yeah, I was gonna say that, since we’ve got all these alien creatures and find a lot more others who need a home, be taken care of, or just be nursed until they’re in health.”Lennie started as Jelly tilted her head. “I thought, we might as well open a facility for alien creatures, where we could do all that stuff for them.”

“Are you...serious?”Jelly stopped walking to turn to Lennie.

“Yeah. We’d love and cherish all the ones we find.”he nodded with a smile, then being startled as he was picked up and felt Jelly smash her lips against his.

“Then yes! Oh, Lennie! That sounds like such a wonderful idea!” she continued kissing him, Lennie laughing as he heard the popping of bubbles all around Jelly meaning she couldn’t control them at the moment. “We could even get a new house! One where-”

“Are you guys okay?” they heard Ula ask, so Jelly stopped kissing Lennie before setting him down as they both turned to look at their daughter. “We can hear you and it sounds like either dad proposed again or you’re actually getting pregnant.”

“Ula!” Jelly pouted before turning back to the door whose bell rang again. “We were just talking about something.”

“Uh huh.”Ula snickered as she walked over to a somewhat flustered Lennie. They then turned to the door that Jelly opened, and a man with black hair and blue eyes stood right in the doorway.

“Mrs. D’Vitt! It is such a pleasure finally meeting you!”

“Um, I’m sorry, who are you?” Jelly asked as her hand was being kissed by the man who Ula recognized.

“Walter? You actually came?”

“Walter?” Lennie asked, remembering just who this was, but his wife nor daughter didn’t know that. This meant that...

“My little brother never mentioned just how beautiful you are!” Walter commented. “My name is Walter Sage, and I’m Schrader’s older brother!

“Schrader?” Jelly’s eyes widened before Walter stepped to the side,  revealing the melancholy figure that turned around to reveal their face. “Schrader!”

“Um, hi...Mrs. D’Vitt.” he quietly greeted before his eyes landed on Ula and Lennie. “Ula. Mr. Blueblood.”

“Schrader.”Lennie nodded before turning to Ula who gave a small wave, and then a smile.

“I’m glad you actually came.”

“You invited him?” Jelly asked in confusion, Ula giving a nod right before her mother turned back to Schrader and engulfed him in a hug, emitting surprise from everybody who saw. “Well, I’m happy.”

“Really?” Schrader looked over at Ula and Lennie who gave a shrug.

“I haven’t seen you in such a long time and I got worried. Despite everything, I’m glad to see that you’re back and safe.” Jelly sighed while Schrader was still very much surprised, but he accepted Jelly’s hug before she pulled herself away to go over to Walter. “Everybody else if over here if you want to follow me.”

“Sounds wonderful!” And so, the parents and Walter walked away as Ula and Schrader were left alone.

“So...why’d you invite me over?” he muttered out before Ulagave a small frown. 

“So you can get out of your house and do something that’s not work. But, also because...we gotta work on this, friendship thing.”

“Right.” And so, the two stayed in place before Ula broke their awkward silence.

“Do you wanna go with everybody now?”

“Oh, um, you know what? I think it’s best that I’m not seen. I’ll stay here.”

“Schrader.”

“Ula.”

“Ray.” Schrader looks at Ula before giving a sigh and then defeated nodded, walking behind her as she took him to the dining room where everybody was still talking whether it be about their own things if not fawning over the Squishies. Once they turned to see Ula however, their voices quieted down when their eyes landed on Schrader. All eyes lingered on him before Jelly cleared her throat, so everybody turned to her.

“Food’s ready! Just pass the food down once you’re done.” she smiled, attempting to lessen the awkward environment, so the guests now focused on the food rather than Schrader who was seated next to Dante. However, there was a pair of green eyes that did not stop staring at him, and they were on the opposite side of the table where Atlas sat.

“What is he doing here?” Ama whispered to herself while glaring at Schrader from afar, though she was heard by Billy who leaned in while keeping an eye on Schrader as well. “After what he did to Ula.”

