#everyone did an awesome job w their pieces :D

[soldierkitten]

my drawing for @coloringwithhermits zine!! please check out the rest of the zine here!

[charlie-and-yoshi-rp-hell]

Episode 49

So it´s been 5 years since I last posted here. I´m honest, I forgot about it. I was busy, life was hectic, I lost two family members, both rather suddenly. But I´m doing fine - I got my MSc in biology, and will start a new job in ca. 2 weeks in a very interesting lab! I´ll post new episodes as often as I can. Not too much of the old MSA RP is left anyway.

Thank you for everyone still reading and following. I appreciate it. Really <3

-Yoshi

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Yoshi Raven: "Of course! You don´t have to ask that!" he squealed, grinning at Lewis while he gave Gear small pieces of his food.

"But since Vivi takes care of new missions we have to ask her if we really have a free day. Vivi!! Breakfast is ready and I´ll eat it without you!!" Arthur called, knowing she´d give him a scary glare at this. He pushed her plate away from his own, just to make sure she wouldn´t bite his hand.

Charlie McCarthey: "Here comes the blue blur now--followed by her second-in-paw, the white blur." Lewis joked as he watched the two careen around the corner and flop into their seats eagerly. They dug in, but not before Vivi noticed Lewis and brightened up.

"You look awesome, Lew--how do you feel?" She asked gently.

"Pretty good. We wanted to know if today wss a day off or if we need to go anywhere."

"Hm, well, come to think of it I did take a case a few days ago--with the two Lewis' I had to put it on hold. The owner was a really nice guy, he let us put the case off for a few days. The sooner we get started the better."

Yoshi Raven: Arthur giggled at the two racing in. He had already finished his last pancake and saw that Vivi and Mystery had eaten half of them. Within seconds. Unbelievable.

"What kind of case is it? A non-dangerous one I hope."

A small case would be nice - especially because Lewis still needed some more rest and a big fight would be bad for him.

Charlie McCarthey: "You know, I think it will be? To be honest, from what he told me over the phone, I think it's just a low level poltergiest? We're in luck--its haunting in a bar. You know what that means."

"Poltergiests can be mistaken for demonic haunts--IF they're sorrounded by negative energy." Lewis nodded. "But, if you're in a bar, chances out you're going out to have a good time."

"Exactly! So he's just sounds like a mischievous one if you ask me."

Yoshi Raven: "Oh that´s good. Maybe that ghost is just bored and likes playing pranks on people. But as long as we can help without fighting, everything will be fine."

Arthur stretched his arms and gently put Gear from his lap, then got up and put his plate in the sink.

"Actually I´m really looking forward for this mission. Getting some work done, you know. When can we leave?" he asked, looking at Vivi and Mystery with a small grin.

Charlie McCarthey: "It's three hours out, and when I asked when he wanted us to investigate he said we could do it during open hours. The ghost seems to be most active around people--another poltergiest motive."

"They do like attention." Lewis mused as he flicked his wrist,, shooing some Deadbeats away absently as he stood up too.

"If we leave in about an hour, we should get there by 3, 4 at the latest. Everyone okay with that?" Vivi checked.

"I'm good."

Yoshi Raven: "Yep, me too. I´ll check on the van until then."

He walked over to Vivi and Mystery and patted both their heads. "Don´t eat all of our food until then." Arthur mocked and quickly moved away from her tickle attack, heading towards the door.

"Lew, you coming with me?" he asked, smiling at him.

Charlie McCarthey: "Coming!" The ghost practically trilled, floating after him.

"You haven't worked on your baby in a while." He realized quietly when he saw the van sitting in its spot. He frowned a little, shifting through the memories he had to see if he--or his ghost half--was to blame.

Yoshi Raven: "I know but I have been busy in the last few days" he purred and tousled his hair.

"Besides, there was no mission where we had to drive that far away for a long time. I prefer checking before long road trips, there´s no need for a check every time we drive."

Arthur opened he engine bay and inspected it. He was quiet for a while, then grabbed a wrench and worked on some parts.

"By the way ghosts... I think I haven´t told you yet, but I was taking notes. You know, about... you. Me. Us. Our relationship. I guess this might be helpful one day. And I thought about a new spell for you... not sure if this will work, though."

Charlie McCarthey: "Yeah?" Lewis had been floating up on the roof, his arms behind his head and legs crossed as he hovered lazily in place. But at Arthur's words he sat up and shifted down, giving Arthur his attention.

"What did you have in mind?"

Yoshi Raven: "You know... I had the idea some time after that last cult incidence. I never expected that our bond could break for a while because of a high stress level." he mumbled and closed the engine bay, then leaned against the van.

"You can´t change into your Ifrit form without that connection. And that´s the thing that bothers me. I never hope it will happen again, but - what if we have to fight a dangerous monster, ghost or demon and because of whatever reason, the bond is broken again? You could go down within seconds, depending on how strong the enemy is. And that´s why I´m trying to find a solution, an emergency spell. To give you energy so you can turn into an Ifrit for, let´s say 10 minutes. Even if you don´t win the fight you could get us all out of the danger." Arthur explained with a serious look on his face. Yes, he hoped this would never happen but who knows what monster where out there.

Charlie McCarthey: "Yeah. I mean--that sounds like it could be a dozy of a spell. The monster form isn't something I can just... slip into." He winced, shuddering just by thinking about it. "Try for a shorter time period for now. 5 ought to do it, Art. Every second in a fight counts, you've got a good point. I don't want to see any of you hurt because I can't change fast enough." He sighed a little, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.

"Be careful, alright?"

Yoshi Raven: "Don´t worry, I´ll be. I still have to do some research anyway and it´ll take more time. As soon as I finished it, we can do that spell." He walked to the ghost, hugging him for a few minutes but then got back to work on the van and check everything until they could get on the road and start the mission.

Charlie McCarthey: Lewis smooched the mechanic's cheek, and headed inside to see if Vivi and Mystery were getting ready. He was right, the two were ready to go after having their customary third helping.

"How's she look, Artie?" Vivi asked as they all headed outside. "Ready to go?"

Yoshi Raven: Arthur was already sitting on the driver´s seat, waiting for the others.

"She´s perfect as always and we could drive to the moon. Come on, get in here, I wanna drive! If you don´t hurry I´ll go alone!"

He waved at the others, a big smile on his face while he started the engine.

Charlie McCarthey: "Shotgun!" Vivi shouted. Not that there was a big demand for it, usually Arthur and Vivi were the ones who got into those competitions--Mystery liked sleeping in the van and Lewis was either driving or didn't mind sitting in the back.

Today it was the later, the ghost and dog piled onto the baxk bench and stretched out together. Lew still needed rest, and he was warm to lie against. The two soon fell asleep, Mystery head in Lewis' lap and his hand over the little dog's body.

Yoshi Raven: Arthur had put on some quiet, relaxing music for the two in the back and talked a bit with Vivi then and now, but most of the time they were silent so Lewis and Mystery could sleep some more. Finally, they reached the town with the club. Arthur parked the van next to it and turned off the music, then got out of the van and opened one of the back doors.

"Mystery, Lewis, wake up. We arrived."

Charlie McCarthey: Waking up took a few moments. The ghost didn't seem wholly aware of anything until he was standing out of the van and stretching. Lewis yawned lazily, and finally blinked open his eyes to see where they--

"You have got to be kidding me." He deadpanned, staring up at the caustic, neon font blazing over the little club.

"This place!? Seriously?!" He moaned, actually taking a step back. Vivi looked at him like he was crazy, and when he saw Artie taking a step toward it he grabbed his wrist and held him back.

"You can't go in there!"

Visions--memories of that Arthur, Arthur the poledancer flashed through his mind.

Yoshi Raven: Arthur, who had no idea of that alternate version of himself, was looking at Lewis.

"Eh? Why? Lewis, the owner needs our help, we have to enter the club! What´s wrong with it? Well ok, they have strippers and more and it´s mostly for gay men but that shouldn´t bother us. We´re not here for fun. Come on, let go of me."

Charlie McCarthey: Lew only pulled a pleading face, but his hand slipped from Arthur's wrist at his command. "Maaan..." He groaned under his breath, reluctantly following the rest of the gang into the club.

"Of all the places in the world, it had to be this one." He grumbled, remembering all the worry 'that' Arthur had put through him, how unstable his life seemed.

Lewis entered the joint with a mildly annoyed, agitated and decidedly negative aura.

Proably not the best idea with a poltergiest hanging around.

Yoshi Raven: Arthur just looked at Lewis, then at Vivi but she looked just as confused as him. He´d ask about this place later.

The club looked just like Lewis had seen it. Men sitting or standing everywhere, talking, drinking, some were smoking and music was playing. No one was dancing at the pole, at least. The gang was just a few seconds in that club and they already saw the bartender chasing a few floating drinks. He was able to grab and give them to the customers. Luckily, they didn´t see this and walked away to their table. The bartender sighed and sat down on a chair, his hands supporting his head. The guy looked slightly grumpy.

Charlie McCarthey: Vivi introduced the gang, and Lewis managed to settle his nerves long enough to flash the bartender a reassuring smile. With the mood Lew was in right now, it didn't matter if things got 'ugly.' He'd be more than happy to take out his emotions on low level ghost, if it ever came to that. Lewis kept his arms crossed and stood behind Arthur, shooting a few dark and worried looks toward the stage every so often.

Mystery put his nose to the ground and snuffled around, weaving inbetween tables and chairs as he let the humans do their talking. He had a better way of finding spirits, after all!

Yoshi Raven: The bartender, his name was Jeremy and he was the owner, too, was relieved to see the gang and told them everything that had happened.

"... floating glasses, plates fell down or the lights flickered - none of this is dangerous but the guests slowly notice something is wrong. If they stay away, I can close this club but I don´t want to! I worked for a very, very long time to give these people a place where they can relax so please. Whatever is causing this, make it go away."

"Don´t worry, we´ll solve this case. Just take care of the guests and let us do the rest." Arthur smiled at him. This would be an easy case, the ghost was not dangerous and just playing pranks.

"Alright, let´s search for the ghost."

Charlie McCarthey: "Artie, you stay here and check the main room. Lew, since you seem so invested in the stage area, why don't you go check there? Mystery's already off--he'll come get one of us if he finds anything." Viv made a mental check list of where she sent her boys, "And I'll check the kitchen and the basement. Let's see if we can convince this ghost to go haunt somewhere else--so be open, friendly and safe!" She reminded cheerfully.

Lewis grumbled and headed off--his height alone made the people move out of his way, to say nothing of the slightly perturbed look he had, and the fact he was wearing sun glasses inside.

Yoshi Raven: "Got it. See you!" Arthur immediately started looking around for signs of ghost activity. He slowly made his way through the crowd, stopping here and there but there were no floating glasses or flickering lights. As if the ghost was hiding, now that Lewis and Mystery where here. They´d find him anyway.

Most of the guys here were much taller than him - but he was short, anyway and only a few were as tall as Lewis. Just minutes after he had started looking for the ghost, he noticed that some of the guys were looking at him. Most of them just because he was moving through the whole room but some - some had that flirty, no, predatory look in their eyes. He wasn´t afraid, though. If someone would try anything, it wasn´t Arthur that would be in trouble then.

Charlie McCarthey: Lewis vanished behind the curtain to the backstage with barely a sound, keeping an absentminded pull on the bond. It wasn't like he expected anything happen, from the ghost or Arthur or otherwise, but being in this...place...already had Lewis on edge.

He knew his fears were illogical and it was just a timeline, but, damn. He won't ever forget that Arthur he met.

It's because of these thoughts that Lewis forgets to keep a tab on his Arthur. He doesn't notice the fleet strings of negative emotions Art was giving off.

Yoshi Raven: After walking around for 20 minutes, he sat down at the bar and got a drink from Jeremy. He took a sip then turned to look over the room. Maybe he could see something from far away. There was nothing happening for a long time besides these looks from some guys that slowly made him nervous, but then there was a light flickering at the other side of the room. Arthur observed it, not noticing the two guys that were coming closer.

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(Previous) - (Next)

[bigger-rat]

(Pls don’t put this in the f.hr tags cause I don’t want to bring up bad memories for ppl) but I remember when things were imploding and that one group (you know the one) literally scrambling for things to make the game problematic to cover up the fact that they were just angry that the author wouldn’t cater to them and agree with their bullshit shipping discourse (they’re all self proclaimed ‘antis’ whatever that means and the author didn’t understand what that was and when the author didn’t blindly agree with it and take a position in the bullshit shipping discourse they all turned on them, they might try to cover and say that they don’t like the game or creator anymore for a different reason that doesn’t sound as stupid but THATs literally the base of why the fandom implosion happened. Because of bullshit shipping discourse agshjd)

BUT anyway the funniest thing they tried to claim was that sidestep, the 30 year old MC, was grooming Herald… a 25 year old man going on 26. Do you remember that?? Am I going crazy?? They definitely tried to claim that aghdjd god I’m dying laughing right now while remembering this. They were so desperate

I won’t lie I am forever bitter at them because they sent the author tons of death threats and hate mail & then acted like the author had some sort of responsibility towards them (the entitlement from them was and still is crazyyy) when the author was also sick w covid and had job and financial insecurity due to covid complications and *god forbid* didn’t want to and probably couldn’t physically handle their fandom wank, and then they acted like the author was the Literal Devil for taking care of themselves

Everything honestly has a silver lining though because the writing quality has just absolutely skyrocketed since the authors time on tumblr, and I feel like without that much needed break that the author took due to all the stress that book 2 wouldn’t have been nearly as good as it is now. The author also appears to be thriving now, which is awesome. Sometimes we need a painful journey to have a happy ending :D

(Sorry to vomit in your inbox like this lmfao)

No lol you're right and you should say it.

What they did to Malin was VILE. They were nothing but kind to the community, they appreciated every piece of fanart people made, were active in the community, they let us play bits of book 2 long before it was out. And these rabid fans literally bullied them out of the fandom.

The author shouldn't have so publicly do things for a specific few friends IMO, not because it's inherently bad but because everyone is insane on this website and that was a ticking time bomb.

And then, god forbid, someone came up with a compelling but problematic sidestep/herald ship (COUGH smute COUGH), and the author liked it, and how DARE they like a problematic relationship in a story about a LITERAL FUCKING VILLAIN. The pearl-clutching is unimaginable.

I don't remember people saying that Herald is being groomed lol but I do remember people going off on power dynamics and how it's an abusive relationship and like. Yes, the romantic relationship in the game where you invade people's minds and also constantly beat your friends/lovers into a bloody pulp are.. a little problematic! Grow the fuck up and go watch steven universe or something.

Imagine reading a book about a literal SUPER VILLAIN and being shocked that they're a bad person who has toxic relationships. Just fucking imagine that. The book in which you routinely kidnap people's bodies without their consent and invade their minds? Problematic?? Wooow.

I'm sad that Malin got chased out of the community but I hope they can sleep better now that they, a 40-50 year old person with a job and a life, don't have to navigate the kindergarten drama of some terminally online zoomers and their shitty shipping fantasies.

[lale-txt]

idky but you are like an irl black maria to me you sound awesome :D and thank you so much for giving me a chance to request?

💐🥺 i think rn I need fluff from my best boys Smoker, Franky and King(i know this man has no fluffy bone in his body but let me daydream 😂). how would they tease/send signal to the person they secretly like?(boring, I know im sorry 😔)

have a wonderful day!!☀️🌻🌴

omg best compliment ever? i wish i was as tall as her. for uhh various reasons. i just think she's neat. and that was a very cute request, i loved your choice of characters! haven't written a lot for Franky so i'll gladly change that.

🧸 teasing & sending signals to the person they secretly like w/ Smoker, Franky & King

Smoker

bestie good luck in trying to read the behavior of this man

i can see him giving you all the extra work on board as an excuse to have you around him

only to ask himself why you're in such a bad mood all the time

"vice admiral Smoker, i've scrubbed the floor three times in a row. you can basically eat from it or use it as a mirror. with all due respect, are you sure i need to scrub it again?"

yeah you do, i'm so sorry

it's his twisted way of saying "i want you close (and on your knees)"

still, at the end of the day he would make sure to praise you and thank you for your hard work

this man is a big old tsundere and will maybe smack you with an oldschool bouquet of flowers in the face one day

blushing and mumbling something about you not getting the memo like EXCUSE YOU

"y/n, i blinked at you in morse code, i thought you understood what i was trying to say with my eyes? literally?"

meanwhile you thought he was about to snap with all these twitching eyelids of his

well now you know that he was trying to tell you how badly he has fallen for you <3

Franky

big himbo energy

will always be near to you, but in such a natural way you wouldn't even notice that he was actively seeking your presence

asks you if you want to style his hair and then show off his freshly braided hair to everyone, letting them know who did such an amazing job

slides you some mentos across the table as he refills his cola with an eyebrow wiggle

will also built you every device you've ever dreamed about

may it be a machine that flips the pages of your book for you or a flatiron that plays you the perfect playlist to the piece of clothing you're ironing (he makes sure his special sexy time playlist starts when you iron your panties)

will probably show off his nipples with special effects, like a laser show just for you (beaming yor name into the starry night sky)

if you're not madly in love with him at this point, move, there's plenty of us who would die for that robot man

King

another tough nut to crack

facial expressions? behind that mask? it's more likely than you think (we don't talk about that face)

pretty sure he is wondering about his feelings for you too, since the only person he ever loved and admired was Kaido

have patience with him while he's trying to figure his feelings out, once he's sure of them, he will be very blunt towards you

i can see him finding excuses to be around you throughout the day, like making sure you're going on the same missions together (even though he's perfectly capable of doing them on his own)

if you fully gained his trust, he might invite you to unwind at the end of the day in the private onsen, offering you to wash your back or your hair

he might also teach you some braiding techniques (you know because the beast pirates all have fabulous hair and cute braids and twists)

honestly just being around him without earning a death glare is sign enough proof that he is very fond of you, so don't be shy and make your move bestie

[slythraco]

Hello there can you please do a Tom Felton x reader imagine where they’ve been dating since they worked together on the Harry Potter movies and all of their old co stars are there and he proposes? Thank you so much

Author’s Note: aaaaaah my first request ! i’m so excited !!! ok calm down bro :’D I put my heart into it ! i hope you’ll like it ! Let me knooow (I excuse myself if there are some mistakes, English is not my mother tongue...don't hesitate to point it out to me so that I can improve !)

Warnings: Maybe one or two swears ? Otherwise it’s just major fluff

Details: The text parts in this resolution are flashbacks ! And Lucy is the name of your character in the Harry Potter movies

Word count: 3.6K 

Masterlist

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"Babe ! I'm ready !" You shout from your bathroom, looking at yourself in the mirror for the last time. Tonight was a big night, you and the entire cast of the Harry Potter saga reunite to celebrate the 19 years of the franchise.

