#funny option him doing this with mandy too

[marc--chilton]

how many dollars would it take for someone to draw adam and lawrence like this

[flamona--rowers]

Storytelling 1 - starting out

My boyfriend and I have been dating for over 5 years. His name will be Rio.

When we first crossed paths, I was doing my first-ever stand-up comedy show in a tiny little mountain town. I had been doing open mic night for a two months and landed my first opening gig. He was on a first date.

In comedy, you usually dont get an opening spot in your first two months. so how did I? I matched with the headliner on Tinder and asked to be on. Whatever. Sue me incels.

I was so excited for this show that I told every breathing soul about the show. I worked many odd jobs so you could find me at the mountain shop, a local dive bar, and a golf club. Anyone that would listen to a perky 22 year blonde (wasn't tough actually...) knew about the show.

Let me step back a little bit. When I first decided I wanted to do stand up comedy, I googled it. Plain and simple. "How to become a stand up comedian" and the results were flooded by many men (statistically there were other genders too, but lets all be honest on this ratio) "explaining" to me how to do it. At the time, I was happy to listen/read. I did this because I was in the middle of breaking up with a boy I moved across the country with. He found some rock climber that was shorter than me and younger too. And I have one rule in life, don't date rock climbers. Let them have each other. (Actually, i have two rules. the other one is don't trust mustard)

But anyways, Google. One article I read said "Do you have a favorite comedian? Okay. They probably wrote a book about themselves. Read that" and I am sure it had a few other steps but I was undiagnosed ADHD. Im a "first step and figure it out" kind of girl. At the time, I was really into Parks & Recreation. So I looked up Amy Poehler. She had written an amazing book called "Yes, Please" which I do implore any young female comics to read. As I read about Amy's journey from a little girl to a phenomenally accredited writer and comic, I found similarities in our path: all the way up until she joined an improv troupe. So, once again, I went to Google and looked up "Improv Classes near me" and of course, there were a few options of men ready and willing to teach this stepping stone path and class. (no offense to my troupe, they were actually the best people for me to meet and were hilarious in every way).

I immediately signed up and went to my first class: I thought this was going to be a great pilot episode of a TV show by the way (an improv tv show?! how original!)

The troupe I joined was a motley crew, a cast of characters straight out of a sitcom: Brett, the fedora-wearing leader with a passion for comic books; Mandy, the 8th-grade math teacher who'd soon marry her girlfriend; Heather, who looked amazing in leggings and was still funny; Tracy, the elderly Jewish woman who'd danced in New York City; Dan, a red-headed game designer, and luis-- literally just a blind guy that came to three practices.

We performed together, the energy electric until the theater owner's arrest in a sting operation shattered our dreams (fuck him, he was a pedo). But the comedy bug had bitten me hard. I transitioned to stand-up, honing my jokes at open mics, testing material on unsuspecting customers at my various odd jobs. Strangers laughed, and for the first time, I felt seen.

My family never laughed at my jokes (shocker!) I was the youngest of 3, the only girl. My brothers, now they were funny. Most of their conversations were quoting movies and tv shows. Scrubs was our favorite. I probably shouldn't have been watching it when I did, but oh well, now I'm funny. (Thanks Bill Lawerence).

So now, when strangers laughed, it was a wild high I kept wanting to chase. I always wanted to be something like a rock star. But I couldn't play guitar, danced without rhythm, was incredibly tone deaf, and acting was a death sentence. But I had jokes. Dumb jokes, but they were there. And they were working.

The night of my first show, the crowd's energy was palpable. The host, a bit of a dork with too big of an ego for his britches, couldn't hold a candle to the anticipation building in the room. When he took the stage, my friends started chanting my name, their voices echoing through the club. I couldn't believe it. A wave of pure joy washed over me as I stepped into the spotlight.

Truly, if you can, get a room of 100+ people to chant your name. Any suicidal tendencies you may have will instantly go away I promise. I went up, did my set, and had about 46 beers paid for at the bar for me. The host pulled me aside and said "don't think because you told all your friends to come that you're a big deal." I don't remember a lot from the remainder of that night, but I do remember thinking "I probably just paid the club's utility bills" with the amount of revenue they got from the bar sales. (also, producers, not a great idea to shame the person who packed out your room. Also, pay them! Dick)

I know what you're thinking. Isn't this about how you and Rio met? Yes. Still is. But as you can read, I was really focused on how awesome that feeling was and how much fun I was having. It was the start of something in my life. And Rio, was in the crowd, on a first date with some other girl.

I like to imagine he was sitting with her, and when I came out on stage he got stars in his eyes like Knives from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Rio was there, sitting across from another girl, but his eyes were on me, whispering, "Who is that?" as his date rolled her eyes. A week later, he showed up at open mic.

But that night, in that packed club, I was focused on the thrill of the stage, the laughter echoing in my ears. Rio was just a face in the crowd, a spark waiting to ignite. It was probably the best night of my life in this new town.

[hideawayintheimaginationworld]

Rank all Fazbear Frights story's from least to greatest. Explaining why they ranked the way they did is optional. But you get bonus points if you do.

35. In the Flesh: I think you understand why. Matt was not a likeable character.

34. Sea Bonnies: Another body take over story, I rate it so low because the concept of sea monkey like creatures taking over someone's identity is too bizarre for my taste.

33. Sergio's Lucky Day: Another kind of unlikeable character

32. The Prankster: the ending was a cliff hanger and it's not clear who the villain was which is why it's low on my list.

31. Friendly Face: I only remember how many memes people made of the book cover.

30. Gumdrop Angel: similar to Lonely Freddy, it could be argued this is a lot worse of a fate for the victim which I agree with. Also I hate the step father, whatever his name was.

29. Jump for Tickets: I don"t really remember this story much honestly.

28. Kids at Play: I didn’t understand this story very much to be honest.

27. Pizza Kit: I really hated Marley, who tf pretends to be dead like that just as a prank? It's not funny.

26. Together Forever: the ending is a bit grizzly. But in these stories, it seems to be, if you mess around with something, you'll find out why you shouldn’t have mess with it in the first place.

25. Find Player Two: The concept could be interesting, but the story felt a bit flat.

24. He Told Me Everything: Faz goo is not scary.

23. Dance with Me: I like Ballora as a character considering her mechanic in Sister Location, however, in this story she never felt like a real threat, but rather a reminder to the main character of what she did.

22. 1:35 AM: This wasn’t strongly written, Ella was an okay antagonist, Delilah didn’t really grab my attention as a protagonist.

21. Bunny Call: How is Ralpho connected to Fazbear Entertainment? That's my real question. I like the idea of him being alike to King from the Owl House or Bill Ciper. Bob himself was an okay character, especially when he decided he had to protect his family from Ralpho at all costs.

20. Room for One More: Stanley's reason for not going to the hospital felt a bit like an excuse to justify why he never went to the hospital. It would have made the story more interesting if he did.

19. Coming Home: It was a nice story, and it had a nice concept of a child trying to say goodbye to their sibling, but it wasn’t scary.

18. The Cliffs: The idea of a missing kid is just terrifying to anyone, one thing about the story I didn’t like was how quickly the bad thoughts left Robert's mind, it doesn’t happen that way, those feelings don’t just disappear immediately.

17. The Scoop: Reading this story was interesting, I could see a character like Mandy in the FNAF universe.

16. Blackbird: Blackbird is a good concept by itself, but it doesn’t really feel like a FNAF story.

15. The Breaking Wheel: The suspension was built quite well, however Reed did make some questionable decisions about ignoring the loud sounds from outside.

14. Hide and Seek: Shadow Bonnie as a villain was interesting to me, and how they were portrayed as a shadow that always follows the main character.

13. To Be Beautiful: This story shows a twisted idea of being beautiful at a cost. One of my biggest questions was why didn’t Sarah feel any pain? Did the illusion disc also block pain?

12. The Real Jake: It did explain the story of the StitchWraith, however it wasn’t really scary.

11. What we Found: I like how it was explained how the FNAF 3 hallucinations do happen, I don’t like the ending, it felt extremely undeserved to Hudson. He clearly needed some form of mental help.

10. Felix the Shark: a story about Submechanophobia? Yes. Felix is a interesting idea for a story, considering how we never had any animatronics that could work underwater in the FNAF series.

9. Step Closer: Foxy being a villain that curses a kid, while good, can be improved upon, he could have actually been stalking Pete which would have made him seem like more of a threat to Pete and his brother.

8. The Man in Room 1280: I did like the character of Arthur Blythe, he seems to what to believe the best in everybody.

7. You are the Band: I'm upset this story isn’t consider as part of the main series, it was very good and it included Michael, seeing as we know so little about him, having a story with him as a character is great.

6. The New Kid: Devon was a change from the other teenaged protagonists, someone who is jealous of someone else getting attention. Kelsey was a good character and clearly wanted to be friends with Devon and Mick.

5. Count the Ways: Funtime Freddy was a fun villain, showing a version of him that knows a lot about history and has a straight forward purpose, Millie meanwhile, I can understand why she developed a crush on Dylan, however her being rude about Brooke after finding out she was dating Dylan felt a bit jarring.

4. Fetch: A unique concept, I heard that Fetch could be based on the old Sparky hoax, while I'm not sure about it, having a dog animatronic that can “fetch” whatever you desire makes for both a interesting and dark story.

3. Into the Pit: A great story for the first one! The concept of seeing a child actually escape from a murderous rabbit is welcomed especially after we hear that many kids in the history haven’t been so lucky, so I like SpringBonnie acting like the dad and vacuuming the carpet.

2. Lonely Freddy: it's obvious it's a favorite of mine. Alec and Hazel's sibling dynamic feels realistic, especially with the concept of Alec realizing that he had hated his sister for no reason and it was his parents fault, the reason why isn’t number one is because of the big bad himself, Lonely Freddy, the concept of being body swapped is scary, and the ending is truly heart breaking when you realize that Alec likely never made it back home, but then again, REJECT CANON, EMBRACE FANON.

1. Out of Stock: The best story, full stop. Oscar is a realistic take on a boy who lost his father and feels like the world has been unfair to him, Plushtrap is also the best antagonist and well written, he is a real threat, he is smart and he knows how to mimic voices, making him much more dangerous.

[arrowflier]

Hello!!! I have a prompt request. When Ian and Micky get their baby (cause they will be parents) how do they agree in the name?

“Mickey, there’s got to be a name you like here somewhere,” Ian said flatly. There were at least four different books of baby names spread out before them on the coffee table, interspersed with handwritten lists on torn notebook paper.

“We’ve been through the options a million times, why won’t you just help me decide?”

“Cause they’re weird fucking names, that’s why,” Mickey groused for the third time that hour. “Why can’t we just name the kid somethin’ normal?”

“Like what?” Ian asked, exasperated. “You already said no to like, half the most popular names of the year.”

Mickey snorted.

“Yeah, cause we ain’t namin’ our kid after a hobby, or a natural fucking disaster.” He caught the set of Ian’s chin, and added, “or a fruit, goddamnit Ian!”

“Hunter and Storm are perfectly good names,” Ian muttered. “And I still say that—”

He cut off when Mickey stomped forward, jabbing a finger into his chest.

“If you name our daughter Roma because of your fucking tomato obsession, Ian,” Mickey hissed, “I swear to fucking hell I’ll divorce your sorry ass.”

Ian rolled his eyes.

“At least you’re not threatening to—”

“AND murder you!”

They stared each other down, faces inches away. Ian’s chin jutting out, Mickey’s eyebrows twitching.

Then they sighed in unison, and backed down.

“What about—”

“Not naming her after your sister, Ian,” Mickey vetoed.

Ian hummed acknowledgement.

“Then maybe—”

“Or mine,” Mickey added, shaking his head. “Gotta have their own name man, we agreed we weren’t doin’ the junior thing here.”

Silence.

Mickey sighed.

“I guess we could do something like—”

“Mickey, I said no gun names,” Ian reminded, and they both fell quiet again.

Something tugged on Mickey’s pant leg, near the knee, as he stood there thinking. Quick and sharp, to grab his attention, little fingers poking his leg through the denim as he looked down into deep brown eyes.

“Little busy, brat,” he said, all fondness, reaching down to muss her hair.

She tugged again, undeterred.

“Come on, give your old man a break,” he laughed. “We’re tryin’ to name your little sister here.”

Brit frowned, lower lip stuck out comically, and gave one more tug hard enough that he reached for the waist of his pants just in case, ignoring Ian’s choked laughter.

“What has gotten into you?” Mickey muttered, and finally crouched down to Brit’s level.

“Alright, you’ve got my attention, kid,” he said seriously. “Now what the fu—” he looked up at Ian, “—udgecicle do you want?”

“Mee nah,” Brit responded solemnly.

Mickey blinked.

“Mina?” he repeated, then looked up at Ian. “Wait, was that one of the ones you were sayin?”

Ian shook his head.

“No,” he said slowly, “but I…kind of like it?”

“Yeah,” Mickey said, looking at the daughter again, who was watching him with wide eyes. “Me too.”

“Like Mandy and Fiona put together,” Ian mused.

“Or Monica,” Mickey countered, “and Laura.”

Ian smiled.

“Mina,” he echoed, almost dreamily. “I think that’s it. I think that’s her name.”

Brit made a noise.

“Yeah, you like that brat?” Mickey said, still looking at Ian. “Cause I think it’s pretty coo—”

“ME!” Brit screamed suddenly, stomping hard on Mickey’s foot. “NOW!”

“Fuck!” Mickey yelped, hopping back and shaking out his foot. “The fuck was that for?”

“Meeeee!” Brit howled, head thrown back and everything. “Play with meeee noooow!”

Then she ran from the room like a little tornado, shoving books off the table as she went, and thundered up the stairs to her room as her fathers blinked after her.

After a second, Ian huffed, a short escape of air. Then he did it again, and again, until his laughter was unmistakable.

“Ian,” Mickey said warningly, “Your daughter just assaulted me, what the fuck is so funny?”

“Sorry,” Ian bit out, “Sorry!”

Mickey waited for an explanation, arms crossed, but the laughter only got worse.

“We just named our daughter,” Ian gasped out in the midst of his hysteria, “after her big sister’s tantrum.”

Mickey’s lips twitched, even as Brit’s wailing got louder.

“Guess we did,” he agreed, and finally started to chuckle. “But you heard the little lady,” he added, shoving Ian toward the door Brit had run through, “it’s her turn now.”

[heartslogos]

the executive assistant to the batman [62]

“Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. Don’t even consider acting like I exist in the same room as you,” Tam says. “Of all the times for you to — seriously! Right before the big restructure of our west coast branch and redistribution of our logistics pipeline across the states?”

“Tam. I know you must be feeling very negatively right now. But it’s for the greater good. If I took real sick leave then the entire thing really will be fucked over. At least this way I have some sort of…sense of control about it. I’m not actually leaving. I’m still around. Sort of. But this way I won’t have to turn the front half of Wayne’s office into sick room. How unprofessional is that, Tam? I’ve worked too hard for this. Years of my life dedicated to turning my job into something people actually pay attention to.”

“Greater good my ass,” Tam glares at him. “Who gave you permission to get a collapsed lung? Work from home? You? Work from home? What about the rest of us who have to work here while you’re not physically present? You think we can stop the Waynes if they’re about to do something stupid? If you’re work from home they’ll act like normal. You should’ve just taken sick leave. If it’s sick leave then they’ll attempt to behave until you come back out of guilt or something.”

“Shouldn’t you be nicer to me?” Tim scowls. “I’m the one who has a collapsed lung and pneumonia.”

“Speaking of, how did you get both of those? Does the universe hate you that much? Who did you piss off? Aside from me and the rest of this company?”

“It’s not like I’m asking for it to happen! I’m not happy about this either. I’m the one who’s getting my home invaded by my job. At least you get to go home and put your phone on silent and pretend like you have a life outside of work. I’m being forced to bring my work home with me for a few weeks.” Tim directs his glare at the several boxes that some poor interns are currently packing up to be transported to his apartment.

Tim had to fight to be present for this. Thankfully someone had seen reason about the fact that Tim can’t work from home if he doesn’t have the proper materials.

It didn’t stop any of the extended Wayne family from fluttering in and out of the room like anxious bats and birds.

The only reason they’re not here right now is because Tim said he was hungry as loudly as possible, sending the assorted family members scattering to every region of Gotham to procure their own versions of what a sick and convalescing person should be eating.

Tim expects to be laden down too much take out for one person to reasonably consume in a week. He might even have a grocery delivery waiting for him at his apartment right now.

He shifts uncomfortably on the sofa, headache slowly creeping up at his temples and carving out a space for itself behind his eyes.

Tam’s expression softens, just a little. “You need to take better care of yourself before that family decides that they’ll do it for you. I don’t think you could survive the Wayne brand of tender loving care, Tim.”

“Let’s never find out,” Tim replies. “I am sorry, though. You know that, right? It shouldn’t roll down to you whenever I’m out but — well. You’re capable.”

Tam shakes her head, running a hand through her hair as she rolls her eyes towards the ceiling.

“The curses of being capable in Gotham. Suddenly everything’s your problem. How come these things never get down to Li?”

“Because Li would collapse the economy if anyone tried to make her take on more than she wants to.”

Tam rolls her eyes.

“Tam, I’m being serious.” Tim’s eyes flick towards the door. As though saying Li’s name could summon her from the austere and perfectly coordinated circus of a department she runs. Like the devil but also Clippy or an extremely judgmental Alexa.

“No, I know you are,” Tam says, “But it’s funny how you think she’d stop at collapsing the economy. Li could probably cripple governments through sheer force of disdain if she wanted to. Let’s never give her a reason or a chance to try. I don’t know where you find these people, Tim. I really don’t. Mandy’s shaping up to be a terror. I’m still trying to get her to consider applying for management positions.”

“Agreed. Mandy’s still in school though, isn’t she?”

“Didn’t stop you from shooting yourself to the top of the corporate ladder at the tender age of — what was it, sixteen?” Tam checks her phone. “Just got a text from MeiMei. She was on the second floor of the lobby and she saw one of your Wayne’s coming back with an entire armful of take out containers.”

“Was MeiMei kind enough to say which Wayne?”

“Nope. Says that their face was covered by the stack of take out and tall with black hair doesn’t rule anybody out. Especially after Damian’s growth spurt. Is that kid ever going to stop? You’ve had that kid re-fitted for suits five times this year.”

“Tell that to Damian.” Tim slowly pushes to his feet. “Alright. I think that’s everything I’ll need. Let’s get this loaded for transport. I do not want to be here with every single take out option in Gotham.”

Tim can picture it now. They’d probably try to make him pick one to eat then and there. God. And they’d probably consider it as some kind of strange contest to see which one of them he likes best. They’d hold it against him and sulk for weeks.

“I need to find a different job,” Tim groans as he and Tam quickly head towards the elevators, interns at their heels with dollies and carts loaded with banker’s boxes of documents and equipment. “Or I need to find some sucker to throw at them so they can get attached to and fight over them instead of me. Half the work of this job is appeasement.”