“I agree Princess. I’m rather miffed at this.”Billy whispered to Ama who was slightly surprised that he heard her, yet she went on toe stare at Ula as Billy did so. “I wonder how she’s doing.”

“Poor Ula…”Ama whispered before she caught sight of her cousin Cordelia, noticing that she was rather happy.

“Oh dear...I wonder how Ula must be feeling.”breathed out Calliope as she carefully cut her food, Cuckoo discreetly glancing over at Ula who was now talking to Ama. 

“Well, she seems rather...well. Though of course, one must not always judge the exterior.”Cuckoo sighed before turning to Rory who sat beside them. “How are you, Rory?”

“Fine,parental unit.” Rory joked to Cuckoo as they cut their food just like their mother. “ How is Miss Ula?”

“I have no exact answer for that.” Cuckoo sighd once more, then focusing on their meal.

“First James, and not this.”Aster frowned before taking a bite of his food, but soon turning to the front where James sat. “No offense.”

“Oh, none taken Mr. D’Vitt.”

“Aster, be nice.” Lydia nudged her husband. “We can’t just judge him like this.”

“Yeah, but, he left my little baby Ula and hurt her. And bad! She cried so much! Not even D’Art could make her smile.” Aster whispered-shouted before Lydia nudged him again. “Even Cordie and Davey were sad.”

“Just eat your food.”

“Ye know,”Robyn spoke as he still had food in his mouth. “If nerd boy wasn’t here and Schrader was still the boyfriend-”

“Finish eating whatever is in your mouth.”Rayden smacked his arm, then motioning to Schrader who was just across from them. “Besides, we don’t want him or nerd boy hearing this.”

“Yeah, but know as well as I do that Schrader-”

“Boys, you’re not eating with food in your mouth, are you?” came Jelly’s voice which made the twins shut their mouths, shaking their heads. “Do you guys want some more?”

“Is there any more?”

“Of course, just ask Phoebe to pass down the food.” Jelly smiled before heading over to Schrader who had been having a conversation with Dante and his brother. “Schrader, you haven’t gotten any food.”

“Oh, I, I’m not very hungry Mrs. D’Vitt. I’m sorry.”

“What a, liar!”Walter chuckled before grabbing Schrader’s plate to serve some food on there. “He’s just being shy!”

“Walter-”

“We came straight from the diner and knowing him, he hasn’t eaten anything.” Walter shrugged as he now filled Schrader’s plate. “And Mrs. D’Vitt, everything is so delicious! Might I ask what these floating critters are?”

“Oh! These are my Squishies which I introduced before you guys arrived.”Jelly reached a hand out as one of the Squishies landed on her hand. “Oh, that’s strange. This one doesn’t have a nametag.”

“What does that mean?”

“You two get name this one!” Jelly exclaimed before handing it over to Schrader who took it in his hands, feeling its tendrils wrap onto some of his fingers. “While you two finish up, most of us are going to the living room and such, alright?”

“Alright, thank you Mrs. D’Vitt.” Walter winked at Jelly who, just like most of the others, stood up from the table to put their dishes in the kitchen and scattered around the house. “What are you naming it?”

“What?”

“What are you going to name it?”

“Nothing. I thought you would do that.”

“Schrader don’t be rude and name the Squishie.” Walter stared at his brother who sighed and glanced at the tiny alien who chirped at him.

“This one looks like...a Berry...Chuck Berry.”

_____________

“So, how’s the band been?” Schrader asked Dante as they both drank from soda cans.

“We’ve been doing great, did a gig the other night and people loved us.”Dante shrugged, then giving a sad smile. “But...it’s not the same without you dude. We need you back.”

“Bogus.”

“But we do! Besides Ula, you were the backbone of Cin-O-Surre! Nobody could make their fingers dance on a guitar like you.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve been handling that pretty well.” Schrader shook his head. Dante gave a sigh with another shrug before he looked behind Schrader. 

“You’ve got company. Turn around but don’t make it obvious.

Schrader pretended to stretch, even giving a slight turn as he noticed Ula who was accompanied by Atlas.