Your head is spinning when you think back, 19 years old ! You were only 11 when you first appeared, you made amazing friends and you met you awesome boyfriend, Tom Felton, there too. You guys have been together for a while now but you’re still in love like the first seconds after admitting your feelings to each other.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷

"Go !" Shout David to indicate you to start acting, what you had to do was easy, look around you, looking scared then see Draco in the other side of the hallway and then run to jump in his arms.

This is what you did, as soon as you catch Tom's gaze, you felt weak, you knew he was acting his role but you couldn’t help but find him way too much attractive with his messy grey hair and the fake dust on his face who could resist him ?

"Draco !" You screamed before running towards him as fast as you can, him meeting you halfway. You quickly warp your arms around his neck as he slips is owns around your waist. "I thought you were..." You said in a whisper like your script told you to do it. "I'm right here Lucy...don't worry" he gently rubs your back as if to reassure you, or at least reassure your character.

You slowly raise you head to look in his intense gaze, his gaze that suddenly disarms you. A strong urge to kiss him takes you by surprise, your eyes capsizing between his eyes and his lips. But you weren't supposed to do it, all you had to do was saying one last line before the scene ends.

You tried to fight back that urge, but you lost when your lips finally crashed on his. Surprisingly, he leans into it. You put all the love you had for Tom into it, for all these years you thought of the exact moment you'll have the power to kiss him.

Your embrace was passionate but not rough, it was delicate, as he put his hand on your cheek like he wanted to never let go of your lips, you realise that this kis isn't between Draco and Lucy but between Tom and Y/N.

After a few seconds, Your lips are finally unhooked, to your great misfortune. Tom places his forehead against yours while you are both out of breath.

"Cut !" Your director screamed, but you were still looking into each other eyes like nothing around matters. The hands of David in you arm brings you back to reality as Tom steps back. "You guys, what a surprise !" The director said, suddenly you realise what just happened, 'I'm dead' you thought to yourself. "David...I'm so sorry !"

David looks at you, confused. "Y/N what are you talking about ! It was amazing ! That kiss was...WOW ! It's perfect, we don't even need to do another take ! Good job Y/N !" And he leaves, like nothing happened. You then look at Tom, he looks as confused as you. You don't really know if he kissed you back for the scene or if he actually wanted to kiss you.

"Tom...I-" He cuts you before you can say anything else. "If you knew since when I waited for you to do this" You eyes widen when you hear his words. "W-what ?" You mumbled.

"You finqlly kissed him !" You heard a voice behind you, Emma was standing right behind the camera pulling her thumbs up at you, which made you both laugh. It was the beginning of a long adventure.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷

Tom enters the bathroom, he can't help but smile when he sees you in your little red dress. It was a pretty basic one, but it suit your forms beautifully. You were putting your last coat of mascara while he stands behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. "You look amazing my love" He whisper against the skin of your neck, making you shiver. He plant a kiss right behind your ear, making you heart skip a beat, he knows damn well all the weak spots on your body. "Tom..." you moan very slightly, bitting your lips as you look at the reflection in the mirror. God he looks so sexy in his 3 pieces suit. "Mmmh..?" He just said as a response. "We're gonna be late..." You complain.

"I'm sure they'll understand..." You giggle when you hear him, but you stop his kisses by turning to face him. "No ! There's no way I'll let you ruin my hair and makeup after I spent 3 hours making it !" You say authoritatively while looking him straight in the eye. He places his warm hands on your hips before sliding them slowly on your ass. "You'll look beautiful anyway Darling." He whispers before bending over to place his lips on yours, kissing them with delicacy but hunger at the same time.

You hands find their way to his neck, putting your body closer to his. Before you have the time to do anything, he grabs your thighs and lift you up to put you on the sink, letting a little cry of surprise coming out your mouth. He massages you thighs and hips, pushing his body between your legs. But he suddenly breaks the kiss. "Okay...let's go now before I can't stop myself." You giggle a little bit before jumping of the sink, you pull on your dress to put it back in place. You chuckle when you see that Tom has lipstick on his lips.

"Tom, come here" He turns to you and you wipe the lipstick on his lips with you tongue. "Remind me to not kiss you tonight." He said, a teasing smile on if face. "You're not gonna last 10 minutes without kissing me !" He looks at you, with a defiant look in his eyes. "Wanna bet ?"

"Okay, i bet a restaurant that you will kiss me before the end of the night !" At this point, Tom already knew he would lose but little did you know. "Deal !" You both laugh as you finally leave the bathroom and head to the front door of your house.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷

"Okay love...you can open your eyes now !" Tom said, impatient for you to see your gift.

It was the anniversary of your second year as a couple, Tom wanted to mark the date. You slowly open your eyes and you face a little case wrapped in a gift wrap paper, you eyes widen for a second. "What is it ?" You asked, curiously. "Open it !" He said, excited. You gently rip the wrap paper and discover a little box made out of wood. Your eyes quickly met his before you open it. "Come on !" You giggle, his excitement is probably bigger then yours and it's really adorable to see. You finally open it, in it, a small key attached to a tag. "A key..? Mmmmh...It's the key to your heart because i stole it a while ago !" He laugh as he come close to you. "Read the tag darling..."

You as he says and pick the tag to read what it says. '21736 Dumetz Rd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364'. You place your hand on your mouth when you realise what it is. "Tom..." He looks at you with a proud smile, you can't help but jump into his arms and let a few tears drop on your cheeks. "How...how did you remembered ?"

Indeed, you talked to him about this house a few month ago, you only said that you liked it, in total innocence without imagining buying it for you. "I called the owner as soon as you talked to me about it, i was looking for a way to upgrade our relationship to another level. I-" He stops for a second, cupping your face in between his hands as you place your hands at his both sides. "I mean, you already spend most of your nights at my house so it won't change a lot but just the fact that..." he takes the key in his hand and slightly shake it in front of you. "This, I put your name on the contract, it's OUR house. And I can't wait to live the rest of my life with you in it."

Let's face it, you were crying like a baby, this man, 'he's going to be the death of me' you thought. You pull him to hug him, you hug him so tightly you wonder if you're asphyxiating him. "I love you so much Tom...you can't even imagine" He lays a gentle kiss on your forehead. "I love you too Y/N, more than anything." He said in a whisper. "I bought you a fucking t-shirt !" You said before slightly laughing. "And I'm sure I will love it !"

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷

"Be a good girl, Willow !" You said as you rubs the head of the black labrador. Tom smile as he opens the door. "Let's go !"

You turn around and finally leave the house, Tom takes your hand and you walk towards your car. "I can't wait to see everyone ! I've missed them to much !" You cheers, jumping around, all excited.

•••

After what felt like ages to you to get there, Tom finally knock on the door of the giant house of Emma. She was hosting the party for tonight. The door opens on Jason Isaacs, your fictional step-father. "Ah father !" Cheers Tom before lean into his arms, you follow the gest right after him. "Enter kids !" He said, you follow behind Tom who still had his hand in yours.

Suddenly you heard cheering at your right. "Heeeyyy ! The lovebirds are here !" Matthew screamed, making you laugh a little. You turn and see everyone, Emma, Rupert, Daniel, Bonnie, Matthew of course, Jason, Natalia, EVE-RY-ONE. A big family reunion.

Matthew quickly runs into us, each of us hugging each other quickly. "Hey Matthew, can I talk to you for a sec ?" Tom asked, you grinned a little, why does he wants to talk to him, in private ? Weird. Tom sees your interrogative gaze, He turns to put a kiss on your cheek and whisper something in your ear. "I won't be long I promise, go join the other I'll be right back" You nod your head, still a little suspicious. "I love you" he said before disappearing with Matthew in the garden.

You turn to the group, sitting in the living room, eating a bunch of amuse-bouche. You hug everyone, until you find Emma. "Here, this is for you" You hand her the bottle of wine you were holding since you arrived. "Oh thank you Y/N !" She kiss your cheek and invite you to open it in the kitchen. So you follow her.

"Soooo...how is it going with Tom ?" She asks curiously, of course she would ask you. She's always been supportive of your relationship with Tom, your number one fan. "Still amazing !" You blush a little. Emma pour the liquid in two fancy glasses while your looking at her. "Aaawww...you guys are just too cute." You roll your eyes at her remark.

Helen (McCrory) enter the kitchen and you smile at her. "Helen ! Want a glass ?" Emma asked. "With pleasure ! You were talking about Tom aren't you ?" You nod a 'yes' in response. "Tell me all about it !" Helen, queen of gossip, you giggle on the inside. "Well, I was telling Emma, that he makes me really happy and that I'm very lucky to have him in my life !" You bit your lips, looking around you, hoping to see Tom coming back. "Good...is he good in the sheets though ?" Helen asks like it was nothing. Leaving an Emma dead of laughing. "Helen !" You shout, in shook but you can't help but start laughing too.

"I'm joking darling don't worry ! For how long have you been dating ?" You take a deep breath, thinking about it. "Almost 10 years !" Helen's eyes widen when she heard you. "Wow ! It doesn't make me feel any younger ! I still remember your early days !" You giggle, It's true, a long time had passes but it's still like your first days.

Emma hands you the glass filled with wine, you take it before raising it to the air. "Cheers ?" "Cheers !" "Cheers !" We all said as our glasses collided.

•••

So far, the party is going good, you were now all sat in the dining-room, waiting to eat. It's been like an hour, and Tom hasn't came back yet. Which makes you kinda nervous 'where the hell is he ?' You tough to yourself. And just when you were about to go look for him, you feel a hand on your shoulder. "Hi love !" He said cheerfully. "Sorry for being that long, Matthew just broke up with his girlfriend I had to pick up the pieces." He sigh as he sat beside you. All of you worries disappeared, but quickly replace by worries for your friend. "Oh...this is sad...is he okay now ?"

Tom nods as he puts one of his hands on your thigh, caressing your skin with his thumb to reassure you. "Yes ! Don't worry !" You smiled and you finally get to enjoy the moment, your lover is finally here with you. Your boyfriend bite his lip while pushing a lock of hair behind you ear. "Hey...can we forgot that bet ? I really wanna kiss you right now" He whispered, you giggle a little bit, you knew he wouldn't win this one. "Do you really think I'll give up so easily ?" Tom sighs at you response. His back it the chair behind without stopping to look at you.

"Oh fuck it..." He quickly said before grabbing your head in his hands and crushing his lips on yours. You smile against them, you've been apart for an hour and you already missed him so much. "Hey, get a room you two !" A well known voice stops you. You turn your head and see Daniel giggling. "Jealous Potter ?" You shout at him, making Tom giggle. "Totally !" He said mockingly, you roll your eyes before putting your attention on your man again.

•••

You've just finished your meal, it was really good ! You really enjoyed it but something was off. Tom was off, he was less joyful, less goofy, in normal times he'll always be the one to make jokes, especially with his friends from the cast. So you couldn't help but being worried for your boyfriend.

You gently put your hand on his knee to have his intentions. "Yes, Darling ?" He asks innocently. You look in his beautiful eyes that still have this incredible effect on you. "Love are you okay ?" He tilts your head at your question and put his arms behind you on top of your chair. "Yes sweetheart, why that question ?" You loin at him sadly, what is he trying to hide from you ? You know more than you know yourself. "Tom..."

Your gaze make him understand he has to stop lying to you but he couldn't tell you the truth. "Alright, I'm just a little tired, but that's all, I promise." He leans to kiss your cheek has you sigh on relief. "Okay, we won't stay for too long then" You smiled at him. "But Y/N..." You cut him. "Shht ! Don't complain ! You need to rest." A tiny smile appear on Tom's face while he's looking at you, thinking on how on earth did he got so lucky to have you in his life.

And suddenly he tought to himself: 'What the hell am I waiting for ?' He quickly kisses your lips and thanked you. "I'm gonna get us some drinks, you want something ?" He asks as he gets up. "No thanks love !" You smiled and watched him leaving.

•••

A few minutes later, Jason enter the dining room. "Well, well, well, my dears ! Emma and I prepared a little surprise in the living-room, so if you could get you ass up and go there it would be really nice of you !" You laugh at the finesse in his words while you get up, followed by the other, again, Tom disappeared.

You sat on the gigantic couch, next to Bonnie and Evanna, you three discuss for a while before the big tv turns on. You frown slightly, the surprise begins but Tom is not there yet !

A bunch of photos and videos from the cast back on the set pops up on the screens, you laugh at some of them. It become quite emotional at some point, a video a baby you and baby Tom responding to question for an interview, reminding you off how far you've known each other.

Then the video comes to an end, Emma appears in front off the tv while everyone is cheering, including you.

"Sooo...before we end that little reunion, someone wants to say a few words." Emma looks straight into your eyes, your feel nervous all of sudden, 'was i supposed to say something' you tought. But Emma explains herself quickly. "Look at you right Y/N !"

You hesitate a little bit before turning your head, you see him standing there. He smiles before walking towards you and take your hand to make you get up. You frown slightly, 'what is going on ?' You thought.

"Y/N...My love...My darling, I-I don't even know where to start. When I met you, we were only kids but, we got along right away. I found in you a best-friend and 6 years later, I finally got the guts to tell you what I was really feeling for you."

You listen to him, drink his words, trying to keep your tears to yourself as he still holds your hand tightly.

"Since then, my life took another turn, I knew that whatever would happen to us I'd do everything I can to stay the reason why you're smiling ! I understood what love was thanks to you, it didn't took me long to realise I wouldn't survive a life without you. That's why..."

He lets go of your hand to dive his hand in the pocket of his suit, he gets out a little black box and you understand what's about to happen. You smile broadly, letting tears flow down your cheeks. Everyone was looking at you two but at this exact moment all you could see was him.

He bends down and puts one knee on the floor and opens the little box, revealing the magnificent ring in it.

"Y/N Y/L/N would you do me the honour of becoming my wife ?" He asks, looking directly at your eyes. You don't even need to think about it. "Yes ! Of course I want to be your wife !" You shout, a incredible smile appeared on his face while the others behind you starts to scream and applauding. Tom gets up, take the little ring and manage to slip in through your finger despite your both trembling hands. As soon as the ring is on your finger, you take Tom head in your hands and kiss him with all your love, his arms slips around your waist and he holds you as strong as possible before lifting you up.

All the others join you into a big hug, your feet rest ont the floor and you quit Tom's arms just the time to hold everyone in your arms. The other girls literally scream looking at your ring. "I'm so happy for you two !" Emma shout, holding you tightly against her.

•••

The end of the evening was coming, a lot of the guests were already gone now. You spent the rest of it, either cuddling with you fiancé, already fantisising on your wedding or showing your ring to the womens here who couldn't stop greeting you two.

But for now, you were about to leave, you took Emma into a hug one last time and finally followed Tom outside the house. "What an evening !" You said grabbing his hand.

Once you finally reach your house, you're greeted by Willow who was jumping everywhere. "Heeeyy ! Willow look at this !" You crouch down to show her your engagement ring as if she could understand what it is. Tom giggle behind you, he couldn't stop smiling, seeing you that excited and happy to be his fiancé made him the most happiest man alive.

You get up, and turn to him, a disappointed look on your face. "She doesn't care !" You have a sulky face as your arms go around Tom's neck, his naturally go around your waist to keep you close to him. "Too bad, we'll have to choose another bridesmaid !" He said jokingly before kissing your soft lips, you giggle a little against them as the kiss become heated.

He leaves you lips only to places other on you cheek, sliding to your jaw to finish on your neck. "What if we celebrate our first night as an engaged couple ?" He whisper against your skin. "I've been wanting to tear that dress off you since the first second I saw you in it." He says in the hollow of your ear, giving you shivers down your spine.

Your soft moan gives him the answer he needs, he pulls the zip of your dress and lifts you up in less then a second. He takes you to your dorm and with that, you spent your very first night as engaged.

••••••••••••

[celestialtitania]

A Gingerbread State of Affairs

Written for Day 23: Baking of the MF Advent Calendar. Can also read on AO3 or FFN.

Adrien tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the bell to ring for lunch. He could feel Nino anxiously glancing at him every five seconds while fiddling with his hat. It was driving Adrien a little nuts, as he imagined every possible scenario Nino could possibly have to say. He’d come up with a dozen different possibilities, with both good news and bad news. 

The second the bell rang, both boys turned to each other before pausing. How did they decide who got to go first?

Luckily for them, Alya also wanted to speak and she wasn’t about to wait for them to stop being awkward. “You busy after school today, Sunshine?”

Adrien glanced at her in surprise before cautiously shaking his head. He wondered what this was about, considering he and Alya didn’t spend much time together.

“W-would you be i-interested in doing a little baking and decorating?” Marinette piped up, as she leaned forwards a little, waiting for his answer.

“Baking? Me?” Adrien asked, a little bewildered. 

“See, there’s this event Marinette’s parents do during the holiday season and we’re all going to go help. We were hoping you would like to come join us,” Nino shrugged.

“What sort of event?” 

“You familiar with the story of Hansel and Gretel?” Alya leaned forward.

“Hansel and Gretel?” Adrien paused to think. “Two little kids go into a witch’s house and cook her in her own oven?”

“That’s the dark part of the story.” Marinette shook her head. “Do you know what the witch’s house was made of?” 

When Adrien had stared blankly at them for a full minute, Nino jumped in. “Gingerbread, dude. A gingerbread house.”

The lightbulb went off. “Oh, so your parents are making gingerbread houses? Is it like a decorating event?” He asked eagerly.

They exchanged glances, making Adrien’s excitement fall a little. Was he wrong?

“Not houses. A house. Singular,” Alya corrected him. Adrien felt his brows furrow at her words. 

“My parents love going overboard,” Marinette sighed. “They’re making one giant gingerbread house and need help decorating it. The idea is that all the kids in the neighborhood are like Hansel and Gretel and can come eat the house whenever they want. They just can’t be caught by my parents or the witch, I guess,” she confessed, putting the words “the witch” in air quotes. 

“Wow! That’s so amazing, Marinette!” Adrien said, eyes wide in wonder, causing Marinette to blush pink at his words. Marinette’s parents were so nice and incredible for doing so much for the people of Paris. “What happens if the kids get caught?” Adrien asked curiously.

“They have to do one good deed,” Nino shrugged. “They have to have proof too or the Dupain-Chengs won’t believe they did the deed.”

“It’s all in the Christmas spirit!” Alya said cheerfully. “So, are you interested in coming to help?”

Adrien felt a grin stretch across his face before he remembered something vital. “I want to but...I have no idea how to decorate a gingerbread house. I don’t want to get in the way.”

His friends stared at him before Nino swung an arm around his shoulders. “Bro, now you definitely have to come with us!” Marinette and Alya nodded firmly in agreement.