“The curse of being capable,” Tam repeats, “Should’ve played stupid like the rest of us. Too late now. You could fake having aphasia and they’d still go to you for everything.” Tam pauses. “Don’t try to fake an aphasia. They’d turn over the entire medical research department and create a whole new set of gone-bad doctors with with some sort of weird language theme. The Riddler might shit himself over the sudden brand incursion.”

“I don’t think the Riddler is that kind of doctor.”

“Oh, yeah, Tim? That’s the detail you want to nitpick? What kind of doctorate the Riddler may or may not have?”

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Staring At The Ceiling

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

Things will seem much better in the morning light, Love will be much easier to own. Things will look much better in the pale sunlight. We can be together like before

You're lying on the floor and Staring at the ceiling. Thinking of the place you Have never seen before

And you want love without pain And waiting for the feeling

click here to be on the update list

                                     Niall and I didn't talk for two more days. I practically lived In Louis'  room and if I wanted to be honest, it was driving me insane, but when Louis told me that he was going to be gone all weekend, I felt my heart skip a beat. Apparently, his roommate was also coming back, with his girlfriend this time, since the girl's roommate was tired to share the room with both of them. I didn't have any other option beside going back to my room and I didn't know how to face Niall again.

I was gathering some of my stuff in Louis room when he got out of the shower. I didn't even glance at him, imagining the way it would feel to be face to face with Niall again and every single one of my scenarios ended badly.

"Hey, Dev, I'm sorry."

I glanced at Louis and sent him a small smile. "Don't be. I invaded your space for way too long already."

"It's only for a few days, you can come back next week." he pointed out, making me raise my nose up in a grimace.

"No, thank you. I mean, maybe from time to time, but not every day. I care about our friendship too much. I don't want you to get tired of me."

I felt him move closer and looked up at him, noticing he was raising his eyebrows at me. He put his hands on my shoulders and bent down slightly to look in my eyes, making me blink a few times. I pressed my lips together, waiting for him to talk and he just shook his head slightly.

"I will never get tired of you, okay?"

My lips curled very lightly in a small smile and I nodded a few times before he smiled more. I couldn't explain how happy I felt to have found someone like Louis. I didn't know if it was fate or simple luck but I couldn't even imagine how lonely this school would feel without him.

He took a step back and shrugged, grabbing one of my books and handing it to me. "Besides, we're soul sisters, right?"

I stopped what I was doing and turned my head to look at him. My smile turned into a fond one and I nodded again. "We are."

"Alright," Louis added, sitting on his bed and looking up at me. "Since I actually love you, I'm going to give you a way to have the room at least one night for yourself. I still think you and Niall should have a good discussion but, he's been alone in that room for a few days, and you deserve a break."

I raised my eyebrows, suddenly curious. "Does it involve food poisoning and can I get caught?"

"Idiot." he let out with a chuckle, rolling his eyes. "No, just text him that you'll be with a guy all night and you need the room for yourself."

"What if he thinks that guy is you?" I asked after sitting next to him.

"If it was me, we'd just stay here." he shrugged. "I have faith he'll actually make an effort with you after that. I think making the other jealous is the worst way to get that person to like you, but maybe being alone in your room for one night will help you both."

I looked down at my hands as I played nervously with my fingers. Making Niall jealous was never my intention, but whenever I mentioned Louis, he wouldn't like it. I was not sure why, but I sort of wanted it to be because he liked me. No matter what it was for, though, I was not going to give up on Louis' friendship.

"Anyway, he gets jealous no matter what you say, so." Louis shrugged again. "So, are you going to do it?"

I looked up at him as he stared at me with an amused smile. I didn't know why it was so funny to him but I liked seeing him like that. I knew he was getting a bit tired of that 'war' between Niall and I, and I couldn't blame him. After all, he was friends with both of us and it probably wasn't easy to manage, but he did it anyway, with a lot of whining and eye rolling.

"Yea, I think I will."

---

It took Niall about an hour to answer my text message and all he was able to type was 'ok'. I stared at the word for a few seconds, blinking a few times and expecting a second message to come but it didn't and I just decided to have a relaxed evening by myself. I knew most people would go out, go to a party or hang out with friends but I hadn't been by myself in a while and I decided to take a quick shower before watching some movies on my computer. It's only when I realized that I needed to go to the bathroom that I noticed it.

I stared at the notebook, the only thing laying on Niall's bed, as I felt my heart skip a beat. It was where he wrote his thoughts and his songs, and I knew this book was filled with his emotions and parts of his soul. I kept looking at it for a few seconds before sitting back on my bed. There was something tempting about it. I knew I would never open it but the thought that I could do it if I wanted was thrilling in a way I couldn't explain.

Would I find out things about him if I could read what he had written? Would I understand him better? What took me out of my thought was the soft knock at the door and I shook my head to get back to reality before frowning slightly. I had no idea who it could be and I held my breath, hoping it was not the girl Niall had sex with. For some obvious reason, I really didn't want to face her again.

I got up slowly and walked up to the door, breathing in and holding it as I turned the knob and opened the door. Niall's facial expression changed from neutral to surprised and his lips parted when our eyes met.

"Sorry, I just... I forgot my notebook."

I saw him glance behind me in the room and just moved away to let him pass. He seemed to hesitate but walked in until his bed, bending down slightly to grab his notebook. He slapped it nervously on his thigh a few times and finally, his eyes met mine again.

"Your... guest isn't here yet?" he wondered with a frown as he noticed my computer.

"Are you really going to have time writing in this while shagging your girlfriend?"

"She's not my-" he stopped himself and sighed. "What did Louis tell you?"

I shrugged and turned around to close the door. "Not much, just that you two have sex."

"Doesn't make her my girlfriend." he pointed out, turning around and searching for something in one of his drawers.

"So you didn't cheat on her when you kissed me?"

He suddenly stopped rummaging through his stuff but his back was still facing me. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my heart beating in my chest and making my whole body throb. I couldn't believe I had asked that but at the same time, it felt so good to let it out.

"I've never cheated on any of my girlfriends." he finally explained before continuing to search through his stuff, but a lot more gently than a few seconds before. "Mandy is not my girlfriend, and she doesn't care who I kiss."

I didn't really know what to answer and I just stood up motionless, waiting for him to be done. I let my eyes roam on the side of his face and started nibbling on my bottom lip as my heart skipped a beat. Why did looking at him always make something stir in my stomach? I had seen pretty people in my life, and had taken the time to stare at a few, too, but no one had ever made me want to stare at them forever like Niall did. I didn't even want to blink to make sure I wouldn't miss anything and suddenly, I felt embarrassed. Despite that fact, I let my cheeks burn but kept looking at him.

"What about you? When is your boyfriend coming here?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, you're totally aware of that." I replied, trying to look away from him without success.

"You said you had a guy over, that's why I have to stay away all night." he pointed out, turning to me.

Our eyes met and I felt my facial expression change from fond to a bit more serious. "I never said that. I said I needed the room tonight. I never talked about anyone coming over." I explained as his face changed too when he realized his mistake. "But you should go, Mandy is probably waiting for you."

I turned around, reaching on my bed for a sweater when I heard him whisper my name very low. I held my breath, feeling the heat of his body very close to mine, and when I turned around, his hands reached for my cheeks, cupping my face quickly before his mouth crashed on mine. It was not soft and gentle like the first time he kissed me. It was rough and passionate, and when he took a step closer, I felt his body lean lightly on mine. I closed my eyes tight, feeling his half-hard cock press against my thigh and it made me feel a bit dizzy. His lips parted mine quickly and I couldn't help but whimpered low. He swallowed my moan as one of my hands reached for the front of his shirt before gripping it, as if he could disappear.

I could taste beer on his tongue, mixed with what he tasted the last time we kissed, and it made me want to straddle him, or get on my knees for him. I was obsessed with the way his body felt against mine, like it was just made to be there, and when I tried pulling away to catch my breath, one of his hands moved behind my neck to keep my mouth pressed against his.

He let out a curse word in a whisper. Just a small and low 'fuck' before pushing his tongue in my mouth again. Without thinking, I wrapped my lips around it and sucked on it for a few seconds before he quickly pulled away, taking a step back. I blinked a few times, just looking at him as he passed his hand in his hair and turned around, tilting his head down. I realized I was panting, lips parted and my heart racing, but most of all, I felt my whole body shake and my inner thighs throb at the way he had kissed me.

It took him about a minute to turn around slowly. He brushed one of his fingers on his bottom lip but avoided my gaze before swallowing hard.

"You-" he let out, cutting himself and shaking his head a bit. "I'm gonna leave you alone. I shouldn't be here. I came just because I wanted to..." he shook his head again. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He grabbed his notebook and his shirt before walking quickly to the door but when he was about to leave, I couldn't stop myself from saying his name. It came out louder than I thought and once again, he stopped moving completely, his hand on the knob.

"You can stay if you want."

I couldn't see his face but he just shook his head. "It's better I don't."

"Are you going to sleep in Mandy's room?"

My voice was soft and I knew how insecure and sad it sounded. I just couldn't spend the whole evening wondering about it, it would drive me insane.

"No, I asked this guy from my writing class if I could crash on his couch."

It made my heart feel suddenly lighter and I licked my lips, nodding slowly even if he couldn't see me. "Will you come back tomorrow?"

This time, he turned his head my way and our eyes met. I didn't know what I was seeing in his eyes but somehow, I felt like he was seeing the same thing in mine.

"Yes."

He didn't give me time to answer and quickly opened the door and left. It closed in a loud noise behind him and as soon as it did, I breathed in deeply as if I hadn't done it since that kiss. I felt confused, dizzy and horny all at the same time. Perhaps he was right, perhaps it was better that he left, because I was pretty sure I knew how it would have ended, and even if I wanted it more than I thought I would, it was a bit premature, especially from two persons who always ended up being pissed at each other.

How could I forget him now? How could I even try to hate him? It seemed like an impossible task and I sat on my bed and closed my eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply until my heartbeats came back to a normal pace. I thought about his dick pressed on me and held my breath again, squeezing my thighs together and groaned low at how weak I was. I wanted to touch myself and at the same time, I felt like this ecstatic feeling that I had ever since his mouth crushed on mine would just leave after an orgasm, and I wanted to keep feeling it for as long as I could.

I watched two more movies but couldn't really get into it. In fact, I couldn't remember anything from them and I finally decided to just go to bed. It was early but it didn't matter. I couldn't take Niall off my mind. I lied there for a while before taking my phone and opening the camera. I aimed it at the ceiling where I could see the lights coming from the streets and snapped a picture before posting it on instagram. I typed the lyrics that immediately came to my mind and posted it.

It didn't even take one minute before I got a notification and my heart skipped a beat when I realized Niall had liked my picture. My eyes roamed again on the lyrics and I started nibbling on my bottom lip slowly.

"Things will seem much better in the morning light, Love will be much easier to own."

---

He didn't lie. Niall came back around dinner time and I was still in my sweatpants and t-shirt. He walked in the room and sent me a small smile before walking to his bed. I stopped focusing on what I was studying but it was not like I had been very productive anyway. I couldn't stop thinking about him, about our kiss, and about what could have happened if he hadn't left.

I tried to look at him subtly and felt my lips curl a bit when he entered the halo of light that came from the window. The sun was slowly setting and it made his light brown hair turn a dark shade of blonde.

"Slept well?" he asked without looking at me.

"Mmhm, and you?"

I couldn't tell him that I hadn't stopped thinking about him, not even a second. I couldn't tell him the things I had imagined all night long, tossing and turning in bed without being able to fall asleep. I couldn't tell him that when I finally could sleep, I had dreamed about him.

"Was alright, but my friend's couch was horrible." he chuckled, his eyebrows making a small wave that made me smile.

"Maybe you should have slept here."

I held my breath until he turned to look at me and sent me a small but amused smile. "Maybe."

I kept looking at him and pressed my lips together, trying to stop them from curling into a bigger smile, and after a while, he laughed a bit again. "Oh, that reminds me, my friend is having a party tonight, if you want to come with me, it'd be nice." He looked away as he asked and shrugged a shoulder but it made my heartbeats accelerate. "You can invite Louis too, if you want."

"Oh Louis is gone for the weekend." I explained in a low tone. I always felt uncomfortable talking about Louis with Niall, and it always stressed me because I was always scared his mood would change. "I'd love to go, though, if you still want me to. I've been trying to study all day and nothing works."

"Of course, I asked you, didn't I?" he chuckled, making my heart twist. He seemed in a good mood and even if I didn't know why, I liked it more than I could explain. "Get ready, I'll be back in an hour. I'm going for pizza with a few friends."

"Sure, I'll be ready." I nodded, feeling suddenly extremely nervous to go to a party in a place I didn't know, with people I didn't know. "Where is the party?"

"It's the friend I slept at yesterday. He's in my writing class. We started working on a song together but most of the time, we just end up getting drunk when we hang out." he laughed, glancing at me. "He's got an apartment not so far."

"You won't just... leave me by myself, right?" I asked in a soft tone.

"No worries, you can follow me around all you want. Even in the bathroom." he chuckled, making me laugh too.

"I'll remember that." I grinned, thinking of when we actually got stuck together. "Are you the designated driver tonight too?"

"Nop, and I'm totally gonna get pissed!"

"Maybe I shouldn't drink to make sure you're okay."

He turned to me and raised his eyebrows at me, his lips curled into a smirk. "Devie, I'm a big guy, don't worry. If I'm too drunk we can take a cab or just sleep at my friend's place."

"On an uncomfortable couch?" I joked, laughing again.

"Exactly."

He grabbed his phone again and put it in his back pocket before looking around and finally, he turned to me and moved his chin quickly in my direction. "I'll be back in an hour."

--

REQUEST

[aros001]

Read through light novel vol. 6. Random thoughts.

She hurried along behind the others, but she couldn’t quite get the image of the red-haired spell caster out of her mind.

Maybe I’m just imagining things, but...he looked really familiar.

Let me guess...

[Chapter 3]

Nailed it!

“How many?” Guild Girl asked, her pen scratching on the paper. “Oh, and break them down by quest, please.”

“Thirty-four for the first quest.”

He suddenly fell silent. Guild Girl stopped writing and looked up, and Goblin Slayer added quietly, “and ten or less missing.”

“Missing?”

“We went in, rescued the hostage, and flooded the nest. I confirmed thirty- four bodies. There can’t be more than ten left.”

You can tell this series has done a good job making the goblins feel like a threat that I'm really concerned about any goblins escaping the nest Goblin Slayer flooded. With how quickly they learn and how much he tries to keep them from learning his methods, now I'm going to be worried about some goblins down the line breaking open a dam and flooding a village because of how well it worked against them.

This is a weird thing to focus on but why do goblins get so excited over elf women compared to the women of other species? It just gets brought up a lot through the series when seeing things from the goblins' POV. Is it because of their beauty, their age, some kind of ancient grudge between elves and goblins, or is it just that they smell particularly good? Because back in vol. 1 Goblin Slayer made a point about goblin noses being quite sensitive to the smells of women, children, and elves. Obviously they're cruel and lustful to any women they want to capture but they keep singling out specifically High Elf Archer when she's with human women. Closest I've seen to an answer is in this volume, with the goblins knowing that elf meat apparently keeps for longer.

“All right,” he said. Then the helmet turned toward the boy. “Let’s go.”

Ugh. Not expecting much from this meal.

The boy nodded grudgingly then heaved himself to his feet and followed after Goblin Slayer.

If the food sucks, I’m knocking over that table.

This kid's starting to piss me off.

“Heh! I know you’re back-row, but there’s no way someone as weepy and blubbering as you could ever get promoted!”

That sent High Elf Archer’s ears straight back, and she began looking for their antagonist. The owner of the voice rose unsteadily from one of the benches.

It was the red-haired boy—dressed in a robe, holding a staff, wearing glasses. That wizard.

Priestess spent only a second with her mouth open in shock, then the corners of her eyes tightened angrily.

“I—I’m not weepy!”

“I dunno ’bout that. I hear all you clerics like a good cry.” He gave a dismissive sniff and didn’t even open his eyes all the way as he looked at Priestess. Maybe he thought all this diligent ridicule made him look cool.

He didn’t seem to realize that it just made him seem like a slimy villain.

“Whenever you’re in trouble, it’s O gods, please, save me! Boo-hoo-hoo!, right?”

...I want to break his nose. Specifically I want Priestess and/or Goblin Slayer to break his nose.

The only spell he could use was Fireball, and he could only use it once per day.

THE MORON ONLY HAD ONE SPELL HE COULD USE AND ONLY ONCE A DAY?! Priestess already had to keep him from using it once against a basic encounter with goblins! What the hell was he planning on doing after that for the rest of the nest?! Just beating them with his staff?! He doesn't seem like the type to see any merit in fighting like a barbarian and certainly not the type to dirty his magic conduit. His sister was apparently top of her class so I'm assuming she actually had at least two or more spells she could use (I don't remember what specially was said she could do back in vol. 1) and Priestess had two Miracles she could use three times a day.

Ron Weasley, year one at Hogwarts, is a better wizard than this kid! Think about that! He actually used his one spell exactly when he needed it and beat a troll!

It was funny all the ways Goblin Slayer found around High Elf Archer's rules, but it's also kind of funny that now he just seems to be ignoring them. He flooded a nest (finally got to use a scroll for the reason he bought it) and set a troll on fire. Though I like what even she pointed out, that he holds back on such methods when the goblins have a hostage. Also I suppose her main problem was using fire, water, and poison to attack from a distance or flush out the goblins and then pick them off methodically, making it feel like less of an adventure. Then again, it's goblins. She already doesn't consider that an adventure. The goal is less exploration and more pest control.

Aw, Sword Maiden and Noble Fencer are friends. That's sweet.

Just like with how Goblin Slayer's equipment and methods relate to goblins, I love just reading about Dwarf Shaman talk about magic and the basic principles of it, as well as Lizard Priest talking about his culture. It's just little details I like getting wrapped up in. It's very simple yet believable logic how Wizard Boy's eyes were opened to him actually having four spells instead of just one; breaking down something complicated into its smaller parts.

Again, so glad Spearman isn't a Motoyasu. I'm actively glad Goblin Slayer has someone like him and Heavy Warrior in his life. Also, this is funny only just because it's in comparison to the last few light novel series I've read prior to this, but:

Overlord: Protagonist is a skeleton. Can't drink.

Konosuba: Protagonist can drink but it's his useless companion whom usually gets drunk

Rising of the Shield Hero: Protagonist physically can't get drunk. Immunity to toxins too high.

Goblin Slayer: Protagonist drank, got drunk, puked in an alley, went out drinking with friends on another day, had a hangover the next morning, still went out to kill goblins. I really hope he got his helmet open before he threw up because it's already got to smell not pleasant and you know he wouldn't be removing his helmet on the walk home.

I like that you can kind of tell Goblin Slayer is reapplying Burgler's teachings to Priestess (minus the parts where he'd throw stuff at her). At the big moments he doesn't tell her she can or can't do something, rather he asks if she can or listens to the plan she's come up with. As Burgler taught him, once you decide to do something and act on it, you've already won. His words about power not mattering if you can't even do that much feel like they can apply even more to Priestess, as she has next to no offensive abilities and thus gaining power that'd be useful in killing goblins is even less of an option for her than it was for Goblin Slayer.