“Fucking great.” Schrader quietly groaned as he now face Dante. “They’re coming this way, huh?”

“Yup.”

“Schrader?” Ula called him, Dante and Schrader turning to look at her while crushing his soda can.

“Yeah?”

“I want you to meet…”Ula turned to Atlas who found it hard to look at Schrader. “Atlas. Atlas, this is Schrader as you’ve heard before.”

“It’s, nice to meet you.”Atlas finally spoke up as he offered a hand to Schrader. Schrader glanced at it before looking Atlas in the eyes, hesitating but still accepting his hand. This being especially for all the eyes he knew were staring at them, and because he didn't want to let Ula down as she stood right beside them.

Atlas let out the breath he had been holding in, shaking Schrader’s had that felt rather rough as he had a tight grip. It felt rather familiar if he was being honest, like he had shaken hands with him prior to this meeting.

“Ditto.”Schrader nodded before retrieving his hand. Atlas gave a nod as Schrader just stared at him, a stoic expression that once again made him think of something else. “There something on my face?”

“Oh, no. Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” Atlas coughed before turning to Ula.

“Uh, I think Robyn and Rayden are calling me.”Dante coughed as well, then leaving to said twins as the pair and Schrader now stood alone.

“So, how’s it been, settling back in?”

“Good. How’s it been coming back from traveling with your grandfather?” 

“Good. Seeing all my family and friends is cool.”

“Cool.”

“Oh shit.”Ula whispered as she heard a loud laugh. “I’m going to have to leave you guys for a bit. Cordelia is taking the fish out for the Squishies to see.”

“Alright, see ya.” Atlas watched Ula go before he was struck with the realization that he was now stuck alone with Schrader, who seemed a tad bit off. “Are you, okay?”

“Yeah.” Schrader let out a deep breath, taking a few glances to the sides as he knew guests were still staring at them.

“I’ve heard that you used to be a part of the band with Ula and the guys. How’s that going?”

“I don’t know, I’m not rejoining it.”

“Oh...well, what did you do in the band?”

“Basists, backing vocalist, backup for any instrument, and songwriter.” Schrader placed his crushed soda can in a recycling bin before cracking his knuckles. “You play anything?”

“Well, uh-”

“Schrader!” a voice exclaimed, causing Atlas and Schrader to look to the side before the latter was tackled by somebody who now clung onto him. “Schrader! Don’t ever do that again!”

“Hi Cordelia.”Schrader chuckle as he felt the girl tightly hug him.

“I missed you so much Schrader! You, you big dummy!” Cordelia made a pouty face once pulling herself away, then noticing Atlas. “Oh hi Atlas.”

“Hi Corde-”

“Schrader, we have to go hang out some time! Like, like maybe go to the carnival together again where we ca win lots of toys!”

“That sounds like a great idea, Viking Princess.”Schrader ruffled Cordelia’s hair before she went in for another hug, Schrader feeling that one as well as the one on his legs which made him look down to see Phoebe.

“I missed you Schrader!”

“You also knew him?”Atlas watched Phoebe who gave a nod, and soon Atlas saw the others children who watched Schrader be hugged by the two girls, mostly likely waiting to have a turn as well. So he could tell this guy was great with kids.

However, there was one child who remained close yet far enough to watch with a glare, and it sure wasn’t Carney who disliked Schrader. Instead, it was a blonde sailor, trying to contain his anger in as he sat alone.

“I thought you would be with Ben or Harper.” he heard somebody say to him, Davey turning to see his older sister who pat his head. “Why are you here all alone?”

“Why is he here?” Davey asked, motioning to Schrader who was now carrying Ally and Bingo at the same time.

“Well, because I want things to be better in between us.”

“He hurt you Ula.”

“And James hurt mom, but they’re really good friends now.”Ula shrugged, feeling as Davey now grabbed her wrist. “What is it?”

“Stay with me.”

“Davey, you know I would, but I gotta take all those kids off of Schrader and make sure he’s feeling okay.” Ula kissed Davey’s forehead. “But, I’ll be back, okay?”