Adrien beamed. “Sounds good!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How much is left to make and decorate?” Alya questioned Marinette, as the quartet reached the bakery door. 

“Not much,” Marinette shrugged. “We’re just adding the decorations on the walls. Papan said we could decorate the walls with as many doodles and candies as we like.”

“Sounds delicious,” Adrien sighed dreamily before catching himself. Nino, Alya and Marinette all burst into laughter as he joined in. 

“I thought you said we would be baking though?” Alya questioned, once they had all calmed down. Marinette simply smiled at the other girl before leading them all inside. 

“Maman! I’m home and I brought friends!” Marinette called out.

Sabine Cheng popped out from behind a door Adrien hadn’t even noticed before smiling at them gently. “Wonderful, Marinette. The supplies are all set up for you inside.” 

Adrien, Nino and Alya all sent Marinette an inquisitive glance to which she simply pushed open a door behind her mother. They saw Tom Dupain working on one side of the bench, carefully focused on building large rectangular pieces of gingerbread.

Marinette shook her head at them and pointed towards much smaller trays with ingredients on them.

“We’re baking little gingerbread men!” She announced excitedly. 

“Like a dollhouse?” Nino asked, a hand on his chin as he thought. Marinette laughed as she shook her head. 

“Nope! These gingerbread men are going to be decorated outside the walls, kind of like a border. We’ll add candies too but that’s our main job.”

“Sounds like fun!” Adrien hopped in place, his fingers itching to get started. “Do you mind if I…” Adrien trailed off as eagerly gestured towards the kits. 

Marinette blushed a little before nodding. “Get knocked out!” She said cheerfully before clamping a hand over her mouth. “I meant, knocked you out! No, wait! You knocked get out!” Marinette let out a big groan. “I meant to say….go ahead.”

Adrien smiled at her. “Thanks, Marinette!” He called out before rushing to pick a tray when he suddenly stopped short. “I could probably use some help,” he said sheepishly, rubbing his neck as he trained his eyes on Marinette. After all, she was the expert here and he didn’t want to bother Nino and Alya. He would just end up feeling like the third wheel as they made eyes at each other.

Marinette nodded her head in reply. “W-why don’t you get set up at the counter? I’ll join you in just a moment!” Her voice got a little squeaky at the end there, but Adrien figured it was probably due to having to explain things properly to Alya and Nino.

He always felt awkward too, but he was glad that Nino made time for him apart from Alya. He was really so lucky to have made such an awesome friend.

“S-so let’s get started!” Marinette stood beside him, as she fidgeted with her own tray. Adrien beamed at her, she was such a good friend.

“Okay, let’s add all the ingredients,” she told him, once they’d taken a glance at the recipe and set up all of their supplies. 

“I’m glad you’re here too, Marinette,” Adrien whispered to the girl. “At least we can be third wheels together,” he nodded towards Nino and Alya, who were goofing around with each other, seeming to be lost in their own world.

Marinette blushed at his words before her eyes widened. “Adrien! You just poured in an extra half cup of flour!”

“Oops!” Adrien winced, as he fretted.

“Don’t worry, Sunshine. It’ll be fine. Just add extra of everything,” Alya shrugged at him, overhearing their words, as she tossed in three sticks of butter.

“Alya! The recipe calls for one and a half sticks!”

“I messed up the sugar and egg ratio,” Alya shrugged. “Don’t worry, girl! Cooking is all about improvisation.”

Marinette froze, as she stared in horror at Alya’s bowl. Adrien squinted at her expression before cautiously waving a hand in front of her face. That snapped Marinette out of her daze as she quietly spoke up. “Y-you put in the d-dry and w-wet ingredients in there together? Before mixing them separately?”

Alya nodded, tossing a confused glance at himself and Nino.

Marinette seemed to be struggling to breathe. “That’s fine,” she spoke in a tight voice. “This is supposed to be fun, it’s all right,” she chanted to herself like a mantra.

That made Alya roll her eyes. “Bakers and their need for control.”

“Chefs and their inability to follow recipes!” Marinette shot back.

“It tastes better that way!” 

“It does not!”

“Wanna bet?”

That did it. Alya and Marinette shook hands determinedly before Marinette marched over to Adrien and pulled him to their station. “Our gingerbread men are going to be the best gingerbread men ever!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” Adrien snapped to attention, even giving a mock salute as a joke. Marinette gave him a faint smile before instructing him. Even as she ordered him around, it was some of the most fun he’d had with Marinette in awhile.

Before long, the trays were in the oven. As they waited for the cookies to finish, they set about cleaning up.

Adrien stopped as he noticed the leftover batter on the spoon. Marinette followed his gaze and sighed. “You know it’s not good for you, right?”

“Theoretically,” Adrien sighed longingly. “I’ve just never had the chance to have any so…” he trailed off, seeing Marinette look determined once again.

“Just this once, alright?” She made him promise before handing over the spoon to him. Adrien’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Marinette inquisitively. “Go ahead,” she shook her head as she smiled, so he knew she didn’t actually mind. “Everyone deserves at least a taste.” 

Adrien felt a smile stretch across his face. Marinette really was the most amazing friend he could ever have. Marinette smiled back at him as she waited for him to try the batter.

Adrien felt his eyes widen as he tasted the batter. He had never tasted anything so amazing before. Marinette let out a laugh at the expression on his face. Her laughter was infectious and soon enough he was laughing along with her.

Just then the oven dinged and Marinette quickly turned away to pull the cookies out. She looked over at Alya, who had just pulled out her own cookies. 

“We have to let them cool for an hour. The judging can happen once we’re done icing them,” Marinette announced.

“Sounds good to me. What do we do till then, dude?” Nino asked as he stretched.

“Decorate the house, of course! Come on!” Marinette grinned as she gestured for them to follow her.

As she pushed open another door, Adrien felt his breath be stolen as he stared in wonder. The gingerbread house was magnificent and he spotted Tom and Sabine carefully adding gumdrops to the fully iced roof.

Tom grinned as he spotted the quartet and beckoned them over. 

“Ready to help, you four?” 

They nodded eagerly as he pointed them towards the selection of candy. “We have gumdrops, mints, M&Ms, sprinkles and mini candy beads. Plus icing if any of you are feeling artistic. Have at it,” Tom gestured before continuing to use icing to glue the gumdrops to the roof. 

“Um, I hate to ask but what’s left to decorate?” Adrien asked Marinette, quietly.

“Well, the bottoms of the walls are going to be decorated with our gingerbread men but we have to add the candy to the window panes and anywhere where there’s still large patches of empty-ness,” she shrugged as she handed him an icing bag. “Draw whatever you want so long as it’s appropriate,” Marinette shrugged before heading over to Alya and Nino.

Adrien weighted the icing bag before shrugging. He was sure no matter what candy he tried to add, it would just fall off so he was better off just drawing. Hopefully, he would be able to manage that.

Adrien quickly spotted a corner of the wall which had been left undecorated and began working. He was so focused, he didn’t notice he was being watched until the onlookers began oohing and aahing at his work.

He looked up sharply to see Tom and Sabine marvelling over his work as well as the shock on his friends’ faces. 

“Uh, guys?” He questioned, as he paused. 

“This must be the most detailed part of the house,” Tom laughed. Adrien had drawn a beautiful snowy Christmas tree with presents, hiding underneath.

“How’d you manage that with just white, dude?” Nino asked, his surprise clear. Adrien simply shrugged at him.

“It looks wonderful, dear,” Sabine complimented, making Adrien blush. “Thank you, Mrs. Cheng,” he replied earnestly. That made Sabine frown and for a moment, Adrien panicked thinking he had done something wrong. 

“Call me Sabine, dear,” she ordered lightly causing Adrien to nod without even realizing it. 

Tom grinned at him. “It’s Tom for me too,” he added, before winking at Adrien. He and Sabine gave him another gentle smile, making Adrien feel warm inside.

“I didn’t know you could draw,” Marinette commented, her eyes wide, the expression on her face a little strange.

“I mean I don’t really draw,” Adrien shrugged. “All my drawings turn out terribly. The icing bag made it easier somehow?” Adrien really didn’t know how he had managed the drawing since he was a terrible artist, much to his father’s displeasure.

“A natural!” Tom boomed, as he patted Adrien on the back. It felt a little strange being complimented like this, but Adrien felt so good. His cheeks had turned pink but he was deliriously happy.

“I’m glad you’ll be helping to decorate our gingerbread men,” Marinette commented, as she smiled at him. Her expression was still a little strange but Adrien couldn’t figure it out so he let it go.

At long last they were finished decorating, beaming with pride that not a single part of the house was left undecorated. The inside had been decorated prior to adding the roof with red-vine licorice furniture.

“Your parents really did go all out, huh?” Alya remarked.

“It’s Christmas,” Marinette shrugged. “Let’s get our gingerbread men iced so they can be added to the house.”

“And so we can figure out who wins the bet,” Alya added. They nodded determinedly at each other while Nino rolled his eyes at Adrien. 

“They’re so competitive, no wonder they’re best friends,” Adrien whispered to Nino. “Dude, I’m so glad we know how to chill out.” Adrien nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly as he and Nino fist-bumped.

“Ahem,” the girls cleared their throats, making it clear they were waiting for them to finish.

“Let’s go decorate!” Adrien cheered, making Marinette blush and nod.

While they decorated, Marinette continued to marvel at how well Adrien could use the icing bag.

“This is really your first time?” Adrien nodded, even as Marinette shook her head in awe. Pretty soon, they had enough gingerbread men for an entire army.

Each group separated one gingerbread man from the bunch before carefully taking the rest to add to the house. They would put the competition on hold until the house was finished. They had their priorities in order after all. 

They all had their game faces on as they added icing to the backs of the men and glued them to the house. Once they were done, they all stood with Tom and Sabine to marvel at the house.

“Like a winter wonderland,” Adrien whispered softly, but everyone heard him and nodded in agreement.

“It’s gorgeous,” Alya agreed.

“We couldn’t have finished without all of your help,” Sabine thanked them, making them shake their heads even as they grinned under the glow of her praise. 

“Now I hear there’s a competition going on?” Tom jumped in.

Alya and Marinette quickly explained the series of events to him making him rub his chin in thought. “Do you have a judge?” He asked when they finished, making them shake their heads.

“Would you both judge for us?” Adrien asked, excitedly. Tom and Sabine grinned back as they nodded at the kids. The duo followed the quartet to the stations, Alya and Marinette looking on anxiously as Tom and Sabine took a bite of each gingerbread man.

Both thought for a moment. “Count to three and we’ll point towards the gingerbread we liked best,” Sabine told them.

Sabine and Tom didn’t even talk, making Adrien think with awe and a little envy about how they were on the same page, so in sync with each other. He hoped he would have that with someone someday, and with a little luck that someone would be Ladybug. 

“Three,” Marinette and Alya announced with bated breath. Immediately Tom and Sabine pointed towards the opposite gingerbread man.

“Oh dear, looks like we’re at an impasse,” Sabine said sadly.

“I suppose you both just have to live with the fact that both are delicious,” Tom laughed.

Marinette and Alya narrowed their eyes at them but sighed when they saw their minds were made up.

“Well, if it's a tie then we both lose?” Marinette asked dejectedly.

 Alya glanced at her before sighing. “Nah, let’s both win. It’s Christmas time, after all. We have to have the spirit of giving.”

They smiled at each other before hugging. Adrien wasn’t sure what had happened but when he turned to ask Nino, his best friend just shook his head at him. Adrien supposed he was glad it wasn’t just him who didn’t understand.

“You know, we have some of the gingerbread men left over,” Sabine mused. “Why don’t you kids go make some hot chocolate and enjoy them?” 

“We’ll get the house set up in the shop while you do that,” Tom agreed.

Marinette nodded at her parents, as he, Nino and Alya eagerly smiled at the idea of some warm cocoa. “I’ll bring you both some cocoa as well,” she promised, making them smile at her fondly.

They followed Marinette upstairs to her home kitchen, where Alya got busy setting up the kettle while Marinette brought out the box of cocoa and the bag of mini-marshmallows.

“The cookies are still in the bakery,” Nino realized. 

“I’ll go get them,” Marinette volunteered as she pulled a few marshmallows out of the bag. 

“Could we get a few extra?” Adrien asked, a pleading expression on his face. Marinette’s face tinted pink but she pulled out more marshmallows in response making Adrien beam.

“We can go drink outside if you guys are cool with that?” Adrien asked. “It would be nice to sit outside and drink something warm. We’d get the chance to look at the gingerbread house some more too.” They all nodded at him in agreement. 

She and Alya finished making six cups of cocoa, with extra mini marshmallows. 

“I’ll bring the cookies and join you guys,” Marinette promised as she took two cups of cocoa for her parents downstairs. Adrien grabbed a cup for Marinette as they all went outside to sit on the steps of the bakery, making sure to not block the entrance for any of the customers. 

Within a few moments, Marinette had come out carrying the large plate of beautifully decorated gingerbread cookies and sat down to join them. Adrien handed her, her cocoa making her smile at him gratefully.

Their idle chatter and laughter filled the air as they enjoyed both their treats and each other’s company.

[thirsty-x1]

Birthday Wish | Han Seungwoo

Request:

would like to request a one shot fluff where you celebrate christmas with your best friends aka hyung line and you guys held a birthday surprise for seungwoo

↬ Pairing: Seungwoo x Reader

↬ Genre: Fluff

↬ Warnings: cringy gift exchange.

↬ Word Count: 2k

↬ A/N: THIS IS SO FUCKING SOFT. Happy Seungwoo Day!

The smell of cookies filled the air as you took them out of the oven, the heart shape being satisfactory enough. Not even a second later, Seungyoun grabbed one, burning his fingers and eating it only to later complain about them being too hot with a mouthful of crumbs, making a mess in a flash.

“Of course they are hot, I just finished baking them!” You poured a little bit of milk in a glass and passed it to him.

“They taste pretty good though. Good job.”

Yohan popped out the corner of the room. “Cookies?” Another cookie was taken, this time he grabbed it with a napkin, sticking his tongue out at Seungyoun. “Oh wow, they really do taste good.”

Wooseok and Hangyul groaned from the living room, still putting up the finishing decorations. The apartment seemed even smaller with five people in it, so you could only imagine how crowded it would feel when Seungwoo got home. You pulled the little check list, checking the things that were already done and slapping Hangyul’s hand when he was about to grab a cookie.

“But they had one too!”

“These are not even for you, guys. At least wait for Seungwoo to come.” Even if you weren’t looking at him, you knew he was making a mocking face at you. “By the way, when is he coming, Wooseok?”

He checked his phone. “According to the manager, he will be here in like ten minutes?”

It was less than what you were hoping for but still enough time. Walking into the living room, everything looked nice: a “Happy Birthday Seungwoo” was hung up, which you had to insist to get a new one and not just reuse Seungyoun’s and change the last part, his favorite candles, a few Christmas things here and there since most of the boys celebrated it… Everything was just in place, including the gifts that were on top of the table, ready to be exchanged a little bit later.

Since the younger ones were going back to their hometowns to spend Christmas with their family, you and the rest of the oldest guys agreed on having a small birthday party for Seungwoo and exchange some gifts too, the leader being excluded from it since, well, it wasn’t quite fair.

“So… Are you going to confess tonight or not?” Seungyoun looked at you with a funny expression, trying to grab another cookie but failing.

“Shut up… I don’t think so. It’s his birthday, it’s not the right moment.”

You didn’t want to steal the spotlight from him, and if he rejected you, at least he wouldn’t have to do it on his birthday. The rest of the guys nodded in agreement, exposing that they were all actually paying attention. A soft knock on the door was heard, cutting with the awkward atmosphere that was in the air and you had to shush them all, turning off the lights as you went to open the door for Seungwoo, giving you the a smile that sent a wave of warmth down your spine.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Where are the rest of the boys?” He whispered right next to your ear, his closeness making you blush, his sweet perfume making you melt. “Should I act surprised?”

“Ah… It would be for the best, they tried really hard to set everything up.” Of course he would knew, Seungyoun wouldn’t stop talking about buying the cake when Wooseok was on the phone with the manager so he must have heard.

He gave a slight nod, still having a happy smile. As you two walked in the living room, multiple screams were heard and also someone hurt their knee with the table whilst getting up, muttering a swear word before Hangyul appeared with the cake on his hands, all singing the typical song, Seungyoun screaming around as Wooseok put the birthday hat on Seungwoo, struggling a little with his height.

“Were you surprised?” Yohan’s puppy face was impossible to resist.

“Yes! I wasn’t expecting it at all!” You couldn’t help but to face palm at the terrible acting he put up, giggling lightly and the rest followed.

“Now blow the candles and ask for a wish!”

Seungwoo looked at all of you, lingering a few seconds on each one and finally blew them out, everyone cheering and screaming. Just like the last year, he threw away the candle with the number two, a slight glint on his finger catching your attention but quickly forgetting about it as he left the six one only and making the “I’m six years old” joke. To try and hide your blush, you decided to bring the cookies, taking some time in order to calm your heart. Offering the plate, everyone grabbed a cookie, except for Hangyul that took two, mocking you.

“Oh? They taste awesome, where did you guys buy them?”

“Y/n baked them just for you.” Wooseok’s comment made you clench your teeth, all the emotions you were trying to suppress showing in a second. It was to be expected from Seungyoun or even Hangyul, but Wooseok betrayed you while watching straight into your eyes.

“Did you?”

“Well, uh, I read somewhere that it was what some Buddhists ate for Christmas and so…” He laughed at your reason and you wished the floor would have split open right then and there to swallow you whole.

“Thank you.”

Next followed drinking and eating, soon the chit chat becoming a mess. Everyone was on the verge of being drunk except for you and Seungwoo since you were taking care of the rest. It felt nice, like you didn’t want to be anywhere else. At some point, this group became not only your best friends but also a little part of your family, or at least people that you wanted in your life for a long, long time. It was comforting to see everyone laughing, singing songs in a way that made it look like it wasn’t what they did for a living, playing games and spilling secrets.

After the food ran out, everyone sobered a little, and when the clock hit midnight it was time to exchange gifts. Hangyul had bought a “thing” for Seungyoun’s studio, he got a game that Wooseok was dying to try out, Wooseok literally gave clothes to Yohan and he gifted Hangyul a weird, huge box with multiple toys so that he “could master them all.” Seeing this, it was quite obvious that the only pair left was your gift to Seungwoo and you would have been the one to receive his. You had been wondering if Wooseok manipulated the results, considering that he came up with the idea and also prepared the pieces of paper…

You build all the courage you could and gave him a small box, nervously waiting that it wouldn’t be too little. He gave you a sweet smile before opening it, staring at the bracelet inside and then to you again, eyes a little bit too wide.

“I wasn’t sure about what I should get you so I just thought that… That maybe it wasn’t that much of a bad idea?” You showed him your wrist with the matching piece. “I have one too.”