Despite all my prior words, I didn't hate Wizard Boy. It's just that undeserved arrogance is one of the quickest ways to get me to be against a character, especially when they're loud about how much better they think they are and their ego actively causes problems for others (Ben 10 in his later series is the most immediate example for me). There are plenty of arrogant and egotistical characters in fiction that I really love, like Lex Luthor or Mandy from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, but usually they can back up their arrogance and they're more "speak softly and carry a big stick". They don't need to boast about how good they are, they just let their actions speak for them. Wizard Boy, I get it, he's going through a character arc and he does grow somewhat during this book. It's just that his sense of superiority despite being in WAY over his head and his disrespect even after he learns his lesson makes it a little hard to be on his side. Hopefully his new adventuring partner can help straighten him out a bit more, and of course I love all the ways his presence caused Goblin Slayer to reflect and evaluate himself, given what they have in common.

This is probably me just looking too deep into things again, but I'm curious what was bigger source of guilt for Goblin Slayer in this book: that he couldn't save Wizard Boy's sister, thus reminding him of his own and making him feel like nothing's changed since he started killing goblins, or that he was the one who killed her? Obviously I think the former is more likely, given the themes and parallels in this book, but it's shown often that despite how he talks, looks, and carries himself, Goblin Slayer isn't some cold-hearted, unfeeling monster. He does care about people and even though it was a mercy kill Wizard begged for I can see him having some heavy feelings weighing on him after killing someone innocent, especially with Wizard Boy's presence forcing him to confront that reality again.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/fxut3s/read_through_light_novel_vol_6_random_thoughts/

[facesofthefog]

[Punishment and Reward meme: No longer accepting] @a-swines-baptism

TW: Use of a dead name, transphobia, suicide mention, self-harm mention, abusive behavior

To say he enjoyed the Pig’s realm would have been a lie. Yes, he was impressed with the atmosphere it provided, he loved to witness the terror of his survivors who were forced into the Gideon meat plant, but he preferred to stay as far away from it as possible. Not because he feared it or because he was disturbed by the multiple bodies, but rather because for the first time in his life the smell of blood and decay enhanced by the stuffy atmosphere was irritating his nose. Sight, smell, sounds, touch. All of the senses were still new to him, still oversensitive and the body he possessed was not responding well to the sour scent of rotting flesh. At least he did not have to stay for long.

Still, he could not complain about his new body. He was the wolf in sheep's clothing and accessing survivors and killers that deserved punishment was so much easier when he looked weak and normal. It was especially easy to approach his friends, punishing him in the process. There was so much pain he had already inflicted on others, showed his will over the realms, was in the process of bringing new order. The other Entities were lazy. He needed to show those pests which they brought into the realm that they could not simply do as they pleased. But his time was slowly coming to an end, he could feel it and, on his list, there was only one more person up for punishing.

His control over the survivor’s body was improving. Whilst the eyes remain golden, his hair was the natural dirty blond it normally was. For now, the Entity could not risk losing the remaining grasp on the survivor, but he did not entirely care for perfection. He doubted that the killer would be bothered about what he looked like after he was done with her. She would come for vengeance after her own torture and after learning of what he did to Jude.

Speaking of the devil, he thought, sensing her approach. The roaring ambush that startled the survivor on multiple occasions was not considered as threatening by the Entity. The man moved out of the blade's way with ease, letting the force of the attack carry the assailant away from himself. To the Pig it might have looked like a simple lucky move from a startled survivor that jumped out of harm's way. The act worked its charm for she followed the missed attack with a slash, aiming to dispose of the unwanted guest as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for her, the slippery piece of meat was neither planning to die nor to leave. His focus lay in something else entirely and he dodged her second attempt. 

"Come on 'Mandy, this is no way to treat your guests, is it now?" the question sounded smug, a smile of similar quality drawn on his face. 

The second charge was dodged as well, the third countered. There was no mentioning of third time working the charm in Amanda’s case. A soft shove was all that was needed for the killer to be toppled over by her weight forcing her to come crashing down headfirst into the hole presenting the bottom floor. The impact was enough to make Amanda lose her consciousness. She was lucky it was not the real world, or she would have not gotten out of it with only a small head wound.

 "Hey. Hey! Wake up, Mandy. You are not dead, are you?” he sounded and looked concerned, but that was a rhetorical question. He was aware that he had not killed her, that was not enough to kill a killer. His fun was only beginning and the act he started had to be seen until the end. “Oh, you are alive! Thank goodness. I only came to talk, and this is how you greet me. But I must be honest, that fall was kind of funny until I noticed you were not moving. I hope you don’t mind me taking your mask off. I wanted to make sure that you have not cracked your skull open.”

With those simple words, he pointed towards the pig’s mask lazily discarded on the floor. Taking more of her surroundings in, she could have noticed pig carcasses hanging from the ceiling, the frozen-over ground of the tight room that served as a storage for the meat. Soft clouds left his lips with every word and he shivered from the cold, rubbing at his crossed over arms.

“Oh, the chair? Yeah… I- Well, I am sorry for that. I had a feeling that you might be enraged after you woke up and I really need to talk to you. I had a feeling that unless I tied you up, you would simply continue trying to attack me. And that… Trap… It was the only thing closest to a gag I could find. But don’t worry! I am not going to set the timer. It is just there as a gag. Nothing else.”

His eyes run around the space during the lengthy monologue, gaze stopping on her face every so often only for short intervals. He seemed nervous, cold and truly sorry for his actions acting like a twisted version of Samuel. Something between the Entity and himself, kindness and cruelty surprisingly mixing into one. But it was not like Amanda would notice the difference. She did not know the survivor on a personal level and would never realize there was anything different about his behavior.

“I wanted to talk to you about Jude” his tone became serious, gaze focusing on the pig’s carcass hanging close. Depending on how their “talk” went, there was a chance that his little Piggy would end in the same way. It was all based around his shifting mood. “I like him. More than that in fact and I do not think that you are good enough for him.”

A short pause was taken, and he walked around the chair seemingly to keep in motion and warm up his body. Maybe to even let the information sink into her, check for her reactions and make sure she knew what and who he was talking about. He needed to be patient and the sweet rage that would come with each word, that amazing emotion mixing with fear would be the best reward.

“Well, you see, I don’t think it is good for a survivor and a killer to spend so much time together. He keeps on sneaking out into the woods and now I know why. He was even attacked because of you. Because he wanted to see you. This is just not fair. You must end this little thing you have going between the two of you and that is what I came to ask of you.”

Stepping too close was a mistake and a one he could have avoided. A kick landed to the side of his leg, pushing him away from the chair and onto the ground. The survivor groaned out in pain and shifted further away, checking to make sure she was not ripping her binds. She had to feel in power, she could not start wondering why a survivor was so sure of himself. He had to act weak and whilst it was frustrating, it was also somehow amusing.

“Calm down. I said I don’t want to hurt you, so why would you try and hurt me?” he stood up from the floor and kept his distance this time. “You have to man up, Daniel.”

He appeared grumpy, as he massaged the aching thigh before snapping his attention back towards her. For the first time, his gaze met with hers and stayed there. His eyes showed fear, his lips curled up into a faint smile and his head tilted to the side displaying curiosity. A disturbing mix of emotions coming from one person.

“Oh, sorry. I should not have said that, shouldn’t I? Oh well, it has already happened” he shrugged, his gaze dropping down over her body. “Not too hard to work it out, your little “secret”. Vile thing you are. Honestly, you are too weak to be a man, so you go around claiming that you are a woman instead. Do you honestly think that is what Jude wants? I wonder if he already saw your body. I bet he would be repulsed by it.”

There was another pause, during which his focus was taken by the mask instead. He picked it up and gently caressed its snoot, before throwing it away again with disgust written on his face. It was as if only now he realized that it was in fact flesh, previously thinking it to be a handmade prop. His body shivered and he looked back to the captive killer.

“I never thought my previous job would come in handy in the realms. I was a reporter, you know. Finding out dirty little secrets about others is what I am good at. I have to be observant and you were not as hard to crack.” Slowly he approached the pig once more, keeping to the back of her body where she could do less harm to him. “And by watching you I know that you will not agree with my terms. You will not leave my Jude alone. So, we are left with two options here. I can… Leave you tied up to the chair, you will fit the other frozen pigs hanging in here. Or-“

The blonde grabbed at the metal of the trap and turned the stopwatch around not checking how much time he managed to give her, as her violent thrashing forced him to move away from her if he did not want the metal to connect with his face.

“Wild one, aren’t you? But it has been done. My curiosity will be fed. I want to know if the killers can be killed too. I wonder if you will return from your grave.” He returned to her front and slipped her hidden blade out from behind his belt observing it with interest. “I wonder how many times you have stabbed and cut me with this weapon… I could show you what it feels like but compared to you I am kind. I will leave it for you to save your life. You can either… Break your binds and search the pig carcasses for the key, I left it in one of their guts. Ooor… You could always slice at your wrists since you are rather good at that, save yourself the pain I feel every time you put that device over my head. Regardless of your choice, I would hurry if I were you.”

The survivor forced the knife into the arms-rest of the chair, cutting slightly into the rope that bound the killer’s wrist to the piece of furniture. He would have offered it into her palm, but he knew there was a chance that Amanda would chase him rather than seek the key and he needed time to escape. Now she had the option to cut more of the rope, possibly harm herself in the process, but it did not matter. He just had to get out, still having a view of the scene back in the cold room. He was the Entity after all and saw everything without having to physically be there. The lovely show almost excited him. Maybe he should find another of his pets whilst he was in the mood for it.

[itsblosseybitch]

Well Dunne by Fred Schruers (from Rolling Stone magazine, November 7th, 1985)

The star of ‘After Hours’ knows how to produce a lot of laughs

The day Warner Bros. previewed After Hours at its Burbank, California, studio for a randomly selected public - “People who may have been coming out of Wendy’s on La Cinega” is how Griffin Dunne puts it - leading man Dunne and his co-producer, Amy Robinson, joined a line of cars stop-and-going through the gates to the studio. As he tells about it now, a month later, he mimes the part of a power-buzzed security man clutching a walkie-talkie: “Get these people out of there...Can’t let the audience see you, sir...We’re at Building C, walking the producer and the star over now...” 

They hid Griffin in the projection booth till the lights went down. Then he sneaked in and listened. Very happily. “They laughed. Went crazy. You couldn’t hear the dialogue.”

A lot of his best lines got lost in the hubbub then, no? Dunne lets his swivel chair rock down from a perilous two-legged tilt and gives the serious, almost beady-eyed take meant to remind you what an alarmingly hostile world we live in: “Let that be the most serious of my problems.”

In fact, Dunne has hardly any problems just now that stand much chance of knocking him from the embrace of the bitch goddess Success. Costing roughly $4 million and described by director Martin Scorsese as “an experimental, psychological farce,” After Hours took only one September weekend to show it would clamber out of cult status and be recognized as something the studio could platform into a nice little hit. 

As a producer, then, the thirty-year-old Dunne is at speed. The grudging credit the industry gave him for co-producing Chilly Scenes of Winter, at age twenty-three, and added to with 1982′s Baby, It’s You (OP NOTE: This is an error. Should be 1983), must now give way to admiration. As an actor, he’s got many people besides the studio guards referring to him as an arriving star. He’s onscreen in virtually every frame in After Hours, and his highly expressive face, which seems to be hastily if handsomely thrown together, accented with dark eyebrows and riveting brown eyes, is undeniably crucial to our comic appreciation of the very odd goings-on during the protagonist’s interminable night among the sexually flawed denizens of artsy SoHo. Whether recoiling from the kinky come-ons of Rosanna Arquette’s Marcy and Linda Fiorentino’s Kiki, feeling mousetrapped by Teri Garr’s Julie, marked for slaughter by Catherine O’Hara’s Gail or imprisoned by Verna Bloom’s June, he’s a catalog of nearly nuanced lab-rat reflexes. 

The key to Dunne’s performance is clearly reaction, as Amy Robinson points out: “It was imperative in this movie that the character be very likable. Otherwise, why would you want to spend this hour and a half going through such trials and tribulations?”

Adam Brooks, who directed him in this year’s unkindly received Almost You, judges Griffin to be just the right everyman for this opening up in Scorsese’s work. “He’s alone, like other Scorsese heroes, but not obsessed. He’s more like us - a child of computers and television. Lonely, but not driven.”

“A lot of people say Griffin looks like Dudley Moore, but I think he’s a lot more like Jack Benny - his comedy works when he’s surrounded by a lot of crazy people, crazy events. He’s charming, endearing. What’s great about After Hours is that the charm gets defeated at every point and ends up being a kind of vanity - so you’ve got this nicely mounting hysteria.”

The Joseph Minion script for After Hours - dispatched to Griffin after being handed to Amy Robinson by Minion’s film-school professor, director Dusan Makavejec - caught the actor’s fancy on page 2. He could sink right into the role of Paul Hackett, a lonely and bored word processor who meets an enticing girl at a coffee shop. “I understood the speech patterns, the other characters and the tension. And the situation of a horrible date. Of being with somebody, trapped in a situation. I’m looking around the room, going ‘How do I get out of here? And how the hell did I get in here?’ Which is a pretty funny basis for a movie.”

“My only criterion for directing Griffin,” says Scorsese, “was ‘I don’t believe you. For all you know, you’re pleading for your life. If I don’t believe you, I’m not gonna print this take, and we’ll just continue till I believe you.’ He had to get in touch with something in here, he had to plead for his life. And that was - fun.”

Thomas Griffin Dunne was born June 8th, 1955, in New York City, the first of three children of Dominick and Ellen (known as Lenny). His father was a Connecticut-bred, Williams-educated stage manager en route to producer status; his mother was an actress and model raised in Nogales, Arizona, by her Mexican mother and her cattle-rancher father, Thomas Griffin. Dominick worked on everything from Howdy Doody to Playhouse 90, and when colleague Martin Manulis moved to Los Angeles in 1956, Dominick took his work and family went as well. 

They settled in then quaint Beverly Hills (”Not the Iranian gun boutiques they’ve got now,” grumbles Griffin), where Griffin hung out with other showbiz whelps, like Carrie Fisher, until heading east to a prestigious old prep school. One unfortunately whimsical day, under the influence of a notorious Moby Grape album cover, he extended his middle finger toward the camera in the football-team photo. By chance, two years later, the headmaster glanced at the photo; the punishment was five swats. 

(OP NOTE: I actually contacted Fay School about this photo, and they claimed they didn’t have it. In hindsight, I should have tried a different approach because, to quote Mandy-Rice Davies, “Well they would, wouldn’t they?”)

Next stop was a less stodgy boys school in Colorado, where he won a plum role in The Zoo Story as a sophomore and became “Joe Theater” on campus. By senior year, he was preparing for his greatest performance, as Iago in Othello. The evening before the big day, Griffin and a friend were in a dorm room contentedly smoking dope when the door swung open. They smothered the joint just in time to look up at the school’s “one badass” faculty member, who asked, “What’s that smell?” “There was the longest pause,” recalls Griffin. “Finally, I said ‘What smell?’ “ The smoke, he says, “just poured right out - mocked me.”

Griffin, sent packing, hitchhiked home quite certain that his proper trade was acting. He got a bit part in Medical Story as an intern hooking up an I.V. line amid much medical palaver, but they changed the diagnosis on him at the last minute. Frantically trying to memorize the new bit during a five-minute break, he burned his lip trying to light a cigarette and went before the camera lisping, sweating, shaking, and bereft of words. Actress Linda Purl took pity and wrote his lines on her forearm, where the I.V. was to go. “It was such a classy move,” he says.

Still, deciding he’d better learn the trade from scratch, Griffin migrated to New York and joined the legion of struggling actors. He was catastrophically nervous at auditions: when he went before the stern Uta Hagen to apply for her acting class, he “went up” - completely forgot the text he’d prepared from The Catcher In The Rye. So he improvised, giving the story that morning’s trip downtown as Holden Caulfield might tell it. She was alternately rapt and chuckling, and signed him on. But he was soon shown to be the dunce of a class full of working actors. Finally, one day after he set a prop door up backward for a solo exercise, then frenziedly tried to shove it the wrong way through the jamb, she took him aside and told him he was simply not ready for her class. But he begged her one more chance, and the next day he skipped forward several exercises to do an imaginary phone call. He wowed Hagen and the class and went on from there.

As he built off-Broadway credits, Dunne lived in various shabby apartments and worked odd jobs, notably, selling candy and popcorn at Radio City Music Hall, where he was stung by the indifference of the Amazonian Rockettes: “They certainly had no time for a guy in a polyester zip-up baby-blue jacket with a cadet hat and shoes two sizes too big that had belonged to an usher who died of old age.”

He met Amy Robinson, who had gone from Scorsese’s Mean Streets to searching for work, at a party. With a third actor, Mark Metcalf, they became upstart movie producers by optioning Ann Beattie’s Chilly Scenes of Winter. Joan Micklin Silver came in as screenwriter and director, and they got studio financing to make a cult prestige item. It marked the beginning of a time of happy overwork for Griffin. He came back from shooting a TV film called The Wall in Poland (opposite Rosanna Arquette) to do the play Coming Attractions, which he then left to do John Landis’ film An American Werewolf in London.

He had come back to work full-time on producing Baby, It’s You when horrible news came: his sister, Dominique, a promising young actress, was strangled to death at the age of twenty-two by her boyfriend, a chef at Ma Maison. 

“It brought all of us who were left together for every moment for a year between what happened and the verdict,” says Dominick Dunne. “It’s never for a moment not a part of you. The point is, you have to go on, you have to cope, to live your life. He threw himself into his work.”

Baby, It’s You was completed that year and dedicated to his sister. Then, even as he helped with script revisions to After Hours, Griffin was before the cameras in Adam Brooks’ Almost You. It’s about a couple suffering from the young man’s restlessness, and though Dunne and Brooke Adams agreed to do it while they were very much a couple, by the time it got financing, they were just friends. “I guess you could say they had a lot to work with,” says Brooks. “but that never interfered with the production.”

Griffin’s been seeing New York actress Ellen Barkin lately; she was on his arm for the New York premiere of the film and afterward was a proud but not proprietary presence as he accepted congratulations well into the night from a buzzing crowd of friends at a downtown restaurant. He was due to head cross-country for promotional chores, but he’s got further plans for his unusually hyphenated career. He and Amy Robinson have optioned the hit play The Foreigner, written by the late Larry Shue. And after the rigors of making After Hours on a nocturnal schedule, Griffin is very happy to have the phone plugged back in and the shades up. 

(OP NOTE: As I mentioned in the transcript for the American Film article, The Foreigner never materialized as a feature film, though Robin Williams was attached at one point. That’s all the information I have about that at the moment.)