“Okay.” Davey nodded, watching as his sister head towards Schrader. Davey then gave a deep frown, he wanted that idiot away from his sister, so far away...and that’s when he thought of something. Making sure nobody saw him, Davey sneaked away to the hallway before finding Ula’s bedroom door. He reached up, grabbing the doorknob before giving a sigh.

“I’m sorry Ula, but this is for your own good.”

_____________

“Alright alright, let Schrader take a break from being a monkey bar. He’s tired you know.” Ula chuckled at the children in front of her and Schrader, and he softly an gratefully smiled right at her.

“Whoa! What’s Mana doing here!?” Phoebe gasped in delight.

“What?” Ula’s eyes widened before she turned around, hearing a series of barks as she saw her cat Samhain dash through the living room, being followed by a joyous Mana who was followed by his puppies. “Mana! Puppies! Oh no!”

Ula panicked, rushing to grab the axolotls who attempted to go after the terrified Samhain. Dante grabbed Mana, while the twins and Ama helped to grab some of the puppies. Vespers was eventually the one who was able to grab Samhain, handing him over to Ula before she told her friends to put the axolotls in her room where she would go after calming down Samhain in Cordelia’s room.

Schrader took a few steps towards the commotion, intending on helping Ula gather everybody up, but he instead felt a hand grab his wrist and forcefully pull him away. He was made to lean down before his blue eyes looked into green ones as he was now face to face with who he could tell was Ula’s brother.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“Davey? What-”

“Listen up Sage!”Davey shut him up as Schrader stared at him in surprise. “I want you to stay away from Ula, far away from her! Heck, go back to where you left to! Just leave my sister alone! We don’t want you here, I don’t want you here, Cordelia doesn’t want you here, Ula doesn’t want you here!”

Davey dug his claws into Schrader’s jacket, digging them so harshly to the point of actually drawing some blood from his shoulders where he held onto to make sure Schrader wouldn’t leave.

“Davey, relax-”

“No! Don’t you dare tell me to relax you big idiot!” Davey now yelled at Schrader before pulling hi even closer, gritting his teeth at him. “You left us! You left me and my sisters and my parents! You left everybody! Even your own brother! You left us and you left Ula like she was nothing to you! You betrayed her!”

Davey huffed to himself as he couldn’t contain any of his anger anymore,

“I don’t know why you left! And I don’t care why you left! All that matters is that you betrayed my trust and hurt my sister! You hurt Ula! You don’t deserve to be here, let alone in her presence! We don’t want you here!”Davey snarled as he now shoved Schrader away, the young man standing straight while still looking at Davey who pointed at him accusingly. “Go away Schrader! Stay away from us and especially Ula! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! And I hope that Ula comes to her senses and hates you too!”

Finally, Davey stopped as he shook with fury and clenched his fists while trying to steady his breath. As he had now stopped yelling, he realized that everything was quiet. He looked around and saw everybody staring at him. The guests had either expressions of shock or looked at Davey in disappointment if not anger. It was an awful feeling, yes, but Davey felt a sharp twinge of pain once his eyes landed on an angry expression he never believed would be directed at him.

Ula’s.

Davey looked back at Schrader who was still surprised and in disbelief of what had just happened, so the sailor clenched his fists before running away into the hallway as a door was opened and slammed shut.

There were a few quiet murmurs in between everybody as Lennie and Jelly turned to each other, then walking through the hallway to Davey’s room. Ula turned to look at Schrader who shut his eyes to open them and make a turn, walking to the front door which he opened before walking out. Ula went after him, not noticing her friends nor Atlas try to go after her as well.

“Schrader! Schrader come back!” Ula called after him as her heels clicked on the ground, Schrader shaking his head while he continued walking away until reaching his motorcycle. “Schrader, I’m so sorry, I-”

“No, Ula. I’m sorry.”Schrader interrupted in a rather upset tone. “I’m sorry for coming to your little family jamboree. I knew I shouldn’t have come to this, I knew it was a bad idea.”