The bracelet looked so extremely delicate between his slim, long fingers, his touch careful as if he was afraid to break it, the expression on his face being one that you couldn’t quite define… Something like adoration? He put it on immediately, moving his hand around.

“Ohhh, isn’t that one of those soulma–!” You kicked Seungyoun before he could continue.

“Ah yes, friendship bracelets. They are cute and very popular, indeed.” Your blabbering made that the rest of the guys held back their laughter, afraid of ending up like Seungyoun, but Seungwoo didn’t seem to notice at all being too focused on your gift.

“I like it a lot. Actually…” He turned around and searched in his bag, pulling an even smaller box out of it. “Since I got you, I bought a gift anyway.”

A collective “awww” was heard from the rest, the leader’s cheeks tinting pink as he denied all the assumptions, shaking his hands and laughing. He gave you the box, and it was his turn to get nervous, biting on his lip and finger waiting for your reaction. As you saw the gift, your heart started beating a little bit faster, eyes going straight at his fingers.

“Oh, a ring?” Hangyul wiggled his eyebrows up and down, everyone bursting into laughter at your panicked face.

“It’s a matching one.” The older showed the one he was wearing. “I have one too.”

Wooseok rolled his eyes, sipping on his wine. “Get a room.” Yohan’s laugh ended up spreading to the rest, Seungwoo and you being the only ones that stared at the floor with the most stupid smiles on your faces.

The celebration continued for a bit until the manager called and asked them to go back. Everyone helped tidying and cleaning up, which it was a surprise because any other day they would just leave without even saying goodbye. As the rest got ahead, Seungwoo walked much slower behind you when accompanying to the room, Yohan’s little nod giving away some kind of signal that the leader must have made for them. You turned around quickly and he bumped into you, blushed face again before both giggled.

“Well, uh, happy birthday, Seungwoo.” Looking up at him, your heart fluttered for the hundredth time that night. You didn’t want to say goodbye, not at all.

“Ah, yes, thank you… And thank you for the soulmate bracelet.”

“It was nothing–” You froze, blinking a few times, your blood burning your whole body. “W-what?”

“They really are popular. I saw them before.” He chuckled a little, and it was confusing whether you wanted to kick him out of your apartment, run away or hug him. “I like it.” His eyes were fixed on you, and it seemed like he wanted to add something but was holding back.

“I liked your gift too. It’s really… really pretty.” You were afraid to put it on, simply holding the box, but he suddenly took it and slid the ring on your heart finger.

“It looks prettier like this.” As if he had just realized what he did, he stopped holding your hand, eyes wavering before taking a deep breath. “Thank you.”

“Y-you already said that, there is no need to thank me again…”

“Not for the gift. Or the party. Thank you for making my wish come true.”

You were almost sure that he could listen to your heartbeat. For a second, you couldn’t even focus on anything he was saying, only thoughts running around your mind and not letting you think rationally, spitting out the words without thinking them through.

“I like you.” The astonishment on his face brought you back to reality. “The ring! I really like the r–”

“I like you too.”

There weren’t no more words after that, only two dumb hearts that couldn’t calm down at the sudden confessions. You fidgeted with your fingers, now having the ring to play with whilst he did the same with the bracelet. It was so stupid, but it felt incredibly comfortable. Seungyoun’s high pitched voice popped the bubble you two had built, telling Seungwoo to hurry up.

“Right! You should go…” Having a tight schedule wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t easy to let him go now either.

Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed your cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

As he turned around and ran towards the car, you were left with the most dumbfounded expression, listening the cheering from the rest of the guys as if it was very foreign. Your skin went numb, eyes almost drying for not blinking, and you didn’t even feel your heart beating anymore. Despite all that, you gave them the biggest grin, and especially to the shy boy that tried to hide behind his bangs.

“Merry Christmas, Seungwoo.”

I AM: SOFT. I FUCKING LOVE SEUNGWOO. What a cute, fluffy baby. I’m going to go and cry. Also, Merry Christmas, babies! And happy birthday to Capricorn babyboy ♥

~Nani

unedited

[my-wonderland-imagination]

Mother Russia's Ice Tiger

Prologue-

If you had told me three years ago that I’d would have won a gold medal in the Grand Prix, with a skate choreographed by that shit head Viktor Nikiforov, winning against that little piggy, Yuuri Katsuki, and falling in love with my first ever best friend, WHOSE A FUCKING GUY, Otabek Altin... I would’ve cut you with my knife shoes, laughing manically as you screamed in pain... but here I am, winner of the Grand Prix, with Katsuki second and beside me, smiling proudly, Beka smiling over at me with his thumbs up, Viktor clapping and screaming that he’s proud of his fiancé and his son(WHICH I AM NOT!) and for once, I don’t feel angry, I don’t want to hit or throw anything, for once I feel truly... happy... I’m happy, I’m proud of what I’ve managed to achieve, for being able to finally show that I’m more than a kid with anger issues and that I can do anything, that I’m not just some liability...

A liability... That’s what she called me, a worthless liability... My supposed mother, she never cared, and she couldn’t have given a damn about me, when I was younger to me now. And that sperm donor that she called my father, I couldn’t give two shits about him nor who he was. He left us both, he didn’t care, the minute he found out she was pregnant with me, and he was out of the door faster than you could say “Pirozhki”. Ha, who could ever give a damn about someone like him?!

That’s when everything went downhill... Mama decided drugs and alcohol were the way to go... They were more important than me, more important than food or the house, and far more important than her job. The day I was taken away from her, I screamed for my mother, crying out her name, clinging onto her thin, sickly arms, begging for her to keep me. I’ll never forget that day... The anger in her eyes, the hatred burning towards me, igniting me from the inside out as she screamed back, screaming abuse at me, putting all the blame on me... I suppose she was right, if I hadn’t been produced, HE would’ve stayed, SHE would’ve been able to further her career, THEY’D be happy together... And Grandpa wouldn’t have been burdened with me, a stupid five year old, clinging to a ratty old cat plushie, given to me by one of Mamas junkie friends in pity after I got slapped again, after asking her where my daddy was for the supposed hundredth time, she hated me for driving him away, maybe she was right... It was my fault he left, neither of them wanted a kid, especially not a weak, worthless one like me...

No one wanted me, why would they? I was nothing, no matter how hard I try, no matter how many medals I win, I wasn’t ever going to be good enough. She was rig-

“Yurio! I’m so proud of you, you truly did deserve the gold. And I’m grateful that you did, as much as I wanted to retire to give Viktor his chance to go back, I felt as if we were going too fast and I didn’t want to give up what I loved doing, even if I’m a terrible skater. Thank you.” Yuuri smiled down at me and pulled me into a tight hug, holding me close to him as he laughed softly. Tears started to fall from my eyes and onto his chest, I’ve never experienced motherly love before but now, from Yuuri, it’s all I could feel.

“Sh-sh-shut up, p-p-pig! I d-d-didn’t do it f-f-for you o-o-okay?! I h-h-had to w-w-win, I d-d-deserved to!” it was hard to get my words out whilst sobbing against him, he didn’t say a word though, just tightened his hold around me, I have never felt so loved or protected in my life, not from Yakov, or Lila, not from Otabek, my best friend turned crush, not even from my beloved Grandpa.

“You know, Viktor had mentioned adopting you, he wanted us to become a proper family, and as much as I would love that, I told him that it isn’t up to us to decide, it’s your decision. But even if you say no, you’ll always have a place with us, no matter what happens, we’ll always accept you with open arms. You’re like a son to us and we both love you very much, even when you have those god awful temper tantrums of yours, ha ha.” I couldn’t help but let a strangled laugh as he laughed.

I felt him shift as he looked up at the extra idiot he calls a fiancé. I couldn’t help but wonder if he really meant it, adoption... Living as a family... It sounded like a cruel nightmare and they were just joking, that they didn’t really want me...

“Do you really mean it…? About adopting me…?” I asked timidly, too scared to even look up at him, just in case it was a cruel joke,

“Of course, we’d love to adopt you. You’re like our son already, we just wanted you to have a say in all of it too, Viktors excited about it, he started making a room for you in his apartment and started to teach Makkachin to be nice to cats, though I doubt he’s going to succeed, the man himself isn’t overly fond of them either. What do you say, be our small, angry Russian son?” He chuckled and pulled away slightly, a soft smile decorating his face, ruining his Eros image he made on the ice. I nodded slowly, letting more tears fall down my face.

I had a family now... A real fami-WAIT WHAT DID HE SAY?!

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE ISN’T FOND OF CATS?! HEY, OLD MAN! WHAT’S WRONG WITH CATS?!” I yelled over at the idiot, his stupid heart shaped smile widening as he waved over at us, laughing stupidly at my comment. Did this bastard think I wasn’t serious? I can’t have someone who dislikes cats in my life, fuck that! I’m just glad Beka likes them, and tigers, because I would seriously kick his ass if he didn’t.

I looked over my best friend, my Beka, with his weird ass bear that he named Kitten after me. I admit, it was soft and cuddly and damn did it smell good, it smelt like him and that was my favourite scent in the world, my own piece of catnip. So whenever we were hanging out after practice, I’d fall asleep against him, clinging to that stupid bear that I claimed as mine after having a little wrestling match, that he always let me win after I pouted at him, and I’d end up waking up to myself curled up against his chest with his hoodie on me, which he somehow managed to slip over me and keep the bear out of it, his fingers tangled in my messy blonde hair and his eyes closed, dead to the world and yet cradling me close to him, almost as if he was protecting me from the outside world, from my past and the darkness that still lingers around me. I loved those nights, Grandpa wouldn’t mind me staying with him, Beka usually sent him a message to tell him that I fell asleep again and that he would bring me back, dressed in clean clothes, fed and happy, with the amount of times it happened, I now have clothes in his suitcase, though I usually stole something of his, one of his hoodies, a scarf, a tee, just something that was his (He’d always give me this look then would chuckle at me, shaking his head before making sure that the helmet was tight and sturdy on my head). Lila would’ve told Yakov that I was allowed to spend the night with my best friend because I’ve been training hard enough to get a little break and it's good for my body to relax in comfort, seeing as I usually had nightmares when we stayed in hotel rooms and I was away from my personal drug that was the only thing that could comfort me.

It’s weird how easy it was to get used to Beka, it took me years to get used to Yakov, I’m still not used to that old hag, Mila, no matter what she tries. I’m still trying with Lila, even if she’s nicer than Yakov and helps me keep my flexibility. I will never get used to Viktors extra, stupid ass, and Katsudon… He’s just there, whenever I need him or need someone to yell at, he always takes it and helps me. But Beka, when he told me about how we met years ago, and what he thought the moment he saw me... Fuck, I melted, he’s everything to me, my best friend, my crush... He’s always there to cheer me up when I need it, with his totally awesome bike, he’s always there to save me from crazy fangirls and I don’t know what I’d do without him there to make me laugh, he makes me feel more... Human, he’s my Agape... My Agape, fuuuuuccccckkkkkkk, why does he have to be so cool, and sweet and fucking hell, he’s so fucking hot... But most of all, why did he choose me? Why did he want to be friends with me?

No one’s ever wanted to be friends with me before, everyone’s always thought of me as the angry, spoilt, Russian child who hates the world and everyone in it, I may look delicate but my personality ‘clashes with my innocent look, especially when I skate’ but he didn’t say that, he said that I was rude, arrogant, angry, resentful, crazy, foul-mouthed but that’s what made me so unique, especially when I skate because it showed how human I really was, I was real not some fake like some people * cough JJ cough * and I was able to show everyone that you should never judge a book by its cover... He was good with words like that, he melted my icy heart and settled into a special place in it, and I’m terrified he might leave once he finds out about my past... He might think I’m a liability, that I’m worthless, just like Mama said, that’s why I keep everyone at arm’s length, because of how terrified I am that they’ll leave once they see, that they’ll lie like she did and will throw me away like I’m nothing.

I may act like I’m this scary, angry, Ice Tiger of Mother Russia but really, I’m this scared, broken, lost, little kitten, desperately trying to survive in the big bad world of sharks, that’s all. But with my Beka, with the idiot Viktor, and the piggy, Katsudon, I think that maybe I can become a real Ice Tiger of Mother Russia and do them proud, I have to make everyone proud, so then they won’t abandon me, I can’t have anyone else abandon me, it’d destroy me...

[athenagrantt]

okay.

summary: buck always hated the whole soulmate bullshit... okay maybe not always but for as long as he learned two things: one, what is his soulmark and two, who his soulmate is, in that particular order or in which buck has the last words his soulmate will ever say to him tattooed on his arm and his soulmate is his best friend. warnings: major character death words: 4,497k a/n: hi! So this is my very first 9-1-1/buddie fic and so I decided it’d be a great idea to introduce myself to y’all with this angsty fic and probably make all of you hate me so… yeah, call me satan and enjoy! lmao (side note if you wanna cry more I recommend to read this while listening to tough by lewis capaldi *wink wink*)                                                                                                        read on ao3

There were so may ways you could find your soulmate Buck couldn’t count them even if he tried. And from what he knew and he’d like to think he knew quite a lot about the topic since he was fascinated by soulmates growing up, most of them were cute, romantic and funny or some kind of combinations of all three. And since everyone around him fit into that equation, you could even say Buck was excited to find that person who was destined to be with him.

Everything shifted when Buck was a little older and found out there actually were not-so-nice and cute ways to find a soulmate and that made Buck anxious about the future. Instead of looking forward to his eighteenth birthday he was dreading it. Every time he thought about it his chest got a little tighter and his breathing quickened.

It wasn’t like he had to take a test or an interview or something like that to determine his way of finding his other half. He’d just know. He’d wake up on his birthday and just know how it’s gonna go so he shouldn’t be this stressed. But he was. And every year his anxiety just kept getting worse because just in three years, two years, one year he w o u l d k n o w.

And yes, he could be overthinking for nothing. He could be just as lucky as other people and have a cute tattoo or see them in his dreams or not age ‘til they meet and it would be awesome but at the same time his brain kept reminding him he could be the unlucky one and most of the time Buck didn’t even want to think what that would mean.

On his birthday, the birthday, Buck woke up feeling different. He couldn’t figure it out right away but he had this gut feeling something’s changed. It was almost like a missing piece of him was finally in its place. He felt whole. And the first thing he did was smile and exhale slowly, calmly. He chuckled quietly not even knowing why and got up from the bed strangely ready to take on another day.

Only when he was putting his clothes on, Buck noticed something on his arm which was strange considering the fact he could barely fall asleep the night before constantly thinking about everything the next day would mean. He took a deep breath and after few seconds finally looked at his arm.

Okay.

Buck furrowed his brows. That was it? Just one word? At first he thought maybe there’s more to come so he spent the entire day constantly checking his arms even though something inside his head was telling him there will not be anything else. And that little voice was right because when Buck went back to bed the same, lonely word was all he saw.

And then a cold, uncomfortable chill run through his entire body and it hit him like a ton of bricks. Something he should’ve think about right away. Instead of overthinking what the tattoo was actually saying he should’ve think about what was the meaning behind it. Because there was one and as soon as Buck unlocked that part, he knew. He knew exactly what that small, innocent okay placed on his wrist meant and for a few seconds that realization knocked the air out of his lungs.

Buck spent the next few hours sitting in the same exact spot on his bed, his breath shaky and shallow, the thumb of his right hand abstinently stroking the inked skin on his left wrist. He felt numb, not able to do anything to break his trance. He noticed he was crying only when the tears started dropping on his hand and still he did nothing to stop them. His vision blurry, the only thing he could see was that same little okay he was staring at for hours.

This was the last thing his soulmate would ever say to him.

He didn’t want to believe it. He wished it was a mistake.

But he knew,

he knew

he knew

he knew it wasn’t.

He knew that little word will, someday, shatter his entire world into pieces. Pieces he won’t be able to glue together. Because his heart will die. Literally. And there’s nothing he can do about it, nothing he can do to prevent it. All he can do is wait and hope.

Okay.

And just as he was lying on the bed, as if all the hurt wasn’t enough, Buck realised another two things. Yes, ‘okay’ will be the only thing his soulmate will ever say to him but he has no idea of knowing which one of them could be in a life-death situation. He just assumed that short word would be said when his soulmate would be dying but who’s to say it won’t be him and ‘okay’ will be literally the last thing he will ever hear? Thinking about it felt like someone was kicking him in the gut.

However Buck didn’t have much time to dwell on that because another thought wanted to be heard – Why just one word? Wasn’t his luck bad enough? How was he supposed to know which ‘okay’ would be the last one? Was he supposed to panic every time someone in his presence said it? Or was he supposed to just know like he knows he definitely was the unluckiest person in the entire world right now?

He had two possible choices - to just live his life to the fullest, knowing he or someone who he will love with everything in him might day and he has no idea when, why or who could it be or to completely close himself off to love, to avoid it like a fire and be miserable his whole life…

But seeing as only few years later Buck was working as a firefighter and chasing fires was literally his job the choice seemed pretty obvious. Somewhere along the way he decided he can’t waste his life. He won’t waste his life. The idea of losing his soulmate, one way or another, still terrified him, but throughout the years he learned to just ignore or silence that part of his brain. Was it healthy for his mental health? God no. But it was working so Buck decided to stick with it.

Then… Buck meet Eddie and again something in him started to change. It was even more confusing than the time thing like this happened on his eighteen birthday. But somehow, somehow Buck knew it had to do with his soulmate. He didn't know how Eddie fit in there but he must’ve.

Because Buck knew.

The idea of Eddie being his soulmate crossed him mind more than once but Eddie told him about Shannon, his w i f e, so no matter what Buck was imagining, Eddie Diaz wasn’t his soulmate and he had to accept it. And he did.

But then Shannon died.

And Eddie’s soulmark was still there.

And Buck was so confused.

Because that wasn’t supposed to happen. When you or your soulmate dies your soulmark dies with you/them. What happens after that? Buck had no idea but what he knew was that the blue eyes Eddie kept on seeing in his dreams should now be gone.

They were not. Even weeks after Shannon’s death Eddie was complaining he still dreamt about them. Buck suggested that maybe it takes time for a soulmark to completely disappear but the thing with Eddie’s soulmark was that it wasn’t disappearing at all. Eddie was convinced that it’s the exact opposite and the eyes he sees are even more visible than before. And at this point Buck was just lost.

When he met Eddie they talked about soulmates. And Eddie explained to him that even though he can see the eyes in his dreams, he’d only know for sure after he kissed his soulmate. He told Buck after he kissed Shannon for the first time he was positive she was it for him and then they had Christopher – whom Buck loves almost as if he was his own son, and despite everything that happened between him and Shannon he thought they would work it out. Unfortunately they didn’t and now Buck wasn’t the only one who was struggling with his soulmate.