“I noticed that Griffin is the kind of guy who gets around a lot, parties a lot,” says Scorsese, “and I knew the hardest part of his job was sustaining the anxiety for eight weeks of shooting.” The director pauses for a grin that demands to be called devilish. “So I told him, ‘No sex for eight weeks. We’ve got careers on the line here. I don’t want you up at night talking, wasting your time and your precious bodily fluids.’

“Really, the idea was to contain him and keep him in this night world for eight weeks, ‘cause his performance depended on anxiety, and if he was satisfied, he would never be able to get that.”

Dunne, reminded later of the challenge, tips back his chair and grins to himself. “Aw, that was easy to live up to,” he says, then waits a beat to settle into the deadpan expression that is such a comic weapon for him. “Did you ever try to get a date a six-thirty in the morning?”

[grishaversebigbang]

#33 - Gang of Eight

Project Info

Gang name: Gang of Eight

Working title/description: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Republican National Convention

Synopsis: Jesper is stuck spending spring break at a farmers’ convention. It sucks… until he finds a cute boy doodling in Starbucks at midnight.

Short excerpt (optional): The hallways looked the same, with such easily overlooked carpeting and repetitive doors he wouldn't have been entirely surprised if a pair of tiny twins in frilly party dresses invited him to come play with us, Jesper… for ever… and ever… and ever! It had been difficult not to make that joke last night, but to say his da disliked horror movies was a drastic understatement.

 Jesper didn't see any twins, but he did find a vending machine and buy himself a bag of Famous Amos since it contained no Oreos. He wandered around until he was finished with the cookies, seeing nothing of note in those three minutes.

 What did he expect? A sign on the door that read, "Please Find Enclosed The Most Adorable Artist In Iowa"?

Gang Introduction

@thatpurplemonkeydishwasher

Role: etherealnik

Short introduction/fun fact: I write interesting things to avoid doing interesting things. I also bake amazing brownies.

@sixofass

Role: healer

Short introduction/fun fact: hello my name is Lucy and when I was in pre-school my parents had to be called because I was trying to tunnel way out of the recess yard from under the fence and if that doesn’t describe my entire personality I don’t know what does.

@monomads

Role: healer

Short introduction/fun fact: sup im Mandy and one time i saw my best friend (dressed as a clown at the time) make a TikTok just like Danielle Cohn’s and i have never been the same since. 

@nightofviolet

Role: heartrender

Short introduction/fun fact: I’m Violet! My younger brothers had never read Harry Potter before, so a few years ago I convinced them to let me read the series aloud to them. By the end I was doing accents and voices, it was so bad but also so good.

 @dregsoftea

Role: materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact: I’m Cassie! It might be too late for my Hogwarts letter, but I still have hope that I’m secretly a witch. Or a long-lost princess. Or an amnesiac heiress. Really, I’m not picky :)

 @lystacre-art

Role: materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact: Hi! I’m Lyst, tired artist and kraken enthusiast. 

 @incredible-disasters

Role: materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact: My personality is twenty characters in a trenchcoat.

 @plasticbattleaxe

Role: materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact: Is an absolute goddess of arts, offerings of wesper fic accepted

[alexisrosemullens]

you are the one (designed for me)

Summary: Everyone has a timer that countdowns until you meet your soulmate. When you meet them, it turns into an infinity sign. The Gallaghers have bad luck with their soulmates, especially Ian whose soulmate left when he needed him the most.

Chapter One: time is moving slow

Chapter Two:  My mind runs away to you   

The next few weeks, Ian isn’t sure what they are doing. Ian continues going to the Alibi and hanging out with Mickey during his shift but instead of going home, he goes home with Mickey. In the morning, he sneaks out and heads back to his place before Fiona or the kids notice he’s gone. 

They become closer and Ian really thinks something could happen between them. He hasn’t had a connection like this in so long, everything just feels right. But he’s afraid. Mickey doesn’t like talking about his soulmate and is closed off when Ian tries to bring it up. He’s worried that he’s jumping into this too fast.

One morning while Ian is getting ready to leave and head back home, Mickey tries to pull him back.

“I have to leave,” Ian hums, leaning into him. “Fiona will be up soon and notice I’m gone.”

“Come on, man, just a little longer.”

Ian grins, kissing him. He slowly pulls away and climbs back out of bed. He hears Mickey make a small noise almost like a hum and a sigh. Ian grins, buttoning up his shirt. “Do you have to work this weekend?”

“Nah, V let me off so I can spend all of it with Yevgeny,” Mickey says. 

“That’s good.”

Ian sits back down on the bed and grabs his shoes to pull them on. He feels Mickey’s eyes on him as he ties his shoes.

Mickey clears his throat. “You uh want to come over and hang out with me and the kid?”

Ian stops and turns around, looking at him. “Wait, really?”

Mickey nods. “Yeah, you were really good with him.”

Ian grins and nods. “Yeah, okay. I just have to figure out what to tell Fiona. I think she has to work most of the weekend.”

“Are you still pretending to go to that dumb single’s group?”

“Nah, Fiona knows I quit. Lip doesn’t know yet but I think he figured it out.”

Mickey rolls his eyes. “Doubtful.”

“Hey! He’s my brother.”

“Still a dick.”

Ian shrugs in agreement. Mickey’s not wrong. He looks down at his watch and jumps up. He kisses Mickey on the cheek. “I really have to go. Text you later!”

Ian easily sneaks into the Gallagher house. No one is awake yet so Ian starts breakfast. He hears movement upstairs when he's almost done so he starts another pot of coffee. 

“Morning,” Fiona greets, stumbling into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Ian hands her a mug full of the new brewed pot.

Fiona mumbles a thank you and takes a large sip. “Hmm, that hits the spot.”

Ian chuckles, taking a small sip of his mug.

“You’re up early again,” Fiona says, looking around the kitchen. “And you made breakfast.” She stops and looks at him, narrowing his eyes. “What’s going on?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been waking up early. Thought you guys would like some breakfast”

Fiona shakes her head. “Who is he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Fiona snorts. “Cut the bullshit, Ian. I’m your sister. I know you. I partially raised you. You’re seeing someone and I want to know who. Is it someone from single’s group? Is that why you stopped going?”

Ian shakes his head. He starts plating breakfast, trying to ignore Fiona’s stare and prying. 

“Did you go back to support group and find someone there? Ooh, is it Mickey?”

Ian turns around to face her in shock, his eyes wide. “How? H-how did you?”

Fiona squeals. “It is Mickey! I was just taking a chance with that one!”

More movement starts upstairs. Ian looks up at the ceiling then back at Fiona. He lowers his voice in case one of the kids could hear them. “How did you figure it out?”

Fiona rolls her eyes. “Carl mentioned he came by a few weeks ago, after you helped him out with Yevgeny.” She grins, bouncing slightly on her toes. “I didn’t know Mickey was gay. But I thought he was married to that Russian whore?”

Ian shrugs. “We haven’t talked about that. This is new, Fiona, so stop freaking out. I don’t know what we are yet.”

“Ooh,” Fiona grins.

“Stop,” Ian glares at her and turns back to fixing breakfast.

Fiona giggles. “I’m just messing with you, monkey.”

Ian turns back around to glare at her use of his nickname. “Really? Monkey? Come on, Fi.”

Fiona just continues laughing, ignoring Ian’s glare. She starts getting lunches ready while Ian finishes plating breakfast and setting it on the table.

“So, um,” Ian says after a few minutes of silence. “Mickey invited me over this weekend to hang out with him and Yevgeny.”

Fiona stops what she’s doing and looks at him, her arms crossing. “That sounds serious.”

“I know and so I was wondering what your schedule was this weekend?” Ian asks, his eyes hopeful as he gives his sister a smile. “Do you need me or can you handle it?”

Fiona grins, slapping his arm. “Go! Have fun! Don’t worry about me.”

“But, Fi,”

“Ian, go. Go try and live your life without your soulmate. I’m okay, really,” Fiona promises.

“Are you though?” Ian asks, moving to sit down on the barstool. “You went to support group and went out with that one guy. I never saw you go out anymore. You’ve barely gone out in seven years, Fi. I thought we were going to move on.”

Fiona sighs, leaning against the counter. “Look, you weren’t with your soulmate long. I mean, yeah, three years is a lot but that was when you were getting sick and I know you don’t remember much. I was with Jimmy/Steve for eight years. He helped me raise you kiddos. We lived together for almost five years, here in this house. Him leaving almost broke me. It’s going to take me a lot longer than a few dates to get over him.”

Ian reaches over and grabs his sister’s hands, rubbing her palms. “I know, Fi, but throwing yourself into work and this house isn’t going to help. We said we would try to be happy for Liam. Remember?”

Fiona nods, her eyes shining. 

“Ow! Carl!”

Debbie’s loud scream ruins the moment and Fiona pulls her hands away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She gives Ian a look but Ian shakes his head. Fiona grins wickedly and holds her hand out for a game of rock, paper, scissors. Two games later, Ian is upstairs, breaking up a fight between Debbie and Carl.

After Ian’s shift, he heads over to Mickey’s. His hands are sweating and he doesn’t know whether to go in or knock on the door. He decides to knock, figuring that is the safest option. Mickey opens the door and grins.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” Ian grins back, nodding at the towel thrown over Mickey’s shoulder.

“Kid wanted some Russian dish Svetlana makes. I have no idea what I’m doing. I ordered pizza as a backup,” Mickey says. He looks over his shoulder then kisses Ian quickly on the cheek before letting him in.

Yevgeny is sitting on the living room surrounded by Legos with the TV on. He looks up when Ian walks in and gives him a funny look.

“Yev, you remember Ian, right?” Mickey asks. “He watched you while I was working and helped you when you were sick.”

Yevgeny’s face lights up. “Yeah! Do you want to play Legos with me? I’m building a castle.”

Ian shrugs off his coat, placing it on the hook by the door. “As long as there are dragons.”

“Duh,” Yevgeny answers in a serious matter. He pats the floor with the least amount of Legos and Ian takes a seat next to him.

The rest of the night goes great. Yevgeny talks Ian’s ears off and forces him to watch a kid show after dinner. Ian doesn’t mind and sits through the weird show quietly. Yevgeny falls asleep during the next episode of the show and Mickey carries him to bed. When he gets back, Ian is putting on his jacket and hat.

“Where are you going?” Mickey asks.

“Home. You have Yevgeny tonight. Didn’t think you would want me to stay the night,” Ian says, zipping his jacket up.

“That’s stupid. He’s four. He doesn’t really understand what’s going on.”

“What about your ex?”

Mickey rolls his eyes. “Really? You’re bringing up my ex?”

Ian shuffles his feet, looking down.

“Take your jacket off, man. Stay awhile.”

“Your family’s fucking ridiculous,” Mickey laughs, handing Ian the cigarette they’re sharing. Mickey decided not to chance Yevgeny hearing anything so they ended up watching a movie and talking in Mickey’s bed. “How can you put up with two teenagers and an eight year old under one roof.”

Ian chuckles, leaning his head against the wall. “The bad thing is, that wasn’t the most Debbie thing she’s ever done.”

“She’s done something worse than faking a pregnancy to get a guy to date her?”

“Yep, she stole a baby once.”

Mickey stops laughing and turns to Ian, his eyes wide. “You’re fucking with me.”

“Nope. She was 10 and bored so she lured a toddler out of a birthday party with a candy bar,” Ian told him, handing the cigarette back over to Mickey. “Lip came up with this grand plan and we were able to return the kid, making it look like Debbie found him. Debs got enough money from it that she bought a water heater for the house.” 

“Jesus Christ.” 

Ian laughs at Mickey’s reaction, bumping his shoulder against his. “Hey, Mandy told me stories about you and your brothers so I know you have crazier ones.”

Mickey groans. “I do not want to talk about those days or my idiot brothers.”

“Come on, Mick,” Ian whines. “I told you several stories from my childhood. You haven’t told me anything.” 

“That’s bullshit. You refuse to talk about your teenage and recent years.” 

Ian glares at him. “So do you.”

They both stare at each other for a long time before Ian averts his eyes. His mind is racing and wants to ask Mickey what they are but he’s afraid that he’s going to scare Mickey off. Fuck it, he thinks. It’s time to bite the bullet. 

“Okay, how about we talk about what we are instead? Cause I for one want to know if we’re dating,” Ian finally says.

“Wow, you don’t hold anything back, do you?”

“Come on, Mick.” 

Mickey takes a long drag of his cigarette before answering. “Fuck, I don’t know. I’ve only been with one other guy before my father ruined my life. Then after he died, Yevgeny was here and I didn’t have time to sleep much less go out.” 

Ian reaches over and grabs his hand, squeezing it. “Okay, so let’s go out and figure this out.”

“Yeah?” Mickey looks over, trying to hide the smile that forming on his face. 

“Yeah.”

They figure out pretty quickly they both enjoy going out. By the third date, Ian asks the question again and Mickey agrees that they are dating. They don’t tell anyone at first. It’s Fiona that figures out they’re dating first. Ian waits for her to say something but she just smiles and pats him on the cheek. Debbie figures it out next and she doesn’t stop squealing and hugging them. Ian has to physically pull her off Mickey. Carl and Liam just kind of accept it when Mickey starts coming around more and more, neither one of them caring too much. Lip surprises Ian the most when he finds out. He just crosses his arms and nods at Mickey, not saying anything about it. 

Mickey slowly becomes a constant presence in the Gallagher house. The only time he isn’t over is when he has Yevgeny for the weekend but even then he sometimes shows up. A few months into their relationship, Fiona decides she wants to have a big family dinner and invites Mickey and Ella. When Ian tells Mickey, he laughs and refuses but after some convincing from Ian, he reluctantly agrees.

The night of the dinner, Ian picks Mickey up. He grumbles the whole way to the Gallagher house. Ian just laughs at him and squeezes his hand when they make their way up to the house.

“Hey, hey!” Ian says when they walk in the door. 

Liam looks up from the TV and smiles. “Hey, Ian! Hey, Mickey! Fiona said dinner will be ready soon.”

Ian leans on the couch, looking at the TV. “What are you even watching?”

Liam shrugs. “I was just flipping through. It’s about a dead guy.”

Ian hums. “Fiona in the kitchen?”

Liam nods, focusing back on the TV. Ian ruffles his hair then motions Mickey to follow him in the kitchen. Fiona turns around when she hears them, her face lighting up with a smile. 

“Hey, Mickey! You made it!” she grins, tossing her towel over her shoulder then walking over to them, pulling Mickey in for a hug.

Mickey tenses and slowly pats her back until she lets go. Ian chuckles, bumping his shoulder against Mickey’s.

“Need any help, Fi?” Ian asks. 

“Nope, everything’s ready. We’re just waiting for Lip and Ella to get here,” Fiona answers. “But thanks, sweetface.”

Ian groans at the nickname. Mickey smirks at him, mouthing the nickname with raised eyebrows. “Really, Fi? Can’t you drop the nicknames?”

Fiona furrows her eyebrows then her eyes widen when she realizes her slip. “Shit, I’m sorry sweet-, I mean, fuck. I can’t help it.”

Ian just rolls his eyes. “I know.” He walks out the kitchen with Mickey following. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope,” Mickey smirks, making sure to pop the p. “Sweetface.”

Lip and Ella arrive shortly after and the house gets loud. Fiona has Lip and Ian move the dining room table to the living room and finds two extra seats for Ella and Mickey. As soon as the food is on the table, the Gallaghers dig in, leaving Ella and Mickey in the dust. Ella doesn’t seem to mind and just takes whatever is passed to her. Mickey on the other hand just watches until Ian notices. Ian grabs the mashed potato bowl out of Carl’s hand with a loud “Hey!” in protest and hands it to Mickey. 

“If you don’t fight, you won’t get anything,” Ian whispers. 

Once food is on their plates, everyone starts talking over each other, trying to catch each other up. Ian places his hand on Mickey’s thigh and squeezes it in reassurance. 

“So, Mickey, how’s Yevgeny? Did I say that right?” Fiona finally turns to him after Lip’s finishes his boring story about college.

Mickey nods. “Yeah, that’s right. You can call him Yev. Everyone does.”

“That’s so much easier to say,” Fiona says. “He’s four, right?”

“Yeah,” Mickey answers, scratching his eyebrow. “He turns five in May. Starts kindergarten in the fall.”

“It’s so much easier when they start school. You don’t have to find someone to watch them for eight hours a day and by the time they get home, they are tired and ready for bed,” Fiona says in a dream like state as she imagines the first day of school. “I was there when all these kiddos started kindergarten. Remember just like it was yesterday.” 

Debbie and Carl groan as Lip rolls his eyes. 

“Great, here she goes,” Debbie cringes. “Now she’s going to cry. I recommend you run now, Mickey.”

“Well, I’m sorry for getting emotional!” Fiona says. “Liam was the easiest and the hardest. Ran straight to the teacher and didn’t look back. I cried all the way to work then got sent home because I cried when a customer ordered a burger.” She grins at Liam. “Debbie cried everyday for a week until she finally found a friend. That was a nightmare.”

“Fiona,” Debbie whines. “Do you have tell Ella and Mickey all of our stories? Just tell them what Lip and Ian did.” 

Fiona sucks in air between her teeth and closes one eye as she tries to remember. “Let’s see. I was about 11 when Lip went to kindergarten. No, 10. I was 11 when Ian started school. Monica was still pregnant with Debs and I think she was actually at home for once. I remember because I had to drop Ian off at daycare then Lip, so I woke up extra early. Both of them were so cranky.” She winks at Lip and Ian and both of them groan. “After I dropped Ian off, I walked Lip to the elementary school. The teacher was so confused when I showed up until another teacher whispered in her ear. So she motioned Lip in. Lip just walked in but a week later refused to go back. I had to bribe him with pancakes until he caved. I found out later it’s because he was bored and his teacher recommended he skip a grade but I never got the letter.”

“I could have been done with college by now,” Lip teases her with a glare. Fiona flips him off causing Lip to laugh and throw his hands up. “Okay, okay, I blame Frank.” 

Fiona grins. “With Ian, Debbie was maybe six months old?  Monica was pregnant with Carl and would come and go.” She turns to Lip and furrows her eyebrows. 

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Lip agrees. 

“So the morning Ian started school, Debbie kept me up all night screaming. I remember Frank was passed out on the couch and didn’t move the whole night. I was exhausted and didn’t want to drop him off. I asked Lip if he could watch Ian and make sure he got into his classroom safely.” She stops her story and nods at Ian. “But you cried when I said that. You wrapped your little arms around me and refused to let go until I said I would go. So I strapped Debbie in a stroller and we took off. As soon as the teacher smiled at you, you ran into the classroom.”

Ian groans, burying his head in hands. “Jesus, Fiona.”

“Carl just shrugged and walked in. Then he got sent home a few hours later for stealing a kid’s lunch,” Fiona finishes her story. She just had to include them all.

“Nice,” Carl says, throwing his hand up for either Debbie or Liam to high five him. Debbie slaps the back of his head instead. 

“Debbie!” Fiona, Lip, and Ian all scold at the same time. Debbie just rolls her eyes. 

“Let’s hope Yev has an easy transition like Liam,” Fiona turns back to Mickey. 

“Uh, yeah. I hope so,” Mickey answers, shifting in his seat.