“But Schrader-”

“Ula, just...stop. There’s no point in me staying here if your brother wants me out and yelled everything right at my face.”Schrader shook his head again. “I’d much rather leave than stay in the same place where I’m hated by everybody there.”

“They don’t hate you!”

“Really, Ula? Is that what you call it? Staring at me, watching every move I make while glancing at you to see if you’re fine with it or not? Judging what I did? Everyone in there hates me! And your brother was right, I’m not wanted anywhere!”

“That’s not true!”

“Yes it is! Now stop pretending that this is your Wonderland where we can all be happy and go back as if things were normal! You and I, we can’t be friends. I especially can’t be your friend if I see deer boy following you around like he’s some lost puppy.”Schrader started his motorcycle before turning to Ula. “I’m sorry Ula, but I’m leaving. And for your and your family’s sake, I hope that it’s for good.”

Ula stood alone on the street, watching as Schrader gave her one last glance before riding his motorcycle down the street until it was out of sight. She was at a loss for words, not knowing how to react next before she slightly jumped, being startled by a hand placed on her shoulder. She looked and saw Atlas, right before she moved his hand away.

“I’m sorry, but I want to be left alone.” she walked past him, then glancing back at her house where she saw her friends watch her worriedly. However, her eyes darted to a window where there was a light illuminated, and she saw the figure that belonged to Davey, looking at her from afar. In response, Ula furrowed her eyebrows and shot a glare at her brother, then turning away before she was submerged in bubbles and disappeared, teleporting away.

[ionlydatesassyelves]

Inkling Origins

So here's a maybe not so quick drabble on the Inklings.

I’ll put it under a read more if you’re interested, but it touches on Dimentio’s past, his and Abscuro’s race, and what that has to do with various mario characters / events / artifacts / lore. 

The Inklings are a race I invented with the intent of giving Dimentio a source that he came from, a culture and upbringing and history that would offer us a further insight into his behavior and actions. I wanted him to belong to a group, but I also liked the idea of him standing out as unique and alone like the other minions of Bleck tend to. There aren't any other Dimentios out there.

So the story of the Inklings begins several thousand years before the events we see in Super Paper Mario. They originated as a part of the Ancients, who are credited with the creation of the Purity Heart and Light Prognosticus, further down the road. They were ruled by a monarchy, for most of the known history this ruler was The Shadow Queen. She and her advisers worked tirelessly through alliances with other kingdoms and dabbling in dangerous and experimental magic in order to strengthen the kingdom and grow it stronger. Publicly, the Shadow Queen was praised for her innovation as she sought to use dying souls as a fuel for stronger magical machines. More quietly, an underground rebellion began to stir among the Ancients, doubting the Shadow Queen's method and fearful that no good could come of this magic. They weren't wrong--several thousand years later, it would lead to the Pixl War.

Dimentio and his sister Miinyx were two of several leaders of this rebellion, following in the footsteps of their parents who had been executed long ago for conspiring against the crown. They grew up obsessed with the idea of freedom, a world unlike their current kingdom that would allow them to be more at peace, or perhaps end up in charge, and they became more and more willing to do outrageous things to achieve that goal. Dimentio and Miinyx served as performers in the royal court to act as a inside spies for the rebellion. He didn't realize how many lucky breaks and narrow escapes of his were due to the Queen's only son, Abscuro, growing a crush on Dimentio from a distance.

A large group of the rebellions leaders, Dimentio included, were discovered and imprisoned, set to be executed for threatening the crown and to be made an example of in hopes of squashing out the rest of the rebellion. Before that night arrived, Abscuro snuck down to Dimentio in the dungeons and offered to spare Dimentio's life. He could pose as Abscuro's loyal and trusted servant, and secretly rebuild the rebellion right under the Shadow Queen's nose.