He wished both him and Eddie had it as easy as their colleagues from the station.

Like his own sister and Chimney for example. They were both living in a black and white until they kissed and when they did suddenly the world was colourful and beautiful and the two of them were so happy and full of love.

Or Athena and Bobby. Bobby could literally see her in her dreams. He knew exactly who was his soulmate when he laid his eyes on her and when Athena heard his voice, when they first spoke, she knew it was him because the same thing that came out of his mouth was what was tattooed on her forearm.

But Buck’s favourite, to this day were Han and Karen. When they met their hearts started glowing. Han told him, jokingly that they must’ve really been in love because the glow of their hearts wouldn't go away for a whole week. And it only made Buck love their story even more. Mainly because when Buck was younger he wished that would be him someday. Finding love with a glowing heart.

Instead he was cursed with his little okay.

Nothing was okay and it was even less okay after the dinner they had at Bobby and Athena’s place one time Okay, no, the dinner itself was great. But they always were. As long as all of them were together in a room, everything was great. So they talked, they drank, they ate, they laughed and drank some more. A few of them would have a hangover the next day but they were having so much fun that the next morning wasn’t important. Buck wasn’t even mad when his team lost a game of charades – and if it was all Bucks’s fault because he kept staring at his best friend, no one has to know… except everyone knew. The alcohol coursing through his veins did not make him subtle at all.

It was weird. Because up to that very dinner party Buck never thought about Eddie in that way.

That was a lie.

He definitely did think about Eddie in that way but never before let himself think he could have something real with Eddie. He was so fixated on the idea that they weren’t soulmates he never even thought they could still be a thing. Not being someone else’s soulmate never stopped him from a relationship and yet he couldn’t bring himself to try and start something with Eddie. No matter how hard he wanted to pretend he didn’t know what was holding him back, he did. And it was pretty simple and obvious – he didn’t want to risk his friendship with Eddie and his relationship with Christopher. He loved that kid so much sometimes it scared him. The way Chris could chase all his worries away with just one smile was incredible and Buck would rather pine for Eddie from afar then do something that in the long run had the possibility of hurting Chris.

Where were those exact thoughts after the dinner when Eddie suggested they don’t stop the fun now and grab a drink or two at the nearby bar? Buck had no idea but he always had a hard time saying no to Eddie so they did grab a drink or two or four at the bar nearby.

So yeah, the dinner itself was great, it was everything that happened after that might have been the worst or best night in Buck’s life. To this day he’s not sure.

At first the night was going great. They ordered the first round of drinks and sat in the corner booth at the very end of the room where the music was just a little bit quieter and it was easier to hear what they were saying. Also, the light wasn’t that aggressive and when after good twenty minutes Buck thought about it, the whole atmosphere of the booth was awfully romantic. Eddie either didn’t mind it or simply didn’t notice too preoccupied with telling a story about Christopher from that morning.

They spent most of the time like this, talking and laughing, just like best friends do. Buck had even more fun than only hours ago when they were with the rest of the team. Something about it being just the two of them made it even better. And when the voice inside his head would keep on telling him it was because he had feelings for Eddie he’d just push it down, ignoring it before his heart would flutter at the idea.

It was so easy to fall for Eddie Diaz. Buck couldn’t even point to en exact moment he realised he wanted something more than friendship. The idea was silly but it was like Buck’s entire body started vibrating when he was close to him. When it happened the first time, for a second, Buck thought he was dying. He’s never felt anything even close to what he felt that day and it scared and excited him at the same time. Right there and then was the first time Buck thought about Eddie being his soulmate and just by thinking it his body got all warm and tingly and he absolutely loved it. Chimney was the only one who noticed his reaction and for a good week kept making faces at him any time Eddie entered the room which after a month was quite annoying but there was nothing Buck could do about it so he just learned to go with it.

Along the way everyone around him started to notice how taken he was by Eddie… Eddie being the exception. Buck was almost amazed by how oblivious his best friend was. Whenever Han or Chim or even Booby would say something to embarrass Buck in front of him he completely shrugged it off and didn’t give it a second thought. Sometimes Buck was curious what he’d have to do for Eddie to get the idea.

Like what if he were to casually take Eddie’s hand in the middle of his story? Without any explanation. Just hold it, maybe intertwined their fingers together and listen to the story like nothing happened. Would that be enough for Eddie to stop and question what was going on? Suddenly Buck really wanted to know and-

“Hey, man you there? You seemed kinda off.” Eddie’s voice brought him back from daydreaming.

“Yeah, sorry. Spaced out a little.” Buck chuckled.

“Are you calling me boring, Buckley?” A challenging smile on Eddie’s lips.

Buck wanted to kiss those lips.

“I’m not saying Chris would told this story better but...” He trailed off, teasing.

“Wow.” Eddie sighed, trying to look offended but failing.

Buck knew he should’ve stop drinking if he wanted to finish the night without embarrassing himself but at this point in his life he was also pretty good at ignoring his thoughts so that’s what he did and moments later was ordering another round.

He had no idea what happened in that short period of time he was gone but when he was back in the booth he had this feeling that the mood has changed. Something shifted in that little world Eddie and him were immersed for the last two hours. He didn’t know what but when Eddie emptied almost half of his drink at once he knew something definitely happened.

And then before he even had the chance to ask, Eddie’s face was so close to his, Buck could probably count his eyelashes if wasn’t as surprised as she was.

And then they were kissing. And Buck’s head was spinning. And Eddie’s hands were on his neck pulling him even closer. And he let him. And Buck himself grabbed Eddie’s shirt in his hands. And an embarrassingly loud groan escaped his lips. And he could feel Eddie smiling. And Buck hated how much he loved it. But they were kissing so it didn’t matter. Because E d d i e k i s s e d h i m.

Buck had to physically, gently push Eddie away because as much as he absolutely loved feeling his lips on his own, suddenly he knew and yet again he absolutely hated his life.

Okay.

Right after Buck broke the kiss, he could see how confused Eddie was. And he had every right to because Buck did kiss him back. And they both knew what just happened and what that meant for them but for some reason, after a moment of complete silence between them Eddie felt the need to voice the fact. “You’re my soulmate.” He said quietly and Buck was surprised he could actually hear him. “We’re soulmates.” Eddie said again with a smile on his face and Buck wanted to cry.

Okay.

He was fine with Eddie not knowing Buck had feelings for him. It was easier. It was safer. But Eddie kissed him and Buck kissed him back. And now the idea he was so quick to dismiss so many time before turned out to be true and Buck hated it. Because it meant he would lose Eddie. Someday in the hopefully long ass future he will definitely loose his best friend. One of them will die leaving the other one. No one said it had to be soon but Buck couldn’t let himself get his hopes up.

Okay. Okay. Okay.

It didn’t take long for Eddie to decipher Buck’s reaction. He knew how Buck felt about his soulmark and it was safe to say he hated it. It wasn’t a secret. And Buck always said he’s rather never find them rather than go through loosing essentially a part of himself. So knowing that, Eddie couldn’t even be mad. He could only imagine how hard it was for Buck to know the last thing Eddie would say to him. Now that he knew Buck was his soulmate he wasn’t sure himself how he felt about the idea but he knew he wouldn’t want anyone else as his soulmate.

“Buck.” Eddie said, his hand firmly gripping Buck’s shoulder. “Look at me.” He asked and took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s okay.”

“Eddie.” Buck’s breath hitched and when nothing happened he exhaled sharply and pulled Eddie in for a tight hug. “You’re okay.”

“I’m fine. I’m okay. We’re okay.” Eddie assured him and Buck hated how his heart stopped for a second every time Eddie said that word.

“Please never say ‘okay’ to me ever again.”

Buck was so serious it almost gave Eddie chills but he rolled his eyes to somehow loosen up the tense moment. “Buck. Don’t be ridiculous.” He shook his head, grabbing Buck’s hand. “Do you really believe that me not saying the word will change anything?”

“I hope so.” Buck sighed. “Eddie, I can’t lose you.” He admitted eventually and it nearly broke Eddie’s heart to hear how defeated he sounded. And Eddie wanted to assure him, he won’t but he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t promise something like that and he didn’t want to lie to Buck. “The only thing we can do is to live to the fullest and enjoy it while it lasts, okay?” Eddie said, adding the word Buck hated on purpose just to make his point.

And Buck knew Eddie was right. He couldn’t live in fear because he wouldn’t be living at all. And now that he knew Eddie was his soulmate Buck wanted so many things out of life. So just like he did all those years ago, when he found that little okay on his wrist, he decided to let that fear of losing Eddie motivate him to live his life like every day was the last one rather than stop living at all. And being a firefighter sure did help him understand how fragile life was, on a daily basis.

Even before he knew Eddie’s his soulmate both of them had a few close calls and right there one of them could’ve died and when Buck thinks about it now it would be so much worse. The situation he is now isn’t the best but it always could be worse. If Eddie were to die and Buck would find out they were soulmates before he had any chance to do anything about it he’s sure he’d die right beside him because of how broken his heart would be. At least now they had a chance to be together. No matter how long.

Months have passed and both of them were still happy and most importantly healthy. Of course, there were times one of them would be closer to the other side that they’d prefer, knowing the circumstances but at the end they were okay.

Until they weren’t.

The day started almost like any other. It was better because exactly a year ago they were in a bar where they discovered they’re soulmates. A year ago they got together and started their lives as a couple.

An anniversary.

Time really flies when you’re happy and in love. Buck could not believe it has been a year already. It was, hands down, the best year of his life. A year filled with nothing but the kind of love that consumes you entirely. So he insisted they go out and celebrate together. All three of them. Because it wouldn’t be the same without Christopher. Buck made a reservation at their favourite restaurant and was so excited he nearly started counting down the hours.

Much to all his friends’ joy he didn’t have the time to actually do it since the day was just hectic. Every call was more intense than the previous one and the last one of the day was the actual worst one in every meaning imaginable.

There was a man threatening a woman with a gun. He was drunk and Buck would say crazy. When they got there Bobby, Eddie and him went inside. Bobby tried to talk the man down, tried to reason with him but to no avail. It seemed like the man couldn’t even hear him like all this anger bubbling inside him made him deaf. Which was ridiculous of course, but Buck really didn’t know how else to describe it.

And everything that happened after Bobby stopped talking and addressed Buck and Eddie happened so quickly Buck didn’t even know what he was doing after he was in the middle of throwing himself at the captain. All he remembered was the man pointing his gun at Bobby and pulling the trigger. When both of them landed on the ground everyone present realised the gun did not fire. Buck let himself take a deep shaky breath before he looked back at the scene and oh how he wished he didn’t. Because when he turned his head around, standing up from the ground he saw Eddie charging at the man who now knew that now there was nothing to lose. He attempted to kill Bobby so he might as well carry on with his plan.

Before Eddie managed to reach him, the man quickly reload the gun and fired.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then Eddie landed on the ground, nothing but pure shock on his face. The only thing Buck could hear was the beating of his own heart. He was on his knees when Eddie fall down and now wasn’t able to pull himself up. Completely ignoring the very real chance of being shot himself he stumbled to where Eddie was lying in a pool of his blood, hand clutching his chest.

Buck was numb.

He had no idea what was happening around him. The only thing important to him was Eddie and when he reached him he took his hand in his. Tears were streaming down his face but he didn’t even noticed.

Okay. Okay. Okay.

“They’re almost gone.” Eddie mumbled, looking at Buck.

“What?” Buck asked even though he had a pretty good idea what Eddie was talking about. But this time, this time Buck let himself hope.

“Your eyes.” Eddie smiled, his eyes closing just for a second.

Buck’s wrist started to sting.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

“Eddie. No.” Buck’s voice broke and his heart was beating so fast. “You can’t-” He couldn’t finish. He didn’t want to finish. “Think about Christopher. You can’t leave Christopher.” He cried. “You can’t leave me.” Eddie’s grip on his hand was so weak it made Buck sick. “We have an anniversary dinner to go to.” He tried, he tried to be okay. “Eddie please.”

“I know you’ll take good care of him Buck. There’s nobody in this world that I trust with him more than you, remember?” Buck could barely hear him and the pain in his wrist was increasing with every second yet it still was nothing in comparison to the pain of hi dying heart.

Okay.

“Eddie-” He wanted to say so many things but the lump in his throat wouldn’t let him.

“I know.” Eddie placed his hand on Buck’s cheek. “I love you, too.”

Buck couldn’t take it any more. Still holding Eddie’s hand, he laid his head on his chest and regretted it as soon as he heard how slow and weak Eddie’s heartbeat was. How he wished it was just a very very bad dream or some sick joke. How was he supposed to live his life now?

“Hey, look at me.” He obeyed but when he looked in Eddie’s eyes he knew exactly what was gonna happen and if it was possible, he just cried harder.

Okay.

“Don’t say it. Eddie I am begging you, please don’t say it.” Buck was shaking his head frantically. His whole body was shaking and he wasn’t sure if it ever stop. “You’re gonna be fine. I love you. So much. You’re gonna be fine, okay?” He didn't even noticed what he said until Eddie smiled at him with all the love he had for Buck in his eyes.

“Okay.” Eddie exhaled and tugged at Buck’s hand. He couldn’t see anything through the tears but he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Eddie’s. When he pulled away he was choking on the tears. Still strongly gripping Eddie’s hand he just looked at him before he noticed that his wrist wasn’t hurting any more. The one thing he hated about himself and now the only thing he’d of Eddie was gone and he’d never imagined he’s miss it.

Buck managed to whisper one last ‘I love you’ before he felt a pair of hands pulling him away from his now forever gone soulmate.

And he was far, far away from okay.

[sokkasbabygirl]

double matchup for ATLA because uh why not? (im sorry lol)

lol hi bella ~ i feel like i request WAY too much so um i’m sorry lol, i finally found your avatar blog (because i literally couldn’t before ??????) i wanted to req another double matchup for ATLA because you did SUCH an amazing job for my Voltron matchup (uwu i love my nerdy rebel boi & floofy haired Altean princess uwu), so i really wanna see what awesome shiii you come up with for ATLA.  ~ here is le information uwu: I’m a 4”10 bi girl w/ golden brown skin & long black box braids. ENFJ, Ravenpuff, Lawful Neutral, Ambivert, Aquarius. EXTREMELY sarcastic, blunt, clever, witty & empathetic. Antisocial introvert at first but extroverted w/ the right people. Either the serious leader mom friend {therapist} or crackhead. Has anxiety, insomnia, trypophobia, handles others needs before own & holds in problems. I love cheesy 80’s movies, anything related to crime, mystery, & law music (Conan Gray uwu), writing, reading, floofy animals, anime, superheroes, fashion, volleyball, soccer, basketball, & swimming! i’m lowkey such a nerd, im a sucker for forehead kisses and i love meeemes! Thanks babe! love you!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey babess !!! there is no need to feel that way bc i love to answer all the requests you send :D not to mention it also lets me show off my skills to anyone else who wishes to request something from me :))

Okay so I took a bit to think about who to pair you with, but in the end

I wanna pair ya with . . . 

                           𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐮

【Ｔｈｅ　Ｔｗｏ　Ｌｏｖｅｒｓ】

You were born to a firebender and waterbender within a small mining village. Since your father was one of the soldiers who were in charge of said village, you were an outcast. Nearly everyone looked down on you for your Fire Nation heritage except for mother and son duo; Kai & Haru. Despite what your father represented they respected you and your mother as separate entities from him. He had never harassed, stolen or taken anything nor anyone from the village. It hadn't come out until after your father was taken that he had been plotting to liberate the village from Fire Nation rule. Kai and Haru became support pillars for both you and your mother causing Haru and yourself to become quite close. A strong friendship blossomed into love and within a year of your father being taken, Haru asked you to be his girlfriend. It was four years later that the avatar came to the village and freed the prisoner ship leading to the liberation of your village. A few months later Haru came to you on your 2 year anniversary and gave you a necklace. A traditional Water Tribe betrothal necklace. Inscribed on the light blue stone was a beautiful crescent moon above ocean waves. On the back of the stone were the symbols of the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Water Tribes, indicating all the nations you were involved with. The necklace warmed your heart and just made you melt that Haru had went out of his way to complete a Water Tribe tradition for you. You happily accepted and when requested to aid Avatar Aang on the day of black sun, Haru, Tyro and yourself went to their aid. Your firebending would be useless but your waterbending was on par with masters. Despite the loss on that day, you three went home in one piece and after the end of the 100 year war, you two were wed. You helped the village grow and prosper, teaching earthbenders many firebending forms to aid them in creating new earthbending moves. You were an asset to the village and the first to show that it was heritage that defined someones bending. You were also the first to show that village that double bending was possible.

- 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓁 𝒩𝑒𝒸𝓀𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃 -

____________________________________________

It took me awhile to write the above since I had to edit a bit however it took me even longer to figure out who to pair you with a female. I thought one person butttt

I am going to pair you with . . .

                   𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢

【Ｔｈｅ　Ｗａｒｒｉｏｒｓ】

You have been with Kyoshi since the beginning. You were abandoned on the same pier as she and were rescued by Kelsang with her. You are an waterbender abandoned by your nomadic tribe after your abilities were discovered. A waterbender had not been born in your tribe for centuries and you were considered a curse due to being born after your mother had an affair with an Air Nomad. She was forced yo abandon you when this was discovered when you were 6 and she became an outcast of the tribe. Around the age of 13, you began to develop feelings for the Warrior and she you but neither confessed until the age of 17. At the age of 17 Kyoshi found she was the Avatar and you quickly became her Waterbending teacher. Your mother had left you a priceless waterbending scroll that was only known within your tribe. You taught Kyoshi these moves and she excelled. At 18, you confessed to her and she gladly accepted you as her girlfriend. You became the first Waterbender to train as a Kyoshi Warrior and the first Kyoshi Warrior to excell and beat Kyoshi in hand-to-hand combat. You gained respect from the others and you were accepted as Avatar Kyoshi's girlfriend. At 20, you gave Kyoshi a Betrothal Necklace. You had fashioned the traditional necklace in a untraditional way by making it Green to represent the Earth Kingdom. It represented your love for her and by proxy had hints of gold within that had been melted down from a ring you had been left by your mother. She meant more to you than the ring and you showed her this by including the gold from said ring in the necklace. You gave it to her on your 2 year anniversary and she graciously accepted. She wore the necklace with pride, most did not notice it at first since it looked so natural with her usual wear but once they had, you were held in even higher regard as the Avatar's Betrothed. You married her at 23 and adopted a young girl at 24. You two were pivotal parts of Kyoshi Island and seen as the highest standing members of the Island which your daughter soon became apart of when she was old enough to talk.