Ian gives Fiona a pleading look. She gets his sign and turns to Ella, asking about school.

After dinner, the boys move the table back and everyone starts cleaning up. Fiona refuses to let Ella and Mickey help and sends them into the living room. Mickey just sends Ian a “help me” look but Ian quickly kisses his cheek and pushes him into the living room.

A few minutes later, Ian appears with a piece of pie. He sits in between Ella and Mickey and pops a bite into his mouth. Mickey eyes the pie. 

“Yes, Ian, I would love some pie. Thanks for the offer,” Mickey says sarcastically, trying to reach of Ian’s pie.

Ian moves it out of his reach, hitting Ella. “Oops, Sorry, El.”

“Not the worst thing that’s happened to me in this house,” Ella responds, rubbing her head. “Carl gave me lice, remember?”

“Right.”

“You seriously aren’t going to offer pie?” Mickey asks, watching Ian take another bite. 

“Fiona likes to cut it and bring it,” Ella tells him, nodding at the doorway.

And she’s right, Fiona is standing in the doorway with two plates. “Ian, I told you that we were eating dessert in the kitchen. Debbie wants to tell us something.”

“Sorry, Fi,” Ian answers, his mouth full of pie.

Fiona rolls her eyes and motions for Ella and Mickey. Mickey stands up and gladly takes a plate of pie out of her hand. He stands awkwardly in the kitchen next to Ella and watches Fiona, Lip, and Ian move seamlessly around each other and everyone else in the kitchen.

“This is weird,” he mumbles. 

Ella shrugs. “You get use it. The three are a unit.” 

“I think I might have met my soulmate,” Debbie announces to the room. She’s standing in the middle of kitchen, her eyes falling to her older siblings.

Fiona, Lip, and Ian stop what they’re doing and turn to look at her. Mickey puts his bite of pie down and turns to Ella, both their eyes wide.

“What?” Fiona asks. “You met your soulmate?”

Debbie shrugs. “I mean, I’m not sure because I haven’t taken off the cover but I can feel it, you know?” 

“I didn’t think you felt anything when you met your soulmate,” Carl mumbles, his mouth full of pie. “Of course most people don’t cover up their countdowns.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Fiona, Lip, and Ian tell Carl at the same time. Carl rolls his eyes at them.

Ella raises her eyebrows at Mickey as if to say “I told you so.” 

Debbie glares at Carl and turns back to her older siblings. “Do you feel anything? When you meet them?”

Fiona leans against the sink, running her hands through her hair. She looks at the tattoo on her wrist and sighs. “Like a spark or anything? No. More like butterflies in your stomach. I was so nervous over Jimmy/Steve.”

“Really?” Debbie perks up at the mention of butterflies. “You never told me that.”

Fiona shrugs. “You were young when I met him. You probably don’t remember. I didn’t want him over here for the longest. I was ashamed back then.”

“But you did bring him over and he lived here for a while,” Debbie says. “He was fun.”

“Yeah, he gave me an X-Box,” Carl adds.

Fiona nods. “He was but he was also dangerous and not good for me. For us.”

“Did you feel something when he left?” Debbie asks.

“Debs,” Lip interrupts. He’s leaning against the counter by the fridge, a towel in his hands, watching his sister with worried eyes. He crosses his arms and turns to give Debbie a look. 

“No, Lip,” Fiona stops him. “They’re old enough now. They’ve seen it all. They should know. God knows I wish I knew. And Ian knew.” She takes a deep breath and continues. “I felt a deep ache when he left. The pain was almost too much to bare but I did. I got up every day because of you and Carl and Liam. And Lip and Ian.” She nods at them. “I loved Jimmy/Steve but my love for you guys overcame the pain. And it took me a long time to realize I didn’t need him. I just needed my family.”

“Wow,” Debbie whispers. “I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t want you to,” Fiona mumbles, looking down. “I’m always going to protect you.”

Debbie turns to Lip and Ian. “What about you two? Did you feel anything?”

“I uh-don’t really remember a lot. Those weren’t really good years for me, Debs,” Ian says, looking down at his feet. He shifts his weight from one foot to the next. He can feel Mickey get closer to him.

“Oh, Ian, I didn’t.”

“No, Debs, I know,” Ian looks back up and smiles at her. “The past is in the past. I’m good now.” He looks over at Mickey and smiles at him. Mickey smiles back, nodding at him.

“I was scared,” Lip speaks up, steering the conversation to him. Ian gives him a grateful smile. “I didn’t know how it was going to work with Ella. I watched Monica leave Frank at such a young age and I saw what it did to him. I watched Jimmy/Steve leave Fiona and how it almost destroyed her. I had just watched Ian lose his soulmate and I was scared. I didn’t think I could handle it happen to myself but then Ella talked and all my fears just vanished.” He walks over to Ella and she grins, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Aww,” Debbie grins. “Now that’s like the stories Fiona use to tell us when we were little.”

“Debs, I’m the rare one in the family that is still with their soulmate,” Lip continues. “Gallaghers don’t have good luck so you need to be careful.”

“You know, you could take off your covering and see if they are your soulmate,” Carl speaks up.

“Yeah but then that just the whole universe thing and my destiny. I want to take control of my destiny,” Debbie says. “I don’t need some dumb tattoo telling me that someone is my soulmate. What about what my heart says?”

Carl raises his eyebrows. “I think you've been reading too many feminist articles and books.”

Ian snorts, covering it up by burrowing his head in Mickey’s shoulder. Mickey tries to hide his smile. Debbie turns to Mickey, raising her eyebrows.

“What about you, Mickey? You found your soulmate, right? Did you feel anything?”

Ian feels Mickey stiffen and he lifts his head, looking at him. Mickey pulls away from Ian, biting his thumb nervously. “Uh, no. I didn’t feel anything.”

“What happened to your soulmate?” Debbie asks, leaning against the counter and placing her chin in her hands.

Mickey’s eyes widen. He glances at Ian before heading out the back door. Ian sighs, debating whether he should follow him. He gives Debbie a stern look as he walks to the back door.

“Don’t push him, Debs. If he wants to talk about it, he will,” he says before going outside.

He finds Mickey sitting on the steps, smoking a cigarette. Ian sits by him, grabbing the cigarette from him and takes a hit. Mickey glares at him and takes the cigarette back.

“Your sister is fucking nosy,” he mumbles, taking another hit.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Debbie doesn’t think before she speaks,” Ian says. 

Mickey shrugs. “Your fucking family, man. They’re intense.” 

“Yeah, they can be,” Ian agrees, throwing his arm around Mickey and rubbing his shoulder. “You don’t have to talk about your soulmate until you’re ready. Okay?”

Mickey sighs. “There’s not much to talk about. I don’t even know the guy’s name. Took off before I found out.”

Ian hisses. “Fucker.”

Mickey bows his head, twisting the cigarette between his hands. “What about you? You don’t like to talk about yours and sounds like your whole fucking family knows everything about you two, including his name..”

“Trevor,” Ian says. “His name was Trevor and I was with him for three years before he left me. That’s all you need to know.” 

Mickey nods. “Okay.”

They sit in silence, sharing another cigarette. Mickey finally looks up.

“Are we good to put this soulmate shit behind us?”

“Yeah, Mick, I think that’s a great idea.”

Mickey grabs Ian’s hand and squeezes it. “Your fucking family, man,” he repeats. “Fiona is a badass though. Raising all you.”

Ian laughs then nods. “She’s the strongest person I know.” 

“They’re going to take some time to get used to. I guess I need to get used to them, huh?” Mickey asks, turning to look at Ian. 

Ian processes his words then his face breaks into a grin. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Mickey grins, leaning into Ian.

The guy Debbie meets end up not being her soulmate. The guy shows her his countdown about an hour into their first date. She’s disappointed but they end up going out for a few dates. When he dumps her, Fiona and Ian are there with pizza and ice cream. 

Ian starts spending more weekends at Mickey’s. Yevgeny loves Ian and is so happy whenever he comes over. He still has no idea that Ian and Mickey are together. He tells Svetlana one day that Ian is always over but neither Ian and Mickey know until one morning Ian walks in Mickey’s kitchen to find Svetlana holding a knife.

“Uh, hi?” Ian greets, confused.

“You Ian?” Svetlana asks, twirling the knife in between her fingers.

“Yes.”

“Mikhailo and Evgeni asleep?”

“Yeah?” Ian raises his eyebrows and move past her to grab a piece of bread. He pops it in the toaster and turns back to her. “I have an early shift and I thought you were picking Yev up later?”

“We need to talk,” Svetlana says, sitting down and sitting the knife in the table.

Ian takes the bread out of the toaster and puts it on a plate. He sits down across from her with his toast and a jar of peanut butter. “Sorry, I have to eat something.”

“I do not care,” she glares at him. “Milkhailo has been through a lot. I will not have you break his heart.”

“I wasn’t planning on it?”

Svetlana nods to his right wrist. “And your soulmate?”

Ian moves his hand to hide it under the table. “You don’t have to worry about him.”

Svetlana narrows her eyes. “My Evgeni is involved now. If he comes back and you leave, I kill you.”

Ian is speechless, staring at her. She gives him a small evil like grin and is gone as quickly as she left. Ian stays at the table confused until Mickey walks in.

“Morning. I thought you had an early shift,” Mickey says, kissing his cheek before starting on breakfast.

“Yeah. Um, your ex was just here?”

Mickey turns around, raising his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“Svetlana was here in the kitchen when I woke up and I think she threatened me?” 

Mickey scoffs and turns back around. “Yeah, that’s normal. She’s always doing that.”

“She stuck the knife in the table.”

“Fuck! Again? Damn it, Svet!” Mickey looks at the table, running his hand over it, looking for the mark.

“I’m so confused right now.”

Mickey rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry about her, man. She’s like that. She doesn’t mean anything.”

Ian gulps. “She sounded pretty serious, Mick.”

“I’ll deal with her. You better start getting ready or you’ll be late.”

Ian barely makes it into work on time. Sue raises her eyebrows at him when he rushes by to his locker but doesn’t say anything until he is changed and sitting on the bed of the ambulance. 

“Cutting it close, Gallagher,” Sue says, handing him a coffee.

“Yeah, sorry. Mickey’s ex appeared this morning and threatened me.”

Sue whistles. “Jesus.”

“Yeah, it was weird. Mick said not to worry about her but she sounded pretty serious.”

Sue slaps his shoulder. “Living without your soulmate is super dramatic.”

“Nah, being a Gallagher dating a Milkovich is,” Ian says, taking a sip of his coffee. His eyes widen at a thought. “Fuck! Mandy! We haven’t told Mandy.”

“Jesus, Gallagher, take you dramatics elsewhere.” Sue pushes him off the bed of the ambulance, rolling her eyes.

When Ian gets off, he calls Mandy and she screams in his ear for five minutes. She tells him that she is coming home as soon as she can. She arrives at Mickey’s apartment one week later. Yevgeny squeals when he sees her and jumps into her arms. 

The first night, Ian and Mandy stay up most of the night. Mandy tells Ian all about her adventures around the United States and trying to find her soulmate. She shows Ian her countdown and how little time she has left. Mandy left almost four years ago to try to find her soulmate faster. She has yet to find him any faster but has enjoyed exploring the country. 

Mandy stays for the rest of the summer. She watches Yevgeny on the weekends so Ian and Mickey can go out. She joins them for family dinners at the Gallaghers. Fiona welcomes her back with open arms and Debbie drags her away for boy advice. She connects with Ella almost immediately and the two tease Lip constantly. She catches up with Mickey and they talk for hours. When it’s time for her to live, Yevgeny sobs, Ian hugs her tight, and even Mickey hugs her. She cries and promises to come back as soon as she has found her soulmate.

Summer turns into fall. Ian spends more time at Mickey’s than his house. The only time he goes to the Gallaghers is when he has a night shift. When Mickey is at the Gallaghers, he forms this weird bond with Fiona. The two seem to get each other. Ian has caught Mickey texting with her on several occasions. 

Yevgeny starts school and Mickey hates that the kid walks straight into the classroom and doesn’t look back. Svetlana refuses to let Ian join them on his first day so Mickey shows him all the pictures on his phone later. Svetlana still hates Ian no matter what he does. Mickey tries to have a dinner in hopes they will get along but Svetlana ends up slamming a knife into the table and Mickey yells at her for ruining the table. Ian and Svetlana come to a mutual hatred after that.

Ian has been managing his bipolar disorder for almost six years. Mickey has yet to see Ian in a depressive or manic state since they started dating almost eight months ago. Ian knows it won’t last and only time will tell but he’s enjoying it will he can.

The depressive episode creeps on him as it turns colder. He can feel himself getting more tired and cranky. When Fiona asks him about it, he snaps then storms out of the house. At Mickey’s, he tries to hide it. He can sense that Mickey doubts him but he doesn’t say anything about it. He has heard Ian snap at Fiona and Lip too many times to even try to ask.

One afternoon during his shift, Sue sends him home. When he protests angrily, she calls Fiona. Fiona huffs when she picks him up. She tries to convince him to go to the clinic but he refuses. He storms up the stairs as soon as they get home and refuses to come down for dinner. 

The next morning, he doesn’t get up. He doesn’t feel anything except anger. Anger at himself. He should have seen this coming. He should know the signs now after six years.

“Ian?” He hears Debbie’s voice but he can’t speak. He feels his bed sink and a hand on his shoulder. “Fiona said to check on you. Do you need anything?”

He can’t respond. He hates that he’s doing this to his family. That he can’t force himself up. He hears Debbie sigh and feels his shoulder being squeezed.

“I’ll call Sue.” The bed creaks and the extra weight is gone. He hears Debbie quietly close the door.

Ian doesn’t know how much time passes. Debbie, Carl, and Liam come and go. They talk to him, squeeze his shoulder then leave. When Fiona appears next, Ian figures it’s the end of the day.

“Hey, sweetface,” she whispers. “I called Lip. He’s on his way. Do you want me to call Mickey?”

Ian hates himself even more. He’s not just hurting his family anymore. He’s hurting his boyfriend. He wants to tell her yes but he can’t. Instead, he sinks deeper into his pillow. He feels the bed sink again and hair tickle his neck.

Fiona doesn’t say anything. She just lays there beside him. Time passes again and the door creaks open.

“Hey,” Ian hears Lip whisper.

Ian feels Fiona shift and the hair is gone. “Hey.”

“I got supper for the kids. Liam’s scared. He keeps asking what’s going on. Debbie isn’t helping with her statistics.”

Ian’s anger at himself grows. His little brother is scared of him. He needs to get up. He needs show Liam that he’s okay. 

“I shouldn’t have left him here with Debbie.”

“I can take him to my place tonight. Unless you need me here.”

“No, I think it’s better if Liam goes with you. You can talk to him and try to explain it.”

“What about tomorrow? Debbie and Carl have school.”

“I’m taking off. I’m the manager now so they can go fuck themselves if they say anything.”

Ian hears Lip chuckle. There’s silence for a long time and Ian figures Lip left but then Lip speaks back up. “Did you call Mickey?”

“No. I don’t know how he’s going to react to this. What if he runs off like Trevor?”

“Mandy stayed. It can’t hurt to call.”

“Okay. Do you want to call him or me?”

Ian hears Lip snort. “You two have this weird friendship. I think you should.”

The extra weight leaves the bed. “Stay in here until I get back?”

“Fiona, Debbie said he didn’t move all day. He’s not going to try anything.” There’s silence again and weight back on the bed. “Go call Mickey. I’ll be right here.”

The door slowly closes. Ian feels his legs being pushed and he wants to kick Lip but he can’t. He hears Lip sigh and feels weight on his legs.

“You’re a stubborn fuck, you know that,” he hears Lip say. “I don’t want to make you feel worse but I told you so. Fiona did too. You have to start listening to us. If not us, you need to talk to Mickey and he can tell you when something is up.”

Ian still doesn’t say anything. Lip is right. He usually is. He hears the door slowly up and the weight is off his legs. 

“Mickey’s on his way. He has to drop Yev off with Svetlana. He wanted to bring him but I didn’t think that was a good idea.” He hear Fiona say. 

“Probably for the best. Don’t want to scare the kid.” There’s a pause. “I’ll stay here until he gets here.”

“Can you go downstairs and stop Debbie and Carl? Liam’s freaking out again and those two are not helping.”

“Yeah, I’ll bring Mickey up when he gets here.”

The door closes again and the bed sinks again. He feels Fiona’s hand on his shoulder and she starts rubbing. “Hey, sweetface, you can get past this. You always do.” He feels something on his shoulder. “We love you.” The extra weight is gone and she continues rubbing his shoulder. 

Ian doesn’t know how much time passes when the door opens back up. The bed shifts and he feels Fiona get up.

“What’s going on?” Mickey. He’s here. He showed up. He didn’t leave him.

“He’s having a depressive episode,” he hears Fiona explain. “Did Ian tell you about it?”

“Yeah, he explained it and Mandy told me how he was when he was diagnosed. Does he need to go to the doctor?”

He hears Lip snort. “Good luck getting him to leave the bed.”

“Lip!” Ian hears a slap and a ‘Fuck’ from Lip. “It’s not that easy, Mickey. He can still have an episode when his meds are working but we don’t know until we can get him to his doctor. And even if he has to get new meds, it could take a while.”

“How long are we talking?”

“Few weeks. A month or two,” Ian hears Lip add.

He hears Mickey cuss and the bed sinks. “What can I do?”

“Talk to him. Help him stay hydrated and go to the bathroom.”

There is silence and Ian wishes he could speak and tell Mickey that he’s okay. He feels a cold hand on his face. 

“I’m going to head out, Fi. Call me if anything happens.”

“I’ll walk you out. I need to tell Liam goodbye.”

The door closes again and the hand starts stroking his face . “I’m here, Ian. I’m not going anywhere.”

Ian squeezes his eyes shut, trying to block the tears.

Weeks pass or at least Ian assumes it’s been weeks and Mickey stays with him as much as he can. He only leaves when he has to work or go get Yevgeny. Ian feels awful for making him do this but can’t bring himself to get up. One afternoon, Fiona is with sitting him while Mickey goes to get Yevgeny. Ian is facing her today and listening to her read a ridiculous romance novel out loud.

Fiona scoffs when she gets to the love scene and slams the book shut. “I don’t know why I still read these things. It’s the same story line with different character names.”

“Because you need to get laid,” he mumbles.

Fiona gasps, poking him with her foot. “I liked it when you didn’t talk.”

Ian gives her a small grin. 

Fiona frowns, looking sorry immediately. “I know you hate when I ask but how are you feeling, sweetface?”

Ian tucks the blanket closer. “Okay. When’s Mickey coming back?”

“He should be back now.”

They sit in silence and Ian must have fallen asleep again because the next thing he knows, the bed is sinking and there is a body on top of his.

“Yev! I told you not to do that.”

The weight is gone and Ian shifts, opening his eyes. Yevgeny is right in front of his face, his eyes wide.

“Daddy says you’re sick,” he says.

Ian groans and looks up at Mickey. Mickey pulls Yevgeny back. “Sorry, he wanted to see you. Fiona and I didn’t think it was a good idea but he cried.”