See, the Shadow Queen's methods had recently come under such attack because she had begun to seek a greater and greater power source. A treaty has been discussed with the smaller and weaker human kingdom. The intermingling of cultures could be advantageous, both to the humans struggle for survival and the Queen's ambition for a greater source of power. But some Ancients feared the humans could take their secrets and turn on them. They began looking to solidify the treaty with a marriage, and Abscuro had been hoping that the rebellion might succeed in getting his mother off the throne so that he could weasel out of his engagement to the human princess.

Backed into a corner with his life on the line, Dimentio didn't have much of a choice besides accepting.

Surprisingly, he and Abscuro got along rather well together, and they quickly became closer than initially intended. The two were joined at the hip, but no one dared to question the dangerous prince and his odd taste in company.

Dimentio rethought his strategy, realized that emptying the throne was pointless, if he could put a loyal companion on the throne instead. He kept the rebellion stirred against the queen, but aimed to play Abscuro as naive and innocent in his mother's demise. To do this, he had to paint the upcoming marriage as a happy event and a willing couple.

Princess Penelope was difficult to reason with. She had become less and less concerned with her kingdom, hate and bitterness brewing in her heart as she was selected from her many siblings and forced into a marriage she didn't want to a man she could not stand. Dimentio sympathized with her, but convinced Penelope that he could get her the power to take over and do as she pleased if she'd only play along. She was wary to accept, but once she and Abscuro began scheming for the same cause instead of wasting breath fighting with each other, they discovered they had much more in common than they thought. They became a terrifying power couple, effortlessly winning the Queen's approval in their sudden compliance, and also winning the approval of the rebellion as suitable replacements for her majesty.

As they carefully played their dangerous political game, Dimentio, Abscuro, and Penelope developed an awkward three-way relationship. They didn't discuss it among themselves any more than they made it publicly known. But people became quietly aware of the power couple's dynamic, and Dimentio silently earned an immunity to practically everything. No one was sure why Dimentio was with them so often or spoke to them so closely, but the prince and princess encouraged it where they'd murdered for a lesser offense. Everyone was afraid to question his presence. For some time, their situation was odd, but it worked, and they each couldn't have been more happy with it.

It doesn't last. It's Penelope that discovers Abscuro isn't capable of as deep and sincere a love as she and Dimentio are. They've been going on as if they've moved on from head games and politics, and once all this trouble is put behind them they could relax and be happy together. To Abscuro, Penelope and Dimentio are just more pieces in his game of chess. Treasured, lovely, and unique pieces, but nothing more than idle toys for him to play with. Penelope finds her old anger again, furious at Abscuro for failing to listen to her reason, and furious at herself for lowering her defenses and being deceived.

Penelope fights with Abscuro often afterwards, angry and bitter and grieving that she fell for him and believed for an instant he had returned it. She vents her frustrations often to Dimentio when they find time alone, but he doesn't ever seem to fully grasp how horrifyingly detached Abscuro is from everything, and it only ends up making her more upset. When Dimentio won't listen, she throws a tantrum and fights with Abscuro again, trying to convince him to feel the same as them. To feel ANYTHING to indicate he's capable of it. But the idea is totally lost on him, Penelope has fallen for a lie, for an elaborate story Dimentio has woven for the rest of the kingdom. He crushes her hopes again and again until eventually, Penelope's heart breaks.

Literally, it breaks.

In the middle of a fight, Penelope falls to the floor, clutching her chest and coughing up blackness. Desperate and confused, she begs Abscuro to help her, but if Abscuro inherited anything from his mother, it was her morbid curiosity. He grows fixated with the darkness he can feel pooling in her chest, her grief and anger, the strength of a desperately unrequited love overwhelming her.

He tears the heart out of her chest. The Chaos Heart. Black and bleeding and beating still.

Penelope is quiet after that, in a very haunting sort of way. In a way that makes her seem more like a moving doll than a person, in a way that makes those close to her risk her wrath to ask if she's feeling alright. She always claims that she's fine, but her voice has gone dull and empty. Abscuro doesn't seem to notice the change. If anything, he's more affectionate with Penelope than he's previously been, doting on her constantly and hardly leaving her side. Dimentio, for the first time worries, obviously knowing that something is wrong, and growing more stressed when Penelope pushes him into the group of people she brushes off with no explanation when asked what's troubling her.