- 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓁 𝒩𝑒𝒸𝓀𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃 -

_________________________________________________

 Here you go sweetheart !! @bisexualmattholtstan​ I hope you like this as much as me :)) I absolutely LOVED writing this ^^

[turtle-steverogers]

Can you make a Sprace fic where Race is a foster kid and has PTSD?

nng sorry this took so long

but n e wayyyyyy its 2:00 an d w e posting cuz my brai n hates me

-

I Can’t

warnings: panic attack, implied abuse

ship: sprace

editing: lol

word count: 1731

“Okay, can I have Tony and Spencer onstage for their fight call,” Medda Larkin called through her megaphone, flipping through the script in front of her, “I wanna see this fight in full, don’t hold back.  I need to know if anything needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.”

Spot straightened his back, leaning over in his seat next to Medda to look over his prompt script as Race and Specs walked out on stage.  He glanced up, sending an encouraging smile to Race, who flashed him a forced one in return.  Even from his place in the back of the theatre, Spot could tell that something was off.  Race’s composure was guarded and nervous, shoulders drawn up ever so slightly and fingers twisting in front of him as he and Specs took their respective places stage right and downstage.

“Ready, guys?” Medda called, waiting for Specs and Race to give her a quick thumbs up before leaning back in her chair, “Alright, Spot tell them where to take it from.”

Spot nodded, eyes scanning his script, “Uhh, take it from…‘lay offa me’, okay?”

Race nodded, rolling his shoulders a few times to get into character.  He braced one hand on the ground, hunching his shoulders as he kneeled in what looked like a defeated position.

“Lay offa me, wouldja?” He spit, panting as he turned his head slightly to glance at Specs across the stage, “Thought you’d be satisfied by now.  You won!  Is that what you wanna hear?”

Specs scoffed, crossing to him, “Ah, but here’s the fun thing,” he bent down, grasping Race by the sleeve of his shirt and hauling him to his feet, “I haven’t won,” he pressed their noses together, hovering over Race, “until you’re six feet underground, you hear me boy!?”

Race’s face contorted into one of pure anger and he mimed spitting at Specs.  Specs jerked his head backwards, reacting as if he’d actually been spit on and taking a moment to wipe at his face before shoving Race lightly towards the ground.  Race stumbled, falling heavily to give the impression that he’d been pushed much harder.  Spot raised his eyebrows, impressed by both of their acting.  It was coming along surprisingly well given the short amount of time they’d been off book.

“Get back up!” Specs fumed, “I will not tolerate this kind of-”

Spot frowned as Specs continued to monologue, eyes trained on Race as he cowered on the floor.  He’d long since missed his cue to stand back up and he had shifted to his hands and knees, head bowed low between his shoulders.  Spot could see his arms shaking and he sat up straighter, alarm shooting down his spine when Specs stopped speaking abruptly.

“Race?” Specs stepped forward, kneeling down next to his friend and momentarily freezing when he noticed the tears that seemed to be running down his face, “Shit,” he cursed, turning his attention to Spot and Medda, “Hey, something’s wrong!”

“Oh dear,” Medda mumbled under her breath, standing swiftly as Spot did the same.

They hurried towards the stage, Spot pulling ahead of Medda in order to reach his clearly hurting boyfriend faster.  By the time they got there, Race had rocked back onto his heels, hands braced behind his breath as he tried to reign in his unsteady breathing.  Specs reached out, placing a hand on his back, but quickly withdrew it when Race yelped a little, hitting him involuntarily.

“Fuck,” Spot hopped onto the stage, coming to a halt in front of Race’s trembling form, “Hey, Race, hey.  What’s happening?”

Race didn’t answer, having resorted to lacing his fingers in his hair, pulling hard.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Spot coaxed, “Can you hear me?”

Race didn’t answer and Spot flashed a worried glance at Medda, who moved to squat next to them as well.  

“Antonio, dear, can you open your eyes for me?” Medda spoke softly, motioning for the students who had begun to peek their heads out from behind the curtain to back away.  

Specs looked between Race and the rest of the cast a few times before huffing a decisive breath, “I’ll make sure they don’t crowd,” he said, already moving to rally the others.

Tears had begun to stream down Race’s face at a steadier pace and Spot grimaced, worrying his lip between his teeth as a few gut-wrenching sobs worked their way out of Race’s chest.

“Antonio, c’mon sweetie,” Medda said, “You’re okay, can you open your eyes?”

Spot pursed his lips, hesitantly opening his mouth, “Racer,” he tried, shifting a little closer to Race than Medda, “You’re safe, baby,” he kept his voice low and private, “Do you want to go somewhere else?  I’ll go with you and we can work this out.”

For a moment, it seemed like Race still hadn’t heard him and Spot clenched his jaw, feeling utterly helpless.  Then, Race nodded sucking in an unfulfilling breath as he did so.

Spot quickly glanced at Medda for permission, who waved him off, “Go, be careful.”

Spot nodded, mouthing a grateful ‘thank you’ before turning his attention back to Race.

“Can I touch you?” He pressed, “It’s just me.”

“No,” Race gasped, “Please, I-”

“That’s okay,” Spot said, hurriedly, “No touch, no problem.  Think you can stand, though?”

Race shook his head vigorously and Spot’s shoulders hunched.  He was at a loss.  

“It’s alright, honey,” Medda said, gently, “You two stay here, I’ll move everyone to the blackbox.”

Relieved, Spot nodded, continuing to murmur easy nothings while Medda shepherded all the students out of the theatre.  Once they were alone, Spot sat criss cross in front of Race.

“Tony, hey, you listening?” He said.

Race nodded and Spot smiled, “Awesome, okay, uh,” he let his eyes wander, trying to figure out how to help Race, “can you try to open your eyes for me?  Just try, love.”

Race let out a small sob, blinking rapidly as he opened his eyes.  His pupils were blown wide and he flinched, hands flying to his chest as he tried to breathe.

“Hey, hey, okay,” Spot crawled a little closer, itching to reach out and take hold of Race’s hands, “Good job on opening your eyes, but do you think you could take a breath now?  Like, in as deep as you can, feel it, like, fill your chest.”

Race shook his head, “Can you,” he coughed, struggling to get his words out, “Can you just, like, ask questions?”

Spot tilted his head a little, “Questions? Like..”

“Anything,” Race pleaded, “Easy stuff.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, uh,” Spot ran a hand through his hair, “Hamburgers or hotdogs?”

Race drew in a breath, exhaling his answer, “Depends.”

“On what?” Spot pushed.

“My mood,” Race said, still sounding choked.

“That’s fair,” Spot said, “Uh, mountains or beaches?”

“Beaches.”

“Same,” Spot agreed, “Favorite dog breed?”

“Pitbulls,” Race answered, sounding a little bit calmer, “Misunderstood good boys.”

Spot chuckled, “Yeah, they’re pretty cute.  Favorite book series?”

“Harry Potter, hands down,” Race said, dropping into a sitting position.  His breathing still sounded labored, but his tears had mostly stopped, which was a win in Spot’s book.

“Good ass read, yeah,” Spot scooted next to him, sitting close enough so Race could lean into him if he wanted to, “Favorite book outta the seven?”

“Uhh,” Race took in a deep breath, letting it out shakily, “The third.  Sirius is a badass in that one.”

“He’s a badass always,” Spot countered, immediately hugging an arm around Race as he curled into his side, “How’re you feeling?”

Race hummed, “Shitty, but better.”

“Can I ask what happened?”

Race sighed, reaching out to fiddle with the hem of his shirt, “Uhh, so like, remember how I told you I was in foster care from, like, fifth to ninth grade before I could move in with my aunt?”

Spot nodded, listening intently.

“Well, they stuck me in a few homes, but there was this one that I ended up staying at for the last three years I was in the system and it sucked,” he swallowed, curling closer to Spot who gave his arm a comforting squeeze, “Kids called it ‘The Refuge’ and the guy running it, Snyder the Spider, wouldn’t treat us too well.  Kinda beat up on everyone and yelled a ton, but if you stayed under the radar, he let you off easier,” he let out a humorless laugh, “‘Cept I never really liked to stay under the radar so he liked to, uh, give me the brunt of shit.”

Spot felt the blood drain from his face, the puzzle pieces falling together, “So when Specs was acting like-”

“-Like an abusive adult?  Yeah, not a cake walk for my mental state.”

Spot clicked his tongue, “Not that it’s your fault that you reacted like this, but why didn’t you tell anyone how you felt about this scene?  We coulda worked something out.”

Race shrugged, “I dunno,” guilt laced his tone, “Thought I could handle it, like, I tried to mentally prepare for it and I figured it’s been two and a half years and like, it’s just Specs, but… yeah, I overestimated myself.”

“Like I said,” Spot said, firmly, “Not your fault, but you need to tell Medda about this.  She’ll understand.  She raised Jack, so she’s familiar with this shit, but we can’t have that happening again.  S’not good for you.”

“Well, no shit,” Race snapped, immediately backtracking, “Sorry, sorry.  I know it’s not good for me and yeah, I’ll talk to Medda.”

“I can come with you if you want?” Spot offered.

Race pulled himself out of Spot’s embrace, studying his hands for a moment before looking at him, “Yeah, could you?”

Spot smiled, reaching down to take his hand, “Of course.”

Race ran his thumb over Spot’s knuckled, still looking worn, “And, uh,” he quickly flicked his finger under his nose- a nervous tick, “thank you by the way.”

“Yeah, you know it’s not a problem,” Spot said, sincerely.  He glanced at his watch, seeing that a good chunk of their rehearsal time had vanished, “We should go talk to Medda now.  She’ll prolly let you chill out for the rest of today, but we still gotta finish out rehearsal.”

Race scoffed, “The show must go on no matter how mentally or physically fucked you are.”

Spot laughed, “Ain’t that the fuckin’ truth.”

-

those last two lines are theatre culture lmao

thanks for reading, chiefs

hmu to be added to my taglist

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[starwarstrashy88]

Fluff alphabet with Reylo x reader

A\N: This in modern time

A= Affection (How affectionate are they? Are they publicly affectionate or more privately affectionate?)

Rey is probably the most affectionate person you will ever meet. She loves giving you kisses and hugs in public or private. Now Kylo may look like he doesn't like affection, but he actually craves it desperately. He loves to be cuddled and kissed. But he's not big on PDA. He's got a reputation to keep. But once you three get home, he absolutely melts in your's and Rey's hands.

B= Best memory (What is their best memory?)

Rey's best memory was meeting you and Kylo. She's very grateful to have you both in her life and she openly says it nearly every day.

"You guys know how much I'm lucky to have you two? "

"Yes we know Rey. "

"We're not going anywhere"

Kylo's best memory is when he kissed you and Rey for the first time. It was the first time he realized just how much he loved you two. He swore from that day on he would never do anything to hurt you two.

C= Cat or dog person

Rey loves all animals, but she prefers dogs to match her energetic personality. Kylo likes dogs, but he doesn't like the tiny yappy dogs. He much prefers cats.

D= Dreams (What do they want to do with their lives?)

Rey wants to just get married one day and have a big family. Since she never knew her family, she wants to make a big happy family with you and Kylo. Kylo just wants to be happy with himself. In the past, there have been times where he's hated himself and thought that he was a failure. But all he wants is to finally think that he's a good person.

E= Evenings (How do they spend their evenings?)

After you all have finished eating dinner, you all either watch TV while cuddling on the couch, or go upstairs to cuddle in your bedroom. Either way it always ends in cuddles.

F= First date (What was it like?)

Well, since you were all pretty new to this whole polyam thing, you all went on seperate first dates and then went on one big date. Rey was first. She took you to a amusement park for the whole day and won you a bunch a prizes. She even kissed your cheek on top of the Farris wheel. Kylo took you out to a fancy restaurant for dinner and then the two of you went to the park just to talk about life ad stuff.

"It's just, we are just tiny specks compared to the vastness of the universe around us. But we're like one of a kind. There is no one like us out there. We are one in a billion. "

"That was actually really awesome Kylo. "

Kylo and Rey then went on a date to a art museum. Kylo made little comments on each art piece while Rey held his hand the entire time. For the big date, you all went to the beach and had a picnic on the sand. You all ate and talked about your separate dates. You and Rey then started to play in the waves while Kylo hung back on the blanket just smiling and thinking how lucky he was to have you two.

G= Giggle (What is their laugh like? What makes them laugh?)

Rey has a really contagious squeaky laugh. Once she gets going there's no stopping her. It's so contagious, it's almost impossible not to laugh along with her. Really cheesy jokes or puns just make her bust out in laughter. If she laughs long enough she starts to wheeze. Kylo doesn't laugh much but when he does, it's absolutely precious. He has this really sweet giggle that makes anyone smile. Not very many things make him laugh, but he is pretty ticklish. The first time you heard him laugh was when Rey tripped up the stairs.

H= Hugs (Do they like hugs? How do they hug?)

Rey loves hugs. As she always says.

"Ten hugs a day keeps the sads away."

She loves to give and receive hugs. Some days she holds you or Kylo tightly and other days she straight up tackles you two to the ground in a tight embrace. Kylo loves hugs as much as the next guy. The feeling of his lovers so close to him is the best feeling in the world. He loves to give big bear hugs. Squishing you and Rey to his chest always puts a smile on his face.

I= Instrument (Do they play any instruments?)

Rey knows how to play the ukulele and piano. Kylo used to play a metal guitar in high school. You often ask them both to play for you and they oblige.

J= Joy (What brings them joy in life?)

Being together. Both Rey and Kylo are perfectly happy and content being with you. Without you, they feel like a third of their hearts are missing.

K= Kisses (What kind of kissers are they?)

Rey's are sweet and never fail to make you smile. Whenever you're having a bad day, Rey just comes to you and kisses the pain away. Kylo's are gentle. He's afraid that if he's too rough he'll break you. That's the last thing he ever wants. So he kisses you really soft because you are just so precious to him.

L= Love (How do they act when they have a crush?)

Rey was immediately drawn to you and Kylo when she realized she had crushes on you two. She would spend so much time with you two and always check up on you both. When Kylo realized he was crushing on you and Rey, his whole world was turned upside down. He became ten times more protective of you two. He always made sure you two made it home safely and was there for you two when you needed a shoulder to cry on.

M= Memory (What is their favorite memory?)

Rey's favorite memory was spending the night for the first time with you and Kylo. Cuddling up in bed and just talking into the night was the best thing ever. Kylo's favorite memory was watching you and Rey dancing together in the kitchen while you two cooked dinner. He couldn't keep the ear to ear grin off his face.

"How did I get so lucky to have these two dorks? "

N= No (What is their pet peeve?)

Rey can't stand wet food in the kitchen sink. Every time she washes dishes and accidentally touches food, she starts to gag and immediately wash her hands as quickly as possible. Kylo despises backseat drivers. Every time he drives and someone tries to tell him how to drive, he has to use all his strength to not turn around and strangle the person.

O= Occupation (Dream job?)

Rey wants to be a preschool or kindergarten teacher. She absolutely adores children and wants to spend so much time teaching them and playing with them. Kylo actually wants to be a author. He loves creating works of fiction and sharing it with those he loves.

P= Parents (What kind of parents would they be?)

As said before, Rey loves children so she would be the fun mom who would spoil the shit out her kids.

"Daddy said you couldn't have donuts after dinner? Here's three. "

Kylo may seem like he's really awkward with kids but he has a soft spot for them. He would love his kids unconditionally. He would always make them smile if they were ever sad. He would be the best dad.

Q= Questions (Do they believe in the supernatural?)

Rey swears the house you all live in is haunted. She could hear footsteps when no one else was home and doors would shut by themselves. Kylo doesn't believe her until he hears someone walking around their home at four in the morning.

R= Romantic (Are they very romantic?)

Rey is a very cheesy romantic. She loves special made love songs and flowers. Kylo is a more a traditional romantic. He loves candle lit baths and fancy dinners together.

S= Smile (What makes them smile without fail?)

Rey and Kylo just love seeing you happy. It puts a smile on their faces and they are immediately in a good mood for the whole day.

T= Together (How clingy are they?)

Rey is very clingy. Especially when she's in a cuddly mood. Once she's in the mood, she latches on to the nearest person and it's almost impossible to pry her off. Kylo is only clingy when he's tired. Whether it's late at night or early in the morning, he will pull you and Rey close to himself and will not let go for at least another hour.

U= Unbearable (What habit do they have that you can't stand?)

Rey pops her joints all the time and the sound just drives you up the wall everytime you hear the noise. Kylo isn't the cleanest person. He leaves messes everywhere and doesn't pick up after himself.

"Why don't you pick up after yourself Kylo?"

"I'm a very busy man, I don't have time to pick up things."

"All you do is sit on the couch and eat corn chips while watching cartoons."

V= Videos (Do they take a lot of pictures or videos of your relationship?)

Rey actually has a YouTube account where she posts cute videos of her, Kylo and yourself. She pulls out her camera whenever something cute happens with you three. Kylo loves taking candid photos of you and Rey. Sneaking photos of you two asleep is his favorite thing in the world.

W= Wedding (What was the wedding like?)

Kylo cried a lot. He couldn't get through his vows to you and Rey without becoming a sobbing mess. Eventually you started crying and Rey had to comfort you both in front of everyone. You all eventually made it through the ceremony and had a wonderful after party.

X= eXtra (Interesting facts?)

Rey is a really good dancer. She took lessons in school and was top of her class. Kylo secretly loves to use coloring books. It helps him settle his mind when he wants to just focus on one thing for a while.

Y= Yuck (What do they hate?)

Rey hates hair in the shower drain with a passion. Every time she has to clean out the clogged drain, she has to try very hard to try not to throw up. Kylo actually has a deathly fear of seaweed. When he was little and went swimming in a lake for the first time and felt seaweed touch his foot and he screamed. He refuses to swim in any lake unless it has no seaweed.

Z= Zzz (What kind of sleeper are they? Heavy or light?)

Rey and Kylo are both heavy sleepers. Once their heads hit the pillows, they are out. Rey snores really loudly and it's almost impossible to fall asleep when she snores. But the one thing is that they can't sleep unless you're with them. Once your snuggled between them, sleep comes easy.

[dedalvs]

Does it bother you that your work (or at least the work you’re best known for) is to supplement other people’s creations and not your own?

I guess this question would be more appropriate for an actor, since nothing they ever do is their own. Of course everyone working in Hollywood knows this and doesn’t care. There are hundreds of people that work on every single television show and movie. There may be only a handful of people that get the praise or blame for any given project, but nothing that anyone sees is free of influence from someone other than the creator. The very notion is kind of up in the air. Look at Defiance, for example. The original “creator”—the one who came up with the names “Stahma” and “Datak”, for example—never wrote an episode of the show (this is Rockne O’Bannon). He gets credit for co-writing the pilot episode, but what happened was he wrote the pilot then left the show—and then a new showrunner (Kevin Murphy) came on and rewrote the pilot. And the whole thing was an adaptation, anyway, of a property developed by a video game company, Trion. I guess no one who worked on the show really created anything, if I’m following the logic of the ask correctly, since it was all done to supplement Trion’s game. I don’t think anyone working on the show cared much about that fact.