“It’s okay. Yeah, Yev, I’m sick.”

“Why don’t you take some medicine?” Yevgeny asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“It’s not that simple, Yev,” Ian sighs. “But I’m getting better.”

“Do you need a hug? Hugs always make me feel better.”

“A hug sounds great, Yevy.”

Yevgeny grins and climbs up into the bed, snuggling closer to Ian. Ian hears Mickey make a small noise in protest but Ian just smiles at him, letting him know it’s okay. He closes his eyes and quickly falls back to sleep. When he wakes back up, Yevgeny is gone and Mickey is in his place. Ian sighs in contentment and snuggles closer to Mickey, burying his face in Mickey’s neck. 

It takes Ian another week before he starts feeling better. He gets up one morning and Mickey and Fiona take him to his doctor. After a long talk and few adjustments, Ian feels a little better. It takes him another week to get back on his feet. Mickey is there with him the whole time. He finally goes back to work and slowly starts feeling like himself.

"I'm sorry."

Mickey puts his phone down and looks down at Ian. It's been almost a month since Ian has gotten over his depressive episode. Fiona continues to keep a close eye on him and because of it, Mickey starts staying with him at the Gallagher house more and more. He only goes to his place when he has Yevgeny. Even though Mickey hates Ian's mattress, he doesn't complain. They are currently squished in Ian's awful, too small mattress. "For what?"

"That was my first episode since we started seeing each other," Ian continues. "I'm sorry I did that to you. I'm sorry you had to see me like that. And I know it's a lot to handle so I get it if you don't want to do this anymore."

Mickey rubs his eyes, silent for a moment. Ian watches him, his eyes wide. Mickey sighs and picks his phone back up, turning it to show Ian what's on the screen. Ian grabs the phone, sitting up to read. "'Soulmates and Bipolar Disorder'? Mick, why are you reading this?"

"Most articles about helping someone with bipolar has to do with soulmates," Mickey grumbles. "Figured it couldn't hurt."

"No, I-" Ian stops and looks at him. "I don't understand."

Mickey rolls his eyes and sits up to look in the eye. He grabs his face and kisses him. "Ian, I'm here in your loud childhood house with your nosy older sister, annoying teenage siblings, and your younger brother. I'm laying on your stupid, lumpy mattress that barely fits your tall ass. Your episode hit during the worst possible time with my son starting school yet I still fucking showed up. I'm not going anywhere. And don't fucking apologize for who you are."

Ian grins, pushing him down on the mattress that he hates so much and kisses him slowly.

Christmas and the New Year comes and goes. Ian changes shifts and starts studying for his paramedic exam. Mickey picks up more shifts at the bar to help with Yevgeny getting into private school. After a long, heated discussion with Svetlana, they realized public wasn't working for the kid. Ian and Mickey barely get to see other lately and when they did, they enjoyed the time together.

One cold morning, Ian and Mickey are in the kitchen eating breakfast. The house is empty and they are enjoying not only the rare silence but the rare time they have together now with their busy schedules. Mickey is teasing Ian over his small breakfast when the front door opens.

“Where’s my loving family?” Frank’s voice carries into the kitchen.

Ian rolls his eyes, mumbling under his breath about money and stupid Frank.

“Kids?”

Ian pales when he hears the other voice. He stands up slowly, watching Frank and Monica come into view.

“Ian!” Monica squeals, running into the kitchen and pulling him into her arms.

Ian slowly wraps his arms around her and whispers. “Hi, Mom.”

Frank ignores them, and pushes past them to start looking in the kitchen cabinets and draws. “Can you spare some cash?”

“Fuck off, Frank,” Mickey pipes up. No one has seen him in weeks and they really thought he might have died this time. Unfortunately, they weren’t that lucky.

Monica pulls away from Ian and looks at Mickey. She glances down at Ian’s right wrist and her mouth widens. “Oh.”

“Just a five would work. But $150 would be better,” Frank continues, opening up the fridge.

Ian rolls his eyes. “We don’t have any money, Frank.”

“That’s bullshit,” Frank turns to him, getting in his face.

“Frank!” Monica cries.

“Hey!” Mickey yells, standing up and yanking Frank back. “Get the fuck away from him.”

Frank immediately reacts, trying to punch Mickey. Mickey ducks and grabs Frank by the arms, pulling them behind his back. Monica screams, trying to pull Mickey off. Mickey gives Ian a look and Ian gives him a short nod. Mickey drags Frank out, ignoring Frank’s constant screaming.

“What the hell? Frank!” Monica cries. She turns to Ian and starts hitting his chest, yelling at him. Ian grabs her hands, forcing her to stop.

“We don’t have any money, Mom. You and Frank can’t have our money,” Ian yells, forcing her to look in his eyes. “You aren’t using it on drugs.”

“Ian, no.”

“Why are you here, Mom? Why are you here?”

“Can’t a mother just come see here children?”

Ian raises his eyebrows. “Really, Mom? You’ve been gone for five years this time.”

Monica sighs, sitting down at the table. She pats the seat next to her and Ian hesitantly sits down. Monica grabs his right hand and turns it around, looking at the zero tattoo. “That man, he isn’t your soulmate.”

Ian shakes his hand, pulling his wrist back. “You’ve met my soulmate, Mom. You know that time you tried to kill yourself in front of the sink? He was here.”

“What happened?”

Ian sighs, running his hand through his hair. “You really don’t remember?” Monica shakes her head. “He left because of my bipolar disorder. He didn’t like how it affected our relationship so he left.”

“Oh, baby,” Monica grabs Ian’s hand and squeezes it. “He’ll come back though. He’s your soulmate.”

Ian pulls his hand away. “I don’t want him back. I have Mickey.”

Monica sighs. “I’ve had other men and women besides Frank but they aren’t the same. They don’t give you the same feeling as your soulmate.”

Ian stands up, pushing his chair out from under him, causing it to fall. He clenches his fists, his face twisting in anger. “Then why the fuck do you leave him? If Frank is your soulmate, why do you keep leaving?”

“Cause Frank drives me crazy!”

Ian scoffs. “That doesn’t mean anything, Mom. If you love Frank like you say, you wouldn’t leave. You wouldn’t leave us .”

“Ian,” Monica reaches out, grabbing his hands. “You need to listen to me. Mickey will not give you the same joy as your soulmate. He will never make you feel whole. That’s why I keep coming back. I always think I can find someone that won’t drive me crazy like Frank but none of them make me feel the same.”

“Jesus Christ, Frank’s like a fucking cockroach,” Mickey mumbles, coming back inside. He looks around the kitchen, raising his eyebrows at Ian when he sees the chair knocked over and Ian standing over his mother.

Ian pulls away from Monica. “I have to get work. You should probably leave before Fiona or the kids get back,” he tells Monica. He turns away before Monica can say anything else. He can hear Mickey follow him and he turns around when he gets to the front door. “I have to go. Can you make sure she leaves?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mickey answers, crossing his arms. “You coming over tonight?”

Ian shrugs. “I’ll let you know before I get off, okay.”

Mickey nods, watching him leave.

After work, Ian heads straight home, calling Mickey and telling him that he’s tired. Mickey accepts it and lets it go. He lays in bed that night and thinks about everything Monica says. He knows he shouldn’t but his brain doesn’t listen and continues to play Monica’s words over and over.

Ian starts picking up even more shifts after that. He tells himself he isn’t avoiding Mickey but he knows he is. Mickey hunts him down and corners him one afternoon in the station, demanding to know what’s going on.

“We need the money so I picked up some extra shifts. It’s nothing,” Ian assures him, quickly pecking him on the cheek.

“Fine,” Mickey huffs. “Come over tonight?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

When Mickey leaves, Sue lets out a low whistles. Ian glares at her but she doesn’t say anything.

Ian has every intention of talking to Mickey that night but as soon as Ian opens Mickey’s door, Mickey is on him. After two rounds of sex and two plates of pizza bagels each, they sit up in Mickey’s bed, sharing a cigarette.

“Fuck, man, maybe you should work more often. Makes the reunions pretty fucking awesome,” Mickey grins, handing him the cigarette.

Ian hums, not saying anything. His mind his racing, going back to Monica’s words.

“Kid’s been wondering where you’ve been. He misses you,” Mickey says, taking the cigarette back. “Won’t stop bugging me about you.”

Ian laughs at the image of Yevgeny bugging Mickey about him. The five year old was known for his constant questions, driving Mickey insane. “Driving you insane?”

“The kid won’t shut up. He kept following me around.”

Ian laughs, leaning against Mickey. Mickey places his hand on Ian’s thigh, squeezing it. They sit in silence for a while. Ian stretches after a while and sits up. Mickey groans at the loss of contact, sitting up and watching Ian get dressed.

“Why don’t you stay?” he asks. 

Ian shakes his head. “Can’t. I have a double tomorrow.”

“I have the kid this weekend.”

“Mick, you have Yev every weekend,” Ian turns to him, grinning.

“Are you going to come over? Or am I stuck with him following me around all weekend?”

Ian hesitates, pulling on his shirt. Monica’s words start running through his head but then he sees Mickey’s face and can’t help but tell him that he’ll be there. He kisses Mickey quickly and heads out the door.

That weekend, Ian heads to Mickey’s apartment. He is greeted by Yevgeny jumping into his arms.

“Ian!” the boy squeals, hugging him around the neck. “We’re making pancakes!”

“Breakfast for supper?” Ian asks, setting him down. “That sounds like an amazing idea.”

“Come on!” Yevgeny takes Ian’s hand and tries to drag him into the kitchen.

Ian chuckles at the boy and lets him lead him into the kitchen. Mickey’s standing in front of the stove with a kitchen towel over his shoulder, flipping pancakes. He turns around and grins when he sees Ian.

“Hey, hope you like breakfast for supper. Kid here was begging for pancakes,” Mickey says.

Ian smiles, looking over. “Looks good.”

“Ian! Look what I drew!” Yevgeny tugs on Ian’s hand, trying to lead him to the table.

Mickey gives him a quick kiss and watches him go over to the kitchen table.

Later that night, after eating, Mickey goes to put Yevgeny to bed and Ian stands at the kitchen sink, washing the dishes. Mickey comes in a few minutes later and leans against the counter, watching him. Ian turns, giving him a weird look.

“What?” he asks.

Mickey shrugs, crossing his arms. “Nothing. Just like watching you.”

Ian rolls his eyes but grins. “Weirdo.”

Mickey chuckles, pushing off the counter. He goes up to stand by Ian, pushing him to the side so he can take over rinsing the dishes. They wash the dishes in silence and then dry and put the dishes away. After Ian puts the last dish away, he leans against the counter and places the towel over his shoulder. Mickey washes down the countertops, feeling Ian watching him.

“Now who’s the weirdo,” Mickey mumbles. He finishes his chore, throwing the washcloth in the sink. He walks over and stands in front of Ian. “Thanks for coming over. Meant a lot to the kid.” 

Ian tilts his head, giving him a look. “Just Yev?” 

“Come on, man,” Mickey bows his head, hitting his shoe against Ian’s. “I- uh like this thing between us. I like you being here and I- uh like going over to your place. I really like you, Gallagher.” 

Ian bows his head. This is Mickey’s way of telling him how much he likes him, possibly love, and Ian’s terrified. Monica’s voice grows louder and louder in his head. He can’t breathe. “Yeah, well I hope so. This thing has been going on for what? Nine months?” 

Mickey chuckles. “A long fucking time, man. Almost a year. Should we celebrate or something?” 

Ian doesn’t look up. His mind is racing. Celebrate. He wants to celebrate their anniversary. Monica’s voice continues to get louder. He grips the countertop and looks at his shoes. He sees Mickey’s right hand move towards him. He notices the tattoo. He pushes past Mickey, trying to put some distance between them. “What about your soulmate?” 

“What’s going on? I thought we put this soulmate shit behind us,” Mickey asks, reaching to grab Ian’s hand but Ian flinches. Mickey sighs. “There’s nothing to talk about. He left. Just like yours.” 

“Don’t you want him to come back?” Ian asks. 

“Why are you bringing this up? We talked about it."

"No, we didn't," Ian says. "We pushed it away, buried it."

Mickey groans. "Seriously, Gallagher? What the fuck is this? You really want a fucking answer? No, I don't want him back. Why would I? Just so he can leave again?” Ian hears Mickey move towards him so he moves further away. “What’s this about?” Ian doesn’t say anything. “Ian? Look at me, man.” 

Ian slowly turns around to face him. Mickey’s eyes are wide and he looks panic. “I-uh need to think about us.” 

“Ian-” 

“I just need to think about this,” Ian grabs his jacket off the chair and puts it on. He gives Mickey one last look before grabbing his keys. Mickey is looking down at the kitchen floor when Ian closes the door. 

He doesn’t get out of bed the next day. Fiona tries to talk to him but he ignores her and rolls over. Lip comes by late afternoon and drags him out of bed. Ian tries to fight him but Lip overpowers him. He forces him into his fancy car and drives him to Patsy’s. Ian glares at him but follows him inside, letting Lip order for him. 

“Okay, what the fuck is going on with you?” Lip demands after the waitress takes their orders. “You just recovered from a depressive episode a few months ago so I know it’s not that.” 

Ian shrugs, looking down. 

Lip sighs at his lack of answer. “Fiona tells me that Mickey has stopped coming over. And you’ve only been over to his place twice in the last few weeks. Something’s going on with you and you need to tell me what.” 

The waitress comes back with their drink order. Ian thanks her and takes his tea. He absentmindedly stirs it, avoiding Lip. 

“Ian, come on,” Lip tries again. 

“Monica came back a few weeks ago,” Ian starts. 

“Yeah, I remember Debbie said something about it. She stayed maybe a week this time,” Lip says bitterly. 

“Mickey and I were home alone when she walked in. Frank was with her and was being Frank. Mickey got him out of the house,” Ian tells him, still stirring his tea. “Monica sat down with me and told me that Mickey wouldn’t give me the same feeling as Trevor. She told me that Trevor would be back. I know she’s wrong. She fucking left us so much that her words mean nothing but my mind just kept playing her words back.” 

Lip sighs, running his hand through his hair. He is silent for a long time, thinking. Ian knows he is trying to think of something to say that won’t make him mad. Lip finally sighs, gripping his mug. “Look, you know I’m not a fan of Mickey but he is a whole lot better than fucking Trevor. He cares for you and is there for you more in this last year than Trevor ever was those three years. Monica is a fucking idiot for saying that.” 

“I know. And I know I shouldn’t have listened to her but I did,” Ian bows his head, looking into his coffee. “I told Mickey I needed to think about our relationship.” 

Lip hisses. “Those words really fucking got to you.” 

“I just kept thinking about Mickey’s soulmate and if he comes back.”

“Fuck Monica, okay? Fuck those words. Fuck your soulmate and fuck Mickey’s soulmate.” Ian looks up at his brother, shocked at his words. Lip holds eye contact him. “You love Mickey. You are good for Mickey and he’s good for you.” 

“I do love him,” Ian nods. 

“Then go tell him that.” 

“But what if he leaves?” 

Lip sighs. “I know you don’t want to be hurt again and I can’t tell you that you never will again. And if it does happen, you move on and you beat it.” 

Ian stares at him, his mind racing. He stands up, almost knocking over his mug. “I have to go.” He runs out of the diner, almost hitting the waitress bringing their food but he keeps running. He doesn’t stop until he’s in front of Mickey’s door and almost beats it down when he knocks on it. 

“Holy fucking. Calm your fucking tits. I’m coming!” Mickey yells inside. Ian hears him stomping to the door and he can’t stand still. “What?” The door yanks open and Mickey stands there fuming. When he sees it’s Ian, his face falls but only slightly. He opens his mouth to speak but Ian doesn’t give him time. He grabs Mickey’s shirts and kisses him. Mickey reacts immediately, pulling him inside. Mickey kicks the door closes with his foot and they stumble into the apartment, falling onto the couch. The sex is quick and over before it even really started. Ian leads him into the bedroom and this time they take their time. 

“Holy fuck,” Mickey groans as they lay next to each after the second round. 

“Yeah,” Ian says. He rolls over, facing Mickey. He runs his hand through Mickey’s hair, reeling in the softness of it. “I’m sorry I ran out the other day. My mom said these things about soulmates and I couldn’t stop thinking about it even though it was bullshit. I mean, she has left Frank so fucking much yet she claims no one else makes her feel like Frank. But she’s wrong. Mick,” Ian stops talking and looks at him, his fingers twisting around Mickey’s hair. “Mick, I love you. I don’t need time to think about us.” 

Mickey looks down, not saying anything for a long time. Ian moves his hand and runs his finger across Mickey’s cheek, nervously, waiting for a response. Mickey looks up after what feels like a lifetime and pulls Ian in for a kiss that takes Ian’s breath away. He pulls away and stares into Ian’s eyes. “What you and I have- makes me feel free.” 

Ian’s face hurts he’s grinning so much. He goes to pull Mickey in for another kiss but Mickey stops him. 

“Are you sure about this?”

“I'm in. I'm all in.”

[hollyoaksloversx]

Festival Frolics...

Rounding up a week in Hollyoaks (5th - 9th August 2019)

Another week, and it’s time for another death! Well, it has been a whole two weeks since the last one! Having received an abuse-filled letter from Laurie at the tail end of last week, Sinead went to visit him in prison. As Laurie informed Sinead that he would more than likely receive a suspended sentence, Sinead refused to be scared, and told her ex that whilst he was in court, she would be enjoying herself at a festival with Sami, Lisa and Cleo. However, Laurie’s hopes of escaping prison were dashed when he was sentenced to four years behind bars, and Diane was there to gloat as he was taken away. As Laurie was driven to prison, he was sharing a van with none other than Sinead’s Brother, Finn. The two men got chatting about their crimes, neither realising who the other one was. It was only when Laurie mentioned Sinead by name that the penny dropped for Finn, and he introduced himself as Sinead’s Brother, before lunging at Laurie. A fight broke out between the pair, distracting the driver, who lost control of the vehicle. Laurie had survived his fall from the school balcony a few weeks back, so of course, it was going to take more than a little crash to finish him off. With the driver and Finn unconscious, Laurie made his escape, and he knew exactly where he was heading...

At the festival, Sinead was having a brilliant time, until she went to kiss Sami and he pulled away. Feeling rejected, Sinead decided to head home. As she walked along a country road, a car pulled up alongside her, being driven by Laurie. A terrified Sinead was forced into the car, as Laurie attempted to convince her to take him back. As Laurie became more and more deranged, Sinead realised that her options were running out, and so she told Laurie that she would run away with him, on the condition that they returned to the village to collect Hannah first. Laurie agreed, but once in the village, Sinead attempted to make a run for it. Laurie gave chase, but his head injury sustained in the crash finally caught up with him, and he collapsed. Paramedics soon arrived on the scene, but there was nothing they could do, and Laurie was declared dead a short time later.