Abscuro reveals the heart to Dimentio one night, separated from Penelope and magically hidden from prying eyes. It bleeds her grief still, and it swallows up the anger and grief and chaos of a kingdom quietly at war with itself under a tyrant like the Shadow Queen. It's a marvelous breakthrough, it's everything the Queen and her advisers have been seeking so far. Dimentio feels like he wants to be sick. He had never imagined, after years of their elaborate theatrics and scheming together, that Abscuro would turn on Penelope in such a horrendous way.

He wonders quietly if he's going to be next.

So after what happens to Penny, her parents put a stop to the whole wedding thing. They send Penny off to several kingdoms and then several dimensions, to powerful sorcerers, to new homes of different cultures, to anything that might stir her heart and put her back the way she was. They're aware that she isn't herself, but refer to it consistently as a sort of sickness she took on. They don't know that she's empty, walking around without her heart. No one knows what's actually wrong with Penelope.

No one but Abscuro and Dimentio. When the human kingdom backs out of both the marriage and the alliance, their goals are met, but the Shadow Queen is still on the throne and now she's angry at the loss of power she had been counting on. She turns her rage to her own kingdom, getting innocents hurt and slaughtered by the thousands as she sends her armies to weed out the rebellion and any sympathizers they might find.

Grief and chaos flood the kingdom, and Abscuro figures out how to let Penelope's heart feed on it. It grows stronger, darker, more dangerous with every passing day. He begins to learn the intricacies behind it, what exactly it could one day be capable of. He couldn't be more thrilled, but Dimentio is horrified. He knows the origins of that heart, and as sweet and loving as Abscuro is to him, Dimentio can't help but feel like he's being lured into a trap.

Abscuro can't get away with this forever, though, and he's found out. Queen Jaydes discovers the kingdom's long history meddling with souls that should have passed peacefully on to the afterlife, and were instead used in black magic and the building of insane machines. She uproots and destroys most of their research, hiding away what else is left. The Shadow Queen and all her followers, she wipes from existence -- using the small and growing Chaos Heart she has discovered Abscuro hiding. The Queen, Abscuro, and all their loyalists, are split from the original Tribe of the Ancients, and tucked away in a pocket dimension that is cut off from the rest of reality. By all accounts of history and laws of physics, they do not exist. They become withered in their forms, until they are nothing but names and hazy memories of who they once were, if even that much is left, and come to call themselves as they are now Inklings.

The Inklings, in their new forms, can't hold up in the other dimensions. It is possible, via long and widespread studies of dimensional magic, to slip from their world into others, and to more beyond that. However, it isn't possible to stay. Without anyone who knows their name and their story and acknowledges them as real, it isn't possible for them to maintain their own independent physical form. They end up withering away and not just dying, but vanishing completely, no trace of them in any world, even the Inklings kingdom. Some Inklings, over time, find two workarounds to this. It is possible to CONVINCE other worlds that they exist, spread their own name and their own story enough that people believe in them as something that is real, and that memory and belief in them will be enough to tether them to reality. This method can be unreliable, as it renders them helpless and quickly fading if they ever find their stories forgotten, but this is the method that the Shadow Sirens and the Shadow Queen herself will eventually use in an attempt to cross over. After the events of thousand year door, the Shadow Sirens are safe to dwell in the world and not stress being forgotten.

The other method involves overtaking someone else's form and using it as a vessel to carry your body. This is a safer and more long-term solution, as it is basically taking someone else's existence for your own, rather than having to build up the image of existence from scratch when you have almost nothing to work with. However, it comes with it's own risks. Choosing something like a still object as a vessel will not allow the Inkling any free movement or thought, and greatly restricts their influence on the world around them--not much of a life more than they've had. Choosing something more akin to the form they used to have as an Ancient, however, will require them to possess another sentient being. This typically leads to the Inkling's soul merging with whatever soul originally inhabited their vessel. This makes a mess of a person, usually causing monstrous splinters in personality that can manifest physically. Dimentio's older sister, Miinyx, attempted this method when she merged with the slain Pixl Queen in a desperate grab for power in this dimension. Eventually, their minds warped together and they manged to settle on a stable enough form that we now know as Mimi.