This is one of the main differences between Hollywood and, say, fiction writing. Everyone working in Hollywood looks at each endeavor as a team project, whereas writers write a book that others help them with (i.e. this publisher is publishing my book; this artist is doing the cover art for my book; this publicist is working to advertise my book, etc.). You can see the difference in attitude when it comes to language creation. A producer/director hears about language creation and says, “Ooh, cool! We’ll have to hire someone to do that!” A fiction writer hears about language creation and says, “Ooh, cool! I should do that! I’m probably great at it!” (Or alternately, “Oh, brother… I guess now I have to do that too so my readers don’t complain…”)

Anyway, there are lots of different aspects to this question, so let me try to address all of them.

First, in case it’s ever seemed like I’ve indicated otherwise, I really love what I do. I may not like deadlines, and translation is not my favorite aspect of language creation (and translation constitutes 90% of my job), but there’s really very little difference between what I’m doing now and what I was doing ten years ago, vis-à-vis conlanging. Really, the major differences are that there are deadlines, I get paid, and some people outside the conlanging community care about what I do. It’s still language creation. It’s always fun to come up with a new project, and I’m certainly doing that more now than I would have been otherwise. So the simplest answer is no.

I guess, though, you might think I was just putting on a positive face publicly…? I mean, no. In creating a language, there always has to be some pretext—some reason for the language to exist. If you’re creating a language you want to use in your own life, the pretext is very simple: I want to use this language in my life, therefore I’m creating it. The pretext is less simple when creating a naturalistic language. After all, if I’m creating a language for my daily personal use, why would I bother with a fictional history and sound changes, etc.? I’d just create something simple whose sound I like and whose grammar corresponds to what I find easiest to use. For those of us who find naturalistic conlanging interesting, though, the pretext is a necessity. I never liked conworlding or conhistories (or fantasy, to be honest), so in the early days when I would conlang, I’d basically pretend like I had a conworld/conculture, when in fact I didn’t. Really, though, what that amounted to was that I had a lazy conculture: One I didn’t think too much about and didn’t write down. It’s funny. The same attitude a lot of writers have about conlanging (that it’s a timesink that takes away from their story) is the attitude I had about conculturing. Once I realized what a huge role that plays in the lexicon, though, I came to think of it as a necessary evil. And if I had a language project I was really excited about, I would frankly find it very daunting to have to come up with an entire world and people and systems of government and clothing, etc. Seemed like a drag, to be honest.

Creating languages for other stuff is great because I can cut out all that nonsense and let someone else do it. The resultant culture may not be very good (”Oh, sure, that social model is totally sustainable! I’m 100% sure that patriarchal fantasy is super realistic!”), but (and this is the important part) I didn’t have to do it—and I don’t have to take credit for it. Instead, I can just play around with the language. It’s just delightful!

Like right now, for example, I’m running this D&D campaign, and it is so exhausting to have to come up with every single little detail! It’s fun to act out the characters, and there are other parts I like (like coming up with flags and names), but figuring out exactly how many towns and of what size there should be in a given area is just too much! My hat is off to all DMs out there. It’s a lot of work!

Anyway, as for what I’m known for (the parenthetical part of the ask, which may be the main part of it), I might have had a different answer ten years ago, but now, I honestly do not care. I figure if someone cares about anything else I’ve done ever they’ll find it. Those that don’t, why would I care what they think? About anything? I don’t know them. I’ll probably never meet them. And honestly, have you seen some of the stuff that people talk about wrt conlanging? “What’s a better ConLang: Gallifreyan or Tengwar?” The ones who only know me for what I’m best known for are probably not very discerning. But if they don’t care, why should I?

It took suffering through the George W. Bush economy for me to really figure out what I want in life, but I did, and it’s fairly simple. I want to spend as much of my life as possible financially stable and with my friends and family—while pursuing my interests. Previously I thought I also wanted my friends and family to also care about my interests, but I’ve come to learn that that actually isn’t important to me either. No one else needs to care about what I do so long as I think it’s worth my time and effort. Honestly, with the internet and digital file storage, if there’s someone out there who desperately wants to know every little thing I’ve ever done in my life, that will likely be possible. It’s not like last century: That stuff will probably be available indefinitely (barring societal collapse).

Even if you filter all this out and just focus on language creation, I care much more about the status of conlanging in general than I do what I’m known for or not. It bothers me that it’s been almost ten years and neither Hollywood nor the general public really gets conlanging. It’s gotten better, but since conlanging has gotten a lot of widespread attention, it’s also amplified the ignorance. I feel like I get the same questions over and over again and give the same answers over and over again but there’s still the basic assumption that the quality of a conlang is equivalent to the fame of the conlang. I guess language itself is always going to be something that’s fairly opaque, but it just bugs me that very few people have any idea what they should be looking for in a conlang. It’s like watching someone pick up one of Picasso’s really abstract pieces and also a drawing by a four year old and trying to judge which one is more realistic by comparing the colors in each one to the colors of the shirts worn by their family members in the pictures in their iPhone photo album. Like you can try to say, “Hey, maybe realism isn’t the best thing to look for in either of these,” but there’s just so much nonsense in here that why would you even bother?

The only thing that gives me hope (and not just about this, but in general) is that the younger generation seems really amazing. I’ve said that before about the generation before the youngest generation (I think there’ve been two since me…? I honestly don’t even know how you count these things), but honestly, it gives me hope every day seeing the amazing things that even teenagers are doing. It’s an awesome thing to witness. If you’re a part of the 25 and younger crowd, you should feel really good about what you’ve done and the lives you’ve led thus far. (And that’s an in general type thing. If you’re 26, you didn’t miss the cutoff, or anything.) From someone who went to school in the 80s and 90s, do you know how cool it is just to see teenagers be cool about friends and classmates that are LGBT+? Because that so didn’t happen when I was in school. That’s what you did by just living your lives the way you’re living them. That’s awesome. Really makes me believe that we can actually fix the things we (my generation) were told had already been fixed in the 90s.

Not sure how I got there, but I hope that answers your question. Again, the tl;dr answer is no—no matter which way you meant it.

[monkeypretzel]

New Joel Hodgson Interview About Season 12/2

Conducted during Season 12 (or 2) taping in LA the week of May 6 - 12, 2018, published August 14, 2018. Transcript is as accurate as my ears and headphones allow. Source cited at end.

Interviewer 1: All right. And uh we are here with Joel Hodgson; uh Joel thank you so much again for being here, this is like the 3rd time.

Joel: Oh, thank you so much guys, yeah.

Interviewer 1: Awesome. First question, obvious: how does it feel to be back for season 12?

Joel: Well, it’s funny, um, you have to, I mean, we’ve been, you know I guess it’s been about nine months since we really started like looking at movies, getting that going, really made a schedule and started writing in the new year, so that was… six months ago. And all that is just about these six days, really. And so, it’s kinda intense, um, because I couldn’t tell you what happens if something goes wrong, like if, if I get sick, or if one of our principal players can’t make it, we haven’t done that scenario, so that’s the thing that’s a little nerve wracking, but, um, but as far as just the ease of getting everything on it’s feet production-wise it’s been really good and uh gone a lot smoother than the first time which is understandable. So, so far so good, like you may have said or um, we’re ahead of schedule right now so we’re really grateful for that, and that’s why I can be here and do this. So things are going really good, and that has a lot to do with, [audible sigh] um, the producers at Alternaversal who have really shepherded all these different things so they’re all here now; the costumes and the puppets and all the props and the sets and stuff, so that’s all worked really beautifully.

Interviewer 1: Yeah, you guys are actually, yeah we came in and you’re actually really well ahead of schedule, which is unheard of on a, on a film set, really.

Joel: Yeah, and last year wa – or last season, was much harder, just ‘cause it was us trying to adapt to the Hollywood system, which is kinda it’s own language, and it’s own culture, and so we worked really hard to try to manage that – wanna a cut? Oh, it’s gone. Yeah, so we just wanted to um, you know, it was kinda like we knew that last season would be a big shakedown cruise and then this year we had a little more know-how and it went, it’s gone a lot smoother. Done a lot-

Interviewer 2: Jonah talked about the confidence.

Joel: What’s that?

Interviewer 2: Jonah talked about the confidence of coming back.

Joel: Yeah, it’s been really nice to just kinda feel like we all, we all know what the show is now, and prior to that, we didn’t. Prior to, you know, prior to doing it, it was kinda like, um, I don’t know how to explain it to you, but when I think of stuff, it’s kinda like a, it’s rendered, but it’s just enough for me to explain it to other people, but it’s not really rendered like a high end render or like a 3-D render, it’s more like rough, and mostly at each time, and every time you use a different vendor to fulfill it, and then any time somebody touches a costume, or a puppet, they, they often improve it, or bring something new to it that I couldn’t see or anticipate. I’m trying to think, you know, just that, we kinda showcased, um, coupla new characters today, and, and they were puppets, and you know, just the stuff Russ [Walko] did is we gave him a drawing and he went ahead and built it and brought a whole lot of new things to it. So that’s always a kinda fun part too, is just having people who are really talented just making things better.

Interviewer 3: Yeah, no, when it comes to this, the next season, that we’re doing now, that you’re working on now, are you excited about like what you’ve chosen for the film selections? Without giving any spoilers.

Joel: Um. Yeah, it’s really neat. We have um, some movies that I think are gonna knock people out. Just, just are really new for MST and, um, so I’m really excited about that, and we, um, there’s kind of a more of a concept to the season, I think, than last season; I think last season we were just trying to reestablish the world of the show and kinda live in it and I think now we’re kinda moving some pieces around and just so it, it kinda has, it feels like um… It’s almost like I was trying to do a thing where it was like, you know, when they do a sequel to a movie, you know all the characters but there’s usually a situation where they have to be doing something you weren’t familiar with, and that’s kinda what the second season is. It’s just getting all the characters to do something slightly different than just make Mystery Science Theater.

Interviewer 3: And has that changed like the shooting schedule at all for this season compared to last season?

Joel: Not really. I mean, Harold, I hope you guys get Harold in here to talk about this, ‘cause he’s really…[audible sigh] I can’t really, I can’t really think like that, like I can’t think, like figure out the actual time it will take to make it, I just have to kinda make sure I feel like the shape of it is correct and it feels right, and then he comes in and starts going “Well, this page count is way too high, we’ll never shoot this” and then Elliot and I had to go back in and just start cutting and, um mostly Elliot, I mean mostly I just said, you know, said to Elliot, um, “Man, we gotta cut like, we gotta cut like 10 pages outta this script and can you do that?” and he’s really talented at that, and I didn’t- And then the nice thing is once we got it to a certain space, uh, Tyler, our, our um, Tyler Stratton, our first AD said “We’re doing really good” and I go “Can I, I have some jokes I want to put back in from the past we cut out, can I put back in?” and then he said as long as it doesn’t add to the any more set ups, any more set pieces, and I, so that was really nice, to get to go back and pick some favorite things that we had to cut. So I felt like we did the best of both, I kept, I was able to keep my favorite stuff in and we were able to shorten the length of it.

Interviewer 1: Well, you got, once again this year you got, uh fans on the set, uh, uh, does that give an energy to the show that’s uh, that’s helpful you think?

Joel: It’s good, I mean, today was funny ‘cause I noticed, um, when we had to get up so early this morning, I mean we had to be here by six, so that means getting up at five and I was really tired, and I realized, um, when I was doing the Q & A, with the backers, it really kinda was tiring me out, ‘cause I felt like, I realized I was like performing? You know, I was kinda like trying to be funny, and trying to keep it moving, and I started to go “Is this a good idea?” You know, “Is this a good use of my energy?”, and uh, fortunately it’s a light day, you know we’re going to be out by five so it’s not a problem but I did have a moment where I go “Is this counterproductive?”, because we’re trying to make the show really good. But again, uh, you have really good people, and the idea is to design the production so well that I don’t, I’m not that essential to it. It’s like once we get here, it can kinda run itself, like, and so that’s kinda the idea, and that’s my dream, and obviously I’m not always gonna be doing this, so you want people to know how to do it, you know, so um, so it’s just like, it can, it’s supposed to keep going it can.

Interviewer 1: Yeah.

Joel: You know, yeah, but um, back to your question, I, I um, it’s really fun to, um, you know, like we were shooting the silhouettes, and um, people were really laughing at it, and that’s like a really great, great feeling, and the crew really laughs a lot while we’re doing the show, and I, I, I wouldn’t have too much of an opinion about it, but Jonah really likes it, and I really am there, as an advocate for Jonah, ‘cause that’s like the hardest gig, is being like, you know everyone, everyone else is kinda running a puppet or off camera, they’re safe, they’re behind a, a counter and they are looking at a script, and Jonah is the guy up there alone and then, it’s a, it’s a, having done it it’s a really tough gig, so I try to look out for him and he likes it so that’s really why it’s, it’s here. If he didn’t, if it made him uptight or if it made him not like it, I don’t think we’d be doing it. But he likes it, and it’s a really good um, you know, it’s just a way of um for about, I don’t know, 40-50 people, it’s just a way to kind of, um, show the work, and show people what we’re doing, and show ‘em how it works, and yeah, it’s kinda like a living document of how we make the show.

Interviewer 3: And yeah, it gives me more of an appreciation of seeing what goes on behind the scenes-

Interviewer 1: Oh yeah, absolutely!

Interviewer 3: I think unlike everybody else here, I wasn’t here last year, so [unintelligible, three people talking over each other] this is my first time seeing this.

Joel: Yeah, yeah, yeah I think so, it’s funny because y- it gives a reality to how it’s made and, and um, yeah, it’s, it’s super fun, I mean, I dunno what to compare it to, it’s kinda like, I mean, it’s really like a safari if you weren’t killing like endangered animals. Like, think of it that way.

Interviewers: (laughing) It’s like a hike!

Joel: But it’s like, it’s kinda like any kind of- or if you have to do a really, um, major operation or something where you have a bunch of experts, you have to conference on how to make it, you plan each day, you plan each moment, so everyone knows their job, and then you do it, and part of it is, for me is, you have to be kind of happy when you do it, you have to be enjoying it, and, and you have- it’s really important ‘cause if it’s not there I feel like the audience can tell. And so that’s really the big trick, is to be abstracted enough from the things that can go wrong, and, and feel like confident enough that it’ll be OK, that you can just kinda have fun and let it go and hopefully everybody is happy and.

Interviewer 2: So one thing you mentioned earlier in the Q & A was uh that Season 11, you fixed a lot of stuff in post, or you felt like you kind of put it together in post and it seems like for Season 12 you feel like you have a lot more control as it’s going on now. You mentioned that everything’s kind of getting shot in, in one kinda of thing. Do you think that’s just experience now?

Joel: Yeah, um, you know, I mean, when you think about the original MST, we had all this ramp up time, and there was no stress on the show, there’s no expectation, so it’s kinda like we were able to ramp up and do it very organically and move into it and it just was like, there wasn’t the same amount of attention and heat on it as there is now, where people just, and by heat I don’t mean anything other than there’s expectation. And so for me, because what, what you’re kind of doing with a production is there’s all these individual kinda moments and assets that you have, that you create- like, on the weekend we were shooting model shots, right? and that has a completely different vibe, it’s in a different location and it has a different kind of person that makes models and shoots models, and then there’s this kind of environment, and then there’s the audio environment when we record the audio stuff and there’s the post production stuff, and so all these things are at various scales of, um, of attention that you need to pay to, pay to what’s going on, and so, I felt like, um with Season 1, it was so hard to know if we were all on the same page, that really it was about gathering the assets together, and then kinda putting them together, and so it was a bit, I felt like it was a bit of a Frankenstein, um, in that we were just trying to put it together, um. Because the alternative would be, oh, um, how do you do Mystery Science Theater? Oh, you go back to Minneapolis, you have a campus in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, you take a bunch of people who have never done comedy before, you put ‘em in a room, and that would be completely unfair to the people who you were doing it to. So this meant using all these different pros to make the show, and how do you get it to land so it feels like the show, and so that’s why I think, um, we had to spend a little more time just arranging stuff, uh, in post. And so now that everybody gets it, we can just kind of do it more like we used to do it, now that it- we feel like everybody understands the show and how to make the show, it’s uh, it’s a lot closer to the way we made it in Eden Prairie, I think. So I think that’s, to answer your question, that’s kinda it, how I feel it’s different.

Interviewer 1: I’ve been watching the clock because you actually have a show to make and uh we have hit the time uh until Ivan needs you back on set-

Joel: OK! Yeah, awesome you guys, well, hopefully we’ll have more time to talk but I, since we had time today I really wanted to get in here just because we got lucky with the time, so thank you again for comin’ and documenting all this stuff, really appreciate it, and thanks for your ongoing support and everything.

Interviewers: Thank you.

Source: https://soundcloud.com/mst3krevivalleaguepodcast/episode-126-joel-hodgson-erik-peterson Time stamp 5:00 - 18:35

[katelides]

Good Or Bad Luck CH 40 - Update

What’s up fanfiction universe!! How is everyone’s Monday going??

Anyways, I have some exciting news :D I got an awesome job offer and I’ll be moving to another country (Greece :DDD)  in 2 weeks time. So updating will be slow but I’ll be doing my best! I hope that once I get settled I’ll be able to update more often again! Please be patient with me, I’m really trying to get everything updated, I’m working on a new For Good chapter as we speak so keep an eye out for that if you’re reading that story as well! my next update after that will probably be a new one shot :)))

Have a great week and write you later you awesome nerds!!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12942966/chapters/29581932

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12562445/1/Good-Or-Bad-Luck

Good Or Bad Luck: Chapter 40

Emily lets out a heavy sigh. Ever since she twisted her foot at the zoo she has been banned to the couch, and isn’t allowed to do anything except for watching TV, reading or write in her song book. She has been bored out of her mind. Usually it wasn’t so bad because either Beca, Chloe or Benji would stay with het and distract her. Today though, all three of them had to be at Red Sun Studios. Beca had a meeting with a potential new client, Benji was doing his internship with Jesse and Chloe still has to run the entire company.

With a loud grumble, Emily’s stomach decides to announce that it is hungry and definitely time to eat. The young brunette looks around to see if there’s any food left behind around her but unfortunately she had finished the last cookie half an hour ago. She contemplate three options: first she thinks about calling Beca to maybe ask her to bring over some food but she quickly scraps that idea from her mind because she doesn’t want to disturb her if she’s still in her meeting. Secondly she could just wait until someone comes around, they never make her stay alone for long but today she couldn’t be sure how long it could still be. Her third and most probable option is to hop over to the kitchen and grab something herself.