The following day, Diane and Sami were concerned when Sinead went into work as usual. However, Sinead had an ulterior motive for wanting to go in, as she headed to the mortuary to see Laurie’s body, wanting to make sure that he was dead. Once back at home, things seemed to be looking up for Sinead, as she and Sami finally decided to make a proper go of their relationship. However, their happiness was short lived, when Hannah turned on the TV to see news footage of Ste taking part in a far right rally...

Meanwhile, the festival also provided the setting for some drama for the teens. Whilst Ollie was busy modelling some appalling festival get-up, Juliet was trying to make Brooke do her dirty work for her, and sent her to the bar to get some drinks in. However, unable to lie, Brooke backed out, leaving Juliet furious, especially when Brooke told the barmaid how old Juliet really was. Wanting to take revenge on her ‘friend’, Juliet stole Brooke’s purse, and when Brooke went back to look for it in one of the tents, she suffered a sensory overload. Juliet felt immense guilt when she realised what had happened, and stayed with Brooke until the paramedics arrived. Later, whilst being checked over, Brooke mentioned some over symptoms she’d been experiencing recently. Although the paramedic was quick to reassure her that they weren’t connected to her ordeal in the tent, it was clear he’d touched a nerve when he jokingly asked if she could be pregnant...

As Brooke came to the realisation that she was pregnant, she attempted to get Ollie alone once back at home, hoping to share her news with him. However, she was dismayed to discover that he’d invited Juliet along too. As Juliet opened her bag, Brooke realised that she’d found the purse thief, and an argument broke out between the pair. A passing Cindy intervened and invited Brooke back to Mandy’s for a chat. Having come to know Juliet from their time living together, Cindy tried to make Brooke see that she wasn’t all bad, opting to tell Brooke about some of the things she’d got up to as a teenager. Brooke was especially interested to hear about Cindy’s teenage pregnancy, and pressed her for information. As Cindy spoke about concealing her pregnancy, and then going on to abandon baby Holly, it was clear that Brooke had had a brainwave...

In other news this week, Mitchell was on hand to comfort Scott when he was harassed by Sid and his mates outside The Dog whilst Jonny attempted to set Ste up with Jed again. Finally, Tom had a serious case of the green eyed monster as Peri and Prince enjoyed spending time together. However, Prince had a change of heart about their relationship when Tom pointed out that he could be judged harshly for moving on too quickly after Lily’s death. Deciding that Tom was right, Prince decided to leave the village to go travelling...

5 Things We Learned This Week:

1. It’s a dangerous world out there. Goldie was appalled by Prince’s plan to leave the village and travel the world, pointing out that he could be kidnapped or sucked into some ‘funny cult.’ Hang about, Goldie. Those things are just as likely to happen if Prince remains the village!

2. Some people ARE like their parents. It turns out that young Sid is just as bigoted as his Dad, Stuart, as he gave Scott a mouthful of abuse outside The Dog.

3. Some people have perfect timing. How clever of Sami to jump out of a taxi, just in time to save Sinead from Laurie’s clutches.

4. Money doesn’t really matter. How is Prince able to afford to go travelling? He was pleading poverty a few weeks back! 

5. The paramedics in Hollyoaks really have given up. After working on Laurie for all of 30 seconds, the paramedics informed Sinead that they’d done all they could. Well, if they were to revive him, some other disaster would surely befall him just weeks later. 

This Week’s Cast:

Brooke, Brody, Cindy, Cleo, Diane, Finn, Goldie, Hannah, Imran, Joel, Jonny, Juliet, Laurie, Lisa, Mitchell, Nana McQueen, Nancy, Oliver, Peri, Prince, Romeo, Sami, Scott, Sid, Sinead, Ste, Tom, Tony and Yasmine. 

Blasts From The Past:

Holly Cunningham, Lily Drinkwell, Hunter McQueen, Jacqui McQueen, Mac Nightingale, Donna-Marie Quinn, Jason Roscoe, Dirk Savage, Buster Smith.

[a-tale-of-legends]

So I caught myself some new members in my Inclement Emerald run which includes a Vulpix( which I just evolved into a Ninetales), a medicham( a Pokemon I've been looking forward to catching and using on my main team) and a shuppet now Bannette. Here's the cool stuff:

Banette is a Ghost/Normal type

Ninetales is a Fire/Fairy type

Medicham is medicham. I'm just very excited to use medicham for the first time.

Now, if you remember, I mentioned that I had a Flareon in my team, right? I am currently conflicted. In terms of bulk and coverage, the Ninetales wins. Especially with that Fire/Fairy combo. But also, Flareon( at least this version of Flareon) has not disappointed me yet. The only thing that's bothering me is how I think he's starting to lag behind. He's good, in this game, and has been a create backup for when almost all my team members are wiped out and need a good physical attacker.

I guess I'll explain the team so far, and what they're role is:

Vivian, Sceptile: Vivian is arguably the least standout of the bunch, with the expectation of her speed. She is a speed demon. She has a jolly nature, which isn't good for Sceptiles cause they're mostly special attackers, but I seem to have a bias towards her and jolly nature's in general, so I'm not changing it. She can mega evolve, but I like her with just a miracle seed to do some damage. Oh and she's a grass/ dragon types in this game ( naturally without mega evolution)

Gresh, Mawile: Can mega evolve and physical tank. Has a bold nature too. Handles a lot of fights on his own sometimes, and a great iron defense, baton passer.

Mirage, Flygon: Can also mega evolve ( yes, Flygon can mega evolve in this rom!!!). Has an ability called Sand Song when she does mega evolve, which is bascically liquid voice but ground. This is amazing with Boomburst. But she's already a beast without mega evolution, the only thing holding her back is her special defense ( she has a lax nature, but after Rin, I think it's a good trade off). She mostly used physical attacks, but Boomburst hits hard if needed.

Mandy, Manectric: Oh boy. Funny story, I was not at all planning on using a Manectric for this playthrough, but I was scared of Winona ( and for good reason), so I needed an electric type. And man, even after that, Mandy has been great. She's very fragile, low defenses, but she's fast and hits hard. Her attack stat isn't as great as, say, Jasper ( Flareon in question), but it's decent enough for her to use moves like crunch or psychic fang. She's the one that I was planning on replacing with the medicham, but I felt like I just had to mention her due to how amazing she's been.

Caspian, Milotic: Caspian is great. I love him. It made me realize how I've been using Milotic wrong. He can take hits very well, and leftover + recover means he's hard to kill. He has moonblast and ice beam for coverage. All around, he's great. He too can mega evolve into a water/fairy type, but I don't think I'll use it, since I like him the way he is ( unless the dragon elite 4 is a pain in the ass)

Now, in general, I switch around my party members accordingly to what seems fit. But with the exception of Mandy, the team above is one that I plan on using long term and for a while Jasper was part of that team. He was, after all, the speedy physical attacker. But he doesn't learn a lot of fire type moves, and while the option to gain different eeveelution moves is great ( he knows swords dance, foul play and extreme speed), his fire type moves are kinda eh. I know that a special move won't do him good ( he has an adamant nature and unlike Vivian, does not have a good special even without the nature). Then there's the Ninetales and Medicham- diverse fire type and a good physical attacker ( also Bannette, but shh).

I. Am. ✨ Conflicted ✨ on what to do here. I was thinking about changing Jasper to an Umbreon- another tank for the team, but I'm not sure.

Okay. Ramble over.

[onesunnyboi-blog]

colton + all ! :o

Okay!! so here is Colton!! 

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?a while - sometimes he has to go on reconnaissance patrols and sit for hours watching the enemy. however if nothing fruitful is coming of sitting about still for hours, he can get a little agitated. How easy is it for your character to laugh? not very - he’s very stoic. his features are like stone and his humour has been diminished over many years of facing war. How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)ha ha ha. pretty to assume he sleeps. if out on a mission or facing a tremendous battle, he doesn’t sleep all too often and will try to count himself down into sleep from twenty. How easy is it to earn their trust?not very. he holds everyone at arms length. although, the team he is with, the other Exalts, he trusts wholeheartedly. once gained it’s not easily shaken (but can be easily lost if you betray him; he’s not one for second chances) Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?that depends; being a soldier he has to follow rules rigidly, but if he sees that it would be immoral to follow the law and so breaking a rule or two may be the better option, i don’t think he’d face any doubt and would go ahead and break them. What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?there’s a scent of lavender that gives him nostalgia - it triggers memories of being young and warm and safe with his family; not that he really remembers who they are. he just sees fuzzy faces and hears ghostly whispers... but he knows those days as a child were his happiest. it’s a kind of bittersweet feeling, one he doesn’t like to be exposed to often, in fear that he’ll lose his will to face the wars. What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?he can’t really remember... he’s certain his father would often tell him to “stand straight, shoulders back - you’re supposed to be a proud boy”. Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?yeah, he swears - but he’s naturally a man of few words so he doesn’t swear all that often. it’s more so when he’s getting emotional/specifically angry. he doesn’t remember his first swear word, but i can guarantee that it was “you’re a left bollock, Junior.” to a fellow Exalt-in-training. What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?“Everything’s going to be fine. You’re going to make it.” it haunts his every waking hour. How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?he’ll kinda just crinkle up his nose and then huff. to which many tut and explain again (not common though) What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?black - simple and like his soulWhat animal do they fear most?i don’t think he’s had much contact with animals - he’s not been back to earth in years. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?he’s a natural leader and his words are chosen very meticulously - he doesn’t need to rehearse what he’s going to say, oftentimes there’s no room for that; he’s supposed to lead a team in the middle of a raging war, he can’t dillydally. What makes their stomach turn?being unable to protect rookies out in the field to give them another chance at living another day. Are they easily embarrassed?nope. What embarrasses them?literally nothing. he takes everything in his stride and it makes it very difficult to do anything to him. What is their favorite number?i don’t think he’d put much thought into this - however 20 seems to be his go-to. If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?he wouldn’t. he hasn’t a clue. all he’s known is fighting. he could explain his not-so-love for that. Why do they get up in the morning? “to protect the galaxy!” which is the motto he’s begrudgingly engraved into his mind. How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? i think he becomes very agitated and can say things that are very cold/mean to the people he is jealous of. How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? he becomes very resentful - he envies those who get to live a life without the need to worry about when your last day is going to be. he envies those who experience peace daily because he’s out in the world bleeding and fighting for them. Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? tbh, i doubt he’s thought about it - i don’t think he’s too fussed. he’s more, like, indifferent if it comes up in conversation, easily getting bored of the topic. What are their thoughts on marriage? meh, doesn’t see himself getting married. but he supposes it’s alright.. What is their preferred mode of transportation? they’re called “Hawks” - a type of small, stealth ship that can carry a small team of Exalts into a specified location. it’s a quick entry, a quite ride and the seats can be comfy. What causes them to feel dread? his inability to save othersWould they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? he can take an unpleasant truth. don’t lie to him. he’ll fight you over it. Do they usually live up to their own ideals? yes - he holds others to these ideals too and often finds himself disappointed if people don’t follow them. Who are they the most glad to have met? another Exalt called Mandy. she’s super funny, has his back constantly - they’ve both admitted that they see each other as family and that’s a level barely anyone gets to with Colton. HE WOULD DIE FOR HER. she’s also younger than he is, and so if anyone starts to show interest in her, he slides in with narrowed eyes. makes it known he will end whoever it is if they hurt her. Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? no, he’s not much of a conversationalist. he lets other people talk. Could they be considered lazy? never - he’s always doing something, whether that be brooding in the corner or going over mission plans and everything in between. How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? very. he’s like atlas, bearing the world on his shoulders and if he loses a soldier, it’s his own personal fault. guilt can stay with him for months. How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? very supportive - with the few words he spares. he may seem uninterested but there’s a shine in his eye at seeing his friends feel emotion other than fear/dread/anger etc. Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? he doesn’t seek it or wait for it - i don’t think he actually cares for it. Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? if he likes a person/thing, he’ll just remember it. if he doesn’t like a person he’ll call them every variation of that name he can - remembering lists of numbers is easy bc he has a photographic memory so it kinda just stays in his head without the need to keep going over them. What memory do they revisit the most often? his memories are fuzzy, so i don’t think it’s a visual memory he’ll go to - but as aforementioned, the smell of lavender is something he remembers. How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? very difficult for him and he’ll call people out for their flaws. How sensitive are they to their own flaws?he realises that he’s not perfect and tries to rectify his own flaws. How do they feel about children? what now? he hasn’t seen a child in years! i don’t think he’d know what to do with a child except from hold it at arms length whilst staring at it like a new discovery. tentatively but with apprehension. How badly do they want to reach their end goal? very badly - a world of peace. although he knows deep down that peace may never be achieved; there’s always someone willing to start a fight. If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? he’d shrug and make vague gestures which pretty much sums up his sexuality. although i’m inclined to say he’s aro/ace or both.

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORSA) Why are you excited about this character?because he’s in space and holy shit i love space. also he’s a stoic man that i can call my son. B) What inspired you to create them?Shirokage218 C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?not really, i’d been mulling over the story but never had characters figured out, so slotting him in was easy. D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?tbh i can imagine i’ll change him about a little bit, but he is a new oc so there’s time for improvement yet. E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?i think he’d want to protect me cause i’m weak af. i would be intimidated by him initially but then would feel tremendous pain for him - he’s been through a lot. F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?excitement and sadness - excitement because he as a character to me is cool, but when i think about him actually alive in the world i’ve created, i feel shitty because sorry colton u have a hard life 8) G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?the inability to laugh. lighten up man geez H) What trait do you admire most?his braveryI) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?yeah, because space. and tbh i don’t think he’d suit anything else. J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?nope!

Thank you @defenestrata for this ask!! Hope i’ve given more insight in him!! 

[its-a-queer-thing]

In Case You Missed It Pt 7-2x02

When Ian goes to pick Mickey up from juvie, notice Mickey’s eyes don’t stray from Ian basically from the time he notices him.

Of course, he has to play it cool so he can’t show that he’s happy Ian’s there because Mandy still doesn’t know Mickey is gay, but let’s consider something: Maybe, despite all of the effort Ian has put into their arrangement and how hard Ian has clearly been pining after Mickey, *maybe* Mickey is surprised that Ian is there to pick him up. Maybe he really didn’t realize how dedicated this little goof was to him and is genuinely confused as to why his fuck-buddy is there.

 Ian has a backup story (however bad it is) to excuse his desire to see Mickey as soon as possible. Of course, it’s completely silly and Mickey doesn’t buy it for a second.

Allow me a moment to point out a teeny detail regarding Mickey’s attitude towards women. He easily could have accepted Ian’s piss poor excuse, but Mickey will not allow his sister’s capability of defending herself to be insulted. He knows full damn well that young woman can kick major ass and as sweet as it is that Ian risked their secret going to see him, Mickey will not allow this piss poor excuse to belittle Mandy’s ability to defend herself because she is fully capable and she’s a Milkovich.

Now of course we need to talk about Mickey’s slight immaturity because I’m sure this next part irritated some people. 

Let’s keep in mind however that these are not only siblings, but siblings who are close in age. And a lot of people seem to forget Mickey’s age at this point in the show anyway (maybe because Noel is significantly older? I don’t know...) But I’ll clarify for you. Ian is about a year and a half younger than Mickey and Ian probably just turned 15 when the show started so let’s assume that Mickey is a fresh 17 right now. Even though we seem to hold 17 year olds to a high maturity standard in our fiction, a lot of 17 year olds (in particular boys) in our reality are still SUPER immature! And that’s just how the cookie crumbles. I will also argue that for siblings this close in age it’s super easy to fall into immature behavior (such as titty twisters and juvenile bickering).  I personally find this exchange hilarious though some people may find it odd or inappropriate.

Next comes the most beloved and hilarious example of Mickey’s immaturity, his clear disregard for authority.

 This kid has probably never had to answer to any authority figure in his life other than his father and perhaps his mother before his stint in Juvie. We don't know if the Milkovich children have been in the foster system as it's already been established the Gallaghers have, we don't know if they have had to answer to authority figures such as teachers (for all we know they run rampant in school or just never go and of course Terry wouldn’t care one way or the other), we already know that shop owners are not off limits, we see Mickey effectively dodging law enforcement.... So who really has been in Mickey's life to show him a need for respect of authority figures? 

No one before now that we can see. 

He's now had to answer to authority figures in juvie and he likely learned how to get around authority figures in juvie from Iggy so he probably didn’t learn much while in there unfortunately. Other than that, it seems as though the Milkovich family has a habit of laughing at authority because they believe they can get around whatever trouble they find themselves in, in their struggle to survive. 

Obviously because this is fiction, him flipping off authority figures is only funny because it’s fiction. If this were real life it wouldn't be, but as we connect these two situations (reality and fiction) let’s try to learn something from this: keep in mind that we know a lot more about Mickey than we would any random kid flipping off authority figures. We don't know why a lot of thugs don't have respect for authority figures because there can be numerous reasons that many of us will never understand. It could be that they have never had one, it could be that their authority figures taught them to be disrespectful to others and only respect them, it could be their authority figures didn't enforcing anything or prove that authority figures need to be respected and obeyed, for them we don't know if they have been raised to laugh at authority figures and believe that they are in fact above the law as I suspect Mickey has been. 

So obviously I'm not excusing his disrespect for authority figures or condoning his blatant disrespect for police, but if we look at his background and we understand why he wouldn't have respect for authority figures, I think we can start to get a better picture of why thugs do not respond to law enforcement and do not answer to authority figures the way we in society expect them to.

Then we get a teeny glimpse of more Gallavich development as Ian leads Mickey away from brewing trouble. Notice at first Mickey allows himself to be lead away by Ian, but then remembers himself...

He seems to start accepting the affection before remembering that wall he’s supposed to have up. Remembering that this is not a relationship, it’s a friendship with some fucking involved. We have officially moved past just fucking into friendship territory...

 So now let's move on to the baseball field scene. Here we are really seeing the friendship that Ian and Mickey have, and they have just bounced right back to where they left off, even developing past where they left off really. It’s possible that Ian visited Mickey a couple of times and what would we expect to happen from their actually sitting down and having no other choice BUT to talk to each other? That’s right, when they have no option to take their clothes off and can only talk it stands to reason that they would develop a true friendship. They aren't just fuck buddies anymore... they are actual friends and we didn't really get to see that in the first season. 

But here we see Ian telling Mickey what he's been up to he's taking a lot of classes over the summer and Mickey’s engaging in the conversation, reacting and teasing him and going back and forth with him.

At first glance it may seem as though Mickey is dismissing Ian’s potential for achieving this goal, but here’s what I see. I see Mickey feeling unconcerned by the looming threat of Ian’s goals because Mickey is still in denial that he cares enough about what will happen to Ian some three or four years in the future since Ian is still too young to enlist and Mickey knows it. Because there is still so much time before Ian can enlist and Mickey is a very in the moment kind of guy, he doesn’t even acknowledge his concern for this kid though I’m sure deep down he’s impressed by Ian’s dedication. Of course though as we already mentioned, Mickey has a huge disregard for authority figures so Ian’s aspiring to not only subject himself to a career in which he’s surrounded by authority figures but then to himself become one is likely an irony that is not lost on this little thug. And if there *is* any anxiety that Mickey feels about Ian’s future, of course he’s going to cover it up with a joke because he’s still trying to convince himself that what he feels for Ian is a lot less than what it actually is.