Dimentio tried a bit more clever way to cheat the system entirely. Abscuro sent him across dimensions with instruction to inhabit a vessel and build Abscuro's name again, the same way the Shadow Sirens fool an entire army into resurrecting their Queen. He sends Dimentio with an enchanted book that will allow them to send messages back and forth across the dimensional barrier.

We will later know this book as the Dark Prognosticus. Dimentio knows it's Abscuro writing out these cryptic instructions and persuading fools to gather up armies and summon his Chaos Heart to end everything like Jaydes ended his kingdom, but to anyone who picks it up, the book reads like an ancient prophecy. It will lead to the Pixl building, uprising, and war, the Tribe of Darkness splitting from the Tribe of Ancients, and the eventual events of Super Paper Mario, each following Abscuro's instruction blindly as he tries to find the Chaos Heart.

So Dimentio had no hand in writing any of those prophecies, which is why he's confused or surprised sometimes when the Count quotes a new passage in the book. (also, Abscuro writing in real time accounts for the Count continuously "turning to a new page of dark prophecy" and waiting for a new passage to reveal itself) But, if historians were to trace back the passing of the book to find its author, Dimentio is as far back as we are able to trace, because beyond him is Abscuro, who does not exist according to present timeline, which leads to the rumor that Dimentio was the book's author.

Dimentio doesn't want any hand in the book whatsoever, though. The moment he gets safely across dimensional borders, he works his way straight down to Queen Jaydes and hands over the book. He reveals what Abscuro's scheme is to get the Chaos Heart back, and convinces Jaydes to hide the book and seal the Heart somewhere safe (since Abscuro has enchanted them to hell and back so neither can be efficiently destroyed). Jaydes agrees, and in return, she grants Dimentio's request for a vessel that will allow him to freely retain his own form and live quietly in these worlds -- which is how he gets his mask. He's the only Inkling that can exist fully as himself, even if no one on any world knew anything about him.

It doesn't take long for Abscuro to catch on via sending spies or even eavesdropping somehow through the book that Dimentio has abandoned him, and he is NOT HAPPY. There's a reason Bleck finds such insanely specific passages that persuade him to trust Dimentio even when he very explicitly does not want to. Dimentio is eager to get his hands on the book when he finds it in the Count's possession because he knows Abscuro is up to bad shit if some rogue villain has it, and sure enough it doesn't take Bleck long to uncover Abscuro's heart at last -- summoning it with the wedding of a fair princess and a furious monster, a mimicry of what Penelope's own wedding would have been.

Dimentio knows Abscuro is baiting him, but he plays along, hoping he can somehow take Penelope's heart and restore her. He works with Abscuro to find the heart a suitable vessel -- Luigi -- and Dimentio micromanages both sides of the "prophecy" so that Abscuro's plan plays out exactly as they hoped it would. Dimentio is hoping to betray not only the Count, but Abscuro as well. Abscuro wants Dimentio to bring the heart back home to him, so he can reverse what Jaydes did to the Inklings, or at least drag everyone else down with them. Dimentio has watched countless Inklings wither in reality, and he knows now it's possible for them to be ended once and for all, not even appearing in any sort of afterlife. He wants to push things a step further than Jaydes did and get rid of everything -- especially the Inklings -- and create for himself a safe haven where Abscuro can no longer reach him, where he doesn't have to pretend and bow to unworthy masters for his own survival anymore.

Obviously, it doesn't work. The Heart is quieted once more, but we can safely assume that if the Pure Hearts were re-summoned in the middle of battle, and still appear post-game in all the pillars in Flipside, they don't just vanish or stop existing. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If the Pure Hearts exist post-game, so does the Chaos Heart. It's just been sealed away again, tucked somewhere safe and out of reach.