The more she thinks about it, the more she convinces herself that the third option is the best option. So she carefully pulls the blanket of her body and gently lifts her leg of the pillow it was resting on. She shuffles closer to the edge of the couch and puts her weight on her left foot and pushed herself up to stand. It takes her a few seconds to find her balance but once she found it, and is confident enough to take the first leap, she carefully hops over to the kitchen. She leans against the countertop to catch her breath. Maybe I should start going to the gym with Beca.

Once she completely caught her breath she hops over to the fridge and opens it to take a look inside. She finds some bread, tomatoes, cheese and ham so she takes them out so she can make herself a sandwich. The creation turns out to be great but the young girl hadn’t exactly thought everything through. How was she going to bring the plate to the living room so she could eat it? There wasn’t any chairs or table in the kitchen so eating it there wasn’t an option. And to top it off she was getting tired of standing on one foot for this long. Emily figures that the only way she could manage is to hold the sandwich down on the plate and hop back to the couch. If anyone would see her right now they would laugh and she would probably laugh with them.

She manages to pass the kitchen door and everything seems to go well until… until she trips over the edge of the carpet. The young girl braces herself for the inevitable fall. She squeezes her eyes shut and her entire world slows down. Somewhere in the distance she hears the plate she was holding crash on the floor, breaking into pieces. Beca is going to be so mad at me. In a failing attempt to shield herself from the fall, she holds out her arms and kicks her right foot up in attempt not to hurt it even more. Her heart is pounding heavily and the adrenaline rush is almost to hard to handle. And she waits, she waits for the fall, she waits for the thud, the pain… but none of it comes. Everything around her is silent. Slowly Emily starts to feel her surroundings. She feels two strong arms hold her tight, she can smell the sweet cinnamon perfume that belongs to...

Emily’s eyes shoot open and she looks straight into the safe and protective metallic blue eyes that are Beca’s. “Beca?!” The older brunette chuckles as she looks at the young girl’s shocked face. “Hi Em.” Emily lets out a shaky breath she didn’t know she was holding. “You ok there, warrior?” Beca asks with a smile. There is no hint of anger in her voice and it makes Emily visibly relax. “Y-you’re home?” The young brunette stammers, still not entirely sure of how to react. “Yeah, we all finished work and I wanted to surprise you by picking you up to take you up to Stacie’s for lunch. But imagine my surprise when I walk in and find the couch empty and see you hopping into the room with a sandwich?” Emily casts her eyes down in embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh sweetie, that’s alright. I should have called to tell you I was on my way.” Beca helps Emily stand fully upright and helps her to the couch. “Why don’t you give me 5 minutes to clean up the plate and I’ll help you to your room so you can get changed?” Emily nods with a slight frown as she looks down at the broken plate. “Alright, I’ll be right back.” Beca walks into the kitchen and walks out a few moments later with a duster. She cleans up the pieces in a matter of minutes. Once she’s satisfied she walks back to the couch and helps Emily back up. Of course the notion that the young girl is too quiet doesn’t escape the older brunette but she lets it go for the time being.

Beca helps Emily into her room, and onto the bed. “Do you need anything?” She asks before making her way to the door. “Oh, no thank you, I’ll manage to get dressed.” Emily says quietly. “Ok, uhm if you need anything give me a shout. I’ll go get dressed as well and then we’ll wait for Chloe to come pick us up.” Seeing that she won’t get a reaction from Emily, Beca turns around and closes the door behind her with a sigh. She goes to her own room and changes into a pair of black jeans, a black tank top and a blue flannel on top. When she’s done she returns to the living room and pulls out the vacuum cleaner and goes over the spot when the plate broke not too long ago. She’s almost certain she cleaned everything up but she’d rather be safe than sorry.

Shortly after Beca has put the vacuum cleaner back into it’s original cupboard space the doorbell rings through the apartment. She slides towards the door on her socks and opens it with a smile. “Hey Becs.” Chloe’s smile easily matches Beca’s as she speaks with a chipper voice. “Where’s Emily?” She asks when she doesn’t see the young brunette on the couch. “She’s in her room, I’ll go get her.” Before running off Beca pecks her girlfriend gently on her lips and leaves the redhead behind with a goofy smile.

“Em, can I come in?” Beca gently knocks on the door but doesn’t get answer so she tries again. “Emily?... Em, I’m coming in.” Beca pushes the door open and freezes when she sees the young girl before her. Emily is silently crying while writing frantically on a piece of paper, another 4 scattered at her feet, fully filled with her handwriting. The young brunette doesn’t even notice Beca’s presence, even when Beca kneels down before her and picks up the pages to read what’s written on them.

I’m sorry for breaking the plate. I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you. I’m sorry!

The same words keep on repeating until the page is full. Beca looks up at Emily with a pained expression and gently takes the girl’s hand and pulls her into her own body. Emily easily lets herself be guided into the touch. The two stay in that positions for god knows how long but neither noticed Chloe in the doorway with her own tears threatening to spill. She wanted to come in and check if Beca needed help but decided to stay quiet for the other two girls sakes.

Beca clears her throat slight so she can catch Emily’s attention. “Em, sweetie, I need you to listen to me very carefully.” They separate from the hug and Emily looks down at a kneeling Beca. “I am not mad about the broken plate, and I’m definitely not mad about you deciding to make a sandwich on your own. I think I know why you did it and I appreciate it.” Beca runs soothing circles on Emily’s knee and smile up to her with kind eyes. “Knowing me I would have done the same thing.” A small smile starts tugging at Emily’s lips which in turn makes Beca smile even more. “And can you, yes you in the doorway stop staring and join the inevitable hug.” Beca says with fake annoyance and Chloe doesn’t let anyone tell her twice.

Xxxxxxx

The three girls finally make it into the car. Chloe had called Aubrey to tell her that they would be late. Aubrey didn’t mind and told them to be careful on the road. Chloe just rolls her eyes at how silly the two brunettes are being together. She doesn’t mind though because she loves hearing them both laugh. The three of them are currently singing along to ‘don’t stop believing’ by Journey, when Chloe gets a call from Aubrey.

*Phone Call*

Chloe: “Hi Bree, we’re almost there.”

Aubrey: “Oh, that’s great! I wanted to ask if you could pick up some wine? We just found out that we’re out.”

Chloe: “Of course, we’ll hop into the store for you. Did you need red or white wine?”

Aubrey: “Red please.”

Chloe: “Alright, we’ll see you soon.”

Aubrey: “See you soon Chlo.”

*End Phone Call*

Beca looks at Chloe for a brief second before focusing on the road again. “Becs, can we-“ Chloe gets cut of with a chuckle. “There’s a mini market not far from here, we can go there. Stacie really likes the wine there.” Chloe grins brightly. “Oh and while were there, Em do you need anything? You kind of finished off everything in the cupboards.” Poor Emily’s face turns bright red in embarrassment. “Uhm w-well I uhm, no thank you.” Beca lets out a bouldering laugh. “Em, I know you want something tell me because we’re at the store.” Just as Beca says that she turns into the parking. “Those chocolate chip cookies were nice?” Beca rolls her eyes playfully. “Are you asking me or telling me?” Beca turns off the engine with a chuckle. “Chocolate chip cookies for Emily, do you need anything Chlo?” The redhead shakes head so Beca gets out of the car, popping her head back inside quickly. “I’m leaving the car key here and I’ll back in 15 minutes.” The brunette gets shooed off and she leaves with a chuckle.

Just like promised Beca is back a little over 15 minutes later. She opens the back door and hands Emily 2 bags. While the brunette gets herself situated behind the wheel Emily looks through them. “Uhm Beca?” The older brunette hums to show that she heard Emily. “Did Stacie call you to buy more stuff?” Chloe turns her head towards the back seat. “No, I bought some extra things to fill the cupboard. You seemed to enjoy the raisin cookies as well so I got some of those and I bought Chloe some snicker doodles .” Beca says casually as she pulls out of the parking lot. “Why don’t you hand Chloe the bag with the wines and text Benji to bring his old crutches down. I still can’t believe it took us so long to think of them.” The last part she more or less mutters to herself. “Ok, how long of a drive do we still have?” Emily asks while handing Chloe the bag. “Around 10 minutes.” Emily texts Benji the information and sits back comfortably in her seat. So this is what a real family is like.

I DO NOT OWN PITCH PERFECT! REVIEWS = HAPPY ME HAPPY ME = QUICKER UPDATES FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR FOR SNEEK PEAKS FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS –katelides

[taaroko]

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Ant-Man

Yay, time for Ant-Man! This one has rather grown on me over the last couple of viewings (not that I ever didn’t like it).  

Hi middle-aged Peggy! (Isn’t it great how many times Hayley Atwell managed to get herself into these movies beyond what the original plan was, out of sheer enthusiasm? Yeah, I’m still bitter Agent Carter got cancelled.)

The music for the logo is awesome.

My killjoy brother says the main reason he dislikes this movie is that he doesn’t think it makes sense that Hank would ever trust some stranger (Scott) with his tech. Um. Hank has been protective of the tech because he doesn’t want it to be abused. But Scott proved he wasn’t a corporate goon by going to prison for screwing over a corrupt corporation. He’s proven himself. Also he doesn’t have the knowledge to make more of the particles, so he can’t steal any of the secrets himself. 

Luis is probably my favorite sidekick in the whole MCU. He’s irrepressibly cheerful, he compulsively makes delicious-looking waffles, he’s a refined wine man and fan of neo-cubism yet also steals two smoothie machines, and when he goes into ramble mode it’s the greatest thing ever.

Anyone who has ever worked food service has met an idiot like Scott’s customer. Also his boss is basically David Brent. Trying way too hard to be cool, but kind of a git and a coward.

Scott’s attitude is super endearing. Very chill, understated reactions to things that annoy him. You get the impression that it’s not so much that he’s a very patient man as that he’s just so used to stuff like Luis’s antics that he’s become kind of inured to it. He’s also able to roll with the punches. Getting fired from Baskin Robbins could’ve made him bitter and angry, but instead he just kind of shrugs and takes that Mango Fruit Blast. He’s not prideful at all. 

I called the tank being real by the second time the keychain appeared onscreen. Chekhov’s Tank!

Hello, Darren Cross, dude who is only not the worst MCU villain because Malekith exists. (How did Malekith manage to have less of a personality than Darren? It’s absurd.)

The ad video for the Yellowjacket is horrifying. Do people actually make ad videos for advanced weaponry? Do they narrate them with movie narrator voices and tidy up the diction to make them sound like wonderful good pieces of technology, but in a not-entirely-convincing way?

How is a hand on a shoulder such a sinister and obvious sign of impending murder?

Cassie is the most adorable little girl ever, and the kid playing her is a really good actress. I love that Scott is a dad. It makes him much more interesting. (Also is he the only divorcé in the entire MCU? Wait no, May is too. I think he’s the only one in the movies, though.)

“He’s so ugly! I LOVE HIM!” AAAAGH. SO CUTE.

I love that all the little details keep coming back. (The tank, the “La Cucaracha” horn.” Just lots of really good callbacks. It’s hard to believe this movie had production issues with changing directors.)

The way Darren kills that guy by shrinking him, and then wipes him up and flushes him, is ridiculously horrific. And the way he looks in the mirror after that is probably the most interesting he ever is in the movie. He knows the path he’s going down, and he’s not stopping.

So it’s not entirely clear. Is Hope dating Darren? Are they living together? Or are they just business partners? I’m confused.

YES LUIS STORY TIME. This is like Kid History, and it’s my favorite thing. Please please please make an MCU recap narrated by Luis, Marvel.

This music is weird and fun. I love it.

Scott parkouring is great. I wonder why he developed that skillset when he was just an electrical engineer. Has he been doing it since he was a kid?

Scott is like the midpoint between Tony Stark and Peter Quill in almost every way. Good at outside-the-box solutions, has engineering skills (but not at Tony’s level), a sense of humor that’s more self-deprecating than Tony’s but less wide-eyed dorky than Peter’s, etc. That’s awesome.

Could you be more transparently evil than using a bleating white lamb for your ill-fated lab experiments?

Huh. There’s a moment where Scott looks in the mirror too. Is that meant to be a contrast with when Darren does it? For Scott, it’s a moment where he resigns himself to failing, even though he caved and did the burglary. I don’t really see the connection, emotionally, to the way Darren looked in the mirror, but I guess one of them is the apprentice Hank rejected, and the other is the apprentice he ultimately chose. *shrug*

Ant-Man perspective is great. The encounter with the rat is terrifying.

You broke Scott’s chill, Hank!

Okay, so Scott’s actual superpower is changing his clothes at the speed of light. It was entirely unnecessary for them to give him such a small interval of time to get the suit on.

“What happens if I throw up in this helmet?”

There were zero bullet ants on the floor in the initial wide shot of the room. Also in the second wide shot. Which takes place two seconds before Scott tries to put his foot on the floor. Did they...forget to render ants in those shots? Or did they forget there were going to be ants there when they filmed from that angle? Gonna count that one as a mistake, because they could not have gotten all over the floor that fast.

They really needed to do more to explain about Darren’s brain chemistry getting messed up by the particles, because as far as I can tell, the first time he ever shrinks himself is on the helicopter at the end. How do these particles make him evil/crazy, exactly? What was he like before? What have the particles done to Hank?

Also they shouldn’t have explained the particles as changing “atomic relative distance” without also explaining that the suit allows you to control your weight relative to size. Because sometimes Ant-Man appears to weigh as much as he looks like he should, but the rest of the time, he’s clearly still 180 lbs in that tiny space (with the reverse problem when he becomes Giant-Man). If he always weighed 180 lbs while being the size of an ant, he would constantly punch through surfaces by walking on them, and if he was always the weight of an ant, he’d be powerless to do anything except be sneaky.

The montages in this movie are great.

Scott uses Hope’s move later. :D And she was totally checking him out.

Huh. Hope and Scott’s conversation in the car happens exactly halfway through the movie, and it’s the turning point. This is when they start being on the same team.

Hank’s revelation about Janet comes rather out of nowhere. I feel like they could’ve woven that in more effectively. It’s also a little exposition-heavy to entirely work on the emotional level.

This gesture by Scott is one of the best things.

I love the crossovers. Crossovers forever! (Seriously, put Thor cameos in future GotG movies and Loki cameos in future Doctor Strange movies. No, I don’t for a second believe Loki is really dead.)

Poor Sam. He missed out on Sokovia just to get trolled by this rando in a shrinking suit.

Hope saw Scott use her move! Hee!

Sinister hand on shoulder!

Okay, Hope’s “I’m at home” line is why I was confused about whether she and Darren were dating and living together. But it occurs to me now that there’s not really an implication that it’s his home too. So I think they’re just business partners. Good. Because Darren being double-crossed by his girlfriend and failing to react on that level would have made him a much worse character than he already was.

Seriously love Luis, and the other two guys are great too. Excellent crew of wombats.

I love the wallpaper in Hank’s house. Also, just, all of Hank’s house. It’s so pretty.

Okay I absolutely believe that Luis was the only guy to ever knock out that huge dude from the prison. He’s been knocking people out with single punches left and right on this job so far. I love him even more now! That’s such a cool little bit of consistency for him.

Is it true that cops use Crown Victorias as their undercover cars most often? Because I’ve kind of assimilated that as real-life trivia ever since theaters.

What was the point of frying the servers if they were just going to shrink the building to nothing anyway?

Kurt and Tip are hilarious. “There was a black guy who looked exactly like me who attacked us and put us in the back of this disgusting van!”

So if the Avengers have spent the last year taking down Hydra facilities, how are there still people in Hydra who can spend billions for Yellowjacket suits?

I thought Hank was going to die the first time I saw this. Now I’m betting this will be a How to Train Your Dragon situation with Ant-Man and the Wasp, where not long after we discover the long-lost mom, the dad gets killed.

Darren’s villain music is the best thing about him. It’s very unnerving.

All the fights while Scott’s in the suit are so much fun to watch.

“Are we the good guys? Feels kinda weird.”

I don’t like that the chain attachment on the tank also gets huge. And how does a tank cushion a three-storey drop?

That Darren is able to shoot ants is very silly and weird. Would’ve worked better if there was buckshot or something. But still. This movie made me care about an ant dying.

Dangit, Darren, you just killed everyone else in the chopper. You suck.

Briefcase fight! I remember how hard everyone laughed when “Disintegration” started playing in theaters. So great.

All the abrupt cuts from epic to insignificantly small are what make these fights so funny and awesome.

Bug zapper! I watched this with my dad recently (his first time seeing it) and he laughed so hard at the bug zapper.

Another tased Avenger!

So I thought this movie was going to be stupid, right up until the trailer got to the bit with Thomas the Tank Engine. Then I knew it was going to be amazing. It’s still probably my favorite moment in the whole movie.

They kinda overdid it with the “back it up” bit.

Giant ant! Poor Paxton.

Did anyone not see it coming from the moment Hank talked about going sub-atomic that Scott was going to have to do it at the end?

The infinite shrink is mesmerizing to look at. I bet this movie was cool in 3-D. (I have glasses, so 3-D is not so fun.)

Hi Janet!

The bottom half of that face in the photo actually looks kinda like Michelle Pfeiffer’s face. Nice work!

Hahaha, I love that Cassie kept the ant as a dog.

MORE STORIES FROM LUIS! The way he blinks too many times after he finishes is what really clinches it.

So yeah, I like me a heist movie, and it was definitely a brilliant decision on Marvel’s part to go small (figuratively and literally) with the next movie after Ultron. It is a mistake to think you always have to escalate your threats in a series. That was the problem for a while with Supernatural, and it’s definitely a problem in shows like Dragonball Z and Naruto too. Ant-Man was the perfect way to scale back and remind us that these movies are a ton of fun. I’m so glad that they did the same thing with the scheduling of Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp, and I can’t wait for July 6.

I really hope Ant-Man and the Wasp does the same thing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did, and goes deeper with the characters instead of just getting bigger in scope. Because Ant-Man is one of the more surface-level movies in the MCU. Scott doesn’t really carry a lot of angst, so even though his arc is about proving he can be the hero Cassie sees him as, it’s pretty chill, with just a couple of moments where he loses...hope...(dang it) in his ability to make this work and be the dad he wants to be.

The bigger emotional arc was Hank and Hope, because Hope absolutely carries her angst and bitterness in a big way. They’re kind of a representation of what Scott and Cassie could end up being if Scott doesn’t get his crap together. And Darren is an evil parallel for Scott, obviously. All of the different arcs probably would’ve worked better if they’d spent enough time and effort on Darren to make him interesting. But the lack of depth in all of the arcs doesn’t ruin the movie because it’s a comedy. This is deliberately a light, fun comedy action movie, and it’s great.

Also it has a good and memorable soundtrack, so bonus points.