BUT if we are going to talk about Mickey’s apparent disinterest in Ian, we HAVE to pay attention to The Look. Though hopefully this is the point where most Mickey haters even stop arguing that Mickey is disinterested in Ian, I’m going to show this anyway on the slim chance some people missed it.

 Look at him watching every single move Ian makes. Think I’m crazy or that I’m reading too far into it?

There he is still watching him. Laughing with him, drinking him in.

Now here he is trying to act cool and “whatever” about it, but then look at the way he is drinking Ian in...

Look at how they look at each other here... Mickey is trying to act so nonchalant about just wanting to get to the sex, but look at his face! Look at how he is eating Ian up with his eyes and looks genuinely excited to be with him; there is a glitter in his eye that speaks volumes about how he’s actually feeling. And he maintains eye contact with Ian the. Entire. Time! I will scream until my dying breath that this Look says it all about how Mickey really feels about Ian. I think a lot of Mickey haters are missing the little details that Noel Fisher puts into this character to show that yes he is interested, yes he is falling in love just like Ian is (maybe not quite at the same time or the same pace but it is there) and that this is definitely going somewhere. He feels a connection with him, hence the eye contact, he loves the physical connection and chemistry they have, hence how desperately he wants to move on to the sex he’s been denied for a little over a year.

Now we're going to get into the depressing stuff... We're going to look at Mickey’s self-esteem and how he views himself. This is important for Mickey haters to see because how someone views themselves greatly impacts how they treat others and how they interact with others. So, Mickey values his strength and power above basically anything else and I argue he was raised to believe this both directly and through personal experience. He is an intelligent person despite how many jokes are made at Mickey's expense pointing out his lack of education, so when Ian just starts casually doing pull-ups, Mickey automatically jumps on that and tries to one up, and in fact doubles, Ian’s display, and brags that there's nothing else to do in the joint but work out. 

When Ian suggests that Mickey could read (showing Ian’s value for education to reach goals and potential) Mickey scoffs. 

Why? because we learn in season 3 that he has basically a freshman's education, he has not passed a single class in high school which is probably because of his involvement in his dad’s business, he’s now spent a good bit of time in Juvie and I can't imagine Juvie having a very promising education program (I am completely assuming, if someone knows differently, let me know), and even when he was in school he was paying Lip to write his papers for him so the chances of him taking education seriously in the first place is quite slim. So basically, Mickey never even got a chance to see the value in education and has learned that power and brawn is what gets you places, and anything about himself that does not contribute to those things he views as useless.

Now at first this may just seem like Mickey scoffing at the idea of reading because lots of people of all backgrounds dislike reading (OW my English major heart!!!)  BUT what I even missed the first time, and Mickey haters may have missed, was this really sad and really revealing line showing Mickey’s whole outlook on his life.

It isn’t even so much that he doesn’t like to read (though it’s probably safe to assume there’s that too) but what’s the point of him getting an education? His father has trained him to be the perfect thug, to inspire fear in anyone so he can help out in daddy’s little drug ring despite his young age. All of Mickey’s dreams (if he ever had them) are down the toilet to him because even if he wanted to live a law-abiding life and do things the “right way,” he probably doesn’t even know where to start at this point, because he’s never had to do something “the right way” in his life; and besides that, his father would never let him go. Mickey’s been raised to believe the southside mentality, which is what Lip kept chanting to Fiona in season three, “the only way to make it in the southside is to scam it, or steal it.”

So because he has no trust in the system or in his own ability to make it on his own gifts, he has to develop himself in ways that are familiar, and what is familiar is the thug life. He's accustomed to stealing and scamming and threatening his way through survival, and he knows that book smarts are not going to help him with that. 

So now he’s being forced to act as though he gives a shit about going straight in his life because a condition of his probation is to find legitimate employment. And even there, he has no idea where to start. He has a reputation for stealing and menacing so basically any storefront/retail is out, (could we ever see Mickey bussing tables????). His idea of what jobs he’s capable of doing, or expected to do reveals a lot about him and our society. 

For Mickey his only options are the meat-packing plant and tarring roofs or some other form of construction or dangerous work. The fact that I just automatically sighed in pity for this boy due to these options reveals a lot about how our society views these workers. I feel like in media in particular these skilled workers are frequently stereotyped as having a record or being under-qualified (otherwise incapable) for anything else (ex. Law & Order SVU, most released rapists they question work in meat packing districts or construction), but the truth is if we didn’t have these workers, our country would fall apart real quick. Literally. Anyway, that was off-topic but I definitely felt needed to be said. Food for thought, you’re welcome. :)

This conversation also reveals Mickey’s lack of trust in the system. Keep in mind that Mickey is still young, 17, but the system is treating him as an adult despite the fact that he just came out of a juvenile detention center. Mickey is convinced his probation officer is going to find him a job definitely meant for adults and because it is a dangerous job, this reveals a disregard people feel for released criminals (even child aged ones) who are supposed to be getting rehabilitated to become productive members of society. 

In this country it seems, once a criminal always a criminal. Mickey knows the system doesn’t believe in him, his father is going to make him go back to doing the same old shit, and no one cares about that factor, so why should he care? At this point it seems he’s just going to go through the motions until he gets caught doing something else and gets thrown in prison.

Going back to education, we know that Mickey’s smart (despite the many jokes made at his expense) because he's wicked good with numbers as we see in season 4, plus he is smart enough to skirt around the edges of the law (and whether we like to admit that or not it does show some intelligence. It does actually take a capable and intelligent person to get away with crime as much as we don't want to admit that). 

So the heartbreaking thing about this moment is, Ian still has potential and can still make something of himself in a way that will satisfy society’s standards of a “good” citizen... Mickey doesn’t (or at least doesn’t believe he does). Ian also still has some trust in the system and still sees value in education. Ian’s optimism, while heartwarming, is not inspiring to Mickey because Mickey sees the realistic course of his life and has already accepted it.

Next we go back to examining their relationship development. We are seeing little glimpses of their friendship (the shotgunning, the talking, Ian trying to help Mickey with his probation) and this is super important. I don't think Mickey haters quite understand why this matters so much, but it matters because Mickey is participating in this relationship with Ian now. It isn't just having sex and leaving anymore, they talk they listen to each other, try to be an ally for each other, and that's the start of something huge.  

So here we see another boundary set. Though the line has definitely moved as their friendship has developed, Mickey is still trying to keep a distance and in this case it’s by reminding Ian that talking about community college, making plans in this way is too domestic, too settled. These are the conversations that boyfriends have (at least as Mickey understands it). Ian, luckily, accepts this boundary and drops the subject. Ian, however, is still clearly pining after Mickey and wants to spend as much time with him as Mickey is willing to give.

Obviously this is a strange suggestion, but Ian is at least trying to help. At least working at the store Mickey wouldn’t be working a dangerous job where he could get hurt and they would get to spend more time together; a win-win!

Of course though, because it’s Mickey and he’s missed Ian (though he won’t admit to that at this point) he shuts down the more intimate discussion of jobs and the future, they go back to having sex.

So if anyone is honestly wanting to say Mickey isn’t genuinely into him... Look at that smug little smirk and tell me that boy isn’t smitten.

Moving on to Mickey's first shift at the Kash and Grab I want to look at this scene to further develop Mickey's background because I can't see anything controversial about Gallavich in particular. First and foremost, despite Linda automatically assuming Mickey is going to steal from the store (not that I can blame her, really)

Mickey is actually taking this job seriously. First he stops two kids who think they are going to stuff their pockets

And then Frank.

Considering Mickey has zero sense of control in his life and doesn’t believe that he will ever amount to more than a thug, it actually reveals a good deal that he is taking this job seriously and is putting forth even the minimal effort required.

Next, I’d also like to point out that the reason he feels his life will amount to nothing more than street success, if even that, is because of his Dad. It hasn’t been established WHAT exactly his Dad does. What we know at this point in the series is Terry is a jailbird, he and his children have a lack of respect for the cops, and he and his children sometimes do “runs”. In the future however we will hear some hints that Terry deals with a little bit of every genre of illegal activity from illegal weapon sales, drugs, to possibly mercenary work? In this scene we get a hint at the drugs. 

Mickey quickly tries to set up shop for drugs when Lip and Kev are stocking up their ice cream van.

Mickey has been raised for this and probably is expected to help out in the family business, and has a limited conscience for it due to his exposure to this business. I can't prove that this is influenced by Terry, and I can’t prove that Mickey is being forced, but what I do know is that in future episodes I see some evidence that not only is Terry behind this but that Mickey isn’t too fond of the dirty business he’s been dragged into. 

I also want to pay attention to Mickey's face when Kev says no to the hard stuff and Lip starts talking to Ian about his tutoring.

 It could be that I am reading too deep into this... however just the way that the camera zoomed in on Mickey’s face when he was just standing there, and the way he looked away, he looked a little uncomfortable, maybe even a little sad... All of this makes it seem weighted and a deliberate choice which tells me it is in fact an insight to how Mickey is feeling. It makes me think that maybe he hadn't before consciously thought of what he was doing with his dad’s business; this leads me to believe that his role in this drug ring was involuntary and he probably never even thought of the effects that these harder drugs would have on people (especially young people) and this almost contemplative face makes me think that maybe this is the first time he's thinking about that. 

 Then lip tells Ian to keep practicing the geometry theorems. Mickey overhears this as well and I also think that sadness in his face comes from knowing that Ian has a future, Ian has potential and options, Ian can go so much further than Mickey can and maybe in a way Mickey is a little jealous of that. 

So at first he questions why geometry theorems? Halfway through Ian’s explanation, Mickey gets a little distracted...

 Anyway, here we are again with this foil of Ian's future and Mickey's contrasting futures. Mickey is likely doomed to Terry's life. He's being groomed into a mini Terry and let's be honest how many of us honestly want to become our parents, as in full replicas of our parents, whether you have a positive or negative relationship with your parents? Here Mickey is following Terry's footsteps as far as we can see; he has temper, he is in and out of juvie, and he's already started selling drugs for his father.

Ian on the other hand is the exact opposite of his father, which we see right after this conversation. Instead of following Frank's footsteps, Ian sees what happens when you don't chase after your full potential and so then here Ian is chasing after his full potential and doing everything he can to achieve his goals. I think that Mickey recognizes that and is maybe a little jealous that Ian has options that he will never have because he already has a record and already has a reputation that will keep him from achieving everything that he can achieve.

But of course, that reputation can come in handy too...

Mickey’s reputation commands obedience from lots of people in the south side and that’s because that’s how you get what you want in that community: fear and power. Ian is striving after military power and respect but doesn’t command that south side respect that Mickey does. This is something Mickey has over Ian at this point, despite his knowing that in the future, Ian will have the upper hand by far.

For now, Mickey returns to teasing Ian to re-establish their friendship dynamic.

And for a second, Ian brings it back to their constant unspoken conversation on sexuality. For the first time we do get true insight to what Mickey believes this is. He has definitely reduced his sexuality to a kink, though of course deep down he knows he’s genuinely attracted to men (Ian). This is the first time we see Mickey even starting to accept his sexuality and make it clear that his sexuality will not define him.

That’s all I’ve got for 2x02! Let me know if I missed anything or drop me a line to discuss something further! 

Until next time lovelies! <3

Get the full analysis!

[animalsoffarmsanctuary]

Happy National Best Friends Day!

Best friends come in all shapes and sizes — some are even different species — but all best friends are an important part of our psychological health and well-being. 

Although they live in different groups, these two are starting to form a very close bond. Valentino giving a big smooch to neighbor Gary!

At Farm Sanctuary, most of our animal residents come from overcrowded farms, arrive unhealthy or even dying, or have been separated from other animals and housed alone — so they may not have had the chance to form friendships. For these animals, their arrival at sanctuary includes forming these lifelong bonds — and sometimes the animal friend they choose is unexpected. Others arrive together, but have not been able to express the deepness of their relationships — but here, they can blossom and grow together. 

The state we found Earl and Ian in was deplorable; they, along with 11 other young goat bucks, were starving, frightened, and very sick. And out of the group of 13, clear friendships arose, and these two are clearly best friends for life. 

Two who arrived together are goat boys Ian and Earl. These two were left to starve to death on a farm in Cattaraugus County, NY, but thankfully they, along with 600 other animals, were seized from this “farm-to-table” operation. Thirteen boys arrived in all, but these two seemed to know from the start that they would be forever pals.

Safe and sound, the best friends remain together — no longer begging for help, no longer desperate, but instead relaxed and enjoying their friendship.

Two others from the same rescue are a pair of boys we adopted out. They also have been best friends from the time they were rescued. When we place animals in adoptive homes, we are always aware of who is friends with whom, so no one loses the one they love the most.  

Halbert and Darius (now called Archie and Ronan) recovering in our Melrose hospital after Darius’ surgery. They have been best friends since a few weeks after their rescue.

Halbert, now called Archie, and Darius, now called Ronan, were adopted to a home in Virgina. All was pure perfection until Darius (Ronan) was injured. Thankfully, the amazing surgeons at the Nemo Farm Animal Hospital at Cornell University could fix him, and the two boys never had to be apart for even a moment. Part of feeling better when you are injured is being with someone you love the most — and Halbert never left his best friend’s side. They will return to their adoptive home very soon, once Darius has completely healed. .

Beautiful and loving friends Halbert and Darius are always attached at the hip (or the head or the foot). They are just always together!

Other best friends include those who are put together with a hope that things will work out — an arranged friendship. Sometimes these do not last, but in others, it works — and best friends Jerome and Cashew are in the latter camp! Jerome was motherless and Cashew, so quickly in love with his new brother/best friend, had no trouble sharing the maternal love that he had so much of (and the milk, of course). The two remain best friends, and their trio (with mom Liz) remains a very happy family.

Growing strong and adding hundreds of pounds since they met, these two boys are never far apart from each other. Now in a larger herd, they still remain the very best of friends.  

An unexpected friendship developed just this winter and has us all perplexed by its cuteness. Isaac, who we thought would be best friends with another giant horned steer named Twister, instead spends the majority of time with his new crew — sisters Marilyn and Ingrid goats and their best pal Maxie.  

The gentle giant Isaac with Ingrid and other goats from the herd. Ingrid, Marilyn, and Maxie, however, are clearly his best friends, even though he does often dine with the larger group. 

It is quite the sight to behold — with the goats actually taking hay right from Isaac’s mouth. Having a best pal who weighs more than a ton is also good for many reasons — wind block, protection from other goats, shade from the sun. And when we are trying to provide health care — all three of these girls run under him and around him so they cannot be captured. Ha!

Maxie, Ingrid, and Isaac enjoying their hay dinner together. 

Another goat/cow combo also happened over the winter when we added a very elderly Natalie goat to one of our special-needs cow herds. Queenie is not known for her love of many people or animals, and has been known to chase both out of her pasture. But for some reason she really loves this goat, and the feeling is mutual — and we could not be happier. If you are an Explore.org viewer, you can likely see Queenie licking her pal Natalie over and over again — grooming being a huge way to show you love someone if you are a bovine.

Seventeen-year-old Queenie with her nearly 15-year-old goat pal Natalie enjoying the early-morning sun this past winter. 

In this same herd are new pals Tricia, our beautiful blind Holstein girl, and her newly arrived best pal Ros (pronounced Roz), who is also blind. Tricia seemed to realize that this special girl was in need of assistance, and greeted her like a long-lost friend and not just a newcomer to the pasture. Now the two are an inseparable pair.

“Greetings, my sweet new friend.” Tricia immediately took to Ros — not even a head-butt — as if they had been friends for years.  

A few of our goat residents who live in the sheep barn have decided that their best friends are the woolly ones. Jordan goat and Mandy sheep have been together since they were tiny — arriving around the same time and never being apart. They continue this in the larger flock, even with options to be with their own sheeple/people.  

Cynthia is a good friend, but no one can take the place of Mandy in the eyes of her best goat pal Jordan.  

Also in this incredible flock are best pals Clarabell goat and her tall friend of choice, Francis sheep. She picked him out right after his arrival, and they two have been pals ever since. Even if they go off in the day with their own crews, they always get back together each evening.  

Clarabell and her boy Francis love lots of neck-rubbing time together.  

Chucky and Benedict are a well-known best friend pair, and both arrived in horrible shape from a backyard butcher in Hudson Valley, NY. Chucky was so frightened, and Benedict was so weak and unable to walk, but together they both became strong. Chucky now is a lover of humans and Benedict has a playmate and spends hours building up his strength running in his wheelchair. Chucky has never been rough with his buddy — which, for a goat, is the true meaning of friendship!

No other goats would allow Chucky or Benedict to live in their herd without being too rough (Chucky is a fainter and Benedict is on wheels), but these two know and love each other for who they are and make the perfect best friend team. 

Pickles and Mouse had a rough start, but learned they couldn’t live without each other.

Pickles pig had surgery after surgery to repair a very large hernia she was born with, and could not be with any pigs for months after her arrival. Mouse arrived with a deformed and unusable back leg and also had multiple surgeries, and is still getting multiple prosthetic fittings to be able to live on all four feet. We tried Pickles with pigs her own age, but that did not work at all. Pickles is quite the biter, but was not large enough to win the fights she started.  And Mouse did not seem amused by her appearance in his pen, so we were worried that neither would have a friend for a least a while longer.  

♫ Put your head on my shoulder ♫ — little Pickles loves her giant Mouse friend.

That all changed when we spotted the two spooning at night, and then witnessed a very upset Mouse when his girl was attempting to get into the pen through a closed door — he was not happy. Since those discoveries, we have seen only signs that the friendship is now solid and will not be broken.

Let’s talk turkeys — and the friends they make and keep for a lifetime. Although a group of 30 broad-breasted white turkeys look very much alike to us, there is no denying that, to a turkey, they are all unique individuals in every way. Friends like Christina and Jackie spend a lifetime together and have many choices of friends whom they have a whole lot in common with — but for whatever reason, they find each other. 

Chasing bugs together is a favorite pastime for these two best pals.  

Chickens Gertrude and Clementine arrived years apart, but saw something in each other — perhaps a love of escaping their pen to hang out under the bird feeder, or maybe was it just kismet. No matter the reason, together they stay, and the two make quite a team — in a constant search for seeds.

Gertrude has definitely brought Clementine out of her shell and out of her pen. The two spend hours roaming the farm together. 

Emily and Tim pigs were not a pair I could have imagined until it happened. Emily loves to fight, but she is tiny, so she never really won. As for Tim, he was picked on and just did not fit into the main herd. He was awkward from the start, but when his legs became an issue, things got much worse for him. Enter Emily — and a perfect friendship was formed. They remind us of an old married couple. 

They often look like they are telling each other funny inside jokes. This couple of best pals has been together for years and only get closer: Tim and Emily pig loving life at sanctuary!

All farm animals feel love, choose their friends, and thrive when they are in relationships! So today on National Best Friends Day, let that person, goat, cow, etc., know just how amazing they are and what they bring to your life.